NCIS s02e14 Episode Script

Come on.
Yeah, 'cause I always get that confused.
No, no, it's simple.
If the groundhog sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter.
If he doesn't, spring's right around the corner.
Are you sure that it's not the other way around.
Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.
See you later.
Thanks.
All right - Thursday, 11:00 a.
m.
Sharp.
I'll be there.
You'll make it this time? Huh I promess.
See you then.
You okay? Yeah.
No.
I hate going to the dentist.
I've had a phobia since I was a child and now I need a root canal.
Mm That doesn't sound like fun.
No, I've canceled my appointment three times.
What's not fun? Nothing.
Who's Dr.
Jackson? You read that upside down? A talent that serves me well.
What's wrong with you? Uh he-he's a dentist.
Ooh, and our Ms.
Todd is afraid of dentists.
Who told you that? Ethically, I can't reveal my source.
It's the same person who told me Probie wasn't potty-trained till he was six.
Get the sedan, McGee.
Uh, where we going, boss? Not we You.
Apartment building in Georgetown.
A woman reported seeing a sailor being strangled.
Me, uh, alone? Metro police don't think it's anything, but the woman's insistent.
Um, what do you want me to do? Investigate, McGee.
It's what we do.
If there's anything, call in.
Right.
Our little boy's growing up.
Cut it out, DiNozzo.
It's a vote of confidence.
Really? You think so? It's a test.
Don't listen to him.
Excuse me, sir.
Yeah? NCIS.
Special Agent McGee.
So you're what they sent me.
Geez, I'm feelin' old.
NCIS is here.
Say good-bye to the little lady.
Copy that.
Uh, so, uh what have you got? There's no need to write it down, kid.
Woman up there says that she saw a sailor being strangled across the way.
Never happened.
You checked it out? Yeah, the apartment manager let us in.
No sign of struggle, nobody was even there.
No forcible entry.
Neighbors didn't see or hear anything.
So why did you call us? She wouldn't let it go.
I think she was up a little bit too late.
Had a little too much to drink, you know? Look, I got some other real cases to investigate.
Her name is Erin Kendall.
Apartment 2-B.
Make sure you ask her to show you the video.
Hi.
Hi.
Uh, you're the cop from NCIS? Special Agent McGee.
Come on in.
Maybe I can get somewhere with you.
Well, by the time I started to record, they were gone.
And, yes, I'd had a few glasses of wine, but I saw a sailor being strangled.
You're sure it was a sailor? Yes, he was wearing his service dress blues.
I work for DOD.
I know military uniforms.
Infinite-Dimensional Homological Algebra for Binary Systems.
You read this? Oh, yeah.
I had the author, Sidnitski, in graduate school.
You went to MIT? Yes.
Me, too.
The root canal? I have an appointment with the dentist in the morning.
You gonna keep it this time? I can help you.
I have a friend who had a fear of flying.
He was cured by a hypnotist.
A hypnotist.
I don't think so.
Yeah, Gibbs.
Boss, it's McGee.
Yeah? I think there may be something here.
You think? Well, uh Do we roll or not, McGee? Roll, boss.
DiNozzo.
Get the truck Ah, is that the witness? Yeah, Tony.
Crime scene? Uh, second floor of this apartment building here.
Occupant is a civilian named Thorne.
Robert J.
He's not at home.
Let's check it out.
I hope you have more to go on than her sweet smile.
The police already checked this out.
Thorne's one of my best tenants.
I don't want to lose him.
This gonna take you guys long? I got a meeting with my doctoral committee, here.
When was the last time you saw Mr.
Thorne? I don't know.
About a week ago? He travels a lot.
We can let ourselves out.
You made the call.
What were you basing your decision on? The credibility of the witness.
MIT graduate.
Phi Beta Kappa.
Builds computer models for DOD.
We've all seen the credentials.
That's it? No, no, uh, to get a closer look at the assault,Erin used a camcorder with a 200-to-one zoom lens.
