NCIS (2003–…): Season 12, Episode 14 - Cadence - full transcript

[LEAVES RUSTLING]

[MAN PANTING]

[GRUNTS]

[SIREN WAILING]

MAN:
Hey! Hey, over here!

Over this way!

I'm the one who called.

He's right over there.

- Here we are.
- BISHOP: Told you they'd be here.

Hey, look, everybody. It's Jake Malloy.

The yin to Bishop's yang.

Hey, what is it,
Casual Tuesday at NSA?

- Couples yoga at the YMCA.
- It ran late. We're changing here.

You guys have been doing
a lot of couples classes.

Always working
to improve our marriage.

And it sucks.

The classes, not our marriage.

[JAKE & BISHOP CHUCKLE]

Last week, it was couples massage.

- Yeah, that was just creepy.
- Yeah.

So, after this morning,
we decided we are taking a break.

From the classes, not each other.

[JAKE & BISHOP CHUCKLE]

And then, Ellie had a brilliant idea.

I'm glad that you are figuring
all this couple stuff out.

But if you'll excuse me...

Don't you wanna hear the idea?

You know, isn't the mystery
of not knowing more exciting?

Ellie, I would love

- to hear your idea.
- Don't you dare, McGee.

I'm being courteous, Tony.

It's a trap, Tim.

We wanna take you to dinner.

- What's the catch?
- No catch. Our treat.

At NSA, we had the same colleagues.

But Jake doesn't really know you guys.

So you wanna take me and McGee
to dinner?

- No strings attached?
- And Gibbs.

Ha, ha. And Gibbs. Well, there you go.

Don't know if you've noticed,

but the boss hasn't been the fun,
social Gibbs that we all love and fear.

Yeah, well, he has had
a lot on his mind lately.

McGEE:
That's an understatement.

Doesn't matter though.
There is no way he's gonna say yes.

GIBBS:
Already have.

Expecting you to be there.

TONY:
I'll have bells on.

GIBBS:
We'll go over the details later. Come on.

Got a dead Marine in Gwynns Falls.

Can I have a minute to change?

I'll change in the car.

Bye.

Wait. You'll what?

The victim is Private John Wallis,
19 years old.

State troopers were alerted this morning
when a hiker discovered the body.

Police found Wallis' watch, wallet
and $300 cash, but no cell phone.

Nothing like the frigid morning air
and treacherous terrain

for me to regret giving
Mr. Palmer paternity leave.

- No good deed, Duck.
- DUCKY: Yeah.

Who have we got here?

TONY:
Oh, man.

Quite a bloodletting.

DUCKY:
Tony, would you help me? Just...

Roll him up.

Here, you see?
Our victim is covered in blood.

Apparently, the result
of multiple wounds.

And yet there's no blood
underneath or around him.

So Wallis was dumped here
after he was killed.

Blood trail leads this way.

You think the initial crime scene
is deeper in the woods?

[SPEAKING IN LATIN]

Truth, valor, duty.

- I didn't know you spoke Latin, Tony.
- TONY: Well, I know those words.

That's the motto
of the Remington Military Academy.

It's the last prep school I ever went to.

I guess Wallis went there too.

Tony in a uniform. I'd pay to see that.

He has something in his hand, boss.

Looks like a photo.

I can't make it out.

Whatever it is,
he was holding on for dear life.

TONY:
See this?

Killer dragged Wallis' body
from somewhere down here.

BISHOP:
Ah.

So military school, huh?

So yeah.

Uniforms, PT, drills...

Those are all things that happen
at military school, yes.

- How'd you end up there?
- It was Senior's Hail Mary.

Trying to straighten me out
after six boarding schools in four years.

Huh. It just doesn't really jibe
with my mental picture of Tony at 17.

You must have hated it,
the pomp and circumstance.

Hey, look at this.

This looks like some kind of tarp.

Might have been used
to wrap the body up.

BISHOP:
I got tire tracks over here.

Tire tracks.

So let's say the killer
used this access road.

Dragged the body
up to where we found it.

Set a fire to burn the evidence.

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed
my Latin classes in school.

Translating Caesar's Gallic Wars,
Book 5.

It's amazing.

Two thousand years
of so-called civilization,

and we're still fighting the same wars.

GIBBS:
What do you got for me, Duck?

Well, young Private Wallis
was stabbed 20 times.

Most of the wounds
are in the upper abdomen,

damaging his spleen and liver.

