“A Friend in Needâ€� â€" Chapter Fifteen

Peter stood watching what Sylvia was doing from his vantage point behind her shoulders. It was just after noon and they were in the study at the plantation house, where Sylvia had set up her equipment. The ultramodern chrome of her laptop, enormous pedestaled auxiliary monitor, and various other pieces of equipment Peter found mysterious, and completely out of place in a room that had been designed a century ago, intended to be used as a sanctuary for reading, learning and meditation. When he’d been looking at houses to rent for the operation, Peter had immediately fallen in love with this room, its dark walnut furnishings and heavy damask curtains suggested masculinity, lineage, and entitlement. He would miss it when he had to disappear, but he fully intended to recreate it in whatever home he purchased for himself in Europe, where his money would allow him buy the type of life he’d always wanted, but could never afford. They were alone in the study, the only other inhabitants of the house being Galvin, and one of Barker’s men, who had the task of monitoring their ‘guest’ and setting up the basement for DiNozzo’s arrival, neither of whom were likely to interrupt them in here.

Sylvia had remained behind when the others left after the meeting; Richard to return to work, Jillian to the consulting firm to monitor Gibbs’ movements from the computers there, and David, along with his other three men, to be ready to grab DiNozzo whenever Peter gave the command. Peter had been glad she’d elected to remain with him, even though they didn’t always see eye to eye, her presence had a soothing effect on him. He appreciated her analytical mind, her unflappability and her beauty. Her quirky sense of humor and youth made him feel younger, hipper, more alive, than he did when he was alone. Peter had been fighting off a low grade migraine ever since Barker had called him yesterday to report that Gibbs and DiNozzo had shown up at Goldblume’s apartment, then DeAngelo had followed with the news about the BOLO. Having Sylvia there provided a very pleasant distraction.

“He’s finally on the move. I was afraid he was going to stay at the NCIS headquarters all day,� Sylvia said, as she stared at the screen, “especially when Jillian reported that Gibbs had gone to see Weiss at his corporate offices.�

“Let’s see where he goes. This may be our best time to nab him, since we know Gibbs is tied up elsewhere,� Peter said, not wanting to try and take DiNozzo when Gibbs was anywhere near by. He had a healthy respect and fear of the older agent, knowing all the stories that were told about him had to be rooted in fact. He wasn’t the kind of person you could safely toy with, which is why he wanted to bring Gibbs' investigation to a standstill. “Maybe we should have Barker tail him from a respectable distance back, while you give him the coordinates. That way, if the opportunity presents itself, he’ll be in position.�

“That’ll work,� Sylvia agreed. “Are you sure this is the best solution to the problem, Peter?� she asked, knowing that since they were alone, he’d answer her truthfully, without any posturing.

Peter sighed, wishing she would have a little more faith in him, but also understanding her fear. Sylvia might be smart and ruthless in her drive for money, but she hadn’t been exposed to violence in her life, unlike the others in the group. She’d had a major melt down when Nussbaum had been killed, and that had been accidental, rather than on purpose. Nussbaum had attacked David when he’d entered the room, bringing in a dinner tray, and David had fought back, inadvertently snapping the man’s neck. Truth be told, it had been a blessing when Weiss had refused to pay the ransom, since they hadn’t known what they were going to do about the situation if the demand had been met, and they had no one to return. This time, the damage inflicted on DiNozzo would be on purpose. They would need to show Gibbs they were serious about their threat, and only the image of his agent in agony would convince the man of their intent. Sylvia couldn’t be anywhere near that when it happened. He was having a hard enough time getting her to even except the premise of the situation â€" the reality would be her undoing.

“I can’t think of any other way to make him back off, Syl, and we really need him to do that. He’s like a blood hound, once he’s on a scent, he never gives up. The FBI will drop it, after a while; they’ve got too many other cases to solve, ones they have good leads on. Even though they lost agents, eventually the Director will pull them off this case, since unsolved cases don’t garner headlines or public praise. Unfortunately, that’s not an issue for Gibbs, since NCIS actually seems to work at staying out of the limelight,� he explained. “I need you to trust me on this, please?� he asked, as he placed his hands lightly on her shoulders.

