NCIS (2003–…): Season 18, Episode 9 - Winter Chill - full transcript
NCIS dives into the competitive world of food trucks after finding a man frozen to death in the back of one.
[electrical buzzing]
Looking good
this morning, Merri.
Feeling cold, Reilly.
Really cold.
If it's any consolation,
you look the opposite.
By which I mean...
hot.
Thank you for clarifying.
You are nothing
if not relentless.
Hey, nobody ever hits
a home run without
stepping up to the plate.
And nothing turns
on a woman more
than a good baseball metaphor
in subzero temperatures.
That's not subzero.
This is subzero.
And I love it.
It's invigorating.
You know,
good for the blood flow.
Stamina.
And I've been vaccinated,
just saying.
Gosh, I can't wait for business
to get back to normal,
so I can afford to cook
with fresh veggies again.
But then you'd never get to see me.
Oh, yeah.
That's a real Sophie's choice.
Hey, you ordered peas, right?
Here's a loose bag.
On the house.
Now, tell me about this, uh,
Sophie girl... [screams]
♪
"And while I know that staying
in Afghanistan is right for me,
"I do regret not
getting to say goodbye
to each of you in person."
BISHOP: "So as a way of saying
'Till we meet again,'
I hereby bequeath the following
items from my office."
"To McGee, I leave
my electric stapler,
since he used it
every chance he could."
Yeah. "And to Ellie,
I leave my shiatsu
massage bar, since she borrowed
it every chance she could."
Ah, yes.
"And to Nick, I
officially award
"full custody of Carl,
because I know he'll
take good care of him."
Aw.
What? No. No.
Come on. You guys got all cool
stuff and I get a damn fish?
He's been with you all week.
Look, one thing
is keeping him alive for a week.
The other is permanently.
Well, obviously she thinks
you need it, Nick.
Yeah, like I need
that back massager.
You know, this e-mail's
just to the three of us.
I wonder what she left Gibbs.
You mean,
besides a broken heart?
I think he's been a lot
chipper since he got back.
Yeah, I know, right?
I mean, he seems to be taking
Sloane's loss pretty well.
I didn't know she was lost.
Unless you know
something I don't.
Uh, no, boss, we're just
talking about the fact
that she's staying
in Afghanistan.
Yeah, I heard about that.
Gear up.
Got a body in Douglass.
Bundle up, kids.
Ms. Hines?
Director.
I take it Agent Sloane left
a memento for you as well?
She did.
Yeah, but that's
not why I'm here.
I just came to think.
Here as opposed
to your own office?
[chuckles]
Force of habit. I've...
actually been consulting
with Jack semi-regularly
since that whole
diner hostage thing last year.
Per your suggestion,
if you recall.
Yeah.
I-I recall. She was helpful?
Oh, very.
So much so,
I find myself drawn here
whenever I need to...
collect my thoughts, I guess.
Everything
we've been through
the past year or so...
Uh-huh.
But why do I get the feeling
that there's-there's something
more personal, like...
But not-not that it's
any of my business.
No, it's fine,
just family stuff.
My sister got furloughed
from her job
and then she lost her apartment.
She had to move back in
with our mom and...
ugh, let's just say
the two of them
love each other best from afar.
I-I am familiar
with that dynamic.
Yeah, I was up half the night
on the phone playing referee.
[phone chimes]
And I am late
to a budget meeting.
I sure could use
a referee on this.
[chuckles]:
Ugh.
Uh, but listen, um,
you-- if you need
a few days off...
Uh, no, not at all. I-I'm fine.
Okay.
All right, that's close enough.
I never get to say that.
Victim is, uh, Petty Officer
Martin Delfino, 25.
Currently listed as U.A.
from the USS Patrick Goodell.
Failed to report for muster
at midnight last night.
Where is his ship now?
Uh, prepared to
depart out of Norfolk.
Delfino was, uh,
scheduled for mandatory
quarantine pre-deployment.
TORRES:
Neither of the witnesses
knows the victim,
and the driver has no idea how
the body got in his truck.
You got any cause
of death, Palmer?
JIMMY:
Yeah, we may have to wait
until he thaws out a bit.
Uh, it appears to be
a head wound, but, uh,
judging by his somewhat
casual pose, I'd say
he was dead before he froze.
No rhyme intended there.
[phone ringing]
Hey. Third call today and
you don't even leave a message.
Everything okay?
FORNELL:
Couldn't be better, Butch.
I just had some big news
to share,
and voice mail wouldn't do.
You got a minute?
No.
Why, what is it?
It's way too big
without telling you
with a detailed explanation
and you'll think I'm crazy.
I already think you're crazy.
Well, that's a good point.
Look, I-I still have
a couple of errands to run.
I'll just drop by later
and I'll tell you in person.
Ciao, baby.
"Ciao, baby"?
JIMMY:
Hey, Gibbs?
We might not know
who left him here,
but maybe Killer Korn does?
Killer Korn?
Killer Korn?
Killer Korn?
Like the food truck?
You know it?
I know it? I love it.
It's the best corn on the cob
in the universe.
There's a sentence
you don't hear every day.
Come on, Ellie, it's just corn.
How good can it be?
Oh, you won't be
asking me that
when you try it, promise.
Did I hear right?
That's one
of the Killer Korn guys?
Oh, now you recognize him?
I didn't see the logo.
Him I don't know so well.
I mostly deliver to Greco,
his cousin.
When was the last time
you delivered?
Had to be last week.
Where do we find this place?
BISHOP: Well, uh, it pops up
all over town.
Luckily, I have my trusty
little food truck app here.
Oh, yeah. Oh, of course you do.
What kind of foodie
would she be without it?
Okay, guys.
Uh, it tracks every food
truck in the metro area.
Just give me a second.
Retrace your steps last night.
Um, my last delivery
was in Brightwood.
After that, I dropped
off the truck
at the supply house
around 10:00.
Picked it back up
this morning at 6:30.
Obviously you didn't
take inventory.
Hate to say,
I'm a little lazy about that.
I just let them load
the truck and I deliver.
Then let's check
the supply house.
Any luck on the truck, Bishop?
BISHOP:
Uh, no, not yet,
which is super weird,
'cause this app updates
every ten minutes,
but right now it just says
that Killer Korn is...
nowhere.
Mmm, this is so good.
You ready for this?
Listen to this sweet sound. [whirs]
I hate you both.
Not as much
as I hate Carl over here.
Hate is a strong word, Nick.
Dude, this fish needs everything
except a daily walk.
Are you sure neither of you
can take him?
My childhood trauma, remember?
Oh, come on,
that was a goldfish that died.
This is a betta fish.
I'll even vaccinate him. McGee?
No, I'm already taking
care of Tony's fish.
Maybe, uh, maybe
Gibbs will take him.
[cackles]
[laughter]
Update.
Petty Officer First Class
Martin Delfino,
25 years old,
CO calls him a model sailor,
coming off two months' leave
after back-to-back tours
in the Persian Gulf.
Next of kin?
We notified his parents in Phoenix.
They said that
he visited briefly
and then returned
back to D.C. to help
his cousin out
on his food truck.
We find the cousin?
TORRES: Not yet. The name is Sean Greco.
We left several messages on
the number the parents gave us.
Website offers no update
on that truck's location.
Same with the app. Uh, I've hit
the refresh button,
like, a million times
and still... Oh.
Wait, I don't believe it.
Okay.
It finally updated.
We've got a location.
Good, take Torres with you.
McGee, we are going
to the supply house. Let's go.
All right, Killer Korn,
here we come.
Hey, Nick, you are going
to love this place.
They've got Taiwanese corn,
they've got Mexican street corn,
they've got Cuban corn.
Oh, and their Italian corn?
Mmm.
Parmesan and pesto? Oh, man.
Wait a minute.
That's not Killer Korn.
It says "Killer Korn" on it.
Yeah, no, I know what it says,
but their truck
is green, not blue.
Kosmic Korn. Not Killer Korn.
It is Kosmic Korn that's the best.
[Bjork laughs]
Don't let Greco
hear you say that.
Kosmic Korn doesn't come close.
What'd I tell you?
You gonna be out of here
by 3:00?
As always, Bjork, but it's
my first day without Marty.
He went back to the Navy,
so I'm scrambling here
to open up on time.
Well, uh, don't let me keep you.
There's that look.
Taiwanese?
You know it's my favorite.
