CHAPTER 6
Pieces
Dwight Conrad: … I already have amnesia, only I forgot about it.
~ from Futurama
By the time Tony emerged from the restroom, having splashed water on his face and taken a series of deep breaths in order to regain his equilibrium, Jackson Gibbs was leaving, and was halfway to the elevator. The two agents tasked with protecting Gibbs' father were walking at the older man's pace. One of them was listening to Jackson's chatter, and the other man was a few feet ahead. Both were acting naturally but Tony could tell they were being vigilant, checking for signs of danger.
Jack halted to ask Tony how he was.
Tony said he was fine, but it was evident the older man didn't believe him. "I keep getting the feeling I've forgotten something – which I have," Tony said with a crooked smile.
"Like that gut feeling you get that you left a tap running after you've locked up the house and are about to embark on a long vacation?"
"Yeah, that gut feeling," Tony agreed. "Where're you off to?"
Jack said he was going to the National Museum of the Navy to see the "In Harm's Way" World War I exhibits. "With my new friends here," he said sarcastically.
"They're good men. You listen to them," Tony warned. Jackson snorted in reply.
Once they had gone, Tony asked Gibbs, "You sure he'll be safe?"
Gibbs said, "They'll take him home in a few hours, and by then you'll be there to keep him company."
"Oh, c'mon, you're not really going to make me go back to your place to lie around while you guys are chasing down leads?"
"Maybe you'd prefer to go to your apartment so you can lie around while we're chasing down leads?" Gibbs asked.
Strangely enough, Tony did not look forward to going back to his own place. He liked staying at Gibbs', especially when Jackson was visiting. He lowered his head and mumbled, "No, I'd rather go to your home."
Gibbs leaned close and said softly, "Why not consider it your home, too?"
Tony met his eyes, not sure what he meant. "I've got a home. Okay, it can get a bit lonely at times. I do like watching you work on your boat, Boss, and eating steaks you cook in the fireplace. And your heat never goes out, and there's always plenty of hot water." Tony smiled. "Does this mean I can install a 60-inch TV so we can watch games without squinting at the scores? And I think we should get us a new couch, big enough to sleep on, and–"
Gibbs glowered and said, "And I think you need to get to work to earn your pay, or else you'll be living on the street, DiNozzo."
"You mean I can work?" One thing Tony hated was being without a purpose, and even if he was relegated to staying at his desk, it was better than going back to an empty condo – or house.
"The minute you show any sign you're not feeling good…" Gibbs warned, raising a finger.
"I'm good, I'm good! I'm feeling great!" Tony exclaimed, even though he knew he was over-selling it.
Gibbs pointed towards the bullpen and said sternly, "Desk. Work."
Tony grinned and saluted. "Yes, Boss, right away, Boss."
• • • • •
McGee and Ziva met them in the middle of the bullpen to share their findings. "All private aircraft are required to provide passenger information in advance of landing," Ziva said.
"In this case, because of heavy traffic, Reagan National Airport had two runways designated for privately owned jets to use," McGee explained. "Passengers use a small terminal near the cargo area. Chris Landry signed for the Global 6000 jet – owned by Polestar World Med Corp and used by Senator Landry and his party. Chris works as the international coordinator for TrackMed out of New Jersey, and makes regular trips to Mexico."
Ziva took over, saying, "The jet flew out of Mexico at 12:20 Yucatan time, and made a brief stop in Miami before continuing to Reagan. Airport officials were not informed the flight had originated in Mexico, and were going under the mistaken belief they had flown in from Miami."
"Also," said McGee, "Chief Malone of the Airports Authority admits that cash changes hands on a regular basis on the private side, and some Customs and security people turn a blind eye to what and who comes in on private planes."
Tony added, "They arrived in DC by five. It's only a 3 ½-hour flight if it's direct, so making a pit stop in Miami maybe added an hour to the travel time. Any idea why they stopped in there?"
"I looked into that," Ziva said, taking the clicker and displaying some paperwork on-screen. "They unloaded several boxes of medical supplies, according to the Miami customs report. Small products manufactured by TrackMed, including such items as high-tech pacemakers and something called a 'Modular Arm,' according to the bill of lading."
