Quit driving like an old man.
Relax, Marty.
The girls know we worth waiting for.
I don't want to screw this up. I like Janice.
She understands me.
And she's easy on the eyes.
But it's good to be a few minutes late.
Keeps them on their toes.
I'm not playing games, Lester.
I'm too old for that nonsense.
Who said anything about playing games?
I talk about keeping her interested. I talk about psychological foreplay.
I'm still awake, how's that for foreplay?
Stop the car, Lester.
Marty, what's wrong?
Where you going?
Marty, what's...
What the...?
Call 911, Lester. Now!
NCIS
Hit and Run
If we need any more information, we will contact you.
So he pulls me into his office and I think he's gonna chew me out for that... thing I said about his hair, right?
But no.
He wants to know if I think he's been doing... an okay job.
The Deputy is no Director Vance, that's for sure.
Did he say anything about when he's coming back?
You talk to her since she got back?
She told me Israel was "therapeutic".
In a good way or a bad way?
Think she's okay?
Two fatalities.
Civilian Lyla Cutwright and Marine Lance Corporal Chad Dunn.
It's a brutal stretch of road.
Drove past an accident about a mile up from here last week.
The turn must have caught them by surprise.
Come on down.
Faulty air bag, no seat belt.
Lance corporal's head had an unfortunate date with the windshield.
Yeah, after that, he was ejected through the door here.
Guy had a hell of a morning.
What are we looking at, Duck?
Well, aside from a rather unkempt car, we are looking at a two-pronged curiosity involving Miss Cutwright here... Take a look at this side of her head.
Severe trauma.
I see the spatter. What did she hit on?
Well, that's the question.
I don't see any point of impact within the car.
What's part two?
The air bags.
Although the driver's side air bag did not deploy, this young lady's is in perfect working order.
Her head was already bleeding when it hit the bag.
Precisely.
Miss Sciuto will have to tell us exactly what this blood spatter here is saying, but, from what I can see in front of me...
You think she was beaten.
While she was in the car, before it went over the ridge.
There are no skid marks.
Our simple accident... may not be either one of those.
Possible m*rder-su1c1de.
Get the car to Abby.
Car belonged to Lance Corporal Chad Dunn.
He was driving.
Got it.
I don't know if anyone's ever told you this before, McGee, but you are the most helpful person when it comes to clipboard-y type situations.
Thank you. I try.
So, anything else you need me for?
He hit it pretty hard.
Abby, you okay?
Abby, come on, let's go.
How do you think it happened?
It crashed.
I know that, silly. But... what do you think happened?
You know, maybe the guy driving dropped his ice cream on his shorts, and bam, Luca.
Next thing you know, his car is in the middle of a Chinese restaurant.
Mom said we're not supposed to play in the junkyard.
We're not playing. We're investigating.
I'm going home.
Luca, Luca, Luca!
There was a kid in the car?
Someone wrote their name on it.
What's it say?
Can't read it.
It's too small.
Where are you going?
How would you feel if you were a little girl in a terrible wreck, and then you had to live without the bear you loved?
I'm gonna find her... and give it back.
But what if she d*ed in the Chinese restaurant?
She didn't.
Abby, how are you gonna find her when you can't even read her name?
You watch.
You look like you just saw a ghost.
We talked about this, remember? Ghosts aren't real.
I-I didn't see a ghost, McGee.
I just...
I was just thinking about my first case.
Wait... Dead marine in the car wash.
Not my first case at NCIS, McGee.
My first... case ever.
In my life.
When was that?
I was a kid...
And?
I don't want to talk about it, McGee. I can't.
Did she say why she did not want to talk about it?
No, but she seemed pretty upset.
Kind of casework are you doing when you're a kid?
Old Man Jenkins robbed the cookie jar again.
Old Man Jenkins drained the swimming hole.
Who is this Jenkins, and why does he do such horrible things?
I'm kind of worried about her.
Well, don't be.
I mean, Abby always finds a way to be happy.
I'm sure she's down there right now, dancing a jig and teaching sign language to a dog.
You got something against dogs.
No, Boss.
I love all canine beings. Especially the dogs that you love.
Good. Give me an update. Go.
