14x02 - Being Bad
Gymnasium: Class reunion
Neal Sherwood: Oh! Everybody I never wanted to see again, all in one room. So, tell me why we're here again?
Milo Torbush: Um...
Neal Sherwood: Right. 'Cause the dream never dies.
Milo Torbush: Well, uh... Uh, nerds are supposed to be cool now, right?
Neal Sherwood: Yeah.
Milo Torbush: Yeah, maybe, you know... Let's see if we're grandfathered in.
Neal Sherwood: Yeah.
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James Bruno: Oops. Sorry.
Neal Sherwood: Come on, man, aren't we a little too old for that now?
James Bruno: Too old for what... Exactly?
Neal Sherwood: Um... Too old to fall back on an outdated social hierarchy that penalizes achievement and rewards mediocrity.
Milo Torbush: Oh.
James Bruno: That sounded like an insult.
Milo Torbush: I think. Um... Whoa, it's...
Neal Sherwood: No, don't. Don't.
Milo Torbush: My life coach, so... Okay. Ooh.
Neal Sherwood: Come on.
James Bruno: Wow. Looks like it's just me and you.
Neal Sherwood: Yeah, you know. That and your teensy, weensy, little... Hey, so what'd you end up doing after high school? I joined Special Forces... Got my CPA degree off the GI Bill. You should check it out.
James Bruno: I'm gonna kick your ass.
Neal Sherwood: Yeah, good luck with that... Um... You meant today, right?
James Bruno: Whoa.
Neal Sherwood: No. Hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey. Hey... Hey, hey. Hey. Oh. Oh, no, no, no. Oh... Somebody call 911! Call 911!
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NCIS: Squad room
Eleanor Bishop: Oh. What's Torres doing here?
Timothy McGee: I don't know. He and Quinn don't officially start till Monday. Hey, Torres.
Nicholas Torres: Hey, what's up?
Timothy McGee: Hey, you know, uh... You know it's Friday night, right?
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, I know. Just not really sure how this whole desk thing works, so, uh... Figured I'd drop off a few things early.
Eleanor Bishop: Starting with a picture of yourself.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah. It's a reminder.
Eleanor Bishop: Of...?
Nicholas Torres: Something I like to be reminded of.
Eleanor Bishop: Hmm.
Timothy McGee: Okay, we got to go. Talk to you Monday.
Nicholas Torres: Oh, you guys are... Late to spinning class or something?
Eleanor Bishop: Uh, no, Gibbs is famous for coming in just before the weekend starts and saying...
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Grab your gear.
Timothy McGee: That a well-timed illustration, boss?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Got a death at Quantico.
Eleanor Bishop: Okay.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Are you coming?
Nicholas Torres: I'm not much of a varsity letters guy.
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Gymnasium: Class reunion
Nicholas Torres: James Bruno. Graduated Puller High 15 years ago. Barely, from what I hear.
Timothy McGee: His father was stationed at the motor pool on base.
Nicholas Torres: So, what do you think? Involuntary manslaughter?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah. Maybe.
Alexandra Quinn: Jethro Gibbs doesn't like to commit. That's why it's the perfect job for him. Thanks for calling me. I'm ready to get started.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Get started.
Alexandra Quinn: Okay. All right, what did I miss?
Nicholas Torres: Your jacket.
Alexandra Quinn: Okay.
James Palmer: Oh, I don't know, he looks fine. Just fine. Who is he?
Alexandra Quinn: Oh, that's Agent Torres.
James Palmer: Oh, that's great. Who are you?
Alexandra Quinn: A-Agent Quinn.
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Neal Sherwood: I swear, I barely touched him. I mean, I just did a controlled throw so that he would think twice about touching me.
Eleanor Bishop: So, what started the fight?
Neal Sherwood: Nothing.
Eleanor Bishop: He's just that kind of guy. He's just always starting something.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: When was the last time you saw him?
Neal Sherwood: Uh, I haven't seen him since high school. 15 years... Looks like nothing's changed.
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Donald Mallard: The teenage years are fraught with peril. The frontal cortex is responsible for self-regulation. It develops gradually over adolescence. Unfortunately, in some adults, well, it never occurs.
James Palmer: You aren't talking about anyone in particular, are you, Doctor? 'Cause I was only popping that bubble wrap to see if it was still...
Donald Mallard: The victim, Mr. Palmer. I was referring to the victim.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: What about him?
Donald Mallard: Well, I don't see anything obvious, but this hypersalivation suggests there's some sort of poison at work.
Timothy McGee: Boss, we got a problem.
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Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: What do you got, McGee?
Timothy McGee: Talked to one of the eyewitnesses. They saw Bruno arrive early, put something in one of these lockers and it wasn't a math book.
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Lockers
Agent: Stand clear.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah. I think this guy had issues.
