Chapter Six

Interrogation Room, Fred:

"Want me to take this one, Boss?" Tony asked.

The girl in interrogation looked fragile. She was small and was easily intimidated. McGee frightened her. That in itself said enough. Gibbs would destroy her during questioning. He looked back at her through the two way mirror. She was twirling her hair around a finger nervously.

"No, I got it." Tony looked at Gibbs, concerned etched in the lines on his face. "I'll go easy on her."

"Yeah right." Tony said as Gibbs left the room.

He watched as he entered interrogation and sat down across from the meek girl. Her eyes had followed him from the door to the chair. She was anxious.

"Winifred Burkle." Gibbs started, opening the case file Wolfram & Hart sent them.

"Call me Fred. Winifred doesn't sound right after all these years."

"Okay, Fred. Born in Texas. I was surprised to find out that you have a juvenal record. It's been sealed, but I was able to get a bit of information. You had a drug problem. Arrested for smoking marijuana on school property."

Fred was quiet. She started fidgeting in her chair. She looked away from him.

"Still have a drug problem, Miss Burkle?" Gibbs asked, moving into her line of sight.

"Call me Fred. And no, I don't, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs squinted and then sat down once more. He continued perusing her file. "Says here that in 1996 you disappeared from you college library one night. You were found by Angel Investigations five years later. What happened? Where were you all that time?"

Fred shifted in her seat, "I don't remember."

She was lying, "You were gone for five years. You don't remember anything?"

She shook her head.

"Were you kidnapped? Were you beaten? Were you raped? Did you see anything?"

She stood up abruptly, "I don't remember! I think about it all the time. I can't remember anything about what happened to me. The doctors told me that I might never remember. I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs."

Tony watched as Fred seemingly lost control. He thought at first that she was still damaged from her five years in captivity that he assumed had caused her condition. Then, the second she glanced at the camera, he knew otherwise. She was acting for the camera. She was subconsciously wondering how she had done. Gibbs had seen it too.

"I don't like it when people lie to me, Fred." Gibbs said evenly, standing and walking around her. He pushed her back down into her seat.

Tony had been wrong in thinking she was as fragile as a porcelain doll.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Gibbs walked around her, keeping just out of her line of sight. He remained in her blind spots. He tugged at her hair every so often, making her jump.

"L.A.P.D. have several dozen complaints about the Hyperion Hotel in which you reside. You want to tell me about some of the incidents? I particularly interested in the unsolved deaths that frequent the residence."

"Nothing real interesting about them. I don't really know the history of the building. You would have to ask Angel. He knows more about it I'm sure." She lied. She knew of many deaths to occur in the hotel. Most of them took place in the main foyer. Of course, all of them were demons killed by her and the rest of the team.

Tony was surprised that Fred hadn't cracked under Gibbs intimidation yet. Ziva entered and joined him next to the two way mirror.

"How is it going?"

"Slow. So far Cordelia has been defiant and this Fred has proved to be a really good actress. She is playing all the right parts and evading Gibbs questions with little effort. How goes the demon study with Abby?"

"She keeps shrieking with excitement. I needed a break. I think I'm deaf in one ear now."

On the other side, "Are you familiar with a law firm called Wolfram & Hart?"

"Yes."

"They were very helpful in providing information pertaining to your business. What did you do to get them hot on your heels?"

"Nothing. They are a horrible firm. They help criminals skate past the law. They use every possible loop hole in the justice system to keep their clients, all bad guys might I add, out of jail and out on the streets…free to break the law again. They allow them to hurt people. We are always fight….working against them."

Gibbs had clearly heard fighting. So far, he has the impression that these people don't abide by the law. He was reminded more of vigilantes than private investigators. They talked about hunting, fighting, and he has heard them mention evil more than once over the last two days.

"One more thing."

"Okay." She said meekly.

"Lorne?"

"A friend of ours that runs a bar in the city called Caritas."

"Last name?"

"We only know him by first name." She paused, thinking of the best way to describe him without telling Gibbs out right that he was a host demon, "We mainly go to him when we need information. You could say he is our very reliable informant."

Gibbs was through. He left the room, grabbing the file before he slammed the door shut. Tony and Ziva were waiting for him outside.

"How is Abby doing?"

"Her and McGee are searching the books for any and all mentions of Angelus. They have a lot to get through. It's going to take time, Gibbs." Ziva reported.

"Okay then, Tony. Switch them out. I want Gunn in that interrogation room in ten mintues."

"On it, Boss."

Interrogation Room, Gunn:

Gunn waited patiently, hoping that the others were alright. He looked up when the Italian agent entered.

"My turn, huh?" He said.

"That's right. Piece of advice…tell the truth. Gibbs won't stand for anymore lies. He went easy on Fred, but Cordelia crossed the line." Tony said, pushing a few buttons to get him riled for Gibbs.

Gunn stared at him. He rolled his eyes. He knew one day Cordy would push people too far and end up in trouble. He knew she would be okay though. It was Fred who worried him. She was smart, but when it came to people, she was usually shy and easily manipulated.

Tony led him to a room without windows and a two way mirror that Gunn was familiar with. He wouldn't play Gibbs game, he told himself. He sat down and waited for the cuffs to be removed. Once Tony left the room, he made himself comfortable. He lounged lazily in the uncomfortable chair. He was almost tempted to really get on Gibbs nerves and put his feet up on the table. Pushing his luck wouldn't make this go away any faster though.

Gibbs slammed the door open and threw the file on the table. He tuned the only other chair in the room around and sat on it backwards.

"So what you want?" Gunn got in the first word, falling back on his old street talk with the sole purpose of annoying his interrogator.

Tony laughed at his ghetto demeanor. This was going to be interesting.

Gibbs smirked at that comment. He opened the file in front of him and began his line of questioning.

"Charles Gunn, street kid…gangster."

"I had a crew to lead. We lived in the 'Bad Lands' It's a rough part of town that the cops don't have the nerve to venture into. There ain't no help from evil in that part of town. Cops are too scared."

"So, you thought you would protect everyone by creating a gang of thugs and murderers?"

"Yo, no one in my crew ever murdered anyone. We were tough, skilled….we took care of our own."

"Yeah…you have a sister named Alonna. Where is she?"

Gunn got quiet. It had been a long time since anyone had mentioned his sister, "She's gone."

"No death certificate, no missing person's report. She just run off into the night and never come back or what?" Gibbs could tell this was a touchy subject.

"She's gone and she's not coming back, end of story. Next."

Gibbs moved on, "When did you meet up with Angel?"

"Don't know. It was so long ago. What does it matter? I thought you were questioning us cuz you thought we were helping your killer. Why the trip down memory lane?"

"Okay," Gibbs stood and tossed his chair at the wall ferociously.

"Ooh, that supposed to scare me, old man?"

Tony chuckled from the other side of the mirror. He had to admit, Angel's people were ballsy. As if Gibbs could hear him, he yelled, "What are you laughing at, DiNozzo?"

Gunn chuckled at Gibbs reaction and then swung his feet up on the table, relaxing. Gibbs came toward him quickly, shoving Gunn's feet off the table roughly. Gunn just looked at him.

"This where you fake getting violent, Agent Gibbs. Bring it…I can take it."

Gibbs, angry and very close to the point of hitting his suspect, he left the room. He wasn't getting anywhere. Angel's people were too well trained. He would have to try something else. He smacked Tony as he passed him and the two of them went to see Abby.