5.
Tony was surprised when he first saw Gibbs' house that evening. Even in the glow of the street lights he could see the well-kept yard and the equally maintained structure, not what he was expecting from a man who wasn't married. He followed Gibbs to the front door of the modest house, surprised when the other man simply opened it and walked through. Tony shook his head, wondering if Gibbs had a remote for the front door like that used for cars.
"Make yourself at home. I'll get the guest room ready."
"Uh, Gibbs, don't go to any trouble. I can crash anywhere."
An exasperated male voice drifted into the living room where Tony was nervously waiting. "Don't be an idiot. You need a place to get some sleep, I've got the space."
Tony looked around, taking in the polished leather on an old couch, the two overstuffed chairs, the dated lamps that were ready to throw a soft orange glow through the room. A bicycle rested against a door jamb. The kitchen table was old, but had been lovingly restored. Looking closer, Tony could see the faint imprints of numbers written in a childish hand in the wood. He gently traced them with a finger. This wasn't an ordinary house, it was a home. Something Tony had little real experience with, but craved nonetheless. Not wanting to be found snooping, he went back to the living room.
Gibbs returned. "It's ready. Kitchen's through there. I don't have much in the way of food, but I can scramble up some eggs and toast in the morning. Follow me."
The younger man obediently walked quietly behind Gibbs.
"Bathroom's in there. Decent shower, fresh towels have been laid out. This is your room for the time being. Get settled. It's been a long day. You might want to hit the sack as we'll be starting out early tomorrow morning."
Tony took the hint, easing some of his exhaustion by standing under the hot spray of the shower. A towel wrapped around his waist when he was done, he wiped the steam from the mirror above the sink. The face staring back at him had dark half-moons under bloodshot green eyes. He quickly dried himself off, donning a well-worn pair of jeans that fit him like a second skin.
Moving back into the guest room, Tony eyed the bed. Pale blue sheets were partly covered by a hand-sewn quilt. He gently fingered the material, softened by age and frequent washes. He smiled, imagining that it was a family heirloom, lovingly made by someone in Gibbs' family. He crawled under the covers, his leaden eyelids closing in relief. Before one more thought came to his busy mind, the young detective was sound asleep.
~NCIS~
Gibbs changed his own clothes, listening to the clanking of the water pipes as his temporary guest took the suggested shower. He walked back down the stairs to his basement, wanting to organize the wood he had picked up at the lumber yard a day before he received the call from Baltimore. As he shifted the planks, all his movements were precise and considered.
Gibbs was preparing to build another boat, his fourth to date. He had just burned the last two weeks earlier. Although some people wouldn't understand destroying a boat constructed by hand, Ducky called it cathartic, a way to work through the pain of his last divorce.
Engrossed in his organizing, Gibbs didn't realize how much time had passed until he heard the creaking of floorboards over his head. He quickly slipped a spare pistol from its hiding place under his work bench before taking the stairs two at a time.
The lights were still off in the house's main floor, but there was a blue-white glow coming from the dining room. Gun securely in his grip, Gibbs slipped across the floor as quiet as a ghost. Frowning at a peculiar series of clicking noises, he prepared himself before swinging into the doorway, gun pointed at the intruder.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gibbs barked angrily.
Tony blinked at the other man, lowering his own weapon and placing it on the kitchen table. "Checking some hunches. Sorry if I woke you. I'm trying to find out how many cameras might be in the general area of the attacks." He smiled ruefully. "We don't get laptops at Baltimore, so I borrowed yours. Hope you don't mind."
"Thought I told you to get some sleep."
"I did, about four hours worth. It's enough for now." He shrugged. "I do my best work at night."
Gibbs snorted. I just bet you do, DiNozzo. "What did you find?"
"There are no banks, but I did a search for ATMs. All of them have cameras of some sort. I found ten within the area of the attacks. The only traffic cam is two blocks away from Faith's attack. It was only installed last week, so it won't help with the others, but maybe…" He turned the laptop around so Gibbs could see the map currently displayed on the screen. It was filled with dots of various colors. "Most liquor stores have cameras as do pawnshops and convenience stores. I'm trying to correlate their locations with the locations of the attacks. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get lucky and catch our guy on camera."
"We don't even know what he looks like yet," Gibbs commented.
"I emailed Raul, the sketch artist? He's a night owl, so I knew he'd still be up. He's certain that it is the same man. I mean, like most eyewitness reports there are some variances, but the basic look is the same. He's gonna have a composite sketch ready for us tomorrow morning." Tony chuckled. "I have to bring a breakfast burrito and a tall orange juice."
"We need to track the money as well."
"I've been thinking about that. Dunkin' Donut is getting us copies of the original franchise contract as well as the cashier check used to pay for it. That's probably gonna take about three days to get here. I'll call the University of Illinois regarding the scholarship tomorrow." Tony chuckled as he glanced at his watch. "Make that later today. Something like that will probably be layered in holding companies. We'll need a computer whiz who may have to do a little discrete hacking. I hope you know someone like that, 'cause otherwise we're up a creek. Baltimore PD does have some tech guys, but they're really backed up."
Gibbs considered the possibilities, then nodded. "I should be able to find someone."
Tony waved a hand in the general direction of the bedrooms. "Go on back to bed, Gibbs. I've got a few leads on where Gunia and Trott may be, I want to follow up on them."
"What about Henderson?"
"Nothing since she disappeared from the hospital after the rape kit was done." Tony turned his attention back to Gibbs' computer screen, using a two fingered method of typing.
Checking the time, Gibbs decided that 5:30 wasn't too early to start the day. He prepared the coffee maker, switching it on to perk before heading upstairs to take his own shower.
~NCIS~
By the time the two men arrived at the Navy Yard where NCIS was located, Gibbs had arranged for the services of a corporation forensics expert from Norfolk. He would begin investigating the money trail with the available information. As Gibbs or Tony received more information, they would pass it along to their expert.
Tony had found Precious Gunia, now a novitiate at the Convent of the Sacred Heart outside Randallstown, Maryland. She had reluctantly agreed to speak about the attack after conferring with her Mother Superior.
Tony arranged for he and Gibbs to speak with her later in the afternoon. He planned to have Gunia identify the sketch of the suspect, if possible. "She's made it very clear. While she's willing to talk to us, our nun-to-be will not participate in any trial."
The sketches were waiting for Tony as promised, one based on each person's individual description as well as a composite sketch combining the common elements of all.
Gibbs took the composite, studying it. "Decent sketch."
"Worth the stop at Tico Taco, huh?" Gibbs had not been thrilled to go through the drive-up at the popular chain, although he had ordered a coffee, his third, for the trip to work by way of the Baltimore Police Department.
"I want to talk to the detectives working these cases. There aren't that many listed, so why the hell didn't anyone else see the pattern?"
Tony's eyes narrowed, his back becoming ramrod straight. "It sounds so simple, doesn't it, Gibbs? Just one problem. We don't have the time. I've got over twenty active cases on my desk on any given day. Some of those guys probably have even more."
They were glaring at each other when NCIS Director Tom Morrow came walking by, stopping to watch the confrontation. It was rare to see anyone challenge Jethro Gibbs, particularly someone younger. The sketch clenched in Gibbs' hand caught his attention and he leaned closer to look at the ones on the Baltimore detective's temporary desk. Eyebrows raised, he picked the top one up, waving it at the men. "Why do you have a drawing of Senator Harrison's son?"