NCIS (2003–…): Season 16, Episode 20 - Hail & Farewell - full transcript
The team investigates the murder of a Marine Major believed to have been killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon after human remains are discovered at a construction site.
Brinkman, Gilvary,
you're on the clock.
You want to chitchat,
do it on your own time.
Yeah, you got it, boss.
Yo, Stutkowski, slow down!
This isn't the Daytona 500.
Geez, every morning.
The hell?
Whoa, cut it.
Cut it!
Whoa!
Oh, my God!
*NCIS*
Season 16 Episode 20
Episode Title:
"Hail & Farewell"
Captioning sponsored by
CBS.
and TOYOTA
Sync corrections by srjanapala
All right, time check.
Three minutes, 38 seconds.
- Almost go time.
- Yeah.
Those seats are
as good as ours.
Seats? What seats?
Hello? I'm talking here.
Shh.
You're distracting us.
Comic-Con badges
go on sale in...
Three minutes, 24 seconds.
Oh, yeah, isn't that
that nerd convention
where losers dress up
like elves or whatever?
Well, technically yes,
but it's more than that.
Yeah, so much more,
you have no idea.
And this year's Con
is gonna be epic.
For the 50th anniversary,
they announced they're
gonna have
a secret, surprise
guest panelist.
Mm-hmm.
We made a few calls,
and wefound out
who it might be.
You ready for this?
So ready.
- George freakin' Lucas.
- Ha!
Oh, yeah. Who?
What do you mean who?
Are you kidding?
Uh...
Star Wars, American Graffiti,
THX 1138.
Oh, yeah, those are
movies, right?
Oh, God, it hurts.
Nick, how do you
not know this?
I don't know, I think
it's because I have a life.
- Yeah, a sheltered one.
- We don't have time to deal with
your cinematic
shortcomings right now.
You got that right.
Grab your gear.
Got a dead Marine in Arlington.
Ooh, but badges go on sale
in 95 seconds.
Yeah, it seems like Gibbs
doesn't care about Greg Lucas.
BISHOP/McGEE:
- George! - George!
McGEE: You're the person
in charge here, Mr. Lewis?
Yeah, I'm the foreman.
But my crew had nothing
to do with this.
We broke ground on this site
just yesterday. Building what?
The entire plot's being turned
into luxury condos.
What was here before?
Nothing. The land's been vacant
for almost 20 years.
What time did you
discover the remains?
7:45 a.m.
The body...
you know who it is?
Um, not yet.
Identification?
No military I.D., name tag,
dog tag or wallet.
- Where is Palmer?
- Stuck in traffic.
He should be here
any minute.
But I doubt he'd be able
to give us a time of death.
I mean, this Marine has
been dead for years.
At least 18.
How do you know that?
She doesn't have any
Global War on Terror ribbons.
Oh.
Well, should narrow it down
in the missing persons database.
Gibbs?
Widen the perimeter.
I want all of this
bagged and processed.
You know, today's technology
is advancing at
such a fast rate
that a few years
is equivalent to a lifetime.
Case in point... cell phones.
These are not just for
making phone calls anymore.
Oh, no. No, no.
I can, uh... I can video chat
with Breena and Victoria.
And I can stream a show,
download music,
film a video, read a book.
Ah, we've accomplished so much,
yet we still can't figure out
how to make the DMV
a pleasant experience.
Make an appointment online.
You can do that?
Wait, youknow how
to do that?
All right, moving on.
Luckily for us,
our victim's remains
were discovered before they were
damaged by the excavator.
I just sent here uniform
up to Kasie for analysis.
- Cause of death?
- Well,
these several cracked ribs here
do indicate a struggle,
but the fatal blow
came in the back of the skull here.
But the really
interesting part comes
when we look at
the victim's teeth.
I ran the serial number
on a surgical implant
for her left canine incisor.
And, Gibbs, I got a hit.
Meet our victim,
Major Ellen Wallace.
Breaking news out of D.C.,
Department of Defense officials
have confirmed that among
the casualties in the attack
was Marine Major Ellen Wallace.
We'll continue to bring you
more information
as it comes in.
That's impossible.
That's exactly my point.
Ellen Wallace was not
a missing person.
In fact, DoD listed her
as killed in action in...
The Pentagon, on 9/11.
Then how did her
perfectly intact remains
find their way to a shallow
grave some 12 miles away?
How much?
That's highway robbery.
Fine. I hate to play
this card, but you owe me.
No, no,
I'm not threatening you.
Oh, okay, well,
I guess we'll see.
Mm-hmm.
Tell Mom I said hi.
What got you in a twist?
Comic-Con badges sold out,
and every ticket broker
or connection I have
is 1,500 a pop.
Dollars?
For a convention?
Who'd pay that?
I would, if I had
that kind of cash.
Guess what.
You don't need it.
Why? What have you heard?
Delilah scored three VIP badges.
No.I am totally serious.
Aah!
Yeah.
Wow.
You know, just being
near you two,
I can feel my
cool factor dropping.
Give me an update.
Let's go. All right.
Our victim is Ellen Wallace,
38 years old,
a major in the Marine Corps.
Public Affairs division,
stationed out of the Pentagon.
Wallace was listed as KIA
when her office was struck
by Flight 77 on 9/11.
Some victims' remains
were never recovered
in the attacks,
and she was thought
to have been one of them.
Her death gathered
media attention
because she's the daughter
of General James Wallace.
Guy's a military legend.
He led missions in Vietnam,
Lebanon, Liberia and Iraq.
Not to mention serving
as an advisor to the White House
after his retirement in 2007.
Yeah, I got it.
Get back to her.
Well, we now know
that her remains
were not in the Pentagon.
She wasn't in the building.
Well, where was she killed?
We don't know that yet.
- Why was she killed?
- Well,
we don't know that yet, either.
Suspects?
Well, we don't have those.
Find out!
Track her final movements.
Who saw her last?
Do your damn jobs!
Wh-What was that about?
Of course I remember that day.
When you cheat death, the
details tend to stick with you.
You worked with
Major Ellen Wallace
back in 2001,
Miss Tano?
Yeah. A lifetime ago.
I was just a green
junior officer back then,
and Ellen was my
department head.
She took me under her wing,
encouraged me.
I regret never having
thanked her for that.
When was the last time
you saw her?
Oh, the night of
September 10, 2001.
We both attended
a command-wide.
"Hail and Farewell" dinner
at a restaurant in Georgetown.
Did anything seem out
of the ordinary to you?
No, not really.
I mean, I could tell
Ellen was distracted.
I assumed it was work-related
since she left the party early
to go back to the Pentagon.
- What time was that?
- 8:30.
Like I said,
the details stuck with me.
Did she ever mention ever
having issues with anyone?
No, not directly.
Well, I did hear
that she had a complicated
relationship with her ex-fiancé.
So you never saw her in the
office the morning of 9/11?
No. We were both scheduled to
attend a briefing at 1000 hours,
but I got rear-ended on my
way in and I was running late.
That inconvenience
ended up saving my life.
