NCIS s14e21 Episode Script
One Book, Two Covers
1 (bird cawing) (brakes squealing) (distant sirens wailing) Oh, come on.
Come on.
(motorcycle engine revving) Come on.
(distant sirens wailing) (panting) Oh.
(sirens wailing) Cutting it a little close, bro.
You trying to get us busted or something? (gunshots) NCIS 14x21 One Book, Two Covers (typing) Oh.
Okay.
So your fingers aren't broken.
What, now? Oh, just figured that was the reason you haven't RSVP'd to my e-vite.
For my painting party? Oh, I thought that was a joke.
I'm sorry, what's a painting party? It is like a housewarming party, except instead of standing around, you just, you get to get your hands dirty.
That sounds more like free labor than a party.
Come on.
Painting is fun.
Unless someone is posing nude, I am not interested.
Mm, fine.
But you do not know what you're missing.
Look, if this is just a ploy to see me with my shirt off, I can make that happen right now.
You have quite the imagination.
The offer still stands.
You say the word, I'll lose my shirt.
And the job, Torres.
Gear up.
Got a dead Marine in Maryland.
McGee and Quinn? They're already on the way.
TORRES: Hey, Gibbs.
Did you get Bishop's e-vite? The hell's an e-vite? (scoffs) (camera shutter clicking) (siren chirps) QUINN: Well, my mom always said, âIf you're not careful, you'll end up face down in the mud somewhereâ" Always thought that was a figure of speech.
Tell that to him.
What do we know? Well, the victim is Marine Corporal Kyle Campbell, he is a cargo clerk stationed onboard the USS Saipan out of Norfolk.
A hitchhiker called 911, and reported the body.
Hitchhiker give you anything? Not really.
Apparently, he spotted the body when he was walking past.
All yours, Duck.
Thank you, Timothy.
Come, Dr.
Palmer, let's free this young man from the mud.
All right.
Here we go.
One, two, three.
(grunts) (shutter clicking) There you are, Corporal, your final about-face.
My apologies for moving you.
JIMMY: This body's been moved before, Doctor.
There's a blood trail, leads back to the road.
His killer probably dragged him back here, keep him out of sight.
So it would seem.
You looking for new a job, Palmer? (chuckles) TORRES: Hey, Gibbs.
I got something.
What do you got? Two set of tracks, fresh ones.
Motorcycle? A dirt bike.
You sure about that? Oh, yeah.
There's a larger one.
Maybe a small truck.
Explains why the smaller tracks stop here.
Loaded onto a truck.
Gibbs, local LEO said there was a bank robbery a few miles north of here, yesterday.
Perp made his getaway on a dirt bike.
Security footage? It's on its way to Abby now.
Hey, Gibbs? I'm gonna need to take a look at that.
You know something we don't? Just a hunch.
ABBY: This is Boonsboro Savings and Loan yesterday morning, just moments before the robbery kicks off.
You know, legendary bank robber Ralphie âSlickâ Sommers, he called this lull The calm before the storm.
Can we just skip to the good part? Patience, Nick.
Okay Showtime.
He only wanted bills from the front of the drawer.
Ah, he's avoiding dye packs.
He knows the system.
GIBBS: He ever show his face? Nope.
But using the height of the counter, I was able to do a size comparison, and clocked our bank robber in at six foot, four inches tall.
Well, that rules out Corporal Campbell.
He's not even six feet.
Wait, hold on a second.
Can we go back? The dirt bike.
Can you zoom in on that? You have a make and model? I can't zoom in, it'll distort the pixelation even more.
I'm afraid this is as good as gets.
It's a Suzuki RM125, 2002, yellow, with a red racing stripe, and a custom exhaust.
You got that from a blurry video? There's no way.
How do you know so much about a bank robber's dirt bike? 'Cause that is not his dirt bike.
It's mine.
McGEE: I didn't know you were in a rap group, Torres.
Make a dope album cover.
(laughs softly) Meet the Rosewood Boyz.
2012, they were a rising crew mostly known for, uh, riding dirt bikes, partying hard, robbing banks.
Sounds like a well-rounded day.
NCIS asked me to go deep cover.
I became Nick Medina, a full-fledged Rosewood Boy.
Why NCIS? Well, they had a habit for, uh, recruiting sailors and Marines to do their dirty work.
How long was the op? Little over a year, took us to, uh, to get our guy.
Mitch Monroe, the top dog.
Kept his men in the shadows, no loose ends.
But I found one.
Royce Layton.
Real good kid.
Just mixed up with some bad dudes.
We got real tight.
When I saw bodies piling up, and I took my shot, I blew my cover, and I asked him to flip on his boss.
He did the right thing.
He did the courageous thing.
By ratting on Monroe? By testifying.
Because of him, Mitch Monroe got 20 to life.
He was taken care of by the Feds.
Witness protection.
Sounds like Royce knows the gang inside and out.
Let's talk to him.
Easier said than done.
GIBBS: If he's federally protected, he's unlisted.
Maybe untouchable.
Even to us? Especially to us.
Royce's still a marked man.
Nothing brings more heat than, uh, agents knocking on your door.
You think Corporal Campbell's really the kind of Marine to get involved with the Rosewood Boyz? All right, well, I just got off the phone with his O.
I.
C.
I'm gonna go see what she knows.
All right, keep at it, keep digging.
I want everything on Corporal Campbell.
McGee, contact the Department of Justice.
I want to talk to Royce Layton.
Let's go, Bishop.
You're with me.
Where to? Prison.
Hey, Gibbs, don't you think I should go with you guys? I mean, I know Monroe.
Advantage him, not us.
Yeah, but I lived and breathed the Rosewoods for over a year.
I mean, I can, I can be an asset.
Go find a lead on your old bike.
Well, can I at least brief you on Mitch Monroe? Call you from the car, Torres.
(elevator bell dings) JIMMY: Dr.
Mallard? Can you come look at something for a second? What have you found, Dr.
Palmer? I'm not sure.
Could be, uh, mud.
Maybe, but not exactly.
Ah, that's quite an analysis.
Thank you.
In a vast number of cases, identifying a mysterious substance like this one, is best determined by searching for specific markers, which in this case are not there.
Why don't you take this up to the lab? (buzzer sounds) (indistinct radio transmission) BISHOP: Thanks.
Mitch Monroe? Appreciate you sitting down with us.
