NCIS (2003–…): Season 3, Episode 9 - Frame Up - full transcript

lt's called Shroomsville
because the guys think

these reeds
look like little mushrooms.

Or they were on mushrooms.

Hey. You're not supposed
to be lighting fires out here.

lt's against base rules.
Let's go, kids. Let's go home.

You too, miss. Let's go.

Last one out has to douse the fire.

Oh, yeah, baby.

Oh, come on.

Come on, come on.

l'm trying to concentrate.

That makes two of us then,
doesn't it, Ziva?

- ls it work-related?
- Of course it's work-related, Ziva.

- l give it a four.
- Are you kidding? Four?

Out of five, l think that's good.
lsn't it?

Out of five.

What do you think about this one?

- Come on. Come on.
- l will not get involved with this further.

Gibbs seems to always be
around the corner.

- Give me a little something. Come on.
- No. No. No.

What do you think? Rate it.

- Fine. A two.
- A two?

- A two?
- What's a two, DiNozzo?

l was just explaining
the rules to Ziva, boss.

And number two is what?

- You know, l was a little fuzzy on two.
- Grab your gear.

We're going to Quantico.

Two.

l took three points off
for excessive hair.

l don't have--

That's a five.

lf you shave.

Shave.

Marines run tactics
through these woods every day, sir.

What time yesterday?

- 1 900.
- Ducky, where's Jimmy?

Having a root canal.

Allow me.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Oh, watch your step.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Oh, let me give you a hand.

No, no, no. lt's lovely
that chivalry is not dead, doctor.

But in the army, l swam three miles
across the Red Sea

after scaling rough cliffs
without safety lines.

l believe l can manage.

How refreshing.
An independent woman.

They were under this bush here,
until l moved one to here.

- The teenagers?
- Said they never noticed the legs.

Tony, shoot. Ziva, bag and tag.

- McGee, samples.
- Got it.

Well, l'm afraid a liver temp
is out of the question.

Well, talk to me, Duck.

lt's very strange.

The marbling on the skin
indicates advanced decomposition.

But the complete lack of insect activity
on the moist area of the open thigh

indicates a cessation of decay.

Any idea how long?

Well, the muscles have gone
through all three stages of rigor mortis,

so that gives us at least 48 hours.

But, Jethro,
the leg is in pristine condition,

apparently untouched
by air, water, soil or insect.

- Frozen?
- No ice crystals.

Basement?

Well, if that's the case,
we are dealing with a dark soul,

one who kills, cuts and keeps.

That's trash.

l think l know
what l'm doing by now.

Well, MREs and paint pellets,
say training area to me.

No one has ever been killed
during training?

You know, my forensic instructor
back at FLETC

once planted a pregnancy test
at a crime scene to test us.

That's nice, probie.
But in my years as an investigator,

l've learned that trash indigenous
to an area is not worth collecting.

What if because l did not bag
and tag this trash,

l happened to miss this?

The finger of a rubber glove.

l didn't say don't look
under indigenous stuff.

- l think we're almost done here.
- No, l don't think so.

l want every paper, projectile,

stomped-on leaf
within a ten-foot radius of both legs.

l'll bet Tony made some unseemly
comment about these legs, didn't he?

Why would he do that, Mr. Palmer?

l just mean knowing Tony--

They're fairly shapely legs, doctor.

Yes, nobody had the bad taste
to verbalize such a thought until now.

Now that you
come to mention it,

they do look remarkably similar
to Betty Grable's.

Betty--?

One of the all-time pin-up gals
of the '40s.

- Yeah, great gams.
- Gams?

Aren't you a little young
to remember Betty Grable, Jethro?

My dad had her painted on the nose
of his P-51 , Duck.

- A P-51 ?
- Up to Abby.

- Quick as you can.
- Yes, doctor.

What do we know
about our Jane Doe?

She was young.
Look at the femur here.

lt's one of the last bones in the body
to develop fully.

ln the female,
growth is complete around age 25.

l'd say our victim
was between 1 9 and 21 .

- lD?
- Without a toeprint database,

l'm afraid we'll just have to rely
on good old DNA.