Lyla Cutwright.
She turned 19 last November.
Student at Hayworth Community College in Virginia.
Last seen by her father when he dropped her off at class yesterday.
Working theory is she was beaten and then driven off the ridge by this guy.
Lance Corporal Chad Dunn.
Twenty.
Last seen leaving the marine barracks on weekend liberty.
C.O.?
Nothing but good things to say.
No signs of v*olence or depression.
Said Dunn was looking forward to a transfer to Pendleton next month.
What's the connection between the two?
Cutwright's father owns a dry cleaner in Quantico.
Lance Corporal Dunn's father is a retired marine.
He was stationed at Quantico 10 years ago.
Kids met over apple juice and graham crackers.
Went to grade school together one year.
What's the connection between them now?
Can't find one.
There's no evidence of any contact between them since the fourth grade.
But there is one thing.
Back when both fathers were at Quantico, they were involved in some sort of bar fight.
Details are sketchy, you can see for yourself.
But both men were charged with disorderly conduct.
It's possible this whole thing's over some old family beef.
Bring in the families.
Need everything you got, Duck. Start at the top.
Gladly, Jethro.
1891.
John William Lambert smashed his gasoline buggy into a hitching post, thus marking the first accident in American history.
Hey, Duck, start at the top of this one.
Yeah, very well.
Lance Corporal Dunn.
His lack of a seat belt and ejection from the vehicle makes for quite a laundry list.
Three broken ribs, fractured femur and pelvis.
A myriad of contusions and abrasions, and the coup de grace: massive skull fracture.
Cause of death: blunt force trauma.
Where his head hit the rock?
Yeah, the very same cause of death as Miss Cutwright here.
However, as I suspected, she was deceased before the crash.
Struck on the left temple with some sort of blunt object.
Any idea what?
Well, I pulled some fragments from the laceration.
Abby's testing them now.
Also, she's testing some material that I took from under her fingernails.
However, the lack of defensive wounds, I would hazard a guess that this was a surprise att*ck.
Thanks, Duck.
Be forewarned, she is acting a bit strange.
Or I should say, a bit stranger than usual.
It's not what it looks like.
What's it look like?
A mess. But... but it's not.
The lance corporal's car, that was a mess.
But I have this system with colors.
We have a lot to get through, so let's get started.
Number one: am I okay?
Yes.
Number two: there was no DNA under Cutwright's fingernails.
Number three: I tested the fragments from her head wound, and the m*rder w*apon was made of chestnut.
Chestnut. It's a nice wood. It's fairly rare.
Does anything here match?
The w*apon was probably ditched somewhere before the crash, because... wait, was I... Was I on number four or number five now?
Are you sure you're okay?
Yes.
Let's just... let's get to the blood spatter evidence.
So, Cutwright was hit on the left side of her head.
But she was facing out her window.
So her attacker was standing outside the car, which means...
Means what?
Well, I don't know.
Why would Dunn be standing outside of his own car?
Maybe he got out to get a w*apon, or... or maybe someone else hit her and then Dunn was gonna try to drive the car away, or...
I don't know.
I'm just...
Confused.
What are you making?
If I told you, that would ruin the surprise, and surprises are the best 'cause your eyes get to pop out, and you can see the world better...
Ready.
Give me your water.
Now, the water should work as a lens.
And bend the light, so...
Look, Luca! It's bigger.
I can see the name.
"Ricki Evans."
Do you know her?
Nope.
But somebody will.
Okay, you know what? I'm... I am little tiny bit off today, but I'm... I will be okay, I promise.
I need you to bring your A game.
Where are we going? Who's in charge here?
Mr. Dunn, I just need you to follow me to the conference room.
No, I'm done with the shuffling.
Look, I understand, but...
No, you don't. First, they shuffle us up here.
Now you want to shuffle us somewhere else.
Now, I've got questions. You can answer 'em right here.
Walter, let's just go where they...
What was she doing in my son's car?
There something I can help with?
Mr. and Mrs. Dunn, Lance Corporal Dunn's parents.
This is Agent Gibbs.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Conference room's not open?
You people are amazing.
If you're accusing my son of something, how about you just stand there like a man and say it?
