TV-Serie: NCIS - 20x9
Do you have any idea how much water it takes to grow one almond?
Why would I possibly know that?
I'm just saying if you really cared about the environment, you would switch to oat milk.
Says the girl who insists on driving everywhere, even if she's only going two blocks.
I have plantar fasciitis.
ESME: Yeah, and last week you had valley fever.
Whatswrongwithme.com is not your friend.
Um, are you seeing this?
Oh, this is so going viral.
(panting) Uh...
What are you doing?
(gasps) Are you okay?
No, I was just assaulted!
(honks) Oh, my God!
(people exclaiming) Well, don't just stand there, call 911!
♪ ♪ (chuckles) No.
It is an all-girls weekend.
All right, all I'm saying is that I bring a lot to the table, all right?
Morning, McGee.
Morning.
Earth to McGee.
(hits key) Sorry, I was in the zone there.
Morning.
I will never understand how you find after action reports so...
Gripping and fascinating.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I do love a good AAR, but, uh, no, this is more of a personal project.
You gonna make us ask?
Thom E.
Gemcity is back, baby.
(gasps) (gasp) Yes!
Cool.
Oh, Knight...
Thom E.
Gemcity?
That's his pen name.
Yeah.
Anagram of Timothy McGee.
McGee.
You're a novelist?
Yeah.
So the John Grisham of NCIS has been sitting six feet away from me for two years now, and I had no idea?
Well, I like to think of myself more as a Tom Clancy type, but yeah.
Okay, so what mystery is Special Agent, uh, Tibbs embarking on next?
Are you guys messing with me?
Why would you say that?
Your lead character's name is Special Agent Tibbs?
Yeah.
Because "Gibbs" couldn't clear legal?
(chuckles) Oh, no, Gibbs and Tibbs are wildly different people.
Okay, man, so what?
Spit it out.
What's the story?
Well, since, uh, Gibbs is off doing his thing, I figured that L.J.
Tibbs deserves a little R and R.
You're just gonna have to wait and see what comes next.
Fine, I'll wait.
I do have a new character idea for you.
Yeah?
Yeah.
He's a badass Miami detective by the name of Rick Soares.
Ooh, I wonder who that could be.
Oh, uh, Detective Rick Soares is only inspired by me, but I do have some cool ideas I think you're gonna love.
Mm.
(phones chiming) Dead body in Alexandria.
Parker will meet us there.
All right, duty calls.
Well, I guess you'll have to save those stories for later.
Oh, it's all good.
I'll just tell you on the way.
All right, so, we first meet Soares in a seedy downtown bar, okay?
Now, he's undercover.
And then, like, just randomly, this mysterious woman rolls up and just starts making out with him.
So then Detective Soares wakes up in a brothel in the middle of the Nevada desert with, like, multiple guns in his face.
Right?
Mm-hmm.
It's cool so far, right?
Yeah, yeah.
It's good, right?
Yeah, no, very cool.
So, then, we think he's dead, Here you go.
all right, but then he, like, kinda like, "I recognize, like, that guy from the sting at the-at the riverboat."
Mm.
Hey, McGee, did I hear that you're writing again?
I mean, it's been a while, huh?
Well, now that we're past the toddler phase, Delilah and I have decided that we're gonna do, uh, well, whatever it is we were, uh, doing before we had small children.
That is so great to hear.
I know you're always happiest when you're in front of a typewriter.
Better not be any thinly-veiled versions of me in your new book, McGee.
Ooh, I would never.
Well, maybe Thom E.
Gemcity's next case can be based on our nearly naked victim here.
Oh, yeah, okay, Jimmy.
(chuckles) Tim's got plenty of great ideas coming his way, so, uh, what do we got?
PARKER: According to the CAC he was carrying, his name is William Watson.
He was supposed to participate in NROTC drills at the base this morning, but multiple cell phone videos show him stripping off all of his clothes and running into the street instead.
No offense, Jimmy, but doesn't sound like a very compelling story.
Well, you haven't even heard the mystery yet.
This guy's body temperature was 107 degrees.
He was suffering from heatstroke.
In the middle of winter?
Therein lies the mystery.
Well, maybe he was trying to jump into that fountain over there.
Any idea why the spike in temperature?
Yeah.
Drugs, poison, hot yoga.
We'll know more when we get him back to autopsy.
This is everything that he had on, plus wallet and keys.
Where's his phone?
Either somebody stole it or he wasn't carrying one.
But I did find this receipt in his wallet.
Café in Alexandria couple hours ago.
Paid cash.
Hey, who wants to go check it out?
Uh, I could use a caffeine boost.
I'll go check it out.
Are those Watson's?
Uh, unless somebody else left their shoes in the middle of the sidewalk.
Ooh.
Uh, why?
Because these are LV Trainers that happen to be in my dream colorway.
Those are nice, man.
Right?
Yeah.
McGee, are you a novelist and a sneaker head?
Oh, yeah, but, uh, Delilah would kill me if I paid $1,500 for a pair of shoes.
Yeah.
You know, if only we had another way to expand on that shoe collection.
McGEE: You know, sometimes, when the case is done, the victim's families don't always pick up their personal belongings.
That's all I'm saying.
Just saying.
Here's an idea.
Let's spend less time shoe shopping and more on the crime right in front of us.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I will take those.
And I'll see if I can find our victim's phone.
And I'll see if I can find out what he was doing at the café.
Let's not bury the lede here.
We need to find out how a midshipman can afford $1,500 shoes.
KNIGHT: So I ran Watson's financials, or lack thereof, and there is no credit history, no savings and no checking accounts.
And yet his shoes cost more than most people make in a week.
And no traditional phone plan either.
Uh, the wireless company said he had a pay-as-you-go account.
Uses burner phones, pays cash.
So, multiple witnesses at the café report seeing Watson hanging around the back alley early this morning.
Could have been dealing.
Café have any cameras?
Well, none that work.
But I was able to score some security footage from a business across the alley.
Well, there's our victim.
Back alley is a good place for a drug deal.
McGee.
Isn't that your wife?
Tim, what is Delilah doing meeting with our victim?
That's a good question.
(line ringing) (sighs) She's not answering.
My wife just met with a drug dealer, and she's not answering.
Possible drug dealer.
(phone vibrates) Oh, thank God, it's Delilah.
She's okay?
Yeah.
I don't know why I-I panicked.
Well, maybe because she just met with a possible drug dealer.
No, I forgot she had class.
Back alley meeting class?
Fundamentals in Cryptography.
She's teaching.
Since when?
Well, since the, uh, twins started school.
Something she always wanted to do and she was offered a part-time professorship at Waverly, so...
Waverly University?
Yeah.
Our victim went to that school.
He must have been one of her students.
A student she never mentioned?
Well, Delilah tells me about all her students, just not by name.
Pull up the roster.
There he is.
Why would she and a student sneak into an off-campus café through the back door?
Delilah doesn't sneak anywhere.
That café isn't wheelchair-accessible, so she would have had to go through the kitchen.
The kitchen?
Yeah.
Sucks, but we run into that type of thing all the time.
That's not cool.
Yeah, whose heads are we busting?
Busting heads sounds about right.
Or I've got a friend at DoJ's civil rights division.
He can help file a complaint.
Oh, give me that number.
After we solve the case.
Whether she's involved or not, Delilah may be our best lead on this right now.
Torres, Knight, keep digging into our victim.
