NCIS: Origins (2024) s02e14 Episode Script
The Beautiful Ballad of Gary Callahan
1
OLDER GIBBS: He was
born the youngest of nine.
- (GARY WHIMPERS)
- Hard to imagine now,
but our gentle giant
of a K-9 agent, Gary Callahan,
was the runt of his litter.
And that was the least of his problems.
His hind legs were underdeveloped.
Too weak to walk, he'd just
sit there, day after day,
watching as his brothers
and sisters played.
(YELPING, BARKING CONTINUES)
Then he watched as they disappeared.
(SOFT WHIMPERING)
One by one,
they were all taken away,
off to live with their new families
in their new homes.
Until Gary was all alone.
But he never gave up hope.
He was sure that his time
would come, too.
And then, one day, it finally did.
Bob Barker reminding you to
help control the pet population.
Have your pets spayed
or neutered. Goodbye, everybody.
OLDER GIBBS: Every great
agent has God-given instincts,
and Gary's must have kicked in.
His gut must have told him
this wasn't going to be his new home.
- And his gut was right.
- (ENGINE STARTS)
- (CAR DEPARTS)
- Now, maybe it was grit
or, hell, maybe it was half a miracle
but without a moment to spare,
Gary Callahan rose to all fours
and took his first steps.
("CREEP" BY RADIOHEAD PLAYING)
(WHIMPERS)
But the new life he walked into
wasn't going to be an easy one.
He was scared, and all alone.
- (WHIMPERS)
- Couldn't look you in the eye ♪
And he lived that way for a year
trying to survive in a world
that didn't seem to want him.
Son of a bitch.
How many times I got to tell you
to get the hell out of here?
OLDER GIBBS: All Gary needed
was someone to give a damn.
A helping hand.
But all he ever got
was a boot to the neck.
He outgrew his box,
but he couldn't let it go.
It was the closest thing
to a home he ever had.
Mom, look. Can I pet him?
No, sweetie, no, not that one.
Okay? Pet Lucy.
OLDER GIBBS: Must have stung like hell
- to feel that unwanted.
- (WHIMPERS)
Like an outcast.
(THUNDER CRASHES)
German shepherds
are natural-born protectors,
but even protectors
need someone looking out for them.
(WHIMPERS)
I don't belong here. ♪
(VAN DOORS OPEN)
Yeah, I called two hours ago.
What took you so long?
Hello? Mr. Animal Control?
I asked you a question.
I heard you. I just ain't answering
'cause I don't like your tone.
Now, where's the dog?
♪
(GARY WHIMPERS SOFTLY)
FRANKS: Don't be scared, buddy.
My name's Michael,
and I promise you,
I ain't here to hurt you.
How about I make you a deal?
I'll get you a steak
if you just let me scoot you
out of here on your box.
Okay, pal?
- Easy does it.
- (LOW GROWLING)
Okay, we're gonna do this nice and easy.
You're such a good Aah!
(SNORING)
(PAGER BEEPING, VIBRATING)
Gail, it's me. Where to?
Okay, got it.
Yeah, he's here.
Gear up, Gare bear.
(EXCLAIMS)
Okay, on our way.
OLDER GIBBS:
Even the greatest protectors,
like Gary Callahan,
need protecting, too.
A helping hand.
-And on this night,
-Stay there.
Gary would need it more than ever.
(WHISTLES)
Evening, boss. Well, it's 2:00 a.m.,
so I guess, technically,
I should be saying good morning.
I never know what to do
in these situations.
I just never know, do I, buddy?
- Case, Rando.
- Uh
grocery store was broken into
a couple hours ago.
The owner, Javier Martinez, 74,
was stabbed and killed.
- Why ain't they handling it?
- Victim donated groceries
to the Camp Pendleton food pantry.
When the cops found his
base ID card, they called us.
Good thing, too, 'cause
they don't have a K-9 unit.
We got a blood trail out back.
We got a blood trail, don't we, buddy?
Stop doing that.
- What else?
- Junior's finally getting baptized,
which means I need to pick a godfather.
So, you're all being evaluated.
Okay.
Gary, halt.
- Robber snagged his shirt.
- Yeah, seems that way.
Oh, watch your back, boss.
Whole place was just painted.
FRIEDMAN: It seems to me like anytime
there's a call at the ass crack of dawn,
it's Tango's night off.
What do you think about that?
Haven't given it much thought.
FRIEDMAN: Got defensive wounds here.
Looks like he put up a hell of a fight.
Was he strangled and stabbed?
Yeah, and I think at the same time.
- So, there was two of them?
- GIBBS: Yeah, boss.
We're thinking robbery gone bad.
Register was pried open, emptied out,
and then the killers
took off out the back.
- One of them left a trail.
- FRANKS: I know.
Gail said. That's why I brought Gary.
Where's Herm?
He's his handler, he should be here.
I'll radio him, see if he's close.
FRIEDMAN: I got some kind of
sticky substance here
next to this watch-shaped tan line.
Now, I am no investigative genius
like y'all fine folks,
but if I had to guess,
I would say the killers stole his watch,
and one of them had
something sticky on their hand.
So, he busts in through the
front and leaves out the back.
LALA: They tripped the silent alarm.
Probably heard the sirens and took off
- into the woods back there.
- The woods, huh?
Sounds like a good place
to dump a murder weapon.
(SIGHS) Bad news. Herm's still at home.
He said no one ever called him.
FRANKS: Damn Gail.
Yeah, he's throwing on clothes,
rushing out the door,
but said he's at least an hour out.
FRANKS: Well, rain's coming.
If the knife's out there, any prints
and blood will get washed away.
Can't wait around
'cause Gail's an idiot.
Showtime, bud.
- Get a good whiff.
- (SNIFFING)
He's still got the best sniffer
this side of the Mississippi.
- (CHUCKLES)
- Probie, with us.
♪
(GARY GROWLS SOFTLY)
What is it, boy?
(WHIMPERS)
Boss.
You seeing this?
FRANKS: Am I seeing what, probie?
- (BARKING)
- GIBBS: Stop!
- Federal agents!
- Halt!
Gary!
(BARKING)
- GIBBS: Stop!
- Damn it, Gary!
Gary!
Halt! Damn it, Gary, halt!
- (GARY GROWLING)
- (MAN SCREAMING)
- (SLASHING)
- (GARY WHIMPERS)
Gary!
Go! Go!
(GARY WHIMPERING)
Aw, geez. Boss.
(WHIMPERS)
Go.
No, no, no, no, no.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, buddy.
You're good, pal.
He's been stabbed.
Stay there, Gare.
Agent down!
GIBBS: Doc? Doc, you in there?
Hey, doc, come on!
- Thank you.
- He's lost a lot of blood, Chief.
TANGO: Get him on the table.
- Hang in there, Gare bear.
- How many stab wounds?
One, but it's bad.
GIBBS: Dr. Friedman and I packed
the wound as well as we could,
but we couldn't get
the bleeding to stop.
There ain't no 24-hour vets
in the whole damn county.
- I didn't know who else to call.
- TANGO: It's okay.
I'm glad you did.
Uh, tell Rando
Tell Rando and Dominguez
to call all the hospitals.
You heard that guy scream.
Gare bit that bastard
pretty bad before
b-before he
We are on it, boss.
No way we are not gonna find
the guy who did this.
You got my word.
You're a good boy, you know that?
You're such a good boy.
TISH: He's the Antichrist.
Yeah, this ain't good.
(SIGHS)
TISH: We posted his
picture all over town.
Why hasn't anyone called?
He's a German shepherd.
He must belong to someone.
Uh-huh.
Mike? You know something?
Friend of mine at the pound
said, past couple years,
a few baby Germans got dumped on them
with a genetic defect.
They couldn't walk,
and all had to be put down.
What's that have to do with him?
FRANKS: They set up a security camera
to catch the breeder dumping them.
One of the puppies
got up and walked away.
I saw the video, Tish.
Looked just like this one.
And get this
he walked away with a box.
♪
I think he might be the miracle dog.
