NB: I don't own anything of NCIS :(
A special thank you for my BR, usa123. You're so precious!
Thank you to all of you for your reviews and favorites... and for not giving up on this story despite my writer's block LOL ;)
"The Perfect Murder"
Chapter 4.
Gibbs was alone in the bullpen reading the current case file for the umpteenth time.
No leads on their case had come up in the last twelve hours, so he had sent his Agents home two hours ago.
Unfortunately, the Team Leader couldn't sleep, unable to get his mind off the case. It was one of the strangest he'd ever worked on. A young man, a Marine who had honorably served his country, had died in a car crash that had not been an accident. Someone had targeted Corporal Cash and crashed into him at full speed.
The MCRT had checked and followed any possible leads but they had come up empty-handed. Thanks to the surveillance footage from the surrounding streets, the witnesses' testimonies and the small paint slivers Tony had found around the streetlamp, Abby had been able to identify the car. But as soon as McGee had located the black Chevrolet SUV, he'd discovered that it had been stolen the day before the Corporal's death and that the police had found it in an alley completely burned only a few hours after the accident.
The area around the burned car did not have surveillance cameras so they couldn't get a solid description of the driver as he (or she) set fire to the car or leave the alley.
Obviously, NCIS had requested the car to be delivered to their HQ so now the wreck was in the evidence garage. An entire team of forensic analysts led by Abby was working on it, but they already knew that they were going to find nothing.
Ducky's autopsy had confirmed what he and Mr. Palmer had diagnosed at the crime scene: Corporal Cash had died from a subdural hemotoma, brought on by his collision with the gravel.
No one had anything on Corporal Cash either. All the people they'd interviewed loved and esteemed him and the few possible suspects they did have all had airtight alibis.
The Team Leader took his glasses off. He rubbed his tired eyes as he stretched his aching neck.
His gaze shifted to Tony's empty desk and LJ sighed. "What's going on with you, DiNozzo?" he sighed. "What's on your mind?" He let out a long sigh then rubbed the nape of his neck.
Tony's reaction and words had hit Gibbs pretty hard and they were a major part of what was distracting him. Usually, the Gunny's mind was concentrated on their current case, but not this time.
His mind kept returning to the night DiNozzo had burst into his bedroom holding his SIG and the talk they had had on the way to the crime scene.
Gibbs tried to remember the last time Tony had been so upset, but he couldn't remember any. Even when Kate had died, Tony's reaction had been different: he had been strong and focused, though Gibbs still wondered how that had been possible after having your partner's brain and blood splattered over your face.
Despite everything, Tony had been rock solid and the voice of the reason when Gibbs was running around looking for revenge and risking getting killed by Ziva's half-brother Ari.
"Ziva," he said to the empty bullpen. "I should have listened to my gut when Jenny forced you onto my team." Gibbs shook his head. "You weren't ready to be part of a team of investigators and you never tried to learn from us...what's worse is that, I let you do whatever you wanted, despite all the times you screwed up."
Gibbs got up and went over to the full window that overlooked Anacostia River, with a cup coffee in his hand. He took a long drink from the mug as he stared out at the river, which was half frozen.
The night looked so calm and peaceful, sharply contrasting the Team Leader's mind.
He turned and looked at Ziva's former desk. Why was I so soft with you? Why did I let you manipulate me?
All of the sudden, a thought crashed into Gibbs' brain. "Oh, cr*p!"
He threw the coffee cup into the trash can as he opened his cell and made a call. All of sudden Tony's recent attitude was not a mystery anymore to Gibbs but, as much as the Team Leader knew his SFA, he also knew that this time he needed help to break through DiNozzo's usual deflecting mask.
"Where are you?" he asked without preamble as soon as the person on the other end of the line answered. "I'm coming. Wait for me," he almost ordered as he resolutely headed to the elevator.
He shook his head, so upset at how blind and insensitive he had been that he punched the button for the elevator with enough force to break it.
Meanwhile Cyril Dumbing was sitting at his desk in one of the University of Pennsylvania dormitories. He was looking for any articles about the fatal car crash in Washington DC.
He had already found out that the victim was a Marine Corps Corporal and that his name was Cash. The young man had died almost immediately after being hit by a car. The SUV that hit him had been found torched a few hours later and for this reason police hadn't been able to find any other leads.
Now NCIS was investigating the crime.
"NCIS, huh? Interesting," Cyril grinned. "Feds. Navy police," he rubbed his chin. "This is going to be very exciting."
He turned and looked at the Joshua Mall and Molly Jones files he had collected over the last few months.
"Set the bar always higher, Cyril," he grinned again as he clicked the Print button and pushed his thick glasses higher up on his nose.
When the article about Corporal Cash's death and NCIS' involvement was sitting in the tray, he archived it in the file that was open on his desk.
Then Cyril turned off his PC and the lamp on his desk.
Tomorrow I need to start my new research.
TBC
Short, but I hope interesting.
What do you think? :)