Chapter 9
Abandoned Warehouse, Ensenada, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Seven hours earlier, 1:30 AM
Deeks watched from the chair as Marissa busied herself in a duffle bag that she'd brought in from the car. She pulled out a pair of red boxing gloves and turned to him, holding them up. "Do you remember how Dante was teaching me to defend myself? How he loved to box and thought it would be great for me to learn?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Marissa moved quickly to the chair and grabbed hold of Deeks's hair, pulling his head back to the point where he could barely breathe. "You do remember, Cristian! You used to tease him about teaching a Wahine how to box. Why don't you remember?" She flung him forward, still holding onto his hair. His eyes watered with the pain. She let him go and he hung his head.
"I don't remember because I'm not Cristian." He said softly, raising his head to look at her.
She back handed him again. "You are Cristian and you will never try that lie on me again, do you understand?" He nodded. "Now, tell me that you remember Dante teaching me how to box!"
"I remember Dante teaching you to box." He replied. His head was fuzzy and he had no idea why he wanted to comply with her every command. He knew he should know what was going on but he couldn't get to it through the fog. All he knew was that he had to do whatever she asked.
Marissa smiled, appeased at his words. She began pulling the gloves on. "Stand up!" Deeks got up as she requested. "After you killed Dante, I kept up with it. I learned and I studied until I was better than my instructor. Then I started to learn other…tactics. For instance, did you know that if you put metal plates into the fists, you can inflict a lot of pain on your opponent? Of course, you need to be sure there is plenty of padding between it and your own hands or you can break your fingers. It's actually very easy to do. You will not defend yourself!"
With this she pulled back her right hand and punched him in the stomach. He doubled over in pain and began coughing, trying desperately to get air into his lungs. "Hurts, doesn't it? I can only imagine the pain Dante went through as he was smashed up against those rocks again and again as he drowned. Do you know what his body looked like when I went to identify him?" Deeks painfully straightened up and just shook his head no. "You will when I get done with you!"
She punched in the stomach again and he almost fell to his knees. Marissa began to walk around him and he turned as much as he could with the leg shackles restraining his movements. "Eyes forward!" He immediately complied. "I've done this before you know, beaten a man with my special gloves. They were all training for when I could finally get to you. I want you to know the pain he was in. Then, when I'm done watching you suffer, you'll go for a little surf. Isla Todos Santos is right in the bay here and I have a boat ready and waiting to take us to the North Island, whenever I'm done with you. From there you will head out to the break known as Killers. You've heard of it, right?"
Deeks nodded his head, trying to remember the things he'd heard or read about this area. He knew it was one of the most dangerous surfing spots in Mexico but he couldn't remember the particulars and it was frustrating him. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog. Marissa watched him warily and decided it was time for him to drink another of the doctored waters. She picked up a bottle from beside her bag, using both gloved hands, and handed it to him. He shook his head no. "Take it and drink it, now!" He reached out and took the bottle, guzzling it down. She took the empty and threw it into the darkness behind him. She began to circle him again while he stayed still, facing forward as she'd ordered. She stood behind him for a couple of minutes, quiet and unmoving until he started to feel the anticipation build. Suddenly she punched him hard in the back, in the kidneys. Unprepared, he lurched forward but the shackles prevented him from actually taking a step and he fell forward, the metal biting into his ankles and drawing blood.
Marissa stood over him and cocked her head to the side. "How did that feel, Cristian? Not very pleasant, is it? That's how Dante felt, drowning out there alone, the man he called friend and brother luring him out there and then abandoning him! Do you feel alone, Cristian? Because you are! No one knows where you are; I doubt anyone will even notice you're missing for days! I watched you and I listened over the last few days. You have no family; you make acquaintances but no real friends because you're always on the move. When you die, will anyone miss you?"
Deeks looked up at her and silently pleaded with all the powers that be, that she didn't ask him those questions directly. If he had to answer, he didn't think he'd live to see the sun rise.
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Casitas El Salitral, Pescadero, Baja California Sur, Mexico
8:30 AM
Hotch grabbed his phone off the bedside table on the last ring, looking at the caller id that showed Rossi was calling. He'd just gotten out of the shower, getting ready before heading out to get something to eat and then head back to L.A. with the rest of the team today. He was mostly packed and almost tripped over the open suitcase on the floor.