Here.
Enjoy!
And I'll be happy
to prove our corn's
a thousand times better,
just not for another half hour.
Yeah, Mr. Greco, I'm afraid
we're here about your cousin.
McGEE:
Now, that is Reilly.
He's dropping off his truck
at Igloo supply house
around 10:00 p.m. last night,
walking away like
nothing happened.
Now, we didn't
see anyone
coming or going from there
until midnight,
when we see this worker
starting to load food crates
just inside the freezer door.
If Delfino's body
was already in there,
then this guy never saw him.
Well, at 6:30 a.m.,
Reilly showed up again,
picked up his schedule,
and headed back out, which is
exactly what he said he did.
What do we know about Reilly?
Two old drug
misdemeanor charges,
but he's been clean
ever since then.
I'm still
making calls
off his delivery schedule
from yesterday.
Multiple pages, you know.
That Jack's?
Yeah.
Left it to me.
A beaut, isn't she?
Why, it sure does staple.
Yeah.
She leave you anything, boss?
I-I just can't believe it.
Marty was indestructible.
Like a force of nature.
Hold up.
How could he be dead?
Dead?
Marty? Our Marty?
I'm afraid so.
And you are?
Betty's his girlfriend.
Uh, good friend.
We had a friendly split
before he had to leave.
Oh, God, this is awful. How?
You didn't say how he died.
We're still trying
to figure that out.
His body was discovered
in the back
of a frozen food delivery truck.
Seriously?
The driver's name was
Richard Reilly?
Are you kidding? That goofball?
What was Marty doing
in his truck?
Any disagreements between them?
GRECO:
They hardly knew each other.
And Reilly hadn't delivered
here in at least a week.
Two weeks for me.
Were there any known enemies
he might have had?
No. No, he had
no enemies, but...
Well, let's just say
my cousin didn't take
any crap from anybody.
That's a good way to say it.
Such as...?
From, like, people we had
to deal with sometimes.
You know, business owners
who don't like us parking
in front of their stores.
Rude customers, food bloggers
expecting free samples
in exchange for a good review.
Everybody wants freebies.
Parking cops,
those trendy influencers.
And Marty handled
all our social media,
so... he couldn't stand them.
Any known arguments
or fights?
I guess he had a few with Sammy.
Sammy who?
Sloppy Joe Sammy.
Eh, I don't know
his last name,
but... yeah,
those two were always at odds.
Y'all know
where we can find him?
That's his truck right there.
Guy's a real charmer.
Hey, yo, you Sammy?
Did you see the name
on the side of the truck?
I don't open
for another ten minutes.
This won't take long.
Look, I-- whoa.
I'm sorry,
I was kidding.
Sammy's off today.
As a matter of fact,
he told me not to open at all.
So have a good day.
All right, hold on now.
[engine sputtering]
Are you trying
to flee the scene, Sammy?
I told you I'm not Sammy.
Turn off your engine.
Turn it off?
I can't even turn it on.
Stop trying.
What does that badge say?
NCIS.
You know, food trucks make
lousy getaway cars.
I told you,
for the millionth time,
I thought you were
the health department.
And for the millionth time,
why would you run from them?
Well, if you must know,
they gave my truck
a "C" rating last month,
and I, I haven't
quite gotten around
to making
all the improvements yet.
Putting a little extra sloppy
in your sloppy joe?
Yeah, even your mob buddies
would find that disgusting.
Oh, here we go.
What mob buddies?
Found guilty in 2015
on two counts
of racketeering and operating
a casino without a license.
The food truck business is
a bigger gamble
than any backroom card game
I might have run.
But that life--
it-it's all behind me now.
Or at least as of two weeks ago,
when your probation ended.
Oh, congratulations, what
did you do to you celebrate?
Huh? You settle some scores?
Hey, I got no scores
to settle with that Navy kid.
Look, any problems
we might have had
was because we...
we're too much alike.
Is that right?
Yeah.
This is a tough business.
And you got to be tough
and you got to bust your ass.
Nice kid like Greco's lucky
to have a guy
like Marty in his corner.
To fight off the competition?
You want competition,
don't talk to me.
Go talk to Kosmic Korn.
Why, what about Kosmic Korn?
Well, look, I don't know
all the gory details,
but, uh, there's a lot
of bad blood over there.
It's like the Hatfields
and the McCoys.
You know, except for food.
BISHOP:
Sammy wasn't kidding.
These food blogs
read like a crime novel.
Not a good crime novel.
I mean, come on:
"The Great Korn Wars of D.C."?
What's that about?
Basically, both Killer
Korn and Kosmic Korn
make the same product,
which apparently
splits the market
on a pretty fierce fan base.
Two months ago,
the competition boiled over
into accusations
of slashing tires.
Led to the owners
of each truck
to file restraining orders
against each other.
Well, where's the other truck?
[typing]
McGEE:
The website doesn't show
a location.
Let me check the app again.
This a bad time?
Uh...Not the best, but...
when has that ever stopped you?
Hey, how are you?
Hey, Tobias. Toby, what's up, man?
How are you?
Greetings to one and all.
I'm doing great.
And I'm really glad
you all are here,
because now I can
make it official.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Your big news.
Gibbs...
I am moving to Costa Rica.
Okay.
FORNELL: Once you told me
Sloane's original plan,
you know,
before Afghanistan,
the wheels started turning.
So I checked it out
and I think it's really perfect.
I did not know you were looking.
Well, why not?
I'm on the brink of retirement.
Emily is
finally squared away.
The time is right.
Uh... okay...
squared away, okay, but...
what's Emily really think
about this?
My daughter thinks
it's a great idea.
As a matter of fact,
we're meeting
for dinner tonight
to work out the details.
Who knows?
Maybe she'll even come with me.
Well... what do you think?
Me?
What does that matter?
It matters.
You matter.
Are you happy?
Mm.
Then, what the hell? Go for it.
Yes! [laughs]
[laughter, cheering]
Nice, Tobias, way to go, man.
Thanks, guys.
Wow, I am really stoked.
I've got
a few more errands to run,
so, Gibbs, I'll give you
a call you later.
And, uh...
uh, everybody have a great day!
All right, man.
See you.
See you, Tobias.
Wow, Costa Rica.
So what do you really think,
Gibbs?
You heard what I think.
Yeah, but really, I mean,
first Sloane, now Fornell?
Losing another friend?
Did I say that out loud?
Nobody's losing anything.
We still got phones, right?
And Zoom.
TORRES:
Yeah, and, uh,
FaceTime.
Mm-hmm.
Whatever-- we got a location
on those other corn trucks?
Uh, you know what,
still nothing on the app.
Well, get a new app
and find the damn thing.
And then find out why that
kid's cousin didn't tell you
about the corn wars or whatever
the hell that's about.
Yeah, you did say
that out loud.
That kid melted yet?
Gibbs, whoa,
you scared me.
Uh, yes, Petty Officer Delfino
has thawed out a bit,
and his skull X-ray
is actually quite revealing.
Blunt force trauma?
Wait, you-you can see that?
What I see is no bullet, and
that's usually when you say
blunt force.
I'm sorry to be
so predictable, but yes,
there's a crush injury
to the squamosal suture
which caused massive
brain hemorrhage.
Killed him fast.
You know what hit him?
Well, whatever it was,
it left a distinct pattern,
and here comes Kasie
to match that pattern
to a weapon.
I'll certainly try.
There's no try, Kase.
You just do.
Yes, sir.
[laughs]: Oh...
Wha...?
Really?
Gibbs actually quotes Yoda,
and all you can say
is "yes, sir"?
What? Oh, right.
Yoda, yeah.
Okay, what's going on?
Is it your mom or your sister?
Both.
Did Vance tell you?
No, no.
But whenever something's up
with your family,
you get really quiet and...
your eyebrows furrow
just like that.
[chuckles] Damn.
Nothing gets past you.
Okay, last I remember, uh,
your sister lost her place,
so she moved in with your mom, right?
Uh, yeah.
Now she's all moved in,
and it's going so well
that she just called
to tell me that...
Mom's having chest pains
and they're headed to the E.R.
Kasie...
what are you,
what are you still doing here?
You know, it's...
it's not that simple.
Even if I were to head
to New York now,
it's not like the hospital will
allow for visitors anyway.
Yeah, but you'd be closer.
And Mom will definitely think
she's dying if I just show up.
Yeah.