However, it's this cut to his neck
that severed the carotid artery,

and caused all that dramatic bleeding.

Weapon?

Weapon, a knife.

Straight-edged, six inches.

It left a distinctive mark
on two of the wounds.

It could be an imprint of the hilt.

Abby's looking into it.

- Anything else?
- Well, no. And that's what's strange.

There's no bruised knuckles
or cuts on his hands and fingers.

He didn't put up a fight.

Peculiar for a Marine
that's trained as a lethal weapon.

But someone was able
to get close enough to him

to cause all these wounds.

He was taken by surprise.

And most likely by someone he knew.

BISHOP: Private Wallis
was a scholarship student

at Remington Military Academy.
Top of his class.

He joined the Marine Corps three days
after he graduated last spring.

TONY:
Where he also excelled.

Top of his class
in the school of infantry.

His unit was part of the 22nd MEU

set to deploy on the USS Edgerton
out of Norfolk.

Five days ago, he received a call
to his cell phone.

Then he emptied his bank account,
1,500 bucks and went UA.

Didn't use his credit cards or cell phone.
Just vanished.

But what we do have is the last call
he received before he went quiet.

Traced the phone number back
to the Remington Military Academy.

It's a house phone in one of the dorms.

One of 100 cadets
could have placed that call.

But whatever was said,
Wallis went UA immediately afterwards.

Okay. Go to the school.
I wanna know who made the call.

Uh, do both of us
really need to go there?

I mean, do we really need two agents
to go all the way to Rhode Island?

Is there a problem, DiNozzo, with you
going back to your alma mater?

Well, hey, let us go talk about it.
Let's, uh...

Let's have a cup of coffee.
Let's hash it out.

I don't need to hash it out.

I just need to

prepare myself for the psychological...

Hey.

You got six hours in a car,
you got one night in a hotel room

to prepare psychologically.

Make it count, Skippy.

Thank you, boss.

[GROANS]

No time for chitchat.
Mama's cooking on all six burners.

Strictly business, Abby. Just wondering
if you found anything useful

off the ashes Tony and Bishop found
near the crime scene.

Other than watery eyes
and an itchy throat, nothing.

Before you say anything,
I haven't matched the tire tracks

from the crime scene and don't ask
about the murder weapon.

I was planning on stabbing dummies
all day, but now...

- I don't know.
- Abby.

I was gonna ask if I can help.

Oh.

Well, that's nice.

Why don't you come over here
and help me get blood off this photo?

It's not glamorous and it's not fun,

but it's the best way
to get blood off a photo.

McGEE: Maybe if this takes
long enough, I can skip tomorrow night.

What's tomorrow night?

McGee?

Okay.

Jake and Bishop invited us
to dinner tomorrow night.

- I think it's an agents-only thing, but--
- Relax, McGee.

- You're not upset you weren't invited?
- No.

Why would I be?

Burt and I hang out
with Bishop and Jake all the time.

We even took a class together.

Please tell me it wasn't
couples massage.

Dab, McGee. Dab.

BISHOP: Abby was able to clean up
the photo found in Wallis' hand.

Pretty girl. Someone from the base?

Not a Marine uniform.

That's RMA.

Maybe she's Wallis' classmate.

Abby wasn't able to identify her.

Well, they'll know at the school.

Feeling nervous to go back?

[SIGHS]

I'm a grown man, Bishop.

Takes a little bit more than a visit
to my old school to make me nervous.

So, DiNozzo.

You may very well be the first cadet
to get limo service from the train station.

Guess your dad wields some influence.

We'll give you a proper tour tomorrow.

You'll be in Hull House
with the rest of the seniors.

Here we are.

"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."

The Godfather?

Come on, kid. It's a classic.

Uniforms, PT gear and basic toiletries
are in your room.

We had to guess sizes.

This is you.

Your bunkmate's name
is Travis Phelps.

Look, first night is usually the hardest.

If you need me, I'm down the hall.

I'm 17, not 7.

And this isn't my first new dorm room,
new clothes and new teachers.

So back off, buddy, okay?

The name's not buddy.
It's Mr. Tanner.

And from now on,
you are Cadet DiNozzo.

Grab some rack time.

Ha. Can't believe my eyes.

Anthony fricking DiNozzo
back on my campus.

- I'm happy to see you.
- Nice to see you, coach.

Please, call me Gerald.

