Chapter 15
Gibbs had seen Tim's silent request, but he felt that Tim was ignoring reality when he asked them to keep working while he went into Jenny's office accompanied by the director of the CIA. It didn't matter that none of them had really interacted with Director Morgan. It didn't matter that Tim didn't seem worried, merely confused.
What mattered was the possibility that something else might go wrong in Tim's life.
Director Morgan walked out of the office alone and didn't even glance down. He seemed to be focused on his own tasks, but they didn't have long to wait for Tim to appear. He came out of the office and headed for the stairs. When he saw him, Gibbs suppressed a sigh of relief. There was no sign at all that Tim was troubled in any way. In fact, he smiled as he looked at them.
"What was that all about, McGee?" Tony asked. "Why were you in a meeting with the CIA?"
"I need to talk to Abby, and I can give you some information after I hear what she has to say," Tim said. "Could I put you off for just a few minutes?"
"Was this about you?" Ziva asked.
"No. ...or rather, it wasn't about me for myself. It was about me as the lead in our current case. I'll explain downstairs, okay?"
"Sure, okay, but this had better be important," Tony grumbled.
"It is," Tim said.
Gibbs saw that it was serious, but Tim didn't seem frightened or any more anxious than he had been. So that was good.
They all went down to the lab together. Tim strode ahead of them. Gibbs found it interesting how easily Tim was stepping into the leadership role. He didn't hang back. He didn't accept prevarication and he was focused on what he wanted to get done.
"Abby, I need..."
Abby didn't let him finish.
"Tim, I got some great fingerprints from the doorknobs, but one of them was blocked. I don't know why. I was just about to start getting angry about it. This worked! It was perfect, and I don't like it when I can't..."
"Abby, it did work, and I know whose prints they are."
"What?! How do you know?"
"Because of who blocked your search and why," Tim said. "I'll tell you, if you'll let me."
Abby's brow puckered slightly, but then, she nodded. Tim turned to look at everyone, including them in his explanation.
"That's why Director Morgan was here."
"The prints belong to someone at the CIA?" Tony asked, appalled. "That seems low, even for them."
"No. They belong to a rogue agent that they've been trying to find for years."
"Rogue?" Ziva asked. "What did he do?"
"Killed his team, and apparently, just because he got bored with his job. They haven't had any sign of him for four years. These prints were the first time."
Gibbs felt the chill in the room. People who apparently had no moral compass were frightening.
"So...why block them?" Abby demanded.
"Because they're afraid he'll get away again," Tony said, before Tim could. "If he's good enough to hide for that long, they've got to be nervous that any sign that they're aware of his activity will lead him to go to ground again."
Tim nodded.
"Does he have an ax to grind with Carew?" Ziva asked. "Why would he be doing this?"
"No, he doesn't. Director Morgan was the one over him. He would have no reason to go after Levi. Director Morgan doesn't think that he's the one in charge. He's probably pulling some strings, but he doesn't think that this guy is making the decisions."
"Who is he?" Gibbs asked, speaking for the first time.
"His name is Marc Edward Logan. He'd been with the CIA for fifteen years and before that was a sniper. He knows what he's doing," Tim said.
"Do we?" Tony asked. "That sounds like a bad person to cross."
"If we find him, we tell the CIA and they take care of him," Tim said. "Director Morgan is going to get me access to his file today, but we can't issue any BOLOs or give any sign that we know he's involved. If we find him, the CIA wants him, and I'm fine with that."
"So the idea is to keep it a secret until we have a chance to get him?" Ziva asked. "I think that will keep us safer, as well."
"I'm good with that, too," Tim said, smiling a little. "So did you get any other hits?"
"Mostly just Levi Carew and Tamara Carew. A couple from the house that belonged to neighbors. Two sets from the cabin that I can't get any identity on...because there's no identity to get, not because someone is blocking me," Abby said, still sounding a little miffed.
"So nothing shocking besides Logan's and these two that you don't know?"
"That's right."
"Okay. Thanks, Abby. I really appreciate it."
Abby smiled. "You're welcome, Tim."
"So what now, Special Agent McGee?" Tony asked as they headed out of the lab.
Tim gave it some thought. Their best lead was one that they still didn't know as much as they needed, and they need to keep it quiet, too. He would need to find out if Tamara had ever seen Logan, and if he had been in the neighborhood. He would like to get Ducky's perspective as well, but he couldn't do that until he had something to show him.
"Can I mention something that we haven't yet?" Tony added, after a few moments of silence on the elevator.
Tim smiled, knowing where Tony was going. It was where he always went.
"It wasn't Tamara," he said.
"It would be a perfect way to cover it up. Pretending to be the victim."
"There are a few problems with that, Tony," Tim said.
