Chapter 13
TANGLING WITH KARMA…
In the old prison where they'd sheltered after the evacuation, prisoner 2349FLJ rolled her eyes as her cellmate gibbered about the visitor she expected that day. As the shelters emptied and most of the evacuees were placed at least temporarily, the inmates were finally hearing from friends and family.
2349FLJ didn't pay much attention, she acknowledged no family and the only person she wouldn't mind seeing was imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. Her cellmate's excitement was irritating but at least the visit would be over soon.
Her cellmate returned to the cell with a stack of newspapers, magazines and books, a must for bored and restless inmates. When she told 2349FLJ to help herself to her new treasures, the woman didn't hesitate. She grabbed two magazines and one of the newspapers. She'd look at the books later.
The newspaper was full of news about people returning to the U.S. from wherever they'd been evacuated. 2349FLJ read a little about that, noting that there was apparently a grass roots effort to provide housing for the returnees and evacuees who were now homeless. Her eyes widened when she saw the number of people who needed new homes and jobs, tens of millions. With a smirk, she thought maybe things weren't so bad here after all. She had a guaranteed roof over her head and three meals a day for the rest of her miserable life.
Finishing the newspaper, she picked up one of the magazines and leafed through it, pausing at an article about the grass roots groups mentioned in the paper. She started reading the article, thinking the types of housing people were coming up with were interesting. Rehabbed mobile homes, travel trailers, RVs, old buses, office buildings; one town had an empty bowling alley they'd converted, old schools, empty warehouses, even an old hospital or two. She turned to a feature article about two ranches in New Mexico who were providing 250 temporary homes to evacuees. One ranch owner was providing mobile homes while the other owner purchased several dozen shipping containers and converted them. That was interesting and she studied the photo of a converted container.
When her eyes slid to the next photo, a shot of the ranch owners, she froze. There in all his dumb-hick glory was her former son-in-law. When she could finally move her eyes again, she looked at the other people in the picture and then had to fight to breathe. Standing with the leatherneck was her daughter, her long-dead daughter; there was no way it could be anyone else. 2349FLJ's ex-husband stood next to her, his arm around a tall man she also recognized, a man she knew as a federal agent.
Nine years ago when she met him, she'd strongly suspected he was the little bastard she'd sold, now seeing him standing next to her ex, she was dead certain. A little boy stood between the ex and the Fed and he too resembled her former husband. Damn the man! Damn all of them! No one had bothered telling her that her daughter was alive! She wondered if her granddaughter was alive too. Her shock soon turned to fury. She would demand to see her daughter. How dare they keep her from her own flesh and blood!
She tried to remain patient over the next few days, channeling her fury into putting together a plan. Finally, while her cellmate was in the prison library 2349FLJ dug her weapon out of her mattress, making sure it was ready. She'd lost a sock in the laundry months ago and used its mate as a wrap to keep the weapon from prying eyes. She hid it in a new place, one more accessible. Her anger vying with her longing to see her daughter, she waited.
After too many days of waiting, she started carrying her weapon with her. As long as she didn't act out, she wouldn't be subjected to a weapons check. She had to be ready when it was time.
And then suddenly she had the opening she needed. Three long weeks after she'd first seen the photo, one of the less obnoxious guards was escorting her to the prison store to spend the pittance she earned working in the kitchen. In this old building, the store was located near the front of the prison.
They walked across an open area where they could see into what was euphemistically called the lobby, just past the security entrance. As she and her guard moved across that section, she spotted two civilians, visitors. Both female, one short, one tall. The tall one was being led away, presumably to see a prisoner, while the shorter one looked around, probably for a place to wait.
With a move so swift she surprised herself, 2349FLJ stabbed the guard with her shiv. Before anyone could react, she'd crossed into the open area and had an arm wrapped around the singular visitor, the homemade knife pressed to the woman's neck, the guard's firearm tucked in her clothing.
Her goal to get the two of them out of the prison was thwarted as the guard she thought she'd killed raised the alarm. She was stuck. Still, she had a hostage. Because the woman had not been inside the prison proper and the general population was not involved, 2349FLJ believed she had a better chance of getting what she wanted.
She told the woman what she wanted, to see her daughter and that she didn't want to have to hurt her, it was up to the prison officials. The woman said wanting to see her daughter seemed reasonable, how far would the daughter have to travel? When 2349FLJ said from New Mexico, the woman took a breath and said, "Then we'll have a few hours to wait."
