Bodnar let out a stream of Hebrew words that no one in the room doubted was swearing. "This was a professional hit, then. That is what you are saying?"
"What we are saying is that we don't yet know who did this and why. We are using all of our resources and would appreciate the same in kind on your end, Deputy Director." Jarvis broke in.
Bodnar nodded. "When will the Director's body be returned to Israel? There are Hebrew laws that must be observed."
Gibbs left the room.
Seeking Redemption
Chapter Four: Taking Action
Tony and Ziva drove in silence to the house of the man who killed Eli David and Jackie Vance. Tony stopped the car about a block from the house so they could do some surveillance.
Ziva was looking through her binoculars. "It does not look occupied, not well kept. The grass is dead and patchy; there are newspapers on the driveway.
Tony looked around at the cars that were lining the street. It was Saturday and everyone was at home. Any one of these cars could belong to someone who did not belong here.
He looked significantly at Ziva. "Are you ready?"
She opened her car door without answering him, which Tony took as a "yes."
They carefully made their way to the house. Tony opened the mail box and pulled out some junk mail. "Nothing personal, all say 'occupant'." He said to Ziva.
She just nodded and continued up the driveway. They made their way stealthily toward the front door, peeking in windows.
The house looked nicer inside than out. Bookcases were full and neatly arranged. The place had not been tossed, so no one else had been here searching for anything yet.
Tony was thinking they were the only one searching. They took a quick look around the back, and again, found nothing startling or out of place.
They returned to the front door, where Ziva expertly picked the lock. They entered the house with their guns drawn, clearing every room.
Once they were satisfied they were alone, they began searching the place for clues, for anything that would tell them who this man really was.
Ziva was in the bedroom, eyeing a hanging picture. She went to move it, but found it would not budge. "Tony, I found something!" She called out.
Tony walked quickly to her side, and saw her examining the painting. "Whatcha' got?" He asked.
"This painting does not come off the wall. It may actually be an opening for a safe or hiding place. I am looking for a catch or release mechanism."
They both felt around the frame, looking for a button, and indentation, anything that would release the painting. Nothing.
Ziva stood back at the picture, frustrated. It was a picture of Moses, parting the Red Sea. It was not a very good painting, done by some amateur, she decided. But its significance was not lost on her.
If she had not been convinced when Roland Ames had asked her why she didn't check on her father that he may have been Jewish, this painting did.
She had only considered Israeli, but there were many countries that Jews had been persecuted. This Roland Ames may have fled his motherland for religious freedom.
But why kill the Director of Mossad? She shook her head. This was getting them nowhere. Just as she turned her head to leave, she saw a small "dent" in the painting.
It was almost imperceptible unless the light hit is just right and you were looking at it at the correct angle. There it was, at the top of Moses' staff.
Tentatively, she said "Tony," and gently pressed her fingertip on the indentation. The picture and frame silently swung open.
Tony and Ziva looked at each other. "Good job, my scary Ninja. Now let's see if our mysterious shooter has left anything for us."
Ziva reached into the compartment and pulled out several documents. One was an Israeli passport, showing the photo of Roland Ames, but his name was listed as "Rouvin Aminov", place of birth the Ukraine.
"Russian." Tony said.
"Born in the former Soviet Union, Tony. His parents may have emigrated long before the fall. His name is Jewish, so they may have left for religious purposes."
"Or he was recruited by Mossad as a sleeper agent, or informant. Like our mysterious Israeli informant for the CIA. Do you think it could be him?"
Ziva was going through his documents. "I do not see anything that links him to Mossad, but here; look at this."
Ziva handed Tony several items. Plane tickets showing his return to Tel Aviv today; a picture of her father; a picture of Ziva, her car and apartment."
Tony paled when he saw the photos concerning Ziva. "Can you tell when he got here?" He asked. Ziva looked through some more items.
She showed him the airline flight arrival- three weeks ago. She looked confused. "How could he know that my father would come see me? He told me no one knew."
Ziva got angry. "He has been following me this whole time! I am Mossad! I am trained to detect these things! I have failed my father. This is my fault!"
"Whoa, whoa, Ziva. You…are…not…Mossad. You are an NCIS Special Agent, and damn good one. Your father, on the other hand was the Director of Mossad."
