Drowning

Chapter 24

'What do you think he is doing in there?' mused Ziva as she kept her gaze on the Partington's front door. It had been twenty minutes since Tony had entered the house. They had witnessed no suspicious vehicles or pedestrians in the street before of after his arrival.

'Trying to get the parents to admit they're planning to pay a ransom,' said McGee. 'And trying to convince them to let us in on it.'

'Yes, I know what he was supposed to do,' said Ziva. 'I am curious about his approach.'

'Well,' said McGee, 'Gibbs would probably do the whole empathy thing, tell them he knows how they feel and how the only way they'll get their daughter back is to co-operate with NCIS. Tony wouldn't be able to take that angle since he hasn't had kids.'

'I would come straight out and tell them they are being fools if they are doing business on their own with a kidnapper,' said Ziva. 'Kidnappers rarely release their victims, even when the ransom has been paid, because they fear they will be identified by the victim.'

McGee glanced sideways at Ziva and then back to the road.

'Well, I guess that explains why Tony got the assignment instead of you,' he ventured. 'Tony's probably shooting the breeze a bit; playing along until he can catch them out.'

'This shooting of the breeze is taking a long time,' said Ziva, frowning. 'We need to know for certain that there has been a ransom demand so that we can act.'

The pair continued to sit and observe for five more minutes. Just as McGee decided that he should ring Gibbs before the boss rang him to demand to know what was going on, the door to the Partington house was flung open. Expecting to see Tony come striding out, McGee's mouth literally dropped open. Running down the path and along the sidewalk, directly towards their car, was a young woman. She was gesticulating wildly with her hands and her eyes were wide. It was Dianne Partington.

………………………………………………

Abby was seriously worried that Gibbs was going to wear out her floor. He had begun slowly pacing fifteen minutes ago. He had snapped at anything she tried to say to distract him, so she had kept working silently. She was slightly concerned that they hadn't heard anything from Tony, but she was starting to be concerned about Gibbs as well. All this pacing and working himself into a tight ball of anxiety couldn't be good for his health. She could clearly hear his slightly labored breathing – courtesy of Gibbs insisting that she keep her music off. She loved Gibbs dearly but Abby was on the brink of protesting that she couldn't work under these circumstances.

The ringing of Gibbs' cell made them both jump. Gibbs snatched it up.

'What's happening?' he demanded.

'Gibbs. You won't believe what's happened,' came McGee's voice. He sounded tense. 'We've found Dianne Partington. Well, she technically found us. She ran out to the car. Her parents paid the ransom and he left her with them.'

'Is she hurt?' asked Gibbs. This sounded like a good result to him. The woman couldn't have been too badly hurt if she ran out to the car. And the money was probably a drop in the ocean for the Partingtons anyway.

'She's okay, Boss,' said McGee. And there again was the tension that Gibbs had detected in McGee's voice.

'Where are you now?' asked Gibbs, locking eyes with Abby who was standing in front of him, her face expectant.

'In the house,' said McGee. 'You need to get down here. I mean, if you're okay to,' he added.

'Let me talk to Tony,' said Gibbs. There was a long pause on the other end of the line that made the hairs on the back Gibbs' neck stand up.

'Tony's gone,' said McGee. 'The kidnapper was demanding more money from the Partingtons before he'd release Dianne unharmed. He ended up taking Tony instead.'

Gibbs terminated the call and stared down at the phone for a few moments before he remembered that Abby was waiting to hear what had happened. He looked her in the eye and let out the breath he had been holding.

'Feel like taking a drive?' he asked her.

……………………………………………

As he slowly regained consciousness, Tony became aware of several things: the back of his head was throbbing, his hands were tied tightly behind his back, and he was very, very cold. With a groan and a cough he opened his eyes a crack. He appeared to be in a room and he was sitting on the floor with his back against a wall. There was a thin line of light high above him, but it was not enough to illuminate the room. Tony shut his eyes again and tried to remember how he got to be where he was.

………………………………………..

When Gibbs, accompanied by an edgy Abby, entered the Partington living room, he was immediately bombarded by comments and questions from McGee, Ziva, Mr. and Mrs. Partington and Dianne Partington herself. Gibbs held up his hand to halt everyone. He needed details and he needed them fast. Social niceties would have to wait.

'McGee, give me a summary,' he demanded, his voice low and serious.

'Boss, when Tony – Agent Dinozzo – entered the house, the kidnapper was already here with Officer Partington,' explained McGee, his face pale. 'Money had been exchanged but he was demanding more. He had been threatening to shoot Officer Partington or take her away again, but Agent Dinozzo suggested that he be taken in her place.'

