NCIS - 17x03 - Going Mobile
Hey, top of the mornin', Officer.
Long time, Lenny. What do you got?
Machine parts. Picked them up in Norfolk.
Proudly serving our Navy before I've even had my breakfast.
- Most important meal of the day.
- (LAUGHS)
All right, let me get a quick look here.
You bet.
So how you been?
Oh, you know, living the dream.
- You?
- (LAUGHS)
Eh, same.
Busy month. Deliveries up and down the coast.
As the Man In Black used to say,
(MIMICS JOHNNY CASH):
I've been everywhere.
Everywhere but a car wash.
You don't smell that?
(SNIFFS) Is that my truck?
(SCOFFS) It's not our gate.
You move any meat or fish lately?
LENNY: Uh, frozen shrimp down in Raleigh last week.
Maybe a crate broke. (SNIFFS)
I'll hose her down as soon as we're done here.
I don't think a hose will do it.
♪
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
After you.
No, please.
Ladies first.
You gotta be kidding me.
Ah, there you are.
The world's greatest crimefighters.
Yeah, that's us.
BISHOP: Morning, Jack.
Morning.
Okay, so... what's going on here?
Uh, nothing. Why?
With that greeting?
Well, feeling a little, uh, b*rned out, I guess.
Doesn't feel like b*rned out.
I am sensing a real serious vibe off you guys.
You feel that?
Oh, here it comes.
What kind of vibe?
Like an unfinished business kind of vibe.
Like maybe Vance was right.
Right about what?
He's concerned about agent morale, and wants me to evaluate things.
What's wrong with our morale?
In one word, Ziva.
Oh, my God, seriously?
He just wants to be sure that her sudden arrival and departure hasn't upset the team chemistry.
So if any of you would like to talk about things, my door is wide open.
Okay. (LAUGHS)
Okay, I know what this is.
This is punishment for you two lying to his face.
- Wha...?
- Are we still stuck on that?
- It wasn't a lie.
- It was a lie.
It was a necessary lie, and we were all there.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, see?
This is the vibe that I was talking about.
And, Nick, I'm sorry if you feel a talk with me is some form of punishment.
Jack, that's not what I meant.
Depends. What are we talking about?
We are talking about psych evals, boss, in the wake of Hurricane Ziva.
It's not a mandatory evaluation.
Vance just strongly recommends that each of you stop by my office if you need to talk.
No need for me, I'm cool.
- Me, too.
- Me three.
Gear up, then. We got a body.
Uh, door's always open to you, too, Gibbs.
I'll be happy to listen if you want to...
- Yeah, no. Of course.
- MCGEE: Where to, boss?
It's close. Let's go.
(SIGHS SHARPLY) That went well.
What do you got there, Palmer?
We have an unidentified male, mid- s, stuffed in the undercarriage.
Pretty torn up.
JIMMY: Yeah, by the road, mostly.
That gravel must hit like shrapnel.
Tore the plastic right off his face.
I hope after he was dead.
DUCKY: Uh, let's hope so, Nicholas.
Most of those external wounds would have happened postmortem.
It's your first crime scene in a... in a while, Ducky.
Yes, well, it's thanks to the convenience of having a victim close to my parking spot.
You need any assistance, Dr. Palmer?
Oh, thank you, Doctor, no. I'm good.
(CHUCKLES) Yes, indeed you are.
Hey, Nick, get the driver.
Copy.
Hey, so, how'd he get under there?
Well, it wasn't by accident.
I mean, someone wrapped him up in this plastic and then wedged him above these metal crossbeams.
How long ago?
Uh, based on decomp,
I'd say two, three days, maybe.
Uh, here's Lenny.
I-I swear I don't know how that guy got up under there.
Where you been this last week?
Oh, man, uh, yesterday I was in Burke delivering plumbing supplies.
Day before, I moved a mobile home from Sterling to Rockville.
