AN: Slight delay this week because FF was being hinky. :P Anybody figured out who Creepy Killer's hero is? Or who Creepy Killer is? Or have we even been introduced to Creepy Killer yet...?

Chapter 11

Ziva led the way to the lab, Dorneget trailing behind her. As she walked into the lab, a new red light in the corner caught her eye and she stopped.

"The director installed more security," Abby said. "Where are the others?"

"Tony and Gibbs are in the bullpen, and I believe Ducky and Jimmy are in autopsy." Ziva placed the box of evidence she carried on the steel table. "Should they be someplace else?"

Abby reached for the evidence log and signed as McGee dialed his phone.

"Boss, we need you and Tony down here." He hung up and called Ducky with the same message.

"McGee, what is wrong? Did you discover something?" Ziva crossed her arms.

"Maybe." He frowned. "But let's wait for everybody." He turned to the probie. "Dorneget, you too."

Ziva waited until the others had gathered.

"McGee, give us the spoon."

Tony snorted. "Scoop, Ziva."

"Spoon, scoop, whatever. Tell us what is going on."

McGee went through everything he, Abby and the director had discovered. Gibbs was silent until he finished.

"Good work, McGee. Dorneget, you're with Abby as protection detail. Need McGee in the bullpen. Duck, I need a psych profile on this guy ASAP, especially whatever triggers him."

"Certainly. Mr. Palmer is quite capable of handling the physical autopsy, while I will focus on the one of the mind." The medical examiner and his assistant left.

"Abbs, start with the gun in this case; that will give us something to try and link the body to a suspect."

"Will do, Bossman. Come on, Dorney."

Gibbs walked out of the lab, and Ziva followed, Tony and McGee right behind her.

"Gibbs, I did not know that sub story until today, and I profiled all of you for Ari." She waited until they were in the elevator before continuing. "If I had not heard it, even as a member of this team, then it is unlikely others in the agency have heard it."

"Unless they worked here when it happened," Tony said. "Kate and I kidded each other about it for a couple of weeks."

"That still doesn't explain the timing, but it might help us narrow down our suspects list," McGee said. "I'll focus on employees who started at this NCIS office before that case."

"Don't forget to check all the way back, Tim." Tony sighed. "Paula pulled duty here after her Agent Afloat stint before the Pentagon team came open, remember? And Balboa had the Pentagon team your first two years here before he came back to lead a team around the time Gibbs went on his margarita safari."

"Boss, that could explain the timing." McGee frowned. "Maybe this is somebody with a grudge from a while back who just got reassigned to the Navy Yard. Now that they're back, they're starting to take people out."

Gibbs nodded. "DiNozzo, help McGee with that. Ziva, we're going to interview the admiral about his daughter."

She nodded. "Perhaps he can give us some intel that will help narrow down the link in the Navy Yard."

~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~

That evening, Tony yawned and stretched his arms, almost whacking the bags of Chinese food Dorneget and McGee carried.

"Come on, Gibbs wants us in Abby's lab." McGee dropped his coat on his chair.

"We are eating down there, yes?" Ziva got up, rubbing her eyes. "You are bringing the food?"

McGee didn't reply, just headed for the back elevator. Tony brought up the rear, file folder in hand.

"Any luck?" McGee asked as they rode down three floors.

Tony shook his head. "Sure, we've got names. Lots of them. But nothing that makes me go 'Oh, you're the bastard who hates us and is taking out people who look like us.'"

"We are missing something," Ziva said.

"Well, yeah, Ziva. We are. We don't know why somebody's trying to kill us this time."

"Th- This time?" Dorneget stuttered and Tony couldn't help but remember when Probie was that green.

"You haven't heard the stories, Dorneget?" Tony's laugh held no mirth. "It happens more than you'd think."

Dorneget still hadn't replied to that when they walked into the lab.

"What's the news, Boss?"

"You're not going to like this, Tony." Abby had her arms wrapped around her torso, like she was hugging herself. "Really, really not going to like this."

"Spill, Abby. No mu-shu pork until you do." Tony reached into the bags McGee and Dorneget had set on the table and held up a paper container.

"The gun links to a cold case. The bullet's a match. And it was another head shot."

Tony set down the container. "Let me guess, this one looks like me."

Abby shook her head, pigtails flailing. "No, it's another Navy geek. Sorry, McGee."

Tony lifted an eyebrow. "And another head shot." He scanned the room. "Abbs, you'd better watch it. Ari tried to get McGee before he killed Kate, remember."

