Fic: Adagio for the Moon (Chapter 2/12) [NCIS 'Were!Verse]
Chapter Wordcount: 1,447
Chapter One
As soon as the team got back to NCIS, they went up to the bullpen, while Ducky started doing the autopsy on Petty Officer Warner. The scant amount of evidence they were able to collect was sent down to Abby in her lab so that the brilliant forensic scientist could work on it. Kate was waiting for them back in the bullpen, her spectral form shimmering ever-so-slightly under the fluorescent lights illuminating the bullpen.
'Hey, Kate,' Tony said, flashing her a grin. 'Just can't stay away, can you?'
Kate sighed. 'Tony, given that I can't exactly leave the building, there's not many places I can go,' she replied, leaning against Ziva's desk and crossing her arms over her chest. 'Anyways, what's the case about?'
'We have a dead Petty Officer downstairs by the name of George Warner,' Gibbs said, putting his gun back into its drawer. 'Used to be a werefeline; a tiger, according to his medical alert bracelet.'
He held up said stainless steel bracelet in its bag; it was identical to the one worn by each and every werecreature in the world. It helped identify what kind of beast they turned into, as well as any allergies to food and medication.
'Was he allergic to anything?' Ziva asked. 'I mean, besides the obvious silver allergy.'
'Nope,' Gibbs replied after a brief glance at the bracelet. 'DiNozzo, get me a BOLO on Warner's car. McGee, I want to know every place Warner's been the past two weeks. David, I want to talk to Warner's CO. Today.'
The three NCIS agents burst into a flurry of activity, Ziva and Tony going for their respective phones while Tim started typing rapidly on his computer, his fingers flying over his keyboard as he began to search for the necessary information. Gibbs settled back in his chair, listening to the sounds of his agents working. Kate watched him for a few seconds before shimmering out of view and reappearing down in Abby's lab.
Of the short list of the things Kate didn't really mind about being dead, being able to instantly transport from one place in the building to another was near the top. The music thrumming through the lab was some sort of electronica; its deep bass line and continually shifting modulated tones created an almost ethereal atmosphere within the sterile confines of the lab. Abby was sitting on one of the rolling chairs she kept in her lab, idly waiting for the results of her tests to come back.
'Abby,' Kate said, raising her voice to be heard over the music. Abby turned, a smile blossoming on her face when she saw Kate standing there.
'Hey, Kate,' Abby replied, gesturing to the free chair next to her. Kate took the seat, leaning back in the chair. 'Come to keep me company while the troops do their work?'
'Everyone else is busy, and Ducky hasn't finished the autopsy yet,' Kate said. Abby nodded.
'Yeah, I know. I'm running some of the samples Ducky collected from Warner's wrists,' she said. 'Major Mass Spec is grinding away at them as we speak.'
A few minutes later there was a beeping from the general direction of the mass spectrometer, making the two women turn away from their conversation about the music currently playing in the lab. Just as Abby went to get the printout from the printer, Gibbs walked in, bearing a Caf-Pow in one hand and his ever-present cup of coffee in the other.
'What d'you got, Abbs?' he asked, handing Abby the Caf-Pow before he acknowledged Kate's presence with a brief nod. Kate was used to her former Alpha's brusqueness, but still got up from her chair out of reflex, even though Gibbs showed no intention of taking it.
'Ducky was right,' Abby told him after taking a drink from the Caf-Pow. 'Warner was bound with silver chain. Well, with a silver-plated chain, anyways. I'm still working on that note you guys found.' She turned back to her computers and brought a scanned image of the note up on the plasmas. 'Nothing really stands out about the paper or ink- it's just generic printer paper and ink that's carried at all the major office supply and mega-marts around town.'
Kate silently read the short message and frowned. 'Hang on, the wording of that message looks familiar,' she said.
'That's because it is,' Abby told her. 'It's an adaptation of Ten Little Indians, which is a poem extensively used in Agatha Christie's novel, And Then There Were None. It's a good book, actually.'
'Must be why McGee said he recognized it,' Gibbs said. 'Thanks, Abbs.'
'I'm not done yet, Gibbs,' Abby said, turning back to face Gibbs. 'The pattern of the chain used to bind Warner is called a box weave. It's mainly used for jewelry made out of chain links; I've got a belt in the same style, actually.'
'Where can you get one?' Kate asked, looking intrigued.
'Online, mostly,' Abby said. 'I can't tell you where from, unfortunately, without the chains themselves, and even then, that's if the manufacturer put their mark on them. They could've been hand-made by the guy who killed Warner, though that'd be going to a lot of work when you could just buy a steel chain at a hardware store and then coat it with silver.'
'Good work, Abbs,' Gibbs told her, giving her shoulders a brief squeeze before leaving the lab, his long strides briskly taking him out of the room.
The sudden sound of Ziva slamming down the receiver of her desk phone onto its base made Tim startle and tear his eyes away from his computer screen, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of his annoyed teammate.
'Something wrong, Ziva?' he asked, trying to calm his heartbeat. Ziva growled in frustration before answering Tim's question.