Gerald, this is
NCIS Special Agent Bishop.

Ah, NCIS, very impressive.

I always knew this one
would make me proud.

- You did?
- Yeah.

Well, we're not here to reminisce.

Of course not.
You're here about John Wallis.

Tragic. How can I help?

Uh, wondering if you know this girl.

That's Christine Sanders.

We need to talk to her
as soon as possible.

- I'm afraid that's impossible.
- Why?

Christine Sanders is dead.

Christine was a junior, a go-getter.

She was on the dean's list.

Just like DiNozzo.

And she was on track to becoming
our first female valedictorian.

Uh, heh, I'm sorry,
can we back up a second?

- Did you say Tony made dean's list?
- Ha, ha.

He shaped into a model cadet.

Let's stay on point here.

What about Christine?

Her grades started slipping.

She became withdrawn,
quit the track team.

Ten days ago, the senior cadet
discovered her in her room, dead.

She'd overdosed on pills.

No one saw the signs?

Look, half the students in our academy
are here because they are troubled.

Even Christine had her rough times.
That's why she was here.

We have built our reputation
on turning young lives around.

Just look at him.

What about John Wallis?

TANNER:
He's a great kid, great athlete.

He was senior cadet last year.

We all saw a bright future for him.

What was Christine's relationship
with him?

Wallis was her commanding officer.

- She was one of 40 cadets under him.
- Come on, coach.

He had her photo in his hand
when he died.

The school became coed in '95.

And honestly, we're still navigating
the raging hormones on campus.

But there is one clear rule.

Dating amongst the ranks
is strictly forbidden.

Did Wallis come back to campus
in the last few days?

Not that I know of.

Look, I'm sorry, I'm confused.

Do you think Wallis' death
had something to do with Christine?

Christine died ten days ago.

A few days later, Wallis
received a call from her dorm.

Then he went UA.

If Christine was already dead, anyone
on campus could have called Wallis.

Remind me never to piss you off, Abs.

Couldn't if you tried, Gibbs.

I'm just trying to match the knife
that was used to kill private Wallis.

But no luck, so far.

Okay, let's track Wallis' movements
after he went UA.

His cell phone's off.

Then, uh, can we hack
into, uh, his GPS-REM thingy?

And back-trace his memory deal?

Um...

None of those things are things, Gibbs.

And one of them's a band.

And when

someone turns their phone off,
there's nothing you can do.

I mean it's off.

Of course,

just because it's off

- doesn't mean I can't turn it back on.
- It doesn't?

Depending on what type of phone
Wallis had,

I may be able
to remotely turn it back on.

And, yes, then we can hack
into his GPS thingy memory deal.

Okay. Okay, let's do it.

Hey, Abs. Boss.

Just got off the phone
with New England TeleCard.

What is New England TeleCard?

They provide calling cards
to the cadets at RMA.

They were also able to give me
the name of the cadet

who called Wallis the night he went UA.

Caller was Cadet Lucas Craig.

Tell DiNozzo and Bishop.

Okay. I turned Wallis' phone back on.

I'm tracing its location now.

It's at a residence that belongs to...

Frederick Cantor. Richmond, Virginia.

TANNER:
Lucas Craig is senior cadet.

Means he's the highest-ranking student
on campus.

Were you senior cadet, Tony?

No, he was too busy shaking and baking
on the basketball court for me.

But he was a flag bearer.

Hm. Flag bearer.

- What are you doing?
- McGee wants a detailed report.

- Stop it.
- Hey.

Craig's overseeing
close-order drill outside.

He'll be done soon.

I've got a faculty meeting.

- Will you be around afterwards?
- Actually, we're heading back to D.C.

Well, that's too bad.
I wanted to catch up.

- Pleasure.
- Oh.

- TANNER: Really good to see you.
- Coach.

Oh, my God. That's you.

You look so dashing.

Yes, dashing is a prerequisite
for flag bearers.

MAN:
Squad, fall in.

Right. Right, dress!

A-ten hut!

Ready. Port, arms.

GOLAN:
One, two, three.

ALL: One.
GOLAN: One, two, three.

ALL: Two.
GOLAN: One...

Five a.m. wake-up call, man.
That's bad enough. But the food?

Come on. Do you know how much
our parents are paying for this place?

Took me a month to get kicked out
of my last school.

Think I'm going for a personal best.

Hey, you doing okay, Piggy?

GOLAN:
One, two, three.

