NCIS s20e17 Episode Script

1
Hello.
Several blocks, still.
I'd say maybe ten minutes.
Mateen?
Is he safe?
Thank you, Bill.
Inshallah.
Yes, I understand you're upset,
but this is not up for discussion.
I No, I'm being perfectly reasonable.
And
Sweetheart, I can tell
those are fake tears
even though I can't see you.
All right, we're gonna talk
about this later tonight.
Just know that I love you and y
Hi.
What was that?
That was the never-ending
pushback of a preteen.
It's exhausting.
But Victoria's the sweetest kid I know.
Oh, sure, whenever you're around.
As soon as you leave, she morphs
into some devil spawn hell-bent
on questioning every word
that comes out of my mouth.
- The wonders of adolescence.
- Hmm.
So what are we not discussing?
Yeah, she wants to go out this weekend
with her friends to a movie.
With boys.
Her first group date?
That's adorable.
Okay, first off, no.
It's not. Secondly,
we don't use that word "date."
Oh.
- I know that look.
- What look?
You purse your lips like that
whenever I order pineapple on pizza.
Well, if you want to eat soggy pizza,
you might as well just dip it in water.
Jess, you're biting your tongue.
Come on, just spill it. What?
I just don't see what the big deal is
about Vic going out
on her first group
hang.
The big deal is, it's unchaperoned.
The bigger deal is Austin.
- The city?
- No, it's a boy.
I don't know who he is.
Vic talks about him nonstop.
Austin.
You know, you never forget
your first crush.
Elliot Spencer had the cutest dimples.
Okay, well, she is not gonna
remember Austin because
this thing's not happening,
not unless I get to tag along.
Oh.
You're doing the pineapple lips again.
I just don't know
if you want to be that dad.
How does this make me that dad?
I mean, she is way too young
for this, right?
I wonder if it's more about whether
Vic is mature enough to handle this?
Oh, certainly she is,
but the boys are not.
I used to be one of those boys, okay?
I know what hormones can do.
And
Maybe just sit with it.
You don't want to let
a knee-jerk reaction
cause a rift
between you and your daughter.
I'm getting pretty sick
of hearing myself say
"Over my dead body" about this.
That's good.
That's bad.
Speaking of bodies, we have a body
waiting for us in Norfolk.
Austin.
My first crush was Emily Tisdale.
Oh, man, I had it bad for her.
How'd you meet?
Middle school.
We were, uh, rivals. Mathletes.
She could recite pi to a
thousand digits. It was so hot.
What about you, Nick?
Yeah, bet you had your choice
of, uh, girls crushing on you.
Actually, pequeño Nico was a,
- uh, late bloomer.
- What?
I always figured you were
the boy parents were terrified
to have their daughters around.
Well, believe it or not,
this handsome face was terrified
of those daughters until high school.
So who brought you around?
Oh, my Sofia.
She was my first date.
I was so nervous that I went
to the wrong restaurant.
That's what Jimmy doesn't get.
Victoria deserves a future
walk down memory lane about
Austin.
Wow, that is a lot of blood.
Yeah, courtesy of what appears
to be a kitchen knife.
My guess is, it severed
the carotid artery.
And then he lost consciousness.
- And his heart kept pumping.
- Who is he?
He is Marine Private William Huxley.
Neighbor walking the dog
noticed the garage door open.
Dog did the rest.
Led him right in here to this body.
- Time of death?
- Given lividity,
I would say he bled out
somewhere around 12 hours ago.
Look at all this flour, sugar, oil.
Enough ingredients
to feed an entire platoon.
Yeah, I wonder who he was cooking for.
Not his family.
According to Huxley's service record,
he was single, no kids.
Ooh, that reminds me.
I got to pick up chocolate chips
for the twins' bake sale cookies.
Hey, McGee.
It's too bad these are evidence.
'Cause you could have
Unfortunately, Delilah insists
upon at least 70% dark chocolate
'cause it's healthier.