It's not like I had to clear my schedule, hon.
You play chess, Monroe? Only against myself.
We're working a homicide.
Bank was robbed in Boonsboro, guy fled on a dirt bike.
We think that he killed his accomplice, a Marine.
There's reason to believe it was gang related.
Rosewood Boyz.
You saying the boys are up and running again? (laughs) And you think I'm running it from in here.
Well, that's been done before.
To be honest, by the time I got locked up, I didn't have many friends left.
A bunch of 'em got killed.
Yeah, mostly by you.
Those sick rumors still floating around? You can think what you want, but I'm telling you the truth, straight up.
I didn't kill my homies.
Sure you did, straight up.
The names Colin Day, Jamel Jackson, Mickey Miller ring any bells? They were just chess pieces you needed to sacrifice, right? Colin and Jamel got rolled on by a couple of crosstown cowards, and Mickey got silly drunk, and drowned in a pool.
Yeah, well, those are the stories.
But we know the truth.
You trying to bring more charges on me? 'Cause I'm up for parole in five years.
Then I would start talking.
I might've heard some rumors that someone was rallying the troops, trying to get back in business.
You got a name? Nope.
And the boys will make damn sure that you don't get one either.
Real Rosewoods don't talk.
Ever.
Mm.
Then how'd you end up in here? You're NCIS.
Know that Fed that put me in here? Called himself Nick Medina? Give him a message for me.
I'm not gonna be in here forever.
(knocking on door) Come in.
Thank you for seeing me, Director.
Make it quick, Torres.
I will.
The Marine who was killed yesterday, seems like he was tied to a gang I worked on, five years ago, undercover.
I should not be forced to sit on the sidelines.
I took down their leader and gave a year of my life to do it.
And you were paid for your time.
You did your job then, do it now.
Agent Gibbs made the personnel choice he felt best served our goal of solving this investigation.
And that's me.
I'm wasted sitting on the bench.
You ever heard the name Jack Haley? No.
NBA journeyman.
'96 Bulls.
Rode the bench most of his career.
But he was the one person that the team's star forward, Dennis Rodman, trusted the most, opened up to, often leaned on.
What is your point, sir? Haley made the biggest impact of his career from a seat on the bench.
And the only thing stopping you from doing the same is you.
(soft chuckle) With all due respect, sir, I didn't give eight years of my life to deep cover to be a Jack Haley.
Your move, Torres.
I'm going home.
Come on, it's not worth throwing away your career.
No, I'm going home to get my old notes.
Early in the op, we were partying, I caught a little buzz, I almost took my shirt off and jumped in the pool.
I was wearing a wire.
Not good.
No, not good.
Ever since that day, I never wore a wire again.
I wrote notes on every hour, every day on a little planner.
That little planner is stashed away deep in my closet.
Then you need to go home.
(door closes) Enjoyed the talk, Torres.
(man speaks indistinctly over P.
A.
) WOMAN: I was about to report Campbell U.
A.
again when I got your call.
âAgain?â Why, has it been a problem? It has been lately.
Oh? Corporal Campbell was quiet, well-liked, a good Marine.
But the last few months, he seemed to change.
He was distracted.
Had to write him up a couple times.
Any idea what was wrong? I suspected drugs.
But we just did a random sweep, and he was clean.
Was there anyone he was particularly close to on the ship? No, not lately.
He seemed withdrawn.
He had a girlfriend, but I heard they broke up.
I can get her name.
Maybe she knows what his problem was.
(dog barking in distance) (explosion) (grunts) (panting) What you got, Abbs? ABBY: Oh.
Your old chariot, or what's left of it.
Yeah, the universe has a cruel sense of humor.
Hmm.
Hey, Nick.
Yeah? It works out better for everybody if you just go ahead and give me the Caf-POW! before it becomes a problem.
Oh, yeah.
When exactly does it become a problem? As soon as I have to ask.
Got it.
Oh, it's really hard to see her like this.
Yeah.
I mean, if it helps, your baby didn't feel a thing.
She was packed with so much black powder, it could've blown up a rhino.
I mean, thankfully, it did not blow up a rhino.
How nice that I'm still alive, too.
Oh, no, yeah.
Oh, it totally sucks that you almost got killed.
But, you know, rhinos are on the endangered species list.
Okay, I get it, you love rhinos.
Moving on.
Detonator.
So the bad guys used a Jerry-rigged cell phone as a detonator.
Prepaid burner, untraceable? That word is blasphemous in the house of Sciuto.
Like John Paul Jones said Ramble on.
No, no, the other John Paul Jones.
âI have not yet begun to fightâ.
I don't doubt it.
Seriously, Nick, you got to promise me you're gonna be careful around these dudes.
You're lucky to be alive.
Abby, luck has a funny way of evaporating when you need it.
If the bomb was meant to kill me, it would have.
They wanted me alive.
Why? Well, that's what I intend to find out.
BISHOP: You took all your case notes in that? I logged every conversation, every person I met.
Wow, it seems more dangerous carrying that around than wearing a wire.
Well, at least I was able to show the goods.
(both chuckle) Wow, must've been so hard for you being undercover.
You know, sometimes it was so hard.
You find anything actually useful in there? Not yet.
Well we need to find a connection between Campbell and the Rosewoods.
You want a connection between Campbell and that gang? Look in the mirror, Torres.
Me? How? The same guys that killed Campbell just tried to blow your ass up.
Why? BISHOP: Revenge, I assume.
I mean, they've probably been looking for Nick all this time.
No, if it was a revenge hit, I'd be dead.
BISHOP: The explosion must have something to do with Campbell, I mean, the timing can't be a coincidence.
Where are the Rosewood Boyz hanging out? QUINN: I may have a lead on that.
Turns out Campbell had an ex-girlfriend, and I managed to track down her address.
You want us to pick her up? Oh, she's on her way in.
Guys like Kyle don't come around too often these days.
Yeah, tell us about him.
The Kyle I choose to remember was generous.
He had a kindness.
But he also had no filter.
The Kyle you choose to remember seems like a pretty good guy.
What about the other Kyle? Um about six months ago, he started to change.
He'd become obsessed with fantasy baseball, of all things.
Gambling.
Losing.
Big time.
He went into debt pretty bad.
We were just fighting about it nonstop, and and then, suddenly, Kyle just started paying off his debt.
