NCIS New Orleans (2014) s02e17 Episode Script
Radio Silence
1 WOMAN: Where you at, New Orleans? I'll tell you where I am-- I'm right here, standing watch over your a.
m.
commute.
As you loyal listeners know, I served seven years in the Navy.
Shaped me into the adorable deejay that y'all know and love.
That's why I founded Youth Stripes.
Work with at-risk kids, help them find a path to success, which for some includes military service.
We're gonna be fund-raising all week.
Phone lines are open.
Come on, New Orleans, (phone rings) show me some love.
This is Kayla.
You ready to go all in for Youth Stripes? I would follow you anywhere, Petty Officer Anderson.
This is my good friend Captain Jim Grant, a real American hero.
I want to tell you I'm impressed with all the good work you're doing.
Aw, Captain, I'm blushing.
GRANT: And I'm hoping to give your fund-raiser a jump-start this morning.
What do you say? What the hell? Sorry, I didn't catch that.
(gunshots) Captain, you there? Jim? Jim! NCIS:New Orleans 2x17 Radio Silence Boom, boom, boom, boom Bang, bang, bang, bang Boom, boom, boom, boom How, how, how, how Hey, hey @elderman You gotta come on.
Good morning.
Morning, Christopher.
I hope you didn't eat yet.
I got inspired this morning.
Eggs Florentine.
Well, I hope you got enough for three.
What do you mean? Yeah.
Hey, Dad! Come on.
Laurel? What a surprise! (laughing) Oh, my God, this is great! Oh.
Hey! Hi.
Yeah, I just felt like coming home.
Microwave mac and cheese does get pretty old.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
Sit down.
Come on.
(phone ringing) I'll get that.
Eggs Florentine.
I tweaked the sauce a little bit, and, uh, well, you know, spiced it up.
I hope you like it.
I'm sure it'll be great.
And I was hoping that you might have some time to talk? Well, sure, I always got time for you, baby girl.
Come on.
What's on your mind? That was NOPD, King.
Got a dead Navy captain.
(sighs) (laughs) Well, what are you waiting for? Go.
Well I'll clean up.
Thanks.
I'll be back in a little bit.
Turn off the gas.
(laughs): I will.
(sighs) LASALLE: So Laurel's in town, middle of the week, middle of the semester You are always so suspicious, Christopher.
You think too much like a cop.
And you don't? First thing that flashed through my head.
Something's up.
Well, when we get back, we'll eat and we'll talk.
We'll get down to it.
Until then We work.
(jet taking off) (shutter clicking) No Sonja? She's with DEA closing out the Payton Kirk case.
Right.
Well, 911 received a call 8:30 this morning, shots fired.
Our victim is Captain James Grant, public liaison to Belle Chasse.
He live alone? His wife Rachel's in Pensacola.
Vacation? Not sure.
CACO's making the notification right now.
I'm checking outside.
Morning, Loretta.
It's not a particularly good one for Captain Grant.
Cause of death appears to be three gunshot wounds to the chest.
The captain was also on the receiving end of a beating.
Contusions to the head.
(shutter clicking) Significant bruising to his body.
(shutter clicking) Any witnesses? Next-door neighbor's place is vacant, and the rest of the neighbors were working.
PRIDE: Who called 911? Radio deejay Kayla Anderson at Hot NOLA FM.
She was on live with him when he was killed-- she made the call along with most of her listeners.
Check it out, King.
NOPD found it outside in the bushes next to Captain Grant's bedroom window.
Nine-millimeter? Yep.
That could be our murder weapon.
Yeah.
Get it to Sebastian.
I'll go chat with our deejay.
KAYLA: I heard those gunshots, and the line went dead.
I just I called 911 right away.
You knew Captain Grant? We served together in Iraq, two tours.
He was your commanding officer? And my friend.
Do you have any idea why he called your show this morning? He was making a donation to a charity that I run.
Did you hear anything besides the shots? Voices, maybe, or? Sorry to interrupt, Kayla.
Uh, this is Tyson Reed.
Helps me run Youth Stripes, my nonprofit.
I'm working the phone bank.
There's a call that you both need to take.
Guy called a few minutes ago, said he had info on Captain Grant's murder, will only talk to Kayla.
Hello? (over phone): Is this Kayla? Yes.
You have information on Captain Grant? I do.
And you better watch your back, Kayla, because you're next.
Captain Jim Grant, public affairs officer out of Belle Chasse, is beaten and shot to death by an intruder, all the while live on air with deejay Kayla Anderson.
A few hours later, Kayla receives a call that she's next.
No luck tracing the call.
Grant and Kayla served in Iraq together.
What else connects them? Well, Grant was calling in to make a donation to Kayla's charity.
According to financials, $200,000 was wired from his bank account to the Youth Stripes.
That's a lot of dough for a career naval officer.
Well, his wife Rachel is on her way in now from Pensacola.
Hopefully, she can shed some light.
I'll sit back down with Kayla.
You're gonna wear out the Terra cotta.
Patton Plame? You got to be kidding me! As handsome and as dashing as ever.
If you don't say so yourself.
(chuckles) You're a federal agent? Well, I like to think of it more like superhero.
When NCIS needs me, I swoop in to save the day.
So Batman.
Yeah.
You said it; I'm just living it.
(both laugh) I'm gonna deduce that the two of you know each other.
We go way back.
Yeah.
My dangerous days.
Yeah, well, these days seem pretty dangerous, too.
That phone call? Coffee? I'm a deejay.
People hear my voice every day.
It's an intimate relationship.
Some fans take it too far-- weird phone calls, e-mails.
It's more than a random occurrence, Kayla.
This caller knew about Captain Grant's murder.
PATTON: Any of your creepier correspondence stand out recently? Some guy came by the station last week, said that he had to talk to me, that it was life and death.
Security escorted him out.
I'm gonna request surveillance footage from the station.
Yeah.
Good idea.
Something else.
The donation Grant was making to your charity.
Money was transferred to Youth Stripes yesterday.
$200,000.
What? Uh You didn't know it was gonna be that generous? Tyson Reed handles the financials for Youth Stripes.
I had no idea.
Well, given everything that's gone on today, I think maybe we should have NOPD escort you.
Is that necessary? I'd say so.
We need to keep you safe.
The whole drive from Florida I just, I kept expecting Jim to call and say that it was just a misunderstanding and he was fine.
May I ask why (sighs) your husband lived here when you're in Pensacola? Jim was 90 days from retirement.
After years of deployments and all the posts and we're finally settling down, I was getting our new home ready.
You just bought a house? Put every penny we had into it.
Are you aware your husband made a very large donation to Youth Stripes before he died? I don't know what you think my husband was into, but that money was an inheritance.
His father died a few months ago.
And he decided to donate all the money to Kayla's charity? We decided.
His father was a bastard.
Jim didn't want his money.
My husband was an honorable man, to a fault.
I I just can't imagine that anyone would want to kill him.
Talk to me.
Yeah, hey, I got a hit off the radio station's surveillance cameras.
This is the guy who tried to get in to see Kayla? Yeah.
He ran off before NOPD could arrive.
And that's not the only time he showed up.
And here's the money shot.
PRIDE: Winner is Brandon Pierce.
Ex-Delta Force.
Knows his way around firearms.
Yep.
Discharged after he took some shrapnel to the head in Iraq.
Yeah, he frequents a boarding house on the Westbank called the Duke and the Dauphin.
I know that.
Lasalle and Brody's looking into it.
All right, good work, P.
Yeah.
