NCIS (2003–…): Season 14, Episode 10 - The Tie That Binds - full transcript
The team investigates the death of a Navy Captain who's under investigation for selling secrets. They go through his things and find an address which turns out to be the house where Ducky and his mother lived before she died. They learn the man went there and was looking for Ducky's mother. Further investigation unearths a name, which Ducky says is the name of the man his mother nearly married 40 years ago. Ducky says when he met the man, he got a bad vibe off him and had him checked out and learned he was not a gentleman. They later learn the Captain hired a private investigator to find the man. They wonder what the Captain wants with the man. But Ducky wonders could it be him because he would be well over a 100 by now if he's still alive. Fornell's daughter tries to get him to leave Gibbs and come home.
So...
What did you think?
Oh, I loved it.
Thank you, Daddy.
Logan?
Uh, pass.
Come on. It
wasn't that bad.
Well, not the first
eight times, no,
but if I had known this was
a Green holiday tradition,
I would have shot myself
on our wedding night.
Oh, such a hopeless romantic.
Ugh. There's my ride.
Should we do this again
next week?
I'd rather lick a chalkboard.
Yeah. I bet you would.
Welcome, Captain.
Thank you.
Can I interest you in a charge?
Or water for the ride?
Uh, water's fine, thanks.
There you go.
I haven't seen The
Nutcracker in years.
It still hold up?
I don't know.
I never watch the performance,
just my little girl's face.
It still lights up
every time...
every time that...
What?!
What on earth are you doing?
Me?
What are you doing, Dad?
I was sleeping.
I noticed.
Still on Uncle Gibbs' couch
for some reason.
You nearly scared me to death.
And Uncle Gibbs
is probably upstairs
loading his bazooka as we speak.
No. I'm good.
Thanks for the warning.
I thought you weren't back
from school till tomorrow.
My boyfriend got off work
a day early,
but no way am I
introducing him to you
while you're living on a couch.
I'm not living.
I am... recuperating.
Okay, well,
you can recuperate at home
where I can make sure
you do the exercises
Gibbs says you're not doing.
Really?
That's what he says?
Fine. I'll do my exercises.
Hey, Gibbs.
You got to come over and
push down on my pelvis.
I'm gonna pass on that.
See?
See what I'm up against?
How can I do my exercises if...?
Did you say boyfriend?
I heard boyfriend,
did you hear boyfriend?
No.
Yes, you heard boyfriend.
His name is Jack, and he's
studying to be an entomologist.
Ento...
Bugs.
I know what an entomologist is.
This is your fault.
You enabled him.
Me?
You are not old enough
to have a boyfriend.
Yeah, it's Gibbs.
And how old do you need to be?
A year older than you are, and
every year it goes up by one.
Yeah. I'll meet you there.
Where do you think you're going?
Got a dead body.
You're gonna have another one
in your living room in a minute.
Looks like Captain Green's a fan
of The Nutcracker.
Any witnesses?
Metro said that
a witness saw him
get into a rideshare car
after the show.
Then five blocks away,
here he lay dead in the dirt.
Must've been one hell of a ride.
No signs of foul play.
There sure is foul smells.
Is this a dirt lot
or a community toilet?
What's with the wardrobe change?
You know how hard it is to get
the smell of urine out of suede?
And that's something
you're familiar with?
What did happen to this man?
That's a good question.
He's got a ton of money
left in his wallet,
so it can't be robbery.
We need to find out
where he was headed
and how he got here.
Maybe Reston.
Reston?
I used to live in Reston
on a beautiful
tree-lined street on...
McCadden Place.
Yes. 1-0...
7-3-5?
What is a dead man
doing with your address
in his pocket,
Dr. Mallard?
I'm not sure I want to know
the answer to that.
Captain Mason Green.
Served three
back-to-back tours
as an advisor in Iraq.
Wife is deceased,
has one grown daughter.
Do we know who picked him up
from the theater, yet?
Still haven't found
his cell phone,
which would indicate
the rideshare app
he was using;
Abby's on it, though.
Talk to the C.G.?
Yeah, and, uh,
that's where
it gets interesting.
Green was under
internal investigation.
Suspected of selling
classified info.
To who?
I.G. thinks it's
someone overseas.
If Green's buyer knew
he was under investigation,
he might have gotten nervous
and then took Green out.
Does I.G. have a lead
on the buyer?
They're sending the
file over now.
In the meantime,
all we have is this:
Ducky's old address, which was
in our dead guy's pocket.
Ducky lived there
with his mother years ago.
Sold it when she died.
Six years ago.
I mean, maybe it's
a coincidence.
Oh. Oh, no.
No coincidences.
No, actually number 69 is
never trust a woman
who doesn't trust their man.
Huh? Wait, what?
Really? That...
sounds a little misogynistic,
don't you think? Huh?
I mean, do you have a rule
that says “Never trust a man
who doesn't trust his woman”?
Think about it.
Huh? No?
Think about it.
Rule 51.
Sometimes you're wrong.
Agent Torres is, uh,
down with Ducky.
They're trying to see
if they can figure out
a connection to Captain Green.
Take Bishop with you;
talk to the current owners.
Maybe Green was looking
for them, not Ducky.
That Ducky was just
a coincidence.
Was he mocking me?
You know, I'm not sure.
I've never seen Gibbs
mock anyone before.
I'm sorry. I simply do not
recognize this man.
Nor is his name
remotely familiar.
Do you have any files
you can check or anything?
I can assure you, my
memory is not at fault.
Check anyway.
- But I'll check anyway.
- What have you got?
Abby found traces of conotoxin
in his blood.
It's a fast-acting poison;
presumably the cause of death.
Which we will check
on autopsy, of course.
Hey, you mind waiting
until I leave
before you open this guy up?
What? I-I wouldn't have pegged
you as the squeamish type.
No. I actually like
the sight of blood.
It's just smell.
You know, first the alley,
now this place... ugh.
Here's a silly question.
Do you guys, uh, you expense
the dry-cleaning, right?
Oh, yeah. I do.
Is that not okay?
As I suspected, yeah,
there are no records
of a Captain Green in my files.
I heard you travel a lot.
Maybe you met him
on one of your trips?
Where has the captain been
besides Iraq, that is?
According to ICE, the only other
place he's been is Majorca.
Majorca...
Doc?
I am guessing the doctor
has a story.
Well, oddly enough,
Majorca is one place
I haven't been.
Although I-I do
still have a story.
Quick! Hurry!
Gosh, it's monkeys out there.
Told you we should have
taxied over after the film.
What? And miss the best
part about getting cold?
What's that?
Getting warm.
Why don't we start with
a hot toddy, Dr. Mallard?
Take it from there.
I can work with that.
Your flat's really quite lovely.
Not bad on a soldier's salary.
You working for pin money
on the side?
Actually, I wasn't
entirely honest.
This isn't my home,
it belongs to my...
Oh, my God!
Mother!
What are you doing here?
I might ask you the same thing.
Raiding the liquor cabinet.
You're supposed
to be in Majorca.
I got back early.
Who's the tramp?
Mother.
Hello. My name is...
Tramp will do nicely
until proven otherwise.
And so far, you're not off
to a very good start.
Mother.
We were simply stopping by...
What was that?
What? I didn't hear anything.
And it's getting late,
so if you don't mind,
I'd like to get ready to...
Ah. Hello, young man.
I'm afraid you've caught me
at quite a disadvantage.
Who the bloody hell are you?
