NCIS s22e10 Episode Script

1
[LIVELY MUSIC PLAYS OVER SPEAKERS]
[ENTRY BELLS JINGLE]
[SIGHS]
Hello?
[SNIFFS]
[SNIFFS]
Eleni, you here?
Eleni?
Ah, Virgil.
Sorry, Mr. Parker.
Had to get this out of the oven
before it burned.
Looks like you might've lost
the patient, Doc.
[LAUGHING]: Damn.
Where's, uh, Eleni this morning?
Out making deliveries.
Ah.
I'm kind of busy, Mr. Parker.
What can I get you?
Um, baklava, kantaifi,
uh, korab uh, kora
Kourabiedes. Um, did you?
Don't worry. Eleni made them.
- [LAUGHS] Okay.
- [CHUCKLES]
Yeah, I'll take a dozen.
Yeah, those, uh the loukoumades
they were a big hit
in the office last week.
Eleni adds just the
right amount of ouzo.
Thankfully, nobody got drunk.
[LAUGHS]
It's gonna be $18.42.
[LAUGHING]: Okay, Virgil.
I'll get out of your hair now.
Sorry, Mr. Parker.
I didn't mean to be rude. It's just
one of those days. [CHUCKLES]
I get it. I've had a few of those.
Good luck.
Oh, and, um,
if you get a chance,
tell Eleni I stopped by, okay?
Will do, Mr. Parker.
[ENTRY BELLS JINGLE]
[DOOR CLOSES]
I got rid of him.
Please don't hurt me.
♪
Okay, but you know we're not
done talking about this.
[LAUGHS] No, not even close.
I love you, too.
Bye.
[SIGHS, SPEAKS MANDARIN]
Hi, Jess. Everything okay?
Yeah, everything's great. [LAUGHS]
Except my sister is dating somebody,
and she won't admit it.
Ooh. Who's the lucky new fella?
Well, that's the thing.
She won't tell me.
Well, then, how do you know
she's dating somebody?
Oh, because I know the signs.
She's cancelling plans last minute,
vague excuses,
and she's got this dreamy look
in her eye.
I'm telling you, she is dating somebody.
And if it's anything like that last guy.
Ooh, murderous psycho fiancé
that ruined Thanksgiving?
Yeah, let's hope not.
I mean, this is what Robin does.
You know, she dives headfirst
into a relationship,
and it always ends in heartbreak.
And I'm the one
who has to clean up the mess.
No messes today. I brought napkins.
And you're gonna need 'em.
Kourabiedes are covered
in powdered sugar.
- What did I interrupt?
- Uh, nothing.
Or at least nothing a large
dose of sugar won't fix.
Hmm. Greek again, huh?
Yeah, same blue box six days in a row?
That's some kind of record.
KNIGHT: Well, I guess my sister
isn't the only one with a new crush.
So who's the lucky new fella?
Oh, don't try to change the subject.
So, What's this baker's
name again? Ellen? Elaine?
Eleni. She's a genius in the kitchen.
Her cakes are really moist,
baklava mmm.
She got great buns.
[LAUGHTER]
Okay, just eat the cookies.
Yeah, yeah, I'm just saying,
it's nice and moist.
Parker? Yeah, what is it?
Did Eleni give you this box?
No.
Her assistant, Virgil, did.
His idea of a joke?
- [ENTRY BELLS JINGLE]
- Federal agents!
If anyone's in there,
come out with your hands up!
KNIGHT: Federal agents! We're coming in!
I think we beat the local police.
Guessing it didn't look
like this when you were in here.
- Knight?
- KNIGHT: Kitchen's clear.
Coming out.
All clear.
You're gonna want to see this.
[GASPS]
[SIGHS] That's Virgil.
KNIGHT: They cleaned
out the cash drawer.
Looks like they also tried
to take a hammer to the safe.
Yeah, MPD told me
that in the past month,
they've responded to three
robberies in this neighborhood.
Any of those end in murder?
The difference here is that, uh,
Virgil tried to stop the robbery.
I can confirm that.
Virgil put up quite the fight
before he was put in the batter.
