All language subtitles for NCIS s23e05 Now and Then.eng

[buzzing]

GUARD:
Rise and shine, gentlemen.

Let's go. You know the drill.

? It's time for reckoning ?

? No one will come
to your defense ?

? We'll cut you down
where you stand ?

? Can't quit the game we're in ?

? That cold ground
is where it ends ?

? Last one standing...?

GUARD [over P.A.]:
Lights out.

[buzzing]

GUARD: Rise and shine,
gentlemen. Let's go.

? Beg for mercy ?

? Mister, please ?

[buzzing]

? The time has come
to make things right ?

? There ain't no judge
for pleading to.?

[buzzing]

GUARD:
Rise and shine, gentlemen.

Let's go. You know the drill.

Inmate 670. Step out.

Make a hole.

Damn it, Mulligan.
I ain't got time for this today.

I said move it.

No.

No! No!

[alarm sounding]

? ?

McGEE: Jess, I'm telling you,
it is the way to go.

It's just so... blah.

- I think we can do better.
- What?

What's going on?

We're discussing

what we should put
into the time capsule.

The what now?

You didn't read the memo
that P.R. sent out yesterday?

- Are we supposed to read those?
- [Knight laughs]

As part of the 250th anniversary
for the Navy,

the department has decided
to put together a time capsule

to be opened in 100 years.

McGEE:
And they have asked us

to contribute one item
that best represents

who and what NCIS is,
like a computer

- or hardware.
- No, McGee. It's...

Just think about it,
we use computers

and technology
for everything we do.

We couldn't get work done
without them.

I get that,
but computers are just

so impersonal and boring,

- no offense.
- Yeah, no, that's fine.

I mean, it's just my life's
passion, but whatever.

I was thinking that
we go more emotional.

Something that really details
NCIS and the community,

like a, like a
commemorative plaque.

McGEE:
That's super boring.

Nick, what about you?
What do you think

should go into the capsule?

TORRES: Look, I want to
celebrate the Navy

just like anybody else, okay?
But a time capsule?

Mm, not your thing, huh?

Well, I don't believe
in thinking about the future

or the past.
I live in the moment, baby.

So you don't care

what people 100 years from now
will think of us?

No, because I won't
even be here.

All right? And whoever opens

this time capsule might not even
be human anyways.

That's right,
could be talking apes.

If we're lucky.

Talking apes?
Never gonna happen.

It's the insects
we got to worry about,

especially roaches.
They're gonna outlive us all.

This conversation
got weird fast.

You two, gear up.

Torres, you're with me in MTAC.
I just got a call

from the U.S. Marshals' office.

An inmate escaped
from Morris Federal Prison.

In Maryland?
That's not a military prison.

Why are the Marshals calling us?

Because the convict,
Thomas Mulligan,

killed a chief petty officer
30 years ago.

It was actually
one of Gibbs' first cases.

First prison break
in my 20 years here.

It's the day every warden fears.

Two of our agents are en route

to your facility now,
Warden Tully.

In the meantime, maybe you can
fill us in on the details.

Well, wasn't easy.

They used some tools
from the machine shop

and removed the toilet
from the wall.

And then, they squeezed through
the narrow hole behind it

and both stowed away
on the outgoing laundry truck.

They? You mean
two inmates escaped?

Unfortunately, yes.

The second wasn't flagged

until we did
the final morning count.

Luther Stokes.

Former hit man
for the Baltimore mob.

Serving life without parole.

He is real bad news.

Were he and Mulligan tight?

Not that I know of.
They ran in different circles.

Stokes was a hard case.
He got into a lot of fights.

- And Mulligan?
- We never had any problem with him.

- He was a recent transfer
from California. - TORRES: All right, thank you.

He kept to himself.

He was reserved, quiet.

Uh, not so quiet.

State police found
Stokes' body in a ravine

ten miles from the prison.

My guess is Mulligan
thought he was

slowing him down,
so he killed him.

Looks like Mr. Mulligan will do
anything for his freedom.

[sighs] Well,
that's the funny thing.

Mulligan just had
his parole commission review

a few weeks back.

It was approved.
He was set to be released soon.

How soon?

Three weeks.

Why would you risk an escape
when, three weeks later,

you can just walk out
the front door?

