Original subtitles

Damn. You gain weight, Hill?

No, it was too much beer. [hiccups]

Hey, puke on me, and I'll leave you right here.

All right.

Adams?

Yo, Adams, come on, man.

Get up.

You hear me?

[sighs] Come on, man.

I'm not gonna drag both your sorry asses back to the ship.

Adams, come on, we're back by 0600--

[gasps]

ZIVA [whispering]: It's been over an hour,

and still not one word.

I know. It's heaven.

ZIVA: I'm worried, McGee.

What if he's sick?

He'd be whining.

He always whines when he's sick.

You two really suck at whispering.

Believe it or not, I can hear you.

And I'm not sick.

Every once in a while, I just need to power down.

Be still.

Reflect on this little trip

through the cosmic rip. I...

I need to find my deep calm.

Yeah, he's sick.

[chuckling]: Yeah.

Let's check for a fever.

What is this?

Last year's performance appraisal review.

Hah! How did you get this?

The NCIS fairy left it under my pillow.

What do you think?

You stole it?

[gasps] Ooh, McGee.

Gibbs wrote something in the comment section.

"Agent DiNozzo displays exemplary skills,

[chuckling]: though he can be too talkative in the field."

McGEE: If, by too talkative, he means

you never shut up.

Well, I think Gibbs was being a bit too gracious.

After ten years, he doesn't know this is how I work.I always thought

it was like a mild case of Tourette's or something.

It's my process.

You guys know that.

It-It's how I focus, you know.

I talk it out.

Talkative. Hah!

Com-Coming from a functional mute,

that's rich.

Maybe that's what he's...

Maybe that's what he's doing.

He's trying to tell me something.

Maybe I should dial it back.

Get...

Get my quiet on.

[laughs]I think you're, uh,

overreacting a bit, Tony.

I'm gonna kill the next performance appraisal.

Next time he writes down, in his little margin here, "DiNozzo:

"professional; DiNozzo: focused.

DiNozzo..."

Too much yabba yabba.

Sorry boss, I was just...

...suppressing the yabba?

Good.

Grab your gear.

Got a dead petty officer in Baltimore.

So now it's too much yabba yabba? When did that happen?

In the womb would be my guess.

ZIVA: Any chance we may bump into your old coworkers?

Or even Wendy, perhaps?

Wendy and I decided to leave it alone for now.

Really? Yeah.

Turns out Ol' Blue Eyes was wrong.

Love isn't always lovelier the second time around.

In fact, it's kind of painful and strange.

Yabba. Enough chit-chat, Ziva.

A man's got to work.

McGee.Wallet was found near the body.

No cash.

Victim is Caleb Adams.

23, petty officer second class on the DD-350 Hagen.

It's a destroyer docked for liberty at Chesapeake Bay.

Check for surveillance in the area.

Those two with him?

McGEE: They said they found him this way.

I'm still getting the details.

Doc?

Abrasions on his hands

and face indicate the possibility of a fight

which was ended by this single stab wound.

Ugly.

That's it, Tony?

Only one word?

No wisecracks

about wayward sailors on shore leave?

No obscure On the Townreferences?

Is that a movie?

ZIVA: I understand that sailors

often refer to this liberty

as their annual beer-and-crabs week.

Not those kind of crabs, Ziva.

DUCKY: Ah!

There's the Tony

we know and love.

McGEE: Boss,

Baltimore PD's got a suspect in custody.

Got a 911 call

about Petty Officer Adams

before the sailors found him.

Came from a auto-repair shop two blocks away.

Said they found a mechanic there

trying to wash blood off his hands and jacket.

[siren whooping]

Got the suspect's jacket.

Lot of blood, boss.

Is this your jacket?

Look, I'm being railroaded here.

What's your name?

Michael Thomas.

You got a lawyer to call, Mr. Thomas?

No, I want to call someone else.

They've got this all wrong, Leon.

Just do what they say, Michael.

I'll take him to processing.

Your wife's kid brother?

He's my family, too, Gibbs.

Then you'll be recusing yourself.For what reason?

He's a murder suspect, Leon.

Those are your rules, not mine.

I'm well aware, Gibbs,

but as long as he's your suspect, I'm going, too.

Gibbs, give us a minute.

Is that a problem?

All right, just tell me, Michael.

Tell me you didn't do this.

Leon, no, I was just trying to help the guy.

And you didn't know Petty Officer Adams?

