NCIS s01e22 Episode Script
A Weak Link
Get your act.
Team one, go! Clear.
Lieutenant, planningon joining us? On my way.
- Hey|- Morning How was your weekend? Well, let's see.
I paid bills, did laundry,|went shopping, vacuumed.
I bet you don't even own|a vacuum.
I lease.
Okay.
|So what did you do this weekend that left that smile plastered|all over your face? I watched a great movie.
Let me guess, a horror flick? Halloween VIII.
I think it's the best Halloween ever.
Makes Halloween Vll look like|Halloween V.
God, I can't even believe they|made one of them much less eight.
It's gotta be a men are|from Mars thing.
- Arianna liked it.
|- Arianna? I thought you broke up with her.
What makes you think that? Oh, I don't know.
Maybe because you came|in the other day and said,|"I broke up with Arianna.
" Aw, you don't know much|about dating, do you? Why don't you enlighten me? Well, there's always one|phony break-up that precedes the real break-up.
- Everyone knows that.
|- Yeah, got it.
Thanks.
Grab your gear.
|Kate, get Ducky.
Tony, gas the truck.
- Where we going?|- With Gibbs, you never know.
I.
D? NCIS special agent Gibbs.
- Clear.
|- Okay.
Thank you, sir.
Agent Gibbs? Commander Rainer,|Seal team eight.
What happened here? We were on a training exercise.
Lieutenant Johnson,|the team leader, was rappelling down the cliff|when his D-link snapped.
- You secure the top of the cliff?|- I did.
That the rest of lieutenant|Johnson's squad? Yes, sir.
I'd appreciate it if you'd tell them|not to talk to anyone until I talk to them.
Already taken care of, sir.
Oh, what an awful way to die.
I can think of worse ways to go.
Like what? Getting eaten by a shark,|being buried alive, falling into a wood chipper.
You've given this some thought.
- Well, yeah.
So?|- Nothing.
Someone moved the body.
After he fell, his squad members|came to his assistance, see if anything could be done.
Unfortunately, he died on impact.
That would account for|a few inches, but someone's moved him|further than that.
We pulled him away from|the face of the cliff because there was falling shale.
|It's an old mine.
We were careful not to|disturb anything.
Was emptying his pockets|part of the first aid effort? The intel was classified.
We removed it so the body|could be transported.
That's SOP under these|circumstances.
- Dinozzo|- Yeah, boss? Top of the cliff.
Shoot and sketch.
Gee, boss, it's a long way up.
Dinozzo, was there something|in my tone of my voice that made that sound like|a suggestion? On it.
Agent Gibbs, I realize you have|an investigation to perform.
From what we can see, that's pretty obvious|that D-link had a catastrophic failure.
You're right, commander.
|We have an investigation to perform.
What do you got, Duck? Unfortunately for|lieutenant Johnson, it appears to be just|what it looks like.
Eliminates the guesswork.
Is this a common occurrence,|one of these breaking? I've never seen it happen before.
Doesn't mean it couldn't.
I think we can move him.
Gibbs, I got something.
That a piece of the D-link? Sure looks like it.
Don't worry, my friend.
We'll get you cleaned up and presentable|in a way that honors your service.
Special agent Gibbs,|special agent Todd.
We understand you were on a|training exercise.
Yes, sir.
What was your mission? You'll have to talk to the|commander about that, sir.
Other than lieutenant|Johnson's accident, anything out of the|ordinary happen? No, sir.
It was textbook.
We were inserted by helicopter,|secured our lines, rappelled down the face|of the cliff.
What was your order? Vengal and Kenney went first,|then myself and Pinkowski.
We can't believe this|happened to the lieutenant.
After the four of you|began rappelling down, was anyone on top of the cliff|other than lieutenant Johnson? No, ma'am.
Each of you will need to provide a|statement detailing what you saw.
Yes, sir I'd like lieutenant Johnson's|service record and the personal effects|from his locker.
I'll have it in your office|as soon as possible.
- There's no sign of tampering.
|- That's it? That's it.
- Then we can put this to bed?|- Not yet.
I emailed the manufacturer for the|specs on this particular D-link.
When I get them back, I can do a comparative analysis|and if nothing's hinky, - then we can put this to bed.
|- Thanks, Ab.
- You okay?|- I'm fine.
Why? You're not your normal,|effervescent, cheerful Abby.
That's because she's been replaced by|the abnormal, dull and melancholy Abby.
Something you want to talk about? I don't want to bore you.
Who else you gonna tell, Tony? Mcgee is all mad at me.
Why? What happened? We went to buzzed.
It's a coffeehouse in old town.
Sunday nights like a poetry night.
I didn't know you liked poetry.
Mcgee likes it.
So we're popping back|double espressos and all of a sudden,|out of the blue, he says, I really, really like you.
- What'd you say?|- Thanks.
What was I supposed to say? - I don't know.
|- Oh! Then he gets, like, all quiet.
And we're leaving, and he wants to know where our|relationship is going.
Oh, I hate that.
Why do guys|have to push the issue? Because they're insecure.
What'd you say? Well, I said, why does it|have to go anywhere? Why can't we just enjoy|what's happening now? What'd he say? Fine.
Whatever.
Typical passive-aggressive.
I know.
|I mean, what's next? We gonna be watching sleepless|in seattle on a rainy sunday afternoon?|Ugh! - What are you going to do?|- I'm not going to do anything.
I'm going to pretend|like it never happened and hopefully he's going|to do the same.
The official cause of death|was multiple traumatic injuries.
But he was in horrible shape,|Jethro.
Lower leg fractures, hip fractures,|severe skull fractures.
- I could go on and on.
|- No, no need, Duck.
Have you sent the blood up|to Abby for a full tox screen? That's what you were going|to ask, right? The lifetime odds of dying|from a fall like this are roughly the equivalent|of the odds of dying - from a collision with an asteroid.
|- And? What kind of a person would I be if I had this knowledge|and I didn't share it with you? That's what you were gonna ask,|right? About the tox screen? You are late.
I am so sorry, Dr.
Mallard.
|I am so, so sorry.
Don't make me have|second thoughts, Mr.
Palmer.
Second thoughts, sir? About you coming to work|full time as my assistant.
It will never happen again, doctor.
|I promise.
It was an extremely|unusual situation.
They always are.
I was in the shower and|the doorbell rang, but I didn't know it at the time.
- That you were in the shower?|- No, that it was the doorbell.
See, my head cold in combination|with my tinnitus made me think - that it was the kitchen timer.
|- Very unusual.
Yes, so I spent several minutes|trying to figure out what it was I had finished cooking, and by the time I realized|that it was the front door, I'd almost forgotten|I'd taken a shower.
It will never happen again.
- Who was there?|- Where? - At the door?|- Oh, I didn't answer it.
I hope this won't become a|habit, Mr.
Palmer.
No, sir - I always answer my door.
|- I was referring to you being late.
Does this mean I have a job? Any prints besides lieutenant|Johnson's? I got a partial that isn't his.
Run it through AFIS and any other|database you can think of.
Done and done.
What else you got for me, Abbs? The D-link is electrolytically|coated with a protective oxide.
I used fourier transform|infrared spectophotometry to compare the chemistry between|the factory specs and the link that failed.
