NCIS s13e19 Episode Script
Reasonable Doubts
1 (panting anxiously) Thank God you're here.
Okay.
Okay.
She shot her husband.
He's dead.
All right, ma'am, where's the shooter? (gasping): In the house, I think.
OFFICER: Okay, stay here.
Listen to me, stay here.
Stay here, okay? We got a call from the homeowner.
She locked herself in the bathroom.
Said a woman shot her husband.
All right.
Stay with her.
Police! Police! WOMAN: I'm-I'm in here! Okay, open the door slowly.
WOMAN: Okay.
(whimpers, gasps) Easy.
Right there.
(gasps) She's still here? She shot my husband! She said you did it.
(exhaling) NCIS 13x19 Reasonable Doubts @elderman (phone ringing) What? What's the matter? Getting a call from myself.
Hmm.
Answer it.
See what you want.
Hello? Oh, I'm sorry.
I must have grabbed it by mistake when I was on my way out.
I'll bring it to you, okay? Great.
Grabbed Delilah's phone by mistake.
This could be a disaster.
Well, think positive.
You get to see who calls her.
Yeah, but the problem is she might see who calls me.
You hiding something, Tim? Gotta go to the Pentagon.
Be right back.
Look who I found in the lobby.
Hi, Mr.
D.
Eleanor.
You look great.
Thank you.
Hey, Dad.
What are you doing here so early? It's Tuesday.
Our standing lunch.
Yeah.
Lunch is at 1:00 p.
m.
Oh, well, I didn't have anything to do this morning, so I thought I'd come by early and see if I can help you guys.
(chuckling): Oh.
Help? I need a project.
I got a friend of mine in New York, uh, Cubby Kirschner.
You remember him? Uh-huh.
That doorman at 86th Street.
Yeah, right.
He retired.
And, uh, now he's a volunteer for the 20th precinct.
He mans the desk in the lobby, takes calls, does filing.
I thought maybe I could do something like that around here.
(chuckling): Oh, you did, huh? Well, how about that.
Not really the same thing though, 'cause this isn't a police department.
This is a Federal agency.
There's a lot of secret-- top-secret, classified stuff, security clearances Uh, Tim? What do you think? Um, I'm not sure, Mr.
DiNozzo, but I gotta go.
Hold on, McGee.
We got a body at Pax River.
Let's go.
Chief, you want a project? Yeah.
I could use some help tonight, in my basement.
Got a job.
Two-man job on a boat.
I'll be there.
I'll walk you out.
Listen, we got to talk, so if I get back in time we'll still meet for lunch, all right? Okay, Junior.
OFFICER: We've had a little trouble keeping them from scratching each other's eyes out.
Who are they? That's the victim's wife.
We found her locked in the bathroom when we got here, afraid the other one was gonna kill her.
Who is that? That is, uh a very, close personal friend of Jennings.
Mistress? Well, I'm guessing.
But, uh, we found her out here on the front lawn.
The crazy thing is, that, uh they both claim they saw the other one do the shooting.
(camera shutter clicking) DiNozzo.
Bishop.
Test both those women for GSR.
BOTH: All right.
What do we got? McGEE: Plaster dust.
And what looks like a bullet hole up there.
Let me get a ladder.
DUCKY: Time of death is between 8:30 and 9:00.
Which is consistent with the calls the women made to 911 and the security company.
Yeah, there are two gunshot wounds: One to the chest, one to the head.
But there are no defensive wounds.
I'd venture that he was sitting in his chair, and he turned to face his attacker.
Me?! You're gonna test me?! I told you.
She shot her husband in cold blood! That is a lie! I loved Laurence.
I would never hurt him.
Why did you have to kill him? This is gonna be a messy one.
OPERATOR: This is 911.
What is your emergency? JOANN: There's been a shooting.
I think he's dead.
OPERATOR: What's your location? That was JoAnn Allman.
The mistress.
Call came in at 8:58 a.
m.
SECURITY OPERATOR: DC Home Security Patrol.
Is this an emergency? ANGELINA: My husband's been shot! SECURITY OPERATOR: Who am I speaking to? That was Angelina Jennings, the wife, at 8:59.
Calls were made 30 seconds apart.
What do we know about the husband? Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts.
He worked for a couple of newspapers in Manhattan before becoming a civilian writer for Navy publications.
Been at Naval Air Station Pax River the last two-plus years.
What's his access level? Lowest.
"Confidential.
" The folder in his apartment contained press releases.
McGEE: Married his high school sweetheart, Angelina Giovanni.
She's a certified nursing assistant, but she's currently unemployed.
What about the other woman? Oh, well, JoAnn Allman.
Hails from Baltimore, my old beat.
Graduated from the unaccredited Chesapeake School of Law.
Bounced around a couple of firms, was practicing on her own, till she was suspended recently for, and I quote, "a pervasive pattern of professional misconduct.
" Talk to them.
I'm gonna take the mistress.
Something about her seems guilty.
Hmm.
Don't you always suspect the spouse? Usually, but (groans) Okay.
I'll take the wife.
I guess I'll follow up on the murder weapon.
I suspected for a while my husband was cheating.
And, three days ago, I caught him in a lie.
He tried to deny it.
(chuckle) We got in a huge fight and I moved out.
I've been staying in a motel.
Laurence called me a couple days ago.
He told me he finally told his wife about us.
He had been promising to do it.
How'd she take it? What do you think? Tell me about this morning.
I was at the gym.
Laurence called me around 7:00.
He said Angelina wasn't handling the situation very well.
She was making violent threats.
I told him when I finish my work out, I would I would come by.
Laurence called.
Waking me up.
What time? At 7:00, I think.
He said he was really sorry and he loved me.
(shuddering breath) And he was gonna call that woman and tell her that it was over between them.
When I got to the house, she was already there.
As I was walking up to the front door I heard shouting.
When I went inside, I found Angelina holding a gun on Laurence, and I begged her to put it down but she shot him.
And she moved closer and she fired again.
Then she turned the gun on me.
She was out of her mind.
She was screaming at Laurence.
If she couldn't have him, then she wasn't gonna let him come home to me.
She pulled the trigger.
T-Twice I think and, um then she started in my direction and and I-I was just trying to defend myself.
She was gonna shoot me, so I grabbed her arm and We struggled.
And the gun went off.
How'd you get away? I don't know, it was such a blur.
The gun dropped to the floor and I-I don't know, somehow I got outside.
I locked myself in the bathroom and I-I speed-dialed the alarm company.
(sighs) What happens next? We're just starting our investigation.
We have a lot of work to do.
Well, um can I, can I go home? Uh, no, not to your house.
It's still a crime scene.
We're gonna keep you here while we finish processing the evidence.
Should I be hiring a lawyer? I need to make a call.
Yeah, you do, because of course you can't represent yourself, 'cause your license is suspended.
The shot to Jennings' chest was devastating.
It tore through his aorta and lodged between the T-4 and T-5 vertebrae, severing his spinal cord.
But that was not enough for the shooter.
She moved in for the head shot.
Yes.
There was soot around this wound, indicating that it was fired at very close range.
This wound to the chest had no such residue.
Anything else? Yes.
We found fibers in the clotted blood around this wound.
Mr.
