Thanks to all who have commented. I really do appreciate it. I'm working hard on the ending.
Chapter 10
"C'mon, Tony! Open up!" McGee shouted through the closed double doors. Both he and Ziva stood in the foyer outside the penthouse suite, which required a special cardkey on the elevator just to reach. Marble floors and genuine imported Italian furniture made this hotel suite the room of preference among world-class celebrities and dignitaries, not to mention all the amenities that came included, such as its own personal doorman, who had been supplemented by several beefier and better armed NCIS personnel. It was DC's version of Ft. Knox, only for people.
Ziva said, "He is not answering; I say we break in."
McGee was just about to agree when the door swung open.
"Do you mind? Some people are trying to sleep around here."
The two agents stared at their colleague who was only wearing a pair of black silk pajama bottoms. "Tony! You are supposed to be protecting her, NOT sleeping with her!" Ziva chastised.
"According to the Director, if she says jump, I'm to ask, 'How high?' If you don't like it, I suggest you take it up with him."
They followed him down a short hallway and into a spacious sitting area, complete with a grand piano and mini bar. He didn't stop there, but continued through an archway, down another short hallway that opened up into a much larger living room. Sarita stepped inside from the balcony wearing the top half of his black silk jams. "Hi, Officer David and Special Agent McGee."
Ziva averted her eyes from the pajama clad woman. In an effort more to squelch her own jealousy than to be friendly, she said, "Please, call me Ziva."
"And me, Tim."
"Okay. I hope you're not here to take him away," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head against his chest. "I have him now and I don't plan on letting him go."
"You have a rehearsal to attend. If you do not make it there, a lot of people are going to be unhappy," Ziva stated, trying hard to mask her feelings. She wasn't sure what she hated more: the fact that she felt that way, or the fact that she had to hide it.
"Okay," Sarita sighed. "It'll only take me a minute to get ready."
McGee was unaware that he was staring until he felt the slap on his chest. "Sorry, Ziva, but you have to admit that it's not every day we get a chance to meet a celebrity like Sarita, let alone in her bedroom."
"I'll tell you what, McOgle, I'll be the bigger person and let you take her to rehearsal."
"Really? That would be great, Tony." McGee's excitement was interrupted by his phone ringing. He looked at the LCD, then answered, "Yeah, Boss?" He listened a minute and furrowed his brow, "—Bu-but, Boss, we were hoping to watch some of the rehearsal— Boss?" He closed his phone and announced, "That was Gibbs. After we escort Tony and Sarita to the venue, we're to report back to NCIS."
"What?" Tony exclaimed.
"You heard me."
"But my shift is over," Tony objected, "Give me your phone!" He snatched the device from his partner and speed dialed.
Ziva and McGee exchanged a glance and waited patiently, knowing the outcome before it happened.
Chapter 11
Tony sat in the front row of the fifty thousand seat arena. Four technicians were pulling wire under the stage while another was perched on a ladder hanging a two thousand watt halogen spot light from a metal beam. Half a dozen others were milling around directing workers and referencing clip boards. Thirty-six hours from now, the venue would be sold out, and the workers would see the fruits of their labor pay off.
There was a calmness and serenity in the air that was far different from the outside world. When Sarita walked on stage, he instantly knew why she felt comfortable there. No one turned or looked her way, no one gave her a second glance; there were no flashing lights, clicking cameras or shouting voices from adoring fans. She was simply one piece of the production. He caught himself staring: a petite girl with a small bone structure but large stage presence. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, like Ziva's, and she wore little make-up, also similar to the Moussad operative. And she no doubt was as good at her craft as the Israeli was at hers.
"What are you seeing?"
Tony snapped out of his trance and bristled, embarrassed at being caught. "You, and what you've done with your life."
"Do you approve?" Sarah asked.
He nodded, half in admiration and half in envy.
She sat down next to him and said, "You should be up here with me. It's your songs that got me here, and your tenacity that wouldn't let me quit. Without you, Tony, no telling what would have happened to me."
"Don't sell yourself short, Sarah. You would be doing exactly what you're doing now, with or without me."
"Not true. If it weren't for you, I may not even be alive."
He turned away. They had skirted the issue yesterday and all morning, and it was obvious she wanted to talk about it, but it was equally obvious that he didn't. "It is what it is, and we can't change what happened. You are a famous celebrity and I'm a federal agent. You are great at what you do, and I'm not half bad at what I do. But by coming to me, at the very least, our careers are in jeopardy, and at the most, our lives are in jeopardy. And prison is lurking somewhere in between.
"I know, and I'm sorry, really sorry. But I didn't know where else to turn."
He dropped his head so they were almost touching foreheads, and whispered, "I'm glad you came to me and didn't try to handle it on your own."
She smiled, relieved by what she heard. "What are we going to do about that note?"
"I'm going to try to get our forensics' scientist to analyze it. There's no doubt that she'll provide me with a lead, it's the questions she'll ask that has me bothered." He studied her a moment, realizing that she was more scared than she wanted to let on. Tenderly he reached for her hand and whispered, "It'll be okay. I promise."
"I know; everything's okay when I'm with you."
Chapter 12
Ducky and Abby appeared in the bullpen, wearing expectant expressions.
"What?" Gibbs asked.
"We were wondering if we could leave a few hours early today?"
"Why?"
Abby hedged, "We thought we might be able to go to Sarita's rehearsal? Tony's there and I heard she puts on a great show."
"Have you finished processing all the evidence on the Goodison case?"
"Yessir! Processed, catalogue, and filed."
"Good." Turning towards his junior officer, he asked, "Whad'ya have, McGee?"
McGee sent images to the plasma, "I scanned the data on the microfiche to files and uploaded everything from the Connecticut Gazette that matched the search criteria. Then I ran another search and cross checked for names and dates that corresponded to—"
"—McGee!"