âThings to Shout Out Loud at Partiesâ" Enlightening? It's pretty good.
Yeah? I got you some coffee.
Thank you.
You know, I'm, uh, I'm waiting on autopsy results.
You, uh-- got a couple of minutes-- you want to talk now? Not sure this is a few minutes kind of conversation, Dad.
Okay.
Um ride with me to Loretta's.
All right? Give me a preview.
(phone beeps) (sighs) You're busy with a case.
Maybe I-I'll just head out.
Back to Baton Rouge? No.
Stay for dinner, okay? We'll get into it, and you can go back in the morning to school.
(phone rings) No.
I'm not going back to school.
This is about midterm recital? 'Cause you always do great.
It's about a lot of things.
Okay.
Hey, I'm listening.
Well, it's kind of a long story, and it's not gonna fit between a call and a text.
(phone ringing) And another call.
Go ahead already-- it's your job.
Text me about tonight.
(sighs) WADE: Dropping out of school-- that's not like Laurel.
I've been racking my brain.
Is it workload? Problems with the boyfriend? You know, anything like that Agent Dwayne Pride would have surely picked up on.
Well, always have in the past.
Your work, the bar your daughter Not to mention the bounty on your head.
I'm not gonna make excuses.
Maybe I haven't been there for her like I want.
You have always been there for Laurel.
Look, it's not easy to stay on top of everything-- as I'm finding with the boys.
I'm lucky if I get two words and a grunt out of them to figure out what went wrong sometimes.
And girls are a little more complicated.
Yeah, don't I know it.
Just stay out of your own way, hear what's on her mind, and maybe you'll figure out what she really means.
Awful wise for a new parent.
Mm.
As for Captain Grant I've confirmed C.
O.
D.
from multiple gunshot wounds.
After taking a beating? Well, yes and no.
Captain Grant was beaten-- but after he was killed.
When someone suffers injuries from a beating, there's swelling and damage to the epithelium, blood rushes to the tissues, changes the color of the skin.
But if the victim is already dead, the blood's no longer rushing.
Then the suspect isn't just a random intruder.
He inflicted the wounds, ransacked the house to make it look like the captain put up a fight.
Oh, like Gone Girl.
The movie? I actually prefer the book.
It is not for the faint of heart, though.
Makes relationships look pretty scary.
It's probably why I'm single, if you really want to break it down.
Why don't we save it for the book club, dear.
Right.
Sorry.
Okay, so I can confirm that the gun found at the scene was the murder weapon.
No match in IBIS, but I found a print on the inside of the weapon's magazine.
I'm running it now; no hits yet.
Keep me posted.
Will do.
Oh, and if either of you want in on that book club, I'm totally down.
BOLO's out on Brandon Pierce.
Nothing yet.
Yeah, waste of resources.
Seeing as Triple P already got a line on them.
When you speak in third person, that means you're onto something.
Yeah.
Figured out that Pierce's cell phone was used to call in the threat to Kayla this morning.
Can you trace it? Eh, bad news.
The phone is powered down.
(sighs) But the good news is I could power it back up remotely.
'Cause I am Batman! (chuckles) So, you and Kayla Anderson.
Yeah, old friends.
Friends friends, or friends with benefits? Because Pride said you guys were looking pretty cozy.
D-Man has never used the word âcozyâ a day in his life.
That's not a denial.
Look, you want to gossip, or do you want to find a suspected murderer? Suspected murderer.
Thank you.
(typing) All right, I got his phone back up.
Accessing his GPS.
He's in the Tremé.
Broad and Dumaine.
That's five minutes away from Kayla.
He's going after her.
I'll call Pride.
(Kayla screams) Back gate.
Brody.
KAYLA: Get back! Shh Pierce! NCIS! Stay away from her! Back off! Back off! Easy, easy.
Pierce! Put the weapon down.
Stay away! Get your hands up.
Kayla, stay behind me! Put the weapon down.
Easy, Pierce.
Pierce, listen to me.
I will shoot you.
You need to drop it.
On your knees.
Cross your ankles.
You have to let me talk to Kayla.
Please.
Kayla, you're not safe.
Her life is in danger.
You have to listen to me right now.
Kayla! You're in danger! (gasps) Ma'am, I need to talk to Kayla.
You need to talk to me, Brandon.
You don't understand.
I do.
It's a matter of life and death.
That's what you told the security guard at the radio station.
Are you making fun of me? I promise I am taking you very seriously.
We found these in your place.
Kayla is my friend.
Kayla doesn't know you, Brandon.
She'd never seen you before today.
How could you be connected? I can't tell you, but will you listen to me? She's in danger.
That's why I called the radio station.
To warn her somebody's been following her.
That would be you.
No.
Somebody else.
I was there to protect her.
What about Captain Grant? You trying to protect him, too, Brandon? But I swear I didn't do it.
I could never, ever hurt this man.
We served in Iraq together.
He's like a brother to me.
Captain Grant ran a radio station in Baghdad.
You were Delta Force in Ramadi.
You didn't serve together.
You don't know.
But you can't.
Fine.
Sonic Boom.
We were all part of it, okay? You have created a relationship that doesn't exist.
You're presenting paranoid delusions.
Why should I believe a word you say? Because it's the truth.
PRIDE: What do you think? Brandon suffers from obsessive personality disorder, possibly paranoid schizophrenia.
In other words, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.
Not exactly the clinical term.
Well, whatever term you use doesn't make him sound any less guilty.
It's likely he killed Captain Grant, was planning on killing Kayla, too.
I have my doubts.
You caught Brandon two seconds away from splaying Kayla alive.
Where's the doubt in that? I don't know.
Something is just is not right.
We got a maniac with a knife in custody.
My girl Kayla's safe and sound.
I say everything is A-Okay.
Just friends, he says.
LASALLE: So, I forwarded Brandon's prints to Sebastian, guessing they'll match the one he pulled off the murder weapon, and we can close this up.
Until then, have him sit tight.
I got an important dinner date.
Lasalle, you still on good terms with your friend from Naval Intelligence? Gloria? Yeah, she still answers my phone calls.
Why? Okay, Brandon mentioned this top secret operation in Iraq called Sonic Boom.
Well, it sounds like crazy talk.
Maybe.
But would you look into it for me? You got it.
All I've done my whole life is piano.
Practice, recital, more practice.
Total focus, and never knowing if I'm actually good enough.
You're the best damn musician at that school.
Says my father.
And even if that were the case, what does that even mean? Am I gonna do this from now until I die? Sacrifice all my time in front of a piano? Time with my friends, my family? You know, sometimes I wonder what our lives might have been like if you'd been a car salesman or something? (laughs): A wh? A car salesman! Look, music's what you love.
No, Dad.
Music is what you love.
It's just what I do.
And what you do is important.
It's your calling.
I'm just looking for mine.
(phone beeps) Cue the man's calling.
Sorry to interrupt your dinner.
I'm not sure I was making much progress anyway.
Talk to me about Brandon Pierce.
Okay.
Ran his fingerprints against the ones found on the weapon that killed Captain Grant.
Not a match.
Not a match? Not only that.
Lasalle checked with Naval Intelligence-- Sonic Boom was real.
BRANDON: So you don't think I'm crazy anymore? Let's stay on topic.
Sonic Boom.
A series of surgical bomb strikes on militants in Ramadi.
What was your part? I was in hostile territory doing recon on enemy activity, damage reports after strikes.
I understand Delta Force being there.
But a U.
S.
Military Radio producer and deejay? The enemy wasn't isolated.
