20x11 - Bridges

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "NCIS". Aired: September 2003 to present.*
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The cases of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
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20x11 - Bridges

Post by bunniefuu »

[TIRES SCREECH]

Tony!

I know you're here!

You snively little runt!

I know you're in there, you bastard!

Be a man and face me!

What the hell, Sheila?

Hey!

Would you calm down?

Get out here, Kaytlynn with a K

and two Ys and two Ns.

Give me a break. What are you doing?

Hey.

Grande salted caramel Americano, right?

Okay.

Uh, look, it's... it's not you,

- all right?
- It's me.

Okay? It's all me. I-I...

I just want more from life.

What more can the barista give you...

- extra foam?
- Well, she

actually pays attention enough

to know when I need that!

You have more needs than a toddler.

TONY: A toddler? Only a toddler
runs around like a Tasmanian...

You know what, that's it.

I'm done with the therapy.

I'm done with the self-help seminars.

- And I'm done with you.
- What are you doing?

What are you do... Sh-Sheila,
no, no, no, no! Hey, hey.

Be careful, that...

that's not a toy.

I don't really care.

[CLEANING LADY SCREAMS]

[WHIMPERS] Oh!

[WHIMPERING]

♪ ♪

Who's down for a coffee break?

Yes, please. I could use a caffeine kick

to get me through
my cleaning checklist today.

Well, don't strain yourself
because you have

a date night coming up, if I recall.

The next Codename: Furymovie.

I should probably get tickets
before they sell out.

Mm.

What do you think if I get three?

Three tickets?

Is someone joining us on our date night?

Well, maybe we could
bring Victoria along.

I mean, didn't you say how
she's been looking forward

to the next Codenamemovie?

Oh, that is so sweet.

Yeah, but I already got her a sitter.

Well, sitters have
cancellation policies.

It's just been so long since
Victoria got to have a tea party

with Sara, you know,
I'd hate to disappoint her.

Would you want to ask Victoria first?

Um, Sara is an influencer who
hosts Wonder Woman tea parties

on TikTok. I mean,
we can't compete with that.

Wonder Woman?

Can I ditch date night
and go to that party?

[LAUGHS]

Besides, I was kind of looking
forward to just

hanging out with you, you know?

I-I can go see the movie again
with Victoria another day.

[PHONES CHIME]

Uh, it's Parker. We have a body.

Guess that second coat of
steel polish will have to wait.

[DOOR CLOSES]

KNIGHT: It's probably nothing.

It's just...

it almost felt like Jimmy
was feeling a little hesitant

about me spending more time Victoria.

Or maybe Jimmy was feeling
hesitant about you.

Ever thought of that?

No, but thanks for sharing.

Hey, just one man's opinion.

- Wait. Did he say something?
- No.

- And yet you have an opinion.
- Not really.

My mouth sometimes just says stuff.

I've noticed.

Hey, but like you said,
it's probably nothing.

Damn.

Looks like
a hurricane came through here.

The victim put up a hell of a fight.

Who is she?

Ensign Ashley Watts.

She's stationed in D.C.,
lives in Fairfax Village.

Why would she crash at a sleazy motel

just a few miles away from her home?

PARKER: Could be what most
people do in a sleazy motel.

Dirty deeds they don't want
others knowing about.

Perimortem bruising suggests
manual strangulation,

and lividity tells us that she's
been here at least hours.

An out-of-the-way motel, a struggle

and a girl choked to death.

Classic crime of passion.

Which means we're looking for a lover.

Or a spouse
who wasn't a fan of the lover.

All right, scour the room
for prints and DNA.

Find out who she was here with.

This place doesn't have cameras
or even a front desk.

Who booked the room?

I contacted the online reservation hub

as soon as I arrived. Should be
hearing from them soon.

[PHONE DINGS]

Well, that's them.

Well, we got two options
on that reservation.

Either Ensign Watts, or, uh,

the person she was hooking up with.

What is it?

The room wasn't booked by Watts

or the person she was meeting up with,

at least I hope not.

What's that supposed to mean?

The room was booked by you.

- Me?
- Yeah, credit card and reservation

are under the name Alden Parker.

Yeah. That's me.

So, you come here often, or...

Hey, hey, here's an idea.

Skip lunch today. I need this done now.

TORRES: Man, I'd be pissed, too.

- PARKER: Really?
- Yeah, identity theft is no joke.