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NCIS: Squad room
Eleanor Bishop: So, this button moves forward; this one moves backwards, and this is the "Oops, How Did That Get There?" button.
Nicholas Torres: The what?
Eleanor Bishop: We push it when Gibbs asks for the impossible to distract him. I-It's preloaded with pictures of his ex-wives or Jimmy Palmer making turducken, stuff like that.
Nicholas Torres: And you think he doesn't know what you're doing?
Eleanor Bishop: He's good. He's not that good.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: All right, Jim Bruno. Let's go.
Eleanor Bishop: Jim Bruno, born James. Left home after high school, never came back.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, he got a job teaching shop at a community college. Ended after a burglary conviction.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Wrong button.
Nicholas Torres: Oops.
Eleanor Bishop: Bruno's never paid taxes, never voted, and has no recent home address we can find.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, your doc confirms that he was poisoned to death.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Are we sure the explosive was his?
Timothy McGee: We are now.
Alexandra Quinn: A base surveillance camera shows him assembling a bomb in his car.
Timothy McGee: Bomb squad's sending it to Abby. Said there's enough explosives in there to level the gym.
Eleanor Bishop: Bruno would've ended up killing his entire high school graduating class.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: McGee and Quinn.
Timothy McGee: High school records. On it.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Bishop and Torres, go talk to his teachers. See who remembers him.
Alexandra Quinn: Uh...
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah?
Alexandra Quinn: What desk should I be at?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Right here. My old desk.
Alexandra Quinn: Putting baby in the corner? That's where you sat when you were a probie.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Since when do you sit down?
Alexandra Quinn: Oh. Uh... There's five of us here now. Gonna have to... Rearrange some stuff.
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Gymnasium
Victor Castor: You try to do what you can for these kids, be sensitive to their needs but some of them are just, well, beyond reach, you know? Hey! Hey! Don't just pull the poster down! Take the tape off the wall! Idiots. Sorry, where were we?
Eleanor Bishop: You were just telling us how sensitive you can be.
Victor Castor: Hey, I did what I could for that kid. His senior year, I spent eight weekends in a row in Saturday detention with him, trying to whip him into shape. Nothing took. Always causing a ruckus.
Nicholas Torres: Recent contact?
Victor Castor: No... But it's a tight community. I heard a rumor he was renting a room from an old substitute teacher.
Eleanor Bishop: Do you think he was targeting anyone in particular?
Victor Castor: Take your pick. That punk had problems with everyone in the school.
Nicholas Torres: How many had problems with him?
Victor Castor: What, you're looking for a list or something?
Eleanor Bishop: His death wasn't accidental. He was poisoned.
Victor Castor: Well, then you got your work cut out for you. Everyone had problems with that kid.
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NCIS:Abby's lab
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Abbs, McGee said you had something for me.
Abigael Scuito: Yup. Yup, I do.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah. Behind your back.
Abigael Scuito: No... No, this is some... It's nothing. It's just... Well, it's my... It's my high school yearbook. I thought I would, you know, get in the mood for the case. It's a very bad move. I don't want to talk about it.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Works for me.
Abigael Scuito: It's just that... High school, you know? It's where I found my... I don't know, style? And realized my obsession with blood-spatter patterns.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Speaking of which...
Abigael Scuito: It just wasn't a great combo for making friends and influencing people. I had a lot of, um, alone time in high school, but... Let's just leave it at that 'cause I said I didn't want to talk about it, remember?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yes.
Abigael Scuito: Okay. Good. On to happier subjects. This is the explosive device that Bruno was going to use to commit mass murder. It has a wireless receiver and it was built from a toy remote-control car kit.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Can you trace it?
Abigael Scuito: Hopefully or eventually. Don't be so impatient.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: How close did Bruno need to get to trigger the explosive?
Abigael Scuito: Well, it's a long-range transmitter, so he wasn't, like, suicidal, if that's what you're thinking. As a matter of fact, he was trying to quit smoking and that is what actually killed him. The killer spiked his nicotine patch with a cyanide analogue about 20 minutes before he put it on, according to the adhesive oxidation.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: That rules out everyone at the reunion.
Abigael Scuito: I know. Ducky said that Bruno was already wearing the patch when he got there. That's good news. 'Cause it narrows down our suspect list.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah. To zero.
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Alley
Eleanor Bishop: If I never see a retired substitute teacher again, it'll be too soon. How many are left?
Timothy McGee: Well, five down, six to go. Quinn's got another five.
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Porch
Timothy McGee: Ma'am, hello. NCIS. I'm, uh, Special Agent Timothy McGee and this is Special Agent Bishop here.
Eleanor Bishop: Hi, there. Uh, are you currently renting a room to this man?