Where'd he get the money? He wouldn't tell me.
Not at first, but I knew it had something to do with his new friends.
New friends have a name? (scoffs) Fools called themselves the Rosewood Boyz, that's the only name that I ever knew.
I confronted Kyle.
He said he just needed to make a little bit more money and then he'd make a clean break.
I just I didn't believe him.
Why not? He was still gambling.
Then one day his friends gave him a second cell phone, to use only with them.
Kyle said that they were paranoid about keeping their identities secret.
So, when they called Kyle to meet, do you know where he'd go? He wouldn't tell me.
So, I um âUm,â what? I put a GPS tracker on his car.
I thought that he was cheating on me.
Hey, nobody's judging you.
I am.
Well done.
So, did you find out where he was going? Uh, Miller's Motocross.
It's a pretty popular track.
You know, I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this.
Wow.
QUINN: Welcome to motocross, McGee! This is fun stuff.
This is not fun, this is every mother's worst nightmare.
Them.
Over there.
McGEE: You sure? He's sure.
Nice run.
Looking a little choppy before you hit the triple.
Yeah, I spun out on a dime.
I thought for sure we were gonna end up stacking bodies.
Yeah, me too.
You really need a guardrail, something padded.
And there's only one thing that I dislike more than catching a bad batch and losing my wheels-- being hassled by cops.
NCIS.
Oh.
Ask you a few questions about the death of Corporal Kyle Campbell? And I need a little pillow talk with Kate Upton.
QUINN: Look, you knew Kyle, right? If you have nothing to hide, then there's nothing to be quiet over.
Oh, okay, yeah, I-I guess I'll talk to you guys, then.
(laughs) Nice dime-store interrogation tactic.
Where'd you pick it up, âMind Games for Moronsâ? It's a nice bike.
(clears throat) What are you doing, buddy? It's probably best you stop touching on the bike.
Or what? Better start showing me some respect.
I would hate to see you get hurt.
Hey, hey, drop it! He wants to touch your bike let him touch.
He's screwing with me.
No.
He's playing you.
He's good at that.
At least we know who's running the show now.
Thanks for the look.
Been thinking about buying a bike myself.
And? What's the verdict? I'm gonna stick with a sedan.
Gets good gas mileage, not too flashy, and you know what? It is comfy.
Quinn, take a picture.
Smile.
Thanks.
Onward and upward, boys.
Let's go.
Boss, how'd you even know that was the Rosewood Boyz? The bike tipped me off.
How'd you know which bike? The one with the big rose painted on the side.
He look familiar, Torres? No.
Are you sure this Alonzo guy's the one calling the shots? Yeah.
That's a hell of a mountain to climb in only five years.
You sure he wasn't in the gang back then? Maybe he was so low level, he wasn't even on your radar.
Not likely.
What about your guy who was put in the Witness Protection Program? Royce Layton? I have no idea where he is.
What about him? Might know something about this Alonzo guy.
Boss, just spoke with the DOJ.
They want approval from the Marshals Service before they'll release Layton's whereabouts.
GIBBS: Get it.
I've been working on it, but the Marshals Service won't give their approval until DOJ signs off on it.
Okay, we focus on Alonzo.
Need something to turn the screws.
Bishop? Checking his credit card and bank records to see if I can connect him to any large deposits.
Quinn.
I'm gonna check his cell phone records.
Maybe I can place him in Boonsboro the day Corporal Campbell was killed.
I'm gonna take another whack at the Justice Department.
Torres, maybe you can check Where is he? (birds squawking) (chuckles) What up, Royce? Witness protection looks good on you.
Hey, man, I like what you done to the place.
You said you'd check in on me every few weeks, Nick, and five years later, here we are.
(chuckles) Hey, man, the Feds said it was dangerous for me to be coming around too often.
Right, right, the Feds.
You were safe, though, Royce.
You know, I trusted you like a brother and here's where it got me.
Well, it beats the hell out of a Cellblock âE.
â (laughs) You think? (laughs) Ah, this place this place is its own kind of cellblock, believe me.
Well, you had yourself a nice run with the Rosewoods until you smartened up and you testified.
Nah, destroying people's lives isn't smart.
Take down Monroe we had to take down a bunch of friends with him.
Friends who were criminals.
Ah, see, see, see? Friends to you.
Family to me.
Come on, man.
What you spinning out here, man? Potter's wheel.
Artista top.
Helps me forget what I've become.
And what's that? A rat.
(chatters) The kind of rat can't make peace with what I did, what I did for you.
Well, I guess it's a bad time to ask you for a favor.
(chuckles) Ah, so you got jokes, huh? Not jokes, man.
The Rosewoods are running again.
I have a dead Marine.
We have a suspect, but it's thin.
I was hoping you could help us with some Intel.
Alonzo? (chuckles) Man, he's harmless, small-time hustler.
No, man, he's the new boss.
Since you knew him better than I did You want me to rat again.
I prefer to call it help.
Funny, I do bad things, I end up here.
You do bad things and you still get to play cop.
I did what I had to do.
And if NCIS knew what that was, what would they think of you then? Are you gonna help me out or what? Lucky I'm a better friend to you than you ever were to me.
Alonzo, he's been he's been keeping a secret for a long time.
Come on.
Come on.
We're happy to see you, too, Abby.
BISHOP: Ah, so this is what it'll be like when Abby finally gets a wax figure at Madame Tussauds.
What do you got? Don't you want to know why I'm smiling like this first? Yes.
The smile train hit me head-on in the face for the same reason we are gathered here.
Less than an hour ago, I raised my forensics game into the stratosphere or the Sciuto-Sphere.
QUINN: Isn't that the phone that was used to detonate the bomb on Torres' bike? We already knew about that, Abb.
But what we never stopped and asked ourselves is what happened to the phone that called the phone that made the bike go boom.
See, even Gibbs is smiling, and he's gonna smile more when he sees this.
Burn phone as detonator.
Cash purchase two days ago.
Metro found it in a Dumpster after I traced its whereabouts.
Where was that? Whoever called did so from the 400 block of Sherman Road in Greenbelt.
Alonzo's last registered address.
493 Sherman Road.
I'll call Torres.
NCIS! TORRES: Hey, Gibbs.
The helmet our Marine killer wore at the bank robbery.
BISHOP: Yeah, our man's here.