All those credit cards
to cancel, passwords to reset.

PARKER: What are you talking about?

- Just sh**t me.
- Someone cloned my credit card once.

Went on a shopping spree
at Bob's Big & Tall Formalwear.

- PARKER: Oh, come on!
- If I'm ever in Cleveland

and I see a six-foot, ten-inch dude

wearing a blue velvet tuxedo,
oh, oh, oh.

Well, at least somebody's happy.

- Everything okay?
- It is for my accountant.

I have to cancel my entire life
but he gets to charge overtime.

Well, maybe you can bill whoever
really booked that motel room.

- [SIGHS]
- What else have they been up to

with your identity?

Uh, besides framing you for m*rder.

Kasie is digging
into my digital life now.

Luckily for me, I've got
an alibi about last night.

Sorry I couldn't make it easy for you.

Speaking of not easy,

there wasn't a single print in the room.

It's been wiped clean.

MCGEE: Yeah, presumably by the k*ller.

As for the victim...

TORRES: Hey, Parker, are you sure
you don't know her?

Never saw her before
in my life. Details.

KNIGHT: Ensign Watts was an accountant

with Naval Sea Systems Command.

They build and maintain
every ship in the fleet.

C.O. said she was a solid
officer, very by-the-book.

Well, she wasn't going by the
book at that hush-hush motel.

She was doing something on the D.L.

Dig into her life and find out
who she was doing it with.

This isn't happening.

[WOMAN SIGHS]

Sorry for your loss.

Are-are you sure?
Are-are you sure it's Ashley?

Unfortunately, yeah.

[DOOR CLOSES]

She's downstairs
when you're ready to see her.

- Oh, John.
- It's okay, sweetheart.

- No. No.
- TORRES: Or we can just, um,

sit here and talk for a bit.

Yeah, let's go with that.

Was Ashley your only child?

Yes, but-but she didn't come
into our lives until she was .

I couldn't get pregnant.

We had tried for years, but...

it just didn't work.

When we finally decided to adopt,

word came about this teen in the system

that needed a foster home.

We just thought
it was gonna be temporary.

But, um...

The moment that Ashley
walked through that door...

...she was the missing piece
that completed our family.

Not many people would adopt a teen.

We finally became the
family we always wanted.

Can you think of anyone

who would have had reason
to harm Ashley?

Oh. Good Lord, no.

She was the sweetest girl.
Everyone loved her.

This place that you-you found her...

it was, um, a motel here in D.C.?

Yeah.

What was she doing
at a motel so close to home?

Maybe she was meeting up with Travis?

Who's Travis?

Travis Jacobs. He was a new... friend.

Ashley had roommates, and...

they may have just wanted to be alone?

Any idea where this Travis lives?

He's a few hours away in Wilmington.

We met him once at brunch.

You don't think

that Travis has something
to do with this, do you?

I think that if Travis
was in that motel with Ashley...

Why haven't we heard from him?

Hey, can I get some extra mayo
with that?

Okay, great. Thanks. See you in .

I'm suddenly in the mood
for a crab roll sandwich.

In the middle of an autopsy.

- That is not at all disgusting.
- No bites for you.

I will settle for an update
on Ensign Watts.

Right. Official cause of death

was forced compression of the larynx,

which obstructed airflow
and led to asphyxiation.

Mm, that is a lot of words
to say "strangled to death."

Her last meal is actually the
reason why I'm hungry right now.

It was a crab roll using very
high-quality Maryland blue crab.

I am never eating again.

I'm around death all day. I take
inspiration where I can get it.

Anything else? And please,

not of the stomach-churning variety.

Right. Her extensive bruising
would tell us

that she fought the good fight
until her last dying breath.

Her elbows, arms and knees

all show injuries

at precise contact points.

Oh, looks like me after
a martial arts sparring session.

JIMMY: Good eye. I think that our
victim probably had training...

extensive training...
from the look of things.

But she was a bean counter.

Nowhere on her file does it indicate

that she had any kind
of combat training.

Not my department.

Well, it is my department.

So thank you. I'm gonna
go update the team.

And I'm gonna go enjoy my crab roll.

Was there anything else you needed?

Mm. No, that's it.

And yet you're still here.

[CLEARS THROAT]

We're good, right? You and me?

- Uh, you and me good how?
- I mean,

you know, like, you like that...
you-you and me?