What about the splotch
on her calf, Duck?

Blood. l'd say the assailant's.

lt's on its way up
to Abby's mass spectrometer.

- Couldn't be hers?
- lt could be.

But she was dead
long before she was dissected.

Blood no longer pulsed
through her veins,

when, what l would guess
was a surgical saw,

severed her thighs from her torso.

Now, look, see how my glove
sticks here?

Also headed up
to the mass spectrometer.

Yes, but take a look at this.

- Skin's been removed.
- Yes. A meticulously cut circle.

Strange keepsake.

Actually, l think it was the killer
trying to remove his marks.

Like all sex killers after Bundy?

Yes, after Theodore Bundy

was identified and caught
by his crooked lower teeth,

sadistic biters have been forced
to excise their evidence.

You know, l think l might be able
to get an impression of teeth

from the underlying damaged tissue.

You could get me a bite mark?

l could try.

l have some samples for Abby.

That's convenient,
because l'm Abby's assistant.

l wanted to say hi.

- l haven't seen her in a while.
- She's really busy right now.

lt'll only take a minute.

You haven't been an assistant
for very long.

- Longer than you.
- We'll see about that.

That doesn't make any sense, Chip.

lt's Charles.

Charles.

lt's an evidence showcase
showdown, Chip.

What do you prefer? Possible prints,
sticky stuff, or name that blood?

Well, l aced serology.

l was a dilettante
with fingerprint identification, so--

Name the sticky stuff
for a hundred, Chip.

For a Caucasian female,

a factor of 2.90
is multiplied by the tibia length.

Okay, autopsy report says
tibia is 38.34 centimetres.

- What are you doing?
- We are calculating our Jane Doe's

- probable height and weight.
- Why didn't you ask me?

Tony, these are complex equations
we're dealing with.

Whatever. She was, what, 5'8''.

So she's like 1 25, 1 26 pounds. Hey.

Okay, 1 1 1 .1 86 for adipose.
Density of musculature--

That's 61 .53.

1 72.72 centimetres for height.

Ducky estimates
57.08 kilograms in weight.

Converting to imperial,
and we're done.

- She's 5-foot-8.
- 1 25 and a half pounds?

This doesn't make any sense.

You're grumbling.

Well, l know.
l can't read Ziva's writing.

lt looks perfectly clear to me.

You've got to loosen up, Chip.

Evidence is fun. Fun?

You know fun. Fun, Chip.

- You're a tough case, Chip.
- Yeah, l know.

Gibbs. All this evidence
and a Caf-Pow!

- ls it my birthday?
- Pretend it's mine.

Okay, here's what l have for you.
The blood on the calf is different

from the victim's. l sent both off for
processing. But here's your real gift.

l found a smudged print
on the tip of the glove finger

and clarified it into a partial print.
Happy birthday.

- Get a match.
- lt's running through AFlS now.

l must have ripped a glove
at the scene, boss.

Like l said, l must've ripped
a glove at the crime scene

- some time before yesterday.
- When was the last time

- you worked a crime scene there?
- Napolitano case, boss.

The computer only found three points
from your fingerprint to the sample.

Most prosecutors want 1 1 .

Well, technically, Abby,
the minimum to go to court is one.

Well, l'm just saying that, you know,
people have been convicted on less.

Well, that's great, Chipper.
Team player.

l'm gonna redo this by hand.

You set this up, didn't you?

l would never.
Okay, maybe l would, but l didn't.

- lt matches Tony.
- Put a rush on those blood samples.

- l did. But it's a 1 6-hour turnaround.
- Make it 1 2.

When's the last time
you were at the dentist?

Hold still.

This is far faster
and more accurate than your x-rays.

You're not known for your bedside
manner, are you there, Duck?

You're just upset
that l didn't have peppermint.

McGee.

Here's Tony.

The program uses laser scans
of 3-D objects

to create 3-D images
for comparison.

Computer-generated
hollow volume overlay.

Measures inter-tooth spacing,
dental arc, tooth thickness.

All right,
enough of the geek speak.

Here's Ducky's muscle-tissue scan.

