NCIS New Orleans (2014) s05e15 Episode Script
Crab Mentality
1 (grunting) (shovel clangs) (coughs weakly) NCIS:New Orleans 5x15 Crab Mentality Boom, boom, boom, boom Bang, bang, bang, bang Boom, boom, boom, boom How, how, how, how Hey, hey You gotta come on.
No English? (speaking Arabic) Français? Italiano? (speaking Farsi) Nyet.
(speaking Russian) That was like watching a scene from Tower of Babel.
(laughs) I was, um, pregnant during my Russian course.
Naomi came early.
Naturally, that's the only language that the desk clerk at the Baku Star Inn speaks.
Planning a vacation to Azerbaijan? (chuckles) I'm, uh trying to track down my friend.
Liam.
Colleague who dropped in on you last week? Yeah.
Uh, we, uh we had a disagreement.
He disappeared.
His credit card was charged at that hotel two days ago, but he's nowhere to be found.
Must be some disagreement if you're running traces on a CIA agent's credit card.
Connects to an NCIS case.
Liam has new Intel on an operation we ran to take down Victor Zelko.
Arms dealer who went after your family? Yeah.
Raid wasn't as clean as we thought.
Not according to Liam.
He's following up on it.
And you're worried? He's in an emotional state.
He's drinking again.
He's on some crusade to expose the truth.
What is the truth? Okay.
Can you tell me why Liam would be in Azerbaijan? That's where Zelko was raised.
Maybe he's looking for his relatives.
But more likely It's a smokescreen.
And Liam isn't anywhere near Eastern Europe.
He is a spy.
Yeah.
Anything I can do? If I could just find him But he doesn't want to be found.
Would that stop you? Probably not.
I'll pull some strings, do some digging.
Maybe we can figure out where he is together.
(phone chimes) Team's got a case.
I should go.
Thank you, Dwayne.
Yeah.
Ensign Milo Blevins.
C.
O.
reported him U.
A.
three days ago when he didn't show up at his post at Stennis.
Well, it doesn't quite rise to the level of a criminal investigation.
(sighs) What am I missing? St.
Tammany Parish Sheriffs found his abandoned car at a rest stop parking lot; no sign of Blevins.
He have any reason to be in St.
Tammany? Well, according to his C.
O.
, our missing ensign here was actually searching for his missing brother, Henry Blevins.
Henry also Navy? LASALLE: No, ma'am.
He's a drifter.
Makes his ends meet as a part-time construction worker.
Arrest history? GREGORIO: Drunk and disorderly.
Some misdemeanor drug charges.
In New Orleans we call that "Tuesday.
" Well, again, I'm not really seeing why we've been called into this.
'Cause Henry's not the only local construction worker who fell off the face of the earth.
Two others disappeared in the New Orleans area just last month, all working for the same company.
Something called Jax Inc.
They operate a worksite just outside of New Orleans, but SEBASTIAN: There's no information about what they make or build or do.
GREGORIO: Yeah, we can't even get them on the phone-- it just goes straight to voice mail.
Christopher, let Pride know what's going on.
Maybe he can help dig in on this Jax Inc.
place.
Gregorio, Sebastian, let's pay them a visit.
Someone was here before us.
Look.
They used wire cutters to make a hole in the fence.
There's no guards at the gate.
There's no one here, period.
Let's take a look.
That looks like dormitories? - Could house, like, a hundred people.
SEBASTIAN: Yeah.
I'll go check inside.
Okay.
Hello? Anyone here? Kind of spooky.
Hello? (rifles cocking) This is private property.
You need to leave.
Now.
Slow your roll.
We're federal agents.
We're gonna reach for our credentials, and you're not gonna shoot us, okay? You can do whatever you want once you're off the grounds.
Federal agents means law enforcement.
Do you have a warrant? We can get one within the hour, but you need to lower your weapons.
Go get your warrant, then.
You know, the way you're holding those shotguns, if they go off, you're gonna pop your shoulder right out of the socket.
Just saying.
No.
Yeah, no.
No, just forget it.
You're embarrassing yourselves.
Lower your weapons.
Okay, now, you want to tell us why you were about to blow our heads off? Trying to protect the property.
From what? None of your business.
Does it have something to do with the three missing construction workers and one missing naval officer? What naval officer? Shut up, Kyle.
Jax never - Enough! HANNAH: Okay.
Now we're getting somewhere.
Who's Jax? Araminta Jax, our boss.
She made it clear that we're not supposed to talk to anyone or let anyone onto the worksite.
Why all the cloak-and-dagger? We're not saying any more.
Okay.
Kyle? Spill.
(sighs) Okay, Gregorio, get a rush on that warrant.
You two are gonna tell us where we can find Araminta Jax.
ARAMINTA: I really don't have time to discuss this, Norman.
I'm trying to help you here.
By offering me a fraction of what my company is worth? No, thank you.
Circumstances being what they are, I'd say it's more than generous.
But I don't want to sell.
I know what my product is worth.
It's worth nothing if you go bankrupt.
Araminta, be realistic.
All I want is to be left alone.
You know I'm a friend, right? Yes, I know.
And as a friend, please hear me when I ask you to go.
PRIDE: Excuse me.
Ms.
Jax? Yes.
Special Agents Pride and Lasalle, NCIS.
- I'd like to ask you a few questions.
- What is this about? It's a sensitive matter.
We're here to speak to Ms.
Jax.
Well, I'm an investor in Jax Inc.
Anything you can Norman, please.
I'll handle this.
Of course.
I'll call you later.
(door opens) Rough day? Rough year.
What do you need? To know about three missing employees of yours.
Considering I've lost a hundred employees in the last couple of months, you'll need to be more specific.
These three disappeared, completely.
And one of them had a brother.
The Navy officer who was investigating, he's missing, too.
I don't know what to tell you.
I've lost almost all my investors.
I can't make payroll.
My company is imploding.
The few of us who are left are on edge.
That explains the shotguns our fellow agents faced at your worksite.
Kyle and Gwen.
They've been with Jax Inc.
from the start.
They're extra cautious.
Cautious about what? Sabotaged equipment, anonymous threats You name it, Jax Inc.
has faced it.
What exactly is Jax Inc.
? What do you know about seawalls? Since I was a child, I've been obsessed with seawalls.
The nature of their construction.
The weaknesses that can lead to disaster.
Pretty specific obsession.
My family was caught in the tsunami of 2004.
I was the only one who survived.
I've dedicated my life to figuring out how to strengthen seawalls so they can withstand any catastrophe.
Trying to build a better levee? I don't need to.
Because with my chemical composition, I can fortify existing levees to resist the worst Mother Nature can throw at us.
A cement-like polymer that expands and thickens when wet, so when a storm hits, the polymer grows, repelling all the elements.
Something like that could have prevented a lot of damage during Katrina.
That's why I'm in New Orleans.
I wanted to test it in a place where the people would truly appreciate what this innovation means.
This is very impressive, Ms.
Jax.
Yeah, well, it would have been but I've faced resistance every step of the way.
Well, case in point, I've got two federal agents in my office questioning me.
Just due diligence on a case, ma'am.
I can't tell you what happened to my employees or your naval officer.
Chalk it up to my bad luck.
(phone ringing) Excuse me.
Sebastian.
We found the missing persons at the worksite.
It's not good.
What do you mean? They're dead, all four of 'em, including Ensign Blevins.
