Épisode Le vrai courage S05E17 - NCIS Saison 5

5x17 – About Face

Parking

Mike: You see what Carolyn was wearing today, man? Damn, she's hot. Today's the day, man. I'm gonna ask her out. Just got to figure out how to get a few minutes alone with her. Know what I'm saying?

Carolyn: Hey, Richie, you forgot to sign your timecard.

Richie: Sorry about that, Carolyn. I'll be right down.

Mike: Dude, what are you doing? The bro rule! I called dibs.

Richie: Survival of the fittest, my man.

Mike: You ain't got a shot. What the...?

Richie: Hey, come on, Mike. I just want one date, come on.

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NCIS: Elevator

Anthony DiNozzo: Well, I'm not exactly sure' how it works.

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NCIS: Squad room

Anthony DiNozzo: Yeah, that's why I'm not in charge of that. What's going on here? Did I get off on the wrong floor? I thought this was an office.

Timothy McGee: Officer David and I are engaged in a linguistic developmental exercise intended to bolster her English vocabulary.

Anthony DiNozzo: That's good. You think Gibbs will buy it?

Ziva David: It is not my vocabulary that needs bolsterment, McGee.

Timothy McGee: Not a word... Hence the scoreboard.

Anthony DiNozzo: No. 50-point cushion for the professor, and there's only one tile left to play.

Timothy McGee: Gonna be kind of tough to play that "Q" without a "U".

Ziva David: You peeked.

Timothy McGee: Did not. Process of elimination. I counted the tiles on the board.

Anthony DiNozzo: You suck the fun out of everything, McCheat.

Timothy McGee: Give it up, Ziva... "Kwee"? I don't think so.

Ziva David: "Chi", as in the life energy that flows through all things.

Anthony DiNozzo: You should've seen that one coming, Probie Wan-Kenobi.

Timothy McGee: No.

Ziva David: 62 points!

Anthony DiNozzo: Jedi wins.

Timothy McGee: I'm challenging.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: You all are. Grab your gear. Playtime's over.

Timothy McGee: That was a... A language exercise, boss. We weren't actually playing.

Anthony DiNozzo: So McGee didn't actually lose.

Timothy McGee: Correct.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: So he's not actually humiliated.

Timothy McGee: "Kwee".

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Construction site

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Did you know him?

Enis Watley: Wasn't one of our guys. Had the same crew on here since the beginning.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: What's the job?

Skip Harris: Retrofitting. Building's only ten years old.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Yeah, well, they don't make them like they used to. Security guard?

Skip Harris: Not on weekends.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Who knew that?

Enis Watley: Who didn't?

Skip Harris: Are these... These guys gonna be here a while?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Yeah.

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Parking

Anthony DiNozzo: Spatter over here. Looks like this is where it started.

Ziva David: And that's where it ended.

Anthony DiNozzo: Right, okay, so... We got the altercation starting here. Fight, fight, fight. Scuffle, scuffle, scuffle. And they end up here. Man falls over the edge, lands on the roof of the cage, which was three stories down, and then he rides the elevator all the way back up... To the crime scene.

Timothy McGee: Yeah, it's funny till someone plunges to their death.

Anthony DiNozzo: Come on, still with the height thing? You got to get over that, man.

Timothy McGee: You don't just get over irrational fears, Tony. They're irrational.

Anthony DiNozzo: So, we got a struggle and a dead guy.

Timothy McGee: Struggle over what?

Ziva David: Over the edge.

Anthony DiNozzo: All right, here's the cell phone.

Timothy McGee: I'm heading back down.

Anthony DiNozzo: Dead, just like its owner.

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James Palmer: Need a hand, Dr. Mallard?

Donald Mallard: The best way to renew the mind and body, Mr. Palmer, is exercise. The more, the merrier when it comes to stairs.

James Palmer: I didn't mean...

Donald Mallard: My cardio is fine... Unlike this poor fellow... Use the thermometer. That is one nasty contusion. He struck something hard, or else something hard struck him.

Anthony DiNozzo: Yeah, we're still looking.

Ziva David: Rick Baxter, 34 years of age, Virginia driver's license.

