The team supervised the loading of all the evidence at the Pederson house. By the time they'd finished, the midday sun beat down with blistering intensity and the three tired and sweaty agents wanted nothing more than to find some food and cold drinks. Settling for the shield that the car provided, they sunk into the too-warm seats and allowed the overworked air-conditioner to provide them with what relief it could.

Okay, Boss. Where to now? Tony dragged himself from his slumped position behind the wheel into one more suitable for driving.

Take a left out of here and go about ten miles. That should get us to the highway. Gibbs allowed himself the luxury of leaning his head back for a few more minutes. The weather report he'd heard said that with the expected humidity, heat indices could reach nearly 115. After ninety minutes of helping to haul evidence, he didn't doubt it.

As they headed toward their next destination, Tony spotted a small Mom-&-Pop style diner that seemed to be doing a lively business. Hey, guys. What about grabbing a quick lunch? he asked as he slowed, preparing to turn.

Gibbs nodded his agreement, and within minutes the three were seated at a small corner table with tall glasses of ice water. Conversation centered on the house they'd just left.

I still don't get why she left that letter in the desk. It just doesn't make sense. Kate shook her head.

Neither do the financial statements. Four months worth would definitely have been missed by a bookkeeper as uptight as Emily, Tony added.

There have been a lot of things that haven't added up on this case. Somewhere there has to be a key to all this crap. Gibbs sat back and took a long drink.

They continued kicking thoughts and theories around during the meal. When they'd finished, the only thing they'd satisfied was their hunger; the mystery surrounding Pederson's and Holder's relationship and its murderous dissolution remained frustratingly opaque.

Emily Pederson chose her property sites well and the one for her meth lab was no exception. The lot was isolated, the driveway entrance easily overlooked due to surrounding vegetation. Tony's sharp eyes spotted the break in the greenery just as they'd passed it, causing him to hit the brakes and spin the wheel hard to make the turn. This, in turn, caused Gibbs to swear at the younger man's driving, and Kate to gasp at the unexpected jolt. The track they now followed was rutted and uneven, shadows from the canopy of trees making it impossible to find even a semi-level path. Kate grimaced in pain and willed herself not to cry out each time the jouncing car jarred her ribs. After nearly a mile of torment, the unpaved surface was replaced by a gravel road. At this point they were near the edge of the trees and were able to get a look at the structure housing Pederson's facility.

This chick didn't do anything halfway, did she? Tony exclaimed. The building visible in the distance looked to be a small airplane hangar. Roughly a quarter-mile away, it sat in a large, grassy area. Do you think we should call for some backup, Boss?

Gibbs considered Tony's suggestion seriously before agreeing. He flipped open his phone and called for two teams, giving them explicit directions and as much detailed information as he could. Now we wait.

With the car tucked under the trees it took a little longer for the interior to heat up, but after thirty minutes of waiting the three agents were beginning to bake. They were hesitant to run the engine for fear of being heard, so they had rolled down their windows. Suddenly, Gibbs sat up straighter and cocked his head toward the window.

What is it? Kate asked softly.

I thought I heard...

The unmistakable sound of guns being cocked silenced the man and drew the attention of all the occupants of the car.

Get out. Hands where we can see them. Tony, Kate and Gibbs exited the sedan through doors that were opened for them in some strange parody of valet service.

Armed. Now, why doesn't that surprise me? Take their weapons. The speaker gestured to one of his associates while he eyed Gibbs. The security team leader's look was dispassionate as he assessed the older man. He then flicked his eyes over Kate and ignored her, before moving to Tony.

Gibbs, meanwhile, had done his own assessment. His first thought was that somehow Jeremy Duvall had escaped custody. He quickly realized though, that the man standing before him must certainly be Jeremy's brother. The two men bore a startling resemblance to each other. He was young but well-muscled; cold and apparently emotionless. His quick dismissal of Kate, however, showed his inexperience and might be his undoing. He would need to be handled carefully.

The agents were marched toward the laboratory, fingers interlaced, palms up and hands resting on their heads. In a way, this was a relief for Kate. It put the least amount of pressure on her ribs and reduced the likelihood that she would be grabbed by the arm and twisted around. As they neared the building, she sized up their safe zone options should escape be possible. Unfortunately, there was nothing surrounding the building that the team could use for cover. Snapping her eyes upward, she found that darkness would not even be their friend; the security lighting installed here looked to be of a much higher quality than what Tony's landlord was willing to buy. They would need to use the inside then to their best advantage. As they stepped through the doors, Kate took in the large open area and memorized the placement of everything within it. And she started to plan.

Tony was pissed. He should have seen those damn guards sneaking up on them. Hell, they had to come from quite a ways around through the trees! Or they'd had sentries hidden along the road. Either way, they shouldn't have gotten the drop on him. As they reached the building, he flicked a glance a Kate. She was concentrating on something, eyes darting about with the speed and precision of a hummingbird. Guess I'd better start thinking of something to help us get out of this mess.' There were five on the security team that captured them. As Tony was shoved inside, he counted four more. Nine unfriendlies. Great.'