If he was dumped, Mike,
that means no one's looking for him
because he doesn't have a home.
So, I got to find him one.
What?
We both know that dog's
not going anywhere.
No one's gonna take him.
And you love him already anyway.
Oh, I ain't got
any kind of feelings for him.
Hell
I ain't even given him a name yet.
HERM: Oh, my God.
Gary?
Doc.
He's sedated.
We need to get him to a vet
for more surgery.
But he's gonna be okay?
We need to get him to a vet.
The game warden's been making calls,
trying to get one to open early.
(PHONE RINGS)
- Maybe that's him now.
- I got it.
- GIBBS: Hello.
- He's a tough boy, Herm.
He'll pull through.
How'd this happen?
He spotted the killer,
took off after him. He's
He's a hero.
Why wasn't he on his leash?
'Cause you had it.
Thought you were gonna be there.
I-I can't lose him, man.
We ain't gonna.
- GIBBS: Okay, thanks.
- (PHONE CLATTERS)
That was Lala.
They think they tracked down
the guy who did this.
Where?
♪
- Who is he?
- Name's Adam Plum.
Got caught robbing that
same grocery store last month,
but the owner refused to press charges.
Plum's been living on the
streets, so he felt bad for him.
Here's his mug shot.
Red hoodie.
LALA: I scouted the encampment.
There's a tent down there
with some bloody towels outside of it.
- You said Gary bit him, right?
- Hell yeah, he did.
On me.
Everyone out. Federal agents.
We're gonna need to see some hands.
- LALA: Let's go. Give me your hands.
- Hands up. Hands up.
RANDY: Please,
orderly form a line right here. Come on.
Okay, let's go.
Everybody out of the tents.
- LALA: Over here, we're gonna
- RANDY: Over here, can you guys
please come over here,
we need to see your hands.
GIBBS: Drop everything.
You don't a thing from inside.
Let's go. Gather over here
in the open area.
♪
There, stay with him.
FRANKS: Hey!
(GRUNTING)
MAN: Wait a minute!
(GRUNTING)
Get off me! Get off me!
(SHOUTS)
GIBBS: Boss.
- (SHOUTS)
- Son of a bitch!
♪
Get him printed, then put
his ass down in the box.
I'll see you soon, boy.
Give him hell, Mike.
Yeah, give that prick-hole hell.
Franks, that was Herm.
He said they just took Gary
into surgery.
I thought they were waiting for some
fancy specialist or something.
They wanted to, but Gary's
blood pressure suddenly dropped,
so they couldn't wait any longer.
Then who's doing the surgery?
Some half-wit?
I'm heading to the vet. Tell Rando
- to do the interrogation.
- Franks, your shirt.
I put a fresh one in your locker.
Thank you, Mary Jo.
ARTIE: MJ.
I just heard.
- What can I do?
- Oh, Artie,
- all we can do is pray.
- Who's that?
Artie. Gary's first handler.
("HARD TIME KILLING FLOOR"
BY TERRY GARLAND PLAYING)
BOSS: You better not have that
damn dog with you again.
And you shouldn't be taking strays home
and you sure as hell shouldn't
have them on job with you!
- Copy that, boss.
- (GARY SNUFFLES)
- Dog ain't here.
- I mean it, Franks.
No more warnings.
I got a possum on 1826 River Drive.
Go take care of it. Out.
What is wrong with you?
Can't find no heaven ♪
Wherever they go ♪
You always bring a dog with you?
You said you got a possum, right?
- Well, what's his name?
- Uh
dog.
Well, I only caught
a glimpse of him, but
I know a possum's eyes when I see them.
Been looting my vegetable garden.
What are you doing with that?
I'll shake him loose for you.
- Come on, get out of there.
- Hey. That ain't necessary.
- (EXCLAIMING) Come on.
- Put the rake down.
You're scaring my dog.
Oh, oh. He's coming out.
He's coming out.
(WHIMPERS)
Uh-oh.
- That ain't no possum.
- (SPRAYING)
Who don't know the difference
between a possum and a skunk?
TISH: This isn't the guy's fault.
You shouldn't have had the dog there.
Glad I got fired.
County don't care about animals,
they just want them out the way.
Job was gonna make me mean.
You could never be mean, Mike.
Your heart's too big.
- Ugh.
- You were right, though.
Nobody gonna take this dog.
Can't find him a home and
can't put him back on the street.
Please don't leave me.
TISH: I'm not leaving.
But I did call my Uncle Tango
for advice.
And he told me there's this guy Artie
at this agency called NIS
who's starting a K-9 unit.
Dog don't listen to a damn thing.
You think he's gonna be a cop?
Tango says these K-9 dogs
are really expensive,
and this agency has no money.
He thinks they'll take him.
What do you think, dog?
Can you do it?
Why is Randolf out in the hall
doing push-ups?
Exercising makes Randy happy,
and when he's happy, he says he's better
at doing his Chatty Cathy thing.
Where's Gibbs?
He's dropping the knife and all
the other stuff we found at forensics.
(RANDY WHISTLING A TUNE)
- Here comes Cathy.
- (DOOR OPENS)
Hey, buddy. Sorry to keep you waiting.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- But before we get into
the nitty-gritty, I just wanted to say
we talked to some of your
friends at the encampment
and, boy, I heard a lot of great things.
They said that you, uh,
look out for them.
That you're the protector.
We all need someone looking out for us.
I'm actually in the process ugh
of finding a godfather for my son.
You know, God forbid,
in case anything ever happens
to me and the wife.
No more push-ups before interrogations.
RANDY: it's a dangerous profession,
so it's, uh, it's time.
You know? There's just so many choices,
so I'm just not sure who I'm gonna
Yeah, this isn't gonna work.
I came in here with a plan to hit
you with my Chatty Cathy,
but I just
I can't do it.
You stabbed our dog, man.
I'm so mad at you.
He was mauling me. It was self-defense.
Probably not the best argument
since you committed robbery.
And-and what else was it?
Oh, yeah, you murdered a guy.
I didn't kill him.
Listen, I broke in to grab some
food for me and my friends,
and I saw him lying there all bloody.
All right? Next thing I know,
I-I heard sirens
and there were cops everywhere.
I freaked out,
I went to the woods to hide
until things calmed down.
But your dog found me.
What'd I miss?
He admitted to stabbing Gary
but not killing Javier Martinez.
Did Woody process the knife?
Plum's prints are on it, but he
needed more time to test the blood.
We found this silicone stuff
inside Plum's backpack.
He was using it
to waterproof all the tents.
Is this the stuff on Martinez's wrist?
Woody thinks it could be,
but the Mass Spec is down.
He's blaming Phil, saying
he forgot to recalibrate it.
ADAM: No. No.
RANDY: You know what I think?
I think you and whoever you were with
broke in there
and killed Javier Martinez
all for his watch and a few bucks.
We got the knife.
Bloody boot prints.
Come on man, just admit to what you did.
I think I want a lawyer now.
Sorry, Herm, I got here
as soon as I could. How is he?
- He's still in surgery.
- (PAGER BEEPS)
Ma'am, need to use your phone.
Look, man, w-what are you doing here?
Y-You should be out making sure
the dude that did this
- is in prison.
- Caught the guy already.
Homeless piece of Name's Adam Plum.
- Rando's interrogating him now.
- Did they, uh, say
he had a partner
you should be out looking for?
Yeah, this is Franks.
You sure?
Okay.
- (PHONE CLATTERS)
- Listen, I don't need you here.
That was Woody.
The knife that stabbed Gary
ain't the same one
that killed the grocery guy.
There's only dog blood on it.
Then you should get back
and find the murder weapon.
Them bastards probably ditched it.
Don't matter none.
Plum's the one that did this to Gary.
We'll catch his partner another way.
For Gary Callahan?
- Yes.
- Yeah.
I'm his handler.
- Is he okay?
- The good news is he's stable.
But the blade damaged several nerves
that control movements in the hind legs.
His recovery at this point is unknown,
but we have to be ready
for the possibility
that he may not walk again.
I have to go back in to monitor him.
I can answer any questions
when we discharge him later.
