All language subtitles for NCIS.S20E04.720p.HDTV.x264-SYNCOPY - No HI

30 years ago

on a cool autumn night,
just like this one,

a group of friends,

like you kind folk,

got tucked into sleeping bags
for a peaceful night's rest.

Little did they know,
they were not alone.

For in these woods,

the devil had emerged
from his den,

and he was hungry.

And this beast,

the Cujo of black bears,

sated himself

that night

on human flesh.

Nature's calling.

Even today, we're getting
reports of an erratic bear

traipsing through the woods.

So, keep your bear spray close.

What happened?

Are you okay?

*N C I S*
Season 20 Episode 04

Episode Title: "Leave No Trace"
Aired on: October 10, 2022.

Don't be disappointed.
It all goes to a worthy cause.

Yeah, well, what I donated
was worth a lot more

than what it got.

- Good morning, fellas.
- Yeah.

Oh, Nick, sounds like
you need this coffee

a lot more than I do.

Yeah, Nick joined me last night

at Victoria's autumn auction.

In fact, he donated one
of the prizes.

Not just a prize.

The best prize.
Which was?

Lunch with a bad ass NCIS agent.

And they only
bid ten bucks.

And the dude already emailed me
trying to set something up.

The winning parent was,
uh, Max Lautner?

You know him?

I know his kid, Cole,
is a nose-picker.

Ugh. Dad's gonna be
super annoying.

Kind of like McGee's
school-dad friends.

Hey, no need to drag my dad-bros
into your failure as a prize.

Okay, that's enough
from you, all right?

Fortunately,
I had much better luck.

I scored a deluxe spa weekend

at this adorable
little B&B in the Chesapeake.

Someone say "spa weekend"?
'Cause sea-salt scrubs?

- Mmm.
- I have always wanted one of those.

Yeah, um, could you...?

Come here. Can you come...
come here?

They know we all know, right?

Know what?

- That's good. Mm-hmm.
- Right?

Yeah, so, hey, uh,
we've been date...

We've been doing this
for a few months now.

Yes. This. We have.

Successfully, I think.

Successful is an apt word.

And I don't know
what our label is or isn't, but

I was hoping that you might
join me at this place.

No pressure, though, so...

Like a... like a...
a weekend away?

Like a whole, two-day,

entire weekend.
You're mulling.

I... I am mulling.

Is this a good mulling
or a bad mulling...?

Oh. Parker's got a body.

Um, talk about this later?

- Yes.
- Okay.

And I will...
I will keep mulling.

Oh. You get lost on the trail?

Nah. Just delayed. Couldn't find
my, uh, 500-millimeter lens.

You, uh, do know our crime scene
kits have these in 'em, right?

Oh, this baby's not meant
to shoot bodies.

It's meant
to shoot the rarest of birds.

The elusive scarlet tanager.

They live high
in the trees here

in the Shenandoah, and today

is the day that I digitally

bag one.
Yeah.

But not until we get our
sailor here taken care of.

Petty Officer Third Class
Aaron Thomas. What do we know?

Camper and her guide
stumbled across the body.

Guide is convinced
it was a bear attack.

Apparently,
in the last 24 hours,

there's been multiple sightings
of a black bear behaving oddly.

Oddly how, Boo-Boo?

Like stealing
a pic-a-nic basket?

Well, in order
to get away with murder,

he'd have to be smarter
than the av-er-age bear.

No, but bears do, do their
business out there in the woods.

They don't open
bathroom doors, nor

do they kill with knives.

So our petty officer
was stabbed to death?

Three precise stab wounds

at three key arteries.

He bled out about 12 hours ago.

And... no defensive wounds.

So our victim might have known
his killer.

Or was surprised by 'em.

So our killer certainly knew
how to use a knife.

Could be a hunter.

All right, thanks, Doc.

Yeah.

Park rangers are talking
to the campers, but

they didn't see anyone
on the trail.

So our suspect left
the scene off-trail,

which means
he could have gone anywhere.

I think he headed southeast.

Spotted a possible exit route
from up there.

Any chance you also spotted
a scarlet tanager?

No, but the trail leads
this way.

Go. I'll coordinate with the
Park Service Rangers on-site.

And stay out of the trees!

