Chapter 8
Bullpen:
Ducky hurried into the squad room just as Gibbs and Tony entered from the opposite side. Ducky sighed heavily. "There you are, Jethro. I told Anthony that I wanted to see you a.s.a.p."
"I told him as soon as you told me to, Ducky. Gibbs was in interrogation."
"No doubt, you stood outside the door wasting time debating on the best way to interrupt him."
Tony began to fabricate an excuse, but failed to think of one and kept his mouth shut. Gibbs smiled.
"What's so important, Duck?" he asked.
"We have a problem. Come."
Dr. Mallard led the two special agents to his autopsy. He swept right passed the second murder victim, heading for the cold storage coolers. He opened the cooler marked with Lt. Lake's name and pulled her body out. The second the body was uncovered, Gibbs knew why Ducky was so anxious. The head of Lt. Lake was severed from the body. It had been intact when it was brought to NCIS.
"How?" Was all Gibbs could say.
"I don't know, Jethro. I had security check the cameras. There was no one down here."
"Okay, I'll have the building searched." "No, Jethro, that's not what I mean. There was no one on the tape. The previous night, while you were out looking for your suspect, I had visitors. A delightful girl named Winifred and that young man named after a particularly bad choice of weaponry."
"Gunn." Tony said, filling in the name.
"Right. They came down here because the young lady was interested in becoming a medical examiner. Gunn said he was squeamish and returned to the bullpen. I watched him leave. They are not on the video. I believe we have been fooled."
Gibbs turned to Tony, "Tell Director Sheppard. Have her lock down the building. I don't want anyone leaving. We've been played. They are all in on it. Tell Ziva to put them all in the same room. Including Angel. They are covering for him. Maybe he will do the same. I need to see how they interact with each other. Coming at them alone is pointless. He has them too well trained. Perhaps if they see the others in danger of being exposed the truth may come out."
Tony nodded and hurried from the room to carry out his assignment. Gibbs turned back to his friend.
"Can you tell me anything about the way the head was removed, Duck?"
"Yes, you see these marks here?" Ducky asked, pointing to the marks left behind on the bone. "They were made by single blow. This poor girl's head was severed in one, swift and well aimed blow."
"Why? The Lt. is already dead. Cutting off her head makes no rational sense, Ducky." Gibbs said, looking at the damage to the Lt.'s neck.
It was rare for Gibbs to be so dumbfounded by a case he was working on. He has been surprised, impressed, and has been wrong on occasion. But he has never been so completely dumbfounded.
"Jethro? Those people from Angel Investigations…you think they are somehow connected don't you?"
Gibbs just looked at his old friend. He didn't know what to say to him. Dr. Mallard scrutinized him. Gibbs silence told him all he needed to know.
"I see you intend to hold them longer than twenty four hours as our Director instructed. Would it be aright if I observed them while you questioned them?"
"By all means, Duck. Maybe you can tell me something about them that I don't already know. What about our second victim? You find anything new on her? Like for starters, who is she?"
"Abby ran her DNA. May I present to you, Captain Liza Taylor. She was killed in the exact same manner Lt. Lake was murdered. DNA was also left behind on these bite marks. I sent them up to Abby, along with a few fibers. This victim, however, had defensive wounds on her hands and arms. She fought off her attacker, Jethro. The girl didn't go down without a fight."
"Alright, thanks Duck. I gotta go see Abby. I'll be interrogating the lot of them in twenty minutes. Let DiNozzo know what you found. He'll be waiting in observation."
Gibbs left the good doctor behind, talking the victim on his autopsy table. He took the elevator to the next floor, stopping at Abby's lab. He heard voice within, arguing.
"Hey! What's going on?" Gibbs asked upon entering, startling Ziva and McGee. Tony and Abby were standing on one side and the other two opposite them.
"Hey Gibbs. We are just having a friendly discussion." Abby explained.
McGee looked at Gibbs, "Abby and Tony are convinced that Angel is a full fledged vampire. Ziva and I are trying to prove to them that it's just not possible."
