Chapter Ten
“Well that went well,” Tony muttered, watching the other men leave. “You take a class in how to piss people off, Gibbs, or is it just a natural talent?”
Gibbs arched a brow, taking in DiNozzo’s concern for the situation. He didn’t need to piss the other man off and pull him further off his game. “Letting ‘em know their bull isn’t tolerated by me. They screwed up.” He gave DiNozzo a small smirk. “And you didn’t complain about my people skills earlier.”
Tony gave Gibbs a wary smile and shook his head, eyes glinting with amusement.
“Okay, DiNozzo. It’ll take my men a while to get here, so let’s get what we can done. You interview hospital personnel. If they’re off hours, get names, phone numbers, tell ‘em they have to come back here for interviews.” He leaned in close. “Intimidate them if you have to. Pull all security tapes, especially of this area, front doors, and freight elevators. You and me, we’ll find the answers. We’re not leaving this area until backup is here. Ya understand me?”
Tony nodded, pulling out a notebook. “On it, Bo"err, Gibbs.”
Gibbs winked before turning serious and putting his game face back on. “Good. And don’t worry about those assholes. Once I light into your chief, they’ll be pissed with me, not you. They’ll have your six.”
But Gibbs wasn’t convinced. A clear line in the sand had been drawn and he figured DiNozzo’s days as one of the boys were numbered. Gibbs tried to scare up some regret, but he couldn’t muster it. DiNozzo was way too damned talented for this bunch. While he was sure there were a lot of competent men in the Baltimore PD, the detectives DiNozzo worked with weren’t, and until the other man got in with some of his equals, his talent and instincts would go stale.
Gibbs sipped his coffee, watching DiNozzo hurry purposefully toward the nurses’ station, and nodding to himself. There was a hell of a lot of potential there. It just had to be brought out. He took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders before walking in the room.
Rape cases were always tough, but this one was particularly brutal. Twenty-three year old Melanie Jarvis had been attacked, sliced repeatedly with a knife, stabbed four times in the abdomen, beaten, and left to bleed out on a street close to the Baltimore Harbor. She’d had dinner with some friends at one of the trendy restaurants on the harbor and had attended a concert at the Pier Six Pavilion. Sometime after the concert, she’d been attacked less than a block from where her car was parked.
Security cameras hadn’t offered any footage and the parents and friends didn’t know of anyone with a grudge against the woman, according to the interviews DiNozzo had conducted. She’d been unconscious since the attack and Gibbs didn’t think that’d change, but at least he could and talk to her, reassure her as best he could. He’d been in a coma once and had clearly remembered the people who had tried to get him to awaken. For all intents and purposes, Melanie wasn’t in such a deeply unconscious state, but this attack could have pushed her over the edge. Between the internal injuries from both the rape and the stab wounds and the trauma from the beating, she had a lot of healing to do.
Gibbs pushed the door open, the room quiet except for the medical equipment, the medicinal smell making his nose twitch. “Hi, Petty Officer Jarvis,” Gibbs said to the quiet form in the bed. She was a slight woman, her pale skin and dark hair reminding him of Abbs, and she looked almost childlike in the bed.
“I’m Gibbs, NCIS. I’m working with the Baltimore PD to find the dirtbag who did this to ya. I’m on your six, Melanie. You rest and heal. You’re not alone. Nobody gets to ya but through me and that isn’t happening.”
His hand ran over hers, fingertip stroking her pale skin before he grabbed her chart. The PD had sent over someone to take fingerprints and they hadn’t cleaned up yet. Another half assed job. He supposed he should have been happy that they’d sent crime scene investigators over already, but wondered why he and DiNozzo hadn’t been called immediately. Something smelled very wrong here and Gibbs’ gut was churning. That was never a good sign.
He went to the bathroom and moistened a towel, wiping off the fingerprint dust residue. That done, he settled in to read Melanie’s chart, though half his attention was on the door, alert for intruders…and his new right-hand man.
~*~
It took Tony some time to get security tapes organized, to question the nurse and security staff on duty, and to take three calls from his chief, each one more tense. Tony hadn’t made an ally when he’d snapped that he needed to be left the hell alone to do his job. So much about the PD was a damn pissing contest and it was wearing him down.
A couple of hours later, Tony made his way back to Jarvis’ room, noticing a cluster of people standing outside. Two men who looked cop-like were there along with two other people, a short older man and a tall woman with pale skin, dark hair, and tattoos. Gibbs was leaning protectively against Jarvis’ door, speaking with the entire group, and Tony was pleased to see his face light up as Tony approached.
“Sitrep, DiNozzo?” he asked.
“Security tapes will be delivered to the room along with a portable TV/VCR combo in the next fifteen minutes. I’ve interviewed everyone and we can go over my notes whenever you want. Crime scene came and got two fibers off her cheek that preliminarily don’t appear to be a match for the bedding or hospital gown, but they’re going to run tests, and the prints are in line to be run. Any change in her condition?”
“None.” Gibbs looked grimly determined suddenly.
“Mmmm, so you’re the Baltimore cop. You didn’t tell me he was cute, Gibbs. I was expecting a donut munching chubby guy, not…this.” The woman’s voice was low and sultry, her gaze running from head to toe and back again.
“Cute, Abbs?” Gibbs retorted with a smirk.
“Um…hi,” Tony said lamely, knowing he was the odd man out, feeling like this meeting meant a lot more than it appeared to on the surface.
“Hi. I’m Abby,” she said, with a wink. “Forensics. NCIS. I’m going to take all your secretions and prints and all that fun stuff back to DC. Into my dungeon.”
“Okkkay,” Tony said, attempting to gain some balance, wondering if she was trying to rile him up.
“Called Abby in to run forensics,” Gibbs put in. “She’s the best and our lab is much faster than yours. She’ll head back to DC with everything your boys have.”
Abby shook his hand firmly, swaying a little in her platform boots.
“And this is Doctor Mallard, our Medical Examiner.”
“Why a ME?” Tony asked, extending his hand to the older man.
“Just want him to look at the charts, DiNozzo. See if he has any insight for us.”
Tony shrugged and nodded. He supposed that made sense. Gibbs obviously trusted these folks. “Good to meet you, Doctor Mallard.”
“Ducky please, dear boy. No need to be formal.”
Ducky? Tony quirked an eyebrow and nodded and the man with the kindly voice. “Ducky, then.” He turned his attention to the two men standing in alert positions. These must be the other agents.
“Chris Pacci and Mike Balboa. They’re my morning shift agents. I have two others coming this afternoon.”
Both men said friendly hellos and shook Tony’s hand.
“And this is Tony DiNozzo, my new right hand man.”
Tony couldn’t help smiling at that, knowing on some level that was a huge compliment. Abby’s mouth fell open slightly and Ducky nodded. Tony had the feeling he’d passed muster in a huge way.
“Let’s get to work then,” Gibbs said briskly. “You and me in a conference room, DiNozzo. Chris, Mike, you guys call if you need anything. Duck, come find us when you’re done with the charts. Abbs, play nice with the Baltimore CSIs.”
Abby muttered something about Caf-Pow, which Tony hadn’t drunk since college. Balboa and Pacci took up positions on either side of the patient’s door. The doctor"Ducky"leaned in, squeezing Tony’s arm.
“It is lovely to meet you, dear boy. He’s been waiting for you for quite some time now.”
What the hell did that mean?
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