"But…Mr. DiNozzo, in order for the insurance company to process a claim, we'll need your signature, and the local police have started to investigate this…as an arson…"
"Yes, Mr. Gardiner, but- as you can see, no one was harmed in the fire, and…I don't care about the insurance money."
The man was choking and sputtering on the other end of the phone.
"If I might retain your services, to handle this for me."
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
The man seemed to regain his composure.
"Well, of course you can retain my services…you do realize your father paid me in advance to handle wrapping up all these affairs…"
"Well," Tony smiled a little, "I would also like you to do whatever is necessary with the local police as well, let them know the owner of the property, who is a federal agent, is unavailable for at least three weeks… I would like that property sold, as soon as possible…as soon as the authorities release it from investigation. It's still worth plenty even with the debris on it. I'm sure someone will buy it as is and clean it up. Or, if we have to clean it up, just hire whomever you need and get it done, and I'll pay for it."
"Ah, of course…" the man seemed to think for a moment. "If I tell them also you aren't putting in a claim, and that you simply don't care about the property, that will perplex them but make it less appealing to convince a judge you had a real motive…to…"
"Mr. Gardiner!" he made himself sound shocked. " Are you saying you think I burned down my father's house?"
"Well, no…"
"Why would I do such a thing?"
"I don't-"
"Just get it done."
"Yes sir, Mr. DiNozzo."
"And you'll take care of the money transfer, correct?"
"Yes, but are you sure you want that sum-"
"Yes. Do it."
"Yes sir."
Tony ended the call, and then listened to his messages as he sat parked in a rest stop outside Las Vegas.
He knew Gibbs would be on his tail eventually, but it would take a while. He'd deal with it later.
After this call though, his phone was going to be off again...
He'd gotten eleven messages from Abby, ranging from concerned to fuming, two growling reprimands from Gibbs, three worried from McGee, and one from Ziva sending her condolences from Israel.
He sighed. He didn't want to talk to any of them. And he felt badly about that.
From out of his glove compartment he withdrew an aged, small leather booklet.
He perused it for a few moments, smiling as he found the number he was looking for.
He dialed.
After a moment, a sultry female voice answered on the other end.
"Hello?"
"Sharlee," he said, hoping it was still the right number.
"Well, well, well, this just can't be who I think it is," the southern accented voice purred.
"Yep. It's me, Tony D., Shar," he said happily.
"Well, I never thought I'd hear from you again! I'm just a little taken by surprise!" She laughed, her rich, hearty gutteral laugh, just as he remembered it, maybe a little rougher now.
"Well…I'm gonna' surprise you even more. I'm heading to Vegas. Right now. And I was wondering…"
"Well, sugar, you come right here to Ms. Sharlee, and I will wrap my arms around you and you won't think about anythin' else for days."
"That sounds wonderful," he said, "and…I'll be very glad to see you."
"And?"
"And what?"
"You seem to forget that you and I got to know each other quite well back in Philadelphia. I know the "and" means you need to say something else, other than you're gonna' be glad to see me."
He chuckled. "You can still read between the lines, sexkitten," he said softly. "Are you still in the business?"
"Hell yes. But now, I've got girls working for me, on and off the ranch out here. Hell I've even got a few boys too. I don't do it myself. Too damned old for that part of the business now. Tits are busy lookin' at somethin' on the floor now…" she laughed again, at herself. Tony had enjoyed that about her when he knew her as one of the locals walking the streets of Philly. "You looking for some strange, Dee?"
"Maybe."
After a moment of silence, she said, "Well, get'chur ass on over here. We're outside Vegas. 314 Saxon Avenue. The town is called, Paradise."
"Ha, of course it is," he said, "I should be there in about an hour."
"I can't wait to see you, Dee, it's been way too long."
"Same here," he said, and hung up.
As he started up the Mustang again, and pulled out of the rest stop, he thought back on Ms. Sharlee.
They'd become friends while he was working in her "territory", trying to catch a serial killer targeting prostitutes.
