NCIS s22e03 Episode Script

1
(WOLF HOWLING)
(DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)
(SIGHS)
(KEYPAD BEEPING)
Oh, come on.
- You want to be that way?
- (KEYS JANGLING)
Fine.
PARTYGOERS: Surprise!
- (PARTYGOERS GASPING)
- Oh, what the hell?!
What did you do? You're not Hal!
Who the hell are you?
- You're in the wrong house!
- Me?
No. No, I'm not. This is my house.
Hey, man, Bernie's knocked out.
Get out or I'll the cops!
Please call the cops.
I didn't spend 19 hours in the back
of a C-17 to put up with this crap.
Who needs the cops?
Mary, we got this.
(GROANS SOFTLY)
Trust me, pal. No, you don't.
Oh, I'll trust you.
Soon as your ass is out of here.
Huh.
Do you have insurance?
♪
I really wish my building
got more trick-or-treaters.
I always got way too much
leftover candy.
I'll drive by with the twins.
They got no problem with leftovers.
Yeah, no leftovers at my place.
My neighborhood is
like Coachella for kids.
KNIGHT: Oh,
that sounds like a lot more fun
than my sister's annual costume party.
And you are going as?
My usual Tomb Raider,
who quietly slips out after an hour.
TORRES: Which reminds me,
before we slip out of here,
I need you all to sign my petition.
Petition for what again?
I want to turn Ducky's office
into a state-of-the-art gym.
- We already have a gym.
- Yeah, but that thing's
barely a gym.
Needs so much upgrade.
Yeah, Ducky's office has been
untouched for almost a year now.
Yeah, and he has all those big
windows and the high ceiling.
I know exactly where
to put the kettlebells.
Oof. You already ran this past Vance?
Yes. Which is why Vance asked me
to run this petition and see,
you know, how many people like the idea.
I know Jimmy's not gonna like it.
What do you mean? Jimmy works out.
Yeah, but he also might be too
sentimental about Ducky's office
to want to change it to anything.
I mean, don't you think, Jess?
Uh
I don't know. Y-You should ask Jimmy.
(PHONES CHIMING)
Whoa. Here's a first.
Brawl at a Navy SEAL's house
in Annandale.
A brawl?
Since when do we get brawl calls?
Are we really gonna postpone
our Halloween over a fight?
No, not you, McGee. You go home.
Not like anyone was killed.
KNIGHT: Not yet. I mean,
they are Navy SEALs
that we're talking about.
Good point.
Yeah, I guess I can be a little late.
Oh. And, uh, you can sign this,
uh, petition on the way out.
It's my boyfriend Hal's house.
I was just trying to throw him
a little surprise party
when, all of a sudden, that lunatic
- burst in here and went crazy!
- Okay, okay, okay!
BRYCE: Because it's my house, not Hal's.
See, I knew something was wrong
the second my door wouldn't unlock.
That's the first thing
these squatters do,
is change the key codes.
Hal is not a squatter!
All right, everybody, inside voices!
Okay? Please?
(DOORBELL RINGS)
Trick or treat!
I love it. Here, grab some candy.
Big handfuls. I love the costumes.
Great cheerleading outfit.
Looking good in the clown costume.
Okay, kids, have a great night!
- Bye!
- Bye!
KID: Thank you.
I don't suppose maybe we could, uh,
- turn off the porch light?
- KNIGHT: Yeah.
If you think that'll help.
TORRES: All right.
So, Lieutenant
Prescott.
Or "Bryce" is okay.
You can prove that this is your house?
Of course. I grew up here.
So this is a family home?
Which I inherited from my
grandmother last year when my,
uh, dad died.
- You been gone long?
- (GROANING)
On a month-long mission
that ended a week early.
Got home around 6:00,
ready to hit the shower
and crash in my own bed,
only to find the place
full of drunken yahoos.
You better hope that Bernie's okay.
What I hope is
that you think twice next time
before playing bouncer.
- You son of a
- (GRUNTING)
Stop.
(GRUNTING)
TORRES: All right, stop.
Just stop.
- Nick.
- Yeah.
- Really?
- I said stop.
We're here to deescalate things.
Thought I just did that.
- Did it very nicely.
- My dude.
KNIGHT: So, Bryce, when you came home,
you didn't know any of these
"yahoos"?
Not a one.
And I sure as hell don't know any Hal.
Well, when he shows up,
Hal will straighten
this whole thing out.
Where exactly is Hal?
I wish I knew. (SIGHS)
We were expecting him at 6:00,
but he's still a no-show.
No answer on his cell, either.
