14x14 - Shame

[bunniefuu]

(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)

MAN (OVER P.A.): All hands...

(DOOR OPENS)

(RADIO CHATTER CONTINUES)

Have you seen Petty Officer
Wassner this morning?

Mm-mm.

♪ ♪

Female on deck.

Petty Officer Wassner?

♪ ♪

(GASPS)

Corpsman!

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(GRUNTS)

(PANTING)

(GRUNTS)

Eh... 1:17.

Whoo!

Like lightning, baby.

More like thunder. All noise.

Ha, ha. At least I shaved
a few seconds off.

Good. You can lose a few more.

All right, what if I did a dash vault?

Or kong.

Since when are you able to do
choreography in a real chase?

Huh?

Let's just get it down to 1:10.

Okay. But there's also
no stopwatch involved

in a real chase either, so...

It's not about the clock.

Oh, man, I can feel it
in my spirit, here it comes,

a Sam Hanna lesson.

It's about the mentality.

Let's say you're climbing
a mountain, right?

And you reach the peak only to realize

there's a higher mountain.

Do you stop?

Or do you look to that
other mountain and say,

"I got you next"?

Yeah, keep moving the goalpost

further down the field.

No comfort in greatness.

You make it look pretty comfortable.

- Flattery will get you nowhere.
- Yeah, well, it's worth a try.

I think the kong will be faster.

Knock yourself out.

Hey, uh, can I ride with you?

(CHUCKLES): I'm not working today.

Sam Hanna taking a day off?
What'd I miss?

Hilarious. See ya.

Yo, no, no, but really,
I-I rode with you, so...

Don't you have a phone?

Isn't there an app for that?

App for your boss leaving you?

♪ ♪

♪ It's about to be too late now ♪

♪ To try to even get up... ♪

(GROANS) Hey.

Triple sh*t cortado
with a little oat milk,

'cause I know you care about the planet.

Thanks.

Grandpa's at Arkady's, I took the day,

so it's just me and you, hmm?

You didn't have to do that.
Of course I did.

(MUSIC CONTINUES OVER EARBUDS)

Yeah?

- (MUSIC STOPS)
- (MOCKINGLY): "Yeah?"

I brought you coffee.

I can't get a few minutes

for a little father-daughter chitchat?

This midterm paper is
not gonna write itself.

Well, then I'll help you,
just like old times.

- How about that?
- That'd be great.

Here is the, uh, source material.

Okay.

Teen Women's Sexuality and Politics:

A Case Study of
the Adolescent Female Body.

You got this.

But you better be hungry at noon,

'cause I called in a favor at Jake's.

They're gonna put your favorite
sandwich on the menu.

Dad, Hanna house rule number 17.

- Oh, so now you're quizzing me?
- Mm-hmm.

(CHUCKLES) That's funny.

Schoolwork comes first.

Mm-hmm.

No Jake's.

Ooh! (GASPING)

- Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- My sweatshirt.

Ah, ah... Okay, okay.

All right.

(LAPTOP CHIMES)

_

♪ ♪

- (SIGHS)
- Oh, no, no, I got this.

- Okay.
- Go do your paper.

Do your paper, do your paper.

- Dad?
- Yeah?

Thanks for the coffee
and, uh, offering to help.

Don't mention it.

Ride or die?

Forever.

- All right, see ya.
- All right, see ya.

Hmm.

- (g*ns CLICKS)
- Walk on the beach.

Lunch at the pier.

Very romantic.

(GIGGLES SOFTLY)

- Uh-oh.
- What?

- What was that?
- What?

- That look.
- What look?

Mm... that look.

(SCOFFS) There was no look.

Oh, yeah? So what would you call this?

- (MOCK GIGGLING)
- (CHUCKLES) Okay.

- I did not do that.
- Hey, I have a question.

- Um, do you have my address?
- For what?

For the wedding invitation.

- (GROANS)
- (PHONE BUZZES)

Looks like we've caught a case.

