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"The Perfect Murder"

Chapter 10.

"This is an NCIS case!" Gibbs shouted.

"You're in Philadelphia and both the hostage and the kidnapper are civilians. So this is our case!" the chief of the Philadelphia Police Department yelled back.

"If you want my opinion, we should call the FBI," the RA interjected, but she was silenced by two really intense glares.

"I already called my best negotiator," Officer Spain, the PPD chief, informed the group.

"No need. I can conduct the negotiation myself," replied Gibbs.

Meanwhile Tony was leaning against a table in the dorm's main hallway, not far from the entrance. Gibbs and Officer Spain were in front of him. The front door was open now and policemen and SWAT men kept coming and going.

"DiNozzo?" a male voice made all of them turn toward the door. "Is it you?" the newcomer smiled.

"Jeremy Gordon?" Tony widened his green eyes. "How are 'ya doing, man?" The two shook hands and hugged.

"I'm good and you? Why are you here?"

"DiNozzo..." Gibbs growled impatiently.

"Oh, yeah!" Tony exclaimed. "Jego, this is my boss, NCIS Special Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs and Gordon shook hands then Gordon asked again, "Why are you here?"

"The kidnapper could be the killer of a Marine so—" Tony began.

"—this is an NCIS case," Gibbs concluded staring Spain.

"Gordon, I called you because I want my best negotiator to talk with that guy," Spain said, ignoring Gibbs.

Jego (as Tony used to call him) raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "You want me to talk with that guy, when you've got DiNozzo here?"

All people who heard him turned, surprised by those words. Gibbs frowned and looked over at his SFA who was clearly blushing.

"Sir," Gordon explained. "This man," he squeezed Tony's shoulder, "talked non-stop for 40 hours with a man who had killed his wife and was threatening to kill his three children as well."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows and Tony nodded.

"How did it end?" Spain asked.

"All three children safe, their father in prison, and Tony with a bullet in the shoulder and no voice for two weeks." Gordon paused just a second and then added grinning, "The office was so peaceful then."

Tony regarded him with one of his best glares then they laughed together.

"My advice: let Tony talk with the kidnapper while you find a way to get into that room without casualties."

Officer Spain thought about it for a few seconds then he reluctantly nodded his agreement.

"I'll be by your side, Tony," Jego whispered to his friend.

"Like that day in Baltimore?" Tony asked as he sat down in front of the phone and slid on the headphones.

"Yeah!"

Tony raised his eyes and looked at Gibbs, who nodded. It was just a quick gesture but it was enough for Tony to understand that his boss completely trusted him and he was proud of him.

The negotiator took a deep breath and called the room where Cyril Dumbing was holding Melissa March hostage.

"Anything?" Gibbs asked Tony when he saw the SFA pulled off the headphones, letting them hang around his neck.

The older man had been on the phone with their Director Vance who had the FBI Director breathing down his neck, for the last 10 minutes and so he hadn't had the chance to follow the last developments on the negotiation.

Tony shook his head. "He's still not answering, Gibbs."

The team leader sat down next to Tony and squeezed his shoulder.

Tony's sad eyes looked at him and he sighed. "Boss, I've tried to contact him for about thirty minutes, but nothing happened. We're running out of time and we can't let him kill Melissa."

"What do you think we should do?" Gibbs asked and Tony widened his eyes.

"You ask me what to do, Boss?" he asked really surprised and saw Gibbs nod. "I could go upstairs and..."

"No!" Gibbs firmly said. "Too dangerous. I'll go."

"'Cause it's not dangerous for you?"

Gibbs headslapped him lightly.

"We need eyes in the room. SWAT already checked the heating vents and they're too small," Tony explained and saw Gibbs nod. "Now they're tryinh to insert a camera into the lock," he replied.

"I'll check on them," Gibbs stood up. "You keep calling," he walked towards his third in command. "McGee!" he called as he gestured Tim to follow him outside.

Tony shook his head grinning, put on the headphones again and called Melissa's room.

While Gibbs and McGee were upstairs with the SWAT team, Tony was calling Cyril for the umpteenth time.

Behind DiNozzo, the chief of Philadelphia and the FBI Agent Bianchi, who had arrived only a few minutes earlier, were battling over the leadership of the case.

Tony's former colleague, PPD Officer Jeremy Gordon, was sitting next to DiNozzo in the chair Gibbs had vacated some minutes earlier. He gestured with his head and Tony shook it "no".

All of sudden Tony's eyes widened and he snapped his fingers to silence all people in the room. He pulled the headphones out of the audio jack and all people were able to hear Cyril shouting, "What the hell do you want?!"

TBC

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