NCIS s10e15 Episode Script

I got you, Crowe! I got you! Get him, Sykes.
Damn, he's fast.
You're not catching me today.
Watch and learn, ladies.
Let's go, Crowe.
Why you stopping? Crowe, you all right? Crowe! Has he been down yet? Cultural artifact slide show starts at 8:30.
Please tell me you're joking.
There's no slide show, Ziva.
Not yet.
There could be.
But lucky for us, we've got morning check-ins.
E-mail chain letters, and hey, international coffees of the week.
Yeah, that Indonesian wild boar blend was pretty bitter.
Bitter? That coffee almost killed me.
Seriously, that's dangerous stuff.
It's like putting a hot poker up my bottom.
Appreciate it if you don't make us relive that, Tony.
Thank you.
We'll You know, Deputy Director is a world traveler.
Maybe he just wants to share or something.
You're gonna have to accept him, Tony.
He is, after all, our boss.
Vance is our boss.
I mean, besides our boss, boss.
This whole thing's temporary, right? He has been gone for over two months.
Doesn't seem temporary to me.
You know what the dep needs? A friend, a special friend.
You know, someone that can listen to him babble on for hours about absolutely nothing.
Hey.
How about that contractor girl in accounting? What's her name? Carol? Carol with the limp.
It was a farming accident, McGee, and, uh, full disclosure, I find her rather attractive, a softer female version of Verbal Kint without the evil mind.
We're having dinner tomorrow night.
The wife is okay with it.
Wait a second, what do you know about Verbal Kint? Verbal who? Only one of the greatest cinematic villains of all time.
That third act denouement, it-it changed my life.
So you're a film buff? Oh, I'm many things, DiNozzo, when I'm not babbling on or giving you dysentery.
That is Kenyan black mamba roast.
I'm good, thanks.
Mmm.
Bitter with just the right amount of bite.
Just a breath of, uh, cacao.
Cacao? Dead Marine at Quantico; let's move.
I haven't heard a word.
You? You mean since the last time you asked me? No.
I'm getting antsy here, Gibbs.
Look, I told you, I told you, I am not cut out for this office thing, okay? I've tried.
Well, try harder.
You're the only thing we got.
Gibbs, Gibbs, wait.
What does that mean? You mean he's not coming coming back? This tradition is to remember all of the good things God has given.
Life, freedom and family.
Is that Mom's stuff? Some of it, yeah.
Are you throwing it away? Of course not.
I'm just organizing it.
We can help if you want.
No, that's okay, Kayla.
You two go have your breakfast.
There's oatmeal on the stove.
Okay.
Okay.
Are you gonna go back to work? Car leaves for school in 20, son.
PFC Holland, is it? Yes, sir.
And Private Sykes, sir.
And neither of you saw anything unusual before he collapsed? No, sir.
He was ahead, and we were losing, like every morning.
Crowe's what we call a badass.
Just glad we went fast.
MP says a trauma call was received just after 7:00 a.
m.
Who made it? Does not know, still checking, but he believes it may have been from other Marines in the field.
You got a time of death, Duck? Around 0630.
So they waited before they called for help.
Or they worked to revive him.
I have to say, it's A Few Good Men over there.
Nobody's saying much of anything.
Well, understandable after what they just witnessed.
Got an I.
D.
? Lance Corporal Gabe Crowe.
transferred to Quantico last August.
Family? Mother's being notified.
It's a long fall.
Yeah, but I'm not sure that's what killed him.
Take a look here, Jethro.
Trauma to the side of his head, nasal bleeding.
Defensive wounds to the hands and arms, and these unusual cuts.
They look like stab wounds.
Perhaps.
A fight before he fell, Duck? Possibly.
This guy's really been roughed up, boss.
The question is: Who did the roughing? I'm so very sorry, Mr.
Vance, but you're not an authorized signer.
There must be a mistake.
My wife and I, we don't have separate accounts.
Well, that's what the computer is telling me, and it never lies.
Look, I would just like to close it out.
Without your wife's signature, there's not much I can do.
Hey, how about you bring her down, and we can get all of this taken care of.