"Sorry, Boss. I found the obituaries on Mrs. DiNozzo and her son." Two short articles appeared side by side on the plasma. One included a faded picture of a smiling brunette, making it obvious where Tony got his smile from, and the other, a boy who could have easily passed as Tony's twin. "About a year later, there were several more articles about Mr. DiNozzo and his business ventures. Sarita wasn't kidding when she said he poured himself into his work. He made millions on top of his millions over the next couple of years." The plasma screen switched to a photo of a much younger Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. standing alongside a dark skinned turban clad gentleman. "Much of his success can be attributed to bringing in a partner, Abdullah Mohamed, who helped him secure overseas contracts and serve as the liaison between his U.S. holdings and those in the Middle East. I couldn't find anything written about Sarita or her family."
"Ziva."
"I found out the name of the photographer," she said while displaying the grainy picture of Sarita and her mystery man, "a Mr. Robert Wilson, a Paparazzi out of Los Angeles. I called him to get the negative, but he doesn't have it. Evidently, it now belongs to the magazine he sold the picture to. I am in the process of securing a warrant to get it. Mr. Wilson was very helpful and said he had other pictures of the couple and he'd be happy to sell them to us. The warrant will cover both."
"When will we have those negatives?"
"This afternoon."
"McGee, I want to know more about Tony and Sarita's relationship; Ziva, you're with me."
"Gibbs?" Abby interrupted. "What about us?"
"C'mon, you're coming with me too."
Chapter 13
Abby stood at the side entrance to the stage, overlooking the activities. She never could hide her thoughts, and if her face was any indication of what she was thinking, her expression was a cross between childish fascination and gothic admiration.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but the backup dancers are meeting in the Blue Room."
Abby looked at the technician before realizing he was speaking to her. "Oh no! I'm not a dancer! Well, not for this show at least, I do dance, but not like this. I'm here to watch!"
She didn't think he heard her reply as he had already slid past her and was half way down the corridor by the time she had finished talking.
"This is a closed rehearsal, people," a high-pitched whiny voice drew their attention. Snapping his fingers to get their attention, he continued, "Excuse me, people! If you don't leave, I'll have security escort you off the premises."
Gibbs flashed his badge, "We're with NCIS, assigned to protect Sarita."
The man scrutinized the badge before begrudgingly adding, "What can we do for you, Agent Gibbs?"
"Nothing. We're just here to observe."
The man smirked. He suspected it was just a ploy to see the celebrity's show without paying. "Sarita's talking to her choreographer over there, and your agent is down front," he said while waving them off.
Abby whispered to Ducky, "Rather snippy for someone who, you would think, would want to protect his boss."
Tony looked relieved when he saw his colleagues approach, "Hey, Boss. You here to take over?"
Gibbs smiled and answered the question with a question, "Whad'ya have for me?"
"There're three perimeters around her at all times. I have to tell ya, Boss, that her security detail is very sophisticated."
Gibbs waited expectantly, silently conveying that he didn't give a damn about HER security detail.
"Four men comprise the first ring, close by and in contact. The second ring has the physical building, securing doors and windows, basically any ingresses and egresses. And the outer detail, or third ring, covers virtual access and variables, like packages, boxes, and catering. I have to admit, Boss, that they're doing a much better—" he decided not to finish his sentence based on the glare aimed at him. Instead, he pointed out, "I have been with the target non-stop since yesterday and I'd like to remind you that other people," he directed his comment at Ziva, "are equally as qualified, if not better, at thwarting personal attacks as I am."
"Tony!" Abby said, catching up to the group, "has she come out and sung yet?"
"No, right now they're putting the final touches on the stage. I think I heard someone say they'll begin rehearsal after lunch."
Abby did a modified jumping up and down and a silent clapping of her hands before she moved to the center seat of the first row and sat down. That's when Tony got an idea, but it meant he had to separate her from the rest of the group. It became even more challenging when Ducky followed her and sunk down in the seat right beside her.
"DiNozzo!"
Tony brought his attention back around to his boss, "Sorry, Boss. What did you ask?"
Annoyed, Gibbs walked away. Ziva stayed behind and observed, "You seem distracted today. Are you having trouble concentrating, perhaps thinking about your girlfriend?"
"She's not my girlfriend."
She studied him a minute, and then added, "You are not telling us something, Tony."
He looked at her, masking his concern over her tenacity, Gibbs' gut, and McGee's intellect; his secret didn't stand a chance. "I thought I made my wishes perfectly clear. It's time someone else took over."
She stared after him as he walked away.
Chapter 14
Tony slipped out and found Sarita in her dressing room. She was surrounded by designers and seamstresses and he had to wait ten minutes before she was alone and could talk. "How much are you willing to lose?"
"What?"
"If it gets out, if the world learns of what we did, are you willing to lose your career over it?"
She pondered the question, having asked it of herself many times. She always knew it was a matter of when, and not if, their secret would emerge. She had more money than she could possibly spend in a lifetime, so if funding stopped, she could still live. What she couldn't live without was singing. It was her escape and her salvation. No matter what, she thought, nobody could take that away. Even if she lost her career, she could always sing. Besides, many an artist had made a comeback after seemingly insurmountable odds. She looked at the handsome man and thought, 'with the right people around me, I could do anything.' "If you're in my life, I could lose everything and still make it."
He wasn't so optimistic. "I'll probably be in prison."
Chapter 15
Tony slipped into the ladies room behind Abby. He may have entered unnoticed by the workers in the corridor, but Abby had been waiting for him. "You've been watching me and following me around for the past hour. If you wanted to get me alone, you just had to ask."
Tony wished it were that simple. "Abby, I need your help." He pulled the note, now wrapped in plastic, from his breast pocket. "Can you analyze this? See if you can find anything on it?"
She took the plastic and shrugged. It was like any other piece of paper so the short answer was yes. But the much longer question begged to be asked.
"Don't ask me any questions, Abby, please? You don't want to know the answers."
Suddenly, her demeanor changed from 'What's-this-all-about?' to 'Now-you're-scaring-me', and since she wore her emotions on her sleeve, it was easy to tell what she was thinking.