No one's accusing anyone of anything. We're still looking for answers.
You want answers? Take a look at that girl.
What was she doing in his car?
She had to have been up to something.
What do you mean, Mr. Dunn?
Walter?
How could this happen?
Your son k*lled my Lyla.
About my son.
Walk away!
Don't you ever talk about my son!
Walk away!
Now!
It's done. First, it's cut right.
Ten years after duking it out the first time, they meet again, hungry for blood, out for revenge.
Pride on the line.
This time, it's personal.
I'm done.
According to Abby, we're looking at a third person swinging the m*rder w*apon?
She doesn't know.
She's leaning more toward the m*rder-su1c1de theory?
Doesn't know.
So, she doesn't know?
That's what I said.
Scott Cutwright and the Dunns are ready to talk.
Separate rooms.
Got blood?
No, but it is clear the feud started long before today.
You know what it's about?
From what I see, neither side wants to discuss it.
What do you think? You take the Hatfields I take the McCoy?
Got something, Boss.
Last week, Lyla Cutwright made a call to the local police, lasted two seconds.
Hung up before the call went through.
Lance Corporal Dunn also dialed an interesting number.
Called a disposable phone the night before the crash was discovered.
Looks like he called it multiple times over the last two days.
Find the phone.
Finding the phone.
Crime scene road. Look for a m*rder w*apon.
Dorney loves this kind of stuff.
Really feeds off it.
Ziver, I got the Hatfields, you got McCoy.
Let's go. w*apon's chestnut.
Just look for something made out of wood.
That shouldn't be hard to spot... in the woods.
You want some ice for that?
I want you to get to it.
Fair enough.
Can either one of you think of a reason your son might want to hurt Lyla Cutwright?
Mrs. Dunn?
I said no.
And I said, either of you.
Can you think of a reason?
I don't know why he'd want to hurt her.
She hasn't mentioned him in years.
Do you know that... for sure?
Do you know he k*lled her?
We're still investigating.
I'm sorry about that out there.
Walter has a temper.
Always did.
Maybe his son was the same way.
My son was a trained marine, but Chad would never hurt anyone unless he was defending himself.
She provoked him, threatened him or something. It's not on him.
This altercation you had ten years ago... what was it about?
No, that's not the reason for this.
Besides their grade school, it's the only connection we found between your daughter and Chad.
Mr. Cutwright, I need you to tell me what happened.
Cutwright is crazy.
His wife d*ed, and he went crazy.
Let me finish.
He started saying things about my family.
What kind of things?
Lies.
He didn't believe me.
Meredith Dunn and I... we fell in love.
She wanted to leave Walter.
She was too afraid to tell him.
So you did it for her.
Yeah, I did.
He b*at the hell out of me.
Yeah, we fought, we fought.
He was talking about my wife.
Your son know about the fight?
Everyone knew.
Everyone talked.
The kids...
They were affected.
Chad forgot about it in a week.
The fight was ancient history to us, but Cutwright... who knows?
The guy's crazy.
Mrs. Dunn?
It was a long time ago.
I wrote her a letter.
When?
Last year.
I told her how I felt, and... she wrote back, and we kept writing.
She was going to leave him this time.
Did Chad Dunn know?
I don't know.
But if he did, I'm ripping his family apart.
Maybe he was trying to do the same thing to mine.
Chad Dunn didn't k*ll Lyla Cutwright out of revenge.
He didn't k*ll her at all.
At the time of the crash, I believe he was unconscious.
What is this?
This is a computer simulation of the events leading up to the crash.
What's this?
This is my A game.
And this is our k*ller.
He strikes and kills Lyla Cutwright, and then, he moves to the other side as Dunn exits.
With his hand, the k*ller bashes Dunn's head up against the car.
I found blood and hair transfer from Dunn here.
The hit rendered him unconscious.
The k*ller then moves Dunn into the car, and drives it off the ridge while he's running alongside.
How does he push down on the gas?
Reenter the w*apon used to k*ll Cutwright.
I found the same aluminum fragments on the gas pedal as I did in her head wound.
I thought you said the w*apon was made out of chestnut?
I did. That was a mistake.
I got my slides mixed up before. But this is right.
