A/N: After a long time and a considerable amount of writers block., I've finally managed to finish a chapter. To recap, Deeks is out of a job and is now working, in his Max persona, for Ernest Thornhill, an up and coming criminal. In the last episode, the team tried to intercept a drug shipment, and failed due to the Thornhill Organisation's Police and DEA contacts. Kensi and Deeks are still talking to one another and the purpose of that is revealed here.
K
Kensi was running through the woods in Topanga State Park. Not a new route, but also not one she's used in a few weeks. Her feet were pounding the dirt track and, even as she kept one eye on the roots of the trees that lined the path, she once again reconsidered what she was doing. It was close to the line, possibly even over it, but she knew it was necessary, and her CI was the only one who could get it done. She was keeping this from her team, but she wasn't required to file any paperwork yet. She wasn't paying her CI and they were only in the preliminary information gathering stages, no chance of a warrant.
But at some point she would have to confess to Granger and Callen and Sam and Eric and Nell. And they would not be happy.
Her CI was waiting at the top of the hill, having run up the other side.
"Are you wearing a fanny pack?"
"Bro sack," said Deeks.
"Whatever."
"Hey Kens." Monty was at his feet, and quickly ran over to join her. His owner was close on his heels. Deeks took the hand that wasn't stroking Monty in his and ran his thumb over the back of her palm. Even that small contact unleashed a new wave of desire. It had been three months.
"You okay?"
"I've missed you."
"I've missed you too." Monty barked. "And you too," she said to the mutt.
"Well you could always call me again," Deeks said as a smile spread over his face.
"I might just do that." They stood there for a few seconds, grinning like the fools they were.
"I take it the sailor boys haven't given you anything new."
"No, do you know where the drugs went?"
"No, Alain handles that side with his own team, I'm not involved. Besides, it's all in the veins of the mentally ill by now."
"Anything else in the works?"
"Rumours, but it's been mostly quiet."
Do you think they smell a rat after the drug shipment went sour?
"Thornhill's smart, but for him it's about taking revenge on the man who wronged him. He wouldn't be able to let it play if he thought I was a cop." Deeks paused. "I could always testify against them for the drugs, we'd have them on importation."
"Deeks, you were a defence attorney. You've cross-examined enough dirty cops to know that they don't have any credibility." She saw the look on his face. "Oh, I didn't mean-."
"I know what you meant."
"We have to build a case that doesn't rely on your word alone."
"Well I'm inside the circle now, and Thornhill is going to need weapons if he wants to take down Muscov. There's something there."
"There is, and we're going to get them."
"You don't know that."
"Like you said, someone has to investigate these guys. No other agency will."
"So we're an agency now?"
"M.O.U.S.E.," said Kensi with a smile. Remembering earlier times, Deeks smiled back.
"They have no idea who you they're dealing with."
"No they do not."
"Well yeah, but I also meant that they had no idea NCIS existed until they heard you were working with the DEA."
"Oh, Sam and Callen are going to love that."
The former bomb dog started nosing around in the underbrush. "Monty, come back here," said Deeks. The two walked over. A man, early thirties in the remains of a business suit, had been dumped in the bushes beside the trail like an empty soda can.
"Go, I'll call it in," Kensi said. Deeks looked torn. "Go."
Sam and Callen made their way up the trail towards the crime scene. Deeks was proving difficult to find.
"You checked the Blue Room?" Sam asked.
"I've been in the Blue Room every night this week, which Joelle finds exhausting by the way, he's not going there," Callen said.
"Eric says he's cashed out his bank accounts and his phone hasn't been active in nearly three months."
"And he's not at Kensi's?"
"Not unless he's going in and out through the bathroom window."
"If I didn't know better I'd say he's left town."
"Or worse," Sam said. "Eric wants to tell Nell."
"She'll tell Kensi."
"Have you considered that maybe Kensi knows exactly where he is?"
