When Tomorrow Comes
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: The original characters of this storyline are NCIS LA's and therefor belong to CBS and Shane Brennan. Personally, I am very glad they're around already and that we're allowed to 'use them' for fanfiction purposes only!
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NCIS Office of Special Projects || Los Angeles
"We've got a winner on the dead guy!" Eric exclaimed.
Nell shook her head. "No way. All you've got is a name. There's nothing linked to it so far." She copied the name that popped up after Eric's search in the systems. "Bernhard Heinrich Degener."
She smiled at her partner. He'd do anything to compete with her and he did this time. Both hit their keyboards.
"He's got a criminal record. From car theft to kidnapping. Nothing on his Modus Operandi that proves he's good with explosives."
"Lived in Argentina for the past 3 years," Nell said.
"Born in Braunschweig." It wasn't that easy to pronounce, but with his German ancestors Eric managed quite well.
"Thirty-one years old," Nell mentioned. "Which makes him younger than Rebecca."
Both of them were quiet for just a second. Nell tucked back some of her loose hair behind her ear and wondered "So far, my list of names, dates, places and more don't fit with this Degener being the one who's after Rebecca."
"Then how does he fit in?" Eric said. "What's your idea of linking him to all of this?"
Of course they never noticed that Hetty head entered their work space. The tiny woman had listened to the discussion of the young couple of analysts and softly applauded when she heard how they worked as a team.
"Well done so far," she said. "Now, have you considered that perhaps this Mr. Degener did not work alone?"
They both nodded. "Sure. We were just about to find out how," Eric said.
"I'll inform Callen and Sam." Nell took the phone and dialed Sam's number.
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Marina del Rey Hospital || Los Angeles
The large former SEAL peeked through the small window of the private hospital room once again. It was like a déja vu to Sam, knowing he was about to intervene in another private discussion his partner had with his fiancée. He sighed deeply and knocked before he entered.
"Degener. The name of that man was Bernhard Degener." Sam let his glance to over the woman's face, curious if there might be any signs of recognition. He saw none.
"Doesn't ring a bell, does it?" Callen asked after he tiredly rubbed his face. He'd nearly fallen asleep when Sam had entered and he knew Rebecca had slept for a while.
She simply shook her head. "Callen already said he spoke German. His name is German too, right?" She shook her head again. "I never worked in Germany or had contacts with the Bundesnachrichtendienst about any Germans. For whom did he work you said?"
Sam shrugged. "I suppose he wasn't an agent for any intelligence agency at all. Nell mentioned he lived in Argentina for a while."
Rebecca thought about that and said "I've worked in South America of course. Colombia. And in Cuba and at Aruba. But I can't see any connections with Argentina or Germany."
"Ah. Well, Nell and Eric are working on that," Sam replied. "I'd better head home again. Get some more rest, both of you."
"Sam?" Rebecca now asked. "George must be exhausted I think. Please… Tell him I miss him."
"Tell him we miss him," Callen mentioned. He gently smiled at her. "If you're free of any fever, the three of us will get back to my house tomorrow afternoon."
She was about to smile back at him when she suddenly realized "How about Finley?"
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NCIS Office of Special Projects || Los Angeles
The frown on Granger's face welcomed Deeks and Kensi. Kensi simply shook her head, indicating she did not have any news she could share.
Deeks explained "He vanished."
"And you know how?" Granger asked.
"He didn't wash his dishes."
"It looks like the man hasn't been around for the last couple of days," Kensi added. "Besides, his car is still around. I called Eric who told me that this dark grey Toyota belongs to Finley. Still parked in front his house, across the street."
"Crap." Granger cursed. "See to it that Beale sends out a BOLO." He turned to the large desk and sat down, definitely not in a mood to discuss anything else.
Kensi hurried up the stairs to her younger co-workers, followed by her partner. Much to their surprise, Hetty had joined Eric and Nell. She had taken a chair and sat next to Nell, leafing through paper files. The younger woman did the same, but she read from two different screens.
"Anything you found out already?" Eric asked Deeks.
"Nope. Apart from the fact that Finley either detested to do the dishes, which, personally, I totally understand. Another possibility is that he never had the opportunity to wash the dishes since he wasn't around," Deeks replied. "Oh, and I think that Granger thinks the dishes were a bad karma. You, dude, you're about to be the one who sends out a BOLO to all other agencies in and around Los Angeles."
Hetty looked up from the papers she had on her lap. "As long as we don't know where Finley is, Miss Belgrave may be in trouble. I think I don't have to remind you all that her name and location were exposed."
"And you think Finley is responsible for that?" Nell asked, surprised by the thought.
Hetty pursed her lips, thinking about how she should verbalize her thoughts. "Well dear… in fact, I do, Miss Jones."
The hazel eyes of the young information analyst widened by these words. "But…"
"Never voluntarily, that is. I most certainly hope you, or any agency around, will be able to find this man as soon as possible. Because, in a way, he will be the one who can tell us more."
On that, she stood up, carefully put the file she was reading on top of some other paper files which she then put on one of the unoccupied desks at the Ops center.
To my dear readers: thank you all for your wonderful reviews! For your information: there will be a slight delay in publishing another chapter since the mountains and the oceans are waiting :-) Please, do enjoy this chapter