The Perfect Crime

                                    

                                          
It was a crisp fall morning when Noelle Raven slid into her chair at the NCIS bullpen, balancing a cup of coffee and her favorite blueberry muffin. It had been a long week—two exhausting undercover ops, a midnight stakeout, and an endless pile of paperwork to close things out. Yet, the feeling of walking into the bullpen each morning, surrounded by her team, always managed to put a spring in her step. She couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
"Nice of you to join us," Tony DiNozzo quipped from across the room, spinning lazily in his chair as he pretended to look at a case file.
Noelle rolled her eyes. "Early morning jabs? How original, DiNozzo."
"You know me," Tony grinned, "just making sure you stay sharp. Speaking of sharp—McGeek, how's that report coming?"
Tim McGee, seated a few desks away, glanced up from his computer, fingers still flying across the keys. "It would go a lot faster if someone hadn't spilled coffee on my keyboard," he muttered, shooting a pointed look at Tony.
"Hey, that was an accident!" Tony said with mock sincerity. "Who knew that a perfectly executed cartwheel could have such collateral damage?"
McGee snorted. "Perfectly executed? You face-planted into the desk."
Noelle chuckled. "McGee's got a point, Tony. You should leave the gymnastics to the professionals."
Tony leaned back, putting his feet up on his desk. "You guys just don't appreciate the art of physical comedy. Chaplin would be ashamed."
McGee snorted again but didn't argue. Noelle took a sip of her coffee, shaking her head at Tony's antics. Despite all the teasing and ribbing over the years, Tony was like a brother to her. They had shared a past on the Baltimore police force, back when they were both rookies, and that bond carried over seamlessly when they both joined NCIS. She'd been by his side during countless cases, and their sibling-like banter made every day feel like an adventure.
"Raven!" Abby Sciuto's voice cut through the bullpen as the doors to the elevator opened. Dressed in her signature black pigtails, platform boots, and lab coat, Abby bounded over to Noelle's desk with a grin that was impossible to resist. "Guess what I found in my lab!"
Noelle smiled. "Good morning to you, too, Abs. What kind of mystery are we unraveling today?"
Abby's eyes sparkled as she pulled out a tablet from her lab coat pocket and handed it to Noelle. "DNA from our latest case. It's a mess! But, like, the good kind of mess that makes everything way more interesting. The victim had DNA from five different people under their fingernails—none of whom match our suspect."
Noelle raised an eyebrow. "Five? Sounds like this guy had a busload of enemies."
"Or friends," Abby corrected, tilting her head. "Depends on how you look at it. But, if we can figure out where all this DNA came from, we'll get to the bottom of this in no time."
Noelle glanced at the screen, scanning the report as she processed the data. "So, we're back to square one. Great."
"Oh, we'll figure it out," Abby assured her with a wink. "And when we do, I'll be the first to let you know."
Noelle grinned. "You always are."
As Abby bounced back towards the elevator, Noelle couldn't help but admire her energy. Despite the often gruesome cases they dealt with, Abby always managed to maintain her quirky, upbeat spirit. It was contagious.
"Morning, Raven."
Noelle looked up to see Ziva David standing beside her desk, a slight smirk on her face. Ziva was a former Mossad officer and a force to be reckoned with, but over the years, she and Noelle had developed a close friendship—one built on mutual respect, shared experiences in the field, and a genuine appreciation for each other's badassery.