HIGGINS: Torres.
Torres. Torres.
- Torres. - Yeah.
Check it out.
Looks like a normal belt.
It's actually a knife.
How about this comb?
Looks like a regular comb.
It's actually a knife.
I never go anywhere without it.
So, if there's trouble,
I got your back.
I got an ink pen.
Huh? Looks like a normal ink pen.
Is it a knife?
It's... it's a hidden camera.
- Why? - I'm a gadget guy.
No. Why are you still talking?
I'm an anxious talker.
Oh, okay, so you were anxious all night?
'Cause you talked all night.
Clearly, you are not willing to participate in this partnership.
(chuckles)
We're not partners.
(exhales)
Okay, this is Metro Detective Miles Higgins
on a joint stakeout
with NCIS Special Agent Nick Torres.
We are here to arrest a Vernon Douglas
on a dual count of drug trafficking.
So far he's a no-show,
but we are going to wait as long as it takes.
Because we're partners.
Right, Nick?
Yeah. I'm sorry.
Yeah. Can I, can I borrow this?
(clears throat)
HIGGINS: Hey! TORRES: Ha. It's not just a pen.
Look at that: it's a Frisbee. (laughs)
I got to make a phone call.
(car door closes)
Hey, McGee? You got to take over for me, man.
This guy's driving me crazy.
McGEE: So, why would I want to take over?
But you'd love him.
Uh, Nick, I really think you two
should try and work things out. (vehicle approaching)
(loud rock music plays on radio) TORRES: Hold on, McGee.
Got to go.
Higgins?
Our boy just pulled into the south side alley.
Meet me around the back.
(loud music continues playing)
♪ Every night ♪
♪ Street light ♪
♪ I drink my booze ♪
♪ Some run ♪
♪ Some fight ♪
♪ But I win, they lose ♪
♪ What I need, I like ♪
♪ What I don't, I fight ♪
♪ And I don't like you ♪
♪ Say bye-bye while you're still alive ♪
♪ Your time is through ♪
(grunts) ♪ 'Cause I'm a problem child ♪
♪ Yeah, I'm a problem child ♪
♪ Yeah, problem child ♪
(gasps)
♪ Problem child ♪
♪ I'm a problem child ♪
♪ Problem child... ♪
Higgins, where the hell are you?
Higgins!
TORRES (over radio): Higgins. Hey, I thought you had my back.
♪ NCIS 15x03 ♪ Exit Strategy Original Air Date on October 10, 2017
== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man
♪ ♪
(Bishop yawns)
- Morning, Bishop. - Morning, McGee.
What do you got there? Did I miss a new case?
Uh, nope. Old case.
Ducky's been e-mailing all morning.
Ducky is in Scotland.
Yeah. By morning, I mean his morning,
my night.
- All night. - Why?
'Cause in addition to receiving an honorary degree,
Ducky was also asked to give a guest lecture.
Oh, I didn't know that.
Well, neither did Ducky, so he asked me
to dig into NCIS archives
and scan some case files.
Ooh. There's a lot to choose from.
Let me guess, The Meat Puzzle?
- That was a thing? - Before your time.
Or he could talk about Jack in the Box.
That was a good one.
Chimney Mummy?
Shower Blood? Pommel Horse?
Okay. Now you're just saying words.
These are all real cases.
This one is even before your time.
Death of Colonel Metzger?
Oh. Body-in-a-Body.
I heard about that one. Hey, Jimmy.
Did I miss Bring Your Pallet to Work Day?
No, the, uh, medical supply driver
went to the wrong department. He's new.
Hey, have you guys
heard from Dr. Mallard? I haven't spoken to him since he left.
No. Just e-mail. But hold on,
can we go back to Body-in-a-Body?
How did that work?
GIBBS: It wasn't pretty.
Grab your gear.
Great Nick Torres called.
Is the joint stakeout over?
That's a good question.
(Jimmy grunts)
Hey.
I cuffed Vernon, dragged him to the car.
That's when I noticed that Higgins was gone.
At first, I thought he was trying to teach me a lesson.
About what?
Partnerships.
Eh, it's a long story.