(DOORBELL RINGS)
KNIGHT: I'll go look around the house.
MCGEE: All right, decent costume,
but you're a grown-up.
Shouldn't you be
escorting kids or something?
What? No, I'm not
a trick-or-treater, I
That's my delivery guy. Hey, Phil.
Hey, Bryce. Welcome home.
Got your text about coming back early,
so they sent me over
- with all your saved packages.
- Thanks, Phil.
Our way of saying
"thanks for your service."
PARKER: Any chance, Phil,
you've seen a guy named Hal
living here lately?
What do you mean?
- Bryce lives here.
- MARY: No.
Hal lives here.
- This is crazy!
- MCGEE: Does Hal
know Phil? Or do you know Phil?
MARY: No, but (SIGHS)
you had to have seen Hal.
I-I'm sorry. I haven't been back here
since Bryce put his deliveries on hold.
- What's going on exactly?
- Squatters.
Really?
- Stop calling him that!
- Okay, all right.
Okay, okay! Thanks for your help, Phil!
- Good night.
- You're the man, Phil.
- Anytime. Good luck.
- Yeah.
Do you believe me now?
We never doubted you.
Yeah. But until this guy Hal shows up
Description of Hal might be helpful.
Oh. Uh
Yeah, he's so cute. (CHUCKLES)
- A little more.
- Oh, right. Um
Uh, about six-two,
a little beard,
the most beautiful eyes.
Okay.
Guys?
Can't tell his height or
see his beautiful eyes, but
(SCREAMS)
I'd say you found Hal.
(GRUNTS)
Pretty nasty.
- Kasie will run that for fingerprints.
- Mm-hmm.
Sorry to drag you out here
on Halloween, Jimmy.
Hey, it's a shame we weren't able
to go trick-or-treating
with our kids, huh?
Uh, Victoria's way past that,
unfortunately.
So you got dressed up because?
I was chaperoning
her school Halloween dance.
That's why I wore
the cool costume, you know?
- So I wouldn't embarrass her.
- (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
She really must've been sad
to see you go.
Actually, she took it pretty well.
KNIGHT: Yeah, I hate to tell you, Jimmy,
but I'm not sure
that Me-Man qualifies as cool
with the middle-schoolers.
Uh, actually, they loved it.
And it's not "Me-Man," Jess.
It's, uh, "M.E. Man."
As in, uh, "Medical Examiner Man."
(CHUCKLES)
- Get it?
- TORRES: Oh
KNIGHT: Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
I get it. Did they get it?
W-Well, I mean,
a-after I explained it, yes.
But what's with all the questions here?
Did Victoria text you or something?
No. I was
I was just asking, because
All right, all right,
no fighting, you two.
- Who's fighting?
- JIMMY: Well, we don't
- We weren't fighting.
- You were headed there.
JIMMY: No, we weren't.
- Yes, you were.
- Were we? No.
- Yes, you were.
- MCGEE: Guys,
can we get back to the case?
Oh, yeah, the case.
Like these holes.
What's up with these holes?
I saw on the news
that some squatters like
to tear up perfectly good homes
just for kicks.
I didn't see any plaster dust
on the hammer.
None on his shoes.
Maybe his killer did it.
Okay.
Pretty sure this is everyone
who was here at the party.
We're gonna need better
than "pretty sure," Mary.
Only invited ten people.
Mostly friends and coworkers
from the bar where I work.
It's where I met Hal, actually,
just a few weeks ago.
So it was brand-new with you two?
Honeymoon phase, right?
What can I say? He was
sweet. And fun.
With his own really nice house.
Which you let yourself into.
No. He had given me his key code.
I-I got here at 5:00 to set up.
Friends started showing around 5:30.
And we expected Hal by 6:00.
And you didn't see anyone else coming in
or going out when you got here?
Nobody. And I swear,
we had no idea that Hal was dead
in the basement the whole time.
Much less it's not even Hal's house.
Um, it's not even Hal.
What do you mean? Prints identify him
as paroled car thief Felix Pitts.
What? No, no, no. That's
That's him.
Okay, let's switch gears here, Mary.
Um, in your short time with Hal or Felix
or did he seem to have enemies
- or recent disputes?
- No.
I-I don't know.
He was
Wait. Yes.
Um
Just last week, this big guy
came into the bar and
got into it with Hal.
- This guy have a name?
- Hal called him, um
Bark, was it? Or-or, uh, Big Bark?
Hal said he owed him money,
so I gave him 100 bucks from my tip cup.
That all he owed him?
I don't know. Didn't seem like it.
Big Bark still looked pretty mad.
Uh, watch the head.