You'd never met him?

I've never seen him before this morning, hand to God.

Look, the cops got it all wrong, man.

You know I would never do this.

You gotta believe me.

You believe me, right?

Yeah.

But it's not me you need to worry about.

No, please, just don't tell Jackie.

And it's not your sister, either.

Gibbs is my best agent.

Convince him.

Tell him the truth, everything will be okay.

Minute's up.

[door closes]

No record.

This your first arrest?

First and only.

I'm a good person, Agent Gibbs; ask Leon.

I'm not asking him.

I'm asking you.

MICHAEL: Well, I just meant he knows who I am.

He knows I'd never kill anybody.

Cops say they found you with blood on your hands.

I was trying to stop that kid from bleeding to death.

GIBBS: They said that you were asking skittish.

That you couldn't get your story straight.

They wouldn't let me talk.

I tried to tell them what happened.

They wouldn't listen.

They just assumed I was lying.

Okay.

I'm listening. Talk.

Well, I was headed into work on 57th.

Today was my day to open up the shop.

So I took the 5:00 a.m. bus into town.

Just got off and headed down State Street,

and that's when I heard...

It was awful.

It sounded like a dying animal.

And I-I got to the corner,

and that's when I saw him.

And he-he was lying there on his side, and, um,

there was all this blood and...

But he was still alive.

What time was that?

It was just after 5:30.

Okay, then what?

Well, he-he reached out his hand

like he was asking for help.

I tried to apply pressure to the wound,

but it was too late; he was gone.

GIBBS: When did you call 911?

I called from my cell on the way to work

about a quarter to 6:00.

You left him there?

I felt bad, but I had to leave.

GIBBS: Man was dead?Yeah.

My boss gets mad if I'm late.

I need this job, Agent Gibbs.

Did you tell

the 911 operator that Petty Officer Adams was dead?

I gave them the location,

my name, the address where I was at.

There any other witnesses there at the scene?

Just me; that's why I called as soon as I could.

I didn't want to leave him out there alone.

You ever watch someone die?

Not me.

Now I can't stop seeing his face.

You know, his eyes.

I swear, I'll never forget his eyes as long as I live.

MICHAEL: He wasn't breathing.

I saw him die.

There was blood... Oh, God.

DISPATCHER: Okay, sir, calm down.

Tell me where he was; I need an address.

MICHAEL: In an alley off of 57th.

You-you got to send someone out there.

DISPATCHER: We will, but I need you to stay on the line with me, okay?

Police say the call came in at 5:47 this morning.

Tracks with Michael's account.Sounded genuinely upset.

Connection to the victim?None that I can find.

I searched e-mail accounts

and phone records for both Michael Thomas

and Petty Officer Adams.

No communication between them.

Michael's boss said that Adams

was never a customer at the shop.

Background.

Petty Officer Caleb Adams

joined the Navy right out of high school,

had two overseas deployments and a spotless record.

C.O. called him a bright and hardworking man.

Assigned to the Hagendestroyer in 2010.

Adams was one of 215 sailors off the ship last night for liberty.

TONY: Tracking down others

who may have been with him, but we do have this.

He called someone named Meredith Bilson

five times in five hours.

The last call came in at 4:34 a.m..

That's an hour before his death.

Location?

Apartment manager at her last known address

says she hasn't lived there in three months.

Keep looking. What else?

ZIVA: Checking account

shows one charge last night

at Sposare's Pizza in Baltimore

just before 3:00 a.m.

Pizza and beer-- that's a hell of a last meal,

right, bo...?

Go.

Boss, we may have a situation.

That was the ship's commander.

All 215 sailors reported back for duty this morning.

All except Petty Officer Adams

and this man...

21-year-old Petty Officer Brian Smith,

from Virginia.

Maybe a second victim?

VANCE: Or maybe involved.

No way to know that yet.

Figure it out.

Go on.

PIZZA MAN: Hey, I'm just grateful for this time of year.

Liberty Week, the sales almost double my regular day.

But you do not remember ever seeing

Petty Officer Adams this morning?

No. It's a real shame about that kid, but no.

I-I never saw him.

I mean, look around.

Not exactly easy telling 'em apart, you know.

I think it was Mae West who said,

"You've seen one sailor's anchor, you've seen 'em all."

No, I just kind of meant that it gets hectic in here.

You know, all of 'em in here at once.

A bunch of 'em all yelling for service.

