Chapter Two
The two teams spent the evening at each of the bars in the area where Tony's car was found. It was tiring, frustrating work with disappointing results. Gibbs and Fornell were in a newer club, attempting to question the bartender. The young man had to keep leaving them to serve customers as the place filled up. The loud music was making Gibbs' head pound and his temper got shorter and shorter.
Finally, he grabbed the arm of the bartender and pulled him into a corner.
"We need five uninterrupted minutes of your time. Now," he growled.
"Okay, okay." The young man signaled the other bartender, holding up his hands and flashing a ten. The other man nodded. The bartender led Gibbs and Fornell into a quiet area in back.
Gibbs pulled out a picture of Tony. "Was this man in here last night?"
The young man looked closely at the picture, his lips pursed. "Hmmm, I think, so." He nodded. "Yeah, he was here."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. He was in here alone, chatting up a woman. They left together."
"Can you describe the woman?"
The young man paused to think. "She was short, blond hair, really pretty. She had a deep voice, sexy deep, not guy deep. She was wearing this low-cut black dress. Great build."
"Have you seen the woman before, do you know her name?"
The bartender shook his head. "Nope, she's a first-timer, like your guy in the picture. But I think she might have been with another guy, I saw him follow them out the door."
Fornell asked, "What did the other guy look like?"
"I can give you more than a description, I know the guy."
Gibbs felt his pulse race. "Can you give us a name?"
"Robbie Johanssen. He's been coming around for a few months. He likes to talk, lonely SOB. He hasn't been hanging out at the bar lately, though. I think he's made some new friends."
"Have you seen any of these friends?"
The bartender shook his head. "No, I don't think they're the 'clubbing' type, not that Robbie was either. I was kind of surprised to see him in here, and he didn't come by to say hello."
"Did he tell you anything about these other people?"
"Just that they were really nice, and they took an interest in him. I think he makes good money, computers or something like that, but he's not really good with people. I'm glad he found some friends, though, he seems like a nice guy." The young man looked at his watch. "Look, I gotta go back or I'll lose my job. If you need anything else, why don't you call me at home during the day."
Gibbs smiled. "Thanks. We appreciate your help. We might be in touch later."
The young man grinned. "Sure thing, anything for the Feds." He gave them a thumbs up as he walked back to the bar.
Both agents took a deep breath and let it out loudly as they left the smoky bar and walked into the cool night air.
"Figures we'd get a break at the last place we check out," grumbled Fornell.
"As long as we get a break. Come on, let's go check out Robbie Johanssen."
~0~0~0~0~
Gibbs left Fornell to pull up any information on Robbie Johanssen and headed downstairs to see how his team was doing. He entered Autopsy to find Ducky poring over some files, not even noticing the agent's arrival.
"What do you have for me, Ducky?" asked Gibbs.
The elder man jumped slightly. "Jethro, you startled me," he exclaimed.
"I'm sorry. Can you tell me anything about the way these men died?"
"Most horribly, I'm afraid," sighed the ME, walking over to one of the bodies. "It appears that this unfortunate young man remained alive for approximately 7 days until his heart was removed from his body. Jethro, I believe that a doctor was involved in his torture."
"Why do say that?"
Ducky pointed to the eyes of the victim. "The stitches used to close the eyelids are precise and delicate. It takes a steady and sure hand to make the stitches so even. The underlying eyes show no sign of the needle scratching them, just some abrasions from the silk thread itself."
Walking around the table, he continued talking, "It appears that the eyes were stitched closed very early on in his captivity. There was an opportunity to develop some scabs on them before the victim died. His stomach, bowels and bladder appear to have been emptied completely early on, as well."
"The cleansing," Gibbs said, grimly.
"Yes," agreed Ducky. " He was completely scrubbed by some sort of rough brush, removing a layer or two of skin. Most painful, I'm sure. There's something else. The young man's ears were stuffed with some material, and sealed with an unknown substance. I've sent samples down to Abby for analysis."
"They cleansed their victims and rendered them deaf and blind," mused Gibbs.
"Yes, but for what purpose?"
"To instill greater fear in the victim," replied Gibbs. "To create terror, but I can't think of any reason other than for the sick enjoyment of the cult members."
"Isn't that reason enough for a psychotic person?"
Gibbs was silent, staring at the body of the young man.
"You're thinking about Anthony going through the same thing," Ducky stated softly.
"I have to find him, before they break him."
Ducky barely heard the agent's words. Sighing, he said, "Do you have any clues as to the identity of the kidnappers, other than the nebulous description of 'cult members'?"
"We have a possible lead, a name. Fornell's pulling up information on him, he'll bring him in for questioning."
"Will he bring him here?" asked Ducky.
"Yes, I'll be interrogating him."
Ducky looked concerned. "Is that wise, Jethro? You're very personally involved in this case, and if you even think this man has an idea of Anthony's whereabouts, will you be able to extract the information from him without compromising the case?"
Gibbs looked at Ducky, his expression cold. "If he has information on where Tony's being held, I'll get it from him. My main objective is to get Tony back safely. What happens after doesn't matter."
"I think Special Agent Fornell would believe otherwise," Ducky replied seriously.
"I'm going to check with Abby." Gibbs turned abruptly and strode out of the room. The Medical Examiner looked after his friend sadly, knowing that this case could possibly break the other man, if young Anthony didn't make it through this ordeal alive. He turned back to his task, searching for more clues to help solve the case.
~0~0~0~0~
The lab was uncharacteristically quiet when Gibbs walked through the sliding doors. Abby was looking through a microscope, mumbling to herself.
"Abby?" Gibbs' voice was concerned. "You okay?"
"No, Gibbs," replied the lab technician, "I'm not. Tony's missing and I can't find a single thing that would help us figure out where he is." Her voice was quavering, her eyes brimming with tears.
Gibbs pulled the young woman into a hug. "We'll find him, Abs. We'll bring him home safely."
Abby held on tightly. "Why do things always have to happen to Tony?" she mumbled into his shoulder. "He's such a sweet guy, why is he the one to get the plague or kidnapped by crazy waitresses and cults?"
"I don't know, Abs." Gibbs placed a soft kiss on the silky black hair. "I just don't know."
"We need to wrap him up in bubble wrap, or something," the young woman declared petulantly, "and never let him out of the office."
"You can tell him your plan when we get him back here. He might just like that."
McGee entered the lab, looking for Gibbs.
"Boss, Fornell's back with Johanssen. He's taking him to interrogation."
"I'll be right up." Gibbs squeezed Abby harder, then gave her another kiss and followed McGee out of the lab.
TBC
Author's Chapter Notes:
The search continues for Tony and we learn what the cult does to their victims.
Chapter End Notes:
Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, the characters from the show belong to someone else. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Tweeter's writing again... run away, Tony, run away! Blessings upon my lovely beta Rinne, who's being inundated by the fruits of my manic writing.
A/N: Tweeter's writing again... run away, Tony, run away! Blessings upon my lovely beta Rinne, who's being inundated by the fruits of my manic writing.