NCIS s14e17 Episode Script
What Lies Above
1 (car horn honks) (door unlocking) (clattering) (grunts) Ow.
What the hell? (gun cocks) Someone there? What are you doing in here? (gunshot) (grunts) Come out with your hands up.
(groans) FEMALE NEIGHBOR: I'm calling 911! Anyone else? (McGee groaning) (dog barking in distance) Ow.
Oh, God.
(line rings) GIBBS: Yeah, McGee.
McGee, you there? McGee? I'm here, boss.
I'm here.
NCIS 14x17 What Lies Above (sighs): Naturally, they all claim to fully support the bill, but this makes three times now that they've postponed a vote on it.
Wow.
Duplicitous backstabbers on Capitol Hill.
Who'd have thunk it? You've got plenty of it in your world, too, Lee.
You have the experience.
Hey, you want to go to a Wizards game with me next week? I can get us really good seats.
Are you changing the subject? Mm-hmm.
I'm sorry, it's just my aversion to talking politics over dinner.
Makes everything so very hard to swallow.
We're not talking politics.
I'm talking you.
Since NCIS got rid of Kai Chen, your public profile's never been higher.
I have a public profile? Yes, you do.
You're handsome, brilliant, charismatic.
And to have a fighter like you at our side, swimming with the sharks.
You know, I think I fare much better on dry land.
Come on, Lee.
Okay.
I get it.
I get it.
And I'd Yeah, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't tempted.
Can you see it? You take a seat in Congress, and your buddy Gibbs gets a seat in the director's chair.
(chuckles) So you're planning his future, too? (phone ringing) Oh.
Speak of the devil.
Oh.
Yeah, Gibbs.
McGee was just attacked by two armed assailants.
He what? In his apartment.
Is McGee all right? Agent McGee? Yes, I will do that, Leon.
Just keeping you in the loop.
Call you later.
Ducky and Jimmy are on their way.
McGee.
There were two of them? Yeah.
One of them got away, but I grazed him.
Check local hospitals for recent gunshot wounds.
TORRES: No wallet.
But a print scanner IDs him as Louis Cole, a recent parolee.
No stolen goods on him.
I wonder what the other guy made out with.
I don't even care.
I'm just happy that Delilah was in Dubai on assignment.
I mean, if she would've walked in on these guys, would've been a lot worse.
You haven't called her yet? No.
It's too early there.
Plus, uh, I'm not really looking forward to telling her anyway.
Yeah, but she'll want to know you're okay.
That'll help, but it's not gonna make her happy.
I mean, it's bad enough this place is trashed.
It's gonna take a lot of sage burning to make that okay.
TORRES: Oh, she won't mind too much, right? I'm sure she'll get over it real quick.
I mean, it's not like it's the first dead body this apartment has seen.
Wait, what? GIBBS: McGee.
You know what they were looking for? Uh, no, boss, I'll call Tony.
Maybe he has some ideas.
QUINN: Wait.
Wait.
Hold up.
Go back.
What do you mean, it's not the first dead body? Wait, you didn't know that? Triple homicide.
It's how Tony got the place so cheap.
What? A triple homicide here? It was a long time ago.
Before Tony, the previous owner killed three people.
It was apparently pretty messy.
TORRES: Pretty messy? Didn't the guy use an electric carving knife to dismember the bodies? Right, guys, can we not? Oh, I could never live here knowing that.
Yeah, I had the same reservations when I was in the running.
More like the heebie-jeebies.
How did Delilah feel about it? Actually, I haven't told her yet.
What? You never told Delilah? Well, I was going to tell her, but, you know, we moved in, and what she doesn't know Dude, that's messed up.
Come on.
It was 15 years ago.
There's got to be an expiration date on the creepy factor.
Besides, it's not like the place is haunted.
Hmm, maybe cursed.
It's not cursed.
I'm counting on each of you to please help me keep my secret from Delilah.
You want us to lie for you? We can't lie to her, McGee.
No, it's not a lie, it's-it's more of a It's like an omission.
That's the word for it, âomission.
â It's like if Delilah were to say, âMcGee, âhas there ever been a triple homicide in this apartmentâ" and you said no, that would be a lie.
That's right, and she's never asked me that.
Why the hell would she ask that? BISHOP: Yeah, I got to say, Alex, I'm a little surprised you seem okay with this.
What? I'm-I'm not okay with any of it, but sometimes secrets are a necessary evil.
Especially when dealing with family.
You have secrets in your family? I'll take that as a yes.
Well, I'm in too deep already, so please just don't say anything to anyone.
In fact, forget that anything even happened.
This triple homicide Ah, this is great.
we find out more, see if there's a connection.
Boss, I-I can't imagine there's a connection.
I mean, it's so many years between incidents.
Wait, Rosebud.
Rosebud? Yeah, Rosebud is Delilah's private hard drive.
It's got every photo and document on it from when she was a kid, up until now.
It's named after the sled in Citizen Kane.
It's her diary, it's her everything.
And it's gone.
There anything else on that, like DoD files? I can't imagine, boss, but maybe.
(phone ringing) It's her.
What's she doing up so early? QUINN: Women have a sixth sense about this stuff.
Ask her what was in there.
Boss, if I ask her about the missing hard drive, she's gonna know everything.
Tell her everything, Tim.
I won't tell her everything, I'll talk to her about it tonight.
(phone continues ringing) Or you could not answer her call.
No, no, answer it.
Time to come clean, McGee.
Hey, sweetheart.
Early morning for you, huh? Yeah.
Oh, uh, I miss you, too.
Um, me? Um, not much.
(whispering): Uh not much? No, uh No, pretty quiet, actually, yeah.
No, no, no, everything's good-- a nice and, uh, quiet evening at home.
Oh, I was hoping you'd beat me here.
Well, Gibbs wanted more details on the triple homicide at McGee's place, and I just found a bunch.
I was hoping you'd say that, too.
So, according to this old case file, âPolice responded to a call âabout shots fired and found the apartment's owner, âa licensed furrier named Paul Triff, âdismembering the bodies âof three known felons with an electric carving knifeâ" Ugh.
Well, âTriff pleaded self-defense âfollowing a home invasion, âbut the jury sentenced him to three life terms at Maryland Correctional.
â How bizarre is that? What I don't get is, who's a licensed furrier anymore, anyway? Was that still a thing 15 years ago? Well, and why dismember the bodies if he acted in self-defense? I mean, that's got to be the worst defense angle ever.
There's got be some kind of symmetry to all this, right? A home invasion, known felons, shot in the apartment.
No, no symmetry at all.
I studied the case myself.
Triff's furrier business was a front for a smuggling ring.
The three home invaders worked as furriers, presumably as smugglers.
So why the dismembering? Well, he was sneaking out, uh, body parts in plastic bags, but, uh, that bears no resemblance to last night.
TORRES: Yo.
How much you tell Delilah? (scoffs) Delilah was so freaked out by the break-in itself, I had to leave out the part about killing a guy.
Another lie? It's not a lie, Nick, it's an omission.
Oh, right, right, it's, uh, âfamily.
â Yeah, and it's Delilah.
I mean, she was gonna fly home as is.
I had to, you know, cover, so I convinced her to stay longer.
Hopefully long enough to where I can get the walls and the floors fixed.
You didn't tell her that either? Again, why would I pile on the bad news? Yeah, so no reason to tell her about a triple homicide? No, no, Torres, that's a secret, we can't do that, all right? We just need to find this hard drive.
Rosebud-- is that what they were after? Think so, boss.
Called Tony, he had no other ideas.
Okay, what do we know? Update.
All right.
Our dead burglar, Louis Cole, 37, was paroled two months ago from Haynesville Correctional Center after serving three years for transporting narcotics.
QUINN: Drug offenses, a few assaults, but no burglaries on his rap sheet.
First time for everything.
TORRES: We collected evidence.
Found a crowbar in the bedroom.
Abby's running it for prints now.
Boss, we got to find these guys.
Beyond sentimental value, Delilah's whole life is on that hard drive.
If she finds out it's missing TORRES: What? You didn't tell her about Rosebud? Why would I if there's still a chance I could get it back? Yet another lie.
Not a lie-- omission.
Yeah, Duck, I'm on my way.
To me, honesty is all about the three yous.
âThe three yous,â Doctor? Yeah, well, there's the you that the world knows, there's the you that your friends and family know, and there's the you that only you know.