No, I understand.

Yeah, please keep me
in the loop.

All right, thank you, Senator.

Problems up on the Hill?

No, just more rumors

about budget cuts
coming down the line.

The usual. Okay,

so, um, where are we at with
our escaped inmate, Mulligan?

One of the prison guards
reported her cell phone missing,

so Kasie is monitoring it now
in the off chance

that Mulligan took it.

McGee and I did find
something interesting

when we were searching his cell.

Mulligan drew dozens of
pictures, all of the same woman.

He wrote her name underneath.

VANCE:
Lainey Sims.

She was from Mulligan's
hometown, Serenity, California.

Same place where he murdered
that man 33 years ago.

Dispatch told us that the case
was connected to Gibbs,

but we never got the details.

Chief Petty Officer Louis Burke
was shot dead

and his body thrown
in front of an oncoming train

to make it look like suicide.

The crime happened
in broad daylight,

but when Gibbs and his team
went to investigate,

no one said a thing.

Were they afraid?
Were they protecting somebody?

Burke was a bad seed.

Nasty drinking habit,
got into fights a lot,

- destroyed property.
- Town bully.

The thinking was

the town was happy
to see him go,

and they didn't want
to turn in the person

that did them a favor,
so they all clammed up,

until Mulligan, who was
the town sheriff at the time,

miraculously came forward
and confessed to the killing.

But Gibbs didn't believe it?

No. Gibbs always thought that

the woman in those sketches,

Lainey Sims,
committed the murder,

and that Mulligan
took the fall for her.

The problem was,

Gibbs couldn't prove it,
so the case was closed.

But it was Gibbs' boss,
Mike Franks,

who took it the hardest.

He called it
"the one that got away."

He never got over it.

Apparently,
neither did Mulligan.

So you think his breakout
is connected to Lainey Sims?

Doesn't explain why he escaped
so soon before his release,

but it's a good place to start.

But we need to get to Lainey
before Mulligan does.

He already killed one man
during his escape.

Who knows what he's capable of?

JIMMY:
Multiple contusions all over his body,

defensive wounds
suggest a struggle.

Cause of death was severe trauma
to the cervical spine.

Oh, Mulligan broke his neck.

Yeah, snapped it like a twig.

Plus, Mulligan's DNA
was under his fingernails,

so it was definitely him.

Not bad for a man
Mulligan's age.

And Gibbs thought that Mulligan
wasn't capable of murder.

Maybe he wasn't back then,

but 30 years in prison?

That much time can change a man.

Oh, speaking of time,
I came up with the perfect item

- for the Navy time capsule.
- Okay, Jimmy,

you know, I'm not really
into this thing.

Oh, whoa. Okay,
what the hell is that?

- Is that a toe?
- This toe

belonged to one of the victims
of The Boneman.

Remember?
The infamous serial killer

that we put away
a few years ago?

Yeah, I remember.

At the start, this toe
was the only clue we had.

- This toe represents teamwork.
- Mm.

This toe is a symbol
of what makes NCIS great.

It's also disgusting.

Have you thought
this through, Jimmy?

Well, I-I, uh...

Hey, do you want children,
100 years from now,

to open the time capsule and
find a wrinkly, nasty-ass toe?

Uh... Yeah, no, no, I...

Y-You're right.

I guess I got carried away. I...

I guess I got excited
when I saw the memo and...

- [phone chimes]
- [laughs]

Oh, it's Jess. I got to go.

We're gonna be late
to the airport.

Where are you two going?

We're going to Mulligan's
hometown in California.

We're having problems
tracking down his crush, Lainey.

Plus, Parker wants us there
in case Mulligan shows up.

Okay, well, travel safe.

And, uh, you won't tell anybody
about the toe thing, right?

Right?

McGEE:
Hey, Kase.

Any luck tracking
that cell phone Mulligan stole?

Not yet. I kind of got slammed
with all this last minute.

What is all this stuff?
You looking to put something

- in the time capsule?
- No.

Although, this whole box
is practically a time capsule.

It is Gibbs' original case box
from 33 years ago.

It has everything related to
Mulligan's murder charge.

Oh. Anything good?

[laughs] Oh, maybe
it was good back in the '90s,

but it's a museum piece now.

