Chapter 8

Ducky looked down at the body on the cold table in front of him

"My dear, lets find this man so that you can rest in peace" he told the silent and cold woman before him, the body had arrived this morning from Metro and Ducky had wasted no time in starting the autopsy.

His eyes turned to the specimen bottle in his hand

"Mr Palmer, would you be so kind as to take this hair sample to young Abi…urm to the forensic lab" he corrected, handing it over as Jimmy approached

"Certainly Dr Mallard, and the new Forensic analyst is called Ann Simpson" he corrected gently

"I am aware of the young ladies name, Mr Palmer, I am not so old that I have become forgetful of names" he politely berated his assistant

"Yes Doctor, I didn't mean to imply…" Jimmy started "I'll go now Doctor" he finished as Ducky looked up at him, his mouth compressed into a tight line

"You do that Mr Palmer" Ducky muttered bending down to the body again, becoming absorbed in his work again.

……………………………………………….

Gibbs sat at his desk, his hand reaching for the phone as it rang, and he listened for a moment then hung up and reached into his desk for his gun

"Lets go, we have another body" he said "McGee get the..."

"Van boss, on it" McGee said as he ran past Gibbs, his coat trailing behind him, Gibbs allowed himself a small smile.

"Another Goth, Boss?" Tony asked as they headed towards the elevator

"No DiNozzo, it's a choir girl, that's why we have it" he said sarcastically hitting Tony around the head, causing Kate to smirk behind Gibbs face

"Take that look of your face Kate, or your next" Gibbswarned without turning around, Kate immediately straightened up and this time Tony smirked.

When the van pulled up they found the area already cordoned off by the local police, Gibbs headed straight to the body, bending down to look at her, he hated what he saw, the young Goth could only have been about 15, an officer standing close saw the look on Gibbs face

"Her name is Katie Summers and she's 15, she was apparently out with friends last night and never came home, her parents logged a call at 3 am with us." He said, Gibbs looked up at the officer and said nothing, his eyes boring into him

"Hey, we can't go out looking for every kid out past curfew" the man declared defensively

"If you had perhaps this one would still be alive" Gibbs said in disgust, hating the waste of life, knowing the officer was right, so he just stood and walked away "McGee get me some coffee" he called out as he crossed to Tony and Kate "Who found her?" he asked

Kate pointed to a young boy standing by a bike

"He did, he cuts through here on his paper round" she told Gibbs, trailing behind him as he walked over to the young boy

"Hey" Gibbs said softly as he approached the quietly crying boy, who was no more that 12

"What's your name?" he continued

"John Hampton, Sir" the youth said straightening his shoulders "I've never seen anyone dead before" he said softly, looking into Gibbs eyes

"You're doing just fine son" Gibbs soothed, watching the boy struggle for control "Did you see anyone in the area this morning?" he questioned, the boy shook his head

"No sir" he murmured looking back towards the body, Gibbs stepped lightly to the side to block the boys view, then he looked at Kate "get him a ride home" he demanded, then waited as Kate took the boy over to a police cruiser.

"Hey Boss, you might want to see this" Tony called form his position by the body

Gibbs jogged over and bent down next to Tony, he put on a pair of gloves and looked at Tony with an eyebrow raised

"I've shot it boss" Tony said patting the camera in his hands, at that Gibbs gently picked the item up by its sides and turned it over

"Mike's mechanical workshops" he read off the pin badge, the sort that employees wear. Gibbs dropped the badge in the bag Tony held open for him

"I think we need to go pay Mike's a visit" he said standing up again and heading towards Ducky, who had just arrived with Palmer in tow.

"She's all yours Ducky" he said as he passed him and continued to the van, and the coffee McGee held out to him. He stood silently and watched the scene around him, grateful for whatever fate that had stopped Abby from being here instead of the young Katie Summers, and hating himself for being grateful that it was someone else's dead body instead of Abby's.