He wasn't shot, was he?
No. Why?
Got a bullet in the wall over here.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
KNIGHT: So the robber comes in,
finds Virgil in the kitchen,
holds him up.
TORRES: Parker walks in,
robber tells Virgil to get rid of him.
Parker leaves, Virgil makes a move.
Gun goes off, there's a struggle.
Parker, you couldn't have known.
His killer was in here the entire time,
and I was out there buying cookies.
Jess is right.
Virgil wrote that secret message
for a reason.
He didn't know you were a federal agent.
If he'd tipped you off
when you were still here
in the store,
you'd probably both be dead.
[ENTRY BELLS JINGLE]
Virgil saved your life.
- OFFICER: Ma'am
- ELENI: Just let me go. Let me through.
- This is my bakery.
- Officer, Officer.
It's all right. It's all right.
- It's okay.
- Alden?
What are you doing here?
What's going?
Oh, my God.
- Oh, my God. Virgil?
- Eleni. Eleni.
[CRYING]: Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
[CRYING]
ELENI [SNIFFLING]: Virgil came in
three weeks ago.
He saw my "Help Wanted" sign.
Only he was the one who needed the help.
I mean, nobody would hire him.
Because of the felony conviction?
He told you about that?
His record came up when
we confirmed the I.D.
He just wanted a fresh start.
Nobody would give him a chance.
Why did you?
He was just curious and eager to learn.
[LAUGHS]
When he first started, he didn't
know a croissant from a cannoli.
And yesterday, he made
his first batch of tsoureki.
[LAUGHS]: It wouldn't have passed
the smell test with my Yaya.
[SNIFFLES]
But they weren't bad, you know?
I'm sorry.
Oh, it's not your fault.
[SNIFFLING]
Money's been really tight.
I've always been, you know,
one unpaid bill away
from losing the place.
And knowing Virgil, that's why he
that's why he tried to stop the robbery.
We're gonna find whoever did this.
Agent Alden Parker.
Why didn't you tell me
you were a federal agent?
I don't know. I guess
I didn't want to scare you off.
Scare me off from what?
[DOOR OPENS]
Sorry to interrupt.
Uh, you got a second?
- Uh, excuse me.
- Mm.
Two homicide detectives
from MPD just showed up.
You know, technically, it's their case.
Yeah.
Unless you want to fight 'em for it.
- Yo, yo.
- Nick, what a surprise.
Agent Parker told me he was coming down.
Well, he's still talking to MPD.
Oh. Do they want the body back?
'Cause I kind of already
No, no, no. They were happy
for us to work the case.
Parker's just getting downloaded
on the other robberies.
Oh. Okay. Well, I, for one,
am glad that our team
is handling this case.
Mr. Wilson here is a hero.
Yeah, no kidding.
Gunman in the kitchen. He must have
a hell of a poker face to, uh
to hide that from Parker.
Yeah, that is one thing
that we have in common.
Poker face. I got to
practice mine this morning.
Nick, you would have
been so proud of me.
What are you talking about?
Okay, so, so, Jess was
down here, she's venting
about this new jerk that
Robin must be dating.
[LAUGHS] What?
Don't worry. Don't worry.
I didn't tell her
that you are the new jerk
that Robin's dating.
- Not-not that you're a jerk.
- What did you say to her?
I told you that in confidence.
Hey, Nick, hey, it's me.
I got you, buddy, okay?
Your-your secrets are
locked safe in the vault.
But I do think that you
should talk to her, okay?
You know, knowing Jess,
she will be so relieved
that Robin's dating you
and not, uh, some psycho.
We're not dating.
It hasn't even been that long.
Why make it a thing, Jimmy?
- Okay, but
- No.
No buts. Speaking of psychos,
did the killer really
drown Virgil in cake batter?
Yes. Cause of death
was indeed asphyxiation.
I vacuumed nearly a cup
out of his lungs.
Hmm. Doesn't that seem?
Unnecessary? Bizarre? Sadistic? Yeah.
Especially for a robbery.
Yeah, and our robber wasn't much
of a robber.