Palmer's taking them up to to Abby along with the slugs.
Does that famous gut of yours have an opinion? Scorned wife or jilted lover? Ah, it's too early, Duck.
My gut's overrated.
Don't you believe that for a moment.
Jennings' blood work looks pretty normal, except his cholesterol's a little high.
Were you able to identify the fuzzy little fiber? Polyester.
Any more specific? Can you narrow it down? I will get to it, Jimmy.
Sorry.
So far this morning, I have run ballistics on the slugs, fingerprints on the murder weapon, GSR on the suspect's hands, and blood tests from the autopsy, and now I'm going through every single file on the victim's computer, and I'm only one person.
You're right.
I'm sorry.
I'm leaving.
(whispers): Be careful.
I heard that .
What do you want? Nothing.
I just wanted to tell you that the gun was registered to Jennings.
Thank you.
Bought it six years ago.
Gun shop in New York.
It's legal.
Makes sense.
His fingerprints were on the gun, but so were both women's.
I really enjoy our lunches, Junior, but you shouldn't always pay.
Dad, I have a job, you don't.
Don't remind me.
Retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be.
I was hoping I could help out around the office.
Listen I'm sure you'll find something.
It doesn't have to be work.
What about that flyer we saw in the lobby of your building.
Something about water aerobics at the senior center? You promised you'd try that.
Oh, I did.
How'd it go? I-I got a rash.
Ugh.
Where? My dermatologist said the chlorine was damaging my complexion.
(sighs) Look, there's Excuse me.
Dad, I've been looking all over for you.
Oh.
Do I have a sister I don't know about? Don't joke, Junior.
There's obviously something wrong with her.
You've mistaken me for someone else.
There's so much I have to tell you.
Here you go.
Here's a little, uh, something.
Get get yourself something to eat.
Dad please don't leave me.
Come on.
Thought I'd check in before I go home.
Which of the two women did you decide to charge for the murder? Oh, we don't know yet.
State's Attorney's Office called.
Wants an update.
I told him you had an eyewitness.
We got two.
They're accusing each other.
That's interesting.
Either one better for it? Well, Leon, we have varying opinions.
I think the mistress.
I think the wife.
I'm somewhere in the middle.
The wife says she was at a motel before the murder and the mistress said she was at a gym.
Cell phone tower logs confirm both stories are true.
The mistress is a suspended lawyer who practiced on the edges of the law.
Neighbors told me the wife was constantly attacking and berating her husband, who they say was the nicest guy.
Nicest guy who cheats on his wife.
What about GSR tests? Well, both of them had gun residue on their hands, but they both said they struggled for the gun.
So, you see where we are? Sounds like either one of them could be guilty or innocent.
A little higher, chief.
Pressure it.
Ah, right there.
Got it.
Okay.
Good.
So, is DC working out for you? Oh, I've had to make some adjustments.
But it's been so good for me living close to Junior.
It's been good for him, too.
He sure looks forward to your Tuesday lunches.
The strangest thing happened this afternoon.
When we came out of the restaurant, this, uh, homeless woman came up and grabbed me.
She thought I was her father.
There's a lot of homeless people, Chief, who suffer from mental problems.
Yeah, well, what bothers me is she wasn't that old.
It's so sad.
I could have a daughter her age.
There was something in her eyes, Gibbs.
I don't know why, but I'm feeling guilty that I just turned and walked away.
She appeared so lost.
Well, you said you were looking for a project.
Yeah.
Go find her.
(scoffs) You serious? You got something better to do? Hold your horses.
Oh, thank God you haven't left yet.
We need your help.
We? Yeah.
Hi.
What is she doing here? She has a name.
Susan.
She needs our help.
Watch your step.
Careful.
Susan, this is Tony.
You saw him yesterday.
This is his apartment.
Oh.
It's very nice.
Thank you, Susan.
Mmm! Huh.
Is there a reason you brought her here? Oh, she's so confused.
She can't remember her last name.
Maybe she has family who can help her.
I still don't understand, Dad.
You're a Federal agent.
You find out things about people.
(Susan playing simple melody on piano) Susan that's beautiful.
You play piano.
You're the one who made me take lessons.
She still thinks that I'm her father.
(chuckling): Oh, yeah.
I got that.
Okay.
This is crazy.
You can't do this.
You can't just bring a homeless person into my apartment.
Is something burning? (both sniff) Oh! My bagel.
(groans) (groans) Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot! (crashing in distance) Dad? Sorry, sorry.
I thought I could find some I.
D.
in her stuff.
What is that? My bird seed.
Dad Something wrong? Everything okay with you and Delilah? Yeah.
Yeah, why? You seemed worried yesterday about her getting your calls.
Are you hiding something from her? I kind of am.
I'm I'm expecting a call from a jeweler.
Been looking at diamond rings.
Tim (laughs) Hey, McGee.
Hey, boss.
Pulled Jennings' bank records.
He lived paycheck to paycheck until last year, when he deposited over $500,000 into two separate accounts.
Two different banks.
Where's the money come from? We're still checking it out.
And where did it go? Both accounts have been depleted.
Money is always a good motive for murder.
Nice of you to show up, DiNozzo.
Yes, well, I was in my own personal hell this morning.
My father showed up at my apartment with a woman.
What, a socialite this time? Heiress? Homeless.
My father brought a straight-off-the-street bag lady into my apartment.
Rusty old shopping cart and all.
And Dad said that it was your idea, Gibbs? I'm glad he found her.
She still at your place? No.
I got Dad the name of a shelter and I put the both of them into an Uber.
Nice shoes.
Thanks.
Size ten? Nine and a half.
And I bet you got a whole lot more at home.
You really need those? Mr.
DiNozzo.
Dad.
I was afraid you left.
No, I told you I'd wait.
(quiet laugh) Susan.
Take a seat.
We'll be right back.
We just provide shelter and food here on a temporary basis.
It's obvious Susan needs medical attention.
Oh, I agree.
She, um, she seems so weak disoriented.
We have a physician's assistant who volunteers here.
She's making rounds now.
I'll have her take a look at Susan.
Oh, that'd be great.
Thanks.
It would help if we had her full name.
We might get access to her medical records.
How do we get that? Well, if she gives us permission, we can take her fingerprints and have the police run them.
But it usually takes weeks and it's not a priority for them.
Give me the prints.
I've got connections.
(knocking on door) GIBBS: Lieutenant Paul.
Special Agents Gibbs and McGee.
This is about Laurence Jennings.
I'm still in shock.
I knew something was wrong when he didn't come in yesterday morning.
So, this is Jennings' office.
Yeah.
He was supposed to put out an article on a new daycare center opening up on the base.
Started it at home but only got halfway through, so I gotta finish it.
Good thing he put it in the cloud.
What can you tell us about him? Nice guy.
Did his job.
Very competent.
Did he ever have any problems with anyone? No, not here.
He was really well liked.
What about at home? Yeah Thought that might get resolved when he hit it big but How's that? He had five numbers in the lottery last year.
Took home almost a half a million bucks, after taxes.
How many people he tell about that? Not many.
Maryland's one of the few states that allows winners to remain anonymous.
That's why he got involved with the lawyer.
JoAnn Allman.
Yeah.
You win that much money, you need advice.
