Manhunter - A Watcher!Abby fic part 2/3
So it's been a while, again, apologies for that everyone but as some of you will know, RL hasn't been great lately. Anyway, here's the next part of Watcher!Abby. You can read the first part of this fic here and the rest of the Watcher!Abby series can be found here.
Thanks as ever to my co-conspirator and co-author strangevisitor7 for her invaluable beta duties. And none of it belongs to me, still, despite my frantic bidding on e-bay.
Manhunter Part 2
As the dark sedan tore through traffic, Mathew was forced to remind himself that he wouldn’t die if they crashed. Gibbs’ method of driving was aggressive, to say the least, and Mathew wasn’t a very good passenger at the best of times. In an attempt to distract himself from his somewhat irrational fear, Mathew tried to strike up a conversation.
“What makes you think that Castle’s wife will know anything?” When Gibbs didn’t answer Mathew answered the question himself. “She’s already been interviewed by us and the locals. It’s unlikely she’ll have anything new to say.”
Gibbs downshifted and turned the car right, forcing Mathew to grab the dashboard to stop himself from being thrown into Gibbs’ lap.
“Agent Truman, this killer is not just killing people who look like Eric Castle, he is destroying their bodies. That much hate against someone is personal. She knows something,” Gibbs replied and pulled the car to a stop beside the kerb. He placed his hand on the back of the passenger seat and turned to face Mathew. “Are you gonna let me take the lead on this?”
“I’ve already questioned Mrs. Castle, she’s all yours.”
Gibbs stared directly into Mathew’s eyes for a moment, and Mathew stared right back, wondering what Gibbs was thinking. The NCIS agent seemed to come to a decision and nodded before abruptly exiting the car. Mathew did likewise and walked quickly to catch up with Gibbs as they crossed the street to the Castle residence.
*-*
Tony and Ziva were heading back to their car when Tony stopped to look around. When Ziva realised he was no longer following her she too stopped.
“Tony, what is it?”
“Has anyone spoken to the dockworkers?” he asked. Ziva followed his line of sight and nodded in comprehension.
“I do not believe so. No one has come forward as a witness,” she replied.
“But none would voluntarily. Two murders and they don’t see anything? Come on,” Tony said and began walking toward a group of workers on the far side of the compound. They walked in silence for a few moments, unusual for Tony, so Ziva took the opportunity to talk to him about something that was bothering her.
“It is strange that Gibbs has asked Blaine to join this investigation, is it not?” Ziva commented. She knew it was, she just wondered what Tony thought of the situation.
“I’m sure Gibbs has his reasons.”
“Yes, but was it not just a week ago that he suspected Richie to be not who he says he is? There is no denying that he bears a remarkable resemblance to Richie Ryan.” Tony stopped and laughed.
“That’s just a freaky coincidence. He can’t possibly be Ryan, he’s too young. Or is it common for people in Israel to come back from the dead and not get any older?” he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. Ziva just smiled enigmatically and walked on.
*-*
Gibbs took the cup of coffee and sipped it, appreciating the way Rebecca Castle made it - good and strong. He waited for her to pass another to Agent Truman and then settle herself on the chair opposite.
“I’m not sure what I can tell you that I haven’t already said, Agent Gibbs,” she said. Gibbs smiled and took another drink before putting the cup down on the table in front of him and leaning forward conspiratorially.
“Mrs Castle, your husband was killed by someone who hated him enough to torch his body and then do the same thing to three other men. And you’re telling me you’ve no idea why?” he said.
It was perhaps a little harsher than he’d intended, but it was clear to him that the woman was concealing something and the soft approach obviously hadn’t worked. Mrs Castle glared at him but she didn’t reply, confirming Gibbs’ suspicions. He waited, staring at her until she finally relented.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell. That’s what you say in the military, isn’t it?”.
“Your husband was gay, and you knew?” Truman blurted out, surprised.
“I know how this must look, Agent Gibbs; but my husband and I loved each other very much. He just sometimes needed the company of men. As long as he came home to me each night I didn’t care,” she explained, her eyes defiant, daring Gibbs to challenge her. Gibbs nodded.
It didn’t rule out Rebecca Castle as a suspect, but she seemed sincere enough and Gibbs’ gut was telling him they were looking for a man.
“Thank you for your time and the coffee, ma’am,” Gibbs said as he got to his feet.
*-*
Richie strode into Abby’s lab to find the forensic scientist engrossed in something on her computer.
“Major Mass Spec has compared the traces of accelerant used in all four murders, Gibbs,” she said without turning around. “It’s a match in each case,” she continued and then turned. “Oh.”
“Sorry to disappoint, Abs,” Richie said with a grin.
“I’m not disappointed, how could I be? I love getting visits from my favourite Immortal. It’s just I have news and Gibbs is always here when I have news,” Abby explained.
