"Dr Mallard."

"Duck. Have you seen DiNozzo?"

"Why, Jethro. How pleasant to hear from you. Have you enjoyed the conference? I hope Timothy has unwound a little."

"Duck, we're fine. Have you seen DiNozzo?"

"I saw him the day after you left for Chicago. He tried to sneak into work but I insisted that he take a few days of sick leave. He didn't look at all well. I do hope you don't want him to come into work. I really would advise most strongly against too early a resumption of his duties."

"No, Duck. Have you seen him since he went on sick leave?"

"Let me think. No, I haven't seen him. But lest you think that remiss of me, he left me a message to say that he was going to North Carolina for a few days. He thought his canine charge would be better suited to the freer environment there. I thought it was a most commendable decision although I had some doubts about the wisdom of such a long drive."

"And you haven't heard from him either?" persisted Gibbs.

"No, I haven't. But you know as well as I that cell phone reception is not always good in Milsom Bay and I don't believe that Anthony has a landline in his abode. Is something amiss, Jethro?"

"Don't know, Duck. We think Pasquale's dog might have a chip in his collar that could hold the key to his accounts."

"And if you think so, you are concerned that others may also have come to this conclusion?"

"We haven't been able to make contact with DiNozzo. Tried his landline and cell."

"Well, you would not have reached him at his apartment," said Ducky.

"Yeah. Didn't know he wasn't there. Makes sense he might not be able to pick up if he's headed to the coast."

"What are you going to do?" asked Ducky.

"I'll get McGee to book us on a flight to Wilmington," said Gibbs, "and we'll drive to Milsom Bay."

"I will try calling Mrs Lacy and John Sutherland," said Ducky, "they will know if he has arrived safely. I think I will travel to Milsom Bay as well. It would do no harm to check on Anthony."

"Good," said Gibbs, "keep in touch. I'll let you know the times of our flight."

"Jethro," said Ducky, "are you concerned? It seems rather a long shot that Anthony is in any trouble."

"I know, Duck," said Gibbs, "but my gut's saying something different."

"Then we must pay due heed to what it is saying to you," said Ducky, "I will make my phone calls and let you know the outcome."

NCISNCIS

Six hours later Gibbs drove into Milsom Bay with a slightly green-faced McGee and a Fornell who was holding on to his impassivity with difficulty. Ducky was waiting for them outside Millie's beach side café.

"Jethro," he said, "I have only just arrived myself. As you know, I was unable to contact either Sutherland or Mrs Lacy …"

Gibbs strode into the café where he was greeted by a young woman,

"Hello. My name is Beth. Welcome to Milsom Bay café. What can I get you today?"

"Where's Mrs Lacy?" demanded Gibbs.

"I'm afraid she's not available," said Beth, "but I can assure you that the service will be up to her standards. The donuts are freshly made, would you like some?"

"No!" said Gibbs, "look, we're federal officers. We need to see Mrs Lacy. Where is she?"

"Oh," said Beth, "um, well, she's in Hawaii."

"Hawaii?" said Gibbs.

"Yes, it was a last minute deal. And it's quiet at this time of year so she decided to go and get some sun," explained Beth.

"Hawaii is beautiful at this time of year," said Ducky, "I am sure she will have a wonderful time."

"Yes," said the kindly Beth, "she deserves a vacation. She works so hard. I was glad to help out."

"And are you from Milsom Bay, my dear?" asked Ducky.

"No. I'm from Raleigh but I worked here during the summer and I help out when she's busy."

"She must be very glad to have your help," said Ducky.

"D'you know a Tony DiNozzo?" said Gibbs impatiently, "he has a cabin down the road a piece?"

"No," said Beth regretfully, "I've heard of him, of course, but so far he hasn't been here when I've been working."

"Come on, Duck," said Gibbs, "let's go down to his place."

"But there was a message on Millie's answering machine," remembered Beth, "he said he was going to come down and stay for a few days. But he hasn't been here."

"Let's go to Sutherland's," said Gibbs.

"Oh, Mr Sutherland's away as well," said the helpful Beth.

