NCIS: Origins (2024) s01e16 Episode Script
Bugs
1
- Federal agents! Freeze!
- LALA: Jamison "Bugs" Boyd.
RANDY:
They're calling him "Sandman."
LALA: He kills Melanie Hewitt,
then he goes and shoots
Dustin Cruz.
Why?!
I loved her so much but
she didn't want me no more.
She wanted Cruz.
(CRYING): I loved her so much.
I'm interviewing him for my new program.
He is my new best friend.
OLDER GIBBS: The worst
monsters let you breathe,
they let you think it's over.
And then, enter Sandman.
OLDER GIBBS: Vera Strickland
lived a big life in a small apartment.
Her place was nothing special,
but it did have two bathrooms.
One, she used as a bathroom.
The other, she used as an office.
She would sit in there
and think about these killers.
She would analyze
every word they said
to her in their interviews,
every tilt of a head,
every twitch of an eye,
every curl of a lip.
She would
crawl inside their heads,
and she would stay there
till she could define them.
Sometimes, it made her sick,
being inside those heads
for so long.
But the labels she put on
these killers now
would help us
catch the next one easier.
That's what she told herself.
[KEYS CLACKING]
But there was one
she couldn't define.
She'd talked to him many times.
("MR. SANDMAN"
BY THE CHORDETTES PLAYING)
They'd gotten close.
But when it came to his crimes,
the sniper known as Sandman
refused to let her in his head.
Vera knew the facts.
He shot his girlfriend Melanie
from his hide 1,300 yards away.
He set her house on fire.
Then he shot her lover
on the beach
from his hide in a hotel room.
Lonesome nights are over ♪
Those were the facts.
But they didn't match up with
the man Vera had gotten to know.
Don't have nobody ♪
Whenever she asked him about
the crimes, he shut down.
Eventually,
she couldn't ask anymore
because the funding dried up.
Bring me a dream ♪
So, there she was
with no way to label him,
and no way to stop caring.
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Bub-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Jamison "Bugs" Boyd
thought a lot about Vera caring.
Mr. Sandman ♪
He thought about how
he'd told her things
he'd never said
to another living soul.
He felt her caring,
and that felt good.
But the interviews were over now.
Her questions sat in his head,
the ones he never answered.
He wanted her to come back.
He wanted her back so much,
he thought he might die.
(PHONE RINGS)
Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream ♪
Hello?
OPERATOR: You are about
to receive a collect call from
BUGS: Jamison Boyd.
OPERATOR: an inmate housed
at Federal Correctional Facility,
San Diego. Press "one"
to accept the charge.
(TONE BEEPS)
OPERATOR: This call is subject
to monitoring and recording.
Jamison?
BUGS: Yeah.
This is crazy,
I was just thinking about you.
You were?
Yeah. I mean, uh, yeah.
Like Liberace ♪
Mr. Sandman ♪
I don't want you to not come back.
(SIGHS)
Hey, you remember what I told you?
It's got nothing to do with you.
It's-it's about the funding.
What if I answer
all of your questions this time?
You think your boss
would let you come back?
Mr. Sandman ♪
I'll do anything you want, just
please just come back.
Would you come back?
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum. ♪
So I take her out, you know?
I take her out to dinner
at a really nice restaurant.
We're eating pasta,
she's laughing at my jokes.
You know how I do, right, Georgie?
Yeah, he's got a great joke about pasta.
(LAUGHTER)
Oh, I didn't even tell
her about that one.
Look, I'll tell y'all after,
but anyways,
I'm driving her home,
I kiss her good night.
It gets a little hot and heavy
on the front porch.
(CHUCKLING)
I felt like I was 16 again.
Yeah. Best first date I've ever had.
You know, never thought I'd
be able to feel like this again.
Never in a million years, you know?
LUKE: I love to hear you happy, brother.
You really deserve it, man.
Yeah, I don't know about all that,
but look, I'll take it.
(LAUGHS)
Leroy.
You had a thought about Joe's story?
No, it's great.
That's great, man.
LUKE: Joe's not sure he deserves it.
JOE: I was just kidding.
Do you think Joe deserves it, Leroy?
What, to be happy?
- Yeah.
- You do?
Yeah.
Protect and serve.
Doesn't matter
if we're on the battlefield
or at home, walking down the street.
Somehow, we all became
a pair of words, didn't we?
Protect and serve.
And we all failed.
One way or another,
we believe that we let down the people
that we were supposed to protect.
And we think maybe we don't deserve
to be happy because of that.
But our trauma's not our fault.
Our recovery, that's our responsibility.
It's not easy.
But victory belongs
to the most persevering.
And we can all agree that
Joe still deserves
to have a pretty damn good date.
Right, Leroy?
Yeah.
What about you?
Do you deserve to be happy?
I don't know.
Let me ask everyone else
and see what they think.
However Leroy feels
that he's failed in the past,
does he deserve to be happy now?
Joe?
Yes.
- George?
- Yeah, he does.
- Charles?
- Yeah.
Daniel? Avery?
- Yes.
- Yes.
It's a yes from me, too.
VETERAN: You deserve it, man.
LUKE: You hear that, Leroy?
It's unanimous.
You deserve to be happy, man.
What do you think about that?
♪
Thank you.
♪
Okay.
KOWALSKI: Oh.
I thought I heard
some goings-on in here.
Guess who called me last night?
One of the guys you're running with?
- The Mensa plumber?
- (LAUGHING): No.
Bugs.
Geez. What the hell was JJ
doing with this clipboard?
It smells like ass.
Bugs as in "Sandman" Bugs?
Yeah.
He called me practically
begging for me to go see him.
I think he misses me? (SCOFFS)
He said he is ready to answer
every burning question that I have.
How are there no pens in this place
- that work?
- Here you go.
Kowalski,
you are everything
a human being should be.
Oh, yeah.
So, Bugs the Sandman wants to talk, huh?
Mm-hmm.
You'll finally be able to
finish your profile on him.
- That's great.
- What's great?
Bugs, finally gonna
let me into his head.
Oh, so you need that camcorder again?
I thought you were done with all that.
No. I was. I am.
The funding is out for the year,
so I gotta get Wheeler to sign off on it
before I can go.
HERM: You might have to wait a while.
I heard Gail tell Nadia yesterday
that Mary Jo said
Wheeler's coming in late.
Something about his son,
and he's not to be paged.
VERA: Damn it. What did I tell you
about eating enormous sandwiches
for breakfast?
But your bread is so good, man.
You know what's appropriate?
A slice of buttered toast.
You want me to make you a sandwich?
Uh, yeah, sure.
Hey. Screw it.
- Make me one, too.
- Two BLT's,
extra bacon, extra bread, coming up.
Here we go, gents.
How about some ketchup, hot sauce?
- No, I'm good.
- Smitty took you off door duty?
Nah, I'm still the night bouncer.
Just trying to
expand my horizons, you know?
Yo, Gibbs,
I'm making ribs on Sunday
if you wanna come over for the game.
Wait, here or at your place?
Nah, my place. Smitty thinks
ribs won't sell on the menu.
Huh.
You guys are buddies now?
Yeah, Todd's a good guy.
Ain't that the guy you were wailing on
'cause he wouldn't say "excuse me?"
We got past that.
I had to pull you off him.
So, how's it going?
Fine. Why you ask?
I don't know,
we're sitting across from each other.
You know, I been going
to this group down at the VA.
Yeah, you told me.
Yeah, I know.
But last night, it was like, uh
Well, it was different.
I think this stuff might actually work.
You should come with me sometime.
Pass.
It's all vets,
it's all ages. You love vets.
You know what I love is eating in peace.
Then why'd you ask me to meet you here?
Probie, if you're looking
to grill me about Tish,
Gary Callahan's been sleeping over.
