Chapter 11


A/N: Sorry it's been a few days before my next update- I was on vacation. But I'm back and can't wait to write! Thanks for the reviews! Wow, so many! Makes me feel unworthy! Thank you all!

The situation was dire.

An uneasy tension had settled about the room.

After the Team had finished explaining to Gibbs about their theories and what Tony and McGee had found out concerning Rebecca, there was only about a dozen questions to be answered next.

Who was this Garret Halsworth?

Why was he doing this? Did he have unknowing motives or was it just out of jealousy for Jerry towards Rebecca?

Does he have more poison?

If so, is he still planning on using this poison for another attack?

But most importantly- where would he use this poison? And could the next attack be prevented?

"Honestly, Jethro. I truly believe that there may be a possibility of another oncoming attack!" Ducky is still rambling to Gibbs on his conclusions- and all the while nothing but questions swam in Gibbs' head.

He was glad that his team had finally found a lead concerning this strange case- but he still wasn't satisfied. He needed to get this wretched killer off of the streets before someone else's demise takes place.

"Look, Duck. I understand what you're telling me." Gibbs remarks while typing on his computer. Actually, all of his agents were now typing away on their keyboards- in hopes of maybe finding where this Garret Halsworth was staying. It didn't help none that he had gone underground a few days back.

"I just think you all should be cautious. This man may be driven by pure anger- if not envy. Containing one's feelings for a long time- well, it can't be good for anyone as far as I'm concerned." Ducky warns with a look towards his friend and Gibbs only nods solemnly.

He was starting to really believe what their source was telling his team. Perhaps Rebecca Phax's childhood friend was jealous after she had married Jerry instead of him.

It made decent sense- though who would kill for love?

The people in this world... Gibbs thinks rashly to himself as suddenly McGee's head pops up from his computer.

"Boss, I'm not finding anything. He's off the grid for sure." The Probie confirms with a short glance towards DiNozzo's desk.

Gibbs only grunts in response. Obviously nobody was finding any whereabouts to this man.

"Alright. That's it." He stands to his feet- practically throwing his chair back into the divider-wall behind him and this gains everyone's attentions.

"Boss?" Tony cocks his head with a questioning look.

"We're going to the source. I have an idea." Gibbs states bluntly before taking off at a strutting speed. As he leaves the bullpen- the three field agents look at each other before getting up and going to follow him.

Abby and Ducky- both of which were still lingering around, also goes to accompany the team. Neither wanted to be left out of the loop on this one...

"What do you think he's got planned?" Abby whispers to Ducky as they trail after the field agents and down the interrogation hallway.

"I'm not quite sure yet." Is all Ducky replies as Gibbs turns to his team from at the front of the pack.

"I'm going to talk to her." he announces, and McGee and Ziva exchange a look.

"Clearly the crime scenes have been tied to this woman somehow," Gibbs points to the door containing Rebecca, "So perhaps she can tell us of the next place this psychopath will attack." And with these words, the boss enters the room and slams the door behind him- leaving his team rather speechless.

"Oh yeah... that's smart. Why didn't I think of that?" Tony breaks the rather awkward silence with a chuckle before going to enter Observation Room 1.

The others file in after him; hopes rising on finding this murderer.

Gibbs was right. Both crime scenes connected to Rebecca somehow. So maybe she'd somehow know of another potential targeting area of this guy.

"You really think she'll talk?" Abby questions as she watches Gibbs take a seat across from Rebecca.

"Why shouldn't she?" Ziva answers her with a shrug of one shoulder.

Abby only bites her lip. "Well, I mean, this is her best friend for crying out loud... Would you really just... I don't know, give them up? After all you've been through?" She glances to everyone in turn and McGee furrows his eyebrows at the Goth.

"Abby, but this woman's best friend is a killer! Wouldn't you turn them in if you found out your best friend was poisoning people?" The Probie prompts with a skeptical look and in the end Abby exhales with a sheepish smile.

"...You're totally right. I'd so turn them in." She admits and Tony only grins at the rather humorous defeat.

"Shh!" Ducky hushes next- training everyone's attention back onto the ongoing interrogation.

Gibbs shifts forward within his seat as Rebecca makes uncertain eye contact with her newest questioner. She had been questioned continuously. So, was she still willing to give answers? Would she talk?

Gibbs contains his questions at first. He continues staring at her until finally the woman breaks from the deafening silence and she exhales. "What now? Did you find Garret yet? Did you arrest him?" The troubled woman crosses her arms and her eyes are already glossy again. She was truly a mess at the moment.

