Chapter Fifteen
You Talking to Me?
After a call from Abby, Gibbs pressed the elevator button with more force than necessary. It had been an abysmally crappy day. He had a Marine Sergeant flying home from serving his country in Iraq to the murdered bodies of his family. And Gibbs didn't have any hope of some justice to offer, no matter how hollow that justice might be.
He knew how it felt.
He'd been there.
He was determined that they'd have some minute form of solace to offer this soldier before his plane landed, even if he had to keep his fractured team at it all night. He'd crack the whip himself if necessary. Oddly, he found himself wishing for a random movie quote to inspire a flicker of insight. No matter how exasperated he might become with the incessant chatter and juvenile ribbing, he knew it helped to relieve the tension in the bullpen. Tension he usually created – or at least intensified. The relief sometimes brought out new ideas and clarity.
Without Tony, they were all struggling for a lead, and he'd even had to virtually restrain himself from automatically correcting some of Ziva's mangled idioms. He wasn't sure exactly when it happened, but he'd come to depend on his agent's presence. The fact Tony didn't seem to be chomping at the bit to get back to work was troubling, especially considering the dysfunction the team was now experiencing without him.
Well, Tony's injury prevented his being here, so they were going to have to find another way to work together, or there'd be hell to pay. Sergeant Jones deserved better.
He strode into Abby's lab, cringing at the music. He immediately went over to turn it down, causing Abby to turn around, pigtails flying.
"Gibbs! How do you do that?"
"Do what?" he asked.
"Know just when I've found something. I didn't even have time to save the information, but here you are as if the elements, or the forces of nature, or the gods, or whatever summoned you at the very same moment," she said, beaming.
"Abs – you called me," he said, wondering what had her so distracted. Abby always rambled, and he tended to tolerate it more than he would with anyone else, but she always had solid information hidden in there somewhere.
Abby's eyes widened, and she bit her lip, looking sheepish. "Oh. Right. That was something else."
"Something about the case?" he asked, a bite of impatience creeping into his tone.
"No… well, not that, but this is," she said, turning back toward her computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "The ballistics just came back on the gun Ziva found in our suspect's house. It doesn't match."
"What d'you mean it doesn't match?" Gibbs asked. This was unexpected. "I thought you said we were looking for a Beretta."
Abby nodded. "We are, but there are dozens of types, and there's more than one of any of them in this city. The bullets taken from our victims came from a Beretta, but not this one. This isn't the murder weapon."
He threw his hands in the air, pacing a few steps. Damnit, they were back to square one. "So, we've got nothing?"
"I can only work my magic on the tools I'm given, Gibbs. I did match Kaplan's print to a partial left in the house, but it was from the door and since they knew one another, it could've been from a previous visit. Not everyone scrubs their doors," she said, biting her lip.
Gibbs sighed, the tension behind his eyes increasing. "All right. I've got McGee looking into his background, but we're going to have to expand the search for others who might have a grudge. What did you call me about if not the ballistics?" he asked.
"Uhm," Abby said, visibly uncomfortable and refusing to meet his eyes.
"Abs, I don't have time. Spit it out," he growled.
Abby took a deep breath as if steeling herself. "While I was waiting for the ballistics, I was messing with my computer, and I noticed an… anomaly."
"An anomaly," he said, his hand twitching. He wanted to shake the information out of her. What was wrong with his entire team today? Did they not get that time was their enemy right now?
She nodded. "At first, I thought it was a mistake, but it's not. I double checked. It's a bit of spyware – but it was uploaded by someone with access to the system since the firewall hasn't been breached," she said, wincing.
"What does that mean? Someone is spying on you?" he asked, growing alarmed. How had someone planted spy software inside Abby's lab? He didn't even know how spyware or firewalls worked exactly, never mind if it could be planted remotely.
"On all of us. I ran a check. There's a program hidden deep within the system that's monitoring all computers at NCIS for a particular keylogger," she said.
