A week passed before news spread through NCIS that more 'dispatches from DiNozzo' had been received. An expectant group gathered round McGee's desk to see what the latest package contained.

"I wonder if perhaps Anthony visited the Britannia Royal Naval College while he was visiting the West Country," mused Ducky, "it is a most beautiful building and has a tradition stretching back some centuries, you know."

"I hope he kept safe on Dartmoor," worried Abby, "you know they have military firing ranges there. Sometimes they do live firing," she clutched Captain Tony bear to her chest. She had not let it out of her sight since she had got it. It was almost as if the tiny toy had become a substitute for her friend. McGee thought about suggesting that he was sure that the live firing was well publicised but decided to save his breath and opted instead to open the parcel.

"Looks as if he's back in London," Tim observed, "my card is from the British Museum."

McHacker

Here's a card of the Rosetta Stone. Thought you might like it. I guess it wasn't hacking but I seem to remember it took a lot of deciphering so it's probably up your street. Even if the ancient Egyptians probably didn't have a word for donut … or sprinkles!

See you

Tony

"Does he say anything about rock climbing?" asked Abby.

"I just read it to you, Abby," said McGee with a sigh.

"Oh," said Abby, "well, smell it."

"Why?"

"To see if it smells of lemon," said Abby as it was obvious, "you know, he might be writing in invisible ink."

"Why would he do that?" asked McGee, but, always ready to please Abby, he sniffed, "no, no smell of lemon. Here, why don't you read your card?"

"What is the picture on your card, Abigail?" asked Ducky.

"Oh, it's really cool. It says it's a Design for a Gothic Table Fountain by Albrecht Durer. That's nice," she said in a slightly disappointed voice.

Hi Abby

I saw this and thought perhaps you might like to make one of these for yourself. It could be a real conversation piece for a Halloween party.

Love

Tony

"Perhaps he didn't go to the West Country after all," she said.

"That's good, isn't it?" asked Jimmy.

"I suppose so," said Abby a bit listlessly, as she hugged the bear a bit closer."

"Here, Ducky, here's yours," said McGee still acting as mailman.

"Thank you, Timothy. Ah, this is most interesting. Look, Mr Palmer," and Ducky showed his assistant a picture of an Egyptian medical papyrus.

"Gosh, yes, Dr Mallard," said Jimmy, "if only we knew ancient Egyptian, it might be really useful. Unless you speak ancient Egyptian, Doctor?"

"Alas, no," said Ducky, "Although, as I believe I told you once, there was a time when I considered a career in archaeology, I never pursued the study of ancient languages. If I had, I might be able to translate this fascinating object."

"But if you'd done that," said Abby practically, "you wouldn't have become a doctor, or a medical examiner and you'd never have come to work for NCIS. And we'd never have met," this thought distressed her so much that she wrapped Ducky in a hug.

"Then I am most glad I did not follow that career path," said Ducky, "even though it means that this picture remains incomprehensible to us."

"Does Tony say anything on the card about Dartmoor?" asked Abby.

"No. He simply says that he saw this and thought of me," replied Ducky.

"This is yours, Palmer," said McGee handing a postcard to Jimmy.

Black Lung

Is this a distant relation? The expression looks a bit like the one you have when Ducky makes you clean the pipettes!

Tony

"It's a self-portrait of Samuel Palmer," said Jimmy, "I've never heard of him."

The others looked expectantly at Ducky but he simply said, "I'll tell you all about him later, Mr Palmer. Jethro, what does your 'dispatch' say?"

Gibbs grimaced slightly. He wished he had never coined the phrase 'dispatches from DiNozzo'. He took the card offered by McGee. It had a picture of an Egyptian wooden boat.

Hey Boss

This seemed the sort of thing you might make although I think it was made to go in someone's tomb. Bit creepy if you ask me. Abby'll probably have an opinion about it.

Tony

"Is that all?" asked Abby.

