Original subtitles

We've decided to take a second look

at the O'Connell case.

Gabriel Hicks is convicted of robbery, kidnapping

and first-degree murder.

The victim's license was discovered

hidden at each of the crime scenes

and always with a smear of blood over the face.

Whoever murdered Lieutenant O'Connell

was a serial killer.

You said yourself there's reasonable doubt.

Guy takes one lefty swing and you want to throw

the whole investigation out the window?

We got an eyewitness saying it wasn't him.

To my lawyer, Jessica Shaeffer,

I can't thank her enough for believing in me

and seeing justice through to the end. Thank you.

You were right.

Hicks is guilty.

He should've been locked up all along.

I'm not his lawyer anymore,

but everything I know is still privileged.

Don't stop digging.

Man, that is one way I do not want to go out.

Yeah.

I doubt Jessica wanted it this way, either.

Hey, McGee.

How'd it go with the witnesses?

No, no one saw anything before the explosion.

Checked for surveillance footage.

There's no traffic cameras in the immediate area.

Well, a car doesn't just explode for no reason.

Hopefully Abby can work her magic

and figure out what happened.

Well, I can tell you that.

Someone was targeting Jessica.

The blast didn't originate from a fuel line

or, uh, the engine.

Happened underneath the driver's seat.

It's a sure sign of a car bomb.

When did you become such an expert on car bombs?

I made them when I was undercover.

Well, Sloane got very lucky.

I mean, if she was a couple inches closer,

would've been a different story.

And Jessica Shaeffer wasn't so lucky.

Will you both quit looking at me like that?

Please.

I'm fine.

I'd rather hear that from a doctor.

This is exactly where I need to be

and if no one else is gonna state the obvious, allow me.

This has Hicks written all over it.

But why kill his lawyer?

She's the only one that was on his side.

Not as of this afternoon.

Jessica resigned

as Hicks' counsel. Did she say why?

She couldn't because of client confidentiality,

but she said

we needed to keep digging.

So why the sudden change of heart?

Jessica must have uncovered something

that proved Hicks' guilt.

Something worth killing over.

♪ NCIS 15x15 ♪ Keep Your Enemies Closer Original Air Date on February 2

== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man

Hi, can I get a...

Small triple shot latte

with coconut milk?

How did you know?

You ordered the same thing yesterday.

Do you remember all of your customers' orders?

No, just the pretty ones.

I'm Danielle.

I'm...

Gabriel Hicks.

Born February 7, 1983, from Wheeling, West Virginia.

Do I know you?

No, but we know you.

NCIS.

We have a couple questions

about Jessica Shaeffer's murder.

Did you say murder?

I have to go.

Oops.

I say that too loud?

She scares easy. That's a bummer.

I'm not sure what's going on, but ask me whatever you want.

I've got nothing to hide.

All right.

We'll see about that.

Let's take a drive.

Thank you.

You're not making any sense.

Why would I kill Jessica?

She made me a free man.

I owed her.

You had a strange way of showing it.

I had nothing to do with that.

I'm telling you the truth.

I doubt that. How could I have?

I was working at the coffee shop all day.

- Check with my manager. - We did.

Your shift didn't start till 3:00.

That gave you plenty of time to plant the bomb

in Jessica's car beforehand.

This is absurd.

How would I even know how to make an explosive?

Oh, I bet you learned a lot of new tricks

during your time in prison.

For a crime I didn't commit.

I'm a victim, too.

You're breaking my heart.

Jessica was the only friend

I had.

I'm torn up over this.

Really? 'Cause when Agents Bishop and Torres told you

about Jessica's death, you barely flinched.

I thought they were lying.

I'm not too trusting of cops since that FBI agent

buried evidence to convict me.

I lost ten years of my life

because of him, so, yeah, I'm wary of law enforcement types.

Wouldn't you be?

How the hell does he know I'm in here?

He can probably hear you

grinding your teeth through the wall.

Can't help it. I hate being sidelined.

Smug son of a bitch.

He's enjoying this. Look at him.

Not even breaking a sweat in there.

Hicks knows we got nothing on him.

He's playing with us.

It's obvious I'm being set up

to take the fall like before.

I think it's best if I get a lawyer.

Mm. Do that.

