NCIS (2003–…): Season 17, Episode 6 - Institutionalized - full transcript

Where's the jailbird at?!

For real. Where's my boy Trey at?

Auntie Renee.

It's been a minute, huh?

Uh, brought a six-pack.

It's kind of like
a welcome home gift for Trey.

Ricky, I want to know why the
hell you're here at my party.

Just wanted to chop it up
with my boy Trey.

I been missing that fool for years.

Apparently not enough
to go visit that fool.

None of his deadbeat-ass friends did.

Mm, so, uh, where is the guest of honor?

Trey's not here yet. He's late.

To his own welcome home party?

See, that's the problem
with these so-called

correctional facilities.

They-they don't correct nothing.

He'll be here any minute.

Bishop is really racking up the steps.

I hope she remembered her Fitbit.

Look at that. She's
still picking up steam.

Yeah, she's a phone pacer.

You know, the better the call,
the faster she goes.

Must be one hell of a call.

You wore yourself out, didn't you?

Ah, a little bit, but for good reason.

I just got off the phone
with city council president

of Hinton, Oklahoma.

- Your hometown?
- Yes, sir.

And yours truly was chosen
to be grand marshal

of their annual Tater Tots Parade.

Is that good news or something?

Uh, yes. I used to go to the Tater Tots

every year growing up.

I have dreamed of this
moment, and here we are.

The Tater Tots Potatoes Queen.

- Mm.
- Mama, I made it.

Okay, go ahead, make fun.

But for a nerdy, scrawny girl
who grew up with no friends,

this... it's a big win.

Do you know what they used to call me?

Scarecrow.

- You've mentioned it.
- Like, a few thousand times.

From the scarecrow to the queen.

- Gear up, we got a body.
- Hmm.

After you, Your Majesty.

Mm.

This was supposed to be

the start of Trey's new life.

Master Chief Quichera, why don't you let

someone else do this for you?

I hung it up; I'm taking it down.

I did everything I could

to save this kid.

Guess I didn't do enough.

What was Trey in prison for?

This time? Armed robbery.

He and his boys held up a Fast Mart.

How long was he in for?

The judge gave him 25 to life,

but he only ended up doing seven years.

- Really?
- Yeah.

Trey became a new man in prison.

He told me he didn't want
to go back to his old life.

But I guess his old life found him.

I see your friend's murder
didn't affect your appetite.

You guys know anyone who would
have wanted to harm Trey?

Okay.

Guess what we got here
is what they refer to

on the streets as the code of silence.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard of this.

Yeah, they don't want to cooperate,

even if it means helping find
their friend's killer.

And therefore, makes them look
like they're hiding something.

I'm on probation.

Then I suggest you stop
the tough guy routine

and start talking.

All I know is that...

he must have been into something.

Because he was only
out of jail for a week,

and somehow he was...
he was flush with cash.

But you don't know
where that cash came from.

Of course you don't.

Get a shot of his left hand there.

Defense wounds?

No, he's got a strand
of hair in his palm.

Hmm.

Gonna bag this up, send it
back to Kasie for analysis.

Count at least four stab wounds, Gibbs.

The victim bled out quickly.

- Time of death?
- Based on lividity,

I'd say anywhere from
seven to ten hours ago.

Before the party started.

Murder weapon.

We've been searching the
courtyard; nothing yet.

But there are steak knives
on the table over there.

Yeah, but the knife that we're
looking for is not conventional.

The wound pattern here
indicates a jagged,

uneven blade with at
least one right angle.

Like a shiv?

What is that? Melted plastic?

Part of the homemade knife.

Well, that is odd.

People usually get shivved
while they're in prison.

Not after they get out.

Tell that to him.

Kendall "Trey" Quichera.

He only served seven years
of a 25-to-life sentence.

According to his aunt,
he was practically a saint

on the inside, but I talked to

two former inmates who said that

he wasn't the angel
that she thought he was.

He even started a brawl that
put him in the hole for a month.

- Brawl with who?
- Don't know.

We're waiting on
the prison's internal records.

They still let this guy out early.

On a technicality.

An appellate court overturned
his original conviction

- based on mishandled evidence.
- Thank you.

What's he done since he's been out?

A lot of boozing.

Apparently, he was
approved for a credit card

and has been running up a tab
over at O'Brien's Pub.

You two, go.