"Probably packed with cocaine, courtesy of the Reynosa cartel," Tony said cynically.
Ziva told them that two SUVs had been dropped off at the hangar for the passengers' use. One of the ground crew handling baggage at the private hangar had seen two men aiding another – the description matched Tony – into one of the vehicles. "He said the man was unsteady on his feet, almost unable to walk. The two men put him in the back seat, got in the car with him and left in a hurry. They drove south out of the airport, towards the highway. The driver was tall, wearing an expensive suit, Hispanic; the other was shorter, hair in a ponytail, dressed casually. His face was 'mashed up' – the baggage handler's words."
Tony took a seat and viewed the surveillance photos McGee had obtained from the airport: shots of Alejandro Rivera, Senator Landry and his son, Chris. Tony recognized Chris, although he looked rougher than the last time Tony had seen him – years ago. There was a succession of images of a man being half-carried to the car. "That's me. Chris is holding me up," he said, disturbed at having no memory of it.
Gibbs asked, "You remember any of this?"
Tony shook his head. The pictures gave him an uneasy feeling, but they sparked no memories. "Any ID on the tall guy?" His face wasn't visible in any of the videos; Tony wondered if he knew where the cameras were located and purposely avoided them. "The passenger list said that apart from Chris and Senator Landry, a Perez, Garcia, Cruz and Hernandez were aboard the flight."
"And don't forget Mr. Anthony," Ziva said with a smirk.
"Yeah, got that," Tony replied curtly.
McGee said, "There aren't any clear pictures but I've started a search anyway, adding the surnames of the passengers to the search parameters. Right now we know that the tall man and Chris Landry left with you, Tony, in one car. Two men drove off in the other SUV with Alejandro."
"And Senator Landry?" Gibbs asked.
"He took a shuttle to the airport parking lot and left in his own car," McGee said. "I was able to track the car and he drove straight to 235 Colorado Avenue NW, where he has a condo. I can question him," he said, looking expectantly at Gibbs.
"No, I want you here. I'll get the FBI to interview him," Gibbs said.
Tony rubbed the back of his neck, wishing his headache would go away. "So what's Rivera up to and where did he go with his two associates?" Nobody had an answer to that, so he asked Gibbs, "Paloma – any sign of her since she left Stillwater?"
Gibbs gave a curt shake of his head. "By the time I got there she was long gone. I worked with the State Police until the FBI and DEA arrived, and we set out a wide net for her."
"They jockeyed for jurisdiction?" Tony guessed.
"So long as they get the job done, I don't care if they beat each other up in a back alley. Wherever Paloma is and whatever she's up to – it's no good," Gibbs said. He reminded McGee and Ziva to take every precaution in case Paloma made an attempt on their lives. "She's dangerous and isn't afraid of using big guns," he said, making sure they understood the danger they were in. They nodded solemnly and went back to work, hunting down the elusive head of the Reynosa drug cartel.
After working the phones for a while, Tony leaned back in his desk chair and closed his eyes and thought about the investigation. He'd found out that two SUVs had been hired by TrackMed, and the drivers had dropped them off at the private terminal parking lot and left. They never met the clients. The GPS and anti-theft devices had been disabled so there was no way of tracking them. They had Alejandro's phone number but there was no signal, so they couldn't follow his movements that way, either. Tony figured he'd ditched his cell phone for a new, untraceable one.
He'd given McGee Chris Landry's cell phone number to try to track. "It's an old number. Might not be using it any longer," he'd said. McGee had tried to locate the phone's GPS to no avail.
After doing some work by phone, Gibbs told Tony he was going up to talk to Vance. "When I'm done, I'm taking you home."
Tony made a noise to show he'd heard him, and he dozed for short while. He woke up to find McGee was busy at his computer, and Ziva was out, hunting down leads. Gibbs still hadn't come down from the director's office. The nearby TV was always channeling ZNN with the sound down low, and Tony usually zoned it out. But something the news anchor was reporting caught his attention. He found the remote and turned up the volume.
