NCIS s14e06 Episode Script
Shell Game
1 (loud rock music playing) MAN: What about her? Mm-hmm.
I got no worries I like her hair.
And I don't know why Can I cut her? I don't need the money now.
Okay.
Oh, I got to sing with some disgrace I'm in no hurry No And I don't know why I don't know why (whimpering) Oh, no, no Shh.
Girls rock your boys Mmm.
We'll get wild, wild, wild (woman screaming) Come on, feel the noise Girls rock your boys We'll get wild, wild, wild Baby Come on! NCIS 14x06 Philly @elderman Really? Really, you want a fight? You want a fight? 'Cause I'm gonna win.
Technology tantrum.
Joining my club, McGee? No, I am not having a tantrum.
This is just what happens when a perfectly rational machine behaves completely irrationally.
Look at this.
Look at this.
BISHOP: Okay.
You have one new e-mail-- so? Watch what happens when I try and open it.
Huh.
Where is it? That's exactly my point.
It's the most basic function of e-mail since the invention of it, but this one refuses to open.
Hmm.
(singsongy): Morning! Oh, wow.
That's team spirit.
Yes, Abby knitted this herself.
It's not exactly my style, but I wear it proudly.
You know, Abby made me some, uh, socks when I first joined here.
Very cozy.
She made me this friendship bracelet.
Ooh.
And what about you, Nick-- what'd she make you? (gasps) Ooh, she forgot Nick.
Oh, no, no, no-- Abby doesn't forget.
I don't wear vests, okay? And I definitely don't wear fu-fu colors.
BISHOP: "Fu-fu"? Yeah, uh, blue or something.
I think she called it, uh, cobalt? Alex? (laughs) Mm! You look fantastic.
I'm so glad it fits.
Mm-hmm.
Doesn't she look great, Nick? Oh, yeah, no one, no one wears wool like, uh, like Alex.
You know, it's the first cold day of the year.
You a little cold, Nick? Yeah, well, I have, uh I have a jacket, so, uh I feel pretty comfortable.
Abby, you know, I was wondering what is this side little pocket for? That's your secret agent pocket.
So you can hide things, like, really stealthily.
Like a-a microRecorder or a safe deposit key or-or a cyanide capsule.
I probably won't do the last one, but thank you.
McGee, Quinn, grab your gear.
Got a lead on our missing petty officer.
Kelly Ristow? That's-that's amazing.
She's been missing for days.
Dead or alive, boss? Don't know.
All they have is fingerprints.
At a homicide.
(siren chirps) (indistinct radio transmission) Come on, Bob.
We're live in ten.
Got dressed up for your victim? Agent McGee, thanks for coming.
Detective Campbell.
Saw that camera crew out front-- you wearing that tie for the press conference? Wanted to get the word out that a Navy petty officer is missing and may be a material witness.
You called the media to a crime scene? Gibbs.
Nice to see you, too.
No press.
My crime scene, my rules.
I invited NCIS here as a courtesy.
How about as a courtesy I don't kick your ass? You know what? Maybe I'll send a press release.
Agent Francis, what do we know? Well, I know you haven't returned my last three phone calls.
Oh, uh, you know, um You've been meaning to call but you forgot.
You know what, no.
You're a really sweet guy, and we did have something a while back, but it's just No buts.
Hint taken.
No hard feelings, okay? You'll be hard to stay mad at.
Oh So back to business.
Petty Officer Ristow's fingerprints were found all over the basement.
Right, but no Petty Officer Ristow.
Negative.
Looks like this guy kept her chained up.
But then face met dumbbell, and she got out of Dodge.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Boss, we got a BOLO hit.
TSA's holding Petty Officer Ristow at Dulles.
Airport? All right.
On my way.
Hey, Gibbs, where you off to? Right.
You got it.
That the dead guy's cell phone? Yeah, standard burner.
Either never used or he deleted everything.
So, uh, you don't mind if I keep it.
Can't.
Procedure.
Come on.
Um I mean, Tim, you heard him-- I mean, it's his crime scene.
it's his evidence.
You're right.
I'm sorry, uh, Detective Campbell, I apologize.
We, uh, we took some crime scene photos earlier.
So, uh, if any of 'em could be of any use, just let us know.
Thanks.
I think we're good to go.
Dead body's all yours.
WOMAN: This is the final boarding call for Flight 239 passengers must board at this time.
Special Agent Gibbs? Gregg Rogers, TSA.
It's a real honor, sir.
You have our petty officer? Yeah, she's locked up tight.
Don't like holding military.
What'd she do, exactly? Don't tell me if it compromises national security.
Although I will take any secret to my grave.
Is she in here? Yeah, it's our detention area.
Open it.
She's pretty beat up and she keeps asking for her husband.
Is she a spy? You don't have to say if she is.
(beeping) Seriously? It's Agent Yellow, this is Agent Blue.
What's the code for the big metal door? Over.
Come in, Agent Yellow.
You got a key, Agent Blue? Oh, yeah.
(both shouting) Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop! Get away from me! Get away! Kelly, Kelly.
Hey.
(crying): Help me! (sobbing) (rapid beeping) That mystery e-mail still driving you nuts? It's not driving me nuts, it's just, it's annoying.
Want to feel better? How? Take a look at this.
You have 98,000 unread e-mails? 98 plus.
How? Why? Well, when I was undercover I-I I never checked them, you know? So, I could never I could never catch up, so at some point I just quit trying, man.
How do you sleep at night? Oh, on my back.
Naked.
Fresh air feels nice.
GIBBS: I need a sitrep.
Uh, boss, Petty Officer Ristow spent the night in the hospital.
She's being treated for malnutrition, minor injuries.
Now, physically, she'll be okay, but psychologically, it's another story.
Yeah.
Quinn and Bishop are with her now.
The husband? M.
I.
A.
Pinged his phone.
Nothing.
BOLO out on him and his car, a 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
What do we know about him? Squirrelly.
Direct quote from Agent Francis.
Well, where is Francis? Ristow's not a missing person anymore.
Our case now.
Chris and Kelly were married five years ago.
They live in Wilmington, Delaware.
He works as a night watchman for a law firm.
No kids.
And his record is spotless.
Why'd she go to the airport? Unknown.
No airline charges on their credit cards.
There any connection between the husband and the kidnapper? No.
Just a psychopath who wanted a pretty girl in his basement.
Yeah, well, does the psychopath have a name? Yes, Olek Lazarenko.
Ukrainian.
Real piece of work.
It's actually faster to list the crimes he didn't commit.
Getting his face smashed in by a dumbbell seems pretty appropriate.
He deserved it.
Go to where the husband works.
See what they know.
I know this is difficult, but we have to ask you a few questions.
Is this the man who kidnapped you? (crying) Did you kill him? I had to.
Am I under arrest? No.
Not remotely.
You're the victim here.
It was clearly self-defense.
Can you tell us how you were kidnapped? Well, I'd just gotten home from my shift.
Started unloading groceries.
Around what time? Uh, around midnight.
I was putting stuff away, and and suddenly there was a hand on my mouth.
Kelly, when you escaped, why not go to the police? Why go to the airport? It's where Chris said to meet him.
You spoke to Chris, your husband? After I escaped I just started running.
And I borrowed some man's cell phone.
I called Chris, and he said we needed to meet at the airport right away.
Why? To leave the country.