Someone tried to bury 'em.
What? Yeah, didn't do a good job of it, either.
Judge Collier didn't get back to me about the warrant yet.
How'd you find them? SEBASTIAN: We didn't.
NOPD did.
Anonymous tip.
They showed up with a warrant, knew exactly where to look.
All right.
Keep me posted.
They found four bodies at your worksite.
What? What are you talking about? Ms.
Jax, we're gonna have to ask you to come back to NCIS with us.
Araminta Jax? - Yes? - New Orleans Police.
You're a person of interest in a murder investigation.
You have to come with us.
I don't understand what's happening.
What's happening is that four bodies were found at your company's worksite.
Three of them employees of yours.
And a Navy officer.
And you think I'm responsible? NOPD got an anonymous tip from a man that says he helped you bury them.
Well, that's just not true.
Informant gave the police the exact location of where the bodies were hidden.
Why would I do something like that? Well, according to the complaint, your polymer is toxic.
These men were exposed and died.
My product is groundwater safe and completely harmless.
Obviously, I am being set up here.
Or you're so obsessed with your product that you're trying to hide the fact that it's lethal.
This is some kind of joke.
We're taking this very seriously, ma'am.
And you should, too, 'cause if those men were poisoned, you will be charged with murder.
We need access to your files-- financials, chemical analyses, everything.
I think now is a good time for me to ask for my lawyer.
The only reason you're not at central booking right now is because I convinced NOPD to let you come with us.
And why did you do that? Because I really want to believe you.
This case is wrapped in a bow.
A lot of evidence pointed at you.
It's too convenient.
On that, we are in violent agreement.
But if you want to prove you're innocent, you have to be completely open with us.
We need your trust.
(sighs) How's it going in here? I've finished the autopsies.
As suspected, Ensign Blevins died from blunt force trauma to the head.
That's the easy result.
What about the three Jax Inc.
employees? They died from extremely high levels of toxic poisoning.
All right.
So it's like the anonymous tip said.
You think it was from the Jax polymer? It's impossible to say until we analyze the poison in the blood and get a sample of her product.
However, the dead are speaking a little more loudly than normal.
Oh, man, I love it when they do that.
I found these strange marks on the employees' lower backs.
Could be bugbites or a rash? Well, I think those marks could possibly be the result of a low-gauge needle discretely inserted.
The irritant on the skin could be intentional to hide the punctures.
So you think that they were injected with whatever toxin killed them? Possibly.
It would be no small feat if it were done via dialysis.
Dialysis? Well, the level of toxins in the body will take hours to transfuse.
A cursory examiner might conclude that they were poisoned over weeks instead of a day.
(sighs) Okay, all right.
So that would mean what? That-that they were strapped down somehow? Kind of indicates that there was more than one killer.
All to make Araminta Jax look responsible.
I mean, it's just a theory.
Yeah.
Well, I might have something.
I was examining the victims' bodies earlier, and I found two very partial fingerprints, okay? Could be our suspect's.
Those are barely fingerprints, Sebastian.
I know.
They're not much to go on.
But I'm trying to reconstruct them.
You know, hopefully, - I'll get a better result.
- Let's get to it, because Dwayne believes Araminta Jax is being set up.
- - Let's try to prove him right.
All right.
Hey, I like it when I'm back here, and it's just the two of us, you know? Been a while.
Yeah.
All right, let's catch a bad guy.
- Okay.
(laughs) HANNAH: Maybe we're thinking about this all wrong.
I mean, maybe it's less about who profits from her failure and more about who loses to her success.
Well, Araminta is trying to build a better seawall.
Actually, it's not.
Because of climate change, levees and seawalls need extensive rebuilding worldwide.
That's a lot of business for construction companies.
But not if Jax Inc.
's innovation is released.
I mean, why build a new seawall if you can just fortify an existing one at a fraction of the cost? You think the construction industry is conspiring against Araminta? I think they stand to lose a lot from her success.
I mean, what do we know about economic hit men? Say what? In the 1950s, the Iranian government denied U.
S.
oil companies access to the country.
So, the CIA backed a coup to oust the prime minister.
It worked.
So they recruited operators with savvy business sense and embedded them in private companies outside the reach of congressional oversight, and the economic hit man was born.
You saying like a shadow CIA? Historically, yeah, but these days, economic hit men are global.
If an industry feels threatened by a disrupter They hire someone to maintain the status quo.
- By destroying the competition.
HANNAH: Yeah.
They use financial pressure, sabotage, blackmail, and if they're good, they don't leave a trace.
Well, whoever's got their crosshairs on Jax Inc.
is very good.
So how do we find out who this hit man is? We go to the source, and we see if it sticks.
Ms.
Jax, this is Patton Plame.
That's the entire financial history of Jax Inc.
, and my personal e-mail, too.
Just the juicy bits.
None of this is public.
You hacked into my computer? We needed information to build a case.
You weren't sharing.
You can't use this against me.
We're not trying to build a case against you, Ms.
Jax.
We're trying to prove you're being targeted.
But we need your help to do it.
Go on.
PATTON: I put together a timeline of setbacks to your company.
Loans called in early, faulty equipment, investors that pulled out.
There's a pattern here for sure.
But we can't figure out how any of your misfortunes connect.
I can.
The loans, the equipment, the investors-- they all came from one person.
Norman Wong.
- The man you were with this morning? - Yeah.
He was an early investor, first member of the board.
And supposedly a friend.
WONG: I'll be honest.
I've never had contact with NCIS before, but now I've had the pleasure of meeting four of its intrepid special agents in one day.
Well, we just want to talk to you about Jax Inc.
Not sure I can give you any insight.
I don't know much about its day-to-day operations.
Well, you've recently become an investor, now you sit on its board.
You don't want to discuss quarterly reports.
You want to know about the four dead bodies at the worksite.
Oh, don't mind Ridwan.
He's my assistant.
There's nothing I know that he doesn't.
Okay, so you were both arguing with Ms.
Jax before the police came for her.
That's not how I'd portray it.
How would you portray it? Araminta is a visionary, but she's no businesswoman.
I was attempting to save her and her invention from herself.
With a lowball offer? With a fair and appropriate offer.
Well, I mean, pennies on the dollar from the last one you made her, right? I'm sorry.
What does this have to do with the murders you're investigating? Three men died from toxic poisoning, possibly caused by Jax's polymer.
Which means her company is ruined and much cheaper to buy.
WONG: It also makes her product worthless.
I'll lose millions.
Not good business.
Unless that was the intent.
Araminta Jax has had some really bad luck in the years that you've known her.
Yeah, you joining actually coincides with her being on the brink of bankruptcy and scandal.
And if you're such a good businessman, that really doesn't track, does it? Sounds like an accusation.
Do you have any evidence? Just your history.
The companies you invest in tend to implode.
SEBASTIAN: Yeah.
Then you end up walking away with huge bonuses from the industries who hired you to take them down.
You want to know the formula for my success? Research.
I study every situation, every player involved.
So when you showed up, I did my homework.
That's not creepy at all.
Special Agent Khoury, you've had a fascinating career.
The years before you joined NCIS could fill a book, but it's the operation in Yemen that's most intriguing.
Are you threatening me, Mr.
Wong? No.
No.
Threatening a federal agent is a felony.
I'm offering you some valuable advice.
And what is that? We all have secrets.
I'll respect yours if you respect mine.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
(sighs) So, uh, what happened in there? Person of interest just became suspect number one.
