Title: Sometimes They Come Back
Author: CSIphile/Redwing
AN1: I don't know anything about forensic science, this science in this chapter may or may not be correct….the intent is all the same though. Don't sweat it, just run with it. J
AN2: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, they really make my day….seriously. Please keep it up!
AN: Much apologies for the lateness of this chapter, I was focusing on Shaitan and….got caught up. I'm thinking after this chapter Ill hold off on this one until Shaitan is all settled and done…less confusing that way. Unless y'all really dont want me to stop that is.
Chapter 3: Contact
She was sitting at her desk, twirling a pen with one hand, the other holding the phone to her ear. She was currently on hold with the LaJolla NCIS office trying to locate one of the two NCIS officers that responded to Jessica's murder.
She re-crossed her legs and put the pen down, picking up the Pinocchio on her desk. It wasn't a large doll, about the same size as a child's small stuffed animal. She fingered the wooden nose and had to let a smile cross her face; it was quite the gesture on his part. Creative, that was for sure.
Rotating her chair as classical music blared in her ear, she noted Tony's empty desk. She had to admit, she kind of missed the guy. He may be immature, but he was still her friend and she sorta missed screwing with the idiot.
Rotating further, she noted Gibbs at his desk, looking at her. Well, not really at her, but at the object still in her hand. A flush of guilt started to creep up from her stomach; Kate had a feeling that if Gibbs ever caught onto this, she would get her ass chewed, and maybe fired. But she reminded herself that Ari was no longer one of their cases, and it was none of Gibbs' business anyway -- with the arrival of the toy, it was officially personal, Gibbs had no jurisdiction there.
He seemed to be processing something, and for a second Kate wondered if he figured out where the toy came from. It only took him an instant, however, to notice he had been noticed and look up at her. He didn't look guilty at being caught, rather the opposite, he stared at her intently, his blue eyes piercing hers.
Gibbs stared at her, one eye on the doll she held in her lap and when she touched it had brought a smile to her face. He was more curious than anything about its origins, more so than he probably should have been. But Gibbs got the feeling that there was something else behind that gift, and without Tony to pry the information out of her, Gibbs would have to continue to be curious from afar.
"Uh-huh…yeah. And how warm?" He watched as Kate turned back and started scribbling on her notepad. "Really? And….yeah. Great, thank you."
Gibbs waited for her to report what the agent had said, but instead she turned to her computer, furiously typing; she seemed to be searching for something. Then she got on the phone and a smile started to form on her lips. Gibbs watched her until she finally stood and headed to his desk a grin plastered on her face.
"Well, that was enlightening," she stated with a smile.
"How enlightening?" He practically winked at her.
"Turns out the agent noted that when they walked in, the thermostat was set at 80 degrees. The actual temperature was closer to 82 though. He and his partner made a note of it because…" She pulled out a printed sheet. "Around that hour in DC it was still 77 degrees out -- hardly a need for the heat to be on. When questioned, Luke said the thermostat was busted -- not exactly unheard of in base housing."
"No, not at all." He looked at her expression. "Something else?"
"Yeah, Luke Bergman had reported the thermostat broken a few weeks prior, but when maintenance came out, they found no problem. The complaint he filed…." Kate handed him another sheet. "The digital thermostat kept jumping to 80 for no reason."
Gibbs looked at her, a grin cracking at the surface. "He was setting an excuse. Grab the autopsy file and follow me, we are testing Rule 3."
Kate did and followed him downstairs to autopsy and Ducky. The older man was staring intently at something in the microscope -- he didn't hear them enter until Gibbs tapped him on the shoulder.
"Goodness, Jethro. You could give an old man a heart attack," the ME said and looked up slowly at them. "We'll, don't you two look like the cats that ate the canary."
"Duck, look at this autopsy report." Gibbs handed over the file and he and Kate stood silently as the man looked over every word. It was a solid 15 minutes later before the ME spoke.
"Ok, the report looks fine, Jethro. What's the problem?" He looked at the two of them, somewhat surprised that their expressions hadn't changed. He figured since he was reviewing the file something was wrong.
"Ok, Duck. There's no note in there about adjusting TOD to account for an overly warm room?"
"Not that I can see. And based on the information in here, the time of death looks correct. What is going on?"
Gibbs continued to be vague, not coming right out, wanting the ME to draw his own conclusions.
