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Till Death Do Us Part Recap
◄ Back to 9.24 Till Death Do Us Part
NCIS: Till Death Do Us PartAirdate: May 15, 2012
Author: callerbear
Previously on NCIS:
- Wiring aboard a naval vessel explodes
- The NCIS team finds a long list of the naval vessels at risk of explosion
- Gibbs demands to know who is behind the terrorist attacks
- The suspect says “His name is Harper Dearing”
- Dearing’s photo appears on the plasma
- Gibbs wonders “Why would a corporate executive be terrorizing navy vessels?”
- McGee confirms that they’ve found a Watcher Fleet microchip
- Tony surmises Dearing bought the microchip
- Dr. Samantha Ryan tells Gibbs that Dearing had a son in the navy
- Director Vance disappears while driving home alone
On a quiet country road, the team is carefully searching an abandoned SUV for clues. Tony decides to search a duffel bag – he’s hesitant because the bag belongs to Director Vance. McGee and Ziva comment that the car isn’t anywhere near Vance’s usual route home. Gibbs walks up; Tim shows him the Director’s cell phone. No calls except for those from the Director’s wife, looking for him. There are no fingerprints anywhere, and no signs of blood or a struggle.
One of the director’s security detail arrives. They landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 10:30 PM. The agents thought they should drive the director home, but he insisted that he wanted to pick up his SUV at the Navy Yard. The agent received a worried call from the director’s wife at about 1:00 AM. Gibbs sends him home to get some rest.
Gibbs will call SecNav; he wants the director’s family moved to a hotel, a perimeter search launched, and BOLOs issued; the FBI and police should be notified. The team scrambles to comply as Gibbs looks out over the countryside. “Where are you, Leon?”
Director Vance suddenly awakes, but is groggy. Sunlight is shining through stained glass windows. Groaning, he turns his head and is startled to see a rotted corpse lying next to him. The camera pans back and we see the corpse is dressed in a naval uniform. As Vance sits up, rubbing his face, we see that he’s in a sarcophagus with the lid removed, and apparently in a mausoleum. Pinned to the chest of the corpse is a note: “Your king is vulnerable.”
Roll the opening credits.
In Director Vance’s office, Gibbs is on the telephone to the Secretary of the Navy. No hard information yet; they’re still trying to reconstruct the director’s movements. McGee reports that the parking lot’s video shows the director went straight to his car without entering the building, and drove away at 11:30 PM. McGee is already trying to trace his route, and has requested videos from other street cameras. Dr. Ryan arrives; she’s just heard what happened and is there to provide whatever assistance she can. Gibbs' phone rings. “Gibbs. It’s Leon.” “Director!”
Outside the mausoleum, Director Vance tries to remember what happened. He was almost home when someone flagged him down, saying they had car trouble. There were three of them. He woke up in the mausoleum, found a groundskeeper and asked for assistance. That’s all he can remember. The medics say that he was tranquilized.
McGee reports that the land belongs to the Whitting family, and that the corpse was Navy Lieutenant Derek Whitting, laid to rest in the family mausoleum. Whitting died ten years earlier on the USS Brandywine, in the same explosion that killed Dearing’s son Evan. Ducky comes out of the mausoleum: Tucked into the mummified remains was the partial jawbone of a member of the equine family. Dr. Ryan recognizes a biblical reference to Sampson in Judges 15: “And he found the new jawbone of an ass, put forth his hand, slew a thousand men.” Phoof!
In Autopsy, Jimmy Palmer finds the idea of the director waking up in a casket to be “just plain creepy.” Ducky thinks it’s even creepier for someone to use Whitting’s remains to deliver a message. Ducky recalls the attack on the USS Brandywine – there was a defective section of steel in the hull that failed when a terrorist bomb exploded, causing the deaths. The navy had been aware of the defect and had planned to repair it, but it was never considered a danger – only a vulnerability. Six died and twenty-two others were injured in the explosion. “Out of the six, why use Lieutenant Whitting?” Gibbs has the answer: Whitting was the first to die; he was on the same deck as the bomb. “Well, that would certainly provide a certain psychological relevance,” Ducky agrees. He then wonders, “If Whitting was indeed the first to suffer in the explosion, then perhaps Dearing is now pointing a finger at who might suffer next.” “NCIS”, Gibbs concludes. “Why,” Palmer asks, “It’s not like we were responsible for what happened on the Brandywine?” “Not directly,” Gibbs says quietly.
