Offutt AFB in Bellevue, NE is the home of US Strategic Command. For that reason, there are Navy personnel assigned to the base. As a matter of fact the commander of USSTRATCOM is navy as is about half of the command staff. So yes, it is in the realm of possibility for NCIS to conduct an investigation on an AFB.

By the way, I grew up near Offutt and have spent most of my life in the metro area. What I'm trying to say is that I do know some things about how the base is laid out. (Though I will plead guilty to a mixing of past and present characteristics.)

Warning the case in this part is about the murder of kids.

Mac's Office
1121 Hours
10/04/2004

"Enter"

"Hey, Mac. You got time to go to lunch?" Harm asks from her doorway.

"Harm!" Mac looks up surprised to see him. "Sure, I can spare an hour. What's up?"

"I just wanted to have lunch with my fiancee."

Mac looks at him with raised eyebrows.

"Honestly! Of course the fact I have to leave town on an investigation probably has something to do with it." Harm says cheekily.

"Let me just call Coates and let her know where I'll be and you can tell me where you're going and why." Mac responds.

Two minutes and 10 seconds later they are out of the building and headed for Harm's vette.

"So where you headed sailor?"

"Believe it or not, Nebraska." Harm responds with a sheepish grin as he eases the car into traffic.

"Okay, last time I checked there were no naval or marine bases in Nebraska." Mac shoots Harm a sideways glance.

"Yeah, I know but STRATCOM is there and this morning the only son of Commander Mark Johnson was kidnapped on his way to school. Locals have started working the case but since Johnson is the assistant to Admiral Drennan of Joint Forces. . . " Harm trails off.

"The brass wants more than just the locals in on it." Mac finishes for him.

"Yep. My flight leaves at 1330 from Andrews."

"Any idea how long you'll be gone?"

"No clue, depends on how the case goes."

"Are you sure you've got time to eat before your flight, Harm?"

"I'm sure. I already went home and packed." Harm smiles at Mac.

"Great." Mac smiles back.

Offutt AFB Runway 1
1425 Hours CST
10/04/2004

The Captain in charge of the Johnson investigation greeted Harm, Kate, Dinozzo and Gibbs.

"Captain Sala. Anything new to tell us?" Harm asks the MP.

"Nope, we're still talking to the kid that was with Mike Johnson this morning but he hasn't given us anything new." The captain says regretfully.

"How about a composite sketch?" Gibbs asks.

"Don't have one yet. My sergeant that usually does the sketches is out on emergency leave. I asked the local PD to send me one but they're even crazier than we are right now."

"What's more important than a missing kid?" This comment from Dinozzo.

"A dead kid. Three weeks ago Tim Barnes disappearing while on his morning paper route. His body was found in a field 4 days ago."

"Any chance the two cases are related?" Gibbs asks.

"I don't know." Sala responds.

"Is anybody looking at the possibility?" Harm asks in a deceptively calm voice.

"Not yet, but I was trying to get someone from Bellevue PD down here." Sala tells the team rather sheepishly.

"Okay, what do you think of this Gibbs? Sala and I will go talk to the local cops. You can go to the crime scene. Todd goes to talk to the witness to try and get a composite drawn." Harm looks over at Gibbs waiting for a reaction.

"Sounds good."

"I'm not a sketch artist!" Todd interjects.

"Not formally trained, but you are an artist, and you are good with kids. I'd do it but all I can draw are airplanes and stick figures. I don't think that'll help much." Harm shoots back.

"He's right, Kate." Gibbs tells her.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot."

The team splits up and heads for their various assignments with plans to meet later at the VOQ.

Offutt AFB VOQ
Commander Harmon Rabb's room
1755 Hours
10/04/2004

"Feels strange to be staying in a VOQ." Dinozzo says as he enters the room and helps himself to some pizza.

"Well there are motels near the family housing area but they are of the rent by the hour variety. I didn't think anyone would want to go that route." Harm responds.

"Thank you for that." Kate shudders at the thought.

"You're welcome." Harm smiles.

"Can we get back to the case?" Gibbs grumbles.

"Sure." Everyone agrees.

"What did you find out Rabb?" Gibbs questions.

"Thirteen year old Tim Barnes disappeared while on his Saturday morning paper route. He'd had the route for a year. He left the house at 0530 as usual. Customers started calling around 0800 to report they hadn't gotten their paper. His mom went out and found his bike and the papers in a field near the house. She called the authorities, who started a search. The body was found in a field at 108th and Giles Road on the first." Rabb reported.

"Cause of death?" Gibbs asks.

"He bled out. He'd been stabbed and sliced repeatedly. The coroner can only estimate the number of wounds but none were deep enough to cause death. There are no witnesses and at this point no real suspects. What have you got, Gibbs?"

"Mark Johnson has been at Offutt for 4 years. Started out as an assistant to the assistant. He was a pilot during the Gulf War and his financials are clean so far. No known enemies, or strange associations, but Abby's going to continue digging." Dinozzo reported for the duo.

"Okay, doesn't sound like there's much there. What did you get, Kate?"

