Chapter 24 – Losses
Tim McGee
Late January 1933
"Come on Tony," he said chiding his partner as he stood by the door to their apartment.
"McGee, it is six in the morning," Tony said grumpily from his bedroom. "Why on earth do you want to leave this early?"
"I don't want to leave this early," he retorted. "But if we don't leave now, it'll take forever to get to the office with the snow and I have a ton of work to do."
"You know for being a double agent, you sure are a model employee for Mr. Napolitano," Tony said sourly as he entered the living room still buttoning his shirt. "Jimmy has got people who aren't trying to take him down who don't work even half as hard as you do."
He frowned. Ever since they had started tipping the Bureau about Jimmy's network, his hours at the office had slowly increased until it was like he was working two full time jobs. It was a testament to how much impact their raids had on Jimmy's network and how much Jimmy trusted him to run his business.
"Thanks," he said as Tony pulled on his coat. "Make me feel even worse," he said sourly.
"That wasn't what I meant," Tony retorted as he reached the door and collected his overcoat. "I meant you're overcompensating for your guilt."
"You think I'm overdoing it?" he asked.
"Yes," Tony retorted emphatically.
He frowned as he thought about his actions over the last month.
"But am I over-overdoing it?" he asked.
"I don't know what that means," Tony said with a sigh as he pulled on his coat. "It's way too early and I haven't had my coffee yet, McGee."
"I mean," he said. "Does it seem like I'm overdoing it because I feel guilty? Or does it seem like I'm overdoing it because I'm dedicated?"
"Does it matter?" Tony asked annoyed.
"Yes," he retorted. "Because if it's the former, it could get me made as the mole. If it's the latter, then it means I'm just trying to help in a bad situation."
Tony relaxed. "I dunno McGee," he said. "You know Napolitano better than I do. Do you think he suspects anything?"
"Not that I can tell," he replied. "Come on. There were more raids last night. I know it's going to be a busy day and I don't want to be late to Quicksilver tonight."
"Oh goody," Tony said as he opened their apartment door. "An early morning and a late night."
"What are you complaining about?" he asked as they left their apartment, locking the door behind them. "You can take a nap while I'm working and you get to see Ziva tonight."
Tony frowned but didn't say anything as he walked down the hall towards the elevator.
"Tony?" he asked as he hastily hurried to catch up to his partner. "Did something happen?" he asked as Tony hit the call button for the elevator. "Tony?" he asked in concern.
"Ziva isn't actually speaking to me right now," Tony admitted finally.
"What?" he asked. "Why?"
But before Tony could answer, the elevator door opened. Pringle stepped out and held the door open for them.
"Morning Boss," Pringle said. "Mr. DiNozzo."
"Pringle," he said with a sigh as he entered the elevator. "What did I tell you about calling me Boss?"
"That I shouldn't," Pringle replied.
"Why do you call him boss?" Tony asked as he entered the elevator.
Pringle joined them and closed the elevator door. "Because he works for Mr. Napolitano," Pringle said as if it were obvious. "Which kinda makes him my boss."
He glanced at Tony. They had long suspected that the doormen were on Napolitano's payroll as additional security but they hadn't suspect that Dallas and Pringle were being paid by Napolitano.
"You're employed by Mr. Napolitano?" Tony asked.
"Not strictly," Pringle replied. Tony stared at Pringle until the young man withered. "I don't get paid but the boys out front are and they asked us to keep an eye on your floor. You know, make sure that no one is acting suspiciously. We're supposed to give them the heads up as an extra layer of security."
"I see," Tony said, relaxing slightly.
"What do you do for Mr. Napolitano?" Pringle asked eagerly. "You must be pretty important."
"You're better off not knowing," Tony said. "Start the elevator, Pringle."
"Yes, sir," Pringle said as he hastily worked the controls.
When they reached the ground floor, he stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. When he realized that Tony hadn't followed him, he turned back in time to see Tony talking to Pringle. The young man paled and nodded furiously. He rolled his eyes as Tony caught up to him, grinning. "What did you say to the poor kid?"
