MUSIC IN:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
(SFX: SCREAMS FROM THE TV B.G.)
BURKE: Not bad for a queen who's supposedly been dead for a few thousand years.
(DOOR OPENS)
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/CAMERA PANS THROUGH THE HOUSE TO THE KITCHEN)
BURKE: (GASPS) Geez! You scared the hell out of me, Erik! You ever hear of knocking?
(NILES COUGHS)
BURKE: Oh, Custer's last stand. Cute. And by the way, the party doesn't start for another hour.
NILES: (GASPS) Sarah...(SFX: NILES COUGHS/FALLS TO THE GROUND)
BURKE: Erik!(SFX: NILES MOANS AND GASPS/ COUGHS)
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
(THEME MUSIC UP OVER OPENING TITLE/SCENES/ CREDITS AND OUT)
MUSIC IN:
INT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT
"WITCH HUNT"
(TONY THROWS PAPER IN THE TRASH CAN)
TONY: Ha! You're not planning on leaving early, are you?
ZIVA: And if I am?
TONY: I wouldn't advise it. Do you know what today is?
ZIVA: Tuesday.
TONY: It's Halloween, Ziva. It's an American holiday.
ZIVA: I know. The wearing of silly outfits and begging for treats. I imagine it would be a Dinozzo national holiday.
TONY: Well, you imagined wrong. I don't do Halloween.
ZIVA: I see. Your father again, yes?
TONY: I don't do Halloween because ever since I became a cop, weird things always happen on October thirty-first.
ZIVA: Define weird.
TONY: Grave robberies, beheadings, cattle mutilations. And McGee turning fuzzy and blue.
MCGEE: What?
ZIVA: What's under your shirt?
MCGEE: My t-shirt.
ZIVA: Okay, he's lying.
TONY: Oh yeah. Oh, yeah! Ha ha ha! Ah... (LAUGHS) I knew you played a fairy on that online game, but dressing up as one?
MCGEE: It's a snow elf, and I'm going to a costume party, okay?
TONY: It's far from okay, Probie. In fact, I'd say that this is taking geek one step beyond.
ZIVA: Oh, sadly I have to agree. I instantly felt all the respect leave my body as soon as I put this on. (LAUGHS)
MCGEE: Well, normally you'd be right, but you haven't yet met my Ice Queen.
TONY: You have to be kidding me. (CHUCKLES)
(SFX: KEYBOARDING B.G.)
MCGEE: Dale Samechi. She is a Redskin's cheerleader.
ZIVA: Oh, very impressive.
TONY: That's a very hot woman. How did you find her?
MCGEE: I met her at the Armani store. Found out we played on the same gaming server together.
TONY: Since when can you afford Armani?
GIBBS: Gear up!
ZIVA: (b*at) Oh, god. They're McGee's.
MCGEE: Well, I'm going to a costume party later tonight.
GIBBS: Not anymore, Elf Lord. General Custer has been sh*t, and he's got a dead skeleton in his living room.
TONY: What'd I tell you? Halloween.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
(SFX: POLICE RADIOS B.G.)
MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) No, wait, wait. Sharon!
SHARON: (V.O./FILTERED) I can't believe you're not coming!
MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) Well, what about next weekend.
SHARON: (V.O./FILTERED) It's not Halloween!
MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) Look, it's not my fault.
ZIVA: Oh, my poor little McGee! There'll be other Elf Queens online.
TONY: She's right. Of course, they won't be Redskins cheerleaders and they'll probably weigh a few thousand pounds.
ZIVA: (CHUCKLES) Not to mention there is a good chance some of them are actually men. But you play long enough?
TONY: Anything can happen.
GIBBS: The guy dressed as Custer is Staff Sergeant Erik Niles. LEOs are looking for his wife and daughter. Blood trail leads from his house, to the neighbor's house who called it in. Tony, Ziva, get her statement. McGee, start processing the Staff Sergeant's living room. Oh, and there's a dead John Doe in there dressed like a skeleton.
(SFX: VAN BRAKES TO A STOP)
ZIVA: What happened to them?
TONY: Halloween.(DOORS OPEN/ CLOSE)
DUCKY: Sorry we're late, only we had a minor run-in with some local youths.
GIBBS: Yeah, I can see that, Doctor.
MCGEE: Did you get a good look at them?
DUCKY: Oh, we did better than that. Release the captives, Mister Palmer!
(SFX: DOOR SLIDES OPEN)
NINJA ONE: (V.O.) Are we in trouble?
NINJA TWO: (V.O.) Ah, where we at?
NINJA ONE: (V.O.) We said we were sorry.
DUCKY: Right. Clean it!
TONY: Nice work, Palmer!
JIMMY: It wasn't me, Tony. Doctor Mallard chased them for three blocks.
DUCKY: Oh, please. It's not that impressive. It's not as if they were real ninjas.
NINJA ONE: (V.O.) It was your idea.
NINJA TWO: (V.O.) Shut up and clean!
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
BURKE: I thought he was play acting at first. You know, General Custer's last stand and all that.
ZIVA: You removed his jacket. Why?