In the squadroom, the team discusses the likelihood that they won’t be able to attend Palmer’s wedding. Gibbs arrives: they tell him about the search for Dearing. Gibbs asks Tony to find an old case file from 12 years earlier. Three young sailors played a practical joke on some officers; they violated federal law. Didn’t go over well with the brass. The case agent was Blake Larson. Gibbs apparently thinks this has something to do with what is happening now but only says, “Find him.”
At the Pentagon, Gibbs bursts into Dr. Ryan’s office. “Doc, let’s talk about Dearing’s son.” The chair turns, and we see a young man dressed in a coat and tie. “You Parker?” Parker stands, recognizes Gibbs and shakes hands.
“Nice to meet you, Parker.”
“So. How much do you like my mom?”
“I like her.”
“On a scale of 1 to 10? You can round up if you want.”
“I don’t do numbers.”
“Right. ‘Mr. Tactile’. Y’know, I heard about that. Wood stuff. In your basement.”
“Yeah?”
Dr. Ryan returns with snacks for Parker. “Oh, you’re here, and you met. Greaaat.” Gibbs wants to talk about the case; she tells him that they can talk in front of Parker (“Parker probably has a higher security clearance than you do.”) Gibbs wants more information on Evan Dearing – everything that Ryan knows. “Dearing’s been digging up Navy weaknesses; hitting us where it hurts. I think it’s time we return the favor.”
In Forensics, Abby has called for Ziva. When Ziva rushes in, Abby is depressed.
“This is assault, Ziva, it’s an assault on everything that’s good in the world.”
“Abby, everyone is upset by what Harper Dearing has done.”
“Oh. I wasn’t talking about that. I mean, that is terrible and we have to stop this maniac before any more Navy men and women are lost. But now? Right before Jimmy’s wedding?”
“Abby.”
“I know it sounds selfish, but I was looking forward to ‘happy-time’, for our little family.”
“Abby. Enough. Work.”
Abby tells Ziva that by using the measurements and DNA of the jawbone, she has narrowed the breed of horse to either a thoroughbred Morgan or an Anglo-Arabian. Both are very common in racing circles. They need to check breeders, race tracks and veterinarians.
Abby concludes, “If we can find out where the horse came from, we can find Dearing.” “Hopefully,” Ziva says. Abby turns and waves her fingers. “All right, go, Ziva, shoo. We have a plane to catch. I am holding out hope for a piece of wedding cake.”
Down in the evidence locker, McGee and Tony are searching old files, and finally find the case Gibbs described. It was a case from 2000; the case agent was Blake Larson (who retired the year after Tony started); Gibbs was a participating agent; it involved a steamy liaison between a male and female officer; someone videotaped it (which was a felony), then played the tape for the entire crew. Two of the co-conspirators flipped on the sailor that did the videotaping; the photographer was discharged and the co-conspirators were reassigned. Although the names were legally expunged, Gibbs had kept good records. The reassigned sailors were Seaman Jeffrey DeRosa and… Evan Dearing.
In Director Vance’s office, Gibbs and Ryan brief the director. After the investigation, Evan Dearing was reassigned to the USS Brandywine. Harper Dearing made sure that his son’s record wasn’t tarnished. Although the Navy was willing to forget, Gibbs didn’t. They believe that Dearing blames NCIS for his son being assigned to the Brandywine and subsequently killed by the bomb when the faulty steel failed. Dearing is targeting NCIS in retaliation. Vance tells them that Special Agent Larson retired to raise racing horses on a farm in Maryland. “Horses. I’m detecting a theme.” Vance wants Gibbs to talk with Larson; he may remember something that would help.
The team arrives at Larson’s horse farm. As they approach the house, Gibbs notes the horses in an adjacent pasture, chickens in a small pen. No-one stirs in the house. Ziva says she can understand why Larson would retire here. Tony jokes about the horse manure. “Tony, it saddens me that you cannot enjoy the simpler things in life.” “Oh, I appreciate simple. When I retire, it will be to a simple tropical island with simple topless women fanning me with simple banana leaves until the day I die.”
