Tony takes a long look at the street as he exits the car. It’s a quiet family neighborhood, like most base housing, but he still feels uneasy, as though eyes are watching them from all directions. “Keep your eyes open, we know this guy is dangerous.” The others nod and Tony knocks, “NCIS, Mr. Lokey.”
There’s a distant bang of a door being slammed open and within seconds Tony is around the side of the house, weapon drawn, with Ziva hot on his heals. The chase is more arduous than most, requiring the hoping of several fences. Whether it’s because this is the man he suspects shot his lover or a reaction to McGee’s implied insult to physical prowess in his book Tony isn’t certain, but he keeps after the suspect like a man possessed. It’s only once they’ve reached open ground that a final sprint allows Tony to deliver a tackle that would have made any of his old team mates proud.
“So am I supposed to take that as a confession or are you training for the Olympics?”
Lokey has the good sense to do nothing but lie there and pant as Tony cuffs him.
Feeling an intense desire to beat the shit out of him Tony pushes Lokey toward Ziva, “Arrange for a cell and an interrogation room for me, I need a word with McGee.”
Without looking back he heads back to the house the way they came. He finds McGee still on the front porch, cell phone to his ear. Tony waits patiently. “Lee’s working on getting a search authorization. I’ll sit on the house until it comes through Boss.”
He deliberately sets aside his annoyance to comment, “Well done on the anticipation there McGee.” Gibbs’ crack, light hearted though it was, about him slacking off as McGee’s mentor reminded him that McGee still needs a guiding hand, even if he doesn’t understand Tony’s methods. Gibbs has investigative techniques and general life lessons down. It’s Tony’s job to teach him to trust his own skills and strengths. True his combative teasing form of teaching is slightly counter productive but it works. “Call Ziva when it comes through.” McGee nods and Tony sets out after their suspect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ziva is waiting in the hall when Tony arrives. She quickly scans their surroundings before speaking, “Do you really think you should be the one to interrogate him Tony?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” His one is a warning.
“Because he is the prime suspect in a shooting that injured your lover.”
“So? I call that motivation.”
“You wished to hurt him when you took him in to custody.”
“And I therefore put some distance between us.” He almost literally growls, “You may not respect it but I’m in charge here Ziva and as far as I’m concerned there is no question. I am going to interrogate Lokey, and I am going to see that he gets everything he deserves.”
“Do not do something you will regret.”
Tony shows no sign of hearing her as he enters the interrogation room, file in hand. Letting his anger fuel an approach with a little finesse he sits down without saying a word and levels a menacing stare at Lokey.
Less than a full minute later, “I don’t know what you brought me in here for but doesn’t it usually help to ask questions?”
“I already know what you did. You killed a ten year old and stole two million from his father in the process. Then you killed another innocent kid for recognizing you. And to top it all off you took a few pot shots at a federal agent. My partner as it happens. I don’t give a damn what you have to say.” Even as he says it the mental gymnastics of explaining it away rush through his head but he sets all that aside for the time being. ‘Boss’ lessens his authority, it’s a genuine reason if he needs it.
“I never killed anyone and I don’t even have a gun.”
“I just love it when some idiot thinks the innocent act is going to work. Our ballistic tech pulled your gun permit as soon as your name came up. You own a Colt Mustang.”
“No, I bought a Colt Mustang. I sold it four years ago. I have the paperwork at home.”
Tony makes a note, “Even if that’s true the only one that was shot was my partner. You still look good for both the kids.”
“I mean it man, I didn’t kill no one. Not that kid we kidnapped, and not anybody else damn it.”
“You just admitted you were in on the kidnapping. The kid ended up dead. Who else is to blame?”
“I was just the moneyman. I went to pick up the drop, I came back and they’d smothered the kid. I had no reason to wish him harm, he’d never even seen me. I don’t kill kids. I don’t kill anybody.”
“Like I haven’t heard that one before.”
“What do I have to do to prove I didn’t kill this kid?”
“Who did?”
“Jesse Copley. I think. Burke Flynn was the experienced one, I doubt that he’d make that kind of mistake. I mean he‘s the one who brought me into this, said his old moneyman got pinched on a job in Woodbridge.”
