DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NCIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!
MASK OF INNOCENCE
CH 2
He stood up from the body below him wiping his tears with his sleeve. The instinct to cover up his tracks and avoid detection compelled him into action. His mind refusing to accept that this time there'd be no way to hide his guilt, no one to help him with an alibi.
The knock at the door came later than Tim expected. Maybe his father's new address had slowed them down. Tim entered the entry way before his mother had opened the door.
She stood shaking, uncertain if she wanted to see or hear what was on the other side. He put his arm around her shoulders and opened the door. Two men in dark jackets looked at them before one introduced them both as NCIS agents: Ryan and Freeman.
His mother immediately folded in on herself and began to sob. Tim barely managed to keep her from falling to the floor. With the help of Agent Freeman they got her into the living room and onto the sofa.
The agents shared a look and Agent Ryan suggested that Tim get her a glass of water. He nodded in agreement. She'd need something to help her hold herself together.
In the kitchen Tim cold hear them asking if she was alright or if she had anything to say. Tim didn't like the direction they were heading, so he quickly returned to her side making sure she had two hands on the glass before letting it go.
Before the agents took their seats he motioned for them to move away so he could speak to them. "Listen," he said quietly taking a glance at his mom who was staring off into nothing. "My mom saw a report on the news about a murder at the airport. She's been really concerned that it was my dad. From your appearance here, she's assumed it's true." Tim swallowed, "Is it?"
They nodded now looking at the recent widow with sympathy rather than scrutiny which was what Tim had hoped for.
"We need to tell her," Agent Ryan informed Tim.
He knew it and led them back to take their seats. He sat close to his mother. She smiled up at him sadly when she felt his presence and put her hand on his knee tapping it lightly. Keeping her grounded, she kept it there as she looked at the agents waiting for them to deliver their message.
"Mrs. McGee," Agent Ryan began, "We regret…"
"My husband is dead," she finished for him, her lips betraying the calm she was trying to portray.
"Yes, Ma'am," Agent Freeman acknowledged she was right. "We're still investigating, but so far it appears to be a robbery."
"What did they take?" she asked.
"We don't know exactly, but his wallet is missing. He still had his watch and a ring."
"His wedding ring?" she asked with a touch of hope.
"The ring was on his other hand," Agent Ryan winced. Using that as opening he needed the agent asked, "You were separated weren't you?"
Tim tensed knowing what the questions were leading to, but his mother gripped his arm to keep him seated and silent. "You probably already know he was living elsewhere," her calmness surprised the men present, but her lips quivered slightly. "He had other plans for his future, but there wasn't much I could do about it. He was always his own man."
She looked at her son, "We were going to be okay on our own. Most of our marriage he was away. It wasn't going to be that difficult an adjustment," she explained the only hint of her true emotions was the tear that slipped down her cheek.
Knowing they'd have to question her more in the future, if the case dictated it, the agents decided to let her deal with the news for now and make any arrangements. Legally she was still his widow. After all they doubted she had anything to do with what appeared to be a robbery/homicide.
Tim followed the men to the door. Thanked them quietly while the knots in his stomach clenched wondering if they'd turn to ask him point blank where he was and what he was doing when his father was murdered. They only donned their caps as they walked out the door giving slight nods in farewell.
He closed the door quietly and returned to his mother's side. He wasn't sure what to say. If anything, but didn't have to say anything as his mother's soft voice broke the silence around them.
"You should get Sarah. We have things to do."
Seeing his mother pull herself together Tim knew she was going to be focused on all the details until the funeral was over. There would be more to sort out but confident nothing could be linked back to him, he went to wake his sister.