TORRES: Alonzo, come out! They're dead.
They? Yeah, it looks like Alonzo had a secret.
Double tap.
Rosewood Boyz.
Question is, which one? Why? (phone ringing) Torres.
DISTORTED VOICE: Alonzo Marcel ordered the hit on Corporal Campbell, and now he's a gift from me to you.
Your investigation ends here.
You have your killer; now walk away, or NCIS will find out what you've been hiding all this time.
It's sad when they come in so young.
It is indeed, but then you and I both know that all of life is a near-death experience.
We must never cease to give thanks for the gift of today.
Isn't that right, Jethro? I'll tell you tomorrow.
DUCKY: Well, if one is an incident and two is a coincidence, then three is most certainly a pattern.
Like our Marine, these two died of double tap.
Same technique, bigger weapon.
DUCKY: Yeah, well, these head wounds tell me that a higher-caliber weapon was used here than the one that killed Corporal Campbell.
Well, different gun doesn't mean different shooter.
There any evidence of a struggle? Mm, quite the opposite.
The position they were found in indicates inactivity at the time of death.
Sleeping.
DUCKY: Yes, Jethro.
They were ambushed.
JIMMY: Oh, just one more thing.
Remember the mysterious substance we found under the fingernails of Corporal Campbell? Yeah, Abby's compared every mud in North America.
Nothing matched.
Yeah, except for the remarkably similar substance we found on Alonzo Marcel's boots.
If they are one in the same, then that would directly connect the two attacks.
It's a whole lot of ifs, Ducky.
Why you hit the-the emergency button? Because I can.
We don't have an emergency, Gibbs.
Or do we? Tell me.
Tell you what? What you're hiding.
Okay.
Let's talk.
Where to start? The truth.
What if I'm not sure I know it anymore? We find it.
I can't help unless you help yourself.
Time to tear off that Band-Aid.
I planted evidence.
I planted evidence to get Monroe off the streets so no other people, especially my friends, would get murdered.
Gang members.
What they do, not who they are.
Any regrets? Zero.
No regrets.
That Rosewood investigation swallowed me up whole.
And when another two Rosewoods got smoked I swiped the pistol he used to do it and I tossed it in the bushes next to the victims.
His victims? Yes.
- You're sure? - Absolutely.
He looked me in the eye and said, âI killed them bothâ.
And that was just the tip of the spear.
Gibbs, he was cleaning house.
I had no choice.
I had to do it.
I was hoping this is the part where you'd say, âHey, Torres, your job is secure.
When I was a young NIS agent, uh.
.
â.
(clears throat) (imitating Gibbs): âI did the same thingâ.
Torres, we got a lot more in common than you think.
But my Band-Aids, they always stay on.
Abby.
Mud.
Go.
Don't come back without an answer.
Hey, Torres.
Hey.
Hey, Abbs.
Please tell me this is mud.
Uh, most of it.
Disgusting.
Well, that was the hand that I was dealt and I played the hell out of it.
I mean, this is totally, like, a straight royal flush.
That's not actually a thing, is it? Analogy still worked.
So, what are you saying, Abby? You identified the mud? I shipped in samples of every variation and every strain of mud that I could get my filthy little hands on.
And just when I thought I couldn't keep trudging, the major mass spec got a match (typing) and made beautiful music.
Kaolin mud? Actually, it's clay.
Clay? Like pottery clay? Yeah.
It's like the Rolls-Royce of mud.
Huh.
So, how'd the same pottery clay end up on two of the three victims? You got any theories, Torres? He just bail on us again? Royce, I know it was you.
Don't do something we're both going to regret.
What do you want? (wind chime tinkles softly) (screen door creaks open) Were you expecting anyone else? If I'm not the only friend you're blackmailing today, well, I'd like to know that.
Wouldn't call it blackmail.
Think of it as restitution.
I don't owe you anything.
Then why are you standing there holding that bag full of cash? Is all 200 of it there? It's all here.
Good.
How did you know Alonzo had 200 K in his safe? Because he was holding it for me.
He was a good earner, useful, but then he got greedy and the envelopes were lighter.
So you had him killed? He was not content with the Rosewoods' current leadership.
And that'd be you.
You can't take what somebody else earns.
I've had to teach a lot of people that.
Now, how the hell did you run the Rosewood Boyz from witness protection? Monroe was feared, hated, so, when we put him away, I wasn't seen as a snitch.
No, I was a savior, so I capitalized.
Made all the right promises to all the right people, and made sure to get rid of all the wrong ones.
Like Corporal Campbell.
Why'd you have him killed? Ah, kid made a couple of scores for us, but he was a degenerate gambler, a liability.
Do I really need to explain how all this works? I mean, not to be an impolite host, but I think it's about time we both got what we came here for.
So, please, put the bag on the table.
I need to check it.
All right, now your turn.
Where's this audio you claim you have on me? Do you remember that night you came back to the crib and told me how you planted Monroe's gun? You recorded our conversation? On this drive is an audio file.
200 Gs in exchange for your freedom.
Not a bad deal.
How do I know it's the only one? You don't.
(zipper opens) Ah (laughs) And here I was worried you were gonna try something stupid.
(clicks tongue, laughs) Hey, Royce.
Hmm? There's something else in there for you.
You son of a bitch.
Go ahead and try 'em on.
I think they're your size.
(handcuffs clink on table) And what do you think will happen when I give this to the Feds? I have no idea, but why don't you ask them yourself? They're right outside.
Go ahead, say hi.
You're out of moves, Royce.
Turn around.
Royce please turn around.
(grunts) (bike engine revs) (engine revs) (tires skidding on gravel) QUINN: Torres! Geez! (engines revving) (engine revs) Ah! (groans) Hey, Royce! (grunts) You forgot these.
Breathe, Nick.
Breathe.
I just listened to the audio file that Royce tried to blackmail you with.
I didn't understand a word.
Nothing but a lot of mumbling.
No way to know that it's even you.
Wait, so he was bluffing? Why would he even think that I would give him 200 K without even listening to the audio file first? So, uh, Abby said she was sure, right? I mean, she scanned through the whole entire file and said I was good to go? No.
Not Abby.
Me.
By yourself? (papers shuffling) I mean, you know how to scan for audio files on an external hard drive? You did the wrong thing for the right reasons.
Never do that again.
(papers tap on desk) Been a long week, Torres.
