NCIS s19e07 Episode Script
Docked
1
Please join us on the lido deck
for our biggest party of the cruise:
Gatsby Night.
No, no, no, honey.
I'm just home alone.
Carol was supposed to come by, but she hadn't even started the reading for the book club.
Big surprise.
Uh, wh No.
No, no.
This is I was The TV I-I'm just watching a baking show.
And they're-they're making soufflés, and the judges just hate them.
It was hilarious.
Listen, honey, I have to go.
I love you, and I'll talk to you soon.
Attention, guests, reservations are open for the Kids Club.
Because we all could use Hello? Can someone help me, please? I'd like to use the sauna.
Is someone in there? I hope you don't mind sharing.
I'm coming in.
It's called Bandium and it's gonna revolutionize how we share information.
The platform's API's already integrated with the NCIS tip line.
And I have set up custom channels to organize each case.
Come again? It's an app for communicating.
Oh, I wasn't aware we had issues, - uh, communicating.
- We don't.
But Bandium will make communicating better digitally.
We'll be able to bounce ideas off each other, anywhere, anytime, all in a virtual space.
Or we could just, you know talk to each other.
- Was this your idea? - No, no.
Not my idea at all.
But I'm telling you, this couldn't hurt.
I've read a lot of good things about Bandium.
I don't know, man.
I got enough crap on my phone.
All right, what the hell? I will give it a shot.
Now, that's the spirit.
Okay, come on.
Come on.
That wasn't so bad, was it? Ah, our first Bandium.
We got a body in a cruise ship.
That docked at Norfolk.
Look at that, we're in business.
Working already.
I hate it when Parker's right.
Get used to it.
Victim here is Navy Commander Roger Burrows.
60 years old.
He was a guest on the cruise.
- Who found him? - Another guest.
She was here for the sauna.
Most of this place was empty, though.
The other passengers and crew were on the other side of the ship attending a party.
Nothing like this ever happens here.
I mean, this is a five-star cruise line.
We pride ourselves on having the highest safety rating in the business.
Tell that to the dead guy.
The sauna must have malfunctioned.
It's just a horrible, tragic accident.
Maybe.
But I don't know too many people - who wear a tux to the sauna.
- No.
But, uh, guests have been known to drink and wander into the wrong cabin.
All right, well, we'll need to look at the ship's surveillance footage.
Of course.
Of course, but, um no cameras in the spa.
You know, it's, uh, guest privacy.
You understand that.
Looks like your five-star security has a blind spot, then.
Oh, there you are.
Been wandering all over this place.
You know this thing has ten decks, four swimming pools.
I'd like to take Victoria on a cruise, you know, but she gets so seasick.
I know the feeling.
Ah, not a big fan of boats, either, Parker? - No.
- Well, that's not gonna be a problem on this job.
Let's see, what do we have here? I've got second-degree burns on at least his face and his hands.
Signs of severe dehydration.
This poor guy literally cooked in there.
So the sauna killed him.
No, not not necessarily.
No, you see, he's got these two stab wounds in his neck.
Likely severed his carotid artery.
Then where's all the blood? Uh, we have some faint smear here.
More streaks there.
Looks like somebody tried cleaning it up.
So Burrows was stabbed before he was stuffed in the sauna.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Uh, stabbed? Are you saying he was murdered? I need this ship locked down.
No guest or crew member is allowed on or off until they're cleared.
But we're set to depart on another trip tomorrow morning.
- Not anymore.
- We'll need access to Burrows' cabin.
I also want to interview the guest who found the body.
What's her name? Um Judy Price.
Cabin 7024.
Wait, did you just say Judy Price? Mid-60s, white hair, talks a lot? Um, yeah, yeah, that's right.
Oh, boy.
Tim.
Hey.
Slow down, man.
What's going on? Dude.
Tim.
Oh, thank God you're here.
Okay, so you know each other.
Nick, I want to introduce you to Judy Price Fielding, my mother-in-law.
Oh, it was awful.
It was just awful.
- Judy - Every time I close my eyes, I-I see that burnt up face staring at me.
Judy.
Okay, I can't do this.
There's just too much negative energy.
I've got to, like, clear my mind, be here now.
- Judy.
- Ah.
Where are my chakra stones? - Judy.
Judy.
- What? Sit down for me, okay? What are you doing here? The security officer told me to come back to my cabin and wait.
She said something to do with contaminating the crime scene? No, no, no.
I mean here, as in on the cruise ship.
Oh.
I'm-I'm just vacationing, of course.
Okay, you realize you never told me and Delilah that you were going on a cruise, right? I didn't? Could've sworn I did.
Oh, I guess it slipped my mind.
You know how we old people are.
You talked to Delilah on the phone last night.
Told her you were at home watching a baking show.
Okay.
I just didn't want Delilah to know about this whole cruise.
You know how she gets.
No, I mean, I love my daughter.
I love her to death, but she can be just so overly protective.
You know, she panics the moment I'm out of range.
But getting back to our murder investigation, we do have some questions we need to ask you, Mrs.
Fielding.
Oh, Judy.
Please.
Everyone calls me Judy.
Okay, Judy.
Uh The man you found in the sauna, his name was Roger Burrows.
Yes, they told me that last night.
Horrible.
Had you seen him on board at all? Maybe talked to him? Maybe once or twice, you know, like, on the deck.
Just a few hellos.
So, is that it? Am I done? Well, we're, uh, we're gonna need a written statement first, but, uh, w-we should be able to release you soon after that.
Okay.
This whole thing of me being on a cruise, that could just stay between us, right? Because there's no reason to bother Delilah with it.
Judy, you know I can't do that.
Of course I have to tell Delilah.
Okay, okay.
I'm just worried about how she'll react.
You think? No, of course I didn't know about the cruise.
I just found out about it myself.
I understand.
I have no idea why she didn't tell you, Delilah.
Yes.
Okay.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
No.
Yes.
Yes, okay.
Bye.
Delilah didn't take it well? Dude, 2,000 people on that ship, and Delilah's mother is the one that finds the body.
What's the beef between them? Well, you met Judy.
You know, she's a very free spirit type.
And Delilah's not down with it? Well, it's not that, it's Ever since Delilah's dad died, she feels like she's got to be protective over Judy.
Right? And sometimes she goes a little overboard.
Case of, uh, helicopter daughtering.
Hmm, mothering the mama.
It's like last year, Judy wanted to go skydiving, Delilah's freaking out.
I try and intervene.
End up sleeping on the couch.
Well, then, for your sake, I hope this case ends very soon.
What's going on? My Bandium's been silent.
No one has anything to share? Not one little post? I'm dealing with my mother-in-law.
And my app keeps crashing.
And I'm just not into it.
Guys, I'm telling you, this Bandium is a game changer.
Okay.
Okay.
Where are we with the case? Navy Commander Roger Burrows, 60.
No living family.
He was on deployment for three months.
Returned two weeks ago.
And he chose to spend his free time back on a ship? That's odd.
You're gonna love what I found in his cabin.
Wireless spy cameras with night vision, transmitters, bugs.
Just a little extreme for your average tourist.
- Anything on the cameras? - Don't know.
Memory cards were removed, so there's no way of knowing what he was using them for.
I can take a guess.
He was spying on the guests in their rooms.
A Peeping Tom? People hide cameras in hotel rooms all the time.
Then they turn around and sell the footage on the dark web.
Maybe somebody caught Burrows peeping and killed him for it.
That's a big maybe.
Torres, Knight, get back to the ship.
Find someone who actually talked to Burrows.
And don't forget to post updates on Bandium.
This is illegal.
You can't keep us here.
We're already underpaid.
Christopher, take your pay up with corporate.
I'm doing everything in my power to get everyone released.
Yeah.
This sucks.
I-I swear, this is the last time I work for Zenith.
Captain Finch? NCIS Special Agents Knight, Torres.
Looks like you've got a mutiny on your hands.
Entertainers.
It's always drama with them.
They're complaining about missing gigs on land.
The ship lockdown is getting to people, huh? And every minute it continues, the further behind we fall on our turnaround schedule.
So tell me, how can I help you help me? We spoke to your activities director.
She said that you had dinner with Commander Burrows two nights ago? Every evening, we invite a few guests to have dinner at the captain's table.
Oh, it's like, uh, like The Love Boat.
Capitán Stubing.
Yeah, I used to watch the show in Spanish with my mom.
Do you remember speaking with Burrows? Yeah.
Yeah, he stood out from the crowd we usually get.
How so? He was very curious about the ship.
He asked a lot of questions.
What kind of questions? Mostly about security measures, restricted access, our cameras.
And you didn't find that as odd? He told me he'd done some surveillance work in the Navy.
