| Subject: ...For Meritorious Service, Chapter 23c, part 3, section 2 |
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TxJAG_b
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Date Posted: 13:02:51 09/04/07 Tue
In reply to:
TxJAG_b
's message, "...For Meritorious Service" on 09:04:26 05/08/07 Tue
A/N: Okay, all the standard A/N's you've seen up to now still apply. I got a little carried away with this
chapter, so the sections had to broken up - but I promise
to finish this chapter today. Big thanks to Mary Ann and Janlaw for continued to 'pitch-beta'. Ready? Here we go...
2209 Local
NCIS Morgue
“How am I doing, Ducky, uh, I mean, how am I doing, Doctor Mallard?” Abby said in a serious tone. It sounded so unlike her that the NCIS Medical Examiner was momentarily taken aback.
“Uh, well, excellent, my dear, excellent. And Ducky is just fine, Abigail. Now make an incision about here, no more than a quarter of an inch….”
Abby had a big smile plastered on her impish face as she carefully tried to follow Ducky’s instructions.
Teresa had to admit Abby Sciuto was doing a first rate job. She made a mental note not to let first impressions fool her so easily. That kind of wrong thinking had led her to believe her father had killed her mother, when it actually turned out [as Harm had proved in the courtroom] that her mother had died accidentally.
Despite her visible tattoos, Goth make-up and clothes, Abby had all the makings of the first rate medical examiner. Teresa also made an additional note to call Harm as soon as possible and let him know what they had found so far.
“Very good Abby,”
“Thanks Ducky, I mean, thank you Doctor Mallard.” Abby continued her serious voice.
Ducky smiled and looked over at Teresa. “So what do you think, Commander Coulter?”
Teresa forced her mind into gear. “Well, the striations on the bullet that Abby found match your theory about what really happened to Sergeant Colwell. He wasn’t shot in a struggle; he was shot and killed at close range while facing the sniper. It’s as if Colwell were engaged in a conversation with the shooter.”
“Exactly my thoughts, my dear,” Ducky said nodding, “Exactly. Ah Gerald, there you are.”
Dr. Mallard’s lead orderly came into the room. “About finished with him, Doctor Mallard--” Gerald came to a dead stop when he saw her bloodstained smock. His mouth fell open in shock. “Abby!? What are you doing here? What are you doing?”
Abby look at Gerald with mock haughtiness, “*We* are performing an autopsy, Gerald.” She intoned.
Gerald threw her a sarcastic look. “We…you mean, you?”
Abby laughed out loud. “Heck no, I mean the three of us, I just helped.” Her voice reverted to the one they all were familiar with.
“Gerald, please prep Corporal Grearson’s body for autopsy. We have a mystery to solve.”
“The game is afoot, Doctor?” The lead orderly was trying hard to match the others’ merriment.
His efforts fell flat. An uncomfortable silence filled the room.
“Gerald please, as I’ve told you before, this is not dinner theatre.”
“Sorry doctor,” Gerald was wishing he was anywhere else but here. He started to grab Sergeant Colwell’s gurney in order to wheel it out of there.
Donald Mallard knew he had been riding Gerald hard lately, but it was only for his own good. He was also encouraging the man to attend medical school. When he thought about it, there was no reason to rain on his parade in this particular case.
It had actually been a pretty good assessment of what they were doing.
Ducky raised his hand and shook his head. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry, Gerald, you’re right, there *is indeed* game afoot tonight.”
Sims’/Roberts’ Household
Falls Church, Virginia
The phone rang only once before Harriet Sims grabbed the receiver.
“Hello?” The Lieutenant’s voice was wide awake with fear and dread. (Please don’t let it be about Bud….)
“Oh ma’am I apologize for calling you this late--”
“Sergeant Givers?” Harriet said with relief filling her voice. Her tone immediately changed to one of concern. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s Major Clemons, ma’am,” began the Sergeant hurriedly. “She came by to see me, to see how I was doing, and before you know it, she was crying and saying it was her fault I got hurt, and then she left her insignia--”
“Easy Sergeant, easy; slow down,” Harriet said soothingly to the obviously upset Sergeant Givers.
“The Major left her insignia on my night stand,” said Marla, regaining some of her control. “She said it was her fault that I nearly got killed, and oh Ma’am, I’m afraid she’s going to do something rash--”
“Sergeant, Sergeant Givers! Get a hold of yourself!” Harriet snapped, hoping the strength of a commanding voice would be enough to calm the obviously distraught Sergeant.
