NCIS Autopsy…
The body of Master Sergeant Bell lay open on an examination table. Ducky pulled bullets out of the chest cavity, tossed them into an evidence jar, and then passed them to Jimmy Palmer.
"To Abby, please, Mr. Palmer," Ducky said.
"Yes doctor," said Jimmy. He brushed past Gibbs as he entered Autopsy. "Excuse me, Agent Gibbs."
"No problem, Palmer." He nodded at Jimmy. "What have you got for me, Duck?"
" Ahh, Jethro. I was beginning to wonder when you would show up. I've nearly finished my examination of our young friend here," Ducky said jovially.
"And?"
"Well, it's a pretty standard death for an active duty marine: lead poisoning, you might say. I sent the slugs up to Abby just now. It isn't the bullets that are curious, though, it is the rest of the marks on his body that I found intriguing. Notice these abrasions on his left hand and knuckles? And here, folding the abdominal skin back, "these bruises? He was fighting a day or so before he was shot. He has another small bruise on his chin and some odd-looking marks on his back-probably where he fell backwards and landed on something hard."
"That doesn't sound too odd for an active duty marine, either, Ducky. These boys play kind of rough. I agree, though, the timing is suspicious. Anything else?" Gibbs asked.
"Now that you mention it, yes: his severed hand." Ducky motioned to the maimed limb. "The same abrasions appear on those knuckles, of course, but I find the severing itself odd. It was obviously done close to his time of death, perhaps immediately after he was killed. That and the scarf I removed from his arm stood out a bit, too."
"Why," mused Gibbs? "He was working for a fashion company. Wouldn't an odd clothing combination just help him fit in better?"
Ducky smiled. "You'll wear jeans and a T-shirt until the day you die, Jethro, and I would faint if I ever saw you in a Tuxedo. I should have shared this with Mr. DiNozzo. Our young Marine's clothing was top-of-the-line sportswear. He spent time with people who felt that the clothes make the man."
"Ducky, you're starting to sound like DiNozzo. Is there a point to all this?"
Ducky sighed. "Yes, Jethro. The scarf was out of place. It didn't go with this outfit, or any other outfit like it. I've sent our young friend's clothing up to Abby, but I think you will find that the scarf wasn't originally his; it is something only a woman would wear. It reminds me of a custom from the Middle Ages, when a knight would fight for the favor of his 'lady fair'. The favor was often a handkerchief or scarf, which the knight would then tie onto his lance, or the handle of his sword, or tuck into his armor. I would be willing to wager that scarf was a last-minute gift. Isn't your search is now focused on a young woman?"
"Yep, it is, Duck, but she might be the killer…"
"Somehow I doubt that," Ducky glowered. "Find the woman, Jethro. Find the woman, and you find out why he died. As for the severed hand... It was the right hand only. Isn't it common practice in some Middle Eastern cultures to sever the hand of a thief caught in the act? I believe it is some sort of ongoing punishment; he can never hide his shame from the rest of the community. Which makes an interesting puzzle indeed…"
"The woman may have been the thing stolen?" Gibbs looked thoughtful.
"That is a possibility, yes," Ducky nodded.
"Thanks, Duck. Keep me posted." Gibbs turned and left Autopsy.
"I always do, Jethro," Ducky said to Gibbs' back. Turning to the body, he started chatting with Master Sergeant Bell's body. "Well, my young friend, let's see if I can't make you presentable again…"
NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS
Abby's lab.
Music pounded through the lab while Abby stood hunched over her work table. One cell phone lay in pieces on a tray, next to a whole identical model, completely absorbing Abby's attention. Gibbs walked in as she snapped the last piece of the cover in place.
"Hey Gibbs," she said brightly, "did you come to see what I found?"
"Nah, Abbs, I just really missed you," Gibbs joked. "So, you found something? Got the cell phone working again?"
"Technically no. I just removed the necessary information chips and patched them into this model here," she motioned to the whole phone. "If this works, I'll be able to tell who the last people calling him were, as well as the last few calls he placed." She turned to her computer again. "This should help…"
"Help what?" asked Gibbs. The screen filled up with data. "Oh, that…"
"Help us see who was calling whom, without having to bend over the same microscope. The font on these babies is really small. Hmmmmmmmm," Abby continued, "he was a popular guy. His voicemail logged a bunch of different calls in the last 5 days—until it ran out of recording room. After that, it only recorded missed calls and times."
"Hmmm," said Gibbs. "Looks like it was his boss: over and over and over again. Maybe both bosses: Naz'rani many times, but with different initials after the last name. Can you sort these out for me, and get some positive ids and phone numbers?"
Abby grinned. "Please, Gibbs. I could do that in my sleep. I need an extra set of hands, though. I still have to finish analysis on Bell's clothing and the bullets Jimmy just brought me. Could I borrow McGee?"
Gibbs nodded. "I'll send him down, but it might be awhile. Anything on that scarf yet, Abbs? Ducky thought it was a girlie thing."
Abby smirked. "Ducky has remarkable taste. It is indeed a girly scarf. 100% silk, in colors that no self-respecting marine would be caught dead in…" Gibbs gave her an annoyed look, "except...that…this marine was caught dead in it. I also found some hair in the scarf, which might indicate that the woman in question was wearing it on her head just before giving it to him."
"The hair wasn't from our Master Sergeant?" Gibbs frowned.
"Nope. It's about 18 inches long, light brown, and shows evidence of being recently dyed and then trimmed. Plus, it's chock full of artificial conditioners, and perhaps a hot oil treatment. This is girly hair," she insisted.
"Thanks Abbs. Keep me posted." Gibbs turned to leave.
"Wait, there's more!" Abby exclaimed.
"How much more?" Gibbs returned to her side.
"You know how the state police identified our officer?" Abby hinted.
Gibbs nodded. "Yeah: by his dog tags. They were in his mouth."
"Not tags, Gibbs: TAG. Singular. Don't they always come in pairs? And the chain wasn't broken, either. One tag is missing," Abby explained.
"Which means what, Abby?"
Abby stepped back and gave Gibbs 'the look'. "How should I know, Gibbs? I'm merely a lowly scientist. YOU'RE the investigator."
"There's nothing lowly about your work, Abbs!" He smiled, gave Abby a gentle kiss on her cheek, and walked out.
TBC
