Chapter 8 Shady Pines

Ducky and his two FBI companions head to the Shady Pines facility to meet with Mr. Owens and interview the staff.

On the drive over, Timothy calls Ducky to inform him that he's on his way to join them. "Timothy is on his way to assist us and if you two would like to question the staff with you agent Prentiss, doctor Reid and I will question Mr. Owens"

"That sounds fine Dr. having two doctors should make this easy." Prentiss says with a smile.

Once they arrive and enter the facility Ducky and Dr. Ried move to the corner of the light and cheery coloured common room to wait fo be directed to Mr. Owens. Ducky suggested that they take him for a walk outside. An orderly arrives with Mr. Owens in a wheelchair.

Reid introduces himself to Glen Owens but there is no acknowledgement. Ducky stands up straight and salutes the man in the wheelchair.

"Private Owens, I am Lieutenant Donald Mallard of Her Majesty's Special Air Service. Pleased to meet you." Ducky holds out his hand as Owens lights up for a moment and salutes him back.

Reid realizes that Ducky has made a connection to the patient by delving into a shared military past. Reid quickly assumes the roll of pushing the patient out into the gardens following Dr. Mallard. It will allow for more privacy and hopefully they can reach him.

/***\

Prentiss starts by interviewing the front desk staff casually as she waits to see the administrator. Tim McGee shows up and nods to her.

"Hello, your doctor Mallard said you may have found some more men from his unit staying here?"

"Yes. I will speak with them as you talk to the brass."

"Listen, I don't mean to be rude or step on NCIS's toes, but we are profilers so I think it would be in our best interests to interview all the witnesses and friend together. That way both agencies are getting the same information. We may interpret the information differently and make this investigation shorter."

"Fine by me. As long as we find the killer, how we do it, is irrelevant."

They proceed into the administrator's office. They give the standard set of questions, there were no visitors to Mr. Owens beside his son and the British gentleman who came that day. Ms. Grey gave her condolences about Randy Owens and agreed to help in any way possible.

Prentiss and McGee visit the common room to look around. An orderly and a volunteer come to speak with them.

"Are you here with the other agents? A shame about the young man."

"You are?" Prentiss asks.

"Rob Thomas. I'm a volunteer here and I have talked with the Owen's men often over the years." He extends his hand to both of them to shake.

"Did you see anyone around who you thought was strange? Even before two days ago when Randy and Mr. King were killed?"

"No one but Mr. King. He was agitating Glen, but then the man has been deteriorating for a while. Dementia is a horrible disease."

"Yes it is." Tim says. "You couldn't happen to point us in the direction of James Wilson and Conrad Fuller could you?"

"Yes they are in the games room, they love to shoot pool. What do you think they can help you with?"

"They were in the same unit as Mr. Owens, we assumed they were friendly."

Mr. Thomas frowns. "I didn't realize that. Glen didn't like to talk about the military that often and I never really saw them interact even when Glen was more...alert."

Prentiss frowns. "We would still like to talk to them."

"Certainly, just down the hall to your right."

Prentiss and McGee head down the hall. "That's weird." Emily says.

"Yeah, wonder why they aren't that friendly?"

"We had better find out why."

/***\

Ducky sits on a bench across from Owens in his wheelchair. "Private Owens. I am Major Donald Mallard of the SAS. I was a friend of Commodore Malcolm King's and I would like to ask you some questions if I might?"

"King...I told the boy not to go with the Commodore...no one will ever make good of it. But you know that Malcolm. We were so beaten up but I saw. I always told you I heard them. You all thought I was unconscious but no...I heard the Russian but I promised you...Commodore that I would not say anything...just the driver caught in the middle. The Lieutenant ordered me not to and I obeyed."

Ducky looks at Dr. Reid with confusion. "Yes, Private Owens and you've done a proper good job of it but you can tell me...you and I can discuss it now but only with me."

"You knew what you were doing...Randy hasn't been here...his mother either? You came...you called often, helped us. Where did I put my? People check on me...where did you come from again?" Owens begins to become agitated.