Kind of feel guilty.
I was the one that introduced him to her.
Were they having an affair? That was the scuttlebutt.
ABBY: I'm trying to identify a fiber I found on a victim.
Right now, I'm doing a microscopic examination of both the longitudal and cross-sectional samples.
And then, after that, I'll do a solubility test.
Abby, you are adorable.
Even though I don't understand a word you're saying.
Dad! I heard you were wandering around the building.
SENIOR: Yeah, well, I, uh I came here to ask my dear friend Abby to do me a favor.
What? Well, I, uh, I brought Susan to the shelter, like you suggested.
If we can find out her last name, maybe we can access her medical records.
They took her fingerprints and I'm hoping that Abby can find a match.
Dad, that's very commendable, but you can't ask Abby to break Agency rules for a personal favor.
(computer dings) We got a hit.
You ran the prints.
Of course I did, Tony.
Poor homeless woman in need of medical care? That's a no-brainer.
(typing on keyboard) She's in the IAFIS database.
Huh.
I guess that is her.
Okay, her name is Susan Elizabeth Lowe.
She was an Army corporal, honorably discharged in 1986.
That means she's probably eligible for VA benefits.
Oh, Abby, you're the best.
Oh, thanks so much.
Sorry, son.
He's such a compassionate man.
Who knew? BISHOP: We've done forensic accounting on Jennings' expenses since he won the money.
His wife went on a spending spree.
Started out with household items and appliances, then she moved on to jewelry.
Expensive jewelry.
She became an online shopping addict.
The money ran out, but Angelina didn't stop.
She accumulated over $40,000 in credit card debt.
In a rage, Jennings cut up her cards last week.
That may all be true, but I have evidence just as compelling.
As previously stated, the proceeds from the lottery were deposited in two accounts, in two separate banks.
Exhibit B.
Doctor's bills.
We got your rhinoplasty, we got your mammaplasty, we got your liposuction-- otherwise known as nose job, boob job, and where they suck the fat out of you.
Plus collagen, Botox-- and you're asking yourself who is the lucky recipient of all these wonderful procedures? Well, it was none other than the mistress, JoAnn Allman, formerly Esquire.
BISHOP: What are you getting at? Why would a woman kill the man who gave all that to her? To answer that question, I bring to the witness stand Mr.
Timothy McGee.
Jennings cut her off, too.
You're taking Tony's side? Afraid so.
(sighs) Jennings was leasing a brand-new Lexus for JoAnn.
Stopped making payments on it two months ago.
When they came to repossess the car, Jennings started receiving threatening texts.
The wife more than threatened.
Two weeks ago, the police were called to the Jennings' residence.
Angelina was physically and verbally attacking her husband on the front lawn.
Jennings has a $2 million life insurance policy, and his wife is the sole beneficiary.
BISHOP: Which proves my point.
If the beneficiary is the murderer, she can't collect.
That's why she's blaming the mistress.
Okay, smarty-pants, how does insurance benefit the mistress? I mean, she has no dog in this fight.
GIBBS: Okay, I got it.
They both have a motive.
They both say they saw the other do the killing.
One of 'em is lyin'.
Let's find out who.
And how do you propose we do that? Let's see who's willing to take a polygraph.
Hey.
Bishop brought in the wife.
Just started the polygraph.
McGee is, uh, bringing in the mistress.
Your idea was a good one.
Yeah, we'll see.
Polygraphs aren't always conclusive.
No, I was talking about my father.
Your suggestion that he help the homeless woman.
He's really invigorated, you know? He has a purpose.
Acting like he's 20 years younger.
Thank you.
Just gave the chief a nudge.
Hmm.
Did you spend the night at the Fremont Inn on Three Notch Road? ANGELINA: Yes.
I heard what you were doing.
I didn't want to miss it.
Be my guest.
Agent Bale has finished the baseline questions and is getting down to business.
BALE: When you got to the house, did you confront your husband? No.
BALE: Was JoAnn Allman there? Yes.
Did you kill your husband? No.
She seem nervous to you? Size ten.
Harvey, great news.
Susan's last name is Lowe.
She's an Army veteran, which means we can get her into a VA hospital.
That's good, but there's a problem.
She's not here.
She left.
What do you mean she's not here? The physician's assistant gave Susan a basic physical exam and wanted to consult with a doctor.
I think that scared her.
We asked her to wait out here and she wandered off.
How could you let that happen? Mr.
DiNozzo we are understaffed here and we have far more people than we can handle.
(sighs quietly) Have a seat.
Please.
It's very apparent that Susan is suffering from some form of dementia.
But the physician's assistant noted some other symptoms that are very disturbing.
Uh, blurred vision, muscle weakness, headaches, dizziness, balance problems, and fatigue.
What did she say it was? She suggested Susan be brought to a hospital and tested for a brain tumor.
Oh, my God.
I got to find her.
Were you involved in an intimate relationship with Laurence Jennings? Yes.
BALE: Did you leave the gym and go to his house? Yes.
BALE: Did you confront Jennings when you got there? JOANN: No.
Did you kill Jennings? No.
She sounds awfully self-assured.
(door slams) Well, Ollie, what do you think? Well, not gonna make your life any easier, Director.
Can't give either of them a perfect score.
But on the question, "Did you kill Jennings?" neither one of them was lying.
I'll go over the data again.
Thank you.
VANCE: Well at this point, we can't charge either woman.
Whoever we brought to trial, their defense would be that the other one did it.
I agree with you.
So much reasonable doubt, a jury could never convict.
Got to have more conclusive evidence.
(speaking Mandarin) FEMALE VOICE: I'm glad to meet you.
(repeats Mandarin phrase) (Tony laughs) (doorbell rings) Oh.
Hey, did you find her? No.
She wasn't where I found her this morning.
And, uh I scoured the neighborhood, I talked to people on the street-- nothing.
Have you had anything to eat? No, I'm not hungry.
Let me get you something.
(sighs) Well I got to say, I haven't seen you this passionate about anything that wasn't work-related.
That's a sad commentary.
But you're not wrong.
Woman really got under your skin, huh? Yeah, yeah.
Maybe because she thinks I'm her father.
Maybe because I'm trying to make amends.
I wasn't always there for my only child.
Dad? If you're lucky enough to be a father, and I hope you are, you'll understand-- uh, may I? Of course.
Well maybe it just feels good to help someone.
I can't help her if I can't find her.
Oh.
Well, after you left Abby's lab, I could see how much this meant to you, so, uh, I wasn't going to tell you till I knew more, but I did some research on Susan.
Yeah? I guess she got to me, too.
Susan Lowe, born Wichita, Kansas.
Mother died when she was 12, father died 15 years later.
Any brothers or sisters? No, but she moved to the DC area after her discharge from the Army.
What did she do? I couldn't find much.
A couple of jobs here and there.
But I did get her last known address from a driver's license.
Expired five years ago.
(chuckles softly) What happened? She was so pretty.
So, Dad what we're gonna do is, tomorrow morning, you and I are gonna go to that address, we're gonna ask around, and hopefully, we can find someone who knew her.
Oh, well, thanks, Junior.
I really appreciate it.
Well, good morning to you, too.
Is that your second already this morning? It's my third, and I don't need you to lecture me on the evils of caffeine.
