Chapter 5

Gibbs stood behind the glass in Observation, watching his nephew. DiNozzo was interrogating the boy, and Gibbs would let him, for the time being. Ian looked scared. He was gripping the water DiNozzo had brought him with fervor, obviously anxious to get out of that room. He turned up the audio so he could hear the interrogation.

"Ian, I want to help you, but I can't do that unless you tell me what you were doing the night Jason Carney was killed."

"Don't answer him, Ian," the boy's lawyer, a slick bastard named Joseph Sanders, piped up.

"You aren't helping," Tony snapped at the attorney.

"He doesn't have to tell you people anything," Sanders said, sliding his chair to stand up. "Now, if you don't have any solid evidence that my client killed Petty Officer Carney, we're going to leave right now."

Tony stood up to be at level with Sanders.

"We've got his fingerprints on a dead body. How do you explain that?"

"I-I can explain," Ian said from his seat at the table. The two men turned to him.

"Ian—"

"No, Mr. Saunders. I need to explain myself. It's okay."

"Well?" Tony asked, crossing his arms.

"Jason is my friend Jeremy's older brother," Ian said, squirming in his seat. "I was working in the shop that night. Jason came in. He accused me of trying to lure Jeremy into joining a gang. I told him where to stick his accusations, and he punched me in the face. I kicked his ass real good for that. He took off around ten-thirty."

"Did he come back?" Tony asked.

"No. I never saw him again. I didn't even know he was dead until those Feds came into the flower shop the day after."

Tony perked up. That was news to him.

"Feds?"

"Yeah. There was a gray haired dude. He punched the glass counter and scared the shit out of me. Had some punk with him as backup."

"He was an NCIS agent?"

"Actually yeah. I think his name was Gibbs. He's a friend of my mother's, I think."

Gibbs made for the door to interrogation. The kid was going to blab everything. He burst into the interrogation room moments later, but he was already too late. Tony turned to Gibbs with an incredulous look on his face.

"Ian, I'm going to step outside and speak with Agent Gibbs. We'll be right back."
Ian nodded. Tony pushed past Gibbs and left the room. Gibbs followed. As soon as the door was closed, Tony turned on his Boss.

"When were you going to tell me we were investigating your nephew?" Tony demanded.

"Right now he's a suspect."

"Vance is going to take this case away from us, Boss! Remember what happened to McGee when we investigated his sister?"

"McGee and his sister are close. I didn't know I had one until a couple of days ago, DiNozzo. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to find a killer."

"I don't think that kid killed anyone, Gibbs. All he's guilty of is getting into a fight with a Marine."
"Where's my son!"

Tony and Gibbs both looked up. Lena was storming down the hall toward them, fuming. McGee was trotting after her.

"I'm sorry, Boss! She got ahead of me—"

"I don't want to hear a damn word out of any of you unless you can tell me where my son is!"
Gibbs stepped forward.

"Lena—"

She slapped Gibbs across the face.

"You lied to me! You said you wouldn't bring him in!"

"I didn't pick him up! The local police did!"

"Why didn't you call me!"

"I have a job to—"

"I don't give a shit about your job, Leroy! My son didn't kill anyone. You had him brought here and you're interrogating him like he's some kind of criminal!"

"The police arrested him for breaking into a convenience store on a street corner near your shop! He's a thief!" Gibbs shouted.

"I'm taking my son home, now. You have ten seconds to tell me where he is, Leroy."
Gibbs motioned to the door on his left, that lead into interrogation. Lena pushed past him and tried to open the door. Gibbs stopped her.

"I can't let you go in there. No civilians allowed."
Lena elbowed him in the gut, and he stumbled backward.

"You're not going to stop me from seeing my son." Lena opened the door to interrogation. Tony followed her in.

"Ian, are you all right, honey?"

Ian stood up and hugged his mother.

"I'm fine, Mom."

Lena turned to Tony, her eyes still heated with anger.

"Is my son free to go?"

"Y-yeah. He can go."

Lena dragged her son out of the interrogation room, and past a speechless Gibbs in the hallway. McGee followed after them to escort them out.

Gibbs' phone rang moments after Lena and Ian left.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Get your ass to my office, Gibbs," Vance grated into the phone.

Gibbs swore.

What else can go wrong today?

NCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs strode into Vance's office and closed the door behind him.

"Sit down."

Gibbs sat.

"Explain to me what the hell is going on, Agent Gibbs."

"We're investigating the murder of a Petty Officer. Ian Summers fought with the victim the night he was killed. We had to consider him a suspect."

"When were you going to tell me that the suspect was related to you?"
Gibbs remained silent.

"How long have you known he was a suspect, Agent Gibbs?"

"Monday morning. Abby's results on the DNA matched mine. More research found prints on the body that matched Ian Summers. Agent McGee and I went to the Flower Shop where he worked, and obtained a DNA sample. It was a match."

"You knew about it for two days? Why didn't you come to me!"

Gibbs fell into silence again. He wasn't sure how to explain this whole mess. Vance picked up the phone and dialed an extension.

"Agent DiNozzo, you have point on the Carney investigation. Find me a killer." Vance hung up the phone, and turned his attention back to Gibbs.

"I'm benching you, Agent Gibbs. You're not to have contact with Ian Summers or anyone associated with this case, until it's solved. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Get out of my office."

Gibbs got up and left the office in a huff. As he walked across the balcony to the stairs, he caught DiNozzo staring at him.

"What's the matter?"

"What the hell happened up there?"

"You have point on this one, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he came into the bullpen.

"I know. Vance told me."

Gibbs didn't say anything as he sat down at his desk and started going through paperwork. Tony observed him for a moment, and then all the pieces clicked into place. He got up and went over to
Gibbs' desk.

"Boss… did Vance bench you?"

Gibbs nodded, but didn't look up at his Senior Agent.

"Holy… this has never happened before."

"Just find the damn killer, DiNozzo." Gibbs got up and grabbed his coat.

"Going for coffee?"

"I'm going home. I'm tired. Update me in the morning." Gibbs took off for the elevator before Tony could respond.

NCISNCISNCIS

When he pulled into his driveway, Gibbs noticed someone sitting on his porch. It was too small to be his father. He slowly made his way up the driveway. When the motion light kicked on, it illuminated the figure on the porch, and he stopped short.

"Joanna, what are you doing here?"

TBC...