"What?" demanded Gibbs, "where's he gone?"

"I think he's gone to stay with his son," said Beth nervously.

"Come on, Duck!"

"Thank you, my dear," said Ducky, "you have been most helpful. Yes, yes, I'm coming" he said as Gibbs roared for him again.

Shortly afterwards Gibbs pulled up outside Tony's 'shack'.

"This is DiNutso's?" asked Fornell, "I'm impressed. D'you think he'd let me stay here sometimes?"

Gibbs glared at him.

"Hey, sometimes it's good to have a place to get away from Diane."

"It does look good, Boss," said Tim, "haven't seen it since it was extended."

"It has almost an Arts and Crafts look," enthused Ducky, "the simplicity of the wood but the excellent craftsmanship is characteristic of that movement."

"If you've all finished admiring the place, DO YOU THINK WE COULD GET SOME WORK DONE?" bellowed Gibbs.

"Of course, Jethro." "Yes, Boss." "Keeo your hair on, Jethro," came a variety of responses.

"His car's not here," observed McGee, "but perhaps he's gone for a drive?"

"Are we going to effect an entry?" asked Ducky.

"I'm trying," said Gibbs, "seems that Tony's fitted a top of the range security lock."

"Didn't think you knew so much about locks, Jethro," said Fornell, "seeing as you don't have any in your house."

"I know enough," said Gibbs triumphantly as he got the lock open. They all trooped in.

"My word," said Ducky admiringly, "it's as pleasing inside as it is from the outside. Er … but, that doesn't matter at all at the moment. I will look in the bathroom to see if there is any sign that Anthony has been here."

McGee and Fornell similarly busied themselves in looking around the small house but it was soon clear that Tony was not there and probably had not been there for some time.

"What now, Boss?" asked McGee.

NCISNCIS

Tony spent more than one day at the campsite. He awoke on the first morning fully intending to head on to Milsom Bay but found himself unwilling to leave. He looked out the window to a cold misty world and shivered at the thought of driving away. He held the door open for Ruskin to go out and do his business and laughed at the bewildered expression on the dog's face; he had a feeling that Ruskin was used to warmer climates. Tony had spoken to John Sutherland the previous evening and knew that neither he nor Millie would be around in Milsom Bay for a while; with that in mind Tony decided it would be better to stay put for a couple of days until his sick leave sentence had expired and Ducky allowed him back to work.

With that decision made, Tony and Ruskin had a leisurely breakfast and then, with Ducky's prescription of healthy walks in mind, went to explore the area. Tony had stopped by the car to get his heavy coat out when he heard a screech of brakes and saw a car with dark tinted windows pull up. Two men jumped out of the car and began to walk towards Tony. Tony stiffened and began to move his hand surreptitiously towards his weapon but at that moment Ruskin came running out of the cabin and bounded enthusiastically towards two potential new friends. The new arrivals looked at Ruskin and then looked at each other and shook their heads before getting back in the car and driving off. Ruskin sat down looking disappointed.

"Never mind, Rusk," said Tony, "you've still got me."

He jotted down the licence plate and sent a text to Abby asking her to trace the car. Then he shrugged and called to Ruskin,

"Come on, boy. Walkies."

For a while, however, they stayed in a field near the car park so Tony could test out if Ruskin really did want to play fetch. It turned out that Ruskin loved to run after the ball when Tony threw it; unfortunately he liked the chase but wasn't very good at finding the ball so Tony usually had to find it himself. Unsurprisingly Tony tired of the game long before Ruskin did and he called a halt to the game in favour of a walk in the woods. Ruskin was, Tony reflected, an undemanding creature; having been delighted to run after all the ball he was now equally happy sniffing at the trees and following various scents. He was careful, however, always to keep Tony in sight and periodically would come back for reassurance that Tony was still there. Tony patted him each time he returned and wondered what had happened in Ruskin's life that made him seem to fear abandonment.

They walked for half an hour until they came to the top of a ridge where the land fell steeply beneath their feet.

"Come on, boy," said Tony, "we're not going down there, too much hard work. I'm sure Ducky said something about gentle walks not hill climbing."

