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Chapter Eleven
Bad Blood
FBI Special Agent Tina Kehoe arrived in her office promptly at eight o'clock AM. She sat behind her desk and secured her weapon in the bottom drawer. Folding a few napkins into precise squares, she created a make-shift coaster for her morning coffee.
It had been a late, eventful night, and she felt a bit worn down this morning. They'd all been pleased when DiNozzo successfully managed to plant a listening device into the back room at last, but that euphoria was tempered when his tense voice alerted them of the need for medical assistance outside the club.
Tina was monitoring the feed, and she immediately called dispatch who promptly sent a patrol car to the area. They'd discovered a beaten and delirious midshipman crouched in a parking lot behind the Vault Tavern. The unfortunate sailor was transported to a local hospital, but as of yet, he hadn't regained consciousness. Agents Fornell and Gibbs were waiting for the opportunity to question him, as well as keeping guard on his room. They didn't know exactly how he was connected, but the fact he was a sailor and had been inside the club was enough to warrant caution.
Before all the chaos ensued, they'd been able to hear a few names and some random details from the card game. Agent McGee was running background checks on Pete Warren and a few of the other names they'd overheard. Agent Sacks and Officer David planned on returning to the club as soon as it was occupied to retrieve the missing handbag. Hopefully, Agent DiNozzo realized it was left behind in order for him to discard the listening device. Otherwise, its presence could blow his cover.
Agent Gibbs assured her without hesitation that DiNozzo would catch on. Planting the bug was risky, but it was a calculated risk, and the upside was strong. It'd already paid off. By the time he was rescued, the midshipman had mild hypothermia; he more than likely would've frozen to death if they hadn't found him so quickly. That was all down to Agent DiNozzo's quick thinking. Tina could only imagine the amount of stress he must've been under.
Sighing, Tina pulled a stack of folders from her desk and proceeded to put them back in proper order. She'd always found that a color-coded system offered quick and easy access to whatever information she was seeking. Unfortunately, with all the extra personnel now inhabiting the Philadelphia office, her usually organized files were in chaos.
The detail work kept her mind busy and didn't allow her to dwell on her concern for Sully and Agent DiNozzo. He'd rescued the sailor, but they were all apprehensive about what would happen at the club when they opened that evening. Would his efforts be discovered, or would they think the sailor had escaped on his own?
Fornell ordered an extra shift of agents located outside the club, just in case there were problems and a fast extraction became necessary. Tina hoped their injured sailor would awake soon and tell them something they could use for a warrant, or at least to bring a few suspects in for questioning. Sully had been missing for over a week, and her stomach was in knots worrying if they'd find him alive, and what kind of shape he'd be in if they did.
Both of the guest Senior Agents working this case acted as if their only concern was solving it, and the agents involved were secondary. Tina knew differently. Agent Gibbs, in particular, was the poster child of a battle-scarred warrior – cold, detached, intense. He kept his concern for his agent well-concealed. His rigid posture and severe hair-cut screamed military, and his frosty, laser-focused stare tended to wilt anyone under its scrutiny. Beneath it all, however, Tina detected a man who cared very much for his people, and he'd move heaven and earth to protect them. She wasn't sure what made him so wary of showing any emotion, but she was certain he had his reasons.
Tina hadn't started her career in law enforcement. The daughter of an Army general, she'd spent her early years moving from base to base, her life forced into rigid conformity. As a young, obstinate, bull-headed young woman, she wanted to break free and run in the opposite direction. She became a psychologist, hoping to help people stuck in the same rut as her own family seemed to be.
Time and maturity softened her rebelliousness, and made her realize some of her own personality traits were far more rigid than she'd once believed. Eventually, after a bit of soul-searching, and the realization she wanted to do more, she joined the FBI. Her psychological profiling abilities made her an asset, and she'd even been offered a job in the FBI's prestigious Behavioral Analysis Unit.
She'd turned it down, however. The BAU flew all over the country, solving some of the most heinous crimes. Tina had a family, and she liked being stationed in one area with the ability to attend school functions and parent/teacher conferences on occasion. Although she did work a lot of overtime when she had a hot case, she fortunately had a husband with more regular hours, so they could make it work.
