"I don?t get it."
Tony glanced up, raising both eyebrows as he looked at Ziva. "Don't get what?"
Ziva stood up, waving a hand to the plasma screen that showed images of Warren and Kinsac. "Why would he not just wire the money into a foreign bank account and then flee the country? It would have been so much simpler than the numerous accounts and safety deposit boxes we've found so far."
Tony leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he considered her question. It was a valid point; one Tony had been asking himself since he and Gibbs returned to the office. Most people embezzling money did their best to hide the ill gotten gains where banking laws were less restrictive. But so far nothing they found showed any wire transactions of any amount to a bank outside the US. All the accounts Warren had established appeared to be with only one bank; the numerous safety deposit boxes were scattered among half a dozen branches of the same bank. Rather than freeze the accounts or immediately confiscate the contents of the safety deposit boxes, Gibbs ordered them to be allowed to remain active and watched, hoping they might be able to trace any activity to Warren. There hadn't been any hits so far.
They were stuck waiting for something to happen. And waiting sucks, Tony mused, as he contemplated an answer to Ziva's question.
"He knew how easy it was to steal from Uncle Sam, so it maybe he was leery of having someone else rob him the same way." Tony frowned, as he made a mental note to double check his own accounts when this was finished. He raised a hand to rub his chin. "Or maybe he was greedy enough that he didn't want to pay the fees wiring and currency conversion would generate."
Ziva shook her head. "If he were that greedy he would not have stuck to such small amounts."
"Not necessarily," McGee countered from where he sat at his desk with Agent Lee, both of them still working to find exactly how much was stolen and where it all went. "By taking small amounts, he could cover his tracks better, which gave him more time to keep stealing." Pale blue eyes met brown and then green. "By doing that, he could get more money in the long run than he might score in one shot."
"So patient and paranoid?" Ziva cocked her head to one side looking at Warren's image on the screen.
"Could be." McGee shrugged.
Tony stood up, moving to stand next to Ziva. "He's been stealing for two years and getting away with it. Maybe he never thought he'd get caught, so he didn't think he'd ever need to deal with a foreign bank or leave the country."
"Patient, paranoid and over-confident." Ziva rolled her eyes. "Wonderful."
"Methodical," Lee added hesitantly, brown eyes dropping when Tony looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She cleared her throat and looked up again, brushing long dark hair away from her face. "Everything he set up was well planned, Special Agent DiNozzo. He chose his investments carefully. Even the bank he selected is well rated for both security and performance."
"Fair enough." Tony gave her an approving nod, politely ignoring the way she blushed delicately in response. "Wonder if killing his brother was part of his plan?"
"Probably." Ziva grimaced.
Tony agreed with her. Every account, deposit box and investment was in Kinsac's name. If they were partners it would have made more sense to see both their names on everything. With only Kinsac's name on things... it created a level of anonymity for Warren, but it left him vulnerable to not getting anything at all if Kinsac claimed everything his brother had stolen. Tony was more inclined to see a greedy man as being willing to kill to keep his money than share it. It was a familiar pattern.
"Do we know he wasn't in touch with Kinsac at all before Kinsac came to D.C.?" Tony asked. Much of their theory hinged on Warren not knowing his brother was going to show up and ruin his plans.
"According to the warden, the only mail Kinsac received was from his mother. And she was the only person he wrote to. She was also the only one who phoned or visited him. His cellmate said Kinsac mentioned a brother but claimed they weren't very close."
"He ever say why?" Tony frowned. There didn't have to be a reason. He knew not every family was as close as Mike's...his own being a shining example of that, but it usually took a lot to actually decide to kill one's own brother.
"Apparently Steve Warren left his wife, Karen Warren, and his son, Eli, for another woman, Cindy Kinsac." Ziva snorted delicately. "Steve evidently knew Cindy for a number of years before then."
"Oh?"
Ziva smirked. "Cindy and Steve were supposedly high school sweethearts, but they went their separate ways after graduation. Given the fact that Earl and Eli are related, and their respective ages, Cindy was pregnant prior to that initial break up."
Tony hit the remote on the plasma screen zooming in on the birth dates of both Eli and Earl. They were born only six months apart. Tony whistled soundlessly. Steve definitely hadn't wasted any time.
"After ten years apart, Cindy and Steve rekindled their flame, leaving Karen Warren and Eli up and arid."
"I think you mean high and dry," Tony smiled, shaking his head. He could see McGee struggling not to smile as well.
"High and dry." Ziva sighed, giving him a dirty look. "Karen Warren, now Mrs. Karen Avery, said they struggled for years trying to make ends meet. She still blames their hardships on her ex-husband, and I quote, 'his bastard boy'."
"Ouch." McGee winced.
"I don't imagine it helped that they were all living in the same town at the time. Both Earl Kinsac and Eli Warren attended the same school until Cindy Kinsac and Earl moved away, leaving Steve Warren in 1999."
Tony remembered Warren's file mentioning his father getting divorced in 2000. There was no indication he'd stayed in touch with either of his sons. Not that it mattered. The damage had already been done. Warren and Kinsac's shared history certainly was more than enough to create the depth of emotion needed to kill a brother then bludgeon his face beyond recognition.
