"I swear, Agent Todd, it was the first time I have ever accepted money from the agent who gave me the envelope for Agent Gibbs." The young guard anxiously rubbed his hand through his hair as he again tried to explain why he had accepted the envelope and the money, even though he knew it broke all NCIS security rules. "I thought he was legit. I mean he was headed out of the building. He had already been inside. He had ALREADY been cleared by us earlier! He was one of our guys- he had a clearance badge!"
"He had a clearance badge?"
The young guard nodded enthusiastically, hoping that Agent Todd now understood why he had broken security procedures and accepted the envelope from one of their own guys. "Yeah, he was definitely one of our guys!"
"So you can give me a name as well as a description." Kate demanded.
"Umm, I…I didn't notice his name. I mean… he was one of our guys… and he had already been cleared before…" The guard stammered, blushing at the admission of his laxness in security. "I know what I did was against regulations but he was one of our guys…"
"So you accepted a bribe and an envelope from an agent that you didn't know or never even bothered to identify." Kate growled angrily as she leaned forward in her seat. "And you never thought it was strange that he would ask you to deliver the envelope to Agent Gibbs rather than bring it up himself? Or did the $100 he offered you make you conveniently forget that he was asking you to break security rules?"
"It wasn't like that!" The guard denied hotly, "The money didn't mean anything. I was just trying to help an agent. I swear I never meant to do anything more than that!" The young man swallowed hard as he lowered his voice and asked, "I know I messed up Agent Todd and I promise that I will do anything to make up for my mistake but please, can we keep this from my supervisor? This is my third warning, if he finds out I messed up again it will be my job!"
Glaring at the guard in disgust, Kate ignored the plea as she pulled across her sketch book and softly commanded. "I want every little detail you can give me about the man's appearance. Do NOT leave out a single detail, understand?"
Sensing the agent's disgust and lack of sympathy, the guard's shoulders slumped as he nodded his agreement. Slowly he began to describe the agent who had asked him for his help and who had sweetened the request with $100.
NCISNCISNCIS
Turning away from the screen that matched Harding's fingerprints with the prints on the envelope, Gibbs turned towards the Goth. "Abby…"
"I'll check the envelope and the card. Maybe I can find out who manufactured them and where they were sold." Abby completed the unspoken order as she reached for the card, rising from her seat as she carefully began to smooth the paper.
"Oh my, I should have realized that a man as cunning and as knowledgeable of drugs like Harding might not use something easily traceable to knock young Anthony out." Ducky murmured angrily to himself as he found himself staring at the brightly lit photos of Tony asleep in bed. "I'm sorry Jethro. I'll run a more specific drug test on young Anthony's blood sample, to test for drugs that a standard drug test would miss. There are a few new and exotic drugs that I can look for that might explain why Tony slept through the flashes of the camera."
"Thanks Duck." Gibbs nodded as the ME hurried out of the lab, ignoring the older man's soft self rebukes that he should have looked harder as he turned to face the man by his side.
The senior agent appeared pale and unnerved as he stared at the photos of himself on the computer screen, his green eyes wide as he silently studied each one. The disbelief and fear that the man who had tortured and almost killed him before being captured and than slipping through their fingers had been stalking him without his knowledge.
"He is not going to win, Tony, he is not going to be able to get this close to you again." Gibbs' soft voice close to his ear startled the young agent and Tony turned to find himself staring into the determined eyes of his boss. "Not when I have your six, DiNozzo!"
Tony nodded as he forced the fear to the back of his mind and smiled. "Gotcha Boss, you have my six!"
"Damn right I have, DiNozzo, now let's gets to work and catch this bastard!" Gibbs ordered as he turned and headed out of lab towards the lift with Tony hurrying behind.
NCISNCISNCIS
Anger did not describe the true depth of the emotion that Kate was feeling at this specific moment in time – neither did the words - rage, disgust or fury! She resisted the urge to pull her gun and shoot the man who now sat in front of her trying to explain why he had just given warnings instead of dismissing the security guard who had so blatantly flouted the rules and regulations.
"I know I should have reported him when I found him sleeping on duty, Agent Todd, but I thought a warning and transferring him onto day shift was a sufficient punishment. After all it was just after midnight and there were only a skeleton staff of agents within the building, it can get kinda boring on long nights like that - easy to doze off." The acting Security Supervisor explained, shifting uncomfortably under the female agent's heated glare. "There were no reports of any unauthorized activity or persons that night. I checked the security tapes myself, no one entered or left the building. I figured no foul- no harm done!"
"And the second time you gave him a warning?" Kate growled, her anger bubbling to the surface as she glanced down at the file she held open in front of her where the two warnings had been documented in only the barest details. "Your report says that he was not found at his post during a routine check evening check carried out by yourself." The supervisor nodded slowly but did not offer any more information, forcing Kate to grate out between clenched teeth. "Well would you like to tell me where he was and how long he had left the door unattended?"
"I found him in the men's room smoking a cigarette." The supervisor admitted reluctantly. "I told him that this was the last time he would receive a warning, that the next time would result in immediate dismissal."
"So there is a real possibility that by this guard's actions, the security and safety of this building and the people within it has been breached on at least three occasions that we are aware of?" The heated tone of Kate's voice caused the Acting Supervisor to flinch as he slowly nodded his agreement as Kate continued. "How many other security guards have you shown such leniency towards?"
"None!" The supervisor answered quickly, "Joey is the only one that I have had to reprimand."
"I hope so, I am sure both the director and Agent Gibbs will want to discuss the breaches of security with you in the not to distant future!" Kate informed the now pale supervisor before she pushed a photocopied drawing of a man towards him. "I want this shown to all the guards. If anyone recognizes or remembers this agent please have them report directly to myself or Agent Gibbs! This man is believed to have compromised NCIS security!" She informed him coolly as she stood up.
He nodded silently as he watched her hurry from the room. Only after the door closed softly behind her did he drop his head into his hands, aware that his own laxness with dealing with subordinates had just cost him his job.
NCISNCISNCIS
Rubbing his hand lightly over the smooth sanded surface of the wooden ribs of the boat, Harding studied the workmanship that was being lovingly used to craft the vessel. A small smile tugged at his lips as he stepped away from the boat and slowly looked around the basement. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he headed back to the stairs, climbing them to do a final check throughout the house, ensuring that his own handy work was well concealed. He paused a moment in the guest bedroom, staring at the empty bed and the small overnight bag tossed in the corner as he whispered. "You got away once, DiNozzo, but you won't get away from me again! This time we are going to have some real fun."
Author's Chapter Notes:
The aftermath of an undercover case that went drastically wrong, now the criminal is loose and out for revenge. Will Gibbs be able to protect Tony? Sequel to In Too Deep