Chapter 5
6 months later
Gibbs walked in the door and slumped down on his couch, trying to summon the energy to care about dinner. He really didn't have an appetite, but knew he needed to eat something. After a few minutes, he decided to just order in when a knock came at the door. Even though his relationship with the woman from the night of 'the incident' eventually cooled and he no longer bothered locking his door, word got around and no one barged in anymore. He thought about ignoring the visitor, but finally yelled "Come on in," at whomever was on the other side of the door.
"Hey, Gibbs."
"Tobias. What brings you by?"
"I got a rather interesting visit from one of the FBI's lab rats today. Thought I'd better tell you about it right away."
"Why?"
"It might, and I stress might, be a lead on DiNutso."
Jethro straightened up and looked at Tobias with hope. "Tell me."
"The agency is contracting out some work to a firm in Oregon called Global Dynamics. Our lab rat, Ronald Givens, has been out there for the last three days for an update and demonstration on the progress. Anyway, during his stay, he saw a man he thinks might have been Tony tending bar in a little pub. Although he does admit that he never met Tony while he was working at NCIS, only saw him in passing when you and Tony came to the Hoover building. Says the guy in Oregon wasn't calling himself Tony DiNozzo, but can't remember the name he was using. But he thought it might be something to pass along. Knowing that you and I are friends, he brought the info to me. Can't guarantee it's your boy, but thought I'd tell you anyway."
"I'm willing to fly out and check it out. I'm willing to do anything to find Tony. Where do I need to go?"
"Eureka. Eureka, Oregon."
"Thanks, Tobias. And thank your lab guy for me. I appreciate the info, even if it turns out not to be him."
"Well, I hope it goes the way you want, Gibbs. I'll let myself out."
Gibbs wasted no time. In less than an hour, he was packed and heading for the airport. He felt like he'd been given a dose of adrenalin. Luckily, it was Friday and the team was off this weekend. He would fly out and see if this really was Tony. He wouldn't tell anyone else. No sense getting their hopes up if it was a case of mistaken identity. Plus, if it was Tony, there was no telling what kind of reception he'd get from the man. He didn't need anyone else seeing his humiliation if Tony decided to throw his apology back in his face. Or possibly throw something else, like a punch. Gibbs certainly deserved one…or ten.
He landed in Portland late, picked up a rental car and stopped by a drive-thru to grab some dinner. Then he stopped at the first hotel he found to get a room for the night. Getting a map from the desk clerk, he headed to his room. He quickly ate and then showered. He grabbed the map and found Eureka. He marked his route and turned out the light. He wanted to get an early start and needed to sleep.
He made it to Eureka the next day in time for lunch. Driving through town, he spotted a sheriff's office. He thought about stopping and seeing if they could help, but then decided against it. If Tony was here under an assumed name, Gibbs didn't want to get him in any trouble with the local law. He had to be careful. He'd already caused Tony so much pain. He wasn't sure if the other man would even forgive him, but he certainly didn't want to start off by putting his former SFA on the defensive…or worse, in jail.
He decided to scout around a little. He saw a place called Cafe Diem and decided to start there. His stomach was growling, anyway, and he needed coffee. Parking and walking into the cafe, he found a booth in the back, where he could see all the exits.
"Hello and welcome to Cafe Diem," a voice said. Gibbs looked up at the owner of the voice. "I'm Vince. What can I get for you today?"
"Coffee, please. Black and strong."
"Coming right up."
Soon, Gibbs was enjoying a great cup of coffee and had decided on French toast instead of the standard lunch fare. He watched the comings and goings of the townsfolk, while subtly gathering information from a very talkative Vince.
"Yes, we do have a little tavern, here. Just opened up a few months ago by one of our newest residents. It's a very nice place and he caters to every type of clientele. Some nights it's jazz, other nights it's county and western. He's even done a bit of singing himself. It's doing a booming business. You should stick around and try it out. Tonight is classic rock night. Mark, the owner, even got a band in from Portland, so it's going to be live music."
