Chapter 6 - A Daunting Task Ahead
Gibbs hadn't sworn… much.
Abby had just had the distinct displeasure of informing him that they might have had a mass poisoning on their hands, depending on the nature of the attack on Heidi Stanford.
"Every jar, every case, every speck of that supplement powder has to be pulled from the shelves of every pharmacy in D.C.," she insisted. "I think I'm gonna need help with this. The sheer volume of samples for testing could take weeks. I'll need McGee for sure, probably Palmer and Ducky too."
Gibbs had frowned, scowled, glared, and utilized every unhappy expression he'd ever possessed over the years, at the distasteful news. The potential this situation held, for absolute screaming disaster, was nearly overwhelming.
"I'll get on that," he said unhappily, as he picked up the phone and started making the calls.
When the three field agents had returned to Mrs. Younger's property, warrant in hand, they were hardly surprised to see her friendly face greet them at the door.
"What can I do for you young folk," she asked cordially, smiling warmly.
Tony cleared his throat. If ever there was a time for male charm, this could quite possibly be it.
"Mrs Younger," he said carefully, "we're going to have to take some samples from your yard. We think we've got a lead on why Heidi was so sick."
"Oh?" the older woman asked, sounding shocked and curious. Ziva levelled a steady, blank look at her. Something about this old woman had just raised her hackles, and she didn't like it in the least. She glanced up at McGee, who also held a steady, intent gaze in Mrs. Younger's direction. He glanced down at Ziva briefly, his eyebrow shooting upwards and then retreating back down again, in nearly the blink of an eye. Ziva understood – McGee didn't trust the woman either – something about her hospitality definitely did not ring true.
"Well, I suppose that would be alright… provided you young folk have a warrant," Mrs. Younger said, crossing her arms across her aproned front, a cold tone seeping into her voice.
The sudden change of tone alerted Tony and raised his hackles as well. "As a matter of fact, we do happen to have a warrant, Ma'am," he said, holding out his hand.
McGee reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out the requested paper. "I trust you'll be fully co-operative, Ma'am," he said, as he handed it over to Tony.
The old woman frowned, her friendly eyes darkening suddenly with something almost sinister. "Of course, young man," she said, coldly.
"My God, Abigail."
Ducky stood next to Jimmy and Abby in the lab, staring at cases and cases of powdered dietary supplement. He glanced over at his young assistant. Jimmy Palmer held a sad look of resignation, and he truly looked as if he were bone-tired of the whole procedure before they'd even begun. Abby seemed to sense what he was thinking, as did Ducky. "I know, Jimmy. I guess, the sooner we get started, the sooner we get finished."
A heavy sigh was heard next to her, and she gazed up at Ducky, reaching up to pat the older man's face. "I know, Duckman. This really really bites. Okay, Jimmy, you take that pile over there, Ducky, you take the one on the other side, and I'll start in the middle and work my way out. McGee said he'd be here ASAP, but I think they've got a lead or something."
"Did he say as much, Abigail?" Ducky asked, hopefully. He watched as Jimmy hefted cases down from the top of his stack, for easier access. "Thank you Jimmy," he said, smiling briefly and gratefully. Jimmy nodded, still listening to Abby.
"No, actually, he didn't. He just sounded like… well, like he sounds when they're about to break a case." Abby shrugged.
"Well, maybe we won't have to go through all this after all, I mean, depending on what they've found, of course," Jimmy said, hopefully.
Ducky patted the younger man's arm. "From your lips to God's ears, my boy."