Why am I burdening you
with all this?
Because we're friends.
Yeah, but after all
you've been through?
And why have you been
through so much?
Why does stuff like
this keep happening
to good people like you
and, frankly, to me,
while other folks are
just skating through life
happily unscathed?
Is that really what you think?
It's what I think.
And see and feel lately, yeah.
[groans]
Okay, all right, well, let's,
let's reframe this then, um...
Look, if-if what
I've been through has
taught me anything, it's that
absolutely no one
happily skates
through life unscathed.
I'm not so sure.
I'm 100% sure.
It's, like, um...
Tale of Two Cities.
Okay, you lost me.
Yeah, Charles Dickens
did not write
"It was the best of times
and everything was awesome."
[laughs]
You know, I mean,
without "the worst of times,"
we wouldn't have
I don't know... poetry,
wouldn't have sad songs,
wouldn't have anything
that makes us appreciate
"the best of times."
Stars can't shine
without darkness.
No one is immune to suffering.
No one.
But the good news is,
people like you and me?
We can handle it.
We can?
Heck yeah.
We work hard to keep shining.
What?
Just, now I know how you talked
that guy off the ledge.
[door opens]
[door closes]
I didn't tell you
because it didn't matter.
Kosmic Korn stays on their side
of town, we stay on ours.
But it wasn't always that way.
Hey, Greco, backup hot sauces?
Right above the register, Bets.
Oh, I see them.
What about your truck?
Oh, I got a staff working it.
It's cool.
We look out for each other.
Some more than others.
Can't afford to shut down,
not even for a day.
Not in this business.
Which brings us back
to your feud.
How did it start?
[sighs]
Uh...
I was head line cook at Dasher's
in Georgetown for years,
and then... COVID shut us down.
And, uh, suddenly
out of a job,
I get this corn idea.
And since nobody else
was doing it,
I sunk my life savings
and every credit card I had
to make it happen.
Struggled at first,
but then
Marty came to help, and, uh,
and pretty soon
business was booming.
You know, until...
Until Kosmic Korn.
Until another cook
from Dasher's,
a now formerbuddy of mine,
opened up his own truck, yeah.
Your buddy stole your idea?
Stole my idea.
My recipe.
Even the Ks we use
in our name.
Oh, that's straight-up slimy.
Well, Marty and I thought so, too,
until the restraining orders
forced us to do business
miles apart.
So he's out of sight,
out of mind ever since.
At least until now.
[phone ringing]
It's McGee.
Hey, McGee, you're on speaker.
Hey, one of these blogs
just gave me a location
for Kosmic Korn.
An industrial park
on 10th and Ardale.
Uh... we're a few blocks
away from there.
Hey, are you, uh, Pete Cannizaro?
Uh, yeah.
Just take a number
and I'll be right with you.
TORRES:
I don't like him already.
You don't like what he did.
And you do?
I say we drag him
out by his feet
for breaking his
restraining order.
I say there are
other ways to get answers.
Plus, you might even get
some great corn out of it.
Just follow my lead.
Uh, Mr. Cannizaro, we-we're
not here to eat, actually.
I-I'm writing an article
for Food Truck Aficionado,
and I'd love to feature
what we're told is
the best corn in town.
In the universe.
But, uh,
as you can see,
I'm swamped over here.
Uh, well,
maybe we could help.
What?
What?
Yeah, my-my husband Nick and I,
we could get behind the scenes,
make it
a real hands-on story.
We've both been vaccinated.
You have
any experience?
None.Tons. Nick.
Well, be
honest, Ellie,
we don't have tons
of experience, but...
I mean, how
hard can it be?
It's just corn.
Oh, and you think it's easy?
Okay, hotshots,
climb aboard and, uh,
do exactly what I tell you.
I'll take two...I need three Italian,
two Mexican,
two limes and
an orange.
Two limes and an orange.
Three Italian, two Mexican.
Uh, cancel one
of the Italians,
make it a Taiwanese.
Uh, okay, which one's
the Taiwanese again?
It's the one with
the green label.
Okay.
And after that
I need,
uh, two honey butter and, uh...
four Mexican.
Thank you.
So, uh, how did
you get the idea
to serve corn
on the cob?
Uh, I don't know.
Most everybody loves corn,
and nobody else was doing it.
Nobody else?
Well, you know, there's nothing
new under the sun, right?
Right, so it was your own,
uh, killer recipe?
Yeah, it's my own twist on it.
Yeah.
Uh, these are all limes.
Oh.
I need, uh...One orange
coming right up.
BISHOP:
Hey, so, I saw this,
uh, thing online
about some other corn guys,
like some kind of feud
or something?
Oh, it was just
a big misunderstanding.
I have some regrets about that.
CANNIZARO:
Okay, whoa,
whoa, careful,
Mr. How Hard Can Corn Be?
Can't have a mess in here.
Nick, I'll help you.
MAN:
This is his first day, right?
So, just
a big misunderstanding, huh?
Yeah, I don't like
to talk about it.
I haven't even seen those guys
since the restraining orders.
Are you sure about that?
Sure about what?
You haven't seen
the Killer Korn guys
or, uh, Marty Delfino?
What does that
look like to you?
That looks like blood.
It's probably just hot sauce.
Nope.
No, it's
definitely not hot sauce.
Okay, hold on, now,
I-I can explain.
You're gonna have to.
You think I killed Marty?
Well, now that you admitted
he came to see you, I...
I also think you're really bad
at wiping up blood.
I keep telling you, that
was my blood from my nose.
From your fight with Marty.
It wasn't a fight.
It was just an argument
that got a little physical.
You whacked Marty in the head,
and then you stuffed him
into a freezer truck.
[sighs] No.
In fact, once he drew blood,
he calmed down.
Even apologized.
Is that so?
CANNIZARO:
Said he was trying
to break old habits.
All he wanted was to make sure
his loved ones
were taken care of
before he shipped out.
Like his cousin?
Yeah, Marty was so worried
about Greco,
all that money
and mental stress,
so he made one last plea to me
to get out of the corn business,
and he even offered
to help finance my switch.
He gave you money?
I-I didn't take it.
Hell, once he was done talking,
I was, you know,
a little ashamed.
I mean, it-it was Greco's idea
to begin with.
And his recipe.
[sighs]
Okay, I-I admit it,
what I did was wrong,
and life is too short, you know?
Stupid "Korn War" was giving me
gray hairs of my own.[door opens]
So I told him
I'd switch over to burritos
as soon as I ran out of corn.
Kasie confirmed it's Cannizaro's
blood and not our victim, so...
while it doesn't make
Cannizaro innocent,
he's not lying.
CANNIZARO:
And once we shook on it,
Marty said he had
one more stop to make.
One more stop where?
I don't know.
All I know is he had one more
loved one to take care of.
Any idea who that could be?
That sounds like something
Marty would say.
But I don't know that
he'd consider me a loved one.
Well, you'd been his girlfriend.
You said the breakup
was friendly.
From my side,
at least.
We were only together
for two months.
He would get so protective,
so possessive.
Jealous?
Of anyone in particular?
Flirty customers mostly.
He-He'd overhear from his truck
and come over
and get in their faces.
Any fights?
Just words.
Marty was lovely.
He was, uh... so sweet.
It just made me feel
uncomfortable.
Even if he hadn't shipped out,
I would have ended it.
Life's too short.
Can you think
of anyone specifically, Betty,
who may have flirted recently,
enough for Marty
to want to protect you?
No. I can't think of...
Who?
[elevator bell dings]
[sighs]
Sloane gave you this?
Oh. Hey, Gibbs.
Yeah.
I was so honored.
During our talks,
Sloane would always point
to the elephant in the room
whenever she thought
I was holding back.
What'd she leave you?
Got our weapon yet?
Ooh, getting there.
The wound's waffling pattern
suggests a tool of some kind.
Since our victim
worked with food,
I am thinking
cooking tools.
Like one of those
meat-tenderizing hammers
or a deep fryer basket.
Or maybe an actual
waffle iron.
Might be a little heavy
to swing,
but anything's
possible.
Are you feeling better?
Better than what?
Well, Kase,
you seemed a little off
down there in Autopsy--
you know, that...
that eyebrow thing.
Damn. You know,
I am never playing poker
with you or Jimmy. [scoffs]
So you're not better.
No.
Yes.
Sort of.
It helped
to have Jimmy remind me that
I'm not alone in my anxiety.