The trail's leading
down to the water.

About time you caught up,
Tripsie.

Knight, you know this guy?

Yeah, we may have crossed paths
a few times.

This is, uh,

Special Agent
Gage Winchester.

Crossed paths? Really?

He's also my ex-boyfriend.

Been a long time, Jess.

Yeah. What's it been?
Like, three, four years?

Howled at half a dozen
wolf moons without you,

but who's counting?

So you are Agent
Winchester of the, uh...?

U.S. National Park Service
Investigative Services Branch.

Uh, ISB is the us
of National Park Service.

Oh, nature cops.

That's cool.

Well, I'm Agent McGee,

and this is Agent Torres.

Yeah, can I interest you
in a shirt?

Perhaps, uh, some pants?

Nah. Prefer to air-dry first.

Of course you do.
Mm-hmm.

Uh, what are you
doing here, Gage?

Same thing you are...
Investigating a murder.

I thought
you were based in Colorado.

I am, but I was running
a training op up in Maine.

When I heard about the body,
I hopped on a red eye

so I could start
the ISB investigation.

So you flew overnight to be
the first one on the scene here?

And spotted the same path
the killer took down here.

How'd you end up in
the water? Yeah, naked.

Well, trail went cold,
and I was smelling a little ripe

after that flight, so I hopped
in for a quick nature bath

just as you caught up.

As one does.
Yeah. No. It makes sense to me.

Hey, guys. I need your official
signature to release the body.

That's not a dead body.

That's a very
healthy-looking body.

Whose body is that body?

Uh, Jimmy, this...
Uh, Dr. Palmer,

this is, uh,
Agent Winchester.

Oh.

Gage... Winchester.

- Of National Park Service.
- Good to meet you, Doctor.

- Yeah.
- You know, Jimmy, funny thing.

Uh, Gage and Knight
actually know each other.

Yeah, actually,
quite, uh...

quite close.

And we are just dying
to get the full scoop here.

We are, yeah.

Right.

Jimmy, Gage is my ex-boyfriend.

Oh. What a small world
of federal agents.

You two met how?

At FLETC training
in New Mexico.

You know, we would, uh, spend
weekends together... camping.

And then, you know, we had
a couple of years of...

of long-distance
relationship, but you know,

our assignments would just
keep us apart.

Your assignment.

We were accepted to be
Rangers together, but, uh,

Jess turned down their offer
to join NCIS.

Which is why we are here...
Because

there is a dead
petty officer.

Why send the ISB
to investigate?

There's been a recent uptick
in homicides in national parks.

My superiors are looking
for answers.

How many murders and where?

The Everglades,
the Great Smoky Mountains,

and now here in Shenandoah.

Three victims
in eight weeks.

You're thinking
that they're all connected?

No idea. We haven't been able
to solve one yet.

Come on, Tripsie.

You and I together again?

I know we can find
this killer's trail.

Who's Tripsie?
Sorry. It's an

old nickname I had for Jess.

Oh, you had nicknames.
How cute.

Uh, well, you know,
Ga-Gage isn't wrong.

If we find
the killer's

exit route,
then we might be able

to find some clues
about their identity.

All right, well,
we'll head back and, uh,

start digging into
Petty Officer Thomas.

Yeah, yeah, and
I'll-I'll see you later, Gage.

I'll see what I get off
the body back at autopsy.

Let's go, Tripsie.

Victim is Petty Officer
Aaron Thomas,

23 years old, served as a
gunner's mate on the USS Mahan.

What was he doing
out at the park?

C.O. said he was an avid
outdoor enthusiast.

If he wasn't on the ship,

he was building
campfires.

He go out there with anyone?

Bunkmates said
he preferred camping alone.

Two dozen sailors crammed
into a single berth?

I'd want a little me-time, too.

Well, Thomas's minimal security
clearance gave him no access

to vital intel.

So, it's unlikely
that he was targeted

because of his job
in the Navy.

Why was he killed?

And why was he killed in
the middle of a national park?

No one around for miles
to catch 'em in the act.

All right, Torres,
start with this.

Who was in that park
in the last 72 hours.

McGee, license plates,

credit cards, anything

to give us IDs
that we can cull.

