Chapter 8
Tobias Fornell poured over Tony’s notes that he’d confiscated from the Baltimore PD. There was good information here"ideas on leads, connections he’d made, things he’d observed. He’d made note of the tip they’d received about the supplier relocating to DC. That was when Fornell noticed the date.
The supplier had moved to DC the same date that Jethro and Diane had gotten married. Interesting.
He thought back over the nights and afternoons he’d spent with Diane Gibbs…“Shelley”…she was one hell of a lay; that was for sure. He thought back over what he’d told her"hadn’t wanted to give away too much about the case"after all it did involve her step son and her husband"but he figured they were keeping her up on the details anyway.
Then again…she’d been acting strangely these past couple of weeks…and she’d had a sort of…self-satisfied smile on her face when he’d been telling her about it yesterday afternoon…
Fornell dug back through Tony’s notes. He’d seen something that caught his eye before, but he’d blown past it. Now though, it made a knot of fear, guilt and nausea rise in his gut. The report said that now, the supplier was supposedly was living in DC, under a name with the initials “DML.” It was the initials the supplier used whenever he or she communicating with someone. He’d been seeing DML all over drug cases for years. Tobias would love nothing better than to know who the hell DML was and to put them away for a very long time.
He thumbed through a stack of his own notes looking for a connection and noticed when something fell off of his desk. He picked it up and looked at the small square of paper. Oh God…Jethro’s wedding invitation from several months earlier. “You are cordially invited to attending the wedding celebration of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Diane Michelle Larson…”
Diane Michelle Larson…DML…the initials matched up perfectly. Fornell recalled the way the busty redhead had caught his eye in the bar. “Call me Shelley,” she’d purred at him, “Nearly everyone does.”
In his drunken haze, he’d bought it. Hook, line and sinker. He hadn’t recognized Diane that night in the bar he’d been so intoxicated, and now he was screwing his best friend’s wife and it was such a convenient arrangement…after all Gibbs and Diane were barely speaking to each other anymore …dear God help him, they had both been screwing the woman who was the centerpiece to Tony’s big drug investigation. He’d been working on it for months. Fornell had noticed that Shelley had become increasingly tense in the past months. Now someone was trying to have Tony killed. It had to be her. Was she tense because Tony was on to her? Because he was getting too close? There were too many commonalities between Diane and the supplier…just like Gibbs, Fornell didn’t believe in coincidences.
Diane was a nurse. She’d know exactly how much of which drugs to give someone to kill them. She had to be the supplier. That morning at Gibbs’ house, Diane had assured him that Tony was sound asleep and wouldn’t bother them. Dear God…what if…Fornell grabbed up the notes, and took off. He had to get to Jethro’s house before it was too late and she did something irreversible.
**
“SHE’S WHAT?!”
Tony blinked at the sudden loud words from his dad. He flinched away out of reflex and nearly fell off the couch. Gibbs dove for him and caught him before he could fall, but Tony flinched away as though burned.
“Shh…hey Tony…I’m sorry, didn’t mean to scare you…it’s ok…you’re safe.” Into the phone he said, “Gotta go Duck. Tony needs me. Come by as soon as you can.”
“Tony?” Gibbs looked at his son, at a loss as to what needed to be done for him. He placed a gentle hand on his boy’s shoulder. “You with me?”
Tony blinked slowly up at him. “Dad? I…I don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand, Tony? Tell me and I’ll see if I can help.”
Tony looked helplessly around him, fearing teasing his features. “Where’s Diane,” he whispered.
“She’s upstairs sleeping Tony. You don’t have to worry about her. She’s leaving. She’s not going to hurt you anymore.”
“I don’t understand…”
“She drugged you Tony. Then she had sex with Fornell. Once she was done with him, she stripped you down and crawled in bed with you. There was no evidence anywhere that indicated that you and she had sex. You didn’t do anything Tony. You woke up and saw her in bed. That’s all that happened. I promise.”
