"Inferno"- Chapter 2

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NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo followed Agent Charity Bernard, in her VW Bug Convertible, through the streets of Washington D.C. The trip lasted about half an hour, due to traffic, but she eventually pulled into the driveway of a small, two- story house in the Trinidad neighborhood. Not knowing if he was allowed in the driveway, he parked his car in front of the house, on the street.

"Is this okay, Charity?" he asked as he stepped out.

"I guess," she said, "But you can park behind me, too. It's okay… come on in." Tony followed her up the driveway, onto the porch. "So here we are," she said cheerfully. "Welcome to 'Maison de Bernard'."

She turned the knob, and opened the door to reveal a small foyer, living room, and staircase. Tony looked around; it was a quirky combination of old- fashioned with modern touches, much like the young owner. "Nice," he said, following her inside.

"So, I have a few house rules of which I need to inform you, Tony," she said nervously.

"Don't be nervous, Char- I can follow rules," he said with a smile.

"Okay," she replied with relief. "The first one is, no shoes allowed in the house. We take them off near the door- either this one, or the back one at the garage. I have cubby holes under the coat hooks- see?"

"I see," he said. "So I just stick these sneakers in here?"

"You got it."

"What about slippers?" he asked.

"Slippers are fine- just make sure you don't wear them outside," she explained.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a wink.

"Next, is the living room," she said. "Pretty basic stuff. If you need entertainment, I have the TV, Blu- Ray player, books… and, a Wii. I just got that a couple weeks ago."

"Nice," Tony commented. "I've always wanted to try that."

"Back behind the half- wall here, is the dining area," Charity continued. "I don't really eat in here- my aunt and uncle usually only used it for holidays. I typically eat at the bar, here, in the kitchen." She set her purse on the counter. "Whatever you need in here is yours to use- just make sure you clean up when you're done."

"Of course," Tony agreed. "Maybe I'll make you dinner, as a thank you."

"That would be sweet of you," she said, then went on with the tour. "That's the back patio, where the hot tub is."

"Hot tub?" Tony asked incredulously.

She chuckled. "Yeah, it's a funny story. My uncle was having back problems before he and my aunt passed away, so his doctor suggested he either see a masseuse, or buy a hot tub to relax his back. My aunt picked the hot tub."

"What's this door?" Tony asked, motioning to a door to the left of the back door.

"That's the half- bath," she told him. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you, I have a roommate. Follow me to the laundry room."

Tony did as he was instructed, and was treated to the sight of a rather large brown dog jumping up to greet Charity. "Your roommate's a dog?" he asked her.

"Yep. This is Ellie," Charity explained. "She's a two- year old Chocolate Lab mix. She's a very sweet girl, and shouldn't bother you." She noticed Tony's slightly confused look. "I suppose I should've mentioned it before. You're not allergic, are you?"

"No," he replied.

"I'm going to put her out in the backyard while I show you the upstairs, and we change clothes," she said, opening the back patio door. Ellie sped out into the yard like a bolt of brown lightning. "So, obviously, this is the laundry room. I will not do your laundry- you're on your own."

"Got it," he replied. "So that-" he motioned to his left, "-must be the door to the garage."

"Yes, and that's the door to the basement," she explained. "Nothing much down there- just storage. Now, let's check out your room, okay?"

Tony nodded, and followed up the stairs to the first room at the top.

"This is the larger of the two spare bedrooms," Charity said, "So I figured you'd want it. The bed's a queen- size, the closet is pretty decent, and there's a dresser and desk for you to use."

"This is pretty nice," Tony told her. "What's the other room look like?"

"Not like this," she said with a chuckle. They went across the hall into the other spare room. "It was my uncle's office, and he put a futon in it. Now it also has my elliptical."

"Yeah, I think I'll take the other room," he said. "Can I use your elliptical, though?"

"Oh, of course," she replied.

"Where's the bathroom?" he asked.

"Next door to the study. I have a very important rule regarding the bathroom," she warned him.

"I think I know what it is," he said as they stepped into the bathroom. "I'm not allowed in here when you're in here."

"Um, yeah," she said, surprised. "How'd you know?"

"Well, I figured that since you're an old- fashioned type of gal, that you would be well…" Tony hesitated, not wanting to insult his hostess.

"Really prissy about my privacy?" she finished for him.

"Yeah, that's it," he said. "I used to have a co-worker that was kind of like you, in that respect. I'll behave, I promise."

"I know you will," she said. "So, last on the tour is my room." She opened the door for a few seconds. "You're not allowed in there, unless I invite you in, which is doubtful."

"And you're not allowed in my room either," he concluded.

"Correct," she said. "Now that you're all oriented and stuff, we should probably put on some work clothes, and get back to the squad room."

"Might be a good idea," Tony said as he went to his room, and shut the door. He opened his suitcase full of the non- damaged clothes he salvaged from his apartment. "Hey, do you have an iron?" he called out.

"In the laundry room," Charity yelled, as she tossed on a turquoise top and black slacks. A few minutes later, as she was zipping up her black boots, Tony emerged from his room in a black suit coat, maroon shirt, and black pants. He was carrying a pair of black dress shoes.

"Looks like the iron worked for you," Charity said with a smile. "We'd better get a move on."

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Charity and Tony had just emerged from the elevator to meet their fellow agents in the squad room, when Agent Gibbs' cell phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs," he answered. Within mere seconds, he hung up his phone. "Abby's got something."

They filed into the elevator- Charity and Gibbs in front, Tony and Special Agent McGee in the back. "So, what's her house like?" McGee whispered to Tony.

"Small, kind of old- fashioned," Tony said. "But, kind of cool and modern at the same time. And, she has a hot tub." He smiled mischievously, and McGee rolled his eyes as they stepped out of the elevator into Abby's lab.

"Gibbs!" she shouted excitedly. "So I took the image of the guy Tim found in the video, and ran it through my recognition software…"

"You got a match?" he asked.

"Not yet, it's still chugging along," she explained. "I tested all the evidence that Charity brought me, and Major Mass spec concluded the rug fragments from the Petty Officer's apartment, as well as the wood splinters, have substantial amounts of aliphatic hydrocarbons, toluene, benzene, and ethanol, which means that gasoline was used as the accelerant. There were cotton fibers in it too, which means…"

"Palmer was right," Tony said. "The murderer threw a Molotov cocktail through the officer's window."

"Correct, Tony!" Abby said, as her computer beeped loudly. "Oh hey, looks like we found the shadow figure on the tape- it's Petty Officer Third Class Aric Colden, with an 'A'. Like the alternative spelling! Was stationed on the Seahawk. Has an apartment in Anacostia."

"Boss, the bank where Petty Officer Williams deposited his checks is in Anacostia," McGee reminded Gibbs.

"DiNozzo, Bernard," Gibbs barked. "Find him, and bring him in."

"On it, Boss!" Charity replied, then realized they needed the address. "Um, address please, Abs?"

Abby scribbled furiously onto a Post-it note, and stuck it onto Charity's arm. "There you go."

"Thanks."

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