When backup arrived, still Higgins didn't show,
I-I got worried. I hate joint investigations.
Detective Sportelli. It's been a while.
Agent Gibbs. It's been so long
it's actually Detective-Sergeant Sportelli.
Congratulations.
Same pay, more responsibility.
One of them being the safety of my fellow detectives.
It true you abandoned your partner?
What?
No, no, no. He abandoned me.
We must have a hostage situation.
We got no evidence to support that.
It's the only explanation for one of my detectives
leaving an active stakeout.
He must've been taken.
BISHOP: Well,
I searched the area.
No blood, no sign of a struggle.
See? See?
No. It means he walked away.
Or it means he was knocked out.
GIBBS: We don't know what it means.
Knock it off. McGEE: Hey, boss.
Look what I found on the ground.
Check this out. Looks like an ink pen, right?
Yeah, but it's actually a spy camera.
Yeah, I told you Higgins was a gadget guy.
Yeah, well, I think it's been recording.
I'm sorry. Yeah. Can I, can I borrow this?
(clears throat)
HIGGINS: Hey.
It was a joke.
Mm. Lucky you're hilarious.
GIBBS: Run it forward.
BISHOP: Look. Is that a woman?
Turn it up.
Camera was too far away.
BISHOP: Was this a booty call?
TORRES: You know,
I could almost forgive that.
SPORTELLI: Who is she?
Where'd they go?
Run it back.
Right there.
She left a print.
I'll be damned.
Don't worry about it. We'll run it.
You know, I could, um,
text you if I get a match, or... SPORTELLI: I'll wait.
There was a good reason Higgins left that stakeout.
I like a boss that sticks up for his people.
(light chuckle)
That was quick. Yeah.
Print was in the system.
Courtesy of Metro Police Department.
Why?
Who's our mystery woman?
ABBY: Metro Police Detective Michelle Lane.
No.
That's impossible.
Well, seems like a pretty good reason to walk away.
Higgins met another cop.
Michelle Lane is dead.
What?
She was killed ten years ago.
(computer keys click)
Detective Higgins met a ghost.
BISHOP: Metro Detective Michelle Lane,
single, with no family, was killed in 2007
while working undercover.
She was part of an operation to take down
arms dealer Benjamin Sitano.
That guy sold more than guns.
Drugs, money, people.
Sitano's criminal empire was diverse,
but Metro could never make a case.
Yeah. Lane had been undercover for three months
before tracking a gun deal to Pershing Marina.
Worth $2 million in bearer bonds.
But the bust never happened.
Lane was on board.
BISHOP: Yeah, a witness at the marina
saw Lane on deck minutes before the explosion.
You got a cause? McGEE: Bomb.
Metro investigation confirmed it was the work
of a rival gunrunner.
Lane was just in the wrong place
at the wrong time.
Body was never recovered
and Lane was eventually declared dead.
SPORTELLI: Because she is dead.
I just got my ass handed to me from Metro Command.
Somebody's messing with us, Gibbs.
Whoa. What do you mean, “us”?
Joint investigation.
My captain and your director
signed off on it.
Not my first choice,
but they want extra resources.
Higgins is being treated as an officer in distress.
His cell phone?
Turned off or destroyed.
And I have detectives waiting at his apartment.
So far, the only one to show up has been Agent Torres.
Higgins was his partner. Yeah.
And my responsibility.
We got this.
I lost Lane ten years ago; I'm not losing another cop.
BISHOP: According to your files,
the bearer bonds were never found.
Look, I know where you're going with this.
Missing money, missing body.
And now we get a complete fingerprint match
on three fingers?
Maybe Lane survived the blast, stole the bonds, skipped town.
Agent Bishop, do you know the people you work with?
Agent Gibbs,
McGee, Torres?
I'd like to think so. Would they steal
two million bucks and let you think they were dead?
No.
Well, I knew Michelle Lane.
She wasn't a crook.
And she's not the woman with Detective Higgins.
TORRES: Sportelli has a point.
You don't think Lane could have faked her own death?
You know, undercover work is usually a solo assignment,
but you can only do it if people on the outside have your back.
