Chapter 7
"He was a jerk."
"He took credit for my work, and made me look like a fool in front of Major General Andrews."
"He thought he was God's Gift to the courtrooms, and he wasn't. He should never have been promoted."
"One of his jokes was about the difference between a blonde and a guy. And no, it wasn't funny. And no, he didn't stop, even when Commander Ash told him to stop."
"There was almost a fist fight between Lieutenant Commander Dawson and Commander Lavery last week, when he called Lieutenant Commander Dawson's client a chink."
"What's the difference between a ginger and a brick? That was one of his favorite jokes. Oh, and the one about redheads and McDonalds. Thanks to him, I stopped eating there. Maybe I will now. Maybe."
"He was an asshole who needed his ass kicked in and out of the courtroom, and I would have been more than happy to do that, if I thought I could get away with it."
"He was Daddy's little angel, and God help us all if we made poor baby Commander Lavey cry."
"I once keyed his car, and he screamed the place down, but no one could ever prove it was me. Felt so good, considering he'd humiliated me earlier that day."
That was just some of the things that were being said about Commander Lavery. In fact, there was a lineup of officers, all with something to say, and most of it wasn't good.
Bishop groaned, feeling a headache forming at the base of her neck.
"I hear ya," McGee said, rubbing his temples. "By all accounts, Commander Lavery was a jerk, both in and out of the courtroom. No one is surprised he's dead."
"And I overheard several of them talking about throwing a party because of it," Bishop said.
"Ouch. Anything about Ami?"
"Just that she seemed nice, and how on earth could anyone have been married to him for that long without trying to kill him?"
"Now we know; she didn't have a choice."
"Eyup."
Someone knocked at the door of the conference room they were using, and both agents looked up. It was Major General Andrews, a dark-skinned man with greying hair, who reminded McGee of Star Trek actor Michael Dorn in his later years.
"Agents, I come bearing real coffee and bakery treats," he said, holding up a box of bakery treats, and two cups of coffee.
"Thanks," McGee said, accepting the coffee, and watching as Bishop dug into the bakery treats like a starving woman, which she probably was.
"Headaches?" Major General Andrews asked, seeing the way Bishop and Andrews were holding their heads.
"Yeah," Bishop said.
"Thought so," Major General Andrews said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small travel-size container of Tylenol. "I always keep some on hand," he said, handing it to them.
"Thanks so much," Bishop said, gratefully. She and McGee both popped two tablets each, and downed them with their coffee.
"I saw the lineup of officers outside. A lot of people had a lot to say about Commander Lavery," Major General Andrews said, sitting down across from them.
"And not a lot of it good," Bishop said.
"Everything from his sexist jokes to racial slurs to taking credit for someone else's work," McGee said.
"Resentment over him being promoted so fast, and so forth and so forth," Bishop said.
"And I'm about to add to your pile," Major General Andrews said. "From a professional standpoint, Commander Lavery was facing serious charges of attorney misconduct and legal malpractice over the Private Moses case. He was being quietly investigated, and I was about to make my recommendation once the investigation was complete. On top of that, there were a number of complaints filed against him that I was getting tired of being swept under the rug. I was beginning to suspect Captain Lavery may have had a hand in those complaints disappearing."
"Which would suggest backroom dealing or the old boy network," McGee said. "My father mentioned something like that a time or two."
"How was Commander Lavery before he disappeared?" Bishop asked.
"Same as always; polite to your face, and a prick behind your back," Major General Andrews said.
"How did he handle his recent evaluation that said he might be passed up for promotion if he didn't change his behaviour?" McGee asked.
"You could hear the yelling up and down the hallway. I had to step in and send him home for the day, even threatening him with insubnorantion and a few other things if he didn't start getting his act together," Major General Andrews said. "Of course, I then got a phone call from Captain Lavery, threatening all kinds of things. I hung up on him after the first two minutes."
"Nice man," Bishop said.
"The thing is, two days ago, I received what I thought was a call from him saying something had come up on one of his cases and he needed to head to Maryland for a few days and would be out of touch for a bit."
"Did you believe him?" Bishop asked.
"No, but since I had no proof otherwise, all I could do was wait. I was very close to filing an AWOL report on him when I found out he'd been murdered."
"Of course. Have you ever met his wife, Ami?" McGee asked.
"Once. No surprise, but she was pushed to the background. I chatted with her for a bit, found out she was a Journeyman Electrician, and wondered why Commander Lavery had failed to mention that. But then again, knowing him, if it wasn't about him, it wasn't worth knowing about. She seemed nice enough, just very quiet."
"Okay, we know your professional opinion of Commander Lavery. Now what was your personal opinion?" Bishop asked.
"That walking joker was an insult to his uniform and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and I would have dearly loved to give him an old fashioned Marine beating, the kind that would have left his pearly white teeth buried in the ground," Major General Andrews said grimly. "He had no business being in JAG, and definitely no business being in the Navy."
"And his father?" McGee asked.
"I'm a Marine. Guess."
"Right. Your foot, his ass, probably a busted door or two on the way to the parking lot," Bishop said.
"Or the nearest bombing range for target practice," McGee said easily.
"You know Marines," Major General Andrews said, nodding in approval.
"We know our boss, who just happens to be a former Marine," McGee said.
"Agent Gibbs, right?" Both agents nodded. "Is it true he's as much a hardass as his reputation says?"
"Only when you mess with his coffee, his people, his case, or you lie to him, or catch him when he's had to take over as temporary NCIS director," McGee said. "Then you have a problem."
"Rumor has it he once put a pen through an inmate's hand," Bishop said. "Of course, he'd just gotten back from being shot and all that, so he was probably a little cranky at the time."
"That's a Marine for you," Major General Andrews said, nodding.