Anyone get out of control, start a fight?

Oh, no, nothing like that.

No, no, these are all good kids.

I-I never had any trouble.

Are you guys here about Caleb?

I'm Seaman Robert Epplund.

We were on the Hagen together.

You knew Petty Officer Adams?

We were friends, yeah.

I just found out what happened. I can't believe it.

He was doing fine when I saw him last night.

What time was that?

Uh, like, 11:00 or so.

His crew was the first section off for liberty,

we were the second.

He was in a great mood.

He was going to see his girlfriend.

Like, totally in love with her.

He kept saying she was the one.

"The One's" name wouldn't happen

to be Meredith Bilson, would it?

Yeah, that's her.

Does she know?

We'll stay in touch.

Thank you.

Thanks.

The director has always been very protective of his family.

That should come as no surprise.

No, it's not just that.

It's something else. Can't put my finger on it.

And you're worrying that whatever "it" is

may prevent the director from seeking the truth?

It's not him, Duck. It's me.

Family or not.

I gotta do my job.

Do you have news, Dr. Mallard?

I was just about to brief Agent Gibbs.

Good. Let's hear it.

Well, as suspected,

Petty Officer Adams' death

was caused by a single stab wound.

The knife perforated his spleen and stomach,

resulting in massive internal bleeding.

The angle of the blade suggests

that he was attacked from the front, straight on.

He was face-to-face with his killer.

So, maybe he knew the person. They were familiar.

Not necessarily.

DUCKY: Prints that we managed to lift from the body

are being analyzed as we speak.

Was there anything unique about the weapon?

Not that I could see.

No, the-the edges

of the wound were precise and clean,

with no evidence of a serrated blade.

But Ms. Sciuto

is performing further tests on the tissue.

What about the bruises, Duck?

Ah, they're informative, actually.

They had begun to change color, and that tells me

that the fight occurred several hours beforehis death.

So he fought with someone other than his killer?

It's possible.

It's also possible that the...

Killer came back to finish the job.

VANCE: Thank you.

[whirs, powers down]

Michael didn't do it, Gibbs.

I never said he did.

And despite my ties to him,

I won't try and sway this investigation.

I never said that, either.

Oh. [phone ringing]

Hey, honey.

Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't call you back.

No, I don't think I'm gonna make it home for dinner.

Looks like it's gonna be a late one here tonight. Yeah.

No, no, everything's fine.

Just a lot going on, back-to-back meetings.

Yeah.

[whirs, powers up]

I love you, too.

It's complicated.

Family, Leon.

Always is.

So, you think my chattiness is annoying?

I think you asking me about your chattiness

non-stop for the past 20 minutes is annoying, yes.

Want to know who else thought my chattiness was annoying? Wendy.

She said it made me sound nervous and insecure.

Like that's even possible. Stop it, Tony.

It was one little comment Gibbs made, okay?

Nothing more.

[doorbell chimes]

And as for Wendy, I believe you were right

to turn the book on that relationship.

Turn the page, close the book, but... yeah, I guess I was.

Oh.

Meredith Bilson?

Who are you?

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. This is

Agent David. NCIS.

We need to talk to you about your boyfriend,

Petty Officer Caleb Adams.

Is s-something wrong?

May we come in?

Uh, uh, I'm... I'm sorry.

I can't right now.

Hey, Meredith.

Petty Officer Brian Smith?

Yeah. There's a whole ship full of people looking for you.

May want to put a shirt on. You're coming with us.

Stay with her.

Stop!

Look out! Whoa!

I said stop!

[grunting]

[panting] Hey!

I know a dead guy with bruises just like yours.

[panting]

Look at it.

Oh, is that a little tough to look at?

Here, how about this one?

Maybe a closer shot.

I didn't do that.

It wasn't me.

Says the guy who just ran two blocks to get away.

I can explain everything, all right?

Oh, you can?!

Well, thank goodness for that.

'Cause finding you in the dead guy's girlfriend's apartment

with your pants around your ankles

doesn't exactly scream innocent.

In my business, it's called motive.

Think I killed him for Meredith?

People kill for a lot less.

MEREDITH: I woke up around 6:00, and Brian was pounding

on my door.

Said he and Caleb got into a fight.

Was that fight was about you?

I didn't want to tell Caleb over the phone, but...

he called right after he got off the ship, and

he wanted to come over,

and I said no.What time was that?

