Chapter 25

Roxane mulled over the reports staring up at her. Budgets. Reports. Charts. Spreadsheets. They were spread out over her table, where just over 12 hours earlier, she had spent an enjoyable supper with Gibbs. Her body still hummed as it recalled the attention he had paid, the focus, the care, the….a dreamy smile crossed her face.

Her cell phone rang. Her smile disappeared as she read the caller i.d.

"Doctor Van Werther, to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"

"I've just received some disturbing information, Ms. Jamieson." The lab director of Intel Initiatives actually sounded tired.

"Oh? Is there a problem with the software?"

"No…not really…"

"No and not really are two different states, Doctor. Please indicate which one is applicable to your situation."

"I received a phone call from a colleague of mine who recently spoke with a colleague of his…"

"Ah, so what you are about to tell me is straight from the horse's mouth." Roxane's sarcasm was lost on the computer expert.

"Apparently, someone has contacted another computer programming company regarding openings in the war simulation software field."

Roxane gaped at her cell phone.

"Do we have a name on this someone?" She asked when she regained her voice.

"Emilie Payette."

"Thank you. Where is Captain Payette right now, Doctor?" Roxane's voice was cold. That woman was going down if she had any say in it.

"I believe she is currently being interviewed by NCIS personnel…at their office."

"Thank you again. Oh, do we have a company name?"

At Van Werther's response, Roxane flipped her cell phone closed, cutting the signal off.

"I said I'd stop by for my watch later." Gibbs smiled in greeting as he met Roxane in the lobby. "But it's nice to see you again."

Roxane didn't return the smile.

"Where's Payette?" She demanded.

"Occupied." Gibbs frowned, unsure what had brought on Roxane's mood.

"I want to see that traitorous, mutinous little bi…"

Gibbs gently took Roxane by the arm and led her into the elevator.

Pressing the button for his floor, he waiting until the elevator started its ascent before hitting the emergency stop button.

"Something you want to tell me?" His blue eyes showed concern. In the short time he had known Roxane, he knew enough that beneath her wall of control lay passionate emotions. He had seen the more pleasant of those emotions last night. Right now, he was seeing her anger and it was emanating off of her in nearly visible waves.

"That woman is sending out her resume, touting herself as an expert in the war simulation software field. Doesn't matter that the software wasn't copied, she knows enough to get another company caught up to our program in a matter of months."

"Easy." Gibbs took one of Roxane's hands and pressed the resume button. He started to unclench her fingers. "Relax."

"That's easy for you to say. How the hell am I going to explain this to my superiors? I put my faith in this project and the ability of our militaries to work together. I don't know what the American officers are like, but right now I've got a dead Captain who fancied himself a gigolo and another Captain who feels that she can sell herself to the highest bidder."

Gibbs smile was tight as the elevator doors opened.

"Do you have the name of this company?"

"Better than that…name, position applied for and people she has spoken with."

"Good job."

"Just because my company is screwed up doesn't mean your investigation needs to be, as well." Roxane smiled sweetly. "But before you approach her, can I just have five minutes alone with Payette?"

Gibbs chuckled, as he led her to her desk.

"I don't think that would be such a great idea." He admitted. "Although, it would be fun to watch."

"Tony would probably charge admission."

"I'm his boss. I could get in for free."

"Good point."

Roxane jotted down her information on a pad of paper that Gibbs handed her. He gently squeezed her hand – the best possible way for him to express his feelings in public.

"I'll hold you to that, Special Agent Gibbs." She purred.

"Captain Payette, I trust we didn't keep you waiting too long?" Tony's voice dripped with false sincerity.

"I'm glad that I went to the washroom before coming here." Was the response.

"Perhaps you could tell me a bit about your field? Actually, my question is more about a company."

"Oh?"

"What does SimuSystems do?"

Payette blinked.

"Pardon me?"

"SimuSystems? You see, we had a little talk with their Chief Executive Officer and to ensure that there were no rumours of corporate espionage, he was quite willing to talk to us about their interviewing process."

"I see."

"Now, as we see it, you were pushing to get as much done with Intel Initiatives to pad your resume. Was that a condition of your hire?"

Shoulders slumped.

"Did you need to have the software successfully completed?" Tony asked.

"They would not hire me without the knowledge. I would not give them a copy of the software, so I had to see as much of it as possible. I couldn't do that with Captain Reed always there, watching me, supervising me, as he called it."

"So you thought that a visit from his wife would distract him?"

Captain Payette nodded.

"But I don't know about his disappearance."

"Captain Reed didn't disappear…"

"That batard…is he back there behind the glass? Did he set me up? I'll kill him!"

"Someone beat you to that, Captain." Tony said softly. "Captain Reed is dead."

"Wha…what?"

"He did not disappear…he was killed."

"I didn't…"

"We know.

"Mrs. Reed, when you arrived here to see your husband, where did you go?"

"His…apartment. He wasn't there."

"Security tapes from Intel Initiatives show you on their premises, talking with Private Robert Marque." Gibbs' tone held genuine sympathy. "He told you where your husband was, didn't he?"

Janet Reed nodded.

"How did that make you feel?"

A look of resignation crossed the widow's face. She was tired of the game and running and just wanted to sleep .

"Upset, betrayed, furious, horrified…everything I've felt before when Jason did this. Last time, though, I swore I would never feel that way again."

"And?"

"I followed him. To that club…to that park…I…I….I killed him."

Gibbs nodded.

"And the knife?" He asked.

"I threw it in the pond across from the park."

"And then you went home."

"Yes."

"Why kill him? Why not just file for divorce?"

"Because he'd get half…I'd get half. Half!" Janet Reed's voice rang with her disgust. "After all he put me through, I'd get half! It's not fair!"

Sobbing filled the room as Janet covered her face with her hands.

"It's not fair…not fair..not…"

Gibbs stood up and left the room.