All We Are
Chapter 4
"DiNozzo, check out the graveyard," Arty watched as Gibbs threw Tony the keys. She swallowed hard, "Look for a Petty Officer Robert Clark. If anything seems out of place, call me."
"Got it boss," Tony caught the keys with no problem and picked up his jacket.
"Hey!" Gibbs called.
"Yeah, Boss?" they'd been through this before. Arty sighed and leaned back in Tony's chair. She was just another case.
"Take Kate with you," she waved to the agent as she passed by her. "McGee, go interview Mrs. Clark."
"Okay, Boss," McGee headed out after Tony and Kate.
"Mrs. Clark didn't do it," Arty watched Gibbs as he paced.
"How are you sure?" he stopped in his tracks and met her eyes.
"She was like a mother to Ethan and I. She and my mom were best friends," Arty knew what was coming next.
"What can you tell me about her?" he pulled up a chair and faced her.
"Nothing that you didn't already find out when you had the team look her up," Arty snapped at him. That kept him quiet. She decided she wasn't going to let him slide about the tricking thing, "So, you don't really trust me. You don't care about my parents being dead. You don't care about my well being. You just care about me giving you information. You would like it if I was trapped in a foster home."
She stood, knocking some things off Tony's desk as she leaned in next to him. "That isn't true."
"How can I trust you?" she noticed annoyance flash slightly in his eyes, but it was masked with something else. "How can I know you're telling the truth?"
"I'm supposed to be asking those questions," he replied calmly. Oh man, she was going to kill him.
"If you're not tricking me then why are you being so nice to me?" her voice was getting louder and louder. "You aren't nice to anyone else except Abby, and she told me you never care about suspects like this!"
He was silent for a while, his eyes searching, "You remind me of someone."
Arty sat back down, she realized what was filling his eyes. Pain, "Who?"
She looked down at her feet, "Kelly."
"Who's Kelly?" Arty looked back up, but he was gone. She looked around frantically. What had happened? She sighed and propped her feet up on Tony's desk. Perhaps she would lay off Gibbs for a while.
"What have you got, McGee?" Arty snapped awake, and gave a feeble yelp of surprise.
"Well, I visited Karen Clark's house. She was supposedly taking care of Kennedy, who apparently has a cold, but she didn't seem that sick," McGee sat down at his desk.
"She has a fever," Arty snapped, "She stayed home from school yesterday."
"She said she didn't know anything about the explosion and that she was really sorry," McGee ignored Arty's comment, "I asked her what she was doing that day, she said she was home all day long, except when she went to the store at eleven to get some medicine for Kennedy."
"And?" Gibbs looked thoroughly annoyed now.
"She said that neighbors could confirm that she never left, and a store clerk at Walgreens could confirm she was there at about eleven fifteen."
"Good," Gibbs stood, "Check out Walgreens, see if anything suspicious is going on—," he answered his cell phone, "Yeah, Gibbs. Okay, Tony, we'll be right there."
"Boss?" McGee furrowed his eyebrows.
"Tony and Kate found something wrong with the grave," Gibbs started out towards the elevator. "You," he pointed to Arty, "Stay here and don't touch anything."
"Okay," she rolled her eyes and turned on Tony's computer.
"Don't you find it a little odd that Mrs. Clark was out of the house at around the time that Arty's parents were killed? And the time that Ethan King left school?" Kate was protesting.
"Ha!" Arty suddenly cried out. She felt four pairs of eyes suddenly train on her. "I beat your high score Tony!"
She smiled up at him, her eyes mischievous. She saw his hands twitched as he met Gibbs' eyes, "Arty, we're discussing something about the case."
"Okay," she returned to the game, but she was secretly listening.
"Only two people know where Petty Officer Clark's grave is," Gibbs whispered. Arty's ears perked up, "Tony, McGee, go get Mrs. Clark. Kate, take Arty and give this to Abby."
"Got it Boss," McGee and Tony chimed. Seconds later, they were gone.
Kate snatched the evidence bag from Gibbs, and looked up at him calmly, "You think Mrs. Clark did it?"