Friday I-I hauled a load of apples from this orchard over in Fairfax.
- I got a printout in the truck.
- We need... every pick-up, every drop-off, every rest stop in between.
Yes, sir.
Well, orchard sounds right to me.
Based on what?
Based on these clumps of grass, dirt stuffed in with the body.
What is this sliver?
Looks like glass. Maybe ceramic.
Any more in there?
Oh, yeah, there's more.
There's lots more. (GRUNTS)
All sizes, shapes, colors.
Possible m*rder w*apon?
Well, maybe a heavy vase or a sculpture.
Wouldn't be the first time.
No, this is definitely a first.
First of what?
You don't recognize it?
Looks like a little hat.
Maybe worn by... a little man?
No way.
No way what?
What is it?
Death by garden gnome.
I mean, who knew that there were so many varieties?
Do you mind? I'm still traumatized.
Well, at least now you'll have something to talk to Sloane about.
Okay, I'm not that traumatized.
Actually, this may have a worse effect on agent morale than anything having to do with Ziva.
We still talking about her?
No, boss. Fingerprints ID our victim as Elijah Buck.
. Current address listed in Annandale.
Divorced, no kids, works as a grocery store manager.
Only one next of kin. A brother.
Peter. Lives in Reston.
And the trailer park where the driver picked up the mobile home is located right between them.
- (CELL PHONE RINGING)
- Okay, trailer park it is.
Make contact. Notify the brother.
Yes, Palmer, I'm on my way down.
I'm sorry, but there are way too many creepy critters living in the woods without having to worry about gnomes and leprechauns and elves.
None of which actually exist.
Tell that to six-year-old me walking in on her cousins watching some evil leprechaun movie.
Trust me, they are alive and well and residing right up here.
Talk to me, Palmer.
Well, Kasie's afraid of leprechauns.
It's more of a healthy distrust.
Yeah? Me, too.
- What do you got?
- You so get me.
Our k*ller is about a foot and a half tall, composed of thick ceramic clay, waterproof enamel, and a ton of hidden evidence just waiting for me to find it.
Are you sure this is the m*rder w*apon?
It's the gnome's hat for sure.
Perfectly matches this impact injury
Landed like a... a heavy spear against the squamosal suture.
That's the soft spot right above the temple.
Leprechauns?
Million-to-one sh*t.
The old gnome to the dome.
(CLICKS TONGUE)
McGee, is that you?
Oh, hey, Jack.
Hey. What brings you here?
Oh, I'm not here.
Huh?
I mean, I, you know,
I am here right now.
It's only 'cause our printer ran out of ink, and the supply closet's that way, and, you know, your door's open, so...
As I said it would be.
You know what, as long as I'm here...
Please, have a seat.
Uh, that's okay, I'm not gonna.
Um, won't take long.
Besides, it's not about me.
I mean, sure, Ziva could have said good-bye.
That would have been nice to hear, but it's okay; again, not about me.
Bishop.
What's wrong with Bishop?
Well, nothing serious, but... it's like everything's a little different since... you know.
Since meeting Ziva.
Yes. I mean, this is a woman who, you know, she's heard about for years, who occupied her desk, was in her exact same space.
I mean, you gotta wonder, after all these years, seeing all the hell that Ziva's been through, that's got to leave a pretty nasty mark.
A mark that has Bishop wondering if the same future awaits her.
Yes. Yes. That could totally be it.
You are so good at this.
Thank you. I try.
Okay, but let's keep going there.
Why do you think that she would...
McGee.
Hey.
Hey, I was just, um...
What's happening here?
- Well, actually...
- Nothing. Um...
What's, uh, going on?
Uh, well, we notified our victim's brother.
He's meeting us at the trailer park.
Great. Let's go.
Hmm. Okay.
To be continued.
Hey...
I had a feeling.
What feeling?
That you did need to talk.
What, that? No. That was just...
I just hope you're still not mad at me.
For what?
