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Chapter 4
"Crap," Tony exclaimed. "I really don't want him seeing me like this."
"You go take a shower and clean up," Abby instructed. "Take as long as you want. Ron and I will keep them entertained."
"Thanks, Abby," Tony said. "But please, I don't want to come out and find you upset, okay?"
"Sure," Abby agreed. "Now go on."
Tony got up from the couch and headed to the bathroom. He turned around to Ron. "Ron, be careful at the door, okay?"
"We'll be fine, Tony," Ron replied. "Go and get cleaned up."
"Thanks." Tony went into the bathroom and closed the door.
Abby and Ron went to the front door. Abby called out, "Who is it?"
"It's me and Fornell, Abby," Gibbs replied from the other side of the door.
Ron opened the door and waved Gibbs and Fornell into the room. The two older agents entered, then Ron closed the door while Abby went back to her place on the floor with the scotch. Ron took his place back on the couch, while the other two stood and watched.
"So, where is he?" Tobias asked.
"Shower," Abby answered.
"Okay, any coffee?" Tobias requested.
"No," Abby replied.
"Abby, how long has he been in there?" Gibbs asked.
"Ron, what do you think?" Abby asked.
"Well, Abby, I'd say about one minute or so," Ron answered.
"Abby, go and get him," Tobias ordered.
"No," Abby refused.
"Fine, I'll get him myself," Tobias said.
Fornell started towards the bathroom when Abby jumped up and stood in front of him, blocking his way.
"I don't think so," Abby said.
"I need to speak to him, Abby," Tobias said. "There's a killer on the loose."
"And Tony having five minutes' peace to have a shower is going to stop him how?" Abby asked.
"Abby-" Tobias started.
"BACK OFF!" Abby interrupted.
"Tobias, let's go and make some coffee," Gibbs suggested.
Fornell looked back at Abby, then looked at Ron.
"Don't look at me," Ron stated. "I agree with Abby."
"Fine," Tobias said with bad grace.
Gibbs and Tobias went into the kitchen to make the coffee.
Once they were out of the room, Abby said, "Thanks."
"Not a problem," Ron replied.
XXXXXXXXXX
"We don't have time for this, Gibbs," Tobias stated once they were both in the kitchen.
As Gibbs made the coffee, he said, "Please, Tobias, just give him ten minutes, all right, and remember, Tony doesn't have to talk to you and one way of pissing him off is upsetting Abby, so just let him do it his way."
"All right, but we have to get this guy, so I need to talk to Tony without you two fighting."
"I won't say a word about the case, just about his protection."
"Okay, good. You know, you're very agreeable today."
"It's been a very bad day. I'm hoping me not being a complete bastard might change my luck."
Tobias laughed and said, "Good luck with that."
"You know, a little support here would be nice; I'm gonna have the biggest conversion of my life tonight."
"I am supporting you, but I like to have fun with you, too."
"You're such a good friend and a complete asshole at the same time."
XXXXXXXXXX
Tony called from inside the bathroom, "Abby."
"Yeah, Tony," Abby answered. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," Tony replied. "But could you get me some clean clothes please? In my hurry to get away from those two, I forgot."
"Sure, hold on a minute."
"Thanks."
Abby went to Tony's bedroom and got him some clothes. She went back to the bathroom and knocked on the door.
"It's open, Abby," Tony called to her.
Abby opened the door and placed Tony's clothes on the lid of the hamper. Tony was in the process of shaving and he had shaving cream all over his face. Abby laughed at him.
"What are you laughing at?" Tony asked.
"You look like Santa Claus."
"Abby, I'm not fat, I'm so not jolly at the moment, I'm Italian and all I have on is a towel. How do I look like Santa Claus?"
Ron shouted from the living room, "Santa could be Italian, Tony."
"Don't be an idiot, Ron," Tony called back. "Santa is not Italian."
"Have you seen him?" Ron asked. "He could be black for all you know."
Tony and Abby laughed.
"Shut up, Ron," Tony said.
"Abby, back me up here," Ron requested.
"Ron had a point, Tony," Abby stated.
"Would you two please leave me alone so I can get ready?" Tony asked.
"Abby, he's admitting defeat," Ron said. "We won."
"Not really, Ron, unless you can produce a black or Italian Santa," Abby stated.
"I have my ways," Ron stated.
Fornell shouted from the kitchen, "Tony, please, could you hurry up? I need to speak to you."
"Keep your pants on!" Abby yelled back.
"He's right, Abby," Tony said. "The sooner I talk to them, the sooner they can get out of my life."
