Tony and McGee watched from Observation as Sergeant Clare Gomez began interviewing Sterling.
"Looks good, doesn't he?" said Tony conversationally, "prison must have agreed with him."
"Can you confirm your name for me," said the sergeant.
"David Sterling," came the reply, "what am I doing here? I'm meant to be at work. I've only just started there. They won't be pleased."
"David Sterling," said Gomez, "but you worked somewhere else under a different name?"
"Y-y-yes. My full name is David Charles Sterling. I sometimes use my middle name." He laughed nervously.
"And you were known as Charles Sterling in your previous job?"
"Er …"
Gomez decided to speed things up. "You were hired as a laboratory technician at NCIS under the name of Charles Sterling."
Chip deflated a little, "Yes."
"Where you were responsible for the theft and mutilation of a cadaver in order to frame Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo for murder?"
"Yes."
"And you also attempted to assault your supervisor, Abigail Scuito?"
"Yes."
"Good. I'm glad we got that sorted out."
"I admit that," said Sterling, "but I've done my time. I'm out on parole."
"And you can go back to prison if you commit any other offences."
"But I haven't done anything!" said Sterling.
"You hated DiNozzo, didn't you? Held him responsible for you losing your job?"
"He was responsible," said Chip.
"So you attempted to get him tried for murder?"
"Yes," said Chip. "You know all that. Why are you asking me about this now?"
"You don't understand," said the sergeant, "In this room I ask the questions. You answer them. What are you doing in North Carolina?"
"I was born here," said Chip, "I lived here till I went to university."
"I see. Why did you come back?"
"I have friends here. From school days. It seemed like a good idea."
"You didn't work in a pharmacy before, did you?"
"No. The prison governor thought it would be a good idea to go into different work when I got out. I had a chemistry degree and I took some classes so I could take the exams. The shop has taken me on as a trainee, I'm working to get the practical experience and then I'll be qualified. What's going on? I haven't done anything."
"He's convincing, isn't he?" said McGee to Tony.
"Yeah. But he's the guy who fooled us for months into thinking he was Abby's mild mannered lab nerd," said Tony.
"Look," said Chip, "I don't want to go to back to prison. I've done everything I was told to do. I see my parole officer every week like I'm supposed to. I haven't done anything wrong."
"Are you sure about that?" asked Gomez.
"Yes," said Chip looking down at the desk in front of him. Then he looked up again, "you know, prison works for some people. And it did for me. I talked with psychologists and they made me see that I had to let go of thoughts of revenge on DiNozzo; that I had a chance to make a new start. And I decided to take that chance."
"Wait here," said Gomez as she left the room. She met Tony and McGee in the corridor outside. "What do you want me to do, Sir? I think he may be telling the truth."
"Yeah. You may be right, Sergeant," said Tony. "Go back in. Ask him about the medicine bottle."
"Do you want me to mention that you're living here now?"
Tony hesitated, "No, leave that for now. If he doesn't already know I'd rather he didn't find out."
"Yes, Sir," said Gomez. She went back into the interview room. "Mr Sterling, did you hear about something which went wrong with a bottle of cough liquid dispensed from your pharmacy?"
Chip looked puzzled, "yes. But I wasn't at work that day. I had an appointment with my parole officer."
"Do you know where the syrup of ipecac is kept?"
"I didn't know we had any."
"And why would it be added to medicine?"
"it wouldn't," said Chip, "it isn't used nowadays. It's too unpredictable."
"Might be funny to put it into a bottle though?"
"It could be dangerous," said Chip, "I don't think it would be funny."
Tim and Tony looked at each other. Sterling's response brought back memories of his straight-faced solemnity which had so irritated Abby.
"So you didn't add it to a bottle of medicine?" asked Gomez.
"Why would I do that? I want to be licensed as a pharmacist. I wouldn't stand a chance if I did something like that."
Gomez nodded and left the room again. "What do you want me to do, Sir?" she asked Tony.
"What do you think, Tim?" asked Tony.
Tim shrugged, "I don't think we can prove anything."
"I'm not sure there's anything to prove," said Tony thoughtfully. "I don't want to trust him but he seemed to be telling the truth about having been changed by prison. But he's slippery."
"I think he's hiding something," said Gomez, "he started sweating when I pressed him but I don't know what it was that got him rattled."
"OK, thank you, Sergeant," said Tony. "I think we have to let him go. We may have frightened him off for now. Have a word with his parole officer, see if he thinks Sterling is as reformed as he claims."
"Right, Sir. I'll let him go," said Gomez.
Tim and Tony went back into the Observation room to avoid being seen by Chip as he left.
"Looks like another dead end," said Tony.
"I guess," said Tim.
"You guess?"
"Might dig a bit deeper when I get back to DC."
"How you going to get that past Gibbs?"
"There might be a threat against Abby," said Tim, "Chip might still be pissed at her even if he's decided to swear undying love towards you. After all, she delivered the final humiliation."
