17x06 - Institutionalized

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "NCIS". Aired: September 2003 to present.*
Watch/Buy Amazon  Merchandise


The cases of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Post Reply

17x06 - Institutionalized

Post by bunniefuu »

Where's the jailbird at?!

For real.

Where's my boy Trey at?

Auntie Renee.

It's been a minute, huh?

Uh, brought a six-pack.

It's kind of like a welcome home gift for Trey.

Ricky, I want to know why the hell you're here at my party.

Just wanted to chop it up with my boy Trey.

I been missing that fool for years.

Apparently not enough to go visit that fool.

None of his deadbeat-ass friends did.

Mm, so, uh, where is the guest of honor?

Trey's not here yet.

He's late.

To his own welcome home party?

See, that's the problem with these so-called correctional facilities.

They-they don't correct nothing.

He'll be here any minute.

Bishop is really racking up the steps.

I hope she remembered her Fitbit.

Look at that.

She's still picking up steam.

Yeah, she's a phone pacer.

You know, the better the call, the faster she goes.

Must be one hell of a call.

You wore yourself out, didn't you?

Ah, a little bit, but for good reason.

I just got off the phone with city council president of Hinton, Oklahoma.

- Your hometown?

- Yes, sir.

And yours truly was chosen to be grand marshal of their annual Tater Tots Parade.

Is that good news or something?

Uh, yes.

I used to go to the Tater Tots every year growing up.

I have dreamed of this moment, and here we are.

The Tater Tots Potatoes Queen.

- Mm.

- Mama, I made it.

Okay, go ahead, make fun.

But for a nerdy, scrawny girl who grew up with no friends, this it's a big win.

Do you know what they used to call me?

Scarecrow.

- You've mentioned it.

- Like, a few thousand times.

From the scarecrow to the queen.

- Gear up, we got a body.

- Hmm.

After you, Your Majesty.

Mm.

This was supposed to be the start of Trey's new life.

Master Chief Quichera, why don't you let someone else do this for you?

I hung it up; I'm taking it down.

I did everything I could to save this kid.

Guess I didn't do enough.

What was Trey in prison for?

This time?

Armed robbery.

He and his boys held up a Fast Mart.

How long was he in for?

The judge gave him 25 to life, but he only ended up doing seven years.

- Really?

- Yeah.

Trey became a new man in prison.

He told me he didn't want to go back to his old life.

But I guess his old life found him.

I see your friend's m*rder didn't affect your appetite.

You guys know anyone who would have wanted to harm Trey?

Okay.

Guess what we got here is what they refer to on the streets as the code of silence.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I've heard of this.

Yeah, they don't want to cooperate, even if it means helping find their friend's k*ller.

And therefore, makes them look like they're hiding something.

I'm on probation.

Then I suggest you stop the tough guy routine and start talking.

All I know is that he must have been into something.

Because he was only out of jail for a week, and somehow he was he was flush with cash.

But you don't know where that cash came from.

Of course you don't.

Get a sh*t of his left hand there.

Defense wounds?

No, he's got a strand of hair in his palm.

Hmm.

Gonna bag this up, send it back to Kasie for analysis.

Count at least four s*ab wounds, Gibbs.

The victim bled out quickly.

- Time of death?

- Based on lividity, I'd say anywhere from seven to ten hours ago.

Before the party started.

m*rder w*apon.

We've been searching the courtyard; nothing yet.

But there are steak knives on the table over there.

Yeah, but the Kn*fe that we're looking for is not conventional.

The wound pattern here indicates a jagged, uneven blade with at least one right angle.

Like a shiv?

What is that?

Melted plastic?

Part of the homemade Kn*fe.

Well, that is odd.

People usually get shivved while they're in prison.

Not after they get out.

Tell that to him.

Kendall "Trey" Quichera.

He only served seven years of a 25-to-life sentence.

According to his aunt, he was practically a saint on the inside, but I talked to two former inmates who said that he wasn't the angel that she thought he was.

He even started a brawl that put him in the hole for a month.

- Brawl with who?

- Don't know.

We're waiting on the prison's internal records.

They still let this guy out early.

On a technicality.

An appellate court overturned his original conviction - based on mishandled evidence.

- Thank you.

What's he done since he's been out?

A lot of boozing.

