Previously on NCIS...
It's a list.
Of what?
Every Navy warship that contains the faulty wiring.
Who's behind the t*rror1st att*ck?
His name's Harper Dearing.
Why would a corporate executive be terrorizing U.S. Navy vessels?
I was able to confirm that this is, in fact, a Watcher fleet microchip.
How'd he get one?
He has bought it.
Dearing had a son in the Navy.
Just got off the phone with Director Vance's security detail.
He insisted on driving home by himself.
He's disappeared, Boss.
They have no idea where he is.
I hate to do it, but I'm gonna go through his luggage.
You've never been bashful about going through people's belongings.
Yeah... but this is Director Vance's stuff.
Do I really wanna know if he's a boxer or briefs guy?
You want me to?
No, I got it covered, McCurious.
No, I know this area.
This isn't part of his usual route home.
We're not even close to his house.
We got anything?
Director left his cell phone in the car, Boss.
Mrs. Vance called a couple of times wondering where he is.
Any prints?
Totally clean.
Wallace, what the hell happened?
Well, we landed at Andrews at 22:30.
I thought we should drive the Director home, but he wanted to get his SUV at the Navy Yard.
How was he when you left him?
He was tired, but fine.
We all were. It was a long flight.
I was at home at about 0100 when I got a call from Mrs. Vance.
She was worried.
Wallace, go home.
Go on. Get some rest.
No blood or signs of a struggle.
I'll call SECNAV.
Get the Director's family into a hotel, start a perimeter search, BOLOs, FBI, police.
On it, Boss.
Where are you, Leon?
NCIS Season 9 Episode 24 Till Death Do Us Part& Kujathemas.
Nothing yet, Mr. Secretary. We're still trying to reconstruct Director Vance's movements last night.
Sir, as soon as we know anything, I'll get back to you.
We've reviewed the parking lot security tapes.
The Director went straight to his SUV, never entered the building.
He exited the Navy Yard through the Sixth Street gate at 23:30.
Check the GPS in Vance's car.
See if you can pick up any stops he made, or his route.
Already on it.
Also, we've got calls out to Homeland Security and Metro PD for their street cams, too.
Oh, sorry, Agent McGee.
Are you just visiting or do you already know something I don't?
I can do without the sarcasm, thank you.
I heard what happened.
Leon's a friend. I just... I'm here to offer whatever assistance I can.
Thanks. Appreciate it.
Gibbs, it's Leon.
I remember leaving the Navy Yard, I was almost home.
Somebody flagged me down. They said they were having car trouble.
You get a description?
There were three of them.
I woke up here and...
I found a groundskeeper.
That's all I remember, Medic said it was a tranquilizer.
I think some form of Kolokol.
You're demonstrating the side effects, Leon.
If Dearing's involved, he didn't do this alone.
Yeah, his pockets are deep.
Dearing's got the resources.
Boss, land belongs to the Whitting family.
It's old-money Virginia.
The cadaver in the box next to the Director was Navy Lieutenant Derek Whitting, laid to rest here in the family mausoleum.
There a connection?
He was k*lled ten years ago on the same ship, the USS Brandywine, as Dearing's son Evan.
It's like opening a can of rancid tuna.
I'd prefer rancid tuna.
Careful, gentlemen, careful.
Who knew I'd get so accustomed to the smell of rotting flesh?
May I remind you all that is the intention of a sarcophagus to seal in the soul.
Jethro, take a look at this.
Find something, Doc?
This is what smells.
It was tucked inside the mummified remains.
Well, that is not human.
It's a partial jawbone of a member of the equine family.
What the hell is Dearing trying to tell us?
That's biblical. Samson, Judges 15.
"And he finds a new jawbone of an ass, put forth his hand, slew a thousand men."
I don't care how much death we see every day, Doctor, Director Vance waking up in a casket is just plain creepy.
Creepier still is using Whitting's remains to deliver a message.
He doesn't seem to have left us anything else to find.
Here.
I heard that Whitting and Dearing's son were k*lled aboard the same ship?
Yes, a senseless act of terrorism against the USS Brandywine.
This time, it was a defective section of steel in the hull that was exploited by those responsible.
Of course, the Navy planned to repair it, but it was never considered a danger, only a vulnerability.
Six dead and 22 injured on that fateful day.
So, out of the six, why use Lieutenant Whitting?
First to go, Palmer.
Whitting was on the same deck where the b*mb hit.
That would certainly provide a certain psychological relevance.
If Whitting was indeed the first to suffer in the expl*si*n, perhaps Dearing is now pointing a finger at who might suffer next.
Why?
It's not like we were responsible for what happened on the Brandywine.
