NCIS s19e18 Episode Script

1 Check it out.
Like what you see? Hey, I got another carload of merch arriving any sec.
- What about ammo? - No, hardware only.
This your boy now? No.
Morning, boys.
I see you're still using the rest stop to do business.
Diaz? You don't look happy to see me.
No, it's just that we heard you got locked up.
You know, I got out for good behavior.
Open the door.
Hello.
Come out and join us.
Diaz, we didn't mean to step on your territory.
Take the guns.
Take the money.
Well, very kind of you, but I've got plenty of both.
What I want is information.
So, the first one of you who tells me where I can find Carlos Salazar doesn't die.
I swear, I don't know any Carlos That jog your memory? Hmm? Still no? Take a good look.
The only difference between him and a low-level gunrunner like you is that six years ago, he narced on me, and I went to prison.
Now, I'm sure you can imagine I'd like to have a word with him.
I remember this guy.
But I but I haven't seen him since, like since you got arrested.
It's like he just, poof, disappeared.
People don't disappear.
Please, Diaz.
I I have no reason to lie.
You know, I believe you.
Let's get out of here.
I think I might win.
I think you're breaking a sweat.
Small price for victory.
Be careful talking and typing at the same time.
Might make a mistake.
I don't make mistakes, McGee.
Done.
And print.
The king is dead.
Presenting my after action report.
Please notice that it is handed in before McGee.
Thank you, Agent Knight, but McGee beat you.
What? How? He emailed me his report while you were at the printer.
Long live the king.
Mm.
Where's the ballistics report? Torres is working on that.
Well, not, uh, right now, he's not.
Seems that he's been, uh, late Mondays recently.
Right, late Mondays.
Late Mondays.
Late Mondays.
So, Parker, McGee was wondering.
Just me? We were wondering why Torres has been coming in late these past few Mondays.
Have no idea.
He gave me a heads-up, I said fine, end of story.
Pilates class? Animal shelter volunteer.
Protein shake convention.
Marine Corps weapons found at the scene of a triple homicide.
We'll call Torres from the car, have him meet us there.
Are you sleeping any better? No.
And what do you feel the problem is? Isn't that for you to tell me? Well, sure, but I need you to work with me.
Is your mind racing, or is your sleep deprivation dream-related? Dream.
Okay.
Want to talk about it? No.
My dad and I are riding this upside-down roller coaster.
It's a huge rush.
And him and I are both screaming, but in a good way.
Sounds nice.
Yeah, it would've been, but it never happened.
We never went on a roller coaster together.
We actually never went anywhere together.
Does your relationship with your father torment you? I don't have a relationship with my father.
- Is that hard on you? - No.
Are you being honest with yourself? Can we be done with the questions, and can you skip to the part where you give me the answers? - I don't have all the answers.
- Then why am I here? Because you have all the answers.
I can help you find them.
Okay.
But what I do know is that you store pieces of your life in a mental backpack.
And your dad's in there, and your job and Bishop.
- That's an interesting theory.
- Yeah.
It's called compartmentalization.
That's how you get through your day.
But eventually, the backpack gets heavy, so heavy that you need help carrying it.
And recently, that help has been 80-proof.
Did you drink last night? And I'm not here to judge you.
I don't feel judged.
What do you feel? Numb.
Do you want to be sober, Nicholas? McGee.
Yeah.
Send me the address.
I have to go to work.
All right, what do we got? A big bag of cash.
Approximately 20 grand.
Ooh.
It's enough to remodel my kitchen.
I'm thinking a trip to Greece.
Eh, your fantasy's better.
That wasn't vacation money.
It was meant to buy these.
Ah, heavy artillery.
According to the serial numbers, they were supposed to be delivered - to the armory at Quantico.
- Oh.
I'm thinking these guys aren't in the Corps.
Yeah, you'd be thinking correctly.
Fingerprints just came back.
All three are in the system, long rap sheets.
Let me guess.
Weapons charges.
So what are we thinking? Black market gun deal gone bad? Well, these weapons didn't kill 'em.
How do you know? Well, the entry wounds are too small.