McGee, Trey's original
drug case... dig into it.

Kase, yeah. On my way down.

Just kind of... Hmm.

Okay.

And then... Oh, son of a...

Hey, Gibbs.

Need some help?

No, I think I got it.

I wasn't asking, Kase.

Oh.

This is for a friend.

He's got a job interview today.

He's freaking out 'cause he's like,

"Oh, I don't know how to tie a tie."

I promised I'd hook him up,
but, like, tying a tie

is ridiculously complicated.

It's like a Rubik's Cube
with all the fun sucked out.

There you go. You're all set.

Oh, wow.

Very nice, Gibbs.

You know, if he makes this
bad boy look half as good as me,

that job is his.

Heh, heh, heh. Look at me.

Kase?

- You said you had something?
- Right. Sorry.

So I tested the hair you recovered

from the victim's palm.

Unfortunately,
it does not match our killer,

unless we're looking for
a shiv-wielding pooch.

- Dog hair?
- Yep.

What breed?

Still working on that.

But based on the patterns and dimensions

of the victim's wounds,
I was able to create

a rendering of the murder weapon.

Filed-down toothbrush.

White-Bright, to be exact.
Although, you know, I doubt

they're gonna want to use that
in their next ad campaign.

Nice work.

So, this grand marshal thing,

do you get, like, cash and prizes?

No, but I do get to ride
in a Sebring convertible.

And?

And that's pretty much it.

Huh.

What?

No, I'm surprised. I just...

never thought of you
as someone who, uh, needed

their ego stroked like that.

I just need to beat her once.

Beat who?

Tanya Owens.

I went to high school with
her, and she tormented me.

She's a local meteorologist.

She-She's Hinton's version
of a celebrity.

Mm, such a sad little town.

They usually ask Tanya
to be grand marshal,

and I know how much it means to her.

So I can't wait to see her face

when she sees Ellie the scarecrow

rolling in that Sebring.

Hey, you guys need some help?

You have no idea, bro.

Um, so we need to ask you about
a recent customer of yours.

Kendall Quichera. Also goes by Trey.

Look familiar?

Yeah. Whiskey neat, water back.

He's been in the last few nights.

- Alone?
- I wish.

He always shows up with the same dude,

who is annoying as hell.

Annoying how?

He keeps handing out his business cards.

You don't happen to have
one of those cards, do you?

One?

Relentless.

"Dante Brown. Dog trainer,

dog walker, doggy day care."

Prior to Dante's dog-walking ambitions,

he built quite a rap sheet.

Felony agg-assault followed by
several probation violations.

Turns out that Trey and Dante
had a lot more in common

than knocking back a few whiskeys.

They were cellmates
at Danville Correctional.

Having a drink with your old
celly doesn't make you a killer.

- We need more.
- Uh, boss?

- What do you got?
- I got more.

Pulled the prison's internal records,

and one of Trey's prison
fights was with Dante Brown.

Get this, Trey shivved him.

So that could explain why Trey

was killed with a shiv after
he was released from prison.

Dante wanted payback.

- You got an address?
- I'll call his P.O.

Okay. Let's go.

I mean, I love dogs.

I don't have one myself, but if I did,

I wouldn't let this Dante guy
anywhere near mine.

Your hypothetical dog's
lucky to have you, Nick.

Hey, knock it off.
Bishop, Torres, take the back.

McGee with me.

Come on, Tater Tots, on my six.

Here you go.

You still love dogs?

Federal agents!

Nowhere to go, Dante!

Okay, we're coming out.

"We"?

Kasie?

Don't shoot, Gibbs. He's unarmed.

What's going on, Gibbs?

Was about to ask you the same thing.

Dante a friend of yours?

Best friend. Known him my whole life.

What do you think he did?

You don't actually think he's the one

who shivved that guy, do you?

I never said that.

The handcuffs speak for themselves.

I'm just gonna have a talk,
ask him a few questions.

Why him?

He was at a bar
with the victim last night.

And the night before that.

Dante knew Trey Quichera?

Well, they were cellmates.

Until Trey attacked him with a shiv.

Dante never said anything about
getting jumped in prison.

Hmm. He never mentioned Trey?

No.

Would you tell me if he did?

Yes.

Would it even matter at all if I
told you Dante is not your guy?

Yes.

Dante's not your guy.

Yeah, I hope not.

Still gonna need to have a chat.

