Chapter 8

"Do we know if it's another abduction?" Tony asked, as soon as they were all seated inside the truck.

Gibbs left the parking lot and got onto the street before shoving a file onto Tony's lap. Tony looked inside and found the official photograph of a young female ensign of the navy. She had dark hair and a pretty smile, one of those smiles that made everyone want to smile back.

"The missing person is a female ensign, Laura Adams, 24 years old", Gibbs explained. "She works in one of the offices at Norfolk just like Lt. Reynes."

"Wait a moment", Tony said. "I don't understand. It's not even 8 a.m. How can she already have been reported missing?"

"It wasn't the office that reported her missing, but a friend who lives with her. This friend came home from a visit to her parents yesterday evening and found the house empty. She tried to call Ensign Adams, but couldn't reach her, then she called Adams' family and friends and also the base, but nobody had seen her. In the end, she called the police, but was told that they couldn't do anything if the person hasn't been missing for 48 hours. So she called the base again early this morning and since it's the second officer that went missing within two weeks they called us."

"How long could she have been missing?"

"A friend said she had seen the ensign on Saturday evening", Gibbs answered shortly.

"Do we suspect there's a connection between the two cases?" McGee asked from the back.

"We can't be sure yet", Gibbs said. "But it's possible. And if it is, we have a serious problem."

---

They drove directly to the small one-family house in Norfolk that the missing ensign had lived in together with a friend. This friend, a dark-haired woman around thirty, was already impatiently waiting for them and greeted them at the front door.

"Hi, my name is Sandra, Sandra Maloney. Thank you for coming."

The team shook hands with the distressed woman and she let them in and showed them to the living room.

"Ms. Maloney, tell us what happened", Gibbs said.

"I went to my parents' place over the weekend. I came back yesterday in the evening and I expected Laura to be here. She knew when I was coming home. But I couldn't find her and it gave me such a strange feeling."

"Why?" Tony asked.

"The bed wasn't made, for example. And Laura never leaves the house without making the bed. And she hadn't fed the cat. The morning paper was still lying on the front lawn …" She sighed. "It's all so weird. I mean, these things are ridiculous, not important, but Laura always used to take them very seriously."

Tony looked at Gibbs to find out what he was thinking about it. He seemed to be worried.

"Isn't it possible that Laura had some kind of emergency, like, in the family?" Tony asked.

"I know!" Sandra sighed. "That's what it looks like, isn't it? I was thinking the same thing at first. But then I called, like, everybody we know to find her. No one has an idea where she could be. And it's just not like Laura to leave without telling anyone. And then I remembered what she had told me about the woman who disappeared two weeks ago. Do you … do you think Laura could have been abducted, too?"

"We don't know yet", Gibbs said. "But we have to assume it. Ms. Maloney, was the door locked when you got here?"

"No, it wasn't. When the door is closed you can't open it from the outside unless you have a key. But we lock it all the same when the house is empty. That's why I was worried in the first place. Laura wouldn't leave the door unlocked."

"Who else has a key to your house?"

"Only Laura and I. But there is a surrogate key hidden in the garden. We have one of those fake stones to put it in."

"Did you check if the key was still there?"

"No I haven't!" she exclaimed and got up quickly. "How stupid!"

The key was still there. Gibbs opened the stone wearing latex gloves and found the key inside. He bagged it to check for fingerprints.

After that, Sandra Maloney showed Tony and McGee the rest of the house while Gibbs and Susannah went to talk to the neighbors. Tony soon realized that he had misunderstood the nature of Sandra Maloney's and Laura Adams' relationship. They didn't simply share the house, they were living together as a couple. The photographs already gave a hint, but the fact that there was only one bedroom that seemed to be inhabited was enough proof. Tony asked Ms. Maloney about it. She was surprised.

"I thought I had already mentioned on the phone that Laura was my girlfriend", she said. "But is that important for your work here?"

"No it isn't." Tony tried to smile reassuringly at her. "But I need to know which things you touched in the bedroom."

"I touched nothing. Even though the police didn't want to come, I was sure something had happened and I didn't touch anything. Couldn't sleep anyway, so I didn't need the bed."

They started to search the bedroom. McGee found that a strange scent was lingering on the sheets and Tony smelled it too. "I think that's chloroform", he said silently in order not to be overheard by Ms. Maloney and scare her even more. They took the sheets and put them inside several huge plastic bags. While McGee searched the rest of the bedroom, taking fingerprints and looking for fibers or hairs, Tony spoke with Sandra Adams.

"Did you notice anything strange in Laura's behavior during the last days or weeks maybe? Did she seem to be worried about something?"

"No … nothing like that. She is a very lively person, you know, never worried about anything." She smiled while she said that, then her face fell when her thoughts came back to reality.

"Could you think of anyone who would want to harm her?" Tony went on. "Did she have problems with anyone at work, for example?"