Figured he was just curious.
The burns, comma, punctures No, no, not "coma.
" No, I-I said "comma.
" Okay, uh, um, uh, delete.
No, d-don't type "delete.
" - Deleting all.
- Oh.
Agent Parker.
I didn't see you there.
Ha.
I was just, uh, posting an update to the Bandium app.
How's that going for you? It's not great, uh, if I'm being honest.
But not to worry, I am game to make it work.
Not, not "twerk.
" - "Twerk," - DEFINITION: Um - sexually provocative dance - Okay, forget it.
- With thrusting - Stop recording.
Stop recording.
Don't type "stop recording.
" I - Pause.
- Thank you.
Got anything yet? Time of death? Yeah.
Well, it's tricky.
Uh, TOD is generally determined by a loss of body heat postmortem, but - Burrows' body cooked in the sauna.
- Right.
So our temperatures are pretty much worthless, but, um However, uh, Knight checked in with the spa and was able to determine a time line between when the last person left the spa and when Mrs.
Fielding found the body.
We're looking at between 7:00 and 10:00 p.
m.
What about cause? That is where it gets interesting.
Uh, Burrows has two stab wounds on his carotid artery here.
But the jabs are unusual.
They're small, exactly one inch apart and one inch deep.
You know, just like, uh Fangs? Doesn't feel right, Mom.
After what you've been through, you shouldn't be alone.
Delilah, I told you, it's fine.
Well, I would really feel better if you stayed with us tonight.
And the twins would love to see you.
I see what you're doing there.
I'll see the kids this weekend, okay? I just really just want to sleep in my own bed.
Tim, don't you think we should bring Mom home? I-I Oh, Tim has a lot of work to do.
We don't want to bother him.
No.
Tim wouldn't be bothered.
Would you, Tim? Well, to be honest with you He's already driven us all the way over here.
Well, then he can drive all the way back.
I've got an idea.
Judy, how about you stay at the condo tonight and we will check in on her first thing in the morning.
I think that's a terrific idea.
Sweetheart, I will see you tomorrow, then.
A-And call me tonight before you, you know, go to bed, - or - Oh, okay.
CJust so I know you're okay, and Okay.
At least let us get you settled inside.
Oh, totally unnecessary.
In fact, the alarm company set me up with this really nifty program that turns my alarm off for me.
Look, see? Wha Hey, Kasie.
- Any news on the McGees? - All fine.
They went to the hospital just to be safe.
- The doctor cleared them.
- Thank God.
That bomb took out most of Judy's living room.
How's she taking it? Remarkably well.
Said it gave her a reason to remodel.
Okay.
Well, that Mama Fielding is one tough lady.
Man, if somebody bombed my place Second thought, I hate my place.
I wish somebody would bomb it.
Uh, you find anything here? Just your standard IED.
Parts could've come from any local hardware store.
Nothing that'll help us ID the bomber.
What set it off? It was wired to Judy's alarm.
So when she used her app to turn it off - Kaboom.
- Mm-hmm.
Knight said she talked to the condo manager.
The manager said he let some guy into Judy's condo yesterday.
The guy claimed to be from the alarm company.
So, Commander Burrows is murdered, and then 24 hours later, Judy's condo explodes.
- Yeah.
Can't be a coincidence.
- The question is why target Judy? I might have an answer for that, but you're not gonna like it.
I found a set of prints in Burrows' cabin.
- They weren't his.
- Whose were they? - This should be interesting.
- Tim.
What am I doing in here? Well.
.
Judy, you, uh, you haven't been entirely truthful with us.
Are you talking about the cruise thing? - I said I'm sorry.
- No, no, no.
This is about Commander Burrows.
You told us you really didn't know him.
That's true.
Okay, then why did we find your print on a wine glass in his cabin? Well it must've been the housekeeper.
She probably took a glass from my cabin, and then she just put it back in his without cleaning it properly.
Really? Okay, okay.
Okay.
We we met on the second day of the cruise.
We hit it off.
We spent some time together.
One thing led to another - Oh, oh, okay - and then he took meback to his cabin - Oh, boy.
Oh, okay.
- Then we - No, I'm good, I'm good.
- You know, we were intimate with each other.
No, no, no.
I got I Would it help the investigation if I went into more detail? No, no, no.
- No, it would not.
- Yeah, I'm out.
That's it.
I'm out.
Judy.
- Why did you not tell us this before? - It's personal.
I don't understand what's the big deal anyway.
The big deal is that this is a homicide investigation, and you knowing the victim is a very important piece of information for us to have.
Oh I'm sorry.
Well, you know, I just didn't want Delilah to know about it and think I was being slutty.
Judy, whatever issues you have with Delilah, they're not important right now.
Someone tried to kill you, and we need to figure out why, okay? I just I don't know how I can help with this.
Did Commander Burrows tell you anything? Did, uh did he say anything that might explain what he was doing on the ship? I think he said something about having a niece, and that she had passed away.
Burrows didn't have any next of kin.
Woman Burrows was talking about was named Allison Howell.
Daughter of an old family friend.
Was like a niece to him.
Guess where Allison worked? Zenith Cruise Line ship.
She worked there as a waitress until three months ago, when she fell off the top deck, and died.
Ship had another death? We talked to her attorney.
Turns out the family tried suing for wrongful death, but the coroner ruled it an accident.
- And it wasn't? - Don't know.
There was never a real investigation.
This happens a lot on cruise ships.
About 20 or so people die or vanish each year, and there's never really a follow-up.
They just kind of sweep it under the rug.
And let me guess.
The cruise line is never held accountable.
All right, so if Allison died suspiciously, maybe Burrows was on the ship investigating her death.
Maybe he found something and that's what got him killed.
Okay.
But why target Judy? Killer could've seen them together and think that she knows something.
All right, let's dig into Allison's death.
Find somebody on the ship who knew her.
In the meantime, Judy's life is still in danger.
She needs protective custody.
Good luck with that, bro.
Where do you want these? Oh, just follow me back here.
Look, all I'm saying is that I wish I could see the twins.
Your life is in danger, Mom.
Your condo exploded.
The kids are with Tim's sister until we know our place isn't next.
I'm not convinced, though, that this was not a gas leak.
Mm.
This is for you.
A gift? - Mm-hmm.
- Thank you.
Oh, honey, I love this.
You have always had the best taste.
Thank you, Mom.
It's got a hidden panic button on the back that you push - Wait, wait.
A hidden what? What, what? - Panic button.
You push it twice, and it immediately sends a text alert to Tim and me - with your GPS location - My location? Delilah, I'm in your house.
Where am I gonna go? Hey, appreciate all the help, Jimmy.
Thanks, pal.
Don't mention it.
I have had my share of in-law drama.
Uh, anyway, I should, um What? No, no.
You can't leave yet.
No.
What do you mean? Where are you going? We-we got to hang out.
Uh, that's okay.
No, I-I really got to get back.
I'll get you a drink.
I'll get you a drink.
We got a Fresca.
You want a Fresca? Fine, if it'll make you happy - I'll wear it.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
- Be strong, my friend.
Where on earth did you get this rug? The shop on the corner of 7th.
The one with all the antiques? - That place is horrendous.
- What? Wait, why? Delilah, the owner tried to rip me off.
Well, he seemed nice enough to me.
No, he's a monster.
I'm missing dinner service on the ship.
My manager is gonna kill me.
We'll try not to keep you.
How well did you know Allison Howell? Uh, we were hired together as assistant waitresses.
Didn't know that waitresses had assistants.
They do on cruises.
Someone's got to shuttle thousands of plates to, um I'm sorry, that's really annoying.
Maybe you should take that or No, no, it's, um It's this new app.
Yeah, we're still trying to get the hang of it.
Okay, sorry about that.
Continue.
Oh, I was just saying my job sucks.
People think it's glamorous working on a cruise because you get to travel.
But really we're like glorified servants.
- Did Allison feel the same way? - Yeah.
At first.
And things changed? A month before she died, uh Allison somehow had more money.
Like a lot more than the cruise pays.
Any idea how she got all that cash? She never told me.
But there is one person who might know.
Allison used to disappear for hours in-between shifts.
I always thought she was seeing a guy.
- Do you know who? - No.
Relationships on board are discouraged.
But if you want to know what happened to Allison, he'd be the one to ask.
You are being ridiculous.
I don't think so.
Uh, Tim, can you weigh in on this, please? Be happy, be calm.
- Be centered.
- Tim! - Be one with the uni - Yeah.
Sorry.
Can you please explain to my mother why she can't throw a party at our house right now? It's not a party.
It's just a few friends coming over for book club.
You cannot have guests, Mom.