And that you most certainly has secrets.
Ah, but is the secret the same as a lie? Oh, great, you know, too? Oh, sorry, McGee, yeah, I overheard the others at the crime scene talking about it when we went to go pick up the body.
Now, I know it's not my place to offer up my opinion, but You're going to anyway.
I just feel like a triple homicide is something that I'd have to tell Breena about before we moved in.
But you're not moving in.
And you are not gonna tell Delilah.
JIMMY: What? No, no, no, of course not.
I wouldn't dream of it.
Ducky, what we got? DUCKY: I thought you'd never ask, Jethro.
(chuckles) And, Timothy, your intruder died from a single well-placed bullet to the heart.
I was just firing back, Ducky.
It was a lucky shot at best.
And at worst, that apartment of yours is decidedly unlucky.
- Hi, Abbs.
- McGee.
Ugh.
I'm so glad you're okay.
Tony never should've bought that place, no matter how cheap it was.
Look, it's not unlucky, it's two incidents 15 years apart.
Incidents? You call those incidents? The shootings and the dismemberments? GIBBS: Abby, what do you got? I thought he'd never ask.
ABBY: I got a positive match off the fingerprint on the crowbar.
It belongs to a Walter Shibberd.
He has got multiple burglaries on his rap sheet, and I sent you his cell phone number in case you want to ping it.
Good work.
You're the best, Abbs.
Oh, McGee? It's too late to tell Delilah about the apartment.
If it were me, I would not want to know.
Okay.
(chuckles) According to this, we should be right on top of him.
Hey, Walter.
Seems like you got a boo-boo there.
McGEE: I know it was dark, but I'm pretty sure we met last night.
He's running, he's running.
Ooh, I was hoping you did that.
(grunts) Ooh, make that two boo-boos.
All right, let's see what we got.
.
22-caliber semiauto.
(chuckles) My Lincoln penny collection.
Ah.
Rosebud? I'd never been shot before.
I was afraid to go to the E.
R.
I hear that's where you guys always look.
What made you want this? What do you mean? It was there.
I was gonna sell it, like everything else.
I'm a B and E man.
I'm a I'm a hired hand.
That's all.
Working for who? This guy Louis.
I met him at a bar last week.
Said if I broke him into the apartment, he'd pay me 500 bucks, plus anything else I wanted to keep.
This guy Louis, what was he looking for? I don't know.
He said he'd know it when he saw it.
It had something to do with a hot tip he got from a buddy in the joint.
Whatever that tip was, this fellow Louis thought it was worth tearing up McGee's entire apartment to find it.
But we don't have to tear it up, do we? 'Cause McGee will not like that.
Okay.
Then find a way to search his apartment without destroying it.
I can do that.
(phone ringing) Congresswoman Flemming.
Hello, handsome.
I'm just calling to see how McGee is doing.
He's doing very well.
Caught the other burglar and he's recovering stolen property as we speak.
So how's your lovely day? Ma'am.
That is wonderful news.
Please give Agent McGee my regards.
I take it you're no longer alone.
That is very true.
Um, on another note, about our lunch meeting tomorrow, I was hoping to change venues.
Oh, sure.
For a minute there, I thought you were gonna cancel on me.
You know Dasher's? Yes, I know it well.
I also know it's a favorite of the power lunch crowd, eager to see and be seen.
Nothing wrong with that, is there? For an up-and-comer like me? Well, that's the spirit.
Plus, it's closer to my office.
I've got a packed day tomorrow.
I really do appreciate it, Director.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
What can we do? Well, hop on board.
We're all combing the same database.
Checking inmate profiles for any of Louis' prison buddies.
BISHOP: And any possible links between Louis and your Electric Carving Knife Man.
He's not my anything, and there is no link, okay? Chances are one in a million.
QUINN: Ooh, I found Louis' cellmate.
Okay, put it up.
All right, his name is Joe Berk, 53, serving 15 years for running a Ponzi scheme.
TORRES: Seems like a medium-security case.
Don't see any tie-in to your apartment.
See, no connection to Triff.
What was Louis' work detail? Uh, according to this, he worked the prison kitchen doing meal prep.
Must've done it well.
Worked his way up to inmate supervisor and Uh-oh.
Uh-oh? You see it, too? You go first.
You can tell him.
Wait, tell who? Tell me? Tell him what? Well, it seems Louis was so good at kitchen work that he was sent to other prisons to train inmates.
And last year he spent two months training inmates at Maryland Correctional.
Wait, isn't that where the Electric Carving Guy is locked up? GIBBS: Triff.
What was his work detail? Paul Triff.
Inmate at Maryland Correctional.
Kitchen detail.
Food prep.
So he and Louis had contact.
Maybe even buddies? QUINN: Either way, there's a connection.
Sorry, McGee.
Talk about one in a million.
Yeah, I don't really see how you can't tell Delilah now.
That's the least of it.
If this is tied to that triple homicide, suddenly living there feels a lot more dangerous.
(sighs) You nervous? Why? We deal with killers all the time.
Granted, this killer was living in my apartment.
Cooked in my kitchen, used my bathrooms.
Was in my closet.
Did you know that when they found him, he was completely soaked in blood from head to toe.
I mean, cops barely could tell that he was human.
They said he looked more like Satan.
Well, if you do ever tell Delilah, you should probably leave that out.
Well, I appreciate you having my back on, you know, all my omissions.
Every family has secrets.
No one's immune.
MAN: Opening three.
(lock buzzes) Well, hello.
I'm Paul.
We know.
(chuckles) (lock buzzes) We're from NCIS.
I'm Special Agent McGee, this is Special Agent Quinn.
NCIS? Is that, uh, Navy, Marines? McGEE: Usually, yeah, but we're here to talk to you today about Louis Cole.
Louis.
Oh.
Kitchen Louis.
Hmm? Man could make chipped beef taste like prime rib.
Hmm? What is he, still doing easy time over in Haynesville? He's dead.
Oh.
Well, don't look at me.
(laughs) I'm sorry.
Been here too long.
That's terrible.
So what happened? (clears throat) He broke into your old apartment yesterday.
He was looking for something specific.
And I the current occupant shot him.
Wait, wait, no, I'm sorry.
You? The current occupant? That's right, me.
(laughs) Oh, well well, how 'bout that? Huh? My old apartment.
Hey, are my bookshelves still there? I put those in myself.
You know, I'm quite handy.
QUINN: Handy? That's a great word for it.
Yeah.
Crown moldings, all the little details, that's all me.
Yeah.
It's a great neighborhood, too.
I would still be living there if not for that crazy night.
That crazy night you carved up all your friends in my living room? Beaver.
Excuse me? You'd look great in beaver.
You know, I had a beaver bomber jacket on my old showroom floor.
Huh? You'd love it.
And you.
Oh, my.
Wow.
A beauty like you, you deserve chinchilla.
Well, m-maybe fox.
No thanks.
Fur is murder.
Oh, you bet it is.
Okay.
What tip did you give Louis? What could he have been looking for? Tip? How would I know? Listen, we talked about cooking, sports.
I mean, I certainly never let him know where I lived.
Well, he tore up the walls and floors for some reason.
No, not my hardwoods.
I put those in, too.
What did you put under them? Nothing.
Oh.
Mm mm nothing.
Okay, so you're saying that Louis came and burglarized your old apartment and you have no idea? It really is an amazing coincidence, I will give you that.
Rule 39.
Does that nice lady still live above us? The one with the yappy dog? Oh, that dog would make one good mitten, baby.
Ah.
It's almost like we're roommates, isn't it? ABBY: Metal, plastic Metal, wood, metal You got a lot of metal.
Paper clips mostly.
Pretty cool, Abb.
What's cool? This supercool x-ray scanner.
You wanted me to find a way to search McGee's apartment without tearing it up, and I found it.
Well, find some more, we can all pitch in.
Thank you.
Well, maybe not all of us.
I got through to Louis Cole's parole officer; he says he's staying at a halfway house for ex-cons in Fairfax.
Well, that's a perfect place to find friends.
Who maybe know what Louis was after.
Okay, Bishop, you're with me.
You two go to McGee's place.
Tell Quinn and McGee to meet you there.
Hey, excuse me.
Miss? Hang on.
Hands full.
(soda cans rattle) These guys go through a lot of soda.