McGee, with me.
Where to?
To find out what your wife knows.
DELILAH: So, to review, Alice and Bob first need to decide on a prime modulus and a generator, where P is prime and G is a primitive root mod P.
You have any idea what she's talking about?
Not a clue, but they're eating it up.
She's good, isn't she?
Unless she has one of their secret integers.
And that is Diffie-Hellman in a nutshell.
We'll leave it there for today.
Tim, what's going on?
Are the kids okay?
Kids are fine.
Kids are fine.
Then why are you showing up at my work unannounced with that look on your face?
You must be Delilah's husband.
Uh, you must be Evelyn.
I am.
You a student here?
Well, I consider myself a lifelong learner.
But I am actually Delilah's T.A.
I cannot believe that I am finally meeting the famous Agent Tim McGee in person.
A federal agent and a best-selling author?
I can see why Delilah married you.
Uh, I'm the one that married up.
No disagreement there.
But, uh, this isn't a social visit, Evelyn.
We, uh, we need to have a word with Delilah.
Evelyn, how about we start grading last week's assignment on AES?
It'll be just a minute.
Consider it done.
Again, so lovely to meet you.
So, what's going on?
We're here about William Watson.
Oh, he's not here.
He had some NROTC training today.
He was hit by a car this morning.
What?
Is he okay?
Afraid not.
He didn't make it.
What?
Oh, my God.
(sighs) He had so much potential.
He was one of my brightest students.
He reminded me of you, actually.
I'm sorry, honey.
You met with Watson this morning?
We met every week.
So this was ongoing?
No, it's-it's fine.
She can be with a student without it being a thing.
Thank you, Tim.
So why, exactly, were you meeting?
To discuss his research project on modern cryptologic uses for dead languages.
Did you notice anything out of the ordinary this morning?
Why?
I thought you said he was hit by a car.
After he, uh, stripped off his clothes and ran into the street.
Vanilla latte, extra hot.
I love that you know my coffee order.
I love that you are secure enough to unashamedly drink vanilla lattes.
Life's too short for bad coffee.
Mm.
Cheers to that.
Give me the good stuff.
Well, speaking of the good stuff, uh, Kasie just sent down Watson's tox report.
Anything interesting?
Only if you count incredibly high levels of methylenedioxymethamphetamines, more commonly known as...
MDMA.
Mm-hmm.
Ecstasy.
But even levels that high wouldn't kill him.
Not that I'm speaking from personal experience, because I wouldn't want you to think that I've dabbled, because I wouldn't assume that you've dabbled.
Oh, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Um, yes, I have.
Um, it was a clinical trial for science.
Closely monitored by medical professionals.
I was broke and it really paid well.
We should come back to that.
Yeah, I think so.
Watson's very high body temperature was not caused by MDMA.
It was caused by serotonin syndrome.
It's an incredibly rare complication when MDMA interacts with MAOI antidepressants.
So you're saying this was just an unfortunate accident?
I don't know.
I-I don't know of anyone who takes this amount of MDMA at 8:00 in the morning unless they're Hunter S.
Thompson, and I did not see gonzo journalism on this kid's class list.
His school records did say that he was, uh, pledging a fraternity.
Maybe hazing gone wrong?
♪ I'm an all star in every sport ♪ ♪ Bases loaded, we running ♪ ♪ Full court, it's a touchdown...
♪ Hi, we're...
Yo, someone's parents are here.
♪ With rings but I need more...
♪ Ouch.
Do I have crow's feet or something?
No, you look beautiful.
So do you.
Thank you.
♪ It's a touchdown ♪ ♪ You better press record, I'm a champion...
♪ We're no one's parents.
NCIS.
We're not the alcohol police but we are gonna need to see some IDs.
We're here about Will Watson.
Will?
Hasn't been here all day.
And you are?
Logan.
Will's roommate.
You find Will, let him know Mike's looking for him, too.
Why are you looking for him?
Since he went MIA I had to do my own laundry this morning.
This was my favorite shirt.
You're supposed to use non-chlorine bleach when washing colors.
And you'll speak when spoken to, pledge.
Soon as Will walks through those doors I'm gonna kill him.
Well, you're gonna be waiting a while.
(sighs) I can't believe Will's dead.
He was such a good guy.
A little stiff, but cool.
Did the active brothers subject you to any kind of hazing?
Not really.
Just normal stuff like writing their papers, running errands, doing laundry.
That doesn't feel like hazing to you?
Well, the beer's free.
But that's the only drug we do here.
What about Will?
Did he take anything?
You obviously never met Will.
He was too straightlaced for that.
The straightlaced are always the ones hiding something.
(chimes) that's probably the dean's list announcement.
We were gonna celebrate after we made it.
The guys in this house don't strike me as the honor roll type.
Most of them aren't.
But Will was different.
He knew there were more important things to being a Delta Pi Beta.
Though none of that seems important right now.
Hmm.
What do we have here?
I've never seen that before.
Well, let's see what's on it.
Do I really want to know what a college freshman is hiding on a computer underneath his bed?
Get your mind out of the gutter, Knight.
I have no idea what this is, but it is the last thing I expected.
Oh, you don't read C++?
Uh, we're not nerds.
Oh...
And I mean that in the most (chuckles) loving way possible.
But what is it?
Wait a minute.
This is a root-based algorithm belonging to the U.S.
military.
And ROTC midshipmen don't have access to classified intel.
So, how did Watson get it?
And why was he hiding it under his mattress?
(typing) This could be why.
Restricted coding libraries for several government agencies.
DIA, CIA, NSA?
Well, that doesn't sound good.
They're each pretty harmless on their own, but somehow this kid found a way to use them to build an incredibly power cipher.
Kasie.
How powerful?
Think a digital key that could be used to bypass any security measure imaginable.
From simple passwords to state-level encryption.
Well, that definitely sounds bad.
A universal key like this could be used to rob banks, to hold entire cities' power grids hostage.
Take down planes?
In the wrong hands, it could create global chaos.
How could a single college kid compromise so many government agencies?
Anacostia's home to the DIA.
It's possible that Watson used his base access to get into their system.
From there he could have leapfrogged from one agency server to another.
Homeland security is in the process of changing the access codes across all government servers.
That's gonna take some time.
Right.
Meanwhile, their director's breathing down my neck for answers.
JBAB technicians just confirmed that all servers there are secure.
Well, that rules out DIA as an access point.
So how the hell did this kid get in?
There's a possibility that we have yet to discuss.
DELILAH: I can't believe Vance and Parker think I have something to do with this.
Honey, we wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't look into this, given your proximity to Will and your government clearance.
I'm-I'm sure there's nothing there.
Do you realize how dangerous this thing could be in the wrong hands?
Of course.
I told them you'd never be this reckless.
Will wouldn't either.
He was a first-year computer science major.
I mean, he was brilliant, but this is beyond.
He could not have done this.
Well, maybe he had help.
(gasps) What?
You-you okay?
He did have help.
You see this?
Yeah, it's how Will was able to hop from server to server.
This is a program I wrote in grad school that would allow computers to talk to each other offline.
I could never get it to work.
I guess Will did.
How did he get your code?
He was struggling and-and wanted to drop the class and I thought that maybe showing him some of my past failures would help him realize that we all start somewhere.
He must have copied it.
Well, you had no way of knowing what he was gonna do with it.
But that doesn't change the fact that I'm responsible for this.
I could lose my job, my government clearance.