You're under protective custody.
Feels more like prison to me.
Tim, uh, can you please? I can't.
Judy, she's right, okay? We You got to take this more seriously.
I am.
I'm wearing this little panic button thingy, and I'm staying away from the windows like Delilah wanted.
And this whole thing is very stressful.
Look, I understand, but you got to listen to her.
Okay? We're trying to protect you here.
By locking me up? Oh, that's my food.
You ordered food? Well, of course.
You expect me to have guests and not serve them food? I wasn't raised in a barn.
Hold on, I'll get it.
I'm gonna go set up the table.
You don't know where anything is.
Huh.
Parker, hey.
Thought I'd swing by, see how you're holding up.
- I wasn't criticizing - Please, come on in.
Yeah.
Well, you know, things are, uh Oh, you don't like the way I cook dinner? Let's talk about how you cook dinner.
Not good.
Things are not good.
Figured as much.
Not easy dealing with in-laws.
You ever been married? Once.
Didn't work out.
I'm still trying to figure out why.
Got a delivery for Judy Fielding.
Yeah, send it on up.
Judy ordered food.
She's driving Delilah crazy, which is driving me crazy, and I have no idea what to do.
Look, whatever you're dealing with, none of my business, but I come from a big family, like Brady Bunchbig.
And one thing I know, you can't play Switzerland forever.
Hmm.
Hey, you want to stay for dinner, maybe? Could use the backup.
I could eat.
Hey.
Oh.
You know what? Hold on one second, let me get you a tip.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! - Down, down! On the ground, now! - Oh, oh.
- Get down, get down.
- Don't shoot! - Don't shoot! - On the ground! - Don't shoot! - Hands! Let's see some hands! - Hands! - Don't shoot.
I just want to talk to her.
I just want to talk to her.
Harold? Judy, you know this guy? Know me? We were engaged.
You have a fiancé? Well, technically, ex-fiancé.
We broke up a month ago.
We? You're the one that wanted "space.
" Quiet.
We'll get to you in a minute.
Judy, how long were you engaged? About six months.
- Ah.
Oh, my God.
- Okay, were were you planning on telling us any of this at any point? I was, but then we broke up, so I figured what's the point? "What is the point?" What's the point? The point, Mom, I am your daughter.
Don't you think you should've shared that with us? Okay, lover boy.
Your turn.
If you two broke up, what are you doing here? I'm-I'm trying to patch things up.
I heard from Judy's neighbor that she was staying here.
But when I saw all the security outside, I didn't think I couldn't get in.
I was gonna leave, but then I saw the delivery guy.
So, you borrowed the delivery guy's jacket to sneak in here? You almost got shot.
Would've been worth it just to see her again.
Harold.
It's over.
Please, give me one more chance.
I'm so sorry, but I met someone else on the cruise.
Granted, he was murdered, but still, I've moved on.
Fine.
Then I want the bag back.
You gave me that as a gift.
Yeah, a very expensive gift.
Now that you've dumped me do you know how much I could get for that on eBay? Mom, why don't yougive him the bag back so we can just end this night already? All right.
All right.
What is that? I don't know.
I've never seen it before.
Judy, that bag ever been out of your possession? No, uh Well, except for when I went to the bathroom, but Which I did in Roger's cabin.
Do you think that he put that in there, my bag? A playing card? The Joker, to be specific.
And we're sure Commander Burrows put it there.
We ran the writing on the envelope against a handwriting sample of his.
It was a direct match.
- So, what does the card mean? - Don't know yet.
- Kasie is still analyzing.
- But we're thinking that Burrows was running his own investigation.
He was looking into the death of a family friend, and he might've found something and left the clue with Judy for safekeeping.
But why Judy? She told him that her son-in-law worked for NCIS.
Maybe Burrows thought that if something happened to him, we'd be able to finish what he started.
So, all this is connected to Allison Howell's death three months ago? Jimmy looked into her autopsy report.
She fell from a top balcony and broke her neck.
But amongst the bones that she broke was her hyoid bone.
Which is most commonly broken in victims of strangulation.
So, the accident was staged.
Any idea who staged it? Her boyfriend might be involved.
We haven't IDed him yet, but we're working on it.
Well, work faster.
My phone's been ringing off the hook all morning.
Turns out the CEO of Zenith Cruise Line has some very powerful friends.
Let me guess, he wants the ship released.
Every day it's docked is costing him a fortune.
If he doesn't like it, tell him people should stop dying on his boat.
I'll give him the message.
Until then, the sooner we close this, the better.
I can hold him off, but I don't know how long.
Mmm.
Good pancakes, Judy.
Amazing.
Chocolate chips, awesome.
Super fluffy, too.
I don't know how you do that.
How do you make them super fluffy like that? Careful, Tim.
You're asking Mom to reveal another one of her secrets.
This is ridiculous.
Tim, don't you have another place where I can go and be in protective custody? I really don't feel safe here.
Oh, now you care about being safe? Will you stop being so overdramatic? Oh, my God.
Enough.
Guys.
Seriously.
Listen to me right now.
Delilah, I love you.
But you've got to give your mother some space.
I know that you are being protective over her, but she is a grown woman.
She can take care of herself.
Tim, what are you talking about? Her life is in danger.
I'm not talking about the current situation.
Delilah, ever since your father died, you've been a little too overprotective over your mother.
That's not true.
Really? How about when you went through her emails? Wha You did that? Uh Do you know how many scams target senior citizens? - I was looking out for her.
- Oh, God.
But it was an invasion of her privacy.
Thank you, Tim.
She is way too overprotective.
Judy, I'm not done here.
Listen.
You need to stop hiding things from Delilah.
She's your daughter.
She just wants to be a part of your life.
Please don't shut her out.
- I don't shut her out.
- Really? Okay, maybe a little.
Here's the deal.
You two need to learn how to communicate with each other without me being involved, okay? So neither of you are gonna leave this table until you are done listening to what the other has to say.
Okay? Okay? All right.
- Nick? - Yeah.
Is this a cry for help? I don't know what you're talking about.
Your Bandium post? "You know what I think Parker should do with his app? He can" And I won't read the rest out loud because I am a lady.
I'm just venting.
Then why is it a public post? What? Everyone can see this.
Including Parker.
See? This is why I hate these apps.
Okay.
Delete.
All right, there.
Boom, gone.
All good.
Unless Parker read it before you deleted it.
Oh, well, he's a big boy.
I'm pretty sure he can handle it.
He is technically your boss, though.
I mean, if it were me, I'd still talk to Parker and just explain it.
Explain what? That we have an update on IDing Allison Howell's boyfriend.
Oh? What's the update? We can't ID him.
I mean, not yet, at least.
I have looked through her emails and her hard drives, and so far, nothing.
And I talked to the rest of her coworkers on the ship.
Dead end.
Well, maybe not for long.
McGee, what are you doing here? Yeah.
Shouldn't you be at home in case more of Judy's exes stop by? Well, I got two extra agents there.
Should be okay.
So, anyway, I was at home, uploading information to the Bandium app, right? Got to thinking, what if the staff on the ship had their own version of a Bandium-like app? A way for them to communicate with each other? You had me at Bandium.
Talked to Allison's coworker.
Turns out the staff has their own version of an online message board.
Look what I found.
"Miss you.
Meet you at the same place.
CB.
" Could be Allison's boyfriend.
Check his initials with the staff directory.
Done.
C.
B.
could stand for Christopher Blaze.
He's listed as an entertainer aboard the ship.
I saw this guy talking to the captain.
He seemed in quite a hurry to get off that ship.
Oh, I just found something.
Looking at Christopher Blaze's website right now.
Turns out, he is not just an entertainer, he is a magician.
And guess what his specialty is? Card tricks.
What am I doing here? We have a magic trick for you.
Voilà .
Is this your card? Yeah, I use that brand.
So what? So, can you explain what it was doing in the possession of Commander Burrows? I don't know.
Maybe he came to my show, and I did a trick for him.
Kept the card as a souvenir.
Do you know how many shows I do on that boat? Okay, Houdini.
You remember her? Yeah.
Waitress.
She used to work on the ship.
- How well did you know her? - Not very well.
Well, that's interesting, considering the love notes we found on the ship message board.
We also found 50,000 in cash in your cabin.
Allison had a lot of cash on her when she died.
Where'd you get it? Tips.
No, uh, we saw your act online.
You're not that good.
You probably got that money from selling drugs.
We looked into your record.
Your real record.
Christopher Blaze is just a stage name.
Your real name is Chris Branzato, and you have a rap sheet a mile long - for drug trafficking.
- And what happened? Allison find out where the money was really coming from? She threatened to expose you and you killed her.