Ooh, my-my bad. Sorry.
JIMMY: And once again,
Nick, for the record,
Jess and I were not fighting.
- Oh, no. Not at all. We're fine.
- Yeah, completely fine.
After all, the only constant
in life is change,
and this change is A-okay with us.
TORRES: Hmm. Okay. Well, then
A-oh-whatever.
Uh, speaking of change, Me-Man,
I've been meaning to talk
to you about Ducky's office.
Oh, right. I heard about that.
Sounds great.
Huh? What?
You mean, you're cool with it?
The-the gym?
Yeah. I'm not sure how many people
would actually use it,
but, I mean, Dr. Mallard
wouldn't want his office
just sitting idle forever.
- I wonder what Ducky would want.
- Oh, knowing him,
he would want it to be whatever
helps us to do our jobs better.
Other than that, I can't imagine
anyone minding the change at all.
KASIE: Absolutely not.
Uh, well, tell me how you really feel.
No offense to your gym idea, Nick,
but shouldn't Ducky's office
be preserved as a memory?
- As what? A museum?
- I know.
It's irrational, but Ducky is the one
who brought me into NCIS,
so forgive me
if I'm maybe a tad sentimental.
Sentimental or stubborn?
(COMPUTER DINGS)
Ooh, saved by the ding.
Okay, results on the hammer
show no additional
fingerprints on the handle,
other than the victim's. And since
it would be really hard to
commit suicide with a hammer
Our killer likely wore gloves.
Hey, Kase. Can I borrow Nick?
- Where am I going?
- McGee identified
the "Big Bark" as an ex-con
with a violent history,
and Parker wants us to scoop him up.
I love scooping.
And I promise to think about
your gym idea, Nick, really.
TORRES: Hey, think
glute factory, not a museum.
Glute factory.
So, Kasie's a maybe?
More like maybe not.
Let's hope Big Bark tries
barking at us. (GRUNTS)
Oh. What's got you so punchy lately?
Not punchy. Passionate.
Do I have this right?
My former cellmate owes me money,
and that makes me a murder suspect?
- This guy give you any trouble?
- He sure looks like a Big Bark.
TORRES: All bark, no bite.
Soon as he heard his buddy was dead,
he came with us way too easy.
PARKER: Okay, let's back up.
How much did Hal
it's, excuse me Felix owe you?
I never put an exact number on it.
You hadn't loaned him a specific amount?
He's the last guy I'd loan to.
It was for back rent,
or what should have been rent,
after he'd crashed
at my apartment for so long.
- How long?
- He got paroled in June,
and his ass sat planted on my
couch right through September.
And like a squatter, it took me a month
to get him out,
and he never offered a dime.
Well, apparently,
he upgraded from squatting
on couches to houses.
That's why I went after him.
And word on the street is,
he wasn't squatting.
He was renting a house
through one of them apps.
And if he had money for that,
I figured he could
throw a few bucks my way.
His girlfriend said she lent him $100.
(SCOFFING): God. Pathetic, right?
He promised me more as soon
as he made some big score
he was working on.
- What big score?
- Who knows?
He was Mr. Get-Rich-Quick.
Always onto something big.
(SIGHS)
How did our Navy SEAL's house
end up on "one of them apps"?
Yeah, without him knowing about it.
There's got to be a least
a dozen or so apps out there.
Could take a while
to find Hal's account.
And you're just the man to find it.
(DOOR OPENS)
PARKER: Really, Nick?
You just had to bring all
your leftovers into work?
I got about 20 pounds more in my car,
so please take all you want.
We haven't even had lunch yet.
Speaking of which, that wouldn't be
- a bad use of Ducky's office.
- Lunch?
- We have a commissary.
- Yeah.
Where we never seem to go. Just once,
I'd like to eat a sandwich
at someplace other than my desk.
Hal's rental account. Found it.
On what app?
Uh, HostHopper.
He booked Bryce's place
under his real name
three weeks ago for $90 a night.
- Not a bad deal.
- KNIGHT: Yeah.
But who was he renting it from?
- Can you access the account?
- MCGEE: Yeah, working on it.
Property owner's listed as
- PARKER: Mrs. G.H. Prescott.
- KNIGHT: Oh.
Oh, it's the same last name
as our Navy SEAL.
- Who is she?
- MCGEE: One second.
Asking the Internets.
PARKER: "Wanda Prescott,
antique collector
"and widow of the late billionaire
investment guru Gavin Prescott"?
Why does that ring a bell?
MCGEE: Oh, it's Goldmine Gavin.
- Goldmine?
- PARKER: Oh, yeah.
