NCIS (2003–…): Season 3, Episode 16 - Family Secret - full transcript

When you say you're sure,
how sure are you?

[SIRENS WAILING]

Sure enough that if you don't
ask her out by tomorrow,

I'm gonna spike your coffee
with testosterone, man.

Yeah, but what if you're wrong?

- J.B., trust me, the girl's into you.
- Oh, hey, careful.

Ah, relax. This guy's a Marine.

At least he was before he deployed
himself through his windshield.

So, what do I say to her?

I don't know. What do I look like,
the Cyrano de what's-his-face guy?

Go with your gut.
You got the release?

No, didn't you get it?

You know what? On second thought,
maybe you better not go with your gut.

So where should I take her?

I'm gonna start charging you
for advice, you know?

[CHUCKUNG]

Oh, there she is.

[SNIFFS]

- Do you smell that?
- Gas.

Oh, no. Get out.
Get out, get out, get out. Go, go, go.

[EXPLOSION]

[COMPUTER CHIMING]

[KEYBOARD CLICKING]

[COMPUTER CHIMES]

What are you doing?

I'm in the middle
of a very serious negotiation.

ZlVA:
On McGee's computer?

I know where you're going with this,
and the answer is yes.

[COMPUTER CHIMES]

And what's the question?

TONY:
Have I no shame?

[COMPUTER CHIMES]

Who are you lM'ing?

Agent Larsen?

[COMPUTERS CHIMING]

And she thinks you're McGee?

[CHUCKUNG]

And this is because she warned you
that if you spoke to her again,

she would have you brought up
on sexual-harassment charges?

- That was a misunderstanding.
- So now you're correcting the record.

I'm just trying to let her know that l--

McGee feels that
she may have misjudged me,

and that as a close, personal friend,
I can--

ZlVA: "Vouch for Tony's
strength of character."

-Hmm?
- Yeah.

[LAUGHING]

I don't have much time.
She's being reassigned in two days.

Yeah, well, you'll be reassigned
if Gibbs catches you.

Doing what?

ZlVA: We were looking at McGee's
bookmarks, trying to get an idea for a--

TONY:
Birthday present.

McGEE: Morning.
- Happy birthday, probie.

- It's a bagel.
- It's not my birthday.

Grab your gear.
Medical transport just exploded.

[SQUEALS]

- Any day now, probie.
McGEE: Yep. Sorry.

| just got the strangest lM.

[GlGGLES]

[CAMERA CLICKING]

TONY: She asked you out? You?
- Yeah.

Trust me, I'm just as surprised
as you are.

Trust me, you're not.

Blast radius indicates
a low-yield detonation.

Did she say why?

Uh, it said that she liked the
loyalty I showed my coworkers.

Pyrolysis on the pavement suggests
an 02 was the primary accelerant.

Even if they were total scum.
No idea what she was referring to.

I'll tell you though, I did not realize she
was paying so much attention to me.

Do you wanna tell the probie
or should I?

How about neither?
Why don't you just focus on the work?

Yeah, I've noticed you've morphed
into quite the forensic expert.

l'm lsraeli. This isn't
my first exploding ambulance.

We left the van unattended for four,
maybe five minutes, tops.

J.B.: As Patto hit the brakes--
- The whole thing exploded into flames.

- I think someone's trying to kill us.
- Would you please stop that, J.B.?

- It was-- It was an accident.
- Who's trying to kill you?

Who knows?
There's a lot of weirdoes out there.

Tell me about it.

- Talk to me, Duck.
- Lance Corporal William Danforth Jr.

Survived lEDs in Iraq,
RPGs in Afghanistan.

Unfortunately,
the local Odocoi/eus virginianus

was too much to bear.

- That's a white-tailed deer.
- Yeah, I know.

Are you saying
Bambi killed this Marine, Ducky?

No, but swerving at 60 miles an hour
into a tree to avoid Bambi did.

And his girlfriend is still in a coma
at the hospital.

Danforth was DOA
when they brought him in last night.

This morning, he was on his way
to Bethesda for a routine autopsy

when fate intervened.

Fate?