What can I do for you? NCIS Special Agents Bishop and Gibbs.
A parolee, Louis Cole.
He staying here? Uh, yeah, room 214.
Though I haven't seen him around today.
He's not in any trouble, is he? Louis wasn't here very long.
I just can't believe he's gone.
What happened exactly? Did you know Louis well? (mutters) Hardly at all, but compared to some that we get here, he seemed like a pretty nice guy.
You know, he'd say good morning, stuff like that.
Hey, any idea who this is? Um, I couldn't tell you.
He might've had a daughter somewhere.
We have 32 residents.
Most of them have a long-lost somebody.
Did anyone here know Louis well? He have any friends? Not good ones, but y-you can ask around.
These guys mostly keep to themselves.
I try to make it a point not to get too involved, either.
So you're not a counselor? Me? No.
I-I just manage the office.
Though, believe me, every parolee that walks through here wants more out of me, if you know what I mean.
But I am done saving souls.
QUINN: Hey.
You guys still at it? Yeah, almost done.
How did it go with the psycho furrier? Oh, he's definitely psycho.
He's also a really bad liar.
Did he lie or did he omit? Oh, he did it all and we didn't buy a word.
There is no way he didn't tell Louis that something valuable was hidden here.
Well, we have scanned almost every inch of this place and it's nothing but pipes and wires.
TORRES: Yeah, the only place we haven't checked is, uh, underneath your bed.
My bed? Oh, uh, we can step out if there's something under there that you want to keep private.
Like a secret, maybe? So I have to lift my bed to prove that I have nothing to hide? Yes.
Yes.
Yeah.
Okay, let's do it.
(both grunting) No secrets, huh? Comic books? Aw, there's nothing to be ashamed of with comic books.
McGEE: And those are Delilah's.
You guys are the perfect couple.
Wh-What's in the box? Oh, uh ABBY: Is that your dad's ashes? Yeah, how'd you know? 'Cause I went with you to pick them up.
Yeah, he wanted 'em scattered at Monterey, we just we haven't quite gotten around to getting out there yet, you know? So you store him under your bed? Well, it's as safe a place as any.
Delilah's okay with, uh, sleeping and doing other things above your father's ashes? You're assuming she knows.
She knows.
And she's fine with it, okay? Besides, it's-it's not my actual father, it's his ashes.
And they're not directly under us.
Well, something definitely is.
And it's not pipes and wires.
And it's big.
It's a treasure.
I knew it.
It's a treasure chest! - Only one way to find out.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Uh, let me do that, let me do that.
Come on.
Okay.
No, McGee, let me do it.
(grunts) Well, moment of truth.
- All right, let me record this.
- Oh, just do it.
Oh.
Is that what I think it is? Suddenly your dad's ashes doesn't seem so bad.
ABBY: McGee, are you okay? Say something, McGee.
(phone rings) (hoarse): I'm gonna let that go to voice mail.
Now this is indeed one for the books.
Yeah.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing is believing.
Apparently the body's proximity to these ventilation ducts beneath the floor provided the ideal conditions for mummification.
He's wearing a St.
Christopher medal.
The patron saint of traveling? How's that for irony? Any guess on how long he's been under there? Well, that's very hard, Jethro.
(phone ringing) But we'll know that and more when we get him back.
McGEE: No, everything's good, Dee.
Everything's good.
Just, uh, been busy, you know, with work.
(mouths) Lot of work lately.
Um, actually, you know, I've been so busy that if you want to take a few days to, you know, just go and explore, relax a little bit, absolutely, now would be a great time for that.
What are you doing? Delilah shouldn't know.
What? They've been sleeping on a grave.
Yeah, and not just sleeping, that part we got.
But what happened to âYou can't be lying, broâ? Well, this he can lie about.
Hypocrisy much? No, it's not hypocrisy.
This is different.
That is so not different.
Yes, it is different.
He knew about a triple homicide before he moved in.
This, he didn't know about.
And now that he knows, why shouldn't Delilah know? No Nobody should know.
I wish I didn't know.
What about you, Mrs.
Secrets and Lies? Me? What about me? I have stayed the same through this whole thing.
If it was me, I wouldn't want to know anything.
You didn't tell her, right? No.
You okay? This is really happening, right? There's a dead body in-in my bedroom? Afraid so.
Okay, thanks, just checking.
(horn blows, birds squawk) Morning, Duck.
Is it morning already? (short chuckle) How time flies when one has a bio-anthropological phenomenon on one's table.
Yeah? I thought it was just an old dead guy.
Well, he's not old, Jethro.
I'd put him in his 40s.
Dr.
Palmer is pursuing identification from a rehydrated finger.
You got a cause of death? It's either this blunt force injury to the parietal bone or a severed carotid artery.
The killer, whom we all assume is this madman Triff, was, well, quite thorough.
No ballpark on how long ago he was killed? Well, mummification makes that quite tricky.
But, if I must, I'd ballpark it between ten and 15 years ago.
Nice ballparking, Doctor.
It's 15 years, to be exact.
How do you know that? 'Cause that's when he disappeared.
ID just came back as Logan Pruitt, first reported missing in 2002.
Pruitt.
That crooked lobbyist guy? Yes, I seem to recall that name.
JIMMY: W-What is this here, Doctor? Something in his stomach.
Ah, something indeed.
Desiccated skin is very resilient.
(grunts) Is that a key? Badly corroded.
He must have swallowed it before he died.
Ow.
Who would swallow a key? Go.
Get it to Abby.
VANCE: Logan Pruitt.
One of the most notorious fugitives since D.
B.
Cooper, and we found him? Found him under my bed.
I cannot imagine that experience, Agent McGee, but there's no telling where this discovery might lead.
I'm sorry.
I may have been out of the country for too long, but am I the only one who doesn't know who this Logan Pruitt is? I'll gonna leave the rest of you to fill him in.
Gibbs? Keep me filled in, too.
I've got a lunch meeting.
Pruitt was a high- powered lobbyist for South African exports and a major player on Capitol Hill.
QUINN: That was until the Pretoria Heist.
Oh, that I'd heard of.
Millions in African diamonds stolen from a cargo plane in Dulles.
BISHOP: Chartered the plane, which made him an instant suspect, but the FBI could never prove it.
QUINN: When he disappeared two months later, everyone just assumed that he, he just left the country with all the loot.
But now we know he was McGEE: That he was under my bed.
You gonna be okay over there, McGee? Yeah, working on it.
Yeah, work faster.
I need you focused.
Okay.
I am.
I'm done.
Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs.
Okay, first of all, how crazy that Logan Pruitt was underneath McGee's bed? Abby, you trace the key? I'm getting there.
The, uh, serial number was burned off by the stomach acid.
But this bigger number here is quite clear.
Two-zero-three.
Could be a safe or a locker.
Safety deposit box? Could be.
I mean, it's the right size.
Are we suddenly on the trail of the Pretoria diamonds? You see? A buried treasure.
I knew it.
Come on, McGee.
Let's go find 'em.
FLEMMING: Good news? VANCE: Mm.
That's amazing.
If your agency solves the Pretoria Heist, you're a made man.
Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
I remember Pruitt trolling the halls of Congress my first year on the Hill.
He definitely gave off a slippery vibe.
MAN: How are you, Jenna? Hello, Pete.
Congressman Peter Shaw, uh, NCIS Director Leon Vance.
Congressman, it's a pleasure.
Pete, please.
Rock stars like you get to skip all the formalities.
Jenna has nothing but high praise, Leon.
Is it true you're considering joining our humble ranks? Considering might be a little strong.
Um, pondering might be a little more accurate.
Parsing words like a born public servant.
You might be a natural.
Uh, hey, Pete, did you ever happen to cross paths with Logan Pruitt? Yeesh.
There's a blast from the past.
And not a good one.
Why do you ask? Uh, we were just marveling that no one ever caught him, did they? Well, whatever tropical island he bought with his riches, let's hope it has an active volcano.
(laughter) Let's do lunch sometime, Leon.
I'll see you around campus.
Pete, it's a pleasure to meet you.
Scared me there.
Thought you were about to spill the beans.
You know I'd never.
But when the Pruitt news gets out, the media's gonna be all over it.
And you.
(lock buzzes) Bummer.
I shaved and everything.
Huh? (scoffs) Where's Chinchilla? She was delicious.
