Stakeout

Tony and Gibbs had been at their desks for a while before McGee and Ziva stepped off the elevator the next morning. After the junior agents had stowed their belongings, Gibbs spoke up.

"I want everything on Jessica Porter, McGee."

"The roommate?" Ziva glanced at Tony for confirmation. "What of Pritson? He has motive."

Tony sat back in his chair, smiling brightly. "Don't know that she doesn't. We can continue to look for him, but we have inside information that Jessica Porter killed Karen Haynes."

McGee had seemed to be focused on his computer screen, but he quickly looked up. "Inside info? From where?"

Tony grin widened. "From the Great Beyond," he replied in a deep voice. He looked at Gibbs, who stared evenly back. Sighing, Tony waved Ziva and McGee closer. Exchanging confused glances, they left their desks and leaned over Tony's. He made a show of looking around before whispering loudly, "Karen Haynes' ghost was here last night. She told us."

Silence greeted that statement, until Ziva demanded, "How?"

"Kept making Porter's license show up on the screen," Gibbs said from directly behind Ziva, making them all jump a little. "Couldn't get it off of there."

"The fact that she materialized in front of the file cabinet – right where you're standing, McGoo – and confirmed it didn't hurt," Tony added thoughtfully.

McGee took two steps to his right, making Ziva move over as well. "I don't suppose she gave you actual evidence?"

Gibbs snorted. "Goin' for coffee." He headed for the elevator.

Tony shook his head. "Nope. Porter could have done it, but we're going to have to prove it."

McGee frowned. "We don't have enough for a warrant."

Ziva shook her head. "I do not think the judge will accept the word of a spirit."

"Neither do we," Tony sighed. "Stakeout."

McGee and Ziva returned to their desks. A few seconds later, McGee announced that he had a trace on Porter's cell phone and was hacking into her texts and emails. Ziva ran searches on Porter, while Tony continued the cyber-hunt for John Pritson.

By the time Gibbs returned, they had news for him. McGee popped a series of emails up on the plasma. "Jessica Porter received these emails from one Hotmail account… snakeeyes357. Each email lists a date, address, and time. She never responded to any of them. The latest one is three days before Karen Haynes died."

"I have something," Ziva announced from her desk. They all turned to look at her; she smiled triumphantly. "Jessica Porter just placed an advertisement for a new roommate."

Gibbs turned his head slightly to look at Tony. Tony shrugged and grinned. "Stakeout, undercover, what's the difference?"

Gibbs nodded, then looked at Ziva. "Go to Abby, have her make you ID. Then make the call."

Ziva dashed to the back elevator. Tony grinned at Gibbs. "Think she's excited?"

Gibbs grunted into his coffee, then turned to McGee. "Can you trace the email?"

McGee shook his head. "Looks like each email was sent from a different IP… various coffeehouses, a library. Snakeeyes357 is careful."

Tony sat up suddenly. "There was a small-time drug dealer who went by Snake Eyes when I was in Baltimore. Maybe it's the same guy." He picked up his desk phone and began making calls.

By mid-afternoon, Ziva had an appointment to meet up with Jessica Porter at her apartment, in her role as Sarah Peretz, martial arts instructor new to town. McGee had his cell set to send him an alert when and if Porter received an email from snakeeyes357. Tony's contacts in Baltimore had given him Snake Eyes the dealer's ID: Simon Taylor, 32, arrested multiple times for possession, worked as an informant before being arrested for dealing, spent a little over four years in prison before being paroled. Moved to Norfolk after his parole was up, currently working in a drugstore seven blocks from Porter's apartment.

Ziva left to make the drive to Portsmouth. Jessica had agreed to a trial run if they got along when they met and if Sarah was willing to chip in on the current month's rent, so she was heading home first to pack a bag. The rest of the team would head out in two cars, setting up in a motel not far from the apartment. The plan was to rotate watching the building, tailing Jessica, and providing Ziva with back-up; Tammy Reece from Norfolk would be meeting them to partner McGee.

Tony and Gibbs had first watch and were parked down the street when Ziva arrived, rang the bell, and was buzzed in to the building. She wasn't wearing a wire since it might be difficult to hide were she to stay in the apartment, and there was no reason to think she wouldn't be able to contact them if she needed to. She had no plans to accept any drinks; she was carrying a bottle of flavored water and Sarah was a health nut who didn't touch alcohol.

Tony was idly watching the building when Gibbs returned from a coffee run. He settled into the passenger seat, handing Tony a cup while sipping from his own.

"Thanks, Gibbs."

Gibbs reached over and patted Tony's thigh. Tony shot him a look and grinned. "Remember that guy who thought we were a couple, way back when Kate was with us? When we were looking for Pacci's killer?"

Gibbs glanced over at him, then focused on the building. "Uh huh."

"We wasted a lot of time, didn't we?"

Gibbs blinked and turned to face Tony. "You think we were ready, back then?"

Tony thought about it. "Guess not."

"Know I wasn't."

