WOMAN [ON PHONE]: I'd like to order roses, a dozen.
Just put "I had a great time last night" on the card.
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE]
Don't sign it. Is there any way you can get someone
to put a lipstick kiss on the gift card?
[ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS]
That sounds interesting.
More like contagious.
She sends almost one a week. Each time to a different guy.
Is that the last one?
I'm itching to get going tonight.
Rough day at work. I need to burn off some steam.
Just one more.
[ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS]
[MAN ON PHONE]: Hi. I'm calling to order flowers for a funeral.
I just need something simple on the card.
Hope it's not "I had a great time last night."
Just put "Did you and your friend think I wouldn't find you, Murphy?
Told you I'd get you when you least expected it."
[ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS]
If that's a joke...
[GUNSHOTS AND BOTH MEN GRUNT]
[PHONES RINGING AND PEOPLE CHATTERING]
[ZIVA SWEARING IN HEBREW]
McGEE: Sorry, there's no... ZIVA: Unbelievable.
- You finally saw The Crying Game? - No. I got a speeding ticket.
- You know what that means, McGee? - System works.
I was barely going over the limit.
McGEE: Let me see.
- Says you were doing 80 in a 40. - Not the entire time.
- Tell them you're a federal agent? - Excuse me?
Well, sometimes if they know, they look the other way.
- Oh, that's not my wallet. - Wait. You do that often?
TONY: With one notable exception.
I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in 17 years.
Or paid for parking, football games.
It's a gray area.
Sometimes I even get my doughnuts and coffee for free.
I do not think Gibbs would approve.
What Gibbs doesn't know won't hurt him.
What don't I know, DiNozzo?
But I tip big.
All right, let's have it.
[ZIVA AND TONY WHINE]
Let's go. Dead Navy captain.
Ever get the feeling that he enjoys being smacked in the head?
I'd rather not think about it.
GIBBS: Two shots. ZIVA: Yep,
- they must've made some noise. McGEE: They did.
Several, uh, witnesses heard the gunshots.
Found the brass in the street.
No one called the police?
Gunshots aren't exactly news in this neighborhood, Ziva.
Cleaning lady found the bodies. She called the cops. They called us.
TONY: Safe's picked.
What are these, fingernails?
Somebody was nervous about something.
Sorry I was late.
Been waiting for Mr. Palmer to return from an errand,
but I had to leave without him.
What errand?
Breena called.
The wedding caterer they planned on using had gone out of business.
The sobs almost woke the dead.
- Was she pretty upset? - She wasn't the one crying.
[ZIVA CHUCKLING]
What do we have here?
Well, over here you've got Captain Jack Wallace
and our friend here is Dexter Murphy.
Looks like an open-and-shut robbery.
Do I suspect a but?
Oh, but this.
[ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS]
[MAN ON PHONE]: Hi, I'm calling to order flowers for a funeral.
I just need something simple on the card.
Just put "Did you and your friend think I wouldn't find you, Murphy?
Told you I'd get you when you least expected it."
A man of his word.
Yes, so I can see.
The preliminary cause of death is obvious,
but I think I will reserve judgment...
- What do we have here? - Duck?
TONY: Holy undergarments, Duckman. Is that what I think it is?
McGEE: His name is Captain Jack Wallace.
He's a decorated Iraq veteran and he's also a real-life superhero.
- A what? McGEE: That's what they're called.
- By who? - By themselves.
They don't claim to have actual superpowers.
Right, because that would be weird.
No, they're really just community activists.
They put on costumes and do neighborhood watches,
community service, sometimes even fund-raising.
- Pretty cool, huh? - Hey, do they do birthday parties?
Neighborhood watches were Solanum's specialty.
- Who? - Dexter Murphy, the store owner.
His superhero name was Solanum.
Captain Wallace went by Captain Code.
His specialty, building code violations.
Found them registered at the EarthSuperHeroUnion. Com.
They have a website too?
Oh, there's websites, there's community groups,
there's even talk of creating a sanctioning body like the NBA.
