NCIS
October 19
A/N: I know she'll never read this but I want to dedicate this chapter to my dear friend, Claudia. Everybody should be so blessed as to have a Claudia in their life. She told me today I should write a book because I am a writer and it suits my personality down to the ground. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not but I loved her for it anyway. Get yourselves a Claudia. You won't regret it! We get a little more into the case this time. Eep. My knowledge of bombs is mostly what I've gleaned off TV shows and movies. Again I did some research but the technical stuff is still beyond me. Happy reading.
Chapter Ten
Under the rubble and debris, one of the bombs is finally discovered. Once its been fully vetted by the bomb squad and they've confirmed and re-confirmed that it has finished its killing and blowing up spree, the pieces are transported back to the Labby. She pokes and prods, assembles and re-assembles, mutters under her breaths, types components and pieces into her computer and finally comes up with a match. She frowns, reads the bio again and picks up the phone.
"Gibbs? I have a lead," she says.
--=--=--=--=--
"Who do we know in Ireland?" Abby whispers to McGee.
"Why are you whispering?" he asks in his normal voice. He looks around the lab and frowns. The other scientists and analysts have gone to lunch and its just the team waiting for their fearless leader.
"Obviously it's a secret," Tony answers, humouring their scientist friend. He's often thought that her confinement to the Lab has made her a little kooky.
"Why do you ask?" Ziva wants to know.
"This isn't how this was supposed to work," Abby groans. She takes a long sip of her Caf-Pow! and then slams it back down on the table. "I was supposed to ask 'who do we know in Ireland' and you were supposed to tell me who we know in Ireland."
"I worked an op there back when I first started with the Mossad but I have only been there once," Ziva answers. "I did know somebody there and now I do not."
"I have family over there," McGee replies.
"You people just don't get it," she huffs. "I don't mean who do you knowin Ireland, I mean who do we as a government organisation know in Ireland."
"Ohh..." comes from all three of them. And then...
"Nobody comes to mind," Ziva says with a frown. Her mind is still ticking over and Abby wonders if she's been premature in answering.
"I can look up the most wanted list and see who lives in Ireland," McGee says pulling out his PDA.
"I can entertain you all with an Irish accent," Tony offers. "That's all I've got, I'm afraid."
"Abby, why do you ask?" says Ziva.
"Tell us, Abs," Gibbs says announcing his presence.
"I ran the particulates from the bomb. You know how every bomb maker has a signature? That little mark they put on their bombs to let everybody else know it's theirs? This one had green duct tape completely covering the base. When I put the components into Interpol, I got a match."
"Mara Cohen," Ziva interrupts.
"I was going to say Rebecca O'Donnell," Abby replies. She pulls up a photo of a very beautiful woman walking down a street in a swing coat and beret.
"Of course she would have changed her name," Ziva murmurs. She looks up at the perplexed trio. "It all makes sense. Where else could a bomb maker fit in but in a country full of other bomb makers."
"Bomb making isn't unique to Ireland, you know," McGee says, sensitive about his relatives homeland.
"I come from Israel, McGee," she replies drily. "I know."
"Do you want to explain how you know this Mara?" asks Gibbs.
"Mara was a Mossad Officer back when I first joined. You would all know that sometimes a distraction is required before you can gather information or extract someone safely. That was Mara's speciality. Explosives in particular. She was good at her job but then things started going amiss. Mara's 'distractions' seemed to be targeted at specific individuals or buildings and they were not always sanctioned. She defected before any solid evidence was found. I was part of the task force that searched for her. It was my second assignment and it was the first one I failed. We looked everywhere for her, followed every lead no matter how inconsequential and yet we could never find her."
"Who did she defect too?" Tony asks.
"From the information we did find, she went freelance. Better money but less protection. Or so we thought. She disappeared off the face of the Earth and I do not know what is more protected than that," Ziva answers. "What else do you know about her?"
"All the information I found on her said that she was born in Greece in 1971 and that she lived there until she married and Irishman in 2001 and moved there with him," Abby answers. "It said nothing about her being ex-Mossad or even about being Israeli."
"This doesn't make sense," McGee muses. "If you found a match on Interpol then surely Mossad would have come across it.
"Very astute, Elf Lord," Tony tells him. He turns to Ziva. "Why did you stop searching for Mara Rebecca Cohen O'Donnell?"
"Because we found her," Ziva enunciates slowly. She pauses while the inevitable glance exchange happens between the rest of the team. When they've finished and Gibbs is watching her impatiently, she continues. "We were given orders from up above not to apprehend her. We were told very clearly to stand down and move on."
"Where was she when you found her?" Abby asks. "I might be able to track some information down."
"In Egypt. Cairo, to be precise. She was working for an organisation, the Third Day Movement. They're cover was a building demolishing business," Ziva answers.
