"Hope you have good news for me Abby," Gibbs said as he strode into the lab, caffeinated beverage in hand.

Abby spun around with a smile and reached for the drink, sighing when he held it just out of her reach. "Gibbs," she whined.

"Case first Abby."

"Fine," she sulked, looking back at her computer as she clicked the mouse. "I've been going over the security footage the base sent over and I noticed something very interesting."

"How interesting Abby?" She always made him work for the information.

Abby smiled and her eyes gleamed. "Very." She rewound the tape and pointed. "See this? This is ninety seconds before the first body was staged." She fast forwarded a little. "And right here, thirty seconds after he was hung from the rafters."

"Okay..." Gibbs was missing the connection.

"Gibbs, pay attention." Abby stuck her finger on the screen. "The time stamps are messed up. The time directly before and after both murders has been cut from the tape. Which means..."

"This was an inside job."

"Or somebody who fits in really well on a Navy base and wouldn't be noticed."

"That's good work Abs," Gibbs handed over her Caf-Pow! and headed for the elevator.

As he waited for the doors to open, his cell phone rang and he unclipped it from his belt. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Ah, good morning Jethro. Could you come and see me?"

"Found something Duck?"

Ducky hesitated. "It's not good news."

"On my way."

He entered through the sliding doors two minutes later. "What'd you find Ducky?"

"Well, it's rather what I haven't found that's the mystery this time Jethro."

Gibbs waited. There was always more.

"Two perfectly healthy young men, that's what you see here. Except for the injuries related to their staged deaths, there are no indications about how or why they died."

Gibbs raised one eyebrow. "The perfect murder Duck?"

Ducky smiled. "No such thing. But whoever the killer is came mighty close. Mr. Palmer and I have been going over these bodies with a fine toothed comb. The only hint of foul play is this."

He gestured for Gibbs to come closer and held the lighted magnifying glass for him to see. It was a tiny red mark with a faint blue ring around it. "I believe it's a puncture mark from a needle," Ducky explained. "The redness and bruising indicated that it was stabbed into the poor man's carotid artery rather violently, just shortly before his death. The other has one just like this in the exact same place. But I can't find a trace of any lethal or non-lethal drugs in either of their systems. Abby said their tox screens came back negative." Ducky got a faraway look in his eye. "You know Jethro, this reminds me of a time when I was a volunteer medical examiner in the Middle East. It was almost thirty years ago now but I remember quite clearly a case..."

Gibbs ignored the beginning of one of Ducky's famous monologues and grabbed his cell.

"David," Ziva answered.

"Ziva, I want you in Autopsy now."

"Of course," she said, sounding confused.

When she walked into Autopsy a few minutes later, he fixed her with a Gibbs' stare. "What drugs can you use to kill people that won't show up in a blood test?"

Ziva looked slightly taken aback, but moved closer and stood a few feet from him in the position of a soldier at rest. "There are many ways that I can think of to kill without leaving a trace. But insulin and kalium are two of the easiest drugs to use. They can be obtained over the counter at any drugstore and they metabolize quickly, making them untraceable in the body."

Gibbs paced back and forth between the two Autopsy tables. "Who would know to use those?" he demanded.

Ziva shrugged. "An assassin. Possibly a medical or forensic student. Or anyone who has access to the internet."

Gibbs was already dialing. "Tony!" he barked.

"Yes Boss?"

"I want every person on that base with medical training checked for any connection to our victims. Then track down their families and find out if anyone they are related to has that kind of training. I also want you to find out if there have been any other suspicious deaths on that base in the last two years."

"Got it."

Gibbs hung up. "You find anything else Ducky, you let me know." He and Ziva left for the elevator. "Our killer may have just left us his mark."

NCIS

It was nearing 1530 and Jenny Gibbs had yet to see her husband, which was unusual these days. On normal days, if they had any, he would be able to sneak up at least twice by now, if not more often. Of course, there wasn't really a need to sneak anymore. She turned her attention back to the protection plan update SecNav had required her to review and sighed. At times like these she wished the official paperwork was written in English instead of a combination of legalize and military speak.

