CHAPTER TEN

McGee climbed out of his car, eyeing the dilapidated garage with distinct misgivings. He had searched the DMV records but couldn't find any current records for Grimes. That made sense really. If he'd been locked up in a mental hospital for several years, he might not have a current driver's license or vehicle registration. At any rate, there was no motorcycle registered to Grimes. That didn't mean he didn't own one. He could have used a fake ID and registered it under a different name. McGee called the hospital and was told inmates were not allowed to have their own vehicles at the hospital. So, where was Grimes keeping his motorcycle?

"Inmates that are allowed passes take the shuttle bus into town," the receptionist had informed him. She'd given him a list of the stops the shuttle made. McGee had taken the list and searched for any storage units, garages, parking lots, etc. that might be within walking distance. He had been at it all day. He closed his eyes for a moment fighting off a wave of vertigo. He wasn't sure he could keep this up much longer. He gritted his teeth. He had no choice. He had to find Grimes. Taking a deep breath, he approached the garage.

A man with arms heavily sleeved with tattoos looked up from the motorcycle he'd been working on and watched McGee approach with narrowed eyes. "Can I help you?"

McGee halted a few paces away and pulled out his ID. "Special Agent McGee. NCIS. I'm looking for a man named David Grimes. He may own a yellow Indian Chief motorcycle."

The man stood slowly, wiping his greasy hands on a dirty rag he'd pulled from his pocket. His face was unreadable. "What you want with Grimes?"

McGee took a breath. "He's wanted for questioning in a triple homicide."

The man's eyes widened. "Murder? You think Dave killed somebody?"

"Three people and a fourth…victim is in the hospital. Do you know where I can find him?"

The man blinked and turned away. He rubbed the back of his bald head as if trying to decide what to do. He finally turned with an air of decision. "Dave ain't been here in a coupla days. He works for me from time to time. Sometimes I let him sleep in the back room. I know he's been living in that mental hospital outside of town, but he seemed okay to me. I usually let him store the bike here when he's not out."

"Is it here now?"

The man shook his head. "Nah, like I said, Dave ain't been around here for awhile."

McGee sighed deeply, fighting the urge to rub his throbbing head. The pain continued to get worse. How much worse could it get? he wondered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. He handed it to the man. "If Grimes should come back here, please give me a call. He's very dangerous."

The man reluctantly took the card and shoved it into the pocket of his oil stained jeans. He watched with interest as McGee climbed back into his Porsche. His son joined him. "Nice car," the younger man nodded.

As his father was about to respond, the deep rumble of a motorcycle interrupted them. A bright yellow Indian Chief motorcycle roared into the cul-de-sac. The driver pulled to a halt, his face unreadable behind the face shield of his helmet. He paused for a moment, then abruptly wheeled the bike around and roared down the road. The deep-throated engine of the Porsche thundered into life as McGee tore after the rapidly disappearing motorcycle.

Xxxxxx

Tony approached the front of the Blue Ridge Mental Health Facility with some trepidation. Ziva sighed impatiently.

"Can't help it," muttered Tony lowering his sunglasses to study the entrance. "These places just creep me out. You ever watch "The Snake Pit" or "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"?

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Those are just movies, yes? You should know movies often bear little resemblance to real life."

"Yeah, I know, but if I see Nurse Ratched, I'm outta here."

The receptionist at the front was a pleasant young woman who immediately rang for Dr. Mason. A few moments later, the agents were being shown into the doctor's office.

The doctor was a short balding man with intense brown eyes. He smiled warmly as the two agents introduced themselves. "I am always happy to help the law. I understand you are interested in David Grimes?"

"Yes," replied Tony settling into his seat. "We have reason to believe he may have been involved with the deaths of three people. We need to know where he was on the night of the 13th."

Dr. Mason frowned as he stared at the two NCIS agents. "You seriously believe that David may have killed three people? But, he's one of our model patients. His progress has been excellent. I find it very hard to believe that he could be involved in anything so heinous."

"Doc," began Tony leaning forward. "We found his fingerprints at the scene of the crime. We have several witnesses claiming they saw a man matching Grimes' description at the park the night of the murders. We're not saying he did it, but we need to talk to him and find out where he was that night."

Mason was silent for several long moments. He then turned to his computer and worked for a few moments. He then studied the screen, his frown deepening. "David had a two day pass that weekend. His progress has reached the point where we are allowing him more freedom."

"So you do not know where he was that night?" prodded Ziva.

