Tim was flustered, but determined and thankful that Tony and Ziva weren't there. Why was he letting the General get to him this way? He mentally smacked himself and asked the direct question. "What is your relationship with Mrs. Wheeler?"
O'Neill flashed a half smirk at McGee before replying, "We've been close friends since 1991."
"You admit being at their house without her husband. When were you there?."
O'Neill shook his head a little, as if he couldn't believe the questions the NCIS punk was asking, but he vowed to stay in control. "When Ron was deployed and we lived close enough. Their kids were small... my son was small. My wife... my ex-wife and I would go over for dinner every once in a while." He looked thoughtful before adding, "We went to the same church."
McGee realized O'Neill hadn't answered the way he thought he would. "That was years ago, General. What about something more recent?"
O'Neill's eyes went to the galaxy poster for just a second before he looked at McGee. "A month ago Ron was out-of-town. I was at their house for dinner."
Tim smiled smugly and asked in a definitely suggestive way, "You were there alone with Mrs. Wheeler?"
O'Neill's eyes displayed his hidden outrage, but his voice and tone were normal. "Yes, for about 15 minutes until the kids," and he ticked them off on his fingers as he named them, "Marcus, Pam, Claudette and little Kathleen got there." When no sound came from Tim's mouth, O'Neill added, "I think we had meatloaf and mashed."
Gibbs wasn't sensing any duplicity and he knew Tim had lost control of the interview, if he'd ever had it.
And Tim must have channeled Tony because he wasn't buying any of it and blurted out, "The hug yesterday was described as gentle, warm and loving."
O'Neill didn't wait for a question. Leaning forward and glaring right at Tim, he ground out, "Yes, Special Agent McGee. My friend's husband, who was also my friend, died yesterday. Of course I hugged Elizabeth.. in a gentle, warm and loving way... and I will be hugging her again."
McGee kept his mouth closed and switching his flinty gaze to Gibbs, O'Neill ordered, "Your turn."
Gibbs liked General O'Neill. His gut wasn't indicating anything more than friendship between O'Neill and Mrs. Wheeler so he went to Wheeler's career.
"General Wheeler's service record is heavily redacted. Do you know why?"
"Yes."
With mild surprise Gibbs asked, "Can you tell us why?"
"No."
Gibbs was understanding more and more why the SecNav was so interested.
"Why is yours?"
O'Neill didn't answer. He just waited for the next question.
Gibbs knew he wasn't going to get much. "Do you know why General Wheeler, a marine, was working closely with the Air Force?"
O'Neill didn't respond. Again.
Gibbs glanced at his watch. Still lots left of the 20 minutes. "Besides you, was he good friends with anyone else?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell us who?"
The vertical crease in O'Neill's forehead got more pronounced. "Yes."
Gibbs admired the way O'Neill was staying calm and controlled.
"Will you give us the names of people that you know were friends of General Wheeler?"
O'Neill was rigid, his posture and eyes not giving anything away. "I'll get you a list."
Gibbs considered the man's evasion and wondered if he'd ever see that list of names.
"Do you know who your friend's CO was?"
O'Neill seemed to be thinking, weighing his response. Finally he admitted, "Yes."
"Will you tell us the name?"
Not a word.
Gibbs wasn't taking O'Neill's silence and short answers personally and McGee.. well, McGee just looked a little bit confused.
"Do you know anything about General Wheeler's assignment?"
O'Neill didn't answer. Gibbs took it as a yes.
Gibbs knew this whole thing had to be need-to-know. O'Neill just wasn't confirming it. Probably top-secret too. SecNav already knew it and that was why he'd used General's Wheeler's death as an excuse to get Vance and then the team to investigate. O'Neill wouldn't give up anything about Wheeler, but maybe...
"What is your assignment?"
Not a single tell. Nothing. O'Neill was impressive.
"Who is your CO?"
Gibbs saw it in his eyes and knew before it actually happened.
General Jack O'Neill stood up smoothly and the captain jumped up. "Special Agent Gibbs, Special Agent McGee, it's been a pleasure."
Gibbs almost cracked up laughing. If anyone had been looking they would have seen the mirth in his eyes.
If O'Neill saw, he didn't react. "Call for another... short.. appointment if you have additional questions. Captain Taylor will get you the number." Then turning a critical eye to his aide, he said, "I'll be... you-know-where until 1230.