Helen Frimkes: Aren't you two cute. I'll take two boxes of Skinny Mints and two boxes of Peanut Butteries.
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Helen Frimkes's house: living room
Helen Frimkes: My apologies. I don't see so well these days. I could've sworn you said you were selling cookies. Wishful thinking, I guess. I do love Skinny Mints.
Eleanor Bishop: Mmm, I do, too. So how long has Bruno been living here?
Helen Frimkes: Several years now, poor thing. Would you like some coffee?
Timothy McGee: Uh, no, thanks, I'm okay, ma'am.
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Helen Frimkes's house: kitchen
Helen Frimkes: Heard on the radio what happened. Don't buy a word of it.
Eleanor Bishop: Really? Why not?
Helen Frimkes: James Bruno was such a nice boy. Always paid his rent on time. Wouldn't hurt a fly. Cream?
Timothy McGee: Uh, no, ma'am, I actually said I didn't want coffee.
Helen Frimkes: Cream it is.
Timothy McGee: Uh... Did you know that he had a criminal record?
Helen Frimkes: I'm blind, honey, not an idiot. I did my background check before I rented the room. Which is back this way, if you want to see it.
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Helen Frimkes's house: back yard
Helen Frimkes: I didn't learn anything I didn't know already, though. I remember that boy from high school.
Eleanor Bishop: We heard he was trouble back then.
Helen Frimkes: Oh, he was. Everyone hated him. But then he changed senior year. Out of the blue, he started dating one of the most popular girls in class. It was the darndest thing. She turned that boy's whole life around. And his attitude. He ended up being quite well-liked. Here you go.
Timothy McGee: You got a key?
Helen Frimkes: No. I don't go in there. He likes his privacy. Boys and their boy antics. What a tragic ending. But I don't believe for a second he's capable of murder. I can't imagine why anyone he went to school with would want to kill him. Or why anyone would at all, for that matter. Know what I mean?
Timothy McGee: All right.
Helen Frimkes: He was a good kid.
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Helen Frimkes's house: James Bruno's room
Eleanor Bishop: Not that good.
Timothy McGee: Look at this, iPads, jewelry, paintings.
Helen Frimkes: Oh, where he get all that stuff?
Timothy McGee: Good question.
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NCIS: garage
Abigael Scuito: Okay, people, we have fine art on table A. Electronics on table B. Jewelry and household goods, tables C...
Timothy McGee: There's a lot of stuff here, how much do you think this is all worth?
Abigael Scuito: All these wonderful prizes are worth tens of thousands of dollars and they can all be yours, Timothy McGee, if you can answer the NCIS bonus question.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Where'd it come from?
Timothy McGee: Actually, boss, I can answer that. Burglaries. All over the city. Torres dug up this report. Metro PD's been tracking a citywide theft ring for over half a decade.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: This is all they got?
Timothy McGee: Yup. Clearly Bruno didn't do all this himself, but Metro never generated a single lead on whoever was involved.
Abigael Scuito: Well, I have one. Not to brag. All the fingerprints that I found in the room belonged to Bruno. But I also found this, which did not, according to Ducky. Bruno had a visitor with a really bad case of pityriasis capitis. AKA dandruff. Left flakes everywhere. Like snow.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: That teacher see anyone?
Timothy McGee: I don't think she's seen anyone since the '90s, boss. She did say Bruno would have an occasional visitor. Said it was, "A man or maybe a woman, I think."
Abigael Scuito: Whoever they are, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that they are gonna be coming back for this stuff.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Take Quinn, McGee, eyes on that house 24/7... Abbs? Don't even think about it.
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Street: car
Timothy McGee: So how long has it been since you've been on stakeout?
Alexandra Quinn: It's been a while. But I-I'm good to go. I taught yearly seminars on it.
Timothy McGee: Oh, I... I remember.
Alexandra Quinn: Oh, that's right... I did forgot one crucial element.
Timothy McGee: What's that?
Alexandra Quinn: Hydration is your enemy.
Timothy McGee: Ah, yeah. Well... Men's room... Ladies' room.
Alexandra Quinn: No. I am not at DEFCON 1 yet. But you will be the first to know. You will be the one with the bag on your head.
Timothy McGee: What is she doing? We told her to stay in the house.
Alexandra Quinn: Well, we told her to do what she normally does, so...
Timothy McGee: Does she normally water the bird feeder?
Alexandra Quinn: Aw, be nice. She's a lonely old lady. Which reminds me, Bishop told me you're going to propose to your girlfriend. Congrats.
Timothy McGee: Thanks. Tho... Uh, those two things reminded you of each other?
Alexandra Quinn: Oh. When are you gonna pop the question?
Timothy McGee: When it's time.
Alexandra Quinn: And when is that time?
Timothy McGee: I don't know. I'm not exactly sure yet. I know I'm just gonna feel it out and... You know, I... I think... I'll just know, you know? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Right. No. I'll know that it's time when it's time.