One of the horses whinnies then gallops away as if it had been startled. Gibbs takes note. He approaches Larson’s pickup truck – the driver’s door is standing open. He looks inside the cab. There’s a bag of groceries on the seat. He checks the temperature of the hood. The team notes his caution. “Larson!” Gibbs calls, “Are you home?” There’s no answer.
The house explodes.
Phoof!
Firemen carry Larson’s body out of the house. Tony notes that the house could have exploded at any time. “How did Dearing know we were here?” McGee and Ziva run up: they’ve found a video camera nearby. They play the tape: It’s a recording of the team approaching the house, as viewed from just inside the woods behind them. We see Gibbs check the truck, call out to Larson and the house explode. Immediately after the explosion, the camera is turned to focus on Harper Dearing’s face.
“Hello Agent Gibbs,” Dearing says. “Some people need to learn from their mistakes. Others don’t deserve the opportunity, like former Agent Larson. The terrorist attack that killed my son Evan did not need to happen. These recent attacks, vulnerabilities that I have pointed out, needed to be disclosed. Sacrificing a few, I have saved thousands of lives. And now it’s time to stop pointing out flaws. Now, it’s about something else entirely. Now, it’s about Evan.”
The camera pans back, and we see Director Vance and Gibbs watching the video on the director’s wall monitor. Vance stops the playback and remains motionless. “You want to talk about it?” Gibbs asks.
Vance turns and walks back to his desk. “World-wide fleet is on red alert. They’re securing all vessels in ports. So what’s your next play?”
“The ex-wife. She’s traveling out of the country, she’ll be back today.”
Vance chuckles. “You and ex-wives. If there’s anybody that knows what makes that SOB tick, it could be her.”
Gibbs knows there’s something else bothering Vance. “You know, you got caught. OK. It doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t matter! Dearing played me, Gibbs. Nobody plays me.”
“Don’t let it happen again.”
“Trust me, it won’t!”
“It’s all a game to him, Leon. Hit back. You hit back hard. You remember what that used to feel like? I know what you’re capable of.”
Vance steps back towards Gibbs. “I got a thousand agents world-wide willing to take a bullet for me.”
“Yeah, Leon?”
“And I can’t protect them from one lone deranged father.”
“Hey Leon – if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn’t take a bullet for you.” Gibbs smiles. Vance chuckles in spite of himself, then grows serious again. Softly: “I want him gone.”
In the squadroom, Ziva and McGee review what they know of Evan’s mother, Victoria Dearing, as Abby and Jimmy Palmer watch from a distance. After Evan’s death, Victoria received counseling and tried to move on. Harper Dearing refused assistance and started drinking, was arrested for driving under the influence a couple of times, and became increasingly withdrawn and violent. Two years after Evan’s death, the couple divorced. Tony has gone to pick her up; they’re on the way back.
“Um, Gibbs?” Abby speaks up. “We have a question. And I know there’s no good time to ask this, but we just, we need an answer. All of us.” She takes a breath, then looks Gibbs in the eyes. “Is there any chance that we’ll still make it to Jimmy’s wedding?”
Gibbs has no answer.
Jimmy knows what that means. “Totally understand, Agent Gibbs. Of course, the timing couldn’t have been worse.” His voice is strained, and sounds about ready to crack. Sad music plays in the background. The team looks on in silence as Palmer continues. “It’s OK. It’s OK. I guess it, it, it just wasn’t meant to be.” He lifts his chin. “So I’m going to go down to Autopsy, uh, because Dr. Mallard is there.” He blinks back tears and leaves. “Jimmy…” Abby offers. Saddened, the team splits up to get back to work.
In Autopsy, Ducky pulls yet another piece of broken ceramic out of Agent Larson’s body. “Based on what we’ve extracted so far,” Palmer says, “We know that at the time of the explosion, Agent Larson had a television, an oak table and a love for festive western dinnerware.” He sighs, then looks at Ducky. “Speaking of love, Doctor, I need your opinion on something.”
“Mr. Palmer, as tedious as this may seem, this is not the time to discuss your inexplicable desire to perform a Bette Midler number at your wedding ceremony.”
“I want to sing ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ to my bride. So sue me! I…” Ducky looks at him with fire in his eyes.
“Sorry, Dr. Mallard, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately…”
“You are not the only one with a burden! Now, please, it is imperative that I find something to aid the investigation! It is on my shoulders to protect those who protect us.”
