NCIS: Origins (2024) s02e01 Episode Script
The Funky Bunch
1
LARA: I'm investigating
the murder of Pedro Hernandez.
- You think it was Gibbs?
- Yes.
GIBBS: I turned over my rifle.
LALA: What?
I gave my rifle to Macy.
Good luck with everything. I'm done.
If you move forward with this,
my life with be over.
LARA: My JAG contact felt
I didn't have sufficient
evidence to pursue this further.
Gibbs must've just been
making up stories, huh?
You are suspended indefinitely.
I'll be here as interim SAC.
MASON (OVER PHONE): Mikey, it's me.
It's your brother.
RANDY: Maybe you
could give me some advice
for getting on track to-to being SAC.
Talk like that makes me question
whether you should be
in the field at all.
Diane. You want to give me
the tour or what?
(TIRES SCREECHING)
OLDER GIBBS:
This is a story I don't tell.
The story of her.
OLDER GIBBS: Without Lala,
the days went by slow.
("GOOD VIBRATIONS"
BY THE BEACH BOYS PLAYING)
Without her, the team
wasn't what it used to be.
Without her, we had Wheeler.
His suspension could only last so long,
so Regional Director Barrett
demoted him and stuck him back
in the field with us.
Franks wasn't adjusting
to the change very well.
Thing is, it wasn't just Lala
we were missing.
Randy was officially on desk duty,
thanks to the doubts he raised
about being in the field.
His job was to type all the case files
from storage into the computer.
But the minute he started,
Randy knew he needed off that desk.
Risk or not, he was made
to be a field agent.
But Barrett said there was no
hard evidence to support that.
So, Randy's only escape
was his old yellow boombox.
Speaking of escaping,
there was a lot of that going around.
We weren't solving cases as quick,
suspects were getting away.
There was a drug house
called the Roach House.
We went there five times
in two months to shut it down.
Still couldn't get the job done.
The job wasn't right without her.
And home wasn't much better.
Franks had Gary Callahan
sleep over most nights.
The place still felt empty without Tish.
He tried a few times
to talk things through
with his brother Mason on the phone,
but it always ended up
with someone getting hung up on.
FRANKS: Don't look at me like that.
It's more complicated than you think.
OLDER GIBBS: I got my
rifle back from Lara Macy,
but I didn't know Lala
was the reason why.
I took it out now and then
to maintain it,
keep my mind busy
since therapy was a crock,
and I still didn't know what
to build with the wood I got.
I tried to keep my mind busy
at the office, too.
Wheeler took over Lala's desk.
I didn't like it, but
I just tried to keep
my head down and do the work.
I looked at every victim.
Looked at them hard.
Looked at them
until they became my brother,
my sister, my mother,
my father,
until all I could think about was them,
instead of thinking about
what happened in that pool.
The neighbors never knew about
how Lala used to sneak
into their pool to swim.
The neighbors only knew that,
one day, a few months back,
a nice young woman
asked permission to use it.
Muscle of her left thigh was crushed,
collapsed lung,
traumatic brain injury.
That's what she was working to overcome.
According to her,
the rehab the hospital
gave her wasn't enough
so she started working on her own.
A lot of long nights, too.
She pushed herself to the limit
as long as she could take it.
Because all she cared about
was getting back to work
so we wouldn't
have to be without her.
Ah. ♪
FRANKS: I am telling you respectfully,
sir, this team ain't working.
BARRETT: Well,
sounds like a problem of leadership.
FRANKS: Leadership, my ass.
Pardon my French, sir, but
Cliff Wheeler's got no business
being out in the field.
Tell him, probie.
- Gibbs!
- Yeah.
Yeah. Trading Wheeler for Randy
would be better.
- 100%.
- Look, you two come in here
whining like it's gonna
mean something, but I got
zero hard evidence
telling me to reassign
Wheeler or Randolf.
FRANKS: You want evidence?
We just came from the Roach House.
- Fourth time in two months.
- Fifth.
They still pedaling dope to our boys?
FRANKS: Yeah, and every time,
half them jokers
run right out the door
thanks to Wheeler's shenanigans.
All right, look,
he got his ass in a bind
heading up this office,
I will give you that,
but before that,
you don't make SAC without
a hell of a field record, Franks.
Yeah, but you lose your instincts
sitting on a desk that long.
He's out there talking like
a jackass, handling his weapon
- like a halfwit.
- And the IBS.
You add that to the man's angry bowels,
he's a walking hazard out there, sir.
Sir, I want the record
to show that the fiasco
at the Roach House
this afternoon was not my fault.
Yeah.
Just give him his old desk back.
He's good at stuff up here, sir.
WHEELER: I concur, sir,
I feel that I have
more than done my penance,
and the word is,
Regional C.O. is clamoring to have you
- back at your post.
- MARY JO: Excuse me, sir.
The classified Pre-Embargo
Cuban Report you requested.
Oh, thank you, darling.
WHEELER: Sir.
Sir, I realize that
you want hard evidence,
but frankly, you are wasting
Randolf's talents at that desk.
Rando's a people person.
And I am an "upstairs office" person.
Mary Jo.
Was Barrett looking at my butt
on the way out?
Uh, don't know. I-Is that, uh
You know what that report was,
the one I gave him?
Statistics on the availability
of rare cigars.
That sleazebag is a waste
of my typewriter ribbon.
The more papers you hand him,
the more important he thinks he is.
- What?
- Any cases come in?
No, baby. Slow day.
Well, what's that?
This? Background on a missing Marine.
(SIGHS) Sorry, honey, you can't take it.
Dalton Basement already started
working on it a half-hour ago.
Something to put your brain on,
so you don't have to think
about other stuff, huh?
I'll tell Dalton
I screwed up the rotation.
Thank you.
Marine's name is
PFC Thomas Meyers. 19 years old.
He was late for dinner.
His mother called it in.
MRS. MEYERS (OVER PHONE):
Tommy has never missed
a dinner with me. Never.
Something's not right.
GIBBS: Is there anyone else
he could be with?
No.
Not besides the list I gave you.
I'm sorry, I-I-I've kept you
way too long.
You were so kind to stop by before.
No, you haven't kept me too long, ma'am.
I just
Tommy has a huge heart, you know?
He loves everyone. He's trusting.
He's really trusting,
and that scares me.
(SIGHS)
Please just call me
when you know anything.
I will.
Thank you, Agent Gibbs.
- (CALL HANGS UP)
- (DIAL TONE SOUNDS)
- Was that the mother again?
- Mm.
- Come back to bed.
- Mm.
I'm working.
I see that.
What's the thing?
I've seen you do, what,
like, four cases now?
Every time, there's something in it
that makes it impossible for you
to look away.
- (CHUCKLES)
- What's the thing with this one?
Your missing Marine.
I knew guys like this
when I was in the Corps.
Great guy, not the most talented.
It ain't easy being Marine.
Guys like this would get bullied
until someone stepped in.
Something tells me
you were that someone.
I'll make some coffee.
You know Janet? She said to me,
"Diane, this guy you're dating,
all he cares about is work."
You know how Janet is, on and on.
Ugh.
And I said, "Yeah, he gets these cases,
and he shuts out everything else
to solve them."
I said to her, "I love that about him.
It's heroic."
You're gonna bring that Marine home
'cause you're not gonna
look away until it's done.
Just like always.
I love that about you.
No, sir. No, there's no bullying,
no hazing.
I don't allow that
type of thing in my team
with Meyers or anyone.
- (SIGHS)
- I'm sorry.
I wish I knew something that could help.
All right.
(GRUNTS)
- Do me a favor.
- Yeah.
- Give me a call if you hear anything.
- Yes, sir.
Morning, probie. Kowalski brought bread.
I made you some toast.
GIBBS: Private First
Class Thomas Meyers.
19 years old.
Been missing since 1700 yesterday.
I just talked with
his team leader, Corporal Wade.
He confirmed that Meyers
was day-one of a one-week leave.
I combed through
everything I could last night,
and I've got calls out to all
- the proper channels.
- He ain't even gone 24 hours.
How does your lady friend feel
about you staying up all night
on a case that isn't even a case yet?
It doesn't matter
how many hours it's been.
"Compelling oddity."
That's the bar for
opening a case, right, boss?
Meyers missed a planned dinner
with his mother.
She said that never happens.
He's a terrible Marine.
Low marks in proficiency,
but he makes up for it
with his conduct scores.
Friends call him kind, funny.
His high school girlfriend says
they broke up two years ago.
He still checks in on her grandfather.
Well, he's probably just
trying to bed her again.