He took everything
from the cash register,
but he left Virgil's wallet.
The way they killed him seems personal.
Maybe they weren't after the money.
Yup. Been a parole officer
for 15 years now.
I've seen convicts of every stripe.
Most of 'em are headed in one direction:
back to the big house.
Virgil Wilson
he was on the right path,
especially once
he got the job at the bakery.
Bet you were happy about that.
[LAUGHING]: Yeah,
I got a sweet tooth all right.
Mm-hmm. You're in good
company, Officer Mandel.
[LAUGHS] Must've packed on five pounds
since Virgil started working there.
Eleni [WHISTLES]
makes a mean baklava.
You tried her kantaifi?
Oh, yeah. My favorite's walnut.
No. No way. Pistachio.
Hey, do you have any idea
how she makes those
little birds' nest things?
That is a great question.
Here's another.
Who would want to kill Virgil?
Well, I thought this was just a robbery.
Uh, it's possible the
robbery was a smoke screen.
What, you mean someone went
there to kill him?
No. The kid was harmless.
Really?
Because he spent
almost two years in prison
for grand theft auto.
Come on, give him a break.
He just fell in with a bad crowd.
Who?
No idea.
Virgil was the only one to get caught,
and far as I know, he never snitched.
I doubt they'd want to kill him
over a stolen car.
Two years is plenty of time
to graduate to something bigger.
Maybe these friends dragged
Virgil back into the life.
If so
I missed it.
Yeah, I know the feeling.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Leon, what are you doing here?
Trying to figure out
why there's an entire bakery
in our forensics lab.
[SIGHS] All right,
I-I know that, uh, on paper,
this case doesn't exactly
fall in our jurisdiction,
but you got to understand,
the victim reached out to me.
He asked an NCIS agent for help.
And from where I stand,
that makes it our case.
- Agent Parker
-24 hours
that's all I'm asking, Leon.
This kid saved my life.
Are you done?
- Yeah.
- Good.
I agree.
- You do?
- Mm-hmm.
Then why are you here?
I was walking by and I smelled
freshly baked bread.
Can you resist the smell
of freshly baked bread?
- I cannot.
- Exactly.
Yeah, I've been hearing a lot of
good things about this bakery,
and its baker.
- It's one of the best in D.C.
- Mm.
I was really hoping to
try those cookies, too.
Don't eat them.
We know, Kasie. It's evidence.
Yeah, well, yeah, but that
might not be the only reason.
Before Jimmy did his autopsy,
I swabbed Virgil's body
for traces of the killer's DNA
didn't find any
but I also collected some of
the sugar covering his body,
and, well, let's just say
it wasn't all sugar.
Cocaine.
You think Virgil was killed
because he was dealing drugs
out of the bakery?
Maybe, but here's the thing:
The cocaine came from a bag of sugar
that broke open during the fight.
It was mixed into the sugar.
How much are we talking?
I tested all the bags of sugar.
Parker, there was over
$100,000 worth of cocaine
in that bakery.
Well, it seems your new sugar mama
forgot to mention her secret ingredient.
Eleni, thanks for coming.
We just, uh, have a few questions.
So Agent Knight said.
Um, we couldn't have done this
over the phone?
Have a seat, please.
What's this about, Alden?
Do you know what this is?
It's a meringue cookie.
Looks like one from my bakery.
Eleni, this meringue is made
from 67% cocaine.
[LAUGHS]
Uh You're serious?
Afraid so.
Two dozen of these
would be worth over $10,000.
We tested all the pastries
in your kitchen.
They were clean, except
for this meringue.
KNIGHT: We've seen drugs disguised
in a lot of different ways
over the years,
but this one takes the cake.
So you're saying that Virgil was
dealing drugs out of my bakery?
Eleni, this article came out
before you hired Virgil.
In it, you claim to make
"the best Meringue in D.C."
True.
Well, it's like
I told Alden earlier today
that, you know,
Virgil was a quick study.
You also told me money was tight.
Then last week, you received
a deposit for $25,000
from an offshore shell company.
