Eyeing the position of the car, half buried in a snow bank, Tony could see why it had been abandoned. He was certain getting out would be more than the car was capable of on its own. Tony was glad he'd already called for a tow truck to bring the vehicle back to NCIS for Abby to look over when he and Gibbs finished the initial inspection. They'd have needed it just to pull the car out anyway.
Tony stifled a yawn as he deftly worked the slim jim to pop the driver's side door. He resisted the urge to rub at his eyes. Fortunately being tired didn't really affect his ability to jimmy the door.
Once he had the door open, Tony immediately hit the lock switch to give Gibbs access from the passenger side. The interior was relatively clean. A few candy wrappers, two empty water bottles, and a pack of gum in the console. But no blood or any indication that anyone had been injured when the car became mired in the snow. Tony documented the interior with several photos.
Seeing the keys still in the ignition, Tony frowned. The car obviously hadn't been stolen. But that didn't mean Warren had necessarily been driving. Hopefully they'd get a good set of prints from the steering wheel and the door handles. Tony figured it would be better to wait and let Abby do that. Not only was she better at it, once the car was inside where it was warmer they improved the odds of getting clean, usable prints.
Gibbs riffled through the glove box. He held up the registration card, reading it before offering it to Tony. The car was definitely Warren's. No mistake there.
"Pop the trunk," Gibbs ordered, getting out of the car.
Tony hit the switch before joining Gibbs. He whistled soundlessly as he surveyed the interior of the trunk. A sheet of heavy clear plastic that had probably been a shower curtain at one time was covered in congealed blood and lined the floor of the trunk.
Tony took several more photos before noticing the garbage bag that was also in the trunk. He opened it carefully. Inside was a bloody two by four and an ugly looking knife.
"No hands," Tony reported, torn between relief and disappointment. Body parts still had a tendency to give him the creeps, but he knew finding the missing hands would only help their case. At least all the blood they found would be useful. "Abby and Ducky should be able to confirm if the two by four and knife were used on Kinsac."
Blue eyes studied the trunk before meeting green. Tony raised an eyebrow. "You think Warren killed Kinsac?" The evidence seemed to be pointing that way, but Tony didn?t want to assume that was what Gibbs was thinking.
Gibbs' jaw tightened. "Wouldn't be the first time one family member did in another."
Tony nodded grimly. For all the news and TV would have people believe, violence was rarely random and more people knew their attackers than not. He bit his lower lip, mentally reviewing the case.
"Okay...for the moment, let's go with the idea that Eli Warren killed his brother." Tony looked at Gibbs silently asking if he could continue. It wasn't common for him and Gibbs to toss ideas back and forth but Tony often needed to verbalize the details to have things make sense to him. And there wasn't anyone else nearby to serve as a sounding board. Gibbs waved his hand, giving Tony room to keeping theorizing.
"Warren then beats Kinsac's face beyond recognition and takes his hands to further conceal his identity--"
"Not just to conceal it," Gibbs interjected quietly. "He planted his ID on the body. Only prints on the wallet we found were Warren's."
Tony cocked his head slightly, thinking through the implications of that bit of information. "What benefit is there in having people think Warren is dead?"
"Or what benefit is there in having people think Kinsac is still alive?"
Tony frowned, nodding slowly. The driver's license and military ID photos of each man had shown a resemblance. They both had the same eye and hair color, similar facial features, were alike in general height and build. Without them being side by side and not knowing either man well, it could be possible to mistake one for the other.
"Warren was the one with access to lots of money, and the relative freedom to use it," Tony pointed out. "He's also the one who would be investigated for embezzlement. Having everyone thinking he's dead could be an advantage since we couldn't prosecute a dead guy."
"We wouldn't even have known to look into his records if we hadn't thought he was dead," Gibbs countered, shaking his head. "He'd been getting away with it for two years already." Blue eyes narrowed. "Why kill Kinsac at all" Why draw that sort of attention?"
"Maybe Kinsac found out about the activity with his account when he got out of jail and somehow linked it with his brother. Fresh out of jail...either he's afraid of going back, or--"
"Or he wanted a piece of the action," Gibbs interjected. "Either way, they would have argued. Ducky said Kinsac's blood alcohol level was well over the legal limit. Enough to impair his judgment--"
"And make him an easy target to take out once things got passed verbal sparring." Things escalating usually didn't take long, in Tony's experience, when alcohol was involved.
