Chapter 2

Ellie felt tired as she got out of her car. She hoped that today wouldn't be a long one. She had definitely not slept well after her nighttime visitor. As she crossed the street and walked toward the building, she glanced over and saw a raven sitting on the cannon. She stopped at stared at it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

The raven started cawing and then suddenly, it made a sound that was uncommonly like a ringtone. It made that sound three times and then flew away, cawing.

She stood there, staring after it for a long time, long after it was visible.

"What are you looking at, Ellie?" Tim asked.

Ellie jumped. "Oh...uh..." She looked in the direction the raven had flown and decided not to bring it up. "Nothing, really. I didn't sleep very well last night. A little off my game."

Tim smiled. "I didn't really, either. I had some dreams that were bothering me, but I can't really remember what they were now. We'll just have to make Tony do all the work."

"Ha. Like that'll happen. You've worked with him for over a decade and he still calls you the probie."

"I know. Well, the day won't get over any faster out here."

"Yeah, and I don't want Gibbs glaring at me because I was late."

Tim laughed and they walked in together. When they got off the elevator, Tony was already there, but it was obvious he hadn't been there for long.

They both sat down and started working, but they weren't at it for long before Gibbs came striding in.

"Bishop, someone's come in to make a statement about the case. You're going to be with Tony."

Ellie nodded, a little surprised by that. She wasn't brand new anymore, but Gibbs often did those initial interviews.

"Who is it?" Tony asked.

"Another neighbor. Gone yesterday but heard about it and says she has something to tell us."

The elevator dinged open and a middle-aged woman stepped out. Ellie watched as Tony moved instantly into professional mode. She was impressed how he could do that, but he managed it pretty much every time.

"Hello, ma'am. You are?" he asked.

"Delia L'Orange," she said.

"I'm Agent DiNozzo and this is Agent Bishop. If you'll come with us to a conference room, we'll get your statement."

"Of course. I hope this is helpful."

Tony nodded and Ellie knew he was avoiding being definitive about it. They knew nothing about her, although Ellie noticed Tim working at his computer, typing very quickly and she guessed that he was going to be looking up who this person was.

They went into the conference room and Tony gestured for Delia to sit down at the table. He sat down across from her and Ellie sat beside him, ready to take detailed notes on whatever she had to say.

"Now, I know that this will sound kooky. You can make of it what you will," she said. "Even strange things can have some truth to them."

Tony smiled. "I understand. We'll take whatever you can tell us, Ms. L'Orange."

"Well, the house has been empty for so long. It's really rundown. The state only took possession of it a few months ago. People in the neighborhood have said they heard strange voices there."

"Voices?" Ellie repeated.

"Yes. I never have, but some of the other ladies say they did."

"Did they ever report on what the voices were saying?" Tony asked.

"No. Now, I don't want you getting the wrong idea. I don't believe the place is haunted, but that's the reputation it's had. Kids used to dare each other to go inside, but after a while, the parents put a stop to that. It's so old that they'd probably get hurt. It's really just an old house, and those kinds of places get a bad reputation. Lights in the house during the night, voices. Strange sounds. I think they could all be explained by someone squatting in the house or something like that, but if that officer was in there and he wasn't alone, maybe it was drugs or something."

"Have you ever seen or heard anything strange?" Tony asked.

"Well, once, I could have sworn I heard a cellphone when I was walking by, but distorted. Just not quite right. I even looked for it, but I never found it so I don't know if I really heard one or if it was a bird or something with a different kind of call." She shrugged.

Ellie wanted to probe on that, but she didn't. She waited. Tony was the lead.

"Did you ever see the officer yourself?"

"No. Ida mentioned that he'd been in the neighborhood a few times, but she didn't specify that he was at the house every time, although once he was on the sidewalk in front of it. He was talking to Lincoln about something. Maybe he was going to try to buy the house. If it goes up for auction, you can sometimes get really good deals... if you're willing to put in the work. I wouldn't be myself."

Tony smiled at that. "I don't know that I would be, either. You said Lincoln?"

"Yes, Lincoln Crandall. He's probably the only person in the neighborhood who knew the original owners. I don't know who they were."

"Do you know why the house was abandoned?"

"Lincoln said that they were elderly and had no children. So there was no one to leave it to. I don't know if they didn't have any other relatives or if they just didn't want to let anyone else make a profit from it. But apparently it was a nice old house in its day. Not a mansion by any means. Just nice. Too bad to see it so run down that people think it's haunted."

Tony and Ellie looked at each other for a moment. What she was saying wasn't kooky at all. It was telling the history of the house and what people thought of it. Tony nodded to Ellie and she got that she was supposed to ask the question.

"Ms. L'Orange, you said you had something kooky to tell us," Ellie said, "but this all seems very straightforward. Was there something else?"

Now, Delia looked a little uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Tony asked.

"Well, this is what my daughter said, and if you do need to speak with her directly about it, that's fine. I talked to my husband about what to do, if we should do anything because it seems so strange. He's the one who said that we should actually say something."

"Say what?" Tony asked, patiently.