Well, you and me as in "us" you and me?

- Yup. That.
- Well, yeah, of course.

- Why are you even asking?
- Oh, it's...

You know, I'm just checking in.
It's a thing people do.

- Well, I'm good if you are.
- Great. I'm great.

[SHORT CHUCKLE]

Okay, um,

so I'm gonna stop
being awkward now and leave.

- Hey.
- Oh.

- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.

[LAUGHS SOFTLY]

KASIE: So,

good news for me, bad news for you.

How is my identity being
stolen good for you?

Because in dissecting your
digital life to find the thief,

I was able to update
my future blackmail file on you.

Next time I put in for a vacation,

my dates best be approved.

I'll take that under consideration.

So, the bad news is that
you have a blackmail file on me.

No. Your bad news is a complete
stranger apparently also knows

everything about you...
driver's license number,

mom's maiden name, your first pet.

How was my personal info hacked?

I mean, I'm hardened
against all the usual vectors.

- Rootkit malware? [SCOFFS]
- Please.

Decryption worm? Forget about it.

That's because you weren't hacked,

at least not in the traditional way.

What is the non-traditional way?

Our perp played
the security questions angle.

You know, those annoying questions

you get asked
when you forget your password?

I never forgot my password,
but just, uh,

go on.

Our perp started by making
"lost password" claims

to your least secure accounts first...

the Pastry of the Month Club,

Virginia Ornithology Association.

Also some rants you dropped
on an old Sopranosblog?

I was working FBI Organized Crime.

Those writers were trying
to make us into imbeciles.

Either way,

once the hacker got
their tentacles into your world,

they were able to piece together

your more important
log-ins and passwords.

Just by answering my security questions?

Whoever did this knows
very personal things about you.

Yeah, personal things from my past.

Which means maybe our hacker
is someone from your past,

which brings me to the bad, bad news.

You never said anything
about there being bad, bad news.

Oh, my bad.

PARKER: So, in addition

to charging the motel mini-bar to me,

the person who stole my identity
also used it

to access the DoD mainframe.

- Wait, as in the...
- Department of Defense, yes.

- They get anything good?
- Yeah. Files of Navy personnel.

They pulled background details
on hundreds of sailors.

Wow. More identities to steal?

PARKER: I don't think so.
They dug around for a while,

but they were awfully interested

in one name in particular.

- Ensign Watts.
- Who's dead now.

That's not a coincidence.

What about our victim's new boyfriend,

Travis from Wilmington?

You mean her new boyfriend

that we can't locate
because there's no record

of a Travis Jacobs who matches
his description? Yeah.

If that isn't sketchy enough, turns out

Travis, uh, magically popped up
in Watts' life

the very next day after
her file was accessed.

Well, that doesn't sound
like a coincidence, either.

Whoever this Travis guy is disappeared.

Sounds like we got a ghost.

Well, then call me a Ghostbuster,

'cause I got a hit on our mystery man.

The restaurant where
Ashley and her parents

had brunch with Travis at has cameras.

Well, the ghost is doing a good
job playing the loving boyfriend.

All right, running facial rec now.

Something about this guy looks...

MCGEE: Okay, got a hit.
Travis' real name is Ryan Aaronson.

And, uh, big shocker...
he's got a record.

You got to be kidding me.

Parker, you know this guy?

No. But I know Ryan's mother.

He is the son

of Joy Aaronson,

but I know her as Joy Sullivan.

And who's Joy Sullivan?

She was...

my first love when I was just a kid.

Unfortunately, your,
uh, first love's son

is now our prime m*rder suspect.

Joy Sullivan. She sounds sweet.

"Sweet" is not how I would describe Joy.

She was a force of nature.

Hey, Parker, seems like you have a type.

She reminds me a lot
of your ex-wife. Vivian?

Yeah, we kind of assumed
that she was the one

you still carried the torch for.

Okay, so how did you
mess things up with this one?

Wait a minute. Why-why are you
assuming it was his fault?

Look at that face, that hair.

- Of course Parker was a heartbreaker.
- [SIGHS]

Joy and I grew up back in Philly.

We're talking peas-in-a-pod, inseparable

until, uh...

her family moved away junior year.

You didn't stay in touch?

Well, not for lack of trying.

I mean, I wrote...

wrote her every week for, um...

[SCOFFS] a long time,

and she never wrote me back.