Apparently, he was approved for a credit card and has been running up a tab over at O'Brien's Pub.

You two, go.

McGee, Trey's original drug case dig into it.

Kase, yeah.

On my way down.

Just kind of Hmm.

Okay.

And then Oh, son of a Hey, Gibbs.

Need some help?

No, I think I got it.

I wasn't asking, Kase.

Oh.

This is for a friend.

He's got a job interview today.

He's freaking out 'cause he's like, "Oh, I don't know how to tie a tie.

" I promised I'd hook him up, but, like, tying a tie is ridiculously complicated.

It's like a Rubik's Cube with all the fun sucked out.

There you go.

You're all set.

Oh, wow.

Very nice, Gibbs.

You know, if he makes this bad boy look half as good as me, that job is his.

Heh, heh, heh.

Look at me.

Kase?

- You said you had something?

- Right.

Sorry.

So I tested the hair you recovered from the victim's palm.

Unfortunately, it does not match our k*ller, unless we're looking for a shiv-wielding pooch.

- Dog hair?

- Yep.

What breed?

Still working on that.

But based on the patterns and dimensions of the victim's wounds, I was able to create a rendering of the m*rder w*apon.

Filed-down toothbrush.

White-Bright, to be exact.

Although, you know, I doubt they're gonna want to use that in their next ad campaign.

Nice work.

So, this grand marshal thing, do you get, like, cash and prizes?

No, but I do get to ride in a Sebring convertible.

And?

And that's pretty much it.

Huh.

What?

No, I'm surprised.

I just never thought of you as someone who, uh, needed their ego stroked like that.

I just need to b*at her once.

b*at who?

Tanya Owens.

I went to high school with her, and she tormented me.

She's a local meteorologist.

She-She's Hinton's version of a celebrity.

Mm, such a sad little town.

They usually ask Tanya to be grand marshal, and I know how much it means to her.

So I can't wait to see her face when she sees Ellie the scarecrow rolling in that Sebring.

Hey, you guys need some help?

You have no idea, bro.

Um, so we need to ask you about a recent customer of yours.

Kendall Quichera.

Also goes by Trey.

Look familiar?

Yeah.

Whiskey neat, water back.

He's been in the last few nights.

- Alone?

- I wish.

He always shows up with the same dude, who is annoying as hell.

Annoying how?

He keeps handing out his business cards.

You don't happen to have one of those cards, do you?

One?

Relentless.

"Dante Brown.

Dog trainer, dog walker, doggy day care.

" Prior to Dante's dog-walking ambitions, he built quite a rap sheet.

Felony agg-as*ault followed by several probation violations.

Turns out that Trey and Dante had a lot more in common than knocking back a few whiskeys.

They were cellmates at Danville Correctional.

Having a drink with your old celly doesn't make you a k*ller.

- We need more.

- Uh, boss?

- What do you got?

- I got more.

Pulled the prison's internal records, and one of Trey's prison fights was with Dante Brown.

Get this, Trey shivved him.

So that could explain why Trey was k*lled with a shiv after he was released from prison.

Dante wanted payback.

- You got an address?

- I'll call his P. O.

Okay.

Let's go.

I mean, I love dogs.

I don't have one myself, but if I did, I wouldn't let this Dante guy anywhere near mine.

Your hypothetical dog's lucky to have you, Nick.

Hey, knock it off.

Bishop, Torres, take the back.

McGee with me.

Come on, Tater Tots, on my six.

Here you go.

You still love dogs?

Federal agents!

Nowhere to go, Dante!

Okay, we're coming out.

"We"?

Kasie?

Don't sh**t, Gibbs.

He's unarmed.

What's going on, Gibbs?

Was about to ask you the same thing.

Dante a friend of yours?

Best friend.

Known him my whole life.

What do you think he did?

You don't actually think he's the one who shivved that guy, do you?

I never said that.

The handcuffs speak for themselves.

I'm just gonna have a talk, ask him a few questions.

Why him?

He was at a bar with the victim last night.

And the night before that.

Dante knew Trey Quichera?

Well, they were cellmates.

Until Trey att*cked him with a shiv.

Dante never said anything about getting jumped in prison.

Hmm.

He never mentioned Trey?

No.

Would you tell me if he did?

Yes.

Would it even matter at all if I told you Dante is not your guy?