KNIGHT: That's a lot of dough,
- even for a baker.
- [DOOR OPENS]
Don't say another word.
Who the hell are you?
Agent Parker, this is
Leslie Walker, Walker & Associates.
Ms. Kostakis is my client.
Director, refresh my memory,
but what exactly does the "N"
in "NCIS" stand for?
'Cause I thought it was "Navy,"
but that can't be right,
seeing as neither my client
nor the victim
have any connection to the Navy.
And correct me if I'm wrong,
Agent Parker,
but isn't it true that you were
a witness to the crime?
No, no, that's not accurate.
So already we've got problems
with jurisdiction
and improper procedure.
Everything has been
done legally, Mr. Walker.
Why don't we let the judge
be the judge of that.
Specifically Judge Gorman
at the District Court.
I believe you just spoke to her?
Yes, we have a meeting scheduled
for tomorrow morning.
Wonderful.
Time to go.
Wait, Eleni, hey, hey.
Is this what you want?
Don't answer that.
How well do you really know this woman?
MCGEE: Eleni Kostakis.
Second-generation Greek immigrant.
One of five siblings.
Still trying to track them down.
They all moved back to Greece
a few years ago,
after her sister got sick.
Continue.
Honestly, that's it.
Single, never married,
no criminal record.
At least on paper,
she's no Walter White.
Her lawyer's another story.
I made a few phone calls
and the guy has a client list
that reads like a rap
sheet: Drug dealers,
arms dealers and a few hit men.
There's another guy that stands out.
Charles Barbieri.
PARKER: Possession with intent to sell.
Yeah, Walker got him off
on a technicality.
But the real reason
we flagged him was this:
His address was on the bakery's
delivery log this morning.
KNIGHT: Wait,
while Virgil was getting murdered,
Eleni was delivering pastries
to a drug dealer?
Not just any pastries.
If that's the same meringue
that Kasie found.
That's about $25,000 worth
of coke right there.
The exact amount that was
deposited into Eleni's account.
We still don't have anything
to tie her to Virgil's murder.
Put an agent on her.
And find Barbieri.
[DINGING]
Ooh, that's the sound I like to hear.
Did you get a hit on the drug dealer?
[SIGHS] No, his phone's still off.
Well, then what was that ding?
Normally when there's a ding
you got something.
Oh, what I got is this oven.
Okay, it is my sixth attempt,
so cross your fingers.
[GRUNTS IN FRUSTRATION]
No. Damn it.
Where are my stiff peaks?
You're making meringue? Why?
Well, technically, it's cocaine meringue
because I was hoping to prove
that anyone could do it.
Which would mean that a newbie
like Virgil could do it.
Which would mean that Parker's
baker might be innocent.
But I am starting to think
that only a professional
baker can pull this off.
You see, meringue bakes at
above 200 degrees Fahrenheit,
but cocaine melts at 208 degrees.
Whoa. Hey, whoa.
- Shut that off.
- [LAUGHING]
Are you trying to burn my lab down?
What? What are you talking about?
This stuff is highly combustible.
- Powdered sugar?
- Yeah, it's called deflagration.
You ever seen
a grain elevator explode, huh?
- Same concept. Yeah.
- Oh.
And I thought meringue was the
most dangerous thing in your lab.
Oh, actually, for you,
I am the most dangerous
thing in this lab.
- Hmm?
- Because
Jimmy told me about you and Robin.
- He did?
- Mm-hmm.
He told me it was in the vault.
Oh, yeah, but I know the combination:
Flattery and a bag of peanut M&M'S.
- Hmm?
- Listen, Nicholas,
I love you, okay?
I love you, I'm happy for you.
But if you don't tell Jess
by tomorrow night,
I'm going to 'cause I refuse
to keep a secret
from my friend, okay? Got it?
Yeah
I got it.
Good.
Okay, now put this on.
Because tonight,
[SNAPS FINGERS] we bake.
[JINGLING]
We're closed.
PARKER: I'm not here for pastries.
I'm busy, Alden.
And my lawyer told me
not to talk to you.
Yeah, I remember.
Nice guy.
