This is just a short snippet from the Gibbs/LJ/Jackson promos I have seen for the next episode, "Namesake." I really don't have a feel for this situation, but none of my other vignettes have even come close to what was shown on the actual episode; although in most cases, especially the season opener, I liked my version better. (Some of my other Vignettes are regarding stories that have yet to air, so those are still in the jury box.
I am including the case in the beginning to get L.J. involved and then essentially forgetting it; I am not solving the case. Just so I could write something. Own nothing.
Vignette Eight: "Namesake- Family Secrets"
October 30, 2012
The team was already at the crime scene, examining the Ferrari for evidence. The body had been removed and was being examined by Ducky and Jimmy. Fingerprint ID had identified him as Petty Officer Colin Boxer.
Gibbs and Tim were looking at the car. There was not a scratch on it, so either the killer was already in the car with the victim, or somehow the killer staged a reason for the driver of the Ferrari to stop and interact with him.
"Why or perhaps the better question is how could a petty officer have a Ferrari?" Tony asked.
The car registration was still in the car: the owner's name was Vijay Chaya. "Well, that answered that question." Tony responded.
"Tim, put out a BOLO for this guy. See if he has reported his car stolen." Gibbs said.
He looked around the scene some more, to see if there was anything they missed.
"I can't imagine the petty officer stole the car; maybe he was killed elsewhere and put in the car to throw us off?" Offered McGee.
"That's what we're here to find out." Gibbs said.
"It could have been a planned meeting, gone wrong, Boss." Tony said.
They looked around for other tire tracks, but didn't see much of anything. They took photos and bagged and tagged.
"There are some boot prints by the side of the road." Ziva came up. "I will take casts."
Gibbs nodded. "Tony, give her a hand. McGee, back with me. Let's go look at the life of Petty Officer Colin Boxer."
"Pack up the car, take it back to the evidence garage for Abby to go over."
"I want every inch of this car to be examined, even if it means taking it apart bolt by bolt."
"Boss, that's a Ferrari. You just can't…" Tony stopped, seeing the look on Gibbs' face.
Just then, movement could be heard in the brush. Gibbs' and Tony raised their weapons and cautiously headed toward the sound.
"Federal Agents! Come out with your hands up! Now!" Gibbs barked.
Slowly the Highway Patrol officer came into view. "Hold up! Just looking for evidence."
Gibbs and Tony relaxed. By this time, the flatbed had arrived to pick up the Ferrari.
The team watched it being loaded. "Abby's going to have a field day with this one." Tony quipped.
Petty Officer Colin Boxer's home
The landlady let Gibbs and McGee into Boxer's apartment. They did a general sweep of the room to see if anything stood out.
The place had not been searched. Although it was not the neatest place in the world, it was not the messiest either.
Tim immediately located Boxer's computer and tried to get into his email. He noticed something on the printer.
"Boss, found something. Looks like the rental agreement for the apartment."
The landlady was still there. "Yeah, this kid didn't have a lot of money, so he needed a co-signer before I would rent to him."
Tim looked closer at the document. "The name of the person who was the co-signer is…Leroy Jethro Moore."
Gibbs' head snapped up at that, and McGee looked confused. "Isn't that…?"
Gibbs took the paper out of Tim's hand. He stared it, stunned. "How could the man he had been named for be involved in this case?"
"Let's go, McGee." Gibbs barked.
"Where are we going, Boss?" Tim asked.
"I'm taking you back to NCIS, and then I am going home and making a difficult phone call."
NCIS
"I'm telling you Tony, this could be bad. You didn't see the look on Gibbs' face when he heard me read that name."
Tony chewed on his lower lip. "And you said he was going to make a 'difficult phone call.' How much do you want to bet that it's his Dad he's going to call?"
"Why would Gibbs be calling his father and why would you make a bet about it?" Ziva just walked into the bullpen.
"Oh, you are not going to believe this, Zee-vah! We have a new person involved in this case." Tony informed her.
Ziva frowned. "Certainly you do not mean his father?"
Tony and Tim both shook their heads "no."
"Nope." Tim said. "Leroy Jethro Moore." Ziva's eyes popped open.
"Leroy Jethro Moore? As in L.J.? As in the man Gibbs was named after?"
Ziva looked concerned. "If he really is involved then Gibbs will not be able to continue as part of the investigation. He will be too close to the subject."
