Chapter 6 Face to Face

Ziva returned back to NCIS headquarters, with some subs in hand, she saw McGee back at his desk typing happily away. "Ah! You fix the computer... you happy again."

"We had an understanding. If I give Beatrice more tender loving care then she won't crash on me again. Isn't that right Beatrice." Ziva raised an eyebrow. "You name it Beatrice?" McGee turned to Ziva like a child who has a lollipop. "Yeah..."

"You need to get out of the field more... Here have a sub..."

"It's a good job that he did else we wouldn't have a lead."

"You found a lead?"

"McGee..."

"Yeah... It seems Kearnes and Smith knew each other as both of their numbers have appeared on their phone record more then twice. Also there is an unidentified number that has appeared on both records a number of times before both of the bodies were found."

"So what does that mean?"

"We are going to bring in Miss Asif for questioning. To see if we can jog her memory."

"You think she has something to do with this?"

"Do you?"

"I would not know, but we can always find out."

"Good answer. Find out where Dinozzo is and go pick her up... Unless there is a problem?"

"No, there is no problem I call Tony now and have Miss Asif picked up."

"Good." Gibbs watched as Ziva sat at her desk and picked up the phone to dial Tony. Gibbs watched for a few more minutes then turned to McGee. "Okay McGee you carrying on with tracking that number down. Keep me updated as soon as you as you find anything new."

"Will do boss." Having speaking to Tony she went back to Gibbs. "He is on his way back."

"As soon as he arrives you go and pick Miss Asif up."

"Sure." Remembering the cigarette butt that she picked up she needed to see Abby again. This time she has to speak to Gibbs. "Gibbs. Can I have a word?"

"Sure."

"I know I been a bit distracted lately, it was because of what happened in the alley way. So I went back and found a cigarette butt. I am going to take it down to Abby to see if she can get a match."

"Ziva..."

"I know what you are going to say... But please for now don't."

"Okay, I let it go for now..."

"Thank you, Gibbs."

"Oh and Ziva?"

"Yes."

"I'm here when you need to talk."

"I know." Ziva turned and headed to Abby's lab.

"Hey Abby! I need you to try and get a DNA sample off this cigarette butt for me."

"Does Gibbs know about this?"

"Yes, he knows..."

"Okay, lets see..." Abby took the butt from her and carefully swap it and put it on the machine to see if there have a match on AVIS. "Nothing...Sorry"

"Don't worry I might have another sample for you."

"Okay well as soon as you do, let me know."

"I will."

There was a deadly silence between the two agents. Every time Tony went to say something to Ziva she would shut him down with a look.

Aminah was with the Smith's family trying to sort out the funeral arrangements when there was a knock on the door. One of the sisters went to answer it. "Hi. Sorry to bother you at this time. But is Aminah with you?"

"Yes, come in." She step aside and let Tony and Ziva inside. "Aminah..."

"Yes?" Aminah came out of the living room and saw who was standing there. "Ah agent David and agent Dinono."

"Agent Dinozzo."

"Sorry, agent Dinozzo... What do I owe this pleasure?"

"We need you to come with us at NCIS." At the mention of Aminah being taken for questioning, Smith's mother came out. "I knew it... I knew that this had something to do with you."

Ziva try to calm the situation down. "No Mrs Smith... It's just a routine questioning."

"A routine questioning? How many times did you question my daughters? And they are the ones that found his body." She turned to Aminah and gave her a hard slap across the face. "I knew it, I knew this has something to do with you. I knew dating your kind would be bad news. If he didn't meet you he would have still been alive. You bitch you killed my son." She was about to slap Aminah again when Ziva step in the middle. "Mrs Smith I can assure you that we will get to the bottom of this, but lashing out will not help the situation."

"Fine! You are banned from the funeral."

"MOTHER!" The sisters yelled. "It is okay." At this point her eyes were filling up not because of the slap, but because she did truly loved him and now she had been banned from saying goodbye to him, one last time. "It is okay, really it is fine. I am sorry..." She turned to Ziva and Tony. "...I am all yours let us go. There is nothing for me here." Ziva and Tony followed behind her as she left.

Aminah was sitting down patiently at the interrogation, whilst Gibbs, Ziva, McGee and Tony observe through the two way mirror. "Okay, Ziva you are up, go interview her."

"You want me to do the integration? On my own! Why?"

"Because you still need the practise and I said so. Is there any problem?"

"None..."

"Good." He gave Ziva the file and watched as she left and entered the interrogation room. "You going to interrogate me as an American or Israeli?" Both Tony and McGee turned to Gibbs. "They already know each other?"

"It seems that way." Gibbs watches them intensely sipping on his coffee. "What did you find out Tony?"

"You were right, she is hiding something. Did she tell you about going back to the alley way?"

"She did, finally... She's defiantly hiding something."

"You still want her to interrogate alone?"

"I want to see if she revels anything about Ziva past."

"So agent David, what reason did you bring me here? It better be a good one, seeing as you and that agent Dinono of yours got me banned from the funeral."

"Agent Dinono, how hard is it to pronounce Dinozzo?..." Tony was going to bitch some more when he noticed Gibbs staring at him. "Shutting up again boss."

Ziva chose to ignore the comment and carried on. "Miss Asif, we believe the murder of your fiancée is connected with another murder that happened a week ago. Do you recognise this man?" Ziva put the photo of Kearnes on the table. Aminah looked at it and shaked her head. "Should I?"

"We have evidence that proves that you knew him. You see Miss Asif, it took us a long time to trace where the phone number came from, but we manage to pin it down to you. They were friends were they not and so were you?"

"Is that all you got? A list of numbers?"

"We also need a sample of your DNA."

"Is that so? Why would I give you that?"

"If you have nothing to hide why not?"

"I found from pass experience it does not matter what you give to prove you are innocent, they will always find a way to make you guilty and punish you for it."

"Please a sample." Ziva gave Aminah the swap and Aminah swap her mouth and gave it back to her. "Where were you last Tuesday?"

"I was with my fiancée why?"

"Three men shot dead in this alley way."

"You think I had something to do with that?"

"That's for our forensics expert to find out." Ziva stood and head for the door. "Do you miss it?"

"What?"

"Your old life?" Ziva looked back at her then left the room.

From the other side Tony, McGee looked at Gibbs to see what he was going to do. Gibbs didn't look back at them. Instead he too went out of the room and went to find Ziva.

Ziva went to Abby's lab and gave the swap. "Here Abby can you see if this sample is a match to the cigarette butt?"

"Sure!" Abby took the sample from her and went to test it again, after a few minutes still no match. "Is that thing correct?"

"Thing! This is Bert not thing! If 'he' says there is no match, then there is no match."

"Not a match, not a match." Ziva repeat before she lost her temper and flung an empty container narrowly missing Gibbs. "Damn it...Sorry Gibbs."

"Ziva... A word." Ziva went out with Gibbs preparing for the yelling that she knows that she deserved. "Yes Gibbs."

"What is your problem?"

" I just want this case to be over with. That is all."

"I need you to be honest with me. Do you know Miss Asif?" Ziva stared straight into Gibbs' eyes mentally kicking herself as she lied. "No, I never met her before."

"I see...Well we have nothing to hold her for, release her."

"Okay."

Ziva went back to the interrogation room, closing the door behind her. "You are free to go." Aminah smiled and stood up. Ziva opened the door watching Aminah leave.