Gibbs ignored Tim after that, and turned to his black, clad forensic scientist. "What did you find out?"
Abby smiled, and turned to the books on the table. She flipped through one and started laying out her findings.
"Okay. We have been hip deep in these books. Just about every one of them mentions Angelus. There is also another vampire, female, a nasty piece of work that is usually mentioned with him. Her name is Darla. Turns out that this female vampire sired Angelus." Gibbs looked at her, emphasizing that he didn't understand what that meant.
"Uh…she created him, Gibbs. She bit him. Fed off of him. His family buried him and then he came to life and crawled out of his grave."
"His family buried him. Where?"
"I don't know Gibbs. Somewhere in Ireland. His original name was Liam. Anyway, afterwards, this female vampire and Angelus became inseparable. They terrified people all over the world. The two really got around. There are stories of the devilish pair being sighted in places like, Ireland, London, Germany, Spain and even here."
Gibbs looked at the notes in the margins. The Wesley had made inquiries on a lot of things. He then saw the words 'Sunnydale'. He pointed to it, "I know that place. Wesley was a librarian there. Cordelia went to school there."
"Yeah. According to the English dude's notes, that is where he tracked Angelus. He states here that Angelus was after the slayer. The name Buffy keeps popping up."
"This is all just too….." Gibbs was at a loss for words.
"Weird, Gibbs?" Abby said.
"Yeah."
"I think that Angel is Angelus. There are a few notes in the margin of this book," Abby grabbed the next book on the stack and opened it where she bookmarked it, "It states that Angelus was cursed by gypsies. They gave him a soul. A vampire with a soul is forced to face what he has done with a conscience. He still needs the blood to survive, but a human soul makes it difficult for him to function as a normal vampire would. He feels bad for the things he has done. He can't bring himself to kill another human to feed on."
Gibbs stared at her. McGee and Ziva looked at him sympathetically.
"Abby, I want you to come with me. You understand more about this. I need to get the truth out of them and they are all stonewalling me."
"Wait. I get to help question them?"
"Yeah, you do."
"Righteous. Do I get to ask about the vampire stuff?"
"Yes. I want to watch how they react. I don't know why….but this is important. I don't want to indulge in the fantasy, but I need answers. Let's go."
His agents followed him as he led Abby out of her comfort zone and into the lion's den that was the interrogation room. Gibbs and Abby waited while the other three joined Dr. Mallard in observation.
Interrogation Room, Whole Crew of Angel Investigations:
Angel was standing in the corner of the dimly lit room. He was thankful this wasn't like the interrogation rooms the FBI had. There were windows in those. His team had informed him of Wolfram & Hart's interference. He was told about everything that Agent Gibbs had asked them. He laughed when Wesley told him what he had done during his interview. It was so like Wesley to take charge. He was careful to tell Gibbs what he wanted to hear, but was prudent about the words he chose to use.
Angel had grown angry when Cordelia informed him that Gibbs had brought of Doyle. His anger grew when Fred told him about the questions regarding the years she was trapped in Pylea. Fred didn't talk about it, but she had answered Gibbs to the best of her ability. She feigned ignorance. Said she didn't remember what happened, couldn't remember if someone had kidnapped her or what. Angel was glad she just pretended to have forgotten the whole ordeal. He didn't want her to live through that again.
The girls were tired and had fallen asleep in the chairs at the table in the center of the room. Gunn was pacing back and forth in front of the two way mirror. Every so often he would face it and scream at it. He was hoping that whoever was watching them on the other side jumped in fear every time. Angel snickered just thinking about it. Wesley remained standing by his fearless leader. He remained very quiet.
The door to interrogation finally opened. Gibbs and a gothic dressed woman stepped inside and closed the door behind them. The girl looked fascinated by the group. She was carrying a few of the volumes from Wesley's office in her hands. They were inside evidence bags. He could see Wesley cringing at the sight of it.
"Wake them up." Gibbs said loudly.
