NCIS Season 9
Episode 9.4.1
THE TEMP
By: Lady JenDragon
Disclaimer: We know the drill. But I must declare my own characters as MINE, MINE, MINE!
Author's Notes: Hoping you're enjoying my season of NCIS. Oh, spoiler alert. New character! And no, no characters we love will be leaving…permanently. Enjoy.
THE TEMP
PART ONE
Chapter One
The harbor appeared deserted this time of night. Lights illuminated the piers spread along the walkways between the rows of boats. A high but rather decorative fence kept the civilians away from the yacht club members. Each member had a key to the gate for early and late entry. Some members lived on their boats. But no one stirred tonight.
A security guard passed by the gate off the main walkway along the harbor. He paused at the gate with a flashlight and checked the handle. It was locked. The gate was to a long pier leading to a row of expensive yachts docked for the night next to the main waterway leading out of the harbor.
Two dark figures scurried from shadow to shadow towards the end of the pier. They reached the longest yacht docked at the end of the pier. One figure peered over the other boats at the guard walking away from the gate.
"Come on, dude!" Ralph Dozer whispered and led the way towards the biggest boat he could find moored in the harbor. He scoped the placed out for a week waiting for the right target.
The second and shortest figure moved silently onto the yacht. He crept silently across the floor and knelt at the door. He reached into his right front pocket and pulled out two small objects. He began picking the lock.
"Hurry up." Ralph urged.
Jack Freeman rolled his eyes and glanced at his partner. "Chillax!" His voice was just above a whisper. "The owners are far, far away from here, my friend."
Ralph stood waiting impatiently. "I ain't worried about the owners." He glanced around then surveying the harbor quickly. "Security's everywhere, man!"
Jack glanced at the security guard making his rounds far off down the main walkway. They had at least another fifteen minutes before he returned.
He smiled. "Almost got it."
A boat rounded the curve from the entrance of the harbor. It came floating by silently, one light flooding the rows of boats with bright light finding its way to one of seventeen empty moorings available for the evening.
Jack dropped to the deck of the yacht, hiding behind the wall. He knew the daily routine of the marina and knew the harbormaster ran occasional checks through about once an hour. He glanced around unable to find Ralph anywhere. He would have to wait until the boat passed without further detection. Once the boat sailed by, he poked his head up over the railing.
"Ralph?" Jack whispered.
"Here!" Ralph struggled to keep his voice a whisper.
Jack peered over the edge of the yacht at the mooring. Ralph had jumped onto the anchor ropes near the stern between the yacht and pier to avoid detection. He dangled helplessly on the ropes as the boat passed and now found himself unable to get back onto either the pier or the yacht.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jack whispered angrily. "Get back up here!"
Ralph breathed in and sighed deeply. "I…can't!"
Jack heard a disturbance in the water below and glanced at the darkness. Something bubbled and an object rose to the surface. It was dark in odd shapes and patterns with a bit of white. Ralph's hands slipped at that moment and he fell into the water with a loud splash. He surfaced next to the floating woman's body buoying with him.
"Aaahhhh!" Ralph reacted emotionally to the floating body.
"Shut up man!" Jack whispered angrily. "Your going to draw some attention to us man!"
Ralph stared at the floating body with wide eyes, his hand hung onto the boat mooring rope. He treaded water trying to get away from the corpse continuing to make lots of noise.
Jack looked up to find the security guard entering the gate. Without thought, he slipped across the pier and jumped onto the boat opposite the yacht in hopes of evading being found.
Chapter Two
The basement contained one small rowboat form. It was just the exterior raw wood frame turned upside down. It was in the process of being sanded before the planks were installed. There was much to do before it would be finished.
Jethro Gibbs ran his callused fingers across the surface. His blue eyes followed his hand across the wood looking for any rough patches that needed smoothing. The sand paper held in his other hand, he anticipated finding something rough. There was no rush to finish tonight. Finding another patch, Gibbs sanded the struts of his boat with slow and deliberate strokes.