- Can I be in the room?
- No.

Then what can I do?

Your job.

That's, uh, Dante's dog, right?

Yeah, that's Theo. Why?

You want me to collect
a sample of his hair?

Gibbs, it's not Theo's hair that
we found at the crime scene.

Then you got nothing to lose.

What does Trey being

laid out with a shiv got to do with me?

We all know about the fight
you two had in prison.

We also know that Trey used a shiv.

What are you talking about?

A shiv?

There wasn't ever any fight
between Trey and me.

Hey.

You okay, Kase?

More worried about Dante.

Trey had his share
of dustups in the yard,

but he never came at me.

We were boys.

Prison records say different.

Well, the prison records are wrong.

Wait a minute, that's the only
reason why I'm in here?

'Cause of some fictional fight?

No, it's not the only reason.

Why were you and Trey out,
last couple of nights?

Trey hit me up.

He said he just got sprung.

This may seem silly to y'all, but...

the real world becomes scary.

He just wanted to kick it
with somebody who can relate.

You feel me?

You two were close?

No, not really.

I still considered him a friend.

Friends still fight.

Friends don't try to kill each other.

Are you charging me with murder?

Not yet.

Well, if I'm not under arrest,
then I'm free to go.

I know my rights.

Then you know
that you violated your parole

by associating yourself
with a known felon.

Really? Just for having drinks with Trey?

You might want to
loosen up that tie, buddy.

Think you're gonna be here a while.

Really? A parole violation?

He's a murder suspect.

- They had to find a reason to hold him.
- Why?

He has no motive. He just told
them the fight didn't happen.

Just trust the process, Kasie.

If he's innocent, they'll
cut him loose soon enough.

He is a two-time felon from
the Hopson project in Bushwick.

We both know what that means.

Innocent isn't always enough.

But he's in good hands here.

We were supposed to be on the way

to his job interview right now.

Ah. That explains the tie. What job?

Dog trainer at Paw Palace.

It's, uh, entry-level,
but they knew his past

and were still willing
to give him a shot.

I was really hoping this job
was gonna change his life.

Hey, where's Gibbs?

Hey. I was just about to come down...

Dante just said the fight
with Trey never happened.

Yeah, Kasie, I know. I was in there.

No. No, right after you guys left,

he told me, and he has never

lied to me ever. He's telling the truth.

And that means the fight,
aka his motive, it isn't real.

And you may be right, Kase,

but we can't just take his word for it.

Right, no, of course not.

Please, just investigate.

We are.

Then why aren't you
on your way to the prison

to find out what really happened?

Because Gibbs and McGee didn't invite us.

It's not really a four-person gig, Kasie.

Look, we are gonna do everything we can

to get to the truth. No assumptions.

You trust us, right?

Of course. Yeah, no.

I just, um,

you know, Dante has been wronged
by the system so many times.

I mean, he's spent
most of his adult life in prison

for nothing.

For nothing?

Really, Kasie?

2008, reckless endangerment.

2009, possession of contraband.

2012, criminal trespassing.

Every single one of those things

was a ticky-tack probation violation.

Like, the contraband?

That was a few fireworks.

But because he was already on probation,

he served two years.

And the reckless endangerment?
He and his girlfriend,

they were on his Ducati,
she begged him to pop a wheelie,

so he did.

A cop saw him.

He went back to prison
for popping a wheelie?

- Nine more months.
- What about his first arrest?

The felony aggravated assault in 2005?

You know, Kasie, I'm not
trying to be a jerk,

but the report says he almost
killed a kid at a party.

I know.

I know what the report says.

But I also know the truth.

A troubled 15-year-old boy

got jumped by a rival gang at a party

and Dante was the only person
that tried to help.

But all the cops saw was a bunch
of thugs beating on a kid.

You were there?

No.

But, you know,
I really wish I would've been.

'Cause that kid that Dante
risked his life to save,

that's my baby brother.

Nobody had Dante's back at trial?

All the witnesses
were too afraid to testify,

so all the jury had
was the police report.

Dante got six years.

3,000 inmates, 150 guards.
You do the math.

You give them an inch,
they'll take a mile,

so I don't give them that inch.

Doesn't stop them from trying to take it.

Yes, sir. Trey Quichera tried.

Was always pushing the limits.

I guess he finally pushed
someone too far.

- What about Dante Brown?
- I couldn't tell you.

