I did it guys. I proved my mother right and I became a master criminal. Are you ready for this? Get pumped to hear about my now sordid and dark criminal past...
I've adopted a stray cat! In my summer roommates no-pets apartment! Mwahahahaha!
Okay in my defense it was storming and rainy and tornado sirens and I couldn't leave her outside and now she loves me and won't stop following me around and purrs and she's so cuddly and I can't kick her out.
She needs me!
Besides my roommate is helping in the hiding of the cat so technically I have an accomplice. And really the health and emotional stability of the softest sweetest cat I've ever met it more important that a rule about pets... Right?
I need someone to tell me I'm right.
She's so little. And these apartments are full of college students that are much more dangerous than I am. She could get hurt. People are mean to her.
Yeah. I'm justifying.
But still!
Anyway. Chapter 10!
Hope you all enjoy and please review! I love hearing what everyone has to say! It means a lot.
Have a beautiful day!
~Renee
Derek took a sip of his coffee and looked to the west. Another ambulance went screaming past and he winced at the siren.
Whatever happened apparently required half the first responders in D.C. Average day in the capital he supposed.
He sighed and turned back to Agent Hotchner.
"I don't know Hotch, I'm not really buying that she went from being a college barista to a serial killer. It's way too abrupt, too wrong. I don't know it's a pretty big jump. There has to be a stressor or something...or another suspect. I'm telling you, we're missing something."
The dark haired man nodded, his expression grim.
"I know. For now though we work with what we have. I'm going to talk to her supervisor, see if he can give us a look into her behavior the past few weeks. Call Garcia and see if she can find any other link between the men. We could have missed something."
Derek nodded and pulled out his phone while Hotch stepped into the coffeehouse.
"Mistress of Tech how may I direct your call?"
"Hey Pen, I need you to check our victims backgrounds again, see if you can find another commonality between them."
"Sure thing baby doll. Are you questioning the killer laté lady?"
He shrugged.
"Don't know sugar, something just doesn't-"
He paused and stared, words jamming in his throat.
A teenager was limping up the sidewalk with a bloodstained shirt. His arms were tight around his torso and he stared at the ground, as if afraid that if he took his eyes off his feet they would stop moving. His lips were moving soundlessly, repeating something over and over.
"Call you back Penelope."
He snapped the phone shut and took a step towards the boy. Before he reached him though the kid ducked down a side alley. Morgan paused and looked back at the coffeehouse, Hotch wouldn't be very happy if he just walked off, but the kid looked to be in trouble…
He opened his phone again.
Checking something out. Be back.
He sent the text and then jogged to the narrow street the kid had disappeared down. He turned the corner and stopped so suddenly that he almost tipped over. The boy was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed tight and breathing jagged through clenched teeth.
"A-Almost there. Mayer and M-M-Miguel...F-f-father will... Need to find...find...D-d-dad? G-G-G-G-"
"Hello..."
The kid jumped, his eyes opening wide and breath quickening. He took a couple steps backward, sliding down the wall and farther away from the concerned man.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. "
The teenager opened his eyes and blinked slowly at him. His eyes were bloodshot, the green of his iris brilliant against the veins. The color was bold but the emotion behind them was dulled with pain and exhaustion. And fear.
Morgan kept his hands up where the kid could see them and stepped carefully toward him.
"Hi. I'm Derek Morgan. I just want to help. What's your name?"
The boy stared at him, confusion and caution clear on his face.
"Okay, that's fine. I get it, don't want to talk, that's alright. You're hurt. Let me help you."
He shook his head.
"I'm f-fine. I just have to get h-h-home."
Derek smiled reassuringly.
"Okay, well I can help you. Can you tell me where you live?"
The boy balked and moved away again. Derek winced internally at how that may have sounded. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
"Hey, it's alright. I'm a FBI agent. You don't have to be scared of me."
"I'm not s-s-scared."
Derek grinned at him.
"I'm sure you're not. You know a bit about me now, think you can tell me something? How old you are, your parents name?"
The kid chewed his lip for a brief minute then nodded slowly.
"My names Tony… Tony D-DiNozzo. I'm n-not sure… I'm confused. I n-need to get home."
Morgan's eyes widened slightly and he looked worriedly at the trickle of blood coming from his temple.
He needed to get this kid to a doctor. Now.
"Tony. It's nice to meet you."
He nodded and flinched, moving his hand to his head.
"It's...n-n-nice to meet you t-too. You're FBI...p-police?"
Derek nodded and subtly moved closer to him.
"Yeah Tony, I'm police. I just want to help you."
The boys eyes flickered to the side before he sighed.
"Right. Mr...Agent M-Morgan. I'm f-fine. I j-just n-need..."
Tony's eyes rolled back in his head and he legs gave out. Morgan leaped forward and caught the boy just before he crumbled on the asphalt.
"Woah! I got you Tony. You're alright. I've got you."
He gently maneuvered the boy to his left arm and pulled his phone out.
"Hotch."
"Morgan. Where are you?"
"Down the street. Hotch we've got a situation."
Xxx
Gibbs glared at the nurse as she typed into the computer, his fingers quaking against the keyboard.
"I'm sorry sir. There's no John Does here with that description and everyone close to it has been properly identified. He's not here. If you like I can call MedStar and see if they-"
"Yes. Everyone. Call every hospital in the area. They'll be a agent here waiting."
She nodded and turned to the phone.
Gibbs sighed and rubbed his forehead, stepping away from the desk.
"Gibbs?"
He looked towards Tobias and shook his head.
"No. He's not here."
Fornell dipped his head and sighed.