They don't desert you, you don't desert them. Period.
Even for $2 million in untraceable bearer bonds?
No.
Hmm. Well, did you find anything
at Higgins' apartment?
I heard Metro kicked you out.
Yeah, they kicked me out,
but not before I got a few pictures.
And here's what I think.
There was definitely
somebody there this morning. Fresh cat food.
Yeah. I started talking to the neighbors,
and I caught up with one that was coming back
from a hot yoga class.
Ah, was she cute?
He was wearing leggings
and was very sweaty. Hmm.
But he did see Higgins get into a tan SUV with a woman.
Our mystery woman.
Yeah. He didn't see the license plate,
but he saw a bumper sticker.
Is that a flower?
Of course it's a flower.
I'm just saying.
TORRES: Come on, man.
DUCKY: Does anyone know the average amount
of cargo space in the human torso?
(Scottish accent): Uh, 45 liters.
Give or take. Very good.
Just big enough to fit the identifiable parts
of a second body. (crowd gasping)
Barely leaving enough room
for the killer to re-stitch the Y-incision,
but effectively disposing of his female murder victim.
The old Body-in-a-Body gag? (laughs)
(chuckles): Yes.
It was the, uh, teal nail varnish
that gave me quite a start.
But I'm-I'm glad you bring that up,
because this case should not be known
as the actions of a deranged killer,
but rather a simple lesson in forensic pathology.
Know who is on your table and talk to them.
While they're on the slab, Doctor?
Oh, that's where they reveal their secrets.
Yes, it's a subtle way of discovering any foul play.
Marine Colonel Stanley Metzger.
50s. Suffered a fatal heart attack.
Yeah, this was soon after he had made considerable effort
to lose weight.
His arms, legs and face,
everywhere was covered with loose skin--
except his abdomen.
Now, this was odd.
So I weighed him.
Despite major fat loss since his last physical examination,
he had gained 17 pounds.
“How is this possible, Colonel”.
I asked him. (laughter)
“Hmm?”
He suggested I perform a second autopsy,
which I did.
And...
the female victim was found.
If you listen...
the dead will speak.
(chuckles): Oh.
I seem to have gone
well over my allotted time, but if there are
any questions...
(crowd murmuring)
Oh, my goodness. Uh...
(Scottish accent): Yeah, well, who's going to be first?
McGEE: Do you know that this month is the 500-year anniversary
of the Protestant Reformation?
Congratulations. But I'm a Catholic.
No. Talking about the bumper sticker.
The flower and heart-- it's a Luther rose.
I'm thinking our mystery woman may be a Lutheran.
Sportelli sent over Higgins' file,
including his user name and password
for Metro's internal file system.
So we'll know if he logs in.
Well, hard to do if this mystery woman
tied him up in a trunk or a...
sex dungeon.
Well, then how do you explain this?
McGEE: Higgins is logged in right now.
From where? BISHOP: If he's connected
to Wi-Fi... We can get a location.
(computer beeping)
(computer ringing)
(exhales)
Mom, you're online.
Your phone keeps going to voice mail.
(groans) I'm sorry, buddy. I've been...
It's been a long morning. (chuckles)
Are you okay?
Yeah. I'm fine.
Everything okay with you and Dad?
No. Why? What's wrong?
My history project is due in two days, and you went
to some conference in Washington, D.C.
I'm sorry.
I'll finish sewing your Mark Twain costume when I get back.
I got to go, baby.
Thanks.
I love you.
Love you, too.
(exhales)
McGEE: All right, the I.P. address was assigned
by a Wi-Fi router on the lower level.
Yeah, how do you want to handle this, McGee?
Well, I think that we... Sounds good.
Torres, you're with me. Let's move.
You had to call Metro, didn't you?
♪ ♪
(barking, snarling)
Didn't even crack a window.
Heads up. Tan SUV.
That's got to be our Lutheran.
Metro Police!
No, Federal agents!
Let me see your hands!
TORRES: Guys, we got a body.
It's Higgins.
You change your mind about joint investigations?
Hell no.
And I'm still not convinced Michelle Lane is the killer.
Or our mystery woman.