Oh, did we? Hmm.

After you, I'll hold your train.

(LAUGHS)

(LAUGHS) Oh, no, please. Let me.

- FATIMA: I've had enough of you.
- (LAUGHING)

Hey, what have we got?

This is Petty Officer
First Class Eli Wassner,

electronics technician
on the USS Allegiance.

He was found hanged this morning
in a hold on board.

Hmm. su1c1de?

Unconfirmed, but the Allegiance has had

two suicides in recent months.

SECNAV has tasked us

with investigating to determine
if Wassner's a third.

Uh, may I ask why the NCIS Agent Afloat

isn't handling this?

That was our former guest,
Special Agent Lucy Tara.

She has since returned to
NCIS: Honolulu,

and the Allegiance is in the process

of being assigned a new Agent Afloat.

Got it.

Did Wassner have, uh, any family?

He leaves behind a widow in Los Angeles.

His parents and the rest of his family

are in central New Jersey.

Any history of depression
or any other mental illness?

Not that I can find any record of,

but if he did,
he never sought treatment.

History of gambling
or recent money losses?

So far no red flags.

Where the hell are Callen and Sam?

I won't ask again, Agent Blye.

- Um, I don't know, sir.
- Why not?

(STAMMERS)

SHYLA: Um,
they're both using accrued leave,

as per your orders, Admiral.

I believe you told them both

not to set foot in here until next week.

Have Agent Castor bring Wassner's widow

into the boatshed
to meet Deeks and Rountree.

Maybe she has some insight

- as to what led to this.
- Will do.

Agents Blye and Namazi,
Santa Monica Airport.

We'll get you a bird to
fly out to NAS North Island.

Hopefully the Allegiance can have

a COD waiting there
to hop you out to the carrier.

Copy that, sir.

These suicides tend
to happen in clusters.

The more exposure,
the more likely someone else

is to see this as a way out.

That's awful.

KILBRIDE: It is,

and that is three service
members dead in three months.

I want answers.

(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)

- Stop.
- What?

Stop casing this place
like you're looking for

an exit strategy
or weapons of opportunity.

What are you talking about?

- Champagne?
- Thank you.

- I'm actually...
- (SIGHS)

But why not?

Thank you.

"Saying no to champagne
is like saying no to life."

Yeah. That's better.

Well, it's from The Deer Hunter.

Don't ruin this for me, you know.

We're supposed to be celebrating.

I'm celebrating. I'm just...

I'm celebrating in here.

You don't have to be here.

I could have taken Fatima.

No! No, I... Come on, I want to be here.

Liar.

I want to be here for you.

I don't want you to be here for me.

I want you to be here for us.

Right. I-I mean, that's what I meant.

For u... To us.

(GLASSES CLINK)

- To us.
- Mm-hmm.

Actually tastes more like prosecco.

Please, you wouldn't know
prosecco from Pinocchio.

Younger man, big nose, woody complexion?

Gets ex*cuted at the end, right?

That's what happens in the real story.

- It's true.
- (GROANS) Just...

please stop talking.

You, uh...

You gonna drink
the rest of your prosecco?

(INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER P.A.)

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Petty Officer.

Master Chief Hughes.
XO tapped me to be your liaison.

Nice to meet you.
I'm Special Agent Kensi Blye.

This is Special Agent Fatima Namazi.

- Hi.
- We appreciate NCIS coming aboard.

I'm sorry it's under
such unfortunate circumstances,

but this matter seems
fairly straightforward.

We understand.

So, Petty Officer Wassner
was found here, in the hold?

Yep. He was found right here
this morning

at 0730.

How did he hang himself?

He used that spare line.

Looks like he cut it free
with a pocket Kn*fe.

Inspected it myself this morning.

FATIMA: We'd like to see the body.

It was flown back to land
soon after he was discovered.

Wassner is Jewish,

and they bury their dead
as soon as possible.