Thank you, Doctor.
(DOOR OPENS)
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- HERM: This
all of this is on you.
- Excuse me?
- You should've had him on a leash.
- What?
- He's not an attack dog.
- I know that. You weren't there.
- That's right.
You shouldn't have had him
out there without me.
He-he's not a pet, he's not your dog.
I never said he was.
You took him
to a JCPenney's photo shoot.
- So what?
- He had training that day.
He missed it 'cause your sorry ass
wanted to take pictures
in a damn bolo tie.
- Remember who you're talking to!
- I know who I'm talking to.
You're the guy who breaks all
the rules to get what he wants.
You wanted a pet?
Well, congrats. You got one.
He'll never be able to work again.
That ain't what I wanted.
That ain't never what I wanted.
Yeah, you could've fooled me.
Little help, please.
Ladies, now, you know
Herm has a small apartment.
- Where is that thing gonna go?
- GAIL: Sorry, MJ,
there's a lot of letters
in "Gary Callahan."
Big name, big banner.
Could've just wrote "Gary."
So, he's got to retire now, right?
Since he's immobile?
Is he gonna go back
and live with his first owner?
Mr. Callahan?
I don't think there is a Mr. Callahan.
Franks gave him that name.
God knows why.
He's the one who took Gary in
to begin with.
Now that Gary's out of commission,
he'll go back to living
with Franks full-time.
Aw
Wow, this is really sweet, guys.
MARY JO: It's as much
for Herm as it is Gary.
- He didn't sound good on the phone.
- Mm.
I can't wait to give him and
Gary the world's biggest hugs.
Uh, is the conference room ready?
- Uh, yeah, we're all set up.
- MARY JO: Ready for what?
Uh, grocery store had
a fresh coat of paint on it.
Turns out a bunch of high school girls
did it as a volunteer thing.
So, you think one of them
stabbed the grocery store owner?
No, but we do know
that Plum had a partner.
And since these girls were out painting,
maybe one of them saw him
hanging around with somebody.
Like, casing the joint.
Exactamundo.
FRANKS: Rando!
GAIL: Hey, um
JJ said he's really hoping you pick him
to be Junior's godfather.
I think he'd be a wonderful choice.
Uh, noted. Yeah.
FRANKS: What's the ETA
on them high school girls?
Should be here any minute, boss.
What are you doing?
Times like this,
all I want to do is hug.
All right. That's enough.
Adam Plum's been arrested a dozen times.
Four of those, he had an accomplice.
This guy.
- Okay, he's probably our killer.
- Afraid not.
He's been locked up in Metro
for six months.
So, why would you put him
up on the board
just to draw a big X through his face?
Because you're a visual learner.
It's true, boss.
Okay. So, this yahoo gets locked up,
Plum gets himself a new partner,
probably one of the folks he's
living with at that encampment.
I don't think so, boss.
Just got off with Oceanside PD.
They keep pretty good tabs
on everybody in there,
said none are violent offenders.
Plum's spent most his life
in juvies and jails.
I'm sure he knows
plenty of violent offenders.
GAIL: Randy,
the high school girl painters
- are here.
- Copy that.
Gibbs, go with Rando.
LALA: Plum was in Metro not long ago.
I'll call the warden, find out who
he was hanging out with in there.
Toss me that file, will you?
He's still here, you know?
I don't think most dogs
would have survived that.
To start, I think it's so cool
that, at your age, you're volunteering.
Giving back to the community.
Huh? W-We're forced to volunteer.
- Why?
- To get into college.
Yeah, that makes sense.
He was so nice.
The grocery store owner.
When my mom told me
what happened, I felt bad
I complained so much about helping him.
When you were painting,
did you see this guy
hanging around at all?
No.
Is he the one who did it?
CHELSEA: No. No, no, I never saw him.
You barely looked.
Still never saw him.
Yeah, I saw this guy.
He was hanging around out back.
Are you sure it was him?
- Positive.
- Uh, was he-was he with anyone?
Uh, yeah, actually. Some other dude.
GIBBS: Do you remember
what he looked like?
He was really creeping me out,
staring right at me.
He had a ponytail,
brown hair and a goatee.
I'm still waiting on my lawyer.
You ain't got to talk. I'm gonna.
I've been up there
digging into your file,
getting to know you.
Read about all them foster homes
you came up in.
I'm sorry to see that you got
slapped around pretty good
in one of them.
What is this?
Memory lane?
You needed a friend, huh?
Someone to look out for you.
And you found one.
Says in your file
you and this Charlie fella
was thick as thieves in foster care.
You know what's also
interesting about him?
He's got a string
of armed robberies and assaults.
What are you getting at?
I know y'all did this together,
and I know he did the stabbing.
Charlie didn't have
anything to do with this.
I got an eyewitness that begs to differ.
He wears his hair in a ponytail now,
trimmed his beard
down to a goatee, right?
I have no idea.
I haven't seen him in months.
Your witness is lying.
Makes it their word
against mine, though, right?
Yeah, I know how this goes.
No one ever trusts a guy like me.
Know why?
Because I'm a creep. A weirdo.
Like that song
they keep playing on the radio.
Every time I hear it,
I think they wrote that song
for me and everyone like me.
You really gonna
fall on the spear for this guy?
I could tell you the truth
till I'm blue in the face.
Won't matter.
Never does.
Ain't no way he's gonna
give his buddy up.
Tell me we got a lead
on where this prick is.
Not yet. But we know
he's been writing bad checks.
Woody and Phil are gonna try to do
their forensic accounting thing
to track him
- while we comb the streets.
- You can ride with me.
What?
Gary's here.
I sent Herm for a shower and a sandwich.
Looked like he needed it.
That's how Herm rolled him in.
I'd comment how ridiculous Gary looked
in that thing,
but it would be inappropriate,
given the situation now.
Look,
I try to stay out of others' affairs
but seems to me, uh,
you and Herm got some talking to do.
What'd he tell you?
Not much.
I could see he was upset.
Mentioned there were doings.
If by "doings," you mean he unloaded
a bunch of crap on me
that wasn't true, then yeah,
there were some unforgivable doings.
When he wakes up, uh,
give him one of these treats, will you?
They're freshly baked.
♪
- (WHIMPERS SOFTLY)
- (SNIFFLES)
You're gonna kick back, relax
and live the good life
with me now, okay?
It'll be like you never left.
He really likes it when
you scratch him behind his ears.
- Especially the left one.
- All right, well,
let me get in there. Let me
get in there. Ah, that's good.
Yeah, that's good.
You really think he's got
the makings of a K-9 cop?
'Cause he don't listen too good,
and he destroys everything.
Uh, no, he he's a German shepherd.
They're meant for it.
No, I think he's gonna love it.
And he'll be living with you?
Yeah, the wife already okayed it.
Where's he gonna sleep?
I just went to the Pet Warehouse
and I got him a bed,
the most expensive one they had.
The gal that worked there,
she said it was the best.
Did you hear that, buddy?
You got a fancy bed now and a real home.
♪
You don't need this one no more.
(SIGHS)
(CHUCKLES)
He's a miracle dog.
You take good care of him, Agent Artie.
I will.
Okay.
I'm gonna walk away now.
(WHIMPERS)
ARTIE: Hey, uh, Mr. Franks.
W-What's his name?
His name's Gary.
Gary Callahan.
(WHIMPERS)
Special Agent Gary Callahan.
I love you, buddy.
(SNIFFLES)
(EXHALES)
♪
(DOOR OPENS)
LALA: Morning.
- I didn't wake him, did I?
- No.
All them pain pills and whatnot
got him zonked pretty good.
Take the bus here?
Gibbs and Randy dropped me off
on the way to Forensics.
Hi.
This Charlie Cline he still
on the side of a milk carton?
Yeah. We checked every soup kitchen,
shelter, homeless encampment
in the county.
No one's seen him.
- Forensics?
- Woody and Phil have been up
all night trying to track the bad checks
Cline's been writing.
What?
Guy who stabbed Gary.
Adam Plum. I've been up
all night reading about him.
His background, his life.