GIBBS: Hope you two got something.
Yeah.
I traced the fiber found on Jennings' body to a textile mill in Guangdong, China.
It's, uh, unique.
Eco-friendly.
That's good.
Polyester used exclusively for electric blankets.
Yeah, placing the electric blanket over the body, even for a short space of time, would alter my calculations of the time of death.
So, it's March.
It's still cold at night.
What's missing from this picture, from the crime scene? Blanket.
Exactly.
Warming the body would make the death appear later, by as much as two hours.
We know from the cell calls that both of the women were elsewhere earlier.
Wife at the motel.
Mistress at a gym.
Neither could've shot Jennings.
Or could've been there to see the other one do it.
They both claim to have witnessed the shooting, but they couldn't have.
So, are these two women who purportedly hate one another conspiring to cover up the truth? Oh, this isn't what I was expecting.
This is a nice neighborhood.
How did Susan go from living in a place like this, to pushing a cart and looking for a place to sleep? That's what we're gonna find out.
TONY: Excuse me.
You work here? Yeah, I'm the resident manager.
Great.
Uh, we're looking for somebody who used to live here, years ago.
Her name is Susan Lowe.
Susan Lowe? I haven't heard her name in years.
She used to live in the building when I started working here.
That's got to be 18, 19 years ago.
You know her well? Yeah, we were friends.
Nice lady.
After she moved out, I lost contact with her.
Why you asking? I'm a Federal agent.
Is, uh, Susan in some kind of trouble? We met her a few days ago.
She's, uh, unfortunately, suffering from dementia and living on the streets.
Wow.
That explains it.
What do you mean? She went through a difficult period.
I just thought she was depressed, but she was acting really erratic.
Why do you think that? Please.
We're just trying to help her.
She was screwing up at work and lost her job.
After she couldn't pay the rent, I carried her for a couple of months.
Till the owner of the building found out.
Where'd Susan go after that, do you know? Uh, she told me she was gonna try to reconnect with her father.
Uh, but that surprised me.
Why do you say that? Well, they were estranged.
Never really got along after the mother died.
Susan left home at 18.
I don't think she ever saw him again.
What was their problem? This was 30 years ago.
Her father never accepted she was gay.
Where'd you see her? A restaurant near Lovejoy Park.
Yeah, that makes sense.
She used to work a block from there.
She used loved to feed the pigeons at lunchtime.
I mean, I feel horrible.
I-I I thought Susan just went back to Kansas.
Bishop.
You said Jennings had a life insurance policy? Get a copy of it.
That computer cloud thing you were talking about with Jennings' boss how's it work? How exactly do you mean? Well, if you write something on your computer, does it automatically get stored someplace? Yes, and you can retrieve it from that computer, or any computer, or a tablet.
Okay, and you delete something on your computer, it automatically gets removed from everywhere.
No, not on most systems, no.
All right.
Find out if anything was deleted from Jennings' laptop in the last few days, that's still out there someplace.
What are you thinking? I'll be in Autopsy.
Uh, what was that all about? TONY: I guess you're parent is always your parent.
When Susan found out her life was falling apart, she just wanted to be reunited with her father.
She didn't know he was already dead.
She probably never found out.
That's why she keeps calling me "Dad.
" In her mind, she's still searching for him.
You know, you and I had a few years of non-communication, but, you know, I'm glad that's behind us.
Yeah, I second that.
Susan? Dad.
Susan why did you leave? Because you don't like me.
She's warm.
She's on fire, Tony.
I'll call an ambulance.
Well, his hands were free of gunshot residue, so I didn't think there was any need to even look under the nails.
Get that tested immediately, Mr.
Palmer.
And in future, please complete all tests, whether you think they're necessary or not.
Hey, Duck, is it hard to remove GSR from the hands? Oh, no, it's quite easy.
Scrubbing it with mild soap and water will do it.
ABBY: So, how did you know there was a document deleted off Jennings' laptop? A document was typed on his home computer at 6:37 Tuesday morning, deleted 8:51 a.
m.
But we retrieved it from the cloud.
Suicide note.
And I repeat, how did you know? It's not uncommon when someone takes their own life.
This note was addressed to JoAnn and Angelina.
In a very vindictive language, Jennings accuses both women of being greedy and draining his life of any meaning.
Wait, wait, wait, I don't understand.
If he committed suicide, how did he shoot himself twice? Gunshot to the head is self-inflicted.
Gunshot to the chest is post-mortem by one those two women.
Make it look like a murder.
Did you get a copy of that insurance policy? Yeah, and it has the standard "suicide clause.
" There's no payoff if the insured takes his own life within two years.
ABBY: Okay, so the wife wants to cover up the suicide and make it look like a murder so she can collect two million dollars.
Why would the mistress go along with all this? ANGELINA: I said I'd come with you.
I've done everything you asked.
Now, can you please just tell me why we're here? Asking the same question.
What the hell is she doing here? Haven't you arrested her yet? Me?! You're the one that shot Laurence.
Oh Ladies, we know what's going on here.
You both claim that Jennings called you from here on Tuesday morning, and he did.
Cell phone records and tower logs confirm your stories.
What's the problem? You both lied about why he called.
It was to tell you he was going to take his own life.
(sighs) That's ridiculous.
JOANN: Sure.
He shot himself twice.
We found his suicide note.
You deleted it off his laptop.
But what you didn't know was that everything on that computer is mirrored on the cloud.
He was dead before you got here.
Self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
BISHOP: Suicide.
No way for you to collect on his insurance policy and you couldn't fake his murder on your own, because there was a witness.
McGEE: So you two hatched your plan.
Accuse each other, create enough confusion and reasonable doubt that, basically, no chance of either of you being brought to trial.
Sounds like something a lawyer would do.
BISHOP: One of you shot the corpse from across the room.
But both of you had to have gunshot residue on your hand, so one of you shot the ceiling.
Put a blanket over the body to alter the time of death to coincide with your 911 calls.
Hey.
How much of the insurance money did she demand? Half.
I can't believe you purposely let yourselves be suspected of murder.
Two million dollars.
Not much of a downside.
No, but we didn't-- we didn't kill him! Get them out of here.
(sighs) JOANN: What are we being charged with? BISHOP: Insurance fraud.
I.
.
No, no, no.
It's a glioblastoma brain tumor.
Which, in her case, is inoperable.
Can you do anything? Well, the tumor is already past the stage where radiation or chemotherapy can help.
We'll just try and keep her comfortable.
How long does she have? Best case scenario is a month.
Probably less.
You're aware, Mr.
DiNozzo, that Susan thinks you're her father.
(quiet laugh) You're still here.
I couldn't leave my daughter alone.
(gentle laugh) We have a lot of years to make up for.
We didn't separate on such good terms.
It was my fault.
I was the one who ran away.
No, no, no, don't blame yourself.
It was me.
I, um I was angry.
My wife died.
I had to raise a child by myself.
And I took it out on you.
And I had no right to do that.
I understand.
Worse I was intolerant of who you are.
I grew up in a generation where people didn't accept everybody.
And I've come to realize that that that hurt me.
I lost you my beautiful little girl.
And now (voice breaking): you're a beautiful woman.
I love you, Susan.
