Chapter 28 - Resolutions
Timothy McGee
When he next woke, it was easier to open his eyes and look around. He was still tired and sore but the pain was dull, like it was half-forgotten memory.
"Morning sunshine," Tony said drawing his attention. Tony was seated in the chair next to him, reading a newspaper. Unlike last time, Abby wasn't on the floor resting. In fact, the makeshift pallet had been replaced with an empty chair.
"Hey Tony," he said softly. "What time is it?"
Tony folded his paper and glanced at his watch. "About eleven in the morning," Tony said. "You've been asleep almost thirty hours."
"I'm not surprised," he said as he looked at the glass of water on the bedside table. He struggled to sit up and managed it with Tony's help. Tony handed him the glass and he took a sip. "Thanks. Where is everyone else?"
"Abby and Gibbs went to get us some lunch," Tony said. "Ducky will be coming by in a bit to look in on you. How do you feel?"
"Like I've been shot," he said dryly. Tony rolled his eyes at him. "But better than yesterday."
"Good," Tony said. Tony looked at him seriously, startling him. "You scared the hell out of me Tim."
"I'm sorry Tony," he replied contritely. "If I could have found a way to wait for you, I would have."
"I know," Tony replied. "But next time, wait. No matter what. It's hard to protect my partner from trouble if he gets into it without me."
He shared a smile with Tony. He knew what it felt like to want to be at his partner's side. He had felt the same way when Tony and Gibbs had confronted La Grenouille's goons after they had shot Palmer. But that was different. That had been a fair fight.
"I'm glad you weren't there though," he said to Tony's surprise. "Kidwell never had a chance. Agent Charles shot him as he came in the door. One shot to the heart." He looked at Tony meaningfully. "I'm sorry he's dead but I'm glad it wasn't you."
"I'd still like to think I could have done something different," Tony said. "I don't think Kidwell was worried he'd be shot by one of Napolitano's men like I'd have been. I'd have been more cautious."
"We'll never know, I guess," he said. "I wish I knew how I got here though," he said as he set the water glass on the bedside table. "Jimmy lives across town."
"As near as we can figure, you must have walked because Gibbs was able to track a blood trail from Napolitano's place before the rain washed it away," Tony said. "And in your state, you were lucky to have made it."
"Do I remember Gibbs right? It was two days before you found me?" he asked. "How did Blue and his boys miss me?"
"You didn't come in through the door," Tony said. "After we found you here, we searched and found your blood on the fire escape," Tony said.
"I came in through the fire escape?" he asked incredulously as he heard a door open and shut. "It's a fifty-foot vertical ladder."
"I know," Tony said. Tony looked up as they heard feet on the stairs. They looked out through the open door and watched as Abby, Gibbs and Ducky entered the apartment. "But I've seen you when you're determined Tim. And a little thing like a climb like that wasn't going to stop you from reaching Abby's bed."
He pulled a face at his grinning partner.
He wanted to retort but Abby, Gibbs and Ducky entered the bedroom, the latter two dragging additional chairs with them.
"Good morning Timothy," Ducky said as he immediately checked his vitals. "You're looking better this morning."
"I'm feeling a little better," he said. "I'm sure the morphine helps."
"It would," Ducky said as he sat down in a chair. "I'll complete my full exam after we've had a bite to eat but I am encouraged by your improvement."
Abby pulled a thermos out of a brown bag and poured a cup of soup into the lid. She handed it to him before she took a seat and took a sandwich from Gibbs.
He chuckled at the sight of so many people crammed into a small room.
"Maybe we ought to consider moving to our apartment where there's more room," he said as he wrapped his hands around the warm soup cup. It wasn't cold in Abby's apartment but the warmth wasn't unwelcome.
"Can't," Gibbs said around a bite of his sandwich.
"It's too dangerous," Tony added. "Civil war, remember?"
"Yeah," he replied. "You mentioned that. It's still bad even after two weeks?"
"Well," Abby hedged. "It's not as bad as it was two weeks ago. It was pretty chaotic those first few days."
"The papers didn't report that Jimmy had been killed for a few days but it was an open secret for everyone else," Tony said. "There was definitely an uptick in assaults, shootings and murders for a few days." Ducky frowned. "That was when the battle lines were drawn. Five of Napolitano's Lieutenants tried to seize control. There are two left. The other three were either taken out by their former friends or the Frog."
