Chapter 12
"Aha!" Tim said, triumphantly.
"Aha, what?" Tony asked, feeling a little grumpy. He just wanted to finish up and get back to DC. No matter how he felt about Carew, seeing this intentional destruction, knowing the intention had been to kill someone innocent, it was all a little depressing.
He looked up from the camera and saw Tim holding up a doorknob.
A doorknob currently showing evidence of fingerprints.
"Look at this! And you said there wouldn't be any," Tim said as he put it into an evidence bag. "I'm going to see if I can find another one. Abby will be thrilled to see what she can pull from it."
Tony stifled a groan, but he had to admit that, if this had been any other person they were looking for, he would have been more interested. It was just that it was Carew.
"I'll help," Tony said after a few seconds.
Tim looked up at him and smiled as if he knew exactly what Tony wasn't saying. ...and he didn't care.
"Thanks."
They started scouring the ruins and came up with four more doorknobs. Each with fingerprints. There was no telling just who the fingerprints belonged to, of course. They could just be those of Tamara and Levi, but there were fingerprints to test and that was more than Tony had expected.
After they'd photographed the site, gathered what samples they could, and evaluated the overall situation, it was time to head back. Tony gathered up the equipment and loaded it in the car. When he turned back to tell Tim to get a move on, he saw him standing, staring at the ruins of the cabin. He walked over.
"What's up, Tim?" he asked.
Tim's eyes were a little haunted.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"I know you don't understand why I want to help him, Tony," Tim said softly. "But you should."
"Why should I?"
"Because what I'm trying to save Levi from is what I've gone through myself...and so have you." Tim turned to look at him. "If he's still alive, and I figure he must be because they could have just killed him if that's all they wanted, then, he's probably being tortured, Tony. Be honest, would you really want any other person to go through what you went through?"
Tony felt uncomfortable under Tim's gaze. It was so intense that it was awkward even to meet his eyes. He also didn't like the reminder of that period of his life. He tried to think about it as little as possible.
"Torture isn't like other things, Tony. It's not like just beating someone up. It's worse. They're not just destroying your body. They're destroying your soul, too. And I cannot think of a single person in the entire world who I would want to go through what I went through. Can you honestly want that?"
Still, Tony didn't feel like he could say anything. Tim didn't seem to mind.
"I've thought about it a lot, and even though I hate Jorgenson with every fiber of my being for what he tried to do to me, I still wouldn't want him to be tortured. I wouldn't mind punching him in the face. I wouldn't mind him going to prison for life. But I couldn't want him to be tortured. I wouldn't want to see it and I wouldn't want to know about it happening to him." Suddenly, Tim's eyes were pleading. "Please, Tony, please tell me that you don't actually want someone to feel that way. I don't even know exactly what they did to you, but I know it was bad. You were seeing a psychiatrist for months after. I'm still seeing one and I probably will for the rest of my life. Please, don't tell me that you could really want someone tortured, not even Levi. I know you hate him. I accept that you do, even if I don't. Just..." Tim turned back to the ruins and shook his head.
"Why do you care so much about how I feel, Tim?" Tony asked. "What difference does it make? I'm helping no matter how I feel."
"Because, Tony, I can't accept the idea that someone I know and care about could want another human being to go through something so awful as the slow, steady and agonizing destruction of his soul."
Tony decided to push to see how far Tim was ready to take the idea. He could see that it meant a lot to him, but he had his doubts that Tim could go all the way with this.
"So you don't think Hitler would deserve it?"
To his surprise, there was no pause, not even for a second.
"No," Tim said. "He deserved to die. He deserved to lose, but torture is not a just punishment. If we're a just people, then, we don't allow someone else's values dictate our values."
"Our own government..."
Tim cut him off. "Don't even go there, Tony," he said. "Do not start acting like a child on a playground, pointing to someone and saying, 'well, he did it, first, so that makes it okay!'" Tim shook his head. "No. If we start looking at torture as a just punishment, we've already lost."
"Even though Carew did the same thing to you?"
"Yes," Tim said, firmly. "I don't care what he's done to me as far as this is concerned."
"You don't?"
"No. Because he's changing. He's not like he was, and I even understand the reasons for what he did. I don't have to excuse what he did or forgive it in order to believe that he doesn't deserve what's probably happening to him."
There was a silence and Tony saw that Tim really was carrying this the whole way. Tony wasn't sure why he couldn't feel the same way. As Tim had said, he'd been tortured, too. Maybe it just was that it hadn't lasted long enough. Or maybe it was because Tim's damage had been so much greater and longer lasting. Whatever the reason, Tim carried something inside him that Tony didn't have, and none of them had.
Then, Tim looked back at the remains of Carew's cabin.
"I told this to Gibbs already, but there's one more thing."
"What's that?"