Is all this necessary? If I just came right out|and told you what I found, - you would be bored.
|- What'd you find? The chemical composition|of the oxide isn't the same.
Couldn't that just be from two|different production batches? Possibly.
I'm sensing a "but.
" You are correct, O great one.
I used a scanning electron|microscope.
With an x-ray defractive attachment|and did a composition analysis.
The one on the left is the D-link|I got from the manufacturer.
The one on the right is|lieutenant Johnson'S.
They're not the same.
That's because one is steel|and the other is 66-3T6 aluminum.
So the manufacturer makes|the D-link in both metals? Actually, they don't.
- Then how do you explain that?|- Easy.
Someone handmade a D-link|out of a much weaker metal and then swapped it with|lieutenant Johnson's real one.
- It wasn't an accident.
|- Nope.
It looks like murder.
I know this is a difficult time.
When your husband brought his|gear home, where did he keep it? Usually in the garage.
Sometimes he'd leave it in the car.
He ever bring it in the house? Why? Someone may have tampered|with his equipment.
Tampered? Why would anybody do that? I keep expecting him|to walk through that door.
I'm so sorry.
Take a look around, Kate.
Tony, let's check out the garage.
- Whoa.
|- Nice car.
Oh, it's not just a car, boss.
|This is a '66 mustang.
Revolutionary in its day.
You're not going to start giving me|all the vital stats on this car, are you? - Thunder ball|- let me rephrase that, Dinozzo.
You're not going to give me|the vital stats on this car.
If someone was gonna break in|to get at his gear, their choices were limited.
Garage door or the back door.
Lock works.
No sign of forced entry.
Whoever switched his D-link,|I don't think it was done here.
Yeah, yeah,|it does seem that way.
- Oh.
|- I'm sorry.
- My fault.
|- No, hi, um - Hi.
Larry clanon.
|- Kate todd.
Wow, I thought I knew|most of Rick's friends.
Actually, I'm with NCIS.
|We're investigating his death.
I thought it was an accident.
- Still need to investigate.
|- Oh.
Right.
- How do you know Rick?|- Oh, god, we've been friends we were friends since|high school.
We played football together,|got in trouble together.
We, uh I can't imagine life without him.
- Hello, Father.
|- Hi, Edna.
I'm a priest.
Saint Matthews.
Why no collar? I was out running errands|and I got the call.
I just came right over.
|Rick was my best friend.
He's the reason|I became a priest.
How so? When I was 19, I was in|a motorcycle accident.
A priest with a motorcycle.
|Sounds like a TV show.
Right.
Well, I ended up in a coma.
Rick would come sit|with me after school.
Sometimes he would|just talk to me, and other times he would pray.
The doctors said that|if I came out of it, I would end up in|a vegetative state, but It was a miracle.
Not according to Rick.
Rick said it was because he|had juice with the man upstairs.
You should come by church|some time.
Yeah, I get a cash bonus for|every person past a certain number.
- You do?|- Wow.
I'm sorry, I'm not used to a|priest with a sense of humor.
Right.
Well, the times, they are changing.
They certainly are.
Who had access to your|climbing gear? That depends.
Lines and harnesses are usually|kept in a rope locker.
- What about D-links?|- Not a controlled item.
Most of my men take their personal|gear like that home with them.
Anyone in the unit could've|had access to Johnson's? I suppose so.
How many men in your unit,|commander? That information's classified,|agent Gibbs.
- Commander Rainer!|- I'll be right back.
Enough ammo here to take|over a small country.
How small? Open it up.
I appreciate that you|have a job to do.
As far as we're concerned,|this was a training accident.
What if I was to tell you it wasn't? I was there, agent Gibbs.
|I saw Johnson's D-link.
It was broken.
What you saw was a fake.
Someone substituted lieutenant|Johnson's d-link with one made from inferior metal.
Metal that was designed to fail.
- Sergeant.
|- Sir - Security badges.
|- Yes, sir Anything you see or hear is to be|considered classified at the highest level.
I'll assist you in any way I can as long|as it doesn't compromise our primary mission.
Which you can't tell us.
I will tell you it's absolutely|vital to national security.
Not much help in|a murder investigation.
Well, it's the best I can do.
|I've got a backup team waiting.
If there's someone deliberately|trying to sabotage this mission, I need to know.
Get admiral Barnes|on a secure line.
Tell him task force x-ray may|have been compromised.
Yes, sir.
Who else knew Johnson was|going to be rappelling last night? No one outside this unit.
My men have been in total isolation|for the past ten days, no contact with the outside world.
Any security breaches? One petty officer made a few|unauthorized calls to his wife.
- He was in Johnson's squad?|- He was.
Petty officer Vengal.
Lieutenant Johnson counseled|him on following orders.
What kind of a sailor is Vengal? Young, headstrong|likes to be the center of attention.
Basically, a seal.
Johnson rode him pretty hard|but that was his job.
I'll need to talk to him as well as|anyone else on Johnson's team.
Not a problem.
They're no longer|the primary team on the mission.
What's our time frame here? We're inside a 38 hour window.
If you don't find out|what happened by then, we scrub the mission.
Tony, get with whoever's|in charge of the climbing gear.
I want every rope, D-link|and harness checked.
- You got it, boss.
|- I'll escort agent Dinozzo.
Bravo team's bunked in here.
How'd you get along with your|lieutenant, petty officer Vengal? He was a good seal, sir.
But you didn't like him.
We had different styles, ma'am.
- His style was to ride your ass.
|- Yes, sir.
- Why'd you breach security?|- Excuse me, sir? You called your wife.
|Why? She's pregnant.
I wanted to check up on her,|ma'am.
I checked your service record.
Lieutenant Johnson wrote you up for|an unauthorized absence two weeks ago.
I had to take my wife to the doctor.
Why are you asking me|about the lieutenant? Because we're looking for|the man who murdered him.
Lieutenant Johnson's last two|calls were made while in isolation.
Both were to Father Clanon.
The lieutenant writes up Vengal for|calling his pregnant wife during lockdown|then makes two calls himself? It doesn't make sense.
Agent Gibbs.
|Agent Kramer, CIA.
- Is there someplace we can talk?|- Yeah How about right here? Whatever you can say to me,|you can say to my team.
Okay Your investigation into lieutenant|Johnson's death is very important to us.
Yeah? Why's that? The seals are part of|a multiagency task force that's been training for|a very specific mission.
Which you're not going|to tell me about.
You'd have to be read into the|program and we don't have the time.
And you think that someone inside|this task force tampered with Johnson's|equipment.
I'm very concerned.
There's an initial vetting|process for seals.
And for this mission, they were|further vetted by the CIA.
If they've gone through all that Then we're dealing with|someone who's very clever.
In 34 hours, a C-141|will be fueled and ready to go.
We need to know who swapped|that D-link out and why, otherwise four months of planning|will go out the window.
I'll tell you everything that we know|as long as you do the same.
Sure.
Sounds good to me.
|Let me give you this.
- Abbs, what's up?|- Something very unexpected.
He's okay.
I ran the print off Johnson's D-link|through the military database.
No match.
Yeah, what's the unexpected part? When I ran it through the criminal|database, I got a hit.
- Anyone we know?|- Absolutely.