BURKE: To check for other wounds. There weren't any. Just a single g*nsh*t wound that nicked his carotid artery. I'm a doctor - pediatrician.
TONY: Oh, that explains why he headed over here. You probably saved his life, Doctor.
BURKE: I stabilized him the best I could until the EMTs arrived. And... it's Leslie.
ZIVA: Did he say anything to you?
BURKE: He was trying to. I think it was his daughter's name. Sarah. I'm hoping she was with her mother when this...(SIGHS) this happened.
CUT TO:
INT. NILES HOME - NIGHT
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/MCGEE MOVES AROUND THE ROOM TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS)
MCGEE: Oh, that's not creepy.
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/MCGEE CONTINUES TAKING PHOTOS)
(DOOR OPENS)
MCGEE: Palmer!
JIMMY: Is something wrong?
MCGEE: Are you trying to get sh*t?
JIMMY: Um, no.(DOOR CLOSES)
MCGEE: There's someone in this room.
JIMMY: You mean besides the dead skeleton guy?
MCGEE: Yes, besides the dead skeleton guy.
(PASSAGE OF TIME)
TONY: Basement's clear, Boss.
MCGEE: Look, I know what I saw. Someone policed the brass - tried to wipe up the blood.
TONY: Who, Probie? The crime scene fairies? There's no one here.
GIBBS: Get Ducky in here. We're wasting time.
MCGEE: Boss, I'm sorry, but I swear there --
GIBBS: What do you make of this, McGee?
MCGEE: Well, obvious signs of a struggle. One dead assailant. Not really sure how his head got that way, though.
GIBBS: You're not? Come on, let me show you. Get on the floor.
MCGEE: Well, Tony did tell me about when you demonstrated this technique--
GIBBS: Yeah? You guys talk about things like that? You learn by feeling, McGee. This is how Marines silence enemy sentries. Sixty-six pounds of pressure and then - snap!
MCGEE: So Staff Sergeant Niles went down fighting.
GIBBS: See? The blood spatter on the wall. He was right about where I am now when he got sh*t. b*llet impacted. It means the sh**t was over here somewhere.
MCGEE: This is where the brass is - uh, was. So two assailants?
GIBBS: At least.
DUCKY: Yes, the cause of death is pretty obvious. But you never know. I once had a case where a man who d*ed of heart failure had an ice pick plunged into his skull four hours after the time of death. His wife discovered that she had been left out of his will.
TONY: Good news, boss. Kids saw a car leaving the Sergeant's house around the time of the sh**ting. Ziva's getting a description.
DUCKY: Yes, well, let's have a look at you.
(SFX: TONY SHOUTS)
TONY: Something just touched my foot! Something's under the couch!
MCGEE: Maybe it's the crime scene fairy, Tony.
TONY: Shh! I hate Halloween!
(SFX: TONY SHOUTS)
MCGEE: It's a Roomba. It's a robot vacuum cleaner. Uses navigational sensors to clean the floor while the owner's away.
DUCKY: Yes, well your Roomba is about to interfere with your crime scene.
(SFX: GIBBS SMASHES THE ROOMBA)
GIBBS: Damn thing policed the brass.
MCGEE: I told you I wasn't crazy.
GIBBS: Bag it.
DUCKY: Come on. Let's get him home.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
BOY: The door slammed, and he just drove away.
ZIVA: Thanks a lot.
CUT TO:
INT. NILES' LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
ZIVA: The boy saw a car leaving the scene that looked like a kuruma. I'm not familiar with the model.
GIBBS: Kuruma is Japanese for car, Ziva.
TONY: Your description of the car is car. Nice work, Officer David.
MCGEE: Kuruma is the name of a car in Grand Theft Auto Three. It's a Chrysler Sebring sedan.
TONY: McGeek with the save!
ZIVA: I'll put out a BOLO.
GIBBS: Find the Staff Sergeant's wife--
LAURIE: (V.O.) Erik! Oh, my god! Is that... is that... is that... is that my... is that my husband in there?
GIBBS: Miss, that's not your husband. That's not your husband. Okay?
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
REBECCA: I'm her sister. We were at the school helping set up for the Halloween party when the police came.
GIBBS: Is her daughter still there?
REBECCA: Sarah? She was with Erik.
TONY: Amber Alert. On it, Boss.
(GIBBS WALKS INTO THE LIVING ROOM)
LAURA: I'm okay now. When they said Erik was sh*t and I saw that body, I....
GIBBS: Mrs. Niles, your husband is at Bethesda Hospital. He's in surgery. We'll take you to see him. I just need to ask you a few questions.
REBECCA: Laurie, Sarah's missing.
LAURA: You mean she's been kidnapped.
REBECCA: They don't know that for sure, yet.
MCGEE: Mrs. Niles, your daughter may have just become scared and run off.
ZIVA: Perhaps there's a friend or relative's house she'd go to.
LAURA: No. No, she... she would have called me on my cell phone. They took my little girl.
REBECCA: They'll find her, Laurie! We just have to stay positive, okay?
(SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS)
REBECCA: That could be her right now!
GIBBS: Do you mind putting that on the speaker?
LAURA: (INTO PHONE) Hello?