"Blue beefed up the security here, especially after we discovered you," Abby said. "After that first attempt, things have been quiet around Quicksilver."
"What about the other two bodies?" he asked. "Did you publicly identify them?"
"I told the Bureau I could not positively identify the other two bodies," Ducky said. "Which wasn't entirely untrue. Until you awoke, we couldn't identify the second body."
"I personally talked to Kidwell's wife and gave her the news," Tony said. "It was the least I could do."
"I'd like to write her a letter," Tim said. "I didn't know him well but he seemed like a good man. And he died trying to protect me." Tony nodded. "It's too bad that we can't go back to our place. It'd be more comfortable for you."
"Little Ricky's boys have been watching our place," Tony said. "I went back to get some of our things and nearly got pinched by Scaletti when I stepped out the front door. Fortunately, Jake Roberts is pretty handy in a fight. He helped me to get away." Tony motioned to Gibbs. "Gibbs has been checking the place on occasion and saw Vincetti keeping an eye on the building."
"We won't go back there until things cool off," Gibbs said.
"Or until Little Ricky does something to get himself arrested," Tony added.
He sipped his soup. Chicken noodle soup again but it was delicious. If he wasn't mistaken, it probably came from the diner. He had enjoyed many bowls of Elaine's chicken soup.
"Little Ricky?" he asked. "I take it he's one of the two Lieutenants remaining?"
"No, the other two are in addition to Little Ricky," Tony replied. "Ricky's been consolidating his control over the organization and has the lion's share of control though. Turns out he's almost as bad as his father when it comes to dealing with disloyalty," Tony said. He frowned. "I'd hate to see how bad he'd be if Boone was still on the loose."
"He's also not as stupid as he'd like us to think," Gibbs said. "Which is why you and Tony need to stay out of sight."
"You don't need to tell me twice," he said as he drank more of the soup. "But why Tony? I mean, if people think I'm dead, why would they go after my body guard?"
"It isn't a secret that you two were close," Gibbs said. "Little Ricky thinks you might have told him something."
"What?" he asked. "Does Ricky think I told Tony the code to the books?"
"You did tell Tony the code to the books," Abby retorted.
"That's beside the point," he said. Suddenly it hit him. "Jeez, the books!" he said suddenly. "We need to get my copy of the books from the apartment."
"Easy McGee," Tony said. "We have them." He relaxed. "After the fire, we spent the day at the apartment. Abby brought your copy of the ledgers with her when we came here."
"What about the…"
"Ledgers in Napolitano's office?" Tony finished. "As far as we know, they're still in Napolitano's office. The BOIs raided the office and took away boxes and boxes of stuff and they took in Pale Dale for questioning."
"The poor guy," he said.
"No kidding," Tony replied. "He must be practically translucent by now. Anyway from what we've heard, it doesn't seem like the BOIs found the ledgers. But they've also kept the office under lock and key, so Little Ricky hasn't gotten the ledgers either."
"He's got a safe cracker on standby," Gibbs said as he wiped his mouth. "As soon as it's clear, they're going after the ledgers."
"Since we have the duplicate ledgers, I could provide enough information to the Bureau for them to pick up Little Ricky," he said. He thought about it and added, "Although it would be pretty obvious that the information came from me." He looked at Tony. "Why didn't you tell the BOIs where to find the ledgers?" he asked.
"Because," Tony said as if it was obvious. "I didn't know. And even if I did, I didn't have the combination to the safe."
"We weren't about to give up your copy either," Gibbs said. "Can't risk that someone else from the Bureau is on the take. Morrow wants to keep them as insurance as this investigation continues and I agree."
"Oh," he replied sheepishly. "Right. I can write down how to get to the safe. The BOIs can crack it or I can give them the combination. Most of the important documents pertaining to Napolitano's illegal businesses are inside that safe." Tony nodded. "What happened to my briefcase?"
"What briefcase?" Gibbs asked.
Alarmed, he set his empty cup of soup aside. "My briefcase. The one I've been carrying since I started to put the paperwork together to consolidate Jimmy's assets. Brown leather, hard sides, two straps with buckles and a key lock."
"I know the one," Tony said. "Last I saw it, you had it at your office."
"We didn't find a briefcase," Gibbs said.
"We know because we had to clean this place up," Tony said. "You dropped enough blood and emptied Abby's linen closet when you tried to do some first aid."