Did your friend Charlie recommend him?
You made a delivery to him yesterday.
Did you know he was a drug dealer?
[SCOFFS] Did I know you were a Fed?
He's just a customer, Alden.
That's it.
Same as you.
What are you doing?
I'm helping you.
I don't need your help.
Well, I think you do, Eleni.
I don't know what you're into.
Hell, maybe you're a drug dealer, too.
[MUTTERING]
I know you cared about Virgil.
You gave him a chance
when nobody else would.
I just want to find who killed him.
You're not gonna find anything here.
Do yourself a favor, Alden.
Drop it before someone else gets killed.
I want you to leave.
[BELLS JINGLING]
Leave or I'm gonna call my lawyer.
[LOCK CLICKING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Parker.
MANDEL: You said Diaz
was the responding officer
on this?
Yeah, one second. Hey.
Thanks for the call, Mandel.
Well, I heard you had a BOLO out
on a person of interest
in Virgil's homicide.
This your guy?
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
Charles Barbieri.
Yeah, that's him.
Who's the second victim?
Paul Gomez.
Apparently, he and Barbieri
have a history
of fighting over this turf.
I guess they finally settled it.
Yeah, I spoke
with MPD Counter-Narcotics.
Word on the street is, there's
some new product in town,
and all the gangs want a piece.
It's an all-out drug war, Parker.
And Eleni's bakery is ground zero.
VANCE: Those were her words? "Drop it"?
"Before someone else gets killed."
Then two rival drug
dealers turn up dead.
With Virgil, that makes
three bodies in 24 hours.
Well, I guess your
baker wasn't bluffing.
The question is, what does she know
and why won't she tell us?
Did Ms. Hines test the bakery box
that was found at the crime scene?
Yeah, traces of egg whites,
sugar, and cocaine
same as the meringue
found at the bakery.
I spoke with my counterpart at the DEA.
Drug interdictions are at
an all-time high lately.
The gangs are desperately looking
for new ways to move their product.
- Looks like they found it.
- Yeah,
and they're killing each other for it.
Do you think that was the
message behind Virgil's murder?
Hand over the recipe or else.
Well, it seems like your
friend chose "or else."
She's not my friend,
Leon, she made that clear.
I met with Judge Gorman this morning.
As expected, she ruled in our favor.
The case is ours.
That is, if you still want it.
[SIGHS]
- Okay. Yep.
- Knight, you're with me.
We're arresting Eleni Kostakis.
That's gonna be a problem.
I just spoke with the agent
who was watching the bakery,
and Eleni is missing.
The agent thinks that Eleni
slipped out on a delivery truck.
We got an I.D. on the truck?
[PHONE BUZZING]
Oh, the agent just sent me photos.
I'll put out a BOLO.
Parker.
- This better be good news.
- I was just down
with the tech trolls,
we were trying to trace
the $25,000 deposit that Eleni received.
The offshore company. Who owns it?
- Don't know.
- That's not the answer I wanted, McGee.
We were able to I.D. the lawyer
who set up the company.
I figured out what the "N"
stands for in NCIS:
"nothing," 'cause that's
what you got on me
and that's what you got on my client.
Eleni Kostakis. Where is she?
I don't have to answer that.
And anything you ask me about her
is covered by attorney-client privilege.
But that privilege no
longer applies when, uh,
your clients are dead.
PARKER: Recognize them?
Before these guys turned
each other into Swiss cheese,
they were your clients.
MCGEE: But based on
the findings of the warrant
that we just executed, you
were hiding their drug money
- in an offshore account.
- Agents,
please, I merely
provided these gentlemen
with legal representation.
Same with the owners
of the offshore account.
I can't be held accountable.
Well, he's right, he's protected.
Yeah from us, maybe, but, um,
these two clients of yours
were on opposite sides of a drug war.
And when the gangs
find out that you were
double-dealing?
[TONGUE CLICKS]
Perhaps we can make a deal, gentlemen.
In return for information
about my deceased clients,
you can provide me protection
from my living clients.
Where's Eleni?
I don't know.
