Interrogation, Part 1
Author: Raindrops on Roses
Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama, Romance
Spoilers: Through "Marine Down"
Disclaimer: These characters belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, et al.
Her watch ticked loudly in the small concrete room. Normally, she would have worn her digital watch, but Gibbs had taught her his interrogation methods well. She remained silent, staring at the woman dressed in a wrinkled suit. The woman stared back defiantly, a sneer marring her pretty features.
Kate stood and walked over the door. Clasping her hands behind her back, she gazed out the window, seemingly complacent. Inside, however, she was a mess.
Gibbs had been missing for a week. When he hadn't called in to work on Tuesday, Kate and Tony had become worried. Gibbs was one of the most responsible men Kate knew--even if he was a bit unorthodox at times--and she was certain that he would have called if he could. She had gone to Gibbs' house. Nothing there was out of place. Gibbs' answering machine light had been blinking. When she pressed the button, she discovered that the first message was from his ex-wife--his third one. She had demanded to meet him at a bar in Georgetown. Kate had gotten a gut feeling that something was up.
When she had told Tony her suspicions, he had laughed. When she had told him the state of Gibbs' basement, he took it very seriously. Whoever had kidnapped Gibbs (because she was sure he had been abducted) had completely destroyed the boat he had so diligently been working on. The person obviously wished him emotional damage as well as physical harm.
Kate had gone to the bar the woman had named in the phone message. It was a seedy, rundown place. Kate wasn't sure how much information she would get there, but she spoke to the bartender anyway. To her surprise, he had been the break they needed. The burly man had told her that yes, Gibbs had been there on Saturday night with one of their regulars--a blonde woman who harbored a seething hatred for her ex-husband. His actual words had been, "Crazy bitch comes in here every weekend, gets drunk out of her mind, and starts rantin' 'bout how her husband loved his job more than he loved her. Never leaves a tip, either." He had said that the man couldn't hold his liquor-one drink had nearly incapacitated him. The woman had dragged him out of the bar. He didn't know where they had gone after that.
Kate inspected the woman still seated at the table. She did not appear nervous in the least. Well, Kate would just have to change that.
She returned to her chair. She imagined that, behind the mirror, Tony was becoming impatient. She nodded slightly to the mirror. Gazing directly into the other woman's hazel eyes, she began. "Agent Gregory."
"Agent Gibbs," the woman replied.
Kate forced herself to smile. "It says in your record you changed your name back to your maiden name after your divorce. So it's Agent Gregory. Of course, I could always call you Linda."
"Not if you value your voice," Agent Gregory snarled. Kate nodded, never losing her little smile.
"Very well. Now, Agent Gregory," she stressed, "you have been informed of your rights, have you not?" The woman glared at her stonily. "And you have waived your right to a lawyer?" Kate continued, unfazed. When Agent Gregory still did not answer, Kate said, "Please answer the question, Agent."
"Yes," the woman said through clenched teeth. Kate nodded. She folded her hands on the table and grinned.
"Wonderful. Your cooperation will not go unnoted." Agent Gregory grunted. "You're not very talkative, are you?"
"Agent... Todd, was it?" When Kate nodded, Gregory continued. "I've done my share of interrogations. I know all the little tricks. I worked with Agent Gibbs," she spat the name like a curse, "for five years. As much as I hate the bastard, he was one of the best."
"Was?" Kate raised an eyebrow coolly, but the butterflies in her stomach suddenly became elephants.
"I think you could give him a run for his money," Gregory said, smiling poisonously.
Kate raised an eyebrow. "Flattery. One of the best ways to get information from a suspect."
"No. I've seen you working as well, Agent Todd. You can rein in my ex-husband like I never could."
Kate was becoming very uneasy with this. The tables were turning, and she had to get back in control. "Agent Gregory, I don't think this is relevant to the case." She cut to the chase. "Where is he?"
"Where is who?" Gregory asked innocently, hazel eyes wide.
Kate bit back a scream. "Where is Agent Gibbs?" she asked patiently.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kate deliberately relaxed her body. Her face never left Gregory's.
"You were the last one to see him before his disappearance. The bartender at that bar in Georgetown said that you dragged him out, drunk." Kate dropped the friendly act. "But he wasn't drunk, was he? He was drugged."
"I have no clue what you're gibbering about." Agent Gregory tossed her long mane of hair disdainfully.
Kate raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I've seen Agent Gibbs drink before. He was never knocked out by one glass of scotch. So either he was drinking before he left to meet you, or he was drugged. Gibbs would never drink and drive, and he would certainly want a clear head before dealing with any of his ex-wives." Kate paused. "Also... your fingerprints were found all over his basement. You really ought to have worn gloves while trashing his basement. Very sloppy work, Agent."
The woman snorted indelicately. "You think you can pin this on me?"
"I'm not pinning anything on you, Agent Gregory. Because you did it. Now, I'm only going to give you one more chance. Where. Is. He?"
The other agent looked at Kate, who could see a flash of fear in her eyes before it was covered up by a sneer. "Even if I did know, what makes you think I would tell you?"