These cowards lived among the population, so we needed to warn the friendlies when the next strike was imminent, and it wasn't exactly like we could go door to door.
But you could get a message to them over the airwaves.
Correct.
Encoded, of course.
But we could tell them exactly when and where the next strike would be, and it saved a lot of lives.
Including mine.
Tell us how.
I was always at ground zero when the bombs dropped.
And if I didn't get blown up, I was pretty damn sure I was gonna get picked off by a sniper, or, even worse, captured.
But Kayla was always there with me.
She was the calm voice inside my head.
She's about the only thing that keeps me calm these days, and I just wanted to be close to her.
So you came to New Orleans.
Yeah.
I finally got to put a face to the voice.
But I wasn't the only one that was keeping tabs on her.
For the past few weeks, whenever Kayla left the radio station, some car was following.
You get a description? License plate? Yes.
It-it was a green car with, uh had a busted taillight, Louisiana plates: K I think maybe it was a seven.
Um, no, it was maybe it was a four.
I don't know.
I get numbers mixed up.
It's okay, Brandon.
Take your time.
Mystery green car, busted taillight-- it's kind of hard to believe, Brandon.
Have I lied to you about anything else? Why do you think this was about Sonic Boom? 'Cause it wasn't just Kayla they were following.
It was also Captain Grant.
BRODY: Brandon, how can one car follow two people simultaneously? When they were together.
Which was a lot.
KAYLA: You think Iraqi insurgents came to New Orleans to get revenge for classified radio broadcasts? I'm thinking Brandon saw someone in a green car following you and Captain Grant.
That's news to me.
Well I'm just trying to understand your relationship with Captain Grant.
We were friends.
And he was picking you up at the station three times a week? We were good friends.
Only two people at U.
S.
Military Radio that knew about Sonic Boom.
Sworn to secrecy to this day.
Bonded us.
And that bond stayed strong? When he got assigned to Belle Chasse, we reconnected.
I told him about Youth Stripes.
He wanted to help.
So we'd see each other regularly.
That's the whole story.
Look, I don't know what else to tell you.
You can think what you want to think, but I got 20 minutes till air, and I got to talk to Tyson about fund-raising.
Kayla! (panting) (siren wailing in distance) (indistinct radio chatter) Yeah, yeah.
Thank you.
NOFD finished their initial assessment.
No deaths and no suspicious activity on surveillance.
So whoever did this knew the lay of the land.
Yeah, and there's a couple of people unaccounted for, including Tyson Reed.
Youth Stripes financial director? Yeah, Brody's trying to track him down now.
Fire investigators did confirm it was arson.
Point of origin? Kayla's office.
Flames hit the gas line, set off the explosion.
Sebastian-- he's in there now doing his thing.
Brandon Pierce is still in custody, so he's not responsible.
Kayla tell you anything more about her relationship with Captain Grant? Nothing satisfying.
Think she's hiding something? I think someone wants her and Grant dead.
We're no closer to figuring out who.
Find out if Sebastian knows anything.
(muffled): Okay, so, your arsonist was no kind of a criminal mastermind.
He took all this accelerant and spread it Sebastian? I can't understand what you're saying.
(clears throat) (loudly): I said (clears throat) I said that your arsonist was no kind of criminal mastermind.
In fact, I was able to deter (sneezes) Bless you.
Thank you.
Sorry.
(sniffles, sighs) I was able to determine that the accelerator used was C12-H23.
It's just your standard diesel fuel.
Oh.
Available at most gas stations in town.
What about the fuse? Ye old Zippo lighter.
Wonder if this is actually covered under its lifetime guarantee.
So the suspect pours diesel all over Kayla's office, lights it up and hopes she gets caught in the blast when the gas line ignites? Well, that's where things get a little interesting.
You see this burn pattern along here? This is where the fire bug poured the accelerant.
Well, why ignite a desk when a chair is more flammable? Well, 'cause it wasn't the desk that he was after.
The splash marks from the accelerant suggest that it was the computer on the desk.
So this wasn't about killing Kayla? Not homicide.
Compu-cide.
(sneezes) The only difference between this computer and one of those nasty zombies on The Walking Dead is this thing is actually deceased.
Well, can't you recover the data, or-or clone the hard drive, or? Even Triple P can't resurrect the dead.
But I'm not gonna let that stop me.
I'm gonna go back through the files on Captain Grant's computer and see if there's anything of interest.
Tyson Reed is officially in the wind.
The guy who helps Kayla with the Youth Stripes financials? He's gone? Not at home, not answering his cell.
Had access to the station, and he's the only one still unaccounted for after the fire.
Well, I don't know about finding this Tyson Reed dude, but I think I may have found something on the captain's computer.
It's a receipt from a forensic accounting firm.
Why would Captain Grant hire forensic accountants? I know someone we can ask.
RACHEL: Thank you for letting me do this.
I just want to gather a few things for Jim's memorial.
Anything to help.
Actually, we were hoping you could help us, too.
We found an invoice from a forensic accountant on your husband's hard drive.
Are you aware of that? (sniffles) Uh, Jim hired him a few days ago to audit Youth Stripes.
Was he worried something was wrong with the charity? Well, if you donate $200,000, you want to be sure it's being used properly.
Jim was thorough that way.
Audit flag any discrepancies? I don't know.
You willing to give us permission to look at the report? (sniffles) Yeah, sure, anything you need.
Your husband and Kayla were close? War buddies.
A special bond, right? You're suggesting that they were romantically involved? (sighs) Marriages can be complicated.
Yeah, maybe so, but my husband was not.
He was the most loyal man that I've ever known.
(sniffles) If you don't mind, I need to get Jim's dress blues for his casket.
Hey, Pride.
I was looking at the audit forensic accountants prepared on Youth Stripes.
There were some questionable transfers of cash.
Questionable as in bad bookkeeping, or questionable like fraud? Fraud.
Last few weeks.
Small amounts at first.
A few thousand here and there, and then, yesterday, after Captain Grant was killed, the entire account was cleaned out.
A million dollars.
You think Tyson Reed stole it? It was Kayla's pin code that was used to clear it out.
(scoffs) Not possible, man.
Well, I know she's your friend, Patton.
Whether she's my friend or not.
You're accusing her of theft.
No, no.
I'm just following the evidence.
The evidence is Tyson Reed going underground after possibly shooting Captain Grant and trying to burn down the radio station.
And we're looking for him.
But it's possible that he and Kayla are working together.
I know this woman, Pride.
She leave socks on the floor? Yes.
She cheat on Sunday crosswords? Regularly.
But she would never steal money from her own charity.
And she damn sure wasn't involved in trying to kill anyone.
Patton, you're too close.
Come on! You got to admit there are a lot of unanswered questions.
We need to check Kayla out.
That's just what we do.
We need to look into her personal computer.
No, we don't.
'Cause I already did.
(computer chirping) I found some e-mails that Captain Grant sent to Kayla that seemed kind of hinky.
There was an argument that they were having, but it was only his side, so I went ahead and hacked her e-mails.
You find something? Yeah.
But not what you think.
These are love letters, Kayla.
They go back a lot of years.
Until right after you left the Navy.
When we knew each other.
I know what they are.
I wrote half of them.
You and Captain Grant were having an affair.
Not technically.
What does that mean? It means we never acted on it.
We just talked about it.
Jim was married, and neither one of us wanted to start a relationship with a lie.
According to the e-mails, you two were planning a life together.
But only after Jim got a divorce.
You know, I can't believe you hacked me.
Because I was trying to clear you of embezzlement.