That both joy and sadness
await us all.
Good days and bad,
everybody goes through them,
so, may as well embrace
the roller coaster, right?
Okay, fine.
Right now I'm waiting
on a call from my sister
to get Mom's results
from the doctor.
The way things
are going, I'm...
kind of bracing for the worst.
So get out of here.
What?
No. Like I told Jimmy...What? Oh, no...
No, no, you don't
get to say no to me.
Go. Now.
Fine, I will book a flight
as soon as I have our weapon.
Weapon can wait.
Kasie.
You only have one mom.
The only trip you regret
is the one you don't take.
So go.
Get on a plane,
get on a train.
Go.
[beeping]
Oh.
That might be our weapon now.
What is it?
The wound's pattern is
a 96% match
to whatever this is
in Bishop's
crime scene photo.
[phone rings]
That's on the freezer truck.
Hi, Bishop.
We think Reilly is the guy.
Yeah, I know that.
Hey, you go. Go.
Where is he?
Now.
REILLY:
I admit, Marty did come see me
last night,
but it's a long story.
BISHOP:
We've got time.
GIBBS:
Make it a good one.
REILLY:
I was on my last stop
at this snack shop
when Marty comes up to me
and tells me to stay away
from this girlfriend of his
while he was away at sea.
Beignet Betty.
That one, yeah.
I wanted to reassure the guy
he had nothing to worry about,
only I had parked by a hydrant
and was in a hurry,
so I asked him to wait outside
while I finished up my delivery.
But when I came back out,
he was nowhere in sight. Gone.
Rule 39.
What's that?
Convenient.
Maybe so, but...
it was also a big relief.
So I-I closed up my truck,
I snatched the ticket off my...
my-my windshield,
and I drove off fast.
You should have told us that
this morning.
Look,
I panicked, okay?
So I played dumb.
Oh, you don't got
to play dumb.
Found a couple of hairs.
You all want to bet
they belong to Marty?
I swear to you,
I did not kill him.
Wait. Back up.
You got a parking ticket?
It-it was 75 bucks. But...
I wasn't even mad,
since Marty had left.
Again, I was
by a hydrant,
so it wasn't a
complete surprise.
GIBBS:
Ticket issued by C. Bjork.
I'll run the badge number.
Of course. Bjork strikes again.
You know him?
Every truck driver does.
Must have nailed me five
times already this year.
And he's an even bigger hard-ass
with food trucks.
Yeah, we know him, too, Nick.
We do?
He got free corn from Greco.
Let's go get him.
GIBBS: Hang on.
We're gonna need surveillance
from where this all happened.
Got the address on the ticket.
You're coming with me.
Where am I going?
You're going with me until we
find out you're not lying again.
[phone rings]
Hold this.
Hey, Tobias,
can I call you back?
I'm in the middle of something.
Gibbs, hurry. It-It's Emily.
Wait, what? What's going on?
Oh, my God. It's Emily.
Tobias!
Gibbs?
Tobias.
They won't let me in, Gibbs.
My baby's in there and
they won't let me in.
Why won't they let me in?
Okay, let's sit down.
I don't want to sit down.
Okay. Take a breath.
[takes deep breath]
Talk to me. Tell
me what happened.
I don't know.
First she didn't
show up for dinner
and then she didn't
answer my texts or...
or any of my...
my calls,
and then I-I ran
home, and I...
I went to her room,
and there she was.
Bottle of pills
on her nightstand.
She's alive.
Barely.
She was breathing, but she was
so cold, her skin was so cold.
What do we do, Gibbs?
What are we gonna do?
We're gonna sit down.
[whimpers softly]
And we're gonna
let these doctors do
what it is they do best.
All right.
Right, there's
good doctors here.
Yeah, they're the best.
Sit down.
She's gonna be okay.
Believe that.
Yeah, that's one of mine.
I didn't see the guy
I ticketed, though.
But you saw, uh,
Marty Delfino.
We have a witness
that saw you guys arguing.
Wait, Marty?
From the corn truck?
I-I'm confused.
No, no, you're not,
and yes, that Marty.
You got into a scuffle.
[sighs]
Not a scuffle.
A-After I wrote his ticket,
he just sort of appeared,
told me to stop being
such a hard-ass.
And then he just
kind of tripped.
Oh, he didn't trip.
Our witness saw you
pushing him headfirst, hard,
into a truck.
I'm telling you, he stumbled.
And yeah, he-he landed
kind of hard, y-you know,
so I set him up in the truck
wh-while I went to go get
the first aid kit from my car.
TORRES:
So you left the scene
and came back?
And when I did, he was gone.
Did your witness see that?
Oh, I'm sorry,
I keep saying "witness."
I meant to say "security video."
We have the whole thing, Bjork,
in living color.
I-I snapped, okay?
The guy got in my face
and I let him have it.
But, again,
I only put him in the truck
so he could sit and ice his head
while I went to go get
first aid.
Video doesn't lie.
Marty was half-dead
when you put him in the truck.
You were hoping to pin it
on Reilly.
Then you left
and never came back.
Do you have any idea
how hard it is
having everybody
mad at you every day
just for doing your job?
I'd let Gibbs know, but...
Still going straight
to voice mail?
Yep.
Well, he clearly said "Tobias"
when he answered the phone,
and then he just
ran off without a word.
I shudder to think what those
two are up to right now.
[dialing]
I'm gonna try him again.
Hmm.
[phone ringing]
Sylvia Carruthers.
Who?
The name on the
prescription bottle.
Grandmother of one
of Em's friends.
She probably found it in the
old lady's medicine cabinet.
Temptation is everywhere,
Tobias.
I really thought she
was past it, Gibbs.
Seemed... completely okay.
She was.
She will be again.
♪
[Kasie crying, laughing]
Hey, we deserve a good cry.
[sniffles]
Oh, hey.
Jimmy just walked in.
Let me call you back.
Okay. Love you, too.
[sniffles] You were right.
You were so right.
I was? I am?
That was my sister.
My mom passed all her tests
with flying colors.
See? That is great.
And while they were
at the hospital,
my sister's old job called.
They want her back
starting next week.
This is, this is great.
[phone ringing]Oh, hey.
It's Mom. I-- Let me take this.
Yeah, t-take it. I-I...
Give her my best.
Hey. Hey, Mom.
Yeah, uh, hang on. Hey, Jimmy.
[quietly]:
Thank you.
Oh, yeah.
That's right.
What's right?
She was there, in the room.
Emily?
Diane.
Her mother.
Her spirit.
When I first ran in
and saw Emily in the bed,
I could feel Diane in the room,
like she was waiting
for me to get there.
Yeah, I'll bet she was.
Yeah. I'm sure of it.
Yeah, good.
Then Emily was not alone.
♪
Hey, guys, I just finished up,
so I am headed o... [stammers]
What's going on?
What happened?
Emily Fornell.
What?
How? H-How?
Addiction.
McGEE: You know how it goes.
Addicts build up a tolerance.
They get clean.
Sometimes they relapse, and
it's a shock to their system.
You know?
Just doesn't seem real.
I'm gonna go home
and hug my kids.
BISHOP:
Director.
I guess you heard?
Gibbs is, uh... he's taking
Fornell to his place.
Um...
I thought I would just go over
and, I don't know,
I don't know, just sit outside
and just be there.
That sounds nice.
I, uh, think I'll join you.
I'll join, too.
What do you have there,
Director?
It's a, it's a copy
of a poem that...
a friend sent me
when my wife died.
The same one you sent me?
Merrit Malloy?
Yeah. I thought I would
give it to Fornell.
I don't know,
it might be too soon.
It's never too soon, sir.
Not for that poem.
I'd like to read it.
Or hear it.
Sure.
I'll try to get through it.
"When I die
"Give what's left of me away
"To children
And old men that wait to die."
"And if you need to cry..."
[groans]
"Cry for your brother or sister
Who walk the street beside you."
[crying] "And when you need me,
Put your arms around anyone..."
"And give them
what you need to give to me."
"I want to leave you something.
"Something better than words
"Or sounds.
"Look for me
In the people
I've known or loved."
"And if you cannot give me away,
"At least let me live
in your eyes
And not your mind."
"You can love me most
By letting hands touch hands."
"By letting bodies touch
bodies."
"And by letting go
"Of children
That need to be free."
"Love doesn't die.
People do."