"David, what's up?"
"Marty's missing."
"What do you mean, missing?"
"Exactly that. He went to bed a little before ten last night. We were supposed to meet in the common room at eight to head out to grab some breakfast. When he didn't show up, I texted him. When he didn't respond, I came up to his room and knocked. He didn't answer so I let myself in. His bed doesn't look like it's been slept in, his cell phone, keys, badge, gun, earwig and wallet are all here in his room, along with all of his boards. His car is still in the parking lot. He's gone!"
Hotch sighed and scratched his head worriedly. They'd all become attached to the sunny, scruffy detective and his team would be devastated if they lost him. He knew the NCIS team would be even worse.
"I'll call the number for Henrietta Lange that Marty gave me. Have them put that Overwatch protocol into place. Then I'll text the rest of the team. Meet in my room in thirty. Check with the other guests and the owner first. See if any of them saw anything."
"Will do, see you shortly."
Hotch hung up the phone and looked at it as if it would bite. He pulled up the number Marty had given him and hit dial.
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NCIS OSP, Los Angeles, California
Hetty took a sip of the tea she'd just brewed, savoring the flavors. She looked up to see Owen heading her way, the two of them in the office a little early. She was about to say good morning when her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller id and frowned. It was FBI Agent Hotchner and that could only mean one thing. Her detective was in trouble. She looked up again and met the A.D.'s eyes. She beckoned him into her office as she picked up the call. Putting it on speaker, she said. "Agent Hotchner. I'm assuming you are not calling with good news? I have you on speaker with myself and Assistant Director Granger."
"I'm sorry Miss. Lange. I wish I had better news. Marty's missing and we have no way to track him. Everything with GPS on it is still in his room but he's not. He told me to call this number if I felt that the Overwatch protocol should be activated."
Granger piped in. "You're sure he's not on the beach?"
"Yes, we are. He was supposed to meet Agent Rossi for breakfast and didn't show up, didn't respond to texts. When David entered his room, everything points to the fact that he's gone and probably has been for quite some time."
Hetty felt her stomach drop. "Does my team know?"
"I haven't spoken with Kensi yet. When I hang up from you, I'll be letting everyone know what's going on and have them meet me here to go over what we know."
"I'm afraid you're mistaken if you think Kensi is the only member of his team there with you. Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna both took unexpected vacations. I'm highly confident that they're there with you."
Hotch was silent and then responded. "That's fine. The more eyes we have looking for him, the better. Can you reach out to them and ask them to meet the rest of the taskforce here?"
"Of course. I'll also fill in Lt. Bates."
"Thank you Miss. Lange. We'll do everything we can to find him." Hotch gave her the information to pass on to Callen and Hanna and hung up, agreeing to initiate a video chat when everyone was present and accounted for. He brought up the taskforce distribution list and quickly typed a text.
"My room, ASAP. Marty has gone missing. Overwatch protocol initiated."
Back in L.A., Granger and Hetty exchanged worried looks. Their detective was a trouble magnet and was now in grave danger. Hetty picked up her phone to call Nell and Eric to get into OSP as quickly as possible when she heard them arriving, together. Something to follow up on at another time.
"Mr. Beale? Miss. Jones? We need you up in ops, right now!"
"Hetty? What's going on?" Nell asked, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach at the tone of their Operation Managers voice.
It was Granger who answered. "Our shaggy detective has gone and gotten himself snatched, that's what. Find him! Now!"
Eric and Nell pelted up the stairs, both worried sick about their friend. Worried that they should have been watching him 24/7, upset that the lack of any activity had lulled them into a false sense of security, thinking that nothing was going to happen. They should have known better, this was Deeks.
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Olas de Cerritos, Pescadero, Baja California Sur, Mexico
"Kensi? Have you seen my red bathing suit?" J.J. yelled into her friend who was in the bathroom, having just finished her shower.
"No, did you check the balcony to see if you left it out there to dry?" Kensi called back.
"Yes, it's not there! Do you think you might have accidentally picked it up with your stuff?" J.J. looked at the haphazardly packed disaster that Kensi called a suitcase and shuddered. If it was in there, she may never see it again and she really wanted to show it off to Will. She was cautiously approaching the bag as if it might bite, when her phone indicated she had a text. Thinking it might be Will; she smiled and picked it up. The smile faded immediately and she looked worriedly at the closed bathroom door. This was not going to go over well. She heard the text notification sound on Kensi's phone, sitting on the bedside table next to the other bed. She knew it would be the same as hers.