After she'd been promoted to Senior Agent in the Philadelphia office, she'd tried to make it a point not to do psychological workups of her co-workers. It caused a few problems earlier in her career, so she usually tried to keep the profiling strictly to the criminals.
NCIS and the guest agents currently sharing her space, however, were fair game – and SSA Gibbs, in particular, fascinated her. She could write a thesis on him alone.
Although Gibbs was younger, she recognized some of her father's characteristics in him. He oozed a rigid Military demeanor – used to taking charge, used to giving orders, used to being obeyed.
His team literally jumped when he demanded answers. In giving orders, he used as few words as possible, preferring a grunt or a nod instead of actually speaking. His team anticipated what he wanted, and all of them seemed very competitive with one another to be the first to satisfy his demands. There was a nuance of a threat about him, and Tina noticed that it affected everyone in his vicinity – herself included.
She also detected a sadness and loneliness hidden deep beneath the gruff exterior. A man of few words, he seemed to choose them very carefully, giving nothing of his inner demons away. Her father also strived to never reveal his emotions.
Still, there were differences from her dad that didn't jive with any of the military men she'd come across throughout her life. Gibbs didn't respect authority. He seemed to operate under his own set of rules, acting as judge, jury and executioner while expecting everyone else to fall in line. She'd first thought it was simply a mistrust of the FBI – most government agencies thought all the others inferior, but she'd overheard a conservation with his own director that bordered on insubordinate.
Tony and Abby both made a few vague comments about Officer David's insubordination. With Gibbs as her lead, Tina could see why she thought she could get away with it. Officer David was another one who intrigued Tina. Besides the questionable role as liaison officer, Ziva didn't appear to feel the rules applied to her if she didn't agree with them. She'd go off and do her own thing after specifically being asked to do something else, particularly if it was Fornell or Tina doing the asking.
Her attitude toward Agent DiNozzo was particularly hostile. Tina knew that Ziva wanted to be the one undercover, but the seething jealousy that she didn't hide very well seemed over-the-top for an assignment that specifically required impersonation of a living male.
Here in the office, Ziva only wanted to partner with Gibbs when the tasks were assigned and became belligerent when she was directed elsewhere. Tina also noticed she didn't do a thorough job unless Gibbs was in the room to see it.
Tina wasn't sure if this was a result of the competitive team environment that Gibbs created, or if Gibbs was the only one Ziva respected. There certainly was an undercurrent of something between them. She'd seen Gibbs whack DiNozzo and McGee on the back of their heads – something that had more than shocked her when it first happened – but he was atypically tolerant of Ziva. He allowed her to get away with things she suspected he wouldn't allow from any of the others.
She was so perplexed that she'd actually looked into the specific definition of a government liaison officer. Ziva completely overstepped the restrictions of that diplomatic role and instead acted as a full-fledged agent. Not only as a US agent, but gave no heed to the fact she was the most junior member of her team.
And Gibbs allowed it.
Tina didn't have the time to really dig into the situation, and she knew it was beyond the scope of her own authority, but the brief hint of disquiet spoken between Tony and Abby was like a persistent drip of water, splattering relentlessly in the back of her mind.
There was more going on here than met the eye.
The final member of the NCIS group seemed to get lost amongst all the type-A personalities of the rest of his team. Agent Timothy McGee had a brilliant mind, and she'd already seen how he aided the investigation. He saved a lot of time with the computer skills that seemed to come so naturally to him. In some ways, he reminded her of Agent Sacks. Both were bright, essentially good guys, but rather inflexible and unable to adapt from their first impressions.
The difference was that Agent Sacks had the same type-A personality as the rest of the MCRT. Tim came across as indecisive and hesitant, but Tina suspected it was simply that his mind took longer to process all the data he was being given. Still, he could be too pliable and wouldn't stand his ground when confronted – particularly if it was Officer David doing the confronting.
The liaison seemed to know exactly how to play two of the other members of her team. Tina wasn't sure how the dynamic with Agent DiNozzo worked simply because she hadn't been able to observe any of their interaction while he was undercover. She suspected, however, that Tony hadn't fallen in line the way Ziva expected, and that's where her frustration derived.