(elevator bell dings)
Let's just find her, okay?
(elevator bell dings)
(sighs): Yeah.
Ever wish you weren't the boss, Gibbs?
I thought I was getting a promotion.
Instead, I got everyone else's problems.
Our job's to fix 'em.
Exactly.
But what if we can't?
Retirement?
Guys like us can't retire.
Dude, just tell me what you know.
I want to help you, Nick, but you know the rules
about waiting for final autopsy results.
Palmer. Go.
He won't tell us anything.
That is not what I said.
I said Dr. Mallard has rules, and I can't break them.
Unless you...
order me to break them. Doctor, go.
The bullet entered the neck and appears to have severed
the spinal cord, making death instant.
From the angle of entry, I would say that the shooter was
above the body. Distance?
I'll need to complete the autopsy first.
Distance. Actually, on this point,
I'm not just deferring to Dr. Mallard's instructions.
I need more information for that answer.
Time of death.
About two hours before the body was discovered in the garage.
Just after the neighbor saw the woman and Higgins drive away.
Also, while there was no gunshot residue on the body,
there was glass from the passenger window
found in the wound. Shot came while they were driving.
We're looking for a third party.
I'll report to my captain.
A-Again, this is all
under the guise of supposition...
GIBBS: Get these supplies put away!
Dr. Mallard wouldn't like that! (supplies clattering)
(sighs)
Yo. What's the big deal, man?
Nick, I can fill out reports, I can autopsy bodies,
I am certified in all areas of medical examination,
but no one other than Dr. Mallard restocks that closet.
Did you ever find the rest of the second body, the woman?
Uh, what did the family say? Must've been quite the scandal.
These are not medical questions.
My job as a pathologist is only
to report the medical findings.
Well, who was responsible for the broken chain of evidence?
Yes. When did the killer have a chance
to remove the bag of guts and add the poor lass?
I mean, how long
do you think that took?
Was the killer working alone?
Excuse me, Doctor.
I hate to interrupt.
But you have an urgent phone call.
Uh, excuse me.
Dr. Darwin.
Yeah, I don't see
a phone in here. (chuckles)
Gullstrand '25 calling.
It's a single malt. (chuckles)
(laughs) You looked thirsty.
It's good to see you, Cadence.
And you, Donald.
When I heard you were being honored,
I knew I just couldn't miss it.
I mean, all the way from New York just for me.
Oh, and the whiskey.
And why not?
For the fifth-- or is it the sixth time?--
(chuckles) I have a job.
Can't a girl support a fellow alumnus
without accusations of being a headhunter?
Ah, speaking of headhunters...
Dr. Mallard? (doorknob rattles)
Are you in there? (knocking)
Well, it's your own fault for presenting such a unique case.
Well... FIONA: Dr. Mallard?
Has there ever been another Body-in-a-Body?
Yeah, well, now's not the time to find out.
FIONA: Dr. Mallard? You promised you'd let me take a selfie with you.
(knocking)
Anything on Lane's SUV?
Nothing to I.D. our cop killer.
No, but the car itself is registered to a Jessica Pottorf
of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Well, and her laptop was hidden underneath the seat.
Abby just cracked the hard drive and sent a link.
That mother looks familiar.
Michelle Lane and Jessica Pottorf
are the same person.
BISHOP: Living under an alias.
And she married Craig Pottorf in '08; they have a son,
Landon, who's nine years old.
She started a whole new life.
What's she doing back in D.C.?
Yeah, with her old partner's dead body.
Thinking it has something to do with the 2007 case.
She used Higgins' log-in to look at old police files,
specifically the arms dealer she was trying to bust,
Benjamin Sitano.
Except he died two years ago.
Well, somebody had to inherit the family business.
McGEE: Well, they did. His son, Benny Jr.
He's supposedly gone legit by starting
a check-cashing franchise called Check 'N Cash 4U.
Super legit.
The last Web page Lane visited was
the address of Benny's corporate office.
Bishop, Torres, let's go.
Boss, you want me to update Sportelli?
About what?
BENNY: So you think this woman's coming here to hurt me?
