sixwordstories | (no subject)

[knocks on the door, because he's polite like that]

[Thanks to Cynthia, she knew who was at the door before he knocked. He didn't even really need to knock.] Come in.

[goes in] Director Shepard, good morning. [It's early in the day, which does not lessen the possibility that RJ Tully has spilled something on himself, but at the moment, he's spotless and looking very standard-issue FBI in the dark suit and deep blue tie.]

[She looks up from the file she's reading and gives him a smile. She's somewhat impressed to see him in a jacket and a clean tie.] Good morning.

Imagine my surprise when Cunningham said we were being called in on an NCIS investigation. [small smirk] Lucky me, I got to tell him I already knew the Director. [He's definitely not being super-serious. Tully is the last one to name-drop to make himself look good or anything like that.]

I'd be careful who you told that to. [She mirrors his smirk.] It won't get you any new friends.

I'll keep that in mind. [Amused, he goes to sit down in one of the chairs in front of her desk] So what're we looking at?

[She takes a breath and passes the file over to him.] In the last three months, four Marines have been murdered. It's looking like a serial.

[Tully raises his brows, then takes the file from her. Before opening it, he reaches into his pocket to pull out a pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses, which he puts on before he starts to look over the file]

[murmurs] Same age range...similar rank...

[She nods as he recites the similarities.] All three were killed the same way.

[looking at the information in the folder] Execution-style, their hands and feet bound...Other head trauma, as well, maybe to disable them in order to tie them up.

[reads a bit more, frowning in thought] It's a thought-out plan, meticulously re-done each time, no trace evidence left behind so far. They were all in places they should've been safe - an apartment, the barracks, jogging in a park. [Well, jogging in the park didn't always go well, but these were Marines they were talking about.]

The fact that he tied them up concerns me, especially since they were already likely disabled from the blow to the head. It's a definite show of power, but more than that--[he looks up at Jen over the rims of his glasses]--it's how you treat prisoners of war. If that's what this guy thinks--that he's waging some sort of war against the U.S. government, maybe--he's not going to stop until he thinks he's won.

[She had been waiting for him to see the PoW angle and nods again.] Our ME has already confirmed the ligature marks correspond to known stress positions.

These men were in peak physical condition, Director. No defensive wounds, no signs of breaking and entering in the barracks or the apartment. It's likely they knew him--perhaps thought he didn't pose any sort of threat.

[pauses] The person who killed them had to be in just as good physical condition, though. He had knowledge of how to conduct a surprise attack and knew precisely how to tie them up once he'd 'captured' them. He's familiar with not only the rules of war but how to actually go through with such maneuvers.

[He glances back down at the file, then up at her again] Preliminarily, my guess is you're looking for a Marine.

Or a former Marine, Agent Tully. [Because there's no such thing as an ex-Marine. She uncrosses and recrosses her legs as she thinks.] But that's what it's looking like.

We're currently talking to the victims' families, looking for anything or anyone they might have had in common.