2349FLJ nodded although she was sure her daughter could be whisked onto a helicopter and then a government jet to get here fast. While she'd never admit it, she'd been a little impressed by her son-in-law's apparent connections during the investigation into Norton's death. Although she'd appreciated his naïveté even more.
Within a minute, the two women were surrounded by armed guards. When the warden appeared, asking what the prisoner wanted, 2349FLJ nudged the woman who responded. "All she wants is to see her daughter."
The warden had taken a couple of minutes to look up the prisoner's records and noted that her only daughter and grandchild had been murdered by a cartel 28 years ago. Now he frowned in confusion, "Your daughter is dead."
2349FLJ snarled although internally she was a little glad she hadn't been the only one not informed. This guy was usually poker-faced but now he seemed genuinely confused.
"She's not! I saw a photo of her in a recent magazine, standing with my useless ex-husband and son-in-law."
The hostage whispered something to her and 2349FLJ liked the suggestion. "The magazine is in my cell, under the mattress."
One of the guards scurried off and they waited.
While the drama unfolded inside the prison, outside forces were already gathering. When an assistant director of the FBI was notified, he pulled up the woman's information from the Bureau database and groaned before making a call to his boss. When the director pulled up the file, his groan was even more heartfelt. Not only was another agency involved, at least two of the top agents from that agency were directly affected. And the agent he needed to fix this was retired.
Shaking his head, he made two calls, one to his retired agent and the other to his counterpart at the other agency, ruining the days of several people.
…IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA
Tobias and Mel had just ordered their lunch when his phone rang. He ignored it; after all, he and Mel were on their honeymoon. Ok, they weren't married but they were on a trip by themselves. They'd picked Colorado Springs because neither of them had ever been there. This morning they'd splurged on a room service breakfast and then toured a museum Mel wanted to see. Tobias was interested in anything she was and actually enjoyed the exhibits. His phone finally stopped and Mel shook her head, "What if that was Emily and something was wrong?"
He looked at her, horrified. "I can't believe I never thought of that! I'll call her now." As he pulled out his phone, it began to ring again and he growled at the ID that showed. "I'm retired, damn it, leave me alone!"
Sighing, he took the call and the caller started speaking immediately. "Tobias, Director Sailes here and we have a situation. I'm going to have to temporarily reinstate you as an active agent. Just listen."
Fornell listened, wondering what sorry ass case of his had chosen this moment to resurface. When he heard the name, he frowned, "What has she done now?"
His eyebrows lifted as he was told and he growled, "Over my dead body and those of her husband and at least three of her sons. She is not going anywhere to see her. Not after what the prisoner did to her."
He listened again, "Yes I will be most happy to tell her that. What authorizations do I have?"
He nodded, "Good; that should have happened years ago. Send it in writing." Clicking off, he turned to his concerned lover, "I have to go. Old case has a new development and the Bureau has given me the authority to handle it."
Mel frowned, "Does that mean you have to go arrest someone? Will you have to use a weapon?"
"No and no, other people will have weapons; I'll give the person a choice and then give an order depending on the answer. They'll be here in a minute to take me to a helicopter and then a jet. I'll be back in a few hours. Might want to plan for a late dinner tonight, all right, sweetheart?"
Nodding, she kissed him and he walked to a dark colored SUV just pulling up, opened the door and got in, waving to her.
While Tobias was en route, Leon Vance was struggling. He didn't want to tell Shannon Gibbs what was going on but knew she would be angry at being left in the dark. And if this thing hit the media, which it would eventually, the shit would hit the fan if the Gibbses were left out of the loop. Sighing, he picked up his phone.
At the ranch, Shannon and Gibbs had just finished a late breakfast, dawdling over coffee. Gibbs' gut was stirring but he ignored it, after all, his eldest son and three of his in-laws were field agents. He'd wait to see if it became more defined. When a phone rang, he felt a surge and knew this was it. However, Shannon's phone was ringing, not his.
His wife frowned as she took the call. "Good morning."
Leon returned the greeting and then told her what was happening in Idaho and the plan as relayed to him by the FBI Director. While she listened, she put her phone on speaker and Jethro listened with a deep frown. When Vance stopped speaking, Jethro opened his mouth but Shannon shook her head. "Leon, unless it's necessary for me to be there to save that poor woman, I will not go anywhere near Fielding. I won't give her that satisfaction. How did she find out?"