As a doctor, I can attest to that.
More importantly,
way more delish, right?
How about we finish grocery
shopping later and
figure out what happened here?
Looks like the killer jumped him
as he unloaded the car?
Guys, is it me, or does, uh,
Huxley have a lot of gray hair
for a Marine private?
He does look kind of elder for a grunt.
Yeah, you're right.
His license says Huxley was 46.
Corps's oldest-serving private.
There's got to be a story there.
There is, and it's a whopper.
According to his former C.O.,
Huxley was a gunnery sergeant who used
to lead a Marine Force Recon team.
Force Recon?
Wow, those guys are badasses.
They go toe to toe with SEALs.
He must have really screwed up
to get busted down to private.
He pulled multiple tours in Afghanistan,
then he went missing from his
unit after the U.S. withdrawal
and, uh
was declared a deserter.
Where'd he go?
Back to Afghanistan.
Apparently, Huxley returned to Kabul
to sneak out more families and allies
who missed the airlift.
He really held on to the Marine
code of "leave no man behind."
Even at the risk of his own career.
Sounded like a hero to me.
Yeah, well,
clearly someone disagrees.
- All right, Doc, what do we got?
- Stop.
No food while a body's on the table.
There's a trash can
in the hallway there.
Well, the only way that I'm disposing
of this, uh, deep-fried,
perfectly pistachio-ed treat
- is in my belly.
- Yeah, what kind of pastry is it?
I don't know, but it's
the third one I've had today.
It's like baklava, but
I've never tasted anything
like this before.
Huh, where'd you get it?
I was interviewing, uh,
one of Huxley's neighbors
and she offered them, said
he baked treats for everyone
on the block all the time.
Must be why he had all those
baking supplies in his SUV.
The guy on your table was
a damn gastronomic genius.
He was serving out the rest of his tour
as a Marine food service specialist.
He was demoted to a cook?
A chef.
A chef that we will avenge.
Well, what do we know about
our Private Huxley here?
Well, as I suspected, cause of death was
penetrating trauma
due to the knife wound.
The murder weapon was a paring knife
that severed
the external carotid artery.
Exsanguination took one,
maybe two minutes.
Huxley was Special Ops-trained.
It's hard to imagine anyone
would get the drop on him
for a close-range kill.
He must have known his attacker.
Allowed 'em to get close enough,
catch him off guard.
I heard, uh
your daughter caught you
off guard this morning.
Something about the, uh
big first date?
We don't use that word "date."
No, and there is none.
At least not yet.
You're thinking about letting her go?
Jess says that I should "sit with it"
so I don't make any decisions clouded
by parental emotions.
You ever think about doing a little, uh,
light background check on the kid?
Nothing creepy. Just, you know, maybe
peruse his social media accounts.
That's not creepy?
Checking his likes and dislikes
to make sure he's no juvenile delinquent
like I was? No, no, not at all.
Oh, I-I guess kids do put it all out
on social media for anyone to see.
What could it hurt?
Yeah.
A paring knife is a chef's favorite.
Small but mighty, this bad boy can cut,
chop, slice, and dice
with ninja precision.
- Any prints on it?
- No.
And given that the killer
left it in our victim's neck,
they were likely smart enough
to use gloves.
Any way to find out
where the knife came from?
Well, it is a standard four-inch
stainless-steel blade,
so not likely.
Any chef who knows their way
around the kitchen
has access to one, but
holster those frowny faces because
I found you a bread crumb to nibble on.
That paring knife is covered
in asafetida,
a popular spice primarily grown
in Afghanistan and Iran.
Parker did say that Huxley did
multiple tours in Afghanistan.
Asafetida is a delicacy there,
known as the "food of the gods."
Whoa.
What he said.
That pungent aroma
may be divisive to some,
but once heated,
it releases a delicious flavor,
similar to, uh, onions or leeks.
So if our murder weapon
is covered in asa
fetida,
it most likely came
from a kitchen well-versed
in Central Asian cooking.