Alexandra Quinn: When might that be?
Timothy McGee: I... Ooh, I see something... Yeah, it was really good chatting.
Alexandra Quinn: Oh, yeah. Ooh, I got to go.
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NCIS: Observation room
Timothy McGee: She won't tell us who she is.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, still no hits on her prints. Abby confirmed that it's her dandruff in our dead guy's room.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Any I.D.?
Timothy McGee: Only thing she had on her was her purse.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, and I have been to drug-lord torture rooms less scary... Me?
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NCIS: Interview room
Nicholas Torres: Oh... Yup.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: What's your name? Okay... Where do you live? Okay... What were you doing in Jimmy Bruno's house? All right, we can sit here all day doing this...
Nicholas Torres: Hey. Are you hungry? Yeah? Here you go.
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NCIS: Observation room
Eleanor Bishop: Hey. How's the interrogation going?
Timothy McGee: Well, just as you thought. Gibbs is slow walking it. Seeing if Torres will pick up the pace.
Eleanor Bishop: Hmm, how's he doing?
Timothy McGee: Well, he interrupted Gibbs. Took me four years before I got up the nerve to do that.
Angela Russell: Thank you.
Timothy McGee: But he's got her talking.
Nicholas Torres: Don't thank me too fast.
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NCIS: Interview room
Nicholas Torres: We're about to charge you with murder.
Angela Russell: Bruno was my friend, I would never hurt him.
Nicholas Torres: Okay, well, then help us find out who did.
Angela Russell: I don't know anything.
Nicholas Torres: Did you know your friend tried to murder 50 people?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: And maybe you were planning it with him.
Angela Russell: No! Hey!
Nicholas Torres: Then why were you running?
Angela Russell: I wasn't.
Nicholas Torres: Really? Sardines, underwear? Looks like you were planning a trip somewhere. Or, you know what? I don't even want to imagine what else. Let's just go with running.
Angela Russell: You're wrong. That bomb couldn't have been Bruno's. He wouldn't do something like that.
Nicholas Torres: His fingerprints were all over it.
Angela Russell: Then you made a mistake! He's a thief, but not a killer.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: So you do know something.
Nicholas Torres: You're a thief, too, huh? Well, somebody's going down for Bruno's murder and guess who the Wheel of Misfortune just stopped on?
Angela Russell: I helped Bruno sell some stuff, that's all. It's none of my business where he got it.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: How long you been fencing for him?
Nicholas Torres: We have video of your friend building that bomb. He's not who you think he is.
Angela Russell: No, he's not who you think he is. You... You see him as you want to see him. He's got a lot of bark, yeah, but no bite. If he really did plant that bomb, then someone made him do it. He was tricked or something. And while you're wasting time in here with me, whoever manipulated him could be out there trying again... Did you ever think about that?
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NCIS: morgue
Donald Mallard: In some ways, Bruno, I envy you. When I was a child, I often fancied living the life of a daring cat burglar. Fortunately for me, yeah, at age of nine, on my maiden voyage, I fell off our neighbor's roof, yeah. Landed on my coccyx. And that was the end of that.
James Palmer: You're lucky it ended so quickly. One time when I was in high school, I spent a night in jail for... Uh, for... Never mind.
Donald Mallard: For what exactly, Mr. Palmer?
James Palmer: Just... it's funny, I-I said the word "jail." I meant to say, um... Vail. Yeah, I was-I was a big skier in high school.
Donald Mallard: Were you now?
James Palmer: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I loved the-I loved the, uh, snow. I loved-I loved, uh, skiing and-and... What I'd do is I'd... Vail!
Donald Mallard: You look like a man on a mission.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Got an alibi for the murder. She was nowhere near Bruno when he was poisoned.
Donald Mallard: Oh, and so it goes.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Got us to thinking, maybe there's a second bomber. We could use a lead.
Donald Mallard: Well, let's see what we can come up with. This man has told me quite a bit about himself. Starting with these burns. They're quite old, probably inflicted when he was a teenager.
James Palmer: Military records indicate that his father died of lung cancer, excessive cigar smoking.
Donald Mallard: Yeah, so we can put two and two together. He had a rough childhood. And also a rough week.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, yeah. He's dead.
Donald Mallard: Yes, but days before that, he was in a fight where he suffered severe body blows. If you look carefully you can make out the imprint of a fist.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, his knuckles don't look too bad.
Donald Mallard: Yes, well, oddly enough, he didn't seem to fight back. Even more odd was the fact that we removed a diamond earring from this lobe.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, men are piercing their ears now, Duck.
Donald Mallard: Yes, but I'm referring to the fact that the hole was closed up from disuse. Yet he forced the earring in anyway.