I mean with you.
What-what happened in Yemen? How does that guy know about it? I don't know how he knows.
I don't really want to talk about it, okay, Sebastian? Okay.
Yeah, sure.
You want to talk about these? Drinking glasses.
Fingerprints, DNA.
Wong's not the only one who can do research.
I'll do an overnight rush, get the results by morning.
Nicely done.
I know.
PRIDE: So, we have our man, but no evidence.
Well, Sebastian's been analyzing the fingerprints that he found at Wong's hotel room.
Maybe we can trace it back to the fingerprints he found at the mass grave.
Wong doesn't seem like the type to do his own dirty work.
Dwayne? I need to speak to you.
Keep digging.
We got a problem.
Or I do.
Found these in my car this morning.
What am I looking at? Screen grabs from the raid on Victor Zelko.
Top secret.
I haven't even seen them yet, and I I ran that operation.
- You think they're from Wong? - I'm sure of it.
(sighs) Well, the good news is we're making him sweat, or he wouldn't be pushing back so hard.
Yeah, but Dwayne, look at the last photo.
That's Zelko and his family.
Those are innocent victims.
If this goes public lot of people could get hurt.
Did you know about Zelko's family getting killed in the raid? Not until last week.
Liam just found out.
That's why he's in Azerbaijan? Yeah.
Well, someone in the operation knew.
These photos are official.
It was probably the NSA.
They monitored the mission with drones.
What, then somehow Norman Wong has access to the NSA? Yeah, and his message is clear.
If we continue to pursue him, he's gonna go public with this.
Well, I'm not gonna let that happen.
Well, what are we gonna do? We can't just back off.
He set Araminta Jax up and killed four men to do it.
I'm not backing off.
But you're gonna You want me to give in to blackmail.
I want you to think about your family.
I am, Dwayne.
And every other person that's part of that operation.
This was so easy for Wong.
It was like a reflex.
This clearly isn't the first time that he's done this.
There's only way to make him stop.
Let's take him down once and for all.
Well, I can't just sit back while you take all the risk.
This is my family that's involved.
I need to be a part of this, Dwayne, whatever you're thinking.
SEBASTIAN: Hey.
Guys, I'm sorry to interrupt.
I know you're having a whole heart-to-heart thing.
I didn't hear a word.
But this-this can't wait.
What is it, Sebastian? I got a match to the fingerprints from the mass grave.
Wong's assistant, Ridwan.
We found his fingerprints on two of the dead bodies, including Ensign Blevins.
He's not in any American database, but he is in Interpol, and he has quite a record.
Yes, suspected multiple times for kidnapping, extortion, murder.
He's been working with Wong for two years.
Probably doing the same thing.
So he's the one who gets his hands dirty.
We need to go to the hotel and bring him in.
Tammy and Lasalle already went.
They checked out.
Probably getting out of Dodge.
Well, I got a hack on their phones.
Wong's pretty much protected, but Ridwan, pinging loud and clear.
He's in an abandoned parking garage in the Bywater.
Well, let's have Lasalle and Gregorio check it out.
Good work, fellas.
GREGORIO: You know, I read up on this Araminta Jax.
She spent every penny she had for this polymer thing of hers.
Willing to go to jail to protect it.
You think she's for real? Yeah, I know she is.
You go through a disaster like she did, or like people around here after Katrina, it changes you.
She's trying to make a difference.
Yeah.
Well, maybe we can help her.
There's Ridwan.
Yeah, who are the other two jokers? GREGORIO: Let's find out.
Ridwan.
NCIS.
We want to talk.
Stop! (tires screeching) Get in.
You're getting too close to the edge.
I know what I'm doing.
Go, go, go.
He's getting away.
Nope.
Stay down.
Still got it.
You're like Santa.
Those bags you were carrying gave us an ironclad case.
Dialysis equipment, we assume, was used to poison three Jax Inc.
employees.
And a mystery substance, which I'm pretty sure is gonna be an exact match for what killed them.
LASALLE: And we found your fingerprint on a Navy officer who was beaten to death.
Bottom line, you're facing multiple life sentences.
Unless you cooperate with us.
We want the names and locations of your associates.
And we want your boss, Norman Wong.
I'll cooperate.
Okay? Tell you everything.
But Norman Wong didn't put me up to this.
It was Araminta Jax.
Oh, come off it.
She approached me months ago.
Said she wanted me to help her sabotage Jax Inc.
She knew I had experience in these types of projects.
Why would she want to do something like that? Because she realized her innovation was never going to work.
She wanted to be able to walk away, collect insurance money.
Wired me $100,000 to get it done.
Check my e-mails.
My bank account.
It all checks out.
Yeah, because Wong set it up that way, but we're not buying it.
If you're afraid of him, we can protect you.
All you have to do is come clean here.
You can protect me from Norman Wong? A man who has connections in every government in the western hemisphere; that's impressive.
But unnecessary.
Because he is absolutely blameless here.
Now let's start to talk about my deal.
His story bears out.
At least on paper.
Wire transfer from a Cayman account in Jax's name to a Cayman account in Ridwan's name.
Yeah, along with a series of e-mails, supposedly from Jax, setting the whole thing into motion.
Wong covered his bases.
We thought catching Ridwan would help exonerate Jax, but he flipped the script to make her look even worse.
And we still don't know where Wong is.
He was supposed to be on his private plane out of MSY an hour ago.
I had them hold the plane for FBI to go collect him, but he never showed.
You think somebody tipped him off? Possible.
My guess is he knew we'd try to detain him.
Means he's probably still somewhere in New Orleans.
We can get another bite of the apple.
(phone chiming) It's Wong who just took another bite.
What happened? NEWSMAN: If you're just tuning in, you're watching footage of the aftermath of the U.
S.
commando raid against Victor Zelko, carried out sometime in 2017.
The video was leaked to news outlets this afternoon, and the footage is absolutely heartbreaking.
U.
S.
officials have vowed to get to the bottom of this catastrophe.
Our sources within the DoD have confirmed that a top secret Hannah, you okay? I just need a minute.
Wong threatened Hannah, and he leaked that video.
Looks like arresting Ridwan and grounding Wong's plane made him pull the trigger on that threat.
It has to mean that we're close.
If she's involved, the news report didn't mention any names, so that's got to be a good thing, right? Wong's holding the names back for now.
We got to play this just right.
Ridwan's his right-hand man.
We got him.
I'm gonna go back in and turn the screws some more.
Give it a try.
Meanwhile, we need to find out where Wong is without him knowing it.
Right.
I'm still trying to get ahold of Liam.
Let him know what's happening.
But he's not answering.
Liam chose his own path.
I'm more concerned about you.
You were right.
I should have stood down.
It wouldn't have changed anything.
Wong was gonna play this the same way.
Maybe I deserve this.
Hannah Innocent people were killed.
I was so righteous when Liam told me, but I I didn't know.
What's happening here is blackmail.
None of it's on you.
And a lot more innocent people are gonna get hurt unless we stop Norman Wong.
I don't want the team to get caught in the crossfire.
I need to do this alone.
Not your choice to make.
We're in this together, no matter what.
Guys, Homeland Security just got here.
PRIDE: Parker.
I'm here for Special Agent Khoury.
That was fast.
Raid footage was just leaked a few minutes ago.
To the media.
However, it turns out NSA has the capacity to detect when a file has been stolen.