- TONY: Man, you're all flushed.
- Stop.

Just breathe. Come on, man.

Cadet Piggy, what the hell
are you doing?

He needs a break, Golan. Come on.

Drill leader.

- What?
- You will address me as drill leader.

Okay, well, drill leader,
I think Piggy needs a little break.

And probably the nurse.

- GOLAN: That's two demerits, DiNozzo.
- What for?

One for dropping out of PT.

One for your tone.

Yeah. Let's get Piggy to the nurse.

Piggy will stay here until he learns how
to keep up with the rest of the squad.

You are gonna get back in line
if you know what's good for you.

Well, one thing's for sure.

I've never known what's good for me.

MAN:
Attention!

I called Wallis after Christine died.

I thought he should know.

Why would he need to know?

We're investigating Wallis' murder,

not an infraction
of the school's code of conduct.

They were dating, weren't they?

It started last year,
after the fall formal.

And they stayed together
even after Wallis graduated.

Must have been hard on Christine
when Wallis enlisted.

I can't say. She kept it to herself.

You were close with Wallis?

He was my commanding officer
for two years.

Yeah, we were tight.

- Wallis come back to campus?
- No, ma'am.

He was pretty broken up over Christine.
Said he was gonna

drown away his sorrows,
crawl into a hole.

I'm sorry, that's all I know.

Well, call us
if you think of anything else.

Special Agent DiNozzo.

It's graduates like you
that make this school proud.

I think he wants you
to salute him back.

I know.

- Thank you.
- Ma'am.

Maybe he's right.

Wallis went off to self-medicate,
got caught in a bad situation.

What do you think?

I think the guy over at that pickup has
been watching us since we got out here.

What guy?

There was a guy.

Didn't even know the phone was here till
I heard it come to life a few hours ago.

Scared me to death.

Wallis came to see you?

Yeah. Didn't know he was UA.

Sorry about the mess.

Been having a hell of a time
with this new table saw.

For $1,500, you'd think she'd work.

Why'd Wallis come to see you?

I was his mentor.

You went to RMA?

School saved my life.

Turned me from a punk into a man.

Enlisted in the Corps,
went into business. All thanks to RMA.

So I give back.

Started a scholarship.

The Cantor Scholars.

I pick a different kid every year.

Pay their way through RMA.

Help them out.

And Wallis was one of those kids?

Got him out of the worst school
in Richmond.

From the day I met him,
I knew he'd do me proud.

- What about the night he came here?
- He was a mess.

His girlfriend had committed suicide.

He didn't know what to do.

I tried to guide him.

Wallis was UA for five days

before he died.

Any idea where he might go?

Not his family.

They bugged out of town
his sophomore year.

No forwarding address.

He came from a tough neighborhood.

A lot of gang violence.

He fought his whole life to get away.

Maybe he didn't have
any fight left in him.

TONY: Let's get something straight.
You will not,

under any circumstances,

tell McGee one detail
of what you saw at my old school.

The only thing I saw was that

you were a good cadet
and that they respect you.

Yeah.
So let's not go blabbing about it.

Why does it bother you?

It's part of who you are.
You can't ignore your past, Tony.

Just watch me.

And not one word or I'll tell McGee
that song you sing in the shower.

- How did--?
- Cheap motel, thin walls.

It's a ridiculous song.

Step on it or we're gonna be late
for this dinner of yours.

[SIGHS]

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

Oh, you and Gibbs.

Very Special Agent DiNozzo.

MAN: You don't know the whole story
about Christine and Wallis.

- Who is this?
- Someone who can help.

Okay.

I'm listening. What don't I know
about Christine and Wallis?

Not on the phone.

We meet in person.

- Parking lot, Nutley Hardware.
- Oh, Nutley.

That's right next
to Remington Academy.

Um, we just got back to D.C.

Well, you better turn around
if you wanna know why Wallis died.

We'll be there in six hours.
We'll bring breakfast.

Hope you like gas-station taquitos.

All right. Leaves one issue.

JAKE:
No, I understand, you have to go back.

It's for the case.

BISHOP:
The good news is, you can go home.

Don't worry about Gibbs.
Tony's gonna let him know.

JAKE:
Oh, I think he already does.

Well, yeah, DiNozzo.
You do what you gotta do.

BISHOP:
I'm so sorry.

Okay.

I'm gonna go now.

I guess it's just the two of us.

Should we eat?

