Dead Man Talking (episode)

Dead Man Talking is the nineteenth episode in NCIS Season 1 and the 19th episode of the entire NCIS series.
==Synopsis==
NCIS is left horrified when one of their own is murdered while working on a case. Gibbs and the NCIS Major Case Response Team who are equally grief-stricken and devastated take over the handling of the case while attempting to find the killer with a search soon leading them to a woman who the team believe might be linked to the thief who stole from the Navy prior to his death in a car accident. Meanwhile, Abby soon makes a shocking discovery and the team realize that there's more to the woman than meets the eye.
==Prologue==
The scene opens in a big fancy downtown building until the noise is ruined by the sound of an alarm going off.
This causes the security guard, George Trimmets and George (Dead Man Talking) to stop what they're doing.
George curses the guys installing the new fire system, stating they set it off on purpose and that it's the third time this week the damn thing (the alarm) has gone off after they left work.
George isn't calling the Fire Department because he believes it's a false alarm and summons the lift but he and George the Janitor get a huge shock when the door opens.
It then cuts to the inside of an elevator where it's shown that a man is lying on the ground, dead with his organs hanging out as well.
==Act One==
In the bullpen, NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Junior is getting ready to leave work.
He grabs his gun, slips into one of his leather holsters, puts on his sunglasses and begins staring a picture on his computer screen when a phone ringing interrupts his thoughts.
The need to know everything getting the better of him, DiNozzo answers the phone just as his partner and colleague, Caitlin Todd arrives.
She grabs the phone off him and begins talking to her boyfriend, Dwayne while silently ordering Tony to go away. She then tells Dwayne she's leaving before hanging up.
Tony's surprised that the guy's name is Dwayne and while grabbing her coat and bag, Kate tells DiNozzo he needs to get a social life of his own.
DiNozzo insists that he has a social life.
"What's tonight, Celebrity Mole?", Kate asks.
"No. Best of Jackass", Tony replies.
Just as they head for the lift, their boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs comes down and orders them to hang before breaking the tragic news that Special Agent Christopher Pacci is dead, having been murdered.
Kate's stunned as Pacci is the agent who sat behind her.
It then cuts to a flashback from the previous episode which shows Pacci asking Gibbs for help on a cold case but because Gibbs was busy, he had to turn Pacci's request although Pacci agreed it could wait another day.
As the flashback ends, Gibbs heads off to get his things while Kate and Tony just stare at Pacci's empty desk, dumbstruck before they too head off to get ready.
The team with Donald Mallard and his temporary assistant, Jason Patel eventually arrive at the building.
While the others work on the scene, Gibbs, Tony and Kate meet Detective Hanley who fills them in on what happened before stating the alarm came from the fifth floor.
One glance from Gibbs has Kate and Tony heading up to the fifth floor to investigate.
At the lift, Ducky's talking to Pacci's body, wondering who did this to him.
Patel, on the other hand wants to know if he should start taking photographs right now.
Ducky states that it is and that work goes on.
With that, Patel begins taking photos while Gibbs interviews the security guard who found Pacci's remains but unlike other times, Gibbs slips up, calling Pacci by his first name before changing it to victim.
Once the interview's over, Gibbs requests a list of the construction workers that the guard was signing in as well as the floors they were working on before leaving.
Patel has finished photographing the scene which means Ducky can now get a better look at the scene.
Gibbs joins him and notices that whoever killed Pacci also disemboweled him.
Ducky agrees but that's not the cause of death.
Gibbs notes a bullet wound in Pacci's neck and Ducky states Pacci would have gone quick.
Gibbs wonders if there should be a lot more blood and Ducky remarks that there would be if Pacci had been shot in the elevator. He also believes it happened topside but the slashing was done in the elevator.
Gibbs wonders if it was rage or ritual but Ducky doesn't know, stating they'll get answers after Pacci has been autopsied.
Gibbs then remarks that Pacci asked him for help on a cold case but Gibbs couldn't because he was chasing Navy SEAL Jack Curtin.