Gentlemen, I just
got off the phone with

my counterpart
at the National Parks Service.

What did the, uh,
flat hat brigade want?

To team up,
and since their man was first

to the scene, I agreed.

So, now, this is
a joint investigation

with ISB Agent Winchester.

But it's a Navy victim!

No. No. No way, man.

You tell the NPS

to back off
and let us do what we do.

Is there going
to be a problem, Agent Parker?

Look, it's just that, uh, me

and the NPS haven't always
seen eye-to-eye.

About what?
About a mild

trespassing allegation.

Define "mild."
Golden Gate National Park,

summer 2016.

It was the biggest western snowy
plover mating season in years.

Snowy what?
Bird-nerd alert.

Maybe I climbed a fence

with a "Do Not Climb" sign to
get a shot of the nesting area,

but this was one
for my wall, okay?

You understand?
This was a framer.

Yeah, until you got caught
by the NPS.

And put on a list.
All right, well, you cooperate

with Agent Winchester
on this case,

and maybe
we can get you off that list.

Agent Knight is out now
at the park

with her ISB ex-boyfriend trying
to track the killer's trail.

Rewind.

Agent Knight
had some kind of

previous personal relation
to Agent Winchester?

You need us
to define "personal"?

Does Palmer know?

Oh, yeah.

Is that gonna be a problem?

Well, let me put it like this.

Uh, I know each
of Delilah's exes.

No problems there, but

if Gage Winchester
was one of 'em?

Yeah, she could keep that one
to herself.

Then somebody
should give the good doctor

a heads-up
that we'll be seeing a lot more

of Agent Winchester.

I don't understand the issue.

Well, I could push back
a little harder.

The two of them working together
is a clear conflict of interest.

Was it a conflict
of interest

when you were working with
your ex-wife three months ago?

Uh, look,
from what I understand,

Agent Winchester
has a unique skill set

that will really aid
in this investigation.

The fact that he and Knight

were...

...camping together...
That doesn't bother you?

Why would them camping together
a lifetime ago bother me?

I don't mean
camping-camping. I mean...

I know what you meant,

but Agents Knight and Winchester
are trained professionals.

I'll trust they'll keep things

professional
out in the field.

Just like you and Knight
keep things professional here.

Let's move on to my report.

Well, definitely not
bear claw marks.

A four-inch hunting blade
severed the carotid artery,

the femoral artery, as well
as the inferior vena cava

deep inside of his abdomen.

Exsanguination would have
occurred within minutes.

Killer bled him out
efficiently.

The attacker was
six-foot, six-foot-two

based on the angle
of the wounds.

Can we trace the knife?

A four-inch blade
is far too common

to narrow it down
to a make and model.

- However...
- Ooh.

Can't sneeze
at a good "however."

The expert lethality of the
wounds really got me thinking.

Ah, these are
the other park murders

Winchester was looking into.

Right. The Everglades victim
was barbecued in a campfire,

while the Smoky Mountains victim
was shoved off of a cliff.

Gross. And grosser.

I think I might have
found something

the other M.E.s may
have overlooked,

probably because of the severity

of the wounds
to the victims' bodies.

But I think these injuries...

were covering up
other wounds.

I think each one
of these is a stab wound.

Each one of them hit
a major artery.

Each with a four-inch blade.

Just like our victim.

Yeah, I had Kasie scan all
of these photos

to render a 3D composite image.

Now, the angle
of the wound would suggest

a six-foot-ish attacker.

Same M.O.
Could be the same person.

Which would mean that we have
a serial killer who's hunting

in our national parks.

Mmm. I forgot what
fresh smells like.

Don't tell me this NCIS
posting's turned you city.

Let's just say that I
am no longer opposed to certain

urban creature comforts.

Like?

Endless hot showers,

or 2:00 a.m. Kabob Palace delivery.
Mmm.

Long gone are the days of you
catching your own dinner, huh?

Just because I don't,
doesn't mean I can't.

It's not like it's a skill
that you for...

Paw prints.

Black bear.
Guessing an adult male.

Except the palm pad
isn't uniform.

It's like there's a second print
on the inside.

Clean oval shape.

It's a shoe.

Someone is stepping
in the bear prints,

using it to mask their own.

That has to be our suspect.