Tony looked grim. "Gibbs won't like that. He'll want to be in the mix to prove that L.J. is not involved or the reason for this murder."
Gibbs' Home
Gibbs paced for a while, and then finally pulled out his phone. He punched in the numbers and waited as it rang.
He was about to give up when his father finally answered his old rotary phone. "Hello?"
"Dad." Gibbs said simply.
"Well, this is a surprise, Leroy. It's not my birthday and I don't remember Halloween being something we shared, so let me guess: some crime lord is coming to get me?"
Gibbs had to smile despite himself. "No, Dad. Not yet anyway."
"Then why are you calling? Oh, don't get me wrong, I like it when you call but it tends to only happen when bad things have happened or about to happen. Which is it? You're ok, aren't you?"
"I'm fine, Dad." He paused. "Dad, I need to get something from you, an address or a phone number."
"Ok, then. Who's do you need?"
"L. J."
"Dammit, Leroy, what did I tell you?"
"Dad, I know. But it's important. He may be involved in one of our investigations."
"Good. Let him rot in hell!"
"Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you two?"
"I told you; never bring up his name!" Jackson Gibbs slammed down his phone.
Gibbs sighed. He took a deep breath and held out his phone again. "Yeah, DiNozzo. Need you to find someone; don't really care how you do it."
"On it, Boss! Name?" Tony was writing furiously.
"Leroy Jethro Moore." Gibbs hung up.
Tony looked at Ziva, then hung up. "I've just been ordered to find the elusive namesake."
As expected, Gibbs was removed from all interrogation when Moore was found and brought in to NCIS. But he was allowed to speak to him privately as a family friend.
"Have a seat." Gibbs said. They were in the conference room. Leroy Jethro Moore. The elder Leroy was a distinguished looking black male, in his eighties.
His clothes were tidy, but worn. He was a decorated war hero, but had seen better days.
"Leroy, before you start asking me any questions, I swear I did not murder that young man."
Gibbs shook his head and held up his hand. "Not here about that. I am officially off that part of the case."
Moore looked confused, then realization dawned on his face. "You need to talk to Jack, Leroy."
"Something happened between you two, and I want to know what it was." Gibbs said quietly.
"I'm sure your father and I have different versions about what happened." L. J. answered uncomfortably.
Gibbs nodded and smiled. "Oh, I have no doubt of that. The question is: who is going to tell me the truth?"
"Why do you need to know?" The older man pleaded.
"You and my dad were best friends. I was named after you. I need to know what came between you two."
L.J. looked down, then up. "Not what, Leroy. Who."
Gibbs looked at him, not understanding.
"Your mother."
At Gibbs' questioning look, L.J. looked down and spoke the words quietly.
"Your mother and I maintained a special relationship until the day she died."
NCIS Quadrangle
Once Gibbs' mother came up, Gibbs quickly moved the "chat" outside to a more private area.
The conference room was monitored. Gibbs wasn't interested in his family's dirty laundry being aired for everyone to see.
Once they were seated at a picnic table set back from the main walking traffic areas, Gibbs looked at L.J.
"I'm listening."
L.J. looked at his namesake. "You married?
Despite himself, Gibbs had a small smile on his face. "Tried it a couple of times; it didn't work for me."
L.J. nodded. "Marriage is not easy. I know. Been there myself."
He shifted himself on the hard wooden bench.
"Leroy, what do you remember about your parent's marriage?"
Gibbs looked a little uncomfortable and unsure. "Not much. A lot of yelling, a lot of fighting."
"I always thought it was my fault. Then she left. Thought that was my fault too."
"It wasn't, so if you haven't already, stop thinking it."
L.J. considered his next words. Before he could speak, Gibbs spoke first.
"Did my mom leave Dad for you?"
He sighed. "In a manner of speaking, but not what you are thinking. Your mother and I were close friends, but that is all; friends."
"And my dad thinks otherwise. He thinks she ran off with you." Gibbs stated, questioning.
L.J. nodded. "Your parent's marriage was trouble from the start. In fact, I tried to talk them out of getting married, because I knew them both well, and knew it wouldn't work out."
"The only good thing that came out of the marriage was you, Leroy. I'm sure your dad has painted your mom as the 'bad' person in this story. And to a certain extent, he was right."
"Your mom did not know how to be a mother or a wife. She was lost in their relationship."
"She felt trapped from the minute she said 'I do.' The only reason she stayed as long as she did was because of you."