For not saying anything when Ziva reached out to me and not you.
Bishop, that's not at all what we talked about. Okay?
I just had something else I needed to clear up with Jack.
Mm-hmm.
BUCK: This can't be happening.
BISHOP: Again, Mr. Buck, we're very sorry.
When did you last see your brother?
A couple days ago.
I thought he was headed to the shore for some R&R.
Otherwise I'd have been worried.
We talked most every day since we bought this place.
You own a mobile home here?
Worse than that.
We own the whole damn park.
Who'd you buy it from?
Nice old couple. They retired to Florida a few months ago.
Their place was right here.
We didn't want to live in it, so we found a buyer in Maryland and shipped it out the other day.
Why not live in it?
Place I have is closer to my job at the gas station.
Eli should've moved in.
It was his bright idea to pool our life savings for this great investment.
Excuse me, gentlemen, I...
I couldn't help but hear from my window.
Did something happen to Pete's brother?
I'm afraid so.
You... You mean he's...?
W... Well, how?
He was so young and seemed so healthy the last time I saw him.
- And when was that?
- Ooh, it was just the other day.
(EXHALES) Oh.
I swear... all this ugliness.
There was no need for it to happen.
I'm sorry, what ugliness?
VINCE: Yo, Pete!
You and that brother gonna jack up the rent, least you can do is hire some damn security!
(INHALING)
It's bad enough I can't get a tomato to grow this season.
But somebody stole one of my gnomes!
That's got to be our crime scene.
Hey, you're telling me.
These little guys have been guarding my crops for so long.
Man, what kind of animal would do this?
Hey, when did it go missing?
Its name is Felix.
And Felix was stolen about three days ago.
You hear anything that night?
Ah, not a peep.
Between the Ambien and my C-PAP, I don't hear much.
This is definitely the spot. k*ller missed some pieces.
k*ller?
Are you saying that... that Eli's been m*rder*d?
That's what they're saying, Esther.
Eli your brother?
ESTHER: And-and you mean it happened here?
Well, it's starting to look that way.
Got some drag marks over here.
TORRES: Mm.
So our guy got whacked by Felix over there...
k*ller dragged his body to the mobile home truck...
How long was it sitting there?
Overnight.
We loaded it Friday, driver took it Saturday morning.
That's enough time to stash a body.
And you think someone here did it?
Can you think of anyone else?
No. People love Eli.
Not your tenants.
Only because of the rent.
Yeah, what's that about? I thought these people owned their homes.
Yes, but not the ground underneath.
That, they rent from us.
So how much you raise it?
I okayed a minor bump, just to help spruce up the place, but... then Eli got greedy and nearly doubled it.
- Double?
- Turned a bunch of happy neighbors into an angry mob in no time.
LISTEN: angry mob or not, I can't imagine anyone here would be capable
- of k*lling anyone.
- MAN: Hey, Vince.
You out here?
VINCE: Check it out, Lou.
You're not gonna believe what happened.
Or maybe you already know.
- NCIS!
- Stop!
(GRUNTS)
Damn, why you chasing me, bro?
- Why you running, bro?
- (PANTING)
I know why.
Yep. (EXHALES) That would be why.
LOU: I just started selling them last week!
My job down at Big Box Emporium wasn't exactly covering the rent.
So you choose to sell death machines instead.
Eight AKs, five rocket launchers, and whatever else.
Supply meets demand, man.
So when your new landlord finds out about your, uh, little side business, you take him out?
No way, man. He never caught on.
I mean, not that I'd k*ll anybody anyway.
I mean, you can check out every single one of those g*ns.
Not one of them's been fired.
Apparently, he thinks our victim was sh*t.
That, or he wants us to think he's thinking that. Apparently.
LOU: Look...
everything was fine till the old landlords left, and that slimy mobile home guru brought those brothers in to buy the place.
What guru?
Goes by the name Mike Midas.