Just after 11:30, I think.

I told him I was sorry.

I didn't mean to hurt him,

but I couldn't help how I felt.

I told him I was in love with Brian.

And he...

lost it.

SMITH: Next thing I know, Caleb's

dragging me behind some store.

Starts pounding on me.

I fought back for a little bit,

and finally, I pushed him off me,

then I ran.

Never saw him again.

Then where'd you go?

Walked around for a while, cleared my head.

Got to Meredith's around 6:00.

That was seven hours after the fight.

You just walked around

clearing your head?

Caleb was my best friend, all right?

I would never hurt him.

We grew up together, went fishing every weekend.

We were practically brothers.

Look, I know I'm a bad person for betraying Caleb that way.

But I didn't kill him.

MEREDITH: The last time Caleb called

he was rambling.

Saying that he was gonna win me back, buy me a ring.

He sounded so out of it.

He was slurring like he'd been drinking.

Caleb hardly ever drank.

And that was the last time you spoke?

I can't believe

I'm never gonna hear his voice again.

Meredith, look at me.

Do you think Brian killed Caleb?

No, of course not.

But...

I washed it.

What?

Brian's shirt.

There was a lot of blood.

I asked him if it was from the fight.

He wouldn't answer me.

I got scared.

He was acting so crazy.

I didn't know what to do.

I washed it.

I'm so sorry.

Doesn't look good for our shirtless wonder.

His alibi is definitely shaky,

but we also cannot ignore the fact

that she washed his bloody shirt.

Ah, to be young and in love. Huh!

McGee, any surveillance video from near the crime scene yet?

No, but I got something else. Come here.

It's about Michael Thomas, and it's not good.

As if Gibbs isn't in a tough enough place with the director.

Turns out that Michael has a record.

As a juvenile.

I got a hit on a charge in Maryland from 1996.

Records were sealed.Come on.

Let's not panic, okay?

Kids do stupid stuff. May not mean anything.

Well, it depends on the charge.

Assault with a deadly weapon.

Ugh.

Well, that goes beyond stupid.

Agent Gibbs.

Is Leon coming, too?

Assault with a deadly weapon.

You left that one out the last we talked.

Uh, well, I was... I was just...

just a dumb kid who-who didn't know any better.

I mean, it wasn't that big of a deal.

You put someone in the hospital.

I'd-I'd say that was a big deal.

What's this got to do with anything?

One: you lied to me.

Two: you have the potential for violence.

Yeah, when I was 14 years old.

Look, I-I admit, I had some tough times as a kid, you know?

And-And I made a mistake. I lashed out.

But I learned from it, and I moved on.

It never happened again.

What else don't I know?

I told you everything, Agent Gibbs.

I didn't do this! Why can't you just accept that?

Because a young man is dead, and I can't accept anything yet.

All right, that's enough.

Michael, don't say another word.

You should be focusing your energy

on real evidence, real suspects.

Michael is a suspect.

The only person you need

to be worried about is Petty Officer Brian Smith.

UA after the crime, fight with the victim...

I thought you were gonna steer clear and let me do my job.

Well, maybe I'm not satisfied

with the job you're doing, Gibbs.

It's not about me, and you know that.

I'm not just gonna stand by and let you grill him

about something that happened 16 years ago.

He lied to me, Leon.

What's more important is, you let him.

That's not true. His records were sealed.

It still matters. I told you,

it was complicated.

More than complicated.

Why the kid gloves?

Stand down.

Michael was eight when Jackie and I met.

Both parents passed away.

Kid was struggling.

I filled a void.

I tried to steer him right.

Leon, it's tough taking things like that on.

Yeah, and it wasn't always easy.

But I got him into private school,

I got him into counseling.

He was lost for a long time, Gibbs,

and now he's finally finding his way.

The last thing he needs is people giving up on him.

People like you. Yeah.

I've come a long way with him.

I'm not about to give up on him now.

[phone ringing]

ABBY: Gibbs.Yeah, Abby, I'm on my way.

Talk to me, Abbs.

Hi-- wow.

Director Vance, what a surprise.

I mean, not like a surprise.

I mean, I know

you have a special interest in this case because

y-your family member

is involved.

No, that, that is not what I meant.

I-I am sure

that your brother-in-law isn't involved.

in anything at, at all.

Ms. Sciuto,

just proceed as if this were any other case.

Of course. Yes, sir.