He said he'd explain later.
But he wasn't at the airport.
Can I go home now? I'm sorry.
We need to keep you in protective custody.
Why do I need protection? That animal acted alone.
Are you sure? Where was Chris when you were taken? At work graveyard shift.
Have to ask-- were you and Chris fighting recently? Wait what? You don't think--? No, no, no.
Chris didn't do anything.
He's in danger.
We think you're the one in danger.
From my own husband? QUINN: Kelly, it was the Navy who reported your unauthorized absence when you failed to show up for duty.
You were gone for five days and your husband never reported you missing.
McGEE: Okay, let's try this again.
There is an e-mail; it shows that there's an e-mail, it insist there's an e-mail, but when I go to it, there is no actual e-mail.
It's like it disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle of electronic transmissions.
McGee, just turn it off and on; that's what I do.
Torres, I appreciate the help, okay? But that is very version seven.
No.
No, no, no.
Not me.
I am running version 9.
4.
3.
Yes.
No.
I don't have time to hold.
Good-bye.
What are you doing? Well, you know, this place pretends to be fancy, but look at this piece of crap.
It's a knockoff.
Hmm.
How do you know? I studied sculpture when I was undercover in Holland.
My instructor said I was a keen observer of the human form.
Admiring our bust? Yes.
In a manner of speaking.
(laughing) It's, uh, one of a kind.
Made from the, uh, the finest marble.
I brought it back from Florence, myself.
McGEE: Uh, NCIS, Special Agent McGee.
This is Special Agent Torres.
Ned Senders, Sullivan Brady.
Gentlemen.
TORRES: Hello.
Let's, uh, go to our conference room.
Chris ran security at night.
Prompt, polite, hard worker.
He was an excellent employee.
"Was.
" Quit five days ago.
Now I know why.
You ever meet his wife? Maybe once or twice at the firm's Christmas party.
Was she ever found? McGEE: She was.
Alive.
Unfortunately, Chris is now missing.
Oh, God.
Terrible.
If there is anything we can do to help Actually, Ned, um, you mind if I call you Ned? I have a question about your bust.
You want to talk about the sculpture? Yes, yes, I'm I'm a keen observer of the human form.
Excuse me, Mr.
Brady.
Yeah? Um, I hope you don't mind, I wanted to ask you a few more questions about Chris.
Did you know him well? Actually, yeah.
Uh, I'm a night owl, so I work late.
He and I would have long talks about life.
Life.
So marriage, as well? Sure.
Kelly was a frequent topic.
Uh, not to speak out of school.
Oh, no.
Please, do.
The man is missing.
She cheated on him.
He confided in me a few years ago.
I gave him the name of a good divorce attorney.
He never called.
Figured that he and Kelly patched things up.
Hmm.
(doorbell rings) I'm guessing Chris Ristow's not home, Bishop.
So you're what-- gardening? Nope.
There's always a spare key.
- Mm.
- And it's never under the mat anymore, but it is here.
- I call it front-stoop fishing.
- Hmm.
(grunts) Oh! Uh-huh.
I got it.
Yep.
(lock clicking) (door creaks, closes) BISHOP: Clear.
Clear.
Whew.
They are messy.
Not even a chuckle? Ha.
Hmm.
Kelly's groceries are put away.
Yeah, which means Chris has been here since she disappeared.
The Ristows really like their dog.
Aw.
QUINN: Look at Frank.
Dogs love me.
(calling): Frank.
Come, come.
I'm gonna pack her a suitcase.
Give her a little taste of home.
Laptop's here along with a really nice watch.
They weren't thieves.
They were looking for something specific.
Yeah, but what? How did Quinn get this SIM card if it wasn't even our crime scene? Maybe it fell into her secret agent pocket.
Maybe! Okay, so you know that delete doesn't mean delete-delete, right? What do you got, Abs? Text messages from the trash bin magically reincarnated in front of your eyes.
Okay, so I'm gonna play the dead guy, Lazarenko.
And you're gonna be Number One, the mysterious person that he was communicating with.
(low voice): I got her.
Now what? Gibbs! I can't have a conversation by myself.
It never stopped you before.
I got her.
Now what? We hold her for a while.
How long? Till I make a deal.
What can I do to her? Whatever you want.
See? Petty Officer Ristow wasn't some random kidnapping victim, Gibbs.
She was targeted by someone.
Someone who was telling her kidnapper what to do.
Yeah, and someone who is still out there.
KELLY RISTOW: Hi, honey.
Me again.
Please call me.
Please.
Something's wrong.
What if he's been kidnapped? Is there any reason why Chris would want to disappear? What? No.
Why? Well, you said he wanted to leave the country.
Yeah, but not without me.
When your kidnapper was on the phone, could you hear what he said? No.
Whenever he came downstairs, he would always blare that stupid song.
Kelly, before we got to your house someone broke in.
What happened? Someone tore the place apart looking for something.
Looking for what? We were hoping you could tell us.
No.
Look, we have to ask.
Have you had an affair? We need you to be honest.
We're trying to find your husband.
It was when we first got married.
Okay, an old boyfriend, but he would never do this.
I need you to write down his name.
Biggest mistake of my life.
Look, we're past it, okay? Chris forgave me.
You sure about that? Oh, McGee, put those dogs away, man.
(chuckling): You're gonna scare the trick-or-treaters.
You know, Abby, uh, made these for me, when I first started 13 years ago.
I wear them anytime I know I'm gonna work in the lab.
She never mentions it, but I know she appreciates it.
So you change your socks when you work downstairs? Mm-hmm.
And they've lasted you 13 years? Well, the trick is you don't wash them.
GIBBS: Okay, what do we know? Well, boss, a lot of evidence is stacking up against the husband.
Well, then, tell me, McGee.
Well, one, he's a scorned man.
I mean, she says he may be over it, but it could be on the back burner on simmer.
TORRES: Yeah, and number two, his credit is shot.
He's in major debt.
And three months behind on the mortgage.
McGEE: Number three, Kelly Ristow has an insurance policy.
Half a million dollars.
Chris is its sole beneficiary.
Yeah, if she dies, his problems go away.
So he hires Lazarenko to kidnap and torture her.
That's why he never reported her missing.
His plans changed when she escapes.
Who ransacked the house? We think Chris did it, to make it seem like he was being chased.
Yeah, then why meet her at the airport? He didn't.
And we're still solving that mystery.
Look at this, boss.
Chris's cell phone records from that morning.
Now, at 9:21 a.
m.
, he gets a call from an unknown number.
Yeah, that's Kelly saying she escaped.
And two minutes later, at 9:23, he places a call to this number.
Now this number belongs to Dakota James, Kelly Ristow's sister.
Lives in Delaware, near the Ristows.
Bishop.
Yes, Gibbs? We're sending you an address.
DAKOTA JAMES: Yeah, he called.
He said that they had found her and they were meeting up.
Where's my sister? She's safe with us, but Chris never showed up.
Any idea where he could have gone? What do I know? They don't tell me anything.
I'm the embarrassment.
Why can't you find him? Isn't that your job? We're doing it.
How's their marriage? Solid.
It's the best thing she's got.
Hmm.
Oh, you're asking about the cheating.
That's water under the bridge.
They're over that.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
If the brother-in-law contacts you, you'll give us a call.
(calling out): Frank.
Come here.