Oh, we don't know that yet. Well, I appreciate the concern,
but that's why I have Nitro-- who also makes a mean espresso,
by the way, if either of you are interested.
Yeah? She'll take one of those.
Sure. Nitro?
NITRO: Sure thing, Benny.
Please.
Yeah, Nitro and I go way back.
People come to hurt you a lot? Not exactly,
but fearing for your personal safety
is the sad reality of being born with my name.
And your father's criminal empire.
Alleged.
But yes.
After he passed, I got us out of that life.
With shady payroll advances.
So we're not giving puppies to orphans.
You were arrested last month for money laundering.
Dad had long tentacles
that keep growing back.
And if it's not the FBI, it's the ATF or DEA,
and I'm pretty sure the IRS is about to arrest me!
(chuckles): Huh?
I have no knowledge
or involvement.
But somehow the buck always seems
to stop here. I was ecstatic
when this meeting wasn't about the past.
Oh, yeah, it is.
You recognize her.
She used to work for my father.
That had to be ten years ago.
Did you know she was a cop?
Not till I read about it in the papers.
- She died in that boat explosion. - Nope.
She was the woman in that first photo,
the one who was coming here for you.
What? Why?
Well, you tell us.
BENNY: I have no idea. Thanks, Nitro.
Fresh cinnamon?
Uh, no, thank you.
Benny, where were you yesterday morning?
Now, I know I said I'm used to questions,
but I think this one's gonna require a lawyer.
(phone rings)
Yeah, go, Torres.
Our ghost just walked in.
Stay with her.
On it.
(elevator bell dings)
NCIS.
(door closes)
You're supposed to be dead.
But you ran away.
From your job.
Your sworn duty.
Why?
I mean, besides the $2 million.
I'm not here about the past.
I came back because I'm in trouble.
Oh, what gave it away, your handcuffs?
Whoever killed Higgins is after me.
Why?
Someone found out who I am.
I got a call three days ago from an unknown number.
A voice threatened my family
unless I handed over the bearer bonds.
The hazards of stealing dirty money.
Guess you're gonna have to give it back, huh?
I don't have the money. That's the problem.
And this is my family we're talking about.
This voice call back? They said they would.
So I called the only cop I could trust: my old partner.
Yeah.
Quite a shock for him. He was on stakeout
and said he'd meet me the next day.
I couldn't wait that long, so I went there.
That's why he was so anxious.
I told him about the blackmail.
It must be connected to the undercover case.
So we went back to his apartment to pull the files.
As we were leaving, someone shot at us.
Mm-hmm. Get a look?
A good... man got killed trying to help me.
But if I'd stopped, I'd be just as dead.
I had to find out who was behind this.
You think it was Benny. I was going there to explain
that I never had his bearer bonds, and to beg
for the safety of my family.
What other choice did I have?
The same choice you had ten years ago.
Come clean.
Go to the cops.
(knock on door)
McGEE: Boss, sorry to interrupt.
We turned on Lane's cell phone
to process it-- (”Charge” ringtone playing) hasn't stopped ringing.
That's Landon's ringtone.
Please let me answer it.
Let me tell my son everything's okay.
(”Charge” ringtone continues playing)
(phone beeps)
Hey, bud.
Landon?
Landon, are you there?
(muffled screaming)
Landon!
DISTORTED VOICE: Turn over the bonds, you get your kid back.
(muffled screams) Landon!
(gasping) Oh, my God.
McGee.
Metro sent detectives to Lane's house in Harrisburg.
- Yeah? And? - Well, it appears a lone intruder
broke into the house and knocked out the husband.
He's in the hospital,
but he'll be okay. Landon.
Phone's turned off, but nothing at the scene
suggests that he was hurt.
Gibbs.
Why the hell didn't you call me
as soon as you had Lane in custody?
There's people with questions, including me.
Questions about the case?
Eventually.
Don't make this personal.
It's hard not to.
We got a missing kid.
Priority is getting him back.
I'm not sitting on my hands, Gibbs.
We're taking this.
You got questions...
write 'em down.
He has every right to be angry,
but it doesn't help get my son back.
I didn't leave for the money.
Then why?
All I care about is finding my son.