She went up to the bathroom door and knocked but Kensi didn't hear her over the now running hair dryer. J.J. knocked louder. "Kensi!"
The dryer shut off and Kensi opened the door, looking a little aggravated that J.J. was so worried about a stupid bathing suit. She was about to say something snarky when the look on her friend's face alerted her to the fact that this was not about a bathing suit. Her heart stopped and she looked down at the phone in J.J.'s hand and then back up. "Deeks?"
"Hotch just texted us. He's gone missing. We're all meeting in his room ASAP. NCIS has already been notified and initiated Overwatch."
Kensi stared at J.J., not really comprehending what she'd said. When the reality sunk in, she went into overdrive, heading for the suitcase and grabbing any clothes she could, throwing them on at lightning speed. When she was ready, she turned to face the other woman. "What are we waiting for?"
J.J. nodded and they headed out to the parking lot at a run.
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Rancho Pescadero, Pescadero, Baja California Sur, Mexico
"Baby, you sure we can't stay here a few more days?" Michelle leaned into her husband, having enjoyed the last few days away from home. No laundry, no homework, no having to make dinner. She missed their daughter but this had been fun. The sunny days on the beach, watching the surfers. The long quiet nights when it was just her and Sam. She felt a shiver go through her at the thought and she snuggled into him just a little more.
Sam grinned and was about to make his move on her when his phone went off. He sighed and reached out for it, seeing Hetty's caller id. He frowned and his concern was picked up by Michelle. She sat up in bed and watched him as he answered the call.
"Hetty?"
"Mr. Hanna, I need you to meet the FBI taskforce at Casitas El Salitral in Agent Hotchner's room. Mr. Deeks has gone missing."
"Missing?" Sam sat up and threw the covers off, moving through the room as he talked, picking out something to throw on.
"Yes, he went to his room about 10 last night and hasn't been seen since. Agent Rossi is of the opinion that he didn't sleep in his bed which could give our unsub at least a 10 hour head start."
"Have Nell and Eric found anything yet?"
"They're just starting to trace him through the software; we're hoping to have an answer shortly. I need you, Michelle and Mr. Callen in Agent Hotchner's room as soon as possible." Sam didn't even flinch at the fact that she knew exactly where the three of them were.
"You got it. I'll call Callen now and we'll all head over together."
"Thank you Mr. Hanna."
Sam hung up and looked at Michelle who'd only heard his side of the conversation. "Deeks is missing."
"I gathered as much. Do they know anything?"
"Not yet. We're supposed to be meeting in Hotchner's room for a meeting as soon as possible. I need to call G. Do you want to hop in the shower? I'll follow you in a few minutes."
Michelle nodded, worried for her friend, worried for her husband. Sam felt a huge debt towards Deeks and if he were to not make it, she knew her Sam would flounder, looking for someone to blame, for someone to make pay. It wouldn't be pretty. She hopped out of bed and into the shower, her years with the CIA having trained her to put personal concerns aside and concentrate on the mission which, right now, was to find Deeks.
Sam called Callen's cell. It was picked up on the first ring, the man never slept.
"Hey Sam. You calling to tell me Michelle talked you into staying for a few more days?"
"No, I'm calling to tell you Deeks is gone. The last time anyone had eyes on him was last night around 10 PM."
Callen stiffened, remembering the bad feeling the NCIS team had had about this op. "What does the FBI say?"
"That he went to bed at 10 and that was the last time anyone saw him. We're supposed to meet in Hotchner's room for an all hands on deck meeting."
"Okay, meet you in the lobby in 20?"
"Done."
Sam hung up and looked at the phone for a moment. A memory of being tied to a chair, hearing Deeks's screams, ran through his head like a movie. He flashed forward to the hospital, when Deeks was refusing to let the doctor look in his mouth. He remembered how the man had pulled away from them after that until Kensi had finally managed to worm her way back into his life. He shook his head and concentrated on the issue at hand. Get ready, get over to the FBI agent's room and kick some ass. Someone was supposed to have had Deeks's back and it seemed no one had. He followed Michelle into the shower, no thought of anything other than getting ready as quickly as possible running through the agent's heads. They were ready quickly and met Callen in the lobby. Together, they raced over to the hotel where the FBI agents were staying, desperate for information on their friend.