Found your buddy, Pruitt.
Ooh.
You must be the big gun, huh? Yeah.
Silver fox, little bit too obvious.
I'd put you in mid-length coyote.
You buried him under my floor.
No, why would I do that? You tell us.
Well, I'm sorry.
I'm going to at least need to know that you have some kind of a theory.
How's this? Pruitt knew about your bogus furrier business and needed a partner to intercept a shipment.
You sent three goons to steal the diamonds, deliver them to Pruitt for safekeeping.
(chuckles) Well, I wish I had popcorn.
You guys are good.
Then you killed Pruitt, but the only reason we can think of is a liar like you had no intention of honoring their partnership to begin with.
That's not true.
Let me tell you something.
I'm a lot of things, but I am no liar.
The plan was to sit on the diamonds for a few years, until the heat died down, and it was Pruitt that didn't honor that.
I mean, you know, he bought himself a condo.
I mean, started picking up the tab for senators like he's Sinatra.
So you wanted to meet at your place and demanded a key to the safe deposit box.
Son of a bitch swallowed it right in front of me.
I mean, he actually used the words, âOver my dead body.
â How could I not oblige him? So you couldn't have cut the key out of him like you cut up the other three? This was weeks before all of that.
All right? I was just making it up as I went along.
All I knew was that I had a key that I needed to hide for a few years.
I had a body that I needed to dispose of, and my floors were almost finished.
Hmm? What would you do? Maybe not kill anyone to begin with? What about the other three? By the time they came looking for the money, the floors were down.
And they were beautiful, right? So you broke out the electric carving knife instead.
I mean, I tried to put down plastic, but blood, it just really gets around.
So all these years later, you decide to tell Louis about it? Well, I'm not going anywhere, he's a nice guy.
Yeah.
I figured I'd throw him a bone if he ever wanted to go look for it.
Couldn't have been more specific? Tell him exactly where the key is, maybe spare my floors? No, what fun would that be? Look, it's your key now.
So, where do the diamonds go from here, huh? Auctioned off to the highest bidder? Oh.
(laughing): Oh, my! You don't know where they are, do you? Well, yeah, 'cause otherwise, why would you be here? We'll find them.
Or I could expedite that process.
In exchange for, hmm, some considerations.
No.
No, we do not make deals.
Listen.
I know I'm not leaving.
But would a bigger cell be too much to ask for? A corner one with a view.
Think about it, you get to crack the big diamond heist.
Solve the mystery.
I'll happily confess, hmm? I mean, what's another life term? Right? You could be heroes.
For nothing more than a room with a view.
Boss, he's got a good point.
Keep walking, McGee.
PAMELA: Congresswoman Flemming to see you, Director.
Send her in.
Before the storm arrives, Gibbs, I just want to say I didn't know how exhausting politics could be.
You're not even running yet.
Yet? Don't you start on me.
Why not? I'd vote for you.
Why, Gibbs, that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me.
Oh, good.
Gibbs, you're here.
Yes, I work here.
And you're crazy both of you.
Jenna.
All due respect, I understand your policy against cutting deals, but honestly, who cares what the inside of Triff's cell looks like? He killed four people.
For which he's in prison.
From which he can now help you solve the Pretoria diamond heist.
And we may have to resort to that, but first I would rather give my agents a fair shot.
GIBBS: We're still combing through evidence.
(phone rings) Abby's got it right now, in fact That's her.
Yeah, Abbs.
Got something for you, Gibbs.
On my way.
I don't mean to overstep.
Again.
I'm just excited for all of you.
Tell him.
We're all on the same team.
(door closes) Jenna, what the hell was that? You have to remember, we're not politicians here.
We don't dance with the devil.
We put devils away or we put 'em down.
(scoffs) You think I dance with the devil? What? You think you don't? You can let the Kai Chens of the world operate as long as it serves your greater good; we cannot.
Our greater good helps a lot of people.
Of course it does and so do you, but just not the way we do.
It's nothing personal.
It's nothing personal? It's not.
Uh-huh.
I'm between meetings.
Armed Services Committee.
Jenna I got to go.
Uh, believe me, I would put Triff in a four-star hotel if I thought it would make all our problems go away.
But then he'd just ask for a five-star.
I get it.
(door closes) Talk to me.
Well, nothing on the key yet, Gibbs, but Abby may have something better.
It's from Louis Cole's T-shirt, or rather, something that was inside his T-shirt.
A hair follicle that is clearly not his own.
Whose own is it? Well, DNA takes time.
Is that purple? It's purple hair dye, yeah.
Purple hair.
I was afraid to say anything.
I didn't want to get in trouble.
You're not in trouble, Margo.
Louis was sweet.
He just wanted a fresh start, same as me.
Away from prisons and halfway houses.
Reunite with his daughter.
Maybe open a little restaurant out west somewhere.
Start a family of our own.
BISHOP: But That would take money.
That's all we wanted.
I didn't know Louis even had a gun.
Is the guy who lived there okay? Yeah.
He's fine.
That key was gonna make everything better for us.
If there even was a key.
There was.
We have it.
You do? Uh mm, were the diamonds where Louis' friend said they'd be? And where was that? You mean you don't know? Margo, look at me.
There's no deal to be had here.
You won't need one.
You want to make it better? Just tell us.
Delaware.
He said some tiny bank in Delaware.
Um, Selbyville, maybe? (sighing): Thanks.
Wait, let me record this.
Well, just remember, Al Capone's vault had a whole lot of nothing inside.
Okay.
(laughs) That is not nothing.
(laughs) Hmm.
So, no window, hmm? I'm afraid not.
Well, can I at least keep this? Sure.
And was there something else or did you just come here to gloat? I want to know if there are any, uh, additional surprises I should be expecting.
Any more occupants in the apartment? Well, if you expect them, they won't be surprises, now, will they? But if you must know what's it worth to you? I should've known better.
Enjoy your third life sentence.
Hey.
You're good.
MAN: Open door three.
(lock buzzes) No more surprises.
Maybe.
(chuckling) (lock buzzes) NEWSMAN: And a major break in two high-profile cases today as a spokesman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, known as NCIS, reports the recovery of (scoffs) So, has Hollywood called yet for the movie rights? (chuckles) No, not yet.
I'm not selling mine unless Denzel Washington plays me.
How's that for raising my profile? Forget your profile.
I'm done pushing you.
Hey, Jenna.
What you do so well, I'm just not sure that I would be very good at it.
Yeah.
Too honest.
No, no, I never, I never said that.
You said I danced with the devil.
That had nothing to do with honesty.
- And that it's nothing personal? - It wasn't.
But it is to me.
It is.
It is personal.
It's who I am.
It's what I do and I love it.
I make no apologies.
Nor should you.
I think the world of you, Lee but But what? I don't know.
(sighs) Well, for a couple of professional problem solvers, we're not very good at this.
(both laugh) It's time for me to take a step back.
Okay.
(whispering): I'm sorry.
Yeah, me, too.
I don't know, I still think, uh, McGee shouldn't tell her.
Well, this is gonna make that a lot harder.
BISHOP: I have to say, Nick, for someone who's lied for a living, you sure have a lot of opinions about lying.
Lying undercover is nothing like real life.
Okay? For one thing, actual lives are at stake.
Well, sometimes in real life, too.
TORRES: Oh, like, uh like with your family, Alex? Like all that necessary evil stuff? Hmm? What are you not telling us? Just keep it moving, sister, nothing to see here.
What is it Mark Twain said? âIf you always tell the truth, you never have to remember anythingâ? Mark Twain never found a body under his bed.
Hey, how'd it go with Triff? Uh it, uh, it went well.
I got what I needed, sort of.
Well, we were just saying how you made the right call by not telling Delilah.
No, we weren't.
I told her.
What? When? Just now, on the way back.
Kind of had to with the news and everything.
Whoa, you told, you told her everything? The body and the triple homicides? Everything except the part about me knowing about the triple homicide beforehand.
I'm not crazy.
I'm counting on each one of you to keep that secret for me.
It dies with me, homie.
Me, too.
Whatever.
Hey, so, uh how'd she take it? Surprisingly well.
Well, there's gonna be, I think, a lot of disinfecting and sage-ing in the next couple months.
(Quinn chuckles) (door unlocks and opens) (dog barking in distance) Hello? Who's there? Someone there? McGee.