This guy was always making news,
for good or bad.
Everything
from insider-trading allegations
to opening a bunch
of children's hospitals.
Sounds like a character.
Yeah, he was he was really eccentric.
And he died in 2003 with a net worth
of just under two billion.
Oh, you think these two could be
Bryce's grandparents?
Says here he's got two children
and three grandchildren.
Are you telling me that the Navy SEAL
with the 40-year-old microwave
is heir to the Prescott fortune?
The bigger question is,
why would his rich old grandma
be HostHopping her own grandson's house?
A man murdered in Bryce's basement?
How?
Oh, my Lord.
Is my grandson all right?
Your grandson is just fine, ma'am.
And as for the "how," Mrs. Prescott,
that's, uh that's what
we're hoping to find out.
Well, you would have thought
that Bryce would have called me
and told me something like this.
But that that boy
never wants to worry me.
(BRITISH ACCENT):
So he joined the Navy SEALs.
Leonard, please.
- And he rarely calls at all.
- Stop it.
Bryce is a very brave young man.
He's determined to make it on his own,
without the help of his family.
I had to beg him to take
the very house that he grew up in.
Uh, about that house, ma'am.
Um, apparently, our victim rented it
from an account with your name on it
through an app called, uh, "HostHopper."
WANDA: HostHopper?
I never heard of that.
TORRES: It's a website where people can
rent houses temporarily.
With my name?
Well, how is that possible?
Well, if you don't know,
um, is there some chance
that someone else has access
to your finances?
(SCOFFS) Of course, I have accountants
and estate managers,
but no one no one
puts pen to paper unless I approve.
Isn't that right?
Absolutely, ma'am.
WANDA: Who I intend to call
right now, gentlemen, is my grandson.
And until I talk to him,
I have nothing more to say to you.
- Leonard?
- Good day, Agents.
Actually, uh, Leonard, would you mind
just hanging back for a minute?
Whatever for?
Oh, uh, to sign our visitor log.
Right, yeah. It won't take long.
TORRES: In fact, he can sign
for both of you, ma'am.
- No no problem at all.
- It'll just take a minute or two.
We'll have an agent escort you out.
WANDA: Leonard, don't take too long.
I want to call Bryce from the car.
Mm.
There's no visitor log.
PARKER: We just wanted to ask if maybe
you knew someone who might have access
to Ms. Prescott's finances.
(LAUGHING):
What sort of charade is this?
How would I know
who Wanda would
or if anyone else could?
(LAUGHS)
(BOSTON ACCENT): Oh, to hell with it.
Okay, you got me.
TORRES: I'm sorry.
Got what? You're confessing?
To murder? No.
To renting out Bryce's house
while he's away? Maybe.
Maybe? Is your name even Leonard?
Leonard, Lenny, whatever.
The thing is, I love Wanda,
but she's been underpaying me
forever, even with the
(BRITISH): fancy fake accent.
(BOSTON ACCENT): And those grandkids
of hers they're gonna walk away
with everything when she croaks.
At least Bryce lives nearby,
but those other spoiled brats
they don't call,
- they don't visit, they don't
- All right, stop.
Stop. What does this have to do
with you renting out Bryce's house?
What's the harm in making
a little extra cash on the side?
Oh, no harm except, uh,
for a dead renter
appearing in your basement.
(SIGHS)
Here I was thinking
things couldn't get any worse
after that squatter.
Squatter? What squatter?
Oh, some clown who crashed
at Wanda's empty beach house last month.
That's what gave me the idea
to rent out the other houses
on HostHopper.
Is this your squatter?
- I never saw the guy.
- What's this about Wanda's
other houses? How many does she have?
Four. Total.
The one she lives in,
which I don't rent out
for obvious reasons.
Bryce's house, the beach house
and Prescott's Folly.
- Prescott's what now?
- Prescott's Folly.
That's what the old man calls
his hunting lodge out in Bluemont.
I made the mistake
of listing it on the app
as "extremely haunted."
And why would you do that?
(SCOFFS) 'Cause it is.
It's creepy as hell, which is just
what old Gavin would have wanted.
I never met the guy,
but I guess he was pretty out there.
- Has anyone rented the place?
- No.
I was hoping I was gonna get
some morbidly-curious
Halloween-ers, but no dice.
I guess I literally
scared away potential customers.
PARKER: Okay, Leonard,
uh, we got a lot to digest here.
Hey, listen, I really am sorry, so,
how about I delete
the HostHopper's account,
and you don't tell Wanda?
Or maybe, uh
you should just tell Wanda.
Yeah, better to face
her consequences than ours,
believe me.