Tony took a deep breath, wanting Ziva to understand what he was trying to say. "Why did he not detect someone following you from the gym to his hotel? He figured out Wilkes was photographing him, followed him and killed him. Why didn't he detect this Ames following you to Vance's house?"
"Because he was distracted by me!" Ziva cried. "All he could think about was being with me and me seeing him with pride. His judgment was clouded."
"I don't buy it." Tony said. "You've led me to believe all these years how superior Mossad are, because you can ignore distractions and obstacles. Nothing gets in the way of your mission, even if it means you sacrifice all that matters to you!"
He grabbed Ziva's shoulders. "Don't you see Ames had to have been waiting for you already? Which means he knew your father would come to see you?"
Light dawned in Ziva's eyes. "And whoever sent him had to know of his friendship with Director Vance." Ziva searched Tony's eyes, the grim line of his mouth. Tony pulled out his cell phone.
NCIS
After Tony called, Gibbs made his report to Deputy Director Craig. Gibbs could tell he did not like the way this scenario was playing out, but had to admit to its merit.
Gibbs had Abby run the name Rouvin Aminov, since his prints had come up negative. All that came up was his passport; his arrival noted in U.S. Customs three weeks ago, purpose visiting family; and his university record in Tel Aviv.
The CIA surprised everyone by not only giving up the name of their Israeli informant, Gavriela Adel, but they also brought her to NCIS to see if she could shed any light on the investigation.
In the conference room, Craig and Gibbs showed her a picture of Roland Ames. Gavriela looked at it critically. "He does not look familiar." She shrugged.
Gibbs looked impatiently at the CIA Handler. "How about the name Rouvin Aminov? Does that ring any bells?" He asked sarcastically.
Gibbs was sure he detected a slight flinch when he said the name, but she quickly recovered. "You know the name." Gibbs stated.
"You are mistaken." She said, looking him coolly in the eyes. Gibbs leaned over her. "I can bring you in as a suspect just because of that flinch you just tried to hide."
He whispered in her ear. "The U.S. doesn't like it when Mossad does its dirty work on our soil." This time she didn't hide her flinch.
She looked at her CIA handler. "I want immunity."
"Not gonna' happen." Gibbs growled.
"Not your call, Agent Gibbs." Craig cut in. "Ms. Adel, I highly recommend that you tell us what you know. We will allow the CIA to decide what they wish to do with, such a valuable asset."
The way he said that made her think that decision could go in any direction. She sighed. "Yes, I know this name, but I have never personally met him."
"Who is he? Who hired him to kill Eli David?" Gibbs demanded.
She shrank from his anger. "I do not know of any mission. I only know the name. And who his family is."
Gibbs and Craig looked at each other. "What do you mean? Who is his family?" Gibbs asked.
"His is the nephew of Mossad Deputy Director Ilan Bodnar, on his mother's side I believe. He was born in the former Soviet Union, Ukraine I believe. Deputy Director Bodnar brought him to University in Tel Aviv."
Gibbs nodded. She just confirmed Tony's and Ziva's suspicions, although they didn't assume a blood relationship.
Who else knew of Eli's problems in Mossad and knew he would do anything to keep his position.
Who else knew of his relationship with Eli Vance, and that his daughter was an Agent under his Agency.
Who had probably posed as a friend and advisor, allowing Eli to voice his wishes of reconciliation with his daughter?
Who else had the most to gain by the removal of Eli David, not just as the Director of Mossad, because even on the sidelines he could still wield incredible power?
No, he had to be eliminated. The end was coming near, and he knew Eli would make a move. Maybe he also knew of his childhood friendship with Arash Kazmi, and anticipated Eli's move to solidify his position.
He placed his nephew in DC, to learn where the target would most likely be when he came, because Bodnar knew he would come.
The signs were there, and Rouvin Aminov waited patiently in plain sight for his prey. Gibbs thought about it. It was probably Bodnar's idea to attack at Vance's house, because he would not be seen, he had a greater chance of success and there would be confusion initially as to who was the original target.
Gibbs phone rang. "Yeah, Abbs."