So we know

that the killer struck Petty Officer Adams hard and fast.

The wound is four inches in length

and five inches in depth.

The knife was stuck in once, to the abdomen.

The killer thrust it in deep

and then tilted it up and pulled it out.

What's the weapon?

A five-inch boning knife like this one here.

It's the favorite of avid fishermen everywhere.

The wound pattern matches the blade's design,

but that's not all that matches.

The only prints on the body belong to none other than...

VANCE: Petty Officer Brian Smith.

You have your guy.

That's a good thing, right?

Hey, DiNozzo,

search Petty Officer Smith's belongings.

Weapon's a fishing knife.

I want Michael released into my custody.

Need to keep him close, Leon.

I'm taking him home tonight.

[engines roaring, tires screeching on video game]

Hey, Dad.

All right, kids, that's enough of that for now.

Somebody here wants to say hello.

Hey.

Uncle Michael![Michael laughs]

What's up, man? Ah, ah...

Wow, my favorite little kids are not so little anymore.

Are you staying long this time?

He's not staying.

Kayla, Jared, go get ready for bed.

I'll be there in a minute.

I want him out of my house now.

[sighs]

The only time you ever go over my head is because of Michael.

VANCE: Jackie, calm down.

JACKIE: What problem are you bailing him out of now?

It was a misunderstanding.

Always is.

He was trying to do the right thing,

he ended up a murder suspect.

A murder suspect?

We have the killer in custody, Jackie.

He didn't do it.

Of course he didn't, but how does he get

in these messes in the first place?

And with you dragged into it?

This is different. Is it?

I mean, his whole life has been one bad decision

after another, always knowing

that you're gonna be there to save the day.People change.

Leon, you have fathered him long enough.

When are you gonna let him stand up on his own two feet?

He's getting ready to open a repair shop, Jackie.

Hisrepair shop.

And two years ago he was going to finish college.

A year before that, he was, he was selling

that, that, that miracle drink.

Well, at least he's trying, Jackie.

He's come a long way from where he was.

You do not need to remind me

where he was.

You know that I love him and I always will,

and I had to let him go and I ju...

I just wish you would, too, you know?

Hey.

I don't know why I had to be married to such a good man.

[chuckles]

Who I'm still mad at.

He'll just stay the night, Jackie.

And he's out by morning.

Yes.

Abbs?

Abby.

Gibbs, oh.

[grunts]

Sorry I woke you.

I woke you.

I woke you first when I called you.

You spent the night here?

Yeah, Tony found

the knife in question

in Petty Officer Smith's seabag, and I kind of got

on a roll testing it,

and the next thing I knew, the sun was coming up.

Was it worth it?

Totally.

I mean, even with my little windows,

the light was just gorgeous.

Abbs, I haven't had my coffee yet.

Ooh, all right. The knife.

So it tested positive for blood

but in the trout family.

These scales that are lodged in the handle suggest

rainbow or steelhead.

No blood from Adams.

Means Petty Officer Smith wasn't our killer.

But somebody is.

You know, it's probably

somebody that we don't even know yet.

Or someone we do.

Abbs, you stayed here overnight

trying to clear Vance's brother-in-law?

Well, the director is like family.

I mean, you would want me to do the same for you.

Tox results.

Low doses of methaqualone--

downers, ludes, disco biscuits.

Very retro but making a comeback.

It was just enough to impair

Petty Officer Adams' motor skills.

I mean, these babies can increase

your sex drive, but it also can cause drowsiness

and slurred speech,

low heart rate, vomiting...

Ah, well, so much for the sex part.

So the question is: who slipped it to him and where?

Well, test everyone who was on liberty that night.

Can I borrow McGee to help?

Absolutely.

[laughter]And I swear,

your grandma got these crazy eyes

and took off after your mom

like a cat chasing a mouse.Ooh, I can

still see them eyes.

Would Grandma have chased us, Mom?

Yeah, she sure would have.

Nah, she'd be spoiling you guys every chance she got.

Right, Jack?

Yes, Michael, she would have.

Hey, thanks for letting me stay.

Well, the kids miss seeing you.

I miss them.

Just gonna let the old man sleep

through the party, huh?

Uncle Mike's got great stories, Dad.

You finish your paper, son?Yep.

Nine whole pages, single-spaced.

Nice. KAYLA: Uncle Mike fixed

the dishwasher.

MICHAEL: Oh, just a loose valve.