I'll have Shyla reach out
to the medical examiner.

Yeah. Any idea why he did this?

Maybe this will shed some light.

It was found in his bunk this morning.

We should have this scanned
and sent to Shyla for analysis.

Yeah. Does anyone else know about this?

Command, you and Chief
Kemi Adebayo who found him.

We'd like to speak to her, please.

- Sure thing. Right this way.
- Thank you.

Hey, guys. This is Robin Wassner.

Thanks, Castor.

Take a seat.

Thank you so much for-for coming in.

We know what you're going through is

overwhelmingly difficult.

What exactly do you need from me?

So, it's just a routine
investigation into the death

of your husband on the USS Allegiance.

Just... you know, hoping
to get a better understanding

of who Eli was

and what he was going through.

Sure.

Well, when's the last time
you spoke with him?

Last Sunday for our weekly phone call.

Was there anything that indicated

he may have been struggling?

Nothing.

We laughed.

Talked about him coming home.

♪ ♪

As far as I knew, he was happy.

(BREATHING SHAKILY):
We loved each other.

We had just started
trying to have a child.

We were really...

(SNIFFLES)

(SIGHS) I'm so sorry.

(SCOFFS)

Eli sent me letters.

That was his thing. Old-fashioned.

I thought it was romantic.

Even though I could barely read
his chicken scratch.

When was his last letter?

A couple weeks ago.

You mind if we take
a look at those letters?

Of course.

Whatever you need.

Thank you.

Ah. Chief Kemi Adebayo.

Agents.

Uh, we won't take much of your time.

Please have a seat.

I'd appreciate that.

We are here to look into

Petty Officer First Class
Eli Wassner's death.

I'm aware.

FATIMA: You were his direct supervisor.

Affirmative.

How would you describe
the working environment

here on the USS Allegiance?

Effective.

We're aware of the two complaints

that were filed against you

with the Inspector General.

I don't fancy coddle culture.

The minute you demand this
class of sailors to do their job,

you become the villain.

Some would say that that is
a difficult working environment.

I call it not being complicit
with mediocrity.

FATIMA: Is this what
you thought of Wassner?

As mediocre?

He did good work.

But?

Lately he had become unfocused,

and I told him to get his act together.

Hmm. Maybe you used words a
little more aggressive than that?

It is my job to make sure
that we perform

at the highest standards.

If I spent every working hour
trying to decipher

each sailor's emotional state,

I'd never get anything done.

I couldn't have known he was unstable.

Well, your team's well-being

is just as much part of your
job as their performance.

I am well aware of my job description.

- Okay, but if you...
- KENSI: Wassner is the third sailor

dead by apparent su1c1de
on this carrier.

Maybe you need to take a hard
look at the way you operate.

Wassner's medical records show
no alcohol abuse,

no drug use
or any other mitigating factors.

I mean, he has a spotless
discipline record

and no unusual activity
on his financials.

If Adebayo knew he was struggling,

she certainly didn't do
anything to help.

About to go on leave, start a family.

I mean, this guy was
getting pressure from all sides.

Which is why it's so weird
that his su1c1de note

was so short and generic.

Well, not everybody's a poet.

(LAPTOP CHIMES)

Whoa. Castor just sent through
Robin's letters.

- Can you throw it up?
- Yep.

Whew. If that's chicken scratch,

then what would you call my writing?

Wow. He actually was quite poetic.

Yeah. This guy was a real romantic.

Wait, will you throw up
Wassner's su1c1de note?

Yeah.

Wait, something's not right here.

Okay, look at this.

On "love,"
the O and the V are connected.

Over here, they're separated.

And check this out, on the I's,

the dots are always
slightly to the back, right?

But on the su1c1de note,
they're directly above the line.

These were written
by two separate people.

We got to get Shyla to get
forensics to verify this.

If Wassner didn't write
his own su1c1de note...

Then this just became
a m*rder investigation.