When the plane
struck the Pentagon,
our offices were directly hit...
and no one else
in my division survived.
Why would
the DoD think that
she was in the building
at the time of the attack?
Because Ellen was at work
at 0730 every morning,
and her car was found
on the premises.
Where else could she have been?
Last I heard, General
Wallace was retired.
I suppose,
technically speaking,
but a Marine
never really retires.
How long's he been a guest
lecturer at the Academy?
I brought him on
about three years ago.
He's a favorite
among midshipmen.
There's a tremendous amount
that they can learn from someone
as experienced as the general.
Sounds like you
know him well.
Had the pleasure
of serving
under his command
many years ago.
Owe my career to the man.
He's like family,
which is why
I am concerned.
I witnessed the toll
the death of his daughter
took on him back in 2001.
He shouldn't have to suffer
through that pain again.
No one should, General.
The military has rules
and the military gives orders,
but what happens
when those two
are in direct conflict
with one another?
Combat scenario number 67:
you're deployed to a combat zone
when your convoy
comes upon a group of possible
Taliban insurgents.
They haven't engaged you,
but your gut
is telling you that things
are going to go south, and fast.
Do you let rules dictated
in some handbook
override your instincts,
or do you take action?
Ticktock, ladies and gentlemen.
Your enemies could be seconds
away from killing you.
Do you strike first?
Negative.
Only after the enemy
has engaged does
a U.S. service member
take offensive measures.
Regulations also say
you have the right to take
appropriate actions
to defend yourself.
Hesitation could
cost you your life.
Yeah, but suspicion
isn't fact, it's fear.
Break the rules
of engagement,
you've already lost.
Right answer.
I should see you all
writing that down.
Should've known
NCIS wouldn't show up here
to deliver good news.
Occupational hazard, General.
While I appreciate you
telling me in person, Gibbs,
I can't say that makes it
any easier to hear.
Give it
to me straight.
What happened
to my daughter?
The investigation's ongoing.
We're looking into it.
You're looking into it?
Someone murdered
my little girl
and has gotten away with it
for the past 18 years.
I want him found.General.
I'm on it.
Of all my regrets in life,
not having more time for Ellen
is at the top of the list.
You know what my last words
to her were?
"We'll talk later,
I'm running late."
When was that?
The night of September 10th
in the Pentagon.
I passed by her office
on my way out around 2300 hours.
Not being late to drinks
with a colleague
was more important than talking
to my own daughter.
Regret is a... Yeah.
It's a son of a bitch.
You see this through
to the end, Gibbs.
No matter what.
Understood.
These are the most disorganized
bins I have ever seen.
I could go full
Marie Kondo on these.
Okay, you're a little
too excited
about some dusty containers.
Oh! Floppy disks.
Cool!
Ooh, look who's a little
- "too excited" now.
- Oh, come on.
These things are relics. Ugh.
I feel just like Dr. Grant
when he first sees the
Brachiosaurus in Jurassic Park.
You mean Brontosaurus?
Uh, no. You don't want
to go toe-to-toe with me
on some JPtrivia.
This is sad, isn't it?
I mean, the contents
of these bins
are all that's left of Ellen
Wallace, and they were just
- sitting in a storage unit.
- Ah, well,
they say you can
learn a lot about someone
based on
what they leave behind.
Wonder what we'll learn
from her things.
Uh, well,
how about the identity
of her ex-fiancé?
- Oh, yeah, that's a tart.
- Mm-hmm.
Wait, is that Gibbs?
And a hot Gibbs?
Yeah, Gibbs didn't just know
Ellen Wallace,
he was engaged to her.
Do you agree
with the Pentagon's decision
to prevent women from serving
on the front lines?
As a Marine, it is my duty
to serve my country
and to follow the orders
of my chain of command.
That being said,
it's been my experience
that there is no gender
distinction when it comes
to the capabilities and courage
of our military service members.
I believe that any Marine
who meets
the physical and mental
qualifications deserves
the same consideration.
Equal rights
are not special rights.
She was engaged to Gibbs?
How could Gibbs not tell us that
he was engaged to the victim?
Are you kidding? Gibbs never
talks about his personal life.
Hmm. We only find out about it
when it's part of a case.
Hold up.
This has happened before?
Exhibit A.
Ah, the Gibbs' wives club.
Uh... I'm sorry,
Gibbs was married
four times?
What, does he have a marriage punch card
- and the fifth one is free?
- He had to know
that we would figure it out.
Do we tell him we know,
or do we wait for him to say
that he knows
that we know?
Since we don't know
if it's relevant to the case yet,
we leave it alone, for now.
- Agreed.
- Agreed.
Ooh. Incoming.
Hey, Gibbs.
What do we know?
On the night
of September 10, 2001,
Ellen was seen
at a command-wide Hail
and Farewell in Georgetown
by her former
coworker Amy Tano.
Now, Tano said Ellen left around
2030 hours for the Pentagon.
This was confirmed
by General Wallace.
He said he saw Ellen in her
office at 2300 hours that night.
So far, he's the last person
to have seen Ellen alive.
Bishop,
Torres, verify
Pentagon access codes,
9/10, 9/11.
Pinpoint when she
left the building.
- On it.
- McGee, look into her phone records.
Find out who
she was communicating with.
Boss, is that all?
Is there...
nothing more
you want to tell me?
No.
Okay.
Hey, did we say something funny?
Oh, no, I just, um,
I thought that you asked me
to piece together
the corrupted data
of a security system
that was definitely destroyed
18 years ago.
Yeah.
That is what we're asking.
I'm sorry, um...
Do you have any idea
how complex that request is?
Like, let alone
the specialized manpower
that would be needed
to get it to you by...
by when?
24 hours.
48 hours.
No.
At first, I thought this was funny,
but this is just annoying.
How about
an incentive,
to expedite things?
Like what, Freckles?
Three VIP badges
to Comic-Con.
What? What?
What? W-What? Um...
If you're scamming
me right now,
I will put you
on a watch list so fast.
100% legit.
What do you say?
No, no, no. Hold on.
That...
- we're not...
- Deal. Done.
Yes. Ooh!
Call you when I have something.
You are in
for a world of hurt.
Not finding anything
in Ellen Wallace's
home phone records.
Just a bunch of AOL
dial-up connections. Ooh.
Now, that is something
I haven't said in years.
Any luck with her office line?
Nope. Nothing yet. How
about cell phone records?
Didn't have one.Ah. A disinterest
in mobile technology.
Well, that's at least something
she had in common with Gibbs.
Well, they weren't commonplace
in 2001 like they are today.
Ugh. Tell me about it.
You know, I had a six-year-old
run right into me
while he was texting last week?
So I told him to put
the phone down and go play.
Man, you know, he stepped on
my foot and told me to shut up.
Just, the whole "joy
of children" concept, just...
lost on me.
Earth to McGee.
What?
Did you find something?
Um, I'm not sure.
Ooh. Hold that thought.
That is the blood analysis
from Ellen Wallace's uniform.
Uh, McGee?