“Yes ma’am!” Marla quickly responded to the voice of a commanding officer. “Sorry ma’am, I--”
“It’s okay, Sergeant,” Harriet Sims said soothingly as she climbed out of bed and grabbed her robe, putting it on. “Now, did the Major say where she was going?”
“No ma’am.” There was a brief pause. When she came back on, Lieutenant Sims could tell that Sergeant Givers was back in control. “Where do you think she went, Lieutenant?”
“I have my suspicions, Sergeant.” Harriet Sims said firmly. “I think I know where she is. I’ll find her.”
“Yes ma’am; thank you ma’am, I’m sorry to have disturbed you--”
“It’s quite all right, Sergeant,” Harriet said as she walked over to the easy chair where her clothes were neatly arranged. She began to put on a pair of relaxed fit dress slacks. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
She cut the connection and put the phone down on the nearby dresser. Then she struggled with the blouse trying to get it to fit decently. “Come on Junior,” she grunted to the kicking child within her, “We gotta find a babysitter and find the Major before she does something stupid.”
2215 Local
NCIS Morgue
Gerald and Abby stood by as Ducky and Commander Coulter began their preliminary examination of Corporal Grearson.
Ducky opened the dead man’s mouth to examine his teeth. As he made note of an abscess on one of man’s molars, he spoke to the Navy Pathologist.
“I don’t see any evidence of preparation for burial on this man either, when did you intercept the Corporal?”
“We got him as he arrived at Dover Air Force Base yesterday. The family insisted that we investigate his death first.”
That caused the NCIS Medical Examiner to pause. He looked up at Teresa. “They did?”
“Yes. Something about the way he died. His mother said that her son would have never been shot by just some sniper. There had to be foul play involved.”
Ducky looked up at Teresa. “Indeed?”
She nodded. “Uh huh; do you want me to start the incisions, Doctor?”
Donald Mallard looked at the Forensic Pathologist and then at Abby and Gerald. “I think we should let them do the honors, don’t you?”
Teresa looked over at them. Abby looked eager to try again. Gerald seemed less sure about this.
She gave the M.E. a pleasant smile. She was beginning to understand that he was building a better rapport with his people. It was an admirable and endearing trait.
“Of course, Doctor.”
That was all the encouragement the Goth girl needed. Abby grabbed a reluctant Gerald’s arm before he could say anything. “C’mon Gerald, it’s easy, I’ll let you cut first!”
0640 Local
Officer’s Mess
Camp Chesty Puller
Sturgis Turner settled down at the table with his tray of food and coffee. He quickly scanned the room looking for his tall academy buddy and that inscrutable Marine Lieutenant Colonel partner of his. They were nowhere to be seen.
The Bubblehead dug into his food. He had slept in a little later than usual this morning simply because he his brain had still been tossing around all the information that Bud Roberts had given him yesterday. It was a lot to digest.
Sure PFC Secord had confessed, but now like Bud, he really couldn’t believe that this Marine had been a one-man hit team, eliminating so many people. No, Adam Secord had help. Okay, so who had helped him? Or better yet, who was a better suspect as the real killer?
Thankfully, their list of suspects had been shortened considerably with the deaths of Corporal Grearson, Sergeant Colwell, and PFC Krivstad.
Sturgis thought again about what he had read in Mac’s report Special Agent Webb. It was that last paragraph, he had read before the final court proceedings began that planted the idea in his mind.
‘…it is highly likely that the traitor within unit OIF-M7 is at the least a junior commissioned officer but more likely, a mid-level commissioned officer. All recent activity related to terrorist acts in the region indicate a commissioned officer is aiding enemy efforts. See Appendix C, likely suspects….’
As Sturgis chewed over those thoughts, he saw out of the corner of his eye Lieutenant Bud Roberts making his way toward his table.
“I don’t see the Commander or the Colonel, where are they this morning, Bud?”
Bud set his tray on the table. “They just left, sir. The Colonel reports to Colonel Livingston’s unit this morning and the Commander had to check in with Major Barnett.”
He stiffly sat down across from the Navy Commander. He sometimes still had awkward moments with his new leg.
“I see.” Sturgis took a sip of his coffee and made a face. He was actually starting to miss Tiner’s brew.
