Disclaimer: see chapter 1

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. They've been great (although a few more would be nice :D). There should be about 3 more chapters left – although I've still got the last 1 to finish – and the case ends next chapter. I don't wanna go too far into the future after the story, as the next episode kinda gives stops it, but I doubt I'll continue with another one. I do still have some post-Twilight ideas. Should I do one where she's alive, dead, or both?

Chapter 10

Gibbs and Kate interviewed Captain Faul, in the Captain's office. "Sergeant Fuentes was one of the finest NCO.'s in my command." The Marine explained to the agents, "He was tough on his riggers, but fair. And I still find it difficult to believe his reporting Corporal Ramsey drove him to murder."

"Corporal Ramsey hasn't been proven guilty yet, Captain." Kate pointed out.

Faul was confused, "You're holding him. Scuttlebutt is he's confessed."

"Never knew a Marine captain who believed scuttlebutt." Gibbs told him. Changing the subject he asked him, "How'd you prepare the day of the exercise?"

"I spent the morning at a chalk talk with the Navy aviators piloting the C-130."

Gibbs nodded, "I noticed you used a Navy bird."

"Most of ours are deployed in Iraq."

"You eat lunch with them?" Kate asked the Captain.

Nodding, he answered, confused. "At the officer's mess. But after lunch, we made a couple of dry runs, had another chalk talk and then loaded up. Why?"

"Do you have your paraloft key, Captain?" Gibbs asked. Captain Faul opened his desk drawer and took out his key set, showing the key to Gibbs and Kate. Gibbs looked at Kate, "Corporal Ramsey must have lifted Sergeant Fuentes' key long enough to make a duplicate."

Captain Faul was again confused, "Corporal Ramsey made a key to the paraloft?"

"It's the only way he could have slipped in to sabotage the chutes." Gibbs responded, nodding. He stood up and shook the Captain's hand, exchanging 'thank you's. Kate did the same.

The 2 agents left the office, but before they crossed the threshold of the door, Faul asked, "Why didn't you just ask to see my key?" Gibbs stopped in the doorway.

"Agent Todd is new. Just teaching her how to interrogate."

Captain Faul stood up and walked slowly around his desk. "The paraloft was secured between 0900 and 1800. That's why you wanted to know what I was doing all day. You suspected me."

Kate asked Gibbs, "If the captain were a suspect, we would have read him his rights, wouldn't we?" The senior agent turned and left.

He seemed very impressed at her observation. "Very good, Agent Todd. Great."

She turned, to look at Captain Faul, and smiled at him, before turning back round and following Gibbs out of the office. The Captain nodded in response.

Meanwhile, Tony had finished his report and decided to visit Emily and Abby in the scientist's lab. When the doors to the elevator opened at the correct floor, he was surprised to find the music blaring out of the speakers. Since Emily had been staying with her, Abby had stopped playing the music in case she scared the little girl. It seemed to Tony, now, that Emily didn't have a problem with it, as the 2 of them were happily dancing, oblivious to his presence.

Looking up, Abby finally noticed Tony in the room and stopped dancing. When Emily turned her head to see what Abby was looking at, she saw Tony and immediately ran over to him. "Daddy!" Crouching down, he allowed her to wrap her arms around his neck, before he stood up, holding her.

"Heya Sweetheart. Have you been a good girl for Abby?" She nodded, but he felt the need to look over at Abby for confirmation. The scientists also nodded, smiling. "What have you done to my daughter Abby?" He asked her, teasingly. "First you get her into forensics, then she's dancing to rock music. What next? You gonna take her shopping for dog collars." Upon seeing her thinking about the idea, Tony firmly stopped her, "No…no…no you don't! She is not you little 'mini-me!' I will not let you turn her into a goth."

"Aw Tony, you're no fun! We were having great fun today though, weren't we?" She looked at Emily who nodded. "If she wants to become a goth, then that's her choice."

"She's fine, Abby! I'm gonna take her upstairs with me while I wait for Kate and Gibbs, ok?" Abby nodded. "You wanna help Daddy work?" He asked Emily, who grinned back at him. "I'll take that as a yes. Go and get that colouring book that Mummy bought you, so you can show me what you did." Putting her down, she ran over to the desk, picked up her things, and ran back to Tony. "Thanks again Abs!"