- (SCREAMS)
- (SCREAMS)
BOTH: What are you doing here?!
I came to get an old file
on hammer wounds.
What are you doing?
- Me?
- Yeah.
I-I spilled coffee
behind this desk last week,
and I was just, you know,
checking to make sure
- it didn't stain.
- Seriously?
Oh, well, you know,
coffee can really do a number
Okay, fine. You caught me.
I come here to meditate. You happy?
Yes, actually, I'm very happy.
You know I'm be a fan of
anything that gives inner peace.
Well, and that's what Ducky gave me.
He taught me the value a quick
ten minutes of "Om" time.
And his office is
the perfect place to do it.
That is, until now.
Yeah. Sorry. While I can't imagine
that Vance would approve
an NCIS meditation room,
I mean, if it's consensus
he's looking for,
why not just try to gather some?
- I have to start my own petition?
- Or you could start
with just asking your co-workers
what they'd like it to be.
Ooh. Now that's a great idea.
Thanks. I get 'em occasionally.
Can I start with you?
Uh, gosh, I'd have to think about it,
but, uh, whatever it becomes,
I'd really like a place for
Dr. Mallard's old paper files.
You know, they still come in handy.
I'll be sure to keep that in mind.
Don't you have a few minutes
of mantra left?
Oh, no. It's consensus time.
Hey, did you get Kasie's
department-wide email
- about Ducky's office?
- KNIGHT: Yup.
She is on a mission.
I'll tell you what I wouldn't mind.
Separate workstation away from my desk
that I can use every once in a while.
Sometimes this orange room feels
like Grand Central Station.
KNIGHT: Yeah, I hear that.
Hear what?
How's, uh, Bryce's grandma?
Hmm. Pretty sassy.
PARKER: And it wasn't her
renting out Bryce's place.
Turns out the butler did it.
Did he also rent the haunted house?
How do you know about that?
'Cause it's listed on the same account.
"Prescott's Folly is
"the perfect getaway for all fans
of things that go bump in the night."
Well, it turns out there was a lot
less fans than Lenny was hoping for.
If I'd seen that ad sooner,
I'd be a fan for a night.
Yeah. Same here. Hey,
you know, I've always wanted
to go on one of those
ghost-hunter shows.
PARKER: Oh. Me, too. I love that stuff.
You guys are crazy.
Yeah, you couldn't pay me
to stay in a haunted house.
Both of you are afraid of ghosts?
- I mean, not exactly afraid.
- We can Listen
PARKER: Two of the toughest,
- bravest special agents around?
- TORRES: Parker,
with actual living bad guys,
yeah, of course.
KNIGHT: Yeah,
things in this world, no problem,
but the afterworld? No, thanks.
Hmm. We just got
Hal's last known address
before he went to prison.
According to this, his rent's
been paid up for years.
Well, why not just live there
instead of squatting at Big Bark's?
KNIGHT: So Hal's last known
address turns out to be a storage unit?
Explains why he couldn't live here.
So, you're really afraid of ghosts, huh?
Hmm. You're really gonna make
me regret telling you that?
(LAUGHS)
Speaking of
you ever figure out
what you saw on that ship?
You know, the-the ghost, or the angel?
I mean, because
you clearly saw something.
Hey, I was losing a lot of blood.
I can't tell you what I saw.
Listen to me.
I am grateful to you for saving me,
but other than that, I'm just
I
I don't know. I just
I'm not ready to talk about it.
(SIGHS) Fair enough.
By the way, finally saw
Poseidon Adventure this week.
And I couldn't believe
that you forgot to mention
that Shelley Winters died
after she saved Gene Hackman.
- Did I leave that part out?
- Conveniently.
Yeah? Well, guess now I'm glad I did.
Otherwise, you might not have
made that fateful dive.
You know me better than that.
(SCOFFS)
Oh.
Some kind of workshop?
Metal detector,
- ultrasound scanner.
- Everything you need
to find lost objects.
PARKER: Yeah, but what kind of objects
was he looking for, exactly?
Oh, here we go. House floor plans.
And Face Forward magazine.
I haven't seen one of these
since I was a kid.
And what do you know?
A young Wanda and Gavin Prescott,
circa 1982.
"The Prescott's Priceless Treasures."
This would make Hal a
bit more than a squatter.
Man was looking for gold.
I never thought I would see this again.
(LAUGHING SOFTLY): My goodness,
just look at us.
Mm. Yeah, that's a nice shot
of you and old Gavin.
(SIGHS)
We were so young.
Mrs. Prescott,
this is Special Agent Knight.
And is it, uh,
Leonard or Lenny?