He glared at her. She knew he needed more information – and more of an explanation. He'd never head-slapped Abby before, but he was seriously considering it.
She must've sensed it for she spoke up quickly. "It's looking for anything to do with Jeanne Benoit."
Gibbs reared back, clenching his eyes shut, already knowing where this was leading.
"The information is all being fed right back to the Director's computer. I think she probably had one of the tech guys set it up for her because I don't think she has those skills. It can't have been there long, or McGee would've found it. I think he's just been too busy with this case," Abby said, biting her lip.
"What information has it found? Who else is looking into Jeanne Benoit?" Gibbs asked more calmly than he felt.
"Well… " Abby said, hesitating.
"Abby," he barked.
She jumped, then began talking very fast, hands flying in motion as she spoke. "You have to understand, we've all been really, really worried about Tony. McGee has been monitoring her name on airline, rail and bus manifests, and Ziva is watching if any local hospitals decide to hire her."
"Anything else?" he asked, gritting his teeth.
Abby looked miserable. "The Director is also keeping tabs on the FBI's investigation into the hostage situation at the Marriott Marquis. Specifically… Jeanne's testimony about it."
Gibbs turned on his heel and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" she asked, slightly panicked.
He didn't answer, certain she'd be on the phone with McGee the moment the elevator doors closed. He'd deal with that situation later. Right now, he needed to confront Jenny. She was out of control again, and he'd had enough. He'd protected her for too long, and she'd grown complacent and therefore reckless. He wasn't going do that anymore.
He should've taken the stairs; it would've given him more time to rein in his temper and gather his thoughts. Nothing to be done for it now. When the elevator doors opened, he strode toward the Director's office, not bothering to stop at Cynthia's desk to give her a chance to announce him or attempt to deny his entrance.
Jenny was on her computer, and she looked up, startled as her door slammed open. She closed her device with a snap and looked at him coolly.
"You shut that damn quick. Something you don't want me to see, Director?" he asked without greeting.
Jenny quirked an eyebrow. "As you just addressed me, you're aware that I am the Director here, so it's need to know, and you don't. Now, I don't see an appointment listed for you on my calendar."
"Yeah, well, I thought someone ought to give you a reality check. I don't think SecNav will tolerate any more marks on NCIS's reputation," he said, scowling.
Jenny recoiled, surprised by his venom. "I've done nothing to smear the reputation of NCIS, and I resent the implication," she said, removing her reading glasses.
"Nothing, huh? The spy software you've placed on your own people says otherwise," he said.
Jenny paled, but she recovered quickly, taking a sip of her coffee. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Gibbs shook his head. "Did you really think my team wouldn't find out? Come on, Jen. You're smarter than that. At least you used to be," he said, the derision in his tone clear.
Jenny stood up, scowling furiously. "You're dangerously close to insubordination right now, Agent Gibbs."
Gibbs widened his eyes incredulously. "Me? I warned you at the coffee shop to cease your obsession with the Benoits, but you've apparently lost all self-control. You've been monitoring the FBI – about Jeanne Benoit. I don't know if they've discovered it yet, but you can bet they will."
"Is Tony involved with Jeanne again? Is that why your team is looking into her?" she asked, no longer even bothering trying to hide it.
"That's not our business," he said, snapping.
"She accused him of murder. I'm surprised you're willing to let her infiltrate his life and possibly gather more ammunition if she's pursuing her vendetta," she said, narrowing her eyes shrewdly.
"Her vendetta? Don't you mean yours?" he asked, furious.
"La Grenouille had proof of my father's innocence, and I won't rest until I clear his name," she said vehemently.
"You don't know that."
"I knew my father," she snapped.
He knew this was very personal to her – had consumed her since her father's alleged suicide, and he knew the toll that kind of obsession could take. While he sympathized with her loss and the burning desire to vindicate her father, she couldn't possibly think Rene Benoit would've left that kind of information to his children. She'd lost perspective. If it was true – and that was still a big if – the CIA was involved, and they wouldn't allow her to rock the boat.
