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1.17 - The Truth is Out There
| ◄ Previous Episode | Season #: 1 | Episode #: 17 | Air Date: March 16, 2004 | Next Episode ► |
The Truth is Out There
| Synopsis: |
| When the body of a marine is found after a party in an illegal night club, the team investigates a number of possible leads - including blackmail and accidental death. |
| Episode Recap: |
Opening credits roll.
The NCIS team arrives at the crime scene. Tony engages Kate in small talk in an attempt to get her mind off of the terrorist. Kate insists she isn't thinking of him. Gibbs is "growling like a wounded bear" but that would be because he was wounded by the terrorist. Tony feels sorry for the terrorist because he wouldn't want Gibbs on his track. Kate says that they will never see that guy again. Tony responds maybe not, but Gibbs will.
Ducky is all ready at the scene. Gibbs says they're late because "someone knew a short cut." Ducky came on the GW Parkway, after stopping to visit Gerald at the hospital and he still beat them to the crime scene. Gibbs asks after Gerald and Ducky replies that he will be in rehab for months. Ducky then gets right in Gibbs' face and says "I want that terrorist on my table, Jethro."
Gibbs gives out assignments. Ducky fills them in on the details of the petty officer's (Chris Gordon's) demise. Gordon suffered multiple traumatic injuries before he fell from the ceiling, that fall only added to the injuries. Gordon was dressed after he was killed. Ducky found safety glass in Gordon's hair. There were indications that Gordon had a cell phone, but no cell phone was found.
The main question right now is how did the petty officer end up in the basement ceiling. The team moves out to the parking lot and finds a blood trail. The blood trail leads them to tire tracks. Someone accelerated and ran over Gordon. Gibbs wants to talk to the person who ran the nightclub but the local LEO on the scene interviewed him and let him go. Gibbs snaps at the guy about letting material witnesses leave the scene and the LEO says "he had to go."
Cut to a high school as the team walks through the courtyard and approaches a young man named Darin Spotnitz. They question him about the petty officer and Darin says he wasn't working the door. Darin brings out his PDA and Gibbs comments on it, actually using the correct term. Until Darin corrects him and gives him the complete details on the phone. Darin beams the info to Kate. Darin is not quite 17 and he is the person who runs the moving nightclub. He goes into a huge business spiel about how the professors say the way to succeed is to motivate your employees. He disagrees, saying he keeps costs down and controllable to turn a profit. Darin has put a name brand on his parties and people flock to them. His PDA rings and he goes to answer it, a remark from Gibbs stops him. Darin hands them his business card with his contact information and for the first time shows concern. Concern that they are going to tell his parents since he isn't old enough to even be in a nightclub. As they walk away, Kate calculates Darin's profit from one night.
Cut to the naval base. The team is there to search PO Gordon's quarters. Someone else has all ready searched them. Tony explains the naval housing situation to Kate as Gibbs starts to work. They continue chatting until Gibbs tells them to get to work. As they search they comment on what they're finding. Searching the DVDs reminds Tony that he needs to return Gigli. PO Gordon was in to reality shows, including Punk'd. Gibbs, of course, does not know what that is. When Kate and Tony explain it to him, he realizes it is like Candid Camera. Kate and Tony don't know what that is. Then Gibbs notices that the stereo is on, but you cannot hear it. The speakers aren't connected. They find $40,000 hidden in the speakers; all $100 bills, non-sequential serial numbers.
The scene shifts to PO Gordon's work station, the supply depot. Gibbs interviews his section chief as forklifts zoom around them. The section chief says Gordon was a good worker, although a bit of a practical joker. He also tells them about Gordon's four friends. Gibbs informs him of the $40,000. The chief says he doesn't believe it was drugs nor gambling. The PO wasn't high enough up in rank to influence contracts so no kick backs either. Gibbs tries to intimidate the chief by saying someone would have to be his level to get kick backs. The chief agrees.
Back in autopsy, Ducky has unanswered questions. PO Gordon's injuries are consistent with being hit by a car, but he had baby powder on his hands. There is also latex on the safety glass that Ducky removed from Gordon's scalp. It's as if PO Gordon was wearing something made of rubber over his head when he was hit.
