7.

The interview with Precious Gunia had been painful for the young woman, but productive for the men. Using driver license photographs, Tony printed out an array of possible that included Corporal Gonzalez and Lawrence Harrison as well as four other men who resembled one or the other. Without hesitation the novitiate picked Harrison, as did Lavonia Montgomery, Rebecca Malone, and the others they had already spoken to the previous day.

It was still early in the afternoon when Gibbs and Tony arrived back at NCIS. They were stopped on their way to Gibbs' section of the office.

"Gibbs, you've got a visitor. A detective, name of Lebowicz. I put him in the conference room."

"Thanks, Pacci." Once the young special agent left, Gibbs turned to Tony. "He's the one?"

"That put the extra evidence aside? According to Abby, yeah. He was the lead investigator for Lavonia Montgomery and Brenda Trott. And," Tony added, "he was also second on the Trina Henderson case. It was Manuel Ramirez's first case as a detective."

"Let's hear his story." Gibbs opened the conference room door.

Detective Abraham Lebowicz slouched in one of the chairs, an obese, balding, sloppy middle-aged man. He wiped at a film of sweat on his face, barely acknowledging their presence.

"Detective Lebowicz, my name is Gibbs. This is Detective DiNozzo. We have some questions about certain cases you're involved with."

Lebowicz still didn't speak, although he did cut a look at Tony.

Gibbs tossed down the photograph of their dead Marine on the conference table. "This man was murdered trying to save a young woman from rape." He threw more photos onto the table, this time of their victims.

"All these women were attacked by the same man. Some were raped." Gibbs waited for the detective to speak without success. Tired, disgusted and angry after seeing the pain in Gunia's gentle brown eyes, he slammed his fist onto the table, making it, Tony, and Lebowicz jump. "God damn it! Are you being paid off?"

"Gibbs." Tony placed a restraining hand on his arm.

Lebowicz finally spoke. "I was doing Good Cop, Bad Cop long before you were born, DiNozzo. Don't try to play me."

Gibbs shook off DiNozzo's grip, leaning into the detective's face. "Do I look like I'm playacting, Detective? Believe me, I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, if you knew who did this and let him run free, you're just as guilty."

"Look, Lebowicz, here's the deal. We know who committed these attacks. He's going down, believe it. Your chance is simple. Tell us what you know or be charged as an accessory to rape and murder."

"You can't do that, kid, and you know it."

"Wanna bet your life on it? Making duplicate samples and not sending them off sounds like someone at your department was suspicious."

Lebowicz's eyes flickered, just the tiniest bit, but enough that both Gibbs and Tony caught it.

Tony sat across from the blustering cop, looking at the photos. "They'll never be the same. No matter how much help they get, these women will always be suspicious of the men they see, just a little jumpy whenever an interested man comes too close."

He pulled out the photograph of Corporal Gonzalez. "Ramon here was a good guy, a good Marine, a hero. Only son of Maria Jose Gonzalez, a single mother who worked three jobs to make a better life for her son, with no help from anyone else, including the government. He died because he tried to help a young woman in need."

Tony looked up, his usually warm eyes swirling with anger. "Now it seems that the people who are paid to protect women like her are actively impeding the investigation. That person may not be convicted of accessory to rape or murder." Tony ignored Gibbs' growl. "But I guarantee Internal Affairs will file charges of their own, charges which will not only end in that person's firing, but loss of pension. Maybe even some jail time. And how do you think other cops with daughters and wives will react?"

The cop seemed to deflate before their very eyes. "I don't know who committed the rapes. I swear I don't."

"You suspected someone was covering up, didn't you?"

"I did. That's why I kept a complete set of my own files."

"Who, Abe?" Tony leaned forward.

"Don't know, kid." When Gibbs advanced on him again, Lebowicz threw his hands up. "I swear I don't know! It's gotta be fairly high up in the department, someone who either has the computer skills to delete parts of the investigation reports online or can order someone to do so without fear of it coming back and biting them on the ass."

"Another crooked cop?"

Lebowicz shrugged. "Maybe. This kinda crime, though, it wouldn't set well even with the most crooked cops."

Tony considered that. "He's right, Gibbs. I can't believe most cops would look the other way on something like this."

Gibbs finally took a seat. "So we're looking for someone of rank with computer skills as well as a sudden influx of income."

"That might not be entirely correct," Tony said slowly.

