Guy Edwards had been in the infamous NCIS interrogation room for about an hour, just waiting, and he had begun to complain.
"What a shrimp!" Ziva exclaimed, staring at him through the two-way mirror.
"Actually, I think you mean whimp." Tim said. "And I agree."
"What is Gibbs waiting for?" Ziva asked.
"He went home to get Tony. Didn't want him to miss this." Tim explained.
Tony had been officially declared to be among the land of the living just hours ago. Edwards had confessed to Gibbs in the car. Gibbs wanted to get the confession on tape. And Edwards was still under the very mistaken impression that Tony was dead.
Gibbs and Tony arrived. Tony came into the observation room with Tim and Ziva. Gibbs went into the interrogation room.
"State your name for our records, please." Gibbs said, sitting in the seat across from Edwards.
"You know my name." Edwards said.
Gibbs remained silent. Tony, Tim and Ziva could all imagine the look Gibbs was giving Edwards. They had each gotten it many times.
Edwards sighed. "My name is Guy Harvey Edwards."
"What is your title?" Gibbs asked.
"Jailbait?" Edwards said sighing and running his fingers through what was left of his hair.
Gibbs let out a breath. "Can't argue there. But what is your official title?"
"You know I never made detective." Edwards stated. "Are you trying to rub it in?"
Gibbs came up off his seat and leaned on the table. He came within inches of Edwards' face. "I just went to a funeral for one of my agents. Do you really want to know how little I care about you right now?" Gibbs paused. "Because I will be very glad to tell you."
Edwards was obviously intimidated and scooted back in his chair. "I know intimidation when I see it."
"Yes, I read your file." Gibbs said, referring to the folder he had carried in with him and laid on the table. "I am aware of a lot of things about you, Former Officer Edwards. Well, it will be former by the time I finish with you."
Edwards didn't respond.
Gibbs sat back down. "You admitted you have been following Tony's career since he left Baltimore. That was how you knew he worked for NCIS. That was how you knew my name and how you got my address. I'm sure using police resources in such a way is a strict violation of police procedure."
"It wasn't bad enough he made detective, then he became a federal agent...." Edwards shook his head.
Gibbs leaned back in his chair. "Man, you've been holding a grudge for...." Gibbs pretended to calculate in his head. He then got up from his chair and flipped a switch on the wall. It didn't light up the observation room, but it turned on a intercom system so that anybody who spoke in the room could be heard.
"Oh, I'd say about..." Tony paused. "...6 years."
Gibbs waited to see if Edwards recognized the voice, he didn't. Gibbs turned the intercom system off and returned to his seat.
"That is a hell of a long time to hold a grudge...6 years." Gibbs said. "And Tony said you had no ambition." Gibbs grinned and shook his head, enjoying his little mind game.
"DiNozzo got all the high-profile cases. He was always getting his name in local paper, always talking to the press. It didn't matter who else was on the scene or which team actually solved the crime. If he was on the scene, the reporters automatically talked to him and his partner."
"The captain played favorites?" Gibbs offered, encouraging Edwards to talk.
Edwards nodded. "Yeah, big time. It was DiNozzo this, DiNozzo that."
Tony couldn't believe his ears. "Yeah, it was 'DiNozzo solve this case'. Edwards dropped the ball. 'DiNozzo help Green out', that was Edwards partner, Andrew Green. Edwards routinely had Green do the leg work and run down the leads." Tony explained to Tim and Ziva. "Then he would swoop in at the last minute and take the credit for all of Green's work."
"That must have pissed Green off." Tim stated.
"It did. Green ask for and got transferred after only 6 months." Tony explained.
"How did that help?" Ziva asked. "They would have only given Edwards another green antler."
"Actually it's green horn..." Tony explained. "...and no they didn't. They moved him to the Cold-Case Division, which he saw as a definite demotion."
"Which he, of course, blamed on you." Tim reasoned.
Tony nodded. "Yep, he was NOT going to make Detective working a bunch of dead-end, cold cases." Tony paused. "Never knew I had such power to affect people's lives.
They all then turned their attention back to the scene in interrogation.
"So DiNozzo just bullied his way in, demanded all this stuff, and got all he asked for?" Gibbs asked.
Edwards nodded. "You worked with him...."
Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, I find him to be a pain-in-the-ass, but not all that demanding." Gibbs was messing with Edwards again, using Tony's actions in the present tense.
Edwards still didn't catch on.
"How did you get into DiNozzo's apartment?" Gibbs asked, steering the interview.
"That was easy, he lived in a dump. I just dressed up as a repairman. Told the super I had gotten a call from DiNozzo, but had forgotten the apartment number. Said he had called about having his locks changed. The super bought it hook, line and sinker, said Tony was bad about giving his keys out to women and then having his apartment trashed. Super said Tony had gotten tired of waiting on him to get around to it and had started hiring outside people. The super was glad for my help..." Edwards grinned. "..said that was one less thing he would have to do. I dismantled both locks and went in. I put the locks back in place before I left. I took my time. Once I got in and saw DiNozzo gone, I knew he would be at work for hours and no one would question my being there."
"If he had been there...?" Gibbs asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Edwards had obviously already thought about that. "I would have told him the super sent me, then I would have shot him." Edwards said simply.
Gibbs anger flared. He balled his hands into a fist. His fingernails were cutting into his palms. "And Sharon..." Gibbs asked after he had calmed down a little.
"Oh yeah, the broad, bitch in Tony's bed. Good body, nice tits. A shame to shoot her, but she was a nice bonus." Edwards explained. "I was willing to settle for life in prison, or the death penalty. If he had lived long enough to be executed," Edwards leaned in towards Gibbs. "...I was going to make sure everybody on 'the joint' knew he was a cop."
Edwards leaned back in his chair, smug.
Gibbs wanted to jump across the table and strangle him, but he resisted.
"But then," Edwards sighed. "...I had been watching your house and I saw him there. I couldn't help it." Edwards smiled. "I couldn't help myself. He's dead. He's dead and I'm glad. He ruined my life and he deserved to die."
Gibbs had to get up. He was furious and he could only imagine how angry Tony was. Gibbs turned to the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair. It was his and Tony's prearranged signal for Tony to enter interrogation.
TBC
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