“Be that as it may, neither of them had a reason to kill Kevin Simpkins. He never even saw them. But he named you Lokey, and you just couldn’t have that, could you?”
“Little Kevin from down the road? I haven’t seem him in months.”
“He’s seen you.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“There you go lying to me again.”
“I don’t know what you mean, I honestly had no idea anyone had fingered me.”
“Then why did you run?”
“Burke called and old me there was heat headed our way on the Holiday job. I figured you were there to pinch me on the kidnapping.”
Tony thinks about it before posing his next question, “Where were you Sunday night?”
“I was up at my mother’s is Fawn Grove.”
“Where is that exactly?”
“Pennsylvania, just over the boarder from Maryland.”
“So you stayed the night?”
“Yes. I spend three or four nights a month with Mom when Jordan is deployed. You know how women are, they assume we’re helpless to look after ourselves.”
Tony ignores that, “So let’s say I believe you, all this killing just happens around you. That still doesn’t explain why you kidnapped the Holiday boy.”
“It was a job. Jordan kept talking about wanting to be a stay at home mom once this tour was up and I needed to make a lot more money than a nine to five could bring me in order to make that happen for her. Burke has sources. They slip him information. Who’s loaded. Who has kids. Who underpays their household staff. I don’t know exactly. I’m quick and discreet behind the wheel, that’s why he recruited me. I’m the wheelman on the grabs and I pick up the drops. I know my part and that’s it. That’s the way Burke operates. If the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing nobody can rat you out.”
“You seem to have an awful lot of information if that’s the case.”
“Not really. I don’t know who we work for. I don’t know how they handle the demands. I don’t even know the names of the targets. I only know Holiday’s name because it was in all the papers after what went down.”
“That’s too bad Lokey, because if you can’t give us anything concrete on the others you’re looking at a long stay in prison…”
“I can give you the address where the Holiday kid died and I already gave you their names. I’ll do what ever you need me to if it’ll get me out from under this.”
“That’ll be up to the federal prosecutor I imagine,” Tony comments dryly as he leaves the room. Ziva joins him in the hall with an expectant look. “There’s one of those toll transponders in his car. If his story about visiting his mother in Pennsylvania checks out hand him over to Fornell.”
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the house to help Probie so we might get to head back before sunrise. I don’t want my stepdaughter mother henning her father to death.”
“Your stepdaughter?” Ziva practically snorts.
“She keeps calling me her stepfather and seeing as her father doesn’t correct it…”
“Does she believe the three of you are characters in a fairy story?”
“Very funny Zee-va.”
“How so?” Then he light of comprehension dawns on her face, “Oh! I did not mean it like that. I was taken to understand that was an offensive term.”
“Most terms for our sort of relationship are offensive.” He shakes his head, “Get to work on that alibi, if you can prove he’s not our guy on Simpkins we can hand the house over to the FBI too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony manages not to wake either of them as he enters the house at 4:07 but can’t contain a slight whine to find Abby curled up on his side of the bed. Abby doesn’t so much as twitch but Gibbs wakes up. Gibbs’ look is so eloquent Tony whispers “Not him.” Gibbs nods, then takes an appraising look at Abby before carefully shifting toward the center of the bed.
Tony shoots Abby one more uncertain look before stripping down to his boxers and sliding in on Gibbs’ usual side of the bed. Gibbs pulls him close and whispers, “Pretend she had a nightmare.”
Not bothering to express his continued unease Tony offers up a heartfelt kiss before snuggling and murmuring “’Night.”
When Abby bounces back into the room with coffee at 0830 neither man stirs until the smell reaches them. When it does Tony buries his faces deeper into the union of neck and shoulder and grumbles, “If it’s 0600 I will kill you Jethro.”
“I didn’t even set the timer last night Tony. Abbs must have put it on for us.”
Abby laughs at them, she’d never have thought she’d see a day when either of them missed her presence in a room, “I know what big babies all men can be, especially without their caffeine and took pity.”
Gibbs turns to her, “And we appreciate it baby girl.”
“So what happened last night Tony?”
“Not our guy. He was definitely the right guy on the botched kidnapping but he was in Pennsylvania for the entire TOD window on Simpkins and no longer owns the Colt. We left him with the local FBI office before coming home. None of us are going in until nine. I figured we’ll all need fresh eyes considering we’ve been firmly set back at the beginning.”