I'm guessing that they were probably killed by a small-caliber handgun.
No handguns here.
Killer probably took it with him.
But left behind the big guns and bag of cash? Why? I may be able to answer that.
- Special Agent? - Alden Parker.
Trooper Phil Collins.
No relation.
Bummer.
You got something for me? A witness.
Travis Williams, 25.
When I arrived, he was performing CPR on the victims.
Makes it tough, you know? What does? Being named Phil Collins.
All the comments.
Never even seen him perform.
Where's the witness? My squad car, handcuffed.
You arrested him? Why? Found crates of weapons in his car.
He's mixed up in this somehow.
Might even be the triggerman.
So your theory, Phil, is that, uh, he shot three guys, then stayed behind to save their lives? Criminals are stupid.
Travis? They're all dead? Yeah, afraid so.
Here.
Step out of here for a second.
The ambulance It took forever to get here.
Yeah, I'm sorry about that.
Um, they friends of yours? You part of this gun deal? But I didn't kill them.
But you know who did, don't you? I'm not going there.
The guy who did this is a psycho.
He's a straight-up killer.
Then why didn't he shoot you? I was parked off to the side, waiting to bring in more inventory.
He didn't see me.
Well, if he didn't see you, then he doesn't know you're talking to us, does he? Do you know who Reymundo Diaz is? The gun smuggler? He didn't do this.
He's in prison.
I thought that, too.
But I just watched him shoot my friends.
Okay, let's say it was him.
Why? I overheard him saying he was looking for some gunrunner we used to know Carlos Salazar.
Who's Carlos Salazar? Him.
Hey, Trav.
Long time no see.
Reymundo Diaz.
Six years ago, he was the biggest gun smuggler in North America.
I remember him.
He supplied weapons to the Mexican drug cartels.
Yeah, a lot of those weapons were stolen from the U.
S.
military.
I seem to recall that you took him down, Agent Torres.
It was a joint ATF-NCIS op.
I went undercover as Carlos Salazar.
How'd you get in his inner circle? Through his cousin, Maria.
She wasn't in the gun business, but she and Diaz were very close.
They would get together every Sunday for family dinners.
I posed as Salazar, and we started dating.
Amen.
So, a toast to Maria and Carlos.
I would see him every Sunday night.
Took a while, but eventually, I earned his trust.
He cut me in on a few deals, and that was the only evidence I needed to take him down.
Then he was deported to Mexico to serve a life sentence.
So, how is he out? A million-dollar bribe to the guards.
36 hours ago, according to the prison warden.
So, in other words, a convicted killer with access to serious firepower is hunting you.
No, not me.
Carlos Salazar.
He never found out I was a fed.
- He's looking for a ghost.
- For now.
If he's killing people to find you, probably won't be long until he does.
Then we better find him first.
Kasie.
Oh, Nick, I need you.
Do you remember all the guys in Diaz's crew? Most of them, yeah.
Okay, look through these photos.
Let me know if you recognize anyone.
What am I looking at? The Camargo Bridge border crossing in Rio Grande City, Texas.
I think it's where Diaz entered the U.
S.
- What makes you think that? - Shush.
Don't distract him.
Okay, he needs to concentrate.
But allow me to walk you through the process.
Diaz walked out of this prison two nights ago at 10:30 p.
m.
33 hours later, he killed three people at a Virginia rest stop.
He had to cross the border.
Kasie, not to throw a wet towel on this, but there are over 300 ports of entry into the U.
S.
Alden, not to throw a wet towel over your wet towel, but I've already narrowed down the list of possibilities.
Diaz's passport was revoked, so he couldn't fly.
He could have got a fake I.
D.
No, Diaz is too famous to walk through an airport without getting caught.
So, you think he went by car.
I do.
His prison is in Nuevo León.
It's a straight shot north into Texas.
Lot of border crossings in Texas.
Well, 28, to be exact, but with the Mexican police on his ass, I am guessing he picked the closest one.
Camargo Bridge? It's a four-hour drive from the prison.
I pulled the photos from all the cars that drove into the U.