"What if I told you, Duck, that the body was found in a room where the temperature was approximately 80 degrees, possibly more."
The ME looked back down at the file, seemingly thinking about something before turning back to them. "Then I would tell you your TOD might be off depending on how long the body was in that temperature and if it varied."
Gibbs considered this. "Ok then. Let's assume the temperature remained steady at 80 degrees the entire time. What would the time of death be then?"
The older man got off his stool and moved across autopsy, the two NCIS agents tailing. He picked up a pen and paper off the desk and looked at the file carefully, studying it before starting to write.
"You know, I've always preferred to do this the long way, no calculators. It's soothing in a way …hmmmm."
"Hmmm?" Kate questioned.
"Well, if the temperature stayed at 80, then that would push your earliest TOD to 8:00 pm from 10." Ducky turned at looked at them. "Of course if it was warmer, it could be even earlier."
Gibbs, however, was already halfway out the door.
"Thanks, Ducky. You just made our day," she said and turned, following Gibbs' path.
"Glad I could be of service," Ducky said to an empty room as he went back to his experiment.
By the time they returned to their desks, Gibbs was already on the phone, determining Luke Bergman's current location. Circumstantial or not, Gibbs was bringing him in for a chat; the man's alibi had just been destroyed.
"He's there? Now? Make sure he doesn't leave." Gibbs instructed and hung up the phone.
"I'm going to get Bergman, get an interview room ready," he instructed and she nodded in response.
Kate was waiting in the observation room when Bergman was brought in; at the same time, Gibbs walked into the room with her and stood next to her, watching him through the two way mirror.
"He resist?" she asked absently, not taking her eyes off the suspect.
"Not much. Though I get the feeling he knows he's in trouble." He tilted his head at her. "Cops coming to get you in the middle of the afternoon generally isn't a good sign."
Kate watched Luke -- he seemed a little angry, she could see it written on his face. "Yeah, he knows something is up. But he also looks a little…put off. Possibly angry. He knows there's only one reason we would come get him."
"Yup. I'm going right for the throat, use that anger."
She nodded and heard the door close behind her. A few seconds later Gibbs reappeared in the room, sitting calmly across from Bergman, not moving a muscle, just reading a file.
Luke seemed to get more and more agitated as Gibbs sat there in silence, constantly looking at Gibbs, then the mirror, then back to Gibbs.
"What's going on here?" he finally asked.
Gibbs barely acknowledged his existence, instead continuing to read. "Did you know that increasing a room's temperature with a dead body in it can alter the time of death estimate if the ME is unaware of the fact?"
Bergman suddenly stopped moving, focusing directly on Gibbs. "Really?" His tone was condescending.
"Really. Any idea why your wife would turn the thermostat up to 80 on a night when it was 77 out?" Now Gibbs looked up, pinning the guy with a stare.
"That thing was broken; I had called about it before."
"Yeah, so I hear. Funny though how they found nothing wrong." Gibbs' undertone was crystal clear.
"Yeah, well, what does the military know from fixing thermostats. Little small-scale for them, don't you think?" he asked, his anger starting to come through. "What the hell is this all about? I've been over this before; I'm trying to put Jess' death behind me."
Gibbs ignored him. "You want to know what I think? I think you called about that thermostat as a cover. YOU turned it up so your alibi would be safe and no one would question a bar full of witnesses, especially when the suspect was making himself very visible." Gibbs closed the file with a loud thump. "Basically, I think you are full of it."
"Hey man, those NCIS agents last time questioned me and let me go -- they had to, I didn't kill my wife." Gibbs saw annoyance flash in Luke's eyes, but kept staring at him, keeping his voice calm.
"They didn't know the time of death was wrong, you lucked out. The temperature note in the NCIS agent's report somehow never made it to the ME. Your alibi is gone, Luke. Want to amend your statement?"
Now Bergman was getting irate, Gibbs could sense it. "I didn't kill my wife. I loved her."
That was Kate's cue -- she walked out of observation and into interrogation. Bergman looked startled to have her enter. She didn't even bother introducing herself.
"Are you sure about that, Luke? Because three domestic calls to your house tell a different story." She threw the file down in front of him.
"I never hurt her, they were misunderstandings." His agitation level started to increase dramatically; he didn't like being talked to like this by a woman. She'd seen it before and could see it in his eyes now. So she took a step forward, crowding their suspect a little more.
