Judgement: Chapter 21
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Joe's anger was simmering just below boiling as he entered the Med Center. His second and third phone calls to Deeks had gone unanswered and had caused a touch of fear to mingle with his anger. He had calmed himself after the first call and told himself Deeks had become upset after the firefight and gone off to be by himself to work things out. But, after his second call wasn't picked up, Joe had decided to try the hospital, rationalizing that Deeks needed to see his friends and talk about what was bothering him. That idea didn't set well with him, but he understood it. It was the third unanswered call that had added fear to the mix of emotions he was feeling. It was that empty feeling of cold fear that made him realized just how much Deeks had gotten under his skin in the last couple of weeks. He hadn't felt this close to a person since his brother had been killed and the thought that something might have happened to Deeks scared him and made him hurry to reach out to the people who knew him best.
It was late, so he knocked lightly at Callen's door before peeking inside. It was empty. A passing nurse directed him to the room down the hall where Sam Hanna had been moved to earlier in the day. He felt nervous as he knocked softly on the door before pushing it open. Callen sat in a wheelchair next to Sam's bed and the two of them looked surprised to see him.
"Hey, Joe," Sam said with a warm smile. "How's the FBI treating our favorite surfer?"
"Joe, where's Deeks?" Callen asked.
He had picked up on Joe's uneasiness immediately and his piercing blue eyes bore into the agent, making him take a deep breath before telling them about the firefight and the missed phone calls.
"You guys know him better than I do," Joe said when he finished. "Should I be worried or is this something he does when he's upset?"
"How's he been acting?" Sam asked.
"Quiet," Joe said. "After the firefight he kinda withdrew and didn't say much."
The two senior agents exchanged pointed looks before turning back to Joe.
"It's never good when he doesn't talk," Sam said. "But, not answering his own partner after three calls? That has me worried."
"Can't you track his phone?" Callen asked. "Or the GPS in the car he was driving?"
"Don't you have any techs over at the FBI?" Sam's voice rose as he questioned.
Joe could see the agitation and anger growing in the two men and it added to his own feelings of anxiety and alarm. He pulled his phone and called Tina on her private cell. If anybody could find Deeks it was Tina. When he looked up he saw Callen on his phone and sent a questioning look his way.
"Eric, it's Callen."
"What's up?" Eric asked. "You guys okay?"
"You told me Granger was tracking Deeks," Callen said. "Have you heard anything that might make you think Deeks is in trouble?"
"No, man, but I'll see what I can find out and let you know." Eric said and quickly rang off.
"Eric's got nothing," Callen said softly. "What about your guys?"
"Our guy is a she, Tina," Joe said, unable to keep the defensiveness out of his voice.
"Well, what's Tina got?" Callen wasn't even trying to hide his anger.
"Look, Callen, I'm as upset as you guys, so just ease up," Joe said.
"No, you're not," Sam said. "Deeks is one of us and has been for over two years. We care about him more than you know, so don't pretend you know how we feel."
"Sam, you're wrong," Joe said quietly. "I do care and it's tearing me up because I'm his partner and I should have been there for him after that firefight. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want to push him. You might have known him longer, but don't tell me I don't care."
"Okay. Just tell us Tina can track him," Callen said slowly.
"Tina, what did you find?" Joe said suddenly into his cell.
"His car and phone are both in Locke, Joe," Tina said. "Should I be worried?"
"Yeah, we all should be," Joe said softly and ended the call, dropping his head into his hand and staring stunned at the floor.
"Joe?" Sam said.
"The dumb-ass went to Locke," Joe said slowly. "And he's still there."
"Why would he go back there?" Callen said to no one in particular. "Did he have intel Lee Chao was there?"
"I would know if there was intel about that," Joe said. "Unless..."
"Unless what?" Sam asked.
"We know Lee Chao is in the Sacramento area," Joe said. "Maybe he went home to see his parents and Deeks just happened to see him there."
"That still doesn't explain what Deeks was doing there," Callen said.
"Doesn't matter," Joe said, standing up and pocketing his phone. "He's there now, and he's not answering his cell and that means something's wrong."
"Why wouldn't he call you if he spotted Lee Chao?" Sam asked. "He wouldn't take on the man by himself would he?"
"He wants this guy bad. You know that," Joe said as he paused by the door. "Seeing all of you get blown up and then watching you fight for your lives scared the shit out of him. He told me a little about his childhood and you guys are the closest thing to family he's got and what Lee Chao did to you has made him a different person."
