McGee was sitting in the back of the surveillance van, head set on, when Gibbs opened the door and jumped inside. He acknowledged him with a quick nod, but kept his focus on listening into the strained conversation going on between the estranged father and son. The tense pauses, the slight edge to DiNozzo's voice and utter arrogance of Senior's reminded McGee of conversations with his own father.
McGee winced at the thought. Having a conversation with the Admiral was bad enough, having a conversation with him while Gibbs and his teammates were listening in? He couldn't imagine. Physically shaking the very scary thought out of his head McGee resolved to get his mind off his own flawed paternal relationship and focus on the one inside the restaurant across the street. A few more tense words were exchanged then Tony's incredulous shout suddenly exploded in his ears.
McGee jerked back in his seat, the volume sending a shriek of interference from the bug on DiNozzo's jacket through to his headset. Gibbs gave him a curious look, but instead of explaining McGee unplugged the headset, switching the feeds so Tony's loud angry voice filled the van.
"They gave me ketamine Dad! And now for some reason I'm having memory issues, go figure."
"Lower your voice Anthony."
McGee held his breath upon hearing Gibbs' growl of disapproval next to him. Whether it was because Tony was yelling at his dad instead of getting information on Miller or for Senior's lack of caring to Tony's distress was unclear. What was clear was the beat of silence that followed Senior's hiss of chastisement, it went on so long McGee wasn't sure if Tony was still in the hotel, let alone at the table, but then DiNozzo's toneless reply echoed over the speakers.
"Why did you lie in the police report?"
"Not yet DiNozzo," Gibbs whispered, only to follow it up with a dejected sigh when Tony laughed off his father's denial and continued to push the issue.
"I may not recall everything, but I know there's no way in hell we were in the park together on a Friday afternoon."
McGee swallowed, trying to keep as still as possible in hopes Gibbs would forget he was even there. Tony hadn't said anything to him about being sure that part of the report was false and by the steam coming out of Gibbs' ears he guessed Tony hadn't mentioned it to him either. McGee quickly debated whether to say something or not and decided on not. He was still struggling to find his confidence when speaking to Gibbs on a one to one level like he'd seen Kate often do and given that he couldn't offer much than a platitude, which he was sure would be rebuffed as quickly as it could be uttered, it was better if he just kept it shut for now.
The conversation in the restaurant continued to decline and McGee's worry for DiNozzo upped several notches in as many minutes. Though they were getting some truth on how Tony originally went missing, the whole point of this meeting was to get senior to spill about Miller's role, not his own.
"Think this will work boss?" McGee sideway glanced at Gibbs.
"If it doesn't I'm going to need to buy another sofa." Gibbs muttered back.
McGee frowned, not understanding the obscure reply.
"But you still think Miller is going to show though, right?" He checked, sensing there was something he was missing.
"Tony knows what he needs to do." Gibbs replied in the same vein as before, only this time with a little more confidence.
Tony had clearly bypassed the subject of Miller in favour of grilling his father and now the plan they'd started with wasn't going to be brought to fruition, but McGee's phone started to vibrate on the van's console before he could point that out to Gibbs. Reaching for his cell McGee hoped the boss had a backup plan because he'd actually miss the childish teasing if DiNozzo wasn't around to dish it out. Normally people took one look at him and decided he was too young to know anything, and therefore not worth respecting, but with DiNozzo in the room chronologic age wasn't even an issue, McGee knew he won in the maturity stakes hands down. For once it was really nice not being seen as the 'kid' all the time.
"Abby you alright?" McGee shouted over the tinny base music travelling down the line after he put it on speaker.
"McGee! Is Gibbs there?"
"Here Abby," Gibbs gripped the back of McGee's chair leaning in to be nearer to the phone, "what you got, make it quick."
"Is Tony okay?"
"Abby!" Gibbs shouted down McGee's ear, making him jump.
"Gibbs, don't yell!" McGee involuntary winced despite knowing Abby was probably the only one of them able to talk to Gibbs like that without being headslapped, "I got a print from the hotel room where Bower was found…"
"And?"
"Gibbs it was a match to Tony's father." She finished sadly.
McGee's hands stilled over the console where he had been adjusting the volume of DiNozzo's bug and slowly closed his eyes. Just when he thought things couldn't get much worse for his irritating partner. Gibbs had the opposite reaction to hearing the news. McGee heard and felt him push away from his chair, punching the van wall behind him.