Nothing's digital.
It's just tons and tons

of paperwork,
like, on physical paper.

- Ew.
- Oh. [scoffs]

And get this,
the interrogation tapes? VHS.

- Do we even own a VCR?
- No.

Yeah, I don't know how people
solved crimes in the '90s.

I don't know how
they got anything done.

- [computer chirps]
- Ah, sweet technology. Music to my ears.

Ooh, please tell me
that music includes

a hit on Mulligan's phone.

KASIE:
Yup. Looks like

he ordered an Uber to take him
somewhere in D.C.

Ordered an Uber during a prison
escape? Well, that's a first.

Okay, according to the account,
the car took him

to a residential address,

belongs to someone
named Vera Strickland.

Vera?

You know her?

Yeah. Vera was an NCIS agent
back in the day.

She used to work
with Gibbs and Mike Franks.

- You know what? I wonder...
- What?

McGEE:
Yeah, here it is.

Vera worked the murder case
33 years ago.

Why is Mulligan
headed to her now?

I don't know, but he's desperate

and he's on the run,
and that's not good.

Thanks, Kase.

[tires screeching]

Federal agents!

Haven't you heard of a doorbell?

What the hell?

Uh, Ms. Strickland,

my name is Special Agent Parker.

- This is Special Agent...
- Oh, I know who he is. McGee.

Hi, Vera.

Um, are you okay,
Ms. Strickland?

We have reason to believe
an escaped convict

was headed here to your home.

[laughs] An escaped convict?

- Here?
- So you're alone?

Me and my lonesome.

Just reading a book,
having a cup of tea.

Would you boys like some?

Caffeinated or decaf?

Whatever's fine.

- So you've been here
the whole time? - VERA: Yeah.

I'm retired. Where the hell else
am I gonna go?

Oh. No tea.

Would you mind
if we look around a little bit?

Make sure this guy
didn't try to break in?

Knock yourself out.

Okay, I'm afraid
it's gonna have to be water.

Tap. I don't spring
for that bottled crap.

Who is this convict anyway?

Thomas Mulligan.

You put him away
on a murder charge 33 years ago.

Thought you said you were alone.

You got me, Columbo.

- Mulligan was here.
- McGee.

He just took
some money, clothing,

a few... other things.

What other things?

[motorcycle engine revving]

My Harley.

[sighs] You lied to us,
Ms. Strickland.

You just aided and abetted
a fugitive.

Don't get so dramatic.

I was gonna call the authorities
after he left.

He only asked
for a five-minute head start,

- that's all.
- Well, at least

tell me you were coerced.

That he put a gun to your head.

I know that I might have
crossed a line a little,

but I had my reason.

Vera, you didn't just cross the
line. What you did was reckless.

Watch it, Goatee.

You're in no position
to lecture me.

I seem to remember,
the last time we met,

you "recklessly" lost
your gun and your badge.

- It was my credentials.
- VERA: It's because of you that

I had to go in the field,
I got a sprained ankle.

Okay, you know
that wasn't my fault.

DiNozzo was the one
who pushed you.

- And I couldn't
ride my bike for months. - Oh! Oh! Oh!

Can we please try
to get back on track?

Thank you.

Why did you help Mulligan?

Because he is innocent.

We put away the wrong man
30 years ago.

Gibbs knew it, Franks knew it,

and I knew it.

Well, he might have
been innocent back then,

but he just killed
his fellow inmate.

No. That was in self-defense.

Mulligan told me
the guy wanted to kill

a gas station owner
for the cash in the register.

Mulligan had no choice.

Maybe. Or maybe he just
said that so you'd help him.

Did Mulligan tell you
where he was headed?

Or why he broke out
three weeks before his release?

No. All he said was
he had to "right a wrong."

Ah, that's it for now.
We'll be in touch.

I know we will
'cause I want in on this case.

Excuse me? You?

I know the original murder case.

I was there.
I know all the players.

You're lucky I don't throw
your ass in jail.

But I can help!

Okay, here, have you talked

to Jimmy Wallace in D.C. yet?

You mean Congressman
James Wallace?

He's from Mulligan's hometown.

He was called Jimmy back then.

He goes way back with Mulligan.

Maybe he could give you
some insight.

See? I'm helping already.

Thanks, but no thanks.