Donald Mallard: We won't be able to tell you much more until we get him back to autopsy.

Anthony DiNozzo: Got to figure out what he was doing here.

Ziva David: And with whom he was doing it.

Anthony DiNozzo: Doing what with?

Ziva David: Whatever it was he was doing when he was undone.

Anthony DiNozzo: Done... What?

Ziva David: Done.

Donald Mallard: In, my dear fellow. Done in. Don't you understand the Queen's English?

Anthony DiNozzo: Not this queen.

Donald Mallard: Time of death. Approximately 4:00 A.M.

Anthony DiNozzo: Okay, thanks.

Donald Mallard: He's an early riser.

James Palmer: Early demiser.

Donald Mallard: Please, Mr. Palmer.

James Palmer: Dr. Mallard. Aren't we forgetting something?

Donald Mallard: No, I'm gonna get the gurney.

James Palmer: I should do that.

Donald Mallard: No, I shall use the elevator, so you get the body off the roof to down here. And then...

James Palmer: And then we can move the body back into the cage.

Donald Mallard: Good thinking, Mr. Palmer.

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Parking / Outside the parking

Donald Mallard: Mr. Palmer! Nice job of parking.

James Palmer: Sorry.

Donald Mallard: It's all clear up there?

James Palmer: All clear, Doctor.

Donald Mallard: Good.

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Parking

James Palmer: McGee? Did you take that passport, McGee? Tony? Ziva, is that you? Who's there? Hey, hey! Stop!

Donald Mallard: Mr. Palmer?

James Palmer: Stop!

Gunshot

Donald Mallard: Jimmy? Jimmy? Jimmy! Are you all right?

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NCIS: Director's office

Leon Vance: So, we got no shooter, we got no shell casings, we got nothing. This guy gonna be useful to us at all?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He's a witness, not a suspect.

Leon Vance: He's an assistant to the medical examiner. He's paid to observe things.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He's not a field agent.

Leon Vance: He's a member of your team.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: No. He works for Ducky.

Leon Vance: Ducky works for you.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Something bugging you, Leon?

Leon Vance: Yeah. Director's back end of the week. I want to go home. I miss my kids. I miss San Diego. Missed my damn flight because of this case. I just want it solved, so I can leave.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Works for me.

Leon Vance: Like I said... I got him.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Luck.

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James Palmer: I saw some of these guys at the Navy Annex garage, but... None of them look like the guy who shot at me.

Leon Vance: What about the photo on the passport?

James Palmer: Definitely the dead guy. Positive.

Leon Vance: Name on the passport?

James Palmer: It wasn't the name on the driver's license, which was... Baxter?

Leon Vance: Right.

James Palmer: I think the name on the passport started with... S-U-S or an S-A-S.

Leon Vance:Country?

James Palmer: The lettering wasn't in English. It was like... Hieroglyphics.

Leon Vance: Design, then.

James Palmer: Blue cover. Might have been like a... An eagle or a star, stylized. You know, like... Like a swirl. Sort of. Swirly?

Leon Vance: So you saw a man with a gun and you decided to chase after him?

James Palmer: No, I chased after him, and then I saw the gun.

Leon Vance: I can't tell if you're dumb or brave.

James Palmer: Not brave enough.

Leon Vance: The gun...

James Palmer: What about it?

Leon Vance: Automatic, revolver? Nickel-plated, black? Dull, shiny, big, small?

James Palmer: Big.

Leon Vance: The barrel!

James Palmer: Yes, the barrel.

Leon Vance: You want to take a minute?

James Palmer: No, no, I... I'm good. I'm good.

Leon Vance: All right. Height?

James Palmer: Average.

Leon Vance: Can you be more specific?

James Palmer: It all happened so fast.

Leon Vance: But you got a really good look at him?

James Palmer: Yeah, a very good look... Beady eyes. Okay? Reptilian.

Leon Vance: So we're looking for a beady-eyed reptile with a big gun? How close were you to the shooter?

James Palmer: How close?

Leon Vance: Feet, yards, inches... How close?

James Palmer: Okay.

Leon Vance: What are you doing?