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NCIS OSP, Los Angeles, California
Hetty called the number she had for Lt. Bates and was told he was still on vacation, did she want to leave a message. She told the young woman, in no uncertain terms, that she needed to speak to him immediately; it was a matter of life and death. The woman put her on hold and she drummed her fingers on her desk impatiently. It felt like hours but was, in reality, just a few minutes. The woman came back and read off a phone number where the Lt. could be reached. Hanging up, she dialed the number with barely a pause. The man picked up right away.
"Bates."
"Lt., it's Hetty Lange. I have information on Detective Deeks. He's gone missing."
"What the hell was the FBI doing? Weren't they supposed to be watching out for him?"
"Yes. We'll know more shortly. Everyone in Mexico is meeting in Agent Hotchner's room. There's going to be a meeting very shortly. Could you call in?"
"Where are the agents? I can meet them there." Hetty had to smile when she had her suspicions confirmed that the Lt. was also in Mexico, keeping an eye on his man. She gave him the information and he hung up with barely a goodbye. She headed up to ops.
As she entered the room, she found Eric pounding on his keyboard, bringing up Overwatch and entering Deeks's signature. He watched as the screen updated and felt his stomach drop when it located him. "Shit. Killers!"
Three sets of eyes swung around to him, not used to hearing the techie swear.
"Killers, Mr. Beale?" Asked Hetty.
"Sorry, sorry. Killers is famous worldwide for having the biggest and most dangerous surf in the world. It has the potential to produce 50 foot faces. They have 'big wave' contests out there but it's only for experienced surfers and, for some reason, the area is also extra cold, so hyperthermia is a possibility if the waves don't get you."
"Can you pinpoint his location?" Asked Granger.
"Looks like an abandoned warehouse in Ensenada, Baja California Sur."
"Very good."
A video chat request pinged on Eric's screen and he looked to Hetty, who nodded. He answered and threw it up on the plasma. Crowded around Hotchner's laptop was a large group of people, including all three NCIS agents and the LAPD Lieutenant. Everyone started talking at once and Hetty finally held up a hand, silencing everyone.
"Let's not point fingers, ladies and gentleman, we have only one focus and that's finding our Mr. Deeks. Overwatch has put his location in Ensenada, three hours to the north of you. Mr. Beale has also informed us that there's a surfing spot nearby that would meet the criteria of your unsub. You need to head there now! I'll have Eric send you the coordinates. Do you have a plan?"
Hotch thought and slowly nodded. "I'm going to inform Chief Morales of what's happened. See if he can help. We'll head to Ensenada immediately after."
Hetty nodded and they agreed to keep her up to date.
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Casitas El Salitral, Pescadero, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Closing the video chat, the others looked to Hotch who said "Let's go." They left the room and piled into their various cars, heading to the local police station. Hotch was the first through the door, exuding authority and asked for Chief Morales.
The man came out from the back of the station, frowning at the number of people flanking the FBI agent he hadn't seen in over a week. "What can I do for you, Agent Hotchner?"
Hotch brought him up to speed and asked his help. The man nodded and said. "What can I do to help?"
"We need to get to Ensenada as soon as possible. We're in your country; we don't want to step on anyone's toes. We'd like to enlist your assistance."
Morales thought about it and finally nodded. He turned to his second in command and told him he was going to Ensenada. He turned back to the U.S. agents in front of him with a question on his face.
Hotch asked. "Helicopter?"
"Sorry, that's not in our budget. We'll have to go by land."
Hotch nodded and turned to the group. "We'll take three cars. I want one NCIS agent in each so that we can keep in touch with their people, just in case Marty moves. The rest of you will split up between them, with Morales in the lead car with Callen and myself."
The rest of the team nodded their agreement and headed out to the rental SUVs, Morales handing each driver a mobile police light. They headed out, trying not to think of what might be waiting for them.
Callen, Morales, Hotch and Ambrose went in the first car. The second held Bates, Sam, Michelle and Spence. The last car held Kensi, J.J., Derek and Rossi. They sped out of the parking lot of the police station and headed north.