Is this one of yours? It looks like it.
To one of our safety-deposit boxes.
Just give me a minute, and I'll I'll look up the number.
Fine.
Yep.
It says it belongs to your wife.
Oh, and good news, you have access.
Want to go take a look? It's all your Mr.
Vance, and I will just be right outside if you need anything.
Say hello to Lance Corporal Gabe Crowe.
Born in West Virginia, raised by a single mom, - no siblings.
- Joined the Marines in 2011, trained as an ammo tech with the Weapons Training Battalion at Quantico, preparing for his first tour.
Record? Spotless.
C.
O.
called him one of his brightest stars.
Wasn't always so bright.
vandalism, petty theft, underage drinking.
But he cleaned up after high school.
Graduated top of his class from Virginia Tech.
Bad boy done good, just like Steve McQueen.
Love those guys.
E-mails? Uh, nothing unusual on the military server, but I just got a hit off his personal e-mail account.
It's still downloading, but it looks like he may have left messages in a social network chat room.
And I'm bringing those up now.
"I've got to protect myself.
Feel like things could turn fast.
" That's a little obscure, and dark.
Kind of like the Deputy Dawg's coffee obsession.
There's about a hundred more messages here, boss-- it's gonna take me a while to dig 'em out.
Dig fast.
DiNozzo.
Yes.
Phone records, credit card history.
Track down old friends he may have had a problem with.
Anything from the mother? She received a phone call three days ago.
She said he sounded "agitated.
" About what? He did not say.
That's the last time she ever heard from him.
Also, Gibbs, um, she had fallen behind on her mortgage.
He was sending her cash.
A few thousand every time to help cover costs.
No sign of an outside job.
Well, he had to be getting the cash from somewhere.
Find out where.
Private Holland.
Your C.
O.
know you're here? No, sir.
No one does.
If any of the guys knew I was here, they'd never forgive me.
You protecting them? Not them, sir.
Crowe.
You're saying he has something to hide? Come on.
Sit down.
Look, I-I didn't want to say too much earlier.
He meant a lot to us.
The whole day has been like a bad dream, but I had to come.
You had to know the truth.
Maybe you could Hey.
Stop.
Just tell me what's going on.
Fighting sir.
Illegal backroom stuff.
He told me he found some group online and that he was going to clubs in D.
C.
Which ones? He didn't say.
Anyone else know what he was doing? No, sir.
He just told me.
He made me swear not to tell.
You know, if word got out, he'd be discharged.
Crowe wasn't a bad guy, all right? He worked hard, and he loved his country.
He just he he needed an outlet.
I think he got in too deep.
I saw him sneak off base last night.
And when he came back, he was he was pretty beat-up.
What time was that? Just after midnight.
I told him to stop.
I told him it was too dangerous.
But he wouldn't listen.
Why wouldn't he listen? Yes.
I drafted this.
And why did she have it, Mr.
Mathison? You're her lawyer, right? Mr.
Vance Explain to me why my wife was looking to separate property.
I really think you should talk this over with her.
I can't.
She's gone.
I wasn't aware she was traveling.
Not traveling.
Gone.
I am so very sorry.
I had no idea.
Jackie was a a great woman.
I don't need you to tell me that.
I know who she was.
And now I got questions.
So here I am with you, trying to decipher a legal document that I found in a safety-deposit box that I didn't even know she had! Mr.
Vance, calm down.
Please.
When did she retain your services? It was sometime last May.
Okay.
And? And beyond that, I'm not able to discuss.
She left no instructions in the event of her of her death.
She was my wife.
I have a right to know what the hell's going on.
Look, I know this is difficult, but my hands are tied.
There's nothing more I can say.
Hello? Hello, Rhonda? Yes? This is Rhonda.
Hi.
It's Leon Vance.
This is Jared and Kayla's dad.
Everything all right? Yeah.
What can I do for you? Listen, would you mind bringing them home from school today? Today? Yeah, something's come up.
I-I have to take care of it.
I'd be more than happy to.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
Thanks.
No problem.
Talk to me, Duck.
I don't know where to begin.