SARAH: (V.O./FILTERED) Mommy!
LAURA: (INTO PHONE) Baby, are you okay?
SARAH: (V.O./FILTERED) They hurt Daddy! I tried to call the police, but the man...
LAURA: (INTO PHONE) Listen to me, Sarah. Everything's going to be all right. You just need to--
JANSEN: (V.O./MORPHED) We have your daughter. You will see her alive again, you'll do exactly what I say. I'll call back with instructions.
(SFX: LAURA CRIES)
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
FADE IN:
INT. AUTOPSY ROOM - NIGHT
DUCKY: I dressed up as a skeleton once in my youth. Did you know that the tradition of Halloween was brought over from Scotland, along with the fine sports of golf and curling?
TONY: I wouldn't call anything using a broom a "sport," Ducky.
DUCKY: Tony, curling is referred to as chess on ice, because it puts high demands on tactics and foresight.
TONY: Relax, Ducky, I love Scotland. Sean Connery, the very best James Bond ever.
MCGEE: I thought he was Irish.
(DUCKY LAUGHS)
MCGEE: Darby O'Gill and the Little People.
TONY: He was using a fake Irish accent. It's called acting.
DUCKY: The preliminary cause of death is blunt force trauma to the neck. However, once I've done the --
TONY: This guy's our only link to the missing girl. I need an I.D.
DUCKY: Well, currently he remains a John Doe. He has no I.D., he has no tattoos, no distinguishing marks. Here.
TONY: What about his prints?
DUCKY: Mister Palmer took them up to Abby's lab. Though, she's not there and she's not answering her calls.
MCGEE: Halloween's a pretty big night for Abby.
TONY: Every night is Halloween to Abby.
(SFX: DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
DUCKY: Ah, there you are. Is she here yet?
JIMMY: Oh, she's here, and she is in costume.
TONY: Oh, yeah? What's it like?
JIMMY: Trust me, you wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise.
CUT TO:
INT. ABBY'S LAB - NIGHT
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/MCGEE AND TONY WATCH ABBY)
ABBY:
ABBY: Oh, sorry I was late, you guys. I couldn't hear my cell phone ringing at the party. You'd think a cemetery would be a little quieter. It's awful about that little girl! Getting kidnapped on Halloween. Totally creepy. I'm running my skeleton's fingerprints through AFIS.
(CONT.) I'm starting with Virginia and Maryland, and then a subset of all known child molesters on the East Coast. I've got an Amber Alert running, no hits yet. We've got to find her! (b*at) Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have food in my teeth or something?
TONY: No, uh... I'll just stick with or something. I need to run our dead guy's photo against mug sh*ts.
ABBY: (LONG b*at) Give me.
TONY: The camera, McGeek.
MCGEE: The camera. Sorry.
TONY: We need to put out a BOLO. See if anyone recognizes our guy.
ABBY: McGee, what is wrong with you? You look three cans short of a six-pack.
MCGEE: Nothing, it's just... you look different.
TONY: He means the Halloween costume, Marilyn.
ABBY: Oh, right! Sweet, huh?
MCGEE: Yeah.
TONY: Yeah.
(CELL PHONE RINGS)
TONY: (INTO PHONE) Dinozzo.(BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
CUT TO:
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Woodbridge P.D. has a kid who says he may have seen a Sebring in the neighborhood.
TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) Okay, on it.
(SCENE CUT)
TONY: (INTO PHONE) We also got a picture of our skeleton without the makeup.
GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Send him.
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) I'll see if I can get the wife to I.D. him. What's the condition of the Staff Sergeant?
TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) He's still in surgery.
(SCENE CUT)
TONY: (INTO PHONE) According to the doctors, we won't be able to interview him until tomorrow.
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Tomorrow's too late.
TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) Yeah. Kidnappers call back yet?
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Nope. It makes me wonder.
(SCENE CUT)
TONY: (INTO PHONE) If she's still alive?
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) No. What they want with an enlisted Marine who makes less than thirty-two thousand dollars...
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) ... a year.
TONY: (INTO PHONE) Yeah, I was kind of wondering the same thing.
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Find out.(END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
LAURA: How long do I have to sit here?
REBECCA: They're doing everything they can for us, Laurie.
ZIVA: You must try to stay calm.
LAURA: That's easy for you to say. Do you have children, Officer David?
ZIVA: No. But I know what it's like to lose a member of my family.
(SFX: LAURA SOBS)
ZIVA: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--
REBECCA: Nice! Thank you. Sarah will be fine, Laurie. You have to believe that.
ZIVA: Our skeleton John Doe.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
GIBBS: She recognize him?
ZIVA: I haven't showed it to her yet. Apparently everything I say makes her cry!
GIBBS: Ziva, her husband is in critical condition. Her daughter's been kidnapped.
ZIVA: I know! I'm just not very good with the crying and the women and the--
GIBBS: That makes two of us.
ZIVA: I also believe she's hiding something. She seems conflicted, like... like she's holding something back.
GIBBS: I'll show you something.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
ZIVA: One shirt. Our Staff Sergeant wasn't living here.
GIBBS: Is that a question or a statement?