Lieutenant Johnson's wife.
Hmm.
she was 18 when she was|arrested for joyriding.
Joyriding.
Sounds so much better|than grand theft auto.
There's something almost|spiritual about it.
Well, she said she didn't|know the car was stolen.
Her boyfriend said he|borrowed it from a friend.
The old "blame it on the boyfriend"|excuse.
One of the classics.
Well, that's usually who is to blame.
- Anything else?|- I was saving the best for last.
Why? Denise johnson|works at a jewelry store.
She makes custom metal jewelry.
Oh,|and yesterday, when I was in the den I saw some things that made it seem like|Johnson may have been sleeping in there.
What kind of things? Alarm clock, pillow, blanket.
Something's really|been bothering me.
What kind of sick and twisted logic makes you|think the boyfriend is always to blame, huh? Could we just have a minute? Of course my fingerprints|were on there.
And you'd find my fingerprints|on almost anything Rick owned, except maybe his hunting rifles.
We had to ask.
You're not married,|are you, agent Todd? No Well, a lot of husbands leave|a trail when they come home.
I was constantly|picking up after him.
How was your relationship|with your husband? It was fine.
He wasn't sleeping in the den? We had our problems,|like any married couple.
- What were they?|- None of your business.
I'm sorry if we upset you.
What were you expecting? You come into my home and basically accuse me of having|something to do with my husband's death.
We're just trying to|tie up any loose ends.
Your fingerprints were on the D-link, we came, we're not accusing|you of anything.
Did your husband have a computer? We have a laptop.
Her explanation made sense.
Doesn't mean she isn't guilty.
Do you honestly think she|had anything to do with it? I've seen a single mother drown|her children because her new boyfriend|didn't like them.
Nothing surprises me.
Interesting how she|pegged you for unmarried.
Here's a page 13|lieutenant Johnson wrote after petty officer Vengal|got into a fight in town.
He said he didn't start the fight,|he was just protecting himself.
It's not in Vengal's|service report.
There's more.
This is from an undated|fitness report.
Under comments,|lieutenant Johnson wrote, Though petty officer Vengal|is an outstanding sailor and no doubt will make a fine|petty officer first class, at this point I think|he needs a little seasoning and I am not recommending|him for promotion.
Also not in his service report.
So, how can that be? Rainier said Johnson rode|Vengal pretty hard.
My guess is that was part of|his carrot and stick approach.
He wrote the page 13,|showed it to Vengal.
But never formally filed it.
So if the guy cleaned up his act, Johnson would just toss the page|13 like it never existed.
Okay, Why did Johnson include|the counseling sheet he wrote when Vengal was late? That's just a slap on the wrist.
|A page 13 is serious.
- Anything else?|- No Paid the bills,|sent emails to friends, normal stuff.
You seem bothered.
That was Mrs.
Vengal's doctor.
Petty officer Vengal did take|her to see him, but not on the day that he told|lieutenant Johnson he did.
- He lied.
|- Get Vengal in here.
Gee, boss.
I'm not sure those guys are going|to let convince them, Tony.
Okay I was down in the evidence locker|looking for a fingerprint kit and this started vibrating.
Freaked me out.
- Thanks, Abbs.
|- Thanks, Abbs.
Lieutenant Johnson got|a text message.
"Why weren't you there?" Who sent it? This is weird.
It's an email message forwarded|from an internet account that shows up as a text message|on his cell phone.
English, Kate.
Okay, I can set up|my internet account so that if somebody emails me|on my computer and I'm not there, the email will automatically be|forwarded to my cell phone.
What's the weird part? Well, the email account that|this was forwarded from is davesmith@concealmail.
com.
That's not Johnson's|email address.
You're sure? Let me rephrase that.
It's not lieutenant Johnson's email|account on his home computer.
But he could've opened|an account on another computer.
- Under an assumed name?|- Anybody can.
But why would somebody with|a top security clearance have an email account under|an assumed name? What if I wanted to get into|that account? Get a search warrant|for the servers.
We don't have time for a warrant.
|What's a quicker way? Hack into the servers.
I can't believe I just said that.
I would've never suggested that|before I started working here.
You're welcome.
Get Mcgee over here.
|Have him work with Abby.
Tell him to do whatever it takes|to get that information.
I Are you sure|we need to do that? You have a problem with Mcgee? Not me.
Well, then tell him to get|his butt over here.
When you're done with that, we're going to pay a visit|to Father Clanon.
I guess I was more persuasive|than I thought.
Actually, I'm here in an official|capacity, not to go to confession.
Well, you can always kill|two birds with one stone.
I'm hearing them in 15 minutes.
- You should be in sales.
|- I am.
This is special agent Gibbs.
I think I saw you at|Denise's house.
Yeah - Welcome to St.
Matthews.
|- Thank you.
Do you mind if we ask you a few|questions about lieutenant Johnson? No.
Please, go right ahead.
His death wasn't an accident.
Someone switched a piece of his|equipment with an inferior version.
That's what broke when he was|rappelling down the cliff.
Did lieutenant Johnson ever tell|you anything that might be able to help us? Rick and I talked|about many things.
As a priest, I can't break|the seal of confession.
So he confessed something|you can't talk about.
- No, I didn't say that.
|- Okay, okay.
What about the two phone calls|he made to you just before he died.
Were you in the service,|agent Gibbs? Marines.
Semper fidelis.
Always faithful.
- That was your motto, your code?|- Yes, it is.
And did you ever have|circumstances that allowed you to turn|your back on that code? I guess there's no way|we could phrase the question to allow you|to answer it.
No, there's not.
Are you sure you|won't stick around? Maybe next time.
Very good.
Ah, thanks, Steve.
Who was that for? Abby Mcgee Gibbs said you needed my help.
I don't need your help.
He just asked you to help me.
Okay.
|What am I helping you do? Hack into ISP servers.
We have to get into|an email account, download the activity.
What are we looking for? Just anything that's hinky.
Why do you use that word? - What word?|- Hinky.
It's a made-up word.
All words are made-up words.
Well I think it's stupid.
Well, maybe I shouldn't|say anything then.
Fine.
|Fine.
Good.
|Great.
Is there any reason why you|couldn't do this at little creek? Evidence pertinent to the|investigation is all here.
- Okay|- Okay Turn that off.
We're not taping this.
Go ahead.
Shut it down.
Your future in the navy is clear.
|You don't have one.
The question is, do you|have any future at all.
You don't have anything to say? I didn't hear a question|in there, sir.
Well, okay, then, petty officer,|here's a question.
Why did you lie about taking|your wife to the doctor? I do take my wife to the doctor.
|She's pregnant.
I'm talking about april 28.
|You remember that date? No, sir.
Well, here, let me refresh|your memory.
You were late for a squad meeting.
Your excuse was taking|your wife to the doctor.
Lieutenant Johnson wrote you up.
Want to reconsider your answer? I went to see a doctor off base.
For a medical problem.
What sort of medical problem? Inner ear infection.
They would've yanked you from|the mission if they knew that.
- I could've worked through it.
|- Yeah, maybe.
But you would have been|putting everyone else at risk.
I had it under control.
What happened on the cliff? I told you what happened.
Your track record for|the truth is unimpressive.