And then later, you killed Burrows when he came around asking questions.
No, no.
I didn't kill anyone.
Got any, uh, tricks up your sleeve, now would be a good time to use them.
Okay, yes.
I was selling drugs.
With Allison.
We were partners.
We sold mostly harmless stuff, like ED meds.
The older guests pop 'em like Tic Tacs.
But the night Allison died, she said she was going down to the engine room.
Why the engine room? It's where we kept our stash.
She went down there, but never came back.
I swear I didn't kill Allison or Burrows.
In fact, I can prove it.
I have an alibi.
Not for Burrows' death, you don't.
No.
We, uh, we checked.
You weren't scheduled to perform that night.
Yeah, but the guy who was scheduled got food poisoning, and I filled in at the last minute.
I performed in front of 500 people.
That's 500 witnesses who can vouch for me.
How's that for a magic trick? I just made your case disappear.
God, I hate magicians.
Where's the playing card? Has anyone taken it out of the evidence bag? Kasie, relax, relax.
It's still sealed and safe.
What's going on? I finished analyzing the stains I found on the card.
Turns out the card wasn't the clue.
It's what was on the card that's important.
- What was on it? - Trace elements of hazardous waste.
We're talking seriously toxic stuff.
What is toxic waste doing on a cruise ship with seniors? The toxic waste I found is called EAFD, or electric arc furnace dust.
It's a by-product of steel production and contains hazardous elements like lead and chromium.
In other words, stuff you wouldn't normally find on a cruise ship.
Definitely not on the lido deck.
This stuff is highly toxic and very hard to dispose of.
Unless, of course, you're in the middle of the ocean with no one watching.
You think someone on the ship - was dumping it? - Possibly.
A lot of industrial companies would pay good money to find an easy way to dispose of this stuff.
So the ship was dumping toxic waste.
Commander Burrows comes along, discovers it, and then what? Puts it on a playing card? Must've used whatever he had to collect a sample.
Before he could tell anyone, he was killed.
So whoever was doing the dumping could be our killer.
If you want to find this guy, your best bet is to figure out how he got the waste aboard in the first place.
Parker.
You're kidding me.
Yeah, but can't you just Be No.
No, no, I get it.
Okay, we got a problem.
The CEO of the cruise line finally got the Coast Guard to release the ship.
They're leaving in three hours.
It's a crime scene.
He can't do that.
There's got to be some way we can fight this.
We tried.
But by that time, the ship will be long gone in international waters.
And so could our killer.
Yes, I need inspection reports for everything that left port that day.
Come on, Jonesy.
I'm just asking for you and your Coast Guard buddies to stall the ship a little.
You know, block it with a tugboat or something.
Took long enough, but I got the dock surveillance footage.
Great.
Well, take some of these cargo manifests, 'cause I don't even know what I'm reading anymore.
Thanks, I owe you one.
All right, I think I bought us some time.
- How we doing? - Not good.
The day the ship departed, there were hundreds of supplies that were loaded on board.
They could've smuggled it in anywhere.
We're talking about toxic waste here, not cigarette cartons.
Focus on large pallets.
Hey.
What are you doing here? We were going a little stir-crazy at the house, so I figured we'd visit.
Although, I don't know.
Th-this might not be a good time.
Oh, well, yeah.
We're kind of in the middle of something.
We're in a bit of a time crunch here.
Got a lead? Maybe we could help.
Uh, if you're offering, we'll take it.
Grab a manifest and look through 'em.
- What are we looking for? - Inconsistencies.
Anything that doesn't belong on a pleasure cruise.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Yeah.
Everything okay? Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.
I'm-I'm not gonna lie, what you said hurt, but it got Mom and me to open up.
It felt like, for the first time, we actually listened to each other.
- Really? - Yeah.
That's great, that's great.
Yeah.
Thank you for telling me what I needed to hear.
Huh.
What-what-what is that program? It's not a program.
That's surveillance, uh, footage from the docks, that's everything that was loaded on the ship.
Well, in that case it is wrong, because that was not on the ship.
McDougal's Ginger Ale? They didn't have ginger ale? No, no, they had ginger ale.
They just didn't have McDougal's.
- Are you sure, Mom? - Oh, yes, I'm sure.
McDougal's is my favorite.
But they only had Bulworth's, uh, which I absolutely hate.
Always gives me the winds.
That's true.
No, I'm telling you, that was not on the ship.
They don't keep ginger ale in 55-gallon drum barrels.
No, but they do keep toxic waste.
I ran the plate on the delivery truck.
It's registered to a company called Peterson Waste Management in D.
C.
Take Torres, find out who they were working with on the ship, and hurry up.
Wait, did I just did I just crack the case? I just cracked the case, didn't I? So, how long is this gonna take? Look, I-I The ship is about to leave soon, - and I gotta get back.
- You're not gonna make it.
You recognize this man? No.
His name is Jake Peterson.
He runs a waste management company that was illegally dumping toxic waste.
With your help.
Look, no, no, no.
He You got this wrong.
Stop the denial.
Peterson already confessed that the two of you smuggled in over 500 barrels.
He even had tapes of the two of you discussing the deal.
- Lucky for us.
- Yeah, but not so lucky for you.
It was his idea.
He called me up and asked me if I wanted to make some-some extra cash.
I figured why not.
Easy money.
No one gets hurt.
Except for Allison Howell and, uh, Roger Burrows, right? No, no.
No.
That-that wasn't supposed to happen.
Allison went down to the engine room and witnessed you dumping the waste, didn't she? But killing those people wasn't my idea.
Then whose idea was it? Anybody needs me, I'll be on the bridge.
Excuse me? Captain Finch.
NCIS.
Mind if we have a word? Well, make it quick, gentlemen.
We're about to push off.
Eh, shouldn't take long.
We just, uh, talked to your security officer.
Yeah, I heard you brought Granger in for questioning.
So, he's responsible for those deaths? Ah no.
But you are.
I'm sorry? Granger gave you up, told us about how you killed Allison Howell and Commander Burrows.
Me? That's ridiculous.
Allison saw Granger dumping the toxic waste.
Went to you to report it.
And instead of doing the right thing, you got greedy and asked Granger for a piece of the pie.
Only thing left was to make sure Allison didn't talk.
So you killed her.
And when Burrows came asking questions, you killed him, too.
And the captain here thought he was in the clear until he learned about Judy.
Then you got scared.
You thought she might know something.
You needed her gone.
Right, but you were stuck on the ship, so you called Jake Peterson to handle things.
This is absurd.
I don't have time for this.
Pretty soon time is all you're gonna have.
I don't think so.
You're forgetting one thing: evidence.
All you have is Granger's word against mine.
That, and the murder weapon.
Found this in your cabin.
You know what this is, old-fashioned navigation tool called a divider caliper.
The fang maker.
See, the thing is, the pointed ends here match the puncture wounds we found on Burrows' neck exactly.
You messed up, Captain.
Never keep a souvenir of a murder.
Looks like Zenith Cruise Line is gonna need a new captain.
Good work, people.
Couldn't have done it without Judy.
Yeah.
You got that right.
Hey, uh, Parker.
Something I can help you with, Agent Torres? Yeah, about this, uh, Bandium app.
I read your post.
You did? I thought you could've been more original, but, uh, I've heard worse.
- So you're not upset? - I get it.
I'm the new guy, which means I'm gonna come up with a lot of new ideas.
But the whole point of the app was to get us talking, which we're doing now.
And if you have a problem with me, uh, say it to my face.
I will do that.
- Good.
- Anyone up for a burger? I'm buying.
- I could eat.
- Yeah, me, too.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Where you going? What? Somebody's got to stay here and finish these case reports.
Right.
I'm just messing with you.
You can do it tomorrow.
Come on.
Here you go, Harold.
Mom, are you sure you don't want to stay? The repairs at your condo aren't gonna be done for a while.
Oh, no.
This is for best.
Especially for Tim.
Besides, Harold and I have to make up for lost time.
Yeah, you and Harold getting back together.
Didn't see that one coming.
You know, what Harold did was quite romantic, if you think about it.
Impersonating a delivery guy to sneak into our house? He's very creative.
Oh.
Ooh, okay, we got to scoot.
We don't want to be late for our meeting with the travel agent.
Travel agent? Where you going? We're going on safari.
Africa.
Africa? Oh, I was planning on telling you about it.
Well, you-you have a wonderful time, Mom.
Thank you.
I love you.
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
Thank you.
You're the best.
Now, I will email you the entire itinerary.
I promise.
Bye.
Bye, love you.
Bye, love you, too.
Africa.
You handled that well.
I did, didn't I? I'm proud of you.