Both men ate in silence for a moment.
“Uh, Sir?”
“Yes Bud?”
“Saturday, just before the Court Martial got underway, you said you think you know who might have killed Lieutenant Dodge.”
The Bubblehead paused. “I did?” He set his fork down. “I guess I did at that.” He admitted.
“Who do you think did it, sir?” Bud seemed anxious to know what the Commander thought.
“Well, I don’t believe PFC Secord did it, Bud.” Sturgis said evasively.
Bud gave him a look of agreement. “Neither do I, sir.”
The former submarine officer decided to see what the junior JAG Corps officer’s thinking was on the subject. “Who do you think did it, Bud?”
Bud met his challenge head on. “Well sir, I think Captain Lewis had something to do with it.”
“Captain Lewis?” Sturgis’ mind immediately flew back to Mac’s report about OIF-M7 ‘…a mid-level commissioned officer….’
“Yes sir.” Bud said firmly.
“What makes you think he did it?” Sturgis didn’t mean for his words to come out sounding harsh, but they did, nonetheless.
Litigator Lieutenant Roberts was unruffled. He had been prepared for this kind of reaction. “He’s apparently good friends with Colonel Livingston. She was doing everything possible to move the hearing, and then the trial, along. I didn’t think anything about it at first, sir. But the longer it went on, the more I noticed him conferring with the Colonel. Especially when things looked bad for our case against Lieutenant Lukens and Chief Warrant Officer Buell. And there was something else,”
The preacher’s son was truly impressed with Bud’s observations. The Lieutenant had not only been able to focus on the case at hand but he had picked up on the subtle communication between Colonel Livingston and Captain Lewis without letting it color his co-prosecution. “Go on Lieutenant,”
“Well sir, he’s connected in some way to everyone who’s died or disappeared.”
Sturgis stopped eating for the second time since their talk began. “You never told me that, Bud.”
The Lieutenant’s half-embarrassed expression was designed to let the Commander know he hadn’t thought this information was very important. “They were my own private suspicions, sir. The information I found at the time had no bearing on our case.”
Sturgis’ sense of justice was offended by this statement, but the lawyer in him knew what the Lieutenant was saying was correct.
“That’s true, Bud. But now that we have our case out of the way, we need to look at any piece of information that comes our way. That includes your suspicions. Do you have any solid evidence that points to the Captain?”
“Well, the Colonel and I, when we were doing our witness interviews, learned from the other witnesses that Captain Lewis is an expert marksman, sir.”
Sturgis took another sip from his cup. “He is, is he?”
Bud nodded grimly. “Yes sir. And he knows a lot about rifles, Commander, especially sniper rifles.”
Bud Roberts was making some serious accusations. “What are you suggesting, Lieutenant?”
He took a deep breath and then looked the Commander directly in the eyes. “Sir, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think he used a rifle that can fire 9mm rounds to kill Lieutenant Dodge. I don’t think Secord has the skill or ability to create such a rifle, but I think the Captain does.”
Sturgis sat back. “That doesn’t sound as crazy as you might think, Bud.”
“Really, sir?”
Sturgis nodded his head. “If you’re going where I think you’re going, I saw the same Sherlock Holmes episode.”
The junior JAG Corps officer looked befuddled. Of all of them, Commander Sturgis Turner had been the most level headed. Were they rubbing off on him? “Then you think it’s possible, sir?”
Sturgis gave the junior JAG officer a reassuring smile. “Let’s just say it’s not outside the realm of possibility, Lieutenant. But we need to test our theory first, though.”
“We can ask for help from Doctor Mallard, the NCIS Medical Examiner.” Bud offered.
Sturgis nodded as he finished his coffee. “I was thinking the same thing, Lieutenant. Grab your cover and let’s go over to Gibbs’ quarters and see if we can arrange to do just that.”
0715 Local
Videoconference Room, MEU Headquarters
Camp Chesty Puller
Near Mirbullah, Iraq
Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs took a long pull on his foam coffee cup. It wasn’t Starbucks, but it did have a good kick to it. Marine brew usually did.
His eyes slid over to the MEU communications technician who had just finished re-booting the videoconference CPU. Then his eyes went to the two JAG officers who had just asked him if they could sit in on this video teleconference (VTC).
He had thought about saying ‘no’, but this was a joint JAG-NCIS investigation, so against his better judgment, he let them stay.