Cliff could be right on that one.
RANDY: Come on, come on ♪
Feel it, feel it ♪
Feel the vibration ♪
(HIGH-PITCHED SINGING): ♪
It's such a good vibration ♪
Randolf! Quit prancing around.
We're trying to work over here.
Sorry, sir. It's-it's "Good Vibrations."
I can't help myself.
It's all right.
Them Beach Boys get me, too.
- It's the other "Good Vibrations."
- RANDY: I swear to God,
this song is a revelation.
I got the cassette single.
Even when nothing in the world is right,
Marky Mark makes you feel so good.
His last name's Mark,
and his mama named him Marky?
His brother's in New Kids.
He's the bad boy, Donnie.
- Donnie Mark?
- No, Donnie Wahlberg.
- They have different fathers?
- No, it's a stage name.
Who picks Wahlberg as a stage name?
Guys, PFC Meyers. He has a car.
It was left in the barracks lot.
Roommate said, when Meyers left,
he looked anxious.
Said he was going to the range.
Skeet 'n Trap?
No. I called every firing range
in the area.
- No sign of him.
- The range.
You know, I-I read about a place
they're calling "The Range."
It was in one of these cases I typed in.
- We crossed over with 29 Palms.
- Firing range?
RANDY: No, it's like a compound-type
place, middle of nowhere.
I want to say the Palomar Mountain ar
Oh, here we go.
"Though unsubstantiated,
The Range is rumored to be
"a compound of lawless inhabitants
who hunt and kill humans for sport."
Ugh.
Marky Mark must've made me block
out the whole hunting part.
I'll see if I can get a location.
(COMPUTER WHIRRING)
RANDY: (GROANS) Shoot.
It's overheating.
Uh, give me, like, eight to 12 minutes.
Yeah. Or I Here, I'll-I'll
find it in the files.
MARY JO (OVER RADIO): Franks,
I gave Herm the address to The Range.
He's en route to you all
with Gary Callahan. Over.
FRANKS: 10-4, Mary Jo.
We're just getting here now. Out.
You can go ahead and stop there.
- FRANKS: What's that?
- Said stop there.
- What do you want?
- NIS.
You boys know a fella
named Thomas Meyers?
He's probably in civilian clothes.
Good for him. We don't know him.
Okay, son, the attitude isn't necessary.
Step aside,
we need to take a look inside.
Cliff, I'm handling this.
ABE: Afternoon, gentlemen.
I'm Abe Pruitt.
I would love to take a look at
your warrant, if you have one.
Just a friendly visit.
Mr. Pruitt, if you'll step
this way, we have a few ques
- Cliff.
- Hey, I'll step anywhere you'd like,
but you don't have the right
to search the residence.
Now, Stanley and Poe here told you
your Marine isn't inside.
Afraid that means we haven't seen him.
FRANKS: Thing is, we've been
hearing some pretty crazy stories.
- "The Range."
- (METALLIC CLANGING IN DISTANCE)
That what boys you call
this place, isn't it?
There's a lot of unoccupied land
outside of our property line.
You're more than welcome
to take a look around out there.
(METALLIC CLANGING CONTINUES)
(PANTING)
(FLIES BUZZING)
Probie.
You got something?
Yeah.
The hell are these bastards
doing to people out here?
We need to search the compound.
We got probable cause now.
We also got Wheeler.
Can't take him in there.
He's a damn hazard.
(GARY BARKING)
Spotted y'all from the road.
Stay there with Gary.
There's snares out here.
Now, keep him in the car.
Keep him in the car.
There's snares out here.
(FLIES BUZZING)
FRANKS: Good boy. Good boy.
(SIGHS)
(VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES)
Mary Jo filled me in.
Figured I'd hitch a ride over.
You're back?
Yeah.
♪
Yeah, copy that. Out.
(SIGHS)
Probie. Dominguez is back, you see that?
Yeah, I was just, uh
I radioed Doc Tango. He's on his way.
- Meyers had that stuff on him?
- Marine navigation kit.
You think he was out here
looking for something?
The notebook is missing.
Dominguez looks strong.
Even better than she did
two weeks ago, huh?
I haven't seen her since the hospital.
You ain't been stopping by
to check in on her?
Little inconsiderate, ain't it?
- Wheeler going in there with us?
- No.
I asked Herm to take him and
Gary Callahan back to the office.
Don't want Gary out there
getting caught up in them traps,
and Dominguez back, Wheeler's
an unnecessary liability.
You think Barrett'll
put him back upstairs?
Good Lord willing
and the creek don't rise.
First day back.
Maybe she should stay outside.
Yeah, maybe.
LALA: I hope you guys aren't
talking about me staying outside.
'Cause that's not happening.
- LALA: NIS.
- Everybody step outside.
- Let's go. Everybody step outside.
- LALA: NIS.
GIBBS: Open the doors.
Everybody step out in the hall, please.
Ma'am, NIS. I need you
to step out of the room, please.
Need you to move everybody to one area,
so I can question them.
GIBBS: Bedrooms all the way down, boss.
ABE: Stanley, gather everyone
into the nursery, please.
How many kids you got living here?
It's not that kind of nursery.
- LALA: Everyone follow me.
- GIBBS: Let's go.
- Federal agent. Open the door.
- LALA: Follow me, please.
ABE: These plants
are native to California,
each and every one of them.
Y'all, what, sell them to landscapers?
Yeah, but it's more than transactional.
Developers, they come in,
they plant thirsty lawns,
ornamental imports.
We're repopulating the land
with what should be here.
What always was.
Y'all got to live together to do that?
Developers pushed us out of our homes.
Made our lives hell
until we gave in and sold low,
so we came out here
and made this place our own.
That's a sad story, but I got a Marine
hanging from a tree out there that says
the rumors about this place are true.
People do disappear out here,
but it's because they hear about us.
They stay to earn a living, to belong.
Started with eight of us
who were displaced.
Now, we take in anyone
who needs a job or a home.
That ain't what I'm asking.
No one here had anything to do
with your Marine
being caught in that snare,
Agent Franks.
No one.
BETH: We keep them locked up in here.
No other firearms on site?
We got another shotgun up in the
tower in case of emergencies.
The phone lines are
hit or miss out here.
We do get people
trying to break in sometimes.
Usually, the police scanners
just tell us
the cops ain't coming to help.
Hey.
Guard from outside,
he doesn't look right.
You finish up with her.
I'll see what he knows.
I got him.
You out there a lot?
You seen anything going on
in those woods?
People move signs out there
for target practice.
Wilson & Barnes signs.
People hate them 'cause they
keep putting up fancy houses
and pushing the coyotes our way.
Is that what the snares are for?
She lost her leg to a coyote.
Pretty sure it was that one.
We'll skin it later.
So you know, it's common land out there.
Lots of people put up traps,
not just us.
You should tell your friends
to be careful.
You can take a picture if you want.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
Hey. Uh, sorry.
I didn't know you were
You need something?
No, I
I just notified Meyers' mother,
and it was, uh
Sometimes, when you weren't here
I'd come down here and
Uh
I don't know.
How's the interrogating?
I thought, with me and Randy out
You still haven't done
any interrogations?
(SIGHS) Not officially in the room, no.
Look, I don't
I don't want to make it weird, but
Randy told me about, uh
Diana.
- So
- (SIGHS)
It's good.
I'm happy for you.
- It's it's Diane.
- Oh.
Randy said it was Diana.
I've told him a million times
it's Diane,
but his new haircut lady is Diana,
so he keeps messing it up and
How are you feeling?
How's the leg?
Good.
Great.
- We could get a rolling chair in here and
- I'm good.
These are dry if you want to
Yeah.
Randy said you've been super-focused
on the cases, looking at the pictures.
Meyers wasn't wearing any shoes.
Where do you think they went?
I'll look into it.
Yeah. Um
TANGO: Cause of death was a
pretty messed-up chain of events.
Come on, chief. Ain't it always?
In this case, it was
a very particular chain.
First thing, he's running,
shot from behind.
His left heel gets clipped
when his foot is up, mid-stride.
The same bullet hit
the back of his left thigh.
Bam. Hits the femoral artery.
Sometime after that,
he gets caught in the snare.
Lost a couple of fingernails
trying to claw his way out of it,
but ultimately, he bled out.
- You get the bullet?
- Right here.
- .22 caliber.
- WHEELER: Sorry I'm late.
I had to pick up a prescription.
- What did I miss?
- Barrett didn't put you back upstairs?
No hard evidence.
Oh, and just so you know,
before I left the crime scene
with Herm, I picked up some garbage.
Great.
