Chapter 8
"Need any help, Abby?"
Abby looked up, startled. "Ducky! What are you doing here?"
"Just trying to discern any links between the cases Timothy was working on and his kidnaping."
"I'm not making any progress. McGee already tried everything I would have. I keep looking over at the video. Why is he letting us see it?"
Ducky put his arm around her shoulders. "Probably to keep us off-balance. He's hoping that the sight of Timothy's suffering will keep us from seeing clearly the links that are in front of us." Ducky looked at Tim on the monitor. He had significant bruising on his arms and face, but his chest and abdomen also showed signs of recent damage. In fact... he left Abby and walked to the monitor.
"Abby, could you get a close up of McGee's torso?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I have a hunch."
She got the image. Seeing the bruising so magnified nearly made her ill. She'd seen things like this before, but never on someone she knew.
"Thanks, Abby." Ducky kissed her on the cheek. "Keep your chin up. We'll find him."
"Thanks, Ducky." She turned back to the monitor, but the video was blank. "Oh, no!"
"What?"
"He turned it off again. Why? What is he doing to McGee now?"