A little 3-D magic for clarity.

And l give you the killer's incisors.
Next step--

And don't worry, Tony, the chances
of even one of your teeth matching

are like 1 00,000 to 1 .

Do it, Abby.

Jethro, l know DiNozzo
didn't do this.

But l also know
that it would be political suicide

if we got caught investigating
one of our own agents.

Appearances matter, Jethro.

ln this world,
sometimes more than facts.

lt could ruin the agency.
Look at Robert Novak and the ClA.

You have a responsibility to your man,
l know that.

But l have a responsibility
to the entire agency.

- Jen--
- l'm not forgetting the time

l stepped in it and you covered my ass
until l could get out of it,

but that was alone, undercover,
and in the field.

Half of NClS
already knows about this.

l know what you have to do, Jethro,
and l won't stop you.

But officially,

l am suspending you
from investigating this further,

- and l am turning it over to the FBl.
- l know.

One request.

l'll see that Fornell
runs the investigation.

l always could read your mind.

Not always, Jen.

Still waiting on Jane Doe's DNA.

Corporal at Quantico said there were
no missing female dependents

- or UA Marines.
- Try the base hospital.

l checked missing persons
for Maryland, Virginia and D.C.

There were
a few similar descriptions.

Their DNA is headed over now.

- David Brant.
- Gibbs.

l heard you were quitting.

l like to refer to it as a lateral move
into the recreational sector, Jethro.

l wish you luck with that.

Lateral move
into the recreational sector?

Yeah, it mostly means
fishing and hitting a golf ball.

- DiNozzo?
- Yeah, boss.

- What are you doing?
- Someone's setting me up.

Two surgically removed legs
dumped into a training area.

- Do you think?
- Yeah.

l was trying to think
of arrestees with grudges.

- Wouldn't they all have grudges?
- You see my dilemma.

- Mike Macaluso?
- He's the Mafia boss

- DiNozzo busted in Baltimore.
- They get touchy when they think

of you as family
and you turn out to be a cop.

What about that forensics dweeb
that you got fired?

l didn't arrest him, Abby.

Yeah, but you really, really,
really pissed him off.

Forensic tech set a killer free when
he contaminated some blood samples.

- Tony reported him.
- Good old George Stewart.

You know,
maybe you should expand the list

just to include people
that just hate you.

- Hate me? Nobody hates me.
- Paula Cassidy.

Don't go there.
People like me. l'm a nice guy.

What about the woman
who posted your picture

on the herpes-alert website?

- Lieutenant Pam Kim.
- She so went Fatal Attraction on you.

Boiled the bunny.

Oh, don't forget about Mrs. Dean.

- Another girlfriend?
- No, she threatened to cut off

his...when Tony put her husband
away for murdering his first wife.

Speaking about wives,
what about your ex-girlfriend Monica?

l always break up with them
when l find out they're married, Ziva.

Okay, all right. Thank you all,
but l think that's enough.

The personnel
in the evidence garage?

- What about them?
- They hate you.

She's right. You never wait your turn
to check in evidence.

And women don't appreciate
being called baggie bunnies.

They're right, DiNozzo.
Eight years. Three different forces.

That's a lot of names
and people to remember, boss.

Ziva, take the women.
McGee, you take the men.

l'll pull the case files of the ones
DiNozzo put away who are on the list.

Wait a minute,
you never do anything.

Because you're such
a good delegator.

Oh, this is not good.

Gibbs.

DiNozzo.

This is Special Agent Sacks.

- He's being framed.
- l believe you.

l've been there myself, Jethro.

- l'll take care of him.
- l know.

But l wanna be kept in the loop.

Oh, now l'm hurt.
Are you saying you don't trust me?

Whoever set this up, Tobias,
is a pro.

lf this were to go to court right now,
DiNozzo would not stand a chance.

Well, l gotta take him
into custody for questioning.

Or l guess
we could question him here.

Tony, Fornell's gonna question you.

- You mean interrogate me.
- Question. Draw it out.

After we talk to Agent DiNozzo,

we'll need to requisition any evidence
involved in the case.

