Jerry continued his meticulous examination of the alley, his gaze lingering on anything that seemed out of place. Tony, though less outwardly focused on the minute details, kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, his experience as a Senior Field Agent making him aware of the broader picture.
"You think the shoe polish means something specific?" Tony asked, breaking the relative silence.
"It's too deliberate to be random," Jerry replied, his fingers tracing the edge of the dark mark. "Someone went out of their way to put it there." He paused, his eyes drifting upwards to the fire escape ladder clinging to the brick wall. He noticed a faint, almost imperceptible smudge of something dark on one of the lower rungs – something that could have been transferred from a shoe.
"Tony," Jerry said, pointing towards the fire escape, "take a look here."
Tony followed his gaze. "Looks like… dirt?"
"Or maybe more shoe polish," Jerry suggested. "Someone might have used the fire escape."
Tony's eyes narrowed. He pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures. "Good catch, Probie. You're definitely observant."
Meanwhile, Gibbs and McGee had arrived at the Metro PD precinct. They were led to a briefing room where a Captain and a few detectives were waiting for them.
"Agent Gibbs," the Captain said, extending a hand. "Thanks for coming down so quickly. This situation with Sergeant Bell… it's not good."
Gibbs shook his hand, his expression serious. "What can you tell us, Captain?"
"Bell was part of the security detail for the Chief of Naval Operations," the Captain explained. "They were stationed at the hotel. He apparently left his post briefly. That's when he was found in the alley."
"Did he have any known enemies?" Gibbs asked.
"Not that we're aware of. He was a decorated Marine, good record. This is coming out of left field."
Just then, a frantic call came over the Captain's radio. He listened intently, his face growing increasingly grim. "We have a situation at the hotel," he said into the radio, his voice tense. "Officer involved shooting. Alleyway adjacent to the ballroom."
He hung up the radio and looked at Gibbs, his eyes filled with concern. "One of our undercover detectives… apparently there was an incident with someone from the CNO's security detail. The detective is down."
McGee, who had been listening quietly, suddenly went pale. The description of the location hit him like a physical blow. An alleyway adjacent to the ballroom… that's where Sergeant Bell had been found. And now, an officer-involved shooting.
Gibbs' gaze immediately sharpened. "Who was the security detail involved?"
The Captain hesitated. "It was… Probationary Agent Timothy McGee."
The air in the room seemed to thicken. Gibbs' eyes, already intense, now held a dangerous edge.
"Whoever used this fire escape was careful," Jerry noted. "But not perfect."
Just then, Tony's phone rang. He answered it, listened for a moment, and then his eyes widened in surprise. "What? McGee? What happened?" He listened for a few more seconds, his expression shifting to concern. "Alright, Boss. We're on our way." He hung up.
"That was Gibbs," Tony said to Jerry, his voice tight. "There was an incident at the hotel. An officer-involved shooting… and it involves McGee."
Jerry felt a knot of tension form in his stomach. The pieces were starting to fall into place. Sergeant Bell's death in the alley… and now McGee involved in a shooting in another nearby alley. It couldn't be a coincidence.
As they hurried back towards the main entrance of the hotel, a sense of urgency propelled them forward. The seemingly simple case of a dead Marine had suddenly become much more complicated, and Probationary Agent Jerry Reacher found himself thrown headfirst into the murky waters of NCIS investigations, with his unique abilities and borrowed memories his only guide.