Oh, the butler. Heard about you.
Personal assistant.
And I know what you're thinking.
I did tell Wanda,
and not only did she keep me on,
she threw me a nice, fat raise.
I only hired him to see how long
he could keep up that terrible accent.
KNIGHT: Getting back to the magazine?
WANDA: Right.
I can't believe it still exists.
Where could your victim
have possibly found it?
We figured yard sale or flea market.
- Old magazines are a staple.
- No, no, no.
Not this issue. Not after my Gavin
spent a fortune having it pulled
from shelves nationwide.
Why would he do that? (SIGHS)
These words right here.
"Priceless Treasures."
(SIGHS) Nothing but trouble.
PARKER: Your husband
said the same thing himself.
"The treasures we hold priceless
in our homes as a family"?
Gavin was trying
to say something nice about our family,
but given our economic status,
and his rather colorful reputation,
readers seemed to think
it meant that he was
hiding treasure somewhere.
And then, all hell broke loose.
Exactly what kind of hell?
Countless wannabe fortune hunters
sneaking around our properties,
breaking through walls,
digging up our gardens.
- (PHONE RINGING, BUZZING)
- Excuse me.
Yeah, McGee.
Well, obviously, the man who was killed
in your grandson's basement
found this issue and
joined the treasure hunt.
Yeah, and he might not have been alone.
Somebody's using Hal's account
to try and rent
Prescott's Folly off of, uh,
Lenny's HostHopper app.
(MOANS): Oh, Lenny,
not the hunting lodge.
The haunted hunting lodge?
It's not haunted.
(SCOFFS) Like hell it's not.
WANDA: Gavin started
that nonsense after the fire
in '87.
The back porch and a couple
of rooms were destroyed,
and they never could
figure out the cause,
so Gavin decided to blame it on ghosts.
LEONARD: Yeah, well, they rebuilt
those rooms and the back porch,
and the place still gives me
the heebie-jeebies.
Cold spots, weird sounds,
all that.
But how is anyone trying
to rent that place?
I shut down my account.
We didn't. Go ahead, McGee.
MCGEE: The offer's from
the same account Hal used
to rent Bryce's place.
Meaning Hal must have had a partner.
We'll work on tracing the account
to find the real person behind it.
Better yet,
why don't we accept the rental
and wait at Prescott's Folly
for Hal's partner to show up?
Oh, that's great. Uh, but
I mean, we'll be waiting outside, right?
Not-not in not inside?
You wouldn't dare.
Now this is quite a hunting lodge.
TORRES: Ugh. Built on the site
of an old cemetery, isn't it?
MCGEE: That's what I heard.
Wonder if, uh,
they moved any of the bodies.
Would you two stop?
- It's just an old house.
- Yeah, in broad daylight.
Daylight makes it creepier.
Looks almost like it's breathing.
Oh, you guys are so funny.
Yeah, just not the ha ha funny.
Look, if you guys would
rather not, then
We'll happily trade places with you.
TORRES: Not a chance.
Just get me in there.
Yeah, absolutely, let's just go.
We'll, uh, we'll be on lookout
up the street if you, uh, need us.
We won't need a thing.
Come on.
(KNIGHT SIGHS)
(LOCK CLICKS, HINGES CREAK)
(CREAKING CONTINUES)
Is this a great job or what?
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
(YELLS)
Oh, God.
(EXHALES SHARPLY) Seriously?
All good. Just, uh, just a bear.
A bear and all of his friends.
Well, we are in a hunting lodge,
so what do you expect?
Think I was expecting something
a little less on the nose.
Man, if this doesn't give you
the creeps, nothing will.
What are you doing?
If we got to be here,
might as well look around.
Yeah? What's all this "we" stuff?
Well, as in, if we don't know
if ghosts are real,
but if the treasure is?
If it is real, we can't keep it.
- Oh, don't be a buzzkill.
- Ugh. Okay.
Whatever gets us out of
this Dead Animal Depot.
All right.
TORRES: Now, this is on the nose.
KNIGHT: Why?
Just
why?
TORRES: Goldmine Gavin was a goofball.
(PARKER SIGHS)
PARKER: It's pretty quiet.
Think we should check?
Nah, let's give them more time.
See, now, if, uh,
if you were deputy director,
you wouldn't be having this much fun.
Yeah, I guess
that could be a silver lining.
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean
to, uh, touch a nerve
- or anything.
- No, no, no.
I'm-I'm good. You're fine.
I mean, does it, you know,
sting a little bit,
that I got passed over for a job
I am more than qualified for?
- Beyond qualified.
