A/N: Sadly I own nothing pertaining to NCIS or its' characters.
Old Nemesis, New Respect
Chapter 4: Connecting the Dots
Gibbs and McGee entered the lab at the same time to find Tony and Ziva standing over the evidence covering both tables."
"Hey Abbs, all this have to do with the case?"
"Yes…and…No…" Gibbs noticed the hesitation in Abbys' answer as she looked towards Tony and Ziva.
"Well, kinda…sorta." Abby started pacing back and forth and looked at McGee.
"If it has to do with the case Abby, they need to be here."
"Okay. It concerns a piece of evidence found in Kisperts' car." She held up a small evidence bag for examination by the team.
"It's a strand of hair Abby. What about it?" Tony asked when he took it from her and passed it around.
"Yeah, Tony. A long, curly blonde hair. I was looking for a tawdry affair or a rendezvous with a lady of the evening. But…" Abby turned and started tapping her keyboard.
Studying the bag in his hand, McGee gave his best guess.
"It's Kyles'."
"Yes, oh brilliant one."
"How'd you figure that one out McDNA?"
"It's got the same wavy pattern as Kyles'. Like it spends most of the time in a braid."
"So what, it's his fathers' car Abbs. Why wouldn't it be in it?"
"It's like this. I ran the hair through the database, you know, looking for a match as to who could've been with the SSgt and found a match."
McGee questioned, a bit confused, "Why would Kyle be in the database? He wouldn't have a record…would he?"
"He's not in the database."
"Abby!"
"Gibbs, he was a match to someone in the database, 97.6%."
" 97.6% to an in house profile. Gibbs, that's first generation father-son, right? Tim was curious now. Where was this leading?
"Who?" All four agents chimed in at the same time.
Abby looked down at her shoes, afraid to answer in mixed company. Then lifted her eyes in McGees' general direction.
"Told you, McDaddy!"
"Tony I've already told you…"
Gibbs turns towards Tony and Tim. Tim, in turn, looks at Abby and Ziva. Abby zeros in on Tim with a wide grin and smiling eyes.
"No, no, no. No way, we were a country apart when he was born."
Abby starts nodding her head in an affirmative answer.
"Run it again!"
"But I've already run it twice."
"Make it a third time."
"But Gibbs…"
"Abby, just do it!"
~~~~~?~~~~~
Tony and Tim entered observation as Gibbs walked into interrogation, startling a sleeping Kispert.
"Tell me about your boys?"
"Leave my boys outta this. I'll confess if I have to."
"Did you do it?"
"I…I…I don't know. Look I know my sons, they're good boys and they wouldn't do this."
"Tell me what you remember?"
"I was tired, more so than normal. I went to bed around nine, Thursday, I think."
"How did you wind up at the bar?"
"Nightmares. Woke me about eleven, actually woke Katie, and she woke me." Kisperts shoulders began to shake, tears running down his face as he whispered, "Oh God, that was the last time I saw Katie."
Giving Kispert a few moments to regain control of his emotions, Gibbs repeated his earlier question.
"And your boys?"
"Oh come on, I told you they're great kids!"
"I didn't say they were suspects, SSgt."
"Then why'd you ask?"
"Kyle, tell me about him."
"Why, is he ok?"
"He's fine. We tested a strand of his hair found in your car as part of the evidence."
"Yeah…so?"
'He's not your biological son?"
"No… he's adopted, why?"
"Does Kyle know it?"
"Yes, always have. We don't keep secrets in our family. What does this have to do with Katies" murder?"
"Kyles' hair told us he wasn't your bio-child, but it did match a profile in our database."
"His parents were criminals?"
"We're checking into that possibility. Tell me about his adoption."
"Um, ok. Let's see. My wife Katie was an emergency care pediatric nurse at St. Francis in '98."
"Peoria, IL?"
"That's right. Officers brought in a toddler that was found wondering the streets in just his pajamas. No shoes, no coat. Poor thing was cold, tired and hungry, being the middle of December and all."
"How about his parents?"
""Investigation said he was in foster care."
"Foster parents then."
"Child services showed up at the house with a police warrant. So-called foster parents were passed out, hung over. The house was dirty and showed proof that a party had taken place the night before."
"They were arrested, I take it?"
"Oh yeah, charges of abuse, neglect and endangerment to start with."
"What happen with Kyle?"
"He was known as Timmy back then."
DiNozzo glanced over at McGee and offered him a chair. "It's going to be a long night probie."
McGee took the offered seat and a deep breath. "Don't go there Tony, please."
The both of them stared at Kispert through the glass wall waiting for him to continue with the history of Kyle.
"Well he stayed at St. Francis for a couple of weeks , suffering from mal-nourishment, anemia, asthma and on the brink of pneumonia."
"And after that, where'd he end up?" The questioning continued while Tims' mind wondered elsewhere.
"It's hard enough to place three year olds around the holiday, especially one with multiple medical issues. Poor kid had three strikes against him already. Katie, my wife…"Neil took a deep breath and wiped a tear that had escaped down his cheek.
"Katie could talk me into anything since the first day we met. She said, "A child shouldn't spend his birthday, let alone Christmas in the hospital."
"CPS just doesn't give a child to anybody, especially one with needs."
"We were already registered foster parents and with Katie being an emergency care peds nurse, it was an easy call. Don't you think?"
"What about the older boy?"
"Oliver was four then. He's our biological son. Katie was told she couldn't have children. That's why we decided to foster. We weren't looking to adopt when Kyle came our way."
"Know anything about his biological background?" Gibbs decided it was time to ease Tims' apprehension as to where this line of questioning was headed.
"Not really. Mother was a drug addicted teen, which caused a premature birth. Listen, I don't care about his natural parents. As far as I'm concerned, I am his father."
Gibbs placed his hands, palms down on the table and proceeded to stand. "Okay."
"Agent Gibbs?" He turned to Kispert.
"Are my boys alright? Where are they?"
"Yeah they're okay. They're upstairs."
"Can I see them?"
"See what I can do."
Gibbs stepped out into the hall along with DiNozzo and McGee.
"Tony, have Ziva check with Peoria CPS. Get Kispert something to eat and clean him up before he sees his boys."
"On it boss."
"Boss, you're not going to let him…?"
"Easy, McGee." Gibbs signaled for Tim to follow him.