Gibbs made it back to the bullpen, finding only Agent Brooks there. "Where's McGee?"

"Interrogation. We just picked up Christina Mickey. He and DiNozzo are going at her. DiNozzo and Ziva just got back. I'm working on getting into her past," Brooks said.

Gibbs walked away and went down to the interrogation rooms. He walked into the observation room where he found Ziva and Agent Ralph.

"Uh, Gibbs, I don't think you should be in here," Ralph said.

Ziva spoke up before Gibbs even had a chance to berate the young agent. "It is fine if he stays. Perhaps he'll learn something." She wanted Gibbs to see McGee at work. She wanted him to see talented team leader he was so sure was less than.

Gibbs wordlessly turned to the two-way mirror and watched the interrogation that was already under way.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Why did you bring me here, and to an interrogation room no less. I haven't done anything," Christina Mackey was saying to the two agents sitting across from her.

"That's questionable," Tim said as he took a photo from the file he was holding and placed it in front of her.

Christina stiffened at the photo.

"You recognize him, Christina? He was the first victim, and your boyfriend," Tony said.

Christina shook her head. "Cole was killed during a robbery."

"Except that there was nothing taken. In fact, you were the primary suspect at the time. Then a few years later, your brother and two of his friends are murdered by the same person, and now two more are dead. Evidence suggests it's the same killer. And you are the only common denominator for all of them," Tim said.

"You think I killed them? Alex was my brother, and Cole was my boyfriend. I loved them both. Plus, how could I take out three grown men at once by myself, especially with one being a marine. Do you really think I could physically do that?" Christina asked.

"I've learned not to underestimate people. I looked into your whereabouts for when your brother was killed. You weren't at school. In fact, you'd returned to DC a few days before the murder," Tim said.

Christina looked away and refused to answer.

"I also know that Christopher Talen spoke with you a few weeks prior to his death," Tim said. He'd done a bit of digging as soon as Tony and Ziva called to let him know about the new developments regarding the woman in front of him. "That links you five of the six murders, for which you have no alibi. If you don't tell me what happened, I'm going to arrest you for six counts of first-degree murder." It wouldn't stick, as he had no physical evidence, but she didn't know that.

"I didn't kill them!" Christina yelled.

"Well, then I suggest you tell me who did," Tim said. Just then, he heard Ziva's voice come through his ear piece. He always wore an ear piece during interrogations. He didn't follow Gibbs' rule on interrogations. If something came up that was important enough, he wanted to be interrupted.

"Tim, Ralph and Brooks have something," Ziva said.

Tim stood up from his chair. "Christina, I would suggest you take the next few moments to contemplate your options. When I come back, you will either give me an answer or I will arrest you," he said before walking out of the room and into the observation room.

"Boss, I think we've got him. Christina and Alexander Mickey had a stepbrother from their mother's remarriage. His name is James Donald. I pulled some contacts. James has a juvenile record, one that involves knives," Brooks said.

"And we couldn't access that information because it was expunged. I really don't think I want to know how you got the information, Brooks," Tim said

"Nope, you don't," he said with a smirk.

"There's more, Boss," Ralph said. Donald's father was an army general, and from what gathered, he was hard core. It seems it's likely he trained his son to fight the same way he was trained."

"That explains why he might have been able execute these murders so well. If he was highly trained, he would be formidable opponent," Tim said.

"It also explains why it didn't turn into a huge battle during the triple homicide. Those men wouldn't have wanted to harm Alexander Mickey's stepbrother," Ziva said.

"We looked into James Donald briefly, but he had no criminal record, plus we thought Talen was the connecting, not Mickey," Gibbs said. He knew now that that was a mistake. They should've looked at other angles. He should've known better than to fall for a clean medical record.

"Yeah, I noticed his name in the file when we first looked into it. It didn't seem worth pursuing until it became clear that Mickey was the intended target," Brooks said.

"Let's see if we can get Donald's records unsealed the correct way. I'll speak to the director. Find out anything else you can on him and put out a BOLO," Tim instructed.

"On it," Brooks said before he and Ralph left the room.

"Ziva, come with me," Tim said before entering the interrogation room. Ziva followed and they both sat down across from Christina Mickey. "Tell us about your brother, Christina."

Christina sighed. "What else can I tell you about Alex. You know everything."

"We mean your stepbrother, James," Ziva said.

Christina stiffened once more. "I don't know much about James. I haven't seen him in years."

"We know that is not true. You saw him right after Christopher Talen came to see you, didn't you?" Ziva asked.

"You told him Talen was onto him," Tim said.

Christina shook her head.

"Christina, I understand why you are reluctant to turn on him. I have been where you are. I had a half-brother who did terrible things, but I could not accept that. It took a lot for me to realize the truth," Ziva said. She knew this was why McGee wanted her in the room. He knew she could relate to Christina Mickey's plight.

"He killed your brother and your boyfriend. He has to be stopped. He will come after you if he thinks it'll protect him," Tim said.

Christina looked right at him. "I know that, Agent McGee. Like you said, he killed my brother and my boyfriend. I found Cole covered in blood. I…I was there when Alex and his friends died. I couldn't do anything for any of them, and I knew if I said anything, he'd kill me too."

"Tell me what happened. It's the only way you can protect yourself. I give you my word that I will do anything I can to keep you safe," Tim promised.

Christina sighed and began speaking after a moment. "James and I were close when I was a kid. He protected me from bullies. Alex was mostly annoyed with me until we were both older, but James always gave me attention. But as he got older, he became a problem child. He was in trouble all the time. His father didn't' see it though. He saw his violent tendencies as strength.

Tim cringed. Unfortunately, there were a few military men who thought like that. His own father was one of them. Whenever he was bullied as a child, his father would get angry that he didn't beat the person up.

"My mother didn't agree. She couldn't take James' behavioral problems anymore. She left his father when I was around fifteen. By then, I started to become afraid of James, so I was grateful. I didn't hear from James for three or four years after that. He got in touch with me when I was at school sand said he needed help. He said he needed money. I told him no and asked that he not call me again. But he did, and his pleas turned into threats," she explained.

"That's when you and your boyfriend left school," Ziva realized.

"Yeah. I thought if we could just get away for a little while, James would go away. He didn't. He found us. I left to run errands, and when I came back, Cole was dead. I paid James what I could after that, but he kept coming at me every few months. I was terrified. I just wanted him to leave me alone," Christina cried.

"So, you called your brother for help," Tim guessed.

Christina nodded. "I shouldn't have. It got him killed. When they met, Alex tried to reason with James, and James seemed to be receptive, but it was an act. He took out Jake first. He was the only one that really had a chance of fighting back."

"And Christopher Talen?" Tim asked.

"I didn't tell James about Talen. James showed up just as Christopher was leaving. I tried to lie about his visit, but James saw through me," she said.

"Thank you. We're going to stop him, Christina. I promise," Tim said before heading out of the room.