"Then why hasn't she told us?"
"We all have things that we work on, on our own, until we think it's worth getting the others involved."
Callen couldn't argue with that.
A half dozen LAPD officers, detectives and forensic techs were milling around a body. Kensi was standing near the body in running gear. Rose Shwartz was crouched over, inserting a probe into the man's lower back.
"What have we got?"
"Deceased is a male in his early thirties. Cause of death is a single GSW to the back of the head, with two additional GSWs to the back of the chest that would have proved fatal. He was shot somewhere else and dumped here last night," said Kensi.
"Around 1am from liver temp," agreed Rose. "How do you know he was dumped? I haven't gotten his clothes off yet."
Kensi pointed at the bushes around them. "No blood spatter."
"Hmm, touche."
"Who is he?" Callen asked.
"No wallet or ID in his pockets, he had a watch, but it's gone," said Kensi.
"Not likely to be a robbery gone wrong though," said Sam.
"Why? asked Rose.
"When a thief kills a guy by accident, 99 times out of a hundred, he panics and runs for his life. This was most likely a hit," said Callen.
"Then why didn't they bury the body?"
"Good question."
"Oh oh," said Rose.
"What?"
"His Holiness is coming." The trio looked at her bewildered. "Captain Pope, head of Robbery Homicide."
"He going to be a problem."
"He's interested in keeping the clearance rate up, even if that means dumping cases on someone else."
"Terrific."
"Good morning Rose."
"Good morning Captain. Not every day I see you out here."
"Not every day federal agents try to muscle in on one of my crime scenes." He turned to G. "You mind telling me what you're doing here, Agent…"
"Callen, Agent Blye found the body."
"Who's he?" Pope asked of Rose.
"John Doe, cause of death is ballistic trauma to the head and chest."
"Shit."
"Who's the primary?"
"Mahone got the call."
"Terrific."
"If your detective will take Agent Blye's statement, we'll be on our way," said Callen.
"Oh you found it, you own it, Agent Callen."
"We're only here for our agent, not your dead body, homicides are LAPD's wheelhouse."
"This one's navy." Rose had gotten John Doe's shirt open. "Gregory Peck, United States Navy."
Pope smiled. "Your case, Agent Callen."
"Max." Deeks turned to see Thornhill standing at the fence.
"Listen Ernie-."
"Ernest."
"Ernest, sorry. If this is about some work, I've got three pickups to make so I need to get moving."
Ernest made a dismissing motion to Max's co-workers. They left. "From now on you don't need to show up here. I have another job for you, a postion in our collections and security wing. You'll report to Graeme."
Deeks had to suppress a smile. "Alright, what is it?"
"Dealing with people who can't keep their word. Graeme will fill you in on the details."
"That's it?"
"Forgive me Max but if I briefed everyone on their assignments, I wouldn't have time to decide what those assignments were. Graeme is at the investigations offices. Now, I have to go make some calls." Thornhill headed to a beat up Toyota. Deeks noted the licence plate before heading to his own car.
Kensi dropped by her house to change into work clothes, then went to the Mission.
"What do we have?"
"Peck graduated from UC Berkeley his Master's thesis was in modelling social outcomes in crisis situations, served six years in the Navy as an intelligence analyst. Sam and Callen went by his apartment, found business cards for Baylor Zimm, a stock brokerage in east LA," said Nell.
"His hard drive and tablet were missing, but I'm working on getting access to his cloud," said Eric.
"In the meantime, Agent Blye, take Agent Jones to Baylor Zimm. Find out what you can." Kensi didn't want or need a babysitter, but she also didn't want to insult her friend.
Fortunately, Granger stepped in."Get you gear Jones, Agent Blye if you have a minute." Kensi followed Granger to the other side of the bullpen. "This isn't a criticism of your performance, but no one goes anywhere alone. And Nell needs the field experience."
Kensi nodded as Nell came back down the stairs.
"Let's go."