NCIS Los Angeles s09e05 Episode Script
Mountebank
1 (âEverybody's Talkin'â by Nilsson playing) Everybody's talkin' at me PHILLIP: I don't know what to tell you.
I lost an hour of my life listening to the kid rank his favorite I.
P.
A.
s.
SOKOLOV (over phone): Does he have a job? Does brewing beer in a bathtub count? (engine revving) Maybe he has a good family.
PHILLIP: Honestly, I'm afraid to ask.
You have my condolences.
You're lucky you don't have a daughter.
Of their eyes So, to what do I owe the pleasure? Why do you have to hurt my feelings like that? (tires screeching) We are just talking 'cause we are friends.
Ha.
Sure.
Always work with you Americans.
Fine.
I want to visit Mountebank.
I hear it's a lovely little town.
(sighs) Look, I already told you I know what you told me.
I don't care.
Damn it.
Come on.
Don't be such a little bitch.
(horn honking) Oh, gee (panting) Phillip? Are you still there? Yeah, I'm here.
You heard Mountebank is a lovely little town.
I don't care what you think.
You are a good friend.
(engine approaching) (car crashes) PHILLIP (over recording): Yeah, I'm here.
You heard Mountebank is a lovely little town.
SOKOLOV: I don't care what you think.
You are a good friend.
(car crashes) Sir.
I have something.
NCIS: LA 9x05 Mountebank - Whoa.
- How you doing, Nell? Hi, Callen.
Why do you appear to be stalking me? I think someone's stealing my identity.
You âthinkâ? Well, I know.
Somebody opened a credit card under my name.
Okay, could it have been, I don't know, Anna? Mm, Anna and I are not really at the credit card sharing point in our relationship.
Not even close.
It wasn't actually my name, per Se, it was, uh Dexter's.
(laughs softly) What do you have against Dexter? Dexter is the absolute worst.
He's this finance/tech poseur.
He's cocky, smug.
The picture of white privilege.
Don't look at me.
Dexter is an alias, okay? He is a persona.
Of your own creation.
Just go through the cases where Dexter was active.
See if there's any connection between the new credit card charges.
It may just be routine identity theft.
Yes.
But given what Sam just went through, maybe not.
Exactly.
Eric.
Let me ask you something.
What do you think of Dexter Hughes? Dexter Dexter Hughes? Oh, Would Never Want Him to Meet My Sister if I Had a Sister Dexter Hughes? Ah.
That's what you call him? Oh, yeah.
I'd call him that to his face.
Well, this is his face.
Okay.
Would Never Want Him to Waste His Time.
Because we have a case.
An urgent case.
Uh, Hidoko's waiting.
Which means Mosley's waiting.
Thank you.
Dexter would never do anything like that.
He just did.
No Kensi and Deeks? They're already in the field.
There's a Joint Terrorism Task Force less than a mile from their house.
What are the odds, right? Okay, could we start from the beginning? Oh, right.
Of course.
After you.
No, you should go first.
Guys, come on.
The JTTF intercepted a phone call this morning between Abram Sokolov, the notorious Russian oligarch sanctioned by the U.
S.
, and Phillip Nelson, a prominent investment banker here in Los Angeles.
What was the conversation about? You tell me.
SOKOLOV (over recording): Always work with you Americans.
Fine.
I want to visit Mountebank.
I hear it's a lovely little town.
PHILLIP: Look, I already told you SOKOLOV: I know what you told me.
I don't care.
Mountebank.
What is that, some quaint little Swiss ski town? Sounds like Sokolov's talking in some sort of code.
Can't be good.
Sokolov's protected by Putin.
He's never been caught, but everyone knows he's a skilled smuggler.
Drugs, arms.
Why did the JTTF turn this over to us? Nelson's in the Naval Reserves.
Kensi and Deeks are talking to the task force analyst that flagged the conversation now.
CALLEN: All right.
So Sam and I will interview Nelson.
HIDOKO: That might be tough.
Nelson took the call this morning in his car.
Halfway through it, he was in a hit-and-run that didn't end so well for him.
ERIC: The accident happened on Mulholland.
There's no traffic cam footage of the collision, but, uh, location's on your phones.
On our way.
Good luck.
SOKOLOV (over recording): I don't care what you think.
You are a good friend.
(car crashes) Huh.
Ouch.
Yes, they're talking in code.
No, I don't know what any of it means.
No, I've never heard anyone reference âmountebankâ before.
No, neither has anyone else around here, and, yes, I checked twice.
Okay.
So why exactly is this team listening in on this conversation? Well, Abram Sokolov is more than a mere person of interest.
We haven't been able to pin him to anything, but he's been orbiting a number of our investigations.
So how often is he in contact with Phillip Nelson? Now, we've been tracing Sokolov's phone calls since early 2014.
This is the first contact between them that we know of.
But they sound like old pals.
Yeah, I don't think it's a leap to assume they might have found, uh, others ways of communication without us knowing about it.
But to the extent of our capabilities, we know that Sokolov is a regular Chatty Cathy.
He's talking to a lot of different people all day long.
Mostly about the ponies.
The guy probably gets four hours of sleep a night.
Oh, so he's part of the sleepless elite.
What? You don't know what the sleepless? You? No.
Let me tell you.
So, one to three percent of the population can survive on that little sleep.
That's my-- that's my gift to you two.
KENSI: Feel free to ignore him.
He's used to it.
No, I guarantee you're gonna repurpose that nugget.
Good luck.
Yeah, no.
We're gonna need it.
Thank you.
What do we know? That there aren't nearly enough traffic cams on Mulholland.
Let me guess.
No eyewitnesses.
So the only person that could identify the driver is in a body bag in that coroner's van.
LAPD think it was a hit-and-run? Well, the working theory is that the other driver took advantage of the fact that there was no one here, and fled the scene.
Well, simplest explanation is usually the right one.
Sometimes it's not.
I don't see any skid marks from the car that hit Nelson.
And Nelson was on the phone with Sokolov at the exact moment he was killed.
You know, your alias, uh, Dexter Hughes, travels in the same finance circles as Nelson.
And your point? Someone may be trying to distract you from the case.
Separate the two of us.
You think the two are connected? How is that even possible? Last time we thought something was a coincidence, look at what happened.
(phone ringing) Suddenly, this accident isn't so simple.
Yeah, Eric.
Well, here's the-- I-- oh.
Give me that thing.
Uh This is not Eric, this is me.
Assistant Director.
I need to send someone in undercover to Nelson's bank.
I need copies of all of Sokolov's transaction records.
Sam, I want you to go in.
Yeah, we usually decide as a team which one of us is gonna go undercover.
âUsuallyâ being the operative word.
There's a new sheriff, remember? You make it hard not to.
Excuse me, Executive Assistant Director.
But the proprietary traders at Nelson's bank just started shorting the markets.
Guys, they're expecting the stock market to crash.
NELL: Not only that, but the bank is betting big.
SAM: Then it's not a bet.
They must have inside information.
Something big is gonna happen, like a terrorist attack.
Something that's gonna rock the dollar.
Well, it might also mean that whatever Sokolov was trying to set into motion this morning has already started.
MOSLEY: Well, you better find out what that is.
And stop it.
You get ahold of your buddy who's stationed at Pearl Harbor? Yeah, he's headed to Kauai.
