3.
Kathy Lee Fishburne sauntered out of the ladies' room, prepared to tease something to drink out of her date. She didn't see Tony in the restaurant, but did see a large number of uniforms. This must be a favorite of the police.
She slipped through the milling crowd of people, looking for Tony. As she passed by the distinguished man who had held the door open for her, she saw a crying child in his lap. Kathy Lee made a move with her lips at the mess the child was.
"I told you, I don't know who he was! All I know is that he saved Clarissa by throwing her into my arms. The last I saw of him or Laurel was the man fighting with the kidnapper while my daughter cringed in the corner."
"He was probably in on it," said one of the uniformed officers.
Kathy Lee began to worry and stepped closer. "Excuse me?"
The men looked up, reacting in typical ways to her beauty. "This man…can you describe him?"
"Now, miss, don't you worry about him," the deputy said. "He's long gone."
"You don't understand. My boyfriend's missing."
"He probably ran off when all the excitement started."
"He couldn't have. His car is still outside." She peered at the deputy's nametag. "Deputy Farris, I'm really worried."
The man watched and listened carefully before shifting the child to one side. "Your boyfriend, is he tall, dark hair, wearing a tan jacket and brown slacks?"
"That's him! That's Tony!"
"Tony who, miss?" Deputy Farris asked, his notebook at the ready.
"Tony, uh, Anthony DiNozzo."
"Ah, Eye-talian. Probably the mob."
Kathy Lee stomped her foot. "No! He's not a mobster, he's a cop. Tony's a Special Agent with NCIS."
"NCI what? What kind of police department is that?"
"This DiNozzo is a federal agent?"
"Fed? Mr. Teasdale, you know what this NCIS is?"
"Naval Criminal Investigative Service. They investigate crimes committed by and toward Navy and Marine personnel and their families."
"Oh, no!" Kathy Lee wailed, reaching blindly for the nearest chair.
"What's wrong?"
"Tony has been grabbed by the kidnappers, right?"
"That's correct," Teasdale replied.
"Yes, ma'am. Your boyfriend appears to have been grabbed by the same people who snatched Mr. Teasdale's daughter, Laurel." The deputy passed the additional information over his radio regarding the identity of the male victim.
"Was he armed?" Another uniformed officer asked.
She shook her head. "I…I made him lock his gun in the trunk of the car." When the other officers stared at her, Kathy Lee tried to explain. "We were on vacation. What could've happened that would need a gun?"
Farris asked her to point out the car and sent another deputy to secure the vehicle.
"Is there…I need a phone. I need, oh God, I'll have to call and tell him about Tony. He's gonna yell at me, I just know it."
"Who's that, miss…I don't know your name," Teasdale said.
"Oh, I'm Kathy Lee Fishburne."
"Who's going to yell at you, your boyfriend's father?"
"No, worse. His boss. He will be so upset. He's gonna blame me for all this. Tony'll never get another vacation for the rest of his life!" She began sniffling, but no one seemed to be inclined to take the burden on. With a brave smile, Kathy Lee went to the phone that had been pointed out to her and began dialing.