I love you, too.
My beautiful little daughter.
@elderman
Okay.
Okay.
She shot her husband.
He's dead.
All right, ma'am, where's the shooter? (gasping): In the house, I think.
OFFICER: Okay, stay here.
Listen to me, stay here.
Stay here, okay? We got a call from the homeowner.
She locked herself in the bathroom.
Said a woman shot her husband.
All right.
Stay with her.
Police! Police! WOMAN: I'm-I'm in here! Okay, open the door slowly.
WOMAN: Okay.
(whimpers, gasps) Easy.
Right there.
(gasps) She's still here? She shot my husband! She said you did it.
(exhaling) NCIS 13x19 Reasonable Doubts @elderman (phone ringing) What? What's the matter? Getting a call from myself.
Hmm.
Answer it.
See what you want.
Hello? Oh, I'm sorry.
I must have grabbed it by mistake when I was on my way out.
I'll bring it to you, okay? Great.
Grabbed Delilah's phone by mistake.
This could be a disaster.
Well, think positive.
You get to see who calls her.
Yeah, but the problem is she might see who calls me.
You hiding something, Tim? Gotta go to the Pentagon.
Be right back.
Look who I found in the lobby.
Hi, Mr.
D.
Eleanor.
You look great.
Thank you.
Hey, Dad.
What are you doing here so early? It's Tuesday.
Our standing lunch.
Yeah.
Lunch is at 1:00 p.
m.
Oh, well, I didn't have anything to do this morning, so I thought I'd come by early and see if I can help you guys.
(chuckling): Oh.
Help? I need a project.
I got a friend of mine in New York, uh, Cubby Kirschner.
You remember him? Uh-huh.
That doorman at 86th Street.
Yeah, right.
He retired.
And, uh, now he's a volunteer for the 20th precinct.
He mans the desk in the lobby, takes calls, does filing.
I thought maybe I could do something like that around here.
(chuckling): Oh, you did, huh? Well, how about that.
Not really the same thing though, 'cause this isn't a police department.
This is a Federal agency.
There's a lot of secret-- top-secret, classified stuff, security clearances Uh, Tim? What do you think? Um, I'm not sure, Mr.
DiNozzo, but I gotta go.
Hold on, McGee.
We got a body at Pax River.
Let's go.
Chief, you want a project? Yeah.
I could use some help tonight, in my basement.
Got a job.
Two-man job on a boat.
I'll be there.
I'll walk you out.
Listen, we got to talk, so if I get back in time we'll still meet for lunch, all right? Okay, Junior.
OFFICER: We've had a little trouble keeping them from scratching each other's eyes out.
Who are they? That's the victim's wife.
We found her locked in the bathroom when we got here, afraid the other one was gonna kill her.
Who is that? That is, uh a very, close personal friend of Jennings.
Mistress? Well, I'm guessing.
But, uh, we found her out here on the front lawn.
The crazy thing is, that, uh they both claim they saw the other one do the shooting.
(camera shutter clicking) DiNozzo.
Bishop.
Test both those women for GSR.
BOTH: All right.
What do we got? McGEE: Plaster dust.
And what looks like a bullet hole up there.
Let me get a ladder.
DUCKY: Time of death is between 8:30 and 9:00.
Which is consistent with the calls the women made to 911 and the security company.
Yeah, there are two gunshot wounds: One to the chest, one to the head.
But there are no defensive wounds.
I'd venture that he was sitting in his chair, and he turned to face his attacker.
Me?! You're gonna test me?! I told you.
She shot her husband in cold blood! That is a lie! I loved Laurence.
I would never hurt him.
Why did you have to kill him? This is gonna be a messy one.
OPERATOR: This is 911.
What is your emergency? JOANN: There's been a shooting.
I think he's dead.
OPERATOR: What's your location? That was JoAnn Allman.
The mistress.
Call came in at 8:58 a.
m.
SECURITY OPERATOR: DC Home Security Patrol.
Is this an emergency? ANGELINA: My husband's been shot! SECURITY OPERATOR: Who am I speaking to? That was Angelina Jennings, the wife, at 8:59.
Calls were made 30 seconds apart.
What do we know about the husband? Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts.
He worked for a couple of newspapers in Manhattan before becoming a civilian writer for Navy publications.
Been at Naval Air Station Pax River the last two-plus years.
What's his access level? Lowest.
"Confidential.
" The folder in his apartment contained press releases.
McGEE: Married his high school sweetheart, Angelina Giovanni.
She's a certified nursing assistant, but she's currently unemployed.
What about the other woman? Oh, well, JoAnn Allman.
Hails from Baltimore, my old beat.
Graduated from the unaccredited Chesapeake School of Law.
Bounced around a couple of firms, was practicing on her own, till she was suspended recently for, and I quote, "a pervasive pattern of professional misconduct.
" Talk to them.
I'm gonna take the mistress.
Something about her seems guilty.
Hmm.
Don't you always suspect the spouse? Usually, but (groans) Okay.
I'll take the wife.
I guess I'll follow up on the murder weapon.
I suspected for a while my husband was cheating.
And, three days ago, I caught him in a lie.
He tried to deny it.
(chuckle) We got in a huge fight and I moved out.
I've been staying in a motel.
Laurence called me a couple days ago.
He told me he finally told his wife about us.
He had been promising to do it.
How'd she take it? What do you think? Tell me about this morning.
I was at the gym.
Laurence called me around 7:00.
He said Angelina wasn't handling the situation very well.
She was making violent threats.
I told him when I finish my work out, I would I would come by.
Laurence called.
Waking me up.
What time? At 7:00, I think.
He said he was really sorry and he loved me.
(shuddering breath) And he was gonna call that woman and tell her that it was over between them.
When I got to the house, she was already there.
As I was walking up to the front door I heard shouting.
When I went inside, I found Angelina holding a gun on Laurence, and I begged her to put it down but she shot him.
And she moved closer and she fired again.
Then she turned the gun on me.
She was out of her mind.
She was screaming at Laurence.
If she couldn't have him, then she wasn't gonna let him come home to me.
She pulled the trigger.
T-Twice I think and, um then she started in my direction and and I-I was just trying to defend myself.
She was gonna shoot me, so I grabbed her arm and We struggled.
And the gun went off.
How'd you get away? I don't know, it was such a blur.
The gun dropped to the floor and I-I don't know, somehow I got outside.
I locked myself in the bathroom and I-I speed-dialed the alarm company.
(sighs) What happens next? We're just starting our investigation.
We have a lot of work to do.
Well, um can I, can I go home? Uh, no, not to your house.
It's still a crime scene.
We're gonna keep you here while we finish processing the evidence.
Should I be hiring a lawyer? I need to make a call.
Yeah, you do, because of course you can't represent yourself, 'cause your license is suspended.
The shot to Jennings' chest was devastating.
It tore through his aorta and lodged between the T-4 and T-5 vertebrae, severing his spinal cord.
But that was not enough for the shooter.
She moved in for the head shot.
Yes.
There was soot around this wound, indicating that it was fired at very close range.
This wound to the chest had no such residue.
Anything else? Yes.
We found fibers in the clotted blood around this wound.
Mr.
Palmer's taking them up to to Abby along with the slugs.