We were inserted by huey we secured our ropes, went down in pairs.
Lieutenant Johnson'sD-link snapped.
End of story.
You had access to lieutenant|Johnson's gear.
So did everyone in the unit.
Yeah, but you were the only one|that Johnson was writing up.
He wasn't recommending|you for promotion.
He made multiple page 13 entries|that only you knew about.
Why would I kill lieutenant Johnson? If he dies, the whole|squad's off the mission.
I risked my career so|I could stay on the mission.
Gibbs.
- Kramer|- What's the status? No change.
Touchdown is scheduled|in eight hours.
If we don't have a definitive|answer by then, the mission is scrubbed.
That's not gonna happen.
Well, I hope you're right.
It's a hostage rescue situation.
Opportunities like this|don't come along very often.
All right Let's pretend|we don't know anything.
Not much of a stretch.
Start from the beginning.
Someone substituted a phony D-link|for lieutenant Johnson's real one.
When? They had a rappelling exercise|two weeks before without a problem.
It was in that two-week window.
Nine days out of the two-week|period, they were in isolation.
If someone outside the unit|pulled the switch, they had a five-day period to do it.
- Who had the best opportunity?|- The wife.
What about the best friend,|Clanon? - Gibbs, he's a priest.
|- Yeah.
So? Okay, he had opportunity,|but no motive.
That we know of.
What was the wife's motive? Well, they were sleeping|in different bedrooms.
Would indicate they were|arguing about something.
You know something about that.
Sorry, boss.
Who had the skill to make a D-link? The wife made metal jewelry.
|She could make a D-link.
The wife wasn't having an affair|with someone at the jewelry store? A jealous husband? Our investigation indicates|nothing like that.
- Financial?|- Normal.
Motive, method, opportunity|the wife had all three.
Ice cream's here.
Thank god! I'm starving.
I can wait.
Duck, what are you doing here?|It's the middle of the night.
How could I be at home|in my warm and comfortable bed knowing my brethren were here, toiling away in the name|of national security.
- Couldn't sleep, huh?|- Not a wink.
Neighbors again? Or as I like to refer to them,|the devil's spawn.
Well, it's good to see you, Duck.
We could use a new pair|of eyes around here.
I'm afraid the freshness date|on my eyes expired a while back.
However, I do have|corrective lenses.
Any luck with the port scan? Still trying to find an opening.
You going after the sockets|or the firewall itself? Firewall.
You? Connected.
|Trying to authenticate.
APG or keystroke capture? I tried APG but the admin had limits|on how many times you could go in.
How're you gonna cover|your tracks? Putting in a program bot|which will call another host - infected with a similar bot|- and so on and so on and so on - until it reaches the remote.
|- And afterwards, it'll self-destruct? Yeah, but before it does,|the bot knows what files to delete from the host system|so it can delete the logs.
- Look, I'm sor|- I'm sor - Go ahead.
|- No, you go ahead.
I'm sorry that I got upset at you.
It's okay.
|I understand.
You're insecure.
You think I'm insecure? Well, in a cute way.
I'm not insecure.
|What makes you think I'm insecure? That whole "where is our|relationship going" thing.
So it's insecure to want to know|the status of your relationship when one of the people in|that relationship can't accurately|communicate her feelings? Yes Okay, I guess my poem|didn't mean anything then.
- Oh, no, I loved your poem.
|- You did? Of course I did.
- Which part did you like?|- All of it.
Even the finger snaps? Especially the finger snaps.
Looks like we're back|to square one.
I don't seem to have been|much help.
That's okay, Duck.
Dinozzo there sure enjoyed|the ice cream.
- well, if I have any brainstorms|- Yeah, we'll be here.
I wish I had a better idea of|how all this rappelling stuff worked.
Might be easier to figure|out what happened.
I have kind of a crazy idea.
Those are never comforting|words coming from you.
What? No.
No way.
You'll do fine.
Push this down, clamp it on|to your harness like that.
- There you go.
|- Okay, remind me this is gonna helps us|solve the case again because? It's fun! You want to understand|what happened.
This is how you understand.
Okay you used to protect the president? I've got to check your harness.
Turn around.
- Oh, god.
|- How's that feel? Uh - like I'm about to throw up.
|- Face me.
Dinozzo, you're on belay.
Don't worry, Kate.
|I got your back.
Yeah, that's what|I'm afraid of, Tony.
Okay Guide hand, right here.
Break hand.
If you want to stop,|clamp down on this, put your thumb right at|the center of your butt.
All set down here, boss.
Remember what I told you.
Todd on rappel.
|Dinozzo on belay.
Ready? You know, Gibbs, I kind of think|I got the gist of it now.
It's fine! Ah! You're great! See? Well, now you know|what it feels like.
What? The fake D-link is lighter than the real one.
Okay Johnson was an experienced climber.
|Why didn't he notice the difference? Get out of that.
|We have less than an hour.
No, no, you have to|change the bit to on.
I know, I know.
Embed to the bios,|then flash the bios.
We can have it runaway|into memory and link everywhere on|the system from there.
Even if they kill it in memory.
.
they have to take it one step|further and kill it in bios.
- Yes, we are kicking ass.
|- Yes, we are.
- Can you type any faster?|- Not unless I grow another hand.
Here, let me.
Right here in front of us|the whole time.
Lathe, vise, acetylene torch.
Everything you need|to make a D-link.
Yeah.
Gibbs.
You got the emails?|What'd they say? Love letters to who? Abby and Mcgee cracked|Johnson's secret email account.
We got our answer.
I suspected something|a couple of years ago.
I'm not sure what I saw.
It's not the type of thing a woman|thinks about her husband.
- How did you find out?|- Two weeks ago, Rick told me he was going|quail hunting for the weekend.
Which wasn't unusual except you knew that it wasn't|quail hunting season.
I knew.
He had once told me about a GPS|device the seals used for surveillance.
I bought something similar|online, and I hid it in his car.
He drove to downtown baltimore.
His car didn't move for two days.
I saw Rick come out with him.
|They hugged.
He watched Rick leave,|waved good-bye.
You want to hear something funny? I was hoping|it was another woman.
What happened after that? I confronted him.
He didn't try to deny it.
|I guess he felt relieved.
He said me he had|an email account, and that's how he communicated|with his I told him he had to make a choice.
Why didn't you tell us that? I didn't want to embarrass|his friends, his family I mean, Rick was very religious.
And I was hoping that didn't have|anything to do with his death.
- Yeah, but you knew it did.
|- Yeah I saw him working on his D-link.
Rick dedicated his life to the navy.
Five generations of his family|have served honorably.
Maybe if I hadn't confronted him I wake up every morning and I can't|stand to look at myself in the mirror.
I mean, why couldn't he tell me? Yeah.
Gibbs.
They're ten minutes from touchdown.
|We need an answer.
It was suicide.
|You're good to go.
Thank you, agent Gibbs.
I enjoyed your sermon.
Because I worked in Mel gibson? It didn't hurt.
I realized that in the midst|of all the things that were going on, I never got to tell you|how sorry I was for your loss.
He was the best man|I have ever known.
I tried to help him|believe in who he was.
And that may not be|within church doctrine, but I believe it's god's love.
I feel like I failed him.
