Sorry, it took so long for me to update but between work and nursing school. I have no time to have any semblance of free time.
There would be no rest for Gibbs and his team in Leavenworth. They were headed to the cemetery early the next morning.
"We need to know why the body was moved. If they hadn't moved it no one would know that Gunning was dead." Tony was engaged in deep thinking when a hand met the back of his head. "What was that for Boss?"
"For irritating me with things I already know." Gibbs walked off tossing the car keys to Ziva
"Why does she get drive boss? Tony complained a hand met his head again.
"Because I say so DiNozzo."
Tony continued to grumble but took his seat in the back the sedan all the same.
They were greeted at the cemetery by a not so friendly groundskeeper and a way too friendly woman with a clip board.
"Welcome to Leavenworth, I'm Helen Arnold; I am the assistant arrangements coordinator. This is Frank Johnson, the head landscaper." The woman was in bright red stiletto heals and a gray pant suit, defiantly not appropriate attire for walking through a cemetery.
"Special Agent Gibbs, DiNozzo and Officer David," Gibbs pointed at himself and his colleagues. "We need to know how a body could be buried in you cemetery for a year and then dug up and brought to a park in D.C."
"Well, like I told the man on the phone, I have no record of this marine being buried here, so maybe he wasn't." She was way too chipper for Gibbs liking.
"We have forensic evidence that says other wise." Tony threw in.
"Well, I guess someone could bury him themselves, and then come back for him later." Helen was starting to lose its pep as she watch Gibbs and the team.
"That still begs the question, why move the body a year later?"
"Maybe someone else needed the plot." The gruff man beside Helen spoke for the first time. "Well think about it, may they picked an empty plot and buried the body and then when the actual owner of the plot died they had to move the body so they wouldn't get caught." He chuckled, and then stopped abruptly. "The Wilson plot, 314, the dirt there was a little too easy to remove, easiest plot I have dug. That must be where the body was before it got dug up."
The three agents stared as the man in dirt covered overalls and work boots figured out their crime before they did. Helen just smiled the biggest smile they had ever seen.
"That's my Frankie!" She beamed and rubbed his head. The team shared curious glances before thanking the pair and leaving in the sedan.
"Well, that was easy as cake." Ziva mused from the driver's seat.
"It's easy as pie, or piece of cake, one or the other" Tony corrected, "I still don't understand why they took the body to D.C."
"I think the plan was to get it to the ocean." Gibbs answered knowingly. Just as the approached the hotel again Gibbs phone buzzed in his pocket. "Gibbs"
After a few minutes Gibbs hung up and turned to Ziva, to the apartment complex we know who moved the body.
As I turned out the land lord was very easy to find
"Sir, I need you to drop the hose and turn around with you hand where I can see them." Tony instructed.
The land lord complied and they took him to the local P.D. for questioning.
"So, you want to tell me why you dragged a dead marine across the country on a train?" Tony was conducting the interview, Gibbs and Ziva watched from behind one-way class.
"I wanted him as far away as possible!"
"So you killed him, buried him in cemetery and then guilt drove you to take the body on a train and dump in a park in D.C?"
"Yes, I … I mean no, I mean yes, but no"
"Which is it, yes, or no?"
"Both"
"It can be both."
"But it is"
"Okay, explain"
"Yes, I dug up Gunning's body and moved it D.C, but I didn't kill him. Why would I do that, it gets me nothing! "
"Why did you move the body?"
"I disturbed its eternal slumber, I moved him from his condo to the cemetery, I thought I was doing a good thing, laying him to rest, but he kept haunting me!"
"Haunting you?"
"Yeah, stuff would disappear from my house only to reappear later in a different spot, stuff would fall over, and the T.V. would change channels. I even saw him several times, he would just float through the room looking all, I don't know, angry. He was diving me crazy I had to get rid of him."
"Why didn't you call 911?"
"About the ghost?" I did they wouldn't listen."
"No, about the dead marine you found in a condo."
"I didn't want any trouble."
Gibbs was glaring at the man through the glass, "He's an idiot, but he didn't kill Gunning. Go book him for interfering and call McGee."
