Rule 39: There Is No Such Thing As Coincidence (Tony DiNozzo Love Story)

It's Me?

Tim's POV

    "So what do we know?" Gibbs asks as we all reconvene in the bullpen.

    "The Vice President, Secretary of Defense and Joe Claxton were the three individuals that met each Ghost, except for Erin. Erin met Joe, received a call from SecDef before he was SecDef and went to the Pentagon for her meeting where she met with Joe and Al Gore, who was the Vice President at the time," I say.

    "Which leads to the other thing that is different between the other Ghosts, Erin is the only one that received a folder about herself containing photos and other evidence that she was being watched," Ziva adds.

    "Each Ghost also had ties with another Ghost in the program. Daniels and Brockton, Watson and Whitaker, Fuller and Jones, Morelli and Hollen, O'Connor and Drehten, Ramirez and Attah and finally Claxton and Erin."

    "But how does Erin have a connection to Claxton? They did not serve together," Ziva points out.

    "Daniels said that Claxton had a connection to Erin either by father or someone from her past," I say.

    "Drehten said that Joe was almost obsessed with keeping tabs on the Ghosts, but especially on Erin," Tony says. "He too confirmed that Joe had a connection to Erin's past somehow, couldn't say how."

    "So we look into Claxton, all his known associates and cross check them with everyone Erin is associates with," Ziva says and Gibbs nods.

    "Get to it," he says as he leaves the bullpen and heads for the stairs towards the Director's office.

    "Okay from the beginning Claxton was born in Jackson, Mississippi, he joined the Marines fresh out of high school. He's been stationed in Kuwait, went to Desert Storm. Retired out of the Marines in 1991, after that there's not a lot about him," I say as I look up from my computer towards Ziva and Tony.

    "Before he retired, who were the people he was closest too?" Tony asks.

    "He was stationed at Camp Pendleton, he was doing a desk job. Not much else, he was on his way out so he was keeping busy with simple work waiting to retire," I say.

    "Wait, what month did he retire?"

    "January of '91, why?"

    Tony begins to pace. "Did Claxton answer to anyone or anyone answer to him while he was there at Pendleton? If so, did any of them have issues with him or did more for him?"

    "Yeah, there were a few that answered to Claxton, he was in charge of the communications office, so there were a few soldiers, Sergeant Waters, Sergeant Mead, Corporal Marwood, Sergeant Tanner, Corporal Kultgen—,"

    "Tanner, Sergeant Tanner. That's it," Tony says and I stare up at him not getting what he's figure out.

    "Tanner, the Marine, he was shot by Pedro Hernandez, the Marine that—,"

    "The Marine that got murdered," I say, now understanding what Tony is getting at.

    "What am I missing?" Ziva asks.

    "Shannon Gibbs witnessed the murder of a Marine by a Mexican drug dealer known as Pedro Hernandez, he murdered Gibbs' first wife Shannon and daughter Kelly," I say. She looks away from me towards the stairs and I look to see Gibbs walking down them.

    "Please don't tell me that Claxton was working with this guy?" Tony asks, actually almost pleads.

    I type away at my keyboard and as Gibbs returns to the bullpen I find that there is a connection between Hernandez and Claxton. Specifically that Claxton was to speak at the trial as one of the character witnesses to describe what kind of soldier Tanner was, but not only that, I find that there was a money transfer from one of Claxton's off shore accounts just two days prior to Tanner's death and then another just before Shannon and Kelly's.

    "Boss," I start and he turns to look at me.

    "What'd you find McGee?" He asks and I look over towards Tony.

    "That son-of-a-bitch," he says and Gibbs turns to look at him.

    "What?"

    "We figured out who Claxton is connected to in Erin's life," I say and Gibbs turns back to me, lifting his arms in exasperation.

    "Yeah? Well, who is it?"

    "Gibbs," Ziva starts.

    "Its you boss," Tony says.

    Gibbs turns and looks at Tony quickly and narrows his eyes.

    "What?"

    "Claxton retired out of Camp Pendleton in January of 1991, Sergeant Tanner, the Marine that—,"

    "Yeah I know who he is, DiNozzo," Gibbs says.

    "Boss, I-I found that Claxton was to be a character witness for Tanner but was never called upon. I also found that money transfers from Claxton to Hernandez two days before Tanner's death and a second before Shannon and Kelly were killed," I say, my voice raspy and choked as I finish speaking. Gibbs turns to look between the three of us.

    "You're telling me, Claxton ordered the hit on my family?" He asks and I can't find the words.

    "It's been me, all along?" He asks and something shifts in Gibbs as he turns and heads for the elevators.

    "What do we do now?" I ask and Tony turns to look at me.

    "We figure out how to get the Vice President and the Secretary of Defense to admit to murder," he says as he sits behind his desk.