“Well, you could tell me. I’m working the case too.”
“Really? Oh that’s fantastic Richie! I knew Gibbs would love you as much as I do,” Abby said and then flushed as she realised what she'd admitted. She turned quickly back to her monitor. “As I was saying…”
“What you got, Abs?” Gibbs said as he strode through the door, Caf-Pow! in one hand.
“See? He knows. It’s his superpower,” Abby said in a half-whisper as she punched Richie playfully on the arm.
. Smiling at Gibbs, Abby repeated her findings for the boss. “The accelerant used in all the murders was the same, Gibbs. Not just the same type of fuel, but the same brand. Unfortunately it’s a really common brand of gas used for lawnmowers mostly.”
“I thought you had something?” Gibbs raised an eyebrow and withdrew the Caf-Pow! Abby pouted.
“I wasn’t finished yet. The killer left a gas can at one of the scenes, and I managed to lift a partial print and some DNA from it. I’m running them now, I’ll get a result soon, but I can tell you with certainty that it’s definitely male,” Abby answered. Gibbs pulled the drink even further from Abby’s grasp and stared at her expectantly. “I’m still waiting for physical evidence from the first two victims, but I did find some fibres on the clothes Dr. Clifford was wearing… um, I mean his brother was wearing…”
“It’s okay, Abs. Just make sure you don’t say the wrong thing around the others,” Richie reassured her. Gibbs glowered at him, but said nothing.
“Anyway, it’s an interesting fibre, has some unusual chemicals on it. The boys will tell me more, but given the luminosity I’d say it’s from a high-vis jacket,” Abby finished with a small pleading look at the Caf-Pow. Gibbs smiled before finally handing over the drink.
“That’s good work, Abs,” he said and gave her a peck on the cheek. Richie smiled at the show of affection, now he could see why Abby had a different view of Gibbs than everyone else. “What have you found, Blaine?” Gibbs added and turned his attention to Richie.
“We pulled all the phone and credit records of the victims, found no commonalities. McGee was just getting access to LeStrade’s patient files when I came down to see if I could help Abby… Boss,” Richie added belatedly. Gibbs nodded.
“Get back upstairs and help McGee background check the patients.”
“Yes, Boss.”
*-*
Richie stared blankly at the large screen in front of him, not really sure what he was looking for in the information.
“Which ones am I supposed to flag, Tim?” he asked the agent who was seated at his desk.
“Gibbs wants us to find any patients with criminal records and especially any connection to the other victims,” McGee explained looking slightly smug at Richie’s confusion.
“Look, about earlier; I meant nothing by it, I’m just not used to Gibbs,” Richie said. Tim nodded, still focussed on his task; but then he paused and looked over to where Richie was standing.
“I have to ask, Richie. Why are you working on this case? You’re not an agent. Heck, you haven’t even finished college yet.”
“And not one week ago Gibbs suspected me of being a terrorist?” Richie added. Tim squirmed a little and Richie felt instantly guilty for being unfair. He smiled reassuringly. “Gibbs is satisfied I’m who I say I am. As to why he wants me on this case, your guess is as good as mine.”
“Well how about you stop guessing and start looking through those files?” Gibbs said as he strode into view.
“On it, Boss,” McGee replied and buried his nose back in his screen. “So far I’ve got two possible links; I’m running them down now.”
“Blaine?”
Richie gulped in panic, but then he spotted that the man whose file he was looking at belonged to a dockworker.
“Here’s something, this patient of LeStrade’s,” Richie said and pointed to the screen. Gibbs moved in for a closer look. “John Packer, he’s a dockworker.”
“Yeah? So?”
“Well, he works at the same dock where two of the victims were found. And I’d have thought a dentist that charges the prices LeStrade did would be too snooty for a docker, Boss. Besides, his offices are unusually far from both where Packer works and where he lives,” Richie continued quickly.
Gibbs looked at the file again and then seemed to scrutinise Richie for a moment before a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Not bad, Blaine. Now find me a link to Castle,” he said and then walked away. Richie beamed at the praise; faint as it was. Richie got the impression that Gibbs meant far more than he’d said.
“Wow Richie,” McGee said. Richie turned back to him and saw he was smirking. “That was impressive. I mean, I only thought Tony had that kind of luck.”
Richie chuckled.
“Beginners luck, Tim. I have no idea how to try and find a connection to Castle. Where do I start? Credit records? Phone bill?” Richie asked. McGee smiled.
“Phone records would be a good start. We can start there,” he answered. Richie returned the smile. He was grateful not only for Tim’s help, but that he seemed to have regained some of McGee’s trust and respect. He suspected he had Gibbs to thank for that. He still had a long way to go with all the team, but Richie knew that they followed Gibbs’ lead. As long as Gibbs trusted him, they would give him a chance and that was all he needed.