"Thanks Abby." McGee said solemnly and hung up. Turning his head to Gibbs he said, "Boss-"
"Don't say it McGee." Gibbs sighed, standing with his back to him.
"What if this was Miller's plan along?" McGee dredged up confidence from somewhere. "He arranged a meeting with Mr DiNozzo knowing we'd talk to him and he'd tell us. We already know Bower's crime scene was a set-up, what if this was too?"
His next suggestion would be that Mr DiNozzo's finger prints were planted, but he didn't know if he was thinking as an agent or a friend with that one, knowing no matter what his relationship with his own father, he wouldn't want to think him capable of murder. With him looking like he might get hit and Gibbs like he was considering it, McGee was unwilling to break the wide eyed stare he currently aimed his way.
"Kate?" Gibbs picked up a headset and called into its microphone, all without breaking the glare he held on McGee.
"No sighting yet Gibbs."
"There won't be." Gibbs' eyes softened ever so slightly, adding a small nod which McGee took as acknowledgement that he trusted his judgement.
"Gibbs?"
"Secure eyes on Tony, I'm coming in." Gibbs leaned onto the console, removed the pen clipped to McGee's shirt and quickly scribbled a note.
McGee watched Gibbs finish writing, fold it and slip it into his top pocket. He then opened the door and jump out slamming it behind him without a word. Turning back to the console McGee plugged the headset back in and slipped it on, ready to stop the recording and transfer a copy to Abby as quickly as possible.
…..
After the surprise at the table Tony followed Gibbs out, keeping a few steps behind as they escorted his father through the elaborate lobby of the Adams house. Reaching the other side of the revolving doors Tony widened the gap slightly, hanging back to stand and watch while Gibbs frog marched his dad to the sedan already waiting kerbside.
Once the summer sun hit his face, reminding him that the day was nowhere near over, Tony found himself almost paralysed. The warmth was such a contrast to the artificial environment of the air conditioned restaurant, it brought home just how real everything was and he simply didn't want to take another step, not knowing what other surprises lay ahead.
Looking over he could see Kate stood by the now open rear door of the car as Gibbs approached, both were focused on his father and no one had noticed he wasn't there with them. Watching them he pondered on the almost Kubrick surrealism of the situation. Tony had the sudden insane idea to disappear, runaway to the nearest beach and live like a bum for a few months until things sorted themselves out. It could work. At least until Miller caught up with him, and put in motion whatever revenge plan he had in mind. Tony was becoming more and more convinced that was what this was all about, revenge for something his father had done or was going to do. Didn't matter really, Tony had always known his father would be the cause of his eventual demise, like a prophecy waiting to be fulfilled. Growing up he had eventually gotten to the point where he hoped his father wouldn't make it to his game or graduation. Whenever good old Senior turned up Tony couldn't focus, was easily distracted and a general basket case. This time being no exception.
Recognising that his thoughts where doing nothing to help his current mood and only intensified his desire to runaway Tony looked over at the car again to see what was taking so long. Gibbs was still talking to Kate, who seemed unhappy with whatever the boss was telling her and his father was trying to pretend like he wasn't listening to them. Tony felt himself tense and couldn't help the instinctive reaction to stand straighter and pay attention to what was going on. Before he could work up the nerve to walk over and see what the problem was Gibbs pushed his father into the backseat of the car. Travelling around front to take his place as driver, Kate only just shutting the passenger-side door before Gibbs sped away, leaving nothing behind but him and the smell of burning rubber.
Before panic could set in at being left behind Tony's cell rang immediately.
"You draw the short straw?" Tony mustered up enough enthusiasm to not sound too pathetic as he answered to the Probie.
"Gibbs wanted to drive in with your dad alone." McGee offered lamely, showing up behind him seconds later.
Tony turned around and closed his cell, McGee mirrored his action. Gibbs had clearly told him to make out that had been the plan all along and not a last minute arrangement because Tony had frozen and couldn't take another step towards the damn car.
"Gibbs sent you to fetch me?" Tony plastered on a fake smile and forced himself to relax.