Tina had just put the final misplaced paper into its correct folder when Agent Gibbs came striding into her office as if he owned it. He put his coffee cup down on the surface of her desk.
"Is our rescued sailor awake?" she asked, pressing her lips together.
Gibbs shook his head. "I grabbed some shuteye. I'm going to relieve Fornell to do the same. Any progress?"
She'd noticed that Gibbs tended to use more words when speaking to Fornell, and he'd begun showing her the same courtesy – to an extent. She wasn't sure if it was because he'd decided she was trustworthy, or if he simply trusted Fornell's judgement. It led more credence to Agent DiNozzo's assertion that they were friendlier than they let on.
"Nothing that would give us enough to get a warrant," she said, unable to stop her eyes from straying to his coffee cup.
Unable to stop herself, she took one of the folded napkins from beneath her own cup and placed it underneath Gibbs,' wiping away the ring it had left on her desk. She was irritated by the trace of a smirk that crossed his face.
"Boss! I think I have something," Tim McGee said, rushing into Tina's office.
Gibbs simply looked at him. McGee was bouncing on his toes with an air of barely suppressed excitement.
"Do you want me to guess?" Gibbs barked.
McGee shook his head. "Yes – I mean no. No, Boss," Tim said, spluttering. "Peter Warren – the guy at the card game that Dave Barrows was speaking with – he lives right here in Philadelphia. His son was dishonorably discharged from the Navy for drug use about three years ago."
"Just like Barrows," Tina said.
"Except the son did time. Pete is an engineer by trade, although not at NSWC," Tim said.
"But he'd know how to sabotage a ship if he had the plans of their weapon systems," Gibbs said, troubled.
"So, you think this Pete Warren is actually the ring leader? How does Barrows fit in?" Tina asked.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Gibbs said.
"What are you going to do?" Tim asked.
"I'm going to talk to that sailor," Gibbs said.
"Did the doctors think he'd be awake by today?" Tina asked.
"Doctors never commit to anything," Gibbs replied.
"So, how are you going to talk to him?" she asked, confused.
"Let me know as soon as Ziva retrieves that bug. Even if we do get enough for a warrant, I don't want anyone going in until our people are clear," Gibbs said, ignoring the question.
"What about DiNozzo? Should I meet up with him at the diner and warn him?" she asked.
Gibbs shook his head. "Too risky after the sailor's escape," Gibbs said, his icy eyes revealing concern.
"And we don't know if he's being watched," Tim added.
Gibbs nodded curtly and left the room.
"Good work, Agent McGee," Tina said. "Did you get a hit on any of the other names at the poker game?"
Tim shook his head. "One of them also works at NSWC, but he didn't lose anything. Barrows did say that Vito Santino paid off more of his debt. He won big for the club last night."
"So, Sully and DiNozzo were onto something thinking he was paying off his gambling debt working for Barrows," Tina mused.
"Looks that way. Tony is pretty good at pulling random clues out of the air and then having them somehow pan out," Tim said. "I've never figured out how he does it."
Tina grinned sadly. "Sully is like that, too."
Tim put a tentative hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him, Agent Kehoe," he said awkwardly, quickly pulling his hand away when she looked at it.
Tina nodded, "I hope so, Tim."
"Was that just Gibbs I saw in the parking lot? Where is he going?" Ziva demanded, entering Tina's office with Agent Sacks following closely in her wake.
Surprise filtered across his face, and he looked rather embarrassed by Ziva's rude entry.
"Yeah. He just went to the hospital to see if our victim is awake," Tim said. "He wants you to check in as soon as you've retrieved your handbag."
"Why did he not wait until I arrived and tell me this himself?" she asked, frowning.
Tim opened his mouth to respond, but Tina beat him to it. "Perhaps because it was a simple enough order to pass along," she said.
Ziva's eyes narrowed. "Gibbs usually tells us what he wants us to do directly," she said. "There is no chance of misinterpretation this way."
"Did we learn anything from the taped conservation at the poker table?" Ron Sacks asked, ignoring Ziva's discontent.