Still thinking it through, Tony continued speaking, trying to work out a possible scenario. "Warren kills Kinsac. And for some reason he either needs people to think Kinsac is alive, or is hoping we wouldn't figure out Warren isn't our vic until he's managed to get the money and run. He made sure the obvious things like the face and hands are taken care of. Either he forgot his DNA is in the data base, or thought it would take us longer to definitively ID the body than it did."
"He dumps the body where by all rights it could have gone unnoticed for at least a day," Gibbs picked up the thread of Tony's theory, grimacing as he looked toward where they'd found the body only ten miles away just a few hours ago. "He probably tossed the hands out somewhere between here and there."
"He presumably planned to scatter the rest of the evidence the same way, making it harder to link it all together, but he had a little mishap with the icy roads. Had to abandon his car here." Why he would leave the keys locked inside or bloody items in the trunk rather than toss them in a dumpster was a mystery that Tony added to the list of everything they didn't know.
But they could track where Warren went from here...maybe. Assuming the guy didn't just walk to wherever he was headed. Tony pulled his cell phone, shaking his head at his own stupidity. He hit number two on the speed dial, not even giving Ziva a chance to offer much of a greeting when she answered. "Pull Warren's cell phone records. See if he called a cab some time early this morning. Check his home phone too. Find out who he's been in contact with since Kinsac got out of jail."
Tony broke the connection before she could ask any questions. "Sorry, Boss. I should have thought to pull those records sooner." Those records could have shown it wasn't Warren?s body even before Abby's DNA confirmation if he was using his cell phone after Ducky's estimated time of death. Or provided a link to Kinsac long before they even knew his name if the two had been in touch with one another recently.
"We both should have." Gibbs grimaced, lightly cuffing the back of Tony's head, the gesture more of a light pat than true slap. "McGee and Ziva too.'
Tony pursed his lips, eyes narrowing in thought. He walked back to the driver's side of the car, pulling the key ring free so he could study it closer. "House key," he murmured quietly, nodding to himself.
DiNozzo?" Gibbs leaned in, looking at him intently, clearly wanting an explanation.
"His house key is still on the ring." Tony grinned, holding up the key ring for Gibbs to see. "Thinking he didn't mean to lock his keys in the car or leave the stuff in the trunk. That was just bad luck or stupidity. I'm betting the damage Ziva and I saw to his door was something Warren did trying to get back into his apartment. Would explain why nothing looked like it was out of place."
"Works." Gibbs agreed with a small nod. "But it doesn't get us any closer to where Warren went. Or where the hell he is now."
Tony sighed silently; eyes dropping as he unconsciously read a reprimand in Gibbs' remark. He expected another head slap, honestly thinking he deserved it. Being tired was no excuse. It was his own damn fault for staying at the office all night. Tony was pleasantly surprised when the slap he was expecting didn't materialize. Instead, Gibbs just laid his hand on the back of his neck, squeezing once.
"Not your fault, Tony." Gibbs shook him gently. "If I thought you screwed up, I'd tell you so. Got it?"
"Got it, Boss."
"Good." Gibbs' thumb caressed the side of Tony's neck before he released him. "Any more the car can tell us?"
"Not until Abby gets a look at it."
Gibbs nodded. "Tow truck is due when?"
Tony pointed up the street to where it was rounding the corner. "About now."
"Lock it up. Trunk too."
"On it, Boss." Tony secured the car while Gibbs talked to the tow truck driver. The guy had done work for them before, and no doubt knew what Gibbs was going to say word for word before he opened his mouth. But Gibbs prided himself on being thorough.
Tony's cell phone trilled as he made his way back to the sedan. He checked the caller ID before answering. "What do you have for me, Probie?"
"Last call on Warren's cell phone was made at one fifteen this morning. Called a cab company and according to the driver's log book he dropped his fare off at a Super 8 motel."
"Address?" Tony asked. He repeated the address to Gibbs when he slid into the driver?s seat.
Ziva's voice carried through clearly, letting Tony know McGee had his phone on speaker. "The woman on duty at the motel said she rented to a room to Earl Kinsac, but she's never heard of Eli Warren. I faxed her pictures of both men, but she couldn't ID either one."
There was no mistaking the disgust and disappointment in Ziva's tone. Tony could sympathize. It wasn't the first time they'd run into someone who could be more helpful and proved to be useless.
Tony fastened his seatbelt, bracing one knee against the dash as Gibbs put the car in gear. "How long was his reservation for?:
"One week. Paid in cash." Ziva and McGee said together.
Tony fought to keep a smile off his face as he pictured them both trying to be the first to answer. "Home phone records?"
"Calls back and forth between the hotel and Warren's home phone for the last three days." McGee told him. "Nothing since yesterday."