Late.
(taps keyboard) Go home.
(papers shuffling)
Come on.
(motorcycle engine revving) Come on.
(distant sirens wailing) (panting) Oh.
(sirens wailing) Cutting it a little close, bro.
You trying to get us busted or something? (gunshots) NCIS 14x21 One Book, Two Covers (typing) Oh.
Okay.
So your fingers aren't broken.
What, now? Oh, just figured that was the reason you haven't RSVP'd to my e-vite.
For my painting party? Oh, I thought that was a joke.
I'm sorry, what's a painting party? It is like a housewarming party, except instead of standing around, you just, you get to get your hands dirty.
That sounds more like free labor than a party.
Come on.
Painting is fun.
Unless someone is posing nude, I am not interested.
Mm, fine.
But you do not know what you're missing.
Look, if this is just a ploy to see me with my shirt off, I can make that happen right now.
You have quite the imagination.
The offer still stands.
You say the word, I'll lose my shirt.
And the job, Torres.
Gear up.
Got a dead Marine in Maryland.
McGee and Quinn? They're already on the way.
TORRES: Hey, Gibbs.
Did you get Bishop's e-vite? The hell's an e-vite? (scoffs) (camera shutter clicking) (siren chirps) QUINN: Well, my mom always said, âIf you're not careful, you'll end up face down in the mud somewhereâ" Always thought that was a figure of speech.
Tell that to him.
What do we know? Well, the victim is Marine Corporal Kyle Campbell, he is a cargo clerk stationed onboard the USS Saipan out of Norfolk.
A hitchhiker called 911, and reported the body.
Hitchhiker give you anything? Not really.
Apparently, he spotted the body when he was walking past.
All yours, Duck.
Thank you, Timothy.
Come, Dr.
Palmer, let's free this young man from the mud.
All right.
Here we go.
One, two, three.
(grunts) (shutter clicking) There you are, Corporal, your final about-face.
My apologies for moving you.
JIMMY: This body's been moved before, Doctor.
There's a blood trail, leads back to the road.
His killer probably dragged him back here, keep him out of sight.
So it would seem.
You looking for new a job, Palmer? (chuckles) TORRES: Hey, Gibbs.
I got something.
What do you got? Two set of tracks, fresh ones.
Motorcycle? A dirt bike.
You sure about that? Oh, yeah.
There's a larger one.
Maybe a small truck.
Explains why the smaller tracks stop here.
Loaded onto a truck.
Gibbs, local LEO said there was a bank robbery a few miles north of here, yesterday.
Perp made his getaway on a dirt bike.
Security footage? It's on its way to Abby now.
Hey, Gibbs? I'm gonna need to take a look at that.
You know something we don't? Just a hunch.
ABBY: This is Boonsboro Savings and Loan yesterday morning, just moments before the robbery kicks off.
You know, legendary bank robber Ralphie âSlickâ Sommers, he called this lull The calm before the storm.
Can we just skip to the good part? Patience, Nick.
Okay Showtime.
He only wanted bills from the front of the drawer.
Ah, he's avoiding dye packs.
He knows the system.
GIBBS: He ever show his face? Nope.
But using the height of the counter, I was able to do a size comparison, and clocked our bank robber in at six foot, four inches tall.
Well, that rules out Corporal Campbell.
He's not even six feet.
Wait, hold on a second.
Can we go back? The dirt bike.
Can you zoom in on that? You have a make and model? I can't zoom in, it'll distort the pixelation even more.
I'm afraid this is as good as gets.
It's a Suzuki RM125, 2002, yellow, with a red racing stripe, and a custom exhaust.
You got that from a blurry video? There's no way.
How do you know so much about a bank robber's dirt bike? 'Cause that is not his dirt bike.
It's mine.
McGEE: I didn't know you were in a rap group, Torres.
Make a dope album cover.
(laughs softly) Meet the Rosewood Boyz.
2012, they were a rising crew mostly known for, uh, riding dirt bikes, partying hard, robbing banks.
Sounds like a well-rounded day.
NCIS asked me to go deep cover.
I became Nick Medina, a full-fledged Rosewood Boy.
Why NCIS? Well, they had a habit for, uh, recruiting sailors and Marines to do their dirty work.
How long was the op? Little over a year, took us to, uh, to get our guy.
Mitch Monroe, the top dog.
Kept his men in the shadows, no loose ends.
But I found one.
Royce Layton.
Real good kid.
Just mixed up with some bad dudes.
We got real tight.
When I saw bodies piling up, and I took my shot, I blew my cover, and I asked him to flip on his boss.
He did the right thing.
He did the courageous thing.
By ratting on Monroe? By testifying.
Because of him, Mitch Monroe got 20 to life.
He was taken care of by the Feds.
Witness protection.
Sounds like Royce knows the gang inside and out.
Let's talk to him.
Easier said than done.
GIBBS: If he's federally protected, he's unlisted.
Maybe untouchable.
Even to us? Especially to us.
Royce's still a marked man.
Nothing brings more heat than, uh, agents knocking on your door.
You think Corporal Campbell's really the kind of Marine to get involved with the Rosewood Boyz? All right, well, I just got off the phone with his O.
I.
C.
I'm gonna go see what she knows.
All right, keep at it, keep digging.
I want everything on Corporal Campbell.
McGee, contact the Department of Justice.
I want to talk to Royce Layton.
Let's go, Bishop.
You're with me.
Where to? Prison.
Hey, Gibbs, don't you think I should go with you guys? I mean, I know Monroe.
Advantage him, not us.
Yeah, but I lived and breathed the Rosewoods for over a year.
I mean, I can, I can be an asset.
Go find a lead on your old bike.
Well, can I at least brief you on Mitch Monroe? Call you from the car, Torres.
(elevator bell dings) JIMMY: Dr.
Mallard? Can you come look at something for a second? What have you found, Dr.
Palmer? I'm not sure.
Could be, uh, mud.
Maybe, but not exactly.
Ah, that's quite an analysis.
Thank you.
In a vast number of cases, identifying a mysterious substance like this one, is best determined by searching for specific markers, which in this case are not there.
Why don't you take this up to the lab? (buzzer sounds) (indistinct radio transmission) BISHOP: Thanks.
Mitch Monroe? Appreciate you sitting down with us.
It's not like I had to clear my schedule, hon.