"…the identity of a deceased male discovered in Marina Park in Alexandria by a dog-walker this morning has still not been released to the media. Found only yards away from the road, the man appears to have been dumped there, according to police… we have obtained the man's ID…"
A headshot from what appeared to be a driver's license was projected on the screen, and the second Tony saw it he scrambled to his feet. All the air was sucked out of his lungs and everything around him disappeared; the bullpen, his colleagues, even his desk. Instead, he was facedown on the floor, fighting off several men attempting to hold him down. He looked up and saw Chris and Senator Landry watching in horror as he was roughly restrained and…
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"Tony? Tony! Can you hear me? Boss, something's wrong with Tony."
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"My dear boy, can you sit up? That's good. Let me have a look. His vitals are close to normal, but he appears to be in some sort of fugue."
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"That's it, DiNozzo, just a few more steps. Sit down here… you rest. Ducky, can you bring him out of it?"
• • • • •
Tony woke up slowly, and, feeling warm, pushed back the soft blanket covering him. Blinking, he took in his surroundings: Ducky's office, its comfortable couch, kitchenette with a teakettle sitting on a hotplate, a framed print of Monet's Waterlilies on the wall – all familiar. He was just sitting up with the intent of going to find Ducky to find out what was going on, when the door slowly opened and Gibbs entered, carrying a coffee and a bottle of water.
"Hey, you back with us?" Gibbs asked, handing him the bottle.
Tony greedily drank some water and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Did I go somewhere?" It looked like Gibbs was having trouble finding the right thing to say, so Tony saved him the trouble. "I blacked out, didn't I?"
"You were… blank when I got there. McGee thought it was triggered by something you saw on TV. You feeling okay?"
Gibbs appeared to be both worried and relieved, so Tony gave a wave of his hand. "I'm okay. On TV? Oh yeah, the ID photo of the dead man in the park."
"You know him?" Gibbs asked.
"My brain's telling me I've never seen him before, but… my gut says I have," Tony admitted.
"Turns out he's former CIA officer, name of Raymondo Cruz. Ring any bells?"
Tony searched his memory and had a vague feeling he might know who the man was, but when he reached out mentally, it skittered away and disappeared. Finally giving up, Tony said, "Sorry to dash your hopes, Boss, but that name means nothing to me. He was on the flight I was on?"
Gibbs sipped his coffee and said, "Yeah, he was on the jet."
"And… who is he?"
Gibbs said, "Raymondo Cruz is a dirty cop. CIA let him go a year ago but never brought any charges against him. He's been going back and forth from Mexico and Miami on a regular basis. He's friends with Alejandro Rivera, and often flies with him. Cruz started getting cozy with Paloma just around the time her husband, Chaco Reynosa, was murdered. They found his head in the desert. Never found the body. Paloma took over the cartel."
"That's one way of taking over," Tony said. "Think Cruz had something to do with Reynosa's death?"
"Him and Paloma," Gibbs surmised.
Tony looked sideways at Gibbs. "You get all that from your source at the FBI?" When Gibbs shrugged, Tony asked, "So how did this Cruz guy ended up dead in a park only a mile from the airport? Related to cartel business? And is Paloma going to go on a rampage when she finds out her boyfriend has been murdered?"
"Not if she killed him," Gibbs replied.
"Must be hard for her to find boyfriends when she eats them like a black widow spider," Tony replied.
Ducky interrupted them to check on Tony, and seemed pleased at his quick recuperation. "No headache?"
"Not much," Tony said truthfully. "But I haven't been on the computer."
"Then let's not overdo it. You need some downtime, my boy." Ducky told Gibbs that Tony should go home, and that someone should keep a close eye on him. "And if he has another episode, take him immediately to the hospital, Jethro."
Tony asked for specifics about what had happened, how he'd acted, and Ducky said, "Timothy's description was that you were slow and deliberate, as if you were sleepwalking."
"You think me recognizing the photo if Raymondo Cruz was some kind of trigger?" Tony had a wild thought and hesitantly asked, "Or did the drug they gave me kick in again and make me forget anything I recalled, like a re-set?"
