Chapter 4
On a good day it can take just over 30 minutes to reach D.C. so Gibbs and Owen were already in the building when they got Tim's first call.
"Well get it fixed McGee" was all Gibbs could say, turning to Owen and Fornell he explained that the team were in a slight accident, something about Sima wanting to do a U-turn and that Tony had bumped the car. It was Tim's second call that riled Gibbs, as he turned to Steve and questioned him.
"Does the name Bruce Lee, mean anything to you?"
"Yep, he's the sailor we have been tracking, what's up?" Steve asked, starting to look worried.
"Dead, that's what's up. So Detective Sergeant Owen what are you keeping from me and my team, or should I say, what have you, so conveniently forgotten to mention," Gibbs continued.
"What I failed to mention to you, was the Tongs or maybe should have said the Triads?" Steve began to say, "Bruce, as Tim may have mentioned, is a CPO in the Australian Navy and yes he's Chinese," seeing the grin begin to appear on Tobias's face.
"Oh this gets better and better," Tobias laughed.
"These Tongs are described as secret societies or sworn brotherhoods and are often tied to criminal activity, while the Triads are one of many branches of Chinese transnational crime organisations."
"Yeh, I know Tongs originated from early Chinatown communities, originally "social clubs", and they tried to model themselves on Triads, and they did become involved in criminal activities such as extortion, illegal gambling, drug trafficking, human trafficking, murder and prostitution," Gibbs replied.
"In recent years, some Tongs have reformed to eliminate their criminal elements and have become civic-minded organisations. What we were trying to find out was, if Lee was a Tong or a Triad, his brother we believe has connections with Triads out of L.A.," Owen added.
"I have heard of the Black Dragons," Fornell added.
"So the Black Dragons are L.A., you think the Triads are in league with the Mexicans?" Gibbs began to say.
"Oh yes, enter the dragon, the Chinese connection," Steve laughed, "And Tobias, we owe it to our children, to close down."
"You're beginning to sound like DiNozzo, but Tobias what you got on Triads in Washington?" as Gibbs now turned to face him.
"Nothing as yet, the BD's were taken down in one of the largest gang sweeps in 2002, we, that would be the FBI, simultaneously raided and arrested 30 of its core members. But in more recent times rumour has it, they are back controlling part of LA's Chinatown."
"And since you helped, I heard, close the network of the Reynosa Cartel," Steve now added looking at Gibbs, "We think there is an opportunity to reopen the Mexico to Canada east coast route."
"Getting the connection now, but first we need to get the body to Ducky, and the team home," as he called autopsy, "Tobias you ok to drive your car?"
"Tim did give you the coordinates of where they were?" Fornell enquired.
"Tobias, what I got from Tony was, woop woop and you beaut ripper, but Tim did tell me," Gibbs laughed.
-oOo-
By the time Ducky and Palmer had arrived in the MCRT vehicle, Gibbs was already there, and Ducky noticed that there were two huddles, team Gibbs, and Detective Owen and Sima, she was pointing to the car and the damage.
"Slight bingle and look at the ding, if you get my drift. The drongo won't drive it to the servo, so his Boss gonna' call a ute?"
"Arvo mate," Ducky shouted over to the visitors, "How ya goin'?"
"Good-o," Sima smiled back.
"Bonza. Ok let's have a gander, looks like he came a cropper, and my, oh my, a dead marine too."
"Another body, Duks?" Tony questioned wondering how he had missed that.
"No Antony, an empty beer bottle, just love to throw the odd word in here and there," as Ducky now looked at the body said, "Deffo, blunt force trauma to the head, but was he dead before or after?" as he now indicated to Jimmy and Tim to put the body in the truck for him.
"Hooroo," Ducky shouted, "See you back at autopsy, and I see Mr Palmer is giving you all the Aussie salute."
"I was not waving Dr Mallard, I was…" Jimmy began to say.
"I know, swiping the flies off your head."
-oOo-
Dr Mallard and Jimmy were working away when Gibbs and Owen entered autopsy.
"Come for a Captain Cook, Jethro, and G'day Steve."
"G'day, Dr Mallard."
"Call me Ducky everyone else does, but right now, your CPO was hit by the tyre iron and them pushed down the banking to where he came a cropper, hitting his head on said snag. Did I ever tell you Jethro, about the fantastic time I had in Darwin back in the mid 70's just after the Vietnam War," as he now turned his attention to Owen, "Steve, me and a couple of diggers made it to Darwin from New Guinea or was it Timor, whatever the case; the natives had this delightfully refreshing drink, it wasn't until years later I discovered it was made from a mixture of rum punch and water buffalo urine. They'd never seen a white man and my life was in jeopardy…until I cured the chief's wife of a terrible yeast infection… I must say…."
"Duks, the body?" Gibbs asked.
"Nothing much more…and no, as far as I can tell, no drugs in his system, but Abigail will be able to tell you for sure. What he did have, was a Maccas," Ducky continued on his Australian line, "Sometime in the morning. And he was probably killed 4hrs before he was found. But now if you don't mind it is time for Mr Palmer and me to have a bickie and a cuppa. Nice to have met you again Steve, maybe we could meet up later and I could tell you my tales of Darwin?"
"Sure thing, but bit busy right now," came the reply.
"I didn't know you had been to Darwin, Dr Mallard," Jimmy now questioned looking wide eyed.
"Yes, we arrived there in 1975, they had had the most awful cyclone…Tracy I remember," Ducky continued.
"Tracy, was she your sweetheart?"
"No Mr Palmer, they call cyclones names and Tracy was the one that hit Darwin Christmas 1974. They say 71 lives were lost…"
They didn't see or hear Gibbs and Steve listening from the door, all they heard was a cough and looking over saw the pair.
"Duks…the body, or a cuppa," Gibbs smiled over pointing, to the table.
"Right."