MUSIC IN:

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

(MUSIC PLAYS B.G.)

(SFX: ERIN DRINKS)

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/ERIN FILMS FROM THE WINDOW)

ERIN: Come on!

(MUSIC OUT)

(THEME MUSIC UP OVER OPENING TITLE/SCENES/ CREDITS AND OUT)

FADE IN:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

"WITNESS"

TONY: I always get that confused.

DAVID: No. No, it's simple. If the groundhog sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, spring's right around the corner.

TONY: Are you sure that it's not the other way around?

DAVID: Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. See you later.

(SFX: DOORS SLIDE OPEN)

TONY: Thanks.

KATE: (INTO PHONE) All right, Thursday eleven a.m.

VOICE: (V.O./FILTERED) Sharp.

KATE: (INTO PHONE) I'll be there. Oh, I promise.

MCGEE: Are you okay?

KATE: Yeah. No. I hate going to the dentist. I've had a phobia since I was a child and now I need a root canal.

MCGEE: Oh, that doesn't sound like fun.

KATE: No, I've cancelled my appointment three times.

TONY: What's not fun?

KATE: Nothing.

TONY: Who's Doctor Jackson?

KATE: You read that upside down?

TONY: A talent that serves me well. What's wrong with you?

MCGEE: Well, he's a dentist.

TONY: Ooh, and our Ms. Todd is afraid of dentists.

KATE: Who told you that?

TONY: Ethically, I can't reveal my source. It's the same person who told me Probie wasn't potty-trained until he was six.

GIBBS: Get the sedan, McGee.

MCGEE: Where are we going, boss?

GIBBS: Not we. You. Apartment building in Georgetown. A woman reported seeing a sailor being strangled.

MCGEE: Me? Alone?

GIBBS: Metro police don't think it's anything, but the woman's insistent.

MCGEE: What do you want me to do?

GIBBS: Investigate, McGee. It's what we do. If there's anything, call in.

MCGEE: Right.

TONY: Our little boy's growing up.

MCGEE: Cut it out, DiNozzo.

KATE: It's a vote of confidence.

MCGEE: Really? You think so?

TONY: It's a test.

KATE: Don't listen to him.(MCGEE WALKS O.S.)

(TONY CHUCKLES)

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET - DAY

(CAR DOOR CLOSES)

(MUSIC OVER ACTION)

MCGEE: Excuse me, Sir.

FLOYD: Yeah?

MCGEE: NCIS. Special Agent McGee.

FLOYD: So you're what they sent me. Geez, I'm feeling old. (INTO RADIO) NCIS is here. Say goodbye to little lady.

MCGEE: So what have you got?

FLOYD: There's no need to write it down, kid. The woman up there said that she saw a sailor being strangled across the way. Never happened.

MCGEE: You checked it out?

FLOYD: Yeah, the apartment manager let us in. No sign of struggle and nobody was even there. No forcible entry. The neighbors didn't see or hear anything.

MCGEE: So why did you call us?

FLOYD: She wouldn't let it go. I think she was up a little bit too late. Had a little too much to drink, you know? Look, I've got some other real cases to investigate. Her name is Erin Kendall. Apartment Two-B. Make sure you ask her to show you the video. (CHUCKLES)

CUT TO:

INT. ERIN'S APARTMENT - DAY

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

(DOOR OPENS)

ERIN: Hi.

MCGEE: Hi.

ERIN: You're the cop from NCIS?

MCGEE: Special Agent McGee.

ERIN: Come on in. Maybe I can get somewhere with you.

(DOOR CLOSES)

CUT TO:

INT. ERIN'S BEDROOM - DAY

ERIN: Well, by the time I started to record, they were gone. And yes, I'd had a few glasses of wine, but I saw a sailor being strangled.

MCGEE: Are you sure it was a sailor?

ERIN: Yes! He was wearing service dress blues. I work for D.O.D. I know military uniforms.

MCGEE: (READS) "Infinite-Dimensional h*m* Algebra for Binary Systems." You read this?

ERIN: Oh yeah, I had the author, Sidnitski, in graduate school.

MCGEE: You went to M.I.T?

ERIN: Yes.

MCGEE: Me, too!

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

GIBBS: A root canal?

KATE: I have an appointment with a dentist in the morning.

GIBBS: Are you going to keep it this time?

(GIBBS WALKS O.S.)

TONY: I can help you. I have a friend who had a fear of flying. He was cured by a hypnotist.

KATE: A hypnotist? I don't think so.

(PHONE RINGS)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yeah, Gibbs.

(BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

(SCENE CUT)

MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) Boss, it's McGee.

GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Yeah?

MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) I think there may be something here.

GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) You think?

MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) Well....

GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Do we roll...

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) ... Or not, McGee?

(SCENE CUT)

MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) Roll, Boss.(END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

GIBBS: DiNozzo, get the truck.

CUT TO:

EXT. APARTMENT - DAY

TONY: Ah, is that the witness?

MCGEE: Yeah, Tony.

GIBBS: Crime scene?

MCGEE: Ah, second floor of this apartment building here. Occupant is a civilian named Thorne. Robert J. He's not at home.

GIBBS: Let's check it out.

TONY: I hope you have more to go on than her sweet smile.

CUT TO:

INT. APARTMENT - DAY

JEREMY: The police already checked this out. Thorne's one of my best tenants. I don't want to lose him. Is this going to take you guys long? I've got a meeting with my doctoral committee.

GIBBS: When was the last time you saw Mister Thorne?

JEREMY: I don't know. About a week ago? He travels a lot.

GIBBS: We can let ourselves out.

(DOOR CLOSES)

GIBBS: You made the call. What were you basing your decision on?

MCGEE: The credibility of the witness. M.I.T. graduate. Phi Beta Kappa. She builds computer models for D.O.D.

TONY: We've all seen the credentials.

GIBBS: That's it?

MCGEE: No. No, to get a closer look at the as*ault, Erin used a camcorder with a two hundred to one zoom lens.

GIBBS: Let's see the video.

MCGEE: Well, she didn't actually start recording until after the men had moved away from the window. But it does show that the lights were on. When Metro Police got here, they were off.

TONY: That would do it for me.

MCGEE: Boss? The truth?

GIBBS: That would be good.

MCGEE: There's one thing I've learned from you. It's that sometimes an agent has to go with their gut.

GIBBS: Okay. What would you do now, McGee?

KATE: I'll dust for prints.

TONY: I'll sh**t.

GIBBS: We're not going to spend a lot of time on this.

CUT TO:

INT. NCIS LAB - DAY

ABBY: I can't work like this, McGee. Get off my back!

MCGEE: Sorry. It's just everything is riding on you finding something that places a sailor in that apartment.

ABBY: I wish I were a magician.

MCGEE: DiNozzo says the boss is testing me.

ABBY: DiNozzo says a lot of things. Actually, this time he's probably right. Gibbs tested me.

MCGEE: Really?

ABBY: Yeah.

MCGEE: What happened?

ABBY: Nothing. I passed. Your problem is the crime scene, if it really is a crime scene. It's too clean. It didn't produce any quality prints.

MCGEE: Abby, it is a crime scene.

ABBY: Then it is. Now get out of here and let me finish my work.

MCGEE: Thank you, Abs.

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

TONY: Photos from the scene of the crime. Annual performance reviews are next week.

KATE: Two sailors in the National Capitol Region were reported UA today. One female. I'm getting the particulars on the other.

(SFX: PHONE RINGS)

MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) McGee.

ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) Good news, I think!

MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) Did you get a match?

GIBBS: (V.O.) Put her on the speaker.

ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) I ran the only clean prints...(BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) ... from the apartment through AFIS. It belongs to (V.O.) Petty Officer First Class Keith Dillon, USN.

(END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

GIBBS: Is he your missing sailor, Kate?

KATE: Dillon, comma, Keith. Sure is.

MCGEE: Boss! Boss, Erin was right.

GIBBS: What does that mean, McGee?

MCGEE: Well, she wasn't imagining it.

GIBBS: It also means a sailor may be d*ad.

(MUSIC OUT)

FADE IN:

INT. NCIS SQUAD ROOM - DAY

KATE: Keith Dillon. Thirty two. Single. Never married. Lives in Anacostia. Assigned to Pax River.

GIBBS: What's he do?

KATE: Motor pool. Driver.

TONY: I talked to Dillon's C.O. He's still a no-show.

GIBBS: We're going back to Thorne's apartment.

MCGEE: I'll get the truck. (b*at) Uh... you did want me to get the truck, yes?

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. THORNE'S APARTMENT - DAY

TONY: I'm going to enjoy this.

ERIN: (V.O.) The attacker's back was to me most of the time.

TONY: Like this?

CUT TO:

EXT. APARTMENT WINDOW - DAY

ERIN: (INTO RADIO) Yeah. And then he pulled the sailor off to your right.

TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) Gosh, I can't tell you how many times I've thought of doing this.

CUT TO:

INT. THORNE'S APARTMENT

KATE: I dare you, DiNozzo.

TONY: Oh, yeah?