Ruskin barked mournfully but followed Tony obediently.

"Good dog," said Tony, "how about we go to a video shop this afternoon and rent something to watch. How about 'Lassie come home'? I might pick up some tips on dog ownership. Or 'Greyfriars Bobby' – you could pick up some tips on master/dog dynamics."

As it happened Tony fell asleep after lunch and didn't wake up until Josie tapped on the door and presented him with a plate of beef stew. After that he was content to stay in the cabin, brush Ruskin and watch the dog trying to figure how to sneak up on McProbie.

NCISNCIS

"Abs," said Gibbs.

"Gibbs! How's the conference? How's McGee? Are you and Agent Fornell being nice to him?"

"Abby!" said Gibbs, "have you heard from DiNozzo?"

"Um …"

"Abby, have you heard from him or not?"

"Don't get mad, Gibbs."

"Why would I get mad?"

"Well, he's meant to be on sick leave."

"What's he done?"

"He asked me to trace a licence plate yesterday. But I don't think it's because he was working."

"OK. So did you trace it?"

"Not yet. I know you guys think I only work for you but I've been really busy these last few days. And Tony said it wasn't urgent."

"Abby. Do it now."

"Gibbs …"

"Please."

"I wasn't going to ask for the magic word. Not that I'm not pleased to get it. Is there something wrong? Why are you asking if I've heard from Tony?"

"We don't know where he is, Abs. We thought he'd gone to North Carolina but he's not here."

"You're in North Carolina, Gibbs?"

"Are you tracing that plate?"

"You know I can do more than one thing at a time, Gibbs. In fact, I can do at least five and that's not including breathing 'cos I assume that nobody could do even one thing if they weren't breathing so I don't think breathing should count."

"Abby!"

"Yes, I'm tracing the plate. Why are you looking for Tony?"

"McGee has a theory. He went to a seminar on miniaturisation …"

"That's so cool," said Abby, "I would love to have gone to that. Did Timmy take lots of notes?"

"I think so, you can ask him later … after you've traced that plate."

"It's still running. So why did McGee have a theory?"

"McGee. Tell Abby your theory."

"Hi, Abby," came Tim's voice instead of Gibbs.

"Tim," said Abby, "why's Gibbs worried about Tony?"

"I'm not sure worried is the right word," said Tim cautiously.

"Oh, believe me, Tim," said Abby confidently, "Gibbs is worried. I can tell."

"Huh," said Tim, "you won't need Tony's 'Gibbs for Dummies' when he writes it."

"Is Tony going to write a book about Gibbs?" asked Abby momentarily distracted, "that would be so cool. Perhaps he could teach Gibbs as a class to probies? Gibbs 101 and he could teach another class with all the rules."

"Abby," said Tim patiently, "do you want to hear my theory or not?"

"I would love to hear your theory," said Abby earnestly, "I got distracted."

"It happens," observed Tim, "anyway, when I went to this seminar they had pictures of things that had been miniaturised so that they could be easily hidden. And they had a picture of a dog collar."

"That's so cool," said Abby, "perhaps I could get one and hide lots of things in it."

"What have you got to hide?" asked Tim, distracted in his turn.

"Oh, Timothy, lots of things," said Abby mysteriously, "so what theory did the dog collar set off for you?"

"Remember Pasquale's dog?"

"Is that like Schrodinger's cat?"

"What? No, our last case, Giovanni Pasquale. He had a dog."

"He did? And you think he might have hidden secrets in his dog's collar?"

"Yes. And Tony's got the dog."

"Tony's got the dog? But Tony doesn't like dogs. Or at least, he doesn't like the dog hair."

"Ducky thought it would be good for him," said Tim.

"Oh," said Abby, "oh, well, if the Duckman prescribed a dog, I'm sure it will be fine."

"Not if other people figure it out as well," said Tim.

"Has Abby got that trace done yet?" Abby heard Gibbs say to Tim.

"Tell Gibbs the plate's just come back. It's registered to Paxton Inc."