"Why don't you fill them both in, Agent McGee, then they can head over to the club. There should be someone in after noontime if they follow their pattern," Tina said.
"Will do," Tim replied, jerking his head for the others to follow.
"I do not see why we should waste our time watching an empty building. I am sure there is something more important to be done before the club opens," Ziva said.
"Since you're waiting to retrieve your handbag, and they would've seen you both together at the club last night, you have a legitimate reason to be in the parking lot. I'm sure there will be added activity there once they notice their missing sailor – so you might learn something," Tina said.
Ziva frowned. "I still do not see why–"
"That's an order, Officer David," Tina said sharply.
"I do not work for you; therefore, I do not follow your orders," Ziva said.
McGee's eyes traveled warily between the two women. "Ah, Ziva," he said hesitantly, "that's exactly what Gibbs said he wanted you to do, That way, if we're able to get a warrant, we'll be able to act as soon as you retrieve the bug."
"Ziva, I'm not thrilled with this joint investigation, either, but Agent Kehoe is the superior officer amongst us," Ron said, clearly fed up with Ziva's attitude.
Ziva frowned. "While she may be your superior officer, she is not mine. I was trained by the Mossad, and I work for both them and Gibbs only," she replied.
"On this case, you're also working with the FBI. I don't know what they allow over at NCIS, or at Mossad, but make no mistake, I will write you up for insubordination if you keep this up," Tina said.
Ziva clenched her jaw, clearly still unhappy to take orders from anyone other than Gibbs. Apparently she decided to acquiesce, although Tina didn't know if it was because of her threat, or only because Gibbs wanted the same thing. Ziva nodded curtly and went to retrieve her coat.
"Tim, fill Ron in on Pete Warren," Tina said tightly, barely keeping her anger in check.
She had more important concerns at the moment, but when this case was over, she fully intended to write up Officer David. She didn't know why Ziva hadn't been reined in before now, but Tina had always been up for a challenge.
/* /* /* /*
Ziva sat in the parking lot of the Vault Tavern freezing her ass off yet seething at the same time. It was pointless to be stuck here wasting her time when she could be put to much better use. She thought she had succeeded in winning Agent Sacks over to her side, but he had been surly with her all morning.
Perhaps he did not like the cold, either.
It had only been about six months since Ziva left her home in Israel and moved to Washington, DC. At first, it was a pleasant change, and the autumn colors were lovely. She'd enjoyed the freedom without having so many eyes observing her every move. When winter arrived, however, Ziva knew she was not made to live in a cold climate. She had, of course, seen snow and been in cold weather before. After all, she accomplished many missions in various locations around the world.
This was the longest she had ever spent in one place that was not her home in Tel Aviv, however. She preferred the dry, desert heat to this freezing, wet miserableness. It became dark much too early, and the darkness quickly became depressing.
Ziva did not like DC in winter, and she liked Philadelphia even less. Of course, that dislike had a lot to do with the case they were currently working and the people it involved. She did not understand why Gibbs conceded to a joint investigation. They would have it wrapped up by now if they were not repeatedly slowed down by the FBI's incessant rules and regulations.
If they simply put the club owner in a room with her and Gibbs, they would have all the evidence they needed. Then, they would not be forced to sit around on their thumbs while that fool DiNozzo pranced around with the many vapid airheads who frequented the bar. He was in his glory, and how she longed to knock him down a few pegs, wiping that smug, self-satisfied grin off his face.
It was infuriating that she – she – a member of the Mossad was forced to play second fiddle to such a clown. He was useless. Then, to make matters worse, the brazen FBI interloper had the nerve to think she could order Ziva around. That was not going to happen. Agent Kehoe reminded her too much of a few of her former mentors who tried to tell her what to do, insinuating that she was only where she was because of who she was rather than on her own merit. She always enjoyed when her father put those jealous, incompetent fools in their place. She wished he was here now to knock Agent Kehoe out of her delusions. Ziva had more training in her pinky finger than that woman would learn in a lifetime.