'Agent Gibbs,' said Dianne, standing up to address him. 'Agent Dinozzo convinced the kidnapper that NCIS would be good for a decent ransom, but I know as well as he does that NCIS has a strict policy against paying monetary demands in exchange for personnel. You have to find him!'

'What happened next?' Gibbs asked, addressing Mr. Partington.

'The kidnapper held Agent Dinozzo at gunpoint and left through the back entrance,' said Partington, shakily. 'He warned us to wait ten minutes before we raised the alarm or he'd shoot your agent,' he added.

'We waited nearly ten minutes and then Dianne ran out the front to find Agent McGee and agent David,' said Mrs. Partington. 'The kidnapper told us there were agents watching the house. That's why he brought Dianne in through the back entrance this morning.'

'We were waiting in the garden since before dawn,' added Dianne, shivering at the thought.

'How were you transported here?' asked Gibbs, marveling at the boldness of the kidnapper.

'We walked, a long way, through the night,' said Dianne. 'He kept his face covered and we both wore hooded jackets. He is very meticulous. I never saw his face.'

Gibbs shot his next questioning glare at Ziva who responded immediately.

'I investigated the entire lane way behind the house,' she said, her face tight with concern. 'One neighbor reported seeing a taxi in the lane around the time the kidnapper would have fled, but she could not remember seeing anyone inside.'

Abby brought one hand to her mouth and tried not to freak out. This couldn't be happening. How could a trained federal agent like Tony disappear underneath the noses of two other trained federal agents? Looking at Gibbs made her feel even more worried. The boss's mouth was set in a thin, tight line. She wondered who he was going to express anger at first: the Partingtons for not involving NCIS in the first place, McGee and Ziva for just sitting there while Tony was being taken, or Tony for sacrificing himself.

Gibbs stood quietly for a few moments as he tried to reign in his emotions. He could lose it, but that wasn't going to help Tony. Dianne Partington was back and now they were going to get Tony back, whatever the cost.

'Ziva, McGee, get back to NCIS and find that taxi,' he ordered. 'Abby, drive us to Vay's. I wanna know what she has to say about all this.'

'I want to help,' said Dianne, and Gibbs could see in her eyes that despite her ordeal, this was a young woman who was willing and able to assist them.

'Follow Ziva and McGee back to NCIS,' he told her. 'Bring a change of clothes. We'll do a thorough interview and see if we can find some forensic evidence that will tell us where you were being held.'

'Gibbs, what about Tony's car?' asked Abby, her bottom lip quivering slightly as the fact that Tony was in serious danger sank in.

'His keys are here,' said Mrs. Partington, indicating the coffee table. 'He was made to empty his pockets. The kidnapper took Agent Dinozzo's weapon.'

'McGee, drive it back to NCIS,' Gibbs told him, his face grim.

'Yes, Boss,' replied the younger agent.

And then everyone sprang into action, all well aware of the dire nature of the situation.

………………………………………………

Tony looked up as the thin line of light above him widened then narrowed. Sitting in the near dark, he had gradually recalled how he had come to be where he was. As they had left the Partington house, a taxi had pulled up in the lane. He had felt a sharp blow to the back of his head and then woken up where he was. And now the kidnapper was returning. He felt a shiver of trepidation run through his body – or was it merely a physical response to the freezing conditions? It was hard to tell.

'Ah, you're awake,' said the man as he came closer. 'Much better.'

'I guess it must be hard to gloat about kidnapping a woman and keeping her in a cellar when your audience is unconscious,' said Tony.

'Oh, I intend to gloat,' said the man. 'But I was more interested in a reunion. We've met before, Special Agent Tony Dinozzo.'

Tony winced involuntarily as a small lamp was switched on. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he could clearly see the man crouching in front of him, without the balaclava that had obscured his face. It was Matthew Brogan.

'You're not really a prime example of prison reducing recidivism, are you?' said Tony flippantly. 'Barely out of the slammer and back kidnapping easy targets.'

Brogan drew back his hand and struck Tony forcefully across the face. Tony took a moment before turning back to look Brogan in the eye again, the taste of blood in his mouth.

'I've hit the jackpot this time,' Brogan told him, nastily. 'I've already got a million in cash. Another million from NCIS and I can go into early retirement.'

'There's no way you'll get a cent out of NCIS, Brogan,' Tony told him. 'We don't do deals with scum like you.'

'You're lying,' said Brogan. 'And if they don't pay up, it will just give me another excuse to kill you. But not before I pay you back for putting me away the last time.' With that, Brogan struck Tony again before turning off the lamp and leaving his captive alone in the dark again.

Tony sank back against the cold wall and felt blood trickle from his nose. There was no way NCIS would entertain the idea of paying a ransom, and even if they did, he knew Brogan intended to kill him anyway. He was seriously screwed.