Hmm, never said two words to him
the whole time he was here.

He'd rather talk to his dog.

Inmates are allowed dogs?

Not exactly. They just work
with them during the day.

It's part of our K-9s For Cons program.

They bring in at-risk rescue dogs

so the inmates can rehabilitate them.

Seems weird putting together
two lost causes,

but somehow, it all seems to work.

Ain't that right, Sarge?

Already placed 37 dogs in good homes.

Before they came to us, all
these dogs were unadoptable.

And just look at them now.

You work with Dante Brown?

Every day. Best damn trainer I ever had.

Keeping his nose clean?

He's a suspect in Trey's murder.

Really?

I mean, I heard about Trey.

Tell you the truth,
that punk had it coming.

But Dante?

I didn't think he had it in him.

Well, he had at least one fight.

With Trey, here in the yard.

I don't remember that.

Neither do I.

I've got the report right here.

Last July, Trey shivved Dante.

Well, if it's in the report, it happened.

Officer Brindle, you recognize this?

That is your signature.

I fill out a fight report every day.

Shivs, shanks, switchblades.

All becomes a blur.

Your surveillance video...
how far back do you keep it?

Five years.

You want to see the fight for yourself.

You got it. Just need the date.

Well, that's the problem.

See, the report shows

the month and year
of the fight, but not the day.

I don't know what happened there, Sarge.

Okay. We'll be in touch.

That's, uh, 31 days
we need to scan, McGee.

And by "we," you mean "me," right?

- Okay, so what's the plan?
- Plan?

Yeah, you saw how this dog
tried to maul Torres earlier.

We need a plan.

Wait, should we be wearing one of those

big puffy bite-proof suits?

Oh, yeah. Probably.

I'm kidding, Bishop.

- Oh, my God.
- I'm kidding.

Hey! Hey, Theo. Hi.

Hi. Yes.

Oh, I love you, too, Theo-man.

Wow. He likes you a lot more than Torres.

Uh, yeah, he better.

Fostered this guy right
after he got out of prison.

- Wait, puppy prison?
- Oh, yeah.

Theo was one of the at-risk dogs
in their prison-inmate program.

Theo was Dante's,

but Theo graduated
before Dante got paroled.

So he was your roommate until
Dante got out? For how long?

A month.

A month? In your tiny
little studio apartment?

How was that?

Intimate.

- Oh, hey, sorry about that.
- Yes.

Theo's never really grasped
the concept of personal space.

That's okay. I'm not complaining. Okay.

Hey.

Boy.

Hey, you all good over there?

Kase?

- You good?
- Yeah.

We're good.

Great.

Kasie.

Hey.

You called?

I just tested Theo's hair.

It was not a match to the dog hair

we recovered from the victim.

And you're sure?

100%.

Isn't that supposed to be good news?

Yeah, it is, but this isn't.

I found it in Dante's backyard.

It was hidden under Theo's bed.

A shiv.

Made from a White-Bright toothbrush.

And so you were gonna tell us this when?

I'm sorry I hid it from you, Ellie.

I was afraid I wouldn't be allowed

to test the blood myself,

and if Dante was going away for murder,

I wanted to make sure
the test was done right.

And?

Tested the blood three times,

and this is the murder weapon.

I'm sorry, Kase.
I know this has got to be tough.

Yeah, it sucks.

I really thought this
was his fresh start.

Really believed he wasn't going back.

Can I have a minute
to say goodbye, Gibbs?

Thank God, Kasie.

How long they planning on
keeping me in here?

Sit.

What? What now?

Look, I said sit.

Look familiar?

No.

Is that...?

Yeah.

Kasie, I've never
seen this before in my life.

Then why was it in your backyard?

I don't know.

No, you got to do better than that.

Maybe somebody planted it there?

Well, planted by who?

The hell if I know.

I would start by asking
whoever found the damn thing.

I found it.

So like I said, you're
gonna have to do better.

Okay, hold up, hold up.

You don't actually believe
that I murdered Trey, do you?

No.

But everyone else does.

So if you ever want to see
Theo again, you're gonna need

to help me help you.

Didn't Kasie just ask you
if she could say goodbye?

Goodbyes come in many forms.

She still doesn't think he's guilty.

Ah, and you knew it.

The thought did cross my mind.

But you also knew
if he was honest with anyone,

it would be her,

and you wanted a confession.

