Chapter 6 crime scene
Kate jumps one step back from the shock, Gibbs smiles in the elevator and he realizes how his team has bond despite the constant bickering among them. "Hi guys" she greets as they hug her at the same time, they miss her…and its only 24 hours ago she was transferred to a different floor…same building!
She walks to her desk. After sorting through her desk; she starts with proof reading Tony's report, then brainstorming note on McGee's report. "Thanks Kate" they murmur, which Kate replies by giving them her sweetest smile ever.
"There is no way I'm going to let Gibbs chew your cute asses just because I am not here, ok?! I'll always be around" Kate said while starting on her report.
Half and hour later, as she is finishing her report when Gibbs returns to the bullpen. "Kate, O'Brien is waiting for you" he said as he gave her a quick peck on her forehead. Tony and McGee's mouth gaped open, looking at Kate then Gibbs, then Kate again, this time…she winks at them. Kate is still trying to print her report when…"Kate, I'll print it out for you" Tony genuinely offered.
"Yeah Kate, we'll do it" McGee followed. Kate steps back, looking fondly at them, Tony sits on her chair, finishing her report while McGee gather her files and bag, and walked with her to the elevator. "May I boss?" he asked nervously…he got a nod from his boss.
Kate enters O'Brien's bullpen with McGee in a hurry, "Thanks McGee" she thanked him.
"Sir, so sorry, I'm late, won't happen again" she apologizes.
O'Brien only smiles…knowingly; he knows how tightly Gibbs runs his ship.
"Don't worry, Gibbs was here" he replies; "James is waiting for you at the victim's apartment, go there and help him, the DNA result is not out yet"
Kate contacts James and quickly goes to the scene. The victim lived in a slum, she noticed. It is a lower class neighborhood, she bets lot of drug dealers and crime activities in the areas…a perfect place for the perfect crime.
She receives several lewd whistle and comments from the neighborhood teenagers loitering around the corners. She ignores them, while took the stairs up to the 4th floor.
She sees James waiting for her, he looks nervous. "You all right
James" she is concerned. Kate doesn't need him to answer her question, as she entered the apartment, she can see why he is shaken
The smell of rotten blood is pungent, the place is a mess. Furniture were broken or upturned, fixtures are everywhere on the floor…broken. The kitchen was a mess, with some broken glasses and frames. She assumes there was a struggle. Kate taps James at the shoulder, signaling him to follow her, its obvious that he has much less experience and the stomach for gore than her.
Kate closes the door to avoid unwelcome intruders, opened the windows and waste no time. They start processing, from the bedroom; James dusts for fingerprints while she takes Photograph and collects evidences.
The smells and the blood are overwhelming, there are flies hovering over the blood soaked sheets and carpets. Kate opens the drawers, searching for clues. It takes about 2 hours for the both of them to complete the room. They are about to start on the bathroom when James suddenly gags and dashes out.
Kate follows him outside the apartment, as he vomits near the stairs. She sat James down at the porch and the man hurls again, as she calls O'Brien for back up. The green agent is in no condition to continue the work.
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O'Brien and Gibbs find James sitting in his car with doors open, still trying to regain his composure. "Where's Todd?" O'Brien asks, James points his finger "Up". As O'Brien makes a phone call for his other agent, Roland; Gibbs goes up the stairs towards the victim's apartment.
Kate continues her work. She tries her best not to be effected by her surrounding, tries not to gag. She photographs and collects the evidences. Took some swap of blood from the bathtub, basin and floor separately. The shower curtain is ripped, she bags and tags everything.
The heat and smells are getting worse by the minutes; she tried to breathe calmly and tells herself that she can handle it.
But Kate lost it when she sees a bloody garrote at the corner of the bathroom just underneath the sink. She imagines the torture that the victim went through. She starts to gags and runs toward the closed door. She opens the door with her left hand and bumps over a man the front door as she covers her mouth with her right hand.