And don't leave out how your last one ended up dead

after she dropped you.

That's not what happened.

I was the one that let go of Jessica

so she could focus on her other clients.

And we can't ask her now, can we?

It's funny

how that worked out.

I thought you were on my side, Agent Gibbs.

After all, it was your testimony that got me freed from prison.

Rule number 51.

Sometimes you're wrong.

Hicks give you anything?

No. Not yet. We're just getting started.

No, you're done.

With all the bad press surrounding NCIS

after Hicks' wrongful conviction,

we need to tread carefully.

Leon, he's guilty.

So you've said.

But your gut won't hold up in court, Gibbs.

If there's nothing connecting Hicks

to Jessica Shaeffer's death, you need to cut him loose.

He will kill again.

Then bring me something concrete.

Until you do that, my hands are tied.

Hey. You're free to go.

You're kidding.

I'm sorry I couldn't help.

I do hope you catch Jessica's killer soon.

Who knows who could be next?

I would advise you to leave this building

while you can still walk, Mr. Hicks.

Are you threatening me, Director Vance?

Was I not clear? Let me say it again.

Leave now.

Strike one, Agent Gibbs.

Agent Fornell.

Or should I say former agent?

I heard the FBI sacked ya.

Tough break. I don't have to be an agent

to put your ass behind bars.

And trust me,

you'll be back there soon enough.

I wouldn't count on it.

Abby?

Down here.

My favorite thing.

Lawyer's car give you anything?

Enough to confirm Torres' suspicion about a car bomb.

I found remnants of a metallic disc

under the driver's side carriage.

Any prints left behind?

No, but that is positive thinking.

I like it. Keep it up.

I'm positive because I know

you got something else, Abby.

You always do.

You're like a forensics magician.

I like the sound of that.

Did my positivity pay off?

See for yourself.

I give you...

Jessica Shaeffer's cell phone.

Wasn't destroyed in the blast? Partially.

But the battery compartment was intact,

which is where I found this.

An electronic bug.

Somebody planted it in her phone

so they could listen in on all of her phone calls.

That has to be Hicks.

What is he so paranoid about

that he has to keep close tabs on his own lawyer?

Jessica Shaeffer,

38, a graduate of Georgetown Law.

She worked in the public defenders office since 2010,

which is how she got involved with Gabriel Hicks.

Until late yesterday afternoon.

She resigned as his counsel.

Now, we don't know how long the bug was planted

in Jessica's phone,

so we pulled her call logs

from the past couple weeks. - Any connect to Hicks?

- Nothing yet. - Thank you. Uh, scratch that, McGee.

Yesterday morning,

Jessica called the Department of Corrections

to schedule a visitation

with an inmate she interviewed

hours before she was killed.

What's the connection?

Inmate in question served time with Hicks

when he was first convicted ten years ago.

Who is it?

Uh, McGee, you're gonna want to sit down for this.

Me? What? Why?

The inmate Jessica Shaeffer met with

was...

Paul Triff.

What? Hold on. As in the guy

who carved up three bodies

with an electric knife in McGee's apartment

and buried a mummified body under the floor?

That Paul Triff?

I am afraid so.

It turns out he and Hicks

were cellmates for six months.

That must be why Jessica went to see him.

If Hicks was the one that bugged her phone,

then he knew she was digging into his past.

Only one way to find out.

McGee, go see Triff.

Find out what he knows.

Me?

Boss, you sure you don't want to talk to him instead?

You know him better than I do.

Anyone want to trade?

Um, I have to look at my screen and stuff.

I got a thing.

Oh.

Hope you made an appointment.

I've got a very busy schedule.

That why you no-showed this morning?

You got a lot of eyes on this case now.

Everything's got to be done aboveboard.

I let this happen.

I got to fix it.

Not your fault, Tobias.

Hell it isn't.

If I'd done my job right the first time,

Hicks would still be in prison.

If it weren't for my testimony,

Hicks would never be released.

And I wouldn't have been fired

by the FBI.

What?

I'm just saying.

We both played a part

in Hicks being back on the street,

which is why it's on us to stop him...

...the right way.

Got to say,

reading Triff's file, he sounds fascinating.

Unhinged is more like it.

Well, that goes without saying.