James Palmer: Pythagorean theorem. By calculating two fixed points, then factoring in the shooter as a third fixed object, I think I can estimate how far...

Leon Vance: Okay, that's enough for tonight. Go down to Sciuto's lab first thing in the morning, draw a sketch. I want to put a BOLO out.

James Palmer: Sir... I'm so sorry that I couldn't...

Leon Vance: Remember?

James Palmer: Catch him.

Leon Vance: It's okay. We'll catch him.

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NCIS: Squad room

Timothy McGee: Rick Baxter, 34. Single, born in Denver, no known relatives. According to the DMV, he's lived at the same address in Virginia for the past 11 years.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: And?

Timothy McGee: The address has been a strip mall for the past two years. Baxter's condo was demolished. No record of a current address. Renewed his license by mail.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Fake?

Timothy McGee: No, it's real. Hologram, strip mag, everything checks out. Only fake part is the address.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Passport?

Timothy McGee: Baxter's never applied for one in his life. He's never left the country.

Anthony DiNozzo: So, real driver's license, phony address and a fake passport. It's like Jason Bourne. Should we put out a BOLO for Matt Damon? Or not.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Prints.

Timothy McGee: Baxter's not in any system anywhere. He's never been arrested, never served in the military...

Ziva David: So there is no way to know who Baxter really is or is not.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He didn't take the license, he took the passport. That's the key.

Anthony DiNozzo: Maybe Mini-Mallard made a mistake and it wasn't a passport.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: It was. McGee.

Timothy McGee: Baxter hasn't filed a tax return in ten years. No applications for unemployment.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Bank records?

Timothy McGee: Dormant account. Defaulted to the state five years ago.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Phone.

Anthony DiNozzo: Baxter's cell was a burn phone, boss. Purchased at a convenience store with cash ten days ago. So there's no address to trace.

Ziva David: From the phone's SIM card we know that a call was placed from his cell at 4:03 this morning.

Anthony DiNozzo: Around the time of death.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Trace.

Timothy McGee: That's going to be a bit of a problem, boss. The phone he called was also a burn phone... So even going off cell towers, we can't really get a fix. Maybe I can... Maybe I can track all transmissions from both phones, see if I can find a common number that links both to a land line.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Yeah, do that. Passport. Shooter. Dead guy. Connect the dots. Yeah. Gibbs. Be right there.

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NCIS: Autopsy room

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Duck.

Donald Mallard: Jethro. The wound to Mr. Baxter's left temporal lobe did not kill him. I found evidence of blood in his lungs, indicating that he lived some time after the initial blow.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Enough time to make a phone call?

Donald Mallard: Yeah. 911 would have been advisable.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He had something to hide. Death?

Donald Mallard: Exsanguination. Shattered spleen and a crushed liver and other assorted abdominal injuries. Not to mention all the fractures.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: The fall.

Donald Mallard: With catastrophic results. I surmise the blow to the head made him lose his balance, and that caused him to fall to his untimely death... I don't know how it fits into your puzzle, but it is on his upper extremities, and throughout his respiratory system.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He was breathing it.

Donald Mallard: It seems so.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: What is it?

Donald Mallard: Abby is running tests.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Thanks, Duck.

Donald Mallard: How is Mr. Palmer? I really miss his assistance. You never fully appreciate someone until they're not here.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He'll be all right.

Donald Mallard: Jimmy may not have had a good look at the shooter, but I fear the shooter may have had a good look at him.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Duck. You let me worry about the shooter.

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NCIS: Abby's lab

Abigael Scuito: My soup is simmering. Now back to my masterpiece.

James Palmer: Now flare the nostrils... Split the difference.

Abigael Scuito: What about the ears?

James Palmer: Bigger? Well, not that big. Yeah, like that. Now, reduce the density of the orbicularis oris area.

Abigael Scuito: The what?

James Palmer: The space between the nose and the upper lip.

Abigael Scuito: We call that a Cupid's Bow. One time I got my lip stuck in a vacuum cleaner display at the department store. I lost, like, a quart of saliva before my cousin pulled the plug I still have nightmares about it. Can't be alone with a HEPA filter.

