14x06 - Shell Game
Basement
Olek Lazarenko: What about her? Mm-hmm. I like her hair. Can I cut her? I don't need the money now. Okay... No... Shh.
Kelly Ristow: Mmm.
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NCIS: Squad room
Timothy McGee: Really? Really, you want a fight? You want a fight? 'Cause I'm gonna win.
Eleanor Bishop: Technology tantrum.
Nicholas Torres: Joining my club, McGee?
Timothy McGee: No, I am not having a tantrum. This is just what happens when a perfectly rational machine behaves completely irrationally. Look at this. Look at this.
Eleanor Bishop: Okay. You have one new e-mail... So?
Timothy McGee: Watch what happens when I try and open it.
Eleanor Bishop: Huh. Where is it?
Timothy McGee: That's exactly my point. It's the most basic function of e-mail since the invention of it, but this one refuses to open.
Eleanor Bishop: Hmm.
Alexandra Quinn: Morning!
Eleanor Bishop: Oh, wow. That's team spirit.
Alexandra Quinn: Yes, Abby knitted this herself. It's not exactly my style, but I wear it proudly.
Timothy McGee: You know, Abby made me some, uh, socks when I first joined here. Very cozy.
Eleanor Bishop: She made me this friendship bracelet.
Alexandra Quinn: Ooh. And what about you, Nick... What'd she make you? Ooh, she forgot Nick.
Eleanor Bishop: Oh, no, no, no... Abby doesn't forget.
Nicholas Torres: I don't wear vests, okay? And I definitely don't wear fu-fu colors.
Eleanor Bishop: "Fu-fu"?
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, uh, blue or something. I think she called it, uh, cobalt?
Abigael Scuito: Alex? Mm! You look fantastic. I'm so glad it fits.
Alexandra Quinn: Mm-hmm.
Abigael Scuito: Doesn't she look great, Nick?
Nicholas Torres: Oh, yeah, no one, no one wears wool like, uh, like Alex.
Abigael Scuito: You know, it's the first cold day of the year. You a little cold, Nick?
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, well, I have, uh... I have a jacket, so, uh... I feel pretty comfortable.
Alexandra Quinn: Abby, you know, I was wondering what is this side little pocket for?
Abigael Scuito: That's your secret agent pocket. So you can hide things, like, really stealthily. Like a-a microRecorder or a safe deposit key or-or a cyanide capsule.
Alexandra Quinn: I probably won't do the last one, but thank you.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: McGee, Quinn, grab your gear... Got a lead on our missing petty officer.
Eleanor Bishop: Kelly Ristow? That's-that's amazing. She's been missing for days.
Timothy McGee: Dead or alive, boss?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Don't know. All they have is fingerprints. At a homicide.
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Street
Reporter: Come on, Bob. We're live in ten.
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Basement
Timothy McGee: Got dressed up for your victim?
Dan Campbell: Agent McGee, thanks for coming.
Timothy McGee: Detective Campbell. Saw that camera crew out front... You wearing that tie for the press conference?
Dan Campbell: Wanted to get the word out that a Navy petty officer is missing and may be a material witness.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: You called the media to a crime scene?
Dan Campbell: Gibbs. Nice to see you, too.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: No press.
Dan Campbell: My crime scene, my rules. I invited NCIS here as a courtesy.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: How about as a courtesy I don't kick your ass?
Dan Campbell: You know what? Maybe I'll send a press release.
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Alexandra Quinn: Agent Francis, what do we know?
Tony Francis: Well, I know you haven't returned my last three phone calls.
Alexandra Quinn: Oh, uh, you know, um...
Tony Francis: You've been meaning to call but you forgot.
Alexandra Quinn: You know what, no. You're a really sweet guy, and we did have something a while back, but it's just...
Tony Francis: No buts. Hint taken.
Alexandra Quinn: No hard feelings, okay?
Tony Francis: You'll be hard to stay mad at.
Alexandra Quinn: Oh...
Tony Francis: So back to business. Petty Officer Ristow's fingerprints were found all over the basement.
Alexandra Quinn: Right, but no Petty Officer Ristow.
Tony Francis: Negative. Looks like this guy kept her chained up. But then face met dumbbell, and she got out of Dodge.
Alexandra Quinn: Thank you.
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Timothy McGee: Thanks. Boss, we got a BOLO hit. TSA's holding Petty Officer Ristow at Dulles.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Airport? All right. On my way.
Dan Campbell: Hey, Gibbs, where you off to? Right. You got it.
Timothy McGee: That the dead guy's cell phone?
Dan Campbell: Yeah, standard burner. Either never used or he deleted everything.
Timothy McGee: So, uh, you don't mind if I keep it.
Dan Campbell: Can't. Procedure.
Timothy McGee: Come on.