Good to see you, probie.
Lenora, as we went over
in extreme detail last time,
I am not a probie.
I heard what you said,
but you are new here,
so you are a probie.
No, I'm Special Agent in Charge.
Right now?
Okay, probie, um, would you like
to read the file,
or shall I start from the top?
TANGO: Mike, get in here.
I want you to have a look at this.
Lacerations from the snare here.
Bullet nick here.
See this rash?
Something bit him?
TANGO: From the looks of it, no.
We sent a swab to Woody.
Could be some sort of topical irritant,
but what it is or why
it's contained to this area,
I don't know.
(DESK SQUEAKING ACROSS FLOOR)
Gail.
Gail, can you pick up a dang end here?
I got it, Mary Jo, please.
Let me use my muscles. (GRUNTS)
- Where do you want it?
- I'm moving it for Wheeler.
He can't be at Lala's desk
with Lala back.
RANDY: You know,
I'm so, so pumped that Lala's back,
but you got to wonder.
- Wonder what?
- Things. I mean,
she must feel like she has
a lot of pressure coming back,
'cause she already felt that way
just being a woman.
And Gibbs,
I think he, like, really likes
Lala, like love-likes her,
if I'm picking up on it right,
but then, she almost died,
and how can he take someone
he cares that much about dying again,
so he started dating Diana
'cause it was safer,
and now, Lala's back,
and I heard him say he wants
to get her a rolling chair
for the dark room,
but that's, like, the last thing
that Lala wants
'cause she doesn't want to be
rolling around in a chair looking weak,
and I think that chair might be, like,
a ticking time bomb,
you know what I mean?
Baby, that's a whole lot
of words, even for you.
You need to get off that computer.
Randy, I tried.
Marky Mark does not make me feel good.
HERM: Hey, where's Franks?
ME's office. What do you need?
Sit. Before we left the scene,
Wheeler went around picking up garbage,
anything he could find in the area.
Thought it might give us something.
This is Meyers' shirt.
Go on, boy.
Search. Go on, boy. Show them.
MARY JO: What is that? Thumbtack?
Yeah. According to Gary,
at some point,
Meyers had it in his pocket,
- or he was holding it.
- RANDY: Why would he be
out in the middle of nowhere
holding a tack?
- Corporal Wade.
- MARY JO: What?
Meyers' team leader.
We need to get him back in here.
He lied to me.
FRANKS: Corporal Wade,
looks like we got a misunderstanding
- on our hands.
- WADE: I told you everything I know
LALA: What's going on?
- Where were you?
- Back at the scene.
No sign of Meyers' shoes.
His mom said he owned a bunch,
and she didn't know
which ones he was wearing.
Who's this?
GIBBS: Meyers' team leader,
Corporal Wade.
FRANKS: Poster boy.
LALA: And what's he doing there?
Meyers had land navigation tools on him.
Wheeler found a tack out in the woods,
had Meyers' scent on it.
And the tack means what, Gibbs?
I can't read your damn mind.
(SIGHS) The Corporal told me
there was no hazing
for Meyers' low proficiency.
I think he lied.
I think he took Meyers out there,
gave him the grid point
where the tack was,
told him to use his skills to find it.
My team leader did it with a pen cap.
You never did it because
it was combat training
You didn't think to loop me in
on any of this?
- I didn't know where you were.
- I was on the radio.
You shouldn't have gone back
alone. There's snares out there.
- Where you going?
- Going in.
WADE: Marine Corps is rough, sir,
but I would never do anything
to hurt one of my guys.
FRANKS: Yeah, I know that script, too.
Look familiar?
Found these navigation tools
out by The Range.
Next words out of your mouth
best be the truth, son.
You took him out to them woods,
didn't you?
Agent Dominguez.
- Did you take him out there?
- You took off his shoes.
- What?
- LALA: You took off his shoes.
You had him out there in his socks
- to make it harder on him.
- No, no, I didn't.
- I didn't take off
- What happened with the snare?
Things got heated, you grabbed your .22.
What was it, a handgun, a rifle?
FRANKS: "No man left behind."
You are a Marine!
You are supposed to be upholding that!
But you didn't, did you?
You left Meyers out there!
You left him out there, didn't you?
- Didn't you? You left him?
- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
I was trying to teach him.
I wrote the grid point
of the tack in his book
and I told him not to come back
until he found it.
So, yes, I left him.
But I didn't take his shoes,
and I didn't have a weapon.
I figured he'd give up on the tack
and-and hitch a ride home.
I thought he was probably
on his way back
when you guys called me in
the first time.
Wait, why are you asking me
about weapons?
I What did he say I did to him?
He was murdered.
We think he had the tack on him,
and he dropped it.
He called me.
He-he called me
from somewhere out there.
What'd he say?
He said he found the tack
and I should come pick him up.
I-I didn't believe him.
It was Meyers, I didn't think
there was any
any way that
he would find it, so I
I told him to go back out
and look some more.
Where did the call come from?
I-I don't know.
I-I don't know.
LALA: Hey.
Look at me.
Is there anything you can remember
about where he was calling from?
I left him.
It's my fault this happened.
It's my fault.
LALA (ECHOING): About what? About what?
About what?
GIBBS (ECHOING): Lala. Lala.
LALA: Good luck with everything.
(ECHOING): I'm done. I'm done.
Phone company says they can do a trace,
but it'll take a week.
WHEELER: You're talking about the phone
the victim used to call his corporal?
ALL: Yes.
How many times you gonna ask us that,
Cliff?
LALA: Okay,
here's where Meyers was dropped off,
here's where his body was found,
and here's where he lost the tack.
FRANKS: Wide open spaces.
Can't be too many phones out there.
- (PHONE RINGING)
- WHEELER: I'll have you know
not one of you gave me kudos
for finding that tack.
Not one. All right, I can't do this.
This desk is too small for me.
- Yeah, I think you fit perfect.
- WHEELER: Hey. (CLAPS)
Randolf. You're switching desks
with me. Move your stuff.
I don't have room
for my boombox over there.
All right. That was Woodrow.
He's got something to show us.
Probie, a week's too long
to wait on a trace.
Take Dominguez.
Start back at the compound,
sweep the area, find out where
Meyers made that call from.
Uh, boss, maybe Lala
should go to forensics
- and you and I should head out
- Why?
- Your leg hurting you?
- No.
Your head?
How about I'll let you guys
know if I'm ailing in any way?
Sounds good to me.
- I'm with you to forensics.
- No.
Woody don't like the way
you look at him.
- Oh, God
- Plus,
I want to give you
some alone time to think.
You're good at thinking alone, Cliff.
Figure out a way to get your ass
back upstairs, and Rando
back with me, will you?
Barrett wants hard evidence. I
don't even know what that means.
Means he likes paper.
Rando, with me.
But I'm not supposed to leave.
Cliff, you got any interest
in telling Barrett
Rando's taking a ride?
Didn't think so.
(SCOFFS)
Scottie, I'm asking
how long it's gonna be.
Because Cliff Wheeler's
on his way down here.
I don't like the way he looks at me,
and I don't want him
hanging around here waiting
- Woodrow!
- Hey. Hey.
- Hey.
- (WOODY AND RANDY LAUGHING)
Sorry it took us forever.
The 5 was a parking lot.
Please tell me Cliff Wheeler
and his eyes are not coming down here.
Are you back for real?
Nah, I just busted him out temporarily.
Hey. Let's just be grateful
for the time we have.
Plus, best news ever: Lala's back.
I know, she radioed in
an update for you guys.
I wrote it down somewhere here.
Just hearing her voice, I was like,
"Yes, bad-assery lives."
- (LAUGHS)
- Yeah.
Oh, here it is.
She said her and Gibbs
"swept the compound,
"and it doesn't look like Meyers
made the call from there."
They still out there?
Uh, yeah.
They're following a few phone lines
to check on a few of the other houses.
Don't worry. I already filled them in
on the visual feast
that Phil is about to bring us.
Just give him a minute.
He's sensitive to traffic.
PHIL: 5 was a damn parking lot.
GT Night Sparks sneakers.
Aka Sparks.
Got 'em from Scottie in the armory.
I knew he had a pair
because we hoop together.
- He's actually really good.
- (LAUGHS)
WOODY: Lala said Meyers was a shoe guy.
We believe he was wearing
a pair just like those
- when he got shot.
- Randolf,
it's good to see you. Kill the lights.
(SNAPS FINGERS)
The shoes use liquid mercury to activate
their light source. Pivot!
WOODY: We called the company
to get the chemical makeup.