“NO!” Jimmy says firmly, “No, Doctor, it’s on our shoulders.” He moves around the table to be next to Ducky. “And that is why I’m wondering. Do you think that I should just cancel the wedding?”
“Absolutely not,” Ducky says instantly. “No-one can deny that our work is important. But we also have loved ones who are not to be taken for granted. To walk away now is to hand Harper Dearing another victory.”
“You’re right. Of course. It’s just the thought of my wedding, without any of you there, it just feels wrong.”
“Did I not just say, rather poetically I might add, that we have loved ones who are not to be taken for granted?”
“Yeah, yeah you did.” Jimmy pauses a moment, then suddenly realizes Ducky’s meaning. “Wha… You mean you’ll be there?”
Ducky chuckles and smiles back at him. “With proverbial bells on.”
Palmer can’t resist his glee and hugs Ducky. They both laugh.
In the conference room, Gibbs interviews Victoria Dearing. She says that it’s not possible that her ex-husband could be attacking navy vessels: Evan’s death destroyed Harper. He was indeed angry at the Navy for failing to protect Evan. Harper called Evan his “shining star”, and thought of him with his first and last thoughts of the day. After Evan died, there was nothing remaining to hold the couple together. She has no idea where he is, but believes that if he’s the one behind the explosions then he won’t stop until he’s made his point: Someone has to pay for taking away their son.
Gibbs walks into Dr. Ryan’s office unannounced. She introduces Gibbs to ‘Lucy’, a computer on her desk named after the Peanuts character (“Five cents, the doctor’s in.”) Lucy’s programming can predict likes, dislikes, sleep habits, political leanings, as well as potential enemies (like Gibbs) and allies like… Jonathon Cole, the man that stole the Watcher Fleet microchips. He’s currently in prison, thanks to Gibbs. Cole had sold Dearing the microchip that exposed the navy wiring problems, so they have a history and are both enemies of NCIS. Ryan suggests that if they could get Dearing to enlist Cole’s services now, they might be able to turn the tables on him. “Get him out of prison, and work him like a double agent.”
Ryan’s phone rings. “Good evening, Doctor” says Harper Dearing.
“Dearing!” she says.
(Gibbs quickly moves to another phone in the office.)
“You had to know that I’d call.”
“I suspected eventually.”
(Gibbs begins dialing a number on the other phone.)
“I must say, Doctor, you continue to intrigue me.”
“Why is that? My winning personality?”
(Gibbs quietly orders "Run a traffic trace on Dr. Ryan’s phone.")
“I’ve worked with some very smart people,” Dearing says as we see him sitting in his car. “Brilliant thinkers who influence how we live. You get great pleasure getting inside people’s heads, and yet you are an open book! Weak, vulnerable…”
“Yeah,” Ryan says, “Don’t kid yourself. You don’t know me.”
“I know about your ex-husband.” Ryan looks at Gibbs in alarm as Dearing continues. “Where he is and how he got there.”
“Stay away from my family.”
“As a single parent, you’re doing an excellent job.” We see Dearing from a different angle. Outside his car window, young men in jackets and ties are mingling on a sidewalk. The camera focuses on one of them: It’s Parker. “Parker has an honest face and a winning smile. I see he plays the woodwinds. You know, I used to play the clarinet.”
“You’re at his music school,” Ryan says tightly.
“Yeah. He seems to be waiting for you. Would you like me to tell him that you’re running a bit late?”
Ryan looks at Gibbs with fear in her eyes. Phoof!
Outside the music school, police cars have gathered with their lights flashing. We see Parker standing on the sidewalk, smiling and talking with someone. A small distance away, Gibbs consoles Ryan. “He’s OK, Doc.” “I know,” she says, “Dearing didn’t go near him.” She takes a deep breath. “This concerns me.” “What?” Gibbs asks. “He’s playing us,” she says, “Finding ship’s vulnerabilities isn’t his only specialty. He’s good. He’s really good.” “Dangerous, too,” Gibbs adds. Ryan steps forward to join Parker, who’s been talking with Tony and Ziva. She gives him a hug.
In the squadroom the next morning, the team arrives to find Jimmy waiting for them. Palmer has worked through the night, finishing up on work before their flight just two hours from now. He received a message that he was to meet them in the morning. They surprise him with wedding gifts.