If Hetty's there, he'll find her.
If she's just chilling on the beach, I don't think she's gonna appreciate us spying on her.
Hetty doesn't seem like the type to be chilling on the beach.
But if she is, Hatch will be discreet.
What's up? Hey.
What am I walking into? A very tight ship.
Phillip Nelson's bank, West Valley Venue, is a boutique firm that scales with the big dogs.
So they basically do the same as J.
P.
Morgan and Goldman.
Pretty much.
Only they do it from the West Coast, which makes it that much more impressive.
CALLEN: All right, so with Nelson out, who's steering the ship now? That would be Leigha Winters.
She assumed control within an hour of learning of his death.
Wow, that didn't take long.
Well, money never sleeps.
So Leigha's who I'm interviewing with? That is the hope.
Though you will need to go through the initial rounds with her junior associates first.
Full disclosure, they were not looking for a new hire, but you submitted a very persuasive cover letter.
You up for this? Please.
I've been reading The Wall Street Journal since I was 12.
I know my way around discounted cash flow statements like I do my own house.
You know you live on a boat now, right? Is my alias backstopped? Oh, Eric took good care of you, Mr.
Trevor Ward.
You spent the last five years working the equities desk at a firm in Chicago.
Just in case, take Hidoko with you on Overwatch.
Hold on a second.
One of your identities has been compromised, Agent Callen.
It's a possibility.
And I'm not willing to risk Agent Hanna's safety on that possibility.
Are you? Can I have a say in this? Because I'm fine with Callen backing me up.
Well, then, I guess it's a good thing I'm looking out for both of you, huh? Let's talk.
Good luck.
Don't need it.
That's the beauty of math.
Still no office yet, huh? It'll be worth the wait.
Agent Callen, do you truly believe the compromise of your alias, Dexter Hughes, poses no threat to this operation and its personnel? I take every precaution with my undercovers.
I'm sure you do.
But that doesn't change my position.
And you still haven't given me an answer.
Because I don't have one yet.
But know that I am working this case with both eyes open.
We all are.
You know, I'd prefer to have you backing up Sam, but I can't do that until your alias is secure.
Are we on the same page? (chuckles) Honestly, I'm not sure we're even reading the same book.
(sighs) Hey.
Why did you tell Mosley? I didn't tell Mosley anything.
Then how did she know that my Dexter Hughes alias was compromised? How did Hetty know the things that she did? Or Granger, for that matter.
I don't know, maybe they implant some special chip in your brain when you become senior management at NCIS.
But I promise you it wasn't me.
(sighs) Okay.
Now, on a separate but related note, I found something.
There's an apartment that was rented yesterday in Santa Monica to a Dexter Hughes.
Can you send me the address? Oh, I already did.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Just doing what I do.
(clears throat) You guys need something? We know a guy.
What kind of guy? A Russian guy.
Big-time Russian guy.
Is there any scenario where this big-time Russian guy compromises the integrity of this case? Yes.
Big-time.
Big-time? But you still think he's additive to the investigation? Possibly.
There's a chance.
A slight chance.
I mean, first, you don't think he's helping you, and then you think that maybe he's trying to get you killed, but then you realize he's just causing you to go prematurely gray, causing some late-night stress-eating, but he has legit inroads to an unbelievable amount of bad guys.
Because say what you will about him, he is a charming bastard and a people person.
As long as those people are on the wrong side of the law.
Are we talking about Arkady Kolcheck? You know him? No, I don't know him, but I've been reading your case files.
And I do have my concerns about Callen's connection to a Russian with a questionable past, not to mention his romantic relationship with his daughter.
Well, I can assure you that neither one of us have a romantic relationship with Arkady or his daughter, and Callen will not be coming with us.
Go and speak to Arkady.
And keep your wits about you.
- He'll try.
- Done.
Trevor, my man.
Keith.
Nice to meet you, Keith.
I've heard a lot of great things, great things.
Word is, they call you Nimbo, short for Nimbostratus because you're such a damn rainmaker! That's why.
It's nice to finally meet you, too.
We have a great culture here.
Totally inclusive, obviously.
I'd expect nothing less.
Even though I'm one of the only women at the firm, I have a seat at every negotiation, every closing dinner.
And every lap dance.
I get to sit through every lap dance.
Wow.
I'd never be able to bear witness to the things I do here if I were literally anywhere else.
Well, thank you for your honesty.
You have any questions you want to ask me? VICTOR: All right, Trevor.
Find the error in this model.
No rush.
People make mistakes when they rush.
They get sloppy.
But not you.
This is your model.
Perhaps.
Oh, no, it is.
'Cause there are no errors.
None.
Technically.
Although it's not as elegant as it could've been.
I would've created a V-look-up table and added a little sensitivity analysis to run different scenarios.
You could've laid a simple macro over the top to automate the whole thing.
But this is really good.
You did a great job.
Good work.
Really good.
I'll check if Leigha is ready to see you now.
Thank you.
Hey, it's been a pleasure.
Nice meeting you.
HIDOKO: Tell me, Sam, just between you and me, how much of that was you bluffing? Hidoko.
It's a fair question.
(sighs) I don't bluff.
Especially when it comes to math.
That is good to know.
LEIGHA: Trevor.
Leigha Winters.
How are you? Good.
Well, you're already up.
Let's do this on our feet.
Keith tells me you look the part.
(chuckles) Jen says you won't cause any problems for HR, and Victor well, I saw Victor shed a tear over your Excel chops.
But I want to know is why you think you should be my number two.
Ah, well, I have the skills to open my own shop, but I like having a partner.
I like having someone at my back, and I like being there for someone else.
And what makes you think I need that kind of support? Well, you shorted the market three hours after you took reigns of this place.
You're not afraid to take big swings.
You're gonna need someone to look out for you.
And you think you're just the man for the job.
I know I am.
(knocking on door) DEEKS: Arkady! What? What, what? What? Ay-ay-ay.
I'm coming.
(knocking continues) Enough already.
It's not even 8:00.
It's past 11:00.
- Yeah, on Sunday.
- Mm.
Or a Monday, as the case may be.
I cannot deal with you people until I've had something to eat.
We believe in the Mashed Potato Coffee.
It's transitional weather, so I didn't know if you wanted iced or hot.
Loose booty I don't even know why I stuck my big, fat neck out.
Ever.
Huh? (grunts) Ay.
Thanks.
Loose booty Girls, girls.
Go inside.
Play Ping-Pong.
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.
Hey, uh My nieces are in town.
Ah Ah So what is it now? Abram Sokolov.
Listen.
I act like I don't like you, but I actually care deeply for you.
Sometimes when I am blowing out my birthday candles, I am imagining that you are my daughter and not Anna.
But please, don't tell her I said that.
She would take it wrong way.
I care less so for you.
That's fine.
But stay as far away from Sokolov as you can.
My rule of thumb is at least one continent.
Well, that may not be possible.
Because Sam just got a job at the bank that we think is doing work for Sokolov.
He's already in there.
Okay.
I am up.
And you guys are in big trouble.
(indistinct chatter) How you doing? Listen, I'll call you back.
- What up? - Hey.
Congrats, man.
(laughs) I was rooting for you.
Happy to be here.
Wow, what a day, huh? Death.
Such a buzzkill.
You know, I read somewhere it helps to keep busy.
