Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Sorry this is a little late. Uploads wouldn't work for me this morning.

Part 3 – An Investigation and a Revelation

Tony exited the elevator and made his way to his desk, his mood decidedly less cheerful than the day before. The headache that had plagued him over the weekend had returned, along with the upset stomach. He sincerely hoped he would be able to make it through the day without getting sick and embarrassing himself.

He eased into his chair and glanced at McGee, who had stopped typing for a moment to look up at his partner. A puzzled expression crossed the younger man's face, followed almost immediately by concern.

"You OK, Tony? You look like crap."

"And good morning to you, too, Probie," Tony replied with far less energy than he usually did. He started to check his email but soon had to stop as the pain behind his eyes increased and he reached up to rub his temples.

"Headache?" Tony shot him a "duh" look. "Are you going to need to break out the 'DiNozzo Defibulator'?" he asked with a slight grin. At the mention of that particular brew, Tony felt his stomach do a slow roll and he quickly got to his feet. "I'm going to go see Abby," he managed to get out before making a beeline for the stairs. He ran down one flight and headed for the closest bathroom. The level he had reached was relatively deserted and he was relieved he'd have at least some privacy. He barely made it to the stall before emptying the contents of his stomach. After several minutes, and when he was sure he wasn't going to bring anything else up, he staggered to the sink to rinse out his mouth and looked up at his reflection.

"Probie was right," he muttered as he wiped his face and attempted to fix his sweat-soaked hair. "Hope I'm not coming down with something…" When he was semi-presentable and had managed to cover the more obvious signs of illness, he plastered a smile on his face and headed for Abby's lab.

Tony winced as he stepped through the door into the lab where the cacophony of Abby's music assaulted his ears. Abby was in front of her computer, bobbing her head with the beat.

"Abby!" he yelled and she spun around, grinning when she saw him.

"Tony!" Her grin faded when she got a closer look at the senior agent. "What's wrong? You look like crap."

"So I've been told. Do you have the tox results back yet?"

"I do. Lieutenant Pratchett received a lethal dose of ethylene glycol, as well as a larger-than-lethal dose of arsenic trioxide."

"So which one killed him?"

"That's Ducky's department, but either one could have done it. I checked his hair, and he's been exposed to non-lethal doses for the past month, which increased during the last week before he died."

"Any idea how he was exposed?"

"I'm pretty sure he ingested it rather than inhaled it, since I didn't find evidence of the arsenic in his lung tissue."

"Someone was feeding it to him…"

"Which is relatively easy to do. Arsenic trioxide is odorless and tasteless, and dissolves in most liquids. It's why it was a popular poison for hundreds of years."

"Good to know. Any idea how often he was dosed?"

"Almost daily."

"So…maybe at work?"

"I didn't find any in the food from his apartment, so that would be a good bet. Unless there was somewhere else his went on a daily basis."

"Thanks, Abby," he said and turned to leave as he tried hard to ignore the churning in his gut, a sensation that had nothing to do with his earlier bout of sickness.

"Tony, you sure you're OK? You look like you need to lie down. I'm sure Bert wouldn't mind the company."

"I'm fine, Abby. Just might be coming down with something."

He listened to her rattle off a list of things he should try to combat the flu, colds, and other common maladies before thanking her and heading back to his desk.

When he arrived, he found a bottle of water and two aspirin conspicuously placed next to his keyboard. He looked over at McGee, who was watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"Thanks, Tim," Tony said before downing the aspirin and chasing them with half the contents of the water bottle. McGee just nodded and went back to his work.

Ziva walked over to his desk and looked down at him. "Are you OK, Tony? You look like—"

"Thank you, we've already established I look like crap. I'm fine."

"You do not look fine…"

"Don't you have work to do, Probette?"

Ziva huffed and went back to her desk. Tony tried to concentrate on the information scrolling down his screen but his headache hadn't faded yet. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, Abby's words running through his mind.

"DiNozzo!"