The person holds and guides her to the corridor as she vomits there. Still trying to catches her breath, gasping for fresh air, she realizes the person holding her. She recognizes the firm and gentle touch, "Gibbs?" she looks up and meet his concern eyes, looking down at her. "Are you all right?" the man asks
"Yeah, I'm fine… the heat and the smells…you know" she is embarrassed, she expects more of herself and "Where is O'Brien?" she asks…"Coming up… Lets go down Kate" Gibbs pulls her towards the stairs. "I'll wait for O'Brien' she insists.
"O'Brien" as soon as she sees him towards them, she wiggles out of Gibbs' and leads O'Brien to the room.
She starts talking, leading him from room to room, half the time describing and half the time profiling. She describes where the struggle originally started, in the living area, then the bathroom and at last the bedroom, she derives her conclusion from the blood drop pattern and body drag.
The victim was stabbed in the bathroom, and while she was still alive, dragged to the bedroom where she was raped and killed by strangulation and garrote.
"I found the garrote in the bathroom though not in the bedroom, Haven't figure out why", "I'm not done yet, its just the tip of the iceberg, and the rope found on the victim…" as she walks towards the curtain and shows them the curtain rope.
"I don't think she lives alone, looking from her drawers, there was at least one male, living here" she concludes.
"I'll put 24 hours surveillance from the PD" O'Brien makes the call.
"I think, this happen not more than 48 hours ago" as she walks through the battered kitchen. Poor girl, she thought, her fridge is fully stocked; she has just done her errands.
"I'll pass all the logged evidence to James, so Abby can starts processing DNA, then I'll come back and finish up" she said and leave with the evidence, she is comfortable with O'Brien who did not micro manage.
After she left, O'Brien couldn't contain his amusement; he chuckles, looking at his colleague "she has a mind of her own Gibbs, she is definitely intelligent, I'll gave her that, but her independence and stubbornness matched yours, no wonder you can't handle her, she is good Gibbs, she will be a great addition to my team, you saw my guys, they are good but have no experience, still green", as he shakes his head, rubbing his chin…thinking about his team.
They are facing each other, "So? Are you ready to do what you set to do?' O'Brien asks Gibbs for conformation…"Yes" Gibbs answers grimly…"Well then, I'll meet our beloved Director as we plan"
Kate and Roland came back to the scene with 2 PD marking the scene.
Then they finish processing the bedroom and bathroom, follows by the living room. The place is turned upside down, it takes a long time to analyze and record everything, not to forget taking pictures and dusting for finger prints. Roland is in his 30s has more experience than James, they work well together; by the time they finished the living room, it was 5pm, and O'Brien call them up to meet at the Headquarter and finish the rest tomorrow. O'Brien has arranged to have 1 uniform to guard the place 24 hours until the process is completed.
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"Hey Gibbs and oh… hello Mr. O'Brien, and how may I help you today?" Abby said sweetly.
"What's the result Abby?" Gibbs' barks
"Hmm isn't this O'Brien's? And can you please be nicer, just like O'Brien?...hmm?...no? I guess not" Abby quickly change the subject as she sees Gibbs about to explode in her lab.
"I got the DNA results from the fetus from Ducky", "BUT… I still have to match it with the DNA from the Crime scene" she finishes.
"How long would that take Ms. Abby?" O'Brien asks her nicely.
"Well, for Gibbs 48 hours but for you, 24 hours" Abby replies sweetly…"You have 12 hours" Gibbs said as he leaves the lab with stunted O'Brien.
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One hour later, Kate enters Abby's lab and was greeted by her screams and hugs. Then Abby rests her head on Kate's shoulder, complaining about Gibbs the mean machine and how she misses Kate snapping back at him. They talked for a while, then Kate goes to her Bullpen…It was already empty; must be an easy day for her guys…
Kate sighs as she throws herself on her chair, then she notices a post-it note on her screen "I miss fighting with you Kate my darling, love Tony, as always". Kate smiles and writes another message "Tony sweetie, I do not miss fighting with you!!! But I do miss your gorgeous smiles" and post it on his screen. She misses her team, they are annoying but they are hers and she loves them.
She quickly packs her belongings and documents; she rather reads the cold cases' file at the comfort of her home than her bullpen.
She hears the elevator's door opens, Gibbs comes out and walks directly to her "ready to go Katie?" as he hugs her.
