There it lay, still inside the musty box. She had stumbled across it after Poppa had died. She had been cleaning out his room – she hadn't been allowed in there while he was alive, but she figured he wouldn't mind now that he was dead – and had found it packed away in the closet, protected only by tissue paper and the box in which it sat. It must have belonged to Momma, though she wasn't sure why Poppa had kept it after Momma's death.

Lizzie picked it up out of the box, examining it. The bodice was a purple silk with white trimmings. There were spaghetti straps and the bodice was boned. The back had a white ribbon to lace it up as tightly as needed. It also had a purple lace skirt, beneath which hung straps to connect to one's panty hose.

There was a knock at the front door and Lizzie quickly dropped the lingerie back into the box. She shuffled out, stopping to check in on Thom (still asleep) before making her way to the door. She very rarely got any visitors, so she was curious to see who had interrupted her.

"Lt. Rolands?" she asked when she opened the door. The police Lieutenant had come by now and then, usually with complaints of Fluffy's behavior, but his visits were rare. When she did see him, though, she knew it was not going to be a pleasant visit.

"Hey, Lizzie. How is Fluffy doing?" he asked wryly.

"Fluffy is doing just fine. She hasn't bitten anyone, so I don't know why you're here."

"I'm here on account of a missing person. This," he said, gesturing to Tony, "is Agent DiNozzo from NCIS. One of their agent's car was found abandoned on that road back there and the agent seems to be missing."

"His name is Timothy McGee," Tony added.

"Timothy McGee?" she repeated. "No one here by that name."

Rolands held up a picture. "Seen this man?"

She barely regarded the picture before shaking her head. "If Timothy McGee is somewhere in these woods, he isn't here."

Tony and Rolands exchanged looks. Each man could see that the woman was speaking in a bizarre, almost side-stepping, manner, but they couldn't be sure if it was because she was hiding or simply because she was a bizarre woman.

"Well, Lizzie, if you see him or find anything, please give us a call down at the station," Rolands said.

"Mm-hm," she mumbled, closing the door quickly.

Satisfied that the situation had been side-stepped, Lizzie returned to Poppa's room where she once again picked up the garment, holding it against her body as she glimpsed in the mirror. The lingerie wasn't at all her style. She had never been a fan of the more feminine things and had never had use for sexy clothing. The bodice, even when tightened as tight as it could go, barely clung to her thin frame, the bust area hanging far away from her chest. It had obviously been made for a curvier woman, and did little to enhance Lizzie's body, but it was the only thing she had. Once Thom saw her in that, he would be as enamored as Poppa had been with Momma.

A bell dinged from within the kitchen, signaling that the cake was ready to come out. She returned the lingerie to the box once again, giving it a glancing look as she left. She had plans for that night…big plans.

Outside, Tony and Rolands were making their way back through the wooded area. Tony kept glancing back at Lizzie's house, not sure what to make of her. "I thought you said she lived alone."

"Lizzie?" Rolands asked. "She does."

"She was wearing a man's shirt."

"Always does. Her father died a little ways back and she seems to have raided his closet."

Tony nodded, though his doubts weren't swayed. Checking his watch, he saw that it was nearing 4:00pm. "We should check-in with Gibbs," he told Rolands. "See what they've managed to find."

Tim once again awoke with heavy eyelids and a dry mouth. When he realized that the ropes had once again returned to his wrists and ankles, he groaned. Drugged again. He should probably stop eating anything Lizzie gave to him, though, that would likely lead to starvation.

On the plus side, Fluffy seemed to have thought it safe enough to take nap, so Tim didn't have to put up with the creatures incessant barking. His head was already pounding enough; he didn't need an added pain. He also noticed, with some delight, that he was no longer stripped down to his boxers. A thick flannel shirt covered his torso and sweatpants covered his legs. They weren't his clothes, but he was glad to take what he could.

He allowed himself to relax back on to the mattress, seeing as he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. It was Monday and, considering Lizzie had served him lunch hours before, it was probably almost dinner time. The agency had to have discovered his disappearance by now. Did they have any leads? Hopefully, his car had been found, because that would give the team a starting place.

What movie reference would Tony make? Misery was, of course, the most obvious choice. He could imagine Tony doing a poor James Caan impression and an even poorer Kathy Bates impression. Then Gibbs would smack his head, telling him to cut the crap. That would lead Ziva to ask how crap can be cut and why a person would want to do it anyway. Abby would run in, guzzling her regular drink of choice, and would start to tell them about something she'd found, only to go off on a bit of a tangent. Though, her tangents couldn't possibly compare to Ducky's.

Tim winced. He liked Ducky, but he hoped the M.E. would not have to be involved with this.

The door at the top of the stairs creaked open. Both Tim and Fluffy turned their heads at the sound.

"I hope you're hungry," Lizzie chirped as she slowly descended the stairs. "I have got a wonderful meal cooked for us tonight."

She was carrying a small collapsible table which she placed beside his bed. In the center of the table was a tin vase with a wilting flower sitting inside. "Did you sleep well?"

"Why did you drug me again?"

She didn't respond. "I've got to get a few more things for our dinner, so you just sit tight."

"Do I have a choice?"

When she returned again, she carried a large tray upon which were a large bowl with a thick, broth that looked like phlegm and little, brown bits of meat floating in it and a plate on which there was white mush and some kind of meat sitting on top of lettuce. Tim noticed that the lettuce was more brown than it was green.

With one more trip upstairs, Lizzie finished the set-up with a bottle of pinot noir and two glasses. She popped it open and sloppily poured them each a glass. When she offered a glass to Tim, he simply looked at it.

"Can't you just untie me and let me drink it?"

"Not tonight, sweetie."

Tim looked suspiciously at the glass, recalling what had happened the last time she offered him a drink.

"You'll have to drink sometime," she told him.

"Not in the mood for wine," he said curtly.

She dropped the glass back down on to the table. "Fine," she told him, picking up the bowl and a spoon. "Then let's eat." She held the spoon up to his lips. Once again, he refused. Lizzie rolled her eyes, taking a taste of the soup herself. "See? Nothing in here but food."

"That's debatable," he replied, glancing down into the bowl. Still, he allowed her to spoon the so-called soup into his mouth.

"I promise," she said, with a Cheshire Cat smile. "I won't be drugging you tonight."

"We haven't found anything, boss," Tony admitted as he and Rolands exited on to the road.

"Neither have we, DiNozzo."

"We sent fingerprints and pictures back to headquarters," Ziva said. "It seems, though, that McGee simply vanished into thick air."

"It's 'thin air,' Ziva," Tony corrected. "And no one just vanished into thin air…expect maybe Houdini…"

"We talked to William Hearty who put together the Writers of America lecture that McGee attended. He says McGee left after the lecture and, from what he could tell, nothing was wrong."

Tony snorted. "That stupid lecture. McGeek wouldn't stop talking about it."

Ziva grinned. "He even bought a new Armani suit for the event."

Tony was about to reply, but something struck him about what Ziva had said. "You're right…he sent me a link to it."

"Yes?" Ziva asked, catching Tony's look. "And?"

"And I just saw it."

"Where?" she asked turning her head about.

"That woman in the woods. An Armani jacket was hanging on the coat rack…and she was wearing that shirt!"