Chapter Twenty-One: Alibi's and Spying Eyes

Ziva sighed as she hung up her phone. It was still early and they had just cleared their only suspect. Tony looked at her with a raised eyebrow, questioning her sigh. She shook her head, and pursed her lips before sitting back in her chair and cocking her head to the side.

"That call just cleared Captain Lariman," she said waving her hand idly in the air. Tony glared at her and McGee snapped his head up.

"What?" Tony asked.

"I just spoke with Colonel Holden at Norfolk and he vouched for Captain Lariman's whereabouts for the entire day when Lt. Commander Conrad was murdered. There are fifteen other marines that are also witness to his whereabouts. I think it's pretty solid, Tony," she said as her shoulders rose and fell. Tony groaned and threw his pen at the computer monitor.

"We've got nothing," he said with gritted teeth. Everyone's head turned when McGee's phone rang and he picked up the receiver.

"Agent McGee," he said sounding slightly defeated.

"This is Lt. j. g. Pearce, Agent McGee," a voice responded to him.

"Oh, yeah, the short hand," he bumbled as he pulled the file from the corner of his desk and opened it up.

"Your message was kind of confusing I'm not sure what you're asking me."

"We found a file with a cryptic short hand in it with Commander Conrad's things. We were wondering if anyone there knew her short hand. I figured since you worked second chair with her that maybe," McGee said.

"Yes I've translated her shorthand before. Commander Blake would be best but he was sent out of town last night as a consult. If you could send me the file I can get you a transcript of what is on it," she replied.

"That would be great. I'll get it scanned in and emailed to you within the hour. If you could get it back to me with the highest priority that would be wonderful."

"Not a problem, send it and I'll work it up and get it back to you right away."

McGee ended the phone call and looked over at his confused teammates. He then went on to explain what Abby had found last night and that he had left a message for Pearce before he left. McGee then scanned the entire short hand file and attached it to an email sending it off to California for translation. Tony made a phone call and had Captain Lariman released and had a ride arranged so he could return to Norfolk. They were sitting in the bullpen pondering the case.

"We're out of suspects," Tony said, the frustration showing in his voice. Ziva turned her chair slightly and thought a moment.

"Let's regroup. Who else in her life would have motive to stalk and kill her?"

"Ok, let's say for argument sake, Lariman wasn't the stalker. Who was?" McGee asked.

"We don't know, Probie, that's the problem," Tony said with a sneer. McGee looked down at his computer.

"Tony, what type of cases was she working on?" Ziva asked.

"We cleared them all. She didn't have anything big because they were transferring her. She barely had her feet wet at the new base. Old cases pending were handed off, she wouldn't even be a part of them," Tony replied.

"Ok," McGee said thinking aloud. "Where else would there be motive? She told Commander Betz that someone was making it impossible for her to raise her daughter the way she wanted to. Brings it back to the stalker, but who was it?"

"We need to find out who this mystery stalker is because it was obviously not the mystery man in her life," Ziva commented.

"We really haven't ruled out Lariman as the stalker though," Tony protested.

"Tony! The man didn't do it, he's got an alibi," Ziva groaned.

"But that doesn't clear him of the stalking!" Tony said raising his voice. "Look, we can't just dismiss the fact his car matches the one the stalker used."

"I bet half the people on that base drive a dark four door sedan," Ziva said with a sigh, earning her a glare from Tony. She stuck her tongue out at him briefly before turning to McGee. "Who else do we know about?"

"The staff with her at JAG but I haven't found any motive for any of them. I mean they all seemed to get along with her," McGee said shaking his head. "We're missing something."

"Yeah the killer," Tony replied tapping his pencil against the desk. McGee shot him a look of annoyance and Ziva snorted a short laugh. Abby walked into the bullpen and looked around at the bickering agents. She cleared her throat.

"What's the matter, Abbs?" Tony asked sitting back in his chair.

"I have the two phone numbers that McGee brought back from California," she said with a smile.