Cordy and Fred shifted groggily. They looked up to see Abby and Gibbs hovering over them. Cordelia stood up, gave Gibbs a dirty look and walked to stand next to Wesley. Fred stayed in the chair facing the observation window. She wiped her eyes lazily. Gibbs had their undivided attention.
"This is Abigail Scuito. She is my forensic scientist. She has been studying your very unique book collection." Gibbs said.
Wesley looked at the girl with the huge smile on her face. She was not like the rest of the agents they had met. He was familiar with her, and their M.E. Dr. Mallard. He was not expecting her to look as excited as she did.
"I want to know why you are all really here?" Gibbs started.
No one said a word. They looked at Angel and he just barely shook his head.
"Lt. Lake is suddenly in two pieces. Anyone here know anything about that?"
Gunn shifted slightly, but again, no one said a word. After a moment of silence, Wesley said, "How on Earth would we know about anything that has happened outside these walls? You have kept us under tight observation since this morning."
"So, no one knows about her head being loped off?"
They shook their heads. Gibbs didn't believe it for a second.
"Do any of you own a sword, or axe or some kind of sharp implement or weapon with which you could lop off one's head?"
Again, denial. This was so irritating. He was known for being able to break anyone. This was just absurd.
"Can I start, Gibbs?" She asked, nearly bursting with excitement.
"Yeah, why not? Go ahead."
Gibbs stood in the corner near the window. He was there to observe for a bit. He would ask questions once he knew how to approach them.
Abby sat down, putting the books gently on the table. Wesley appreciated that. At least she was taking care of the very fragile volumes. It would be most inconvenient if he was forced to procure replacements. The books were hard to find to begin with.
"Okay, let me just say, you guys are so awesome."
They all stared at her. That was the last thing they expected to hear from an employee of NCIS.
"I have tons of questions. I need to prove to Gibbs and Ziva and McGee what I know to be true. So, don't lie. You'll ruin my day and then I'm out fifty bucks."
Angel smirked, but hid it well. He wasn't even sure the camera had caught it. Wesley just stared.
"Anyways. I was looking through your books, Wesley. Interesting stuff. I would love to know where you got them. I would kill for stuff like this."
"It was difficult. Some of them were purchased in underground auctions. Some I got from friends in the Watcher's Council." Wesley explained, not sure whether or not it was a good idea.
"Okay, that leads me to my first question. What exactly is the Watcher's Council? I assume it has something to do with these volumes."
"It's a very secret society that I belong to. It was started in London."
"Yeah, I get that. What do you do in this secret society?" She pushed him.
"That is none of your business."
"Okay," She reached over to Gibbs and took the files from him, "Who is Lorne? Beside the one picture of a host demon in this book, you have that name. So, who or what is it?"
Wesley looked at Angel. Gibbs was reminded of Tony who always looked to him for guidance. It was amazing how simple it was to convey one's feelings in little to no words at all. Angel's eyes barely moved but they relayed an answer none the less.
"He is one of our informants. I was studying the book when someone told me about him. I didn't have a blank piece of paper at the time. He is the owner of a club in Los Angeles. Host would remind me when I came back to it. That's all." Wesley lied, and Abby knew it.
"Right…." Abby said, knowing full well he made that excuse up, "And Doyle?"
Cordelia lost it, "Why are you always so damn interested in the people we have lost. Doyle died a hero!"
Angel took hold of her arms, pulling her back, "Cordy, calm down. They are just doing their job. Relax."
"I will not relax. Angel, Agent Gibbs all but accused us of killing him. I won't stand for this anymore. Doyle died protecting us all. If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't be here."
"Cordy." Angel said sternly. Cordelia stepped back again. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall once more.
"Alright, I can see you guys are really touchy about your pasts. I get it. Just tell me one thing. Angel….your real name is Liam right?"
Angel unfolded his arms and then stepped forward into the light. He stared at her, completely taken aback. She had figured them out. Gibbs saw him move toward Abby and started forward.
"I'll take that as a yes. That means you really are Angelus, right? You are mentioned in just about every book down in my lab."
Angel didn't say anything. He wasn't about to admit or deny anything.
"Is that name supposed to mean something to me?" He faked.