Well-adjusted individuals don't butcher people

in their living rooms.

Or stare at people like they want to eat their face.

Triff's not a cannibal.

Yet. Okay, but if he branches out,

I don't want to be his guinea pig.

Open up!

Mm.

Agent McGee.

Well, I must have been a very good boy.

My birthday wish came true.

And you are?

Hiya. Agent Jack Sloane.

Raw-cut, nappa leather trench.

Unlined, double-breasted.

Spectacular.

May I touch it?

Not if you want your hand back.

Oh, pity.

Well... three visitors

in two days.

Aren't I the popular one?

No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't be jealous.

You're still my favorite. That's why we're here.

We wanted to ask you about your meeting

with Jessica Shaeffer. - The lawyer.

Yeah? Why?

She was killed in a car bomb last night,

hours after visiting you.

Don't look at me. I've been locked up in here.

And besides, my methods are

far more, uh... hands-on. We're aware.

You know, I even tried to warn her

that it was a mistake to come see me.

So... how did Hicks find out?

We think that he bugged her phone.

Well, it was clever for him.

What did Jessica want from you?

She was so insistent on finding out the truth

about Hicks.

But when I finally told her,

wow.

I don't think that she was fully prepared.

You're saying Hicks admitted to killing Lieutenant O'Connell?

Well, among others. Yes,

he was very talkative, back when he was a fish.

He wanted so badly to impress me

that he ended up telling me,

well... everything.

Convenient. You know, the lawyer

didn't believe me, either,

at first.

Not until I told her

that I had proof about Hicks' guilt.

What proof? You think I'm going to give you

that information for free?

No.

No, no. Tsk-tsk.

You are going to need

to wine and dine me.

It's a small price to pay for catching Hicks, though.

I mean, don't you think?

We're done here.

Eh, da, da, da, da.

Just to show you how serious I am...

I'll give you a freebie.

Hicks always said that there was a loose end

that he needed to tie up.

Something about a witness

that he should have killed.

Some old lady. Mary Smith?

Uh, uh... I mean, it sounds familiar.

Mary was only a witness in the O'Connell case,

which Hicks can't be re-tried for.

There would be no reason to kill her.

Reason.

Who needs a reason?

Is it lunchtime already, Agnes?

It's been a long time, Mary.

You and I have a lot to talk about.

Excuse me.

So, the nurse on duty reported seeing Mary

during her noon rounds, but when she went

to check on her an hour later,

Mary was missing.

Any security camera?

No, the security on the premises is pretty lax,

so anyone could have come and gone.

Boss, one of the residents saw Mary forced

into a silver sedan by a man matching Hicks' description.

Ran the plate number on the car.

It was reported stolen this morning.

BOLO's already out.

So, first Jessica Shaeffer,

and now Mary Smith.

It looks like Hicks is tying up loose ends.

Who's next on the list?

Not waiting around to find out.

Your shift started 20 minutes ago.

You get held up somewhere?

You know traffic in D.C.

- Can be murder. - Where is she?

- Where's who? - Mary Smith.

Witness saw you take her from her nursing home.

- They must be mistaken. - Oh.

Witnesses can be so unreliable.

You should know that better than anyone.

Do you mind?

I'm late for work.

Some of us have jobs to get to.

See, I got this thing against psychopathic scumbags

who target old ladies.

What's the matter?

You too scared to pick on someone your own size?

Sorry, you're not exactly my taste.

But give my best to your daughter.

Oh!

Did I hit a nerve?

Tobias...

Tobias! Stay out of this, Gibbs.

It's between him and me.

You're doing exactly what he wants.

I don't care!

I know he's guilty.

Enough!

Go on, take a walk.

Get out of here.

Your friend is a seriously disturbed man.

If he comes near me again, I'll have to press charges.

We don't find Mary Smith alive,

I'll be the one paying you a visit.

Strike two, Agent Gibbs.

Ticktock.

How did that feel?

Did you have to pull him off me so soon?

I was just getting into it.

Where'd you plant the tracker?

Under his coat collar.

And it is up and running.

Now we'll know everywhere Hicks goes,

which will, hopefully, lead us to Mary Smith,

if she's alive. - She is.

Your gut tell you that?