(BEGIN MUSIC OVER ACTION/ MOCK STRANGULATION)

(SFX: TONY AND KATE STRUGGLE B.G.)

ERIN: That's just what it looked like.

(SFX: KATE AND TONY CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE)

(SFX: TONY MOANS)

KATE: There are so many things I could say right now.

CUT TO:

EXT. APARTMENT - DAY

TONY: (INTO RADIO) Probie... (FILTERED) get the A.L.S. up here.

CUT TO:

INT. APARTMENT - DAY

(SFX: CURTAINS CLOSE)

TONY: Yeah, it's urine.

MCGEE: Boss, tenant does not appear to have a pet.

GIBBS: Have Abby do a DNA analysis. In the meantime, we go over this place top to bottom.

MCGEE: I'll get the equipment.

(DOOR OPENS)

KATE: Excuse me.

GIBBS: I want all the information you have on your tenant Thorne. Contact numbers, place of employment, apartment lease. Everything.

JEREMY: Oh, I'm just the manager. I call the plumber when the toilet backs up. The building's owned by Hawley Street Holdings in Boston. They got all that.

GIBBS: Get it for me.

(DOOR CLOSES)

CUT TO:

EXT. APARTMENT - DAY

ERIN: Did you find anything?

MCGEE: Urine. On the carpet.

ERIN: Urine?

MCGEE: Evacuation. When somebody dies, their sphincter and bladder relax.

KATE: Probably more than she wants to know, McGee.

ERIN: Special Agent Gibbs believe me now?

MCGEE: More than he did before.

KATE: McGee!

MCGEE: Oh, I'll let you know what's going on, okay?

(SFX: VAN DOORS CLOSE)

CUT TO:

INT. THORNE'S APARTMENT - DAY

(SFX: VACUUM B.G.)

TONY: Clear.

MCGEE: Boss, I already vacuumed the couch for fibers.

GIBBS: It's a convertible sofa, McGee. I slept on one for seven months.

TONY: That would be after the third wife? That would be none of my business.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

(SFX: CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS B.G.)

KATE: The missing Mister Thorne is even more mysterious.

GIBBS: And dangerous.

MCGEE: What do you think was in there?

TONY: Drugs.

CUT TO:

INT. APARTMENT CORRIDOR - DAY

(DOOR OPENS)

JEREMY: Oh! Hawley Street Holdings faxed over a copy of Thorne's lease agreement and rental application. Uh... you're going to need Thorne's permission if you want to remove property.

GIBBS: When he shows up, tell him to call me.

JEREMY: Well, I'm going to need a receipt.

CUT TO:

EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY

(SFX: TRUCK BRAKES TO A STOP)

TONY: (WHISTLES) You can handle something that big?

WALKER: You'd be surprised at what I can handle.

TONY: Oh, really. Now do you think I could drive a truck like this?

CUT TO:

EXT. BUILDING - DAY

WADE: Not much I can tell you. Petty Officer Dillon did his job and that's about it. Didn't hang around. Didn't socialize.

GIBBS: Had he ever been late before?

WADE: This was a first. I waited until noon to report him U.A.

GIBBS: Did he ever mention a man named Thorne?

WADE: Not that I remember. What's happened? Dillon's only been U.A. a couple hours, and NCIS is involved?

GIBBS: According to his service records, Petty Officer Dillon washed out of Seal training.

WADE: Yeah, I heard he rang the bell. Agent Gibbs, I'm his C.O. I want to know what's going on.

GIBBS: We have a report of a sailor being strangled.

WADE: And you think it's Petty Officer Dillon?

GIBBS: We found his prints at the scene. No body. That's all I can tell you.

(TONY AND PRETTY OFFICER WHISPER/GIGGLE B.G.)

GIBBS: (SHOUTS) Hey, DiNozzo!

TONY: I gotta go. Check you later.

PETTY OFFICER: You know where to find me.

TONY: Okay.

GIBBS: Get her number?

TONY: I wasn't hitting on her and neither was Petty Officer Dillon. She was interested in him, but he has a girlfriend.

GIBBS: Did you get her name?

TONY: Meg. It fits a hot chick like that.

(SFX: GIBBS HITS TONY)

TONY: Oh! You meant Dillon's girlfriend.

GIBBS: (V.O.) Check out his place in Anacostia.

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

ABBY: (V.O.) I enjoy going to the dentist.

KATE: What could you possibly enjoy?

ABBY: A little pain is a good thing, Kate. That's why people put hot sauce on tacos.

GIBBS: What did the urine tell you, Abby?

