Kate and Gibbs knocked on the door of Melissa's house.
Melissa opened the door "Hi." She greeted "Can I help you?"
"You already have," Gibbs said.
***
"You would've liked Tommy." Melissa chuckled "He was the life of the party,"
"He was your half-brother," Kate noted.
"Yeah," Melissa nodded. "We were raised by our father. Do you have any brothers and sisters?" she asked Gibbs.
"No," Gibbs replied.
"An only child? I figured as much,"
"Hmm. How so?"
"You have all the classic traits of a first-born: confident, pays attention to detail, a perfectionist...difficulty sharing,"
"Guilty, guilty, guilty," Gibbs smiled. "Depends,"
"Mm," Melissa hummed "So why the visit after two years?"
"We're working on another case," Kate admitted. "Um, there might be a...a tenuous connection,"
"Oh. Well, how can I help?"
"Do you have any of your brother's personal effects?"
"Anything that I didn't donate, I threw away. It, uh, would've made me sad. Oh, where are my manners? Would you like some coffee?"
"Oh, yeah, I'd love some coffee," Gibbs said.
"None for me, thanks," Kate said as the duo walked towards the kitchen.
***
"This may be the cleanest kitchen I've ever seen," Gibbs noted.
"Well, that's because it's never been used," Melissa admitted.
"You're not the domestic type, huh?"
"Uh-uh. No. I eat over the sink so I don't have plates to wash,"
"You even have plates?"
"Paper,"
***
Kate used the distraction to look around.
***
"This is a big house for one person," Gibbs noted.
"And two cats," Melissa added. "Do you like cats?"
"They don't much like me," Gibbs shrugged.
"How can you tell?"
"By the way they look at me,"
Melissa laughed "I hate to break it to you, but cats only have one expression,"
"Hmm," Gibbs hummed as Melissa handed him his coffee "Thank you,"
"You should actually try it before you thank me,"
Gibbs took a sip from the mug "Yeah, it's perfect. Thank you,"
"Really?" Melissa took Gibbs mug and took a sip "You're right,"
"I like your tattoo,"
Melissa laughed at the flirtation. "It means..."
"Peace." Gibbs read as he pointed to each Chinese symbol "Health. Prosperity,"
"You know Chinese,"
"Well...my daughter knows Chinese," Gibbs shrugged.
"And a family guy." Melissa mused "Any other hidden talents I should know about?"
"I can sample the frosting on a cake without leaving a fingerprint,"
"Wow. This is, um...gonna sound terrible, but...I hope whatever you're investigating is...is tied to Tom,"
"Why?"
"Then I wouldn't need to make up an excuse to see you,"
***
Gibbs and Kate walked out of the house.
"You weren't buying any of that, were you?" Kate wondered about the flirting she had overheard between the two.
"Any of what?" Gibbs asked.
"You know...her...charm,"
"Is it really that hard to believe, Kate, that I might be attractive to a woman?"
"That's not what I meant," Kate argued.
"You find us anything to get us a search warrant?"
Kate sighed "Well, she told you that she lives alone, but the toilet seat was up in the downstairs bathroom,"
"Oh." Gibbs laughed. "You can tell that one to the judge,"
"Okay, well, Abby and Caly found a piece of straw in Dorn's sock, and there is a barn around the back. Okay. I found nothing to give us probable cause,"
"Maybe I did," Gibbs said as he knelt down to pick up something.
***
"Question." Gibbs asked Abby back in her lab "Can you match DNA from trees like you can with humans?"
"Absolutely," Abby replied. "Plant DNA, like human DNA, is unique to each plant, so you can distinguish one sycamore tree from another,"
"Okay. Try matching these...to the seed we found in Dorn's boot," Gibbs handed over the evidence bag from Melissa's house.
"Is the other sample from another location?"
"No. The same tree,"
"So you want me to run the test twice?"
"Yeah," Gibbs nodded "Okay, how long before you have something on both samples?"
"Depends on whether or not you want it fast or you want it right,"
"Both. Hmm. Gonna need some extra manpower,"
"I'll send Cal down with an extra Caf Pow,"
"That brings it to six hours,"
Gibbs nodded "Clock's ticking, Abs,"
***
"Six-letter word for a reason to commit a crime?" Tony said in the bullpen. "Come on, don't tense up. Starts with 'M',"
"Murder," Kate replied.
"Motive," Caly voiced.
"Murder is a motive," Kate argued.
"What do you have?" Gibbs asked the team.
"A six-letter word for a reason to commit a crime," Tony said.
"DiNozzo,"
"That's seven letters,"
"Works for me," Cal smirked.
"What have you got?" Gibbs repeated.