Then why the hell aren't you telling us everything?
(sighs)
While I was undercover, I found out I was pregnant.
With Landon?
It was unexpected,
and the father wasn't in the picture.
Talk about reevaluating your life
on the fly.
The bust at the marina was supposed to happen
the next day.
A witness saw you on that boat. Until I realized
that my wire had run out of battery.
Metro needed the deal on tape,
so I snuck back to my car, when boom.
That explosion was meant for me,
and I got the hell out.
It was a rival gun dealer.
News didn't report that for months.
At the time,
I thought maybe there was a mole.
Who would you trust, Agent Torres?
Where did you go?
I checked in to a crappy motel in Delaware
to lay low and reflect on my future,
as a cop...
(voice breaks): and as a mother.
I hoped that by the time I had my answer,
I'd know what to do.
Then, a week later, a new option was handed to me.
I saw on the news that I died.
I took it as a sign.
Did you also take the bonds?
For all I know, they drifted out to sea.
This wasn't about money.
This was about a good life for my son.
That really require being dead?
I knew I was lying to my friends, teammates.
We trusted each other.
Then why not go back to them?
He...
It was complicated.
The biological father?
I never told him he had a child.
The Pottorfs own a modest house, a modest car.
They saved their money to go to Epcot Center in January.
Low season-- it's a good time to go.
Their cable package has no premium channels.
I mean, if they had the bearer bonds,
there is no evidence of it.
I guess Lane was telling the truth.
ABBY: With the help of a fake I.D.,
she started taking night classes,
she got a job as a teacher
at a Lutheran preschool, and she got married.
It's like she built an entire new life
from scratch.
Well, blackmailer thinks otherwise.
Anything to help us find them?
No. But I think I know how they found her.
Guess what else the Pottorfs spent their money on.
They had season tickets
to the Lancaster Barnstormers.
McGEE: Doesn't ring a bell.
Didn't you see the famous viral video
from last month? No.
Okay, watch this.
Okay, so this guy catches it, right?
And then he proposes with a foul ball.
Did he have this planned? ABBY: No.
That's what makes it so romantic.
It got 44 million hits.
It was on every news broadcast in the country.
Mostly because the girlfriend said no.
Uh, maybe if he'd caught a home run.
Okay, but here's why I took another look.
Her season tickets were in the same section.
That's Lane and her son.
You think the kidnapper saw this?
- Yeah. - And check out her T-shirt.
It's got the name of where she works.
BISHOP: Hey.
Uh, where's Gibbs? Why? What's going on?
I think Lane just cracked the case.
Well, some things never change--
my nursing a hangover while you study.
You were right, last night.
Yeah, Body-in-a-Body.
Apparently, it never happened before or since.
You checked.
Yeah, online and in these books.
The only recorded reference of such a case
appears to be in my notes.
Hmm. Isn't that a shame?
So, save for your lecture, the world would never have
such a valuable resource?
Ah... (chuckles)
The other shoe drops.
I knew it.
You are here to sell me on a teaching position.
John Jay is the world's premier college of criminal justice.
Spoken while standing in the halls of our Alma mater.
You have quite a nerve.
Besides, you're wrong.
It's not a full-time position.
Just a residency for a semester.
Which I must refuse.
While you write your book.
Everything you've seen and done, medical and otherwise.
We both know your personal experiences are invariably
tied to your medical knowledge.
It's the Ducky charm.
(chuckles) Flattery will get you nowhere.
I haven't even started.
Because I think
it wouldn't just be your book.
It could be the book.
A definitive reference for the entire field.
Your story will inspire and empower generations to come.
I have responsibilities at NCIS.
It's a semester in New York.
And you can even stay with me, if you like.
I do live alone.
It would be a frightful burden on Dr. Palmer.
How many times have you talked to him since you've been away?
I always call him once a day when I travel.
Sometimes more.
Have you?
On this trip?
Ah. Touché.
You've been here,
and yet the world of NCIS turns.
Without me.
Because of you.
Because of the legacy you've put in place.
It's time to spread the wealth.
BENNY: I'm busting my ass to get away from that life.
Why would I kill a cop?