We got a problem.
There were two separate
blood profiles
found on her clothing.
Jimmy said there were
signs of a struggle.
The second profile
could be the killer's.
Yeah, I really hope not,
because it's a match to Gibbs.
How'd his blood get
on her uniform?
You do realize
what this means.
Yeah, I'd get the knife
from Gibbs
before interrogating him,
if I were you.
Why are you looking at me?
I'm not going in there.
Good luck, Bishop.
Oh, no, nice try.
No, I've cheated death
a few too many times recently.
Show us how it's done,
McGee.
No. Pass.
You're senior field agent.
Which is exactly
why I should be supervising
and observing
Gibbs' questioning.
Oh, for the love of God.
Okay.
You know how this goes, Gibbs,
so let's skip
the interrogation dance and get
this over with, shall we?
Gladly.
Tell me about your relationship
with Ellen Wallace.
She was an ex.
You mean, uh, ex-fiancée.
Ex is an ex. How'd you meet?
- Complicated.
- Why did you break it off?
More complicated.
Did it end on good terms?
Does it ever?
Good point.
It's like watching
John McEnroe
and Jimmy Connors
at Wimbledon.
That is the whitest thing
I've ever heard.
Why hide that you knew
the victim?
It wasn't relevant.
Your blood at the crime scene
makes it relevant.
Look, Gibbs, come on,
work with me here.
'Cause I sure as hell know
you didn't kill Major Wallace.
Then why am I sitting here?
Because we need answers
that only you can give.
Like how did your blood
get on Ellen's uniform?
Oh.
Let me see.
Oh, that's gonna stain.
It's a good thing I was here,
otherwise this hand
might be a goner.
There.
That should do it.
You'll get my bill in the mail.
Were you with
Ellen when she died?
No.
When was the last time
you two had contact?
Two months prior to 9/11.
Satisfied?
You didn't catch it, did you?
I asked why you broke it off
and you didn't correct me.
It's interesting.
All of your previous
failed relationships
have one thing in common.
Your exes all ended things.
But that wasn't the
case with Ellen.
She was different,
wasn't she?
Tell me why.
Uh, Gibbs?
- Move, McGee.
- Can't do that, boss.
Your interrogation's
not over.
- Yes, it is.
- No, it's not.
It's over when you
quit lying to us.
You said you hadn't had contact
with Ellen in two months.
I've got phone records
that show that she made
a two-minute call
to your house the last night
she was seen alive.
So what'd you two talk about?
I said we didn't.
You know that's not
good enough, boss.
Hell it ain't.
You're off the case.
What did you say?
I said you're off the case.
Go home, Gibbs.
Is staring
at this helping?
Just running through
things in my head.
How about
verbalizing them?
- With you?
- Mm-hmm.
Sure, I can do that.
You know why?
Because I respect the people
that I work with.
Unlike some people.
Ah, "some people"
being Gibbs.
16 years.
Gibbs has known me for 16 years
- and he still doesn't trust me.
- I don't know about that.
I mean, I understand
that Gibbs likes being
a closed book,
I get that, okay?
But I'm trying to help him and
he refuses to be honest with me.
Did I mention
the 16 years part?
You did. Good,
'cause it bears repeating.
- Mm.
- More like 16 and a half.
Hey, Tim, you have every right
to feel frustrated,
but you got one thing wrong.
Gibbs does trust you.
More than anyone,
think about it.
This case is personal
for him.
Would he have left
if he didn't trust you?
Listen, we all deal
with things differently.
Gibbs' way isn't perfect,
but it gets him through
and he...
I know, I know.
He's got to get there
on his own.Precisely.
But that doesn't mean
you can't lead him
in the right direction.
Wait, it's
been less than 24 hours.
How do you have
something already?
Looks like my
incentive worked.
Three tickets to loser-con,
- as promised.
- Ooh-ho-ho-ho.
Yeah, this helped,
but I am also
just good at my job.
That's, like, why they pay me
the big GS-14 bucks, so...
14?
What do you mean, 14?
How do you have
a higher pay grade than me?
You're not even
old enough to rent a car.
Uh, no, but I could just buy one, so...
Okay.
- Can we get back on track here?
- Mm-hmm.
- What'd you find?
- Yeah, so...
because most of the Pentagon's
systems were damaged
during the terror attack,
I was able to access
an encrypted file;
it was on an old backup server
and it was last
updated at 0800
the morning of 9/11.
So does it list
Ellen Wallace
entering and exiting
the building?
Yeah.
Uh, we have her...
scanning in at 2200 hours
the night of September 10th,
and there is no record
of her ever leaving.
Maybe she, uh, left
and forgot to scan out.
That's not possible.
The Pentagon's points of entry
are all one-for-ones,
so can't get in or out
without scanning your I.D.
So, according to our
logs, Ellen Wallace
should have still been
inside the building
the morning of 9/11.
But she wasn't.
Mm-mm, because
her body was moved.
Ellen was killed
inside the Pentagon
that night and then
taken off-site.
So, our killer...
has to be someone
who worked
in the building with her.
How many?
That's 18,482.
Ooh. But it does
eliminate one suspect.
Thought I locked the door.
I know how to use
my knife, too.
Since you've been
ignoring my calls,
thought I would come
down here and tell you
that you've been
cleared as a suspect.
Not that any of us
thought you were guilty.
Just enough to throw me
off the case.
You got yourself
thrown off the case.
I did exactly what you would do.
Unless, of course,
you burned more
of those rules
that I should know about?
You know, I don't get it.
After all these years,
after everything
we've been through...
...I'm still here with you.
Ah, it's your choice.
No, that's not gonna
work on me, Gibbs.
You think
that we don't know
why you keep us
at a distance?
It's not a mystery.
- Get to the point, McGee.
- Ellen was important to you,
but we can't solve this case
unless you tell us everything
that happened.
- I already did.
- No, you didn't.
You didn't tell us about
the conversation
you had with her
the night she was killed.
Now, whatever Ellen said during
that call could point us
to who was after her.
And I'm not leaving
till I get an answer, Gibbs.
What did you two talk about?
We didn't talk!
Jethro, it's me.
I know we haven't spoken
since...
well, it's been a while.
I've thought a lot about you.
Wondered how you were doing.
Something's come up.
It's important.
We need to talk.
If you're there, pick up.
Please.
I didn't answer the phone.
And I didn't
call her back either.
Why not?
I thought that she wanted
to talk about us.
She was asking...
for me to help.
Asking for my help.
I didn't pick up the damn phone.
Boss, you didn't kill Ellen.
I didn't save her, either.
Maybe I could have.
Then don't make
the same mistake twice.
Ellen still needs
your help, boss.
So do we.
Oh, please don't crash.
Oh, please don't crash,
please don't crash.
Hold the phone.
Is that an
IBM ThinkPad 240X?
You've seen one of
these things before?
I had one of these.
Like 20 years ago.
Oh, this baby came fully loaded
with 64 megs of RAM,
an Intel Celeron 300
Pentium III processor
that clocked in
at 500 megahertz...