"I strongly suggested he keep his nose out of business that's above his pay grade," Tony replied.
"He's not being paid by Naps," he retorted.
"Exactly," Tony said as they left their lobby and stepped out into the snow.
"Keep warm, Dwayne," he said as they passed him. Dwayne, bundled in a heavy overcoat, scarf, hat and gloves nodded.
They hurried to their car and quickly brushed the few inches of snow from the hood and windscreen. They got inside and Tony started the car. For the first minute, the heater only blew cold air but by the time they reached the end of their street, the car had warmed nicely.
"Don't you dare say anything about that heater," he said as he saw Tony's grin. "Yes, I fully appreciate the special order."
"You say that like you're against ordering anything that isn't off the rack," Tony said as he looked at him. "You mean to tell me you've never special ordered anything?"
"Do suits count?" he asked.
"No," Tony replied. "Unless you're telling me you ordered special material."
He shook his head, as he thought. "No, I can't think of anything."
"You're missing out, McGee," Tony said as he hit a pothole, throwing him into the car door. He winced as his arm was crushed between his holster and the door.
"Wait," he said.
Tony hit the brakes. "What?" Tony asked in alarm.
"No, keep going," he said with a grin. "I just realized, I have special ordered something." Tony rolled his eyes. "My pistol," he said.
"You special ordered your pistol?" Tony asked.
"I'll explain when we get to the office," he said with a grin.
"Is it some super, crazy, top-secret, proto-type pistol?" Tony asked skeptically. "And if so, why didn't I know about it?"
"No, it isn't a Heat-Ray," he said wryly. Tony looked at him questioningly. "From The War of the Worlds?" he said probingly. "H.G. Wells' story?" he asked.
"Never heard of it," Tony said. "Let me know when it's on the radio or made into a movie."
He rolled his eyes. "You're obsessed with movie's Tony," he said. "They'll never replace a good book."
"You keep your books, I'll take the movies," Tony said as he pulled into a parking spot in front of Napolitano's office. "Now what's this about your pistol?"
"I'm left-handed," Tim replied. "I had to special order it to have the safety on the opposite side." He drew his pistol and handed it to Tony. "See?"
"Oh yeah," Tony said as he traded the pistol from his left to his right hand. "Never thought about that. You've had that pistol for years."
He nodded. "I bought it when I was recruited into ONI," Tim replied as he slipped it back into his holster. "Special order."
He grinned but Tony wasn't nearly so amused.
Getting out of the car, he grabbed his briefcase and hurried through the cold with Tony on his heels.
"So why isn't Ziva talking to you?" he asked as they entered the office building, stamping the snow from their feet. Tony frowned. "You were hoping I had forgotten about that, hadn't you?"
"Kinda," Tony replied. "You know, I'm not entirely sure what happened."
Forgoing the elevator, they entered the stairwell and started walking.
"Things were going really well between you, I thought," he said. "You spent Christmas together and even shared a room."
"I told you," Tony said. "I slept on the couch."
"You did say that," he said even though he didn't believe his partner. There had been blankets on the couch the next morning but they were too neat. Either Tony made the couch up when he got up on Christmas Day or he hadn't actually slept on the couch. "You looked pretty stuck on each other at Quicksilver's New Year's Party," he said.
"Yeah," Tony replied. "Things have been going great. Then last week, we were just talking in her dressing room and I guess I was being too evasive and she got mad. I wanted to know everything about her but I wasn't willing to share anything about myself. She called it a second standard."
"Second standard?" he asked as he stepped out into the lobby of his office.
"I'm pretty sure she means double standard," Tony replied. "And she's not wrong, Tim. You've heard the same rumors I have."
"That she's a spy for hire?" he asked. Tony nodded. "I don't believe it. She's been at Quicksilver for almost a year, don't you think she would have found what she had been hired to find by now?"
Tony stared at him incredulously. "You really just asked me that?" Tony asked.
He stopped and thought for a moment. Suddenly it hit him that they had been under cover for almost two years in Tony's case. He smiled wryly at his partner.