Uh, Balthazar Kilmeany.
Pleasure to make
your acquaintance.
We met at the resort in Majorca
at a bagpipe class.
Your mother's got quite
a set of lungs on her.
Right. I will throw up on you.
Donald!
Mind your manners.
Me?!
You called my date a tramp.
Twice.
With a naked man
in your wardrobe.
Uh, perhaps I ought to go.
I have an important board
meeting quite early.
Put a sock in it.
You're not going anywhere.
They are.
I'm not going anywhere
until you tell me
exactly what's going on.
What's going on is...
we're in love.
Well, aren't you going
to say anything?
Yes.
That's my hat.
Care to share?
Excuse me?
Said you had a story.
Oh, it's-it's
not particularly... relevant.
And I just had breakfast.
All right. Thanks, B.
That was Bishop.
The victim's daughter is here.
Conference room.
Come on, Duck.
I don't understand.
If it wasn't a robbery,
who killed my father?
Trying to figure that out.
This mean anything to you?
No.
What is it?
My old address.
Did you know my father-in-law?
Not that I'm aware.
Do I look familiar to you?
Your father mention
having any trouble at work?
Why?
Was he in trouble at work?
Your father was being
investigated
for selling classified secrets.
Uh-uh.
No, no. Not-not my dad.
Has he been behaving strangely
of late?
Not at all.
Actually...
Last week he was asking
some weird questions.
Connections
I might have overseas.
I didn't really think anything
of it at the time, but...
whatever it was about,
if you knew her dad,
there is no way
these accusations are true.
Gibbs.
Need a second.
We just got back
from Ducky's old house.
You talk to the owners?
No. Gardener said they've
been out of town over a month.
But he did say Captain Green
had been there three days ago.
Did he say why?
Green was looking for somebody.
He went to the house looking
for me.
Well, he was looking
for a Mallard.
- I knew it.
- But not you.
He was looking for
a Victoria Mallard.
Mother?
If you need to take a break,
let me know.
Oh, have we started?
I couldn't tell
if you were trying or not.
Oh, I didn't want to beat you
too quickly. You seemed, uh...
You know, and everyone's talking
about it... kind of fragile.
Me, fragile?
You're the one sweating.
And I'm busy.
So please finish comparing
testosterone levels
on your own time.
To be continued.
I called you in here because
I just spoke with SecDef.
It appears Captain Green's work
was more sensitive
than the inspector general knew.
If Green's really been
compromised, DOD needs to know
who is buying his stolen Intel
A.S.A.P.
I.G. suspected
it was someone overseas. Reeves?
I pulled a favor with some mates
of mine at Interpol,
and they found a bank account
in Captain Green's name
in the Crimea.
Crimea. That means the Russians.
There's been
several large deposits made
over the last month.
Did you trace them?
I've been going through the
paperwork. But so far, no luck.
McGee's, uh,
trying the gardener again
to see if he knows anything.
All right, dismissed.
You can go crush beer cans
against your foreheads
or whatever
you're planning next.
Gibbs, did I read
your report correctly,
that Captain Green was looking
for Dr. Mallard's mother?
Yep.
The doctor have any idea why?
Nope.
How's he taking it?
I mean, I wouldn't be very happy
knowing that my mother
might somehow be connected
to international treason.
You never met Ducky's mother?
No, never had the chance.
This doesn't really rank.
So, Ducky lived here
with his mother?
For how long?
Until she died.
Hey!
Careful!
You're walking
on my winter mulch!
Sorry about that, Mr. Rin.
Agent McGee.
We spoke briefly.
- Yeah, hi.
- We have just a few
follow-up questions.
Oh, I bet.
Donnie must have been
surprised to hear
that his dearly departed
mom had a visitor.
Uh, you know Dr. Mallard?
Yeah, I worked for him
when he lived here.
He's a wonderful man.
When Donnie decided to sell,
the new owners insisted
that I stay.
So you, uh, knew
his mother, too?
Oh, yeah.
Now, you said
you saw this man three days ago.
Correct?
Yeah, he asked about Victoria,
and I told him she passed away.
Then he got in his friend's car
and then left.
He had a friend with him?
You catch his name?
No, he stayed in the car.
And I didn't get a good look
at him.
What about the car...
The make or the model?
Um, I think it was red.
Ish.
Possibly green.
Mr. Rin, are you colorblind?
Yeah. How'd you know?
Well, maybe we can get
some witnesses or...
Ooh. You know what,
actually, we may not need to.
That is
an XJ-47 doorbell camera.
Brand-new.
You approach and it sends video
straight to the cloud.
That is so cool, huh?
No, not really.
Oh, yeah.
Nice.
Oh, look at this.
This thing is cool.
Seriously, admit it.
This is cool.
Look, I don't want to judge you,
but if you push me, I will.
McGee, back it up.
Freeze it.
Right there.
That's the car.
No plates.
Who's that in the car?
Captain Green was accused
of selling classified data.
Maybe that's his buyer?
Or the killer.
Or both.
You, uh, recognize him, Ducky?
No.
McGee, BOLO on the car.
Yeah.
Better make that two.
I was going through the footage,
and this happened.
Wait for it.
And...
That looked very suspicious.
Like she said, two BOLOs.
I have a lot more to say.
Ducky, I need
those tissue samples.
File in. To the Bat Lab!
Oh, hey. Look who it is.
Emily, how are you?
Give me a second, Abbs.
You and I need to talk.
I'm a little busy.
Why haven't you kicked my dad
out of your house?
It's not for lack of effort.
This has gone on
way too long.
You don't think
I know that?
So do something.
I want to have Christmas dinner
with my father.
At home.
I've tried.
I have. I've tried. I don't know
what the problem is.
So can I have your permission to
take matters into my own hands?
To do whatever I need
to do?
Yes.
Don't burn down my house.
Fine. Plan B then.
Women, Ducky.
My mother would have
never let it get this far.
Yes, Diane was
a formidable woman.
When she made up her mind,
nothing would stop her.
Not unlike my mother.
I'm not sure I see
the problem, Donnie.
Mother and Balthazar
are engaged.
Well, congratulations.
I think that's enough
on the ornaments.
I'm not paying you
on commission.
It's only been six weeks.
Please tell me
you're not developing some sort
of weird Oedipal thing
about your mother.
Ugh. Don't be a twonk.
Me?
You're the one that's going
barmy. Your mother's in love.
What's the big deal?
Your father hated
when you did that.
Well, he shouldn't have died
and left this fine
establishment to me then.
Besides, this is for you.
Clearly on some kind of
sticky wicket. So do tell.
What's the problem?
The problem is
Mother hardly knows this man.
And there's something off
about him
I can't quite put my finger on.
I'm just worried that he's...
taking advantage of her
in some way.
What do you want me to do
about it?
Check him out.
You know people,
Angus. Find out who he is,
where he comes from.
Please.
All right.
I can see you're
upside-down about this.
I'll do what I can.
Got something for me?
I do.
It's POW!-Nog.
It's-it's eggnog
meets Caf-POW!
And it's my first batch
of the season.
Something about the case.
I can stand here all day.
Mm-hmm.
You have a little, um...
Never mind. Moving on.
So, I examined Captain
Green's computer.
He had an account
with a ridesharing service
called HomeStretch.
But they have no record
of a pickup request
the night of the murder.
Well, someone picked him up.
Yeah, it looks like his account
was infected
with a worm that
intercepted the request
and then sent it
to a third party.
Probably the killer.
