"What have you got?" Gibbs asked, appearing silently around the corner and heading to his desk. He looked around at his agents.
"I've been looking through the financials and the Baird house was almost repossessed four years ago." Tim started. "Mrs. Baird was years behind on back taxes for the land."
"Let me guess, it was miraculously paid off?" Gibbs askednwith a raised eyebrow.
"Pretty much. She also came up with the cash for an operation she had needed for over a year."
"So he's been taking care of her for a while." Gibbs mused.
Any more information was cut short by Vance's arrival in the bullpen.
"The transport with Baird is on the way like you requested." He said stopping in the middle of the desks. "Just passed through the gate so it should be here soon."
"Which Baird?" Tony asked.
"Which Baird? The one who is the cause of that hole through the window!" Gibbs snapped causing Tony to clam up.
"No shooter?" Tim asked leaning out to catch the director's eyes. Vance shook his head.
"No, no sign of him anywhere. He could have walked off base for all we know."
"He's here." Gibbs said decidedly. "He has a job to finish."
There was a moment of silence as the implications of that sank in.
"What do you want us to do?" Ziva asked quietly.
"We have 45 minutes." Gibbs said intensely staring out the window, as though he could will it to give up what is saw. "Keep looking for clues about his identity."
Tony and Gibbs' phone started ringing at the same time. Gibbs snatched his phone off his desk before it could ring again.
"Gibbs."
"Gibbs, its Agent Shelby. I'm heading over. I want to get your team to a safe house before this guy takes a go at you again."
Gibbs chuckled. "Ask around Shelby. I don't hide in safe houses."
"We'll talk about it. I'm coming over."
"You can come, but I'm not leaving." Gibbs looked up as Tony signaled to him that Mrs. Baird had arrived and was waiting in interrogation.
"Gibbs-."
"Got to go." Gibbs said cutting him off. "I'm late for an appointment."
Gibbs opened the door of interrogation room and internally shook his head. He still found it hard to believe this tiny grandmother was causing his team so much trouble. He schooled his features to be perfectly neutral before sitting down across from the woman.
Normally Gibbs' favorite style of interrogation was intimidation and uncomfortable silence, but today he didn't have that luxury of time.
"Who is he?" He asked. She stared back at him with a poker face that could have rivaled even Gibbs.
"Who?"
"Don't play with me. You know who. Why you? What do you mean to him? He an old boyfriend?"
She smiled coyly. "He is very dangerous and you need to do what he says. When are you going to let us leave?"
"Us?"
"Me… and Kyle."
Gibbs raised his eyebrow. "I didn't hear anything about Kyle."
Her smile flickered. "You-you're trying to trick me. It won't work. Kyle and I will both be leaving." Gibbs shook his head.
"He didn't ask for Kyle."
"I-I don't believe you." Her voice an octave higher than it had been. Gibbs pulled out his phone and pulled up the right screen before he held it out to her.
"I have the text message he sent me, I don't see anything about anyone other than you."
She studied it and Gibbs could see the emotion flitting across her face.
"That doesn't prove anything." She finally said, the unease evident in her voice.
Gibbs frowned, feigning confusion. "It says she, not both. You want to call him and try and work this out?
She frowned, but her eyes shifted around nervously. "I'm not saying anything else."
"Suit yourself." He stood up to leave before pausing. "Mrs. Baird, we can help you if you'll help us. But," Gibbs held his finger up, "if one of my people gets hurt, the next time a bullet even gets near them, that deal is off. So you need to make a decision and you need to make it in the next half hour because after that I'm requesting the maximum sentence for you and Kyle both." She didn't speak but he glare she sent him said it all.
As soon as Gibbs got in the hallway, he pulled out his phone and hit speed dial.
"Vanc-."
"I need Kyle here, now." Gibbs interrupted.
"What-? Why?"
"He could be the key. The old lady expects him to leave with her, if he expects that too, we could get him to give the guy up." Gibbs explained as quickly as he could.
"He'll be here." Vance abruptly hung up.
Gibbs headed back to his desk. McGee was typing quickly. Ziva was scanning though case files. His senior agent's desk was empty.
"Grab you're gear."
Ziva and McGee looked up at him like he had lost his mind. McGee's hands froze over his keyboard.
"We got a call, Boss?"
"Nope."
"Then where are we going?" Ziva asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Away from the windows, Ziva. Sub basement set up any area for us to work."
"Where is DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked suddenly. McGee looked up from his packing.
"Umm, I think he might have gone for coffee."
"He can get coffee when this is finished." Gibbs growled. "Ziva, find him." With a quick nod she swiftly go to her feet and headed to the break room.
Ziva found Tony in the break room leaning with his head against the vending machine. Ziva walked to his side and turned around to lean back against the wall, facing him.
"Gibbs is looking for you." Tony nodded. Ziva sighed at the lack of response. "What is on your mind, Tony?"
"Is it crazy that all this stuff going on and I'm still trying to figure out what to do about Gibbs and Probie?"
She raised her eyebrow and studied him for a moment.
"Yes." She said shortly before going to the other vending machine and putting in a few coins. They were silent as Ziva waited for her snack to drop. When she picked it up, Tony started talking again.
"I don't know." Tony said distantly, as if talking to himself. "This has almost made it worse. I mean we could die at any time. I just don't like loose ends and Ducky's plan to be patient…not my style to begin with and now things could start getting crazy-."
"Could start?"
"Are crazy," Tony continued without missing a beat. "I just started thinking about if something bad happens, to any of us. You know what I'm going to do?"
"What?"
"I'm going to end up at Gibb's house. In his basement. You know you'd be welcome there too. Where is McGee going to go if this hits the fan?"
Ziva didn't look at him as she spoke.
"He has been fine before." She said noncommittally.
"Ziva, I was "fine" when I was kid and didn't have anyone who I thought cared about me. Didn't mean I didn't deserve to have someone I could go to." He argued.
She spun around. "Tony, again, what are you going to do? As McGee said, we are being targeted by an assassin. We need all your focus! There is no time for this. It will not be resolved quickly and certainly not in the next few hours. So short of walking up to Gibbs and saying to him, "Boss"," she said imitating the senior field agent, ""McGee doesn't feel like a part of this little family, feels that you see him differently than you do us," and asking what he is planning on doing about it, there is nothing. Yes, it would be good for McGee if he felt he could trust Gibbs with his personal life, but he doesn't and I really don't think this is the time to try and resolve that. What are your options, To-?"
She stopped short, staring over his shoulder with her mouth slightly open. Tony frowned before the realization dawned on him of where he had seen that expression before.
"Gibbs is behind me isn't he?" He asked softly, already knowing the answer.
She nodded, looking a little pale.
Tony slowly turned. Gibbs face was perfectly neutral as he turned and crooked his finger, motioning Tony to follow.
First of all sorry for the long overdue update. It has been a crazy few weeks. My aunt had been battling cancer and last week she passed away after almost a week in the hospital. We were close and it has been kind of hard to finish this chapter. Then I had to reacquaint myself with the story to make sure it was going how I wanted it to go, so...
I haven't gotten to reply to the review (partly because it takes an act of God to even login), but know they are so appreciated and hold a special place in my heart and email box. :)
Have a great week everyone.