"She told me that I should take some time to think about things and that If I can't be open with her, then she should no longer be open to discussing things with me," Tony finished. "Who knows when she'll start speaking to me again."
"Sorry, Tony," he said as he opened the door to the office.
"McGee!" Napolitano said, startling him. "Good! I'm glad you're here!"
Blinking in surprise, he was faced with Jimmy Napolitano. From the looks of things, it seemed like the portly man had been waiting for him to come into the office. On second glance, he realized that Jimmy might have been waiting for him since last night.
"Good morning, Mr. Napolitano," he said as he regained his composure. Movement to the left caught his eye where he saw Pale Dale sitting in one of the reception area chairs. He seemed paler than usual and like Napolitano, he seemed to be wearing the same clothes from yesterday.
"Whatcha do to Pale Dale, Mr. Napolitano?" Tony asked as he looked at the man.
"Nothing," Jimmy said. "We've just been talking." Dale's eyes widened alarmingly.
"I take it Ms. Stegman isn't in yet," he said. Dale shook his head. "Tony, Dale looks like he could use some coffee," he said. "Think you could make some up?"
"Yeah," Tony said. "I could use some too. Come on Dale."
"Bring us the pot when you're done, DiNozzo," Jimmy said. "I know I'm ambushing you, Tim but we need to talk."
"I can see that," he said. "After you, Mr. Napolitano."
He followed Jimmy to his office where he found many of the ledgers sitting on his desk.
"I take it something happened," he said dryly as he removed his coat and hat.
"Of course!" Jimmy said. "More raids last night."
"Have you been here since last night?" he asked.
"No, I enjoy wearing the same suit two days in a row," Jimmy retorted. "I'm sorry," Jimmy said quickly. "I'm a bit… perturbed by recent events and I only caught a few hours sleep in the lounge."
"What about Dale?" he asked.
"He came in a half hour ago," Jimmy replied. "I thought he might be you."
"And you were waiting at the door like you were for me," he said with a chuckle. "That explains why Dale looked paler than usual. Why did you spend the night at the office?"
Jimmy looked at him. "You mean you didn't know?" He shook his head. "There were more raids last night." He did his best to look surprised. "If you didn't know, then why are you in so early?"
"I wanted an early start," he said. "I was hoping to be able to leave a little early to spend some extra time with Abby tonight. I've been working so much lately, we haven't had much time together."
"Ah," Jimmy said. "Well I hate to burst your bubble, Tim, but we might be in for a long one."
"Well then, let's get to work," he said as he set his briefcase down. Jimmy nodded and collected his chair.
Soon they were neck deep in figures, inventory, and contingency plans. And none of it was looking too good. The raids last night were the latest well-coordinated strikes against Jimmy's network. Considering he was the one coordinating the raids, he wasn't surprised.
"You can curse all you want Jimmy," he said mildly. "But it doesn't change the bottom line. We've been at this for hours and math is math."
"Thanks," Jimmy said sourly as he looked at Tim. "Like I don't know that." He sighed. "If I hadn't known better, I'd say Fornell was the one doing us in. But he can't be. It feels like Fornell disappeared off the face of the planet. He certainly isn't anywhere in the tri-state area or the District."
"He's got to be long gone," Tim mused. Gibbs had told him that he had a safe house for Fornell but neither he nor Tony wanted any details. As far as he knew, only Gibbs and Leon Vance knew exactly where Fornell and his family was hiding. "I know I would be if it were me."
Jimmy snorted. "He's long gone all right," Jimmy said. "I still have associates looking for him but there's been nary a whisper about him. If Boone wasn't so pissed, I'd have thought he finished the job and just didn't tell me."
"Well he isn't telling me either," he said. "Then again, I don't think he likes me much. Not since DiNozzo belted him and I nearly put a bullet between his ribs."
Jimmy snorted. "I heard you about shot him," Jimmy said. He nodded. "Woulda served him right. Between breaking into your place and threatening your girl, no one would have blamed you for it."
"I know," he replied. "But it would have been more trouble than it was worth. Besides, I needed him to find Fornell. Too bad he failed."
