The pair had been so busy talking they didn't hear Tony arrive in autopsy.
"Dukman, the Boss was wondering if you had anything for him to go on. And I couldn't help overhearing, The Savoy, and a London Show. I remember in my 18th year, when I was 17 and stayed in England with Uncle Clive, we did London. Oh yes the West End, the lights, the shows," as Tony began to act the showman, "What did you go and see? We saw the Mousetrap," Tony now asked, as he saw Ducky now pass the Captain's brain to Jimmy.
"Oh hello Anthony, I was just regaling Mr Palmer of mother and my holiday of 2003, it was a vacation to remember," Ducky replied, "And we too saw the Mousetrap. It has been running continuously since 1952, not with the same actors I may add Mr Palmer."
"Yeah and we all know that the…."Tony began to say as Gibbs now entered the room and head slapped Tony.
"Now DiNozzo, don't spoil the ending. Doctor anything for me to be going on with?"
"What the Boss means have you done all your d…ouch Boss that hurt, was going to say digging," as Tony rubbed his head again.
"And what I have to say, is that we are really no further forward. I have sent tissue samples to Abby for analysis and all I can determine is that our guest is so badly mangled, that we may never know what actually killed him. But Jethro, as soon as I do have any findings after all our detective work you will be the second to know…or maybe the third, after Abby, Jimmy or I find first," as Ducky smiled a sly smile at Gibbs, who just glared, his eye twitching slightly. Gibbs did not like being humiliated like this in front of others, but he knew Ducky had got his revenge. Tony just smiled and followed Gibbs from the room.
"Now where were we?" Ducky now asked Jimmy with a smile on his face.
"The theatre and The Mousetrap," Jimmy answered also smiling.
"Oh yes…..but I must tell you how we got to London. It was again a lovely Saturday morning, and we again made our way to Waverley Station, this time in nothing more glamourous than a black cab. The train journey would be the same as I had done to York, but as we had left early 9.30, and arrived 13.52, because we were early starters, we had a cooked breakfast on the train and then a short cab journey took us to the Savoy. It is actually quicker to go by train to the centre of London than fly from Edinburgh to Heathrow, as you have the waiting time at the airport and then the time wasted from the airport to London centre. The train also gave mother time to read and write up her journal, as well as to eat."
"Fascinating," was all Jimmy could say again.
"As we were going to arrive in early afternoon, mother had opted for the matinee performance, which would start at 4.00pm. This did not, Mr Palmer, give us much time to change but we could not dally, and would have a light supper after the show, and then another early night, as we really would have a big day ahead."
"Dr Mallard, did you not fancy visiting any of London, the places you had been during the War?"
"No, most of mother's contacts in London were either dead or in homes, and I don't really know anyone there anymore. But, I must continue, not only with our autopsy but with my tale. As I mentioned, we were to fly back with Concorde. Since 9/11 there was an increase in the time for long haul flights and since the flight was 10:30 in the morning we would need to be there for 7:30 and thankfully since it was a Sunday and the traffic light it would only take about ¾'s of an hour to get there, So having had our early night, we were up sharp at 6:00am," as Ducky now motioned to Jimmy that had really nothing more to do here and that they should maybe clean up, and have another cup of tea.
As Jimmy now returned from the wash room looking refreshed, he saw that Ducky had also changed and the guest had departed for the night, and Ducky was seated at the desk.
"Breena isn't expecting you early, is she, as we could always finish our conversation tomorrow?"
"No Dr Mallard, I have texted her and said I would let the rush hour clear, in fact do you know Doctor, sometimes it is quicker if I say late than if I go early. It is as if I meet myself coming in the door as I am already there."
"Do you know Jimmy," as it was out of hours Ducky thought it was fine to now call Jimmy by his name, "Our journey to Heathrow was without incident and we sailed through the check in and through customs and into the departure lounges. As we were travelling by Concorde we were shown into the VIP British Airways lounges where I might say we had the most delightful petit déjeuner, I say petit, because the luncheon on Concorde was really out this world," Ducky laughed, "But Heathrow is a ginormous place and once we had coffee and a croissant mother decided to do some shopping. I of course got engrossed in people watching, and the Sunday Times crossword, I happened to lose track of time and of course mother, it was only when I heard the call for our flight I realised she had wandered off."