His eyes snapped opened and he immediately sat up to meet the annoyed gaze of Gibbs.

"Sorry, Boss, just thinking."

Gibbs glare softened and a look of concern crossed his face. "You alright?"

"I'm good, Boss."

Gibbs just shook his head and turned to the others. "Talk to me."

McGee stood and brought the information up onto the plasma. "Pratchett drove an older vehicle, so I couldn't track him using an onboard GPS feature. As I said before, he didn't use his credit cards for any purchases but gas, and he made two gas purchases over the past month at a station two blocks from his work, two at a station a block from his apartment, and two at a station in central Georgetown."

"Regular hangouts. What's near the third station?"

"It's a couple of blocks from the historical district, and most of the businesses are restaurants, bars, and specialty shops."

"Was the pub where you saw him in that area, Tony?" He nodded, dreading the conversation he'd be having later about that. "Ziva?"

"Nothing in his service records to indicate any problems or altercations which could lead to a motive."

"Tony?"

"Divorce agreement is standard and alimony isn't excessive. Life insurance policy for $100,000, beneficiary is a sister who lives in Miami. She works for the Miami-Dade police department as a dispatcher."

"Anything else?"

"I spoke to Abby. She said he received a fatal dose of both poisons, and had been getting smaller doses of the arsenic for a month, with more in the last week before he died."

"Why two different poisons? And why two different methods?" asked Ziva.

"Maybe to throw us off track?" McGee suggested.

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Ensign Roberts, the witness who had discovered the body, escorted by one of the guards.

"Agent Gibbs? I need to speak with you."

"What's on your mind, Ensign?"

"I, uh…" He glanced around at the team. "I think I might have something that will help your case." He took another look around the room and swallowed nervously.

"Conference room." Gibbs headed for the designated location and the rest of the team, along with Roberts, followed. Once they were all inside and seated, Roberts started to speak.

"I work in the same department where the Lieutenant did. On the surface, everyone seemed to get along. No major disagreements or arguments."

"As your coworkers have already stated," said Ziva.

"Yes. The truth is…I noticed some tension between Lieutenant Pratchett and our CO, Captain O'Neill. I've heard them arguing on several occasions, starting about a month ago, and in the past week…I overheard the Captain tell Pratchett his days were numbered."

"Any idea what they were arguing about?"

"I think it had something to do with the contracts that the Lieutenant was working on for a new IT project at the Research Center. I'm not sure, but I think the Captain was pressuring the Lieutenant about the final decision. The Lieutenant…he really didn't like to be pushed around."

"McGee, see what you can find out about those contracts."

"On it, Boss."

"Ziva, background on Captain O'Neill."

"Yes, Gibbs."

After the two youngest agents left, Gibbs turned back to Roberts.

"Do you know if Captain O'Neill had access to Lieutenant Pratchett's apartment?"

"I don't think so, sir. They weren't what you'd call friendly, even before all this started."

"Where did the Lieutenant eat when he was at work?" asked Tony.

"I…I guess in the cafeteria."

"Did the Captain ever join him?"

"Yes, sir. All the officers in our department would spend at least three or four lunch hours a week together. They called it a 'working lunch'."

"We'll check it out. Thank you, Ensign Roberts."

"They won't know I said anything, right?"

"They won't know." Gibbs called a guard to escort Roberts out and after he had left, the lead agent turned to his second in command.

"Well?"

"If O'Neill had a stake in the project and Pratchett wasn't cooperating, that's motive, and he had the opportunity to slip Pratchett a daily dose of arsenic."

"Doesn't explain the anti-freeze."

"I'm still holding out for the ex for that one."

Gibbs chuckled and then his expression grew serious. "Are you fit to be here, Tony?"

Damn, I must look a lot worse than I thought…

"I can handle it, Boss."

"I know you can. I'm asking if you should be here."

"It's just a stomach virus or something, Gibbs."

Gibbs regarded him for several moments before giving him a nod. "Alright. You and Ziva go re-interview the co-workers. See if you can find out more about these lunch meetings and who else was involved, as well as the supposed girlfriend."