Alexandra Quinn: Um... I mean, Tim, you heard him... I mean, it's his crime scene. It's his evidence.
Timothy McGee: You're right. I'm sorry, uh, Detective Campbell, I apologize. We, uh, we took some crime scene photos earlier. So, uh, if any of 'em could be of any use, just let us know.
Dan Campbell: Thanks.
Timothy McGee: I think we're good to go... Dead body's all yours.
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Airport: hallway
Announcer: This is the final boarding call for Flight 239... Passengers must board at this time.
Gregg Rogers: Special Agent Gibbs? Gregg Rogers, TSA. It's a real honor, sir.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: You have our petty officer?
Gregg Rogers: Yeah, she's locked up tight. Don't like holding military. What'd she do, exactly? Don't tell me if it compromises national security. Although I will take any secret to my grave.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Is she in here?
Gregg Rogers: Yeah, it's our detention area.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Open it.
Gregg Rogers: She's pretty beat up and she keeps asking for her husband. Is she a spy? You don't have to say if she is... Seriously? It's... Agent Yellow, this is Agent Blue. What's the code for the big metal door? Over. Come in, Agent Yellow.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: You got a key, Agent Blue?
Gregg Rogers: Oh, yeah.
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Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop!
Kelly Ristow: Get away from me! Get away!
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Kelly, Kelly. Hey.
Kelly Ristow: Help me!
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NCIS: Squad room
Nicholas Torres: That mystery e-mail still driving you nuts?
Timothy McGee: It's not driving me nuts, it's just, it's annoying.
Nicholas Torres: Want to feel better?
Timothy McGee: How?
Nicholas Torres: Take a look at this.
Timothy McGee: You have 98,000 unread e-mails?
Nicholas Torres: 98 plus.
Timothy McGee: How? Why?
Nicholas Torres: Well, when I was undercover I-I... I never checked them, you know? So, I could never... I could never catch up, so at some point I just quit trying, man.
Timothy McGee: How do you sleep at night?
Nicholas Torres: Oh, on my back. Naked. Fresh air feels nice.
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Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: I need a sitrep.
Timothy McGee: Uh, boss, Petty Officer Ristow spent the night in the hospital. She's being treated for malnutrition, minor injuries. Now, physically, she'll be okay, but psychologically, it's another story.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah. Quinn and Bishop are with her now.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: The husband?
Nicholas Torres: M.I.A. Pinged his phone. Nothing. BOLO out on him and his car, a 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: What do we know about him?
Nicholas Torres: Squirrelly. Direct quote from Agent Francis.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, where is Francis?
Nicholas Torres: Ristow's not a missing person anymore. Our case now.
Timothy McGee: Chris and Kelly were married five years ago. They live in Wilmington, Delaware. He works as a night watchman for a law firm. No kids. And his record is spotless.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Why'd she go to the airport?
Nicholas Torres: Unknown. No airline charges on their credit cards.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: There any connection between the husband and the kidnapper?
Nicholas Torres: No. Just a psychopath who wanted a pretty girl in his basement.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah, well, does the psychopath have a name?
Timothy McGee: Yes, Olek Lazarenko. Ukrainian.
Nicholas Torres: Real piece of work.
Timothy McGee: It's actually faster to list the crimes he didn't commit.
Nicholas Torres: Getting his face smashed in by a dumbbell seems pretty appropriate.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: He deserved it. Go to where the husband works. See what they know.
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NCIS: Briefing room
Eleanor Bishop: I know this is difficult, but we have to ask you a few questions... Is this the man who kidnapped you? Did you kill him?
Kelly Ristow: I had to... Am I under arrest?
Eleanor Bishop: No. Not remotely. You're the victim here. It was clearly self-defense.
Alexandra Quinn: Can you tell us how you were kidnapped?
Kelly Ristow: Well, I'd just gotten home from my shift. Started unloading groceries.
Alexandra Quinn: Around what time?
Kelly Ristow: Uh, around midnight. I was putting stuff away, and... And suddenly there was a hand on my mouth.
Eleanor Bishop: Kelly, when you escaped, why not go to the police? Why go to the airport?
Kelly Ristow: It's where Chris said to meet him.
Alexandra Quinn: You spoke to Chris, your husband?
Kelly Ristow: After I escaped... I just started running. And I borrowed some man's cell phone. I called Chris, and he said we needed to meet at the airport right away.
Alexandra Quinn: Why?
Kelly Ristow: To leave the country. He said he'd explain later... But he wasn't at the airport... Can I go home now?
Eleanor Bishop: I'm sorry. We need to keep you in protective custody.
Kelly Ristow: Why do I need protection? That animal acted alone.
Alexandra Quinn: Are you sure? Where was Chris when you were taken?