"He's struggling with what he'll do when he finds this guy," Sam said quietly. "He wants to kill him, but that's not Deeks. He's too law abiding to just kill in cold blood."
"Maybe," Callen said. "But, if he found him tonight in Locke and went after him on his own, he already made that decision. And if he didn't kill him, then Lee Chao either has him or has already killed him, because no way Deeks wouldn't call you if he got the guy."
"Shit!" Joe said and pounded his fist once against the door.
The three men stayed silent for a long time, no one looking at the others.
"Take a tactical squad with you, Joe," Callen finally said dejectedly. "Times up for walking softly. Go into that town and turn it upside down."
"Find him, Joe," Sam said with a tremor in his voice. "Either way, you bring him home."
"I will," Joe said and left.
"We can't tell Kensi, G," Sam said as he stared at Callen.
"Hetty will want to know," Callen said as he punched in the number.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Callen?" Hetty answered.
"Deeks is in trouble," Callen said.
"How bad?" Hetty asked.
Callen related their conversation with Joe Atwood and he could hear her voice tremble as she asked a few pointed questions.
"Hetty, Granger's been tracking him somehow," Callen said. "Find out what he knows and call Joe. He's on his way down there."
Hetty assured him she would find out any information she could from Granger and get back to him.
"You think he's already dead, don't you G?" Sam said quietly.
"There's no reason to keep him alive," Callen replied.
"Unless Lee Chao wants information about what the FBI knows about his operation," Sam said.
"You've always been an optimist, Sam," Callen said with a smile.
"I just don't want to believe he's dead, G," Sam said.
"Me either," Callen said and then they sat together in silence.
It was almost midnight when Hetty called back and Callen could tell she was terribly angry by the sound of her voice on first words out of her mouth.
"Granger told Agent Scott to send a surveillance team to Locke," Hetty said. "Instead, that little toady sent a rookie agent, Will Pearson."
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Callen asked.
"That's not something I can answer, Mr. Callen," Hetty replied. "But he didn't check in on time and they are concerned. I told them Joe was going down there because Deeks was missing and all Granger wanted to know was how I knew that."
"What'd you tell him?" Callen asked.
"That's classified," Hetty said, making Callen laugh briefly. "Tell Joe to keep an eye out for Pearson. He and Mr. Deeks may be together. He was with Scott when they took Deeks into custody."
"Deeks might have spotted him," Callen said.
"Let's hope they're both alright," Hetty said. "I'm sending a photo of Mr. Pearson you can forward to Joe."
"I'll let you know when I hear something," Callen said.
"Please do, Mr. Callen," Hetty's voice wavered as she spoke and Callen knew she was taking this hard. They all were.
...
Joe Atwood was usually an easygoing guy, quick to joke and good at putting his men at ease. But that was not the Joe Atwood the tactical squad met this night. This night, they met up with the Joe Atwood who had lived through two tours in Afghanistan. He was steel-eyed and dead serious and no one made light comments because the look on his face was warning enough that the search for Deeks meant everything to him. There was no laughing and no one was at ease when they drove into Locke at one in the morning and parked directly outside Al the Wop's. Joe spread four of the six-man team around the entrance before sending two of the men off to find the car Deeks had been driving. Then he walked boldly into the dimly lit bar fully armed with an assault rifle and in battle dress, his vest proclaiming FBI in stark white letters.
"Anybody see Jimmy Satterlee tonight?" Joe asked loudly with a no nonsense voice that had everyone instantly alert.
"He walked in here just after the sun went down," the bartender said nervously. "Are you here to arrest him? I thought he was just a photographer."
"How long did he stay?" Joe asked firmly.
"He left about ten," the man said. "He was pretty drunk tonight and kinda quiet. Not talkative like he usually is."
"Did you see where he went after he left?" Joe asked.
"I walked out just after he did," one of the other patrons said. "He was headed up toward the museum the last I saw him."
"Any of you see this guy the last couple of days?" Joe said as he showed Pearson's photo around.
"Yeah. Nice kid," the bartender said. "Could nurse one beer for three, four hours. Didn't see him tonight though."
"He was always kinda snoopin' around," one of the locals said. "Is he a cop?"
"Why would you ask that?" Joe said, getting a bad feeling.
"He just looked like one," the man answered.
