Chapter 9
Gibbs and Tony walked toward Mike's mechanical workshops to find that it was in fact a group of smallunits that people hired out to do their own mechanical repairs. Gibbs looked around at the 10 units the workshop comprised and wondered how many people came through here and how many had access to the badges similar to the one they had found by the last victim
"There's the office Boss" Tony said pointing to a small glass fronted building set to the right of the workshops
"I can see just fine DiNozzo" Gibbs crouched, touchy about his eyesight and the fact that he had problems reading things sometimes.
"Yeah sorry Boss" Tony said a hint of a smile in his tone, Gibbs narrowed his eyes as he looked at the younger agent but said nothing as they crossed the car park and entered the building.
Gibbs flashed his badge at the old man sitting behind the old and tired looking reception desk.
"Special Agent Gibbs and DiNozzo, NCIS" he introduced himself and Tony "We need to speak to whoever is in charge" he demanded, looking around at the shabby and outdated room.
"That would be me, I'm Mike, as in Mike's mechanical workshops" the white haired man said, scratching his shaggy beard "what can I do for you gentleman?" he queried. Gibbs pulled out the evidence bag containing the badge
"Is this one of yours?" he asked looking pointedly at the one Mike himself was wearing
"Yeah I give them to the people that rent my workshops, they have to wear them when working here so that I can see who should be here and who shouldn't, I get a lot of kids trying to sneak in and use my tools without paying" he said
Gibbs sighed; he had just known it wouldn't be simple
"Do you have a list of people who have rented your units?" he asked
"yep, I run a good business here, all ship shape and legal" he told Gibbs indignantly, "you cant be too careful with what people get up to in the workshops, so they have to sign in and provide address and stuff, plus a $100 bond." He continued as he walked to a battered filing cabinet and pulled out an equally battered file. "don't trust computers so its all paper" he said handing over the thick file "that's the last 2 years you got there, but I can get you the last 10 if you want them" he added helpfully. Tony turned away trying to hide his grimace of dismay, if a file for two years was that thick he hated to think what 10 years would be like.
Gibbs smiled and leafed through the file, it contained written sheets of names, address and dates of birth and other miscellaneous details.
"When did you start issuing the badges?" he asked looking at the man again
"Those ones? About 6 months ago" he replied, pointing to the badge on the table, "I change them every so often so that someone doesn't use it after they have stopped paying."
"What happens if someone loses one?" Tony asked
The old man looked at him suspiciously for a moment before looking back at Gibbs before answering, causing Gibbs to smile again
"They have to pay $3 to get a new one" he said "suppose you want that list too?" he muttered, glaring at Tony as he went to the filing cabinet and got another, much thinner file, and handing it to Gibbs
"you wanna take them. I'm gonna need a receipt" Mike said pointing to the two files
"So what's this about?" he added looking at Gibbs
"I'm afraid I can't tell you at present, but thanks for your help" Gibbs said turning towards the door
"Tony write him a receipt" he added, one hand on the door to leave, he turned back as if in after thought
"Has anyone requested a new badge recently?" he asked casually
"Yeah had a guy in this morning wanting one and another guy the other day, names are on the list you got there" Mike said nodding at the files in Gibbs' hand.
"He still around now, the one from this morning?" Gibbs asked
"Nah, he left a little while ago, he wasn't here long today, names George something" he added on helpfully
Gibbs nodded his thanks and then turned back to the door and left the small office.
Tony jogged to catch up with Gibbs before he reached the car, having written a receipt for the files
"You think the one today might be our guy?" he asked Gibbs as they climbed into the car
"Wont know till we check it out" Gibbs said softly, tossing the file to Tony, who grabbed it and flipped it open scanning the neatly written lines
"George Flynn, 1987 Clipper Street" he read out to Gibbs, He opened the other file and looked for the corresponding file there "rented the space a month ago, to fix his car up"
Gibbs started the car and headed into the traffic, heading for Clipper Street and George Flynn, their first lead.
"Phone Kate, get her to go over and check on Abby, then get McGee to do a background check on Flynn, lets see what he can pull up on him" Gibbs said as he quickly wove his way through the traffic.
"On it Boss" Tony said as he pulled out his phone and dialled Kate's number, he quietly spoke with Kate for awhile, passing on Gibbs' message and silently praying that he and Gibbs didn't become a road traffic statistic, after a few minutes he hung up and turned to Gibbs
"Their on it Gibbs, and we don't have a forensic analyst again. Simpson quit; she said she wouldn't work for a bas…" Tony realised what he was saying and swallowed "She doesn't like the atmosphere in the lab, so she left" he added diplomatically. Gibbs shot him a look, causing Tony to grip the dash board tightly and praying he would look at the road again
"You mean she said I was a total bastard and quit" Gibbs grinned, "no loss, get McGee to do it and farm out what he can't do" he said, spinning the car in a near right angle onto Clipper Street.
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Kate made her way along the corridor to Abby's room, smiling at the nurse's she passed, always bearing in mind that in this job you never knew when one of them would be looking after you.
She opened Abby's door and stepped into an empty room, Kate paused and looked around as if Abby would suddenly appear but when she didn't she crossed over to the bathroom and looked in, hoping to see Abby there, but it too was empty, and the toiletries that she had bought Abby this morning, before she had gone to work, were also gone. Kate crossed over to the small locker that Kate had stored Abby's clothes in ready for when she was released, they weren't there either.
Kate jogged out into the hall and down to the nurse's station
"Where is Miss Sciuto in room 233?" Kate asked the nurse sitting at the desk, the woman looked at a list on a clipboard attached to the desk.
"She discharged herself about an hour ago" she said calmly, smiling up at Kate
"She did what? You just let her walk out of here?" She demanded angrily.
"Well yes, she was going to be discharged later today so we saw no reason to stop her, she is an adult" The nurse said, adding the last indignantly.
"Christ, Gibbs is gonna go crazy" she muttered turning away and reaching for her phone.
"You can't use that in here" the nurse reminded her pointedly looking at the mobile phone in Kate's hands. Kate slammed the phone down, flashed her badge and reached over the desk to grab the nurse's desk phone, punching in Gibbs's number from memory.
"Gibbs, Abby discharged herself" she said carefully "I'm going over to her apartment to check on her" she added before Gibbs could tell her to do it.