That's my plan.
I'm gonna move mountains today.
Mm.
You trade equities, right? Yeah.
Jen Jen, does private wealth management and, uh, and Victor is on M&A.
And we're a team.
And we got each other's back.
Until bonus time rolls around.
(both laugh) You guys do foreign transactions? Tons.
It's how we keep pace with the bigger banks.
Hey, you want to grab a bite? Uh It's Macrobiotic Monday.
Come on.
We're all going.
Tomorrow.
I want to check out things around here.
All right.
After lunch.
Absolutely.
All right.
Bye.
Eric? I need you to get me in Keith's computer.
ERIC: No problem.
Give me a second.
And maybe one more second.
I don't have a second, Eric.
(computer beeping) Gonna need one more-- oh, nope.
I didn't need that third second.
You're good to go.
Now, let's see just what kind of mountains you've been moving.
(typing) That's it, I'm doing it.
I'm gonna start wearing jewelry.
Start wearing man jewelry.
Please don't.
Oh, gosh, please, seriously, don't.
What are you talking about? You know, just start off with a nice simple chain.
Maybe put a diamond-encrusted âDâ on it.
Mm.
Work my way up to a sexy little pinkie ring.
ARKADY: Do not put your grubby paws on anything, you hear me? Then why did you invite us up to your super ornate bedroom while you shower? I got to be honest, it's creepy, Arkady, even for you.
I tell you already.
I do my best thinking in the shower.
Oh, me, too.
ARKADY: Aha! Does that mean you have something? Depends.
(grunts) (gulps) (sighs) I know Sokolov's big sister.
Vladlena.
Beautiful woman.
(sniffs) That's fantastic.
You think she'll talk to us? Maybe.
(sniffs) How good are you two at poker face? I can see your nipples.
How's Sam doing? Oh, uh, great.
He's already into the bank's system.
He's looking for anything related to Russia in general, Sokolov in particular.
How'd it go with the apartment? No, place was almost empty.
I mean, it is barely lived in.
I don't think it's a trap, but it may be a misdirect.
I found this.
A receipt from a bar on Santa Monica Boulevard.
He was there last night.
Someone's going through an awful lot of trouble to get your attention.
Let me know if you find anything.
Will do.
KEITH: Trevor.
What up, what up? 'Sup? Hi, Trevor.
Hey.
I thought you were all about teamwork.
Oh, I am.
I absolutely am.
Because around here, that includes lunch.
And tomorrow's Taco Tuesday.
I love tacos.
Oh, and by the way, is your passport up to date? You were right.
I'm gonna set a meeting in Nicaragua, and I will need someone like you at my back.
Nicaragua? Just make sure your passport's good to go.
Okay.
ARKADY: Promise you have left all your guns, knives and hand grenades in the car? Where are you taking us again? (cackles) What could possibly go wrong? ARKADY: Hey, Tomo.
(grunts) Don't be like that.
It's me.
Arkady? Is that you? (laughs) Oh! Oh, man.
(grunts) My friend.
Oh, I don't even recognize you.
You look fantastic.
How are twins? Oh, just started preschool.
It's crazy.
Crazy.
Tomo, these are my friends.
Friends, Tomo.
Hi, Tomo.
Congrats on the twins.
Can we go inside? They know the house rules? What fun is that? (both laugh) Come on.
Hard lights Vladlena.
You look as beautiful as ever.
I love what you have done to your hair.
Mwah.
These are my friends.
They would like to ask you some questions.
Probably uncomfortable ones, about your little brother, Abram.
Don't get me You know the buy-in.
Ah.
Of course.
Gimme you, gimme, gimme you I taste it Oh, yeah.
Thank you.
Actually we're (speaks Russian) Gimme you, gimme, gimme you Oh, don't All right.
All right.
Fair enough.
Gimme, gimme you Wow, that is not good.
I don't like being snuck up on, Agent Callen.
Mosley know you're here? Not exactly.
How's Sam? He's a pro.
And he's got me.
But Leigha Winters just told him about a meeting in Nicaragua.
What's in Nicaragua? I don't know.
You should get on that.
Mosley teach you that? Teach me what? Fold.
Check.
2,500.
Call.
Ladies first.
Two pair.
Straight flush.
DEEKS (laughing): Oh! I have a gambling problem.
There are worse things.
Go.
(sighs) How does that look on me, Arkady? Look good? So, you want to know about my little brother.
(clears throat) That's right.
(laughs softly) I tried to give the little snot away when he was a baby.
Still kicking myself, didn't make it happen.
So you guys aren't close, then.
You know, last time someone asked questions about my brother, Abram find out, and then he find him, and then he gave a man a very nice bath in acid.
- Mm.
- Well, thank you for that truly terrifying heads-up.
But, you know, while we're here.
So does your brother have any connections with Nicaragua? My brother's obsessed with ponies.
Like a little boy.
Hmm.
He buys a filly, and then he needs a place to keep a filly Right.
so he buys a resort in Nicaragua.
Why Nicaragua? To practice his Spanish.
I kid.
He buy in Nicaragua for two reasons.
One, his filly.
Two, because he can get away with whatever he wants there.
Bury bodies in the sand, if he feels like.
We think our friend is meeting your brother in Nicaragua.
Is it about a pony? No.
Mm-mm.
(tongue clicks) Then it's unfortunate for your friend.
Huh.
You're creative, Sokolov.
I'll give you that.
G, Hidoko.
I know what Nelson was doing for Sokolov.
Mirror trading.
The bank's been buying shares of Russian stocks with Sokolov's rubles, then seconds later, selling the same shares at the same price for dollars.
He's laundering his money through the bank's equity desk.
They made another mirror trade for him this morning.
That must be what Mountebank means.
Now we just need to figure out what Sokolov's using the money for.
(phone rings) What do you got, Nell? NELL: So, you were right.
The new Dexter Hughes credit card was just authorized at the same bar on Santa Monica Boulevard.
The guy's probably there now.
Grab your gun.
Meet me there.
ARKADY: Crush him, Tomo, crush him.
Come on, come on.
ARKADY: Crush him, Tomo.
Come on, Tomo! Crush him.
Come on! (shouting) DEEKS (sighs): I am the champion of the world.
Really? You know the deal.
You keep your word, you get your necklace back.
(groans) What else do you want to know? How did your brother start working with Phillip Nelson? My brother had dirt on Phillip.
Thick, juicy dirt.
But then Phillip start say no to Abram, so, do svidaniya, Phillip.
(grunting) But the bank is still doing work for him.
Well, of course.
He got thick, juicy dirt on the lady.
Who, Leigha Winters? Mm-hmm.
All right.
Well done.
Trust me, my brother is not rocket scientist.
Okay, Deeks, let's go.
We got to talk to Leigha Winters.
Hold on, one second-- Arkady, over the top! Come on, Arkady! Get your shirt back! (shouts) (grunts) DEEKS: Really? That's all you got? No, I got more.
Before you go.
What is this supposed to be? My invoice.
(scoffs) (laughs) Great.
I changed my clothes My hair, my name Makes no difference who's to blame Give up Wait, but don't give up I still got one thing to do Baby, I'd start running if I were you Oh How you doing? I'm supposed to meet someone here.
A, uh, Dexter Hughes? Nell! On it! (grunts) Impressive.