James Palmer: How old were you?

Abigael Scuito: Twenty-two... It was, like, Fat Tuesday or Arbor Day.

James Palmer: That's him! That is the guy.

Abigael Scuito: That's the guy? That's the guy that picked up the passport?

James Palmer: Yeah. Why, what's wrong?

Abigael Scuito: So you got shot at by Dr. Jekyll?

James Palmer: I think you're referring to Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll's the one who invented the potion, but look, yeah, you have captured his essence perfectly. His anger... His intent... His bloodlust.

Abigael Scuito: His likeness? It's his likeness. That's kind of the point here... You know what? Let's start over. Okay. He was a white guy, right?

James Palmer: I couldn't catch him, now I can't even identify him. I'm sure Gibbs thinks I'm completely useless.

Abigael Scuito: No... Jimmy! You chased a crazy guy with a gun. You're a stud muffin. You're an iron fist with a velvet glove. You're Baby Gibbs.

James Palmer: Really? Now make the bridge of the nose flatter.

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NCIS: Squad room

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: McGee.

Timothy McGee: Done, boss. Common calls from both burn phones were made to a single residence two days ago.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Address.

Timothy McGee: A mobile home park in Alexandria.

Anthony DiNozzo: I hope there's no tornados. You know about tornadoes and trailer homes.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Gear. Go. Get back.

Anthony DiNozzo: Wow, should've seen that coming.

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Trailer park

Anthony DiNozzo: Looks like we missed the twister.

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NCIS: Squad room

Ziva David: It was Baxter's house but it disappeared in the middle of the night.

Anthony DiNozzo: No one heard or saw it leave. Put a BOLO out on the plates, nothing yet.

Ziva David: His neighbor's positively identified Baxter from our driver's license photograph.

Anthony DiNozzo: Manager said Baxter had been there for a year, paid through the end of the month. Gave no notice of leaving.

Ziva David: Someone is going to great lengths to clean up after him.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: The question is why?

Anthony DiNozzo: I took that picture.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Notice anything odd about it?

Anthony DiNozzo: A little underexposed.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Five-gallon drum. Abby ran the contents: hydrofluoric acid.

Anthony DiNozzo: That's important because...

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: They don't use it in construction.

Anthony DiNozzo: I knew that. That's why I took the picture.

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NCIS: Conference officde

James Palmer: I'm really trying here, McGee.

Timothy McGee: Jimmy, I know. Passport.

James Palmer: Okay... Blue. Dark blue. I'm pretty sure it was dark blue.

Timothy McGee: Yes, you have narrowed it down to the most popular color in the world.

James Palmer: I'm sorry, McGee.

Timothy McGee: It's all right, don't worry. Again, these represent every dark blue passport in the world from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

James Palmer: There's so many.

Timothy McGee: Seventy-two. With each country averaging ten percent of the population with passports, we're looking at approximately 200 million suspects... Give or take a few million.

James Palmer: I took a wilderness survival course. Spent two weeks alone... I even encountered a bear... But a ten-second encounter with a bad guy, and I go blank... I do not understand.

Timothy McGee: Well, was that bear in the woods packing heat?

James Palmer: No.

Timothy McGee: There you go.

James Palmer: Guess you never know, do you?

Timothy McGee: What?

James Palmer: How you'll respond. In a moment of crisis, you have a split second to make a decision.

Timothy McGee: Jimmy, someone was pointing a gun at you. In that split second, you chose to duck. I think you passed with flying colors.

James Palmer: It's like it fried my brain circuitry.

Timothy McGee: We're going to fix that. Okay?

James Palmer: You mind if I ask you a personal question?

Timothy McGee: Yeah.

James Palmer: How did you handle getting shot at the first time?

Timothy McGee: Well, you know, I'm a highly trained federal agent. It's not really a fair comparison. Anything on these passports?

James Palmer: I'm not a lot of help, am I?

Timothy McGee: All right... There is something else that we could try.