And look.
I mean, come on.
That is the flying
toaster screensaver.
You don't seem nearly
as excited about this.
I was. Two hours
and multiple system crashes ago.
Oh, did the victim's laptop
give us anything?
Oh, I found
a private e-mail address
Ellen had been using
on the side.
- To do what?
- Well, the only thing she was
using this account for
was to communicate meet-up times
and locations
with another user
named EyesnEars257.
"East Potomac Park at noon."
Now, that e-mail was sent
September 10, 2001,
the day our victim
was last seen alive.
Okay, so are you able
to find out the identity
of her mystery contact?
Not on this thing.
No.
Time to watch the magic
happen.
Secret e-mail address,
clandestine rendezvous...
Ellen Wallace,
what were you mixed up in?
Oh, and it crashed.
Am I being recorded?
You have to tell me
if this is being recorded.
It's the law.
You seem a little
paranoid, Mr. Morrison.
I'm a journalist who was
grabbed out of his office
by two federal agents
and brought into
an interrogation room.
Paranoia is warranted
in this situation.
All right, I didn't grab,
I guided.
And this is a conference room,
not interrogation.
You tell us
what we need to know
and you won't be seeing
the real thing.
Does the username.
"EyesnEars257"
ring a bell?
It was my old e-mail log-in.
I used that account
as a tip line
back when I first got started
in investigative reporting.
Haven't accessed it
in 15 years.
What was your connection
to Ellen Wallace?
Ellen?
What's this all about?
You first.
Ellen and I worked together
on an investigation.
Into what?
A 1998 attack in Kosovo.
Rebel soldiers were blamed
for the deaths
of multiple civilians,
but I found a Marine eyewitness
who said it was the fault
of U.S. forces.
Ellen was helping me
track down my source
after he went MIA.
Investigating Marines
wasn't part of her job.
Her interest in the case
was personal.
The Marine
who commanded
the U.S. forces in Kosovo was.
General James Wallace.
Wait. She was digging up dirt
on her own father?
Ellen was determined
to know the truth.
Even if that meant exposing
the general as a war criminal.
You're not insinuating
that the general
had something to do
with his own daughter's death?
I'm not here to enroll.
I'm not gonna stand here
and let him disrespect...
Daniel, give us
the room.
It's fine.
I'll handle this.
Hmm.
You always were as subtle
as a freight train, Gibbs.
Kosovo. 1998.
Multiple civilian
casualties.
I'm familiar with the incident.
Were U.S. forces
responsible?
I never would've given
an order like that,
and if I had, I wouldn't
have lied about it.
That's not what I asked,
General.
At first, I brushed off
those rumors
as baseless chatter,
but when that reporter told me
the Marine eyewitness account,
I began to suspect
there was more to it.
You asked Ellen
to investigate what happened.
She was the only one
I could trust.
If my Marines
were involved,
I wanted to know the truth,
not some redacted statement
from the White House.
I never would've
gotten Ellen involved
if I thought for a second
she'd be in any danger.
It's been 18 years
since I saw her face,
18 years since
I heard her voice,
but the time doesn't matter.
Losing a child, it's not a wound
that ever heals, is it?
No.
Even after you called off
the engagement,
she never said
an ill word about you.
I've always liked you,
Gibbs, but, um,
you didn't deserve
my daughter.
Agreed.
Then give me an explanation
because it all
never made any sense.
I know you loved Ellen,
so why did you cut and run
like you did?
Because I loved her.
And that never ends well.
Yo, this is gonna
take forever.
Hey, come on,
we're making progress.
You know how long
it's gonna
take to go through
18,000 Pentagon employees?
Nope, not all,
just the 8,233 employees
that were in the building
the evening of September 10th
up to the next morning.
So take that defeatist energy
somewhere else.
Not defeatist,
it's realistic.
Uh, well, maybe you'd have
a more optimistic disposition
if you expanded
your wardrobe palette
beyond the colors of black,
distressed black,
and gray-black.
Hey, you don't tweak
a Picasso.
I am sorry,
did you just compare yourself
to a work of art?
Yes. Yes, I did.
Uh, hold on one second,
I know this name.
Can you look up the service
record for Daniel Kent,
8340.
Brigadier
General Kent,
the current commandant
at the Academy.
In 2001 he worked
as a military aide
to General James Wallace.
- Prior to 2001?
- Uh, in 1998, Kent served
in Kosovo,
in the unit
Ellen Wallace was
investigating.
Ooh, now we're talking.
Security says he scanned
into the Pentagon
at 2330 hours
on September 10th,
then scanned out
at 0239 hours on 9/11.
That's enough time
to kill Ellen,
remove her body from
the building, and bury her.
Yeah, well, I'm about
to complete the clue trifecta.
According to his
old pay stubs,
in 2001, Kent lived
in a building
two blocks from where
Ellen's body was buried.
How's my disposition
now, baby?
I hope you are both
enjoying this
because I'm gonna have
both of your badges
by the end of the day.
Then I guess we better
hurry, right, McGee?
Yeah, where should
we start?
Well, he seems
like a smart guy,
so I say we, uh, we just
lay out what we think happened
between him and Ellen Wallace
that night.
Hypothetically speaking,
of course.
- Stop us if we go too fast for you.
- Kosovo, 1998,
you and a few Marines mistakenly
kill civilians during a raid.
Which you then covered up
from your chain of command.
You thought you were in the
clear, until you caught wind
that Ellen Wallace
was investigating it.
You panic. You confront her
in her office,
then you kill her and bury her
by your old apartment.
All the evidence left
behind in the Pentagon
was destroyed when the plane
struck the next morning.
And you got to get away with
murder for the last 18 years.
That is quite the tale,
but all hypothetical,
as you said.
You don't have any evidence,
and I haven't confessed
to anything.
Nope, not yet.
He's all yours, boss.
As predicted, Kent caved.
Yup, Gibbs only took
five minutes and a few sentences
before he got Kent to admit
to killing Ellen.
The man's a master.
Good news, good news!
I bring you all good news!
All right, Jimmy,
nothing's ever that good.
Oh, yeah?
How about, uh, six all-access
passes to Comic-Con?
- Who is the man?
- Seriously?
Who? What?
When? How?
Let's just say
I'm friends with
a certain relative
of Stan Lee,
and she was kind enough
to give us the hookup.
Jimmy, we owe you
big time, man.
This July, the four of us,
plus Breena and Delilah,
are gonna be fully immersed
in the comic, science-fiction,
fantasy experience.
Oh, yeah, so I have
plans that day.
Oh, come on,
what plans?
Not sure yet.
So how 'bout,
uh, how 'bout Gibbs?
You think that maybe he'd want
to be our sixth, or...?
Yeah, Gibbs in cosplay,
that's-that's an image.
Yeah. Uh, Gibbs
with pointy ears.
I don't think that's his scene.
Don't be too sure.
With Gibbs, you never know.
You following me?
I knew
you'd be here.
I was trying to do the
right thing for her...
...but she still
ended up here.
I regret that choice.
