Breaking

Putting the pieces together

Gibbs sat down in interrogation. Still a bit groggy from his nightmare filled rest, he sighed as he rested his cuffed hands.
"Let me"
"No"
"No?"
"No, look I get angry okay Tim. One of the nightmares which I do remember is me punching someone. Then that someone becomes me and I am hurting myself. So I am worried I may hit you which would make that a felony."
McGee nodded.
Vance appeared.
"Fresh" he simply said and put coffees down on the table. The one with the straw was Gibbs.
"Good luck" Vance whispered to McGee as he left them to it.
Torres and Bishop watched from the observation room, Vance nodded to them as he joined them.
Ducky and Palmer were re-examining the body from the scene. Making sure in Ducky's mind that his dear friend was not a killer.
Back in interrogation McGee began..
Gibbs had waived his right to an attorney. He was having to trust his gut and McGee who he trusted more at this point.
"So let's go through how you think you ended up at the crime scene."
"I went to get coffee.."
Bishop, "Coffee shop, on it" she said running out of the room.
They all knew they had dropped the ball. Vance was on the verge of bringing in another team but felt like giving them a chance and he couldn't risk tipping off whomever was attacking them. This was personal they had never seen Gibbs this broken before. McGee had seem glimpses in Paraguay, but this was different. This had rocked all of them.
"I remember drinking a few sips and then I dropped the cup. My hand went."
"Okay, do you remember anyone suspicious?"
"No"
"Okay then what?"
"I remember a voice saying that he would do more to me than the bat could ever do."
"The baseball bat?"
"Yes I think so. But.."
"But?"
"I err just remember being scared at that point." Gibbs choked out trying not to look at McGee
"Take your time Gibbs" McGee calmly said
Gibbs slurped his drink through the straw
"I think I blacked out and then I waited for you at the crime scene"
"Do you remember how you got to the crime scene?"
"I vaguely remember something, but really don't know Tim. I really don't."
He nodded. He was done. He had let himself down, his team no make that his family. He could feel the pain that the stress was causing.
"Now at the coffee shop do you remember anyone new or maybe watching you?"
"No" he said trying not to let the emotions get the better of him. But he could tell he was failing miserably. It was only a matter of time.
McGee went to ask another question but Gibbs interrupted.
"I thought Ducky said I didn't kill him"
"He was mistaken, now Gibbs I need you to remember before this all began"
"How far?" Gibbs whispered
"The week before you ended up in the hospital if you can"
"It was quiet, we had that hit and run case."
"Yes anything happen at home?"
Gibbs stared at McGee
"Anything out of the ordinary?"
Gibbs closed his eyes, he couldn't remember too much. But he took a moment. That's when the tears decided to fall like a waterfall. He was done now.
"Gibbs, please anything that may help us, you?" McGee said softly.
Gibbs opened his eyes, trying not to look at McGee or anything for that matter. He choked out
"If you go in to the basement then you will find another photo"
McGee sighed
"Really?"
"It's not what you think, it's just the bat." Gibbs said
McGee left silently, leaving Gibbs with his head down, trying not to break down even further.
Back in the bullpen Torres and Bishop were getting their update together
"How is he?"
"Not good, we need to go back to his house apparently there is another photo. What do you have?"
"Well Kasie is working on the car, apparently it was a rental."
"Do we have that detail yet?"
"No, but I am running facial rec on the other person in the car, so hopefully we will get a hit."
"Great job, okay l will go and find this photo"
"No need" Palmer said behind them
"Jimmy?"
"I heard about the photo, I saw it when Kasie and I helped clean up. I kept it in a forensic bag, hoping to give it back to Agent Gibbs when he was well enough. It looked important."
"What do you mean it looked important it's just a photo?"
"Oh no Tim there was a photo and that's in there, but there is a letter too. I saw the sentence, yeah look.."
Palmer held up the bag and through it read out loud
"I will use the bat on you more than you can imagine"
Palmer, adjusted his glasses and handed over the letter to McGee.
"That's practically what Gibbs remembers being told."
"Does it say who its from?"
McGee grabbed some gloves and opened the bag.
"Lets see"
McGee scanned it for names.
"No, its signed Y W N"
"Your worst nightmare" Palmer blurted out
"Which is why he has the nightmares?" asked Torres
"Could be, right great work Jimmy."
"Thanks, I just hope we catch this person"
"Yes, I will take the photo, if you can drop this to Kasie and help if needed?"
"Sure Tim" Palmer said and headed off back downstairs
"We have a BOLO out for the member of staff at the coffee shop, apparently the one that served Gibbs didn't turn up for work"
"Great guys, okay I am going back to talk to Gibbs."
Back in with Gibbs who looked up when McGee re-entered
"is this it?"
Gibbs nodded
"We also found a letter with it"
Gibbs sat silent
"Do you know anything about the letter?"
More silence, but he was struggling, he didn't want to admit he had dropped the ball. But he picked up on the frustration from McGee
"I think it was hand delivered" Gibbs whispered
McGee took a moment
"Okay can you remember that day?"
Gibbs nodded and took in a deep breath
"I was in the basement, I had been working I hadn't slept. It was coming up to 3am when I went upstairs to grab something."
"Okay is that when it was delivered?"
"Yeah, I heard the letterbox go and the letter was dropped in. But I didn't check....."
"Gibbs"
"AH HELL MCGEE"
"Gibbs calm down please"
Gibbs got up and started pacing
"No I didn't check because misplaced mail sometimes goes to my neighbours who sometimes has weird shifts."
"That's okay Gibbs you were probably tired"
McGee stood up and stopped him from walking.
Gibbs was angry and terrified all at once
"We all dropped it, okay" McGee said softly
Gibbs nodded
"Now, one more question then we can get you some rest"
"and food?"
"Yes and food"
McGee was slightly taken a back but realised that this all had been hard on Gibbs.
Gibbs sat back down
"What then, why didn't you report the letter?"
"I read it the following night, I saw the photo and then it took me back to Paraguay."
"Which is why you can't remember" Dr Grace re-appeared having been away getting her day job done, she was back to help where she could.
"That's fine, let's get you that rest and food."
Gibbs walked out escorted by McGee
"Vance will message the address" McGee said to Grace
She nodded.
"Where we going?" whispered Gibbs
McGee didn't answer.
Phase two of his plan was now in motion.