When her kitchen was turned
into a crime scene,
the gang had to scramble
to find a new one.
Where?
I can make some calls.
Oh, hey, Nick. Did I miss the show?
Oh, I love watching McGee
and Parker grill a suspect.
It's like watching Messi and Ronaldo
play soccer. [CHUCKLES]
[SIGHS] Am I right?
- [SOFTLY]:
- Mm-hmm.
So, I just finished the autopsy
on the two latest victims,
and Kasie and I found
something interesting.
The second victim Gomez
was actually shot
by two different guns.
The first of which was, of course,
Barbieri's nine-millimeter,
but the second was
a .44 Magnum, but get this,
no .44 was recovered at the scene.
All of this has been a
long-winded way of saying
that there was a third shooter,
probably the same person who
Peanut M&M'S?
Really, Jimmy?
That's all it took to crack your vault?
I know, I know.
I'm sorry, but I think
Kasie has been conditioning me.
She's been giving me M&M'S
every day at 11:30 a.m.
I'm like Pavlov's dog, you know? I-I
Not cool, Jimmy.
Now Kasie's gonna tell Jess if I don't.
Tell me what?
TORRES: Well, Jimmy thinks there was
a third shooter, someone with a .44.
Mm-hmm.
So I heard.
Uh, I just came from Kasie's lab
- You did?
- You did?
and she had another
very interesting piece of information.
- Hmm.
- Mm-hmm.
A yellow-brown substance
on Barbieri's shoe.
Apparently, it is a secretion
made by beavers.
- Beavers?
- Beavers?
Beavers.
It was once used
in industrial food production.
Kasie found a closed factory in
White Oak that used to make it.
Wow, okay. Well, let's go check it out.
[WHISPERS]: Nick. Tell her.
- Back off.
- No, hear me out.
You coming or what?
Yeah, I'm coming.
[SIGHS]
Really need that M&M.
I think I figured it out.
What's that?
The weirdness between you and Jimmy.
What weirdness?
Oh, it's okay, Nick,
you don't have to keep
walking on eggshells around me.
I'm cool with it.
- Really?
- Yeah.
I mean, how many times
do I have to tell you?
I've moved on and Jimmy
can date whoever he wants.
TORRES: Hey, Jess?
KNIGHT: Yeah.
The weirdness wasn't about Jimmy dating.
It was about me dating.
Oh, you're seeing someone.
[TONGUE CLICKS] Good for you.
Yeah. Yeah.
But it's, uh, complicated.
Well, do you like her?
- Yeah, but, uh
- Well, then, it's simple.
I mean, don't go looking
for complications.
I'm not, I'm not, it's just
it's just a work conflict.
Well,
I am the expert on that subject.
Who is it? Wait, don't tell me.
It is Barbara, from accounting.
- Okay. [CHUCKLES]
- [LAUGHS]
No, it's not someone at NCIS.
Oh. Well, then, I don't get it.
How is it a work conflict?
I mean, unless she's related
to somebody that you work
[NEARBY CLATTERING]
No.
- [SHUSHES]
- Are you dating my sister?
- [SHUSHES]
- Are you dating Robin?
- Listen, listen.
- Hey, don't shush me.
Someone's here.
[NEARBY CLATTERING]
[GRUNTS]
We are not done talking about this.
All right. Okay, okay.
Ow.
- Ready?
- Yes.
He's not answering.
- Who?
- Arturo Jiménez.
Dude's crazy. Carries a gold Magnum,
has millions of dollars
of product to move.
Which Eleni is gonna help him move.
Yeah, well, it's not like
he gave her a choice.
What the hell does that mean?
[WHIRRING NEARBY]
[WHIRRING GROWS LOUDER]
Eleni?
Turn off the mixer.
Hands up. Step back from the table.
[TURNS OFF MIXER, WHIRRING STOPS]
[GUN CLICKS]
ARTURO: Turn around slowly.
What do we have here?
Too many cooks in this kitchen.
They're Feds.
Take them outside,
shoot them both.
Come on, let's go.
[STAMMERING] If you kill them, I'm done.
You're in no position
to be making demands.