Yes.

Dante's not your guy.

Yeah, I hope not.

Still gonna need to have a chat.

- Can I be in the room?

- No.

Then what can I do?

Your job.

That's, uh, Dante's dog, right?

Yeah, that's Theo.

Why?

You want me to collect a sample of his hair?

Gibbs, it's not Theo's hair that we found at the crime scene.

Then you got nothing to lose.

What does Trey being laid out with a shiv got to do with me?

We all know about the fight you two had in prison.

We also know that Trey used a shiv.

What are you talking about?

A shiv?

There wasn't ever any fight between Trey and me.

Hey.

You okay, Kase?

More worried about Dante.

Trey had his share of dustups in the yard, but he never came at me.

We were boys.

Prison records say different.

Well, the prison records are wrong.

Wait a minute, that's the only reason why I'm in here?

'Cause of some fictional fight?

No, it's not the only reason.

Why were you and Trey out, last couple of nights?

Trey hit me up.

He said he just got sprung.

This may seem silly to y'all, but the real world becomes scary.

He just wanted to kick it with somebody who can relate.

You feel me?

You two were close?

No, not really.

I still considered him a friend.

Friends still fight.

Friends don't try to k*ll each other.

Are you charging me with m*rder?

Not yet.

Well, if I'm not under arrest, then I'm free to go.

I know my rights.

Then you know that you violated your parole by associating yourself with a known felon.

Really?

Just for having drinks with Trey?

You might want to loosen up that tie, buddy.

Think you're gonna be here a while.

Really?

A parole violation?

He's a m*rder suspect.

- They had to find a reason to hold him.

- Why?

He has no motive.

He just told them the fight didn't happen.

Just trust the process, Kasie.

If he's innocent, they'll cut him loose soon enough.

He is a two-time felon from the Hopson project in Bushwick.

We both know what that means.

Innocent isn't always enough.

But he's in good hands here.

We were supposed to be on the way to his job interview right now.

Ah.

That explains the tie.

What job?

Dog trainer at Paw Palace.

It's, uh, entry-level, but they knew his past and were still willing to give him a sh*t.

I was really hoping this job was gonna change his life.

Hey, where's Gibbs?

Hey.

I was just about to come down Dante just said the fight with Trey never happened.

Yeah, Kasie, I know.

I was in there.

No.

No, right after you guys left, he told me, and he has never lied to me ever.

He's telling the truth.

And that means the fight, aka his motive, it isn't real.

And you may be right, Kase, but we can't just take his word for it.

Right, no, of course not.

Please, just investigate.

We are.

Then why aren't you on your way to the prison to find out what really happened?

Because Gibbs and McGee didn't invite us.

It's not really a four-person gig, Kasie.

Look, we are gonna do everything we can to get to the truth.

No assumptions.

You trust us, right?

Of course.

Yeah, no.

I just, um, you know, Dante has been wronged by the system so many times.

I mean, he's spent most of his adult life in prison for nothing.

For nothing?

Really, Kasie?

2008, reckless endangerment.

2009, possession of contraband.

2012, criminal trespassing.

Every single one of those things was a ticky-tack probation violation.

Like, the contraband?

That was a few fireworks.

But because he was already on probation, he served two years.

And the reckless endangerment?

He and his girlfriend, they were on his Ducati, she begged him to pop a wheelie, so he did.

A cop saw him.

He went back to prison for popping a wheelie?

- Nine more months.

- What about his first arrest?

The felony aggravated as*ault in 2005?

You know, Kasie, I'm not trying to be a jerk, but the report says he almost k*lled a kid at a party.

I know.

I know what the report says.

But I also know the truth.

A troubled 15-year-old boy got jumped by a rival g*ng at a party and Dante was the only person that tried to help.

But all the cops saw was a bunch of thugs b*ating on a kid.

You were there?

No.

But, you know, I really wish I would've been.

'Cause that kid that Dante risked his life to save, that's my baby brother.

Nobody had Dante's back at trial?

All the witnesses were too afraid to testify, so all the jury had was the police report.

Dante got six years.

3,000 inmates, 150 guards.

You do the math.

You give them an inch, they'll take a mile, so I don't give them that inch.

Doesn't stop them from trying to take it.

Yes, sir.

Trey Quichera tried.

Was always pushing the limits.