"What?"
"First, there's no reason for her to do it. This thing that they're doing is completely voluntary on both sides. In fact, they both told me at separate times that she has most of the control in the situation. All she would have to do is walk away."
The elevator dinged open and they all walked into the bullpen.
"Second," he continued, "this happened out in the middle of nowhere, when no one was around, when no one expected them. All she would have to do is kill him and leave. Third, Logan. It doesn't make sense that she'd have access to him when he's been underground for at least four years. It just doesn't make sense."
"Okay. I just had to bring it up."
"I know," Tim said. "I expected it."
Tony grinned. "Always anticipate."
"Yeah."
"How much do you know about Carew's run-ins with other people?" Gibbs asked, suddenly.
Tim looked at him in surprise. "Personal or professional?"
"Both."
"Very little on the personal side. Some on the professional."
"Make a list. Revenge or information, it has to be someone who knows him."
Tim nodded, easily accepting the suggestion, perhaps even relieved that Gibbs had made it.
"That's a good idea, Boss," he said. "While I'm doing that, Ziva, could you get back with Abby about the inquires on the cabin property?"
Ziva nodded.
"Tony..." Tim hesitated.
"Hey, want me to go and rattle some cages at the FBI?" Tony asked. "Fornell doesn't have much time left before he retires, you know."
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"He'll be more reckless."
"Maybe."
"Okay, how about I try to see if there's anything quiet and subtle I can do over there?"
"You? Quiet and subtle?"
"Hey, of the two of us, I'm the one who still has more undercover experience."
"Point taken," Tim said. "If you think can get anywhere with them, go ahead, but remember that we're not spreading anything about Logan around. Not yet."
"I got it," Tony said. "Hey, Boss, want to come with me? We can bug both Sacks and Fornell at the same time!"
Gibbs rolled his eyes and then looked over at Tim. He could see that Tim felt uncomfortable giving him orders, but since he'd been confident about doing it for everyone else, Gibbs felt he could give Tim a pass on that. It was more than a little discomfiting to give orders to one's boss.
"Yeah, maybe that would be a good idea. Gibbs could keep you reined in," Tim said, smiling.
"Sounds good to me!"
Tim sat down at his computer and started working while Tony and Gibbs headed out. As soon as the elevator was closed, Tony's grin faded.
"I don't like this, Boss," he said.
"No one does, except McGee," Gibbs said.
"No, not finding Carew. I think it's a bad idea, but that's not what worries me. It's this guy Logan. Even with as little as we know about him right now, what we know is that this guy is willing to kill, apparently for no reason at all. I don't like going after guys like that. You can't reason with someone who just kills for kicks."
"I don't think the CIA plans on reasoning with him."
"I don't, either. That doesn't bother me. He's their problem. They should take care of it. But we're the ones who will probably find him first."
"Yeah."
"You going to go along with no BOLO?"
"Yeah."
"For how long?"
"Until McGee says otherwise."
"You're going to carry him being in charge that far?"
Gibbs looked at Tony and raised an eyebrow.
"McGee is in charge. His case, his lead. We can make suggestions, but the final decision is his, especially with Logan and the CIA."
"I just don't like it."
"I don't, either. Not my decision."
The elevator doors opened, and Gibbs knew that Tony was biting back the suggestion that Gibbs was sidestepping his responsibility. Gibbs understood the concern and he even shared it to some degree, but he was going to trust Tim to keep all their safety in mind while he was working.
For the time being, he focused his thoughts on what Fornell would say.
He smiled.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Tim spent the next hour thinking about the people who might have a reason to resent Levi or who might want something from him. It was fairly lengthy, but at the same time, this was above and beyond simple resentment. Wanting to pick a fight with him was one thing, abducting him and trying to kill Tamara put everything on a different level.
He stared at the list and at the first name he'd thought of. He hesitated to bring it up because it might seem like he was letting his own lingering resentment affect his judgment. Still, it wasn't like he was making up the hatred. He knew it was there.
He took a breath and pulled out his phone.
"Gibbs."
"Hey, Boss, have you got to Fornell yet?"
"No. He's out at Quantico. We're on our way down there."
"Okay. Could you ask him if he's heard anything about Jorgenson recently?"
There was a long pause.
"Why?"
"Because I don't know of anyone who seems to hate Levi both professionally and personally more than Jorgenson does. It might be nothing, but that could easily cover both revenge and information. Plus, we already know that he's willing to...circumvent the law to get what he wants."
"But attempted murder, McGee? You think he'd go that far?"
"I don't know. That's what I'd like to find out. If there's nothing, there's nothing, but that's the first name I thought of, Boss. Director Shepard said that Levi was instrumental in getting Jorgenson out of politics. Just ask him."