Gibbs kept his body relaxed as his captor prodded him through the door. He hadn't planned on being captured, but it solved the problem of getting inside the building rather neatly. And in stripping the agents of their visible, primary weapons the security team had made the fatal flaw of not patting them down. In addition to the snub-nosed revolver comfortably hugging his ankle, he had two knives. He knew from experience that Tony would have the same reassuring weight of hardware strapped to his leg, along with his handy belt knife. As Kate dressed for the weather, he could see she wasn't concealing a firearm the way the men were, but as she'd met Gibbs' assessing glance her eyes were hard. She was fine, what she wasn't carrying, she'd acquire. He smiled to himself; they were still armed and they had two of the best teams on the way for backup.

Who are you? The Duvall look-alike was in Gibbs' face.

The agent refused to recoil from the sour breath. NCIS. You're all under arrest. Gibbs smiled slightly at the derisive laughter that surrounded the three captives. Well, it was worth a try.

What the hell is NS, NIC, whatever? one of the meth workers asked.

Who gives a shit? It ain't DEA, so shut up and keep working! another replied.

Hey, Duvall! Gibbs recaptured the security team leader's attention.

Shoving his weapon roughly into the agent's stomach, he snarled at the man, How do you know my name?

Oh, we have Jeremy in custody. You two look an awful lot alike. As he spoke, Gibbs felt the cell phone in his pocket begin to buzz; the backup teams were here. According to procedure, if the backup is unable to contact the primary agent, the backup is to assume that the primary agent or team has been compromised. He continued to talk, buying the new arrivals a little time to get in position. You know, maybe you can explain something for me. Neither your brother nor his girl, Emily, wanted to talk to us after we picked them up. Wanna tell me what you've got going here?

Duvall laughed. Emily's not Jeremy's girl, she's my girl. Jeremy likes that dishwater blonde Lynn. He gave a mock shudder to show his distaste for the woman.

Gibbs waited until Duvall's back was turned then gave a slight tip of his head toward the door to let his team know help had arrived. Then he continued drawing Duvall out. So your, what, little brother is now cuddling with his supposed flame's murderer? And you're good with that?

The single word erupted from the man dragging with it the only genuine emotion Gibbs had seen: utter shock.

Which part didn't you get? I'll be happy to go over it for you. His tone was mild, but his eyes betrayed the determination that drove him now. He believed the bewildered man before him could supply more than a few of the missing pieces to this case. When the other man simply stared at him, Gibbs pressed each point home.

Lynn Holder is dead. Emily and Larry Martin killed her. Emily and Jeremy tried taking potshots at my team. Now all three are in custody and Lynn is in the morgue with a broken back, a broken neck and a fractured skull. Along with a few dozen other injuries that come from a two-story fall. He pushed until Duvall looked physically ill.

Lips working like a fish out of water, their captor finally found words. Lynn can't be dead! We need her. Larry... what's he got to do with any of this? Em promised she hadn't seen him in months! Regaining control of his runaway emotions, he swung his assault rifle around to point it at his tormentor. You're lying, he ground out in a low, hate-filled voice.

Gibbs had pushed him far enough. As Duvall prepared to fire, Gibbs dove for cover behind a wooden pallet stacked with shrink-wrapped packages.

Don't shoot, you moron! You'll blow the whole place up! one of the lab workers screamed in panic.

Shut up! Duvall snarled. Come out, you lying bastard. He redirected his attention toward the pallet, but Gibbs was already on the move, drawing attention away from his teammates and the door through which they entered.

Kate and Tony took their cue from their leader, each darting for a secure location. It seemed that everyone in the building was focused on the drama Gibbs had created. Kate's hiding place put her closest to the door and she spotted the video probe as it slithered under the door. Creeping backward toward the spot where she believed Tony to be, she whispered, Backup's here. When all she heard was a grunt in reply, she risked a peek around the corner of a large wooden packing crate only to find Tony struggling with one of the security guards.

Tony had crouched down between two wooden packing crates toward the back of the open area. He scuttled forward along the narrow aisle until he spotted a security guard. As he reached the front corner he darted upward, pulling the man down and quickly clapping his hand across the shorter man's mouth. He'd managed to disarm the guard, but the man was refusing to surrender easily and Tony was hampered by the need to keep the fight quiet.

Kate spotted the dropped firearm and rescued it, crawling between the crates with her partner and his writhing captive. The guard knew she wouldn't fire and his eyes mocked her as she twirled the weapon in her grasp. She took satisfaction in the flash of fear they showed right before she pistol-whipped him. Tony's eyes were full of thanks.

One down, eight to go. I'm going after the lab guys; we need to get everyone out. Tony whispered as he freed his revolver from his ankle holster.

Kate nodded. You want this? she asked, offering the guard's pistol.

Nah, don't want to spook em. This is good. Watch your six.

You too, she whispered as she made her way back toward the door.