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

Fornell sat in the Bureau car's front passenger seat on the way to the Navy Yard, worrying. While they were stuck in rush hour traffic, he was mentally reviewing everything he knew about the case, trying to see if there was any avenue of investigation they’d missed. Liz Templeton sat behind him, fast asleep. She’d drifted off not long after they’d gotten into the car, and Tobias was hoping the little nap might help her sort through her memories of what had happened. Morgan sat beside Templeton, his knee bouncing up and down, as he tried to deal with his impatience; they had been sitting in the barely moving traffic for the last twenty five minutes. ‘At the rate we aren’t going, we'll be lucky to get to NCIS by seven o’clock,’ Tobias thought. His estimate wasn’t far off, since it was 6:54 when Primus pulled up in front of the entrance to NCIS’s headquarters. “Go ahead and get a quick bite to eat,� Fornell told the young agent, “but hang around in the area, in case we need to go somewhere else. I’ll call your cell to let you know when you can take off, or if we need you.� Barely waiting for the young man to nod his acknowledgement of the order, he climbed out of the car.

When they entered the lobby, Tobias went directly to the security desk. He showed the guard his ID and asked him to notify Special Agent Gibbs that he was there; then he, Morgan, and Liz went to sit down while they waited. In just a few minutes, Gibbs appeared. He greeted the three FBI agents briefly, and then asked, “Coffee?â€� Both Morgan and Fornell nodded, but Liz, who didn’t think her stomach would tolerate coffee, asked if she could have water. Gibbs nodded at her, and then headed over to the snack kiosk, where he ordered four coffees and a bottle of water. After he had the drinks - the coffees safely secured in a drink holder, with a supply of creamers and sugars in the center, and the bottle of water tucked into a jacket pocket â€" he crossed back over to Tobias and his agents, and indicated that they should follow him, as he led them to the elevator.

They rode to the bullpen in an uneasy silence, and when they got there Ziva was waiting by her desk. Upon seeing Gibbs, she said, “We’re in 4.� Gibbs led the way down a hallway to conference room four, with Ziva and the three FBI agents following in his wake. As soon as they entered, Gibbs put the drink carrier on the table, then pulled the bottled water out of his pocket, and handed it to Templeton. He then distributed the other coffees, keeping one for himself, and told the others to help themselves to the sweetener and creamer in the tray, after he had handed Ziva two packets of sugar.

“Toda,� Ziva said to him, with a grateful nod.

“Al lo davar,� Gibbs responded automatically. He then looked at the FBI agents, and said, “Ed, Liz, this is Officer Ziva David, NCIS’ Mossad liaison. Ziva, Special Agent in Charge Ed Morgan, and his team member, Special Agent Liz Templeton,� Gibbs introduced. The three agents shook hands and exchanged greetings.

Liz looked at Gibbs in confusion. She was surprised by the fact that Gibbs seemed to know Hebrew, and couldn’t understand why they needed the Mossad. “You think there’s a terrorist component to the kidnappings?� she asked incredulously.

Gibbs shook his head and said, “No, Ziva’s one of mine. She’s here as a member of my team."

Liz managed a quiet, “Oh, I see,� even as she felt a pang of jealousy. ‘Gibbs is claiming this woman as one of his own, a foreigner, not even a real NCIS agent. Hell, he even knows how she takes her coffee. He clearly wants her on his team! What in the hell did he think was wrong with me? Maybe he couldn't appreciate having a real agent on his team?’ she wondered indignantly to herself.
While Liz was silently brooding, Morgan had stepped closer to Gibbs and quietly said, “I’m really sorry about DiNozzo, Gibbs. He was out there, trying to find the bastards that hurt my people, while you all are protecting one of mine from them right now. We’re going to do anything we can to help you get him back.�

“Appreciated, but this isn’t your fault, Ed,� Gibbs assured him. “And we’re going to get DiNozzo back; you can bank on that!� The smile he gave Morgan made the FBI agent glad he was on Gibbs’ side.

Ziva added calmly, "It is what we do, Special Agent Morgan. The kidnappers erred when they took one of us, but we will rectify that error shortly." Her voice conveyed the conviction that what she said would be made true.