(whistling) Hey, what are you doing? (Frank barking) Oh, hi.
QUINN: Aw, that's their dog.
Bishop, how did you know? Well, Frank is a shredder.
I saw hairs on Dakota's sweater.
All right, Dakota, Chris was here.
Why don't you tell us where he is? I really can't.
He made me promise not to tell.
I need a drink.
Talk now.
You can drink later.
(Frank barking) ABBY: So he finds out his wife is alive, and the first thing he does is make sure his dog's okay? You know how people are with their animals.
Uh, I love animals, but I think I would love my husband more.
I mean, I don't know or maybe, you know.
McGee, I'm sorry.
I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know? You know everything.
Well, I don't know everything.
Did you try just turning it on, turning it off? Is Torres rubbing off on you now? Abby, can you help me fix this or not? McGee, it's one e-mail.
And I'm just, you know, I'm kind of busy solving murders and fighting crime.
Hey, Gibbs.
Laptop.
Chris Ristow has a secret.
And you have three chances to guess what it is.
Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.
He's the CEO of an international corporation.
I thought he was a night watchman.
Exactly.
QFire, LLC.
Formed in 2012 and has offices in the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Ireland.
Never heard of 'em.
Yeah, neither has the Internet.
QFire has no Web site, no employees, and no products.
But according to federal tax records, $3 million in assets.
Not bad for a night watchman.
Yeah, here's the kicker.
QFire was incorporated and represented by Thomas, Senders, Brady & Goldfarb.
That's the law firm that Chris worked at.
Who owns QFire? Um I haven't been able to figure that out yet.
There's just so much legal mumbo jumbo in all these papers.
McGee, help Abby (phone ringing) dig into these files.
Find our owner.
Yeah, Bishop? Gibbs, they were headed to Mexico.
He made his sister-in-law buy the airline tickets.
And then she said he left for the airport.
Well, he didn't make it.
Right, he had one stop to make to get his passports.
Where? Safety deposit box in a bank in Wilmington.
Go.
Go, go.
Yep.
'85 Oldsmobile, registered to Chris Ristow.
Look at this.
This broke.
Well, here's her passport.
Where's his? Right here.
Yeah.
Okay, he comes back from the bank with the passports.
Someone surprises him.
They fight.
He drops the passports and he breaks off the indicator.
Uh, Quinn? Ooh.
That's not oil.
(groans, exhales) (knocking) Hey, Ellie.
Thanks for bringing these.
I feel more like myself.
What's the matter? Kelly No.
I'm so sorry, Kelly.
(crying): He's not dead.
It's not true.
You-you made a mistake.
(crying) What happened? He was shot trying to get to you at the airport.
Why? We are gonna find his killer.
(sobbing) A stitch in time saves nine.
Do you know the derivation of that phrase, Mr.
Ristow? Uh, I'll tell you later.
Jethro, how do you always know just when I've finished my autopsy? Instinct.
Well, timing is everything, as my mother used to say when she fed me two teaspoonfuls of Radio Malt.
It was a mixture of riboflavin, calciferol, and molasses.
Delicious.
It's Chris Ristow? One to the head, two to the heart.
Abby has the bullets.
Got a time of death, Duck? I would estimate he was in that trunk, ooh, a good 48 hours.
Got anything else, Duck? Yes.
He was shot in the kneecap before he was killed.
Tortured? Apparently.
The killer was after something.
You think? How 'bout $3 million? Ah.
What were we talking about? Oh, yes-- a stitch in time.
(grunts) (creepy laughter) So, what are you gonna be for Halloween, Torres? TORRES: For Halloween? Girl, you know I've been in costume my whole career.
Well, you haven't been a ghost or a hot dog.
Don't be so sure.
Oh, my.
NCIS.
First my office, now my home.
I'm hosting a party here.
Well, it looks pretty spooky.
Don't worry, this won't take too long.
This is Special Agent Quinn.
Uh, do you recognize this? Yes, that's ours.
I'll bet you want to know why Chris Ristow is CEO.
It has piqued our interest, yes.
Ugh, tax code is complex.
Too complex to explain here.
Oh, well, good news.
We are fast learners, so just, uh, give us your best shot.
Okay.
QFire is what's called a shell company.
Uh, a stand-in for someone's money.
Our clients are from all over the world, so when we create a shell, our employees act as principals in name only.
So a shell corp, uh, hides the client's identity? Oh, that doesn't sound shady.
So, QFire and the 3 million? Chris never had access to it.
Look, you're barking up the wrong tree here.
This is standard practice in our business.
And what business is that, exactly? The asset protection business.
Who owns QFire? One of our clients.
Which one? (chuckles) One who wants to remain anonymous and has a legal right to do so.
I got pumpkins to carve.
Definitely not hiding anything.
He's just trying to protect his assets.
(chuckles, groans) You will be fine, Dale.
He's just like a like a big ol' pussycat.
You just want to scratch his belly.
And relax, breathe.
Scratch Agent Gibbs' belly? That seems inappropriate.
(elevator dings) Showtime, Dale.
Hey, Gibbs! You remember Dale from Accounting.
Sure.
Pale Dale.
How are you? Thanks for your help.
Take it away, Dale.
Right.
Um A-Agent Gibbs (moans) Is he okay? "QFire Limited Liability Corporation conducted a double "Irish arrangement with at least four offshore companies and/or multinational "shell corps which form a 'Dutch Sandwich'' which is wholly/partially owned by the" Sit down.
Yes, sir.
You look paler.
Okay, so I had a feeling this might happen.
McGee, nesting dolls.
Yes.
Uh, boss, imagine this little guy here is QFire.
You mean the doll? Yes.
Shell corps like QFire get bought and sold all the time.
And sometimes they merge with other shell corps.
Sometimes they disappear completely, because they only exist on paper.
And all that buying and selling and merging makes it impossible to find out who the true owner is.
Impossible for everyone except for Dale, who is 87% sure that the true owner of the whole shebang is Leonard Weiss.
Who? Uh, boss, that's Leonard Weiss, of Weiss Resources Group.
ABBY: Runs one of the biggest government contractors in the country.
What's his motive for kidnapping and murder? Remember the $3 million that was on QFire's books? It's gone missing.
Into Chris Ristow's bank account? Dale hasn't figured that out yet, but he is working on it.
Working.
Hard.
Very hard.
Where is Weiss right now? Well, he lives in New York, but he's here right now for a senator's fundraiser.
Well, bring him in.
Oh, no, no.
You sit down.
Leonard Weiss? You're positive? It's where the evidence leads.
I know Weiss has major political sway Well, there's the understatement of the year.
Gibbs, I know you don't worry about Washington repercussions.
And neither should you, Leon.
But that's not how life works.
We are days away from the most important election in American history.
And arresting, even questioning, a man as influential as Leonard Weiss will reverberate all the way down the ticket.
McGee will be very discreet when he picks him up.
Gibbs, I don't like it.
Director, this man could be behind a kidnapping and a murder for hire.
Emphasis on "could.
" We have motive and we have opportunity.
But do we have proof? Circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
That's not good enough! I-- I need concrete evidence linking Leonard Weiss to the petty officer's kidnapping and Chris Ristow's murder.
I don't have that.
Well, then you have your answer, Special Agent Quinn.
(knocking) (whistles) Hey, where's my invite? There's a party in here.