A few more steps, boss.
Captioning sponsored by
CBS.
and TOYOTA
Sync corrections by srjanapala
you're on the clock.
You want to chitchat,
do it on your own time.
Yeah, you got it, boss.
Yo, Stutkowski, slow down!
This isn't the Daytona 500.
Geez, every morning.
The hell?
Whoa, cut it.
Cut it!
Whoa!
Oh, my God!
*NCIS*
Season 16 Episode 20
Episode Title:
"Hail & Farewell"
Captioning sponsored by
CBS.
and TOYOTA
Sync corrections by srjanapala
All right, time check.
Three minutes, 38 seconds.
- Almost go time.
- Yeah.
Those seats are
as good as ours.
Seats? What seats?
Hello? I'm talking here.
Shh.
You're distracting us.
Comic-Con badges
go on sale in...
Three minutes, 24 seconds.
Oh, yeah, isn't that
that nerd convention
where losers dress up
like elves or whatever?
Well, technically yes,
but it's more than that.
Yeah, so much more,
you have no idea.
And this year's Con
is gonna be epic.
For the 50th anniversary,
they announced they're
gonna have
a secret, surprise
guest panelist.
Mm-hmm.
We made a few calls,
and wefound out
who it might be.
You ready for this?
So ready.
- George freakin' Lucas.
- Ha!
Oh, yeah. Who?
What do you mean who?
Are you kidding?
Uh...
Star Wars, American Graffiti,
THX 1138.
Oh, yeah, those are
movies, right?
Oh, God, it hurts.
Nick, how do you
not know this?
I don't know, I think
it's because I have a life.
- Yeah, a sheltered one.
- We don't have time to deal with
your cinematic
shortcomings right now.
You got that right.
Grab your gear.
Got a dead Marine in Arlington.
Ooh, but badges go on sale
in 95 seconds.
Yeah, it seems like Gibbs
doesn't care about Greg Lucas.
BISHOP/McGEE:
- George! - George!
McGEE: You're the person
in charge here, Mr. Lewis?
Yeah, I'm the foreman.
But my crew had nothing
to do with this.
We broke ground on this site
just yesterday. Building what?
The entire plot's being turned
into luxury condos.
What was here before?
Nothing. The land's been vacant
for almost 20 years.
What time did you
discover the remains?
7:45 a.m.
The body...
you know who it is?
Um, not yet.
Identification?
No military I.D., name tag,
dog tag or wallet.
- Where is Palmer?
- Stuck in traffic.
He should be here
any minute.
But I doubt he'd be able
to give us a time of death.
I mean, this Marine has
been dead for years.
At least 18.
How do you know that?
She doesn't have any
Global War on Terror ribbons.
Oh.
Well, should narrow it down
in the missing persons database.
Gibbs?
Widen the perimeter.
I want all of this
bagged and processed.
You know, today's technology
is advancing at
such a fast rate
that a few years
is equivalent to a lifetime.
Case in point... cell phones.
These are not just for
making phone calls anymore.
Oh, no. No, no.
I can, uh... I can video chat
with Breena and Victoria.
And I can stream a show,
download music,
film a video, read a book.
Ah, we've accomplished so much,
yet we still can't figure out
how to make the DMV
a pleasant experience.
Make an appointment online.
You can do that?
Wait, youknow how
to do that?
All right, moving on.
Luckily for us,
our victim's remains
were discovered before they were
damaged by the excavator.
I just sent here uniform
up to Kasie for analysis.
- Cause of death?
- Well,
these several cracked ribs here
do indicate a struggle,
but the fatal blow
came in the back of the skull here.
But the really
interesting part comes
when we look at
the victim's teeth.
I ran the serial number
on a surgical implant
for her left canine incisor.
And, Gibbs, I got a hit.
Meet our victim,
Major Ellen Wallace.
Breaking news out of D.C.,
Department of Defense officials
have confirmed that among
the casualties in the attack
was Marine Major Ellen Wallace.
We'll continue to bring you
more information
as it comes in.
That's impossible.
That's exactly my point.
Ellen Wallace was not
a missing person.
In fact, DoD listed her
as killed in action in...
The Pentagon, on 9/11.
Then how did her
perfectly intact remains
find their way to a shallow
grave some 12 miles away?
How much?
That's highway robbery.
Fine. I hate to play
this card, but you owe me.
No, no,
I'm not threatening you.
Oh, okay, well,
I guess we'll see.
Mm-hmm.
Tell Mom I said hi.
What got you in a twist?
Comic-Con badges sold out,
and every ticket broker
or connection I have
is 1,500 a pop.
Dollars?
For a convention?
Who'd pay that?
I would, if I had
that kind of cash.
Guess what.
You don't need it.
Why? What have you heard?
Delilah scored three VIP badges.
No.I am totally serious.
Aah!
Yeah.
Wow.
You know, just being
near you two,
I can feel my
cool factor dropping.
Give me an update.
Let's go. All right.
Our victim is Ellen Wallace,
38 years old,
a major in the Marine Corps.
Public Affairs division,
stationed out of the Pentagon.
Wallace was listed as KIA
when her office was struck
by Flight 77 on 9/11.
Some victims' remains
were never recovered
in the attacks,
and she was thought
to have been one of them.
Her death gathered
media attention
because she's the daughter
of General James Wallace.
Guy's a military legend.
He led missions in Vietnam,
Lebanon, Liberia and Iraq.
Not to mention serving
as an advisor to the White House
after his retirement in 2007.
Yeah, I got it.
Get back to her.
Well, we now know
that her remains
were not in the Pentagon.
She wasn't in the building.
Well, where was she killed?
We don't know that yet.
- Why was she killed?
- Well,
we don't know that yet, either.
Suspects?
Well, we don't have those.
Find out!
Track her final movements.
Who saw her last?
Do your damn jobs!
Wh-What was that about?
Of course I remember that day.
When you cheat death, the
details tend to stick with you.
You worked with
Major Ellen Wallace
back in 2001,
Miss Tano?
Yeah. A lifetime ago.
I was just a green
junior officer back then,
and Ellen was my
department head.
She took me under her wing,
encouraged me.
I regret never having
thanked her for that.
When was the last time
you saw her?
Oh, the night of
September 10, 2001.
We both attended
a command-wide.
"Hail and Farewell" dinner
at a restaurant in Georgetown.
Did anything seem out
of the ordinary to you?
No, not really.
I mean, I could tell
Ellen was distracted.
I assumed it was work-related
since she left the party early
to go back to the Pentagon.
- What time was that?
- 8:30.
Like I said,
the details stuck with me.
Did she ever mention ever
having issues with anyone?
No, not directly.
Well, I did hear
that she had a complicated
relationship with her ex-fiancé.
So you never saw her in the
office the morning of 9/11?
No. We were both scheduled to
attend a briefing at 1000 hours,
but I got rear-ended on my
way in and I was running late.
That inconvenience
ended up saving my life.
When the plane
struck the Pentagon,
our offices were directly hit...
and no one else
in my division survived.