James Palmer: Ugh... That must've hurt like a mother.
Donald Mallard: I'm sure it has some... Psychological significance, but I'm not sure what. However, Abby came up with a second set of DNA on the earring. So, I imagine you'll find out soon enough. Well, is that a good enough lead for you?
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NCIS: Abby's lab
Alexandra Quinn: Hey, so, you're the world-famous Abby Sciuto I keep hearing so much about. Oh, well, guess we can skip the "I thought you'd be taller" part. I'm Agent Quinn.
Abigael Scuito: For what's it worth, I thought you would be exactly five feet, six inches. I made a 3D avatar of you, using NCIS security camera footage.
Alexandra Quinn: And the hairs slowly went up on Agent Quinn's neck.
Abigael Scuito: Oh, no, no! I just... I needed to know your sizes, because... I'm knitting you a “Welcome to NCIS” sweater.
Alexandra Quinn: Oh!
Abigael Scuito: But until it's done, welcome... To NCIS.
Alexandra Quinn: Well, thank you very much.
Abigael Scuito: Do you want a tour?
Alexandra Quinn: I do, uh, but later, 'cause Gibbs wanted me to...
Abigael Scuito: He wants to find out where the earring came from. Of course he does. Well, right now, all I can tell you is that the prior owner was a female.
Alexandra Quinn: Okay, so do you know how long Bruno had it in his ear?
Abigael Scuito: I have been waiting for someone to ask me that... The impurities in the gold caused our victim's skin oil to oxidize. And by measuring that amount, I could determine that he forced the stud through his ear, like, right before he went into the reunion.
Alexandra Quinn: To kill 50 people.
Abigael Scuito: Then was poisoned to death.
Alexandra Quinn: Okay, so whoever owns the stud, maybe she knows something.
Abigael Scuito: Well, I'm running the DNA through CODIS right now. But I've also been looking at this, trying to find pictures of women. I found this in a trench coat in Bruno's closet. Unfortunately... No women yet.
Alexandra Quinn: Huh. Are these the homes that he robbed?
Abigael Scuito: Yeah. Looks like he was casing them for a few days. There's also a few pictures of his feet... And some pictures of some other people that I haven't identified yet.
Alexandra Quinn: Ho-Hold up... Go back one. That's Neal Sherwood.
Abigael Scuito: You know him?
Alexandra Quinn: Well, he was at the reunion, and he had a fight with the victim right before he died.
Abigael Scuito: Well, that's important.
Alexandra Quinn: Uh, yeah, because Neal said they hadn't seen each other in 15 years.
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NCIS: Squad room
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Where is he?
Timothy McGee: With his suitcase, wherever that is.
Alexandra Quinn: Neighbors said he split right after the reunion.
Timothy McGee: Left in a hurry. He's running.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Quinn, BOLO. McGee, freeway cams and credit cards. Find him.
Eleanor Bishop: We found something. Abby got a hit on the DNA from the earring Bruno was wearing.
Nicholas Torres: Katrina Cooper. A high school classmate of Bruno's.
Eleanor Bishop: Former prom queen, married the school jock, active social life.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: How did Bruno get her earring?
Eleanor Bishop: Could've stolen it, but if he did, she never reported it.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: They have any recent contact?
Nicholas Torres: No. No calls, no texts, no Snapchat doggie faces.
Eleanor Bishop: The only connection we could find was from high school. They had a Saturday detention together, once.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: 15 years ago?
Nicholas Torres: Thin, I know.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Talk to her. Find out why her DNA was in our dead guy's ear.
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Cooper's house: back yard
Adam Cooper: Round two, everybody! We got soccer meatballs, lacrosse stick hot dogs... And pigskin pizza pockets. Who's hungry?
Eleanor Bishop: Mmm. I am.
Adam Cooper: Hi. You must be here for Katrina.
Eleanor Bishop: Why would you say that?
Adam Cooper: That's what happens when you marry the most popular girl in town. Everybody's here for Katrina.
Eleanor Bishop: Hmm.
Adam Cooper: She's over there, in the huddle.
Nicholas Torres: They're like... Little footballs.
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Katrina Cooper: And I told the guy, "Give me Louis Vuitton, or give me death."
Nicholas Torres: I got this.
Eleanor Bishop: Okay.
Nicholas Torres: Um, Katrina Cooper? How you guys doing? You guys have fun? NCIS Special Agent Torres, Bishop.
Eleanor Bishop: Hi.
Nicholas Torres: Can we have a word with you?
Katrina Cooper: Of course. Let's not disturb the party, shall we? Excuse me.
Nicholas Torres: Let's not do that. They're little footballs. They're good.
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Katrina Cooper: And how can I help you?
Eleanor Bishop: Do you know this guy?
Katrina Cooper: Mm, no. Am I supposed to?