Well, maybe I should just get a revolving door.
(laughs) Not a joke.
Gibbs, heads up, a partner at Ristow's law firm wants to meet.
Secretly.
I don't know why people meet in parking garages.
I mean, it's, like, a movie thing.
How you holding up, Torres? Truth? Yeah.
Truth's good.
Well, you know, um leaving undercover, uh it's hard.
Makes you stronger.
(chuckles) You like them words of wisdom, Gibbs.
Sounds like I heard it in church.
No, not church.
Life.
Yeah, well, life's a bitch.
(chuckles): Yeah.
Amen, bubba.
Gibbs, uh, you may have noticed that it's been a little awkward between Abby and me.
No.
I'm not wearing the cobalt vest if you ask me to.
I didn't ask you to.
But you're part of a family now, so act like it, Torres.
Your family is crazy.
(laughing): Yeah, but they're still family.
(tires screeching nearby) Sullivan Brady? Special Agent Gibbs.
Let's do this before I change my mind.
Everything you need to put that son of a bitch away for a really long time.
Who? Leonard Weiss.
Read it and see.
Nutshell.
Weiss owns QFire.
As you know, QFire is nothing.
It's a mask, it's a shell.
Chris siphoned out all the assets-- three million-- hoping no one would notice.
Weiss noticed, and when Chris didn't give it back, Weiss hired people to snatch his wife.
Prove it.
It's all in the file.
There is a paper trail proving that Ristow embezzled the money.
There's wire transfers from Weiss to the kidnapper.
Lazarenko.
Why are you doing this? Once upon a time, I got into law to help people.
Over the years, I've gotten really good at doing really bad things.
I'm finally gonna do something that feels good.
Chris was my friend.
I want to make things right.
(car engine starts) (car door closes) McGee.
Weiss-- where is he? Boss, I just tailed Weiss to a commuter airport.
His G5 took off.
Put agents on the tarmac in New York.
He's not flying to New York.
They just filed a new flight plan.
Where? Serbia.
No problem.
No.
Happy to help.
Yeah.
Okay, I'll bite.
What? I just fixed my little e-mail kerfuffle.
BISHOP: Ah, congrats.
You turned it off and on? Yes.
I did do that.
I also discovered a bug in the software.
Huh.
You hacked into private software? I'm a white-hat hacker.
That was customer service.
They confessed that there has been a glitch in the software for years.
Wait.
So you just fixed it for the whole world? Yeah.
I mean, for anyone with that e-mail provider, sure.
BISHOP: So, what was the phantom e-mail? A Nigerian prince wanted to give me five million dollars.
Ah.
GIBBS: Okay.
Walk me through it.
Oh, night watchman Chris Ristow discovers that he's president of Leonard Weiss's shell corporation, then figures out how to embezzle all of its cash.
And then Weiss finds out, he retaliates by hiring Mr.
Creepy here to kidnap Petty Officer Kelly Ristow.
Yeah, but with a dumbbell to the chin, she jumps.
So Weiss hires a hit man to kill her husband.
Then Weiss flies to Serbia, which, by the way, doesn't have an extradition treaty with the U.
S.
Surveillance cameras at the bank? Obscured by an armored car.
How's that for irony? We find our missing three million? Not yet.
Dale's looking.
GIBBS: Think the wife was in on it? No way.
Maybe.
GIBBS: Ah.
Weiss is in MTAC.
QUINN: You're good Gibbs, but how are you going to get Rockefeller to incriminate himself, and come back to the States to get arrested? Words of wisdom.
Gibbs is pretty good at those.
Quinn and Bishop, bring Petty Officer Ristow back here.
McGee, you stay with Abby and Pale Dale.
Find that three million, kids.
Go.
Gentlemen, Zdravo! That's "hello" in Serbian.
I wish we were speaking under different circumstances, Mr.
Weiss.
Oh, nonsense.
I have nothing to hide, not even what's under this robe.
Well, removing that robe won't be necessary, sir.
We're investigating the death of Chris Ristow.
I have no idea who that is.
He stole three million dollars from you.
So, he's not Navy, he's a politician.
We have a petty officer under protective custody, and her husband in our morgue.
What are the chances you're behind that? Go.
I thought this was about my taxes.
You own a shell corporation called QFire, LLC.
I own 33 shell corporations, but I pay my taxes, and I do it legally.
Let me be blunt, gentlemen.
You're asking me about three million dollars.
If this Ristow guy really stole that from me, I'd be disappointed, but not homicidal.
My condolences to the widow.
This conversation's over.
We're being played.
Agreed.
But by who? Embezzling three million dollars? He would never, ever do that.
But he did.
We couldn't even afford a night at the movies.
I sewed patches on his shirts so they'd last longer.
This shirt still smells like him.
If he really stole the money, where is it? Maybe Chris gave it to you.
What? Yeah.
He steals it, you hide it, playing the innocent wife, the victim.
What are you talking about? Why don't you level with me, Kelly? You and Chris planned this together, huh? What was that? Being a good investigator.
By accusing the victim? I wanted to see if she was hiding something.
Come on, she's not.
Well, I know that now, but it's amazing what a little kick in the pants can shake loose.
You got to trust my instincts, Bishop.
They're sometimes right.
You sure about this one, Dale? Uh, it's a statistical probability.
Okay, he's here.
He's here.
Now, Dale, no stage fright.
Just talk.
(clears his throat) Agent Gibbs, step right up.
Now, according to my examination of the case ABBY: Chris Ristow was not a thief.
He's a whistleblower.
Sorry, Dale.
I couldn't wait.
He never stole money from Weiss? McGEE: No.
The only thing he stole was information from his employer.
He found out the firm was helping its clients cheat the U.
S.
government out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Chris wanted to expose them.
ABBY: We found these e-mails between Chris and a reporter at the Washington Leader.
He was gonna give her a flash drive that was gonna incriminate the entire firm and all of the clients.
Never gave it to her.
Nope.
Night before the trade-off, the wife was kidnapped.
Someone at the firm must have found out what he did.
Who? Does the name Sullivan Brady ring a bell? He's been playing us like a fiddle.
Boss, the documents that were given to you in the parking garage were doctored to make it look like Chris was embezzling money.
Never happened.
Wire transfers to the kidnapper? From Brady himself, posing as Weiss.
And I matched the bullets from the crime scene.
Smith and Wesson nine millimeter.
And guess who registered that exact same weapon two years ago? Well, don't just stand there.
Go! Move! Arrest the bastard! Is that him? What a terrible, awful, grumpy, joyless, unhappy man.
Want to go in and take his statement? Only if I can punch him in the nose.
Where's Gibbs? He's telling Petty Officer Ristow the news.
That sounds like Chris.
He always said that no one was above the law.
GIBBS: Well, he's right.
But why didn't he tell me what he did? I would have been proud.
I think he was trying to protect you.
He died doing what was right.
Just wish he could have delivered that flash drive.
Maybe he still can.
But I don't know where it is.
Well, there's only one place in this house nobody's looked.
Where? Noticed that the collar Frank the dog was wearing-- different than the one in the photo.
Yeah, that was Chris.
He insisted Frank needed this brand-new (laughs) (sighs) Hey.
What did I miss? Yay! You're looking good, Torres.
Oh, feeling good, Quinn.
I'm feeling-feeling feeling good.
Cold outside, so Oh.