DUCKY: Well, the scorching of the
body is consistent with a gasoline fire

accelerated by onboard oxygen.

This could have been a accident,
Jethro.

- Lucky for those two to get out.
- Yeah, lucky in a way I don't like.

[SINGING]
Good morning, good morning

Morning.

[SINGING]
Good...

Good morning to you
You, you and you

Good--

- Ooh, what's that?
- Looks like an iPod.

iPod Photo.

Anyone who might have possibly
had a motive to try to kill them--

Either has an alibi or is out of town.
Way ahead of you.

You could've told me
and saved me the trouble.

Just say you need the practice
and leave it at that.

What kind of music
does the McGee listen to?

Ooh, Barry Manilow.
Julie Andrews? Zamfir.

- Let's go to photos.
- What are you doing?

Well, McGee had a date
with Agent Larsen last night.

Didn't return any of my e-mails
about a SitRep.

But maybe he took some photos.

- Those are his private photos.
- Well, he left them on his public desk.

Whoa, where's the clickety?

- Who is this?
- Well, it's definitely not Agent Larsen.

TONY: Gotta be his sister.
ZlVA: Why?

Are you kidding?
This girl's way out of McGeek's league.

I don't think
the drivers were the target, Tony.

Yeah.

- I actually think it was the body.
- Why blow up a dead guy?

GIBBS: Put it back up there.
- Put what back?

Ow!

McGee's got good taste.
Going for coffee.

- Ow! What was that for?
GIBBS: Alerting DiNozzo.

[ZIVA GIBBERING]

The fuel line to the gas-tank cap
was ruptured here.

Torn by a loose belt
on the differential housing.

GIBBS: Loosened how?
- Unknown.

The van also had
a short in the electrical system,

coincidentally in the taillight
right by our ruptured fuel line.

You know how I feel
about coincidences, Abs.

Equatorial pygmies know how you feel
about coincidences, Gibbs.

So one would wonder,
accident or not an accident?

That is the question.

Our first player,
an innocent differential-housing bolt

that is rubbing and straining
on the molecular bonds

of our vulcanized fuel line

until, after eons,
our hapless hose finally ruptures.

The gas moves quickly
into the floorboard of the van

when it's in motion.
The driver smells it.

What could it be?
He hits the brakes,

and the short in the taillight
ignites the pooling gas vapours.

The flames quickly superheat
the onboard 02,

and when the canisters can no longer
contain the growing pressure:

- Kaboom!
GIBBS: Not an accident.

Not unless the Angel of Death is
going through a Rube Goldberg stage.

Boss, we found remnants

of what may have been the trigger
on an 02 canister.

May have been, McGee?

ABBY: There were traces
of mercury fulminate,

sodium azide and tetryl
on the material.

GIBBS: Blasting cap.
- 02 would've never blown on its own.

Fire wasn't hot enough.

The perp rigged the transport
to make it look like an accident.

McGEE: He might've gotten away
with it if he'd detonated it sooner.

Fire dispersed pieces of the trigger.

- He waited for the drivers to get out.
- So he's not a murderer.

Well, at least, he wasn't trying
to kill the ambulance drivers.

Trace it.

Gibbs, this is a garden-variety,
laminated-paper substrate.

It's used as a cheap shielding
in thousands of electronic devices.

GIBBS:
Yeah, so?

So maybe I should
get back to work.

Did we get a positive match
on our Marine's DNA?

You know, I've been a little busy here,
Gibbs, with all the rubbing

and the looking and the analyzing
and the...

I should mention
that Ducky's taking care of it.

DUCKY: I haven't seen
a body this badly burned

Specimen jar.

- Mr. Palmer.
PALMER: Sorry, doctor.

It's just, I'm having a problem
with this smell today.

Really? I think he smells
like my mother's fried chicken.

- Yeah, that would be the problem.
- Oh, I see.

Well, the vegetarian lifestyle

has been medically proven
to be the healthiest of choices.

Perhaps it's time
you made the jump.

GIBBS: You wanted to see me, Duck?
- Well, actually, yes, Jethro.

Then why do you look surprised
to see me?