Let's see the video.
Well, she didn't actually,uh, start recording until after the men had moved away from the window, but it does show that the lights were on.
When the Metro Police got here, they were off.
That would do it for me.
Boss, the truth? That would be good.
If there's one thing I've learned from you, it's that sometimes an agent has to go with their gut.
Okay.
What would you do now, McGee? I'll dust for prints.
I'll shoot.
We're not going to spend a lot of time on this.
I can't work like this, McGee.
Get off my back.
Sorry.
It's just, everything is riding on you finding something that places a sailor in that apartment.
I wish I were a magician.
DiNozzo says the boss is testing me.
DiNozzo says a lot of things.
Actually, this time he's probably right.
Gibbs tested me.
Really? Yeah.
What happened? Nothing.
I passed.
Your problem is, the crime scene - if it really is a crime scene- is too clean.
It didn't produce any quality prints.
Abby, it is a crime scene.
Then it is.
Now get out of here and let me finish my work.
Thank you, Abs.
Photos from the scene of the crime.
Annual performance reviews are next week.
Two sailors in the National Capital Region were reported UA today.
One female.
I'm getting the particulars on the other.
McGee.
Good news, I think.
Did you get a match? Put her on the speaker.
I ran the only clean print from the apartment through AFIS.
It belongs to Petty Officer First Class Keith Dillon, USN.
He your missing sailor, Kate? Dillon comma Keith.
Sure is.
Boss boss, Erin was right.
What does that mean, McGee? Well, she wasn't imagining it.
It also means a sailor may be dead.
Keith Dillon, 32, single, never married.
Lives in Anacostia.
Assigned to Pax River.
What's he do? Motor pool.
Driver.
I talked to Dillon's CO.
He's still a no-show.
We're going back to Thorne's apartment.
I'll get the truck.
You did want me to get the truck, yes? I'm going to enjoy this.
The attacker's back was to me most of the time.
Like this? Yeah, and then he pulled the sailor off, to your right.
Gosh, I can't tell you how may times I've thought of doing this.
I dare you, DiNozzo.
Oh, yeah? DiNozzo! That's just what it looked like.
There are so many things I could say right now.
P robie.
Get the ALS up here.
Yeah, it's urine.
Boss Tenant does not appear to have a pet.
Have Abby do a DNA analysis.
In the meantime, we go over this place, top to bottom.
I'll get the equipment.
Excuse me.
I want all the information you have on your tenant, Thorne.
Contact numbers,place of employment, apartment lease,everything.
Gone.
I'm just the manager.
I call a plumber when the toilet backs up.
The building's owned by Hawley Street Holding in Boston.
They got all that.
Get it for me.
Did you find anything? Urine.
On the carpet.
Urine?! Evacuation.
When somebody dies, their sphincter and bladder relax.
Probably more than she wants to know, McGee.
Special Agent Gibbs believe me now? More than he did before.
McGee! I'll I'll let you know what's going on, okay? Okay.
Clear.
Boss, I already vacuumed the couch for fibers.
It's a convertible sofa, McGee.
Slept on one for seven months.
That would be after the third wife? That would be none of my business.
The missing Mr.
Thorne is even more mysterious.
And dangerous.
What do you think was in there? Drugs? Oh, um, Hawley Street Holding faxed over a copy of Thorne's lease agreement and rental application.
You're gonna need Thorne's permission if you want to remove property.
When he shows up, tell him to call me.
Well, I'm gonna need a receipt.
You can handle something that big? You'd be surprised at what I can handle.
Really! Now, you think I could drive a truck like this? Not much I can tell you.
Petty Officer Dillon did his job and that's about it.
Didn't hang around.
Didn't socialize.
He ever been late before? No, this is a first.
I waited till noon to report him UA.
He ever mention a man named Thorne? Not that I remember.
What's happened? Dillon's only been UA a couple hours, and NCIS is involved? According to his service records, Petty Officer Dillon washed out of SEAL training.