"Good point," said Tony, "he might have found another victim. If he has, he's doing it long distance."
"He was patient before," Tim said, "he may be playing a waiting game."
"Maybe. Can't see how dosing me would help with anything."
"Just an opportunity for some petty revenge?" suggested Tim. "Opportunistic. Did it on impulse?"
"Except he doesn't seem to have been there to act on impulse."
"True. Well, I'm going to head off. I missed one flight back to DC but there should be another one later. Look after yourself."
"Always," said Tony.
"Watch what you eat and drink. Perhaps you should employ a taster as well as a nanny!"
"Thanks," said Tony, "give my best to Wheels. Let me know if you need any help with your cold case."
Tony sighed as he watched Tim walk away and sighed again as he realised that the incident with Chip had caused him to miss his appointment at Conway High School. He went to his office where he found Henry with the diary.
"Tony!" he said, "I thought you were at Conway?"
"Change of plan," said Tony, "we thought we had a lead on the icepick stuff in my cough medicine."
"And did you?" asked Henry.
"No. I think it was a bust."
"What was it?"
"We thought it might have been the new assistant at the pharmacy," said Tony.
"But the officers who went round said he wasn't there that day. Were they wrong?" asked Henry.
"No. But we didn't realise who it was," said Tony.
"I don't understand."
"The new assistant turned out to be someone who was sent to prison for trying to frame me for murder," explained Tony.
"And he's now working in a pharmacy near where you live?"
"Yes."
"That's a coincidence," said Henry.
"Hmm. My old boss had a rule about coincidences. Which was why we brought him in for questioning."
"But you don't think it was him?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" pressed Henry.
"No," admitted Tony, "but we can't prove anything. And it seems a pointless thing for him to have done."
"Seems pretty pointless for anyone to have done it," said Henry. "I mean, if someone really wanted to hurt you wouldn't they have put poison in the bottle?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately, you're right. You're sure you didn't see anything odd about the bottle?"
"No. Sorry. But I wasn't taking a lot of notice. The bottle was behind the counter waiting for me to pick it up. It could have been there for a couple of hours. I guess someone could have got to it."
"I know," said Tony.
"And if someone wanted to add something to the bottle they would have made sure to have done it carefully," said Henry thoughtfully, "so it wasn't obvious to the person taking the medicine.
"Yeah. Just have to put it down to bad luck," said Tony discontentedly. "Now, I need to phone Conway High and apologise for standing them up."
"I've got some good news," said Henry.
"Go on," said Tony, "it's time something went right."
"I think we've got your computer access sorted out. I don't think I should have left it to Casey to manage but she's eager to learn. Not very good, but willing! You know she's on desk duty while she gets over that back injury but I think she's beginning to get a taste for the techy stuff as well. Anyway, all should be OK now. "
"Great."
"Well, partly. And I think it's what you'll need. All current records and archived records going back five years."
"Right," said Tony, "what happens if I need to look further back?"
"Oh," said Henry, "I didn't think you'd need to."
"I-I-I might want to look back at previous initiatives … you know … historical trends," said Tony uncomfortably aware that he was being less than honest with his assistant.
"Oh," said Henry, "of course, I should have thought about that. I'll get right on it. It should only take a couple of days. IT will have to work out the access levels. Not many people need access that far back."
"Thanks, Henry," said Tony, "no rush. I've got enough to do with the present without delving back into history."
Henry smiled and pointed to a pile of messages on his desk, "fifteen more requests for a visit," he said. "You're proving popular."
Tony groaned.
"Hey," said the obliging Henry, "I've got your diary in front of me. Why don't I phone Conway High and let them know what happened? I can reschedule at the same time."
Tony nodded and then smiled at the thought that the cancelled appointment meant that he would finish work in time to collect Tai from playgroup. Perhaps the day had not been all bad after all.
NCISNCIS
Tony tried to phone Mac to tell him that he would pick Tali up from playgroup but his phone was busy. He soon saw why when he arrived outside the nursery where the parents tended to cluster. He saw Mac waving his arms around as he spoke down the phone; Tony was surprised to see a frown on Mac's usually smiling face as he drew near.
"I told you before," said Mac to his caller, "I'm not into that anymore. Leave me alone!"
"You all right?" asked Tony when he got within talking distance.
Mac summoned a smile, "Hi, Mr DiNozzo. Yeah, I'm fine. These cold callers are persistent, aren't they? What are you doing here?"
"I finished early … on time … for once. Thought I'd pick Tali up. Tried to call you," he pointed to the phone, "but couldn't get through."
"Oh," said Mac, "sorry. I don't usually spend all my time on the phone, you know."
"No problem," said Tony, "I was trying to save you a trip. You sure you're all right, Mac?"
"Yes," said Mac, "really. I guess we shouldn't get mad at cold-callers. They have to make a living, just like the rest of us."