His cellphone rang, the sound emanating from a hidden place. He stopped sanding annoyed he was once again interrupted in his passion. He walked over to the workbench and unscrewed the nearest jar and dumped its contents. The phone spilled out onto the counter ringing incessantly. Gibbs picked up his phone and flipped it open.
"Gibbs." His voice was low and paused. "Yeah, McGee. I'm at home. What have you got?" He paused once more. "I'll be the there in thirty."
He closed the phone and sighed. Gibbs dropped the sand paper on the boards stretched beneath the rowboat. Gibbs grabbed his jacket and left his basement.
Chapter Three
The once quiet harbor now teemed with on-lookers and spectators. A dark blue Charger pulled up to the main gate and came to an abrupt halt. Not even the brakes dared squeal. Gibbs got out from behind the wheel and slammed the door closed. He eyed the security guard keeping watch at the gate letting only NCIS and emergency personnel near the crime scene.
He flashed his credentials and the guard, M. Salvador, opened the gate for him. Gibbs walked down the dock eyeing the hundreds of boats moored in the marina. He shook his head at the fiberglass yachts.
Gibbs found Ducky with Ziva, Tony DiNozzo, McGee and Palmer who waited on the end of the dock near where a luxury yacht is moored. The small dingy sat next to the yacht in the water with two men in black wetsuits helping two men in the water. A body was brought out of the water by a body sleeve. Gibbs stopped behind Ducky Mallard.
"Still not out yet?" Gibbs asked upon his arrival.
"Tell me about it." Ducky sighed. "They get slower and slower every year."
"Army?" Gibbs asked.
"Certainly looks that way." Ducky shook his head. "However, from past experiences I think its best not to presume what she is until we verify her identity."
Harbor police and NCIS divers pulled the body onto the dock onto the tarp where Ducky stood at the edge. McGee took photos of the body and the dingy while the group of divers shifted the body over onto the tarp. Ziva took measurements of the body and began sketching.
"There we are!" Ducky took a quick look. "It's about bloody time."
Ducky and Gibbs squatted next to the body looking for clues.
Ducky did his best thinking out loud. "No bruising or obvious signs of trauma. Strange, there's nothing to indicate how she got into the water."
Tony shrugged. "I think she was murdered and dumped here."
Ducky nodded in agreement. "Probably a good guess, Anthony. We won't know much else until I get her home. The water has done its damage."
Jimmy smiled. "Of course. All the little bugs eating away at the body. They could be eating away forensic evidence."
Ducky stopped to look at Palmer in annoyance. Gibbs noticed the look on Ducky's face and looked up and over at Palmer. He returned his attention to the corpse and pulled a pair of tweezers from his pocket. He moved the tweezers over the woman's hair and pulled a white piece of debris from its place. With his other hand, he opened an evidence bag and handed it DiNozzo now standing at his side.
"Get that to Abby pronto!" Gibbs ordered.
Tony nodded seriously. "Right, boss."
Gibbs stood up. "McGee, pictures of everything." He looked to the gate and pointed at the crowd gathering watching the recovery. "Including them. I want every face taken and have Abby download them and run facial IDs. Ziva, find out who owns the boat."
It was odd that there was not much to do. The evening proved much too dark to continue diving tonight for any evidence left at the bottom. That would have to wait until there was enough light to make the dive safely. Gibbs left the scene walking back up the pier towards the gate.
Chapter Four
NCIS headquarters at the Naval Yard in DC operated twenty-four hours a day. A much smaller crew worked the graveyard shift. Then again, agents did not really have specific hours at the office. And tonight was no exception.
Agent Tim McGee stepped off the elevator only to pause in mid step. He found the metal door to the Forensics Lab missing at the hallway. The door was not left leaning against the wall nor did he spy it anywhere along the hallway. He frowned deeply wondering what was going on. Cautiously, he moved forward towards Abby's laboratory. It appeared there was some construction going on in the NCIS basement he was not made aware.
"Does Gibbs know about this?" McGee had to ask.