You need to move your product.
That's why you brought me here,
isn't it?
Our timeline just moved up.
You have two hours to finish.
That's impossible.
We can help.
ELENI: I can show them what to do.
You want this done?
I need them.
It will go faster with three of us.
Come on!
[PHONE BEEPS]
WALKER [RECORDING]:
Artie, hey. It's the Walkman.
- Call me back, pronto.
- [ARTURO SIGHS]
So, just to be clear,
you aren't a drug kingpin?
[SCOFFS] What gave it away?
The shackles or the gun in my face?
Either way, thanks for saving our lives.
I hate to say it, but I think
I only bought us two hours.
We should get to work.
WALKER: Ms. Kostakis came to me
earlier this month, she needed a loan.
Okay, so, Eleni came to you for the 25K?
Actually, she needed 50,
but with a sum that size,
I needed to run that past the boss.
- Arturo.
- Yeah.
And when he learned
that she was a baker,
he agreed to put up half,
but if she wanted the rest,
she needed to do something for him.
- Cocaine meringue?
- [CHUCKLES]
What can I say?
He's an out-of-the-box thinker.
He once mixed coke into clay
and
Anyway, he forced Eleni
to make one batch as a test,
but when he demanded more,
she said the one thing
that you never say to Arturo: No.
Are you saying Arturo
killed Virgil to send a message?
I'm saying Arturo
can be very persuasive.
[UTENSILS CLATTER]
It ain't gonna work.
It might work.
If we rush them,
we won't make it halfway
before they cut us down.
Well, then, what's your idea?
I don't know, Jess. I'll
tell you when I have one.
Oh, you'll tell me?
The way you told me about Robin?
Jess, this is not the time.
The way things are going right now,
this might be the only time.
Oh, damn.
What?
I just got a really bad idea.
Eleni said money was tight
at the bakery,
but I can't believe
that she was desperate enough
to go to a drug lawyer.
Because the money wasn't for her bakery.
Eleni recently transferred her $25K
to a Payload Panda account.
That's a prepaid credit card service.
Whose account was it?
Don't know,
but they were messaging
Eleni via the app.
Whoever they were, they were
also extorting Eleni for $50,000.
They gave her a deadline
which expired two days ago.
If she didn't pay, they
threatened to kill an inmate
at Sutherland Prison.
A protection racket?
That's why she needed the money so fast?
Who was the inmate?
Someone named Manuel Lopez.
Manny.
Has anyone heard from Nick or Jess?
[RINGING]
[RINGING CONTINUES]
ARTURO: NCIS.
Tell them you have found nothing.
If you do anything to alert them,
I will kill him.
Hey, Parker.
Hey, did you find anything
at the factory?
Nope, looks like a dead end.
But we're still searching.
Okay, well, head back when you're done.
You got it, boss.
[PHONE BEEPS OFF]
KASIE: I just got the court records
of our inmate being threatened.
Guess who his lawyer is.
- Who?
- [BEEPS]
Leslie Walker.
Well, no wonder Eleni went
to him for the loan.
Yeah, but I don't understand.
If this whole thing started
because of a protection racket,
then who is running the racket?
What do you think, Parker?
Since when does Jess call me "boss"?
Bakers, you have five minutes left.
Great British baking show.
I never miss an episode.
[SIGHS] You really think
this is gonna work?
I don't know. I've never tried it.
Seriously?
Jess, the power of positive thinking.
If we believe it'll work
it will.
Oh, wow, you really are dating Robin.
PARKER: Let's split up. Stay on comms.
Okay, time's up!
Let's go.
This last batch isn't ready yet.
- I don't care. Take it out.
- Okay.
Oh, oh.
- ELENI: Oh, my God.
- Are you kidding me?
- ELENI: I'm sorry.
- ARTURO: Pick it up!
I should shoot you right now.
Eleni!
McGee, north side of the factory!
- [ALARM BEEPING]
- [MAN COUGHING]
Stop!
[GRUNTING]
Cuffs.
Drop the weapon.
Arturo Jiménez, I presume.
