Chapter 11

It was after midnight when Tony and Ziva made it back from the forest dirty and tired. They had found nothing.

McGee had gone through everything Abby had told them, highlighting the parts he thought they should follow up first.

He hesitated before calling the boss, but he figured he's be in more trouble if he didn't.

Gibbs grabbed for the phone, trying to silence it before it woke Abby. "Gibbs", he said softly.

"Boss, Tony and Ziva are back, they didn't find anything"

"nothing?" Gibbs was surprised, he had yet to meet a criminal who left nothing. "tell them to look harder"

"who's that?" a sleep filled voice from beside Gibbs asked.

Mentally he cursed but outwardly he whispered "McGee, go back to sleep"

"McGee, MCGEE! Give me the phone" Abby sat up and pulled the phone from Gibbs.

"Timmy, I just remembered, Kathy said, the last thing she said to me was to tell you something"

"Abby, slow down, what was the message?"

Gibbs looked at her, fear and disappointment flickering across his face, why would Kathy use her last words to leave a message for McGee?

"she said, something like 'I hope you get all the bugs out of your apartment"

"what?" McGee and Gibbs were both puzzled.

Gibbs took the phone back "McGee, that mean anything to you?"

"Uh, nope….oh, wait of course! The bug! Boss, I'm so sorry I didn't think of this earlier"

"MCGEE! What the hell are you talking about?"

"I think Kathy has a bug with her, boss, we should be able to hear everything that is being said within 50 feet of it"

Gibbs hung up. "Come on Abs, we're going back to the office"

By the time Gibbs and Abby got back to the office, McGee had the receiver set up and connected to a recorder.

"Anything?"

"not yet boss, it takes a little time to pick up the signal because of the encryptions, but once we've got it, we won't lose it, no matter where it goes"

"Can we track it?"

"No, it uses GSM technology.." McGee caught his bosses look and changed his explanation "uh, I mean, it uses satellites which are always moving"

"Use the bed in Abby's lab, we sleep in shifts 2 at a time. David, DiNozzo you first"

Tony was too tired to make any kind of glib remark about having been given permission to sleep with Ziva, sleep was all that on his mind.

It took 3 hours for the receiver to start giving up it's secrets, faintly at first but getting gradually stronger.

McGee double checked the recorder was working and cracked the volume.

"His choice was never in doubt, besides if he hadn't picked Abby I would have killed him" Kathy's voice was full of pain.

"You do know you're going to die"

"Aye, but everyone dies"

"How do you feel knowing that your precious Gibbs is killing you?" The kidnappers voice was taunting

"1. he's not mine. 2. he's not killing me, you are" Kathy was becoming angry

The kidnapper laughed, the sound chilled Gibbs blood.

"I notice you didn't say he wasn't precious, you love him don't you?"

"Like jelly tots"

"meaning?" the kidnappers tone turned nasty

"it means what it means" Kathy tried to keep her voice defiant but Gibbs could hear the fear

The next sounds they heard were of a hard blow and Kathy's gasp of pain. Gibbs anger grew and he struggled to stay put.

"Where the hell are they McGee?" he asked without really expecting an answer but McGee replied

"I've built a programme that will narrow the search area with every piece of information we can feed in, we don't know that much right now, so we're looking at an area in the national forest about 80 kms in diameter"

"Good work, McGee. Abs, can you help him, go over everything you remember about where you were being held?"

"Abs, you know what the jelly tots comment was all about?"

"No idea Gibbs, sorry"

"don't apologise" Gibbs response was automatic

Gibbs called Ducky "Jethro it's 4am"

"Ducky, what does it mean if someone says jelly tots"

"jelly tots? Jelly tots are sweets Jethro"

"Sweets? That makes no sense"

"what doesn't, Jethro maybe if you tell me the whole story I will be more help"

"Kathy has a bug, McGee has tapped into it, the kidnapper asked her if she loved " he hesitated " me, and she replied with 'like jelly tots"

"oh Jethro, in that context it means 'lots and lots' jelly tots are tiny sweets, and an old advertising campaign ran the strap line 'I love you, lots and lots like jelly tots"

Gibbs felt his throat tighten, he was spared having to reply, he hung when Kathy's voice came over the speaker again.

"you better go if you're going, scum bag, leave here and start running, don't ever stop because if you do Gibbs is going to be right behind you, and if not Gibbs, someone else" Kathy's voice was full of venom

Someone else – Gibbs stiffened then sprinted up the stairs, he threw open the door to the directors office, knowing Vance was still there.

"Who the hell does she work for Vance, and spare me any bullshit"