You didn't.
How can you know? I have faith.
Team one, go! Clear.
Lieutenant, planningon joining us? On my way.
- Hey|- Morning How was your weekend? Well, let's see.
I paid bills, did laundry,|went shopping, vacuumed.
I bet you don't even own|a vacuum.
I lease.
Okay.
|So what did you do this weekend that left that smile plastered|all over your face? I watched a great movie.
Let me guess, a horror flick? Halloween VIII.
I think it's the best Halloween ever.
Makes Halloween Vll look like|Halloween V.
God, I can't even believe they|made one of them much less eight.
It's gotta be a men are|from Mars thing.
- Arianna liked it.
|- Arianna? I thought you broke up with her.
What makes you think that? Oh, I don't know.
Maybe because you came|in the other day and said,|"I broke up with Arianna.
" Aw, you don't know much|about dating, do you? Why don't you enlighten me? Well, there's always one|phony break-up that precedes the real break-up.
- Everyone knows that.
|- Yeah, got it.
Thanks.
Grab your gear.
|Kate, get Ducky.
Tony, gas the truck.
- Where we going?|- With Gibbs, you never know.
I.
D? NCIS special agent Gibbs.
- Clear.
|- Okay.
Thank you, sir.
Agent Gibbs? Commander Rainer,|Seal team eight.
What happened here? We were on a training exercise.
Lieutenant Johnson,|the team leader, was rappelling down the cliff|when his D-link snapped.
- You secure the top of the cliff?|- I did.
That the rest of lieutenant|Johnson's squad? Yes, sir.
I'd appreciate it if you'd tell them|not to talk to anyone until I talk to them.
Already taken care of, sir.
Oh, what an awful way to die.
I can think of worse ways to go.
Like what? Getting eaten by a shark,|being buried alive, falling into a wood chipper.
You've given this some thought.
- Well, yeah.
So?|- Nothing.
Someone moved the body.
After he fell, his squad members|came to his assistance, see if anything could be done.
Unfortunately, he died on impact.
That would account for|a few inches, but someone's moved him|further than that.
We pulled him away from|the face of the cliff because there was falling shale.
|It's an old mine.
We were careful not to|disturb anything.
Was emptying his pockets|part of the first aid effort? The intel was classified.
We removed it so the body|could be transported.
That's SOP under these|circumstances.
- Dinozzo|- Yeah, boss? Top of the cliff.
Shoot and sketch.
Gee, boss, it's a long way up.
Dinozzo, was there something|in my tone of my voice that made that sound like|a suggestion? On it.
Agent Gibbs, I realize you have|an investigation to perform.
From what we can see, that's pretty obvious|that D-link had a catastrophic failure.
You're right, commander.
|We have an investigation to perform.
What do you got, Duck? Unfortunately for|lieutenant Johnson, it appears to be just|what it looks like.
Eliminates the guesswork.
Is this a common occurrence,|one of these breaking? I've never seen it happen before.
Doesn't mean it couldn't.
I think we can move him.
Gibbs, I got something.
That a piece of the D-link? Sure looks like it.
Don't worry, my friend.
We'll get you cleaned up and presentable|in a way that honors your service.
Special agent Gibbs,|special agent Todd.
We understand you were on a|training exercise.
Yes, sir.
What was your mission? You'll have to talk to the|commander about that, sir.
Other than lieutenant|Johnson's accident, anything out of the|ordinary happen? No, sir.
It was textbook.
We were inserted by helicopter,|secured our lines, rappelled down the face|of the cliff.
What was your order? Vengal and Kenney went first,|then myself and Pinkowski.
We can't believe this|happened to the lieutenant.
After the four of you|began rappelling down, was anyone on top of the cliff|other than lieutenant Johnson? No, ma'am.
Each of you will need to provide a|statement detailing what you saw.
Yes, sir I'd like lieutenant Johnson's|service record and the personal effects|from his locker.
I'll have it in your office|as soon as possible.
- There's no sign of tampering.
|- That's it? That's it.
- Then we can put this to bed?|- Not yet.
I emailed the manufacturer for the|specs on this particular D-link.
When I get them back, I can do a comparative analysis|and if nothing's hinky, - then we can put this to bed.
|- Thanks, Ab.
- You okay?|- I'm fine.
Why? You're not your normal,|effervescent, cheerful Abby.
That's because she's been replaced by|the abnormal, dull and melancholy Abby.
Something you want to talk about? I don't want to bore you.
Who else you gonna tell, Tony? Mcgee is all mad at me.
Why? What happened? We went to buzzed.
It's a coffeehouse in old town.
Sunday nights like a poetry night.
I didn't know you liked poetry.
Mcgee likes it.
So we're popping back|double espressos and all of a sudden,|out of the blue, he says, I really, really like you.
- What'd you say?|- Thanks.
What was I supposed to say? - I don't know.
|- Oh! Then he gets, like, all quiet.
And we're leaving, and he wants to know where our|relationship is going.
Oh, I hate that.
Why do guys|have to push the issue? Because they're insecure.
What'd you say? Well, I said, why does it|have to go anywhere? Why can't we just enjoy|what's happening now? What'd he say? Fine.
Whatever.
Typical passive-aggressive.
I know.
|I mean, what's next? We gonna be watching sleepless|in seattle on a rainy sunday afternoon?|Ugh! - What are you going to do?|- I'm not going to do anything.
I'm going to pretend|like it never happened and hopefully he's going|to do the same.
The official cause of death|was multiple traumatic injuries.
But he was in horrible shape,|Jethro.
Lower leg fractures, hip fractures,|severe skull fractures.
- I could go on and on.
|- No, no need, Duck.
Have you sent the blood up|to Abby for a full tox screen? That's what you were going|to ask, right? The lifetime odds of dying|from a fall like this are roughly the equivalent|of the odds of dying - from a collision with an asteroid.
|- And? What kind of a person would I be if I had this knowledge|and I didn't share it with you? That's what you were gonna ask,|right? About the tox screen? You are late.
I am so sorry, Dr.
Mallard.
|I am so, so sorry.
Don't make me have|second thoughts, Mr.
Palmer.
Second thoughts, sir? About you coming to work|full time as my assistant.
It will never happen again, doctor.
|I promise.
It was an extremely|unusual situation.
They always are.
I was in the shower and|the doorbell rang, but I didn't know it at the time.
- That you were in the shower?|- No, that it was the doorbell.
See, my head cold in combination|with my tinnitus made me think - that it was the kitchen timer.
|- Very unusual.
Yes, so I spent several minutes|trying to figure out what it was I had finished cooking, and by the time I realized|that it was the front door, I'd almost forgotten|I'd taken a shower.
It will never happen again.
- Who was there?|- Where? - At the door?|- Oh, I didn't answer it.
I hope this won't become a|habit, Mr.
Palmer.
No, sir - I always answer my door.
|- I was referring to you being late.
Does this mean I have a job? Any prints besides lieutenant|Johnson's? I got a partial that isn't his.
Run it through AFIS and any other|database you can think of.
Done and done.
What else you got for me, Abbs? The D-link is electrolytically|coated with a protective oxide.
I used fourier transform|infrared spectophotometry to compare the chemistry between|the factory specs and the link that failed.
