Chapter 20
Abby heard Ducky get up and leave, but she didn't bother looking up as she scrolled through page after page of social networks, looking for people who might have slipped past their radar, people who knew Boone's victims.
"Any luck, Miss Scuito?"
Abby spun around in her chair. "Director. I didn't even hear you- Wait, where is everybody? Oh, no. There's been another body, right? It's not one of the team, is it? Or somebody we know? I mean, not that it's OK if it's somebody we don't know because this dirtbag's killing innocent people to try and get his revenge on Gibbs or to try and imitate that sick freak Boone or-"
"Scuito." Vance glared at her.
"Sorry." She mimed zipping her lips.
"A corpsman out at Bethesda. We also have a gunny who was shot at Little Creek this morning on his way here, and I have a file on a sniper's death that was ruled natural causes back when the building was on lockdown during the FBI investigation of Director Shepard. I need you to re-examine that file, as well as have Dr. Mallard review it when he returns, to see if we need to exhume the body. Also, forensics for the Little Creek case and the Bethesda one should be coming in soon." Vance looked at her. "Until the team returns, I'm your protective detail. Anything I can help with?"
"Um, yeah, actually," And Abby was off explaining about her latest brainstorm. "So I figure it's a longshot, but everything about this case has been way out there and if we can't find a suspect through normal means, maybe it's because he's as abnormal as his logic for killing a bunch of people to get back at Gibbs — at Gibbs! — for catching Kyle Boone, and if we can find somebody this way, maybe we can stop him."
"Good thinking." Vance nodded. "If you can transfer this to one of your computers out there, I'll help." He handed her a file. "Meanwhile, you need to look at this."
~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~
When the team got to Bethesda, MPs were guarding the body where it had fallen, near the metal fence that surrounded part of the installation. Tony looked for the ranking sailor and started quizzing him about the body.
Once he had everything, he reported to Gibbs, who was examining the fence near the body.
"The chief master-at-arms said the corpsman had finished his shift at 0800, and the body was discovered at 0921," he said. "They checked with the front gate, who reported Corpsman Morgan routinely waited an hour or two after his shift to leave, said once he missed most of the traffic that way." Tony studied the body, which was clad in T-shirt, shorts and sneakers. "So he was walking or running around the base for exercise when our killer struck."
Gibbs nodded and pointed his pen at a spot on the fence. Tony leaned in and saw paint chipped from the steel bars. "That's fresh — no rust or signs of exposure of the metal," he said, scanning the scene again. "So our killer didn't get on base this time?"
"Seems like it," Gibbs said. "Question is, why?"
"We know he has base access, because he's been able to get on the Yard, Quantico and Little Creek." Tony frowned. "Bethesda isn't exactly the toughest base to get on, either — between the hospital and NIH, the security isn't as tight as most of the other facilities. It's like the Yard — a driver's license and a stated reason for being on the base will get you in."
Gibbs nodded, then looked at him like he was waiting for Tony to get to wherever Gibbs already was. Tony thought for a minute. "Wait, that means it must be a name that has a good reason to be on those three bases, somebody the guards would classify as a regular, but who doesn't have a good one for here. He couldn't risk getting flagged as an unusual name."
Gibbs smiled briefly.
Tony pumped his fist. "Boss, this tells us who we should look at — and there can't be that many people with clearance and regular reasons for being on all three bases. Dirtbag finally made his first mistake."
"Second," Gibbs said.
"What was the first?" Tony asked.
"Messing with my team."
~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~
While Ziva and Dorneget tagged and bagged the scene, McGee shot photos. He documented Ducky and Jimmy's examination of the body and the evidence collection. Once that was done, he stopped to talk to the sailor who discovered the body.
"It was weird," the master at arms said. "Yeah, we get dead bodies around here a lot, but in the hospital. We haven't had anything like this since that medical examiner shot himself a few years ago."
McGee looked over at the sailor. "Suicide? On base?"
The man nodded. "Yeah, it was really too bad, too. She'd only been here a couple of years, since the guy before her was arrested for selling body parts. I think you guys were the ones who busted him for that, Commander Ross."
McGee thought back, remembered the case. "We were. And his replacement killed herself?"
"Yeah, been two or three years, now. The overnight detail found her in her car, gun in hand, early one morning. They figured she'd killed herself the night before."
McGee made a note. He had a bad feeling this would make Body Number 12 — and it meant Abby was the only one who hadn't been targeted. That they knew of. At least she had Vance protecting her.
~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~
Today was my window for this first of the final kills, and it was a success. The expression on his face was one of a man who has seen this before, and yet did not expect it. I was careful to cover my tracks, except for the silver hearts. They will know this was my work, but they will not be able to find me. And I will watch and laugh as they grow more frantic hour by hour. I will watch the great Gibbs unravel as I strike again and again. Three more decoys, and I begin again in earnest, to strike at the heart of his team