What are you talking about? Someone's been emptying the Youth Stripes account.
We think that Jim found out.
And we think that's why he was killed.
Well, talk to Tyson Reed.
He handles our accounts.
Tyson's missing, Kayla.
Missing? Jim and I were supposed to get a fresh start, do things right.
He was gonna leave Rachel and come work with me at Youth Stripes.
A whole new life.
Now it's gone.
King, we got something.
Pulled Tyson Reed's credit card charges.
He used the Youth Stripes card to purchase a five-gallon gas can at a hardware store two days ago.
And five gallons of diesel from a gas station yesterday.
Enough to start the fire at the radio station.
That same card was used to book a room at the Bridgeview Motel.
Room 104.
He's not exactly the criminal mastermind, so he could still be at the motel.
Chris, you're with me.
Brody, tell Laurel I'll be back as soon as I can.
(horn honking) King! Oh, God.
(sighs) Thanks.
Distracted.
Case or other stuff? Uh, it's something Laurel said.
About her wanting to take time off school? You think I pushed her into music? Well, I think music's sort of in the Pride blood.
Why, is that what Laurel thinks? I honestly can't tell.
All I know right now is she used to wish that I was a car salesman.
(sighs) Two things I've been sure of my whole life.
I know my job, and I know my daughter.
Right now, I'm not so sure about the second one.
Well, my dad made it clear to me I was meant for the oil business, just like him.
Hmm.
He reminded me every day where I belonged as his son.
All right, but he didn't know me one bit.
All right, that's not like you, King.
You're in the clear.
Green car, broken tail light, just like Brandon Pierce said.
Yeah, room 104.
Cold.
Tyson Reed, federal agents! Gonna need you to open up, answer some questions.
Looks like our pal opted out of answering questions for good.
The blood in the eyes is brought about by hemorrhaging due to high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood stream.
Tyson Reed's cause of death was suffocation.
I also found these contusions around his neck.
From the bag taped over his head? Well, that's what I thought initially, but you see these tiny spots of blood? They're from burst superficial blood vessels.
Caused by someone suckling on his skin.
LASALLE: So you're saying Reed had a hickey? Well, there are a variety of medical terms for it, but, uh, yes, a hickey.
Based on color, I'd say it was inflicted within a few hours of his death.
Reed had company before his final exit.
SEBASTIAN: Well, about that fine farewell-- I, uh, ran the print from the gun that killed Captain Grant against Tyson Reed, and it rendered a perfect match.
So Grant figured out Reed was stealing from Youth Stripes.
Reed murdered Grant before he could expose him, burned Kayla's computer to cover his tracks, and then kills himself.
Well, at least that's what someone wants us to think.
See, at Captain Grant's crime scene, there wasn't a single trace of forensic anything except for one impeccable fingerprint all wrapped up in a bow.
That's that's really weird, okay? So I took a closer look at Reed's tox screen and found this.
Guy had benzodiazepine in his system.
That makes sense.
If you're about to off yourself, you might want some kind of anxiety relief, but his dose, it's off the chart.
Levels that high, Reed would have been too impaired to tape a bag over his head.
He'd barely be able to stand up.
SEBASTIAN: Which means we've officially moved from weird evidence to staged suicide.
So someone had to get close enough to Reed to drug him.
Someone he trusted.
My money is on whoever left those behind.
Once you let someone get close enough to suck on your neck, nabbing fingerprints is not gonna be a problem.
PATTON: I checked all of Reed's data.
No incriminating e-mails, calls or texts.
And no trace of the missing money, either.
So he wasn't embezzling from Youth Stripes? Oh, yeah, he was.
He just was savvy about it.
He created a fake online persona, and he used various aliases.
Used them to set up accounts in the Caymans and to communicate with his partner in crime.
Could be Kayla.
They embezzle the money together, and she sets him up to take the fall solo.
It's not Kayla! Patton, maybe you don't know Kayla as well as you think.
You're right about that one.
We was together seven years ago.
I was smitten.
Triple P does not get smitten.
But now I realize Kayla never felt like that for me.
She was in love with Captain Grant.
I always thought one day we'd get back together.
Guess not.
I'm sorry, Patton.
(laughs) I feel worse for her.
Waiting all those years to be with Captain Grant.
Just as he was about to leave his wife, start fresh Wait a minute.
Kayla said Grant was going to leave his wife, and Rachel denies they were even involved.
One of them got to be lying to us.
And if it's Rachel that's lying, Grant had to be in touch with a divorce lawyer.
Well, either way, we all know there's nothing scarier than a woman scorned.
(chuckles) Ask all my ex-wives.
Anyway, excuse me.
(sniffles) Can I have another, please? (sniffles) Rachel, I'm so sorry.
Jim was a wonderful man.
Yes.
So everyone keeps telling me.
What he did in Iraq was heroic.
Yes.
He was brave.
And the money that he donated to Youth Stripes is gonna help so many people.
How is that going to work? I heard the money was missing.
That's so sad.
All those at-risk kids betrayed.
Ugh.
I know how they feel.
You think you were betrayed? No.
Jim wouldn't betray me.
He was too loyal.
(sniffles) Too honorable.
Denied-- that's maybe a more accurate term.
Anyway (sniffles) we all have our cross to bear.
(sniffles) And mourning Jim-- well, that's your job, not mine.
(sniffles) Oh.
Thank you so much for coming to show your respects.
Jim would have appreciated that.
Agent Pride, what are you doing here? We're here in a more, uh, official capacity.
RACHEL: Did you catch the suspect? The man who works for Kayla's charity? Well, it turns out it wasn't him.
Someone set him up.
RACHEL: You should probably talk more with Kayla here then.
You murdered your husband, Mrs.
Grant.
Framed Tyson Reed.
Staged his death to make it look like suicide.
It was almost the perfect crime.
Almost, 'cause you left a little something behind.
DNA on Tyson Reed's neck.
Hope it was a good drink.
'Cause it's the last one you're gonna be having for a while.
(piano playing) Stormy chords.
(chuckles) Your grandmother used to get up on this stage and start singing, and whatever was worrying you just wouldn't seem to matter anymore.
It was a gift.
Came from your grandma, skipped a generation, went right into you.
You're good, Dad.
Yeah, I'm good, but you, you're something special.
What I can never do on the piano just comes natural to you.
It's not easy.
You make it look like it is.
Here's the deal.
Never occurred to me that I was putting pressure on you.
Just, I love what you do when you're doing it.
Why is it so important to you? I thought it was important to you, too.
And it reminds me of my mother and your mama.
(chuckles) During the good times.
I didn't pick an easy career, Laurel.
I Whole family's made sacrifices for it.
And I want the same thing for you, baby girl.
Whatever it is, whatever's right.
Car salesman if you want.
(both laugh) So you're okay with me taking some time off? No, I'm not.
What? You're a grown woman, and you made a commitment.
So, let's finish this semester, and then we'll talk about it, we'll figure it out.
Deal.
Quick.
(laughs) Deal.
Oh, hey, wait a second.
Wait a second.
Okay, what you got? (playing "Under Pressure") Remember this one? Oh, yeah.
Too on the nose? No, it's perfect.
You sure? Mm-hmm.
Oh.
Not bad.
Right? Pressure Pushing down on me, pressing down on you No man ask for Under pressure That brings a building down That strips a family (laughs) Puts people on streets Here we go.
Mm, ba-ba-bay Mm, ba-ba-bay Be-better That's okay It's a terror knowing what this world is about Watching a good friend screaming Get me out Pray tomorrow takes me higher Pressure on people People on streets Pressure.