'Yes, McGee, there is,' she snapped. 'I am being brickwalled by Warner's CO, a Commander Dalton, who is a most frustrating man. He would not tell me anything and kept calling me “sweetheart” every few minutes. I do not believe I will get anything useful from him.'
'I think you mean “stonewalled”, and I'm sorry,' Tim said, trying to soothe Ziva's anger. 'Maybe he'd respond better if someone else called him.'
Ziva gave him a narrow-eyed look. 'Like you or Tony?' she asked.
'Maybe he just doesn't like women, Ziva,' Tony said with a brief grin. 'Of course, it could be your charming personality that won him over.'
Before Ziva could respond to Tony's jibe, Gibbs came striding into the bullpen. 'Tell me someone's got something,' he said, coming to a halt in front of Tony's desk. 'DiNozzo!'
'No hits on the BOLO just yet, Boss,' Tony reported, adopting the rapid tone he always used when Gibbs demanded information. 'I did find out that Warner lived in Bethesda. Single, no kids, wife, or girlfriend on record to speak of, though I haven't talked to any of his neighbors yet to see if they know anything.'
Gibbs turned his attention to Tim, who quickly filled the brief silence left by Tony's finished report.
'Nothing unusual in his bank statements,' Tim said, grabbing the remote to the plasma tv from his desk and turning on said appliance. 'He paid his bills on time, kept a low balance on both of the credit cards in his name, and by all accounts was financially stable. His credit cards haven't been used in over a week, though. His last purchase was at a restaurant near his home. He bought two hamburgers and a Diet Coke.'
'Hell of a last meal,' Tony said. 'Personally, I would've gone for a steak.'
'Doubt he knew he was going to be kidnapped, Tony,' Gibbs said. 'Ziva!'
'Warner's CO, Commander Dalton, was not very helpful when I tried to talk to him, Gibbs,' she told him. 'He would not listen to me or anything that I had to say.' A slight snarl marred her mouth as she continued on with, 'He said that he would only talk to someone with the proper authority, and not to- and I quote -“A glorified secretary with a shiny tin badge and a toy gun.” He was most infuriating.'
'I'm sure he was,' Gibbs said, getting his gun out and putting it on. 'Gear up. Tony, take Ziva with you when you go to Warner's house. See if anyone saw anything. Warner had to have been taken from somewhere nearby. McGee, with me.'
'Where're we going, Boss?' Tim asked, grabbing his gun and badge as well and then following Gibbs to the elevator.
'To talk to Commander Dalton, McGee, where else? Get moving!'
Chapter One
As soon as the team got back to NCIS, they went up to the bullpen, while Ducky started doing the autopsy on Petty Officer Warner. The scant amount of evidence they were able to collect was sent down to Abby in her lab so that the brilliant forensic scientist could work on it. Kate was waiting for them back in the bullpen, her spectral form shimmering ever-so-slightly under the fluorescent lights illuminating the bullpen.
'Hey, Kate,' Tony said, flashing her a grin. 'Just can't stay away, can you?'
Kate sighed. 'Tony, given that I can't exactly leave the building, there's not many places I can go,' she replied, leaning against Ziva's desk and crossing her arms over her chest. 'Anyways, what's the case about?'
'We have a dead Petty Officer downstairs by the name of George Warner,' Gibbs said, putting his gun back into its drawer. 'Used to be a werefeline; a tiger, according to his medical alert bracelet.'
He held up said stainless steel bracelet in its bag; it was identical to the one worn by each and every werecreature in the world. It helped identify what kind of beast they turned into, as well as any allergies to food and medication.
'Was he allergic to anything?' Ziva asked. 'I mean, besides the obvious silver allergy.'
'Nope,' Gibbs replied after a brief glance at the bracelet. 'DiNozzo, get me a BOLO on Warner's car. McGee, I want to know every place Warner's been the past two weeks. David, I want to talk to Warner's CO. Today.'
The three NCIS agents burst into a flurry of activity, Ziva and Tony going for their respective phones while Tim started typing rapidly on his computer, his fingers flying over his keyboard as he began to search for the necessary information. Gibbs settled back in his chair, listening to the sounds of his agents working. Kate watched him for a few seconds before shimmering out of view and reappearing down in Abby's lab.
Of the short list of the things Kate didn't really mind about being dead, being able to instantly transport from one place in the building to another was near the top. The music thrumming through the lab was some sort of electronica; its deep bass line and continually shifting modulated tones created an almost ethereal atmosphere within the sterile confines of the lab. Abby was sitting on one of the rolling chairs she kept in her lab, idly waiting for the results of her tests to come back.
'Abby,' Kate said, raising her voice to be heard over the music. Abby turned, a smile blossoming on her face when she saw Kate standing there.
'Hey, Kate,' Abby replied, gesturing to the free chair next to her. Kate took the seat, leaning back in the chair. 'Come to keep me company while the troops do their work?'
'Everyone else is busy, and Ducky hasn't finished the autopsy yet,' Kate said. Abby nodded.