Then we follow the bear.

Guess you haven't gone city
after all.

Let's just hope this isn't
a Yellowstone repeat.

That moose attacked me
unprovoked.

It was courting a cow.

It did not need you peeping
on its mating ritual.

We certainly had
some adventures together.

Definitely was hoping
we'd have more.

Simmer down there, Moosie.

It's easy to remember
the good times first.

We did have our share
of the not-so-good.

- Yeah.
- Most of those were on me.

Takes two to tango.

And I stepped
on your toes plenty.

Still, I wasn't easy to be with
when I was a younger man,

but I'm not that same man now.

I hope that's true.

For your own happiness.

I am happy,
but call me Pinocchio

if there ain't
something missing.

Whoa.

Thanks.

Sure.

That's smoke.

There aren't any
campsites out here.

Damn it.
We must've just missed him.

Yeah, maybe he heard us
and decided to run.

Burned some evidence.

Nice save.

Got something.

Anything good?

Looks like a map of the park.

What the hell?
What is it?

It's you.

Why does our murder suspect
have your photo?

You can't kick me off
this investigation!

We're not, but you might be
a potential target

so you are
to remain in this building,

and you will support
Agent Parker's team from here.

Thanks to you
and Knight's quick work,

we've got some evidence
from that fire we can process.

Hopefully, we can get an ID
on who tried to destroy it.

If you want
to find this guy,

you get me back out there
with Jess

so I can pick up the trail.

I've made my decision.

Fine. You're the boss.

Agent Winchester?

My counterpart at NPS said
another ISB agent,

one right here in D.C.,
was supposed to take this case.

Apparently, you pulled rank
so that you could take lead.

I've been working these murders
for weeks now.

Except you didn't rush
to the other two

crime scenes on a red eye.

This one you did.

What's your point?

Well, we're curious to know

if the fact that NCIS

would be
on this particular murder

played a factor

in your swift call to action.

If you mean Agent Knight?

I came here to catch a killer,

not to catch dinner
with a former flame.

So everything between you two
is just ancient history?

Old as a giant sequoia.

Great. Thank you, Sheriff.

Okay. Knight and Gage found
that evidence-burning fire here.

Nick?

Oh, sorry, man. I just can't
with this guy... Max Lautner.

Ah. The school parent
that won the lunch with you?

Yeah, he keeps, uh, texting me
trying to set up a date.

Unsolicited advice?

Get it over with,
like, yesterday.

Otherwise, it is a sword
hanging over your head.

Yeah, I'll text him later,
try to set something up

right after
we finish this case.

All right, now you see this,
uh, steep terrain around

the suspect's fire? Yeah,
probably hiked out of the park

towards, uh, Route 33.

Put out a BOLO,
ten-mile stretch.

Maybe someone saw 'em hitching

or something.
Hey.

Have you guys
seen Jess?

Uh, she's with Kasie
down at the lab.

Great.
Hey, uh, Jimmy?

Yeah?
Listen, you, uh...

You know we were just
kind of having fun with you

back at the crime scene, right?

Oh, you're talking
about Agent Winchester?

So, how are you doing
with this whole

situation?

Uh, the only situation
I'm aware of is

that, uh, they were once
in a relationship,

and that relationship
is no more.

Well, that is
a very mature response.

Oh, so you're really not worried

about this, uh,
ghost of boyfriends past?

I don't see why I should be.

You know what?

'Cause you're too nice
of a guy to stalk him,

but I am not.

Aside from having
the coolest name ever,

he's got a life
to match.

I mean, look at all
the cool stuff he does.

Okay, not
that it's a competition,

but you guys know
I have the goods, too, right?

Accomplished doctor,
devoted father,

very dependable friend.

Let's see. I'm a bio-terror
attack survivor.

Okay, Jimmy.
I...

Jimmy, trust me, man. We know.

The list of humble brags...
I mean, goes for miles.

But you know what
makes you a great guy?

What?
Lift up your shirt.

Oh, shut up, Nick.
Oh, come on, man.

Show McGee what you're bringing
to the competition.

Damn.
Oh, my God, man.

Jimmy, how long
you've been rocking those guys?

Okay, guys, look.

Jess and I might not have
a label, all right?