Of course, being an RLSH can be dangerous too,
especially if you're getting involved with the criminal stuff.
Going after graffiti taggers, muggers.
So when these guys get in trouble, they call the cops?
- Some do, some don't. ZIVA: So they are like vigilantes.
Nerd vigilantes. Question is, did it get them killed?
The voicemail clearly indicates the killer was seeking revenge.
For what?
McGEE: Huh.
The phone records.
- Commanding officer. - E-mails. Gmails. Twitter.
So do we have a deal or not, Ms. Miller?
Well, that's gonna depend on your agent.
GIBBS: Uh, that doesn't sound good.
Agent Gibbs, I'd like you to meet...
Still working for the Evening Tribune?
The Globe.
You two know each other?
Oh, please tell me that you weren't married.
No. But we go back.
VANCE: Hm, good.
That should make things easier. Or worse.
I'll manage. Shall we?
Captain Wallace called me at my paper two days ago, wanted to meet.
- About what? - Wouldn't say.
But that superhero costume sure says something.
- I didn't tell her. - I am a reporter, remember?
So, what's the story?
Wallace ran a classified program out of the Department of Energy,
securing rogue nuclear materials in hot-spot areas.
There's a big demand for old Soviet uranium.
File is classified, Leon.
That file is hers. It's not mine.
Reporter.
Press is gonna have a field day with this.
I'm sure you can imagine the headline.
Mm. "Navy officer in charge of nukes found dead in superhero costume."
- Wordy, but I like it. - I don't.
Ms. Miller has agreed to hold off till you conduct your investigation.
WENDY: Your director hopes you'll find something
that paints things in a more, shall we say, favorable light.
In exchange for first dibs on any info we do uncover.
Oh, plus a liaison from NCIS to keep me in the loop.
VANCE: And you're that liaison, Agent Gibbs.
I trust that you'll handle the matter professionally.
Oh, my God. Abby, do you mind if I hide down here?
McGee is driving me crazy with...
[ABBY MEOWS AND HISSES]
What's new, pussycat?
I guess you heard.
Um, about the real-life superheroes?
Hello? I have been trying to meet Catatonic for, like, months.
He rescues animals, mostly cats.
And he's like a rock star in the shelter community.
Right now we need a rock star in the forensic community.
I am making some progress on the chewed fingernails
that you found at the safe.
Maybe, like, some nervous murderer trying to pick a lock.
I'm running the DNA now.
But my big find was online.
I noticed this insignia, and it looked familiar.
And then I remembered where I knew it from.
There was a bar fight uploaded to CyberVid six months ago.
MAN 1: I don't want no trouble. DRUNK: You don't?
MAN 1: No. DRUNK: Too bad, you found it.
CAPTAIN WALLACE: No, punk, you found it.
MAN 3: Let him go. DRUNK: Hey, let go of me, you freak.
[SPRAY HISSES AND MEN YELL]
[MEN SCREAMING]
ABBY: Wallace and Murphy stopped the bad guy.
Yay!
[COMPUTER CLICKS OFF]
So the video went viral and they became local heroes.
- The drunk idiot... - Looks like a drunk idiot.
Maybe he's holding a grudge. You got an ID?
Well, I haven't had any hits on facial recognition.
So who shot this video?
ABBY: It was uploaded by a user called ICU.
Had trouble tracking that back to an actual person.
Whoever did this went to a lot of trouble to keep his identity hidden.
Keep looking.
Meow.
[GRUNTS]
There you are.
Ha! Yeah, wow, there you are.
What are you doing there?
Agent Gibbs assigned you to be my liaison on the Wallace case.
Oh.
Ha! What do you mean, "liaison"?
You're a reporter now.
We don't liaise with reporters.
- You do now. - Huh.
Gibbs didn't say anything to me about this.
Hey, Tony, Tony, Tony, Gibbs wanted me to tell you that...
- Oh, hello. - Hi.
So, what do we do now?
Well, I'm not happy about it either, Tony,
- but I expect you to be professional. - Always. It's not like we're enemies.