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NCIS: Abby's lab

Abigael Scuito: Your eyes are getting heavy. All information is recorded in the subconscious mind. I'm going to count down from three. As I'm counting down, you are going to go into a deeper state of relaxation... Three... You're getting calm and relaxed. Two, you're going into a deeper state of comfort... One. You're in a deep sleep... You're at peace... You have the ability to retrieve any information at will. You have total recall. If at anytime you feel a block to your memory, take a deep breath... And the block will melt away. Understand? Okay. I'm going to take you back to yesterday. You're at the crime scene. You find a passport.

James Palmer: Passport?

Abigael Scuito: Yeah. Do you see it? It's vinyl. Dark blue.

James Palmer: Vinyl?

Abigael Scuito: Yes.

James Palmer: Dark blue?

Abigael Scuito: Yes. Pick it up.

James Palmer: No, I'm going to get hurt.

Abigael Scuito: You're safe, Jimmy. No one's going to hurt you. Deep breath... Good... Okay. You're at the crime scene. You look down and what do you see?

James Palmer: Leather. Light brown.

Abigael Scuito: What? Okay, pick it up. And look at it. Are you doing it? Okay, what does it say?

James Palmer: Cole Haan, low boot, size seven and a half.

Timothy McGee: Sounds like a woman's boot.

Abigael Scuito: Jimmy, put Ziva's boot down. Can you hear me? It's Abby.

James Palmer: Abby. Black. High platforms. Dementia. Size ten.

Abigael Scuito: Jimmy!

James Palmer: What? What did I say? Did we catch him? Did we learn anything about this guy?

Timothy McGee: No, but we certainly learned something about you.

James Palmer: Whatever it is, it's not what you think.

Timothy McGee: If the shoe fits...

James Palmer: Wait, wait. Where are you going?

Timothy McGee: These boots were made for walking.

James Palmer: Wait. You can't just give up.

Abigael Scuito: We're not giving up, Jimmy.

Timothy McGee: We're moving on.

James Palmer: No, no, no. I. I have to do this. Please. Please! Try again?

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Later

James Palmer: Balding, short-cropped rim of dark hair. Squinty eyes, but set deep in its sockets. Full face. Small scar on the right jaw line.

Abigael Scuito: His details are amazing.

Timothy McGee: Right down to the scar.

James Palmer: Sideburns about two inches lower than the ears. Small gold ring in his left earlobe. Razor stubble. Pale complexion.

Abigael Scuito: He's got every feature.

Timothy McGee: This is good enough for a BOLO.

Abigael Scuito: Okay, Jimmy, I'm going to count backwards from four. When I get to one, you're going to open your eyes... Four, three, two, one.

James Palmer: How'd I do?

Abigael Scuito: Great. Like, greater than great.

James Palmer: I didn't mention anything about the sleep out at Camp Winnamonka, did I?

Abigael Scuito: Okay, are you ready?

James Palmer: That's the guy.

Timothy McGee: The guy who took a shot at you, right?

James Palmer: Two shots... Of espresso. That's the guy I get my coffee from every morning.

Abigael Scuito: Jimmy!

Timothy McGee: Wait. What happened at Camp Winnamonka? Leaving.

Abigael Scuito: Hey... I got the results on that white powder found on Baxter.

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NCIS: platform

Leon Vance: Any luck jogging Palmer's memory?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Working on it.

Leon Vance: Sounds like he's got a serious case of brain freeze.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Well, freeze can always thaw, Leon.

James Palmer: Agent Gibbs! I've got Abby's results from that white residue found on Baxter. It was efflorescence. Abby says that efflorescence forms from water and calcium carbonate, seep through concrete.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Subgrade concrete.

Leon Vance: That's why the naval building was being retrofitted.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: I saw it on the cement, not in the air.

Leon Vance: What would cause him to breathe in a good amount?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Drilling.

James Palmer: Why would he be drilling into concrete? I guess that you're going to find out.

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NCIS: Squad room

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Hey, grab your gear. We're going back.

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Parking

Timothy McGee: Move it down slowly... Keep going. Converting to a three-dimensional image. And we get... Rebar.

Ziva David: Maybe he did not know or forgot where he was supposed to be drilling.

Anthony DiNozzo: Well, maybe he was drilling to place explosives. First time they hit the World Trade Center, they aimed at the garage. Navy annex building's next door.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Keep looking.