"What do you know about Private Moses? We know he had brothers, but was there anyone he was particularly close to, someone by the name of Donald or Davy Jones?" McGee asked.
Major General Andrews thought for a moment, then nodded. "I do remember seeing someone in the courthouse at the time of Private Moses' sentencing, and they looked like they were talking in earnest."
"Dark hair?" Bishop asked.
Major General Andrews nodded. "Dark hair, fair skin, tall build. Afterwards, I think I saw him slip Commander Lavery a piece of paper or something, but I was too busy listening to Lieutenant Commander Jewell curse up a storm over Commander Lavery's behaviour in court. Suspect?"
"He is, if we can find him," McGee said. "We found DNA that came back as a familial match to Private Moses, and since Commander Lavery screwed him over royally, well, I'm sure you can see where this is going."
"I can. Unfortunately, I can't help you any more than I already have," Major General Andrews said. "I don't know what else to tell you."
"That's okay, sir," McGee said.
"However, if Captain Lavery gives you any grief, please let me know, and I will gladly take my gloves off and bring that pansey excuse of a sailor down a few rivets," Major General Andrews said, standing up and straightening his uniform with a sharp tug.
"Thank you sir, we'll keep that in mind," Bishop said.
Once Major General Andrews left, the two agents looked at each other. "We need to find Davey Jones," McGee said.
"And fast," Bishop said.
"I think we've done enough interviews, don't you?" McGee suggested.
"I do. Let's get out of here."
"Please. I think my ears are about to fall off."
At the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Torres was face to face with Private Miles Moses, who wasn't happy to see him.
"That bastard screwed me over," Private Moses snarled. "He said if I told the prosecution everything I knew, he'd get me a lighter sentence. Instead, I'm here and in danger, because I got ratted out as a rat."
"We understand that, and the case is currently under review," Torres said calmly.
"So who do I sue?"
"I'd suggest the commander, but, ah, he's dead," Torres said.
"Good. So why are you here?"
"Because we have evidence to suggest someone in your family put a bullet through the commander," Torres said, deliberately lying.
"Like you're going to see me crying," Private Moses said sarcastically.
"Probably not, which I can understand, but what about your brothers, or maybe even a cousin? Maybe someone who was mad enough to go after the commander personally," Torres said. "I understand that you got screwed over, and you have every right to be mad. However, your case was going before the courts, and Commander Lavery was under review. If we find out you had anything to do with his murder, it won't look good, and you could find conspiracy to commit murder added to your charges. And that will stick, because unlike Commander Lavery, the officer who prosecutes your case won't be screwing around." Torres watched as Private Moses swallowed hard. "You might get a reduced sentence over the theft issue, but you won't if you're found guilty of the whole conspiracy murder thing."
"I'm not saying another word," Private Moses snarled. "Commander Lavery got what was coming to him."
"Fine. So will you. Maybe the commander was an asshole, and yeah, maybe he did deserve what he got, but that wasn't for you or your family to decide," Torres said, standing up. "And where do you guys get off scaring his wife? She had nothing to do with his behaviour."
"Someone went after his wife?" Private Moses asked, eyes going a bit wide.
"Vandalized her truck pretty good, from what I hear. Scared the hell out of her, probably going to cost her a fortune to get her truck fixed, because that truck is part of her livelyhood. Don't know what you know, but she was as much a victim as you are, more so because she couldn't escape him," Torres said easily. "Have a nice day in your very boring cell. Guard!"
And with that, he walked out. As soon as he was out of earshot of Private Moses, he spoke to the guard and was quickly put in touch with the director of the prison, who met with him in the command center.
"If he calls anyone, we need to know about it," Torres said, showing his badge. "He's not helping himself right now, but he may call one of his brothers, and that could help us find the guy."
The colonel nodded. "See what I can do. Might try and scream violation of privacy, but around here, he doesn't get privacy."
Then one of the guards spoke up. "Sir, it looks like Private Moses is already making a call."
"Patch us through, and record it," the colonel said. "Can you get a number?"
"I can," another guard said, joining the first guard, and typing fast on her computer.
A voice came over the speakers.
"Davey, it's Miles."
"Hey bro, how you doing?"
"What the hell is going on? I just got a visit from NCIS, saying one of my brothers shot Commander Lavery, and they got evidence."
"Bullshit. The bastard wasn't shot, he was stabbed," Davey snapped. "You were lied to. Get off the damn phone, you idiot. They're probably listening in."
"No, not until you tell me the truth. Did you kill Commander Lavery?" Private Moses demanded.
"I took care of the problem. The guy boasted about screwing you over, said losers like you belonged in jail, and if you were stupid enough to trust him, then you got what you deserved."
"The agent said my case was under review, and if he finds out I was part of the commander's death, I'm really screwed because I could get nailed for conspiracy to commit murder!" Private Moses fired back. "And I find out you guys are going after his wife? Leave her alone!"
"I'll do what I have to do," Davey fired back. "Now shut up and get off this damn phone!"
And with that, the call ended.
"Got a number," the guard said, writing a series of numbers down.
Torres pulled out his phone and quickly dialed McGee. "Please tell me you're near your computer," he said.
"I am. Just got back from interviews at JAG, and I still have a heck of a headache," McGee said.
"I have something that will make that headache go away; a number. Private Moses just called Davey from the prison and we got a confession and a number."
"Give." Torres rattled off the number, and he could hear McGee typing fast. "How fast can you get back here? We got a hit."
"I'm three hours out," Torres admitted. "Next flight isn't for about two hours."
"If you need to, I can probably pull a favour," the colonel offered. "Get you back to Washington in about two and a half hours."
"Done. And thank you."
"Get the guy. I won't see him here, but I look forward to seeing him at the DB," the colonel said, shaking his hand.
"We'll let you know," Torres promised.