Chapter Sixteen: Interrogation

The plane touched down and Tony, Ziva, and McGee made their way out to the parked car. They drove back to NCIS working the case as they did. It was nearing six o'clock in the evening now but they still decided to go out to Norfolk this evening yet to pick up Captain Lariman.

Director Shepard was in her office at five minutes until six when she heard the phone on her desk ring. She picked it up and listened as the person on the other side told her that Ms. Helen Dumont and her aid Carrie Allicks were here with Justin and Dawn Parks. The Director had her send them in and stood, walking around her desk as the door opened.

"Welcome," Jen said with a warm smile, even though she was feeling a dread in her stomach about taking the child away from Gibbs. She had seen the two together earlier in the day and knew there was something more going on between the two of them that she had no understanding of.

"Where is the child?" Helen asked curiously looking around the office. Jen cleared her thoughts and looked at the two people standing just inside the doorway.

"She isn't here we are going to go pick her up. You must be the foster parents," Jen said walking to them and extending her hand. They both nodded slowly. The man took her hand firmly and shook it.

"I'm Justin Parks, and this is my wife Dawn," he said softly. Jen let go of his hand and turned back to Helen Dumont. She had an unpleasant look on her face.

"I was told we were going to pick the child up at six," she said with a sigh.

"We didn't think it was a good idea to keep Nicole here. We thought she would be more comfortable in a home setting. An agent is watching her at his home."

"Surely not the one that caused this problem in the first place," she said stiffly. Jen resisted the urge to glare and instead put on a smile.

"Agent Gibbs has been watching over Nicole for two days now. Let's go and get her and get this done with," Jen said holding her hand out pointing at the doorway. Jen knew this was going to be difficult and heart breaking. She just hoped that these new foster parents really were ready for what they were going to receive.

As Jen followed the train of people down the stairs she noticed Gibbs' team coming into the bullpen and dropping items at their desks. They seemed to be chatting about the case. She told the party to go ahead and wait for her at the elevator that she needed to speak with the agents that just arrived.

"What did you find in California?" Jen asked as she approached McGee. Tony gave the Director a strange look and then turned away from her.

"Uh," McGee managed as he looked to Tony for help, but the senior agent was busying himself with a menial task to avoid the director. Ziva stepped up next to Jen.

"We may have found a lead," Ziva said with a nod. McGee's eyes grew larger and Ziva shrugged. Tony made a whimpering sound from his desk and shook his head when both McGee and Ziva looked over at him. Director Shepard smiled, loyal to the end she thought.

"How can it hurt, Tony, we already told Gibbs everything we know," Ziva spat at him in a harsh whisper. McGee thought a moment and then nodded his agreement.

"She's right, Tony, I mean Gibbs knows everything we do and if he were here he'd be telling the Director himself."

"Fine, but you two tell her," Tony said tossing his bag off the top of his desk to the floor and sitting heavily in the chair. "And make it quick we have a drive yet tonight."

"What kind of lead?" Jen asked quickly.

Ziva and McGee took turns quickly filling the director in on everything that they found in California and the plan to pick up Captain Lariman tonight to bring him to NCIS for interrogation on the matter. She listened intently and then nodded when they were finished.

"Good work," she said and turned away from them heading for the elevators and the group of people waiting for her.

Tony glared at Ziva and McGee and shook his head. They both shrugged and got ready to go to Norfolk. The drive was done in relative silence as they all contemplated the case; it was all falling together nicely. They arrived shortly before eight o'clock and made their way to the barracks where Captain Lariman was staying. They had phoned ahead and spoken to the CO getting all the information they needed to find Captain Lariman.

They found the man in his room sitting on his bunk reading a book. He seemed a little shocked when the three of them walked up next to him and stopped, staring down on him. He eyed them one by one before speaking.

"Can I help you?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm Special Agent DiNozzo, and this is Officer David and Special Agent McGee. We're here from NCIS to take you into custody for questioning on the murder of Lt. Commander Conrad," Tony said with a bit of venom in his voice. Captain Lariman's face dropped when he heard what he had said and the man seemed to sink further into the bunk.