Sylvia took a deep breath, and then leaned back into him, resting her head against his arm. “I just don’t want anything to ruin this for us, Peter. Not when we’re so close.�

“I know that,� he said. “That’s what I’m trying to prevent.�

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Tony and Liz hadn’t said anything to each other on the drive to Barker’s home, and Tony had resorted to turning on the radio to alleviate the tension in the air. Not wanting to aggravate Liz further, he’d turned to an easy listening station that specialized in playing soft rock from the ‘70’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s, thinking it was a safe bet. Usually he’d be tapping his foot, and hamming it up as he sang along with the music. Today he drove in silence, thinking about how they were going to get through the next couple of hours without killing each other, or embarrassing both of their agencies in front of potential witnesses. The unmitigated hatred she’d shown for him had him seriously questioning her ability to keep it in check when they were talking to Barker’s neighbors. By the time they arrived at the complex he had thought of a plan. Now he just had to sell it to Templeton.

When he pulled the car into a space in the parking lot in front to the units, Liz released her seat belt and said, “Let’s get going. The sooner we start, the sooner this charade will be over. Unlike you, I’m not used to being assigned to busy work; that’s why teams have rookies.�

Tony had to hide his grin. She’d just given him the perfect opening. “Since you’re in such a hurry to be done here, why don’t we split up the work. You take the townhouses on the north side of the parking lot, and I’ll take the ones on the south side. That way we can still see each other, but will get finished a lot quicker.� What he didn’t add was that it would also prevent Liz from continuing to make caustic remarks aimed at him.

“Whatever,� Liz replied, unwilling to acknowledge that it was a good idea, even though she was relieved to have a little distance between herself and DiNozzo.

With that decided, they got out of the car, and headed in their separate directions, to begin canvassing Barker’s neighbors.

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By the time Tony and Templeton had arrived at Barker’s townhouse complex, Barker, who was driving the van, still decorated with the lawn service decals, was only four blocks behind. He’d realized about a mile back where DiNozzo was headed, the only question now, was why. His men, Joe White, Steve Holmes and Marty Franklin, who were with him, were all in favor of grabbing DiNozzo right away, and getting the hell out of there, but David wanted to know what the agent intended to do. Plus, he wasn’t prepared to take action without a clear plan. That’s how the whole fucked up mess with the Hummer had happened, and none of them could afford another similar incident. “We’re not going to do anything until we know what he’s up to. We need to do this as inconspicuously as possible, without drawing a huge crowd, and that means having a plan. I’m going to drive around the block so we can scope things out, then, if we think it’s safe, I’ll pull into the parking lot. Since the van still has the lawn service stuff on it, no one should be too curious.�

As he very slowly circled the perimeter of the complex, they could see DiNozzo and some woman who must be his partner, going from door to door, talking to the occupants, to whom they were showing something, which David guessed was probably a picture of him. ‘Thank God I kept to myself,’ he thought. No one who lived around him knew anything useful about him, since he rarely did anything more than nod and say the occasional hello. He’d been careful not to have Jillian over to his place, and he never allowed his men to contact him there, since he hadn’t really wanted them to know where he lived. David was a firm believer in the motto, ‘Better safe than sorry.’ Once he knew the lay of the land, he circled back around and pulled into the parking lot, beside a Honda sedan.