"A legitimate excuse to make bombs," Tony muses.
"Exactly," replies Ziva.
"Who told you to stand down?" Gibbs asks, his solitary query throughout the conversation.
"My father," Ziva answers. And everything changes again.
--=--=--=--=--
Gibbs lets them leave for the night at the respectable hour of 2000. Abby and McGee make plans to check in on Ducky before meeting Tony and Ziva for dinner. The four of them take the elevator down together. Ziva and Tony lag behind as Abby pulls McGee out.
"Are you coming?" Abby asks impatiently.
"We're right behind you," Tony replies. He's been watching a frowning Ziva and he's dying to get her alone. He waits until the other two are on their way to their cars before reaching over and stroking her face. "Penny for your thoughts."
"I have no use for a penny," she parries back lightly but her eyes are dark and brooding.
"You could just talk to me then," he suggests. "Please."
"Okay but not here. When we get home," she replies. She offers him her hand. He grabs it and lets her lead him outside. Abby and McGee are in the distance, heads bent together and oblivious to anyone else. "They would make a cute couple."
"We make a cute couple," he retorts eliciting a roll of the eyes from her. But there's a glimmer, a ghost of a smile and it makes the corny joke worth it.
--=--=--=--=--
Abby practically skips into Ducky's and McGee shuffles in behind her. Palmer, reliable as clockwork, is stirring sauce in the kitchen. Ducky is on the phone to Graham Hammond but he hangs up soon after the two arrive.
"Abigail, Timothy. What brings you to my door?" he wonders.
"We just wanted to see how you were going," Abby answers. She kisses him on the top of the head and laces her arms around his neck. "How was it today?"
"Today was much better than I had anticipated. Having a purpose certainly takes your mind off things," he answers. His answers are stock standard but Ducky is incapable of telling a lie.
"You seem a lot better," McGee adds tentatively. "It's good to see."
"Yes. I was just talking to Graham about the funeral. He has asked me to give a eulogy for Jordan. It's quite an honour remembering such a fine woman."
"Does he have any idea when the funeral can be held?" Abby asks.
"So many people need to be buried," Palmer adds. "I heard they're considering doing multiple burials to get them all done."
"Doctor Hammond deserves more respect than that," McGee interjects. "They all deserve more than that."
"I think it's just the unclaimed and unidentifiable bodies," Palmer says, his voice low and regretful. He turns his attention back to stirring the sauce as a noticeable gloom settles over the room.
"The funeral is next Wednesday at 1100. I'd like you all to come if Gibbs will allow it," Ducky says quickly.
"We'll be there," McGee answers for everyone. He checks the time and prods Abby. "We should probably go. We're meeting Tony and Ziva."
"Discussing the new developments, I'm sure," Ducky says. He gives them a small smile. "Thank you very much for coming."
"We'll see you tomorrow morning," Abby says seriously. She gives him another kiss on the forehead. She waves at Palmer. "See you tomorrow, Jimmy."
"Yeah. Bye," he says but he's distracted.
And they leave the doctor and his protégé behind and none of them know if they've made things better or worse.
--=--=--=--=--
They sit on the edge of the bed and postulate. Ziva is agitated and Tony is trying to take everything in.
"This is all too much of a coincidence and I am starting to understand why Gibbs does not believe in them," she starts. "An ex-Mossad officer just happens to build the bombs in an explosion that another ex-Mossad officer is investigating."
"And you've always said you don't leave Mossad, Mossad leaves you," Tony adds. "Which is definitely true in Mara's case."
"Yes. And do you know how many former Mossad officers live in D.C.? I will tell you, Tony. One. Me," she continues. She sighs. "There is too much Mossad here."
"So what are you saying? That Mossad is behind the attack?" Tony asks. He shakes his head. "That will not be good for the relationship between Israel and the United States."
"I do not think Mossad was behind the attack. I know who might be behind it though and I think Vance knows too," Ziva replies.
"And it's not good," says Tony.
"It is not good at all," Ziva agrees. She shuffles closer to Tony and he holds her close.
--=--=--=--=--
Gibbs takes a sip of his bourbon and appraises his newest boat. He's completed the frame and it's time to fill in the gaps. He takes another sip before picking up a used piece of sand-paper. He's had enough of politics, ploys and power-plays for the day and he wants to lose himself in the familiar motions. He copped some slack for letting his team leave while other teams were still working hard chasing leads and doing paperwork. But he knows his team and he knows that wherever they are, they're still working. No matter what Ziva may have said about moving on and leaving things behind, they will be working on and talking through the days new breakthroughs.
And his gut feeling is that things are going to get worse before they get better. And it tells him that when they untangle this mess that its going to kill them just a little bit. But it also tells him that they are going to be fine. Because they're family. He'll probably never say it aloud but he'll think it every day. He loves his team, his second family, and he hates putting them through this.