"Hmm," said Tony, "Hey, there's no need for both of us to wait for Tali. Today's your evening off. Why don't you finish early?"
"Thank you, Sir. That would be … great. There's someone I need to see."
"Go on, then," said Tony.
"You sure?" asked Mac.
"You should learn to take what your employer offers," said Tony. "Besides, you've stayed late when I've needed you to. Off you go."
"Thanks," said Mac. "I … I'll see you later."
Tony watched him hurry off and began to wonder if Gibbs' gut had been right after all. Mac had always seemed to be open and honest but there was something a little furtive about him today.
His thoughts were interrupted by an explosion of noise as the children ran from the school. Tony was relieved that Tali seemed pleased to see him; she was a little set in her ways and didn't always appreciate surprises. Today, however, she couldn't wait to show him her green Playdoh model of Ruskin. Tony made appreciative noises while trying to stop her smearing it on his pants and guiding her to the car.
NCISNCIS
Tony was alone in his office on Friday afternoon; it was often quiet at that time as few organizations wanted a visit from the CAFALO at the end of the week. Tony was looking forward to a weekend in Milsom Bay although he wasn't sure if it would be any less angsty than the previous visit as John had phoned to let him know that Doug was staying with him for a few days. Reading between the lines it seemed that Doug was laying low for some reason: not for the first time Tony wondered what it was that Doug actually did. Somehow Tony suspected that Doug was an 'entrepreneur' in much the same way as DiNozzo Senior.
Tony started to work through his emails and found one that showed his full computer access had been granted at last meaning that he could start accessing the case of Henry Mason Senior. The timing was particularly good as Henry Junior was at a dentist's appointment.
Tony brought up the lieutenant's HR file as a way of determining the timelines and came across something unexpected. Lt Mason had been on a secondment with Lingville Police Department at the time of the alleged incidents.
Lingville was a town about thirty miles north of Camp Lejeune with a small force which had needed support because its senior officer had been taken ill. Mason had agreed to take charge for a few months; he had been born and brought up in that area and said he was looking forward to a slower pace for a while. He hadn't been there long before the suspicions against him began to grow and, in the preliminary interviews which had taken place, it was suggested that Mason had taken advantage of a more relaxed regime at Lingville to act corruptly.
Tony sighed as he read through the interview notes. Mason had accused of conniving at drugs and illegal immigrants coming in through the coast and there was a hint of some sort of illicit dealing with Camp Lejeune. Mason had protested his innocence but the evidence seemed to point squarely to him. It looked as if a fine officer had indeed betrayed his badge.
Tony looked at the accident report for the car crash which had killed him and prevented shame from descending on his family. The car had been in perfect condition but had inexplicably gone off the road at high speed. Mason was reported to have been depressed in the days leading up to the crash and it seemed probable that he had had decided he couldn't face a trial.
The spot where the crash had happened wasn't far from Milsom Bay and Tony thought he knew where it was: a stranger might have been caught out by the sudden steep descent but someone like Mason who knew the area should have been OK – unless he hadn't wanted to be. He thought he might take a look at the weekend and perhaps see if anyone remembered anything about it. He had discovered that people had long memories around his second home.
Tony sighed again. Everything seemed unsettled at the moment. John was once again trying, and failing, to meet Doug's expectations. Tony was beginning to feel uneasy about Mac who had continued to have irate phone conversations at odd times of the day. There was the uncertainty about who had spiked the cough liquid as, despite his assertion that the medicine episode had just been an accident, Tony was uncomfortable knowing that Chip was nearby; he wondered if Tim's investigations had produced anything. And then, of course, there was the coolness with Gibbs and the fact that he was about to start probing into the death of his assistant's father. Tony chuckled as he realised that Tali, at least, was probably happy with nothing more seriously amiss than another child having swiped her cookie at break time.
He decided to print off the Mason reports and take them home with him. Sometimes he worked better off hard copies than reading off the screen. A few minutes later, with everything packed away, Tony was leaving the office for the weekend. Casey was sitting at the front desk.
"'Night, Casey," he said, "have a good one."
"Sir, Lieutenant," she called after him.
Tony suppressed a grimace and turned back with a smile. He just wanted to get on the road to the Bay.
"I just wanted to say sorry," she said.
"Sorry?"
"That I took so long getting your access sorted out," she said.
"No problem," said Tony turning away.
"I kept telling Henry I didn't know how to do it," she continued.
"Eh?"
"I don't do a lot of the IT stuff. And, actually, I don't want to learn it either. I can't wait to be off desk duty and back out there. But Henry insisted I should learn. And I must be worse than I thought. A couple of times I was sure I'd done it right but it didn't go through. And as soon as Henry did it … well, it was right as rain. Anyway, I am sorry."
"That's all right, Casey," said Tony, "Good night."
He walked to his car trying to work out if Henry had been deliberately sabotaging his efforts to look at his father's case. And why?