Thanks.
(phone buzzes) (grunts) Not so fast, Dexter.
Hey, Kensi and Deeks are bringing Leigha Winters to the boatshed.
Looks like you're coming with me.
Is it Bring a Kid to Work Day? (door closes) So, who's your new little buddy? That, apparently, is the person who's been stealing the identity of Dexter Hughes.
- No.
- A kid hacked your alias? Wow.
Respect.
I guess.
I just have to figure out if he's involved in this case.
Does Leigha Winters know why you two brought her down here? I mean, she works with numbers.
She can put two and two together.
What? If you catch my drift.
What did you do to Arkady? Let's just not encourage him.
Bling.
Leigha Winters come on down.
I really can't be here right now.
And yet here you are.
Why don't you tell me exactly what you're doing for Abram Sokolov? Pretty sure you know what, or I wouldn't be here.
So, you're doing these mirror trades to launder his rubles into dollars because he's blackmailing you? That's right.
Do you want to tell me what he has on you? (chuckles wryly) Not particularly.
That's okay.
I'll use my imagination.
Who's this? No idea.
I've never seen him before.
Sokolov ever mention anyone young? Maybe somebody working for him? Hmm, just a lot of horse-breeding studs.
Does the rest of your office know that Sokolov is the client? I didn't even know until last week.
They all think the mirror trades are for an oil company.
And what is he planning to do with all this money? That's why I can't be here right now.
He's expecting me.
Sokolov is here, in L.
A.
? I'm supposed to meet him in an hour.
What's the money for? Phillip found out Sokolov is using the dollars to arm Ukrainians.
He wants to escalate the conflict with Russia.
Sokolov knows it's a war Ukraine can never win.
And if they're using our weapons that means he's trying to drag America into it.
So, Sokolov is using laundered, American dollars to arm the Ukrainians in the hopes of escalating the conflict with Russia.
And he's here in L.
A.
? Apparently.
He's supposed to meet with Leigha Winters.
Oh, maybe we can use that.
That's what I was thinking.
There's only one way to get the cash out of Sokolov's hands, but still maintain our access to him and his corrupt, Russian buddies.
Well, it is a risk.
It's also our only shot.
Start prepping Leigha.
Sokolov is worth more to us alive, thinking he's a free man, than dead.
Take Hidoko with you.
You're still one man short.
Yeah, I agree.
Sam should maintain his cover.
This goes south, we need to still have somebody in the bank.
According to Leigha, it's Sokolov's only access to American money.
Well, it's a big gamble, Agent Callen.
Let's hope it pays off.
KENSI: Think she's up for this? Find out soon enough.
Hey, guys, we have, uh, nothing to worry about 'cause I got my lucky chain on.
Oh, my gosh.
I really wish you hadn't jinxed us like that.
Rock and roll.
MAN: Move 'em to the side.
Leigha, come.
Come.
Is that? 50 SPF sunblock.
Paraben-free.
I kid.
This is the money you wash for me.
I smuggle it in boxes.
You want to see? I kid.
We don't have time for that now.
We have more important things to worry about.
CALLEN (whispering): Hold tight, guys.
LEIGHA: Mr.
Sokolov, sorry to be blunt, but why exactly am I here? Yes.
We need more blunt.
This is why I like you.
We are in business together, but I know nothing about you.
Except, of course, what you did that hot, hot night in Dallas.
But just because I like you, doesn't mean I trust you.
Come on, Leigha.
You can trust me, Mr.
Sokolov.
Go, Deeks.
(Leigha gasps) (speaks Russian) (Deeks whoops) (Leigha screams) Go wait back here! Come on, come on! I know a way out.
Let's go.
KENSI: They're gone.
(man grunts) (grunts) You two! Come here.
On your knees, right here.
Stay down.
Money is secure.
My car is this way.
Move.
Move, move.
Watch it.
Done.
CALLEN: Eric, did we get it? Nothing yet.
I'm in position.
CALLEN: Hold tight.
Okay.
Get in! Get in.
Callen, we're gonna lose him.
Callen.
Hold tight.
How about now? ERIC: Still nothing.
Callen.
Callen.
Success.
Hidoko put Overwatch spray on Sokolov.
Good work.
Nice work, guys.
Your gamble paid off.
We just recovered all the money Sokolov was laundering through the bank.
He won't be arming any Ukrainians anytime soon.
Mm.
How's Leigha holding up? Surprisingly well, now that Sokolov is on a flight to Moscow.
Well, he came to see if he could trust her and he got his answer.
KENSI: And with the tracker Hidoko put on him, we'll be able to keep tabs on the bastard wherever he goes for the next few weeks.
Or more.
Depending on his personal hygiene.
CALLEN: (chuckles) Well, if and when Sokolov decides to make his next move, we will be ready.
DEEKS: Nice.
- - Just, uh, one more thing.
Oh, yeah.
One more tiny little thing.
(clears throat) What is that? That is a receipt from Arkady.
You've got to be kidding me, Deeks.
I wish that I was.
I don't know why that's sticky.
Sorry.
Good night.
Good night.
Oh, uh Hidoko took names today.
Who do you think trained her? (phone chimes) Oh.
Hatch, I'm gonna put you on the big screen so Callen can hear us.
What you got for us? I checked out Hetty's boat.
It's still moored in Hanalei Bay.
Came in sometime the night of September 6 and hasn't moved since.
Been abandoned for weeks.
She's probably on the island.
She never stepped foot on shore.
Her tradecraft is top-notch.
If she didn't want you to see her Well, this is Kauai, not Kansas.
Nobody, especially a haole stranger, goes anywhere without my people knowing.
So where is she? Maybe with Tilo Iona.
Who's that? Guy suspected of running one of the biggest drug smuggling operations in the Pacific.
What makes you think she's with Iona? Heard a rumor that he had a Menehune on one of his boats.
Could just be stoner talk.
A Menehune? Little forest people.
Like, uh, Hawaiian leprechauns.
But like I said, it's only a rumor.
All right.
Thanks, Hatch.
Appreciate it.
Let us know if you need anything else.
Will do.
Aloha.
Aloha.
(chuckles) What do you think? I think we need to start digging deeper into this Tilo Iona.
(chair scrapes in distance) Who was that? I'm about to find out.
You 18? Yeah.
Good.
'Cause if you weren't, there's a whole nother set of government agents I have to bring in here to talk to you.
I don't want that, and I'm pretty sure you don't want that either.
Whatever.
Do you know who Abram Sokolov is? No.
Do you know who Leigha Winters is? No.
Do you know who Grisha Callen is? No.
Do you have an apartment in Santa Monica? Yeah.
You signed the lease yesterday.
Where'd you live before that? Shelter? Maybe.
The one on Hauser or the one on Colorado? Colorado.
(chuckles softly) They still have, uh, that pink floral tile in the bathroom? Yeah, they do.
But somebody punched a hole in the wall, so it's patched up white now.
Right next to the mirror, huh? Yeah.
(chuckles) That was you.
This is what we're gonna do.
You can keep the lease.
You can stay in the apartment.
But if you ever use Dexter Hughes' name or credit cards again, I'm coming after you.
Understood? You're letting me go? I'm thinking about it.
You might have great potential.
Don't worry, I don't want anything from you.
But if you ever need to talk or you find yourself in trouble give me a call.