Mm, Knight's right. You did something.

Well, if I did, I don't know what,

so I took the hint and stopped writing.

Mm, but you never stopped
thinking about her.

Or cyberstalking her.

Come on. You pulled up

Joy's profile like, uh,
you had it on speed dial.

Sue me for wanting an ambient awareness

of her life over the years.

Mm, were you aware that she
was divorced?

Yes, I am aware.

And were you also aware that she
lives just outside of Maryland?

And why haven't you reached out?

Because every time
I thought I might... I just...

- I chickened out.
- [LAUGHS SOFTLY]

Fate took her away, so, why tempt fate?

Well, fate brought her back
into your orbit.

- No, not fate.
- This kid

heard about me from Joy.
What do you know about him?

KNIGHT: Well,
it looks like Ryan spent time in juvie,

followed by arrests,
for forgery, wire fraud.

Mainly cheap, money-making scams.

TORRES: Yeah, toss in identity theft,

and you have a classic con.

Looks like Ashley was his next mark.

A mark that ended up dead.

I never imagined if I saw her again,

I'd be breaking the news
that her son might be

a k*ller con man.

Knight, Torres,
see if you can find Ryan.

McGee.

With me.

Time to tempt fate.

Something wrong?

No. It just hit me is all.

It's been decades since I've seen her.

You're nervous.

What? No, of course not.

[SIGHS]

[EXHALES]

Do you need me to ring the bell for you?

No, I got it.

Okay. Go get 'em, tiger.

Been a long time, Joy.

[GRUNTS]

- Ooh.
- [GROANS]

You want some, too?

No, no, no, I'm good.

[PARKER COUGHS]

PARKER: Ugh.

You had that coming to you
for years, Park.

Ruined my life.

- How exactly did I do that?
- I loved my life in Philly

and I was ripped away
from it because of you.

Yeah, you definitely did something.

More like what didn't he do.

Couldn't say no to trouble
if you paid him to.

Uh, as I recall, you were attached

to my hip for most of that trouble.

Exactly. My poor parents...

couldn't have the neighborhood bad boy

corrupt their daughter.

Cream, two sugars, if I recall?

Are you saying
that your parents moved away

- because of me?
- Yeah, dummy.

What exactly did you think would
happen after what you did

at the St. Paddy's Day celebration?

- I...
- MCGEE: Mm. What did he do

at the St. Paddy's Day celebration?

Uh, the details don't matter.

I would love to hear the details.

What matters is that my
parents decided that night

that I couldn't be around you anymore.

They knew they couldn't keep me
from you unless we left Philly.

Joy, look, I'm-I'm sorry. I had no idea.

Well, if it's any consolation,
the lesson didn't stick,

because you were the first
in a long line

of men that I should not have dated.

Well, speaking of, uh,
men that are trouble,

that's why we're here.

My deadbeat ex-husband...
yeah, he's in prison.

I'll give you directions.

We're not here about him.

Oh, God. Ryan?

What did he do now?

He stole my identity.

Apparently, you were talking about me,

and you told him enough
that he hacked into my, uh...

No offense,
but I haven't spoken about you to anyone

for the last years.

Offense taken.

But somehow, your son knows details

that only a small group of people knew.

Ryan doesn't come
around here much anymore,

but he did visit a few weeks ago.

Needed to do laundry?

Uh, funnily enough, no.
He didn't ask for money, either.

Although I should have
realized something was up.

Take it you're missing something?

Ryan took my letters.
The ones you wrote to me.

You kept them?

Yeah.

Why didn't you ever write me back?

Because I was angry,

and I was hurt that
you didn't come back after me.

I didn't know you wanted me to.

You're such an idiot.

I know not writing back
was petty, but I was young.

And, you know,
then the rest of life happened.

Oh, your, uh... your son
must have used the information

in those letters to hijack
Agent Parker's identity.

Then used my DoD access
to target a Naval officer.

And that officer is now dead.

No way.

Ryan does not have
a violent bone in his body.

Joy, he took the letters.

He's clearly the one
that stole my identity.

I'm telling you,
Ryan is not smart enough

to pull that off alone. I...

What-Whatever's going on,
Todd is behind it.

That bastard.

- Who's Todd?
- He's my ex's partner.

He's a con man.

When my ex got pinched,

Todd set his sights on Ryan
as his replacement partner.

I told Ryan that Todd was bad news,

but, hey, that kid...
he takes after his father.