Forensics analyzed
the letters from Wassner

and confirmed Wassner
did not write his su1c1de note.

(SIGHS)

It's a m*rder.

I've been parsing the data

on all crew on the USS Allegiance.

And as expected,
everyone is thoroughly vetted,

and I don't see
any history of v*olence so far.

What about civilians
or, uh, arriving crew?

No visitors or new personnel
reported in the past 48 hours.

ROUNTREE: Whoever did
this is stationed on board.

Why stage this as a su1c1de?

Why not just toss the body
off the side of the ship?

'Cause a missing sailor triggers
an immediate investigation,

whereas they gave us
a believable cause of death,

they crossed their fingers,
and hoped we'd buy it.

Especially with all the recent suicides.

It becomes a viable cover.

Hey, guys.

Here's Robin Wassner.

- Thanks, Shyla.
- SHYLA: Of course.

Hey, Robin, thanks for coming back in.

Agent Castor said you had news for me.

Uh, please. Um...

Uh, I'm so sorry,

'cause there is no easy way to say this.

Your husband's death is
now being investigated

as a possible m*rder.

Oh, my God. (CRIES)

DEEKS: And I know that's hard to hear,

but I promise you,
we're gonna find who did this

and we're gonna put 'em away.

But we need your help.

Do you know anyone who might
have wanted to hurt Eli?

No, no one.

What about his supervisor,
Chief Adebayo?

She seems like a tough woman.

Tough? No, she's lovely.

Uh, have you... have you met her?

I didn't need to.

This wasn't the first time
that Eli and I were

going to try for a baby.

Last year, we were pregnant,

but, a few months in,
I had a miscarriage.

I'm sorry.

Adebayo fought for us.

She pushed Eli's leave request through,

called in favors,

whatever she could do to get him
a couple of days home with me.

That's amazing.

Eli didn't even ask for her help.

She overheard him
talking to another sailor,

and she took the initiative.

It was...

the nicest thing
anyone has ever done for us.

Yeah.

♪ ♪

- Hey.
- KENSI: Hey.

So, that was Shyla.

Wassner didn't write his su1c1de note.

We're looking at m*rder.

Okay. m*rder.

You think Adebayo was involved?

Uh, no, she was cleared, completely.

The other chiefs in her bunk said

she was in bed all night long.

And, last year, she took it upon herself

to help the Wassners
in their time of need,

and she has a stellar promotion record.

I don't know
how I got this woman so wrong.

Hey, emotions were running high, okay?

And she was not easy to talk to.

No, I know, but I let her personality

cloud my judgment
and guide our interview.

We could've had an ally.

- Don't b*at yourself up.
- (SIGHS)

We need to find out what she knows.

And I need to apologize.

SAM: Hey, since we can't go out,

I'm-a make Mom's
famous meatloaf for dinner.

Mmm. That'd be nice.

Want to invite Josh?

No, it's okay.

You sure? He must be missing you.

I'm sure he's fine.

Everything okay between you two?

Yeah.

We're not hanging out anymore.

Did something happen?

We just got busy with our own things.

- It's no big deal.
- Oh.

When did that happen?

I don't know, a few months ago.

Months?

I had no idea.

No one told me anything.

Nothing to say, really.

You sure?

You know, I'm here to talk
about anything you want.

I know.

(PHONE RINGS)

Gramps.

Ooh, I got to get back to my paper.

Dad, what's wrong?

Because you only call me
when something's wrong.

No, I cannot bring over
the pickleball paddles.

But tell Arkady
I know he sold that necklace,

so he can afford to pick up
his own damn pickle paddles.

(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING FAINTLY)

I am so, so sorry
to have kept you waiting.

Tara Walker, and you must be Anna...

- Hi.
- ...and Grisha?

Uh, you can call me Callen.

- Callen.
- CALLEN: Yeah, great.

Fatima has told me all about

your upcoming nuptials, congratulations.