My name's Callen.
I'm Matt.
Finn, all right? My name's Finn.
Okay, Finn.
I lost an hour of my life listening to the kid rank his favorite I.
P.
A.
s.
SOKOLOV (over phone): Does he have a job? Does brewing beer in a bathtub count? (engine revving) Maybe he has a good family.
PHILLIP: Honestly, I'm afraid to ask.
You have my condolences.
You're lucky you don't have a daughter.
Of their eyes So, to what do I owe the pleasure? Why do you have to hurt my feelings like that? (tires screeching) We are just talking 'cause we are friends.
Ha.
Sure.
Always work with you Americans.
Fine.
I want to visit Mountebank.
I hear it's a lovely little town.
(sighs) Look, I already told you I know what you told me.
I don't care.
Damn it.
Come on.
Don't be such a little bitch.
(horn honking) Oh, gee (panting) Phillip? Are you still there? Yeah, I'm here.
You heard Mountebank is a lovely little town.
I don't care what you think.
You are a good friend.
(engine approaching) (car crashes) PHILLIP (over recording): Yeah, I'm here.
You heard Mountebank is a lovely little town.
SOKOLOV: I don't care what you think.
You are a good friend.
(car crashes) Sir.
I have something.
NCIS: LA 9x05 Mountebank - Whoa.
- How you doing, Nell? Hi, Callen.
Why do you appear to be stalking me? I think someone's stealing my identity.
You âthinkâ? Well, I know.
Somebody opened a credit card under my name.
Okay, could it have been, I don't know, Anna? Mm, Anna and I are not really at the credit card sharing point in our relationship.
Not even close.
It wasn't actually my name, per Se, it was, uh Dexter's.
(laughs softly) What do you have against Dexter? Dexter is the absolute worst.
He's this finance/tech poseur.
He's cocky, smug.
The picture of white privilege.
Don't look at me.
Dexter is an alias, okay? He is a persona.
Of your own creation.
Just go through the cases where Dexter was active.
See if there's any connection between the new credit card charges.
It may just be routine identity theft.
Yes.
But given what Sam just went through, maybe not.
Exactly.
Eric.
Let me ask you something.
What do you think of Dexter Hughes? Dexter Dexter Hughes? Oh, Would Never Want Him to Meet My Sister if I Had a Sister Dexter Hughes? Ah.
That's what you call him? Oh, yeah.
I'd call him that to his face.
Well, this is his face.
Okay.
Would Never Want Him to Waste His Time.
Because we have a case.
An urgent case.
Uh, Hidoko's waiting.
Which means Mosley's waiting.
Thank you.
Dexter would never do anything like that.
He just did.
No Kensi and Deeks? They're already in the field.
There's a Joint Terrorism Task Force less than a mile from their house.
What are the odds, right? Okay, could we start from the beginning? Oh, right.
Of course.
After you.
No, you should go first.
Guys, come on.
The JTTF intercepted a phone call this morning between Abram Sokolov, the notorious Russian oligarch sanctioned by the U.
S.
, and Phillip Nelson, a prominent investment banker here in Los Angeles.
What was the conversation about? You tell me.
SOKOLOV (over recording): Always work with you Americans.
Fine.
I want to visit Mountebank.
I hear it's a lovely little town.
PHILLIP: Look, I already told you SOKOLOV: I know what you told me.
I don't care.
Mountebank.
What is that, some quaint little Swiss ski town? Sounds like Sokolov's talking in some sort of code.
Can't be good.
Sokolov's protected by Putin.
He's never been caught, but everyone knows he's a skilled smuggler.
Drugs, arms.
Why did the JTTF turn this over to us? Nelson's in the Naval Reserves.
Kensi and Deeks are talking to the task force analyst that flagged the conversation now.
CALLEN: All right.
So Sam and I will interview Nelson.
HIDOKO: That might be tough.
Nelson took the call this morning in his car.
Halfway through it, he was in a hit-and-run that didn't end so well for him.
ERIC: The accident happened on Mulholland.
There's no traffic cam footage of the collision, but, uh, location's on your phones.
On our way.
Good luck.
SOKOLOV (over recording): I don't care what you think.
You are a good friend.
(car crashes) Huh.
Ouch.
Yes, they're talking in code.
No, I don't know what any of it means.
No, I've never heard anyone reference âmountebankâ before.
No, neither has anyone else around here, and, yes, I checked twice.
Okay.
So why exactly is this team listening in on this conversation? Well, Abram Sokolov is more than a mere person of interest.
We haven't been able to pin him to anything, but he's been orbiting a number of our investigations.
So how often is he in contact with Phillip Nelson? Now, we've been tracing Sokolov's phone calls since early 2014.
This is the first contact between them that we know of.
But they sound like old pals.
Yeah, I don't think it's a leap to assume they might have found, uh, others ways of communication without us knowing about it.
But to the extent of our capabilities, we know that Sokolov is a regular Chatty Cathy.
He's talking to a lot of different people all day long.
Mostly about the ponies.
The guy probably gets four hours of sleep a night.
Oh, so he's part of the sleepless elite.
What? You don't know what the sleepless? You? No.
Let me tell you.
So, one to three percent of the population can survive on that little sleep.
That's my-- that's my gift to you two.
KENSI: Feel free to ignore him.
He's used to it.
No, I guarantee you're gonna repurpose that nugget.
Good luck.
Yeah, no.
We're gonna need it.
Thank you.
What do we know? That there aren't nearly enough traffic cams on Mulholland.
Let me guess.
No eyewitnesses.
So the only person that could identify the driver is in a body bag in that coroner's van.
LAPD think it was a hit-and-run? Well, the working theory is that the other driver took advantage of the fact that there was no one here, and fled the scene.
Well, simplest explanation is usually the right one.
Sometimes it's not.
I don't see any skid marks from the car that hit Nelson.
And Nelson was on the phone with Sokolov at the exact moment he was killed.
You know, your alias, uh, Dexter Hughes, travels in the same finance circles as Nelson.
And your point? Someone may be trying to distract you from the case.
Separate the two of us.
You think the two are connected? How is that even possible? Last time we thought something was a coincidence, look at what happened.
(phone ringing) Suddenly, this accident isn't so simple.
Yeah, Eric.
Well, here's the-- I-- oh.
Give me that thing.
Uh This is not Eric, this is me.
Assistant Director.
I need to send someone in undercover to Nelson's bank.
I need copies of all of Sokolov's transaction records.
Sam, I want you to go in.
Yeah, we usually decide as a team which one of us is gonna go undercover.
âUsuallyâ being the operative word.
There's a new sheriff, remember? You make it hard not to.
Excuse me, Executive Assistant Director.
But the proprietary traders at Nelson's bank just started shorting the markets.
Guys, they're expecting the stock market to crash.
NELL: Not only that, but the bank is betting big.
SAM: Then it's not a bet.
They must have inside information.
Something big is gonna happen, like a terrorist attack.
Something that's gonna rock the dollar.
Well, it might also mean that whatever Sokolov was trying to set into motion this morning has already started.
MOSLEY: Well, you better find out what that is.
And stop it.
You get ahold of your buddy who's stationed at Pearl Harbor? Yeah, he's headed to Kauai.
If Hetty's there, he'll find her.
If she's just chilling on the beach, I don't think she's gonna appreciate us spying on her.
