Chapter Ten: Abby's Hero…
"Here, Gibbs, and Hotchner, sir. You look like a sir, more than Gibbs." Abby said on a long breath.
"Abby focus." Gibbs ordered, staring at the three dimensional holograph on the table in front of them. Something about it was off, but the non technical Gibbs couldn't put his finger on it.
"Yes, yes. Focus. Need caffeine. Here's Ziva, and here's Agent Prentiss." She pointed to the computer simulations. "Our shooter was inside the house when he fired."
"Go on." Hotch urged, the smallest hint of impatience in his tone.
"Yes, sir. When Franks—the shooter—fired, Agent Prentiss, you pushed Ziva to the right. Ziva's original position was directly in front of Franks' door, right?"
"Yes, Abby. I do believe that is correct. I fell and hit my head on the chair to the right of the door."
"Ouch. I'm glad you've got a really hard head, Zi."
"Thank you, Abby, so am I." Ziva said, taking her words literally. "Go on, please."
"Yeah. The model. Here is where things get interesting. I mean, not that you getting shot was interesting, Agent Prentiss. But the way, anyway…" Abby rambled, and the BAU agents all struggled to follow her disjointed and convoluted method of conversation. "When Agent Prentiss pushed Ziva her arm moved into Franks' line of fire. He was only using a small caliber—which under the circumstances, was really, really lucky."
"Lucky?" Emily asked, incredulously. She looked at the plaster cast covering her arm from the shoulder down. Her humeral bone had been nicked, and fractured. She'd be in the cast for at least six weeks. It didn't feel quite that lucky.
"Yes, lucky. Because of this." Abby held up two evidence bags labeled in McGee's neat penmanship "Timmy found the round from Franks' rifle that hit you. It was embedded in a pine tree beside the driveway. It entered your arm here." She motioned to the large monitor at the front of the lab. A three-D approximation of a human arm was visible. She used a laser pointer to illustrate what she was explaining.
"Abby, why do I get the feeling that there is more?" Gibbs said, impatience ringing in his voice. Abby certainly liked to be center stage, but he could see that both Ziva and Emily were wearing out. Time to get the show on the road.
"Because you are magic, my silver-haired fox! This bullet comes from another small caliber gun. Most likely a pistol. It's trajectory indicates it came from behind Ziva and Agent Prentiss!"
"Two shooters?" Ziva said, mind replaying the sequence of events leading to their injuries. She didn't remember two gun shots.
"Yep. And here's where it gets kind of awesome—not that it was awesome that you two were hurt. But look." Abby turned everyone's attention back to the model. "Here you are on the porch, here's where Franks fires and Ziva is pushed out of the way. But from the photos of Agent Prentiss's arm—you were shot twice!"
"Twice?" Emily parroted, "In the same spot?"
"Not exactly probable, Abs." Gibbs said, moving to rest one hand on Emily's uninjured shoulder. The poor woman was looking a little more than pale.
"But possible! From trajectory calculations our second bullet was aimed right at where Franks' chest would have been. When Ziva and Agent Prentiss stepped on the porch, our second shooter was most likely aiming right between them. Ziva must have shifted slightly, putting her in the paths of both bullets. Franks fired, Agent Prentiss pushed Ziva out of the way—if you hadn't, it would have been very bad for Ziva, that's why you're my new hero—and stepped into the path of both bullets. The second bullet was deflected—most likely the one that hit the bone, and embedded in the side of the house. If hadn't hit the bone it would have hit Franks mid chest."
"Did you get anything from the bullets?" Ziva asked, not entirely able to hide the nausea that had risen in her throat when she realized what would have happened if she'd not been pushed out of the way. Both bullets would have hit her mid chest, not Franks. She'd most likely be dead.
"That's the second piece of totally awesome news, I got a print from the jacket of the second bullet. I don't have an ID yet, but it does match one at Lolita Allgood's apartment! So Franks wasn't the killer!"
"So if he wasn't the guy why did he fire at two Federal agents?" Garcia asked, seeing the representation of what could have been making her nearly ill. She hated to think of her team in danger, while she sat behind a monitor—especially JJ or Emily, her two best friends in the whole world.
"Why don't we go ask him?" Gibbs said, anxious to tear into the guy. Nobody—nobody—threatened Gibbs' team, especially the female members.
"Shall we?" Hotch said, and for once the two men were in perfect, unspoken agreement.
"Ziva, you and Agent Prentiss take it easy for a little while." Gibbs ordered, "Don't overdo it. Will let you all know if we find out anything. Abby, get a hold of McGee, DiNozzo, Morgan and Reid. Tell them we have a 'second shooter on the grassy knoll.'"
It was a moment after all but Abby, Emily, Garcia, and Ziva filed out that Ziva turned toward the other women. "Grassy knoll?"
Emily explained.