Can you trace it?
I didn't trace that.
But I did trace
something else just
as interesting. Take a look.
Captain Green
made a cell phone call
right when he left
Ducky's house.
To who?
To whom, Jethro.
Oh, good.
My tissue samples.
Fridge, please.
Whatever.
To whom?
Captain Green called
a cell phone registered to a...
Balthazar Kilmeany.
What did you say?
Balthazar Kilmeany.
Yeah. You know him?
Yes.
He was my mother's fiancé.
Have you found out anything more
about this Balthazar?
No. Cell was registered
to a post office box.
We're still looking.
We were hoping
you might be able to shed
a little light
before I had to brief SecDef.
You did know the man, after all.
No, I-I don't
think I did.
This Balthazar Kilmeany
simply cannot possibly be
the man I knew.
He would be over 100 years old.
Duck, got to ask.
Okay.
My mother...
met a man in Majorca.
They fell madly in love.
Became engaged.
I didn't trust the man,
and so I... I had a friend
run a background check.
And I gather that your fears
were justified?
And then some.
So the Scotsman
replies very quickly,
“I'd like to be shot first.”
Oh, my...
Tell another one, Balthy.
Oh, please.
Actually, Ms. Mallard,
I was, um, hoping
to get your opinion
on this new bourbon bar
we're opening.
Oh. It's a little early
for a tipple.
But since you've twisted my arm.
Ah!
Your mother...
She does
love her bourbon.
Matter of fact,
we were planning,
for the wedding...
There isn't going to be
a wedding.
Oh, come, Donald, I...
I know things are moving
rather quickly,
and probably caught you
a bit off-guard.
Let me be plain as a pikestaff.
You are never
going to marry my mother.
This isn't some kind of
weird Oedipal thing, is it?
Contrary to popular opinion,
I'm actually very happy
my mother has fallen in love.
Just not with a con man
such as yourself.
I did some checking.
Balthazar Kilmeany
isn't your real name.
It's an alias.
Well, now, my mother will be
quite surprised to hear that.
So will mine.
Seems you have a history
of hanging out in ritzy
resort areas like Majorca,
bilking rich, older women
out of their money.
Donald, I can explain.
No, I doubt that very much.
This isn't what you think.
Right.
And who am I to believe,
you or my lying eyes?
Believe your eyes.
You're right.
It's all true.
I have done all those things.
But...
this time it's...
it's different.
Yes, when I first
met your mother,
I... I planned
to steal from her, but...
but then something
wonderful happened.
I fell in love.
For the first time in my life.
I could never hurt Victoria.
She's my soul mate.
And I know she feels
the same way.
Listen to me carefully.
You are to depart
England immediately.
Tell my mother you have
to leave on business
or tend to a sick family member.
Tell her whatever you like.
But if you're not gone
by tomorrow, this file
is going straight
to Scotland Yard.
And you are going straight
to Wandsworth Prison, got it?
That is a hell of
a story, Jethro.
But I'm not surprised.
All Ducky stories are good.
Mallet.
But what if he's wrong?
What if this new Balthazar
is the same guy that was
schtupping his mother,
back for revenge?
At 109?
Some guys can hold a grudge.
Or maybe his son,
with the same name.
Either way,
how does he fit into the case?
Working on it.
And who the hell is this guy?
Okay.
Fine.
I got something else
for you to do.
Emily came by today.
I met her new boyfriend.
Nice kid.
Nice looking.
Just all-around...
nice.
But...
I need you to process this
for prints.
I need my own background check.
I could do it myself, but
I'm not back with the Bureau,
so I can't access their lab.
Oh, come on.
It's against the law, Tobias.
I'm not asking you
to break the law.
I am asking you to
stretch it a little.
Look what happened
to Ducky's mother.
You can't be too
careful when you're...
What?
What is that?
That's a termite.
Who are you calling?
My cousin.
He's an exterminator.
Got to nip this in the bud.
You let this go too far,
he might tent the whole house.
And there goes
my microfiber couch.
That guy Emily's dating...
What'd you say he was studying?
Yeah, Mikey,
it's Tobias. I got an
Alpha Priority emergency here.
Can you hold?
Yes, I can hold.
Yeah, it's Gibbs.
Uh, where?
Yeah, okay, I'll meet you there.
Where you going?
No word back on the gardener
BOLO yet, but Metro PD
found the guy who
drove Captain Green
to Ducky's old house
in Rock Creek Park
after a couple complained
about him following him.
Okay. So who is he?
Well...
refused to say. Didn't have ID,
but Metro's
running his prints now.
So tell us
why you were in the park.
I was simply enjoying the day.
That a crime?
No.
But murder is.
I say he knows our captain.
What happened?
What happened was,
Captain Green
was selling government data.
And we think you were buying it.
Excuse me?
When the feds started
closing in, you took Green out.
Are you out of your minds?
Oh,
said the man who was
picked up for stalking
at, uh, Rock Creek Park
an hour ago.
I wasn't stalking anybody.
I was doing my job.
What job?
Yes, I was tailing the guy
in the park.
I'm a private investigator
and I was hired by his wife
to follow him.
And Captain Green?
He hired me two weeks ago.
- For what?
- To find out anything I could
about the name
Balthazar Kilmeany.
And?
All I could find was an ad
taken out in the personals
from six years ago.
Some lady named Victoria Mallard
took it out.
I guess she's looking for
this Balthazar guy, too.
We went to her house,
heard she had died years ago.
It was a dead end.
I don't know why
Green was looking for this guy.
And I suppose
you don't know anything
about Captain Green's
murder, either?
No.
But, as it turns out,
I think I might be able
to help you.
How?
Green gave me
a hard drive to hold.
For safekeeping.
He called it an insurance policy
in case anything
ever happened to him.
I'd say something's
happened to him.
All right, McGee and Abby
are analyzing the drive now.
But I got a copy of the ad
that Ducky's mother took out.
Personal ad, local newspaper.
Just reads like
a lonely old lady
looking for her
long-lost love.
No offense.
None taken.
Apparently that's exactly
what my mother was.
You knew about this?
No. In fact,
I'm shocked that she had
the wherewithal to place it,
considering the progression
of her Alzheimer's.
I can only surmise she was
thinking of happier times
and trying to recapture them.
Which meant trying to find
her old fiancé.
I get that, but
why the hell was Captain Green
looking for this guy?
Whatever the reason, he was
never going to find him. I just
spoke to Interpol. Turns out
the name Balthazar Kilmeany
been popping up
all over the world...
Bank accounts, property deeds,
but nothing tied down
to an actual person.
It's a fake identity.
I've backstopped
about 15 of these.
Well, my contact
believes this one
was specifically created
to launder money.
- Created by who?
- Unknown.
Looks like half a dozen people
used this over the years.
Your mother's fiancé
was one of a list of con men
who used the same alias.
Well, perhaps Captain Green was
using it to launder the money
that he made from selling
classified data.
Well, there's a funny thing
about that.
I just finished analyzing
Green's hard drive.
Captain Green
didn't steal
any classified data.
Then why's he dead?
The insurance policy that Green
gave the P.I. to hold onto
contained internal DOD
security footage.
They clearly show he was
nowhere near a computer
during the time
when classified data was stolen.
He was set up.
By who?
Someone that got ahold of his
password, logged in remotely.
Even the Crimean bank account...
It's a setup.
It's in Green's name,
but he didn't open it.
Person that opened the account
is named...
Balthazar Kilmeany.