Liz felt a shiver run up her spine as she listened to the Mossad agent. The woman was clearly a killer, just like all the rest of those Mossad assassins, and yet, Gibbs wanted her - claimed her as his own. She didn’t get it at all. A pampered goth princess, a hostile MIT computer geek, a preppy spoiled rich kid cop, and now, a trained murderer â€" this was who Gibbs wanted on his team? And Director Shepard, the woman clearly thought the sun shone out of all their asses! Well, Gibbs could keep them, all of them. She was better off where she was, where people acted like professionals, followed a chain of command, and where things made sense.

“Have you remembered anything else, Liz?� Gibbs asked her, interrupting her thoughts, and pulling her back into the present.

Liz shook her head in frustration. “Not really, I remember canvassing the houses, and then nothing, until I woke up and the paramedics were there.�

Liz saw the flash of irritation, and something else she couldn’t identify, streak across his face, before he schooled his expression and said, “Okay, let’s try this. Tell me everything you did from the minute you got to Barker’s, until you got attacked.�

Liz took a deep breath to center herself, and then started. “DiNozzo and I got there a little before one, and decided to split up the complex. He took the south side and I took the north. That way we could speed up the process, but still maintain line of sight on each other. “

“You decided to split up?� Ziva interrupted her by asking. That didn’t make any sense to Ziva. One thing Gibbs always stressed was the need to stick with your partner, and Tony rarely deviated from Gibbs’ operating procedures.

Liz caught the slight censure in the Mossad officer’s voice, and quickly said, “It was DiNozzo’s idea.�

Gibbs grunted in response to that assertion. If Tony had suggested they split up, he’d be willing to bet it was because Templeton was acting up, and Tony either couldn’t take it anymore, or was afraid it would interfere with their assignment. Not for the first time that evening, he berated himself for agreeing to let Templeton be the liaison for the FBI. Maybe if he’d sent McGee or Ziva with Tony….. Gibbs forcibly halted that line of thought. It wasn’t going to solve anything, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to get Tony back.

When Gibbs grunted, Liz hurried on with her recitation of the day’s events, not wanting Gibbs to have a chance to critisize her. “We weren’t getting anywhere. A lot of people weren’t home, and those that were, didn’t know anything about Barker, other than he lived in the neighborhood. No one could even remember when they last saw him.�

“There wasn’t anyone else around, aside from the people you were questioning?� Gibbs asked.

“No, not really. Some kids, and that guy from the lawn service….Wait a minute!� Liz said excitedly, as something occurred to her. “I was just leaving one house, and moving on to the next, and this guy in a pair of coveralls with a lawn service cap on, carrying a clipboard, walked past me, then I don’t remember anything. He had to be the one! He was who attacked me!�

“What can you remember about him?� Ziva asked, leaning forward.

“He was tall, maybe 6’ to 6’1�, and well built, but not overly muscular, maybe only about 180-190 lbs., solid, not stocky. His hair was either dark blonde or light brown, it was kind of hard to tell since he was wearing that ball cap. Oh, the cap said ‘Lawn Order,’ I remember that because it made me think of ‘Law and Order.’ And he had sunglasses on, so I didn’t see his eyes,� Liz said, as she strained to remember more details. “He had work gloves of some sort on, I remember that. Damn it! That’s about all I can remember.�

“That’s good, Liz. Real good,� Morgan assured her. “Take a second, maybe more will come to you.�

Gibbs bit his tongue, wanting to contradict the FBI team leader. It wasn’t good enough. That description wasn’t going to get them an ID. They already knew the perps had been in a black van with lawn service logos; the kid with the skateboard had told them that already. At least now they had the name, though he doubted that would lead them anywhere. He’d be willing to bet the name was most likely a slam at them. “Go add that to the BOLO, and get McGee back up to the bullpen and see if you can find anything about a business by that name,� he said to Ziva, even though he doubted they would. Ziva rose immediately, picking up her coffee as she said, "On it, Boss," and strode from the room.

“Do you think you could work with a sketch artist to get a better description?� Gibbs asked Liz, as Ziva left the room.

Liz shook her head, “I don’t think so. I really didn’t pay that much attention. Just enough to get a general impression of the guy.�

Once again Gibbs had to clamp down on his impatience. It was Templeton’s job to pay attention, particularly when she was working with a partner! Gibbs tried asking her a few more questions about the man, but wasn’t getting anywhere. Finally, he announced they should take a break, and they all wandered back out into the bull pen. When they got there, his phone rang. Gibbs answered, and then listened. It was the front desk, calling to tell him a padded envelope had been delivered for him, and asking if they should send it up. “No. I’ll be down to get it in a second,� Gibbs responded, and when he hung up he told the others, who were in the break room, busy topping off their coffee, that he’d be right back.