No, wait. Wait. Wait.

The fact of the matter is,
I need this.

Retirement is boring as hell.

Working on this case

would not only
give me my groove back,

it would give me closure
on something

that's been hanging over my head
for 33 years.

Please. Please let me help.

TORRES: Well, this town
has seen better days.

KNIGHT:
Yeah, it's kind of depressing.

Something I can help you with?

Agents Knight, Torres.

We called earlier
about Lainey Sims.

You didn't get my message?
Damn it, Delroy.

My deputy. He was supposed to
ring you, but he must've forgot.

Lainey Sims is not here.

She and her husband split up
about eight years ago.

Took their son, moved up north.

Any idea where?

No. But her ex, Mac,
lives in town.

I'm willing to help you
in any way I can.

Well, that's good to hear,

since the last time
NCIS was here,

you weren't too cooperative.

Read somewhere you, uh,
trashed one of our cars.

- Hey! Hey!
- Stop!

- Drop it! Drop it! Put it down!
- Put it down! Put 'em down now!

I was a messed-up kid back then,

but I've cleaned myself up,
straightened myself out.

More than I can say
about most things around here.

- What happened to this place?
- Well, if you ask the state,

they'll say
it was climate change.

Serenity used to be
a big farming town,

lived off our own water.

But then we had
a few bad drought years,

the aquifer dried up.

We were forced to make deals

we couldn't afford
for outside water.

Now, this is what's left,
all because of a drought,

if you believe the state.

But you don't?

Ask anyone around here,
they'll tell you the same thing,

the murder's what
did this town in.

All our bad luck started when

Louis Burke was killed
33 years ago.

This town is cursed.
No way around it.

Burke wasn't the only thing
that died that day.

Find anything yet?

JIMMY:
I've got a CD player, I've got a fax machine,

but so far, no VCR.

Kase, I should've
come down here a long time ago.

I'm getting so many good ideas
for the Navy time capsule.

KASIE:
Yeah, what happened?

You're not going with your
severed toe idea anymore?

It was a bad idea, I admit it.

- [laughs] Oh, that is
putting it lightly. - Okay, all right.

Fine. What would you put
inside the time capsule?

Easy, a glitter bomb.

That way, whoever opens it
gets a fabulous surprise.

[chuckles] I can't tell
if you're joking.

Kasie, Jimmy. I'd like you
to meet retired

Special Agent Vera Strickland.

She'll be assisting us
in a limited capacity.

Very limited.

Pleasure to meet you.

This pleasure is all mine.

I googled you after
your name came up yesterday.

You're a legend.

The profiling program
you created

is still
the gold standard today.

Legend's a little strong.

- Let's go with trailblazer.
- [laughs]

I remember this.

Gibbs' notepad.

Franks' old files.

Oh, I could never read
his handwriting.

It was like chicken scratch.

[gasps]

If I knew you had this,
I would've brought my VCR.

You're my new best friend.

[phone chiming]

Congressman Wallace is waiting
in the conference room.

Oh, great. Let's hit it.

No. You're staying here,
where they can watch you.

Don't let her out of your sight.

No. Hey.
I am not a child, Parker.

I don't need babysitting.

Do you hear me?

Oh, he's irritating.
Oh... [sighs]

Handsome, but irritating.

Well, thanks for coming in,
Congressman Wallace.

We know election season's
been keeping you busy.

What can I say? I'm a glutton
for punishment. [laughs]

I take it you know
about Thomas Mulligan escaping?

Yeah, such a shock,
but I'm not sure how I can help.

How well did you know him?

Pretty well. Tom was a good guy.

I was floored when he confessed
to killing that man.

The whole ordeal tore
the town apart. It was awful.

Especially on the heels
of what had just happened.

What do you mean?

The victim, Louis Burke?

He beat up my grandpa
a week earlier.

YOUNG WALLACE:
That's my grandpa Dominic.

I took this yesterday.

Died later from his injuries.

Rumor was that
Burke's killing was revenge

for what he'd done
to my grandpa.

- Eye for an eye.
- WALLACE: Yeah,

but I didn't ask for that.

I was raised to believe
in the rule of law,

not this frontier justice crap.

That whole mess is why I got
into politics to begin with,

to fight for real justice.

Sorry.