But I have zero fear
about this ex-boyfriend of hers

coming back into her life.

It's fine.

Did you see this?
Oh, my God.

Fingerprints don't like heat,
so fire is not their friend.

So I toasted my favorite pair
of field boots

saving all of this stuff
for nothing?

TBD. I was able
to pull enough partials

to piece together
a rough composite,

then fed the computer an
algorithm filling in the gaps,

pulling data
from those in the system

who fit the typical
serial killer profile.

Like how Jurassic Park
plugged the gaps with frog DNA?

Should have said that.
Much easier.

I'm plugging the gaps with
six-foot to six-foot-two

suspects,
most likely Caucasian male,

known history
of knives, yada, yada.

Okay. I will, uh,
update the team.

Uh, no, no, no.

Not so fast.

You failed to mention
the camping companion

from your past
who's roaming the halls

is Paul Bunyan with a badge.

Why didn't it work out?

That is a long story.

One that involves my mother?

Hello, plot twist.

My mom never wanted me
to get into law enforcement.

And when I did,
she stopped talking to me.

But how did Gage play into that?

He was my escape.

Something must have happened.

My mom and I reached
a stalemate.

And once that drama
started fading...

Gage is great
at playing the hero,

and he is there for you
in a crisis.

But once that's over,
he's only there for himself.

His loss is NCIS's gain.

It's weird seeing him here.

It's even weirder having
to work with him again.

That is a delightful analysis
of your past,

but it's really
about your present.

Jimmy. Whatever
happened with Gage

has you spooked
about working with Jimmy...

if things don't work out.

The real question is,

what do you want now?

Oh. Is that a suspect match?

Saved by the algorithm.

Got a 90% hit
on a convicted felon.

I will take those odds.

Our potential killer
is Greg Patrick Walsh, 42,

a six-foot-one former surgeon

who got his medical start
working for

Médecins Sans Frontières

aiding
Central American refugees.

Knows his knives,
knows his anatomy.

What got him pinched?
He served five years

for medical malpractice
when he operated on and killed

a patient while under
the influence of narcotics.

He was released
on parole a year ago.

Now Dr. Death is on a murder
spree in national parks. So, uh,

what triggered
this second career?

If a predator gets a taste
for blood,

then spends five years
dreaming about it?

He might go on the hunt
once he gets out.

Agent Winchester, turns out
you are not the only one

who can spot a trail.

I just found
Walsh's digital one.

Credit card under his name
was used to check into

a Dulles motel an hour ago,
right by the airport.

He's making a run for it.

Unless we get to him first.
Move out.

Not you, Winchester.

You and I have
superiors to notify.

The others can handle this.

That's my suspect.

My house, my rules.

So why don't you do me a solid
and break them?

Just stand down.

Listen to me, Gage.

Greg Walsh is not worth
sabotaging your career for.

Go bag us that big game,
Tripsie.

Well,
that's a mysterious nickname.

Yeah, maybe
I'm over thinking it.

Like, they went on lots of
camping trips together,

and it could be that simple?

Perhaps you're over thinking,
period.

It's hard not to.

We're all working
on this case together.

Greg Walsh's profile

as a killer is not the reason
why you invited me

for lunch.

What's the real reason?

I don't like to think of myself
as a jealous person,

but, Doctor, you haven't seen

this Agent Winchester
in the flesh.

I mean, he's like
the walking definition

of-of Darwinian rule.

You're no slouch yourself.

Thank you, but they have
a history together.

Ah. They trained together.
They camped together.

They were a...

...a they.

And you want that "label"?

Yeah. I do.

Why?

Well, I want her to know
that I'm committed to her.

Uh, or at least to getting
to know her better.

To earning my own nickname
for her.

To creating your own history
with her.

Yes. Yes. Exactly.

And does Jessica seem
equally interested

in knowing about you?

She does.

She's pretty great that way.

So, what does a label have to do

with actions
you're both already taking?

Pardon me, but are you
Dr. James Palmer?

I am. Do we know each other?

Name's Greg Walsh.

And w-what do you want,
Mr. Walsh?

I want you to bring me in
to NCIS.

Let's not make a habit of
lunching with serial killers.

Let's just get this guy
into NCIS custody.

Hey, remember
what we discussed.