Unfortunately relaxing was not on the cards and Tony found himself slumping against the nearest wall, unable to support his own weight any longer. Shifting restlessly, he probably looked more like an addict needing a fix than a federal agent, but he didn't much care. He was too busy trying to separate his anger with Gibbs for making him ride back with the Probie, from his hurt feelings of utter abandonment to care less about what anyone else was thinking of him right now. For those that knew Tony well enough, him no longer caring what others thought of him was a massive warning sign that something was very, very wrong, but McGee had only known him a few months and therefore Tony knew he was on his own until they got back to the navy yard and the familiar safety of those orange walls.
"Van's still parked round the corner." McGee bounced, looking uncomfortable and concerned by Tony's constant shifting and nervous shaking, but as predicted, at a loss about what to do about it.
"Great." Tony muttered to the sidewalk.
Giving up on trying to remain calm and keep still he took off in the direction McGee had pointed, only to stop by a decorative fountain in the square just a stone's throw from the van. Tony shivered and looked up at the blue sky, checking the sun was still shining. The heat he'd felt minutes early had disappeared, leaving him chilled and empty.
"Tony?" McGee's voice travelled to him, lost as he was in his thoughts.
Snapping his head back, blinking the black sun spots out of his vision, Tony focused on his surroundings for the first time since exiting the hotel.
"Ever wished things could be different?" He asked distantly, lowering himself to sit on the low stone wall surrounding the pooling water.
"Do you?" McGee shot back, outright panic in his tone.
Tony chuckled softly, the Probie was stressed again!
"McGee," he sighed, "there were some hot chicks in that store when Bower barged in. If things had worked out differently we would've been double dating this weekend."
His tone remained less than cheery, but the small stunned smile on McGee's face at the idea he'd even consider double dating with him was worth a thousand smacks to the head.
….
McGee had just got off the phone with Abby when Tony jumped into the passenger seat of the van, slamming the door behind him. He'd left him alone for a few minutes by the fountain, seeing he needed to pull himself together before heading back.
"Tony you don't look so good." McGee told him as Tony slumped in the seat and covered his face with both hands.
"Gibbs just arrested my father! How am I supposed to look probie?"
McGee bit his lip, gone was vulnerable contemplative Tony, welcomed back was snippy unbearable Tony. Torn between setting his mind at ease with what Abby had just told him and facing the boss's wrath McGee decided to put Tony first and suffer the consequences. Gibbs hadn't said anything explicit when he'd stormed out of the van earlier, but McGee was pretty sure he didn't want Tony knowing anything until he could speak to him. However, looking over at Tony now, he didn't think waiting was the best move.
"Maybe it'll be okay." He suggested lightly, "it might not be what you think..."
McGee should have known his acting limits, even he could tell from his tone he was hiding something, there was no way Tony wouldn't pick up on it too.
"What might not be what I think, McSecretive?" Tony pinned him with a Gibbs worthy glare.
McGee hesitated, he could feel the sweat building up on his forehead at thought of what the boss would do to him when he found out he'd spilled to Tony.
"Abby called, confirmed a theory I had. We're trying to trace recent cell contact your Dad had with Miller through proxy servers and triangulate locations, but we're having trouble penetrating the firewall at ah-"
"Probie!" Tony frantically waved his hands in the air as if in surrender, "while you know I usually love to take the mick out of you for this stuff, do you think, maybe, just this once, you can get to the point?"
"Sure." McGee swallowed. "We think Miller set your Dad up, and us."
"The meeting was a set up?" Tony repeated dumbly.
"Possibly," McGee nodded, waiting pensively for a response while watching Tony gaze silently out the front windshield. "Bower's crime scene too, Abby found your Dad's finger prints on a scotch glass but nowhere else... Miller may have planted the evidence."
"And Gibbs knows this?" He asked removing a scrunched up piece of paper from his breast pocket, examining it.
"Yeah Tony, he knows." McGee nodded nervously.
Tony relaxed into the seat.
"Huh."
McGee frowned, he'd been expecting a different reaction, more yelling maybe. He leaned over and tried to see what was on the paper Tony held, it looked like the note Gibbs had scribbled before leaving the van. McGee read it, but not understanding committed the words to memory to ask Abby later. When it became clear Tony didn't notice what he'd done McGee thought maybe he'd just made a huge mistake. Having prepared himself for name calling and maybe some profanity, the quiet staring was just unnerving. So when Tony eventually did speak, turning in his seat to look at him, McGee was surprised by what he heard.
"You did all that in the five minutes I was in the restaurant?"
….
"You have no right to hold me Agent Gibbs." Senior spoke as soon as he stepped into interrogation.