"Okay," Abby agreed. "I'll be with Ron in the living room."
"Get Ron another soda or something, will you?" Tony requested.
"Sure." Abby left the bathroom, closed the door and walked back over to Ron. "You want another soda or something, Ron?"
"Water would be great, Abby, but do you want me to get it?"
"No, it's okay. I'll be right back." Abby left Ron and went into the kitchen. Gibbs was sitting at the table looking into his cup of coffee. Abby went to the fridge and took out three bottles of water.
"Are you all right, Abby?" Gibbs asked.
"No, I'm not."
"I'm sorry, Abby."
"I don't care, Gibbs," Abby stated. "I'm going to see the director tomorrow and resign."
"WHY?" Gibbs asked in shock.
"I DON'T WANT TO WORK WITH YOU ANYMORE, OR MCGEE AND ZIVA FOR THAT MATTER!" Abby shouted. "IF THIS IS THE WAY YOU THREE TREAT YOUR FRIENDS, THEN I'D RATHER GO WORK SOMEWHERE ELSE BEFORE YOU ALL TURN ON ME, TOO!"
"That won't happen, Abby," Gibbs reassured her.
"WHY AM I SO DIFFERENT FROM TONY? YOU ALL TURNED ON HIM QUICK ENOUGH! WHY NOT ME?
"You don't understand."
"You're right and after today, I don't care to."
Tony finished up in the bathroom and walked into the kitchen and saw Abby was upset. "WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER?"
"Nothing," Gibbs said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"It's all right, Tony," Abby stated. "It's my fault. I decided to talk to him. I should've just got the water and left the room."
Tony walked over and gave Abby a hug. "C'mon, let's go sit in the living room." Tony released her from the hug, then took the water from her while he guided her to the living room. Tobias and Gibbs followed with their coffee. Tony handed Ron a bottle of water, then sat Abby down beside him on the chair, while Tobias and Gibbs sat beside Ron. Tony looked at Fornell, and made sure Gibbs was not in his line of sight.
"So, what do you want to know?" Tony asked Fornell.
"Okay, Tony, could you tell us everything about the case from start to finish?" Fornell asked. "Then I'll ask you some questions."
"All right," Tony said. "About eleven years ago I was with Philly PD. I had just made detective when the murder of a prostitute came in; Sharon Wilson was her name, as you know. I was a junior detective at the time, my partner was Kenny Bailey. With him having seniority on the case, he decided the murder of a prostitute was no big deal. He went to the captain, who agreed, so they closed the case. I didn't agree, but the two of them made the decision and that was that. We had little evidence at the time, but we did have her body. It was determined that she died of stab wounds to the chest, 14 all together, but the knife wasn't a normal knife, but I'll come back to that later.
"We also had some green fibers that I thought came from the killer, but Bailey said they could've come from anywhere. I wanted to have tests done on them, but he refused. We also had semen, but it didn't match anyone in the system, and DNA testing wasn't as fast back then as it is now. We had a shoe print from the field were Sharon was found and we determined that it was a size nine. They took a cast, but again, Bailey said it could've come from anyone. After two days, he had had enough and closed the case, with the captain's approval. I tried to talk them around. She had no family and she was alone. We owed her something more than two days, but I was told to shut up about it."
"But you didn't?" Ron asked.
Tony replied, "Yeah, I did. I went home that night pissed off. I knew we had to get this guy before he killed again, and I knew in my gut that he would. So, the next day I went in early and got the case notes and copied them without anyone noticing and I put the file back. Then I went to the morgue and asked my friend to try and have a mold taken of the knife wounds in Sharon's chest without anyone noticing. He was an ME, but it wasn't his case, but he took the risk and did it for me anyway. The next day I went in early again and swiped the pictures and had them copied while I was on my lunch break. I put the originals back so Kenny wouldn't notice, in case he checked the file. I had a problem with the fibers though; if I took one to have it analyzed they might think I was tampering with evidence, so I had to tell a lie. I asked the CSI on the case to take a closer look at the fibers and give me a more detailed report, as in what clothes they could've come from. I asked her to please not involve Bailey in it and to give the results to me, but if she was asked about it by him or the captain, not to lie.