McGee paused again at the entrance to the laboratory itself. There was a glass enclosure cut into the wall on the inside of the new threshold. The sunken entrance into the lab no longer existed. It appeared the metal door was to be placed back on the new hinges once they were re-installed. Noting the changes, McGee walked forward.
A floor to ceiling glass enclosure now occupied the corner of the lab where the door was once located. It encompassed Abby's refrigerator immediately to the right as soon as he entered the laboratory. To his left, he stood parallel with the equipment against the wall. Before him was a door that opened to the right towards the wall. In the wall to the left of the door was a rectangular pad that clearly had the outline of a palm scanner. It was bright red at the moment. McGee looked all around and found the glass was at least four inches thick.
"Okay, there's been some changes to the lab." McGee frowned and spoke. "Does Abby know about this? Where is she?"
It was then McGee realized that the remainder of the lab had not changed all that much. With the exception of the computer screens no longer facing the door, and the large screen from the far wall was now moved above the mass spectrometer. He could not see what was scanning from his position.
"Where the hell is Abby?" McGee whispered.
McGee tried to enter Abby's lab only to find the glass door locked. The palm scanner flashed red twice and then returned to continuous red. There was an eight and a half by eleven sheet of paper that read DO NOT ENTER on the glass facing him. McGee frowned in slight confusion. Then he noticed someone in the lab. McGee hesitated then knocked on the glass.
"Uh…hello?" McGee looked into the office area.
The glass between the laboratory and Abby's office was blurred with a design etched in polyethylene and stuck onto the glass then smoothed. The doors to the lab opened and a rather short woman with bright blonde hair pulled into a ponytail at the top of her head with loose stresses at her temples walked out from Abby's office. She wore a gray shirt, a short white lab coat with black slacks and school-girl black shoes walked over to and looked into Abby's microscope. He could not see her face clearly but he sensed she was cute. The one screen that faced McGee was turned off.
McGee knocked again. "Uh…who are you? Where's Abby?"
McGee paused then pressed call button above the rectangular press pad. There was a buzzing sound throughout the lab he could barely make out. His voice echoed through the lab.
"Uh, Agent Gibbs needs this run right away!" McGee paused then continued. "It's for a new case."
The woman at the microscope waved her hand over her head but did not look over at him. Then she pointed a finger at him and aimed it towards the floor.
McGee pressed the button again. "Where's Abby Sciuto?"
A small feminine voice came over the speaker above the palm scanner. "Leave it there. I'm busy field agent. Off you get."
Then she continued to ignore him looking into the microscope clearly absorbed in her task. McGee was unsure how she was able to project her voice into the speaker. He saw nothing in her hand resembling a microphone. But he remembered her instructions.
McGee glanced at the floor finding a plastic bin labeled 'FOR NEW EVIDENCE please leave in the container, perishables in fridge'. McGee paused then put the smaller evidence bag in the fridge unable to find another reason not to follow the instructions. He dropped the larger bag of evidence into the floor container.
"Where the hell is Abby?" McGee asked again and hesitated.
He frowned at the woman and then left the laboratory.
Chapter Five
Later that early morning, Gibbs listened on the phone watching DiNozzo typing away on his computer with the phone crooked into his right ear. It was unusual to find Tony so silent on the phone. Ziva was off on a coffee run for the team since it was her turn.
Gibbs answered the voice on the other end. "Uh huh."
McGee returned to his desk appearing rather stumped. Gibbs noticed his demeanor but directed his attention to DiNozzo at his desk now setting the phone down. Ziva arrived at the Squad Room with a file in her hand and four cups of coffee. She began distributing the coffee from desk to desk.
Tony spoke up standing up from his chair ignoring the coffee set on his desk. "Private Jillian Tucker went missing five days ago after a doctor's visit. Never made it home or reported in for duty the next day."
"Second year in the army." Ziva added setting Gibbs coffee on his desk. "No unusual activity on any of her accounts. Unmarried, no relatives in the area, and her CO has glowing commendations about Private First Class Tucker. There's nothing in her record to indicate she would just abandon her post or not tell anyone where she was going. Her cell and her purse are still missing."