Does that famous gut of yours have an opinion? Scorned wife or jilted lover? Ah, it's too early, Duck.
My gut's overrated.
Don't you believe that for a moment.
Jennings' blood work looks pretty normal, except his cholesterol's a little high.
Were you able to identify the fuzzy little fiber? Polyester.
Any more specific? Can you narrow it down? I will get to it, Jimmy.
Sorry.
So far this morning, I have run ballistics on the slugs, fingerprints on the murder weapon, GSR on the suspect's hands, and blood tests from the autopsy, and now I'm going through every single file on the victim's computer, and I'm only one person.
You're right.
I'm sorry.
I'm leaving.
(whispers): Be careful.
I heard that .
What do you want? Nothing.
I just wanted to tell you that the gun was registered to Jennings.
Thank you.
Bought it six years ago.
Gun shop in New York.
It's legal.
Makes sense.
His fingerprints were on the gun, but so were both women's.
I really enjoy our lunches, Junior, but you shouldn't always pay.
Dad, I have a job, you don't.
Don't remind me.
Retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be.
I was hoping I could help out around the office.
Listen I'm sure you'll find something.
It doesn't have to be work.
What about that flyer we saw in the lobby of your building.
Something about water aerobics at the senior center? You promised you'd try that.
Oh, I did.
How'd it go? I-I got a rash.
Ugh.
Where? My dermatologist said the chlorine was damaging my complexion.
(sighs) Look, there's Excuse me.
Dad, I've been looking all over for you.
Oh.
Do I have a sister I don't know about? Don't joke, Junior.
There's obviously something wrong with her.
You've mistaken me for someone else.
There's so much I have to tell you.
Here you go.
Here's a little, uh, something.
Get get yourself something to eat.
Dad please don't leave me.
Come on.
Thought I'd check in before I go home.
Which of the two women did you decide to charge for the murder? Oh, we don't know yet.
State's Attorney's Office called.
Wants an update.
I told him you had an eyewitness.
We got two.
They're accusing each other.
That's interesting.
Either one better for it? Well, Leon, we have varying opinions.
I think the mistress.
I think the wife.
I'm somewhere in the middle.
The wife says she was at a motel before the murder and the mistress said she was at a gym.
Cell phone tower logs confirm both stories are true.
The mistress is a suspended lawyer who practiced on the edges of the law.
Neighbors told me the wife was constantly attacking and berating her husband, who they say was the nicest guy.
Nicest guy who cheats on his wife.
What about GSR tests? Well, both of them had gun residue on their hands, but they both said they struggled for the gun.
So, you see where we are? Sounds like either one of them could be guilty or innocent.
A little higher, chief.
Pressure it.
Ah, right there.
Got it.
Okay.
Good.
So, is DC working out for you? Oh, I've had to make some adjustments.
But it's been so good for me living close to Junior.
It's been good for him, too.
He sure looks forward to your Tuesday lunches.
The strangest thing happened this afternoon.
When we came out of the restaurant, this, uh, homeless woman came up and grabbed me.
She thought I was her father.
There's a lot of homeless people, Chief, who suffer from mental problems.
Yeah, well, what bothers me is she wasn't that old.
It's so sad.
I could have a daughter her age.
There was something in her eyes, Gibbs.
I don't know why, but I'm feeling guilty that I just turned and walked away.
She appeared so lost.
Well, you said you were looking for a project.
Yeah.
Go find her.
(scoffs) You serious? You got something better to do? Hold your horses.
Oh, thank God you haven't left yet.
We need your help.
We? Yeah.
Hi.
What is she doing here? She has a name.
Susan.
She needs our help.
Watch your step.
Careful.
Susan, this is Tony.
You saw him yesterday.
This is his apartment.
Oh.
It's very nice.
Thank you, Susan.
Mmm! Huh.
Is there a reason you brought her here? Oh, she's so confused.
She can't remember her last name.
Maybe she has family who can help her.
I still don't understand, Dad.
You're a Federal agent.
You find out things about people.
(Susan playing simple melody on piano) Susan that's beautiful.
You play piano.
You're the one who made me take lessons.
She still thinks that I'm her father.
(chuckling): Oh, yeah.
I got that.
Okay.
This is crazy.
You can't do this.
You can't just bring a homeless person into my apartment.
Is something burning? (both sniff) Oh! My bagel.
(groans) (groans) Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot! (crashing in distance) Dad? Sorry, sorry.
I thought I could find some I.
D.
in her stuff.
What is that? My bird seed.
Dad Something wrong? Everything okay with you and Delilah? Yeah.
Yeah, why? You seemed worried yesterday about her getting your calls.
Are you hiding something from her? I kind of am.
I'm I'm expecting a call from a jeweler.
Been looking at diamond rings.
Tim (laughs) Hey, McGee.
Hey, boss.
Pulled Jennings' bank records.
He lived paycheck to paycheck until last year, when he deposited over $500,000 into two separate accounts.
Two different banks.
Where's the money come from? We're still checking it out.
And where did it go? Both accounts have been depleted.
Money is always a good motive for murder.
Nice of you to show up, DiNozzo.
Yes, well, I was in my own personal hell this morning.
My father showed up at my apartment with a woman.
What, a socialite this time? Heiress? Homeless.
My father brought a straight-off-the-street bag lady into my apartment.
Rusty old shopping cart and all.
And Dad said that it was your idea, Gibbs? I'm glad he found her.
She still at your place? No.
I got Dad the name of a shelter and I put the both of them into an Uber.
Nice shoes.
Thanks.
Size ten? Nine and a half.
And I bet you got a whole lot more at home.
You really need those? Mr.
DiNozzo.
Dad.
I was afraid you left.
No, I told you I'd wait.
(quiet laugh) Susan.
Take a seat.
We'll be right back.
We just provide shelter and food here on a temporary basis.
It's obvious Susan needs medical attention.
Oh, I agree.
She, um, she seems so weak disoriented.
We have a physician's assistant who volunteers here.
She's making rounds now.
I'll have her take a look at Susan.
Oh, that'd be great.
Thanks.
It would help if we had her full name.
We might get access to her medical records.
How do we get that? Well, if she gives us permission, we can take her fingerprints and have the police run them.
But it usually takes weeks and it's not a priority for them.
Give me the prints.
I've got connections.
(knocking on door) GIBBS: Lieutenant Paul.
Special Agents Gibbs and McGee.
This is about Laurence Jennings.
I'm still in shock.
I knew something was wrong when he didn't come in yesterday morning.
So, this is Jennings' office.
Yeah.
He was supposed to put out an article on a new daycare center opening up on the base.
Started it at home but only got halfway through, so I gotta finish it.
Good thing he put it in the cloud.
What can you tell us about him? Nice guy.
Did his job.
Very competent.
Did he ever have any problems with anyone? No, not here.
He was really well liked.
What about at home? Yeah Thought that might get resolved when he hit it big but How's that? He had five numbers in the lottery last year.
Took home almost a half a million bucks, after taxes.
How many people he tell about that? Not many.
Maryland's one of the few states that allows winners to remain anonymous.
That's why he got involved with the lawyer.
JoAnn Allman.
Yeah.
You win that much money, you need advice.
Kind of feel guilty.
I was the one that introduced him to her.