"No problem. She's welcome here anytime. Except perhaps if I'm dealing with guns or drugs or any explosives-"

He interrupted her. "Abby!" She looked at him sheepishly, as the 2 DiNozzos turned and headed back upstairs to the ballpen.

Abby was fairly certain that just before the doors to the elevator closed, she heard Emily asking Tony what a 'goff' was. She smiled. 'I'll get my 'mini-me' one day.' She thought.

When Gibbs and Kate returned to the bullpen an hour later, Tony was sitting at his desk, with Emily only his lap. He handed his report to Gibbs, as the senior agent walked past. "Captain have an alibi?"

"He was nowhere near the paraloft when the chutes were sabotaged." Kate answered Tony. Kate put her things down behind her desk and removed her jacket, as Emily jumped off Tony's lap and ran to her. She quickly gave her daughter a hug, before placing her in her own chair behind her desk.

"Ramsey's the dirt bag." Tony stated.

Kate still wasn't so sure, "Could still be Dafelmair or Brinkman."

Gibbs draped his jacket over the back of his chair, while he continued to read Tony's report. "Sergeant Fuentes supervised the riggers handing out chutes?"

Tony nodded, "Yeah, he watches his riggers from the back of the truck."

"Corporal Ramsey participated." Gibbs said, sighing.

"Well, he's on suspension from rigging, not passing out chutes or jumping." Tony pointed out.

Kate agreed, "He could have given Thumper a dirty chute." Gibbs stopped and looked at her. He asked her to repeat herself. "Ramsey could have given Thumper a sabotaged chute."

Something clicked inside Gibbs' head. "No, you said 'dirty.'" Suddenly, he stood up and walked out of the ballpen.

Kate looked at Tony confused, "What?"

"With Gibbs you never know." He replied, shaking his head. He stood up and hurried after Gibbs. Kate picked Emily up, who had seemed oblivious to what had happened, and followed after them.

When the agents entered the lab, Abby was working at the computer. Kate took Emily to the other side of the room, and set her up colouring again at the desk. Gibbs walked over to Abby. "Abby, I need to see Sergeant Fuentes' reserve chute."

"You might wanna take a look at this first." She told him, before standing up and heading over to the wall monitor to show them what she had found. "Now that I'm only running one DNA analysis, I finally had time to do a particle pick on the shroud lines. You're looking at infrared of Bolivia's best."

"Cocaine?" Tony asked, "Our killer's using?"

She shook her head, "No, the rock's too pure. The residue on his skin is probably from cutting and weighing."

"Why don't I think Thumper was killed for reporting Corporal Ramsey's rigging?" Kate asked.

Gibbs asked Abby if he could see the victim's reserve chute. "It's over here." She led them over to the table, picking up the evidence bag with the reserve chute in it. "I already checked it, Gibbs. It's clean." Gibbs put on his gloves as she opened the evidence bag. He looked at the chute.

"You know what, it's too clean. It's too clean for someone who smashed through a tree and an SUV." Something clicked, "Where's the other jump gear we confiscated?"

"I stored it in the Ballistics Lab after I tested it." He turned the Ballistics Lab's light switch on as he went through the other chutes. "What are you looking for?"

"Ramsey, Dafelmair's and Brinkman's gear." He found one, "Here's one." Tony was confused as to what he was looking for. "A screwed pooch." The team open the bags of all the chutes to check them all. After a few minutes Gibbs finds it. "There it is. It's dirty. This is the reserve that Thumper jumped with."

He showed it to them. "Unlucky 13." Abby pointed out.

"Someone pulled a switch after he hit the SUV." He sighed as he checked the chute for damage. "The cone's been soldered in place. Doesn't matter if those painkillers slowed his judgment, he couldn't use this chute."

"Whose rucksack is this?" Tony asked.

They checked the name on the sack. Gibbs told Kate to call Captain Faul. "Tell him jump ops can resume. We got our killer."

Kate started to leave, but paused, "Do I tell him who?"

"No." He shook his head. "I don't want DNA evidence. I want this bastard to confess." She left to make the call.

"How are we gonna do that?" Tony asked. Gibbs handed him the sabotages chute.

"Wear this when we jump."

Tony's eyes jumped out his head, "Jump?" He looked at Emily, who giggled at him.

Thanks for reading. Now if you would leave a review :D:D:D