You find anything?
All his cases had one thing in common.
He was always looking out
for someone else.
I'm not surprised.
Everyone living in that encampment
talked about him
like he's Mother Teresa.
Said he was stealing from that grocery
so they had something to eat.
Mother Teresa don't stab dogs.
But last night, when Gary was awake
he was looking at me like
you know.
LALA: Like what?
Like he looks when he's
telling me to be a better man.
Wow, Mike.
I didn't realize you and Gary
talked about stuff like that.
Not with words.
You know.
What else we got
on tracking down this yahoo?
Woody's, uh (CLEARS THROAT)
What'd you say Woody was doing?
WOODY: Ugh. You guys are early.
I told you to come by
at 10:00 a.m., okay?
I'm still looking through
all these forged checks
and bank statements.
Yeah, we were hoping maybe
you were ahead of schedule.
What's going on here?
Phil thought it would inspire me
to have the man
that I'm looking for
peering down at me all night.
He was wrong.
Hmm.
- Where is Phil?
- Sleeping, in the back.
PHIL: Wrong.
You thought I was sleeping,
but I was up all night
working on this doggy wheelchair
for Gary Callahan.
Aw. It's got lightning bolts
- and everything.
- Yeah.
- Great, now I'm the jerk.
- (PHONE RINGS)
PHIL: Oh, hey, I, uh,
I know you're looking for a godfather.
PHIL: Uh, I need to withdraw
my name from consideration.
I'm godfather to 19 kids already,
and I just
I can't handle another one.
Dang. The search continues.
WOODY: Thank you.
Well, that's a kick in the balls.
That was the bank.
Turns out this guy Charlie
you guys had me looking for all night
been forging checks in Muncie, Indiana
- for weeks.
- You sure?
Yeah. He's not your killer.
And I've been up all night
for no reason.
- I'm furious.
- PHIL: Hmm.
Sounds like I had
a far more productive night.
I mean, doggy wheelchair, obviously,
but I also figured out
what the substance
on your victim's wrist is.
Oh, the Mass Spec is working again?
Yeah, Woody forgot to recalibrate it,
so I handled it.
Not to belabor the point,
but I had a super productive night.
The substance wasn't the silicone grease
used to weatherproof
the encampment tents.
It's a glycerin-based gel I
couldn't find a precise match for.
But when I put it under the microscope,
I saw what looked like
a tiny fleck of something
I figured out was glitter.
Turns out the substance
on your victim's wrist
is the specific gel they use
to fill those,
uh, colorful
bracelets all the kids are wearing.
Yeah. I saw this guy.
- (KNOCKING)
- Boss?
Hey. Warrant came through.
We got Bridgette Donovan's jacket.
I don't know the names of
the high school girls, probie.
Is she the one that lied to us?
Yeah, Mike, the bracelet girl.
You sure he's ready for this?
FRANKS: Gimpy and stoned,
it don't matter.
He's got the best sniffer
this side of the Mississippi.
Killer's torn shirt
from the crime scene.
FRANKS: Get up in there, Gare.
All right.
LALA: And here's two random shirts
I grabbed down at the locker room.
They'll act as our baseline.
One.
- Nothing.
- Okay.
Moment of truth.
Bracelet girl's jacket.
- Yeah.
- (LAUGHS)
- Good boy.
- GIBBS: Nice.
Good job, Gary.
Good job, Gare bear.
♪
FRANKS: Girls got the
idea while they were painting
Javier's grocery store
with their friends.
They had everything.
Rich folks,
all the opportunities in the world.
But they said their lives
were mapped out by other people
and wanted to feel the rush.
So, they went back late.
Black ski masks
and daddy's hunting knife.
Said they wanted to steal
the old man's watch
just to prove to themselves
that they could.
But things got out of hand.
He fought back.
Next thing you know,
it's an all-out brawl.
He lost.
We only had the goods
on the bracelet girl,
but that little rat sold her
pal out in about two seconds.
WHEELER: You seeing this?
It's Doug Westmont.
Wilson and Barnes
have won the property battle
and seized the land
that belonged to Abe Pruitt's community.
That fool's on television
more than the president is.
He's just doing his job.
But did you hear what he said?
People on the compound
are being displaced.
The hell are you defending him for?
You know who that is. It's Abe Pruitt.
- He's a bloodsucking lawyer.
- Boss, uh, sorry to interrupt.
Nadia had a message for you.
She said to tell you
she put the cassette you were
asking for on your desk.
Why didn't she tell me herself?
'Cause Wheeler's in here
and he scares her.
Hey, boss, seeing as how
you're taking care
of Gary Callahan so good
got me thinking,
on a scale of one to ten,
what's your interest level
in being Junior's godfather?
- Zero.
- Copy that.
- (GRUNTS)
- Where you going?
You didn't eat your sandwich.
You can have it.
I ain't got an appetite.
And, uh
Gary told me
to take care of something.
Gary Callahan talks to you?
You were right.
It wouldn't have mattered what you said.
I wasn't gonna believe you.
I wouldn't have believed me, either.
Pop it in, Danny.
(SOFT CLICKING)
("CREEP" BY RADIOHEAD PLAYING)
What are you doing, man?
This song.
This "creep" stuff.
This ain't you, brother.
No one ever gave you a chance.
Deck was stacked against you,
just like that dog you stabbed.
When you were here before ♪
Couldn't look you in the eye ♪
I helped him
and I'm gonna help you, too.
You're gonna go do
this little stint of time.
When you get out, I'm gonna
help you get on your feet.
Your skin makes me cry ♪
- You float like a feather ♪
- Thank you.
In a beautiful world ♪
I wish I was special ♪
Gary forgives you
for what you done to him.
He told me to do the same.
So very special ♪
Hey, uh
But I'm a creep ♪
I'm-I'm
I'm really sorry I hurt your dog.
Takes a stand-up man
to admit when they screwed up.
I don't belong here. ♪
FRANKS: Herm.
Getting ready for the ceremony?
You need something?
You know, I
I never wanted to give Gary up.
Seemed coming here
was the best thing for him.
Yeah, Artie told me he was
a maniac in the beginning.
Yeah, he really was.
He needed structure.
But I missed him.
Part of the reason
why I started working here.
To spend more time with him.
Tried to have my cake
and eat it too, you know?
Yeah.
And I noticed you started eating
way more cake after Tish left.
You know, I never
should have had him out there
without a leash.
I never should've have had him
out there without you.
I appreciate that, Franks.
I know how much you love him.
I know how much you love him, too.
One more thing.
God forbid anything ever happens
to Rando and Junie,
I told Rando you'd be happy
to raise his kid.
You earned it, pal.
OLDER GIBBS: Gary Callahan
made an impact on all of us.
Detail, attention.
OLDER GIBBS: We were all
better for having known him.
He was one hell of a special agent.
We've gathered here today to recognize
the courage and valor of one of our own.
K-9 Agent Gary Callahan.
(INSTRUMENTAL VERSION
OF RADIOHEAD'S "CREEP" PLAYING)
We are here today to welcome
the newest member of our team.
Congratulations to our inaugural K-9,
Agent Gary Callahan.
(APPLAUSE)
♪
WHEELER: He was your dog, right?
Sure was.
Uh, Special Agent Cliff Wheeler.
Artie told me you got fired
for rescuing him.
He also mentioned you were
a vet. A Marine, right?
Yeah. So?
You know, we hire humans, too.
I don't got the makings of a cop.
That's what I thought, too,
when I was a seventh grade
biology teacher.
Give it some thought.
WHEELER: above and
beyond the line of duty.
So, without further ado
OLDER GIBBS: Maybe it was just grit,
or hell,
maybe it was a miracle.
But in that moment,
- (APPLAUSE)
- Gary Callahan stood up
and took his first steps
for the second time.
He's walking! He did it again!
(LAUGHING)
How about that?
OLDER GIBBS: He was
born the runt of his litter.
He was a miracle dog.
And he wasn't done being an agent yet.
Franks and Herm worked out the custody
so Franks only had him on weekends.
