Title: Ziva's Ghost – Chapter three
Rating: M has adult themes and – run – flashbacks.
Timeline: Post Season 13.
Spoilers: If you've seen it then it does not count as a spoiler.
Language: International English.
A/N:
Word Count: 1,727
Even before Orli arrived at Mossad head office tony was waiting for her, at the lower entrance, but before he could say anything, she held up her hand to silence him, adding a firm "Not here."
Tony looked around but then nodded. He followed her indoors and to her office, agitatedly waiting for the others to leave before stating, "You lied to me, Zivva was not in the farmhouse."
"A lie needed at the time." Orli.
"What?" Tony asked in disbelief, "Do you ever tell the truth?"
"If I had arrived in America with Tali, saying here is your daughter her mother is missing. What would you have done?"
"I would have gone looking for her," Tony said without thought. Fact is I was already ready to leave."
Orli nodded, "And what do you think would have happened?"
"I would have done a better job at finding her than your Mossad officers have."
Orli nodded, "Yes, it is well known that you are the only person who can find when she does not want to be found. In fact many of the officers here look up to you for that."
"So why lie to me? Why bring me my daughter when you're not even certain her mother is dead."
"Because it was what Ziva asked me to do."
Tony's brow furrowed.
"Yesterday I only told you part of it." Tony made to interrupt but again Orli silenced him, this time by shaking her head. "Ziva's request to me was that if anything were to happen to her, which includes her suddenly going missing, that I was to take Tali to you. Yes, I will admit, the explosion at the farmhouse made a convenient cover story, but we needed you to stay away."
"What!" Tony said in disbelief.
"I had hoped that it would take you some time to settle with Tali, Some time before you started to question the inconsistencies. I should have known it would be sooner rather than later."
"I'm going to find her." Tony firmly stated.
"And by doing so you will inevitably lead them right to her." Orli's words instantly chilled his blood. "I see you have not considered that." Orli took a deep breath before she continued. "As I said before, it is known that the only person who can find Ziva is you. All they will have to do is watch your movements. It was also one of the reasons why Ziva was adamant that I get Tali out of the country as quickly as possible. That way they could not use Tali as leverage."
Tony's heart sped up, "Oh, God I left her with–" he started.
"I have placed officers near the home." Orli said.
"That is why there were no paperwork for Tali."
"As mush as I abhor to admit this, we were caught off guard. Were it not for me escorting her, they would not have allowed her to leave."
"So now you just want me to sit back and do nothing, you know I can't do that."
"Actually, I was hoping that I could count on your cooperation."
"And why would I do that."
"Because I want Ziva found as much as you do."
"Somehow I doubt that. Besides you just said that I would be leading them to her."
"Yesterday, I insinuated that you were here for Ziva's estate, to settle matters."
Tony could feel his anger mounting. And Oli must have sensed it because she held up her hands to calm him.
"All I ask of you is to give us the opportunity to determine who would be observing you. It will not take a great deal of your time."
Tony nodded in understanding, "So what do you want me to do?"
"I will arrange for someone to accompany you to the farmhouse."
"Why?" Tony demanded.
"If you are to believe that she is dead you would want to have a look at the site. And I suspect that whoever is involved would have someone observing the farmhouse since your arrival."
Tony nodded.
"On your return you are to visit an estate agent and request an appraisal."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because it would appear as if you are attending to the estate, and intend to dispose of the farm."
Every sinew in his body rejected Orli's suggestion. "I can't… That was where Ziva was born."
"Asking for an appraisal is not selling the property, but it implies intent." Orli countered. "I will also arrange for you to meet with Ziva's solicitor, he has been informed of the circumstance and will allow you access to her estate information and what it entails."
"I'm not interested." Tony deadpanned.
"All I'm asking of you is to keep up appearances, at least until Tali's documents are ready. You having resigned from NCIS will soon enough confirm to whomever that you are not looking for Ziva"
Tony relented and nodded in agreement.
"I will arrange for a vehicle to take you to the farm."
Tony nodded and stood. "I just have one more question."
"What is that."
"How did Ziva really disappear? What did you have her working on?"
"Ziva changed her mind about going to the farm, I can only suspect that she somehow knew. She instead arranged a short notice training session with her junior officers. She took them out into the field and issued instructions. After that no one saw her again."
"And what do the officers have to say."
"Only that she did not arrive at the rendezvous point."
"She used it as a cover."
Orli nodded. "When they reported it to me, and with the farmhouse, I knew Ziva would not reappear any time soon."
Tony alighted from the vehicle. The last time he had arrived there it had been with such hope, now only devastation remained. The shell of the house still stood, the remaining walls charred black. He approached the house and shook his head. Just standing there would have been enough to confirm that Tali was not in the house at the time of the explosion. The entire of the interior was scorched. He determined that whoever was responsible would have needed to use a medium sized mortar to cause such damage. Which mean that whoever was involved had access to weapons and a vehicle to mount the launching pipe. He moved about the home for some time before his gaze settled on the orchard.
A restricting sensation enveloped his heart as he remembered the moment they'd shared there… What had happened afterwards. As if by some invisible force he was drawn to it again. A part, an important part of Ziva was buried there, and if he was to make it all believable he would have to retrieve it.
He entered the orchard, only to realize that retrieving the box might be more challenging than he'd anticipated. Ziva had chosen the spot, and possibly could have moved it since.
Tony slowly worked his way through the orchard, if the Mossad officer had any questions he kept them to himself. Tony looked at the ground, yet knowing to check for any disturbances would be foolish, it had been more than two years since they had buried it. He looked around him several times, he knew it had to be within the last five trees of a lane, just off the middle, but he would not have time to dig up every lane.
Drawing in a deep breath he closed his eyes: Come on DiNozzo, it was important, an important moment. You must remember something be able to feel something if you were close to it.
He moved to the next line of trees, his eyes again shifting over the ground, when he saw it, Would not have if he had not been looking for it. The ground was disturbed, its formation only slightly altered, as if it had nee reshaped to fit into the landscape, but the soil still too loose.
He moved closer and knelt beside it, the location felt similar. He pushed the top layer of soil away, expecting to find the ground beneath compacted to some extend, but it too was loose. His heart leapt into his throat at the thought of her possibly having removed it.
He moved with more purpose, dug deeper, deeper than he remembered them burying it, and still nothing. He was about to give up when his fingers brushed to top on something solid. With renewed vigour he pushed the soil from it, finally working the box free. He twisted it, which caused something hard inside to hit the side. He frowned, knowing that she had not originally buried anything else with it.
He pulled the box free and placed it on the edge of the hole, carefully lifting the lid, only belatedly thinking it could have been rigged. He reached in and pulled out the zip-seal plastic bag within. He looked at both sides, before opening the bag and extracting the folded sheet of paper within.
His breath caught as he realized what he held. It was Tali's unabridged birth certificate, listing him as the father. A warm sensation filled his heart and his lips pulled into a smile. A sense of pride filled him, warmed him as he again folded the certificate and resealed it in the bag. He looked into the box and again frowned. Reaching in he withdrew the pieces of the cell phone realizing that it must have been it that had hit the side.
He did not recognize it, but thought it hers: Why else would she remove the battery and place it in the box.
He pushed it aside and pulled out the other piece of paper, the one which had initially been buried therein. She had added to it two more entries. The first: To be the best mother I can to Tali. And: To one day tell him how much I love him, and how grateful I am for his gift.
The second entry caused a lump to for in his throat. "I will find you Ziva, and I will never let you go again." He vowed before closing the box and returning to the vehicle, He would make sense of all of it's contents later, but he had the last pieces of her clue, now he only had to understand them.
More to follow.