Chapter 5
Chris arrived half an hour later. When Tony entered the bullpen, Mac was sitting at her desk, Chris knelt beside her, looking at her head. "Hey Tony, how's the face?" he said, without looking up.
"That's funny" he said, sitting down at his own desk. "She's prepped and awaiting your wrath Mrs. Sciuto."
"Thanks"
"Try and not attack her this time Mac,"
"It was self defense" she told him.
"That happens a lot to you doesn't it. I mean, Mrs. Rankin in interrogation, and then there was that nurse chick"
"She tried to smother me!"
"I know"
"Then why even bring it up?"
"Just saying" he said defensively.
"Right, you're all done" Chris said standing up.
"Thank you honey" she said, kissing him before walking him to the elevator.
Mac stepped into interrogation for the second time that day. Rankin was cuffed at the table. She looked defeated somehow, her head was hung and she was holding her sleeves down even more than usual. Mac dragged the chair out with aggression and sat down, her eyes piercing holes in the older woman. She fumbled with her jumper cuffs and wouldn't make eye contact. "It is not a good idea to assault a federal agent" Mac said slowly.
"I had no choice"
"Bullshit. You had a choice not to hit me over the head, and then maybe you wouldn't have that shiner covering the left side of your face" Mac said, indicating to the bruise that covered half her face.
"It comes as an instinct" she whispered,
"To what?" Mac asked impatiently, starting to get pissed off.
"Um…never mind"
"Now, tell me!" she yelled, pushing the chair back as she leapt up, leaning onto the table. She didn't answer, instead she started to quiver.
"Please don't"
"Why, I have no reason. I am just doing my job!"
"I think I want a lawyer" she whimpered.
"Hmm, good idea" Mac said, grabbing up the file and storming out the door. She stormed into observation and stood looking at the woman through the glass as Tony did the same.
"Wow Mac, you seemed pissed."
"I am" she said shortly.
"Head hurting?"
"Ya think DiNozzo?" she said, not taking her eyes off Rankin.
"You sound like Gibbs more and more every day"
"I'll take that as a complement"
"It was one. She was really scared of you" Tony stated.
"Too scared" Mac said, appearing deep in thought.
"what do you mean"
"That! That there is exactly what I mean" Mac said, pointing at her.
"What?" Tony said, missing what Mac was looking at.
"Excuse me" Mac said to the tech, taking his seat and tapping away at the computer.
"What did you see?" Tony asked, still in the dark.
"That" Mac said, stopping typing. The screen showed a zoomed in snapshot of Helen Rankin. She wasn't even looking at the camera, but the shot wasn't of her head. Mac's shoulder was slightly visible, but it wasn't that either. Rankin's blouse had fallen open, revealing something Mac had obviously seen, but Tony hadn't. On her left side, inside her shirt was a dark blue mark, about the shape of a fist.
"Oh shit" he muttered, knowing what was coming.
"Yeah, she was abused" Mac said, turning round and looking Tony straight in the eye.
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