Chapter 36
Washington
Gibbs' basement

Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli looked, and looked, and looked some more at the framework of the boat that Leroy Jethro Gibbs had been working on for several weeks.

"In his basement," Jane said.

"Yep," said Kate.

"Not in a garage."

"Nope."

"Not in a shed, not in his back yard."

"No."

"The basement."

"Yeah."

While Jane stood flabbergasted at the frame, Maura looked over it closely.

"He's done an excellent job," Maura said. "Gibbs must be an excellent builder. I'd love to see the boat when he finishes it; the craftsmanship must be extraordinary-"

"I'd love to see how he gets it out of the basement," Jane said.

"Me too," Kate replied.

"You mean, you don't know?" Jane asked. "I figured you and everyone else on your team would know his secret exit-"

"Secret exit?" Maura asked, stepping away from the frame, then looking around the basement. "I don't see a secret exit. I only see the steps leading to the laundry room."

"Maura, it's crystal clear. He carries it up the stairs, on his back, and out the front door," Jane said sarcastically. "Then he finds a lake somewhere and sails it - right?"

"You know...I don't know," Kate said.

"He doesn't tell you what he does with his boats?" Maura said.

"I thought I told you before," Kate said. "Tony's been here more than I have. He's as curious as anybody I've met and he doesn't know how Gibbs gets these things out of the basement."

"What do you think, Kate?" Maura asked.

"What do I think?"

"Yes."

"I think...he builds the boats, names the boats after his ex-wives, then dismantles them, puts the...thing in his pickup, goes somewhere where he can't be seen or bothered and burns it."

Jane looked at the framework, for the umpteenth time.

"That's it?" she said. "No...there has to be a secret exit, like the Batcave, a ramp, he attaches the boat to his truck, drives it somewhere out in the country, then sails it on the seven seas."

"No, I don't believe so," Maura replied. "Kate's hypothesis is most likely."

"Are you guessing, Maura?" Jane.

"Jane, how many times have I told you I do not guess?" Maura.

"You don't guess?" Kate asked.

"Sure she does," Jane joked, in a good-natured manner. "Dr. Isles. Would you guess that Gibbs has a secret shrink ray, he aims it at the boat and puts it in a bottle-"

"No 'shrink ray', Rizzoli. And no secret ramp, either."

Gibbs appeared out of nowhere, again, just as had the previous morning at NCIS headquarters.

"Where-where did you come from?" Jane asked, while Kate looked on in bemusement, and Maura took the scene in, trying to figure Gibbs out.

"Not important," Gibbs replied. "What's important is where we're going. Get your gear. Headed to the Navy Yard. First day at NCIS for you both, Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles. Congratulations. You're part of my team."

With that, Gibbs turned around, and walked up the steps.

"Get our gear?...wait...we already have jobs," Jane said to Gibbs.

"You still have them," Gibbs replied, as he walked up the steps. "And now you have new ones. Gotta pay the bills on your house and your apartment, right?"

Gibbs disappeared, leaving three surprised women in their wakes. Kate took the lead, motioning for them to follow her. "I'll..try to fill you in on the way," she told Jane and Maura. "Though Gibbs will have to do most of it when we get to the Navy Yard."

"I'm riding shotgun," Jane said.

RI&K

Frankie Rizzoli, Jr. was supposed to return the U-Haul to Boston today.

Since arriving at Gibbs' house the night before, however, after unloading Maura and Jane's belongings - and finding out they were going to sleep in the same room, in the same bed - he thought about almost nothing else besides:

Why were they sleeping together?

Were the rumors true?

What might the rumors have to do with them having to stay here?

He punched the number for Lt. Sean Cavanaugh on his cell phone.

"Lieutenant? This is Officer Rizzoli?"

"Officer. How's Jane and Maura?"

"They're fine. They're getting ready to go to that Navy Yard with the NCIS people."

"Good...you on your way back up here?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about...Lieutenant, since you talked to Sgt. O'Reilly, could you talk with him again? I need at least another day here with Jane-"

"Another day? Something going on?"

"Sir...I think we both know what's going on."

"...Officer...Frankie...you mean them together."

"Yeah. Them. Together."

"Officer. I can't have you stay down there indefinitely with Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles but I don't see any reason why you can't spend another day or two. Stay there, don't worry about the U-Haul or O'Reilly."