From Ziva, a set of the finest Israeli cotton sheets so that they can sleep like a baby, “or maybe make one”. From Tim, a wireless long-range security camera for those nights when he’s working late and Breena is stuck home alone, or eventually it could be used as a baby monitor. From Tony, a DVD of the 1963 Jean-Luc Godard masterpiece “Contempt”. Tim recognizes the DVD. “You got that at Christmas. You’re regifting, Tony.” Tony defends himself. “It’s not regifting if you’ve already watched it on Netflix!” Palmer is delighted with the gifts and hugs all three of them at once.
Just then, the elevator doors open. Gibbs leads down the hallway, followed by Jonathon Cole and two agent escorts. Cole smiles ironically at the startled team.
In Interrogation, Cole noisily crunches on potato chips. “Umm. Sour cream and onion. You know, everything does taste better on the outside.” Gibbs and Ryan are there. Gibbs shows Cole pictures of the burned victims from the Navy ship explosions; Cole agrees that by selling the microchips to Dearing he’s enabled the killing. He offers them information on Dearing that may help, but Ryan recognizes that he’s bluffing. Gibbs and Ryan offer a deal: If he’ll help them by leading Dearing into a trap, “Maybe, just maybe, we can talk about putting a light at the end of your tunnel, maybe keep you away from the firing squad.” The catch: Cole might be killed. “That’s not the catch,” Cole says, “that’s the fun!” He agrees to help.
Outside the NCIS building, Gibbs and Tony walk while Tony describes the story designed to catch Dearing’s interest. Various federal agencies have been told that Cole has escaped; Virginia Dearing has been told that Cole is looking for Harper. (They believe Virginia knows more about Harper than she’s telling, and think she has a way to reach him.) Abby runs up. “Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!” She’s processed all of the samples taken from Agent Larson’s exploded home; nothing matches the chemical signatures used in the previous explosions. Director Vance pulls up in his car – he’s been asked to park at the sidewalk near the building while security remains on high alert. Gibbs receives a text message from Dr. Ryan: “My Office Now!”
In Ryan’s office, she’s packing her briefcase. “Hey, you OK?” Gibbs asks. Without a word, she hands him a piece of paper. He scans it. “Who is Liam Dunham?” he asks.
“He’s my ex-husband,” she says with a catch in her voice.
“Yeah, and?”
“He was released from prison today. By a federal judge on a bogus technicality.”
“That’s bad timing.”
“Timing had nothing to do with it.”
“You sure about that?”
She looks at Gibbs. “Parker’s father was in prison for a reason. A very good reason. He hurts people.”
“You’re safe. Parker’s safe. I can promise that.”
She snorts, then shakes her head in fear. “No you can’t. I know you want to, Gibbs, but you can’t.”
“This is like classic head-gamer stuff, Doc! Don’t let Dearing inside your head like this.”
“Dearing bought the judge! He played me! And he won.”
“No, he hasn’t won anything.”
She slings her bag over her shoulder. “I’m taking Parker. There isn’t anything else you can do. I’ve got to go.” She passes him to leave the office, but he grabs her arm.
Ryan turns back, looks at Gibbs. “SecDef will know where I am.” “This isn’t the answer,” Gibbs says. She smiles sadly, leans forward and kisses him goodbye. She breaks away and strides out of the office without looking back. Phoof!
That night in the squadroom, Tony muses. “Please,” he says, “Who really likes weddings anyway?” At her desk, Ziva is resting her chin on her hand. “Hmmph. There’s nothing good about them.”
“Weird uncles making inappropriate toasts.”
“Rubber chicken enhanced by cheap wine.”
“Cheesy music. Children. Rental tuxedos.”
“The bouquet. The garter. The cake. The...”
“The fittings.”
“The fittings! The fittings. I’m not even to the actual ceremony yet.”
Tony thinks a moment longer, then comes up with another one. “The vows,” he acknowledges.
She nods. “Hmmph. The ring.” She looks at him, he looks back then offers “The kiss.”
She chuckles. “The ketubah.”
“I don’t even know what I’d do if I had to deal with all that,” he says. She thinks for a moment, then with downcast eyes suggests “Elope?” Tony looks at her in surprise, and she blushes.