Gibbs paused in the doorway coffee and evidence file in hand, gripping the handle so tight his knuckles went white. Despite the unceremonious manner in which he was removed from the hotel Mr DiNozzo sat with his feet resting on the corner of the desk, smug smile lighting his face like he hadn't a care in the world. Gibbs seethed at his complete arrogance. Considering they'd informed him his son was at the centre of attempted kidnap and murder investigation, Senior looked positively giddy.
Tempering down his own concern, which had trebled since hearing Ducky's theories on the original kidnapping yesterday and experiencing Tony's nightmare episode last night, Gibbs put his game face on. This wasn't DiNozzo's bastard of a father he was about to interrogate, this was just another suspect who was hiding information from them.
Ready to get the answers they so desperately needed Gibbs slowly shut the door and approached the desk, putting his coffee down first before knocking Senior's feet to the floor.
"Where were you yesterday afternoon Mr DiNozzo?" He folded his hands together on the table.
"I was entertaining." DiNozzo said with a sly look at Gibbs.
"Anyone who can vouch for you?" Gibbs didn't even bother looking up from the papers now gathered in a pile in front of him.
"Give me an alibi you mean?" Senior chuckled, his confidence asserting itself.
Seconds passed in deadly silence and Gibbs could sense Senior's building unease while he glared at him, but the misleading smile was soon back on his face.
"Well I don't normally kiss and tell, but in this case..." Senior wrote down a name and number with the pen Gibbs handed him. "I didn't kill anyone." He said bluntly handing over the paper.
Gibbs slid it off the desk without looking and put the name in his jacket pocket.
"You want to explain this then?" Gibbs tossed the finger print evidence Abby had matched from the motel room, along with pictures of the crime scene in front of Mr DiNozzo, studying his reaction very carefully.
"I was there, Wednesday morning," Senior exclaimed, rolling his eyes as if only just now realising he'd been played. "But I wasn't visiting Bower."
"Who?" Gibbs sat back and folded his arms.
Senior slumped back in his seat, all pretence of having the upper hand gone.
"Henry Miller."
Gibbs narrowed his eyes.
"You met Miller at this motel?"
"I know what you're thinking, but I didn't lie to you the other day when you asked if I knew where he was." Senior blanched at the unrelenting glare being aimed his way, but Gibbs was too pissed to be satisfied with victory, "When you asked I really didn't."
Gibbs nodded, a smile teasing at his lips as he leaned over the desk.
"You will tell me, everything…"
His low menacing tone was enough to get Senior near wetting his pants.
"Look when I found out Henry was back in the states I became concerned, given our history…" Senior looked to him for understanding and Gibbs rolled his eyes, but refrained from comment. "He contacted me, wanted to talk about what happened when he left the country. We arranged to meet at the motel."
Gibbs ground his teeth, trying very hard to keep both hands fixed firmly to his side and not have them end up in Senior's mouth.
"YOU rented the motel room?"
"Yes, and I checked out the minute Miller left." Senior pointed at the picture of Bower dead in the bathroom, "I assure you Gibbs there was no corpse on the toilet."
"What did he tell you?" Gibbs asked with great restraint.
"When I spoke to Henry he knew things, where Anthony lived, worked, who his friends are… he even knows about you Agent Gibbs." Senior's lips curled.
"Why didn't you call Tony, warn him?" Gibbs demanded to know, ignoring the increasing desire to use his fists instead of his words.
"What was I supposed to say?" Senior bit off, annoyed by Gibbs' implied accusation. "As far as I was concerned Anthony didn't know about what happened to him and I wanted to keep it that way. If you hadn't stuck your nose in, he still wouldn't!"
Gibbs dropped his head, astounded at the utter stupidity of this man.
"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?!" Gibbs sprang up, leaned over the table and yelled in senior's face.
"I was protecting Tony-"
"No you were protecting yourself!" Gibbs shot back. "The only reason Miller hasn't got Tony right now is because we've been protecting him, all you've done is waste our time while we could have been on Miller two days ago!"
"He wouldn't do anything to harm him, he-"
"What makes you think a man you haven't seen in the last twenty years can be trusted?!" Gibbs shouted literally seething. "What really happened the night Tony was taken Mr DiNozzo?"
Senior shifted in his seat, sighing wearily, having finally lost the smug smile he'd been sporting since they first met in the bar yesterday.