"He may not know whether you're right or wrong."
"I know. Ask him anyway." Tim hesitated. "Please."
"We'll ask."
"Thanks, Boss."
Tim hung up and looked around. He was just waiting for the file from the CIA to get here or at least for his access to be official. Maybe he wouldn't wait.
Quickly, he left the building and walked out to Willard Park. He sat down and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and waited.
"Daniel Worthing."
"Daniel, it's Tim."
"Tim, I said it might take a few days. It's only been one!"
"I know. I just need to ask you a couple of questions, but I think it should be in person, not over the phone. Can you come to the Yard or do you want to meet somewhere else?"
"Somewhere else, I think. That might just be a bit too blatant."
"Okay. Can it be relatively close to the Yard?"
Daniel chuckled. "Sure."
"Good. How about we meet up at the Metro stop on M street?"
"That works for me. Give me about twenty minutes to get there."
"All right."
Tim hung up and hurried inside so everyone knew that he hadn't disappeared. He ran down to Abby's lab.
"Tim! We think we might have found something!" Abby said, excitedly.
"That's great," Tim said, "but I can't stay for it right now. I need to go meet someone. I'm just letting you know that I'll be gone for a bit. I'll be back, probably in an hour. I'm really excited to hear it, but I need you to wait. Okay?"
Abby looked like she was debating being upset. Then, she smiled. "Okay. I'll let you go."
"Thanks," Tim said and smiled. "Is it okay with you, too, Ziva?" he asked.
Ziva laughed. "This is Abby's news, not mine. Just be careful."
"I will, but I'm not worried about this one."
Tim turned and left the lab and hurried out. He jogged down to the Metro station and saw Daniel just coming out. He waved and Daniel smiled and headed over to him.
"Hey, thanks for meeting me."
"You made it sound important," Daniel said, smiling. "It had better be."
"It is, although it may not pan out, but I thought it was worth a shot."
"Okay. Now, I'm getting more interested. Let's find somewhere to talk."
Tim nodded and they walked to a relatively secluded space and sat down.
"So, what's this about?" Daniel asked.
"We found some fingerprints out at the cabin and, amazingly, they were good enough. It turns out that they belong to a rogue CIA agent. I'll be getting his file later today, but I was hoping that you might know something about him, so I can get a head start."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Tim, I've been in Morocco for years, and there are a lot of CIA agents. I think you're reaching."
"This was a big enough thing that I figured it was worth a shot to ask."
"Okay. Try me out. What did he do?"
"Apparently, he'd been in the CIA for years and he suddenly decided to kill his team for no reason."
Daniel went very still.
"Did you hear about it?" he asked.
There was silence for a few seconds. Then, Daniel cleared his throat.
"He was a sniper, and only one of his team got away," he said, almost in a whisper.
"Yeah."
"Yeah...I knew about it. Marc Logan."
Tim started to get the feeling that Daniel more than knew about it.
"Daniel?"
"Tim, there's a reason I was allowed to propose my assignment in Morocco. I hadn't been in the CIA very long when I did it and most agents aren't going to be given what is essentially their dream assignment, especially not a long-term one like I got. I was good, but not that good."
Daniel stared out at the grass, but Tim knew he wasn't seeing it.
"Everything had been normal. We'd had some tough moments. Dallin caught some shrapnel on our way out, but we knew we could get him back and he'd recover. We'd got out successfully. Everything was fine. I was out on recon, no problems, and was just coming back...when it wasn't fine anymore."
"What happened?" Tim asked.
Daniel clenched his hands into tight fists.
"Logan came out of the tent and just started shooting. He took out three of us before we even had time to realize what he was doing. Dallin almost was able to shoot back, but only almost. Logan shot him right in the face. Nothing I'd experienced up to that point could have prepared me for someone going rogue this way. I watched it all. Logan wasn't upset. He wasn't frightened. He wasn't angry. He was cold. Cold and empty. When he looked at me and saw that I was still alive, he just smiled and started after me. I ran."
Hands still clenched into fists, Daniel closed his eyes.
"He hunted me for a week before I got away. He was so close to getting me. It was a game to him. It was a sick and twisted game. I don't know why he did it, but he wasn't under duress. He wasn't afraid of being caught. It was like he was having fun...at least when he was after me. Logan might be insane. I don't know, but if he is, it's a cold insanity. By the time I got away, I was nearly dead just from not having any supplies and not getting any sleep. I was awake for that entire week. I didn't dare sleep, not for a minute. I don't think he slept, either, but he didn't seem bothered by it." Daniel paused for a moment in complete silence before continuing. "Tim, that was the worst experience I have ever had in my life. I know it's risky to say nothing could top it, but I don't know how anything could top watching him calmly commit murder and then hunt me for a week. I felt every second of that week. It was like Poe's Pit and the Pendulum. It was coming closer and closer, and I knew that he'd get me eventually, if I couldn't find a way out of the area."