I'm moving on. I'm fine.
SMITTY: Hey, Franks.
Would you eat ribs on Sunday
if I added them to the menu?
Sure.
(PAGERS BEEPING)
Damn it.
Smitty, let me use your phone, will you?
Morning.
So, like I said, I
was in the bathroom
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)
Body's in the john?
No, no body,
just a B&E. Stolen wallet.
Call said there was a body.
Call was wrong.
Victim is a Marine reservist,
Wyatt Morten.
Cops said they'd handle it,
but he badgered them to call us in.
He was here when the guy broke in?
Yeah, he works second shift
down at the San Diego Water Supply.
He woke up around 9:00 a.m.,
got in the shower,
heard the glass shattering,
and then he ran out,
suspect was halfway out the door
with the wallet.
(SIGHS)
FRANKS: Mr. Morten,
did you happen to get a look
at the guy that did this?
Just his back.
He had a black baseball hat,
a gray sweatshirt, gloves.
There was no way I was gonna catch him,
he was fast as hell.
How much you out?
50 bucks, maybe. (SCOFFS)
But I had a picture in my wallet.
I need that back.
He knock over your fishes, too?
No, that was like that.
Take a look around,
see if he didn't take nothing else.
Yeah.
You all wrap this up.
I'm going back to the office
to sit on my ass
until a real call comes in.
Huh?
(EXCLAIMS) Sorry about that, boss.
That was a bust. A few neighbors
heard breaking glass,
but no one saw the suspect.
Where's boss going?
Back to the office to sit on his ass.
He's really taking this Tish thing hard.
Yeah. He said that Gary Callahan's
been sleeping over,
so that's good.
Yeah, but who's gonna cut our hair?
LALA: Wow, dude,
- that's so cold.
- Sorry.
I'm sad about Tish leaving, too,
but I just have really difficult
hair to cut. It gets like this
rogue wave pattern if it's
not tended to properly.
It gets, like,
untamed flowy thing
- if it's not
- LALA: Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Wow, that sounds like a real problem.
GIBBS: Is that yours?
Yeah.
Panama.
This is gonna sound so stupid
No. No, I get it.
I spent time in Panama, too.
You know, that's-that's
why I wanted the cops
to call you guys 'cause I thought
maybe NIS would understand.
My dad was Army. World War II.
He's gone now, but, uh
The day I got this,
he gave me
he gave me
this old picture of himself.
It's the only one I have
of him in uniform, you know?
You know, we-we never
we never talked about
me in Panama, you know?
We-we never talked about him and D-Day.
We never really talked
about anything, but, uh
Yeah, but he gave me that picture,
and that was
that was something.
I kept that picture
in my wallet, so, um
I need to get it back.
You know, they got these groups
down at the VA.
They really help people.
(SCOFFS, SNIFFLES)
Here.
I want you to write down everything else
that was in your wallet for me.
There's no way
you're gonna find it, is there?
I'm gonna try like hell.
- VERA: Clifford.
- (GROANS)
Hey, I need your okay on something.
I just walked through
the door, Strickland.
It'll only take a minute.
Jamison Boyd requested to
Where are the bagels?
They're gone.
See, the thing is, I was having trouble
completing Bugs's profile
because I could
never really get him
to open up, but now
Your interviews are supposed
to be over until
Next fiscal year.
I am aware, sir.
Thing is, I don't have
to document this right away.
I can hold it over to the next
Mary Jo, the bagels?
Are gone, I know.
I fought off Carl
to snag you the last poppyseed.
Is that from the good bakery
or the bad bakery?
Honey, what do you think?
Sir, hey, no, the form.
- Please, I really need to talk to Bugs.
- Mm-hmm.
Knock yourself out.
Thank you.
Yo, Herm. I'm gonna need that camcorder.
"Thank you for the bagel, Mary Jo.
"How thoughtful of you
to hip-check Carl for me, Mary Jo."
(SIGHS): All right.
(CAMERA BEEPS)
(DOOR OPENS)
VERA: We're good, thanks.
(DOOR CLOSES)
It's good to see you.
How are you?
Jamison. Hey.
How are you?
I changed my mind. I can't talk to you.
You said you were ready
to answer my questions, you remember?
I know what I said, but I can't.
Yes, you can.
Okay? Yes, you can.
I promise you can.
I'm not here to judge you.
You remember I told you that?
I just want to listen.
(FADING): Okay? I'm not here
to judge you.
(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)
(MUFFLED CHATTER)
- I can't.
- Whoa, hey, hold on. Hey.
Let me out, man!
Let's talk about it.
Come on, Jamison.
- Wait, Jamison.
- No, I can't.
(SIGHS)
Victim is Marine reservist Wyatt Morten.
Unknown assailant
broke into his apartment
when he was in the shower
and stole his wallet.
We know, we were there.
Yeah, but you're not
doing anything about it.
Not much we can do about a stolen wallet
if no one saw anything. Thank you.
Well, this is a list of all the stuff
that was in the wallet:
cash, driver's license,
work keycard, library card,
credit cards. If the thief
starts using any of them,
maybe we can track him that way.
You should get yourself a hat
and one of them magnifying glasses.
(LAUGHS)
Going a little overboard
for a wallet, ain't ya?
VERA: Yo, Franks.
Ooh, slow day, am I right?
You think you can loan me some manpower?
Better yet, lady power?
I'm in. What do you got?
Something's going on with Bugs.
I need some help digging into it.
You're still talking to Bugs?
Oh, you didn't hear? Gail said that Herm
told Nadia that Bugs
called her at midnight collect,
said he'd rather die
than not see her again.
And you didn't tell me?
I just heard from Mary Jo on the way in
from the kitchen.
FRANKS: What'd Bugs want to see you for?
That's what I'm trying to find out.
He changed his mind,
he wouldn't talk to me.
Sure, 'cause all that crank
broke his damn brain.
All you need to know about that kid
is in the interrogation tapes.
Cue 'em up.
He confesses to a bunch a murders
and slobbers all over me.
Didn't you watch 'em?
Yeah, yeah, I watched it.
So, what else do you need to know?
I don't feel like dealing
with your crap today.
I will take Lala and 'Roy.
Vámonos, 'Roy.
You'll take care of the wallet, then?
No, take Dominguez, and Rando.
Why am I always the last pick?
(FRANKS CHUCKLES)
LALA: Come on.
Boss, you think Bugs
I'm thinking that kid's head
ain't never gonna make a lick of sense,
no matter what Vera does.
Right. So, Morten's wallet,
he had a picture in it.
It's of his father in uniform.
It means something to him.
(LAUGHS)
Come on.
What happened to that
whole speech you gave
about making people whole,
even when your life stinks?
Picture of his pops in uniform, huh?
All right, grab your notepad, probie.
Let's go chase us down
some credit cards.
VERA: Here's the thing,
if I can find out what happened
to make Bugs change his mind,
then I can figure
the best way to approach him.
Did you talk to the prison guards?
Maybe they know something.
I've got Herm waiting on
the line with them right now.
I swear to God,
anyone who works at a prison,
you ask 'em a question,
they put you on hold and
they wait a year to get back.
Okay, got it.
- Is that They're back?
- Yeah, thank you.
- Give me the phone.
- Yeah, back at you.
Give me the phone. Give me
(EXCLAIMS) I needed to talk to them.
I did it for you.
The prison dude said
that a new phone account
came through for Bugs this morning.
Wait, what happened?
Apparently, you can load
an account with money
for an inmate and attach it
to your number if you
If you want them to be
able to call you, yeah.
Who set up the account?
Guy named John Smith, which sounds
pretty fake if you ask me.
He paid for the account
with a money order,
and the number attached to it
was a pay phone in South Oceanside.
The prison should have
a recording of the call.