I'm not gonna get an email, am I? No, I don't think we're ever gonna hear from them.
No, no, no, honey.
I'm just home alone.
Carol was supposed to come by, but she hadn't even started the reading for the book club.
Big surprise.
Uh, wh No.
No, no.
This is I was The TV I-I'm just watching a baking show.
And they're-they're making soufflés, and the judges just hate them.
It was hilarious.
Listen, honey, I have to go.
I love you, and I'll talk to you soon.
Attention, guests, reservations are open for the Kids Club.
Because we all could use Hello? Can someone help me, please? I'd like to use the sauna.
Is someone in there? I hope you don't mind sharing.
I'm coming in.
It's called Bandium and it's gonna revolutionize how we share information.
The platform's API's already integrated with the NCIS tip line.
And I have set up custom channels to organize each case.
Come again? It's an app for communicating.
Oh, I wasn't aware we had issues, - uh, communicating.
- We don't.
But Bandium will make communicating better digitally.
We'll be able to bounce ideas off each other, anywhere, anytime, all in a virtual space.
Or we could just, you know talk to each other.
- Was this your idea? - No, no.
Not my idea at all.
But I'm telling you, this couldn't hurt.
I've read a lot of good things about Bandium.
I don't know, man.
I got enough crap on my phone.
All right, what the hell? I will give it a shot.
Now, that's the spirit.
Okay, come on.
Come on.
That wasn't so bad, was it? Ah, our first Bandium.
We got a body in a cruise ship.
That docked at Norfolk.
Look at that, we're in business.
Working already.
I hate it when Parker's right.
Get used to it.
Victim here is Navy Commander Roger Burrows.
60 years old.
He was a guest on the cruise.
- Who found him? - Another guest.
She was here for the sauna.
Most of this place was empty, though.
The other passengers and crew were on the other side of the ship attending a party.
Nothing like this ever happens here.
I mean, this is a five-star cruise line.
We pride ourselves on having the highest safety rating in the business.
Tell that to the dead guy.
The sauna must have malfunctioned.
It's just a horrible, tragic accident.
Maybe.
But I don't know too many people - who wear a tux to the sauna.
- No.
But, uh, guests have been known to drink and wander into the wrong cabin.
All right, well, we'll need to look at the ship's surveillance footage.
Of course.
Of course, but, um no cameras in the spa.
You know, it's, uh, guest privacy.
You understand that.
Looks like your five-star security has a blind spot, then.
Oh, there you are.
Been wandering all over this place.
You know this thing has ten decks, four swimming pools.
I'd like to take Victoria on a cruise, you know, but she gets so seasick.
I know the feeling.
Ah, not a big fan of boats, either, Parker? - No.
- Well, that's not gonna be a problem on this job.
Let's see, what do we have here? I've got second-degree burns on at least his face and his hands.
Signs of severe dehydration.
This poor guy literally cooked in there.
So the sauna killed him.
No, not not necessarily.
No, you see, he's got these two stab wounds in his neck.
Likely severed his carotid artery.
Then where's all the blood? Uh, we have some faint smear here.
More streaks there.
Looks like somebody tried cleaning it up.
So Burrows was stabbed before he was stuffed in the sauna.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Uh, stabbed? Are you saying he was murdered? I need this ship locked down.
No guest or crew member is allowed on or off until they're cleared.
But we're set to depart on another trip tomorrow morning.
- Not anymore.
- We'll need access to Burrows' cabin.
I also want to interview the guest who found the body.
What's her name? Um Judy Price.
Cabin 7024.
Wait, did you just say Judy Price? Mid-60s, white hair, talks a lot? Um, yeah, yeah, that's right.
Oh, boy.
Tim.
Hey.
Slow down, man.
What's going on? Dude.
Tim.
Oh, thank God you're here.
Okay, so you know each other.
Nick, I want to introduce you to Judy Price Fielding, my mother-in-law.
Oh, it was awful.
It was just awful.
- Judy - Every time I close my eyes, I-I see that burnt up face staring at me.
Judy.
Okay, I can't do this.
There's just too much negative energy.
I've got to, like, clear my mind, be here now.
- Judy.
- Ah.
Where are my chakra stones? - Judy.
Judy.
- What? Sit down for me, okay? What are you doing here? The security officer told me to come back to my cabin and wait.
She said something to do with contaminating the crime scene? No, no, no.
I mean here, as in on the cruise ship.
Oh.
I'm-I'm just vacationing, of course.
Okay, you realize you never told me and Delilah that you were going on a cruise, right? I didn't? Could've sworn I did.
Oh, I guess it slipped my mind.
You know how we old people are.
You talked to Delilah on the phone last night.
Told her you were at home watching a baking show.
Okay.
I just didn't want Delilah to know about this whole cruise.
You know how she gets.
No, I mean, I love my daughter.
I love her to death, but she can be just so overly protective.
You know, she panics the moment I'm out of range.
But getting back to our murder investigation, we do have some questions we need to ask you, Mrs.
Fielding.
Oh, Judy.
Please.
Everyone calls me Judy.
Okay, Judy.
Uh The man you found in the sauna, his name was Roger Burrows.
Yes, they told me that last night.
Horrible.
Had you seen him on board at all? Maybe talked to him? Maybe once or twice, you know, like, on the deck.
Just a few hellos.
So, is that it? Am I done? Well, we're, uh, we're gonna need a written statement first, but, uh, w-we should be able to release you soon after that.
Okay.
This whole thing of me being on a cruise, that could just stay between us, right? Because there's no reason to bother Delilah with it.
Judy, you know I can't do that.
Of course I have to tell Delilah.
Okay, okay.
I'm just worried about how she'll react.
You think? No, of course I didn't know about the cruise.
I just found out about it myself.
I understand.
I have no idea why she didn't tell you, Delilah.
Yes.
Okay.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
No.
Yes.
Yes, okay.
Bye.
Delilah didn't take it well? Dude, 2,000 people on that ship, and Delilah's mother is the one that finds the body.
What's the beef between them? Well, you met Judy.
You know, she's a very free spirit type.
And Delilah's not down with it? Well, it's not that, it's Ever since Delilah's dad died, she feels like she's got to be protective over Judy.
Right? And sometimes she goes a little overboard.
Case of, uh, helicopter daughtering.
Hmm, mothering the mama.
It's like last year, Judy wanted to go skydiving, Delilah's freaking out.
I try and intervene.
End up sleeping on the couch.
Well, then, for your sake, I hope this case ends very soon.
What's going on? My Bandium's been silent.
No one has anything to share? Not one little post? I'm dealing with my mother-in-law.
And my app keeps crashing.
And I'm just not into it.
Guys, I'm telling you, this Bandium is a game changer.
Okay.
Okay.
Where are we with the case? Navy Commander Roger Burrows, 60.
No living family.
He was on deployment for three months.
Returned two weeks ago.
And he chose to spend his free time back on a ship? That's odd.
You're gonna love what I found in his cabin.
Wireless spy cameras with night vision, transmitters, bugs.
Just a little extreme for your average tourist.
- Anything on the cameras? - Don't know.
Memory cards were removed, so there's no way of knowing what he was using them for.
I can take a guess.
He was spying on the guests in their rooms.
A Peeping Tom? People hide cameras in hotel rooms all the time.
Then they turn around and sell the footage on the dark web.
Maybe somebody caught Burrows peeping and killed him for it.
That's a big maybe.
Torres, Knight, get back to the ship.
Find someone who actually talked to Burrows.
And don't forget to post updates on Bandium.
This is illegal.
You can't keep us here.
We're already underpaid.
Christopher, take your pay up with corporate.
I'm doing everything in my power to get everyone released.
Yeah.
This sucks.
I-I swear, this is the last time I work for Zenith.
Captain Finch? NCIS Special Agents Knight, Torres.
Looks like you've got a mutiny on your hands.
Entertainers.
It's always drama with them.
They're complaining about missing gigs on land.
The ship lockdown is getting to people, huh? And every minute it continues, the further behind we fall on our turnaround schedule.
So tell me, how can I help you help me? We spoke to your activities director.
She said that you had dinner with Commander Burrows two nights ago? Every evening, we invite a few guests to have dinner at the captain's table.
Oh, it's like, uh, like The Love Boat.
Capitán Stubing.
Yeah, I used to watch the show in Spanish with my mom.
Do you remember speaking with Burrows? Yeah.
Yeah, he stood out from the crowd we usually get.
How so? He was very curious about the ship.
He asked a lot of questions.
What kind of questions? Mostly about security measures, restricted access, our cameras.
And you didn't find that as odd? He told me he'd done some surveillance work in the Navy.
Figured he was just curious.