Thank you.

Now, marriage is between two people.

I truly believe that it takes
both of your involvement

to achieve the perfect
expression of your love.

So, what have you come up with so far?

Well, we've been talking a lot about it.

TARA: I bet. It's exciting, isn't it?

Yes, and a bit overwhelming.

Which is exactly where I come in.

So give me the broad strokes.

Honey?

- Honey?
- Mm-hmm.

Uh, yeah, well, l-like she said,

we've been talking about it a lot.

Um...

We don't have a theme.

A theme?

It's a thing.

Like, what kind of a thing?

What, like a Western theme?

Cowboy boots and line dancing?

People have themes, right?

Absolutely.

No, we never talked about
having a theme.

Which is why I said,
"We don't have a theme."

Let's take a step back.

In terms of a venue,

what do you see
as the most important element?

- Security.
- Presentation.

You weren't at Kensi and Deeks' wedding.

I assure you whatever
we settle on will be very safe.

Do you have an officiant in mind?

Nah, we're pretty secular.

Well, actually,
my father expressed interest

in becoming ordained

in order to perform the ceremony.

TARA: How special.

It's becoming more and more
common to have a friend

or family member do so,
and it adds such a heartfelt

and personal element

- to the ceremony.
- Yeah.

Arkady?

It would mean a lot to him.

Arkady?

Do you have somebody else in mind?

Anybody else.

TARA: I have an idea.

This is a fun little exercise

that allows everyone to express
what is most important to them.

As long as we're not graded on it.

There are no right or wrong answers,

just follow your hearts.

I'll give you a few minutes
to yourselves.

You know, it's not too late to elope.

(SIGHS) Just answer the damn questions.

Ah, Chief Adebayo.
Thank you for coming back.

Uh, please have a seat.

Uh, look, we got off on the wrong foot

earlier, and I really wanted to
apologize to you.

Stop right there.

You were right.

Wassner was under my charge.

His well-being, my responsibility,

and I should've stepped in to help.

Maybe he wouldn't have
taken his own life.

Look, I-I appreciate that, Chief.

It's just we now believe
that Wassner was m*rder*d.

♪ ♪

m*rder*d? What?

I'm sorry.

(EXHALES)

After we spoke, I did some digging.

I wanted to know why Wassner did this.

I mean, I asked around.

Did anyone see Wassner last night?

No, but Ensign Choi,

he saw the sailor on roving watch

heading down the passageway
just adjacent to the hold

around 0100.

Do you have a name for us?

Bradshaw.

Bradshaw.

Uh, thank you so much.

That was incredibly helpful.

Unless there's something else,

I would like to get back to my team.

Please, thank you.

Okay.

Bradshaw may have been the last
person to see Wassner alive.

Okay, I'm checking the list of
all the, uh,

after-hours watches that
Master Chief Hughes gave us.

Anything?

I'm not seeing a Bradshaw
on roving watch.

Okay, well, that part of
the ship is restricted

to essential personnel only
at that time.

So, there's no reason
for Bradshaw to be there.

Exactly.

What if Bradshaw was following Wassner?

(SIGHS) All right. You know what?

Uh, find Master Chief Hughes

and have him get Bradshaw
delivered to us.

(PHONE RINGS)

Agent Blye, what do you got?

KENSI: We have a potential suspect, sir.

Last name Bradshaw.

Seen in the same passageway
as Wassner last night.

Already confirmed
he was not on roving watch.

KILBRIDE: Great work.

And we've got something for you.

The autopsy isn't complete yet,

but I was able to
talk the medical examiner

into sending over a report
on the exterior of the body.

And?

Time of death between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m.

Ligature marks around the neck,
which overlay a faint,

ovoid bruising pattern.

Wait, so he didn't die
from being hanged?

KILBRIDE: No, he d*ed with
someone's hands around his throat.

(SIGHS)

Petty Officer Dennis Bradshaw.