With Tom escaping,
it, uh, brings up old memories.

Ah, we understand.

Congressman, we checked
Mulligan's visitor prison logs,

and your name came up
a few times.

Why did you visit him?

He wrote to me.
Asked to help with his parole.

I did.

Something I now regret.

Why's that?

WALLACE:
Because he changed.

The last time I saw him,
he was, he was more aggressive.

Edgy. Like something
had set him off.

It scared me, to be honest.

What do you think set him off?

I don't know,
but I'll tell you this,

wherever Mulligan is headed,

I sure as hell wouldn't want
to be there when he shows up.

TORRES:
Mr. Sims? NCIS.

Your neighbors
said we'd find you here.

[sighs] I heard you guys
were in town.

Been waiting for you to show up.

We're looking
for your ex-wife, Lainey.

We're thinking that Tom Mulligan
might try to contact her.

This is my husband, Mac.

Yeah, well, he ain't
gonna find her.

Neither are you.

Lainey, uh...

died three years ago.

They said the smoking's
what did it,

but... I know

it was the guilt
over what happened to...

Louis Burke.

Guilt?

Because she killed him?

[chuckles] Because we all did.

She didn't plan on killing him.

It was one of those
spur-of-the-moment things.

[sighs] She was just
so filled up

with rage over what he'd done
to old man Wallace.

Lainey loved him like a father.

So, she just... snapped.

She come to me afterwards.

She wanted to do
the right thing.

She wanted to turn herself in.

But you had other plans?

[sighs]

I buried the gun
out in the field.

Then me and a few others

put Burke in his car,

pushed him on the tracks and...

let the train do the rest.

Burke was no good. He had to go.

Lainey couldn't go to prison.
She was pregnant.

So, everyone just... Shh.

Kept it a secret.

Until you all showed up
asking questions.

Which forced Mulligan
to step forward and confess.

He took the fall for your wife,
and you let him.

Don't matter now, though,
I guess.

Lainey's gone,
my son won't talk to me,

the whole town's fallen apart.

And we all thought
we got away with murder.

Mr. Sims, we're gonna need you
to come with us so we can take

a written statement.

If Mulligan is innocent,
people need to know.

You know, funny thing is,

we all thought it was Burke
who beat up Wallace.

But now? I'm not so sure.

He might've been set up.

[distant train horn blowing]

And everything we did...

...might've been for nothing.

What are you talking about?

See my son, tell him I love him.

KNIGHT and TORRES:
No!

[gunshot]

Mac Sims was declared dead
at the scene.

TORRES:
Honestly, the guy seemed kind of haunted.

Like he was done
carrying the weight.

At least his confession
tells us one thing,

Tom Mulligan was innocent.

He didn't kill Chief Burke.
Gibbs was right.

[laughs] That wouldn't be
the first time.

Vera, it's a restricted area.
How'd you get in here?

Oh, don't get your panties
in a bunch.

I still have some friends
in the building.

What, do you want
to throw me out, McGee? Try it.

Vera, you are
supposed to be working

on the old case files, downstairs.

In the dust trap? Uh-uh.

This is where the action is.

And who are they?
The new Tony and Ziva?

- What?
- I've been here for nine years.

What do we got?

[sighs] Okay,

with Mac's confession,
that's one mystery solved.

We still have a fugitive
on the loose.

Any idea where
he might be headed?

Uh, possibly.
We think it might be

connected to this man,
Dominic Wallace.

That's Congressman
Wallace's grandpa.

The man Burke assaulted.

Well, maybe not. Mac said
that Burke didn't do it.

That he was set up.

Well, he was the town bully.
Be easy to do.

Our fugitive might've learned

the real identity
of the attacker,

and he's going after them now
for revenge.

We find out who this person is,
we find Mulligan.

Who else had motive to attack
Grandpa Wallace?

Well, see, that's the thing.
I mean,

we asked around town,
and we can't find anyone

who wanted to hurt him.

Is there anything
in the original report

about his attack?

Sheriff is having problems

finding it.

What about you?

What about me? What?

You were there, remember?

"I know all the players."
What can you tell us?

Hey, I only worked on
the Burke murder case.

This guy Wallace wasn't
military, wasn't our case.

- So you can't help us.
- VERA: I didn't say that.