S.
between 2:00 - and 3:00 a.
m.
yesterday.
- But you said so yourself, the border guards would've recognized him.
Not if he was hiding in the trunk.
Those are Diaz's guys.
I don't remember the passenger's name, but the driver, I'll never forget.
René Romero.
He goes by Renny.
Sounds like you have a history.
Yeah, you can say that.
He tried to kill me.
Ooh.
I really want to hear that story, but it'll have to wait.
Renny's got a record.
And I've got the last known address.
This guy Diaz must really hate you.
He hates Salazar, not me.
That's right.
I read the report.
You played Salazar for five months.
That's a long time to be somebody else.
Yep.
What was it like? Come on, McGee.
You know what it's like.
You've done it before.
Yeah, but not for that long.
Plus, I never dated a mark.
You two must have gotten close.
As close as I needed to be.
What was she like? She was a - She was a mark.
- Well, whatever you did must have worked.
She testified against Diaz.
How'd you convince her to flip on her own cousin? I made her a promise.
I told her I'd join her in witness protection and that we'd live happily ever after.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
It was the only way that I could get her to testify against Diaz.
So, she flipped on Diaz, you flipped on her? I did what I had to do.
- You hit? - No, no, no.
Go get him.
Go get him.
Wait, is that Renny, the guy we're supposed to see? Yeah.
Guess he came to see us first.
Hold on.
What up, Renny? Hey, Carlos.
Or should I say Nick? Guess Diaz isn't chasing a ghost anymore.
That's twice.
That's twice that you tried to kill me.
But hey, I'm still standing.
What is that, oh for two? Come on, man.
That first time was a misunderstanding.
And today You should know, when Diaz gives an order, you do it.
The old "My gunrunning boss made me do it" excuse.
Probably won't play well with the jury.
Speaking of the boss, where is he? I have no idea.
Well, that is too bad.
Renny, I guess you're gonna have to take the rap by yourself.
Attempted murder of two federal agents? That's 25 to life.
Hold up.
What do you want to know? How'd you find me? I didn't.
Diaz did.
How? If you kill enough people, you can find out anything.
So, Diaz discovered his real identity and then ordered you to hang out at the naval yard until you saw him? And then kill him, yeah.
Where is he now? I don't know.
What's his next gun deal? I don't know that, either.
Come on, Renny.
You spent two days in a car with him driving from Mexico to Virginia.
What did you talk about? Him.
Diaz said he's getting rid of the rats who sent him to prison.
"Rats"? Plural? Yeah.
You and his cousin Maria.
He's never gonna find her.
He found you, didn't he? I think you pissed him off.
I think I scared him.
We need to warn Maria.
She's in witness protection.
I know where she is.
I mean, I don't know where she is, but I should.
No, you shouldn't.
No one should.
Please, Director.
I need to know that she's safe.
All right.
Have a seat.
I'm Agent Parker.
This is Agent Torres.
Thanks for meeting with us.
Happy to do it.
I'm Deputy Marshal Carter.
This is Deputy Marshal Wright.
So, we understand that Reymundo Diaz bought his way out of prison and is in the U.
S.
Then you also understand that Maria Diaz is in danger.
No, she isn't.
She's safe, I can assure you.
How do you know that? Because protecting people is what we do.
We're pros.
So is Diaz.
When was the last time you spoke to her? - A few days ago.
- How many? Two? Three? More like a week.
That's more than a few.
We tried to call her on our way here, but we got her voice mail.
That-that's not atypical.
She values her privacy.
If she's not answering, why are you not sending somebody to go check on her? Look, I know you're concerned, but she's got a new identity.
She lives in a different state.
I promise you, Diaz will never find her.
You kill enough people, you can find out anything.
Diaz killed those three men trying to find me.
He found me.
Diaz tried to have Agent Torres killed this morning, and we think he's going after Maria next.
Where is she? Maryland.
So, who's driving? You or us? Okay.
All right, well, the minute you hear anything, let us know.
We'll do the same.
Well, that was ATF.
It is radio silence out there.
No chatter on Diaz or any potential gun deals.