- I mean,
and-and losing it to this guy,
this mint muncher Laroche?
There's something about him.
- I don't know.
- Well,
if it's any consolation,
we were all selfishly grateful
to be able to keep you on the team.
Yeah, me, too. Thanks.
But I am over it.
I'm over it and I'm moving on,
so I am wishing Laroche
nothing but the best.
The Mint Muncher.
Yep. Good for the Mint Muncher.
How's it going in there, guys?
Oh, we're living a dream, thank you.
Yeah, Torres and I are about
to rent this place permanently.
(LAUGHS): Hell yeah,
just don't tell Jimmy.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
Had to bring Jimmy into it.
What?
Relax.
I'm just kidding.
It's weird.
- Oh, I'm being weird now?
- No,
you're not weird,
it's (GRUNTS SOFTLY)
(SIGHS)
I just know how supportive you were
of Jimmy breaking up with me.
- Just being a good friend.
- Which is also why you were
so supportive when I took the REACT job.
You deserved it.
Look, Nick, I I know
that you're best friends
with both me and Jimmy,
and I don't want you to feel
like you have to play both sides,
or that you have to referee
fights that aren't happening,
or that you have to make jokes
about us being a thing when we're not.
Because we're okay.
Okay.
You got it. Nothing but chill.
- DOLL: Mama.
- (GASPS)
Did you see that?
(DISTORTED): Tell me a story, Mama
That doll almost just fell on you.
What the hell!?
Okay. What is with all
of this aggression?
And do not say "passionate."
Okay, um
you carry around a hammer long enough,
everything starts looking like a nail.
I have no idea what that means.
Almost getting killed
in my last undercover operation
made me, I don't know,
started thinking
about the future, right?
That's why I'm pushing so hard
to get a better gym at work, you know?
Training. Training hard.
To become a better hammer?
Well, not for nails,
or bad guys, or dolls.
Just seems to be the side effect.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
Okay. The reason why
I'm working out so hard
is because I'm trying
to get my mind right.
You know, trying to get back out there.
Back in the game.
The game?
The love game.
Ah. I guess.
Oh. Mm-hmm. It's been too long
since I've had
a special person in my life,
so I was thinking that maybe
if I can get myself
back out there again,
maybe I can find that person.
But in order to do that,
I really want to put
my best self out there.
- Passionate.
- Exactly.
Okay. Well, um
I would just like you to know that I
fully support this mission.
As a good friend would.
Mm.
(CREAKING)
Did you hear that?
Yeah, I wish I didn't.
Do we have company?
No, nothing here. No, uh, no cars,
no suspicious activity. Why?
Well, it sounds like we have company.
- (METALLIC CLATTER)
- Okay, where is that coming from?
Okay, I really hate this place.
Federal agents! Stop!
(GROANS)
(GRUNTS)
Where do you think you're going, huh?
I didn't kill Hal. I swear.
PARKER: It's Mary.
The girlfriend.
What's that?
It's mine. I-I found it.
Sure looks like treasure to me.
So, what do we think's in the box?
Gold coins? Diamonds?
Mm. Given where it was found,
it could be filled
with tiny little doll heads.
MARY: I'm telling you,
I did not kill Hal.
I only wanted a return on my investment.
You loaned Hal more than the first $100?
That was the last hundred.
I-I'd given him closer
to 900 before that
to rent the Navy SEAL's house
in exchange for a cut
of whatever he found there.
So, still hoping to cash in,
you signed into Hal's old account
to rent Prescott's Folly.
I had to rent it to be sure
I had time to search it alone.
It's why I cut through the back woods
in case anybody was watching.
- Like us.
- MARY: Call it beginner's luck,
but I-I-I found that
treasure box in the basement,
first thing.
Needed a crowbar to get it out.
- Which made the noise that we heard.
- MARY: That's when I heard
you guys upstairs
and took the back steps.
Not knowing you'd be
right there waiting for me.
All right, let's back up to
the night that Hal was killed.
It had been almost two weeks
and Hal was getting frustrated
at not finding anything,
so I threw him the party
to try to lift his spirits.
Not knowing he was dead in the basement.
MARY: I had no idea.
Like I said, I got there at 5:00
and I saw no one coming or going.
- I promise.
- TORRES: You said,
metal detector you used.
- Whose was it?
- MARY: One of Hal's.
He had a bunch of detectors and scanners
delivered to the house
when he first moved in.
I kept that one for myself
and he didn't even realize
it was missing.
Did you say delivered?
Yeah, why?
You saw them being delivered?
No, but I saw all
the Global Courier boxes
in the garage after.