Exactly. I did invite you to Christmas brunch,
and at one point in our lives, we were engaged to be married.
[ABBY GASPS]
ABBY: Meow.
Hi, again. I'm Abby.
- Wendy. - Wendy.
Wendy, the ex-fiancée.
Uh...
ZIVA: Here they come, here they come. McGEE: Hold on, I can't see.
Boss, can I talk to you for a second?
Wendy, conference room is just through that door,
there at the end. Thanks.
Liaison? What were you thinking? You were there when it went south.
I can't... Sorry.
[CHUCKLING AND STAMMERING]
[TONY SIGHS]
[RECORDING DEVICE BEEPS]
Aren't we professional?
That's what we are.
Okay, let's start with the basics.
- Ever spoken with Wallace before? - No.
- Any idea what his call was about? - Nope.
Why'd you invite me to Christmas brunch?
Thought it might be nice to see you. I may have been wrong.
My turn.
- Your turn what? - I get to ask some questions.
That's my deal with Vance.
Does Captain Wallace have a history of mental illness?
No.
Was the Navy aware that he was moonlighting as a superhero?
No.
Since when did you start wearing thousand-dollar suits?
Since when did you stop teaching 4-year-olds
how to sing "Puff the Magic Dragon" and start channeling Lois Lane?
People change.
Yes, they do.
I wasn't wrong.
It is nice to see you.
- It's nice to see you too. - Mm.
TONY [WHISPERS]: I don't know.
[DOORKNOB JIGGLES]
McGEE: They can hear us. ZIVA: No, stop talking.
[ZIVA GRUNTS]
Come on, I invented that.
We wanted to let you know that Abby's still unable
to identify the user who uploaded that fight video.
- Oh. McGEE: Gibbs wants us
to canvass the neighborhood,
see if anyone knows who our drunk idiot is.
Oh, I don't know him,
but that video was shot by Clarence Tobett.
Local trust-fund baby. Runs an anti-gang outreach program.
- Reporter. - Reporter.
WENDY: He's always calling the paper trying to drum up publicity.
- Thank you. - Let me know what you find.
- She is cute. - Stop it.
Your ex-fiancée's really cute, but I would expect no less.
Must be strange seeing her after all these years, huh?
Especially with her divorced. Heh, heh.
[BOXER GRUNTING]
Almost as strange as you not talking.
I'm working. You should try it. Thank you.
[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
Clarence Tobett?
Who wants to know?
NCIS.
We're looking for the man who shot this video.
[VIDEO PLAYING ON CELL PHONE]
How'd you find me?
I work very hard to keep my true identity a secret.
Oh, snap, you're one of them.
If you mean a real-life superhero, then, yes.
[YELLS]
Let me guess.
ICU.
That's right. Because that's where you go if you mess with me.
[YELLS]
[SWITCHES MUSIC OFF]
Since we're co-workers, you'll have my complete cooperation.
Yes, I shot the video.
I came upon the fight when I was out on bait patrol.
Bait patrol?
Yes, it's a standard crime-fighting tactic.
One of us... No, no, no.
- Acts as bait and waits for someone to cause trouble.
When they do, we give it to them.
[DOOR OPENS]
MAN: Clarence.
What did I tell you about borrowing Tom?
No, no, no.
Miss Peyton said you're from NCIS.
- What did he do now? - Nothing, Dad.
In fact, if you'll excuse us, this is business.
No, no, business is what I do.
I buy real estate. You just take it up.
Acting like you're 5 instead of 25.
- What did he do? - He was helping us identify someone.
I remember him.
I don't have a name, but I got his license plate when he fled.
- Well, some of it. - All right, I've heard enough.
No more Tom.
The guy's got a bronze star, for Pete's sake. He's a real hero.
He's just pissed because I refuse to go into the family business.
I can relate.
[GRUNTING
- Clarence. Clarence. - Wha...?
- License plate? - Oh.
Three numbers.
I guess super memory isn't one of your superpowers.
Make all the fun you want, but what I do is important.
I talked a kid out of a gang just last week.