Thanks for the save, boss.
Knight, where's Eleni?
[CHAIN RATTLING]
I'm here.
ELENI: I don't know where to begin.
PARKER: We know about Manuel Lopez.
- Is he?
- He's safe.
[SIGHS] We have him secured.
Eleni, that drawing
you have at your bakery,
it said "Manny." Is he your?
Nephew.
My sister's boy.
She's been sick for a long time,
so I took care of him.
Manny's the reason I stayed when
my family returned to Greece.
He's a good boy, Alden.
He just got involved
with the wrong people.
Sounds like he and Virgil have
a lot in common.
Hmm.
They met at Sutherland, didn't they?
Manny told him to come see me
for a job when he got out.
Alden, Virgil was innocent.
He didn't know anything about the drugs.
And-and when Arturo killed him,
I-I had to keep baking.
I didn't want anyone else to get hurt.
I'm so sorry.
Why would Arturo kill
Virgil at the bakery
and then leave a hundred grand
worth of drugs behind?
Unless the killer didn't
know the drugs were there?
If anyone deserved justice, Virgil did.
I'm glad you caught the guys
who did him.
PARKER: There's something that
still bothers me, though.
Why would the drug gang
kill Virgil in the bakery
where they made the drugs?
His murder blew their whole operation.
- [PHONE CHIMES]
- Who knows?
These drug dealers ain't
the brightest criminals.
Neither are you.
Excuse me?
[PHONE BEEPS]
When you arrived at our office,
you had to turn in your sidearm
at the front desk.
This is a search warrant
for your weapon.
So while you've been adding
coffee to your sugar,
our forensic scientist was
doing a little ballistics test.
PARKER: She just matched
the bullet recovered
at the bakery to your gun.
What? Hold on, this is crazy.
Why would I kill my own parolee?
Because you were threatening
Eleni's nephew in prison.
And when she couldn't pay
by the deadline,
you killed Virgil to send a message.
You've been extorting
family members of inmates.
Most of them are guys who passed
through your parole office.
But you found out
about Manny through Virgil.
Stand up.
You're under arrest.
I should've killed you
when you walked in the bakery.
And I should've caught you.
But
better late than never.
Hey, you want to grab some dinner?
Uh, I'm still finishing up here.
I can wait.
Go home, Nick.
Hey, listen.
About Robin and me, we're
just hanging out right now.
It's just it's not really serious.
[CHUCKLES]
Then you really don't know my sister
because she's probably
already planning your wedding.
And I'm sorry.
I'm sorry that we didn't tell you.
We it's just nothing to report.
And we just wanted to wait until
You know what, Nick?
Considering that we almost died today,
you dating my sister
doesn't really bother me.
Are you sure?
If Robin's happy, then I'm happy.
Hmm.
Now let me get this finished up
so I can get the hell out of here.
All right.
See you tomorrow.
[SIGHS]
[JINGLING]
Alden.
Thought you could use some breakfast.
That's so sweet.
You really didn't have to.
Oh, I really did.
It's kind of a compulsion at this point.
[LAUGHS]
When are you gonna be
back up and running?
It's all up in the air at the moment.
I'm thinking about going back
to Greece for a little while.
Spend some time with my family.
What about Manny?
He's gonna be released in a month.
- Oh.
- He'll go with me.
That's great. Great.
So, what are we eating?
Mmm.
It's baklava.
Oh.
You brought me a rival baker's baklava?
No. No, it's not from a rival
baker, it's, uh
from me.
You made this?
I know they don't look great,
but, uh, I was always better
at buying pastry than making them, so
Mmm.
Alden, this is delicious.
Where did you learn to bake like this?
My mother.
She was obsessed with pastry.
Baking them, buying them.
I guess, uh, I have her
to thank for my sweet tooth.
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
Lucky me.
Your sweet tooth saved my life.
[SPEAKS GREEK]
What?
Thank you.
- Oh.
- [LAUGHS]
Well, you better eat one of these
- before I eat them all.
- Hey.
They really are great.
A little thin.
You know, on the thin side, so
- Oh.
- We can work on that.