"Because if you don't..." Kate leaned in and lowered her voice so that the recording wouldn't pick it up, "...I will personally make your life a living hell."
Gregory laughed derisively. "You don't have the clout to do that." However, a spark of nervousness flashed in her eyes.
Kate bared her teeth in a feral grin. "Do you know who my father is, Agent Gregory?" A look of shock crossed the other agent's face as she connected the dots.
"No..." she breathed.
Kate nodded. "That's right. Your license to practice could be revoked at any time. And you couldn't do a damn thing about it."
"That's blackmail!"
"No," Kate shook her head. "It's a bargain. One man's life for your livelihood."
Gregory leaned back in her chair. She narrowed her eyes. Kate could practically see her calculating her odds of getting out of the room unscathed. "You're in love with him," she said suddenly.
Kate blinked, nonplussed for a moment. "Pardon me?"
"You're in love with Agent Gibbs." A sly smile crossed the agent's face. "That's why you're so determined to find him. You are head over heels for the man."
Kate regained her composure. "That's ridiculous," she scoffed.
"I don't blame you in the least, Kate. Can I call you Kate? After all, I was once in love with the man myself." She leaned in as if to share a juicy secret. "Just remember... Agent Gibbs loves nothing but his job. And that stupid boat."
"That you destroyed?" Kate snapped.
"He needed to learn his lesson." Kate struggled to hide her anger, but it came through. Gregory laughed. "You're so obvious. Tell you what... I'll help you find Agent Gibbs. You can experience firsthand what it's like to be in love with a man who will never give you a second glance."
"Where is he?"
Gregory reached out and plucked a pen from the table. She scribbled an address on a piece of scrap paper. "Here you go. He's in the basement. You may want an EMT or two on hand when you find him." She smiled mockingly as Kate's fists tightened on the table. "After all, you don't want to get back broken merchandise, do you?"
Kate stood and walked around the table. She leaned in until they were practically nose-to-nose. "You listen up, and listen good," she growled. "If Agent Gibbs is injured in any way--if one hair on his head is out of place--I will come after you. No one will be able to fix you up after I'm done with you. Remember that."
"You're protective of the people you love, aren't you?" Gregory said. She tried to sound amused, but her voice trembled.
"Extremely. It's too bad you're a psychopath--you're a pretty good agent." Kate stalked out of the room, not watching as the guards removed the suspect.
****
Kate pulled to a screeching halt in front of the two-story Victorian. "Jeez, Kate, trying to give me whiplash?" Tony complained as they rushed up the steps.
"Shut up, Tony," Kate snapped. "I'm in no mood for your jokes." She shoved the door open and entered the house cautiously, her weapon at the ready. She crept through the house, searching each room for any sign of Gibbs.
"Kate!" Tony called. She hurried to the second floor, taking the stairs two at a time.
"Tony? Where are you?" she called.
"Up here!" Kate saw a ladder leading into a trap door in the ceiling. She climbed into the dusty attic.
"Oh, my God," she breathed. She dropped to her knees beside Gibbs. "Get an ambulance here, now!" She carefully tore the tape away from Gibbs' mouth, then removed the blindfold. His head flopped to the side lifelessly. His hair was matted with dried blood. Swallowing her fear, she took his pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Breathing a prayer of thanks, Kate worked on unbinding his arms and legs from the chair.
"Come on, Gibbs. Wake up. Don't you give up on me," Kate muttered.
"Kate. We shouldn't move him." Kate looked up at Tony, whose usually cheerful expression was one of worry and fear. She nearly smacked herself. His ribs were probably broken--she could have punctured a lung.
"What the hell did she do to him?" Kate said, rage building inside of her. She heard the ambulance approaching.
"She worked him up pretty good," Tony said, adopting a more professional air. Professional for Tony, at least. "Baseball bat?"
"Pistol-whipped." Kate pointed to a nearby nightstand, which was the only dust-free item in the attic. The open drawer contained a gun covered in blood. "I'll kill her," she growled. The front door opened.
"Only if I get to help," Tony replied, a violent light in his eyes. "Up here!" he yelled to the EMTs dragging a stretcher into the house.
Two EMTs climbed the ladder and surveyed the scene with a detached air. "Careful, Jim," the first said. "Don't want to injure him any more than necessary."
"Hey, I may be new, but I'm not stupid," the other replied.
"Good, because I think that our friends here would gladly beat the shit out of you if you were." Kate and Tony nodded.
"Where to?" one asked.
"Wherever's closest," Kate replied.
"You wanna ride with him?" Tony asked quietly as they climbed out of the attic. Kate gave him a grateful look.
"You don't mind?" she asked.
"Not at all. After all, you're in love with him, aren't you?" Tony grinned. Kate scowled.
"Don't start with me, Dinozzo. I'm in a really bad mood right now."
"Hey, don't worry about it, Kate," Tony replied. "My lips are sealed." Kate nodded as she climbed into the back of the ambulance. "At least until Gibbs wakes up." She opened her mouth to yell at him, but the doors closed. She turned her attention to the unconscious man on the stretcher.
