"Temporary Arrangement"- Chapter 4
A/N: This is officially the longest chapter I've written so far in any fan-fic- enjoy! I still don't own "NCIS", or the characters.
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Special Agent Jethro Gibbs called upon Agent David to stay with Kara-Lynn Bell in interrogation, until he saw Abby, and received a report on her findings.
"What do you got, Abs?" he called out as he entered the Goth scientist's lab.
"So far, not much," she answered. "From the lieutenant's clothes, I have mostly her blood. I did find a print that didn't match hers, though."
"So, run it through AFIS," he told her.
"It's not a fingerprint," she told the silver- haired agent. "It looks like an imprint of a ring that the murderer was wearing when he or she pounded on her." She brought up the image on a screen. "Maybe a class ring? I tried to enhance it, and all I could get was 'Class of 1999'. No school, no nothing."
"Damn," Gibbs swore. "The roommate wasn't wearing a class ring. That's good work."
"Oh, I'm not done yet," she said. "I also found carpet fibers on her clothes. They didn't match your typical house carpets, so I'm running them through a vehicle database now." Her computer screen beeped, and she read the result. "The fibers match the interior of a 2001- 2003 Toyota Prius."
"Charity's bringing the car to the evidence garage," Gibbs told her. "See what you can pull off of it."
"Will do, El Magnifico."
*~*~*~*~*
"I have some good news, and bad news for you, Miss Bell," Gibbs said as he strode into Interrogation. "The good news is, we don't suspect you killed Lieutenant Capizzi. Your alibi checked out."
"I've been saying that since you dragged me here!" she snapped.
"Bad news is, we think it might have been someone close to you," Gibbs concluded. "Your boyfriend, perhaps?"
"What proof do y'all have?" she said. "Colin and Mel get… got along."
"You said he took you to your class the night Melissa was killed," Gibbs reiterated. "He had the car that night, then?"
"Yes, he did," she replied.
"We found traces of carpet fibers on Lieutenant Capizzi that match your Prius," Gibbs said. "There's also the blood he left behind after the fact in her room. Tell us his name, and where we can find him, and you'll walk out of here."
Her eyes shifted from Gibbs, across the table from her, to Ziva, who was standing by the door. She sighed. "His name is Colin Hughes. He works at the same Whole Foods where I work, but he's off today. He may be at home, or he might be out. I couldn't tell you for sure. He lives in Takoma Park, at 13 Holt Place, Apartment 1."
"Ziva, please stay with Miss Bell until Colin Hughes is brought in," Gibbs ordered.
"Sure, Gibbs."
Gibbs turned to face the two- way mirror. "What are you three still doing in there?" he barked. "Bring him in!"
Special Agents McGee and DiNozzo, and Agent Bernard looked at each other, then hustled out of Observation to grab their gear.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Okay, there it is," Agent Bernard pointed out. "Number 13. Looks like it's seen better days."
"I'll say," DiNozzo replied. "Being number thirteen on the street seems to have brought the building bad luck."
"You don't really believe that, do you?" McGee asked.
"After nearly dying twice, and being framed for murder, sometimes you have to wonder, McSkeptic," Tony retorted.
"The man's got a point," Charity said quietly, as they snuck around to the side of the building. "When I was nine, we were in Austria, and we were helping some missionaries renovate their church building. I walked under a ladder by accident, and not even an hour later, I was in the Notaufnahme, being treated for a broken ankle."
"The what?" the male agents asked in unison.
"Oh, sorry," she replied with a chuckle. "The emergency room. So, how do you want to do this?"
"McGee and I will sweep the rooms, then you follow," Tony explained.
"Got it." She stepped behind Tim as Tony knocked on the door.
"Colin, Federal Agents!" Tony yelled. "Open up!"
None of them could hear any movement on the inside. "We have a warrant, right?" Charity asked.
"Yes, we do," McGee said. "Tony, pick the lock."
"Me?" Tony exclaimed. "I'm Senior Field Agent- you pick the lock!"
"You're better at this than I am," McGee reluctantly admitted.
"Ah, that's a solid point, McGee." The two men turned to face the door- which was open.
"While you two were arguing, I found the spare key," Charity explained, annoyed. "Get in there, please."
The male agents raised their weapons, and swept the living room. "Clear," Tony said. McGee was headed towards the kitchen, and was confronted by a young, brown- haired man.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked.
"NCIS," McGee replied. "We've been ordered to take you into custody."
"For what?" he demanded to know.
"We're investigating the murder of a Lieutenant Capizzi," Tony explained. "We know your girlfriend was her roommate- we need to ask you some questions."
"Yeah, sure," he muttered, as the agents stepped closer. When McGee reached for him, he threw his fists up in defense, and knocked the gun to the floor. McGee threw a punch, and Colin retaliated, knocking the junior agent to the floor. Charity tried to help McGee up, and Colin pushed her down as well, injuring her wrist. Tony was finally able to restrain him, and cuff him. "Now you have to come with us- you just assaulted federal officers," he snapped. "You guys okay?"