"If Fornell knows what's good for him, he'll stay missing," Napolitano said. He looked at Jimmy in surprise. "I wouldn't want to be him if Boone catches up to him. If you think Boone is bad normally, can you imagine him with a grudge?" He frowned. "Yeah, I know. Boone's a nasty piece of work but he's got his uses."
"It does explain why you don't fire him," he said. Jimmy looked at him, questioningly. "I imagined Boone with a grudge."
Jimmy snorted but then looked disturbed.
"Some of these operations are new since Fornell vanished," Jimmy said, changing the subject. "And we're still getting hit by the cops," Jimmy said waving his hands in frustration. "At least when he was around, he had tipped us off to some of the raids. Now we don't even get that." Jimmy sighed. "It was a mistake to go after him. He wasn't our turncoat."
"Probably not," he said in agreement. "But for the record, I agreed with you. He seemed like the likeliest leak."
Jimmy snorted. "Yeah well, then we were both wrong."
He nodded. "And since he disappeared," he said as he glanced at his notes. "We've been hit from every angle and at almost every level."
"Almost?" Jimmy asked as he paused his pacing to look at him.
"Well they haven't come after you yet," he retorted.
Jimmy snorted and allowed a small smile to creep across his face. "I like how you can keep up your humor in the face of adversity, Timothy."
"It comes from living with DiNozzo for almost a year," he replied. "That man is better at sabotaging himself better than anyone I've ever met." Jimmy looked at him for an explanation. "I'm not sure what happened but he managed to make Miss David mad at him, again. She's not speaking to him."
"I wish I only had that problem," Jimmy said as he returned to his pacing. "I've plugged every possible leak, Tim."
"You have," he agreed.
"I've bribed every official in the Bureau who might know who's got it in for me," Napolitano continued.
"Yes."
"And I'm still getting hit like a freakin' piñata," Jimmy finished as he collapsed into the chair opposite of him.
"Since this started, I've been over the books a hundred times," he said. "I don't think just one person has turned. I think someone is getting information from multiple sources. Then he's putting the puzzle pieces together and tipping off the Bureau."
"Puzzle pieces?" Jimmy asked.
He took a deep breath and did his best to explain the investigative process as Gibbs had explained it to him when he first joined Gibbs' team. "Ok. When I worked at the Office of Naval Intelligence we wouldn't have any trouble finding the big things. Those usually jump out at you. It's the little things that take some digging to find. Most of the time, it isn't the obvious things that lead you to solving a case. People guard secrets; they don't guard the little things."
Jimmy shook his head. "I don't follow."
"Ok," he said changing tact. "Take one of my old cases for an example. ONI gets tipped off that a contractor is doing shoddy work to save money. First thing you do is confirm the tip. The work is shoddy; that's the big thing," Jimmy nodded. "Then, you start interviewing everyone at the company from the owner all the way down to the mail room clerk to find out what they knew and when they knew it."
"Right," Jimmy said nodding.
"Now the guys at the top, the ones that know they're doing shoddy work, they're going to be tight lipped. They know better than to say anything that will incriminate them. But the mail room clerk, he's pretty chatty."
"But what's the clerk going to know about the company operations?" Jimmy asked, puzzled.
He smiled. "Oh, he knows more than anyone at the top gives him credit for. And that's what makes him dangerous because he also doesn't know to keep his mouth shut. He's eager to please and he wants to prove that he's in the know. All he has to do is say the wrong thing to the investigator and next thing you know, ONI has the proof it needs to take down the whole company."
"So, you're saying I need to watch out for the mail boy?" Jimmy asked. "The closest thing I've got to a mail boy is the boys that run messages for me."
"Chip," he mused.
"None of them are named Chip," Jimmy replied without thinking.
"Oh, I know," he said hastily. "One of the boys that runs messages to Abby is named Charles something or other. Abby calls him Chip. He hates it."
"I can imagine why. So, my leak is this Chip?"