Tony picked up his water and twisted off the lid, then took a drink. He continued his story. "So I had molds of the knife wound. My friend, the ME, found a match. It was a fish knife about six inches long and two inches wide. The CSI that was looking at the fibers told me that the fibers were strong green wool, most likely from gloves. I couldn't get the cast of the shoe print, so I had to use the pictures. I took them to an independent lab and asked them if they could tell me more from the pictures. They said they would try. So, two weeks passed and they called and asked me if I could come and meet with them. I called in sick for the rest of the day. Once I was there, they told me the prints were from Nike trainers size nine and that this size and tread was only sold in white with a red stripe. Then another guy chipped in and told me the guy weighed about 165 pounds. It turned out they could tell this by the depth of the print. So, finally, I thought I had enough to reopen the case. I asked for a meeting with the captain and Bailey the next day. I told them what I had; the fact that I had the style of the murder weapon; a fish knife, and that he wore green gloves, even though it wasn't hot outside at night. And the fact that he wore white Nike trainers with a red stripe and that he weighed around 165 pounds."
"I don't understand, Tony," Tobias said. "How did you end up catching him alone then?"
"They didn't take Tony's evidence," Gibbs said. "Case stayed closed and they totally shut him down."
Tony didn't say anything. He just took a drink of water. Abby gave him a hug, and he smiled at her and kissed her cheek.
"Okay, Tony," Tobias said. "Tell us what happened."
"The captain asked Bailey to leave the office while he spoke to me alone," Tony stated. "He then proceeded to tear me a new one for disobeying orders. He put a reprimand in my file and told me if I didn't leave the case alone he'd fire me, and that was it from him. Bailey was another problem. He was old school and he thought I'd betrayed him and made him look stupid in front of the captain, so basically he made my life hell. He found out about my past and some other things."
Tony looked at Ron, who shook his head and smiled a little. He continued, "He made sure everyone knew and I was put in my place. On more than a few occasions over the next few weeks, I was ready to leave, but I decided I wanted to get Sharon's killer first, then maybe something could come out of the hole I dug myself into. I started going out at night with the description of the guy and the rest of the information I had and started asking the girls. At first they wouldn't talk to me, but after a few weeks they came to trust me, when they realized I wasn't on the take and I didn't want a freebee off them. So, every night I'd go around the city talking to the girls and asking them if they had seen him and telling them to be careful and what to watch out for. I gave all of them my number at home and at the office so they could call if they heard or saw anything. They all knew to pretend that they were a friend if they called the office.
"So, this went on for another five months after that. During the day I'd go to work, where everyone hated me. At night I'd walk around talking to prostitutes. After the first few months, I got a very bad case of insomnia and I was only sleeping two hours out of twenty-four. The guys at the house noticed, but they thought they were getting to me. Anyway, during the sixth month, I was out as usual talking to a couple of the girls when Rita from the café across the road shouted for me. I thought she had the coffee and doughnuts I always ordered for the girls ready, but when I got there, Rita pointed at him; this guy sitting in the café. He was wearing white Nike trainers with a red stripe. He was about the right weight, but he was sitting down, so I couldn't be sure. He had a big coat on, but it was really warm out, and there was a pair of green gloves sitting on the table beside his coffee.
"He was just sitting there watching the girls walk up and down. I pulled Rita aside and asked her to stay in the back and to not come back out; to just let him leave. She did as I asked. He didn't notice me, so I went back outside and walked up to Pauline, one of the girls, and I asked her to walk around the corner with me like I was a trick. She trusted me, so she did as I asked. I kept one eye on the café door just in case he left while I was talking to Pauline. I asked her to tell the girls not to go with the guy in the café and that he could be the person I was looking for. So, she walked back out after five minutes so it looked like, as she put it 'did me', and told one girl. Then she past the message on to another girl, and so on. I couldn't question him because I had no grounds, so I just watched him.
"After twenty minutes, he left the café and walked up to Tina, one of the girls, and asked how much she charged. She said sorry, she was waiting for one of her regulars and couldn't go with him. He got angry and punched her in the face. I ran around the corner and booked him for assault. I called it in and they took him away. I told the uniforms to leave him in a cell until I got back. I checked on Tina and gave her 200 bucks to stay off the street for a few days just to make sure. I thanked Rita and the girls and then made my way to the station. I questioned him for three hours. I told him about the evidence I had, but he wouldn't crack. I got a warrant for his DNA. He went before a judge the next morning and was granted bail. I called in sick for the next two weeks and followed him everywhere. Then I got a call that his DNA was a match to the semen from Sharon. I got a warrant for his arrest and booked him for murder. I searched his house and found the knife.
"I went to work the next day and the captain told me to tell him which ME helped me. I wouldn't, so he told me to resign or he'd make my life a living hell. I resigned there and then. I cleared out my desk, said goodbye to a couple of people who were still talking to me, and left. I lost my apartment because Bailey and some of the guys threatened my landlord. I had no reason to stay there, so I left the state. I went back for the trial because I had to testify, and while I was there some of the cops decided to pay me a little visit. They more or less made it clear that I was never to come to their city again."
