Chapter 2
2 Days Earlier
"Face is healing up nicely DiNozzo" Mac told him, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Don't start this again Mac" he said across the bullpen.
"Hey, it was a complement"
"Hate to see an insult"
"You want one?" she said, sitting up a bit.
"Bring it sister!" he said, standing up.
"Did you just call me sister?"
"Um, I think I did! Damn it!"
"Ooh, ripped" she said, slouching again,
"Listen Mac," he started, but was interrupted by the ringing phone. "DiNozzo. Right got it" he said, hanging up. "Grab the gear. We got a dead sailor in Shenandoah Park. Mac, gas the truck"
"You got it, Sister" she said, laughing and running to the elevator before Tony chased her out.
The truck pulled up near the crime scene and they all hopped out, even Pullman from the back of the truck. "Mac, photos"
"Yes! My favourite job."
"No need to be sarcastic" he said, following her to the crime scene
"No, I wasn't. I like taking photos, maybe not the subject but the actual photography I like."
"Oh, well. Sorry"
"Don't apologise, it's a sign of weakness." He said, winking at him.
"Sneaky. Kate," he said turning to his wife. "You and Pullman bag and tag. I'm agent DiNozzo, this is, well, also agent DiNozzo, Sciuto and Pullman" he said to the LEO as the ducked under the tape.
"Officer Drake Weston. We got the call a couple of hours ago, found his ID, and then we called you guys."
"Thanks. Who is that?" Tony said, indicating to the woman with a cop.
"The park ranger, found the body this morning."
"Kate, you interview her"
"You got it honey" she said, breaking up from the group and heading over to the LEO.
"Ouchie" Mac said when she saw the position of the body. He was half in, half out of his tent, a contorted look of pain on his face. A single gunshot wound had sprayed blood all over his white t-shirt. Mac snapped all of this with the camera as Pullman bagged and tagged everything he could see.
"Where the hell is Ducky?" Tony asked as he crouched down beside the body.
"Sorry Anthony, Billy got us lost"
"Doctor, I…"
"Don't answer back, it is disrespectful" Mac told the temporary ME assistant
"Thank you Sarah"
"No problem, true"
"Hypocrite" Tony whispered in her ear,
"You say something agent DiNozzo?" her striking eyes piercing his.
"Nope" he said, going back to crouching with Ducky joining him.
"COD is the obvious, gunshot to the abdomen, died quickly" he said as Tony opened his mouth to ask. "Liver temp suggests that TOD is 10 hours ago" Ducky said, pulling out the liver probe.
"Ranger was doing rounds when she came upon the crime scene. She thought he was sleeping for some reason. She was gonna wake him to tell his sleeping like that was dangerous when he didn't wake. Apparently she rolled him over and, well. Saw the gunshot, called the cops" Kate said, joining the rest of the team.
"Nice wake up call" Mac said, resuming her photography, and the rest of the team went back to work.
An hour later they were all back at HQ. Ducky had started the autopsy and Abby had started on all the evidence they brought back. "James Rankin" Tony said and the sailor's file appeared on the plasma. "Lieutenant Commander. Married for ten years to Helen Rankin. She is currently on her way home according to the GPS chip in her phone"
"You want me to interview her or pick her up?" Mac said from her desk.
"Well, I say you go and do whatever you feel is necessary."
"You got it." She said, standing up and slipping her holstered sig onto her trouser band.
"Take Pullman with you" Tony added and Pullman followed suit, grabbing up his weapon and sliding between the elevator doors just as they were about to close.
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