Gibbs went and retrieved the envelope from the guard, which was addressed to him, with no return information on it, and headed straight down to Abby’s lab. He wasn’t about to open up a package from an unknown source without taking precautions. What had happened to Tony several years ago, had taught them all that lesson, he thought bitterly as he headed down. After Abby put it under the vapor hood and determined there wasn’t anything dangerous in it, only a DVD, Gibbs kissed her on the check by way of thanks, and headed back up to the bullpen, with Abby trailing along. She felt lost without McGee working alongside her, and wanted to be where she could see that the rest of the team was safe and here.

When Gibbs got there, he saw that McGee was now back at his desk, and Gibbs tossed the DVD at him, telling him to check it out, then he went to round up the FBI team. After a quick scan to make sure the DVD was safe, McGee punched play, and projected the contents up on the large plasma. Gibbs, who was walking back towards his desk, with Morgan, Fornell and Templeton in tow, froze when he saw what was on the screen. There, in vivid Technicolor, was Tony, hanging limply from two chains, his wrists cuffed, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. As he stood, frozen in horror, the camera zoomed in. Gibbs could see a nasty bruise on Tony’s stomach, and blood dripping from some welts on his side. Then the camera began to circle around Tony’s body, and Gibbs had to force himself not to howl with rage. The blood curdling scream that rang through the bullpen indicated that Abby had not been as successful. Tony’s back and thighs were covered in whip marks, many of which were oozing blood, and they could literally see the bruises spread as they watched. While he was still trying to steady himself, a synthesized voice came over the tape and announced, “Special Agent Gibbs, as long as NCIS continues to investigate Melissa Carter's kidnapping, NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo will pay for your interference. If you want your Senior Field Agent back, alive and in one piece, you will cease and desist from your involvement in this matter."

As the voice stopped speaking, the whip flew through the air, landing with a sickening thud against Tony's back, causing him to grunt in pain, as he weakly jerked away from the blow. He refused to scream, and the effort that took was impressive.

Abby cried out again when the whip struck Tony, launching herself into Gibbs’ arms. Gibbs wrapped her up tight, and looked at the rest of his team. McGee was pale, clearly working hard to hide his dismay, and even though he wasn’t totally successful, Gibbs was proud of him. Ziva, who was standing next to him, was a different matter. Her eyes had narrowed, he saw cold fury and resolution in them. Her face was as hard as granite. Still holding on to Abby, Gibbs leaned in to Ziva and said in a low voice, “You will not kill them Ziva. We need them alive, so we can find Tony.� He waited for her to respond, and when she stood, still staring at the still image of Tony on the screen, he continued. “That’s an order Ziva. Do you understand me? When we get our hands on them, you can hurt them as much as needed, but you will not kill them. Understood?�

When Ziva turned to look at him, Gibbs could see her inner turmoil, but after a second she nodded stiffly, and answered, “Yes, I understand.�

Abby’s scream had propelled Jenny down the stairs from the balcony over the bullpen. She had watched the screen with barely contained fury. When the image of Tony froze after the whip had struck, she moved over to Gibbs, who held a still weeping Abby in his arms. “Is that a live feed, Jethro?� she asked coldly.

“No, it’s a DVD,� he answered, his voice flat and expressionless. “It was dropped off at the front desk for me. They should have the name of the delivery company, and the time it arrived,� he said, as he turned to McGee, but the younger agent was already headed for the stairs.

“On it, Boss,� McGee said.

Jenny gave Gibbs and Ziva, who stood at attention by his side, a long hard look. Speaking softly, she said “You can’t kill them Jethro, no matter how much you want to. There are too many people who just saw this,� she paused to look around at the small crowd of appalled agents who had congregated to see what was happening. “There would be too many questions we couldn’t answer,� she added, barely above a whisper.

Jenny could hardly hear Abby’s response, which was muffled by Gibbs’ chest, “Not if no one ever found the bodies.�

Ziva quickly jumped in, before Jenny could comment. In a loud, clear voice she said, “Agent Gibbs has just given orders that they are to be found, and brought in for questioning, alive and able to talk. That order will be carried out, Director,� she said. Jenny nodded, and as she turned to speak with Fornell, she thought to herself that Ziva was a smart agent, and Gibbs was lucky to have her on his team.