- Mike Midas.
- I'll take Torres.
Another gold mine you want to explore is something I call Pervert Parks.
These are mobile home parks aimed exclusively at the registered sex offender market.
There's a market?
Since no one else wants them, these outcasts are a c*ptive revenue stream.
Even more stuck than your average mobile home owner.
You can split one home three ways and charge three separate rents, and they can never move out!
(LAUGHS)
It's a thing of beauty!
(CHUCKLES) It's so... just like the occasional break.
Let's take ten, people.
Man. That's terrible.
Eli and his brother were prize pupils.
They still own that property in Sterling?
That property you advised them to buy.
Oh, it was a great opportunity.
Play their cards right, place like that?
They'd be set for life.
No perverts necessary?
No, no, that would just be greedy.
Well, speaking of jacked up rents,
Would you consider them doubling it to be, uh, playing their cards right?
They doubled it?
(CHUCKLING) Well, that's just crazy.
You got to find the sweet spot to keep your tenants paying and not able to move out or sell.
You sh**t too high, you end up with a lot full of empty, worthless trailers.
Or a bunch of very angry tenants.
Yeah. An increase like that just doesn't make sense.
Unless, of course... you want to fail!
I cover that this afternoon:
"Bankruptcy Can Always Be Your Friend."
(CHUCKLES)
You guys want to come in?
Oh, hey, Bishop.
I hear we've got a suspect.
Uh, yeah, I mean, not the suspect just yet.
So you're still busy?
Uh, no. No more than usual. Why?
I guess I was hoping you'd stop by.
Are you sure you're doing okay?
Why? Did McGee say something?
No. Not at all.
It's just my own observation.
Uh, maybe I'm projecting, but your predecessor seemed to cast a pretty tall shadow.
Yeah. I mean, she still does, Jack, but... so what?
So nothing.
I just want to be sure that seeing where Ziva is today doesn't leave you feeling like...
I feel fine.
I mean, sure, it was a little weird, and I'm still processing, but no.
Ziva and I, we're cool. Really.
Well, good. That's good. I'm glad.
But... if you want to know who's not cool...
I think it's Nick.
Huh. What-What's going on with him?
Well, Ziva b*at him in a fight, and it was a fake fight used as a distraction, but I saw it up close, and it got real.
I can't imagine he took that well.
Nick, losing? No. I mean, he hasn't really been the same since.
He's been, like, distracted, irritated, and when we do talk, he won't look me in the eye.
(PHONE RINGING)
Oh. It's Gibbs.
Hey. Gibbs, what's up?
GIBBS: Where are you?
I'm just... here. Talking to Jack.
You should try it sometime, Gibbs.
Or not.
Uh, what's up?
Meet me in the conference room.
You heard him.
- To be continued.
- You know, that is what you said to McGee, but I'm just telling you, it's Nick.
He's the one.
PETE: Agent Gibbs? I got to know.
Did Lou k*ll my brother?
We haven't ruled it out.
We're charging him with illegal firearms just the same.
GIBBS: Your tenants... any reason you and Eli
wanted them to move out?
You mean on purpose? Why?
Bankruptcy.
What? N...
No.
- What would even give you that idea?
- Midas.
(CHUCKLES) You talked to that parasite?
Selling us on easy money while neglecting to mention all the pissed-off tenants who'd be wanting to k*ll us?
We've interviewed every tenant, Pete.
- We still have no leads.
- No leads?
You want leads?
I got a lead for you right here.
Just found that on my windshield.
And you think that's from one of your tenants?
It's got to be.
After you took Lou away, they all huddled up in their ringleader's trailer.
Whose trailer?
What ringleader?
GIBBS: So you know nothing about it?
I don't write notes or make threats.
I say what I'm thinking.
Yes, ma'am.
And as for any tenants' meeting, so what?
Good neighbors come together in troubling times.
(CHUCKLES)
I've known most of these folks forever.