Sandra already started to shake her head, but then stopped and looked at Tony as if something had just hit her. "There was this guy, at work, she told me about him. Another ensign called Whiley or Whitley or something like that."

"What about him?"

"People in the office know that Laura is a lesbian, she never made a secret out of it. Most people don't have a problem with it, but this ensign … she said he had made some remarks when nobody else was around … sexual things."

"You mean he was harassing her?" Tony asked. A guy with a sexual interest, a woman turning him down. That was a motive.

"I'm not sure, she didn't want to talk about it. Do you think he did something to her?"

Tony saw that she was on the verge of breaking down. Her eyes were glazed over and her hands were shaking. He got up and sat on the couch next to her, where he placed one hand on her shoulder. "I am very sorry", he said. "But don't give up hope yet. We'll do all we can to find her."

"I know", she whispered. "Thank you… Would you … would you excuse me?"

"Of course", Tony said, and she got up and left the room.

He joined McGee again and helped him search the other rooms and the front porch.

The questioning of the neighbors brought nothing but one witness who had been woken up in the middle of the night from Saturday to Sunday by the sound of a car door closing. According to the sounds the car had been parked in front of Laura Adams' house and had left right after the door had been shut. The witness hadn't looked out of the window but remembered that it must have been around 2.30 in the morning.

In the early afternoon they reached the naval base and started questioning Ensign Adams' co-workers. Tony was especially interested in the ensign Sandra Maloney had mentioned. He had told Gibbs about it and he, too, wanted to talk to the man called Whiley or Whitley right away. They used an empty office for the questioning and started with Ensign Adams' CO, Lieutenant-Commander Eva Ross. They asked her if she knew the missing ensign well and what kind of person she was. They also wanted to know if the ensign had had problems with co-workers.

The answers they got were very much like what James Sandler had told them about Adriana Reynes before they had known that they had been having an affair. Lt.-Com. Ross said that Ensign Adams was a very friendly and reliable person, liked by everyone because of her open personality. She didn't know about any problems.

"Is there an Ensign Whiley working in your office?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes."

"Has Ensign Adams ever reported any problems with Ensign Whiley?"

"No, no problems, as I have already told you."

Gibbs only nodded. "When we talk to the rest of your staff, would you make sure we get to see him first."

"Of course." She nodded briskly.

Ensign Reed Whiley was very tall, with broad shoulders and muscular arms. He was also very young and seemed to be very nervous when he came into the small room and sat down in front of the desk.

"How would you describe your relationship towards Ensign Adams?" Gibbs asked without introduction.

"Laura? … uh … we were colleagues."

"Good enough colleagues to be on a first name basis?"

"Uh … yes. We are about the same age, you see. She called me Reed, I called her Laura."

"Did you ever meet Laura outside the office?"

"No. We were colleagues, that's all."

"What can you tell us about her?"

"She was very friendly, always in a cheerful mood. Could also be very unnerving when she was humming or singing while she was working."

Gibbs eyes narrowed. "Was there anything else about her you didn't like?"

"Uh … I didn't say I didn't like her, did I?"

"What about her private life? Did Ensign Adams ever talk about her friends or relatives?"

Ensign Whiley sighed. "She always talked about her girlfriend. During break, you know, when the women sit together and talk about boyfriends and children she would always talk about her girlfriend. Isn't that a bit weird, I mean …" He looked at Gibbs and when he didn't get a reaction he tried Tony.

Tony leaned back and shrugged. He was following Ensign Whiley's lead. "Didn't really fit in, did she?" he asked.

The ensign seemed to be relieved. "That's what I wanted to say. I mean, such a pretty girl, could have any man she liked, but she feels too good for that."

"Did you ever tell her that?" Tony asked. "Maybe you could have brought her back to her senses."

"I tried, once or twice." The ensign shrugged. "I asked her out, but she got all weird and told me to stop it."

"Aww … come on!" Tony exclaimed, feigning sympathy.

The ensign smiled. "Yeah, I asked her if she wouldn't like to be with a real man for once."

"And what did she say?"

"Nothing, really. Just gave me a death glare, you know, the kind women are so good at."

Tony smiled. He knew exactly what the ensign meant. "And then?" he asked.

"Nothing. I left her alone. I mean, there's other women out there."

"And you didn't feel you had to show her that she couldn't treat you like that?" Gibbs now asked.

At first Ensign Whiley didn't seem to understand the question, then he did and his expression changed to one of shock. "What?" he asked. "Are you suggesting that I could have wanted to hurt her? Because she didn't want to go out with me?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Some women just never learn it, do they?"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I am not like that. I respect women."

"Do you?"

The interrogation continued like that for quite some time, but didn't lead them anywhere. Finally they believed that Ensign Whiley didn't hide any negative feelings towards Ensign Adams and they had to let him go.