Were they having an affair? That was the scuttlebutt.
ABBY: I'm trying to identify a fiber I found on a victim.
Right now, I'm doing a microscopic examination of both the longitudal and cross-sectional samples.
And then, after that, I'll do a solubility test.
Abby, you are adorable.
Even though I don't understand a word you're saying.
Dad! I heard you were wandering around the building.
SENIOR: Yeah, well, I, uh I came here to ask my dear friend Abby to do me a favor.
What? Well, I, uh, I brought Susan to the shelter, like you suggested.
If we can find out her last name, maybe we can access her medical records.
They took her fingerprints and I'm hoping that Abby can find a match.
Dad, that's very commendable, but you can't ask Abby to break Agency rules for a personal favor.
(computer dings) We got a hit.
You ran the prints.
Of course I did, Tony.
Poor homeless woman in need of medical care? That's a no-brainer.
(typing on keyboard) She's in the IAFIS database.
Huh.
I guess that is her.
Okay, her name is Susan Elizabeth Lowe.
She was an Army corporal, honorably discharged in 1986.
That means she's probably eligible for VA benefits.
Oh, Abby, you're the best.
Oh, thanks so much.
Sorry, son.
He's such a compassionate man.
Who knew? BISHOP: We've done forensic accounting on Jennings' expenses since he won the money.
His wife went on a spending spree.
Started out with household items and appliances, then she moved on to jewelry.
Expensive jewelry.
She became an online shopping addict.
The money ran out, but Angelina didn't stop.
She accumulated over $40,000 in credit card debt.
In a rage, Jennings cut up her cards last week.
That may all be true, but I have evidence just as compelling.
As previously stated, the proceeds from the lottery were deposited in two accounts, in two separate banks.
Exhibit B.
Doctor's bills.
We got your rhinoplasty, we got your mammaplasty, we got your liposuction-- otherwise known as nose job, boob job, and where they suck the fat out of you.
Plus collagen, Botox-- and you're asking yourself who is the lucky recipient of all these wonderful procedures? Well, it was none other than the mistress, JoAnn Allman, formerly Esquire.
BISHOP: What are you getting at? Why would a woman kill the man who gave all that to her? To answer that question, I bring to the witness stand Mr.
Timothy McGee.
Jennings cut her off, too.
You're taking Tony's side? Afraid so.
(sighs) Jennings was leasing a brand-new Lexus for JoAnn.
Stopped making payments on it two months ago.
When they came to repossess the car, Jennings started receiving threatening texts.
The wife more than threatened.
Two weeks ago, the police were called to the Jennings' residence.
Angelina was physically and verbally attacking her husband on the front lawn.
Jennings has a $2 million life insurance policy, and his wife is the sole beneficiary.
BISHOP: Which proves my point.
If the beneficiary is the murderer, she can't collect.
That's why she's blaming the mistress.
Okay, smarty-pants, how does insurance benefit the mistress? I mean, she has no dog in this fight.
GIBBS: Okay, I got it.
They both have a motive.
They both say they saw the other do the killing.
One of 'em is lyin'.
Let's find out who.
And how do you propose we do that? Let's see who's willing to take a polygraph.
Hey.
Bishop brought in the wife.
Just started the polygraph.
McGee is, uh, bringing in the mistress.
Your idea was a good one.
Yeah, we'll see.
Polygraphs aren't always conclusive.
No, I was talking about my father.
Your suggestion that he help the homeless woman.
He's really invigorated, you know? He has a purpose.
Acting like he's 20 years younger.
Thank you.
Just gave the chief a nudge.
Hmm.
Did you spend the night at the Fremont Inn on Three Notch Road? ANGELINA: Yes.
I heard what you were doing.
I didn't want to miss it.
Be my guest.
Agent Bale has finished the baseline questions and is getting down to business.
BALE: When you got to the house, did you confront your husband? No.
BALE: Was JoAnn Allman there? Yes.
Did you kill your husband? No.
She seem nervous to you? Size ten.
Harvey, great news.
Susan's last name is Lowe.
She's an Army veteran, which means we can get her into a VA hospital.
That's good, but there's a problem.
She's not here.
She left.
What do you mean she's not here? The physician's assistant gave Susan a basic physical exam and wanted to consult with a doctor.
I think that scared her.
We asked her to wait out here and she wandered off.
How could you let that happen? Mr.
DiNozzo we are understaffed here and we have far more people than we can handle.
(sighs quietly) Have a seat.
Please.
It's very apparent that Susan is suffering from some form of dementia.
But the physician's assistant noted some other symptoms that are very disturbing.
Uh, blurred vision, muscle weakness, headaches, dizziness, balance problems, and fatigue.
What did she say it was? She suggested Susan be brought to a hospital and tested for a brain tumor.
Oh, my God.
I got to find her.
Were you involved in an intimate relationship with Laurence Jennings? Yes.
BALE: Did you leave the gym and go to his house? Yes.
BALE: Did you confront Jennings when you got there? JOANN: No.
Did you kill Jennings? No.
She sounds awfully self-assured.
(door slams) Well, Ollie, what do you think? Well, not gonna make your life any easier, Director.
Can't give either of them a perfect score.
But on the question, "Did you kill Jennings?" neither one of them was lying.
I'll go over the data again.
Thank you.
VANCE: Well at this point, we can't charge either woman.
Whoever we brought to trial, their defense would be that the other one did it.
I agree with you.
So much reasonable doubt, a jury could never convict.
Got to have more conclusive evidence.
(speaking Mandarin) FEMALE VOICE: I'm glad to meet you.
(repeats Mandarin phrase) (Tony laughs) (doorbell rings) Oh.
Hey, did you find her? No.
She wasn't where I found her this morning.
And, uh I scoured the neighborhood, I talked to people on the street-- nothing.
Have you had anything to eat? No, I'm not hungry.
Let me get you something.
(sighs) Well I got to say, I haven't seen you this passionate about anything that wasn't work-related.
That's a sad commentary.
But you're not wrong.
Woman really got under your skin, huh? Yeah, yeah.
Maybe because she thinks I'm her father.
Maybe because I'm trying to make amends.
I wasn't always there for my only child.
Dad? If you're lucky enough to be a father, and I hope you are, you'll understand-- uh, may I? Of course.
Well maybe it just feels good to help someone.
I can't help her if I can't find her.
Oh.
Well, after you left Abby's lab, I could see how much this meant to you, so, uh, I wasn't going to tell you till I knew more, but I did some research on Susan.
Yeah? I guess she got to me, too.
Susan Lowe, born Wichita, Kansas.
Mother died when she was 12, father died 15 years later.
Any brothers or sisters? No, but she moved to the DC area after her discharge from the Army.
What did she do? I couldn't find much.
A couple of jobs here and there.
But I did get her last known address from a driver's license.
Expired five years ago.
(chuckles softly) What happened? She was so pretty.
So, Dad what we're gonna do is, tomorrow morning, you and I are gonna go to that address, we're gonna ask around, and hopefully, we can find someone who knew her.
Oh, well, thanks, Junior.
I really appreciate it.
Well, good morning to you, too.
Is that your second already this morning? It's my third, and I don't need you to lecture me on the evils of caffeine.
GIBBS: Hope you two got something.
