|
Home Stories by Author Stories by Title Links |
|
Unconditional Love 15: Justice Monday Afternoon Norfolk NCIS Office By noon, Gibbs had located Mark Groton and brought him in for questioning. He introduced Harm and then Mac, hoping the shock of seeing her real identity might soften the suspect up. "You realize what you're facing, Groton?" Harm asked, standing across from him. Eric Matheson's right-hand man sat stony-faced and didn't answer. He kept staring straight ahead. "Based on what the evidence on Ron Talbert tells us, his 'overdose' wasn't voluntary," Harm continued. "And the only person we know was near him was you. Do you know what the penalty for assault with intent to kill is?" Still no response from Groton. Mac commented, "Damn, you're a tough one." He ignored her, looking instead at the wall. "So you're going to take the fall for Matheson?" she asked. "I'm not admitting anything," he muttered. Gibbs sat down next to Groton, smiling icily. "You don't have to. The DNA gave you up. And this time, when you go to prison, I don't think you'll be getting out as quickly. This isn't any six-month stint in a county facility. You'll be going to federal." Harm said, "Now, if you were just an accessory, the judge might go easier on you. But since you're the only one we can place, we'll just have to move forward with prosecuting you." "They'll love a pretty boy like you there." Groton started to turn pale, but Gibbs ignored that and kept talking. "Matheson won't have any contacts there to keep you safe. And if you try to fight them, those guys will be happy to slit your throat," and Gibbs drew a finger across Groton's neck, "after they have their way with you." He kept talking, telling Groton exactly what the other inmates were going to do to him. "Stop it!" Groton cried, swatting Gibbs' hand away. "No way I am going to be some guy's bitch. Not for something I didn't do!" "Then give us something to work with," Harm said persuasively. "All right, then," Groton said, looking at Harm. He edged his chair away from Gibbs. "I was there. I took Ron to see Eric Matheson, I'll admit that, but I didn't do anything else to hurt him." "That's just your word against his. Matheson's going to say you're trying to lie your way out of a jail term," Harm told him. "No." Groton was getting nervous, they could tell. "I've got proof." "What kind of proof?" Mac sounded doubtful. "My camera phone. There's a picture of Eric doing the deed." "Why would you do that?" Mac asked as Gibbs opened the door and asked one of the agents to get Mark Groton's cell phone from his effects. "To, you know, scare people. Keep them in line." Mac looked away in disgust at his response. Another agent came in the room and handed Gibbs the phone. He passed it on to Mac. "Go ahead, look. I'm hopeless with these things." Mac smiled and powered it up. She scrolled through the menu until she came to the pictures. The smile vanished from her face as she turned the phone to show Gibbs and Harm. There was Eric Matheson, pushing a needle into Ron Talbert's arm. "Where can we find Matheson?" Gibbs demanded. Groton willingly told them. Within a few hours, they had Matheson in custody, along with evidence collected from his apartment. "Who wants to be the one to give Mrs. Talbert the good news?" Gibbs asked. Mac volunteered. She dialed the number. "Hello, Mrs. Talbert. I have good news for you. We-" she stopped talking as if interrupted. "Oh, no." She listened for a few minutes. "I'm so sorry. Yes. We'll come up." She disconnected. "What's wrong?" Harm was afraid what Mac's answer would be. "She met with the neurologist today. Ron is ..." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she got herself under control. "Ron is ... brain dead." |