Chapter 3

Gibbs went around his desk grabbing his gun, his team mirrored his actions. "Grab your overnight bags, McGee get with Abby we're going to need all the surveillance equipment we can fit into this." Gibbs tossed a duffle bag at McGee. McGee caught it, fumbling slightly with all his gear, before heading down to Abby's. "DiNozzo, David…pull the charger around. We meet in 10." Before he left the Ziva left the bullpen he grabbed Ziva arm gently, " Can you read this?" He handed her back the email.

"Yea Gibbs, but it's going to take some time, it's a lot longer than her usual emails and she switches languages 3 times."

"How long?"

"Maybe an hour, could be more, if she's using code." Gibbs clapped her on the back.

"Do it." Gibbs headed towards the director's office.

Tony fell in step with Ziva, keeping a close eye on his partner. "Any idea what's going on?" Ziva hit the button to the elevator and leaned on the frame, she looked up at Tony. Tony's eyes opened wide, he saw so much in his partners eyes. Love, hate, confusion and something he never thought he would ever see in her eyes, fear.

"Not right now Tony." The elevator opened and Ziva entered first, Tony followed her in and hit the button to the garage.

Gibbs went into the director's office; Vance had been waiting for his confirmation. Without a word between them, Vance handed over the mission files. Gibbs nodded, "See yea later Vance." Gibbs slammed the door to his office. Vance shook his head and picked up the phone.

McGee carried his overfilled surveillance bag out to the charger Abby gave him everything but the kitchen sink. Tony and Ziva were casually leaning against the car trying to stare the other down. McGee gulped feeling the tension in the air. He looked from one to the other trying to figure out which one had the keys, and which one wouldn't kill him for guessing wrong. McGee decided that it was a no win situation.

"Hey guys?" Tony and Ziva looked over at him; if looks could kill he'd be dead, twice. McGee lifted the heavy duffle bag slightly. "Can you pop the trunk?" Ziva pulled the keys out of her pocket pushed the required button, then went back to glaring at Tony. McGee shuffled back to the trunk space putting all his stuff in the trunk; he hesitantly grabbed their bags, seeing as he was going unnoticed he continued packing the trunk. Gibbs trotted into view handing his bag to McGee.

"Thanks McGee." Gibbs approached his two agents, completely being ignored; he raised his hands smacking both of his agents in the back of the head. Ziva and Tony groaned, Ziva turned and opened the front passenger side door. Tony opened his mouth before receiving a glare from Gibbs. Tony closed his mouth with a pop going to the back right behind Ziva. McGee climbed into the seat behind Gibbs.

Gibbs cranked the engine and they were off. An hour plane ride, a rental car and a few head slaps later the team arrived in Dayton Ohio. The air was crisp but not unpleasant, Gibbs looked around, they were stopped at a gas station as McGee fiddled with the GPS. Ziva leaned casually against the car looking at her phone. Tony was inside stocking up with junk food; his arms were filled with candy bars, drinks, chips and other goodies. Tony tossed his treasure on the counter and paid that cashier.

"Good news boss, we're only 3 miles away from the house the email was traced to." McGee showed Gibbs the GPS and even though Gibbs couldn't see the screen clearly, he nodded to McGee. Gibbs looked over to Ziva. She had been unusually quiet during their trip. Tony was his usual self and Tim was, well Tim. Tony trotted back to the car dividing the goodies between his team mates; coffee for Gibbs; orange juice for Ziva; milk for Tim; and a blue raspberry slushy for himself. All drinks situated, the team retreated back into the car.

The team pulled up in front of an old 1950's house, there was a pink truck in the drive way. Donning their caps they piled out of the car. Gibbs led the team up the narrow walk knocking on the glass door. As soon as they had approached the house a dog started barking; a women's voice could be heard from behind the door telling the dog to shut up. An elderly woman opened the door, her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, the silver color glinting in the sunlight, her blue eyes hidden behind glasses.

"Can I help you?"

Gibbs pulled out his ID showing the woman, "Agent Gibbs NCIS, we're looking for an Akuziva Daveda." The women pulled the door open wider grabbing her dog by the collar.

"Is she hurt?"

"No, we just need to ask her a few questions does she live here?"

"Well, right now, but she left for a business trip to DC early this morning. Please come in." The woman pulled the dog into the house, Gibbs and his team entered the humble home. Gibbs scanned the home quickly, two chairs, a TV, an old computer on a small desk in the corner, angel's and crucifixes scattered around. Tony, Ziva and Tim spread out, casually looking around the small house. One hallway lead back to four doors, the room straight back had its door shut, the other doors where open, Ziva could clearly see from her place in the living room that one room was the bathroom, the other a bedroom and the other what looked like a collect all room. Tony and Tim stood in the kitchen as there was barely enough room for the Gibbs, Ziva and the woman in the living room.

The woman sat down in her recliner, she motioned for Gibbs to do the same, he smiled a thank you and sat opposite her. "You said it was a business trip. What kind of business?" Gibbs pulled out a note pad and pen. Ziva looked down the hallway to the room with the closed door, there was no way she could sneak back to take a look, the house was too small. She decided to let Gibbs do his magic.