They do, but they won't release
it to us without a warrant.
VERA: So, Bugs talks to
some mystery guy on a pay phone,
and then changes his mind
about talking to me.
That is exemplary work, Herm.
Just outstanding.
Okay, so, uh,
you and Randolf, get to work
on that warrant for me, will ya?
On it.
Check out that pay phone,
see if we can pull some prints?
And we're gonna look good doing it.
(DISTANT BUZZING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)
(RINGING INTENSIFIES)
(BUZZER SOUNDING)
GUARD: Let's go, boys. Playtime's over.
Okay, I don't I don't know
what you want me to do with this.
That is a list of everything
that was in the wallet.
Yeah, I know, I get that.
It's just So, you want me
to call the library,
and see if he used his card
to take out a book?
His credits cards are still good.
We thought you could help
us track any activity,
see if you can get
a location on this guy.
That's not really what we do here.
What about the forensic accountant
that you used on the Sarah Dane case?
Esther Watkins? No, no,
we-we only call her
for high-profile murder cases.
We're not calling her in
on a stolen wallet.
- She's a pain in our ass.
- Mm-hmm.
FRANKS: Look, fellas,
we all got our crosses to bear.
The victim is missing
a picture of his pops
that was in the wallet.
It means something to him.
Can't be replaced.
So you do want me to call the library?
Call whoever you want, we're looking
Hey, hey.
Party in Forensics.
You guys here on the wallet thing?
- Yeah.
- Mm.
Yeah, well, we're cutting the line.
Need you to pull some prints.
Mm, you guys What, did you guys
hack it off a pay phone?
Yeah, we tried to dust it at the scene,
but we were having trouble,
so we thought that you could
stick the entire thing
in your glue chamber.
I'm servicing it. Routine maintenance.
This about Bugs?
- You mean Sandman?
- VERA: Yeah.
Listen, this is what happened.
Bugs calls me, begging for me to talk,
and then some mystery man
cues Bugs to call him
on that pay phone today.
And then, bam,
Bugs decides not to talk to me.
There's gotta be a thousand
prints on this headset.
Well, we also have the money
order mystery guy used
to set up the account,
and I thought that you could
call in that forensic accountant
- that we used on the Sarah Dane case.
- No.
PHIL: Pain in our ass.
Did you ask the prison for
the recording of the call?
Yeah, Randy and Herm are on it.
How'd this guy know?
What guy? Mystery guy?
This guy sets up a call to
stop Bugs from talking to you.
How'd he know what Bugs
was fixing to do?
He could have a source in the prison.
I have an alternate theory.
What the hell is this?
Are you all familiar with
your Civil War history?
Here we go.
1862, siege of Yorktown.
Union General Fitz John Porter
took it upon himself
to do some aerial reconnaissance
in a hot-air balloon.
Instead of the usual three tether ropes,
Porter decided to use just one,
so that the balloon
could go higher, faster,
affording him a better view.
He rose to unmatched heights,
scouting enemy positions.
Until, suddenly, the rope snapped,
and sent him sailing over
Confederate lines.
Porter got shot at, he was terrified.
Until, thanks to blind luck,
the wind shifted
and sent him back to safety,
where he
was able to make sketches
of Confederate positions
around Yorktown.
I believe if you were
to ask Porter today
if that risk was worth it
- (DETECTOR BEEPING)
- he would give a resounding "yes."
Because Porter knew
that even at the risk
of getting shot down
in a hot-air balloon,
intel on the enemy is king.
I'm just saying,
there's a chance
you might've been bugged.
There's three of them?
This is your dance floor, lady.
Sir, we spent all night
sweeping the premises.
Yes, three listening devices total.
Found where?
Front bullpen under Carl's desk,
uh, one in the secretarial pool
near the front entrance,
and the last one
under the sink in the men's restroom.
Who did this?
We don't know.
Then how about you take
an educated guess, Strickland?
Okay, strap 'em back in, Cliff.
This ain't entirely her fault.
How about "This isn't her fault at all"?
An unknown quantity
of classified information,
it is all compromised.
Educated guess,
the devices were planted there
right after Bugs was arrested,
or when I started profiling him.
Whoever it was
was looking to keep tabs on him.
I had Earl in I
take a look at the devices.
- You did?
- He said they have
a maximum transmission range
of 300 meters.
Well, then, it must have
been planted by someone
who had regular access to the base.
Or it was someone in the building.
Oh
Son of a bitch.
No. You think this was Roger?
The guy sold out a little girl
to a hit man, Vera.
I think he's capable.
Vista Detention Facility.
Get there now, question Roger.
- Uh, sir
- I don't want to hear it.
Whatever is going on with Jamison Boyd,
you need to get the reins
on this thing now.
FRANKS: Probie!
- Yeah.
- Saddle up.
We're going over to talk to Roger.
Roger who worked here?
Yeah. I need you to sit next to me,
use some of that VA-group-therapy speak
to stop me from choking him.
Copy.
Vera, Lala's down in observation.
Warrant came through.
Prison dropped off the phone recordings?
Yeah.
Ooh. Okay.
MAN (OVER RECORDING): Jamison.
- BUGS: That you?
- Yeah.
- RANDY: Dang. Quality's not great.
- (VERA SHUSHES)
BUGS: You set this up for me to call?
MAN: I did. I was worried about you.
The wolves, they're still out there.
BUGS: I know, man,
but it's just me in here. I got no one.
MAN: Hey, you've got me.
We're still family.
You know that, don't you?
Did you forget?
BUGS: I remember now.
MAN: What do you remember?
BUGS: That we're family.
MAN: Good.
Stay strong, Jamison.
(LINE CLICKS)
RANDY: That's it?
That's what made Bugs do a 180?
I thought there would
at least be some yelling.
The whole "wolves" thing
was creepy as hell.
He said they were family.
Bugs doesn't have any family.
His mother died of cancer
three years ago
and his father treated him awfully,
but he's been gone for years.
He's got a cousin, though, doesn't he?
Bugs enlisted under his name.
Yeah, that's right, um
- Henry.
- Henry
Herschel Boyd. Yeah.
He lives in Florida, though.
Possible he came into town.
- Yeah, maybe
- (KNOCKING ON DOOR)
It's just me. Wow.
You all look like some stuff's
getting heavy in here.
What's going on?
It all started when Vera
got this collect call.
I know that, Randy. I'm the one
that told you about it.
I was asking about the recording.
Never mind, I'll figure it out myself.
I always do. Here.
What is this?
Courier dropped it off.
The prison warden said he meant
to send it over with the tape.
He said Bugs has been drawing this thing
all over the place lately.
♪
- It's nice to see you guys.
- Is it?
'Cause it seems to me like
he ain't seeing us at all.
- What?
- Oh, now he's gonna question me?
Come on.
Roger.
Mike would like you
to look him in the eye.
- I was.
- Oh, you lying sack
Just look him in the eye, please.
Did you put a bug under Carl's desk?
What? No.
What about the men's room?
Someone pay you
to put ears in the crapper?
That sounds like something
right up your alley, huh?
Putting your country in danger
just so you could pay off
some of your old gambling debts?
I have no idea what you're
talking about.
(SMACKS TABLE)
If I find out you are lying, Roger,
I will figure out a way
to make your life
more miserable than it already is,
and I am a doer, Roger.
Let's go.
Wait. Mike, please.
I miss my job.
I miss you guys. I wouldn't lie to you.
Not anymore.
I don't know anything about any bug.
I promise.
VERA: Why were you drawing this?
Melanie made a lot of totems.
But this is the one
you were drawing, isn't it?
This is the one we found
in Dustin Cruz's office.
(SCOFFS)
I know you didn't want
to sit with me today.
Do you know why I made you?
'Cause things have escalated, Jamison.