I know the costumes seem silly, but they're just a gimmick.
They help defuse tense situations.
Look, I don't know Captain Code's true identity.
It's best that we keep them secret even from each other.
But I did hear a rumor that something happened to him.
I don't know if this helps, but he had mentioned he was on to something.
He didn't say what, but it had him worried.
Here's my card.
I have t-shirts, too, if you want them.
BOTH: Thank you.
[CLARENCE SIGHS]
DUCKY: We had our own real-life superhero in my youth.
He called himself The Fox, one of the first environmentalists.
Once, he collected 50 gallons of sewage that was destroying a lake,
broke into the offending corporation's offices and dumped it in their lobby.
[CHUCKLES]
Every child fantasizes about growing up
and becoming a superhero.
But you actually did it.
Impressive.
Not the word I would've chosen, Duck. What do you got?
Uh, I think we can assume that both victims died of their gunshot wounds.
- Not surprised. - Yeah.
Well, the surprise came from the number of injuries
I found on Captain Wallace.
He broke his jaw twice,
he has scars from numerous knife wounds,
and even has a bullet graze.
- They're all street fighting. - Yeah, presumably.
He took his role as a vigilante quite seriously.
Come on, Duck.
Ha, ha, ha, I take it you do not approve.
Duck, it's not their job. They could get hurt.
Jethro, most of them already have been.
Aside from their love of comic books,
what most of these crime fighters have in common
is being victims of violent crime themselves.
Or abuse or tragedy.
I mean, take a look at Captain Wallace.
His wife died in childbirth, and then his daughter died
when a balcony collapsed in a shopping mall.
McGee said his specialty was building code violations.
Well, hardly a coincidence.
Whereas others might've succumbed to depression
or drug abuse, these men and women
have channeled their angst into something positive.
Who's to judge?
Though, the one thing I might judge you on
is your choice of Tony as liaison to the press.
What are you up to, Jethro?
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You can now hold your applause.
For what are we not applauding?
I got a hit on the DNA from the flower shop safe.
McGEE: His name is Felix Quintero.
A small-time hood, but seems to have cleaned up his act recently.
- So, what's he doing now? McGEE: You're gonna love this.
Locksmith.
His license plate matches the partial you got from ICU.
Looks like he's our drunk idiot.
Pick him up.
On it.
[TIRES SQUEALING]
This case may be wrapping up soon. You will be free from your ex.
I'm fine, Ziva.
ZIVA: You do not seem fine. You seem pensive.
It's the chili I had for breakfast this morning.
You know, you have never actually told me how it ended between you two.
[TIRES SQUEAL]
[ZIVA GRUNTS]
Okay, forget I asked.
We're being followed.
I had a feeling, a pensive one.
U-turn confirmed it.
Let's move.
NCIS, Hands on the wheel!
Hey, watch out!
What is going on?
Hi, guys.
- Great day for a drive, huh? - What are you doing?
- Tracking down a lead. - No, we're tracking down a lead.
- You're following us. - What, is that a crime?
- Yes, technically it is. - Tony.
Look, I'm just making sure I'm in the loop.
I told you that I would let you know.
Ha, ha, let's just say you don't have the best track record
- doing things you say you're gonna do. - Me? Ha, are you kidding?
ZIVA: I'll call the fire department.
Even your car doesn't like you.
I just bought that car. It hasn't had a chance not to like me.
ZIVA: Well, your car might like you, but someone does not.
ABBY: It's a bomb, wired into the fuel line,
timed to go off when the car hit 50.
Made out of cardboard.
Yeah, so the evidence would burn in the crash.
But it was a rush job.
Wendy's quick stop jarred it loose,
and the accelerant leaked onto the fuel block,
making it catch on fire, lucky for her.
Lucky, Abs? Someone's trying to kill her.
Well, I'm just trying to be positive. Hey, maybe it was Tony.
Not positive.
McGEE: Afraid we got a little more of that.
ZIVA: We found this. - It's Wendy's notes.
From our current case, but there's also some stuff
from the old newspaper stories of hers.