I came to you
because your reputation

- as a physician proceeds you.
- Except unlike you,

I uphold
the Hippocratic Oath.

What kind of a sick game
are you playing, Walsh?

- What?
- Hey! Winchester!

Back off.

You're lucky I let you
out of your cage.

He's got a fair question,
though.

Why are you surrendering?

I'll tell you everything
once we secure me a lawyer.

I don't see what chips you have
to bargain with.

You have no idea
what's really going on,

what you're really
getting involved in.

And you won't, unless...

Oh, my God, Jimmy.

You all right? You hurt?

I'm fine. I'm-I'm fine.

Although between today
and being held hostage here,

I think I might find a new place
to get my tuna melts.

Frankly, I'm more concerned
about Dr. Mallard here.

This is ridiculous.

Doctor, you have
a heart condition.

I have a hunger condition.

Before I die
of malnutrition,

would you get me
a fresh sandwich?

Dr. Palmer and I have
work to do.

Suspects fled
in a black BMW 5 series.

BOLO's out. There's got to
be 100 of those in the district.

You said, uh, suspects,
so plural?

Saw a shooter and driver.

Why would "anyones," plural,
snipe our serial killer?

I'm guessing they didn't
want Walsh talking to us.

I wonder what
he was going to say.

And who he was so afraid of.

Whatever is going on,

serial killers don't usually
try to cut deals.

Yeah, maybe he was just a pawn.

Taking orders
from somebody else.

Our shooter's a pro.

Center mass, double tap
from a moving car.

That's a very hard shot to make.

So whoever our guys are,
they got skills.

All right, Winchester.
Back to NCIS for you.

Why? Walsh is dead.

We have new suspects now.
You still might be a target.

Yeah, but you brought me out
here to help you arrest Walsh.

Now I am ordering you
to support us back...

No way, you can't...
...at our offices again.

Okay. Back to the ranch.

And the rest of us,

let's work the scene,

see if we can find
a connection between Walsh

and whoever just took him out.

Hey, Doc.

Agent Winchester.
How can I help you?

How's Walsh's autopsy coming?

I just called Agent Parker.
I just completed it.

You are a true master
of your craft, Doc.

Not to toot my own horn,
but, uh, I am.

Toot away.

Yeah?

You ever hear of
a glandular lure?

I'm guessing it has
something to do

with an animal's natural odors?

Bingo. So,
take the Rocky Mountain elk.

A buck uses a musk lure

to attract a doe;
But the doe,

she spreads her own
to attract a buck.

I'm sorry.

Are you talking about
me and Jess?

Mutual scents between you
and her are quite strong.

I missed it before.

Finally picked up on it when
she arrived outside that diner.

What exactly are you two?

Honestly, we're still trying
to figure that out.

Crazy thing is,

a male's musk is so strong,

it often attracts
another male to its turf.

Mm.

You know what happens then?

They compete for the doe.

I came here
to solve these murders,

but I also came
to win back Jess.

Well, you do know that
she's not some prized animal

to be mounted on a wall,
right?

I'm no Neanderthal, Doc.

She can choose you, me,
or neither of us, but...

I came to play.

What are we playing?

Jess, hi. You're here.

Agent Knight, hello.

Hmm. Okay.

Uh, so, Parker sent me down here

to see what you got
off the body.

Right.

The deceased had
unusually high cholesterol,

which I would attribute
to a high-fat content diet

as evidenced by
the partially digested

rib eye steak
in his stomach.

Also, he had a high
gallotannin count in his RBCs

which would indicate

that he was
a heavy red wine drinker.

What does this have to do
with how he was killed?

Oh, the cause of death was
two bullets to the chest,

yes, of course.

This is an example of
how my thorough reporting

can uncover a whole host

of outstanding mysteries,
such as...

Walsh's fingertips here.

They're coated
in some sort of odd,

sticky, purple resin.

You recognize something?

Nope. Not really.

I sent a sample to Kasie.

We'll see what
she comes up with.

Well...

not my department.

Thanks for the chat, Doc.

You had a chat?

Guy talk.

I know we haven't
really had a chance

to talk about my past with him.

Yeah, uh...

Do we need to?

I don't know. Do we?