Nicholas Torres: Well, you guys went to high school together. Oh, in fact, he actually died in front of you. At your high school reunion, two days ago?
Eleanor Bishop: Interestingly enough, wearing one of your earrings.
Katrina Cooper: It was stolen.
Nicholas Torres: Oh. You didn't report it stolen.
Katrina Cooper: I am now.
Eleanor Bishop: You know, I bet you and me had something in common in high school.
Katrina Cooper: I don't think so.
Eleanor Bishop: We both liked bad boys. The badder the better, except, I grew out of it. I don't think you did.
Nicholas Torres: Your husband know that you and Bruno have been sleeping together?
Katrina Cooper: Excuse me?
Eleanor Bishop: What I'm wondering... Is if you knew how bad Bruno really was.
Nicholas Torres: You know, if he told you about, for the last several years, he's been robbing people in the city.
Katrina Cooper: Yeah, I think it's time for you to go. Cheers.
Eleanor Bishop: Have one more question...
Katrina Cooper: No. No, no, no more questions. I don't know anything about any robberies, I'm not cheating on my husband and I have no idea where Neal Sherwood is. Okay?
Eleanor Bishop: Well, that was actually my next question, which... I haven't asked yet.
Katrina Cooper: Oh, right.
Eleanor Bishop: Hmm.
Nicholas Torres: Where is he?
Eleanor Bishop: Get down!
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Cooper's house: office
Eleanor Bishop: Found him.
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NCIS: Abby's lab
Neal Sherwood: The cops are outside right now... It's over. To be honest, it's kind of a relief... I am willing to set the record straight, but I cannot go to prison. I just can't. I can't have it, my family... Can't have it... So... I'm sorry.
Abigael Scuito: Shot himself with a flare gun. That's a new one.
Nicholas Torres: Did I miss the part where he set the record straight?
Eleanor Bishop: Maybe it's on the laptop?
Abigael Scuito: Go-Go Abby fingers.
Nicholas Torres: Hey, so, um... You, um... Liked bad boys in school, huh? I'm sorry, I just... I just painted for you for more of a goody two-shoes, uh, prom queen type.
Eleanor Bishop: Actually, I... Was the prom queen.
Nicholas Torres: Wow. So you played us both. Nice.
Eleanor Bishop: Except, I was voted in as a joke. Kind of like Carrie, but... Without the blood.
Abigael Scuito: Bishop, that's like... The worst thing I've ever heard.
Eleanor Bishop: Yeah, I didn't have any friends in high school, I was too... Me, I guess.
Abigael Scuito: I got something. Okay, it's a text document. Neal made it right before he shot himself. Looks like some kind of confession. It's even double-spaced and everything.
Nicholas Torres: What exactly is he confessing to?
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NCIS: Squad room
Timothy McGee: According to Neal, he and his high school friends are the ones behind Metro's theft ring.
Eleanor Bishop: With each friend playing a very specific role.
Timothy McGee: Adam Cooper, former jock, ended up running a sports betting company. That's where he would identify the wealthy marks.
Eleanor Bishop: Katrina Cooper, his prom queen wife, would flirt her way into the homes to get info on their security systems.
Timothy McGee: Bad boy would do the actual robberies, and this woman, who we've now identified as former classmate, Angela Russell, would fence the stolen goods on the street where she lived.
Eleanor Bishop: Finally, there's Neal Sherwood, the accountant.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: And he laundered the money.
Timothy McGee: Yep. According to Neal, they came up with the idea to start a robbery gang back in school,after they met at a Saturday detention.
Eleanor Bishop: He said they talked about it as a joke at first, as a way to "get back" at their parents.
Timothy McGee: Eventually they realized, if they pooled their talents, they could make some real money.
James Palmer: All of this seems very familiar. Yeah... Yeah, I'm v-very interested in this case, here. We got five different high school kids from varied social backgrounds all coming together on their Saturdays, for detention. You know, it kind of reminds me of, uh... You've... You don't... Not important... Sorry.
Timothy McGee: Anyway, the different social groups was part of the reason Metro was never able to crack the burglary ring.
Eleanor Bishop: They were never able to find a connection between the players.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Congratulations, we just solved Metro's case. What about our own? We have no clue who killed our victim!
Nicholas Torres: Actually, not true. The prom queen ain't talking, but the fence is. She thinks she knows who killed Bruno.
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NCIS: Interview room
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Two days ago, your wife gave Bruno that earring.
Adam Cooper: I don't believe you.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Welcome to the club.
Timothy McGee: You were the only one not at the reunion. You were the only one that had the opportunity to poison Bruno.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Prosecutor's gonna file charges today, unless you have something to tell us.
Adam Cooper: This isn't where I imagined I'd be after high school.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Ah. Welcome to the club.