Same reason you'd kidnap Landon.
What? I didn't kidnap anyone!
He's not just anyone.
Your son.
Michelle told us. Michelle?
She's here?
She didn't just find out she was pregnant.
You two had an affair while she was undercover.
That's why she ran away.
BISHOP: You couldn't return to Metro.
Everyone can count backward nine months.
Word would have spread to the Sitano family.
McGEE: You found out that she was still alive,
so you blackmailed her,
and you took her son-- your son.
Heir to the family.
That's exactly why I let them go.
So you did find out. Yes!
But that was nine years ago. All right?
Right after she had the baby.
Whoa, whoa. Wait. Back up.
Michelle and I had a relationship.
After the explosion, I was devastated.
But, in my father's line of work,
until you see a body, nobody's dead.
So I hired a P.I.
You were angry.
I was in love.
The P.I. found Michelle
maybe 18 months later, with a new name, a new man
and a new baby-- a son.
My son.
You wanted them back.
Till I realized the truth.
A new life was the best thing that could happen to my kid.
'Cause whether it's the cops looking to arrest me
or scumbags looking for money,
my life will always be tied to crime.
That's no way to live.
So I decided to let them be.
Tried to forget about it.
Is he telling the truth?
Who else knew about the missing bonds?
Who else would take Landon?
(sighs): Oh, God.
Someone has my little boy.
We'll find him.
Trust us.
You don't have to do this.
It's not my call anymore.
Michelle.
Danny.
- I'm sorry about your son. - Thank you.
And I'm sorry about this.
Does Gibbs know?
He knows it's the law.
Letting people think you're dead isn't illegal.
Technically.
It requires breaking laws along the way,
and she has to answer for it.
(handcuffs clicking)
Michelle Lane...
you're under arrest for conspiracy and fraud.
Do I need to read your rights?
No. You need to find my son.
I have sins to atone for-- fine-- but he's innocent.
Stop wasting time.
Let's go.
MICHELLE: This is doing everything you can?
This is trusting you?!
You said you'd find him!
Ah, Gibbs. Hold on.
I know we're running out of time
and we've got no leads on Landon...
Bishop, I'm waiting for some good news.
Well, we all agree that Benny has the clearest motive.
Yeah. Son and money.
But we've got nothing on him.
Benny's got a record--
he doesn't want to get his hands dirty.
So what if he paid someone, someone he goes way back with?
Bodyguard?
Omar Nitro. I asked the IRS agents
from Benny's office to send over the payroll records.
Nitro's salary just tripled.
Lot of money for a bodyguard. Let's bring him in.
He's just gonna call Benny and lawyer up.
Maybe we set up a friendly meeting.
Catch flies with honey.
I was gonna say French fries.
Omar. Hey.
Uh, Agent Bishop and Torres.
Thanks for meeting us on such short notice.
- Mm-hmm. - Ah, you're eating plain chicken
at a place that serves fried Twinkies?
(chuckles) You got to set a good example.
(chuckles): For the... the Tuesday lunch crowd?
No. Potential clients.
Ah.
I'm also a personal trainer.
I just finished my classes and got my diploma.
Which is why my salary tripled.
That is why you're really here, right?
To get me to confess?
I used to be a cop.
We know.
With Metro.
Before you were fired.
So, were you crooked...
or just bad at your job?
Past is the past.
I am now Mr. Sitano's guard,
personal trainer and licensed masseur.
He did not pay me to take the kid. Are we done?
No.
I'm gonna call Metro.
Do they know you have a concealed carry license, Omar?
I mean, those are pretty easy to have revoked.
Yeah, it's gonna be really hard
to guard someone without a weapon.
That's really gonna hurt that paycheck.
You guys are way off base here.
Then enlighten us.
I was pressured to skim evidence, but I refused.
They thought I would turn snitch,
so they railroaded me out, okay?
When I went looking for another job,
Benny related.
I was a good guy trying to beat a bad rap.
I am not crooked.
So, then why didn't you tell your boss about the dirty cops?
'Cause my boss was one of them.
And Sportelli is way too smart to get caught.
Did we find anything yet?