ABBY: Oh, all kinds of stuff. We had a really good talk. I was able to extract epithelial cells.

MCGEE: That's human urine, Boss.

GIBBS: What else?

ABBY: No recreational drugs. Not diabetic.

GIBBS: Male or female?

ABBY: Wasn't pregnant.

GIBBS: D.N.A.?

ABBY: You're never satisfied, are you? I'm working on it. And the ballistics from Thorne's g*n. But I found something interesting in the mattress cutout. Do you want to come see?

GIBBS: Be down in a minute.

ABBY: Okay. I need an assistant.

GIBBS: It's not in the budget.

KATE: The name Robert J. Thorne has to be an alias. Nothing on his apartment rental application checks out. His driver's license, social, references are all phony. He lists his occupation as a sales representative, but the company doesn't exist.

GIBBS: The owners of the building didn't verify anything?

KATE: He paid the first month, last month and every payment since in cash. Apparently, d*ad presidents are the only reference they needed.

MCGEE: Ran the serial number on Thorne's Sig by the manufacturer. It was sold fifteen months ago to a Virginia dealer. He works g*n shows. Trying to track him down.

GIBBS: What'd you find?

TONY: Couldn't tell when Petty Officer Dillon was last in his apartment. Bed wasn't made, but from the looks of the place, it never is.

GIBBS: What about the girlfriend?

TONY: Ah, indications are they're in the not-ready-to-commit stage.

KATE: Indications?

TONY: Yeah. She keeps her cosmetics and her toothbrush there, but no clothes. And they are intimate, but not at the moment.

KATE: Okay, now how would you know that?

TONY: Gyne-Lotrimin. Jill Meyers has a yeast infection. I'll call the pharmacy and get her address.

GIBBS: You may not admire his methods, but you gotta love the results. I'm with Abby.

MCGEE: Uh Boss, can I come?

GIBBS: Come on.

CUT TO:

INT. NCIS GARAGE - DAY

MCGEE: What've you got, Abs?

ABBY: Do I have to answer the newbie?

GIBBS: Humor him.

ABBY: There were traces of cocaine found inside the box.

MCGEE: So Tony was right. He was dealing drugs.

ABBY: Maybe not. The traces were microscopic. So it could just be from hiding money. (TO GIBBS) He calls himself a federal agent.

GIBBS: The U.S. money supply is contaminated with traces of cocaine.

MCGEE: I thought that was an urban myth.

ABBY: Gimme a bill.

MCGEE: Huh?

KATE: Give me a bill.

GIBBS: A hundred?

MCGEE: Yeah, I like to be prepared for any emergency.

ABBY: You're such a Boy Scout. Money is a great receptor because the ink never really dries. One bill used to snort cocaine and then going through an ATM leaves minute traces of the drugs on thousands of others.

(CONT.) Four out of five bills in circulation are contaminated to the level that can be detected by drug dogs.

MCGEE: Um... Abs?

ABBY: Yeah?

MCGEE: Are you forgetting something?

ABBY: No.

GIBBS: Hey, McGee!(PHONE RINGS)

MCGEE: Just a second. (INTO PHONE) Special Agent McGee.

CUT TO:

EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - DAY

FLOYD: (INTO PHONE) Hey, kid. This is Detective Floyd. We found something you might be interested in. (TO POLICE) Step out there.

(MUSIC OUT)

FADE IN:

EXT. NCIS TRUCK - DAY

MCGEE: I knew Erin saw what she saw. That feeling in my gut was right.

TONY: That feeling you experienced was lower than your gut, Probie.

CUT TO:

EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - DAY

KATE: Oh! All right, Ducky, you're up.

DUCKY: Thanks, Caitlyn.

KATE: I'd have to be really desperate to use one of these things.

DUCKY: Yeah, wretched, aren't they?

FLOYD: Looks like your missing sailor was dumped here over the weekend. His watch and his wallet are missing.

GIBBS: The k*ller didn't know he was seen strangling Petty Officer Dillon. He made it look like a mugging.

FLOYD: Makes sense. Any luck tracking Thorne down?

GIBBS: The name's an alias.

FLOYD: The kid's got good instincts, though.

GIBBS: Yeah, you think so, huh? McGee!

MCGEE: Yeah?

GIBBS: Did you leave my coffee in the truck?

MCGEE: Oh, I'm getting it now, Boss.

FLOYD: Keep me posted.

GIBBS: Duck?

DUCKY: Oh, based on the lividity and blood pooling, the body was most definitely moved. The ligature marks indicate strangulation as the cause of death. These parallel lines suggest electrical cord. Time of death... twelve to fourteen hours ago.