"I know it does. You were quite the bastard in the old days. A really evil and vindictive bastard. No heart. No morals. No soul. No conscience."
Angel looked dejected. His hideous past was a sensitive subject. He felt complete remorse for everything he had done. He spent every day trying to make amends for all the horrible things he had done. Sadly, he looked away.
"You are the vampire Angelus."
Gibbs saw it. Recognition. He saw it on every one of their faces. Wesley, Gunn, Cordelia, Fred and Angel all looked at each other. Some of them sighed, while the others shook their heads in dismay. No. No. It couldn't be true. The thought, the idea was absurd. There were no such things as vampires. He stepped forward.
"What is Angelus?" He demanded. It had to be a front for something.
Angel looked at him suspiciously. What kind of game was this? The girl knows but he doesn't. Or perhaps she is the kind that believes in that sort of thing and Gibbs just refused to believe.
"What is it? Who is it? Why is some make believe creature so important that you keep books of it around?" He demanded again, this time slamming his hand on the table, making Fred shriek.
Angel snapped and slammed his own hands on the table. He leaned over it and stared directly into Gibbs eyes. His eyes flashed amber, revealing his cat like vamp eyes for a moment. His anger was making its way to the surface. Gibbs saw it. It was only a moment, but Gibbs didn't miss it. He backed up, slightly terrified, though he tried to cover it.
The door opened. Tony, and the rest of the team, Dr. Mallard included entered. Apparently they had all seen it. Angel had been too reckless. Abby, the gothic woman sitting across from Fred was cheering.
"I knew it. You are a vampire. Yes, McGee…I told you. God that is so awesome."
Angel hung his head. What a disaster. Gibbs was still in utter disbelief. Time for the truth he supposed. Resigned, he stood upright and said, "Alright. Guess there is no hiding it now. What do you want to know?"
It was that simple. Gibbs couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was admitting to being a creature of the night. Did Angel really expect him to be pulled into this nonsense.
"Why is Angelus so important to you?" Gibbs asked.
"Are you deaf? Your own forensic scientist already made it very clear. I am Angelus…in a matter of speaking."
"Oh, right. Totally. Gypsy curse and all."
"You really did study my books didn't you?" Wesley said.
"Oh yeah. I am totally into it. You guys hunt those creatures don't you?"
"Hunt and kill, yes." Gunn admitted.
"Some of them aren't all bad though. Like Angel, there are creatures that are kind at heart. Some are really just looking to live peacefully in the world of humans. Some just looking to make a living like humans do. Well, those that can pass for human anyhow. Vampires on the other hand, Angel is the only one with a soul." Wesley explained.
"Well, you're forgetting about Spike." Fred corrected.
"Oh, right. Well, he doesn't count. He's with Buffy and he's only had a soul for a couple months."
Angel froze at the mention of Buffy. Wesley noticed and cringed the second the name came out of his mouth.
"Oh, Angel. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"Forget it." Angel said quickly.
An NCIS agent came bursting into the room that Gibbs had never met. He looked hysterical and afraid.
"We have a situation. There is a man in the bullpen asking for Angel. Says his name is Shane. He killed the security guards and forced his way into NCIS." The man informed and then ran off again to tell the next bunch of people he could find.
Angel looked to Gunn and Wesley. "Let's go."
"Woah, where do you think you're going?" Gibbs asked.
"He is here for me. Do you really want to endanger more lives by refusing to give him what he wants?"
Gibbs was torn between seeing Angel and his team in action and keeping them all locked up for obstruction of justice. He looked to his team who was looking to him for instructions. He thought a moment.
"Okay, but we stay. We'll back you up. I see anything I don't like, I'll take you out too."
"NO. You and your people need to get out of here. I don't need extra people to protect. He will use you to get me to do what he wants. It's me he is after. I have been making his life hell for the past three months."
"We do it my way, or not at all. Understand?"
Angel, annoyed, but not willing to risk Shane killing everyone in the building, agreed. Gibbs let him lead the way. It would prove to be an interesting encounter.