The burns, comma, punctures No, no, not "coma.
" No, I-I said "comma.
" Okay, uh, um, uh, delete.
No, d-don't type "delete.
" - Deleting all.
- Oh.
Agent Parker.
I didn't see you there.
Ha.
I was just, uh, posting an update to the Bandium app.
How's that going for you? It's not great, uh, if I'm being honest.
But not to worry, I am game to make it work.
Not, not "twerk.
" - "Twerk," - DEFINITION: Um - sexually provocative dance - Okay, forget it.
- With thrusting - Stop recording.
Stop recording.
Don't type "stop recording.
" I - Pause.
- Thank you.
Got anything yet? Time of death? Yeah.
Well, it's tricky.
Uh, TOD is generally determined by a loss of body heat postmortem, but - Burrows' body cooked in the sauna.
- Right.
So our temperatures are pretty much worthless, but, um However, uh, Knight checked in with the spa and was able to determine a time line between when the last person left the spa and when Mrs.
Fielding found the body.
We're looking at between 7:00 and 10:00 p.
m.
What about cause? That is where it gets interesting.
Uh, Burrows has two stab wounds on his carotid artery here.
But the jabs are unusual.
They're small, exactly one inch apart and one inch deep.
You know, just like, uh Fangs? Doesn't feel right, Mom.
After what you've been through, you shouldn't be alone.
Delilah, I told you, it's fine.
Well, I would really feel better if you stayed with us tonight.
And the twins would love to see you.
I see what you're doing there.
I'll see the kids this weekend, okay? I just really just want to sleep in my own bed.
Tim, don't you think we should bring Mom home? I-I Oh, Tim has a lot of work to do.
We don't want to bother him.
No.
Tim wouldn't be bothered.
Would you, Tim? Well, to be honest with you He's already driven us all the way over here.
Well, then he can drive all the way back.
I've got an idea.
Judy, how about you stay at the condo tonight and we will check in on her first thing in the morning.
I think that's a terrific idea.
Sweetheart, I will see you tomorrow, then.
A-And call me tonight before you, you know, go to bed, - or - Oh, okay.
CJust so I know you're okay, and Okay.
At least let us get you settled inside.
Oh, totally unnecessary.
In fact, the alarm company set me up with this really nifty program that turns my alarm off for me.
Look, see? Wha Hey, Kasie.
- Any news on the McGees? - All fine.
They went to the hospital just to be safe.
- The doctor cleared them.
- Thank God.
That bomb took out most of Judy's living room.
How's she taking it? Remarkably well.
Said it gave her a reason to remodel.
Okay.
Well, that Mama Fielding is one tough lady.
Man, if somebody bombed my place Second thought, I hate my place.
I wish somebody would bomb it.
Uh, you find anything here? Just your standard IED.
Parts could've come from any local hardware store.
Nothing that'll help us ID the bomber.
What set it off? It was wired to Judy's alarm.
So when she used her app to turn it off - Kaboom.
- Mm-hmm.
Knight said she talked to the condo manager.
The manager said he let some guy into Judy's condo yesterday.
The guy claimed to be from the alarm company.
So, Commander Burrows is murdered, and then 24 hours later, Judy's condo explodes.
- Yeah.
Can't be a coincidence.
- The question is why target Judy? I might have an answer for that, but you're not gonna like it.
I found a set of prints in Burrows' cabin.
- They weren't his.
- Whose were they? - This should be interesting.
- Tim.
What am I doing in here? Well.
.
Judy, you, uh, you haven't been entirely truthful with us.
Are you talking about the cruise thing? - I said I'm sorry.
- No, no, no.
This is about Commander Burrows.
You told us you really didn't know him.
That's true.
Okay, then why did we find your print on a wine glass in his cabin? Well it must've been the housekeeper.
She probably took a glass from my cabin, and then she just put it back in his without cleaning it properly.
Really? Okay, okay.
Okay.
We we met on the second day of the cruise.
We hit it off.
We spent some time together.
One thing led to another - Oh, oh, okay - and then he took meback to his cabin - Oh, boy.
Oh, okay.
- Then we - No, I'm good, I'm good.
- You know, we were intimate with each other.
No, no, no.
I got I Would it help the investigation if I went into more detail? No, no, no.
- No, it would not.
- Yeah, I'm out.
That's it.
I'm out.
Judy.
- Why did you not tell us this before? - It's personal.
I don't understand what's the big deal anyway.
The big deal is that this is a homicide investigation, and you knowing the victim is a very important piece of information for us to have.
Oh I'm sorry.
Well, you know, I just didn't want Delilah to know about it and think I was being slutty.
Judy, whatever issues you have with Delilah, they're not important right now.
Someone tried to kill you, and we need to figure out why, okay? I just I don't know how I can help with this.
Did Commander Burrows tell you anything? Did, uh did he say anything that might explain what he was doing on the ship? I think he said something about having a niece, and that she had passed away.
Burrows didn't have any next of kin.
Woman Burrows was talking about was named Allison Howell.
Daughter of an old family friend.
Was like a niece to him.
Guess where Allison worked? Zenith Cruise Line ship.
She worked there as a waitress until three months ago, when she fell off the top deck, and died.
Ship had another death? We talked to her attorney.
Turns out the family tried suing for wrongful death, but the coroner ruled it an accident.
- And it wasn't? - Don't know.
There was never a real investigation.
This happens a lot on cruise ships.
About 20 or so people die or vanish each year, and there's never really a follow-up.
They just kind of sweep it under the rug.
And let me guess.
The cruise line is never held accountable.
All right, so if Allison died suspiciously, maybe Burrows was on the ship investigating her death.
Maybe he found something and that's what got him killed.
Okay.
But why target Judy? Killer could've seen them together and think that she knows something.
All right, let's dig into Allison's death.
Find somebody on the ship who knew her.
In the meantime, Judy's life is still in danger.
She needs protective custody.
Good luck with that, bro.
Where do you want these? Oh, just follow me back here.
Look, all I'm saying is that I wish I could see the twins.
Your life is in danger, Mom.
Your condo exploded.
The kids are with Tim's sister until we know our place isn't next.
I'm not convinced, though, that this was not a gas leak.
Mm.
This is for you.
A gift? - Mm-hmm.
- Thank you.
Oh, honey, I love this.
You have always had the best taste.
Thank you, Mom.
It's got a hidden panic button on the back that you push - Wait, wait.
A hidden what? What, what? - Panic button.
You push it twice, and it immediately sends a text alert to Tim and me - with your GPS location - My location? Delilah, I'm in your house.
Where am I gonna go? Hey, appreciate all the help, Jimmy.
Thanks, pal.
Don't mention it.
I have had my share of in-law drama.
Uh, anyway, I should, um What? No, no.
You can't leave yet.
No.
What do you mean? Where are you going? We-we got to hang out.
Uh, that's okay.
No, I-I really got to get back.
I'll get you a drink.
I'll get you a drink.
We got a Fresca.
You want a Fresca? Fine, if it'll make you happy - I'll wear it.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
- Be strong, my friend.
Where on earth did you get this rug? The shop on the corner of 7th.
The one with all the antiques? - That place is horrendous.
- What? Wait, why? Delilah, the owner tried to rip me off.
Well, he seemed nice enough to me.
No, he's a monster.
I'm missing dinner service on the ship.
My manager is gonna kill me.
We'll try not to keep you.
How well did you know Allison Howell? Uh, we were hired together as assistant waitresses.
Didn't know that waitresses had assistants.
They do on cruises.
Someone's got to shuttle thousands of plates to, um I'm sorry, that's really annoying.
Maybe you should take that or No, no, it's, um It's this new app.
Yeah, we're still trying to get the hang of it.
Okay, sorry about that.
Continue.
Oh, I was just saying my job sucks.
People think it's glamorous working on a cruise because you get to travel.
But really we're like glorified servants.
- Did Allison feel the same way? - Yeah.
At first.
And things changed? A month before she died, uh Allison somehow had more money.
Like a lot more than the cruise pays.
Any idea how she got all that cash? She never told me.
But there is one person who might know.
Allison used to disappear for hours in-between shifts.
I always thought she was seeing a guy.
- Do you know who? - No.
Relationships on board are discouraged.
But if you want to know what happened to Allison, he'd be the one to ask.
You are being ridiculous.
I don't think so.
Uh, Tim, can you weigh in on this, please? Be happy, be calm.
- Be centered.
- Tim! - Be one with the uni - Yeah.
Sorry.
Can you please explain to my mother why she can't throw a party at our house right now? It's not a party.
It's just a few friends coming over for book club.
You cannot have guests, Mom.
You're under protective custody.
Feels more like prison to me.