“Okay, let’s go over this one more time,� he said. There could be no margin of error here, since taking a federal agent was risky at any time, and doubly so during the daylight hours. “We want to draw as little attention as possible, so you’re to use the tazers and stun guns. DO NOT use a real gun unless you absolutely have no other option. Gun shots will ensure that everyone in the area will come out to see what’s going on. And remember, we need DiNozzo in one piece. The object is to question him to find out what NCIS knows about the kidnappings, and it’s kind of hard to get any information out of a dead man. Are we clear on all that?�

When the other three men nodded, he continued. “Marty, you take care of the woman first. As soon as she’d down, Steve’ll deal with DiNozzo, and you can back him up. Joe, you’re with me in the van, unless they need you. Okay, you ready? Let’s get this over with then.�

Marty climbed out of the van, a clipboard in his hand. Liz, who was moving down the sidewalk on her way to the next townhouse, glanced at him briefly as he approached, but didn’t give him another thought. They were all wearing the dark coveralls again, and hats that bore a picture of a riding lawn mower and the slogan, “Lawn Order� printed underneath. The rubber gloves had been traded for the gardening variety, and there was nothing to make the casual observer look at them twice. The instant he was past her, he swung back around and pressed his stun gun against her neck, pulling the trigger at the same time. She dropped like a rock to the ground, without ever uttering a sound, and he quickly turned and headed back towards the van.

Tony, who was across the lot, had seen the man approaching Liz, and had been watching. When he saw what had happened, he drew his gun and began to run in her direction, calling out, “Federal Agent, freeze. Drop your gun and get down on the ground.�

As he ran by the parked van, Steve jumped out from the opened side doors, and fired his tazer. The leads embedded in Tony’s back, and as the electricity shot through him, his legs gave out and he fell to the ground, his body spasming from the current. His gun, which had fallen from his hand as he collapsed, skittered under the parked Honda. Marty hurried to help Steve lift the now unconscious agent and toss him into the van, through the open side panel. Steve ripped DiNozzo’s phone from his belt and tossed it to Joe, who quickly downloaded all the info it contained onto a clone phone, so that Sylvia and Jillian would be able to access the information. As soon as he was done, which took virtually no time at all, he tossed the phone back out of the van. They sure as hell didn’t want NCIS to be able to track them using the GPS chip in the phone, the way they had with Kreiger. Once that was done, Marty slid the door shut, and David backed the van out of the parking spot, and drove sedately away.

As the van started to move, Steve searched Tony’s body, looking for signs of any kind of tracking device. Finding none, he used Tony’s own handcuffs to secure his wrists firmly behind his back, and then he took a length of rope and wrapped it around his ankles, binding them together and tying it in a knot. A rag was tied around Tony’s eyes, and ear plugs were placed in his ears. They weren’t willing to take any chances that he might wake up and see or hear something that would later allow him to identify them. About a mile and a half away, David pulled the van onto a side street, filled with old abandoned warehouses. Halfway down the block he turned into an alley. While the van idled, Joe and Marty hopped out and striped the decals off the sides of the van, while Steve changed out the license plate for another. It wasn’t perfect, but should do until they got safely back to Calverton. Once there, Steve and Joe would take the van to a local junk yard, two towns over, and sell it for scrap metal. Now that it had been used in two crimes, they wouldn’t risk driving it again.


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Gibbs was not in a good mood. The interview with Weiss hadn’t gone well. As soon as he had been introduced to Ziva, and heard of her affiliation with Mossad, he had all but thrown a temper tantrum. When Nussbaum had been taken, Weiss had contacted Mossad requesting assistance, and been denied. Nussbaum had not been targeted because he was Jewish, or because he was Israeli, the kidnapping was strictly for monetary gain, not political. Therefore it was considered a domestic issue, and did not fall under Mossad's purview, which was exclusively focused on terrorist activity and threats to Israel, and it's citizens. Weiss was outraged and was taking it out on Ziva. It had taken Ziva threatening him and Goldblume pleading with him, to make him tell his story, and when he did, Gibbs discovered that none of his information shed any new light on the situation. Through it all, Gibbs had had to bite his tongue, while the man made one slur after another about the American criminal justice system, and law enforcement agencies in general, specifically Mossad. It wouldn’t have done any good to argue, as Weiss was completely closed minded, and still hurting from the loss of his friend and employee, but every time Gibbs ran into someone like that, he wondered what they thought the world would be like if there were no police forces or judicial systems. When they’d left Weiss’ office, Goldblume had apologized for his friend’s behavior, and asked if there was anything he could do to help with the investigation. Gibbs had assured him that apologies weren’t necessary, and thanked him for the offer, telling him he’d let him know if anything came up, and then they’d shaken hands and parted ways.