Remember she said she didn't know Captain Wallace?
- Yeah. - Well, according to her notes,
she's worked with him several times in the past.
ABBY: Which means... - She lied to us.
Ms. Miller, I'm only gonna ask you once.
- How long did you know Wallace? - I told you, I didn't.
According to your files, he was a source
on three prior news articles of yours.
I am a reporter. These are privileged documents.
You have no right to look through my notes.
Your notes are evidence in an attempted murder, Wendy.
Yours.
I was doing an exposé on wasteful military spending.
Wallace was a source. If I told you I knew him, you'd figure that out.
Reporters do not reveal their sources, dead or alive.
Is she telling the truth, Agent DiNozzo?
I'm sorry, what?
I found out about your history with Ms. Miller.
And we'll talk about that later.
I figured you might have some insight.
Oh, um...
Yeah, she... She's telling the truth.
Why did Wallace call you before he was killed?
Well, I assumed he had a lead on another story.
But I really don't know.
I didn't lie about that.
You obviously know something. There was an attempt on your life.
- I noticed. You got a suspect? - We're staking out his apartment.
Until we find him, we can...
WENDY: Place me in protective custody.
And keep me as far away from this story as possible? Forget it.
I got a place to lay low. I'll be fine.
I don't doubt that, but I'm gonna have to insist
on sending an agent to escort you to your destination.
Agent DiNozzo, given the circumstances,
if you like, I can assign Agent David.
No way in hell.
It's okay. I got it.
You thirsty? Can I get you something to eat?
Not hungry.
Since when are you not hungry?
People get not hungry. It happens.
Not to you, it doesn't.
Okay, I can tell there is something on your mind.
Are you still pissed at me because I followed you?
No, just curious about something I read in your notes.
Notes you were not supposed to read.
You were doing a story on a Navy contractor.
Your notes said that you needed some inside info.
Two days later you invite me to brunch. Coincidence? I don't think so.
You didn't wanna see me.
You wanted to use me, squeeze me for some info on your guy.
- Do you really believe that? - Tell me I'm wrong.
You're not wrong.
That's not cool.
Well, you blew me off anyway, and that's not cool.
I haven't seen you in nine years.
We haven't spoken since the night our engagement ended.
All the more reason to catch up.
You didn't wanna catch up.
You were after a story
like some hard-boiled word slinger from a Howard Hawks movie.
I had a job to do.
What happened to you? You used to be such a sweet, innocent kid.
Me? What about you?
You used to be a hopeless romantic.
And now you're like George Clooney from Ocean's Eleven.
You like George Clooney?
I think he's a bit of a cliché.
Hm.
Golden Flower. I love it when you wear that.
I know.
BOY: Hi, Mom. - Oh, hi, baby.
Hey, you remember me telling you about Agent DiNozzo.
He's gonna help take us to Grandma's.
Agent DiNozzo, this is my son, Fred.
Hey, Fred.
WENDY: And his nanny, Tina. TONY: Hey, Tina.
So, Tina, think you can help me pack? We'll be down in a minute.
Yeah, okay, don't take too long.
Moms, right?
Tina seems nice.
It's a good name.
Tina Turner, Tina Fey.
Hey, you like that Harry Potter?
He's pretty fun, with his wand and the magic stuff.
If you had to pick, which would you say is your favorite Harry Potter?
The one where Harry wasn't kissing my mom.
You saw that.
Don't let it happen again.
Hmm.
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
Here you go.
Whoo!
I miss anything?
No, no sign of Quintero.
Man, am I starving.
Mmm.
- You didn't get yourself something? - Not hungry.
Since when are you not hungry?
People get not hungry, jeez.
Sorry, I just...
I'm just...
Really pensive.
Confused.
Why? Because you made out with your ex-fiancée today?
Ha! What...? What are you talking about?
Lipstick. Her color.
Oh.
- Eagle eye, McGee. - So, what's your problem?
She's divorced. You're single.
The problem is, been there, done that. Crash-burn.
- That bad? - NTSB is still looking for bodies.