GIBBS: How long's that?
It's going on years.
It was right after, uh, my Walter d*ed.
His pension paid for this place, covered all , .
Course, it ain't worth a dime now.
Why? It's a nice place.
Yeah, like a nice used car with, uh, too many miles on it. (CHUCKLES)
I can't sell it.
Can't move it.
Most of us here, we all live on a fixed income.
So, yeah.
We got together and we talked about making Pete a counteroffer.
You don't waste time.
Well, there's no time to waste.
Or I'm on the street.
All I've got left is, uh, this home.
And my paintings, hmm?
Well, my plan is to sell them all at the County Arts Fair, leave the money to my grandkids when I die.
I don't know. If it were me...
I'd rather have a painting.
Well, that's very sweet of you to say, but, uh, I'd feel better knowing that I helped pay for something useful, so that they never end up like this.
Hey, Nick. Just the man I wanted to see.
Wow. This is what it's come to?
No one comes by to talk, so you have to resort to stalking us in the hallway?
I'll have you know that you're my last holdout, thank you very much.
And Gibbs, of course, but, uh, we all know that's a long sh*t, so...
So McGee and Bishop, they're pretty messed up, huh?
Yeah.
They had a bigger connection to Ziva than I did.
But... is that still true?
- What?
- You and Ziva.
I-I know you didn't have a connection before, but I heard that might have changed a little bit, you know what I mean?
Wow. Bishop told you?
She didn't have to. Word gets around.
And I know how you hate to lose, so that must've been a bitter pill, Nick.
(SCOFFS)
All right.
Jack.
I didn't lose. I let Ziva win.
Okay.
Don't get me wrong, she's a tough girl, but I had her right where I wanted her until she distracted me.
How'd she do that?
She knew what to say just to throw me off my game.
Really? What?
She said, um...
Okay. (CHUCKLES)
It was personal.
I'm not talking about it.
Oh, come on, Nick.
Okay, why are you even wasting your time with me, or any of us?
I mean, we all know who's more messed up about the Ziva thing.
Who?
Who? Oh, you know who.
You know even better than anybody, since, uh, Gibbs and you are so, uh, tight.
What? Me and Gibbs?
Hey, don't get shy. Don't get shy.
It's okay. We all know you have a thing.
What thing?
Hey, it's cool.
Whatever happens off duty is your business.
- Oh...
- No, wait, wait, wait, back up.
- Sorry.
- Back up.
Gibbs.
Yup. Be right there.
Duty calls.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Not yet.
Not yet.
Why does everybody have the idea that Gibbs and I have a thing?
Christmas.
Jack, last Christmas?
When we went to drop off the baby to his new parents?
It sure looked like you were more than friends.
But Christmas was so long ago.
(GROANS)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
Hey.
Gibbs and McGee are in traffic.
They're right behind us.
I let Ziva win.
What?
You heard what I said.
Uh, okay.
Whoa.
What the...?
PETE: I got out just in time.
(COUGHING)
KASIE: The good news is that charcoal pencil you took from that old woman does not match the pencil that was used on the death thr*at note.
What about the b*mb?
That's the weird news.
Based on what's left of Pete's car,
I can tell you it wasn't a b*mb at all.
Not the classic turn the key and then...
(IMITATES expl*si*n)
...kind of b*mb, at least.
- What was it?
- Uh, more a
"throw the Molotov and then run" type deal.
Broken bottle plus gasoline means someone likely tossed it under his car.
- Amateur hour.
- Maybe, but sometimes low budget can be even scarier, like Leprechaun .
Anything else, Kase?
Uh, still waiting on Mass Spec to digest all those gnome pieces.
I should know something soon.
- Later, guys.
- See you.
- Yeah.
- TORRES: Later.
What do you need, Jack?
Uh, nothing. Just seeing if I can help with the... case, anything.
Oh, I'd say you've done enough.
Then again, so have you, McGee.
