"Gibbs, I got a free interrogation room."
"No."
"What?" Tony asked incredulously. "What do you mean, 'No'?"
"I mean, 'No'. The kid's been through enough; he doesn't need an intimidating environment on top of it all."
"But, boss," Tony reasoned. "There's nothing else."
"I don't care, DiNozzo! We'll go in Morrow's office if we have to! We're not talking to him in an interrogation room!"
"Okay, boss, I'll try and find something else," Tony conceded meekly.
"Don't try, DiNozzo. Do!"
---------
Kate watched from her desk as Tony and Gibbs interviewed Peter Brinkley. Tony had, apparently, not found anything better than an interrogation room, so they were using Tony's cubicle.
"Peter, what exactly did you hear last night?" Gibbs asked gently.
"Daddy was yelling at Mommy, and I was scared, so I hid under my bed. Mommy was crying but Daddy just kept yelling. Then Mommy screamed, real loud, but it stopped real soon. Daddy came into my room, but I was still scared, so I didn't come out. He was crying and then he called the amb'lance."
"Peter," Gibbs started. "Did your Daddy ever hit your Mommy?"
The boy looked frightened. Glancing from Tony to Gibbs and back, he nodded slowly. "Sometimes when he gets real mad, he hits Mommy. He always cries and says he's sorry."
Tony reached over and patted the boy on the shoulder. Kate assumed the gesture was supposed to be comforting, but Peter winced. Gibbs, ever vigilant, did not miss the quickly covered expression of pain.
"Does he ever hit you?" Gibbs asked quietly, his eyes hardening.
The boy's eyes filled with tears. "He doesn't mean to," he managed.
Gibbs jaw stiffened; Tony's face went blank. Kate escorted Peter back to the CPS agent who had brought him over. When she returned, Tony and Gibbs were in a heated argument.
"We've got him, Gibbs! We can put Lt. Brinkley away for child abuse, spouse abuse, and probably murder."
"No, we don't, DiNozzo."
"We've got the victim, Gibbs! What more do we need?"
"They won't believe him, DiNozzo! They never believe the kid! All we've got is a kid who heard some noises last night and says his dad hits him. The lieutenant's not about to confess. It's his word against the kid's, and who do you think they're going to believe?"
"The kid, Gibbs! You know how many cases in the past ten years have been prosecuted, based only on the kid's accusation? We've got him! They always believe the kid!"
"No, DiNozzo! They do not always believe the kid! They didn't believe me!" Gibbs stopped abruptly, eyes blazing, apparently having said too much in the heat of the moment. Tony looked surprised, even shocked. Kate figured Gibbs would shut up, stalk off, never speak of it again. It was her turn to be surprised.
Gibbs sighed. "I heard noises, too, okay? I heard the same noises I heard every night. Hitting, crying, yelling. But that night, it went longer, louder. When I woke up in the morning, he told me she had had an accident and gone to the hospital. He told me she would be all right, but I knew. I knew..." He paused, taking a raggedy breath. Kate had never seen him so emotional. "I told the police how he always hit her, how he occasionally hit me. But he was an upstanding citizen, involved in the community, on the school board. And I was an eight-year-old kid whose mother had just died. They believed him."
He stopped. Kate was appalled. How much that explained! Tony looked stunned. "Boss, we...didn't know."
Gibbs looked up, surprised, like he had forgotten they were there. "Yeah, well, I don't advertise it. Get to work on finding some proof. I want that bastard on the electric chair!"
Kate almost felt like smiling. That was the Gibbs they knew. But she was too shocked by his story to smile. She could not imagine her father being anything but kind and loving. What would she do if he murdered her mother? How had Gibbs gotten over that? Well, that's obvious, she thought. He hasn't.
"No."
"What?" Tony asked incredulously. "What do you mean, 'No'?"
"I mean, 'No'. The kid's been through enough; he doesn't need an intimidating environment on top of it all."
"But, boss," Tony reasoned. "There's nothing else."
"I don't care, DiNozzo! We'll go in Morrow's office if we have to! We're not talking to him in an interrogation room!"
"Okay, boss, I'll try and find something else," Tony conceded meekly.
"Don't try, DiNozzo. Do!"
---------
Kate watched from her desk as Tony and Gibbs interviewed Peter Brinkley. Tony had, apparently, not found anything better than an interrogation room, so they were using Tony's cubicle.
"Peter, what exactly did you hear last night?" Gibbs asked gently.
"Daddy was yelling at Mommy, and I was scared, so I hid under my bed. Mommy was crying but Daddy just kept yelling. Then Mommy screamed, real loud, but it stopped real soon. Daddy came into my room, but I was still scared, so I didn't come out. He was crying and then he called the amb'lance."
"Peter," Gibbs started. "Did your Daddy ever hit your Mommy?"
The boy looked frightened. Glancing from Tony to Gibbs and back, he nodded slowly. "Sometimes when he gets real mad, he hits Mommy. He always cries and says he's sorry."
Tony reached over and patted the boy on the shoulder. Kate assumed the gesture was supposed to be comforting, but Peter winced. Gibbs, ever vigilant, did not miss the quickly covered expression of pain.
"Does he ever hit you?" Gibbs asked quietly, his eyes hardening.
The boy's eyes filled with tears. "He doesn't mean to," he managed.
Gibbs jaw stiffened; Tony's face went blank. Kate escorted Peter back to the CPS agent who had brought him over. When she returned, Tony and Gibbs were in a heated argument.
"We've got him, Gibbs! We can put Lt. Brinkley away for child abuse, spouse abuse, and probably murder."
"No, we don't, DiNozzo."
"We've got the victim, Gibbs! What more do we need?"
"They won't believe him, DiNozzo! They never believe the kid! All we've got is a kid who heard some noises last night and says his dad hits him. The lieutenant's not about to confess. It's his word against the kid's, and who do you think they're going to believe?"
"The kid, Gibbs! You know how many cases in the past ten years have been prosecuted, based only on the kid's accusation? We've got him! They always believe the kid!"
"No, DiNozzo! They do not always believe the kid! They didn't believe me!" Gibbs stopped abruptly, eyes blazing, apparently having said too much in the heat of the moment. Tony looked surprised, even shocked. Kate figured Gibbs would shut up, stalk off, never speak of it again. It was her turn to be surprised.
Gibbs sighed. "I heard noises, too, okay? I heard the same noises I heard every night. Hitting, crying, yelling. But that night, it went longer, louder. When I woke up in the morning, he told me she had had an accident and gone to the hospital. He told me she would be all right, but I knew. I knew..." He paused, taking a raggedy breath. Kate had never seen him so emotional. "I told the police how he always hit her, how he occasionally hit me. But he was an upstanding citizen, involved in the community, on the school board. And I was an eight-year-old kid whose mother had just died. They believed him."
He stopped. Kate was appalled. How much that explained! Tony looked stunned. "Boss, we...didn't know."
Gibbs looked up, surprised, like he had forgotten they were there. "Yeah, well, I don't advertise it. Get to work on finding some proof. I want that bastard on the electric chair!"
Kate almost felt like smiling. That was the Gibbs they knew. But she was too shocked by his story to smile. She could not imagine her father being anything but kind and loving. What would she do if he murdered her mother? How had Gibbs gotten over that? Well, that's obvious, she thought. He hasn't.