"Something about a photo in a magazine. Perhaps the article about the Returnees' housing? Although I distinctly remember Tim saying you had a 'no photos, images or names' clause in the contract."
"We did; no photos were taken and no names were in the advance copy of the magazine we were sent. There wasn't even a photographer with the correspondent."
"Looks like a photo got into it somehow."
Jethro leaned in, "We'll look into that later. Is Tobias involved?"
"Yes, Sailes has reactivated him and he's on his way via helicopter and jet. He should be on site within the next 30 minutes."
"And what's the plan?"
"Dearing."
Gibbs sighed and turning to his wife, said, "Honey, they've been given permission to use extreme prejudice. That means if Fielding doesn't surrender, they'll shoot to kill."
"What about the hostage? And who will shoot the prisoner, Tobias?"
Leon added more information, "Sailes reports the hostage knows ASL as does one of the guards there. They're in communication with her and will clue her in when it's time to make a move. She's a 9-1-1 dispatcher in her usual life, trained to be calm in all situations. She's done that so far and they're 94% confident they can contain Fielding without any harm to the hostage."
Jethro added, "Tobias is not a sharpshooter. He'll give the order and others will take Fielding out if she doesn't surrender."
"Why only 94%?"
"Because Fielding's reaction is an unknown and she already gravely injured a guard. And anyone in this kind of situation who claims more than 95% confidence is a liar."
"So 94% is really pretty good?"
"Yes."
"Leon, I want to meet that hostage after this is done."
"I can have a helo to the ranch in 10 minutes followed by a flight to the airfield closest to the prison."
Jethro closed his eyes, "Shannie…"
"No, Jethro, I won't see Fielding, dead or alive. What she did to her own daughter and grandchildren can never be changed or forgiven and I know she's also a traitor and murderer. But that poor hostage has done nothing wrong and I want to see her once she's safe. I don't know why but I believe it's important to both of us. And Leon, I want Fielding to know I personally refused to see her and why."
"All right, Sailes will pass the word to Fornell."
Jethro sighed, "Yes, we'll go. Leon, do your agents know?"
"No, I haven't told anyone other than yourselves. They'll want to go with you."
Shannon shook her head, "No, I appreciate their love and concern but this is something I need to do. Oh God, Dad."
"Will you tell him?"
"He's in Wyoming visiting his friend Bernie. We'll tell him after it's over."
"The prison is in a remote area of the state, it's now in lockdown and prison officials have imposed a full media lid. From what I've been told, no one has yet noticed. Sailes and the warden anticipate the first media release will be after the situation is resolved. And yes, they'll do their best to keep names out of it, citing notification of next of kin but Mac will need to be warned. I'll wait until the situation is resolved and then contact him immediately."
"Thank you, Leon, and please tell him we'll also contact him. And please tell our agent children that too?"
"Yes but not until you're in the air."
Gibbs disconnected while Shannon left to change and grab jackets for both of them. They were ready by the time the helo arrived, landing on the pavement with military precision and that was because the helo was dispatched from Kirtland Base.
When they reached the base, Geordie was waiting for them. "I'm going with you, representing the family. Oh yeah, they know. Fornell called me on his way to Idaho and I called them. We decided one of us should go and as Leon hadn't told them yet and we thought that was probably your request, I decided no feds. So here I am. I won't interfere and I won't be involved except with the two of you."
He smiled as his parents kissed him. "Hey, military base here. I'm a badass Marine Major, not supposed to have Mommy and Daddy kissing him."
"Tough!"
They were aboard the jet and moving swiftly down the runway in less than 5 minutes. En route, Jethro asked his son how Leon had received permission to fly two civilians via Air Force helicopter and jet to a prison in Idaho.
"I don't know exactly what happened, Dad, but the scuttlebutt is that when the Brass heard a Gibbs needed help, the flights were cleared without any pushback. Guess one of you Feds helped the Air Force at some point."
His father nodded with a smile while Shannon looked at him quizzically. "Sorry, Hon."
"I know, classified!"
They touched down on a bleak, isolated runway less than an hour later. Before they could disembark, two prison officials climbed aboard.