I guess he finally pushed someone too far.

- What about Dante Brown?

- I couldn't tell you.

Hmm, never said two words to him the whole time he was here.

He'd rather talk to his dog.

Inmates are allowed dogs?

Not exactly.

They just work with them during the day.

It's part of our K-9s For Cons program.

They bring in at-risk rescue dogs so the inmates can rehabilitate them.

Seems weird putting together two lost causes, but somehow, it all seems to work.

Ain't that right, Sarge?

Already placed 37 dogs in good homes.

Before they came to us, all these dogs were unadoptable.

And just look at them now.

You work with Dante Brown?

Every day.

Best damn trainer I ever had.

Keeping his nose clean?

He's a suspect in Trey's m*rder.

Really?

I mean, I heard about Trey.

Tell you the truth, that punk had it coming.

But Dante?

I didn't think he had it in him.

Well, he had at least one fight.

With Trey, here in the yard.

I don't remember that.

Neither do I.

I've got the report right here.

Last July, Trey shivved Dante.

Well, if it's in the report, it happened.

Officer Brindle, you recognize this?

That is your signature.

I fill out a fight report every day.

Shivs, shanks, switchblades.

All becomes a blur.

Your surveillance video how far back do you keep it?

Five years.

You want to see the fight for yourself.

You got it.

Just need the date.

Well, that's the problem.

See, the report shows the month and year of the fight, but not the day.

I don't know what happened there, Sarge.

Okay.

We'll be in touch.

That's, uh, 31 days we need to scan, McGee.

And by "we," you mean "me," right?

- Okay, so what's the plan?

- Plan?

Yeah, you saw how this dog tried to maul Torres earlier.

We need a plan.

Wait, should we be wearing one of those big puffy bite-proof suits?

Oh, yeah.

Probably.

I'm kidding, Bishop.

- Oh, my God.

- I'm kidding.

Hey!

Hey, Theo.

Hi.

Hi.

Yes.

Oh, I love you, too, Theo-man.

Wow.

He likes you a lot more than Torres.

Uh, yeah, he better.

Fostered this guy right after he got out of prison.

- Wait, puppy prison?

- Oh, yeah.

Theo was one of the at-risk dogs in their prison-inmate program.

Theo was Dante's, but Theo graduated before Dante got paroled.

So he was your roommate until Dante got out?

For how long?

A month.

A month?

In your tiny little studio apartment?

How was that?

Intimate.

- Oh, hey, sorry about that.

- Yes.

Theo's never really grasped the concept of personal space.

That's okay.

I'm not complaining.

Okay.

Hey.

Boy.

Hey, you all good over there?

Kase?

- You good?

- Yeah.

We're good.

Great.

Kasie.

Hey.

You called?

I just tested Theo's hair.

It was not a match to the dog hair we recovered from the victim.

And you're sure?

100%.

Isn't that supposed to be good news?

Yeah, it is, but this isn't.

I found it in Dante's backyard.

It was hidden under Theo's bed.

A shiv.

Made from a White-Bright toothbrush.

And so you were gonna tell us this when?

I'm sorry I hid it from you, Ellie.

I was afraid I wouldn't be allowed to test the blood myself, and if Dante was going away for m*rder, I wanted to make sure the test was done right.

And?

Tested the blood three times, and this is the m*rder w*apon.

I'm sorry, Kase.

I know this has got to be tough.

Yeah, it sucks.

I really thought this was his fresh start.

Really believed he wasn't going back.

Can I have a minute to say goodbye, Gibbs?

Thank God, Kasie.

How long they planning on keeping me in here?

Sit.

What?

What now?

Look, I said sit.

Look familiar?

No.

Is that?

Yeah.

Kasie, I've never seen this before in my life.

Then why was it in your backyard?

I don't know.

No, you got to do better than that.

Maybe somebody planted it there?

Well, planted by who?

The hell if I know.

I would start by asking whoever found the damn thing.

I found it.

So like I said, you're gonna have to do better.

Okay, hold up, hold up.

You don't actually believe that I m*rder*d Trey, do you?

No.

But everyone else does.

So if you ever want to see Theo again, you're gonna need to help me help you.

Didn't Kasie just ask you if she could say goodbye?

Goodbyes come in many forms.

She still doesn't think he's guilty.