Because I haven't told you
that I wanted to see you.

Yes. Well...

...our latest houseguest
has thrown us quite the little mystery.

Define mystery.

DUCKY: Yeah, well,
the young Iad's death certificate

lists blunt-force, thoracic trauma
as the cause of death,

typical in motor-vehicle accidents.

But I've only partially been able
to verify that,

since, as you can see,
the post-mortem damage is extensive.

GIBBS: Ducky?
- Yes?

- Mystery.
- Of course.

Well, you know me, Jethro,

I attempted to make
a identification myself.

The blast destroyed his jaw
and shattered his teeth.

It would take
an inordinate amount of time

to get an identification
from dental records.

Also, the fire so degraded
his DNA, that,

you know, I spent the better part
of yesterday scouring his body.

- Mystery.
- Almost there.

By a stroke of luck,
I found a piece of tissue

viable enough to send
to have run against Danforth's DNA

at the Armed Forces Repository.

This isn't William Danforth Jr.

Uh-uh.

Then who is this?

That, my dear Jethro,
is the mystery.

Lance Corporal Danforth's
pro and cons were 50-50.

A real squirreled-away Marine.
So, what'd you find, Tony?

- Tony.
- Huh?

Zamfir, he's a master
of the pan flute.

- It's helping me think.
- What are you thinking?

I'm thinking
that there are a lot of reasons

for post-mortem mutilation
you're overlooking,

besides hiding a suspicious
cause of death.

Such as?

Such as enraged acts of violence,
sadistic curiosity.

- Hiding the real identity of the victim.
TONY: That was next on my list.

- ls his identity in question?
- Yeah, it is now.

Tony, get me a copy of--

The names of the cops who processed
Danforth's report. Already on its way.

GIBBS: Ziva, take me--
ZlVA: Have a chat with the doctor

who pronounced the body dead.
Find out who made the ID.

Hey, you want me to go
and supervise that, boss?

Actually, you know, I'll stay here
just in case you need me.

[PAN FLUTE PLAYING
ON HEADPHONES]

Zamfir. No, I'm not saying
you need me.

That's a bad word.
Need's the wrong word.

Oh, the director needs to see you
in her office ASAP.

[DIGITS DIALING]

I was just gonna tell the director
you're here.

Cynthia, did you know

that when a Roman emperor
made a triumphal march into Rome,

he had a slave on his chariot who--

Who whispered, "You're only human,"
into his ear.

Going in unannounced
is whispering into her ear.

So you're the director's slave.

Cynthia is there to direct traffic,
Agent Gibbs.

I'm just responding to your ASAP,
director.

This is Lance Corporal Danforth's
father, William.

- My sympathies, Mr. Danforth.
- Thank you, Agent Gibbs.

The SECNAV would like us
to keep Mr. Danforth in the loop

throughout the entire investigation.

- More than usual?
JEN: Yes.

Gordo and I served together in Beirut,
Agent Gibbs,

and quite frankly,
I'm using that friendship.

- Wouldn't you?
- He would.

- Sixth or eighth?
- Two-six, Fox Company.

One-one, scout sniper platoon.

- Beirut?
GIBBS: Desert Storm.

BILL: So, what can you tell
me about my son, Agent Gibbs?

GIBBS:
Jethro.

BiII.

Only what I read in hospital
and police reports.

Mr. Danforth has seen those.

He's asking how his son's body
was incinerated.

It wasn't.

AFIS couldn't match the body
in autopsy

with Lance Corporal Danforth's
DNA.

JEN: You're saying
that it isn't Mr. Danforth's son?

Not according to AFIS.

- Could there be a mistake?
- One in 9 million.

- Have Abby rerun the DNA.
GIBBS: Already on it, director.

Well, if it's not Lance Corporal
Danforth, who the hell is it?

I'll let you know when I find out.

- What should I tell his mother?
- I wouldn't tell her anything yet.

Right.

My numbers.

Director Shepard, I'll tell Gordo
how cooperative you've been.

- Least we could do.
GIBBS: Hey, Bill.

Did you identify your son's body?

No, the police notified us
that he had died.