I've counted 13 blows-- six to the torso, five to the legs and two to the head.
Witness says Crowe was involved in illegal fighting.
Well, that makes sense.
His injuries are consistent with numerous beatings over the past days or weeks.
You got a cause of death? Cerebral hemorrhage from repeated blows to the skull.
That's a ticking time bomb.
Mm-hmm.
What about these? They're puncture wounds.
The angle and depth suggest a quick jabbing motion with a sharp, jagged object.
Now, these wounds show signs of healing, but that one is fresh.
How fresh? As early as last night.
Now, these sutures tell me that he sought medical help for this injury.
Yes, I removed them, opened the wound and found these.
Small fragments of plastic or fiberglass.
Abby will perform her magic.
Oh, and finally, his nails.
They're split.
Probably caught on something or somebody.
Killer will have battle wounds.
More than a few.
He's all alone, Duck.
Yeah, well, death can have that effect.
I'm not talking about him.
I'm talking about Director Vance.
He needs time, Jethro.
You know that better than anyone.
Hardest part is after.
And you worry he may get stuck there? In the "after"? I worry he'll get stuck.
Period.
Found multiple videos in that chat room, boss.
Dated three months ago.
Another fun-filled night on Ass Kick Avenue.
Still trying to determine location and identify Crowe's dance partner.
But we do know this is where the money was coming from.
Crowe was getting paid to fight, Gibbs.
Made several deposits.
All for at least two grand.
Deposits match fight dates? Yeah, so far.
Rewind it, McGee.
Stop it.
The Williams Fruit Company.
Selling more than just fruit.
I'll track down the business address.
And I will locate the owner.
Gibbs.
Never liked being the go-between guy, but the base commander's been sniffing around.
He's called three times already.
He needs answers.
He's not the only one.
We need to tell him something.
Tell him to leave us alone.
Let us do our jobs.
Leon.
Good to see you.
I didn't know you were stopping by for a visit.
I'm not visiting; I'm here to work.
Oh, okay.
Uh, let me just, uh, grab some things from your office.
No need.
I'll be down here.
With them.
Hey.
Give us a minute.
Sure.
Uh, I'll just be upstairs rearranging my Zen rock garden.
Kidding.
Paperwork.
Tons of it.
Jerome, he's He's doing the best he can.
He's not built for management, but you knew that.
Yeah.
It shows.
How are you? I'm fine.
Is that why you're not going back to the director's chair? I don't need to give you a reason.
No.
Just want to make sure you're coming back with a clear head.
I'm clear, Gibbs.
I'm clearer than I've been in a long time.
I just need to get back to basics, that's all.
Back to my roots.
Do you have any other questions? Good.
I'll get settled in, then.
This desk still open, McGee? Uh, yes, sir.
All right.
So, is he back for good? I don't know.
But he's not Director Vance, so he's Agent Vance? Would that make him Probie Vance? DiNozzo, enough, okay? Something I can help you with? Yeah, we're looking for the owner, Ruben Williams.
You got him.
Who are you? NCIS Special Agent Gibbs and DiNozzo.
Okay.
What's this about? We have reason to believe that your business is being used after hours for illegal fighting.
I don't think so.
I run a fruit company here, not a fight club.
You sure about that? What the? I didn't know.
Does he work for you? He does.
Is he here? Yeah.
He's here.
His name is Charles Kang.
Most of the guys know him as Chucky Bang.
Dumb son of a Chucky! Drop the bone, Mr.
Bang.
You're coming with us.
Look at the size of that guy.
You got a bigger chair? Uh, this one's kind of cutting off my circulation.
Not in a good way.
Suck it up.
You'll live.
Recognize him? Yeah.
That's Crowe.
We fought a couple times.
Lot of Marines come to your little Tupperware parties? Marines, working dads, truck drivers.
Guys just wanting to blow off some steam, maybe make a few bucks.
It's no big deal.
It is when one of them ends up dead.
I already told you, I never killed anybody.
I got one rule at my fights: both guys leave standing.
Witness says Lance Corporal Crowe returned to base pretty wobbly last night.
I'm betting you had something to do with it.
No way.