@elderman
m.
commute.
As you loyal listeners know, I served seven years in the Navy.
Shaped me into the adorable deejay that y'all know and love.
That's why I founded Youth Stripes.
Work with at-risk kids, help them find a path to success, which for some includes military service.
We're gonna be fund-raising all week.
Phone lines are open.
Come on, New Orleans, (phone rings) show me some love.
This is Kayla.
You ready to go all in for Youth Stripes? I would follow you anywhere, Petty Officer Anderson.
This is my good friend Captain Jim Grant, a real American hero.
I want to tell you I'm impressed with all the good work you're doing.
Aw, Captain, I'm blushing.
GRANT: And I'm hoping to give your fund-raiser a jump-start this morning.
What do you say? What the hell? Sorry, I didn't catch that.
(gunshots) Captain, you there? Jim? Jim! NCIS:New Orleans 2x17 Radio Silence Boom, boom, boom, boom Bang, bang, bang, bang Boom, boom, boom, boom How, how, how, how Hey, hey @elderman You gotta come on.
Good morning.
Morning, Christopher.
I hope you didn't eat yet.
I got inspired this morning.
Eggs Florentine.
Well, I hope you got enough for three.
What do you mean? Yeah.
Hey, Dad! Come on.
Laurel? What a surprise! (laughing) Oh, my God, this is great! Oh.
Hey! Hi.
Yeah, I just felt like coming home.
Microwave mac and cheese does get pretty old.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
Sit down.
Come on.
(phone ringing) I'll get that.
Eggs Florentine.
I tweaked the sauce a little bit, and, uh, well, you know, spiced it up.
I hope you like it.
I'm sure it'll be great.
And I was hoping that you might have some time to talk? Well, sure, I always got time for you, baby girl.
Come on.
What's on your mind? That was NOPD, King.
Got a dead Navy captain.
(sighs) (laughs) Well, what are you waiting for? Go.
Well I'll clean up.
Thanks.
I'll be back in a little bit.
Turn off the gas.
(laughs): I will.
(sighs) LASALLE: So Laurel's in town, middle of the week, middle of the semester You are always so suspicious, Christopher.
You think too much like a cop.
And you don't? First thing that flashed through my head.
Something's up.
Well, when we get back, we'll eat and we'll talk.
We'll get down to it.
Until then We work.
(jet taking off) (shutter clicking) No Sonja? She's with DEA closing out the Payton Kirk case.
Right.
Well, 911 received a call 8:30 this morning, shots fired.
Our victim is Captain James Grant, public liaison to Belle Chasse.
He live alone? His wife Rachel's in Pensacola.
Vacation? Not sure.
CACO's making the notification right now.
I'm checking outside.
Morning, Loretta.
It's not a particularly good one for Captain Grant.
Cause of death appears to be three gunshot wounds to the chest.
The captain was also on the receiving end of a beating.
Contusions to the head.
(shutter clicking) Significant bruising to his body.
(shutter clicking) Any witnesses? Next-door neighbor's place is vacant, and the rest of the neighbors were working.
PRIDE: Who called 911? Radio deejay Kayla Anderson at Hot NOLA FM.
She was on live with him when he was killed-- she made the call along with most of her listeners.
Check it out, King.
NOPD found it outside in the bushes next to Captain Grant's bedroom window.
Nine-millimeter? Yep.
That could be our murder weapon.
Yeah.
Get it to Sebastian.
I'll go chat with our deejay.
KAYLA: I heard those gunshots, and the line went dead.
I just I called 911 right away.
You knew Captain Grant? We served together in Iraq, two tours.
He was your commanding officer? And my friend.
Do you have any idea why he called your show this morning? He was making a donation to a charity that I run.
Did you hear anything besides the shots? Voices, maybe, or? Sorry to interrupt, Kayla.
Uh, this is Tyson Reed.
Helps me run Youth Stripes, my nonprofit.
I'm working the phone bank.
There's a call that you both need to take.
Guy called a few minutes ago, said he had info on Captain Grant's murder, will only talk to Kayla.
Hello? (over phone): Is this Kayla? Yes.
You have information on Captain Grant? I do.
And you better watch your back, Kayla, because you're next.
Captain Jim Grant, public affairs officer out of Belle Chasse, is beaten and shot to death by an intruder, all the while live on air with deejay Kayla Anderson.
A few hours later, Kayla receives a call that she's next.
No luck tracing the call.
Grant and Kayla served in Iraq together.
What else connects them? Well, Grant was calling in to make a donation to Kayla's charity.
According to financials, $200,000 was wired from his bank account to the Youth Stripes.
That's a lot of dough for a career naval officer.
Well, his wife Rachel is on her way in now from Pensacola.
Hopefully, she can shed some light.
I'll sit back down with Kayla.
You're gonna wear out the Terra cotta.
Patton Plame? You got to be kidding me! As handsome and as dashing as ever.
If you don't say so yourself.
(chuckles) You're a federal agent? Well, I like to think of it more like superhero.
When NCIS needs me, I swoop in to save the day.
So Batman.
Yeah.
You said it; I'm just living it.
(both laugh) I'm gonna deduce that the two of you know each other.
We go way back.
Yeah.
My dangerous days.
Yeah, well, these days seem pretty dangerous, too.
That phone call? Coffee? I'm a deejay.
People hear my voice every day.
It's an intimate relationship.
Some fans take it too far-- weird phone calls, e-mails.
It's more than a random occurrence, Kayla.
This caller knew about Captain Grant's murder.
PATTON: Any of your creepier correspondence stand out recently? Some guy came by the station last week, said that he had to talk to me, that it was life and death.
Security escorted him out.
I'm gonna request surveillance footage from the station.
Yeah.
Good idea.
Something else.
The donation Grant was making to your charity.
Money was transferred to Youth Stripes yesterday.
$200,000.
What? Uh You didn't know it was gonna be that generous? Tyson Reed handles the financials for Youth Stripes.
I had no idea.
Well, given everything that's gone on today, I think maybe we should have NOPD escort you.
Is that necessary? I'd say so.
We need to keep you safe.
The whole drive from Florida I just, I kept expecting Jim to call and say that it was just a misunderstanding and he was fine.
May I ask why (sighs) your husband lived here when you're in Pensacola? Jim was 90 days from retirement.
After years of deployments and all the posts and we're finally settling down, I was getting our new home ready.
You just bought a house? Put every penny we had into it.
Are you aware your husband made a very large donation to Youth Stripes before he died? I don't know what you think my husband was into, but that money was an inheritance.
His father died a few months ago.
And he decided to donate all the money to Kayla's charity? We decided.
His father was a bastard.
Jim didn't want his money.
My husband was an honorable man, to a fault.
I I just can't imagine that anyone would want to kill him.
Talk to me.
Yeah, hey, I got a hit off the radio station's surveillance cameras.
This is the guy who tried to get in to see Kayla? Yeah.
He ran off before NOPD could arrive.
And that's not the only time he showed up.
And here's the money shot.
PRIDE: Winner is Brandon Pierce.
Ex-Delta Force.
Knows his way around firearms.
Yep.
Discharged after he took some shrapnel to the head in Iraq.
Yeah, he frequents a boarding house on the Westbank called the Duke and the Dauphin.
I know that.
Lasalle and Brody's looking into it.
All right, good work, P.
Yeah.
âThings to Shout Out Loud at Partiesâ" Enlightening? It's pretty good.
Yeah? I got you some coffee.