- Are we covered on evidence?
- l'll just need a few hours

to copy the data from Tony's
hard drive, cell phone--

- l'll make duplicates.
- Have Ducky do the same.

- What can l do?
- Help. Help Abby.

Help McGee. Help Ducky.

Where were you Tuesday night

between 0900 and 0300
the next morning?

Would that be Zulu time?

Just run through your night.

Okay.

Oh, out loud. Right.

Worked till 7, went for a run,
drove home.

Spent the night alone,
which, l know, is unusual,

but it was a school night,
and l wanted to watch Magnum.

What was it about?

The old checking-the-plot ploy.

You're good, Agent Sacks.

Very good.
lt's my favourite Magnum.

lt's the one where he finds himself
adrift at sea after a boating accident

and vividly relives his father's death
during the Korean War.

l'm gonna go out on a limb here.

You think you were framed.

Now we're getting somewhere.

And who do you think
it was who framed you?

Well,

any one of a hundred people,
maybe.

l have a list if you're interested.

Do you realise the kind of trouble
you're in here, DiNozzo?

Oh, believe me. l do.

Do you realise
that you have an enormous clump

of something green
between your teeth?

lt's right there.

What is it about women?

ls it the way they smell
or the beguiling smiles?

The whispers? The secrets?

The way they tiptoe around
in those little ridiculous shoes?

And the way they fit their tiny
little bodies into those tiny little outfits.

You're wasting my time.

Take it easy.

This guy is implicated in a homicide,
and he's making jokes.

You've never worked with NClS
before, have you, Agent Sacks?

Federal agents suspected of crimes
don't get special treatment in my book.

lt's late.
We should collect the evidence.

We have to arrest him, Fornell.

Bite marks don't lie,
and this guy can't stop.

l'll think about it.

The U.S. attorney's gonna see this
as a heinous crime.

lt is a heinous crime, Fornell.

- Tony didn't do it.
- Without an alibi.

l'd be remiss if we didn't detain him.

People are gonna think
we're orchestrating a cover-up.

- Finally. How'd l do?
- Fine.

Fine?
l thought l was Oscar material.

Fornell's not gonna book you.

But he is gonna take you into custody
until we figure out a few things.

You all right?

l must have screwed up, Gibbs.

You didn't screw up, Abs.

But now l have all this evidence.

Forensics.
The thing that l love and l believe in.

And it says Tony's a murderer.

- Tony's not a murderer.
- l know he isn't.

But something's gotta give.

l mean, either
the forensics are wrong,

just bad forensics, or...

We have to save him, Gibbs.

- We will.
- Because if this goes to court,

with his fingerprint
and his bite mark on the leg,

Tony's gonna go to prison
for the rest of his life.

And l'll be the one
to put him there.

l smelled you coming, boss.

Pepperoni, sausage,
extra cheese, right?

My favourite. Thanks.

l'll save that for later.

You know, l've been thinking.

l'm a federal prosecutor's dream.

You do tend to date a lot,
don't you, Mr. DiNozzo?

Yeah. l do tend to date a lot,
but where does it say

that dating, you know, a new girl
every week is a crime?

No, it's not.

But it does speak to your deep-seated
psychological problems

and commitment issues.

Really?

So you're saying my intimacy issues
stem from my mother,

who dressed me as a sailor
until l was 1 0 years old?

Maybe.

Well, l guess it might explain

why you objectify women
and treat them as sexual objects.

While you're being so forthright
and insightful, Mr. DiNozzo,

why did you sink your teeth
into the victim's leg?

Because l'm angry
and l'm immature,

and l like control.

You have no alibi.

Alibi? How can l have an alibi

when the murder
doesn't even have a time or a date?

That's interesting.
What about means?

Latex glove?

Scalpel?

You could have gotten
these things

from work. No?

Right. Of course.

Yes, l ripped a glove at the scene.
lt seems a little sloppy

for a federal agent
who investigates crime scenes,

but, you know, those are the breaks
when you're a homicidal maniac

dumping butchered
women's remains

out in the woods
in the middle of the night. Right?

l'm not getting out of this one,
am l, boss?