"Got it," Tony said, trying to ignore the last part of that assignment. He followed Gibbs back to the bullpen.

"Ziva, did you find anything on O'Neill?"

"Not much. He has been in the Navy for 24 years and has been at the Lab for the past eight years, where he has been in charge of the Supply and Information Services department for five years."

"Any complaints?"

"None that I could find, at least not yet."

"McGee?"

"There are three contracts that have been in review during the past month, one for an IT project at the Lab. Five bidders so far. No final decision has been made, although there are two that have submitted low bids and are apparently being considered."

"Keep checking. Ziva, you go with Tony to re-interview the people in Pratchett's department."

"Uh, Boss? Maybe I should go. Tony doesn't look-"

"I'm fine, McGee," Tony snapped and grabbed his gear. "Being a little under the weather never stopped me before." He headed for the elevator. Ziva shot Gibbs a questioning look, but he just tilted his head toward the retreating agent and she nodded before heading for the elevator as well. Gibbs walked over to McGee's desk.

"Do you understand how their contract review system works, McGee?"

"I can figure it out, Boss."

"Enough to do Pratchett's job?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good. Get to work." He turned and headed for the stairs.

XXX

Several hours later, Ziva and Tony returned. They had learned that Pratchett, O'Neill, and three other officers had participated in the noon-time work sessions. None of the officers had any suspicion of any conflict between Pratchett and O'Neill, or at least not that they were willing to admit. None were familiar with Pratchett's social life, much to Tony's relief.

Tony had started to feel a bit better during the course of the day, and convinced himself that his earlier ailment was just a virus. His headache had faded, along with the nausea. Except for a strange tingling sensation in his fingers, he was starting to feel like himself again.

"Anything?" asked Gibbs as they returned to their desks.

"Not a lot. We have three more names to add to the group who may have had the opportunity to slip Pratchett the arsenic. None of them met with him outside of work or had access to his apartment, though."

"What about the girlfriend?"

"The officers did not interact with Pratchett socially and were not aware of his relationships."

"McGee?"

"I've been through the contracts over the past five years. There are a couple of questionable awards: one to a firm in Annapolis who did not have as sound of a reputation or as many recommendations as their competitors that would indicate they could produce the promised results with their low bid. The other to a firm in Baltimore: same situation. Both of these came up before Pratchett was on the job."

"Who had the job at the time?"

"A Lieutenant Michaels, now deceased. He died in a car accident two weeks before Pratchett was reassigned to his job."

"So O'Neill lost his lackey who helped push through the bids, and when Pratchett wouldn't play ball, he decided to get him out of the way."

"Something's not right."

"What do you mean, McGee?"

"I mean…well, if he wanted Pratchett out of the way, why poison him for such a length of time, and then administer a fatal dose? And why give a separate poison?"

"To throw us off track, as you suggested earlier?"

"From what I've read of his background, I don't think O'Neill would be that subtle."

"So we're back to the mysterious girlfriend?" asked Ziva.

Further discussion was halted when the elevator door opened and a dark-haired woman in a Naval officer's uniform stepped out. The three men stared at her in surprise as she walked into their section and stopped.

"Commander Coleman. Long time no see."

"Agent Gibbs." She turned to acknowledge the other two men. "Agent DiNozzo. Agent…McGee." She paused briefly to study the younger man before returning her attention to Gibbs. "I understand you need to speak to me."

Tony could only stare at the two of them in shock. It was like watching a train wreck…

"I didn't realize we had a case pending with JAG," Gibbs replied.

"You don't. This is in regards to your current case. You're investigating the death of Lieutenant Treynor Pratchett, correct?"

"We are. Why the interest?"

"In the course of your investigation, you are looking into past and current relationships. I am one of those people to whom you need to speak."

"You had a relationship with Lieutenant Pratchett?"

"A casual one, yes."

"So why-?"