Yeah.
I traced the fiber found on Jennings' body to a textile mill in Guangdong, China.
It's, uh, unique.
Eco-friendly.
That's good.
Polyester used exclusively for electric blankets.
Yeah, placing the electric blanket over the body, even for a short space of time, would alter my calculations of the time of death.
So, it's March.
It's still cold at night.
What's missing from this picture, from the crime scene? Blanket.
Exactly.
Warming the body would make the death appear later, by as much as two hours.
We know from the cell calls that both of the women were elsewhere earlier.
Wife at the motel.
Mistress at a gym.
Neither could've shot Jennings.
Or could've been there to see the other one do it.
They both claim to have witnessed the shooting, but they couldn't have.
So, are these two women who purportedly hate one another conspiring to cover up the truth? Oh, this isn't what I was expecting.
This is a nice neighborhood.
How did Susan go from living in a place like this, to pushing a cart and looking for a place to sleep? That's what we're gonna find out.
TONY: Excuse me.
You work here? Yeah, I'm the resident manager.
Great.
Uh, we're looking for somebody who used to live here, years ago.
Her name is Susan Lowe.
Susan Lowe? I haven't heard her name in years.
She used to live in the building when I started working here.
That's got to be 18, 19 years ago.
You know her well? Yeah, we were friends.
Nice lady.
After she moved out, I lost contact with her.
Why you asking? I'm a Federal agent.
Is, uh, Susan in some kind of trouble? We met her a few days ago.
She's, uh, unfortunately, suffering from dementia and living on the streets.
Wow.
That explains it.
What do you mean? She went through a difficult period.
I just thought she was depressed, but she was acting really erratic.
Why do you think that? Please.
We're just trying to help her.
She was screwing up at work and lost her job.
After she couldn't pay the rent, I carried her for a couple of months.
Till the owner of the building found out.
Where'd Susan go after that, do you know? Uh, she told me she was gonna try to reconnect with her father.
Uh, but that surprised me.
Why do you say that? Well, they were estranged.
Never really got along after the mother died.
Susan left home at 18.
I don't think she ever saw him again.
What was their problem? This was 30 years ago.
Her father never accepted she was gay.
Where'd you see her? A restaurant near Lovejoy Park.
Yeah, that makes sense.
She used to work a block from there.
She used loved to feed the pigeons at lunchtime.
I mean, I feel horrible.
I-I I thought Susan just went back to Kansas.
Bishop.
You said Jennings had a life insurance policy? Get a copy of it.
That computer cloud thing you were talking about with Jennings' boss how's it work? How exactly do you mean? Well, if you write something on your computer, does it automatically get stored someplace? Yes, and you can retrieve it from that computer, or any computer, or a tablet.
Okay, and you delete something on your computer, it automatically gets removed from everywhere.
No, not on most systems, no.
All right.
Find out if anything was deleted from Jennings' laptop in the last few days, that's still out there someplace.
What are you thinking? I'll be in Autopsy.
Uh, what was that all about? TONY: I guess you're parent is always your parent.
When Susan found out her life was falling apart, she just wanted to be reunited with her father.
She didn't know he was already dead.
She probably never found out.
That's why she keeps calling me "Dad.
" In her mind, she's still searching for him.
You know, you and I had a few years of non-communication, but, you know, I'm glad that's behind us.
Yeah, I second that.
Susan? Dad.
Susan why did you leave? Because you don't like me.
She's warm.
She's on fire, Tony.
I'll call an ambulance.
Well, his hands were free of gunshot residue, so I didn't think there was any need to even look under the nails.
Get that tested immediately, Mr.
Palmer.
And in future, please complete all tests, whether you think they're necessary or not.
Hey, Duck, is it hard to remove GSR from the hands? Oh, no, it's quite easy.
Scrubbing it with mild soap and water will do it.
ABBY: So, how did you know there was a document deleted off Jennings' laptop? A document was typed on his home computer at 6:37 Tuesday morning, deleted 8:51 a.
m.
But we retrieved it from the cloud.
Suicide note.
And I repeat, how did you know? It's not uncommon when someone takes their own life.
This note was addressed to JoAnn and Angelina.
In a very vindictive language, Jennings accuses both women of being greedy and draining his life of any meaning.
Wait, wait, wait, I don't understand.
If he committed suicide, how did he shoot himself twice? Gunshot to the head is self-inflicted.
Gunshot to the chest is post-mortem by one those two women.
Make it look like a murder.
Did you get a copy of that insurance policy? Yeah, and it has the standard "suicide clause.
" There's no payoff if the insured takes his own life within two years.
ABBY: Okay, so the wife wants to cover up the suicide and make it look like a murder so she can collect two million dollars.
Why would the mistress go along with all this? ANGELINA: I said I'd come with you.
I've done everything you asked.
Now, can you please just tell me why we're here? Asking the same question.
What the hell is she doing here? Haven't you arrested her yet? Me?! You're the one that shot Laurence.
Oh Ladies, we know what's going on here.
You both claim that Jennings called you from here on Tuesday morning, and he did.
Cell phone records and tower logs confirm your stories.
What's the problem? You both lied about why he called.
It was to tell you he was going to take his own life.
(sighs) That's ridiculous.
JOANN: Sure.
He shot himself twice.
We found his suicide note.
You deleted it off his laptop.
But what you didn't know was that everything on that computer is mirrored on the cloud.
He was dead before you got here.
Self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
BISHOP: Suicide.
No way for you to collect on his insurance policy and you couldn't fake his murder on your own, because there was a witness.
McGEE: So you two hatched your plan.
Accuse each other, create enough confusion and reasonable doubt that, basically, no chance of either of you being brought to trial.
Sounds like something a lawyer would do.
BISHOP: One of you shot the corpse from across the room.
But both of you had to have gunshot residue on your hand, so one of you shot the ceiling.
Put a blanket over the body to alter the time of death to coincide with your 911 calls.
Hey.
How much of the insurance money did she demand? Half.
I can't believe you purposely let yourselves be suspected of murder.
Two million dollars.
Not much of a downside.
No, but we didn't-- we didn't kill him! Get them out of here.
(sighs) JOANN: What are we being charged with? BISHOP: Insurance fraud.
I.
.
No, no, no.
It's a glioblastoma brain tumor.
Which, in her case, is inoperable.
Can you do anything? Well, the tumor is already past the stage where radiation or chemotherapy can help.
We'll just try and keep her comfortable.
How long does she have? Best case scenario is a month.
Probably less.
You're aware, Mr.
DiNozzo, that Susan thinks you're her father.
(quiet laugh) You're still here.
I couldn't leave my daughter alone.
(gentle laugh) We have a lot of years to make up for.
We didn't separate on such good terms.
It was my fault.
I was the one who ran away.
No, no, no, don't blame yourself.
It was me.
I, um I was angry.
My wife died.
I had to raise a child by myself.
And I took it out on you.
And I had no right to do that.
I understand.
Worse I was intolerant of who you are.
I grew up in a generation where people didn't accept everybody.
And I've come to realize that that that hurt me.
I lost you my beautiful little girl.
And now (voice breaking): you're a beautiful woman.
I love you, Susan.
I love you, too.
My beautiful little daughter.
@elderman