- (CHUCKLING)
- Turns out
it was the same substance
that we found on Meyers' foot.
PHIL: Theory is,
the lighting component
on Meyers' left shoe
was damaged when the gunshot
- nicked his heel.
- Traces of mercury
leaked out onto the skin,
causing the rash.
You can stop now, Phil.
Okay, good.
(PANTS)
Scottie said you can borrow these
so you know what you're looking for.
- These hard to come by?
- Yeah.
- 'Cause they're rad.
- WOODY: Yeah.
I wouldn't doubt
that somebody would kill
to get their hands on a pair of these.
Even with one of the lights broken.
(INSECTS TRILLING)
Federal agents!
We just want to ask a few questions!
NIS!
Hello?
WOMAN: You got to open it yourself.
(OLD-TIMEY MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
LALA: Ma'am.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- We're NIS.
What's the question?
This man come to your home recently?
He was wearing a white shirt.
He was looking to use the phone.
(RADIO STATIC)
WOMAN: I don't think I saw him.
GIBBS: Does the phone work?
WOMAN: It does.
GIBBS: You live here alone?
WOMAN: Yes.
(STATIC CONTINUES)
This darn radio.
It keeps going out on me.
Stop! Hey!
- (GRUNTS)
- Hey!
LALA: Stop!
(OLD-TIMEY MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING)
LALA: Hey! Hey!
GIBBS: Lala, stop!
LALA: Stop!
Lala. Lala, stop!
The snares! Lala!
- (GRUNTS)
- Hey! Lala!
LALA: Hey!
- (GRUNTS)
- Lala, stop!
(LALA GRUNTS)
Lala! Stop!
Stop! (GRUNTS) -Get off me!
We're gonna lose him!
- (GRUNTS)
- Lala, those snares
could kill you!
You don't know where they are!
Hey!
Hey! Stop!
(GRUNTS)
He's gone!
You let him get away!
Yeah, we'll get him another way.
You don't stop me!
I stop you!
You hear me?
I'm back, probie.
You see me?
I'm back.
Don't you ever put
your hands on me again.
♪
Lee Fabian. 32 years old.
Rap sheet longer
than a copperhead swinging a hose.
Everything from drunk
and disorderly to assault.
- BOLO?
- BOLO's out.
Meyers' mother confirmed he
owned a pair of Sparks sneakers.
We saw them on Fabian.
- Left light was out?
- Yep.
- We break the granny?
- Yeah. She said
Meyers knocked on the door,
used their phone
to call for a ride home.
He had the phone number written
in his nav notebook.
Fabian spotted the sneakers on Meyers,
told him to hand 'em over.
Meyers refused. He ditched the notebook
- and ran out of the cabin.
- Last thing the grandma saw
was Fabian grabbing his rifle
and chasing Meyers into the woods.
Shoots Meyers in the leg,
steals his shoes,
Meyers runs as far as he can after that
and then gets caught up in the snare.
Exactly.
(SCOFFS SOFTLY)
What?
Meyers got caught in the snare.
Same thing could've happened to you.
We should be booking him right now,
not doing a damn manhunt.
The hell are you talking about?
I was three feet from grabbing Fabian.
He stopped me.
She was running through the snares.
You could've broke your neck.
You didn't assess your surroundings.
- Okay, Mom.
- Damn it, Dominguez.
I didn't want Gary Callahan out there.
You shouldn't be out there, either.
No one should. And you
Mary Jo says you're asking
about a rolling chair.
Dominguez don't need
no damn rolling chair.
Now you two better get
your damn heads on straight,
'cause I need this team back
to the way it was
before I lose my damn mind!
You, you, me, Rando!
The hell is Rando?!
Note says he went to Kmart with Wheeler.
Somebody please tell me
how we are gonna find this guy.
Grandma has no idea
where he could've gone.
Says he leaves for months at a time.
- He could be hitching a ride to Mexico by now.
- ABE: This has nothing to do
with him. I need Agent Franks.
MARY JO: Sir,
I told you twice to take a step back.
ABE: This is absurd.
- I need to speak to Agent Franks.
- Hey.
You heard what she said.
Take a step back.
FRANKS: Hey, Pruitt.
I hope you ain't disrespecting my team.
I am not trying to disrespect,
but it is urgent.
We heard the alert on our
scanners about your fugitive.
I have a proposition.
Wilson & Barnes Properties.
They pushed us out of our homes once.
I want a guarantee
they can't do it again.
LALA: You don't own the land you're on?
We've been living there over five years.
Squatters' rights.
But they will find a way to push us out.
Now, you're DoD.
So you can talk to your friends
in the Department of Interior
and get all the land east of us
declared a natural reserve.
Make it illegal
for developers to come in.
I don't got that power.
This country was built
on federal favors.
Get creative.
Mr. Pruitt,
I ain't got the power.
I don't think you're hearing me.
I am trying to protect
my people, my clan.
My team is being disrespected.
Do you not understand that?
I do.
But I can't help you.
Then I'm afraid
we haven't seen your fugitive.
PFC Thomas Meyers loved his mother.
He never missed a dinner with her.
Being a Marine didn't come easy,
but he never gave up.
He was part of a team, too.
They tested him,
wanted him to be better
than he was capable of.
He didn't fault them for it.
Look at him.
Look at him.
He was a 19-year-old kid.
Just doing his best
to be part of a team.
And someone killed him
for his damn shoes.
Your people deserve protection.
They deserve justice.
But so does he.
Mr. Pruitt, you have that power.
Tell us where the man who killed him is.
♪
I'll do the prints.
Is that our guy?
LALA: Yep. Case closed.
He was at a motel in Pauma Valley.
Abe Pruitt led us straight to him.
Seems like Abe's actually got
a pretty good thing going
out there on The Range.
I heard Gibbs convinced him
to do the right thing.
Yeah.
Sounds like a lot of words for Gibbs.
Like a Randy amount. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
Couldn't have been easy.
But
not much has been easy for him,
has it?
What are you doing?
You know he's only dating that Diane
because he can't take
the thought of losing you.
He's too complicated for me anyway.
OLDER GIBBS: Without any one part,
a team doesn't work like it should.
Agent Randolf and I compiled some stats
from the cases he's been logging
into the computer.
We printed it off
on some fancy paper from Kmart
- for your reference, sir.
- As you can see, this office
is on track to having
the lowest case solve rate
in the region this quarter.
RANDY: Before you
started overseeing the office,
we had the highest case solve rate
three years running, sir.
What are you getting at, Randolf?
We are presenting you with hard evidence
that you should reinstate us both.
The best thing for everyone is
to get our numbers back up.
Don't you agree?
OLDER GIBBS: Without any one part,
a team doesn't thrive.
Back in business, baby!
- LALA: Ah!
- All right!
- Ah! (GRUNTS)
- (LAUGHS, GRUNTS)
- FRANKS: All right! Gear up!
- Yeah!
About time.
FRANKS: We're heading back to the Roach
House.
Now that we got the team to do it,
we are shutting it down for good!
- (RANDY WHOOPS)
- Giddyap!
(RANDY WHOOPS)
LALA: Probie.
Let's go assess our surroundings.
OLDER GIBBS: We had to
find a way to focus on what was
in front of us
instead of the doubts inside.
But we all still had 'em.
The doubts.
Franks didn't know
if he could ever get the team
back the way it was.
Randy felt rusty.
And there were things
between Lala and me
that would never go away.
- We were far from perfect.
- (GRUNTS)
Pardon me.
OLDER GIBBS: But we were in it together.
("GOOD VIBRATIONS" BY MARKY MARK
AND THE FUNKY BUNCH PLAYING)
Ooh ♪
Come on, swing it ♪
- C-Come on, swing it ♪
- Ooh ♪
Come on, swing it ♪
C-Come on, swing it ♪
- Ooh ♪
- One ♪
Two ♪
Three ♪
Now we come to the payoff ♪
It's such a good vibration ♪
(LAUGHING)
It's such a sweet sensation ♪
- It's such a good vibration ♪
- Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum ♪
- It's such a sweet sensation ♪
- (LAUGHING)
Yo, it's about that time
to bring forth ♪
- The rhythm and the rhyme ♪
- (GASPING)
I'm-a get mine, so get yours ♪
I want to see sweat
coming out your pores ♪
On the house tip
is how I'm swinging this ♪
Strictly hip-hop,
boy, I ain't singing this ♪
Bringing this to the entire nation ♪
Black, white, red, brown ♪
Feel the vibration ♪
Come on, come on ♪
Feel it, feel it ♪
Feel the vibration ♪
It's such a good vibration ♪
It's such a sweet sensation. ♪
♪
LARA: I'm investigating
the murder of Pedro Hernandez.
