NCIS

This is starting to look like a...

Serial killer.

I found a bug in my basement.

If they're watching me, Marcie,

they're watching you.

You were in pretty bad shape.

I'm a retired veterinarian.

See, if I could patch a horse... I could patch you.

Gibbs, someone tried to kill you,

so not only is it my problem, it's my job.

Thought you'd be happy to see the team.

Not my team.

Suspended.

Remember?

NCIS.

Drop your weapons.

Now we got a serial killer to catch,

but in order to do that, we need to be your team.

Say something.

What do you got?

Hey there.

Sorry. Guess I should've grabbed a basket after all.

Never fails.

You come in for just one thing and you leave with 50.

- Ain't that the truth. - Yeah.

Got to say, though, I can usually guess

what a fella's working on,

but this load's got me wondering.

A little project on my honey-do list.

You know how it is.

I honey-do indeed.

Shh.

Good morning, sir.

Ms. Hines?

Where is everyone?

Director, good morning.

And by "everyone" you mean...?

Oh, that everyone.

Um...

You got to be kidding me.

Why would Gibbs want to meet here?

Hey, guys, so glad you found us.

Jimmy, what are you doing here?

Oh, I'm just helping Gibbs make this place

a little more work-friendly.

Yeah, by making it look exactly like our squad room?

What? No, no, no, it doesn't.

Yeah, it does. McGee's right.

That's, uh, that's my desk and that's, uh, Gibbs'.

Yeah, I'm here, Ellie's there.

Ellie who? Hey, uh...

Knight, you should take that desk.

No, I'm good here.

No, you should sit there.

No, no, this is fine.

You guys, it actually does

look a little bit like the squad room.

It's completely unintentional.

I guess I'm just really eager

to get the team back to almost normal.

Emphasis on "almost."

Morning. Update?

Morning, boss. How you feeling?

Fine.

Why?

Oh, no reason, just you got blown up

a couple of days ago.

Yeah, you remember all those stitches in your side?

Oh, he remembers. Yeah, I mean,

you should see this wound.

I'm gonna go do the... the...

I'm fine.

Give me an update.

No update pointing directly to our serial killer,

but we did find what is likely a victim from last year.

Adding to the four that your "friend,"

uh, Marcie found.

I told you, he is not her type.

Sorry, you're just not.

Harold Bradshaw, 36,

found murdered March of 2020.

hundred days apart, red duct tape,

hammer marks.

So...

the mountain came to Muhammad.

I was, uh, I was gonna call you, Director.

But you thought I might not condone

this little off-campus gathering?

Um...

Saved by the bell.

I got to take this.

Agent McGee.

Gibbs... good to see you again.

In a squad room all your own.

I told you I'd be playing dead.

Well...

doesn't get much deader than this place.

The question is whether you'll be

known as a dead suspended agent or an active one.

- The same condition? - Gibbs, come on, what will it take?

You tell me, I'll make it work.

I don't need you to take the hit for me, Leon.

Don't you worry about me.

Come back.

Thanks.

We got a body.

Not just any body.

My contact at Fairfax PD says

it bears most of the signatures of our serial killer.

Most? Red tape,

hammer wounds.

Hasn't been a hundred days.

Why suddenly switch up the pattern?

Maybe he's trying to step his game up.

Only one way to find out.

Gibbs, if you're going, you'll stay dead

- till we get this guy. - Yeah.

Whatever you say, Director.

I'm gonna hang onto these for now.

Until you're ready.

Boss?

Yeah, let's go.

Grab your gear.

Therefore, I regret to announce

that the search for the remains at the lake

has been suspended.

Are you confirming, then, that Agent Gibbs is dead?

No, I refuse to give up hope.

But, yes, that does seem to be the likely conclusion.

Very convincing, Director.

Well, let's hope it convinces our killer.

Same M.O. all right.

Guy's a sick son of a bitch.

Prerequisite for a serial killer.

Did you get this over here?

Yep, got it.

Victim's name is Jennifer Hanover.

41 years old, lives in Annandale.

You're in charge, McGee, not me.

Old habits. Though I'd happily hand back the reins.

You guys have no idea how much overtime

and paperwork is involved in being the boss.

McGee's just feeling like we all do, Gibbs.

Just happy to have you back, sir.

I'm not back at all, Torres.

I'm dead.

And yet you still look so amazing.

So how could someone beat her to death

and tape her up out here without anyone noticing?

Because she wasn't killed here.

But where was she killed?

I can find that out later, but, uh,

what I can tell you now is there's no grass

or dirt in these head wounds.

Yeah, not any on the red tape, either.

The victim's listed as married.

Let's notify the spouse, see what they can tell us.

I can't believe this is real.

Stuff like this happens to other people.

We're very sorry, Mr. Hanover.

And you're sure it's my Jen?

We are, I'm afraid.

Who could do this?

Please tell me you caught the son of a bitch.

Not yet, but we will.

When was the last time you saw your wife?

It was yesterday, around noon.

Uh, Jen left to go jogging, like she does any other day.

But, um... she never came back.

And then I, um...

I reported her missing last night

and I haven't slept a wink since.

Would you happen to know which route

Jennifer takes on these jogs?

It's hard to say. She always liked to mix it up,

but she always managed five miles

at a healthy pace, no matter what.

So we're talking a two-and-a-half-mile radius

- from your house? - Yeah, and-and

I know that for sure because of the, um...

because of the PaceBracelet

I got her last Christmas.

Jen always...

she thanks me for it after every run.

There is no way in hell

I will ever get used

to notifying next of kin.

Yeah, that is pretty much the worst part of our job.

Hey, I'm not finding this PaceBracelet here anywhere.

Nothing at the crime scene, either.

Her husband gave us her account info.

If she was wearing one, Kasie'll find it.

Hopefully.

Is there something else?

Yeah.

Torres.

- Yeah, what about him? - Not a big thing.

But in the last day or two, he's been really

eager to give me Bishop's desk.

- Yeah, I caught that. - Yeah.