Two hours from Pescadero, Derek's laptop pinged with an incoming video chat request. He looked to find it was Penelope. He accepted and she showed up on his screen with a smile. "Hey chocolate thunder! I'm pretty sure I found Dante's girlfriend!" She looked at his solemn face staring back at her and her smile faltered. "What's wrong?"
"Marty's missing."
"He's missing? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Her voice rose with her agitation and anger.
"There was nothing you could do, baby girl. NCIS has the Overwatch tracking system on him and they were able to locate him almost as soon as we knew he was gone. He's in Ensenada at the moment. We're on our way there right now. What do you have for us?"
Swallowing her anger, she said. "There was no article about Dante's death that included his girlfriend's name. I finally hacked into the morgue in Hawaii and looked at the death certificate. I found that he was identified, and his body later claimed, by a Marissa Chambers."
"Marissa Chambers?"
"Yeah, she works for..."
"Beachside Catering." Rossi interrupted.
"Yes, have you met her?"
"Not only have I met her, she was staying at the same B&B as Marty and I. Seemed like a quiet and shy young woman. There was nothing about her that set off any warning bells. She didn't seem any more interested in Marty than the other women, including the B&B owner."
Derek and Rossi exchanged looks, angry that they'd had the unsub under their noses the entire time and hadn't had a clue.
"Are you kidding me? Are you telling me that he changed hotels and ended up at the same place as our serial killer?" Penelope asked incredulously, her voice rising in pitch.
Callen and Sam were listening to the conversation being relayed to them over Kensi's earwig. Sam sighed and said. "Deeks."
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Abandoned Warehouse, Ensenada, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Marissa looked at the unconscious man in the chair. He'd held up longer than she'd thought. She'd taken a short break, eating a sandwich she'd brought with her, letting him get some rest. Now, she was ready to go back to making Cristian pay. She reached for the discarded boxing gloves when her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller id to find that it was Leela calling her. She sighed and answered.
"Hey Leela! What's up?" She asked her in a phony cheery voice.
"Marissa, where are you?" Leela sounded breathless and excited.
"Sightseeing, doing a little souvenir shopping. Why?"
"Tom and I went out for breakfast. When we got back, Gabriela met us and said Marty was missing! She thinks David Warner is convinced something's happened to him and wanted to talk with all of us. She was the only one here and couldn't tell him anything. Neither Tom nor I saw him after he left to go to bed last night. How about you?"
"No, same for me! That was the last time I saw him. What do you think happened to him?"
"I don't know but Gabriela said David was going to get the local police involved. Apparently there's some big manhunt going on for him right now. They're sending an officer over to the B&B to take our statements. Can you head back?"
"Sure, but I walked so it's going to take an hour or so for me to get back. Can you let them know?"
"Sure! See you soon! This is so exciting! I've never been involved in anything like this before." Leela hung up and Marissa stared at the phone in dismay. It looked like she was going to have to move up her timetable.
She moved back to Cristian, splashed water in his face and he spluttered awake. "It's time to go Cristian. Time to surf your last wave. Get up!"
He stood shakily and looked at her. "I don't have my board."
"Don't worry, I brought you one. Not as nice as the ones you have back in Pescadero but we couldn't have you surviving because of the quality of your board now, could we?" He shook his head no, not even sure what question he was answering, barely conscious but knowing that 'no' was the answer she was looking for. She leaned down and undid the shackles. "Come on, pick up your board and let's go." She pointed to the board leaning in the corner. He shuffled over and put the board under his arm, turning to her for further instructions. She led the way to the car and he put the board in the backseat. He sat in the passenger seat when she pointed him at it. She got in the driver's seat and headed for the dock where she had a boat waiting for them.
She got out and pushed Cristian down the dock and onto the deck of the boat. "Sit." He sat, the board leaning against his legs. She started the engine and headed out, waving to a couple of other boats heading out for the day. She pointed the boat at the break known as Killers.
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NCIS OSP, Los Angeles, California
Eric and Nell were watching the static signal that was Deeks. They had three other targets moving at a decent pace towards the static one. Their team was twenty minutes out, when it too, started to move. Eric sat up straight and said "No, no, no! Nell, go get Hetty and Granger!"
"What's going on?"
"Deeks is moving, towards the ocean."
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