Is all this necessary? If I just came right out|and told you what I found, - you would be bored.
|- What'd you find? The chemical composition|of the oxide isn't the same.
Couldn't that just be from two|different production batches? Possibly.
I'm sensing a "but.
" You are correct, O great one.
I used a scanning electron|microscope.
With an x-ray defractive attachment|and did a composition analysis.
The one on the left is the D-link|I got from the manufacturer.
The one on the right is|lieutenant Johnson'S.
They're not the same.
That's because one is steel|and the other is 66-3T6 aluminum.
So the manufacturer makes|the D-link in both metals? Actually, they don't.
- Then how do you explain that?|- Easy.
Someone handmade a D-link|out of a much weaker metal and then swapped it with|lieutenant Johnson's real one.
- It wasn't an accident.
|- Nope.
It looks like murder.
I know this is a difficult time.
When your husband brought his|gear home, where did he keep it? Usually in the garage.
Sometimes he'd leave it in the car.
He ever bring it in the house? Why? Someone may have tampered|with his equipment.
Tampered? Why would anybody do that? I keep expecting him|to walk through that door.
I'm so sorry.
Take a look around, Kate.
Tony, let's check out the garage.
- Whoa.
|- Nice car.
Oh, it's not just a car, boss.
|This is a '66 mustang.
Revolutionary in its day.
You're not going to start giving me|all the vital stats on this car, are you? - Thunder ball|- let me rephrase that, Dinozzo.
You're not going to give me|the vital stats on this car.
If someone was gonna break in|to get at his gear, their choices were limited.
Garage door or the back door.
Lock works.
No sign of forced entry.
Whoever switched his D-link,|I don't think it was done here.
Yeah, yeah,|it does seem that way.
- Oh.
|- I'm sorry.
- My fault.
|- No, hi, um - Hi.
Larry clanon.
|- Kate todd.
Wow, I thought I knew|most of Rick's friends.
Actually, I'm with NCIS.
|We're investigating his death.
I thought it was an accident.
- Still need to investigate.
|- Oh.
Right.
- How do you know Rick?|- Oh, god, we've been friends we were friends since|high school.
We played football together,|got in trouble together.
We, uh I can't imagine life without him.
- Hello, Father.
|- Hi, Edna.
I'm a priest.
Saint Matthews.
Why no collar? I was out running errands|and I got the call.
I just came right over.
|Rick was my best friend.
He's the reason|I became a priest.
How so? When I was 19, I was in|a motorcycle accident.
A priest with a motorcycle.
|Sounds like a TV show.
Right.
Well, I ended up in a coma.
Rick would come sit|with me after school.
Sometimes he would|just talk to me, and other times he would pray.
The doctors said that|if I came out of it, I would end up in|a vegetative state, but It was a miracle.
Not according to Rick.
Rick said it was because he|had juice with the man upstairs.
You should come by church|some time.
Yeah, I get a cash bonus for|every person past a certain number.
- You do?|- Wow.
I'm sorry, I'm not used to a|priest with a sense of humor.
Right.
Well, the times, they are changing.
They certainly are.
Who had access to your|climbing gear? That depends.
Lines and harnesses are usually|kept in a rope locker.
- What about D-links?|- Not a controlled item.
Most of my men take their personal|gear like that home with them.
Anyone in the unit could've|had access to Johnson's? I suppose so.
How many men in your unit,|commander? That information's classified,|agent Gibbs.
- Commander Rainer!|- I'll be right back.
Enough ammo here to take|over a small country.
How small? Open it up.
I appreciate that you|have a job to do.
As far as we're concerned,|this was a training accident.
What if I was to tell you it wasn't? I was there, agent Gibbs.
|I saw Johnson's D-link.
It was broken.
What you saw was a fake.
Someone substituted lieutenant|Johnson's d-link with one made from inferior metal.
Metal that was designed to fail.
- Sergeant.
|- Sir - Security badges.
|- Yes, sir Anything you see or hear is to be|considered classified at the highest level.
I'll assist you in any way I can as long|as it doesn't compromise our primary mission.
Which you can't tell us.
I will tell you it's absolutely|vital to national security.
Not much help in|a murder investigation.
Well, it's the best I can do.
|I've got a backup team waiting.
If there's someone deliberately|trying to sabotage this mission, I need to know.
Get admiral Barnes|on a secure line.
Tell him task force x-ray may|have been compromised.
Yes, sir.
Who else knew Johnson was|going to be rappelling last night? No one outside this unit.
My men have been in total isolation|for the past ten days, no contact with the outside world.
Any security breaches? One petty officer made a few|unauthorized calls to his wife.
- He was in Johnson's squad?|- He was.
Petty officer Vengal.
Lieutenant Johnson counseled|him on following orders.
What kind of a sailor is Vengal? Young, headstrong|likes to be the center of attention.
Basically, a seal.
Johnson rode him pretty hard|but that was his job.
I'll need to talk to him as well as|anyone else on Johnson's team.
Not a problem.
They're no longer|the primary team on the mission.
What's our time frame here? We're inside a 38 hour window.
If you don't find out|what happened by then, we scrub the mission.
Tony, get with whoever's|in charge of the climbing gear.
I want every rope, D-link|and harness checked.
- You got it, boss.
|- I'll escort agent Dinozzo.
Bravo team's bunked in here.
How'd you get along with your|lieutenant, petty officer Vengal? He was a good seal, sir.
But you didn't like him.
We had different styles, ma'am.
- His style was to ride your ass.
|- Yes, sir.
- Why'd you breach security?|- Excuse me, sir? You called your wife.
|Why? She's pregnant.
I wanted to check up on her,|ma'am.
I checked your service record.
Lieutenant Johnson wrote you up for|an unauthorized absence two weeks ago.
I had to take my wife to the doctor.
Why are you asking me|about the lieutenant? Because we're looking for|the man who murdered him.
Lieutenant Johnson's last two|calls were made while in isolation.
Both were to Father Clanon.
The lieutenant writes up Vengal for|calling his pregnant wife during lockdown|then makes two calls himself? It doesn't make sense.
Agent Gibbs.
|Agent Kramer, CIA.
- Is there someplace we can talk?|- Yeah How about right here? Whatever you can say to me,|you can say to my team.
Okay Your investigation into lieutenant|Johnson's death is very important to us.
Yeah? Why's that? The seals are part of|a multiagency task force that's been training for|a very specific mission.
Which you're not going|to tell me about.
You'd have to be read into the|program and we don't have the time.
And you think that someone inside|this task force tampered with Johnson's|equipment.
I'm very concerned.
There's an initial vetting|process for seals.
And for this mission, they were|further vetted by the CIA.
If they've gone through all that Then we're dealing with|someone who's very clever.
In 34 hours, a C-141|will be fueled and ready to go.
We need to know who swapped|that D-link out and why, otherwise four months of planning|will go out the window.
I'll tell you everything that we know|as long as you do the same.
Sure.
Sounds good to me.
|Let me give you this.
- Abbs, what's up?|- Something very unexpected.
He's okay.
I ran the print off Johnson's D-link|through the military database.
No match.
Yeah, what's the unexpected part? When I ran it through the criminal|database, I got a hit.
- Anyone we know?|- Absolutely.
Lieutenant Johnson's wife.