Hetty doesn't seem like the type to be chilling on the beach.
But if she is, Hatch will be discreet.
What's up? Hey.
What am I walking into? A very tight ship.
Phillip Nelson's bank, West Valley Venue, is a boutique firm that scales with the big dogs.
So they basically do the same as J.
P.
Morgan and Goldman.
Pretty much.
Only they do it from the West Coast, which makes it that much more impressive.
CALLEN: All right, so with Nelson out, who's steering the ship now? That would be Leigha Winters.
She assumed control within an hour of learning of his death.
Wow, that didn't take long.
Well, money never sleeps.
So Leigha's who I'm interviewing with? That is the hope.
Though you will need to go through the initial rounds with her junior associates first.
Full disclosure, they were not looking for a new hire, but you submitted a very persuasive cover letter.
You up for this? Please.
I've been reading The Wall Street Journal since I was 12.
I know my way around discounted cash flow statements like I do my own house.
You know you live on a boat now, right? Is my alias backstopped? Oh, Eric took good care of you, Mr.
Trevor Ward.
You spent the last five years working the equities desk at a firm in Chicago.
Just in case, take Hidoko with you on Overwatch.
Hold on a second.
One of your identities has been compromised, Agent Callen.
It's a possibility.
And I'm not willing to risk Agent Hanna's safety on that possibility.
Are you? Can I have a say in this? Because I'm fine with Callen backing me up.
Well, then, I guess it's a good thing I'm looking out for both of you, huh? Let's talk.
Good luck.
Don't need it.
That's the beauty of math.
Still no office yet, huh? It'll be worth the wait.
Agent Callen, do you truly believe the compromise of your alias, Dexter Hughes, poses no threat to this operation and its personnel? I take every precaution with my undercovers.
I'm sure you do.
But that doesn't change my position.
And you still haven't given me an answer.
Because I don't have one yet.
But know that I am working this case with both eyes open.
We all are.
You know, I'd prefer to have you backing up Sam, but I can't do that until your alias is secure.
Are we on the same page? (chuckles) Honestly, I'm not sure we're even reading the same book.
(sighs) Hey.
Why did you tell Mosley? I didn't tell Mosley anything.
Then how did she know that my Dexter Hughes alias was compromised? How did Hetty know the things that she did? Or Granger, for that matter.
I don't know, maybe they implant some special chip in your brain when you become senior management at NCIS.
But I promise you it wasn't me.
(sighs) Okay.
Now, on a separate but related note, I found something.
There's an apartment that was rented yesterday in Santa Monica to a Dexter Hughes.
Can you send me the address? Oh, I already did.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Just doing what I do.
(clears throat) You guys need something? We know a guy.
What kind of guy? A Russian guy.
Big-time Russian guy.
Is there any scenario where this big-time Russian guy compromises the integrity of this case? Yes.
Big-time.
Big-time? But you still think he's additive to the investigation? Possibly.
There's a chance.
A slight chance.
I mean, first, you don't think he's helping you, and then you think that maybe he's trying to get you killed, but then you realize he's just causing you to go prematurely gray, causing some late-night stress-eating, but he has legit inroads to an unbelievable amount of bad guys.
Because say what you will about him, he is a charming bastard and a people person.
As long as those people are on the wrong side of the law.
Are we talking about Arkady Kolcheck? You know him? No, I don't know him, but I've been reading your case files.
And I do have my concerns about Callen's connection to a Russian with a questionable past, not to mention his romantic relationship with his daughter.
Well, I can assure you that neither one of us have a romantic relationship with Arkady or his daughter, and Callen will not be coming with us.
Go and speak to Arkady.
And keep your wits about you.
- He'll try.
- Done.
Trevor, my man.
Keith.
Nice to meet you, Keith.
I've heard a lot of great things, great things.
Word is, they call you Nimbo, short for Nimbostratus because you're such a damn rainmaker! That's why.
It's nice to finally meet you, too.
We have a great culture here.
Totally inclusive, obviously.
I'd expect nothing less.
Even though I'm one of the only women at the firm, I have a seat at every negotiation, every closing dinner.
And every lap dance.
I get to sit through every lap dance.
Wow.
I'd never be able to bear witness to the things I do here if I were literally anywhere else.
Well, thank you for your honesty.
You have any questions you want to ask me? VICTOR: All right, Trevor.
Find the error in this model.
No rush.
People make mistakes when they rush.
They get sloppy.
But not you.
This is your model.
Perhaps.
Oh, no, it is.
'Cause there are no errors.
None.
Technically.
Although it's not as elegant as it could've been.
I would've created a V-look-up table and added a little sensitivity analysis to run different scenarios.
You could've laid a simple macro over the top to automate the whole thing.
But this is really good.
You did a great job.
Good work.
Really good.
I'll check if Leigha is ready to see you now.
Thank you.
Hey, it's been a pleasure.
Nice meeting you.
HIDOKO: Tell me, Sam, just between you and me, how much of that was you bluffing? Hidoko.
It's a fair question.
(sighs) I don't bluff.
Especially when it comes to math.
That is good to know.
LEIGHA: Trevor.
Leigha Winters.
How are you? Good.
Well, you're already up.
Let's do this on our feet.
Keith tells me you look the part.
(chuckles) Jen says you won't cause any problems for HR, and Victor well, I saw Victor shed a tear over your Excel chops.
But I want to know is why you think you should be my number two.
Ah, well, I have the skills to open my own shop, but I like having a partner.
I like having someone at my back, and I like being there for someone else.
And what makes you think I need that kind of support? Well, you shorted the market three hours after you took reigns of this place.
You're not afraid to take big swings.
You're gonna need someone to look out for you.
And you think you're just the man for the job.
I know I am.
(knocking on door) DEEKS: Arkady! What? What, what? What? Ay-ay-ay.
I'm coming.
(knocking continues) Enough already.
It's not even 8:00.
It's past 11:00.
- Yeah, on Sunday.
- Mm.
Or a Monday, as the case may be.
I cannot deal with you people until I've had something to eat.
We believe in the Mashed Potato Coffee.
It's transitional weather, so I didn't know if you wanted iced or hot.
Loose booty I don't even know why I stuck my big, fat neck out.
Ever.
Huh? (grunts) Ay.
Thanks.
Loose booty Girls, girls.
Go inside.
Play Ping-Pong.
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.
Hey, uh My nieces are in town.
Ah Ah So what is it now? Abram Sokolov.
Listen.
I act like I don't like you, but I actually care deeply for you.
Sometimes when I am blowing out my birthday candles, I am imagining that you are my daughter and not Anna.
But please, don't tell her I said that.
She would take it wrong way.
I care less so for you.
That's fine.
But stay as far away from Sokolov as you can.
My rule of thumb is at least one continent.
Well, that may not be possible.
Because Sam just got a job at the bank that we think is doing work for Sokolov.
He's already in there.
Okay.
I am up.
And you guys are in big trouble.
(indistinct chatter) How you doing? Listen, I'll call you back.
- What up? - Hey.
Congrats, man.
(laughs) I was rooting for you.
Happy to be here.
Wow, what a day, huh? Death.
Such a buzzkill.
You know, I read somewhere it helps to keep busy.
That's my plan.
I'm gonna move mountains today.
Mm.
You trade equities, right? Yeah.