The woman smiled and nodded, "She needed to visit an embassy to get a vista, no visa so she could do something overseas." The woman tapped her fist on her head. "Gosh darnet, I can't remember what she said she was gonna do."

Gibbs smiled gently at the woman, "Did she say what embassy?"

"You know I'm sure she did, but for the life of me I can't remember it right now." The woman looked agitated at herself and frowned wracking her brain trying to remember what Akiva had said.

"Was it the Israeli embassy?" Gibbs coaxed.

"Yea, wait no, no not that one, she was so excited about it, she was telling me about all the different embassies in the DC area, she kept telling me that we would have to visit one day. But for the life of me I cannot remember which one she was going to this time."

"Ma'am may I take a look in her room?" Ziva asked politely.

"Sure dear, but please call me Sharon." Ziva nodded her thanks to Sharon and made her way back to the closed door. Ziva opened the door slowly, the room was tiny, and sparse, a small futon mat lay on the floor with rumpled blankets, there was a milk crate next to it serving as a night stand with an alarm clock on it, Ziva ventured to the closet pulling one of the doors open. Not surprisingly there were few clothes in the closet, one shirt, two pairs of pants and lots of plastic hangers. The room also had a bookcase, Ziva turned her attention to the various titles, most of them where in other languages, she could read most of the titles, but some of the books were so worn the spine was illegible. Ziva noted a surge protector by the bed, with no plugs in it. She filed it away for later returning back to the living room.

"She does not seem to have many possessions." Ziva asked nonchalantly.

"Oh my no, poor dear, she had only a suitcase and a back pack when she moved in here. She's only been here a few months since she lost her lease on her apartment." The woman smiled kindly at Ziva over the side of the chair.

"Well I think we're done here, thank you Sharon you've been a great help." Gibbs stood pulling out a business card, "If you can remember anything please give me a call." Gibbs started to stand but the woman grabbed his arm lightly.

"What is going on Agent Gibbs? Is my niece ok?" The woman's worried eyes pierced through Gibbs, blue met blue and for a moment Gibbs felt a bit of shame in himself for having to lie.

"She's ok, we think she may have witnessed a murder, someone identified her car." Gibbs' lie came smoothly out of his mouth. The woman let go of Gibbs sleeve and smiled.

"Yes her car is pretty noticeable. She painted it herself you know! She was so proud of that yellow, it's so bright you could see it in the dark!" The woman smiled gently, her voice was full of warmth and love. Gibbs finished standing and motioned for his agents to head for the door.

"Oh wait! Let me get her a treat!" The woman hurried to the small kitchen pulling out a dog treat effectively distracting the dog so the team could make it out the door safely.

"Why didn't you ask for her full name boss?" Tony opened the car door looking over the roof at Gibbs. Gibbs smirked to himself and pointed somewhere over the boys shoulder.

"'Cause DiNozzo, it's on the mail box."

Tony's head whipped around; there right by the front door was a small black mail box with even tinier lettering, S. Bawein. Tony shook his head and got into the car, the team resituated themselves and drove down the block to a dead end.

"McGee do background on a Sharon Bawein, I doubt that is her maiden name, but she did mention being Akiva's aunt, so look under both her father and mothers last name. Tony, call local PD I want a car stationed close by incase Akiva's trip is cut short. Ziva, where are you on the email?"

"Only one paragraph in Gibbs, Japanese is a very complex syntax, and vague. I have been able to isolate some key points, Israel, America, bomb, and terrorist. But the rest of it is making little sense until I can finish the paragraph." Ziva felt like her head was going to explode, Japanese was not one of her five languages, it was one she had studied in childhood. "I'm trying to skip over the Japanese the best I can. But her sentences run together, then switch languages. So I'm only getting half of the message." Gibbs grumbled to himself then pulled out of the dead end street.

Tony hung up his phone, "Where we going boss?"

"Back to DC."

"Uh, boss, Sharon Bawein, or rather Sharon Daveda, was a U.S. Marine-"

"No such thing as 'was' McGee." Gibbs smiled to himself, he knew there was something he liked about that women.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, she's never left the country, never even had a passport. She's lived in Ohio her entire life, born in a small town up north then remained here for the last 20 years. Married once, no children, she was widowed about 30 years ago."

"Family?"

"Yes, 5 brothers and 2 sisters. One of them is-"

"Bresal" Gibbs whipped the car out onto the main road.

"Yea, but he's deceased, KIA. Desert Storm."

Tony looked over McGee's shoulder at the computer screen, "Had two tours in Vietnam boss, he was pretty old when he went to desert storm." But Gibbs never heard him, his mind was somewhere else, a loud, dusty, sandy somewhere else. Memories snaked his way through his mind, his jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed as unwanted memories came to the surface.

"Boss?..."

"Yea McGee?" Gibbs snapped himself out of his headspace just in time to turn into the airport.

" I think I remember seeing a cell phone on the side table you want me to go through the phone records and see if we can find Akiva's number?"

"Tony." Tony smacked McGee in the back of the head with glee.

"On it boss!" McGee rubbed his head, you know for being an MIT grad he felt stupid sometimes.

End Chapter