"Maybe not him exactly. It isn't a perfect analogy." Jimmy nodded. "It's no secret that you're in a business that's less than legal by the current laws." Jimmy snorted but didn't say anything. "But there is never any evidence to tie you to said illegal activities. The Bureau can't go after you but they can go after your businesses."
"And they have."
"Yes," he said brushing him off. "But our problem is to figure out how. It might be something as simple as someone talking about a routine delivery. We need to start our own investigation just like the Bureau. If we follow their footsteps we'll figure out where they're getting all their information and we can plug the leaks."
Jimmy sighed. "I like your dedication, Timothy. But I don't think we have the time to do an investigation like what you're talking about. We'd need an army of people asking all sorts of questions."
He shrugged. "That is the downside. They're only looking for the haystack while we're looking for the needle. And they have been investigating you for years. With the mountain of information, they have on you, someone could be connecting the dots. Hell, there might not even be a mole in your operation. They could just have a savvy new investigator in the Bureau."
"If so, he's staying anonymous," Jimmy said. "My inside source hasn't got a clue who is tipping the Bureau off about my businesses."
Jimmy stood up and started to pace again. He watched him without for nearly fifteen minutes while Jimmy tried to work out his problem. He didn't interrupt. After working with Jimmy for nearly a year, he knew that the man needed time to work out his problems.
He patiently waited for Jimmy to decide his course of action.
"I know when I'm beat," Jimmy said suddenly. He blinked at Jimmy in surprise. "You heard me right. I know when to throw in the towel."
"You'd quit?" he asked.
Jimmy smiled sadly. "I don't want to give up but the G-men are going to bleed me dry. I'll be in the poor house. That apartment I found you in will be a palace in comparison." He thought back to his last place and cringed. "I'm an old man, Timothy. I can't live like that. I'd rather cut my losses and enjoy my retirement."
"So, what are you saying, Jimmy?" he asked.
Jimmy took a moment to think. Then he looked at him, his decision made. "I want you to start consolidating my assets. It's time that I retire from the entertainment business."
"Retire?" he asked.
"You heard right," Napolitano said. "The timing might be right too. I'm sure you've heard the same things I have. There's a movement to repeal Prohibition and if they do, there won't be a need for my services."
"People will still want to go out for a drink, Jimmy," he countered.
"Yeah but they won't want to go to a club located in the basement of a factory," Jimmy replied. "No matter how nice it is, it ain't the Hay-Adams." He nodded. He couldn't argue against that. "I'd rather be ahead of the curve than behind the eight ball."
"I suppose," he said even as his mind raced but he couldn't settle on one thought before another pushed it out of his head. What would this mean for their case? What did Napolitano mean by consolidate his assets. What would happen to Quicksilver? Would they ever find the true mole? Was Jimmy going to skip town before they could arrest him. "Some would say now is the time to pivot and change your business direction."
"Some would," Jimmy replied. "But those men are far younger than I am, Tim. I'm not saying that we have a fire sale and get rid of everything! Some assets will be transferred to my son to provide for his future and I'm sure he'll want to keep some businesses for himself," Jimmy said with mild distaste. He smiled slightly as he realized that Jimmy was referring to the brothels that Little Ricky oversaw. "And there are a few trusted and loyal men that I would like to reward for their service to me."
"I see," he said.
"But I think I deserve some rest and relaxation after working since I was a little bambino," Jimmy said. He nodded in agreement. "I think that a change in location is required for my retirement," Jimmy finished.
"You better be going south," he said as he glanced through the door to the window in Jimmy's office. It was snowing again.
Jimmy chuckled. "I was thinking the same thing. Something tropical is called for. What do you think about Havana?"
He shrugged. "I've never been there."
But at once he was thinking about the logistics. Cuba was independent but the United States had been meddling in her affairs for years, which had led to political instability. Even in Europe, he had heard rumors of several uprisings in the last few years although none of them had been successful. He didn't doubt that Jimmy had the ability to navigate through an uprising and still come out on top.
"Oh, you are missing out my boy! When we get things ironed out, you'll have to visit. My family has a villa in Miramar, Ciudad de La Habana. Lovely neighborhood. Palm trees line the road. Fine restaurants. Great clubs. It's hard to ask for more."