Home of record: Morris, Alabama,

where his wife still resides.

KENSI: Financials?

Uh, checking account with his wife,

but he also has a separate
account with $50,000 in it.

Safe to assume she has no clue.

FATIMA: Well, that's more
than just saving for a rainy day.

No, all transactions in and out
of that account were in cash.

Hmm, so they can't be traced.
Could be illegal revenue.

Find Bradshaw right now.

Already on it, sir.

What else do we know about
Petty Officer Bradshaw?

He was on leave three months ago.

His paperwork cites his address
in Alabama,

but I'm not seeing
any record of him flying there.

So, he didn't go home to visit his wife.

No, but his phone pinged multiple times

in San Pedro, California

at a business called The Brass Boot.

The Brass Boot is owned by Rondel Fryer,

former Navy,
administrative discharge in 2010.

Any criminal history?

After his discharge, he got busy.

Investigated for tax evasion,
fraud and money laundering

but no convictions.

Any connections past or present
to foreign entities?

Funny you should ask. I am seeing

incoming money transfers
and frequent phone calls

from an individual in China,
still pinpointing those.

KILBRIDE: Wassner's position
as an electronics technician

gave him access to classified
radar and ship system data.

Maybe Bradshaw was
selling Wassner's intel

to this Rondel guy,

somehow the deal went bad,

and then Bradshaw confronted Wassner.

Uh-huh. Well, that tracks with

a heat-of-the-moment strangulation.

If Bradshaw was leaking Wassner's data

to a civilian with ties to China...

Then the integrity of our Navy
could be compromised.

Keep tracing those calls, Agent Dahr,

and send Deeks and Rountree
to that, uh, Brass Boot.

- You got it. Oh.
- (TABLET CHIRPS)

- Oh?
- Uh...

Rondel has three handguns
and several long g*ns

registered in his name.

And he's a semipro MMA fighter.

KILBRIDE: How far out is
Agent Hanna from that location?

15 minutes, same as Deeks and Rountree.

Send him, too. Day off be damned.

Yes, sir.

What'd you put for question eight?

You're still on eight?

I'm taking my time with this.

(SCOFFS) Yeah, right.

Did you put C?

- I'm not telling you.
- Why not?

Because you can't cheat.

(CHUCKLES) This isn't a test.

- Oh, trust me, this is a test.
- Come on, show me what you put.

- Show me what you put!
- No. Get lost.

- Okay, fine.
- Yeah.

But just so we're clear, you know,

if we can't share
on something like this...

(GASPS)

D? You put D?

Just give it to me.

What, is it a Russian thing?

(ANNA LAUGHS)

(ENGINE TURNS OFF)

I see you made it to work.

Where's Deeks?

Got called away to a deposition.

- Kilbride knows.
- Okay.

How's your day been with the first

future woman president of America?

Sequestered away in her room
working on a paper.

- Tolerating me at best.
- (CHUCKLES)

- She's probably just focused.
- You know what?

I remember when Jordan was her age,

- and I used to...
- Let's check it out.

(MUSIC PLAYING FAINTLY)

(GROANS) Place needs a sweep,
but I'd have a drink here.

I wouldn't.

(SCOFFS)

Sorry, gents,
we don't open till 5:00 p.m.

Federal agents.

(SIGHS)

♪ ♪

(TIRES SQUEAL)

Don't make me sh**t you!

(BOTH PANTING)

(ENGINE REVS)

Nice moves.

Thanks.

Should've thrown in
a kong vault, though.

You know what I mean? Maybe a dash.

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

All right.

Point taken. Let's go.

Oh! Um, everything okay in here?

Yes. Perfect.

- How did we make out on the...
- CALLEN: All done.

And this was, uh...
this was very helpful.

Super helpful. Thank you. It was great.

We got a thing we got to get to,
and we're kind of late, so...

Thanks, we'll be in touch.

CALLEN: Thank you.

Okay.

