Chapter Text
"Jethro, I'm bored," Jenny whined.
"You said that exactly five minutes ago. And five minutes before that." Gibbs said, not looking up from a magazine.
"But I'm still bored." He sighed and finally looked up, as she smiled in happiness that he was finally paying attention.
"You have your books," Gibbs pointed out.
"These," she said and motioned to the pile of books. "Are not the ones I want. The ones I read are in my closet. They are in a brown moving box. The books are all covered." Jenny looked at him pointedly when he didn't answer.
"Why are they in a box in your closet?"
"Just because, Jethro. Could you get them for me, please?" Jenny asked.
"What's the difference between these books and those at your house?" Gibbs asked.
"One day, when we're back at home, I'll read one to you," Jenny promised. Gibbs looked weary, but acquiesced.
"Alright. Anything else?" Gibbs asked. She shook her head and he advanced on her. He leaned down and gave her a kiss, right before leaving.
"Morning Abs," Gibbs said walking into Abby's lab with a Caf-Pow! The Goth whirled around to look at him.
"Gibbs!" She gave him a quick hug. "We got a lot of evidence from the car. Whoever did it didn't think about cleaning her car."
"Her? It a 'she', Abs?"
"Yes indeed. With brown hair and split ends. From the roots of the hair I found some DNA, waiting for a match."
"Nice goin' Abs," Gibbs said and handed her the Caf-Pow!, ready to leave.
"Not done, Gibbs!" Abby said exasperated. Gibbs turned back. "The plates on the second and third vehicle were stolen, and so were the cars actually. But from the Crime Scene photos and our sketches and Ducky's autopsy report from what we know about Jenny and Zach's injuries, I made a computer re-creation of the crash." She clicked a few buttons and it started. Jenny's car driving, the second car slamming behind it, sending it forward, where the third car ran right into it. In slow motion, you saw the four different 'victims'. The third-car driver launched forward, hitting his head on the windshield.
"The dead guy wasn't wearing a seatbelt, I concluded, because no way a seatbelt would've let his head hit the glass, and Ducky agreed. He was brain-dead. Now, the Director probably saw the car coming and curled up, well, more like she turned her back to the door while cringing her upper body together. Now, Zach's injury I don't get."
"He said he was showing Jenny something when the car hit."
"Yes, that makes sense, if his arm was in between the seats..." Abby typed some things. She smiled when she saw the right position. "Okay, now to the second car driver. The airbag deflated, so the person has heat-burns on her face and maybe her arms, too."
"Already knew that, Abs," Gibbs said impatiently.
"I know, Gibbs. But you can't ever get right to the good stuff, like a soap opera, you need to slowly build up the momentum, and you just killed mine, so—."
"Abby!"
"Oh, sorry! I noticed the seat was very close to the steering wheel. So, you're probably looking at a short person. But judging by impact and such, her arm must be broken."
"Because she was so close to the steering wheel?"
"Very good, Gibbs! You're catching on!" Gibbs turned to go again.
"Gi-hibbs! Not. Done. Yet," Abby sing-songed. "I think this car was long in possession of the driver, because I found a nice boot print where you would put your idle left foot. The car is automatic, so no clutch, meaning left foot bored. There was also a weird substance that Major Mass Spec chewed over and it came up as mangrove, a type of tree that's roots grows in water, but can grow out of it. It was the sap of it, which you would get by snapping a branch of the tree. I'm working on getting the list of places mangrove grows in DC. The boot is a Dr. Martens 7A70 Scanner 5-Eye Boot. It is commonly used by the Red Cross. I'm working with them for the list of volunteers and blood samples, because most of them are blood donors anyway. I'll cross check them with the DNA and addresses. And now I'm done," Abby said and took a long sip of the Caf-Pow! Gibbs kissed her cheek.
"Good work Abs," he said before leaving.
Gibbs walked into the bullpen and was surprised by the fact that nobody was there. Suddenly he heard a bunch of voices, and then a DiNozzo-squeak—it had been named so, because when Ziva would hurt Tony he would make a weird sound crossing between speaking and squealing, only something he could manage—and then some laughing. He looked up to see Ziva, Tony and McGee coming down the stairs. McGee was the first to spot Ziva.
"Hey boss!" he greeted dutifully.
"Hello Gibbs," Ziva said.