FBI and DHS were alerted yesterday.
I need you to come with me for debrief.
PRIDE: Not gonna work.
We're in the middle of an investigation.
We need all hands on deck.
This isn't a request.
GREGORIO: The raid was last year.
Her story's gonna be the same tomorrow as it is today.
Don't make this hard on me.
I'm the messenger.
The call came in from D.
C.
GREGORIO: Ah.
Just following orders, huh? PRIDE: Well, I'm special agent in charge.
I can make calls, too.
Where should I start? Way above your pay grade, Dwayne.
Try me.
HANNAH: No, she's right.
I have to go with her.
Please stay on the case.
It's the only way you can help me now.
Where's DHS taking Hannah? To the gallows.
We can't let her go.
Nothing we can do about it now.
We need to focus on Araminta.
Tell me you got something on Wong.
SEBASTIAN: Yeah, we might.
Patton was analyzing the drone footage.
It was definitely leaked by the NSA.
Wong clearly has a contact there.
Yeah, but we got a plan.
So, back in the days of telegraphing, operators used to be able to recognize each other by ear.
Okay, so the way that messages were tapped out, whether it was, uh, letter groupings or pauses, each one was unique to that person.
Like handwriting analysis.
Yeah, exactly.
So you want to find Wong from the pattern of how he types? Yeah.
If we can get his signature, then it doesn't matter whether or not he's using a-a burner or a fake e-mail address.
He can't change the way that he hits the keys.
This is legal? Not in the strictest definition.
Not in any definition, really.
What do you need to make it happen? ARAMINTA: So, you need this because Wong hacked into my computer and-and you can hack him back? Mm-hmm.
Sort of.
We think he installed some kind of spyware on your computer.
Yeah, so that he could track your communications but also plant e-mails or wire transfers.
But we can use the spyware to exploit an open channel to him.
Yeah, then we'll monitor his keystrokes, mount our own attack.
I'm a structural engineer.
I don't understand anything you just said.
But go for it.
All right.
Oh, it's only fair to warn you, um, this isn't entirely aboveboard.
If it takes Wong down, I'm all in, no matter what.
I like you.
PARKER: At the moment, we're in a preliminary fact-finding stage, gathering information as we try to ascertain how the Zelko footage got leaked.
I can tell you how it got leaked.
We'll get to your theory in a moment.
First, I'm gonna ask you some questions.
Don't worry, they're easy ones.
I have nothing to hide.
Good.
Had you ever seen this footage before it was released? No, ma'am.
So you had no idea there was collateral damage from the raid.
I hadn't seen the footage.
Yeah.
We established that.
I'm asking if you knew about the civilian deaths before today.
Not officially.
Officially or unofficially, are you saying you were aware Zelko's family was killed in the operation? It's complicated.
It shouldn't be, Special Agent Khoury.
Either you knew or you didn't know.
I heard a rumor.
When? I can't say.
Who told you? I can't say.
What can you say? I can say that Norman Wong is responsible for the leaked video footage.
Probably has a contact in the NSA.
You should check it out.
And why are you so sure of that? 'Cause he presented me with images from the footage hours before it was leaked.
(beeps) What are you doing? You said you have nothing to hide, but you're unable or unwilling to answer any questions directly.
What am I supposed to take away from that? Maybe your questions aren't that easy after all.
SEBASTIAN: So Araminta worked with us through the night trying to hack Wong's computer, but we made her leave for this part.
What do you have? (scoffs) What don't we have? Wong's e-mails, browser history, bank accounts around the world, secure cell phone number.
You have his location? That's the, uh, the one thing we don't have yet.
But we got enough proof that Wong was behind poisoning Jax Inc.
employees and setting Jax up.
Yeah, including paying off the mid-level NSA contractor to leak that Zelko raid footage.
PATTON: Which is not admissible, considering how we got it.
We got one idea, but it could backfire in a federal way.
Yeah.
Wong's an economic hit man, right? He's purely in it for the money, he's got millions.
Which we got complete control of.
You saying you can freeze his bank accounts? I can freeze them, heat them, sauté them in butter, baby.
And we can even drain it.
You can do that? With the click of a button.
Do it.
And get his phone number to me.
I'm gonna need it.
WONG: We need to be out of New Orleans and on the water in the next hour.
We're doing the best we can.
Just trying to track a course around Stop talking.
What the? (phone ringing) Hello? PRIDE (over phone): Mr.
Wong.
Special Agent Pride from NCIS.
Thinking you might want to sit down with me, talk about certain financial matters.
Well, Special Agent, you've certainly got my attention.
I have to tip my hat to you.
It is very rare that someone manages to surprise me.
Well, I'm not here for your admiration.
No.
You're here to leverage me into confessing to a felony, but you've overplayed your hand.
How's that? You may have control over my money, but I have information.
Do you know the secrets that your team is keeping? I have information, too.
Every shred of data from your computer.
WONG: Which we both know was obtained illegally.
You can't charge me, arrest me or hurt me in any way.
Well, you got me wrong.
I have no intention of arresting you.
But hurting you, that is an option.
And how would you do that? There are some high-level officials in your contact list.
Boldfaced operators who would not appreciate being exposed.
I can make you very lonely out there, Mr.
Wong.
Ruin you.
And of course, I'd ruin you right back, along with every other member of your team.
Mutually assured destruction.
You have a proposal.
Even trade.
Everything I have on you for everything you have on the Zelko raid and Special Agent Khoury's involvement.
And what about Jax Inc.
? You back off.
Leave Araminta alone.
Damage has already been done to her reputation, whether or not she goes to jail.
Her company's done.
NCIS will drop its case against me? What case? This has the encryption key you'll need to get your money back.
In return, you'll give me all the files on the Zelko raid.
You know what will happen if you don't keep your word.
I always keep my word.
(sirens wailing) What is this? W-What's going on? We-we just made a deal.
I promised you NCIS wouldn't pursue you anymore.
I didn't say anything about the FBI.
You're wired? And you just accepted the flash drive from me, which is an admission of guilt to half a dozen felonies.
(agents shouting) You stole my money.
We didn't steal it, Mr.
Wong.
We just made it look like it was stolen.
Every dollar is where it should be.
Until the FBI seizes it.
(helicopter blades whirring) You think I'm just going to let you get away with this? I think you don't have a choice.
(handcuffs clicking) You know, some people come down here to New Orleans, and think they can push us around.
Some people end up getting their asses kicked.
Get him out of here.
All charges dropped.
NOPD says I can go back to my life.
I'm free to go, just like that.
Well, it wasn't easy, but we're happy for you.
You believed in me when no one else would.
I don't know how to thank you.
Well, I know one thing you can do.
Get busy.
Make Jax Inc.
happen.
We need people like you.
Well, it's gonna take a minute to undo all the damage, but don't worry, I'm never gonna give up on my company.
Good.
Is Special Agent Pride here? I I want to thank him, too.
No, he had someone else who needed his help.
(door opens) We can go around again, but I have nothing left to say about the raid.
That's okay.
We're done here.
I got confirmation that Norman Wong leaked the footage.
And his contact at NSA.
How? Dwayne.
What did you do? Pulled a rabbit out of a hat.
You're free to go.
Can we have the room for a minute? Thank you.
You're welcome.
Please tell me you didn't put yourself at risk.
You really want to know? I guess I have my answer.
