As Gibbs headed down to the squad room, he was stopped by Abby.
"Gibbs, we have a suspect." Abby yelled. "You would never believe who I saw on the video footage. Here come down to my lab with me. You would have to see it to believe it." Abby pulled his arm as they ran for the elevator.
"Abs." Gibbs said with a laugh. They took the elevator down to the lab.
Abby's Lab
"Okay, okay, let me bring it up. This was fifteen minutes before the fight in the alley and the shooting. Watch this man coming into the door of the bar, he goes up to Read at the counter. See that? He is handing him a gun. Now that gun has to be the gun that matches the bullet that was pulled out of Steve Wallace."
"What?" Gibbs looked at her in surprise.
"Now keep watching. Now I can magnify and okay here we go. Here is the mystery guy."
As the image appeared, so that Gibbs could see it, Abby spread her arms apart. "Tada."
"That is our suspect. When did he get out of jail!" Gibbs yelled out. "Why weren't we told that he was out of jail?"
"I guess he is on parole." Abby added.
"How did he manage that, though?"
"As long as he isn't assigned to my lab again, . . ." Abby smiled and joked.
"We have to find him. . ." Gibbs became both angry and worried.
"There is more on this surveillance footage Gibbs. Well, Read shoves a gun into a garbage can-right. . .here. This was maybe ten minutes after the shooting."
"Tony, Ziva, and McGee already left to find the gun and to arrest Chip." Abby informed him.
"DiNozzo. . .What!" Gibbs said a bit flustered. "Why didn't they call me?"
"You were with Vance. And, after they saw the footage, they did not even hesitate in bolting out the door. Since Chip is supposed to be on parole, McGee was able to bring up Chip's current location right away."
"This is some sort of setup." Gibbs said in a worried tone, as he dialed his phone.
"DiNozzo, what is going on?" Gibbs shouted at him in the phone.
"What?" Gibbs said. "You be careful. Something else is going on here." Gibbs continued to talk with DiNozzo as he headed out of the building.
Crime Scene
When Gibbs finally arrived on the scene in Baltimore, he found McGee talking just outside the bar with a detective. He could see Chip inside a squad car. Ziva was standing back in the alleyway, but Gibbs did not see DiNozzo. As Gibbs approached Ziva from behind, he passed her up and rounded the corner to where he found DiNozzo inside a dumpster.
"I found it!" DiNozzo yelled out from inside the dumpster. He popped up from the dumpster, as Gibbs continued closer to where DiNozzo was.
"Oh, hey. . .hey there, Boss." DiNozzo said surprised to see him.
"Tony." Gibbs said strongly. He waved for him to get out of the dumpster.
Tony climbed out and turned toward Gibbs. He sensed a Gibbs-lecture coming.
"Boss?" DiNozzo asked in a worried tone, his positive demeanor quickly fading.
"You give Ziva that evidence, and then the both of you drive back to the Navy Yard."
"Uh, . . .okay. . .yes, Boss." DiNozzo said choosing not to question the confusing order.
"McGee." Gibbs shouted as he approached the police car with Chip inside of it.
McGee headed over and stood by Gibbs outside the police car.
"How did he get out of jail? How did he get out of jail, and we didn't know about it?" Gibbs stated his question. "He set up a federal agent for murder. . .and he is on parole?"
"I. . .can look into that." McGee said, stepping away with his cellphone out. Gibbs continued to stare at Chip. He flashed a badge at the police officer behind the wheel. He opened the front, passenger side door and got into the police car to talk with Chip. Gibbs kept his back to him.
"Hello, Agent Gibbs, it is nice to see you again." Chip said. "I guess you are wondering why I am out of prison and why I killed Wallace." Gibbs continued to listen, but he did not turn around to face Chip.
"I guess I am going back to prison for a long time." Chip added, without answering the questions he posed.
"Is that what you want?" Gibbs asked.
"Why, would you be able to cut a deal for me?" Chip quickly asked. Gibbs quickly processed how willing Chip was to go to jail or cut a deal. As he caught McGee approaching, he quickly got out of the police car and approached him.
"Talk to me, McGee." Gibbs said as he approached McGee.
"Well, Boss, this is rather weird. I guess Chip agreed to testify at Raimey's trial. He has some additional evidence that could put Raimey away even longer." McGee explained.
"Raimey committed murder. He is going to jail no matter what. Please tell me Chip didn't get released early for this testimony?" Gibbs restated the obvious.
"He has provided testimony concerning corruption in the Baltimore police department before." McGee explained.
"Ah, I don't want to hear it." Gibbs said waving him off. "He is up to something here. He wants to be thrown in prison."
"What are we doing, Boss?" McGee asked. "Are you thinking he is trying to set Tony up again?"
"I am calling Fornell. He can hold on to Chip." Gibbs explained, as he and McGee rode back to the Navy Yard.
Squad Room
Gibbs and McGee came off the elevator and approached the squad room.
"Oh, hey." DiNozzo said slightly distracted as he almost crashed into Gibbs.
"Where are you going, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"Ah, Abby just called. . ." DiNozzo stated but stopped when he saw how tense Gibbs was when he had arrived.
"Let's go." Gibbs said looking at DiNozzo. As they entered the elevator, DiNozzo looked over at Gibbs questionably.
"I think he is trying to set you up again, DiNozzo." Gibbs admitted to DiNozzo.
"Did you talk to him?" DiNozzo asked. Gibbs nodded as the doors for Abby's lab opened.
"Okay Gibbs, we have a problem." Abby said with a serious and concerned look, as she stood in the middle of the room before the evidence.
"This is just . . .weird." Abby admitted.
"What is it Abs?" Gibbs asked.
"We have two guns here, Gibbs. One is registered to Lance Read. The other one was stolen evidence from an unsolved murder dating back to 1999. It was an unsolved case belonging to the Baltimore Police Department."
"Now we know that Chip brought Read a gun. And, we know the gun was used to kill Steve Wallace in the alley. Read was the only one seen with a gun in that alley, and there was only one shot fired according to the witnesses." Abby explained. "So, was this a premeditated murder?"
"Chip wanted us to arrest him, when Read is the real killer? He didn't expect Abby to look at security footage in the bar." Tony tried to digest the information.
"We don't know what Chip's true motives were. However, if these three are working together, this could have been made to look like we covered up a murder for a Marine and that we set Chip up." Gibbs stated. Abby raised her eyebrows and looked at Gibbs in concern.
"Gibbs." Abby said in concern.
"It's okay Abs. You caught it. We know that Chip is not the real killer. But, he is an accomplice to a murder. I want to know more about this stolen gun from evidence though."
"Tony, go talk to McGee and Ziva and tell them what happened." Gibbs ordered. "I want them to go to the Baltimore P.D. and find out more about this cold case."
"Shouldn't I go Boss?" DiNozzo asked as he stopped and turned around. Gibbs disapproving glare gave DiNozzo his answer.
"Yes, Boss." DiNozzo said in a defeated tone as he obediently went up to talk to them.
"Gibbs." Abby said. "This is really bad. What would have happened if Chip's plan would have worked?"
"We don't know if this is really over, Abs. Chip chose a former Marine to kill this guy with stolen evidence from an old Baltimore case. He wanted us involved in this case." Gibbs reminded her. Gibbs kissed her, as he reached to answer his ringing phone.
"Gibbs." Gibbs answered his phone. "Alright, I will be right up, Director." Abby caught Gibbs' eyes rolling before he left.