Global Courier delivered them?
- Oh, hey, Phil.
- Hey, Bryce.
Got to sign for this one.
- Overnight delivery.
- Hmm.
Must be something important.
Yeah, you could say that.
Just out of curiosity,
all those feds in here the other night,
what was that all about?
Everything okay?
You tell us, Phil.
You said you hadn't been here
since Bryce put his deliveries on hold.
VANCE: You got a full confession?
MCGEE: Yep. Signed it just now.
VANCE: So, what happened exactly?
Phil here got wise to our victim Hal
ordering treasure-hunting tools
to the Navy SEAL's place.
Instead of blowing the whistle,
Phil demanded a cut from Hal
in exchange for his silence.
Phil accused Hal of holding out.
They fought, things got ugly
MCGEE: And Phil ended up delivering
Hal's own hammer to his head.
PARKER: All about a half
hour before Mary got there
to throw Hal's party.
So much for Happy Halloween.
(KNOCKS)
Oh. (CHUCKLES) Sorry, Director.
Wrong door.
Which door were you expecting
to open, Miss Hines?
Ducky's office, funny enough.
(CHUCKLING): Oh, my gosh.
Boy, did I get turned around.
But, you know,
speaking of Ducky's office
and since I am here
- Yes?
- KASIE: Did you get
my consensus report?
I did receive it, Miss Hines.
And, uh, I must say,
it was quite comprehensive.
- Oh. I tried.
- VANCE: You succeeded.
Seeing all those wishes
for Dr. Mallard's office, very helpful.
So, is there a decision forthcoming?
As soon as I decide
what's best for everyone.
Speaking of deliveries, Director,
don't you got one to make?
- Oh, right. Conference room.
- VANCE: Oh, indeed.
Hang in there, Miss Hines.
I promise a decision soon.
WANDA: Oh, Bryce.
My boy. Oh, God.
I'm so happy to see you.
BRYCE: I'm so sorry I haven't made it
to the house yet, Gram.
That's all right.
But what am I doing back here?
Not-not that it's not lovely
to see you all again, Agents.
Well, lovely to be seen.
This is NCIS Director Vance.
It's a pleasure
to meet you, Mrs. Prescott.
Lieutenant, and?
- Lenny.
- VANCE: Lenny. Got it.
Agents Knight and Torres
asked me to join them,
to return this piece of evidence
that is rightfully yours.
Which I do with great pleasure.
Somebody actually found treasure?
TORRES: It was found in the basement
of your family hunting lodge.
- Any chance you recognize it?
- WANDA: Well, yeah.
That was one of your
grandfather's old lockboxes.
He had quite a few
of these ugly old things,
but I I thought they'd all
been lost in the fire.
Well, not this one, I guess.
(EXHALES)
WANDA: I don't believe it.
(PLAYING GENTLE MELODY)
WANDA: Your grandfather gave me this
on the boardwalk at Coney Island.
He was just back from Korea
and, like you,
he looked damn good in a uniform.
And it still works.
Like it was yesterday.
Who's this?
That's your dad.
(LAUGHS) On his fifth birthday.
(SIGHS) Oh, Bryce,
he would be so proud of you.
I thought this was lost forever.
This is what my husband meant
when he talked about priceless treasure.
Memories.
(SNIFFLES)
Family.
Good morning.
Miss Hines.
Good morning, everyone.
We good, Nick?
- Hey, Kase. Yeah, good enough.
- KASIE: Aw.
Well, what do you think?
I think you're a genius.
- Uh, not me. It was all Director Vance.
- KNIGHT: Uh
Credit where credit is due, Kase.
- Just say thank you.
- Thank you.
No, thank you.
Dr. Palmer.
What do you think?
I think I love it, sir.
- And what would Ducky think?
- JIMMY: Oh, he's here.
He loves it, too.
The Donald Mallard
Memorial Multi-Purpose Room.
Doesn't exactly roll off
the tongue, does it?
Okay, so I've actually been
thinking of some nicknames.
Like The Duck Pond or Ducky's Den
How about just "Ducky's"?
As in "meet me at Ducky's"?
Yeah, not bad.
By the way, where's Agent McGee?
Oh, yeah. He's got to see this.
(PHONE RINGING)
- Ah. Kasie, hey.
- KASIE (OVER PHONE):
Hey, where are you?
Everybody's at, uh, Ducky's.
(CHUCKLES)
And you are going to love this place.
Yeah, I'm, uh, I'm just finishing
something up real quick.
I'll be right there, okay?
- See you soon.
- Yeah.
Okay, Mint Muncher,
let's see what you're all about.