“I still don’t understand…”
Gibbs narrowed his eyes. “What don’t you understand?”
“I don’t understand why you’re keeping me. Why aren’t you making me go home? Why don’t you send me away? I don’t deserve all this. I don’t deserve for you to be nice to me! I only cause you trouble!” Tony’s voice hitched up, the desperation in his tone nearly broke his dad’s heart.
Gibbs cupped Tony’s face in his hands. “Why wouldn’t I want you? You are my son! I always want you here"I could never send you away! And you did NOTHING. WRONG. This is NOT. Your. Fault. I am not sending you away son"I love you"I won’t ever send you away!”
There was a knock on the front door just before it opened. “Gibbs? You here?”
Gibbs’ eyes narrowed. “Tobias. What can I do for you?”
Fornell ran a hand over his thinning hair and gave Gibbs a helpless look.
“We need to talk.”
Gibbs crossed his arms, and didn’t move from Tony’s side. “I’d say so.”
“I know who the supplier is. I know why those people were able to get so close to Tony, and I know why his attackers seemed to be able to continuously find him.”
Gibbs blinked. That was a lot of information for Fornell to have produced in the 36 hours or so since he’d seen him last. Especially when at least some of those hours had been spent…here…with her…
“I’m listening.”
Tobias sat down on the recliner and worked his fingers nervously while they remained folded on his lap. “God, how do I do this…The supplier has moved out of Baltimore. The supplier is here in DC.”
“It’s a big city Fornell; we have to have more than that,” Gibbs snapped.
“The supplier’s name is Diane Michelle Larson.”
Gibbs nearly choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken. “That’s my wife!”
Fornell nodded. “I know.”
Gibbs ran a hand over his forehead. Tony looked curiously from one man to the other, trying to make sense of what he’d just heard. Diane? She was the supplier? How had he missed that? What the hell had he been doing all this time? He’d been tracking the supplier, the business, the trade offs, the deals, all of it…and at the same time he’d been having Sunday Dinners with her and Jethro and keeping them updated on his big case and how close he was to finding out the mastermind behind it. Diane? Seriously?! How had he missed that?
Gibbs cut his eyes at Fornell. “There is something else you need to know about Fornell.”
“What’s that Jethro?”
“She’s pregnant.”
For one split second, Fornell shot a dirty look at his crotch"betrayed by his own body?"how could this have happened?
“That’s…that’s uh…well…”
“That’s YOUR problem Tobias. I know for a fact the baby isn’t mine.”
“You’re her husband! How do you know that?”
“Because I haven’t slept in the same bed with her in months. We haven’t had sex in at least the last six months. I’d notice if she was six months pregnant I think. She accused Tony of raping her today. We had Ducky run the tests…your body fluids were the only ones that showed up on her.”
Tony let out a choked sob. He hadn’t said a word since Tobias arrived, but now it was too much. He’d screwed the pooch on this one"how could he not have known that his own step mom was the one behind all those deaths"she’d been circulating tainted drugs and deadly combos…Diane? How had his dad not caught onto that? She was good; he had to give her credit. They’d neither one expected this.
Gibbs turned to Tony. “Tony? You ok?”
The front door opened and Ducky walked in. Tony’s body suddenly tilted forward, his head going to his hands, his shoulders shaking. He’d ruined everything. It was his notes that had given Fornell the information he’d needed to make the connection. Oh God…
Gibbs caught Tony before he rolled head first off the couch. He scooped him back up on to the cushions and tried to pry his hands away from his face. Ducky came over and sat down on the coffee table across from them.
“Anthony, my dear boy. Look up here now Tony. Let me see you, lad.”
“Oh God Ducky,” Tony whispered. “Oh God…dad I’m so sorry,” Tony choked out.
“It’s ok Tony. It’s ok. You did good. You did so good; I am so proud of you,” Gibbs said quietly, stroking his boy’s hair.
“There is one more thing you need to know Jethro,” Fornell said quietly.