Kelly Ristow: At work... Graveyard shift.
Alexandra Quinn: Have to ask... Were you and Chris fighting recently?
Kelly Ristow: Wait... What? You don't think? No, no, no. Chris didn't do anything. He's in danger.
Eleanor Bishop: We think you're the one in danger.
Kelly Ristow: From my own husband?
Alexandra Quinn: Kelly, it was the Navy who reported your unauthorized absence when you failed to show up for duty.
Eleanor Bishop: You were gone for five days and your husband never reported you missing.
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Thomas, Senders, Brady & Goldfarb: Waiting room
Timothy McGee: Okay, let's try this again. There is an e-mail, it shows that there's an e-mail, it insist there's an e-mail, but when I go to it, there is no actual e-mail. It's like it disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle of electronic transmissions.
Nicholas Torres: McGee, just turn it off and on, that's what I do.
Timothy McGee: Torres, I appreciate the help, okay? But that is very version seven... No. No, no, no. Not me. I am running version 9.4.3... Yes... No. I don't have time to hold... Good-bye... What are you doing?
Nicholas Torres: Well, you know, this place pretends to be fancy, but look at this piece of crap. It's a knockoff.
Timothy McGee: Hmm. How do you know?
Nicholas Torres: I studied sculpture when I was undercover in Holland. My instructor said I was a keen observer of the human form.
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Ned Senders: Admiring our bust?
Nicholas Torres: Yes. In a manner of speaking.
Ned Senders: It's, uh, one of a kind. Made from the, uh, the finest marble. I brought it back from Florence, myself.
Timothy McGee: Uh, NCIS, Special Agent McGee. This is Special Agent Torres.
Ned Senders: Ned Senders, Sullivan Brady.
Sullivan Brady: Gentlemen.
Timothy McGee: Hello.
Ned Senders: Let's, uh, go to our conference room.
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Thomas, Senders, Brady & Goldfarb: Conference room
Ned Senders: Chris ran security at night. Prompt, polite, hard worker. He was an excellent employee.
Timothy McGee: "Was."
Ned Senders: Quit five days ago. Now I know why.
Nicholas Torres: You ever meet his wife?
Ned Senders: Maybe once or twice at the firm's Christmas party. Was she ever found?
Timothy McGee: She was. Alive. Unfortunately, Chris is now missing.
Sullivan Brady: Oh, God. Terrible.
Ned Senders: If there is anything we can do to help...
Nicholas Torres: Actually, Ned, um, you mind if I call you Ned? I have a question about your bust.
Ned Senders: You want to talk about the sculpture?
Nicholas Torres: Yes, yes, I'm... I'm a keen observer of the human form.
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Timothy McGee: Excuse me, Mr. Brady.
Sullivan Brady: Yeah?
Timothy McGee: Um, I hope you don't mind, I wanted to ask you a few more questions about Chris. Did you know him well?
Sullivan Brady: Actually, yeah. Uh, I'm a night owl, so I work late. He and I would have long talks about life.
Timothy McGee: Life. So marriage, as well?
Sullivan Brady: Sure. Kelly was a frequent topic. Uh, not to speak out of school.
Timothy McGee: Oh, no. Please, do. The man is missing.
Sullivan Brady: She cheated on him. He confided in me a few years ago. I gave him the name of a good divorce attorney. He never called. Figured that he and Kelly patched things up.
Timothy McGee: Hmm.
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The Ristows's garden
Alexandra Quinn: I'm guessing Chris Ristow's not home, Bishop.
Eleanor Bishop: So you're what... Gardening?
Alexandra Quinn: Nope. There's always a spare key.
Eleanor Bishop: Mm.
Alexandra Quinn: And it's never under the mat anymore, but it is here. I call it front-stoop fishing.
Eleanor Bishop: Hmm.
Alexandra Quinn: Oh! Uh-huh... I got it.
Eleanor Bishop: Yep.
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The Ristows's house
Eleanor Bishop: Clear.
Alexandra Quinn: Clear... Whew. They are messy... Not even a chuckle?
Eleanor Bishop: Ha... Hmm. Kelly's groceries are put away.
Alexandra Quinn: Yeah, which means Chris has been here since she disappeared.
Eleanor Bishop: The Ristows really like their dog.
Alexandra Quinn: Aw. Look at Frank. Dogs love me. Frank. Come, come.
Eleanor Bishop: I'm gonna pack her a suitcase. Give her a little taste of home... Laptop's here along with a really nice watch. They weren't thieves. They were looking for something specific.
Alexandra Quinn: Yeah, but what?
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NCIS: Abby's lab
Abigael Scuito: How did Quinn get this SIM card if it wasn't even our crime scene?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Maybe it fell into her secret agent pocket.