Honestly, not if he's just
in your past.

Oh, he absolutely is.

Great.
We're good, then.

Whatever we are.

Yeah. All good.

Okay.

Director wants an update
on Walsh's executioners.

First one with good news
gets dibs

on these perfectly caramelized
Portuguese pastéis de natas.

Yeah, I got, uh, nada
for those, uh, de natas.

Cameras by the diner
were a bust.

And, uh, yeah,

nothing on the driver
and the shooter.

No treat for you.

McGee,

any luck on their escape route?

Well, I hopscotched traffic cams
for six miles,

but then I lost them.

No treat for you.

Pass the pastéis
and save one for Kasie.

'Cause she just came through.

Yeah, did Kasie ID
the purple mystery goo

on our dead guy's finger?

Uh, no.
She's still working on that.

But she did find this.

So, what am I looking at?

The chemical makeup

of prop oil.

It's a lubricant designed
for light-engine aircraft.

And why am I looking at it?

Kasie pulled it

from the shooter's
shell casings.

So whatever he used
to wipe his prints

before loading them
was covered with prop oil.

So Walsh's killer is also
a small-engine mechanic?

Yeah, or maybe
a small-engine pilot.

Well, there are dozens of, uh,
small airfields in the area.

If our bad guys were looking
to make a getaway,

it's a good place to start.

Treat for you.

Ooh.

All right, where's Winchester?

Let's get him to help
with the search.

Yeah, where is he?

I-I can usually smell
when he's around.

What?

He smells like morning dew
on a spruce tree.

It's nice.

I actually haven't seen him
all morning.

Yeah, but I see

your Spidey-sense tingling.

Well, he was acting a little odd
in autopsy yesterday,

but I was thinking
it was just because of Jimmy.

But now...

What are the chances
he's off chasing his own lead?

Too high.

Yeah?

Gage, where are you?

Not a good time, Jess!

Gage?

Here you go. Just, uh, hold
steady. Get you wrapped up.

Well, that's something
you don't see every day.

You okay?

I'll live, and, uh,
you know, I dig scars.

I hope you dig the one
you just did to your career

with this bonehead move.

Director wants to
permanently dismiss you

from this investigation.

And ISB ain't so happy

with you, either.

Sorry, Tripsie. I-I thought...
Don't.

Don't Tripsie me.

This is exactly why I couldn't
take the next step with you.

Every time I thought that
we could actually be a "we,"

you proved time
and time again...

you could only ever go your way.

You're right.

I messed up. I'm sorry.

All right,
let's hear it, Mr. Hero.

What's this lead
you've been chasing

by yourself?

The purple stains
on Walsh's fingers...

You did recognize them.

They're from the aster
oblongifolius flower.

They're late bloomers
to a specific area

of the park
this time of year.

You were trying to find
Walsh's camp.

Thought you could find something
there that could, uh,

ID the men
who eliminated him.

Long shot, I know,
and, yeah, it was a dead end.

On the way back,
I ran into Smokey over here.

This beast just charged me
out of nowhere.

I thought bears
rarely attack humans.

They don't.

It's like this one's possessed
or something.

Well, smart of you to run

towards the nearest
park ranger station.

They saved my damn life.

Took three trank darts
to bring this guy down.

How many does it normally take?

I haven't seen it take
more than one.

Kind of reminded me of...
An addict? High on PCP?

The ones where it takes about

a dozen rounds to
stop them? Yeah.

We need to swab this bear's
saliva and get it to Kasie ASAP.

You want us to collect
bear spit?

I'm not asking you
to French kiss him.

You want to solve this case,

or do you want to stand around
and stare at each other?

Am I right?

Yep. Your bear just tested
positive for cocaine.

Cocaine Bear rides again!

What, you haven't heard the tale

of the legendary
"Pablo Escobear"?

In the '80s,

this drug-smuggler pilot,

he dropped like 70 pounds
of cocaine into some forest.

And then,
his partner was supposed to

hike in and
pick up the blow,

but a bear found it first.

Pablo Escobear. Yeah, cute.

You think we got a sequel
on our hands?

It's a good bet that, uh,

Walsh's shooter knows
how to fly a plane.

Well, that would explain
the airplane oil

on the shell casings.