"Levi would agree with you. He would say that he deserves this and that I'm being ridiculous. He would say that it makes no sense that I'm doing it."
"And so you're telling me that everyone, including Carew, thinks you're making a mistake and you're doing it anyway?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I'm right," Tim said and looked at Tony. "Just because Levi would believe he doesn't deserve it doesn't mean he doesn't want it. What it means is that he wouldn't ask for something he doesn't deserve. I'm giving it to him, whether he deserves it or not."
Another silence, and Tony could see how much this meant to Tim. For whatever reason, it really meant a lot to Tim to do this. Even if he couldn't quite understand it, he felt that he had to support Tim through it all.
"As long as you don't want me to start singing his praises..."
"You don't see me doing that, do you?"
Tony smiled. "Then, I guess I can go with you on this."
"Thanks, Tony. All I want is a real effort because if I have everyone's help, this will work. I don't know if it would on my own."
"If it works, it'll be because of you, Tim, not because of us," Tony said. "Now, are you ready to get back to DC?"
Tim nodded and that intensity faded.
"Are you going to make me drive back?" he asked.
"Absolutely."
Tim chuckled. "Okay. I'll drive."
They got in and started back to NCIS.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Ziva and Gibbs drove to the Carew home and looked over everything there. They focused on the study, going from Tamara's suggestion, but at the same time, they also searched the rest of the house. While they got fingerprints (of course), there was no guarantee that any of it would be useful.
Ziva looked around the study after they'd finished.
"This place...it looks so normal. I would have expected something else."
"Like what?" Gibbs asked.
"I do not know," she admitted. "I just have a hard time imagining Carew having anything normal. He himself is far from it."
Gibbs nodded.
"Do you think there will be anything here?"
"Don't know. Could be."
"I will get the things Tamara asked for and we can go."
Gibbs nodded and Ziva worked as quickly as she could to pick up what had been requested, mostly just clothing and toiletries, and then, they headed back out of the house. As they walked toward the car, Gibbs suddenly stopped and looked down the sidewalk.
"What is it?" Ziva asked.
Gibbs smiled.
"A nosy neighbor."
He started walking over to a house next door. Ziva followed along, not understanding but trusting that Gibbs had a point to his destination.
He walked over and knocked on a door. A few seconds later, a woman opened the door, looking slightly wary.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"Hello, ma'am. Do you remember me?" Gibbs asked. "Agent Gibbs. NCIS."
For a moment, she looked confused. "No...I..." Then, her eyes widened. "Oh! Yes! Well, you have terrible timing, Agent Gibbs. Tamara and Levi are gone again."
Gibbs smiled. "I know that. Actually, I have a question for you."
"What's that?"
"Have you ever noticed anyone watching the Carews? Or even their house?"
"Why? Has something happened to them?" she asked, looking concerned.
Ziva could see Gibbs hesitate for just a moment. She knew why. This wasn't exactly a normal situation and letting out that they were investigating could lead to something getting out that they didn't want to get out, but at the same time, if they said nothing, the questions would seem strange.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Gibbs said.
"Oh, no!" she said, covering her mouth. "Are they all right?"
"Tamara is fine. She's staying with my team for the next few days. I can have her call you, if you'd like."
"All right. What about Levi?"
"He's missing."
"That's awful! You think someone was watching their house?"
"I think it's possible."
"I wish I could help, Agent Gibbs. Really, I do. I can't think of anything but..."
"Mom, there was that guy you were wondering about a couple of weeks ago," said a girl who was clearly a young teenager.
The woman turned. "Lucy, you aren't supposed to eavesdrop."
"I wasn't. I was walking by and I heard what you were talking about. You told Dad that there had been someone in the neighborhood and that if he showed up again, you were going to make Dad confront him."
"I do remember that, now. Go on, Lucy. I know you have chores."
Lucy grinned unrepentantly and continued on her way. Then, the woman turned back.
"I'm sorry about that. Sometimes, my children seem able to appear out of nowhere. I'm Lauren Sutton. I just realized that I'd never introduced myself, Agent Gibbs."
"And I am Agent David," Ziva said.
"Nice to meet you."
"This man you saw?" Gibbs prompted.
"Lucy's right. He disappeared after a few days and I forgot all about him. A few weeks ago, there was a car parked on the street. It was always the same car, but never in quite the same place. It would stay for a little while and then drive away. I wasn't always watching, and I assumed that it was just some salesman, looking for an easy mark, but the longer he was in the neighborhood, the more I wondered if there was something more to it."
"And?"
Lauren shrugged. "And if there was, I never saw it. He never even got out of the car while I was watching him, but I have four kids and it's easy to get distracted. I never even considered that he might be watching someone specifically."
"Could you describe him?"