Tim, uh, can you please? I can't.
Judy, she's right, okay? We You got to take this more seriously.
I am.
I'm wearing this little panic button thingy, and I'm staying away from the windows like Delilah wanted.
And this whole thing is very stressful.
Look, I understand, but you got to listen to her.
Okay? We're trying to protect you here.
By locking me up? Oh, that's my food.
You ordered food? Well, of course.
You expect me to have guests and not serve them food? I wasn't raised in a barn.
Hold on, I'll get it.
I'm gonna go set up the table.
You don't know where anything is.
Huh.
Parker, hey.
Thought I'd swing by, see how you're holding up.
- I wasn't criticizing - Please, come on in.
Yeah.
Well, you know, things are, uh Oh, you don't like the way I cook dinner? Let's talk about how you cook dinner.
Not good.
Things are not good.
Figured as much.
Not easy dealing with in-laws.
You ever been married? Once.
Didn't work out.
I'm still trying to figure out why.
Got a delivery for Judy Fielding.
Yeah, send it on up.
Judy ordered food.
She's driving Delilah crazy, which is driving me crazy, and I have no idea what to do.
Look, whatever you're dealing with, none of my business, but I come from a big family, like Brady Bunchbig.
And one thing I know, you can't play Switzerland forever.
Hmm.
Hey, you want to stay for dinner, maybe? Could use the backup.
I could eat.
Hey.
Oh.
You know what? Hold on one second, let me get you a tip.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! - Down, down! On the ground, now! - Oh, oh.
- Get down, get down.
- Don't shoot! - Don't shoot! - On the ground! - Don't shoot! - Hands! Let's see some hands! - Hands! - Don't shoot.
I just want to talk to her.
I just want to talk to her.
Harold? Judy, you know this guy? Know me? We were engaged.
You have a fiancé? Well, technically, ex-fiancé.
We broke up a month ago.
We? You're the one that wanted "space.
" Quiet.
We'll get to you in a minute.
Judy, how long were you engaged? About six months.
- Ah.
Oh, my God.
- Okay, were were you planning on telling us any of this at any point? I was, but then we broke up, so I figured what's the point? "What is the point?" What's the point? The point, Mom, I am your daughter.
Don't you think you should've shared that with us? Okay, lover boy.
Your turn.
If you two broke up, what are you doing here? I'm-I'm trying to patch things up.
I heard from Judy's neighbor that she was staying here.
But when I saw all the security outside, I didn't think I couldn't get in.
I was gonna leave, but then I saw the delivery guy.
So, you borrowed the delivery guy's jacket to sneak in here? You almost got shot.
Would've been worth it just to see her again.
Harold.
It's over.
Please, give me one more chance.
I'm so sorry, but I met someone else on the cruise.
Granted, he was murdered, but still, I've moved on.
Fine.
Then I want the bag back.
You gave me that as a gift.
Yeah, a very expensive gift.
Now that you've dumped me do you know how much I could get for that on eBay? Mom, why don't yougive him the bag back so we can just end this night already? All right.
All right.
What is that? I don't know.
I've never seen it before.
Judy, that bag ever been out of your possession? No, uh Well, except for when I went to the bathroom, but Which I did in Roger's cabin.
Do you think that he put that in there, my bag? A playing card? The Joker, to be specific.
And we're sure Commander Burrows put it there.
We ran the writing on the envelope against a handwriting sample of his.
It was a direct match.
- So, what does the card mean? - Don't know yet.
- Kasie is still analyzing.
- But we're thinking that Burrows was running his own investigation.
He was looking into the death of a family friend, and he might've found something and left the clue with Judy for safekeeping.
But why Judy? She told him that her son-in-law worked for NCIS.
Maybe Burrows thought that if something happened to him, we'd be able to finish what he started.
So, all this is connected to Allison Howell's death three months ago? Jimmy looked into her autopsy report.
She fell from a top balcony and broke her neck.
But amongst the bones that she broke was her hyoid bone.
Which is most commonly broken in victims of strangulation.
So, the accident was staged.
Any idea who staged it? Her boyfriend might be involved.
We haven't IDed him yet, but we're working on it.
Well, work faster.
My phone's been ringing off the hook all morning.
Turns out the CEO of Zenith Cruise Line has some very powerful friends.
Let me guess, he wants the ship released.
Every day it's docked is costing him a fortune.
If he doesn't like it, tell him people should stop dying on his boat.
I'll give him the message.
Until then, the sooner we close this, the better.
I can hold him off, but I don't know how long.
Mmm.
Good pancakes, Judy.
Amazing.
Chocolate chips, awesome.
Super fluffy, too.
I don't know how you do that.
How do you make them super fluffy like that? Careful, Tim.
You're asking Mom to reveal another one of her secrets.
This is ridiculous.
Tim, don't you have another place where I can go and be in protective custody? I really don't feel safe here.
Oh, now you care about being safe? Will you stop being so overdramatic? Oh, my God.
Enough.
Guys.
Seriously.
Listen to me right now.
Delilah, I love you.
But you've got to give your mother some space.
I know that you are being protective over her, but she is a grown woman.
She can take care of herself.
Tim, what are you talking about? Her life is in danger.
I'm not talking about the current situation.
Delilah, ever since your father died, you've been a little too overprotective over your mother.
That's not true.
Really? How about when you went through her emails? Wha You did that? Uh Do you know how many scams target senior citizens? - I was looking out for her.
- Oh, God.
But it was an invasion of her privacy.
Thank you, Tim.
She is way too overprotective.
Judy, I'm not done here.
Listen.
You need to stop hiding things from Delilah.
She's your daughter.
She just wants to be a part of your life.
Please don't shut her out.
- I don't shut her out.
- Really? Okay, maybe a little.
Here's the deal.
You two need to learn how to communicate with each other without me being involved, okay? So neither of you are gonna leave this table until you are done listening to what the other has to say.
Okay? Okay? All right.
- Nick? - Yeah.
Is this a cry for help? I don't know what you're talking about.
Your Bandium post? "You know what I think Parker should do with his app? He can" And I won't read the rest out loud because I am a lady.
I'm just venting.
Then why is it a public post? What? Everyone can see this.
Including Parker.
See? This is why I hate these apps.
Okay.
Delete.
All right, there.
Boom, gone.
All good.
Unless Parker read it before you deleted it.
Oh, well, he's a big boy.
I'm pretty sure he can handle it.
He is technically your boss, though.
I mean, if it were me, I'd still talk to Parker and just explain it.
Explain what? That we have an update on IDing Allison Howell's boyfriend.
Oh? What's the update? We can't ID him.
I mean, not yet, at least.
I have looked through her emails and her hard drives, and so far, nothing.
And I talked to the rest of her coworkers on the ship.
Dead end.
Well, maybe not for long.
McGee, what are you doing here? Yeah.
Shouldn't you be at home in case more of Judy's exes stop by? Well, I got two extra agents there.
Should be okay.
So, anyway, I was at home, uploading information to the Bandium app, right? Got to thinking, what if the staff on the ship had their own version of a Bandium-like app? A way for them to communicate with each other? You had me at Bandium.
Talked to Allison's coworker.
Turns out the staff has their own version of an online message board.
Look what I found.
"Miss you.
Meet you at the same place.
CB.
" Could be Allison's boyfriend.
Check his initials with the staff directory.
Done.
C.
B.
could stand for Christopher Blaze.
He's listed as an entertainer aboard the ship.
I saw this guy talking to the captain.
He seemed in quite a hurry to get off that ship.
Oh, I just found something.
Looking at Christopher Blaze's website right now.
Turns out, he is not just an entertainer, he is a magician.
And guess what his specialty is? Card tricks.
What am I doing here? We have a magic trick for you.
Voilà .
Is this your card? Yeah, I use that brand.
So what? So, can you explain what it was doing in the possession of Commander Burrows? I don't know.
Maybe he came to my show, and I did a trick for him.
Kept the card as a souvenir.
Do you know how many shows I do on that boat? Okay, Houdini.
You remember her? Yeah.
Waitress.
She used to work on the ship.
- How well did you know her? - Not very well.
Well, that's interesting, considering the love notes we found on the ship message board.
We also found 50,000 in cash in your cabin.
Allison had a lot of cash on her when she died.
Where'd you get it? Tips.
No, uh, we saw your act online.
You're not that good.
You probably got that money from selling drugs.
We looked into your record.
Your real record.
Christopher Blaze is just a stage name.
Your real name is Chris Branzato, and you have a rap sheet a mile long - for drug trafficking.
- And what happened? Allison find out where the money was really coming from? She threatened to expose you and you killed her.
And then later, you killed Burrows when he came around asking questions.