(WHISTLING)
And on work days, well
he still had the best sniffer
this side of the Mississippi.
OLDER GIBBS: He was
born the youngest of nine.
- (GARY WHIMPERS)
- Hard to imagine now,
but our gentle giant
of a K-9 agent, Gary Callahan,
was the runt of his litter.
And that was the least of his problems.
His hind legs were underdeveloped.
Too weak to walk, he'd just
sit there, day after day,
watching as his brothers
and sisters played.
(YELPING, BARKING CONTINUES)
Then he watched as they disappeared.
(SOFT WHIMPERING)
One by one,
they were all taken away,
off to live with their new families
in their new homes.
Until Gary was all alone.
But he never gave up hope.
He was sure that his time
would come, too.
And then, one day, it finally did.
Bob Barker reminding you to
help control the pet population.
Have your pets spayed
or neutered. Goodbye, everybody.
OLDER GIBBS: Every great
agent has God-given instincts,
and Gary's must have kicked in.
His gut must have told him
this wasn't going to be his new home.
- And his gut was right.
- (ENGINE STARTS)
- (CAR DEPARTS)
- Now, maybe it was grit
or, hell, maybe it was half a miracle
but without a moment to spare,
Gary Callahan rose to all fours
and took his first steps.
("CREEP" BY RADIOHEAD PLAYING)
(WHIMPERS)
But the new life he walked into
wasn't going to be an easy one.
He was scared, and all alone.
- (WHIMPERS)
- Couldn't look you in the eye ♪
And he lived that way for a year
trying to survive in a world
that didn't seem to want him.
Son of a bitch.
How many times I got to tell you
to get the hell out of here?
OLDER GIBBS: All Gary needed
was someone to give a damn.
A helping hand.
But all he ever got
was a boot to the neck.
He outgrew his box,
but he couldn't let it go.
It was the closest thing
to a home he ever had.
Mom, look. Can I pet him?
No, sweetie, no, not that one.
Okay? Pet Lucy.
OLDER GIBBS: Must have stung like hell
- to feel that unwanted.
- (WHIMPERS)
Like an outcast.
(THUNDER CRASHES)
German shepherds
are natural-born protectors,
but even protectors
need someone looking out for them.
(WHIMPERS)
I don't belong here. ♪
(VAN DOORS OPEN)
Yeah, I called two hours ago.
What took you so long?
Hello? Mr. Animal Control?
I asked you a question.
I heard you. I just ain't answering
'cause I don't like your tone.
Now, where's the dog?
♪
(GARY WHIMPERS SOFTLY)
FRANKS: Don't be scared, buddy.
My name's Michael,
and I promise you,
I ain't here to hurt you.
How about I make you a deal?
I'll get you a steak
if you just let me scoot you
out of here on your box.
Okay, pal?
- Easy does it.
- (LOW GROWLING)
Okay, we're gonna do this nice and easy.
You're such a good Aah!
(SNORING)
(PAGER BEEPING, VIBRATING)
Gail, it's me. Where to?
Okay, got it.
Yeah, he's here.
Gear up, Gare bear.
(EXCLAIMS)
Okay, on our way.
OLDER GIBBS:
Even the greatest protectors,
like Gary Callahan,
need protecting, too.
A helping hand.
-And on this night,
-Stay there.
Gary would need it more than ever.
(WHISTLES)
Evening, boss. Well, it's 2:00 a.m.,
so I guess, technically,
I should be saying good morning.
I never know what to do
in these situations.
I just never know, do I, buddy?
- Case, Rando.
- Uh
grocery store was broken into
a couple hours ago.
The owner, Javier Martinez, 74,
was stabbed and killed.
- Why ain't they handling it?
- Victim donated groceries
to the Camp Pendleton food pantry.
When the cops found his
base ID card, they called us.
Good thing, too, 'cause
they don't have a K-9 unit.
We got a blood trail out back.
We got a blood trail, don't we, buddy?
Stop doing that.
- What else?
- Junior's finally getting baptized,
which means I need to pick a godfather.
So, you're all being evaluated.
Okay.
Gary, halt.
- Robber snagged his shirt.
- Yeah, seems that way.
Oh, watch your back, boss.
Whole place was just painted.
FRIEDMAN: It seems to me like anytime
there's a call at the ass crack of dawn,
it's Tango's night off.
What do you think about that?
Haven't given it much thought.
FRIEDMAN: Got defensive wounds here.
Looks like he put up a hell of a fight.
Was he strangled and stabbed?
Yeah, and I think at the same time.
- So, there was two of them?
- GIBBS: Yeah, boss.
We're thinking robbery gone bad.
Register was pried open, emptied out,
and then the killers
took off out the back.
- One of them left a trail.
- FRANKS: I know.
Gail said. That's why I brought Gary.
Where's Herm?
He's his handler, he should be here.
I'll radio him, see if he's close.
FRIEDMAN: I got some kind of
sticky substance here
next to this watch-shaped tan line.
Now, I am no investigative genius
like y'all fine folks,
but if I had to guess,
I would say the killers stole his watch,
and one of them had
something sticky on their hand.
So, he busts in through the
front and leaves out the back.
LALA: They tripped the silent alarm.
Probably heard the sirens and took off
- into the woods back there.
- The woods, huh?
Sounds like a good place
to dump a murder weapon.
(SIGHS) Bad news. Herm's still at home.
He said no one ever called him.
FRANKS: Damn Gail.
Yeah, he's throwing on clothes,
rushing out the door,
but said he's at least an hour out.
FRANKS: Well, rain's coming.
If the knife's out there, any prints
and blood will get washed away.
Can't wait around
'cause Gail's an idiot.
Showtime, bud.
- Get a good whiff.
- (SNIFFING)
He's still got the best sniffer
this side of the Mississippi.
- (CHUCKLES)
- Probie, with us.
♪
(GARY GROWLS SOFTLY)
What is it, boy?
(WHIMPERS)
Boss.
You seeing this?
FRANKS: Am I seeing what, probie?
- (BARKING)
- GIBBS: Stop!
- Federal agents!
- Halt!
Gary!
(BARKING)
- GIBBS: Stop!
- Damn it, Gary!
Gary!
Halt! Damn it, Gary, halt!
- (GARY GROWLING)
- (MAN SCREAMING)
- (SLASHING)
- (GARY WHIMPERS)
Gary!
Go! Go!
(GARY WHIMPERING)
Aw, geez. Boss.
(WHIMPERS)
Go.
No, no, no, no, no.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, buddy.
You're good, pal.
He's been stabbed.
Stay there, Gare.
Agent down!
GIBBS: Doc? Doc, you in there?
Hey, doc, come on!
- Thank you.
- He's lost a lot of blood, Chief.
TANGO: Get him on the table.
- Hang in there, Gare bear.
- How many stab wounds?
One, but it's bad.
GIBBS: Dr. Friedman and I packed
the wound as well as we could,
but we couldn't get
the bleeding to stop.
There ain't no 24-hour vets
in the whole damn county.
- I didn't know who else to call.
- TANGO: It's okay.
I'm glad you did.
Uh, tell Rando
Tell Rando and Dominguez
to call all the hospitals.
You heard that guy scream.
Gare bit that bastard
pretty bad before
b-before he
We are on it, boss.
No way we are not gonna find
the guy who did this.
You got my word.
You're a good boy, you know that?
You're such a good boy.
TISH: He's the Antichrist.
Yeah, this ain't good.
(SIGHS)
TISH: We posted his
picture all over town.
Why hasn't anyone called?
He's a German shepherd.
He must belong to someone.
Uh-huh.
Mike? You know something?
Friend of mine at the pound
said, past couple years,
a few baby Germans got dumped on them
with a genetic defect.
They couldn't walk,
and all had to be put down.
What's that have to do with him?
FRANKS: They set up a security camera
to catch the breeder dumping them.
One of the puppies
got up and walked away.
I saw the video, Tish.
Looked just like this one.
And get this
he walked away with a box.
♪
I think he might be the miracle dog.
If he was dumped, Mike,
that means no one's looking for him
because he doesn't have a home.