"Not really," Lauren said, with some regret. "I didn't look very closely. Didn't want him to realize I was staring, you know. But he was white and dark."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that he was a Caucasian man, but his hair was dark and he looked very tan. Beyond that, I couldn't really tell you. I didn't see him close enough to know how tall he was or if he was big or small. He did seem relatively young, maybe forties. Does this help?"
"It could. If we need you to, would you be willing to work with a sketch artist?"
"Yes, but I know I couldn't get everything right."
"We would realize that," Gibbs said.
"All right, then, yes. Please, tell Tamara to give me a call. I want to know that she's all right."
"We will do that," Ziva said.
"Good."
There was a crash and a wail from inside the house.
"Oh, dear. That's Jacob. Was there anything else I could do for you?"
"Mom! Jacob fell off the couch!"
Ziva smiled. "No, that is all. Thank you for your time."
"Absolutely. If there's anything else I can do, let me know."
"Mom! Jacob won't stop crying!"
"I'm coming, Isaac!"
Lauren took a breath, smiled and then, closed the door.
Gibbs and Ziva walked away from the house.
"There may have been someone watching, at least for a period of time," Ziva said.
"Right before they left," Gibbs said.
"Yes. So someone was watching but did not necessarily go inside."
"Yeah, meaning that the fingerprints are likely useless."
Ziva smiled. It was rare that Gibbs was not the lead on a case, but it was almost entertaining to see him take on a different role. For one thing, he tended to speak more which made her wonder why in the world he thought that being laconic was part of being the team lead.
"Still, it will give Abby something to do."
"Call Tony and see where they are."
Ziva nodded and didn't bother to ask why he didn't tell her to call Tim. Instead, she pulled out her phone and dialed.
"DiNozzo."
"Hello, Tony. Where are you?"
"On our way back from the cabin."
"Are you close?"
"No. We're not even back on the freeway yet. There was a lot to process. We've got quite a bit of material for Abby."
"Good. How is Tim doing?"
"He's driving."
"You are letting him drive?" Ziva asked.
"No, I'm making him. It's his punishment for dragging us into this."
"You mean my reward," came Tim's voice.
Ziva smiled.
"What's the next move, McGee?" Gibbs asked.
"I want to see if Abby gets anything, first. We need to know if there's something we can work with. And I have to admit that I'm hoping for a little outside help."
"Outside help? From whom?" Ziva asked.
"I'll let you know if it pans out," Tim said. "I promise that it's nothing like what you're afraid of."
"What are we afraid of?"
She could hear Tim's grin. "I'm not going to fall for that. Where are you?"
"We went to the Carew home to see if there was anything there."
"And?" Tony asked.
"And their neighbor saw someone in the area for a few days before they left. We gathered some fingerprints but I do not know that they will be anyone surprising."
"Okay. That's interesting, though," Tim said. "See you back in D.C."
"Drive safely, Tim," Ziva said. "Otherwise, Tony will have yet another reason to complain."
"He doesn't need a reason," Tim said.
"Ha ha. Very funny. I'm hanging up before you go any farther."
"Bye," Ziva said.
"Bye."
Ziva hung up.
"Tim will not give up on this, will he."
"Nope," Gibbs said. "Not until he knows for sure, one way or the other."
"Which way do you think it is?"
"I think he's alive now, but depends on why they want him, whether or not he stays that way."
Ziva nodded and it was quiet in the car for a few minutes.
"We should stop at Tim's building so I can give Tamara the things she needs."
Gibbs nodded and again, the silence fell. Ziva thought about what they were doing, why they were doing it...and who they were doing it for.
"Do you hope to find him alive or dead?" she asked, finally.
The silence after that question was of a different kind. Heavier, more unpleasant. Gibbs glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.
"It is no secret that none of us like him, but Tim wants to find him, and I know that he wants to find him alive. His wife is worried about him. Even Zahara is hoping for a positive result. What about you?"
"If it was just me, then, dead. For Tim's sake, alive."
"You think that Tim will regret it if Carew is dead?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"He understands Carew."
"Why would he try to do that?"
"Don't know."
"Have you asked him?"
"Nope."
"Will you?"
Gibbs raised an eyebrow again. "Will you?"
"I admit that I am afraid of what the answer might be. So much of the time I have been at NCIS has been focused on Tim's life and what has been done to him. It would be nice if things could be..." Then, she paused. "...I was going to say normal, but if normal is what has been happening most, then, this is normal. It would be nice if normal was not what we have."
"Can't change that."
"I know. I suppose I feel like you. I would not care if Carew was dead, but if Tim wishes to find him alive, then, I will hope for that."
Gibbs just nodded and kept driving. They stopped briefly at Tim's place to drop off the bag Ziva had packed for Tamara and to tell her to call her neighbor. Then, they continued on to NCIS.