Hmm.
she was 18 when she was|arrested for joyriding.
Joyriding.
Sounds so much better|than grand theft auto.
There's something almost|spiritual about it.
Well, she said she didn't|know the car was stolen.
Her boyfriend said he|borrowed it from a friend.
The old "blame it on the boyfriend"|excuse.
One of the classics.
Well, that's usually who is to blame.
- Anything else?|- I was saving the best for last.
Why? Denise johnson|works at a jewelry store.
She makes custom metal jewelry.
Oh,|and yesterday, when I was in the den I saw some things that made it seem like|Johnson may have been sleeping in there.
What kind of things? Alarm clock, pillow, blanket.
Something's really|been bothering me.
What kind of sick and twisted logic makes you|think the boyfriend is always to blame, huh? Could we just have a minute? Of course my fingerprints|were on there.
And you'd find my fingerprints|on almost anything Rick owned, except maybe his hunting rifles.
We had to ask.
You're not married,|are you, agent Todd? No Well, a lot of husbands leave|a trail when they come home.
I was constantly|picking up after him.
How was your relationship|with your husband? It was fine.
He wasn't sleeping in the den? We had our problems,|like any married couple.
- What were they?|- None of your business.
I'm sorry if we upset you.
What were you expecting? You come into my home and basically accuse me of having|something to do with my husband's death.
We're just trying to|tie up any loose ends.
Your fingerprints were on the D-link, we came, we're not accusing|you of anything.
Did your husband have a computer? We have a laptop.
Her explanation made sense.
Doesn't mean she isn't guilty.
Do you honestly think she|had anything to do with it? I've seen a single mother drown|her children because her new boyfriend|didn't like them.
Nothing surprises me.
Interesting how she|pegged you for unmarried.
Here's a page 13|lieutenant Johnson wrote after petty officer Vengal|got into a fight in town.
He said he didn't start the fight,|he was just protecting himself.
It's not in Vengal's|service report.
There's more.
This is from an undated|fitness report.
Under comments,|lieutenant Johnson wrote, Though petty officer Vengal|is an outstanding sailor and no doubt will make a fine|petty officer first class, at this point I think|he needs a little seasoning and I am not recommending|him for promotion.
Also not in his service report.
So, how can that be? Rainier said Johnson rode|Vengal pretty hard.
My guess is that was part of|his carrot and stick approach.
He wrote the page 13,|showed it to Vengal.
But never formally filed it.
So if the guy cleaned up his act, Johnson would just toss the page|13 like it never existed.
Okay, Why did Johnson include|the counseling sheet he wrote when Vengal was late? That's just a slap on the wrist.
|A page 13 is serious.
- Anything else?|- No Paid the bills,|sent emails to friends, normal stuff.
You seem bothered.
That was Mrs.
Vengal's doctor.
Petty officer Vengal did take|her to see him, but not on the day that he told|lieutenant Johnson he did.
- He lied.
|- Get Vengal in here.
Gee, boss.
I'm not sure those guys are going|to let convince them, Tony.
Okay I was down in the evidence locker|looking for a fingerprint kit and this started vibrating.
Freaked me out.
- Thanks, Abbs.
|- Thanks, Abbs.
Lieutenant Johnson got|a text message.
"Why weren't you there?" Who sent it? This is weird.
It's an email message forwarded|from an internet account that shows up as a text message|on his cell phone.
English, Kate.
Okay, I can set up|my internet account so that if somebody emails me|on my computer and I'm not there, the email will automatically be|forwarded to my cell phone.
What's the weird part? Well, the email account that|this was forwarded from is davesmith@concealmail.
com.
That's not Johnson's|email address.
You're sure? Let me rephrase that.
It's not lieutenant Johnson's email|account on his home computer.
But he could've opened|an account on another computer.
- Under an assumed name?|- Anybody can.
But why would somebody with|a top security clearance have an email account under|an assumed name? What if I wanted to get into|that account? Get a search warrant|for the servers.
We don't have time for a warrant.
|What's a quicker way? Hack into the servers.
I can't believe I just said that.
I would've never suggested that|before I started working here.
You're welcome.
Get Mcgee over here.
|Have him work with Abby.
Tell him to do whatever it takes|to get that information.
I Are you sure|we need to do that? You have a problem with Mcgee? Not me.
Well, then tell him to get|his butt over here.
When you're done with that, we're going to pay a visit|to Father Clanon.
I guess I was more persuasive|than I thought.
Actually, I'm here in an official|capacity, not to go to confession.
Well, you can always kill|two birds with one stone.
I'm hearing them in 15 minutes.
- You should be in sales.
|- I am.
This is special agent Gibbs.
I think I saw you at|Denise's house.
Yeah - Welcome to St.
Matthews.
|- Thank you.
Do you mind if we ask you a few|questions about lieutenant Johnson? No.
Please, go right ahead.
His death wasn't an accident.
Someone switched a piece of his|equipment with an inferior version.
That's what broke when he was|rappelling down the cliff.
Did lieutenant Johnson ever tell|you anything that might be able to help us? Rick and I talked|about many things.
As a priest, I can't break|the seal of confession.
So he confessed something|you can't talk about.
- No, I didn't say that.
|- Okay, okay.
What about the two phone calls|he made to you just before he died.
Were you in the service,|agent Gibbs? Marines.
Semper fidelis.
Always faithful.
- That was your motto, your code?|- Yes, it is.
And did you ever have|circumstances that allowed you to turn|your back on that code? I guess there's no way|we could phrase the question to allow you|to answer it.
No, there's not.
Are you sure you|won't stick around? Maybe next time.
Very good.
Ah, thanks, Steve.
Who was that for? Abby Mcgee Gibbs said you needed my help.
I don't need your help.
He just asked you to help me.
Okay.
|What am I helping you do? Hack into ISP servers.
We have to get into|an email account, download the activity.
What are we looking for? Just anything that's hinky.
Why do you use that word? - What word?|- Hinky.
It's a made-up word.
All words are made-up words.
Well I think it's stupid.
Well, maybe I shouldn't|say anything then.
Fine.
|Fine.
Good.
|Great.
Is there any reason why you|couldn't do this at little creek? Evidence pertinent to the|investigation is all here.
- Okay|- Okay Turn that off.
We're not taping this.
Go ahead.
Shut it down.
Your future in the navy is clear.
|You don't have one.
The question is, do you|have any future at all.
You don't have anything to say? I didn't hear a question|in there, sir.
Well, okay, then, petty officer,|here's a question.
Why did you lie about taking|your wife to the doctor? I do take my wife to the doctor.
|She's pregnant.
I'm talking about april 28.
|You remember that date? No, sir.
Well, here, let me refresh|your memory.
You were late for a squad meeting.
Your excuse was taking|your wife to the doctor.
Lieutenant Johnson wrote you up.
Want to reconsider your answer? I went to see a doctor off base.
For a medical problem.
What sort of medical problem? Inner ear infection.
They would've yanked you from|the mission if they knew that.
- I could've worked through it.
|- Yeah, maybe.
But you would have been|putting everyone else at risk.
I had it under control.
What happened on the cliff? I told you what happened.
Your track record for|the truth is unimpressive.
We were inserted by huey we secured our ropes, went down in pairs.