"Kinsac was not scheduled to be released for another six months. He got an early out for good behavior." Ziva's moue of disgust showed clearly what she thought of that. "His arrival in D.C. would likely have upset any plan Warren made, assuming he knew when his brother was due to be released."
"So, while smart and methodical, Warren might not be good at thinking on his feet," Tony surmised. "He's making this part up as he goes along, or he's trying to force it to fit a plan he already had in mind but wasn't prepared to put in motion now."
"That certainly fits the evidence we have." Ziva pursed her lips. "The way the hands were removed, murder weapon left in the trunk of his car along with the key to his house, the money still in the bank...it all suggests Warren wasn't prepared to run now."
"How did Kinsac know where to find Warren?" Tony asked. "The guy just gets out of prison and heads for D.C. on a whim?"
"Perhaps his mother mentioned Warren working here. She was his only point of contact," Lee offered, looking as surprised to have spoken as Tony was to hear her speak. He'd almost forgotten she was there.
"But if they hated--"
"Warren may have hated Kinsac," Tony cut off Ziva, "but that doesn't mean Kinsac hated Warren."
Ziva frowned. "But if Kinsac knew Warren hated him, why would he even come anywhere near him?"
"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in," Tony said quietly by way of an answer.
"What?"
"Robert Frost." Tony shrugged, ignoring the incredulous look McGee gave him. That he preferred movies to books didn't mean he'd never read anything.
"How does that--"
"Kinsac may have been looking for someone to help him get back on his feet. Even family that hates you is usually good for something."
"Voice of experience." Ziva tilted her head to stare up at him. "Anything you'd care to share Tony?"
He didn't like the speculative gleam in her eyes. They were on better terms than they had been when Ziva started at NCIS, but Tony didn't trust her enough to divulge deep, dark family secrets.
Tony smiled tightly, measuring her with a probing look of his own. "I'm sure you got a wealth of experience with your family to draw on Officer David that would make it possible for you to relate." He dropped his voice to little more than a whisper, making his next comment for her alone. "I'll bet Daddy Dearest left you with great memories, and there had to be some heartwarming quality time with your brother."
Her expression went hard and cold for a moment. She took a breath before nodding once, letting his comment pass unchallenged. Tony suspected she had some emotional scars that weren't too dissimilar to his own, and she didn't feel the compulsion to share any more than he did. It was heartening to see her give his boundaries the same respect he tried to give hers.
"You find anything that would locate Warren?" Gibbs asked, startling Tony with his sudden appearance. He stifled the urge to flinch. Some days he really hated how quietly the older man moved. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning as he remembered Abby making similar comments and theorizing that a bell around his neck might help.
"Nothing new yet, Boss." Tony told him. Gibbs had been in MTAC almost from the time they'd returned to the office. He'd only been around long enough to get a quick briefing before heading up the stairs.
Gibbs scowled, glaring at all of them. McGee and Lee both ducked their heads, main focus still on the computer screen as they tried to locate more of the money Warren had stolen. Ziva straightened her spine, almost coming to attention. Tony resisted doing likewise. He wasn't sure what else they should be doing that wasn't already being done, and he knew that uncertainty showed in his expression as he waited for Gibbs to give him direction.
"We hear anything on the BOLO on Kinsac's rental car?"
"Checking it now," Tony said even though he had his computer set up to audibly signal as soon as there was a hit on the BOLO. It gave him something to do and would shift Gibbs' focus to someone else.
Tony was surprised to have his computer peep as he pulled up the BOLO announcement. He was beginning to think Abby was right---maybe Gibbs was psychic or something. He read the information, quickly noting the address for where the car had been spotted. Tony raised his head to relay the information when Gibbs' phone rang.
Gibbs' conversation with the caller was brief. From the older man's tone and short answers, Tony guessed someone had spotted Warren; possibly the same cop who?d responded to the BOLO. Tony traded a look with Ziva before they pulled their guns from desk drawers.
"Ziva, Tony, grab your gear." Gibbs hung up. "Warren's been spotted." Gibbs pointed a finger at McGee and Lee. "You two keep working on finding that money."
"He anywhere near 101st?" Tony asked, falling in step behind Gibbs.
"Yep. The bank on the corner." Gibbs looked over his shoulder. "Why?"
"Kinsac's rental was seen in the area."
Ziva blinked. "He didn't trench the car?"
"I think you mean ditch the car." Tony grinned unable not to correct her, stepping into the elevator. "And evidently he hasn't found another means of transportation yet."
"Never hurts to have the bad guys be stupid now and again," Gibbs noted dryly with a gleam in his eyes.
It was a look Tony knew well. He could feel his own pulse quicken in response. The thrill of the chase was almost...almost as good as sex. Tony could feel himself grinning, ready and eager. He wished they were in the elevator alone, but that would have to come later. Warren didn't know it yet, but his ass was about to be toasted.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Summary of the case...and they have a solid lead.