What if Huxley's killer
was a rival chef?
Look at this, just pulled up
his doorbell cam footage.
Look what I found.
Get out here, Bill!
I am done playing games. If you steal
one more of my catering clients,
I swear I will kill you!
She makes a really good Karen.
As it turns out,
her name actually is Karen.
Karen Graham.
Hey, names are fate.
Fun fact, as a Parker
I always find good parking.
Well, this Karen is
the neighborhood busybody.
She lives a few blocks over from Huxley,
and while she has no arrest record
At least not yet.
well, she does have
a long record of calling
the police to get others
arrested on H.O.A. violations.
I've seen this type before.
Entitled. Volatile.
It's just a matter of time
before they explode.
No offense
Yet I am sensing a coming offense.
but what colorblind moron chose
the palette of these offices?
Not a fan of the, uh,
strong earth tones?
Walking these hallways
seared my retinas.
I'm happy to offer up
my services to redecorate.
Well, maybe your services can be used
to brighten up the drab palettes
over at the Virginia
Correctional Center.
Because that's where
you're headed for the murder
of William Huxley.
Uh
Bill's dead?
Yeah, he was killed
last night in his garage.
Not long after you showed up there
threatening to kill him.
See where we're going with this?
Well, I am sorry to hear about Bill.
Really, I am.
But I couldn't have killed him
last night.
I was enjoying some
companionship with my friend Javier.
- Hmm.
- Hmm.
He's 22.
Good to know.
We will, uh, be sure
to follow up with Javier.
So we're done then?
Not even close.
How was a Marine cook
stealing catering clients from you?
Karen's Confectionary
supplies goodies to every
neighborhood gathering.
At least it did until
Bill got back from overseas
and started a side hustle
out of his own kitchen.
Oh, we heard he was a talented baker.
Oh, I would say he was
adequate.
But he had that sob story pitch
about donating his profits
to some local Afghan group
he worked with.
- Afghan, huh?
- Oh, the neighbors
they ate up his woeful tale
of the displaced refugees
fleeing their war-torn homes.
And then they ate up all his goodies
instead of mine.
What did Huxley do
with this Afghan group?
They had some community center.
Bill said he would cook meals for them
that would remind them of home.
Seems like a waste of time to me.
Promises Honored is a lifeline
for these poor people.
Can you imagine having to start
from scratch in a new country?
Yeah, I can.
Oh.
Well, I hope you had
a community that welcomed you.
That's the whole point
of Promises Honored.
It's to keep the promise
we made to our Afghan allies
who aided us overseas.
By doing what exactly?
Uh, we help the families find homes,
we assist with their job training,
and we teach them the skills they need
to get by here in America.
Well, it's great
that they have the space
to come together like this.
So many had to leave family
and friends behind.
Spending time here reminds them that
they're not alone.
Oh, here.
This is our director,
Pastor Eddie Watkins.
Hello there.
- And you would be?
- Special Agent Torres
and Special Agent Knight from NCIS.
They have some questions about Bill.
Oh. Uh, Bill is our favorite volunteer.
Is he okay?
He was supposed to bake cookies
with the kids today
and he never showed up.
That's not like him.
Unfortunately, Private Huxley
was found murdered earlier today.
- What?
- I-I'm sorry.
Murdered?
Oh, my God.
Bill-Bill was beloved by us.
He spent every spare minute he had here.
His devotion
to the Afghan people he worked
alongside was endless.
Bill felt he owed a debt to the families
he couldn't get out of Afghanistan.
I understand that Bill used to
cook a lot for the refugees?
That was Bill's specialty.
All the Afghans were impressed
with his mastery of their cuisine.
We are gonna need to see the kitchen.
Yeah.
You smell that?
How could you not?
- Asafetida?
- Yes, oh, yes.
It stinks to high heaven,
but the flavor's divine.
All his knives are here.
All except the paring knife.
Handle matches the murder weapon.
Who has access to this kitchen?
