CHAPTER 9:

Petty Officer First Class Weiss was, indeed, setting up the domino challenge in the Officers' Mess when Gibbs and Carter arrived.

"May I help you, gentlemen?" he asked in a friendly voice.

"I hear you're the Fun Boss on this ship?" Edison asked.

"We don't allow unauthorized filming aboard naval vessels," Weiss reminded Edison. "And yes, I am."

"What can you tell me about Petty Officer Jansen?" Edison asked, getting his question in seconds before a now glaring Gibbs could ask.

"Jansen was well-liked," Weiss told them both. "He got along especially well with Petty Officer Second Class Michael Chambers. The two were as close as brothers. Chambers was rather upset when Jansen died."

"Were they together when Jansen died?" Edison asked. If that had been the case, then Bryce's hypothesis would be proven incorrect. Surely both of them would be affected if the death had been due to a video narcotic as Bryce predicted.

"I did see them leave the mess hall together," Weiss confided."You'll have to talk to Chambers to find out if they were still together at the time. However, you will have to wait. Chambers is on duty at this time. He won't be off until seven tonight."

"Are there any off-duty officers I can speak to who may have also seen Jansen?" Edison inquired.

"All of Jansen's closest friends shared the same duty times as he and Chambers," Weiss explained.

"Thank you," Gibbs said. "Come on," he added, addressing Edison. "Let's go. I'll be back tonight." he added, suggesting that he would most likely be returning alone.