Abigael Scuito: Maybe! Okay, so you know that delete doesn't mean delete-delete, right?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: What do you got, Abs?
Abigael Scuito: Text messages from the trash bin magically reincarnated in front of your eyes. Okay, so I'm gonna play the dead guy, Lazarenko. And you're gonna be Number One, the mysterious person that he was communicating with... "I got her. Now what?" Gibbs! I can't have a conversation by myself.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: It never stopped you before.
Abigael Scuito: "I got her. Now what?"
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: "We hold her for a while."
Abigael Scuito: "How long?"
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: "Till I make a deal."
Abigael Scuito: "What can I do to her?"
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: "Whatever... You want."
Abigael Scuito: See? Petty Officer Ristow wasn't some random kidnapping victim, Gibbs. She was targeted by someone.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Someone who was telling her kidnapper what to do.
Abigael Scuito: Yeah, and someone who is still out there.
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Hotel room
Kelly Ristow: Hi, honey. Me again. Please call me. Please... Something's wrong. What if he's been kidnapped?
Alexandra Quinn: Is there any reason why Chris would want to disappear?
Kelly Ristow: What? No. Why?
Alexandra Quinn: Well, you said he wanted to leave the country.
Kelly Ristow: Yeah, but not without me.
Eleanor Bishop: When your kidnapper was on the phone, could you hear what he said?
Kelly Ristow: No. Whenever he came downstairs, he would always blare that stupid song.
Alexandra Quinn: Kelly, before we got to your house someone broke in.
Kelly Ristow: What happened?
Eleanor Bishop: Someone tore the place apart looking for something.
Kelly Ristow: Looking for what?
Eleanor Bishop: We were hoping you could tell us.
Kelly Ristow: No.
Alexandra Quinn: Look, we have to ask. Have you had an affair?
Eleanor Bishop: We need you to be honest. We're trying to find your husband.
Kelly Ristow: It was when we first got married. Okay, an old boyfriend, but he would never do this.
Alexandra Quinn: I need you to write down his name.
Kelly Ristow: Biggest mistake of my life. Look, we're past it, okay? Chris forgave me.
Alexandra Quinn: You sure about that?
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NCIS: Squad room
Nicholas Torres: Oh, McGee, put those dogs away, man. You're gonna scare the trick-or-treaters.
Timothy McGee: You know, Abby, uh, made these for me, when I first started 13 years ago. I wear them anytime I know I'm gonna work in the lab. She never mentions it, but I know she appreciates it.
Nicholas Torres: So you change your socks when you work downstairs?
Timothy McGee: Mm-hmm.
Nicholas Torres: And they've lasted you 13 years?
Timothy McGee: Well, the trick is you don't wash them.
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Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Okay, what do we know?
Timothy McGee: Well, boss, a lot of evidence is stacking up against the husband.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, then, tell me, McGee.
Timothy McGee: Well, one, he's a scorned man. I mean, she says he may be over it, but it could be on the back burner on simmer.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, and number two, his credit is shot. He's in major debt. And three months behind on the mortgage.
Timothy McGee: Number three, Kelly Ristow has an insurance policy. Half a million dollars. Chris is its sole beneficiary.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, if she dies, his problems go away.
Timothy McGee: So he hires Lazarenko to kidnap and torture her. That's why he never reported her missing.
Nicholas Torres: His plans changed when she escapes.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Who ransacked the house?
Timothy McGee: We think Chris did it, to make it seem like he was being chased.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah, then why meet her at the airport?
Timothy McGee: He didn't. And we're still solving that mystery. Look at this, boss. Chris's cell phone records from that morning. Now, at 9:21 a.m., he gets a call from an unknown number.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, that's Kelly saying she escaped.
Timothy McGee: And two minutes later, at 9:23, he places a call to this number. Now this number belongs to Dakota James, Kelly Ristow's sister. Lives in Delaware, near the Ristows.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Bishop.
Eleanor Bishop: Yes, Gibbs?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: We're sending you an address.
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Dakota James's home: porch
Dakota James: Yeah, he called. He said that they had found her and they were meeting up. Where's my sister?
Eleanor Bishop: She's safe with us, but Chris never showed up. Any idea where he could have gone?
Dakota James: What do I know? They don't tell me anything. I'm the embarrassment. Why can't you find him? Isn't that your job?
Alexandra Quinn: We're doing it. How's their marriage?
Dakota James: Solid. It's the best thing she's got.
Alexandra Quinn: Hmm.
Dakota James: Oh, you're asking about the cheating. That's water under the bridge. They're over that.
Alexandra Quinn: Mm-hmm. All right. If the brother-in-law contacts you, you'll give us a call.
Eleanor Bishop: Frank. Come here.
Dakota James: Hey, what are you doing?
Eleanor Bishop: Oh, hi.