Do you know where we could find Todd?

He's got a pool hall in Hampden,

but he'll-he'll make you out as feds

as soon as you walk through the door.

But he might talk to you
if I'm with you.

Uh, that's not gonna happen, Joy.

You want another punch to the gut?

Just try and keep me from
helping my kid.

[DOOR OPENS]

Yeah, you were right.

Not exactly what I would
describe as "sweet."

♪ ♪

Double or nothing,
I can sink that four-ball next.

What do you say, Father?

I wouldn't take that bet.

Not because the Bible says the
love of money is the root of all evil,

but because he's setting you up.

Really, Joy? You come in here dragging

- a pair of cops behind you?
- Uh, Mr. Mercer,

I'm Agent Parker, NCIS.
This is Agent McGee.

We've got some questions

- that we want to ask you.
- What did you get Ryan

- mixed up in?
- Uh, we're the ones

conducting the interview here.

- But we are here about Ryan.
- What about him?

You dragged him into some con,
and you got a woman k*lled.

- Okay.
- You might want to muzzle that one.

I ain't seen Ryan in days,

and I don't know nothing
about no dead woman.

- How dare you take advantage of my son!
- Hey, hey, hey, hey!

This isn't good cop, bad Joy, okay?

If you're done with the theatrics,

I've got some work to do.

[SIGHS] No, almost done.
One more question,

- but it's not for you.
- Ah.

How much jail time

is this guy looking at?

Mandatory minimum, years

without the possibility of parole.

[SHORT CHUCKLE] Nice try.

Identity theft caps out at one year.

Who said anything about identity theft?

Did he just incriminate himself,
Agent McGee?

I believe he did, Agent Parker.

I was talking about
first-degree felony m*rder,

which you're about to be charged with

in about ten seconds.

Yeah, unless you can do better
than "I don't know."

Or we can just step away
and let Joy kick your ass.

But how did he get her
to hand over her passwords

- for NAVSEA?
- How's it going?

Well, apparently, Todd was
pulling the old CIA recruiter con.

My favorite. I've done it twice.
How'd this one work?

Ryan convinced Ensign Watts

that he was recruiting her for the CIA.

And once he had her believing that,

he tricked her into giving him access to
the accounting system

at NAVSEA.

And then it was just a simple matter

of adding my pool hall
to their payroll ledger.

And you just sat back and cashed
the checks as they came in?

I was just trying to get my
piece of that government pork.

But I don't know nothing about that.

Whatever happened there
is between Ryan and her.

You have any idea where Ryan might be?

I haven't heard a word from him

- since he tried to shut me down.
- PARKER: Wait.

Wait. What's that supposed mean?

- Ryan wanted to call things off.
- Why?

Because he didn't want to get
Ashley in trouble with the Navy.

Ryan broke the first rule of the game...

never fall for your mark.

And he was, what... in love with Ashley?

Those were his exact words.

You know, maybe

she found out he played her
and things got ugly,

- which wouldn't surprise me at all.
- And why is that?

There was something about that girl.

Something like what?

Ryan brought her around once
to play pool,

and I can tell from the moment I met her
she had an angle.

A con can tell
when someone's keeping secrets,

and she was keeping something from Ryan.

TORRES: Are we sure this guy
isn't just trying to save his own ass

by pinning Ashley's m*rder on Ryan?

He's got an alibi.

He was with his podiatrist
getting a corn removed

when Ashley was k*lled.

What do you think he meant
by, uh, Ashley having secrets?

I don't know, but
I don't trust a con man.

You cannot play the game
if you're not skilled

in reading human behavior.

Well, maybe we should focus less on Ryan

and have a closer look at Ashley.

Just spoke to her neighbor.

They saw her roughly eight hours
before she was k*lled.

Said she looked frazzled,
left in a hurry.

TORRES: Eight hours?
That's a lot of missing time.

PARKER: All right. Let's track
her phone, see where she went.

Ah, don't bother.
She left it in her apartment.

I'd leave my eyeballs behind
before I left my phone.

Maybe she ditched it on purpose,
to drop off the grid.

Are you saying that Ashley isn't
just an innocent victim here?

I'm thinking we need
to know what happened

between her leaving home,
eating a delicious crab roll,

and then ending up dead.

Did Ryan mention anything
to his mother about Ashley?