BECAUSE KARMA…
When Fornell disconnected after contacting Geordie, he felt better. He knew Vance had to put the agency first; he could not have half of his field and management staff go haring off on a family quest. The way he figured it, the major was the logical choice to accompany Shannon and Jethro. He knew damn well they'd go to Idaho although he also knew Shannon would never reveal herself to the prisoner, never give her the satisfaction.
Before he entered the prison, his vehicle stopped at the edge of the prison grounds to meet with the sharpshooters. The lobby of the prison had a large skylight through which they'd be firing if that was Fielding's choice. He knew from previous experience that sharpshooters routinely accounted for every factor and the skylight presented several challenges. The squad not only assured him of their confidence level, they reviewed the factors with him. Satisfied and agreeing with their level of confidence he returned to the car, continuing to the prison.
Once there, he met briefly with the warden for an update, had a quick conversation with Sailes and gave a specifically worded order to be communicated to the hostage. Fielding now had chairs and water for her hostage and herself. Sitting close to her prisoner, the shiv still in evidence, she was apparently settled in for a long wait. Fornell would need her standing and away from the chairs but wasn't worried about that. He'd confirmed the Gibbses were on the way, as expected Shannon had no plans to see the prisoner.
Finally, he strode into the center of the lobby. "Prisoner 2349FLJ, I'm Special Agent Fornell with the FBI. I'm the one who helped set up the plea bargain that got you here instead of Guantanamo Bay or Death Row in Virginia. You're now in violation of that plea bargain."
"I want to see my daughter. They kept her from me; I know she's alive."
"She has refused to see you. Why would she want to? You stole her child from her, broke her heart by lying to her that he'd died and then sold him. Furthermore, you are an accomplice to the murder and attempted murders of Agent Mitchell, Shannon and Kelly Gibbs. Your own daughter and granddaughter. You're the reason they were in protective custody for 25 years."
She jumped out of the chair, "I most certainly am not."
In his peripheral vision, Fornell saw the hostage tensing, ready to move. Focusing on the prisoner, he continued, "Prisoner, you befriended Svetlana Stacevyko and on occasion provided her with shelter, money, and weapons, even though you knew she was a spy for a country and entity hostile to your own country. That makes you a traitor. Further, you're to be charged as an accessory to murder. Stacevyko is the one who set up the sniper's nest for her cartel boss to murder a federal agent, your daughter, and granddaughter. This time we won't bother with Gitmo, you're headed for a traitor's death. What a mess you've made, helping an enemy to murder your own family."
2349FLJ was so shocked at his words, she stepped back, "No, that can't be right, she, no, she wouldn't do that."
As she moved, the guard gave the signal to the hostage and the woman ran to the side where she was quickly ushered to safety. Knowing the end was approaching, the guards followed orders given previously and discreetly moved out of her firing range.
For a split second, 2349FLJ didn't notice she'd lost her hostage as Fornell replied, "She would and she did, knowing who they were."
With a roar, the prisoner raised the gun she'd stolen from the guard she'd stabbed, her finger squeezing the trigger. The last thing she saw were tiny objects flying towards her through the ruined skylight. Her last thought was to wonder if they were angels coming for her.
They were not.
…ALWAYS WINS…
When the prison officials boarded the jet, they stood in front of Shannon. "Mrs. Gibbs, the situation has been resolved. The hostage is unharmed."
"Good! Is Agent Fornell all right?"
"Yes, he was not injured. Unfortunately, the prisoner chose her own fate. Agent Fornell engaged her in dialogue. However, she became enraged when he informed her that she was an accessory to the murder of a federal agent and attempted murder of her own daughter and granddaughter. She stole a firearm from the guard she stabbed when this started. With the information from Agent Fornell, she drew and fired a wild shot, hitting the skylight. She was hit by return fire."
"She's dead."
"Yes, ma'am. We're told you want to see the former hostage. She's agreed and ready when you are."
"Thank you, I'll see her now." She turned to her husband, "Jethro, if you'll see to Tobias, I'd like to meet with this woman alone."
He looked at her and then at Geordie who nodded. "Mom, I want to be in the room with you."
"All right, Major." She started forward and then stopped, "Jethro, will you please call Mac, the kids, and the ranch?"
He started to say something when he saw Geo's face. "Just Grandpa, Dad. I've already texted the sibs and Uncle Dave."
"Thank you, son."