Yeah, what happened?
It's a good question, McGee.
You always ask the good questions.
Okay. So, what do you wanna happen?
Cue the subject change.
That woman's been standing over there for quite some time.
It's pretty cold out. I'm gonna go talk to her.
Hey there. You have the time?
My watch is on the fritz...
Hey, where are you going? What's the matter with you?
NCIS!
It's no good running away. Come back here. McGee.
- You going somewhere? - Ugh!
Come on.
[WOMAN GRUNTING]
[MEN YELLING AND GROANING]
McGEE: Stop!
[WOMAN GASPS]
TONY: Guess you never heard of NCIS.
We're cops. Look at our badges.
- Oh... - There it is.
MAN: Look, man, we were just... - Bait patrol. Yeah, I know.
I'm gonna arrest all of you.
- What? - We're co-workers.
Did you see what was on his neck?
If you're talking about Soulless' tattoo, yeah.
- You guys heard of me? - Or should I say Felix Quintero?
FELIX: Oh, come on, man.
There's a reason it's called a secret identity.
What are you, in the third grade?
- Really? - It's not a secret identity.
That is a good outfit.
[TONY LAUGHING]
Thank you, McGee. All right, let's move.
Ladies and gentlemen, of the evidence garage,
I bring you Whipcord, Spandaxia.
Looking good.
Hey there, Bolt.
Check this out. Boom!
[ALARM BLARING]
Hey, that's not a toy. It's a Sonic Diversionary Weapon.
Used to disorient the enemy.
We're here to help. We'd appreciate a little professional courtesy.
You're not professionals.
Hey, boss.
I don't need this.
Before you judge, just remember,
if things had gone differently, this could've been McGee.
Where's the suspect?
Oh, Dorneget brought him up to interrogation.
We'll be debriefing these guys in the conference room.
You must be in charge.
I'm Spandaxia.
Boltcutter.
Whipcord.
All right.
Hand over the bullwhip and the bolt cutter
before you go upstairs.
Wow. Remarkable straight face, boss.
You know, laugh all you want, but the streets are a dangerous place.
All you do is investigate after something happens.
Since we've been patrolling, crime in our area is down 50 percent.
Yeah, we make your job easier.
Actually, Ziva would make our job easier.
Where is she? We could use help with the interviews.
She's bringing in the reporter, see if she can ID Quintero.
Ziva's alone with Wendy? That's not good.
ABBY: Are they here? Are they here? Are they here?
Whoa!
Real-life superheroes.
Can I get a picture with you guys?
Of course.
Come on.
[ALARM BEEPS]
Great costume.
Oh, this isn't my costume. These are just my clothes.
[ZIVA AND WENDY LAUGHING]
Oh...
See, this I could do without.
ZIVA: Did not know Tony got motion sick.
Well, he would if he wasn't on his meds.
- Hi. - Hi.
So how's things?
Good. You?
- Actually, l... - You know what? I'm gonna go.
Because I need to get back to Fred.
Who says hello, by the way. I think he likes you.
Hm.
[ZIVA CHUCKLES]
Okay, let's hear it.
Hear what?
TONY: I'm sure she said something. ZIVA: Is there something to tell?
[DOOR OPENS IN INTERROGATION ROOM]
GIBBS: Well...
Oh, I can see you and I are a lot alike.
[SIGHS]
Both men of action, few words.
[EXHALES]
GIBBS: Captain Jack Wallace.
Dexter Murphy.
Your DNA was found at the crime scene.
And your voice was on the answering machine making threats.
You think I'm the killer?
[SCOFFING]
This is nuts.
Why on Earth-616 would I kill my fellow superheroes?
- I don't want no trouble. - You don't?
- No. - Too bad, you found it.
- No, punk, you found it. - Let him go.
I appreciate the honesty. Actually, that is something
Wendy mentioned about you.
That you were one of the most honest people she knew.
Really?
[ZIVA SIGHS]
To others.
She said the only person you lie to is yourself.
Which she says you do a lot.