Adam Cooper: I wanted to be a pro football player. You?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Painter.
Adam Cooper: Really.
Timothy McGee: Really?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah. Really. Painter... Loved to paint... Watercolors, mostly. I took every art class that school had.
Adam Cooper: Water colors? It's hard to imagine a grown man... So what happened?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Life... Life. I paint with wood. It's close enough.
Adam Cooper: Not for me. I suspected Katrina and Bruno had started up again, but I didn't want to believe it. But if she really gave him her earring... It's game over for us. It's worse than that. I think that witch tried to kill me. The last house we knocked over, Bruno snagged a painting worth over a million bucks. My wife kept joking we should take out our partners, keep the money for ourselves. Said we should bomb the reunion, and make it look like a terrorist attack. I honestly thought she was joking. She must've talked Bruno into it. He was always a sucker for her. No way he would come up with something like that on his own. Hell, he was even gonna pretend to let Neal kick the crap out of him at the reunion as a goof, to impress some girls. Bruno was bad on the outside, but good on the inside... My wife? The opposite.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: What about you?
Adam Cooper: All I can say is I'm not a murderer. I didn't kill Bruno, and I wasn't anywhere near him when he was poisoned.
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NCIS: Squad room
Nicholas Torres: Hypothetically speaking, how would you feel about a betting pool on whether his alibi checks out?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Hypothetically? How'd Ducky bet?
Nicholas Torres: Guilty.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: How'd you bet?
Nicholas Torres: I'm not a gambling man. And I have no idea... I mean, who are these people? Living double lives like this? I mean, yeah, I mean, I... I lived as someone else, for the most of the last decade, but... I had an excuse, I was, uh... I was undercover. Which version is the real them?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Which version is the real you?
Nicholas Torres: You're looking at it.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Am I? You created all those covers. It wasn't random.
Nicholas Torres: Wait, you're saying that a part of me wanted to be a, uh, mafia-tied, vegan juice-bar owner? Eh...
----------
Katrina Cooper: You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?
Adam Cooper: You tried to kill us all!
Angela Russell: Oh, could everyone just please stop fighting?
Katrina Cooper: Shove a Pixy Stix up your nose!
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Eleanor Bishop: McGee is taking them to Metro not a moment too soon.
Alexandra Quinn: And Miss Congeniality denied having anything to do with the bomb attempt, even though we found the detonator in her car.
Eleanor Bishop: Unfortunately, her husband's alibi came through. Like he said, he was nowhere near Bruno when he was poisoned.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: The fight with Neal was staged.
Nicholas Torres: If none of them killed Bruno, then who the hell did?
----------
Nicholas Torres: All right, let's go back to what we do know. He's dead. I feel pretty confident about that. What else do we know?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: We know who didn't kill him.
Timothy McGee: And a million-dollar painting is missing.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: We find the painting, we find the killer.
Eleanor Bishop: Checked everybody's houses. Nobody has it.
Alexandra Quinn: Everyone insists Bruno has it.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: He didn't.
Timothy McGee: He could've hid it. Maybe in a storage unit in the area.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, safe-deposit box.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Start looking.
Nicholas Torres: All that work and we're back to square one.
Timothy McGee: Tell me about it.
Eleanor Bishop: What about the fight Ducky said he was in?
Alexandra Quinn: Maybe he came back to finish the job.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Our only witness is dead.
Alexandra Quinn: Okay, what would I tell my students in my GPS forensics class? I would have them go back and reconstruct a timeline of Bruno's movements. Maybe we can find another witness.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Do it.
Alexandra Quinn: There goes my evening plans.
Abigael Scuito: Were they exciting plans?
Alexandra Quinn: Uh, cooking class?
Abigael Scuito: Oh, well, don't cancel that just yet. You. I have goodies, come on.
Alexandra Quinn: You know...
Eleanor Bishop: Even though you just met her, you already kind of wish she was your sister?
Alexandra Quinn: Well, I was just going to say I like her boots, but hey, I'll take another sister.
----------
NCIS: hallway
Abigael Scuito: I was finally able to trace the remote detonator that Bruno used in his explosive.
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NCIS: Abby's lab
Abigael Scuito: It took me a long time because there are parts missing.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Someone tampered with it?
Abigael Scuito: Yeah. And according to touch DNA, Bruno did. It's like he built this bomb, and then he disabled it. His girlfriend's remote detonator wouldn't have even worked.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Bad on the outside, good on the inside.
Abigael Scuito: Maybe he got cold feet and decided he didn't want to be a depraved mass murderer after all. See, this is why I'm a people person. 'Cause the good on the inside, it always...
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Abbs. Quinn... Cooking class?