'Yeah, I know. I'm running some of the samples Ducky collected from Warner's wrists,' she said. 'Major Mass Spec is grinding away at them as we speak.'
A few minutes later there was a beeping from the general direction of the mass spectrometer, making the two women turn away from their conversation about the music currently playing in the lab. Just as Abby went to get the printout from the printer, Gibbs walked in, bearing a Caf-Pow in one hand and his ever-present cup of coffee in the other.
'What d'you got, Abbs?' he asked, handing Abby the Caf-Pow before he acknowledged Kate's presence with a brief nod. Kate was used to her former Alpha's brusqueness, but still got up from her chair out of reflex, even though Gibbs showed no intention of taking it.
'Ducky was right,' Abby told him after taking a drink from the Caf-Pow. 'Warner was bound with silver chain. Well, with a silver-plated chain, anyways. I'm still working on that note you guys found.' She turned back to her computers and brought a scanned image of the note up on the plasmas. 'Nothing really stands out about the paper or ink- it's just generic printer paper and ink that's carried at all the major office supply and mega-marts around town.'
Kate silently read the short message and frowned. 'Hang on, the wording of that message looks familiar,' she said.
'That's because it is,' Abby told her. 'It's an adaptation of Ten Little Indians, which is a poem extensively used in Agatha Christie's novel, And Then There Were None. It's a good book, actually.'
'Must be why McGee said he recognized it,' Gibbs said. 'Thanks, Abbs.'
'I'm not done yet, Gibbs,' Abby said, turning back to face Gibbs. 'The pattern of the chain used to bind Warner is called a box weave. It's mainly used for jewelry made out of chain links; I've got a belt in the same style, actually.'
'Where can you get one?' Kate asked, looking intrigued.
'Online, mostly,' Abby said. 'I can't tell you where from, unfortunately, without the chains themselves, and even then, that's if the manufacturer put their mark on them. They could've been hand-made by the guy who killed Warner, though that'd be going to a lot of work when you could just buy a steel chain at a hardware store and then coat it with silver.'
'Good work, Abbs,' Gibbs told her, giving her shoulders a brief squeeze before leaving the lab, his long strides briskly taking him out of the room.
The sudden sound of Ziva slamming down the receiver of her desk phone onto its base made Tim startle and tear his eyes away from his computer screen, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of his annoyed teammate.
'Something wrong, Ziva?' he asked, trying to calm his heartbeat. Ziva growled in frustration before answering Tim's question.
'Yes, McGee, there is,' she snapped. 'I am being brickwalled by Warner's CO, a Commander Dalton, who is a most frustrating man. He would not tell me anything and kept calling me “sweetheart” every few minutes. I do not believe I will get anything useful from him.'
'I think you mean “stonewalled”, and I'm sorry,' Tim said, trying to soothe Ziva's anger. 'Maybe he'd respond better if someone else called him.'
Ziva gave him a narrow-eyed look. 'Like you or Tony?' she asked.
'Maybe he just doesn't like women, Ziva,' Tony said with a brief grin. 'Of course, it could be your charming personality that won him over.'
Before Ziva could respond to Tony's jibe, Gibbs came striding into the bullpen. 'Tell me someone's got something,' he said, coming to a halt in front of Tony's desk. 'DiNozzo!'
'No hits on the BOLO just yet, Boss,' Tony reported, adopting the rapid tone he always used when Gibbs demanded information. 'I did find out that Warner lived in Bethesda. Single, no kids, wife, or girlfriend on record to speak of, though I haven't talked to any of his neighbors yet to see if they know anything.'
Gibbs turned his attention to Tim, who quickly filled the brief silence left by Tony's finished report.
'Nothing unusual in his bank statements,' Tim said, grabbing the remote to the plasma tv from his desk and turning on said appliance. 'He paid his bills on time, kept a low balance on both of the credit cards in his name, and by all accounts was financially stable. His credit cards haven't been used in over a week, though. His last purchase was at a restaurant near his home. He bought two hamburgers and a Diet Coke.'
'Hell of a last meal,' Tony said. 'Personally, I would've gone for a steak.'
'Doubt he knew he was going to be kidnapped, Tony,' Gibbs said. 'Ziva!'
'Warner's CO, Commander Dalton, was not very helpful when I tried to talk to him, Gibbs,' she told him. 'He would not listen to me or anything that I had to say.' A slight snarl marred her mouth as she continued on with, 'He said that he would only talk to someone with the proper authority, and not to- and I quote -“A glorified secretary with a shiny tin badge and a toy gun.” He was most infuriating.'
'I'm sure he was,' Gibbs said, getting his gun out and putting it on. 'Gear up. Tony, take Ziva with you when you go to Warner's house. See if anyone saw anything. Warner had to have been taken from somewhere nearby. McGee, with me.'
'Where're we going, Boss?' Tim asked, grabbing his gun and badge as well and then following Gibbs to the elevator.
'To talk to Commander Dalton, McGee, where else? Get moving!'