“Jethro?” A sleepy, distinctively female voice came from the stairs.
Tony let out a low keening sound at the sound of her voice. Jethro pulled him in close and held him tightly, tucking Tony’s head into his own chest so that his son didn’t have to face this woman again.
“Diane.”
“What is going on here Jethro? Boys club?”
Her eyes flickered to Tobias. His gaze was cold and distant.
“Hey Toby,” she offered.
“Hello. Shelley,” Fornell bit out. Gibbs raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend curiously.
At the name Shelley, Diane paled slightly. They knew. The gig was up. The game was over. They knew. Shit.
“I’m…uh…going to get a drink. You boys want anything?” Maybe she could still sneak out the back.
Tony shook his head no, his movements seemed almost desperate. Gibbs and Fornell both declined, as did Ducky. She’d already drugged Tony; they weren’t taking the chances on her making any of them something to consume at this point!
“Suit yourselves,” she said sweetly, then disappeared toward the kitchen. She never made it.
“FBI GET YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!” a voice called from the hallway.
“The other thing you should know is that I’m here to arrest Diane. I brought back up Jethro,” Tobias said quietly, pulling out his gun and going to the hallway to assist his partner.
Moments later, Sacks and Fornell dragged Diane out of the hallway. She was bound in handcuffs and struggling for all she was worth. Tony stared at her, still completely shocked by this turn of events.
“You dirty bastard,” she yelled at Tony, “all this time you’ve been snooping around, breaking up my deals and screwing up my business! You worthless, useless, piece of shit! I hate you! I HATE YOU! WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST DIE?!?! Why couldn’t you leave well enough alone, eh? What possessed you to keep pushing? You drove me to this, you filthy bastard, you did this!”
Tony didn’t answer, merely looked at his stepmom. Gibbs stayed where he was, with Tony. “I think it’s time you exercise your right to remain silent Diane,” he said gently, his anger boiling just under the surface. Indeed any resistance would lead to an altercation that he didn’t think Fornell wanted to have to deal with.
“Leave it Jethro. C’mon Diane.” Fornell gave her a sharp tug.
“Don’t pull on me you dumpy bastard! You think I’ve been fucking you all this time because I love you? I was doing it to keep an extra ear on the grapevine! I had to know what was being said about me! Let me go you sonofabitch!”
“THAT’S ENOUGH,” Sacks boomed, his voice echoing in the room. He looked at his partner, at Gibbs and at the kid from Baltimore PD. This was one seriously jacked up situation. He was silently glad that all he had to do was lead the woman out of the house. He was thrilled that he didn’t have to stay and pick up the pieces of what was left of these men’s lives.
**
There was no consoling Tony that night. Gibbs sat with him, ran a hand over his back, carded his fingers through Tony’s hair, did everything he knew to do, to no avail. Tony simply wouldn’t be comforted. He blamed himself for what had happened. He blamed himself for not figuring it all out sooner"before his dad got emotionally invested in this woman. His dad was hurting and it was all because of him.
Tony thought he’d never be able to live with himself. He’d tried to leave"tried to pack his things and leave quietly, but Jethro blocked his way, pulling him into a tight, desperate hug and begging Tony to stay.
Ducky fussed around them both, wanting to put off giving Tony anymore drugs until it became absolutely unavoidable. Unavoidable finally came around 3am.
Gibbs had dozed off on half of Tony’s bed. Tony silently slid out of bed, needing to work out the pain in his heart he was feeling. He couldn’t stand himself for the role he’d played in all that had taken place. He walked quietly to the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. Suddenly he shot his casted arm out and struck the mirror hard, shattering the glass. He picked up anything he could find and smashed it, breaking containers and bottles all over the floor. He couldn’t stop himself, and he knew it was break everything in sight or hurt himself seriously. It was during this that two strong arms wrapped around him from behind and dragged him out of the bathroom, away from the broken glass.