Why would
the DoD think that
she was in the building
at the time of the attack?
Because Ellen was at work
at 0730 every morning,
and her car was found
on the premises.
Where else could she have been?
Last I heard, General
Wallace was retired.
I suppose,
technically speaking,
but a Marine
never really retires.
How long's he been a guest
lecturer at the Academy?
I brought him on
about three years ago.
He's a favorite
among midshipmen.
There's a tremendous amount
that they can learn from someone
as experienced as the general.
Sounds like you
know him well.
Had the pleasure
of serving
under his command
many years ago.
Owe my career to the man.
He's like family,
which is why
I am concerned.
I witnessed the toll
the death of his daughter
took on him back in 2001.
He shouldn't have to suffer
through that pain again.
No one should, General.
The military has rules
and the military gives orders,
but what happens
when those two
are in direct conflict
with one another?
Combat scenario number 67:
you're deployed to a combat zone
when your convoy
comes upon a group of possible
Taliban insurgents.
They haven't engaged you,
but your gut
is telling you that things
are going to go south, and fast.
Do you let rules dictated
in some handbook
override your instincts,
or do you take action?
Ticktock, ladies and gentlemen.
Your enemies could be seconds
away from killing you.
Do you strike first?
Negative.
Only after the enemy
has engaged does
a U.S. service member
take offensive measures.
Regulations also say
you have the right to take
appropriate actions
to defend yourself.
Hesitation could
cost you your life.
Yeah, but suspicion
isn't fact, it's fear.
Break the rules
of engagement,
you've already lost.
Right answer.
I should see you all
writing that down.
Should've known
NCIS wouldn't show up here
to deliver good news.
Occupational hazard, General.
While I appreciate you
telling me in person, Gibbs,
I can't say that makes it
any easier to hear.
Give it
to me straight.
What happened
to my daughter?
The investigation's ongoing.
We're looking into it.
You're looking into it?
Someone murdered
my little girl
and has gotten away with it
for the past 18 years.
I want him found.General.
I'm on it.
Of all my regrets in life,
not having more time for Ellen
is at the top of the list.
You know what my last words
to her were?
"We'll talk later,
I'm running late."
When was that?
The night of September 10th
in the Pentagon.
I passed by her office
on my way out around 2300 hours.
Not being late to drinks
with a colleague
was more important than talking
to my own daughter.
Regret is a... Yeah.
It's a son of a bitch.
You see this through
to the end, Gibbs.
No matter what.
Understood.
These are the most disorganized
bins I have ever seen.
I could go full
Marie Kondo on these.
Okay, you're a little
too excited
about some dusty containers.
Oh! Floppy disks.
Cool!
Ooh, look who's a little
- "too excited" now.
- Oh, come on.
These things are relics. Ugh.
I feel just like Dr. Grant
when he first sees the
Brachiosaurus in Jurassic Park.
You mean Brontosaurus?
Uh, no. You don't want
to go toe-to-toe with me
on some JPtrivia.
This is sad, isn't it?
I mean, the contents
of these bins
are all that's left of Ellen
Wallace, and they were just
- sitting in a storage unit.
- Ah, well,
they say you can
learn a lot about someone
based on
what they leave behind.
Wonder what we'll learn
from her things.
Uh, well,
how about the identity
of her ex-fiancé?
- Oh, yeah, that's a tart.
- Mm-hmm.
Wait, is that Gibbs?
And a hot Gibbs?
Yeah, Gibbs didn't just know
Ellen Wallace,
he was engaged to her.
Do you agree
with the Pentagon's decision
to prevent women from serving
on the front lines?
As a Marine, it is my duty
to serve my country
and to follow the orders
of my chain of command.
That being said,
it's been my experience
that there is no gender
distinction when it comes
to the capabilities and courage
of our military service members.
I believe that any Marine
who meets
the physical and mental
qualifications deserves
the same consideration.
Equal rights
are not special rights.
She was engaged to Gibbs?
How could Gibbs not tell us that
he was engaged to the victim?
Are you kidding? Gibbs never
talks about his personal life.
Hmm. We only find out about it
when it's part of a case.
Hold up.
This has happened before?
Exhibit A.
Ah, the Gibbs' wives club.
Uh... I'm sorry,
Gibbs was married
four times?
What, does he have a marriage punch card
- and the fifth one is free?
- He had to know
that we would figure it out.
Do we tell him we know,
or do we wait for him to say
that he knows
that we know?
Since we don't know
if it's relevant to the case yet,
we leave it alone, for now.
- Agreed.
- Agreed.
Ooh. Incoming.
Hey, Gibbs.
What do we know?
On the night
of September 10, 2001,
Ellen was seen
at a command-wide Hail
and Farewell in Georgetown
by her former
coworker Amy Tano.
Now, Tano said Ellen left around
2030 hours for the Pentagon.
This was confirmed
by General Wallace.
He said he saw Ellen in her
office at 2300 hours that night.
So far, he's the last person
to have seen Ellen alive.
Bishop,
Torres, verify
Pentagon access codes,
9/10, 9/11.
Pinpoint when she
left the building.
- On it.
- McGee, look into her phone records.
Find out who
she was communicating with.
Boss, is that all?
Is there...
nothing more
you want to tell me?
No.
Okay.
Hey, did we say something funny?
Oh, no, I just, um,
I thought that you asked me
to piece together
the corrupted data
of a security system
that was definitely destroyed
18 years ago.
Yeah.
That is what we're asking.
I'm sorry, um...
Do you have any idea
how complex that request is?
Like, let alone
the specialized manpower
that would be needed
to get it to you by...
by when?
24 hours.
48 hours.
No.
At first, I thought this was funny,
but this is just annoying.
How about
an incentive,
to expedite things?
Like what, Freckles?
Three VIP badges
to Comic-Con.
What? What?
What? W-What? Um...
If you're scamming
me right now,
I will put you
on a watch list so fast.
100% legit.
What do you say?
No, no, no. Hold on.
That...
- we're not...
- Deal. Done.
Yes. Ooh!
Call you when I have something.
You are in
for a world of hurt.
Not finding anything
in Ellen Wallace's
home phone records.
Just a bunch of AOL
dial-up connections. Ooh.
Now, that is something
I haven't said in years.
Any luck with her office line?
Nope. Nothing yet. How
about cell phone records?
Didn't have one.Ah. A disinterest
in mobile technology.
Well, that's at least something
she had in common with Gibbs.
Well, they weren't commonplace
in 2001 like they are today.
Ugh. Tell me about it.
You know, I had a six-year-old
run right into me
while he was texting last week?
So I told him to put
the phone down and go play.
Man, you know, he stepped on
my foot and told me to shut up.
Just, the whole "joy
of children" concept, just...
lost on me.
Earth to McGee.
What?
Did you find something?
Um, I'm not sure.
Ooh. Hold that thought.
That is the blood analysis
from Ellen Wallace's uniform.
Uh, McGee?
We got a problem.
There were two separate
blood profiles
found on her clothing.
Jimmy said there were
signs of a struggle.