"Oh dear Dr Mallard, what happened? What did you do?"
"I immediately informed the departure gate, who then put out a BOLO, so to speak for mother. I realise now that it was the dementia that was making her forgetful, but I need not have worried as I suddenly saw one of those staff buggies, draw up and on it mother waving."
"Where had she been Dr Mallard," Jimmy now asked in a concerned voice.
"Mother had got into conversation with an Australian couple who were going back to Koburra or was it Kookarabooka, she said it sounded like a kookaburra and wanted to see one, so she had wandered with then to their departure gate. It was only when the staff spoke to mother and asked where she was going did they dispatch her, so to speak, to the correct gate."
"So Dr Mallard, she made the flight then?"
"Yes, but we did have only minutes to spare, but she was quite adamant that she was going to Australia next vacation. As we took our seats on Concorde, you may or may not be aware it was quite small, only 100 passengers and being a single cabin so to speak was therefore an all premium service and the premium was 1st class, which you can imagine was rather cosy and of course very elite."
"And expensive, but at what time did you eventually take off?" Jimmy now enquired
"The time …10:30am, and the journey would take approximately 3 and a half hours, which is actually quicker than that train journey we had taken from Edinburgh to the heart of London. But I digress, as breakfast had been early, and the coffee and croissant at what would have been breakfast, the luncheon we were given on board, was considerably amiable, and although we were travelling at Mach 2 we did not drop a drop of the fine wines or food we were offered. And as you said earlier Jimmy about sometimes feeling you arrive home before you might have done. It was indeed strange to reach New York at what looked like a time before we had actually taken off. And did you know that in 1985, Phil Collins played both the London Live Aid concert and then the Philadelphia concert on the same day, courtesy of Concorde?"
"No I didn't, and I don't understand," Jimmy quizzed quite perplexed.
"We arrived at 09:35am which was rather strange for mother as looked at her watch and demanded that we have breakfast, having forgotten we had just had lunch. And because of the time difference Mr Collins played London early and then the American concert later that day. "
"But it was the dementia setting in was it not, Dr Mallard?"
"I'm afraid so, I just hoped that she would remember something of the vacation, but I knew she had brochures and lots of photographs."
"So did you travel home that day?"
"No, I was not wanting the 6hr journey in the car back to Reston, so we had booked into The Park Lane Hotel, Manhattan, it wasn't far from the Cruise departure point and where we had left the car, and mother thought it so English. We didn't do much the rest of the day and as we had booked for one night, we did have a walk through central park and then back to the hotel and again an early night, as I had to collect the car and then the drive back to Washington. But Mr Palmer I have detained you too long and I am sure Breena will be anxiously awaiting your return," as Ducky now stood.
Jimmy also stood and putting on his coat, he watched as Dr Mallard did the same and placing the fedora on his head, Ducky had one last look about and switching the light out, the pair made their way to the elevator.
"Dr Mallard I have to ask, you and your mother, you got back to Washington without any mishap?"
"Of course Jimmy, she did sleep most of the way, but I think that was the Wild Turkey she had consumed the previous evening."
"Well goodnight Dr Mallard, see you tomorrow," as Jimmy now ran off to his own transport and home to Breena.
Ducky, on opening his car door sat in the driver's seat, and began to reflect. The journey to Reston had been terrible. His mother had disagreed with everything Ducky had said and done. Criticised his driving, accusing him of leaving her at Heathrow, to which she had to find her own way to the departure gate, leaving her in Edinburgh, while he gallivanted, about York. Ducky stared out the windshield gripping the steering wheel, for how long he didn't know. It was just that it had fallen into place on the way home. The dementia, but he couldn't tell Jimmy that it was only when they had got home, if he had realised sooner, he maybe could have got help sooner, but then as Jimmy had said it was always the closest who were the last to find out or was it acknowledge, but as he turned the key in the ignition, he thought to himself and smiled, yes, he would invite the team and Breena round on Sunday for Afternoon Tea, and he would make sure it was the height of decadence.
The End.
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