Abigael Scuito: Right. Sorry. Okay, so the receiver was made from a rare Lazarus 1941 hobby car. It's available in only two stores in the area, one of which happens to be across the street from a bank with a brand-new, hi-def security system... Voila, Bruno. His entrance isn't very exciting, but he made quite an exit... Personally, if I was looking for Bruno's murderer, I would start with that guy.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Can you enhance it?
Abigael Scuito: Yeah. Who can't these days?
----------
NCIS: Interview room
Eleanor Bishop: You found out Bruno was robbing people, you tracked him down, you asked to be cut in. When he refused, you went to his house the next day, and you poisoned him.
Victor Castor: Oh, yeah? Is that what I did?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah, that's what you did. What it's gonna look like to a jury.
Eleanor Bishop: We have a witness that places you in his front yard.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Where's the painting, Vic?
Victor Castor: The what? Wait, wait, wait. Slow down here. This is just a total misunderstanding, okay? I was at the hobby shop because I made a promise to James Bruno 15 years ago.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: To what, poison him to death?
Victor Castor: No, to kick his ass! I devoted my life to those kids. Bruno in particular. I spent eight weekends in a row in Saturday detention with that smug, arrogant little...
Eleanor Bishop: Actually the records say seven.
Victor Castor: Eight! It was eight! And all that kid did was blame other people for his problems, whining about his mom and his dad. Making my life miserable. So I promised him I would find him one day and pay him back. And that's what I did.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: I'm glad you're a man of your word.
Victor Castor: Judge all you want. I've been in combat. High school is worse, mister. Wait, no, wait, wait, wait! I did not go to Bruno's house to poison him, okay? I went to apologize... When I confronted Bruno, he didn't fight back. He seemed, like, resigned. Almost like he wanted me to hit him, like he deserved it. And that's not what I wanted... So I went to his house to say I was sorry.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Anyone see you talk to him?
Victor Castor: Bruno wasn't there. Just that nasty old witch, Frimkes. She saw the bruise on my knuckles, figured I was the guy that beat up Bruno, and threatened to call the police. So I got the hell out of there.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: She saw that?
Victor Castor: Yeah. She did.
----------
Helen Frimkes's house: alley
Helen Frimkes: Come on now, baby. Come on.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: I got my first pair of reading glasses when I was 45.
Timothy McGee: But your medical records show that you have perfect eyesight, and hearing.
Helen Frimkes: Agent McGee, it's good to see you again. I-I was just, um...
Timothy McGee: Walking without a cane?
Helen Frimkes: No.
Timothy McGee: Skipping town with a million-dollar painting?
Helen Frimkes: No!
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Going to jail.
Helen Frimkes: Dang!
----------
NCIS: elevator
Timothy McGee: So in addition to being a chemistry teacher who knew 50 different ways to poison somebody, she kept a pretty active retirement life.
Eleanor Bishop: She totally Keyser Soze'd us.
Nicholas Torres: She what?
Timothy McGee: Keyser Soze'd. Uh, Usual Suspects, the movie?
Nicholas Torres: Oh, I'm not much of a movie guy.
Alexandra Quinn: You know, she told us on the drive back that she knew Bruno was a thief, but she didn't want to go to the police because he was trying to get clean.
----------
NCIS: Squad room
Alexandra Quinn: She claims she found the painting and was going to bring it back to the police.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, killed Bruno and kept the painting for herself.
Timothy McGee: Whoa, whoa, what?
Alexandra Quinn: Better. Better!
Timothy McGee: Who... Who...
Nicholas Torres: Who do you think?
Eleanor Bishop: I kind of like it.
Timothy McGee: I don't. Wait a sec, wha... What's the point of moving desks if were were just gonna move desks? Seriously, I mean to do something like this without consulting anyone? I am the senior field agent. You realize that... Boss, what was that for?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: It comes with the territory, Senior Field Agent.
Alexandra Quinn: Did he just physically assault you?
Nicholas Torres: Hey, Gibbs, I feel like you'll want to see this. We found a laptop in Bruno's car. He was writing an e-mail to the police. He was going to come clean, turn everyone in. Guess he figured which version was the real him.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: The good guy.
Alexandra Quinn: I'm just not that into movies.
Timothy McGee: So what do you do for fun, besides disrupting people's workplaces?
Alexandra Quinn: Broadway musicals.
Nicholas Torres: Okay, if you start singing show tunes, I am going to shoot you, and then probably shoot myself.
Alexandra Quinn: Oh, okay, well, what do you like to listen to?
Nicholas Torres: I thought you'd never ask.
Alexandra Quinn: Ah.
Nicholas Torres: Go! Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Hey.
Timothy McGee: Boss.
Nicholas Torres: Hey!
Timothy McGee: Oh.
Nicholas Torres: Hey.
Eleanor Bishop: Ha!
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Hey.
Nicholas Torres: He's gonna learn to love it.
Alexandra Quinn: Shh.