"Ask McGee if he's found the money," Gibbs directed, executing a sharp turn across traffic without signaling.
"You find the money, McGee?" The silence he got was a clear 'no', even though McGee didn't actually say so.
"He'll have it for us when we get back, Boss." Tony told Gibbs, making sure McGee could hear him. Even the way Gibbs drove that should give the junior agent another two hours, maybe two and a half, to get it figured out. Hopefully that would be enough time.
Tony ended the call, tucking his cell phone back into his pocket. He grabbed the 'oh shit' handle reflexively more so than out of any real need. "Think we'll find anything at the hotel?"
"Only if Warren is a complete idiot."
"Not looking good for him so far." Tony snickered. "Guy did lock his keys in his car and lock himself out of his own home."
"Hes still a potential killer, DiNozzo." Gibbs growled. "Don't forget that."
"Won't forget," Tony promised.
Gibbs gave him a piercing look. "Good."
Tony wished the drive to the motel took longer. It usually took a good twenty minutes for him to relax enough with Gibbs driving to feel like he could take a nap. Although, the upside of a short ride was having it be sufficiently hair-raising that Tony felt more awake.
An older woman was on duty behind the desk when they walked in. Tony guessed her age at somewhere between Gibbs and Ducky. Her name tag read 'Maxine'. She smiled hesitantly at them, looking a little uneasy. Tony couldn't blame her. Gibbs' purposeful stride and no-nonsense expression had that affect on a lot of people.
"May I help you?"
?"NCIS." Gibbs showed his badge. "You have a room registered to an Earl Kinsac?"
"Yes, Sir." She nodded, brown eyes giving him a nervous glance over her half moon reading glasses. "I told the woman from your office when she called that I wasn't on duty when he rented the room. Don't think I've even seen the man to be honest."
She rolled her eyes. "It was Jolyne who rented the room. She should have taken a copy of his driver's license, but neglected to do so. Standard policy for all cash customers is proof of ID." Her tone took on a prim, judgmental note. Tony had a feeling Jolyne was going to be hearing about following policy in the future. Assuming she managed to keep her job.
"We can't have just anyone here." Maxine clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "I mean he could be on the run from the law. A murder or terrorist for all the more we know." Her eyes widened. "He's not, is he? I mean--"
"We can't discuss that, Ma'am." Gibbs brusquely cut her off. "What room is he staying in?"
"214." She answered promptly. "It's just up the stairs outside and to the left."
"I need a key."
"Oh yes...of course."
Tony raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised that when she offered Gibbs a real, metal key. Most hotels had gone to electronic locks, the sort that took a credit card like key. They were easier to replace if lost or stolen.
"Still a bit old fashioned here." Maxine gave him an apologetic glance. "The manager is putting off installing a newer system for as long as possible."
Gibbs took the key. "Has anyone been in or out of the room today?"
"Not that I've seen." Maxine shook her head. "But I didn't come on duty until eight this morning."
"Did Jolyne get any information on Mr. Kinsac at all?" Tony asked.
"The type and color of his car. A gray Toyota. And a partial license plate number." Maxine?s lips pursed in annoyance as she studied a registration form. :Stupid little twit. How hard can it be to--"
"Maxine, we'll need that partial number please," Tony cut her off gently, knowing if he didn't Gibbs would. Impatience practically radiated from Gibbs in waves.
She hastily copied down four numbers on a bright pink post it note, handing it to Tony. He smiled. "Thank you, Maxine."
He followed Gibbs out, both of them jogging up the single flight of stairs. Tony pulled his gun as a precautionary measure. If Warren had any brains he'd already be gone by now, not waiting in Kinsac's room, but it never hurt to be prepared.
Gibbs inserted the key into the door lock. "Ready?" he mouthed silently, his own gun in hand. Tony nodded, standing on the opposite side of the door.
Gibbs pushed the door open, immediately moving to the left. Tony followed, moving to the right. Gibbs checked the bathroom before calling out 'clear'.
Tony holstered his gun, green eyes scanning the room, searching it closely for anything that might give them a lead on Warren. Other than an unmade bed, several pizza boxes and Chinese take out cartons there was nothing to indicate anyone specific had been staying in 214. The room could have been used by anyone. No luggage, no clothing, no personal items left behind. A room key, identical to the one Maxine had given Gibbs, lay on top of the night stand. Tony knew anyone from the management or housekeeping staff would have assumed Kinsac had checked out without stopping in at the office first. Since his bill had already been paid in advance just leaving wouldn't have raised any eyebrows.
