Rule 28: when you need help, ask.

3rd person POV

MONDAY 20TH JULY 8:40 AM DC TIME

2 teenage boys walk into the classroom hyper and ready for their favourite lesson
"Dan, Marvel is 100 times better than DC you can't convince me otherwise." One says having already consumed enough sugar to kill a small bull
"Sam your telling me that a billionaire would get in a suit of armour and be some huge hero, a teenager would be bitten by a radioactive spider and a hero from the 40s would start as a skinny kid and then become a hero before getting frozen in ice for how many years?" Dan, the second boy asked, he had consumed less sugar than his friend and was worrying. It was the first lesson of the day, Sam opened the door to the cupboard where he had to put his bag
"You're telling me that-" Sam stopped abruptly

"Sam? What's-" Dan saw a body. An ice-cold hand fell the skin gone almost unrecognisable as a body. The teacher sees the boys staring and looks horrified as he tells the class to leave.

ALEX'S POV

MONDAY 20TH JULY 9:00 AM DC TIME

"DiNozzo," Gibbs head slapped Tony "shut up," Gibbs told the child-like agent as we entered through the school reception, he hadn't stopped talking since we left the navy yard, something about a movie.
"Shutting up boss. what you got for us today?" He asked jogging to keep up with Gibbs them being the only 2 not carrying a bag of kit
"Ex NCIS agent now wood tech teacher had 2 kids find a body," he explained as he led us into the workshop, in the centre of the room was a table with a cupboard built in underneath it one of the doors was open and a body was stuffed inside.
"McGee, photos. DiNozzo, sketch. Alex, witness statement. Ziva, get an identity." Gibbs commanded
I left the workshop to see two boys sitting with their teacher on some chairs outside, they were as white as sheets and one was shaking slightly
"Hey boys," I bent down to their level "I just need to ask you some questions about what happened."
"We had just come into class, we were about to put away our bags. I opened the cupboard and his hand fell out." the second boy told me while the first pulled his knees up to his chest and just stared off into the distance
"Did you recognise him?" I asked
"I did," the teacher said "Joseph Harrington. In 9th grade, a freshman should have been in this class actually."
"Thank you, Mr..?"
"Ketch, Mr Ketch."
"Thank you, Mr Ketch. Does the school have a number we can use to contact these boys outside of school?"
"Yes, the school has a number for both boy's family homes, my mobile as well if needed," Ketch explains


"Duck cause of death?" Gibbs asked the ME as I rentered the workshop 
"Blunt force trauma, some sort of file by the looks of the shape."
"Time of death?" 
"4-5 PM yesterday," Ducky concluded as Palmer struggled to get the teen into the bag, he was a large boy so against Palmer's skinny frame it was a challenge. 

MONDAY 20TH JULY 9:37 AM DC TIME

"What we got?" Gibbs asked coming into the bullpen with another cup of coffee in his hand 
"Joseph Harrington, 15 a freshman at Long High, a high school on base. Parents, the father is a sailor mother is a nurse. No siblings." DiNozzo began as we all jumped up from our desks to stand around the monitor
"He was last seen yesterday afternoon his parents thought he was staying with a friend, and the friend thought he had gone home," Ziva explained, I was stood in between her and McGee with Gibbs on the other side of Ziva, followed by DiNozzo.
"Workshop gets cleaned weekly and was cleaned on Friday. Many prints found Abby is working to match prints to names some will have been in the workshop Monday but one could be of our killer." McGee continued
"Kids don't know anything they just came in for their lesson, the teacher said kids used that cupboard all day yesterday and a few stayed behind after school on their own but no complaints and nobody." I began
"Joseph got good grades teachers say he was polite had many friends and few complaints." McGee finished briefing Gibbs
"He was also on the football team," I added 
"Soccer." McGee corrected 
"I hate Americans."  
"What did kids think of him?" Gibbs inquired brushing over my comment 
"From what I can tell they were scared of him, one report on Joseph's file was a complaint that he had pushed a kid down 2 flights of stairs but there was no evidence and teachers thought he was 'too sweet' to do something like that, he other kid was suspended for making a false complaint." I elaborated on what we already knew about the victim
"So the kid was sweet on teachers mean to kids?" McGee questioned
"Seems so. A victim, tried to fight back?" I theorised
"Rule 8," Gibbs said before leaving the Bullpen and heading toward Autopsy
"Never assume," DiNozzo told me, I copied it down and pinned it up then headed to Abby's to work on a hunch 

"I got a print!" Abby exclaims as I walk through the door 
"Yeah, we got lots of prints," I say not understanding her excitement 
"I got one that's in the system." 
"A student?" I question surprised, kids are never in the system 
"Yep, wasn't taught yesterday. Daniel Brooks," She said turning back from the table where we had been standing and towards the computer "he was in the system from a tour of NCIS when he was younger and they all got printed." 
"He was one of the kids that found the body, he was practically mute when I tried to speak to him." I was shocked he seemed sweet but he could be a murderer. "I better tell Gibbs thanks Abby, one other thing can you check the victim's hospital records against when his dad was on leave? His records seemed odd I was about to do it but-" I explain 
"Go ahead Major mass spec is getting to know the fragments Ducky found so I've got free time." 
"Thanks, Abby I owe you one." I smile leaving the lab to speak to Gibbs 

