The Nature of Evil

Chapter 4

McGee woke before the sun rose. He lifted his head from his desk and looked around. Only Gibbs was still there sleeping what he liked to call a sniper's dozen. He sat leaning back in his chair snoring softly. McGee knew how easy it was to wake the boss so he moved very slowly from behind his desk. Once on his feet, he moved quietly along the wall until he found the back staircase. He trotted down to the evidence garage. It was a cavernous space, dim and quiet, at this time of the night.

McGee felt claustrophobic at times, and he often felt like his thoughts expanded congruent to the space they were in. Many nights he would come down here to pace through a problem. Tonight, he had a different agenda. "Mike! Kate! Where are you?"

He closed his eyes and waited. "Have you left me? Would you do that? It's been so many days. We found the first victim, Ruth. She needs our help. She's back in her apartment near the convent, and I worry about her all the time. Ziva checks in with her every day. They've formed quite an attachment. She's no good as a defendant. There's no physical evidence. If something doesn't happen soon, I'll probably lose my job. Vance can only justify suspending me if there was a compelling reason for what I did."

He waited again. "Did I do something wrong? You said I was chosen for a reason. I still don't know what that was. We've found most of his living victims. Most are too frightened to talk. We're working with a couple of them, but they've been really traumatized. They see him as this indestructible force. I don't know if we'll get any of them to testify. Every time, someone tries to stop him, something goes wrong. Sister Ruth thinks he has evil spirits with him. Kate, you told me the same."

He threw his arms up. "You've made me the doorway from your world to this. I can feel things I shouldn't be able to feel. I know just by being in his presence that he's evil. I can feel the pain of the women he's hurt. It's agony for me. Imagine what it's like for them. You've invaded my life, forced this on me, and now you've abandoned me. Why?"

He covered his face and thought for a long moment. "Am I supposed to sacrifice myself? Is that the only way to catch the man who can't be touched? Is that what you want from me?"

"No!"

McGee looked toward the stairwell. "Boss, I thought I was finally quiet enough to get by you."

"Well, when that day comes, it's time for me to hang up my spurs."

"I can't explain what you just saw."

"You don't need to."

"Why not? You've been so unexpected through all this. You are always so impatient without all the answers, but not this time. Now, you're nothing but patient."

"Hey, I guess we both get to have our secrets."

McGee sighed. "I have to do something. This is on my shoulders."

"No, it's not. We're all in this now."

"You don't understand, Boss."

"More than you know."

McGee narrowed his eyes at Gibbs, but both men were too private to share more.

"McGee, it's 3:30 in the morning. You're going to look pretty ragged if you don't get a couple more hours of shut eye."

"What about you?"

"Tony and Ziva are staking out Taylor's home. I should go out and check on them."

McGee nodded. "Alright, Boss."

….

McGee felt like he'd just rested his head on the desk again when he heard his name. His head popped up. "Boss?"

"Tim, it's me."

"What the hell, Kate? Where have you been?"

"We have no time. He's going to finish her."

McGee scrambled to his feet. "Who, Kate?"

"Sister Ruth. I am with her now, and I can feel her fear."

"Tony and Ziva are watching his house. They wouldn't let him leave like that."

"Stop arguing with me. He's going to hurt her."

McGee grabbed his gun and ran for the elevator.

…..

"McGee, he hasn't left the house…No, I can't handle any more of this cryptic shit. There is no way he can be across town…Hold on." Tony wrestled with Ziva as she grabbed for the phone. "Stop it, Ziva! Probie's off his rocker."

"Where is he?"

"He says Taylor is after your Sister Ruth, you and I both know that he's right here."

"Give me that phone or I swear to God!"

Tony surrendered it and banged his head against the back of the seat. "McGee needs help. We can't keep playing this game with him."

Ziva put the phone to her ear. "Are you sure?...She doesn't have a cell phone, McGee…Ah, I will try her home phone…Would you like me to come?...He'll be pissed but we can do that…I'll call you when I know."

She hung up. "Let's confirm he's in the house."

"We have been watching the house from all directions ever since he pulled in."

"Tony, let's confirm he's in the house."

He sighed. "I just worry that none of this is really helping my Mcprobie."

"Come on. Pissing off Taylor kind of appeals to me."

….

"Kate, is she okay?"