I could go to prison.
Honey, you are not gonna go to prison.
Listen, I will explain to the director that you were an unwilling participant, okay?
I just wish you hadn't kept him a secret.
You know, it makes it harder to get out in front of this thing.
I didn't keep him a secret.
Well, you didn't tell me about him either.
I'm sure I must have mentioned him at some point.
Delilah, I would have remembered you having weekly off-campus meetings, okay?
What are you getting at?
Uh, forget I said anything.
Never-never mind.
Sounds like you're jealous.
I am not jealous.
Tell me what it is, then.
You know what, I'll give you some time to think about it while I go explain to the director what's going on myself.
Delilah, wait.
Don't follow me, Tim.
We'll finish this conversation tonight.
Oh, uh, i-is it just me or was it exceptionally brisk this morning?
KNIGHT: I felt a chill this morning, yes.
Alexa, how cold is it outside?
ALEXA: Today in Washington D.C., expect a low of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.
I would have said 43.
KASIE: It is a good thing that you are a federal agent and not a meteorologist.
(both laugh weakly) Oh.
Oh, hey.
Hey.
Um, how much of that did you hear?
Ninety percent, tops.
I'd say about 95.
Mm.
I hate to add to your problems right now, but we got a big one.
Well, lay it on me.
Metadata from Watson's laptop shows the key was downloaded to an external drive.
He made a copy.
But we didn't find any external drives in his room.
So where is it?
I didn't think anything about it at the crime scene, but it looks like something's been ripped off here.
Uh, Kase, pull up the CCTV footage from the alley.
Punch in.
There it is.
It looks like a USB drive.
It's gone now.
Someone could have stolen it.
Any DNA or prints on the key ring?
Uh, no, it was wiped.
Super wiped.
With bleach.
Remind me again what happened to your shirt.
I accidentally used bleach instead of laundry detergent.
That's not a crime.
Well, some would say a grown man not knowing how to wash his own laundry is a crime, but potato, "potahto."
(chuckles) I think you used the bleach on purpose...
...to wipe off Will's keys.
Why would I do that?
To cover up the fact that you took something off of them before he died.
I mean, you did say that you wanted to kill Will.
I was being funny.
That was hilarious.
I never touched Will's keys and I didn't give him drugs.
You can't arrest me for something I didn't do.
What could we arrest him for?
Obstruction of justice?
Oh, that's a good one.
That's, like, five.
Ten years, actually.
Especially if the obstruction is related to domestic terrorism.
Terrorism?
Ooh, you know what that means.
Mm-hmm.
Supermax.
Okay, okay, I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but I didn't kill him.
Okay, let's try this again.
What's missing here?
Some kind of flash drive, I think.
I don't know what's on it.
You spent almost every waking moment with Will.
He never mentioned anything about it?
He never mentioned anything to anyone.
I tried to be a good brother, get to know him, but the dude was weirdly secretive.
Paranoid, even.
What makes you say that?
How about the time will punched Jared in the face?
Which one was Jared again?
He's the one who called us old.
For the record, she and I are very young.
Why did Will punch Jared in the face?
Will found Jared poking around his room, assumed he was stealing, just started whaling on him.
Did Will get written up for that?
Yeah, that's not how it works.
And to be honest, that dude was bound to get punched eventually.
Elaborate on that.
So, pledges are supposed to wait on active members hand and foot.
Jared was never around.
Other guys had enough picking up his slack.
Will wanted to report him to the national board.
So you're saying that Jared killed Will because Will was gonna tattle on him?
You're the investigators.
You tell me.
KNIGHT: There's a lot about Jared Baker that doesn't add up.
First red flag: he has about $500,000 tied up in an offshore account.
Where'd he get that kind of money?
The money was deposited right around the same time as he joined, uh, Delta Pi Beta, six weeks after the rest of the pledge class.
All right.
So Jared somehow finds out about the access key, then joins the fraternity to get close enough to Watson to steal it?
Maybe that's why Jared was poking around his room.
And why Watson punched him in the face for it.
(sighs) Technology like that would sell for way more than 500K on the black market, right?
Well, could be a down payment.
And Jared could be getting the other half on delivery.
All right, then let's scoop him up before he has a chance to close the deal.
(indistinct chatter) Circled the perimeter.
House seems pretty quiet.
Probably out on a beer run.
Mm.
Parker, anything?
PARKER: Torres, where's that pizza from?
Pizzeria Diablo.
Why?
That's the best Neapolitan place in town.
Frat parties have changed since I was in college.
I'm guessing a lot has changed since he was in college.
Guessing you, uh, didn't mean to say that one out loud, huh?
(exhales) You guessed correctly.
(music playing) (engine revs) All right, Torres, Knight, there's our guy.
(car doors close) Hey, Jared.
You remember us?
Got a runner!
Stop!
He's headed your way!
All right, we got him.
NCIS!
Stop!
He's going for the van!
Damn it!
Parker, let's go.
Don't bother.
Hey, what the hell was that?
Did that kid just carjack a dog groomer?
PARKER: No, he did not.
Molly's Mobile Dog Grooming is a fake business used for undercover operations.
Undercover operations by whom?
The FBI.
We've been chasing an agent.
NCIS should have been read in the minute this became a murder case.
I'm supposed to be the one who's mad here.
Your team almost blew my cover.
Agent Clarkson, might I remind you Director Sweeney himself sent you over here this morning so you'd cooperate with our team.
So, what's an undercover FBI agent doing in a frat house?
I'm part of a special unit responsible for ferreting out foreign spies on college campuses.
IP theft has become one of our biggest national security concerns.
Not a bad gig.
You try being 37 and living in a frat house.
Did he say thirty seven?
Hey, you called me old.
I didn't use those words.
And I'm sorry about the "parents" dig, but I had to maintain my cover.
Yeah.
Sure, whatever.
How do you keep your skin that smooth?
More importantly, how does an NROTC midshipman factor into a collegiate spy ring?
Our intel says that Will Watson was recruited by Belarus to build the access key.
I was placed in the frat house to recover it.
I assume you didn't succeed or we wouldn't be here now.
No, but I was able to clone the burner Watson used to communicate with his handler.
You got an ID on the handler?
They used a cipher so advanced that even our best techs haven't been able to decode the messages.
Well, maybe NCIS can make some progress where the FBI could not.
Look, I'll give you whatever I have if it means I never have to step foot in that disgusting frat house ever again.
KASIE: We have already tried every cipher known to man.
(sighs) I'm out of ideas.
Well, we could try a brute force attack.
And be here till next Wednesday?
(scoffs) Oh.
You know who we should call?
No.
No, no, no.
She's been through enough.
It is very nice that you are trying to protect your wife, but this is Delilah's exact area of expertise.
I am sure she'd like to help.
Delilah does not need my protection, okay?
And we can handle this on our own.
Please tell me you apologized for yesterday.
I did.
But I'll be honest with you.
I don't feel great about where we left things last night.
I don't feel great about it, either.
I was just about to tell you that...
Kasie called me 20 minutes ago.
You know what?
I am going to...
Alexa, what's on my to-do list for today?
ALEXA: You have one item on your to-do list.
Drink more water.
Thank God.
Um, Kasie?
You heard the lady.
I got to hydrate.
You have a fridge full of bottled water.
We are in a climate crisis, McGee, and I'm trying to reduce my carbon footprint, so...
Can't argue with that.
