A/N: Thanks to all those who read and reviewed. Ya'll are awesome!

Chapter 2

The NCIS truck screeched to a stop at the Scotts Run parking lot. Gibbs and Kate stumbled out of the passenger side. "Hey, Tony, I think we need to turn around," Kate said, supporting herself with the door.

"What, you forget something, Kate?" Tony slammed the driver's side door.

"Yeah, my stomach on that last turn," Kate groaned. "Haven't you ever heard of the brake pedal?"

"Hey, if you were driving we'd still be in D.C."

"If I was driving I'd still be digesting my breakfast."

Tony made a face at her.

Gibbs turned to a uniformed deputy that approached them. The deputy stuck out his hand. "Tyler, State police," he said.

Gibbs shook his hand. "Agent Gibbs, NCIS." He motioned to Kate and Tony. "Agent Todd, Agent Dinozzo." Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard suddenly appeared beside him. "Dr. Mallard, our medical examiner."

"I heard NCIS was being called in on this one," Tyler said, folding his arms across his chest. "If you want I can take you up to the crime scene."

Gibbs shook his head. "The FBI's supposed to be joining us soon. We should wait for them."

"Aw, Boss, do we have to?" Tony whined. Gibbs stared at him. "Then again, waiting sounds like a good idea." Tony glanced at Kate, who was trying not to smile.

Gibbs turned to the access road and crossed his arms. Just then, a black SUV pulled up next to the truck.

"Ah, black SUV," Tony said. "Very FBI." Kate rolled her eyes.

Gideon was the first to get out of the SUV, followed by Morgan, Reid, and finally Elle. As Elle shut the back door, Tony's jaw dropped. "Wow," he whispered.

Kate glanced at him. "Tony, there's a better way to catch flies."

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Tony said as he stared at Elle.

"Gee, that sounds familiar," Kate said sarcastically. She put her fingers under his chin and pushed his jaw up.

The five profilers stopped in front of Gibbs and his team. "I'm Agent Gideon," the oldest agent said, holding out his hand. "I guess you're the one in charge here?"

Gibbs smiled slightly. "Yeah." He took Gideon's hand and shook it. "Agent Gibbs."

Gideon motioned to the four agents behind him. "Agent Morgan, Agent Hotchner, Dr. Reid, and Agent Greenaway."

Gibbs shook the hands of the agents and motioned to his team. "Agent Todd, Dr. Mallard, and-"

"Agent Anthony Dinozzo," Tony said as he grabbed Elle's hand and shook it. "But you can call me Tony." He gave her the biggest smile he could.

"Elle," she replied, sliding her hand out of his. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Kate rolling her eyes.

"Gentlemen," Ducky interrupted in his clipped British accent, "I don't mean to break up this introduction, but we must get to the crime scene."

They followed the deputy up the narrow hiking trail. The state police had surrounded the small cove with yellow police tape. "Kate, pictures. Tony, sketch," Gibbs instructed.

Kate slung the camera off her shoulder. Ducky, Gibbs, Gideon, and Hotch knelt next to the bodies.

Reid and Morgan followed Tony with the laser sketch as Tony moved toward a tree a few feet from the cove. "You know what this is, kid?"

"Yeah," Reid said.

Tony glanced at him. "Really? Care to explain?"

"That may not be a good idea," Morgan said, interrupting Reid's response. "He's a genius."

"Genius, huh?" Tony turned to face Reid.

"I have three doctorates, an I.Q. of 187 and I can read twenty thousand words per minute." Reid paused. "I'd say that's pretty close to genius."

"Is he always like this?" Tony asked, glancing at Morgan.

"Worse."

"Well, genius, care to write down these measurements for me?"

Reid grinned and pulled out a notepad.

Tony shot the laser sketch at a tree nearby. "That Agent Greenaway…"

"What about her?" Morgan asked.

Tony glanced up from the device. "Is she single?"

Morgan glanced at Elle, who was bending down beside Kate next to one of the bodies. "As far as I know. Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Tony said, turning back to his laser sketch. "Forty-three and three-eighths."

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Ducky leaned down next to the pile of bodies inside the cove. "Oh, my dears, you were once very beautiful, weren't you?"

Elle cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Kate, who was snapping pictures. Kate caught her eye as Elle jerked her head toward Ducky. "Oh, don't worry," Kate whispered. "He does that all the time."

"He does?" Elle whispered back.

"That's Ducky for you," Kate replied as she snapped another picture.

Gibbs, Gideon, and Hotch leaned down on the other side of one of the bodies. "Well, Ducky?" Gibbs asked, glancing over at the doctor.

Ducky pointed to the body that was least decomposed. "This one is the most recent. She hasn't started decomposing yet."

"Time of death?" Gibbs asked as Kate snapped more pictures.

"You know this case reminds me of a case I worked in England," Ducky said, putting a gloved hand on Gideon's forearm. "It was a young woman, not much older than this, and—"

"Ducky!" Gibbs barked. Ducky jumped, startled. "Time of death?"

"Well, I can't tell you that right now," Ducky replied tartly, slightly perturbed at having his story interrupted. "You'll have to wait until I get them on the table. But this one," he motioned to the body nearest to the one he was examining, "has been in this cove for at least a week."

"Are you sure?" Hotch asked.

Ducky pointed at the body. "Based on the level of decomposition. And she's completely covered in leaves."

"Takes a long time for that many leaves to cover a body," Gideon finished. Ducky nodded approvingly. Kate snapped pictures of the decomposing corpses.

"I may not be able to tell you the exact time of death," Ducky continued, "but I can tell you how I believe they all died." He paused dramatically as the agents looked at him.

"Ducky," Gibbs prompted.

"They were beaten with some sort of blunt object. I'll know more when I get them in my autopsy room."

"What's this?" Hotch asked, reaching for something on the body.

Like a lightning bolt, a gnarled hand grabbed his. Hotch followed the arm up to Gibbs' staring blue eyes. "You don't touch until he says you can."

After a long, tense pause, Hotch glanced at Ducky, who nodded imperceptibly. Hotch twisted out of Gibbs's grip and picked up one of the corpse's hands. "This bruising on the wrist."

Elle leaned over Gideon's shoulder for a closer look. Click, click, click went Kate's camera. "Ligature marks," Elle said, glancing at Ducky for confirmation.

Ducky grinned at her. "Very good, my dear Elle!" Elle smiled as Ducky continued. "Marks like this were most likely made by her hands being tied with rope or something very akin to it."

Gideon caught Gibbs's eye. "She wasn't murdered. She was executed."