Hey, boss.
You gonna help me fix your floors or what?
What the hell? (gun cocks) Someone there? What are you doing in here? (gunshot) (grunts) Come out with your hands up.
(groans) FEMALE NEIGHBOR: I'm calling 911! Anyone else? (McGee groaning) (dog barking in distance) Ow.
Oh, God.
(line rings) GIBBS: Yeah, McGee.
McGee, you there? McGee? I'm here, boss.
I'm here.
NCIS 14x17 What Lies Above (sighs): Naturally, they all claim to fully support the bill, but this makes three times now that they've postponed a vote on it.
Wow.
Duplicitous backstabbers on Capitol Hill.
Who'd have thunk it? You've got plenty of it in your world, too, Lee.
You have the experience.
Hey, you want to go to a Wizards game with me next week? I can get us really good seats.
Are you changing the subject? Mm-hmm.
I'm sorry, it's just my aversion to talking politics over dinner.
Makes everything so very hard to swallow.
We're not talking politics.
I'm talking you.
Since NCIS got rid of Kai Chen, your public profile's never been higher.
I have a public profile? Yes, you do.
You're handsome, brilliant, charismatic.
And to have a fighter like you at our side, swimming with the sharks.
You know, I think I fare much better on dry land.
Come on, Lee.
Okay.
I get it.
I get it.
And I'd Yeah, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't tempted.
Can you see it? You take a seat in Congress, and your buddy Gibbs gets a seat in the director's chair.
(chuckles) So you're planning his future, too? (phone ringing) Oh.
Speak of the devil.
Oh.
Yeah, Gibbs.
McGee was just attacked by two armed assailants.
He what? In his apartment.
Is McGee all right? Agent McGee? Yes, I will do that, Leon.
Just keeping you in the loop.
Call you later.
Ducky and Jimmy are on their way.
McGee.
There were two of them? Yeah.
One of them got away, but I grazed him.
Check local hospitals for recent gunshot wounds.
TORRES: No wallet.
But a print scanner IDs him as Louis Cole, a recent parolee.
No stolen goods on him.
I wonder what the other guy made out with.
I don't even care.
I'm just happy that Delilah was in Dubai on assignment.
I mean, if she would've walked in on these guys, would've been a lot worse.
You haven't called her yet? No.
It's too early there.
Plus, uh, I'm not really looking forward to telling her anyway.
Yeah, but she'll want to know you're okay.
That'll help, but it's not gonna make her happy.
I mean, it's bad enough this place is trashed.
It's gonna take a lot of sage burning to make that okay.
TORRES: Oh, she won't mind too much, right? I'm sure she'll get over it real quick.
I mean, it's not like it's the first dead body this apartment has seen.
Wait, what? GIBBS: McGee.
You know what they were looking for? Uh, no, boss, I'll call Tony.
Maybe he has some ideas.
QUINN: Wait.
Wait.
Hold up.
Go back.
What do you mean, it's not the first dead body? Wait, you didn't know that? Triple homicide.
It's how Tony got the place so cheap.
What? A triple homicide here? It was a long time ago.
Before Tony, the previous owner killed three people.
It was apparently pretty messy.
TORRES: Pretty messy? Didn't the guy use an electric carving knife to dismember the bodies? Right, guys, can we not? Oh, I could never live here knowing that.
Yeah, I had the same reservations when I was in the running.
More like the heebie-jeebies.
How did Delilah feel about it? Actually, I haven't told her yet.
What? You never told Delilah? Well, I was going to tell her, but, you know, we moved in, and what she doesn't know Dude, that's messed up.
Come on.
It was 15 years ago.
There's got to be an expiration date on the creepy factor.
Besides, it's not like the place is haunted.
Hmm, maybe cursed.
It's not cursed.
I'm counting on each of you to please help me keep my secret from Delilah.
You want us to lie for you? We can't lie to her, McGee.
No, it's not a lie, it's-it's more of a It's like an omission.
That's the word for it, âomission.
â It's like if Delilah were to say, âMcGee, âhas there ever been a triple homicide in this apartmentâ" and you said no, that would be a lie.
That's right, and she's never asked me that.
Why the hell would she ask that? BISHOP: Yeah, I got to say, Alex, I'm a little surprised you seem okay with this.
What? I'm-I'm not okay with any of it, but sometimes secrets are a necessary evil.
Especially when dealing with family.
You have secrets in your family? I'll take that as a yes.
Well, I'm in too deep already, so please just don't say anything to anyone.
In fact, forget that anything even happened.
This triple homicide Ah, this is great.
we find out more, see if there's a connection.
Boss, I-I can't imagine there's a connection.
I mean, it's so many years between incidents.
Wait, Rosebud.
Rosebud? Yeah, Rosebud is Delilah's private hard drive.
It's got every photo and document on it from when she was a kid, up until now.
It's named after the sled in Citizen Kane.
It's her diary, it's her everything.
And it's gone.
There anything else on that, like DoD files? I can't imagine, boss, but maybe.
(phone ringing) It's her.
What's she doing up so early? QUINN: Women have a sixth sense about this stuff.
Ask her what was in there.
Boss, if I ask her about the missing hard drive, she's gonna know everything.
Tell her everything, Tim.
I won't tell her everything, I'll talk to her about it tonight.
(phone continues ringing) Or you could not answer her call.
No, no, answer it.
Time to come clean, McGee.
Hey, sweetheart.
Early morning for you, huh? Yeah.
Oh, uh, I miss you, too.
Um, me? Um, not much.
(whispering): Uh not much? No, uh No, pretty quiet, actually, yeah.
No, no, no, everything's good-- a nice and, uh, quiet evening at home.
Oh, I was hoping you'd beat me here.
Well, Gibbs wanted more details on the triple homicide at McGee's place, and I just found a bunch.
I was hoping you'd say that, too.
So, according to this old case file, âPolice responded to a call âabout shots fired and found the apartment's owner, âa licensed furrier named Paul Triff, âdismembering the bodies âof three known felons with an electric carving knifeâ" Ugh.
Well, âTriff pleaded self-defense âfollowing a home invasion, âbut the jury sentenced him to three life terms at Maryland Correctional.
â How bizarre is that? What I don't get is, who's a licensed furrier anymore, anyway? Was that still a thing 15 years ago? Well, and why dismember the bodies if he acted in self-defense? I mean, that's got to be the worst defense angle ever.
There's got be some kind of symmetry to all this, right? A home invasion, known felons, shot in the apartment.
No, no symmetry at all.
I studied the case myself.
Triff's furrier business was a front for a smuggling ring.
The three home invaders worked as furriers, presumably as smugglers.
So why the dismembering? Well, he was sneaking out, uh, body parts in plastic bags, but, uh, that bears no resemblance to last night.
TORRES: Yo.
How much you tell Delilah? (scoffs) Delilah was so freaked out by the break-in itself, I had to leave out the part about killing a guy.
Another lie? It's not a lie, Nick, it's an omission.
Oh, right, right, it's, uh, âfamily.
â Yeah, and it's Delilah.
I mean, she was gonna fly home as is.
I had to, you know, cover, so I convinced her to stay longer.
Hopefully long enough to where I can get the walls and the floors fixed.
You didn't tell her that either? Again, why would I pile on the bad news? Yeah, so no reason to tell her about a triple homicide? No, no, Torres, that's a secret, we can't do that, all right? We just need to find this hard drive.
Rosebud-- is that what they were after? Think so, boss.
Called Tony, he had no other ideas.
Okay, what do we know? Update.
All right.
Our dead burglar, Louis Cole, 37, was paroled two months ago from Haynesville Correctional Center after serving three years for transporting narcotics.
QUINN: Drug offenses, a few assaults, but no burglaries on his rap sheet.
First time for everything.
TORRES: We collected evidence.
Found a crowbar in the bedroom.
Abby's running it for prints now.
Boss, we got to find these guys.
Beyond sentimental value, Delilah's whole life is on that hard drive.
If she finds out it's missing TORRES: What? You didn't tell her about Rosebud? Why would I if there's still a chance I could get it back? Yet another lie.
Not a lie-- omission.
Yeah, Duck, I'm on my way.
To me, honesty is all about the three yous.
âThe three yous,â Doctor? Yeah, well, there's the you that the world knows, there's the you that your friends and family know, and there's the you that only you know.