"Yeah, I am all set, but I think I'll go back to my place tonight, I am tired and a lot of catching up to do with the files" She murmurs in his chest.
"I rather have you stay in my place Kate" he said
"I know Gibbs, but I rather stay in my place tonight" pointing at the files again. Gibbs grazes her face, notice her tired face, and he knows that if she spend the night at his place, sleeping would be the last thing they'll do.
"Ok then, if you say so" he agrees, thinking, she needs the sleep. He walks Kate to her car, kisses her passionately until they are both daze. He waits for her car to leave the parking lot before he enters his and drives home alone.
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KILLER POV
Who dare enter my place? Ransack my place? God dammed, I'll kill them all like I kill the sluts that ruined my life. I recognized the man that's been hunting me down like an animal for years. Oh and look at the small brunette that's leading the case, sweating under the heat of summer…
What a beautiful soft neck, too bad she is properly attired. She couldn't stand smell that stench my apartment, I saw her vomited, and then I recognize another person that's holding her as she hurled. We'll meet again my friend, very soon.
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Kate sighs out of relief and exhaustion as she enters her apartment. She dumps her bag and files on the night stand. She quickly takes a nice hot bath before jumping into her PJ. She decides to skip dinner, since she is going to read the files. Then in her bed, she leisurely starts to read the cold cases, unfortunately the peace only lasts for about 15 minutes.
Suddenly, it hit her…"pictures", she jumps from her bed, changes into her jeans and tank top, dashes out from the apartment to her car.
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Meanwhile, Gibbs is in his basement, sitting down…sipping his scotch, thinking about his bleak life until his special Kate comes into his life. It's like God is punishing him, for he promised that he would never falls in love again, never! After all his failures, he loses faith in life, in himself and happiness. Like a slap on his face, God smirks and send Kate along his way, just to prove that God is almighty. Gibbs laughs, I'll be damned…
He exhales as he realized that he doesn't feel like spending the night alone, he knows that even though she is too tired to makes love to him; sleeping next to her would be enough. He calls her home line, wanting to tell her that he misses her and needs to be with her tonight rather than his cold empty bed. His calls are picked up by her answering machines twice. He tries again several times and hangs up before the machines pick it up.
Gibbs feels a kick in his cold stomach, a sudden fear, thinking something has gone wrong. He regrets not sending her home, he regrets listening to her plead, wanting to be home alone.
He tries her cell phone, no answers. He tries again for the 5th time, out of desperation. He breathes better as he heard her snappy voice, "Todd".
He knows that she is driving, hearing the car engine, "where the hell are you?" he yells.
"Hey, quit shouting, I am not deaf Gibbs, I just remember something, we haven't finish the crime scene… can't wait till tomorrow… its important, I overlook something Gibbs, Ok. I gotta go, I am here. Call you later" she hangs up on him.
Gibbs hasn't got the chance to talk to her; he didn't believe what he is hearing. God damn it Kate. He practically slam him phone down, snatches his keys and run to his car.
Kate parks her car at the back of the apartments; she quickly walks through the dark dingy pathway towards the apartments. She doesn't want to spend unnecessary time that she has to at this neighborhood. Then she remembers that O'Brien placed a police officer, she calms down.
Kate thought, how careless she was, how she could forget such important clues in the living room, framed pictures of the victims and another person. She is mad at herself, because the evidence could have expedited closing the damn case.
She is climbing the poorly lighted stairs when she hears a constant static buzz. Strange, she thought; as she reaches her floor, she froze for a few seconds as she sees a man in uniform lying face down in a pool of blood. It was his walkie talkie that makes the static noise.
She takes out her gun, sweep the area quickly, she shoulders the wall and walks towards the body for pulse. None.
As she calls O'Brien, she sees at the corner of her eyes, a shadow passing by at the other side of the corridor. She carefully walks towards the other stairs.
‘O'Brien" he answers sleepily.
‘Officer down' Kate whispers to her mobile
"What? Todd?" O'Brien is still confused, where the hell is she?
"Officer down, crime scene" she whispers back at him.
"Be right there, and Todd, wait for me!" O'Brien doubts that she will listen.
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-Tbc-nova2006-edited
Author's Chapter Notes:
Where the horror starts