It's all part of Hicks' game.

Even so, he's not gonna keep her that way much longer.

His previous victims were all killed

within 48 hours of their abductions.

Which is why we're not putting all our eggs in one basket.

You got a wild card I don't know about?

Eh, yeah, something like that.

Has Gibbs lost his damn mind?

He wants NCIS to cut a deal with Paul Triff?

Yes. And I agree with him.

I knew I should have called in sick today.

I am aware of Triff's... colorful history, okay?

Three life sentences for murder.

Illegal possession of a firearm.

And multiple counts of unlawful mutilation

of a corpse.

I would say that we are

a few shades past “colorful.”

You and I both know that inmates brag to each other.

Triff spent six months as Hicks' cellmate.

His insight could be invaluable.

And you think that we can trust Paul Triff?

No. Are you kidding me? Not trust him.

Use him. From what I've deduced,

Triff has a massive ego.

The attention Hicks has gotten

only fuels Triff's desire to see him caught.

Better to deal with the devil we know

than the devil we don't.

Precisely.

If we can save Mary Smith,

and catch Hicks in the process,

wouldn't that be worth it?

What are Triff's demands?

Well, they are...

not unreasonable,

though a tad bit unorthodox.

And the other shoe drops.

Triff wants a “48-hour work furlough

outside the prison while he assists with the case”?

With two non-negotiables. “Agent McGee

“must be assigned to supervise inmate Triff

for the duration of the investigation.”

Keep reading.

“Triff will only reside

“at his last place of residence

during the furlough”.

What residence?

How long has he been like this?

Since he got a call from Vance.

He just found out he's gonna bunk with a serial killer.

There is just no sympathy card for that.

McGee?

McGee...

Hey, you okay?

Is this really happening?

Seriously, is this happening, or is this just

a really bad nightmare?

It's actually both.

Hey, anything I can do?

Want me to talk to Delilah?

No, no, no, I have sent Delilah and the twins

to stay with her mother for the course of the case.

I left out all specifics. Smart thinking.

Well, that is the last of it.

Consider your place successfully de-babyfied, McGee.

Just saying that bums me out.

Hearing it does, too. But it's safer this way.

I don't want Triff to know anything about me or my family.

Right. I'm just gonna do one more little once-over here

just to make sure.

Uh, you might want to remove all cutlery, too.

Hey, good call.

Aren't we all going

a little overboard here?

Triff's one man.

I mean, how bad can he be?

He expertly dismembered

three human bodies with a carving knife

in this very room while eating Chinese takeout.

Um, I'll give you a hand.

Everything is gonna be fine, McGee.

Triff is gonna be

locked up in chains in this cell the entire time.

And Reeves is here for backup.

We got all the bases covered.

Right.

Home, sweet home.

Gotta go. I gotta go.

Something I said?

You sure the lock is secure?

Unless he has a blowtorch in his trousers,

Triff ain't going anywhere.

Well, I wouldn't put it past him.

I'll handle the paperwork.

All right.

I don't recall this cage being a part of my deal.

It's not. It's part of mine.

If you don't like it, we can send you back

to Maryland Correctional.

No need. I'm amenable.

You're the one in charge, roomie.

I've missed this place.

You know, it looks the same,

but the smells, they're different.

Well, that's because there's no dead bodies

decaying under the floor.

You dug up old Joe from under the tub. Hmm?

I'm kidding.

I wouldn't destroy a hundred-year-old subway tile

on that Neanderthal. Mm-mm.

I dumped him in the river, let the fish do the work.

Another joke? See?

You really do get me, don't you, huh?

Thank you, Officer.

We're gonna have a blast together.

You're not here for fun, Triff.

You're here to do some work.

You ever hear of “manners maketh man,” Officer Reeves?

I skipped class that day.

We met your demands. Now talk.

Start with what Hicks has done with Mary Smith.

Well, I don't know anything about that.

But if you were to track down

Hicks's old van from ten years ago...

FBI seized it when they arrested him.

Didn't find anything.

Stop thinking like a cop.

They searched the van.

I'm telling you to search inside the van.

You mind telling me exactly what we're looking for?

We'll know it when we find it.

That's helpful.

Ever occur to you Triff sent us on a wild goose chase?