"Sounds like fun," Gibbs lied. "I just might do that. Is there anywhere around to get a room?"
"There's a delightful bed and breakfast just a few miles away. I'll get their number. You can call and make sure they have a vacancy."
Vince came back minutes later with Gibbs' order and a phone number and left him to his meal. After reserving a room and getting directions, Gibbs ate and read the paper he'd bought. He was looking down at his paper, but froze when he heard a familiar voice.
"Afternoon, Vince. A large cup of your very special blend, please."
"Coming right up, Mark."
Gibbs looked up and met the green eyes of the man he'd come all this way to find. When Tony's eyes narrowed in anger, Gibbs knew this reunion wasn't going to be an easy one.
"Did you want lunch today, Mark?" Vince asked Tony.
Tony tore his gaze away from Gibbs. "No thanks, Vince. I seemed to have lost my appetite." His eyes flicked briefly to Gibbs and Gibbs flinched inwardly. "Just the coffee, please, to go."
Grabbing his cup, Tony walked over to the booth where Gibbs was sitting. "If you have something to say, come with me now. It's the only chance you're going to get," he hissed softly. "Otherwise, turn around and go home." With that, he turned and walked away. Gibbs quickly threw some money on the table to cover his bill and a tip and followed the younger man out the door. Neither one noticed Vince's concerned gaze following them as he picked up the phone.
In silence, the two men walked down the block until Tony stopped at the door to a bar. Gibbs could tell the younger man was fuming. Unlocking the door, Tony stepped aside to allow Gibbs to enter and closed the door behind them. Gibbs could see Tony take a deep breath before turning around to face him.
"How did you find me?" he asked Gibbs.
"One of Fornell's people found you by accident. He was here last week, checking up on some project the FBI has contracted out to a company here. Thought he recognized you and told Fornell, who told me."
"Why would someone from the FBI even do that?"
"Because it's a well-known fact in D.C. that I've...we've been searching for you for months."
Tony snorted. "Why bother? It was obvious you all could care less. Figured you'd all be glad to see the back end of me. I just gave all of you what you wanted. So why the hell are you here?"
Gibbs could feel the anger and sadness rolling off of the man in front of him and damned his own stubbornness in not only hurting Tony in the first place, but not rectifying the problem immediately.
"Tony, no one ever wanted you to leave. I was an ass that night at my house. And I kept on being an ass. And for that, I am truly sorry." Gibbs swallowed nervously, not seeing any change in Tony's expression or demeanor. "But, Tony, the rest of the team had no part in that. We all want you back. We all miss you. If you want to stay pissed at me, fine, I'll accept that. But don't take it out on the rest of your friends."
Tony didn't so much as blink. "Ah, but according to the all-knowing, all-seeing Gibbs, I don't have any friends. Remember?"
He paced back and forth, having so much to say, but not knowing where to begin. Finally, he turned to face his former boss, the anger evident in every move, every word…and everything not said.
"Tony..." Gibbs began, but was cut off.
"I used to think that I was well-liked by most people. I always tried to be cheerful, helpful, approachable…even charming," he said, with a bitter smile. "I could have just attributed that night to you being your usual bastard self. But I'm not an idiot, Gibbs. I did some deep soul-searching and really examined the actions and words of all my so-called 'friends.' The put-downs and snarky remarks from you and Tim and Ziva, and even Abby. Ducky and Abby dismissing my concerns and feelings when it came to anything you did or said. I mean, according to Abby you walk on water and can do no wrong. And Ducky…well, the good doctor knows you're flawed, but he excuses you anyway."
When Gibbs again tried to interrupt, Tony slammed his hand down on a nearby table. "No, you don't get to talk right now. It's my turn to tell you some home truths."
Jethro took a step back and nodded. "My life has been full of betrayals. I used to blame myself, wonder what was wrong with me that people treated like crap! My own father sent me away when I was twelve, because he couldn't handle being a single-parent. He was too selfish to be a parent at all. And when he came to see me at NCIS that day, Tim gloated. Abby and Ziva fell all over themselves being nice to him."