That's because he's not making a gun deal.
How's that? I kept grilling Renny.
He said that Diaz is out of the gun business.
Yesterday, Diaz sent Renny to a shady pharmacy in Culpeper to pick up some pills.
What kind of pills? Renny doesn't know.
But he said, whatever they were, Diaz was looking to buy a lot more.
Well, if Diaz is switching from dealing guns to drugs, that would make sense why every lead we've followed so far has been a dead end.
Not anymore.
We find that drug deal, we find Diaz.
Hello? Anyone home? It's your friend John.
Coming to check on you.
Are you sure this is her place? Yeah, I'm sure.
Why? Because she's an artist.
What happened to all her paintings? Maria Diaz was an artist.
Anita Reyes couldn't be.
When she assumed her new identity, she had to change careers.
Art world's a small community.
She would've risked being exposed.
What does she do now? Telemarketing.
What about her paintings? She sold them.
Needed the money.
Back here.
Looks like blood to me.
There's a bullet hole in the wall.
- You're pros, huh? - All right, Torres.
Nick! You were supposed to protect her, man! - That's enough! Okay? - You need to control your man.
You need to shut up and listen.
We need another safe house.
Now.
Well, once we find Maria, I'll arrange - a secure location.
- Not for Maria.
For him.
- Parker, I'm not going anywhere.
- Yes, you are.
Diaz knows your identity.
He found this house, he can find yours, which means you're not staying here, and you're not going home.
Where's he going? There's a hotel nearby that we've used before.
I'll see if it's available.
Make it available.
Go to the hotel.
Get some rest.
I'll process this house tonight.
We'll start fresh in the morning.
Nick, you okay? Yeah, all good.
I don't think you called me at 11:00 at night to tell me you're all good.
Then why did I call you? Well, I don't know, but I have to say that you don't sound like yourself tonight.
Well, it's me.
Let me be more direct.
You don't sound sober.
I'm not.
And-and that's okay.
It's about progress, not perfection.
What's important is that you're being honest.
Honest? I honestly want to put my fist through the damn wall.
What happened? I guess my backpack got too heavy.
More specific, Nick.
I heard that you and Tim got shot at today, and I can't imagine how terrifying that must be.
Yeah, I'm used to that.
Then what is it? My dad.
Your dream? My nightmare.
My whole life, I've tried to be nothing like my father.
And now I'm thinking that maybe I am him.
Why? Because I abandoned someone.
Someone I really cared about.
If that choice is weighing on you, I suggest you make amends.
Yeah, it's too late.
Well, I will say this.
The choice you made does not make you your dad.
You are not your father.
Hello? Nick? I got to go.
Maria.
Nice to see you, too.
- I thought you were dead.
- I thought so, too.
Diaz must have found me, because he sent one of his guys to kill me.
Yeah, I went to your house to warn you.
I saw the blood.
- Where are you hit? - I wasn't.
He was.
I keep a knife under my bed, so when he tried to attack me, I sliced his arm.
Did you recognize him? He was wearing a mask.
He shot at me but missed, so I-I ran like hell out of there.
How'd you find me? I wasn't looking for you.
I needed another safe house, so I called Marshal Carter at WITSEC, and she told me this was the closest place.
You're the last person I wanted to go to.
But my options were limited.
You changed your hair.
Yeah.
Well, for what it's worth, um I like it.
You got something different going on, too.
Yeah.
What do you think? Meh.
I knew Carlos Salazar drank alone.
But I guess Nick Torres does, too.
You mind? The marshals didn't call you? I'm sure they tried, but I turned off my phone so Diaz wouldn't track me.
I'm using the room's phone.
What are you doing? I'm calling the marshals, so they can come get you.
I wouldn't bother.
Why's that? Because by the time they get here, I'll be gone.
What are you talking about? I'm not going back into witness protection.
Look, they'll relocate you, okay? And this time, there will be agents outside the door.
I'll make sure of it.
You're not hearing me, Nick.
I'm not gonna live like that anymore.
Live like what? Like someone I'm not.
WITSEC wasn't happily ever after.
I understand.