Gibbs clears his throat and raises his eyebrows ever so slightly.

"Would you be relieved if I told you we did make the arrest?" The silver-haired marine's voice is low but controlling. He wasn't about to give everything away just yet.

Rebecca only wants to sob- but she doesn't.

"I just want to know if I can go yet... I've been here all day. A-And I want to go home... I want to see Jerry." She mumbles and her voice cracks after every vowel or so.

"Hmmm..." Gibbs clasps his hands together and places them on the table. "Well, Jerry is dead. You can't see him anymore. I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am." He nods his head at her, and meanwhile, Tony only cocks a mischievous eyebrow at the scene from inside Observation.

"D-Did Gibbs just say 'sorry'?" He questions with a smirk and Ducky only turns to the Senior agent with an unamused expression. "He's showing signs of respect, Anthony. I think it's rather noble." The doctor retorts before returning his eyes back to the glass.

Rebecca sniffles a bit but nods at Gibbs. She knew her husband was dead. She just didn't like facing the truth.

"But this Garret guy?" Gibbs' voice pitches in again. "He's still very much alive. And we think... that your old friend Garret killed your husband."

At this, Rebecca shudders and she averts her gaze quickly. "I-I know... I just never thought he would do... such a thing." She practically pouts and Gibbs only stands to his feet so that he's towering over her practically.

"Do you have any idea where he might be? Or where he might be heading?" the questions are blunt but to the point. He didn't want to be wasting anymore time than what they already had on catching this loon.

"Well... Like I already told one of your agents... We would meet at that warehouse you showed me earlier." She hardens her voice a little- as if the memory were distasteful or something.

"Yeah? Where else?" Gibbs presses.

The woman stutters before shrugging frantically. "I-I.. um... I don't know!" She breathes.

"Think about it!" Gibbs finally has had enough of going easy on her. He slams his hand down onto the table which causes for Rebecca to flinch.

She swallows hard before speaking again. "W-Well, try um... try my Uncle Tito's ranch! Yes! W-When my Uncle passed away... I was heartbroken and I felt like... I-I..." She looks around as if feeling awkward. "I needed someone. Jerry was there for me a-and that's also the same place where I told Garret about my relationship with Jerry... For the first time, that is." She lowers her head at the finish of her words and Gibbs only stares at her.

"You sure? You're really sure that he might go there?" Gibbs' eyes are like steel now. He didn't want any games from with woman. But truthfully, she was all they had to go with.

"Yes! He might go there! Honest! My Uncle's name is Tito Gonzales! The ranch is under my name now! Go check!" She literally bellows out anything useful she knew about the place before finally coming to a dull sob. She couldn't take it anymore.

All of this because of her childhood best friend wanting revenge? After all these years? How hectic could things get!?

Gibbs however nods in appreciation before going for the door.

Finally. They had a potential lead for this guy's next attack.

Let's hope she's right. He thinks to himself as he closes the door behind him


"We heading for Uncle Tito's ranch boss?" Tony questions as the team files back into the Squadroom- so many feelings and tension spiking the atmosphere.

"Yep. Gear up." Gibbs responds sharply while heading for his desk.

McGee only gives a confusing look while getting his stuff together. "We gonna go and shut the place down from the public? Make sure nobody's at risk, right?" The Probie looks to his boss and Gibbs shakes his head.

This gains a bewildering look from both Tony and McGee now.

"No. We're going to wait for the guy. We'll let everyone go home- act all normal. And we'll plan a stakeout there." Gibbs explains his plan with a small impatient look and Ziva smiles at how smart the plan sounded. It would probably even catch this Garret Halsworth off guard.

"Ohh, I get it." McGee nods understandingly.

"Yeah. We've heard no poison attacks from this ranch so far. Obviously the guy hasn't been there yet to plant the poison anywhere. But we'll be ready for him when he does." Gibbs states inevitably before heading for the elevators.

Abby watches them leave with a worrying feeling in her gut. She didn't like it when dire situations came up like this. She didn't like the danger that her friends had to face.

But I guess it's all part of the job.. She exhales. She couldn't help but think back to Tony and Ziva though. They had already been poisoned once. What if they were poisoned again and next time it was fatal?

"Be safe!" She calls as the doors close behind the team.

