"Update me, Ziva," Gibbs said as he entered the bullpen, a worse-for-wear-looking McGee behind him. He sat at his computer and began tapping quickly on the keyboard to bring up as much information as he could.
"From what we have gathered, and correct me if I am wrong, McGee…We are dealing with a missing person's case. Victim's name is Eleanor Jane Mason. Born on the nineteenth of September, 1982. Age twenty-six. Five foot five, one hundred thirty five pounds. Brown hair, brown eyes." She paused for a moment and cleared her throat. McGee took the opportunity to put her photo up on the plasma.
Tony looked up and blinked a couple of times. He stood from his desk. "That's your girlfriend, McGee?"
Tim nodded slowly as he looked at her photo. "Yeah, Tony. That's her."
"Wow," the older agent whispered, "She's gorgeous."
"Thanks."
"It seems she moved out of an apartment at 750 6th street Southeast about a month ago. That is presumably when she moved in with you, is that correct McGee?"
Tim just nodded, sending out instant messages to most of his friends and family, as well as Ella's friends. He began a satellite imagery search of his apartment area, hacking into Government databases. He didn't care if he was caught or not.
"She's the owner and lead designer at Mason Design in Alexandria. It doesn't seem that she's having any financial issues or personal problems with anyone. Any motive to kidnap her seems…really unclear." Tony cleared his throat and sat down again.
Ziva sighed. "She is…normal, as far as we can tell. McGee, can you think of anyone who would want to hurt her?"
"No. She's new to DC. She's only lived here three years. She hardly knows anyone. Just a few girls she met when she first moved here…and me."
Gibbs' phone rang. He answered it quickly. "Calm down, Abby. I'm putting you on speaker." He pressed the button to let his colleagues hear Abby's voice.
"Hey guys. Hey McGee…I'm really sorry."
"What did you find, Abby?" McGee was all business at the moment.
"Well, good news and bad news. Bad news…is that some of the blood actually is Ella's. I matched it to DNA found on her toothbrush."
"Good news, Abs?" Gibbs leaned a little closer to the phone.
"Only about ten percent of the blood is hers. The blood in the bathroom and some of it on the bed. Otherwise, the blood belongs to a victim in a closed NCIS case. The blood was mixed together when it was dumped in the bedroom. I was having a really hard time separating out the attributes, but I traced it to a Commander Martha Vale, murdered last year."
McGee looked up from his computer. "Commander Vale. I collared her killer…he was a jealous ex-boyfriend."
Ziva looked at McGee. "Perhaps we have been going about this all wrong. Perhaps the kidnapping was not motivated at Miss Mason, but rather at McGee."
Furiously typing, McGee called up the record of the arrest. He didn't even wait for anyone. Grabbing his gun, Tim ran for the stairs. He had no time to waste waiting for the elevator.
"McGee!" Gibbs stood and shouted after him, but the young field agent was gone. He moved to McGee's computer and read part of the file. "The last body was found in an air hangar near Dulles."
Tony and Ziva grabbed their gear and sprinted for the elevator. Gibbs paused and picked up McGee's badge from the desk. Nodding, he understood. McGee didn't intend to play this by the book.
-
The engine of the Charger roared as McGee quickly weaved through the traffic in downtown DC. He slowed only before passing through a red light, causing massive traffic delays and hang-ups. At this point, nothing mattered but Ella. McGee had fallen in love with her within a week of meeting her. He wasn't going to lose her.
-
"Is this the Deep Six signing? Am I at the right store?"
The large security guard looked down at the petite brunette and nodded. "Yeah, but you're about an hour late."
"I know…" Ella muttered as she hurried towards the back of a display for the book. She was clinging tightly to her own worn copy of her favorite novel. Moving around the side, the chairs were empty. The reading from the newest chapter was over. She sighed and cursed softly under her breath before turning right into a wall of man. Blinking and backing up, Ella looked up into the face of the author, Thom E. Gemcity. She recognized him from the back of the book.
"Thom!" Her familiarity with the novel and the time she'd spent with it, which she called 'Thom Time' to her friends, had removed any formalities from the way she addressed him. She stammered for a moment. "I-I meant…M-mister Gemcity…"
Tim didn't even see the girl who'd run into him. She was a good seven inches shorter than him. Backing up a few steps, he smirked at the way she addressed him. "Thom is fine." After a moment, he got a good look at her. She was definitely pretty. But she looked tired and stressed. Her hair was up behind her head in a ponytail, with formal curls cascading down her back. He licked his lips. "You missed the crowd. Lucky you."
Ella stammered a little, then blushed a bit. "Yeah. Bachelorette party last night. Is it too late to get an autograph?" She held up the worn book.
Taking the book from her, Tim smiled. "Not at all. Who am I making it out to? And congratulations."
"Ella…congratulations?" She raised an eyebrow and followed him to his table.
"Bachelorette party? Aren't you getting married?" Tim started signing the book.
She laughed a little, shaking her head. "No. I'm a bridesmaid."
After signing the book, he closed it and handed it back to her. "Never a bride?"
Ella wrinkled her nose. "Not interested in it. I want to have my own business set up before I decide to make that kind of leap."
"Sounds pretty smart to me," Tim said with a smile, standing. He packed up his backpack slowly.
"Um, if you don't mind my asking…how do you know so much about Navy Criminal Investigative Service?" She shifted her weight, holding her book to her chest.
"Good question," he looked up at her. "I'm a good study. I research regulations and standards when it comes to law enforcement. Call it a hobby."
"Oh," she nodded, "I thought maybe you were secretly an Agent or something."
Standing, he smirked at her. "That'd be something, wouldn't it?" She was cute and smart. And obviously single if she was talking like that. But young. McGee was in his early thirties…he'd feel like DiNozzo for hitting on a girl in her twenties. Besides, he was hardly as good-looking as DiNozzo.
"Are you in a hurry to hit the road? I might be kind of forward, but there's a little coffee shop around the corner, and I'd love to pick your brain for a while if…if you have the time." She looked a little hopeful.
McGee's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Uh…no. I mean…yeah. I could go for a cup of coffee. Thank you."
He'd probably never forget the smile that spread across Ella's features. "Great!"
-
The tires skidded across the gravel as he came to a stop just outside of the abandoned hangar. Climbing out of the car, Tim clicked off the safety on his weapon and moved towards the open door. Raising the weapon slightly, he backed up to the frame of the door and glanced around the edge. He saw a man. His back was facing Tim as he sat at a table, tossing playing cards into an empty coffee can. Just beyond the man was Ella. She was knocked out, tied to a chair. Her shirt was covered in blood…someone had cut her in just the right way to make her bleed, but not seriously. Tim's blood boiled with anger. He had to lean back against the panel of the building to breathe. Pulling out his iPhone, Tim texted for an ambulance, followed by his shield number. He put the phone back into his pocket and took a deep breath before rounding the corner, weapon raised.
"NCIS, drop your weapons!"