No. I wanted the truth.

You're not convinced
he's guilty either. Why?

He had motive, the shiv was at his house.

Uh, Theo's house.

What are you saying?

We should be interrogating
a German shepherd?

What I'm saying is he could've
ditched it in a lake.

He didn't do that.

He hid it with his dog,
which is not only dumb,

it's dangerous, if you love your dog.

Mm.

Maybe Dante got desperate.

Yeah, maybe.

Man, you remember when we first met?

Uh... yeah. Fifth grade, recess.

- Mm-hmm.
- I was chilling on the stairs

and you walked right up
and spit your game.

Spit my game?

- You were crushing on me a little bit.
- Wrong.

No. You needed my help, okay?

'Cause the McCallen brothers

were chucking Nerf footballs
at your dome.

That's funny. Thought you were
kind of feeling me back then.

No, far from it, bro. No.

You just needed a friend 'cause, face it,

you had more than enough enemies.

Okay, okay, wait, wait, wait.

What is this? Is this some
kind of pre-prison pep talk?

'Cause if it is, it sucks.

This is a "save your ass" pep talk.

What's this for?

Hey, you're still the same kid
that I saved at recess.

We both know that you got a real
talent for pissing people off,

so I want you to make a list
of all of them.

You think the McCallens
set me up for Trey's murder?

No.

But I think somebody did.

Come on, give me some damn names, Dante.

You wouldn't believe
how many fights break out

in prison every day.

Actually, I would.

Gibbs has me listening
to inmate phone calls

to see if there's any talk
about Dante's fight,

and I just started, and I've heard

about a dozen different beatdowns.

- Dante vs. Trey?
- Eh, nothing yet.

What are you smiling at, Torres?

Hmm? Oh, the, uh,

the weather forecast.

In the Sooner State.

Right now, we're seeing some
pretty clear conditions...

Oh, you think this is funny?

Extremely.

Come on, you kept bringing her up,

so naturally, I got curious.

Who is that?

That's Tanya Owens, aka

Bishop's long-time archnemesis.

Aka the meanest meteorologist
in the world.

She's pretty good.

There's no sound, McGee.

What's going on?

Oh, you know, the usual.

- Tormenting Bishop.
- Mm.

Did you get a chance to look into

all those names Dante gave us?

Yes, yes. We cleared most of the list.

They all had alibis.

What about the rest?

We're checking them out now.

Really? 'Cause it looks to me
like all you're checking out

is the Doppler radar
for central Oklahoma.

Okay, listen, Kasie,
we know he's your friend,

but look at the evidence.

I'm pretty sure we have our guy.

Yeah, well, I am pretty sure
that we just sent

an innocent man back to prison,

and you all don't even seem to care.

Hey, come on, Kase.
You don't actually believe that.

Which part, Eleanor?

Miss Hines.

My office, please.

What exactly were you hoping

to accomplish with that down there?

I'm sorry, Director.

I apologized to the team
right after you left.

Not what I asked.

First and foremost,
you're a forensic scientist.

Our job is to investigate,
evaluate the evidence,

and make good arrests.

- I know that.
- And being Kasie Hines's best friend

is not an automatic
"get out of jail free" card.

I know that, too, sir.

So despite all the evidence,

including the murder weapon,
which you found at the house,

you still believe that
Dante Brown is innocent?

Yes, sir. I do.

Dante isn't a killer.
He's not capable of it.

Okay, then.

I'm sorry I interrupted.

You can go back down. Continue as before.

Say again?

Why do you think I called you
up here, Miss Hines?

- To tell me to back off.
- Wrong.

I called you up here to tell you
that you're not alone.

The anger you're feeling now,

yeah, I have felt it, too.

Your instinct to fight for
your friend should be commended.

If you truly believe
that Dante Brown is innocent,

then you better fight like hell
to prove it.

And if that means lighting a fire

under every ass in this place,

then so be it.

You have my full support.

Thank you, Director.

But you better be right.

Love and loyalty can be
blinding, Miss Hines.

If we're not careful, we go
to war for the wrong people.

And trust me,

that's one lesson that you don't
want to learn the hard way.

Now, that being said,
I'm gonna ask you one more time:

Are you 100% sure
that Dante Brown is innocent?

Don't answer that.

Kasie, I'm sorry, but there's, uh,

something you need to see.