"And I told him what a good agent you were," Gibbs quickly interjected.
Tony grimaced. "Really? You told my father that? Well, that's nice. I appreciate that." He shrugged. "Too bad you never said that to me. It would have been nice to hear."
"I'm sorry."
"Uh uh, you can't be sorry. It's not allowed, you see—it's a rule!" he snarled.
"Tony…"
Again DiNozzo interrupted. "You allowed Tim and Ziva to disrespect me. Not only me, but the position I held. I'd venture to guess that whoever took my place didn't get much more respect from them. Assuming it wasn't McGee, 'cause he was nowhere near ready to be a Senior Field Agent. But then, your judgment hasn't always been the best, so you might just have decided it was time?" he questioned.
"No," Gibbs replied. "We had a series of temporary agents in that spot."
"Oooh, I'll bet that pissed of little Timmy. Probably Zeevah, too, since she has always thought she was better than either of us. I'd bet, if she was really honest, she thought she was better than you, too. I still wonder what Jenny was thinking putting her on the MCRT. A foreign intelligence agent on the premier team of NCIS." He leaned against the bar, crossing his arms across his chest. "So, you think she was fucking SecNav in order to get that one approved?"
Tony relished the anger he was seeing from Gibbs at that remark. "What's the matter, Gibbs, don't like that idea? Did you still having feelings for her?"
"Let it lie, DiNozzo. She's dead."
"Yeah, she's dead. Even the great Mike Franks couldn't save her!" At the surprise on Gibbs' face, Tony laughed. "Do you really think I didn't realize he was there that day? You blamed her death on me, I know that. Because I wasn't there. Well he was! And he couldn't save her. I know she was sick. It wasn't difficult to see. The mood swings. The pills she was always popping. Nobody takes that many prescription pills without having some serious medical issues."
"How do know that?" Jethro knew that Tony and Jenny had gotten close while he was on his…his break…in Mexico. Then again, DiNozzo had always been pretty observant.
Again, the bitter smile flickered across Tony's face. "We spent a lot of time in her office discussing the "The Frog". She tried to be discreet, tried to distract me whenever she took her meds, but it didn't always work. And she'd forget sometimes that she had a drawer full of medications when she'd ask me to get something from her desk for her. I researched the names of the medications. But that's not the point here. The point is, you thought it was my fault for not following her that day. But what you don't remember is that I'd already been burned by the Di-rector! She'd pushed…and pushed…and pushed. And Jeanne got hurt because of it."
"So did you," Gibbs stated.
"Ah, but I didn't count," Tony stated flatly. "I was just a means to an end for her. So was Jeanne. She didn't care about either one of us. She…befriended…me, stroked my ego about how well I was doing, leading the team. I wanted to believe her. Especially with how Ziva and Tim were acting. And Abby—she had the nerve label me as 'in training'. So, yeah, I wanted to believe Jenny. I wanted to believe I was a good leader. And it bit me in the ass."
"You were a better leader to them than I was to you."
"Frankly, that's not saying much," Tony replied. "No, I think back over my life, I see how many people used my friendship against me. Used the love I felt for them against me. My father, Wendy, Danny…even my frat brothers eventually turned against me. But I guess that one was my fault. They decided not to even bother asking me what I thought about our yearly get-together this year. They didn't want me around because I don't have a family. Not having time to have that family, because I gave everything to my job and my bastard of a boss.
"And I came to the conclusion that you were right. I don't have any friends. I had people who used me, belittled me, put me down and generally just took advantage of me." Tony's voice got louder and louder as he went on, so he practically shouted out his last sentence. "And I have finally had enough of it!"
"Mark, everything okay here?"
Both men turned to the door to see a man in a sheriff's uniform, with his hand resting on his gun. Gibbs knew from his stance that he was prepared in case he needed to pull it.