Oh, there you are,
I've been looking for you.

Where's Bradshaw?

He was in some kind of
heavy machinery accident

up on the flight deck.

He was rushed to the trauma room
in the sick bay.

Is he conscious?

I'm not sure what state he's in.

- Okay, we'll find out. Thank you.
- Thanks.

SAM: Sit down.

Why would you run from federal agents?

What do you guys got going on in here?

I thought you were the IRS
coming to harass me again.

We tried to tell you we're NCIS.

Has this man been in here?

I'm not at liberty to say.

That's a yes.

He's been selling you
classified Navy intel.

Classified intel?

- SAM: Yeah.
- That's ridiculous, no.

Either you tell me
something I don't know

or the two of you are gonna
spend a lot of time in prison together

for the m*rder of a Navy petty officer.

- m*rder?
- m*rder.

Okay.

(SIGHS)

This isn't just a bar.

There's a room in the back that I run

as a private club and safe space.

Safe for who?

Mostly m*llitary guys,

some higher profile Hollywood types.

People who don't want
their private lives

to affect their careers.

What are you talking about?

Different generation, kid.

Not quite as accepting as you X, Y, Z's.

SAM: Hmm.

Like a gay speakeasy?

I prefer to think of myself
as more of a guardian angel

than an emcee,

but sure.

Come on, man, it's 2023.

Why not just go to a gay bar?

Well, times have changed
but not for everyone.

Maybe you're less likely
to get beaten in the streets,

but how many gay global action stars

do you see starring in Hollywood movies?

Hmm.

Fair point.

Okay, then if you're
not working with Bradshaw,

then what's up with the phone calls

and the financial transactions
coming out of China?

Coming out of Chi...

(SIGHS) My twin brother
teaches English in China.

I-I gave him a loan to help him
through a rough patch.

He wires me money to pay me back
every month.

L-Look, I didn't k*ll anyone.

All I'm trying to do here

is let some people be who they are

without any judgment.

Rondel does, in fact, have a twin,

Brian Fryer, who lives in China
teaching English.

And despite his history with the IRS,

The Brass Boot is completely aboveboard.

If Bradshaw is gay,

maybe he and Wassner were
having an affair.

And then one of them
threatens to come out

before the other is ready.

And there's a fight,
and Bradshaw strangles Wassner.

(PHONE RINGS)

Kensi?

FATIMA: No, it's Fatima.

Hughes said Bradshaw was injured

on the flight deck,
and now he's in the sick bay.

Kensi's trying to figure out
what happened.

Well, that sounds awfully coincidental.

Do you have witnesses?

No, we don't know yet.

Petty Officer Dennis Bradshaw.

He was hurt in the flight deck accident.

Hold on, looks like
we're getting some bad news.

I'm gonna put you on speaker.

- (PHONE BEEPS)
- So, was Bradshaw k*lled?

No. He's not even hurt.

Sick bay is empty.
There was no accident at all.

- What?
- Master Chief Hughes lied to us.

- Okay, why would he do that?
- (SIGHS)

He's protecting Bradshaw.

But that only makes sense if...

Hughes and Bradshaw are working
together.

Find them.

Okay, so, we know that Bradshaw is gay,

and that Hughes lied to protect him.

Is it possible...

That they're a couple?

I don't see why not.

But where does Wassner
factor into all of this?

Well, maybe he knew about
the relationship,

and he threatened to out them.

(KNOCKING)

BRADSHAW: Jalen! Jalen, open the door!

- (KNOCKING)
- Jalen!

- Move!
- Jalen, open the door!

- Jalen!
- FATIMA: Bradshaw.

Please, please help him. Please.

Does he have a w*apon?

Yeah, a g*n. He's gonna hurt himself.

- Please help him.
- Okay, okay.

- Okay.
- (KNOCKING)

Master Chief Hughes, it's NCIS.

We're gonna come in, okay?

Master Chief Hughes.