"Do you really think Trent Kort would've revealed that kind of information to his mark? Think about it. Kort would never have put that kind of weapon in the hands of a potential threat. I don't like him, but he's smarter than that," he said.
"You don't know that for sure," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms across her chest and clenching her eyes tight. "I know the evidence is there, I'm going to find it."
"It's a wild goose chase with the risks far outweighing the slim chance of a reward," he shouted.
"Don't you dare pretend to judge what I perceive as a reward," she said, snarling.
"You're jeopardizing your entire career. NCIS is not your personal kingdom to do with as you please. You're under closer scrutiny than I think you realize," he said, exasperated.
"You can either help me or get out of my way, but I will get the information I need," she said.
"You'd better watch your six, because I don't think it's just the FBI keeping tabs on you," he said, pinning her with his eyes and wishing she'd get out of her delusion and comprehend the gravity of the situation.
She rolled her eyes. "You're being paranoid. You're still upset that I wouldn't allow Ziva to be written up for her mistake on the security detail. I held up my end of the bargain, and I didn't write McGee up, either. It's time to let it go, Jethro. Yes, they made mistakes. We all do from time to time, but the Mossad Liaison position is tenuous, and we don't want to upset the balance, or Eli David will terminate the cooperation," she said.
"And that would damage you politically," he said bitterly. It was true – he was pissed at her for refusing to put a mark in Ziva's file, but he wasn't about to give her an inch. Not now. He'd been fuming over that particular machination for two days.
"It would damage what NCIS is able to accomplish with that cooperation. You deal with Ziva however you see fit other than putting it formally on her record," she said. He'd heard all this before, and it didn't go down any easier the second time.
"You might've blocked my report, but there's another one coming you won't be able to stop," he said. He was done trying to reason with her. It was time to burst that bubble of security she was living in.
"I'm the Director here, and I'll block anything I deem necessary," she said, wincing and rubbing a spot on the side of her head as if pained. Served her right – she was giving him a headache, too.
"You should know – I sent Ziva with Luis Ferreira to check a suspect's residence. Ziva didn't wait for a search warrant – turns out the gun she found isn't even the murder weapon. Ferreira wrote her up," Gibbs said, snarling.
She frowned, but he could see the calculation going on behind her eyes. She sank back into her chair, rubbing a finger along the top of her lip. "I understand your concern, but while unfortunate, no real harm was done. I'll speak to both of them. I'm good at smoothing ruffled feathers – it's why I sit in this chair."
Gibbs made a sound of derision. "You don't get it. Ferreira came directly from Camp Pendleton; he's used to dealing with Assistant Director Vance. He sent him a copy of the complaint."
Jenny paled again. "You have to reason with him. Explain the delicate balance of team dynamics," she said.
"I already stuck my neck out for you on this. I stopped Ziva from revealing that she never attended FLETC – also at your insistence," he said.
"Ziva came to us from Mossad with extensive training. It went well beyond anything we could teach her here. I worked with her all across Eastern Europe, I should know," Jenny said.
"Mossad taught her to kill not to follow American laws. NCIS is supposed to investigate before killing the dirtbags," he said, gritting his teeth.
"I thought you were the one teaching her how to investigate. Isn't that what you're known for – aside from your temper," Jenny said, her lip curled.
"She came to us with absolutely no investigative skills. In fact, when I went to Mexico, you left DiNozzo with an entire team with virtually no investigative experience," he said, eyes narrowing. Had that been her plan all along?
"McGee had already been on your team, and you put him there," Jenny snapped.
"McGee hadn't been here long enough to be an SFA, and Lee wasn't even qualified to use a weapon. Tony was the only seasoned investigator on that team. Did you do that to isolate him? Ensure he'd more readily accept your shady undercover assignment, or because you didn't think the rest of his inexperienced team would notice that he was double timing?" he asked, furious with her, with himself and with the entire team for how things were handled.