"Keep this between us, too. Gibbs, Ziva, Ducky… they don't need to know, okay?"
"Are you okay?"
Tony swallowed. He hadn't been okay in years, but she didn't need his burdens. "Yeah, just promise me that you'll keep this between us. A lot's at stake, Abs. Promise?"
Abby slid the plastic bag into her purse and studied Tony like she would study her younger brother when she was helping him out of a mess. "Promise," she finally replied.
He pulled a "Gibbs" and kissed her forehead, "Thanks, Abby. I owe you."
Alone in the ladies room, she began to feel the magnitude of the problem. She suddenly realized that whatever Tony was involved in, it was dangerous and most likely dangerous for Sarita as well. She stared in the mirror, clearly not seeing herself.
Chapter 16
McGee jumped up from behind his desk and approached Gibbs and Ziva with the remote directing their attention to the plasma. "I called the school where Tony attended. Unfortunately, there are no teachers left from when he went there, but there is one volunteer named Miss Kidwell. She's a retired teacher who remembers both Sarita and Tony. She told me that after Tony's mother died, he missed a lot of school. The accidents and injuries were dismissed by administrators as simply boys-will-be-boys, but she had her reservations."
"Like what?" Gibbs asked.
"She was reluctant to discuss the particulars, but she said at the time nobody asked too many questions, especially since Mr. DiNozzo was a major benefactor to the school. Officially, Tony was an active child with little supervision, so it was no wonder that he was in and out of the hospital a lot. However, she said she did not buy that explanation."
"Why not?"
"She wouldn't say."
"Get her on the phone."
McGee picked up his phone and dialed. "Miss Kidwell, this is Special Agent Timothy McGee from NCIS. Do you remember speaking to me earlier?" The team waited patiently. "If you don't mind, I'd like to put you on speaker phone so you can speak with my boss, Special Agent Gibbs." McGee pressed the button and replaced the receiver. "Can you hear us okay, Miss Kidwell?"
"Yes, I can hear you fine," the voice of a centurion, or close to it, replied. "But I told you everything that I can remember. I don't know how I can be of any more help to you."
"Ma'am, this is Special Agent Gibbs, I'd like to ask you a question about something you reported. You said that Tony DiNozzo was in and out of hospitals a lot as a child, but you didn't believe they were accidents."
The line was quiet, almost dead.
"Miss Kidwell? Are you still there?"
"Yes, I'm sorry," she replied, her voice shaking. "You're quite right, Agent Gibbs, I didn't believe they were accidents, but I didn't have any proof to the contrary."
"What do you think happened?"
"Black eyes, broken bones and extensive bruising might happen occasionally to young boys, especially when they're as active and mischievous as Anthony, but not at the rate that he suffered them. And I didn't buy the argument that he was in fights. He was such a fun loving boy and everybody got along well with him."
"If not fights, then what?"
"I believe he was beaten by his father. I have no proof, but I've seen my share of child abuse and I think he was abused."
Gibbs lowered his head, forcing that thought aside, then asked, "What do you know about Sarah Villanova and Tony DiNozzo's relationship?"
"They were friends, good friends, in the way children are friends. She could keep up with him athletically and he could keep up with her musically. I know that Tony spent a lot of time with the Villanova family after his mother and Marco died, but Mr. Villanova didn't like him much. 'Young Anthony was wild and untamed,' is what was written in his school file. I guess Mr. Villanova felt that way, too."
"Is there anything else you can remember concerning Tony or Sarah?"
"Well, let me think… there was an incident that happened, but they were in high school, no—it was middle school. I seem to recall something that involved them, but I can't remember the details… and I think it was considered Code Blue."
"Code Blue?" Gibbs asked, "What's that?"
"It was the school's way of saying: 'don't ask about it.' So we didn't. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."
"You've done just fine, Miss Kidwell."
"Agent Gibbs, is there a reason for all these questions? I don't always get a chance to keep up with my former students, but I do know that Sarah is a big celebrity and Tony went into law enforcement. Has something happened to them?"
"They're fine, and thank you, Miss Kidwell, for all your help. If we need you for anything else, we'll call." McGee clicked off.
Gibbs turned to him and asked, "You get the negatives?"
"Yes. I took them to Abby's lab."
Frustrated, Gibbs threw out a question, "What do we know?"
"Well," McGee began, "we know that Tony kept his relationship with Sarita Villanova a secret. We know that Sarita specifically requested Tony to protect her, potentially exposing the reason for their secrecy."
"Or trying to protect him," Gibbs slid in.
"We can logically conclude that whatever the threat is against her, it is directly connected to Tony."
Ziva continued, "We know that whatever it is, however great it may be, that neither Sarita nor Tony are willing, or perhaps capable, of telling anyone. We can conclude that the consequences are probably grave."
Gibbs added, "We also know that Tony may have been the victim of child abuse. McGee, I want medical records pulled on Tony from the time he was born. I also want medical records pulled on Sarita."
"On it."
Ziva, see if you can locate any of the staff who worked in Tony's house."
"Right."
Gibbs sat down at this desk and pondered the words of Miss Kidwell. It was most likely that Tony was an abused child. This wasn't a case that he could disassociate himself in order to get the job done; this was Tony, a member of his team, and he felt the anger begin to build towards the adults in Tony's life.
Chapter 17
Gibbs stopped when he heard his name. His internal clock had told him he should have stopped by Vance's office earlier, and now he was going to pay for having ignored it.
"Yeah?"
"A minute, please, in my office," Vance said.
Gibbs closed the door behind him and waited.
"Status of the Sarita Villanova detail."
"DiNozzo's with her now and has been with her since yesterday afternoon. The arena is covered and she's planning on performing as scheduled."
"Have you figured out why she requested DiNozzo?"
"Nope."
"What have you figured out?"
Gibbs hesitated. He just wanted to do his job and if his gut was any indication, time was of the essence. "I'll let you know when I've got something. Right now, I have to come up with a way to convince DiNozzo to perform with Sarita tonight. It's not something I can order him to do, but I think it would help if he did."