"Shower curtain is missing." Gibbs told him as he stepped from the bathroom.
"No blood," Tony noted absently, giving everything in the garbage can a closer look. "Didn't kill or dismember Kinsac here."
"No, he didn't."
"So Warren's here once to grab Kinsac's stuff and the shower curtain, why come back a second--" Tony looked up, snapping his fingers. "He took Kinsac's car." There weren't any Toyotas in the nearly deserted parking lot when they'd pulled in. "That's why he didn't need a cab from here to get back to his place...assuming of course he went back to his place from here. He wouldn?t have needed the cab at all if his car hadn't gotten stuck."
Tony tossed the odds and ends he'd found back into the garbage can. Taking Kinsac's car would make it seem more likely that he'd just checked out. Abandoning it in the parking lot would have been suspicious. Whereas leaving his own car somewhere obvious but unlikely to be noticed immediately, would have added credence to the idea that it was Warren's body in the alley.
Tony pulled his cell phone. He called in a BOLO on Kinsac's car. "Think he wiped the place for prints?" he asked Gibbs once he'd finished relaying what little information Maxine had been able to provide.
"Wouldn't matter." Gibbs growled. "All fingerprints could tell us is what we already know. Warren was here and so was Kinsac." Gibbs glared, looking around the room in disgust. "Nothing here to tell us where he went."
It wasn't a total dead end, but Tony refrained from saying so. Getting a hit on Kinsac's car would be a long shot. He knew that. But it was still better than nothing. At the moment though, their best bet to finding Warren was for McGee to locate the money. The man had spent two years stealing it, might have killed to keep it, he wouldn?t go too far without it.
Gibbs stalked out of the room. Tony made sure the door was locked behind him. He stopped in the office to tell Maxine that the room was part of an on going investigation and that a team would be by to secure it. No one was to have access in or out until they cleared the room. While there might not be anything useful...examining the scene would be good experience for the rooky techs that the Director recently hired, and they might get lucky.
Tony's stomach rumbled as he got into the car. Breakfast had been a long time ago and the one donut he had wasn't really enough for him to run on for long. He hadn't even had a chance to drink more than half his cup of hot chocolate before they left the office.
Gibbs shot him an amused glance. "Hungry?"
Tony shrugged, looking sheepish. No point in denying it. "Yeah."
"We'll pick up something for McGee and Ziva too." Gibbs glanced at his watch. "That should give McGee another twenty minutes or so to find the money."
Tony was sure McGee would appreciate the added time. Likely more so than the food.
He rubbed tiredly at his eyes. He'd appreciate a nap more than a meal himself. Tony knew he should have gone home last night and gotten some sleep, but once they?d started making progress on the case, he just couldn?t leave. He wanted to see it through. Feeling the weight of Gibbs stare, Tony made eye contact. "What?"
"You okay?"
Tony forced himself to sit up straighter. "I'm good, Boss."
Gibbs snorted. "Working all night would make anyone tired, Tony. Not something to be ashamed of."
Tony sighed. "Tom told you I didn't leave."
"Yes." Gibbs answered, even though it wasn't a question. :Heard you solved Stoddard and Vizorics case for them."
"You listening to gossip now?" Tony grinned. "Shame on you."
"You saying you didn't?'
Tony waved hand dismissively. "They'd have figured it out without me."
"Doubt it." Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Not the brightest crayons in the box those two."
"Just a little young," Tony argued. "Naive is something they'll grow out of. Whereas stupidity--"
"Is a life long condition" Gibbs snickered. "I was the one who told you that."
"You sure?" Tony blinked, looking innocent. "Because I could have sworn it was something Sammy told you?"
"Shaddup."
Tony laughed. "That doesn't work, you know."
"I live in hope."
"Suuurre you do." Tony grinned. He opened his mouth to say tease Gibbs more but found himself yawning widely instead.
Gibbs reached over to caress his cheek, cupping it with one hand. Tony leaned into that gentle touch. "How about you close your eyes and catch a quick nap?"
"But--"
"Nothing either of us can do on this case until we get back to the office."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Tony's eyes drifted closed as he relaxed further into the seat. He didn't really think he'd be able to sleep, given the way Gibbs usually drove, but he wouldn't mind a chance to rest his eyes for a bit.
"Wake me--"
"I'll wake you."
Tony sighed. He didn't need to see Gibbs' smile to hear it. A little power nap and he'd be good to go for the rest of the day. Hopefully, they'd have Warren in a cell by then and he could go home with Gibbs. That definitely made for sweet dreams.
Author's Chapter Notes:
the case continues to develop.