When Ziva had spoken, Abby had untangled herself from around Gibbs, and moved to pull Ziva into an unrelenting hug. “You have to be careful. Don’t get hurt, and don’t get dead. That’s an order. And make sure Gibbs and Timmy don’t get hurt or dead, either. Tony’s not here right now to watch their sixes, so you have to do it. Promise me!� Her voice broke a little at the end.

“I promise you,� Ziva said, trying to breath.

“Good,� Abby said, and after another quick squeeze, released the other woman. “I’m holding you to that, and I know you’d never let me down. So I’m not going to worry.� The look she gave Ziva was both an order and an expression of faith. Ziva nodded again, thankful that Abby had let her go. After a rocky start, Ziva had grown to truly like Abby, but no matter how deeply she cared for the other woman, she was still uncomfortable every time Abby was overtly demonstrative. It was the antithesis of how Ziva had been taught to conduct herself, having grown up in a home where you were punished if you lost control of your emotions, for what ever reason. Although she was sometimes envious of Abby’s lack of inhibition, she hadn’t yet learned to relax and fully accept it.

Liz had been standing next to Morgan, watching everything that was happening, unsure how to react. She was on sensory overload. She was appalled at what the DVD had shown. She might not like DiNozzo, and even think his own negligence had led to his being captured, but she wasn’t inhuman enough not to be affected by what she’d just seen. Although in her mind’s eye, it did reinforce her belief that he had no business being a federal agent. She’d never found herself in a situation like that, ‘never would either,’ she told herself. Yet it had happened at least twice to DiNozzo, so clearly he was doing something grossly wrong. Abby had reacted exactly as she would have expected her to, although she had been surprised when the goth had pulled the Mossad agent in for a hug. Abby would certainly never have done that to her. But it was Gibbs’ and Officer David’s reactions that had Liz’s head spinning. She’d happened to glance at them, right after the disk had stopped, and saw the look they had exchanged. It was impossible to tell which of them had looked more lethal. Lots of people had been described as being dangerous, but that pair transcended that word. She’d seen Gibbs lean over and whisper something to the assassin, as she stood rigid at his side, and Liz had actually shivered. She wouldn’t want to be the person that got in either of their way as they set out to find DiNozzo.

Feeling claustrophobic, the tension in the room suddenly threatening to overwhelm her, Liz sought out Fornell. She desperately needed to leave. The day had proved to be too much for her, and she wasn’t going to be able to take much more. Tobias must have realized this, because when Liz asked if she was needed any longer, he told her that she could leave, although he and Morgan were going to stay and help with the search for DiNozzo. He even offered to have Primus drive her home. Liz had thanked him, and after saying her good byes to Morgan, she had quietly escaped the bullpen, and gone down to wait in front of the building for Primus to pick her up.

The fresh air served to revive Liz a bit, and when Primus asked her where she was headed, Liz decided to go back to Bethesda, to help with the vigil for Merit and Langer, wanting to do something constructive, and not wanting to be alone.

When Liz got up to the waiting room, she saw that nothing much had changed since last she’d been there. That was the way it was, people came and went, bringing food and drink for those already there, spending time keeping vigil, or merely briefly checking in to show support and to get an update on Merit and Langer. The coffee tables were laden with offerings; bagels, pretzels, brownies, and coffee, tea, and bottled water; disproving the old adage that food soothed the soul, as the people that waited were anything but serene.

Liz nodded stiffly at Asst. Director Marshall, and some of the other agents in the room that she knew, then moved a little ways apart and sank down into a chair. Marshall had gone over to her, to check on how she was doing, and to urge her to go home and rest, as she looked completely done in. After thanking him for his concern, she’d rebuffed his suggestion that she leave, saying it was her duty to be there. He’d been about to argue with her, when Captain DeAngelo entered the room, carrying a bag of deli sandwiches and a twelve pack of water. Marshall excused himself, and stood to greet the man.