"Maggie is my youngest. She's in high school and she missed her curfew last night. We didn't let her give us any excuses last night. We just sent her to bed. This morning, though, she claims that she saw the officer in the house... yelling at a mirror."

Tony and Ellie looked at each other again and then Tony's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"That's what she said. She said that she'd seen the picture of the officer when you were in the neighborhood yesterday and that he was in the house on the second floor, yelling at a mirror. The lights were on in the house she said and she could see him very clearly. She couldn't hear anything, but she could see him. She told us this morning and we weren't sure we believed her at first, but she insisted. After she went to school, my husband and I talked about whether or not we'd be wasting your time if we reported it, but in the end, we agreed that this could be something, even if it sounds strange."

"And this was last night?" Ellie asked.

"Yes. After you were there looking for him."

"Thank you, Ms. L'Orange. You've given us some very useful information. We will want to speak with your daughter directly after school. If you could contact us when she gets home."

"Of course."

"Agent Bishop, please escort Ms. L'Orange back down to the exit."

Ellie nodded and stood up.

"This way, ma'am," she said.

As they rode down in the elevator together, Delia looked at her.

"I promise that while she's not always the most honest person, Maggie doesn't lie about important things."

"I believe you. It's just a matter of figuring out what it means," Ellie said. "By the way, when you said you thought you heard a distorted ring tone..."

"Yes?"

"Has anyone else said anything about that?"

"No. That's just me, so far as I know. And even at that, it could have been a weird bird call or something, but it definitely sounded like a ringtone."

The elevator doors opened and Ellie walked with Delia to security and then said good-bye and went back to the bullpen where Tony was filling Tim and Gibbs in on everything.

"Don't get comfortable, Bishop," Tony said. "You and Tim are going back to the house to see what you can find there. Don't split up, just in case. We'll speak with the daughter after school and see if she has any details that she didn't tell her parents."

Tim was already grabbing his bag. Ellie did the same and got back on the elevator.

They rode down and got into a car to drive back to the house. At first, it was silent in the car. Tim seemed preoccupied and Ellie was as well, thinking about the strange events surrounding this apparent disappearance... and reappearance? But as they got closer, Ellie decided to say something.

"What do you think we'll find there?" she asked.

"I don't know," Tim said. "It seems bizarre that this guy disappeared and then is back in the house again overnight but no one has seen him since. Why would that be?"

"I don't know, either," Ellie said and then fell silent again. She didn't work one-on-one with Tim as often as Tony. Tony seemed to be her unofficial mentor while Tim just worked. He had done some computer stuff with her that Tony couldn't do, but that was it. Plus, Tony was much more gregarious than Tim was. He just always seemed to have something to say. Tim didn't. Ellie wasn't always the best conversationalist herself and so she felt more awkward as if she should be talking more but didn't know what to say.

"I hope it's not a body," Tim said, almost to himself.

Ellie glanced sideways at Tim. She wished she dared mention the strange raven appearances, but even if Tim was probably less likely to tease her than Tony would be, he was also the more logical one.

They arrived at the house and it looked exactly the same as it had the previous day. They got out of the car and approached the front door. Tim reached out to open the door, but then paused and put his hand on his gun. He saw Ellie looking at him and he smiled a little.

"Just in case. This is just weird enough."

Ellie nodded in agreement and followed his lead. Tim opened the door and stepped inside quickly.

"NCIS! Lieutenant Mason, are you in here?" he called out.

They both stood silently and heard nothing in the house. Tim took a breath and then looked at her and drew his weapon. They walked through the house together, clearing the rooms one by one. They ended in the room where the investigation had started the previous night.

...and something was different.

"The mirror," Ellie said, pointing.

The ornate mirror on the wall was shattered and the floor was littered with broken glass.

"What happened to it?" she asked.

Tim was quiet for a few seconds and then started looking around the room.

"Unless someone knocked it off the wall and then put it up on the wall again after it was broken, it was shattered in place. That means it's deliberate. There's no reason for it to shatter without help."

He stopped and pointed at the closet. The door was closed. He raised his eyebrows silently and then walked over to the closet and gestured. Ellie pulled her weapon, just in case. Tim silently counted down and then pulled the door open.

...and then fell backward with a shout when a huge raven flew out of the closet, cawing loudly. Ellie almost fired, but realized what it was at the last second and then watched warily as the raven flew around the room, lest it cause more chaos as it had the day before. The raven seemed to ignore them both, dove at the broken mirror and began pecking at it with its beak.

And then, to her shock, the raven seemed to look at both of them.

"Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" it said and then made a sound like a ringtone three times.

Tim and Ellie looked at each other and then at the raven.

"Leave me alone! Leave me alone!"

Tim swore which surprised Ellie and she looked at him, but he was staring at the raven.

"How did you get back here?" he whispered.

"What do you mean?" Ellie asked.

"It has to be the same one," Tim said.

"You saw it, too?" she asked.

Tim looked at her in surprise.

"What do you mean, too?"

"It woke me up last night."

"I saw it last night and this morning," he said.

"I saw it at work," Ellie said.

"That's not possible," Tim said.

They looked at each other and then back at the raven.

"Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" it cried and then cawed.

"What is going on?" Ellie asked, almost in a whisper.