"What? Johanna…she was murdered?" he asked.

"Nice try, come on," Tony said grabbing his arm and leading him from the room. McGee and Ziva did a search of his area coming up empty before heading to the car. Tony and Ziva sat up front while McGee sat in the back with a hand cuffed Captain Lariman. The drive back to NCIS was done in complete silence as Lariman stared out the window. McGee watched him seeing the emotions float across the other man's face.

Once back at Headquarters they lead the marine to an empty interrogation room and left him, then the three of them met in the observation room. They watched him through the glass.

"What's your strategy, Tony?" McGee asked, but Tony ignored him, leaving the room and then reappearing on the other side of the glass. He sat down at the table ignoring the Captain, who was still sitting calmly, with a sad expression on his face, after a few moments Tony looked up.

"How would you classify your relationship with Lt. Commander Conrad?" Tony asked in an even tone.

"Classify my relationship? I was in love with her," he said softly. "It was rocky but I think we could have worked it out."

"Did you go to her home two days ago to work it out?" Tony asked.

"No, I haven't seen her since she left California; it was a few days before. I've been here for four days and before that she told me we needed a break. Is she really dead?"

"Where were you two days ago?"

"I was at Norfolk. I was training all day then we had sit down that night learning about explosives."

"How long have you known Lt. Commander Conrad?"

"I met Johanna almost a year ago. We became friends and after a few months it became more than friends. She was leery of a relationship though. She…she was still hung up on her husband. We were trying to work around it. She never wanted me to meet her daughter but we were getting to that as well. I think we were making progress and then all the sudden she says we need a break and she's been transferred."

"How was your relationship? Lots of problems?"

"Look I told you, she had issues about moving past her husband but we…she was coming to terms. I can't believe she's gone," he said with sadness.

"Why were you stalking her in the three months prior to her transfer?"

"Stalking her? I wasn't," he said incredulously.

"You own a 2004 black Buick LaCrosse four dour sedan?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, it's the vehicle I drive when back on base in San Diego," he said with a sigh.

"A car matching that description was seen on multiple occasions driving by, slowing down, and stopping in front of the Conrad residence in California."

"It wasn't me. Johanna told me about that car. I was trying to figure out who it was but she wouldn't tell me. She didn't want to bother me with it."

"She knew it was you that's why she said she needed the transfer, Captain Lariman. That's what she told Commander Betz."

"I wasn't stalking her. I was trying to find out who was! Besides I had no idea she was being transferred. She sprung that on me at dinner the same fucking night she told me we needed a break," he said as the anger gathered inside him.

"You have problems controlling your anger, Captain Lariman?" Tony asked sitting back in the chair with a smile.

"No. Listen to me I had nothing to do with her death. I would NEVER hurt that woman. She is everything to me."

"Which is why when she said she was done with you, you broke and came after her."

"No."

"And then you stabbed her repeatedly until you dealt the fatal blow to the heart," Tony continued.

"I didn't," he said weakly battling the tears.

"Where is the murder weapon?"

"What murder weapon? How should I know? You got the wrong guy," he said with anger again.

Tony stood abruptly and walked from the room. Captain Lariman followed him with his eyes shaking his head. Tony came around and entered the observation room coming up behind Ziva and McGee.

"I don't know, Tony," McGee said. "He seems pretty shocked."

"He's faking, McGee, he has to be. Everything says it's him. She ended the relationship, he couldn't handle it. Came out here under the guise of being at Norfolk, drove to her new house and confronted her. She told him to get out of her life and then he killed her. His car fits the stalker, it fits with her saying someone on base was making it hard to raise her daughter the way she wanted to. If he was pushing to meet her daughter then she felt threatened. We just need the murder weapon."

"Now what?" Ziva asked.

"Let him sit overnight, maybe Gibbs can interview him in the morning," Tony said with a shrug. "We have enough circumstantial evidence to hold him. He's the only lead we have right now. Let's be thorough about it."

Tony then turned and left the room for the bullpen with Ziva on his heels. McGee made arrangements for Captain Lariman to be detained for the rest of the night and then joined Ziva and Tony, where they decided to call it a night.

TBC…