"Misunderstandings that ended with one bruised eye, a fractured wrist and multiple bruises? That we know of? That sounds like abuse to me….Luke." She moved in even closer, but he didn't back down, and she knew he wouldn't.
"You don't know shit, lady. Jess gave just as much as I did," he practically spat at her.
Kate stopped moving, maybe two feet from Bergman. "So THAT'S your excuse for beating on your wife? Because she talked back to you?"
"Some women don't know when to shut up," he hissed and leaned into her more. Kate could see Gibbs out of the corner of her eye; he was starting to move toward them to stop this. She paused him with a small gesture of her hand.
"So what? Jessica talked back one to many times? Maybe she commented on your manhood, or lack thereof…" Kate made sure to look down into his lap, and gave him a disappointed look.
Now Luke lunged at her, but Kate danced back out of the way as Gibbs moved quickly to restrain him.
"Stupid bitch, she didn't know anything, she couldn't behave - just like you. She deserved what she got!" He was shouting, pulling against Gibbs, but the older man had him securely.
"She deserved you strangling her? Killing her?" Kate shouted back, moving back toward him.
"You bet your ass! Stupid slut, she was sleeping with half the base, making me look like a fool. There! I said, it are you happy now, bitch?" He was still screaming at her, pulling at Gibbs who had Bergman's arms behind him, testing the older man's strength. Gibbs wasn't sure he could hold him much longer.
Kate smiled at him as two other agents entered the room and assisted Gibbs in restraining him. "Oh, yeah. I'm thrilled. Thanks."
With that she turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Gibbs to watch her go in amazement. She had a habit of surprising him.
Two days later, Gibbs sat at his desk and wondered where Kate had gone off to. She had dropped her report on the Bergman case on his desk not even thirty minutes ago.
He was taking a large gulp of coffee, debating when to send out a search team for his wayward partner when the shipping clerk walked by him, stopping at Kate's desk with a large package. The young man looked around a second, before placing it neatly on top of some files.
Gibbs waited until the other man walked away before approaching the box. It was tall, at least 18 inches, but only about 4 inches square, standing on one of the smaller ends. Gibbs stood beside her desk and inspected it carefully, reading the shipping label. It was addressed to Caitlin Todd, which seemed odd to him, she rarely, if ever, went by her full name. She even introduced herself as Kate to…well, everyone. Something was screaming at him; his instinct told him this was more than it seemed, it was a hint.
Scanning further, he had to tilt his head to the side to read the smaller print, but he found what he wanted: the shipping label. He was very surprised by the mark -- whoever had sent her the item in question sent it direct from Italy.
Something in his gut told Gibbs that something was not quite right with this whole gift scenario. Kate hadn't mentioned she was dating anyone seriously, or even not seriously. The only reason he would even know is because Tony would feel the need to tell him, he had before with…Derek, or was it Dwayne. Either way, he would know. Something else tugged at his brain though, like he should know the answer, but didn't because he wasn't thinking hard enough.
Walking back to his desk, Gibbs sat down just as Kate came around the corner. When he looked up, he saw a huge grin plastered on her face, her eyes focused on the box on her desk. Without even looking at him, Kate pulled scissors from her drawer and cut through the tape easily, noting the shipping location. Once she removed the mailing paper, it was obvious what the contents were. Standing in front of her was a wood wine box.
He watched as she stood motionless for a moment, almost unsure what to do. Finally she reached out and touched the box, looking for a way in. Frustrated, she realized it would take a little prying to get the top off. This was no cheap bottler; the box had been nailed shut, ensuring the contents' safety.
Kate stepped all the way around her desk and picked up the phone, having a quick conversation with someone. When she hung up, Kate finally turned to Gibbs and noticed him staring at her again.
He pointed noncommitedtly at the box. "What's all this about?"
She raised one eyebrow at him. "It's wine, Gibbs."
Gibbs decided to take the direct route. "Why is someone sending wine to you at work?"
"Is it a problem?"
"Technically, you aren't supposed to receive personal mail here." He knew it sounded petty, but he couldn't stop himself.
She shot him a look, but any retort was cut off by Abby appearing with a screwdriver and pair of pliers. Kate laid the box on its long side, and with a little work, was able to pry off the side, revealing a bottle of chardonnay nestled in strips of packing straw. Carefully she pulled the bottle out; this time he had truly outdone himself. Kate knew very little about wine, but what she did know told her this label was one of the best Italian wine makers. It was not an inexpensive gift.