"Major Mallard of the SAS. I was a friend of Malcolm King's...can I ask you some questions about what happened when you were beaten, out in Franklin Virginia in 1979."

Glen Owens looks at Ducky with a glazed expression. "You were there Malcolm and you said never to talk and so did Fraser."

Ducky frowns at the poor man in the wheelchair who is too confused to answer more questions. "I am sorry Private Owens, I must go now."

"Goodbye Malcolm. Good to talk to you again."

Reid wheels the man back into the common area followed by Ducky. "It's a shame he became so confused Dr. Mallard but he definitely knew something of what went on in 1979."

"We will sit with him here until Timmothy and your agent Prentiss are done and then head back to NCIS."

/***\

Emily and Tim go into the games room to see to older gentlemen shooting pool. "Hello, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Fuller. I am agent Prentiss of the FBI and this is agent McGee of NCIS and we would like to ask some questions if you don't mind."

"I'm Wilson, what are the feds interested in? We haven't been officers in a long time." He extends his hand and shakes both their hands. Fuller nods and put the pool cues away.

"We are wondering about your relationship with Glen Owens, we understand that you served on the same ship with Private Owens." McGee states.

"We did." Fuller says. "We weren't in the same circles much. We are over 10 years his senior and we were junior officers at the time. All the craziness began after the war games." Wilson says.

Tim frowns, "craziness?"

"The quadruple murder in Virginia. We all heard about it days after the fact. We were all off on leave that night and the Captain asks for a volunteer to be a glorified limo driver for a British Commodore and Captain of their newest destroyer...what was it called?"

"The HMS Glasgow. It was a lovely ship from what I can remember but there was no way we were giving up on our leave to babysit a upper class Brit and his captain go to around and drink tea." Wilson adds.

"You knew where they were going?" Tim asks Fuller.

"Yeah it was standard procedure to take top brass out when they were in town. Everyone else was at a free BBQ and concert with our families. The captain wanted someone to take the VIP's and he was the newest and a local boy so Owen's won, or lost possibly because something happened."

"Any idea what happened to them?" Prentiss asks.

"Nothing, but the rumours." Wilson states as he nods to Fuller.

"The four of them came back and our men were beaten and drugged or so the rumour was. They said it was a bar room brawl over two of the girls inside who had biker boyfriends. The Brits left the next day. No one saw what condition they were in but Fraser said they were all three sheets to the wind. Owens swore he was drugged. As a Private he was just to be the driver not to drink anything much but escort the two VIP's around. Fraser said that they invited the private to join them anyway and that was all he said." Fuller says.

"That was the rumor and everyone survived or so we thought." Wilson said. "Then the two women they were partying with are found dead in the swamps 40 miles away near where they had found other bodies over the years."

"Do you know what happened to Lieutenant Fraser?" McGee asks.

"No, he disappeared months later, awol and never saw him again did we Wilson?"

"No and I liked him, don't actually know why he got stuck in the babysitting job with Owens and he is unfortunately gone from us early, with that disease. It's horrid, he doesn't even recognise the two of us and we served together for over 10 years." Wilson adds.

"Well if the two of you handsome gentlemen remember anything else about that time in 1979 besides the wild rumours please call us." Emily hands them a card and turns and leaves the room with Tim.

They meet up with Reid and Ducky and pause by their cars. "We need to discuss what we found out with the others." Prentiss says. "Is anyone else as concerned as I that the only witness we have is a man is his 60's who doesn't even realize or remember his poor son has been murdered with something to do with an event he can't ever remember from the late 70's?"

"But there is a commonality we just need to find out why they went to the Franklin area 30 years ago." Reid says. "And what happened to the missing lieutenant.

"Let's just hope that Abby and Garcia can find something to link this all together." McGee says as they leave Shady Pines and walk towards their cars.

"I do hope Jethro and the others have better luck in their investigation. The family is coming from Britain to claim Malcolm King and take him home."

"When is the family due to arrive Ducky?" Tim asks.

"Tomorrow according to what agent Hotchner sent me. They are flying over today and hopefully they can enlighten us to why the retired Commodore was here." Ducky says as they climb into their cars and head back to NCIS.

To be continued...