"Never better, Tony," Charity groaned in reply, clutching right wrist, as McGee struggled to his feet.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Special Agent Jethro Gibbs entered the interrogation room where his suspect, Colin Hughes, was waiting impatiently. Special Agents DiNozzo, and McGee, along with Agents Bernard and David observed as Gibbs began.
"I have a few questions for you, Colin," Gibbs said gruffly.
"So do I," the young man replied. "Why am I still cuffed?"
"We here at NCIS do not appreciate it when someone assaults our agents," Gibbs told him. "Especially suspected murderers."
"Murderer?" he exclaimed, shocked. "You've got it all wrong, Agent…"
"Gibbs," he answered for him. "We have a witness connecting you to the murder of Lieutenant Melissa Capizzi, Wednesday night."
"Oh, really?" he replied with a smirk.
"Your girlfriend, Kara-Lynn Bell, told me that you brought her to her class Wednesday night, and was using her car," Gibbs explained.
"So what? People share cars all the time, it doesn't mean anything," Colin retorted.
"This guy is trying to shirt around the accusations," Ziva commented.
"I think you mean 'skirt', Z," Charity corrected her. "But you make a good point there. Did he maybe have a partner?"
"Guess we'll have to hear him out," McGee told the female agents, as they turned their attention back to Gibbs.
"We believe that the lieutenant's murder happened around 10 last night. The only other person that would have access to the apartment at that time would be you," Gibbs accused.
"No way I could have killed her!" Colin said, slamming his fist on the table. Gibbs looked at the man's left hand, and noticed what appeared to be a class ring. He grabbed Hughes' hand, and pulled the ring off.
"Nice ring," Gibbs said dryly. "Mind if we borrow it?"
"Hell yes, I do," he snapped. "What for?"
"DiNozzo, get in here! Bring an evidence bag!" Gibbs ordered.
Moments later, Tony came in, with the necessary bag, and had put on gloves.
"Take that ring down to Abby," he told his Senior agent, "we should be able to find traces of blood and clothing fibers…"
"Okay, okay!" Colin shouted. "You win. I did it… but it wasn't my fault!"
"Like we haven't heard that before," Tony said sarcastically, as he headed toward the door.
"I mean, it wasn't my idea," Colin admitted.
"We're listening," Gibbs said. "Whose was it, then?"
"Um…"
"Whose was it, Hughes?!?!" Gibbs yelled.
"Kara-Lynn's," he answered quietly.
"You little girlfriend's?" Tony asked, incredulous.
"You see, the apartment she lives in is sort of out of her price range," Colin explained. "When she signed the lease, I couldn't afford to share it, so I told her to find a roommate that could. She found Mel, and they shared the apartment for the last seven months.
"A couple weeks ago, I had finally saved up some money to move in with her," he continued. "She told Mel that it was only meant to be temporary, that she wanted her out, but Mel refused to leave. Kara told me she wanted to find a way- any way- to get rid of her."
"So, being that you were deliriously in love with her, you obeyed her wish," Tony concluded.
"I only went to talk to her," he said. "She was being really stubborn, so we fought. She came after me- I have the bruises to prove it." He rolled up his sleeves to display evidence of the altercation. "I knocked her in the side of the head, and she went down. Then, I realized she wasn't breathing; seconds after I hit her, she died. I panicked- I couldn't let Kara see what I ended doing. I loaded her in the trunk of the Prius, and left her in the park. I cleaned up what I could at the apartment, and went back home."
"But why would he leave her service ID by the body?" Charity asked.
"Why would you leave her service ID by the body?" Tony asked.
"Wow, that was weird," McGee observed. Ziva nodded.
"I didn't realize it was on her," he said. "It must've have fallen out when I put her on the ground."
"Colin Hughes," Gibbs stated, "You are under arrest for the murder of Navy Lieutenant Melissa Capizzi…"
"And the assault of federal officers," Tony added.
"That, too. Ziva, Charity, go get Kara-Lynn from Interrogation Two," Gibbs ordered. The two women quickly exited Observation.
"Kara-Lynn," Ziva said, "We have some news for you."
The young blonde stood up. "What's going on?"
"Your boyfriend, Colin Hughes, just confessed to murdering Lieutenant Capizzi," Charity said. "He also confessed that he was acting on your direction."
"It was meant to temporary, Colin said. You wanted Melissa out, yes?" Ziva accused. "You were more than happy to let him take the fall, were you not?"
"I can't believe he flaked on me!" Kara-Lynn exclaimed.
"It seems you are the flake, Miss Bell, for thinking you could impede our investigation," Charity retorted. "Wait until your meet your cellmates, Kara. Your living arrangement issues are about to get worse…"
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