FBI scoured this vehicle, found nothing

to tie Hicks to Lieutenant O'Connell's murder.

I should get hazard pay. That's for sure.

You know what ten years of dust will do to my sinuses? Ugh!

You know, my body's a...

My body's a machine, baby.

I can't get it exposed to the elements.

My machine's gonna be violently ill

if you keeping talking about your machine.

Hey, Tobias?

Is that an allergen hallucination,

or is that dry blood?

Please let that be what I think it is.

Hicks's fingerprints were all over

the pipe that Gibbs found in the van.

Was the dry blood a match to Lieutenant O'Connell's?

Uh, yep.

That was one of five blood profiles I found.

The other four

match the unsolved murder cases

in the D.C.-Virgina area.

Gibbs found the mother of all murder weapons.

There is no way Hicks can talk himself out of this.

We got him.

Anything, Bishop?

Uh...

No signal from Hicks's phone.

He was a no-show for his shift at the coffee shop.

Have any word from Torres?

The tracking device was signaling

from Hicks's apartment,

but he was long gone.

He left this behind, though.

“Strike three”"

He's always one step ahead.

How does he know we're onto him?

Gibbs?

Hicks's cell phone is back on.

You got a location?

It's pinging

at Mary Smith's nursing home.

When I saw that man standing in my doorway,

I was certain he was gonna kill me.

It was Gabriel Hicks?

He threatened my nephew.

Said he was gonna kill him,

if I didn't go with him.

So I did. What happened

after Hicks took you from the home?

He drove to a wooded area,

tied me up and forced me into the trunk.

And then? He left me there.

I don't know for how long.

Then he just let me go.

How'd you get Hicks's cell phone?

He gave it to me.

Said to turn it on as soon as he dropped me off here.

Did Hicks say anything else?

“Those who talk get what's coming to them.”

Yep. All's quiet over here, Abby.

Nothing to report.

Yeah, McGee's fine.

What's Triff up to?

He's, um, standing by.

What's the latest

on Hicks? - Psst!

Hang on, Abbs.

Hello, Governor.

Can I borrow your phone?

It's my friend's birthday, and, mm,

I don't want to be rude.

You're doing a pretty good job of that right now.

Your turn to play psychositter.

Sorry, Abby, I'm back...

He's a sensitive one.

What's that?

Turkey on rye.

I'm a vegetarian.

Are you kidding me? You used to be a furrier.

Well, wearing animals is different from eating them.

No, it's not. Wait-- it... no, if you're a furrier,

then you don't have a... okay, you know what?

Never mind. Just eat it, don't eat it, I don't care.

You know, I'm sensing some frustration,

Agent McGee, but perhaps,

you might feel more relaxed around me

if we got to know each other.

You might be surprised at how much we have in common.

Yeah, like, what?

Well, deep-seated daddy issues, for example.

My father was an emotionless workaholic

who never had time for me.

How about yours?

No comment.

Don't worry.

I'm sure that you're a much better parent than he ever was.

Excuse me?

You tried to hide the evidence,

but the pungent scent of spit up was a dead giveaway.

A boy and a girl.

Mazel tov.

And judging from the bags beneath your eyes,

I'm assuming that they're on different sleep schedules?

Must be difficult.

Yeah. You have no idea.

Well.

I'm all ears.

When Johnny is awake, Morgan is asleep, and vice versa.

I mean, it's like they're conspiring

to keep Delilah and I from getting any sleep at all.

And we're doing the bonding thing as much as possible,

you know, we're-we're doing the babywearing,

and singing to them for hours every single day,

but... just doesn't feel like enough.

Well, it never will.

All you need to do is love them.

Everything else will work itself out.

You'll see.

Thanks.

Plus, my parents never bonded with me,

and I turned out just fine.

Thanks, Abbs. Right.

Time to start making yourself useful, Triff.

Haven't I already helped you locate Hicks's murder weapon?

You're welcome, by the way.

Hicks is to the wind.

Any ideas where he's headed?

No, but if he should send a postcard from Zihuatanejo,

I will be sure to let you know.

You mentored Hicks when you were cellmates.

Did you ever mention where you'd go if you'd lay low?

Let's see.