In Abby's lab Abby confirms that it was rubber on the shards of glass. Gibbs asks if it could have been a hat. Abby says maybe if you grew up in Dorkville. Gibbs replies that he grew up just west of there. Abby goes on to describe what possible reasons that PO Gordon could have had latex on his head, starting with bondage/S&M gear. Abby then starts to describe what one of her dates wanted her to do at which point Gibbs stops her. Abby says it is no different than a Packer fan and Gibbs disagrees.
They move on to the tire tracks. Abby gives Gibbs a list of the cars that use that particular tire. All the blood at the scene was the victim's, no drugs but he was legally drunk.
They talk about the baby power on the victim's hands. Abby says that guys have all sorts of rituals before they go out. One guy she knows does a full upper body workout just seconds before his date so he's all pumped when she arrives. Gibbs asks if Tony knows Abby knows that. Abby responds with her own question does Tony know that Gibbs knows?
Abby is going to do a computer simulation of the accident to see if the latex may have come from the car.
As a parting shot, Abby asks if Gibbs has any fetishes. He replies that he has three ex-wives and cannot afford any fetishes.
Back in the squadroom, Kate is trying to figure out what Tony's employment classification is. He declines to tell her so that she won't know how much money he makes. Telling her all about his dates is braggin; money is personal. Gibbs walks in and announces the time. Tony asks if they're quitting early. Gibbs' look tells him that they are going back to the naval base to interview Gordon's four buddies who are starting work soon. As Kate and Tony gear up, the camera swings around Gibbs' desk area and we see the facial recognition software running non-stop against the terrorist's picture.
Gibbs has the four buddies in the interrogation room, asking about how they choose that party, how they got there, etc. They all tell the same story, they went together in one car, one of the men's, and Gordon met a "babe" and left with her about midnight. One of the men drives a Taurus, which is on the list of cars for the tires. He is not the man who said he drove. He also says that he loaned his car to his brother and it is on the way to Phoenix.
Gibbs is suspicious because their stories are so similar. He doesn't like their description of the girl, all the same, yet generic. They know where Gordon is. What happened to that girl? They put out an APB on the missing Taurus and go to see the door keeper from the event.
The scene switches to Soul Cuts, Antoine Mann's salon. He owns the salon and moonlights as the bouncer for Darin Spotnitz. It's all part of Antoine's plan to retire by 50. Antoine remembers the five sailors. Claims that Gordon did not leave the club with a woman at any time. The owner of the Taurus left with the woman.
Back at the squad room, we zoom in on the facial recognition software still running non-stop. Gibbs feels they have missed something important in their investigation. Why are they all lying? To protect Wong (the owner of the car)? Or some other reason. Kate questions the facial recognition software. Gibbs ran it against every known terrorist, why is it still running? Gibbs is running it again.
Tony reviews the known facts of the case. Gibbs doesn't want to interview anyone again until they know how Gordon got the $40,000. He advises Kate and Tony to be like Woodward and Bernstein and "follow the money." Tony is wondering about the fact that the cash is all in $100 dollar bills. If it was drugs or gambling or theft, it wouldn't be all $100s. They decide the money had to come from a bank. Maybe blackmail or ransom? Blackmail seems likely but who would Gordon have been blackmailing?
Gibbs has gone down to Abby's lab to check on the accident recreation. Abby is extolling the virtues of her software. Gibbs brings her to a halt with a curt "Abby." Abby protests that Gibbs likes it when she talks tech, but she does move on to her findings. Abby has confirmed that Gordon was wearing the latex, it did not come from the car. Abby continues on with details of the parameters she has feed into the accident recreation program. The conversation goes off into a tangent about databases of databases. Gibbs tells Abby that she is spending too much time with Ducky. Again, Abby gets back on track. Abby is positive that the car that hit Gordon was a Taurus. Unless, of course, it was a Mercury Sable.