Not directly.
Is it me, or are the chances of us getting to Palmer's wedding looking pretty slim shady.
Jimmy will be devastated if we're not there.
No, no, no, Jimmy does know what we're up against right now.
You got anything on Dearing's location?
Nothing yet. All previous cell phones have been disconnected.
BOLOs are out across the board.
And all the private airports are covered.
I need you to an old case file from 12 years ago.
On it, Boss. Details?
Three young sailors played a practical joke on some officers.
They violated federal law.
Didn't go over well with the brass.
The case agent was Blake Larson.
Retired Special Agent Larson.
And you think this has something to do with what is happening now?
Find it.
Doc, let's talk about Dearing's son.
You Parker?
Nice to meet you, Parker.
So, how much do you like my mom?
I like her.
On a scale of one to ten.
You can round up, if you want.
I don't do numbers.
Right. Mr. Tactile.
You know, I heard about that.
The wood stuff, in your basement.
So I got the closest thing they had to healthy.
You're here, and you met.
Great.
We need to talk.
You can talk.
Parker probably has a higher security clearance than you do.
Parker, drink.
What's up?
Evan Dearing.
Yeah, I gave you his file.
Yeah, I need more.
More...?
More, Doc.
More what, personal information?
Education, sexual preferences?
More. All of it, Doc.
In case you haven't noticed, I kind of get a big kick out of the why?
Dearing has been digging up Navy weaknesses.
Hitting us where it hurts.
I think it's time we return the favor.
You wanted to see me, Abby?
This is an as*ault, Ziva.
It's an as*ault on everything that's good in the world.
Everyone is upset by what Harper Dearing has done.
I wasn't talking about that. I mean, that is terrible, and we have to stop this maniac before any more Navy men and women are lost.
But now, right before Jimmy's wedding?
I know it sounds selfish at a time like this, but I was just really looking forward to happy time for our little family.
Abby! Enough! Work!
So we know it's a jawbone of a horse, right?
So I did measurements and extracted DNA from the marrow, and I came up with these two four-legged beauties.
It's a close match to a thoroughbred Morgan or an Anglo-Arabian.
Both are very common in racing circles.
So we need to check breeders and race tracks.
And veterinarians.
If we found out where the horse came from, we could find Dearing.
Hopefully.
All right, go, Ziva. Shoo.
We have a plane to catch.
I am holding out hope for a piece of wedding cake.
All right, got it.
Nice.
Illegal wire case from 2000.
The case agent was Special Agent Blake Larson.
Retired the year after I started.
Gibbs was a participating agent.
Involved a steamy liaison between a male and female officer.
Someone videotaped them making it a felony.
Then played it for the whole crew to see.
There's no hard copy of that, is there?
I think we should probably try and find that on the Internet.
No. Thankfully, this was before YouTube or Facebook.
A couple of co-conspirators flipped on the sailor responsible for capturing the moment.
Cecil B. was discharged.
Doesn't say here what happened to the others.
Reassigned.
Does your file got any names?
Someone had some pull. Names were legally expunged.
But Gibbs kept good records.
Seamen Jeffrey DeRosa and...
Evan Dearing.
So, after the investigation, Dearing's son was reassigned to the USS Brandywine.
Harper Dearing made sure his son's record wasn't tarnished.
He was a concerned father.
Yeah. Navy... seemed to be willing to forget. Gibbs didn't.
Nah, just took me awhile.
So you think that his father is targeting NCIS in retaliation for the son being reassigned to that destroyer?
That's our supposition.
What we think.
Special Agent Larson's retired now.
When he's not playing the ponies, he's raising them.
He lives on a horse farm in Harwood, Maryland.
Horses.
I'm detecting a theme.
Gibbs, talk to Larson.
Tell him what's happening.
He might remember something about Dearing that could give us the upper hand.
Beautiful.
I understand retiring here.
Ah, yes. Manure and a government pension.
What more could a girl ask for?
It saddens me you cannot appreciate the simpler things in life.
I appreciate simple.
When I retire, it will be to a simple tropical island with simple topless women fanning me with simple banana leaves until the day I die.
Kind of predictable, isn't it, Tony?
There's something nice about predictable.
Something wrong, Boss?
Larson!
Are you home?
Larson wasn't even an agent anymore.
You're always an Agent, DiNozzo.
Could have blown any time. How did Dearing know we were here?
Boss, we found something.
We were searching the perimeter. Located it over there.
You check it out, it's not rigged?
Ziva already did.
He was watching us, Gibbs.
Something wrong, Boss?
Saw the whole thing.
Hello, Agent Gibbs.
Some people need to learn from their mistakes.