Ducky tries to assure that this is not his fault but Gibbs feels like it is.
Suddenly, Gibbs's phone rings and without waiting for a reply, he answers it, stating he found a lot of blood.
At the other end, Kate agrees with Gibbs realizing they're looking for a bullet.
While Tony photographs the scene, Kate gives Gibbs a description of what she thinks happened.
It shows a flashback of Pacci getting shot on the sixth floor. He staggers down the stairwell, exiting at the fifth floor where he pulls the fire alarm before making it to the elevator.
As he staggers in, the flashback ends and back in the present, another elevator opens with the team heading back into the squad-room.
They stop at Pacci's desk where Tony tells a story about him borrowing a stapler belonging to Pacci but he put it back in the wrong place and heard about it for days.
Gibbs, wearing gloves begins examining Pacci's desk and they discover a neatly stocked drawer before realizing that Pacci's gun is stored in the second drawer.
Kate states that regs are to carry your weapon from portal to portal.
She wonders why he left his gun behind.
Gibbs then realizes that Pacci was following someone and that he didn't want to stop to identify himself.
Tony agrees, stating that they've all done it given the heavy security these days.
Gibbs states that he's going to go over Pacci's files while Tony and Kate check out Pacci's house.
"Tonight?", Kate asks.
"Yes, tonight", Gibbs snaps.
Kate excuses herself, telling them she has to make a call and when Gibbs asks Tony if there's anyone he needs to call, Tony states, "No, Boss. No calls".
A while later, Tony and Kate arrive at Pacci's house and Kate feels wrong about doing this because it feels like they're invading Pacci's privacy.
"Well, he's dead, Kate with his guts slashed open. I'd say Chris's privacy is about as invaded as it's gonna get", Tony angrily snaps.
However, they're interrupted by a phone ringing. DiNozzo answers it, only to find that it's Norfolk Special Agent Timothy McGee.
McGee asks to speak to Pacci but is given the news that Pacci's dead. He's stunned and tells Tony that Pacci wanted civilian files from a three year old cold-case and that McGee spent all day in the basement of the Buford County courthouse, looking for it.
When DiNozzo asks if he got it, McGee states that he did. DiNozzo asks what it's in it. McGee tells him it's a car accident report but he hasn't read it.
DiNozzo then orders McGee to report to NCIS at 0700 with the accident file. McGee then apologizes, causing Tony to remark, "Yeah, kid. Aren't we all?" before hanging up. He meets Kate who obviously wants to know what's going on.
In NCIS, Gibbs arrives at the lab where Abigail Sciuto is already running tests on the bullet they found at the crime scene. She tells Gibbs that she already ran it and that she got in at 4am because Pacci was family.
She also reveals to Gibbs that the slug came from a .357 and that based on rifling, it's from a Smith and Wesson Model 66 which Gibbs describes as being very small and easy to conceal.
Abby tells him she ran a search through NIBIN—(National Integrated Ballistic Information Network)—but there have been no hits and it looks like the gun's a virgin but she's going to keep on searching anyway.
When Gibbs asks her if Pacci asked to her to do anything for him, Abby tells him no.
Gibbs tells her that Pacci was working a cold-case and orders her to go through the hard-drive on his computer.
Abby agrees before resuming her work.
Down in the morgue, Ducky is examining Pacci's body when Gibbs arrives in.
For once, Gibbs can't stand in front of the body so he paces around in circles.
Ducky tells him that his guess about the bullet tearing through an artery was right and given the amount of blood Pacci while fleeing, it was almost fatal.
Gibbs asks about the slashing and Ducky believes so although it's hard to tell.
Gibbs wants to know if it was rage or ritual but Ducky doesn't think it was either because Pacci's killer was looking for something.
He then shows Gibbs a X-Ray of a small foreign object lodged in Pacci's upper alimentary canal and when Gibbs wants to know what it is, Ducky tells him he was just about to find out.