Joe walked back outside and most of the bar patrons followed, standing and watching as Joe was joined by the two squad members who reported that Deeks' car was still at the marina. Joe looked up the street and started walking toward the museum. His mind was racing as he recalled the historical research he had done as preparation for his undercover alias. He remembered the stories about underground passageways and if they really existed, then Lee Chao could have been using them all this time and no one would have ever known he was down there. The closer he got to the entrance the faster his heart began to beat. He quietly opened the doors and motioned to his men to use hand signals the rest of the way, as he moved silently inside, beaming his flashlight around the room, illuminating displays of old cards and roulette wheels. He noticed the door in the back was slightly ajar and he motioned his men to follow.
Joe looked down at the scuffmarks in the dust at the head of the old wooden stairs and took a deep breath. He listened for any sound and then motioned for extreme quiet before slowly starting down the dimly lit stairs. Darkness and silence greeted them at the bottom. The flashlights revealed a dirt path and a brick wall, but nothing at the end. Joe would have passed by the metal door if the man behind him hadn't tapped his shoulder. Joe nodded and the door was kicked in. He froze at the scene that appeared within the moving beams of the team's flashlights. Joe dropped his head to his chest as he stood before the dead body of the young NCIS agent. His chest was covered in blood from the wide cut across his throat and his pale eyes stared unseeing at the feet of the man in front of him.
"Shit!" Joe whispered.
He jumped as one of his men tapped his shoulder and pointed back out the door. Joe followed and looked where the agent's flashlight beam fell. There were footprints in the dirt and signs of someone being dragged between them and for the first time tonight Joe felt some hope. He moved quickly, motioning for his men to watch for side doors as their flashlight beams pierced the deepening darkness of the passageway. Suddenly they saw a brick wall in front of them and paused as their pathway ended and a new one ran off in opposite directions. Joe split up the team, sending three men down the passage on the left as he and the other three took the right. They began to pass more doors and Joe's hope began to fade as the passageway lengthened out and turned several times. Finally they saw light seeping under a doorway ahead and they slowed their pace. Joe motioned for his men to stop as he crept to the door and listened. He could hear two men taunting someone and froze as he heard them use the name of Deeks' alias, Jimmy. He pulled his service revolver and violently kicked open the door and shouted "FBI" at the shocked men inside.
One man dove for his gun, but Joe killed him with three shots to the chest. The other man stumbled back from a metal cage, dropping a cattle prod as the squad leader shot him down before he could say a word. Joe walked slowly to the cage in the middle of the room and almost retched when he saw what they had done to Deeks.
The room was lit by one industrial lamp that hung over the small metal cage in the center of the room. Deeks was suspended in the middle of it. He'd been stripped to the waist and his arms had been pulled up behind him and tied to the top of the metal grid above him, leaving him bent at the waist and knees, unable to stand up or to lie down. His face was covered in blood and his hair was matted with it. His ribs were badly bruised and the burn marks from the cattle prod were dark and mean against his pale skin. He wasn't moving and Joe trembled with rage as he rushed to get inside and free him. Yanking the door open he was forced to crawl on his hands and knees to reach him, wrapping his arms around him and supporting his body as one of the men cut the restraints away that bound him to the top of the cage. Joe heard a low groan as Deeks' arms dropped free and he lowered him to the floor and gently turned him over onto his back. With his men's help Joe pulled him out onto the brick floor and someone quickly covered him with their shirt. No one spoke, but the anger in the room was palpable as the men surrounded him. Joe lifted his head and tried to clean the blood from his face, causing Deeks to jerk away and cry out.
"It's okay, man, I got you," Joe said as he pulled him back into his arms. "You're safe now."
Deeks opened his eyes and smiled briefly, but it turned into a grimace of pain as he tried to sit up.
"He was here, Joe," Deeks whispered. "Lee Chao was just here."
"We missed him Deeks, I'm sorry," Joe said as he held him down.
"He had an NCIS agent, Joe," Deeks said slowly closing his eyes. "He had him killed right in front of me. Pearson shouldn't have been here, Joe. He should never have been here."
"We found him," Joe said softly.
"I should have called you, Joe," Deeks said.
"Yeah, you should have, you dumb-ass" Joe said. "You scared the shit out of all of us."
"I didn't want him to get away," Deeks said, his voice fading as he slowly lost consciousness.
Joe had to take several deep breaths to try and control his emotions as his men prepared a makeshift stretcher. He had only known Deeks for two weeks, but in that time the two men had forged a bond that was deeper than any Joe had made in his lifetime other than the one with his brother. Tonight, he thought he had lost him, and it had frightened him badly and made him realize just how much his new partner meant to him. Now, Lee Chao had made it personal for him and he intended to make him pay for what he had done to Deeks tonight.
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