Um, this is a community kitchen.
Everyone can just walk right in.
Anybody had a problem with Huxley?
No.
Everyone loved Bill.
- Everyone?
- Mateen.
Who is Mateen?
Mateen Jamaah.
He's a young refugee we work with.
He and Bill had a
strained relationship.
- Why?
- The Taliban executed Mateen's parents
before Bill and his unit
could get them out.
Oh, my God.
I saw Mateen and Bill arguing here
yesterday at-at the center.
- What about?
- Well, I couldn't hear.
But it looked heated.
Mateen left and I went over to Bill.
He said it was nothing.
Mateen was supposed to help us sort
through clothing donations last
night, but he never showed up.
Guess he had other plans.
Mateen Jamaah
arrived on a flight from Kabul
August 20 of 2021.
Promises Honored helped him
settle into an apartment,
which we searched, but came up empty.
I've been trying to ping
his cell, but it's turned off.
- What about his work?
- He stocked shelves at a grocery store.
Manual labor?
His file says that
he was a mechanical engineer
who helped our forces
defend against IEDs.
Now he's stocking shelves?
Must have fallen
into the credentials gap trap.
A lot of refugees' degrees
aren't recognized here in the States.
What was Mateen's connection
to Private Huxley?
Mateen's father
worked alongside Huxley for years
as an interpreter.
And, according to Mateen,
the two men practically became brothers.
Huxley helped Mateen flee,
but he didn't get Mateen's parents out
before the Taliban caught them.
And he never forgave him.
His family's gone.
Career's gone.
You don't think he blames Huxley
for everything?
Well, we can ask him ourselves.
Mateen's boss says he just
came in to work.
Go. Take McGee.
Must be tough going from
engineer to grocery bagger.
Yeah, I mean, I
I get why Mateen is
bitter, but s-still
Yeah, and don't take it out on
the Marine who helped you out.
Oh, hello.
I am Special Agent Torres.
This is Special Agent McGee from NCIS.
We're looking for Mateen Jamaah.
He'll be back any moment from his break.
Is Mateen in trouble?
No, we just-we just want to talk.
Are, uh, are most of the workers
here Afghan refugees?
We were all lucky enough to get out
in the final days before Kabul fell.
And Promises Honored connected
you all with the jobs here?
Most of us.
Pastor Eddie knows the family
that owns the store.
How are you, uh, finding America so far?
My family and I have our lives.
We're immensely grateful for that.
Well, it doesn't make
starting over any easier.
No.
It does not.
Oh, hey, McGee,
you said you need to get those,
uh, chocolate chips.
Oh, no, at least 70% dark chocolate.
- 70% dark.
- Uh, I got to go grab those. You
Aisle three. Baking goods.
- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
I wasn't a refugee.
But I remember looking over my shoulder,
afraid that someone was coming
to send me back.
Where was home for you?
Panama.
And then Colombia,
uh, with my sister and my mom.
My mom worked as a housekeeper
for a man that she found out was evil,
and she saw some really bad stuff.
I understand.
We left with
whatever we had on our back,
and we came to United States.
- How old were you?
- I was 11.
The only English I knew was, uh,
from watching, uh, reruns
of American, uh, television.
Ayy!
You Okay.
So, no Happy Days in Afghanistan.
When did life feel normal again?
Some days, still doesn't.
But this is our home.
Ah, Mateen. There you are.
Hey, Mateen, uh, Special Agent Torres.
Hey, Mateen!
McGee, we got a runner!
You're only making this worse!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, where'd he go?
You okay?
I'm fine. Go get him, go get him.
Mateen's gone.
Nick!
Nick, Nick.
Get him on his back, now.
First aid's on aisle five.
Bring me gauze pads,
rubbing alcohol and shears.
Medical tape's out of stock, so
get me duct tape, aisle seven.
Your friend might be concussed
and is losing blood. I need
to stop it then stabilize him.
- You're a doctor.
- A surgeon
- back in Afghanistan.