Said that his body
was being shipped to Bethesda.

Do you think Billy...

...could still be alive?

I think the hospital transported
the wrong body.

BuII.

The Marine from two nights ago,
Danforth?

Yeah, I remember him.

- Are you the one who treated him?
- Treated, no.

Unfortunately, all I did was pronounce
him dead, Agent McGee.

- It's hard to believe it's the same kid.
- Why is that?

He was a mess.
Heavy contusions to the cranium,

pronounced facial lacerations,
half his skull caved in.

Who ID'd his body?

A buddy gave us a tentative ID

and we also pulled his license
from his wallet.

This buddy have a name?

Well, I can do better than that.
He's in ICU room five.

The police report didn't
mention anything

about a third injured party, doctor.

That's because he wasn't injured,
Officer David. He's visiting.

MERRILL [STUTTERING]:
"Our souls are like those orphans

whose unwedded mothers die
in bearing them.

The secret of our pa--"

Paternity lies in their graves,
and we must there to learn it.

McGEE: Herman Melville, Moby Dick.
- Call me Ishmael.

It's her favourite book.
The doctors said it might help.

It's helping give me a headache.
You're Rebecca's relatives?

- No, NCIS.
MERRILL: Corporal Merrill, sir.

Uh, at ease, Marine.

We're only here
to ask you a few questions.

Oh, of course, sir. I mean, ma'am.

She doesn't like being called ma'am.
It's okay though.

This about Billy, ma-- Miss?

If you mean Lance Corporal Danforth,
yes.

We understand
that you ID'd his body.

Tried to.
Billy's face was all mashed up.

ZlVA:
How did you know it was him?

Who else could it be?
He was in his car with Rebecca.

- At least he was last time I saw him.
ZlVA: Which was?

The night he was killed.

Feel free to elaborate.

- Huh?
- Tell us about that night.

Uh...

Billy had just landed stateside
after his second tour in Iraq.

So me, him and Rebecca,
Billy's girlfriend,

we were out celebrating
at the Gold Monkey.

- Celebrating meaning drinking?
MERRILL: Not me, sir.

Billy was, even though he shouldn't

because he just shouldn't.

I made Rebecca drive him home
because he looked pretty bad,

like he was gonna puke
or something.

You're a good friend.

Me and Billy have been buds
since we was this big.

He's the only one
that never made fun of my stutter.

You saw Lance Corporal Danforth
get into the car?

I put him in it.
Like I said, he was pretty drunk.

I went back inside the bar
for maybe half an hour.

When I left, I passed the accident
on my way home.

Cops were already there,
said Billy's car hit at a d--

It's okay, corporal,
we read the police report.

He was just lying there
all broken and bent up.

They were trying to save him,

but I knew, ljust knew he was...

Doctor said he probably
didn't feel anything.

Think he was telling the truth
orjust trying to make me feel better?

Doctors do that, don't they?

Well, in my experiences, ER doctors,
they usually tell it like it is.

You got a favourite movie, huh?
Got a favourite movie?

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING
AND SHOUTING]

TONY:
BaII, ball, ball.

Who's your daddy now?

[G RUNTS]

Are you having fun, DiNozzo?

- All done interviewing Danforth's CO?
- You done interviewing his platoon?

Nothing builds rapport
like a good game of ball.

[G RUNTS]

- Thanks, guys.
MAN: Yeah, later, man.

TONY: The guys said
Danforth was a top Marine.

But the word is, he onlyjoined
because his father was a Marine. Ow!

Little looser, please.

My toes have gotten used to
the whole blood thing, circulation.

DiNozzo.

The word also is that he
was inseparable with another Marine,

a corporal--

- Kenneth Merrill.
- Yeah.

GIBBS: Followed Danforth into
the corps on the buddy program.

Course he did.
Guy's as loyal as a Saint Bernard.

Would you just focus, please?

And I'm starting to lose feeling
in my toe.

- Does that look right?
- Yeah.

Apparently he was as loyal
as a Saint Bernard.

According to the CO, the corps
worked out pretty well for him.