GIBBS: That would confirm the witness' story.

DUCKY: Yeah. Bag his head and hands, Mister Palmer.

TONY: Hey, do you want to help me with the grid?

KATE: Oh... give me the hypnotist's number.

MCGEE: Here you go, Boss.

GIBBS: What's next?

MCGEE: What?

GIBBS: How do we proceed, McGee?

MCGEE: Right. Well, uh... we've got to figure out who Thorne is and find a connection between him and Petty Officer Dillon. Probably the money.

(CONT.) And I think it would be a smart move to keep an eye on Thorne's apartment. If he doesn't know we're on to him, then he'll be back.

GIBBS: What else?

MCGEE: I think Erin and the building manager should work on a composite sketch. Am I forgetting anything?

GIBBS: Just to keep my coffee hot, McGee.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. AUTOPSY ROOM - DAY

DUCKY: Bring me an evidence file please, Mister Palmer. This fiber appears synthetic, most likely the Petty Officer didn't pick it up from the portable loo. Their making your death appear a robbery was a very amateurish attempt at a red herring.

JIMMY: I've always found that a very curios expression.

DUCKY: Yes, it is, isn't it? You know the derivation? Fox and hounds.

JIMMY: How's that Doctor Mallard?

DUCKY: Well, the only practical way to cure a herring is by smoking and salting. Yes, it turns the fish a crimson red and gives it a very distinctive smell. In the early Fifteenth Century, they used to train their hounds to hunt foxes by dragging a red herring along the ground on a piece of string to leave a trail of scent for the dogs to follow. Then later on, they would drag a red herring across the scent trail of a real fox to test the dog's ability to ignore a false sent or false clue.

(CONT.) Hence the term red herring became to mean a false clue designed to fool one's opponent.

JIMMY: It's fascinating.

DUCKY: Yeah. (WRITES) Thank you. Do you know the etymology of the phrase, white elephant?

JIMMY: You know, I should really get this up to Abby.

DUCKY: Oh, because of its rarity, the King of Siam declared all white elephants his personal property.

CUT TO:

INT. NCIS LAB - DAY

(SFX: g*n)

ERIN: How's that?

MCGEE: Yes. Excellent.(ABBY WALKS TO THE INNER LAB)

(SFX: KEYBOARDING B.G.)

ABBY: This is as far as you've gotten?

MCGEE: Uh, yeah. That's as far as we're gonna get.

ERIN: I'm sorry. I just can't remember what he looks like.

ABBY: Show her the composite the manager did.

MCGEE: I did. It's a waste of time. It could have been anybody.

ERIN: Let me try something.

(SFX: KEYBOARDING)

ABBY: What are you doing?

MCGEE: Erin is incredible! She has rewritten software code for the M.A.U program to incorporate hyper-threading.

ABBY: I thought you were working on the composite.

MCGEE: It's not gonna happen. Erin, any idea on how to over-clock the processors?

ERIN: Yeah, um... you've got two options. Changing either the FSB or the multiplier locks.

JIMMY: Oh, a gift from Doctor Mallard.

(SFX: GIGGLING B.G.)

ERIN: There it is!

MCGEE: That's amazing!

CUT TO:

INT. BOWLING ALLEY - DAY

(SFX: BOWLING PINS B.G.)

KATE: Jill Meyers. NCIS. Special Agent Todd and DiNozzo.

TONY: We'd like to talk to you about a Petty Officer Keith Dillon. When's the last time you saw him?

JILL MEYERS: A couple of days ago. So how did you find out that I know Keith? Did he... he tell you?

KATE: Petty Officer Dillon has been m*rder.

JILL MEYERS: What? What happened?

KATE: Well, that's what we're trying to find out.

TONY: How long have you and Petty Officer Dillon been... seeing each other?

JILL MEYERS: Keith came in a couple months ago. So he's d*ad?

TONY: Yeah.

KATE: You're married.

JILL MEYERS: Uh... yeah.

TONY: Does your husband know about Keith?

JILL MEYERS: Uh uh. He's a... he's in Iraq. Been there eight months.

KATE: Anyway he could have found out? Were things were getting serious with Keith?

JILL MEYERS: I was going to send my husband an email... breaking up. Good thing I didn't. Keith wanted me to quit my job and move in with him.

TONY: He was going to support you?

JILL MEYERS: Yeah. He was coming into a lot of money. I guess I'm stuck here now.

TONY: Did Keith ever talk about a guy named Robert Thorne?

JILL MEYERS: Keith didn't talk about anything. Our relationship was more... physical than anything else. I do know he was pissed he didn't make it as a Navy SEAL.