"If that was the case, how does that explain you not noticing when you returned?" she asked snidely.
"That's entirely on me. I was busy getting my life back the way I left it. I didn't like all the changes, so I ignored what I shouldn't have ignored. I'm working to correct that," he said.
"It's time we all move forward and focus on the problems at hand," Jenny said.
"Is that why you haven't asked DiNozzo about Jeanne Benoit? Because you know he'd tell you exactly where to stick it?" he asked.
"I'm done talking about the La Grenouille op. The more pressing issue here is squashing Agent Ferreira's complaint," she said with some urgency.
Gibbs shook his head. "You're not listening – there's nothing to squash. He submitted his complaint. It's done, and you'd better have some good answers for Vance, because he won't hesitate to go over your head. He's ambitious, and he smells blood in the water."
"Well, if he's already submitted it, I haven't seen it," she said, glancing at the papers scattered across her desk.
Gibbs shrugged. "Have you checked your email, or were you too busy spying on your own people?"
"I don't like your tone," she snarled.
"And I don't like the fact that if that gun had been the murder weapon, it would've been inadmissible in court, and a killer could've walked," he said.
He could see her mind racing. "Well, it isn't, but we've opened ourselves up to both criminal and civil charges, and a smart attorney will be looking for substantial compensatory damages," she muttered.
"I don't give a damn about the optics. This isn't going away. If asked, I'm going to recommend disciplinary action for Ziva. She needs to attend investigative and procedural classes at FLETC like she should've done in the first place," he said, glaring and daring her to object.
"We're done. Tell Agent Ferreira I want to see him up here. Now," she said, her eyes glittering malevolently.
Gibbs tilted his head. It was like trying to talk to a brick wall. He left her office without another word.
/* /* /* /*
Fuming, Gibbs pressed on the accelerator, causing several drivers out this late at night to curse him and blare their horns. It only made him speed up, cutting off yet another car, sliding into the spot he would've missed had his car had a few more coats of paint.
As he drove, his thoughts drifted over the events of the afternoon, replaying them in vivid color. He'd left his team in the bullpen, still seeking answers for Sergeant Jones whom they would have to see tomorrow. Gibbs had to get out before he murdered one of them. After leaving the Director's office, he'd sent Ferreira up, as requested. While he was absent, he'd turned to both McGee and Ziva…
"Let's get something straight. I want both of you to stop any and all searches on Jeanne Benoit. Now! If I find out you checked even the slightest lead about her activities, you'll be out on your asses," he said, glaring. "We clear?"
McGee nodded, wide-eyed but Ziva wanted more. Naturally. It only highlighted his own culpability in not calling out her insubordination sooner. It had to stop.
"Why must we stop? We need to know where she is, and what she is up to, no? We cannot expect Tony to be forthright about her. He has lied to us all too much in the past when it concerns her, so we must keep an ear to the dirt ourselves, yes?" she asked.
"Ear to the ground," McGee mumbled. It seemed Gibbs wasn't the only one having trouble not correcting her.
"Officer David, what did I just say?" he asked coldly.
She frowned. She always disliked when he used her full title. "You told us to stop our inquiries into Jeanne Benoit, but I think–"
"Did it sound like it was up for debate?" he asked.
McGee put his head down and began typing furiously. He, at least, knew when not to push it. Of course, Gibbs was sure Abby had already given him a heads-up of what she'd discovered on her computer.
"No, Gibbs," Ziva said, meekly, lowering her head. He continued to watcher her, however and noticed that she also clenched her fists into tight balls as she sat down. It alerted him that she still wasn't happy with the directive.
"McGee," he barked, making the younger man jump comically. "Did you remove the spy software on your computer?"