The three of them disembarked with the officials and split into two groups. Jethro went to find Tobias and then would track down the magazine that had caused this fubar. He was going to kick some serious ass once he knew how the photo was obtained.
Geordie walked with his mother, hoping this wouldn't take long; his brothers and sisters were driving him crazy with their texts, wanting to know what was happening. They already knew that the hostage was safe and Fielding was dead. He finally got the NCIS sibs and in-laws off his back by threatening to contact Leon; his wife, little brother and sisters quieted after that.
The former hostage, whose name was Rebecca Ralston, was sitting at a small table with a cup of coffee. It looked like she'd eaten a sandwich; there was a lone crust on the plate. She looked up when Shannon walked into the room, asking, "Are you Shannon?"
"Yes, and thank you for agreeing to see me. I'm not even sure why I feel it's important but here I am. First, are you all right? I know you weren't physically injured but this had to be a horrible experience for you."
Rebecca gave her a wan half smile. "I'll be all right. The chaplain advised I have counseling and I'll follow through with that. I probably won't sleep much the next few nights but I have strong support at home, I believe I will be all right eventually. I do have some questions for you; perhaps you can tell me more about your mother?"
Shannon nodded, "Anything to help you. Joann Fielding was a twisted, bitter woman as I'm sure you've figured out. When I was a child, she began plotting to marry me off to a rich man so she could move up in the world. She was the daughter of a coal miner and married up when she married my father, an accountant. He always made good money and treated her like a queen; she had no reason to complain. As far back as I can remember she was never happy.
"When I fell in love with a Marine from the same coal-mining town, she tried everything to break us up. She started her life of crime by kidnapping and selling my firstborn when he was less than 24 hours old, telling my father and me that my baby died. After that, it got more complicated until she murdered a navy officer she believed was indirectly involved in my death. In fact, she was more directly involved than he was.
"This morning when I was told what she was doing, my first concern was for you. My daughter and I were in protective custody for 25 years, partly her doing. When we were released, I learned what a monster she was and determined she would never know we were alive.
"Today I said I'd reveal myself to her if it meant your safe release but the FBI agent who confronted her is a dear friend of ours. He let us know he would ensure your safety without involving me. And from what I've been told, you were wonderful! Knowing ASL is obviously a good thing. My husband and some of our family are federal agents and they say knowing ASL has saved their lives more than once. Now I'm done babbling and I apologize for that."
"No, no, I think knowing who she was will help me. I have more questions, though. What happened to your baby son? And the daughter who was supposedly also dead, what happened to her? Also, I heard her say she saw your photo in a magazine, do you know what that was all about?"
"My son is one of the federal agents I spoke of. His so-called adoptive parents left him an orphan at age 9 and he raised his younger sister and another youngster by himself. That's another long cruel story but he eventually went to work for the same agency my husband worked for and Tim, that's my boy, ended up working for him. It took over a decade for them to discover they were father and son but they did. My daughter is also very much alive; she's a pediatrician. And when Tim and his father made their connection, Jethro adopted Tim's younger sister, the little boy he raised and the Major here."
"Oh my, Major, you're her son?"
"Yes, ma'am, a very lucky and grateful son."
"This is lovely. Shannon, how many children do you have?"
"Six with three daughters-in-law and one son-in-law. And we have 9 grandchildren!"
"My goodness, you've certainly been blessed. I'm so glad I've met you and heard your story, I feel so much better knowing there's been happiness for you and that her misguided ways have been stopped forever. Now, what about your father?"
"He's visiting a friend in Wyoming; by now my husband has spoken with him. He lives with us on our ranch in New Mexico. We evacuated from DC before the attack."
"Oh, my heavens, all that and you had to evacuate! Did you move together?"
Geordie and Shannon laughed, "Everyone with children and our elders flew out and the rest of us formed a caravan with the moving trucks that carried our belongings."
"That was your family? I saw that on the news, thank God you're safe!"
They spoke for a few more minutes before Tobias and Jethro entered the room. Tobias clapped Geordie on the shoulder, kissed Shannon and said, "Ms. Ralston, I'm afraid there's a bit more unpleasantness ahead for you, we need to have a debriefing session. A counselor will sit in with us, it won't take long but it does need to be done."
"That's all right, Agent Fornell, I feel so much better after speaking with Shannon. And is this Mr. Gibbs?"
