Chapter 8
The elevator door opened and before Ziva or McGee could say anything, Gibbs spoke, "What you got McGee?"
"Well boss," replied McGee who was sitting on the floor with a laptop in front of him, "I found the call that Dr. House received last night, the call was heavily scrambled. I sent the voice to Abby in the hope see can decrypt it, and I'm still working on tracing it."
"Work harder McGee. Ziva, anything strange?"
"No, everyone coming in has been cleared."
"Doesn't mean someone isn't already in the building. Dinozzo, I want you to stay with House at all times."
Tony groaned and began to walk away.
"You got a problem with that Dinozzo?" asked Gibbs fiercely.
"No Boss," replied Tony straitening up instantly.
Gibbs paced back and forth making McGee even more nervous. The call had been scrambled very well and was near impossible to track, however McGee knew that was not an answer for Gibbs. He was slowly closing in on the location, but it was hard to work when a very intimidating marine sniper breathing down the back of your neck.
Ziva had planned to ask Wilson out today but that idea was far out of her head. If there was one thing that she did best was knowing when it was time to work and time to play, a line Tony never seemed to acknowledge. She would have to clear her mind of all thoughts except those attaining to the mission at hand.
"Boss, I got something." said McGee.
"Spit it out McGee." said Gibbs impatiently.
"I tracked the call to a house not far from here, 3478 Valence St."
"Let's go," said Gibbs, and Ziva and McGee were right behind.
The car pulled up in front of a nice mid-sized house in the suburbs of the city. The sun had come out today and was drying up the rain from the day before. The lawn of the house was small but well kept, and green. The house looked like it could have been the home of Andy Griffy, sitting calm and still. However, a murderer may be waiting inside.
The team quickly left the car and ran across the front lawn, weapons drawn and ready. Ziva and Gibbs took the front door as McGee swung around to the back. Normally the team would knock before entering a house, and if they wanted to go inside without permission they usually had a warrant, not this time.
Gibbs kicked the door open and quickly moved into the house, gun in front of him and Ziva close behind. The house was pleasant and showed pictures of a man and his wife, they both seemed happy. It was laid out for ordinary living not what you might expect from a mass murderer. In fact it showed no sign of being different in anyway. However Gibbs wasn't to focused on the pictures.
Ziva broke off from him to to search different rooms as he moved to check upstairs, he also heard McGee coming in the back way. There was only a bathroom and a bedroom upstairs, both of which were empty.
"Clear!" Gibbs yelled downstairs.
"Clear!" was Ziva's reply.
"Clear," said McGee, "but we've got a body down here boss."
Gibbs rushed downstairs and found McGee in the kitchen with the man in the pictures tied up in a chair, his throat cut. His hands and feet were held to the chair with a thick rope. His cold white face showed a look of pure terror.
"I don't think this guys our murderer boss," said McGee looking at the man.
"Then who is?" said Gibbs turning away.