- Green knew all this?
- It's all on the hard drive.
So why didn't he
go to the police?
I mean, why go after
this guy himself?
Why are you asking me?
Go find out.
On it.
And find that gardener.
He ran for a reason.
He knows something.
I'll check the BOLO.
Gibbs.
What?
Aw. You got to
be kidding me.
This is the worst possible time.
No, you know what?
I'm all right.
Never mind. It's good.
Thank you.
Uh, we get a break in the case?
Exterminator.
My house has to be tented.
Termites.
Hey, Ducky.
Got a sec? Abby dug up
the old paperwork
from your mom's ad.
And I thought
you might like a copy?
Thank you.
And, um,
the local LEOs found
your old gardener.
Torres is bringing him in now.
Again, my thanks.
Ducky, is there anything
you want to talk about?
No. I've... talked enough.
You made the right decision.
Did I?
Yes.
Mother's fiancé was bent
as a two-headed penny.
A con man, a thief.
Even thieves fall in love.
Oh, rubbish.
Making him leave was
the right call.
And, might I add, so is whatever
you're doing with your skin.
You look fantastic.
I'm not really
complimenting myself, am I?
Oh, just take it.
Look, that man would have
broken Mother's heart.
It's as simple as that.
We don't know that.
And if you had
told her the truth,
she would've been mortified
that she fell in love
with a sod like that.
It wasn't our decision to make.
But we made it.
Why argue the toss now?
Because she was
in love with him!
And apparently
she never let him go!
I took away
her one and only chance
of finding true love.
And she ended up alone
the rest of her life.
So have you.
Which is why I understand
exactly what I took from her.
And it's something with which
I just simply cannot make peace.
Something's happened to
Balthazar, I just know it has!
Mother, please calm down.
No.
A week ago,
we were planning a trip
to Kenya to swim with hippos,
and now he's gone.
Really?
Yes. He-he left a note for me.
Said he had to leave town
on business,
but would check in with me
every day.
Well, how long has it been
since you heard from him?
Two weeks!
Perhaps he just needed a break.
Things were moving
rather quickly.
That's what happens
when you meet your soul mate.
Soul mate? Mother,
you'd only just met him.
Don't you patronize me,
Donald Horatio Mallard!
I've been around the block.
I know what love is.
Or thought I did...
until I met Balthazar.
For the first time in my life,
I was truly happy.
And I know he was, too.
And now he's gone.
I don't know what happened.
Oh, what am I gonna do?
Mother, I have
something to tell you.
As you know, I've volunteered
to serve at the Jalozai
Refugee Camp at the
border of Pakistan.
Oh, yes, I know.
And your timing
is dreadful, as usual.
But when my tour is up, I
planned on moving to America.
Oh, doesn't that just
take the cake!
And I'd like you
to come with me.
To America?
Where they mix bacon with syrup?
Have you lost your mind?!
Come with me, Mother.
You're a good boy, Donnie.
You always were.
But I don't know anyone
in America.
I'm not getting any younger.
I don't have the energy
to move to a new country.
And besides, where would I live?
With me.
You're welcome to stay with me
as long as you need
to get settled.
Tell us where you went
after that.
Found this on the App Store.
Mr. Rin's Garden School.
What did I miss?
Well, your former gardener's
about to wet himself.
Did you code that yourself?
They don't think he's involved
in all this, do they?
I've taken a few courses online.
Oh, he's hiding something.
And we're running out
of suspects.
Must have been one hell
of a class.
They teach you how to steal
passwords... Balthazar?
We know that you used
Captain Green's password
to steal classified data.
Fake the identity,
launder the cash.
When Captain Green caught
on, you had him killed.
I have no idea
what you're talking about!
Getting anything wrong,
just correct us.
I can't. I promised.
Who?
What'd you promise?
Donald can never, ever know!
Know what?!
That his mother
and I were lovers.
Did he just say
what I think he said?
Yes, he did.
Go on.
We became an item in the '90s.
But Bubbles made me swear
to never, ever say anything
to Donnie.
Bubbles?
I was 25 years her junior
and not English, and for
Victoria, that was scandalous.
If you and Ducky's mother
were such a hot item,
why did she take out an ad
in the paper
looking for an old fiancé?
She didn't. I did.
In her delirium at the end,
she thought she saw
Balthazar in the street.
So she asked me
to place an ad to find him.
I didn't feel slighted.
She wasn't well.
And I would have done anything
for her.
Look, you don't have
to believe me.
She wrote it all down
in her diary,
and she gave it to me
when she got sick.
And that's where I was going
after your agents came
to see me. All
of their questions
about Balthazar just
made me nervous.
So then I went home to make sure
that the diary was still hidden.
Mm-hmm. Where?
In the garage.
No.
Where did Ducky's mother think
she saw Balthazar?
Well, at the theater. Why?
Well, that was really awesome.
Please. You hated it.
But... thank you for
not complaining.
I know it's not the same
without your dad.
Just... I can't
believe he's gone.
You might not ever.
I still wake up every morning,
and I think the same thing
about my dad.
Hello, Agent Gibbs.
Do you have news
about my father's case?
Yeah.
Yeah. Unfortunately, I do.
So Logan was the nephew
of the man my mother knew
as Balthazar Kilmeany?
Her last Christmas,
she thought she saw her fiancé
at the theater.
Oh. Well, there's a resemblance.
My mother did love
The Nutcracker.
He apparently came
from a family of con men.
The Balthazar identity was like
a family heirloom
passed down
to anyone who needed it.
And Logan was the next in line.
Claims his marriage
to Green's daughter was real.
But when he saw an opportunity
to make some money,
he just... couldn't say no.
And he started selling
classified data to this man.
Captain Green suspected.
He tried to handle it himself.
The buyer got nervous when
he saw Green poking around, so
he posed as his driver at
the theater and killed him.
Interpol just picked him up
on his way to Moscow.
Logan claims he had
no idea his father-in-law
was in danger,
um, and we think
he's telling the truth.
It's a tragedy indeed,
but one with a silver lining.
I've been reading this.
My mother's diary.
Mr. Rin makes quite
an appearance.
Yikes.
Yes, I've been
bleeding from my eyeballs
all morning.
However, the good news is,
I learned something wonderful.
It appears my mother was having
a romance with Mr. Rin.
And to think I was
worried that I had...
Well, suffice to say, knowing
that my mother spent
the last years of her life,
well, head-over-heels in love
is the best Christmas present
- I could possibly have.
- Well,
actually, we have one more.
Hmm?
Hello, Donald.
Mr. Rin!
Please, call me Takumi.
Uh-oh.
Sorry. We didn't want
to miss the reunion.
Well, come on in.
It's only just started.
And we brought presents!
Happy Christmas Eve!
Cookies.
Wow!
Thank you.
Duck.
Duck.
Ducky!
* We wish you
a merry Christmas... *
I thought maybe after dinner
we could open some gifts.
Uh-huh.
And watch Rudolph.
Mmm.
Jack should be here soon.
You mean the entomologist?
Don't play dumb.
I know what he helped you do.
What did we do?
Bugged Gibbs' house,
and pulled me out of summer camp
before the session was over.
Summer camp?
Yeah.
When does a guy ever get to hang
with a guy friend like that?
Beer, late-night movies...
Braiding each other's hair.
Dad, you're a grown man.
Camp is over.
Because you short-sheeted
the bed.
I wanted you at home
for Christmas.
I missed you.
I know.
I missed you, too.
