AN: Ok had trouble writing for a while so this is what I eeked out tonight. Hope it's up to par. Enjoy. dark rolling sea.
Chapter Twenty Two: Grandpa Strikes Again
The morning and early afternoon had passed quickly as the team with Donovan, Jeb, and Megan had sat around Kate's parents' house telling stories. Sometime during the early afternoon Grandpa had shown up and Kate and Meg exchanged the worried looks. Grandpa had sat down with the group and struck up a conversation.
"So you all work with, Sissy, at the FBI, huh?" Grandpa asked loudly. Kate shook her head as Tony, McGee, and Abby all gave Grandpa confused looks. Ducky cocked his head to the side while Gibbs cocked an eyebrow.
"NCIS, Gramps," Kate corrected.
"What?" Grandpa asked leaning forward in his chair. "That a branch of the FBI? I have a story about the FBI, starts right here in the Indiana."
"No, Gramps, I work for NCIS," Kate replied.
"Oh, no matter. The rest of you work for the FBI then?"
"No," Kate said with a laugh. "Gramps, they work with me at NCIS."
"Never heard of it. My story has to do with FBI, stop changing the subject, Sissy," Grandpa replied shaking his head. Abby smiled as McGee and Tony chuckled. Gibbs wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulders and tugged her back with him against the couch. Donovan shook his head while Jeb got up to get something to drink.
"Gramps," Kate pleaded as Gibbs hugged her tighter.
"Y'all heard of John Dillinger? Public enemy number one," Grandpa started. "He was born right her in Indiana, you know that?" The team all smiled politely before Grandpa continued. "Well. Dillinger was born June 22, 1903 right in Indianapolis. His mother died when he was just three and his father didn't remarry till he was nine.
"His dad then moved them from the city to Mooresville in 1919, thought that farm life would be better for his children to grow up with. But John didn't take to the farm life, he preferred the city living.
"Course he was impressionable, and angsty. And in 1923 he supposedly stole an automobile and instead of going to jail for it, he joined the Navy. But course he didn't suit the life style and he jumped ship a few months in and returned home telling everyone he was discharge. Course then he met Beryl Hovious, a sixteen year old girl, which he took for his bride.
"But he wasn't much for married life either, and he stayed out all times, causing he and his wife to fight. But he was infatuated with her. Anyway, he met Ed Singleton shortly after that while he was on a baseball team in Martinsville, south of Indianapolis. And Ed, seeing a young impressionable Dillinger, told John that he could make a fast living in a life of crime. Singleton was already an accomplished criminal by then."
Kate was shaking her head slowly as she looked around the room. Most of the team was politely listening to Grandpa's story but she couldn't tell if they were actually interested. She checked her watch and noticed they would all have to get ready soon for the rehearsal and following dinner. Gibbs leaned over and kissed her temple.
"Relax, it's ok," he whispered after the kiss. Meanwhile Grandpa was still telling his Dillinger tale.
"It was then that John attacked B. F. Morgan. Morgan owned a grocery store, but John attacked him at gun point on the street. The old man fought back causing the gun to discharge. Dillinger thought he had shot the old geezer so he took off, but his ride, being Singleton, had already split.
"They were both tried and Dillinger didn't have a lawyer and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison for the deed, even though he did not shoot the old grocer and Morgan never to the day John was sent to prison believed it was the young man that assaulted him. Singleton had the use of a lawyer and got off with a much lighter 12 month sentence.
"Well John served 9 years of his sentence during which time his lovely wife divorced him. He was angry at having 9 years of his life taken from him and the fact that his wife left him, he vowed to make up for the lost time and earn a name in history."
"So he robbed banks," Tony said pointing his finger at Grandpa with a smile.
"Right he did. He robbed banks all over the Midwest, in Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and possibly even Kentucky. He also aided couple men housed in Michigan City's prison by raiding police stations and smuggling guns into the prison to Harry Pierpont. John was arrested four days before Pierpont and nine other men escaped from the Michigan City prison. They then came down to Lima, Ohio, where John was being held and broke him out while killing the sheriff Jess Sarber.
"He then continued to commit bank robberies before they came up against some trouble and it's said that John Dillinger killed a man. Now it happened when he and a couple others robbed the bank in East Chicago Indiana and one of the robbers shot Patrick O'Malley, a cop in the legs, causing him to fall into the firing range, which killed him. But Dillinger adamantly denied ever robbing this bank.
"Of course the whole gang fled to Florida and they decided to move to Tucson, Arizona, but they should have stayed put. It was in Arizona that they were rounded up again and sent to various places where they were charged with a variety of things. John ended up in Crown Point, Indiana, where he was put on trial for the murder of Patrick O'Malley, killed in the robbery which he claimed he wasn't present for.
"Of course Dillinger made the statement, there isn't a jail that can house me and it was a correct statement on his part because it was the Crown Point Jail that he walked out on March 3, 1934 using the famed carved wooden gun. Now its speculation that it was smuggled into him and that he did not whittle it himself in his free time."
"A wooden gun?" Abby asked her face showing extreme curiosity now.
"Oh yes. He simply had a wooden gun, and used it to bluff his way out of the prison. But then he and a few men went to Sioux Falls, South Dakota were they robbed another bank. They took heavy fire but it wasn't enough to dissuade them. They then robbed a bank in Mason City, Iowa. This bank they also took heavy fire from police and John took a round in his shoulder. It was then that he decided the risks were simply outnumbering the pluses of his chosen career."
"I'd say so," Tony said sitting back in the chair. Kate looked around and was a little shocked to see everyone listening to the story intently. Even Ducky had not interrupted with a story of his own. Grandpa continued.