It's aluminum, and it's on the back of paint flecks.
Abby, I got DiNozzo looking for the wrong thing.
I'm sorry. I was coming up to tell you, and then that whole fight happened, and I got flustered.
I made a mistake.
I'm sorry.
I'm not perfect, like you are.
Are you Ricki Evans?
I knew it!
I mean, I only knew 'cause this wrinkly guy... he works at the mini-mart... he told me that you lived here because...
I said I needed to know.
Today is my mama's funeral.
A car hit our car and drove away.
I found your bear.
I brought it back for you.
I can't keep it.
Why?
I'm only allowed to play with it when I'm with my mom and grandpa.
My dad doesn't like that bear.
How come?
'Cause Grandpa gave it to me.
Your dad doesn't like your grandpa?
I only visit my grandpa when I'm with my mom.
I guess he can't really be my grandpa anymore.
Come on, baby, let's get you some lunch.
Get in the house now.
Said you got rid of that thing.
You lying to me now?
Who that girl you're talking to?
I'm gonna find her and give it back. Ricki Evans.
I found your bear. I can't keep it.
Guess... he can't really be my grandpa anymore.
Yeah.
Boss, I got a hit on the disposable phone.
What's the address?
Not what I pictured.
It doesn't look like a block where a lot of disposable phones would live.
This guy the uncle of the lance corporal?
Cousin. Brandon Singer.
Purchased a phone at a drugstore down the street.
Paid with a credit card.
This is his home address.
What else?
Haven't had time to dig up much, but... apparently, he owns some sort of alternative energy company.
When was the last time you saw your cousin?
What's going on?
Chad in some kind of trouble or something?
If you could answer the question.
We were supposed to go hiking. Chad called to cancel, said he couldn't.
Why the disposable phone?
Yeah. I lost my phone a few days ago. I was hoping it might show up.
You know her?
Son of a bitch, he did it.
Did what, Mr. Singer?
He talked about running off with her for months.
Her name's Lyla Cutwright.
She's Chad's girlfriend.
You sure about that?
Yeah, they keep it quiet.
Our families... they don't exactly get along.
How long have they been together?
Six months?
They hadn't seen each other since they were kids, but Chad, he found these, these letters that Lyla's dad wrote to his mom.
Love letters.
And he knew the guy owned a dry cleaners shop, he went there to confront him.
Lyla's dad wasn't there but...
Lyla was.
I swear to God, when you guys find him, I'm gonna wring his neck.
There was an accident, Mr. Singer.
Your cousin and Miss Cutwright... were k*lled.
I'm sorry.
I know this is difficult, but, if you could tell us, did anyone else know about their relationship?
The more people that knew about it, the more likely my Uncle Walter would find out.
Chad was afraid what his father might do if...
Good morrow, fellow humans.
You have a bushy tail this morning.
Thank you for noticing.
There's nothing like recharging the old battery in the great outdoors.
Did you find anything out there?
No m*rder w*apon.
But I...
I did find a little inner peace. Where's the boss man?
I'd... like to thank him.
He got here early.
He has been in with Walter Dunn for over an hour.
You think Dunn could be our guy?
It is possible. I saw his temper.
He could have seen his son with Lyla Cutwright and then just... snapped.
Dunn said he didn't do it.
Does he have an alibi?
He said he was home with his wife.
And you believe him?
I believe he's not gonna say any different.
Is there anything we can do, Boss?
Abby left a message... she called in sick.
What kind of sick?
Boss, Abby hasn't called in sick in...
Ever.
We can't get anybody in until tomorrow, so we're gonna have to cover.
For Abby?
DiNozzo, Ziva, see where she was with the evidence.
On it, Boss.
Ducky's got new swabs from the lance corporal.
We just may have the attacker's DNA.
No, Boss.
Mass Spec is very loyal.
Maybe Abby will work a half day.
I could come and back you up in interrogation until she gets here.
I'm not going back in there.
You're not?
I want to thank you for being so kind to me, Agent Gibbs.
Coffee isn't hard.
No, it's just, with everything that's going on, I'm not sure I could handle hearing one more... angry word.
It's understandable, your husband being upset.