Lieutenant Johnson'sD-link snapped.
End of story.
You had access to lieutenant|Johnson's gear.
So did everyone in the unit.
Yeah, but you were the only one|that Johnson was writing up.
He wasn't recommending|you for promotion.
He made multiple page 13 entries|that only you knew about.
Why would I kill lieutenant Johnson? If he dies, the whole|squad's off the mission.
I risked my career so|I could stay on the mission.
Gibbs.
- Kramer|- What's the status? No change.
Touchdown is scheduled|in eight hours.
If we don't have a definitive|answer by then, the mission is scrubbed.
That's not gonna happen.
Well, I hope you're right.
It's a hostage rescue situation.
Opportunities like this|don't come along very often.
All right Let's pretend|we don't know anything.
Not much of a stretch.
Start from the beginning.
Someone substituted a phony D-link|for lieutenant Johnson's real one.
When? They had a rappelling exercise|two weeks before without a problem.
It was in that two-week window.
Nine days out of the two-week|period, they were in isolation.
If someone outside the unit|pulled the switch, they had a five-day period to do it.
- Who had the best opportunity?|- The wife.
What about the best friend,|Clanon? - Gibbs, he's a priest.
|- Yeah.
So? Okay, he had opportunity,|but no motive.
That we know of.
What was the wife's motive? Well, they were sleeping|in different bedrooms.
Would indicate they were|arguing about something.
You know something about that.
Sorry, boss.
Who had the skill to make a D-link? The wife made metal jewelry.
|She could make a D-link.
The wife wasn't having an affair|with someone at the jewelry store? A jealous husband? Our investigation indicates|nothing like that.
- Financial?|- Normal.
Motive, method, opportunity|the wife had all three.
Ice cream's here.
Thank god! I'm starving.
I can wait.
Duck, what are you doing here?|It's the middle of the night.
How could I be at home|in my warm and comfortable bed knowing my brethren were here, toiling away in the name|of national security.
- Couldn't sleep, huh?|- Not a wink.
Neighbors again? Or as I like to refer to them,|the devil's spawn.
Well, it's good to see you, Duck.
We could use a new pair|of eyes around here.
I'm afraid the freshness date|on my eyes expired a while back.
However, I do have|corrective lenses.
Any luck with the port scan? Still trying to find an opening.
You going after the sockets|or the firewall itself? Firewall.
You? Connected.
|Trying to authenticate.
APG or keystroke capture? I tried APG but the admin had limits|on how many times you could go in.
How're you gonna cover|your tracks? Putting in a program bot|which will call another host - infected with a similar bot|- and so on and so on and so on - until it reaches the remote.
|- And afterwards, it'll self-destruct? Yeah, but before it does,|the bot knows what files to delete from the host system|so it can delete the logs.
- Look, I'm sor|- I'm sor - Go ahead.
|- No, you go ahead.
I'm sorry that I got upset at you.
It's okay.
|I understand.
You're insecure.
You think I'm insecure? Well, in a cute way.
I'm not insecure.
|What makes you think I'm insecure? That whole "where is our|relationship going" thing.
So it's insecure to want to know|the status of your relationship when one of the people in|that relationship can't accurately|communicate her feelings? Yes Okay, I guess my poem|didn't mean anything then.
- Oh, no, I loved your poem.
|- You did? Of course I did.
- Which part did you like?|- All of it.
Even the finger snaps? Especially the finger snaps.
Looks like we're back|to square one.
I don't seem to have been|much help.
That's okay, Duck.
Dinozzo there sure enjoyed|the ice cream.
- well, if I have any brainstorms|- Yeah, we'll be here.
I wish I had a better idea of|how all this rappelling stuff worked.
Might be easier to figure|out what happened.
I have kind of a crazy idea.
Those are never comforting|words coming from you.
What? No.
No way.
You'll do fine.
Push this down, clamp it on|to your harness like that.
- There you go.
|- Okay, remind me this is gonna helps us|solve the case again because? It's fun! You want to understand|what happened.
This is how you understand.
Okay you used to protect the president? I've got to check your harness.
Turn around.
- Oh, god.
|- How's that feel? Uh - like I'm about to throw up.
|- Face me.
Dinozzo, you're on belay.
Don't worry, Kate.
|I got your back.
Yeah, that's what|I'm afraid of, Tony.
Okay Guide hand, right here.
Break hand.
If you want to stop,|clamp down on this, put your thumb right at|the center of your butt.
All set down here, boss.
Remember what I told you.
Todd on rappel.
|Dinozzo on belay.
Ready? You know, Gibbs, I kind of think|I got the gist of it now.
It's fine! Ah! You're great! See? Well, now you know|what it feels like.
What? The fake D-link is lighter than the real one.
Okay Johnson was an experienced climber.
|Why didn't he notice the difference? Get out of that.
|We have less than an hour.
No, no, you have to|change the bit to on.
I know, I know.
Embed to the bios,|then flash the bios.
We can have it runaway|into memory and link everywhere on|the system from there.
Even if they kill it in memory.
.
they have to take it one step|further and kill it in bios.
- Yes, we are kicking ass.
|- Yes, we are.
- Can you type any faster?|- Not unless I grow another hand.
Here, let me.
Right here in front of us|the whole time.
Lathe, vise, acetylene torch.
Everything you need|to make a D-link.
Yeah.
Gibbs.
You got the emails?|What'd they say? Love letters to who? Abby and Mcgee cracked|Johnson's secret email account.
We got our answer.
I suspected something|a couple of years ago.
I'm not sure what I saw.
It's not the type of thing a woman|thinks about her husband.
- How did you find out?|- Two weeks ago, Rick told me he was going|quail hunting for the weekend.
Which wasn't unusual except you knew that it wasn't|quail hunting season.
I knew.
He had once told me about a GPS|device the seals used for surveillance.
I bought something similar|online, and I hid it in his car.
He drove to downtown baltimore.
His car didn't move for two days.
I saw Rick come out with him.
|They hugged.
He watched Rick leave,|waved good-bye.
You want to hear something funny? I was hoping|it was another woman.
What happened after that? I confronted him.
He didn't try to deny it.
|I guess he felt relieved.
He said me he had|an email account, and that's how he communicated|with his I told him he had to make a choice.
Why didn't you tell us that? I didn't want to embarrass|his friends, his family I mean, Rick was very religious.
And I was hoping that didn't have|anything to do with his death.
- Yeah, but you knew it did.
|- Yeah I saw him working on his D-link.
Rick dedicated his life to the navy.
Five generations of his family|have served honorably.
Maybe if I hadn't confronted him I wake up every morning and I can't|stand to look at myself in the mirror.
I mean, why couldn't he tell me? Yeah.
Gibbs.
They're ten minutes from touchdown.
|We need an answer.
It was suicide.
|You're good to go.
Thank you, agent Gibbs.
I enjoyed your sermon.
Because I worked in Mel gibson? It didn't hurt.
I realized that in the midst|of all the things that were going on, I never got to tell you|how sorry I was for your loss.
He was the best man|I have ever known.
I tried to help him|believe in who he was.
And that may not be|within church doctrine, but I believe it's god's love.
I feel like I failed him.
You didn't.
How can you know? I have faith.