Joy said she never met her,
though I could go see

if there's anything she overlooked.

"Go see" as in, like... house call?

An official NCIS interview.

Like, back at her house? Tonight?

Well, I'm sure that she would
appreciate, uh, an update,

given the sensitive nature
of the investigation.

Right, and it's...
You know, what's better

than a face-to-face?

It's the proper thing to do.

Mm.

JOY: Park, uh,
what are what are you doing?

I know I should have called first,
but...

I just thought I'd... check up,

- see how you're doing.
- I'm fine.

RYAN: Hey, Mom,

when'd you switch to stupid deca...

What is he doing here?

- Did you turn me in?
- I swear,

I didn't even know he was coming.

Are you aiding and abetting my suspect?

You mean my son. Relax.
I was still gonna call you.

What? Mom, I came to you for help.

He's the only one who can help you now.

She's right.

If you had nothing to do with Ashley's
m*rder,

you need to talk to me.

Don't you dare break
your mother's heart.

Okay, Ryan, you know the drill.

You're gonna talk to Agent Parker

and you're gonna do
what you're not good at.

You're gonna tell the truth.

Don't let this fall on his head,

Park. He's saveable, just like you were.

I swear on my mother's life,

I didn't k*ll Ashley.

I loved her.

You know, she was... the one.

That's why I tried to stop Todd.

[SIGHS]

But he went behind your back

and pulled off the con anyway.

And as soon I found out,
I went straight to Ashley

and I told her everything.

You know, who I really was.

What I'd done.

Oh, I'm sure that went over well.

You're wrong.

She forgave me.

You duped her half a dozen ways,

and she said, what... "It's all good"?

It's the truth. She told me

that she loved me, too,
and she was gonna find a way

to make things right
so we could be together.

Make things right? With who, the Navy?

That's what I thought at first.

She was gonna find some way
to undo what Todd did, but then,

uh, something felt...

off.

- Off how?
- I'm not quite sure.

Because, suddenly, she went all
cloak-and-dagger and told me

to arrange the motel room
and to use an alias.

Aka mine.

When I got to the motel,
she was already...

I took off when I saw her lying there.

That's all I know.

Look, you guys have to believe me.

I loved her, and she loved me, too.

I would never hurt Ashley.

Well, we would love to believe you.

But the one thing missing here is proof

that any of this is true.

[SIGHS]

Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

I, uh... I-I still have
the voice mail that she left me.

What voice mail?

ASHLEY: Text me the room code

and wait exactly ten minutes
for my call.

It's imperative you don't call me back.

It's too dangerous.

I know you have questions,
but I'll answer them later.

I love you.

That sounds pretty
cloak-and-daggery to me.

She also sounds very scared.

Yeah, but who was she scared of?

And why would our Navy officer
use a burner phone

- to leave messages?
- Well, it looks like Todd was right...

Ashley had some secrets of her own.

If we're gonna find her k*ller,
we need to know

what Ashley was doing
in those eight hours.

Knight, call Kasie and see if
she can pull anything else

from this voice mail, okay?

Parker, can I ask you
something real quick?

Yeah.

Are you sure that we don't already

have the k*ller in our holding cell,

and that Ryan's mom
isn't just playing us?

You think Joy is trying
to throw us off Ryan's scent?

Well, it's been done before.

She's just protecting her kid.

I'm told that's what parents do.

Well, within reason, yeah.

Well, she's protecting him

because she's trusting me to do the job.

We see this thing through,

even if it lands at Ryan's feet, right?

Right.

Look,

I'm-I'm not saying
that Joy is some kind of saint,

but, back in the day,

she refused to turn her back
on me when everybody else did.

Her faith was
the kick in the ass I needed

to start turning my life around.

Even when her parents moved her away,

I wasn't about to let her down.

Not then, not now.

ASHLEY: Text me the room code

and wait exactly ten minutes
for my call.

It's imperative
you don't call me back...

Any updates on the voice mail
that Ashley left?

Uh, I am running it through
an audio scrubber right now.

It ought to enhance
any background noise that might

help us ID her location
when she left it.

This might take a minute. I can
call you when I have something.

Okay, girl, spill.

Has Jimmy mentioned anything lately,

you know, about him and... me?

Um, why are you asking?

Something's up with Jimmy.

And I hate feeling
like I'm back in high school

worrying that my crush
isn't crushing back.

