Hunted
Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine.
"Tony!" Abby opened her eyes and sighed. "You're getting off track."
Chapter 4
Victoria, Vancouver Island
"Boss. Look at this." Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo knelt down on the embankment and show his boss the site.
"The shooter positioned themselves here," Tony explained.
"They used a tripod." Gibbs pointed to the indentations in the soil. The soft earth made it easy to leave imprints behind. He scanned the immediate area.
"Look for any footprints we can get Abby to identify."
"On it, boss." Tony carefully pulled back low lying branches with a pen.
"Gotcha." A smirk formed on his lips at his success. He dialled his cell.
"Abbs. I've got a shoe print I need you to identify for us."
"Send it over, I'll take a look." Abby focused on her current task at hand. All other cases had been put to the back burner, while she supported Gibbs and his team out west.
"What's it like over there?"
Tony looked up and inhaled. "Clean and lots of pine trees. Cooler than D.C., but beautiful."
Abby closed her eyes and imagined the scenery as Tony described it to her.
"Clear crystal water, smooth like silk. Reflections of land in water at every angle. Sea planes and boats dotted around the place, both are an obvious popular mode of transport here on the island. Being here reminds me of a television show I used to watch growing up, the Beachcombers, just without all the logs."
"Tony!" Abby opened her eyes and sighed. "You're getting off track."
"Oh yeah. Sorry."
"Any signs of them?" She refrained the use of Callen and Nell's names, as she erred on the side of caution.
"No. But that's to be expected. Gibbs hasn't said anything, but I think he knows where they are."
"Let me know when you find anything more. I'll get back to you on the shoe print."
"McGee, any signs of intruders or anyone watching the house?" Gibbs called him on his cell. While he and Tony inspected the shooter's hiding spot beside the bay, agents McGee and Bishop sat in a hired vehicle, watching the Campbell's family home.
"Nothing yet, boss. We'll go check the house more closely."
"Let me know if there are any nosy neighbours. They might be able to tell you if there's been anyone lurking."
"Will do, boss."
McGee looked at Bishop. "You ready?"
Ellie Bishop held up the present in her hand. "Ready." She realigned her cap and exited the vehicle. Scanning the area as she walked up to the Campbell's family home, she noticed a neighbour looking her way.
"I have eyes on me, at my two o'clock."
McGee shifted his position and snapped a photo of the said nosy neighbour.
"Got them. You can head over to them after you've checked out this house."
"Okay."
Ellie moved swiftly as she climbed the three steps up to the front porch. She inhaled the fresh sea air and sighed. It would be the perfect place for her and Jake to settle down and have a family. She could see how Callen and Nell had chosen this place to live their life and raise their kids. She was getting sentimental and she pushed the thought far from her mind.
She knocked on the door, knowing too well, there would be no answer. She peered through the large white framed windows. The home was well tended and clean, with just the odd toy here and there out of place. She fought back the tears that threatened. The amount of pain some couples went through just to become parents, never made sense to her, while others had it easy and seemed to pop them out on a whim.
"Ellie, you good?"
McGee furrowed his brow, what was taking Ellie so long? He'd seen her hesitate on the porch and wondered what was going through her mind.
"Yeah, I'm good. The house looks untouched."
"Good. That's what Gibbs was hoping. Try the nosy neighbour."
Ellie ran her hand through her pony tail and walked across the road. A woman in her forties knelt down on a kneeling mat, as she tended to the weeding.
"Excuse me, Ma'am."
The woman looked up, the look of surprise on her face was amusing, considering Ellie knew she'd watched her every move.
"Yes?"
"I was looking for the Campbells, no one appears to be home."
"Thea went out with her children on their bike yesterday, no one has seen them since. Their bike was found with a flat tyre down by the bay. They're not in any trouble are they? Thea and Stephen are great parents, and Alice and Tristan are the most delightful children."
Ellie's brow arched in surprise that the woman had provided her with so much information. She cleared her throat and kneeled down beside her.
"Ma'am. Did you know that you just provided a complete stranger with all the names of the Campbell family?"
"Yes, but you said their family name and you looked like you knew them…" her voice trailed off.
"You're fortunate this time, that it was me you spoke to, as I do happen know Stephen and Thea. But you should be more careful in future."
The woman narrowed her eyes and wondered who exactly this woman was. She nodded her head and suddenly something popped into her head.
