Chapter 25
Tim unlocked the door to his apartment and stopped dead. There had been a halfhearted effort to straighten the place up, but it was painfully obvious that his apartment had been trashed. He walked around looking at his broken typewriter and computer, his books and record collection. It wasn't so much the fact that his place was a mess as the invasion of his home that got to him. He sat down on a chair and felt the tears well up again. Since he was alone, he didn't bother to hold them back. He rested his arms on his knees and started to cry.
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"What are you talking about?" Gibbs was on the phone with the lab.
"I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, but the man you are holding may not be Darius Robertson."
"How do you know?"
The tech elaborated, "The partial we lifted from the warehouse and the fingerprints of the man in custody don't match."
"Are you sure that partial belongs to Robertson?"
"Not 100 percent, but it's not Bourdan's or McGee's. It could be someone else who happened to come in, but..." she trailed off expressively.
"Thanks." Gibbs hung up and then called Abby.
"What is it, Gibbs? I thought you gave me the night off."
"I did. I need you in here right away."
"Okay. Can I ask what for?"
"Not now."
"Okay. Bye."
Gibbs called the agent he had watching McGee's place. "Ruiz, has anyone shown up at there?"
"Not a soul beyond verified tenants."
"Good. There's a chance that we might not have arrested Robertson today so keep a close lookout."
"I will, Agent Gibbs. I was just about to walk the perimeter."
"Good." Gibbs hung up again. Then, he walked over to Tony's desk where he was filing his report.
Tony looked up. "What's going on, boss?"
"The lab just called and said that the prints we got from Robertson don't match the one from the warehouse."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"It's a possibility. When Abby gets here, tell her to make a comparison of Robertson's voice and the voice of the guy we have in custody. Then, have her compare body features from them both as well."
"Where are you going to be, boss?"
"Interrogation." He walked away.
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Finally, Tim sat up. It was silly to have such an attachment to his stuff, but it cut him deeply that Robertson had decided to wreck his apartment for no reason. He walked over to the typewriter and saw that all the letters had been pulled out and the casing cracked. He touched them regretfully. Suddenly, he realized that it was getting dark. The sun was going down. Quickly, he walked around the apartment and turned on the lights. Then, he walked to his bookshelf and started sorting his books. They had been picked up, but the placement was all wrong and the books were out of order. He winced as he tried to move the shelf. His arm wasn't up to that kind of abuse, nor were his shoulders. He stopped and took some painkillers. This was going to be a big job.
"That isn't Robertson?" Abby asked, incredulously.
"Gibbs said it was possible," Tony clarified.
"Well, what about McGee? He's home now."
"There's an agent watching his place. Think of this way, Abby, if you can verify who we have in custody, then we'll know what to do about McGee."
"Okay. I'll get to work."
"Good." Abby started to leave, but Tony stopped her. "I'm worried too, Abby."
She smiled. "I know, Tony."
After sorting through just one stack of books, Tim actually felt hungry. Then, he remembered that he hadn't even been in his apartment for nearly three weeks. Any food he had would be rancid by now. He swallowed and opened his fridge. Instead of the mold cultures he'd been expecting, Tim saw that someone had gone shopping for him. He saw a note at the bottom of the fridge in Abby's writing. It read, "Welcome back, Tim. I knew you wouldn't think of shopping yourself. Abby."
Tim smiled to himself and made a mental note to thank Abby tomorrow.
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"Who are you?"
"You know who I am. Darius Robertson." The man's face betrayed nothing.
"I don't think so."
"Then, why did you arrest me?"
Gibbs didn't answer. He just stared at the man in front of him. Could he and everyone else, including McGee, have been mistaken?
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"This is impossible, Tony."
"What?"
"Get down here, right now and grab Gibbs."
"He doesn't like to be interrupted when he's interrogating someone."
"I don't care. This is important."
Tony hung up and grimaced. It had better be worth it. He left observation and opened the door. "Boss, Abby has something."
Gibbs looked up. "Something important?"
"She said it was."
"Okay."
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After eating, Tim didn't want to turn his back to the empty room in order to clean up the kitchen. He hated the idea. Now that it was fully dark, he was afraid of turning around and seeing someone there.
"This is ridiculous," he said aloud. "They caught him. He's gone now." He walked toward his bedroom but thought he heard something behind him. He turned. There was no one there. It was no use. He was frightened. Maybe he should call someone. "No. It's just your imagination."
"Think again, Probie."
The whispered voice stopped him dead in his tracks. In an instant, he was transformed into the victim he'd been before. "No." It was a plea to the universe, a desperate wish that this wasn't really happening.