- You think it was Gibbs?
- Yes.
GIBBS: I turned over my rifle.
LALA: What?
I gave my rifle to Macy.
Good luck with everything. I'm done.
If you move forward with this,
my life with be over.
LARA: My JAG contact felt
I didn't have sufficient
evidence to pursue this further.
Gibbs must've just been
making up stories, huh?
You are suspended indefinitely.
I'll be here as interim SAC.
MASON (OVER PHONE): Mikey, it's me.
It's your brother.
RANDY: Maybe you
could give me some advice
for getting on track to-to being SAC.
Talk like that makes me question
whether you should be
in the field at all.
Diane. You want to give me
the tour or what?
(TIRES SCREECHING)
OLDER GIBBS:
This is a story I don't tell.
The story of her.
OLDER GIBBS: Without Lala,
the days went by slow.
("GOOD VIBRATIONS"
BY THE BEACH BOYS PLAYING)
Without her, the team
wasn't what it used to be.
Without her, we had Wheeler.
His suspension could only last so long,
so Regional Director Barrett
demoted him and stuck him back
in the field with us.
Franks wasn't adjusting
to the change very well.
Thing is, it wasn't just Lala
we were missing.
Randy was officially on desk duty,
thanks to the doubts he raised
about being in the field.
His job was to type all the case files
from storage into the computer.
But the minute he started,
Randy knew he needed off that desk.
Risk or not, he was made
to be a field agent.
But Barrett said there was no
hard evidence to support that.
So, Randy's only escape
was his old yellow boombox.
Speaking of escaping,
there was a lot of that going around.
We weren't solving cases as quick,
suspects were getting away.
There was a drug house
called the Roach House.
We went there five times
in two months to shut it down.
Still couldn't get the job done.
The job wasn't right without her.
And home wasn't much better.
Franks had Gary Callahan
sleep over most nights.
The place still felt empty without Tish.
He tried a few times
to talk things through
with his brother Mason on the phone,
but it always ended up
with someone getting hung up on.
FRANKS: Don't look at me like that.
It's more complicated than you think.
OLDER GIBBS: I got my
rifle back from Lara Macy,
but I didn't know Lala
was the reason why.
I took it out now and then
to maintain it,
keep my mind busy
since therapy was a crock,
and I still didn't know what
to build with the wood I got.
I tried to keep my mind busy
at the office, too.
Wheeler took over Lala's desk.
I didn't like it, but
I just tried to keep
my head down and do the work.
I looked at every victim.
Looked at them hard.
Looked at them
until they became my brother,
my sister, my mother,
my father,
until all I could think about was them,
instead of thinking about
what happened in that pool.
The neighbors never knew about
how Lala used to sneak
into their pool to swim.
The neighbors only knew that,
one day, a few months back,
a nice young woman
asked permission to use it.
Muscle of her left thigh was crushed,
collapsed lung,
traumatic brain injury.
That's what she was working to overcome.
According to her,
the rehab the hospital
gave her wasn't enough
so she started working on her own.
A lot of long nights, too.
She pushed herself to the limit
as long as she could take it.
Because all she cared about
was getting back to work
so we wouldn't
have to be without her.
Ah. ♪
FRANKS: I am telling you respectfully,
sir, this team ain't working.
BARRETT: Well,
sounds like a problem of leadership.
FRANKS: Leadership, my ass.
Pardon my French, sir, but
Cliff Wheeler's got no business
being out in the field.
Tell him, probie.
- Gibbs!
- Yeah.
Yeah. Trading Wheeler for Randy
would be better.
- 100%.
- Look, you two come in here
whining like it's gonna
mean something, but I got
zero hard evidence
telling me to reassign
Wheeler or Randolf.
FRANKS: You want evidence?
We just came from the Roach House.
- Fourth time in two months.
- Fifth.
They still pedaling dope to our boys?
FRANKS: Yeah, and every time,
half them jokers
run right out the door
thanks to Wheeler's shenanigans.
All right, look,
he got his ass in a bind
heading up this office,
I will give you that,
but before that,
you don't make SAC without
a hell of a field record, Franks.
Yeah, but you lose your instincts
sitting on a desk that long.
He's out there talking like
a jackass, handling his weapon
- like a halfwit.
- And the IBS.
You add that to the man's angry bowels,
he's a walking hazard out there, sir.
Sir, I want the record
to show that the fiasco
at the Roach House
this afternoon was not my fault.
Yeah.
Just give him his old desk back.
He's good at stuff up here, sir.
WHEELER: I concur, sir,
I feel that I have
more than done my penance,
and the word is,
Regional C.O. is clamoring to have you
- back at your post.
- MARY JO: Excuse me, sir.
The classified Pre-Embargo
Cuban Report you requested.
Oh, thank you, darling.
WHEELER: Sir.
Sir, I realize that
you want hard evidence,
but frankly, you are wasting
Randolf's talents at that desk.
Rando's a people person.
And I am an "upstairs office" person.
Mary Jo.
Was Barrett looking at my butt
on the way out?
Uh, don't know. I-Is that, uh
You know what that report was,
the one I gave him?
Statistics on the availability
of rare cigars.
That sleazebag is a waste
of my typewriter ribbon.
The more papers you hand him,
the more important he thinks he is.
- What?
- Any cases come in?
No, baby. Slow day.
Well, what's that?
This? Background on a missing Marine.
(SIGHS) Sorry, honey, you can't take it.
Dalton Basement already started
working on it a half-hour ago.
Something to put your brain on,
so you don't have to think
about other stuff, huh?
I'll tell Dalton
I screwed up the rotation.
Thank you.
Marine's name is
PFC Thomas Meyers. 19 years old.
He was late for dinner.
His mother called it in.
MRS. MEYERS (OVER PHONE):
Tommy has never missed
a dinner with me. Never.
Something's not right.
GIBBS: Is there anyone else
he could be with?
No.
Not besides the list I gave you.
I'm sorry, I-I-I've kept you
way too long.
You were so kind to stop by before.
No, you haven't kept me too long, ma'am.
I just
Tommy has a huge heart, you know?
He loves everyone. He's trusting.
He's really trusting,
and that scares me.
(SIGHS)
Please just call me
when you know anything.
I will.
Thank you, Agent Gibbs.
- (CALL HANGS UP)
- (DIAL TONE SOUNDS)
- Was that the mother again?
- Mm.
- Come back to bed.
- Mm.
I'm working.
I see that.
What's the thing?
I've seen you do, what,
like, four cases now?
Every time, there's something in it
that makes it impossible for you
to look away.
- (CHUCKLES)
- What's the thing with this one?
Your missing Marine.
I knew guys like this
when I was in the Corps.
Great guy, not the most talented.
It ain't easy being Marine.
Guys like this would get bullied
until someone stepped in.
Something tells me
you were that someone.
I'll make some coffee.
You know Janet? She said to me,
"Diane, this guy you're dating,
all he cares about is work."
You know how Janet is, on and on.
Ugh.
And I said, "Yeah, he gets these cases,
and he shuts out everything else
to solve them."
I said to her, "I love that about him.
It's heroic."
You're gonna bring that Marine home
'cause you're not gonna
look away until it's done.
Just like always.
I love that about you.
No, sir. No, there's no bullying,
no hazing.
I don't allow that
type of thing in my team
with Meyers or anyone.
- (SIGHS)
- I'm sorry.
I wish I knew something that could help.
All right.
(GRUNTS)
- Do me a favor.
- Yeah.
- Give me a call if you hear anything.
- Yes, sir.
Morning, probie. Kowalski brought bread.
I made you some toast.
GIBBS: Private First
Class Thomas Meyers.
19 years old.
Been missing since 1700 yesterday.
I just talked with
his team leader, Corporal Wade.
He confirmed that Meyers
was day-one of a one-week leave.
I combed through
everything I could last night,
and I've got calls out to all
- the proper channels.
- He ain't even gone 24 hours.
How does your lady friend feel
about you staying up all night
on a case that isn't even a case yet?
It doesn't matter
how many hours it's been.
"Compelling oddity."
That's the bar for
opening a case, right, boss?
Meyers missed a planned dinner
with his mother.
She said that never happens.
He's a terrible Marine.
Low marks in proficiency,
but he makes up for it
with his conduct scores.
Friends call him kind, funny.
His high school girlfriend says
they broke up two years ago.
He still checks in on her grandfather.
Well, he's probably just
trying to bed her again.
Cliff could be right on that one.