All right.
Okay.
(laughs) (laughs) @elderman
I got no worries I like her hair.
And I don't know why Can I cut her? I don't need the money now.
Okay.
Oh, I got to sing with some disgrace I'm in no hurry No And I don't know why I don't know why (whimpering) Oh, no, no Shh.
Girls rock your boys Mmm.
We'll get wild, wild, wild (woman screaming) Come on, feel the noise Girls rock your boys We'll get wild, wild, wild Baby Come on! NCIS 14x06 Philly @elderman Really? Really, you want a fight? You want a fight? 'Cause I'm gonna win.
Technology tantrum.
Joining my club, McGee? No, I am not having a tantrum.
This is just what happens when a perfectly rational machine behaves completely irrationally.
Look at this.
Look at this.
BISHOP: Okay.
You have one new e-mail-- so? Watch what happens when I try and open it.
Huh.
Where is it? That's exactly my point.
It's the most basic function of e-mail since the invention of it, but this one refuses to open.
Hmm.
(singsongy): Morning! Oh, wow.
That's team spirit.
Yes, Abby knitted this herself.
It's not exactly my style, but I wear it proudly.
You know, Abby made me some, uh, socks when I first joined here.
Very cozy.
She made me this friendship bracelet.
Ooh.
And what about you, Nick-- what'd she make you? (gasps) Ooh, she forgot Nick.
Oh, no, no, no-- Abby doesn't forget.
I don't wear vests, okay? And I definitely don't wear fu-fu colors.
BISHOP: "Fu-fu"? Yeah, uh, blue or something.
I think she called it, uh, cobalt? Alex? (laughs) Mm! You look fantastic.
I'm so glad it fits.
Mm-hmm.
Doesn't she look great, Nick? Oh, yeah, no one, no one wears wool like, uh, like Alex.
You know, it's the first cold day of the year.
You a little cold, Nick? Yeah, well, I have, uh I have a jacket, so, uh I feel pretty comfortable.
Abby, you know, I was wondering what is this side little pocket for? That's your secret agent pocket.
So you can hide things, like, really stealthily.
Like a-a microRecorder or a safe deposit key or-or a cyanide capsule.
I probably won't do the last one, but thank you.
McGee, Quinn, grab your gear.
Got a lead on our missing petty officer.
Kelly Ristow? That's-that's amazing.
She's been missing for days.
Dead or alive, boss? Don't know.
All they have is fingerprints.
At a homicide.
(siren chirps) (indistinct radio transmission) Come on, Bob.
We're live in ten.
Got dressed up for your victim? Agent McGee, thanks for coming.
Detective Campbell.
Saw that camera crew out front-- you wearing that tie for the press conference? Wanted to get the word out that a Navy petty officer is missing and may be a material witness.
You called the media to a crime scene? Gibbs.
Nice to see you, too.
No press.
My crime scene, my rules.
I invited NCIS here as a courtesy.
How about as a courtesy I don't kick your ass? You know what? Maybe I'll send a press release.
Agent Francis, what do we know? Well, I know you haven't returned my last three phone calls.
Oh, uh, you know, um You've been meaning to call but you forgot.
You know what, no.
You're a really sweet guy, and we did have something a while back, but it's just No buts.
Hint taken.
No hard feelings, okay? You'll be hard to stay mad at.
Oh So back to business.
Petty Officer Ristow's fingerprints were found all over the basement.
Right, but no Petty Officer Ristow.
Negative.
Looks like this guy kept her chained up.
But then face met dumbbell, and she got out of Dodge.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Boss, we got a BOLO hit.
TSA's holding Petty Officer Ristow at Dulles.
Airport? All right.
On my way.
Hey, Gibbs, where you off to? Right.
You got it.
That the dead guy's cell phone? Yeah, standard burner.
Either never used or he deleted everything.
So, uh, you don't mind if I keep it.
Can't.
Procedure.
Come on.
Um I mean, Tim, you heard him-- I mean, it's his crime scene.
it's his evidence.
You're right.
I'm sorry, uh, Detective Campbell, I apologize.
We, uh, we took some crime scene photos earlier.
So, uh, if any of 'em could be of any use, just let us know.
Thanks.
I think we're good to go.
Dead body's all yours.
WOMAN: This is the final boarding call for Flight 239 passengers must board at this time.
Special Agent Gibbs? Gregg Rogers, TSA.
It's a real honor, sir.
You have our petty officer? Yeah, she's locked up tight.
Don't like holding military.
What'd she do, exactly? Don't tell me if it compromises national security.
Although I will take any secret to my grave.
Is she in here? Yeah, it's our detention area.
Open it.
She's pretty beat up and she keeps asking for her husband.
Is she a spy? You don't have to say if she is.
(beeping) Seriously? It's Agent Yellow, this is Agent Blue.
What's the code for the big metal door? Over.
Come in, Agent Yellow.
You got a key, Agent Blue? Oh, yeah.
(both shouting) Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop! Get away from me! Get away! Kelly, Kelly.
Hey.
(crying): Help me! (sobbing) (rapid beeping) That mystery e-mail still driving you nuts? It's not driving me nuts, it's just, it's annoying.
Want to feel better? How? Take a look at this.
You have 98,000 unread e-mails? 98 plus.
How? Why? Well, when I was undercover I-I I never checked them, you know? So, I could never I could never catch up, so at some point I just quit trying, man.
How do you sleep at night? Oh, on my back.
Naked.
Fresh air feels nice.
GIBBS: I need a sitrep.
Uh, boss, Petty Officer Ristow spent the night in the hospital.
She's being treated for malnutrition, minor injuries.
Now, physically, she'll be okay, but psychologically, it's another story.
Yeah.
Quinn and Bishop are with her now.
The husband? M.
I.
A.
Pinged his phone.
Nothing.
BOLO out on him and his car, a 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
What do we know about him? Squirrelly.
Direct quote from Agent Francis.
Well, where is Francis? Ristow's not a missing person anymore.
Our case now.
Chris and Kelly were married five years ago.
They live in Wilmington, Delaware.
He works as a night watchman for a law firm.
No kids.
And his record is spotless.
Why'd she go to the airport? Unknown.
No airline charges on their credit cards.
There any connection between the husband and the kidnapper? No.
Just a psychopath who wanted a pretty girl in his basement.
Yeah, well, does the psychopath have a name? Yes, Olek Lazarenko.
Ukrainian.
Real piece of work.
It's actually faster to list the crimes he didn't commit.
Getting his face smashed in by a dumbbell seems pretty appropriate.
He deserved it.
Go to where the husband works.
See what they know.
I know this is difficult, but we have to ask you a few questions.
Is this the man who kidnapped you? (crying) Did you kill him? I had to.
Am I under arrest? No.
Not remotely.
You're the victim here.
It was clearly self-defense.
Can you tell us how you were kidnapped? Well, I'd just gotten home from my shift.
Started unloading groceries.
Around what time? Uh, around midnight.
I was putting stuff away, and and suddenly there was a hand on my mouth.
Kelly, when you escaped, why not go to the police? Why go to the airport? It's where Chris said to meet him.
You spoke to Chris, your husband? After I escaped I just started running.
And I borrowed some man's cell phone.
I called Chris, and he said we needed to meet at the airport right away.
Why? To leave the country.
He said he'd explain later.
But he wasn't at the airport.
