At What Price

Chapter 2

When Fornell & Sacks re-entered the room, Tim didn't wait, he started talking immediately.

"Fornell, you asked about her going places and people coming to the house…I was only thinking of people I didn't know."

"And…" Fornell prompted.

"She didn't go out while we were home, but she did get packages. The FedEx delivery was just about the time we were walking home from school, so we'd see the driver just pulling away from the house."

"How often, McGee? Every day, every week? Did you ever see the packages?"

Tim smiled a little. "I've been free writing. It's what I do when I'm working on a book and get stifled, so I decided to try it here, on paper instead of typewritten. I couldn't swear to the driver being there every day, but he was there a couple of days each week. It might say in my journals."

"Your what? You kept journals at that age?" Fornell was both excited and unbelieving.

"Yes, I did, my father punished us a few times when we hadn't done whatever she said we did, so I started writing it all down; I knew how to write by the time I started kindergarten. I had some memory loss later and wrote things down when I remembered them. I hid my notebook in a place I don't think she ever found. Even then I knew how to make a little trap so I could tell if things were disturbed."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gibbs give one of his smirks.

Fornell & Sacks stood. "Where are these journals, are they close by? We need to see them!"

Attorney Newell held up her hand and whispered in Tim's ear. "It's up to you, you can share voluntarily or you can make them get a warrant. Where are the journals, in your home?"

Tim whispered back, "Yes in my apartment. If they get a warrant, they'll be able to search, or rather trash my entire place. I'd rather control the situation as much as I can."

"Ok, then let's see if one of your co-workers will go with one of them."

"That works; Ziva has a key and knows where everything is, including the journals."

Ms. Newell looked up at the FBI agents. "Agent Fornell, Agent Sacks. My client is voluntarily offering the journals for your fishing expedition or whatever it is you're doing. I believe it is in Agent McGee's best interests that one of you - one only - be accompanied by one of the NCIS agents while retrieving the appropriate journals."

Agent Sacks & Fornell both exploded, spluttering about NCIS being involved when they shouldn't be and they could get a warrant. Both men were vehemently opposed to NCIS being involved; DiNozzo and David were equally opposed to the FBI going solo. Gibbs tolerated the uproar for as long as he could, then gave a loud whistle. Everyone stopped.

Ms Newell turned to Gibbs, "Thank you for breaking up that up, it was getting painful." She looked across at the FBI agents, "Gentlemen, the choice is yours. Go now with one of these fine agents," pointing to Ziva and Tony, "or wait for a warrant, which I will have to insist be limited to just the journal Tim referred to as having been written in San Diego."

Sacks looked at Fornell, who made a stink face, then nodded. "We'll take one of the NCIS agents with us."

"Good," said Ms. Newell, "Officer David has a key and knows where everything is, so she'll go with you."

"A key?" Tony's jaw dropped as he looked first at Ziva, then Tim. "Oh I guess that makes sense, so she can walk the dog when you're on your book tours, Probie."

Gibbs chimed in, "Yeah, another reason for one of us to go with you, Fornell, the dog!"

Tim and Ziva looked at each other, puzzled, and then said, in unison, to Gibbs, "Dog? What dog?"