ZIVA: Actually, more of a - you want me to find out why.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
MCGEE: You saw the Sebring driving that way?
BREEN: (MUMBLES)
TONY: What?! Is that German? Are you speaking German? Is that German?
BREEN: (MUMBLES)
MCGEE: You're saying two people.
BREEN: (MUMBLES)
TONY: Two people where?
BREEN: (MUMBLES)
TONY: What is that? A manhole cover? They were moving manhole cover? What is that - a rake?
BREEN: (MUMBLES)
MCGEE: Yeah, I know. He's just saying you're bad at charades, you know.
TONY: All right, screw this.
(SFX: TONY TEARS OFF BREEN'S MASK)
BREEN: Youch! Dude! You ruined my costume!
TONY: Do you want to be charged with obstructing a Federal investigation, huh? Then speak, Zombie!
BREEN: Okay, look. I saw a Sebring, right? And I think there were two people in it.
TONY: Which way did it go?
BREEN: That way. Yeah, it cut the corner so hard it ran over the curb.
TONY: All right, show me.
(SFX: BREEN HOWLS)
TONY: Don't be a wise guy.
BREEN: Okay. Okay, look. It crashed into all that stuff, right? And then it drove off that way.
MCGEE: Did you get a look at the license plate?
BREEN: Dude, I can barely see you two with all this makeup on. (MUFFLED) Thank you.
(SFX: BREEN HOWLS)
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. STREET CORNER - NIGHT
TONY: You got a time of death on the Great Pumpkin here, Charlie Brown?
MCGEE: I might have more than that. The car left an impression on it.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
GIBBS: This is the guy that was fighting with your husband.
LAURA: Sorry, Agent Gibbs. I don't recognize him.
REBECCA: Think, Laurie. Maybe you saw him at a store or the mall.
LAURA: I said I don't know him! Can I talk to Erik?
GIBBS: Sure. He's still in surgery. When he gets out, we'll put him on the phone with you.
REBECCA: It's going to be all right. We need to have faith.
LAURA: Stop touching me!
(LAURA WALKS TO THE SINK/RINSES HER FACE)
GIBBS: I know what you're going through, Laurie. I know.... I know there's nothing I can say--
LAURA: Have you ever had a daughter kidnapped?
GIBBS: (b*at) Kidnapped, no. But I promise to do everything I can do to bring your daughter home safe.
LAURA: I believe you, Agent Gibbs. I just hope it'll be enough.
CUT TO:
INT. AUTOPSY ROOM - NIGHT
ABBY: Dawn of the Dead was awesome!
TONY: Cinematic blasphemy. Fast zombies? There's a reason you don't remake classics.
ABBY: John Carpenter's The Thing.
TONY: Well, there's an exception to every rule.
ABBY: The Fly.
TONY: Maybe two.
MCGEE: Didn't you say that Al Pacino in Scarface was the best--
TONY: Okay! But my point is zombies should be slow.
ABBY: Tony, there's nothing scary about a zombie dragging his butt around.
TONY: Well, a zombie is not a zombie unless it's dragging his butt around.
MCGEE: You liked Twenty Eight Days Later. Those zombies were really quick.
TONY: Okay, enough with the zombies already! We find an impression on the vegetable or not?
MCGEE: Technically it's a fruit.
ABBY: We're finished rendering the laser scan on the Great Pumpkin surface. McGee, can you invert the image... as soon as you're done undressing me with your eyes. And bring up the gamma, and increase the contrast. And swap it. Oh, smashing pumpkins! It's a left hand side of a Virginia license plate!
TONY: Nice work, Abs! Run it, McGee!
MCGEE: First four letters, cross referencing against Chrysler Sebrings. And we got a hit. The car was registered to a rental car company in Catlett, Virginia.(SFX: COMPUTER BEEP TONES)
TONY: (LAUGHS) Yes! Dinozzo does it again.
MCGEE: I think you mean Abby and I did it again. Ow! What's that for?
ABBY: Those days ended the moment you started sexing up the cheerleader.
TONY: All right, find out who rented that car. I'm about to make Gibb's night.
MCGEE: Uh, wait a second, Tony. There is no name. The car was reported stolen three days ago.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
ZIVA: Our Staff Sergeant moved into the Quantico bachelor enlisted quarters three weeks ago.
GIBBS: Marital problems?
ZIVA: Well, according to someone called Scuttle Butt, he caught his wife cheating on him.
GIBBS: Scuttlebutt's not a person, Ziva. Scuttlebutt is what Marines call gossip.
ZIVA: And then you wonder why I have a problem with your language.
(SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS B.G.)
GIBBS: Okay, stay calm. Tell him you want to talk to Sarah. Can you do that for me, Laurie?
LAURA: Okay. (INTO PHONE) Sarah?
JANSEN: (V.O./MORPHED) Try again.
LAURA: (INTO PHONE) I want to talk to my daughter right now or I'm... I'm hanging up.
JANSEN: (V.O./MORPHED) Hang up and she dies, Mrs. Niles.
LAURA: (INTO PHONE) I want to talk to her right now.