Please fix this by the time I get back.
We have work to do and we need her help.
Well, Kasie's right.
We got work to do.
We need to talk.
We can't work together unless we're gonna be honest with each other.
I wasn't intentionally keeping anything from you.
I'm so sorry.
No, I-I...
I know you weren't.
And I'm the one that's sorry, okay?
I-I feel terrible.
Oh, not as terrible as I feel watching you torture yourself over this novel.
What do you mean?
The novel is going great.
I'm just, you know, having some trouble getting started.
You've been stuck on page three for weeks.
In fact...
you've barely written a word since Gibbs left for Alaska.
Hey.
Gibbs is not what makes you great.
Yeah, but Thom E.
Gemcity may never have another idea without him.
You are the most creative person I have ever met.
You will have more ideas.
You just need a new muse.
Yeah, you're probably right.
You usually are.
I wish you would have told me this earlier.
I could have helped.
Well, you've been so happy since you started teaching.
I didn't want to bring you down with me.
I love solving problems with you, Tim.
We're a team.
Well, can we work on solving this particular problem a little bit later?
I think Kasie's water bottle is probably overflowing by now.
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
KNIGHT: Our victim was a spy?
The FBI believes that Watson was recruited by Belarus after he got to campus, by a handler who was already embedded at the school.
Assuming they stuck to their regular schedule, Watson was supposed to meet the handler the day he died.
Well, maybe our handler's the killer.
Oh, that makes sense.
Once the access key is operational, Watson becomes more of a liability than an asset.
Ah.
If we can figure out where they met, maybe we can ID the handler.
Well, Watson lost the USB drive somewhere between the café where he met Delilah and the street where he died.
Yeah, we did our best to track his movements, but there is a ten-minute period where he's unaccounted for.
So, if the handler did steal the access key they would have done so within a five-block radius of the café.
That still leaves us with hundreds of suspects.
I don't like those odds.
Well, our odds are about to improve significantly.
I know how we can decode the messages on Will's burner.
How?
Use Will's own invention against him.
FBI techs said the messages were undecipherable, even with Watson's access key.
Which is why I made my own.
Watson developed his key using pieces of a program that Delilah created 15 years ago.
(sighs) I could never get it to work back then, but after seeing the way Will modified it, I realized my mistake.
Does creating an even more powerful cipher sound like a bad idea to anyone else?
Oh, it's a very bad idea.
Which is why we are going to destroy the cipher immediately after we figure out who Watson was working with.
And the rest of you are going to forget you ever saw this.
That will not be a problem.
I don't even know what this is.
All right.
Here we go.
Nice work, Delilah.
Seems like NCIS hired the wrong McGee.
McGEE: You got to be kidding.
You know who the handler is?
Yeah.
We've met.
(door opens) Hello, Evelyn.
Agent Torres.
You know Agent McGee.
Tim, hi.
Oh.
I mean, Agent McGee.
I'm sorry.
I just feel like I know you so well.
Thanks for, uh, coming in on such short notice.
Are you kidding?
This is so cool.
I feel like I'm in one of your books.
Yeah, and tell me something, Agent Torres.
As an investigator yourself, how accurate is the Deep Six series?
All right, let's leave the book club thing till after we're done, yeah?
Of course.
I am more than happy to assist NCIS in your investigation.
Great.
All right, well, let's start with, uh, where you were between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m.
on the day Will died.
Uh, in the library prepping for Delilah's class.
Okay, we'll have to have an agent verify that.
Mm, uh, yeah, go ahead.
(chuckles) Why would I lie?
Well, you've been lying to us this whole time, so, why stop now?
I'm telling the truth, Agent Torres.
Okay, then what can you tell us about your relationship with Will?
I mean, outside of grading his papers, I didn't really know him.
Do you often text coded messages to people you don't really know?
Ugh.
Okay.
Okay, that's what this is about?
Oh.
I can explain.
Well, I can't wait to hear.
Yeah, it was for class.
So, um, everyone created their own code and then swapped to see whose they could break.
Will's code is pretty sophisticated.
(scoffs) I know, right?
I was really impressed.
It's actually what attracted me to him in the first place.
Ah, so you two were involved?
If anyone found out, I-I could lose my scholarship.
So-so we just figured that if...
if we communicated using his code, we'd keep our secret.
Hmm.
Yeah, that's a cool story.
Except the messages tell a different one.
We decoded them.
Yeah.
Okay.
Now who's lying, Agent Torres?
That's impossible.
For most people.
Yeah, his wife is not most people.
See, the real story is that Will Watson was a foreign agent and you were his handler.
But you two had different ideologies.
You were mission-focused but Will was starting to care more about having a traditional college experience and he felt bad about using Delilah.
He became a liability, so you had to take him out.
You poisoned him and you stole the USB drive.
Mission accomplished.
I already told you I was in the library, Agent McGee.
Will was never in the library that morning, was he?
Really got to hand it to her.
She's a phenomenal liar.
I know.
I thought she was a cheerleader from Fresno.
By way of Minsk.
She left out that part.
VANCE: Breaking her is the only way we're gonna find the key.
Let's not waste our time, Director.
She was telling the truth about one thing.
She really was in the library?
Yup.
Her alibi checks out.
She is a foreign agent but she could not have killed Watson.
Which means that access key is still out there.
The FBI thanks you, Ms.
Fielding.
Is thanks really enough?
I mean, you should be sending her a fruit basket.
I did kind of catch a spy for them, didn't I?
Hmm.
But we still have to find that access key.
Can you text the nanny and tell her we will be home late?
Uh, no, but I can ask her to watch the kids while you go home and get some rest.
(short chuckle) Are you being serious right now?
I am not going anywhere until we find the key.
Hey, if Delilah is offering to help, we'll take it.
Not that you're not enough all by yourself, McGee.
So, where are we?
Classic dead end.
Watson's classmates are the obvious suspects.
They're the only ones who might have understood the value of the access key.
We triple-checked their alibis, and they're all solid.
There's got to be something we're missing.
Not something.
Someone.
This isn't the original roster.
There was this kid-- um, Logan-- who failed the first project and-and quit the class after that.
You mean this Logan?
Yeah, that's him.
That's Watson's roommate.
Where do we find him?
I'm logging in to his student account.
This is strange.
Looks like Logan backdoored his way into Waverly's main server two days ago.
Well, he must have used the access key.
What was he after?
On Waverly's server?
Could be anything from government R and D to contact information of the nation's top officials.
Well, it looks like we didn't get rid of all the Waverly spies.
All right, let's go finish the job.
McGEE: Anyone have eyes on our target?
Cell phone ping puts him within 50 yards.
Negative.
Knight?
Negative.
A lot of civilians.
I don't like it.
That's why we got to move fast, take him down without weapons.
KNIGHT: So, I have a question.
With all the undercover agents and foreign spies, are there any students who actually go to Waverly?
I don't know, but if we lose this guy to another dog groomer, it's gonna be bye-bye, calm Torres.
Ooh, what would Dr.
Grace say?
McGee, got a visual on, uh, the suspect.
Guy on a scooter.
All right, I'm on him.
(indistinct conversations) Oh, he made me.
If you can slow him down, I got him.
No problem.
Sorry.
Official government business.
NCIS!
All right, back off, back off.
Give us some room.
Get up.
Way to improvise, Knight.
Your aim is impeccable.
Thanks.
I was captain of the disc golf team in college.
