A/N: Sadly I own nothing pertaining to NCIS or its' characters.
Old Nemesis, New Respect
Chapter 7: It Was an Accident
Gibbs waited on the front porch as DiNozzo made his way to the back of the house. On the count of five he knocked on the door.
"Mr. Peters? NCIS. We'd like to ask you a few more questions."
"Going somewhere fellas?"
Just as predicted the two boys ran out the back door. Right into DiNozzo.
DiNozzo walked the boys around the house to Gibbs.
"Got 'em boss."
"Let's go in and have a talk with your father, shall we?"
"You can't he's gone for the day. He should be back soon though."
"Where did he go?"
The boys looked at each other, "We don't know."
Scottie seems to be the spokesperson for the two, considering Jamie couldn't stop crying long enough to answer them. Gibbs motioned for the boys to turn around as they went into the house. DiNozzo began down the hall and Gibbs stayed with the boys.
"Are we in trouble?"
"Should you be? What's your names?"
"I'm Scottie and this is my brother Jamie."
"Did you enjoy your trip to Pennsylvania?"
Jamie began to cry a little more but Scottie remained quiet.
"Boss," DiNozzo called from the end of the hallway.
"Stay here, don't move. I'm not in the mood to chase, got it?"
Both too scared to move or even speak just nodded their heads. Scottie wrapped Jamie in a guarded hug.
"Whatcha got DiNozzo?" Tony stepped back out of the room to give Gibbs a chance to access the situation himself.
Donald Peters was tangled in the sheets snoring loud enough to register on the Richter scale. Standing at the doorway the agents smelled the distinct odor of urine and stale alcohol.
"Passed out. I can't even shake him loose. Should call the bus."
"He's lucky he's not dead of alcohol poisoning, the way it stinks in here. Get me a child advocate from CPS first. Then we can worry about "father of the year" here."
Gibbs returned to the boys while DiNozzo began snapping pictures. As if the fathers' room wasn't bad enough you couldn't see the boys' floor. Clothes, dirty or clean were all over the place. Trash, soda cans and tv dinner trays. A bunk bed, broken, was tilted against the wall with no mattress on top.
DiNozzo handed the camera to Gibbs to review the pictures. Careful not to give away what he was feeling at the moment in front of the boys, Gibbs pointed towards the kitchen. Although anger and sadness was on his mind he smiled at them. While looking around Gibbs noticed the game system and an empty bag that resembled the Kisperts go bags.
"Hey you guys gamers?"
Forgetting they were afraid and being a subject they knew "everything" about was all it took for the Peters boys to open up.
"It's a shame you don't have a bigger TV to hook it up to."
"Yeah, we usually play at Ollies' and Kyles'." Excited that he could join the conversation, Jamie let vital information slip. "But they were at camp yesterday so we…"
Scottie gave Jamie a little shove and shush.
"You what, Jamie?"
Scottie picked it up from there. "They said we could borrow their system while they were at camp."
"Did Ms. Katie give it to you?"
Jamie answered with a "no" the same time Scottie answered "yes".
"Guys?"
Scottie lowered his chin to his chest and Jamie began to cry again.
"Scottie, talk to me."
"Miss Katie wasn't home and the front door was unlocked."
"Let yourselves in, did ya?"
"Ollie said the bag would be right inside the front door under the table." All we had to do was open it and reach in."
"But you went all the way in, why?"
"We were looking for more games and, and…"
"And..?"
"There was a box on the shelf in the closet. We thought it might have more games in it."
"It didn't though, did it?"
"There was a gun. We were only looking at it honest."
"Was it loaded already?"
"No, there was another box with the bullets."
"How did you know how to load the gun?"
"Jamie did it. He pushed up on the handle and pulled the top backwards."
"What happened with Miss Katie?"
By now both boys were in tears, crying uncontrollably. Gibbs backed off the boys as other agencies came through the door. When the EMTs entered he just pointed down the hall.
"Let me know if I can take him with me or if he's yours?"
"Yes sir."
A woman advanced through the door and headed straight for Gibbs.
"You the man in charge?"
"Special Agent Gibbs, can I help you?"
"Ms. Carlyle, CPS."
Gibbs nodded towards the living room, where Ms. Carlyle could tell how distressed the children were.
"What did you do to them?"
Bringing his chin to his chest to take a slow breath, Gibbs then looked CPS in the eyes and proclaimed, "They've practically confessed to Mrs. Kisperts' murder."
"Murder?"
"At the very least, involuntary manslaughter."
One of the EMTs entered the living area. "That dudes nearly comatose, needs to go with us."
"DiNozzo!"
"Yeah boss?"
"Stay with Peters." DiNozzo handed the camera to Gibbs and attached Peters to the gurney with handcuffs. The EMTs were puzzled.
"SOP, can't be too careful."
~~~~~?~~~~~
Gibbs met with DiNozzo at the hospital for a follow-up.
"Guy should be dead boss. Blood alcohol was .25 three times the limit and then some. Guess he built up an immunity or something. Kisperts down the hall a little ways. You want to give him the good news yourself?"
"Good news, DiNozzo?"
"Yeah, he didn't kill his wife."
"And, what about his wife? What about his boys? Where's the good news DiNozzo?"
"Boss, I only meant that he can…"
"Quit while you're ahead DiNozzo."
~~~~~?~~~~~
"Come in." Kispert heard the soft rapping on the door.
Gibbs stepped up to the bed and released Kispert from the handcuffs. He took note of the classic symptoms of detox. Heavy eyes, drowsy slurred speech, perspiring and tremors.
Wondering why Gibbs was just standing there staring Kispert broke the silence, "Hey."
"Hey yourself. How ya doing?"
"Wishing for a bottle, knowing I shouldn't. I just don't get it. I don't want to be here like this yet at the same time I…I don't know."
"That's why it's called addiction. There are programs that can help and you've got great incentives to come clean. You're the only one they have left. Two great kids are waiting for you Marine."
"Look at me!" Kispert was getting agitated, "Some Marine, huh."
"Being a Marine is not all physical, it's mental too. It's here and here." Gibbs directed Neils' attention to his head and heart.
Tears began to roll down his face and Kispert made no attempt to conceal them.
"But, what if I killed Katie?"
"You've been cleared."
"I don't know how I'm supposed to do it without her. She was the real rock that held this family to…Wait, What?"
"You didn't kill your wife. And you're right. While you were deployed, serving your country and recovering from your injuries, Katie raised two strong intelligent young men. Two new rocks to stand on."
"They've got a lot of life ahead of them. I can't ask them to drop everything. The boys have their own dreams."
"Why not?"
Kispert looked to the door after hearing it open. The boys walked in followed by McGee and DiNozzo.. Kyle had his hand on his brothers' shoulder as Oliver took his fathers hand.
"Yeah dad, why not? We want to, let us please."
As the three Kispert men went in for a group hug McGee approached Gibbs.
"Boss?"
"Yeah McGee?"
"Abby wants to see us in MTAC as soon as we get back."
"Case is closed McGee," DiNozzo stated matter-of-factly.
"That's what I told her, but you know Abby, she insists."
DiNozzo bowed the right of way to Gibbs and McGee, "Well then. Let's not keep the Goth Princess waiting."