Yeah, I heard he rang the bell.
Agent Gibbs, I'm his CO.
I want to know what's going on.
We have a report of a sailor being straled.
And you think it was Petty Officer Dillon? We found his prints at the scene.
No body.
That's all I can tell you.
Hey! DiNozzo! I gotta go.
Check you later.
You'll find me.
Get her number? I wasn't hitting on her, and neither was Petty Officer Dillon.
She was interested in him, but uh, he has a girlfriend.
Did you get her name? Meg.
Fits a hot chick like that.
You meant Dillon's girlfriend.
Check out his place in Anacostia.
I enjoy going to the dentist.
What could you possibly enjoy? A little pain is a good thing, Kate.
That's why people put hot sauce on tacos.
What'd the urine tell you, Abby? Oh, all kinds of stuff.
We had a really good talk.
I was able to extract epithelial cells.
It's human urine, Boss.
What else? No recreational drugs.
Not diabetic.
Male or female? Wasn't pregnant.
DNA? You're never satisfied, are you? I'm working on it and the ballistics from Thorne's gun.
But I found something interesting in the mattress cutout - Do you wanna come see? I'll be down in a minute.
Okay.
I need an assistant.
It's not in the budget.
The name Robert J.
Thorne has to be an alias.
Nothing on his apartment rental application checks out.
His driver's license, social, references are all phony.
He lists his occupation as a "sales representative" but the company doesn't exist.
The owners of the building didn't verify anything? He paid the first month, last month, and every payment since in cash.
Apparently,dead presidents are the only reference they needed.
Ran the serial number on Thorne's Sig by the manufacturer.
It was sold, 15 months ago, to a Virginia dealer.
He works gun shows.
Trying to track him down.
What'd you find? Couldn't tell when Petty Officer Dillon was last in his apartment.
The bed wasn't made, but from the looks of the place, it never is.
What about the girlfriend? Ah.
Indications are they're in the not-ready-to-commit stage.
Indications? Yeah, she keeps her cosmetics and her toothbrush there, but no clothes.
And they are intimate but not at the moment Okay, now how would you know that? Gyne-Lotrimin.
Jill Meyers has a yeast infection.
I'm gonna call the pharmacy and get her address.
You may not admire his methods, but you gotta love the results.
I'm with Abby.
Uh, boss, can I come? Come on.
What do you got, Abbs? Do I have to answer the newbie? Humor him.
There were traces of cocaine found inside the box.
So, Tony was right.
He was dealing drugs.
Maybe not.
The traces were microscopic.
So it could just be from hiding money.
He calls himself a federal agent.
The U.
S.
money supply is contaminated with traces of cocaine.
I thought that was an urban myth.
Give me a bill.
Huh? Give me a bill.
A hundred? Yeah.
I like like to be prepared, for any emergency.
You're such a Boy Scout.
Money is a great receptor.
Because the ink never really dries.
One bill used to snort cocaine,and then going through an ATM leaves minute traces of the drug on thousands of others.
Four out of five bills in circulation are contaminated to a level that can be detected by drug dogs.
Um, Abs? Yeah? Forgetting something? No.
Hey, McGee! One sec.
Special Agent McGee.
Hey, kid.
This is Detective Floyd.
We found something you might be interested in.
Step out of there.
I knew Erin saw what she saw.
That feeling in my gut was right.
That feeling you experienced was lower than your gut, probie.
Whew! All right, Ducky, you're up.
Thanks, Caitlin.
I'd have to be really desperate to use one of these things.
Yeah.
Wretched, aren't they? Looks like your missing sailor was dumped here over the weekend.
His watch and his wallet are missing.
Killer didn't know he was seen strangling Petty Officer Dillon.
He made it look like a mugging.
Makes sense.
Any luck tracking Thorne down? Name's an alias.
The kid's got good instincts, you know.
Yeah, you think so, huh? McGee Yeah! You leave my coffee in the truck? Oh, uh, I'm getting it now, boss.