Who was the man you were
talking to on the phone?
He said he was family.
Is he your cousin?
All right. (CLEARS THROAT)
(CAMERA BEEPS)
It's off.
Let me, um, tell you about family.
My parents never wanted kids.
My father was probably
just as bad as yours.
You know what family is?
Someone who shows up.
Someone who listens.
It's someone who wants to understand.
It's someone who
thinks about the pain that you are in
and wishes she could take it away.
Someone that cares about you.
This is my job, but
I also care about you.
Both things can be true.
Both things are true, Jamison.
Tell me, what is going on?
♪
I loved Melanie.
And you shot her
because she loved Dustin Cruz?
No.
That ain't how it happened.
In the beginning,
everything was perfect.
I've made a lot of these,
but this one is my favorite.
It's a bobcat.
You really think it keeps you safe?
MELANIE: When my husband died,
I thought I was
the saddest person in the world.
You're the saddest person, too,
aren't you?
Why?
(ECHOING LAUGHTER)
BUGS: But perfect never lasts.
He kept calling.
The wolves are there for
for finding.
I'll be there.
Who were you talking to?
My brother.
You said you didn't have
any family. Look at me.
BUGS: I needed something
to take the pain away.
Damn it, J.
What did you take?
Don't you just
want to not be sad anymore?
(PHONE RINGING)
(MELANIE COUGHING)
BUGS: And I guess she needed
something for her pain, too.
(PHONE RINGING)
It's him again, isn't it?
(EXHALES)
Who is he?
BUGS: I didn't want her involved,
but she kept asking questions.
MELANIE: Because I
want to know what it means!
What are you going through
all of my stuff for?
What does "Operation Sundown" mean?
Who is Dustin Cruz?
Who are these people?
Shut up, shut up, shut up.
What is he telling you to do?
Are you gonna hurt these people?
BUGS: She figured out
what we were going to do.
Where'd the bobcat go?
I found where Dustin Cruz works.
I took it to him.
He needs protecting.
I told him he's not safe.
- I told him he's
- (GLASS SHATTERS)
(GASPS)
BUGS: In the end,
he said she knew too much.
(PANTING)
She died trying
to stop it from happening.
I didn't shoot her. He did.
(CRYING)
I found him, he was still
up on that hill with his rifle.
He said we had to burn her house.
We had to burn it all.
If you didn't kill Melanie,
why did you say you did?
Protect the mission.
What mission? Operation Sundown?
Who killed Melanie?
Was it the man on the phone?
The mission comes first.
I'll tell you his name when he's done.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS)
Good to go.
WHEELER: Juvenile court with my son.
That's where I was.
That's why I got in late the other day.
You know, I came in here
to unwind alone, Cliff.
So don't feel like you have
to keep sitting next to me.
One day, you're teaching your
little boy to play the piano,
and the next day,
he's throwing an "epic"
cemetery party and vandalizing
26 headstones with his friends.
The things that he did with
the gasoline and spray paint
and various tools
they had chicken cutlets.
You don't even want to hear about it.
- You're right.
- Let me tell you something.
I personally hired Roger.
Me. Did you know that?
Could be he's not the one
that planted the bug.
There were three bugs.
There were three bugs.
And it's my fault they got in.
Doesn't matter how they got there.
The buck stops with me.
(CHUCKLES): The bugs stop with me.
Bugs.
The person Bugs,
what's going on with that guy?
(SNIFFLES)
Kowalski, be honest with me.
The whole office,
it's a damn disaster, right?
- Cliff.
- What?
Been paging you. You got
me calling all over town.
- He's drunk.
- WHEELER: Another Rob Roy,
- Smitty.
- On its way.
- WHEELER: Mm-hmm.
- Cancel that, Smitty.
Eighty-sixing the Rob Roy.
FRANKS: Cliff, this ain't the time.
Need you back at the office.
What's going on?
Bugs is saying he
didn't pull the trigger.
Sandman is still out there.
Vera called in on her
way back from the prison.
Soon as she gets here, she'll
brief us on all the details.
We pulled everything we could
on the Sandman case.
Kowalski's getting more from the vault.
All right, let's swap out that board.
I got you.
Okay. Here's what we know.
Bugs lied.
He didn't kill Melanie Hewitt.
He had a partner.
Bugs was the spotter?
WHEELER: He's a what now?
A lot of times, snipers work in pairs.
A spotter locates the target
and relays the calculations,
shooter pulls the trigger.
Bugs was standing next
to Melanie when she got shot.
He may have been the spotter
in the beach shooting, but my point is,
Melanie was killed
because she knew too much.
She was never dating Dustin Cruz.
she was trying to warn him.
Warn him about what?
VERA: Bugs called it a mission.
It included
killing Dustin Cruz,
but I don't know the motive.
All I know is that it is not over.
And Bugs says he won't name the partner
until the mission's complete.
This means you got
a false confession from Bugs.
All right, let's keep this moving.
What do we know?
Bugs's partner, the real Sandman,
he's patient, values intel.
He wants to know what we know,
so he plants listening devices.
And he hears me telling Kowalski
that Bugs wants to talk.
He starts the phone account,
- he convinces Bugs to change his mind.
- WHEELER: Hang on!
Hang on, hang on, hang on.
Everybody stop.
Are you telling me Roger is Sandman?
No, Cliff. Roger didn't have
anything to do with it.
How could he be out talking on
a pay phone if he's locked up?
He's also not a sniper.
Oh.
(QUIETLY): I think Wheeler's wasted.
Okay, w-what about the cousin?
I looked into it. Cousin Hershel
is confirmed in Florida.
Couldn't have been at our pay phone.
Okay, then,
what is Sandman not done with?
I told you, he wouldn't say.
All I got is that Melanie
found out about something
called "Operation Sundown."
I have no idea what that means.
I asked Bugs about it and he shut down.
LALA: Gibbs.
I've seen that before. Sundown.
Seen it where?
In the basement. The shredder.
- Go.
- LALA: Mike?
Yeah, go with him.
WHEELER: That's what I'm asking.
What is Sandman's plan?
Coming through with messages from Woody.
Your pay phone was wiped clean.
No prints.
He also begrudgingly called in
that forensic accountant
for the stolen wallet case.
No activity on Wyatt
Morten's credit cards,
but his San Diego Water Supply
access card was used today.
You all are really going
back in on Bugs, huh?
(MARY JO SNIFFS)
Does anybody else smell scotch?
Mary Jo, how far is the water
supply from the federal prison?
In San Diego? Not that far.
- I'd say half a mile. Why?
- Holy
- Rando.
- Calling water supply now.
- FRANKS: I got the prison.
- Wait, what's happening?
OLDER GIBBS:
Sometimes, it made Vera sick,
being inside those heads
for so long.
("MR. SANDMAN"
BY THE CHORDETTES PLAYING)
But there was one
she couldn't define.
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Earlier that day,
while everyone else
was sleepwalking,
he was wide awake.
He was getting in place,
lying in wait,
while everyone else
was trying to open their eyes.
- You sure it said "Sundown"?
- Yeah.
It said it was an op gone wrong.
I think it said "catastrophe."
- (LINE RINGING)
- Damn it.
Water supply's not picking up.
No, this is an immediate
safety threat to an inmate.
Give me the phone. Give me the phone.
This is Agent Vera Strickland,
get me the warden.
Get me the warden now.
OLDER GIBBS: We were
all opening our eyes to see
that the worst monsters
lie in wait.
The worst monsters
let you breathe,
they let you think it's over,
they lull you to sleep
♪
and then,
enter Sandman.
(INMATES CLAMORING)
(ALARM BLARING)
So please turn on your magic beam ♪
Mr. Sandman, bring us ♪
Please, please, please ♪
Mr. Sandman, bring us a dream ♪
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum. ♪
- Federal agents! Freeze!