QUINTERO: Wow. Ha, ha, ha.
That was awesome, but you've got it all wrong.
That video was staged.
Captain Code and Solanum hired me to fake that attack.
Nobody knew. Not even the cameraman.
- Why? - Publicity. Duh!
They wanted to start their own superhero league.
Everyone's got a league these days. There's no unity in the community.
That's a great league name. Unity in the Community.
I like Leavenworth.
Look, they never paid me for the video.
And I didn't know their real names,
so I tracked them down, and I left that message.
Then I came back later to get my money.
Wallace and Murphy were already dead.
- Yup. - So you robbed the place?
Technically, the money I took was mine.
Hey, why do you think I call myself Soulless?
But I am not a killer.
I was halfway across town when I left that voicemail.
And there's 50 grandmas at Toln Retirement Center
that can vouch for me.
I didn't kill anybody.
The administrator at the retirement center confirmed Quintero's alibi.
Soulless does a magic show for the residents on Tuesday nights.
He's not our guy.
We should look at other superheroes.
Maybe someone jealous of the attention Wallace was getting.
The link was the reporter.
Well, I don't know, boss. I can think of a bunch of other angles.
Okay, the link is the reporter. Let's keep talking about her.
We know she was working on several whistle-blower stories with Wallace.
Well, maybe they blew the wrong whistle.
Or were about to blow a different one.
Wendy said that Wallace called her the day before he was killed.
Perhaps he was on to something new?
GIBBS: Ziva, talk to his CO again. McGee, get me those old news stories.
- I'll put together a file. - DiNozzo.
I know, go through Wendy's phone records
and talk to every guy she's spoken with in the last six months.
No. I got that. Ducky called. Go down, see what he wants.
Thank you, boss.
Hello. I was expecting Gibbs.
He sent me. What do you got?
Well, I've been e-mailing a few fellow ME's about our case.
They've provided some pertinent information.
Hard to believe they're so small sometimes.
What's on your mind, Tony? You sound a little pensive.
I am not pensive.
What is it with everyone and that word? I...
Sorry. I'm just...
Would you care to talk about it?
Ever have something terrible happen,
and you put it all behind you, but the terrible comes back,
and it's more terrible than it was before?
- I'm confused. - So am I.
Tony, it was very clear to me from the very first day that I met you
that you were a man in pain.
Huh! I'm sorry, you have me confused with someone else.
No, your pain was as clear to me as Jethro's.
He lost Shannon, the one love of his life,
and you lost faith in yourself for so many reasons.
Jethro coped with his pain
by repeatedly marrying the wrong woman,
thus insuring that ultimately he would be alone and safe from heartbreak.
You repeatedly chased the wrong woman.
You're alone because you never did, as you just said, put it all behind you.
When Wendy told me the night before we were supposed to get married
that she was calling it off, I didn't take it very well.
We hadn't spoken in nine years until yesterday.
Well, then perhaps fate has given you another chance at closure.
Or something else.
- It's not fate. It's Gibbs. - Heh, heh.
Dude set me up.
What did the ME have to say?
We exchanged notes on the real-life superhero movement.
It turns out, one was killed in the next district several months ago.
I did some checking and found
another was murdered sometime before that.
Ergo, either these are the result of a very dangerous line of work.
- Or... - Somebody's killing superheroes?
Uh-huh.
- Talk to me. McGEE: We compiled the case data
on the different murders.
Four victims, three crime scenes.
At first it looks like nothing to see here, folks.
The witnesses said that the first two victims
- were killed in the line of duty. - Duty?
Well, Lord of Karma was shot trying to foil a burglary.
Feverblister was stabbed trying to stop a carjacking.
- Very different MO's. - But you noticed a pattern.
And you noticed that we noticed, and that is why we all get along.
McGEE: Now, every time you move into a new area with a cell phone,
it pings the local cell tower.
Bottom line, the same cell phone shows up
in each neighborhood where a murder took place.
ABBY: Which means
so does the same person at almost the exact same time.
- Who? - Our winner is...
Clarence Tobett, aka ICU.