Before getting into the car, Gibbs had tried calling Tony, wanting an update on how the canvassing was going, and he’d frowned when he got no answer. Figuring Tony was probably in the middle of talking to someone, he unlocked the car, and told Ziva they were stopping for coffee on their way back. He tried Tony again, before going in to Starbucks, and once more after they had their drinks. Still no answer. By now Gibbs was truly worried, and his heart began to pound faster. Even if Tony had been interviewing someone when he had first called, he would have rung Gibbs back before he moved on to the next home. Something had to be wrong. Punching number three on his speed dial, he waited impatiently for McGee to answer. When he did, Gibbs barked, “McGee, put a trace on Tony’s cell phone right now, and give me a location. I’ll hold.�

“Um, sure Boss,� McGee said, as he scrambled to minimize the screen he had open and frantically began to punch the letters on his keyboard. He didn’t ask why. He didn’t need to. He recognized Gibbs’ tone of voice, and instinctively knew something bad had happened.

Ziva stood by the car and watched as Gibbs silently held the phone to his ear, as he stared unseeingly in front of him. His other hand was grasping the cup of coffee so tightly that his knuckles were beginning to turn white, and she worried that the cup would fold in on itself, splashing hot coffee all over his hand. “Perhaps you should put your coffee down,� she suggested to him softly.

Gibbs glanced at her in surprise, and then looked down at his hand that was clutching the paper cup. Ziva could see him will himself to relax his grip, as he reached over and placed the coffee on the roof of the car, after which he looked back over at Ziva, as he waited for McGee to complete his search. They stood, each appraising the other, neither of them speaking. Nothing had been said about what Ziva had observed in Gibbs’ basement on Friday night, but they knew that it was Tony’s and Gibbs’ relationship they were both now considering. Neither of them felt inclined to break the silence. Suddenly McGee’s voice boomed out of the phone’s speaker.

“Boss, the GPS locator is showing that Tony is at Barker’s townhouse complex. Do you want me to feed you the coordinates?� McGee offered anxiously.

“Not necessary,� Gibbs said. “Ziva’s with me, and she knows the way, but I want you to head that way right now. We’ll meet you there,� Gibbs said, then he closed the phone and snatched the coffee off the top of the car. “We need to get to Barker’s,� he told Ziva as he opened the car door and got in; he had the car turned on before she was even in her seat.

Had it been anyone else in the car with Gibbs besides Ziva, they would most likely have needed a doctor by the time Gibbs screeched to a halt in front of Barker’s home. They had said little more than was necessary on the ride over - Ziva giving directions, and Gibbs occasionally asking for clarification -whatever they had each been thinking earlier now completely replaced by the need to get to Barker’s and find out what had happened. When they pulled up, Gibbs muttered a quiet “Shit!� There were four police cars and an ambulance blocking the street between the townhouses and the parking lot, and a crowd of people were standing on the curb, gawking. Gibbs was out of the car and over by the police in mere seconds, his badge pulled out as his eyes swept the scene, looking for the person in charge. There was a cluster of uniforms to his left, surrounding an older man in a suit. Beside them, two paramedics were kneeling over a prone body, and Gibbs could see with just a glance that it was Liz Templeton. Taking just a moment to look around for a second time, his gut clenched when he realized there was no sign of Tony. “Check on Templeton, while I talk to the LEOs,� he ordered Ziva, who was now standing to the right of him.