- LALA: Jamison "Bugs" Boyd.
RANDY:
They're calling him "Sandman."
LALA: He kills Melanie Hewitt,
then he goes and shoots
Dustin Cruz.
Why?!
I loved her so much but
she didn't want me no more.
She wanted Cruz.
(CRYING): I loved her so much.
I'm interviewing him for my new program.
He is my new best friend.
OLDER GIBBS: The worst
monsters let you breathe,
they let you think it's over.
And then, enter Sandman.
OLDER GIBBS: Vera Strickland
lived a big life in a small apartment.
Her place was nothing special,
but it did have two bathrooms.
One, she used as a bathroom.
The other, she used as an office.
She would sit in there
and think about these killers.
She would analyze
every word they said
to her in their interviews,
every tilt of a head,
every twitch of an eye,
every curl of a lip.
She would
crawl inside their heads,
and she would stay there
till she could define them.
Sometimes, it made her sick,
being inside those heads
for so long.
But the labels she put on
these killers now
would help us
catch the next one easier.
That's what she told herself.
[KEYS CLACKING]
But there was one
she couldn't define.
She'd talked to him many times.
("MR. SANDMAN"
BY THE CHORDETTES PLAYING)
They'd gotten close.
But when it came to his crimes,
the sniper known as Sandman
refused to let her in his head.
Vera knew the facts.
He shot his girlfriend Melanie
from his hide 1,300 yards away.
He set her house on fire.
Then he shot her lover
on the beach
from his hide in a hotel room.
Lonesome nights are over ♪
Those were the facts.
But they didn't match up with
the man Vera had gotten to know.
Don't have nobody ♪
Whenever she asked him about
the crimes, he shut down.
Eventually,
she couldn't ask anymore
because the funding dried up.
Bring me a dream ♪
So, there she was
with no way to label him,
and no way to stop caring.
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Bub-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Jamison "Bugs" Boyd
thought a lot about Vera caring.
Mr. Sandman ♪
He thought about how
he'd told her things
he'd never said
to another living soul.
He felt her caring,
and that felt good.
But the interviews were over now.
Her questions sat in his head,
the ones he never answered.
He wanted her to come back.
He wanted her back so much,
he thought he might die.
(PHONE RINGS)
Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream ♪
Hello?
OPERATOR: You are about
to receive a collect call from
BUGS: Jamison Boyd.
OPERATOR: an inmate housed
at Federal Correctional Facility,
San Diego. Press "one"
to accept the charge.
(TONE BEEPS)
OPERATOR: This call is subject
to monitoring and recording.
Jamison?
BUGS: Yeah.
This is crazy,
I was just thinking about you.
You were?
Yeah. I mean, uh, yeah.
Like Liberace ♪
Mr. Sandman ♪
I don't want you to not come back.
(SIGHS)
Hey, you remember what I told you?
It's got nothing to do with you.
It's-it's about the funding.
What if I answer
all of your questions this time?
You think your boss
would let you come back?
Mr. Sandman ♪
I'll do anything you want, just
please just come back.
Would you come back?
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum. ♪
So I take her out, you know?
I take her out to dinner
at a really nice restaurant.
We're eating pasta,
she's laughing at my jokes.
You know how I do, right, Georgie?
Yeah, he's got a great joke about pasta.
(LAUGHTER)
Oh, I didn't even tell
her about that one.
Look, I'll tell y'all after,
but anyways,
I'm driving her home,
I kiss her good night.
It gets a little hot and heavy
on the front porch.
(CHUCKLING)
I felt like I was 16 again.
Yeah. Best first date I've ever had.
You know, never thought I'd
be able to feel like this again.
Never in a million years, you know?
LUKE: I love to hear you happy, brother.
You really deserve it, man.
Yeah, I don't know about all that,
but look, I'll take it.
(LAUGHS)
Leroy.
You had a thought about Joe's story?
No, it's great.
That's great, man.
LUKE: Joe's not sure he deserves it.
JOE: I was just kidding.
Do you think Joe deserves it, Leroy?
What, to be happy?
- Yeah.
- You do?
Yeah.
Protect and serve.
Doesn't matter
if we're on the battlefield
or at home, walking down the street.
Somehow, we all became
a pair of words, didn't we?
Protect and serve.
And we all failed.
One way or another,
we believe that we let down the people
that we were supposed to protect.
And we think maybe we don't deserve
to be happy because of that.
But our trauma's not our fault.
Our recovery, that's our responsibility.
It's not easy.
But victory belongs
to the most persevering.
And we can all agree that
Joe still deserves
to have a pretty damn good date.
Right, Leroy?
Yeah.
What about you?
Do you deserve to be happy?
I don't know.
Let me ask everyone else
and see what they think.
However Leroy feels
that he's failed in the past,
does he deserve to be happy now?
Joe?
Yes.
- George?
- Yeah, he does.
- Charles?
- Yeah.
Daniel? Avery?
- Yes.
- Yes.
It's a yes from me, too.
VETERAN: You deserve it, man.
LUKE: You hear that, Leroy?
It's unanimous.
You deserve to be happy, man.
What do you think about that?
♪
Thank you.
♪
Okay.
KOWALSKI: Oh.
I thought I heard
some goings-on in here.
Guess who called me last night?
One of the guys you're running with?
- The Mensa plumber?
- (LAUGHING): No.
Bugs.
Geez. What the hell was JJ
doing with this clipboard?
It smells like ass.
Bugs as in "Sandman" Bugs?
Yeah.
He called me practically
begging for me to go see him.
I think he misses me? (SCOFFS)
He said he is ready to answer
every burning question that I have.
How are there no pens in this place
- that work?
- Here you go.
Kowalski,
you are everything
a human being should be.
Oh, yeah.
So, Bugs the Sandman wants to talk, huh?
Mm-hmm.
You'll finally be able to
finish your profile on him.
- That's great.
- What's great?
Bugs, finally gonna
let me into his head.
Oh, so you need that camcorder again?
I thought you were done with all that.
No. I was. I am.
The funding is out for the year,
so I gotta get Wheeler to sign off on it
before I can go.
HERM: You might have to wait a while.
I heard Gail tell Nadia yesterday
that Mary Jo said
Wheeler's coming in late.
Something about his son,
and he's not to be paged.
VERA: Damn it. What did I tell you
about eating enormous sandwiches
for breakfast?
But your bread is so good, man.
You know what's appropriate?
A slice of buttered toast.
You want me to make you a sandwich?
Uh, yeah, sure.
Hey. Screw it.
- Make me one, too.
- Two BLT's,
extra bacon, extra bread, coming up.
Here we go, gents.
How about some ketchup, hot sauce?
- No, I'm good.
- Smitty took you off door duty?
Nah, I'm still the night bouncer.
Just trying to
expand my horizons, you know?
Yo, Gibbs,
I'm making ribs on Sunday
if you wanna come over for the game.
Wait, here or at your place?
Nah, my place. Smitty thinks
ribs won't sell on the menu.
Huh.
You guys are buddies now?
Yeah, Todd's a good guy.
Ain't that the guy you were wailing on
'cause he wouldn't say "excuse me?"
We got past that.
I had to pull you off him.
So, how's it going?
Fine. Why you ask?
I don't know,
we're sitting across from each other.
You know, I been going
to this group down at the VA.
Yeah, you told me.
Yeah, I know.
But last night, it was like, uh
Well, it was different.
I think this stuff might actually work.
You should come with me sometime.
Pass.
It's all vets,
it's all ages. You love vets.
You know what I love is eating in peace.
Then why'd you ask me to meet you here?
Probie, if you're looking
to grill me about Tish,
Gary Callahan's been sleeping over.
I'm moving on. I'm fine.