In the squad room Tony finds a pre-paid phone card in Gordon's wallet. If you have a cell phone, why do you have a pre-paid phone card? So that you can't trace his calls. But they have the card, so they can trace his calls. The number one number called belongs to Bartext Corporation, which was just awarded a big defense contract. The chief said Gordon wasn't high enough in rank to benefit from kickbacks, but perhaps the chief was taking them, Gordon found out and was blackmailing the chief.
Gibbs gets off the elevator asking about all Tauruses who have base parking permits. They are all accounted for except Wong's. So far the APB on Wong's car has turned up nothing. Gibbs asks about Mercury Sables. Tony didn't check on them but realizes it's the same car. The chief drives a Mercury Sable. Tony and Kate explain their blackmail theory to Gibbs. So they're off to the base to take a look at the chief's Sable.
At the base they discover the car is gone. The chief did not tell his crew where he was going, but if they really need him they call his cell phone. Gibbs calls Abby and asks her if she can trace the location of a cell phone. Abby says she can trace a cell phone's location to within 100 yards as long as it is a newer phone with GPS installed. They discuss the legality of this. Abby describes it as a charcoal grey area of the law. Gibbs gives her the number and Abby dials it. You hear the chief saying hello over and over as Abby determines his location and gives Gibbs the address. The address belongs to Bartex Corporation.
Gibbs and crew arrive at the address just as the chief is trying to leave. Gibbs blocks him in with the staff car. The chief at first declines to discuss why he is at Bartex but Gibbs tells him it is either here or in front of the Admiral. The chief asks to keep his answers confidential, Gibbs replies with a curt no. While this conversation is going on, Tony and Kate are examining the exterior of the car as closely as possible, looking for signs of a collision or recent repair work. According to the chief, he was offered a position at Bartex and is seriously considering taking it, but didn't want anyone to know about it until he had made his final decision. The chief pops the hood of his car. There is no damage to the car, the windshield is the original equipment. This is not the car that hit PO Gordon.
On the drive back Gibbs is driving so slow that other motorists are honking their horns and passing them by. Gibbs is doing 40 in a 65 mph zone, exceedingly unusual for him. Tony and Kate try to engage him in small talk but Gibbs isn't having any of it. "Not again" Gibbs mutters. "We are not going to lose again" this time said emphatically with a slap of the hand on the steering wheel. Gibbs tromps on the gas and does a highly illegal U-turn complete with squealing tires. "We are going back to that warehouse and we are staying until we nail whoever hit Petty Officer Gordon."
Gibbs is back, complete with a fish-tailing high-speed turn back into the parking lot of the crime scene. Gibbs gets out of the car and you can see the determination and purpose in his stance. He surveys the scene and the work gets started. Tony asks Kate if she has plans for tonight. Not really she replies. Good says Tony because the last time Gibbs was like this, Tony didn't get home for a week. Kate says the sad part is that that would actually be an improvement over her social life.
They all fan out and start searching for whatever clues there are that will tell them what actually happened in that parking lot.
Kate finds the first clue: some latex snagged on a hole in the chain link fence surrounding the parking lot. They bag and tag it. Tony asks Kate if she knows what that is. Kate replies yes she does, it's evidence.
Gibbs finds something on the ground in the parking lot on the other side of the chain link fence. Gibbs holds the edge of his knife to it and you can see writing reflected on the knife blade. Kate asks him to tell them what he is looking for, Gibbs replies they should have patience. Kate doesn't think Gibbs really knows what happened, but Tony does. Kate takes a picture of whatever is on the ground. Tony finds fresh cigarette butts. Two of the friends smoke; they can DNA off the butts. Tony finds marks on the ground from a tripod and Gibbs finds the wrapper of a tape for a video camera. Kate asks Gibbs for information again and he responds by showing her the tape wrapper and saying they filmed it. Filmed what she asks, but Gibbs doesn't reply; he just forms a picture frame with his gloved hands and looks through it to see his car parked by the tire tracks in the parking lot.
Back in Ducky's autopsy suite, the four friends are lined up two on each side of the body drawer. Ducky pulls PO Gordon out of his drawer and his friends can see the crude stitching of the "Y" incision for the autopsy. Ducky informs them that an autopsy is required in a murder investigation. One of the POs asks to be excused by Gibbs steps up behind him and tells him that chance was lost three days ago.