I haven't seen Crowe for three months.
We have the video.
We know you fought.
Yeah.
Three months ago.
Look, I didn't host any fights last night.
I was, uh un-disposable.
You mean "indisposed"? Whatever.
I got a condition.
Uh, digestive stuff.
Flares up here, and I got to go to the E.
R.
Was there all last night.
Di-uh-gestive stuff do that? I'm always cut up.
Between my job and the fighting The turkey bones.
I did not do this.
I swear.
And Crowe wasn't fighting anymore anyway.
Wanted to take a break.
Why is that? I don't know.
Personal stuff.
Wouldn't talk about it.
Took one of the best uppercuts of my life from that guy.
I will miss that.
Thanks.
Alibi checks out.
Washington General confirms Chuck was in the hospital all night upchucking-- not released till 8:00 this morning.
McGee, phone records.
Just one call between him and Lance Corporal Crowe.
It was the night of November 17.
That's the date of their last fight.
So maybe up-Chuck really was telling the truth.
But somebody had an issue with Crowe.
Think I might know who.
I talked to some old friends at Quantico.
Disciplinary reports on Private First Class Holland were just released.
Problems? He was written up for fighting, twice.
It's funny how the PFC failed to mention that this morning.
One guess who his target was.
Crowe.
Last altercation: three days before his death.
Ziver.
Trauma call made when Crowe died-- who made it? Just one second, let me check.
None other than PFC David Holland.
The MP traced it back to his cell phone.
Too bad he dialed a half hour after his buddy kicked the bucket.
Time for a visit.
No, no, no.
Not you.
Chair was killing my back.
Yes, they had a few run-ins.
But it happens; things get heated.
If you served, you'd know that.
We have, and we do.
This goes beyond normal competition, Captain Ellis.
We got to talk to him.
Understood.
Need to do your job.
Man, Holland, they're looking at you.
What's going on? I don't know.
No.
No, these are wrong.
We never fought.
Reports say otherwise.
And so does your C.
O.
I said they're wrong! Loser your voice.
I would never hurt Crowe.
Or anybody in my unit.
We're brothers-- we look out for each other.
Then what took you so long to make the trauma call? I was scared.
Okay? We all were.
We tried everything that we could to save him.
It was just it was too late.
Roll up your sleeves.
Sir? Roll up your sleeves.
I didn't do it.
You have to believe me.
Abby? Hey.
I thought you said you were ready.
I was just finishing up with a few things.
Where's the director? I heard you guys were, like, the Dynamic Duo today.
We're not dynamic anything.
Uh-oh.
Problems.
Yeah.
One.
Sorry, Gibbs.
Yeah.
Guess I could have put your eye out with that.
That would've been awful.
Except eye patches are so cool.
You could totally rock an eye patch, Gibbs.
And that's not important.
So, Ducky's observations were spot-on.
This was definitely a quick, deep jab.
The murderer stuck the weapon in and pulled it right out.
The wound is just over an inch wide, and it's three inches in depth.
It was so deep that the fragments were absorbed by the flesh.
Material? Fiberglass or a composite material.
Which leads me to my next point.
If the weapon was made out of fiberglass or some sort of composite material, that will rule out this guy, and it'll rule it this guy.
I'm sure you're not too sad to see him go.
That leaves the delta dart? Exactly.
When I re-created the puncture wounds on Crowe's side and legs, I was able to determine the size and the shape of the weapon.
I mean, it's not an exact match, but it's close, Gibbs.
It's-it's really close.
Basically, we're looking for some kind of tool, something jagged.
Ducky said the guy was stitched up? Yeah.
But not how you'd think.
See how there's no pattern to the suture marks? They're all disordered and and chaotic.
It makes me think that he probably Did it himself.
Yeah.
And more than a few times.
I mean, why, Gibbs? Why would the same injury happen in the same area? And why would he keep sewing himself back up again? McGee, Lance Corporal have any trauma care training? Not that I know of.
Quantico weapons log-- who took what out and when? Boss, there's over 40 Marines in Crowe's unit.
You want me to check on all of them? Keep an eye out on one.
