“What? What about Speed’s death?” Ryan asked clearly shaken by the turn the conversation had taken.
Tony stood up and began pacing. “You know that I have been investigating Ezra’s shooting whenever I have the chance.” Tony stood and looked at Ryan running his hands through his hair. “I do that with a lot of the open cases I have never had a chance to solve.”
Tony turned and started pacing again. “I never intended to look into Speed’s death. The perps had been caught, it wasn’t an open case.” Tony continued pacing waving his hands around as he spoke to emphasize his words.
“But the more time that passed, the more concerned I became.” Tony stopped again and faced Ryan looking into his cousin’s hazel eyes. “You never mentioned a hearing, an arraignment, a trial, no legal action at all. There should have been something a bail hearing at least. I asked one of my contacts to find out what was happening.”
Ryan looked at Tony and amazement he never realized, it never crossed his mind, how could he forget that his lover’s killer of never went on trial. Well not the killer, Horatio had taken care of the man who took the actual shot, but the owner of the store. He had gotten so wrapped up in his grief and his new job that he had not even realized the passage of time. Tony had resumed pacing and continued with his monologue.
“My contact did not even find an arrest record, no fingerprints, no mug shots, absolutely nothing in the system relating to an arrest in the death of the CSI Speedle. There were some rumors that the FBI had become involved. I tried to obtain any information from the FBI about Speed’s death or an investigation, federal charges, anything. I kept coming up empty. Finally had to call my old friend Fitz. He got…” Tony’s voice broke and his eyes became moist, Tony cleared his throat and continued on, “He sent me a file. Took me a few days to look at it needed to make sure I would be alone and have the time to really read the contents you know.” Gibbs spent a considerable amount of time at Tony’s apartment. Tony wanted to view the file when he knew he would be alone.
Tony went silent at this point. He had no clue how to tell his cousin about the actual identity of the man who owned the jewelry store where Speed was shot and killed. Ryan knew about Ari, hell after Ari kidnapped Kate and Marta nearly killed Tony the whole family knew about Ari and what he had done to Tony’s team. Mary had pulled a bunch of favors and visited NCIS with Mohammed as the wife of a presidential advisor. She played the part of an Islamic wife to the hilt. Tony nearly didn’t recognize her. The news of exactly who the intruder at NCIS was ran through the family like wildfire. Everyone knew about Ari.
Once Fornell told Gibbs that Ari was actually a Mossad agent undercover in Al-Queda, then Tony had felt that there was no need to fear him. The fact that he was wrong meant Tim paid with his life.
Tony took a good look at Ryan. He knew the younger man had been having a rough time ever since Speed’s death, the last thing he wanted to do was to upset his cousin any further, but he HAD to tell Ryan what he had learned. It would be easier to keep the information to himself but it would be deceitful and if Ryan ever found out Tony had kept something so important from him then their relationship might never recover.
“I read the file, at least I read whatever had not been blacked out. It didn’t really tell me much, but there was a video tape with the file.” Tony had resumed pacing he didn’t want to see Ryan’s face for this.
“I watched the tape, then I trashed my apartment.”
“Why?” The words sounded old and rusty as if the person speaking them had not spoken in eons. Ryan cleared his throat and tried again. “Why trash your apartment. I mean I am sure it was a shock seeing "“ Ryan’s voice broke and he cleared his throat again, “ seeing Tim” The tears started falling as Ryan’s voice broke again, “ gunned down, You guys were friends for a long time, but it shouldn’t cause that strong a response.” The tears continued to pour down Ryan’s face.
Tony came to sit next to Ryan again on the bench. Tony lowered his voice. “It wasn’t,” Tony cleared his throat and started again, tears were running down his cheeks as well now.
“It wasn’t that he was gunned down, as aw-wful as"that was.” Tony paused to take a breath and try to collect himself. “I saw the face of the man who owned that damn jewelry shop, the man who had him killed and I know him. I saw that same damned face for 3 months on the computer on Gibbs desk running through facial recognition software constantly, day in and day out.”
Ryan stopped crying though his cheeks were still wet. “What are you saying Tony?” Ryan was completely bewildered. He knew of only one person who Gibbs had done that for.
“I’m saying that the owner of the jewelry store where Tim was shot s the same guy, the TERRORIST that Gibbs was looking for for 3 months last year. The guy that shot Gerald in the arm and disabled him to the point that he has been unable to come back to work. I’m saying that the guy who called himself Rudy Solvenko, is really Ari Haswari. Mossad double agent. I’m saying the FBI did a Massive cover-up.” Tony wasn’t shouting he knew that he couldn’t shout he didn’t want this information to go any further than it had already gone but the intensity of his voice had increased exponentially.
Ryan sat there in stunned silence. He knew the answer to the next question, he had learned early in life that there were no such things as coincidences at least not with something of this magnitude. He still had to ask to confirm with his cousin that he thought the same thing. “You don’t think that it was just an odd occurrence do you? A freak coincidence.”
Tony laughed mirthlessly, “I sincerely doubt it. This man led us on a merry chase. He had me stalked by a jogger. He had a team pull Kate off the street. His team was polished they knew exactly what they were doing. It was no accident or coincidence.”
Ryan felt his OCD closing in on him. He had felt on edge all evening ever since he knew the NCIS team was going to be coming to Miami. He needed to get out and get some air. He started hyperventilating mildly. Pale as a ghost.
“I have,” Ryan took a gulp of air. I have to get out of here.” He quickly exited the locker room never seeing Alexx standing in the shadows.
The ME was shocked to say the least and felt somewhat betrayed. Why didn’t her baby let her know he had found someone special.
About Ryan she was torn between being angry with him that both he and Timmy kept this a secret from her, and a nearly incomprehensible sadness for the pain that Ryan must be going through both because of what his cousin just told him and because of the way he has been treated by his lover’s former co workers. She is glad she had come around on her own before she found this out. If she had waited she knows that Ryan would never have accepted a relationship with her.
Alexx made a move to leave staying as silent as possible. Half thinking to track Ryan down and make sure he was alright when a deadly quite voice stops her cold.
“Hear anything interesting Dr Woods?”
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