Gibbs took the phone back from Tim, "Abby. That was one of the companies which did business with Pasquale."

"So the bad guys are after Tony?"

"Looks like it. Do a trace on Tony's phone."

"Uh, Gibbs," said Abby doubtfully, "It's not showing up. I think it must have been switched off. Why would Tony turn his cell off? He never turns his cell off."

"Calm down, Abby. It might be that it's out of range. Can you pick up where he last called from?"

"Boss, I called Tony the other day. Abby can trace that call."

"Abby, did you hear that? McGee phoned Tony recently, check the location. And check his credit cards, see if he's used them."

"On it. Gibbs, you don't think he crashed his car or anything do you? It was a long way to drive. He shouldn't have been driving if he was tired. And he was tired, you know, because he wasn't sleeping, what with the coughing and the bronchitis."

"Abs," said Gibbs, trying to calm her before she went into a downwards spiral of anxiety, "calm down."

"It's all right for you to say 'calm down'," said Abby, "you're not stuck here in the lab, analysing all sorts of nasty stuff; it makes me see the dark side. And that's not natural for me, I'm naturally an optimistic person, I want to believe the best of people, but this job is making that more and more difficult. I don't know what to do … oh …"

"Oh?" said Gibbs.

"Yes, 'oh'. His credit card shows that he visited 'HappiPet' in DC. Then he bought gas on the road to North Carolina and then …"

"Then?"

"Then he used his credit card at a campsite near Roanoke, on the edge of the George Washington National Forest. Gibbs, he's at a campsite. And that's where he was when McGee called him. He's all right."

"Was McGee's call before or after he asked you to trace that licence plate?"

"Before. Oh, so he might not be all right."

"Send McGee the address of the campsite. We'll go there. See if you can contact the campsite, ask if DiNozzo is still there.

"Anything else?"

"Tell the Director. Tell him to send an agent to check out DiNozzo's apartment, make sure everything's all right."

"You want me to tell Director Vance what to do?" asked Abby.

"That a problem?" asked Gibbs.

"No," said Abby placidly, "just checking."

NCISNCIS

Tony woke up to another cold and bleak day with the threat of rain in the air but with more energy than he'd had for several days and reflected that Ducky's prescription of dog and rest had worked well.

"Tell you what," he said to Ruskin, "we'll find that video store today. I'm not renting 'Turner and Hooch' though, I don't want you getting any ideas about destroying this place."

Before going movie hunting, however, Tony decided to test out if Ruskin had become any better at fetch: after ten minutes of Tony fetching the ball for the ever willing but ever failing dog, he decided they would go for a walk instead. They retraced their steps of the day before and once again Ruskin was fascinated by the steepness of the ridge and stood happily on the edge looking down.

"Come on, boy," said Tony at last, "it's cold. Let's go back."

Ruskin's ears twitched as he seemed to hear something down beneath him and he ignored Tony in his absorption. Tony sighed and went to retrieve him and then found himself tumbling down the slope as the ground gave way beneath him. The fall lasted only a few seconds but it seemed to go forever to Tony as he bounced off stones and through bushes and branches. He lay winded at the bottom and wondered where Ruskin was. A whine and a lick of his face told Tony that the dog was close at hand.

"You all right, boy?" said Tony, as he patted the dog and looked for any injuries. It seemed that Ruskin had got off lightly although he was trembling with fear.

"Exciting, eh?" said Tony in as calm a voice as he could manage, "think we'd better have some Ruskin rules. Rule #1, no standing at the edge of cliffs. No, we'll make that Rule #2. Rule #1 is come when I call you."

Ruskin gave his customary intent look when Tony spoke, Tony could almost imagine that he was taking notes.

"OK, let's get out of here," said Tony, looking sadly at the steep incline, "or not," he said, as he tried to stand up and his ankle gave way beneath him. Ruskin looked puzzled at Tony's abrupt return to the ground. "Plan B," said Tony, "I'll phone for help … or not," he said as he pulled out the cell which had been smashed during his tumble. "I'll work on Plan C," he said as he felt the first drop of rain hit his face.