"Right. He'll turn up Jethro. You know he will."
Gibbs nodded and pursed his lips.
"Yeah. Hernandez still at NCIS?"
Tobias looked at him in surprise.
"Yes..."
Gibbs nodded.
"Stay here. She's checking other hospitals, keep an eye out, they could bring him in. Any sight or notice of Tony, call me. Immediately."
"Your father-?"
"He's being checked out. He'll understand. I have to find Tony."
With that he turned on his heel and stormed from the hospital. Reaching his car he pulled out his cellphone.
"McGee."
"Boss! Have you found Tony?"
"No. Have you and Abby found anything?"
He could hear Abby talking in the background, and her resulting cry of distress when McGee relayed that Tony was still missing. There was a slight struggle and he found himself speaking to the forensic analyst.
"Gibbs! You haven't found him yet?"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath while he slid behind the wheel.
"Abby. What do you have?"
He could hear her take a shuddering breath before she pulled herself together.
"We have random pieces of footage from security cameras and stoplight cameras but nothing of the...crash itself. I don't know where he went Gibbs. I'm sorry."
Gibbs snapped the phone shut and ripped out of the parking lot.
He was done with this shit.
Xxx
Hotch and Morgan watched anxiously as the boy was rushed behind the swinging doors. A doctor pushed them back while another pressed his hands against Tony's torso. He looked up but the doors swung shut before they caught what was said.
"Excuse me, we need you to fill out this information."
A nurse shoved a clipboard into Morgan's hands and then chased after Tony.
Morgan looked at the papers awaiting information and then to Hotch.
An unspoken moment passed between the two before they stepped away from the hustle of the room and Hotch dialed up Garcia and switched on the speaker phone.
"House of "saving your ass" how may I direct your call."
"Garcia I need you to find us everything about a Tony DiNozzo. He's just a kid, twelve maybe thirteen years old. I need parents name, medical records anything and everything."
There was a pause before Garcia's hesitant voice came over the line.
"Is our unsub a twelve year old?"
Morgan rubbed his forehead.
"No baby girl, as far as we know the kid is not a serial killer."
They could hear the clattering of her nails against the keys before she spoke up again. Her voice unbearably sad.
"Oh. Oh you poor dear."
"Garcia?"
"Um...Tony DiNozzo. Or rather Anthony Darin DiNozzo Jr. is the only son of Anthony Howard DiNozzo Sr. And Angelica DiNozzo. His mother died when he was six years old, suicide. He is thirteen now, he'll be fourteen in November."
"Okay, we need the parent contact info. We-"
"I'm not done. Tony was removed from his father's care when he was eight years old, child abuse. Extensive child abuse. He was admitted to the hospital several times and then at nine he was legally adopted by… hmm..."
Morgan stared at Hotch angry and worried.
"What Pen?"
"Closed adoption. I can't see who adopted him."
"Open it Garcia. We need to get a hold of this kids family. And see if they had anything to do with why he looks like the living dead."
"I'm on it. My fingers are the wind. Oh, medical records. He has no allergies but that's about all that would be pertinent for you now."
The call ended and Morgan rubbed his jaw.
"Okay. Plan Hotch?"
The older man frowned in the direction the boy had disappeared and then nodded to himself.
"Stay with the kid, he's under the bureau's protection until Garcia gets back to us. I need to get back to the field."
The two split and Morgan started back towards the doors.
"Oh do hurry up Mr. Palmer!"
A young man ran into him and bounced off of his chest.
"Oomf! Sorry!" The man looked up at him, eyes wide behind his glasses.
"No problem."
Morgan reached down and helped him up.
"Mr. Palmer! Why are laying about?!"
The man turned and stuttered at the short gentleman standing in front of him, his hands on his hips.
"Sorry Dr. Mallard, I was-"
The man waved his hands at him.
"No matter. We must hurry. Jethro has asked us to be with his father until he gets back and I've thought of another place our dear boy could be. Come along!"
"Coming doctor. Sorry again."
The...Palmer...ran after the older man and Morgan watched with mild amusement as he began to heckle a nurse that was already trying to comfort a man wearing grey suit.
"Any sign of him?"
Grey suit shook his head.
"No. Every hospital in the capital, nothing."
Morgan turned his attention away and stepped over to the information desk, focusing on his own problem.
"Excuse me 'mam, can you tell me anything about the young man I brought in? Anthony DiNozzo?"
Xxx
Gibbs stood and stared at the man stretched out on the cot. Hernandez had been locked up in a holding cell and seemed perfectly content to bide his time.
"Ah. Agent Gibbs. Tell me, hows your family?"
Gibbs watched him cooly, taking a sip of coffee.
"Better than yours."
He blinked and sat up slightly on the bed.
"Excuse me?"
Gibbs shrugged.
"Tell me Pedro, what possessed you to move them? It would have taken us much longer to find them not to mention the casualty list would have dropped significantly."
"Casualties?"
Gibbs nodded, swallowing another gulp.
"Mmhhmm. You called your brother didn't you? Asked him to move Tony and Jackson? Told him to stay with them? He drove the car didn't he?"
Pedro didn't speak, his head tilting to the side, anxiety flickering through his gaze.
"He took a turn a bit too fast, apparently you raised your expectations a little too high for his abilities."
"Agent Gibbs… my brother..."
"I'm sorry for your loss. Tony and Jackson however, give their regards."
Gibbs tipped his coffee and walked away.
"Agent Gibbs? Agent Gibbs! GIBBS!"
Gibbs walked out of the holding area and crushed his coffee cup.