No big deal.

Well, I appreciate that, Mr. Fix-It, but let's go.

It's my day to drop the kids off at school.

Can Uncle Mike come?

Well, he's coming to work with me,

so I guess that's the plan, if that's

still the plan.

Up to you.

There are a few things around here that need repairing.

All right, kids,

go get your things for school.

I'll be at the car.

Michael.JARED: I call front seat!

KAYLA: Come on! My turn, Jared!

You got it yesterday!

Now, you're released into my custody

until this case is solved, Michael,

so if I let you stay, you do understand you can't leave.

Yeah, of course, I'll do whatever you want.

That's the least I owe you.

And, listen, I'm, uh,

I'm sorry again for putting you through this.

After today, this is all behind us

and you can get back to focusing on your repair shop.

You find a space?

Got a few I'm looking at.

I'm gonna pay you back every dime, you know-- with interest.

And free repairs for life.

Hey, tell your man Gibbs I'll miss him.

You lay off Special Agent Gibbs.

This hasn't been easy on him either.

Eh, I don't like the way he looks at me.

[laughing]: He looks at everybody like that.

[laughing]

Where is he, Leon?

According to my morning brief,

you recovered a knife from the suspect.

It came back negative; it's not our weapon.

Then what next?

Could Michael be a flight risk?

VANCE: He's at my house with his sister.

He's not about to fly anywhere.

Agents David, DiNozzo, anything?

Abby found drugs in Petty Officer Adams' system

that probably impaired him before he died.

ZIVA: Abby and McGee are currently testing

[phone ringing]sailors to see if...

There they are.

Video conference.Ziva, put it up.

ABBY: Hi, Ziva, I...

Whoa, hi, everybody.

What's the latest?

Out of 215 sailors on shore leave,

three of them tested positive for some kind of sedative.

ABBY: It's too soon to know if it was the same drug,

but if I was a bettin' man...

Interview them there,

find out if any of them were with Adams before he died.

McGEE: On it, boss.

Over and out.

I love to say that.

All right, keep me in the loop.

Like I could keep you out of it, Leon?

I was in this bar,

you know, having fun

but thinking about where to hit next.

A bunch of guys were heading to this...

you know, gentlemen's club across town.

Go on.

Well, then we, we hear this guy

bragging about how he just won

a ton of cash playing blackjack.

I've never been to Vegas, much less a casino,

so I figured, what the hell?

Let's make it rain.

Bad idea, huh?

I lost every dime of liberty pay inside an hour.

Who was this guy? Who knows?

Actually, I heard it from a friend

who heard it from somebody else.

The night was a blur.

I swear that's the last time I ever gamble this messed up.

Where was this casino?

It wasn't a casino, it was

a crappy little game in the back of a-a pizza place.

Hey, hey!

NCIS is back.

How many slices can I get you gentlemen?

Where's the game?

Whoa, you can't go back there.

NCIS.

Do not move.

Okay, look, I admit to hosting the game,

but it was all in good fun.

I mean, all this nonsense about drugging anybody--

that's just crazy.

Found this in the cabinet next to the oregano.

Try again.

All right, what can I say?

I'm not proud.

But times are tough.

I mean, who doesn't need a little extra cash?

Cash off the backs of young sailors,

serving their country, on liberty,

in a crooked game?

Hey, the game itself is not crooked.

We deal straight.

They're ain't no sleight of hand here.

Just a little shot of this crap to give you the edge.

What? They don't comp drinks in Vegas?

You're not Vegas, Marty! This is a drug.

It's not a drink.

This kid died playing your game. Oh, no.

No way! One of these pills--

it'll make you woozy, but it never killed anybody.

Never.

Tell me about that night.

Ah, kid was breaking our hearts,

telling us about his girlfriend dumping him.

You know, saying how much he had to win in order

to buy her an engagement ring.

[laughs]

We kept saying that he should just forget about her,

but, no, he just kept playing.

Until you stole all his money.

I thought about giving some of it back.

Yeah. That's right.

But then, that kid-- he just went nuts.

Flipped the table over, and he just ran out.

Where? How should I know?

[knocking on door]

Hate to break Rule 22, boss, but his lawyer's here.

Then I'm done talking.

[grunts]

Oops.

Got the same story from the blackjack dealer.

If what he says is even half true,

Petty Officer Adams could have left that game

and picked a fight with the first person that he saw.