Thank you.
You know, I'm, uh, I'm waiting on autopsy results.
You, uh-- got a couple of minutes-- you want to talk now? Not sure this is a few minutes kind of conversation, Dad.
Okay.
Um ride with me to Loretta's.
All right? Give me a preview.
(phone beeps) (sighs) You're busy with a case.
Maybe I-I'll just head out.
Back to Baton Rouge? No.
Stay for dinner, okay? We'll get into it, and you can go back in the morning to school.
(phone rings) No.
I'm not going back to school.
This is about midterm recital? 'Cause you always do great.
It's about a lot of things.
Okay.
Hey, I'm listening.
Well, it's kind of a long story, and it's not gonna fit between a call and a text.
(phone ringing) And another call.
Go ahead already-- it's your job.
Text me about tonight.
(sighs) WADE: Dropping out of school-- that's not like Laurel.
I've been racking my brain.
Is it workload? Problems with the boyfriend? You know, anything like that Agent Dwayne Pride would have surely picked up on.
Well, always have in the past.
Your work, the bar your daughter Not to mention the bounty on your head.
I'm not gonna make excuses.
Maybe I haven't been there for her like I want.
You have always been there for Laurel.
Look, it's not easy to stay on top of everything-- as I'm finding with the boys.
I'm lucky if I get two words and a grunt out of them to figure out what went wrong sometimes.
And girls are a little more complicated.
Yeah, don't I know it.
Just stay out of your own way, hear what's on her mind, and maybe you'll figure out what she really means.
Awful wise for a new parent.
Mm.
As for Captain Grant I've confirmed C.
O.
D.
from multiple gunshot wounds.
After taking a beating? Well, yes and no.
Captain Grant was beaten-- but after he was killed.
When someone suffers injuries from a beating, there's swelling and damage to the epithelium, blood rushes to the tissues, changes the color of the skin.
But if the victim is already dead, the blood's no longer rushing.
Then the suspect isn't just a random intruder.
He inflicted the wounds, ransacked the house to make it look like the captain put up a fight.
Oh, like Gone Girl.
The movie? I actually prefer the book.
It is not for the faint of heart, though.
Makes relationships look pretty scary.
It's probably why I'm single, if you really want to break it down.
Why don't we save it for the book club, dear.
Right.
Sorry.
Okay, so I can confirm that the gun found at the scene was the murder weapon.
No match in IBIS, but I found a print on the inside of the weapon's magazine.
I'm running it now; no hits yet.
Keep me posted.
Will do.
Oh, and if either of you want in on that book club, I'm totally down.
BOLO's out on Brandon Pierce.
Nothing yet.
Yeah, waste of resources.
Seeing as Triple P already got a line on them.
When you speak in third person, that means you're onto something.
Yeah.
Figured out that Pierce's cell phone was used to call in the threat to Kayla this morning.
Can you trace it? Eh, bad news.
The phone is powered down.
(sighs) But the good news is I could power it back up remotely.
'Cause I am Batman! (chuckles) So, you and Kayla Anderson.
Yeah, old friends.
Friends friends, or friends with benefits? Because Pride said you guys were looking pretty cozy.
D-Man has never used the word âcozyâ a day in his life.
That's not a denial.
Look, you want to gossip, or do you want to find a suspected murderer? Suspected murderer.
Thank you.
(typing) All right, I got his phone back up.
Accessing his GPS.
He's in the Tremé.
Broad and Dumaine.
That's five minutes away from Kayla.
He's going after her.
I'll call Pride.
(Kayla screams) Back gate.
Brody.
KAYLA: Get back! Shh Pierce! NCIS! Stay away from her! Back off! Back off! Easy, easy.
Pierce! Put the weapon down.
Stay away! Get your hands up.
Kayla, stay behind me! Put the weapon down.
Easy, Pierce.
Pierce, listen to me.
I will shoot you.
You need to drop it.
On your knees.
Cross your ankles.
You have to let me talk to Kayla.
Please.
Kayla, you're not safe.
Her life is in danger.
You have to listen to me right now.
Kayla! You're in danger! (gasps) Ma'am, I need to talk to Kayla.
You need to talk to me, Brandon.
You don't understand.
I do.
It's a matter of life and death.
That's what you told the security guard at the radio station.
Are you making fun of me? I promise I am taking you very seriously.
We found these in your place.
Kayla is my friend.
Kayla doesn't know you, Brandon.
She'd never seen you before today.
How could you be connected? I can't tell you, but will you listen to me? She's in danger.
That's why I called the radio station.
To warn her somebody's been following her.
That would be you.
No.
Somebody else.
I was there to protect her.
What about Captain Grant? You trying to protect him, too, Brandon? But I swear I didn't do it.
I could never, ever hurt this man.
We served in Iraq together.
He's like a brother to me.
Captain Grant ran a radio station in Baghdad.
You were Delta Force in Ramadi.
You didn't serve together.
You don't know.
But you can't.
Fine.
Sonic Boom.
We were all part of it, okay? You have created a relationship that doesn't exist.
You're presenting paranoid delusions.
Why should I believe a word you say? Because it's the truth.
PRIDE: What do you think? Brandon suffers from obsessive personality disorder, possibly paranoid schizophrenia.
In other words, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.
Not exactly the clinical term.
Well, whatever term you use doesn't make him sound any less guilty.
It's likely he killed Captain Grant, was planning on killing Kayla, too.
I have my doubts.
You caught Brandon two seconds away from splaying Kayla alive.
Where's the doubt in that? I don't know.
Something is just is not right.
We got a maniac with a knife in custody.
My girl Kayla's safe and sound.
I say everything is A-Okay.
Just friends, he says.
LASALLE: So, I forwarded Brandon's prints to Sebastian, guessing they'll match the one he pulled off the murder weapon, and we can close this up.
Until then, have him sit tight.
I got an important dinner date.
Lasalle, you still on good terms with your friend from Naval Intelligence? Gloria? Yeah, she still answers my phone calls.
Why? Okay, Brandon mentioned this top secret operation in Iraq called Sonic Boom.
Well, it sounds like crazy talk.
Maybe.
But would you look into it for me? You got it.
All I've done my whole life is piano.
Practice, recital, more practice.
Total focus, and never knowing if I'm actually good enough.
You're the best damn musician at that school.
Says my father.
And even if that were the case, what does that even mean? Am I gonna do this from now until I die? Sacrifice all my time in front of a piano? Time with my friends, my family? You know, sometimes I wonder what our lives might have been like if you'd been a car salesman or something? (laughs): A wh? A car salesman! Look, music's what you love.
No, Dad.
Music is what you love.
It's just what I do.
And what you do is important.
It's your calling.
I'm just looking for mine.
(phone beeps) Cue the man's calling.
Sorry to interrupt your dinner.
I'm not sure I was making much progress anyway.
Talk to me about Brandon Pierce.
Okay.
Ran his fingerprints against the ones found on the weapon that killed Captain Grant.
Not a match.
Not a match? Not only that.
Lasalle checked with Naval Intelligence-- Sonic Boom was real.
BRANDON: So you don't think I'm crazy anymore? Let's stay on topic.
Sonic Boom.
A series of surgical bomb strikes on militants in Ramadi.
What was your part? I was in hostile territory doing recon on enemy activity, damage reports after strikes.
I understand Delta Force being there.
But a U.
S.
Military Radio producer and deejay? The enemy wasn't isolated.
These cowards lived among the population, so we needed to warn the friendlies when the next strike was imminent, and it wasn't exactly like we could go door to door.