“I have the connection with NCIS Headquarters, Special Agent Gibbs.”
Gibbs nodded, “Thanks Sergeant. Ducky, can you hear me?”
The voice of Doctor Donald Mallard was surprisingly chipper despite the late hour in D.C. “Loud and clear, Jethro. Is that Tony and Commander Coleman with you?”
“Hey Ducky,” Tony said in his usual jocular manner.
“Good evening Doctor Mallard,” Faith said in her usual clipped tones.
“And a good morning to you, Tony, Commander.”
Gibbs knew he had to get the medical examiner back on track, or they would be here all morning. “Ducky! What have you got for me?”
The doctor seemed somewhat startled. “Oh sorry, Jethro, we--”
His findings were drowned out by a petulant voice belonging to a young woman in the background waving her arms. “Hey Gibbs! Hey! Aren’t you even going to say hello?”
The senior NCIS Special Agent knew that woman’s voice right away. “Hello Abbs,” Gibbs ground out.
Abby was unruffled by Gibbs’ growled response. “Boy, who knew you were such a grump at this hour, Gibbs? Is that any way to talk to a friend?”
The senior NCIS Special Agent gave Abby a hard stare which immediately quieted her. “Ducky?”
“Ahem, Right you are, Jethro. With the help of Commander Coulter…she was asked by Admiral Chegwidden to help us, by the way…anyway, we found something you might find very interesting.”
“I’m listening.”
“Our autopsy of Sergeant Colwell revealed that the man was shot at point blank range. Jethro, a first year medical student should have spotted this….”
“So what you’re telling me is that the Captain lied to us.”
The NCIS M.E. nodded. “Without a doubt, Jethro; the angle of the entry wound is wrong for someone who was struggling with another person. The person who killed our good Sergeant was facing him as if in conversation, not in a heated struggle.”
“Thanks Ducky.”
“And there’s something else….”
“Yeah Duck?”
“Well, I’d better let Abby tell you. Abby?”
“First, you know PFC Krivstad? Well, he was beaten to a pulp, literally. And then his neck was crushed – not just snapped. Ducky’s right, Gibbs, the MEU doc over there is either incredibly dumb, or part of this. And whoever used the guy as a punching bag, was working out a lot of anger and frustration. But the big surprise; guess what I found out when I took the bullets that we retrieved from Lieutenant Dodge, Corporal Grearson, and Sergeant Colwell to the lab and ran some tests?”
A new voice responded. “The rounds were fired from a rifle specially chambered to also fit 9 millimeter rounds as well as normal rifle rounds.”
Abby came closer to the screen and shaded her eyes so she could get a better look at the people in the Mirbullah videoconference room. “Wow, uh, I hate to sound crass, but who are you? And how did you know that?”
Gibbs had been so focused on getting this meeting started, that he had forgotten he’d allowed Commander Turner and Lieutenant Roberts to sit in.
“Ducky, Abby, Commander Coulter, this is Commander Sturgis Turner and Lieutenant Bud Roberts, JAG Corps.”
Sturgis stepped closer to the video screen. “It was actually Lieutenant Roberts’ theory….”
Ducky gave the JAG officers a friend smile. “Ah, Lieutenant Roberts, we haven’t heard from you in a while. And a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Commander Turner.”
Bud was intent on making his point. “Somebody went to a lot of trouble to make it look like those nine millimeter rounds were fired from a pistol and not a rifle when Lieutenant Dodge was killed.”
“That is an intriguing theory, Lieutenant. In the vein of Sherlock Holmes, I believe.”
“Yes sir,” Bud was glad his theory wasn’t being dismissed. “So you’ve seen the episode?”
“Absolutely Lieutenant; it just so happens to be one of mother’s favorite shows.” Ducky seem to bite off the last part of that statement.
Gibbs would have suppressed a grin knowing about Ducky’s mother’s eccentricities, but he was preoccupied by the thought that Rabb and MacKenzie might have actually struck gold and found the killer – practically right in front of them.
They knew from Ducky’s examination that Captain Lewis had most likely killed Sergeant Colwell. Now they had evidence, albeit circumstantial, tying him to Grearson’s and Dodge’s deaths.
This case was growing more convoluted by the moment. Gibbs wondered whether or not he should get Mac out of Darcy’s unit, since it seemed like everything that was tied to Lewis also led straight back to Darcy Livingston.