"It was in April of thirty four that he stole a car with two other men and they ran from the police to Minnesota, along the way one of the other men was shot in the back and died. Dillinger then went underground for a while spending some time in Minnesota, emerging once to rob a South Bend, Indiana bank, which it's still speculation that if it was really him, before he came back to the area. He had plastic surgery and had actually resumed a normal life living in Chicago before his inevitable downfall. By now the FBI had made him public enemy number one. In fact he was the original public enemy number one.
"While in Chicago he started dating Polly Hamilton and also met Anna Sage. Anna Sage would eventually cause his death. This woman was in trouble and was about to be deported. Now she approached FBI agent Melvin Purvis, who was on the trail of John Dillinger. She offered up Dillinger in exchange for her deportation to go away. Purvis said he couldn't promise but would do what he could for her."
"Never trust a man who says that," Abby said shaking her head. Grandpa smiled at her before slowly nodding and continuing.
"Right you are, Miss. But she went through with the agreement. Dillinger was to take Polly and Anna to the movies on July 22, 1934 and Anna Sage wore a brilliant bright orange dress so FBI agents could identify her. They arrived at the Biograph Theater in Chicago at a quarter after eight. So the FBI waited. Purvis grew more and more nervous waiting."
"Figures," Gibbs said softly and Kate elbowed him gently in the ribs before laughing quietly.
"A little more than two hours later, John, Polly, and Anna came out. Now Purvis was to light a cigar as the sign of spotting Dillinger, but he was so nervous he had trouble lighting it, which made the siege start off a little awkwardly and Dillinger was able to run from them while pulling a weapon. But the FBI open fired on him and a kill shot hit him in the neck, coming out just under his eye. He was dead almost instantly."
"Wicked," Abby said with a smile.
"Of course the FBI never declared who fired the fatal shot but it's thought that Agent…"
"Charles Winstead," Donovan said with a nod.
"Very good," Grandpa said with an approving smile towards Donovan. Donovan shrugged slightly before sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "Indeed it is thought Agent Winstead fired that fatal shot. Now two other innocent women were also harmed in the firefight. But the FBI had their public enemy number one."
"What happened to Anna Sage?" Jeb asked.
"Well she was eventually deported back to Rumania," Grandpa said with a nod.
"Bummer," McGee interjected.
"So how many banks did he rob?" Abby asked excitedly.
"Well for sure they know he robbed one in Daleville, Indiana, New Carlisle, Ohio, Montpelier, Indiana, Bluffton, Ohio, Indianapolis, Indiana, Greencastle, Indiana, Racine, Wisconsin, and then the Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Mason City, Iowa banks."
"Wow," Abby said. "How much did they steal?"
"It depends on who you talk to. But total gross reported on those jobs minus South Dakota and Iowa was $152,600. Which in 1933 and 1934 was a lot of money. Of course Dillinger claimed it was only $109,600. There was a discrepancy in that the bank in Greencastle stated $75,000 was taken and Dillinger said they only took $32,000."
"That's a lot for that time period," McGee said with a nod.
"This reminds me of a fellow…" Ducky began as Kate stood up with a sigh.
"Hate to cut this off but I think we all need to get ready for the dress rehearsal tonight," she said looking at everyone. Gibbs grinned as he watched Kate before standing up next to her.
"Kate's right, let's get a move on now," he replied his arm slipping around her waist. The rest nodded in agreement and started to get up and move about. Kate let out a sigh of relief as everyone left to get ready besides, Gibbs, Grandpa, and herself. She looked down at Grandpa.
"Did you have to share all that?" Kate asked with a sigh.
"Sissy, they were eating it up, ask your man there," Grandpa said shaking his head, his eyebrows coming together in slight annoyance. "I honestly don't understand why you dislike my stories so much."
"The team did listen to him," Gibbs whispered in Kate's ear.
"It's not that I dislike them, Gramps, I've heard them all," Kate said with a smile as she walked from Gibbs and draped her arms around her grandfather's neck.
"That is true. You always listened to them as a youngin," Grandpa said squeezing Kate once before letting her go. "Go, get changed and gussied up. I'll see you there."
Grandpa then smiled at Gibbs before letting himself out of the house. Kate then moved up the stairs with Gibbs right behind her as they went to their room for the week. Kate then started to lay out her clothing for the rehearsal as did Gibbs on the bed. They worked in silence as neither one noticed Blukie sneak his way into the room. Kate went into the bathroom and Blukie jumped up on the bed.
Blukie smelled the clothing on the bed as Gibbs sorted through his ties. He hated wearing a tie. He didn't notice when the cat walked in circle, pawed at his suit pants on the bed, and made a nest. Then the fat cat plopped down and curled into a large lumpy ball and tucked his head under his paws. Kate came from the bathroom and took a deep breath.
"Dammit, Blukie!" she shouted, causing Gibbs to drop the two ties he was holding and whirl around to see what the commotion was about. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the cat curled up on his suit, but the look on Kate's face made the smile quickly disappear as he stepped forward quickly scaring Blukie from the bed to save him from the wrath of Kate. Kate looked up at Gibbs.
"It's ok," Gibbs said with a smile. Kate shook her head and Gibbs could see the nervousness in her eyes. He walked around the bed and pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly to him as he kissed her neck gently.
"Jethro," she said lightly.
"Just try to relax, everything is going to be fine, and think in two days you'll be Mrs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs," he whispered into her ear before kissing the lob lightly. Kate wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her feeling herself relax. It was going to be fine she told herself.
TBC…
AN: Next chapter will have the rehearsal...