I know two people

who might have
some info for you,

in their neck of the woods.

But I warn you, these guys,

these guys can be prickly.

Agents Knight, Torres.

- How's it going?
- WOODY: Hey. How you doing?

- Woody Browne.
This is my assistant. - Good.

Uh, former assistant,
Phil Elertson.

Oh, well, thanks
for taking the time.

Well, we're retired,
so what else are we gonna do?

- [laughs]
- PHIL: He's retired. I am still working.

I'm the assistant professor of
chemistry at the local college.

All these years and you're still
somebody's assistant.

How is that even possible?

Okay. Uh, you know,
Vera said that the two of you

used to work forensics for NIS
back in the day.

Can you tell us
what you remember

about the Dominic Wallace case?

Quite a lot, actually.

Wasn't even technically
our case,

but Michael Franks asked us to
take a look at it on the side.

No overtime, of course.

Dominic Wallace was

leaving his favorite restaurant
at 10:00 p.m. when he

was beaten within an inch
of his life with a baseball bat.

Elm Royal brand,
34-inch, solid wood.

No witnesses, but everybody in
town just assumed Burke did it.

Because he was the town's bully?

That and because the Elm Royal
bat was Burke's favorite item.

Carried it around all the time.
It was like his good luck charm.

Also, he had no alibi.

Yeah, I was just about
to say that, Phil,

- but thanks.
- However,

Burke did dislocate his shoulder

a few months earlier,
which raised doubts

he could've swung
the baseball bat that violently.

Is it okay for me to speak now?
Do I get a second now to speak?

- Do you ever not speak?
- Phil, ladies and gentlemen.

Okay, okay, guys,
this is all great,

but without any solid evidence,
it's gonna be very hard

to prove that Burke was framed.

Yeah, we can't even find
the murder weapon.

The sheriff thinks it's lost.

- Oh.
- Oh, it's not lost. We have it.

What?

Yeah, no, we got it.

No, when the Burke murder case
was closed,

uh, Franks asked us
to hold onto it, so we did.

Uh, can't believe
you guys still have it.

We got a whole storage unit

filled with all kinds of crap
from old cases.

Yeah, you never know when
it's gonna come in handy, right?

Did you analyze this?

Yeah, we had it analyzed
right away

when Franks gave it to us. Yeah.

We had two different sets
of DNA.

One was from
our victim, Wallace,

and the other was not enough
to produce a proper I.D.

It was the '90s.

We needed big DNA samples
to get anything done.

WOODY:
But now, with modern technology,

you could reanalyze the bat,

maybe run it through
one of the...

Probably identify, uh,
Wallace's killer.

Seriously? That one
just felt on purpose.

- I was in the middle of talking.
- PHIL: Well, you're old.

I was trying to keep you
back on your thoughts. I was...

Oh, and you're some kind
of spring chicken, Phil?

- PHIL: Yes.
- WOODY: I disagree completely.

FRANKS: Grandpa Dom took in Lainey
after her mama died, didn't he?

What are you doing?

You better not be
messing up my VCR.

I'm reviewing, uh, Mulligan's
interrogation tapes from '92.

Going over Gibbs' notes here.

- Seeing if there's anything
we missed. - Mm.

Oh, look at me. [laughs]

I was a fox.

What are we gonna do about it?

VERA:
Oh. There's Roy.

Gibbs was so young.

We all were. Time is a bitch.

- Mm.
- GIBBS: I went to go

fingerprint Lainey
and her husband.

They left town.

You know, he talks about you.

- Gibbs?
- Mm-hmm.

You... you talked to him?

Did he call you or...?

Well, not-not exactly.

But it's not important
how I talked to him.

What is important
is that he's proud of you.

He told me that
you are a better agent

at your age than he ever was.

When the job is done, probie,
you got to walk away.

- Rule 11.
- Mm-hmm.

- That's where he got it from.
- Mm-hmm.

The irony is Franks
never followed his own rule,

did he? I mean,

this case bothered him
until the day he died.

Yeah, because the job
wasn't done.

VERA:
Right. Now, it's our turn

to finish it for him.

Huh?

Hey, Kase. Got anything for me?

DNA results on the baseball bat.

We had the office
in San Diego run the tests.

And?

The DNA does not belong
to Burke.