“Is that all you have for me, Abbs?”
Abby looked from Ducky to Commander Coulter and then back at the screen. “Well yeah, Gibbs, what else do you need?”
“I need hard evidence that Captain Lewis is our man,” the senior NCIS Special Agent said flatly, “and that there’s a connection between him and Colonel Darcy Livingston.”
Abby Sciuto looked up at the camera suddenly. “Darcy Livingston? Uh, Gibbs, I want you to promise me something.”
Gibbs tried hard to not to growl at her. “What is it, Abbs?”
“First, you have to promise me you won’t get mad…”
Gibbs stared hard again at his star Forensic Specialist.
“Promise,” she repeated a little more forcefully and with a hint of desperation.
Gibbs could feel his anger building, but he went along with her request. Maybe it was because, in a way, she reminded him of Kelly. “Okay Abby, I promise I won’t get mad.”
“Swear on your mother’s grave--”
“Abby!” The Goth girl flinched at his sudden Marine bark.
Abby began her babbling explanation. “Okay, okay…well, you know our case from about seven months ago? Well, what I didn’t tell you then is that I know Darcy…well, ‘know’ isn’t exactly the right word, but it fits in this case--”
“Abby!”
“It wasn’t important then, Gibbs,” she pleaded, “that’s why I didn’t mention it.”
Despite his fondness for her, Gibbs had almost reached the end of his patience. “How do you *know* her?”
Abby gave him a blank look. “You’re kidding right?” That earned her another hard stare. She melted. “Um, sorry Gibbs, it just slipped out. She was a well known person in our area.”
That wasn’t enough for Special Agent Gibbs. “Well known for *what*?”
“Uh, well known for being…a witch…and getting what she wanted.”
Tony couldn’t resist the opportunity to lighten suddenly tense moment. He moved closer to the screen. “Abby, when you say witch, do you mean in the sense of ‘I’ll get you, my pretty…and your little dog too’?
Abby, still intimidated from her encounter with Angry Gibbs, tittered nervously. Faith allowed a small smile to reach her lips.
Gibbs reached around and slapped Tony on the back of the head.
Tony rubbed the back of his head as he looked around at his superior. “It’s a reference to The Wizard of Oz, Boss,” he said by way of explanation.
“I know that,” Gibbs snapped, “but it’s not important to our case.”
Gibbs turned so he could see both Tony and Faith. “You two; get out there and find me a connection between Captain Lewis and Colonel Livingston!
“On it Boss!” Tony said automatically as he hurried towards the back of the room.
As Special Agent DiNozzo got within earshot of Faith, she whispered in his ear as she grabbed his arm. “He knows about The Wizard of Oz?” Her whisper had a definite light tone to it. That combined with her slight sneer was designed to irk Tony.
Gibbs knew she hadn’t meant for him to hear that. That’s why he answered the question. That and the fact she was needling Tony. That was *his* department. So he answered in such a fashion that it made it sound like that was the stupidest question in the world.
“Of course I know about The Wizard of Oz, *Commander*, what do think I do, live under a rock on the yellow brick road?”
Tony and Faith shared stunned looks.
Faith turned quickly back to Gibbs, trying to repair the damage. “Uh, no Gibbs, absolutely not, I mean, uh, of course not.”
“Find me a link between Lewis and Livingston, Commander.”
The coolness in his tone made Faith fight the urge to say ‘Aye Sir’ to him. That kind of a response would have only earned her more ridicule. She and Tony both scurried from the room.
As they departed, the two JAG Officers quietly excused themselves, leaving Gibbs with Ducky and company.
As they entered the hallway, Faith Coleman gave Tony another smirk. “I thought you said he wasn’t up on pop culture….”
Tony was ready for her. “It had to happen sometime, Fai – Commander Coleman. Law of Averages.” He had to watch it; he was getting too familiar with her. She did have a certain allure.
“Special Agent DiNozzo?”
Faith and Tony turned to see Bud Roberts and Sturgis Turner closing the distance between them.
Tony plastered his trademark grin on his face. “Hey, uh, Lieutenant Roberts, isn’t it? How’s it goin’?”
Sturgis let Bud do the talking. “I think we can help you with finding the link between Captain Lewis and Colonel Livingston….”
“Oh yeah?”
[will conclude this chapter in the next section]
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