Jen Jen, does private wealth management and, uh, and Victor is on M&A.
And we're a team.
And we got each other's back.
Until bonus time rolls around.
(both laugh) You guys do foreign transactions? Tons.
It's how we keep pace with the bigger banks.
Hey, you want to grab a bite? Uh It's Macrobiotic Monday.
Come on.
We're all going.
Tomorrow.
I want to check out things around here.
All right.
After lunch.
Absolutely.
All right.
Bye.
Eric? I need you to get me in Keith's computer.
ERIC: No problem.
Give me a second.
And maybe one more second.
I don't have a second, Eric.
(computer beeping) Gonna need one more-- oh, nope.
I didn't need that third second.
You're good to go.
Now, let's see just what kind of mountains you've been moving.
(typing) That's it, I'm doing it.
I'm gonna start wearing jewelry.
Start wearing man jewelry.
Please don't.
Oh, gosh, please, seriously, don't.
What are you talking about? You know, just start off with a nice simple chain.
Maybe put a diamond-encrusted âDâ on it.
Mm.
Work my way up to a sexy little pinkie ring.
ARKADY: Do not put your grubby paws on anything, you hear me? Then why did you invite us up to your super ornate bedroom while you shower? I got to be honest, it's creepy, Arkady, even for you.
I tell you already.
I do my best thinking in the shower.
Oh, me, too.
ARKADY: Aha! Does that mean you have something? Depends.
(grunts) (gulps) (sighs) I know Sokolov's big sister.
Vladlena.
Beautiful woman.
(sniffs) That's fantastic.
You think she'll talk to us? Maybe.
(sniffs) How good are you two at poker face? I can see your nipples.
How's Sam doing? Oh, uh, great.
He's already into the bank's system.
He's looking for anything related to Russia in general, Sokolov in particular.
How'd it go with the apartment? No, place was almost empty.
I mean, it is barely lived in.
I don't think it's a trap, but it may be a misdirect.
I found this.
A receipt from a bar on Santa Monica Boulevard.
He was there last night.
Someone's going through an awful lot of trouble to get your attention.
Let me know if you find anything.
Will do.
KEITH: Trevor.
What up, what up? 'Sup? Hi, Trevor.
Hey.
I thought you were all about teamwork.
Oh, I am.
I absolutely am.
Because around here, that includes lunch.
And tomorrow's Taco Tuesday.
I love tacos.
Oh, and by the way, is your passport up to date? You were right.
I'm gonna set a meeting in Nicaragua, and I will need someone like you at my back.
Nicaragua? Just make sure your passport's good to go.
Okay.
ARKADY: Promise you have left all your guns, knives and hand grenades in the car? Where are you taking us again? (cackles) What could possibly go wrong? ARKADY: Hey, Tomo.
(grunts) Don't be like that.
It's me.
Arkady? Is that you? (laughs) Oh! Oh, man.
(grunts) My friend.
Oh, I don't even recognize you.
You look fantastic.
How are twins? Oh, just started preschool.
It's crazy.
Crazy.
Tomo, these are my friends.
Friends, Tomo.
Hi, Tomo.
Congrats on the twins.
Can we go inside? They know the house rules? What fun is that? (both laugh) Come on.
Hard lights Vladlena.
You look as beautiful as ever.
I love what you have done to your hair.
Mwah.
These are my friends.
They would like to ask you some questions.
Probably uncomfortable ones, about your little brother, Abram.
Don't get me You know the buy-in.
Ah.
Of course.
Gimme you, gimme, gimme you I taste it Oh, yeah.
Thank you.
Actually we're (speaks Russian) Gimme you, gimme, gimme you Oh, don't All right.
All right.
Fair enough.
Gimme, gimme you Wow, that is not good.
I don't like being snuck up on, Agent Callen.
Mosley know you're here? Not exactly.
How's Sam? He's a pro.
And he's got me.
But Leigha Winters just told him about a meeting in Nicaragua.
What's in Nicaragua? I don't know.
You should get on that.
Mosley teach you that? Teach me what? Fold.
Check.
2,500.
Call.
Ladies first.
Two pair.
Straight flush.
DEEKS (laughing): Oh! I have a gambling problem.
There are worse things.
Go.
(sighs) How does that look on me, Arkady? Look good? So, you want to know about my little brother.
(clears throat) That's right.
(laughs softly) I tried to give the little snot away when he was a baby.
Still kicking myself, didn't make it happen.
So you guys aren't close, then.
You know, last time someone asked questions about my brother, Abram find out, and then he find him, and then he gave a man a very nice bath in acid.
- Mm.
- Well, thank you for that truly terrifying heads-up.
But, you know, while we're here.
So does your brother have any connections with Nicaragua? My brother's obsessed with ponies.
Like a little boy.
Hmm.
He buys a filly, and then he needs a place to keep a filly Right.
so he buys a resort in Nicaragua.
Why Nicaragua? To practice his Spanish.
I kid.
He buy in Nicaragua for two reasons.
One, his filly.
Two, because he can get away with whatever he wants there.
Bury bodies in the sand, if he feels like.
We think our friend is meeting your brother in Nicaragua.
Is it about a pony? No.
Mm-mm.
(tongue clicks) Then it's unfortunate for your friend.
Huh.
You're creative, Sokolov.
I'll give you that.
G, Hidoko.
I know what Nelson was doing for Sokolov.
Mirror trading.
The bank's been buying shares of Russian stocks with Sokolov's rubles, then seconds later, selling the same shares at the same price for dollars.
He's laundering his money through the bank's equity desk.
They made another mirror trade for him this morning.
That must be what Mountebank means.
Now we just need to figure out what Sokolov's using the money for.
(phone rings) What do you got, Nell? NELL: So, you were right.
The new Dexter Hughes credit card was just authorized at the same bar on Santa Monica Boulevard.
The guy's probably there now.
Grab your gun.
Meet me there.
ARKADY: Crush him, Tomo, crush him.
Come on, come on.
ARKADY: Crush him, Tomo.
Come on, Tomo! Crush him.
Come on! (shouting) DEEKS (sighs): I am the champion of the world.
Really? You know the deal.
You keep your word, you get your necklace back.
(groans) What else do you want to know? How did your brother start working with Phillip Nelson? My brother had dirt on Phillip.
Thick, juicy dirt.
But then Phillip start say no to Abram, so, do svidaniya, Phillip.
(grunting) But the bank is still doing work for him.
Well, of course.
He got thick, juicy dirt on the lady.
Who, Leigha Winters? Mm-hmm.
All right.
Well done.
Trust me, my brother is not rocket scientist.
Okay, Deeks, let's go.
We got to talk to Leigha Winters.
Hold on, one second-- Arkady, over the top! Come on, Arkady! Get your shirt back! (shouts) (grunts) DEEKS: Really? That's all you got? No, I got more.
Before you go.
What is this supposed to be? My invoice.
(scoffs) (laughs) Great.
I changed my clothes My hair, my name Makes no difference who's to blame Give up Wait, but don't give up I still got one thing to do Baby, I'd start running if I were you Oh How you doing? I'm supposed to meet someone here.
A, uh, Dexter Hughes? Nell! On it! (grunts) Impressive.
Thanks.
(phone buzzes) (grunts) Not so fast, Dexter.