So, I got to find him one.
What?
We both know that dog's
not going anywhere.
No one's gonna take him.
And you love him already anyway.
Oh, I ain't got
any kind of feelings for him.
Hell
I ain't even given him a name yet.
HERM: Oh, my God.
Gary?
Doc.
He's sedated.
We need to get him to a vet
for more surgery.
But he's gonna be okay?
We need to get him to a vet.
The game warden's been making calls,
trying to get one to open early.
(PHONE RINGS)
- Maybe that's him now.
- I got it.
- GIBBS: Hello.
- He's a tough boy, Herm.
He'll pull through.
How'd this happen?
He spotted the killer,
took off after him. He's
He's a hero.
Why wasn't he on his leash?
'Cause you had it.
Thought you were gonna be there.
I-I can't lose him, man.
We ain't gonna.
- GIBBS: Okay, thanks.
- (PHONE CLATTERS)
That was Lala.
They think they tracked down
the guy who did this.
Where?
♪
- Who is he?
- Name's Adam Plum.
Got caught robbing that
same grocery store last month,
but the owner refused to press charges.
Plum's been living on the
streets, so he felt bad for him.
Here's his mug shot.
Red hoodie.
LALA: I scouted the encampment.
There's a tent down there
with some bloody towels outside of it.
- You said Gary bit him, right?
- Hell yeah, he did.
On me.
Everyone out. Federal agents.
We're gonna need to see some hands.
- LALA: Let's go. Give me your hands.
- Hands up. Hands up.
RANDY: Please,
orderly form a line right here. Come on.
Okay, let's go.
Everybody out of the tents.
- LALA: Over here, we're gonna
- RANDY: Over here, can you guys
please come over here,
we need to see your hands.
GIBBS: Drop everything.
You don't a thing from inside.
Let's go. Gather over here
in the open area.
♪
There, stay with him.
FRANKS: Hey!
(GRUNTING)
MAN: Wait a minute!
(GRUNTING)
Get off me! Get off me!
(SHOUTS)
GIBBS: Boss.
- (SHOUTS)
- Son of a bitch!
♪
Get him printed, then put
his ass down in the box.
I'll see you soon, boy.
Give him hell, Mike.
Yeah, give that prick-hole hell.
Franks, that was Herm.
He said they just took Gary
into surgery.
I thought they were waiting for some
fancy specialist or something.
They wanted to, but Gary's
blood pressure suddenly dropped,
so they couldn't wait any longer.
Then who's doing the surgery?
Some half-wit?
I'm heading to the vet. Tell Rando
- to do the interrogation.
- Franks, your shirt.
I put a fresh one in your locker.
Thank you, Mary Jo.
ARTIE: MJ.
I just heard.
- What can I do?
- Oh, Artie,
- all we can do is pray.
- Who's that?
Artie. Gary's first handler.
("HARD TIME KILLING FLOOR"
BY TERRY GARLAND PLAYING)
BOSS: You better not have that
damn dog with you again.
And you shouldn't be taking strays home
and you sure as hell shouldn't
have them on job with you!
- Copy that, boss.
- (GARY SNUFFLES)
- Dog ain't here.
- I mean it, Franks.
No more warnings.
I got a possum on 1826 River Drive.
Go take care of it. Out.
What is wrong with you?
Can't find no heaven ♪
Wherever they go ♪
You always bring a dog with you?
You said you got a possum, right?
- Well, what's his name?
- Uh
dog.
Well, I only caught
a glimpse of him, but
I know a possum's eyes when I see them.
Been looting my vegetable garden.
What are you doing with that?
I'll shake him loose for you.
- Come on, get out of there.
- Hey. That ain't necessary.
- (EXCLAIMING) Come on.
- Put the rake down.
You're scaring my dog.
Oh, oh. He's coming out.
He's coming out.
(WHIMPERS)
Uh-oh.
- That ain't no possum.
- (SPRAYING)
Who don't know the difference
between a possum and a skunk?
TISH: This isn't the guy's fault.
You shouldn't have had the dog there.
Glad I got fired.
County don't care about animals,
they just want them out the way.
Job was gonna make me mean.
You could never be mean, Mike.
Your heart's too big.
- Ugh.
- You were right, though.
Nobody gonna take this dog.
Can't find him a home and
can't put him back on the street.
Please don't leave me.
TISH: I'm not leaving.
But I did call my Uncle Tango
for advice.
And he told me there's this guy Artie
at this agency called NIS
who's starting a K-9 unit.
Dog don't listen to a damn thing.
You think he's gonna be a cop?
Tango says these K-9 dogs
are really expensive,
and this agency has no money.
He thinks they'll take him.
What do you think, dog?
Can you do it?
Why is Randolf out in the hall
doing push-ups?
Exercising makes Randy happy,
and when he's happy, he says he's better
at doing his Chatty Cathy thing.
Where's Gibbs?
He's dropping the knife and all
the other stuff we found at forensics.
(RANDY WHISTLING A TUNE)
- Here comes Cathy.
- (DOOR OPENS)
Hey, buddy. Sorry to keep you waiting.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- But before we get into
the nitty-gritty, I just wanted to say
we talked to some of your
friends at the encampment
and, boy, I heard a lot of great things.
They said that you, uh,
look out for them.
That you're the protector.
We all need someone looking out for us.
I'm actually in the process ugh
of finding a godfather for my son.
You know, God forbid,
in case anything ever happens
to me and the wife.
No more push-ups before interrogations.
RANDY: it's a dangerous profession,
so it's, uh, it's time.
You know? There's just so many choices,
so I'm just not sure who I'm gonna
Yeah, this isn't gonna work.
I came in here with a plan to hit
you with my Chatty Cathy,
but I just
I can't do it.
You stabbed our dog, man.
I'm so mad at you.
He was mauling me. It was self-defense.
Probably not the best argument
since you committed robbery.
And-and what else was it?
Oh, yeah, you murdered a guy.
I didn't kill him.
Listen, I broke in to grab some
food for me and my friends,
and I saw him lying there all bloody.
All right? Next thing I know,
I-I heard sirens
and there were cops everywhere.
I freaked out,
I went to the woods to hide
until things calmed down.
But your dog found me.
What'd I miss?
He admitted to stabbing Gary
but not killing Javier Martinez.
Did Woody process the knife?
Plum's prints are on it, but he
needed more time to test the blood.
We found this silicone stuff
inside Plum's backpack.
He was using it
to waterproof all the tents.
Is this the stuff on Martinez's wrist?
Woody thinks it could be,
but the Mass Spec is down.
He's blaming Phil, saying
he forgot to recalibrate it.
ADAM: No. No.
RANDY: You know what I think?
I think you and whoever you were with
broke in there
and killed Javier Martinez
all for his watch and a few bucks.
We got the knife.
Bloody boot prints.
Come on man, just admit to what you did.
I think I want a lawyer now.
Sorry, Herm, I got here
as soon as I could. How is he?
- He's still in surgery.
- (PAGER BEEPS)
Ma'am, need to use your phone.
Look, man, w-what are you doing here?
Y-You should be out making sure
the dude that did this
- is in prison.
- Caught the guy already.
Homeless piece of Name's Adam Plum.
- Rando's interrogating him now.
- Did they, uh, say
he had a partner
you should be out looking for?
Yeah, this is Franks.
You sure?
Okay.
- (PHONE CLATTERS)
- Listen, I don't need you here.
That was Woody.
The knife that stabbed Gary
ain't the same one
that killed the grocery guy.
There's only dog blood on it.
Then you should get back
and find the murder weapon.
Them bastards probably ditched it.
Don't matter none.
Plum's the one that did this to Gary.
We'll catch his partner another way.
For Gary Callahan?
- Yes.
- Yeah.
I'm his handler.
- Is he okay?
- The good news is he's stable.
But the blade damaged several nerves
that control movements in the hind legs.
His recovery at this point is unknown,
but we have to be ready
for the possibility
that he may not walk again.
I have to go back in to monitor him.
I can answer any questions
when we discharge him later.
Thank you, Doctor.