But Diaz found you once.
He will find you again.
You have no choice.
There is always a choice.
And when I ran from that house, I made the choice to leave Anita Reyes behind.
This is no time to take a stand, Maria.
You have a target on your back.
You're not safe.
I feel pretty safe right now.
So, where's Torres? - Still at the hotel.
- With Maria? - Yep.
- Oof.
That's a whole lot of baggage to unpack.
Yep.
So, Vance just told me that Maria showed up at Nick's hotel room last night.
Has anyone heard from him this morning? Not yet.
Why? You know, six years is a lot of baggage to unpack.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Well, I'm just happy they're both off the grid - and out of Diaz's reach.
- Speaking of Diaz, you figure out exactly what drug he's moving? I called Happy's Pharmacy to ask what pills Diaz's guy picked up.
They wouldn't talk.
So then I went to Happy's last night posing as a pillhead, and when they sold me the oxys, I flashed my badge, and then they wouldn't stop talking to me.
So, what is he dealing? Percocet? Fentanyl? Not even close.
- Perpexofal XR.
- It's used to treat acute myeloid leukemia, a rare and very deadly form of cancer.
Is there any demand for this Perpexofal on the black market? Nope.
So why would Diaz want that? I called the Mexican prison warden, and he didn't give any details, but he did say that Diaz is very sick.
If Diaz is dying, that explains why our arms dealer isn't dealing any arms.
He doesn't care about money.
He wants revenge.
And there's nothing more dangerous than a killer with nothing to lose.
Morning, sunshine.
Buenos días.
How'd you sleep? Honestly, the best I have in years.
Well, that's good to hear, 'cause I slept like crap.
I told you the chair wasn't necessary.
But given how loud you still snore, it was probably for the best.
What? I don't snore.
Carlos Salazar used to say the same thing six years ago.
Carlos used to say a lot of things.
You should get dressed.
My sweater's bloody.
I have an extra hoodie for you.
Okay.
And then what? And then I call NCIS protection detail.
And when they show up, I'll leave and help my team find Diaz.
What? Nothing.
I mean, I guess I shouldn't be surprised since leaving is your specialty.
Room service menu is over here on the table.
So just order whatever you want.
Five months we spent together, and it was nothing but one big lie.
What do you want me to say? Hmm? - I had a job to do.
- So did I.
I was an artist.
I had a life before you ruined it.
Well, you couldn't live that life.
You were in danger.
Danger you put me in.
You could have chosen a hundred ways to get to Diaz, but you chose me.
That was the assignment.
That's all I was? An assignment? It sucks.
I know.
But in a twisted way, you should be proud of yourself.
You helped send a killer to prison.
I feel like I've been in one, too.
Witness protection was necessary to save your life.
What life? Anita Reyes, the telemarketer? Living alone in Maryland? Thanks, but that life wasn't worth saving.
I'm sorry, Maria.
Sure, you are.
I am.
What I did was unforgivable.
Don't patronize me.
I know you were following orders, and I know I'm not the only mark you played.
You were the only mark I cared about.
You think it was easy walking away knowing how much pain I caused? Well, believe it or not I'm sorry.
Six years ago, I was just collateral damage.
That's how you saw me.
So, what changed? Why are you apologizing now? This happened to you, didn't it? Someone you cared about left you.
What was her name? The guy who attacked you.
You remember anything about him? What was he wearing? How tall was he? Wearing black.
About your height.
You know, actually, I-I did see he had a tattoo on his left hand.
- Of a gun? - Yeah.
How'd you know? Do you remember him? That's Pablo Silva.
Do you know where his house is? Back when I knew him, his house was on wheels.
- NCIS! - Pablo Silva! Look.
That's not Silva.
Whoever it is, looks like they beat him to death.
I'll check for an I.
D.
Don't bother.
His name is Marshal John Wright.
Maria's contact at WITSEC.
And they didn't just beat him.
They tortured him.
Did Wright know where Maria and Torres were hiding? Call Torres and tell him to get the hell out of that hotel.
How'd Diaz find us? Keep moving.
- Where are we going? - Anywhere but here.
