Elle was sitting in the back of the ambulance being examined by the EMTs when a young man came rushing up.
"Elle, I just heard about Will's murder on the news. I'm so sorry." He went to hug her but she shrank back in fear.
"Get away from me, Scott! I told you to leave me alone!" Elle exclaimed. "I don't ever want to see you again."
"Baby," the young man pleaded, kneeling by her side. "You know I love you."
McGee, standing nearby, noticed the look on the young woman's face. She looked scared, helpless, and downright pitiful. Her eyes were red from crying and her face was pale. The guy seemed to be pestering her and she didn't seem to like it.
"Everything all right here?" he asked, walking towards the ambulance.
"Hey man, stay out of this. This is my girlfriend, okay?"
Elle stood up suddenly and pushed past him to stand behind McGee. "I'm not his girlfriend," she insisted. "I used to be, but not anymore." She looked up at Timothy. "Can you please get me out of here?"
McGee looked down into her bright, pleading blue eyes and he nodded. "C'mon. We need to get you back to NCIS."
He put his hand on hers and turned to escort her to the blue Dodge Charger. She came willingly, glancing back nervously over her shoulder to make sure that the guy wasn't following them.
ELLE'S POV
After a short drive through downtown Washington, D.C., I was escorted into the NCIS building by the entire NCIS team. So far, Agent McGee was the only one who seemed very nice. Agent Gibbs looked like he could be mean and almost like he didn't have any heart. Agent DiNozzo was good-looking and Agent David was simply beautiful.
Agent David took me up an elevator to an interrogation room and offered me something to drink. I shyly asked if I could get a large cup of black coffee. In less than five minutes, she brought it back and then I was left alone.
My thoughts were racing as my brain replayed the ordeal over and over again. I wanted to write everything down, so I wouldn't forget anything important. The worst part was seeing them bring Will's covered body out on a gurney. I wanted to say goodbye, but the NCIS agents wouldn't let me get close to his body.
Finally, the door opened and Agent Gibbs and Agent David walked in, carrying a small manila folder.
"So, tell us about your relationship with Lt. Rogers," Agent Gibbs suggested, sitting down across the small metal table from me.
"It's like I told Agent McGee; he's my best friend. We've known each other since we were sixteen."
"Were you dating the Lieutenant?" Agent David wanted to know, standing in the corner with her arms folded over her chest.
"No!" I exclaimed. "Why does everyone always assume that?"
"What do you mean? People think you are dating him?" she continued to press for information.
I sighed, my throat and heart aching painfully. "Will and I have been best friends since we met. We hung out together, studied together—you name it, we did it together. When we graduated from high school, he joined the Marine Corps and I got into college here in D.C. Since he had an office job, he worked regular hours," I explained.
"Which meant you could hang out on the weekends still," Agent Gibbs finished my thought for me.
"That's right. Sunday nights were our movie nights. We would go to Movie Gallery and pick out something we'd never seen before. It was tradition."
"McGee said you did not see your attacker," Agent David declared. "Is that true?" I nodded, swallowing hard. "I was watching a video on my phone that my friend had sent me. I saw my attacker's reflection in the TV, but before I had a chance to react, he…he hit me."
"So you didn't hear a gunshot?" Agent Gibbs wanted to know.
I shook my head. "No. The next thing I remember is waking up in the closet, tied up and gagged." I took a sip of my coffee quickly and it scorched my mouth.
"Did Lt. Rogers have any enemies that you know of?" he asked.
I thought for a moment. "Not that I know of. Will was a favorite with everyone. People just love him. He never mentioned anything about having any enemies."
"What about you?" Agent David stared directly into my eyes as she stated her question.
"Wait!" I looked from Agent Gibbs to her and then back at the older, handsome NCIS agent. "Do you think that it's my fault that Will was shot?" I sat back in the chair and let my shoulders slump in dismay.
"We're just trying to figure out who might have done it," Agent Gibbs assured me.
I ran my fingers through my long hair wearily. "I only have one person that I'm scared of. My ex-boyfriend, Scott Harper. We dated for about four months until he… he wanted more than I was willing to give. We went out to eat one night and I told him I wanted to break up. Turns out, he planned to propose to me that night. He became really loud and somewhat violent."
"So how long has he been stalking you?" Agent Gibbs inquired.
My head snapped up. "How did you know?"
He held up the folder. "You filed a restraining order against him three months ago. He's violated the perimeter five times since then."
"He never liked the fact that I hung out with Will," I admitted. "But murder—I just can't imagine him going that far. He came to the crime scene this morning to check on me. Scott had a good heart at times, but hormones and jealousy were way too prevalent."
Agent Gibbs got up and headed for the door. "We'll see," was all he said.
"Wait!" I called. "How long do I have to stay here?"
"Until we figure this thing out," he replied.