Now Concludes in Part Three
Thanks as ever to my co-conspirator and co-author strangevisitor7 for her invaluable beta duties. And none of it belongs to me, still, despite my frantic bidding on e-bay.
Manhunter Part 2
As the dark sedan tore through traffic, Mathew was forced to remind himself that he wouldn’t die if they crashed. Gibbs’ method of driving was aggressive, to say the least, and Mathew wasn’t a very good passenger at the best of times. In an attempt to distract himself from his somewhat irrational fear, Mathew tried to strike up a conversation.
“What makes you think that Castle’s wife will know anything?” When Gibbs didn’t answer Mathew answered the question himself. “She’s already been interviewed by us and the locals. It’s unlikely she’ll have anything new to say.”
Gibbs downshifted and turned the car right, forcing Mathew to grab the dashboard to stop himself from being thrown into Gibbs’ lap.
“Agent Truman, this killer is not just killing people who look like Eric Castle, he is destroying their bodies. That much hate against someone is personal. She knows something,” Gibbs replied and pulled the car to a stop beside the kerb. He placed his hand on the back of the passenger seat and turned to face Mathew. “Are you gonna let me take the lead on this?”
“I’ve already questioned Mrs. Castle, she’s all yours.”
Gibbs stared directly into Mathew’s eyes for a moment, and Mathew stared right back, wondering what Gibbs was thinking. The NCIS agent seemed to come to a decision and nodded before abruptly exiting the car. Mathew did likewise and walked quickly to catch up with Gibbs as they crossed the street to the Castle residence.
*-*
Tony and Ziva were heading back to their car when Tony stopped to look around. When Ziva realised he was no longer following her she too stopped.
“Tony, what is it?”
“Has anyone spoken to the dockworkers?” he asked. Ziva followed his line of sight and nodded in comprehension.
“I do not believe so. No one has come forward as a witness,” she replied.
“But none would voluntarily. Two murders and they don’t see anything? Come on,” Tony said and began walking toward a group of workers on the far side of the compound. They walked in silence for a few moments, unusual for Tony, so Ziva took the opportunity to talk to him about something that was bothering her.
“It is strange that Gibbs has asked Blaine to join this investigation, is it not?” Ziva commented. She knew it was, she just wondered what Tony thought of the situation.
“I’m sure Gibbs has his reasons.”
“Yes, but was it not just a week ago that he suspected Richie to be not who he says he is? There is no denying that he bears a remarkable resemblance to Richie Ryan.” Tony stopped and laughed.
“That’s just a freaky coincidence. He can’t possibly be Ryan, he’s too young. Or is it common for people in Israel to come back from the dead and not get any older?” he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. Ziva just smiled enigmatically and walked on.
*-*
Gibbs took the cup of coffee and sipped it, appreciating the way Rebecca Castle made it - good and strong. He waited for her to pass another to Agent Truman and then settle herself on the chair opposite.
“I’m not sure what I can tell you that I haven’t already said, Agent Gibbs,” she said. Gibbs smiled and took another drink before putting the cup down on the table in front of him and leaning forward conspiratorially.
“Mrs Castle, your husband was killed by someone who hated him enough to torch his body and then do the same thing to three other men. And you’re telling me you’ve no idea why?” he said.
It was perhaps a little harsher than he’d intended, but it was clear to him that the woman was concealing something and the soft approach obviously hadn’t worked. Mrs Castle glared at him but she didn’t reply, confirming Gibbs’ suspicions. He waited, staring at her until she finally relented.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell. That’s what you say in the military, isn’t it?”.
“Your husband was gay, and you knew?” Truman blurted out, surprised.
“I know how this must look, Agent Gibbs; but my husband and I loved each other very much. He just sometimes needed the company of men. As long as he came home to me each night I didn’t care,” she explained, her eyes defiant, daring Gibbs to challenge her. Gibbs nodded.
It didn’t rule out Rebecca Castle as a suspect, but she seemed sincere enough and Gibbs’ gut was telling him they were looking for a man.
“Thank you for your time and the coffee, ma’am,” Gibbs said as he got to his feet.
*-*
Richie strode into Abby’s lab to find the forensic scientist engrossed in something on her computer.
“Major Mass Spec has compared the traces of accelerant used in all four murders, Gibbs,” she said without turning around. “It’s a match in each case,” she continued and then turned. “Oh.”
“Sorry to disappoint, Abs,” Richie said with a grin.
“I’m not disappointed, how could I be? I love getting visits from my favourite Immortal. It’s just I have news and Gibbs is always here when I have news,” Abby explained.
“Well, you could tell me. I’m working the case too.”