The eager captain grinned and acknowledged the orders with a crisp, "Yes, sir," as General O'Neill went out the door.
Gibbs looked at the young officer and smiled smugly. He shot a look at McGee, who picked it up, and then Gibbs leaned back, sipped his coffee and watched while McGee engaged the officer in small talk.
"General O'Neill is an intimidating guy."
The captain smiled. "Yes, sir." Clearly there was some hero-worship going on.
"What do you do here at the Pentagon?"
A small frown formed over his eyes. "Lots of things."
Gibbs smirked. Kid was cagey, just like O'Neill.
McGee didn't know as much about the military as Gibbs, but he knew enough. "How long have you been an aide?"
Taylor replied proudly. "Seven months."
McGee had learned a lot from Gibbs during interviews/interrogations and abruptly changed the focus. "Did you know General Wheeler?"
"Yes, I did." Sadness replaced the smile. "I'll get you the phone number General O'Neill wanted you to have. Please wait here, sirs."
Gibbs had seen green captains; he'd eaten a few for breakfast over the years. It was time to intimidate one. Standing up he casually suggested, "We need to get going anyway. We'll just come to your office with you and you can get us the card.. or whatever."
The captain's demeanor changed from naïve to leery in just under a millisecond. He seemed to stand a little taller when he stated, "No, Special Agent Gibbs. You and Special Agent McGee will stay here in the conference room or you can stand right outside this door and wait for me to come back. Your choice."
Polite and respectful, but certainly not green. A captain. Figure 26 years old. Out of college or the Academy at 22. Two years to make 1st Lieutenant. Two years to make captain. The kid didn't look a day over 22, 23 tops, but you really couldn't tell. Everybody ages differently.
With a raised eyebrow, Gibbs addressed his teammate. "We'll wait outside, won't we McGee?"
McGee nodded and rose from the comfy chair, hoping their own conference room would get new chairs in the future. Taylor opened the door and stepped back, letting the agents exit first. The hallway looked empty except for the men at the security check points, but then they saw the two airmen standing against the wall on each side of the conference room door. As soon as the captain stepped into the hallway, the two men straightened. Funny, they hadn't been there when they'd been shown to the room.
"I'll be right back," he stated to anyone within hearing distance and walked away. With a small smile, Gibbs started after him until he heard "SIR," and one of the 'guards' was right next to him. The captain didn't even flinch, let alone turn around.
McGee stepped toward Gibbs, the other airman right with him. "Boss?"
Gibbs quirked an eyebrow at him and then pulled his credentials and faced the men. "Federal agents. We're going with Captain Taylor."
"No, Special Agent Gibbs. You are to remain here or in the conference room until Captain Taylor returns."
"You have no authority over us."
McGee was wondering what Gibbs was up to. He was curious about the Air Force offices too, but knew they couldn't just go wandering around.
"You're right, sir. We don't." Was that a smirky smile?
Gibbs was feeling cocky. "Why shouldn't we go walking around here anywhere we want?"
Confidence and pride oozed from the two men. "Because Agent Gibbs, General O'Neill told us to remind you that you're in his house."
Gibbs almost laughed out loud. A comeback had just moved from his brain to his mouth when he saw Taylor walking toward them. When he got close he handed a miniature index card to Gibbs and said, "The phone number, sir." Then he addressed one of the airmen. "Go with Special Agents Gibbs and McGee past the second checkpoint."
"Yes, sir," the man replied crisply before stepping into the conference room. When he came out a second later, he handed the box of pecan sticky buns to McGee. "Compliments of General O'Neill, sir."
With a look of surprise on McGee's face and a small nod of acceptance from Gibbs, the airman started down the short corridor with them. On a whim, Gibbs turned back slightly and saw the Captain with a small trash bag and the other airman carrying the almost empty coffee pot. The men had cleaned up the conference room quickly and were taking the trash and dishes away.
O'Neill's people hadn't been intimidated at all. They stood their ground yet remained polite and respectful. They also weren't above menial janitorial tasks and Gibbs had to admit that so far, O'Neill and his people were impressive. Now he just had to find out more about O'Neill, about Wheeler, about their assignments, and then figure out what to tell Vance. He and McGee were in the car heading back to the Navy Yard when he realized they had forgotten to ask the captain about you-know-where.
tbc
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