"Everything's fine, Sheriff Carter," Tony replied. "Just an old...acquaintance. He and I need to get a few things straight. You may hear some more shouting, but there's no cause for alarm."
The sheriff eyed Gibbs carefully. Gibbs recognized that he was being sized-up. And he did some sizing up of his own. Experience told Gibbs that this officer didn't miss much and wouldn't hesitate to handle a threat to his town or his people.
"It's true, Sheriff. We're just talking. T...Mark and I know each other from way back. We had a huge argument that was totally my fault and I've come to try and apologize. That's all this is. Mark is just letting me know that it's not going to be that easy."
"I'd feel better about that if you weren't carrying," the sheriff said.
Gibbs wasn't at all surprised that the Sheriff had noticed he was armed. "I'm a federal cop," he replied. "I can show you my badge, if you want."
"I want," the man said matter-of-factly. Gibbs pulled out his badge and showed it and his NCIS I.D. to the lawman. Once he was satisfied, he turned to Tony. "You're sure you're okay, Mark? I can ask him to leave, if he's bothering you. I'll even escort him to the city limits and send him on his way."
"Thanks, Sheriff, but I'll manage. Once he's said his piece, he'll leave on his own. If he doesn't I'll give you a call."
Nodding, the sheriff left, closing the door behind him. Once they were alone, Tony turned back to Gibbs. "As I was saying, none of you are my friends. As much as I've tried to be a friend to all of you, I sure as hell didn't get the same in return. Not from any of you. Even through all of this, I got zip. Sure, some asked off-handedly if I was 'okay.' But then I'd get told to stop sulking, pouting and acting childish. I gotta say, having Abby, of all people, telling me to grow up was a real insult." He snorted in disgust. "You all got annoyed when I played pranks and quoted movies, but you were equally annoyed when I was quiet and serious. I just couldn't win, could I? Nothing I ever did would be enough for any of you. So I decided to stop trying and give you all what you seemed to want most. For Tony DiNozzo to not be there."
"What about your frat brothers, Tony? You've been friends with them forever. It had to be more than a change in plans for your yearly vacation together." Gibbs was trying to understand everything Tony had been going through to bring him to this point.
Tony went behind the bar and poured some vodka into a shot glass and tossed it back. "Ah, my frat brothers. My friends through thick and thin," he said sarcastically. "My own frat brothers tell me that the time for drinking contests was in the past and that they wanted to do 'family' things for our get together. Like I forced them to drink and act stupid in years past. They made it clear that I wasn't part of their 'family' anymore, since they didn't bother to ask me along this time. Just made plans without me and 'hoped I'd understand.' Do you know, I've never been to Disneyworld. My father always thought it was a waste of money. I would have enjoyed going, especially with them and their families, whom I thought of as my brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. But they made it clear they didn't want me there, because I was single, not a family man. Some brothers, huh?"
"Pete said he tried to call you, so did the others. They know they were wrong."
"Yeah, I got their messages. All of them were so sorry that they hurt my feelings. You're so sorry. Abby's sorry. Ducky. Palmer. Funny, I never got a call from McGee or Ziva. They're not sorry. But tell me, Gibbs. What is it about me that everybody has to keep apologizing for things they said and did to me? Frankly, I'd rather people didn't have to keep apologizing because they crapped all over me."
"You're right," Gibbs said as he approached the bar Tony stood behind. "We've all been idiots. We…No, I can only apologize for me. What I did and what I said…Tony, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I'd give anything to have that night back."
"You don't get it, Gibbs. It wasn't just that night. It was a decade of shit."
"It wasn't all bad, was it?" Gibbs pleaded.