But you could get a message to them over the airwaves.
Correct.
Encoded, of course.
But we could tell them exactly when and where the next strike would be, and it saved a lot of lives.
Including mine.
Tell us how.
I was always at ground zero when the bombs dropped.
And if I didn't get blown up, I was pretty damn sure I was gonna get picked off by a sniper, or, even worse, captured.
But Kayla was always there with me.
She was the calm voice inside my head.
She's about the only thing that keeps me calm these days, and I just wanted to be close to her.
So you came to New Orleans.
Yeah.
I finally got to put a face to the voice.
But I wasn't the only one that was keeping tabs on her.
For the past few weeks, whenever Kayla left the radio station, some car was following.
You get a description? License plate? Yes.
It-it was a green car with, uh had a busted taillight, Louisiana plates: K I think maybe it was a seven.
Um, no, it was maybe it was a four.
I don't know.
I get numbers mixed up.
It's okay, Brandon.
Take your time.
Mystery green car, busted taillight-- it's kind of hard to believe, Brandon.
Have I lied to you about anything else? Why do you think this was about Sonic Boom? 'Cause it wasn't just Kayla they were following.
It was also Captain Grant.
BRODY: Brandon, how can one car follow two people simultaneously? When they were together.
Which was a lot.
KAYLA: You think Iraqi insurgents came to New Orleans to get revenge for classified radio broadcasts? I'm thinking Brandon saw someone in a green car following you and Captain Grant.
That's news to me.
Well I'm just trying to understand your relationship with Captain Grant.
We were friends.
And he was picking you up at the station three times a week? We were good friends.
Only two people at U.
S.
Military Radio that knew about Sonic Boom.
Sworn to secrecy to this day.
Bonded us.
And that bond stayed strong? When he got assigned to Belle Chasse, we reconnected.
I told him about Youth Stripes.
He wanted to help.
So we'd see each other regularly.
That's the whole story.
Look, I don't know what else to tell you.
You can think what you want to think, but I got 20 minutes till air, and I got to talk to Tyson about fund-raising.
Kayla! (panting) (siren wailing in distance) (indistinct radio chatter) Yeah, yeah.
Thank you.
NOFD finished their initial assessment.
No deaths and no suspicious activity on surveillance.
So whoever did this knew the lay of the land.
Yeah, and there's a couple of people unaccounted for, including Tyson Reed.
Youth Stripes financial director? Yeah, Brody's trying to track him down now.
Fire investigators did confirm it was arson.
Point of origin? Kayla's office.
Flames hit the gas line, set off the explosion.
Sebastian-- he's in there now doing his thing.
Brandon Pierce is still in custody, so he's not responsible.
Kayla tell you anything more about her relationship with Captain Grant? Nothing satisfying.
Think she's hiding something? I think someone wants her and Grant dead.
We're no closer to figuring out who.
Find out if Sebastian knows anything.
(muffled): Okay, so, your arsonist was no kind of a criminal mastermind.
He took all this accelerant and spread it Sebastian? I can't understand what you're saying.
(clears throat) (loudly): I said (clears throat) I said that your arsonist was no kind of criminal mastermind.
In fact, I was able to deter (sneezes) Bless you.
Thank you.
Sorry.
(sniffles, sighs) I was able to determine that the accelerator used was C12-H23.
It's just your standard diesel fuel.
Oh.
Available at most gas stations in town.
What about the fuse? Ye old Zippo lighter.
Wonder if this is actually covered under its lifetime guarantee.
So the suspect pours diesel all over Kayla's office, lights it up and hopes she gets caught in the blast when the gas line ignites? Well, that's where things get a little interesting.
You see this burn pattern along here? This is where the fire bug poured the accelerant.
Well, why ignite a desk when a chair is more flammable? Well, 'cause it wasn't the desk that he was after.
The splash marks from the accelerant suggest that it was the computer on the desk.
So this wasn't about killing Kayla? Not homicide.
Compu-cide.
(sneezes) The only difference between this computer and one of those nasty zombies on The Walking Dead is this thing is actually deceased.
Well, can't you recover the data, or-or clone the hard drive, or? Even Triple P can't resurrect the dead.
But I'm not gonna let that stop me.
I'm gonna go back through the files on Captain Grant's computer and see if there's anything of interest.
Tyson Reed is officially in the wind.
The guy who helps Kayla with the Youth Stripes financials? He's gone? Not at home, not answering his cell.
Had access to the station, and he's the only one still unaccounted for after the fire.
Well, I don't know about finding this Tyson Reed dude, but I think I may have found something on the captain's computer.
It's a receipt from a forensic accounting firm.
Why would Captain Grant hire forensic accountants? I know someone we can ask.
RACHEL: Thank you for letting me do this.
I just want to gather a few things for Jim's memorial.
Anything to help.
Actually, we were hoping you could help us, too.
We found an invoice from a forensic accountant on your husband's hard drive.
Are you aware of that? (sniffles) Uh, Jim hired him a few days ago to audit Youth Stripes.
Was he worried something was wrong with the charity? Well, if you donate $200,000, you want to be sure it's being used properly.
Jim was thorough that way.
Audit flag any discrepancies? I don't know.
You willing to give us permission to look at the report? (sniffles) Yeah, sure, anything you need.
Your husband and Kayla were close? War buddies.
A special bond, right? You're suggesting that they were romantically involved? (sighs) Marriages can be complicated.
Yeah, maybe so, but my husband was not.
He was the most loyal man that I've ever known.
(sniffles) If you don't mind, I need to get Jim's dress blues for his casket.
Hey, Pride.
I was looking at the audit forensic accountants prepared on Youth Stripes.
There were some questionable transfers of cash.
Questionable as in bad bookkeeping, or questionable like fraud? Fraud.
Last few weeks.
Small amounts at first.
A few thousand here and there, and then, yesterday, after Captain Grant was killed, the entire account was cleaned out.
A million dollars.
You think Tyson Reed stole it? It was Kayla's pin code that was used to clear it out.
(scoffs) Not possible, man.
Well, I know she's your friend, Patton.
Whether she's my friend or not.
You're accusing her of theft.
No, no.
I'm just following the evidence.
The evidence is Tyson Reed going underground after possibly shooting Captain Grant and trying to burn down the radio station.
And we're looking for him.
But it's possible that he and Kayla are working together.
I know this woman, Pride.
She leave socks on the floor? Yes.
She cheat on Sunday crosswords? Regularly.
But she would never steal money from her own charity.
And she damn sure wasn't involved in trying to kill anyone.
Patton, you're too close.
Come on! You got to admit there are a lot of unanswered questions.
We need to check Kayla out.
That's just what we do.
We need to look into her personal computer.
No, we don't.
'Cause I already did.
(computer chirping) I found some e-mails that Captain Grant sent to Kayla that seemed kind of hinky.
There was an argument that they were having, but it was only his side, so I went ahead and hacked her e-mails.
You find something? Yeah.
But not what you think.
These are love letters, Kayla.
They go back a lot of years.
Until right after you left the Navy.
When we knew each other.
I know what they are.
I wrote half of them.
You and Captain Grant were having an affair.
Not technically.
What does that mean? It means we never acted on it.
We just talked about it.
Jim was married, and neither one of us wanted to start a relationship with a lie.
According to the e-mails, you two were planning a life together.
But only after Jim got a divorce.
You know, I can't believe you hacked me.
Because I was trying to clear you of embezzlement.
What are you talking about? Someone's been emptying the Youth Stripes account.