The other two men waited somewhat impatiently for Tony to continue. "What if the payoff isn't in money?"

"What are you talkin' about?" A shadow of annoyance crossed Lebowicz's face. "You think a cop would cover for a rapist for nothing?"

"Favors?"

Tony shrugged. "Political influence. My captain isn't the only one with an eye on a higher office."

"Who the hell are you guys talkin' about?"

"Our suspect is one Lawrence Harrison. Ring a bell?"

"Harrison? No, should it?"

"I want copies of all your files," Gibbs said with cool authority.

"Okay. I have them locked up in my house."

"DiNozzo, go with him."

"Bring the reports back. On it, boss." It slipped out before Tony could censor himself. He tried to cover by getting Lebowicz up and out of the conference room.

The beginning of a smile tipped the corner of Gibbs' mouth as he gathered the photographs back into an orderly pile.

~NCIS~

"Lebowicz was thorough. Detailed descriptions, crime scene photographs that weren't with the original files." Tony leaned back in his chair, stretching until his spine cracked. "We've also got Harrison on some CCTVs in the area at the same approximate time of the attacks."

"Norfolk is still digging into the money trail, but the scholarship was definitely from a trust set up by Senator Harrison." Gibbs didn't understand most of the gobbledygook, but after glaring at the computer expert on the computer feed, the nervous young man translated his meager findings into English.

"Are we going to visit Lawrence now?"

The special agent considered the question, practically feeling the eager vibrations emanating from the detective. "I think we're ready to question him."

"Yes!" Tony punched his closed fist into the air.

"But not as a suspect, not yet. For now we're going to question him as a potential witness."

"Yeah, I get it. We go in gangbusters and he'll get those lawyers that Director Morrow talked about." He thought about the impending visit. "If we're going in as if he's an innocent party, we'll need to consider a game plan."

"Pull the cases that we can tie him to with video. I want to see if he does something stupid."

"Like lie about where he was?"

"Exactly."

~NCIS~

"We're here to speak to Mr. Lawrence Harrison," Tony told the well-endowed secretary, making certain to read the man's name from a list in his hand.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked in a breathless little girl voice.

"Nope." He and Gibbs pulled their badges out as he identified them. "It shouldn't take long. Just routine questions."

Gibbs had to hide his amusement at Tony's slightly bored aspect. He wondered just how much undercover work the Baltimore detective had done during his career considering how easily he could change himself.

"Mr. Harrison is quite busy, but I'll find out if he can squeeze you in for a few minutes."

"Thanks."

She returned a few moments later. "Mr. Harrison can spare you some time, gentlemen. This way, please."

Ushered into the chrome and glass office, Gibbs and Tony took in the array of sports trophies on the shelves. The walls were covered with photographs of Lawrence Harrison with celebrities from various fields of endeavor.

"Trixie said you were cops? What could I possibly do for you?" Harrison sat behind a massive gleaming desk devoid of anything resembling actual work. A quick glance revealed no files or papers, nothing that appeared business-related.

Tony poked at a ball suspended from the ceiling by a string. "Batting practice? Cool."

Gibbs focused on the casually dressed man whose body height was below the norm, but whose arms showed well-defined muscles. And small hands. "We're investigating a series of rapes."

"In the Fenmare District," Tony added. "We're hoping you might be able to help us."

"I can't imagine that I would know anything."

"Maybe not, but we're talking to everyone who might have been in the area during the general time periods of any of the attacks." Tony grinned. "With all the bars and nighttime businesses there…well, you can probably guess how many interviews we have conducted the last couple of days."

"Why would you think that I might have been there?" Harrison asked, tugging at his pale yellow polo shirt as he leaned back in his chair.

"You're a pretty important guy, Mr. Harrison, a man people tend to remember."

Harrison inclined his blond head in acknowledgment.

"When was the last time you were there?"

"I really couldn't tell you. Perhaps if you gave me specific dates and times, I might be able to remember. No guarantees," he said, with a cautionary lift of his hand.

"Of course," Gibbs replied.

Twenty-five minutes later, both law enforcement officers were battling anger and disgust. Harrison had reluctantly admitted that he might have been in the general area, but certainly knew nothing about the alleged attacks.

Neither man spoke until they left the building entirely. At the car, Tony slammed his hand down upon the roof. "Damn it, Gibbs, the bastard had the nerve to imply that the women were either lying or asking for it!"

"We'll get him."

"We'd better."