"So, when all that's
left of me is love..."
"Give me away."
Captioning sponsored by
CBS
and TOYOTA.
Looking good
this morning, Merri.
Feeling cold, Reilly.
Really cold.
If it's any consolation,
you look the opposite.
By which I mean...
hot.
Thank you for clarifying.
You are nothing
if not relentless.
Hey, nobody ever hits
a home run without
stepping up to the plate.
And nothing turns
on a woman more
than a good baseball metaphor
in subzero temperatures.
That's not subzero.
This is subzero.
And I love it.
It's invigorating.
You know,
good for the blood flow.
Stamina.
And I've been vaccinated,
just saying.
Gosh, I can't wait for business
to get back to normal,
so I can afford to cook
with fresh veggies again.
But then you'd never get to see me.
Oh, yeah.
That's a real Sophie's choice.
Hey, you ordered peas, right?
Here's a loose bag.
On the house.
Now, tell me about this, uh,
Sophie girl... [screams]
♪
"And while I know that staying
in Afghanistan is right for me,
"I do regret not
getting to say goodbye
to each of you in person."
BISHOP: "So as a way of saying
'Till we meet again,'
I hereby bequeath the following
items from my office."
"To McGee, I leave
my electric stapler,
since he used it
every chance he could."
Yeah. "And to Ellie,
I leave my shiatsu
massage bar, since she borrowed
it every chance she could."
Ah, yes.
"And to Nick, I
officially award
"full custody of Carl,
because I know he'll
take good care of him."
Aw.
What? No. No.
Come on. You guys got all cool
stuff and I get a damn fish?
He's been with you all week.
Look, one thing
is keeping him alive for a week.
The other is permanently.
Well, obviously she thinks
you need it, Nick.
Yeah, like I need
that back massager.
You know, this e-mail's
just to the three of us.
I wonder what she left Gibbs.
You mean,
besides a broken heart?
I think he's been a lot
chipper since he got back.
Yeah, I know, right?
I mean, he seems to be taking
Sloane's loss pretty well.
I didn't know she was lost.
Unless you know
something I don't.
Uh, no, boss, we're just
talking about the fact
that she's staying
in Afghanistan.
Yeah, I heard about that.
Gear up.
Got a body in Douglass.
Bundle up, kids.
Ms. Hines?
Director.
I take it Agent Sloane left
a memento for you as well?
She did.
Yeah, but that's
not why I'm here.
I just came to think.
Here as opposed
to your own office?
[chuckles]
Force of habit. I've...
actually been consulting
with Jack semi-regularly
since that whole
diner hostage thing last year.
Per your suggestion,
if you recall.
Yeah.
I-I recall. She was helpful?
Oh, very.
So much so,
I find myself drawn here
whenever I need to...
collect my thoughts, I guess.
Everything
we've been through
the past year or so...
Uh-huh.
But why do I get the feeling
that there's-there's something
more personal, like...
But not-not that it's
any of my business.
No, it's fine,
just family stuff.
My sister got furloughed
from her job
and then she lost her apartment.
She had to move back in
with our mom and...
ugh, let's just say
the two of them
love each other best from afar.
I-I am familiar
with that dynamic.
Yeah, I was up half the night
on the phone playing referee.
[phone chimes]
And I am late
to a budget meeting.
I sure could use
a referee on this.
[chuckles]:
Ugh.
Uh, but listen, um,
you-- if you need
a few days off...
Uh, no, not at all. I-I'm fine.
Okay.
All right, that's close enough.
I never get to say that.
Victim is, uh, Petty Officer
Martin Delfino, 25.
Currently listed as U.A.
from the USS Patrick Goodell.
Failed to report for muster
at midnight last night.
Where is his ship now?
Uh, prepared to
depart out of Norfolk.
Delfino was, uh,
scheduled for mandatory
quarantine pre-deployment.
TORRES:
Neither of the witnesses
knows the victim,
and the driver has no idea how
the body got in his truck.
You got any cause
of death, Palmer?
JIMMY:
Yeah, we may have to wait
until he thaws out a bit.
Uh, it appears to be
a head wound, but, uh,
judging by his somewhat
casual pose, I'd say
he was dead before he froze.
No rhyme intended there.
[phone ringing]
Hey. Third call today and
you don't even leave a message.
Everything okay?
FORNELL:
Couldn't be better, Butch.
I just had some big news
to share,
and voice mail wouldn't do.
You got a minute?
No.
Why, what is it?
It's way too big
without telling you
with a detailed explanation
and you'll think I'm crazy.
I already think you're crazy.
Well, that's a good point.
Look, I-I still have
a couple of errands to run.
I'll just drop by later
and I'll tell you in person.
Ciao, baby.
"Ciao, baby"?
JIMMY:
Hey, Gibbs?
We might not know
who left him here,
but maybe Killer Korn does?
Killer Korn?
Killer Korn?
Killer Korn?
Like the food truck?
You know it?
I know it? I love it.
It's the best corn on the cob
in the universe.
There's a sentence
you don't hear every day.
Come on, Ellie, it's just corn.
How good can it be?
Oh, you won't be
asking me that
when you try it, promise.
Did I hear right?
That's one
of the Killer Korn guys?
Oh, now you recognize him?
I didn't see the logo.
Him I don't know so well.
I mostly deliver to Greco,
his cousin.
When was the last time
you delivered?
Had to be last week.
Where do we find this place?
BISHOP: Well, uh, it pops up
all over town.
Luckily, I have my trusty
little food truck app here.
Oh, yeah. Oh, of course you do.
What kind of foodie
would she be without it?
Okay, guys.
Uh, it tracks every food
truck in the metro area.
Just give me a second.
Retrace your steps last night.
Um, my last delivery
was in Brightwood.
After that, I dropped
off the truck
at the supply house
around 10:00.
Picked it back up
this morning at 6:30.
Obviously you didn't
take inventory.
Hate to say,
I'm a little lazy about that.
I just let them load
the truck and I deliver.
Then let's check
the supply house.
Any luck on the truck, Bishop?
BISHOP:
Uh, no, not yet,
which is super weird,
'cause this app updates
every ten minutes,
but right now it just says
that Killer Korn is...
nowhere.
Mmm, this is so good.
You ready for this?
Listen to this sweet sound. [whirs]
I hate you both.
Not as much
as I hate Carl over here.
Hate is a strong word, Nick.
Dude, this fish needs everything
except a daily walk.
Are you sure neither of you
can take him?
My childhood trauma, remember?
Oh, come on,
that was a goldfish that died.
This is a betta fish.
I'll even vaccinate him. McGee?
No, I'm already taking
care of Tony's fish.
Maybe, uh, maybe
Gibbs will take him.
[cackles]
[laughter]
Update.
Petty Officer First Class
Martin Delfino,
25 years old,
CO calls him a model sailor,
coming off two months' leave
after back-to-back tours
in the Persian Gulf.
Next of kin?
We notified his parents in Phoenix.
They said that
he visited briefly
and then returned
back to D.C. to help
his cousin out
on his food truck.
We find the cousin?
TORRES: Not yet. The name is Sean Greco.
We left several messages on
the number the parents gave us.
Website offers no update
on that truck's location.
Same with the app. Uh, I've hit
the refresh button,
like, a million times
and still... Oh.
Wait, I don't believe it.
Okay.
It finally updated.
We've got a location.
Good, take Torres with you.
McGee, we are going
to the supply house. Let's go.
All right, Killer Korn,
here we come.
Hey, Nick, you are going
to love this place.
They've got Taiwanese corn,
they've got Mexican street corn,
they've got Cuban corn.
Oh, and their Italian corn?
Mmm.
Parmesan and pesto? Oh, man.
Wait a minute.
That's not Killer Korn.
It says "Killer Korn" on it.
Yeah, no, I know what it says,
but their truck
is green, not blue.
Kosmic Korn. Not Killer Korn.
It is Kosmic Korn that's the best.
[Bjork laughs]
Don't let Greco
hear you say that.
Kosmic Korn doesn't come close.
What'd I tell you?
You gonna be out of here
by 3:00?
As always, Bjork, but it's
my first day without Marty.
He went back to the Navy,
so I'm scrambling here
to open up on time.
Well, uh, don't let me keep you.
There's that look.
Taiwanese?
You know it's my favorite.
Here.
Enjoy!
And I'll be happy
to prove our corn's
a thousand times better,
just not for another half hour.