"The kid is extremely solid on his story of what happened. I was able to get what I feel is a fairly decent composite sketch."

"Why just fairly decent if the kid was so solid on his story." Gibbs wants to know.

"Because, Gibbs, we are talking about a 12 year old. Would you want to find a suspect based solely on information from 12 year old?"

Gibbs, Dinozzo, and Harm all look at each other for a minute.

"She's got a point." Harm says.

"She most certainly does." Gibbs agrees.

The group finished their dinner and planned the next steps in their investigation. Once they were done they headed off to get some sleep, Harm stopping to call Mac first.

Offutt AFB Recreation Facility
1730 Hours
10/12/2004

Harm continued going over the case in his head as he began his 5th lap around the mile long track. Over a week later, and they still had nothing. Both Harm and Gibbs' instincts were that the child's disappearance wasn't related to his father's job. Mike was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Halfway through the lap, Harm still hadn't come up with any insights. The team was still stuck in Nebraska because they couldn't prove that Mike's disappearance wasn't related to his father's job. Well, they could prove it to the satisfaction of everyone but some politicos in D.C. that saw a terrorist plot behind every corner.

As Harm started his 6th lap around the track he gave up on trying to gain new insight into the case. He needed to concentrate on his form. The building he was in was an old aircraft hangar which meant that while the track was long it could be very hard on the knees, making correct form very important.

"Rabb!"

Harm turned around to see Dinozzo coming towards him. He dropped to a walked and headed towards him.

"What's up?" Harm knew Dinozzo wasn't in the building to work out.

"A couple of hunters found a body in a field at 42nd and Highway 370. Preliminary id is that it's Mike. Sarpy County Deputies are expecting us." Dinozzo said in a rush.

"Give me 15 minutes." Harm responded as he headed towards the locker room.

"Gibbs says we're leaving in 10." Dinozzo shouted at his back.

Harm was showered, changed and in the car in 6 and ½ minutes. Of course it helped that when he worked with NCIS he didn't have to wear his uniform.

"I'm impressed. I didn't think you could be ready in 10 minutes, never mind less than." Gibbs remarked as the car headed towards the site.

"One of the first things you learn at the academy is how to get ready as fast as possible. It allows more time for sleep. I can be showered and in full uniform in 11 minutes." Harm shot back.

The rest of the drive was accomplished in silence. It only took a few moments to confirm that the body was that of Mike Johnson and that the cause of death was similiar to that of Tim Barnes. All of the investigators agreed that it was probably dumb luck that the body was found this early. The hunters in question were only in that field because their annual Canadian trip had been canceled due to weather.

Within an hour the NCIS team was on their way back to base. Since this wasn't their home turf there wasn't a lot they could do to help, so they decided to get out of the way. Once back at the VOQ Gibbs headed off to report to the director, while Harm called home.

He figured talking to the kids would be the best medicine for his mood right now.

Andrews AFB
1200 Hours
10/16/2004

Harm stepped off the plane relieved to be home. The local police had arrested both boys' killer the day before. Again it was dumb luck that solved the case. A young airman from the base had been arrested for suspicion of attempting to kidnap a local preschool teacher. During a police interview he spontaneously confessed to the murder of both boys.

The local cops were handling the case. The brass at the base had decided that it was best for the local's to deal with it. The base had an extremely good relationship with the community and wanted to keep it that way. To further assist in this endeavor, Airman John James was discharged from the service a mere 25 hours after his confession.

James planned on pleading guilty in hope of avoiding the death penalty. Harm hoped it didn't work. Nebraska's method of execution, the electric chair, seemed like a fitting penalty for the child killer.

"Harm!"

Harm was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of Mac's voice. He looked around and found Mac, Mattie, and the boys waiting just beyond the flight line. He was at their side in three steps and scooped Mac up in a huge hug.

"Hey, Mac. I'm glad you didn't wear your uniform."

"Thought you might be." Mac said right before Harm's head swooped down for a long, loving kiss.

"Uncle Harm!" AJ tried to hug Harm but only succeeded in hugging his knee.

Harm broke the kiss and with a look that told Mac they'd continue later bent down and picked up AJ.

"Hi, AJ. Were you good for Aunt Mac?"

"Yep." AJ said convincingly while Mattie just raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you were pretty good while Uncle Harm was gone." Mac interjected before Mattie could say anything.

"So what are you all doing here?" Harm asked.

"We knew you'd had a hard case and thought we'd meet you and take you out to lunch." Mattie told him after she finished moving Jimmy to her other hip.

"Sounds like a wonderful plan. Let's go." Harm motioned with his hands waiting for Mac to take the lead. He followed behind, holding AJ's hand and oh so glad to be coming home to a family.

A/N: The basic outline for the case comes from the case of John J. Joubert. Joubert was executed in the electric chair in 1996 for the 1983 murders of Danny Eberle and Christopher Walden. The really case took longer to solve and the communities around Offutt were terrified until the killer was caught. The case was also solved pretty much like the one here. Joubert confessed while being questioned about his attempt to kidnap a local preschool teacher. Considering the teacher was in her early 20s and of course female, the police had no reason to think the cases were connected.