I didn't say anything.
You're one to talk, Ellie.
Wh... Excuse me?
- Stop.
- I let Ziva win.
Will you stop!?
Did you not hear Kasie?
Molotov car bombs. Keep digging.
Go. Go.
- Duck?
- Jethro. Yes. Uh,
I, too, have been digging, running the names of the tenants through databases from several agencies.
You found something.
Yeah, a sealed record from the FBI.
What name is it?
So Vincent Pierman of Sterling, Virginia is actually Vicenzo Palumbo of Yonkers, New York.
I haven't been back there in years.
Yeah, not since , when you turned state's evidence against fellow members of the Pittorino crime family.
Man's got to do, you know?
What about your code?
Don't guys like you have a thing about never ratting your friends out?
It's only in the movies.
There's also a fine line between ratting out your friends and merely wanting to help them.
Yeah, maybe they don't need your help.
You two want to be alone?
All right, Vince, let's talk about Eli.
First, you should know I really do love my gnomes.
So Felix is the last thing
I'd be cracking any melons with, believe me.
I was always more of a Kn*fe guy anyway.
But surely you wanted to cr*ck Eli's melon at some point.
In my younger days, I would have.
But look at me now. I can't hardly breathe, I can't grow a tomato, and I live in a fancy box.
After all this time in the witness protection, never in a million years would I want to draw that kind of attention.
He does makes a rather compelling argument.
VINCE: Last thing I need is any of my old crowd finding me.
By the way, I couldn't help noticing a palpable tension between you and Agent Sloane.
Yeah, so?
Well, I was wondering if it had anything to do with the visit she paid me earlier.
She got to you, too? The Ziva talk?
No, actually, it was more about you.
Me?
Inquiring about your mental state.
Why not ask me directly?
Well, that's p-precisely what I told her, with a warning not to expect much of an answer, if any.
Sure, I hate those brothers, but I can't afford to move.
(WHEEZING)
You need some water? Hey.
How long have you had the asthma?
It's never been this bad.
Last few months, it's gotten way worse.
Just like your tomato crop.
Oh. Come to think of it, yeah.
I mean, I used to grow them like bowling balls, and now I barely get weeds.
Even the bugs don't even bother coming around.
JIMMY: I know that look.
What look?
Not you. You just keep breathing.
So what're you thinking?
Right. You're thinking, "What am I thinking?"
I was just telling Sloane, if you ever want to know what's on Gibbs' mind...
Sloane was here?
Yeah, right before you came down.
Hey.
What are you up to, exactly?
Excuse me?
Vance wants you to make sure that the team is okay.
Yeah, okay. Good. I got that.
Yeah, so what don't you get?
Why are you asking about me?
Hey, listen, when I can't get you to speak for yourself, yeah, sometimes I'm forced to ask others.
Talking is part of my job, Gibbs.
- Hmm.
- And I...
I like to talk, and
I'd actually like to talk more with you.
About what?
- You know damn well.
- No, I don't.
I really don't.
God, it's-it's the elephant in the room.
What elephant?
That? That an elephant now?
I thought that was a moth.
It is what you want it to be.
Well, what I want it to be is gone.
It's been here since you got here.
Don't change the subject.
I am talking about you and...
...Ziva. You and Ziva.
What about it? There's nothing to say.
We both know that's not true.
Come on.
Jack, what did she expect?
I mean, she let us all think that she was dead, okay?
Yes. Right.
And that must've hurt.
I mean, she was like a daughter to you.
And, my God, then having her come back from the dead.
I can't imagine what that did to you.
And then she leaves again.
Yeah. Okay.
It bothered me, but I get it.
Uh...
I should've looked for her.
So why didn't you?
Because she was dead.
Done deal.
I still should've looked to make sure.
Trust but verify.
Well, yeah, and I didn't do that, so...
...made a mistake.
Like we all do.
But what does she want from me, Jack?
She's gone again.