Keep me posted.
Duck? Well, based on lividity and blood-pooling the body was most definitely moved.
The ligature marks indicate strangulation as the cause of death.
These parallel lines suggest an electrical cord.
Time of death 12 to 14 hours ago.
That would confirm the witness' story.
Yeah.
Bag his head and hands, Mr.
Palmer.
Hey, you want to help me with the grid? Give me the hypnotist's number.
Here you go, boss.
What's next? What? How do we proceed, McGee? Right.
Well, uh, we've got to figure out who Thorne is and find the connection between him and Petty Officer Dillon.
Probably the money.
And I think it would be a smart move to keep an eye on Thorne's apartment.
If he doesn't know we're on to him, he'll be back.
What else? I think Erinand the building manager should work on a composite sketch.
Am I forgetting anything? Just to keep my coffee hot, McGee.
Would you bring me an evidence vial,please, Mr.
Palmer? This fiber appears synthetic.
Most likely the petty officer didn't pick it up from the portable loo.
You know, making your death appear a robbery was a very amateurish attempt at a red herring.
I've always found that a very curious expression.
Yes, it is, isn't it? You know the derivation? Fox and hounds.
How's that, Dr.
Mallard? Well, the only practical way to cure a herring is by smoking and salting Yes, it turns the fish a crimson red and gives it a very distinctive smell.
In the early 15th century, they used to train their hounds to hunt foxes by dragging a red herring along the ground on a piece of string to leave a trail of scent for the dogs to follow.
Then, later on,they would drag a red herring across the scent trail of a real fox to test the dog's ability to ignore a false scent or false clue.
Hence the term "red herring" became to mean "a false clue designed to fool one's opponent.
" That's fascinating.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Do you know the etymology of the phrase "white elephant"? I should really get this up to Abby Because of its rarity,the King of Siam declared all white elephants his personal property.
How's that? Yes.
Excellent.
This is as far as you've gotten? Uh, yeah, that's as far as we're going to get.
I'm sorry.
I just can't remember what he looks like.
Show her the composite the manager did.
I did.
It's a waste of time.
It could've been anyone.
Let me try something.
Okay.
What are you doing? Erin is incredible.
She has rewritten the software code to the MAU program to incorporate hyper-threading.
But I thought you were working on the composite.
It's not going to happen.
Erin, any idea on how to over-clock the processors? Yeah, um, you got two options.
Changing either the FSB or the multiplier locks.
Oh.
A gift from Dr.
Mallard.
There it is.
That's amazing.
Jill Meyers? NCIS.
Special Agent Todd, DiNozzo.
We'd like to talk to you about a Petty Officer Keith Dillon.
When's the last time you saw him? A couple days ago.
So how did you find out that I know Keith? Did he he tell you? Petty Officer Dillon has been murdered.
What? What happened? Well, that's what we're trying to find out.
How long have you and Petty Officer Dillon been seeing each other? Keith came in a couple months ago.
So he's dead? Yeah.
You're married.
Uh, yeah.
Your husband know about Keith? Uh-uh.
He's, uh, he's in Iraq.
Been there eight months.
Any way he could've found out? Uh-uh.
re things getting serious with Keith? I was going to send my husband an e-mail breaking up.
Good thing I didn't.
Keith wanted me to quit my job and move in with him.
He was going to support you? Yeah.
He was coming into a lot of money.
Guess I'm stuck here, now.
Keith ever talk about a guy named Robert Thorne? Keith didn't talk about anything.
Our relationship was more, mm physical than anything else.
I do know he was pissed.
He didn't make it as a Navy SEAL.
Anything else? Mm My husband doesn't need to find out about Keith, right? A "Dear John" by e-mail?! What a calculating witch.
She gives all women a bad name.
I'm never getting married.
There's no upside to it.
That's not true.
Statistically, married men live longer.
They don't actually live longer - it just seems longer.
You're so cynical.
Am I? Marriage was never intended to last more than a few years.