The detective in charge of the scene was not happy, and not surprised, to see Gibbs, although he’d been expecting someone from the FBI, not NCIS. The patrolman who had first arrived on the scene had checked the woman’s purse for identification, and had called for backup the minute he’d seen the FBI badge. Det. Cooper had been dispatched to head things up, until the area precinct captain could get there. After what had happened on Friday afternoon, all of the Metro police were leery of anything having to do with the FBI. Cooper had never dealt with NCIS before, but one look at the man in front of him, told him this was not going to be a picnic.

“Are you in charge of this scene?� Gibbs demanded of him.

“For now, I’m Det. Dan Cooper,� the cop told Gibbs. “Captain Janssen is on his way over from the precinct house, even as we speak.�

“He doesn’t need to bother. I’m taking over this scene,� Gibbs informed the man. He was way past the point he could even try to be polite.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think we’ll keep it,� the detective said, surprising even himself with his ballsiness. “The lady there isn’t an NCIS agent so you don’t have any jurisdiction.�

“The 'agent' over there was working for me, on loan from the Bureau, and she was accompanied by one of my own, who I don’t see anywhere, so that makes it my investigation. If you want to help, you can make sure none of these people leave until my people have interviewed them.� Gibbs glare dared the man to contradict him.

By that time, McGee had arrived, since the Naval Yard was much closer to Barker’s than Weiss’ had been. “What’s going on, Boss? Where’s Tony?� he asked.

“That’s what we’re going to find out. Take Ziva and start talking to the people around here, see if anyone saw anything, and find Tony’s cell phone. I want to know what happened!� Gibbs ordered. He glanced over to where Templeton had been laying, and saw that the paramedics had loaded her onto a gurney, and that her eyes were opened.

Liz had awakened to the feel of hands on her, and she had instinctually tried to fight them off, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Her head was pounding, and she was too weak to move. It was only sheer stubbornness that allowed her to even open her eyes, and she was shocked to find paramedics hovering in her face when she actually succeeded in getting her eyes to focus. The paramedics were clearly checking her for injuries, and after making an internal audit of her own body, she tried to tell them that she was fine, although the weak voice and stuttered words she managed to produce didn’t seem to reassure them. She all but resigned herself to their ministrations when she felt someone’s eyes boring into her. Turning her head, she saw Gibbs standing by a group of policemen, looking directly at her.

When Gibbs saw Templeton look at him, he moved over to her, and standing by the gurney, he demanded, “Report Agent Templeton!�

The paramedics began to object, but the look Gibbs fixed on them made them hesitant to say more and they found themselves taking a few steps back. Liz saw the barely suppressed rage on Gibbs’ face, and fought the urge to shudder. She was having enough difficulty just keeping her eyes open; she wasn’t up to dealing with Gibbs in battle mode. “I don’t know what happened, Gibbs,� she managed to say. “We were talking to the neighbors, going door to door……lots not home……..saw nothing…….down the walk…..then nothing.� As she said the last, her eyes closed again, as she lost her war with consciousness. Gibbs looked at her and knew he wasn’t going to get any more useful information out of her at the moment. He was angry that she had never once asked about DiNozzo, her partner for the day. Any member of his team, in the same situation, that would have been the first question out of their mouths when they regained consciousness.


Looking over at the paramedics, he told them, “Take her to Bethesda.� When they started to object, saying that wasn’t the nearest hospital, Gibbs cut them off. “This woman’s a federal officer, and another federal agent has been kidnapped. Bethesda’s the safest place for her. If your supervisor has a problem with that, I’ll be glad to talk to them.� When he turned away, he could hear the paramedic talking to their dispatcher, telling them that he’d been ordered to take the injured woman to Bethesda, and confirmed that she was a federal agent. When the paramedic hung up, he looked over at Gibbs and said, “We’re all set. We’ll have her at Bethesda shortly.� He and his partner began to push the gurney towards the ambulance.