Can I ask you what you're talking to him about?
I know you told us he was right, that Chad didn't do this, but...
Chad and Lyla together...
I'm more interested in talking to you.
To me?
Why?
Because you're a good mother, Mrs Dunn.
You put your son's needs ahead of your own.
Scott told you about our letters.
If your husband didn't know about it before, he knows about it now.
It doesn't matter.
The only thing that matters is that Chad is gone.
When he was a little boy... he used to grab my hand whenever someone talked to him.
That's all I can think about.
All we want to do is keep 'em close.
The only way to protect Chad is to get justice for him.
What do you mean?
I need to know if your husband was with you at home at the time of the crash.
I don't have an ounce of love left for the man, but he didn't k*ll anyone.
Yes. He was at home with me.
Okay, moving on to box Y-14.
Item number...
0-2-2-3.
Jumper cables.
Green dash, purple star... means it's been bagged but not yet inspected.
It's been inspected now, so mark it off.
I'm trying.
How hard is it to make a check mark?
The wrong color check mark in the Z-4 quadrant and you got a whole mess because everything gets lined up and then...
I sound a little like Abby.
She can fix it later.
It's weird doing this stuff without her, isn't it?
It's like going to a puppet show, except all the puppets are just laying there on the stage... just dead puppets.
Sorry.
Why are you sorry?
My father dies, and all of a sudden you can't talk to me about dead puppets?
I'm fine, Tony.
Why would anyone have a nice notebook like this in their car and never use it?
It's a "guy of import" accessory.
A what?
'Cause say you're a young guy, you know, but you want to be taken seriously.
So what do you do?
What do you bring with you to meetings and interviews, even a coffee shop?
You're the guy with the leather-bound folder, baby.
Guy of import.
Coffee shop.
See what I'm saying?
That fresh air put the magic right back in me.
Bank receipt for a cash withdrawal.
Why didn't McGee flag this already?
15 grand for a lance corporal?
It's got to mean something.
Crap.
Boss. Sorry, I was just...
What do you got, McGee?
I was looking through the Cutwrights' computer.
Nothing yet.
I was just trying to...
Boss, I've got problems.
I tried calling Abby, but she's not picking up.
What did you do?
I put the swabs from Dunn into Major Mass Spec, and I thought I did everything right, but he...
I don't think he likes me.
He say something to you, McGee?
When Abby runs it, it makes more of purring noise.
But all I'm hearing is a growl.
You know what? Abby keeps an Abby's Lab for Dummies around here in her office.
Got it.
Looks like she came out with a revised edition.
That you on the cover?
Yep. I always get the cover.
The only one that can call you a dummy and make you feel like you've won something.
Find her.
And make sure she's okay.
I-22.
B-4.
And after.
Do you mind taking over for me for a minute?
Honey, I thought you'd never ask.
B-2.
Buckle my shoe.
You're not an easy person to track down.
Didn't you just... ping my phone?
Yeah. It was pretty easy.
I just didn't know what to say when you walked up.
Are you feeling any better?
I'm not actually sick.
Yeah, I know.
B-8.
At the gate.
Is this a... pep talk?
Guess it's not really going all that well?
B-1.
We're kind of in the middle of Four Corners here, so...
Abby, listen.
We have a winner!
Gibbs is worried about you.
Everyone is. So am I.
But I don't know what to say unless you tell me what's wrong.
Last thing I need are fingerprints on that window.
We're closed on Sunday... like everyone else.
Where'd you get that?
Are you Ricki's grandpa?
I am.
Who's asking?
I'm her friend, and she's sad.
Her dad won't let her keep your bear.
There's nothing I can do about that.
I thought maybe if you went to her house and told her dad that you're sorry for whatever made him mad, maybe he would forgive you, too.
And you could all laugh and have a picnic, and you could give Ricki back her bear.
I love Ricki.
I loved her mom.
But I can't go to that house.
But you haven't...
This is bigger than what you can understand.
Go on home.
Have the bad things been outweighing the good things all these years, and I just never noticed?
What do you mean?
All I ever wanted was to help people with the truth, and I've done that, but then bad still wins sometimes, and then I just want to file it away... like it never happened... so I can go back to being happy.