Truth be told,
I sort of got my fill
of Gibbs. He's a horrible
conversationalist.
And there are only so many
fireplace steaks and canned
beans you can eat before...
Oh. Good.
There's the entomologist.
Be nice.
Of course.
I really need to thank him.
He was actually
the person who saved me
from Leroy Jethro...
Gibbs!
What the hell
are you doing here?
Termites.
What did you think?
Oh, I loved it.
Thank you, Daddy.
Logan?
Uh, pass.
Come on. It
wasn't that bad.
Well, not the first
eight times, no,
but if I had known this was
a Green holiday tradition,
I would have shot myself
on our wedding night.
Oh, such a hopeless romantic.
Ugh. There's my ride.
Should we do this again
next week?
I'd rather lick a chalkboard.
Yeah. I bet you would.
Welcome, Captain.
Thank you.
Can I interest you in a charge?
Or water for the ride?
Uh, water's fine, thanks.
There you go.
I haven't seen The
Nutcracker in years.
It still hold up?
I don't know.
I never watch the performance,
just my little girl's face.
It still lights up
every time...
every time that...
What?!
What on earth are you doing?
Me?
What are you doing, Dad?
I was sleeping.
I noticed.
Still on Uncle Gibbs' couch
for some reason.
You nearly scared me to death.
And Uncle Gibbs
is probably upstairs
loading his bazooka as we speak.
No. I'm good.
Thanks for the warning.
I thought you weren't back
from school till tomorrow.
My boyfriend got off work
a day early,
but no way am I
introducing him to you
while you're living on a couch.
I'm not living.
I am... recuperating.
Okay, well,
you can recuperate at home
where I can make sure
you do the exercises
Gibbs says you're not doing.
Really?
That's what he says?
Fine. I'll do my exercises.
Hey, Gibbs.
You got to come over and
push down on my pelvis.
I'm gonna pass on that.
See?
See what I'm up against?
How can I do my exercises if...?
Did you say boyfriend?
I heard boyfriend,
did you hear boyfriend?
No.
Yes, you heard boyfriend.
His name is Jack, and he's
studying to be an entomologist.
Ento...
Bugs.
I know what an entomologist is.
This is your fault.
You enabled him.
Me?
You are not old enough
to have a boyfriend.
Yeah, it's Gibbs.
And how old do you need to be?
A year older than you are, and
every year it goes up by one.
Yeah. I'll meet you there.
Where do you think you're going?
Got a dead body.
You're gonna have another one
in your living room in a minute.
Looks like Captain Green's a fan
of The Nutcracker.
Any witnesses?
Metro said that
a witness saw him
get into a rideshare car
after the show.
Then five blocks away,
here he lay dead in the dirt.
Must've been one hell of a ride.
No signs of foul play.
There sure is foul smells.
Is this a dirt lot
or a community toilet?
What's with the wardrobe change?
You know how hard it is to get
the smell of urine out of suede?
And that's something
you're familiar with?
What did happen to this man?
That's a good question.
He's got a ton of money
left in his wallet,
so it can't be robbery.
We need to find out
where he was headed
and how he got here.
Maybe Reston.
Reston?
I used to live in Reston
on a beautiful
tree-lined street on...
McCadden Place.
Yes. 1-0...
7-3-5?
What is a dead man
doing with your address
in his pocket,
Dr. Mallard?
I'm not sure I want to know
the answer to that.
Captain Mason Green.
Served three
back-to-back tours
as an advisor in Iraq.
Wife is deceased,
has one grown daughter.
Do we know who picked him up
from the theater, yet?
Still haven't found
his cell phone,
which would indicate
the rideshare app
he was using;
Abby's on it, though.
Talk to the C.G.?
Yeah, and, uh,
that's where
it gets interesting.
Green was under
internal investigation.
Suspected of selling
classified info.
To who?
I.G. thinks it's
someone overseas.
If Green's buyer knew
he was under investigation,
he might have gotten nervous
and then took Green out.
Does I.G. have a lead
on the buyer?
They're sending the
file over now.
In the meantime,
all we have is this:
Ducky's old address, which was
in our dead guy's pocket.
Ducky lived there
with his mother years ago.
Sold it when she died.
Six years ago.
I mean, maybe it's
a coincidence.
Oh. Oh, no.
No coincidences.
No, actually number 69 is
never trust a woman
who doesn't trust their man.
Huh? Wait, what?
Really? That...
sounds a little misogynistic,
don't you think? Huh?
I mean, do you have a rule
that says “Never trust a man
who doesn't trust his woman”?
Think about it.
Huh? No?
Think about it.
Rule 51.
Sometimes you're wrong.
Agent Torres is, uh,
down with Ducky.
They're trying to see
if they can figure out
a connection to Captain Green.
Take Bishop with you;
talk to the current owners.
Maybe Green was looking
for them, not Ducky.
That Ducky was just
a coincidence.
Was he mocking me?
You know, I'm not sure.
I've never seen Gibbs
mock anyone before.
I'm sorry. I simply do not
recognize this man.
Nor is his name
remotely familiar.
Do you have any files
you can check or anything?
I can assure you, my
memory is not at fault.
Check anyway.
- But I'll check anyway.
- What have you got?
Abby found traces of conotoxin
in his blood.
It's a fast-acting poison;
presumably the cause of death.
Which we will check
on autopsy, of course.
Hey, you mind waiting
until I leave
before you open this guy up?
What? I-I wouldn't have pegged
you as the squeamish type.
No. I actually like
the sight of blood.
It's just smell.
You know, first the alley,
now this place... ugh.
Here's a silly question.
Do you guys, uh, you expense
the dry-cleaning, right?
Oh, yeah. I do.
Is that not okay?
As I suspected, yeah,
there are no records
of a Captain Green in my files.
I heard you travel a lot.
Maybe you met him
on one of your trips?
Where has the captain been
besides Iraq, that is?
According to ICE, the only other
place he's been is Majorca.
Majorca...
Doc?
I am guessing the doctor
has a story.
Well, oddly enough,
Majorca is one place
I haven't been.
Although I-I do
still have a story.
Quick! Hurry!
Gosh, it's monkeys out there.
Told you we should have
taxied over after the film.
What? And miss the best
part about getting cold?
What's that?
Getting warm.
Why don't we start with
a hot toddy, Dr. Mallard?
Take it from there.
I can work with that.
Your flat's really quite lovely.
Not bad on a soldier's salary.
You working for pin money
on the side?
Actually, I wasn't
entirely honest.
This isn't my home,
it belongs to my...
Oh, my God!
Mother!
What are you doing here?
I might ask you the same thing.
Raiding the liquor cabinet.
You're supposed
to be in Majorca.
I got back early.
Who's the tramp?
Mother.
Hello. My name is...
Tramp will do nicely
until proven otherwise.
And so far, you're not off
to a very good start.
Mother.
We were simply stopping by...
What was that?
What? I didn't hear anything.
And it's getting late,
so if you don't mind,
I'd like to get ready to...
Ah. Hello, young man.
I'm afraid you've caught me
at quite a disadvantage.
Who the bloody hell are you?
Uh, Balthazar Kilmeany.
Pleasure to make
your acquaintance.
We met at the resort in Majorca
at a bagpipe class.
Your mother's got quite
a set of lungs on her.
Right. I will throw up on you.
Donald!
Mind your manners.
Me?!
You called my date a tramp.
Twice.
With a naked man
in your wardrobe.
Uh, perhaps I ought to go.