"It's complicated." He muttered, avoiding eye contact.
"Well uncomplicated it!" Gibbs hit the table with his fist, his anger reasserting itself.
"It's not that simple," Senior's eyes travelled briefly up to meet his before darting away again.
Fingers' itching to do damage Gibbs was unable to hold it in any longer and lashed out. Grabbing and crushing the coffee cup left on the table, sending what was left of the cold brew flowing over his fingers. Gibbs threw the crushed carton into the corner before storming out.
…
"Boss!" McGee ran out of the observation room to meet Gibbs calming down in the hallway. "Balboa, Hicks and Sutton are on their way back from Henry Miller's old house in Long Island."
"They find something?" Gibbs barked, nodding decisively at another agent waiting nearby to stand guard outside the interrogation room.
"No." McGee chased Gibbs down the corridor, cutting himself off in the face of Gibbs' unimpressed glare. "Um, but something found them. The FBI have the house under surveillance."
Gibbs came to a dead halt in the corridor and stared at the blank orange wall in front of him, not even acknowledging McGee's apology as he wiped what remained of the coffee off his hands onto his pants. After a further minute's quiet contemplation Gibbs was storming the bullpen, McGee close on his heels.
"Tell me we have something on Miller." He bellowed at his other two agents, angrier than all hell.
"What happened?" Kate jumped up in her seat, looking worriedly at Gibbs as if he was on the verge of a homicidal rampage.
Gibbs couldn't argue with that assessment and simply turned his glare on McGee, who after being momentarily startled with the ferocity, bought a clue fairly quickly.
"Erm… Mr DiNozzo admitted to being in the motel two days ago," McGee rushed out with only a slight stutter, "but, er he was meeting Miller not Bower."
"Two days?" Kate exclaimed, "That'll be the same day Bower came after Tony in the 7/11."
"He claims to have an alibi for the time of Bowers murder too…"
Kate was so stunned that for once she had no comment to make, unlike the agent sat opposite her.
"Yep, that's my father, just when you think you have his number, boom." Tony used hand actions to emphasis his point.
However it was the small, but audible chuckle following his statement that had Gibbs spinning around on the spot. Completely nonplussed by the death looks he was sending his way Tony merely smirked back and continued to play with the Rubik's cube, just like he'd done the day before. Gibbs really wanted to headslap him, but held off since it would serve no purpose. Instead he turned on his newest two agents.
Kate jumped first.
"I'll check out the alibi."
Gibbs handed her the name then turned to McGee.
"I'll find Miller!"
When McGee ran off like a startled rabbit, Gibbs stepped around his desk.
"And I want Fornell here right now!" He yelled to anyone who was still listening.
"Jethro. Didn't know you cared." Fornell appeared in the bullpen as if Gibbs' shout had somehow summoned him.
The two stared at each other over Gibbs's desk until it was mutually decided by a series of grunts and glares to retire to their usual conference room, Gibbs leading the way. The elevator was pulled to a halt the minute the doors shut.
"What were you doing at the Adams House?" Fornell demanded, surprising Gibbs with his bluntness.
"Arresting DiNozzo's father. What are the FBI doing staking out Miller's old house?" Gibbs turned the tables on Fornell, gaging his reaction.
"You've arrested him, for what?" Fornell completely ignored him.
He'd kill Fornell right now if he discovered the FBI had known about any of this and had purposefully kept him in the dark in order to use his Agent as some sort of bate.
"None of your business," Gibbs groused, "now answer my damn question!"
Fornell looked guilty. Gibbs glared harder.
"Hey don't shoot the messenger I only just found out myself." Fornell held his hands up in surrender, "I was working on the back ground info like you asked. Certain channels were being blocked so I dug further. Turns out the FBI are unofficially looking for Miller."
"Why?"
"I'm still trying to get the details, but I can tell you this, it isn't cut and dry." Gibbs continued to glare, but all Fornell did was shrug.
"That's it, that's all you know? You came all the way over here to tell me you have nothing?"
"No I came here to tell you to watch your back." Fornell snapped. "Your boy's father is under surveillance. And whoever it is calling the shots has higher clearance than I do."
"This is a mess." Gibbs dropped his shoulders, showing a rare moment of vulnerability.
"You got that right." Fornell nodded uncomfortably.
Gibbs ran a hand through his hair, turning his back on Fornell. Trying to pace in the small space was near impossible, but he was doing his best to increase the distance between them.