"You could have dropped it anywhere between Napolitano's apartment and here, McGee. We may never find it," Gibbs said. He felt his face fell. "You have copies of these documents, right?" Gibbs asked.
"Not one's that were signed by Jimmy," he replied as he struggled to sit up. "We need to find that briefcase." He tried to swing his legs out of bed but sharp pain lanced through his torso. Gibbs hastily stood and put a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place.
"Timothy, you shouldn't try to stand," Ducky said as he watched Gibbs gently hold him back. "You could tear the stitches out. We do not need you to lose any more blood! I don't want to risk a second transfusion after your poor reaction to the first."
"We need to find that case, Ducky," he said as he reluctantly rested against the pillows.
"Tim," Gibbs said. "For all we know, it could be in a city trash dump by now."
Suddenly Abby stood up. She walked over to her chest of drawers and reached under it. She pulled out a small brown case. "Is this it?" she asked as she held it up. "I noticed it a while ago but I thought it was the suitcase Tim had used to bring some extra clothes here. I didn't think to look inside."
"Yes!" Tim said wincing even as he struggled to sit up straighter. Gibbs helped him and when he was propped up with pillows, he took the case and opened it. He pulled out a pile of slightly bloody papers. "Good," Tim said relieved. He set the case aside and began to sort through the papers to make sure everything was there. "I thought I grabbed everything but with the smoke, I was afraid I missed something."
"What's so important about these papers, McGee?" Tony asked.
"Oh, uh, they're Napolitano's assets," he said as he looked up at Tony. "Paperwork to the various bank accounts where he has his money stashed."
"What good does that do us?" Tony asked. "Napolitano's dead. The best we can do is to turn these over to the Bureau so they can seize his money and businesses."
"Including Quicksilver," Abby said softly.
"No," Tim said as he shuffled through the pages. "Quicksilver is yours, Abs. Well as soon as you sign, you'll be the owner of Randolf's Garment Factory and Quicksilver."
"What?" she asked as she took the paper from Tim and read through it. "How?"
"Napolitano was drunk and he was signing things so fast he didn't bother to stop and read them," Tim said with a shrug. "Even if he had, I doubt he would have realized what he was signing in his state. He could barely see straight."
"You slipped in a deed transfer for Quicksilver?" Tony asked with an incredulous smile.
"Yeah," he replied as he shifted through the papers and found another deed. "And the deed to our apartment," he said with a grin. Tony took the deed and looked it over. "Jimmy was going to give it to me anyway as part of my severance package. I just sped up the process. Considering that he's dead, I'm glad I did."
"You sly Mcfox," Tony said, grinning. "You're more devious than I gave you credit for!"
Gibbs looked at him appraisingly. "What else did you slip by Napolitano?"
Sobering, Tim said, "Oh uh. I'm also a co-account holder on all his bank accounts. I had to do that so I had the ability to transfer his funds. But he knew that."
"So, you have access to Jimmy's money?" Ducky asked.
He looked at them, sheepishly. "Yeah," he said. "And not just Cuba, although most of his money is there by now or it will be the minute I turn these papers over to the bank. I have access to all of his money."
"How much money are we talking about?" Gibbs asked.
"Oh uh. A lot," he said vaguely.
"A lot can mean a lot of things, Tim," Tony countered. "Especially since we're talking about Napolitano. How much?"
"About two and a half million dollars," he said under his breath.
"You have access to two and a half million dollars?" Gibbs asked incredulously.
"Well technically, I don't just have access to it. It's mine. I'm on the accounts and now that Jimmy is dead, I'm the sole account holder," he said defensively. "If I can find Jimmy's private ledgers, I'm sure there will be more money and assets. I mean we know he was paying Agent Charles and it wasn't out of the funds I knew about, so Jimmy's got more money squirreled away somewhere. If we can show that money was obtained illegally, we can have it seized."
"Wait, go back. You're telling me that you could walk up to Jimmy's bank and withdraw two million dollars?" Tony asked incredulously. "I mean, if you could walk."
"Yeah," he replied, honestly.
"I'd hardly recommend that," Ducky said. "You'd be a target of every thief in the District!"
"Not to mention a target of every one of Napolitano's men who think you might have killed him for his money," Gibbs said.
"Too bad there isn't a safer way to access the money," Abby said.
"There is," he said. "Most of this paperwork is actually to transfer Jimmy's money to the Bank of Nova Scotia in Havana. He's got his funds scattered over a half dozen banks in the District. All we need to do is hand over the signed paperwork and the money will be transferred. We could pick it up in Cuba without any trouble. As far as I know, Jimmy never told anyone, even his son, that he planned to go to Cuba."
