Chapter Eight
Michael Saeed went to a meeting above a Middle Eastern restaurant. Callen and Hanna were with the FBI in a room across the street from the restaurant. The FBI had a parabolic dish pointed at the windows of the room where the meeting was taking place. Once he cleaned up the ambient sounds, he turned on the speakers, so that Hanna and Callen could hear them.
They were speaking Arabic. Hanna listened and then started to make notes.
"This isn't good, G. They are planning something for Christmas. Suicide bombers and Midnight Masses," said Hanna.
Callen closed his eyes and exhaled.
"We have to contact DiNozzo and tell him about this," said Callen.
"Yeah, I think it's best we take them down now and not wait any longer," said Hanna.
Callen looked at the FBI agent.
"We need to document everyone who is at this meeting," he said.
"Yes, sir," replied the agent.
"I want someone tailing them, also, once they leave the meeting," said Callen.
"I'll go in some re-enforcements," said the agent.
"G, talk to DiNozzo," said Hanna.
"I know," said Callen.
NCISNICS
With Fornell on one side and Gibbs on the other, Tony stood in MTAC waiting for a Skype session from Callen. The technicians worked strengthening the signal. Finally, Callen appeared on the large screen.
"Talk to me, G," said DiNozzo.
"They are planning suicide bombers at Midnight Masses around the city," said Callen.
"Are you keeping an eye on all parties involved?" asked Tony.
"Six potential bombers and each one has an FBI team on their asses. I'd like to bring them in sooner rather than later," said Callen.
"Too soon and we are letting Ullman know that we are onto him," said Fornell.
"The longer we wait the more the chance we lose one of them," said Gibbs.
"Six bombers and who else?" Tony asked Callen.
"Two others. We are following them, too," said Callen.
Tony went silent for a moment. If they took down the Chicago cell it would have little effect on Ullman's plans. He was forever moving forwards. Once he set into motion on plan, he moved on to another. Taking down Chicago cell would have no effect on Ullman, except to piss him off.
"G, take them down," ordered Tony.
Callen smiled, "We have them all in custody in the next six to eight hours."
"Call me once you are ready to start interrogating them," said DiNozzo.
Callen nodded then the screen went dark. Fornell sighed.
"We have to get ahead of Ullman if we are going to catch him," said Fornell.
"We will, Tobias," said Tony.
Fornell turned and headed up aisle. Gibbs grabbed Tony's arm stopping him from following Fornell. Tony looked at him.
"You are doing a good job, Tony. Trust your instincts," Gibbs said.
DiNozzo smiled.
"Thanks, Gibbs."
"Stop each and everyone one of his ops and you stop him."
"I want to do more than stop him. I want him either in Gitmo or dead," said Tony.
"Then trust your instincts," said Gibbs.
He let go of Tony's arm and headed up the aisle. Tony followed him. As they exited, Tony looked down in the bullpen. McGee and Jardine were busy at work, while Ziva had a visitor from the DOD. Tony could see that Ziva wasn't too happy with her boyfriend.
"Can we talk?" asked Joe Stanton.
"I am busy, Joe. We will talk when this is over," she said.
"Ziva, I don't want you made at me."
She looked up at him with her dark eyes boring into his.
"I am not mad; I am disappointed," she said. "Now, I have important work to do. I hope that you do, too."
"I'm here to speak to DiNozzo. It seems someone has let the Secretary of Defense know that I have been difficult and not a team player. I'm here to clear the air with him," said Joe.
"Be careful how you do that. He may think you should just apologize and shut up," said Ziva.
"I'm not the problem here, Ziva. He is an arrogant, son of a bitch, who acts like it is inconvenience that we has to report to anyone," said Joe.
She stood up and glared at Joe.
"You don't get it. I'm starting to think that you never will get it," she said.
Her phone on her desk rang. She picked it up and answered.
"David," she said. "Yes, Gibbs. I understand Gibbs. I'll let them know."
She hung up and smiled then looked over at McGee.
"McGee," she called then she looked over at Jardine, "Jardine."
Both of them looked up from their work.
"We are taking down the Chicago cell. They were going to use suicide bombers on Christmas Eve at Midnight Masses," she smiled.
McGee leaned back in his chair and whistled, "Two cells down. Well done, Tony."
"Are we expected to get intel from them?" asked Jardine.
"Callen and Hanna will be interrogating them," said Ziva then she turned and looked at Joe. "Go and speak to DiNozzo. I think he'll be busy with other things soon."