"She's frightened, Tim. Paralyzed. I've tried to comfort her, but she senses him."

"Is he there?"

"Yes."

"We need Franks."

"He's here too."

"I'm only a few minutes away."

…..

"Yes Mrs. Taylor, I understand your concerns about harassment, but we have to confirm he's home."

She wrapped the terrycloth robe tightly around her middle. "I'm going to call my lawyer."

Tony gave Ziva a look. "Go ahead. But first, you need to produce your husband or you'll be facing an obstruction charge."

"What's going on here?"

Ziva turned to Gibbs coming up the walk. "McGee thinks Taylor is after Sister Ruth, but we haven't seen Taylor leave the house."

"What's her address, Ziva!"

"Hold on." Ziva thumbed through her phone. "1325 Crestview Dr., Anacostia."

Gibbs turned and ran for his car. Tony and Ziva watched this. Then Tony turned back to Mrs. Taylor. "You have 30 seconds to find him or I'm coming in and searching this place myself."

…..

The front door to Sister Ruth's modest apartment complex was locked and so McGee did the time honored maneuver of pressing all the buttons. It took only a few seconds for someone to buzz him in. Holding his gun below his waist, he ran up to the third floor and down the hallway. He knocked sharply on her door but got no response. He yelled out his name and badge and still heard nothing. A neighbor opened a door, but McGee waved her back inside.

Breaking down a door was not his strong suit, but he had learned a trick from some firefighters that made it much easier. He turned with his back to the door, raised a knee, and kicked back with all his strength. The door caved and he fell backwards into the apartment. A man was on top of him, and McGee brought his gun up, but the man slapped it out of his hands.

They rolled around for a moment, and McGee was able to gain enough leverage to throw a hard left to his jaw. The man went limp, and McGee climbed off him. He wore a ski mask and McGee pulled it off revealing Taylor's distinctive features.

He hadn't remembered his cuffs, and he screwed protocol, going in search of Sister Ruth. He found her tied up in her bedroom, her shirt torn open. He found a blanket and covered her. He would need to take the key off Taylor for her handcuffs, but he could get the gag off her mouth. He sat on the bed to do this when he saw her eyes widen. He saw a flash from the right and then Taylor was on McGee, slamming him into the headboard. McGee's vision went black for a moment as he slid to the ground. When he woke, Taylor was on his torso. McGee knew the importance of carrying a spare weapon, and he reached for the knife under his arm. He didn't have to take time to aim as Taylor was right over him so he jabbed it into his chest, but it bounced off. Then the knife was yanked from his hand, flying into the air.

McGee frowned. It made no sense. The stench of evil hit him hard, and he could hear Taylor murmuring something under his breath. McGee closed his eyes and concentrated. "Kate! Franks!"

Taylor punched him hard and then again. McGee felt his world slipping away again as he reached behind his head to the floor under the bed. His hand landed on something wooden and cylindrical. With his remaining strength he dragged it out and landed it as hard as he could on the side of Taylor's head. It was a baseball bat, and the sound it made as it met flesh was like of a watermelon splitting. Taylor stared at him for a brief second and then fell over like a tree.

McGee grunted as he struggled to push Taylor off him. Finally, he got his legs back and he stared down at Taylor who lie still, blood pouring out of his ears. McGee sagged against the nightstand, too tired to do anything but breathe. He contemplated helping the sister when he caught sight of the knife still suspended in air. Then he knew they weren't alone.

"Katie, you stay to the left of the beast. Knives don't mean nothing to us unless another spirit is wielding it."

"Shut up, Mike! This isn't my first rodeo."

"I'm just trying to make sure it ain't your last."

McGee stared up at the knife bobbing in the air. Then the knife straightened and dove. There was a loud groan. "Damn beast got me in the side, Katie."

"It's okay, Mike. I got this."

"Careful," he grunted. "This is a sly one. He's sparring with us, but what he really wants is these innocents. He gets that knife in one of them, and his power triples."

"I'm not an idiot. I've been dead longer than you."

"But you ain't done much but hold little girls' hands. I'm just saying."

"Shut up so I can concentrate."

McGee felt like he was in a trance as he watched the knife bob and weave around the room. He thought about the sister still on the bed, and he realized she was totally exposed. He pulled himself upright and crawled on top of her. "Sorry, Sister, it's for your safety."