Jake, I wanna ask you something
work-related.

Will it require top-secret clearance
to answer? Ha, ha.

Yeah.

- And it stays between us.
- I'm all ears.

What do you know
about Russian-Palestinian relations?

You think our Deep Throat's
a no-show?

BISHOP:
Hm?

TONY:
What? Who's this?

Here we go.

- Get in. They could be watching us.
- "They" would be?

Piggy. Is that you?

Nobody calls me that anymore,
Tony.

Now, get in the truck. It's not safe.

What is this place?

Some kind of condemned property?

- It's my house.
- Oh.

Sorry. It's, uh-- It's very distinct.

Hey, turn that off.

No. What are you afraid of, Travis?

RMA, Tony.

They're everywhere.

Why are you afraid of RMA?

Because I work for them.

Okay.

You said you knew what happened
with Wallis and Christine.

Christine's death is not what you think.

She didn't commit suicide?

She was pushed to it.

It was Honor Corps.

Hello?

What the hell?

What's up, guys?

GOLAN:
Cadet DiNozzo.

You've been found guilty of breaking
rules of the code of conduct.

Your punishment will be delivered
by Honor Corps.

- I guess you're the Honor Corps.
- GOLAN: You're ours for the night.

And we're gonna have fun.

I'm gonna go ahead and opt out.

Mm. No.

All right, you really want to do this?

Huh?

TANNER: DiNozzo,
where the hell have you been?

Basketball practice started ten minutes
ago in the weight room. You're late.

You need to make do without him.

Thanks, Coach Tanner.

Don't thank me yet.

I've seen you shoot. You got talent.

I meant it. You're officially
on the basketball team.

And officially ten minutes late.

Twenty laps, DiNozzo.

I thought Coach Tanner put an end
to Honor Corps our senior year.

Nothing ended senior year.

They just kept it quieter.

And basketball players
were off-limits.

You have no idea what was happening
to me when Honor Corps came around.

What's Honor Corps?

It's a group of students
who bully substandard cadets.

Break a rule
or bring squad performance down,

- and they'd pay you a visit.
- Look, Travis,

I'm sorry for what happened to you,

but I'm wondering what happened
to Christine.

TRAVIS:
They disciplined her.

Every night for a month
before she died.

They broke her.

So how does Wallis play into all this?

I told him exactly what I told you.

Wallis was here?

He came a few days after Christine died.
He was looking for answers.

I brought him here.
I told him everything.

Then he went back to campus
to confront Honor Corps.

Who did he confront?

I don't know their names or faces.

Wallis sure seemed to know
whose ass he was gonna kick.

Listen, Travis.

I am sorry. I had no idea what
was happening to you back then.

Because you never asked.

Well, I spent the morning
trying to find out if Wallis' death

was gang-related,
like Frederick Cantor suggested.

Turns out he was a straight-A student.
Never got into any trouble.

Now, on the plus side,

Abby managed to get surveillance
from the bus station near RMA.

Was able to prove that Wallis
was at the school a few days ago.

That's great, McGee.

Hey, I need to know
what happened at dinner last night.

Oh, uh,

well, last I saw, Gibbs and Jake
were at the table. I didn't stick around.

Why did you leave them alone?

It was every man for himself.

- Why? What did Jake say?
- Well, I haven't heard from him.

All right,
I'm calling Jake again right now.

Okay.

[WHISTLING]

- Hello?
- BISHOP: McGee?

I was trying to call Jake's phone.

You did call his phone.
It was on Gibbs' desk.

Why is my husband's phone
on Gibbs' desk?

Hey, why does he call you
Ellie Belly?

Tim, this is serious.

- Tim?
- You know, I'm gonna call you back.

No, wait. Tim?

Hey, boss. What's up?

I was in Silver Springs this morning
where Christine Sanders is from.

She filed a police report
over winter break.

- She was being stalked?
- Someone followed her at the mall.

And then he was in her house at night.

Someone she knew.

I'm not a stalker.

How do you explain following
Christine home for winter break?

We were friends.

Friends don't sneak into each other's
bedrooms to surprise them.

I'm senior cadet,
captain of the football team,

and I haven't got there
by taking no for an answer.

You have no clue
how bad that sounds, do you?

Got the message when the police
cuffed me, threw me in a holding cell.

- I left her alone after that.
- No, you didn't.

You wanted to punish Christine.

No.

No, I didn't touch her.