And an even better bet is,

based on how high
Smokey here is,

he's been dropping cocaine
all over our national parks.

And it was Walsh's job
to hike in and pick it up.

Walsh must've ran into
our petty officer

and didn't want to leave
any witnesses behind.

But why would Walsh
stay in the park

after the murder?
Probably still looking

for the drugs.

He didn't realize
the bear got to them first.

And when he couldn't find them,
he surrendered to us.

He knew that his partners would
try to take him out.

They sound like lovely people.

Any time you want to
arrest them is fine by me.

We got to find them first.

And I know how.

The purple asters.

This is the field where
the asters are still in bloom.

You may have noticed... They're
not far from an RV camping area.

You thinking our drug smugglers
are using an RV to blend in?

There's got to be hundreds of
RVs that were in the area.

Who knows where
it could be now?

Punch in to where, uh,

Gage had the encounter
with that bear.

All right,
that has to be

the rough drop zone
for the coke.

It's also rough terrain.

If I wanted to get
into that park,

- get drugs, get out quickly...
- ATV.

Federal agents!

Clear.

Well, we found the haul,
but no sign of who's hauling.

Hey there, boys.

Buy you some more Caf-Pows?

More than 30 kilos of
cocaine were recovered.

Save whatever your furry
forest friend consumed.

You get IDs on the smugglers?

Mateo Romero, Quique Morales.

They were former Special Forces
with the Guatemalan Army.

We think Walsh
hooked up with them

during his "good doctor"
days in Central America?

He also got himself hooked
on their product.

He decided to open a
drug-running practice with them.

DEA's on their way.

They're hoping
to use them to catch

the next bigger fish
in the trafficking world.

Just glad to get their poison
out of my parks.

Speaking of your parks,

I put in a call
to your superiors,

and I told them
how cooperative you were

in solving this case.

Without you, we wouldn't
have found the bear.

Thank you.

You know,
I've got some pull

with the NPS bureaucracy.

Might be able to get you
taken off their naughty list.

As long as you promise
to steer clear

of any western snowy plovers.

Maybe we should all steer clear
of each other

in the future?

I hate the city anyway.

Good luck to you.

Thank you.

Cocaine bear.
Yeah, dude, Pablo Escobear.

Got to say, Knight definitely
traded up, huh?

Especially in
the ab department.

Damn, Jimmy.

Right?

It's about that time.

Oh, that's right, your big date
with the school luncheon dad.

Don't call it a date.

And yes, uh, Max Lautner
will be here any moment.

What, you invited him here
for lunch?

He insisted on a tour.

Well, I know you hate it,
but, uh,

think about it
like community outreach.

You're doing a good thing.

I just hope
he doesn't order dessert.

Agent Torres?
Yeah?

Uh, how can I help you?
Hi.

I'm Max.

You're...

You're Max Lautner?

Well, Maxine, but I prefer Max.

It is so nice to meet
a live action hero

like you in person.

Oh, yes, well...

Thank you, yes, of course,
and I'm just

so grateful that you're, uh...

you.

Well, as a single mum,

I don't get out very much,

but I, uh,
I cleared my day for this.

Well, that's wonderful news.

Uh, if-if Parker asks,

I'm going to
take a long lunch.

Follow me this way.

I come bearing bento boxes.

Have you eaten lunch yet?
I have not.

That's very kind of you.

I was also asked
to give you this.

It's from Gage.

He's headed to
the airport to go home.

Oh.

I was super tempted to look,
but I restrained.

Yeah, he's just saying goodbye.

I'm pretty sure I...

Yeah, that's-that's written
in campfire ash.

Uh, so... Tripsie?

You gonna give me
a hint on that one,

or you gonna make me guess?

It is short for "Triple Z."

As in Scrabble.
Oh.

Because I am queen
of using the ten-point "Z"

on a triple-letter,
triple-word score.

Well, you are gonna
have some competition

because I am
a Scrabble board savant.

Color me eager
to kick your B-U-T-T.

Maybe at our spa weekend away?

Yeah.

Jess.

I was being selfish before,

about needing to put,
like, a label on this.

No, you don't need to apologize
for that.

No, I... I was making it
all about me.

And labels don't matter.

All that matters is you.

Come here, you.

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