Disclaimer: I do not own the Mentalist or NCIS and I make no money from this

Author's Note: Hello readers, firstly sorry for the delay in updating and secondly thank you so much to Counrty2776, jisbon-sessed, Simonisthecutesttmentalist and RavennaNightwind for reviewing :) very case in this chapter and can I just say isn't it weirdly amazing what you remember from the episodes? Not just the plots and stuff but all the technical talk like bullet striations, myocardial infarction, exanguination, mass spectrometer etc. yeah I'm rambling but it did impress me. Anywway hope you like, read on...

"What have you got for us Abs?" Gibbs asked and he strolled into her lab with DiNozzo and Lisbon in tow.

"Welcome Agent Lisbon to the wonders of Abby's lab!" Abby greeted them cheerfully while quickly turning off her music, "we have major mass spec and-"

"Abs, the evidence."

"Some other time perhaps," she muttered then beamed when Gibbs handed her her Caff-Pow, "well I checked all the bullets and according to the striations they all come from the same gun, which is a semi-automatic Smith & Wesson model 4006. Where's the psychic?"

"Hopefully still with Ducky. What about the tox screen?"

"Both tox screens came back clean, if either of our Marines were using they were not high when they died," Abby informed them sipping on her drink, "however the prints on the baggie, which is cocaine by the way, belonged to James but one did not and it matched to a Marine name William Shaw who was dishonorably discharged recently," she finished and pressed a button which caused a picture of a Mairne showed on the large screen.

"Good work Abs," complimented Gibbs.

"There's more!" Abby exclaimed excitedly, "Shaw owns the exact same make and model gun that was used to kill the others."

"He just became our number 1 suspect," DiNozzo muttered.

"You think DiNozzo?" Gibbs said sarcastically before pecking Abby quickly on the cheek and leaving the room.

"Thank you," offered Lisbon which made the goth's smile widen before Lisbon followed Gibbs out into the elevator and down to autopsy.

"That is fascinating," Jane was saying, he was standing beside the door watching Ducky working from a distance while Ducky chatted away about some old case, "hey guys."

Gibbs pointedly ignored Jane and went straight over to Ducky, "COD as obvious as it looks?"

"Ah Jethro, nice to see you I was just telling Patrick over there about the time that the deceased vomited out the bullet," Ducky told him, "if I recall poor Timothy and Ziva had t-"

"The current case please Duck?"

"COD is as obvious as it looks, 3 gun shot wounds to the chest. One embedded itself in the deceased's lung, another nicked the carotid artery and the third hit was straight through the heart," Ducky explained, "he died fairly quickly however which is a small mercy."

"What about my brother?" Lisbon asked quietly.

"He was less fortunate, he bled out for a few minutes before death. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I appreciate your honesty," Lisbon mumbled.

"Killer was improving his aim by the sound of things," mused DiNozzo.

"Anything else Duck?"

"Aimes had influenza when he died."

"Might explain why James went to the alley alone," Jane offered, "Aimes didn't feel up to leaving the house with the flu."

"Makes sense," DiNozzo agreed, "what's Shaw's motive for killing the 2 Marines who were trying to help him?"

"Drugs?"

"Let's see if McGee and Ziva have anything useful," Gibbs announced leading the way out of the room.

"Can I see my brother?" Lisbon asked suddenly causing them all to freeze.

"Of course," said Ducky moving to the trays.

"Take yout time, we'll be upstairs," Gibbs told her continuing to the elevator, thinking he might as well give her some privacy, "you coming Jane?" he questioned of the psychic standing in the doorway.

"I'll catch up," he muttered before the elevator doors closed.

"Y'know I think did actually see his show before," DiNozzo muttered thoughtfully to himself, "kinda weird leaving the high life to work law enforcement, don't you agree boss?"

"I don't really care DiNozzo," Gibbs announced just as the elevator stopped on the correct floor and they immediately marched over to where Ziva and McGee were working busily away, "what have you got?"

"Nothing really in his records, Mother died in a hit and run when he was 10 then his Dad killed himself 3 years later. After that he was in foster care and then straight into the Marine core," Ziva informed them, "nothing criminal or unusual just years of heroic service."

"McGee?"

"Nothing weird in his financials or his phone records, well I might have something."

"What McGee?"

"Well... he errr... he only made 2 calls yesterday, one to his sister and the other call was made half an hour before Ducky estimates time of death."

"Who did he call?" demanded Gibbs.

"Err... it was... a err... dispoable cell phone," mumbled McGee, "basically untraceable but it might be important."

"Maybe."

"Where are those CBI guys?" asked McGee.

"Ah yes Vance wants to see you by the way, ASAP," Ziva informed him.

"Tony look into Shaw's records for the same sort of thing, maybe he gave his buddy the drugs," Gibbs said heading in the direction of the stairs, "Ziva, McGee have him fill you in then go pick up Shaw..."