The second profile
could be the killer's.
Yeah, I really hope not,
because it's a match to Gibbs.
How'd his blood get
on her uniform?
You do realize
what this means.
Yeah, I'd get the knife
from Gibbs
before interrogating him,
if I were you.
Why are you looking at me?
I'm not going in there.
Good luck, Bishop.
Oh, no, nice try.
No, I've cheated death
a few too many times recently.
Show us how it's done,
McGee.
No. Pass.
You're senior field agent.
Which is exactly
why I should be supervising
and observing
Gibbs' questioning.
Oh, for the love of God.
Okay.
You know how this goes, Gibbs,
so let's skip
the interrogation dance and get
this over with, shall we?
Gladly.
Tell me about your relationship
with Ellen Wallace.
She was an ex.
You mean, uh, ex-fiancée.
Ex is an ex. How'd you meet?
- Complicated.
- Why did you break it off?
More complicated.
Did it end on good terms?
Does it ever?
Good point.
It's like watching
John McEnroe
and Jimmy Connors
at Wimbledon.
That is the whitest thing
I've ever heard.
Why hide that you knew
the victim?
It wasn't relevant.
Your blood at the crime scene
makes it relevant.
Look, Gibbs, come on,
work with me here.
'Cause I sure as hell know
you didn't kill Major Wallace.
Then why am I sitting here?
Because we need answers
that only you can give.
Like how did your blood
get on Ellen's uniform?
Oh.
Let me see.
Oh, that's gonna stain.
It's a good thing I was here,
otherwise this hand
might be a goner.
There.
That should do it.
You'll get my bill in the mail.
Were you with
Ellen when she died?
No.
When was the last time
you two had contact?
Two months prior to 9/11.
Satisfied?
You didn't catch it, did you?
I asked why you broke it off
and you didn't correct me.
It's interesting.
All of your previous
failed relationships
have one thing in common.
Your exes all ended things.
But that wasn't the
case with Ellen.
She was different,
wasn't she?
Tell me why.
Uh, Gibbs?
- Move, McGee.
- Can't do that, boss.
Your interrogation's
not over.
- Yes, it is.
- No, it's not.
It's over when you
quit lying to us.
You said you hadn't had contact
with Ellen in two months.
I've got phone records
that show that she made
a two-minute call
to your house the last night
she was seen alive.
So what'd you two talk about?
I said we didn't.
You know that's not
good enough, boss.
Hell it ain't.
You're off the case.
What did you say?
I said you're off the case.
Go home, Gibbs.
Is staring
at this helping?
Just running through
things in my head.
How about
verbalizing them?
- With you?
- Mm-hmm.
Sure, I can do that.
You know why?
Because I respect the people
that I work with.
Unlike some people.
Ah, "some people"
being Gibbs.
16 years.
Gibbs has known me for 16 years
- and he still doesn't trust me.
- I don't know about that.
I mean, I understand
that Gibbs likes being
a closed book,
I get that, okay?
But I'm trying to help him and
he refuses to be honest with me.
Did I mention
the 16 years part?
You did. Good,
'cause it bears repeating.
- Mm.
- More like 16 and a half.
Hey, Tim, you have every right
to feel frustrated,
but you got one thing wrong.
Gibbs does trust you.
More than anyone,
think about it.
This case is personal
for him.
Would he have left
if he didn't trust you?
Listen, we all deal
with things differently.
Gibbs' way isn't perfect,
but it gets him through
and he...
I know, I know.
He's got to get there
on his own.Precisely.
But that doesn't mean
you can't lead him
in the right direction.
Wait, it's
been less than 24 hours.
How do you have
something already?
Looks like my
incentive worked.
Three tickets to loser-con,
- as promised.
- Ooh-ho-ho-ho.
Yeah, this helped,
but I am also
just good at my job.
That's, like, why they pay me
the big GS-14 bucks, so...
14?
What do you mean, 14?
How do you have
a higher pay grade than me?
You're not even
old enough to rent a car.
Uh, no, but I could just buy one, so...
Okay.
- Can we get back on track here?
- Mm-hmm.
- What'd you find?
- Yeah, so...
because most of the Pentagon's
systems were damaged
during the terror attack,
I was able to access
an encrypted file;
it was on an old backup server
and it was last
updated at 0800
the morning of 9/11.
So does it list
Ellen Wallace
entering and exiting
the building?
Yeah.
Uh, we have her...
scanning in at 2200 hours
the night of September 10th,
and there is no record
of her ever leaving.
Maybe she, uh, left
and forgot to scan out.
That's not possible.
The Pentagon's points of entry
are all one-for-ones,
so can't get in or out
without scanning your I.D.
So, according to our
logs, Ellen Wallace
should have still been
inside the building
the morning of 9/11.
But she wasn't.
Mm-mm, because
her body was moved.
Ellen was killed
inside the Pentagon
that night and then
taken off-site.
So, our killer...
has to be someone
who worked
in the building with her.
How many?
That's 18,482.
Ooh. But it does
eliminate one suspect.
Thought I locked the door.
I know how to use
my knife, too.
Since you've been
ignoring my calls,
thought I would come
down here and tell you
that you've been
cleared as a suspect.
Not that any of us
thought you were guilty.
Just enough to throw me
off the case.
You got yourself
thrown off the case.
I did exactly what you would do.
Unless, of course,
you burned more
of those rules
that I should know about?
You know, I don't get it.
After all these years,
after everything
we've been through...
...I'm still here with you.
Ah, it's your choice.
No, that's not gonna
work on me, Gibbs.
You think
that we don't know
why you keep us
at a distance?
It's not a mystery.
- Get to the point, McGee.
- Ellen was important to you,
but we can't solve this case
unless you tell us everything
that happened.
- I already did.
- No, you didn't.
You didn't tell us about
the conversation
you had with her
the night she was killed.
Now, whatever Ellen said during
that call could point us
to who was after her.
And I'm not leaving
till I get an answer, Gibbs.
What did you two talk about?
We didn't talk!
Jethro, it's me.
I know we haven't spoken
since...
well, it's been a while.
I've thought a lot about you.
Wondered how you were doing.
Something's come up.
It's important.
We need to talk.
If you're there, pick up.
Please.
I didn't answer the phone.
And I didn't
call her back either.
Why not?
I thought that she wanted
to talk about us.
She was asking...
for me to help.
Asking for my help.
I didn't pick up the damn phone.
Boss, you didn't kill Ellen.
I didn't save her, either.
Maybe I could have.
Then don't make
the same mistake twice.
Ellen still needs
your help, boss.
So do we.
Oh, please don't crash.
Oh, please don't crash,
please don't crash.
Hold the phone.
Is that an
IBM ThinkPad 240X?
You've seen one of
these things before?
I had one of these.
Like 20 years ago.
Oh, this baby came fully loaded
with 64 megs of RAM,
an Intel Celeron 300
Pentium III processor
that clocked in
at 500 megahertz...
And look.
I mean, come on.
That is the flying
toaster screensaver.
You don't seem nearly
as excited about this.