Alexandra Quinn: Aw, that's their dog. Bishop, how did you know?
Eleanor Bishop: Well, Frank is a shredder. I saw hairs on Dakota's sweater.
Alexandra Quinn: All right, Dakota, Chris was here.
Dakota James: Why don't you tell us where he is? I really can't. He made me promise not to tell. I need a drink.
Eleanor Bishop: Talk now. You can drink later.
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NCIS: Abby's lab
Abigael Scuito: So he finds out his wife is alive, and the first thing he does is make sure his dog's okay?
Timothy McGee: You know how people are with their animals.
Abigael Scuito: Uh, I love animals, but I think I would love my husband more. I mean, I don't know or maybe, you know. McGee, I'm sorry. I don't know.
Timothy McGee: What do you mean you don't know? You know everything.
Abigael Scuito: Well, I don't know everything. Did you try just turning it on, turning it off?
Timothy McGee: Is Torres rubbing off on you now? Abby, can you help me fix this or not?
Abigael Scuito: McGee, it's one e-mail. And I'm just, you know, I'm kind of busy solving murders and fighting crime.
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Abigael Scuito: Hey, Gibbs.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Laptop.
Abigael Scuito: Chris Ristow has a secret. And you have three chances to guess what it is... Wrong... Wrong... Wrong. He's the CEO of an international corporation.
Timothy McGee: I thought he was a night watchman.
Abigael Scuito: Exactly. QFire, LLC. Formed in 2012 and has offices in the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Ireland.
Timothy McGee: Never heard of 'em.
Abigael Scuito: Yeah, neither has the Internet. QFire has no Web site, no employees, and no products. But according to federal tax records, $3 million in assets.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Not bad for a night watchman.
Abigael Scuito: Yeah, here's the kicker. QFire was incorporated and represented by Thomas, Senders, Brady & Goldfarb.
Timothy McGee: That's the law firm that Chris worked at.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Who owns QFire?
Abigael Scuito: Um... I haven't been able to figure that out yet. There's just so much legal mumbo jumbo in all these papers.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: McGee, help Abby dig into these files. Find our owner.
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NCIS: Abby's lab / Dakota James's home: porch
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah, Bishop?
Eleanor Bishop: Gibbs, they were headed to Mexico. He made his sister-in-law buy the airline tickets. And then she said he left for the airport.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, he didn't make it.
Eleanor Bishop: Right, he had one stop to make to get his passports.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Where?
Eleanor Bishop: Safety deposit box in a bank in Wilmington.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Go. Go, go.
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Parking
Alexandra Quinn: Yep. '85 Oldsmobile, registered to Chris Ristow. Look at this. This broke.
Eleanor Bishop: Well, here's her passport. Where's his?
Alexandra Quinn: Right here... Yeah. Okay, he comes back from the bank with the passports. Someone surprises him. They fight. He drops the passports and he breaks off the indicator.
Eleanor Bishop: Uh, Quinn?
Alexandra Quinn: Ooh. That's not oil.
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Hotel room
Kelly Ristow: Hey, Ellie. Thanks for bringing these. I feel more like myself... What's the matter?
Eleanor Bishop: Kelly...
Kelly Ristow: No.
Eleanor Bishop: I'm so sorry, Kelly.
Kelly Ristow: He's not dead... It's not true. You-you made a mistake... What happened?
Eleanor Bishop: He was shot trying to get to you at the airport.
Kelly Ristow: Why?
Eleanor Bishop: We are gonna find his killer.
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NCIS: Autopsy room
Donald Mallard: A stitch in time saves nine. Do you know the derivation of that phrase, Mr. Ristow? Uh, I'll tell you later. Jethro, how do you always know just when I've finished my autopsy?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Instinct.
Donald Mallard: Well, timing is everything, as my mother used to say when she fed me two teaspoonfuls of Radio Malt. It was a mixture of riboflavin, calciferol, and molasses. Delicious.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: It's Chris Ristow?
Donald Mallard: One to the head, two to the heart. Abby has the bullets.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Got a time of death, Duck?
Donald Mallard: I would estimate he was in that trunk, ooh, a good 48 hours.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Got anything else, Duck?
Donald Mallard: Yes. He was shot in the kneecap before he was killed.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Tortured?
Donald Mallard: Apparently. The killer was after something.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: You think? How 'bout $3 million?
Donald Mallard: Ah... What were we talking about? Oh, yes... A stitch in time.
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Ned Senders's house: garden
Alexandra Quinn: So, what are you gonna be for Halloween, Torres?
Nicholas Torres: For Halloween? Girl, you know I've been in costume my whole career.
Alexandra Quinn: Well, you haven't been a ghost or a hot dog.
Nicholas Torres: Don't be so sure.
Alexandra Quinn: Oh, my.