SMITTY: Hey, Franks.
Would you eat ribs on Sunday
if I added them to the menu?
Sure.
(PAGERS BEEPING)
Damn it.
Smitty, let me use your phone, will you?
Morning.
So, like I said, I
was in the bathroom
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)
Body's in the john?
No, no body,
just a B&E. Stolen wallet.
Call said there was a body.
Call was wrong.
Victim is a Marine reservist,
Wyatt Morten.
Cops said they'd handle it,
but he badgered them to call us in.
He was here when the guy broke in?
Yeah, he works second shift
down at the San Diego Water Supply.
He woke up around 9:00 a.m.,
got in the shower,
heard the glass shattering,
and then he ran out,
suspect was halfway out the door
with the wallet.
(SIGHS)
FRANKS: Mr. Morten,
did you happen to get a look
at the guy that did this?
Just his back.
He had a black baseball hat,
a gray sweatshirt, gloves.
There was no way I was gonna catch him,
he was fast as hell.
How much you out?
50 bucks, maybe. (SCOFFS)
But I had a picture in my wallet.
I need that back.
He knock over your fishes, too?
No, that was like that.
Take a look around,
see if he didn't take nothing else.
Yeah.
You all wrap this up.
I'm going back to the office
to sit on my ass
until a real call comes in.
Huh?
(EXCLAIMS) Sorry about that, boss.
That was a bust. A few neighbors
heard breaking glass,
but no one saw the suspect.
Where's boss going?
Back to the office to sit on his ass.
He's really taking this Tish thing hard.
Yeah. He said that Gary Callahan's
been sleeping over,
so that's good.
Yeah, but who's gonna cut our hair?
LALA: Wow, dude,
- that's so cold.
- Sorry.
I'm sad about Tish leaving, too,
but I just have really difficult
hair to cut. It gets like this
rogue wave pattern if it's
not tended to properly.
It gets, like,
untamed flowy thing
- if it's not
- LALA: Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Wow, that sounds like a real problem.
GIBBS: Is that yours?
Yeah.
Panama.
This is gonna sound so stupid
No. No, I get it.
I spent time in Panama, too.
You know, that's-that's
why I wanted the cops
to call you guys 'cause I thought
maybe NIS would understand.
My dad was Army. World War II.
He's gone now, but, uh
The day I got this,
he gave me
he gave me
this old picture of himself.
It's the only one I have
of him in uniform, you know?
You know, we-we never
we never talked about
me in Panama, you know?
We-we never talked about him and D-Day.
We never really talked
about anything, but, uh
Yeah, but he gave me that picture,
and that was
that was something.
I kept that picture
in my wallet, so, um
I need to get it back.
You know, they got these groups
down at the VA.
They really help people.
(SCOFFS, SNIFFLES)
Here.
I want you to write down everything else
that was in your wallet for me.
There's no way
you're gonna find it, is there?
I'm gonna try like hell.
- VERA: Clifford.
- (GROANS)
Hey, I need your okay on something.
I just walked through
the door, Strickland.
It'll only take a minute.
Jamison Boyd requested to
Where are the bagels?
They're gone.
See, the thing is, I was having trouble
completing Bugs's profile
because I could
never really get him
to open up, but now
Your interviews are supposed
to be over until
Next fiscal year.
I am aware, sir.
Thing is, I don't have
to document this right away.
I can hold it over to the next
Mary Jo, the bagels?
Are gone, I know.
I fought off Carl
to snag you the last poppyseed.
Is that from the good bakery
or the bad bakery?
Honey, what do you think?
Sir, hey, no, the form.
- Please, I really need to talk to Bugs.
- Mm-hmm.
Knock yourself out.
Thank you.
Yo, Herm. I'm gonna need that camcorder.
"Thank you for the bagel, Mary Jo.
"How thoughtful of you
to hip-check Carl for me, Mary Jo."
(SIGHS): All right.
(CAMERA BEEPS)
(DOOR OPENS)
VERA: We're good, thanks.
(DOOR CLOSES)
It's good to see you.
How are you?
Jamison. Hey.
How are you?
I changed my mind. I can't talk to you.
You said you were ready
to answer my questions, you remember?
I know what I said, but I can't.
Yes, you can.
Okay? Yes, you can.
I promise you can.
I'm not here to judge you.
You remember I told you that?
I just want to listen.
(FADING): Okay? I'm not here
to judge you.
(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)
(MUFFLED CHATTER)
- I can't.
- Whoa, hey, hold on. Hey.
Let me out, man!
Let's talk about it.
Come on, Jamison.
- Wait, Jamison.
- No, I can't.
(SIGHS)
Victim is Marine reservist Wyatt Morten.
Unknown assailant
broke into his apartment
when he was in the shower
and stole his wallet.
We know, we were there.
Yeah, but you're not
doing anything about it.
Not much we can do about a stolen wallet
if no one saw anything. Thank you.
Well, this is a list of all the stuff
that was in the wallet:
cash, driver's license,
work keycard, library card,
credit cards. If the thief
starts using any of them,
maybe we can track him that way.
You should get yourself a hat
and one of them magnifying glasses.
(LAUGHS)
Going a little overboard
for a wallet, ain't ya?
VERA: Yo, Franks.
Ooh, slow day, am I right?
You think you can loan me some manpower?
Better yet, lady power?
I'm in. What do you got?
Something's going on with Bugs.
I need some help digging into it.
You're still talking to Bugs?
Oh, you didn't hear? Gail said that Herm
told Nadia that Bugs
called her at midnight collect,
said he'd rather die
than not see her again.
And you didn't tell me?
I just heard from Mary Jo on the way in
from the kitchen.
FRANKS: What'd Bugs want to see you for?
That's what I'm trying to find out.
He changed his mind,
he wouldn't talk to me.
Sure, 'cause all that crank
broke his damn brain.
All you need to know about that kid
is in the interrogation tapes.
Cue 'em up.
He confesses to a bunch a murders
and slobbers all over me.
Didn't you watch 'em?
Yeah, yeah, I watched it.
So, what else do you need to know?
I don't feel like dealing
with your crap today.
I will take Lala and 'Roy.
Vámonos, 'Roy.
You'll take care of the wallet, then?
No, take Dominguez, and Rando.
Why am I always the last pick?
(FRANKS CHUCKLES)
LALA: Come on.
Boss, you think Bugs
I'm thinking that kid's head
ain't never gonna make a lick of sense,
no matter what Vera does.
Right. So, Morten's wallet,
he had a picture in it.
It's of his father in uniform.
It means something to him.
(LAUGHS)
Come on.
What happened to that
whole speech you gave
about making people whole,
even when your life stinks?
Picture of his pops in uniform, huh?
All right, grab your notepad, probie.
Let's go chase us down
some credit cards.
VERA: Here's the thing,
if I can find out what happened
to make Bugs change his mind,
then I can figure
the best way to approach him.
Did you talk to the prison guards?
Maybe they know something.
I've got Herm waiting on
the line with them right now.
I swear to God,
anyone who works at a prison,
you ask 'em a question,
they put you on hold and
they wait a year to get back.
Okay, got it.
- Is that They're back?
- Yeah, thank you.
- Give me the phone.
- Yeah, back at you.
Give me the phone. Give me
(EXCLAIMS) I needed to talk to them.
I did it for you.
The prison dude said
that a new phone account
came through for Bugs this morning.
Wait, what happened?
Apparently, you can load
an account with money
for an inmate and attach it
to your number if you
If you want them to be
able to call you, yeah.
Who set up the account?
Guy named John Smith, which sounds
pretty fake if you ask me.
He paid for the account
with a money order,
and the number attached to it
was a pay phone in South Oceanside.
The prison should have
a recording of the call.
They do, but they won't release
it to us without a warrant.