Where's the USB drive?
It's in my pocket.
Why would I possibly know that?
I'm just saying if you really cared about the environment, you would switch to oat milk.
Says the girl who insists on driving everywhere, even if she's only going two blocks.
I have plantar fasciitis.
ESME: Yeah, and last week you had valley fever.
Whatswrongwithme.com is not your friend.
Um, are you seeing this?
Oh, this is so going viral.
(panting) Uh...
What are you doing?
(gasps) Are you okay?
No, I was just assaulted!
(honks) Oh, my God!
(people exclaiming) Well, don't just stand there, call 911!
♪ ♪ (chuckles) No.
It is an all-girls weekend.
All right, all I'm saying is that I bring a lot to the table, all right?
Morning, McGee.
Morning.
Earth to McGee.
(hits key) Sorry, I was in the zone there.
Morning.
I will never understand how you find after action reports so...
Gripping and fascinating.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I do love a good AAR, but, uh, no, this is more of a personal project.
You gonna make us ask?
Thom E.
Gemcity is back, baby.
(gasps) (gasp) Yes!
Cool.
Oh, Knight...
Thom E.
Gemcity?
That's his pen name.
Yeah.
Anagram of Timothy McGee.
McGee.
You're a novelist?
Yeah.
So the John Grisham of NCIS has been sitting six feet away from me for two years now, and I had no idea?
Well, I like to think of myself more as a Tom Clancy type, but yeah.
Okay, so what mystery is Special Agent, uh, Tibbs embarking on next?
Are you guys messing with me?
Why would you say that?
Your lead character's name is Special Agent Tibbs?
Yeah.
Because "Gibbs" couldn't clear legal?
(chuckles) Oh, no, Gibbs and Tibbs are wildly different people.
Okay, man, so what?
Spit it out.
What's the story?
Well, since, uh, Gibbs is off doing his thing, I figured that L.J.
Tibbs deserves a little R and R.
You're just gonna have to wait and see what comes next.
Fine, I'll wait.
I do have a new character idea for you.
Yeah?
Yeah.
He's a badass Miami detective by the name of Rick Soares.
Ooh, I wonder who that could be.
Oh, uh, Detective Rick Soares is only inspired by me, but I do have some cool ideas I think you're gonna love.
Mm.
(phones chiming) Dead body in Alexandria.
Parker will meet us there.
All right, duty calls.
Well, I guess you'll have to save those stories for later.
Oh, it's all good.
I'll just tell you on the way.
All right, so, we first meet Soares in a seedy downtown bar, okay?
Now, he's undercover.
And then, like, just randomly, this mysterious woman rolls up and just starts making out with him.
So then Detective Soares wakes up in a brothel in the middle of the Nevada desert with, like, multiple guns in his face.
Right?
Mm-hmm.
It's cool so far, right?
Yeah, yeah.
It's good, right?
Yeah, no, very cool.
So, then, we think he's dead, Here you go.
all right, but then he, like, kinda like, "I recognize, like, that guy from the sting at the-at the riverboat."
Mm.
Hey, McGee, did I hear that you're writing again?
I mean, it's been a while, huh?
Well, now that we're past the toddler phase, Delilah and I have decided that we're gonna do, uh, well, whatever it is we were, uh, doing before we had small children.
That is so great to hear.
I know you're always happiest when you're in front of a typewriter.
Better not be any thinly-veiled versions of me in your new book, McGee.
Ooh, I would never.
Well, maybe Thom E.
Gemcity's next case can be based on our nearly naked victim here.
Oh, yeah, okay, Jimmy.
(chuckles) Tim's got plenty of great ideas coming his way, so, uh, what do we got?
PARKER: According to the CAC he was carrying, his name is William Watson.
He was supposed to participate in NROTC drills at the base this morning, but multiple cell phone videos show him stripping off all of his clothes and running into the street instead.
No offense, Jimmy, but doesn't sound like a very compelling story.
Well, you haven't even heard the mystery yet.
This guy's body temperature was 107 degrees.
He was suffering from heatstroke.
In the middle of winter?
Therein lies the mystery.
Well, maybe he was trying to jump into that fountain over there.
Any idea why the spike in temperature?
Yeah.
Drugs, poison, hot yoga.
We'll know more when we get him back to autopsy.
This is everything that he had on, plus wallet and keys.
Where's his phone?
Either somebody stole it or he wasn't carrying one.
But I did find this receipt in his wallet.
Café in Alexandria couple hours ago.
Paid cash.
Hey, who wants to go check it out?
Uh, I could use a caffeine boost.
I'll go check it out.
Are those Watson's?
Uh, unless somebody else left their shoes in the middle of the sidewalk.
Ooh.
Uh, why?
Because these are LV Trainers that happen to be in my dream colorway.
Those are nice, man.
Right?
Yeah.
McGee, are you a novelist and a sneaker head?
Oh, yeah, but, uh, Delilah would kill me if I paid $1,500 for a pair of shoes.
Yeah.
You know, if only we had another way to expand on that shoe collection.
McGEE: You know, sometimes, when the case is done, the victim's families don't always pick up their personal belongings.
That's all I'm saying.
Just saying.
Here's an idea.
Let's spend less time shoe shopping and more on the crime right in front of us.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I will take those.
And I'll see if I can find our victim's phone.
And I'll see if I can find out what he was doing at the café.
Let's not bury the lede here.
We need to find out how a midshipman can afford $1,500 shoes.
KNIGHT: So I ran Watson's financials, or lack thereof, and there is no credit history, no savings and no checking accounts.
And yet his shoes cost more than most people make in a week.
And no traditional phone plan either.
Uh, the wireless company said he had a pay-as-you-go account.
Uses burner phones, pays cash.
So, multiple witnesses at the café report seeing Watson hanging around the back alley early this morning.
Could have been dealing.
Café have any cameras?
Well, none that work.
But I was able to score some security footage from a business across the alley.
Well, there's our victim.
Back alley is a good place for a drug deal.
McGee.
Isn't that your wife?
Tim, what is Delilah doing meeting with our victim?
That's a good question.
(line ringing) (sighs) She's not answering.
My wife just met with a drug dealer, and she's not answering.
Possible drug dealer.
(phone vibrates) Oh, thank God, it's Delilah.
She's okay?
Yeah.
I don't know why I-I panicked.
Well, maybe because she just met with a possible drug dealer.
No, I forgot she had class.
Back alley meeting class?
Fundamentals in Cryptography.
She's teaching.
Since when?
Well, since the, uh, twins started school.
Something she always wanted to do and she was offered a part-time professorship at Waverly, so...
Waverly University?
Yeah.
Our victim went to that school.
He must have been one of her students.
A student she never mentioned?
Well, Delilah tells me about all her students, just not by name.
Pull up the roster.
There he is.
Why would she and a student sneak into an off-campus café through the back door?
Delilah doesn't sneak anywhere.
That café isn't wheelchair-accessible, so she would have had to go through the kitchen.
The kitchen?
Yeah.
Sucks, but we run into that type of thing all the time.
That's not cool.
Yeah, whose heads are we busting?
Busting heads sounds about right.
Or I've got a friend at DoJ's civil rights division.
He can help file a complaint.
Oh, give me that number.
After we solve the case.
Whether she's involved or not, Delilah may be our best lead on this right now.
Torres, Knight, keep digging into our victim.
McGee, with me.
Where to?
To find out what your wife knows.
