Chapter 14
"Yes, I did." Ziva was quiet and she looked at the floor.
Gibbs turned back to the screen and said to Abby, "We'll talk to you later Abby."
"Okay. I'll see you guys soon!" she said.
He cut off the connection, and then faced Ziva. "So you know him, Ziva?"
Ziva just nodded.
"Were you two close?" Tony asked.
She didn't say anything, and stared at the floor.
"Ziver?" Gibbs asked.
The agent didn't say anything, but she looked up at Gibbs. He could see the sadness in her eyes. "Avshalom Hassar. He…" Ziva's said, but her voice trailed off.
Tony and Gibbs waited for an answer. "He what? What did he do Ziva?"
"Av… Av was my best friend. He was very close to me," she said on the brink of tears.
Tony looked up at Gibbs then back to Ziva.
"He was just a friend? And nothing more?" Gibbs asked.
Tony wanted to know more about Avshalom, but he decided to be patient.
As soon as she grasped herself, Ziva spoke again. "Yes. Av and I were best friends ever since we were five-year-olds. We went to school together and stayed close for years. Eventually, we both became part of Mossad."
"Does he know that you're an NCIS agent now?" Gibbs asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I figured that he would. But I do know that he was angry when my father let me become a liaison between Mossad and NCIS. He did not want me to leave Mossad because he and I always worked together."
"Did he do anything about it?" Tony inquired. "Ever try to stop you from leaving?"
"No. I told him that I would be okay, and that if I came back to visit, I would go to see him. Av seemed to let it go when I promised it to him, and he was there when I got on the plane to come here," Ziva said.
"Are you sure he wouldn't become angry enough to try to get you back?" he asked again.
"No! Avshalom was not like that. I talked to him a few days after I got here and told him that I was okay. He seemed happy, and I stopped thinking about it."
"And you're sure Ziva?" Gibbs asked one more time.
"Yes. Av would never hurt my father just because he was not happy with where I was. He was actually with me in Cairo when I met Jenny."
"Okay Ziva."
"Can I interrogate him about my father's death? He may open up to me more than he will to you," Ziva requested.
"No. You're gonna be a last resort. DiNozzo's gonna go first. If he can't crack him, I will," Gibbs said.
"What if you can't? He is Mossad after all. They can withstand pretty much anything."
Gibbs looked at Ziva. Then he sighed heavily. "If it doesn't work, then I'll put you in there with him," he said reluctantly. "But you can't be social with him. See if you can soften him to say something about that night. That's it though."
Ziva had a small smile. "Thank you Gibbs," she said quietly.
"Uh-huh."
With that, Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs left the MTAC room. And Ziva left to find her old friend.