Oh! But I love picturing high
school Jess with butterflies.

[LAUGHS] Okay.

I wasn't even that high school
girl when I was in high school.

I didn't crush
and I didn't do butterflies

and I didn't, you know,
put notes in peoples' lockers.

So why are you suddenly twisting
yourself into knots over Jimmy?

Okay, let's not go that far.

I'm just saying, Jimmy had
a really weird reaction

when I suggested that we invite
Victoria to movie night.

Ooh, movie night? Yes, please.

- What are we seeing?
- [CHUCKLES]

Okay, Jimmy and I are gonna
go see the next Codename: Fury.

Yeah.

That movie goes way back.

And I think I know

- what's up with Jimmy.
- [COMPUTER DINGS]

Ooh.

It's the ambient dialogue filter.

Looks like it pulled some
background audio from the call.

- ASHLEY: ...call me back.
- [CHIME SOUNDS]

It's too dangerous.

MAN [OVER P.A.]: Next stop Shady Grove,
end of the line.

ASHLEY: I know you have questions,

but I'll answer them later.

That's a Metro train. It sounds like

Ashley was on the Red Line
when she called Ryan.

Heading out of the city
and into the boonies.

But what was she doing way out there?

Ashley first boarded
the Red Line in D.C.,

then exited the Shady Grove
station and headed east on foot.

The last camera that
spotted her was just outside

of a restaurant called
Blue's Crab Shack.

Which boasts the best Maryland
blue crab roll in the city.

Which was also Ashley's
last meal, according to Jimmy.

I love me a good crab roll,

but, uh, after running scared
from her apartment,

then leaving that voice mail to Ryan,

it's hard to swallow
she went all the way out there

- just for a crustacean.
- She didn't.

KNIGHT: The restaurant's across
the street from a self-storage lot.

MCGEE: We did some checking,
and it turns out

Ashley has a unit there.

A unit that she visited mere
hours before she was m*rder*d,

according to the logs that we were sent.

Must be something
pretty important in that unit.

Torres, Knight, find out what.

So, what do we have in here?

This is all a bunch of crap.

Who knows what
she actually came here for.

Does this place feel
a little small to you?

The rental agreement
says it's square feet.

Hey.

This stain looks like
it's coming from the other side.

It's hollow.

Hey, Knight?

What in the Assassin's Creed?

KNIGHT: Whoa.

We have foreign currency here.

And I've got some passports.

I think we just figured out why Ashley

forgave our con man
for lying about who he was.

She was lying to him, too.

Given everything that we've collected

from Ashley's secret room,
she's got to be a spy, right?

Or some sort of con artist herself.

That might explain the multiple
passports in multiple names.

But not the arsenal
of high-powered weapons.

Okay, spy it is,
but who is she working for?

- And what was her mission?
- Well, we know she lobbied hard

to get herself assigned to NAVSEA.

It's a smart place for a hostile
power to have an asset.

And lots of intel
on what keeps our navy afloat.

Yeah, and imagine her surprise
when she was approached

by Ryan to join the CIA.

Oh, she would have jumped
at that chance.

PARKER: Embed a spy within the company.

That's the Holy Grail for a
foreign intelligence agency.

Except it was all a lie.

Talk about ironic. A deceitful con man

targets a bona fide spy
trained in the art of deceit?

Yeah, but according to Ryan,
love conquered all for them.

A real life The Spy Who Loved Me.

If Ryan didn't k*ll Ashley,

I may have an idea who did.
Spies have handlers,

and handlers don't like it when
their spies get compromised.

Kind of a cardinal sin
for a secret agent.

Ashley was afraid on that voice mail.

She knew that she and Ryan
were in danger.

So, whoever k*lled Ashley
might still be after Ryan.

That could be an advantage for us.

Use him to flush them out.

Think he's up for it?

RYAN: Look, I'll do it.

No, you won't!

Not a chance in hell
are you using my kid as bait

- to catch some spy-k*lling spy.
- Joy, if he helps us,

I can talk to the D.A.,
maybe he avoids prison.

Yeah, aside from that... for once, Mom,

I'd kind of like to do the right thing.

Though avoiding prison
does sound pretty good.

- No way.
- PARKER: Joy, listen to me.

Listen to me. He's saveable, okay?

This is how we save him.

Well, that's my third cup of coffee.

Gonna have to pee soon.

Nobody forced you
to drink that many lattes.