No, no.
I didn't kill anyone.
Got any, uh, tricks up your sleeve, now would be a good time to use them.
Okay, yes.
I was selling drugs.
With Allison.
We were partners.
We sold mostly harmless stuff, like ED meds.
The older guests pop 'em like Tic Tacs.
But the night Allison died, she said she was going down to the engine room.
Why the engine room? It's where we kept our stash.
She went down there, but never came back.
I swear I didn't kill Allison or Burrows.
In fact, I can prove it.
I have an alibi.
Not for Burrows' death, you don't.
No.
We, uh, we checked.
You weren't scheduled to perform that night.
Yeah, but the guy who was scheduled got food poisoning, and I filled in at the last minute.
I performed in front of 500 people.
That's 500 witnesses who can vouch for me.
How's that for a magic trick? I just made your case disappear.
God, I hate magicians.
Where's the playing card? Has anyone taken it out of the evidence bag? Kasie, relax, relax.
It's still sealed and safe.
What's going on? I finished analyzing the stains I found on the card.
Turns out the card wasn't the clue.
It's what was on the card that's important.
- What was on it? - Trace elements of hazardous waste.
We're talking seriously toxic stuff.
What is toxic waste doing on a cruise ship with seniors? The toxic waste I found is called EAFD, or electric arc furnace dust.
It's a by-product of steel production and contains hazardous elements like lead and chromium.
In other words, stuff you wouldn't normally find on a cruise ship.
Definitely not on the lido deck.
This stuff is highly toxic and very hard to dispose of.
Unless, of course, you're in the middle of the ocean with no one watching.
You think someone on the ship - was dumping it? - Possibly.
A lot of industrial companies would pay good money to find an easy way to dispose of this stuff.
So the ship was dumping toxic waste.
Commander Burrows comes along, discovers it, and then what? Puts it on a playing card? Must've used whatever he had to collect a sample.
Before he could tell anyone, he was killed.
So whoever was doing the dumping could be our killer.
If you want to find this guy, your best bet is to figure out how he got the waste aboard in the first place.
Parker.
You're kidding me.
Yeah, but can't you just Be No.
No, no, I get it.
Okay, we got a problem.
The CEO of the cruise line finally got the Coast Guard to release the ship.
They're leaving in three hours.
It's a crime scene.
He can't do that.
There's got to be some way we can fight this.
We tried.
But by that time, the ship will be long gone in international waters.
And so could our killer.
Yes, I need inspection reports for everything that left port that day.
Come on, Jonesy.
I'm just asking for you and your Coast Guard buddies to stall the ship a little.
You know, block it with a tugboat or something.
Took long enough, but I got the dock surveillance footage.
Great.
Well, take some of these cargo manifests, 'cause I don't even know what I'm reading anymore.
Thanks, I owe you one.
All right, I think I bought us some time.
- How we doing? - Not good.
The day the ship departed, there were hundreds of supplies that were loaded on board.
They could've smuggled it in anywhere.
We're talking about toxic waste here, not cigarette cartons.
Focus on large pallets.
Hey.
What are you doing here? We were going a little stir-crazy at the house, so I figured we'd visit.
Although, I don't know.
Th-this might not be a good time.
Oh, well, yeah.
We're kind of in the middle of something.
We're in a bit of a time crunch here.
Got a lead? Maybe we could help.
Uh, if you're offering, we'll take it.
Grab a manifest and look through 'em.
- What are we looking for? - Inconsistencies.
Anything that doesn't belong on a pleasure cruise.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Yeah.
Everything okay? Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.
I'm-I'm not gonna lie, what you said hurt, but it got Mom and me to open up.
It felt like, for the first time, we actually listened to each other.
- Really? - Yeah.
That's great, that's great.
Yeah.
Thank you for telling me what I needed to hear.
Huh.
What-what-what is that program? It's not a program.
That's surveillance, uh, footage from the docks, that's everything that was loaded on the ship.
Well, in that case it is wrong, because that was not on the ship.
McDougal's Ginger Ale? They didn't have ginger ale? No, no, they had ginger ale.
They just didn't have McDougal's.
- Are you sure, Mom? - Oh, yes, I'm sure.
McDougal's is my favorite.
But they only had Bulworth's, uh, which I absolutely hate.
Always gives me the winds.
That's true.
No, I'm telling you, that was not on the ship.
They don't keep ginger ale in 55-gallon drum barrels.
No, but they do keep toxic waste.
I ran the plate on the delivery truck.
It's registered to a company called Peterson Waste Management in D.
C.
Take Torres, find out who they were working with on the ship, and hurry up.
Wait, did I just did I just crack the case? I just cracked the case, didn't I? So, how long is this gonna take? Look, I-I The ship is about to leave soon, - and I gotta get back.
- You're not gonna make it.
You recognize this man? No.
His name is Jake Peterson.
He runs a waste management company that was illegally dumping toxic waste.
With your help.
Look, no, no, no.
He You got this wrong.
Stop the denial.
Peterson already confessed that the two of you smuggled in over 500 barrels.
He even had tapes of the two of you discussing the deal.
- Lucky for us.
- Yeah, but not so lucky for you.
It was his idea.
He called me up and asked me if I wanted to make some-some extra cash.
I figured why not.
Easy money.
No one gets hurt.
Except for Allison Howell and, uh, Roger Burrows, right? No, no.
No.
That-that wasn't supposed to happen.
Allison went down to the engine room and witnessed you dumping the waste, didn't she? But killing those people wasn't my idea.
Then whose idea was it? Anybody needs me, I'll be on the bridge.
Excuse me? Captain Finch.
NCIS.
Mind if we have a word? Well, make it quick, gentlemen.
We're about to push off.
Eh, shouldn't take long.
We just, uh, talked to your security officer.
Yeah, I heard you brought Granger in for questioning.
So, he's responsible for those deaths? Ah no.
But you are.
I'm sorry? Granger gave you up, told us about how you killed Allison Howell and Commander Burrows.
Me? That's ridiculous.
Allison saw Granger dumping the toxic waste.
Went to you to report it.
And instead of doing the right thing, you got greedy and asked Granger for a piece of the pie.
Only thing left was to make sure Allison didn't talk.
So you killed her.
And when Burrows came asking questions, you killed him, too.
And the captain here thought he was in the clear until he learned about Judy.
Then you got scared.
You thought she might know something.
You needed her gone.
Right, but you were stuck on the ship, so you called Jake Peterson to handle things.
This is absurd.
I don't have time for this.
Pretty soon time is all you're gonna have.
I don't think so.
You're forgetting one thing: evidence.
All you have is Granger's word against mine.
That, and the murder weapon.
Found this in your cabin.
You know what this is, old-fashioned navigation tool called a divider caliper.
The fang maker.
See, the thing is, the pointed ends here match the puncture wounds we found on Burrows' neck exactly.
You messed up, Captain.
Never keep a souvenir of a murder.
Looks like Zenith Cruise Line is gonna need a new captain.
Good work, people.
Couldn't have done it without Judy.
Yeah.
You got that right.
Hey, uh, Parker.
Something I can help you with, Agent Torres? Yeah, about this, uh, Bandium app.
I read your post.
You did? I thought you could've been more original, but, uh, I've heard worse.
- So you're not upset? - I get it.
I'm the new guy, which means I'm gonna come up with a lot of new ideas.
But the whole point of the app was to get us talking, which we're doing now.
And if you have a problem with me, uh, say it to my face.
I will do that.
- Good.
- Anyone up for a burger? I'm buying.
- I could eat.
- Yeah, me, too.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Where you going? What? Somebody's got to stay here and finish these case reports.
Right.
I'm just messing with you.
You can do it tomorrow.
Come on.
Here you go, Harold.
Mom, are you sure you don't want to stay? The repairs at your condo aren't gonna be done for a while.
Oh, no.
This is for best.
Especially for Tim.
Besides, Harold and I have to make up for lost time.
Yeah, you and Harold getting back together.
Didn't see that one coming.
You know, what Harold did was quite romantic, if you think about it.
Impersonating a delivery guy to sneak into our house? He's very creative.
Oh.
Ooh, okay, we got to scoot.
We don't want to be late for our meeting with the travel agent.
Travel agent? Where you going? We're going on safari.
Africa.
Africa? Oh, I was planning on telling you about it.
Well, you-you have a wonderful time, Mom.
Thank you.
I love you.
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
Thank you.
You're the best.
Now, I will email you the entire itinerary.
I promise.
Bye.
Bye, love you.
Bye, love you, too.
Africa.
You handled that well.
I did, didn't I? I'm proud of you.
I'm not gonna get an email, am I? No, I don't think we're ever gonna hear from them.