"But your dad is just as much to blame as she is. I don't want to tell you things that Jack doesn't want you to know, and I'm sure Anne wouldn't have wanted you to know."
"Let me just say they were both guilty of treating each other badly."
Gibbs had a sudden flashback to when he had been shot in that diner, and Mike Franks had shown up to show him how his life had mattered to everyone around him; how the choices we make have a cause and effect.
He could never figure out if he had lost consciousness or momentarily lost his senses, but it felt real. And talking to his mom had felt just as real.
He remembered her mentioning his dad taking women home all the time, and his Dad having to change his wife's bed sheets every day.
At the time, he didn't really process what she was saying; he was so stunned she was there.
Now, after what L.J. had just said, he sadly figured out what she meant by those words.
L.J. could see the understanding dawn on Gibbs' face and the questioning look when he looked back up at him.
He shook his head. "I told you. We were friends. Never, ever would I do that. Unfortunately, Jack does not believe me."
"Finally, something broke the camel's back. I don't remember what it was now, but she finally left. Jack and you. She said it was the hardest thing she ever did, but thought you would be better off without her."
"She came to you." Gibbs said.
"As I said, we were friends. She really didn't have too many options. I had left Sweetwater a while before, since Jack and I broke our partnership because of his accusations."
"Jack knew she had come to me, which only fueled his anger and proved his point, to his way of thinking."
Gibbs sat for a while, trying to absorb all of this. "You said you knew my mother until the day she died. Were you with her when she died?"
L.J. wiped a tear away. "Yes, I was. I took care of her once she got sick. It wasn't long after she had left you, when she started coughing; then it got worse and wouldn't go away."
"When she started losing weight, I finally convinced her to see a doctor."
"Cancer." Gibbs said quietly.
L.J. nodded. "Lung. Your mother was a terrible smoker and was still smoking the day she died." He shook his head sadly.
"She briefly considered coming back to you when she found out she was going to die."
"Then why didn't she?" Gibbs asked angrily.
"She already left you once. How could she come back to you, only to leave you again? She didn't want to put you through that. It was probably the only selfless thing she ever did her entire life."
Just then Gibbs' phone rang. Swearing to himself, he grabbed it. "Gibbs! What?" His voice got softer. "Ok, thanks DiNozzo."
Gibbs had a small smile on your face. "You are cleared. Apparently, you make it a habit to co-sign rental agreements for down and out service men and women who need help."
L.J. shrugged. "I have a small charity I founded: "Rent for Vets." All the money that is donated goes into helping these young kids out."
"With the other charitable organizations out there, we're small potatoes, but we do what we can."
"Well, you are free to go. Why don't you come home with me? I make a mean steak." L.J. smiled, probably for the first time that day.
"But first, I would like to introduce you properly to my team."
Gibbs' Home- North Arlington, VA
Gibbs and L.J. entered his house. Gibbs instantly knew they were not alone. He held out his hand, telling L.J. to stay where he was.
Gibbs walked slowing into his kitchen, then started down his basement steps. "Dad! What are you doing here?"
"Making sure justice is served." Jackson Gibbs growled. "Besides, who knows what all sort of nonsense he told you, so I'm here to set the record straight!"
"So am I."
They both looked up to see L.J. on the stairs. He slowly walked down and faced his former friend and partner.
Gibbs looked between them. "I'm going upstairs to grill some steaks. You two…" He wagged his finger between the two of them. "Talk!"
Gibbs went upstairs and started dinner preparation. He heard occasional yelling, but no breaking of furniture or glass, at least yet.
After a while, the tones got quieter, and he wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a chuckle or two.
Finally after about ten minutes of relative silence, he yelled downstairs. "Hey! These steaks aren't going to eat themselves!"
Slowly, Jackson Gibbs and Leroy Jethro Moore appeared. Both of their faces were flushed and they looked a little disheveled, but otherwise, cordial.
"Sit! Eat!" Gibbs ordered.
"Is he always this bossy?" L. J. asked.
"You have no idea. He makes his team call his Boss!" The elder Gibbs growled.
Gibbs smiled. Maybe things were not quite back to normal, but it looks like a good start had been made.
Ok, that's it. Have no idea if they end up talking or not, but I would like to think they will. I didn't want to write their conversation, since it would mostly be a rehash of the conversation between Gibbs and L.J. except for Jack making his own accusations.