“Really? Oh that’s fantastic Richie! I knew Gibbs would love you as much as I do,” Abby said and then flushed as she realised what she'd admitted. She turned quickly back to her monitor. “As I was saying…”
“What you got, Abs?” Gibbs said as he strode through the door, Caf-Pow! in one hand.
“See? He knows. It’s his superpower,” Abby said in a half-whisper as she punched Richie playfully on the arm.
. Smiling at Gibbs, Abby repeated her findings for the boss. “The accelerant used in all the murders was the same, Gibbs. Not just the same type of fuel, but the same brand. Unfortunately it’s a really common brand of gas used for lawnmowers mostly.”
“I thought you had something?” Gibbs raised an eyebrow and withdrew the Caf-Pow! Abby pouted.
“I wasn’t finished yet. The killer left a gas can at one of the scenes, and I managed to lift a partial print and some DNA from it. I’m running them now, I’ll get a result soon, but I can tell you with certainty that it’s definitely male,” Abby answered. Gibbs pulled the drink even further from Abby’s grasp and stared at her expectantly. “I’m still waiting for physical evidence from the first two victims, but I did find some fibres on the clothes Dr. Clifford was wearing… um, I mean his brother was wearing…”
“It’s okay, Abs. Just make sure you don’t say the wrong thing around the others,” Richie reassured her. Gibbs glowered at him, but said nothing.
“Anyway, it’s an interesting fibre, has some unusual chemicals on it. The boys will tell me more, but given the luminosity I’d say it’s from a high-vis jacket,” Abby finished with a small pleading look at the Caf-Pow. Gibbs smiled before finally handing over the drink.
“That’s good work, Abs,” he said and gave her a peck on the cheek. Richie smiled at the show of affection, now he could see why Abby had a different view of Gibbs than everyone else. “What have you found, Blaine?” Gibbs added and turned his attention to Richie.
“We pulled all the phone and credit records of the victims, found no commonalities. McGee was just getting access to LeStrade’s patient files when I came down to see if I could help Abby… Boss,” Richie added belatedly. Gibbs nodded.
“Get back upstairs and help McGee background check the patients.”
“Yes, Boss.”
*-*
Richie stared blankly at the large screen in front of him, not really sure what he was looking for in the information.
“Which ones am I supposed to flag, Tim?” he asked the agent who was seated at his desk.
“Gibbs wants us to find any patients with criminal records and especially any connection to the other victims,” McGee explained looking slightly smug at Richie’s confusion.
“Look, about earlier; I meant nothing by it, I’m just not used to Gibbs,” Richie said. Tim nodded, still focussed on his task; but then he paused and looked over to where Richie was standing.
“I have to ask, Richie. Why are you working on this case? You’re not an agent. Heck, you haven’t even finished college yet.”
“And not one week ago Gibbs suspected me of being a terrorist?” Richie added. Tim squirmed a little and Richie felt instantly guilty for being unfair. He smiled reassuringly. “Gibbs is satisfied I’m who I say I am. As to why he wants me on this case, your guess is as good as mine.”
“Well how about you stop guessing and start looking through those files?” Gibbs said as he strode into view.
“On it, Boss,” McGee replied and buried his nose back in his screen. “So far I’ve got two possible links; I’m running them down now.”
“Blaine?”
Richie gulped in panic, but then he spotted that the man whose file he was looking at belonged to a dockworker.
“Here’s something, this patient of LeStrade’s,” Richie said and pointed to the screen. Gibbs moved in for a closer look. “John Packer, he’s a dockworker.”
“Yeah? So?”
“Well, he works at the same dock where two of the victims were found. And I’d have thought a dentist that charges the prices LeStrade did would be too snooty for a docker, Boss. Besides, his offices are unusually far from both where Packer works and where he lives,” Richie continued quickly.
Gibbs looked at the file again and then seemed to scrutinise Richie for a moment before a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Not bad, Blaine. Now find me a link to Castle,” he said and then walked away. Richie beamed at the praise; faint as it was. Richie got the impression that Gibbs meant far more than he’d said.
“Wow Richie,” McGee said. Richie turned back to him and saw he was smirking. “That was impressive. I mean, I only thought Tony had that kind of luck.”
Richie chuckled.
“Beginners luck, Tim. I have no idea how to try and find a connection to Castle. Where do I start? Credit records? Phone bill?” Richie asked. McGee smiled.
“Phone records would be a good start. We can start there,” he answered. Richie returned the smile. He was grateful not only for Tim’s help, but that he seemed to have regained some of McGee’s trust and respect. He suspected he had Gibbs to thank for that. He still had a long way to go with all the team, but Richie knew that they followed Gibbs’ lead. As long as Gibbs trusted him, they would give him a chance and that was all he needed.
Now Concludes in Part Three