Threads And Spindles
- Chapter 2 -
"Special Agent Gibbs!" Tom Morrow's voice resounded through the bullpen as soon as the elevator door opened. Gibbs sighed, now was really not the time for an lecture about how to deal with the press from the Director.
"Director?" He tried to keep his voice neutral, however, the bitterness came through. Morrow cracked a wry smile and hooked his finger at Gibbs. Gibbs wearily climbed the stairs.
"A Jennifer Sheppard is waiting in my office for you." Gibbs failed to hide his confusion. He hadn't even had time to get his team to find out who the hell this woman was, and now she was sitting in the Directors office waiting for him. Gibbs followed the Director and was even more surprised when Morrow closed the door behind him without following him into his office, leaving Gibbs alone with a stunning red head. The first thing he noticed was her legs, crossed elegantly, and they went on for miles. He managed to lift his head in time to catch her knowing smile. She stood and stretched out her hand.
"Agent Gibbs?" He took her hand with a nod and shook it.
Jen fought off the urge to snatch back her hand. His hand was warm and soft but yet stupidly strong. She could feel the hard sinews beneath her fingers and it scared her a little how much she wanted to hold that hand forever.
"Mrs Sheppard." His voice was deep, gravelly. His eyes were intensely blue and they held her gaze.
"Actually, its Miss Sheppard, but if you want to use my married name its Mrs Mathieu." She hated people assuming that her married name was Sheppard, but mentioning her husband always brought back memories that she wasn't interesting in remembering right now, they were still too painful, even after 5 years.
"Ohh...kay...So, what do you know about this case." Gibbs noticed her reaction when she had mentioned her married name, there was a back story there, one he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. But there was no doubt that this stunningly beautiful woman in front of him was going to cause problems, his gut was acting up again.
"Nothing." Something about the way she almost too quickly answered had him arching an eyebrow. She stared back at him. He resisted the urge to laugh out loud at her unwavering intense glare.
"Sorry?" His eyebrow was still raised in an amused way and Jen's hackles rose, she hated being treated like a woman. She worked in the State Department, an all male environment, she had worked hard for her position and she wasn't going to let this...her mind drew a blank on a decent word to use to describe the irritatingly good looking man standing in front of her and she mentally stomped her foot.
"I don't know anything. Rachel was a friend of mine. She was a very dear friend of mine and she was scared. But I don't know why." Gibbs narrowed his eyes, trying to decide if she was lying or not. She wasn't telling him the whole truth, of that he was sure.
"Ok, we found a card in her wallet, she wanted us to contact you if anything should happen to her. Can you tell me why?" Miss Sheppard's eyes widened slightly at that. It was a almost inperctible movement but Gibbs noticed. It might have had something to do with her alarmingly bright green eyes which begged to be looked at.
"No." She answered almost too quickly again for his liking.
"Look, Mrs Sheppard.."
"Miss Sheppard..."
"Miss Sheppard, your friend is dead, she was beaten to death and then dumped in the harbor with no regard or remorse. I need more than 'I know nothing' and 'no' from you if I am to out what happened, which I am assuming, is something you want." Her large green eyes glistened with tears when he mentioned Rachel and he wanted to reach out to comfort her. She crossed her arms in front of her and bit on her bottom lip. Gibbs was struck with an image that had no place in a first meeting scenario.
"Agent Gibbs...I do want to help you...but I don't know what she had gotten herself into."
"Fine, start by telling me what you do know."
---
Gibbs closed the door to the conference room and handed Jen a glass of water. She took it with a small smile and glanced at her watch.
"You have somewhere to be, Miss Sheppard?" Gibbs asked. Jen narrowed her eyes at him, he had put too much emphasis on Miss. What it so difficult for him to call her by her name.
"Agent Gibbs, it seems you have a problem with my title, so please just call me Jen. And yes, I have to pick up my son from school so can we make this quick?" She placed the glass of water on the table and crossed her legs. Gibbs's eyes inadvertently flicked down to them and she once again hid a knowing smile.
"You can leave when you tell me what I need to know, Miss Sheppard. As we speak, my team are at Commander Anderson's house, they will find what I need to know."
"I don't like your tone, Agent Gibbs," He once again resisted the urge to laugh as she emphasised his title, the woman had spirit. And a son Jethro, he berated himself, trust you to be attracted to a woman with complications. "Are you implying that I know more than I am telling you?" She asked.
"Right now...Jen, you haven't told me anything, so...I guess I am."
"Rachel called me three nights ago. She sounded scared, she said she needed to talk to me and she didn't want to come to my house. She asked to meet me in town." She paused and took a sip of water, and Gibbs didn't fail to notice the way her hands shook slightly.
"She was so scared, Agent Gibbs. She said she had found something that she shouldn't have. She said she stumbled across it and that if 'they' found out she knew she would be killed." She looked up from her hands and her green eyes locked with his blue's.
"You have to understand, Rachel had a flair for the dramatic. I thought she was over reacting, but I had one of my security detail tail her." Gibbs frowned. Jen hadn't mentioned her job, but this was going to be hard if she had her own security.
"Your security detail?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yes, I am the Under Secretary for Intelligence at the State Department." She seemed to beg him to challenge her. He narrowed his eyes, great, she had a kid and and she was in politics. Gibbs shook his head slightly, you really know how to pick them Jethro. Jen noticed his movement and narrowed her eyes back.
"You think that impossible, Agent Gibbs?" She challenged him again with her eyes. He was once again struck with thoughts that shouldn't enter into his mind during an interrogation.
"No...not at all. So you had one of your Security Detail tail her and..." He gestured for her to continue and missed the glare she shot in his direction as he reached for his notebook.
"He lost her...for a couple of hours. When he found her again...she...you were pulling her out of the river." Her eyes once again filled with tears and, against his better judgment, reached for her hand. She seemed surprised at the gesture and gave him a weak smile before extracting her hand.
"Please find out what happened Agent Gibbs." She pleaded, before the, obviously well practiced, professional mask slid back into place.
"You have my word, Jen."