Tony stared at him in disbelief before he grinned. "I love Cuba!"
"You've never been to Cuba," he pointed out.
"All the more reason to go!" Tony retorted. "Not to mention that there are two and a half million dollars in Cuba."
"Mob money," Ducky said darkly. "Ill gotten, no doubt."
"Ill booten gotty," Tony said roguishly.
Tim shook his head. "Ok, I know I've been out for a few days. But did that make any sense?"
"No," he said as he stared at Tony.
"Ill booten gotty," Tony said. "I saw it somewhere. In a picture or maybe I heard it on a comedy show. The guy was making fun of pirates and their ill gotten booty." Gibbs glared at Tony but the young man only grinned back at him. The thought of so much money clearly outweighed the risk of a head slap.
"Well actually, Ducky," Tim said as he looked at the old doctor. "All that money came from Jimmy's legit businesses like the garment factory. He sunk all his dirty money profits back into his businesses. That's partially how he managed to keep himself out of trouble over the years. No one could tie dirty money back to Naps because all of the money they could find was clean."
"Clever," Ducky said drolly.
"What were you planning to do with that money, Tim?" Gibbs asked.
"Oh uh, well," he said stammering. "Well I don't know. It wasn't going to be an issue when we were going to arrest Jimmy but now that he's dead…" Tim trailed off. "It changes things a bit."
"You aren't thinking of keeping all that money, are you?" Ducky asked scandalously.
"Well," Tim hedged. He hadn't really thought about it. To be fair, he hadn't been awake for long either.
"After two years, we deserve a bonus," Tony said grinning.
Ducky looked at Gibbs clearly hoping that he would put an end to this but he didn't see any sign that Gibbs was going to disagree with Tony.
"Jethro, I am surprised at you."
"Why, Duck?" Gibbs countered. "You heard Tim. It isn't tainted money and it wasn't stolen either. Napolitano signed over the money to an account with McGee's name on it. And since Napolitano was never charged with a crime, we have no reason to seize the funds so technically it is McGee's money."
"Technically," Ducky said disdainfully. "Technically the deed to Quicksilver could be considered theft by deception."
"There's no proof, Ducky," Tony said. "Tim's the only witness who survived. With Jimmy dead, there's no evidence to the contrary," Tony said.
"This is all very distasteful," Ducky said sourly.
"No one said it wasn't," Gibbs replied mollifying the older man.
"Even if it's clean, I don't want it," Tim said quickly. "I thought that we could donate the money to charity. Jim Kidwell had two kids, Gibbs. He died trying to make sure they had food on the table and clothes on their backs. I think his wife deserves a little something. And there are plenty of others who could use the help. I think with a little investing, we could do a lot of good for a long time with that money."
Gibbs smiled slightly and nodded in approval.
Ducky relaxed.
"Sounds better to me than letting the government have it," Abby said in agreement.
"It might never make up for all the bad things that Jimmy did in his life," Tim said as he thought back to people like Jim Kidwell and Fred Seymour. "But it has to count for something, right?"
"Yeah, Tim," Gibbs said gently. "It counts."
"So, what now?" Abby asked.
"First, we have to see to our safety," Gibbs said. "I think it's only a matter of time before Little Ricky comes looking for us here."
"Want us to move to a cabin in West Virginia?" he asked wryly.
"I've heard that Cuba is nice this time of year," Tony said with a grin. "And there may be a pile of money waiting for us there."
"I could use a vacation. I haven't had any time off in almost two years," Tim replied. Tony grinned. "Plus, it's probably for the best if I get out of town for a while. Jimmy had told his associates that I was to be in charge once he skipped town and if they think I'm alive, they might think I'm the reason Naps is dead."
"They think you're dead and that you're the reason Napolitano is dead," Gibbs said seriously. "Little Ricky swore if you weren't dead, he was going to kill you Tim." He frowned. "Which is why Tony is in danger. Ricky wants to take out anyone associated with you."
They all looked at Abby. She looked alarmed.
"Hazards of dating a mob boss' money man, Abby," Tony said.
"We're not dating," he and Abby said at the same time.
"Well whatever you are," Gibbs said, interrupting before Tony could argue the point. "I think we ought to take Abby with us when we leave town. We can't risk that Little Ricky will think you knew something."