"That is an interesting way to put it, but yes, from my understanding of how the drug works, that is a distinct possibility," Ducky allowed.
"So anytime I'm in an emotional situation, the forget-this-now drug erases the memory?" Tony asked anxiously.
Ducky shook his head. "We don't fully understand how it works yet, I'm afraid. However, the good news is, I just checked with Abigail and she has almost finished making the antidote. I've ascertained it will do no harm, Anthony. It's a clever formulation of several approved medications. It might make you tired, but otherwise, I doubt there would be any side effects."
"So his memories will come back?" Gibbs asked.
"That is our belief. And it should prevent any future memory loss," Ducky replied.
"Is there anything else you can do for him?" Gibbs asked.
Ducky looked from Gibbs to Tony and said in a gentle voice, "There is one more thing. I recommend we try hypnosis, which, in conjunction with the medication Abigail is creating, could very well bring back your lost memories."
Although the idea of being hypnotized raised his hackles, Tony agreed. "I want this crap out of my brain. You have no idea how bad this feels. I keep thinking I've forgotten something and now I'm second-guessing myself all the time." Only Gibbs did know what losing his memory was like, and it had taken him months to fill in all the holes. "Sorry," Tony said quietly.
Gibbs gave him a rueful smile and a shrug.
• • • • •
As soon as they walked into the bullpen, McGee asked how Tony was. Tony said he was ready for another round, and smiled while clapping his hand on his friend's shoulder, all of which McGee seemed to readily accept as signs that Tony really was okay.
McGee handed Gibbs some printouts and informed them that Ziva was still out, running down a lead on the location of Senator Landry.
"She'd better not have gone alone," Gibbs warned.
McGee reassured him Agent Balbao had gone with her, even though Ziva had made it clear she worked better on her own.
Gibbs took a call and made a few grunts as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. As soon as he hung up, he looked at Tony. "You okay for a few more minutes? I need to take you home."
"I'm good."
"Ducky's orders," Gibbs said curtly.
Tony sighed and then asked, "Anything on what happened to Chris?" He was worried for his friend, who, according to the airport surveillance, had driven away with Raymondo Cruz, now deceased. Had Alejandro and Paloma run the car off the road and killed Raymondo? And kidnapped Chris?
"We're doing everything we can to locate Chris and the others," Gibbs said, sounding frustrated. "Senator Landry wasn't in his condo, but the SUV is parked in the garage. They're checking to see if he got a cab."
"They? The FBI or DEA?" McGee asked.
"Does it matter? Everyone is on top of this," Gibbs replied. "And that includes us."
It wasn't until Tony was leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, that a thought hit him. He sat upright and said with a humorless chuckle, "Oh, man, I must be slow today." McGee looked up from his computer, as did Gibbs. Tony told them, "I was in that car with CIRay and Chris. I'm present and accounted for, and Raymondo is dead… so that leaves Chris as the main suspect."
McGee pointed out, "Technically, there's a possibility you could have shot Raymondo Cruz. You were there, after all."
"How was he killed, anyway?"
Gibbs said, "Cruz was shot in the back, and according to my source, preliminary forensics indicate there was plastic, heavy fabric and foam in the wound. That means whoever shot him was seated directly behind him, and fired through the seat."
"Did I even have a weapon?" Tony remembered carrying his weapons with him in the false bottom of his carry-on bag when he entered the airport in Mexico. But if he'd been drugged, surely Alejandro would have removed any weapons from his reach.
Gibbs said, "It wasn't you, DiNozzo. Cruz was shot with a .45."
"That's a relief."
McGee added, "The images from the airport shows them putting you in the back seat, Tony, on the right. Chris Landry got in on the left side, behind the driver, Cruz."
"Where're you getting this intel from, Boss? Not the FBI. Oh, you have a CIA source, don't you? Of course you do," Tony said, amused.
• • • • •
Ziva returned, reporting there was still no sign of Chris Landry. She did, however, pick up the trail of his father, Senator Landry, through questioning cab companies. He had taken a cab downtown and was seen entering a federal building, but after that, he disappeared. Ziva believed he had walked straight through, using the delivery entrance at the back to exit, and someone picked him up. "There is no CCTV in that area," she said, sounding annoyed.
