Tony was on the phone when they returned to the squad room. "Thank you, Colonel," he was saying. "Please let me know when Lieutenant Carter has returned from his patrol." He hung up and put his head in his hands with a groan.
"You haven't gotten hold of Megan Carter's husband?" Tim asked, setting his bag next to his desk and booting up his computer.
"No. It took me an hour just to figure out where he was stationed, because he was moved yesterday and his records hadn't been updated yet. Then, by the time I was able to talk to his commanding officer, he was out on patrol and couldn't be called back."
Ellie pulled open one of her desk drawers, pulling out her laptop and a bag of chips. "Want some?" She held the bag up for Tony's appraisal. He looked it over, then nodded.
"Sure, Bish. Thanks."
She tossed it to him and settled on top of her desk, folding her legs underneath her. "So where is Lieutenant Carter, anyway?"
"Camp Dwyer in–"
"–the Helmand River Valley in Afghanistan, right?" When he raised an eyebrow at her, she explained, "I memorized all of the US military bases."
"When?"
She shrugged. "Last night."
"Of course you did."
The elevator dinged, and Gibbs emerged with Abby on his arm, who was apparently at the end of a story. "…and so Sister Rosita wanted to know if you'd build her a new rocking chair for the nursery."
"Tell her I'll get on it after this case is closed," Gibbs replied. Abby grinned at him.
"Thanks, Gibbs!" She kissed him on the cheek and waved to the rest of the team before turning back, just catching the elevator before the doors closed.
Gibbs took a seat at his desk. "What do we know?" he asked.
Tim got to his feet and grabbed the clicker from Tony's desk. When he pressed the button, Megan Carter's license photo appeared on the plasma. "Megan Carter, thirty years old, current resident of Baltimore, originally from Cleveland."
"Husband is First Lieutenant Felix Carter, stationed at Camp Dwyer in Afghanistan," Tony said. Tim clicked, and Lieutenant Carter's photo appeared beside his wife's. "Still working on contacting him."
"Tell me about Megan," Gibbs ordered, leaning back in his chair.
Ellie put her laptop aside and hopped off of her desk. "She's a manager at a toy store, has been there two years." Tim handed her the clicker, and she hit it several times in a row as she talked. "Went to the University of Ohio, graduated with a general studies degree. Worked in similar jobs in the other places her husband's been stationed. Her family's all back in Ohio, none of them close to Baltimore."
Tim held out his hand, and Ellie gave the clicker back. "She's never gotten so much as a speeding ticket. I haven't taken a look at her financials yet, but her record's clean."
"Try to retrace her steps from her credit card usage," Gibbs said. "Once it hits morning, I want you and Bishop to go talk to her co-workers. Tony, what do you know about Lieutenant Carter?"
"His record's clean, too, boss." Tony read from a print-out as he talked. "Did ROTC at Ohio State, has served on various bases around the US. Afghanistan is his first overseas deployment. He's not the most outstanding Marine, at least on paper, but he's good at his job and clean as a whistle."
Gibbs sighed and stood. "All right. You three keep digging. I'll go see what Ducky's found."
"On it, boss," Tony said. Ellie and Tim nodded, returning to their desks. They worked in silence for a few minutes before Tony's phone rang. "This is very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo... Yes, thank you." He paused for a moment, Tim and Ellie both looking at him. "Lieutenant Carter is back," he mouthed to them.
Ellie got to her feet hurriedly; she hated being around for next-of-kin notifications. "Anyone want some coffee?" she asked. Tony nodded. Tim held up his full mug and smiled at her. She smiled back, grateful that no one looked down on her for her weakness.
She waited for a moment before returning from the break room with two paper mugs in hand. She set one on Tony's desk. His phone was back on the hook, and he was staring out the window into the night. "Did you talk to Lieutenant Carter?"
"Yeah. Not for long, though. He broke down crying when he heard the news."
"How do you do it?" When he looked up at her, she clarified, "Break that kind of news."
He shook his head. "There's not a good way. That was actually easier than usual, though."
"Why?"
"If the husband is here, we have to treat him as a suspect. With Lieutenant Carter deployed, that's not likely, unless we find out their marriage was in trouble."
Ellie winced. "Good point."
"I'm not finding anything, guys," Tim announced, sitting back in his chair. "Her financials are normal, and so are Lieutenant Carter's. Looks like she was at a restaurant last night before she died, so that's something we can check out, but other than that, nothing."
"Nothing?" Gibbs was resting his arms on the cubicle wall behind Tim. They all jumped; none of them had noticed him before he spoke.
"How do you do that?" Tony exclaimed.
"I don't like the sound of 'nothing,'" Gibbs said, as though Tony hadn't spoken. "Anyone got anything?"
"I've got something!"
They peered around, trying to find the source of the voice. Then Tim looked at his screen and grinned. "There you are."
Abby's voice was amused. "Of course I'm here, silly. Come down to my lab, I've got something." She paused. "I don't think you're going to like it, though."
Here's chapter 2. Thanks to everyone who's been reading! Let's see if I can't get a review or two for my birthday. ;)