Now all four of the friends are sitting in the interrogation room, stewing. Tony, Kate, and Gibbs are watching through the one-way mirror. Tony is taking bets on who will break first. Gibbs doesn't care which one it is, he knows that one of them will break. Gibbs inquires as to the status of his video tape; Abby is cleaning it up as they speak. They all file into the interrogation room.
Tony and Kate explain to the four POs why you never put suspects together in a room. But they don't care about that today. Gibbs displays the piece of latex in its evidence bag and says quietly we know what happened. Now it's just a question of time, how much time they'll all do at Leavenworth.
Carter breaks first (the one who asked to be excused from autopsy) saying it was all just a joke. Wong tells Carter to shut up and asks for a lawyer. Morgan wants to cooperate, Wong says they have nothing. Tony and Kate imply they have Wong's car and have found blood on it. Wong says there is no way they have his car. Gibbs tells him they don't need his car and shows them a video tape cassette. Kate and Tony roll in a VCR and monitor. Gibbs stands to put in the video tape reminding them that they had their chance to come clean in return for help on their sentencing. All of them, except Wong, start to volunteer information before Gibbs can play the tape.
They claim it was Gordon's idea, a practical joke he had been planning for months as pay back for when Wong set Gordon up with a transvestite. Wong still wants them to stop talking but the others say that they can't live with what's happened to Gordon. The girl was a call girl. She was hired to lure Wong out of the club into the parking lot for the joke. Footage of what happened at the club is played. Then we see the other friends setting up the joke. Gordon is getting into a costume while someone else sets up a video camera.
Next we see video of Wong and the call girl making out in his car and of the other men videotaping it. Bright lights flash distract Wong. Back to the making out. The others open up a cooler of dry ice.
Kate says she didn't think Wong would scare that easily. Wong insists he didn't know it was Gordon.
Back to the video and the bright lights are back along with an eerie sound and the steam from the dry ice. Now the call girl hears and sees it. Gordon is dressed in an ET costume and walking through the mist towards the car. The girl starts screaming and Wong starts to panic saying he cannot find his keys. Wong starts the car and floors it, running over Gordon.
The other three POs are crying and extremely remorseful for Gordon's death. Wong is dry-eyed and saying that it was just an accident. Gibbs inquires about the $40,000. They deny that they knew that Gordon had that kind of money. They say they are sorry they hid the body they knew it was wrong.
Gibbs asks Wong specifically if he didn't know about the money. Wong replies that the only thing he is guilty of is manslaughter, they saw the tape. This tape? says Gibbs, waving the cassette. This isn't your tape, but you're in it they tell him. Gibbs puts the tape in the player. It's a video surveillance tape from a bank. They watch Gordon cashing a check with Wong looking on.
The other three POs look at Wong with disbelief on their faces. Gordon inherited money and took his buddy along to the bank with him when he cashed the check. Wong still insists it was an accident, but they have a witness. Kate opens the door and the call girl joins them. She tells them that Wong knew it was a prank and Wong was giving her a thousand dollars to go along with it. Wong knew it was Gordon and that it was a prank.
Back up in the squad room, Tony turns off the light over his desk. He invites Kate to join him for Chinese food. Kate says sure and wants to ask Gibbs as well. Tony tells her Gibbs is busy doing the same thing he does every night. The camera pans over to Gibbs watching the facial recognition software running and running.
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Latest page update: made by #1hotchfan
, Sep 6 2009, 6:23 PM EDT
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Keyword tags:
Episode 1.17
NCIS
season 1
The Truth is Out There
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| hippysheep | Abby's bro | 0 | Oct 17 2009, 5:47 AM EDT by hippysheep | ||
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Thread started: Oct 17 2009, 5:47 AM EDT
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this wasn't the first reference it was with Ducky from the 11th-13th episode that she stated that she glued her bro and he hated her calling him Kojak...pls check again...currently watching the 1st season and afterwards checking out your site. by the way fantastic site...really shows a lot of your hardwork put in it..
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