* I curse writer's block! Stay tuned folks, and maybe I'll actually finish this story! R&R!
Second Chances
Chapter 5: Dirt
Abby was practically dancing in the doorway to her lab when the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. "Gibbs! I found something!"
"What'd you find, Abs?" asked Gibbs.
"Dirt."
"Dirt? You're excited about dirt?" asked Fornell incredulous.
"A specific type of dirt, to be precise. Along with plant pollen, minerals, and particulates that are almost as good as a map to where the tires on that van have been- well not like a map right to the location, but a general area to narrow down where they might be." Abby crossed her arms and smiled proudly at the FBI agent.
"Show me." Commanded Gibbs. Abby walked over to her desk and hit a few keys on her computer keyboard. On the plasma, a cross section of the particulates found in the tire tracks popped up.
"Abby, what are we looking at?" asked Fornell.
Abby sighed. "Using this, I can figure out where the van the kidnappers used has spent a significant amount of time."
"Good. Tell me when you have it." Gibbs said, turning to walk away.
"I already do!" Abby exclaimed.
"Where?" Fornell demanded.
"From the types of pollen, the H2O signature, and the levels of highway salt used, I can safely say that the van traveled in or around the Capitol Beltway near the Anacostia River. You'll be looking for heavily forested areas, like a national park or campground."
"How can you tell all that?" asked Fornell.
"Highway sanders have to use less sand and salt around rivers, and sometimes aren't allowed to use any at all, but some still gets carried by traffic through the area, it's just heavily diluted by the snow on the ground. The amount of sand, dirt, and compressed bits of leaves, flowers, and pollen can pinpoint within a 50 mile radius of where they're holding Warrant Officer Kelley."
"Where?" asked Gibbs
Abby called up a map of DC and the surrounding area. Zooming in, she highlighted an area with her mouse. "Here. Paint Branch Park, or within 50 miles, but it has to be near or off a highway."
Gibbs smiled. "Good work, Abs." He kissed her on the cheek and left the room, Fornell following behind into the elevator.
When they exited and walked into the squad room, Gibbs found Kat sitting at his desk, the rest of his team at their own respective desks. "DiNozzo- you start putting in calls to state parks off the Beltway by the Anacostia River. I want the picture Fornell gave us faxed to each park and a BOLO put on Muhammad al Khalil. Ziva, put a call in to all park rangers and law enforcement- I want any rental cabins, camping spots, or shack in the woods searched thoroughly and any suspicious activity reported to us immediately."
"On it boss." Replied Tony, picking up the phone on his desk, Ziva following suit.
"McGee, I want you to pull all traffic cams, ATM cams- hell anything that takes a picture within 50 miles of Paint Branch Park."
"I'm on it." Replied McGee, typing furiously on his keyboard.
"So what next?" asked Fornell.
Gibbs smothered a smile. "Well, Tobias, we wait for them to finish their calls, and then we go shopping."
Ziva and Gibbs still accompanied Kat to the dress store, making sure that they were not followed, save for Tony and McGee in a separate car and the FBI team in an unmarked van, including a very disgruntled Fornell. The store was located along a busy downtown street, just a few blocks away from The Promenade. Tony and McGee stood outside, looking as if they were two guys waiting outside of a store too girly to be entered, but both very wary of the foot-traffic around them.
Inside the store, Gibbs simply flashed his badge and walked to the back door, ignoring the very confused salesgirl. He was glad to see that it was fastened from the inside, and that the only way to open it was undo the 5 separate locks the secured it. The door was only a few feet away from the dressing rooms, blocked off by a curtain for appearance's sake, which Gibbs slid open. He watched Ziva prowl the small section of dresses in the center of the store with Kat, sliding plastic hangers along the racks as they talked softly between the two of them. Kat picked up a dress, green and shiny, before wrinkling her nose at it and putting it back.
"You would look nice in that." Ziva commented.
"You think? I never think I look good in green- it brings out the circles under my eyes." Kat shrugged and picked it back up. "Maybe I'll try it on anyways- it's a pretty Christmas green."
