"Anything?" Pride asked, growing frustrated at the lack of progress decrypting the disk.
"Not yet, but I will get there." Patton assured him. "What I can tell you is that someone went to a lot of trouble to protect the contents."
"Hey King, can I have a word?" LaSalle asked nodding towards the kitchen.
"Sure thing." The older agent replied following Chris to the kitchen. Seeing LaSalle's hesitation he said. "Speak."
"Why is Brody here?"
"Apparently she doesn't like hospitals." Pride replied.
"I mean, why is she here, rather than with her mother?"
"Things are a little strained between them. They had a fight at the hospital, both said some things that hurt."
"Neither of them should be alone right now." LaSalle said.
"You want to talk to her feel free. But she wasn't listening earlier."
"Perhaps she will be more responsive to my southern charms!" Chris grinned.
-00-
"Hey." Chris greeted as he walked into the small office where Brody was sitting on the sofa. "Want to talk?" He asked sitting down next to Brody.
"No."
"Fair enough. But in that case you can listen." Not giving his partner any opportunity to argue he went on. "We both know all to well how hard it is to lose someone close. When Savannah…." He started, but was unable to finish his sentence. Shaking his head he started again. "My family got me through my dark times. That's what we are here, family. You, me, Pride, Loretta and Sebastian, we are family. We look out for each other. We have each other's backs. Anytime you need anything we are here for you. The thing is though, your mother doesn't have that. In fact the only family she has is you. She needs you."
"It's not that easy."
"Sure it is."
"Not for us. Every time she sees me she sees Emily. It's impossible not to. Seeing me is a reminder of the daughter she lost."
"I get that. But by not seeing you she loses both daughters." Chris argued. "Now, I may be a simple southern man, but in my opinion, sure seeing you will remind her of your sister, but she would prefer that reminder to losing both of you. She needs you right now and sure it will be tough, but the Brody we know and love wouldn't back away because it was tough. So why don't you get a couple of hours rest then I will drive you over to her hotel?"
-00-
LaSalle and Pride flanked Brody as they walked down the hotel corridor to her mother's room. As they neared the room though Pride once again heard shouting. Turning to Brody he ordered.
"Stay." Before approaching the guard and asking.
"What's going on?"
"Don't know. She said she was venting and to leave her alone Sir." The guard said. "I was told in no uncertain terms to stay out of it."
"Only my mother could start an argument in an empty room." Brody commented, her voice revealing the strain of recent events.
Frustrated over the adverse effects the scene was having on Brody, Pride thumped on the door saying.
"Mrs Brody, it is Agent Pride. Open the door."
Brody's mother immediately silenced and for a moment nothing happened. Eventually the door opened just enough for Pride to see an exhausted looking face staring back at him.
"Mrs Brody, are you okay?" Pride asked trying to look over the woman into the room.
"I'm fine."
"Who were you shouting at?"
"No one." She answered defensively clearly hiding something.
"Perhaps we can continue this conversation inside." Pride suggested.
"There is nothing to continue. I am very tired and I would like to rest."
"For your daughter's sake I think you should let us in so she can sit down." Pride insisted.
"Meredith is here?" She ask surprised.
"She is, but she is meant to be resting not standing in corridors so how about letting us in?" Not giving the woman time to fully respond Pride pushed the door open and walked into an empty room as Chris helped Brody in.
All three agents looked for signs of someone else in the room, seeing no one they were all confused until they heard a noise from the bathroom. Both Pride and LaSalle drew their guns as Pride called.
"NCIS. Come out with your hands up now."
Slowly the bathroom door opened and a man stepped out, his arms raised above his head. The sight of the man causing Brody to croak out.
"Dad?"
Before anyone could ask questions Pride's phone rang. Not looking at caller display he lifted the phone to his ear and answered.
"Pride."
"Hey Pride, it is Sebastian. I have good news. The body from the car wreck –" The young scientist started only for Pride to cut him off.
"Is not Brody's father."
"How could you know that?" Sebastian asked, the wind fully gone from his sails.
"I'll tell you later." Pride said ending the call and lowering his gun, an action mirrored by LaSalle. Turning he shut the hotel room door and marched over to Brody's father and demanded. "Explain."
"It's complicated." The man said.
"It will get a lot more complicated from the inside of a cell." Pride pointed out.
Ignoring the agent the elder Brody looked at his daughter and said. "You have to know I never intended any of this. If I had known they would come after you and do this, after everything you went through before, I never would have got involved."
"Involved in what?" Brody asked, leaving Pride and LaSalle wondering what event in Brody's past the academic had been referring to.
"I have been involved in a new programme where we have put on special courses specifically for military personnel. I was teaching a class on the ethics of war, terrorism and crime. After a lecture one of the students approached me."
"Commander Wallis?" Pride guessed.
"Yes. He was upset and confused. He was attending the class as a way to overcome a stress problem. Eventually he told me that he had uncovered evidence that US weapons used in Afghanistan and Iraq were being used by gangs in the US. He said he had evidence that proved that the weapons had been sold to insurgents during the conflict and were then being smuggled back to the US onboard naval vessels."
"Did you report it?"
"No. I had no evidence and he refused to talk to anyone in authority. He was bordering on paranoid. He said he would be killed if he talked."
"So what did you do?" Pride pressed.
Seeing her father glance at her mother Brody said. "You told mom."
"She's a journalist. She knows how to investigate these things."
"Wait a second. A sailor comes to you to tell you that US guns are being smuggled into the US on US naval ships and you don't tell your daughter who works for NCIS?" LaSalle asked.
"As I said, I didn't have any evidence." He answered as LaSalle's phone bleeped.
"By which he means mom wanted the story." Brody translated. "An exclusive story."
"Ignoring the complete lack of common sense and ethics, how did you end up faking your death and what did you send my agent?"
"And how did Wallis end up dead?" LaSalle asked handing his phone to Pride so the senior agent could read the report that he had just been sent.
"Wallis said he could get evidence. He arranged to meet me, but wanted to meet somewhere quiet. We met in a park in the early hours and he gave me a USB drive. He said he would send the password, but then there was a bang and he fell to the ground. I panicked and ran. I wasn't sure what to do so I drove to a courier and sent the disk." He then looked at his daughter again and added. "If I thought they would come after you I would never have sent it. I never thought they would do this to you. You have to believe me, after what those people did to you I would never ha-"
"I don't have to believe anything you say." Brody said cutting him off. "You faked your death." She then turned to her mother and asked. "Did you know? In fact don't answer that I don't care." With that she left the room. Chris nodded to Pride and followed her out.
"Geez Brody, now I understand why you like to keep your work and personal lives separate." The agent said. Noticing Brody wobble he added. "Let's get you home."
"I can't. It's a crime scene."
"You're staying with me. No arguments."
TBC
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Next chapter up tomorrow.