"You found them?" McGee asked sitting forward in his chair.

"Of course," Abby said bouncing a little. "The one is a private cell phone registered to a Renee Atwater. The other one is a home phone number for a Commander Tyrell Powell."

"McGee, find out who Renee Atwater is. Ziva, I want to know everything about Commander Powell," Tony snapped standing from his chair with a smile. "Thanks, Abbs, you gave us direction."

"That's what I'm good at," she said with a smile and turned, walking from the bullpen back to the elevator, her pigtails swaying with each step. McGee and Ziva pounded away at their computers digging up everything they could on the new people Abby had just mentioned.

He watched her walk with the new adult to the school. He stayed in the shadows of the morning sun, not wanting to be spotted. He didn't know if she had seen him that day or not. It scared him to know that maybe this eleven year old could finish what her mother had started.

He had not seen her when he had killed the mother; he had searched the house and found what he needed. Luckily for him he felt all that was left that could take him down was that child. Easy enough now that they had her away from NCIS, sneaking into the foster home would be much easier than trying to take on the ex-marine NCIS agent she was staying with earlier.

After destroying the evidence Commander Conrad had on him he had fled the house. He had escaped just in time as he saw the MPs coming up the road when he drove off. He tried to calm his mind, things were going to be ok he told himself, he could contain this minor snag in his plans. He concentrated on the front doors of the school. They had disappeared through them almost two hours ago.

He stayed hidden from view, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Finally they came out, the girl walking slightly behind the woman. He couldn't risk taking her now. It was too bright, too much could go wrong. He followed them back to the house; the girl was withdrawn he noticed. They spoke no words as they made their way to the home she was living in now.

He knew he would make his move tonight, after they were all asleep he would sneak in and take the child. He had a place to take her, where he could question her and find out what she knew, and who she had told. He watched as the two disappeared through the front door, shutting out the outside world and his line of sight as they went in. He would wait, he was patient. He was sure they didn't know where to look and with any luck he could end this and no one would be the wiser. It was the last hole in his mission and he aimed to plug it. Tonight would be the night; he would need to clean this matter up once and for all. He would accomplish his mission as soon as the house was asleep.

It had been a few hours when McGee's email beeped and his phone rang. He clicked on the email icon as he picked up the receiver. An email from Pearce popped up on his screen as he put the phone to his ear.

"Agent McGee," he said as he read the first line of the email.

"Did you get my email?" Pearce's voice filled his ear.

"Yeah, just reading it now. What is all this?"

"I was hoping you would be able to tell. I translated what she wrote, but the notes are shorthand even in the long version, if that makes sense," she replied. McGee continued to read.

"Do you know what any of this means?" McGee asked as he continued to read the translated version.

"It all seems to be surplus numbers, but I don't know why Commander Conrad would be keeping notes on that. It doesn't go with any cases she had here, but maybe one she had started there."

"Could she have been working on something on the side? Maybe for someone else as a legal issue?"

"Possibly, I mean we handle all the legal issues on base, but this seems more like tracking items. Like she was keeping track of someone's record keeping."

"Thanks again, Lt. Pearce," McGee said.

"Glad to help," she said before McGee dropped the receiver back in the cradle. When he looked up he saw Tony staring at him.

"Word from California?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, Pearce translated the file I sent her, but it's all inventory numbers. Surplus items, with two amounts next to them. Pearce says it doesn't go with any cases, but she can't rule out a legal question or issue from someone on base that Commander Conrad would have been researching for personally."

"What about here?" Ziva asked joining the conversation.

"I don't know," McGee said. "But this doesn't look like a legal issue. It really looks like she was tracking the amounts of surplus from somewhere."

"Check into it, McGee. Find out where this surplus is from, start in California, match it with records if you can, find out if it's something important," Tony said nodding his head. Maybe they had another lead after all. It was nearing that time when he would have to call Gibbs and he hoped he had something worth while to tell the man.

TBC…