Yeah, Mr. Greco, I'm afraid
we're here about your cousin.
McGEE:
Now, that is Reilly.
He's dropping off his truck
at Igloo supply house
around 10:00 p.m. last night,
walking away like
nothing happened.
Now, we didn't
see anyone
coming or going from there
until midnight,
when we see this worker
starting to load food crates
just inside the freezer door.
If Delfino's body
was already in there,
then this guy never saw him.
Well, at 6:30 a.m.,
Reilly showed up again,
picked up his schedule,
and headed back out, which is
exactly what he said he did.
What do we know about Reilly?
Two old drug
misdemeanor charges,
but he's been clean
ever since then.
I'm still
making calls
off his delivery schedule
from yesterday.
Multiple pages, you know.
That Jack's?
Yeah.
Left it to me.
A beaut, isn't she?
Why, it sure does staple.
Yeah.
She leave you anything, boss?
I-I just can't believe it.
Marty was indestructible.
Like a force of nature.
Hold up.
How could he be dead?
Dead?
Marty? Our Marty?
I'm afraid so.
And you are?
Betty's his girlfriend.
Uh, good friend.
We had a friendly split
before he had to leave.
Oh, God, this is awful. How?
You didn't say how he died.
We're still trying
to figure that out.
His body was discovered
in the back
of a frozen food delivery truck.
Seriously?
The driver's name was
Richard Reilly?
Are you kidding? That goofball?
What was Marty doing
in his truck?
Any disagreements between them?
GRECO:
They hardly knew each other.
And Reilly hadn't delivered
here in at least a week.
Two weeks for me.
Were there any known enemies
he might have had?
No. No, he had
no enemies, but...
Well, let's just say
my cousin didn't take
any crap from anybody.
That's a good way to say it.
Such as...?
From, like, people we had
to deal with sometimes.
You know, business owners
who don't like us parking
in front of their stores.
Rude customers, food bloggers
expecting free samples
in exchange for a good review.
Everybody wants freebies.
Parking cops,
those trendy influencers.
And Marty handled
all our social media,
so... he couldn't stand them.
Any known arguments
or fights?
I guess he had a few with Sammy.
Sammy who?
Sloppy Joe Sammy.
Eh, I don't know
his last name,
but... yeah,
those two were always at odds.
Y'all know
where we can find him?
That's his truck right there.
Guy's a real charmer.
Hey, yo, you Sammy?
Did you see the name
on the side of the truck?
I don't open
for another ten minutes.
This won't take long.
Look, I-- whoa.
I'm sorry,
I was kidding.
Sammy's off today.
As a matter of fact,
he told me not to open at all.
So have a good day.
All right, hold on now.
[engine sputtering]
Are you trying
to flee the scene, Sammy?
I told you I'm not Sammy.
Turn off your engine.
Turn it off?
I can't even turn it on.
Stop trying.
What does that badge say?
NCIS.
You know, food trucks make
lousy getaway cars.
I told you,
for the millionth time,
I thought you were
the health department.
And for the millionth time,
why would you run from them?
Well, if you must know,
they gave my truck
a "C" rating last month,
and I, I haven't
quite gotten around
to making
all the improvements yet.
Putting a little extra sloppy
in your sloppy joe?
Yeah, even your mob buddies
would find that disgusting.
Oh, here we go.
What mob buddies?
Found guilty in 2015
on two counts
of racketeering and operating
a casino without a license.
The food truck business is
a bigger gamble
than any backroom card game
I might have run.
But that life--
it-it's all behind me now.
Or at least as of two weeks ago,
when your probation ended.
Oh, congratulations, what
did you do to you celebrate?
Huh? You settle some scores?
Hey, I got no scores
to settle with that Navy kid.
Look, any problems
we might have had
was because we...
we're too much alike.
Is that right?
Yeah.
This is a tough business.
And you got to be tough
and you got to bust your ass.
Nice kid like Greco's lucky
to have a guy
like Marty in his corner.
To fight off the competition?
You want competition,
don't talk to me.
Go talk to Kosmic Korn.
Why, what about Kosmic Korn?
Well, look, I don't know
all the gory details,
but, uh, there's a lot
of bad blood over there.
It's like the Hatfields
and the McCoys.
You know, except for food.
BISHOP:
Sammy wasn't kidding.
These food blogs
read like a crime novel.
Not a good crime novel.
I mean, come on:
"The Great Korn Wars of D.C."?
What's that about?
Basically, both Killer
Korn and Kosmic Korn
make the same product,
which apparently
splits the market
on a pretty fierce fan base.
Two months ago,
the competition boiled over
into accusations
of slashing tires.
Led to the owners
of each truck
to file restraining orders
against each other.
Well, where's the other truck?
[typing]
McGEE:
The website doesn't show
a location.
Let me check the app again.
This a bad time?
Uh...Not the best, but...
when has that ever stopped you?
Hey, how are you?
Hey, Tobias. Toby, what's up, man?
How are you?
Greetings to one and all.
I'm doing great.
And I'm really glad
you all are here,
because now I can
make it official.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Your big news.
Gibbs...
I am moving to Costa Rica.
Okay.
FORNELL: Once you told me
Sloane's original plan,
you know,
before Afghanistan,
the wheels started turning.
So I checked it out
and I think it's really perfect.
I did not know you were looking.
Well, why not?
I'm on the brink of retirement.
Emily is
finally squared away.
The time is right.
Uh... okay...
squared away, okay, but...
what's Emily really think
about this?
My daughter thinks
it's a great idea.
As a matter of fact,
we're meeting
for dinner tonight
to work out the details.
Who knows?
Maybe she'll even come with me.
Well... what do you think?
Me?
What does that matter?
It matters.
You matter.
Are you happy?
Mm.
Then, what the hell? Go for it.
Yes! [laughs]
[laughter, cheering]
Nice, Tobias, way to go, man.
Thanks, guys.
Wow, I am really stoked.
I've got
a few more errands to run,
so, Gibbs, I'll give you
a call you later.
And, uh...
uh, everybody have a great day!
All right, man.
See you.
See you, Tobias.
Wow, Costa Rica.
So what do you really think,
Gibbs?
You heard what I think.
Yeah, but really, I mean,
first Sloane, now Fornell?
Losing another friend?
Did I say that out loud?
Nobody's losing anything.
We still got phones, right?
And Zoom.
TORRES:
Yeah, and, uh,
FaceTime.
Mm-hmm.
Whatever-- we got a location
on those other corn trucks?
Uh, you know what,
still nothing on the app.
Well, get a new app
and find the damn thing.
And then find out why that
kid's cousin didn't tell you
about the corn wars or whatever
the hell that's about.
Yeah, you did say
that out loud.
That kid melted yet?
Gibbs, whoa,
you scared me.
Uh, yes, Petty Officer Delfino
has thawed out a bit,
and his skull X-ray
is actually quite revealing.
Blunt force trauma?
Wait, you-you can see that?
What I see is no bullet, and
that's usually when you say
blunt force.
I'm sorry to be
so predictable, but yes,
there's a crush injury
to the squamosal suture
which caused massive
brain hemorrhage.
Killed him fast.
You know what hit him?
Well, whatever it was,
it left a distinct pattern,
and here comes Kasie
to match that pattern
to a weapon.
I'll certainly try.
There's no try, Kase.
You just do.
Yes, sir.
[laughs]: Oh...
Wha...?
Really?
Gibbs actually quotes Yoda,
and all you can say
is "yes, sir"?
What? Oh, right.
Yoda, yeah.
Okay, what's going on?
Is it your mom or your sister?
Both.
Did Vance tell you?
No, no.
But whenever something's up
with your family,
you get really quiet and...
your eyebrows furrow
just like that.
[chuckles] Damn.
Nothing gets past you.
Okay, last I remember, uh,
your sister lost her place,
so she moved in with your mom, right?
Uh, yeah.
Now she's all moved in,
and it's going so well
that she just called
to tell me that...
Mom's having chest pains
and they're headed to the E.R.
Kasie...
what are you,
what are you still doing here?
You know, it's...
it's not that simple.
Even if I were to head
to New York now,
it's not like the hospital will
allow for visitors anyway.
Yeah, but you'd be closer.
And Mom will definitely think
she's dying if I just show up.
Yeah.
Why am I burdening you
with all this?
Because we're friends.
Yeah, but after all
you've been through?