“Yeah, well, it worked for me,” Gibbs says as he walks in. “Give me an update.” McGee walks in from the other direction. An email just came in from the dummy account they set up. It reads, “Where Golden Eagles rest… tomorrow 08:00.” Ziva recognizes “Golden Eagles” as the name of an Israeli Air Force squadron, but Gibbs suggests that it’s a nickname for retired Navy pilots. McGee knows of an old coffee shop downtown where they hang out. “Everybody’s got their spot,” Gibbs thinks.
Cut to a fancy hotel suite. Through the open French doors, we hear seagulls calling and ocean waves crashing against a beach. Breena walks through the room to answer a knock at the door. It’s Palmer. “Hi,” he says.
“Jimmy! You’re not supposed to see me yet!”
“Yeah, I know, I know. I’m sorry, I just… can I come in?”
She smiles shyly and lets him in. They sit on the couch and kiss. “Good morning, groom,” she says, then kisses him again. “Good morning.”
“Um,” he says and backs away a little. “You know how much I love you, right?”
“Yeah?”
“And you know I’d do anything to make you happy.”
She looks at him with a question in her eyes.
He looks down, then continues. “So, uh, Bree, sweetie… I need your help.”
“Jimmy, what is it?”
He takes his glasses off, rubs his eyes. “I know we’ve waited for this day for so long, and I know how excited your family is. But my family? The people that I care about? Well, they’re not here. They’re at home. They’re trying to protect us so we can be safe, so we can have…” (he looks at the suite) “… all this.”
He looks at her with determination. “I should be with them. So, rather than wait until this afternoon, let’s just do this right now! And then, after we go home and I help, we can have a party or a, a honeymoon, or anything you want.”
“You want to get married now?”
In answer, he just smiles at her.
“Jimmy, I’m not marrying you for all this. I am marrying you because you’re the sweetest, most kind-hearted man I have ever met.” She smiles and they touch their foreheads together. “That’s a yes, right?” he whispers. They laugh. “Yes!” she says.
Gibbs and the team are in their car, watching Cole approach the sidewalk coffeeshop. Other agents are watching from nearby positions. Cole sits at an outdoor table. The waitress comes out and offers him coffee. “You wouldn’t be Cole by chance?” she asks. Surprised, Cole says “Who’s asking?” She digs into her apron and pulls out an envelope. “Messenger dropped this off when I got here. Told him I wouldn’t be part of any drug deal or anything.” She smiles and moves away.
Cole opens the envelope. It contains a cell phone. It rings just as he pulls it out of the envelope. “Dearing’s on to us,” Tony tells Gibbs in the car. Cole answers the phone. “Not exactly the meet and greet I was hoping for, Dearing.”
We see Dearing walking through a parking lot. “Yes, well, perhaps another time. I would like you to relay a message to Agent Gibbs, if you would be so kind.”
“You’re big on messages.”
“Tell him I was never really interested in Director Vance.”
“So what are you interested in?”
“Justice.”
In the squadroom, they study their recording of the conversation with the aid of McGee’s computer software. Vance overhears as he passes by, then joins them. “Man’s got a funny way of showing his lack of interest.”
Cole: “Guy’s got stones, I’ll give him that.”
Tony (to Cole): “Should you still be here?”
McGee: “Fires were set on the ships and in Agent Larson’s home.”
Ziva: “He took Director Vance.”
Vance: “And destabilized Dr. Ryan. Why?”
Gibbs: “Because she’s a brain-gamer. He didn’t want her figuring out what was next.”
Tony: “What is next?”
Gibbs notices that Vance is carrying his briefcase and car keys. “You going somewhere, Leon?” “Pentagon. Meeting with SecNav.”
Gibbs thinks for a moment. “McGee. Play back Dearing’s call. Isolate the background.”
McGee gets to work. “What are you looking for, boss?”
As Dearing talks about relaying a message, we hear bells ringing in the background. “Bells at the Navy chapel,” Gibbs notes. Moments later, we hear the sound of drums in the background of the call. “Drums are ‘Commandant’s Own’, Leon, over at 8th and I. He is nearby.”
“What’s he waiting for?” Tony asks. Gibbs is still thinking. “Ziva, when we found the Director’s car, what else we find?” “Nothing,” she says, “There were no prints, no sign of tampering, nothing was touched.” He looks back at her. “You mean we didn’t strip it down?” She shakes her head. “There was no reason to.”
“Director, he’s not after you. He’s after your car. He placed something inside it.”
“Where is it parked?” Ziva asks.