"Get me that information." He growled with finality.
Recognising there was very little he could do about any of this right now he started the elevator and took them back up to the squad room. The doors opened within seconds and Gibbs stepped out.
"I'm working on it." Fornell assured quietly, thankfully not mentioning the fact he look set to fall apart.
"Well work harder." He threw over his shoulder as the doors closed taking Fornell back downstairs.
…
Gibbs walked back into the bullpen with far more ease than he felt after that conversation, but he knew it was important for the team to see him in control.
"Tony went to the rest room." Kate spoke, having caught him looking around for their missing team member. "He wasn't looking so good."
"No. Don't suppose he was." Gibbs dismissed and cleared his throat. "What we got?"
"Mr DiNozzo's alibi checks out." Kate announced bringing the details up on the plasma.
Gibbs walked slowly up to the screen, surprised she'd managed it so quickly.
"The woman he was with the night we picked him, she looked… well, professional so I followed a hunch to find our lovely Ms Fabrice Von-Houghton and it paid off." Kate announced as if reading his mind. "She also goes by the name Scarlet Fever, but her real name is Mandy Tate."
"She talk to you?" Gibbs asked perusing the various images on screen.
"Yeah, apparently Mr DiNozzo wasn't a good tipper." Kate smiled, "But I also had to e-sign an affidavit agreeing not to pursue her in any separate case or prosecution."
"Affidavit?" McGee repeated, overhearing the conversation and coming up on Gibbs' left.
"She's a legal secretary by day and professional escort at night." Kate clicked onto the next page, which was an advertisement for her evening profession.
"Sounds and looks like Tony's dream woman." McGee said wistfully.
"I know," Kate agreed with too much excitement, "I've already hidden her number."
Sensing this could go on Gibbs cleared his throat.
"Sorry Gibbs," Kate coughed, "She confirms Mr DiNozzo was with her all afternoon, until we came for him last night…"
"Hotel cameras have him sitting in the bar during the time of the murder boss." McGee took the clicker from Kate, showing the image from the camera on screen.
"Good job." Gibbs was disappointed, but not surprised.
Senior maybe many things, but he sensed above anything else he was more talk than action. In fact Gibbs would be surprised if Mr DiNozzo had ever accomplished anything in his life. Aside from Tony he doubted he had nothing to show for his sixty plus years on the planet.
"Actually it was Tony who pointed us in the right direction, seemed to know where his father would be at that time." McGee said without thinking.
Gibbs didn't comment, only nodded sadly. Of course Tony would know his dad would be propping up the bar with a call girl. Where else would he be after being told his child's life was in danger?
Looking at the screen and taking in what they knew from both Senior and the evidence he slipped into a state of deep thought.
"What are you thinking Gibbs?" Kate was eyeing him suspiciously.
"We're missing something."
….
Gibbs headed back to interrogation followed by McGee.
"Why are you staying at the Adams House under a false name?" Gibbs asked immediately, walking through the doors, placing another coffee down and retaking his seat.
"It was a name Henry and I used during our younger years," Senior gave a slight smirk, "it may surprise you to learn that there are some people out there not too keen to see me."
"Like the FBI?" Gibbs hedged, DiNozzo Sr held his position, but the brief flash in his eyes told Gibbs he'd definitely hit his mark. "So why are the FBI following you Mr DiNozzo?"
"Why do the FBI follow anyone?" He chuckled in returned.
"You know your son thinks this is a waste of time." Gibbs slammed his fresh coffee down on the table, leaning forward as far as he could into Mr DiNozzo's personal space. "Are you wasting my time Mr DiNozzo?"
To his credit McGee, who had taken up position at his side, didn't falter when Senior dropped the calm act and leaned in towards Gibbs, closing the already small gap between them.
"You may think you know my son better," Senior started with a growl, "but the boy always was prone to exaggeration."
"That doesn't answer my question." Gibbs stated factually.
He was done with playing games and being nice. Tony's father or not, they weren't having a pissing contest over who could protect him better, which it seemed Senior was under the misapprehension they were. All Gibbs wanted was to keep Tony safe and he didn't care who he had to tread on to do it.
"You've got to understand, I want to help junior, but if Miller is trying to frame me for murder, I'm in as much danger as he is, if not more!"
Gibbs blinked. He wasn't sure if he was hearing what he thought he was or if lack of sleep combined with the stress over the last few days had hit him harder than he thought.