KATE: Anything else?

JILL MEYERS: My husband doesn't need to find out about Keith, right?

(KATE AND TONY WALK O.S.)

KATE: Dear John email? What a calculating witch. She gives all women a bad name.

TONY: I'm never getting married. There's no upside to it.

KATE: That's not true. Statistically, married men live longer.

TONY: They don't' actually live longer, it just seems longer.

KATE: You're just cynical.

TONY: Am I? Marriage was never intended to last more than a few years.

KATE: Where did you get that?

TONY: Anthropology one-oh-one. The concept was invented by cavemen with a life expectancy of twenty five years. 'Till death do us part meant four or five years tops.

KATE: That was very enlightening, DiNozzo. And I do understand now. You think like a Neanderthal.

CUT TO:

INT. LAB - DAY

(SFX: MUSIC PLAYS B.G.)

(GIBBS TURNS OFF THE MUSIC)

ABBY: Hey!

GIBBS: Geez!

ABBY: Don't mess with my music!

GIBBS: How do you work with that?

ABBY: It helps me to concentrate.

GIBBS: On what?

ABBY: Fibers that Ducky found on Dillon. Definitely one from the trunk lining of a car. I'm going to run them through the FBI's M.A.U. database and try to narrow it down to make, model and year. What's this?

GIBBS: Thorne's original Virginia g*n purchase application for his SIG. See if you can lift a print off it.

ABBY: As soon as I'm finished with this.

GIBBS: No, Abby! Do it now!

(SFX: MUSIC B.G.)

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

KATE: I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning.

TONY: You see the hypnotist? You weren't going to tell me.

KATE: I don't like crutches.

TONY: I hope you never break a leg.

GIBBS: Who is sitting Thorne's apartment?

MCGEE: Special Agent Balboa. I'm on my way to relieve him.

GIBBS: Did you find the girlfriend?

KATE: She's a piece of work, but we did find--

TONY: It's all about the money, Boss. Petty Officer Dillon told his girlfriend he was gonna be rich. A career E-six? It wasn't coming from the Navy.

KATE: We figure Thorne k*lled him for the money.

GIBBS: You think?

TONY: What are you thinkin'?

GIBBS: Where's the money?

KATE: Thorne took it.

GIBBS: Why'd he leave his w*apon?

KATE: He's coming back.

CUT TO:

EXT. ERIN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

ERIN: (V.O.) Well, I'm fascinated.

CUT TO:

INT. ERIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

ERIN: (INTO PHONE) You have multiple degrees, including computer science from M.I.T. How did you end up a Federal Agent?(BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

MCGEE: (V.O./FILTERED) Ah...

(SCENE CUT)

MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) It was by design. I always wanted to be in law enforcement.

(SCENE CUT)

ERIN: (INTO PHONE) I never thought I'd be talking like this with someone who carries a g*n. (GIGGLES)

(SFX: SOFT NOISE B.G.)

MCGEE: (V.O./FILTERED) Erin?

ERIN: (INTO PHONE) Hold on.

MCGEE: (V.O./FILTERED) What is it?

ERIN: (INTO PHONE) I'll be right back.

MCGEE: (V.O./FILTERED) Okay.

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/ERIN WALKS TO THE LIVING ROOM/ RUNS TO THE BEDROOM)

(DOOR CLOSES)

ERIN: (INTO PHONE) Somebody's trying to break into my apartment!

MCGEE: (V.O./FILTERED) I'll be right there.

(SFX: DOOR SLAMS OPEN)

(SFX: ERIN SCREAMS)

CUT TO:

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

MCGEE: (INTO PHONE) Don't hang up! I'm coming!

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/MCGEE RUNS TO THE BUILDING)

CUT TO:

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/MCGEE RUNS TO THE BEDROOM)

(SFX: LAMP SHATTERS)

MCGEE: Ah!

(SFX: g*n B.G.)

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/MCGEE PERFORMS CPR)

(MUSIC OUT)

MUSIC IN:

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

EMT: You're fine.

FLOYD: (V.O.) Your boy witnessed a m*rder.

CUT TO:

INT. ERIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

GIBBS: He was staked-out in Thorne's apartment.

FLOYD: Could he pick the k*ller out of a line-up?

GIBBS: You have a suspect?

FLOYD: No, but if I did, I'd like to find out if your boy could--

GIBBS: His name is Special Agent McGee.

FLOYD: ... If Special Agent McGee could make a positive I.D.

GIBBS: Get a suspect and we'll find out.