Others don't deserve the opportunity... like former Agent Larson there.
The t*rror1st att*ck that k*lled my son, Evan, did not need to happen.
These recent att*cks, the vulnerabilities that I have pointed out, they needed to be disclosed.
In sacrificing a few, I have saved thousands of lives.
And now it's time to stop pointing out flaws.
Now... it's about something else entirely.
Now it's about Evan.
You want to talk about it?
Worldwide Fleet Command's on red alert.
We're securing all vessels and ports.
So what's your next play?
The ex-wife.
She's travelling out of the country. She'll be back today.
You and ex-wives.
If there's anybody who knows what makes the son of a bitch tick, it could be her.
You know, you got caught.
Okay. It doesn't matter.
The hell it doesn't matter.
Dearing played me, Gibbs. Nobody plays me.
Don't let it happen again.
Trust me, it won't.
It's all a game to him.
Hit back.
You hit back hard.
You remember what that used to feel like?
I know what you're capable of.
I got a thousand agents worldwide willing to take a b*llet for me.
Yeah. And?
And I can't protect them from one lone, deranged father.
Hey, Leon, if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't take a b*llet for you.
I want him gone.
Boss, meet Victoria Dearing.
It appears husband and wife dealt with the loss in different ways.
After Evan d*ed, the former Mrs. Dearing immediately sought counseling. Tried to move on.
Yeah, well, the husband didn't.
Harper refused and started drinking. He got himself a couple of DUIs.
Became increasingly withdrawn and violent.
Two years after Evan's passing, they divorced.
Victoria now lives in a small home near Arlington.
Bring her in.
Tony's getting her. They're on their way.
We have a question.
And I know there's no good time to ask this.
But we just... we need an answer.
All of us.
Is there any chance... that we'll still make it to Jimmy's wedding?
Totally understand, Agent Gibbs.
Of course.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
It's okay. It's okay.
I guess this... it, just wasn't meant to be.
So I'm gonna go down to Autopsy,
'cause Dr. Mallard is, there.
Yet another piece of some sort of decorative collector's plate.
Based on what we've extracted from the body so far, we know that, at the time of the expl*si*n, Special Agent Larson had a television, an oak table, and a love for festive Western dinnerware.
Speaking of love, I need your opinion on something.
Mr. Palmer, as tedious as this may seem, this is not the time to discuss your inexplicable desire to perform a Bette Midler number at your wedding ceremony.
I want to sing "Wind Beneath My Wings" to my bride.
So sue me.
I'm sorry, I've been under a lot of stress lately.
You are not the only one with a burden.
Now, please, it is imperative I find something to aid the investigation.
It is on my shoulders to protect those who protect us.
It's on our shoulders.
And that is why I'm wondering, do you think that I should just cancel the wedding?
Absolutely not.
No one can deny that our work is important, but we also have loved ones who are not to be taken for granted.
To walk away now is to hand Harper Dearing another victory.
You're right, of course.
Just the thought of my wedding without any of you there...
Feels wrong.
Did I not just say... and rather poetically, I might add... that we have loved ones who are not to be taken for granted?
Yeah, you did, but...
Wait, you mean you'll be there?
With proverbial bells on.
It's your ex, Harper Dearing... he's the main suspect in a series of explosions aboard U.S. Navy vessels.
That's not possible.
Evan's... death destroyed Harper.
Your husband ever talk about his anger toward the Navy about not being able to protect your son?
Harper put on a good face for years after the att*ck, but, he was, he was angry, especially at the Navy.
Your son was important to him.
Harper... called him his shining star.
Said he was the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last thing when he went to sleep at night.
Doesn't leave a lot of room for you, does it?
Evan was the one good thing that held us together, and when he d*ed, all that was good in Harper d*ed, too.
You have any idea where he is now?
None.
But if he is the one behind these explosions, I know he won't stop until he's made his point.
Yeah, what point is that?
That someone has to pay for taking away our son.
Don't you ever knock?
You called me.
What if I was indisposed?
That would be even better.
Down, boy.
I want you to meet someone.
Who?
Meet Lucy.
We're the only ones here.
She's the computer.
Her technical name is a paragraph long, but I just call her Lucy.
You know, "Five cents, the doctor is in."
She is programmed for the sole purpose of getting inside people's heads.
Your kind of gal.
What have you told her?
Dearing's personal information.
And Lucy's telling us Dearing's likes and dislikes.
Favorite ice cream, sleep habits, political leanings.
Anything relevant?
The relevance is that Lucy knows people that Dearing might trust or distrust.
His possible allies or enemies, statistically speaking.
Enemies like me.
Yes.