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

"Now...Frankie. Your mother's going to be expecting you here for Thanksgiving so if you want to stay longer than today you need a good explanation. All this is hard enough on your Ma, you being away for the holiday probably won't help matters-"

"I...I'll figure something out, sir."

"And as far as your sister goes...whatever you think about their being...together...they're both the same people you've always known them as-"

"I know that, sir. I think."

"You THINK? I KNOW. And so do you, Frankie."

"I know I need to talk to her about it, but I don't know what to say-"

"Whatever it is, Frankie, don't make it something you'll regret later on. Right now, she needs you bad. She needs us, and so does Dr. Isles, and we're going to get them both back as soon as we can. For now, today, be there for them both. Especially Jane. Understand?"

"Yes sir...I gotta go. They're leaving."

Gibbs saw Frankie on his phone.

"Going back home, Officer?"

"Not yet, Agent Gibbs...I'll move the U-Haul."

"Need to talk to your sister, Frankie?"

"Uh...yeah. That's part of it."

"Go easy on her. She's already been through a lot...back the U-Haul in after I pull out of the drive. I'll have Kate wait for you. You can ride with them, and see NCIS for yourself."

"Yes sir."

Frankie pulled the U-Haul into the street, waiting until Gibbs pulled his car out of the driveway before backing it back in. Frankie jumped in the back seat of Kate's car with Maura, and the four drove off towards the Navy Yard, while Mike Franks and Brent Langer guarded Gibbs' home, with Paris Summerskill getting some sleep upstairs.

"Frankie...before you give away the Rizzoli family secrets to Agent Todd, I have a couple of questions for her," Jane said.

"Shoot," Kate replied.

"First, that boat downstairs...did he 'name' it? Shannon? Who's she...and second, what's up with that Mike Franks guy?"

Kate laughed at the mention of Franks, then rolled her eyes, then laughed again.

"He must be a real character," Jane said.

"Mike...Mike Franks...I've learned more about Gibbs in the past few days than I knew from the time he recruited me after I resigned from the Secret Service," Kate said.

"Mike Franks was his boss, when NCIS was still NIS, Naval Investigative Service. Gibbs was his 'probie' and I see a lot of Franks in Gibbs, at least as far as work goes. Mike resigned, moved down to Mexico, met someone, had a girl with her. He came up here to help Gibbs, because of Ari."

"Sounds like a decent guy so far, if he dropped what he was doing to come help his...probie...defend himself against a terrorist," Frankie said.

"Didn't he seem a little...weird to you?" Jane said, to Frankie and Kate. "Frankie. You stayed downstairs with the guy, and Kate, you were here with him yesterday."

"Seemed fine to me," Frankie said.

"He's...not a bad guy, or a creep if that's what you're asking," Kate said. "He's more laid back than Gibbs, at least away from the office, and I suspect that if Franks was still working he wouldn't be that way."

"He'd be like Gibbs?" Jane asked.

"Probably," Kate said. "Gibbs clearly respects him...but I agree with you. There's something...different about him. And I haven't figured out what that is yet."

"What about Shannon?" Maura asked.

"Shannon," Kate said, "is Gibbs' first ex-wife. He's had four. I thought - we, our entire team, thought - he had three. He didn't tell any of us about the first one."

"Why?" Jane.

"She was different than the last three," Kate said. "Shannon may have been the love of his life. She and Kelly - their daughter - were killed...Kelly saw something, that led her to and SHannon being put under NIS protection while Gibbs was in the Middle East. The agent driving them was shot in the head, causing their SUV to wreck, killing them both."

"Oh my god," Jane said.

"It's...it's a big deal in his life," Kate said. "And this doesn't go beyond this car, any of you."

"Not a problem," Jane said, knowing Maura and Frankie would agree.

"Guys...you gotta explain this boat thing to me," Frankie said.

"In a minute," Jane said. "Kate...you don't think he's going to burn that boat downstairs, do you?"

"Jane," Kate replied, "I think he's going to finish it, put it on his back, take it up those stairs, hook it up to his truck, drive out to the ocean, put it in the water and sail it."

Shortly thereafter, Kate's car arrived at the Navy Yard; she, Jane, Maura and Frankie made their way inside, and up to the third floor, and to the bullpen where Gibbs' team worked.