Does that mean I'm supposed to be out there looking for her?
I mean, what does she expect from me?
Uh, I don't know.
That's every parent's conundrum:
What if they need me?
Yeah, well, what if she does need me?
What if she needs me now? What do I do?
- Well...
- Jack.
What would you do? Tell me.
Professionally speaking, it's not about what I would do, but as a friend, a friend who knows a thing or two about letting a daughter go,
I'd say you've done all you could, and now you need to let her go, again.
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Hey, Kasie, I'm on my way.
Uh, but then you'll come back?
No. No, I'm done.
Uh, you sure?
Yeah, I'm sure.
Uh... thanks.
It helped.
Unless there's something else.
Really.
Is there anything you need, Jack?
Uh...
Anything you want to talk about?
Uh, later, maybe.
We can talk later.
Okay.
Or not.
Kase, I could use some good news.
Well, I can't call it good exactly, unless you like surprises.
Try me.
Results from the gnome pieces and soil samples. They test positive for several toxic carcinogens.
Chemicals.
You may recall, back in the s, a place near Niagara Falls called Love Canal?
Yeah, built on a chemical dump.
On a cocktail of toxicity leeched though their soil from a chemical company nearby, which caused leukemia and other horrible things.
It's as bad as that?
That bad and getting worse.
Happy Trails Mobile Home Park is a death trap.
Any chance our victim knew it?
If he did, there's an even better chance it's what got him k*lled.
Toxic chemicals. We got anything?
Uh, ugly stuff. I mean, one of these was outright banned until recently, causing increased birth defects, respiratory problems.
- We know how it got in the soil?
- Uh, not yet.
Actually, boss, I traced 'em all to a Zullow Chemical.
A company that specializes in pesticides.
Headquarters is about miles away from our trailer park.
And you're only telling us this now?
Why I didn't tell you before, because you're still not talking to me.
TORRES: I am talking to you, McGee.
I'm just not talking to her.
Focus.
- miles.
- Long way for chemicals to travel.
Mm, not really.
Groundwater can carry them a lot further than that.
Zullow. Zullow.
Why-why does that ring a bell?
Something about a fire.
- "Zullow Industries."
- What industry are they in?
It doesn't say, but they have a warehouse in Sterling.
Same town as our trailer park bust.
TORRES: According to this, they had a major accident last year.
The whole place caught on fire.
I wonder what they were warehousing.
Well, let's find out.
Gibbs, I'm not sure it's gonna be that simple.
MCGEE: Uh, yeah, boss.
These companies don't really just offer this information
'cause we ask.
Yeah, and science isn't exactly in our wheelhouse.
I do like a good charade.
It's not much of a charade, Duck.
Just putting 'em at ease.
Just a reminder, gentlemen, Mr. Rama's made this time available as a courtesy, so...
Oh, Sara, no need to rush our guests.
Lance Rama, Senior V.P.
Uh, Donald Mallard.
- And this is Agent Gibbs.
- Hey.
I'm just the guy driving the car.
- He's here to say all the big words.
- (RAMA LAUGHS)
That's pretty much our in-house attorney's job, too.
Oh, yeah? Let them duke it out.
You and me, we'll go have a beer.
Now you're talking.
What are we "duking out," exactly?
No duking necessary.
Just a few questions about your warehouse in Sterling, which was the apparent scene of a fire last year.
If you could just confirm the chemicals that you stored there.
That's hardly information we're obligated to divulge without...
DUCKY: Specifically, three fumigants.
Hydrogen cyanide, naphthalene, and chlorpyrifos.
GIBBS: You see?
Better him than me.
(CHUCKLES)
Can you confirm?
Uh, yes. Uh... those are ingredients in one of our most popular insecticides.
And approximately what quantity leaked from the warehouse?
ATTORNEY: Well, if you check the record, you'll see that fire damage was kept to a minimum, so...
Not what he asked.