He contemplated dragging her into another room, but he only had enough energy to stay conscious. The knife moved above him like a coiled snake, and he had to remember to breathe.

"Katie!" Franks yelled as the knife dove suddenly at McGee. McGee waited for impact, but instead felt the pressure of another body on his. She screamed as the knife drove into her invisible body. McGee felt three violent thrusts before the knife was grabbed into the air again. Then there was a monstrous thud in the corner of the ceiling, and grunts as the knife stabbed upward time and again. Then a howl and a stench that stole McGee's breathe. There was a bang as the body hit the floor and then the knife clattered to the ground.

The weight on McGee rolled off him and landed on the floor. Bewildered, he tried to raise his head. "Kate? Mike?"

"Bastard's dead," Franks growled.

"Kate?"

"She's hurt bad."

McGee heard her groaning on the floor and he pulled himself over the side of the bed, careful to not fall on top of her. "Kate, are you okay?"

She whimpered in reply. He felt her torso and found the stickiness of blood. She flinched. He pulled his hand back and found it clean and dry. "Kate, you're going to be okay. You're a spirit, a ghost. Ghosts don't die, do they?"

Her breath was shallow. "It's okay, Tim."

He lifted his head. "Mike, tell me that ghosts don't die."

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Spirits can destroy other spirits with the tools of the corporeal world."

"Then what?"

"You think I know? Do you know what happens when you die? I don't have a manual on this any more than you do."

McGee stroked her hair. "Aw Kate, don't scare me like this. I was beginning to convince myself that you were back for good."

She moaned. McGee heard the creaking of joints and knew Franks was kneeling beside him. The older man reached out and took her hand. "Katie, I'm real sorry. I let you down."

McGee felt her shake her head. Tears welled up in his eyes. "It's okay, Mike. She protects. Nobody does it better or more selflessly than my friend, Kate."

"I'm just sad we ain't going to have more adventures together. You got guts and you ain't half bad on the eyes either."

She coughed up a bubble of blood, and McGee stroked her face. "Don't make her laugh, Mike."

He stayed there stroking her face until he felt the breath leave her. Her body went limp. "Is she gone, Mike?"

"Yeah, boy, she's gone."

His chest heaved and McGee let the tears fall down his face. He put his arm around her waist and rested his face next to hers. He felt Mike's hand on his shoulder. "Let it out, son. Those tears are a fitting tribute to a courageous and righteous woman."

There was banging in the front room and McGee heard his name. He said nothing as he lay on the floor holding on to a body that was losing definition beneath him. Gibbs broke through the bedroom door. "McGee!"

He surveyed the room: the nun gagged and handcuffed on the bed, the predator on the floor beside the bed bleeding from his head, and his youngest agent on the other side, sobbing into the floor. He went to McGee first and rolled him on his back. "How bad are you?"

"Kate's dead, Boss. She's dead all over again."

Gibbs stepped back and stared at him. There was no possible response to that so he turned his attention to Taylor. A quick survey and check of the carotid showed that the man was dead. He couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. Then he went to the sister and took off her gag. She made only incoherent sounds. He picked up his cell and growled, "Ducky, I need two ambulances and autopsy wagon at 1325 Crestview, Anacostia."

He hung up rather than field questions. There were noises behind him and Tony and Ziva were there. Gibbs pointed at Sister Ruth, "Ziva, please."

Tony shook his head. "What the hell happened here?"

McGee was still racked with sobs. Tony knelt beside him. "You okay, Tim?"

"Kate died a second time, Tony."

Tony pulled McGee into his arms and looked at Gibbs. "Do you hear this!? We're not doing it your way anymore."

Gibbs nodded, tears glistening in his eyes.

…..

Gibbs threw a hammer at the concrete blocks of his basement. "Mike, you hear me!? You get your ass down here!"

There was nothing so he picked up his largest wrench and threw it even harder at that same wall, chipping the concrete. "Show yourself, Franks! I mean it!"

Finally, he heard a chuckle. "Nobody summons spirits quite like you, Probie."

"What the hell were you doing?! Why McGee? You almost killed him, you bastard!"

"The boy did good."

"Shut up! I was here. There was no reason to go with McGee."

"I didn't pick him. Kate did."

"Kate," Gibbs' voice broke. "How…why…what happened to her?"

"She's all instinct when it come to protecting others. I remember you telling me about it, but it has to be seen to be believed."