RANDY: Come on, come on ♪
Feel it, feel it ♪
Feel the vibration ♪
(HIGH-PITCHED SINGING): ♪
It's such a good vibration ♪
Randolf! Quit prancing around.
We're trying to work over here.
Sorry, sir. It's-it's "Good Vibrations."
I can't help myself.
It's all right.
Them Beach Boys get me, too.
- It's the other "Good Vibrations."
- RANDY: I swear to God,
this song is a revelation.
I got the cassette single.
Even when nothing in the world is right,
Marky Mark makes you feel so good.
His last name's Mark,
and his mama named him Marky?
His brother's in New Kids.
He's the bad boy, Donnie.
- Donnie Mark?
- No, Donnie Wahlberg.
- They have different fathers?
- No, it's a stage name.
Who picks Wahlberg as a stage name?
Guys, PFC Meyers. He has a car.
It was left in the barracks lot.
Roommate said, when Meyers left,
he looked anxious.
Said he was going to the range.
Skeet 'n Trap?
No. I called every firing range
in the area.
- No sign of him.
- The range.
You know, I-I read about a place
they're calling "The Range."
It was in one of these cases I typed in.
- We crossed over with 29 Palms.
- Firing range?
RANDY: No, it's like a compound-type
place, middle of nowhere.
I want to say the Palomar Mountain ar
Oh, here we go.
"Though unsubstantiated,
The Range is rumored to be
"a compound of lawless inhabitants
who hunt and kill humans for sport."
Ugh.
Marky Mark must've made me block
out the whole hunting part.
I'll see if I can get a location.
(COMPUTER WHIRRING)
RANDY: (GROANS) Shoot.
It's overheating.
Uh, give me, like, eight to 12 minutes.
Yeah. Or I Here, I'll-I'll
find it in the files.
MARY JO (OVER RADIO): Franks,
I gave Herm the address to The Range.
He's en route to you all
with Gary Callahan. Over.
FRANKS: 10-4, Mary Jo.
We're just getting here now. Out.
You can go ahead and stop there.
- FRANKS: What's that?
- Said stop there.
- What do you want?
- NIS.
You boys know a fella
named Thomas Meyers?
He's probably in civilian clothes.
Good for him. We don't know him.
Okay, son, the attitude isn't necessary.
Step aside,
we need to take a look inside.
Cliff, I'm handling this.
ABE: Afternoon, gentlemen.
I'm Abe Pruitt.
I would love to take a look at
your warrant, if you have one.
Just a friendly visit.
Mr. Pruitt, if you'll step
this way, we have a few ques
- Cliff.
- Hey, I'll step anywhere you'd like,
but you don't have the right
to search the residence.
Now, Stanley and Poe here told you
your Marine isn't inside.
Afraid that means we haven't seen him.
FRANKS: Thing is, we've been
hearing some pretty crazy stories.
- "The Range."
- (METALLIC CLANGING IN DISTANCE)
That what boys you call
this place, isn't it?
There's a lot of unoccupied land
outside of our property line.
You're more than welcome
to take a look around out there.
(METALLIC CLANGING CONTINUES)
(PANTING)
(FLIES BUZZING)
Probie.
You got something?
Yeah.
The hell are these bastards
doing to people out here?
We need to search the compound.
We got probable cause now.
We also got Wheeler.
Can't take him in there.
He's a damn hazard.
(GARY BARKING)
Spotted y'all from the road.
Stay there with Gary.
There's snares out here.
Now, keep him in the car.
Keep him in the car.
There's snares out here.
(FLIES BUZZING)
FRANKS: Good boy. Good boy.
(SIGHS)
(VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES)
Mary Jo filled me in.
Figured I'd hitch a ride over.
You're back?
Yeah.
♪
Yeah, copy that. Out.
(SIGHS)
Probie. Dominguez is back, you see that?
Yeah, I was just, uh
I radioed Doc Tango. He's on his way.
- Meyers had that stuff on him?
- Marine navigation kit.
You think he was out here
looking for something?
The notebook is missing.
Dominguez looks strong.
Even better than she did
two weeks ago, huh?
I haven't seen her since the hospital.
You ain't been stopping by
to check in on her?
Little inconsiderate, ain't it?
- Wheeler going in there with us?
- No.
I asked Herm to take him and
Gary Callahan back to the office.
Don't want Gary out there
getting caught up in them traps,
and Dominguez back, Wheeler's
an unnecessary liability.
You think Barrett'll
put him back upstairs?
Good Lord willing
and the creek don't rise.
First day back.
Maybe she should stay outside.
Yeah, maybe.
LALA: I hope you guys aren't
talking about me staying outside.
'Cause that's not happening.
- LALA: NIS.
- Everybody step outside.
- Let's go. Everybody step outside.
- LALA: NIS.
GIBBS: Open the doors.
Everybody step out in the hall, please.
Ma'am, NIS. I need you
to step out of the room, please.
Need you to move everybody to one area,
so I can question them.
GIBBS: Bedrooms all the way down, boss.
ABE: Stanley, gather everyone
into the nursery, please.
How many kids you got living here?
It's not that kind of nursery.
- LALA: Everyone follow me.
- GIBBS: Let's go.
- Federal agent. Open the door.
- LALA: Follow me, please.
ABE: These plants
are native to California,
each and every one of them.
Y'all, what, sell them to landscapers?
Yeah, but it's more than transactional.
Developers, they come in,
they plant thirsty lawns,
ornamental imports.
We're repopulating the land
with what should be here.
What always was.
Y'all got to live together to do that?
Developers pushed us out of our homes.
Made our lives hell
until we gave in and sold low,
so we came out here
and made this place our own.
That's a sad story, but I got a Marine
hanging from a tree out there that says
the rumors about this place are true.
People do disappear out here,
but it's because they hear about us.
They stay to earn a living, to belong.
Started with eight of us
who were displaced.
Now, we take in anyone
who needs a job or a home.
That ain't what I'm asking.
No one here had anything to do
with your Marine
being caught in that snare,
Agent Franks.
No one.
BETH: We keep them locked up in here.
No other firearms on site?
We got another shotgun up in the
tower in case of emergencies.
The phone lines are
hit or miss out here.
We do get people
trying to break in sometimes.
Usually, the police scanners
just tell us
the cops ain't coming to help.
Hey.
Guard from outside,
he doesn't look right.
You finish up with her.
I'll see what he knows.
I got him.
You out there a lot?
You seen anything going on
in those woods?
People move signs out there
for target practice.
Wilson & Barnes signs.
People hate them 'cause they
keep putting up fancy houses
and pushing the coyotes our way.
Is that what the snares are for?
She lost her leg to a coyote.
Pretty sure it was that one.
We'll skin it later.
So you know, it's common land out there.
Lots of people put up traps,
not just us.
You should tell your friends
to be careful.
You can take a picture if you want.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
Hey. Uh, sorry.
I didn't know you were
You need something?
No, I
I just notified Meyers' mother,
and it was, uh
Sometimes, when you weren't here
I'd come down here and
Uh
I don't know.
How's the interrogating?
I thought, with me and Randy out
You still haven't done
any interrogations?
(SIGHS) Not officially in the room, no.
Look, I don't
I don't want to make it weird, but
Randy told me about, uh
Diana.
- So
- (SIGHS)
It's good.
I'm happy for you.
- It's it's Diane.
- Oh.
Randy said it was Diana.
I've told him a million times
it's Diane,
but his new haircut lady is Diana,
so he keeps messing it up and
How are you feeling?
How's the leg?
Good.
Great.
- We could get a rolling chair in here and
- I'm good.
These are dry if you want to
Yeah.
Randy said you've been super-focused
on the cases, looking at the pictures.
Meyers wasn't wearing any shoes.
Where do you think they went?
I'll look into it.
Yeah. Um
TANGO: Cause of death was a
pretty messed-up chain of events.
Come on, chief. Ain't it always?
In this case, it was
a very particular chain.
First thing, he's running,
shot from behind.
His left heel gets clipped
when his foot is up, mid-stride.
The same bullet hit
the back of his left thigh.
Bam. Hits the femoral artery.
Sometime after that,
he gets caught in the snare.
Lost a couple of fingernails
trying to claw his way out of it,
but ultimately, he bled out.
- You get the bullet?
- Right here.
- .22 caliber.
- WHEELER: Sorry I'm late.
I had to pick up a prescription.
- What did I miss?
- Barrett didn't put you back upstairs?
No hard evidence.
Oh, and just so you know,
before I left the crime scene
with Herm, I picked up some garbage.
Great.
Good to see you, probie.