"PFC Dorn...purchased a term policy for three-quarters of a million two months before his heart attack in Harmony. The beneficiary is his only living relative,"
"His half-sister Melissa," Kate noted. "She and Dorn fed some sucker digitalis and dropped him off in Harmony,"
"Harmony, a small, crappy town where she identifies the sucker as her brother," Tony continued "cons the old lady coroner with crocodile tears into cremating the body and not performing an autopsy,"
"The insurance company paid the claim?" Gibbs asked.
"Sure did," Caly replied.
"Get the name of the adjuster?"
"Stanley Borden." Cal read "Rexford Mutual, Baltimore,"
Gibbs looked over at Tony and Kate "Why are you two still here?" He placed an extra-large Caf-Pow on the table "While you go down and help Abby in the lab,"
***
"Oh, come on Kate. You're only going ten miles over the limit." Tony complained as he rode in the passenger seat.
"And that's pushing it," Kate argued.
"What good is it being an armed federal agent if you can't drive fast?"
"You get to shoot bad guys,"
"True,"
"You should have seen Gibbs with Melissa,"
"He threaten to shoo her?"
"Just the opposite. He was flirting with her. I didn't think he had it in him,"
"He had it in him at some point. He has been married three times. All redheads,"
"Melissa's a redhead," Kate realized.
"That explains it,"
"Wait, so who's that woman who picks him and Caly up now and then? Who is she?"
"Not a clue,"
"So he could...really be attracted to Melissa?"
"You can't control who you're attracted to. The whole Julia Roberts-Lyle Lovett thing proves that. Billy Joel, Christie Brinkley,"
"I get it,"
"Angelina Jolie, Billy Bob Thornton." Tony continued to list.
"You haven't answered my question,"
"Paulina Porizkova and that guy from the Cars. If you're asking me whether Gibbs could get involved with a murder suspect, the answer is no,"
"Three redheaded ex-wives says his judgment is a little questionable,"
"None of them were murder suspects. Although I don't know about the redhead who picks him and Cal up now and then,"
***
"A 22-year old Marine buys a term life policy for 750 grand, then kicks two months later from a heart attack?" The Adjuster said "No way I wanted to pay that claim,"
"But you did," Tony noted.
"I was overruled from upstairs," Mr. Borden reasoned.
"Three-quarter-of-a-million-dollar question: Why?" Kate wondered.
"The sister threatened to sue. See, juries get angry when insurance companies don't pay, especially to the only survivor of a Marine injured while serving his country. They tend to award very large multi-million-dollar payments as punishment,"
"Cheaper to pay her off," Kate noted.
"It's our form of insurance,"
"Anything turn up in the investigation?" Tony questioned.
"Nothing that would convince a jury,"
"Try us,"
"Okay. But you two think like her lawyer. Why'd he buy a big policy at such a young age and name a half-sister beneficiary?"
"Half-sister or not, she was his only living relative. And why'd your salesmen sell it to him if it was so unusual?"
"Why was he cremated before an autopsy could be performed, at the sister's request?"
"Coroner thought an autopsy was unnecessary," Kate replied. "Many people prefer cremation over tombs,"
"Do I need to go on?"
"No." Tony said "You've made your point,"
Mr. Borden handed Kate the file "If you can prove this was a scam, we'll recover something if only satisfaction,"
***
Gibbs tossed what felt like his millionth coffee into the trash.
"Six cups and it isn't even noon," Ducky noted.
"Oh, Duck," Gibbs groaned as he leaned back into his chair "this one's bothering me,"
"Yeah, so Caly said. You have her and Abby doing the same test twice,"
"Dorn's leg shows up in a trash bin. Tox screen shows digitalis, which is probably what he and/or his sister gave the Marine in Harmony two years ago to pull off an insurance scam,"
"Sounds reasonable,"
"So who killed Dorn a few days ago? Why toss his leg into a trash bin? And why can't we find the rest of his body?"
"I recall a case in the Forensic Journal where the only evidence was a thumb found in the coin return of a payphone,"
"Yeah? And?"
"Well, that's the only part I remember,"
"Aw, Ducky," Gibbs groaned in frustration "this is not helping me,"
"Have you identified the body the sister claims was Dorn's?"
"Cremated and spread over the Blue Ridge Mountains,"
"Ah, well, that does pose a problem,"
"Duck?"
"Hmm?"
"Who would you get to pose as a Marine?"
"You,"
Gibbs laughed "Yeah. Yeah," he stopped as a lightbulb went off and he grabbed his coat and patted Ducky's shoulder.
"Well, I would," Ducky admitted.
***
Abby worked on putting the samples in the machine, while Caly worked on the computer.
"Come on, match," Cal muttered. She threw her head back in frustration when the screen flashed red. Caly looked over at Abby "It's not from the same tree,"