Ah, and you knew it.

The thought did cross my mind.

But you also knew if he was honest with anyone, it would be her, and you wanted a confession.

No.

I wanted the truth.

You're not convinced he's guilty either.

Why?

He had motive, the shiv was at his house.

Uh, Theo's house.

What are you saying?

We should be interrogating a German shepherd?

What I'm saying is he could've ditched it in a lake.

He didn't do that.

He hid it with his dog, which is not only dumb, it's dangerous, if you love your dog.

Mm.

Maybe Dante got desperate.

Yeah, maybe.

Man, you remember when we first met?

Uh yeah.

Fifth grade, recess.

- Mm-hmm.

- I was chilling on the stairs and you walked right up and spit your game.

Spit my game?

- You were crushing on me a little bit.

- Wrong.

No.


You needed my help, okay?

'Cause the McCallen brothers were chucking Nerf footballs at your dome.

That's funny.

Thought you were kind of feeling me back then.

No, far from it, bro.

No.

You just needed a friend 'cause, face it, you had more than enough enemies.

Okay, okay, wait, wait, wait.

What is this?

Is this some kind of pre-prison pep talk?

'Cause if it is, it sucks.

This is a "save your ass" pep talk.

What's this for?

Hey, you're still the same kid that I saved at recess.

We both know that you got a real talent for pissing people off, so I want you to make a list of all of them.

You think the McCallens set me up for Trey's m*rder?

No.

But I think somebody did.

Come on, give me some damn names, Dante.

You wouldn't believe how many fights break out in prison every day.

Actually, I would.

Gibbs has me listening to inmate phone calls to see if there's any talk about Dante's fight, and I just started, and I've heard about a dozen different beatdowns.

- Dante vs.

Trey?

- Eh, nothing yet.

What are you smiling at, Torres?

Hmm?

Oh, the, uh, the weather forecast.

In the Sooner State.

Right now, we're seeing some pretty clear conditions Oh, you think this is funny?

Extremely.

Come on, you kept bringing her up, so naturally, I got curious.

Who is that?

That's Tanya Owens, aka Bishop's long-time archnemesis.

Aka the meanest meteorologist in the world.

She's pretty good.

There's no sound, McGee.

What's going on?

Oh, you know, the usual.

- Tormenting Bishop.

- Mm.

Did you get a chance to look into all those names Dante gave us?

Yes, yes.

We cleared most of the list.

They all had alibis.

What about the rest?

We're checking them out now.

Really?

'Cause it looks to me like all you're checking out is the Doppler radar for central Oklahoma.

Okay, listen, Kasie, we know he's your friend, but look at the evidence.

I'm pretty sure we have our guy.

Yeah, well, I am pretty sure that we just sent an innocent man back to prison, and you all don't even seem to care.

Hey, come on, Kase.

You don't actually believe that.

Which part, Eleanor?

Miss Hines.

My office, please.

What exactly were you hoping to accomplish with that down there?

I'm sorry, Director.

I apologized to the team right after you left.

Not what I asked.

First and foremost, you're a forensic scientist.

Our job is to investigate, evaluate the evidence, and make good arrests.

- I know that.

- And being Kasie Hines's best friend is not an a*t*matic "get out of jail free" card.

I know that, too, sir.

So despite all the evidence, including the m*rder w*apon, which you found at the house, you still believe that Dante Brown is innocent?

Yes, sir.

I do.

Dante isn't a k*ller.

He's not capable of it.

Okay, then.

I'm sorry I interrupted.

You can go back down.

Continue as before.

Say again?

Why do you think I called you up here, Miss Hines?

- To tell me to back off.

- Wrong.

I called you up here to tell you that you're not alone.

The anger you're feeling now, yeah, I have felt it, too.

Your instinct to fight for your friend should be commended.

If you truly believe that Dante Brown is innocent, then you better fight like hell to prove it.

And if that means lighting a fire under every ass in this place, then so be it.

You have my full support.

Thank you, Director.

But you better be right.

Love and loyalty can be blinding, Miss Hines.

If we're not careful, we go to w*r for the wrong people.

And trust me, that's one lesson that you don't want to learn the hard way.

Now, that being said, I'm gonna ask you one more time: Are you 100% sure that Dante Brown is innocent?

Don't answer that.