Lenora, as we went over
in extreme detail last time,
I am not a probie.
I heard what you said,
but you are new here,
so you are a probie.
No, I'm Special Agent in Charge.
Right now?
Okay, probie, um, would you like
to read the file,
or shall I start from the top?
TANGO: Mike, get in here.
I want you to have a look at this.
Lacerations from the snare here.
Bullet nick here.
See this rash?
Something bit him?
TANGO: From the looks of it, no.
We sent a swab to Woody.
Could be some sort of topical irritant,
but what it is or why
it's contained to this area,
I don't know.
(DESK SQUEAKING ACROSS FLOOR)
Gail.
Gail, can you pick up a dang end here?
I got it, Mary Jo, please.
Let me use my muscles. (GRUNTS)
- Where do you want it?
- I'm moving it for Wheeler.
He can't be at Lala's desk
with Lala back.
RANDY: You know,
I'm so, so pumped that Lala's back,
but you got to wonder.
- Wonder what?
- Things. I mean,
she must feel like she has
a lot of pressure coming back,
'cause she already felt that way
just being a woman.
And Gibbs,
I think he, like, really likes
Lala, like love-likes her,
if I'm picking up on it right,
but then, she almost died,
and how can he take someone
he cares that much about dying again,
so he started dating Diana
'cause it was safer,
and now, Lala's back,
and I heard him say he wants
to get her a rolling chair
for the dark room,
but that's, like, the last thing
that Lala wants
'cause she doesn't want to be
rolling around in a chair looking weak,
and I think that chair might be, like,
a ticking time bomb,
you know what I mean?
Baby, that's a whole lot
of words, even for you.
You need to get off that computer.
Randy, I tried.
Marky Mark does not make me feel good.
HERM: Hey, where's Franks?
ME's office. What do you need?
Sit. Before we left the scene,
Wheeler went around picking up garbage,
anything he could find in the area.
Thought it might give us something.
This is Meyers' shirt.
Go on, boy.
Search. Go on, boy. Show them.
MARY JO: What is that? Thumbtack?
Yeah. According to Gary,
at some point,
Meyers had it in his pocket,
- or he was holding it.
- RANDY: Why would he be
out in the middle of nowhere
holding a tack?
- Corporal Wade.
- MARY JO: What?
Meyers' team leader.
We need to get him back in here.
He lied to me.
FRANKS: Corporal Wade,
looks like we got a misunderstanding
- on our hands.
- WADE: I told you everything I know
LALA: What's going on?
- Where were you?
- Back at the scene.
No sign of Meyers' shoes.
His mom said he owned a bunch,
and she didn't know
which ones he was wearing.
Who's this?
GIBBS: Meyers' team leader,
Corporal Wade.
FRANKS: Poster boy.
LALA: And what's he doing there?
Meyers had land navigation tools on him.
Wheeler found a tack out in the woods,
had Meyers' scent on it.
And the tack means what, Gibbs?
I can't read your damn mind.
(SIGHS) The Corporal told me
there was no hazing
for Meyers' low proficiency.
I think he lied.
I think he took Meyers out there,
gave him the grid point
where the tack was,
told him to use his skills to find it.
My team leader did it with a pen cap.
You never did it because
it was combat training
You didn't think to loop me in
on any of this?
- I didn't know where you were.
- I was on the radio.
You shouldn't have gone back
alone. There's snares out there.
- Where you going?
- Going in.
WADE: Marine Corps is rough, sir,
but I would never do anything
to hurt one of my guys.
FRANKS: Yeah, I know that script, too.
Look familiar?
Found these navigation tools
out by The Range.
Next words out of your mouth
best be the truth, son.
You took him out to them woods,
didn't you?
Agent Dominguez.
- Did you take him out there?
- You took off his shoes.
- What?
- LALA: You took off his shoes.
You had him out there in his socks
- to make it harder on him.
- No, no, I didn't.
- I didn't take off
- What happened with the snare?
Things got heated, you grabbed your .22.
What was it, a handgun, a rifle?
FRANKS: "No man left behind."
You are a Marine!
You are supposed to be upholding that!
But you didn't, did you?
You left Meyers out there!
You left him out there, didn't you?
- Didn't you? You left him?
- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
I was trying to teach him.
I wrote the grid point
of the tack in his book
and I told him not to come back
until he found it.
So, yes, I left him.
But I didn't take his shoes,
and I didn't have a weapon.
I figured he'd give up on the tack
and-and hitch a ride home.
I thought he was probably
on his way back
when you guys called me in
the first time.
Wait, why are you asking me
about weapons?
I What did he say I did to him?
He was murdered.
We think he had the tack on him,
and he dropped it.
He called me.
He-he called me
from somewhere out there.
What'd he say?
He said he found the tack
and I should come pick him up.
I-I didn't believe him.
It was Meyers, I didn't think
there was any
any way that
he would find it, so I
I told him to go back out
and look some more.
Where did the call come from?
I-I don't know.
I-I don't know.
LALA: Hey.
Look at me.
Is there anything you can remember
about where he was calling from?
I left him.
It's my fault this happened.
It's my fault.
LALA (ECHOING): About what? About what?
About what?
GIBBS (ECHOING): Lala. Lala.
LALA: Good luck with everything.
(ECHOING): I'm done. I'm done.
Phone company says they can do a trace,
but it'll take a week.
WHEELER: You're talking about the phone
the victim used to call his corporal?
ALL: Yes.
How many times you gonna ask us that,
Cliff?
LALA: Okay,
here's where Meyers was dropped off,
here's where his body was found,
and here's where he lost the tack.
FRANKS: Wide open spaces.
Can't be too many phones out there.
- (PHONE RINGING)
- WHEELER: I'll have you know
not one of you gave me kudos
for finding that tack.
Not one. All right, I can't do this.
This desk is too small for me.
- Yeah, I think you fit perfect.
- WHEELER: Hey. (CLAPS)
Randolf. You're switching desks
with me. Move your stuff.
I don't have room
for my boombox over there.
All right. That was Woodrow.
He's got something to show us.
Probie, a week's too long
to wait on a trace.
Take Dominguez.
Start back at the compound,
sweep the area, find out where
Meyers made that call from.
Uh, boss, maybe Lala
should go to forensics
- and you and I should head out
- Why?
- Your leg hurting you?
- No.
Your head?
How about I'll let you guys
know if I'm ailing in any way?
Sounds good to me.
- I'm with you to forensics.
- No.
Woody don't like the way
you look at him.
- Oh, God
- Plus,
I want to give you
some alone time to think.
You're good at thinking alone, Cliff.
Figure out a way to get your ass
back upstairs, and Rando
back with me, will you?
Barrett wants hard evidence. I
don't even know what that means.
Means he likes paper.
Rando, with me.
But I'm not supposed to leave.
Cliff, you got any interest
in telling Barrett
Rando's taking a ride?
Didn't think so.
(SCOFFS)
Scottie, I'm asking
how long it's gonna be.
Because Cliff Wheeler's
on his way down here.
I don't like the way he looks at me,
and I don't want him
hanging around here waiting
- Woodrow!
- Hey. Hey.
- Hey.
- (WOODY AND RANDY LAUGHING)
Sorry it took us forever.
The 5 was a parking lot.
Please tell me Cliff Wheeler
and his eyes are not coming down here.
Are you back for real?
Nah, I just busted him out temporarily.
Hey. Let's just be grateful
for the time we have.
Plus, best news ever: Lala's back.
I know, she radioed in
an update for you guys.
I wrote it down somewhere here.
Just hearing her voice, I was like,
"Yes, bad-assery lives."
- (LAUGHS)
- Yeah.
Oh, here it is.
She said her and Gibbs
"swept the compound,
"and it doesn't look like Meyers
made the call from there."
They still out there?
Uh, yeah.
They're following a few phone lines
to check on a few of the other houses.
Don't worry. I already filled them in
on the visual feast
that Phil is about to bring us.
Just give him a minute.
He's sensitive to traffic.
PHIL: 5 was a damn parking lot.
GT Night Sparks sneakers.
Aka Sparks.
Got 'em from Scottie in the armory.
I knew he had a pair
because we hoop together.
- He's actually really good.
- (LAUGHS)
WOODY: Lala said Meyers was a shoe guy.
We believe he was wearing
a pair just like those
- when he got shot.
- Randolf,
it's good to see you. Kill the lights.
(SNAPS FINGERS)
The shoes use liquid mercury to activate
their light source. Pivot!
WOODY: We called the company
to get the chemical makeup.
- (CHUCKLING)
- Turns out
it was the same substance
that we found on Meyers' foot.