"Well tropical doesn't sound so bad right now," he muttered. He didn't look back towards Jimmy's window or the snow that was flying by the glass. It was too depressing.
"There is a branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia near my family estate. Can you set up accounts with them from here?" Jimmy asked.
"I don't see why not," he said as he thought through the logistics. "I may need to put myself on your account until the transactions are completed. Once we're through, I'll remove my name."
"Sure thing, Timothy. I trust you," Jimmy said.
He looked at Jimmy. "That means a lot to me Jimmy. Really." In spite of Napolitano's ruthless business etiquette, he had come to respect his business mind. And he knew that trust, especially these days, was hard to come by. Granted, those trust issues were because of him and to a point he felt a little guilty about that. But then he remembered Fornell and his family and those feelings went away.
Mostly.
But not really.
Jimmy smiled sadly at him. "Ten months is too short of a business partnership, Timothy." Jimmy sighed. "You'll receive a substantial severance package, of course."
"Thank you," he said with a nod.
"It's the least I can do after all the hard work you've put in," Napolitano said.
"What about your properties?" he asked.
"Concerned about your bird's club?" Jimmy asked astutely.
"Among other things," he replied cautiously. "You own my apartment and I've become quite fond of living there."
Jimmy chuckled heartily. "I understand completely Tim, my boy!" Jimmy replied. "I'd want to know if my place was going to be sold out from under me too. We'll consider it part of your severance package."
"That's very generous of you, Jimmy," he said honestly pleased. Being deeded a luxury apartment would be nice compensation for years of undercover work.
"Whether you choose to let DiNozzo live with you will be your choice."
He shrugged. "I see no need to throw him out. He's grown on me," he replied.
"So does mold," Jimmy retorted. "Ah but what am I saying. If you could fall for the strange bird that runs Quicksilver, then it should be no surprise that you'd make friends with your hired body guard."
"So, what will happen to clubs like Quicksilver?" he asked, pressing. He'd hate for Abby's club to be sold out from under her feet. The chances that the new owner would allow her to continue managing the club were slim. Even with her track record, women weren't often afforded business opportunities like running a first-class social club like Quicksilver.
"Some liquidation will have to occur," Jimmy replied. "But I think I'll hang onto some of my assets like Quicksilver. But we'll get to that in due time. It's going to take some time to consolidate my holdings and see that my properties are sold off to the right people. I'd hate to inadvertently help that slimy Frenchmen. No matter what we do Timothy, we do not allow the Frog to profit from my demise even if it means burning my empire to the ground. I'd rather see it destroyed than in his hands."
He nodded knowing that Jimmy was dead serious. And he knew that even if Jimmy wanted to preserve Quicksilver, he would rather see it destroyed than in the hands of a rival.
"Very well," he replied. He carefully gathered up his notes and pulled out a fresh pad of paper. This was going to take a lot of effort. "Shall we get started?"
"Nah," Jimmy said as he looked at the clock. It wasn't quitting time yet but it was close. "We'll start fresh on Monday. That'll give me time to think about what I'd like to keep." He nodded. "But once we get started, I don't want to see you spending nights here. I didn't build my empire in a day and I don't expect you to dismantle it in that amount of time either."
"Of course not," he said. After the Jimmy shut the door, he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. This was going to be interesting.
They had the evidence necessary to arrest Jimmy but they were holding out in hopes that they could take down Jimmy's high-ranked inside source. Worst case, they figured it was possible to get the source's name from Jimmy after he was arrested but it would require a deal and they didn't want that.
This was definitely a development that he needed to discuss with Tony and Gibbs.
Putting his glass back on, he began to clear up his desk.
When he was through, he grabbed his briefcase and made his way towards the lounge. Tony was playing cards with another man. From the layout on the table, it looked like they were playing Five-card Stud.
"Call," Tony said.
"Two pair," the other man said. "Jacks over threes."
"Hiding the pocket jacks," Tony mused before he lay his cards down. "Straight to the queen." The other man frowned as Tony picked up the pile of coins they had been playing for. "Hey Tim. Done already?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Getting in early paid off."