Can I go home now? I'm sorry.
We need to keep you in protective custody.
Why do I need protection? That animal acted alone.
Are you sure? Where was Chris when you were taken? At work graveyard shift.
Have to ask-- were you and Chris fighting recently? Wait what? You don't think--? No, no, no.
Chris didn't do anything.
He's in danger.
We think you're the one in danger.
From my own husband? QUINN: Kelly, it was the Navy who reported your unauthorized absence when you failed to show up for duty.
You were gone for five days and your husband never reported you missing.
McGEE: Okay, let's try this again.
There is an e-mail; it shows that there's an e-mail, it insist there's an e-mail, but when I go to it, there is no actual e-mail.
It's like it disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle of electronic transmissions.
McGee, just turn it off and on; that's what I do.
Torres, I appreciate the help, okay? But that is very version seven.
No.
No, no, no.
Not me.
I am running version 9.
4.
3.
Yes.
No.
I don't have time to hold.
Good-bye.
What are you doing? Well, you know, this place pretends to be fancy, but look at this piece of crap.
It's a knockoff.
Hmm.
How do you know? I studied sculpture when I was undercover in Holland.
My instructor said I was a keen observer of the human form.
Admiring our bust? Yes.
In a manner of speaking.
(laughing) It's, uh, one of a kind.
Made from the, uh, the finest marble.
I brought it back from Florence, myself.
McGEE: Uh, NCIS, Special Agent McGee.
This is Special Agent Torres.
Ned Senders, Sullivan Brady.
Gentlemen.
TORRES: Hello.
Let's, uh, go to our conference room.
Chris ran security at night.
Prompt, polite, hard worker.
He was an excellent employee.
"Was.
" Quit five days ago.
Now I know why.
You ever meet his wife? Maybe once or twice at the firm's Christmas party.
Was she ever found? McGEE: She was.
Alive.
Unfortunately, Chris is now missing.
Oh, God.
Terrible.
If there is anything we can do to help Actually, Ned, um, you mind if I call you Ned? I have a question about your bust.
You want to talk about the sculpture? Yes, yes, I'm I'm a keen observer of the human form.
Excuse me, Mr.
Brady.
Yeah? Um, I hope you don't mind, I wanted to ask you a few more questions about Chris.
Did you know him well? Actually, yeah.
Uh, I'm a night owl, so I work late.
He and I would have long talks about life.
Life.
So marriage, as well? Sure.
Kelly was a frequent topic.
Uh, not to speak out of school.
Oh, no.
Please, do.
The man is missing.
She cheated on him.
He confided in me a few years ago.
I gave him the name of a good divorce attorney.
He never called.
Figured that he and Kelly patched things up.
Hmm.
(doorbell rings) I'm guessing Chris Ristow's not home, Bishop.
So you're what-- gardening? Nope.
There's always a spare key.
- Mm.
- And it's never under the mat anymore, but it is here.
- I call it front-stoop fishing.
- Hmm.
(grunts) Oh! Uh-huh.
I got it.
Yep.
(lock clicking) (door creaks, closes) BISHOP: Clear.
Clear.
Whew.
They are messy.
Not even a chuckle? Ha.
Hmm.
Kelly's groceries are put away.
Yeah, which means Chris has been here since she disappeared.
The Ristows really like their dog.
Aw.
QUINN: Look at Frank.
Dogs love me.
(calling): Frank.
Come, come.
I'm gonna pack her a suitcase.
Give her a little taste of home.
Laptop's here along with a really nice watch.
They weren't thieves.
They were looking for something specific.
Yeah, but what? How did Quinn get this SIM card if it wasn't even our crime scene? Maybe it fell into her secret agent pocket.
Maybe! Okay, so you know that delete doesn't mean delete-delete, right? What do you got, Abs? Text messages from the trash bin magically reincarnated in front of your eyes.
Okay, so I'm gonna play the dead guy, Lazarenko.
And you're gonna be Number One, the mysterious person that he was communicating with.
(low voice): I got her.
Now what? Gibbs! I can't have a conversation by myself.
It never stopped you before.
I got her.
Now what? We hold her for a while.
How long? Till I make a deal.
What can I do to her? Whatever you want.
See? Petty Officer Ristow wasn't some random kidnapping victim, Gibbs.
She was targeted by someone.
Someone who was telling her kidnapper what to do.
Yeah, and someone who is still out there.
KELLY RISTOW: Hi, honey.
Me again.
Please call me.
Please.
Something's wrong.
What if he's been kidnapped? Is there any reason why Chris would want to disappear? What? No.
Why? Well, you said he wanted to leave the country.
Yeah, but not without me.
When your kidnapper was on the phone, could you hear what he said? No.
Whenever he came downstairs, he would always blare that stupid song.
Kelly, before we got to your house someone broke in.
What happened? Someone tore the place apart looking for something.
Looking for what? We were hoping you could tell us.
No.
Look, we have to ask.
Have you had an affair? We need you to be honest.
We're trying to find your husband.
It was when we first got married.
Okay, an old boyfriend, but he would never do this.
I need you to write down his name.
Biggest mistake of my life.
Look, we're past it, okay? Chris forgave me.
You sure about that? Oh, McGee, put those dogs away, man.
(chuckling): You're gonna scare the trick-or-treaters.
You know, Abby, uh, made these for me, when I first started 13 years ago.
I wear them anytime I know I'm gonna work in the lab.
She never mentions it, but I know she appreciates it.
So you change your socks when you work downstairs? Mm-hmm.
And they've lasted you 13 years? Well, the trick is you don't wash them.
GIBBS: Okay, what do we know? Well, boss, a lot of evidence is stacking up against the husband.
Well, then, tell me, McGee.
Well, one, he's a scorned man.
I mean, she says he may be over it, but it could be on the back burner on simmer.
TORRES: Yeah, and number two, his credit is shot.
He's in major debt.
And three months behind on the mortgage.
McGEE: Number three, Kelly Ristow has an insurance policy.
Half a million dollars.
Chris is its sole beneficiary.
Yeah, if she dies, his problems go away.
So he hires Lazarenko to kidnap and torture her.
That's why he never reported her missing.
His plans changed when she escapes.
Who ransacked the house? We think Chris did it, to make it seem like he was being chased.
Yeah, then why meet her at the airport? He didn't.
And we're still solving that mystery.
Look at this, boss.
Chris's cell phone records from that morning.
Now, at 9:21 a.
m.
, he gets a call from an unknown number.
Yeah, that's Kelly saying she escaped.
And two minutes later, at 9:23, he places a call to this number.
Now this number belongs to Dakota James, Kelly Ristow's sister.
Lives in Delaware, near the Ristows.
Bishop.
Yes, Gibbs? We're sending you an address.
DAKOTA JAMES: Yeah, he called.
He said that they had found her and they were meeting up.
Where's my sister? She's safe with us, but Chris never showed up.
Any idea where he could have gone? What do I know? They don't tell me anything.
I'm the embarrassment.
Why can't you find him? Isn't that your job? We're doing it.
How's their marriage? Solid.
It's the best thing she's got.
Hmm.
Oh, you're asking about the cheating.
That's water under the bridge.
They're over that.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
If the brother-in-law contacts you, you'll give us a call.
(calling out): Frank.
Come here.
(whistling) Hey, what are you doing? (Frank barking) Oh, hi.