PFC Holland.
And research medical history, past medical problems, emotional issues, anything you can find.
And where is DiNozzo and Ziva? On assignment, for me.
Assignment? Thought you were heading home.
I'm not leaving till you leave.
Appreciate that, Leon, but we got it.
McGee, do you have the updated R.
O.
I.
? - I'd like to take another look.
- Leon.
I said we got it.
And I said I'd like to take another look.
I'm grabbing coffee, if anybody needs me.
Boss, I don't mean to interfere, but is he He's fine.
Doesn't seem all that fine to me.
And it kills me to say it, but if he's not fine, he can't be here.
Well, that's not your call, Director.
No, it's not.
That would be up to SECNAV Jarvis.
Look, Gibbs, for all intents and purposes, he's on your team now.
So that means it's your job to protect him and my job to protect you.
Give him time to figure things out.
And if he doesn't? He will.
Let's hope you're right.
Your dad said he would be here in a couple of hours.
You guys okay with that? Yeah.
That's cool.
Okay.
Is he just gonna stand there like that? Get in here.
You're scaring them.
Come on! You look weird.
Are you sick? Bad batch of shellfish.
Uh, why don't you two go into the kitchen.
I'll be there in just a minute, and I'll make you guys some hot chocolate? With marshmallows? With marshmallows! Yes! No, DiNozzo, pull it together! Kids.
This is way above my pay grade.
I spent the afternoon in a child care clinic when I almost lost my life Okay! Stop, stop, stop, stop.
We're doing the director a favor, okay? We just need to be here, we need to be normal.
Can you just please do that for a few hours? Sure.
Fine.
Fine.
Only because you asked nicely.
Inconsistencies? No.
Nothing yet.
I have a lot of doubts, Gibbs.
I know.
I'm not talking about the case.
Yeah, I know.
Where'd you find this? I was going through some old files this morning, trying to organize.
I found a key to a safety-deposit box that Jackie was keeping.
Digging around isn't good, Leon.
I thought I knew everything about her.
But now I I need answers, Gibbs.
She had a separate bank account.
And a lawyer.
A lawyer.
He'd drawn up this "separation of property" letter.
There were charges for things that I didn't know about, large amounts of cash.
What if she Jackie loved you, Leon-- that's all you need to know.
Gibbs, did Shannon Hey.
Go home.
Go home.
Hug your kids.
Tell them you love them, Leon.
Don't come back until you're ready to be here.
Let's go, McGee.
Well, there's no mental issues in PFC Holland's medical records, boss.
Phone records are a different story.
I found outgoing text messages to a second cell phone Lance Corporal Crowe was using.
Same day.
One after another.
And it looks like they had bad blood between them.
"You can test me all you want.
Nobody has seen what I'm capable of.
" Weapons logs? Fairly routine for each Marine-- all logged in following training sessions this past month.
Returned everything they used.
Weapons and tools were kept under lock and key after training.
Yeah, but one Marine gained access after hours.
Holland.
When? Two nights ago.
Right before Crowe's death.
Stop it! Stop it! You're gonna break something, DiNozzo.
Somebody's coming! - Stop it! - Been a long time since I've heard that sound.
Oh, I know this looks really bad.
It is way past their bedtime.
No, it's okay.
Let 'em play.
They need it.
Um Director, I've been thinking of what to say to you, and I'm I'm just sorry.
Had my father not been here, uh Agent David, you don't need to say anything else.
Not another word.
Go, go, go! Oh, no! Oh, no! Come on, Jared! Ooh, I've got your leg! Hey, you two.
Dad! Slow motion shark a Oh, my, what do we have here? Well, I see Agent DiNozzo's been keeping you entertained.
He let us watch Jaws.
Yeah, uh-huh, I can see that.
Nice hat, DiNozzo.
Used to have a dorsal fin, but somebody ate it.
Now, you know, it's a funny story.
So, we were talking about the greatest movies ever.
And then, the first real blockbuster was the incredible Steven Spielberg classic Jaws, and I I got it.
I got it.
You got it.
Okay, let's get you guys ready for bed.
Time to brush your teeth.