McGEE: Looks like Tony was right.
Boss, I think he's been killing the competition.
I don't.
You're not going out of this house in that outfit.
Not in the day.
CLARENCE: Yes, I am, as soon as I finish my Muk Yan Jong Kata.
No, actually, you're not.
Oh, dear Lord, what did he do now?
We found a cell phone belonging to the murderer.
It's registered in your son's name.
- I'm offended by the insinuation... - Shut up.
Don't you say one more word. Call our lawyer.
No, we'll call for you.
- Ziva? - Mm-hm.
Agent Gibbs, I put plenty of people in the ICU,
- but I assure you they all deser... - Shut up.
You didn't put anybody in the ICU.
All you do is give toys to sick kids in hospitals.
You're pathetic.
[CELL PHONE RINGING]
Oops! That's me. Must've dialed the wrong number.
- What number did you dial? - The murderer's.
Ah! Let me guess. Company phone?
A company you keep in your son's name for tax purposes, right?
Don't you say one thing, Tom.
That's actually okay with us
because you both have the right to remain silent.
[CLARENCE YELLS]
Not quite the ICU, but...
[HANDCUFFS CLICK]
Works for me.
Nice job.
McGEE: Wayne Tobett was a slumlord.
His specialty was buying cheap buildings in crime-ridden areas.
- More crime, the better. - Their property values were lowered.
The last thing he needed was a community watch program on steroids,
but that's exactly what the real-life superheroes were.
Crime was down, property values were going up.
They were making a difference.
Sounds like you've had a change of heart.
- Good guys are good guys, Leon. - Yeah, and bad guys are bad.
Figured they'd go in and kill the superheroes,
the crime would go up, then they'd go in and buy cheap.
Why'd they try to blow up the reporter?
McGEE: Wendy had done a fluff piece on real estate in the D.C. Area.
Agent Gibbs noticed that the areas
where a lot of cheap buying was going on were the same areas
where superheroes were being murdered.
- Of course he did. - Buyer's Wayne Tobett.
We think he started getting nervous
Wendy would make the same connection.
Nice work. Especially you, Agent Gibbs.
Or should I say Cupid? It is Valentine's Day, after all.
[WHISPERS] Boss, what's he talking about?
[CHUCKLES]
[SHUTTER CLICKING]
Hey.
Well, look at you.
When I heard Director Vance was letting you take pictures,
I had to see it to believe it.
When he heard I changed my story
from crazy Naval officer to evil slum lord
that killed a dedicated community activist, he got very agreeable.
- Really like those boots. - Thank you very much.
That's your cue to leave, Bosco.
Thank you, sir.
That guy, heh.
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE]
BOTH: Look...
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
BOTH: So...
TONY: Hm.
Maybe we should take turns.
Ladies first.
I lied to you, Tony.
About?
Why I invited you to brunch.
You were wrong. I was not trying to get information for a story.
I invited you because I wanted to see you.
- Your turn. - Why?
Because we're taking turns, and now it's your turn.
No, that is not what I meant, and you know it.
You wanna know why I left.
I wanna know why you said yes to me when the answer was really no.
I wanna know why you waited
until the very last minute to tell me the truth.
But most of all, my runaway bride, I would like to know why.
Well, would it make a difference now?
I mean, if you weren't so sad and so Ionely,
you wouldn't even be wondering.
L...
Sad and Ionely? You have me confused with Bosco.
You like to see my little black e-book?
Show me whatever you like,
but it's not gonna change what I see with my own eyes.
You should tell her how you feel, whoever she is.
[CHUCKLES]
A, that's not gonna happen. B, get out of my head.
And C, answer the question.
I left because I wasn't ready to meet the one, okay?
And you were the one.
- That doesn't make any sense. - Are you sure?
From what I see, you've spent the last nine and a half years
avoiding real relationships.
I was just broken first.
Which is why I left my hero cop,
married a stockbroker who cared more about money than people.
I wasn't ready to meet the one when we met, Tony.
But I sent you that invitation because...
...I am now.