Ziva David: Here is another hole.

Skip Harris: I thought that drill belonged to one of my guys.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: No. Dead guy's prints are all over it.

Timothy McGee: Okay, Tony... Keep moving it down... Keep going... Stop right there... Stop. Converting. Boss?

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Later

Donald Mallard: It will take a very long time to get fingerprints off that unfortunate soul.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: How long, Mr. Harris?

Skip Harris: We're ready to cut out the section, but we have to wait for the structural engineer. He's on his way.

Donald Mallard: Thank you for your cooperation.

Skip Harris: Yeah, well, my... "Cooperation" just put us in the red on this job. If you'll back away, please. All right, jack it up short. Hey, get ready.

Anthony DiNozzo: We're making progress, Boss. We had one dead guy with two identities, and now we got another dead guy with no identity.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: There has to be a connection.

Donald Mallard: The body must have been dumped into the column form before the concrete was poured. What was Mr. Baxter doing here in the middle of the night? Without a jackhammer, he couldn't get those bones out.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He didn't have to, Duck.

Anthony DiNozzo: Because he had hydrofluoric acid.

Ziva David: Hydrofluoric acid is highly corrosive.

Donald Mallard: If he had managed to pour in that acid, it would have destroyed all organic material. That would make DNA and dental identification virtually impossible.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Doesn't explain who killed Baxter.

James Palmer: It's probably the same guy who shot at me.

Donald Mallard: Yes, well, I think we've done here.

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Outside the parking

Timothy McGee: Foreman said it'd take a couple hours to cut out that section of column. Gibbs wants me to stay behind and maintain the chain of evidence.

Donald Mallard: Yes, well, Mr. Palmer and I have to go pick up some unconventional tools, don't we, Mr. Palmer? Mr. Palmer?

James Palmer: Do you see him?

Timothy McGee: Who?

James Palmer: It's him. He's right behind that truck. He's been watching me.

Timothy McGee: Stay here.

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NCIS: Abby's lab

Abigael Scuito: Hi, Gibbs.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Impressive.

Abigael Scuito: Well, I learned from the master. That would be you, the master. And I would be the apprentice. The master's apprentice. The apprentice to the master... Okay, I said "Hi Gibbs" every ten seconds since I called you down here five minutes ago.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: To tell me what?

Abigael Scuito: I took a photo of Baxter's head wound, using an oblique-angled light source. It makes the impression from the blunt-forced weapon even clearer... Weapon of choice? Bolt cutters. Watch... Perfect fit.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Lot of those on a construction site.

Abigael Scuito: You bring them to me, and I will tell you exactly which one. And that's not all... Ducky found a microscopic piece of metal in the victim's wound. It's 99 percent pure copper. 0.4 phosphorous. I matched it to an electric cable. Do you know what the spot price is for copper, Gibbs?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: I know our killer does... Thanks, Abs.

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NCIS: garage

Donald Mallard: Yeah, there was a time when I thought I would be an archeologist.

James Palmer: Really?

Donald Mallard: Yes. I was in the upper sixth at school. Summer holidays. I volunteered for a dig in Tanzania.

James Palmer: What happened? Why did you decide to go to medical school?

Donald Mallard: Well, although archeology carried a certain romantic appeal, I soon realized it wasn't in my bones, so to speak. You have to decide what's in your bones, Mr. Palmer.

James Palmer: Not a spine.

Donald Mallard: Nonsense. You just have a... A well-developed sense of self-preservation. You're training to be a medical examiner, not an NCIS field agent... I have no doubt that you have it in you to die a hero's death. But for the time being, I'd appreciate it if you could stay alive to help me examine the dead.

Timothy McGee: Ducky, sorry to interrupt. Need to borrow Palmer here.

James Palmer: What's happening?

Timothy McGee: We have a suspect.

James Palmer: A suspect? What did you find?

Donald Mallard: Sometimes I worry about that young man. Now, let's have a look.

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NCIS: Interrogation room

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Your bolt cutters, Enis. We got a blood match. You should have used bleach... How did you know Rick Baxter?

Enis Watley: I didn't.