Let's go.
Remember the shark teeth.
See you later.
Bye, Tony.
- That was fun.
- Yeah, it was.
Thank you.
So, you two talk? Yes.
All good, I hope? As good as it can be.
PFC Holland.
NCIS! Holland? PFC Holland was also beaten, but not as severely as Lance Corporal Crowe.
Also, the beatings were in a similar time period.
Cause of death? Well, his spleen was ruptured by powerful blows to his torso.
He bled to death.
Oh, hello, Director.
Second victim? How are they connected? Well, this may help.
It's similar to the material I found on Lance Corporal Crowe.
Uh, maybe part of a fragmentation grenade.
But neither of the victims ever saw battle.
That wound recent, Duck? Sometime within a 12- to 24-hour period.
McGee.
Hey, McGee, we're in autopsy.
Link us up.
Got it.
Syncing up now.
Unit medical records.
Go.
Well, looks like there were three other Marines who suffered similar injuries.
"Broken bones, concussions and unexplained puncture wounds.
" All visited the sick bay within the last five weeks.
Had to be somebody who had access to all of them.
McGee, C.
O.
background.
Captain Jonah Ellis, 32.
Served three tours in Afghanistan, before returning to Quantico six months ago.
Which means this is the first group of Marines he's commanded since his return.
Also, boss, there was an incident near Kabul last spring.
His younger brother, Sergeant Caleb Ellis, was killed.
How? Convoy hit an I.
E.
D.
He went missing for several hours.
Enemy dumped his body 15 miles from the nearest base.
Oh, God.
What? Captain's unit found him.
His body was full of shrapnel.
State Department report says he was tortured.
His wounds look similar to the wounds on both our victims.
And boss, shards of fiberglass grenade casings were found lodged in Sergeant Ellis's skin.
If I may.
This is a classic case of emotional transference.
Captain Ellis is re-creating the wounds on his own men by stabbing them, using a piece of the very material that killed his brother.
Captain Ellis.
Appreciate you have a job to do, gentlemen, but so do I.
Important we talk.
Now.
Captain, what's happening? Anything you have to say to me, you say in front of them.
Marines never disobey orders.
You know it.
You exploit it.
No.
I've done right by them.
You tortured them, Captain.
It's my duty to prepare them.
They need to be strong, vigilant.
They have to know the enemy can Can strike at any time.
Expose us to manipulation.
We need to be ready, rock solid.
The enemy is around every corner.
We need to persevere, survive, rise up stronger than before.
These men are ready.
Crowe and Holland were not.
They'd never survive the hell waiting for them over there.
Like the hell your brother faced.
Caleb needed to be tougher.
Play them at their own game.
Our bodies are trained to endure anything.
But if the enemy breaks your spirit They treated him like an animal.
When I held him in my arms, saw what they did He was my brother.
He was my baby brother.
I couldn't let that happen again.
Just dropping off some things.
Of course.
Right.
Heard about the case.
Nice work.
Not that you need praise from me or anything.
I was just You could have made yourself more at home.
You could have put some pictures up.
Well, it's hard to make yourself at home when it's only a temporary residence.
And I didn't want to get too comfortable.
You have a suitcase packed, Jerome? Always, Leon.
You know that.
Good.
I'll be in touch.
You're gonna need that.
Shannon increased your life insurance policy? When? After one of my deployments.
I came back and found that on her desk.
She told me about her fear.
All the nights she sat up worried I'd never make it home.
Think about it, Leon.
When did Jackie open the account? When did she get the lawyer? Just over nine months ago.
Right after the attack on NCIS.
She had to prepare for life after you.
I always thought I would go first.
I mean, that's the way it should be.
Well, should be isn't life.
And now here I am.
Here you are, Gibbs, in this basement, trying to carve out a new life.
Me-- I'm You have two beautiful kids who love you and need you to be okay.
Leon you get up every morning, and you put one foot in front of the other.
Without her.
I just wish she'd told me.
Couldn't.
You'd have left the job you loved.
I still do, you know.
Thanks, Gibbs.
For the drink.
You ever gonna let me in on what you're building down here? No.