And that you most certainly has secrets.
Ah, but is the secret the same as a lie? Oh, great, you know, too? Oh, sorry, McGee, yeah, I overheard the others at the crime scene talking about it when we went to go pick up the body.
Now, I know it's not my place to offer up my opinion, but You're going to anyway.
I just feel like a triple homicide is something that I'd have to tell Breena about before we moved in.
But you're not moving in.
And you are not gonna tell Delilah.
JIMMY: What? No, no, no, of course not.
I wouldn't dream of it.
Ducky, what we got? DUCKY: I thought you'd never ask, Jethro.
(chuckles) And, Timothy, your intruder died from a single well-placed bullet to the heart.
I was just firing back, Ducky.
It was a lucky shot at best.
And at worst, that apartment of yours is decidedly unlucky.
- Hi, Abbs.
- McGee.
Ugh.
I'm so glad you're okay.
Tony never should've bought that place, no matter how cheap it was.
Look, it's not unlucky, it's two incidents 15 years apart.
Incidents? You call those incidents? The shootings and the dismemberments? GIBBS: Abby, what do you got? I thought he'd never ask.
ABBY: I got a positive match off the fingerprint on the crowbar.
It belongs to a Walter Shibberd.
He has got multiple burglaries on his rap sheet, and I sent you his cell phone number in case you want to ping it.
Good work.
You're the best, Abbs.
Oh, McGee? It's too late to tell Delilah about the apartment.
If it were me, I would not want to know.
Okay.
(chuckles) According to this, we should be right on top of him.
Hey, Walter.
Seems like you got a boo-boo there.
McGEE: I know it was dark, but I'm pretty sure we met last night.
He's running, he's running.
Ooh, I was hoping you did that.
(grunts) Ooh, make that two boo-boos.
All right, let's see what we got.
.
22-caliber semiauto.
(chuckles) My Lincoln penny collection.
Ah.
Rosebud? I'd never been shot before.
I was afraid to go to the E.
R.
I hear that's where you guys always look.
What made you want this? What do you mean? It was there.
I was gonna sell it, like everything else.
I'm a B and E man.
I'm a I'm a hired hand.
That's all.
Working for who? This guy Louis.
I met him at a bar last week.
Said if I broke him into the apartment, he'd pay me 500 bucks, plus anything else I wanted to keep.
This guy Louis, what was he looking for? I don't know.
He said he'd know it when he saw it.
It had something to do with a hot tip he got from a buddy in the joint.
Whatever that tip was, this fellow Louis thought it was worth tearing up McGee's entire apartment to find it.
But we don't have to tear it up, do we? 'Cause McGee will not like that.
Okay.
Then find a way to search his apartment without destroying it.
I can do that.
(phone ringing) Congresswoman Flemming.
Hello, handsome.
I'm just calling to see how McGee is doing.
He's doing very well.
Caught the other burglar and he's recovering stolen property as we speak.
So how's your lovely day? Ma'am.
That is wonderful news.
Please give Agent McGee my regards.
I take it you're no longer alone.
That is very true.
Um, on another note, about our lunch meeting tomorrow, I was hoping to change venues.
Oh, sure.
For a minute there, I thought you were gonna cancel on me.
You know Dasher's? Yes, I know it well.
I also know it's a favorite of the power lunch crowd, eager to see and be seen.
Nothing wrong with that, is there? For an up-and-comer like me? Well, that's the spirit.
Plus, it's closer to my office.
I've got a packed day tomorrow.
I really do appreciate it, Director.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
What can we do? Well, hop on board.
We're all combing the same database.
Checking inmate profiles for any of Louis' prison buddies.
BISHOP: And any possible links between Louis and your Electric Carving Knife Man.
He's not my anything, and there is no link, okay? Chances are one in a million.
QUINN: Ooh, I found Louis' cellmate.
Okay, put it up.
All right, his name is Joe Berk, 53, serving 15 years for running a Ponzi scheme.
TORRES: Seems like a medium-security case.
Don't see any tie-in to your apartment.
See, no connection to Triff.
What was Louis' work detail? Uh, according to this, he worked the prison kitchen doing meal prep.
Must've done it well.
Worked his way up to inmate supervisor and Uh-oh.
Uh-oh? You see it, too? You go first.
You can tell him.
Wait, tell who? Tell me? Tell him what? Well, it seems Louis was so good at kitchen work that he was sent to other prisons to train inmates.
And last year he spent two months training inmates at Maryland Correctional.
Wait, isn't that where the Electric Carving Guy is locked up? GIBBS: Triff.
What was his work detail? Paul Triff.
Inmate at Maryland Correctional.
Kitchen detail.
Food prep.
So he and Louis had contact.
Maybe even buddies? QUINN: Either way, there's a connection.
Sorry, McGee.
Talk about one in a million.
Yeah, I don't really see how you can't tell Delilah now.
That's the least of it.
If this is tied to that triple homicide, suddenly living there feels a lot more dangerous.
(sighs) You nervous? Why? We deal with killers all the time.
Granted, this killer was living in my apartment.
Cooked in my kitchen, used my bathrooms.
Was in my closet.
Did you know that when they found him, he was completely soaked in blood from head to toe.
I mean, cops barely could tell that he was human.
They said he looked more like Satan.
Well, if you do ever tell Delilah, you should probably leave that out.
Well, I appreciate you having my back on, you know, all my omissions.
Every family has secrets.
No one's immune.
MAN: Opening three.
(lock buzzes) Well, hello.
I'm Paul.
We know.
(chuckles) (lock buzzes) We're from NCIS.
I'm Special Agent McGee, this is Special Agent Quinn.
NCIS? Is that, uh, Navy, Marines? McGEE: Usually, yeah, but we're here to talk to you today about Louis Cole.
Louis.
Oh.
Kitchen Louis.
Hmm? Man could make chipped beef taste like prime rib.
Hmm? What is he, still doing easy time over in Haynesville? He's dead.
Oh.
Well, don't look at me.
(laughs) I'm sorry.
Been here too long.
That's terrible.
So what happened? (clears throat) He broke into your old apartment yesterday.
He was looking for something specific.
And I the current occupant shot him.
Wait, wait, no, I'm sorry.
You? The current occupant? That's right, me.
(laughs) Oh, well well, how 'bout that? Huh? My old apartment.
Hey, are my bookshelves still there? I put those in myself.
You know, I'm quite handy.
QUINN: Handy? That's a great word for it.
Yeah.
Crown moldings, all the little details, that's all me.
Yeah.
It's a great neighborhood, too.
I would still be living there if not for that crazy night.
That crazy night you carved up all your friends in my living room? Beaver.
Excuse me? You'd look great in beaver.
You know, I had a beaver bomber jacket on my old showroom floor.
Huh? You'd love it.
And you.
Oh, my.
Wow.
A beauty like you, you deserve chinchilla.
Well, m-maybe fox.
No thanks.
Fur is murder.
Oh, you bet it is.
Okay.
What tip did you give Louis? What could he have been looking for? Tip? How would I know? Listen, we talked about cooking, sports.
I mean, I certainly never let him know where I lived.
Well, he tore up the walls and floors for some reason.
No, not my hardwoods.
I put those in, too.
What did you put under them? Nothing.
Oh.
Mm mm nothing.
Okay, so you're saying that Louis came and burglarized your old apartment and you have no idea? It really is an amazing coincidence, I will give you that.
Rule 39.
Does that nice lady still live above us? The one with the yappy dog? Oh, that dog would make one good mitten, baby.
Ah.
It's almost like we're roommates, isn't it? ABBY: Metal, plastic Metal, wood, metal You got a lot of metal.
Paper clips mostly.
Pretty cool, Abb.
What's cool? This supercool x-ray scanner.
You wanted me to find a way to search McGee's apartment without tearing it up, and I found it.
Well, find some more, we can all pitch in.
Thank you.
Well, maybe not all of us.
I got through to Louis Cole's parole officer; he says he's staying at a halfway house for ex-cons in Fairfax.
Well, that's a perfect place to find friends.
Who maybe know what Louis was after.
Okay, Bishop, you're with me.
You two go to McGee's place.
Tell Quinn and McGee to meet you there.
Hey, excuse me.
Miss? Hang on.
Hands full.
(soda cans rattle) These guys go through a lot of soda.
What can I do for you? NCIS Special Agents Bishop and Gibbs.