"Are you asking for our protection Mr DiNozzo?"
"I'll tell you everything I know about Miller," Senior said in all seriousness.
Gibbs laughed, an instinctive reaction to cover his utter surprise at the deal being laid out before him. Just when he thought Tony's father couldn't sink lower in his opinion.
"So you'll only tell us what we need to know to protect your son, if NCIS agrees to protect you as well." Gibbs kept a smile on his face, wanting to give Senior some false hope before he crushed him. "You're a piece of work." Gibbs muttered to himself, shaking his head as he gathered himself.
"I'm warning you Gibbs, for Anthony's sake you need to hear what I have to say." Senior's voice hardened.
Gibbs' gut flipped at the thought of not doing everything in his power to help Tony and he was incensed that this man was trying to bargain with him over his son's safety.
"You're warning me?" Gibbs screamed in his face, he had been trying to keep a neutral expression, to not let the lies this sorry excuse of parent spat out on a daily basis get to him, but this was the last straw.
"Make the deal or let me go, you've got nothing to hold me on." Senior pushed.
Gibbs stood and stepped away from the table as a pre-emptive measure. If he didn't place some distance between him and senior one of them wasn't going to be walking out of there. The man's words concerning Tony echoed in his mind, he was unable to understand how anyone could have a child and not want to protect them at all costs. Senior had been asked several times by him and Kate what really happened to Tony twenty-five years ago and instead of answering their questions he'd deflected, distracted and purposefully avoided giving any answer that could help them. FBI or no, Gibbs had had it with him.
Gibbs pointed to McGee who, without missing a beat, clicked something on his cell, flooding the room with Senior's and Tony's voices.
"I left you at the house."
"You left me? ... A six year old, alone in the house,"
"When I came home late and your mother asked where you were, I felt terrible."
McGee clicked off the recording andGibbs sat forward, pinning Senior with his best unassuming glare.
"You falsified a police report Mr DiNozzo." He said, voice low and deadly.
Gibbs could have pinpointed the exact moment senior realised he was the one man that could not be bargained with. Gone was the joker without a care, sat before him now was the master manipulator, the man who'd taught his son to never trust, respect or love unconditionally. It was a testament to who Tony was at heart that he'd grown up to be the exact opposite of his father in nearly every way that mattered.
"McGee take his statement and then call NYPD, they can have him when we're done with him." Gibbs stood and spoke without care as he walked to the door.
"You're making a mistake!" Senior shouted after him as he left the room.
…
Gibbs entered autopsy like he had done on any other normal day.
"Jethro, you've just missed him I'm afraid." Ducky greeted him immediately, shutting the draw on yet another body.
"Missed who?" Gibbs drew to a halt next to the M.E.
Ducky looked at him with a puzzled frown, his hand resting on the draw's handle.
"Anthony." He uttered carefully.
"He was here?"
Ducky unfroze and walked over to his desk, removing his soiled gloves and apron as he went.
"I thought you sent him, Jethro."
"Nope." Gibbs shook his head turning and following Ducky with his eyes.
"Oh, well never mind then." Ducky dismissed as he bent over his desk and signed something, then continued to fuss with something else, trying to avoid looking in Gibbs' direction.
"What did he want Duck?"
Ducky sighed and stood up straight, walking over to stand in front of him.
"To talk." He gave Gibbs a heavy look, communicating this was different from their boy's normal chatter. "Amongst other things which I will not divulge, he wanted to know what I thought about this hypnotherapy Katelyn suggested."
"What did you tell him?"
Ducky glanced up at his friend and saw the sorrow etched clearly on his face. They both knew Tony talking seriously with someone was a major sign that he was struggling and Ducky knew that, whether he wanted to admit it or not, Gibbs was worried about the lad.
"That it's his decision of course." Ducky stated with vigour. "He's very confused. I think you need to spare time and sit down with him Jethro, letting him know we'll keep him no matter what would go a long way to ease his fears about this whole situation."
"I've been busy, couldn't exactly let him watch me question his Dad."
"Oh I understand, much like he can't go see Abby while she's processing the evidence. It doesn't leave him with many options. Yes very difficult for both you and him I'd imagine" Ducky stopped his rambling, having been observing Gibbs closely. "Is something else on your mind Jethro?"
"We're getting nowhere."