Thank you, boss.

Mike Macaluso. Still in jail.

My sources say,
his family is very happy about it.

How is it you've been in this country a
few months, you already got sources?

Who says my sources
are from this country, McGee?

- ls this Agent Timothy McGee?
- Yes, hi.

- He was killed in prison.
- Killed in prison?

- l'm sorry for your loss.
- Can we ship the body?

No, you'll have to take that up
with lCE.

- Dead.
- Where are we?

Head of my suspects list
is George Stewart.

The forensic tech Tony
got fired from Baltimore P.D.

Lost everything
when Tony accused him

of contaminating
blood samples in '02.

- Define ''everything.''
- Wife, house, kids.

Fought the firing and won,
but by then, no one would hire him.

Disappeared two years ago.

- How did he win?
- Don't know.

George Stewart vs. Baltimore P.D.
was sealed.

- Un-disappear him.
- Right.

Lieutenant Pam Kim.
Surgical nurse.

Fully capable of slicing off
a woman's legs.

Met Tony on the Jeremy Davison
serial-rapist case.

- At Quantico.
- She's the one that egged Tony's car.

- Really?
- Where is she now?

Virginia. Returned two weeks ago
from a tour in lraq.

She's on her honeymoon
at the Greenbrier.

- Who'd she marry?
- Scott Sparks.

That's the guy that she was
engaged to when she met Tony.

- Get her in here.
- On it.

Boss? l was thinking,
she's on her honeymoon.

Yeah?

Ever heard of coitus interruptus,

- Special Agent Gibbs?
- Nope.

- Ever been on a honeymoon?
- Yep.

- Then you know l feel.
- You found them--?

- Flagrante delicto.
- That's--

Roman slang for what Tony calls
badda-bing badda-boom.

Being dragged into NClS
for interrogation

isn't exactly the best way
to start a marriage.

ls your husband the same guy you
dumped for Tony DiNozzo last year?

Look, l had a fling with Tony,
and l regret every last minute of it.

ls that why you put him
on the herpes website?

l got a little emotional.

A little emotional was egging his car.

Putting him
on the herpes website was--

Bitchy? l know.

What does a woman accomplish
by cracking eggs on a man's car?

A lot of guys really care
about their cars.

lt's kind of like a ''you break my heart,
l break yours'' thing.

ln lsrael,
we just shoot men who are untrue.

Look. Tony could have turned me in
when l was harassing him.

He didn't. lf anything, l owe him.

When were you last at Quantico?

l've been on tour in lraq
for the last eight months.

That's not my question.

l checked in with my command
ten days ago

before l took leave to get married.

Look, if someone
brown-bagged Tony's door

or torched his car, it wasn't me.

Does your husband
know about Tony?

Of course he knows. What--

Scott's a lawyer. lf he has a problem
with someone, he sues them, not--

Tony wasn't murdered, was he?

- No.
- Then what is this about?

Lieutenant...

...you can return to your honeymoon,
but if l need you--

We'll be at the Greenbrier
for another week.

And next time,
have your agent knock.

Boss, do you really not know
what coitus interruptus means?

Better question.

Do you know what it means
if you haven't located Stewart?

My father used to say:

- Translate.
- A little fire burns a great deal of corn.

- What?
- lt never made sense to me either.

lt loses something in translation.
Director.

l saw Lieutenant Kim leave.
She have an alibi?

No. She framed DiNozzo
and l let her go.

- So George Stewart is--
- He's next on my list.

You know, there's no reason
to be petulant, Jethro.

The word's pissed, Jen.
You know what?

You can drop the director act.
We're alone.

- You think my job is an act?
- No, not all of it.

Ass-kissing on the Hill is a skill.

- So is castration.
- l wear a cup.

What is this?

George Stewart's alias
and work address.

l managed to find it
between kissing asses.

lt just proves
you should've stayed a field agent.

Ma'am?

Abby?

- What?
- l think l found something

- that might help out Tony.
- Why didn't you say so?

Maybe not exonerate,
but place someone else at the scene.

- What is it?
- The sticky substance on the ankle?