Oh, yeah. He got into boxing,
got his first girlfriend, and get this,

turns out he had a knack
for disarming lEDs.

- His platoon called him the--
- Forrest Gump of explosives.

I'm not trying to do yourjob, am I?

CORPSMAN:
Put an ice pack on that. Fifteen on--

Fifteen off. Yeah, I know the drill.
Thanks, corpsman.

It's real swollen.

I don't think I'm gonna be able
to walk on this thing, boss.

[G RUNTS]

- Look at that. Look, it's a miracle.
- Yeah, loyal as a Saint Bernard.

Always wanted to get one of those
until I found out

they didn't come with that
barrel of whiskey around their neck.

You're wondering if Merrill helped
his buddy fake his own death

to get out of the corps?

No. I'm wondering who they got to play
the part of the dead body.

ZlVA: You really think Lance Corporal
Danforth faked his own death?

You got a better theory?

- Actually, we do, Tony.
JEN: I'd like to hear it, Agent McGee.

And yours as well, Agent DiNozzo.

Both preferably some time today.

We think Corporal Merrill
may have killed Danforth, director.

VVhy?

Merrill conveniently forgot to tell us
about the fight they had

the night Danforth was killed.

- A fight over what?
- Gibbs is not gonna like this.

[TONY COUGHS]

- Is there a problem, Agent McGee?
- No, no, ma'am.

Merrill claims that he was trying to
stop him from drinking and driving.

According to the bartender, they broke
two tables and a chair over it.

Sounds like more
than two good friends fighting to me.

I agree. Merrill also passed
Danforth's accident on the way home.

He could have easily
finished him off.

- No.
McGEE: Merrill goes to hide the body.

And when he comes back to clean up,
the cops are already on the scene.

What about the other body?

There was a third party in the car.

We only have Corporal Merrill's word
that the two of them drove off.

TONY [COUGHING]:
No way. No way. Wrong.

Merrill shows up at the hospital,
confirms the false ID.

Then later, goes back,

torches the ambulance
before the real ID can be made.

Okay, I'm sorry,
I gotta interrupt because...

Here's the thing.

I have a theory
that actually has motive,

which might be helpful. I don't mean
to belittle my colleagues' efforts.

I am a senior field agent.
Danforth didn't hit a deer.

He hit Ducky's John Doe.
Stick with me here.

He's drunk, right? Wasted,
looking at five to ten for manslaughter.

So he switches the John Doe
with his body, then skips town, right?

Then he has his buddy Corporal Merrill
come along and torch the evidence.

That's how it happened.
It's pretty simple.

It's really just detective work,
connecting the dots.

Hey, boss. I was just--
The director wanted-- She wanted--

- With me.
- Okay.

Dmmmm

but duly noted, Agent Gibbs. I get it.

TONY: It wasn't the way it looked, boss.
- I know.

Director kind of suckered me
into that deal.

GIBBS: Ziva caved first.
- I didn't cave in.

- I was trying--
GIBBS: McGee next.

McGEE:
Yeah, but, it wasn't what it--

And my loyal Saint Bernard
held out till last.

- Well, I--
- Probably all of 30 seconds.

So, what is my team--?

- Can I call you my team?
ZlVA: Of course.

TONY: Yes.
McGEE: We're your team.

- What are you gonna do now?
ZlVA: I think--

TONY: We could--
- Just solve the case!

- Tony, you impound--
TONY: Impound Danforth's car.

See if it hit anything
besides the tree.

- Then you and McGee--
- Go to the original crash site.

McGee, I want an agent standing by
Rebecca Crawford's room to get--

A statement the second she wakes up,
boss. You got it.

- And I'm with you, yes?
- I don't know, Ziva.

- Are you?
- Definitely.

MERRILL: The improvised
explosive device, gentlemen.

The weapon of choice in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

Problem is spotting them
when they look something like this.

Now, these are just a few of the IED
configurations I encountered

on my last pump in Iraq.

Today, I'm gonna teach you
how to locate,

disarm or, if need be,
blow them all in place.

Corporal, you've got it. Take it over.
They're yours.

CORPORAL: Gentlemen, you heard
Corporal Merrill. Give me a huddle.

