Redefining The Future

The Cracks Deepen

zhenshchina  =Russian for woman 

Chapter 37 - The Cracks Deepen

Standing immediately, Gibbs searched for Jenny. Finding her already walking towards him, he hurried her over.

"Hang on Leon," said Gibbs quietly. "Give us a minute to find somewhere private."

They made their way towards the car and climbed in. As Gibbs shut the door, he looked at Jenny.

"Decker's dead," he said simply.

Jenny brought her hand to her mouth and gasped.

"How? When?" she asked.

Putting the phone on speaker, Gibbs allowed Leon to answer those questions.

"They found his body floating in his backyard swimming pool yesterday afternoon. Local coroner put C.O.D. as acute myocardial infarction. However, when I got the news that evening, knowing what I now know, I asked that his body be flown to D.C. Ducky's just finished the autopsy. Decker did die of a heart attack but it was at the hands of someone else. Ducky found minute puncture wounds between his toes. Tox screens were clear so whatever they used was absorbed quickly by the body but I'm betting they injected him with something that caused a massive heart attack. And, judging by the number of puncture wounds, it looks like they may have tortured him first."

There followed a short silence as Gibbs and Jenny tried to take in what they had just heard. Then Jenny spoke.

"Have they found any evidence at the crime scene? Anything to link this to Svetlana?" she asked.

"That's just it," began Leon. "There is no crime scene. Local LEOs have reported it as a non-suspicious death."

"Then, we need to get someone there," snapped Jenny.

"I know that Director," replied Leon. "I've already spoken with Decker's girlfriend, Sasha Gordon. She has agreed to speak with us. Said there's something we should know but she wasn't willing to talk over the phone. I've told her to leave the house exactly as it is, lock it up and go and stay in a motel, which she's agreed to do. I've organised one of the teams in the LA office to investigate the scene and report back to me."

"Good," replied Gibbs. "Hopefully they can find something."

"I'm catching the 5.00am fight to LA. It leaves in ninety minutes," continued Vance. "I'll meet up with Sasha and find out what she knows then I'll get back to you. Leave the phone by your bed. It could be late when I call."

"Yeah, sure," murmured Gibbs. His mind was still spinning with what he'd just been told.

"Oh before you go," said Vance, suddenly remembering something. "I had a strange phone call a couple of hours ago. I would normally put it down to a wrong number but with everything that's going on lately I'm not willing to leave anything to chance. The caller didn't say anything other than he wanted to speak with a Mr Oshimida."

Gibbs and Jenny paled.

"Say again?" croaked Gibbs, shock evident in his voice.

"Mr Oshimida," repeated Vance. "Like I said, I would normally have dismissed it as a wrong number, and it may still be, but does it mean anything to you?"

"Yeah," said Gibbs, clearing his throat slightly. "It was our duress word. The word we were to use if we were ever compromised."

"Decker must have used it when he was being tortured, as a way to somehow warn us," added Jenny. "He'd know it would tell us something was wrong."