“It’s eight thirty now Tony.”
“Great. And I’ll bet I look like death warmed over.”
“No, you just look like you had a very long night,” Abby teases.
“Unfortunately I did, just not the fun kind.” He notices that she’s brought the coffee upstairs, “Princess, I love you.”
Abby laughs, “I know you do. Now get moving before Madame evil stepmother starts to put two and two together.”
“Now that I have covered. Bossman still can’t drive so I came over to pick him up and unfortunately I never attended the Mario Andrade school of driving.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You wanted to see me Dr. Mallard?”
“Not in an official capacity. When I called to check up on Jethro last night he mentioned that you stopped by with dinner.”
“I was just checking on an injured friend Ducky.”
“Are you certain you were not hoping to assess the competition?”
“I fully admit I’m curious about her but not as competition. I honestly just want to know what type of woman could tie down Jethro.”
“It isn’t enough to know that he’s happy? That Abigail approves of this match?”
“It’s enough. Just… When did I become public enemy number one Ducky?”
“I believe it was when you forced Abigail to take on an assistant who framed young Anthony.”
“I did a background check. He had a very good false identity. I had no idea he posed a threat.”
“That is far from even approaching the point Jenny. All of them told you Abigail didn’t need help. Then the young man used her to frame one of her best friends for murder. She’s a sensitive soul, having contributed to the accusation against Tony almost destroyed her. And yes you had no way of knowing what would happen ahead of time, but you didn’t even say you were sorry Jenny. How can you expect forgiveness when you’ve never asked for it?”
“They work for me Ducky, I can’t afford to apologize to them. If I so much as appear weak my authority is undermined.”
“And you think that your behavior with Jethro hasn’t already done that? This game of cat and mouse you try to play with him, it just tells both Jethro and his team that irrespective of rank he is in charge.”
“I don’t know any other way to deal with him. There is no action I can take in my role as director short of firing him that he would respond to.”
“You only make It worse when you rise to his baiting.”
“It’s a natural response.”
“In some ways Jethro will always be a young boy testing his limits. And you keep doing exactly the wrong thing when faced with that mentality. He pushes and you push back. You can’t do that Jenny. You have to be the adult and ignore him.”
“Thank you Ducky. I’ll… take that under advisement.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“All I’m saying Abbs is that you do not fix a man’s tie while he’s driving. It’s distracting as hell and I could have killed us all.”
“You denied me caffeine for most of the drive, I needed the adrenaline.”
“We needed to beat rush hour, have you ever seen the bossman stuck on the freeway with only one cup of coffee?”
As they’re in the bull pen Gibbs shoots Abby a quelling look at that. She pouts, “It’s not fair for you to judge Tony. You’re one of those weirdoes who doesn’t have a caffeine addict.”
“Chocolate is more satisfying.”
“Enough,” Gibbs growls. “Report.”
“Base security reconfirms Lokey’s alibi, he left the base at 0900 Sunday and didn’t return until 1400 Monday. The FBI is giving him a deal for turning on Copley and Flynn. And it’s beginning to look like Copley and Flynn may have been the ones behind the drive by at the gym, but neither of them had access to the base to kill or dump Simpkins.”
“Ziva?”
“While speaking to base security I realized we could narrow down Simpkins’ time of death by finding out when he last passed through the security check point. He entered through the main gate at 1643. None of the other activity at the gates struck security as odd. It had to be someone with access, and was likely someone Simpkins knew.”
“Who would have wanted him hurt beside Lokey?” Tony asks with a hint of exasperation. Their murderer or not the guy cost him four hours of sleep and at least one night of really good sex. “Probie, did you get anything on the campus canvass after yesterday went to hell?”
“Kathleen Benson was starting to look like a viable suspect, but I didn’t have time to run the background checks. She made multiple public threats against Simpkins. Told anyone who would listen that he ruined her life.”
“Did any of you finish interviewing Fry or check on his alibi?”
“Got something Boss?” Tony asks interestedly, he wouldn’t have pegged Fry.
“Just my gut. Check on Benson too.”
“Okay Probie, you pull background on Benson. Ziva get back in touch with base security and see if either of them were on base. Boss? You want Fry in interrogation…” The ‘or should I question him’ lingers unspoken.