Gibbs replied. "They're probably where she was killed." He took a long drink from his coffee.
Tony had to ask. "Robbery?"
Gibbs lowered his cup and looked to McGee. "McGee, you look lost. You get everything to Abby?"
McGee looked up at him in disbelief. "It's not Abby."
Gibbs turned to face McGee fully and tightened his jaw. Ziva and DiNozzo looked at one another then glanced at Gibbs. Clearly the boss was not aware of a current change in staffing.
"Not Abby?" Gibbs asked suspiciously.
Tony folded his arms amused at the situation. "Is she a short, cute…" He moved his right arm and lowered a flat hand indicating a shorter height. "…little lab person taking over the forensics lab while Abby's off chasing a serial killer in New York?"
Ziva glared at Tony just as surprised as Gibbs at the news. Gibbs turned to DiNozzo and glared at him. McGee's mouth gaped open with both eyes transfixed on Tony. Apparently he was the only one who knew Abby was off chasing the killer called Perfecto.
Tony winced under the stares from the team. "I take it you didn't know Abby was off chasing a serial killer, boss?"
Gibbs glared coldly. "Do I look like I know, DiNozzo?"
Tony felt like he was in Gibbs' cross hairs. "Ah…no, boss. I thought you all knew." He shrugged trying to play it off. "Sorry, boss."
McGee glanced at Gibbs then looked to Tony again. "How did you know about the woman in the lab?"
Tony finally admitted. "I saw her in the hall with Director Vance when I came in this morning. We haven't actually met…yet."
Gibbs glared at DiNozzo sternly. His hand gripped his coffee more firmly and the muscles in his jaw tightened once more. There was that little glimmer of death Tony knew so well in Gibbs' glare it unnerved him. Apparently, Gibbs was not happy that Abby was off in New York. Worse, no one told him about it unless Abby left a voicemail message that Gibbs would never get anyway. Boss hated using technology unless it was easy and uncomplicated. Tony knew the boss would never have kept Abby from pursuing her second serial killer however.
Tony did not know what else to do and said. "Sorry, boss."
McGee sighed in relief. "So she's just replacing Abby until she gets back?"
Tony nodded and avoided looking to Gibbs whatever the cost. He closed his eyes panning to Ziva. She was taking the news more calmly than the others. Had Abby discussed it with her before she left? Ziva did look surprised though, Tony reasoned. Maybe Abby did not tell anyone she was leaving so soon after all.
Gibbs looked to McGee letting his coffee sit on the desk while his fingers tapped the desktop. "I told you to put an ASAP on the evidence."
McGee shrugged. "The door was locked, boss. I put the evidence in the fridge and in the bin. I did tell her you wanted everything ASAP."
Gibbs stood immediately and grabbed his coffee heading towards the lab.
Chapter Six
There was no sense in going back home in the wee hours. So, Ducky Mallard and Jimmy Palmer returned to the NCIS morgue to begin work for the day. If they needed a rest, there were a number of places one could find a comfortable couch to catch a nap or two on a few floors up.
Ducky worked on the autopsy of Private Jillian Tucker. The chest was flapped open on the table and the innards were removed for weighing and logging. A cloth was draped over the hips to aid if keeping tools and any evidence away from accidental drops off the table. Bright light highlighted the workspace. It was then that Jimmy Palmer walked in after dropping off evidence to Abby's laboratory.
Ducky worked diligently inside the body of the private. "Mr. Palmer, have you met our new temp?"
"Oh…Dr. Hature?" Jimmy nodded and smiled. "Yes…I met her earlier once we got back from the field. I had to put the evidence in the fridge. She's working on another priority case at the moment and the lab is on lock down. She appears quite…amazingly…cute."
Ducky laughed. "She is an attractive woman, yes. Her track record's quite impressive as well. I'm surprised she didn't get picked up by the FBI or CIA first."
Jimmy smiled at Dr. Mallard. "She does seem quite smart."