Could be anyone.

Thoughts?

Well, with no security cameras at the pizzeria,

Ziva and McGee are checking neighboring stores.

Yeah, I know that. I asked you your thoughts, DiNozzo.

My thoughts? I thought

you didn't like my process, my yabba yabba.

Doesn't mean I don't depend on it.

Oh.

Well, in that case, the pizza guys are slimeballs.

Thin crust beats deep dish every time.

And every suspect in this case

has an answer for everything,

but one of them's got to be lying.

Yeah? Which one?I don't know.

It's gonna take a little more yabba yabba.

Good.

Go help Ziva and McGee.

I gotta see a lady about a card game.

Anything, Abbs?

Four decks scanned, two to go.

Naturally, there's no shortage of fingerprints.

I.D.'s? Mostly sailors.

And the blackjack dealer.

Of course. He touched every card.

You know, it would help to know

if I was looking for someone specifically.

Yeah.

Just keep looking.

That the best you got, McGee?

Well, the only surveillance of the pizzeria was

from a rooftop across the street.

Lucky us, all the video files were corrupted.

But we believe this is Petty Officer Adams,

based on the time he is seen leaving the pizzeria

and the direction he is headed.

Anyone else?

There's this man. Left a few frames before.

Who is he?

Well, we still don't have a clear shot

of his face yet, Director.

Wait-- in the window-- is that a reflection?

Enhance it, McGee.

ZIVA: He appears to be a civilian.

GIBBS: Sailor said

a guy bragged to him about winning money.

TONY: A ton of it, only,

he was too impaired to remember who it was.

ZIVA: But the game was rigged,

so no one could have won a ton of money.

And that would make that winner a shill.

Somebody's who's in on the con, lying to recruit players.

It's as good as it gets, boss.

ABBY: Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!

Director.

Abbs. What?

I got a hit on the prints.

The person...

is in NCIS custody.

Leon!

MICHAEL: You're cheating...

How do you brake?

[both laughing]

Oh, man, I know that look.

Hey, homework starts

as soon as they're done kicking my butt, Pops.

Babe, I didn't see the harm. Dinner's almost ready.

You and the kids get started without us.

[video game stops]

Come on, come on.

Come on, come on.

Uh...

It was my fault, not theirs, you know.

I-I pushed them into playing.

Yeah, you're good at that.

Why did you do it?

The card game.

The kid you found dying in the street.

No. How about not lying to me

for once in your life?

[sighs] I was trying

to get out from under.

These guys-- they had my money.

Whose money? The money for the... for the shop?

The money you loaned me-- it wasn't enough.

I thought maybe if I can double it, maybe triple it...

Behind a pizza place.

Well, small outfit like that, man,

I couldn't believe I lost it all.

I couldn't ask you for more, so they made me a deal.

Bring some fresh meat to the table,

and I can get you your money back.

Why? Michael, why?

You were doing so good.

I tried to make it right, Leon.

On my own two feet.

But watching that poor kid lose his last dime...

I couldn't take it.

I got out of there.

And he came after you.

Yeah, he blamed me for, uh, bringing him into the game.

He said I ruined his life,

ruined his chances of ever getting back with his girl.

And then he pulled a knife, you know, he-he came at me hard.

I tried to get it away, but he just kept coming at me.

You know?

Everything happened so fast, Leon.

Next thing I know, he's...

He's face down, and the knife's in my hands.

It was an accident.

I didn't mean to kill him.

But you did.

Yeah, I know.

Believe me, I know.

I watched him die right in front of me.

But I'm gonna spend the rest of my life making up for it.

You know?

If you can help me out,

I promise, I'm gonna make it up to you

and the whole damn world.

Hand to God.

I will.

I will help you, Michael.

More than I've ever helped you before.

JACKIE: No. Please.

Not in the house.

I'm sorry, Jackie.

Me, too, Mike.

I was so close with him, Gibbs.

He was becoming a good man.

It's not your fault.

You didn't fail, Leon.

It's just time to let go.

[SUV driving away outside]

When's Uncle Mike coming back?

Not for a while, son.

Come on, kids.

Let's leave your dad be for a few minutes.

[sighs] Oh, boy.

[anguished sigh]

I'm sorry I played Xbox before doing my homework,

but it wasn't Uncle Mike's fault.

I know, son. It's okay.

Jared...

You show me how to play this?

Sure, Dad.

Come here.

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Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org