I need to show you something the FBI found on Norman Wong's computer.
Is it something else about the Zelko raid? Why don't you sit down? These were taken a few weeks ago.
I don't understand.
Victor Zelko's still alive?
No English? (speaking Arabic) Français? Italiano? (speaking Farsi) Nyet.
(speaking Russian) That was like watching a scene from Tower of Babel.
(laughs) I was, um, pregnant during my Russian course.
Naomi came early.
Naturally, that's the only language that the desk clerk at the Baku Star Inn speaks.
Planning a vacation to Azerbaijan? (chuckles) I'm, uh trying to track down my friend.
Liam.
Colleague who dropped in on you last week? Yeah.
Uh, we, uh we had a disagreement.
He disappeared.
His credit card was charged at that hotel two days ago, but he's nowhere to be found.
Must be some disagreement if you're running traces on a CIA agent's credit card.
Connects to an NCIS case.
Liam has new Intel on an operation we ran to take down Victor Zelko.
Arms dealer who went after your family? Yeah.
Raid wasn't as clean as we thought.
Not according to Liam.
He's following up on it.
And you're worried? He's in an emotional state.
He's drinking again.
He's on some crusade to expose the truth.
What is the truth? Okay.
Can you tell me why Liam would be in Azerbaijan? That's where Zelko was raised.
Maybe he's looking for his relatives.
But more likely It's a smokescreen.
And Liam isn't anywhere near Eastern Europe.
He is a spy.
Yeah.
Anything I can do? If I could just find him But he doesn't want to be found.
Would that stop you? Probably not.
I'll pull some strings, do some digging.
Maybe we can figure out where he is together.
(phone chimes) Team's got a case.
I should go.
Thank you, Dwayne.
Yeah.
Ensign Milo Blevins.
C.
O.
reported him U.
A.
three days ago when he didn't show up at his post at Stennis.
Well, it doesn't quite rise to the level of a criminal investigation.
(sighs) What am I missing? St.
Tammany Parish Sheriffs found his abandoned car at a rest stop parking lot; no sign of Blevins.
He have any reason to be in St.
Tammany? Well, according to his C.
O.
, our missing ensign here was actually searching for his missing brother, Henry Blevins.
Henry also Navy? LASALLE: No, ma'am.
He's a drifter.
Makes his ends meet as a part-time construction worker.
Arrest history? GREGORIO: Drunk and disorderly.
Some misdemeanor drug charges.
In New Orleans we call that "Tuesday.
" Well, again, I'm not really seeing why we've been called into this.
'Cause Henry's not the only local construction worker who fell off the face of the earth.
Two others disappeared in the New Orleans area just last month, all working for the same company.
Something called Jax Inc.
They operate a worksite just outside of New Orleans, but SEBASTIAN: There's no information about what they make or build or do.
GREGORIO: Yeah, we can't even get them on the phone-- it just goes straight to voice mail.
Christopher, let Pride know what's going on.
Maybe he can help dig in on this Jax Inc.
place.
Gregorio, Sebastian, let's pay them a visit.
Someone was here before us.
Look.
They used wire cutters to make a hole in the fence.
There's no guards at the gate.
There's no one here, period.
Let's take a look.
That looks like dormitories? - Could house, like, a hundred people.
SEBASTIAN: Yeah.
I'll go check inside.
Okay.
Hello? Anyone here? Kind of spooky.
Hello? (rifles cocking) This is private property.
You need to leave.
Now.
Slow your roll.
We're federal agents.
We're gonna reach for our credentials, and you're not gonna shoot us, okay? You can do whatever you want once you're off the grounds.
Federal agents means law enforcement.
Do you have a warrant? We can get one within the hour, but you need to lower your weapons.
Go get your warrant, then.
You know, the way you're holding those shotguns, if they go off, you're gonna pop your shoulder right out of the socket.
Just saying.
No.
Yeah, no.
No, just forget it.
You're embarrassing yourselves.
Lower your weapons.
Okay, now, you want to tell us why you were about to blow our heads off? Trying to protect the property.
From what? None of your business.
Does it have something to do with the three missing construction workers and one missing naval officer? What naval officer? Shut up, Kyle.
Jax never - Enough! HANNAH: Okay.
Now we're getting somewhere.
Who's Jax? Araminta Jax, our boss.
She made it clear that we're not supposed to talk to anyone or let anyone onto the worksite.
Why all the cloak-and-dagger? We're not saying any more.
Okay.
Kyle? Spill.
(sighs) Okay, Gregorio, get a rush on that warrant.
You two are gonna tell us where we can find Araminta Jax.
ARAMINTA: I really don't have time to discuss this, Norman.
I'm trying to help you here.
By offering me a fraction of what my company is worth? No, thank you.
Circumstances being what they are, I'd say it's more than generous.
But I don't want to sell.
I know what my product is worth.
It's worth nothing if you go bankrupt.
Araminta, be realistic.
All I want is to be left alone.
You know I'm a friend, right? Yes, I know.
And as a friend, please hear me when I ask you to go.
PRIDE: Excuse me.
Ms.
Jax? Yes.
Special Agents Pride and Lasalle, NCIS.
- I'd like to ask you a few questions.
- What is this about? It's a sensitive matter.
We're here to speak to Ms.
Jax.
Well, I'm an investor in Jax Inc.
Anything you can Norman, please.
I'll handle this.
Of course.
I'll call you later.
(door opens) Rough day? Rough year.
What do you need? To know about three missing employees of yours.
Considering I've lost a hundred employees in the last couple of months, you'll need to be more specific.
These three disappeared, completely.
And one of them had a brother.
The Navy officer who was investigating, he's missing, too.
I don't know what to tell you.
I've lost almost all my investors.
I can't make payroll.
My company is imploding.
The few of us who are left are on edge.
That explains the shotguns our fellow agents faced at your worksite.
Kyle and Gwen.
They've been with Jax Inc.
from the start.
They're extra cautious.
Cautious about what? Sabotaged equipment, anonymous threats You name it, Jax Inc.
has faced it.
What exactly is Jax Inc.
? What do you know about seawalls? Since I was a child, I've been obsessed with seawalls.
The nature of their construction.
The weaknesses that can lead to disaster.
Pretty specific obsession.
My family was caught in the tsunami of 2004.
I was the only one who survived.
I've dedicated my life to figuring out how to strengthen seawalls so they can withstand any catastrophe.
Trying to build a better levee? I don't need to.
Because with my chemical composition, I can fortify existing levees to resist the worst Mother Nature can throw at us.
A cement-like polymer that expands and thickens when wet, so when a storm hits, the polymer grows, repelling all the elements.
Something like that could have prevented a lot of damage during Katrina.
That's why I'm in New Orleans.
I wanted to test it in a place where the people would truly appreciate what this innovation means.
This is very impressive, Ms.
Jax.
Yeah, well, it would have been but I've faced resistance every step of the way.
Well, case in point, I've got two federal agents in my office questioning me.
Just due diligence on a case, ma'am.
I can't tell you what happened to my employees or your naval officer.
Chalk it up to my bad luck.
(phone ringing) Excuse me.
Sebastian.
We found the missing persons at the worksite.
It's not good.
What do you mean? They're dead, all four of 'em, including Ensign Blevins.
Someone tried to bury 'em.
What? Yeah, didn't do a good job of it, either.
Judge Collier didn't get back to me about the warrant yet.
How'd you find them? SEBASTIAN: We didn't.
