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�Violently,� Gibbs said from behind Kate. Kate jumped. She hated it when he did that. It was funny when he did it to Tony or McGee, but when it happened to her she hated it. �Excuses?� he questioned.
�None you�d find valid,� Kate said. She wasn�t going to let Gibbs intimidate her.
�I�d like to hear �em anyway,� Gibbs said.
�I missed Tony�s calls and I slept through my alarm,� Kate said.
Gibbs tossed an empty coffee cup in the trash can beside Kate�s desk. �When�d you get in?�
�Forty minutes ago,� Kate said. �I pulled the files you wanted. Other than one encounter with JAG a few years ago for fraternization the Lieutenant�s record is spotless.�
�What happened with that charge?� Tony asked.
�Nothing. There was no case. The woman involved, a Petty Officer Jamison, turned out to be his half-sister. There are no regs against family spending time together, even if one is enlisted and one is an officer, so the charge was dropped,� Kate said.
Gibbs walked off and Kate turned back to Tony. �Someone hated the Lieutenant, Kate. This guy wasn�t just killed. Someone ripped him apart,� Tony said softly.
�Literally?� Kate asked. Tony nodded and bile rose in Kate�s throat. �Okay, why don�t you get cleaned up and I�ll take your camera to the lab for development.�
�Thanks,� Tony said, handing her his backpack. It, too, was covered in mud, but not quite to the extent of its owner. �I�ll meet you in the break room once you�re done with the photo geeks. Give you a rundown of what happened to our vic.�
�Thank you,� Kate said, looking from the backpack to Tony to the muddy footprints left behind by both Tony and McGee.
�And I�ll explain the mud, too,� he promised.