McGee's eyes widened, looking trapped. "You mean spyware… yes, once Abby alerted me to its presence. I would've noticed it myself if I wasn't so inundated with trying to find a lead on the Jones case, Boss."
"If you say so. Did you remove it from the rest of our computers?" Gibbs asked.
McGee frowned. "Well… no… not yet. I didn't think I should just log onto all of your computers without verification of–"
"Do it," Gibbs snapped.
"Yes, sir. Er…Boss," McGee said, hurrying over to Gibbs' computer.
Ferreira came down the stairs looking as furious as Gibbs felt. "Ferreira, my office," Gibbs barked, leading the other man toward the elevator under Ziva and McGee's curious eyes.
Once they were inside and the doors had closed, Gibbs hit the emergency stop button. "How'd it go?" he asked.
"She vehemently discouraged me from filing my complaint," he said, pursing his lips and looking as if he'd just bit into a lemon. "Once I told her I'd already emailed it to Human Resources, she wasn't happy."
"I'll bet she wasn't, but I told her as much," Gibbs said.
"She tried convincing me to send a redacted version in order not to upset the balance of the Liaison position, but I refused. Then she tried to order me to do it," Ferreira said, disgusted.
Gibbs shook his head in disbelief. She was out of control and would end up getting herself fired. Maybe that would be for the best.
"You know, this whole week I've been here, I couldn't understand how you and Tony put up with the insubordination from Officer David. It just didn't fit with all I know about both of you, but now I think I get it. You've both been sidelined," Ferreira said in disbelief.
Gibbs wasn't about to confirm or deny that theory. He'd been as culpable as the Director up until now. "What did you say when she ordered you to stand down? Did you agree?" he asked.
"Hell, no! I asked her if she was really ordering me to disobey both law and NCIS protocols to protect her Mossad officer? I wasn't about to jeopardize my career like that. I told her I'd already carbon copied Director Vance, and he would make the decision if the SecNav needed to get involved," he said.
"How'd that go over?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She wasn't happy, but she finally seemed to recognize she'd overstepped. She threw me out of her office," Ferreira said, shrugging.
Gibbs smirked. "That makes both of us today."
… He'd sent Ferreira back to the squad room and told him he was heading out. He needed to burn off some of his fury and driving always helped. Without conscious thought, he realized he was heading in the direction of DiNozzo's apartment. He smirked, thinking he deserved a head slap of his own.
While he might be harder on DiNozzo in the squad room while working a case, that was because DiNozzo was his Senior Field Agent, and he expected more from him than the others. What the others didn't realize, however, was that behind the scenes, the two of them often discussed the cases in detail, sharing ideas and insight. Tony was a regular visitor to Gibbs' basement. They'd shared many a meal whilst talking out the facts of completed cases and what they could do better the next time.
Today had been hellacious, and Gibbs needed Tony's unique way of looking at things to make sense of it. DiNozzo also deserved to know what was going on with both Ziva and the Director, and he was sure the younger man wouldn't be happy when he heard what Jenny had been doing.
He pulled into an empty spot, tires screeching and went up to Tony's apartment. It was late for an unexpected visit, but they'd both done it before. He had a key to Tony's place – he had keys to the residences of his whole team – and he figured he could leave quietly if DiNozzo was already asleep. More likely, he'd be watching one of his ridiculous movies.
He was therefore stunned to enter the apartment to find Tony and Jeanne Benoit inches from locking lips. He stood in the hallway as if sucker punched while the two startled people on the couch pulled apart. Gibbs and Tony stared at one another across the room for several moments. Gibbs could feel his mood darkening and a familiar black haze of fury overtaking him.
"You two done playing grab ass?" he snarled.
"I think I should go," Jeanne murmured, disentangling herself from DiNozzo and standing up.
"Ya think?" Gibbs couldn't stop himself from blurting.
Tony frowned, looking at Gibbs with daggers in his eyes. For someone who was usually so sunny side up, he could go toe-to-toe with the best of them when he was pissed off.