"Something tropical does sound really nice right now," Abby said as she carefully sat down on the bed next to him. "You can't see outside Tim, but the weather has been awful lately."
"I thought you didn't like the sun," he said as he looked at her in confusion.
"I don't," she said honestly. Then she smiled sweetly. "But I do love a stroll along the ocean by the moonlight." He grinned as he took her hand in his.
"What about Quicksilver?" he asked.
"I think Stan can manage her for a while," Abby said. "You know, Gibbs, we might want to convince Ziva to leave town for a while too. It isn't a secret that she and Tony are sweet on each other."
"Ziva can take care of herself," Tony protested.
"Yeah, but Abby's right," Gibbs said. "It might not hurt for her to make herself scarce for a while."
"I'll bet you that Ziva could find a club to sing at in Havana," he said to Abby who nodded in agreement. "You could get to know her better Tony, without having to worry about blowing our cover." Tony looked at him in shock and stammered but no words came out. "Hopefully it won't hurt your bottom line too much Abby," he said ignoring his partner.
"I think we'll manage," Abby said. "Besides, it'll be easier once we can legally sell beer in a few weeks."
"Wait," he asked in confusion. "What?"
"The Cullen-Harrison Act passed yesterday," Tony said as he picked up the paper he had been reading.
Tim saw a headline in big bold letters:
CULLEN-HARRISON ACT PASSES!
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SAYS, 'I THINK THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR A BEER!'
"Beer and wine with alcohol less than three point two percent can be manufactured and sold legally starting April seventh," Abby said.
"They changed the definition of an alcoholic beverage to get around the eighteenth amendment," he said. Abby nodded. "Clever."
"Which is surprising for Congress," Abby said.
"It'll tide people over until the eighteenth amendment can be repealed," Abby said. "If ever."
"How about you, Ducky?" he asked. "What do you think of Cuba?"
"Me?" Ducky asked in shock. "You want me to go to Cuba with you?" He nodded. "I'll admit, the idea isn't unpleasant but we barely know one another. I doubt that anyone could connect us. I don't think I would be at risk. Why ever would you want me to go to Cuba with you?"
"Well someone needs to keep an eye on McGee while he recovers," Tony said, answering for Tim.
"And we trust you, Duck," Gibbs added.
Ducky looked touched. "I know that you do not easily trust strangers," Ducky said. "So that means a great deal to me. But." Ducky stammered lightly. "How would I explain my sudden influx of money?" he asked. "A trip to Cuba isn't exactly cheap. Especially if you intend to stay as long as I think you plan to stay. Timothy's recovery will be weeks, not days."
"You can tell them that you had a rich uncle die and leave you a boatload of cash," Tony said.
"Don't you think a more generic lie would be better?" Ducky asked. "If I get too specific, someone will be curious," he said.
"No," he and Tony said at the same time. Tim spoke so enthusiastically that he winced. After he waved them off, he motioned to Tony to explain.
"Always be specific when you lie," Tony said.
"Is this another one of your rules?" Ducky asked as he looked at Gibbs.
"Number seven," Tim said at the same time as Tony.
"Should I start writing these down?" Ducky asked.
"No," Tony said.
"You kinda pick them up as you go along," he said as he looked at Gibbs. His boss was barely containing a smile.
"How many of these rules are there?" Ducky asked.
"There are about fifty of them," Tony added.
"I'll keep that in mind," Ducky said dryly.
"If you don't care to lie, you can tell them that you've been hired as a private physician," Tim said. "That's a little closer to the truth anyway. I bet that we can pull some strings to allow you to take a leave of absence."
He looked at Gibbs and Ducky followed his gaze.
"I'll talk to Morrow and see if he can't pull some strings," Gibbs said. "It can probably be arranged in order to wrap up this mission. We need you healthy if we want to completely take down Napolitano's network."
"But if the end of Prohibition is near, why?" Ducky asked. "Legal liquor will put an end to the speak easy and the crime associated with them." Abby frowned. "Sorry, my dear. But you know it to be the truth."
"Yeah," Abby said. "I've been thinking about ways to take Quicksilver above ground." They stared at her. "So to speak." She shrugged. "It's going to take some planning though. Plus, I kinda need to be able to sell liquor too and that's still illegal."