Her easy, accepting manner and shrewd mind made her good company on days he was stuck out on the streets trying to get information for the case. It also didn't hurt that she was a way hotter version of Ertha Kitt. He remembered her skin…like beautiful milk chocolate.
But he'd been too much of a good cop to take her up on the "freebies" she offered several times.
For him, it was a valuable friendship. She always seemed to have a different way of thinking about things.
Then he didn't see her for a few days…and got worried. He asked one of the other girls about where she was. He was horrified when they told him one of her John's had gotten rough and beat on her pretty good. They were all surprised, being she was usually so sharp.
Tony got her address, and actually went to her home to check on her. It was one of the falling down buildings in the questionable neighborhood next to the one she worked.
When he knocked, the door opened only a crack, with the chain on.
An eye looked at him from about half way down the door.
"Jacob, who's at the door?" Tony heard her calling out.
"Some white guy. He looks like a cop." The child's voice answered suspiciously.
"Get away from the door," she hissed, and then peeked herself. "Dee?"
"Yeah…it's me."
She quickly closed the door to take the chain off, and opened it.
He immediately took in her swollen jaw, and the cut above her left eyebrow, over the beautiful dark eye.
"I…ah…I got worried…" he said, suddenly uncertain he should have come.
She had the strangest look in her eyes.
"You came to check on me, sugar?"
Tony nodded.
"Well," she smiled. "I'll be damned." The words were soft, and held some emotion in them he couldn't place. But it wasn't bad…
"You come in, Dee, and at least I can feed you some dinner. You're way to skinny, and ain't no way any thug is gonna' be scared of you like that." She pulled him by the arm into her little apartment, taking in the meager furnishings and children's toys lying about.
The little boy, Jacob, eyed him from the couch, while a little girl, maybe a few years younger stomped into the room, skipping with a doll.
The little girl stopped, wide eyed, when she saw Tony, and ran behind the couch timidly, watching. She was beautiful like her mother, but her face was round and sweet like a cherub's.
Sharlee sighed, and chuckled, leaning back to look at Tony. She had on some leggings and a tank top, and he covertly took in some of the bruises she had.
"They're just shy," she said. Turning to them, she announced, 'Celia, Jacob, this is my friend Dee. Be nice to him. He's a good friend of your mama's." She directed him to her kitchen, as she continued, "Jacob is eight, and Celia is five. They're pretty funny. You'll see in a while, once they warm up to ya'."
Sharlee shared the dinner she had made for them with Tony, some kind of chicken and rice dish that he thought was excellent. She'd learned the recipe from her mother, growing up in Georgia.
He discovered that Sharlee was a single mom, raising the two children on her own, with little assistance from anyone, no family to speak for, and no education with which to gain employment that would keep them all fed.
The apartment was clean. The children were clean. They were also well mannered, and sweet, warming up to him almost instantly.
Tony had known, that prostitutes were people with lives, families, feelings…
Even though he had arrested a few himself, he never treated them badly or disrespectfully, because of what they did.
But now he had a personal connection to this family, and he found his heart aching for them a little…worried the children would lose their mother to the kind of sick bastard they were trying to find.
Tony waited a week, before showing up at Sharlee's again, to give her an envelope containing enough cash to get them out of Philly and somewhere else, where maybe she would be safer. It was most of his savings. But...he didn't have a family, or anyone to take care of.
When she opened it, her hand went to her mouth, and she looked up at him, eyes tearing up.
She of course refused it twice, before he convinced her to keep it, but with the condition she left Philly and found a better place to raise her family.
And she did.
She called him almost a year later, from a legal establishment outside Vegas, and gave him her numbers.
She thanked him, and told him how the kids were doing well, in a good school, and they were all living in a good neighborhood, in a little house she rented. And they'd even gotten a dog.
That was a long time ago.
BG.
Before Gibbs.
Tony smiled sadly to himself, as the thoughts brought him back to the here and now.