“Just outside this building,” Vance answers as he looks squarely at Gibbs.
“Evacuate.” Gibbs orders. “Clear the building, get everyone out of here, call the bomb squad.” Tony relay the order to nearby agents while McGee dials. People around them rise from their desks and motion begins everywhere.
Jonathan Cole rises. “Gibbs, you know I was bomb disposal.” “They’re already on their way.” “Not fast enough,” Cole says. Gibbs looks in his eyes as Cole wordlessly begs to help. “Yeah, c’mon.” Gibbs snatches his arm and they run off.
Outside, people are streaming out of the building. Police sirens wail and chirp as Gibbs and Cole hurry towards Vance’s car. When they reach it, Cole holds up his handcuffed hands and looks a question at him. Gibbs removes the handcuffs. “Where should we start?” Cole asks.
They check the engine compartment – nothing there. (Sirens continue wailing; people are running past them on the sidewalk.) They move to check the inside of the car.
In the squadroom, McGee pushes a USB stick into his computer and starts to copy the case files to the drive. “McGEE! GET OUT, NOW!” Vance orders as he strides along the upper level “Just one second, director!”
Cole empties the glove compartment, nothing. Gibbs uses his knife to slice the interior panel from the driver’s door – nothing there. Cole searches under the seats. They look at each other, and move towards the back seats.
Upstairs, Ziva and Tony are herding people along a hallway. “Everybody out. Get away from the building. Out!” she orders, checking rooms along the hall. “All right, that’s everybody,” Tony says, “You go, Ziva.” She grabs his arm. “No, I’m not going without you.” They hurry down the hallway.
Outside, Gibbs opens the back hatch as Cole searches the rear seats. Gibbs spots a red light glowing inside the rear seat backrest. “Hey, Cole!” he says and points. Carefully, Gibbs cuts the stitching along the seat back. They pry up one corner and see wires. Gibbs cuts a little more, then Cole peels off the fabric covering the back.
The seat back is filled with explosives. A trigger is attached to a cell phone.
Gibbs looks at Cole, and Cole nods towards the building. “Get out of here.” Gibbs doesn’t move. “It’s too close to the building,” Cole tells him. They are just outside Abby's windows -- they see that she is still in her lab, packing. “Go,” Cole says, “Get her out of here.” He smiles at Gibbs. “It’s not the danger. It’s the fun!”
Gibbs decides. He picks up his knife, hands hilt-first it to Cole. Cole nods. Gibbs’ lips twitch in a smile of acknowledgment before he runs towards the building. Cole begins to study the wiring of the bomb.
The cell phone rings. Startled, Cole leans back. On the phone’s screen is a message, “FOR EVAN.” Cole gulps as the phone rings a second time.
In the squadroom, McGee leaves his desk at a run.
In the lab, Abby rushes out of her office with Bert under her arm.
Gibbs runs into the lab and tackles Abby.
The car explodes.
Abby’s windows burst with fire as Gibbs covers her with his body.
The large windows in the squadroom explode.
McGee is blown backwards by the shock wave. Glass flies everywhere.
In the elevator, the lights go out on Tony and Ziva. The explosion flashes and they crash into one another. As they hit the floor, debris falls on top of them.
The screen goes black. Silence for a moment. We fade in to see a lonely ocean beach.
Ducky saunters along the edge of the water, musing. He's wearing a ruffled shirt with his customary bowtie in place, jacket carried over one arm. A storm is building offshore. He has just turned to look at it when his cell phone rings. He answers as the surf crashes against the sand. We hear only his side of the conversation.
“Hello?”
“Yes, this is Dr. Mallard.”
Alarmed, “Dear God. How many?”
“Of course. Tell them I’ll, I’ll be there right away.”
His hand trembles.
“It’s imperative that no-one touch any of the deceased until I, I, until I ret…”
Ducky gasps and lowers the phone. He pants for a moment. Uncertainty and concern show in his face. He stiffly takes a few steps, unsteady, then winces in severe pain. He struggles to remain standing, but sinks to his knees, open cell phone still in hand. He gasps for another breath, then slowly collapses to the sand. We see him lying motionless, his dull eyes still open, mouth agape.
The camera cuts back to show Ducky, still, as the water laps against him. Phoof.
Roll the closing credits.
◄ Back to 9.24 Till Death Do Us Part
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