JANSEN: (V.O./MORPHED) Talk is cheap. You want to see her alive again, that'll cost.
LAURA: (INTO PHONE) Whatever it is, whatever you want, I'll do it! I give you my word.
JANSEN: (V.O./MORPHED) A hundred thousand in small bills. You have until dawn to get it.
LAURA: (INTO PHONE) Yes, okay. Now ... now just please let me talk to my daughter.
JANSEN: (V.O./MORPHED) Money first, then you can talk.
(END TELEPHONE CONVERSATION)
CUT TO:
INT. CAR - MOVING
JANSEN: (V.O.) Scared little darling? Good. You should be.(MUFFLED/ SARAH CRIES B.G.)
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
MUSIC IN:
EXT. NILES HOME - NIGHT
ZIVA: (V.O.) The call wasn't long enough to trace.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
ZIVA: We'll get another chance when he calls her back to tell her where to drop off the ransom.
GIBBS: Laurie, I'd like to talk to you... alone.
REBECCA: It's okay, honey. I'll be right here if you need me. I'm not going anywhere.
GIBBS: Tell Dinozzo I want that John Doe I.D.'d in an hour.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
LAURA: We don't have a hundred thousand dollars sitting in the basement, Agent Gibbs. Maybe my parents can get it, but it's going to take time.
(DOOR CLOSES)
GIBBS: Yeah, we can help you with that, but I need some answers first.
LAURA: Anything.
GIBBS: Sit down. So Laurie, why did your husband move out of your house and onto base?
LAURA: What does that have to do with this?
GIBBS: Maybe nothing, but I need to know.
LAURA: We were having some problems, Erik wanted a trial separation.
GIBBS: Why?
LAURA: I made a mistake, a stupid mistake eight years ago.
GIBBS: What kind of mistake? (b*at) Laurie, look, I've been married four times. I've made every mistake in the book.
LAURA: Right before we were married, Erik - he...he broke off our engagement for a few weeks. I saw an old boyfriend. It was a stupid fling. I pretended it never happened.
GIBBS: Erik's not your daughter's biological father?
LAURA: I don't know! But even if I did, it doesn't matter!
GIBBS: How did your husband find out?
LAURA: My ex-boyfriend. Last month he showed up and demanded Sarah take a paternity test. When I refused, he threatened me.
GIBBS: I need his name - address.
LAURA: Robert Miller. I have no idea what his address is.
GIBBS: He live in Virginia?
LAURA: Used to.
GIBBS: Age, weight, eye and hair color. We can run him down through DMV.
LAURA: He's twenty-eight years old. Brown hair, green eyes. Maybe a hundred and eighty pounds?
(SFX: CELLPHONE TOUCH TONES)
(DOOR CLOSES)
GIBBS: Laurie, what aren't you telling me?
LAURA: It's my fault. I... I...
(DOOR OPENS)
REBECCA: Laurie, you okay in here?
(SFX: LAURIE SOBS)
LAURA: No! I destroyed my family.
REBECCA: Don't you think she's been through enough already?
GIBBS: Could Miller have done this?
MILLER: Maybe. I...I don't know. I just want my baby back.
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY
(BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
TONY: (INTO PHONE) She's just telling you this now?
(SCENE CUT)
ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean--
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT
ZIVA: (V.O./FILTERED) ... she'd tell me everything, Tony.(END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
MCGEE: Robert Miller, there's over three hundred listed in the Tri-State area alone.
TONY: Narrow the search with the criteria, Probie.
MCGEE: Still over a hundred Robert Millers listed.
TONY: We've got her cell phone records, right?
MCGEE: When we tapped her lines.
TONY: So check to see if Robert Miller called in the last month.
MCGEE: Abby's right. I am three beers short of a six-pack.
TONY: I think she was talking about your abs, McFlabby.
MCGEE: Okay, three calls, about a month ago. Called from his home phone.
TONY: Called from his home phone - three calls in the last month.
CUT TO:
INT. NILES BEDROOM - NIGHT
REBECCA: My sister can barely stand, here. Is there any way we can let her get some rest?
GIBBS: Sure.
ZIVA: We've got an address.
GIBBS: (QUIETLY) Keep an eye on them. If the kidnappers call again, you tell him no more money until we talk to the girl.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
TONY: (V.O.) Last time I did Halloween, I was an astronaut
CUT TO:
INT. CAR - MOVING
TONY: The neighborhood I grew up in, well, it wasn't really a neighborhood. There were these estates with mansions smack dab in the middle of them, with really long driveways. It made Halloween very tricky. It's a lot of walking. God, my feet were tired that night. Dogs were barking.
MCGEE: Yeah, I can imagine it really sucks growing up rich like that.
TONY: My costume was fantastic, though. Wicked awesome! I was a space man. No ventilation, though. Burning up, sweating like Roger Federer after a five-set tie breaker, and stinky. Stinky like cheese. But man what a haul! I made off with more candy than I could carry.
MCGEE: God, I imagine this story's coming to an end soon.
TONY: But when I got home, old man made me throw it all away. Even the apples.
MCGEE: He was concerned about your teeth.
TONY: Oh, no. I made my astronaut costume out of one of his three thousand dollar designer ski suits.
MCGEE: Ouch.
TONY: I don't think I sat down again until Christmas. Good times, Probie. Good times.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
(SFX: VOICES B.G.)
(SFX: CAR BRAKES TO A STOP)
(SFX: DOORS OPEN/CLOSE)
MCGEE: Kuruma.
GIBBS: Plates match. It's Miller's stolen ride.
TONY: This is his building. Second floor, apartment two oh seven. Halloween doesn't have to suck after all.
MCGEE: Something was b*rned in here recently. It's still smoldering.(SFX: CHILDREN'S VOICES B.G.)
GIBBS: Pop the trunk, McGee.
(SFX: TRUNK OPENS)
GIBBS: Let's get this sonovabitch!
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - NIGHT
(MUSIC OVER ACTION)
(SFX: MUSIC B.G.)
(SFX: GIRL SCREAMS B.G.)
(SFX: DOOR OPENS)
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
(SFX: PARTY B.G.)
GIBBS: (SHOUTS) Federal Agents!
PARAGON: Yeah, all right!
(SFX: APPLAUSE)
PARAGON: Great group costume, guys, but you spelled CSI wrong on your hats.
GIBBS: Robert Miller.
PARAGON: Somebody's in a bad mood.
(F/X: GIBBS GRABS PARAGON)
PARAGON: (V.O.) Right over there by the blue alien ladies.
TONY: It's not easy being a root vegetable, is it?
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/GIBBS WALKS ACROSS THE ROOM)
GIBBS: Robert Miller.
MILLER: (IN KLINGON) Hab sosli' quch!
MCGEE: Boss, he just said, "Your mother has a smooth forehead." It's a Klingon insult!
TONY: You speak Klingon?
MCGEE: Not fluently, but yes.
GIBBS: Federal agents.
MILLER: (IN KLINGON) Jeghbe thlinganpu!
MCGEE: Now he's saying Klingons don't surrender.
(F/X: GIBBS SHOVES MILLER INTO THE WALL)
GIBBS: Are you Robert Miller?
MILLER: Who are you people? (b*at) Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
GIBBS: Sarah Niles! Where is she?
MILLER: That bitch sent you here! My lawyer says I have a right to know if she's my child. I'm just trying to do the right thing. If she's my daughter, I just want to be a part of her life! She looks exactly like me! (b*at) Well, except for the fake teeth and the bumps on the forehead.
GIBBS: Is that why you kidnapped her?
MILLER: I didn't kidnap anybody.
GIBBS: The car that was used is parked outside downstairs.
MILLER: Well, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about. I've been here all day with my friends getting ready for this party. You can ask them.
MCGEE: Boss, no sign of Sarah.
MILLER: See? I told you!
TONY: The only thing I hate worst than Halloween are Klingons.
MILLER: Look, ask them, okay? Ask the guy with the cheese head hat. Ask the vampire, David Lee Roth, Carrot Man. Ask him!
PARAGON: This has gone far enough. I happen to be a lawyer.
TONY: Good! The only thing I hate worse than Klingons are lawyers.
MILLER: I didn't do anything, all right? Laurie's the one who threatened me. She told me that her husband... her husband was going to k*ll me if I didn't leave her alone. Ask her.
GIBBS: Dinozzo.
(SFX: GIBBS HANDCUFFS MILLER)
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
(SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS)
ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) Ziva.
TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) Boss wants to talk to the mom.
(SFX: ZIVA WALKS TO THE BEDROOM)
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
ZIVA: Mrs. Niles? Agent Gibbs needs to talk to you.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
ZIVA: (V.O.) Mrs. Niles?(KNOCK ON DOOR)
(DOOR OPENS)
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/ZIVA SEARCHES THE BEDROOM)
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
MUSIC IN:
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
(DOOR OPENS/ CLOSES)
TONY: General Kang crying, or is that just sweat?
MCGEE: Half hour alone in a room with angry Gibbs? Even Klingons have their limits.
TONY: What's he been doing to him?
MCGEE: Mostly staring.
TONY: Maybe that's a new interrogation technique.
MCGEE: Well, it seems to be working. It's definitely creeping me out. Did you check his alibi?
TONY: Well, according to six people, Worf here was at the party when the little girl was kidnapped.
MCGEE: Well, shouldn't we tell Gibbs that?
TONY: Well, I don't know, Probie. Have you figured out how the kidnapper's car was outside of his apartment yet?
MCGEE: He could have hired somebody to kidnap her.
TONY: Or he was being framed.
MILLER: (FILTERED) I'm trying to cooperate, Agent Gibbs.
CUT TO:
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM
MILLER: Aren't you going to say anything?
CUT TO:
INT. AUTOPSY ROOM - NIGHT
(SFX: DRAWER SLIDES SHUT)
ZIVA: I screwed up, Ducky. I knew the Staff Sergeant's wife was hiding something, that she wasn't telling us the whole truth. And do you know what I did? I allowed myself to feel sorry for her. Ah! And do you know what that makes me?
DUCKY: Human.
ZIVA: A chimp!
JIMMY: I think she means chump, Doctor. You see, a chimp is an animal, Ziva, whereas a chump is someone who is easily taken advantage of or - or fooled.
DUCKY: Mister Palmer.
JIMMY: I'm not saying that you are--
DUCKY: Would you mind giving us a moment alone?
(JIMMY WALKS O.S.)
DUCKY: He means well.(DOOR CLOSES)
ZIVA: He's right.
DUCKY: You're being too hard on yourself.
ZIVA: I let Laurie Niles and her sister climb out of a bedroom window in the middle of our investigation. Perhaps they should throw me a parade, yes?
DUCKY: The question we should be asking ourselves is why, Ziva. Two thirds of all child abductions are by a biological relative.
ZIVA: She kidnapped her own child.
DUCKY: You know what they say about a mother bear and her cubs.
ZIVA: They eat them when the food runs out. I saw it in a documentary Tony forced me to watch - Grizzly Man.
DUCKY: I was referring to a mother bear's protective nature when her cubs are threatened. There's no deadlier creature on the planet.
ZIVA: I agree. They also ate the man who sh*t the footage and his girlfriend.
DUCKY: Yeah, well that's perfectly dreadful.
ZIVA: That's what I said to Tony!
DUCKY: My point is, Laurie Niles may have been trying to protect her daughter. The husband filed for separation. Another man was claiming to be the child's father.
ZIVA: She didn't want to lose or share custody of Sarah.
DUCKY: That's one possibility. What does Gibbs think?
ZIVA: Hard to tell. He's currently not talking to me.
DUCKY: Well, chin up, dear. It could be worse.
ZIVA: Hm. How?
DUCKY: He could be a bear.
ZIVA: Hm.
(DUCKY AND ZIVA CHUCKLE)
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT
MILLER: You know, we're wasting time here. Right now there's someone out there with my daughter doing God knows what.
GIBBS: Alleged.
MILLER: What?
GIBBS: Alleged daughter, Miller.
MILLER: Whether I'm her father or not, she's still Laurie's daughter. I still care about what happens to her.
GIBBS: I believe you.
MILLER: Then why are we just sitting here?
GIBBS: You're sitting. I'm waiting.
MILLER: Waiting for what?!
(SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS)
(DOOR OPENS)
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Talk to me, Abs.
ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) I've got everything for you, Gibbs.
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) On my way.
TONY: Checked Miller's alibi.
GIBBS: He didn't do it. I know.
MCGEE: You mind telling us how?
GIBBS: Spent forty minutes with him.
MCGEE: Well, all you really did was stare at him.
GIBBS: Have you ever tried reading a Klingon's face, McGee? It ain't exactly easy.
ABBY: (V.O.) I've I.D.ed our skeleton.
CUT TO:
INT. ABBY'S LAB - DAY
ABBY: Our dead John is no longer a Doe. I got a hit on him from the DMV database. Lee Varon. He's thirty-eight years old, from Fredericksburg, Virginia. No criminal record.
GIBBS: I want everything on this guy from birth until Ducky cracked his sternum.
(GIBBS HITS MCGEE AND TONY)
GIBBS: (SHOUTS) Yeah! On it, Boss!
TONY AND MCGEE: (IN UNISON) Right!
GIBBS: Not bad for a blonde.
ABBY: You know, there's no statistical evidence that say blondes have lower I.Q.s than any other hair color.
GIBBS: I'll take your word for it, Abs.
ABBY: There's more, if you're interested, Mister President. I ran some tests on the piece of burnt paper found inside the kidnapper's car. There were no finger prints, but I did find traces of chemicals.
GIBBS: Ink?
ABBY: Yes, when I applied my own special and unique brand of chemical, ran it through the laser scanner a few times, we get... this. The miracle that separates us from all other primates. Really bad penmanship.
(SFX: KEYBOARDING)
ZIVA: Miller's home address. Probably given to the kidnapper by the Staff Sergeant's wife.
GIBBS: She didn't kidnap her daughter.
ZIVA: Then where is Laurie Niles, Gibbs?
GIBBS: (OVERLAP) Last time I saw her, with you.
ZIVA: Okay, I admit I screwed that one up. But why did she run?
GIBBS: She was hiding something.
ZIVA: So you do agree with me?
GIBBS: Oh, yeah. You definitely screwed up.
(GIBBS WALKS O.S.)
ABBY: Is there something I should know?
ZIVA: I think he's planning on devouring me.
ABBY: And they say blondes have all the fun.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY
MCGEE: Our dead skeleton served in the Air Force. Received an other-than-honorable discharge in two thousand three. Did one year of community college.
TONY: He was a security guard, Boss. Worked for a law firm, Kapp and Associates, in Annandale, Virginia.
ZIVA: Laurie Niles also works for Kapp and Associates, Gibbs. She's their chief financial officer.
TONY: So she knew him.
GIBBS: Oh yeah.
ZIVA: She hired him to abduct her daughter. I mean, it's the only thing that makes sense.
GIBBS: There's another reason. They kidnapped her because they want Laurie to do something.
ZIVA: Like what?
(SFX: COMPUTER BEEP TONES)
MCGEE: Oooh. Got a hit on a BOLO here.