Is this even possible?
Sportelli and Lane never showed up to booking.
It's a 20-minute drive, and they left hours ago.
There's no answer.
Technically, it doesn't prove anything.
Yeah, but it doesn't look good, either.
Find him!
We still have access to Metro's files?
You're right-- Higgins' log-in details.
Where is he? TORRES: Well, he has to be close,
because he's been playing us this whole time.
All right, listen to this. Sportelli rents
a one-bedroom in Chinatown.
Apparently, he and a few buddies
bought a local bar and fell into debt.
Sportelli used up his entire 401(k).
Retirement.
$2 million would be a fresh start anywhere he wanted.
What's the name of the bar? McGEE: It's called Flankman's.
In Anacostia? That place closed two years ago.
Well, Sportelli still pays property taxes.
Means he's still got a key. Let's go.
Time is precious, Michelle.
For all three of us.
I told you, I don't have the bonds.
I never did!
(panting) What happened to you, Danny?
Me? What happened to me?
I'm the same.
Same job, same life--
just trying to make ends meet.
You, on the other hand...
I made a choice. Yeah.
Well, here's another one.
You went to Higgins and forced my hand.
And now I'm gonna force yours.
The money or your son!
Just tell me where
you stashed the bearer bonds, and I'll disappear
just like you.
Please!
Offshore account!
Cayman Islands!
Account number?
457-9153-9...
Slow down! (whispers): Sorry, sorry.
9153...?
947-371. 947-37...
That's 13 digits.
Banks don't use 13 digits!
No! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
It's from memory! Please don't!
Don't hurt my son!
(sobbing): Please! (dog barking outside)
Damn it!
(crying)
McGEE: Federal agents!
GIBBS: Sportelli!
It's over. SPORTELLI: Yeah.
Now what?
BISHOP: Hang on. Here we go.
Landon, baby.
Come on, sweetie. Let's get them out of here.
Good. Good. (Michelle sobbing)
It's up to you how this goes.
You always were a fair guy, Gibbs.
TORRES: I'd say more than fair.
You killed a cop.
One of your own.
Our job to fix it.
SPORTELLI: I can't.
Then take responsibility.
(gun racks)
(gunshot, body thuds)
He made his choice.
(sirens approaching)
(elevator bell dings)
Wait, so it was a lie?
Lane didn't have an offshore account?
No, she was stalling.
So where's the $2 million?
Well, no idea.
Could still be at the bottom of that marina.
Hey, McGee? Huh?
You know how to scuba dive?
No. You?
No, but for $2 million, I could learn.
(doorbells jingle)
Mm. Hey, Michelle.
Hey, Landon. Hey, Agent Bishop.
Thank you, again,
for everything.
Metro says I still have
a few things to answer for, but that's okay.
Uh, why did you want to meet us here?
Uh, well, I, uh, I made that call for you.
Hello, Benny.
(sighs) Michelle.
Oh, this is unexpected.
I... wanted to thank you in person for understanding.
Landon,
this is Mr. Sitano. Hello.
BENNY: Hey. It's, uh, Benny.
It's nice to meet you, Landon.
How do you know my mom?
We're, uh...
old friends. BISHOP: Why don't you guys
have a seat?
Thank you.
♪ ♪
(door opens, closes)
Hey, Duck.
Welcome back.
There a problem?
Oh, the quarterly supplies have been restocked.
Mm-hmm.
Just the way I would have done it.
Yeah. So, there a problem?
(chuckles) Well, that's the point.
There is no problem.
(laughs)
Took you long enough to figure that out.
Cadence.
Yeah?
She already spoke with you.
Last week.
It seems everybody is planning my life without me.
No.
Your choice all the way.
It is just one semester.
Yeah, you bet.
New York is but a three-hour train ride.
I can visit.
Yeah, you bet.
Dr. Palmer...
will make a wonderful medical examiner.
We'll see.
I... Stop, Duck.
Is this what you want to do?
Yes.
Okay. Then it's not me you need to talk to.
Oh. My apologies.
Am I interrupting?
Nah, you're right on time, Doc.
Really?
That's unusual.
♪ ♪
== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man