"Yep," said Gibbs and he ostentatiously sniffed the card, "no lemon juice, no secret writing, Abs."

"At least it looks as if he's given Cousin Crispian the slip," said Abby trying to look on the bright side.

The DiNozzo Dispatches usually brightened everyone's day (except when they sent Abby into a vortex of anxiety) but on this occasion they seemed to have had the opposite effect.

"Well, back to work, Mr Palmer," said Ducky resolutely, "and I will regale you with the history of that fine English painter Mr Samuel Palmer."

Jimmy allowed himself to be led away.

"Come on, Captain Tony," said Abby, "We'll add this to the Tony wall. See you later, guys."

McGee looked at Gibbs, "right," he said, "back to work, I guess," and he propped his latest card against his pen cup before looking sadly at the empty desk next to him. Gibbs stared at his card and tried to see if there was some hidden message there.

NCISNCIS

Six days later the next parcel arrived and Tony's co-workers gathered again.

"Perhaps he's been to the West Country now," said Abby.

"I thought you didn't want him to go rock climbing," said Jimmy.

"I don't. I didn't," agreed Abby, "it's just that the last set of cards were a bit, well, off."

"I enjoyed finding out about Samuel Palmer," said Jimmy bravely, "Dr Mallard was very knowledgeable about him."

The others nodded. They had all, at various times, heard Ducky giving Jimmy exhaustive details about the artist.

"Looks like Tony went back to London Zoo," said McGee as he handed the postcards out.

McGee had a picture of a Secretary Bird; Abby's card had a flamingo, Ducky had a Mallard duck, Jimmy had a duckling and Gibbs had a Grizzly Bear. They all had a brief message saying how Tony had gone to the zoo again and that the pictures reminded him of their recipients and they all agreed that they were very apt and smiled dutifully. They smiled a bit more widely when they discovered that Tony had arranged for the team to adopt a penguin. Abby gazed at the certificate and then frowned.

"This is dated a month ago," she said.

"So?" asked McGee.

"I don't know, it just seems a bit hinky that Tony's only sending it now," she said.

"Perhaps he forgot," said Jimmy.

"Humph," said Abby in a tone which suggested she didn't think much of that argument.

"Come along, Mr Palmer," said Ducky, "you'll be interested to know that I discovered a most interesting monograph about Samuel Palmer last night …"

Jimmy suppressed a groan and followed dutifully.

Gibbs went down to see Abby a short time later.

"What you doing, Abs?" he asked, as he saw her looking at CCTV footage.

"Uh, well. Don't be mad, Gibbs."

"I'm never cross with you, Abs," said Gibbs.

"That's not quite true," said Abby, "there was that time when … But, hey, if you've forgotten, we won't bring that up again."

"So, what you doing?" repeated Gibbs.

"I'm looking at the entrance to London Zoo," confessed Abby.

"Why?"

"Well, first it was because I missed Tony and wanted to see him," said Abby.

"How did you get hold of the footage?"

"Uh, well. Timmy isn't the only one who knows how to hack."

She waited for some rebuke but Gibbs simply said, "And what did you find?"

"Look. This is just after Tony got to London, there he is."

"So? We knew he'd gone there," said Gibbs.

"Yes," agreed Abby, "so I've programmed the search matrix to look for Tony's face since that day and it hasn't found him."

"Perhaps he got all the cards on just one visit," suggested Gibbs.

"But he said he'd been twice," said Abby, "and …"

"And?"

"I've done the same search on the footage at the British Museum …"

"And?"

"He went there on the same day as he went to the Zoo."

"Probably nothing, Abs," said Gibbs, "like you said. He's working smarter, not harder."

"Gibbs? Is your gut saying anything?"

Gibbs didn't answer but just kissed her head before leaving.

NCISNCIS

Late the next day, Lady Caroline Smithson opened the door of her Norfolk home,

"Agent Gibbs? What are you doing here?"

"I thought you could tell me what's going on with my agent," came the stern reply.