And allies like...
Jonathan Cole.
Name ring a bell?
Several.
Phantom Eight.
And currently locked up where he should be, thanks to you.
He sold Dearing the microchip.
Yeah, they have a history.
Both enemies of NCIS.
Apparently, Dearing did some checking.
He wanted to hire Cole.
If we could get Dearing to enlist Cole's services now, maybe we could turn the tables on him.
Get him out of prison, work him like a double agent.
Excuse me.
Ryan.
Good evening, Doctor.
Dearing?
You had to know that I'd call.
I suspected, eventually.
I must say, Doctor, you continue to intrigue me.
Why is that, my winning personality?
Start a trace on Dr. Ryan's phone.
I've worked with some very smart people.
Brilliant thinkers who influence how we live.
You get great pleasure getting inside people's heads.
And yet, you're an open book...
weak, vulnerable.
Yeah, don't kid yourself.
You don't know me.
I know about your ex-husband.
Where he is and how he got there.
Stay away from my family.
As a single parent, you're doing an excellent job.
Parker has an honest face, a winning smile.
I see he plays a woodwind.
I used to play the clarinet.
You're at his music school?
He seems to be waiting for you.
Would you like me to tell him that you're running a bit late?
He's okay, Doc.
I know.
Dearing didn't go near him.
That's what concerns me.
Why?
He's playing us.
Finding ships' vulnerabilities isn't his only specialty.
He's good. He's really good.
He's dangerous, too.
Morning.
You been here all night?
Yeah, I had some work to finish up.
Dr. Mallard and I have a flight in, two hours.
He's coming with me.
But I got your text. You guys need me for something?
We know you're going through with the wedding.
Yeah, I totally understand.
You guys can't come.
Which is why we wanted to personally see you off.
And...
... give you our wedding gifts.
I don't even know what to say. I'm gonna open it.
No, wait.
Actually, you should open it with your bride.
Right. Yeah.
But I will tell you what it is.
The finest Israeli cotton sheets, so you sleep like a baby.
Or maybe make one.
I'm a little anxious about that part.
Expectations are high.
This is a wireless long-range security camera.
For those nights when you're working here and Breena's stuck home alone.
You can eventually use it as a baby monitor.
That is awesome, Tim.
I'm speechless.
You won't be speechless for long, my little Autopsy Gremlin.
The gift that keeps on giving.
What is that, a movie?
No. It's a film.
The 1963 Jean-Luc Godard masterpiece, Contempt.
You got that at Christmas. You're re-gifting.
It's not re-gifting if you've already watched it on Netflix.
Thank you. Come here.
Come on.
You guys, bring it in.
Everybody.
Bring it in.
It's a group grope.
Sour cream and onion.
Everything really does taste better on the outside.
Way I'm chewing tell you my dad didn't hug me enough as a kid, Doc?
Tells me he wasn't big on manners.
He was plenty big on manners. I just wasn't big on listening.
Sad story.
You should know, you wrote it.
You give me too much credit.
You and Latham sold Harper Dearing the microchip.
You handed him the fleet's weaknesses.
You made this possible.
You're right, Gibbs.
I do know things.
Things about Dearing. Things that could help you catch him.
He's bluffing.
He doesn't know crap.
Then pray tell, why am I here?
Penance.
We want you to offer your services to Dearing, and lure him into a trap.
Hang on a second here.
You're recruiting me?
There weren't a whole lot of other candidates.
And if it works?
Maybe, just maybe, we can talk about putting a light at the end of your tunnel.
Maybe keep you away from the f*ring squad.
You know, my old man did pass along one pearl of wisdom.
Even a bad hand can win the pot.
So, what's the catch?
You could get k*lled.
That's not the catch.
That's the fun.
Wheels of injustice are turning as we speak, Boss.
The phony brief leaked?
Federal agencies are on the look out for Cole.
As far as they're concerned, he's escaped and is somewhere in the Tri-State area.
Well, that should pique Dearing's interest.
Yeah, I also talked to Victoria Dearing and told her that Cole is looking for her ex.
Think she'll pass it on?
I think she knows more than she's telling us.
Abs, Abs, go.
I ran all the samples from the fire at Agent Larson's house.
None of them matched the accelerant used in any of the other fires.
Could be another test, Boss.
Hasn't Harper Dearing tested us enough?
No, I think he's just getting started.
Director Vance.
You got a new parking spot?
It's temporary, while security's on high alert.
You got anything?
Cheese or peanut butter, Leon?
My mousetrap, always cheddar.
Hope it works.
You okay?
Who is Liam Dunn?
He's my ex-husband.
Yeah, and?