- Okay.
You will be okay, Agent Torres.
Any update on Nick?
Uh, yes, McGee is with him
at the hospital now
and he should be fine,
thanks to the fast work of that
doctor in the grocery store.
BOLO's out on Mateen Jamaah.
- No hits yet.
- I've been running facial recognition
against every camera feed
I could find for blocks.
No sign of him.
Well, we have agents sitting in front
of his house in case he comes home.
I had the contents
of Mateen's work locker
sent here so we could look for clues
- that might help us find him.
- What are all the stains?
Mass spec's running it now.
I should know soon.
Okay, great, uh, let me know
when you find out.
Does that say
Austin Marsden?
Jimmy,
are you cyberstalking the boy
who's crushing on Victoria?
No. No.
I was just perusing, and then I needed
Kasie's second opinion on what I
- perused.
- Uh-huh.
Yeah, and my opinion is
- Jimmy's gone mental.
- Mm.
Okay, I make no apologies.
Austin Marsden is exhibiting some early
serial killer tendencies.
This boy's barely hit puberty.
It's all in the details here.
Uh, take a look at some of these
foodie pics that he's posted.
Nothing but rare burgers and steaks.
I mean, that is a scary sign.
A sign that his growing body
is in desperate need of protein?
What? No. Like, no
The-These are basically
mutilated animals.
This is how Dahmer and Bundy
and Gacy all got their first tastes.
You are reaching, Jimmy.
Okay, that may be,
but uh, just to be safe,
I think it's time that Austin
and I had a little chat
before the kids meet up.
A little chat?
Yeah, here, at NCIS.
I'll give his whole family a tour.
That way, Austin can see
what a capable doctor I am.
And also see all
the sharp knives I work with.
Ooh. He has cannonballed into
the overprotective deep end.
Neither of you is the father
to a daughter.
You can't understand it.
Um
Just got the results
from Mateen's jacket.
The stains are motor oil.
But Mateen doesn't even own a car.
- Maybe he works on them?
- It's not just oil he's working with.
There were also trace amounts
of pentaerythritol tetranitrate,
which is a highly explosive
organic compound.
Motor oil and explosives.
In the hands of a mechanical
engineer who worked with IEDs.
I don't even want to say
what I'm thinking.
It sounds like he's trying
to build a car bomb.
Jimmy just gonna say it for you.
You sure you don't need
a few days, Agent Torres?
I'm good.
Good, 'cause we need all hands on deck
if we could be facing
an imminent attack.
My phone's been ringing off the
hook from agencies across town
wondering if a Taliban sympathizer
may have slipped through
the cracks on our airlift.
We doubt that Mateen is
aligned with the Taliban,
given what happened to
his mother and father.
He could be trying
to strike back at a country
he feels abandoned him.
A revenge attack
because his parents never made it out.
Then why kill Private Huxley?
If Mateen is building a bomb
and Private Huxley found out about it,
maybe that's why Mateen killed him.
Find Mateen. Now.
Hey. Dr. Rajab.
What are you doing here?
Please, it's Veeda.
And what kind of doctor would I be
if I didn't do a follow-up
with my patient?
- Right.
- May I?
Sure.
Whoever stitched you up
did an okay job, but
I could have done better.
Well, maybe you should have escorted me
to the emergency room.
Veeda is the one who came to Nick's aid.
I'm getting that.
Sorry to intrude, but I
heard about Bill Huxley.
He was a good man.
Do you really think Mateen did this?
It's just hard to believe
that he could do
something so horrible.
He's kind and polite to everyone.
Working two jobs just to make ends meet.
Mateen has a second job?
Back in Kabul, he'd help
repair your military vehicles.
So he isn't just a mechanical
engineer, he's also a mechanic?
Yes. Doing the same here.
Paid what do Americans say
under the table.
Auto repair shop
would have metalworking tools. And tools
that Mateen would need
if he was in fact making
something.
We need to find Mateen.
Do you know where he was fixing cars?