"Whoa, Kate!" Abby exclaimed. "Someone really has the hots for you." The lab tech smiled widely and disappeared.
Kate looked at Gibbs, flustered slightly by Abby's comment. "She didn't…no one has the hots for me."
Gibbs said nothing, merely raised his eyebrows at her and went back to work, unsure why a bottle of wine made his heart constrict.
Kate Todd's Apartment
11 PM
Kate sat curled on her couch, feet tucked under her body. She was dressed for bed, a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. She had a classic rock station playing lightly in the background -- TV off, computer off. Twenty minutes ago she had opened the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. Currently the still full glass sat on her coffee table, and she stared at it.
She placed her head on one arm that was on the arm of the couch, eying the glass. For some reason drinking the wine now felt the same as drinking it five months ago. The intent was different, but the same concept. Then it would have been giving into him, endorsing his terrorist ways, now it's no different than giving him the forgiveness he wants from her.
It's a peace offering, and to Kate even one sip means more than just drinking wine, it means forgetting what he did to her and her co-workers - her friends. What would Gerald think? He was still in PT thanks to the man who was sending her expensive bottles of wine from overseas. He hadn't worked in nearly seven months, and it would be another couple before he was able to come back. Would he understand her taking a drink? And Ducky? He was there, held hostage by a man who scruples where debatable.
Then again…..
"I'm not a bad man, Caitlin. Surely you can see that now, I was doing what I had to."
Kate pushed some hair from her face, the wind had really started whipping around since she called the Secret Service and Gibbs. "I don't really care, honestly. You still shot my friends. I don't think it makes a difference to Gerald what your intentions were."
"I made sure he wouldn't die."
"Well I'm sure he appreciates your thoughtfulness." Her tone was filled with anger.
"Caitlin…I did what I had to. Then and now, I'm in so deep, sometimes I forget who I am. After my mother's death, I decided to do what I could to stop terrorism. No matter the cost."
Kate looked down, considering his words. Would she have done anything less for her country? For her president? Probably not, Kate would have killed for both, and still would. So how could she hold something against him that she knows she would do if asked?
"I didn't want to hurt any of you, I just wanted to do my job and get out of there. You have to understand."
She snapped her head up. "Why do you care what I think?"
They both heard the sounds of approaching vehicles and looked to see government issued sedans coming up the dirt track.
"Because, you fascinate me Caitlin, and I do hope to know you better one day. And I'd rather not have this hanging over our heads."
It was then that they saw the government sedans pull up the dirt driveway. Ari was whisked away by the CIA, and that was the last time she had seen him. Kate had spent the next twelve hours in debriefing before being released...
Then there was Gibbs. Also shot by Ari, though less seriously than Gerald. Her boss had held a hatred for the man that continued even after Ari's true allegiance was revealed. Gibbs had been infuriated that the government was just going to let Ari leave without so much as a harsh word about his actions. Kate knew that didn't sit well with her boss, and neither would any of this if he knew. Sighing she considered Gibbs, the man who brought her on despite the impetuous behind her leaving the secret service. He gave her a job, a job she loved and enjoyed, every day she learned something new. Even if it was how to push Tony's buttons farther.
She respected and admired the man, despite his failed personal life. Then again, with the job they had, anything resembling a personal life was a start. Which was why the thought of him stopped her from drinking from that glass. Kate hated the idea of Gibbs thinking any less of her. Not because she needed his approval, but because she did respect him.
The sound of her cell ringing pulled her out of the debate and she grabbed the phone from its place next to the glass of wine.
"Kate Todd," she said simply, without looking at the caller ID, assuming it was Gibbs. No one else dared call her this late.
"It's nice to hear your voice again, Caitlin….."
And with that her whole world stopped.
tbc…………………………..
"Do you sleep with a gun under your pillow every night?" Tony
"Depends...."Kate
"On what?"
"On who I'm sleepin' with." [smacks into Gibbs] "Um, I'm sorry I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Tony just asked me what I would do if a man came into my bedroom and I said it depends.' [pause] "I mean, it doesn't depend on the man…Tony could you help me out here, please."
"She sleeps with a gun, boss."
"That true?" Gibbs
"Sort of...Sometimes….yes."
[smile]"Good girl."