A parolee, Louis Cole.
He staying here? Uh, yeah, room 214.
Though I haven't seen him around today.
He's not in any trouble, is he? Louis wasn't here very long.
I just can't believe he's gone.
What happened exactly? Did you know Louis well? (mutters) Hardly at all, but compared to some that we get here, he seemed like a pretty nice guy.
You know, he'd say good morning, stuff like that.
Hey, any idea who this is? Um, I couldn't tell you.
He might've had a daughter somewhere.
We have 32 residents.
Most of them have a long-lost somebody.
Did anyone here know Louis well? He have any friends? Not good ones, but y-you can ask around.
These guys mostly keep to themselves.
I try to make it a point not to get too involved, either.
So you're not a counselor? Me? No.
I-I just manage the office.
Though, believe me, every parolee that walks through here wants more out of me, if you know what I mean.
But I am done saving souls.
QUINN: Hey.
You guys still at it? Yeah, almost done.
How did it go with the psycho furrier? Oh, he's definitely psycho.
He's also a really bad liar.
Did he lie or did he omit? Oh, he did it all and we didn't buy a word.
There is no way he didn't tell Louis that something valuable was hidden here.
Well, we have scanned almost every inch of this place and it's nothing but pipes and wires.
TORRES: Yeah, the only place we haven't checked is, uh, underneath your bed.
My bed? Oh, uh, we can step out if there's something under there that you want to keep private.
Like a secret, maybe? So I have to lift my bed to prove that I have nothing to hide? Yes.
Yes.
Yeah.
Okay, let's do it.
(both grunting) No secrets, huh? Comic books? Aw, there's nothing to be ashamed of with comic books.
McGEE: And those are Delilah's.
You guys are the perfect couple.
Wh-What's in the box? Oh, uh ABBY: Is that your dad's ashes? Yeah, how'd you know? 'Cause I went with you to pick them up.
Yeah, he wanted 'em scattered at Monterey, we just we haven't quite gotten around to getting out there yet, you know? So you store him under your bed? Well, it's as safe a place as any.
Delilah's okay with, uh, sleeping and doing other things above your father's ashes? You're assuming she knows.
She knows.
And she's fine with it, okay? Besides, it's-it's not my actual father, it's his ashes.
And they're not directly under us.
Well, something definitely is.
And it's not pipes and wires.
And it's big.
It's a treasure.
I knew it.
It's a treasure chest! - Only one way to find out.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Uh, let me do that, let me do that.
Come on.
Okay.
No, McGee, let me do it.
(grunts) Well, moment of truth.
- All right, let me record this.
- Oh, just do it.
Oh.
Is that what I think it is? Suddenly your dad's ashes doesn't seem so bad.
ABBY: McGee, are you okay? Say something, McGee.
(phone rings) (hoarse): I'm gonna let that go to voice mail.
Now this is indeed one for the books.
Yeah.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing is believing.
Apparently the body's proximity to these ventilation ducts beneath the floor provided the ideal conditions for mummification.
He's wearing a St.
Christopher medal.
The patron saint of traveling? How's that for irony? Any guess on how long he's been under there? Well, that's very hard, Jethro.
(phone ringing) But we'll know that and more when we get him back.
McGEE: No, everything's good, Dee.
Everything's good.
Just, uh, been busy, you know, with work.
(mouths) Lot of work lately.
Um, actually, you know, I've been so busy that if you want to take a few days to, you know, just go and explore, relax a little bit, absolutely, now would be a great time for that.
What are you doing? Delilah shouldn't know.
What? They've been sleeping on a grave.
Yeah, and not just sleeping, that part we got.
But what happened to âYou can't be lying, broâ? Well, this he can lie about.
Hypocrisy much? No, it's not hypocrisy.
This is different.
That is so not different.
Yes, it is different.
He knew about a triple homicide before he moved in.
This, he didn't know about.
And now that he knows, why shouldn't Delilah know? No Nobody should know.
I wish I didn't know.
What about you, Mrs.
Secrets and Lies? Me? What about me? I have stayed the same through this whole thing.
If it was me, I wouldn't want to know anything.
You didn't tell her, right? No.
You okay? This is really happening, right? There's a dead body in-in my bedroom? Afraid so.
Okay, thanks, just checking.
(horn blows, birds squawk) Morning, Duck.
Is it morning already? (short chuckle) How time flies when one has a bio-anthropological phenomenon on one's table.
Yeah? I thought it was just an old dead guy.
Well, he's not old, Jethro.
I'd put him in his 40s.
Dr.
Palmer is pursuing identification from a rehydrated finger.
You got a cause of death? It's either this blunt force injury to the parietal bone or a severed carotid artery.
The killer, whom we all assume is this madman Triff, was, well, quite thorough.
No ballpark on how long ago he was killed? Well, mummification makes that quite tricky.
But, if I must, I'd ballpark it between ten and 15 years ago.
Nice ballparking, Doctor.
It's 15 years, to be exact.
How do you know that? 'Cause that's when he disappeared.
ID just came back as Logan Pruitt, first reported missing in 2002.
Pruitt.
That crooked lobbyist guy? Yes, I seem to recall that name.
JIMMY: W-What is this here, Doctor? Something in his stomach.
Ah, something indeed.
Desiccated skin is very resilient.
(grunts) Is that a key? Badly corroded.
He must have swallowed it before he died.
Ow.
Who would swallow a key? Go.
Get it to Abby.
VANCE: Logan Pruitt.
One of the most notorious fugitives since D.
B.
Cooper, and we found him? Found him under my bed.
I cannot imagine that experience, Agent McGee, but there's no telling where this discovery might lead.
I'm sorry.
I may have been out of the country for too long, but am I the only one who doesn't know who this Logan Pruitt is? I'll gonna leave the rest of you to fill him in.
Gibbs? Keep me filled in, too.
I've got a lunch meeting.
Pruitt was a high- powered lobbyist for South African exports and a major player on Capitol Hill.
QUINN: That was until the Pretoria Heist.
Oh, that I'd heard of.
Millions in African diamonds stolen from a cargo plane in Dulles.
BISHOP: Chartered the plane, which made him an instant suspect, but the FBI could never prove it.
QUINN: When he disappeared two months later, everyone just assumed that he, he just left the country with all the loot.
But now we know he was McGEE: That he was under my bed.
You gonna be okay over there, McGee? Yeah, working on it.
Yeah, work faster.
I need you focused.
Okay.
I am.
I'm done.
Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs.
Okay, first of all, how crazy that Logan Pruitt was underneath McGee's bed? Abby, you trace the key? I'm getting there.
The, uh, serial number was burned off by the stomach acid.
But this bigger number here is quite clear.
Two-zero-three.
Could be a safe or a locker.
Safety deposit box? Could be.
I mean, it's the right size.
Are we suddenly on the trail of the Pretoria diamonds? You see? A buried treasure.
I knew it.
Come on, McGee.
Let's go find 'em.
FLEMMING: Good news? VANCE: Mm.
That's amazing.
If your agency solves the Pretoria Heist, you're a made man.
Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
I remember Pruitt trolling the halls of Congress my first year on the Hill.
He definitely gave off a slippery vibe.
MAN: How are you, Jenna? Hello, Pete.
Congressman Peter Shaw, uh, NCIS Director Leon Vance.
Congressman, it's a pleasure.
Pete, please.
Rock stars like you get to skip all the formalities.
Jenna has nothing but high praise, Leon.
Is it true you're considering joining our humble ranks? Considering might be a little strong.
Um, pondering might be a little more accurate.
Parsing words like a born public servant.
You might be a natural.
Uh, hey, Pete, did you ever happen to cross paths with Logan Pruitt? Yeesh.
There's a blast from the past.
And not a good one.
Why do you ask? Uh, we were just marveling that no one ever caught him, did they? Well, whatever tropical island he bought with his riches, let's hope it has an active volcano.
(laughter) Let's do lunch sometime, Leon.
I'll see you around campus.
Pete, it's a pleasure to meet you.
Scared me there.
Thought you were about to spill the beans.
You know I'd never.
But when the Pruitt news gets out, the media's gonna be all over it.
And you.
(lock buzzes) Bummer.
I shaved and everything.
Huh? (scoffs) Where's Chinchilla? She was delicious.
Found your buddy, Pruitt.
Ooh.