"No. No, not all of it. There were some good moments. We did some good work together. But there were too many times that you took advantage of my good nature and my respect for you. Remember Domino? Maddie? Too many times when you didn't let me know what was going on, telling me it was need-to-know. Well, I needed to know. You allowed Vance to cart me off to Israel after the Rivkin fiasco. You didn't say a word when Mossad took me away. Anything could have happened and you'd have never known until they showed you my body. Neither you nor Vance said a word to Eli David about his heavy-handedness in the interrogation room. And where were you when Ziva dropped me to the ground and put a loaded gun against my chest?"
At Gibbs' confused look, Tony laughed. "I guess the mighty Gibbs isn't all-knowing after all."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I planned to. But wanted to wait until we were back home. I wasn't comfortable in Israel, felt like I had a target on my back. And when she didn't come back with us, I figured it was a moot point. Didn't matter anymore."
Gibbs nodded, debated briefly whether to let Tony know what had happened on that Israeli tarmac, then realized it might help him understand how Gibbs felt about him. "She gave me an ultimatum. Told me she couldn't work with you any longer."
"And you left her there?! Gibbs, you passed up the perfect opportunity to get rid of me!" Tony laughed.
"I never wanted to get rid of you, Tony. I fully expected to turn the team over to you when I really retired."
"What, another 'you'll do'? No thanks. Especially if Ziva and McGee were still on the team. I haven't fully trusted either one of them since the Military at Home bomber case."
"Why not?"
"Because they left me without backup, turned off the radio while they were supposed to be monitoring me when I was going door to door."
Gibbs was temporarily speechless. "That never made it into the report," he remarked.
"No, it didn't. I handled it on my own, as their SFA. I knew they wouldn't have done that to anyone else but me, so I dealt with it on my own. But it's just one more tally on the list of reasons why I left."
"I wish I'd known, DiNozzo. I would have taken official action against them."
Tony shook his head. "No you wouldn't. Oh, you might have tried, but Vance wouldn't have allowed a black mark to go in McGee's file. And he was still friends with Eli, so there's no way he would allow Ziva to be singled out either. He would have felt it was my fault, as he had so many times in the past."
He refilled his shot glass, but instead of drinking it, he just stared at it. "It's felt like Tony against the world lately. And I can't do it anymore. I need to concentrate on me. I can't worry about the rest of you. Frankly, I don't care about the rest of you. If I don't care, I can't get hurt, I can't be betrayed."
"Tony…I never meant to betray your trust. I do care. You're the best agent I've ever worked with. I know I haven't been the best leader. And I've been the worst kind of friend. But I do consider you my friend. And I am sorry for everything I've said and done to make you feel differently. If I could take it back I would. You know me, I don't usually regret any actions I take. But I regret what I said and did that night. And I regret ever making you think that I didn't value your friendship. I will never be able to tell you how sorry I am."
A full minute of silence passed before Tony spoke. "Now, you've had your say. And you can take your apology and shove it. I don't need or want it."
"So you're going to let the last ten years mean nothing, because of one thoughtless night on my part? Tony, please, don't do this." Gibbs wasn't usually one to beg, but this was too important. Tony was too important.
"Those ten years have meant nothing, Gibbs. At least to you, or you never could have said the things you did. Those ten years were a complete waste of my time. I realized that I needed to make a change."
"Isn't there anything I can do to make this up to you?" Gibbs asked softly.
Tony sighed and downed his second shot of vodka. After a long minute, he looked back at his former boss. "Yeah. There is one final thing you can do for me. You can keep my whereabouts to yourself. I don't want any further contact from anyone connected to NCIS or my former life." The look in his eyes told Gibbs that Tony was including him in that statement.
Gibbs' shoulders slumped. Normally, he wasn't the type of man to give up easily. But he knew Tony, and knew that look in Tony's eyes. There was no give, no leeway, and no forgiveness. He nodded, but felt defeated.
"Okay. I'll do whatever you want, Tony. I'll call off the search. At least you can use your real name again. Maybe go back to law enforcement. I'll write you a good recommendation."
"No need. I'll never go back to being any kind of cop."
"Don't throw away your career. You're a great investigator. Don't let your anger at me keep you from doing what you love, what you're good at."