Tobias and Ron just looked at Tony with their mouths open, Abby was crying on his shoulder, while Gibbs was staring into his empty coffee cup.
Tony finished his bottle of water. "So, Fornell, I have no idea how I can help you find him. I got him through some good luck; just right place, right time. That's all."
"No, Tony," Gibbs disagreed. "You caught him with excellent police work."
"Whatever," Tony said dismissively.
"He's right," Tobias stated.
"Tell me about this new girl," Tony asked.
"Well, she was stabbed eight times and with a meat knife," Tobias said. "He left us with nothing though; no footprints, no fibers, no semen, only the note."
"For Christ's sake, Fornell," Tony said, exasperated. "I asked you about the girl, not the murder. What's her name?"
"Sharon Jones," Tobias answered. "She was 28 and a prostitute. She ran away from home when she was 15. She'd been on the streets ever since. Her parents don't want to know what happened. They don't care. She'll be buried by the state."
"No, give me the information," Tony said. "I'll pay for her to get buried."
"Are you sure, Tony?" Abby asked.
"Yeah, I am," Tony stated. "I paid for Sharon Wilson's funeral. I'll get a plot beside her for Sharon Jones. They had no one in life; they should be together in death, Abby."
Abby kissed Tony's cheek. "Okay, but let me pay half."
"That's sweet, Abby, but this is something I need to do myself," Tony said.
"But, Tony, soon you won't be able to afford-"
"ABBY," Tony interrupted. "Please, not now, okay? We can talk about it tomorrow."
"I'm sorry," Abby said contritely.
"Don't worry about," Tony replied. "Why don't you go and clean up a bit. You can stay the night if you like?"
"Ah, Tony, I don't think that's a good idea," Tobias stated.
"He wasn't asking you," Abby said.
"Abby, it's not safe here," Gibbs stated.
"Or you," Abby said, looking pointedly at Gibbs.
"I'm sorry, Abby, but they have a point," Ron said. "The closer you are to Tony, the more danger you're in."
"He's right, Abby," Tony agreed.
"But I don't want to go," Abby pleaded. "Please, Tony, I'll just stay in my room or I could sleep with you in your room."
"I'm sorry, but if anything happened to you because of me, Abby, I'd have nothing to live for," Tony stated firmly.
"If I go, will you agree to the protection?" Abby asked.
"That's blackmail, Abby."
"Yes."
Tony laughed at Abby.
"Tony, I have no plans tonight," Ron stated. "I could stay with her, if it's okay with you, Abby?"
"Okay," Abby agreed. "But Tony has to agree to the protection first." She looked at Tony and gave him her best pleading look.
"Abby, stop looking at me like that," Tony begged.
"Agree, or I'll stay here and wait for the murderer to come." Abby demanded.
"FINE!" Tony yelled, finally agreeing.
"Okay, good, but I want a phone call every four hours, if not sooner," Abby said. "If you miss one, I'll be at your door and I have a key."
"Okay, I'll call every four hours," Tony agreed. "But, Abby, only come to this apartment if it's an emergency and always, I repeat always, have someone with you."
"Like who?" She asked.
"Ziva or McGee."
"Not a chance."
"Abby, you have to forgive them," Tony said. "They've done nothing wrong to you."
"ARE YOU INSANE DINOZZO?"
Tony chuckled. "Okay, I'm sorry. Maybe Jen can bring you, or get another agent, but promise not to come alone."
"How about Ducky?"
"You're just pulling my leg now, right?"
"Maybe."
"Okay, that's it," Tony said. "Out of here."
Ron laughed and pulled Abby off of Tony.
"It's just after six, Tony," Abby said. "I want a call at ten, got it?"
"Yes, Abby, I got it."
"Can I have a word in the kitchen?" Abby asked.
"Sure," Tony said agreeably.
Tony got up from the couch and took Abby's hand. He pulled her into the kitchen.
Once they were in the kitchen, Abby whispered, "Are you sure about this?"
"Abby, you'll be safer at your place."
"No, I get that, and thank you for looking out for me, but do you really want to be here alone with those two?"
"Not really, but if I deal with them tonight, then it's over with."
"I don't know, Tony, if Gibbs starts on you again… "
"If he does, I'll agree to the FBI's protection, and I'll never have to deal with him again."
"And if he doesn't?"
"I don't know, Abby. I haven't made up my mind yet."
"I should tell you, I'm resigning tomorrow."