She was frustrated and irritated, not to mention that the longer she was stuck here in this hellhole, the further away she was from MTAC and the information her father desired. She had hoped to be able to snoop around the FBI office while she was ensconced here, but she was not granted as much access as she was at NCIS. Besides, there were always agents manning the office – even in the dead of night. Her father entrusted her to get him inside intel, and she would not let him down. She needed to prove those former mentors delusional. Her father would see that she was the superior operative in every way.
Ziva's frayed patience was at its limit, and she wished she were on this stake-out with McGee rather than Sacks. McGee was easier to manipulate, and she could at least work off some of her frustrations by bullying the timid man. Mossad would not have bothered with someone so easily controlled.
"There's something going on," Sacks muttered, squinting at the building in front of them.
"What?" Ziva asked sharply, annoyed she had been caught not paying attention.
"There's a lot of activity. Didn't you notice all the extra cars pulling in? I think they're searching for their missing captive," Sacks said.
"It took them long enough. He has been gone since last night," Ziva replied.
"They might've planned to leave him hidden overnight and move him today. If that's the case, they could've just discovered he's missing."
"That bodes well for Tony," Ziva said, pressing her lips together.
Of course, DiNozzo managed to just slither out of yet another sticky hole. It was impossible to get rid of him for long, or prove his ineptitude. She had never met someone so infuriatingly lucky.
"Whatever's happening, there are people inside the club now. Go and retrieve your purse and see if you can hear anything," Sacks said, squinting at the various people searching the lot.
"I do not carry a purse. They are an unnecessary hindrance. This is only a prop to deliver and retrieve our listening device," Ziva said.
"Whatever it is, go get it," Sacks snapped.
"Do not tell me what to do. I am perfectly capable of seeing what must be done. I am the one who spent years training as a spy for Mossad," Ziva said.
"Yeah, so you've said. Go and do some spying then," Sacks said.
Ziva huffed and got out of the car. She was not sure what problem everyone seemed to have today, but they were getting in her way, and it was time to initiate her own plan to move things along.
She climbed the few steps outside the bar and pulled on the heavy door. It had been locked when she tried earlier, but this time it opened.
"What do you want? Club doesn't open until later tonight," one of the bouncers said. He was bald, and his voice had a raspy quality, as if his vocal cords had once been injured.
"I am aware, but I was here last night with my boyfriend, and I had a little too much to drink. I left my purse behind. My boyfriend was supposed to grab it, but he did not, and now I am in despair. I was hoping that attractive bartender would remember me and put it aside. Please tell me that he found it," Ziva said, putting just the right amount of tearful damsel-in-distress into her voice.
She found most men could not resist the impulse to come to a distraught woman's aid. Even Gibbs had this flaw, but it worked to her advantage.
The fools.
This man was no different. Although he looked irritated, he sighed in resignation. "Wait a minute. I'll check," he said, moving toward the stockroom behind the bar.
She could hear angry voices coming from inside and wanted to get a closer look. She crossed the bar and followed the bouncer inside.
"I do not want to put you out. If you just show me where you keep lost items, I can look. I will recognize it instantly," she said before the man could tell her to leave.
She could see activity behind some shelves, and there was daylight and chilly air coming from the back entrance, indicating it was open. The voices moved outside, too far to clearly hear their conversation.
"Here," the bouncer said, shoving the handbag at her. "Found it last night. Now, we're kind of busy here, so you're going to have to leave."
"Oh, thank you so much. My entire life is in this bag," Ziva said, throwing her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek while peering over his shoulder.
Matt Evans was one of the men out back, and he looked furious.
The bouncer chuckled, and Ziva was surprised to see a faint reddish stain appear on his cheeks. Was he actually blushing?
"It's nothing, miss, but you do need to go," he said, guiding her back toward the door.
"Ooh," she said, suddenly moving the bag away and scrunching her face. "It smells like a pig. Perhaps that bartender is not as attractive as he appears."
From her lowered lashes, she could see the man's entire body tense. "You need to go," he said tightly.
"All right. I will probably return tonight. Maybe I will see you here, yes?" she asked.
"Maybe," he said, not really paying attention.
Ziva smiled, satisfied as she trounced out the door. Men were too easy.
She was well aware that pig was a derogatory name for a cop. She would like to see if DiNozzo's expert undercover skills could salvage his assignment this time.