DELILAH: So, to review, Alice and Bob first need to decide on a prime modulus and a generator, where P is prime and G is a primitive root mod P.
You have any idea what she's talking about?
Not a clue, but they're eating it up.
She's good, isn't she?
Unless she has one of their secret integers.
And that is Diffie-Hellman in a nutshell.
We'll leave it there for today.
Tim, what's going on?
Are the kids okay?
Kids are fine.
Kids are fine.
Then why are you showing up at my work unannounced with that look on your face?
You must be Delilah's husband.
Uh, you must be Evelyn.
I am.
You a student here?
Well, I consider myself a lifelong learner.
But I am actually Delilah's T.A.
I cannot believe that I am finally meeting the famous Agent Tim McGee in person.
A federal agent and a best-selling author?
I can see why Delilah married you.
Uh, I'm the one that married up.
No disagreement there.
But, uh, this isn't a social visit, Evelyn.
We, uh, we need to have a word with Delilah.
Evelyn, how about we start grading last week's assignment on AES?
It'll be just a minute.
Consider it done.
Again, so lovely to meet you.
So, what's going on?
We're here about William Watson.
Oh, he's not here.
He had some NROTC training today.
He was hit by a car this morning.
What?
Is he okay?
Afraid not.
He didn't make it.
What?
Oh, my God.
(sighs) He had so much potential.
He was one of my brightest students.
He reminded me of you, actually.
I'm sorry, honey.
You met with Watson this morning?
We met every week.
So this was ongoing?
No, it's-it's fine.
She can be with a student without it being a thing.
Thank you, Tim.
So why, exactly, were you meeting?
To discuss his research project on modern cryptologic uses for dead languages.
Did you notice anything out of the ordinary this morning?
Why?
I thought you said he was hit by a car.
After he, uh, stripped off his clothes and ran into the street.
Vanilla latte, extra hot.
I love that you know my coffee order.
I love that you are secure enough to unashamedly drink vanilla lattes.
Life's too short for bad coffee.
Mm.
Cheers to that.
Give me the good stuff.
Well, speaking of the good stuff, uh, Kasie just sent down Watson's tox report.
Anything interesting?
Only if you count incredibly high levels of methylenedioxymethamphetamines, more commonly known as...
MDMA.
Mm-hmm.
Ecstasy.
But even levels that high wouldn't kill him.
Not that I'm speaking from personal experience, because I wouldn't want you to think that I've dabbled, because I wouldn't assume that you've dabbled.
Oh, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Um, yes, I have.
Um, it was a clinical trial for science.
Closely monitored by medical professionals.
I was broke and it really paid well.
We should come back to that.
Yeah, I think so.
Watson's very high body temperature was not caused by MDMA.
It was caused by serotonin syndrome.
It's an incredibly rare complication when MDMA interacts with MAOI antidepressants.
So you're saying this was just an unfortunate accident?
I don't know.
I-I don't know of anyone who takes this amount of MDMA at 8:00 in the morning unless they're Hunter S.
Thompson, and I did not see gonzo journalism on this kid's class list.
His school records did say that he was, uh, pledging a fraternity.
Maybe hazing gone wrong?
♪ I'm an all star in every sport ♪ ♪ Bases loaded, we running ♪ ♪ Full court, it's a touchdown...
♪ Hi, we're...
Yo, someone's parents are here.
♪ With rings but I need more...
♪ Ouch.
Do I have crow's feet or something?
No, you look beautiful.
So do you.
Thank you.
♪ It's a touchdown ♪ ♪ You better press record, I'm a champion...
♪ We're no one's parents.
NCIS.
We're not the alcohol police but we are gonna need to see some IDs.
We're here about Will Watson.
Will?
Hasn't been here all day.
And you are?
Logan.
Will's roommate.
You find Will, let him know Mike's looking for him, too.
Why are you looking for him?
Since he went MIA I had to do my own laundry this morning.
This was my favorite shirt.
You're supposed to use non-chlorine bleach when washing colors.
And you'll speak when spoken to, pledge.
Soon as Will walks through those doors I'm gonna kill him.
Well, you're gonna be waiting a while.
(sighs) I can't believe Will's dead.
He was such a good guy.
A little stiff, but cool.
Did the active brothers subject you to any kind of hazing?
Not really.
Just normal stuff like writing their papers, running errands, doing laundry.
That doesn't feel like hazing to you?
Well, the beer's free.
But that's the only drug we do here.
What about Will?
Did he take anything?
You obviously never met Will.
He was too straightlaced for that.
The straightlaced are always the ones hiding something.
(chimes) that's probably the dean's list announcement.
We were gonna celebrate after we made it.
The guys in this house don't strike me as the honor roll type.
Most of them aren't.
But Will was different.
He knew there were more important things to being a Delta Pi Beta.
Though none of that seems important right now.
Hmm.
What do we have here?
I've never seen that before.
Well, let's see what's on it.
Do I really want to know what a college freshman is hiding on a computer underneath his bed?
Get your mind out of the gutter, Knight.
I have no idea what this is, but it is the last thing I expected.
Oh, you don't read C++?
Uh, we're not nerds.
Oh...
And I mean that in the most (chuckles) loving way possible.
But what is it?
Wait a minute.
This is a root-based algorithm belonging to the U.S.
military.
And ROTC midshipmen don't have access to classified intel.
So, how did Watson get it?
And why was he hiding it under his mattress?
(typing) This could be why.
Restricted coding libraries for several government agencies.
DIA, CIA, NSA?
Well, that doesn't sound good.
They're each pretty harmless on their own, but somehow this kid found a way to use them to build an incredibly power cipher.
Kasie.
How powerful?
Think a digital key that could be used to bypass any security measure imaginable.
From simple passwords to state-level encryption.
Well, that definitely sounds bad.
A universal key like this could be used to rob banks, to hold entire cities' power grids hostage.
Take down planes?
In the wrong hands, it could create global chaos.
How could a single college kid compromise so many government agencies?
Anacostia's home to the DIA.
It's possible that Watson used his base access to get into their system.
From there he could have leapfrogged from one agency server to another.
Homeland security is in the process of changing the access codes across all government servers.
That's gonna take some time.
Right.
Meanwhile, their director's breathing down my neck for answers.
JBAB technicians just confirmed that all servers there are secure.
Well, that rules out DIA as an access point.
So how the hell did this kid get in?
There's a possibility that we have yet to discuss.
DELILAH: I can't believe Vance and Parker think I have something to do with this.
Honey, we wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't look into this, given your proximity to Will and your government clearance.
I'm-I'm sure there's nothing there.
Do you realize how dangerous this thing could be in the wrong hands?
Of course.
I told them you'd never be this reckless.
Will wouldn't either.
He was a first-year computer science major.
I mean, he was brilliant, but this is beyond.
He could not have done this.
Well, maybe he had help.
(gasps) What?
You-you okay?
He did have help.
You see this?
Yeah, it's how Will was able to hop from server to server.
This is a program I wrote in grad school that would allow computers to talk to each other offline.
I could never get it to work.
I guess Will did.
How did he get your code?
He was struggling and-and wanted to drop the class and I thought that maybe showing him some of my past failures would help him realize that we all start somewhere.
He must have copied it.
Well, you had no way of knowing what he was gonna do with it.
But that doesn't change the fact that I'm responsible for this.
I could lose my job, my government clearance.
I could go to prison.