Jethro smiled as he shook her hand, "Jethro Gibbs, Ms. Ralston. I'm sorry you had to go through this."
"I appreciate that. I feel confident now that I'll be all right. It will take time, but I'll get there. It's obvious she was deeply disturbed."
Fornell gave Gibbs a look and he nodded, gesturing to his wife and son. "It's time we leave and let Ms. Ralston get started."
As they left the room, Shannon suddenly realized where Tobias was supposed to be and turned to ask but Jethro steered her forward. "I've already spoken with Mel; she knows he's safe and will return to her later today. He can tell her what happened; I didn't think that was something I should do."
Behind them, Geordie smiled as his mother nodded her approval. They had one more surprise. When they boarded the Air Force jet to return to Albuquerque, they found Mac waiting for them. He folded his daughter in his arms and they spent the flight comforting each other. Geordie nodded as he wrapped his arms around his father, "You're the best; do you know that?"
Jethro patted his son's shoulders, "Thanks, son, I'm still learning."
Before they left the prison, the Gibbses were shown the photo that had so infuriated Fielding. Shannon recognized it as one taken by Ellie at their first reunited family celebration of Tyler and Jethro's birthdays.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
When they reached home that afternoon, Jethro and Geo went looking for the framed photo, finding it in the library. When one of their feds got home that evening, the frame would be tested for fingerprints. They'd hold onto the results until they found a private lab to run the prints.
Jethro's next action was contacting Ali Bishop for legal advice. While the situation was outside her field of expertise, she took it to one of the partners of the firm. By the end of the day, the attorney had filed a complaint against the journalist, her editor, supervisor and the magazine for breach of contract. Jethro faxed him a copy of the contract and he found what he was looking for, the clause that specifically said no photos, images or names of any of the family were to be taken or used in the article.
It looked like at least the photo happened; they could only surmise the journalist had slipped into the library when Shannon went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. She'd likely spotted the photo and taken a photo of it. That was the only explanation they could think of. The attorney had a lab he worked with and sent a courier for the frame prints as well as the advance copy of the magazine. He told Gibbs that mentioning that they'd tested for prints might be enough without actually doing the lab work.
As far as Gibbs was concerned, the journalist and her manager were directly responsible for Fielding's actions and her death. They should pay for the sharpshooters, medical costs, rehab care and any loss of income for the wounded guard, transportation costs for Fornell, the Gibbses and most of all, counseling fees and anything else needed for Ms. Ralston.
Everyone came home that weekend, Kelly and Rob took time off and Ali came to the ranch with them, Kelly's boyfriend Matt arrived after working a shift, approaching La Serenidad via the back road from the Ortiz ranch. Even with the crowd and the five babies, the ranch was quiet as Shannon, Mac, Jethro, Tim and Kelly dealt with Fielding's last actions.
By Saturday, the media had the story and the house phone was unplugged. Their names were not in the article but Mac's name was listed for the house phone. That would be changed on Monday. The front gate was locked, the gate on the bridge to The Grove was shut and the family used the shortcut to the Ortiz Ranch to get in and out. It was a herculean effort but the entire clan stayed away from social media and the internet in general. The Bishops were advised, reassured that although shaken, their family was all right.
By Monday, a sports star was caught in a scandal, bumping the Fielding drama lower on the Trending lists, social media and the front page. By Thursday, the magazine had responded to the complaint. After investigating, they'd fired the journalist and were negotiating to settle out of court, knowing the next step was a lawsuit. The attorney representing the Gibbses told them to write down what they wanted out of this.
A family meeting was held to determine what they wanted to happen. First on the list were the items Gibbs originally considered. Reimbursing the state of Idaho for the sharpshooters, ensuring the wounded guard had the best care, compensating her for her pain, suffering, any loss of income, reimbursing her family for any expenses they'd incurred, any other additional costs to the prison created by Fielding's fury. Which was initiated by seeing the illegally obtained photo that violated the safety and privacy of Shannon Gibbs and her family. Next came payment for Ms. Ralston's needs, with no set dollar or time limit. After that came the costs of transporting Agent Fornell, Mac Fielding, Jethro and Shannon Gibbs, and Major G. Perry. After talking it over with Ellie and his mother, Tim requested healthy donations to The National Coalition for the Homeless, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Polly Klaas Foundation and Child Protective Services. Lastly, their attorney fees were to be paid by the magazine.