By all means,

take your time. I mean, it's not like

we got a crazed serial killer

on the streets. You know, nothing comes to mind.

Triff, tell us the truth.

You think that I would lie to you,

after all we just shared together?

I wouldn't do that to my best friend.

Say again?

We're besties, you dolt.

And we don't need another musketeer,

so why don't you go get me something to eat?

Yikes. I know that face.

What's on your mind? Hicks.

Things aren't adding up.

I thought the same thing.

That's why I called in a favor and got a copy

of his juvenile records.

A psych eval done when he was a kid suggests

that he suffered from abuse at the hands of his father.

Yeah? Meaning what?

It explains why all of his victims fit the same profile.

They're all males, in their 30s,

strong builds, in positions of authority.

Men who remind him of his father.

Killing them was Hicks's way of gaining

the control he desperately craves.

Yeah, except Jessica Shaeffer doesn't fit that mold.

Precisely what worries me.

Gibbs, his entire profile has-has completely shifted.

He's killing with an agenda now,

which makes him even more dangerous.

Then why not kill Mary Smith?

It's not like he's suddenly grown

a-a conscience.

Hicks is smart.

There is a reason for everything he does.

Hicks knew we were tracking him.

Right.

That's why he ditched his coat.

It's why he gave his cell phone to Mary Smith.

He wanted us to go there and question her.

But for what purpose?

To split us up.

How long has Fornell been gone?

He went back to his office when you left for the nursing home.

He said he wanted to look through his files on Hicks.

It looks like they finally caught on.

After all the chances I gave you,

you still couldn't catch me.

You know what comes after strike three, don't you?

Strike four?

Sorry, I'm not really a sports guy.

Oh, I've been looking forward to this for the last ten years.

And here we finally are.

Is there anything you want to say?

Yeah.

You're weaker than I expected.

I give you credit

for not falling for the act like everyone else did.

It's too bad you couldn't do your job,

keep me locked up.

Well, you'll be back there soon.

Or six feet under, I'm not picky.

It's a shame no one listened to you.

Jessica might still be alive,

and countless others yet to come.

Including you.

Don't get emotional on me.

Let me guess, right now, you're trying to stall

so you can think of a way out of this.

I was wondering how much longer

I'd have to listen to you babble.

You're worse than my ex-wife, and she was good-looking.

Do me a favor, swing the damn bat.

Did you think you were getting off that easy?

No, I'm not killing you just yet.

Two birds,

one stone.

NCIS!

Clear house.

- No Fornell. - Well,

he left his Taser and what's left of his cell phone.

It might not be that bad.

Maybe he went out to dinner.

After he tied himself up?

Just trying to stay positive.

Um... Gibbs?

It's Fornell's license,

with the same calling card

Hicks used on his previous victims.

All right. Less positive now.

Hey, I do not feel right about this.

What? Just go. I'll be fine.

Fornell needs your help more than I do.

Besides, Triff's been surprisingly cooperative.

Right. That's what makes me nervous.

Hurry back.

Right.

Finally. I thought he'd never leave.

Three's a crowd, as they say.

They also say “safety in numbers.”

Well, you still don't trust me, Agent McGee,

and that hurts my feelings.

Your deal with NCIS was to help us arrest Hicks.

No.

I said that I would help you stop him.

It's the same thing. Did you really think

that a wild animal would willingly return

to his cage after tasting freedom?

You have no idea what you're up against.

We talking about Hicks or you?

Now you're catching on.

Hey, anything on Fornell?

No, not yet. Gibbs and Torres are hitting up

every place Hicks has ties to.

- What can I do? - You can help me sift through

the city's traffic cams for any sign

of Hicks' stolen sedan.

On it.

Bishop.

Where?

Yeah, on our way.

BOLO hit on the sedan. Where?

- Parked outside McGee's apartment. - Triff.

I don't mean to interrupt, but I adhere to a very rigid

meal schedule, and if I don't eat soon, well,

I might just get a little agitated.

If that's James Bond,

tell him to get me some tofu ramen

from the shop around the corner.

I got to get out of this apartment.

You're not going anywhere.

You should know better.

Don't do anything stupid.

Turn around.

Move.

Still don't think three's a crowd?

Been a long time, Triff. You surprised to see me?