And why have you been
through so much?
Why does stuff like
this keep happening
to good people like you
and, frankly, to me,
while other folks are
just skating through life
happily unscathed?
Is that really what you think?
It's what I think.
And see and feel lately, yeah.
[groans]
Okay, all right, well, let's,
let's reframe this then, um...
Look, if-if what
I've been through has
taught me anything, it's that
absolutely no one
happily skates
through life unscathed.
I'm not so sure.
I'm 100% sure.
It's, like, um...
Tale of Two Cities.
Okay, you lost me.
Yeah, Charles Dickens
did not write
"It was the best of times
and everything was awesome."
[laughs]
You know, I mean,
without "the worst of times,"
we wouldn't have
I don't know... poetry,
wouldn't have sad songs,
wouldn't have anything
that makes us appreciate
"the best of times."
Stars can't shine
without darkness.
No one is immune to suffering.
No one.
But the good news is,
people like you and me?
We can handle it.
We can?
Heck yeah.
We work hard to keep shining.
What?
Just, now I know how you talked
that guy off the ledge.
[door opens]
[door closes]
I didn't tell you
because it didn't matter.
Kosmic Korn stays on their side
of town, we stay on ours.
But it wasn't always that way.
Hey, Greco, backup hot sauces?
Right above the register, Bets.
Oh, I see them.
What about your truck?
Oh, I got a staff working it.
It's cool.
We look out for each other.
Some more than others.
Can't afford to shut down,
not even for a day.
Not in this business.
Which brings us back
to your feud.
How did it start?
[sighs]
Uh...
I was head line cook at Dasher's
in Georgetown for years,
and then... COVID shut us down.
And, uh, suddenly
out of a job,
I get this corn idea.
And since nobody else
was doing it,
I sunk my life savings
and every credit card I had
to make it happen.
Struggled at first,
but then
Marty came to help, and, uh,
and pretty soon
business was booming.
You know, until...
Until Kosmic Korn.
Until another cook
from Dasher's,
a now formerbuddy of mine,
opened up his own truck, yeah.
Your buddy stole your idea?
Stole my idea.
My recipe.
Even the Ks we use
in our name.
Oh, that's straight-up slimy.
Well, Marty and I thought so, too,
until the restraining orders
forced us to do business
miles apart.
So he's out of sight,
out of mind ever since.
At least until now.
[phone ringing]
It's McGee.
Hey, McGee, you're on speaker.
Hey, one of these blogs
just gave me a location
for Kosmic Korn.
An industrial park
on 10th and Ardale.
Uh... we're a few blocks
away from there.
Hey, are you, uh, Pete Cannizaro?
Uh, yeah.
Just take a number
and I'll be right with you.
TORRES:
I don't like him already.
You don't like what he did.
And you do?
I say we drag him
out by his feet
for breaking his
restraining order.
I say there are
other ways to get answers.
Plus, you might even get
some great corn out of it.
Just follow my lead.
Uh, Mr. Cannizaro, we-we're
not here to eat, actually.
I-I'm writing an article
for Food Truck Aficionado,
and I'd love to feature
what we're told is
the best corn in town.
In the universe.
But, uh,
as you can see,
I'm swamped over here.
Uh, well,
maybe we could help.
What?
What?
Yeah, my-my husband Nick and I,
we could get behind the scenes,
make it
a real hands-on story.
We've both been vaccinated.
You have
any experience?
None.Tons. Nick.
Well, be
honest, Ellie,
we don't have tons
of experience, but...
I mean, how
hard can it be?
It's just corn.
Oh, and you think it's easy?
Okay, hotshots,
climb aboard and, uh,
do exactly what I tell you.
I'll take two...I need three Italian,
two Mexican,
two limes and
an orange.
Two limes and an orange.
Three Italian, two Mexican.
Uh, cancel one
of the Italians,
make it a Taiwanese.
Uh, okay, which one's
the Taiwanese again?
It's the one with
the green label.
Okay.
And after that
I need,
uh, two honey butter and, uh...
four Mexican.
Thank you.
So, uh, how did
you get the idea
to serve corn
on the cob?
Uh, I don't know.
Most everybody loves corn,
and nobody else was doing it.
Nobody else?
Well, you know, there's nothing
new under the sun, right?
Right, so it was your own,
uh, killer recipe?
Yeah, it's my own twist on it.
Yeah.
Uh, these are all limes.
Oh.
I need, uh...One orange
coming right up.
BISHOP:
Hey, so, I saw this,
uh, thing online
about some other corn guys,
like some kind of feud
or something?
Oh, it was just
a big misunderstanding.
I have some regrets about that.
CANNIZARO:
Okay, whoa,
whoa, careful,
Mr. How Hard Can Corn Be?
Can't have a mess in here.
Nick, I'll help you.
MAN:
This is his first day, right?
So, just
a big misunderstanding, huh?
Yeah, I don't like
to talk about it.
I haven't even seen those guys
since the restraining orders.
Are you sure about that?
Sure about what?
You haven't seen
the Killer Korn guys
or, uh, Marty Delfino?
What does that
look like to you?
That looks like blood.
It's probably just hot sauce.
Nope.
No, it's
definitely not hot sauce.
Okay, hold on, now,
I-I can explain.
You're gonna have to.
You think I killed Marty?
Well, now that you admitted
he came to see you, I...
I also think you're really bad
at wiping up blood.
I keep telling you, that
was my blood from my nose.
From your fight with Marty.
It wasn't a fight.
It was just an argument
that got a little physical.
You whacked Marty in the head,
and then you stuffed him
into a freezer truck.
[sighs] No.
In fact, once he drew blood,
he calmed down.
Even apologized.
Is that so?
CANNIZARO:
Said he was trying
to break old habits.
All he wanted was to make sure
his loved ones
were taken care of
before he shipped out.
Like his cousin?
Yeah, Marty was so worried
about Greco,
all that money
and mental stress,
so he made one last plea to me
to get out of the corn business,
and he even offered
to help finance my switch.
He gave you money?
I-I didn't take it.
Hell, once he was done talking,
I was, you know,
a little ashamed.
I mean, it-it was Greco's idea
to begin with.
And his recipe.
[sighs]
Okay, I-I admit it,
what I did was wrong,
and life is too short, you know?
Stupid "Korn War" was giving me
gray hairs of my own.[door opens]
So I told him
I'd switch over to burritos
as soon as I ran out of corn.
Kasie confirmed it's Cannizaro's
blood and not our victim, so...
while it doesn't make
Cannizaro innocent,
he's not lying.
CANNIZARO:
And once we shook on it,
Marty said he had
one more stop to make.
One more stop where?
I don't know.
All I know is he had one more
loved one to take care of.
Any idea who that could be?
That sounds like something
Marty would say.
But I don't know that
he'd consider me a loved one.
Well, you'd been his girlfriend.
You said the breakup
was friendly.
From my side,
at least.
We were only together
for two months.
He would get so protective,
so possessive.
Jealous?
Of anyone in particular?
Flirty customers mostly.
He-He'd overhear from his truck
and come over
and get in their faces.
Any fights?
Just words.
Marty was lovely.
He was, uh... so sweet.
It just made me feel
uncomfortable.
Even if he hadn't shipped out,
I would have ended it.
Life's too short.
Can you think
of anyone specifically, Betty,
who may have flirted recently,
enough for Marty
to want to protect you?
No. I can't think of...
Who?
[elevator bell dings]
[sighs]
Sloane gave you this?
Oh. Hey, Gibbs.
Yeah.
I was so honored.
During our talks,
Sloane would always point
to the elephant in the room
whenever she thought
I was holding back.
What'd she leave you?
Got our weapon yet?
Ooh, getting there.
The wound's waffling pattern
suggests a tool of some kind.
Since our victim
worked with food,
I am thinking
cooking tools.
Like one of those
meat-tenderizing hammers
or a deep fryer basket.
Or maybe an actual
waffle iron.
Might be a little heavy
to swing,
but anything's
possible.
Are you feeling better?
Better than what?
Well, Kase,
you seemed a little off
down there in Autopsy--
you know, that...
that eyebrow thing.
Damn. You know,
I am never playing poker
with you or Jimmy. [scoffs]
So you're not better.
No.
Yes.
Sort of.
It helped
to have Jimmy remind me that
I'm not alone in my anxiety.
That both joy and sadness
await us all.