VERA: So, Bugs talks to
some mystery guy on a pay phone,
and then changes his mind
about talking to me.
That is exemplary work, Herm.
Just outstanding.
Okay, so, uh,
you and Randolf, get to work
on that warrant for me, will ya?
On it.
Check out that pay phone,
see if we can pull some prints?
And we're gonna look good doing it.
(DISTANT BUZZING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)
(RINGING INTENSIFIES)
(BUZZER SOUNDING)
GUARD: Let's go, boys. Playtime's over.
Okay, I don't I don't know
what you want me to do with this.
That is a list of everything
that was in the wallet.
Yeah, I know, I get that.
It's just So, you want me
to call the library,
and see if he used his card
to take out a book?
His credits cards are still good.
We thought you could help
us track any activity,
see if you can get
a location on this guy.
That's not really what we do here.
What about the forensic accountant
that you used on the Sarah Dane case?
Esther Watkins? No, no,
we-we only call her
for high-profile murder cases.
We're not calling her in
on a stolen wallet.
- She's a pain in our ass.
- Mm-hmm.
FRANKS: Look, fellas,
we all got our crosses to bear.
The victim is missing
a picture of his pops
that was in the wallet.
It means something to him.
Can't be replaced.
So you do want me to call the library?
Call whoever you want, we're looking
Hey, hey.
Party in Forensics.
You guys here on the wallet thing?
- Yeah.
- Mm.
Yeah, well, we're cutting the line.
Need you to pull some prints.
Mm, you guys What, did you guys
hack it off a pay phone?
Yeah, we tried to dust it at the scene,
but we were having trouble,
so we thought that you could
stick the entire thing
in your glue chamber.
I'm servicing it. Routine maintenance.
This about Bugs?
- You mean Sandman?
- VERA: Yeah.
Listen, this is what happened.
Bugs calls me, begging for me to talk,
and then some mystery man
cues Bugs to call him
on that pay phone today.
And then, bam,
Bugs decides not to talk to me.
There's gotta be a thousand
prints on this headset.
Well, we also have the money
order mystery guy used
to set up the account,
and I thought that you could
call in that forensic accountant
- that we used on the Sarah Dane case.
- No.
PHIL: Pain in our ass.
Did you ask the prison for
the recording of the call?
Yeah, Randy and Herm are on it.
How'd this guy know?
What guy? Mystery guy?
This guy sets up a call to
stop Bugs from talking to you.
How'd he know what Bugs
was fixing to do?
He could have a source in the prison.
I have an alternate theory.
What the hell is this?
Are you all familiar with
your Civil War history?
Here we go.
1862, siege of Yorktown.
Union General Fitz John Porter
took it upon himself
to do some aerial reconnaissance
in a hot-air balloon.
Instead of the usual three tether ropes,
Porter decided to use just one,
so that the balloon
could go higher, faster,
affording him a better view.
He rose to unmatched heights,
scouting enemy positions.
Until, suddenly, the rope snapped,
and sent him sailing over
Confederate lines.
Porter got shot at, he was terrified.
Until, thanks to blind luck,
the wind shifted
and sent him back to safety,
where he
was able to make sketches
of Confederate positions
around Yorktown.
I believe if you were
to ask Porter today
if that risk was worth it
- (DETECTOR BEEPING)
- he would give a resounding "yes."
Because Porter knew
that even at the risk
of getting shot down
in a hot-air balloon,
intel on the enemy is king.
I'm just saying,
there's a chance
you might've been bugged.
There's three of them?
This is your dance floor, lady.
Sir, we spent all night
sweeping the premises.
Yes, three listening devices total.
Found where?
Front bullpen under Carl's desk,
uh, one in the secretarial pool
near the front entrance,
and the last one
under the sink in the men's restroom.
Who did this?
We don't know.
Then how about you take
an educated guess, Strickland?
Okay, strap 'em back in, Cliff.
This ain't entirely her fault.
How about "This isn't her fault at all"?
An unknown quantity
of classified information,
it is all compromised.
Educated guess,
the devices were planted there
right after Bugs was arrested,
or when I started profiling him.
Whoever it was
was looking to keep tabs on him.
I had Earl in I
take a look at the devices.
- You did?
- He said they have
a maximum transmission range
of 300 meters.
Well, then, it must have
been planted by someone
who had regular access to the base.
Or it was someone in the building.
Oh
Son of a bitch.
No. You think this was Roger?
The guy sold out a little girl
to a hit man, Vera.
I think he's capable.
Vista Detention Facility.
Get there now, question Roger.
- Uh, sir
- I don't want to hear it.
Whatever is going on with Jamison Boyd,
you need to get the reins
on this thing now.
FRANKS: Probie!
- Yeah.
- Saddle up.
We're going over to talk to Roger.
Roger who worked here?
Yeah. I need you to sit next to me,
use some of that VA-group-therapy speak
to stop me from choking him.
Copy.
Vera, Lala's down in observation.
Warrant came through.
Prison dropped off the phone recordings?
Yeah.
Ooh. Okay.
MAN (OVER RECORDING): Jamison.
- BUGS: That you?
- Yeah.
- RANDY: Dang. Quality's not great.
- (VERA SHUSHES)
BUGS: You set this up for me to call?
MAN: I did. I was worried about you.
The wolves, they're still out there.
BUGS: I know, man,
but it's just me in here. I got no one.
MAN: Hey, you've got me.
We're still family.
You know that, don't you?
Did you forget?
BUGS: I remember now.
MAN: What do you remember?
BUGS: That we're family.
MAN: Good.
Stay strong, Jamison.
(LINE CLICKS)
RANDY: That's it?
That's what made Bugs do a 180?
I thought there would
at least be some yelling.
The whole "wolves" thing
was creepy as hell.
He said they were family.
Bugs doesn't have any family.
His mother died of cancer
three years ago
and his father treated him awfully,
but he's been gone for years.
He's got a cousin, though, doesn't he?
Bugs enlisted under his name.
Yeah, that's right, um
- Henry.
- Henry
Herschel Boyd. Yeah.
He lives in Florida, though.
Possible he came into town.
- Yeah, maybe
- (KNOCKING ON DOOR)
It's just me. Wow.
You all look like some stuff's
getting heavy in here.
What's going on?
It all started when Vera
got this collect call.
I know that, Randy. I'm the one
that told you about it.
I was asking about the recording.
Never mind, I'll figure it out myself.
I always do. Here.
What is this?
Courier dropped it off.
The prison warden said he meant
to send it over with the tape.
He said Bugs has been drawing this thing
all over the place lately.
♪
- It's nice to see you guys.
- Is it?
'Cause it seems to me like
he ain't seeing us at all.
- What?
- Oh, now he's gonna question me?
Come on.
Roger.
Mike would like you
to look him in the eye.
- I was.
- Oh, you lying sack
Just look him in the eye, please.
Did you put a bug under Carl's desk?
What? No.
What about the men's room?
Someone pay you
to put ears in the crapper?
That sounds like something
right up your alley, huh?
Putting your country in danger
just so you could pay off
some of your old gambling debts?
I have no idea what you're
talking about.
(SMACKS TABLE)
If I find out you are lying, Roger,
I will figure out a way
to make your life
more miserable than it already is,
and I am a doer, Roger.
Let's go.
Wait. Mike, please.
I miss my job.
I miss you guys. I wouldn't lie to you.
Not anymore.
I don't know anything about any bug.
I promise.
VERA: Why were you drawing this?
Melanie made a lot of totems.
But this is the one
you were drawing, isn't it?
This is the one we found
in Dustin Cruz's office.
(SCOFFS)
I know you didn't want
to sit with me today.
Do you know why I made you?
'Cause things have escalated, Jamison.
Who was the man you were
talking to on the phone?