"What about this?" asked Ziva, holding up a floor length dress of dark sapphire blue silk.
"Now that I like!" said Kat happily, taking it from Ziva and holding it up. The dress had a black sash just under the bust line that tied in back. "And I have black heels that would look very pretty with it."
"Try it on," suggested Ziva, smiling.
They walked over to the dressing rooms, Kat smiling when she saw Gibbs. It took a few minutes for Kat to change, and Ziva had to zip up the back and tie the sash, but Kat smiled happily when she looked in the mirror. "It's kismet." Kat sighed happily. "I love it!" Smoothing her hands over her round stomach, she lost her smile as she studied her reflection.
"What's wrong?" asked Ziva, concerned.
"The color- Patrick would love it. It would almost match his Marine dress uniform."
Ziva put her hand on Kat's shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting manner. "We will find him, Kat."
"I know you will, Ziva. I'm more concerned with whether he'll be alive when you do." Kat turned to regard the other woman frankly. "I was in law enforcement, remember? I know the odds. When someone is kidnapped, the longer they're gone, the slimmer the chances that that person will be found alive."
Ziva frowned. "It's not been 24 hours yet."
"You two ready over there?" asked Gibbs, standing just past the pushed back curtain. "It looks like you found a dress."
Kat laughed. "What do you think, Jethro?" She turned slowly, showing off the dress.
"It's a dress." Kat drooped, and Gibbs sighed. "It looks good, Kat. You ready to go?"
"I will be as soon as I change back." She replied, stepping back into the dressing room with Ziva.
Kat purchased the dress and a pair of black maternity tights at a price that would have made Gibbs cringe if he hadn't been married so many times. He walked out of the store first, watching the street as he walked. Tony and McGee, seeing him exit, flanked him, covering Ziva and Kat's exit. Kat was hustled into the car by Ziva as the men walked quickly to their vehicles.
"DiNozzo, McGee," said Gibbs when they were next to him, "fall behind the FBI van and follow them back to the safe house. Make sure no one follows you."
"Got it, boss." Replied Tony, ducking into the car and starting the engine.
"Hold on." Ordered Gibbs over his shoulder to Kat in the back seat.
"What's the rush?" asked Kat, worried.
"If anyone was watching us, I want to make sure they give themselves away trying to follow us." Replied Gibbs before the engine roared to life and he peeled from where they were parked. Behind them, the FBI van slowly pulled out and merged into the downtown traffic. Gibbs watched them in the rearview mirror as they tried to keep up. His phone rang in his jacket pocket and he reached in for it. Checking the caller ID, he smiled slightly to see that it was Fornell. "Yeah, Fornell?"
"Jethro, what the hell are you doing?" demanded Fornell over the line.
"Driving." Replied Gibbs, hanging up the phone and turning a corner sharply.
"Careful up there," commented Kat in the back. "Pregnant woman with motion sickness back here!"
"We're almost on the highway. I'll slow down there."
"I do not see anyone following us except for the FBI, and they are doing a very poor job keeping up." Commented Ziva.
"Fornell knows where I live- he doesn't need to follow us, just make sure we're not followed."
Kat sighed and closed her eyes, breathing deeply and trying not to get sick. Ziva gave Gibbs a reproachful look and Gibbs slowed down slightly, driving only fast enough to keep up with the flow of traffic and stopped weaving in and out of lanes. "Kat, extend your arms towards me, palms up." Ordered Ziva, twisting around in the passenger's seat to face the back.
"Why?" asked Kat warily, opening one eye.
"It will make you feel better." Replied Ziva.
Kat unfolded her arms from her stomach and held them out straight, her palms up and open. Ziva reached back and pressed a thumb from each hand on the inside of each of Kat's wrists, her index and forefinger gently supporting underneath. After a moment, Kat's eyes opened slowly and she gave Ziva a look of amazement. "What did you do?" she asked.
"Pressure points. A trick I learned from a friend who got motion sick easily. Do you feel better?"
"I do, thank you." Kat smiled broadly, relief evident on her face.
"Good." Commented Gibbs. "I'd have hated to make a pregnant woman clean puke out of the back of my car."