QUINN: Aw, that's their dog.
Bishop, how did you know? Well, Frank is a shredder.
I saw hairs on Dakota's sweater.
All right, Dakota, Chris was here.
Why don't you tell us where he is? I really can't.
He made me promise not to tell.
I need a drink.
Talk now.
You can drink later.
(Frank barking) ABBY: So he finds out his wife is alive, and the first thing he does is make sure his dog's okay? You know how people are with their animals.
Uh, I love animals, but I think I would love my husband more.
I mean, I don't know or maybe, you know.
McGee, I'm sorry.
I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know? You know everything.
Well, I don't know everything.
Did you try just turning it on, turning it off? Is Torres rubbing off on you now? Abby, can you help me fix this or not? McGee, it's one e-mail.
And I'm just, you know, I'm kind of busy solving murders and fighting crime.
Hey, Gibbs.
Laptop.
Chris Ristow has a secret.
And you have three chances to guess what it is.
Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.
He's the CEO of an international corporation.
I thought he was a night watchman.
Exactly.
QFire, LLC.
Formed in 2012 and has offices in the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Ireland.
Never heard of 'em.
Yeah, neither has the Internet.
QFire has no Web site, no employees, and no products.
But according to federal tax records, $3 million in assets.
Not bad for a night watchman.
Yeah, here's the kicker.
QFire was incorporated and represented by Thomas, Senders, Brady & Goldfarb.
That's the law firm that Chris worked at.
Who owns QFire? Um I haven't been able to figure that out yet.
There's just so much legal mumbo jumbo in all these papers.
McGee, help Abby (phone ringing) dig into these files.
Find our owner.
Yeah, Bishop? Gibbs, they were headed to Mexico.
He made his sister-in-law buy the airline tickets.
And then she said he left for the airport.
Well, he didn't make it.
Right, he had one stop to make to get his passports.
Where? Safety deposit box in a bank in Wilmington.
Go.
Go, go.
Yep.
'85 Oldsmobile, registered to Chris Ristow.
Look at this.
This broke.
Well, here's her passport.
Where's his? Right here.
Yeah.
Okay, he comes back from the bank with the passports.
Someone surprises him.
They fight.
He drops the passports and he breaks off the indicator.
Uh, Quinn? Ooh.
That's not oil.
(groans, exhales) (knocking) Hey, Ellie.
Thanks for bringing these.
I feel more like myself.
What's the matter? Kelly No.
I'm so sorry, Kelly.
(crying): He's not dead.
It's not true.
You-you made a mistake.
(crying) What happened? He was shot trying to get to you at the airport.
Why? We are gonna find his killer.
(sobbing) A stitch in time saves nine.
Do you know the derivation of that phrase, Mr.
Ristow? Uh, I'll tell you later.
Jethro, how do you always know just when I've finished my autopsy? Instinct.
Well, timing is everything, as my mother used to say when she fed me two teaspoonfuls of Radio Malt.
It was a mixture of riboflavin, calciferol, and molasses.
Delicious.
It's Chris Ristow? One to the head, two to the heart.
Abby has the bullets.
Got a time of death, Duck? I would estimate he was in that trunk, ooh, a good 48 hours.
Got anything else, Duck? Yes.
He was shot in the kneecap before he was killed.
Tortured? Apparently.
The killer was after something.
You think? How 'bout $3 million? Ah.
What were we talking about? Oh, yes-- a stitch in time.
(grunts) (creepy laughter) So, what are you gonna be for Halloween, Torres? TORRES: For Halloween? Girl, you know I've been in costume my whole career.
Well, you haven't been a ghost or a hot dog.
Don't be so sure.
Oh, my.
NCIS.
First my office, now my home.
I'm hosting a party here.
Well, it looks pretty spooky.
Don't worry, this won't take too long.
This is Special Agent Quinn.
Uh, do you recognize this? Yes, that's ours.
I'll bet you want to know why Chris Ristow is CEO.
It has piqued our interest, yes.
Ugh, tax code is complex.
Too complex to explain here.
Oh, well, good news.
We are fast learners, so just, uh, give us your best shot.
Okay.
QFire is what's called a shell company.
Uh, a stand-in for someone's money.
Our clients are from all over the world, so when we create a shell, our employees act as principals in name only.
So a shell corp, uh, hides the client's identity? Oh, that doesn't sound shady.
So, QFire and the 3 million? Chris never had access to it.
Look, you're barking up the wrong tree here.
This is standard practice in our business.
And what business is that, exactly? The asset protection business.
Who owns QFire? One of our clients.
Which one? (chuckles) One who wants to remain anonymous and has a legal right to do so.
I got pumpkins to carve.
Definitely not hiding anything.
He's just trying to protect his assets.
(chuckles, groans) You will be fine, Dale.
He's just like a like a big ol' pussycat.
You just want to scratch his belly.
And relax, breathe.
Scratch Agent Gibbs' belly? That seems inappropriate.
(elevator dings) Showtime, Dale.
Hey, Gibbs! You remember Dale from Accounting.
Sure.
Pale Dale.
How are you? Thanks for your help.
Take it away, Dale.
Right.
Um A-Agent Gibbs (moans) Is he okay? "QFire Limited Liability Corporation conducted a double "Irish arrangement with at least four offshore companies and/or multinational "shell corps which form a 'Dutch Sandwich'' which is wholly/partially owned by the" Sit down.
Yes, sir.
You look paler.
Okay, so I had a feeling this might happen.
McGee, nesting dolls.
Yes.
Uh, boss, imagine this little guy here is QFire.
You mean the doll? Yes.
Shell corps like QFire get bought and sold all the time.
And sometimes they merge with other shell corps.
Sometimes they disappear completely, because they only exist on paper.
And all that buying and selling and merging makes it impossible to find out who the true owner is.
Impossible for everyone except for Dale, who is 87% sure that the true owner of the whole shebang is Leonard Weiss.
Who? Uh, boss, that's Leonard Weiss, of Weiss Resources Group.
ABBY: Runs one of the biggest government contractors in the country.
What's his motive for kidnapping and murder? Remember the $3 million that was on QFire's books? It's gone missing.
Into Chris Ristow's bank account? Dale hasn't figured that out yet, but he is working on it.
Working.
Hard.
Very hard.
Where is Weiss right now? Well, he lives in New York, but he's here right now for a senator's fundraiser.
Well, bring him in.
Oh, no, no.
You sit down.
Leonard Weiss? You're positive? It's where the evidence leads.
I know Weiss has major political sway Well, there's the understatement of the year.
Gibbs, I know you don't worry about Washington repercussions.
And neither should you, Leon.
But that's not how life works.
We are days away from the most important election in American history.
And arresting, even questioning, a man as influential as Leonard Weiss will reverberate all the way down the ticket.
McGee will be very discreet when he picks him up.
Gibbs, I don't like it.
Director, this man could be behind a kidnapping and a murder for hire.
Emphasis on "could.
" We have motive and we have opportunity.
But do we have proof? Circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
That's not good enough! I-- I need concrete evidence linking Leonard Weiss to the petty officer's kidnapping and Chris Ristow's murder.
I don't have that.
Well, then you have your answer, Special Agent Quinn.
(knocking) (whistles) Hey, where's my invite? There's a party in here.
Well, maybe I should just get a revolving door.
(laughs) Not a joke.