Turning around in surprise, Tony saw both Gibbs and Ducky standing there. Their faces were concerned and their eyes were sad. Tony broke then. He dropped to his knees and Gibbs nodded to Ducky. It was time. Tony needed to sleep; he needed to be well rested so he could deal with everything that had happened. Tony yelled and protested, screaming and shouting “no” as Gibbs and Ducky helped him back to his bed, and then he fought even harder when Gibbs held him down while Ducky made the small injection into Tony’s bicep.
Green eyes filled with betrayal stared up at Gibbs until they finally glazed in sleep and slid shut. Gibbs pressed a soft kiss to Tony’s forehead and brushed his hair back from his face. He hugged his son closely and whispered in his ear, “Just rest now, son. I got you. You’re safe with me. I’ll protect you"even if I am protecting you from yourself.”
**
The trial finally ended. Diane Michelle Larson (Gibbs had that marriage annulled in a big hurry) was convicted of multiple drug and trafficking crimes, as well as attempted murder, first degree murder, and the list of charges went on and on.
Tony testified. The jury believed him when he said he had no idea that his step mom was the drug supplier. They believed Gibbs when he said he’d had no idea either. Diane had told them both she worked a swing shift at the hospital"they never questioned her weird hours"always assumed she’d been working. The jury had a harder time believing Tobias"after all he was sleeping with his best friend’s wife. The fact that he’d been the one to make the connection and then make the arrest saved his career though. Diane was four months pregnant when she was sent off to the state security prison for women. Her unborn child would be delivered in the infirmary at the prison, and the child would then be sent to live with its father, Tobias Fornell.
**
Tony had been staying with Gibbs for quite some time now. He’d given up his apartment in Baltimore. He’d resigned from his position with the police department there. As it turned out, the officer from IA wasn’t really doing an investigation on Tony for the wrongful deaths of the two officers. The chief had only positive things to say about him, offering job references and help if ever Tony needed it. It seemed that the entire department was not corrupt, after all. Detective Stevens was brought up on attempted manslaughter charges. His career ended and he was sent to do several years in prison himself.
One bright sunny Saturday afternoon, just when Tony thought things couldn’t get any better, he and Gibbs were in the backyard working on the wooden fence and Tony’s cell phone rang.
“DiNozzo,” he clipped out. Though his license said “Gibbs-DiNozzo” he only went by DiNozzo at work. Cut down on the raising of eyebrows he got when people found out his dad was Jethro Gibbs.
“Tony this is Tom Morrow. How are you doing son?”
“Doing fine, sir. What can I do for you?”
Tony looked at his dad and mouthed, “Morrow” to him. Gibbs smirked and cracked a half smile before standing up and walking in the house. Tony wondered what was up.
“Tony I’d like to offer you a position on the Major Crime Response Team here at NCIS. I’ve read about your work at the Philadelphia, Peoria and Baltimore Police Departments and you have impressed me son. You’ll be working under the MCRT team leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. You’ve probably heard of him"he’s somewhat of a legend.” Tony could hear the knowing tone in Morrow’s voice and decided to play along.
Tony smiled as he saw his dad returning with two bottles of beer. “I’ve heard of him sir.”
“We’d be honored to have you join us, son.”
Tony clinked his beer bottle with his dad and smiled. “It would be an honor to join with you.”
They worked out details on when they could meet. Tony thanked Tom, then he hung up the phone.
“What was that all about Tony,” his dad was smiling. The rat, he’d known all along.
“Job offer,” Tony said shrugging as though he got a million calls a day.
“You gonna take it?” Gibbs’ smile full of innocence. He was having fun with this.
Tony shrugged. “I dunno. Morrow didn’t make it sound too appealing. Said the guy I’d be working for is a real bastard.”
Gibbs narrowed his eyes slightly. “Said that, did he?”
Tony smiled. “Sure did. But I already knew that. I mean come on dad"why else would you need two B’s in your last name?”
Gibbs swatted Tony’s head and Tony burst into laughter. It was a good day.
End.
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