Ducky continued to work. "Dr. Hature's considered a genius among our kind, Mr. Palmer. Quite an asset to NCIS if I do say so myself. She would've been placed here in DC if she hadn't chosen Hawaii over DC."
Jimmy looked to Dr. Mallard in surprise. "You mean Abby was her second?"
"Isn't it hard to believe, Mr. Palmer, that our Abby Sciuto was second to someone else?" Ducky found nothing out of the ordinary.
Jimmy nodded bleakly. "Hard to believe, Dr. Mallard, yes. Abby's quite amazing…as far as…forensics is concerned."
Ducky did not have time to reply.
Gibbs walked in with his coffee still annoyed by the morning news. "What have you got, Duck?"
Ducky looked over at the supervisory agent of the Major Case Response Team. "A dead private first class, I'm afraid. No bruising, no ligature marks, not even a scratch. It's a shame when we lose them so young."
Gibbs was undaunted. "No cause of death?"
Ducky walked towards Jethro. "I believe we won't find her cause of death easily, Jethro. It'll be another few hours before I'll have to resort to the blood tox screen."
Gibbs nodded. "I'll leave it to you then."
Ducky glanced at Palmer then back to Gibbs. "Have you met our new temp, Jethro?"
Gibbs did not appear happy. "I'm about to…" With that he left autopsy.
Ducky and Palmer looked to one another both finding themselves smiling. Perhaps it was time worked together that they understood the silent simmer Agent Jethro Gibbs took when he found something not to his liking. Something did not sit well with him about Abby Sciuto's replacement.
Jimmy replied. "He didn't appear happy."
Ducky smiled however. "I guess he's quite upset Abby's not here." He paused and smiled shortly. "I'm curious as to how Jethro might react to Hach, or Dr. Hature to you, Mr. Palmer. What I wouldn't do to be a fly on that laboratory wall."
Jimmy frowned and looked to Dr. Mallard. "You anticipate there'll be a problem?"
Ducky nodded amused. "Indeed. Hach is a true scientist. Her reputation far preceeds anything Jethro has had to deal with before here in DC. Not even Director Vance can alter the mind of Hach once she sets it. I doubt Jethro will know anything about her. And I'm quite sure she'll have done her homework before stepping into our pond. It'll be interesting to see how they'll get along."
Jimmy frowned. "She is blonde, sir. As I understand it…Agent Gibbs…doesn't like those types…of women."
Ducky Mallard looked at Palmer and smiled. "Color can be changed."
Jimmy leaned closer. "She's not a true blonde?"
Ducky shook his head. "Not naturally, no. I met her once a little more than ten years ago at a lecture on the dynamics of rigormortis after the twelve hour at a conference in Seattle. Our Dr. Hature was much colder and quite a different color back then."
Jimmy smiled then frowned. "I believe I've read some of her work in school."
"As you should." Ducky continued working. "She possesses quite an impressive keen and agile mind but sometimes she lacks a warm spirit. I once believed she was the most unwomanly of women. However, in the last year she appears to have warmed a bit."
"So that's why she won't get along with Agent Gibbs?" Jimmy was intrigued.
"Oh, I'm afraid they'll get along." Ducky nodded then smiled. "They'll just have to get over the shock first."
Palmer frowned as if not understanding Dr. Mallard's meaning. Ducky thought for a moment then set his equipment down and left autopsy. Jimmy hesitated then followed quickly after the doctor. If he was heading to the laboratory, he wanted to join the crowd.
Chapter Seven
Gibbs stood at the glass enclosure of Abby's laboratory holding his coffee. "This is new."
His eyes swept the lab. The red on the palm reader indicated that the laboratory was on lock down. He followed the glass enclosure from floor to ceiling then back up again. Abby mentioned once before that the laboratory needed an overhaul. However, the budget would not allow for it.
Whoever this woman was taking Abby's place for the interim marked her territory clearly. He could read nothing of the work being done since the screens were faced away from the door.
Gibbs whispered. "A woman who doesn't like surprises."
