Disclaimer is back in Chapter 1
Chapter 15
"You again?" Ferdinand Van Werther all but sneered. "If you were more efficient you would get all the information you need in the first visit…perhaps even have found our Captain by now. This project is falling behind schedule!"
Gibbs and Ziva stared impassively at the computer scientist.
"And perhaps if you had been completely honest with us from the beginning, we wouldn't have had the need to come back." Gibbs said calmly.
"Honest!" The other man almost squeaked. "I've been honest."
"Failing to tell us the whole story is just like lying." Ziva offered. "You failed to tell us about Captain Reed and Corporal Smith having an argument."
"Who told you that?" Van Werther glared.
"That's not important right now, Doctor." Gibbs replied. "Instead why don't you tell us more about that argument?"
"I wasn't involved!"
"But you were there…in my eyes, that makes you involved." Gibbs stated.
Van Werther sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat.
All that bravado…bluffing…Ziva mused to herself.
"Computer protocols. Corporal Smith said that the testing stage had discovered some flaws in the programming…Reed's programming. Reed argued that if the program had been run the way it was supposed to be, the bugs wouldn't have happened. Smith said that was no excuse for sloppy programming."
"And you didn't feel a need to get involved in this?" Gibbs asked, somewhat astonished.
"I don't like to get in the middle of military personnel…especially when they're arguing."
Ziva rolled her eyes.
"Did you look into it later?" Gibbs continued.
"No point. They seemed to settle it out."
"How?"
Van Werther shrugged.
"You'll have to ask them…or rather Smith, I guess."
"Can you arrange that?"
"Of course, but if you don't mind, could you use the conference room beside me? I need my office to get some work done."
Gibbs nodded.
A glass wall separated the conference room from Van Werther's area, so he'd be able to keep an eye on the computer geek. Geek? He winced inwardly. All this time with Van Werther was making him mock the technologically savvy like DiNozzo.
Van Werther showed them into the conference room and shut the door behind them, leaving them alone until Smith arrived.
"Ugh…he is such a coward!" Ziva spat.
"He's more comfortable hiding behind computers, Ziva." Gibbs replied softly.
"I bet you think he didn't do it."
"Look at his hands, Ziva. The idea of those hands doing something as dirty as murder?"
"But he could have hired someone!"
"Like you said, he's a coward. His victory in life will come if he becomes the success he dreams of. Unfortunately for his type, his dreams will always change. He'll reach a level and want more…it will never be enough. He'll never succeed in life in his eyes and by the time death comes, he'll realize he lived a hollow life."
Ziva plopped herself into a chair around the conference table.
"Hey." She sat up straight.
"What."
She tilted her head back towards Van Werther's office.
Roxane.
Black power suit. Blue shirt. Black stockings. Black stilettos. Blonde hair pulled away from her face, but allowed to carry down her back. And infinity around her neck.
Gibbs stared and found himself wondering if she was wearing lace under all of that and if it was black and…horny old man came the mocking inner voice.
Roxane sat down across from Van Werther's desk before he had the chance to offer by the looks of it. She shot him icy looks.
Suddenly, Gibbs wished he was better at reading lips.
"I want to know if the coding has been downloaded and uploaded and by who." Roxane stated.
"What?" Van Werther cried out.
"You heard me."
"Why?"
"None of your concern."
"I don't have time for your petty tasks."
"Then find someone to accommodate me."
"I don't have anyone."
"Bull."
"Look I have a missing Captain…"
"A what?" Roxane arched a blonde eyebrow.
"You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"About Captain Reed."
"I didn't see him today and assumed he was on vacation."
"He's missing."
"He reports to you Van Werther…and you let him go missing?" Roxane managed to make her voice sound incredulous.
Gibbs watched the byplay in fascination. Ziva stood beside him.
"She's looking surprised." She said softly.
"He just told her about Reed."
"Ah, yes…she's probably not supposed to know us."
Gibbs nodded.
"Excuse me?" A voice announced. Corporal Henry Smith entered the room. "I understand you're looking for me again?"
"Yes, Corporal. Please have a seat." Gibbs said, turning to face the young man.
Thank goodness they turned away. Roxane's acting skills were last used when she played the youngest billy goat in the grade 3 school play. She was so nervous, she had fallen off of the bridge…not part of the "The 3 Billy Goats Gruff" scripting.
"I'm sorry to hear about Captain Reed, but nevertheless, that is not my concern. I want the report on the transfer of the coding."
"Why?"
"I already said that you did not need to know. Now, will you get me the coding or do I need to call my boss and your boss and let them duke it out?"
Van Werther's eyes widen.
"Okay, I'll get it. It'll take some time."
"I'll be back in twenty minutes. I'm going to powder my nose."
Roxane gracefully rose from the chair and left the room.
Gibbs watched her leave. His ears listened to Ziva and Smith, but his eyes followed.
Supper tonight was what the invitation had been for and he damn well wanted to make it.
"…and then you made up?" Ziva asked. Gibbs dragged himself back into the conversation.
Smith nodded.