RYAN: I don't understand how

this handler dude is supposed
to just find me here.

KNIGHT: We asked the Office
of Naval Intelligence

to flood the zone with chatter
that you're back in town.

If you have a target on your
back, the handler will find you.

[SCOFFS]

Looks like Ashley's parents
found me first.

Which isn't very likely.

- Hello, Travis.
- Or is it Ryan now?

Unless those aren't actually
Ashley's parents. Let's move in.

_

RENEÉE: Da.

PARKER: Freeze! NCIS! Hands up!

Up! Up!

KNIGHT: Thumbs out.

Not exactly the family next door.

[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]

Can't believe that
Ashley's adoptive parents

were Russian sleeper spies.

Oh, and that was just their cover.

Looks like the three of them
popped up ten years ago

posing as typical Americans.

Ah. They confess to her m*rder?

Well, with their op blown,
they're cooperating.

Safest place for them now
is an American supermax.

Sounds like a plotline
to a Codename: Furymovie.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Actually, uh,

I think that's something
that we should talk about.

It's not an easy thing
for me to bring up.

Oh, no. We're still on
for our date night, aren't we?

[CHUCKLES]

Well, I remember you mentioned

that those movies were a family favorite

with you and Victoria and Breena.

And I realized yesterday that
this is gonna be the first time

that you're seeing one of those movies

without your wife.

Yeah. It's another bridge
to cross, you know?

I have crossed plenty by now.

Right.

Like your first Thanksgiving
without Breena.

And your first Christmas.

Each one of those had to have hurt.

But there is one more bridge
for you to cross.

And I think that one's
gonna hurt the most.

It's, um...

It's me

being a part of your daughter's life.

That's the last bridge.

A final symbol
that Breena is really gone.

And I think

you feel like you're saying goodbye
to her for good,

and I know that has to hurt.

And I don't want to push you.

I feel really bad for having pushed you.

Jessica, stop, stop. Just... stop.

Y-You have nothing
to apologize for, okay?

You're right.

This is something
that I have to do, and, um...

It's just really hard.

I, uh...

I really want to, um...

Come here.

Oh.

I know this must be hard for you.

I've been there.

The love of my life was a foreign agent

m*rder*d by her own country.

I don't think you've been there.

No, not exactly.

But back in the day,

I was on the wrong path, just like you.

Friends with all the wrong people.

Price I paid was losing your mother.

Look, Ryan, I'm just saying,

that, uh, if you keep walking
the path you're on,

today is just the appetizer.

You ain't close to the bottom yet,
but you'll eventually get there.

Or...

you can take all that skill
as a con, crook,

hustler, swindler,

cheat...

and you can actually
turn it into something good.

How?

Come to work for the good guys.

I pulled some strings
with friends at the FBI

so you could serve
your probation with them.

You mean, uh,

- like Leo in Catch Me if You Can?
- Hey,

they've reformed lots
of criminals before.

It's not like
I really got a choice, do I?

You always got a choice.

All right.

Yeah, I got to ask one thing.

The way you wormed into my accounts.

That info wasn't all in those letters.

How much did your mom talk about me?

You really want to know

all the embarrassing things
she told me about you?

You're right. Best to forget.

I'll tell you this.

When she did talk about it,

it always put a smile on her face.

She's been lonely a long time, you know?

[LAUGHS]

Is that Philly butter cake?

Straight from
VonRoenn Bakery, all right?

You drove all the way to the
old neighborhood to get this?

Yeah, it's one of our favorites.

Thank you, Park.

Been jonesing for this cake for years.

No.

Thank you for setting Ryan straight.

Well, I just needed a reformed bad boy

to show him how it's done.

You never thought of having kids?

Children wasn't really
in the cards for me and my ex.

Sh... She just...

Ah.

Hard to explain.

I'll bet.

Vivian's a unique woman.

- How do you know her name?
- I know more than her name.

She paid me a visit once.
Right after your divorce.

Wha... What did she want?

She told me she wanted to meet the woman

she was competing against
her entire marriage.

- [SIGHS]
- Oh. I... Hey.

Joy, I'm sorry. Viv is just...

She... [LAUGHS]

She's a unique woman.

She said that even though you
guys had your share of problems,

she always felt that you were
holding a candle for someone else.

I guess she figured it was me.

She believed you never got over me.

I did not.

Still have not.

Did you get over me?
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