"Good," Tony said as he stood. "I want you to meet Jim Kidwell. Jim, this is Thom Gemcity." They shook hands. "He's Danny O'Donnell's replacement. If something happens and I'm not around, Jim is the guy that will go with you."
He nodded as he sized up Jim. The guy was fit and well-muscled and there was something about his haircut…
"Nice to meet you Mr. Gemcity," Jim said. "I know Tony doesn't select a backup lightly so I'm honored."
"There's good reason that Tony has his job, so I trust his instincts when selecting a backup," he said.
Tony grabbed his coat and hat.
"We'll pick this up again Monday and I'll take you for more of your pocket money," Tony said with a grin.
"We'll see," Jim replied.
They left the office and hurried outside.
"So that's who you found to replace Danny O'Donnell," he mused as they cleared the snow from the car. "His disappearance was a bit mysterious, wasn't it?"
"No," Tony replied. "He got pinched by Grenouille's men when he was trying to infiltrate one of his bootlegging operations. He turned up dead a few weeks ago. Poisoned. Ducky just made his ID when his landlord reported him missing after Danny didn't pay his rent."
"Well there are worse ways to go," he said even as he frowned. Danny had been Tony's usual fill in for the few days that he took off. Granted, those days were rare but frequent enough that he got to know Danny passably well and he was sorry to hear he had been killed. "So, Jim Kidwell is my new governess?"
"Oh uh," Tony replied as they got into the car. "Yeah. Good guy, former marine. I trust him with my life."
He got into the car. "You mean with my life," he said with a hint of a smile. A new body guard meant that he would have to be on guard to make sure he didn't do anything that might make him suspicious. And a new body guard meant that Tony was planning to actually take a day off.
"Never," Tony replied. After a second, he deflated. "Ok yes. I am trusting him with your life. But he is a good guy, Tim. He took this job working for Naps because he has two kids and any other job he's had couldn't pay as well. I've known him since I started working for Naps and I absolutely trust him."
"I know," he said while Tony pulled out into the road. "I know you wouldn't pick someone unless you absolutely trusted them."
"I don't plan on using him for a while yet so you have time to get to know him. If you don't like him, I'll start looking again," Tony said.
"I'll let you know," he said. "Do you know if Gibbs is going to be at Quicksilver tonight?" he asked.
"Why?" Tony asked.
"Just answer the question," he said sternly.
"Yeah, I talked to him yesterday. He said he'd be there when I told him we were going tonight," Tony said suddenly concerned. "Why? What happened?"
"Nothing bad," he said to alleviate Tony's immediate concerns. "But there's been a development."
"You're not going to tell me," Tony said dryly. He shook his head. "That's just mean."
He snorted but remained silent as they drove to Quicksilver. They parked a few blocks away and hurried to the entrance. As soon as they knocked, Simon opened the slot and let them inside.
"You're early today Tim," Simon remarked as they stamped the snow from their shoes. "Tony convince you to play hooky?"
"Not this time," Tim replied.
"He dragged me out of our apartment before six this morning," Tony said sourly.
"You took a nap," he countered causing Tony to shrug. "Gibbs isn't in yet, is he? I know he likes to come in early before the band starts."
"He's been here for the last hour," Simon said as he opened the door to the club. "Abby asked him to come by to look at something in her apartment."
"Great," Tim replied.
"In need of a handyman?" Simon asked.
"Mechanic," he replied. "We were hoping that Gibbs would give us his opinion before we took it to the shop. You can't trust most mechanics not to inflate the repair costs."
"Ain't that the truth," Simon said.
Nodding, they started down the stairs.
"You know it's disturbing how good you've gotten at lying since you took this job," Tony remarked.
"Tell me about it," he replied as they reached the club.
The main room was a hive of activity as various workers went about their jobs before the club opened for the night. Fresh tablecloths had been spread on the tables and a waitress was putting fresh candles in the table lamps. Burley was polishing the bar and took a moment to wave to them. The bass player was tuning his massive instrument before the others came out to warm up.