Ned Senders: NCIS. First my office, now my home. I'm hosting a party here.
Nicholas Torres: Well, it looks pretty spooky. Don't worry, this won't take too long. This is Special Agent Quinn.
Alexandra Quinn: Uh, do you recognize this?
Ned Senders: Yes, that's ours. I'll bet you want to know why Chris Ristow is CEO.
Alexandra Quinn: It has piqued our interest, yes.
Ned Senders: Ugh, tax code is complex. Too complex to explain here.
Nicholas Torres: Oh, well, good news. We are fast learners, so just, uh, give us your best shot.
Ned Senders: Okay. QFire is what's called a shell company. Uh, a stand-in for someone's money. Our clients are from all over the world, so when we create a shell, our employees act as... Principals in name only.
Alexandra Quinn: So a shell corp, uh, hides the client's identity?
Nicholas Torres: Oh, that doesn't sound shady.
Alexandra Quinn: So, QFire and the 3 million?
Ned Senders: Chris never had access to it. Look, you're barking up the wrong tree here. This is standard practice in our business.
Alexandra Quinn: And what business is that, exactly?
Ned Senders: The asset protection business.
Nicholas Torres: Who owns QFire?
Ned Senders: One of our clients.
Nicholas Torres: Which one?
Ned Senders: One who wants to remain anonymous and has a legal right to do so. I got pumpkins to carve.
Alexandra Quinn: Definitely not hiding anything.
Nicholas Torres: He's just trying to protect his assets.
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NCIS: Abby's lab
Abigael Scuito: You will be fine, Dale. He's just like a... Like a big ol' pussycat. You just want to scratch his belly. And relax, breathe.
Dale Matteson: Scratch Agent Gibbs' belly? That seems inappropriate.
Timothy McGee: Showtime, Dale.
Abigael Scuito: Hey, Gibbs! You remember Dale from Accounting.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Sure. Pale Dale. How are you? Thanks for your help.
Abigael Scuito: Take it away, Dale.
Dale Matteson: Right. Um... A-Agent Gibbs...
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Is he okay?
Dale Matteson: "QFire Limited Liability Corporation conducted a double Irish arrangement with at least four offshore companies and/or multinational shell corps which form a 'Dutch Sandwich' which is wholly/partially owned by the..."
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Sit down.
Dale Matteson: Yes, sir.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: You look paler.
Abigael Scuito: Okay, so I had a feeling this might happen. McGee, nesting dolls.
Timothy McGee: Yes. Uh, boss, imagine this little guy here is QFire.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: You mean the doll?
Timothy McGee: Yes. Shell corps like Qfire get bought and sold all the time. And sometimes they merge with other shell corps. Sometimes they disappear completely, because they only exist on paper.
Abigael Scuito: And all that buying and selling and merging makes it impossible to find out who the true owner is. Impossible for everyone except for... Dale, who is 87% sure that the true owner of the whole shebang is Leonard Weiss.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Who?
Timothy McGee: Uh, boss, that's Leonard Weiss, of Weiss Resources Group.
Abigael Scuito: Runs one of the biggest government contractors in the country.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: What's his motive for kidnapping and murder?
Timothy McGee: Remember the $3 million that was on QFire's books? It's gone missing.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Into Chris Ristow's bank account?
Abigael Scuito: Dale hasn't figured that out yet, but he is working on it.
Dale Matteson: Working. Hard. Very hard.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Where is Weiss right now?
Abigael Scuito: Well, he lives in New York, but he's here right now for a senator's fundraiser.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, bring him in... Oh, no, no. You sit down.
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NCIS: Director's office
Leon Vance: Leonard Weiss? You're positive?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: It's where the evidence leads.
Alexandra Quinn: I know Weiss has major political sway...
Leon Vance: Well, there's the understatement of the year. Gibbs, I know you don't worry about Washington repercussions.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: And neither should you, Leon.
Leon Vance: But that's not how life works. We are days away from the most important election in American history. And arresting, even questioning, a man as influential as Leonard Weiss will reverberate all the way down the ticket.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: McGee will be very discreet when he picks him up.
Leon Vance: Gibbs, I don't like it.
Alexandra Quinn: Director, this man could be behind a kidnapping and a murder for hire.
Leon Vance: Emphasis on "could."
Alexandra Quinn: We have motive and we have opportunity.
Leon Vance: But do we have proof?
Alexandra Quinn: Circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
Leon Vance: That's not good enough! I... I need concrete evidence linking Leonard Weiss to the petty officer's kidnapping and Chris Ristow's murder.
Alexandra Quinn: I don't have that.
Leon Vance: Well, then you have your answer, Special Agent Quinn.
----------
Nicholas Torres: Hey, where's my invite? There's a party in here.