(DOOR OPENS)
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- HERM: This
all of this is on you.
- Excuse me?
- You should've had him on a leash.
- What?
- He's not an attack dog.
- I know that. You weren't there.
- That's right.
You shouldn't have had him
out there without me.
He-he's not a pet, he's not your dog.
I never said he was.
You took him
to a JCPenney's photo shoot.
- So what?
- He had training that day.
He missed it 'cause your sorry ass
wanted to take pictures
in a damn bolo tie.
- Remember who you're talking to!
- I know who I'm talking to.
You're the guy who breaks all
the rules to get what he wants.
You wanted a pet?
Well, congrats. You got one.
He'll never be able to work again.
That ain't what I wanted.
That ain't never what I wanted.
Yeah, you could've fooled me.
Little help, please.
Ladies, now, you know
Herm has a small apartment.
- Where is that thing gonna go?
- GAIL: Sorry, MJ,
there's a lot of letters
in "Gary Callahan."
Big name, big banner.
Could've just wrote "Gary."
So, he's got to retire now, right?
Since he's immobile?
Is he gonna go back
and live with his first owner?
Mr. Callahan?
I don't think there is a Mr. Callahan.
Franks gave him that name.
God knows why.
He's the one who took Gary in
to begin with.
Now that Gary's out of commission,
he'll go back to living
with Franks full-time.
Aw
Wow, this is really sweet, guys.
MARY JO: It's as much
for Herm as it is Gary.
- He didn't sound good on the phone.
- Mm.
I can't wait to give him and
Gary the world's biggest hugs.
Uh, is the conference room ready?
- Uh, yeah, we're all set up.
- MARY JO: Ready for what?
Uh, grocery store had
a fresh coat of paint on it.
Turns out a bunch of high school girls
did it as a volunteer thing.
So, you think one of them
stabbed the grocery store owner?
No, but we do know
that Plum had a partner.
And since these girls were out painting,
maybe one of them saw him
hanging around with somebody.
Like, casing the joint.
Exactamundo.
FRANKS: Rando!
GAIL: Hey, um
JJ said he's really hoping you pick him
to be Junior's godfather.
I think he'd be a wonderful choice.
Uh, noted. Yeah.
FRANKS: What's the ETA
on them high school girls?
Should be here any minute, boss.
What are you doing?
Times like this,
all I want to do is hug.
All right. That's enough.
Adam Plum's been arrested a dozen times.
Four of those, he had an accomplice.
This guy.
- Okay, he's probably our killer.
- Afraid not.
He's been locked up in Metro
for six months.
So, why would you put him
up on the board
just to draw a big X through his face?
Because you're a visual learner.
It's true, boss.
Okay. So, this yahoo gets locked up,
Plum gets himself a new partner,
probably one of the folks he's
living with at that encampment.
I don't think so, boss.
Just got off with Oceanside PD.
They keep pretty good tabs
on everybody in there,
said none are violent offenders.
Plum's spent most his life
in juvies and jails.
I'm sure he knows
plenty of violent offenders.
GAIL: Randy,
the high school girl painters
- are here.
- Copy that.
Gibbs, go with Rando.
LALA: Plum was in Metro not long ago.
I'll call the warden, find out who
he was hanging out with in there.
Toss me that file, will you?
He's still here, you know?
I don't think most dogs
would have survived that.
To start, I think it's so cool
that, at your age, you're volunteering.
Giving back to the community.
Huh? W-We're forced to volunteer.
- Why?
- To get into college.
Yeah, that makes sense.
He was so nice.
The grocery store owner.
When my mom told me
what happened, I felt bad
I complained so much about helping him.
When you were painting,
did you see this guy
hanging around at all?
No.
Is he the one who did it?
CHELSEA: No. No, no, I never saw him.
You barely looked.
Still never saw him.
Yeah, I saw this guy.
He was hanging around out back.
Are you sure it was him?
- Positive.
- Uh, was he-was he with anyone?
Uh, yeah, actually. Some other dude.
GIBBS: Do you remember
what he looked like?
He was really creeping me out,
staring right at me.
He had a ponytail,
brown hair and a goatee.
I'm still waiting on my lawyer.
You ain't got to talk. I'm gonna.
I've been up there
digging into your file,
getting to know you.
Read about all them foster homes
you came up in.
I'm sorry to see that you got
slapped around pretty good
in one of them.
What is this?
Memory lane?
You needed a friend, huh?
Someone to look out for you.
And you found one.
Says in your file
you and this Charlie fella
was thick as thieves in foster care.
You know what's also
interesting about him?
He's got a string
of armed robberies and assaults.
What are you getting at?
I know y'all did this together,
and I know he did the stabbing.
Charlie didn't have
anything to do with this.
I got an eyewitness that begs to differ.
He wears his hair in a ponytail now,
trimmed his beard
down to a goatee, right?
I have no idea.
I haven't seen him in months.
Your witness is lying.
Makes it their word
against mine, though, right?
Yeah, I know how this goes.
No one ever trusts a guy like me.
Know why?
Because I'm a creep. A weirdo.
Like that song
they keep playing on the radio.
Every time I hear it,
I think they wrote that song
for me and everyone like me.
You really gonna
fall on the spear for this guy?
I could tell you the truth
till I'm blue in the face.
Won't matter.
Never does.
Ain't no way he's gonna
give his buddy up.
Tell me we got a lead
on where this prick is.
Not yet. But we know
he's been writing bad checks.
Woody and Phil are gonna try to do
their forensic accounting thing
to track him
- while we comb the streets.
- You can ride with me.
What?
Gary's here.
I sent Herm for a shower and a sandwich.
Looked like he needed it.
That's how Herm rolled him in.
I'd comment how ridiculous Gary looked
in that thing,
but it would be inappropriate,
given the situation now.
Look,
I try to stay out of others' affairs
but seems to me, uh,
you and Herm got some talking to do.
What'd he tell you?
Not much.
I could see he was upset.
Mentioned there were doings.
If by "doings," you mean he unloaded
a bunch of crap on me
that wasn't true, then yeah,
there were some unforgivable doings.
When he wakes up, uh,
give him one of these treats, will you?
They're freshly baked.
♪
- (WHIMPERS SOFTLY)
- (SNIFFLES)
You're gonna kick back, relax
and live the good life
with me now, okay?
It'll be like you never left.
He really likes it when
you scratch him behind his ears.
- Especially the left one.
- All right, well,
let me get in there. Let me
get in there. Ah, that's good.
Yeah, that's good.
You really think he's got
the makings of a K-9 cop?
'Cause he don't listen too good,
and he destroys everything.
Uh, no, he he's a German shepherd.
They're meant for it.
No, I think he's gonna love it.
And he'll be living with you?
Yeah, the wife already okayed it.
Where's he gonna sleep?
I just went to the Pet Warehouse
and I got him a bed,
the most expensive one they had.
The gal that worked there,
she said it was the best.
Did you hear that, buddy?
You got a fancy bed now and a real home.
♪
You don't need this one no more.
(SIGHS)
(CHUCKLES)
He's a miracle dog.
You take good care of him, Agent Artie.
I will.
Okay.
I'm gonna walk away now.
(WHIMPERS)
ARTIE: Hey, uh, Mr. Franks.
W-What's his name?
His name's Gary.
Gary Callahan.
(WHIMPERS)
Special Agent Gary Callahan.
I love you, buddy.
(SNIFFLES)
(EXHALES)
♪
(DOOR OPENS)
LALA: Morning.
- I didn't wake him, did I?
- No.
All them pain pills and whatnot
got him zonked pretty good.
Take the bus here?
Gibbs and Randy dropped me off
on the way to Forensics.
Hi.
This Charlie Cline he still
on the side of a milk carton?
Yeah. We checked every soup kitchen,
shelter, homeless encampment
in the county.
No one's seen him.
- Forensics?
- Woody and Phil have been up
all night trying to track the bad checks
Cline's been writing.
What?
Guy who stabbed Gary.
Adam Plum. I've been up
all night reading about him.
His background, his life.
You find anything?
All his cases had one thing in common.