I don't. I'm sorry.
And Mateen ditched his phone.
But if he made any previous calls
from an auto shop, would have
bounced off the nearest tower.
I'll pull his call logs, see which tower
is near a repair place.
Federal agents!
Drop the drill.
Back away from the bomb.
Put your hands slowly behind your head.
I'm sorry I ran before.
But please just let me explain
before they get here.
Who's they?
Gun!
There it is!
What are you doing?!
Shooting at the guys
that are shooting at us!
Don't shoot towards the bomb!
Well, if it goes off, it'll kill them.
And us, too.
What the hell's going on?
Who were you building that bomb for?
You must believe me
when I say I have no idea.
My only contact
with them was through texts.
But you did what they said. Why?
My fiancee, Asal.
She is in danger.
She is my everything.
The only family I have left.
Is she being held by the
men who took the bomb?
No. Asal and I were separated
during the airlift.
She's been stuck at a camp in Turkey.
How do you know she's in danger?
I got a text from
an unknown number weeks ago.
Photos of Asal at the camp.
She looked so scared.
Whoever sent the photos said
I had to build them a bomb
or they would kill her.
How many innocent people will be killed
when they use that bomb?
No one will. The bomb is harmless.
It was filled with explosive
materials found on your jacket.
Yes, but I built it with a fail-safe.
The remote detonator mechanism
I inserted doesn't work.
- It's a dud?
- I would never give them something
that could actually hurt people.
I fled my homeland
because of vile men like that.
What were you and
Private Huxley arguing about
before he was murdered?
When the explosives
showed up at my apartment,
I went to Bill for help.
After what happened to my
parents, he said he owed me.
Promised to reunite me with Asal.
Private Huxley was trying
to find out who was behind this
for you?
He told me to stall making
the bomb to give him time,
but then the deadline was moved up.
I went to him upset,
begged him to hurry.
Then I heard he was killed.
I know his blood is on my hands.
But we were trying to save Asal.
Please,
you have to help her before they
discover the bomb doesn't work.
Mateen didn't kill Huxley.
His alibi checks out. He
was working an extra shift
that night at the grocery store.
He's also telling the truth
about those unknown texts.
We traced them to a burner phone.
Yeah. A burner that sent him these.
This has got to be his fiancee, Asal.
Metadata on the photos
confirms that they were taken in Turkey.
So Mateen was forced to build that bomb,
but we don't know by who.
Or what they want to use it for.
The people behind this have a
long reach to Asal in that camp.
Maybe we can find the connection?
Except they're good
at covering their tracks.
I couldn't pull a single print
off any of the shell casings
collected at the auto shop.
And no hits yet on the getaway
van they were driving.
Wait, what if one of the men
that attacked you
at the auto shop killed Huxley
'cause they were getting too close?
If they did,
they had access to Promises Honored.
They took the knife from there.
So we start pulling names.
Every employee, volunteer, visitor.
We find out who killed Huxley
and we find the men who took that bomb.
Damn it!
Nick, everything okay?
I'm running out of suspects.
I just cleared another
Promises Honored volunteer.
You need to take a break.
- Why?
- I know this hits close to home.
You know, people come to this country
because they're desperate.
Yeah, makes 'em vulnerable,
which makes 'em an easy target.
My mom was one of 'em.
Must have pissed you off.
Yeah.
Now I'm pissed off for Mateen.
Just got off the phone with DHS.
It turns out
the permanent refugee status
of Mateen's fiancee was
approved months ago.
Then why hasn't Asal been
transferred from that Turkish camp?
Because the aid organization that
was supposed to relocate her here
has been holding things up.
Promises Honored?
Pastor Eddie's office has yet to approve
Asal's assistance package.
- Why?
- I don't know.
But if our boy Eddie
is somehow mixed up in this mess,
then we need to find him, quick.
Let's roll.
McGee just pinged Eddie's cell phone.
He's here.
That's his car.
Looks like he's sitting in it.