[STUTTERING]
Uh, can I help you, sir?

Did you know that lying
to a federal investigator is a crime?

I didn't Iie.

What was the fight
in the Gold Monkey about?

Billy was drunk, sir.

I tried to take his car keys away
and he started swinging.

I guess I didn't try hard enough.

You told me you placed him
inside the car.

Idid.

Billy must have made Becca pull over.
I should have--

You should have taken him home
yourself.

Yeah. Billy's dead because of me.

Are you sure he's dead?

The burned body
isn't Lance Corporal Danforth.

[CAMERA CLICKING]

McGEE: Enough. You know
I'm not the type to kiss and tell.

TONY: Kiss?
I heard from a reliable source

that you were out with Agent Larsen
last night till about 2 am.

Who told you that?

TONY: I have information you want,
you have information I want.

- Shall we dance?
- Forget it.

Real men always kiss and tell.

[CAMERA CLICKS]

Okay, so, what are we looking for
that the cops didn't already find?

They thought it was an accident.

But they were not using the honed eye
of a highly trained federal agent.

Probie, bring one of those numbers.

- Prescription bottle of ibuprofen.
- Grunt candy, a Marine's best friend.

Must have been thrown
from Danforth's car.

- So?
- So it belonged to Corporal Merrill.

And there's blood on it.

- Come on. Say it.
ZlVA: Say what?

"You were right, Tony."
You'll be the bigger woman for it.

I'll just have to content myself
being the--

- Well, the righter one.
- Woman?

You know what I mean.
I found Merrill's scrip at the scene

which means they were
in it together.

And the DiNozzo body-swap theory
takes the lead.

What if he dropped it
while killing Danforth?

Abby found Danforth's blood
all over the windshield and hood.

So much for your body-swap theory,
Tony.

I've seen more than a few people
survive the windshield taste test, Ziva.

Give it up, Tony. You said Merrill
was the Forrest Gump of explosives.

Who else had the equipment and
expertise to blow up the ambulance?

- Ziva's right. Bring him in.
- Feeling pretty smug, aren't you?

Oh, yes, very.

So, what's bugging
that famous gut now?

Yes, you're that easy to read.

I learned how to speak "Gibbs"
a long time ago.

- You going to Abby's lab or Autopsy?
- Abby's.

Not to work my case.

I have the right to dig into
any NCIS investigation that I want to.

Not mine, unless you want me
behind your desk again.

Of course,

you could just observe
and keep quiet.

Fine.

As you know, this is the only piece
of the trigger that I found.

I'm not really here.

Do you know how long
I've been waiting

to cross over
into an alternate dimension?

Well, you're still here, Abs, for now.
What is this?

That's laminated-paper substrate,
boss,

found in any number
of electronic devices.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a trace
of a single one.

But then, I was surfing around
on my favourite origami web ring,

and it hit me:

Origami,
the ancient art of paper folding.

Maybe the laminate substrate
was the trigger.

You're telling me
Merrill folded himself a bomb?

No, that's impossible.
It came pre-folded.

McGEE: You see, several
companies have been exploring

the use of paper circuit boards
for disposable products.

Metallic ink is printed
on laminated paper

and then folded
into the desired shape.

I coated our burned substrate
with a metallic iron particulate.

And then I ran the whole thing
through an x-ray

to pick up on any latent patterns.

Voila. You're looking at
a partial circuit board

for a disposable cell phone.

Any chance we could read the--?

Any chance we could read the--

Call log.

--ca|| logs?

I'd have a better chance of getting
McGee to wear a Speedo to church.

But I was able to pull a list

of all the incoming calls
to the hospital's cell zone.

Only three came in
immediately prior to the explosion.

One of them was the triggering call,
Corporal Kenneth Merrill.

[HEART MONITOR BEEPING]

- I appreciate you meeting me, Bill.
BILL: Sure.

- How's she doing?
- She's stable. Still in a coma.

BILL:
Are you waiting to question her?

Listen, the fire wasn't an accident.

How well do you know
Corporal Kenneth Merrill?

Kenny? He's like a son to me.