He's released from prison today, by a federal judge on a bogus technicality.
That's bad timing.
Timing had nothing to do with it.
You sure about that?
Parker's father was in prison for a reason.
A very good reason.
He hurts people.
You're safe.
Parker's safe.
I can promise that.
No, you can't.
I know you want to, Gibbs, but you can't.
This is like classic headgamer stuff, Doc.
Don't let Dearing inside your head like this.
Dearing bought the judge.
He played me and he won.
He hasn't won anything.
I'm taking Parker. There's nothing else you can do.
I've got to go.
SECDEF will know where I am.
This isn't the answer.
Please.
Who really likes weddings, anyway?
There's nothing good about them.
Weird uncles who make inappropriate toasts.
Rubber chicken enhanced by cheap wine.
Cheesy music and children.
Rental tuxedoes.
The bouquet, the garter, the cake...
The fittings.
The fittings.
I am not even to the actual ceremony yet.
The vows.
The ring.
The kiss.
The ketubah.
I don't even know what I'd do if I had to deal with all that.
Elope?
It worked for me. Give me an update.
We're waiting for Dearing to take the bait.
Boss, an e-mail just came into the dummy account we set up for Cole.
Dearing?
I guess he still wanted to recruit Cole.
Address is encrypted, but the text sure sounds like him.
"Where Golden Eagles rest.
Tomorrow 0800."
The Golden Eagles are an Israeli Air Force squadron.
Something tells me this isn't about Israel.
It's a nickname for retired Navy pilots.
So where do they rest?
Isn't there an old coffee shop downtown where they hang out?
Everybody's got their spot.
Jimmy, you're not supposed to see me!
Yeah, I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just...
Can I come in?
Good morning, Groom.
Good morning.
You know how much I love you?
And you know I'd do anything to make you happy.
Bree, sweetie, I...
I need your help.
Jimmy, what is it?
I know that we've waited for this day for so long, and I know how excited your family is.
But my family, the people that I care about... they're not here, they're at home.
They're trying to protect us so we can be safe, so we can have all this.
I should be with them.
So, rather than wait until this afternoon, let's just do this right now.
And then, after I go home and help, we can have a party or... a honeymoon. Anything you want.
You want to get married now?
I'm not marrying you for all this.
I am marrying you because you're the sweetest, most kindhearted man I have ever met.
That's a yes, right?
Coffee?
Please.
You wouldn't be Cole by any chance?
Who's asking?
Messenger dropped this off when I got here.
Told him I wouldn't be part of any drug deal or anything.
Dearing's onto us.
Not exactly the meet-and-greet I was hoping for, Dearing.
Yes, well, perhaps another time.
I would like you to relay a message to Agent Gibbs if you'd be so kind.
You're big on messengers.
Tell him that I was never really interested in Director Vance.
So what are you interested in?
Justice.
I would like you to relay a message to Agent Gibbs, if you'd be so kind.
Tell him that I was never really interested in Director Vance.
Man's got a funny way of showing his lack of interest.
Guy's got stones, I'll give him that.
Should you still be here?
Fires were set on the ships and at Agent Larson's home.
He took Director Vance...
And destabilized Dr. Ryan. Why?
Because she's a brain-gamer.
He didn't want her figuring out what was next.
What is next?
You going somewhere, Leon?
Pentagon.
Meeting with SECNAV.
McGee, play back Dearing's call, isolate the background.
What are you looking for?
I would like you to relay a message to Agent Gibbs...
Bells of the Navy Chapel.
Drums are Commandant's Own, Leon, over at Eighth and "I""
He is nearby.
What's he waiting for?
When we found the director's car, what else we find?
Nothing. There were no prints. No signs of tampering. Nothing was touched.
We didn't strip it down?
There was no reason to.
Director, he's not after you, but your car. He placed something inside it.
Where is it parked?
Just outside this building.
Evacuate. Get everybody out of here. Clear the building, call the b*mb squad.
There's something there, we need to shut it down.
Gibbs, you know I was b*mb disposal.
They're already on their way.
Not fast enough.
Yeah. Come on.
Where should we start?
It's not here.
Inside.
McGee, get out! Now!
Just one second, Director.
Everybody out.
Get away from the building.
Out.
All right.
Come on.
That's everybody. You go, Ziva.
No. I'm not going without you.
Hey, Cole.
Stop.
Get out of here.
It's too close to the building.
Go. Get her out of here.
It's not the danger... it's the fun.
Hello.
Yes, this is Dr. Mallard.
Dear God.
How many?
Yeah, of course.
Tell him I'll be there right away.
Yeah, it's imperative that no one touch any of the deceased until I... until I re...