He's not our killer.

Great. That means
he was definitely framed.

- Whose DNA is it?
- Don't know. They're not in the system.

- So, we're back to square one.
- Not necessarily.

I think Gibbs just handed us
the piece we've been missing.

Wait till you hear this.

I was going through
Gibbs' case notes,

and on the days
leading up to the attack,

Grandpa Wallace called
the San Diego county office

dozens of times.

VERA:
He even set up a meeting with them

on the actual morning
he was attacked.

Gibbs tried to follow up
with the county,

but they never called him back.

The case was closed
before he could do any more.

McGEE:
I called the county archive department.

Wallace had filed
dozens of documents with them.

That disappeared
shortly after his death.

Whoever killed Wallace must've
taken them to destroy evidence.

But we know something
that the killer didn't know.

County made copies
of all the originals.

And apparently,
someone requested

to see them
just three weeks ago.

Who?

Jason Cross, lives alone,
works as a vet assistant.

What's a vet assistant want
with 30-year-old papers?

KNIGHT: Looks like we're not the
only ones interested in this case.

- I'll check the back.
- Copy.

[grunts]

Jess, runner!

[grunts]

NCIS. Let me see
your hands, Mulligan.

Hey. I heard a noise.
I didn't know who you were.

Step back.

It's-it's not what you think.

I'm not here to hurt anyone.

Then what are you doing here?

I'm trying to save my son.

Lainey and I had been having
an affair for over four years.

No one knew.

Not even her husband.

Jason Cross is, uh,
your and Lainey's son?

Yeah.

Cross was... his mother's name.

And that's why
you went to prison for her.

She was carrying your child.

Lainey didn't want me
to do it, of course.

She... [chuckles] hated
the thought of me being punished

for something that she'd done,

but...

I convinced her
that it was the...

it was the right thing to do,
you know.

For Jason. So...

I went away.

And we kept our secret.

I shot Louis Burke.

This is the gun I used to do it.

But Jason found out.

Yeah.

A few weeks ago, um, he...

he visited me
in prison for the first time.

He said that Lainey had told him
everything on her death bed,

about me being his dad,

about the murders.

Somehow, he figured out who
really killed old man Wallace.

Did he tell you who it was?

No. Just...

...said he wanted
to make them pay.

Why?

Jason wasn't even born
when any of this happened.

You don't understand.

See, in Jason's mind...

[sighs] every bad thing that's
ever happened to our family...

I mean, to this town,

all started
with Wallace's murder.

I mean, that's like
the original sin.

To him, the man
who killed Wallace just...

cursed us.

He's to blame for everything.

So now, he's out for revenge.

I... I tried to talk him
out of it, but he... [sighs]

he wouldn't listen to me.

That's why I broke out
of prison. I-I-I... [sighs]

I couldn't wait for my release,

the damage
could already be done.

Look, I-I have to stop my son

from making the same mistake
that Lainey did.

Where's Jason now?

I-I don't know.

I got here
not long before you did.

His car's gone.
It... looks like he's packed.

Any idea where
he might be headed?

Who he might be targeting?

No.

Well, whoever it is,

I think you'll find
the answer in here.

- Thanks so much.
- So where we at?

We've revised the BOLO,
so it's now

for Jason Cross.
FBI set up a tip line.

Calls have come in that have

placed him in Colorado, and then

in Chicago as recently
as two days ago.

He's heading east.
Call Torres and Knight.

Tell them to get
their butts back here.

Already done. They're on a plane
with Mulligan now.

All right,
let's leak to the press

that we're looking for Cross.

Maybe if he catches wind
we're onto him,

he'll back off
whatever he's planning.

- Hey. You guys need to see this.
- Kase, what do you got?

Wallace's county documents.

Knight and Torres scanned them
for me before they left.

Listen to this,

before he died, Wallace was

in the process
of gifting his property

to the town of Serenity.

Why? I thought it was worthless.

He was sitting on a goldmine.

Wallace's property is situated
above a huge aquifer.

There's enough water in there to
supply a whole city for decades.

And no one knew?

Wallace didn't even know

until an outside water company

approached him
to sell his water rights.

Jason looked up
the original offer,

it was huge.

Wallace could've made a fortune,

but instead, he decided
to gift it to the town he loved.