To say he was surprised by the heavy sigh that accompanied the answer was an understatement. Ducky wasn't used to a Gibbs who was so easily readable, his friend never let his guard down, especially at work.
"Mr DiNozzo no longer your prime suspect I take it." He decided to dig a little deeper, what worked with one could well work with the other.
"I don't think he ever was Duck."
The defeated tone said more than any words could.
"I see. You dislike him so much that you hoped he'd turned out to be the evil man you so believed him to be, but in truth he is just a man, a poor excuse for a father to be sure, but just a man all the same."
"He's definitely hiding something." Gibbs emphasised, changing the subject.
"You just don't know what."
…
"Can you believe Tony's dad left him all alone like that when he was only six?" Abby shouted over the music thumping out of her speakers.
Not receiving an answer she turned to look at McGee. He was sat behind her desk frowning at the computer screen like it had wronged him in some serious way. Not taking his ignorance of her lying down she sneaked up behind him and slapped him in the back of the head. McGee startled and looked like he was going to hit back until he realised who she was.
"Sorry," McGee groused, looking more miserable than apologetic, "thought it was DiNozzo."
"What you doing?" She asked accepting his apology without question.
"What I'm doing," McGee drawled, eyebrows raised, "is trying to do the impossible."
"Nothing's impossible Timmy." She bounced, smiling as she shoved him over in the chair. "What's the problem?"
"I'm still trying to find Miller…." McGee said without looking away from the screen. "Gibbs is relying on me and I'm getting nowhere!"
McGee growled and hit the keyboard when the screen flashed up 'search not found' again.
"Let me try." Abby barged into McGee.
"I've gone through everything, it's pointless." McGee barged back.
Before she could retaliate her babies starting beeping.
"What's that?" McGee turned and pinned Abby with a look when she went to check on it.
"What's what?" She asked distracted by the sample she was checking on.
"That. You found something? Because I could really use some good news to tell Gibbs." McGee begged unashamedly, pointing at the empty screen.
"I found many somethings" Abby grinned wickedly, she loved it when they begged, "but this a particularly special find."
She took the results from Major MasSpec and jumped her way across the lab to her middle computer.
"Cigarette butts?" McGee asked, looking over shoulder at what she was inputting.
"Not just cigarettes. Twenty-five year old cigarette butts," she smiled proudly. "I've extracted the DNA from the filters and now I'm going to get a match for the smoker."
"Ewe."
"You have no appreciation for the wonders I can do, Timmy." Abby sighed melodramatically.
"Where'd you get them?"
Abby grinned and walked over to her table, dipping her hand into the box Fornell had sent over. She pulled out the baggy of butts, holding them like they were first prize at a science fair.
"These were found in the New York apartment Tony was held in for the days he was missing." She dropped them back in the box without care and retook her place in front of her computer, beside McGee. "Only Bower didn't smoke so..."
"The police didn't try and match the DNA?"
"No, Timmy… they couldn't try and match the DNA because…" She drew out the last word, tormenting him with the obvious.
McGee frowned in in puzzlement at first, then his face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"DNA testing wasn't used in crime investigations until 1981." He shouted looking very pleased with himself.
"Exactly!" Abby joined in with his enthusiasm.
"So despite the FBI not being my most favourite people right now, or ever really, thanks to agent…" Abby ran back to the evidence box, picked up the cigarette butt bag and turned it over in her hands checking the label, "Williams! … for keeping at least this evidence preserved enough to pull something from I now have DNA to compare against a whole database of naughty people who could have been, and might still be, working with Miller to kidnap Tony again."
"Should we call Gibbs?" McGee asked, drifting back to the computer at her desk.
"No, not until we get a match," Abby watched him out the corner of her eye as she finished inputting the DNA results, "though the chances of this matching anyone we have on file today is slim considering the age of the case-"
Her computer started beeping the minute she'd hit 'send', which was at the same time that McGee screamed a 'YES!' followed by an immediate 'oh crap'
"Whoa," Abby backed away a step, "some serious mojo."
"You got a match." McGee asked tightly, frozen in place by what he'd just discovered.
"Yeah, but I don't know how, it only has access to our internal database. I haven't even sent it to AFIS yet…" Abby, not yet noticing McGee's anxiety, tapped a few keys, and brought up the match. "Oh Crap."
Abby gawped over at McGee and McGee gawped back.
"We gotta call Gibbs," they announced together.