Anthony DiNozzo: Right. You met him at the construction site when you went to go steal something in the middle of the night?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: With bolt cutters... What does copper sell for these days, Enis?

Enis Watley: About four dollars a pound.

Anthony DiNozzo: Worth killing for?

Enis Watley: It was self-defense, man. This guy was trying to kill me! There was some copper wire I wanted up on the third floor. South side, and I went up there. And I saw him. He was drilling a hole in the support column. You know, he spotted me, he went nuts. I ran, he came after me, and... I thought he was gonna kill me... I had my cutters. I took a swing, I got lucky. Caught him in the side of the head, and he staggered back. Just fell right off of the edge. I swear, that's it. If I didn't do it, he would have killed me.

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NCIS: Observation room

Ziva David: Watley just confessed to killing Baxter. Claims it was self-defense.

Timothy McGee: No more looking over your shoulder.

James Palmer: You got the wrong guy.

Ziva David: He just confessed.

James Palmer: He may have confessed to killing Baxter, but that is definitely not the guy who tried to kill me.

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NCIS: Squad room

Anthony DiNozzo: Look at the bright side, at least we solved Baxter's murder.

Ziva David: Self-defense, not murder.

Anthony DiNozzo: So says our copper thief.

Timothy McGee: And Abby. She analyzed footprints and blood spatter we lifted from the garage: matches Watley's story.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: I'm more concerned with Palmer.

Anthony DiNozzo: He said Watley is not the guy who took a shot at him.

Ziva David: Or stole Baxter's passport.

Timothy McGee: And we still don't know who did. You already knew that.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: DiNozzo!

Anthony DiNozzo:Call every Baxter in the phone book.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Ziva!

Ziva David: See if I can find a relative.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Help Tony.

Timothy McGee: Re-check for a financial trail. Got it.

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Leon Vance: Short leash.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Them or me?

Leon Vance: No ID on the mummy yet?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Abby's working on it.

Leon Vance: Then I'm sure you'll have one soon. How's Palmer?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: I'll let you know.

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NCIS: Autopsy room

James Palmer: Sorry.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Never say that. You writing a letter?

James Palmer: E- mail to my mom... I'm trying to figure out how to describe what happened... How do you do it? Block out fear?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: You don't... It's what you do with it.

James Palmer: What I'm doing with it is nothing to write home about.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: The look in someone's eyes can tell you a lot.

James Palmer: What do mine tell?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Hold off on that. You'll have something to tell them.

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NCIS: Abby's lab

Abigael Scuito: Pull up a chair... We just got to the East Coast felons. It's always my favorite part.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Facial recognition.

Abigael Scuito: Yep.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Where'd you get the face?

Abigael Scuito: When we found John Doe, there was nothing left, except a shrunken, dried-up mummy. But then I realized, when he was first buried, he must've had some kind of face. When the concrete was poured...

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: It left an imprint.

Abigael Scuito: Exactly. I scanned the pieces of concrete that were surrounding his face, and then I had the computer look for pieces that matched a template. Then I converted the grid into a 3-D imprint. I scanned the imprint, added flesh tones and estimated a brow line, and I made a photo likeness... Voilà!

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: You got a match.

Abigael Scuito: Not yet. But I'm searching every database I can, and the software is crunching...

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: You got a match.

Abigael Scuito: It didn't ding! My dinger didn't ding! My dinger must be broken again.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Abs!

Abigael Scuito: I got a match. A personal injury case from 1998. And the winner is...

----------

NCIS: Squad room

Ziva David: Rick Baxter. The real Rick Baxter.

Timothy McGee: However, the real Rick Baxter had his identity stolen by this man.

Anthony DiNozzo: Elevator guy.

Timothy McGee: He didn't just steal Rick Baxter's identity, he actually became Baxter.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: And got rid of the original.

Anthony DiNozzo: Stuffed the body in concrete, and had to go back and get rid of it before the retrofitters found it.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Why Baxter?

Anthony DiNozzo: Green. Baxter was injured at a construction site in California. Won a big settlement, 12 years ago.

Ziva David: Two-point-one million, to be paid over 20 years.