Jenny glanced at the clock. She really hoped Jethro was able to take his "coffee break". Being that he hadn't come to see her, he was probably busy making progress towards solving his case. He was just too stubborn not to find the answers.

NCIS

"What do you mean we have nothing?" Gibbs repeated.

Tony was just as frustrated. "Just that, nothing. No other suspicious deaths on base. Nothing hinky with any medical personnel on base and no medical professionals in their family." He tossed the file onto his desk, disgusted. "We've got nothing."

"Well, unless a ghost killed them DiNozzo, we are missing something!"

Ziva stood up and joined the others in the center of the room. "It could be an assassin."

"Hired to kill a Sergeant and a Petty Officer?" Tony scoffed. "What fantasy book were you reading last night?"

Ziva crossed her arms and glared at him. "We know it isn't someone in their family. A person doing research on the internet would not have the technical skills to dissect the security tape. And it doesn't appear to be anyone on base. Assassins know how to blend in and become invisible when necessary."

"Something you know from experience, Zee-vah?" Tony mocked her.

"I was trained to become whatever I needed to be!" Ziva spit back, her eyes flashing.

"So why send an assassin after these two?" Gibbs mused, ignoring their scrapping.

"It could be a grudge from their past," Ziva offered. "Maybe they borrowed money from the wrong people or got involved with drugs or the mafia."

Before Tony had a chance to start listing off the best ever mafia movies of the 50s and 60s, McGee nodded. "Yeah, Ziva that's a good point. The area they're from is big, old time mafia country."

"McGee, check back as far as their grandparents for any mafia connections no matter how slim. If it's his grandpa's cousin's ex-boyfriend's niece's best friend, I want to know about it. These two are cousins, their deaths may be pay off on an old debt." He checked his watch. "I'm going for coffee."

Gibbs made for the elevator while the team scrambled to dig up information so they could run with this new lead. When Gibbs got back he'd expect them to know all the answers.

NCIS

The tray Gibbs carried into Autopsy held three coffees. Palmer was nowhere to be seen and Ducky sat at his desk, a pot of tea occupying one corner. He looked up when the doors swooshed open.

"Jethro," he said in surprise, "to what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Gibbs silently removed one of the coffees and handed it to his friend.

Ducky's eyebrows raised as he accepted the drink. "It's a rare moment when you bring me coffee old friend. What's wrong?" Then he answered his own question. "It's Jennifer, isn't it?"

Gibbs nodded, sipping his hot coffee. "Yeah. She's got another shrink appointment today and it's been requested that I accompany her."

"That's very wise," Ducky agreed, tasting the coffee. He didn't often drink the stuff, but he knew Gibbs needed an excuse to have a conversation. He wasn't the type of man who could easily admit he needed help from another.

Gibbs rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what to say to a shrink Ducky. I guess I'll just be Jenny's moral support. You know, let it be about her and listen instead of talk."

Ducky set his drink down and crossed his arms, regarding the man before him carefully. "Do you think this is only Jenny's problem Jethro?"

"Of course not." Gibbs looked up. "What happened to her affects both of us, in almost every way. I just want her to know she'd not alone in this."

"Sometimes what you do has far greater meaning than what you say," Ducky explained. "Have you tried serving her? By that I mean helping with things around the house, the laundry or cleaning. Do you play the gentleman, opening car and building doors for her? What about getting her a present for no reason at all except to say I love you one more time? Have you taken her out on a date, making sure she knows there is no pressure at all for anything physical between the two of you? Or gone for a walk just because? Or are you always thinking about how to fix this and make it better so you can get back to having the wife you know and love and all the benefits that go along with that? Has it even crossed your mind that Jennifer may not be that person anymore, that the trauma has changed her in fundamental ways?"

Gibbs frowned. "The point, Ducky?" He didn't need to see two shrinks today.

Ducky came over and put his hands on Gibbs' shoulders. "Let today's session be about Jennifer by all means Jethro, but remember that she is not the only one who must heal from what was done. She was not the only one who was violated." He sat back down at the desk, his back to Gibbs. The man needed time to think. "Thank you for the coffee Jethro."