Where did you get that? Anthropology 101.
The concept was invented by cavemen with a life expectancy of 25 years.
"Till death do us part" meant four or five years, tops.
That was very enlightening, DiNozzo.
And I do understand now.
You think like a Neanderthal.
Hey! Geez! Don't mess with my music.
How do you work with that? It helps me to concentrate.
On what? Fibers that Ducky found on Dillon.
Definitely from the trunk lining of a car.
I'm going to run them through the FBI's MAU database and try to narrow it down to make, model and year.
Thorne's original Virginia gun-purchase application for his Sig.
See if you can lift a print off it.
As soon as I am finished with this.
No, Abby, do it now.
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning.
You see the hypnotist? You weren't going to tell me.
I don't like crutches.
I hope you never break a leg.
Who's sitting Thorne's apartment? Special Agent Balboa.
I'm on my way to relieve him.
Did you find the girlfriend? She's a piece of work, but we did find It's all about the money, boss.
Petty Officer Dillon told his girlfriend he was gonna be rich.
A career E-6? It wasn't coming from the Navy.
We figure Thorne killed him for the money.
You think? What are you thinking? Where's the money? Thorne took it.
Why'd he leave his weapon? He's cominback.
Well, I am fascinated.
You have multiple degrees, including computer science from MIT.
How did you end up a federal agent? It was, uh, by design.
I always wanted to be in law enforcement.
I never thought I'd be talking like this with someone who carries a gun.
Erin? Hold on.
What is it? I'll be right back.
Okay.
There's somebody's trying to break into my apartment.
I'll be right there.
Don't hang up.
I'm coming.
The boy witnessed the murder? He was staked-out in Thorne's apartment.
Could he pk the killer out of a line-up? You have a suspect? No.
But if I did, I'd like to find out if your boy His name is Special Agent McGee.
If Special Agent McGee could make a positive I.
D.
Get a suspect and we'll find out.
I'll secure the crime scene.
My M.
E.
will be here in about ten min She was my witness.
This is still my case.
A civilian kills another civilian? I do not think so.
Nobody gets in here but our forensic team.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Hey.
I should have been watching from Erin's apartment.
No.
You were exactly where you were supposed to be, McGee.
I saw Erin lying there, and I rushed in without clearing the room.
He hit me from behind with something.
A lamp.
I should have got him.
You tried.
I tried to save Erin, and I didn't.
I tried to shoot her killer, and I missed.
Her death is not your fault, Tim.
All I can see is Erin lying on the floor.
A shot woke me up, and I looked out the window,and I saw a guy in a dark jumpsuit running towards uh, "S" Street.
I'll take over here.
So, what happened? What? I got a match on the slug that I fired from the gun found in Thorne's apartment.
Yeah? I ran it through ATF.
It was used in two unsolved murders.
What's up, boss? Cancel Ducky.
Let's get out of here.
Bowers.
B- O-W-E-R-S.
Can you fax me a copy of the files? Great.
Thanks, Lieutenant.
Some advice.
You can sit there and second-guess what you should or shouldn't have done and never get the answer.
Or you can get back on the job and catch the bastard.
The Sig in Thorne's sofa bed was used to murder a Carole Anne VanBuren in suburban Raleigh and a Thomas Roy Bowers in Baltimore.
Any tie between them? Just the Sig.
VanBuren was involved in a messy divorce.
Husband's a lot richer with her dead.
Bowers was a tough union steward leading a long strike.
Both hits? Sounds like it.
Have the local LEOs in Raleigh and Baltimore Fax the files? Already did, boss.
How was the root canal? Nothing to it.
Thanks to? You, Tony.
I have to give you credit, the hypnotist really worked.
Thank you.
You know, Gibbs, this hypnotist consults with police departments on cases of repressed memory.
She might be able to help McGee recall details.
Yeah? Why don't we just use a Ouija board? Hypnotism isn't a parlor game, Gibbs.
Could have fooled me.
Can we at least try? No.