"But you made it," Tim said.
Daniel nodded, took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. He opened his eyes and looked at Tim.
"When I got back, I made my report." He laughed hollowly. "The funny thing is that they didn't believe me at first. They thought it was impossible. Logan had such a good record, but I was able to lead them back to the camp where what was left of the team was. No Logan, but everyone else was there and they were all killed with his weapon. I reported to Director Morgan and he had me make a report to Director Carew. I told him that I was done. I was out. I couldn't deal with it. His response was to give me a month to go home, but he made it contingent on my seeing a shrink during that entire time. Paid leave. Who was I to say no to paid leave?" He smiled weakly. "So I did as he said. I'm nothing if not obedient. I told my parents as much as I could...which wasn't much. They helped as much as they could...which wasn't much. But that's when I told Dad how much I missed Marrakech. That's where I fudged things a little with you. I went back after a month at home and asked Director Carew if I could propose my next assignment. He listened and then agreed to it. He called what had happened to me a trial by fire, and he said that I had earned the right to make that kind of request. If it didn't end up being viable, I would have to come back, but I would be given the time and the resources to try and be successful."
"And you were."
"I was, but it was six months before I was in any state to go. It wasn't just a trial by fire. It was a raging inferno that nearly consumed me. Tim, Marc Logan is not a human being. I don't know what else he might be, but he's a monster, and I have my doubts that the years have changed that."
Tim digested what Daniel said. Then, he reached out and squeezed Daniel's shoulder.
"Hey, I'm sorry," he said. "I had no idea that it would be so personal for you. I wouldn't have asked if I had known. I'd never want to make you go back to that. I know how it feels to relive the past."
Daniel shook his head. "No. It's okay. I just haven't thought about it in a long time. It's one of those events I try not to think about, but if he's part of this, you need to know how dangerous he is, and you won't get that just from reading a file, no matter how thorough it is." Daniel faced Tim directly and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Tim, I looked into his eyes and I saw nothing. People have said that Director Carew shows nothing. And it's true, but he does it by covering whatever he feels. He still feels things. He just doesn't let anyone know it. It's like he dares you to try and pierce that covering. Logan had nothing. There was nothing in his eyes, nothing at all. He will not be the kind of person you want to face off with. He'd be as calm killing himself as he would killing someone else. If he wasn't always like this, then, he snapped. And it was a complete break, not something a person recovers from."
Tim nodded and thought about it.
"If you want to be out of this, now..."
"No," Daniel said, firmly. "No, if Carew is in the hands of Marc Logan, I want to be a part of it. I want to see him taken care of. Preferably on a permanent basis. If he dies in the process and I can see his dead body, I'd be thrilled. I haven't had to kill anyone since I got back from that, but I'd kill Logan with pleasure, just so that I knew he was dead."
"Director Morgan doesn't think he'll be the one in charge."
"That won't matter, really. If he's working for someone else, it's not out of any kind of altruism. He's getting something out of it and it'll be something he really wants."
"Is there anything else you can tell me about him?"
Daniel sat back again, thinking for a few seconds.
"I hadn't been on his team for long. Actually, I think we were all new to his team on that mission. Maybe that's why he did it. No one would know what was out of character."
"Did you know anyone who had been on his team before?"
Daniel shook his head. "Not off the top of my head, but I'll add that to my list. Tim, Carew probably saved my life. I can't even describe how messed up I was after what happened. I owe him for that, for helping me get what I needed, not what I thought I wanted. If I can help him, I will."
"Thanks, Daniel. I'll keep you updated and let me know if you find something."
"I will."
They both stood and went their separate ways. Tim didn't hurry back to NCIS, wanting to think over what he'd learned. It seemed like, no matter who was ultimately in charge, this Logan was the most dangerous participant. They would have to be very careful.
He also thought about Daniel's perspective of Levi. He had said that Levi gave him what he needed, not what he wanted. That fit with Tim's own interactions on occasion. It also fit with what Levi had said his responsibilities were. First, to protect the country. Second, to protect his employees. Third, to protect the CIA's reputation. If the country wasn't in danger from it, he would protect his people. He had apparently decided that Daniel wouldn't be best served by leaving the CIA and didn't care what Daniel had thought he should do.
Someone like Marc Logan must have been offensive to Levi's view of the world, where Levi had deliberately chosen not to put himself first.
He reached the Yard entrance far too soon for his preoccupied thoughts, but he had a lot to do.
He just hoped that he could get Logan's file sooner rather than later.