The lab was empty except for the lights of the equipment he could barely hear. The lights were dimmed above except for lamps near the prep table and the microscope. The equipment around the lab appeared to be running and operating normally. The screen that did face him across the way scanned the AFIS database. He noted the empty bin on the floor and the refrigerator Abby used to store excess supplies was left in place and now was meant for new evidence holding. He took a long sip from his coffee. Gibbs tried the door finding it would not open. He had to try at least once. Gibbs sighed impatiently.
Then a short, blonde haired woman walked out of Abby's office holding something the size of a bowling ball wrapped in plastic. It was opened at the top revealing a dark black material. If she saw him standing there, she ignored him heading for the prep table.
Gibbs knocked on the glass door in order to obtain a response. The woman stopped in mid-step towards the prep table and glanced over at him. The hair cascading from her temples covered a majority of her face hiding her features from sight. However, he could tell she was in her mid-to-late thirties. She frowned and pointed towards the fridge and evidence container on the floor. Then she shook her head irritated and continued with her task.
Tony appeared behind Gibbs. "Hey boss, I talked to Tucker's family. She's got a sister up in Connecticut. Married, two kids, husband's in the CIA. They'll be down in the morning to identify the body." His eyes paused on Dr. Hature working in the lab portion. "Was there something wrong with Abby's lab before?"
Gibbs only stared at the woman. "No. Apparently there are new standards for laboratories at NCIS. Abby's lab was the last to be renovated. Looks like they finally got started."
Tony went out on a limb. "I take it you can't get in either?"
"What was you're first clue, DiNozzo?" Gibbs inquired agitated.
"Good thing we didn't bring a Caf-Pow today." Tony winced after he said it. "Dr. Hature doesn't drink caffeine as I understand it." He remained quiet after that but was clearly amused by the situation.
"She's holding my evidence hostage." Gibbs walked to the sliding glass door as if to intimidate it to open. "What the hell is she doing in there?"
Tony stepped forward and pressed the button above the palm reader. The buzz echoed throughout the interior lab.
"Hey, Hach?" Tony could hear a faint echo in his ears. "You running the crime scene evidence Agent McGee brought in earlier?"
Hach took a rectangular device from her pocket and pressed a button on the remote. Tony and Gibbs were reminded of Abby's remote control for her stereo. Her voice sounded slightly muffled from the rectangular pad at the door.
"Not yet, Agent DiNozzo." Came the pleasant female voice.
"Hey, she knows who I am!" That earned a slap up the back of the head from Gibbs. Tony lost his smile and shrugged. "I guess she found Abby's lab deficient to put this glass stuff in."
Gibbs angrily slammed the rectangular button with his thumb. "Whoever you are, I need that evidence run immediately!"
Hach pressed the button once more and spoke evenly without a misstep in proceeding with her analysis of the ball-like thing on the table. "Got something else to do first."
Gibbs pivoted angrily and impatiently walked towards DiNozzo. He stopped and returned to the button and jammed his finger on it. "I need it today!" His angry voice echoed through the lab.
Dr. Hature remained silent with her eyes on the evidence as she returned to Abby's office. Seconds later she came out with more evidence in her hands. Hach refrained from looking at him. She moved onward with her investigation.
Gibbs slammed his hand impatiently on the access panel. The door would not open so he pressed the button to speak but decided there was nothing to say to her directly. Gibbs had enough.
"Why isn't the door opening?" He asked impatiently.
Ducky Mallard appeared in the new threshold behind Gibbs and Anthony DiNozzo. "Because you're security clearance isn't high enough, Jethro."
Gibbs spun around to face Ducky Mallard, his eyes flared in anger.
Chapter Eight
Tony was the first to leave the forensics lab before Ducky and Gibbs went off to talk about the new temp at the NCIS naval yard. Or so Tony surmised happened. Ducky and Gibbs probably went back to Ducky's office to have a private chat unless Gibbs barged into Director Vance's office to demand access to the lab. He could only guess how Gibbs would go about taking his handling by the new temp. Tony returned to the Squad Room all too happy to recount the events that unfolded in Abby's Lab.