Ah, hell, why not? Boss I don't think I can be hypnotized.
He's ready.
Now, traumatic memories are permanent.
The biggest barrier to recalling them is stress.
Well, McGee was certainly under a lot of stress last night.
Probie's always under stress, Kate.
Well, with hypnosis, we bypass the stress, go into the subconscious, where the memories are.
Being here, where the incident occurred, will help.
So does a good whack to the head.
May I continue, Agent Gibbs? Agent McGee, when I touch your forehead, you will open your eyes and remain fully relaxed.
It'll be last night, when you were talking to Erin on your cell phone.
You will see and hear everything clearly.
What is it? What's happening? She's heard a sound.
She's scared.
What is she saying? She's talking low.
Sounds frightened.
Her exact words.
"Someone's trying to break into my apartment.
" What did you do? Went to the window.
Do it.
What do you see? Erin's being assaulted.
I have to help her.
Just stay with this feeling.
Now, you're looking at the attacker's face.
Describe it.
I can't see it.
How is he dressed? Jumpsuit.
Hooded jacket.
What else can you see? His hands putting something around her throat.
Gibbs.
Hold on.
A watch.
Describe the watch.
Large.
It's on his right wrist.
I've got to help her! It's all right.
You're going to sit down.
When I touch your forehead, you will be fully aware.
Your memory sharp and clear.
Yeah, go ahead.
I don't know what you're doing,but it can't be more important that what I've got.
Eh, just say it, will you, Abbs? You asked, I lifted.
It wasn't easy, but got a partial off Thorne's gun application.
You ran it through AFIS? I didn't have to.
Why not? Because I already know everything that you need to know about him.
The fingerprint belongs to Dillon Good work, Abbs.
Can you give us a minute, please? Sure.
No problem.
Abby found Thorne.
Where? In Ducky's cold storage vault.
He's dead? I don't, I don't understand.
Abby matched a print taken from Dillon's corpse to one taken from Thorne's gun application.
Petty Officer Dillon and Thorne are the same guy.
Dillon was the hit man? Probably used the name Thorne when he was hired to kill those two people.
A macho, washed-out SEAL, trying to prove his worth.
Creates a fictitious persona, Thorne, to freelance as a killer.
If there's no Thorne, who murdered Erin and Dillon? Whoever stole the money from the sofa.
Boss the killer was wearing his watch on his right wrist.
Hey, what's going on? Hey, you guys find Thorne? Yeah.
We found him.
You bastard.
You wear your watch on your right hand.
A lot of people do.
You have a keys to Thorne's apartment.
I'm the manager.
I got keys to all the apartments.
Detective Floyd tell you that the young woman across the street witnessed the murder in Thorne's apartment? We're gonna match the fibers found on Dillon's body to the trunk fibers in your car.
What do you think about that? No, no, no, don't, don't! Don't, don't! McGee! If you're gonna shoot him, you should've done it while he was running.
Turn over.
You are so Coordinated? Adolescent.
I prefer the term "fun-loving.
" Food fight! Guys.
Guys! Guys! Please, I'm trying to write.
Sorry, McGee.
Need any help? No, thank you.
Just some quiet.
No problema.
Remember your fir Remember your first report, Kate? Yes.
Gibbs made me rewrite it.
Twice.
Felt like I was in grammar school again.
Are you going to pick up those carrot sticks? I didn't throw any carrot sticks.
I can't stand working in a pig sty.
He only made you redo it twice? I forgot to spell-check.
How many times, Tony? Can I catch a peanut in my mouth without missing? Ha.
Did you have to redo your first report for Gibbs? A few.
What's a few? Five.
Would have been more, but I took pity on him.
McGee.
Good job.
Send it up to the director.
Will do, boss.
Any more food fights in here, I'm joining in with peas.
Frozen peas? Nope.
In the can.
"Dear Mr.
and Mrs.
Kendall.
" It's a sympathy note.
That's nice, McGee.
It's very nice.