Will you please hand me the g*n?

BRADSHAW: Jalen.

Jalen, I love you.

Don't do this.

I didn't mean to hurt Wassner.

It was an accident.

- It was an accident.
- Okay.

Okay.

Too many years living in shame.

You couldn't hold it all back forever.

(CRIES)

I am so...

...tired.

♪ ♪

I'm sorry.

(CRYING)

I'm sorry.

(CRYING)

DEEKS: According to Bradshaw,
there was no indication

that Wassner was gonna tell
anybody that they were gay.

He just got scared
when Master Chief Hughes

tried to bribe him with a
recommendation for a promotion.

He wanted to report the bribe,
now he's dead.

I guess I understand the complexity

of not being out on the ship,

but... thank you...

you'd think they'd be able to
be honest with their own family.

Sometimes the hardest people
to talk to are family.

Well, now that you mention it,
that's absolutely true.

Exhibit A: Roberta Deeks.

(SCOFFS)

ROUNTREE: Yeah.

My little sister's my only family,

and I know she don't tell me everything.

- Hmm.
- And vice versa.

You know, it's...

Even when you want to,
I think it's human nature.

- Yeah.
- ROUNTREE: It's mind-blowing.

You know?

That Master Chief Hughes would go as far

as trying to use a promotion
in order to keep Wassner quiet

about seeing him kiss another guy.

Doesn't make sense.

KILBRIDE: 1991.

That's the year that Hughes enlisted.

20 years between then

and the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

You have any idea
how many servicemen were beaten,

assaulted,

k*lled during that time?

I don't 'cause that didn't get reported.

But somewhere north of 100,000
got discharged.

- Hughes is from a different time.
- Yeah.

I, uh...

I don't very often find a reason

to compliment the younger generation,

but one of the few things
you all got right was

that you're not afraid of someone

just because they're different than you.

Might not understand them,
but you're not afraid of them.

Hmm.

Yeah, I don't know, Deeks still
freaks me out a little bit.

(SOFT LAUGHTER)

Wow, way to k*ll a moment.

Exceptions to every rule.

♪ ♪

- KAMRAN: Hey.
- Hey.

There's a meatloaf in the oven for you.

You made dinner?

Yeah.

Smells good. Thanks.

How's the paper going?

It's going, I think.

- I don't know.
- (SCOFFS)

You know, I had always hoped that...

me and your mom created
an empathetic environment

for you and Aiden.

Wanted to make sure you never felt like

our compassion was conditional.

Yeah, of course.

What brought this on?

You're gonna really make me do this?

Do what?

Kam?

Dad?

(CHUCKLES)

I already knew
that you broke up with Josh,

and that you were seeing someone else.

And that someone else might be a woman.

(SIGHS)

Did Aiden tell you?

You told Aiden before me?

I didn't tell him,
he kind of just found out.

Kam, you know I would
never turn my back on you,

no matter what.

- I got you.
- I know that.

- So, why didn't you tell me?
- It's not that simple.

I liked the guys I dated
before, I think.

A-And I'm with a woman now,
so it's different.

And that doesn't mean I'll never
have feelings for a guy again,

or maybe it does, I don't know.

(TAKES DEEP BREATH)

I didn't want to tell you
until I figured it out for me.

♪ ♪

Kam, you're smart, you're beautiful.

You're caring, you're courageous.

You're outspoken.

And who you date is
never gonna change any of that.

You'll always be the Kam I love.

Come here.

Come here.

I love you. Love you, too.

All that matters is that you're happy.

Does she make you happy?

Yes. She does.

What's her name?

- Riley.
- Riley.

Well, does this Riley have a 4.0 GPA,

work with multiple charities

and have a prestigious internship

lined up for the summer?

I wouldn't settle for anything less.

Ride or die.

Forever.

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

- You hungry, right?
- Yes.

Okay, I'll get you some meatloaf.

Thank you.

♪ ♪

(SIGHS)