Gibbs realizes that Pacci swallowed this before he died and wonders if it would be hard to find without an X-Ray.
"Extremely", Ducky replies.
Once he's gotten into the flesh, he produces a small chip which he shows to Gibbs who wants to know what it is.
Patel remarks that it's a memory card from a digital camera.
Ducky wants to know why Pacci swallowed it before he died but Gibbs knows because Pacci knew that Ducky would be autopsying him and that Pacci wanted Ducky to find it.
"Dead man talking, Duck", Gibbs replies.
It then cuts to Pacci's lifeless body on the slab.
==Act Two==
In Abby's lab, she's managed to get the memory chip working again and the contents are revealed as being surveillance photos of a woman who Tony unsurprisingly begins drooling over.
Abby tells them that candids are the only things on the card and that judging by the time-stamps, all the photos were taken in the last two days before Pacci died.
Kate arrives in, stating that she interviewed all the workers but no-one remembered seeing Pacci or anything unusual. However, one of them found Pacci's camera at the bottom of the stairway and given that it's NCIS-issue, Kate's certain that it belongs to Pacci.
A flashback shows the camera being dropped from a great height before landing into Gibbs's hands as he studies it. Gibbs states there's no memory card in it to which Kate agrees.
Almost immediately, McGee rushes in, stammering and talking before giving Gibbs the suitcase that contains the report.
After watching McGee fumble, Gibbs opens the suitcase instead and produces the report while Tony develops a very keen eye for McGee's lunch which consists of a red apple and a sandwich.
Kate wants to know the report is.
McGee tells her it's a civil investigation of an automobile accident in Buford County three years ago which resulted in the death of a Naval officer.
Tony has found McGee's sandwich and remarks that he didn't have breakfast so he's obviously hoping he can eat McGee's lunch.
However, Abby tells him that McGee does mind and grabs the sandwich back before exchanging greetings with McGee but despite losing the sandwich, Tony is munching on the red apple instead.
Gibbs tells them that he remembers the case because Lt. Commander Voss was under investigation for credit card fraud and that he stole over 10 million dollars from the Navy.
Tony wonders if that's the same guy who died before charges could be filed against him.
Gibbs agrees, stating that the money was never found and that the case went cold.
Kate wants to know why Pacci was working on it. Gibbs realizes that Pacci might have found a lead on the money, maybe through the woman in the photographs.
He then tells McGee that he wants him on the case and that Gibbs is going to get McGee a temporary TAD or Temporary Assigned Duty until the case is over. DiNozzo is take McGee and find out who the women is.
After some flirting with Abby which involves her asking him if he needs a place to stay, McGee eventually goes to help DiNozzo after the latter calls his name again.
Abby just shakes her head.
Kate wants to know how Voss died. Gibbs doesn't reply but instead passes her the file. She then glances at it in disbelief, stating that "He was burnt to death" is the cause of death for Commander Voss.
Gibbs then looks at her and Kate isn't sure what to say.
In the morgue, Ducky wants to know why he's reading a three year old autopsy report.
Gibbs states that it was Kate's idea.
Ducky's against the idea because the report was done by Hugh Putnam who's a very through M.E.
Gibbs orders him to look at it anyway and leaves with Kate stating, "Please" and saying that Gibbs has to learn how to say please.
Once they're gone, Ducky talks to Pacci's body, hoping for some answers.
Patel who had returned to the morgue for something simply turns around and then closes the door behind him, obviously gretly disturbed by Ducky's habit of talking to the dead.
On the USS Enterprise, Gibbs and Kate are talking to Graves who's stunned by the news of Pacci's death. He then tells them how Voss managed to get 12 million dollars before someone finally noticed that something was going. Graves also tells them Pacci asked him who Voss had and Graves had said he didn't know.
Back in the bullpen, Tony's impatiently waiting for McGee to finish his research.
McGee eventually finds that the woman lives on 40th Street.