When the attorney received the list, he called his clients. "You haven't asked for anything for yourselves."
"Don't want anything from them, except paying your fees. They need to take responsibility for what they've done. Fielding kidnapped and sold my son, her grandson, as an infant. Abandoned at age 9, he grew up a homeless orphan on the streets of Baltimore. When Fielding took Ms. Ralston hostage and demanded to see her daughter, all that old trouble surfaced for my boy. The donations we have listed are for his peace of mind. Other than that, they need to pay for what they caused. Make sure the guard and Ms. Ralston are properly taken care of." Jethro sighed, "The journalist got fired, is that it? She walks away, probably hired by some sleazy publication who'll congratulate her for getting the photo. She's the one who should be paying for this!"
"I'll put this in motion with the magazine. As for the 'journalist', we can take her to civil court. Doubt she has any money but by the time we're done the world will know what she did. Word of warning, one or more of you may have to appear in court."
"Can we ban the media? Is it possible to keep our names out of everything but the court transcripts?"
"We can limit media attendance, say to one newspaper reporter, otherwise the courts feel there may not be fair trials. And we can try for a John Doe plaintiff but I don't know that the courts will allow that in your case. You're asking on behalf of your federal agent children right?"
"Yes."
"Do they all use Gibbs as their surname? I'd think that would be confusing!"
"No, only my son Tim. My two eldest boys use their pre-adoption surnames and my daughter-in-law uses her maiden name. Of course, our second eldest Geordie is a Marine, not a fed."
"Then I'm afraid the answer is no. I understand you want to avoid the mess but the best we can do is limit media presence and have your family stay off social media for the duration of the trial."
"There's no other way to make our point with the journalist?"
"We can have her former employer publish an article about the consequences of what she did. An article that we'd have to approve before it's published. Every journalist I've ever known has been proud of the amount of research he or she does for a feature article like that one. Not just the subject matter, the home conversions, but the people involved. She doesn't appear to have done any of that nor did she have any thought or regard for her employer's liability in the matter. I've got an idea but let me think about it, flesh out the details and I'll call you back."
He called back three hours later. "Have a couple of things to tell you. One is that many journalists carry a professional liability policy separate from what their employers carry. So if the magazine's insurance kicks in a million bucks for damages, her own policy may kick in too. I know we're not talking millions here, that's just an example. That would be our basis for civil court."
"And we could still have the money sent elsewhere – not to us?"
"If we win, you can have it paid to the state of Idaho and your other requests."
"Ok, that sounds good."
"The other thing is that I have a friend who's a friend of a respected journalist. As I've met him before, I called my friend to see if he could get me some time with him. He did and I'm amazed to tell you the world of journalism already knows what she did. Seems to be a big scandal and she's not looking good at all. She broke the contract you signed in good faith, leaving her employer liable, and she didn't do the research she should have. This article was a chance to make a real name for herself and our expert journalist says he believes she was so caught up in her reach for the big prize that she ignored the basic rules of journalism. He was passionate talking about it, saying that every time something like this happens, whether it's a breach or someone publishing an article that's full of lies, it damages the credibility of all of them, breaks the public's trust. He cited several cases where untruths were published knowingly and a few cases like yours.
"He says she won't be hired by any respectable publication again, that the most she can hope for is that publications will buy her pieces and as an independent contractor, she'll have to carry her own liability insurance. He said the price for her single policy will be astronomical."
Jethro told him he needed to talk with his family again and would be back in touch. After relaying what he'd learned, the family voted to proceed with suing her individually in civil court.
They filed suit a week later. To their relief, the former journalist's insurance company settled out of court for the amount claimed for damages. The state of Idaho, the wounded guard, Fielding's hostage Ms. Ralston, the DoD (for the Air Force and USMC expenses), the charities and Child Protective Services were all compensated by or received donations from the magazine and the journalist's insurance company.
While the lawyers hashed out the settlement, life moved on. Little Alex rolled over for the first time, baby Timmy smiled at his mother while soon-to-be-sassy Charlotte already had her father wrapped around her tiny finger. Young Juliet outdid them all – she was the first to sleep 8 hours straight. In the Timothy Gibbs family, Mackie cut a tooth, Lia had her first pony ride, Brynie won her first grade spelling bee and Ty won a math contest.