I have an important board
meeting quite early.
Put a sock in it.
You're not going anywhere.
They are.
I'm not going anywhere
until you tell me
exactly what's going on.
What's going on is...
we're in love.
Well, aren't you going
to say anything?
Yes.
That's my hat.
Care to share?
Excuse me?
Said you had a story.
Oh, it's-it's
not particularly... relevant.
And I just had breakfast.
All right. Thanks, B.
That was Bishop.
The victim's daughter is here.
Conference room.
Come on, Duck.
I don't understand.
If it wasn't a robbery,
who killed my father?
Trying to figure that out.
This mean anything to you?
No.
What is it?
My old address.
Did you know my father-in-law?
Not that I'm aware.
Do I look familiar to you?
Your father mention
having any trouble at work?
Why?
Was he in trouble at work?
Your father was being
investigated
for selling classified secrets.
Uh-uh.
No, no. Not-not my dad.
Has he been behaving strangely
of late?
Not at all.
Actually...
Last week he was asking
some weird questions.
Connections
I might have overseas.
I didn't really think anything
of it at the time, but...
whatever it was about,
if you knew her dad,
there is no way
these accusations are true.
Gibbs.
Need a second.
We just got back
from Ducky's old house.
You talk to the owners?
No. Gardener said they've
been out of town over a month.
But he did say Captain Green
had been there three days ago.
Did he say why?
Green was looking for somebody.
He went to the house looking
for me.
Well, he was looking
for a Mallard.
- I knew it.
- But not you.
He was looking for
a Victoria Mallard.
Mother?
If you need to take a break,
let me know.
Oh, have we started?
I couldn't tell
if you were trying or not.
Oh, I didn't want to beat you
too quickly. You seemed, uh...
You know, and everyone's talking
about it... kind of fragile.
Me, fragile?
You're the one sweating.
And I'm busy.
So please finish comparing
testosterone levels
on your own time.
To be continued.
I called you in here because
I just spoke with SecDef.
It appears Captain Green's work
was more sensitive
than the inspector general knew.
If Green's really been
compromised, DOD needs to know
who is buying his stolen Intel
A.S.A.P.
I.G. suspected
it was someone overseas. Reeves?
I pulled a favor with some mates
of mine at Interpol,
and they found a bank account
in Captain Green's name
in the Crimea.
Crimea. That means the Russians.
There's been
several large deposits made
over the last month.
Did you trace them?
I've been going through the
paperwork. But so far, no luck.
McGee's, uh,
trying the gardener again
to see if he knows anything.
All right, dismissed.
You can go crush beer cans
against your foreheads
or whatever
you're planning next.
Gibbs, did I read
your report correctly,
that Captain Green was looking
for Dr. Mallard's mother?
Yep.
The doctor have any idea why?
Nope.
How's he taking it?
I mean, I wouldn't be very happy
knowing that my mother
might somehow be connected
to international treason.
You never met Ducky's mother?
No, never had the chance.
This doesn't really rank.
So, Ducky lived here
with his mother?
For how long?
Until she died.
Hey!
Careful!
You're walking
on my winter mulch!
Sorry about that, Mr. Rin.
Agent McGee.
We spoke briefly.
- Yeah, hi.
- We have just a few
follow-up questions.
Oh, I bet.
Donnie must have been
surprised to hear
that his dearly departed
mom had a visitor.
Uh, you know Dr. Mallard?
Yeah, I worked for him
when he lived here.
He's a wonderful man.
When Donnie decided to sell,
the new owners insisted
that I stay.
So you, uh, knew
his mother, too?
Oh, yeah.
Now, you said
you saw this man three days ago.
Correct?
Yeah, he asked about Victoria,
and I told him she passed away.
Then he got in his friend's car
and then left.
He had a friend with him?
You catch his name?
No, he stayed in the car.
And I didn't get a good look
at him.
What about the car...
The make or the model?
Um, I think it was red.
Ish.
Possibly green.
Mr. Rin, are you colorblind?
Yeah. How'd you know?
Well, maybe we can get
some witnesses or...
Ooh. You know what,
actually, we may not need to.
That is
an XJ-47 doorbell camera.
Brand-new.
You approach and it sends video
straight to the cloud.
That is so cool, huh?
No, not really.
Oh, yeah.
Nice.
Oh, look at this.
This thing is cool.
Seriously, admit it.
This is cool.
Look, I don't want to judge you,
but if you push me, I will.
McGee, back it up.
Freeze it.
Right there.
That's the car.
No plates.
Who's that in the car?
Captain Green was accused
of selling classified data.
Maybe that's his buyer?
Or the killer.
Or both.
You, uh, recognize him, Ducky?
No.
McGee, BOLO on the car.
Yeah.
Better make that two.
I was going through the footage,
and this happened.
Wait for it.
And...
That looked very suspicious.
Like she said, two BOLOs.
I have a lot more to say.
Ducky, I need
those tissue samples.
File in. To the Bat Lab!
Oh, hey. Look who it is.
Emily, how are you?
Give me a second, Abbs.
You and I need to talk.
I'm a little busy.
Why haven't you kicked my dad
out of your house?
It's not for lack of effort.
This has gone on
way too long.
You don't think
I know that?
So do something.
I want to have Christmas dinner
with my father.
At home.
I've tried.
I have. I've tried. I don't know
what the problem is.
So can I have your permission to
take matters into my own hands?
To do whatever I need
to do?
Yes.
Don't burn down my house.
Fine. Plan B then.
Women, Ducky.
My mother would have
never let it get this far.
Yes, Diane was
a formidable woman.
When she made up her mind,
nothing would stop her.
Not unlike my mother.
I'm not sure I see
the problem, Donnie.
Mother and Balthazar
are engaged.
Well, congratulations.
I think that's enough
on the ornaments.
I'm not paying you
on commission.
It's only been six weeks.
Please tell me
you're not developing some sort
of weird Oedipal thing
about your mother.
Ugh. Don't be a twonk.
Me?
You're the one that's going
barmy. Your mother's in love.
What's the big deal?
Your father hated
when you did that.
Well, he shouldn't have died
and left this fine
establishment to me then.
Besides, this is for you.
Clearly on some kind of
sticky wicket. So do tell.
What's the problem?
The problem is
Mother hardly knows this man.
And there's something off
about him
I can't quite put my finger on.
I'm just worried that he's...
taking advantage of her
in some way.
What do you want me to do
about it?
Check him out.
You know people,
Angus. Find out who he is,
where he comes from.
Please.
All right.
I can see you're
upside-down about this.
I'll do what I can.
Got something for me?
I do.
It's POW!-Nog.
It's-it's eggnog
meets Caf-POW!
And it's my first batch
of the season.
Something about the case.
I can stand here all day.
Mm-hmm.
You have a little, um...
Never mind. Moving on.
So, I examined Captain
Green's computer.
He had an account
with a ridesharing service
called HomeStretch.
But they have no record
of a pickup request
the night of the murder.
Well, someone picked him up.
Yeah, it looks like his account
was infected
with a worm that
intercepted the request
and then sent it
to a third party.
Probably the killer.
Can you trace it?
I didn't trace that.
But I did trace
something else just
as interesting. Take a look.
Captain Green
made a cell phone call
right when he left
Ducky's house.
To who?
To whom, Jethro.
Oh, good.
My tissue samples.
Fridge, please.
Whatever.
To whom?
Captain Green called
a cell phone registered to a...
Balthazar Kilmeany.