FLOYD: I'll secure the crime scene. My M.E.'ll be here in about ten minutes.

GIBBS: She was my witness. This is still my case.

FLOYD: A civilian kills another civilian? I do not think so. Nobody gets in here but our forensic team.

OFFICER: Mm-hmm. Right.

CUT TO:

EXT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

KATE: Hey.

MCGEE: I should have been watching from Erin's apartment.

KATE: No, you were exactly where you were supposed to be, McGee.

MCGEE: I saw Erin lying there, and I rushed in without clearing the room. He h*t me from behind with something.

KATE: A lamp.

MCGEE: I should have got him.

KATE: (V.O.) You tried.

MCGEE: I tried to save Erin and I didn't. I tried to sh**t her k*ller, and I missed.

KATE: Her death is not your fault, Tim.

MCGEE: All I can see is Erin lying on the floor.

CUT TO:

INT. CORRIDOR - DAY

JEREMY: A sh*t woke me up, and I looked out the window and I saw a guy in a dark jump suit running towards "S" Street.

FLOYD: I'll take over here.

(PHONE RINGS)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) What?

CUT TO:

INT. LAB - NIGHT

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) I got a match on the slug that I fired from the g*n found in Thorne's apartment.

GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Yeah?

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) I ran it through A.T.F. It was used in two unsolved m*rder.

CUT TO:

INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT

TONY: What's up, Boss?

GIBBS: Cancel Ducky. Let's get out of here.

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

TONY: (INTO PHONE) Bowers. (SPELLS) B.O.W.E.R.S. Can you fax me a copy of the files? Great. Thanks, Lieutenant. (TO MCGEE) Some advice? You can sit there and second guess what you should or shouldn't have done and never get the answer. Or you can get back on the job and catch the bastard. The Sig in Thorne's sofa bed was used to m*rder a Carole Anne VanBuren in suburban Raleigh and a Thomas Roy Bowers in Baltimore.

GIBBS: Any tie between them?

TONY: Just the Sig. VanBuren was involved in a messy divorce. Husband's a lot richer with her d*ad. Bowers was a tough union steward leading a long strike.

GIBBS: Both hits.

TONY: Sounds like it.

GIBBS: Have the local LEOs in Raleigh and Baltimore...

TONY: Fax the files. Already did, Boss.

GIBBS: How's the root canal?

KATE: Nothing to it.

TONY: Thanks to...?

KATE: You, Tony. I have to give you credit. The hypnotist really worked.

TONY: Thank you.

KATE: You know, Gibbs, this hypnotist consults with police departments on cases of repressed memory. She might be able to help McGee recall details.

GIBBS: Yeah? Why don't we just use a Ouija board?

KATE: Hypnotism isn't a parlor game, Gibbs.

GIBBS: You could fool me.

KATE: Can we at least try?

GIBBS: No. (b*at) Ah hell, why not?

MCGEE: Boss, I don't think I can be hypnotized.

CUT TO:

INT. THORNE'S APARTMENT - DAY

FOX: He's ready. Now traumatic memories are permanent. The biggest barrier to recalling them is stress.

KATE: Well, McGee was certainly under a lot of stress last night.

TONY: Probie's always under stress, Kate.

FOX: Well, with hypnosis we bypass the stress, go into the subconscious where the memories are. Now being here where the incident occurred will help.

GIBBS: So does a good whack to the head.

FOX: May I continue, Agent Gibbs? (TO MCGEE) Agent McGee, when I touch your forehead, you will open your eyes and remain fully relaxed. It will be last night when you were talking to Erin on your cell phone. You will see and hear everything clearly.

MCGEE: What is it?

FOX: What's happening?

MCGEE: She's heard a sound. She's scared.

FOX: What is she saying?

MCGEE: She's talking low. Sounds frightened.

FOX: Her exact words.

MCGEE: Someone's trying to break into my apartment.

FOX: What did you do?

MCGEE: I went to the window.

FOX: Do it.

(MCGEE WALKS TO THE WINDOW)

FOX: What did you see?

(INTERCUT FLASHBACK SCENE)

MCGEE: Erin's being as*ault. I have to help her.

FOX: Just stay with this feeling. Are you looking at the attacker's face? Describe it.

(INTERCUT FLASHBACK SCENE)

MCGEE: I can't see him.

FOX: How is he dressed?

MCGEE: Jumpsuit. Hooded jacket.

FOX: What else can you see?

MCGEE: His hands. Putting something around her throat.

(SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS)

ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) Gibbs.

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Hold on.

MCGEE: (V.O.) A watch.

FOX: Describe the watch.