Like now.
"I'll walk you out," he said softly, pulling up off the couch with some difficulty owing to his immobilized arm. "I'll be right back," he said to Gibbs in a low, dangerous voice.
"I'll be here," Gibbs snapped. He sat on the luxurious leather couch and stared pointedly at the other two as if they were wasting his time.
Tony followed Jeanne outside the door, half closing it so Gibbs couldn't overhear what they were saying – or see how close their goodbye actually was. What the hell was DiNozzo thinking? He'd told Gibbs he needed help getting over her. How was allowing her into his home possibly going to help that? Gibbs was well aware that DiNozzo never invited women back to his apartment. The fact she was here and the two were so comfortable set his protective instincts rampaging.
Tony returned, slamming the door behind him and stalking over to his boss, no trace of the cowed employee he sometimes played in the office visible.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded. "I won't tolerate your rudeness to guests in my home, no matter what bug has crawled up your ass."
"I could ask you the same question. How long have you two been sneaking around?" Gibbs asked, ignoring the threat.
"Sneaking around? I'm not a teenager, Gibbs, and I'm not married, so I'm not sneaking anywhere. I told you we were talking," DiNozzo said heatedly.
"Looked like more than talking to me," Gibbs said.
"Newsflash – you don't get a vote if we decide to take it any further than talking," Tony replied, shouting.
"Stop thinking with your dick," Gibbs spat, more furious than he had any right to be, but he'd lost conscious thought and restraint a long time ago, and it looked as if DiNozzo was going to bear the brunt of it.
Fury erupted across Tony's face, along with something else behind his eyes, something that Gibbs couldn't quite identify.
"You know, I always thought you were one of the few people who really knew me. Obviously not," Tony said coldly. "Either state the reason for your visit, or you can go."
It was then that Gibbs realized what the emotion he could see lurking was – disappointment. It cut Gibbs to the quick that he'd put that look there, but he was too angry to stop now.
"I came to see if you had any insight on a particularly nasty case, but obviously I'm wasting my time. You clearly have other things on your mind than your job. Thought you were more dedicated," Gibbs said, sneering.
"Why, because I'll do?" Tony asked bitterly
Gibbs grimaced but refused to let it show. "You've obviously got a lot on your mind, so I'll make it quick. Director Shepherd is looking into why she," he said, jerking his thumb at the door from which Jeanne had just departed, "hasn't yet left town. Thought I'd warn you, but I didn't expect to find out that you were the reason."
"So, now you know," Tony said, unrepentant.
"Guess I do," he said, knowing he had to leave before it came to blows. He could see that DiNozzo was close to taking a swing, and he wasn't far behind him.
He turned without another word, storming out the door and slamming it behind him with the same force DiNozzo had used only moments before. It would serve him right if his neighbors complained about the noise.
As he approached his car, he quickly drew his weapon as a silhouette emerged from the shadows. He stowed it as he recognized Jeanne. She scowled at him but earned a modicum of his respect by refusing to look away from his glare. Much bigger men than her had withered under it in the past.
"What?" he spat.
She pressed her lips together as if attempting to control her temper. It pissed him off even further knowing he was beyond that capability right now.
"I'm not here to cause any trouble between you and Tony, and I'm not here to hurt him, which something tells me is really why you're so angry. I just thought there was something you ought to know," she said calmly.
"Yeah, and what's that?"
"I didn't even know you existed when I knew him before, but while I've been getting to know the real Tony, one thing is abundantly clear – and that's how important you are to him. When he was Tony DiNardo, he told me his father had been a Marine."
Author's Note:
I hope you all enjoyed this one – and I know Gibbs was completely out of line… but he did tend to do that. My friend Sue told me to drop something heavy on my foot to get into Gibbs' head space when I was trying to write him, lol. My wonderful new beta, Unilocular told me maybe something a little less heavy.
Please let me know what you think…