Special Agent Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 36

McGhee snapped a photo of the body sprawled in the booth. Wrinkling his nose up, he then directed his camera lens over to the spread of dishes and leftover food and drink on the table before Diaz's body.

Loki, rubber gloves on, then started to bag and tag the dishes and food remains on the table. He poured what remained of their drinks into small plastic cups and sealed them, scribbling a description on the labels.

Bishop was getting fingerprints from the staff to determine theirs from the two diners, and DiNozzo was gathering the statements of the staff while Gibbs looked around the rest of the crime scene to mark other possible evidence.

McGhee lifted up his camera again and aimed it at Loki. As the god of mischief looked up at his fellow agent, McGhee snapped a picture.

Loki blinked and winced slightly from the camera flash. McGhee grinned at the resulting photo showing Loki with his eyes squeezed shut and his nose wrinkled as he turned his face away.

"What was that for?" Loki grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"For posterity," McGhee said. "Someday, I'm going to want proof that I met an infamous war criminal and an alien, working as a probie at NCIS."

"One question, McGhee. What is this expression, 'probie,' that you, and especially DiNozzo, keep using?"

"Probie," McGhee said with a shrug. "It refers to the probationary period that new field agents go through when they join NCIS. If you're new, you're a probie."

"Ah," Loki said with a nod. "But as far as I understand, NCIS hasn't been given the benefit of a trial period with me as an agent. It is sort of nonnegotiable, am I correct?"

McGhee looked slightly disappointed at that point. "No fair," he pouted. "Everyone has to go through a probation period. It's not fair that you of all people get to skip it!"

Loki, after carefully packing up the evidence bags, rose to his feet and turned to face McGhee. "Well, I'm bound to have some stroke of luck sometime in my unfortunate life. This isn't exactly the type of luck I was always hoping for...but I will take it."

McGhee frowned, still looking disappointed, and moved away. Loki glanced up as the bell on the café door jingled and Ducky and Jimmy walked into the building, Palmer carrying a small black bag. They reached the booth just as Gibbs came in the back door, which exited out into the alleyway beside the café.

"My, my, Jethro," Ducky said, looking at the body. "Isn't this the drug dealer who knew our dead Marine?"

"It is," Gibbs affirmed. "Loki, did you guys get all the pictures?"

"Yes," Loki answered. "McGhee did."

Ducky placed his knee on the edge of the booth and placed his bag of tools on the table. He did an overview of the body, peering at the clothing and looking for any wounds. With a frown, he straightened.

"Our drug dealer doesn't seem to have any wounds," he observed. "Conclusion, Mr. Palmer?"

Jimmy pursed his lips and shoved his glasses further up his nose. "Could have been poisoned, Dr. Mallard."

"And what makes you think that?"

Jimmy pointed to the flecks of spittle around Diaz's mouth. "The saliva is consistent with how we found Petty Officer Samson. And he was poisoned."

Loki raised his eyebrows.

Removing one of his tools, Ducky adjusted the body and then stuck it into his side. Loki winced as the thin tool slid into Diaz' flesh. "Why are you doing that?" he queried with a slight frown.