The doctor hesitated, obviously reluctant to say more. "No, I, uh, I'm afraid I don't"

"Where is he now?" asked Tony. "We need to talk to him."

Dr. Mason looked even more uncomfortable. "He's on another pass. He's supposed to return tomorrow morning."

Tony and Ziva exchanged glances. "Does he have a vehicle?" asked Ziva.

"Oh no. Patients are not allowed their own vehicles here. Patients that are given passes are required to take the shuttle into town."

"Where does the shuttle stop?" asked Tony

The doctor reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Here is a list of the different stops the shuttle makes in town. I know David usually gets off at the Arlington Plaza stop."

Tony leaned forward as he took the paper. He was beginning to feel a thrill of excitement. His gut was telling him they were close to locating this Grimes guy. "Thanks, Doc." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "If Grimes should return or contact you in any way, please let me know immediately. He should be considered very dangerous."

Frowning, Dr. Mason took the card and slipped it into his desk drawer. "I truly hope you are wrong about David."

Tony just nodded as he and Ziva rose to leave. "We'll let you know if we learn anything more."

As they stepped out of Mason's office and headed towards the entrance, man approached them. He was pushing a broom and looked nervous. "Um, excuse me?"

Tony and Ziva paused. Tony raised any eyebrow. "Yeah?"

The man glanced around as if worrying someone might overhear. "Did I hear you say you're looking Dave Grimes?"

The two agents exchanged glances and stepped closer. "You know Grimes?" asked Tony. "Do you know where we can find him?"

The man looked down, not wanting to meet their eyes and licked his lips. "I dunno where he is, but I know he's got a motorcycle. He was bragging about it one night. I know he ain't supposed to have one, but he got one anyway."

"Do you know what kind?" Ziva laid a hand on the man's arm. He seemed to flinch.

He glanced around again and shrugged. "Not sure. I don't know much about motorcycles, but I think he said somethin' about Indians." He frowned in thought. Then his face brightened. "He said it were yellow." He smiled hopefully.

"That's great, uh…" Tony looked expectantly at the man.

The man licked his lips again. "Roddy."

Tony grinned. "Roddy. You've been a big help."

Roddy flushed with pleasure. Then without a word he hurried away, pushing his broom before him.

As they hurried to the car, Ziva glanced at her partner. "At last we have something to go on."

"Yeah," replied Tony slipping behind the wheel. "I have this feeling we're about to pick up Grimes' tail and hopefully find McGee in the process."

"I hope you are right."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Gibbs stood outside McGee's apartment and knocked. There was no answer. He wasn't surprised. On the way up, he had checked the parking lot and there was no sign of McGee's car. Gibbs's gut was telling him McGee was in serious trouble and the fact they couldn't find him was worrying him. A lot. Normally, McGee was famous for his reluctance to flout the rules. Going after a perp without any backup was nothing McGee would consider doing under normal circumstances. But these weren't circumstances, were they? Not only was McGee's sister a victim of a vicious killer, but McGee could very well be suffering from a serious head injury, altering his normal behavior. That made it difficult to predict what he might do.

Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out the key Tony had given him. McGee had given Tony a key some time ago for emergencies, and Gibbs figured this was an emergency if ever he saw one. He pushed open the door and slipped into the silent apartment. Gibbs knew instantly that it was empty. McGee, where are you? He made a quick tour of the apartment but found nothing to help him locate his missing agent. He sighed deeply. He prayed that the McGees would not lose both their children to this bastard.

He was startled out of his reverie by the ring of his cell phone. "Gibbs."

"Boss," began Tony, "We talked to one of the doctors at the clinic. He told us Grimes takes a hospital shuttle bus into to town and usually gets off at the Arlington Plaza. Then, a guy, I think he's a patient, said Grimes claimed to own a yellow motorcycle. I think it may be an Indian. Don't know what year or model, there can't be too many of those around."

Gibbs felt a surge of excitement. At last, a lead that might help them track down Grimes. "Contact Abby and tell her to make a list of places near the Arlington Plaza where someone could store a motorcycle. Get down there and start checking them. See if Abby can find any more information on that bike. If we can track down that motorcycle we might just find Grimes. Also, make sure she keeps checking for McGee's cell. I'll catch up with you in Arlington."

"On it, Boss."

Gibbs snapped his phone shut and strode from the apartment, locking the door behind him.

xxxxxxxxx

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and support! There may be a delay with the next chapter but I'll get it up as soon as I am able. Thanks again for reading!