- It wasn't an accident?
- No.

The van was rigged to explode.

Because Kenny defused lEDs
in Iraq,

you think he had something
to do with this?

No. Impossible.

Mother told me that Rebecca
used to be Kenny's girlfriend.

When they were children.

They've been best friends
since elementary school.

Night of your son's accident,
he was also in a fight.

My son liked to drink,
sometimes in excess.

Kenny was just trying to stop him
from driving home drunk.

Kenny had nothing to do with this,
Jethro.

It looks like the call
that triggered the fire

came from Kenny's cell phone.

What time was that?

- 0900 about.
- No, wasn't Kenny.

He was with my wife and I from--

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

I don't know, since before dawn
up until at least noon.

Yeah, Gibbs.

TONY: Hey, boss,
Corporal Merrill's disappeared.

- Was that about my son?
- No. Corporal Merrill.

After I questioned him, he walked
out of the class he was teaching.

No one's seen him since.

I don't recall ordering room service.

Is that steak au poivre?

And frisée salad?

You know, the last time
we had steak au poivre,

six people died.

What is this meal gonna cost me?

Can't a guyjust sit down
and have a bite with his old partner?

Old partner?
Must be worse than I thought.

How'd it go with Danforth
at the hospital today?

It went okay,
if you're Corporal Merrill.

Danforth gave an alibi
for the day of the explosion.

I assume you didn't believe him.

Why is that?

Because I wouldn't be eating
steak au poivre right now if you did.

If Danforth's covering for Merrill,

he has to believe
Merrill didn't kill his son.

The only way he can know that
for sure is--

If the kid is still alive.

But you don't believe that either.

The alibi was B.S.

The grief was real.

You sure
Danforth wasn't playing you?

Sorry. That still doesn't mean
the son's dead.

There was an accident.
He could be hurt.

Could be recovering
in a private hospital somewhere.

Wouldn't be the first time
a parent with means

used them to keep a child
out of trouble.

- You gonna eat that aspara--?
- Hey.

Thank you.

There is another possibility.

If Danforth is grieving for his son,

then he's only covering
for Merrill because--

He refuses to believe
that Merrill attempted to kill him.

Let's hope he's not wrong.

Either way, however it went down,

Jethro, you find Merrill,
and you'll find Danforth Jr.

- Merrill, M-E-R-R--
WOMAN [ON PHONE]: Say again?

R-R, like Ricky Ricardo.

Okay, I got his ATM records,
checking for any recent activity.

Vehicle is a tan Sierra,
license plate DPH--

Ricky Ricardo, you know,
from /Love Lucy.

No withdrawals in the last two weeks.
Credit-card records coming up.

Tan. If I meant burnt umber,
I would have said burnt umber.

Get-- Whatever it is.

Ricky Ricardo, you know,
"You got some explaining to do, Lucy."

W O MAN:
Yeah, whatever. Okay.

Hey, boss.
Just updating the BOLO on Merrill.

And checking the DMV to see if
he's had any traffic violations recently.

Going through his financial records
to try and pick up any leads

off any recent purchases.

- And?
- And we can't find him.

Uh, but we're not gonna
give up until we do.

Or die trying.

Or die trying?
You had to put that in his head?

GIBBS:
You wanted to see me, Duck?

DUCKY: Yes, I did.
I was just about to call you.

Small wonder DiNozzo is always
looking over his shoulder.

I managed to put a couple of bits
together.

- His lower canine.
- How long?

Oh, a week, maybe longer.

What are the odds
of this reconstruction getting us an ID?

Exceedingly long,

but it's the only method I have
for identifying these remains.

Well, I've had long shots come in.

I once wagered a 500-to-1
on the Irish sweepstakes.

He fell at the first jump,
but then recovered.

He fell at the second jump.

You'll never guess
what happened next.

[CELL PHONE RINGS]

You'll never guess what I found.
Come on, Gibbs, guess.

I ran the prints
from the bottle of ibuprofen

that Tony found
at the Danforth accident site.

Can I at least get a drumroll?

Ta-da.

- Pathetic.
- Prints?

The prescription belonged
to Corporal Merrill.