They were quiet for a while, until Gibbs spoke up again, surprising Tony. "Thinking if we'd gotten together then, it wouldn't have lasted. Been a fling, gettin' our rocks off, be done with it. Now, we're in it for the long haul."

Tony smiled and reached over to grasp and squeeze Gibbs' hand. "Yeah, we are."

His cell buzzed; he let go of Gibbs' hand to grab it and check the screen. "Text from Ziva. She's in. They're going out to dinner at the Italian place down the road. Says Jessica leaves for work at 8 tomorrow morning; she'll search the apartment then."

Gibbs nodded. "We'll stay here until they get back, then pack it in if Porter's not going back out."

They watched Ziva and Jessica come out of the building, talking and laughing. Jessica's body language was relaxed; Tony was sure she didn't suspect anything. They waited in the car for almost two hours before the women returned. Not long after they went upstairs, another text from Ziva announced that Jessica was turning in for the night.

Gibbs rubbed the backs of his fingers against his jawline. "We'll give it a couple of hours, then go. Don't really think she'll head out with a new roommate in the place."

Tony agreed, and since there was no sign of Jessica stirring two hours later, they headed back to the motel.

The next morning saw Tony sleeping in while Tammy and McGee tailed Jessica to work. Gibbs was up and reading the morning paper when Tony awoke and checked his phone. He whistled low, causing Gibbs to look up. "Got something?"

Tony nodded, pushing the sheets away as he got out of bed and walked over to the armchair where Gibbs sat. "Check this out." He held out the phone; Gibbs saw a picture of a small bottle labeled 'Methanol,' complete with skull-and-crossbones warning label. Tony took the phone back and read the accompanying text. "Found this under the kitchen sink, covered with old towels. Replaced it after taking pictures." Tony stretched and yawned, smiling as he noticed Gibbs watching him. "What now? Ducky said methanol is methanol, so we can't prove she was poisoned from that bottle."

"We wait, follow up on the emails. If she is dealing, we catch her in the act, she'll likely fold in interrogation."

Tony shook his head. "After becoming a Wolf-Friend, this is almost too routine."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "Wanna arrange for some more deaths, make it more exciting?"

Tony resisted the urge to head slap his partner. "You know I don't. Karen Haynes deserves justice. It's just, you know, this is so normal."

Gibbs grinned at him. "I asked the manager last night if anyone ever died here."

Tony's eyes widened. "Ghosts?"

Gibbs looked at him seriously for a moment, then smiled again. "Nah. No record of anyone ever dying in this building."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Point taken. You eaten yet?"

"Nope. There's a diner around the corner."

Nothing much changed over the next two days. Gibbs received a phone call from Vance, asking why they were staking out the roommate and if they had no other suspects. Gibbs referred to a tip and the fact that they had no other leads; Abby had located John Pritson the evening they left for Norfolk. She could confirm he'd been in Colorado for the past four months.

Tony and Gibbs were back in the car outside the apartment building when Gibbs got a call from McGee. He put it on speaker. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Hey, Boss… Jessica Porter just received an email from snakeeyes357."

Gibbs waited for a few seconds before rolling his eyes. "And what did it say, McGee?" Tony held back his laughter.

"Lists an address in Norfolk, 9 pm two days from now."

"Good. We'll continue rotation and then be at the meet." Gibbs hung up before McGee could reply.

Tony rubbed his hands together. "We may wrap this one up pretty quickly."

Gibbs nodded once. "Update Ziva, tell her to stay out of it. Want to maintain her cover if for any reason we don't get Porter."

Two nights later, McGee sat on a bench at a bus stop, around the corner from the address in Jessica's email, wearing earbuds and flipping through a magazine lit by a streetlamp in the fading light. Tony was leaning on a wall diagonally across from the building, pretending to be in an animated conversation with his date who had gotten lost driving to meet him. Gibbs was sitting in the car, camera at the ready.

A car pulled into a parking spot down the block; Jessica Porter got out and walked to the building they were watching. A man rounded the corner and passed in front of Tony before crossing the street; Tony casually reached up and rubbed at his face as he tried to give directions to his fictional date, breaking off to speak quietly into his mike, "Simon Taylor's headed her way."

McGee stretched, put down the magazine, and got to his feet, reaching in to his jacket as he moved to the corner of the street. Tony ended his fictional call and watched as Jessica and Simon walked toward each other. He knew Gibbs was taking a succession of pictures, and he was sure his partner caught the moment when Simon passed a brown paper bag to Jessica, who slipped it into the large purse she was carrying.

Tony moved to follow Simon while McGee waited for Jessica to round the corner. As soon as she did, he held up his badge and gun. She froze, and it was only seconds before he had her cuffed and was opening the paper bag to find a pile of packets of white powder. Tony, of course, ended up having to chase Simon Taylor for two blocks before tackling him to the ground.

They drove the suspects to Norfolk, intending to interrogate them there. Tony called Ziva, alerting her to their success and advising her to lay low until they got a confession. He also called Erik, leaving him a message that Karen's killer was in custody.