Anthony DiNozzo: So Mr. Elevator Shaft Guy killed Baxter, and then stole his identity.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: You need to keep him alive to keep receiving the payments.

Anthony DiNozzo: It's kind of ironic. Get injured one day at a construction site and then the next day you're part of one.

Timothy McGee: It still doesn't tell us who took a shot at Palmer.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He had a partner, McGee. Check settlement payments.

Timothy McGee: They've all been cashed at the same currency exchange. I'll go there and see what I can dig up.

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NCIS: Autopsy room

James Palmer: Dr. Mallard, aren't we forgetting something?

Donald Mallard: I shall use the elevator, so... You get the body off the roof.

James Palmer: And then we can move the body back into the cage.

Donald Mallard: It's all clear up there?

James Palmer: Stop!

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NCIS: Squad room

James Palmer: Ziva!

Ziva David: Jimmy.

James Palmer: I've been thinking and I... Well, you're obviously the one to ask.

Ziva David: Obvious in which way to ask what?

James Palmer: What I should have done.

Ziva David: Done?

James Palmer: If I had actually caught the guy? The shooter guy. What should I have done?

Ziva David: To protect yourself?

James Palmer: Yeah, I guess so.

Ziva David: This is a gun. I am you. You are the shooter. Shoot me... You try.

James Palmer: Okay.

Ziva David: Well, perhaps it is best that you did not catch him.

James Palmer: M.I.

Ziva David: M.I.?

James Palmer: M.I. The first two letters in his first name were M.I. Ziva, you can let go now.

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NCIS: Conference room

James Palmer: All right. First name started with an "M" and an "I". Last name started with an S-U-S. And the next letter was a... The next letter was...

Timothy McGee: Republic of Yugoslavia.

James Palmer: That's it! That is the passport!

Timothy McGee: Half of the settlement payments were converted to Serbian dinars.

Ziva David: 80% of Serbian names end with an I-C.

James Palmer: I-C... M-I... S-U-S... I-C.

Ziva David: There are also a lot of Cs and Ks.

James Palmer: M-I... Milos Suskavich! Milos Saca... Whatever! I can spell it!

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NCIS: Squad room

James Palmer: S-U-S-K-A-V-C-E-V-I-C!

Anthony DiNozzo: We heard it the first three times, P-A-L-M-E-R.

Ziva David: Milos Suskavcevic. A native of central Serbia.

Timothy McGee: Emigrated to the U.S. in 1998.

Ziva David: Two years after Baxter was awarded his settlement.

Anthony DiNozzo: He come alone?

Timothy McGee: He came with his brother, Tesla.

Leon Vance: Run him... Is that the guy?

James Palmer: I don't know. He didn't have a beard when I saw him. I'd have to see him in person.

Anthony DiNozzo: Worked out well for you last time, didn't it, Palmer?

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Find him, McGee.

Timothy McGee: I need to access Homeland Security database for Tesla Susk... How it's spelled. The only address listed for Tesla is another P.O. Box. Checking the cell-phone records. He's got a Blackberry.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Trace it.

Timothy McGee: Already on it. Junction of 95 and Arlington Highway. It's another trailer park.

Anthony DiNozzo: Hiding in plain sight.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: No. You stay.

James Palmer: I can identify him.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: You will, when we bring him back.

----------

Trailer park: trailer

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Clear!

Timothy McGee: Just missed him.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: He'll be back... Belgrade, Serbia. First Class.

Timothy McGee: Traveling on Baxter's dime. Or dinar.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: McGee, check the park. DiNozzo!

Anthony DiNozzo: Boss!

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Check the manager's office. Ziva, stay here.

----------

Trailer park

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: What are you doing?

James Palmer: I thought I could help.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: What don't you understand about the word "stay". Stay! Palmer, you stay in the car.

James Palmer: Boy...

Car crash

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Drop the gun!

Anthony DiNozzo: Put the gun down!

Ziva David: Get on the ground! Now!

Timothy McGee: Hands behind your back.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: What the hell were you thinking?!

James Palmer: I did not get out of the car.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Don't ever do it again... Now you got something to write home about, Palmer.