Right. Honor Corps did.

Oh. Heh.

Honor Corps is a folktale
that we tell plebes to scare--

Hey! You can't go in there.

I went to this school, Cadet Craig.

I know what a gray armband means.

You used Honor Corps to punish
Christine for turning you down.

It's not like that.

TONY:
It's not like that? What's it like?

You'd drag her out at night,
force her to do PT?

- Humiliate herself?
- We have a code of conduct.

You break the code, you pay the price.

Christine broke the code.

TONY:
Translation being:

You made up a reason
to get her in trouble.

I remember guys like you.

Drank the Kool-Aid,
believed in the traditions

because you were desperate
to be a part of something.

Well, guess what?

You're part of something.

But outside of these walls, cadet,

nobody gives a damn about your code.

Whatever you did,
led Christine to kill herself.

You can't prove that.

BISHOP:
We don't have to.

We're not here to arrest you
for Christine's suicide.

Wallis' murder, on the other hand...

BISHOP:
We know he came to campus,

found out about Honor Corps
and he came looking for you.

TONY:
You are the senior cadet,

captain of the football team,

with a bright future ahead of you.

Unless it disappears.

Tell us what happened.

BISHOP:
Wallis came to see you.

He was furious.

He had every right to be.

I pushed Christine too far,

and, uh, I made her kill herself.

And he wanted to make me pay.

You fought him?

No.

Provost Tanner stopped him.

I finally got a hit on the tire tracks
from your crime scene.

And it wasn't easy, either.

I compared them to every tire
that's actively sold on the market.

No match. Then I compared them
to international tires.

Nothing,
so I had to think out of the box.

Discontinued tires.

And that's when I hit pay dirt.

This track is from a tread used

exclusively in the 1970s
on various European cars.

Could a tire manufactured in the '70s
still be operational today?

No, but a replica could.

This is a custom job made
to resemble the original tire of

a 1972 Citroën DS.

TANNER:
DiNozzo.

I just got a very angry call
from Cadet Craig's father.

You can't interrogate my students
without letting me know.

And why are you looking at my car?

Coach, will you open the trunk, please?

Or I'll get a warrant and break it open.

Thank you.

Please step to the side.

There was a lot of blood back here.

TONY:
Gerald Tanner,

you are under arrest
for the murder of John Wallis.

[ENGINE CHUGGING]

TONY:
Come on. Come on.

Damn.

What's the plan here?

Steal the coach's car, drive to Mexico?

Hey, maybe.

I don't belong here.

I'm not a rules-and-regulations guy.

So your dad sends you
to school number seven.

It don't feel right. You cut and run.

But for how long?

You have an opportunity here.

You have talent
on the basketball court.

You're smart.

You don't like rules and regulations?

Me, neither.

You gonna let that stop you?

It's self-preservation.

You're worried about Cadet Golan?

He hates me.
And he runs Honor Corps.

- It's only a matter of time.
- Honor Corps won't touch you.

How do you know that?

Because you're a starter
on the varsity basketball team, DiNozzo.

And I look out for my guys.

Now, there are things about this school
that are gonna change.

Honor Corps is one of them.

This is a good place.

You do belong.

Don't run.

Take a stand.

And I'll stand with you.

He was a mentor.

Want me to take the interview?

No.

I'm not gonna run.

You had a long car ride
to think about what you're gonna say.

So don't make any excuses.

I want an explanation.

You lied to me about seeing Wallis
on campus that night.

I didn't tell you about Wallis because--

Because his blood
was all over your car?

I don't know how that got there.

Why would I kill Wallis?

Honor Corps.

You said you were gonna
get rid of that 20 years ago.

Wanted to. It's not that easy.

You know how RMA is with tradition.

Honor Corps is not a tradition.

It is as ingrained in our DNA
as Color Guard or Plebe Week.

You're the provost.

I didn't get to be provost
by effecting change, Tony.

What happened the night
Wallis confronted you?

I stopped him from pummeling Craig.

Took him to my office.

He blamed Honor Corps
for Christine's death.

Wanted to shine a light.

I told him that
if he exposed Honor Corps that

it would hurt the school.

At least you had priorities straight.

I told Wallis that he needed
to take a step back,

that we could work it out.

But he could tell you were lying.

You know how many kids this school
has saved over the years,

just like you?

Doesn't that success
outweigh a few lost causes?

Christine wasn't a lost cause.