PHIL: Theory is,
the lighting component
on Meyers' left shoe
was damaged when the gunshot
- nicked his heel.
- Traces of mercury
leaked out onto the skin,
causing the rash.
You can stop now, Phil.
Okay, good.
(PANTS)
Scottie said you can borrow these
so you know what you're looking for.
- These hard to come by?
- Yeah.
- 'Cause they're rad.
- WOODY: Yeah.
I wouldn't doubt
that somebody would kill
to get their hands on a pair of these.
Even with one of the lights broken.
(INSECTS TRILLING)
Federal agents!
We just want to ask a few questions!
NIS!
Hello?
WOMAN: You got to open it yourself.
(OLD-TIMEY MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
LALA: Ma'am.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- We're NIS.
What's the question?
This man come to your home recently?
He was wearing a white shirt.
He was looking to use the phone.
(RADIO STATIC)
WOMAN: I don't think I saw him.
GIBBS: Does the phone work?
WOMAN: It does.
GIBBS: You live here alone?
WOMAN: Yes.
(STATIC CONTINUES)
This darn radio.
It keeps going out on me.
Stop! Hey!
- (GRUNTS)
- Hey!
LALA: Stop!
(OLD-TIMEY MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING)
LALA: Hey! Hey!
GIBBS: Lala, stop!
LALA: Stop!
Lala. Lala, stop!
The snares! Lala!
- (GRUNTS)
- Hey! Lala!
LALA: Hey!
- (GRUNTS)
- Lala, stop!
(LALA GRUNTS)
Lala! Stop!
Stop! (GRUNTS) -Get off me!
We're gonna lose him!
- (GRUNTS)
- Lala, those snares
could kill you!
You don't know where they are!
Hey!
Hey! Stop!
(GRUNTS)
He's gone!
You let him get away!
Yeah, we'll get him another way.
You don't stop me!
I stop you!
You hear me?
I'm back, probie.
You see me?
I'm back.
Don't you ever put
your hands on me again.
♪
Lee Fabian. 32 years old.
Rap sheet longer
than a copperhead swinging a hose.
Everything from drunk
and disorderly to assault.
- BOLO?
- BOLO's out.
Meyers' mother confirmed he
owned a pair of Sparks sneakers.
We saw them on Fabian.
- Left light was out?
- Yep.
- We break the granny?
- Yeah. She said
Meyers knocked on the door,
used their phone
to call for a ride home.
He had the phone number written
in his nav notebook.
Fabian spotted the sneakers on Meyers,
told him to hand 'em over.
Meyers refused. He ditched the notebook
- and ran out of the cabin.
- Last thing the grandma saw
was Fabian grabbing his rifle
and chasing Meyers into the woods.
Shoots Meyers in the leg,
steals his shoes,
Meyers runs as far as he can after that
and then gets caught up in the snare.
Exactly.
(SCOFFS SOFTLY)
What?
Meyers got caught in the snare.
Same thing could've happened to you.
We should be booking him right now,
not doing a damn manhunt.
The hell are you talking about?
I was three feet from grabbing Fabian.
He stopped me.
She was running through the snares.
You could've broke your neck.
You didn't assess your surroundings.
- Okay, Mom.
- Damn it, Dominguez.
I didn't want Gary Callahan out there.
You shouldn't be out there, either.
No one should. And you
Mary Jo says you're asking
about a rolling chair.
Dominguez don't need
no damn rolling chair.
Now you two better get
your damn heads on straight,
'cause I need this team back
to the way it was
before I lose my damn mind!
You, you, me, Rando!
The hell is Rando?!
Note says he went to Kmart with Wheeler.
Somebody please tell me
how we are gonna find this guy.
Grandma has no idea
where he could've gone.
Says he leaves for months at a time.
- He could be hitching a ride to Mexico by now.
- ABE: This has nothing to do
with him. I need Agent Franks.
MARY JO: Sir,
I told you twice to take a step back.
ABE: This is absurd.
- I need to speak to Agent Franks.
- Hey.
You heard what she said.
Take a step back.
FRANKS: Hey, Pruitt.
I hope you ain't disrespecting my team.
I am not trying to disrespect,
but it is urgent.
We heard the alert on our
scanners about your fugitive.
I have a proposition.
Wilson & Barnes Properties.
They pushed us out of our homes once.
I want a guarantee
they can't do it again.
LALA: You don't own the land you're on?
We've been living there over five years.
Squatters' rights.
But they will find a way to push us out.
Now, you're DoD.
So you can talk to your friends
in the Department of Interior
and get all the land east of us
declared a natural reserve.
Make it illegal
for developers to come in.
I don't got that power.
This country was built
on federal favors.
Get creative.
Mr. Pruitt,
I ain't got the power.
I don't think you're hearing me.
I am trying to protect
my people, my clan.
My team is being disrespected.
Do you not understand that?
I do.
But I can't help you.
Then I'm afraid
we haven't seen your fugitive.
PFC Thomas Meyers loved his mother.
He never missed a dinner with her.
Being a Marine didn't come easy,
but he never gave up.
He was part of a team, too.
They tested him,
wanted him to be better
than he was capable of.
He didn't fault them for it.
Look at him.
Look at him.
He was a 19-year-old kid.
Just doing his best
to be part of a team.
And someone killed him
for his damn shoes.
Your people deserve protection.
They deserve justice.
But so does he.
Mr. Pruitt, you have that power.
Tell us where the man who killed him is.
♪
I'll do the prints.
Is that our guy?
LALA: Yep. Case closed.
He was at a motel in Pauma Valley.
Abe Pruitt led us straight to him.
Seems like Abe's actually got
a pretty good thing going
out there on The Range.
I heard Gibbs convinced him
to do the right thing.
Yeah.
Sounds like a lot of words for Gibbs.
Like a Randy amount. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
Couldn't have been easy.
But
not much has been easy for him,
has it?
What are you doing?
You know he's only dating that Diane
because he can't take
the thought of losing you.
He's too complicated for me anyway.
OLDER GIBBS: Without any one part,
a team doesn't work like it should.
Agent Randolf and I compiled some stats
from the cases he's been logging
into the computer.
We printed it off
on some fancy paper from Kmart
- for your reference, sir.
- As you can see, this office
is on track to having
the lowest case solve rate
in the region this quarter.
RANDY: Before you
started overseeing the office,
we had the highest case solve rate
three years running, sir.
What are you getting at, Randolf?
We are presenting you with hard evidence
that you should reinstate us both.
The best thing for everyone is
to get our numbers back up.
Don't you agree?
OLDER GIBBS: Without any one part,
a team doesn't thrive.
Back in business, baby!
- LALA: Ah!
- All right!
- Ah! (GRUNTS)
- (LAUGHS, GRUNTS)
- FRANKS: All right! Gear up!
- Yeah!
About time.
FRANKS: We're heading back to the Roach
House.
Now that we got the team to do it,
we are shutting it down for good!
- (RANDY WHOOPS)
- Giddyap!
(RANDY WHOOPS)
LALA: Probie.
Let's go assess our surroundings.
OLDER GIBBS: We had to
find a way to focus on what was
in front of us
instead of the doubts inside.
But we all still had 'em.
The doubts.
Franks didn't know
if he could ever get the team
back the way it was.
Randy felt rusty.
And there were things
between Lala and me
that would never go away.
- We were far from perfect.
- (GRUNTS)
Pardon me.
OLDER GIBBS: But we were in it together.
("GOOD VIBRATIONS" BY MARKY MARK
AND THE FUNKY BUNCH PLAYING)
Ooh ♪
Come on, swing it ♪
- C-Come on, swing it ♪
- Ooh ♪
Come on, swing it ♪
C-Come on, swing it ♪
- Ooh ♪
- One ♪
Two ♪
Three ♪
Now we come to the payoff ♪
It's such a good vibration ♪
(LAUGHING)
It's such a sweet sensation ♪
- It's such a good vibration ♪
- Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum ♪
- It's such a sweet sensation ♪
- (LAUGHING)
Yo, it's about that time
to bring forth ♪
- The rhythm and the rhyme ♪
- (GASPING)
I'm-a get mine, so get yours ♪
I want to see sweat
coming out your pores ♪
On the house tip
is how I'm swinging this ♪
Strictly hip-hop,
boy, I ain't singing this ♪
Bringing this to the entire nation ♪
Black, white, red, brown ♪
Feel the vibration ♪
Come on, come on ♪
Feel it, feel it ♪
Feel the vibration ♪
It's such a good vibration ♪
It's such a sweet sensation. ♪
♪