He was always looking out
for someone else.
I'm not surprised.
Everyone living in that encampment
talked about him
like he's Mother Teresa.
Said he was stealing from that grocery
so they had something to eat.
Mother Teresa don't stab dogs.
But last night, when Gary was awake
he was looking at me like
you know.
LALA: Like what?
Like he looks when he's
telling me to be a better man.
Wow, Mike.
I didn't realize you and Gary
talked about stuff like that.
Not with words.
You know.
What else we got
on tracking down this yahoo?
Woody's, uh (CLEARS THROAT)
What'd you say Woody was doing?
WOODY: Ugh. You guys are early.
I told you to come by
at 10:00 a.m., okay?
I'm still looking through
all these forged checks
and bank statements.
Yeah, we were hoping maybe
you were ahead of schedule.
What's going on here?
Phil thought it would inspire me
to have the man
that I'm looking for
peering down at me all night.
He was wrong.
Hmm.
- Where is Phil?
- Sleeping, in the back.
PHIL: Wrong.
You thought I was sleeping,
but I was up all night
working on this doggy wheelchair
for Gary Callahan.
Aw. It's got lightning bolts
- and everything.
- Yeah.
- Great, now I'm the jerk.
- (PHONE RINGS)
PHIL: Oh, hey, I, uh,
I know you're looking for a godfather.
PHIL: Uh, I need to withdraw
my name from consideration.
I'm godfather to 19 kids already,
and I just
I can't handle another one.
Dang. The search continues.
WOODY: Thank you.
Well, that's a kick in the balls.
That was the bank.
Turns out this guy Charlie
you guys had me looking for all night
been forging checks in Muncie, Indiana
- for weeks.
- You sure?
Yeah. He's not your killer.
And I've been up all night
for no reason.
- I'm furious.
- PHIL: Hmm.
Sounds like I had
a far more productive night.
I mean, doggy wheelchair, obviously,
but I also figured out
what the substance
on your victim's wrist is.
Oh, the Mass Spec is working again?
Yeah, Woody forgot to recalibrate it,
so I handled it.
Not to belabor the point,
but I had a super productive night.
The substance wasn't the silicone grease
used to weatherproof
the encampment tents.
It's a glycerin-based gel I
couldn't find a precise match for.
But when I put it under the microscope,
I saw what looked like
a tiny fleck of something
I figured out was glitter.
Turns out the substance
on your victim's wrist
is the specific gel they use
to fill those,
uh, colorful
bracelets all the kids are wearing.
Yeah. I saw this guy.
- (KNOCKING)
- Boss?
Hey. Warrant came through.
We got Bridgette Donovan's jacket.
I don't know the names of
the high school girls, probie.
Is she the one that lied to us?
Yeah, Mike, the bracelet girl.
You sure he's ready for this?
FRANKS: Gimpy and stoned,
it don't matter.
He's got the best sniffer
this side of the Mississippi.
Killer's torn shirt
from the crime scene.
FRANKS: Get up in there, Gare.
All right.
LALA: And here's two random shirts
I grabbed down at the locker room.
They'll act as our baseline.
One.
- Nothing.
- Okay.
Moment of truth.
Bracelet girl's jacket.
- Yeah.
- (LAUGHS)
- Good boy.
- GIBBS: Nice.
Good job, Gary.
Good job, Gare bear.
♪
FRANKS: Girls got the
idea while they were painting
Javier's grocery store
with their friends.
They had everything.
Rich folks,
all the opportunities in the world.
But they said their lives
were mapped out by other people
and wanted to feel the rush.
So, they went back late.
Black ski masks
and daddy's hunting knife.
Said they wanted to steal
the old man's watch
just to prove to themselves
that they could.
But things got out of hand.
He fought back.
Next thing you know,
it's an all-out brawl.
He lost.
We only had the goods
on the bracelet girl,
but that little rat sold her
pal out in about two seconds.
WHEELER: You seeing this?
It's Doug Westmont.
Wilson and Barnes
have won the property battle
and seized the land
that belonged to Abe Pruitt's community.
That fool's on television
more than the president is.
He's just doing his job.
But did you hear what he said?
People on the compound
are being displaced.
The hell are you defending him for?
You know who that is. It's Abe Pruitt.
- He's a bloodsucking lawyer.
- Boss, uh, sorry to interrupt.
Nadia had a message for you.
She said to tell you
she put the cassette you were
asking for on your desk.
Why didn't she tell me herself?
'Cause Wheeler's in here
and he scares her.
Hey, boss, seeing as how
you're taking care
of Gary Callahan so good
got me thinking,
on a scale of one to ten,
what's your interest level
in being Junior's godfather?
- Zero.
- Copy that.
- (GRUNTS)
- Where you going?
You didn't eat your sandwich.
You can have it.
I ain't got an appetite.
And, uh
Gary told me
to take care of something.
Gary Callahan talks to you?
You were right.
It wouldn't have mattered what you said.
I wasn't gonna believe you.
I wouldn't have believed me, either.
Pop it in, Danny.
(SOFT CLICKING)
("CREEP" BY RADIOHEAD PLAYING)
What are you doing, man?
This song.
This "creep" stuff.
This ain't you, brother.
No one ever gave you a chance.
Deck was stacked against you,
just like that dog you stabbed.
When you were here before ♪
Couldn't look you in the eye ♪
I helped him
and I'm gonna help you, too.
You're gonna go do
this little stint of time.
When you get out, I'm gonna
help you get on your feet.
Your skin makes me cry ♪
- You float like a feather ♪
- Thank you.
In a beautiful world ♪
I wish I was special ♪
Gary forgives you
for what you done to him.
He told me to do the same.
So very special ♪
Hey, uh
But I'm a creep ♪
I'm-I'm
I'm really sorry I hurt your dog.
Takes a stand-up man
to admit when they screwed up.
I don't belong here. ♪
FRANKS: Herm.
Getting ready for the ceremony?
You need something?
You know, I
I never wanted to give Gary up.
Seemed coming here
was the best thing for him.
Yeah, Artie told me he was
a maniac in the beginning.
Yeah, he really was.
He needed structure.
But I missed him.
Part of the reason
why I started working here.
To spend more time with him.
Tried to have my cake
and eat it too, you know?
Yeah.
And I noticed you started eating
way more cake after Tish left.
You know, I never
should have had him out there
without a leash.
I never should've have had him
out there without you.
I appreciate that, Franks.
I know how much you love him.
I know how much you love him, too.
One more thing.
God forbid anything ever happens
to Rando and Junie,
I told Rando you'd be happy
to raise his kid.
You earned it, pal.
OLDER GIBBS: Gary Callahan
made an impact on all of us.
Detail, attention.
OLDER GIBBS: We were all
better for having known him.
He was one hell of a special agent.
We've gathered here today to recognize
the courage and valor of one of our own.
K-9 Agent Gary Callahan.
(INSTRUMENTAL VERSION
OF RADIOHEAD'S "CREEP" PLAYING)
We are here today to welcome
the newest member of our team.
Congratulations to our inaugural K-9,
Agent Gary Callahan.
(APPLAUSE)
♪
WHEELER: He was your dog, right?
Sure was.
Uh, Special Agent Cliff Wheeler.
Artie told me you got fired
for rescuing him.
He also mentioned you were
a vet. A Marine, right?
Yeah. So?
You know, we hire humans, too.
I don't got the makings of a cop.
That's what I thought, too,
when I was a seventh grade
biology teacher.
Give it some thought.
WHEELER: above and
beyond the line of duty.
So, without further ado
OLDER GIBBS: Maybe it was just grit,
or hell,
maybe it was a miracle.
But in that moment,
- (APPLAUSE)
- Gary Callahan stood up
and took his first steps
for the second time.
He's walking! He did it again!
(LAUGHING)
How about that?
OLDER GIBBS: He was
born the runt of his litter.
He was a miracle dog.
And he wasn't done being an agent yet.
Franks and Herm worked out the custody
so Franks only had him on weekends.
(WHISTLING)
And on work days, well
he still had the best sniffer
this side of the Mississippi.