CH3
"Lieutenant Sanchez," the man introduced himself to Gibbs. They had arrived at the base after a long, uncomfortable flight and Gibbs wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"Where's the crime scene?" he stated simply.
"This way."
The team followed Gibbs and Ducky through the maze of sleeping quarters. Tony didn't notice when they had stopped and clumsily ran into Ziva. He gripped her waist to steady himself.
"Sorry," he mumbled but didn't let go for a moment too long and Ziva noticed. She looked back at him glanced at his hands on her and then back up to his eyes, her eye brows raised and a smirk at the corners of her mouth. For the first time that day, she almost looked like herself. Tony let go and immediately pulled himself together, mentally slapping the back of his head.
"DiNozzo, David!" Gibbs called, "Get in here."
Ziva turned into the room. Tony had been on that plane too long; he must be loosing his mind, he thought with a sigh as he followed her.
"Sergeant Rowland, slept in that bunk over there," the Lieutenant pointed.
"Yeah, the one covered in blood, got it," Tony remarked sarcastically as he passed Sanchez. Sanchez rolled his eyes.
Ducky interrupted though, "I'm afraid I can be of little assistance here without the body, Lieutenant. Where is she being stored?"
"The doctor has her already. I'll take you down."
Ducky and Palmer followed and the team began to take pictures of the scene. There hadn't been much of a fight.
McGee spoke this first, "Not much of a struggle, it looks like she didn't even have time to wake up."
"Hopefully she did not," Ziva said, commenting on the brutality of the act.
"You think someone could have snuck into a military camp, Boss? Tony asked, "Or an inside job?"
"Find out," he ordered, then exited the bunker in a hurry.
"Wonder what's the matter with him?" McGee asked, still surveying the bed.
"Long flight," answered Tony, "But that doesn't explain what's the matter with Ziva."
Ziva sent him a death stare before pulling the camera over her eyes and blinding him with a flash. McGee only gave Tony a you deserved it look. An awkward silence came over the room while they finished gathering the evidence and putting the bloody sheets in a bag. Ziva had been silent for most of the day and practically all of the flight. Tony was determined to figure out what was wrong.
The team now hovered over the body of Sergeant Alice Rowland listening to Ducky tell an elaborate story about an intense cricket match he had while he was stationed in Iraq
". . . and he was a particularly good cricket player for a chap with one eye- "
"Duck," interrupted Gibbs.
"Right, another time then. This unfortunate girl was stabbed 6 times, mostly around the chest and abdomen. The first stab most likely hit her heart. She would have died almost instantly and that would explain why there was not more blood on her bed," Ducky said while digging around in her abdomen.
He suddenly stopped and staggered back a little.
"Oh, dear," he exclaimed, taking a surgical tool from Palmer.
"What is it, doctor?" Jimmy asked.
"Looks like our homicide, just turned into a double murder," he looked at Gibbs with a heartbreaking expression.
"Could she have gotten pregnant before her tour?" Tony asked the group as they huddled in an empty meeting room, as McGee was pulling up her records on the computer.
"No way," Ziva replied, "Ducky said she was 3 months along and she's been here since July. That's 6 months."
"If the father is a Iraqi civilian, that's a lot of motive, Boss," McGee added.
"Ziva-" Gibbs started.
"Go talk to her commanding officer," Ziva said, cutting him off.
"McGee-"
"Go through her phone records and work schedule."
"Tony—"
"Go through her financials and medical records, see if she knew she was pregnant. On it boss."
The team scattered to begin working. "Ziver, wait I'm coming with you," Gibbs stated, he clearly wanted to see the reaction on the officer's face when they told him Sergeant Rowland was pregnant.
"Do you know why Sergeant Rowland would have been murdered, Officer?" Ziva asked, easing him into the interview.
Officer Scheinman seemed convincingly troubled by the events and he answered slowly, pulling himself together.
"Not at all. No one had anything against her here and she didn't have a high clearance level."
"Do you think a civilian could have gotten in?" Gibbs followed up.
"No. This camp has guards at every angle. No way in hell my men let an Iraqi civilian inside," the Office said sternly.
"Okay, any idea who got Sergeant Rowland pregnant?" Gibbs dropped the bomb casually, and then scanned the officer's face.
"Alice was pregnant." He legitimately seemed surprised.
"Three months along," Ziva said, also trying to decipher the officer's reaction.
"N-No," he stuttered in shock, "I had no idea."
"Was she close to anyone here?"
"A few people," the officer was still in shock, but a flash came across his face. "She was close to a man, Sergeant Ross. I don't think it was anything romantic though. Ross is married."
"Could we speak to him," Ziva asked.
"Sure, I'll call the front. He's on duty right now." Officer Scheinman picked up the phone next to him and dialed. "Could you send Sergeant Ross to my office?" There was a pause as the sergeant on the other line said something.
"What do you mean? Why was I was not notified?" Officer Scheinman hung up violently and spoke to Gibbs and Ziva.
"Ross, didn't show up for duty this morning and they can't find him on base."
Ziva and Gibbs barged into the room where DiNozzo and McGee were working.
"No idea if she knew she was pregnant. She didn't go to a doctor or buy a pregnancy test," DiNozzo said as they walked in.
"Boss, Rowland had regular calls and messages from a-" McGee tried to add, but Ziva beat him to it. "Sergeant Benjamin Ross."
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"He's missing." Gibbs stated.
"In Bagdad?" McGee asked stunned, "No way he'll be safe rogue."
"No one can start looking till tomorrow morning, it's too dangerous at night. Get some rest." Gibbs demanded. "You're gonna need it."
SORRY NO TIVA!
Next chapter I promise;)