Gibbs didn't answer, but turned to leave, "Gibbs!" her voice sounded frantic, "Where will Kennedy go?"
"You worry about this and Arty," he took her arm and pushed her lightly in the direction of Tony's desk.
Arty quickly adverted her eyes and pretended she was interested in the video game flashing on the computer screen, "What's that?" she pointed at the bag in Kate's hand.
"Evidence," she quickly stuffed the bag behind her bag, "Nothing you should be concerned about."
"It is my family," Arty stood and scowled as she noticed dirt.
Kate smiled at her knowingly, her eyes sparkling, "To Abby's."
"Again?" she tried to cover the disappointment in her voice. She was hoping Kate would disobey Gibbs.
Kate just laughed and headed towards the elevator. Arty looked around the empty bullpen, then at the window. It was almost sunset, and the trees were swaying in the wind. She smiled. It would've been the perfect day to play with her friends.
"Arty?" Kate called. She snapped her head towards the elevator.
"Sorry!" Arty dashed towards the waiting agent, and leaned against the walls. "You want something from me."
Kate looked mildly surprised, "How'd you know?"
"It's in your eyes."
"Did you murder your family?" Arty snorted.
"I've never known you to be so blunt, Kate," she sighed, "No. I did not kill my family."
"How can I trust you?" Kate raised an eyebrow at the mischievous girl.
"Do I seem like the lying type to you?"
"You lied about the gun," Kate met her eyes.
"What?" Arty snapped her head towards Kate, "What are you talking about?"
"The gun. It wasn't it the grave," she jumped at Arty's sudden reaction.
"What?" Arty's eyes widened, "Oh no. Someone must have taken it," she paused and pursed her lips before growing oddly agitated and pacing the elevator, "I was at his funeral. He was like another father to me. I saw Karen put the gun in the grave!"
"Who was at the funeral?" Kate avoided Arty's eyes, and insteas kept them trained on the elevator doors in thought, "Can you remember?"
"All of them were family, except my family, and half of them are dead now," she whispered, and bit her bottom lip.
"Dead?" Kate's voice raised in alarm.
"Cancer runs in the Clark family. On both sides. All of them died from some sort of cancer except for Katie, who died in a house fire," she sighed through her nose.
"Katie? Who's Katie?"
"Kennedy's older sister. She was seventeen when she died a year ago," Arty paused and groaned, "She was Ethan's girlfriend."
"Do you think—do you think it's possible your brother killed your parents and then blew himself up?"
"No."
"How are you so sure?" Kate's voice was wary.
"I would've known if he was making a bomb in his bedroom. He sleeps in the room right next to mine."
"Well we already went through the Clarks' house. No sign of bomb making there," the elevator dinged and the doors opened.
Arty paused, racking her mind. She watched Kate step out of the elevator.
"Come on, Arty," Kate called once again. She scowled and stepped into Abby's lab. "Abby!"
The Goth spun around and smirked, "Back again, huh?"
"I have evidence for you," Kate handed the bag of dirt to her, "We found it at the crime scene."
Abby did a little fist pump, and saluted Kate, "All right."
"Thanks, Abby," she smiled at her, then patted Arty's shoulder on her way past her.
"So, what do you want to do?" Abby spun in her chair and looked the girl in the eye.
"I'm not here for entertainment, Abs," she sat in the chair she'd been using before, "I'm here to help you solve the case."
"I have to go get this to Ducky, okay?" Abby took something from her office, Arty couldn't make out what it was.
"Okay, Abs," McGee, who had just joined the two, didn't take his eyes from the screen when he spoke.
"I'll be right back," Abby was heading out the door.
"Hurry up," Arty's voice was just as iconic as McGee's.
She peered around the corner to make sure the scientist was gone, before turning off the music.
"I was starting to get a headache," she stretched back in her chair.
McGee didn't answer, but clicked a couple of things and groaned.
"Loosen up, McGoo," she smiled at the use of the nickname and stood from her chair.
"Don't call me that," he finally turned his head, and got up from his chair too.