Honey, you are not gonna go to prison.
Listen, I will explain to the director that you were an unwilling participant, okay?
I just wish you hadn't kept him a secret.
You know, it makes it harder to get out in front of this thing.
I didn't keep him a secret.
Well, you didn't tell me about him either.
I'm sure I must have mentioned him at some point.
Delilah, I would have remembered you having weekly off-campus meetings, okay?
What are you getting at?
Uh, forget I said anything.
Never-never mind.
Sounds like you're jealous.
I am not jealous.
Tell me what it is, then.
You know what, I'll give you some time to think about it while I go explain to the director what's going on myself.
Delilah, wait.
Don't follow me, Tim.
We'll finish this conversation tonight.
Oh, uh, i-is it just me or was it exceptionally brisk this morning?
KNIGHT: I felt a chill this morning, yes.
Alexa, how cold is it outside?
ALEXA: Today in Washington D.C., expect a low of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.
I would have said 43.
KASIE: It is a good thing that you are a federal agent and not a meteorologist.
(both laugh weakly) Oh.
Oh, hey.
Hey.
Um, how much of that did you hear?
Ninety percent, tops.
I'd say about 95.
Mm.
I hate to add to your problems right now, but we got a big one.
Well, lay it on me.
Metadata from Watson's laptop shows the key was downloaded to an external drive.
He made a copy.
But we didn't find any external drives in his room.
So where is it?
I didn't think anything about it at the crime scene, but it looks like something's been ripped off here.
Uh, Kase, pull up the CCTV footage from the alley.
Punch in.
There it is.
It looks like a USB drive.
It's gone now.
Someone could have stolen it.
Any DNA or prints on the key ring?
Uh, no, it was wiped.
Super wiped.
With bleach.
Remind me again what happened to your shirt.
I accidentally used bleach instead of laundry detergent.
That's not a crime.
Well, some would say a grown man not knowing how to wash his own laundry is a crime, but potato, "potahto."
(chuckles) I think you used the bleach on purpose...
...to wipe off Will's keys.
Why would I do that?
To cover up the fact that you took something off of them before he died.
I mean, you did say that you wanted to kill Will.
I was being funny.
That was hilarious.
I never touched Will's keys and I didn't give him drugs.
You can't arrest me for something I didn't do.
What could we arrest him for?
Obstruction of justice?
Oh, that's a good one.
That's, like, five.
Ten years, actually.
Especially if the obstruction is related to domestic terrorism.
Terrorism?
Ooh, you know what that means.
Mm-hmm.
Supermax.
Okay, okay, I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but I didn't kill him.
Okay, let's try this again.
What's missing here?
Some kind of flash drive, I think.
I don't know what's on it.
You spent almost every waking moment with Will.
He never mentioned anything about it?
He never mentioned anything to anyone.
I tried to be a good brother, get to know him, but the dude was weirdly secretive.
Paranoid, even.
What makes you say that?
How about the time will punched Jared in the face?
Which one was Jared again?
He's the one who called us old.
For the record, she and I are very young.
Why did Will punch Jared in the face?
Will found Jared poking around his room, assumed he was stealing, just started whaling on him.
Did Will get written up for that?
Yeah, that's not how it works.
And to be honest, that dude was bound to get punched eventually.
Elaborate on that.
So, pledges are supposed to wait on active members hand and foot.
Jared was never around.
Other guys had enough picking up his slack.
Will wanted to report him to the national board.
So you're saying that Jared killed Will because Will was gonna tattle on him?
You're the investigators.
You tell me.
KNIGHT: There's a lot about Jared Baker that doesn't add up.
First red flag: he has about $500,000 tied up in an offshore account.
Where'd he get that kind of money?
The money was deposited right around the same time as he joined, uh, Delta Pi Beta, six weeks after the rest of the pledge class.
All right.
So Jared somehow finds out about the access key, then joins the fraternity to get close enough to Watson to steal it?
Maybe that's why Jared was poking around his room.
And why Watson punched him in the face for it.
(sighs) Technology like that would sell for way more than 500K on the black market, right?
Well, could be a down payment.
And Jared could be getting the other half on delivery.
All right, then let's scoop him up before he has a chance to close the deal.
(indistinct chatter) Circled the perimeter.
House seems pretty quiet.
Probably out on a beer run.
Mm.
Parker, anything?
PARKER: Torres, where's that pizza from?
Pizzeria Diablo.
Why?
That's the best Neapolitan place in town.
Frat parties have changed since I was in college.
I'm guessing a lot has changed since he was in college.
Guessing you, uh, didn't mean to say that one out loud, huh?
(exhales) You guessed correctly.
(music playing) (engine revs) All right, Torres, Knight, there's our guy.
(car doors close) Hey, Jared.
You remember us?
Got a runner!
Stop!
He's headed your way!
All right, we got him.
NCIS!
Stop!
He's going for the van!
Damn it!
Parker, let's go.
Don't bother.
Hey, what the hell was that?
Did that kid just carjack a dog groomer?
PARKER: No, he did not.
Molly's Mobile Dog Grooming is a fake business used for undercover operations.
Undercover operations by whom?
The FBI.
We've been chasing an agent.
NCIS should have been read in the minute this became a murder case.
I'm supposed to be the one who's mad here.
Your team almost blew my cover.
Agent Clarkson, might I remind you Director Sweeney himself sent you over here this morning so you'd cooperate with our team.
So, what's an undercover FBI agent doing in a frat house?
I'm part of a special unit responsible for ferreting out foreign spies on college campuses.
IP theft has become one of our biggest national security concerns.
Not a bad gig.
You try being 37 and living in a frat house.
Did he say thirty seven?
Hey, you called me old.
I didn't use those words.
And I'm sorry about the "parents" dig, but I had to maintain my cover.
Yeah.
Sure, whatever.
How do you keep your skin that smooth?
More importantly, how does an NROTC midshipman factor into a collegiate spy ring?
Our intel says that Will Watson was recruited by Belarus to build the access key.
I was placed in the frat house to recover it.
I assume you didn't succeed or we wouldn't be here now.
No, but I was able to clone the burner Watson used to communicate with his handler.
You got an ID on the handler?
They used a cipher so advanced that even our best techs haven't been able to decode the messages.
Well, maybe NCIS can make some progress where the FBI could not.
Look, I'll give you whatever I have if it means I never have to step foot in that disgusting frat house ever again.
KASIE: We have already tried every cipher known to man.
(sighs) I'm out of ideas.
Well, we could try a brute force attack.
And be here till next Wednesday?
(scoffs) Oh.
You know who we should call?
No.
No, no, no.
She's been through enough.
It is very nice that you are trying to protect your wife, but this is Delilah's exact area of expertise.
I am sure she'd like to help.
Delilah does not need my protection, okay?
And we can handle this on our own.
Please tell me you apologized for yesterday.
I did.
But I'll be honest with you.
I don't feel great about where we left things last night.
I don't feel great about it, either.
I was just about to tell you that...
Kasie called me 20 minutes ago.
You know what?
I am going to...
Alexa, what's on my to-do list for today?
ALEXA: You have one item on your to-do list.
Drink more water.
Thank God.
Um, Kasie?
You heard the lady.
I got to hydrate.
You have a fridge full of bottled water.
We are in a climate crisis, McGee, and I'm trying to reduce my carbon footprint, so...
Can't argue with that.
Please fix this by the time I get back.