Look, gentlemen, I'm not sure where this is going, but...
It's going to a trailer park and the soil that you poisoned.
Now, you gonna tell the tenants, or you want us to do that?
Or the EPA.
Uh... (CHUCKLES)
There's no need for that.
We're aware of the issue, and I assure you that it's being handled internally.
By Eli and Pete Buck.
GIBBS: How much you have to pay them to handle your issues internally?
What do you mean?
We mean that perhaps you financed the brothers to buy the trailer park on your behalf, and get rid of the tenants before they caught on.
And then they raise the rents, and the tenants move out on their own.
Keeping your hands clean and you free
- from potential lawsuits.
- No.
Lance, I would strongly advise...
I can't let them paint it this way.
Paint it what way?
(SIGHS) We would never force people out.
Yes, we contracted the brothers to buy the park, but...to also dole out some very generous incentive packages to cover the tenants' inconvenience.
Incentive packages?
The tenants never got 'em.
What's this about?
You have another suspect?
We do. Zullow Chemical.
MCGEE: They gave you and Eli half a million dollars to buy the trailer park and pay the tenants to leave.
BISHOP: But, as you said before, Eli was greedy, came up with a better plan to keep all the money and just raise the rent to force them out.
And maybe you got cold feet.
No. That's not it.
Then what?
(SHUDDERS)
You got it backward.
It was me.
All of it.
I'm the one who pushed him into the Zullow deal.
You put Eli under that truck?
After we loaded it, his conscience kicked in.
He wanted to k*ll the deal.
Tell the tenants, blow the whistle. (SNIFFLES)
And you couldn't let him do that.
It was just a fight.
Words, shoves...
(SIGHS)
Until he fell... right on that stupid garden thing.
Most people would call .
I started to.
But I'm still pumping gas at .
Did I have to lose a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
So your car. That was you, too?
You started clearing suspects.
I had to do something.
So I wrote the note and... s-set the fire.
(CRYING)
Oh...
Eli, I'm sorry.
(SOBBING) What did I do?
That's so sad. It's simply tragic.
At least you know it wasn't one of your neighbors.
Well, that I was sure of.
Oh, God, what does it matter?
We're living on toxic land.
And what do we do now? (GRUNTS)
Give this number a call.
A lawyer friend of ours. Good people.
I gave her the details.
She's expecting your call.
My call about what?
Esther, you're the ringleader.
Tell the others they have one hell of a settlement waiting for them.
Something you can leave your grandkids.
(CRYING)
I wish there was some way I could thank you.
It's okay.
- Thank you, thank you.
- (LAUGHS) Okay.
(LAUGHS)
Hey.
Nice work, you very special agents.
And she's back.
You got, uh, some more evaluating to do?
Yeah, Jack, our morale is just fine.
Hey, enough already, okay?
Vance gave me a job to do, and if it rattled your cages,
I'm sorry, but it sure as hell seems like they needed some rattling.
Am I wrong?
No, you are not wrong.
Okay, maybe our chemistry was a little off.
Yeah. Maybe.
Okay. So, what next?
Who would like to hop on the apology train? Anyone?
(SIGHS)
Ellie, I'm sorry I said anything.
I was... I was just trying to help.
I know. Thanks for trying.
Same here, Nick.
I was only trying to help.
I should have come to you.
Okay. But I let Ziva win.
Which is very clear to me now.
Uh, and what about Gibbs?
Where is he?
Oh, come on, you must know.
I think he's still at the trailer park.
Great. In that case... (CLEARS THROAT)
...let me take this opportunity to make something very clear.
Gibbs and I are not having a thing.
Okay, but...
Who said that you were?
TORRES: Oh, okay, um...
I guess it was only me.
Okay.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Night.
- Later.
Way to throw me under the bus there, guys.
I mean, who is she kidding?
They are so having a thing.
(LAUGHS)
_
(LAUGHS)
(LAUGHS)