"Gibbs! Gibbs! You're never going to guess. I decided to do a regular Google search on our mysterious Ukrainian killer and found him mentioned in a Tel Aviv newspaper article. You will never guess who he is related to!"
"Deputy Director of Mossad Ilan Bodnar." Gibbs answered drily.
"How do you do that?" Abby demanded.
Gibbs smiled. "Good work, Abbs." He nodded to Craig. "Looks like you have a call to make to Secretary Jarvis." He said as he left the room.
Two weeks later
Ziva stood quietly, the wind blowing her soft brown curls. She closed her eyes and breathed in the essence of her homeland. The smell of the water from the Mediterranean was filling her nostrils with its salty fragrance.
She looked over the grounds, at the date palms swaying in the breeze. Her mouth watered as she recalled their succulent sweetness as a child.
She did not attend the funeral of Jackie Vance, as much as she wanted to pay her respects. She was not convinced that Director Vance would want her there, as a painful reminder of that terrible evening.
She kept being assured otherwise, but privately she was worried about her status as an Agent under Director Vance. Tony tried to tell her she had nothing to worry about, as did Gibbs.
"You're on my team, not his." Gibbs had pulled her into the elevator. "But I can tell you that he harbors no ill will toward you and had no intention of losing one of his best Agents. So get that out of your head. Now!"
She was sure he was going to punctuate that with a head slap, but instead, he kissed her temple.
Ziva down, still broken but slowly being put back together; still shaken but starting to settle down. She looked at the stone that had been rushed to be completed:
Eli David
1945-2013
Beloved Father
Ziva couldn't bring herself to add "Beloved Husband" to the stone. But despite his faults and his inability to demonstrate those traits she craved from him, she knew he had loved his children.
He may not have received the redemption he so wanted, but at least now he was at peace.
She looked to her right when she sensed him walking toward her. She smiled softly, still hurting but ready to be healed. As she had told Lydia Wade after the death of her father: "You never get over, you only get through".
As she watched Tony strolling toward her, wearing his shades and carrying a bouquet, she finally truly believed that she would eventually "get though", as long as this man had her back.
Of that she was certain, as certain as she was that things would never be the same between them. They had experienced so much this year and this was probably the straw that broke the camel's back.
Where that change would lead, she had no idea. But she knew she was willing to take the journey with him, and accept whatever was in store for them.
Tony finally reached her. "Hey." He said softly. He handed her the flowers, a bouquet of irises and orchid indigenous to the area.
Ziva looked at Tony in surprise. "These were my father's favorites, how did you know?"
Tony grinned. "I have my ways."
She looked at him, giving him one of her old looks that gave him hope that she was on the road to recovery. He knew it wouldn't be smooth, and occasionally there may be a roadblock that caused her to back up, and try another way.
But he also knew he would be there with her every step of the way. He watched Ziva place the bouquet on her father's headstone. "It's looks nice."
Ziva nodded. "We never discussed…these things. But I see no reason to advertise his involvement in Mossad. In life, he started as a simple man. This is who he was."
Tony nodded. He didn't look around too much, because he knew Ari was probably buried nearby. As if reading his thoughts, Ziva shook her head. "Ari is not here. But Tali is."
She took Tony's hand and led him past two headstones and stopped:
Talia David
1986-2002
Beloved Daughter and Sister
Tony went back to Eli's grave and plucked one of each flower from the bouquet. Walking back to Ziva, he hand her one. Together, they bent down and placed the two flowers on her headstone.
Ziva spoke in Hebrew to her sister. Tony vowed he was going to learn the language even if it killed him. Tony unconsciously rubbed his hand on the small of her back as she spoke in her hushed tones.
Finally done, she looked at Tony. "I am ready, Tony."
Tony pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. He then pulled back and kissed her forehead. As he held out his hand to her, she looked at it, and willingly placed her own hand in his.
"Let's go home."
Finis. The case wrapped up in a neat package, but since the show will only be 47 minutes long, I figure my investigation will last longer than on the show. I left out the scene where Gibbs is throwing Arash Kazmi against the wall, just because I felt like it. I think having him as the brains behind the kill is too obvious. JMO. Anyway, thanks for the great reviews, looking forward to tomorrow night.