"Ma'am?" the young EMT said nervously. Kate looked at him impassively. "He'll be okay, ma'am." She shook her head at the young man.
"You don't know that," she said quietly.
"Can I do anything for you, ma'am?"
She looked at him. His eyes were honest. He was obviously spooked by the severity of Gibbs' injuries. "Pray for him."
****
Kate paced the waiting room. She couldn't sit still. Gibbs was in surgery. His ribs had been badly broken. His left leg had been nearly shattered. His right shoulder had been dislocated. His jaw had been broken. He had been hit on the head repeatedly--fortunately, the doctors believed there would be no lasting damage. Kate smirked half-heartedly. Gibbs' hardheadedness had been useful, after all.
"Is he out yet?" a soft voice asked. Kate turned to see Abby and Tony standing behind her. She shook her head wordlessly.
"Ducky's on his way," Tony said. Kate nodded and stopped pacing. She sat down in a hard plastic chair. She placed her head in her hands, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes.
"I wasted so much time," she whispered.
"What do you mean, Kate?" Abby asked gently.
"Talking to that woman," Kate spat. "I spent too much time. I should have just asked her. She was all too willing to tell me. She practically laughed in my face."
"You couldn't have known, Kate. She was... well, she was nuts," Tony said.
Kate shook her head. "No. She was perfectly sane. She knew what she was doing. You heard her," she said, looking at Tony. Her face twisted into a pained mockery of her usual smile. "He had to learn a lesson." Even now, the words made Kate physically ill.
"Excuse me," a voice interrupted. "Which one of you is Agent Gibbs' next of kin?" They turned to see a doctor waiting.
"I am, doctor," a familiar voice said, running up to them.
The surgeon nodded. "Would you like to...?" he gestured to an empty spot.
Ducky shook his head. "No. Tell us all, please."
"Very well. Agent Gibbs is stable at the moment. He is still unconscious, but we hope he will be waking up within the next day or so. We were able to fix his ribs. Fortunately, his lungs were not punctured, which is a minor miracle. His leg was a bit more trouble. He'll have to have pins to hold it together. He'll also be in a cast for the next eight weeks."
"He will not be happy to be riding a desk," Tony murmured.
"We had to wire his jaw shut. He'll be eating liquids for a while," the doctor continued. "Agent Gibbs is a lucky man. If he hadn't been found so quickly, he may have bled out."
"Yeah. Lucky," Kate muttered.
"Would you like to see him now?" the surgeon asked.
"Please," Ducky said.
"Room 114. Two at a time, please--and for no more than ten minutes." Ducky nodded.
"Thank you, doctor." The doctor nodded and left the room. The four sighed in relief.
"So--who wants to see him first?" Ducky said. They looked at each other.
"You and Abby can go, Duck," Tony volunteered. "I think Kate and I need to have a little chat." Kate glared at him. Abby and Ducky left to visit Gibbs.
"C'mon, Kate, sit down." Tony patted a chair, and Kate sighed and sat. "Before you say anything, Kate--no, I won't tell Gibbs about what happened in the interrogation room." Kate smiled in relief. Her smile disappeared when Tony continued, "I'll leave that to you."
"I'm not telling him anything, Tony. It's not important," Kate said.
"Are you in love with him?" Tony asked. "Because I think that's pretty damn important."
Kate shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It doesn't matter, Tony. You heard Gregory. He's in love with his job."
"Ah." Tony nodded. "So you're going to listen to the jealous rantings of an ex-wife?"
Kate snorted. "It's kinda obvious, even without her saying it, Tony."
"I think you should tell him."
"I think that it would give him a heart attack."
"Probably. But hey, he can handle it." Tony grinned and stood. "You want something to drink?" Kate shook her head. "Suit yourself. You can have my ten minutes too, okay? Just let me know how it goes." He headed for the cafeteria.
****
Kate entered the room silently. She bit back a gasp. Gibbs looked like one big bruise. What wasn't garishly purple was stark white. They had managed to clean most of the blood out of his hair. His eyes were shut, and he was sleeping peacefully, probably assisted by the painkillers flowing through his bloodstream.
Kate sat in the chair on the right side of the bed. She reached out and touched Gibbs' hand. It was cold as ice.
"Hey, Gibbs," she said quietly. "I know you probably can't hear me. They've got you on some pretty good stuff." She smiled slightly. "You scared me to death this past week, Gibbs. We had no idea where you were. I'm still thanking my lucky stars we found you alive." She fell silent, listening to the constant, reassuring beep of the monitors he was hooked up to. She gripped his hand fiercely. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Leroy Jethro Gibbs," she whispered. "I thought we were never going to find you. You'll be up and back to work in no time. Anything less is unacceptable, you got that, Agent Gibbs?" He didn't move. "Stubborn. Hard-headed." She chuckled. "That's pretty much what saved you. I suppose I shouldn't complain about it after this. But we both know I will." She stood and reached out. She brushed a lock of hair away from his eyes. She hesitated. Finally, she leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back soon." She left the room. A redheaded woman was waiting outside the door. Kate nodded, suppressing her curiosity for the time being.