The men talked softly together for quite a while, then after patting Marshall on the back, DeAngelo began to move around the room, quietly chatting with the other agents there, offering food and drink, and a few words of encouragement. The fact that he knew many of the agents by name, and was able to ask after their families or team members was a testament to how much time DeAngelo had been spending at Bethesda over the last several days. When he got to Liz, he once again offered water and a sandwich. Liz readily accepted the water, but shook her head at the proffered bag of sandwiches. Her stomach had not settled down yet, and the combination of stale air, food odors, and tension had caused her headache to return in full force, and she was beginning to question the wisdom in coming here, even though the thought of returning to her empty apartment held little appeal either. In addition, she couldn’t shake the horror of the scene at NCIS â€" DiNozzo’s torture, and the blood thirsty unspoken responses of Gibbs and his team unsettling her even further.

DeAngelo surprised Liz, when, after her refusal of the food, instead of moving on, he sat in the chair next to her. “I heard what happened this afternoon, and I’m very sorry for the loss of the NCIS agent,� he said. “I hope you weren’t hurt too badly.�

Liz shook her head, “No, I just took a hit from a stun gun, so really the only damage was a severe headache.�

“That can be bad enough, especially after all you’ve been through over the last couple of days. Director Marshall tells me you just returned from NCIS, where you were helping out with their efforts to find their man. That shows real fortitude on your part. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, Agent, but you don’t look too well. I really think you should be home, in bed, getting some rest,� DeAngelo said kindly.

Liz sighed, and looked at the Metro police captain. The kindness and concern she saw in his eyes, melted some of her defenses, and after taking a shaky breath, she admitted, “You may be right. I thought I would be better being here, around other people, but the longer I sit here, the worse I feel. Maybe I should go home and try to get some sleep.�

“Would you like me to give you a ride home? You don’t look as if you’re up to driving yourself,� DeAngelo offered, secretly hoping she’d accept so he could learn a little more about the NCIS investigation.

Liz looked at him, stunned by the generosity he was showing towards her, and surprised to discover that for some reason, she didn’t feel the need to put on a brave face for him. “That would be wonderful, actually,� she said. “My car’s still back at NCIS headquarters, and I’m not sure I’m up to going and getting it, then driving myself home,� she admitted.

Marshall stood quietly watching the interaction between Liz and DeAngelo, thinking about how indebted the FBI was to the police captain. He was up here as much as any Bureau employee, always bringing food and well wishes. He’d worked hard to push the BOLO’s both NCIS and the FBI had issued on the case, and now, he’d actually succeeded in talking Templeton into going home to rest. He continued to go over and above what was expected of him as Metro’s FBI liaison, and Marshall was impressed by the man’s integrity and dedication.

DeAngelo waited patiently while Liz stood and gathered up her belongings, and when she faltered slightly in her step, he reached out and gently took her by the elbow, offering his support as he said a brief farewell to Marshall and the other agents, and led her out to his car. DeAngelo helped her into the passenger side of the car, shut the door, and as he walked slowly around to his side, he reached into his suit jacket pocket, and pushed the button that turned on the miniature voice activated tape recorder he always kept there. This was his chance to find out exactly what was going on with Gibbs’ investigation, and he wasn’t going to waste it. Plus, if he had the conversation on tape, there would be no way anyone could question the veracity of what he reported.

After they’d started off, and Liz had given him directions to her home, DeAngelo thought about how he could steer the conversation in the right direction. “You must be pretty shook up after being attacked with a stun gun, Agent Templeton,� he began.

“Please, call me Liz. And you’re right, it wasn’t fun,� she agreed, “but I actually think it was what happened later that bothers me the most.�

DeAngelo glanced over at her in confusion. “Later?� he asked. “What do you mean? Did something else happen to you?�

“Not to me, no,� Liz said, and then paused, wondering how she was going to explain what she meant. Usually she wouldn’t talk about something like this, but today had left her so off balance, she found she needed to share her concerns with someone impartial, and DeAngelo was as close to that as she was likely to get. “Have you ever heard the term ‘they had death in their eyes’?� she asked.

DeAngelo gripped the steering wheel tighter, as he attempted to hide his alarm. ‘Christ, had Barker and his men fucked up again?!’ he panicked. “You saw your attackers?� he asked, trying to sound solicitous.

"No. No, actually, I didn't. It all happened so fast, I don't remember it at all. No, I didn't mean them, I...just..." she stopped talking. She rubbed at her temple, trying to ease the pounding in her head, as she thought about what to say to DeAngelo, since she wasn’t sure how much he knew about the ongoing investigation.

