Chapter 2
"McGee? You all right man?"
Torres waved his hand in front of his partner's face. Tim blinked and came out of his daze.
"I'm sorry... I'm fine. What was your question?"
"I asked if you think our perp got in through the bedroom window."
Tim crossed the room to the window and looked out.
"It's a second floor window, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a point of entry." He turned to Torres. "Can you dust for prints? I'll take care of the photos."
"Sure thing."
Tim smiled and went to get the camera. Confused, Torres took out his tools and began collecting evidence.
######
Gibbs was finishing up with a neighbor when Torres and Tim came out of the house.
"What do you got?"
"Bedroom window is a possible point of entry," Tim said quickly. "There isn't anything there to climb on, but that doesn't mean the perp didn't bring his own tools."
Torres opened his mouth to add something, but Tim cut him off again.
"We got prints from the window and the bed... Abby will have to separate the ones from the family and see if there are any viable ones."
"Good. Did you talk to the Mother?" Gibbs asked, purposely directing his question at Torres.
"I did," Torres said before Tim could cut him off again. "She was in the kitchen when the boy was taken. She was talking to her husband on the phone when she heard screaming from her son's room. She ran upstairs, and by the time she got to the bedroom, he was gone."
"What about his sister?"
"Leanna Martin, age 14," Tim read from his notebook. "She was in her room, with her earbuds in. She didn't hear a thing."
"Isn't her room next to Caleb's room?" Torres asked.
"It is. I wasn't able to talk with her for very long... she was upset."
"With good reason... her brother was kidnapped," Gibbs said.
Tim put his notebook into the inside pocket of his jacket.
"Are we done here?"
Gibbs gave him a long look.
"Yeah, we're done. You and Torres get that stuff into the van."
Tim nodded and beckoned Torres along with him.
Gibbs watched Tim walk away. Kidnapping cases always affected the team more than any other kind of case, but this particular case seemed to have Tim on edge. Knowing how his Senior Agent felt about confrontation, Gibbs decided to observe for a while, before confronting him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
1993...
"Sarah!" Tim knocked on his parents' bedroom door. "Sarah, please let me in!"
"I don't want to talk to you!" She shouted from inside. Tim could hear the pain in his sister's voice, and he felt his heart drop to his feet.
"Sarah, please... we need to talk."
"Leave me alone!"
Tim rested his forehead against the door. How the hell was he going to fix this?
A shriek from downstairs alerted that his parents were home. He could hear his mother crying hysterically, and an oficer's voice trying to calm her down. The next thing he heard put a knot in his stomach. It was his father's booted footsteps, coming up the stairs.
"Timothy!"
He turned toward the stairs as his father stormed down the hallway.
"Down here, Dad."
"What the hell happened here?"
"I-I'm sorry Dad... was in my room, and I didn't hear anything... if I had heard-"
"Your bedroom is right next to his! How could you not hear anything!"
"I-I-"
"You are the most irresponisble -" The Admiral stopped himself. "Where's your sister?"
"In your bedroom. I can't get her to come out."
"Get out of my sight. I'll take care of your sister. You're clearly incapable."
Tim went quickly down the hallway, away from his father. He turned at the top of the stairs, and watched the Admiral go into his bedroom. He turned and made his way downstairs to face his Mother.
TBC...