"If it helps ensure her safety, I'll order it."
Gibbs turned and walked away, smiling; sometimes his job was too easy.
Chapter 18
Tony watched the rehearsal alone, sitting in the upper tier of the middle section. He found himself going back down memory lane and remembering the basement concerts that they'd put on and the jamming sessions they had, all to the annoyance of her father. By comparison, Mr. Villanova was a great father, but Tony had to remind himself that the bar wasn't exactly set high. His memories of his own father were so few that he had etched into his brain each and every time he had had a good time with him.
His phone rang and he looked at the ID, then answered with a crisp, "Yes, sir."
"Agent DiNozzo, this is Director Vance. How's the rehearsal going?"
"Fine, Director. It's going to be a spectacular performance."
"Good. I want you up on stage with her."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. She requested it and I'm granting it. I don't care if all you do is hold her microphone, you will be on that stage when she performs."
"But—"
"That's all, Agent DiNozzo."
Tony heard the dead sound of silence but he still tried to protest, "Sir? Sir!"
"Shit!" he exclaimed.
"Bad news?"
Tony turned around to see the stage manager sitting behind him. "Yeah, it's bad news."
"You being up on stage?"
He shot the guy a confused look, "Yeah, but how'd you know?"
"News travels fast in the industry. Hell, if I want to know what songs she's going to sing, I read the daily rags. Don't worry about it. She tells me that you're pretty good; in fact, she claims you wrote most of the songs on her first album?"
Ignoring his question, he stated, "I don't want to be up there."
The manager studied him, and then added, "Don't worry about it. We'll get you up there without much problem."
"Thanks, I think."
"Don't mention it. She's my bread and butter and if anything happens to her, a lot of people are looking for new jobs."
Tony looked at him sideways, thinking his comment was somewhat callous. But in the entertainment business, he suspected that's just the way it was. He leaned back, contemplating his role as the newest member of Sarita's band.
Chapter 19
"Abby, what'd'ya have for me?" Gibbs asked walking briskly into her lab.
Catching her off guard, she quickly blanked out the screen and looked at him guiltily.
He stared back at her, waiting. Finally, he asked, "Abs? What's wrong?"
"Nothing! I'm not doing anything that I'm not supposed to be doing!"
He studied her a minute longer, waiting for her to blurt something more out, but she remained silent. He asked, "Did you get the negatives that McGee left?"
Visibly relieved, she replied, "Yes, I got them." She clicked open several screens to display grainy images that were similar to the original photo. "Quality isn't much better on these than the photo we already have."
"Any distinguishing features on the man?"
"If you mean anything that might identify him as Tony, then yes…, and no. The brand shoes are Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2K4 iD, limited edition. That's what Tony wears, but so do about a thousand other people in the Metropolitan area. When I run this image through the GONAD software—"
Gibbs looked amused.
"Don't laugh, Gibbs! It's public domain software still in the testing stages. They named it GONAD as a joke, but it stuck so now they're stuck with the name. It's a pretty decent piece of software though and according to it, the man in the picture is almost a perfect physical match to Tony: 6'2", 182 pounds, size 12 shoe. I realize that this matches a lot of other people, but if I had Tony's measurements, I could match it even further."
"Good work, Abs." As he was leaving, he spotted a piece of paper enclosed in plastic. It was not part of any evidence he'd seen before and so he picked it up.
Abby turned around just in time to see him reading it. "Gibbs! You can't see that!"
Ignoring her, he read the note. Turning to look at her, he asked, "What is this?"
She bit her lip, remembering her promise to Tony. "I can't tell you. I promised."
"Where'd you get it?"
"I can't tell you. I promised."
"Did Tony give this to you to analyze?"
"I can't tell you. I promised."
"I can promise you something right now if you don't start answering my questions!"
Abby turned back to her computer and opened the screen she had earlier minimized. Displayed on both screens was the note. It read:
I know what you did. Both you and Anthony DiNozzo will pay for it. You will live long enough to see each other suffer.
She looked up at Gibbs, trying not to think about her promise to Tony. The look on Gibbs' face pretty much moved any fear she had of Tony finding out what she'd done and put it right here in her lab.
Gibbs quietly toned, "What did you find?"
"Not much. The paper is 110-pound card stock, primarily used for announcements and invitations. This brand is from the American Stationery Company which distributes only to the Mid-Atlantic states. The writing is done with a ball point pen, sold anywhere, but it's interesting to note the lettering. The contour of each letter and the slant of the words would suggest two things: one, that the writer did not learn to write his or her letters in this country, and two, that he or she may be left handed."
"Anything else?"
"I was able to capture a partial print and I'm running it through AFIS."
Gibbs' mind was spinning with all the information that was coming his way. Filtering through everything was his specialty, and he relied heavily on his team to help him determine what to keep and what to trash. Unfortunately, the team member who he relied on the most was proving as adept at hindering this investigation as he was at helping.
"Gibbs, I'm sorry. He made me promise and it's so hard to tell Tony no."
Gibbs fixed Abby with a stare, "Anything else that Tony gives you or asks you to do for him, you let me know, immediately. Got it?"
Not accustomed to seeing her boss like this, she nodded, not bothering to hide the fear and sadness that was all tied up tight inside her.
The facts rolled around Gibbs' head as he stood in the elevator. He had yet to press any buttons opting instead to wait in the darkened box. Tony and Sarita were involved in something together, something illegal, something career stopping. They parted their ways after high school, and nothing eventful happened in elementary school, so whatever it was, it occurred sometime within a five year span, between the ages of thirteen and seventeen.
"Ziva," Gibbs asked walking briskly by her desk, "when does Sarita's concert begin?"
"She goes on at 9:30."
He looked at his watch, they had just under three hours before both Tony and Sarita would be targets for one person among fifty thousand people. Unless she cancelled, they had to work fast.
"Boss," McGee started, "I got copies of all Tony's medical records." He began flashing one after the next on the screen, pulling out words that sounded like medical terms, but none of it was making much sense.
"Get Ducky up here."
Ducky and Palmer strolled in together. "I brought my protégé because I thought you might be interested in what he was asked to do."
Gibbs waited impatiently for Palmer to talk.
"Tony called me this afternoon with an unusual request. He wanted me to find out, discreetly, what Ziva and McGee were working on and get back to him. But, it was as if he already knew."
"Did you get back to him?"
Palmer hung his head in embarrassment, "Yes, I told him that they had run background checks on him."
McGee's heart skipped, and he stammered, "I'm dead. He's going to kill me."
"I will not let him kill you, McGee," Ziva assured. "He may do some damage, but he won't actually kill you."
"Ducky," Gibbs diverted his attention, "what do these records mean?"
The doctor studied the medical reports, using the remote to flip through page after page. "Let's see here… broken bones, dislocated shoulders, lacerations… They mean that our young Anthony spent as much time in a hospital as he did in a school."
"What's on the reports?"
"He had a broken arm and ribs here. This one is for treatment of a broken nose and jaw. This is for a dislocated shoulder and broken clavicle."
"What was listed as the cause?"
Ducky took a minute to study the form before saying, "On two occasions, it was attributed to a motorcycle accident."
"Is that consistent with the injuries?"
"It could be. But there are some records that have been redacted."
"A juvenile with sealed or redacted records? You know what that means, Duck."
"I'm afraid I do."
They all knew what sealed medical records of a minor meant: sexual abuse. There was a lingering silence until Gibbs asked, "When do the injuries stop?"
Ducky flipped through more pages and said, "It appears they stop around October. At least, there are no more incident reports after that time."
A ringing phone interrupted them and Ziva picked it up. "Yes, this is Officer David, thank you for returning my call." She mouthed to Gibbs who it was and he whispered, "Put her on speaker."
She pressed the speaker button and quietly laid the handset on the cradle. "Senora Delgado, estoy Senorita David con NCIS. Habla Inglesh?"
"Si, Senorita. I speak English well."
"We understand that you worked for Mr. Anthony DiNozzo as part of the housekeeping staff. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"What were you hired to do?" Ziva continued.
"I worked in the kitchen as their cook. They were wonderful people to work for, and Mrs. DiNozzo was not only a wonderful, loving mother to her boys, but she was a most generous employer. She gave me a large budget and allowed my daughter to help me."
"What can you tell us about Tony, er, Anthony?"
"Ah, il mio mischievous Tony. He was very energetic and a lot of fun to have around. He would come into the kitchen and ask a lot of questions and leave as quickly as he came. I would later realize he'd eaten my dinner!" she added with a soft chuckle. "Young Anthony was a ball of energy."
"Did you know Sarah Villanova?"
"Yes, they were good friends. They became closer after Mrs. DiNozzo and Marco were killed. That was a terrible time."
"Can you tell us about that time?"
"Not much to tell. After they died, young Anthony missed them terribly. Senor DiNozzo was gone most of the time, and Anthony didn't have any supervision. We tried to watch him; there was a staff of twenty who tried, but we couldn't keep up with him."
"When Mr. DiNozzo was gone, who was Tony left in the care of?"
"No one. I'm afraid he taught himself a lot of bad things. He could hot-wire a car when he was eleven, and he did, often. There was a series of burglaries in the neighborhood, but nothing of value was ever stolen, mostly just food. At first, the police wanted to blame a young person, but once they discovered that the burglar had by-passed some very sophisticated security systems, they decided that a young person would not have been capable of such a crime. In fact, the police said it pointed to an organized crime syndicate. It was very confusing. The person was never caught but we, meaning myself and the staff at Pemberly, knew all along that it was young Anthony trying to get his father's attention."
"Did it work?" Ziva asked.
There was a pause, "Not really."
"Why do you say that?"
There was another period of silence. It became obvious that she didn't want to reveal what she knew. It was also a fact that she could hang up at any time, so Gibbs gestured to Ziva to take it slower.
She acknowledged her boss' wishes, and then asked, "Senora Delgado, we know this is difficult to talk about, but it's very important. Ton—er Anthony, seemed to have a lot of injuries as a boy. Can you tell us about that?"
There was another period of silence and Ziva repeated, "Tony spent time in the hospital, Senora Delgado. Do you know why?"
"I have to go."
"Please, Mrs. Delgado," Ziva quickly added, "we are investigating a possible crime and need this information. You will be helping Tony if you help us now."
"Is Anthony in danger?"
"Yes."
They could hear her take a deep breath on the other end. "Ah, mi Dios." A muted prayer could be heard, and then she said, "Very well, I will try to help you. Sometimes, Senor DiNozzo's business partner would stay behind and look after Tony."
Ziva waited for more, but there was nothing forthcoming. "So," she coaxed, "Tony was in the care of an adult."
Mrs. Delgado's words were like poison when she responded, "I would not call that man an adult. He was a monster."
"Do you think he hit Tony?"
She did not respond.
"Please, Mrs. Delgado."
"I think he was a very cruel and sadistic man, and we think he did very bad things to our Anthony."
"Like what?"
"Dios mio, I cannot speak of what he did."
"Where is he now?"
She was startled by the question, "You do not know?"
"No, we do not know."
"No one knows what happened to him, Senorita David. He just disappeared."
Gibbs clicked his fingers at McGee.
"On it." McGee punched away at the keys while Ziva continued to ask questions of Mrs. Delgado.
"Is there anything else that you can tell us that might be helpful?"
"What kind of trouble is Anthony in?"
"We don't really know, but it has to do with Sarah Villanova."
"Sarah…" she said, reminiscently. "We thought those two would get married, smart couple we thought, and I think Sarah wanted it, but Anthony didn't."
"Why's that?"
"Who knows? He started running and he never stopped." Finally, she said something that Ziva understood.
"Thank you, Senora Delgado, for all your help. If we need to, can we call you again?"
"Of course, I would do anything to help my Anthony. Anybody who served the family would."
Just as Ziva disconnected, McGee said, "I found something. There was nothing written about it in the Gazette, but believe it or not, there was a write up in the New York Times." He pushed the article to the plasma and read the headline, "Prominent Business Partner Disappears." He continued to read, "It's been three weeks and no one has heard from Mr. Abdullah Mohamed, business partner of millionaire businessman Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. The police are investigating and believe foul play is involved, but they have no suspects. Mr. Mohamed was last seen leaving his hotel in New York City en route to the airport. His chauffeur, Amir Mohamed, who's also Abdullah's brother, said that he drove him to the terminal and watched him enter the concourse, and that was the last time he saw him. Amir Mohamed said his brother never boarded his flight for Saudi Arabia, and has not contacted anyone in the family. There have been no ransom notes and no one has come forward with any information. They are asking anyone with information on the case to contact the New York City Police Department.
"What month is that paper?" Gibbs asked.
"October."
Ducky reminded everyone, "That coincides with the time frame that Tony stopped having accidents that required the hospital."
"Gibbs! Gibbs! I got a hit!" Abby exclaimed, shuffling into the bullpen.
Five sets of eyes stared at her.
She stopped in her tracks, "What?"
"You usually call and we go to you," McGee explained.
"Why should I be left out of the party?"
"Abs, what'd'ya got?"
"That partial print came back with a match, and you'll never guess who." She was beaming until no one bothered to play. "Well? Is someone going to guess?"
McGee tried, "Sarita?"
"Nope."
"Tony?" Palmer ventured.
"No! Give up?"
Gibbs stated, "Amir Mohamed."
Abby pursed her lips, "I hate it when you do that, Gibbs; but, yes, Amir Mohamed." She leaned over McGee and punched on the keys, sending several images to the screen. "Anyone want to guess what list he's on?" Not waiting around for an answer, she displayed his picture under the heading, Terrorist Watch List.
The image of a bearded faced, Turban-clad man flooded the screen.
Ziva approached the display and asked, "Why would the brother of Mr. DiNozzo's business partner want Sarita and Tony dead?"
"I think I can answer that."
Six people turned around and looked at the woman. Everyone had been so focused on the plasma that they hadn't noticed Sarita and Director Vance standing on the platform of the steps, looking down.
"How long have you been there?" Ziva asked.
"Long enough," Vance replied.
"Where's Tony?" Gibbs asked.
"I have him running an errand. But I think Miss Villanova can answer some questions." The two walked into the bullpen and she was noticeably upset.
"McGee."
Tim scurried away and came back with a glass of water. She thanked him and held it with both hands, like it were some sort of life raft. For someone who had to perform in a couple of hours, she didn't look like she was going to make it. Looking around at everyone, she whispered, "I should never have dragged Tony into this. I don't want him to go to jail, and I don't want him killed… And I didn't know what to do, and if Tony knew I was telling you any of this…. "
Gibbs stared at Ducky, willing him to take action. "Sarita," he soothed gently, "Tony won't be upset. Why don't you start from the beginning?"
As further encouragement, Vance said, "Agent DiNozzo will be back soon."
She acknowledged his point and took a sip of water. "By now you know that Tony and I are more than friends. We would meet, secretly, in different cities and it was wonderful to just spend time together. It was his idea to remain anonymous, but as you saw from those pictures, we were almost caught. It sort of unnerved Tony because he had told me that if he didn't want to be caught, no one out there could do it. He put an end to our clandestine meetings and no matter how much I pleaded with him, he refused to meet up with me again. Then, I received that note that you analyzed. Whoever it was got close enough to put it in my dressing room. I just wanted Tony. He was the only person I trusted a hundred and ten percent. That's when I decided to show up here and take my chances. I knew by the way he spoke about you, and what you all did, that if anyone was going to help us, it was going to be NCIS."
Ziva asked, "How does Amir Mohamed fit into this?"
She bristled; it was painfully obvious she did not want to say the words. Finally, she quietly said, "Tony killed his brother, Abdullah Mohamed."
There was a stunned silence as the information was processed. "What?" Ziva asked.
"Tony killed Adbullah Mohamed, his father's business partner. But it's not what you think. He did it to protect me."
"Okay, Sarita, back up and start again."
"It all began when Tony's mother and brother were killed and his dad checked out of life. I guess Mr. DiNozzo didn't see himself raising a son alone, so his solution was to send Tony away. He shipped him off to camps and boarding schools around the country. Tony hated it and begged to stay home, but his father wouldn't hear of it. One night, while at one of those camps, Tony hot-wired a car and drove himself home. He was eleven."
McGee added, "Figures that Tony was actually joy-riding when the rest of the eleven year old population was just simulating it on Nintendo."
"Mr. DiNozzo was livid, but Tony felt he'd gotten through to his dad and that he would finally stay home with him. But it didn't exactly work out that way. Instead of sending him off somewhere, Mr. DiNozzo just left him home, alone and unsupervised. Tony was angry. About that time, the houses in the neighborhood started having break-ins. I knew it was him the first time I heard about what was happening, and asked him about it. He smiled that disarming smile and showed me how he did it." She found herself again smiling at the memory. "You know, my father spent twenty thousand dollars on our home security system and Tony bypassed it in under-thirty seconds. He could figure out anything when he put his mind to it.
"Immediately, Mr. DiNozzo suspected who the culprit might be and called Tony into his study on one of his rare home visits and confronted him. Abdullah Mohamed, Mr. DiNozzo's business partner, was there and listened while he reamed Tony out. Mr. Abdullah, as Tony grew up calling him, was a big man, and he liked Tony and when the lecture was over, he pulled Mr. DiNozzo aside and made an offer. He offered to look after him when Senior had to go away. Tony liked him too and since Mr. DiNozzo was just glad that he didn't have to think about his son, it was agreed that Abdullah would make sure Tony stayed out of trouble.
"At first, everything seemed okay. Mr. Abdullah drove him to school and played ball with him. He kept very close tabs on Tony, even disciplining him in a matter befitting his native land of Pakistan."
"Corporal punishment," Ducky surmised.
She nodded. "A black eye here; a broken finger there. Tony didn't say anything. I think he was just happy to have someone around. The first time he was rushed to the hospital, I remember my mother whispering to my father. I didn't understand what she could be saying, but she wouldn't talk about it. When I asked, Mom would reply, 'It's none of our business.' And I didn't know what she meant. Then I saw Tony, and I was shocked! When I asked him what had happened, he casually replied that he'd crashed his motorcycle, but his motorcycle didn't have a scratch on it."
"So Tony's father wasn't the one abusing him?" McGee said, making sure he understood correctly.
"Oh, of course not!" she replied. "After his wife and Marco died, Mr. DiNozzo never touched Tony. Mr. Abdullah was smart, though, and he explained all the 'accidents' easily to an absent father. And he threatened the staff with deportation and legal action if they asked questions. The abuse would be followed by long periods of indifference. I learned all about this later from our housekeeper, but Tony never spoke of it." She paused again, took a sip of water, and tried to continue, choosing her words carefully. "I would soon discover the extent of the abuse."
Ducky discreetly observed Gibbs, wondering if he should call an end to this impromptu meeting. But knowing his friend, he figured he probably already knew the big picture.
"One night, I walked to Tony's house. My parents were out for the evening and we were going to write music and jam until we dropped. Tony said he'd come by around seven, but when he didn't show and didn't answer his phone, I got worried. For some reason, Pemberly was deserted that night, and Pemberly had a large staff and was never deserted. Back then, everyone in the neighborhood knew all the ways into each other's houses, especially Tony's house. It was huge and had so many places to explore. I climbed the tree and scooted into the unlocked window. I heard muffled noises coming from one of the bedrooms." Her voice broke, "That's when I learned just how abusive and perverted he was. Mr. Abdullah was on top of him, and Tony was fighting, but he was no match for this man.
She swallowed her emotions, before continuing, "When Abdullah saw me, he was momentarily shocked, but he recovered quickly and lunged for me, catching my arm. The next thing I knew I was thrown on the bed and my shirt ripped off. He was… he was…going to…" she couldn't say it. She cleared her throat and continued, "It all happened so fast. Tony tackled him and they wrestled to the floor. He yelled at me to run, but I was paralyzed with fear. Mr. Abdullah was crazy! He had murder in his eyes and he was trying to kill Tony. I don't remember doing it, but Tony told me later I jumped on Mr. Abdullah and we crashed to the ground. Somehow, Tony and I managed to get just out of his reach. That's when Tony grabbed my hand and we took off. We ran for help, but there wasn't anyone in the house to help us. There wasn't anybody for a mile! By the time we made it to the barn where Tony kept his motorcycle, the bastard was already waiting for us! He said horrible things and reminded Tony that if he tried to tell anybody what he had been doing, that nobody would ever believe him; nobody would take the word of a juvenile delinquent over a respected businessman. He told Tony that his own father would never even believe him.
"Suddenly, Tony pushed me out the door but Abdullah grabbed him before he could follow and slammed him against the wall. I heard them fighting, and I heard Tony yelling to me to keep running. So I did. I ran and ran and ran. I could hear Adbullah beating Tony, and doing God knows what else… I still hear it today.
She paused long enough to take another sip of water, clear her voice and gather her thoughts. If she had taken the time to look at their faces, she may not have continued. "I waited in the darkness of the night, praying that Tony would get away and find me. Somehow, and I have no idea how, he did. He escaped from Abdullah's clutches and found me cowering under a tree. He grabbed my hand again and dragged me away from the house and into the woods. We ended up by the river, and that's when we realized we were trapped with the river in front of us and a murderous pedophile behind us."
Ziva felt like sitting down. It was more like her legs were going to give out. She held her thoughts together because that's what she was trained to do, but she wasn't feeling very composed at the moment.
Sarita continued, "It didn't take long for him to find us. He even laughed when he saw us peering over the cliff at the raging river below. I remember him saying to Tony, 'How many times do you think you can escape, boy? Don't be scared; the odds have shifted into my favor, my boy.'" She shivered at the memory. "The river was running high and it had already claimed two lives that summer. He waved his knife and said that after he was finished, the river could have us. And he said our disappearance was going to be too easy to explain: two reckless kids testing fate. He added that we weren't the first children he had had to dispose of. He leered at Tony, and told him that he was going to miss their night time rendezvous, but there was always another boy needing a father figure to step in and teach him the big bad ways of the world." Sarita broke her concentration and felt the need to justify the man's pending doom. "He was going to kill us! He had spent the last two years physically abusing Tony, and… and sexually abusing him, and now he was going to kill him!
Ducky eased her mind by slowly stating, "But, he didn't kill Tony."
"No, he didn't," she pulled back, "but I don't know why he didn't, and I can't explain what happened next. Tony put himself between me and that mad man. He told me to start running and not stop until I found help. All I remember seeing is the two of them hitting the ground, and wrestling for the knife. It was very dark and I couldn't see where I was going, but I did what Tony said; I ran. Unfortunately, I stumbled and fell, slamming my head against a rock.
"I woke up a day later in Pemberly. Tony had bandaged my head and brought me a clean set of clothes. It took me a while to get my bearings, but when I did, the entire ordeal came flooding back to me. I asked him what happened and he told me I fell and hit my head. He knew what I was asking; I wanted to know what happened to Mr. Abdullah, but he wouldn't tell me. I begged him, but he wouldn't say. I asked him how he was going to explain his injuries and he just laughed and said people were accustomed to seeing him beaten up and in two years, not one person had ever questioned how he got that way. Every time I asked, he deflected the question until eventually he just shook his head and told me to stop asking. I knew what that meant. When I suggested we tell the police, he said that Abdullah was right about one thing: no one would ever believe him, and he had no intention of spending any time in lock-up."