Gibbs went over to Det. Cooper and asked to speak to the first officer to respond. A young, baby faced patrolman who had been standing nearby, and had clearly overheard the request, stepped forward and said, “That would be me, Sir, Officer Kevin Baker.�

“Show me exactly where you found Agent Templeton lying,� Gibbs requested.

The kid took Gibbs over to a specific spot on the sidewalk, but after looking carefully around the area, Gibbs didn’t find anything of interest. “How were you alerted to a problem?� he asked the patrolman.

“It came in as a 911 call,� Cooper supplied, since he’d followed Gibbs and the patrolman.

“I want a copy of that call sent to Abby Scuito in Forensics over at NCIS, ASAP,� Gibbs ordered Cooper. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ziva gliding through the crowd of people, looking for witnesses. He was just about to go over to see if she’d learned anything, when he heard McGee.

“Boss, Boss,� McGee was calling as he rushed over to where Gibbs was standing. He was holding two evidence bags, and Gibbs had to swallow when he saw that one contained a cell phone and the other a gun. “One of the kids over there,� and he pointed to a group of preteen boys holding skate boards, “saw two men grabbing Tony and pushing him into a black lawn service van. I went over and looked around where the kid said the van was parked, and I found Tony’s cell and his service gun under a late model Honda.� Gibbs started to say something, but McGee pressed on. “I’ve already put out a BOLO on the van, based on the kid’s description; unfortunately he didn’t catch the license plate number.�

“Good job, McGee,� Gibbs growled. “Go help Ziva. Maybe someone else saw something. Let’s get these people questioned, and then get the hell out of here.� As McGee turned to go, Gibbs already had his cell phone out, and had punched 9 on his speed dial. As soon as it was answered he said curtly, "Gibbs for the Director." The local cops who were hovering nearby started moving away; not wanting to be in the line of fire when the furious fed finished his call.

When Jenny came on the line, Gibbs told her what had happened, that Templeton was being taken to Bethesda, and that it looked as if Tony had been kidnapped by the very people they were after. He asked her to call the Chief of Police and see if he could expedite the transfer of the tape of the original 911 call to Abby, and Jenny promised she would. She told Gibbs she would call the Director of the FBI to alert him to the situation, and asked if he wanted her to call Fornell. “No, I’ll call him myself. I owe him that,� Gibbs answered.

“That’ll be fine,� Jenny said, and just before she hung up, she added, “You’ll find him, Jethro.�

Gibbs was muttering, “You can count on that,� as he disconnected, and pressed speed dial 8, for Fornell. After Fornell answered, Gibbs immediately began to tell him what had happened with Templeton and that she was being transported to Bethesda for observation, even though it looked like her only injury was the marks on her neck from a stun gun.

Upon hearing that, Fornell had cursed and said, “We might as well take over our own wing, at the rate we’re going.� When Gibbs continued, telling him about Tony’s abduction, Fornell ran his hand through his hair. Gibbs would move heaven and earth to find one of his people, and if DiNozzo turned up dead, nothing was going to stop Gibbs from ripping those bastards apart with his own hands, not that Fornell would try to stop him. At that point, he wasn’t even sure that he wouldn’t help. ‘Five dead FBI personnel, 3 wounded, one of ours in hiding, and now another attacked with a stun gun, and an NCIS agent kidnapped!’ Once again Fornell found himself wondering who in the hell these people were.

Fornell found his voice, and said, "One of us will meet her in the E.R. when she arrives. I'll be over your way as soon as possible. I'm sorry about all this Jethro. We’re going to do whatever it takes to get DiNozzo back."

Gibbs' response was terse, but expected, "Not your fault. These fuckers declared open war on federal agents, but why the hell would they kidnap one? There's something else going on here, and we're gonna find out what, and get him back. I'll see you at the office when you get there. We're heading back now. See if you can get anything out of Templeton besides, 'I don't know what happened,' which is what she told me before she passed out." Gibbs hung up and moved towards Ziva and McGee, asking, "You get anything else we can use?" Both shook their heads, and all three of them moved towards the cars they had arrived in, climbing in and heading back to NCIS, where they were going to have to break the news to Abby that Tony was missing.