You play chess, Monroe? Only against myself.
We're working a homicide.
Bank was robbed in Boonsboro, guy fled on a dirt bike.
We think that he killed his accomplice, a Marine.
There's reason to believe it was gang related.
Rosewood Boyz.
You saying the boys are up and running again? (laughs) And you think I'm running it from in here.
Well, that's been done before.
To be honest, by the time I got locked up, I didn't have many friends left.
A bunch of 'em got killed.
Yeah, mostly by you.
Those sick rumors still floating around? You can think what you want, but I'm telling you the truth, straight up.
I didn't kill my homies.
Sure you did, straight up.
The names Colin Day, Jamel Jackson, Mickey Miller ring any bells? They were just chess pieces you needed to sacrifice, right? Colin and Jamel got rolled on by a couple of crosstown cowards, and Mickey got silly drunk, and drowned in a pool.
Yeah, well, those are the stories.
But we know the truth.
You trying to bring more charges on me? 'Cause I'm up for parole in five years.
Then I would start talking.
I might've heard some rumors that someone was rallying the troops, trying to get back in business.
You got a name? Nope.
And the boys will make damn sure that you don't get one either.
Real Rosewoods don't talk.
Ever.
Mm.
Then how'd you end up in here? You're NCIS.
Know that Fed that put me in here? Called himself Nick Medina? Give him a message for me.
I'm not gonna be in here forever.
(knocking on door) Come in.
Thank you for seeing me, Director.
Make it quick, Torres.
I will.
The Marine who was killed yesterday, seems like he was tied to a gang I worked on, five years ago, undercover.
I should not be forced to sit on the sidelines.
I took down their leader and gave a year of my life to do it.
And you were paid for your time.
You did your job then, do it now.
Agent Gibbs made the personnel choice he felt best served our goal of solving this investigation.
And that's me.
I'm wasted sitting on the bench.
You ever heard the name Jack Haley? No.
NBA journeyman.
'96 Bulls.
Rode the bench most of his career.
But he was the one person that the team's star forward, Dennis Rodman, trusted the most, opened up to, often leaned on.
What is your point, sir? Haley made the biggest impact of his career from a seat on the bench.
And the only thing stopping you from doing the same is you.
(soft chuckle) With all due respect, sir, I didn't give eight years of my life to deep cover to be a Jack Haley.
Your move, Torres.
I'm going home.
Come on, it's not worth throwing away your career.
No, I'm going home to get my old notes.
Early in the op, we were partying, I caught a little buzz, I almost took my shirt off and jumped in the pool.
I was wearing a wire.
Not good.
No, not good.
Ever since that day, I never wore a wire again.
I wrote notes on every hour, every day on a little planner.
That little planner is stashed away deep in my closet.
Then you need to go home.
(door closes) Enjoyed the talk, Torres.
(man speaks indistinctly over P.
A.
) WOMAN: I was about to report Campbell U.
A.
again when I got your call.
âAgain?â Why, has it been a problem? It has been lately.
Oh? Corporal Campbell was quiet, well-liked, a good Marine.
But the last few months, he seemed to change.
He was distracted.
Had to write him up a couple times.
Any idea what was wrong? I suspected drugs.
But we just did a random sweep, and he was clean.
Was there anyone he was particularly close to on the ship? No, not lately.
He seemed withdrawn.
He had a girlfriend, but I heard they broke up.
I can get her name.
Maybe she knows what his problem was.
(dog barking in distance) (explosion) (grunts) (panting) What you got, Abbs? ABBY: Oh.
Your old chariot, or what's left of it.
Yeah, the universe has a cruel sense of humor.
Hmm.
Hey, Nick.
Yeah? It works out better for everybody if you just go ahead and give me the Caf-POW! before it becomes a problem.
Oh, yeah.
When exactly does it become a problem? As soon as I have to ask.
Got it.
Oh, it's really hard to see her like this.
Yeah.
I mean, if it helps, your baby didn't feel a thing.
She was packed with so much black powder, it could've blown up a rhino.
I mean, thankfully, it did not blow up a rhino.
How nice that I'm still alive, too.
Oh, no, yeah.
Oh, it totally sucks that you almost got killed.
But, you know, rhinos are on the endangered species list.
Okay, I get it, you love rhinos.
Moving on.
Detonator.
So the bad guys used a Jerry-rigged cell phone as a detonator.
Prepaid burner, untraceable? That word is blasphemous in the house of Sciuto.
Like John Paul Jones said Ramble on.
No, no, the other John Paul Jones.
âI have not yet begun to fightâ.
I don't doubt it.
Seriously, Nick, you got to promise me you're gonna be careful around these dudes.
You're lucky to be alive.
Abby, luck has a funny way of evaporating when you need it.
If the bomb was meant to kill me, it would have.
They wanted me alive.
Why? Well, that's what I intend to find out.
BISHOP: You took all your case notes in that? I logged every conversation, every person I met.
Wow, it seems more dangerous carrying that around than wearing a wire.
Well, at least I was able to show the goods.
(both chuckle) Wow, must've been so hard for you being undercover.
You know, sometimes it was so hard.
You find anything actually useful in there? Not yet.
Well we need to find a connection between Campbell and the Rosewoods.
You want a connection between Campbell and that gang? Look in the mirror, Torres.
Me? How? The same guys that killed Campbell just tried to blow your ass up.
Why? BISHOP: Revenge, I assume.
I mean, they've probably been looking for Nick all this time.
No, if it was a revenge hit, I'd be dead.
BISHOP: The explosion must have something to do with Campbell, I mean, the timing can't be a coincidence.
Where are the Rosewood Boyz hanging out? QUINN: I may have a lead on that.
Turns out Campbell had an ex-girlfriend, and I managed to track down her address.
You want us to pick her up? Oh, she's on her way in.
Guys like Kyle don't come around too often these days.
Yeah, tell us about him.
The Kyle I choose to remember was generous.
He had a kindness.
But he also had no filter.
The Kyle you choose to remember seems like a pretty good guy.
What about the other Kyle? Um about six months ago, he started to change.
He'd become obsessed with fantasy baseball, of all things.
Gambling.
Losing.
Big time.
He went into debt pretty bad.
We were just fighting about it nonstop, and and then, suddenly, Kyle just started paying off his debt.
Where'd he get the money? He wouldn't tell me.
