Hello! Hope you're having a great Tuesday (or whatever day it happens to be when you read this). Thanks for the comments, and thanks for continuing to read this :) Hope this doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Even without any new leads, there was plenty of work to be done. And when there was no work, there was always the press. At the bequest of his captain, Tony split his time between the investigation and interviews with reporters and journalists working locally and even nationally. The case was getting a lot of media attention. Gibbs and Becker busied themselves looking through mountains of files; since the fingerprint on the knife hadn't yielded any results there only option was to go through cold case after cold case in the hope of finding a connection. Abby, having chosen to stick around after Morrow gave her two weeks off, volunteered her services to the forensics lab.

On Thursday afternoon, after finishing his fourth radio interview warning the women of Baltimore to stay home on Friday night, Tony rejoined the rest of the group in the office. He grabbed a stack of files from the considerable hill piling the desk then sat back in his chair with a grunt.

"They should put me on the payroll at the local news station you know," Tony commented, making a face as he swallowed the last of the bitter coffee in his mug, long cold since he'd been occupied with media duty. "I mean, I spend more time on air than the weatherman. I could at least get my name in the opening credits."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. Becker chuckled, opening his mouth to reply when Captain Vernski appeared, clearing his throat.

"Nice sound bite in the interviews today DiNozzo," Vernski said with a nod. He mimicked Tony's voice. "Stay in and stay safe."

Tony rolled his eyes. He'd heard, and said the slogan far too many times that day.

"Anyway," Vernski continued. "It's almost seven, and you've all been reading so many files today that you're more likely to miss something important than you are to connect it to this case. Go home, get some food, get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a very long day."

Tony nodded somberly, dumping his files unceremoniously back on the pile. Becker followed suite, swiftly collecting his gun, badge and coat. Gibbs drained his coffee, grimacing slightly as he stood up.

"You guys wanna get a bite?" Tony asked. "I'll get Abby."

They walked the couple of blocks to Gerard's, a popular haunt for cops in the area. Home of 'the best steaks in town' according to Tony and Becker. Judging by the number of off-duty cops sitting inside, it was an opinion shared by many. Gerard himself was an ex-cop, forced into early retirement by a bullet to the thigh during a hostage situation. He was tall and slightly balding, in his late fifties with a crooked smile that only grew when he saw Tony and the group enter.

"DiNozzo! It's been a while." The man stepped out from behind the counter, his hand outstretched to pat Tony on the back.

"Gerry my man, nice to see you." Tony replied, returning the welcoming smile. Gerard led them to a booth away from the bar as Tony introduced him to Gibbs and Abby. He left, taking their orders for beer and steak. Abby looked across the worn wooden table. There were no menus and she wondered if steak was the only meal sold.

"Just wait till you taste it. Then you'll know why," Tony said, watching her from the other side of the booth, where he was seated next to Becker. Gibbs almost found his self-assured smugness irritating, but then the meals arrived and he was forced to bite his tongue. They left early, well relatively early by Baltimore PD standards, since all four of them were still running low on sleep and they knew Friday would be hell.

It was close to midnight by the time Tony returned from his run and about a quarter past twelve when he hopped out of the shower, leaving a trail of water behind him as he stumbled into the kitchen, wrapped hastily in a wet towel, to answer his ringing cell phone. He cursed a little too loudly as he stubbed a toe on the lamp stand, forgetting Gibbs was sleeping on the couch in the same room.

The light flickered on just as Tony reached the phone and Gibbs' head popped up, looking fully alert. Tony glanced briefly at the caller ID, brow knotting in confusion as he held the phone up to his ear.

"DiNozzo… what? It's freaking Thursday, he's a day early…. Son of a bitch! When did it happen … alright, what's the address? … You're kidding me. Dammit! I'll be there in twenty minutes."

He hung up and ran his fingers through his hair, sending droplets of water onto the floor and kitchen counter. "I think we've got number eight."

Gibbs blinked. "What? Where?"

Tony sighed, tugging on the loosely tied towel around his hips to keep it from slipping. "Found her about 10 minutes ago out the back of a pub. Get this – it was Gerard's, that's how they found her so quickly. Bar full of cops and a girl still gets attacked out back."

"Did she get a look at him?" Gibbs questioned, standing up and reaching for his shirt.

Tony bit down on his lip, shaking his head. "I don't know. She's dead."

TBC