MCGEE: Large.

(INTERCUT FLASHBACK SCENE)

MCGEE: On his right wrist. I've got to help her.

FOX: It's all right. You're going to sit down. When I touch your forehead, you will be fully aware. Your memory sharp and clear.

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yeah, go ahead.

ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) I don't know what you're doing...(BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) . but it can't be more important than what I've got.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Just say it, will you, Abs?

ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) You asked, I've lifted.

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) It wasn't easy, but I got a partial off Thorne's g*n application.

GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) You ran it through AFIS?

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) I didn't have to.

GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Why not?

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) Because I already know everything that you need to know about him.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Good work, Abs. (TO FOX) Can you give us a minute, please?(END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

FOX: Sure, no problem.

GIBBS: Abby found Thorne.

KATE: Where?

GIBBS: In Ducky's cold storage vault.

TONY: He's d*ad?

KATE: I don't... I don't understand.

GIBBS: Abby matched the print taken from Dillon's corpse to one taken from Thorne's g*n application. Petty Officer Dillon and Thorne are the same guy.

TONY: Dillon was the h*t man?

GIBBS: He probably used the name Thorne when he was hired to k*ll those two people.

KATE: A macho, washed-out SEAL, trying to prove his worth.

GIBBS: Creates a fictitious persona, Thorne, to freelance as a k*ller.

MCGEE: If there's no Thorne, who m*rder Erin and Dillon?

GIBBS: Whoever stole the money from the sofa.

(INTERCUT FLASHBACK SCENE)

MCGEE: Boss, the k*ller was wearing his watch on his right wrist.

CUT TO:

INT. APARTMENT CORRIDOR - DAY

(SFX: MCGEE POUNDS ON THE DOOR)

JEREMY: Hey, what's going on? (b*at) Hey, did you guys find Thorne?

GIBBS: Yeah, we found him.

MCGEE: You bastard! You wear your watch on your right hand.

JEREMY: A lot of people do.

MCGEE: You have the keys to Thorne's apartment.

JEREMY: I'm the manager. I've got keys to all the apartments.

GIBBS: Did Detective Floyd tell you that the young woman across the street witnessed the m*rder in Thorne's apartment? We're going to match the fibers found on Dillon's body to the trunk fibers in your car. What do you think about that?

(SFX: JEREMY THROWS HIS GROCERIES)

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/JEREMY RUNS FROM THE APARTMENT)

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET - DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION CHASE SCENES)

(SFX: CAR TIRES SCREECH)

JEREMY: No! No! No! No! Don't! Don't! Don't!

GIBBS: (SHOUTS) McGee! If you're gonna sh**t him, you should have done it while he was running! (TO JEREMY) Turn over!

(SFX: SIREN)

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

KATE: You are so...

TONY: Coordinated.

KATE: Adolescent.

TONY: I prefer the term "fun-loving." Oh! Ooh! Oh, hey! Food fight!(KATE AND TONY BEGIN A FOOD FIGHT)

(SFX: LAUGHTER)

MCGEE: Guys. Guys! Guys! Please, I'm trying to write.

KATE: Sorry, McGee.

TONY: Need any help?

MCGEE: No thank you. Just some quiet.

TONY: No problema. Shh!

TONY: (LOUDLY) Remember your first.... (QUIETLY) remember your first report, Kate?

KATE: Yes! Gibbs made me rewrite it twice. I felt like I was in grammar school again. Are you going to pick up those carrot sticks?

TONY: I didn't throw any carrot sticks.

KATE: I can't stand working in a pig sty.

(SFX: TONY CHOKES)

TONY: He only made you redo it twice?

KATE: I forgot to spell check. How many times, Tony?

TONY: Can I catch a peanut in my mouth without missing?

KATE: Ah. Did you have to redo your first report for Gibbs?

TONY: A few.

KATE: What's a few?

GIBBS: Five. It would have been more but I took pity on him.

KATE: Ooh!

GIBBS: McGee, good job. Send it up to the Director.

MCGEE: Will do, Boss.

GIBBS: Any more food fights in here I'm joining in with peas.

KATE: Frozen peas?

GIBBS: Nope. In the can.

TONY: (READS) Dear Mister and Missus Kendall.

KATE: It's a sympathy note.

TONY: That's nice, McGee.

KATE: That's very nice.

(MUSIC OUT)

(ENDING CREDITS UP AND OUT)

(ENDING CREDITS UP AND OUT)

(MUSIC UP OVER ENDING CREDITS AND OUT)
{"type": "series", "show": "NCIS", "episode": "02x14 - Witness"}