Hey, Kensi and Deeks are bringing Leigha Winters to the boatshed.
Looks like you're coming with me.
Is it Bring a Kid to Work Day? (door closes) So, who's your new little buddy? That, apparently, is the person who's been stealing the identity of Dexter Hughes.
- No.
- A kid hacked your alias? Wow.
Respect.
I guess.
I just have to figure out if he's involved in this case.
Does Leigha Winters know why you two brought her down here? I mean, she works with numbers.
She can put two and two together.
What? If you catch my drift.
What did you do to Arkady? Let's just not encourage him.
Bling.
Leigha Winters come on down.
I really can't be here right now.
And yet here you are.
Why don't you tell me exactly what you're doing for Abram Sokolov? Pretty sure you know what, or I wouldn't be here.
So, you're doing these mirror trades to launder his rubles into dollars because he's blackmailing you? That's right.
Do you want to tell me what he has on you? (chuckles wryly) Not particularly.
That's okay.
I'll use my imagination.
Who's this? No idea.
I've never seen him before.
Sokolov ever mention anyone young? Maybe somebody working for him? Hmm, just a lot of horse-breeding studs.
Does the rest of your office know that Sokolov is the client? I didn't even know until last week.
They all think the mirror trades are for an oil company.
And what is he planning to do with all this money? That's why I can't be here right now.
He's expecting me.
Sokolov is here, in L.
A.
? I'm supposed to meet him in an hour.
What's the money for? Phillip found out Sokolov is using the dollars to arm Ukrainians.
He wants to escalate the conflict with Russia.
Sokolov knows it's a war Ukraine can never win.
And if they're using our weapons that means he's trying to drag America into it.
So, Sokolov is using laundered, American dollars to arm the Ukrainians in the hopes of escalating the conflict with Russia.
And he's here in L.
A.
? Apparently.
He's supposed to meet with Leigha Winters.
Oh, maybe we can use that.
That's what I was thinking.
There's only one way to get the cash out of Sokolov's hands, but still maintain our access to him and his corrupt, Russian buddies.
Well, it is a risk.
It's also our only shot.
Start prepping Leigha.
Sokolov is worth more to us alive, thinking he's a free man, than dead.
Take Hidoko with you.
You're still one man short.
Yeah, I agree.
Sam should maintain his cover.
This goes south, we need to still have somebody in the bank.
According to Leigha, it's Sokolov's only access to American money.
Well, it's a big gamble, Agent Callen.
Let's hope it pays off.
KENSI: Think she's up for this? Find out soon enough.
Hey, guys, we have, uh, nothing to worry about 'cause I got my lucky chain on.
Oh, my gosh.
I really wish you hadn't jinxed us like that.
Rock and roll.
MAN: Move 'em to the side.
Leigha, come.
Come.
Is that? 50 SPF sunblock.
Paraben-free.
I kid.
This is the money you wash for me.
I smuggle it in boxes.
You want to see? I kid.
We don't have time for that now.
We have more important things to worry about.
CALLEN (whispering): Hold tight, guys.
LEIGHA: Mr.
Sokolov, sorry to be blunt, but why exactly am I here? Yes.
We need more blunt.
This is why I like you.
We are in business together, but I know nothing about you.
Except, of course, what you did that hot, hot night in Dallas.
But just because I like you, doesn't mean I trust you.
Come on, Leigha.
You can trust me, Mr.
Sokolov.
Go, Deeks.
(Leigha gasps) (speaks Russian) (Deeks whoops) (Leigha screams) Go wait back here! Come on, come on! I know a way out.
Let's go.
KENSI: They're gone.
(man grunts) (grunts) You two! Come here.
On your knees, right here.
Stay down.
Money is secure.
My car is this way.
Move.
Move, move.
Watch it.
Done.
CALLEN: Eric, did we get it? Nothing yet.
I'm in position.
CALLEN: Hold tight.
Okay.
Get in! Get in.
Callen, we're gonna lose him.
Callen.
Hold tight.
How about now? ERIC: Still nothing.
Callen.
Callen.
Success.
Hidoko put Overwatch spray on Sokolov.
Good work.
Nice work, guys.
Your gamble paid off.
We just recovered all the money Sokolov was laundering through the bank.
He won't be arming any Ukrainians anytime soon.
Mm.
How's Leigha holding up? Surprisingly well, now that Sokolov is on a flight to Moscow.
Well, he came to see if he could trust her and he got his answer.
KENSI: And with the tracker Hidoko put on him, we'll be able to keep tabs on the bastard wherever he goes for the next few weeks.
Or more.
Depending on his personal hygiene.
CALLEN: (chuckles) Well, if and when Sokolov decides to make his next move, we will be ready.
DEEKS: Nice.
- - Just, uh, one more thing.
Oh, yeah.
One more tiny little thing.
(clears throat) What is that? That is a receipt from Arkady.
You've got to be kidding me, Deeks.
I wish that I was.
I don't know why that's sticky.
Sorry.
Good night.
Good night.
Oh, uh Hidoko took names today.
Who do you think trained her? (phone chimes) Oh.
Hatch, I'm gonna put you on the big screen so Callen can hear us.
What you got for us? I checked out Hetty's boat.
It's still moored in Hanalei Bay.
Came in sometime the night of September 6 and hasn't moved since.
Been abandoned for weeks.
She's probably on the island.
She never stepped foot on shore.
Her tradecraft is top-notch.
If she didn't want you to see her Well, this is Kauai, not Kansas.
Nobody, especially a haole stranger, goes anywhere without my people knowing.
So where is she? Maybe with Tilo Iona.
Who's that? Guy suspected of running one of the biggest drug smuggling operations in the Pacific.
What makes you think she's with Iona? Heard a rumor that he had a Menehune on one of his boats.
Could just be stoner talk.
A Menehune? Little forest people.
Like, uh, Hawaiian leprechauns.
But like I said, it's only a rumor.
All right.
Thanks, Hatch.
Appreciate it.
Let us know if you need anything else.
Will do.
Aloha.
Aloha.
(chuckles) What do you think? I think we need to start digging deeper into this Tilo Iona.
(chair scrapes in distance) Who was that? I'm about to find out.
You 18? Yeah.
Good.
'Cause if you weren't, there's a whole nother set of government agents I have to bring in here to talk to you.
I don't want that, and I'm pretty sure you don't want that either.
Whatever.
Do you know who Abram Sokolov is? No.
Do you know who Leigha Winters is? No.
Do you know who Grisha Callen is? No.
Do you have an apartment in Santa Monica? Yeah.
You signed the lease yesterday.
Where'd you live before that? Shelter? Maybe.
The one on Hauser or the one on Colorado? Colorado.
(chuckles softly) They still have, uh, that pink floral tile in the bathroom? Yeah, they do.
But somebody punched a hole in the wall, so it's patched up white now.
Right next to the mirror, huh? Yeah.
(chuckles) That was you.
This is what we're gonna do.
You can keep the lease.
You can stay in the apartment.
But if you ever use Dexter Hughes' name or credit cards again, I'm coming after you.
Understood? You're letting me go? I'm thinking about it.
You might have great potential.
Don't worry, I don't want anything from you.
But if you ever need to talk or you find yourself in trouble give me a call.
My name's Callen.
I'm Matt.
Finn, all right? My name's Finn.
Okay, Finn.