Good days and bad,
everybody goes through them,
so, may as well embrace
the roller coaster, right?
Okay, fine.
Right now I'm waiting
on a call from my sister
to get Mom's results
from the doctor.
The way things
are going, I'm...
kind of bracing for the worst.
So get out of here.
What?
No. Like I told Jimmy...What? Oh, no...
No, no, you don't
get to say no to me.
Go. Now.
Fine, I will book a flight
as soon as I have our weapon.
Weapon can wait.
Kasie.
You only have one mom.
The only trip you regret
is the one you don't take.
So go.
Get on a plane,
get on a train.
Go.
[beeping]
Oh.
That might be our weapon now.
What is it?
The wound's pattern is
a 96% match
to whatever this is
in Bishop's
crime scene photo.
[phone rings]
That's on the freezer truck.
Hi, Bishop.
We think Reilly is the guy.
Yeah, I know that.
Hey, you go. Go.
Where is he?
Now.
REILLY:
I admit, Marty did come see me
last night,
but it's a long story.
BISHOP:
We've got time.
GIBBS:
Make it a good one.
REILLY:
I was on my last stop
at this snack shop
when Marty comes up to me
and tells me to stay away
from this girlfriend of his
while he was away at sea.
Beignet Betty.
That one, yeah.
I wanted to reassure the guy
he had nothing to worry about,
only I had parked by a hydrant
and was in a hurry,
so I asked him to wait outside
while I finished up my delivery.
But when I came back out,
he was nowhere in sight. Gone.
Rule 39.
What's that?
Convenient.
Maybe so, but...
it was also a big relief.
So I-I closed up my truck,
I snatched the ticket off my...
my-my windshield,
and I drove off fast.
You should have told us that
this morning.
Look,
I panicked, okay?
So I played dumb.
Oh, you don't got
to play dumb.
Found a couple of hairs.
You all want to bet
they belong to Marty?
I swear to you,
I did not kill him.
Wait. Back up.
You got a parking ticket?
It-it was 75 bucks. But...
I wasn't even mad,
since Marty had left.
Again, I was
by a hydrant,
so it wasn't a
complete surprise.
GIBBS:
Ticket issued by C. Bjork.
I'll run the badge number.
Of course. Bjork strikes again.
You know him?
Every truck driver does.
Must have nailed me five
times already this year.
And he's an even bigger hard-ass
with food trucks.
Yeah, we know him, too, Nick.
We do?
He got free corn from Greco.
Let's go get him.
GIBBS: Hang on.
We're gonna need surveillance
from where this all happened.
Got the address on the ticket.
You're coming with me.
Where am I going?
You're going with me until we
find out you're not lying again.
[phone rings]
Hold this.
Hey, Tobias,
can I call you back?
I'm in the middle of something.
Gibbs, hurry. It-It's Emily.
Wait, what? What's going on?
Oh, my God. It's Emily.
Tobias!
Gibbs?
Tobias.
They won't let me in, Gibbs.
My baby's in there and
they won't let me in.
Why won't they let me in?
Okay, let's sit down.
I don't want to sit down.
Okay. Take a breath.
[takes deep breath]
Talk to me. Tell
me what happened.
I don't know.
First she didn't
show up for dinner
and then she didn't
answer my texts or...
or any of my...
my calls,
and then I-I ran
home, and I...
I went to her room,
and there she was.
Bottle of pills
on her nightstand.
She's alive.
Barely.
She was breathing, but she was
so cold, her skin was so cold.
What do we do, Gibbs?
What are we gonna do?
We're gonna sit down.
[whimpers softly]
And we're gonna
let these doctors do
what it is they do best.
All right.
Right, there's
good doctors here.
Yeah, they're the best.
Sit down.
She's gonna be okay.
Believe that.
Yeah, that's one of mine.
I didn't see the guy
I ticketed, though.
But you saw, uh,
Marty Delfino.
We have a witness
that saw you guys arguing.
Wait, Marty?
From the corn truck?
I-I'm confused.
No, no, you're not,
and yes, that Marty.
You got into a scuffle.
[sighs]
Not a scuffle.
A-After I wrote his ticket,
he just sort of appeared,
told me to stop being
such a hard-ass.
And then he just
kind of tripped.
Oh, he didn't trip.
Our witness saw you
pushing him headfirst, hard,
into a truck.
I'm telling you, he stumbled.
And yeah, he-he landed
kind of hard, y-you know,
so I set him up in the truck
wh-while I went to go get
the first aid kit from my car.
TORRES:
So you left the scene
and came back?
And when I did, he was gone.
Did your witness see that?
Oh, I'm sorry,
I keep saying "witness."
I meant to say "security video."
We have the whole thing, Bjork,
in living color.
I-I snapped, okay?
The guy got in my face
and I let him have it.
But, again,
I only put him in the truck
so he could sit and ice his head
while I went to go get
first aid.
Video doesn't lie.
Marty was half-dead
when you put him in the truck.
You were hoping to pin it
on Reilly.
Then you left
and never came back.
Do you have any idea
how hard it is
having everybody
mad at you every day
just for doing your job?
I'd let Gibbs know, but...
Still going straight
to voice mail?
Yep.
Well, he clearly said "Tobias"
when he answered the phone,
and then he just
ran off without a word.
I shudder to think what those
two are up to right now.
[dialing]
I'm gonna try him again.
Hmm.
[phone ringing]
Sylvia Carruthers.
Who?
The name on the
prescription bottle.
Grandmother of one
of Em's friends.
She probably found it in the
old lady's medicine cabinet.
Temptation is everywhere,
Tobias.
I really thought she
was past it, Gibbs.
Seemed... completely okay.
She was.
She will be again.
♪
[Kasie crying, laughing]
Hey, we deserve a good cry.
[sniffles]
Oh, hey.
Jimmy just walked in.
Let me call you back.
Okay. Love you, too.
[sniffles] You were right.
You were so right.
I was? I am?
That was my sister.
My mom passed all her tests
with flying colors.
See? That is great.
And while they were
at the hospital,
my sister's old job called.
They want her back
starting next week.
This is, this is great.
[phone ringing]Oh, hey.
It's Mom. I-- Let me take this.
Yeah, t-take it. I-I...
Give her my best.
Hey. Hey, Mom.
Yeah, uh, hang on. Hey, Jimmy.
[quietly]:
Thank you.
Oh, yeah.
That's right.
What's right?
She was there, in the room.
Emily?
Diane.
Her mother.
Her spirit.
When I first ran in
and saw Emily in the bed,
I could feel Diane in the room,
like she was waiting
for me to get there.
Yeah, I'll bet she was.
Yeah. I'm sure of it.
Yeah, good.
Then Emily was not alone.
♪
Hey, guys, I just finished up,
so I am headed o... [stammers]
What's going on?
What happened?
Emily Fornell.
What?
How? H-How?
Addiction.
McGEE: You know how it goes.
Addicts build up a tolerance.
They get clean.
Sometimes they relapse, and
it's a shock to their system.
You know?
Just doesn't seem real.
I'm gonna go home
and hug my kids.
BISHOP:
Director.
I guess you heard?
Gibbs is, uh... he's taking
Fornell to his place.
Um...
I thought I would just go over
and, I don't know,
I don't know, just sit outside
and just be there.
That sounds nice.
I, uh, think I'll join you.
I'll join, too.
What do you have there,
Director?
It's a, it's a copy
of a poem that...
a friend sent me
when my wife died.
The same one you sent me?
Merrit Malloy?
Yeah. I thought I would
give it to Fornell.
I don't know,
it might be too soon.
It's never too soon, sir.
Not for that poem.
I'd like to read it.
Or hear it.
Sure.
I'll try to get through it.
"When I die
"Give what's left of me away
"To children
And old men that wait to die."
"And if you need to cry..."
[groans]
"Cry for your brother or sister
Who walk the street beside you."
[crying] "And when you need me,
Put your arms around anyone..."
"And give them
what you need to give to me."
"I want to leave you something.
"Something better than words
"Or sounds.
"Look for me
In the people
I've known or loved."
"And if you cannot give me away,
"At least let me live
in your eyes
And not your mind."
"You can love me most
By letting hands touch hands."
"By letting bodies touch
bodies."
"And by letting go
"Of children
That need to be free."
"Love doesn't die.
People do."
"So, when all that's
left of me is love..."
"Give me away."
Captioning sponsored by
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