Sarita looked into her empty glass, and then up into the faces who had been hanging onto every word of her story. They looked sick, just like how she felt. But her concern wasn't for them, "Director Vance, I don't want Tony going to jail, and I don't want him killed by Amir Mohamed. I told you this story so you can help us. What are you going to do?"
Vance deferred to his Team Leader.
"Where is Amir Mohamed now?"
McGee clicked on his keyboard and reported, "It appears he's still in the Middle East, Afghanistan was his latest POD."
Gibbs was still digesting the details when the familiar sound of the elevator ding invaded his thoughts. The lack of movement and complete silence warned him who had exited.
Tony was in a hurry. "Sarah! You have less than an hour before you go on, and my phone's ringing off—" he pulled to a stop in front of his desk, registering the expressions of the faces who were looking at him.
And he knew.
"Aaa-Sarah, what have you done?" he whispered.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head into his chest. "I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry. You said they'd figure it out, and they did. I just filled in the blanks."
Among his colleagues staring at him, he was only concerned with what one man was thinking. He somehow managed to zig zag his sight around the room, avoiding everyone's stares, until he met his boss's eyes. He wouldn't be able to handle it if he saw reprisal. He didn't get a chance to make an assessment because of what assaulted his eyes over Gibbs' right shoulder. There, bigger than life, was the picture of the man he thought about every day of his life. He pushed Sarah aside and approached the plasma, muscles rigid and fists clenched. "He's alive?"
Sarah shook her head, "No, that's not Abdullah, that's his brother, Amir. He's the one who wrote the note."
Tony studied the picture, not believing his ears. "You're telling me that that's NOT Abdullah Mohamed?"
"That's right, Tony," Gibbs said. "His name is Amir Mohamed; he's the younger brother of Abdullah."
The tension permeated his body and Tony's jaw clenched. He had a million questions, but his first thought was of Sarah. He turned to face her and stated, "If he's out there, and he's anything like his brother, you can't go on stage tonight."
"I have to. I can't cancel now; it's not done that way in the business." His expression was one she knew all too well and she continued, "If I don't perform tonight, Tony, he will have won."
"I don't give a damn! You're not going out there! He's a killer—" the words came out before he could stop it, and when Tony made up his mind, it was impossible to change. Add to that the anger and fear in his voice, and several people took a step backwards, afraid of what he might do.
"Tony," Gibbs soothingly said, "hold on a minute. I have an idea."
"She's not going to be used as bait!" Tony said as he spun around, almost provoking a fight.
Gibbs deferred, "No, not as bait… more like a lure."
"No way!" Tony shook his head. "Not against him!"
Gibbs kept his tone quiet and held his subordinate's eye contact. "You'll be with her at all times."
Tony shook his head. "You can't expect her to go on tonight! You don't know Abdullah the way I do. He's—! He'll kill her!"
Gibbs cocked his head, studying his senior field agent. Soothingly, he stated, "Tony, Adbullah's missing and supposedly dead. It's his brother, Amir, who's on that screen."
Tony nervously moved his head and hands, not exactly sure where to take his thoughts. So many were flying through his mind right now that he wasn't sure which ones warranted exploring and which ones needed to vanish. He barely paid any attention to Ducky and Palmer leaving the room.
Sarah touched his arm and said, "I'm sorry, Tony."
He visibly exhaled, then wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. His mind seemed to clear and he began thinking like an NCIS agent again. "Not your problem. Your job is to entertain fifty thousand fans; our job is to protect you."
Gibbs said, "McGee, Ziva. Drive her back to the arena." Their hesitation was brief but still evident. "Go on," he urged.
Tony protested, "No. She doesn't leave my sight."
Gibbs gently responded, "She'll be with McGee and Ziva. You, yourself, said there were others who were as capable as you at protection."
Sarah pulled back and smiled, "I'll be okay."
Reluctantly, he let her leave, watching them until they disappeared into the elevator.
What Gibbs didn't say was that he needed time alone with Tony. He needed time to get Tony's head screwed on right. Once the door had closed, Tony tried to turn away but a strong grip to his bicep stopped him. It was evident that he didn't want to look at his boss. He didn't want to see eyes that knew his past. He only wanted to think about the case at hand and how they were going to play it. "Boss…"
Gibbs held his grip and said, "Are you going to be able to do this?"
Tony jerked away, his anger flaring up, "I can do whatever it takes to take Abdullah down."
Gibbs cocked his head again, as did the director.
"I mean… Amir."
Abby looked scared. When Tony got mad, he scared her and witnessing a show down between three alpha males wasn't on her top one million things to do in life. "Gibbs, I can start running facial recognition analysis on the crowd."
"Do it."
She walked past her handsome colleague and wanted to say something, but there was nothing she could think of that would sound appropriate. She let her hand run down his sleeve until she felt his hand. Gently she squeezed it, conveying her need to offer condolences for a childhood no person should ever have had.
Because he could never resist her gothic coolness, he smiled and let her know he was okay.
Vance said, "I don't want to be the one to pour salt in the tea, but how are you planning to get this bastard?"
Gibbs took one final long look at Tony and said, "He'll come to us."
"How do you know that?" Tony asked.
"Because if he's anything like his brother, he'll want to see your faces before he kills you."
"That's a pleasant thought."
Gibbs approached him slowly and said, "Tony, you're going to be key in all this. Can you do it?"
He chortled at the question, "Of course."
"What I mean is, can you NOT kill him? Can you extract a confession out of him?"
"With my eyes closed."
Gibbs wondered. He didn't look, nor did he sound, like a man ready to confront his past demons and they weren't going to have much time to get the information. If Gibbs knew what was coming, Amir would give Tony and Sarita just a few minutes before he made an attempt on their lives. If a confession wasn't had in those few minutes, Gibbs didn't want to think about the results of their meeting.
TBC
Based on some comments, I think I decided on the ending I want to use. Any and all comments are welcomed, and bonus kudos for anyone who can find a small inconsistency in this section. I tried to fix it, but it would have required too much of a rewrite so I left it as is.