"I think this was just the start," Ducky said. "I have heard rumors that Congress is seeking a way to ratify the repeal of the eighteenth amendment that won't require state legislatures to pass a law. An acquaintance of mine, Tom Hubbard, claims that something called a state convention can be used to pass an amendment." Ducky took a deep breath. "Actually, it is quite fascinating that the founders of this country provided not one but two means to modify the Constitution…"
"Duck," Gibbs said impatiently. "Save the civics lesson."
"Very well," Ducky said. "If you are taking me on as your personal physician Timothy, I can say that some sun would do you good. Although I would recommend that you rest and recover before you take your vacation. I wouldn't recommend that you travel just yet."
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere right now, Ducky," Tim said.
He replaced the papers into the briefcase and set it to the side. Then he allowed Abby to help him lay back before he sighed contentedly. It had been almost two years since they had been this carefree. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, he felt relaxed and happy despite the throbbing pain in his side and leg.
"Don't get too comfortable," Gibbs said. "It's not over yet McGee. You're still undercover while we finish dismantling Napolitano's network." He felt his smile disappear.
"You're kidding, right?" Abby asked. "He nearly died on this mission of yours. His family thinks that he's a criminal. Hasn't he done enough for you yet?"
"Abby," he said softly. He put his hand on hers. She stopped and looked at him. "This is my job. It is my duty to see this through to the end."
She looked like she wanted to object but another look from Tim silenced her.
"We can't let our guard down, until we're able to leave DC," Gibbs said. "Tim can testify as an anonymous witness, which should help the Bureau make more arrests. And without Agent Charles to run interference, we should be able to lock up the worst of Napolitano's men. How soon can he travel, Duck?"
"It should be at least a few days," Ducky said. "I want to be certain that he is truly on the mend and strong enough to travel."
"Good. I want this wrapped up as soon as possible. We'll provide anonymous tips that should take the lieutenants off the street and as soon as Tim is strong enough, we'll head to Cuba. We can wrap things up from there where it's safe. I'd rather be out of Little Ricky's reach when he's arrested."
"Good," Tim said. "I can hold out another couple of weeks, Boss. But I'm real eager for this to be over."
Gibbs looked at him sympathetically and he knew why. He was very eager to tell his family that he wasn't a criminal. He looked at Gibbs questioningly and Gibbs nodded.
"I understand, McGee," Gibbs said. "Perhaps part of it can be over now."
"Seriously?" Tim asked in shock. He hadn't expected to be able to tell his parents the truth yet.
He looked at Abby. "Will your phone reach in here Abby?" he asked.
"I think so," she replied puzzled. "Why?"
"McGee needs to make a very important long-distance call," Gibbs said. Standing up, Gibbs shuffled Abby and Ducky from the room. A moment later he returned with the phone.
"I know this took longer than we all expected," Gibbs said. "And things didn't always go as we expected."
"That's the truth," Tony said as he rubbed his arm where he had been shot.
"But you both did a damn good job," Gibbs continued. "The evidence you found, the testimony you'll give; it will put a lot of people behind bars where they belong." He and Tony nodded. "All of the hard work we put in, it was worth it, even if we didn't get the pleasure of arresting Napolitano."
He looked at the phone in Gibbs' hand.
"I hope you're right, Boss," he said.
"Your dad will understand once you explain things," Tony said.
"I know he will," he replied. "I just hope he isn't too mad."
Tony chuckled to his surprise. "Pretty sure you might have to worry more about Sarah holding a grudge than your father."
He snorted and winced. "You have no idea Tony," he said. "Boss, do you think that I can see her before we leave town? She ought to know to be careful and maybe she should head home for a while."
"Yeah Tim," Gibbs said. "We'll bring her in for a visit. And we'll make sure she stays safe. Fornell's promised to take care of her. With Boone in jail and Napolitano dead, he's returned to the Bureau."
"He's taken over the investigation into Napolitano's network after Charles disappeared," Tony explained.
"Good, we'll see more progress with him in charge," he said. "Diane and Emily?"
"They're still in hiding," Gibbs explained. "Fornell was willing to take the risk but he wants to make sure it's safe before he brings his family back to Washington." Gibbs set the phone onto the bed. "Make your call, Tim."
"Boss," he said stopping Gibbs. "Thanks for believing in me."
"Wasn't hard to have faith in you, Tim," Gibbs said. "I knew you could do it." He opened his mouth to argue but Gibbs cut him off. "You don't give yourself enough credit."