- Yes.
- Well,

l chemically
and instrumentally examined it.

The material's an adhesive. The kind
found in duct tape or carpet tape.

How does this help Tony?

l discovered an anomaly
in the adhesive material. A carpet fibre.

l used the FTlS and the mass spec
to determine its chemical composition.

lt's a DuPont fibre for a Mustang.

- But Tony drives--
- l know what Tony drives.

But when l tested
the stain resistance,

it showed the fibre had a coating
from a 2004 Mustang.

Tony's Mustang is a '66.

lt couldn't have been his car.

We have to get a fibre from Tony's car
before it gets towed.

Nice to have you back, Abby.

- George Stewart?
- Petrie.

l changed it legally.

- No sailors here.
- Any Jane Does?

- Always got a couple of them.
- Could we see them?

l told you, no sailors here.

How do you know,
if they're Jane Does?

Look, what the hell
do you two want?

To see your Jane Does.

Got a warrant?

No. Do we need one?

Hell, yes. Now get out.

Tony DiNozzo.

What did that bastard
say about me now?

l was exonerated.

How were you exonerated?

Fourth Circuit Court.

Wasn't me that
messed up that blood test.

- l sent it out to a lab.
- What's the name of the lab?

Pemberton Medical Analysis.

Sure we can't take
a quick look around?

Not without a warrant.
That's what happened last time.

Just a quick look around.
A few questions.

Then l'm fired and my life is trashed.
Now get out.

We'll be back.

With a warrant.

Reasonable doubt
can go a long way with a jury, Chip.

lf this is someone else's carpet fibre
that was on that duct tape--

Hello.

Frame-up.

The bite mark? l guess you could steal
dental records, create your own mould.

- Make an impression on the leg.
- Keep going. Keep going.

The print, anyone could've
pulled those gloves from our trash.

- Yes.
- Yeah.

But how would anyone know
which is Tony's?

Don't blow it, Chip.

You're on a roll.

Sorry.

- See what l mean?
- No.

The carpet fibres match.
Tony must've redone his carpeting.

Never have a negative thought
when you're on a roll.

- lt could have been worse.
- How?

The blood on the severed leg,
DNA came back with a match.

lt matched DiNozzo.

What are you doing?

l was trying to throw away
your Caf-Pow!

- Why?
- l bought you a fresh one

- while you were sleeping.
- l can't sleep. l have to save Tony.

What time is it? Six a.m.?
l lost two hours.

l have been running
Jane Doe's DNA everywhere.

She's not in CODlS,
the armed forces,

the fertility clinics,
rare-disease databases.

Abby. Abby, it's not your fault.

Not my fault? Someone's
using forensics to frame Tony.

- l'm letting them get away with it.
- You'll find something.

How? All the FBl left me was
a speck of blood and a carpet fibre.

l have to look at this
from a new perspective.

Your butt's getting bony.

Bony? l'll have you know that Ziva
rated it a four out of five, okay?

Bone marrow. There's a national
database for bone-marrow donors.

Why is Ziva rating your butt?

- Tony started it.
- Don't you blame Tony.

- He's almost on death row right now.
- No, no, no. Look, l--

Jane Doe is Carla Johnson.

You matched my DNA
with a pair of disembodied legs?

l'd fire whatever lab
you're using at NClS, Agent Gibbs.

l assure you,
they're real and they're mine.

Are you a bone-marrow donor?

l volunteered for bone marrow,
organs, blood.

l believe in sharing my good health.

But l draw the line at body parts,
at least until l'm dead.

We got the DNA match
from a bone-marrow database.

l haven't donated
any bone marrow yet.

l did give blood to an accident victim
a couple of weeks ago.

She died on the operating table.

Did she lose her legs?

No. Her chest was crushed.

Where is her body now?

Either at our morgue or the state's.
She was a Jane Doe.

l can't believe
the blood we DNA-tested

was someone else's from a
transfusion. What are the odds?

The same as this killer getting away
with framing Tony.

Well, the guy is a genius.
You gotta give him that.

Even genii make mistakes. l did.

What was your mistake?

Giving up on forensics
when l should have looked deeper.