Gibbs, heads up, a partner at Ristow's law firm wants to meet.
Secretly.
I don't know why people meet in parking garages.
I mean, it's, like, a movie thing.
How you holding up, Torres? Truth? Yeah.
Truth's good.
Well, you know, um leaving undercover, uh it's hard.
Makes you stronger.
(chuckles) You like them words of wisdom, Gibbs.
Sounds like I heard it in church.
No, not church.
Life.
Yeah, well, life's a bitch.
(chuckles): Yeah.
Amen, bubba.
Gibbs, uh, you may have noticed that it's been a little awkward between Abby and me.
No.
I'm not wearing the cobalt vest if you ask me to.
I didn't ask you to.
But you're part of a family now, so act like it, Torres.
Your family is crazy.
(laughing): Yeah, but they're still family.
(tires screeching nearby) Sullivan Brady? Special Agent Gibbs.
Let's do this before I change my mind.
Everything you need to put that son of a bitch away for a really long time.
Who? Leonard Weiss.
Read it and see.
Nutshell.
Weiss owns QFire.
As you know, QFire is nothing.
It's a mask, it's a shell.
Chris siphoned out all the assets-- three million-- hoping no one would notice.
Weiss noticed, and when Chris didn't give it back, Weiss hired people to snatch his wife.
Prove it.
It's all in the file.
There is a paper trail proving that Ristow embezzled the money.
There's wire transfers from Weiss to the kidnapper.
Lazarenko.
Why are you doing this? Once upon a time, I got into law to help people.
Over the years, I've gotten really good at doing really bad things.
I'm finally gonna do something that feels good.
Chris was my friend.
I want to make things right.
(car engine starts) (car door closes) McGee.
Weiss-- where is he? Boss, I just tailed Weiss to a commuter airport.
His G5 took off.
Put agents on the tarmac in New York.
He's not flying to New York.
They just filed a new flight plan.
Where? Serbia.
No problem.
No.
Happy to help.
Yeah.
Okay, I'll bite.
What? I just fixed my little e-mail kerfuffle.
BISHOP: Ah, congrats.
You turned it off and on? Yes.
I did do that.
I also discovered a bug in the software.
Huh.
You hacked into private software? I'm a white-hat hacker.
That was customer service.
They confessed that there has been a glitch in the software for years.
Wait.
So you just fixed it for the whole world? Yeah.
I mean, for anyone with that e-mail provider, sure.
BISHOP: So, what was the phantom e-mail? A Nigerian prince wanted to give me five million dollars.
Ah.
GIBBS: Okay.
Walk me through it.
Oh, night watchman Chris Ristow discovers that he's president of Leonard Weiss's shell corporation, then figures out how to embezzle all of its cash.
And then Weiss finds out, he retaliates by hiring Mr.
Creepy here to kidnap Petty Officer Kelly Ristow.
Yeah, but with a dumbbell to the chin, she jumps.
So Weiss hires a hit man to kill her husband.
Then Weiss flies to Serbia, which, by the way, doesn't have an extradition treaty with the U.
S.
Surveillance cameras at the bank? Obscured by an armored car.
How's that for irony? We find our missing three million? Not yet.
Dale's looking.
GIBBS: Think the wife was in on it? No way.
Maybe.
GIBBS: Ah.
Weiss is in MTAC.
QUINN: You're good Gibbs, but how are you going to get Rockefeller to incriminate himself, and come back to the States to get arrested? Words of wisdom.
Gibbs is pretty good at those.
Quinn and Bishop, bring Petty Officer Ristow back here.
McGee, you stay with Abby and Pale Dale.
Find that three million, kids.
Go.
Gentlemen, Zdravo! That's "hello" in Serbian.
I wish we were speaking under different circumstances, Mr.
Weiss.
Oh, nonsense.
I have nothing to hide, not even what's under this robe.
Well, removing that robe won't be necessary, sir.
We're investigating the death of Chris Ristow.
I have no idea who that is.
He stole three million dollars from you.
So, he's not Navy, he's a politician.
We have a petty officer under protective custody, and her husband in our morgue.
What are the chances you're behind that? Go.
I thought this was about my taxes.
You own a shell corporation called QFire, LLC.
I own 33 shell corporations, but I pay my taxes, and I do it legally.
Let me be blunt, gentlemen.
You're asking me about three million dollars.
If this Ristow guy really stole that from me, I'd be disappointed, but not homicidal.
My condolences to the widow.
This conversation's over.
We're being played.
Agreed.
But by who? Embezzling three million dollars? He would never, ever do that.
But he did.
We couldn't even afford a night at the movies.
I sewed patches on his shirts so they'd last longer.
This shirt still smells like him.
If he really stole the money, where is it? Maybe Chris gave it to you.
What? Yeah.
He steals it, you hide it, playing the innocent wife, the victim.
What are you talking about? Why don't you level with me, Kelly? You and Chris planned this together, huh? What was that? Being a good investigator.
By accusing the victim? I wanted to see if she was hiding something.
Come on, she's not.
Well, I know that now, but it's amazing what a little kick in the pants can shake loose.
You got to trust my instincts, Bishop.
They're sometimes right.
You sure about this one, Dale? Uh, it's a statistical probability.
Okay, he's here.
He's here.
Now, Dale, no stage fright.
Just talk.
(clears his throat) Agent Gibbs, step right up.
Now, according to my examination of the case ABBY: Chris Ristow was not a thief.
He's a whistleblower.
Sorry, Dale.
I couldn't wait.
He never stole money from Weiss? McGEE: No.
The only thing he stole was information from his employer.
He found out the firm was helping its clients cheat the U.
S.
government out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Chris wanted to expose them.
ABBY: We found these e-mails between Chris and a reporter at the Washington Leader.
He was gonna give her a flash drive that was gonna incriminate the entire firm and all of the clients.
Never gave it to her.
Nope.
Night before the trade-off, the wife was kidnapped.
Someone at the firm must have found out what he did.
Who? Does the name Sullivan Brady ring a bell? He's been playing us like a fiddle.
Boss, the documents that were given to you in the parking garage were doctored to make it look like Chris was embezzling money.
Never happened.
Wire transfers to the kidnapper? From Brady himself, posing as Weiss.
And I matched the bullets from the crime scene.
Smith and Wesson nine millimeter.
And guess who registered that exact same weapon two years ago? Well, don't just stand there.
Go! Move! Arrest the bastard! Is that him? What a terrible, awful, grumpy, joyless, unhappy man.
Want to go in and take his statement? Only if I can punch him in the nose.
Where's Gibbs? He's telling Petty Officer Ristow the news.
That sounds like Chris.
He always said that no one was above the law.
GIBBS: Well, he's right.
But why didn't he tell me what he did? I would have been proud.
I think he was trying to protect you.
He died doing what was right.
Just wish he could have delivered that flash drive.
Maybe he still can.
But I don't know where it is.
Well, there's only one place in this house nobody's looked.
Where? Noticed that the collar Frank the dog was wearing-- different than the one in the photo.
Yeah, that was Chris.
He insisted Frank needed this brand-new (laughs) (sighs) Hey.
What did I miss? Yay! You're looking good, Torres.
Oh, feeling good, Quinn.
I'm feeling-feeling feeling good.
Cold outside, so Oh.
All right.
Okay.
(laughs) (laughs) @elderman