He didn't think it was possible for Abby to get paler, but she managed. "And he shot into the lab first."

"Yeah." Tony walked over and tugged a pigtail. "If he's sticking to pattern, we need to figure out what the Navy or Marine equivalent of our favorite Goth is."

"Timing." Gibbs pointed to the plasma. "Case is really cold."

Tony headed over, and wasn't surprised when Ziva and McGee joined him.

"That was more than four years ago," Ziva said. "Why did we not investigate it?"

"Because we were in the middle of hell." McGee stepped up and pointed to the date on the file. "Remember the Chimera?"

Tony shuddered. "I've been trying to forget that ship ever since we got off of it."

"Boss, this doesn't make sense." McPuzzled started pacing. "One case from four years ago and then nothing until a few days ago?"

Tony turned away from the screen. "Abbs, did the old case have our guy's signature?"

She shrugged. "I don't see any mention in the electronic file, but I'm going to have to wait until we can get the actual evidence box from archives to be sure. I can't even interview the lead case agent — Jim Williams worked this one and he had an incapacitating stroke a year ago, went out on medical."

"Other agents?" Gibbs looked at her.

"Kensi Blye, but I already checked with Eric and she's on a deep undercover mission that only Hetty knows details about. Hetty was going to talk to Vance, but it sounded like we're going to have to wait a couple of days." Abby frowned.

"At the rate this guy's going, we might not have two days." Tony joined McPacer's loops around the room. "But why the four-year gap?"

"I've got a better question," McGee said. "What if there is no gap? What if there are other cases that we don't know about?"

Tony suddenly lost his appetite. "Well, shit." He walked over to Dorneget. "Come on, Dorney. We're going evidence hunting. Abbs, pull a list of all cold murder cases since Gibbs became team lead and send them to my phone. All teams in the Capitol region." He headed out, the probie right behind him.

~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~

Gibbs looked around the lab at the two remaining agents. "Eat. Got to keep your strength up."

"You, too, Bossman." Abby stepped in front of him. "And no solo coffee runs. Eat first, then you and McGee go get coffee."

"Is that a wise decision?" Ziva hesitated. "If we are right, two of the four bodies have been McGee lookalikes. Perhaps he would be safer here."

"Or maybe this SOB's filled his geek quota and the rest of you are in more danger," McGee retorted. "Besides, he's taking out people he thinks are like us, not us."

"Yes, that has been his method so far. But as Tony pointed out, he is escalating. If we are his goal, will he not eventually focus his attentions on us as individuals?"

Gibbs frowned. "You three come up with any possibilities?"

Ziva shook her head. "Tony's list is here, but it is no longer accurate."

"We were focusing on people who had been here during Kate's first year on the team and are here now," McGee said. "But now we need to go through and narrow that down to people who also were here four years ago."

Gibbs took the list and looked, then held it further away until the print came into focus. Sort of. He didn't recognize most of the names. "That what your gut's telling you to do, McGee?"

"My gut's telling me if we could figure out why this guy's doing this and how he's picking his victims, we'd be a lot closer." McGee pointed at the folder. "We've got enough offices in this region that it doesn't have to be somebody at the Navy Yard. The only specific knowledge we know of that's making us think it's somebody close is the sub connection with Kate, but that story spread around. I heard two sailors talking about it at Norfolk after the Philadelphia returned to port after that exercise. Everybody on that sub crew knew there was a female NCIS agent on board."

Gibbs growled. "McGee, with me." He stalked out, not waiting for the younger agent to answer.

~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~

Forensic Scientist Abigail Scuito. Of all the ones I watch, Abby is the most difficult. There are too many others who watch her, too many who have wanted to take my job as her killer. I have watched her longer than any of the others, except for the great and powerful Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I have gotten closest to her because she lets me. She goes places I can go and be seen, crowded clubs and concerts. She helped me find my next target one of those nights, and it is through that I will have success tonight. I have to be more cautious with the others. She brings them from time to time. She is a little sister to Agent DiNozzo, a friend to Agent David. Past lover to Agent McGee, and somebody he would let use him in that way again. She does not lead him on, though, and that is the only reason she is not first on my list. When I get to that part of my list. She will be almost the last one on it, the one that puts me on par with my hero. But there are many more to come before that. My mother always said I had to eat my vegetables first. Three more to go before I get to the meat of this plan. They will already be watching for me by then. But they will not be looking in the right places. They will not understand my game until I have started on dessert, and my first bite will show them just how skilled I have become. By then, it will be too late.