"It's got nothing to do with that. Being a cop means trusting your fellow cops. And I'll never trust anyone again. Your lasting gift to me, Gibbs. You weren't the first. You were just the latest in a long line of people who broke that trust. But you were the final straw. I trusted you more than I ever trusted anyone in my life. For ten years I trusted you. But I've got no trust left to give. Not to anyone, not ever again."
Gibbs closed his eyes, knowing that his actions, his words, had caused all of this. Had caused a bright, giving, loyal man to close himself off. "What should I tell your father, if he comes around asking about you?"
Tony laughed bitterly. "Doubt that'll happen, unless he wants what little money is left in Tony DiNozzo's bank account. If so, you can consider that my parting gift to you. I'll let you pass a message on to dear old dad for me. Tell him to go fuck himself." Tony headed toward the door. "Now, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave. I have work to do." Tony opened the door and Gibbs stepped out.
He turned around to try and apologize once more, but Tony slammed the door in his face. Gibbs heard the lock engage and Tony's footsteps move away.
"I'm guessing he's not in a forgiving mood," Gibbs heard from his left. The sheriff was leaning against the building a few feet away.
Gibbs sighed heavily. "No. And I can't really blame him. I said some unforgivable things. You know that old adage about sticks and stones breaking bones, but words never hurting? Don't you believe it. Words hurt the worst of all. And sometimes, the wounds never heal." Gibbs felt nauseous.
"Walk with me, Agent Gibbs," the sheriff requested.
Gibbs followed the man to his office. Sheriff Carter offered him coffee, but surprisingly Gibbs shook his head. He was so sick to his stomach, he knew he'd choke on it if he tried to drink it.
"You know, Agent Gibbs, Mark's a very popular guy around here, especially for being a newcomer. His tavern is becoming the favorite gathering place. He's started a community theater and helps out with the high school basketball team. He even gives piano lessons to some of the children. But for all his social activities, all his friendliness, he's very guarded. Doesn't let anyone get close. Hell, several of our eligible women have tried to get his attention, but he brushes them off. Politely, but brushes them off nevertheless. Is that normal for him, or is this part of your doing?"
"It's all on me. He was never closed off, before. I broke his trust. He told me I was one in a long line of many, but I was the final straw." Gibbs sighed heavily, feeling old and broken.
"Then maybe it's better that you leave," Sheriff Carter said bluntly. "Eureka can be a crazy, quirky little town. It has its fair share of troubles. Boy, does it have troubles. But we've also got damn good people here. Maybe, given enough time and without further interference, we can turn him back into the man he used to be. But if not, at least he seems at peace here. Content."
Gibbs nodded and stood up. "I'd best be getting on the road."
"I'll call the bed and breakfast, let them know you won't be needing that room, after all."
Gibbs didn't even look surprised that the sheriff had known his plans. "Thanks. He doesn't want me here. The least I can do is honor his wishes and leave him in peace." He took out one of his business cards and wrote down his personal cell phone number and handed it to the sheriff.
"What's this for? I hope you don't think I'm going to spy on him for you?"
"No. Just…if anything ever happens, you know…" Gibbs trailed off. "I'd appreciate a call, should the worst ever occur." The sheriff nodded, then watched as the man walked slowly out of the building. He continued watching out the window as the other man returned to his car. He saw Gibbs take one last, long look at the bar where he'd left the man he'd come to see. Then he got in his car and drove away. And if the sheriff noticed a slight glistening in those blue eyes, well, he wouldn't tell anyone.
Thirty minutes later, the door to the Sheriff's office opened and the subject of his talk with Gibbs walked in.
"Sheriff."
"Hey, how ya doing? Your visitor left town."
"Yeah, I saw him drive away." He sat down across from the Sheriff, who was sitting at his desk. "How much did you hear, earlier?"
Jack leaned back in his chair and looked him right in the eye. "Enough to know that your name isn't Mark, Tony."