"They weren't the ones that were shot at yesterday, were they?" The woman rubbed her gloved hand over her forehead to wipe away the sweat. It was hard work digging and weeding, particularly with the sun beating down on her out in their front garden. She prided herself in her well tended garden.
Ellie furrowed her brow. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Marissa Clark took in a deep breath and talked until Ellie was certain she'd faint from not taking the time to breathe. She'd heard all the rumours of what had occurred the day before by the bay.
"Has anyone been lurking around the house, someone who shouldn't be here?" Ellie analysed Marissa as she thought about her question. A crease deepened between her brows as she rummaged through her memory.
"I did see a vehicle the other day that was unfamiliar, now you've mentioned it. A black sedan, dark tinted windows—-no one could see who was inside the vehicle. A Ford, I think. They pulled up two doors down from the Campbells and sat there for about twenty minutes, before driving off. I thought it was odd at the time, the fact that no one actually exited the vehicle."
"Did you get the number plate?"
A smile formed on Marissa's lips. "I did." She stood and pulled off her gardening gloves.
She took a few steps then hesitated. "You're not from around here are you?"
"No, Ma'am. I'm from Oklahoma, originally."
"Oh! Well, I suppose I should be talking to the police, not a stranger."
Ellie smiled. "You're catching on." Ellie dialled her cell and took a few steps away from the woman.
"Boss. We may have a lead, but I'm going to have to break cover and show her my badge for her to tell me anything."
Agent Gibbs looked over the small bay and then in the direction of the family home. It wasn't too far, it made sense that they'd been found at home first and waited for Thea to leave the house. There were too many risks of being seen by the neighbours. But down there, Thea and the children would be more exposed.
"We can't risk people around suspecting anything of who Stephen and Thea really are. Ask her to call the police with the information. Keep a watch, just in case whoever is after them, hasn't seen you speak with the neighbour and seek her out."
"Okay, will do." Ellie disconnected the call and turned to face the neighbour.
"I'll let you make that call to the police, Ma'am. Thank you for your time."
"May I ask who you are?"
"My name is Ellie. I'm looking for my friends." She lifted the small gift box in her hand. It had been Gibbs' idea to look like a friend visiting—-they didn't want to set off any alarms with the local authorities.
Marisa Clark nodded and entered her house. Ellie slid in next to McGee and waited.
"Did you hear all that?"
"Yeah I did. We should move on, just in case she thinks we're stalking the house now."
"Gibbs told us to stay and watch, just in case."
"Yeah I know. I think I have a better idea." McGee started the engine and drove up the street. He turned the corner and headed back east and drove around the block.
"See, nosy neighbour won't see us from this position, but perfect to watch her place."
"You've been studying the map of the area," Ellie stated.
"I had to do something while you chatted."
"It was more her doing the talking, boy can she talk."
"I heard every word of it," McGee reminded her.
"They must feel really safe around here, she was open to talk about them with me."
"But you should expect that with people who've never been exposed with what we see in the job, Ellie. Especially around here. It's the perfect hiding spot."
"Was. They were found, remember?" Ellie furrowed her brow thinking about her fellow agents. She knew that Nell was highly intelligent like herself, so she'd be smart about taking precautions. And from what she knew about Callen, he was a bit of a legend and known for becoming a ghost. Good at disappearing, like she knew they had done, especially after being shot at. It wasn't downtown L.A., so it wasn't something one would expect. No wonder the reports had spread into the media like wildfire.Gunfire at sea plane, rocks Victoria's sleepy community.
"Yeah. But they got away. Wherever away is." McGee had studied the map of the island and tried to figure out where he would go and hide, if found in the same situation. But without the local knowledge of the island, it was an almost impossible task. The map didn't really tell him anything.
"Black sedan coming from the west end of the road." Ellie told him, her eyes remained sharp on the Campbell's and neighbour's homes. If anyone came after the neighbour, she knew that she and McGee would have to go in to protect her. She quickly dialled Gibbs.
"Boss, we have a situation. The same black sedan the neighbour told me about, has returned. I think you and DiNozzo better get up here."
"We're on our way. Whatever you do, do not engage."
"But what about the neighbour?"
"Hopefully she'll stay inside, she's more than likely seen it and is on the phone to the local police."
"I hope so," Elli sighed and hung up.
"They're on their way. Gibbs doesn't want us to engage before they get here."
McGee knew the drill and nodded. Waiting for backup was the sensible step to take. They didn't know how many were in the vehicle, or if they were armed and dangerous. It could just be a coincidence. No, the likelihood of it being a coincidence was very low, McGee mused.