While talking to the other officers, they also tried to find out if Ensign Adams and Lieutenant Reynes had known each other, but couldn't find proof for or against it. The women had worked in different offices – in different buildings even -, and no one remembered having seen them together. While Gibbs and Tony talked to the officers, Susannah and McGee went through files to find a connection between the two women – always assuming that there was one and that the women hadn't disappeared out of completely different reasons.

They were back at HQ late in the evening and discussed their findings over Chinese takeout. They had different opinions on whether it was the same kidnapper or not. Tony thought it was.

"In both cases he waited until the victims were at home alone. He managed to get inside the house without breaking in. He left no trace."

"Both victims were women in their twenties", Susannah added. "They both worked at Norfolk naval base, both had flawless records."

"I'm not saying it's impossible that it's the same guy", McGee said. "I just can't see what the link between the two women is. And there has to be one, doesn't it? "

"We should go farther back", Susannah suggested. "They are about the same age. Could have met at the military academy."

"Not a bad idea", Gibbs said. "Check it."

McGee, who still had doubts, asked: "Boss, what if we base our investigation on the fact that it is the same guy and then it isn't. We could miss important clues on the new case because we are concentrating too hard on the old one."

"That's why we will be careful not to miss any important clues on the new case", Tony said. "The trick is to treat each case separately, but still not to leave out the connection."

"Great, and how do we do that?" McGee didn't sound convinced.

"By investigating Ensign Adams' abduction and double-checking every name that comes up with the Reynes case." Tony noticed the look Gibbs gave him and sighed. "What is it, boss?"

"Nothing. It's just that this is the first time in two weeks that I'm glad I actually kept you and not Kate."

Tony only grumbled something incomprehensible and settled to work. He re-read the protocol of the interrogations and also went over everything that Sandra Maloney had told him. He found nothing and he just couldn't understand it. The victims had no enemies. They had no dark past. They were not involved in any kind of criminal activity, of that he was sure. Where was the motive for killing them? No, not them, he corrected himself. He really had to stop thinking of Laura Adams in the past tense. All that they knew now was that she had been abducted. And even if it was the same man who had abducted and killed Adriana Reynes, it was very likely that Ensign Adams was still alive, because Lt. Reynes hadn't been killed until one week after her disappearance. There was still hope.

After some time Tony stretched and got up to go into the break room and get a coffee. When he entered he saw someone stand in front of the counter and look through the contents of the drawer that held the tea bags. He was surprised to find it was Kate, and immediately his stomach turned into a tight nod. She had left his apartment this morning without saying goodbye and he had the feeling that he was in even greater trouble now than he had been before.

"Hey, Kate", he said, trying to keep his voice neutral. "What are you still doing here?"

She turned around and looked at him with a gaze that could have frozen water. "Santo is making me stay and do some research for her", she said coolly. "She didn't appreciate my being late this morning."

Tony had reached the counter and took his favorite cup to fill it with coffee. Kate had already returned to her teabags, she chose one, put it in her cup and filled it with hot water.

"Look, Kate", Tony started. "I'm sorry I had to leave this morning. But this new case might have a connection to the Reynes murder."

"Oh, I fully understand that", Kate said with a voice that signaled him that it would be better to take covers within the next five seconds.

"It doesn't mean I didn't want to stay with you – I did", Tony continued even though he knew he'd better be quiet now. "But Gibbs called – you know what he's like. I had to go."

"I also have a boss who likes to torture agents just for her own amusement!" Kate replied angrily. "But you convinced me to stay with you this morning and I agreed because I was willing to take whatever punishment I'd get for the sake of being with you!" Her eyes were blazing with fire by now and Tony, who felt threatened by her, backed away half a step.

But the outbreak was already over. Kate, getting no reaction from Tony, turned away from him shaking her head. She took her cup and turned to leave, but Tony stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "Please don't go now, Kate", he pleaded. "Please, I … I can't survive another week like the last one. Tell me what you want me to do – I'll do it."

Kate turned around again to face him and when she looked up into his eyes she felt her heart break because of the sad look in them. "Don't you understand?" she asked, calmer this time. "I'm working with people I don't feel comfortable with, in a job that seems to be a million miles away from what I used to be doing here at NCIS. And it doesn't make me happy. But I'm gladly doing it as long as I know that when I come home you'll be waiting there for me."

"But I will be there, waiting for you", he said.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Can you say that during these past weeks you have known exactly where this thing between us is going? And if it will hold?"

"Of course I can't", Tony sighed. "Nobody can say if a relationship will hold forever. All you can do is wait for it to develop." He stepped closer to her again and stood there, inches from her, but not trying to touch her out of fear she would turn away again.

She didn't turn away, but she didn't look at him either. She looked down at her feet, not moving. And then he heard her say the words that made his heart stop: "Maybe sometimes waiting just isn't enough." And with that she turned around and left.

tbc…