Chapter 10

"McGee?" Abby's voice came out of nowhere.

"What is it, Abbs?" Gibbs asked.

"I was starting to look through the Dobson files, and I thought for a second that someone else was in them too. Then, I got this." She showed Gibbs the message McGee had sent.

"Help? Nothing else?"

"No, and I couldn't track the source because the connection was severed too quickly, but if it was McGee and he gets on again, then I might be able to find out where he is."

"If he's hacking into NCIS, what are the odds he's sending messages as well?"

"It depends on what he was doing. I've been focusing on the Acton case until now."

"Drop it and go to the Dobson files."

"That may be a bit premature," Ducky said walking in the room.

"Why is that?" Gibbs asked.

"I think all three occurrences are related: the murder-suicide, the Dobson murder, and McGee's kidnaping."

"Why?"

"Well, look at these injuries. Notice anything?"

Gibbs squinted at the three images on the screen. "They're all bruises?"

"Yes, but I was referring to the pattern of bruising. This one is from Dobson; this is from Acton; and this is McGee. Each one of them is from a similar area on the torso and each one was inflicted using the same footwear."

"How did you figure that?"

"At high magnification," Ducky illustrated his point, "a tread pattern is revealed. It's the same boot, a steel-toed work boot to be precise. The wear on the sole is a match. I think that the same man has been going after all these people and now he's moved onto McGee."

"How bad were those bruises?"

"McGee's are the worst of the lot, but Dobson would have had some internal bleeding had he lived to feel it."

"Why kill them and keep McGee alive?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, I–" Ducky was interrupted by the sudden resumption of the live feed. They were all treated to a view of the man kicking McGee again. They couldn't help but notice how little McGee was reacting to the treatment.

"Is he still alive, Ducky?" Abby asked. Then, Tim groaned a little and twisted his body, obviously trying to find a more comfortable position.

The man's face filled the screen. "Haven't found him yet, huh? I'm getting a little disappointed at your ineptitude. If you don't hurry up, all you'll find is a corpse." He left the screen and McGee reappeared.

"He's trying to goad us into making mistakes," Ducky observed, although his voice was a little shaky.

"Abby, I want you parked on those Dobson files. If McGee hacks in again, track the signal. I don't care how long you have to wait." Gibbs started to leave.

"Wait, Gibbs! What about the others?"

"Keep it up, but focus on the Dobson files. I have a feeling that's where we'll get the break if this thing with Jack doesn't pan out tomorrow." He walked out, followed closely by Ducky.

"Great." Abby looked briefly at McGee. He wasn't getting any sleep either, she reminded herself.

"Gibbs."

"Yes, Ducky?" Gibbs turned and saw Ducky looking uncommonly serious.

"I don't want to do another autopsy on someone I know, Jethro."

"You won't have to. We'll find him. Alive. That's a promise."

"Good." Satisfied, Ducky headed back to the morgue. He flashed back to Kate's death and shuddered. He never wanted to see something like that again.

The next day, NCIS agents were concealed near the café, disguised as regular patrons. Obvious by their absence were Ziva, Tony and Gibbs. They had to assume that these people knew what they looked like and would not risk losing the one lead they had by being marked. Jack was looking nervous, despite, or maybe because of, Ziva's advice. Gibbs was convinced that this guy was an idiot but not dangerous although he didn't want to think of this kid becoming a lawyer. He sighed and focused on the scene. They hadn't dared give him a wire. Instead they used amplification to eavesdrop on the conversation. If possible, they wanted to follow Jack's contact to wherever McGee was being held.

"Jack, you're late."

"Sorry, I was held up in the mail room. Sometimes they don't want to let me out for lunch right on time."

"You seem a little nervous."

"I think some people might be catching on. You know the agent I told you about once, Gibbs?"

"Yeah. I remember him."

"He's been watching me, and he's not someone I want mad at me. I've seen him yell at his team. Sometimes he makes them wait for him in the elevators so he can dress them down in private. When he stares at me, I want to hide."

"Don't worry. What you're doing isn't illegal, and you'll be an anonymous source."

"I know. How much of this do you really need though? It seems like lots of stories for a single article."

"I have to have a wide selection in order to pick out the best ones. Here's the money from last week."

"Thanks."

As Jack began to tell the stories he'd been collecting, deliberately avoiding any from Gibbs' team, Shawn began to get disinterested.

"What about that Agent Gibbs? Do you have any good stories from his team?"

"Not lately. They haven't been at their desks for the last few days. I think it's because one of their team is missing. They've been working 24/7 to get him back from what I can tell."

"Really? That kind of loyalty could be useful. What are they doing?"

"I don't know. But that's information about an actual case. You said you weren't going to ask for that stuff. That would be illegal."

"Well, are they making progress?" His voice was getting more insistent.

"I don't know. I told you they're not at their desks much. They just seem worried."

Gibbs spoke into his mike. "He's getting suspicious. I don't think we're going to be able to tail him. All units prepare to move in. Wait for my signal."

"Ready."

Glancing around, Shawn said, "Jack, I think you're not being honest. Why?"

"I'm being honest, Shawn. I just don't like the idea of trying to get information about a case. That would be a federal offense if they found out."

He was definitely suspicious now. "Why would they find out?"

Gibbs whispered, "All units, move in. Make sure Jack gets clear."

"All units, move in. Repeat: all units move in."

They watched as Jack was pulled out of the way and Shawn was taken down by one of the NCIS agents.

"Wow!" Tony said. "That was impressive."

Ziva shrugged. "It was okay, but I don't know that we have enough to hold him."

Gibbs answered, "We do."

"Whatever you say, Gibbs."