But somebody killed him
before he could do it.

KASIE:
That same somebody

who inherited his water rights
upon his death,

his next of kin,
Congressman James Wallace.

I looked up the congressman's

bank accounts
going back decades.

He came into
a huge amount of cash

months after
his grandfather's death.

He must've learned
about his grandfather's decision

to donate the aquifer.

And then he killed him,

so he could sell
the rights himself.

The congressman
has to be Jason's target.

We need to warn him.

Where's the congressman now?

[marching band playing]

So then, after the music,
I'll say,

"It's good to see so many
hardworking folks here today.

Folks like me,
blah, blah, blah."

You think Jason's here?

Well, if he's planning
on killing the congressman,

this is as good a place as any.

All right, let's split up.
Search windows,

any high vantage points.

[sighs]

Jason?

- Come on.
- NCIS! Show me your hands!

Hey, get back! Get back!
Don't come any further!

Put the gun down, Jason!

Stay away from me.

- Jason, put the gun down!
- Stay away!

- Don't do this.
- JASON: S-Stop it! I mean it!

- Get back!
- We can help you.

How? I've got nothing.
Wallace destroyed everything.

We know. We know,
and we're gonna make him pay,

but don't let him destroy you.

No. No.

My team, they knew your mother.

And she wouldn't
want this, Jason.

And your biological father?

He spent 30 years in prison
to protect you,

and he broke out to do it again.

If you do this now,

all that sacrifice
is for nothing.

[crying]

I can't thank you enough,
Agents Parker, McGee.

You saved my life.

Well, you may not want
to thank us just yet.

So, the congressman confessed
to killing his grandfather?

Didn't need to.

We took his DNA
from the water mug

he used when he was here.

Compared it to the killer's
on the murder weapon.

It's a perfect match.

Congressman's going away
for a long, long time.

Well, then there's just
one last thing left.

And, um, what about my...

...father?

Is he gonna be charged
for breaking out of prison?

No. We spoke to a federal judge
who agreed that 33 years

for a crime he didn't commit
counts as time served.

And the other convict that
he killed was in self-defense.

Your dad's a free man.

But unfortunately,
I can't say the same for you.

With a weapons charge
and intent to commit murder,

you're gonna have to do
some time, Jason. Sorry.

- Yeah.
- [knock on door]

But luckily, you won't
have to face this alone.

There'll be somebody
pulling for you,

waiting on the other side
when you get out.

Jason.

Look, um...

I know that I...

wasn't able to be
in your life before, but...

...I'm here now.

KASIE:
Gonna be sad to see you go, Vera.

Thanks for all your help.

Oh, no, thank you, guys.

This case was
the little pick-up I needed,

and I didn't even
sprain my ankle this time.

[laughter]

No, seriously, though,

working here
the past few days, it...

reminded me why
I loved this job so much.

Does that mean you're thinking
about coming out of retirement?

[laughs] Hell no.

I'm gonna leave all the agenting
up to you young pups.

- You, not so much.
- [laughs]

Yeah. Don't be a stranger, Vera.

I'll see you, Park. And you.

- See you, Vera.
- Uh-huh.

Oh, good, you're all here.

Jimmy, what's going on, bro?

Well, I finally came up
with the perfect item

to put in the time capsule
for the Navy's celebration.

- KASIE: Oh, gosh.
- Whew...

Jimmy, we're so over this.

Please don't tell me
it's another toe.

No, no, hear me out.
So, I've been working this case,

I've been going through a ton
of old photos and videos.

Made me realize how much history
we have together.

Now, who has all that history
in one place?

OTHERS:
Oh, yeah.

- Ducky's memoir.
- Oh, my gosh, yes.

I mean, not only does it have
a lot of great stories

about our cases,
but the revised edition

actually has photos

of all of us
from past and present.

This is what people
should remember about NCIS.

- What we meant to each other.
- Wow.

That we were a family.

KASIE:
Oh, look, a young Gibbs.

- KNIGHT: Oh, my gosh.
- Ooh, look at this one of us.

- TORRES: Look at that.
- [overlapping chatter]

? ?

[chatter continues]

I think you got
a winner here, Jimmy.

Nicely-nicely done, bro.

[overlapping chatter]

? ?

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