Go, go, go, go, go! Go back.
Go, go, go, go.
Get down.
- You hurt? - I don't think so.
Listen to me.
Listen to me.
- You can do this.
- Do what? Dude, are you kidding me? - You trust me, right? - No.
Okay, that was a stupid question.
What do you expect me to do? I want you to shoot anyone who walks through that door.
When I leave, you call this number.
You tell them Diaz is here.
Where are you going? I'm gonna end this.
I'm gonna get Diaz before he gets you.
You shoot anyone who walks through that door.
Wait.
What if it's you? Then don't shoot.
Maybe we should have a signal.
Like knock twice or something.
Fine, I'll knock twice.
Hey.
Don't die.
- Torres, talk to me.
- It's Maria.
Diaz is here.
We-we need help.
All right, hang on.
We're ten minutes out.
We don't have ten minutes.
I got to go.
Diaz! Heard you were looking for me.
You stole six years of my life.
Why don't you put your weapon down, and we can talk about it.
Okay.
You first! Diaz! You're not leaving this hotel alive.
I don't care! I came here to take you with me.
You're gonna have to kill me first.
That was a lot of ammo from that little gun.
Maybe all your ammo! I have waited for this moment for six years! What you did to me after I welcomed you into my home! My family! Did you really think I would let this go? Well, you're gonna have to.
Drop your weapon.
Diaz, drop your weapon.
Maria? He didn't knock twice.
Come on.
Come on.
It's over.
It's over.
Looks like a shooting gallery.
Yeah.
Any guests get caught in the cross fire? Luckily, no, thanks to the lockdown you ordered.
I guess they won't be renting out the fifth floor for a while.
I just watched the entire shoot-out on the hallway security cams.
Nick's lucky he's alive.
And Maria took out Silva? Shot him with Torres's spare gun.
Is Maria okay? Well, uh, Torres is escorting her home as we speak.
Yeah.
I wonder how that's going.
Wow, you're really wasting no time in, uh, moving out of here, huh? You kidding me? Adios, Anita.
What? You standing there in this house.
For so long, I had this fantasy of you walking through the door and us picking up right where we left off.
I really am so sorry, Maria.
I know.
If you're waiting for forgiveness, I'm not there yet.
I know.
I understand why you did what you did.
You were in an impossible position.
Losing you was the hardest moment of my life.
Good.
So, where you gonna go now that you're free? I'm gonna stay with my mom for a while.
We have six birthdays and Christmases to catch up on.
- And then? - Honestly, I don't know where I'm gonna live next.
But wherever it is, I'm gonna hang - a lot of paintings.
- Good.
Because when I saw the bare walls yesterday, I, uh, couldn't believe this was your home.
It wasn't.
It was Anita's.
Yeah, and you let her sell Maria's entire collection.
No.
I kept one.
Remember this beauty? How can I forget? You kept my painting? Of course I did.
It's not like I could sell it.
This damn thing is hideous.
Okay.
I blame the teacher.
From now on, you need anything, all you have to do is call.
I promise I'll be there for you.
This time, I I believe you.
Two days, two gunfights.
You're still breathing.
You okay? Yeah.
I'm used to it.
After all this time, it must feel great to make amends with Maria.
It's kind of nice to finally take someone out of my backpack.
And I think we're gonna be really good friends.
Just friends? For now.
Too much water under the bridge.
I understand.
You know, seeing her brought back this-this feeling.
It just made me realize something.
You want that feeling again? You deserve that, Nick.
You do believe you deserve that, right? No.
Not yet.
I got to get myself right first.
How you gonna do that? By doing what my father never did.
Facing my demons head-on and becoming the man that I want to be.
The man he never was.
Well, it sounds like the last few days have added up to about a decade's worth of therapy.
Well, you helped, too.
With this newfound clarity, I'd like to ask you the question that I asked you a couple of days ago.
Mm.
Do you want to be sober? Yes.
But if my father ever taught me anything, it's that words don't matter.
Your word matters to me.
If you tell me yes, I believe you.
You know it won't be easy.
Nothing worth it ever is.