Chapter 9 - Good News and Bad
"Good news and bad news, guys," Abby said, when Tony had finally returned from transporting his prisoner to the hospital, and the team had reassembled in the lab. She looked around, noting the presence of both Ducky and Jimmy. They had seen first hand and knew all too well what Heidi Stanford's last days had been like. They wanted to know why this young woman with so much to live for had died so unnecessarily, as well.
"Which do you want first?" Abby said. She crossed her arms, frowning only when Gibbs glared at her. "Right," she said.
"The good news is, the supplement powder found in Lt. Stanford's bathroom tests positive for the toxin found in the wild sweet pea. That particular toxin matches the other substances recovered from her bathroom, and they match the pods recovered from the blanket the body was in. The pods in turn are also a positive match for the plants found in the old twig's flower garden." Abby paused for effect, waiting for the obvious questions to be asked.
"Abs, how the hell is that good news?"
Ah, she could always count on Gibbs to cut to the chase.
"Well, my silver haired fox, it's good news because it means that this wasn't an attempted mass poisoning by some random stranger." Abby paused, a sadness suddenly passing over her expressive green eyes.
"So then, what's the bad news?" Tim asked, softly. He recognized that sad look.
"Well Timmy, the bad news is, this was a deliberate act, geared specifically towards Lt. Stanford. No question it's first degree murder."
"Can she plead insanity?" Jimmy asked, suddenly. Until that point, he and Ducky had stood, listening to Abby's report in stunned silence.
Ducky answered that for him. "Unfortunately Mr. Palmer, yes, I believe she can. Clearly the woman is delusional. She believes that her husband and son are still alive, for heaven's sake, and they've both been dead since you were a lad in secondary school."
"How do we know she isn't faking it?" Tony asked. He looked around. Tim had raised an eyebrow at the validity of the question, and Ziva turned her head slightly in agreement with the junior agent. Abby sighed softly, while Ducky and Jimmy shared a regretful look.
"We don't know, Tony," Gibbs said. "That's what the psych evaluation is for. Of course, if she's crafty enough, she can fake her way through that."
"And if she isn't faking it, she gets of on an insanity plea. If she is faking it… she may get off on an insanity plea, if her charade isn't discovered." Timothy McGee sounded very displeased at the notion.
"Well, her daughter is on her way from Boulder. She should be here tomorrow. In the meantime, we've done all we can. Good work, guys," Gibbs said, as he turned to leave. "And Abby, clean up this mess, will ya? No more Caf-Pow's until these cases of that powder health food crackpot crap have been cleared away."
"Aw, but Giiiiiibbs…" Abby whined. "You know I can't work without my jet fuel!"
"Aw, don't worry Sweet Pea," Tim said soothingly. "We'll help you with this, just as soon as the paperwork is done on this case," he grinned mischievously, as he turned to leave the lab.
"Aw, come on, Timmy. Have a heart!" she pleaded. She turned her green doe eyes towards Jimmy and Ducky.
"I'm sorry Abby, but this is a hernia waiting to happen. At my age, you know…" he said, as he quickly shuffled towards the door.
"But, Duckman!" she protested. She promptly turned to Jimmy. "You'll stay, won't you Jims?" She fluttered her eyelashes at the tall young man.
"Only because you can hurt me and not leave any evidence," he said, as he turned to shift the nearest case out of the way. He grinned over at her as she glared at him, frowning. "I'm kidding, Abby," he laughed. "Come on, Ziva. The sooner we get this done, the sooner Abby gets her happy place. You've seen her cranky, haven't you?"
Ziva smiled and nodded. "Yes, James. I have seen her very very cranky. It is not an experience I wish to repeat anytime soon. Anyway, I happen to know that Tim had most of the paperwork on this case done already, while Tony was at the hospital with Mrs. Younger. They shouldn't be long. And if we're lucky, Tony will order a couple of pizzas for dinner."
"Good," Abby said, as she tried not to grunt from the effort of moving two cases at once. "I'm absolutely starving."