“Bring him up. Abbs, any progress identifying the murder weapon?”
“Not yet Pop, I’ll get back to it.”
A lighten quick move results in a tug of one of her pony tails, “Wasn’t a reprimand Sweetheart. We all got a little sidetracked.”
“I’m supposed to follow the evidence while you follow the leads.”
“And you did. You followed the evidence on the more immediate situation. The shooting.”
“Thanks Pop,” She almost whispers before hugging him and heading down stairs.
“Staring at me is not getting any of you closer to Simpkins’ killer.”
Tony leaves without a word.
Gibbs rereads the FBI’s transcript of their interview with Fry. It’s brief, only half a page, but it deepens his sense that Fry is hiding something. What that something was remained to be seen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I thought we might finish our conversation somewhere a little safer.”
“You sill think I hurt Kev? They were shooting at me, man.”
Gibbs doesn’t respond to the question. “Tell me about what happened at the Y last month.”
“Kev and I were finishing a game of one on one and this guy in a suit goes into the locker room carrying a briefcase. We headed in to change and the guy shuts a locker and heads right back out without his briefcase. A couple minutes later somebody else comes in, I didn’t see him because I was still in the shower, but later Kev tells me it was Gideon Lokey and he picked up the briefcase and left with it.”
“And Kevin wanted to take this information to the police?”
“He said it was only right.”
“You tried to convince him to keep his mouth shut?”
“Do you know how dangerous testifying against somebody is when they don’t know who you are and were you live? I almost lost an eye in high school because I turned in a guy who was selling meth on the corner down the street from the school.”
“So you were worried about what would happen to Kevin if he went to the police?”
“Exactly. This guy had already kidnapped somebody, there was no telling what he was capable of.”
“Were you worried they’d think you might turn them in too?”
“I wasn’t worried about myself, no. I didn’t see anything.”
“Lokey didn’t know that.”
“He also didn’t know I was ever there.”
“He’d known you and Kevin a long time. He’d know you two were joined at the hip. From what we’ve been told it was pretty much understood that the two of you always played ball at that Y during the winter months.”
“I wouldn’t do it. No way in the hell was I going to talk to the FBI. I told them what I’m telling you, I didn’t see a damn thing. I don’t care what Kev said I didn’t see anything.”
“What makes you think Kevin said otherwise?”
“He told me he was going to tell the FBI I saw something so they’d protect me. Like they could.”
“What did you see Malcolm?”
“Nothing! For fuck’s sake! It was just something Kevin was saying. I saw he first guy and the briefcase, that’s it. The only thing I could tell them they already knew. A guy came in with a case and left without it. I couldn’t even really describe the guy. I wasn’t paying any attention to him.”
“So you killed Kevin so he’d stop trying to convince people you saw something?”
“No way, I couldn’t hurt Kevin. I just made it very clear I would never testify.”
“Seems like they think you might. What with the drive by and all.”
“Exactly, whoever shot at me yesterday must have killed Kev, you know to shut him up.”
“There’s one big problem with that Malcolm. Kevin died on base. The two men that shot up the gym didn’t have access to the base. You on the other hand live there.”
“So do a lot of people.”
“When was the last time you saw Kevin again?”
“Thursday. He was down visiting his mom and stopped to see me.”
“Kevin told the FBI and his girlfriend he was headed to see you the night he died Malcolm. He was on base for at least two hours before he died. Now there’s a lot of ways this could have gone down. He was pushing you to put yourself in harms way. Maybe you struggled. You grabbed the knife to scare him a little. But Kevin was sure you’d never hurt him and kept coming at you…”
“He was trying to get me killed. I really didn’t see anything and he was going to tell them I did just so I’d get shot. What kind of friend does that?”
“What kind of friend kills you and dumps your body?”
“I didn’t dump him. He fell off the dock after I stabbed him. I didn’t want him dead. I swear I didn’t. I just wanted to keep him from getting me killed. He always had to tell the story, no matter who it would hurt.”
“That was no reason to kill him.”
Chapter End Notes:
Sorry this one is so late folks, I was swamped at Work. If everything gets back on track soon we'll be back to wednesday updates in no time.