None of them were.
They were just kids who needed help.

Just like me.

When did you pull the knife?

You're not listening, DiNozzo.

I didn't touch him.

He walked out of my office,
prepared to expose us.

I braced myself for the fallout.

How did his blood get in your car?

I don't know. I barely drive the car.

Spends most of the time in the shop.

- When it's not in the shop?
- It is where it always is.

And everybody knows
where I keep the spare key.

If you change your mind
and decide to leave...

...don't hot-wire my car.

Whatever you think of me,
I never could have done this.

I left RMA a long time ago.

I don't talk about it.

It's not who I am.

But there was a part of me
that still believed.

In the motto, the code.

And that part's gone now,

along with Christine Sanders

and John Wallis.

Tony was right.

The spare key was in the sun visor.

And Wallis' prints are all over
the steering wheel and the gear shift.

McGEE:
Wallis took Tanner's car,

and Wallis' killer
brought the car back to RMA.

- Any other fingerprints?
- No.

There were no more fingerprints
or DNA.

But I did find traces of paraffin wax.

Was Tanner a carpenter?

We have access
to the bus station security cameras?

Yes.

I wanna see the 24-hour period
after Wallis was killed.

After Wallis was killed?

Whoever returned Tanner's car
needed a way to get home.

[DOOR OPENS]

Special Agent Gibbs.

- Didn't hear you knock.
- I didn't.

CANTOR:
Still having trouble with this damn saw.

Just won't work right.

Something got in here
that wasn't supposed to.

I'm guessing it's John Wallis' blood.

He came down here again to see you.

We have surveillance footage of you
from the bus station near RMA.

Stop.

I'm not gonna cause you
any problems.

I knew you'd come back to me
eventually.

You'll find Wallis' blood on the chisel.

- I tried to clean up, but...
- Yeah.

Blood doesn't clean up too easy,
does it?

What happened
when Wallis came back here?

He was upset.

He was talking wildly about Honor Corps
and cleaning up RMA.

He wanted to go public.

He didn't know where to start.

He needed your help.

He didn't understand the ramifications.

A scandal like this
could hobble the school.

I have no wife.

No kids. All I have is RMA.
It's my legacy.

I couldn't have let Wallis threaten that.

Even if your legacy is broken?

Honor Corps seems harsh
to an outsider, but it works.

Weeds out the weak.

Challenges the rest
to live up to a standard.

- It made a man out of me.
- Did it?

Man enough to know what's important.

To respect tradition.

Truth,

valor,

duty.

That's our motto.

I gave it to Wallis, and he betrayed it.

No, he lived up to the motto.

You betrayed him.

They're letting me go.

Uh, I just wanted to say
that I never m--

I'm resigning.

You were right. I let the kids down.
I let you down.

For what it's worth.
I am proud of the man you've become.

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

[SIGHS]

- You okay?
- Never better.

I have something for you.

It's a photo of a photo,

but you should keep it.

It's the past, Bishop.

It's your past, Tony,
and it's a good one.

TONY:
I have a tricky relationship with the past.

I either bury it,

or fixate on it.

Still working out the kinks.

Well, whatever happened
in your past

helped make you
the awesome guy you are today.

[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

TONY:
Well, if it isn't Jake Molloy. Look at you.

Hey.

Hey. Where were you?

Yeah, I'm sorry.

Closed-door meetings
at NSA all day long.

- I would've called, but--
- Gibbs had your phone?

Yeah. I left it in the diner last night.

He said he'd leave it
and I could pick it up.

BISHOP:
Sorry I made you sit through dinner.

Oh, no, don't be. It was great.

I mean, Gibbs is so easy to talk to.

He is?

Yeah, yeah.
And we had a lot to discuss.

Like what?

What happens in the diner
stays in the diner.

[CHUCKLES]

Are you kidding? The whole point
was we would have more to talk about.

And we will, just not about last night.

Well, it sounds like you guys have
a lot to talk about on the ride home.

So good luck with that.

Yes, we will.

Next time, Tony.

Bye, Tony.

[DIALING]

[LINE RINGS]

- TRAVIS: Hello?
- Piggy.

Hey. I mean, Travis.

Sorry.

It's Tony. DiNozzo.

Oh, hey.

Yeah.

I was thinking, what do you say
we grab a late dinner, catch up?

I can meet you halfway.

How about Passaic?

Sure.

Three hours.

I'll see you there.

All right.