"Psh! You think you can fool me like that?! Impossi—oh, hey boss!" Gibbs tried to withhold a smile when Ziva punched him in the stomach, albeit soft.
"What've you got?"
"Our witness is feeling very anxious. He wants to help badly. It seems he feels guilty, not having had time to warn Jenny or something of that existent."
"Existent? Extent, Ziva, extent!" Tony said in mock frustration, stopping when both Gibbs and Ziva glared at him.
"McGee, driver, go!" Gibbs said and McGee grabbed the remote to the plasma.
"Stanley Heinze, 34. Born in California, grew up all-around. Florida, New York, Louisiana, Texas, Washington State, before attending University of California. Majored in—."
"Physics. Took a teaching job at UCF, University of Central Florida. He got fired when accused of raping a girl. It was proven a false accusation, but they did not re-hire him. He was homeless, somehow ended up in DC," Tony took over.
"I got that. His father was a business man, killed by an American soldier. His mother and his father's funeral were here, in DC. Stayed here ever since. He has a rap sheet, misdemeanors, mostly petty theft. He quieted down a while and got a job at PR office, as a janitor. I called the firm, turns out one day he didn't show up and they haven't seen him ever since." Gibbs nodded.
"There's more, boss," Tony said. "Two years ago he was charged with battery and assault. He beat his ex-girlfriend almost into a coma."
"Okay. Known associates?"
"Seven, Harold Tecklenberg, Carol-Ann Larson, Jason Larson, Amanda Tyson, Irma Flint, Patrick Salmow and M.S. Kick, a woman," Ziva added at the end.
"Harold Tecklenberg, born and raised in The Netherlands. He's there now, has been for three weeks, I checked immigration. Did some time for assault," Tony said.
"Carol-Ann Larson, native of Albuquerque. I could not reach her, but I called her work and they said she was in everyday for the past four days. She is a part-time bartender and a student. Did time for prostitution," Ziva said.
"Jason Larson, brother of Carol-Ann Larson, also a native of Albuquerque. Was also charged with prostitution. I couldn't reach him," McGee said.
"Amanda Tyson. Low-level model in Miami, born in Tampa. I called her, but she never picked up. She got caught charged with possession with intent to distribute," Ziva said.
"Irma Flint. New York City girl, born there, grew up there and in Seattle, in intervals of two years. Manslaughter and battery. She was on an airplane at the time of the accident, on her way from the Big Apple to Seattle," Tony said.
"Patrick Salmow. Got busted once for possession, and after that a few times for smuggling. He has lived in DC for the most part of his life, with the exception of one year in Oregon. He used to work at the same firm as Heinze. He's still there," McGee said.
"And lastly, M.S. Kick. Mary Sue Kick," Ziva said and Tony snorted. "What again Tony?"
"It's basically how people live. Marry, Sue and Kick." Tony was laughing, until Gibbs slapped his head and he stood up straight.
"Mary Sue Kick lives here in DC. She used to be a lawyer but got disbarred after leaking information. She then got hired by the same PR firm Heinze and Salmow. I called her, and she had an alibi, but she will stop by after work," Ziva said.
"Alright. Good work. Now, get me the Larson siblings, Tyson and Salmow!" Gibbs said, before walking out again.
"Gibbs!" Ziva yelled after him. He turned back.
"What is it?"
"Who is going to be the acting Director? And when can we see Jenny?" Ziva asked.
"I have to talk to her about that, and as soon as you find out who the hell did this." And with that, he left.
Gibbs had been searching everywhere. And then he finally spotted that damn box. How was he expected to see it? It was practically buried by her heels. He went to lift it up, but it was very heavy. He opened the lid, and books were lined to the top. He also saw her camera bag, recognizing it instantly. He took that, too, and put it on top of the now closed box. He resolutely walked out.
She was watching TV with Zach next to her, when she heard a loud 'thud'. Both she and Zach turned to the source of the sound, and she saw a brown box sitting next to the doorway.
"I really hope it's this box," Gibbs said.
"It is. And what is that?" she asked, amused, at the dark-green bag, with its strap flung over his shoulder.
"Your camera," Zach and Gibbs said at the same time, and both adults turned to look at him. Zach smiled harmlessly, and shrugged his shoulders.