NCIS!
Show me your hands, Eddie!
No weapon.
- It's not a suicide.
- Another guy
in Mateen's circle gets murdered.
Can't be a coincidence.
But doesn't get us any closer
- to whoever killed them.
- No.
But this might.
I wouldn't hold my breath for prints.
Or maybe Kasie gets lucky.
Guess I should have held my breath.
You can thank Kasie later.
Partial print that she
pulled from that shell
is a 90% probable match for
this charmer.
Robert Whitlock, 55.
Head of a Maryland-based
white nationalist militia
known as Last Liberty.
They're flagged as an
extremist organization by the FBI.
Allegedly connected to multiple
hate crime-related homicides.
And recent intel says that the militia
is seeking out explosives
to further their cause.
Is it possible that
Whitlock teamed up with Pastor Eddie
to find someone to make the bomb?
Maybe that's why the
pastor held up Asal's transfer.
Mateen makes the bomb for them
and then Whitlock kills the pastor?
Tying up any loose ends.
His manifesto is filled
with violent threats
to purge America
of foreigners and nonbelievers.
Well, setting off a bomb
made by a foreigner
that's one way to start that purge.
Mateen says the bomb's a dud.
Yeah, well, let's not take any chances.
We need to stop these guys now.
Gravity! Use gravity to your advantage!
There you go! There you go!
That is right!
Use your elbow! Use your elbow!
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
On the ground.
That's it. Up, up, up, up, up!
We are not weak!
Federal agents!
Put your weapons down
and your hands in the air!
Cops, cops, cops!
Pull back! Pull back!
Fence, fence, fence, fence!
Pull back!
Got eyes on the bomb. It's in the van.
We can't return fire
with that bomb right there.
You're surrounded, Whitlock!
There's no way out!
We're not going down without a fight!
No surrender!
Bomb squad's still clearing the area
to make sure
there's no other explosives.
What about Whitlock and his men?
Explosion took 'em all out.
Which doesn't make any sense, given that
Mateen said the bomb wasn't functional.
We need Kasie to find out
why that bomb exploded.
I think I may know someone who can help.
We're offering you the chance
to redeem yourself, Mateen.
Private Huxley deserves justice.
I will do anything to make this right.
Kasie, this is Mateen Jamaah.
Ah. And this is your baby
after it went boom.
That's impossible.
Well, half a dozen dead white
nationalists would disagree.
I can spend hours sorting
through this myself,
or you can quickly tell me
why your fail-safe failed.
Here it is.
The remote detonator receiver.
It's been repaired.
I cut these wires,
but they've been reconnected
to the circuit board.
The militia must have figured out
the bomb was deactivated and fixed it.
Okay, and then what
they just accidentally
blew themselves up?
Setting off this bomb
would still require a remote trigger.
And no trigger was taken
into evidence from that camp.
Okay, so if the bomb
wasn't set off by the militia,
then who did?
Who else knew
about the existence of that bomb?
We recovered Whitlock's burner
phone from the campsite.
We pulled the SIM card and saw
that he traded plenty of calls
with the Promises
Honored Community Center.
Yeah, with his partner in crime,
Pastor Eddie.
Well, that's what we thought.
But the phone calls began
when Eddie was on an
overseas mission trip.
Well, if Whitlock
wasn't talking to Eddie,
then Eddie wasn't his partner.
Eddie was an innocent scapegoat.
Once we were on
the real partner's trail,
they got spooked.
Killed Eddie with a bullet
that pointed us to Whitlock.
Whitlock and his men were
blown to high hell to make
all of this go away.
Scorched earth. Eliminate everyone
so there's nobody left to investigate.
The real partner thought
we would believe
the bomb exploding was just an accident.
And thanks to Mateen,
now we know it wasn't.
So who was Whitlock talking to
at Promises Honored?
NCIS.
It is so kind of you to join us
for the remembrance celebration
for Pastor Eddie and Bill.
We can't stay long, Ms. Hipple.