"Thanks, Boss," he said as he smiled, warmed by Gibbs' unconditional trust in him. "And thanks for having my back, Tony," he said. "I couldn't have done this without you at my side."
"We got through this together, Tim," Tony replied. "You, me and Gibbs. Pretty sure that there isn't anything we can't do together. Napolitano never stood a chance."
"Amen," Gibbs said. "You did good." Gibbs looked Tony in the eye. "You too Tony," Gibbs said.
He looked at Tony and smiled. Tony seemed surprised at the praise. The surprise, however, quickly turned to a smile of appreciation.
"It's been a long two years, Boss," Tony said.
He nodded. Now that it was so close to being over, he could feel how tired he was. He was looking forward to some time away without having to worry about gangsters or bootlegging or being made.
"For the next mission, can we pick something with a shorter timeframe?" Tony finished.
Gibbs chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah," Gibbs replied as he motioned for Tony to follow him. Tony squeezed his shoulder and followed Gibbs out the door. Gibbs pulled the door shut but left it open a crack.
He looked at the phone apprehensively. Then steeling himself, he picked up the receiver. There was no use working about what his father would say until they talked.
"How many I place your call?" the operator asked.
"I need to place a long-distance phone call to California," he said stammering slightly. He frowned at himself. He hadn't stammered like this in months. If he could stand up to gangsters, he didn't have to be afraid of his father. He took a deep breath and said more firmly. "To Naval Base San Diego."
"To whom may I connect you on the base?" the operator asked.
"Admiral John McGee," he replied.
"One moment, please," she said.
He clenched the receiver as he waited for the operator to make the connection. His heart was in his throat and it was pounding so hard, he could barely breathe.
Suddenly the phone picked up.
"This is Admiral McGee," his father said. He hesitated. This was the first time he had heard his father's voice in almost two years. "Hello?"
"Dad?" Tim said. "It's me, Tim." His father didn't respond but he could practically hear his father's teeth grinding. "Look, I know I know you said you never wanted to hear from me again. But…" Tim took a deep steadying breath. "There's something I need to tell you. You may not believe it because it's a little fantastic but I swear it's the truth. It's about what I've really been doing these last two years…"
Author's Note: Just a few final notes for this story.
Two and a half million dollars translates into about fifty million dollars today. Jimmy was doing very well for himself and now Tim has quite a nest egg. Unless he invests it in a bad hedge fund, he should have plenty of money to donate to charity over the years.
The Cullen-Harrison Act (named after the New York State Representative and Mississippi Senator who introduced the act) was passed on March 21, 1933 just seventeen days after FDR was sworn into office and was the first step in the process to repeal the 18th Amendment. With the passage of the act, it made the sale of low-alcohol (less than 3.2% by volume) beer and wine legal starting April 7, 1933.
The 18th Amendment was officially repealed by the 21st Amendment after it was proposed in Congress on February 20, 1933. The 21st Amendment was the only one to use the State Ratifying Conventions to approve the amendment. State Ratifying Conventions are a secondary way to approve an amendment by convening a special convention of delegates to vote on the matter. This circumvents the politics of ratifying an amendment through the state legislatures. To pass an amendment, two-thirds of the 48 states (Alaska and Hawai didn't join until the late 50s) had to vote yes. Michigan voted yes on April 10 and the motion carried when Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah voted yes on December 5, 1933. South Carolina was the only state to vote no although nine other states took no action. Of interest, the ratification of the 21st Amendment led to the formation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms from what was left of the Bureau of Prohibition with their new goal to regulate and tax the newly legal alcohol.
I know some of you would prefer to see the Admiral eat crow as Tim tells him about how he was undercover to take down a mobster. But I didn't want to rehash the entire story again just so Admiral McGee can feel like a fool for being so hard on his son. I wouldn't mind seeing it too but I didn't think it fit in this story, which was really about our boys. I'll see if the muse cooperates and maybe I can put together a one-shot follow up from the Admiral's perspective.
With that, though, this story is complete. Researching the era and figuring out how various NCIS characters would fit into it was a ton of fun. Like Frozen, the story was 'complete' when I started but with final edits, I added two more chapters and an additional 39,000 words! (Yikes!) The bulk of the changes came in the last three (which turned into four) chapters where things were completely rearranged, although the gist of what happened remained the same as what I had originally written. Regardless, I'm pleased with the changes and how things turned out.
I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I enoyed writing it. Reviews are always appreciated and I'd love to hear your thoughts.