NOPD did.
Anonymous tip.
They showed up with a warrant, knew exactly where to look.
All right.
Keep me posted.
They found four bodies at your worksite.
What? What are you talking about? Ms.
Jax, we're gonna have to ask you to come back to NCIS with us.
Araminta Jax? - Yes? - New Orleans Police.
You're a person of interest in a murder investigation.
You have to come with us.
I don't understand what's happening.
What's happening is that four bodies were found at your company's worksite.
Three of them employees of yours.
And a Navy officer.
And you think I'm responsible? NOPD got an anonymous tip from a man that says he helped you bury them.
Well, that's just not true.
Informant gave the police the exact location of where the bodies were hidden.
Why would I do something like that? Well, according to the complaint, your polymer is toxic.
These men were exposed and died.
My product is groundwater safe and completely harmless.
Obviously, I am being set up here.
Or you're so obsessed with your product that you're trying to hide the fact that it's lethal.
This is some kind of joke.
We're taking this very seriously, ma'am.
And you should, too, 'cause if those men were poisoned, you will be charged with murder.
We need access to your files-- financials, chemical analyses, everything.
I think now is a good time for me to ask for my lawyer.
The only reason you're not at central booking right now is because I convinced NOPD to let you come with us.
And why did you do that? Because I really want to believe you.
This case is wrapped in a bow.
A lot of evidence pointed at you.
It's too convenient.
On that, we are in violent agreement.
But if you want to prove you're innocent, you have to be completely open with us.
We need your trust.
(sighs) How's it going in here? I've finished the autopsies.
As suspected, Ensign Blevins died from blunt force trauma to the head.
That's the easy result.
What about the three Jax Inc.
employees? They died from extremely high levels of toxic poisoning.
All right.
So it's like the anonymous tip said.
You think it was from the Jax polymer? It's impossible to say until we analyze the poison in the blood and get a sample of her product.
However, the dead are speaking a little more loudly than normal.
Oh, man, I love it when they do that.
I found these strange marks on the employees' lower backs.
Could be bugbites or a rash? Well, I think those marks could possibly be the result of a low-gauge needle discretely inserted.
The irritant on the skin could be intentional to hide the punctures.
So you think that they were injected with whatever toxin killed them? Possibly.
It would be no small feat if it were done via dialysis.
Dialysis? Well, the level of toxins in the body will take hours to transfuse.
A cursory examiner might conclude that they were poisoned over weeks instead of a day.
(sighs) Okay, all right.
So that would mean what? That-that they were strapped down somehow? Kind of indicates that there was more than one killer.
All to make Araminta Jax look responsible.
I mean, it's just a theory.
Yeah.
Well, I might have something.
I was examining the victims' bodies earlier, and I found two very partial fingerprints, okay? Could be our suspect's.
Those are barely fingerprints, Sebastian.
I know.
They're not much to go on.
But I'm trying to reconstruct them.
You know, hopefully, - I'll get a better result.
- Let's get to it, because Dwayne believes Araminta Jax is being set up.
- - Let's try to prove him right.
All right.
Hey, I like it when I'm back here, and it's just the two of us, you know? Been a while.
Yeah.
All right, let's catch a bad guy.
- Okay.
(laughs) HANNAH: Maybe we're thinking about this all wrong.
I mean, maybe it's less about who profits from her failure and more about who loses to her success.
Well, Araminta is trying to build a better seawall.
Actually, it's not.
Because of climate change, levees and seawalls need extensive rebuilding worldwide.
That's a lot of business for construction companies.
But not if Jax Inc.
's innovation is released.
I mean, why build a new seawall if you can just fortify an existing one at a fraction of the cost? You think the construction industry is conspiring against Araminta? I think they stand to lose a lot from her success.
I mean, what do we know about economic hit men? Say what? In the 1950s, the Iranian government denied U.
S.
oil companies access to the country.
So, the CIA backed a coup to oust the prime minister.
It worked.
So they recruited operators with savvy business sense and embedded them in private companies outside the reach of congressional oversight, and the economic hit man was born.
You saying like a shadow CIA? Historically, yeah, but these days, economic hit men are global.
If an industry feels threatened by a disrupter They hire someone to maintain the status quo.
- By destroying the competition.
HANNAH: Yeah.
They use financial pressure, sabotage, blackmail, and if they're good, they don't leave a trace.
Well, whoever's got their crosshairs on Jax Inc.
is very good.
So how do we find out who this hit man is? We go to the source, and we see if it sticks.
Ms.
Jax, this is Patton Plame.
That's the entire financial history of Jax Inc.
, and my personal e-mail, too.
Just the juicy bits.
None of this is public.
You hacked into my computer? We needed information to build a case.
You weren't sharing.
You can't use this against me.
We're not trying to build a case against you, Ms.
Jax.
We're trying to prove you're being targeted.
But we need your help to do it.
Go on.
PATTON: I put together a timeline of setbacks to your company.
Loans called in early, faulty equipment, investors that pulled out.
There's a pattern here for sure.
But we can't figure out how any of your misfortunes connect.
I can.
The loans, the equipment, the investors-- they all came from one person.
Norman Wong.
- The man you were with this morning? - Yeah.
He was an early investor, first member of the board.
And supposedly a friend.
WONG: I'll be honest.
I've never had contact with NCIS before, but now I've had the pleasure of meeting four of its intrepid special agents in one day.
Well, we just want to talk to you about Jax Inc.
Not sure I can give you any insight.
I don't know much about its day-to-day operations.
Well, you've recently become an investor, now you sit on its board.
You don't want to discuss quarterly reports.
You want to know about the four dead bodies at the worksite.
Oh, don't mind Ridwan.
He's my assistant.
There's nothing I know that he doesn't.
Okay, so you were both arguing with Ms.
Jax before the police came for her.
That's not how I'd portray it.
How would you portray it? Araminta is a visionary, but she's no businesswoman.
I was attempting to save her and her invention from herself.
With a lowball offer? With a fair and appropriate offer.
Well, I mean, pennies on the dollar from the last one you made her, right? I'm sorry.
What does this have to do with the murders you're investigating? Three men died from toxic poisoning, possibly caused by Jax's polymer.
Which means her company is ruined and much cheaper to buy.
WONG: It also makes her product worthless.
I'll lose millions.
Not good business.
Unless that was the intent.
Araminta Jax has had some really bad luck in the years that you've known her.
Yeah, you joining actually coincides with her being on the brink of bankruptcy and scandal.
And if you're such a good businessman, that really doesn't track, does it? Sounds like an accusation.
Do you have any evidence? Just your history.
The companies you invest in tend to implode.
SEBASTIAN: Yeah.
Then you end up walking away with huge bonuses from the industries who hired you to take them down.
You want to know the formula for my success? Research.
I study every situation, every player involved.
So when you showed up, I did my homework.
That's not creepy at all.
Special Agent Khoury, you've had a fascinating career.
The years before you joined NCIS could fill a book, but it's the operation in Yemen that's most intriguing.
Are you threatening me, Mr.
Wong? No.
No.
Threatening a federal agent is a felony.
I'm offering you some valuable advice.
And what is that? We all have secrets.
I'll respect yours if you respect mine.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
(sighs) So, uh, what happened in there? Person of interest just became suspect number one.
I mean with you.
What-what happened in Yemen? How does that guy know about it? I don't know how he knows.