"They could be anywhere, lying low," Tony said. "As much as it pains me to say this, because I was really good friends with Chris, but… What if Chris picked his father up after dumping CIA-Raymondo's body? Any comment from the CIA about their former agent? No, of course not. And no sighting of Paloma Reynosa either? Where's Alejandro? At the embassy?"
Ziva said, "They have both vanished into slim air. I visited the embassy but he is not staying there. The Mexican government also has a property on 16th Street, a mansion where their former embassy was located. They moved five years ago but retained that residence as a place for dignitaries to stay, and for cultural affairs. Perhaps Señor Rivera has access to the mansion? I am waiting for permission to search the location."
Tony asked, "You think Paloma's hiding out there while she plots how to murder us all?" Gibbs gave him a sour look, so Tony shrugged. "Hey, it's not exactly a secret she plans to eviscerate all of us to make you pay for killing her father, Gibbs."
McGee and Ziva stared at him as if he'd said something horrible, so Tony covered up by looking back at them with wide eyes and saying, "Wow, did I really say that? I must be loopy from all the drugs zapping my brain. Whatever I said, I've forgotten it already."
"All the more reason for everyone to stay somewhere safe until we catch her," Gibbs pointed out, ignoring Tony's remarks. "Vance has authorized protective details for both of you, as well as Ducky, Palmer and Abby. Don't go to any of your usual hangouts, bars or… bowling alleys. Hell, you know the drill. Don't be cocky, and work with your detail, please. No skipping out on yours, Ziva."
Tony grinned. "He said, please!"
• • • • •
Gibbs paid a visit to Abby before they left, and reminded her to let her NCIS bodyguard, Darren, do his job and keep her safe.
Abby agreed, and said as soon as she'd handed the antidote to the PCP-R to Ducky and finished her work for the day, she was going to stay with McGee and Delilah at a friend's empty apartment. "We'll stay safe, promise! Oh, Gibbs, I got the fingerprint results from the hit list! Alejandro Rivera left his grubby pawprints all over it, as expected, and there's a 70% probability the other set was Raymondo Cruz. I only had a couple of partials to go by."
Gibbs stuck his head in autopsy, and gave the same 'be careful' warning to Ducky and Palmer, and made sure their bodyguards, standing outside the sliding doors, were up-to-date with the latest intel on Paloma Reynosa.
One of the guards said, "We're prepared, Agent Gibbs, in case your people come under attack."
"No! You guard them as if an attack is going to happen," Gibbs replied. "Paloma Reynosa is the kind of enemy who brings a Howitzer to the party. Understand?"
• • • • •
While Gibbs drove them to his house, Tony dialed the phone number he had on Chris Landry. The last time he'd talked to Chris must have been six or more years ago, and Chris probably didn't use it any longer. Tony was surprised to find the voicemail was working. Whether or not Chris checked his messages, Tony didn't know, but he felt he had to make an attempt to speak to his old friend. "Chris. It's Tony. I… I don't know what's going on, but I need you to call me. I'm, uh… coming up blank on last night but I've got this feeling I met up with you. Like I said, call me, buddy."
He sighed and said to Gibbs, "You know, we were good friends from the first time we met. Struck it off right away. He was so smart, I was sure he'd end up being the CEO of a huge company, or would invent some weird gadget or medical device that would better the world… but he fell apart after he was discharged from the Navy. Got hooked on drugs, lost his job… and I lost contact with him."
"You think you ran into Chris at the airport in Mexico?"
"If it was, I sure hope he wasn't targeting me. Alejandro must have known I was in Mérida, and at the plaza when all the shooting was going down. He might have enlisted Chris to get me on the jet. Hell, you know I'd rather fly private than commercial any day, Boss."
"Seems like a long shot, DiNozzo."
"I just want to get to the bottom of this, and to get Paloma under lock and key."
Without taking his eyes off the road, Gibbs reached over and patted his leg a couple of times. "I know, Tony. I know."
• • • • •