Chapter 6
Gibbs checked his watch, it read 1413hrs. He was acutely aware of the time frame Dr Meyers had given him in which to save Tony's life.
"The engine is still hot." Ziva announced. "So they have not been gone long."
"Boss," McGee called out. "I've got a blood trail." He raised his weapon again as he followed the direction of the droplets and smudged drag marks. They led to a stack of barrels situated in the far corner of the warehouse. Gibbs joined his probationary agent covering his approach just in case the trail was part of a trap. What met their eyes was neither pretty nor what they had expected. David Weston was sprawled across the floor, two bullet holes in his chest.
Gibbs' cell rang moments after the grisly discovery; it was Abby.
"Gibbs?"
"Yes Abs, what's up?"
"The explosion at the hospital was from the C4. I've matched the chemical characteristics to the trace we found on the bullet casing Tony retrieved from the rooftop." Abby explained.
"Good work Abby!" Gibbs congratulated.
"Any news on Tony?" she asked expectantly.
"None yet," he reassured her. "We will find him Abs; I'll find him," he promised.
"I know…" she replied. "Just be careful."
Gibbs could hear the tremors in her voice, her genuine concern spurring him on. He replaced his phone in his pocket as he and Ziva searched the van and McGee went through Weston's pockets trying to get a lead on where they may have taken Tony.
"I've got a car rental receipt," McGee exclaimed. He dialled the number and enquired about the vehicle and the person or people who rented it. "The rental company say it was a dark green Chrysler Alpine, registration KBH 8368 rented to a Samuel Reines." McGee reported after he finished his conversation with the duty manager at the rental company. "And, the vehicle has 'Lo-Jack'!" he smiled.
"Good work McGee!" Gibbs praised.
McGee went out to their car and fired up his laptop. Gibbs got behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. The engine turned over but didn't start.
"Come on," Gibbs persuaded the temperamental car.
"Maybe, you should talk to it like they do in the 'Herbie' movies," suggested McGee.
Gibbs couldn't believe what he had heard. Dinozzo was usually the one who'd refer to different movies during their investigations – and now McGee wanted him to 'talk to the car'?! Gibbs pumped the gas pedal and turned the ignition several times more – still nothing. He looked at his watch, it now read 1427hrs. Again, he looked at McGee who encouraged his boss to try his suggestion. Gibbs couldn't believe what he was about to do, but he knew he couldn't waste anymore time trying to do it his way. "Dinozzo needs us – come on, start…" he turned the key again and the robust little car belched into life. The wheels span, leaving tyre tread residue on the ground as Gibbs gunned the accelerator. He couldn't believe it had worked; he was just glad it had!
The GPS position blinked on McGee's laptop, they were headed for Grass State Park along Route 101.
The gap was closing. Reines was obviously sticking to the speed limit so as not to draw attention to himself. Suddenly, the GPS indicator showed Reines had left the freeway and was now headed for the woodland along Mud Bay Road West. Reines was headed for Louise Lake! Gibbs knew this was not a good sign and pushed the little bug as hard as its engine would take. "Come on," he urged under his breath.
"There!" pointed Ziva from the back seat. Ahead of them they could see the brake lights from the green Alpine through the dust trail behind it. The time was now 1456hrs. The accelerator pedal was flush to the floor and they were making ground on the Alpine. The terrain was rough and the pursuit was on. Reines must have realised he was being chased as he veered to the right and snaked around the pot-holes. The Beetle was not so nimble and Gibbs managed to find most, if not all, of the ruts and craters along the way. The suspension was rigid, so Ziva and McGee were catapulted around in their seats like laundry on an economy cycle.
Suddenly, the Alpine swung around ninety degrees and blocked the 'road'. As Gibbs turned the corner he saw the green car blocking their path and stomped on the brakes. All the NCIS agents were armed with their weapons trained on the Alpine ready for action as they exited their vehicle.
The car was empty; the driver had taken off on foot. "McGee…" Gibbs instructed. "Check the car."
Ziva followed Gibbs into the wooded area. The senior agent's tracking skills proving an advantage as there were no visible signs of their quarry.
McGee skirted the car, checking that no-one was hiding on the far side ready to ambush him the moment his focus was altered. He could see the outline of a figure beneath a rug on the back seat, beside it a dark blue holdall. "Come out with your hands in the air," commanded the young agent. The figure remained motionless. Again McGee instructed the fugitive to exit the vehicle, but the passenger still didn't move. Cautiously, McGee pulled the rug from over the mystery person's face. It was Dinozzo! His limp body tied and gagged on the back seat. McGee pulled his colleague from the car and removed Tony's bindings. Tony groaned as the blood returned to his cramped limbs grateful to be free of his incarceration. McGee returned to the car and checked out the holdall. Inside were bundles of $50 and $100 bills.
"The missing money from the 'Truman' I suspect," Tony surmised groggily.
"Looks like it," agreed McGee.
Gibbs and Ziva edged their way through the woods following the trail left behind by Reines. "Give it up Reines!" called Gibbs.
A scurrying sound and the snapping of a branch attracted the attention of the pursuers. Ziva and Gibbs split up to try and corner Reines, each of them acutely aware that they may be walking right into an ambush.
A small wood cabin nestled in the undergrowth was barely visible amongst the trees. Silently, Gibbs approached using the brush as cover. He lay watching for movement from within the building, someone was inside. He could hear raised voices but not the content. Suddenly, a shot rang out followed by a loud thud. The shot echoed through the forest.
Gibbs could see Ziva on the far side of the cabin; she too had heard the commotion and the gun shot. The two NCIS agents communicated silently through marine sign language so they each knew their plan of attack.
A rifle barrel levelled out of the window, the crosshairs settling upon Gibbs' body. A finger gently caressed then squeezed the trigger. A bullet exploded from the muzzle of the weapon…
Ziva stood behind the body, her smouldering six-hour still raised in the position in which she had fired the shot. The body on the floor was lifeless. Gibbs entered the cabin through the front door and looked at the corpse; the blood oozing from the wound in his chest staining the floorboards a deep crimson. "You okay?" Gibbs asked. Ziva nodded and re-holstered her weapon. Gibbs turned the body over. It was Carlos Sanchez. Reines, too, was dead.
"Looks like Sanchez was here to collect his pay-off from Reines," Ziva surmised. "And when he brought more than just the money…"
"Sanchez left no witnesses!" Gibbs concluded.
Back outside the cabin, Dinozzo was becoming more lucid, the painkillers wearing off and the agony taking hold. "McGee, call an ambulance." Gibbs instructed.
"Already on its way, boss."