You don't look happy.

Is there anything you want to tell me?

Doesn't matter. It's not like
I would believe you anyway.

That doesn't make me a killer.

No, but it does make you a liar.

What else have you lied about?

I'm sorry, Kasie.

Why did you lie to me?

If NCIS knew that
Trey really did attack me,

I'd look guilty as hell.

Not as guilty as you do now.

Thought it'd be my word
against the guard's.

How could you not know every prison

has a surveillance system?

I thought that Trey attacked me

in a spot that was
outside the camera view.

Yeah, maybe you should stop thinking.

I get it, I screwed up.

Again. We've been here before.

When's this gonna stop, Dante?

I risked my job to protect you.

Does that even matter to you?

Of course it does.

But you know what
I've been through with cops.

And they pulled me
out of my house at gunpoint,

so, yeah, I was scared.

But you didn't just lie to them,
you lied to me.

You are them, Kasie!

You are them.

I'm your friend first.

So you can trust me.

Kasie, I regret

lying to you more than
I resent sitting in this chair.

I know that I hurt you, and it sucks,

because nobody matters to me
more than you do.

Kasie, you know the real me.

Oh, man, I don't, I don't
know if that's true anymore.

You know damn well I ain't no killer.

Please don't let one mistake

just erase 25 years of friendship.

What do you want from me, Dante?

Just a little faith.

'Cause you and I both know
that without your help,

I'm gonna rot in here
for the rest of my life.

NCIS cleared the names you gave me.

Okay? So...

nobody on that list framed you.

Which means that we are...
we're all out of leads.

So you giving up on me?

No.

I'll never give up on you, Dante.

And I'll never stop loving you.

But I got to go 'cause, um,

Theo's all alone.

Can you tell my boy I love him?

Yeah, I will, and, um...

he knows.

Thank you for taking care
of him... again.

Yeah, we're-we're taking
care of each other.

- What are we doing, McGee?
- What do you mean?

We found the guy. We made the arrest.

Why are we still looking in this case?

Uh, you'd have to ask Gibbs.

Ask Gibbs what?

Well, McGee wants to know

why we're still looking
into the, uh, Quichera case?

Look, are you afraid
that we got it wrong?

Or are we just triple-checking
because it's Kasie?

Both. Update.

All right, well,
I re-interviewed Trey's buddies.

Same stories as before.

I don't think they're hiding anything.

McGee, go.

Found a couple scuffles Trey had
that we didn't know about,

but the guys he fought
are still locked up.

Gibbs, I'm all up for
crossing T's and dotting I's.

I feel bad for Kasie,

what she's going through right now,

but I'm pretty sure we got the right guy.

I'm not. Gibbs.

You need to hear this.

Hey, Bishop.

You were right. Dante didn't kill Trey.

Then who did?

Someone who was trying
to keep Trey from talking.

About what?

Well, he was laundering money
on the inside

with some inmate named Grant.

And so we think this Grant guy
ordered the hit.

Wait, how do you know all this?

Gibbs has had me listening

to the prison phone calls for days, so...

He has?

Yeah, look, talk to Dante,

find out if the name "Grant"
means anything to him.

Yeah, on it.

Oh, and, Bishop, thank you.

I can't believe there are

13 guys named Grant in the same prison.

So many Grants, so little time.

At least he's not a Smith.

Well, we can cross both Greg Grant

and Alden Grant off the list because

they spent the last decade in solitary.

Louis Grant is out, too.

He was only processed in a few weeks ago.

Well, then that's a wrap.
We're all out of Grants.

Check the employees.

Already did. Didn't find anything.

What about vendors?

Um...

Yeah, there is one Grant.

Noel Grant.

Contracted to handle
all of the prison's...

- Laundry.
- Yeah.

Yeah, he runs a commercial service

called Press 'N Clean Pros.

H-How do you,
how do you know that, Gibbs?

The guy on the call
didn't say "laundering,"

- he said "laundry."
- Wait.

Trey did work in the prison's
laundry detail for years.

Who is Noel Grant?

Uh...

Someone with a pretty sketchy past.

He was indicted for narcotics
trafficking three times.

Yeah, and just last month,

he bought a $5.2 million
beach home in Aruba.

Didn't they say

the hit was ordered
by someone inside the prison?

Must be someone else involved.

Another inmate?

Yeah. On my way down.