We think that Jim found out.
And we think that's why he was killed.
Well, talk to Tyson Reed.
He handles our accounts.
Tyson's missing, Kayla.
Missing? Jim and I were supposed to get a fresh start, do things right.
He was gonna leave Rachel and come work with me at Youth Stripes.
A whole new life.
Now it's gone.
King, we got something.
Pulled Tyson Reed's credit card charges.
He used the Youth Stripes card to purchase a five-gallon gas can at a hardware store two days ago.
And five gallons of diesel from a gas station yesterday.
Enough to start the fire at the radio station.
That same card was used to book a room at the Bridgeview Motel.
Room 104.
He's not exactly the criminal mastermind, so he could still be at the motel.
Chris, you're with me.
Brody, tell Laurel I'll be back as soon as I can.
(horn honking) King! Oh, God.
(sighs) Thanks.
Distracted.
Case or other stuff? Uh, it's something Laurel said.
About her wanting to take time off school? You think I pushed her into music? Well, I think music's sort of in the Pride blood.
Why, is that what Laurel thinks? I honestly can't tell.
All I know right now is she used to wish that I was a car salesman.
(sighs) Two things I've been sure of my whole life.
I know my job, and I know my daughter.
Right now, I'm not so sure about the second one.
Well, my dad made it clear to me I was meant for the oil business, just like him.
Hmm.
He reminded me every day where I belonged as his son.
All right, but he didn't know me one bit.
All right, that's not like you, King.
You're in the clear.
Green car, broken tail light, just like Brandon Pierce said.
Yeah, room 104.
Cold.
Tyson Reed, federal agents! Gonna need you to open up, answer some questions.
Looks like our pal opted out of answering questions for good.
The blood in the eyes is brought about by hemorrhaging due to high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood stream.
Tyson Reed's cause of death was suffocation.
I also found these contusions around his neck.
From the bag taped over his head? Well, that's what I thought initially, but you see these tiny spots of blood? They're from burst superficial blood vessels.
Caused by someone suckling on his skin.
LASALLE: So you're saying Reed had a hickey? Well, there are a variety of medical terms for it, but, uh, yes, a hickey.
Based on color, I'd say it was inflicted within a few hours of his death.
Reed had company before his final exit.
SEBASTIAN: Well, about that fine farewell-- I, uh, ran the print from the gun that killed Captain Grant against Tyson Reed, and it rendered a perfect match.
So Grant figured out Reed was stealing from Youth Stripes.
Reed murdered Grant before he could expose him, burned Kayla's computer to cover his tracks, and then kills himself.
Well, at least that's what someone wants us to think.
See, at Captain Grant's crime scene, there wasn't a single trace of forensic anything except for one impeccable fingerprint all wrapped up in a bow.
That's that's really weird, okay? So I took a closer look at Reed's tox screen and found this.
Guy had benzodiazepine in his system.
That makes sense.
If you're about to off yourself, you might want some kind of anxiety relief, but his dose, it's off the chart.
Levels that high, Reed would have been too impaired to tape a bag over his head.
He'd barely be able to stand up.
SEBASTIAN: Which means we've officially moved from weird evidence to staged suicide.
So someone had to get close enough to Reed to drug him.
Someone he trusted.
My money is on whoever left those behind.
Once you let someone get close enough to suck on your neck, nabbing fingerprints is not gonna be a problem.
PATTON: I checked all of Reed's data.
No incriminating e-mails, calls or texts.
And no trace of the missing money, either.
So he wasn't embezzling from Youth Stripes? Oh, yeah, he was.
He just was savvy about it.
He created a fake online persona, and he used various aliases.
Used them to set up accounts in the Caymans and to communicate with his partner in crime.
Could be Kayla.
They embezzle the money together, and she sets him up to take the fall solo.
It's not Kayla! Patton, maybe you don't know Kayla as well as you think.
You're right about that one.
We was together seven years ago.
I was smitten.
Triple P does not get smitten.
But now I realize Kayla never felt like that for me.
She was in love with Captain Grant.
I always thought one day we'd get back together.
Guess not.
I'm sorry, Patton.
(laughs) I feel worse for her.
Waiting all those years to be with Captain Grant.
Just as he was about to leave his wife, start fresh Wait a minute.
Kayla said Grant was going to leave his wife, and Rachel denies they were even involved.
One of them got to be lying to us.
And if it's Rachel that's lying, Grant had to be in touch with a divorce lawyer.
Well, either way, we all know there's nothing scarier than a woman scorned.
(chuckles) Ask all my ex-wives.
Anyway, excuse me.
(sniffles) Can I have another, please? (sniffles) Rachel, I'm so sorry.
Jim was a wonderful man.
Yes.
So everyone keeps telling me.
What he did in Iraq was heroic.
Yes.
He was brave.
And the money that he donated to Youth Stripes is gonna help so many people.
How is that going to work? I heard the money was missing.
That's so sad.
All those at-risk kids betrayed.
Ugh.
I know how they feel.
You think you were betrayed? No.
Jim wouldn't betray me.
He was too loyal.
(sniffles) Too honorable.
Denied-- that's maybe a more accurate term.
Anyway (sniffles) we all have our cross to bear.
(sniffles) And mourning Jim-- well, that's your job, not mine.
(sniffles) Oh.
Thank you so much for coming to show your respects.
Jim would have appreciated that.
Agent Pride, what are you doing here? We're here in a more, uh, official capacity.
RACHEL: Did you catch the suspect? The man who works for Kayla's charity? Well, it turns out it wasn't him.
Someone set him up.
RACHEL: You should probably talk more with Kayla here then.
You murdered your husband, Mrs.
Grant.
Framed Tyson Reed.
Staged his death to make it look like suicide.
It was almost the perfect crime.
Almost, 'cause you left a little something behind.
DNA on Tyson Reed's neck.
Hope it was a good drink.
'Cause it's the last one you're gonna be having for a while.
(piano playing) Stormy chords.
(chuckles) Your grandmother used to get up on this stage and start singing, and whatever was worrying you just wouldn't seem to matter anymore.
It was a gift.
Came from your grandma, skipped a generation, went right into you.
You're good, Dad.
Yeah, I'm good, but you, you're something special.
What I can never do on the piano just comes natural to you.
It's not easy.
You make it look like it is.
Here's the deal.
Never occurred to me that I was putting pressure on you.
Just, I love what you do when you're doing it.
Why is it so important to you? I thought it was important to you, too.
And it reminds me of my mother and your mama.
(chuckles) During the good times.
I didn't pick an easy career, Laurel.
I Whole family's made sacrifices for it.
And I want the same thing for you, baby girl.
Whatever it is, whatever's right.
Car salesman if you want.
(both laugh) So you're okay with me taking some time off? No, I'm not.
What? You're a grown woman, and you made a commitment.
So, let's finish this semester, and then we'll talk about it, we'll figure it out.
Deal.
Quick.
(laughs) Deal.
Oh, hey, wait a second.
Wait a second.
Okay, what you got? (playing "Under Pressure") Remember this one? Oh, yeah.
Too on the nose? No, it's perfect.
You sure? Mm-hmm.
Oh.
Not bad.
Right? Pressure Pushing down on me, pressing down on you No man ask for Under pressure That brings a building down That strips a family (laughs) Puts people on streets Here we go.
Mm, ba-ba-bay Mm, ba-ba-bay Be-better That's okay It's a terror knowing what this world is about Watching a good friend screaming Get me out Pray tomorrow takes me higher Pressure on people People on streets Pressure.
@elderman