MONDAY 20TH JULY 10:22 AM DC TIME

"Sir what am I doing here?" Dan asked as Gibbs entered Interrogation, me and Tony were watching from next door 
"Why was your print inside the door where Joseph's body was found?"  Gibbs inquired 
"I was in there yesterday after school working on a project." He became defensive 
"What were you doing?" 
"Making a candle holder, I enjoy woodwork and Mr Ketch leaves the workshop open after school I wanted to chill out so I went. it was just me and Joseph for a while then Adam and Jake turned up and worked on their stuff for a bit before I walked home with them and Joseph said his dad was coming to pick him up." He explained 
"Wait Joseph was there?" Gibbs asked, that's one thing they forgot to mention 
"Yeah he comes sometimes, he was making some drawers for his Mom." 
"Did you see his Dad pick him up?" 
"No, but we passed his Dad coming in as we walked out,"
Gibbs turned in his chair to face the one-way glass, his dad could have killed him.

MONDAY 20TH JULY 10:42 AM DC TIME

"McGee is there CCTV from the workshop?" Gibbs inquired 
"Err... Yes," McGee answered pulling it up, the footage the school had sent. At 3:03 Daniel walked in followed by Joseph 2 minutes later. They both put their bags in the cupboard and began to work on their respective projects they stood on opposite sides of the same table they chatted and messed about a bit before Joseph began to look nervous and Daniel lead the way into a small room off the side of the workshop. They came out a few minutes later looking vaguely flustered when the other 2 boys entered. Then the feed cut out. 
"McGee, what happened?" Gibbs questioned 
"Someone used an override, nothing was filmed," McGee answered 
"What did the boys say?" Gibbs questioned, we had been tasked with speaking to the boys and seeing if Daniel had walked home with them 
"They said they had gone into the workshop to see if Daniel wanted to walk home with them and he had said to wait out the front and he would be there in a minute. Joseph's dad had come past and asked where his son was, they had seen him in the workshop and directed him to it Daniel came out soon after and was quiet but they had walked home together." I read off my notebook where I had made notes of the conversations I had with both boys.
My computer pinged again, it was Abby. 
"Gibbs, Abby wants to see us." 

"Abbs whatcha got?"Gibbs questioned coming into the lab
"Where's my Caf-Pow?" Abby demanded folding her arms, she really is the baby of the family
"Right here, Abby." I smile placing the caffeine-filled drink on her desk 
"Thank you, ducky and Palmer found Oak fragments in the wound that killed Joseph, if you find a piece of wood I can match it to the fragments," Abby explained 
"Gibbs, Daniel used oak in his project." I realised 
"How do you know?" Gibbs barked bored of ever-changing suspects 
"When we were in the workshop there was a project on the side with a note it said 'Don't touch work of Daniel Brooks' and it was an oak candle holder." 

MONDAY 20TH JULY 11:06 AM DC TIME

"Sir why am I back here?" Daniel asked 
"Why did you kill Joseph Harrington." 
"I didn't kill Joseph!" He exclaimed 
"Well then what did you do to him in that cupboard?" Gibbs demanded standing up and towering over the teen 
"I didn't do anything to him, he is- was my boyfriend." 
"What?"
"He wasn't out at school I am but we started going out about 3 months ago. He wasn't ready to be out at school I didn't push him so we kept it to when we were at one of our houses alone or when we could find somewhere quiet at school." He explained and I understood him 
"The cupboard," Gibbs concluded and Daniel nodded before continuing
"He was worried people could just walk into the workshop or look through the windows so we used the cupboard. We were surprised by the boys, I sent them outside and we put our projects back on the side. I kissed him goodbye but his dad walked in, and he told me to leave. He had told me before about some of the abuse so I did what he said but I was worried about him so I texted him later that evening and he said he would never see me again I asked why but didn't get an answer. Now I know why." He muttered Gibbs looked a bit confused and turned to the one-way mirror I was standing in the observation room with Tony who looked equally sick about what must have happened to this young boy. Tony nudged my arm and said, "Gibbs wants you in there probably to explain some things to him." I sighed and entered the interrogation room 
"Hey Daniel, I'm Officer Lopez you can call me Alex if you want," I tell the teen after entering 
"What was it he said about being out?" Gibbs asked 
"People knew that Daniel was..." 
"I'm gay, I was outed last year it got around school and I had to admit it." 
"So people knew that Daniel was gay someone last year found out and spread the rumour." 
"Joe was bi and he knew how homophobic and biphobic his dad was he thought his mum would have been okay with it but if he told her his father would have found out he didn't have any grandparents they had all died and if his friends had found out, his father would be next and he would be nowhere near safe at home or school," Daniel explained to me as Gibbs grew more and more confused 
"While Daniel is gay meaning he's only into guys, Joseph was bi or bisexual meaning like me he was into boys and girls. He knew his father hated gay people and bi people so due to the abuse he wouldn't have been safe if he had told his father and his friends would also have hated him and probably tell his father." I tried to put what Daniel had said into simpler terms but I was worried as to what Gibbs would think. Gibbs got up and left I thanked Daniel before handing him over to another agent to guide him out as I followed Gibbs to the elevator