"Lemme see," Jenny said, and took the bag from him. She undid the clip that held it closed and took the camera out. She took off the lens and aimed the camera at Zach, who stuck his tongue out. She clicked a few times, and every time, he changed his face to one more absurd than the last. Jenny laughed when she looked at the pictures, but stilled as soon as she had gone one too far. Zach bit his lip. Gibbs saw Jenny's mood change and went to stand behind her, surprised at the picture that decorated the screen. They shared a glance, before turning on Zach, who was looking around, feigning interest in the furniture.
"Zach?" Jenny said softly and turned the camera so he would see the picture. When he glimpsed at the picture, his face grew into a slow, deliberate smile.
"Cute," he said offhandedly.
"You took it?" Gibbs asked and Zach looked away, nodding slowly. Jenny smiled and looked at it.
"It was just too cute. I couldn't help it..." Zach said, defending himself.
"It's okay, Zach," Jenny said, but Zach kept his eyes on Gibbs. He shrugged and waved it off, making the boy smile. Jenny was looking through her old photographs.
"Gosh, this seems like so long ago, when I last took a picture," she mused.
"You took one no more than two minutes ago, Jen," Gibbs said with a smirk.
"You know what I mean Jethro... Oh, look!" She showed him the camera. It was the picture of Gibbs Zach had seen. Jenny tilted the camera a bit for Gibbs to see.
"Where was that?" Gibbs asked, and sat down behind Jenny.
"Paris. Before, I uh..." She trailed off, not wanting to say it.
"It's okay, Jen, you can say it."
"Before I left. A few days before. We were in that little café around the corner of the place we stayed. You got whipped cream all over your face, but I was too slow to get my camera and only managed to take an after-picture." Gibbs smiled as he recalled that memory. Zach was watching blatant interest at the couple in front of him.
"Zach, what are you doing here?" Gibbs asked, snapping him out of his reverie.
"Visiting Jenny," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Oh! I almost forgot!" Zach dug around his pocket and produced a green and a black Sharpie. "Sign my cast?" He handed the green one to Jenny and the black one to Gibbs and held up his right arm. They both signed it, making the boy very happy.
"Zach, you should be in the Children's Ward," Gibbs reprimanded lightly, remembering again.
"But Jenny's on bed rest, so she can't come to me, so I come to her. Besides, don't I get out tomorrow?"
"Maybe. I think she might change her mind if you're wandering around visiting people," Gibbs said, skeptically, but Zach took it the wrong way.
"Really? You think she'd let me leave earlier?" His eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
"No, I don't. Ten more minutes," Gibbs said.
"Thirty."
"Fifteen."
"Twenty-nine."
"Sixteen."
"Twenty-eight."
"Twenty minutes," Gibbs said and the boy nodded.
"Deal." Jenny merely laughed at the boys' antics.
"So, who is your doctor?" she asked. And by the look of his scrunched up face, she hit something.
"Some Sam lady. She likes Gibbs. I don't like her." Zach had crossed his arms across his chest.
"So I see." Jenny glanced amused at Gibbs. He could see her eyes sparkling with mock, and he was sure she would tease him later. "Why don't you like her?"
"Because she likes Gibbs."
"But why?" Jenny pressed. She knew the answer. She knew Gibbs knew the answer. But she still wanted to hear it.
"Because Mommy and Daddy should be together, not Daddy with some doctor-lady," Zach said, and both adults' smiles widened substantially.
"It's okay, Zach," Jenny whispered low, and had the pleasure of seeing Zach's face go from jealousy, to confusing, to understanding, to happiness.
"Really?!" he whisper-screamed. Both nodded. His smile nearly split his face in half. "Abby is gonna love this." Jenny blanched. If Abby knew, the whole world would know in a matter of minutes. She wasn't ashamed of her re-discovered relationship with Jethro, she just didn't want the whole world knowing about. She was a very private person, and didn't like to mix business with pleasure. Albeit she already broke that rule by dating Jethro. She didn't want it to get out of hand. And plus, she wasn't quite ready to face SecNav just yet.
"Don't tell Abby," Jenny said, in a pleading voice. Zach picked up on it and smiled.
"Okay." They talked until Zach's time was over, and he reluctantly said goodbye to Jenny—whispering in her ear that he'd come the next day—and went back to the Children's Ward, where Gibbs had told him what he heard. And yet, regardless of the warning he had gotten, the next day Zach snuck out of his section of the hospital, making his way over to hers.