Tony was all excited recounting the story. "And then Ducky says…you're security clearance isn't high enough, Jethro."
McGee's eyes went wide as his fingers tapped over the keyboard. "No way!"
Ziva was surprised. "I bet that made Gibbs angry."
"Oh…yes he did." Tony's hands went wild with excitement. "I don't think I've seen Gibbs that angry since the days of Director Sheppard's reign."
Ziva wanted to know. "Since when did Gibbs not have high enough security clearance? She's just a lab tech."
Tony raised an eyebrow, his voice low with an edge of danger. "But, is she just a forensic tech?"
Tony and Ziva leaned over each of McGee's shoulders staring at his computer screen. They hacked into the laboratory to find out what was going on. However, Hach was a step ahead of McGee. All they got was snow in the window that used to show them Abby's laboratory. It was their way of hacking into the case.
McGee shook his head. "I can't access her file either. I tried everything except hacking into the NCIS database."
Ziva slapped McGee on the back of the head.
McGee lurched forward but continued typing. "Ow!"
"Well, why didn't you try?" Ziva asked angrily and folded her arms.
McGee swiveled towards Ziva to explain. "I did try! Accessing the NCIS database without leaving a trace takes time. Whoever did the coding on Dr. Hature's file knew how to hide their trail very well." He paused to frown then the light bulb went on. "Wait. Now I'm on it."
Tony was confused at all the silent techno-speak in McGee's head. "What's up, McStumped?"
McGee froze then staring at his computer in surprise and amazement. "This is very strange, guys."
Ziva leaned closer. "Don't leave us hanging, what's strange?"
McGee glanced at Ziva. "I'm tracking coding off her file from the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security. What does she do for NCIS exactly?"
Tony shrugged and answered. "My guess, Dr. Hature's a mole for the FBI sent to spy on us."
Ziva and McGee exchanged a quick glance.
McGee rolled his eyes. "It doesn't mean anything. All it means is that she's worked for all three agencies in addition to NCIS. But someone's keeping her files hidden on purpose. Gibbs won't like that."
Ziva was not convinced and folded her arms standing up. "A forensic specialist hardly has access to anything remotely top secret for active cases."
Gibbs suddenly appeared and walked to his desk. "Are you three done yet?"
Tony was the first to stand at attention. "Hey boss, nothing with the sister appears hinkey. She says there was trouble with a boyfriend in the past but they've been over with for some time. He hasn't been around for the last six months."
Gibbs added. "Trevor Jenkins, he's an ensign on the Eisenhower."
Tony finished for Gibbs. "He's been out to sea for the last six months. There might be another boyfriend from last year but I haven't got a name yet."
McGee tapped a few keys to switch gears. "I dug deeper into Private Tucker's email accounts but found nothing out of the ordinary. She barely went anywhere online." He began tapping away at his computer even faster.
Ziva added. "Private Tucker had few friends and kept to herself mostly. Surprisingly, those that did know her spoke kindly of the girl. She cared about others, helped anyone who needed it, and never left a stray behind. She did a lot of charity work too. Many didn't know her to be public with affections nor did she speak of personal relationships. Though she did receive some complaints last year for a rather rough relationship with a boyfriend. The neighbors didn't get a name."
Gibbs was thoughtful for a moment. "Find the old boyfriend, Ziva."
Ziva nodded and headed for her own desk. She rounded the small desk and sat down. Her fingers flitted across the keyboard to look up the name on-line for known addresses and possible aliases.
Tony shrugged. "That's all we got…so far, boss."
Gibbs got to his feet. "DiNozzo, McGee, get to her apartment."
Gibbs left the squad room as Ziva and Tony grabbed their gear to head out. It was relatively early in the day yet. He wanted his evidence analyzed now. If Dr. Hature's place in NCIS was assured by a higher security clearance, he needed a way in to look at the temp's history. But that would have to wait until he closed the case.
TO BE CONTINUED…