Leon Vance: Well, maybe I should just get a revolving door.
Nicholas Torres: Not a joke. Gibbs, heads up, a partner at Ristow's law firm wants to meet... Secretly.
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Parking garage
Nicholas Torres: I don't know why people meet in parking garages... I mean, it's, like, a movie thing.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: How you holding up, Torres?
Nicholas Torres: Truth?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah. Truth's good.
Nicholas Torres: Well, you know, um... Leaving undercover, uh... It's hard.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Makes you stronger.
Nicholas Torres: You like them words of wisdom, Gibbs. Sounds like I heard it in church.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: No, not church. Life.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, well, life's a bitch.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah. Amen, bubba.
Nicholas Torres: Gibbs, uh, you may have noticed that it's been a little awkward between Abby and me.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: No.
Nicholas Torres: I'm not wearing the cobalt vest if you ask me to. I didn't ask you to.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: But you're part of a family now, so act like it, Torres.
Nicholas Torres: Your family is crazy.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Yeah, but they're still family.
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Nicholas Torres: Sullivan Brady? Special Agent Gibbs.
Sullivan Brady: Let's do this before I change my mind. Everything you need to put that son of a bitch away for a really long time.
Nicholas Torres: Who?
Sullivan Brady: Leonard Weiss. Read it and see.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Nutshell.
Sullivan Brady: Weiss owns Qfire. As you know, QFire is nothing. It's a mask, it's a shell. Chris siphoned out all the assets... Three million... Hoping no one would notice. Weiss noticed, and when Chris didn't give it back, Weiss hired people to snatch his wife.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Prove it.
Sullivan Brady: It's all in the file. There is a paper trail proving that Ristow embezzled the money. There's wire transfers from Weiss to the kidnapper.
Nicholas Torres: Lazarenko.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Why are you doing this?
Sullivan Brady: Once upon a time, I got into law to help people. Over the years, I've gotten really good at doing really bad things. I'm finally gonna do something that feels good... Chris was my friend. I want to make things right.
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Parking garage / Airport
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: McGee. Weiss... Where is he?
Timothy McGee: Boss, I just tailed Weiss to a commuter airport. His G5 took off.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Put agents on the tarmac in New York.
Timothy McGee: He's not flying to New York. They just filed a new flight plan.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Where?
Timothy McGee: Serbia.
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NCIS: Squad room
Timothy McGee: No problem. No. Happy to help. Yeah.
Eleanor Bishop: Okay, I'll bite. What?
Timothy McGee: I just fixed my little e-mail kerfuffle.
Eleanor Bishop: Ah, congrats. You turned it off and on?
Timothy McGee: Yes. I did do that. I also discovered a bug in the software.
Eleanor Bishop: Huh.
Alexandra Quinn: You hacked into private software?
Timothy McGee: I'm a white-hat hacker. That was customer service. They confessed that there has been a glitch in the software for years.
Nicholas Torres: Wait. So you just fixed it for the whole world?
Timothy McGee: Yeah. I mean, for anyone with that e-mail provider, sure.
Eleanor Bishop: So, what was the phantom e-mail?
Timothy McGee: A Nigerian prince wanted to give me five million dollars.
Eleanor Bishop: Ah.
----------
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Okay. Walk me through it.
Timothy McGee: Oh, night watchman Chris Ristow discovers that he's president of Leonard Weiss's shell corporation, then figures out how to embezzle all of its cash.
Alexandra Quinn: And then Weiss finds out, he retaliates by hiring Mr. Creepy here to kidnap Petty Officer Kelly Ristow.
Nicholas Torres: Yeah, but with a dumbbell to the chin, she jumps. So Weiss hires a hit man to kill her husband.
Eleanor Bishop: Then Weiss flies to Serbia, which, by the way, doesn't have an extradition treaty with the U.S.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Surveillance cameras at the bank?
Alexandra Quinn: Obscured by an armored car. How's that for irony?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: We find our missing three million?
Timothy McGee: Not yet. Dale's looking.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Think the wife was in on it?
Eleanor Bishop: No way.
Alexandra Quinn: Maybe.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Ah. Weiss is in MTAC.
Alexandra Quinn: You're good Gibbs, but how are you going to get Rockefeller to incriminate himself, and come back to the States to get arrested?
Nicholas Torres: Words of wisdom. Gibbs is pretty good at those.
Alexandra Quinn: Quinn and Bishop, bring Petty Officer Ristow back here. McGee, you stay with Abby and Pale Dale. Find that three million, kids. Go.
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NCIS: MTAC
Leonard Weiss: Gentlemen, Zdravo! That's "hello" in Serbian.
Leon Vance: I wish we were speaking under different circumstances, Mr. Weiss.
Leonard Weiss: Oh, nonsense. I have nothing to hide, not even what's under this robe.