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The waiting room at Bethesda had been full of FBI personnel when Fornell had answered the phone. When he vehemently exclaimed, “Sonofabitch!� all heads turned his way. Ed Morgan moved closer to him, and Asst. Director Marshall and Captain DeAngelo, who had been talking quietly together on the other side of the room, turned to listen. Two younger agents, who had been lounging in chairs, sprang to their feet when they saw their boss go rigid. Fornell’s comment about taking over a wing in the hospital ratcheted up the tension another notch, and Morgan reached over, putting a hand on Fornell’s shoulder, offering silent support. After he hung up, Fornell sank down into the chair behind him. All eyes in the room were on him. They’d all heard the comment about the E.R. and getting DiNozzo back.

Morgan sat down next to Fornell, and asked quietly, “How bad is it?�

Before answering Tobias looked at the two junior agents. Pointing to one of them he said, “You, Primus, get down to the E.R. and tell them an ambulance is coming in with one of our agents in it. I want you to call me the instant Liz Templeton’s ambulance arrives.� Mark Primus stood gaping at Fornell, and Tobias snapped, “Do it now!� Mark didn’t wait to be told a second time, as he sprang into action and headed out of the room. Then, looking over at Morgan, Fornell said, “Templeton took a stun gun to the neck, but that looks like her only injury. They’re really just bringing her in as a precaution. She’s groggy and doesn’t seem to remember anything. Gibbs wants us to see if she can recall anything that will be useful. DiNozzo’s another matter. The bastards took him, and no one has a clue as to why.�

Director Marshall had been listening and he was worried. He held Fornell in equal portions of respect and fear. Marshall was actually over ten years younger than Fornell, but he was politically savvy and good looking, just the kind face the FBI liked to present to the public, and he’d risen quickly through the ranks; but just like every other AD, he had started out as an agent, and he’d been trained by Fornell. That had made their relationship, once he became and Assistant Director, unique. Although he was technically Fornell’s boss, and he’d been known to pull rank, as he had last night when he’d ordered Fornell home, he also knew it was usually best to defer to the older man’s instincts when it came to solving a case. But now, as he looked at his former mentor, he didn’t like what he was seeing.

Despite having gotten some sleep last night, Tobias had been back at the hospital bright and early that morning, the sleep seeming to have done little to alleviate the bags under his eyes or the sallowness of his skin. Marshall didn’t remember Fornell ever having looked this wrung out. Fornell wasn’t a young man anymore, Marshall had to remind himself, and much as they all wanted the case solved, nothing would be gained by allowing Tobias to drive himself into the ground, with the possible consequences of him suffering a heart attack or stroke. When he swept his gaze over Morgan, he realized the team leader didn’t look much better. He shook his head in concern, something was going to have to give on this case soon, or the FBI would be suffering collateral losses before it was all done.

Stepping out into the hall, Marshall went next door to small, private family waiting room. Taking out his cell phone, he called the Director of the FBI, to brief him on what had occurred, knowing he would want to contact Director Shepard over at NCIS to express the same kind of condolences she had so graciously shared with them last night. After assuring the Director that he would remain at the hospital to keep an eye on things, he disconnected and walked back into the main waiting room, to see if there was anything he could do to help. When he got there, Fornell and Morgan were on their feet.

As it turned out, all Fornell wanted Marshall to do was to remain at the hospital and watch over the wounded agents. He and Morgan were intending to question Templeton and then head over to NCIS to help with their efforts to find their missing agent. Fornell seemed more focused and energetic than he had in days, and Marshall mused, as he watched Morgan and Fornell leave, that perhaps having something proactive to do would be even more beneficial for the older man than twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep.