05x15 - In The Zone

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "NCIS". Aired: September 2003 to present.*
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The cases of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
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05x15 - In The Zone

Post by bunniefuu »

Your sh*t, captain, let's go!

Ball out, ball out!

Whatcha got, captain?

Hit me!

When you woke up!

I'll wager you, boy.

Let the man sue!

This is what I call... the half-court martial.

No!

No way!

Come on! Let's go, guys!

Hey!

Incoming!

Damned green zone.

You OK?

Yeah. This should've remained the free fire zone.

Where's the captain?

Captain!

Captain!

No.

Get a corpsman!

Corpsman!

Damn.

For the one you got me last week.

Ah, thank you.

That is quite a kiss, McGee.

Not bad for a wallpaper, huh?

Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself.

I have never seen a tongue quite so... long.

McGee has a long tongue?

No, but the cutie-pie he's kissing does.

McGee's kissing a girl?

You can't see it, Tony.

Why not?

This is McGee's private photograph, and if he does not want you to see it here, then you have to respect his wishes, or...

... see it elsewhere.

Hey!

McRomeo, you should save that stuff for the bedroom.

You're just jealous.

Jealous? I don't think so.

What you're doing there could be illegal in some states.

Or should be.

I think I... need to wash.

Boss, you gotta check this out.

No, I don't.

Yeah? Gibbs.

Jethro, I've something you should see...

Be right down.

Least you don't have to pay alimony, McGee.

Ah, meet Marine Corps Captain, John Rankin.

Poor fellow traveled further than most of our guests to be here.

From?

Baghdad.

The captain was caught in a mortar att*ck.

Dangerous place.

You know, I was almost k*lled by a mortar once.

I was attending the demonstration of a new type of 4.2 shell to senior m*llitary officials. Lots of medals and fancy caps.

Damn thing misfired.

Fortunately, my services were not required.

But I digress.

Uh, SecNav's office called.

It seems strings were pulled to get Captain Rankin to me rather than to one of the Armed Forces' medical examiners.

Because...?

Because, Jethro, even in w*r, death can be deceptive.

What do you see there?

Multiple shrapnel wounds.

Yes, but in this case, all of these wounds were made by a single projectile.

The captain was likely bent over, perhaps ducking for cover as the round landed.

It pierced his left side, nicked his small intestine, tore through his abdomen and lodged in his right thigh.

Didn't call me for that.

No, not that, Jethro...

For this.

Captain Rankin didn't die from the mortar att*ck.

The poor fellow was sh*t.

Oh, what happened, McGee, no pictures of your girlfriend?

My dog's name is Jethro, Tony.

Jethro - it's a boy, not a girl.

Oh, hey, whatever your preference.

Pictures of your boyfriend, then.

That's very funny.

Fix it.

Um...

You're barking up the wrong tree.

Is that how you want to play this? 'Cause I can play it that way.

Huh? Ah...

DiNozzo!

Boss, it's a new computer... top secret, super spy software called Guard Dog.

Come on, McGee, tell me you got something better for me than that.

Absolutely, I do, boss. Baghdad.

Area inside the green lines is the International Zone, or I.Z.

Used to be called the "Green Zone".

Central Baghdad.

Many of S*ddam's palaces are there.

I stayed in one of those palaces after Baghdad was liberated.

Me, too. Before... Baghdad was liberated.

Got a m*rder*d marine downstairs.

Considered the safest place in Baghdad.

But you all know that because you've already been to Baghdad.

This is where Captain Rankin was k*lled playing basketball.

It's deep inside the I.Z.

Mortar rounds, fired just before Rankin was sh*t, came from around here.

sh*t during a mortar att*ck.

Coincidence?

No such thing.

Someone went to a lot of trouble to set that up.

Made it look like a t*rror1st att*ck.

OK. Motive.

Rankin was a real estate investor, worth millions by the time he was 30. Had it all - fancy car, house on the vineyard Trophy wife?

It was the wife who pulled strings to get Ducky to do the autopsy.

How's a guy like that end up in Iraq?

Reserve officer, he was called up.

Those guys can make enemies fast. Start throwing their weight around, trying to get respect from enlisted men.

He wasn't like that.

And you are...?

The trophy wife.

You don't have to say it.

I know he was m*rder*d. Known all along.

Get too rich too fast, you make enemies.

Anyone in particular?

Maybe.

You got a name?

Kelvin Ridgeway.

How'd your husband know him?

Through friends.

We ended up buying a piece of land together.

Cloverfield.

We put in half the down payment, got half of the equity.

That's a good deal.

Not if it cost John his life Agreement was being finalized when John got sent to Iraq.

The paperwork followed him. He signed the contract, but then, at the last second, decided not to send it back.

Something change his mind?

My husband used to get these, um... gut feelings.

You ever have one of those?

Yeah, once or twice.

The last time we spoke... he told me he had one.

About?

Kelvin Ridgeway.

How well did you know Captain Rankin, Major Varnai?

As well as I know any man in my unit, sir.

What kind of officer was he?

A good one.

That your opinion or somebody else?

Everybody liked him, he was popular with his men. That kind of guy.

"That kind of guy" had a b*llet in his back.

You know how hard it is to get into the Zone these days?

IDs, photos, fingerprints, biometrics.

What you're saying is you've got a sh**t with a security clearance.

You have an insurgency problem in the Zone, Major Varnai?

If that sn*per picks off more of our men, I guess we do.

If not, it sounds like Captain Rankin is the only one with the problem.

A marine was m*rder*d on your watch.

And I've lost two more since then.

Blown away by roadside bombs.

That's part of our reality out here, sir.

Doesn't mean I like it.

Thank you for your time, major.

You want me to brief the in-country RAC?

No.

Marine gets m*rder*d serving his country, he deserves a thorough investigation.

And he'll get one, but the SecNav wants us handling this case.

Who do you think I should send?

I think they're going to send one of us to Iraq.

Why would you want to go to Baghdad? You're gonna get bombed and sh*t at.

Everyone has gone except for me.

I've never been.

By everyone, I mean Tony and-and Ziva, and Gibbs.

Gibbs must have gone to Iraq dozens of times.

I just want to go once.

To earn your stripes?

Yeah, to prove myself.

To die?

I'm not gonna die in Baghdad.

Thing is, though - before I go, they have to choose me.

So why don't you just go talk to the director?

Or, our acting director.

Assistant director.

Right. Leon.

I can't.

Tony says if I really wanna go then I shouldn't volunteer.

But if he says I shouldn't volunteer, then he thinks I will volunteer, which means, that if I really wanna go, I shouldn't volunteer.

That's... good, Timmy.

It sounds like you're... not doing exactly what you shouldn't.

Nikki.

Ziva.

What do you have there?

It's nothing.

"Five reasons why I should be picked to go to Iraq."

Ah, you've heard the rumors, too.

You do know that Iraq is a w*r zone?

Nikki, it is dirty there.

Sanitation is very poor. And diseases - have you ever heard ofleishmaniasis?

It begins with a large oozing sore, often in the face.

And then it just...

Oh, I have photos. I can show you.

No!

Thank you for your concern, but I still... really wanna go.

In that case, I hope you can handle competition... a lot better... than you can handle... handles.

What can I tell you that you don't already know?

I had the inside scoop, Rankin had the money.

We were all gonna be rich.

Rankin was already rich.

Yeah, but you can never be too rich. Or thin.

It's a cliché, but I'm right. Am I right?

Thank you, sweetie pants.

You're welcome, Mr. Ridgeway.

I heard he wasn't very happy at the end.

Ah, he's just one of those... glass half-empty kind of guys, you know what I mean?

He questioned every little stupid detail.

You sound pissed.

Men have been m*rder*d for less.

Yes men have, but I'm not an ordinary man.

At least, that's what I've been told, you know what I'm sayin'?

His wife said that he didn't like you very much.

Ah, so what, who cares? I care much more what she thinks of me than my... business partner.

I hope you don't care too much.

I mean, you know how we talk to women, right? Agent... What is it?

Gibbs.

Right, I mean, you know, we just didn't see eye to eye, you know? He'd always complain to his wife about me, and I complained to my girlfriend about him.

Like I would assume you complain to your wife about this one.

Her?

Oh, no. I wouldn't mess with her.

Yeah? Why would he say that?

McGee.

You're looking very guilty over there.

You didn't do that thing I told you not to do, did you?

Why would I do that? Did you do that?

Gibbs back yet?

Uh, well, just arrived, sir.

Assistant Director, I was wondering if I could talk to you...

About?

Iraq.

If anyone is going to go to Iraq, I really believe it should be me.

It is my area of expertise. I have a lot of contacts there.

As do I.

My contacts are still breathing As are...

...most of mine. Plus, I speak Arabic fluently.

I speak Arabic and Kurdish.

I am not afraid to get my hands dirty.

I told you.

I'm glad you both're so eager to take on, what will no doubt be, a very difficult mission.

I want a thorough investigation and a quick resolution.

McGee?

Yes, sir.

Disappointed. You're the only one who didn't volunteer.

Missions like this give an agent an opportunity to prove themself.

But, uh, Tony. He didn't volunteer either.

He spoke to me earlier.

Nozzo, pack your bags.

Thank you, sir.

David. Sending an Israeli to Baghdad... I don't think so.

DiNozzo! Make sure Agent Jardine gets back in one piece.

You got it, sir.

The plane to Baghdad takes off in less than two hours. Get moving.

World clocks.

Wouldn't be checking the time in Iraq, would you?

Don't know what you're talking about.

Iraq's not so great.

I mean, the whole trip is probably a big waste of time.

The m*rder*r's probably here.

Awfully long g*n barrel if that is true.

Captain Rankin's wife thinks it has something to do with that land deal.

So she says.

Think she did it?

She is the one that called us.

Well, it would not be the first time a m*rder*r tried to throw us up that way.

Off, throw us off.

Exactly. However, Kelvin Ridgeway is guilty of more than just being a pig.

Of that, I am sure.

You know what? I checked Captain Rankin's phone records from Iraq.

In the two days before he was k*lled, he called three people: his wife, Dina; his partner, Kelvin Ridgeway and this guy... George Stenner.

He owns a small company called Land Test Labs.

They do soil testing.

Rankin called Stenner three times the day he was k*lled.

Gibbs is definitely gonna wannna talk to him.

By the way, it's been 45 minutes.

Excuse me?

Since Nikki and Tony arrived in Baghdad.

Which would place them at...

Their hotel.

This is it.

Well, welcome to the Baghdad Hilton.

Overflow accommodations. Best we can offer.

Unpack, get comfortable!

Wouldn't get too comfortable.

Ah, yeah.

It's just like home.

If you live in an airport.

You got a problem, Jardine?

I just... thought I'd have a little more... privacy.

Ugh.

Where do you think you're going?

Just got off a transatlantic flight.

Need a shower.

Yeah, well, crime scenes don't wait.

Showers do. Besides... not even I would shower in that.

It's going to be a long week.

Squared away?

Yeah. Ready to roll.

You're not gonna need all that stuff, Jardine, this is the I.Z.

35 mortars were fired into the International Zone on a single day last July. Dozens more in the year since.

You do what you want. I'll wear the helmet.

Why the hell are you here? Really.

Because it's going to look really good on my resume.

That's not why she's here.

Lock it up.

Roger that, major.

The court where it happened. Sergeant Jim Gilroy.

The other guy's a contract worker, Allan Hayes.

They were both with Captain Rankin when he got hit.

Knock yourselves out.

Charming. He knows how to make you feel welcome.

Well, it's stressful out here. May be a coping mechanism, you know?

Shutting off his emotions to get the job done.

Good morning, Baghdad.

Agent DiNozzo, NCIS.

You two were playing basketball with Captain Rankin when he was k*lled.

Major says he was sh*t, sir. That true?

That depends. Did you hear a sh*t?

All I heard were the mortars, sir.

Good officer?

Yes, sir. Proud to serve with him.

You two notice anything out of the ordinary that day?

No, sir. We were just playing ball, heard the incoming and hit the ground.

I was right next to him.

Anyone have a grudge against Captain Rankin?

No, sir. Very well liked.

Good Marine officer.

Yeah, you keep saying that.

How about you?

I didn't know him so well.

Not enlisted. We've been playin' a pickup game here for a couple weeks.

Guy seemed cool. He was a pretty good sh**t.

Where was he when he was k*lled?

Free throw line.

Which way was he facing?

The hoop.

That would make sense. All right.

Hit the lower back on the left side.

Right out in the open.

The b*llet was fired from a height. Could be anyone of those.

What's that over there, major?

Believe that's a hotel.

And next to it?

Family residence, maybe.

All right, thank you guys very much.

Sorry.

No problem.

So tell me about the mortar att*ck.

Found the launcher.

Plastic tubes, welded frame. 60 millimeter. Small stuff.

Not as deadly as some.

And the guy behind it?

Local Haji. Insurgent.

You caught him?

Not quick enough.

Tribal militia got to him first.

Are they on our side?

They're controlled by a local sheikh.

Think, uh, neighborhood watch with AK-47s.

I need to talk to him.

Know any good mediums?

Convenient. The one guy who can tell us who k*lled Rankin is six feet under.

Four feet around here.

No need Mr. Stenner, sit down.

I don't understand. I mean, um, can you tell me why I am...?

Are you nervous?

No.

Yeah. I mean, yeah, a little.

Can I go to the bathroom...?

In a minute.

Okay.

So...

Why did John Rankin call you last Monday, day before he was k*lled?

He's dead?

I mean, I know that already, I just can't believe...

Answer?

Um, he had this piece of land...

Cloverfield.

Yeah. That, that... Yeah.

So, uh, a few weeks ago he called me to do some soil testing on it, and-and he didn't want anyone to know about it.

What'd you find?

Uh, that the land was contaminated.

Heavy metals, mostly, uh, lead, other things that are harmful to people.

Children especially.

What'd Rankin say?

Um, he said that he was gonna tear up the contract.

You know, he seemed really, really angry with his business partner.

Who else saw the report?

No one. No, it was secret.

I only made, uh, one copy, and I sent it to him in-in-in Iraq.

I need a copy.

No problem. I'll e-mail it right over.

Now, can I just, please, go to the bathroom really...?

No.

Okay.

I'm kidding. You can go.

Thanks.

Bang! The sh*t came from here.

Jardine! Up here.

Shell casing.

Ah... yeah. 7.62, it's not one of ours.

I need to know who had access to this room.

I don't have a terp here.

"Terp"?

Is that Varnai speak for "interpreter"?

In which case, Jardine, would you ask our friend here who had access to this room?

She says the man who lived here d*ed. His brother, Ali Mahmoud, is the only other person with a key.

Can she get him for us?

She says Ali hasn't shown up here since the mortar att*ck.

Hmm, big surprise.

But she does know where he lives.

It's all here, boss, just like Stenner said.

Heavy contaminations of lead, cadmium and zinc in the soil.

Reason enough for Rankin to want out of the deal?

Think Ridgeway knew and was trying to get Rankin to sign the deal before he found out?

I'll, uh, check on Ridgeway's phone records, see who he's been calling.

First squad, forward security. Second squad, rear security.

You stay close, do as I say.

Don't worry, I will.

Open door left! Open door right!

What is she saying? Where is he?

She keeps saying we're too late.

Too late for what?

Several hooded men b*at Ali.

They took him away in handcuffs last night.

Who was it - the police?

No, she doesn't think so.

Let me guess - more good news?

She thinks they're gonna execute him.

Great.

That's it. Come on!

Yes, yes.

That's it. Yeah! Yeah!

Yes! Yeah!

That's it! Amazing!

Oh! Oh!

That's amazing.

Nice.

Off goes my little e-mail chickadee to Abby.

Ah... three bars.

That's pretty good.

Eh, five?

I only almost touched you.

There was no...

You know, for someone who hates germs so much, you're really quite a slob.

One has nothing to do with the other.

You're right.

Well, since we're on the subject of things that make absolutely no sense at all, you wanna... tell me the truth?

Maybe we could, uh, find out... why you're here.

I told you!

The Middle East is my area of expertise.

I'm here because it's professionally advantageous.

Is that why you were making a phone call in Arabic on the basketball court?

Because it was professionally advantageous?

Wow.

Never thought it was possible to hurt yourself with a wet wipe.

I have a brother.

He's a Marine.

He was here in Baghdad two years ago.

He was wounded.

Oh.

I just wanted to see where it happened.

We're very close and... I just need to experience what he...

All right, here we go.
Tony, is that really you?

Move back so we can see your face.

Hi.

Hi, good-looking.

I missed you! Is Neat Nut Nikki driving you crazy?

Uh, actually, she's right here, and she's not as neat as you think.

Hey.

Sorry, Nikki.

I don't really think that you're a nut, just, you know, that you're neat.

Not neat like cool, but neat like, you know, neat. Not that you're not cool.

You're just...

It's okay.

I didn't know you guys were sharing a room.

They're sharing a room?

We're not exactly sharing a room.

Either they're sharing a room or they're not sharing a room.

I don't see what is so exact or not exact about it.

Abs, did you get my scan of the b*llet casing?

Oh, done and done.

I ran it through the Central Command database.

You know that they fingerprint pretty much everybody that works or lives at the I.Z.

Let me guess... it's a fingerprint that belongs to Ali Mahmoud.

That's him! He's an Iraqi national and he is working in the I.Z. as a maintenance guy.

He's 25 years old. Part of the Al Shammar tribe.

That's one of the most prominent tribes in Iraq.

No criminal convictions, but his brother was k*lled in crossfire about a month ago. Rankin's squad was involved...

Ali may have snapped and k*lled Rankin.

So... you got any leads on Ali's whereabouts?

Tony, you're in the same city as him. We're ten time zones away.

Why were you sent to Iraq again?

Good question.

Well, let us know.

And put my k*ll Bill mug back on my desk, McGee.

Major, a man in your unit was m*rder*d.

Is there a reason you don't want to find out who did it?

Sure I do.

I'd also like the w*r to end, the electricity to work and for all the tribes to get along.

One of my contacts - his family is part of the Al Shammar tribe.

Same tribe as Ali. It's a long sh*t, but...

The Iraqi are so close, one of them stubs a toe in the shower, by the time he's dry five of his cousins are at his front door to ask if he's okay.

She's messy.

Obsessively.

Found him. My contact knows one of the men who abducted him.

He said it's the talk of the neighborhood.

Need an address.

He said he can take us there.

Hold up. No one's driving into the party zone at this time of night.

The trail's gonna go cold.

The trail, Agent DiNozzo, is filled with roadside bombs and sn*pers who just love to pick off vacationing warriors like yourself in the dark of the night.

And while I wouldn't mind sacrificing you to them, I have a family I'd like to return to... eventually.

Pick you up at first light Anything yet?

Yeah, I got Kelvin Ridgeway's phone records.

Ugh.

Like anyone would wanna talk to that man.

Well, apparently Captain Rankin did.

Remember he called Ridgeway twice the day before he d*ed.

If Rankin told him he was pulling out of the deal...

Gives Ridgeway time to organize the hit.

Now if Tony and Nikki could just find our trigger man in Iraq...

All we will have to do is confirm who hired him.

Get me Ridgeway.

Marines call this "Fool's Crossing."

Insurgents like to stop our troops with IDF or an IDE, finish the job off with SAF.

They set off a roadside b*mb, when you stop your convoy, they sh**t at you.

Finish the job.

What the hell...

Jardine, where are you going?

Dismount and secure the area. Hey! Go, go, go!

Jardine!

Agent Jardine!

Jardine! Jardine!

Jardine, get down!

He's hit!

Nikki! What are you doing?

Hey!

Wait!

Jameel.

It is good to meet you finally.

Come, meet my friends.

Tony, Major Varnai, This is my contact, Jameel Al-Farhad.

Peace to you.

And to you.

A word.

You do not break protocol. You put everyone in danger.

What's going on here? What is really going on?

I told you...

No, the truth!

This is where it happened, okay?

This is where my brother was sh*t.

And your contact here?

He and his family saw it happen.

And that's it?

No.

We're here because he's going to help us find Ali.

Jameel, your English is very good.

I learn in school.

I also teach my sister.

Hi.

They don't teach English to the girls?

She doesn't go to school anymore.

Not since my father's dies.

I help her little bit, I can.

Let's go. We're Oscar Mike.

Come on.

Does anybody wanna tell me what I'm doing here?

Sure.

We know about the soil tests Captain Rankin had done on Cloverfield.

Heavy metals.

Cadmium, lead, trace elements of zinc...

I don't know what you're talking about.

You knew Cloverfield was contaminated, Mr. Ridgeway.

You knew that Rankin wouldn't be part of your deal if he found out.

Must've really irked you to hear that he had done his own soil tests.

So what? What is it that you think that I did?

Had Captain Rankin k*lled.

Hmm, yes, nice speculation.

Got a motive. He was about to mess up your deal.

Okay, when you find the guy in Iraq who pulled the trigger, he's gonna tell you the same thing - I had nothing to do with it.

Got agents on their way there right now to talk to the sh**t as we speak.

You don't mind waiting, do you?

Come to Baghdad 'cause you wanna see a show?

You're about to get one.

I'm guessing he's not complimenting my vest.

He seems to know your mother... very intimately.

Ali?

He says we can go in.

Wakey, wakey, sunshine.

Yeah. Gibbs.

We got a problem, boss.

Our suspect's not about talk...

His tongue's been cut out.

The guard said he hasn't checked on Ali since last night.

Yeah? You believe him?

Jameel does.

You don't know this Jameel very well, do you?

I know he's a good kid.

You think he's a good kid.

And I think the guard is telling the truth.

He says he brought Ali dinner, then later heard him yelling and crying, but didn't come in to check.

I'd be yelling and crying too if my tongue was being cut out.

These tribal guys don't mess around.

Tribal? I don't think so.

Tongue cut out. They didn't want him to talk. It's a sign.

But not one that this tribe uses.

The tongue thing tells me that the person who k*lled Ali doesn't know much about tribal culture... didn't think we would either.

You mean someone like the major?

He knew where Ali was being held. Heard you say it on the phone last night.

You really think he might have...

If we could establish the time of death, it might help us find out.

Right, Tony. You take two temperatures: the room where the body lies and the body itself.

Comparing the two will give you the time you want.

First should be easy, the second only slightly more complicated.

What are my choices?

Well, you're gonna need a thermometer.

Got one.

Good, and you'll need a sharp Kn*fe of some sort.

Got one of those, too. What do I need a sharp Kn*fe for?

So you can cut into the body, dear boy.

Ready to go?

Excuse me, Ducky.

Major Varnai, this is a crime scene.

This is Baghdad, Agent DiNozzo.

The whole place is a crime scene.

"A Few Good Men"

What?

Jack Nicholson. I knew he reminded me of someone.

Ducky, I'm going to have to call you back. There's someone I need to talk to.

Ducky, wait.

Tony, I can do it.

Germs?

Gloves.

Good luck with that.

Nikki, are you there?

I'm ready, Ducky.

You never liked Captain Rankin, did you, major?

You prefer tough guys. He was a reserve officer, too soft.

They don't know what they're doing out here, guys like that.

Put the rest of you in danger, huh?

Like you've been doing, Agent DiNozzo?

You didn't want us to come here today. You tried to keep us from finding Ali, and you certainly didn't seem surprised to find him dead.

Told you it's a violent culture.

Yeah, maybe it is.

Or maybe, last night, when you heard where he was being held, you came out here.

You acted like you don't understand Arabic, but you do.

You had the time, major, and the access.

Semper fi, Agent DiNozzo.

Words to live and die by out here.

I wouldn't k*ll a fellow marine.

Even if you didn't think he was a "real" Marine?

Your feelings, not mine.

Some of my best men are reservists.

Tony.

Is this something I need to hear now?

Yeah, um, the body, Ali, was k*lled four hours ago.

Yeah?

Well, um, Major Varnai has been with us all morning.

This four hour thing, you're sure about that?

Yes.

Really, really sure?

Yes.

Yeah.

Sorry about that, just doing my job.

I hate it when that happens.

Awkward moments.

You, uh, you all right?

It's just... so oppressive in there.

The smell of death.

No, it's that awful chemical smell.

Chemicals?

Turpentine. I'm hypersensitive.

I usually only have this problem in new buildings.

Construction workers use it all the time.

Construction?

Have you reacted since we've been here?

Happened yesterday on the basketball court when you were talking to those witnesses.

Wasn't one of them a construction worker?

McGee.

Hey, I need to talk to the big man.

Tony, hold on. Let me put you on speaker.

I need a background check: U.S. citizen, Alan Hayes.

He works here in Baghdad.

What do you got on him, Tony?

Bad smell, boss. Nikki picked up his scent at the crime scene.

Alan Michael Hayes, 27 years old, has a police record: petty thefts, one aggravated as*ault.

Working for a construction company in Baghdad.

He was with Rankin when he was k*lled.

Come on, DiNozzo, you gotta give me more than that.

Not done yet here, boss. Got a link to the Iraqi database.

Alan Hayes under investigation.

Suspected of paying bribes to a number of Iraqi nationals in the IZ, including none other than Ali Mahmoud.

It wasn't a bribe. It was a hit fee. DiNozzo, get me Hayes.

Got it.

It's too late, boss.

Hayes got on a flight out of Iraq two hours ago. Arrives in DC at 18.00.

You and Jardine are on the first flight back. Move it.

On our way.

Let's get the hell out of here.

Need to find out if Hayes acted alone.

Ridgeway's phone records.

In the weeks prior to Rankin's death, Ridgeway called George Stenner six times.

Now, Ridgeway said that he didn't know about Stenner or the soil tests.

Captain Rankin's personal effects.

Get me the Cloverfield file.

Ready?

Yeah, just about.

So, major, when are you heading home?

Five months, 16 days, two hours.

Ready.

Good.

Except for a small favor, just a little detour.

You do remember Major Varnai telling us this is one of the most dangerous areas in Baghdad?

'Cause remember it as if it was this morning.

Oh, wait a second. It was this morning.

Which makes me wonder... Why are we here now?

Hey! Oh, no, no, no. You don't get out of the vehicle.

These guys freak when you do that.

When Eric was sh*t, he almost d*ed.

A local man ran out, started giving him CPR.

More Marines arrived, they saw Eric down, saw an Iraqi standing over him.

They thought he was an insurgent and...

That was Jameel's father.

There is no way I can repay the family.

But I can at least make it a little easier for one of them to communicate with the outside world.

Perimeter.

Dismount and secure the area!

Jameel.

Salaam...

Tabina!

Boss, got the Cloverfield file from Rankin's effects.

The, uh, contract he signed is missing.

Ridgeway was desperate to get a signed contract back.

He must have paid Hayes to k*ll Rankin then steal it.

Hayes probably has it.

McGee.

Stenner's report on the soil test.

Ziva.

Same report Stenner gave us. Heavy metal contaminations.

It appears Rankin did his own research.

Title searches from the 1920s.

Looks like there used to be a ceramics factory on the site.

Ceramics means lead.

So why would Rankin do his own research after he got Stenner's report?

Gut feeling.

You got a gut feeling, boss?

Oh, yeah, but Captain Rankin did, too.

Ziva, find Stenner.

McGee, let's go.

Thanks. Hayes just cleared Customs.

Think Ridgeway will meet him here to pick up the contract?

What makes you think that Ridgeway did it, McGee?

There he is.

Hold on. Hold on.

Let's go.

Hello, Mr. Stenner.

This is not what you think.

Who are these guys?

Guessing you two have met before?

Yeah.

Years ago. We worked for the same construction company.

Is that a crime?

No, no. m*rder is.

There's different results here in your report, Stenner.

No mention of the Cloverfield contamination.

You switched the report after you k*lled Captain Rankin.

I didn't k*ll Rankin.

No, you paid Ali Mahmoud to do it.

And then you k*lled him.

This was all his idea.

I needed the money, okay? I-I-I showed Ridgeway my findings, and he wanted Rankin to sign the contract, so he paid me to doctor the report.

Rankin did his own research. When he challenged your findings, you contacted your old buddy Hayes here in Iraq, who arranged the mortar att*ck as cover.

Hayes paid Ali to sh**t Rankin, then you silenced Ali and swapped the reports.

Rankin was gonna investigate me.

Would have lost my business, ruined my life!

Just did that yourself.

Welcome back.

Thank you.

How's he been?

Hey, Eric.

So, I met Jameel.

He has a sister.

She is so sweet.

They were so proud when I told them that you were doing okay.

Oh, I got this amazing CD.

You're gonna love it.

Reminds me of the time, that weekend that Mom and Dad took us camping.

Remember?

# I've got dreams

# Dreams to remember

# Many, many dreams


Remember?

# Hard dreams and bad dreams

# To remember

# Bad dreams

# Sweet dreams

# Hard dreams

# Lovely dreams
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