Joe shook his head and walked away. Ziva sat down. She was angry. She was angry with Joe and with herself for thinking he was the right man for her. What Joe was for her was comfortable. She should know by now that she wanted more than comfortable.
Up in the conference Tony sat with Fornell and Gibbs. They had a round of coffee and reports in front of them. Joe walked into the conference room. All three men looked up at him with the same 'give me a break' expression.
"I'm here to talk to DiNozzo," said Stanton.
"Talk," said Tony.
"Can we do this alone?" asked Stanton.
"No. We are busy. I don't have five minutes to spare," said Tony.
"The Secretary of Defense wanted us to clear the air with each other," said Joe.
"Fine, considered it cleared," said Tony. "Now let me get back to work."
"Listen, I'm trying to be fair here," said Joe.
"Don't be. Be unfair. Tell the SecDef that I'm a jerk and arrogant shit and should be replaced. I don't really care, Mr. Stanton. Until I am relieved of my position as head of this task force," growled Tony.
"I think you are being unfair," said Stanton.
"Stanton, take it from me and leave," said Fornell.
"He's right. Go home and come back when this is over," said Gibbs.
"Do you know that you people are a pain in the ass," said Stanton. "When this is over you'll go back to being the drones you were meant to be."
Unbeknownst to him, Ziva had entered the room with a message from McGee, who didn't want to leave his computer. She stood there and listened to Joe.
"I have a future. There is not one of you that has a future in comparison to me," he stated.
"Dude, I wouldn't want your future," smiled Tony then he looked at Ziva who was standing at the door.
Joe turned and saw it. He immediately knew from the expression of her face that it was over between them. He sighed.
"Mr. Stanton, I believe you should leave now, or I will feel it my duty to escort you out," said Ziva.
"I'm going," he said.
"Good."
Joe Stanton left. The three men looked at the seething Ziva. They knew one of them had to speak but none of them wanted to be the first to speak. Tony took a deep breath and finally spoke up.
"Can I help you, Ziva?" she asked.
She took several calming breaths.
"McGee believes that he has found something important," she said.
"I guess we'll all go see McGee," said Tony.
McGee's fingers worked the keyboard. He had finally found something that would allow Tony to upset the apple cart. With Ziva in the lead they entered the bullpen and stopped at McGee's desk.
"Come on, McGiggles, give me some good news," said Tony.
On the plasma TV McGee brought up a photograph of Daria Malouf, a photo of Ned Marlin, and a bank statement.
"I broke through a Cayman Island bank firewall and I found that two days ago Daria Malouf transferred $250,000 from a Charles Lapine account to the Cayman account of Bed Marlin," said McGee. "We have a link and a recent link."
"David…"
"I'll go with her," Gibbs cut off Tony.
"Okay, Gibbs and David, go get Ned Marlin for questioning," Tony said then he looked at Fornell. "Tobias, have the FBI pick up Daria Malouf and bring her here to NCIS for questioning."
"I'll make a call and have her here in three hours," said Fornell.
Ziva and Gibbs grabbed their overcoats and took off. Tony turned and look at McGee.
"You," he said, "I could kiss you. Well done, McJobwelldone."
NCISNCIS
Ned Marlin sat in Interrogation Room Two, while Daria Malouf was escorted into Interrogation Room One. She was left to stew, as Marlin had been stewing for hours already. Gibbs, Fornell, Vance, Tony, and Ziva stood in the observation room watching Ned Marlin.
"What's the plan break him down first then the woman?" asked Vance.
"DiNozzo," said Gibbs.
"Director, we are going to put him through the wringer then we are going to see what's left of him and what he has given us and use it against Malouf," said Tony.
"Who goes first?" asked Fornell.
"DiNozzo," smiled Gibbs.
"Idiot savant time, Boss?" asked Tony.
"Good call," said Gibbs.
Tony exited the observation room. They waited to see him enter the Interrogation Room. Thirty seconds passed and DiNozzo still hadn't entered the room. Two minutes passed and still no DiNozzo. Six minutes passed and again no DiNozzo.
"Where is DiNozzo?" asked Vance.
"Just wait," said Gibbs.
Finally, the door opened and Tony walked in with two coffees. He placed one of the tables in front of Marlin and then sat across from him.
"You can't be holding me like this. I have rights. I work for an important Senator. I demand a lawyer," said Marlin.
Tony took out his phone and started to play a game.
"You know these birds really are pissed," said Tony with a grin.
"Did you hear me?" asked Marlin.