"What happened to her?"

Franks hesitated. "I can only hope that she caught St. Peter's eye this time. She deserves a spot among the best."

Gibbs sagged against his work bench. "I don't understand why she would choose McGee. It was too much for him. Right from the beginning, he had to stretch himself in ways that he wasn't prepared to do. It cost him too much. He's in a psychiatric unit, Mike."

"Jethro, when you and I have these illuminating talks, I am aware that you cannot see me. What you are not aware of is what I see when I look at you."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't see your movie star face anymore. Instead, I see colors. The colors shift and change. They give me information about your life force. I know how you are doing emotionally by the colors of your presence."

"Oh God, Mike, who cares?"

"They also show your vitality, the kind of time you have left on this world. They don't tell us when or how, but they tell us if your time is short or long."

"I don't want to know my vitality, Mike."

"Good 'cause I ain't telling ya'. Only Kate was concerned about Tim. His time was short, very short indeed."

Gibbs felt fear rising in his chest. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Katie felt an urge to protect him, and she thought that if she used him as our vessel into the corporeal world, he might be able to change his destiny. She took a chance, Jethro."

"I'm afraid to ask."

Franks chuckled. "His vitality is real strong again. I don't know what happened, but the boy turned it around."

Gibbs rubbed his face. "Damn you, Mike!"

"I know. I'm a laugh a minute. I wish you could have seen her. She did good."

"I didn't need to see her to know that."

"Take care of the boy, Jethro. I've acquired a real fondness for him."

"You leave him alone, Mike. You need help and you come to me. It's going to take weeks to get him back on track."

Franks chuckled again and was gone.

…

Gibbs found Ziva curled up on a stiff hospital sofa. He sat down beside her, placing a cup of coffee under her nose. It wrinkled and her eyes popped open. "Hey."

"How are McGee and Sister Ruth?"

The sister is surrounded by members of her order. She is very relieved that he's gone. As for McGee, he's quiet. Sleeps a lot. It can't be a bad thing for him. All of that spirit energy he was exposed to must've been exhausting."

"Then you believe what—"

"Gibbs, I believe whatever he asks me to believe. He's my partner, my brother, and my friend."

"He's a lucky man."

She sighed. "As am I."

"Hey, sleeping on the job again, David."

Ziva looked up at Tony. "Do you have food?"

"Of course," he said handing her a bag from her favorite Chilean place. "And I have very interesting news."

"What?"

"We did a thorough search of the Taylor house and came up with some interesting stuff. Taylor had a little office in the basement. Here's the kicker: he was tracking McGee three weeks before we knew about him."

Gibbs frowned. "How can that be? Tim told us within a day of meeting Taylor."

"Abby and I checked his phone logs, and we found three calls to the records desk. We talked to Ginger, the iron maiden, who guards our casefiles, and she said that he wanted to know whenever the Ronald Reagan assaults came up as a cold case. Ginger is in charge of assigning those. She called him and told him that he shouldn't worry. The case was coming up and it was going to the agent with the best cold case solve rate in the agency- McGee. I wasn't aware that we tracked those stats. Going to have to be more aware of my performance in that area."

"So Taylor knew that McGee was going to get the case?"

"Yeah. Hell, McGee was so distracted he never knew. It's still sitting at her desk. Here's the wild part; Taylor was building pipe bombs and he had the schematics for McGee's model and year of car plus McGee's home address. The bastard was trying to perfect his bomb so he could off McGee. Wait 'til the probie hears that."

Gibbs closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, Tony. It's been enough. Let it be. The monster is dead. We won."

"Against what? Evil? Spirits and ghosts?"

"Tony, he needs you. You let his truth be his truth."

Tony looked at Ziva and she nodded.

He sighed. "Can I at least ask him if Kate was still as hot as ever?"

"No!" They shouted in unison.

…..

"McGee, it's time to go home."

Tim looked up from his desk. "I'm good, Boss. Really."

"We can't have this conversation every day. It's been eight hours at work and you're still on light duty. You follow doctor's orders and I can start working you into the ground again as soon as next week."

McGee nodded. "Ziva, come here so I can show you the programs I'm running. You should get a hit on the financials in the next hour or so."

"Hey, why not me! Why does she get all the geek work?"