Not at first, but I knew it had something to do with his new friends.
New friends have a name? (scoffs) Fools called themselves the Rosewood Boyz, that's the only name that I ever knew.
I confronted Kyle.
He said he just needed to make a little bit more money and then he'd make a clean break.
I just I didn't believe him.
Why not? He was still gambling.
Then one day his friends gave him a second cell phone, to use only with them.
Kyle said that they were paranoid about keeping their identities secret.
So, when they called Kyle to meet, do you know where he'd go? He wouldn't tell me.
So, I um âUm,â what? I put a GPS tracker on his car.
I thought that he was cheating on me.
Hey, nobody's judging you.
I am.
Well done.
So, did you find out where he was going? Uh, Miller's Motocross.
It's a pretty popular track.
You know, I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this.
Wow.
QUINN: Welcome to motocross, McGee! This is fun stuff.
This is not fun, this is every mother's worst nightmare.
Them.
Over there.
McGEE: You sure? He's sure.
Nice run.
Looking a little choppy before you hit the triple.
Yeah, I spun out on a dime.
I thought for sure we were gonna end up stacking bodies.
Yeah, me too.
You really need a guardrail, something padded.
And there's only one thing that I dislike more than catching a bad batch and losing my wheels-- being hassled by cops.
NCIS.
Oh.
Ask you a few questions about the death of Corporal Kyle Campbell? And I need a little pillow talk with Kate Upton.
QUINN: Look, you knew Kyle, right? If you have nothing to hide, then there's nothing to be quiet over.
Oh, okay, yeah, I-I guess I'll talk to you guys, then.
(laughs) Nice dime-store interrogation tactic.
Where'd you pick it up, âMind Games for Moronsâ? It's a nice bike.
(clears throat) What are you doing, buddy? It's probably best you stop touching on the bike.
Or what? Better start showing me some respect.
I would hate to see you get hurt.
Hey, hey, drop it! He wants to touch your bike let him touch.
He's screwing with me.
No.
He's playing you.
He's good at that.
At least we know who's running the show now.
Thanks for the look.
Been thinking about buying a bike myself.
And? What's the verdict? I'm gonna stick with a sedan.
Gets good gas mileage, not too flashy, and you know what? It is comfy.
Quinn, take a picture.
Smile.
Thanks.
Onward and upward, boys.
Let's go.
Boss, how'd you even know that was the Rosewood Boyz? The bike tipped me off.
How'd you know which bike? The one with the big rose painted on the side.
He look familiar, Torres? No.
Are you sure this Alonzo guy's the one calling the shots? Yeah.
That's a hell of a mountain to climb in only five years.
You sure he wasn't in the gang back then? Maybe he was so low level, he wasn't even on your radar.
Not likely.
What about your guy who was put in the Witness Protection Program? Royce Layton? I have no idea where he is.
What about him? Might know something about this Alonzo guy.
Boss, just spoke with the DOJ.
They want approval from the Marshals Service before they'll release Layton's whereabouts.
GIBBS: Get it.
I've been working on it, but the Marshals Service won't give their approval until DOJ signs off on it.
Okay, we focus on Alonzo.
Need something to turn the screws.
Bishop? Checking his credit card and bank records to see if I can connect him to any large deposits.
Quinn.
I'm gonna check his cell phone records.
Maybe I can place him in Boonsboro the day Corporal Campbell was killed.
I'm gonna take another whack at the Justice Department.
Torres, maybe you can check Where is he? (birds squawking) (chuckles) What up, Royce? Witness protection looks good on you.
Hey, man, I like what you done to the place.
You said you'd check in on me every few weeks, Nick, and five years later, here we are.
(chuckles) Hey, man, the Feds said it was dangerous for me to be coming around too often.
Right, right, the Feds.
You were safe, though, Royce.
You know, I trusted you like a brother and here's where it got me.
Well, it beats the hell out of a Cellblock âE.
â (laughs) You think? (laughs) Ah, this place this place is its own kind of cellblock, believe me.
Well, you had yourself a nice run with the Rosewoods until you smartened up and you testified.
Nah, destroying people's lives isn't smart.
Take down Monroe we had to take down a bunch of friends with him.
Friends who were criminals.
Ah, see, see, see? Friends to you.
Family to me.
Come on, man.
What you spinning out here, man? Potter's wheel.
Artista top.
Helps me forget what I've become.
And what's that? A rat.
(chatters) The kind of rat can't make peace with what I did, what I did for you.
Well, I guess it's a bad time to ask you for a favor.
(chuckles) Ah, so you got jokes, huh? Not jokes, man.
The Rosewoods are running again.
I have a dead Marine.
We have a suspect, but it's thin.
I was hoping you could help us with some Intel.
Alonzo? (chuckles) Man, he's harmless, small-time hustler.
No, man, he's the new boss.
Since you knew him better than I did You want me to rat again.
I prefer to call it help.
Funny, I do bad things, I end up here.
You do bad things and you still get to play cop.
I did what I had to do.
And if NCIS knew what that was, what would they think of you then? Are you gonna help me out or what? Lucky I'm a better friend to you than you ever were to me.
Alonzo, he's been he's been keeping a secret for a long time.
Come on.
Come on.
We're happy to see you, too, Abby.
BISHOP: Ah, so this is what it'll be like when Abby finally gets a wax figure at Madame Tussauds.
What do you got? Don't you want to know why I'm smiling like this first? Yes.
The smile train hit me head-on in the face for the same reason we are gathered here.
Less than an hour ago, I raised my forensics game into the stratosphere or the Sciuto-Sphere.
QUINN: Isn't that the phone that was used to detonate the bomb on Torres' bike? We already knew about that, Abb.
But what we never stopped and asked ourselves is what happened to the phone that called the phone that made the bike go boom.
See, even Gibbs is smiling, and he's gonna smile more when he sees this.
Burn phone as detonator.
Cash purchase two days ago.
Metro found it in a Dumpster after I traced its whereabouts.
Where was that? Whoever called did so from the 400 block of Sherman Road in Greenbelt.
Alonzo's last registered address.
493 Sherman Road.
I'll call Torres.
NCIS! TORRES: Hey, Gibbs.
The helmet our Marine killer wore at the bank robbery.
BISHOP: Yeah, our man's here.
TORRES: Alonzo, come out! They're dead.
They? Yeah, it looks like Alonzo had a secret.