What do you got, Kase?

Dog hair, lots of it.

After Bishop told me
the hit was ordered by someone

inside of the prison, I had a hunch,

so I collected hair

from all the K-9s For Cons dogs,

and tested it against the hair
found at the crime scene.

And this guy was a match.

How's that possible?

I thought the dogs were
kenneled at the prison?

The dogs assigned to the inmates are,

but the dogs the staff use
to teach the class

go home with them,
and this particular pooch

belongs to a guard.

Which one?

Why am I here?

Because killing people is illegal.

Who do you think I killed?

Trey Quichera.

That's ridiculous.

Trey was a career criminal, a gangbanger.

Probably got killed by some thug.

Like Dante Brown?

You said yourself they had beef.

Those fights in the yard
ain't just nothing.

Them boys, they kill each other.

Which is why you chose Dante
to be your fall guy.

He had a motive.

Why the hell would I want
to kill Trey Quichera?

- To shut him up.
- About what?

All the drugs you've been smuggling

into the prison over the years.

You and Noel Grant cut a deal,

use his linen trucks to bring in coke

and heroin, bypassing security.

And you still needed
an inmate on the inside

to move your product.

You handpicked Trey because
he was doing 25 to life,

but he had an early release.

You panicked, thought he might talk.

So you killed him with a prison shiv

and you planted that in Dante's backyard.

You can't prove any of this.

Oh, Noel Grant can.

Our agents grabbed him at
Dulles before he could hop

on a flight to Aruba.

He's been airing out
your dirty laundry ever since.

Literally.

Look on the bright side, at least you're

going somewhere familiar and
you know all the rules already.

I bet them boys in Danville

are gonna be excited to see you.

Yo. What are you doing here?

Aren't you supposed to be on a plane

on your way to do
the grand marshaling thingy?

Nah. I decided not to go.

Seriously?

What about little baby Bishop
inside your soul?

Isn't she gonna be disappointed?

She'll get over it.

And all your faithful minions
in Tater-Tots-ville?

Don't you owe it to...

Okay, they didn't want me, okay?

The truth is they never really wanted me,

so can we just drop it?

- Already dropped.
- Thank you.

They want Tanya Owens instead.
Uh-huh. Can you believe that?

Tanya frickin' Owens, again.

They only asked me because Tanya

wasn't available, then all of a sudden,

her schedule just
cleared right up. Mm-hmm.

Wait, so they just uninvited you?

Oh, no, it's even worse. They asked me

to be the head of security
for Grand Marshal Tanya.

Mm-hmm.

It's okay. Go ahead. You can laugh.

Bishop, I would never laugh at you.

Right in front of your face.

Ha.

You want to get some sushi?

Oh, I'd-I'd love to,
but I already have plans.

Oh, really? You got a hot date?

Something like that.

Really? I was kidding.

I didn't, I didn't know
you were seeing anyone.

- It's just been a few weeks.
- Wow, that's like

six months in Torres years.

You would like her, Bishop.

She's older, mature.

I think it may be good for me.

Wow.

How much older?

Does it matter?

No.

You know, you two make quite the couple.

You know, I can't thank
everybody from NCIS enough.

You guys saved my ass.

Oh, well, you know, you were innocent.

No, that don't matter.

Like, I still violated my parole.

I was right back
in the teeth of the system.

Thank you, Kase.

Don't thank me.

It was Gibbs and Vance
that got you released.

They took up your cause,

went to war with the D.O.J.

And a week later,
here I am, free to annoy

the hell out of my dog-son.

I'm sorry you went through this, D.

I'm lucky to have a best friend at NCIS.

No, I'd still be locked up.

You know, there's a ton of guys in there

who have an honest story to tell,

but nobody to listen.

You know, I was thinking about that.

If you and I team up, maybe
we could make some waves.

I'm with it.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, let's do it, man.

Oh, but first...

let's, uh, jump-start your career. Yeah?

Okay. All right.

- Let's go. Let's do this.
- Okay.

Uh-huh.

You nervous?

Oh, yeah, a little bit, yeah.

Okay.

Aw. Hi.

He's still a work in progress.

Yeah, but aren't we all?

Hi. Hi. Come on, buddy, get down.

Well, guess it's either now or never.

Come on, boy.

Hey, you're taking Theo
into your job interview?

Of course. Here.

He's my résumé.

Come on.