"Abby, please don't. NCIS needs you. Just hold off until this case gets settled, okay?
"Okay, but only for you."
"Thank you. After this is over, we can talk about it then."
"All right."
"Okay, so Ron will take you home and stay with you tonight. I'll call every four hours to check in, but you call me if you need anything, okay?"
"Okay, I love you, Tony."
"I love you, too, Abby."
Tony gave Abby a hug and he kissed her on the cheek. They went back into the living room and Abby got her coat and bag.
"Okay, Ron, Abby's ready to go," Tony said.
"I'll call later, Tony, just to check everything is okay," Ron stated.
"Thanks, man," Tony replied.
"I'll see you, and be careful," Ron said.
"I will, just look after Abby for me," Tony requested.
"Sure," Ron agreed. "Ready, Abby?"
"I suppose," Abby said.
Tony hugged Abby again and then shook Ron's hand. He opened the door for them and Ron and Abby walked out.
Abby turned and grabbed Tony's shirt and pulled him to her. "Four hours, Tony."
"Yes, Boss."
"Funny, brother, real funny."
Tony and Abby smirked at each other. Tony said, "Speak to you both later."
Abby kissed him on the cheek and then pulled the door closed behind her. Tony locked it and then went into the kitchen to get a mug and the coffee pot. He brought them both back into the living room. He filled his mug, then Fornell's. Then he reluctantly filled Gibbs'. He sat back down in his chair.
"Thank you," Gibbs said.
Tony ignored him and faced Fornell. "So, what else do you want to know?"
"Well, the address of your old partner for a start," Tobias replied. "I'd love to pay him a visit and kick the shit out of him."
Tony smirked at him. "I've had worse, Fornell, so ask your questions."
"Okay, so this guy had no patterns?"
"No, he raped and killed Sharon Wilson, did nothing for six months, then assaulted Tina. He wasn't a serial killer. I caught him because of luck."
"Well, not really, Tony. Did you inform this Rita person who to look out for, as well as the girls?"
"Yes, well, Rita owned the café. She saw me every night. To start off with, she didn't like me. She thought I was a dirty cop wanting to take advantage of the girls, but after a few weeks, I got her to listen to me. I told her why I hanging out around them in the middle of the night. I told her about Sharon and the person I was after. From that night on, I'd get a call from her every morning at eight to tell me if anyone had been around matching the description. Three times she called me to tell me someone was acting funny, but I checked them out and they were clean, apart from them being perverts."
"So, what do you think about him coming after you?" Tobias asked.
"It makes sense. He wouldn't give in under interrogation. He said I planted the evidence and that he was just minding his own business in the café. He said I was framing him because, as he said it, he'd 'smacked one of my little girlfriends'. His defense tried to tear my case apart because I went after him without clearance from my captain, but they fell flat. As I told you, I got a qualified ME to get the molds of Sharon's wounds and they matched with the knife I found in his apartment. I had two uniforms with me watching my every move, so they couldn't come after me for that. I got a qualified CSI to look at the fibers from his gloves that turned out to be a match. And I got an independent lab to look at the pictures of the shoe print, which I paid for myself, which got me the shoe size, make and description, and finally his weight."
"Tony, I have to say that what you did was ballsy and I have a whole new respect for you," Tobias said.
"Okay."
"So, what should do you think we should do?"
"If I were you, I'd make friends with the girls. You have a picture of him now. If you have to, copy it and give them out to the girls. If he's here and coming after me, then I'm sure he'll want to send another message. He knows it's only a matter of time before you catch him. He has nothing left to lose. The reason he left the note was to draw me out and play his game. If I do that, more girls will die. If I stay out of your way, he'll get bored and either come after me sooner or make a mistake."
"Tony, I'm sorry, but there was more on the note than I said earlier," Tobias stated.
"Like what?"
"He called you a name."
"What is this, high school?"
"Tony, it's not as simple as that."
"Just tell me," Tony demanded.
"He called you a faggot."
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Thanks to: Jenni, DS2010, corik80, Chellelove, angeleyes46, Chellelove, julie250, Lady FoxFire, Herky Illiniwek, Gibbs4Eva, nitetales, AMAPADME, Wolfa Moon, beyondtired, KB22, nitetales, PTBvisiongrrl, Holen-Snape, GibbsGirlAbby, angeleyes46, ban-chan100, tinkerbellblu83, carismum , erynn , Foundgirl88, ladykale1985, BnBfanatic, Pippin098, sundarkeyes, blarney, Lady FoxFire, Lisa.
Extra thanks to: LIGHTNSHADOWS, Alisa123