- We already processed that fibre.
- l know that, Chaz-zoid.

But the killer picked up this fibre,
took it to work,

had it in his car,
carried it through the woods.

There has to be some sign
of that guy on this fibre.

Not if he wore gloves.

Maybe the gloves have
a different residue than NClS gloves.

Maybe he smokes a cigar.

Maybe there's cigar residue
on the fibre.

You're testing for cigar smoke?

For a second...

...l lost my faith in--

But now l know that forensics
was just testing me.

And l will rise up,

and l will find the man that did this
to Tony and l will crucify him.

ls it standard operating procedure
for nurses to give transfusions?

No. We were low on blood
and l'm a universal donor.

ldentifying a pair of legs
must be a first.

Here it is. Jane Doe was transferred
to the Virginia County Coroner's office

- eight days ago.
- Who signed for the body?

We have a warrant now.

For what?
l didn't do anything wrong.

No? l can think
of at least two things.

Framing an NClS agent for murder.

- Really, really, really pissing him off.
- Open it.

l strongly recommend
you do what he says.

This explains why Jane Doe's legs
were in pristine condition.

You think l cut off some girl's legs?

- Did you?
- No.

Why would l ever do such a thing?

l don't know,
but if you're gonna talk to me,

please get a breath mint first.
Please.

- Very funny, probie.
- Come on, Tony. lt's a gift.

From who?
The baggie bunnies or Pam Kim?

No, actually it's from Chip.

Great. Now l'm getting crap
from lab monkeys.

Not for much longer.

l knew boss would get me out of here.
What'd he find?

Hopefully the body
that goes with those legs.

- What do you mean, probie?
- Abby matched the legs you severed.

- l didn't sever any legs.
- Sorry, a slip of the tongue.

The legs you supposedly severed.

DNA matched
to a Carla Johnson, who--

- You are not gonna believe this.
- l will if it gets me out.

- She's alive.
- With no legs.

No, she's got legs.

- Okay, Tony.
- Prison changes a man.

Tony, come on, man.

- He's doing it to me again.
- You have the right to remain silent.

- DiNozzo set me up.
- Anything you say

can and will be used against you
in a court of law.

l never thought l'd say this...

...but l am so happy to see you,
Fornell.

That makes one of us, DiNozzo.

Never even got to do my
Cool Hand Luke impersonation either.

What we got here
is a failure to communicate.

- Never saw it.
- Are you kidding me?

Only the greatest chain-gang movie
of all time.

They're throwing a little welcome-back
party for Agent DiNozzo upstairs.

Go, Chip. l'm not finished here.

There is no way that Stewart
pulled this off by himself.

- Why not?
- Because l refuse to believe

that some alcoholic ME's assistant
beat me at my own game.

Abby, don't you think
you're obsessing?

You know what l found
in the little fibres, Chippy?

Sodium, chloride, potassium,
lactate, urea.

- Sweat?
- Exactly.

Should be able to pull DNA
from that.

l've also put a call in
to Pemberton Medical Analysis,

the lab that fired Stewart.
He's probably after them too.

- What can l do to help?
- Stay out of my way.

l didn't doubt you for a second, boss.
Well, maybe one second.

No, don't thank me. lt was all Abby.

The poor girl hasn't slept
since this entire affair began.

- Where is she?
- She's probably passed on by now.

- The term is passed out.
- Whatever. The girl is tired.

l got the court records from Stewart's
case against Baltimore unsealed.

You're a little late, Jen.

l mean, thank you, director.

Better, Jethro.

All l'm saying is that
you might wanna warn the person

who actually made the mistake

- that got Stewart fired.
- Now, that--

Hello? Hello?

lt looks like we lost our connection,
Abby.

lt was you.

You worked
at Pemberton Medical Analysis.

Until l got fired.

You took this job
just to set up Tony?

Yep.

And l did a pretty good job at it,
didn't l? Didn't l?

You know,

l thought a fair trade
would be taking down those two idiots

who got me fired.

But you couldn't leave
well enough alone, could you?

Could you?

Jethro?

Abby.

Now can l work alone?