What did you say?
Balthazar Kilmeany.
Yeah. You know him?
Yes.
He was my mother's fiancé.
Have you found out anything more
about this Balthazar?
No. Cell was registered
to a post office box.
We're still looking.
We were hoping
you might be able to shed
a little light
before I had to brief SecDef.
You did know the man, after all.
No, I-I don't
think I did.
This Balthazar Kilmeany
simply cannot possibly be
the man I knew.
He would be over 100 years old.
Duck, got to ask.
Okay.
My mother...
met a man in Majorca.
They fell madly in love.
Became engaged.
I didn't trust the man,
and so I... I had a friend
run a background check.
And I gather that your fears
were justified?
And then some.
So the Scotsman
replies very quickly,
“I'd like to be shot first.”
Oh, my...
Tell another one, Balthy.
Oh, please.
Actually, Ms. Mallard,
I was, um, hoping
to get your opinion
on this new bourbon bar
we're opening.
Oh. It's a little early
for a tipple.
But since you've twisted my arm.
Ah!
Your mother...
She does
love her bourbon.
Matter of fact,
we were planning,
for the wedding...
There isn't going to be
a wedding.
Oh, come, Donald, I...
I know things are moving
rather quickly,
and probably caught you
a bit off-guard.
Let me be plain as a pikestaff.
You are never
going to marry my mother.
This isn't some kind of
weird Oedipal thing, is it?
Contrary to popular opinion,
I'm actually very happy
my mother has fallen in love.
Just not with a con man
such as yourself.
I did some checking.
Balthazar Kilmeany
isn't your real name.
It's an alias.
Well, now, my mother will be
quite surprised to hear that.
So will mine.
Seems you have a history
of hanging out in ritzy
resort areas like Majorca,
bilking rich, older women
out of their money.
Donald, I can explain.
No, I doubt that very much.
This isn't what you think.
Right.
And who am I to believe,
you or my lying eyes?
Believe your eyes.
You're right.
It's all true.
I have done all those things.
But...
this time it's...
it's different.
Yes, when I first
met your mother,
I... I planned
to steal from her, but...
but then something
wonderful happened.
I fell in love.
For the first time in my life.
I could never hurt Victoria.
She's my soul mate.
And I know she feels
the same way.
Listen to me carefully.
You are to depart
England immediately.
Tell my mother you have
to leave on business
or tend to a sick family member.
Tell her whatever you like.
But if you're not gone
by tomorrow, this file
is going straight
to Scotland Yard.
And you are going straight
to Wandsworth Prison, got it?
That is a hell of
a story, Jethro.
But I'm not surprised.
All Ducky stories are good.
Mallet.
But what if he's wrong?
What if this new Balthazar
is the same guy that was
schtupping his mother,
back for revenge?
At 109?
Some guys can hold a grudge.
Or maybe his son,
with the same name.
Either way,
how does he fit into the case?
Working on it.
And who the hell is this guy?
Okay.
Fine.
I got something else
for you to do.
Emily came by today.
I met her new boyfriend.
Nice kid.
Nice looking.
Just all-around...
nice.
But...
I need you to process this
for prints.
I need my own background check.
I could do it myself, but
I'm not back with the Bureau,
so I can't access their lab.
Oh, come on.
It's against the law, Tobias.
I'm not asking you
to break the law.
I am asking you to
stretch it a little.
Look what happened
to Ducky's mother.
You can't be too
careful when you're...
What?
What is that?
That's a termite.
Who are you calling?
My cousin.
He's an exterminator.
Got to nip this in the bud.
You let this go too far,
he might tent the whole house.
And there goes
my microfiber couch.
That guy Emily's dating...
What'd you say he was studying?
Yeah, Mikey,
it's Tobias. I got an
Alpha Priority emergency here.
Can you hold?
Yes, I can hold.
Yeah, it's Gibbs.
Uh, where?
Yeah, okay, I'll meet you there.
Where you going?
No word back on the gardener
BOLO yet, but Metro PD
found the guy who
drove Captain Green
to Ducky's old house
in Rock Creek Park
after a couple complained
about him following him.
Okay. So who is he?
Well...
refused to say. Didn't have ID,
but Metro's
running his prints now.
So tell us
why you were in the park.
I was simply enjoying the day.
That a crime?
No.
But murder is.
I say he knows our captain.
What happened?
What happened was,
Captain Green
was selling government data.
And we think you were buying it.
Excuse me?
When the feds started
closing in, you took Green out.
Are you out of your minds?
Oh,
said the man who was
picked up for stalking
at, uh, Rock Creek Park
an hour ago.
I wasn't stalking anybody.
I was doing my job.
What job?
Yes, I was tailing the guy
in the park.
I'm a private investigator
and I was hired by his wife
to follow him.
And Captain Green?
He hired me two weeks ago.
- For what?
- To find out anything I could
about the name
Balthazar Kilmeany.
And?
All I could find was an ad
taken out in the personals
from six years ago.
Some lady named Victoria Mallard
took it out.
I guess she's looking for
this Balthazar guy, too.
We went to her house,
heard she had died years ago.
It was a dead end.
I don't know why
Green was looking for this guy.
And I suppose
you don't know anything
about Captain Green's
murder, either?
No.
But, as it turns out,
I think I might be able
to help you.
How?
Green gave me
a hard drive to hold.
For safekeeping.
He called it an insurance policy
in case anything
ever happened to him.
I'd say something's
happened to him.
All right, McGee and Abby
are analyzing the drive now.
But I got a copy of the ad
that Ducky's mother took out.
Personal ad, local newspaper.
Just reads like
a lonely old lady
looking for her
long-lost love.
No offense.
None taken.
Apparently that's exactly
what my mother was.
You knew about this?
No. In fact,
I'm shocked that she had
the wherewithal to place it,
considering the progression
of her Alzheimer's.
I can only surmise she was
thinking of happier times
and trying to recapture them.
Which meant trying to find
her old fiancé.
I get that, but
why the hell was Captain Green
looking for this guy?
Whatever the reason, he was
never going to find him. I just
spoke to Interpol. Turns out
the name Balthazar Kilmeany
been popping up
all over the world...
Bank accounts, property deeds,
but nothing tied down
to an actual person.
It's a fake identity.
I've backstopped
about 15 of these.
Well, my contact
believes this one
was specifically created
to launder money.
- Created by who?
- Unknown.
Looks like half a dozen people
used this over the years.
Your mother's fiancé
was one of a list of con men
who used the same alias.
Well, perhaps Captain Green was
using it to launder the money
that he made from selling
classified data.
Well, there's a funny thing
about that.
I just finished analyzing
Green's hard drive.
Captain Green
didn't steal
any classified data.
Then why's he dead?
The insurance policy that Green
gave the P.I. to hold onto
contained internal DOD
security footage.
They clearly show he was
nowhere near a computer
during the time
when classified data was stolen.
He was set up.
By who?
Someone that got ahold of his
password, logged in remotely.
Even the Crimean bank account...
It's a setup.
It's in Green's name,
but he didn't open it.
Person that opened the account
is named...
Balthazar Kilmeany.
- Green knew all this?
- It's all on the hard drive.
So why didn't he
go to the police?
I mean, why go after
this guy himself?
Why are you asking me?
Go find out.
On it.
And find that gardener.
He ran for a reason.
He knows something.
I'll check the BOLO.
Gibbs.
What?
Aw. You got to
be kidding me.
This is the worst possible time.
No, you know what?