He said he was family.
Is he your cousin?
All right. (CLEARS THROAT)
(CAMERA BEEPS)
It's off.
Let me, um, tell you about family.
My parents never wanted kids.
My father was probably
just as bad as yours.
You know what family is?
Someone who shows up.
Someone who listens.
It's someone who wants to understand.
It's someone who
thinks about the pain that you are in
and wishes she could take it away.
Someone that cares about you.
This is my job, but
I also care about you.
Both things can be true.
Both things are true, Jamison.
Tell me, what is going on?
♪
I loved Melanie.
And you shot her
because she loved Dustin Cruz?
No.
That ain't how it happened.
In the beginning,
everything was perfect.
I've made a lot of these,
but this one is my favorite.
It's a bobcat.
You really think it keeps you safe?
MELANIE: When my husband died,
I thought I was
the saddest person in the world.
You're the saddest person, too,
aren't you?
Why?
(ECHOING LAUGHTER)
BUGS: But perfect never lasts.
He kept calling.
The wolves are there for
for finding.
I'll be there.
Who were you talking to?
My brother.
You said you didn't have
any family. Look at me.
BUGS: I needed something
to take the pain away.
Damn it, J.
What did you take?
Don't you just
want to not be sad anymore?
(PHONE RINGING)
(MELANIE COUGHING)
BUGS: And I guess she needed
something for her pain, too.
(PHONE RINGING)
It's him again, isn't it?
(EXHALES)
Who is he?
BUGS: I didn't want her involved,
but she kept asking questions.
MELANIE: Because I
want to know what it means!
What are you going through
all of my stuff for?
What does "Operation Sundown" mean?
Who is Dustin Cruz?
Who are these people?
Shut up, shut up, shut up.
What is he telling you to do?
Are you gonna hurt these people?
BUGS: She figured out
what we were going to do.
Where'd the bobcat go?
I found where Dustin Cruz works.
I took it to him.
He needs protecting.
I told him he's not safe.
- I told him he's
- (GLASS SHATTERS)
(GASPS)
BUGS: In the end,
he said she knew too much.
(PANTING)
She died trying
to stop it from happening.
I didn't shoot her. He did.
(CRYING)
I found him, he was still
up on that hill with his rifle.
He said we had to burn her house.
We had to burn it all.
If you didn't kill Melanie,
why did you say you did?
Protect the mission.
What mission? Operation Sundown?
Who killed Melanie?
Was it the man on the phone?
The mission comes first.
I'll tell you his name when he's done.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS)
Good to go.
WHEELER: Juvenile court with my son.
That's where I was.
That's why I got in late the other day.
You know, I came in here
to unwind alone, Cliff.
So don't feel like you have
to keep sitting next to me.
One day, you're teaching your
little boy to play the piano,
and the next day,
he's throwing an "epic"
cemetery party and vandalizing
26 headstones with his friends.
The things that he did with
the gasoline and spray paint
and various tools
they had chicken cutlets.
You don't even want to hear about it.
- You're right.
- Let me tell you something.
I personally hired Roger.
Me. Did you know that?
Could be he's not the one
that planted the bug.
There were three bugs.
There were three bugs.
And it's my fault they got in.
Doesn't matter how they got there.
The buck stops with me.
(CHUCKLES): The bugs stop with me.
Bugs.
The person Bugs,
what's going on with that guy?
(SNIFFLES)
Kowalski, be honest with me.
The whole office,
it's a damn disaster, right?
- Cliff.
- What?
Been paging you. You got
me calling all over town.
- He's drunk.
- WHEELER: Another Rob Roy,
- Smitty.
- On its way.
- WHEELER: Mm-hmm.
- Cancel that, Smitty.
Eighty-sixing the Rob Roy.
FRANKS: Cliff, this ain't the time.
Need you back at the office.
What's going on?
Bugs is saying he
didn't pull the trigger.
Sandman is still out there.
Vera called in on her
way back from the prison.
Soon as she gets here, she'll
brief us on all the details.
We pulled everything we could
on the Sandman case.
Kowalski's getting more from the vault.
All right, let's swap out that board.
I got you.
Okay. Here's what we know.
Bugs lied.
He didn't kill Melanie Hewitt.
He had a partner.
Bugs was the spotter?
WHEELER: He's a what now?
A lot of times, snipers work in pairs.
A spotter locates the target
and relays the calculations,
shooter pulls the trigger.
Bugs was standing next
to Melanie when she got shot.
He may have been the spotter
in the beach shooting, but my point is,
Melanie was killed
because she knew too much.
She was never dating Dustin Cruz.
she was trying to warn him.
Warn him about what?
VERA: Bugs called it a mission.
It included
killing Dustin Cruz,
but I don't know the motive.
All I know is that it is not over.
And Bugs says he won't name the partner
until the mission's complete.
This means you got
a false confession from Bugs.
All right, let's keep this moving.
What do we know?
Bugs's partner, the real Sandman,
he's patient, values intel.
He wants to know what we know,
so he plants listening devices.
And he hears me telling Kowalski
that Bugs wants to talk.
He starts the phone account,
- he convinces Bugs to change his mind.
- WHEELER: Hang on!
Hang on, hang on, hang on.
Everybody stop.
Are you telling me Roger is Sandman?
No, Cliff. Roger didn't have
anything to do with it.
How could he be out talking on
a pay phone if he's locked up?
He's also not a sniper.
Oh.
(QUIETLY): I think Wheeler's wasted.
Okay, w-what about the cousin?
I looked into it. Cousin Hershel
is confirmed in Florida.
Couldn't have been at our pay phone.
Okay, then,
what is Sandman not done with?
I told you, he wouldn't say.
All I got is that Melanie
found out about something
called "Operation Sundown."
I have no idea what that means.
I asked Bugs about it and he shut down.
LALA: Gibbs.
I've seen that before. Sundown.
Seen it where?
In the basement. The shredder.
- Go.
- LALA: Mike?
Yeah, go with him.
WHEELER: That's what I'm asking.
What is Sandman's plan?
Coming through with messages from Woody.
Your pay phone was wiped clean.
No prints.
He also begrudgingly called in
that forensic accountant
for the stolen wallet case.
No activity on Wyatt
Morten's credit cards,
but his San Diego Water Supply
access card was used today.
You all are really going
back in on Bugs, huh?
(MARY JO SNIFFS)
Does anybody else smell scotch?
Mary Jo, how far is the water
supply from the federal prison?
In San Diego? Not that far.
- I'd say half a mile. Why?
- Holy
- Rando.
- Calling water supply now.
- FRANKS: I got the prison.
- Wait, what's happening?
OLDER GIBBS:
Sometimes, it made Vera sick,
being inside those heads
for so long.
("MR. SANDMAN"
BY THE CHORDETTES PLAYING)
But there was one
she couldn't define.
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Earlier that day,
while everyone else
was sleepwalking,
he was wide awake.
He was getting in place,
lying in wait,
while everyone else
was trying to open their eyes.
- You sure it said "Sundown"?
- Yeah.
It said it was an op gone wrong.
I think it said "catastrophe."
- (LINE RINGING)
- Damn it.
Water supply's not picking up.
No, this is an immediate
safety threat to an inmate.
Give me the phone. Give me the phone.
This is Agent Vera Strickland,
get me the warden.
Get me the warden now.
OLDER GIBBS: We were
all opening our eyes to see
that the worst monsters
lie in wait.
The worst monsters
let you breathe,
they let you think it's over,
they lull you to sleep
♪
and then,
enter Sandman.
(INMATES CLAMORING)
(ALARM BLARING)
So please turn on your magic beam ♪
Mr. Sandman, bring us ♪
Please, please, please ♪
Mr. Sandman, bring us a dream ♪
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum. ♪