Gibbs mentally ran through the events of the last evening, night and morning. He knew for a fact Maggie couldn't have been involved. But someone was doing a heck of a frame up job. He knew he had to get to the bottom of it before the high-profile case was taken out of his hands. He quickly made his way to autopsy.
"Time of death, Duck?" he asked shortly, his eyes reflecting the intensity of the situation.
"Sometime between 23:00 hours last night and 01:00 this morning," Ducky stated definitively. He could sense Jethro's mood and cut directly to the answers with no embellishment. "It appears the bodies were mauled by some sort of animal, Jethro," he began to explain. "The missing parts could, in fact, have been ingested by the creature."
"You're the second person who has presented that theory," Gibbs said. "Duck, we need to be sure. Test and the retest everything. Look at every possible angle. Find out if it could have been faked somehow. Look at what sorts of animals could be responsible for this kind of damage. I want multiple scenarios," he ordered as he walked out of the room. "ASAP, Duck!" Ducky heard his voice echoing as Gibbs left.
"Abs, whaddya got?" Gibbs asked as he walked into the forensics lab. The looks on hers and Maggie's faces made him wince. "What?"
"Gibbs, I don't know how, but the DNA I pulled from the saliva on the wounds of the victims was a perfect match to Maggie's DNA," Abby explained quickly. "I know she didn't do it, boss," she added. "I just have to dig deeper."
"You got that right," he confirmed. "Find out who's really done this, Abby." He turned to Maggie. "Let's go upstairs, Sullivan," he said as he took her by the arm. He led her onto the elevator and pressed the button. He hit the elevator stop switch and turned to Maggie.
"Jethro, I swear…" she began.
"Maggie, shhh…" he said, turning her to face him. "I know you didn't have anything to do with this. I'm your alibi, remember? And even if I hadn't been with you last night, I know there is no way…"
She interrupted him by pressing her lips to his. Grasping her arms in his hands, he pulled her roughly to him and deepened the kiss. She sighed as he pulled away.
"Thank you for believing in me," she said quietly. He smiled and started the elevator. He gave her a sideways look.
"Jeff?" he said scornfully.
"It was the best I could do under the circumstances," she said with a giggle.
"I hate that name," he admitted.
"So do I," she agreed. "How did you…?"
"I always know," he smirked. She laughed, and then quickly schooled her features as the elevator doors opened.
Gibbs led her through the bullpen toward the interrogation room. The entire team followed, clearly going to the observation area to watch Gibbs question her.
"Agent Gibbs," Director Shepard approached quickly, leading a man familiar to Maggie. "This is Director Murphy of NPID. They are going to be working with us on the investigation," she added with a look in her eye that dared him to challenge her authority. He didn't.
"Director Murphy," Gibbs greeted him, as he shook his hand firmly.
"Nice to see you again, Director," Maggie said with a smile. "I'm sorry it couldn't be under better circumstances."
"Not your fault," he said with a reassuring smile. He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Don't worry; we'll get to the bottom of this. If all else fails, we can have Noah retrieve an exact account of the past 24 hours from your memory."
"I doubt that will be necessary," Gibbs interrupted. "I'd like to allow Agent Sullivan to retain as much dignity as possible through this investigation. I would hate for her most private thoughts to be on display to her coworkers."
Jenny gave him a big smile. "I agree," she said. "We should handle this as privately as possible." She led them into the interrogation area.
Gibbs sat down across from Maggie at the table in the interrogation room. She could hardly believe they were here, under these circumstances, playing this out. It was unimaginable. She met his gaze confidently, and prepared herself for his interrogation.
"Agent Sullivan, I'm going to have to ask you some difficult questions. I need you to answer me directly and honestly. Are we clear?" Gibbs began.
"Of course," she responded.
He proceeded grilling her with questions about werewolves and their habits and customs, particularly hers. She kept her answers brief and to the point, not giving any room for misinterpretation.
"Where were you between 23:00 hours last night and 01:00 this morning?" he asked her pointedly.
"I was home," she answered sincerely.
"Alone?" he asked.
"No," she answered with a cryptic smile.
"Care to elaborate, Sullivan?" he asked.
"I was with a friend," she answered simply.
"Does this friend have a name?" he asked.
"Of course," she answered with a smile. "Everyone has a name." He smiled, remembering a prior conversation that had gone similarly.
"Agent Sullivan," Gibbs began, "I understand your need for privacy and how uncomfortable it might be for you to give us this information knowing everyone you work with is on the other side of that glass. But you need to swallow your pride. It's not worth your life."
She met his gaze unwaveringly and then responded, "I won't tell you." He smiled.
"Yes you will," he told her. "You don't have to tell everyone, but you will tell Directors Shepard and Murphy and myself privately, understood?"
"Yes sir," she said. "Is that all?"
"That's it for now," he said. "Let's go," he took her by the arm, again. Directors Shepard and Murphy met them in the hall. "Your office, Director?" Gibbs questioned.
"Of course," she said, taking the lead.
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