Ducky is at her side and he too feels no better about the abrupt plan. Everything was unraveling in this case so fast now. What if the man wasn't even planning to show up at this ranch?

What if something went wrong?

"You think they'll get him?" Abby asks after a moment and Ducky only sags his shoulders a bit. "I think... That they better catch him before he tries attacking the entire city with that deadly toxin of his."


Ziva stares out of the window as the landscape flies by. Gibbs was driving- and all the while McGee was calling up directions to this place from the backseat. Everyone seemed eager to get here. Heck, everyone seemed eager to catch this maniac and end this case.

Nobody wanted a murderer on the loose. And with poison?

Hope this works. The Israeli thinks to herself with a small glance towards Gibbs. Everything seemed to depend on this Rebecca Phax. What if the woman had been lying? Or what if she was in on the attacks?

Unlikely. Ziva tries to assure herself. But one could never be too sure...

"Take a left here!" McGee calls up to the front with his eyes glued to his phone. Gibbs instantly jerks the car down a dusty dirt road. They were clearly approaching the ranch sometime soon.

"So... This plan boss. We're going to act like nothing is going on at first, right?" Tony's unmistakable voice comes from the back. Somehow Ziva had managed to gain shotgun with Gibbs just this once. Normally it would be Tony riding shotgun but this time- considering the situation they were in, the Senior agent didn't argue.

"Yeah. This place probably has workers here. Maybe even visitors, who knows." The Boss answers gruffly.

"A-And we'll wait until everyone goes home and then we'll stakeout?" McGee wants to be entirely sure of this plan and Tony only nods to the Probie.

"Didn't you hear the man?" Tony scoffs dramatically and Ziva only tunes the bickering agents out as she shifts her gaze back out onto the road ahead of them. Just up ahead one could make out a large barn-like structure.

The ranch.

"Hopefully we will get him Gibbs. I know it." Ziva tries a little reassurance towards Gibbs but the man's eyes never leave the dirt road ahead.

They had limited time before another attack would probably appear. The guy was becoming a mass murderer.

All because of a woman...

"Hey, at least we have some sort of idea of where he's heading. He is targeting Rebecca's places..." Ziva goes over the already-known facts on the case and next Tony pitches his voice into the conversation up front.

"Yeah, but tell me why he went for the grocery store? Why that place?" The quirky DiNozzo gives a confusing look and Ziva only rolls her eyes. "He killed Jerry there remember? He probably led him in there or something... Who knows right now." She tries to appease his confusion.

Tony only gapes his mouth lamely. "Yeah, but come on. Why murder in the grocery store? Why not like wait for some other place or somethin'?"

At this, Gibbs sends a glare to his Senior agent through the rear view mirror and instantly Tony shuts up.

"Almost there Boss! Should be up ahead..." McGee's voice then rings through the car and Ziva looks to finally spot the ranch. Fences filed around a large barn with silos dotting the grassy surroundings.

The car speeds past onlooking cattle and lazy bulls before finally turning into the main driveway... or, dirt-way considering there was no cement anywhere.

"This it?" Tony questions like a child from the backseat and instantly Gibbs brings the car to an immediate stop before swinging his door open.

"Guess so." Tony then mumbles to himself before going to open his door.

The place smelled of manure, dirt, and animals. But, what else did one expect to smell on a ranch?

"We're here. And I am guessing he is not- yet." Ziva states while coming around the car to stand beside Gibbs.

McGee peers around the place through squinting eyes. The sunset was hot and blazing causing for the atmosphere to be intense.

"Guess we go look around. We'll also have to park the car somewhere else so that it can't be seen by Halsworth when he pulls in- assuming he's even coming at all." Tony points out rather skeptically and Gibbs only nods.

"Yeah." He then turns to his agent before shoving the car keys forward.

"You do that, DiNozzo. We'll go ahead in."

Tony blinks before frowning. "What?"

"You heard me." Gibbs shifts his stance and almost even wants to grin a little. But he doesn't- with his mind being too drawn into the dire situation.

"You kiddin' me?" The younger agent groans before slowly taking the keys and sighing.

He then turns and heads towards the driver's side door of the car. He grunts irritably as he throws the door open and turns the ignition on. "This is gonna be a long night... Again."

A/N: Yet again, sorry for the long wait on posting! The story is finally coming to its conclusion! Can't wait to finish this soon :) Couple more chapters is needed though! You wonder what's going to go down at this ranch, right? Please stay tuned and I love all of my readers!

I will try and post more frequently!