"Hitchcock would have loved this game," remarked Tony.
"Are you going to talk to me?" asked Marlin.
"Sure," said Tony. "You good at this game?"
"I have better things to do," said Marlin.
"Really?" Tony smiled. "I don't."
He went back to playing the game. Marlin started to fidget in his chair.
"I am an important man you can't treat me like this," said Marlin.
"We can treat someone who commits treason anyway we want," Tony said coldly.
"Treason?"
"Yeah. What else do you call someone who takes $250,000 from a terrorist banker? Do the names Daria Malouf and Charles Lapine mean anything to you?" said Tony.
Marlin turned white as a ghost.
"You have no rights. Traitors have no rights. You're not important and Senator Barclay is probably even in more trouble than you because either he knows you are a traitor or he was stupid enough to have one on his staff and not know it," said Trip.
"I…," he started to talk.
"If you say anything it better start with why you took the money and then go from there," said Tony.
In the Observation Room Gibbs and Fornell chuckled.
"I guess this means that DiNozzo won't need us to break him," said Fornell.
"SAC DiNozzo just might have a career in DC," said Vance.
"He is better than I remember," said Ziva.
"He's about the same old DiNozzo to me," said Gibbs.
NCISNCIS
They stood now in the Observation Room for Interrogation Room One. Vance, Gibbs, and Fornell along with Ziva and now Morse waited on Tony. He walked into the room with a big smile.
"I heard that I missed a show," said Morse.
"Yeah, a real show with popcorn. You want to hear what we have?" asked Tony.
"Why not?"
"Marlin was being paid by Lapine to get Barclay to kill a defense contract for the next generation of drones. It appears that Lapine wanted to kill the production for these drones in the US, but he wanted the plans for them to sell on the open market," said Tony. "On top of that Lapine is funding Ullman because he wants the US to put more money into prevention and personnel."
"Son of bitch. The bastard Lapine is manipulating the whole thing for money," said Morse.
Tony smiled, "Ullman is a true believer, Marlin is greedy, Barclay wants to be president, and Lapine wants to be worth billions."
"Now we know why it does change that we have to stop Ullman," said Vance.
"I know, but we also have to bring Lapine down," said Tony.
He turned and looked at Daria Malouf. She sat in the interrogation room acting as cool as if she was sitting in a park on a Spring day. If they were going to catch Lapin, she was the key.
"What are you thinking, DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs.
"I was thinking that Daria is necessary to bring Lapine down, but we should put her on ice for now," said Tony.
"What do you want to do with her?" asked Fornell.
"Let me talk to her," said Tony.
He exited the room. Immediately, he appeared in the interrogation room. He sat down across from her.
"Neddie told us everything," smiled Tony.
"Everything?" she smiled back.
"Everything he knows. Now I bet you know more, much more," said Tony. "I bet you know enough to make a deal."
"I depends what you have in mind for a deal," she said.
"So, are you willing to talk and make a deal?" asked Tony.
"I want a hotel room, nice hotel, and a good meal. You can put an ankle tracker on me and post guards wherever you want, but you are going to after Lapine then I want protection and I want comfort," she said.
"So, you'll turn on Lapine?"
"As easy as he'd turn on me. Our relationship is based on money not love. I don't care what happens to him, just as long as I don't end up dead," she said.
"Everything can be arranged," said Tony.
He stood up to leave.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I have people to talk to and things to discuss. You can wait for now," he said.
"Ullman bought the makings of a dirty bomb from Lapine. He intends on using it New Year's Eve either in New York City or Washington DC," she said. "He also bought weaponized anthrax. I believe he intended that for LA. Now that I have given you something for free I want something room you."
"What do you expect from us?" asked Tony.
"Hotel room to start. Consider it a gesture of good will," she said.
Tony grinned, "I'll be right back."
He exited and went back into the Observation Room. Vance was already on the phone with the SecNav.
"Yes, sir, we will deal with her," he said then he hung up. He looked at Tony.
"We have cart blanche," said Vance. "Slap an ankle tractor on her and place some guards on her and find her a hotel room."
"I'll make arrangements," said Fornell.
"Good job, DiNozzo. It looks like we have a fighting chance to stop Ullman and then put Lapine out of business," said Vance. "What do you need?"
"I'll be sending Callen and Hanna to California. Gibbs will lead a team here in DC and I'll take a team to NYC. We are getting closer and closer to Christmas, which means New Year's is getting too close," said Tony.
"Let's get these bastards," said Vance, "then we'll work on Lapine."