I'm all right.
Never mind. It's good.
Thank you.
Uh, we get a break in the case?
Exterminator.
My house has to be tented.
Termites.
Hey, Ducky.
Got a sec? Abby dug up
the old paperwork
from your mom's ad.
And I thought
you might like a copy?
Thank you.
And, um,
the local LEOs found
your old gardener.
Torres is bringing him in now.
Again, my thanks.
Ducky, is there anything
you want to talk about?
No. I've... talked enough.
You made the right decision.
Did I?
Yes.
Mother's fiancé was bent
as a two-headed penny.
A con man, a thief.
Even thieves fall in love.
Oh, rubbish.
Making him leave was
the right call.
And, might I add, so is whatever
you're doing with your skin.
You look fantastic.
I'm not really
complimenting myself, am I?
Oh, just take it.
Look, that man would have
broken Mother's heart.
It's as simple as that.
We don't know that.
And if you had
told her the truth,
she would've been mortified
that she fell in love
with a sod like that.
It wasn't our decision to make.
But we made it.
Why argue the toss now?
Because she was
in love with him!
And apparently
she never let him go!
I took away
her one and only chance
of finding true love.
And she ended up alone
the rest of her life.
So have you.
Which is why I understand
exactly what I took from her.
And it's something with which
I just simply cannot make peace.
Something's happened to
Balthazar, I just know it has!
Mother, please calm down.
No.
A week ago,
we were planning a trip
to Kenya to swim with hippos,
and now he's gone.
Really?
Yes. He-he left a note for me.
Said he had to leave town
on business,
but would check in with me
every day.
Well, how long has it been
since you heard from him?
Two weeks!
Perhaps he just needed a break.
Things were moving
rather quickly.
That's what happens
when you meet your soul mate.
Soul mate? Mother,
you'd only just met him.
Don't you patronize me,
Donald Horatio Mallard!
I've been around the block.
I know what love is.
Or thought I did...
until I met Balthazar.
For the first time in my life,
I was truly happy.
And I know he was, too.
And now he's gone.
I don't know what happened.
Oh, what am I gonna do?
Mother, I have
something to tell you.
As you know, I've volunteered
to serve at the Jalozai
Refugee Camp at the
border of Pakistan.
Oh, yes, I know.
And your timing
is dreadful, as usual.
But when my tour is up, I
planned on moving to America.
Oh, doesn't that just
take the cake!
And I'd like you
to come with me.
To America?
Where they mix bacon with syrup?
Have you lost your mind?!
Come with me, Mother.
You're a good boy, Donnie.
You always were.
But I don't know anyone
in America.
I'm not getting any younger.
I don't have the energy
to move to a new country.
And besides, where would I live?
With me.
You're welcome to stay with me
as long as you need
to get settled.
Tell us where you went
after that.
Found this on the App Store.
Mr. Rin's Garden School.
What did I miss?
Well, your former gardener's
about to wet himself.
Did you code that yourself?
They don't think he's involved
in all this, do they?
I've taken a few courses online.
Oh, he's hiding something.
And we're running out
of suspects.
Must have been one hell
of a class.
They teach you how to steal
passwords... Balthazar?
We know that you used
Captain Green's password
to steal classified data.
Fake the identity,
launder the cash.
When Captain Green caught
on, you had him killed.
I have no idea
what you're talking about!
Getting anything wrong,
just correct us.
I can't. I promised.
Who?
What'd you promise?
Donald can never, ever know!
Know what?!
That his mother
and I were lovers.
Did he just say
what I think he said?
Yes, he did.
Go on.
We became an item in the '90s.
But Bubbles made me swear
to never, ever say anything
to Donnie.
Bubbles?
I was 25 years her junior
and not English, and for
Victoria, that was scandalous.
If you and Ducky's mother
were such a hot item,
why did she take out an ad
in the paper
looking for an old fiancé?
She didn't. I did.
In her delirium at the end,
she thought she saw
Balthazar in the street.
So she asked me
to place an ad to find him.
I didn't feel slighted.
She wasn't well.
And I would have done anything
for her.
Look, you don't have
to believe me.
She wrote it all down
in her diary,
and she gave it to me
when she got sick.
And that's where I was going
after your agents came
to see me. All
of their questions
about Balthazar just
made me nervous.
So then I went home to make sure
that the diary was still hidden.
Mm-hmm. Where?
In the garage.
No.
Where did Ducky's mother think
she saw Balthazar?
Well, at the theater. Why?
Well, that was really awesome.
Please. You hated it.
But... thank you for
not complaining.
I know it's not the same
without your dad.
Just... I can't
believe he's gone.
You might not ever.
I still wake up every morning,
and I think the same thing
about my dad.
Hello, Agent Gibbs.
Do you have news
about my father's case?
Yeah.
Yeah. Unfortunately, I do.
So Logan was the nephew
of the man my mother knew
as Balthazar Kilmeany?
Her last Christmas,
she thought she saw her fiancé
at the theater.
Oh. Well, there's a resemblance.
My mother did love
The Nutcracker.
He apparently came
from a family of con men.
The Balthazar identity was like
a family heirloom
passed down
to anyone who needed it.
And Logan was the next in line.
Claims his marriage
to Green's daughter was real.
But when he saw an opportunity
to make some money,
he just... couldn't say no.
And he started selling
classified data to this man.
Captain Green suspected.
He tried to handle it himself.
The buyer got nervous when
he saw Green poking around, so
he posed as his driver at
the theater and killed him.
Interpol just picked him up
on his way to Moscow.
Logan claims he had
no idea his father-in-law
was in danger,
um, and we think
he's telling the truth.
It's a tragedy indeed,
but one with a silver lining.
I've been reading this.
My mother's diary.
Mr. Rin makes quite
an appearance.
Yikes.
Yes, I've been
bleeding from my eyeballs
all morning.
However, the good news is,
I learned something wonderful.
It appears my mother was having
a romance with Mr. Rin.
And to think I was
worried that I had...
Well, suffice to say, knowing
that my mother spent
the last years of her life,
well, head-over-heels in love
is the best Christmas present
- I could possibly have.
- Well,
actually, we have one more.
Hmm?
Hello, Donald.
Mr. Rin!
Please, call me Takumi.
Uh-oh.
Sorry. We didn't want
to miss the reunion.
Well, come on in.
It's only just started.
And we brought presents!
Happy Christmas Eve!
Cookies.
Wow!
Thank you.
Duck.
Duck.
Ducky!
* We wish you
a merry Christmas... *
I thought maybe after dinner
we could open some gifts.
Uh-huh.
And watch Rudolph.
Mmm.
Jack should be here soon.
You mean the entomologist?
Don't play dumb.
I know what he helped you do.
What did we do?
Bugged Gibbs' house,
and pulled me out of summer camp
before the session was over.
Summer camp?
Yeah.
When does a guy ever get to hang
with a guy friend like that?
Beer, late-night movies...
Braiding each other's hair.
Dad, you're a grown man.
Camp is over.
Because you short-sheeted
the bed.
I wanted you at home
for Christmas.
I missed you.
I know.
I missed you, too.
Truth be told,
I sort of got my fill
of Gibbs. He's a horrible
conversationalist.
And there are only so many
fireplace steaks and canned
beans you can eat before...
Oh. Good.
There's the entomologist.
Be nice.
Of course.
I really need to thank him.
He was actually
the person who saved me
from Leroy Jethro...
Gibbs!
What the hell
are you doing here?
Termites.