I don't really want to talk about it, okay, Sebastian? Okay.
Yeah, sure.
You want to talk about these? Drinking glasses.
Fingerprints, DNA.
Wong's not the only one who can do research.
I'll do an overnight rush, get the results by morning.
Nicely done.
I know.
PRIDE: So, we have our man, but no evidence.
Well, Sebastian's been analyzing the fingerprints that he found at Wong's hotel room.
Maybe we can trace it back to the fingerprints he found at the mass grave.
Wong doesn't seem like the type to do his own dirty work.
Dwayne? I need to speak to you.
Keep digging.
We got a problem.
Or I do.
Found these in my car this morning.
What am I looking at? Screen grabs from the raid on Victor Zelko.
Top secret.
I haven't even seen them yet, and I I ran that operation.
- You think they're from Wong? - I'm sure of it.
(sighs) Well, the good news is we're making him sweat, or he wouldn't be pushing back so hard.
Yeah, but Dwayne, look at the last photo.
That's Zelko and his family.
Those are innocent victims.
If this goes public lot of people could get hurt.
Did you know about Zelko's family getting killed in the raid? Not until last week.
Liam just found out.
That's why he's in Azerbaijan? Yeah.
Well, someone in the operation knew.
These photos are official.
It was probably the NSA.
They monitored the mission with drones.
What, then somehow Norman Wong has access to the NSA? Yeah, and his message is clear.
If we continue to pursue him, he's gonna go public with this.
Well, I'm not gonna let that happen.
Well, what are we gonna do? We can't just back off.
He set Araminta Jax up and killed four men to do it.
I'm not backing off.
But you're gonna You want me to give in to blackmail.
I want you to think about your family.
I am, Dwayne.
And every other person that's part of that operation.
This was so easy for Wong.
It was like a reflex.
This clearly isn't the first time that he's done this.
There's only way to make him stop.
Let's take him down once and for all.
Well, I can't just sit back while you take all the risk.
This is my family that's involved.
I need to be a part of this, Dwayne, whatever you're thinking.
SEBASTIAN: Hey.
Guys, I'm sorry to interrupt.
I know you're having a whole heart-to-heart thing.
I didn't hear a word.
But this-this can't wait.
What is it, Sebastian? I got a match to the fingerprints from the mass grave.
Wong's assistant, Ridwan.
We found his fingerprints on two of the dead bodies, including Ensign Blevins.
He's not in any American database, but he is in Interpol, and he has quite a record.
Yes, suspected multiple times for kidnapping, extortion, murder.
He's been working with Wong for two years.
Probably doing the same thing.
So he's the one who gets his hands dirty.
We need to go to the hotel and bring him in.
Tammy and Lasalle already went.
They checked out.
Probably getting out of Dodge.
Well, I got a hack on their phones.
Wong's pretty much protected, but Ridwan, pinging loud and clear.
He's in an abandoned parking garage in the Bywater.
Well, let's have Lasalle and Gregorio check it out.
Good work, fellas.
GREGORIO: You know, I read up on this Araminta Jax.
She spent every penny she had for this polymer thing of hers.
Willing to go to jail to protect it.
You think she's for real? Yeah, I know she is.
You go through a disaster like she did, or like people around here after Katrina, it changes you.
She's trying to make a difference.
Yeah.
Well, maybe we can help her.
There's Ridwan.
Yeah, who are the other two jokers? GREGORIO: Let's find out.
Ridwan.
NCIS.
We want to talk.
Stop! (tires screeching) Get in.
You're getting too close to the edge.
I know what I'm doing.
Go, go, go.
He's getting away.
Nope.
Stay down.
Still got it.
You're like Santa.
Those bags you were carrying gave us an ironclad case.
Dialysis equipment, we assume, was used to poison three Jax Inc.
employees.
And a mystery substance, which I'm pretty sure is gonna be an exact match for what killed them.
LASALLE: And we found your fingerprint on a Navy officer who was beaten to death.
Bottom line, you're facing multiple life sentences.
Unless you cooperate with us.
We want the names and locations of your associates.
And we want your boss, Norman Wong.
I'll cooperate.
Okay? Tell you everything.
But Norman Wong didn't put me up to this.
It was Araminta Jax.
Oh, come off it.
She approached me months ago.
Said she wanted me to help her sabotage Jax Inc.
She knew I had experience in these types of projects.
Why would she want to do something like that? Because she realized her innovation was never going to work.
She wanted to be able to walk away, collect insurance money.
Wired me $100,000 to get it done.
Check my e-mails.
My bank account.
It all checks out.
Yeah, because Wong set it up that way, but we're not buying it.
If you're afraid of him, we can protect you.
All you have to do is come clean here.
You can protect me from Norman Wong? A man who has connections in every government in the western hemisphere; that's impressive.
But unnecessary.
Because he is absolutely blameless here.
Now let's start to talk about my deal.
His story bears out.
At least on paper.
Wire transfer from a Cayman account in Jax's name to a Cayman account in Ridwan's name.
Yeah, along with a series of e-mails, supposedly from Jax, setting the whole thing into motion.
Wong covered his bases.
We thought catching Ridwan would help exonerate Jax, but he flipped the script to make her look even worse.
And we still don't know where Wong is.
He was supposed to be on his private plane out of MSY an hour ago.
I had them hold the plane for FBI to go collect him, but he never showed.
You think somebody tipped him off? Possible.
My guess is he knew we'd try to detain him.
Means he's probably still somewhere in New Orleans.
We can get another bite of the apple.
(phone chiming) It's Wong who just took another bite.
What happened? NEWSMAN: If you're just tuning in, you're watching footage of the aftermath of the U.
S.
commando raid against Victor Zelko, carried out sometime in 2017.
The video was leaked to news outlets this afternoon, and the footage is absolutely heartbreaking.
U.
S.
officials have vowed to get to the bottom of this catastrophe.
Our sources within the DoD have confirmed that a top secret Hannah, you okay? I just need a minute.
Wong threatened Hannah, and he leaked that video.
Looks like arresting Ridwan and grounding Wong's plane made him pull the trigger on that threat.
It has to mean that we're close.
If she's involved, the news report didn't mention any names, so that's got to be a good thing, right? Wong's holding the names back for now.
We got to play this just right.
Ridwan's his right-hand man.
We got him.
I'm gonna go back in and turn the screws some more.
Give it a try.
Meanwhile, we need to find out where Wong is without him knowing it.
Right.
I'm still trying to get ahold of Liam.
Let him know what's happening.
But he's not answering.
Liam chose his own path.
I'm more concerned about you.
You were right.
I should have stood down.
It wouldn't have changed anything.
Wong was gonna play this the same way.
Maybe I deserve this.
Hannah Innocent people were killed.
I was so righteous when Liam told me, but I I didn't know.
What's happening here is blackmail.
None of it's on you.
And a lot more innocent people are gonna get hurt unless we stop Norman Wong.
I don't want the team to get caught in the crossfire.
I need to do this alone.
Not your choice to make.
We're in this together, no matter what.
Guys, Homeland Security just got here.
PRIDE: Parker.
I'm here for Special Agent Khoury.
That was fast.
Raid footage was just leaked a few minutes ago.
To the media.
However, it turns out NSA has the capacity to detect when a file has been stolen.
FBI and DHS were alerted yesterday.
I need you to come with me for debrief.
PRIDE: Not gonna work.
We're in the middle of an investigation.