You must be the big gun, huh? Yeah.
Silver fox, little bit too obvious.
I'd put you in mid-length coyote.
You buried him under my floor.
No, why would I do that? You tell us.
Well, I'm sorry.
I'm going to at least need to know that you have some kind of a theory.
How's this? Pruitt knew about your bogus furrier business and needed a partner to intercept a shipment.
You sent three goons to steal the diamonds, deliver them to Pruitt for safekeeping.
(chuckles) Well, I wish I had popcorn.
You guys are good.
Then you killed Pruitt, but the only reason we can think of is a liar like you had no intention of honoring their partnership to begin with.
That's not true.
Let me tell you something.
I'm a lot of things, but I am no liar.
The plan was to sit on the diamonds for a few years, until the heat died down, and it was Pruitt that didn't honor that.
I mean, you know, he bought himself a condo.
I mean, started picking up the tab for senators like he's Sinatra.
So you wanted to meet at your place and demanded a key to the safe deposit box.
Son of a bitch swallowed it right in front of me.
I mean, he actually used the words, âOver my dead body.
â How could I not oblige him? So you couldn't have cut the key out of him like you cut up the other three? This was weeks before all of that.
All right? I was just making it up as I went along.
All I knew was that I had a key that I needed to hide for a few years.
I had a body that I needed to dispose of, and my floors were almost finished.
Hmm? What would you do? Maybe not kill anyone to begin with? What about the other three? By the time they came looking for the money, the floors were down.
And they were beautiful, right? So you broke out the electric carving knife instead.
I mean, I tried to put down plastic, but blood, it just really gets around.
So all these years later, you decide to tell Louis about it? Well, I'm not going anywhere, he's a nice guy.
Yeah.
I figured I'd throw him a bone if he ever wanted to go look for it.
Couldn't have been more specific? Tell him exactly where the key is, maybe spare my floors? No, what fun would that be? Look, it's your key now.
So, where do the diamonds go from here, huh? Auctioned off to the highest bidder? Oh.
(laughing): Oh, my! You don't know where they are, do you? Well, yeah, 'cause otherwise, why would you be here? We'll find them.
Or I could expedite that process.
In exchange for, hmm, some considerations.
No.
No, we do not make deals.
Listen.
I know I'm not leaving.
But would a bigger cell be too much to ask for? A corner one with a view.
Think about it, you get to crack the big diamond heist.
Solve the mystery.
I'll happily confess, hmm? I mean, what's another life term? Right? You could be heroes.
For nothing more than a room with a view.
Boss, he's got a good point.
Keep walking, McGee.
PAMELA: Congresswoman Flemming to see you, Director.
Send her in.
Before the storm arrives, Gibbs, I just want to say I didn't know how exhausting politics could be.
You're not even running yet.
Yet? Don't you start on me.
Why not? I'd vote for you.
Why, Gibbs, that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me.
Oh, good.
Gibbs, you're here.
Yes, I work here.
And you're crazy both of you.
Jenna.
All due respect, I understand your policy against cutting deals, but honestly, who cares what the inside of Triff's cell looks like? He killed four people.
For which he's in prison.
From which he can now help you solve the Pretoria diamond heist.
And we may have to resort to that, but first I would rather give my agents a fair shot.
GIBBS: We're still combing through evidence.
(phone rings) Abby's got it right now, in fact That's her.
Yeah, Abbs.
Got something for you, Gibbs.
On my way.
I don't mean to overstep.
Again.
I'm just excited for all of you.
Tell him.
We're all on the same team.
(door closes) Jenna, what the hell was that? You have to remember, we're not politicians here.
We don't dance with the devil.
We put devils away or we put 'em down.
(scoffs) You think I dance with the devil? What? You think you don't? You can let the Kai Chens of the world operate as long as it serves your greater good; we cannot.
Our greater good helps a lot of people.
Of course it does and so do you, but just not the way we do.
It's nothing personal.
It's nothing personal? It's not.
Uh-huh.
I'm between meetings.
Armed Services Committee.
Jenna I got to go.
Uh, believe me, I would put Triff in a four-star hotel if I thought it would make all our problems go away.
But then he'd just ask for a five-star.
I get it.
(door closes) Talk to me.
Well, nothing on the key yet, Gibbs, but Abby may have something better.
It's from Louis Cole's T-shirt, or rather, something that was inside his T-shirt.
A hair follicle that is clearly not his own.
Whose own is it? Well, DNA takes time.
Is that purple? It's purple hair dye, yeah.
Purple hair.
I was afraid to say anything.
I didn't want to get in trouble.
You're not in trouble, Margo.
Louis was sweet.
He just wanted a fresh start, same as me.
Away from prisons and halfway houses.
Reunite with his daughter.
Maybe open a little restaurant out west somewhere.
Start a family of our own.
BISHOP: But That would take money.
That's all we wanted.
I didn't know Louis even had a gun.
Is the guy who lived there okay? Yeah.
He's fine.
That key was gonna make everything better for us.
If there even was a key.
There was.
We have it.
You do? Uh mm, were the diamonds where Louis' friend said they'd be? And where was that? You mean you don't know? Margo, look at me.
There's no deal to be had here.
You won't need one.
You want to make it better? Just tell us.
Delaware.
He said some tiny bank in Delaware.
Um, Selbyville, maybe? (sighing): Thanks.
Wait, let me record this.
Well, just remember, Al Capone's vault had a whole lot of nothing inside.
Okay.
(laughs) That is not nothing.
(laughs) Hmm.
So, no window, hmm? I'm afraid not.
Well, can I at least keep this? Sure.
And was there something else or did you just come here to gloat? I want to know if there are any, uh, additional surprises I should be expecting.
Any more occupants in the apartment? Well, if you expect them, they won't be surprises, now, will they? But if you must know what's it worth to you? I should've known better.
Enjoy your third life sentence.
Hey.
You're good.
MAN: Open door three.
(lock buzzes) No more surprises.
Maybe.
(chuckling) (lock buzzes) NEWSMAN: And a major break in two high-profile cases today as a spokesman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, known as NCIS, reports the recovery of (scoffs) So, has Hollywood called yet for the movie rights? (chuckles) No, not yet.
I'm not selling mine unless Denzel Washington plays me.
How's that for raising my profile? Forget your profile.
I'm done pushing you.
Hey, Jenna.
What you do so well, I'm just not sure that I would be very good at it.
Yeah.
Too honest.
No, no, I never, I never said that.
You said I danced with the devil.
That had nothing to do with honesty.
- And that it's nothing personal? - It wasn't.
But it is to me.
It is.
It is personal.
It's who I am.
It's what I do and I love it.
I make no apologies.
Nor should you.
I think the world of you, Lee but But what? I don't know.
(sighs) Well, for a couple of professional problem solvers, we're not very good at this.
(both laugh) It's time for me to take a step back.
Okay.
(whispering): I'm sorry.
Yeah, me, too.
I don't know, I still think, uh, McGee shouldn't tell her.
Well, this is gonna make that a lot harder.
BISHOP: I have to say, Nick, for someone who's lied for a living, you sure have a lot of opinions about lying.
Lying undercover is nothing like real life.
Okay? For one thing, actual lives are at stake.
Well, sometimes in real life, too.
TORRES: Oh, like, uh like with your family, Alex? Like all that necessary evil stuff? Hmm? What are you not telling us? Just keep it moving, sister, nothing to see here.
What is it Mark Twain said? âIf you always tell the truth, you never have to remember anythingâ? Mark Twain never found a body under his bed.
Hey, how'd it go with Triff? Uh it, uh, it went well.
I got what I needed, sort of.
Well, we were just saying how you made the right call by not telling Delilah.
No, we weren't.
I told her.
What? When? Just now, on the way back.
Kind of had to with the news and everything.
Whoa, you told, you told her everything? The body and the triple homicides? Everything except the part about me knowing about the triple homicide beforehand.
I'm not crazy.
I'm counting on each one of you to keep that secret for me.
It dies with me, homie.
Me, too.
Whatever.
Hey, so, uh how'd she take it? Surprisingly well.
Well, there's gonna be, I think, a lot of disinfecting and sage-ing in the next couple months.
(Quinn chuckles) (door unlocks and opens) (dog barking in distance) Hello? Who's there? Someone there? McGee.
Hey, boss.
You gonna help me fix your floors or what?