"I know how you operate, Agent Gibbs. I simply want to clear the air and not have this drag out longer than necessary."

Gibbs glanced at DiNozzo, who was looking as if he would rather be anywhere else. He turned back to Commander Coleman.

"Conference room?"

"Lead the way."

"You coming, DiNozzo?"

"Uh…on your six, Boss."

"McGee, Ziva, keep working on those files."

"Yes, Boss."

"Yes, Gibbs."

Tony caught a quick glimpse of a mouthed conversation between the two younger agents before he followed Gibbs and Faith to the conference room. Once they were settled into chairs around the table, Gibbs turned to Faith with a slight smirk.

"So nice of you to save us some time, Commander. How did you hear about Pratchett's death?"

"A notice came through our office. I figured that you would want to talk to me, so I came over as soon as my schedule cleared."

"What was the nature of your relationship with Lieutenant Pratchett?"

"Casual."

"'Casual'? Gotta give me more than that, Faith."

"We met for drinks or dinner a couple of times a week at a pub named Billy Bones in Georgetown. Feel free to check with the staff."

"We'll do that. Anything else, since you're so willing to share?"

"I ended our relationship on Friday. Trey was interesting in pursuing it to the next level, and I was not."

"And how did he take it?"

"Not well. He left me alone, but remained at the bar for some time after our discussion, and left approximately two hours before I did."

"Did you see any of this, DiNozzo?"

"I saw him at the bar." Tony winced inwardly as he committed a little white lie of omission. Faith raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

"Did you see Agent DiNozzo there that night, Commander Coleman?"

"I must admit, I was distracted. I did not see him at the bar."

Gibbs studied his agent and the lawyer for several moments. Finally he spoke.

"Anything else you can tell me? Did Pratchett have any enemies? Anyone pay special attention to him in your presence?"

"Not that I noticed, Agent Gibbs."

He leaned in closer. "Why did you really come here, Commander Coleman?"

"Agent Gibbs, when you run an investigation, oftentimes you are like a bull in a china shop. I have no desire to clean up another one of your messes. I simply came here to assist, and to provide the pertinent information for your investigation without further submitting myself or my colleagues to your particular brand of interference."

"You think by showing me that you have nothing to hide, I'll leave you alone?"

She merely stared at him with a slight smile before replying. "And I'm allowing you to follow one of your own rules: Number #13, I believe."

To Tony's great surprise, Gibbs chuckled. "It's a good rule."

"Indeed."

"You'll be available for further questioning if I need it?"

"Absolutely."

"Fine. DiNozzo, see the Commander out, and I'll have Ziva meet you downstairs."

"Yes, Boss. Commander?"

"After you, Agent DiNozzo."

Faith followed Tony out of the conference room and they walked to the elevator. Once they were inside and the doors closed, Tony slumped against the wall and flipped the emergency switch.

"What on Earth possessed you to come here, Faith? Gibbs is going to kill me."

"No, he's not."

"He suspected something was going on with me as soon as this case started, and you just confirmed it!"

"And he just gave you his blessing."

"What? What do you mean, he-?"

"He knows I have as much stake in this relationship as you. He knows why I came here; to protect you, and he knows you would never cover for me if you truly suspected I was involved. He saw that we can still act as professionals, can 'keep it out of the office', if you will. He's allowing the relationship to continue, but giving a fair warning that if suspicion falls on me, you're going to have to answer for your actions."

Tony just stared at her and she flipped the switch, allowing the elevator to continue its descent.

"Any further questions, Agent DiNozzo?" she asked with a slight smirk.

A slow grin spread across his face, and suddenly he felt better than he had since the case began.

"You are quite a devious woman, Commander Coleman. Do they teach that in law school?"

"It's a survival tactic."

"So now what?"

"You have a crime to solve."

"Yeah, I do. Although, come to think of it, I do owe you one for putting me through the second most terrifying experience of the day."

"Only second?"

Tony grinned. "Clearly you've never driven anywhere with Agent David."

TBC…