All of the prints on the bottle belonged
to Lance Corporal Danforth.

So? Merrill gave Danforth
some of his grunt candy.

It wasn't grunt candy.
The bottle was empty.

So I swabbed it
and I ran it through the mass spec.

- Cyclosporine, azathioprine.
- Come on, Abs, in English.

ABBY:
They're antirejection drugs, Gibbs.

If Danforth was taking them,
he's had a transplant.

The DNA I ran
could be from a donor organ.

Kind of turning me on.

I'm gonna get another sample
from Ducky.

This body could be
Lance Corporal Danforth.

So urban myth.

WOMAN:
There you go. Thanks.

GIBBS: Hey, Bill. Called your
home, wife said you were here.

You got bad news for me,
don't you?

Yeah.

[BILL SIGHS]

Where'd your son
have his transplant?

[SCOFFS]

Does it matter?

No.

You can't stay in the corps
with a kidney transplant, Jethro.

Who burned in the fire, Bill?

An unclaimed body
at the hospital morgue

scheduled for cremation.

I made a donation,
they switched a toe tag,

and the county saved itself
the cost of a cremation.

- It could have killed those EMTs, Bill.
- No.

I didn't detonate that oxygen
until they were clear.

Why? Your son was dead.

Corps doesn't care
if he had a transplant now.

They were more than friends.
They were a match.

Corporal Merrill gave your son
a kidney.

An autopsy would reveal
the transplant.

I was afraid that the ME would run
a DNA check on the donor organ.

And you can't be on active duty
if you gave away a kidney.

The corps means the world
to that boy, Jethro.

It's his life.
And he risked everything.

He risked it all to help out
his best friend, my son.

- He rigged an IED to burn--
- I did that.

- Bill.
- I'll swear I did it.

- Kenny had nothing to do with this.
- Why'd he go UA?

He didn't go UA,
he was at my place.

The things that Kenny's teaching
those Marines going to Iraq

will save their lives, Jethro.

Come on, let me take the hit
on this one.

Where is your son's body?

At the hospital morgue.

Come on.

[SAW SCRAPING]

I do apologize.
Usually one scraping is sufficient,

but you are so crispy.

Oh, that should satisfy Abby.

Jethro, Abby told me
about the transplant

- and her theory.
- Mm-hm.

- Well, do you buy it?
- Well, it is possible.

My money's on your teeth, Duck.
Get back to it.

As soon as I give this to Abby.

- I'll do it.
- Jethro.

- Huh?
- I've never seen you

break evidence protocol before.

You don't trust me, Duck?

Well, that's not the point.
Chain of evidence is chain of evidence.

You're right about that.
I'd slap DiNozzo silly if he did it.

Jethro, you surprise me.

Must be getting old.

God.

[COMPUTER BEEPING]

Yes! Yes!

- Yes!
DUCKY: That is incredible.

No need for a dental match now.

The odds on getting donor DNA
from Danforth's body are astronomical.

Alabama, 1954, a 9-pound meteorite
hits Annie Hodges.

The odds of getting hit by a meteorite,
astronomical-- No pun intended.

--but it happens. And I'm gonna
be published again. Yes.

TONY: Peachy for you,
but we lost our victim.

- Our suspect.
McGEE: Our theories.

We've been barking up the wrong tree
the entire investigation.

- Bush.
ZlVA: Sorry, bush.

We've been barking up
the wrong bush.

Tree. So who torched the ambulance
and why?

Don't look at me.

JEN: Don't tell me.
- Well, yeah.

Abby was right.
The first test picked up donor DNA.

Our John Doe
is Lance Corporal Danforth.

Good. I mean, not good,
a Marine is dead,

but good that the case
is no longer ours.

- Mm-hm.
- I know what you're gonna say, Jethro,

and don't.

I want Lance Corporal Danforth's
remains returned to his father

and I want the case turned over
to the Maryland Arson Investigators.

That will make Mr. Danforth happy,
which will make the SECNAV happy,

which, in turn,
will make me very happy.

We have wasted way too many
of our resources already.

Okay.

[SIGHS]