Kasie, I'm sorry, but there's, uh, something you need to see.

You don't look happy.

Is there anything you want to tell me?

Doesn't matter.

It's not like I would believe you anyway.

That doesn't make me a k*ller.

No, but it does make you a liar.

What else have you lied about?

I'm sorry, Kasie.

Why did you lie to me?

If NCIS knew that Trey really did att*ck me, I'd look guilty as hell.

Not as guilty as you do now.

Thought it'd be my word against the guard's.

How could you not know every prison has a surveillance system?

I thought that Trey att*cked me in a spot that was outside the camera view.

Yeah, maybe you should stop thinking.

I get it, I screwed up.

Again.

We've been here before.

When's this gonna stop, Dante?

I risked my job to protect you.

Does that even matter to you?

Of course it does.

But you know what I've been through with cops.

And they pulled me out of my house at gunpoint, so, yeah, I was scared.

But you didn't just lie to them, you lied to me.

You are them, Kasie!

You are them.

I'm your friend first.

So you can trust me.

Kasie, I regret lying to you more than I resent sitting in this chair.

I know that I hurt you, and it sucks, because nobody matters to me more than you do.

Kasie, you know the real me.

Oh, man, I don't, I don't know if that's true anymore.

You know damn well I ain't no k*ller.

Please don't let one mistake just erase 25 years of friendship.

What do you want from me, Dante?

Just a little faith.

'Cause you and I both know that without your help, I'm gonna rot in here for the rest of my life.

NCIS cleared the names you gave me.

Okay?

So nobody on that list framed you.

Which means that we are we're all out of leads.

So you giving up on me?

No.

I'll never give up on you, Dante.

And I'll never stop loving you.

But I got to go 'cause, um, Theo's all alone.

Can you tell my boy I love him?

Yeah, I will, and, um he knows.

Thank you for taking care of him again.

Yeah, we're-we're taking care of each other.

- What are we doing, McGee?

- What do you mean?

We found the guy.

We made the arrest.

Why are we still looking in this case?

Uh, you'd have to ask Gibbs.

Ask Gibbs what?

Well, McGee wants to know why we're still looking into the, uh, Quichera case?

Look, are you afraid that we got it wrong?

Or are we just triple-checking because it's Kasie?

Both.

Update.

All right, well, I re-interviewed Trey's buddies.

Same stories as before.

I don't think they're hiding anything.

McGee, go.

Found a couple scuffles Trey had that we didn't know about, but the guys he fought are still locked up.

Gibbs, I'm all up for crossing T's and dotting I's.

I feel bad for Kasie, what she's going through right now, but I'm pretty sure we got the right guy.

I'm not.

Gibbs.

You need to hear this.

Hey, Bishop.

You were right.

Dante didn't k*ll Trey.

Then who did?

Someone who was trying to keep Trey from talking.

About what?

Well, he was laundering money on the inside with some inmate named Grant.

And so we think this Grant guy ordered the hit.

Wait, how do you know all this?

Gibbs has had me listening to the prison phone calls for days, so He has?

Yeah, look, talk to Dante, find out if the name "Grant" means anything to him.

Yeah, on it.

Oh, and, Bishop, thank you.

I can't believe there are 13 guys named Grant in the same prison.

So many Grants, so little time.

At least he's not a Smith.

Well, we can cross both Greg Grant and Alden Grant off the list because they spent the last decade in solitary.

Louis Grant is out, too.

He was only processed in a few weeks ago.

Well, then that's a wrap.

We're all out of Grants.

Check the employees.

Already did.

Didn't find anything.

What about vendors?

Um Yeah, there is one Grant.

Noel Grant.

Contracted to handle all of the prison's - Laundry.

- Yeah.

Yeah, he runs a commercial service called Press 'N Clean Pros.

H-How do you, how do you know that, Gibbs?

The guy on the call didn't say "laundering," - he said "laundry.

" - Wait.

Trey did work in the prison's laundry detail for years.

Who is Noel Grant?

Uh Someone with a pretty sketchy past.

He was indicted for narcotics trafficking three times.

Yeah, and just last month, he bought a $5.

2 million beach home in Aruba.

Didn't they say the hit was ordered by someone inside the prison?

Must be someone else involved.

Another inmate?

Yeah.

On my way down.

What do you got, Kase?