Arty snickered as she examined the selves of Abby's lab. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw McGee in the corner, staring at something on the plasma screen.
She thought she heard something clatter outside, but she just scoffed and looked out the dark window. Night had fallen about two hours ago, and she sighed as she realized it was raining again. Before she could blink, the glass of the window ahead of her exploded in little pieces, and something flew over her head. She slid to the ground with a loud scream, cowering against the shelves, and suddenly McGee was right next to her.
"Are you okay?" he breathed. She noted he sounded awfully scared.
"I'm fine," she tried to calm herself, "Get the lights!"
She watched him nervously as he darted around the room, clicking all the lights off. She turned her head towards the window. Someone had shot at her.
Soon, the lab was covered in darkness. She heard footsteps that obviously weren't McGee's.
"Guys?" Arty heard Abby's voice, and she lurched forward, grabbing Abby's arm and pulling her towards the floor. Abby gave a small yelp.
"Someone shot at us," Arty hissed, and they crawled to the edge again, "Watch out for glass."
"I should call someone," McGee whispered. Arty gave him a look, and scrunched up her nose.
He picked up his phone and punched in a number, "Tony, someone shot at—."
Another bullet came whizzing through the window next to Arty. She screamed again and cowered next to McGee.
She felt herself shaking. "McGee, I'm scared."
"I called Tony," he whispered, and he grabbed Abby into his arms. Arty clung to his shoulder, grabbing it with intense force.
"How can he see in here?" tears started to form in her eyes.
"He can't," his voice was shaking.
"McGee?" she heard Tony.
"Get down!" McGee warned, and she noticed Gibbs was with him. The two raced quietly to their sides.
"Tony," Gibbs whispered, "Go check outside, get it closed as a crime scene."
"Got it, Boss," Tony crawled towards the doorway, and slipped out of sight.
"Are you okay?" Gibbs sat next to McGee.
"No!" Arty's voice was frantic, and dripping with terror.
She saw him hold Abby in his arms, and whisper something to McGee, but she inched away from him when he tried to comfort her. She was now latched onto McGee's arm, and she couldn't wrap her mind about anything.
"Boss," Tony came in and flicked the light on, "No sign of anything. The coast is clear."
They all stood up, and suddenly Arty grabbed McGee in a painfully strong hug, and she was sobbing into his shoulder. She could tell he was uncomfortable, but she didn't care.
Tony unlatched her from him, and she was shaking as she stood, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Are you okay?" he gently held her arm.
She shook her head. And then she collapsed onto the ground, bringing Tony with her. She curled into a ball and started sobbing. She could feel Tony patting her arm awkwardly.
"Are you all okay?" she heard Kate's voice, "Tony told me—What's wrong with Arty?"
She was by her side in an instant.
"Someone tried to kill me," Arty's voice was muffled.
Kate hugged her and rubbed her back, "You were in Abby's lab, I highly doubt they were trying to kill you."
"Then why did they only shoot when I was by the window and Abby was gone?" Arty pulled back from Kate's hug, and was still crying hard.
"I don't know, Arty, but we're going to find out," Tony gripped her shoulder in a caring way.
She met their gaze and nodded, feeling a whole lot safer. Gibbs offered her his hand, and he pulled her up. She smiled feebly.
"I suppose I'm not staying here tonight?" she swallowed and looked around the glass covered floor.
Gibbs shook his head with a small laugh.
"How about you stay with me?" Kate seemed to be asking Gibbs more then she was asking Arty.
"Boss," McGee snapped on a pair of gloves and picked up something, "Found the bullet."
"Abby, can you check it?" Gibbs handed it to her.
"Of course, Gibbs," she smiled and clicked a couple of times. "Bad news."
"What?" Arty was suddenly next to her.
"This was shot from the same gun that killed your parents."
A/N: So that was pretty adventurous! I'm pretty sad no one reviewed. It makes me VERY sad. So if you review, it keeps me writing. Reviews = Happy Bandit!
Thanks to everyone who read this story! You are awesome!