"I miss school," Zach said. He and Jenny were lying on her bed. Jenny turned to face him, and he squirmed up to get on her eyelevel.
"Really?" she asked surprised.
"Not school, just the friends I see there." Zach shrugged.
"Tell me about them," Jenny urged, a smile gracing her lips.
"I have a best friend, Jason. And then there's Camden, Billy, Eddie and Johnny."
"No girls?" Jenny inquired.
"Just two. Twin sisters. Becky and Annie." Zach blushed pink at the last word.
"Zachary Alexander Tanner," Jenny said playfully. "Do you have a crush on Annie?" The boy's eyes went wide, and he shook his head fervently, albeit the bright red of his cheeks and ears completely contradicted it. "Honey, it's okay if you do." Zach cuddled closer to Jenny. She heard the sound of a camera going off and looked up, seeing Gibbs holding her camera and flaunting an impish grin. She smiled and shook her head.
"Kick is clean, her employers said she was a sit-in at a meeting," McGee said when Gibbs walked into the bull pen.
"The Larsons are here, in DC. They were spotted not too far away from where the accident happened. We haven't been able to track them down yet," Tony said.
"Amanda Tyson is clean. She was in New York City, doing a photoshoot. Photographer confirmed it," Ziva said.
"And what about him, Patrick Salmow?" Gibbs asked, pointing to the picture of the man on the plasma.
"We can't find him. It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth," Tony said. Abby came walking in.
"How much do you all love me?" she asked, with a smile on her face.
"Depends," Gibbs said and her face fell.
"Aww, Gibbs, I'm hurt. I found Salmow."
"I love you very much, Abs," Gibbs said. "Now tell me what 'cha got."
"Patrick Salmow, 39. He lived in DC most of his life, except for one year in Oregon—."
"Already knew that, Abby," Gibbs said, impatiently. She merely rolled her eyes.
"I have more. Except for one year, where he was in Oregon and three years Florida. Guess what? The years he was in Florida, Heinze taught at UCF. He was a janitor there. Then he came back to DC. He hasn't ever left the country. He was a Janitor at the PR firm before Heinze. According to their co-workers, they were very close. And that's when I found the juice. Heinze's father wasn't a business man. He used to own a pharmacy. That pharmacy was one of the three pharmacies in DC suspected of being a cover-up."
"Cover-up for what?"
"Drugs. Guess who was the manager at that pharmacy?" Abby asked excitedly.
"Salmow," all four said in unison.
"Good work, Abs," Gibbs said.
"Gibbs! This is getting really annoying, I'm not done yet," Abby said. "This is where the Larsons come in. Carol-Ann Larson was at the Albuquerque Library at the time. I hacked into their security cameras." Abby grinned. "Jason Larson was in jail when the accident happened."
"What?" Tony asked.
"Well, I got a cop from Albuquerque PD on the phone. The day before, Larson and another guy got into a bar fight. It was initiated by Larson, so they decided to lock him up for a day." Abby shrugged. She watched as everybody digested the information.
"I was bored and done with evidence, which by the way, Gibbs, the DNA didn't match anybody. So when I heard that your people found nothing, I got worried and thought I'd help, cause I could hack into stuff and I wanted to find the guy that did this to the Director, like really, really bad. And I hope—."
"You said 'this is where the Larsons come in', Abby. What did you mean?" Ziva asked.
"Good observation," Abby commented lightly. "They have an older brother, Albert Larson. Well, more like a half-brother. They have the same father. Albert Larson was born and raised in Maryland. He used to own the PR firm Heinze and Salmow work at. One time, they got sued by NCIS for what, I don't know. They lost, and had to pay a lot of money. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Jenny's the Director now."
"Well, let's go get him," Gibbs said.
"One minor problem. He's dead. He died in a car accident three years ago."
"Abby, a car accident? Did they investigate?" Gibbs asked, suddenly alarmed.
"Of course they did. It was exactly like the accident Jenny and Zach were in, except there was no car behind him."
"Any luck with the hospitals or clinics?" Everybody shook their heads, but Abby looked a little pale.
"He has a sister, Victoria Larson who's a doctor," Abby clarified.
"I want all of you on this," Gibbs barked at the four—who were staring wide eyed at a picture of the accident on the plasma—and promptly left.