"Temporary Arrangement"- Chapter 2
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The ride to Rock Creek Park was unusually quiet for the team. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs never spoke as he drove, and was enjoying the silence, however short- lived it would be. They exited the car, and Gibbs started giving his team orders.
"McGee, bag and tag. Charity, pictures. DiNozzo, witness statements with me. Let's move!"
Agent Charity Bernard pulled out her camera, and started shooting photos of the dead body. Special Agent Timothy McGee was trolling the area for any evidence that could be found near the dead female Naval Officer. He crouched down to pick up a coin purse, and ended up disrupting the photo Charity had just taken.
"Would you move please, Tim?" she asked, annoyed.
"No, I won't," he replied smugly. "I just found her ID, Boss!"
Gibbs immediately rushed over, followed by Tony.
"I found this little coin purse near the body, and it has an ID in it," he stated. "Lieutenant Melissa Capizzi. Twenty- Nine years old. She's a nurse at Bethesda."
Charity leaned over Tim's shoulder to get a closer look at the coin purse. "It's Coach, Boss. A designer brand- that wristlet retails for sixty dollars."
"Which means?" Gibbs glared at her.
"Well, uh… I'm not sure yet," she said.
Tony and Tim rolled their eyes. Moments later, Medical Examiner Dr. Mallard and Jimmy Palmer, his assistant, arrived at the site of the body.
"Dear me," Ducky exclaimed. "This poor woman looks like she was beaten to death!"
"Can you find me some evidence to back that up, Duck?" Gibbs asked.
"I will certainly try," the older man replied, as he stuck in the liver probe. "Based on the temperature of the liver, this young woman expired shortly after ten last night. There appears to be blunt- force trauma, and severe bleeding, but no blood around the body itself."
"Maybe she was killed somewhere else, and dumped here," Tony suggested.
"It's possible," Jimmy said. "Did you find any witnesses?"
"Just a guy riding his bike," Tony told him. "Was cycling by, saw the body, called the police."
"Who then called us," Charity finished sarcastically. "Thank you for that extremely detailed statement, Special Agent DiNozzo."
"Ducky, Palmer, pack her up," Gibbs ordered. "Charity, you ride with them. You two," he motioned to Tony and Tim, "In the car."
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"I couldn't help but notice, Agent Bernard, that you appeared to be upset with Timothy and Anthony," Ducky said as Jimmy drove back to NCIS headquarters.
"Yes, I am," she replied curtly.
"Does it have to do with Ziva coming in this morning?" Palmer asked.
"Well, sort of," she replied. "I don't want to talk about it now."
"Of course," Ducky assured the young redhead. "It's none of our business."
"I mean, I thought these guys were my friends," she said with a sigh.
"I'm sure it'll all blow over soon," Palmer assured her. "If not, we're here if you ever need to talk."
"I appreciate that, J.P.," she said. "Can I call you J.P.?"
"Sure."
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Agent David was back at her desk, waiting for her fellow team members to come back. When Gibbs exited the elevator, he went straight to her desk.
"Well?" he asked gruffly.
"The Director is allowing me to come back," Ziva stated proudly. "For now, I am on desk duty, but that's better than sitting at home, yes?"
"Sure is," he said, giving a rare smile. "Welcome back, Ziver."
"Thank you, Gibbs." She returned the smile as Tony, Tim, and Charity exited the elevator. Then, the smile quickly faded- she was ready to dive back into the NCIS workload.
"DiNozzo, McGee, Bernard," he ordered, "Background on Lieutenant Capizzi."
"On it, Boss," McGee replied, as he sat down in front of his computer. Tony did the same, and Charity sat at the desk on the other side of McGee's.
"Lieutenant Melissa Capizzi, Boss," Tony stated. "Twenty-nine years old. Works as a nurse at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Single, lives in Silver Spring, Maryland- that's near you, probies."
Tim and Ziva rolled their eyes, as Charity interrupted him. "She shares an apartment with a Kara-Lynn Bell, Boss. Background check shows that she is also twenty-nine, and is registered as a part-time student at Montgomery College. She is employed at the downtown Whole Foods Market. I've always wanted to go to one of those," she added. "My New Years' Resolution this year is to eat as much organic and natural food as possible, but it's so expensive. Abby said their prepared foods are fantastic, so I might need to…" Whack! Agent Gibbs gave her a head slap, to stop the ramble she was on. She let out a yelp, and said, "To not discuss my dietary habits during this investigation. I got it, Boss."
Ziva had never seen Gibbs head-slap another woman before. This meant a couple things; one of which was that Charity had become part of the team rather quickly, or that she had annoyed Gibbs more often than she herself, and was used to it. As to which one she was hoping for, she wasn't sure yet.
"I have the address of the apartment, Boss," McGee said.
"You're with me, McGee. Charity, you and Tony see if Ducky has anything," he told them. McGee gave a smug smile, while Charity and Tony eyed each other warily. "Ziva, go through Capizzi's service records, and see if there's anything out of the ordinary there. Let's go, McGee."
Shortly after Gibbs and McGee left for Silver Spring, Tony's desk phone rang. "Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo speaking," he greeted as usual to the caller. "On our way, thanks." He hung up. "Agent Bernard, that was Ducky. He has something."
"I'll be there in a minute," she told him as she got up. Instead of following the Senior Field Agent to the elevator, she stopped at Ziva's desk, and crouched down to eye-level. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked quietly.
"Certainly." Ziva's deep brown eyes met Charity's dark blue ones. "What did you need?"
She let out a sigh. "Listen, I know that Gibbs has a moratorium on apologies on his team, but you have to believe that I had no idea that Tony didn't tell you anything about what was going on. I mean, we don't know each other that well yet, so you wouldn't expect me to tell you about him staying at my house, right?"
Ziva just stared at the young redhead, without speaking.
"I mean, it's not like we're doing anything," she continued. "He's not even allowed in the bathroom when I am, let alone the bedroom. I have strict standards that I've set for myself regarding that. I know it's rare these days, but that's how I was raised.
"I was also raised to love my neighbors as myself," she explained. "Show compassion, be a good friend. That's all I was trying to do when I let Tony stay with me, was be a good friend. That's all," she concluded, her voice nearly breaking.
"Rule number eighteen," Ziva finally said, with a slight smile.
"I'm sorry?"
"Rule number eighteen," she repeated.
Charity thought for a second, and replied, "It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission."
"Exactly right," Ziva told her. "They have taught you well."
"So…," Charity mused, "Should I be asking for your forgiveness, then?"
"You already have it," her fellow female agent said. "I listened to you, and I believe you are telling me the truth. Trust me, I can tell."
Charity smiled with relief. "So are we okay, then?"
"We are fine," Ziva assured her. "It is Tony that needs to seek forgiveness."
"I think he will," Charity said. "He really does think the world of you."
"And you know this how?"
"Well, sometimes, if neither of us can sleep, we just sit in the living room, and talk," Charity explained. "He missed you while you were gone. I saw how he smiled at you when he saw you at your desk- you didn't notice?"
"I did," she replied, and quickly changed the subject. "He's probably wondering where you are."
Charity looked at the clock on Ziva's computer. "Shoot, I guess I'd better go. I'm glad I was able to talk to you, Z."
"Z?" the slightly older female agent asked.
"Yeah, I uh, call you that in my head," Charity admitted. "You mind?"
"Would you mind if I called you 'C'?" Ziva asked.
"Not at all," the young redhead replied, and went to the elevator. "Just don't call me late to Autopsy- that's Tony's job!"
Ziva chuckled as the elevator doors closed. Maybe some new female blood would be nice to have around, for a change.
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