GIBBS: Yeah, and, McGee?
MCGEE: This is strange because I just entered it into the system. It's Varon's vehicle and it's been moving...
GIBBS: There's a cop following it?
MCGEE: No, the hits were generated electronically. It's his E-Z Pass for high speed toll lanes.
TONY: He's doing a lot of driving for a dead guy.
ZIVA: He left Woodbridge right after Laurie Niles and her sister disappeared.
TONY: Made a little run up to Manassas, not too far from Miller's apartment.
MCGEE: The last hit was five minutes ago....
ZIVA: Annandale. One exit from Kapp and Associates Law Firm.
CUT TO:
INT. LAW FIRM - DAY
ZIVA: We're in. (WHISPERS) That's from Sarah's costume. Clear!(DOOR OPENS)
TONY: Plates match our skeleton's car in the parking lot.
GIBBS: You two... find the girl.
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/GIBBS AND MCGEE MOVE ACROSS THE ROOM/ DOWN THE HALLWAY)
CUT TO:
INT. OUTER OFFICE - DAY
MCGEE: In the last office. Far room! Far room! I have visual contact... (V.O./FILTERED) on the sisters. (ON CAMERA) There's one male Caucasian, (V.O./FILTERED) approximately thirty-five years old, holding them hostage (ON CAMERA) with a semi-a*t*matic w*apon.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
GIBBS: You got a positive I.D. on the little girl?
CUT TO:
INT. OUTER OFFICE - DAY
MCGEE: That's a negative. I can only see the left side of the room, Boss.
CUT TO:
INT. LAW FIRM OFFICE - DAY
(SFX: KEYBOARDING/ BEEP TONES)
LAURA: I'm in. The insurance money is here. All three million.
JANSEN: Now all you have to do is transfer it to these accounts and we call it a day.
LAURA: I want my daughter first!
JANSEN: You'll get her once you transfer the cash. You've been smart so far, Mrs. Niles. You played along to protect your little princess. Hate to see you blow it now.
LAURA: You sh*t my husband!
JANSEN: I didn't have a choice. We were supposed to kidnap him and the girl, but he chose to fight back. Don't make the same mistake.
LAURA: How... how do I know you're not going to just k*ll us when I transfer this?
JANSEN: I'll k*ll you if you don't.
REBECCA: We've come this far, Laurie! Just do it and let's end this. Please.
LAURA: NCIS is going to figure this out.
JANSEN: I've had those Navy cops running around all night. They're clueless. Now transfer the damn money!
GIBBS: (SHOUTS) Federal Agents!
MCGEE: Drop your w*apon!(SFX: g*nf*re)
(SFX: SARAH GASPS)
REBECCA: They still have Sarah.
MCGEE: If she's in the building, we'll find her.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/ZIVA AND TONY WALK THROUGH THE HALLWAY)
TONY: (INTO RADIO) I'm clear in the hallway.
(DOOR OPENS)
ZIVA: (WHISPERS) Clear!
(DOOR OPENS)
(SFX: SARAH GASPS/MUFFLED)
CUT TO:
INT. LAW OFFICE
REBECCA: Laurie!
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE ROOM - DAY
ZIVA: Hey, we're friends with your mommy. We're here to take you home.
TONY: (INTO RADIO) We have the little girl. I repeat...
CUT TO:
INT. LAW OFFICE - DAY
TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) We have the little girl.
GIBBS: Hey, hold up! Hold up! Hold up! We've got Sarah.
MCGEE: Once we secure the building you and your sister can see her.
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/LAURA att*cks REBECCA)
LAURA: (SHOUTS) She's not my sister!! She's one of them! Told me if I didn't lie to you, they'd k*ll my baby!
GIBBS: Stop!
LAURA: All they wanted was the stupid money!
MCGEE: g*n!
LAURA: (SHOUTS) Sarah!
SARAH: Mommy!(SFX: LAURIE AND SARAH SOB B.G.)
LAURA: Oh, baby! I missed you so much! Are you okay?
GIBBS: Apparently she doesn't have a sister.
TONY: Halloween, Ziva. Be glad it only happens once a year.
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY
DUCKY: The sky is blue, the grass is green. May we have our Halloween! That's how we used to say trick-or-treat in Scotland.
SARAH: Thank you.
DUCKY: You're most welcome, your highness.
ABBY: We have a lot of desks to get to.
LAURA: You didn't have to do this.
TONY: Well, every kid deserves a happy Halloween.
SARAH: (V.O.) Trick or treat!
ZIVA: Your husband is awake and asking for you and his daughter.
MCGEE: There's a car waiting for you when you're ready.
LAURA: Please let Agent Gibbs know how much I appreciate him keeping his word. And that I'm sorry I lied to him. I was... I was just trying to protect.
TONY: Trust me. He knows.
SARAH: Look at this! (GIGGLES)
(INTERCUT FLASHBACK SCENE OF GIBBS' DAUGHTER TRICK OR TREATING)
(DAUGHTER'S VOICE: "Daddy! Daddy, I got more candy!")
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
(MUSIC UP OVER ENDING CREDITS AND OUT)