There's nothing wrong with that.
Yes, there is, McGee, because then sometimes the Cutwrights and the Dunns, they just keep fighting no matter what the truth is, and sometimes...
Ricki never gets to see her grandpa again.
If the bad outweighs the good then... that means that I'm not enough.
Abby, listen to me.
No, I'm...
And if I'm not enough, McGee, then... why even try?
Wait, Abby.
Talk to me.
Swabs from Dunn were a bust.
Receipt found in his folder was for 15 large.
Withdrawal happened last November.
It wasn't made by the lance corporal.
Cash came from a trust fund account set up for Lyla Cutwright by her great aunt.
Cutwright gained access to it when she turned 19.
Account didn't show up with her records because it was closed before being linked to her.
Her father?
Had no idea about the withdrawal, couldn't imagine why.
Found some job searches on the Cutwrights' home computer that Mr. Cutwright can't account for.
All for Oceanside, California.
Lance corporal was headed to Pendleton.
They weren't running.
She was gonna move with him.
Perhaps they were using the money for a down payment on a house.
$15K in Oceanside?
They tried for more.
Same week of Cutwright's withdrawal, Dunn applied for a personal loan for $5, 000.
Using available funds is one thing, but applying for a loan...
What could have been so important?
Get me someone from the bank.
You talk to Abby?
Yeah, it didn't help.
He came in with his girlfriend.
No, I remember him well.
Marine uniform, well-spoken, everything all organized in a leather-bound folder.
I liked him immediately, but I couldn't give him a loan.
Why not?
No credit history, and on his salary I had doubts about his ability to pay it back.
What he was looking to spend it on?
He said he and his girlfriend were on their own.
He wanted to make sure he could give her a good life.
They were so sweet to each other. You know how some people just look like they belong together?
$5K wouldn't go very far.
He said he was planning on investing it, called it a great opportunity.
But... he showed me some paperwork. It didn't look right.
Accounted for cash flow only, no assets. I told him to be careful, but he said he trusted his contact.
Contact have a name?
No, but he did say the company had something to do with some kind of solar stuff.
Green energy.
We're gonna search your house.
I don't understand.
Have you heard of a warrant?
A warrant? What for?
To search your computer, company books, files and statements.
The name Ponzi mean anything to you?
Are you going to arrest me?
Your cousin and Lyla Cutwright gave you $15, 000 for you to invest?
Three months later they never saw the returns you promised.
I told them I was going to get them some money. Okay, I just needed...
What? More investors for you to con?
Lyla threatened to call the police. What did you say to get her to hang up?
What does that mean?
I told her the truth, I told 'em I was going to get 'em some money.
But you had no money to give so you k*lled 'em.
What? No, no, no way.
You got me on the money thing, okay, I did it, but I would never hurt Chad.
Okay, he was family.
Yeah, Boss, sorry.
Did I miss my cue?
I had a really good line, too, something like, I found an aluminum friend in your Dumpster that begs to differ.
Anything you want to tell us before we test it for blood residue?
Dear McGee, I'm sorry I walked away from you.
I never leave my friends at bingo until... they've won a card.
Ricki, where you at?
Truck's packed up. Come on, girl.
What is it?
It's from a bear... that I had when I was a kid.
I took it everywhere.
And then I loved it so much that it fell apart, and this is all that's left.
Looks like you got the most important part.
That's what my mom said.
I was trying to write McGee an apology letter and...
I was going to start on one for you next.
Abs, just tell me.
I'm trying to figure out a way to be okay with not being enough.
Enough what?
Enough good.
Then you're not counting the hit-and-runs.
The what?
The good kind.
You do something good now, you're not always around to see the difference it makes later.
I don't know, Gibbs.
First day we met.
It was a Thursday, 70 degrees, mostly sunny.
What about it?
What'd you give me?
I had Chinese food and I gave you the fortune from my cookie.
Because?
Because I wanted it to be about you.
The fortune.
You kept it.
The things you do... mean something to people.
What's wrong?
I couldn't fix it.
Fix what?
Ricki will never see her grandpa again.
But you did good.
You gave her your rabbit.
She won't forget that, Abby.
She won't.