Tony sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much." He held out a folded piece of paper to Carter.
"What's this," Carter asked, taking it.
"My get-out-of-jail-free card."
Carter opened the paper to find a court document showing that one Anthony DiNozzo had officially changed his name to Mark Stoddard. He handed the paper back. "Good enough for me, Mark. Is that how Agent Gibbs found you?"
"No. Apparently some FBI lab tech was out here last week checking up on some project they farmed out to a company here. Most likely Global Dynamics."
"Yeah, I remember Alison talking about some fed being out here. And the guy recognized you and told Gibbs?" Jack made a mental note to ask Alison to tell him if any more visitors came out, so he could warn Mark.
Tony nodded. "Yeah. Gibbs claimed he'd been searching for me all these months. Don't know why. Don't really care."
"Interesting that a federal agent couldn't find that," Carter said, pointing to the paper he'd returned to Tony.
Tony smiled. "I went to a judge that knows both my con-man father and Gibbs. Explained what happened and why I wanted to change my name. He authorized the name change and then sealed the file."
"Smart."
"Sneaky, anyway."
"So, you're also trying to get away from your father? Do you think Agent Gibbs will tell him where you are?"
"Don't know," Tony said, getting up to pace the room. "He has no love for my father, but if he's pissed at me, he might. Just on the hope that Senior comes here to try and screw with my life."
Carter watched the man continue to pace. "I didn't see a pissed off man leave here, Mark. I saw a man in pain. A man who knows he's lost something special."
Tony's eyes flashed. "Good. Maybe he's feeling a little of his own medicine then."
"I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, Mark, but if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
Tony didn't say anything as his gaze was drawn to something out the window behind Jack. "Umm, Sheriff, there's someone floating through the air in a bubble."
Carter took a sip of his coffee without turning around. "Is the bubble blue or purple?"
Tony raised his eyebrows at the Sheriff's nonchalant attitude. "Blue."
"That would be Stuart, then."
"And if the bubble had been purple?"
"His wife, Edith."
Tony tilted his head, started to make a comment, then closed his mouth. He repeated this action twice more before he shaking his head. He turned and started to head toward the door. Halfway there, he stopped and turned back to Carter. "No. I've gotta know," he said, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Carter smiled. "Marriage counseling tool. Each of them are equipped with a 'bubble belt'. When they get to arguing and one of them decides they've had enough, they can activate their belt, and it encases them in a bubble. It's program to fly around for thirty minutes before taking them back home. Gives both of them a chance to calm down."
"And does this happen often?"
"Used to happen two or three times a week. Lately, they've been getting along better, so it hasn't been happening as much."
Tony shook his head. "This is a strange little town you have here, Sheriff."
"Yeah, it is. But I think you really like it here. Strangeness and all."
"Let's just say, I can roll with quirky. It has a certain…charm."
Carter laughed and stood up. "How about a cup of Vince's special blend? My treat."
"Sure. I'd like that."
Carter approached and handed Tony a card. Looking, Tony realized it was Gibbs' business card, with his personal number written on the back. He lifted his gaze to the Sheriff's. "He give you this? Ask you to spy on me?"
"No. Said he'd appreciate a call, if the worst ever happened. I'll leave the decision up to you. What would you like me to do with that card?" Carter wanted Tony/Mark to realize that he could trust Carter. He knew it wouldn't be easy to gain this man's trust. It would be one step at a time. But Carter was a patient man.
Tony handed the card back. "Keep it. Chances are, he'll be gone long before I will. Especially since I'm not chasing criminals and terrorists anymore."
"So you were law enforcement. I wondered. Especially after you opened the tavern. You seem to be able to spot and handle problems pretty quick."
"And yet, you never asked."
"It was obvious you didn't want to be in law enforcement anymore. Figured you had your reasons. Figured they weren't anyone's business."
Tony looked at the Sheriff. "Thanks."
Carter nodded. "Let's go get that coffee."
"And pie."
Carter laughed. "And pie."