Yeah, and neither can you.
I'm sorry, I don't understand.
Once we started looking for connections
between Promises Honored
and the Last Liberty,
didn't take long for us to discover
that you were
Robert Whitlock's girlfriend.
Whitlock sent you to this community
to find a fall guy.
And once you found one in Mateen,
you forced him to build that bomb.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Case worker at the Turkish camp where
Mateen's fiancee is being held
confessed to being bribed
by you to hold up her transfer.
And when Private Huxley
got onto your plan, you murdered him.
It was smart of you to point us
toward Mateen as his killer.
Too bad
we're smarter.
It's you
and everyone here
that's destroying
this once-great nation.
No, it's me and everyone here
we help make it great.
Here's the deal, Austin.
You're a boy,
soon to become a young man,
and with that comes
certain responsibilities,
especially regarding
soon-to-become young women.
Ooh.
Okay.
We're done.
That's enough.
How do you feel?
Did you get it all out?
Did you-did you just
Yeah, well, obviously,
I'm not gonna do that
with a scalpel in my hand.
- Right.
- But, yeah,
I feel pretty good about it, you know?
- Good. Good.
- Yeah. I think I'm gonna
call Austin's parents
Nope. Okay, no. and set up a tour.
So, listen, uh You're right.
I will never be
the father of a daughter.
So you're not gonna hear it from me.
But I'm hoping you will hear it
from someone who is a father.
Dr. Palmer, let's have a little chat.
Austin and his family will not
be touring NCIS anytime soon.
- Director Vance
- I talk,
you listen.
From the moment you first cradle
your daughter in your arms,
it is your lifelong job to protect her.
Exactly. And that is why I
Part of that protection
is accepting the natural order
of things.
They grow up.
You need to trust
that you have given her
all the tools she needs
to start protecting herself.
Yeah.
It's just
it is scary
trusting that I have actually
done my job as a parent.
Director, when it comes to Victoria
Yeah.
It's understandable.
Life has thrown a whole lot at you
these last few years.
But you've been through a lot, too.
I can't imagine you doing
anything this foolish with Kayla.
Oh, every father is tempted.
When, uh, Kayla's prom date
came to pick her up,
I debated having him
meet me in the kitchen
where I was gonna be
cleaning my service pistol.
Well
Puts my scalpel to shame.
And you know what? All I would
have done was embarrass myself.
And I would have embarrassed Kayla
on the night that was
supposed to be about her.
Hmm.
We have to let them live
their own lives, Doc.
We need to have
the kitchen prepped by 12:00
- for the children's cooking class.
- Of course.
We heard that
this place found a new director.
Yes, I was surprised
when the Promises Honored board
asked me to fill
such an important position.
We're not. It's clear
everybody here looks up to you.
You need volunteers?
You can put us to work.
We appreciate that.
My, uh, kids baked
some cookies to share.
70% dark chocolate chip?
Well, nothing like what Private Huxley
would have whipped up,
I'm sure, but I, uh,
I have snuck a few and I can
confirm they are very tasty.
I'll be happy to pass them out.
I do have plenty
of probation hours to work off.
Thank you for arranging things
so I could serve them with my community.
We're also here to share
some news about Asal.
She boarded a plane about an hour ago.
She should be here with you
by the morning.
Thank you.
Come. Come with me to visit my friends.
Is your head healing, Agent Torres?
It's Nick.
And, um, it's healing
just fine, because of you.
I'm sorry.
For everything you've all suffered.
Thank you.
Especially because
you know what it's like
to leave everything behind.
Hardly. Um
My journey to get here was
- It was different.
- But you still experienced loss.
You felt pain for those left behind.
It helps to remind myself
that those who can't be with us,
they want us to move forward.
Building new lives
is how we honor the sacrifice
of everyone who got us here.
Well, I've had to, uh,
build many new lives before.
And how is this one going?
Best one yet.
Then cherish those
who helped you build it.
You are always welcome in this home
Nick.