"Why?" Gibbs asked. "As near as I can figure, you argued heavily. You called his programming sloppy. Doesn't sound like something you'd easily forgive."
"He outranks me." Smith shrugged.
"And now?" Ziva asked.
"There's still another captain working here…I assume she'll take over Captain Reed's responsibilities."
"Ah yes. Thank you for your time, Corporal. Could you please send in Captain Payette?"
Roxane entered the ladies washroom and noticed that she wasn't alone.
"Emilie." The blonde woman greeted her.
"Miss Jamieson. Salut."
"Bon jour. Ca va?"
"Oui…mais…pauvre Captaine Reed."
"Van Werther just informed me." Roxane continued her conversation in french.
"Really? I find it difficult to believe that you did not already know." The female captain smiled condescendingly.
"I don't know everything, Emilie." Roxane grinned back just as coolly. "For instance, I have no idea what you'll be like as a commanding officer to your fellow Canadian. If I don't like what I see, I'm afraid I'll have little choice but to send you back home."
"Bitch."
"As I understand it, that's a pick-up line for you, Emilie."
Hissing, the female Captain marched out of the bathroom.
"Oof!" Smith collided with Payette. "Ma'am…you're wanted in the boardroom."
"Thank you, Corporal."
"Sit down, Captain." Ziva said.
"Are you alright?" Gibbs asked. "You look a little flushed."
"Just a little incident in the bathroom. Had to use the hand dryer instead of towels…all that hot air."
"So you're now in charge of the Canadian officers." Ziva circled behind the woman. Her voice had turned husky.
"And your point?"
"Sounds like motive to us."
"Explain."
"With Reed out of the way, you're free to pursue the software development. Your countermeasure option for example."
"Van Werther is in charge of the software development. We just ensure that the military needs are addressed."
"This countermeasure sounds like a military need that needs addressing." Gibbs said softly.
"Van Werther agrees."
"Did Reed?" Ziva asked.
Emilie shrugged.
"I think he was more upset that he didn't think it up himself." Payette stared at Gibbs. "The male ego is such a fragile thing."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Did you know that Reed was married?" Ziva asked.
Emilie nodded.
"Now that's interesting." Gibbs remarked. "No one else knew."
"That's because I know people who know people who know his wife." Payette sighed. "Poor woman…married to a batard like that. He didn't know what he had!"
"And you do?" Ziva asked.
Emilie smiled. "His wife is sweet and helpful and always says nice things. She even sent the group of Christmas cards last year."
"How thoughtful." Ziva murmured.
Gibbs eyes noticed Roxane re-entering Van Werther's office.
Emilie smiled evilly, noticing the direction of Gibbs' gaze.
"She never knocks on his door. Just walks in as if trying to catch him at something. Everyone else…she knocks or announces herself."
"Who is she?" Gibbs asked, noticing his voice sounded a bit hollow.
"Roxane Jamieson. The customer…but not the end user…of our software."
Gibbs felt his gut twisting but he knew he had to ask.
"Does she know Captain Reed?"
Emilie laughed throatily.
"I'll say!"
Gibbs inhaled sharply.
"What do you mean?" Ziva asked, taking over the line of questioning.
"Reed pursued her like she was in heat and giving off pheromones. Funny thing was she barely gave him the time of day. Professional, courteous…but, man, cold as ice." Emilie mused. "Some of us thing she hits for the other team, if you know what I mean."
Ziva opened her mouth.
"Gay, Ziva." Gibbs said before the Mossad agent could ask.
"What?" It was Ziva's turn to laugh.
Gibbs noted Van Werther handing a stack of papers to Roxane and watched as she left the room again without a word of thanks. Van Werther looked flustered…and worried.
"Getting back to Captain Reed," Gibbs said, "With him out of the picture, you're now responsible for ensuring coding is up to spec, right?"
"Technically, that's I.I.'s responsibility, but we help…after all, when all is said and done, we're the final customer. Somewhat ironic that we're supplying ourselves with a product…paying ourselves to develop the product…with I.I. and Lansing Corp taking a bit off the top for their own pockets."
"You don't like the arrangement?"
"I think we could have developed the software on our own, yes." Emilie said. "But it probably would not have had the versatility that we've managed to gain by working with our American counterparts. And we needed an unbiased party to help us in that regard."
"Did Captain Reed interact with the American military personnel here?" Ziva asked.
"Minimal…he was kind to them, but he usually took breaks with his own kind."
"Own kind?" Ziva looked stunned. "I didn't Canadians were such snobs."
"For the most part, we hide it." Emilie smiled. "Like other aspects."
She fluttered her eyes as Ziva.
Gibbs shook his head at this and felt his phone vibrate.
Text message?
"Coffee and papers for your review" and an address.
Roxane with the report.
Damn, she was good.
"We're done." He said, standing up.
Ziva looked startled…although he wasn't sure if it was from Payette's flirting or his sudden movement.
"We'll be in touch, Captain." Ziva said, grabbing her stuff.
"I hope so, Special Agent David."
Ziva beat Gibbs out of the conference room and to the car.