I was. Two hours
and multiple system crashes ago.
Oh, did the victim's laptop
give us anything?
Oh, I found
a private e-mail address
Ellen had been using
on the side.
- To do what?
- Well, the only thing she was
using this account for
was to communicate meet-up times
and locations
with another user
named EyesnEars257.
"East Potomac Park at noon."
Now, that e-mail was sent
September 10, 2001,
the day our victim
was last seen alive.
Okay, so are you able
to find out the identity
of her mystery contact?
Not on this thing.
No.
Time to watch the magic
happen.
Secret e-mail address,
clandestine rendezvous...
Ellen Wallace,
what were you mixed up in?
Oh, and it crashed.
Am I being recorded?
You have to tell me
if this is being recorded.
It's the law.
You seem a little
paranoid, Mr. Morrison.
I'm a journalist who was
grabbed out of his office
by two federal agents
and brought into
an interrogation room.
Paranoia is warranted
in this situation.
All right, I didn't grab,
I guided.
And this is a conference room,
not interrogation.
You tell us
what we need to know
and you won't be seeing
the real thing.
Does the username.
"EyesnEars257"
ring a bell?
It was my old e-mail log-in.
I used that account
as a tip line
back when I first got started
in investigative reporting.
Haven't accessed it
in 15 years.
What was your connection
to Ellen Wallace?
Ellen?
What's this all about?
You first.
Ellen and I worked together
on an investigation.
Into what?
A 1998 attack in Kosovo.
Rebel soldiers were blamed
for the deaths
of multiple civilians,
but I found a Marine eyewitness
who said it was the fault
of U.S. forces.
Ellen was helping me
track down my source
after he went MIA.
Investigating Marines
wasn't part of her job.
Her interest in the case
was personal.
The Marine
who commanded
the U.S. forces in Kosovo was.
General James Wallace.
Wait. She was digging up dirt
on her own father?
Ellen was determined
to know the truth.
Even if that meant exposing
the general as a war criminal.
You're not insinuating
that the general
had something to do
with his own daughter's death?
I'm not here to enroll.
I'm not gonna stand here
and let him disrespect...
Daniel, give us
the room.
It's fine.
I'll handle this.
Hmm.
You always were as subtle
as a freight train, Gibbs.
Kosovo. 1998.
Multiple civilian
casualties.
I'm familiar with the incident.
Were U.S. forces
responsible?
I never would've given
an order like that,
and if I had, I wouldn't
have lied about it.
That's not what I asked,
General.
At first, I brushed off
those rumors
as baseless chatter,
but when that reporter told me
the Marine eyewitness account,
I began to suspect
there was more to it.
You asked Ellen
to investigate what happened.
She was the only one
I could trust.
If my Marines
were involved,
I wanted to know the truth,
not some redacted statement
from the White House.
I never would've
gotten Ellen involved
if I thought for a second
she'd be in any danger.
It's been 18 years
since I saw her face,
18 years since
I heard her voice,
but the time doesn't matter.
Losing a child, it's not a wound
that ever heals, is it?
No.
Even after you called off
the engagement,
she never said
an ill word about you.
I've always liked you,
Gibbs, but, um,
you didn't deserve
my daughter.
Agreed.
Then give me an explanation
because it all
never made any sense.
I know you loved Ellen,
so why did you cut and run
like you did?
Because I loved her.
And that never ends well.
Yo, this is gonna
take forever.
Hey, come on,
we're making progress.
You know how long
it's gonna
take to go through
18,000 Pentagon employees?
Nope, not all,
just the 8,233 employees
that were in the building
the evening of September 10th
up to the next morning.
So take that defeatist energy
somewhere else.
Not defeatist,
it's realistic.
Uh, well, maybe you'd have
a more optimistic disposition
if you expanded
your wardrobe palette
beyond the colors of black,
distressed black,
and gray-black.
Hey, you don't tweak
a Picasso.
I am sorry,
did you just compare yourself
to a work of art?
Yes. Yes, I did.
Uh, hold on one second,
I know this name.
Can you look up the service
record for Daniel Kent,
8340.
Brigadier
General Kent,
the current commandant
at the Academy.
In 2001 he worked
as a military aide
to General James Wallace.
- Prior to 2001?
- Uh, in 1998, Kent served
in Kosovo,
in the unit
Ellen Wallace was
investigating.
Ooh, now we're talking.
Security says he scanned
into the Pentagon
at 2330 hours
on September 10th,
then scanned out
at 0239 hours on 9/11.
That's enough time
to kill Ellen,
remove her body from
the building, and bury her.
Yeah, well, I'm about
to complete the clue trifecta.
According to his
old pay stubs,
in 2001, Kent lived
in a building
two blocks from where
Ellen's body was buried.
How's my disposition
now, baby?
I hope you are both
enjoying this
because I'm gonna have
both of your badges
by the end of the day.
Then I guess we better
hurry, right, McGee?
Yeah, where should
we start?
Well, he seems
like a smart guy,
so I say we, uh, we just
lay out what we think happened
between him and Ellen Wallace
that night.
Hypothetically speaking,
of course.
- Stop us if we go too fast for you.
- Kosovo, 1998,
you and a few Marines mistakenly
kill civilians during a raid.
Which you then covered up
from your chain of command.
You thought you were in the
clear, until you caught wind
that Ellen Wallace
was investigating it.
You panic. You confront her
in her office,
then you kill her and bury her
by your old apartment.
All the evidence left
behind in the Pentagon
was destroyed when the plane
struck the next morning.
And you got to get away with
murder for the last 18 years.
That is quite the tale,
but all hypothetical,
as you said.
You don't have any evidence,
and I haven't confessed
to anything.
Nope, not yet.
He's all yours, boss.
As predicted, Kent caved.
Yup, Gibbs only took
five minutes and a few sentences
before he got Kent to admit
to killing Ellen.
The man's a master.
Good news, good news!
I bring you all good news!
All right, Jimmy,
nothing's ever that good.
Oh, yeah?
How about, uh, six all-access
passes to Comic-Con?
- Who is the man?
- Seriously?
Who? What?
When? How?
Let's just say
I'm friends with
a certain relative
of Stan Lee,
and she was kind enough
to give us the hookup.
Jimmy, we owe you
big time, man.
This July, the four of us,
plus Breena and Delilah,
are gonna be fully immersed
in the comic, science-fiction,
fantasy experience.
Oh, yeah, so I have
plans that day.
Oh, come on,
what plans?
Not sure yet.
So how 'bout,
uh, how 'bout Gibbs?
You think that maybe he'd want
to be our sixth, or...?
Yeah, Gibbs in cosplay,
that's-that's an image.
Yeah. Uh, Gibbs
with pointy ears.
I don't think that's his scene.
Don't be too sure.
With Gibbs, you never know.
You following me?
I knew
you'd be here.
I was trying to do the
right thing for her...
...but she still
ended up here.
I regret that choice.
A few more steps, boss.
Captioning sponsored by
CBS.
and TOYOTA
Sync corrections by srjanapala