Passing through the club, they walked backstage and made their way up into Abby's apartment.
"Abby?" Tim called as he knocked on the door.
"It's open!" Abby called. Pushing the door open, they found Abby leaning against the bathroom door. She was already dressed for work and had on a gray cocktail dress with a black lace overlay overtop. Her hair was pulled up into the tight knobs on either side of her head and she wore red beaded necklace with matching drop earrings. "You're early," Abby said with a smile.
"Hey," he said with a smile. "Where's Gibbs?" he asked as he looked around. "Simon said he was up here."
"Down here," Gibbs said. He looked around Abby and saw Gibbs was lying on his back, working on Abby's sink. "I'm working on yet another sink."
"At least it isn't a men's room," Tony said with a grin.
"Something you need, McGee?" Gibbs asked.
"Had an interesting day with Jimmy," he said. Gibbs looked at him. "He's throwing in the towel."
Gibbs blinked in surprise and jolted. That loosened the bolt enough that the pipes separated, dousing him with water from the sink. Gibbs sputtered and sat up, wiping his face with his handkerchief.
"He's what?" Tony asked in surprise.
"Retiring," he reiterated. "He asked me to begin to consolidate his assets," Tim replied. "After all his losses, he's going to retire from the entertainment business."
"When?" Gibbs asked.
"Not any time soon," he said. "It could take me weeks to consolidate the funds he has tied up in his illegal businesses. But he wants to liquidate his clubs before the BOIs can take him down and before Prohibition is repealed." Abby opened her mouth to object. "He asked me to think that if there are better options if I really thought people would want to go a club in the basement of a factory, even if it is really nice."
Abby frowned but didn't argue.
"This is good, isn't it?" Tony asked.
"Yeah," Gibbs said. "We wanted to take him down. Consolidating his assets will make it easier to find everything when we arrest him."
"As long as he doesn't skip town first," Tony said. "Is he planning to skip town?"
"That's his plan," Tim replied. "His family has a home in Havana. He asked me to make arrangements to transfer his money there."
"What about Quicksilver?" Abby asked.
He shook his head. "I don't know for sure yet. Naps said he was going to make some decisions over the weekend. He isn't going to get rid of everything and some assets he's going to leave to trusted associates."
"You asked, didn't you?" Tony asked wryly.
"Yes," he replied unapologetically. "But I also asked about our apartment," he added. Tony looked at him expectantly. "It's part of my severance package."
"Sweet," Tony said.
"Hey," Gibbs said. "You might not get to keep that apartment. If Naps bought it with laundered money, it could be seized." Tony's expression fell. "But we'll get to that eventually. Keep an eye on him Tim. If he looks like he's going to rabbit, you let us know."
"I know," he replied. "And I'll keep my ears open for anything on the mole. It'd be better to find out who it is before we have to cut a deal with Jimmy." Gibbs nodded approvingly.
"Your plan is working McGee," Tony said, pleased. "Way to go McGee!"
"Don't get cocky, DiNozzo," Gibbs warned. "Napolitano is vulnerable. That means he'll be a target of the BOIs and his enemies. We're not done yet. A lot of things can still go wrong."
Author's Note: One of the more interesting issues I've had while writing this story is technology or the lack thereof. Tim makes reference to a Heat-Ray which was a very early version of a Ray Gun (which is what I had wanted him to say) or as we would know it from our modern science fiction, a phaser or a blaster. Science Fiction didn't really gain popularity until the late thirties and early forties. Buck Rogers was published in 1928 in the pulp magazine, Amazing Stories and Flash Gorden's initial publishing date was January 7, 1934. Tim was overseas and likely wouldn't have gotten the Amazing Stories magazine and he's been too overworked to read a comic book. So that pretty much leaves me with H.G. Wells as my source for Tim's science fiction geekery. All things considered though, Wells is still a good source.
With that, we're coming down to the end. Three more chapters to go before this fun ride is over. I'll leave you all with a quote from the esteemed Samuel L. Jackson from the original Jurassic Park: "Hold onto your butts." :)