Double tap.
Rosewood Boyz.
Question is, which one? Why? (phone ringing) Torres.
DISTORTED VOICE: Alonzo Marcel ordered the hit on Corporal Campbell, and now he's a gift from me to you.
Your investigation ends here.
You have your killer; now walk away, or NCIS will find out what you've been hiding all this time.
It's sad when they come in so young.
It is indeed, but then you and I both know that all of life is a near-death experience.
We must never cease to give thanks for the gift of today.
Isn't that right, Jethro? I'll tell you tomorrow.
DUCKY: Well, if one is an incident and two is a coincidence, then three is most certainly a pattern.
Like our Marine, these two died of double tap.
Same technique, bigger weapon.
DUCKY: Yeah, well, these head wounds tell me that a higher-caliber weapon was used here than the one that killed Corporal Campbell.
Well, different gun doesn't mean different shooter.
There any evidence of a struggle? Mm, quite the opposite.
The position they were found in indicates inactivity at the time of death.
Sleeping.
DUCKY: Yes, Jethro.
They were ambushed.
JIMMY: Oh, just one more thing.
Remember the mysterious substance we found under the fingernails of Corporal Campbell? Yeah, Abby's compared every mud in North America.
Nothing matched.
Yeah, except for the remarkably similar substance we found on Alonzo Marcel's boots.
If they are one in the same, then that would directly connect the two attacks.
It's a whole lot of ifs, Ducky.
Why you hit the-the emergency button? Because I can.
We don't have an emergency, Gibbs.
Or do we? Tell me.
Tell you what? What you're hiding.
Okay.
Let's talk.
Where to start? The truth.
What if I'm not sure I know it anymore? We find it.
I can't help unless you help yourself.
Time to tear off that Band-Aid.
I planted evidence.
I planted evidence to get Monroe off the streets so no other people, especially my friends, would get murdered.
Gang members.
What they do, not who they are.
Any regrets? Zero.
No regrets.
That Rosewood investigation swallowed me up whole.
And when another two Rosewoods got smoked I swiped the pistol he used to do it and I tossed it in the bushes next to the victims.
His victims? Yes.
- You're sure? - Absolutely.
He looked me in the eye and said, âI killed them bothâ.
And that was just the tip of the spear.
Gibbs, he was cleaning house.
I had no choice.
I had to do it.
I was hoping this is the part where you'd say, âHey, Torres, your job is secure.
When I was a young NIS agent, uh.
.
â.
(clears throat) (imitating Gibbs): âI did the same thingâ.
Torres, we got a lot more in common than you think.
But my Band-Aids, they always stay on.
Abby.
Mud.
Go.
Don't come back without an answer.
Hey, Torres.
Hey.
Hey, Abbs.
Please tell me this is mud.
Uh, most of it.
Disgusting.
Well, that was the hand that I was dealt and I played the hell out of it.
I mean, this is totally, like, a straight royal flush.
That's not actually a thing, is it? Analogy still worked.
So, what are you saying, Abby? You identified the mud? I shipped in samples of every variation and every strain of mud that I could get my filthy little hands on.
And just when I thought I couldn't keep trudging, the major mass spec got a match (typing) and made beautiful music.
Kaolin mud? Actually, it's clay.
Clay? Like pottery clay? Yeah.
It's like the Rolls-Royce of mud.
Huh.
So, how'd the same pottery clay end up on two of the three victims? You got any theories, Torres? He just bail on us again? Royce, I know it was you.
Don't do something we're both going to regret.
What do you want? (wind chime tinkles softly) (screen door creaks open) Were you expecting anyone else? If I'm not the only friend you're blackmailing today, well, I'd like to know that.
Wouldn't call it blackmail.
Think of it as restitution.
I don't owe you anything.
Then why are you standing there holding that bag full of cash? Is all 200 of it there? It's all here.
Good.
How did you know Alonzo had 200 K in his safe? Because he was holding it for me.
He was a good earner, useful, but then he got greedy and the envelopes were lighter.
So you had him killed? He was not content with the Rosewoods' current leadership.
And that'd be you.
You can't take what somebody else earns.
I've had to teach a lot of people that.
Now, how the hell did you run the Rosewood Boyz from witness protection? Monroe was feared, hated, so, when we put him away, I wasn't seen as a snitch.
No, I was a savior, so I capitalized.
Made all the right promises to all the right people, and made sure to get rid of all the wrong ones.
Like Corporal Campbell.
Why'd you have him killed? Ah, kid made a couple of scores for us, but he was a degenerate gambler, a liability.
Do I really need to explain how all this works? I mean, not to be an impolite host, but I think it's about time we both got what we came here for.
So, please, put the bag on the table.
I need to check it.
All right, now your turn.
Where's this audio you claim you have on me? Do you remember that night you came back to the crib and told me how you planted Monroe's gun? You recorded our conversation? On this drive is an audio file.
200 Gs in exchange for your freedom.
Not a bad deal.
How do I know it's the only one? You don't.
(zipper opens) Ah (laughs) And here I was worried you were gonna try something stupid.
(clicks tongue, laughs) Hey, Royce.
Hmm? There's something else in there for you.
You son of a bitch.
Go ahead and try 'em on.
I think they're your size.
(handcuffs clink on table) And what do you think will happen when I give this to the Feds? I have no idea, but why don't you ask them yourself? They're right outside.
Go ahead, say hi.
You're out of moves, Royce.
Turn around.
Royce please turn around.
(grunts) (bike engine revs) (engine revs) (tires skidding on gravel) QUINN: Torres! Geez! (engines revving) (engine revs) Ah! (groans) Hey, Royce! (grunts) You forgot these.
Breathe, Nick.
Breathe.
I just listened to the audio file that Royce tried to blackmail you with.
I didn't understand a word.
Nothing but a lot of mumbling.
No way to know that it's even you.
Wait, so he was bluffing? Why would he even think that I would give him 200 K without even listening to the audio file first? So, uh, Abby said she was sure, right? I mean, she scanned through the whole entire file and said I was good to go? No.
Not Abby.
Me.
By yourself? (papers shuffling) I mean, you know how to scan for audio files on an external hard drive? You did the wrong thing for the right reasons.
Never do that again.
(papers tap on desk) Been a long week, Torres.
Late.
(taps keyboard) Go home.
(papers shuffling)