Forty five minutes later while the ladies and Ben finished closing the restaurant, while Sally and Tony were getting comfortable at the dinning room table. Tony had switched on the coffee machine and put the kettle on for tea, then he placed a tin of cookies on the table. Remembering the unspoken rule with agents, eat when you can.
"The kettle and the coffee maker are on." he calls out to the teams as he hears them come into his home.
"Anthony I must insist that you elevate that leg and ice it."
"I lied Ducky, I'm fine."
"Which means it hurts." Ducky tells him as he sits down next to Miss Sally.
Tony waits until both teams were gathered around the table. With Penelope sitting at one end with the laptop open. The BAU team was curious to see just what Tony was going to do, but they trusted Gibbs enough do as he suggested and let Tony do his thing.
Once everyone is as comfortable as they could get. Tony put his mug down he smiled his best one trying to put Sally at easy.
" Everyone says you're the one to go to if you want information about who's who and what's going on, so Miss Sally, tell us about George and his family, please."
She looks at him then at the agents, huffing slightly she nods her head.
"Our great-grandfathers use to run moonshine together. Just before world war II. This is going way back."
"Men had to do what they could to feed their families Miss Sally, we aren't here to judge. And I know for a fact that there are still one or two very nice stills out there. They make a very nice flavorful product. No worries these agent won't say anything they aren't the AFT. I'll tell you a secret, the alphabets don't like to share with one another." hearing this some of the agents smile softly. " I'm more curious about George's family what did they teach their sons, things that are passed down."
"I know that his grandfather came back from Japan a changed man, according to my Gran that is, he hated killing of any kind."
"I saw George making an owl out of the place mat today lots of folds. The little thing looked like it could fly."
"He learned that from his grandfather, he taught all of his sons and grandsons. The only one that took a liking to it was Bill, he could make all sorts of things, boxes, airplanes animals, dragons, you name it he could make it. He was youngest by twenty years, he was a surprise the baby of the family. Now he is throw back, would rather live in a cabin and grow his own food, in the back woods than live in town. It's a real shame too, he was a good family doctor, it's so hard to find good doctors willing to work in places like ours."
Tony tips he head slightly and sits forward. "Miss Sally, why did he move to the cabin?"
Sally shakes her head then exhales softly. "It must be almost six years ago this month, he came up here with his wife she was five years younger than him. They were so in love you could see it the way they looked at each other. They decided to settle here, the doctor's office had a little apartment it was perfect for them, at least until they could find a house they liked.
She went searching for berries not far away from the George's house, they were having picnic on account of his boy had just come back from the college. She was shot and killed by a hunter looking to bag a twelve point buck, he was looking for a trophy for his den. He got off, the courts said it was an accident on account of it was hunting season and Kathy wasn't wearing any orange, she was wearing a green sweater and blue jeans, the thing is she was seven months along at the time. Bill just closed up shop and moved to the old family cabin he's been there ever since."
Tony looks at the faces of the other agents then at Gibbs. The silent communication only lasted for a few seconds. "Thank you so much Miss Sally for telling us. Now my old partner Tim will bring you home, if you don't mind. One thing Miss Sally don't go fixing him up with one of your church friends like you did for Tom, he has a nice girlfriend at home."
"If you say so, but what kind of a woman lets her man leave town with a missing button on his shirt?" Sally huffs.
They waited until Tim and Sally had left before they anything was said, with fresh coffee poured into the cups they got down to business.
Gibbs wastes no time trying to move things along. "Ducky you said there was something that you wanted to tell us."
"Quite right, it all makes sense now. You see after reading the autopsy reports and examining the last body, The killer, or unsub, as you like to call him. Has medical knowledge the deaths were always instant no lingering pain and they were always blitz attacks, they never knew what happened. It happened too fast for them to put up a struggle."
"If I can make a suggestion I'll call Matt you can make plans to go there tomorrow morning, he grew up the area. You'll need a guide to the cabin."
"Tony you wouldn't happen to know the last name of Bill would you?" Penelope asks.
"It's Hamilton , Penelope. I was planning on giving you all stir fry and rice, if that's alright?" He left not even waiting for a reply.
Rossi followed Tony into the kitchen, he stood to one side and watched as Tony got all of the ingredients out of the fridge, a mound of vegetables and some flank steak. Putting two cutting boards and two knives on the counter. Only then does he reach for his cell.
"Hello, Tony what's up?" Matt asks
"I'm making stir fry, your wife will like that you're eating healthy also the BAU team thinks they know who the suspect is. Come eat they need your help, thirty minutes."
"Okay."
Rossi says nothing as Tony digs out a medium sized pot and a bag of jasmine rice. "I'll start the rice, if you want to start cutting up the vegetables, agent Rossi."
"I think we are past the agent stage don't you Tony? Dave is fine. By the way you mentioned something about a flavorful product."
Tony smiles then points to a cabinet. "Top shelf, mason jar."
With the two men working side by side the work went quickly. They made sure to set aside some of the vegetables before any of the meat was added, for Penelope.
Tony had been practicing making miso soup and now was as good a time as any to test it out on some willing testers. He found it to be filling if he added enough vegetables to it, sometimes he added baby shrimp. The ingredients were easily available on line and it took no time to put together.
What he liked about it most was the low calorie factor, his work out routine had changed dramatically since he was shot. He could no longer run for cardio to stay in shape. So he had to be careful about what he ate.
He could also have it on the table in fifteen minutes give or take a minute or two. The last thing he did was cut up some tofu in to little cube, tossing them into the soup for the final five minutes.
It was just past eleven when she woke up, she laid there for a few minutes trying to figure out what woke her. Then she heard it again it a soft grunt and then a thud.
She didn't need to change as she was sleeping in shorts and a FBI tee-shirt she padded out of the bedroom barefooted and without her glasses. She stood still as she watched Tony lift the dumb-bells in the air count to five then stretch out his arms before letting them gently touch the floor. He turns his head slightly and sees her and the concerned look oh her face. Rolling the weight under the couch, he stands, then tries his best to give her his best million dollar smile.
"Sucks doesn't?" she sweeps by him making her way to the fridge. "Do you have any red wine?"
He doesn't say anything to her just watches as she mixes red wine with ginger-ale. After she places two glass on the counter she hands him a towel to wipe his face.
Looking at her without her glasses under the dim light of the kitchen's night light. He has a vague memory of her. "We've met before, haven't we?" He asks her after he take a sip.
"A few years ago, I was in my red hair period then, you chased off a guy that was hassling me? I was out with some friend, I was the third wheel that night? You didn't even let me thank you properly. You just went back to your date, a pretty lady with short black hair and legs that went on for miles. If I remember correctly she had on a red dress that could pass as a second skin."
He smiled slightly"Ah Lexi." then he frowned "Why didn't you say something earlier?"
" It was a long time ago I didn't think you would remember, I mean you must help lots of women getting hassled in clubs and bars."
"Not as many as you think." He finishes his drink as well as the rest of hers. Standing next to her leans down and kisses her softly on the lips. "I like the blond hair better, Penelope."
Neither of them notice Ellie standing in the shadows watching as Tony brings Penelope in to his arms.