Dog hair, lots of it.

After Bishop told me the hit was ordered by someone inside of the prison, I had a hunch, so I collected hair from all the K-9s For Cons dogs, and tested it against the hair found at the crime scene.

And this guy was a match.

How's that possible?

I thought the dogs were kenneled at the prison?

The dogs assigned to the inmates are, but the dogs the staff use to teach the class go home with them, and this particular pooch belongs to a guard.

Which one?

Why am I here?

Because k*lling people is illegal.

Who do you think I k*lled?

Trey Quichera.

That's ridiculous.

Trey was a career criminal, a gangbanger.

Probably got k*lled by some thug.

Like Dante Brown?

You said yourself they had beef.

Those fights in the yard ain't just nothing.

Them boys, they k*ll each other.

Which is why you chose Dante to be your fall guy.

He had a motive.

Why the hell would I want to k*ll Trey Quichera?

- To shut him up.

- About what?

All the dr*gs you've been smuggling into the prison over the years.

You and Noel Grant cut a deal, use his linen trucks to bring in coke and heroin, bypassing security.

And you still needed an inmate on the inside to move your product.

You handpicked Trey because he was doing 25 to life, but he had an early release.

You panicked, thought he might talk.

So you k*lled him with a prison shiv and you planted that in Dante's backyard.

You can't prove any of this.

Oh, Noel Grant can.

Our agents grabbed him at Dulles before he could hop on a flight to Aruba.

He's been airing out your dirty laundry ever since.

Literally.

Look on the bright side, at least you're going somewhere familiar and you know all the rules already.

I bet them boys in Danville are gonna be excited to see you.

Yo.

What are you doing here?

Aren't you supposed to be on a plane on your way to do the grand marshaling thingy?

Nah.

I decided not to go.

Seriously?

What about little baby Bishop inside your soul?

Isn't she gonna be disappointed?

She'll get over it.

And all your faithful minions in Tater-Tots-ville?

Don't you owe it to Okay, they didn't want me, okay?

The truth is they never really wanted me, so can we just drop it?

- Already dropped.

- Thank you.

They want Tanya Owens instead.

Uh-huh.

Can you believe that?

Tanya frickin' Owens, again.

They only asked me because Tanya wasn't available, then all of a sudden, her schedule just cleared right up.

Mm-hmm.

Wait, so they just uninvited you?

Oh, no, it's even worse.

They asked me to be the head of security for Grand Marshal Tanya.

Mm-hmm.

It's okay.

Go ahead.

You can laugh.

Bishop, I would never laugh at you.

Right in front of your face.

Ha.

You want to get some sushi?

Oh, I'd-I'd love to, but I already have plans.

Oh, really?

You got a hot date?

Something like that.

Really?

I was kidding.

I didn't, I didn't know you were seeing anyone.

- It's just been a few weeks.

- Wow, that's like six months in Torres years.

You would like her, Bishop.

She's older, mature.

I think it may be good for me.

Wow.

How much older?

Does it matter?

No.

You know, you two make quite the couple.

You know, I can't thank everybody from NCIS enough.

You guys saved my ass.

Oh, well, you know, you were innocent.

No, that don't matter.

Like, I still violated my parole.

I was right back in the teeth of the system.

Thank you, Kase.

Don't thank me.

It was Gibbs and Vance that got you released.

They took up your cause, went to w*r with the D. O. J.

And a week later, here I am, free to annoy the hell out of my dog-son.

I'm sorry you went through this, D.

I'm lucky to have a best friend at NCIS.

No, I'd still be locked up.

You know, there's a ton of guys in there who have an honest story to tell, but nobody to listen.

You know, I was thinking about that.

If you and I team up, maybe we could make some waves.

I'm with it.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, let's do it, man.

Oh, but first let's, uh, jump-start your career.

Yeah?

Okay.

All right.

- Let's go.

Let's do this.

- Okay.

Uh-huh.

You nervous?

Oh, yeah, a little bit, yeah.

Okay.

Aw.

Hi.

He's still a work in progress.

Yeah, but aren't we all?

Hi.

Hi.

Come on, buddy, get down.

Well, guess it's either now or never.

Come on, boy.

Hey, you're taking Theo into your job interview?

Of course.

Here.

He's my resume.

Come on.
Post Reply