They all looked at DiNozzo, and Gibbs slowly drawled. "Maybe it's because you tried to open McGee's personal files while you were waiting for his snooper programs to finish, and because of that, McGee's unauthorized privacy alarms have gone off twice in the last two weeks. You don't remember Dorneget panicking and pulling his gun on all of us?"

"I've learned my lesson."

"And I'm not in the mood to test that. Get going, McGee."

McGee slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the elevator. Tony stared after him. Gibbs watched him. "What's wrong, DiNozzo?"

"He doesn't talk to me."

Ziva looked up. "He's been quiet with all of us since…"

"He was two weeks in the hospital and I waited. He came back to work three weeks ago, and I've waited. He's mad at me because I didn't believe him. I know it."

Ziva looked at Gibbs. "He's quiet with all of us, Tony. Don't worry about it so much."

Tony reluctantly went back to his work. Gibbs regarded him for another minute. Finally he sighed. "Okay Tony, go find him."

"Seriously?"

"Go."

Tony grabbed his gear and ran for the open elevator.

…

Tony found him sitting on a bench looking out on the Anacostia. He swung his backpack off his shoulder and sat down. McGee cocked his head. "Call out?"

"Nope. Boss paroled me early."

McGee turned back to the river. "I should go home, but it's rush hour. I never go home at rush hour. It's bumper to bumper on the way to Silver Springs right now."

Tony nodded. "Tim, I got questions. Is too soon to ask questions?"

McGee turned and squinted at him in the face of the setting sun. "I'm not crazy."

"That wasn't even one of my questions. How about that!"

"Okay, ask your questions."

Tony sighed. "Why you? Why not me or Gibbs? Why did she pick you?"

"Is that a serious question?"

"As a heart attack."

Tim nodded. "I've been wondering the same thing myself. I kept asking her. She never really answered. She said I had special skills, but it didn't make sense."

"She didn't say anything about me?"

McGee studied him. "You really believe me now?"

Tony shrugged. "I don't have a choice. This fits better than the alternative."

"She didn't talk about you or Gibbs. She was focused on victims."

"I just thought that maybe she chose you because Gibbs and I failed her on that roof. I thought maybe she was mad at us."

McGee shook his head. "Not our Kate. There was never anything petty about her."

"I guess I'm a little jealous. I miss her, you know. I just wish she had reached out to me."

"I know."

The sun started its descent into the horizon behind Tony's head.

McGee frowned. "Boss came to visit me at the hospital. He told me that Taylor was targeting me before I was even on to him. Maybe, that's why she picked me. Maybe, Taylor would've gotten me if I didn't get him first."

Tony looked away. "That evil bastard was right on our doorstep, and we never knew it. I wish to hell you hadn't killed him so quick. I would've wanted time with that hump."

"She gave me a chance to feel evil, Tony. I felt it in him without knowing a single thing. That's gone now, and part of me is relieved, but another part of me wishes I still had that ability. It would make our jobs a lot easier."

"But you would also feel people's pain, wouldn't you?"

McGee nodded.

"Naw, we couldn't have that."

Both men were silent as dusk deepened around them.

"McGee, I'm sorry it took me so long to believe you."

McGee snorted. "Tony, if she had gone to you; imagine how long it would've taken for me to believe you. I'm no different. We are who we are."

"Good point."

McGee smiled. "Those computer alarms are really something. Vance made me deactivate them after Dorneget went postal."

Tony chuckled. "Poor guy! He was so lucky Gibbs or Ziva didn't mow him down where he stood. Gibbs had to disarm him. Vance sent him back down to firearms instruction for having the safety off on his weapon."

"Ouch!"

"He'll be okay." Tony said. "More importantly, you're going to be okay too."

"I am."

Tony slapped him on the back. "Happy hour? Come on. I'm buying."

"No way! What happened the last time you took me out for happy hour when I was not at my best?"

"I'm a different person now."

"Three hours in, I was on a table dancing and auctioning off my clothing and you're filming the whole thing."

"To my credit, I never posted the video."

"No, you just used it for extortion purposes." McGee shook his head and grinned. "You know, Tony, there isn't one ounce of evil in you, but you are pure devil."

Tony smiled. "Okay. I can live with that."

McGee got up and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go find something to eat."

"Happy hour!"

"One beer."

"We'll see about that," DiNozzo said with a glint in his eye.

…..

The End