I mean, I figured you'd show up eventually.

Although, it took way longer than I expected.

I guess you're still not as smart as me.

Yet I'm not the one trapped in a cell.

You see, this is only temporary.

But while you're here,

why not help out your mentor for old times' sake?

You want me to help you when you've been

running your mouth to NCIS?

Think of it as me teaching you a valuable life lesson.

And now you know never to confide in a fellow convict.

Of course, someone with some common sense

would've known that already.

Lesson learned.

You want to die? Stop talking.

Truth is, you should be on your knees thanking me

for taking you under my wing all those years ago.

Even then I could see how weak you were.

That's why I took pity on you.

Yeah, we're gonna die.

I now realize what a waste of time that was.

You are disappointingly inadequate,

as usual.

Is that right?

I didn't know what I was gonna do when I saw you,

but you've swayed my decision.

How does it feel to know

that you've just signed your own...

Get down!

He got me.

I'm hit. Man down.

Ow. You're okay, you're okay.

You'll be fine. How long was that door unlocked?

Go get a towel before the blood stains my hardwoods.

Is that really important right now?

It's 200-year-old French oak. Just do it.

Oh!

You shot up my wall!

Hicks. Freeze!

Gun!

Everybody move! Get down!

Get out of our way! Move! Everybody get down!

Check on McGee.

Copy.

Who's the weak one now, huh?

You sure took your sweet time.

I kind of like this thing.

It's the newest model.

Somebody broke my old one.

Honey, I promise, it's safe to come home.

The case is over and Triff is gone.

What?

No, there's nothing else I need to tell you.

All right.

Okay, see you tomorrow. Love you, too. Bye.

How'd I do?

Totally believable.

You're getting so much better at lying. I'm so proud.

I don't know, it feels weird, though.

Maybe I should just tell Delilah what happened.

About almost getting shot

and owing your life to Triff?

Yeah, I'd keep that to myself, buddy.

Me, too.

Me, three.

The prison van is here to take him back

to Maryland Correctional.

Oh, I was so hoping to meet the missus and the little ones.

Oh, well.

Next time.

This may sound strange, but, uh...

...we appreciate your helping out on the case.

I knew I could get something out of it.

You got Hicks,

and I got two days out of prison.

And boy, am I feeling reinvigorated.

You got shot.

It's still not the worst vacation I've ever had.

Triff, why'd you take that bullet for me?

Please.

- What are best friends for? - I'm sorry.

Wh-Wh-What's that now?

Plus, if you die, someone new

would move into my apartment.

I can't risk some gauche millennial

hanging movie posters on my Venetian plaster.

Oh, no, not after all the blood, sweat,

and tears that I put into our place.

Look, seriously, you saved my life.

So I-I feel like I just want to say...

I'm gonna stop you right there.

I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is yes.

I would love to be godfather to the twins.

What? No. No, that's not at all...

We're family now, Timothy.

And no one goes against the family.

Uh...

As heartwarming as this is, it's time to go, Triff.

Bye-bye.

Until next time.

What just happened?

Brah, please let me be there

when you tell Delilah the good news.

You know, I could help you spruce this place up,

like I did my garage.

4K TV on that wall would look great.

Already got a TV.

I'll alert the Smithsonian.

Returning the Hicks files.

That the only reason you're here?

Maybe I wanted to see my friend.

Fine.

I wanted to thank you.

Not just for catching Hicks,

but for correcting the mistake I made ten years ago.

Tobias, I made plenty of them myself.

That is true.

I'm just glad Hicks is back where he belongs.

I hear the Bureau's considering reinstating you.

Yeah.

I told them, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Kind of like being my own boss.

You think I'm crazy, don't you?

I didn't say that. You didn't say anything.

I know what that means in Gibbs-speak.

Your life.

Do what makes you happy.

Got room for a partner if you're interested.

Tobias Fornell and Associate Private Investigations

has a nice ring to it.

Associate?

Oh, I almost forgot.

There you go.

What the hell's this?

It's an itemized bill for services rendered.

I'm a small businessman. Money doesn't grow on trees.

I don't know what you're upset about.

I gave you the friends and family discount.

Dry cleaning?

It's a pleasure doing business with you.

Let's do it again soon.

== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man