Leon Vance: Well, removing that robe won't be necessary, sir. We're investigating the death of Chris Ristow.
Leonard Weiss: I have no idea who that is.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: He stole three million dollars from you.
Leonard Weiss: So, he's not Navy, he's a politician.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: We have a petty officer under protective custody, and her husband in our morgue. What are the chances you're behind that?
Leonard Weiss: Go... I thought this was about my taxes.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: You own a shell corporation called QFire, LLC.
Leonard Weiss: I own 33 shell corporations, but I pay my taxes, and I do it legally. Let me be blunt, gentlemen. You're asking me about three million dollars. If this Ristow guy really stole that from me, I'd be disappointed, but not homicidal. My condolences to the widow. This conversation's over.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: We're being played.
Leon Vance: Agreed. But by who?
----------
NCIS: Briefing room
Kelly Ristow: Embezzling three million dollars? He would never, ever do that.
Eleanor Bishop: But he did.
Kelly Ristow: We couldn't even afford a night at the movies. I sewed patches on his shirts so they'd last longer... This shirt still smells like him... If he really stole the money, where is it?
Alexandra Quinn: Maybe Chris gave it to you.
Kelly Ristow: What?
Alexandra Quinn: Yeah. He steals it, you hide it, playing the innocent wife, the victim.
Kelly Ristow: What are you talking about?
Alexandra Quinn: Why don't you level with me, Kelly? You and Chris planned this together, huh?
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NCIS: hallway
Eleanor Bishop: What was that?
Alexandra Quinn: Being a good investigator.
Eleanor Bishop: By accusing the victim?
Alexandra Quinn: I wanted to see if she was hiding something.
Eleanor Bishop: Come on, she's not.
Alexandra Quinn: Well, I know that now, but it's amazing what a little kick in the pants can shake loose. You got to trust my instincts, Bishop. They're sometimes right.
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NCIS: Abby's lab
Timothy McGee: You sure about this one, Dale?
Dale Matteson: Uh, it's a statistical probability.
Abigael Scuito: Okay, he's here. He's here. Now, Dale, no stage fright. Just talk.
Dale Matteson: Agent Gibbs, step right up. Now, according to my examination of the case...
Abigael Scuito: Chris Ristow was not a thief. He's a whistleblower. Sorry, Dale. I couldn't wait.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: He never stole money from Weiss?
Timothy McGee: No. The only thing he stole was information from his employer. He found out the firm was helping its clients cheat the U.S. government out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Chris wanted to expose them.
Abigael Scuito: We found these e-mails between Chris and a reporter at the Washington Leader. He was gonna give her a flash drive that was gonna incriminate the entire firm and all of the clients.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Never gave it to her.
Timothy McGee: Nope. Night before the trade-off, the wife was kidnapped.
Abigael Scuito: Someone at the firm must have found out what he did.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Who?
Dale Matteson: Does the name Sullivan Brady ring a bell? He's been playing us like a fiddle.
Timothy McGee: Boss, the documents that were given to you in the parking garage were doctored to make it look like Chris was embezzling money. Never happened.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Wire transfers to the kidnapper?
Timothy McGee: From Brady himself, posing as Weiss.
Abigael Scuito: And I matched the bullets from the crime scene. Smith and Wesson nine millimeter. And guess who registered that exact same weapon two years ago?
Dale Matteson: Well, don't just stand there. Go! Move! Arrest the bastard!
----------
NCIS: Observation room
Abigael Scuito: Is that him? What a terrible, awful, grumpy, joyless, unhappy man.
Alexandra Quinn: Want to go in and take his statement?
Abigael Scuito: Only if I can punch him in the nose. Where's Gibbs?
Alexandra Quinn: He's telling Petty Officer Ristow the news.
----------
The Ristow's house: living room
Kelly Ristow: That sounds like Chris. He always said that no one was above the law.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, he's right.
Kelly Ristow: But why didn't he tell me what he did? I would have been proud.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: I think he was trying to protect you.
Kelly Ristow: He died doing what was right... Just wish he could have delivered that flash drive.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Maybe he still can.
Kelly Ristow: But I don't know where it is.
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Well, there's only one place in this house nobody's looked.
Kelly Ristow: Where?
Leroy Jehtro Gibbs: Noticed that the collar Frank the dog was wearing... Different than the one in the photo.
Kelly Ristow: Yeah, that was Chris. He insisted Frank needed this brand-new...
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NCIS: Observation room
Nicholas Torres: Hey. What did I miss?
Abigael Scuito: Yay!
Alexandra Quinn: You're looking good, Torres.
Nicholas Torres: Oh, feeling good, Quinn. I'm feeling-feeling... Feeling good. Cold outside, so... Oh. All right... Okay.
