NCIS: Hawai'i

Shogo?

Shogo?

Shogo?

Shogo!

Yes, Captain, I'm arriving now.

I'm fully aware of how sensitive it...

Right.

Okay. As soon as I know anything.

Fun morning?

PACOM reminding me this is a delicate situation

that requires a thoughtful resolution.

Fourth call this morning, and I'm barely at the crime scene.

Oh, I guess we won't phone it in, then.

So, who's our victim?

Victim is Shogo Oda.

He's an Isso

with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Isso? Petty Officer?

Oh, you know your Japanese ranks.

Worked a couple cases out of the Yokosuka Field Office.

COD appears to be multiple stab wounds.

Wallet and phone's missing.

It's pretty vicious for a mugging, though.

HPD find any similar MOs?

No. Nothing like this.

Whoever did it got up close and personal.

Has he had any problems since he's been here?

Not sure. Kai's inside talking to his buddies.

They're all in town this week

for some field training exercise.

Operation Iron Cloud.

Computer-based drills focused on ballistic missile defense.

Think this could be connected?

We need to find out.

Give Commander Chase a heads-up.

Tell her the body's on the way.

Yeah, I'll make sure the autopsy moves to the top of her list.

(dance music playing over headphones)

Quick: Favorite go-to karaoke song?

Ah, none.

I don't believe in karaoke.

It isn't something to believe in or not.

It-it just exists, like science.

I skipped my sister's bachelorette party

because they went to a karaoke club.

Wow. Nerves?

Principle.

I don't like singing. I'm not good at it.

And I-I refuse to be peer-pressured.

Well, i-it's not about being good or not.

It's about having fun and-and letting go, you know?

Yeah, one man's letting go is

another woman's embarrassing public spectacle.

Were you able to find any information on our victim?

Yeah, well, I'm working on it.

His, uh, cell phone

and personnel records were stored in Japan,

so my normal databases aren't any use.

Which also eliminates social media.

Uh, not entirely.

I can't access Shogo's accounts

without permission from the Japanese companies, but...

I ran a geotag search on the karaoke bar,

and I got a lot of hits.

All the photos

his friends posted.

Yeah, and Shogo's in several of them.

See?

He never sang, either.

Yeah, and look what happened to him.

Sorry.

He seems distracted by his phone.

Maybe he was texting with someone?

Yeah, looks like it.

There was no phone with his body.

Could you get access to those text messages?

Not until we get some cooperation from the Japanese.

We've got company.

That the Japanese commander?

And everyone determined to keep him happy.

Captain Milius.

Allow me to introduce

Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant.

She'll be handling the investigation.

Nisa Tanaka,

allow me to express

my deepest condolences for your loss.

Thank you.

This has been devastating for us.

Isso Oda was much respected.

We're doing everything we can to find out who did this.

But we could use your help.

Of course.

Whatever you require.

The first thing is that we need to speak to the men

who were there last night.

We'll make them available immediately.

I need a word. It's important.

Can you settle everyone in the conference room?

I'll be right in.

Gentlemen.

I cannot stress enough how delicate this is.

So I've been told. A lot.

Secretary of the Navy called me himself.

Wants me to stay on top of the situation.

Solving homicides is suddenly under your purview?

I'm just here to help however I can.

The thing is...

...this isn't the first murder associated with Iron Cloud.

Operation Iron Cloud changes locations each year.

Last year, exercises were set in Okinawa.

Someone was killed?

A Japanese woman named Yuki Sawa.

She was a translator at the JMSDF.

You think the two cases are connected?

I know they are.

The sailor killed last night was Yuki Sawa's boyfriend.

And Yuki was murdered in the exact same manner--

stabbed in the heart.

Did the Okinawa investigation come up with any suspects?

Only one: Abby Nelson,

an American working for a Navy contractor

called Translation Nexus.

Nelson was living in Okinawa with Yuki at the time,

but guess where she's living now.

Honolulu.

She's been there since she left Japan.

If Nelson was such a good suspect,

why isn't she behind bars?

Didn't have enough evidence to convict.

Did they have motive?

Stabbing someone like that is intense.

I wouldn't call it intense.

I'd call it efficient.

With a sharp blade and enough velocity,

you don't need much force to pierce clothes,

skin and organ tissue.

Massive internal damage with a minimum of fuss.

Mr. Oda's COD was traumatic injury to the thoracic aorta.

Strikes were deep and swift, no evidence of hesitation.

I'm not seeing any defensive wounds.

No. I don't think he ever saw it coming.

Means the killer got close without arousing suspicion.

Could a woman do this?

I think a woman could do anything.

Right. Me, too.

This is a gender-neutral killing.

Trace indicates the weapon: Damascus stainless steel.

Too common to be much help.

Foreign DNA?

No, Special Agent.

No foreign DNA or fingerprints.

No confession secreted in the body.

His aura is green,

but I don't put that in the report.

Only other detail...

your victim's last meal was Japanese noodles.

What kind?

Hoto.

Does it matter?

Depends how much you value precision.

In forensic medicine, we value it above all else.

In Japanese cooking,

a chef often holds his or her noodle recipe

to the same standard.

Yeah. The broth can be incredibly specific,

not just to the region but to the individual restaurant.

So, we-we figure out where he ate,

we can track his movements.

Bon appétit.

As part of the training exercise in Japan,

Yuki invited Nelson to stay with her for a few weeks.

Best way to improve language skills is

to immerse yourself in the culture.

Probably works better if you don't stab your host to death.

Sorry. Don't mind me.

He's helping.

Why did the investigation

focus on Nelson?

She was in the apartment when Yuki was killed.

Said she was asleep and didn't hear anything

until she found the body in the morning.

She didn't call the police

until almost an hour later.

Why the delay?

Cops figure she was getting rid of evidence.

Nelson insisted she was just in shock.

I heard her story kept changing.

Yeah. Local investigators were convinced she did it.

They were trying to gather enough evidence to charge her.

Yeah, well, lots of outrage and finger-pointing by the locals.

Got even worse for a few weeks after Nelson fled the country.

Yeah. We heard American authorities