We have work to do and we need her help.
Well, Kasie's right.
We got work to do.
We need to talk.
We can't work together unless we're gonna be honest with each other.
I wasn't intentionally keeping anything from you.
I'm so sorry.
No, I-I...
I know you weren't.
And I'm the one that's sorry, okay?
I-I feel terrible.
Oh, not as terrible as I feel watching you torture yourself over this novel.
What do you mean?
The novel is going great.
I'm just, you know, having some trouble getting started.
You've been stuck on page three for weeks.
In fact...
you've barely written a word since Gibbs left for Alaska.
Hey.
Gibbs is not what makes you great.
Yeah, but Thom E.
Gemcity may never have another idea without him.
You are the most creative person I have ever met.
You will have more ideas.
You just need a new muse.
Yeah, you're probably right.
You usually are.
I wish you would have told me this earlier.
I could have helped.
Well, you've been so happy since you started teaching.
I didn't want to bring you down with me.
I love solving problems with you, Tim.
We're a team.
Well, can we work on solving this particular problem a little bit later?
I think Kasie's water bottle is probably overflowing by now.
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
KNIGHT: Our victim was a spy?
The FBI believes that Watson was recruited by Belarus after he got to campus, by a handler who was already embedded at the school.
Assuming they stuck to their regular schedule, Watson was supposed to meet the handler the day he died.
Well, maybe our handler's the killer.
Oh, that makes sense.
Once the access key is operational, Watson becomes more of a liability than an asset.
Ah.
If we can figure out where they met, maybe we can ID the handler.
Well, Watson lost the USB drive somewhere between the café where he met Delilah and the street where he died.
Yeah, we did our best to track his movements, but there is a ten-minute period where he's unaccounted for.
So, if the handler did steal the access key they would have done so within a five-block radius of the café.
That still leaves us with hundreds of suspects.
I don't like those odds.
Well, our odds are about to improve significantly.
I know how we can decode the messages on Will's burner.
How?
Use Will's own invention against him.
FBI techs said the messages were undecipherable, even with Watson's access key.
Which is why I made my own.
Watson developed his key using pieces of a program that Delilah created 15 years ago.
(sighs) I could never get it to work back then, but after seeing the way Will modified it, I realized my mistake.
Does creating an even more powerful cipher sound like a bad idea to anyone else?
Oh, it's a very bad idea.
Which is why we are going to destroy the cipher immediately after we figure out who Watson was working with.
And the rest of you are going to forget you ever saw this.
That will not be a problem.
I don't even know what this is.
All right.
Here we go.
Nice work, Delilah.
Seems like NCIS hired the wrong McGee.
McGEE: You got to be kidding.
You know who the handler is?
Yeah.
We've met.
(door opens) Hello, Evelyn.
Agent Torres.
You know Agent McGee.
Tim, hi.
Oh.
I mean, Agent McGee.
I'm sorry.
I just feel like I know you so well.
Thanks for, uh, coming in on such short notice.
Are you kidding?
This is so cool.
I feel like I'm in one of your books.
Yeah, and tell me something, Agent Torres.
As an investigator yourself, how accurate is the Deep Six series?
All right, let's leave the book club thing till after we're done, yeah?
Of course.
I am more than happy to assist NCIS in your investigation.
Great.
All right, well, let's start with, uh, where you were between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m.
on the day Will died.
Uh, in the library prepping for Delilah's class.
Okay, we'll have to have an agent verify that.
Mm, uh, yeah, go ahead.
(chuckles) Why would I lie?
Well, you've been lying to us this whole time, so, why stop now?
I'm telling the truth, Agent Torres.
Okay, then what can you tell us about your relationship with Will?
I mean, outside of grading his papers, I didn't really know him.
Do you often text coded messages to people you don't really know?
Ugh.
Okay.
Okay, that's what this is about?
Oh.
I can explain.
Well, I can't wait to hear.
Yeah, it was for class.
So, um, everyone created their own code and then swapped to see whose they could break.
Will's code is pretty sophisticated.
(scoffs) I know, right?
I was really impressed.
It's actually what attracted me to him in the first place.
Ah, so you two were involved?
If anyone found out, I-I could lose my scholarship.
So-so we just figured that if...
if we communicated using his code, we'd keep our secret.
Hmm.
Yeah, that's a cool story.
Except the messages tell a different one.
We decoded them.
Yeah.
Okay.
Now who's lying, Agent Torres?
That's impossible.
For most people.
Yeah, his wife is not most people.
See, the real story is that Will Watson was a foreign agent and you were his handler.
But you two had different ideologies.
You were mission-focused but Will was starting to care more about having a traditional college experience and he felt bad about using Delilah.
He became a liability, so you had to take him out.
You poisoned him and you stole the USB drive.
Mission accomplished.
I already told you I was in the library, Agent McGee.
Will was never in the library that morning, was he?
Really got to hand it to her.
She's a phenomenal liar.
I know.
I thought she was a cheerleader from Fresno.
By way of Minsk.
She left out that part.
VANCE: Breaking her is the only way we're gonna find the key.
Let's not waste our time, Director.
She was telling the truth about one thing.
She really was in the library?
Yup.
Her alibi checks out.
She is a foreign agent but she could not have killed Watson.
Which means that access key is still out there.
The FBI thanks you, Ms.
Fielding.
Is thanks really enough?
I mean, you should be sending her a fruit basket.
I did kind of catch a spy for them, didn't I?
Hmm.
But we still have to find that access key.
Can you text the nanny and tell her we will be home late?
Uh, no, but I can ask her to watch the kids while you go home and get some rest.
(short chuckle) Are you being serious right now?
I am not going anywhere until we find the key.
Hey, if Delilah is offering to help, we'll take it.
Not that you're not enough all by yourself, McGee.
So, where are we?
Classic dead end.
Watson's classmates are the obvious suspects.
They're the only ones who might have understood the value of the access key.
We triple-checked their alibis, and they're all solid.
There's got to be something we're missing.
Not something.
Someone.
This isn't the original roster.
There was this kid-- um, Logan-- who failed the first project and-and quit the class after that.
You mean this Logan?
Yeah, that's him.
That's Watson's roommate.
Where do we find him?
I'm logging in to his student account.
This is strange.
Looks like Logan backdoored his way into Waverly's main server two days ago.
Well, he must have used the access key.
What was he after?
On Waverly's server?
Could be anything from government R and D to contact information of the nation's top officials.
Well, it looks like we didn't get rid of all the Waverly spies.
All right, let's go finish the job.
McGEE: Anyone have eyes on our target?
Cell phone ping puts him within 50 yards.
Negative.
Knight?
Negative.
A lot of civilians.
I don't like it.
That's why we got to move fast, take him down without weapons.
KNIGHT: So, I have a question.
With all the undercover agents and foreign spies, are there any students who actually go to Waverly?
I don't know, but if we lose this guy to another dog groomer, it's gonna be bye-bye, calm Torres.
Ooh, what would Dr.
Grace say?
McGee, got a visual on, uh, the suspect.
Guy on a scooter.
All right, I'm on him.
(indistinct conversations) Oh, he made me.
If you can slow him down, I got him.
No problem.
Sorry.
Official government business.
NCIS!
All right, back off, back off.
Give us some room.
Get up.
Way to improvise, Knight.
Your aim is impeccable.
Thanks.
I was captain of the disc golf team in college.
Where's the USB drive?
It's in my pocket.