DeAngelo prodded, as gently as he could, needing to know what she was talking about. Something shook up a veteran FBI agent to the point she was practically in shock, and he needed to know what was going on so he could report to Peter and the others. "Liz, you can talk to me. I've been in this business a long time, so nothing you say is going to shock me. It always seems to help to get it out, believe me, and then you’ll be able to really get some rest."

If Liz had been less exhausted, she would have been more circumspect in her ramblings, but the whole day had just overwhelmed her, and her need to vent overtook her common sense. Liz sighed again, and then she said, "I was over at NCIS, and a DVD was delivered to Gibbs. It was from the kidnappers, and....it showed DiNozzo being beaten....with a whip. It...it was...it was horrible. But as bad as that was, when I looked over at Gibbs’ team, that was worse. The first thing that occurred to me was that phrase, 'death in their eyes.' If Gibbs or that woman who works for him, that Ziva from Mossad, could have gotten anywhere near those people hurting DiNozzo, they would have killed them. I mean....forget arresting them, forget trying them, forget the law, or..... they would have killed them, with their bare hands. Abby.... Jesus Christ... Abby... she's, do you know her?"

DeAngelo shook his head, then said, "No, I don't. Who is Abby?"

Liz had drifted for a second, so DeAngelo said again, "Liz, who is Abby?" He needed her to tell him everything.

Liz shook her head and resumed talking, "She's their forensic specialist. She's tight with DiNozzo. They're...I don't know how to explain it, but he saved her life a long time ago, got hurt doing it, so... there's this hero worship thing they have ... but it's more ...they're tight. She brags she can kill somebody and leave no forensic evidence, and that no one will ever find a body. I always thought she was just bragging, you know ... that it was just... something she said to get attention ... but… I looked in her eyes when that DVD was showing DiNozzo being beaten, and Captain.... she wasn't kidding, she wasn't bragging ... she wanted those people dead. She was crying and clinging to Gibbs, and oh God….his eyes.... I've never seen anything that scary ... in my entire life. I've interviewed serial killers who had more warmth in their eyes than Gibbs did at that moment. Really, that phrase ... 'death in their eyes' that whole team had it. Gibbs, Ziva, Abby, even that kid, McGee...and the look on the Director's face, when she saw that DVD... she won't stop them, you know. She'll figure out a way to cover it up. Those people are going to die. Nobody's going to have to worry about sufficient evidence, or a prosecutable case, because they won't be brought to trial, they probably won't even make it into custody. They're all going to die, resisting arrest - that’s what they’ll say, and they're going to be in bad shape when they die. Captain, those people are scary. They're supposed to be the good guys, and they're scarier than the kidnappers."

Templeton’s story of what had happened when the DVD was delivered rocked DeAngelo to the core. He’d been afraid of this, had tried to explain that taking DiNozzo would be a mistake, but as usual, Peter hadn’t listened. Everyone who knew Gibbs had stories about him, some good, some bad, but all of them painted a picture of a man who never gave up. And now, Gibbs was gunning for them. If Templeton's recounting of events over at NCIS was true, and he had no reason to doubt it, then Peter had signed all of their death warrants by taking the NCIS agent.

Templeton was still talking, but DeAngelo realized he had missed some of it, not really worried, because he'd hear it on the recording, but he tuned back in as she was saying, "....when I worked for him, but I guess he found people who are willing to go along. I mean, everybody else is supposed to follow the rules, but Gibbs, forget it, the only rules he follows are his own."

Richard mentally shook his head, and felt compelled to ask, "You worked for Gibbs? At NCIS?"

"Yeah, about 7 years ago. Only for a month, then I transferred right back to the FBI. He's impossible. He was all Lone Ranger, and never explained what he was doing...he expects everybody to work 24/7 and always be available at a moment's notice...he gets fixated on cases, and won't let go...he's...I mean... yeah, he's the best, Agent of the Year every year since forever...but...Christ, he's....it's always his way or the highway...I mean..DiNozzo, Jesus....Gibbs brought him in, for saving Abby... he hired him away from Baltimore Homicide, and....I mean, seven years...I didn't think he'd last a week. But they're tight, and I thought it was about Abby, but Jesus, if you could have seen Gibbs’ face.... "

Templeton was rambling, not making a lot of sense, and DeAngelo wanted to get Templeton home, get her out of his car, and get over to the mansion so he could make Peter listen to the recording. They had to let DiNozzo go, they had to, if they had a hope in hell of surviving this newest disaster.