One by One, by Tweeter
A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews and comments. I am not familiar with posting etiquette, and I thought I'd read stories with very short paragraphs. To me, that was the logical place to break Chapter 2. To imply lack of commitment and disrespect for readers is as far off the mark as possible. I'm guilty of getting too excited and wanting to post the next part as quickly as possible. I do appreciate the comment, however, I just wanted to clarify how I feel about the story and the readers. But look, I waited until I had more out of my brain and onto paper before I posted! Never let it said I can't take criticism. Okay, I usually can't, but this time I listened and didn't pout… much.
Chapter 3 - Button, button, who's got the button?
"GLOVES" yelled Gibbs, as McGee hastily dropped the sheet of paper and put on a pair of latex gloves.
Before McGee could hand the note over to Gibbs a ringing sound came from the table. Tony's cell phone had been left under the mannequin.
Gibbs quickly put on a pair of gloves and grabbed the phone, checking the display on the phone, the call was from an "unknown number."
"Call Abby," he said to McGee, "Have her trace the incoming call on Tony's cell." He pressed the on button and put the phone to his ear.
"What have you done with Tony, Ari," he barked into the phone, "Where is he?"
He heard a low chuckle, "Temper, temper, Gibbs. I'm just making this more interesting. All work and no play makes us dull boys."
Practically growling, "I'm not playing with you, Ari. I want to know where Tony is, and I want to know now." Gibbs looked over at McGee who had his own cell phone to his ear. McGee shook his head, indicating Abby was still trying to trace the call.
Ari laughed, "And you call yourself an investigator? I left you a clue, right in front of your nose. Read the fucking note, Gibbs, or this game will be over before we get to the fun part."
Gibbs grabbed the forgotten piece of paper from McGee's hand, swearing when he realized he couldn't read it without his glasses. He heard Ari break the connection and cursed even louder, almost smashing Tony's phone, stopping himself just in time.
"McGee! Did Abby get anything at all from that call?"
McGee listened intently to what Abby was saying, reporting "She didn't have enough time to get anything specific, only that he's within the same calling cell."
"I'm betting not for long," muttered Gibbs. He held the paper at arms length, trying to read it before impatiently shoving it at McGee. "What does that say?"
McGee read aloud, "Sadly, you're not in time to save Agent DiNozzo's stand-in. Will you be fast enough or smart enough to find your agent before he dies? Perhaps the late " " will help you with your quest."
"What the hell does that mean?" growled Gibbs. Sending McGee out to the car to get the camera and evidence kit, he starting circling the table carefully, examining the dummy without touching it, trying to see if he could pick up a clue from the way it was laid out.
McGee was back almost immediately and started taking pictures of the scene. When Gibbs was satisfied that they had enough pictures of the mannequin and its position he started a closer examination, unbuttoning the shirt, checking underneath to see if anything was written on the torso. The plaster was smooth, with no markings at all. Next Gibbs checked the pants, finding some loose change in the right front pocket and a wallet in the back right. It was Tony's wallet, money, driver's license and credit cards all intact.
Sighing, he put the wallet and change in evidence bags and sealed them. He unbuckled the belt, unbuttoned the pants and pulled the zipper down.
McGee coughed, "Um, you don't think they…"
"I'm checking every inch of this mannequin that I can, before sending it to Abby," interrupted Gibbs. "I'm not assuming anything." He pulled the pants open and was surprised to find a pair of boxer briefs. Briefly Gibbs wondered if Ari had completely stripped Tony and placed all of his clothing, even underwear, on the mannequin, and if this was a sick joke. Tucked into the briefs was an envelope, 'Special Agent Gibbs' written on the outside.
The envelope wasn't sealed, inside were some Polaroid pictures. The first one was of Tony, eyes closed, slumped in a chair. There was blood on the side of his head, staining his face and his shirt. A head wound, that explained the amount of blood on the shirt. Gibbs couldn't tell if Tony was alive, but something told him that he was, at least when this picture was taken.
The next picture was of Tony, naked this time, blindfolded and gagged with duct tape, hands tied behind his back sitting in a chair, a current newspaper propped up conveniently in his lap, the front page clearly displayed. A tv could be seen behind him, a newscaster frozen on its screen, lines marring the image, but not preventing the caption from being read. He would have to have Abby check, but he was sure it was from that night's newscast.
The last picture was essentially the same as the second, but from a different perspective. Gibbs placed all three pictures in an evidence bag for Abby to process for prints. Hopefully she could examine the photos more closely, finding a clue of where they had been taken. Gibbs didn't think it would be that easy, however, but he was at a loss of what to do right now. It seems he was forced to participate in Ari's sick game, a macabre scavenger hunt with Tony being the end goal. He wasn't even sure if Tony was still alive, believing that he was probably already dead, but holding onto a slim hope that the young agent was still alive and waiting for his team to rescue him.