We need all hands on deck.
This isn't a request.
GREGORIO: The raid was last year.
Her story's gonna be the same tomorrow as it is today.
Don't make this hard on me.
I'm the messenger.
The call came in from D.
C.
GREGORIO: Ah.
Just following orders, huh? PRIDE: Well, I'm special agent in charge.
I can make calls, too.
Where should I start? Way above your pay grade, Dwayne.
Try me.
HANNAH: No, she's right.
I have to go with her.
Please stay on the case.
It's the only way you can help me now.
Where's DHS taking Hannah? To the gallows.
We can't let her go.
Nothing we can do about it now.
We need to focus on Araminta.
Tell me you got something on Wong.
SEBASTIAN: Yeah, we might.
Patton was analyzing the drone footage.
It was definitely leaked by the NSA.
Wong clearly has a contact there.
Yeah, but we got a plan.
So, back in the days of telegraphing, operators used to be able to recognize each other by ear.
Okay, so the way that messages were tapped out, whether it was, uh, letter groupings or pauses, each one was unique to that person.
Like handwriting analysis.
Yeah, exactly.
So you want to find Wong from the pattern of how he types? Yeah.
If we can get his signature, then it doesn't matter whether or not he's using a-a burner or a fake e-mail address.
He can't change the way that he hits the keys.
This is legal? Not in the strictest definition.
Not in any definition, really.
What do you need to make it happen? ARAMINTA: So, you need this because Wong hacked into my computer and-and you can hack him back? Mm-hmm.
Sort of.
We think he installed some kind of spyware on your computer.
Yeah, so that he could track your communications but also plant e-mails or wire transfers.
But we can use the spyware to exploit an open channel to him.
Yeah, then we'll monitor his keystrokes, mount our own attack.
I'm a structural engineer.
I don't understand anything you just said.
But go for it.
All right.
Oh, it's only fair to warn you, um, this isn't entirely aboveboard.
If it takes Wong down, I'm all in, no matter what.
I like you.
PARKER: At the moment, we're in a preliminary fact-finding stage, gathering information as we try to ascertain how the Zelko footage got leaked.
I can tell you how it got leaked.
We'll get to your theory in a moment.
First, I'm gonna ask you some questions.
Don't worry, they're easy ones.
I have nothing to hide.
Good.
Had you ever seen this footage before it was released? No, ma'am.
So you had no idea there was collateral damage from the raid.
I hadn't seen the footage.
Yeah.
We established that.
I'm asking if you knew about the civilian deaths before today.
Not officially.
Officially or unofficially, are you saying you were aware Zelko's family was killed in the operation? It's complicated.
It shouldn't be, Special Agent Khoury.
Either you knew or you didn't know.
I heard a rumor.
When? I can't say.
Who told you? I can't say.
What can you say? I can say that Norman Wong is responsible for the leaked video footage.
Probably has a contact in the NSA.
You should check it out.
And why are you so sure of that? 'Cause he presented me with images from the footage hours before it was leaked.
(beeps) What are you doing? You said you have nothing to hide, but you're unable or unwilling to answer any questions directly.
What am I supposed to take away from that? Maybe your questions aren't that easy after all.
SEBASTIAN: So Araminta worked with us through the night trying to hack Wong's computer, but we made her leave for this part.
What do you have? (scoffs) What don't we have? Wong's e-mails, browser history, bank accounts around the world, secure cell phone number.
You have his location? That's the, uh, the one thing we don't have yet.
But we got enough proof that Wong was behind poisoning Jax Inc.
employees and setting Jax up.
Yeah, including paying off the mid-level NSA contractor to leak that Zelko raid footage.
PATTON: Which is not admissible, considering how we got it.
We got one idea, but it could backfire in a federal way.
Yeah.
Wong's an economic hit man, right? He's purely in it for the money, he's got millions.
Which we got complete control of.
You saying you can freeze his bank accounts? I can freeze them, heat them, sauté them in butter, baby.
And we can even drain it.
You can do that? With the click of a button.
Do it.
And get his phone number to me.
I'm gonna need it.
WONG: We need to be out of New Orleans and on the water in the next hour.
We're doing the best we can.
Just trying to track a course around Stop talking.
What the? (phone ringing) Hello? PRIDE (over phone): Mr.
Wong.
Special Agent Pride from NCIS.
Thinking you might want to sit down with me, talk about certain financial matters.
Well, Special Agent, you've certainly got my attention.
I have to tip my hat to you.
It is very rare that someone manages to surprise me.
Well, I'm not here for your admiration.
No.
You're here to leverage me into confessing to a felony, but you've overplayed your hand.
How's that? You may have control over my money, but I have information.
Do you know the secrets that your team is keeping? I have information, too.
Every shred of data from your computer.
WONG: Which we both know was obtained illegally.
You can't charge me, arrest me or hurt me in any way.
Well, you got me wrong.
I have no intention of arresting you.
But hurting you, that is an option.
And how would you do that? There are some high-level officials in your contact list.
Boldfaced operators who would not appreciate being exposed.
I can make you very lonely out there, Mr.
Wong.
Ruin you.
And of course, I'd ruin you right back, along with every other member of your team.
Mutually assured destruction.
You have a proposal.
Even trade.
Everything I have on you for everything you have on the Zelko raid and Special Agent Khoury's involvement.
And what about Jax Inc.
? You back off.
Leave Araminta alone.
Damage has already been done to her reputation, whether or not she goes to jail.
Her company's done.
NCIS will drop its case against me? What case? This has the encryption key you'll need to get your money back.
In return, you'll give me all the files on the Zelko raid.
You know what will happen if you don't keep your word.
I always keep my word.
(sirens wailing) What is this? W-What's going on? We-we just made a deal.
I promised you NCIS wouldn't pursue you anymore.
I didn't say anything about the FBI.
You're wired? And you just accepted the flash drive from me, which is an admission of guilt to half a dozen felonies.
(agents shouting) You stole my money.
We didn't steal it, Mr.
Wong.
We just made it look like it was stolen.
Every dollar is where it should be.
Until the FBI seizes it.
(helicopter blades whirring) You think I'm just going to let you get away with this? I think you don't have a choice.
(handcuffs clicking) You know, some people come down here to New Orleans, and think they can push us around.
Some people end up getting their asses kicked.
Get him out of here.
All charges dropped.
NOPD says I can go back to my life.
I'm free to go, just like that.
Well, it wasn't easy, but we're happy for you.
You believed in me when no one else would.
I don't know how to thank you.
Well, I know one thing you can do.
Get busy.
Make Jax Inc.
happen.
We need people like you.
Well, it's gonna take a minute to undo all the damage, but don't worry, I'm never gonna give up on my company.
Good.
Is Special Agent Pride here? I I want to thank him, too.
No, he had someone else who needed his help.
(door opens) We can go around again, but I have nothing left to say about the raid.
That's okay.
We're done here.
I got confirmation that Norman Wong leaked the footage.
And his contact at NSA.
How? Dwayne.
What did you do? Pulled a rabbit out of a hat.
You're free to go.
Can we have the room for a minute? Thank you.
You're welcome.
Please tell me you didn't put yourself at risk.
You really want to know? I guess I have my answer.
I need to show you something the FBI found on Norman Wong's computer.
Is it something else about the Zelko raid? Why don't you sit down? These were taken a few weeks ago.
I don't understand.
Victor Zelko's still alive?