Unsurprisingly, in hopes of getting credit from Gibbs, DiNozzo dispatches McGee to get coffee for him, telling McGee he likes his coffee with three sugars and a hazelnut.
McGee dejectedly does that and leaves the bullpen just as Gibbs and Kate come back in.
Giving off the impression that he's been working (when it's actually been McGee who found the address), DiNozzo eventually runs the address through the search engines and IDs the woman as Amanda Reed.
Gibbs gets up again and prepares to leave with Tony following him.
McGee comes back in with DiNozzo's coffee and Gibbs thanks him for working on the address much to Tony's surprise while snatching the coffee originally meant for Tony which pisses Tony off.
With his ruse exposed, Tony gets a glare from Kate.
However, Gibbs, after taking a sip of the coffee and realizing he hates it, returns to the desk when he spits the stuff in his mouth into the bin before throwing the coffee cup into the bin too.
Tony is annoyed and leaves the bullpen while Kate laughs, amused.
Gibbs and Tony soon arrive at the area where one of the photos was taken.
While Tony's on the phone, getting the details from Kate in regards to Reed, Gibbs studies the area.
Tony then hangs up and tells Gibbs that Kate hasn't been able to find any criminal record and that it looks like Reed is an upstanding citizen who just bought the townhouse in the area, paid cash for it and there's no mortgage.
In addition to that, she was also recently accepted into the Potomac Country Club as a member.
"I'm impressed", Gibbs sarcastically remarks.
Tony wants to interview Reed and work her but Gibbs refuses, stating that Pacci was keeping his distance and until they find out why, they're going to do the same thing.
They then talk to Norm and ask him about the apartment building which Gibbs wants to rent.
Gibbs then tells Tony that they're going to pick up where Pacci left off and that means stakeout time.
It then cuts to Tony who says "Yes!!", obviously overjoyed.
==Act Three==
Back at NCIS HQ, Tony remarks that he hasn't been on a stakeout for a long time and that he's looking forward to it.
Kate states that it figures since he's a voyeur who loves spying on people and asks Tony if he would be interested if the target they were spying on was a 300-pound, bald guy?
"No", Tony replies.
Gibbs then enters the bullpen where Kate tells him that Amanda Reed doesn't have a driver's license nor is a vehicle registered in her home. She then states that a lot of people don't have cars in the city.
Tony then tells Gibbs he's found a connection between Amanda Reed and Commander Voss and that it's too much to be a coincidence.
"Are you gonna spit it out? Or do I have to waste my coffee on your head?", Gibbs asks.
Tony then tells him that the house in question was in the Voss family for three generations and that the Commander's father lost it in a bankruptcy in 1979. He also mentions that he's got a call into the estate agent who sold it to Reed and he's waiting to hear back from her.
Gibbs then decides that he and Kate will take the first shift with DiNozzo and McGee relieving them at 1900.
"Yeah", DiNozzo agrees but Kate isn't impressed. Gibbs asks her what the problem is and she tells him does he really want to do that to McGee? Because Special Agent Bigh (aka Tony) is going to eat him alive.
Tony ignores her comment, stating that McGee looks up to him as a mentor.
Kate disagrees but soon changes her mind, stating that being paired with DiNozzo will help McGee build some character.
McGee then arrives with the news that everything's ready. The secured phone line had been installed and the surveillance equipment is in the van.
McGee then states that Pacci filled out an order for the same things but never got around to picking it up.
With that, Gibbs and Kate leave to begin the surveillance operation. DiNozzo asks McGee if he's ever been on a stakeout. McGee states that he hasn't but he's looking forward to it.
As she leaves, Kate warns DiNozzo to behave himself although DiNozzo simply laughs.
It then cuts to a camera being trained on an unsuspecting Amanda Reed while Gibbs keeps the camera trained on her and watches as she goes up to her house, unlocks the door and heads inside.
A few seconds later, Gibbs focuses on Kate who glances at Reed's house while walking on.
Once the small microphone is in his ear, Gibbs calls Abby and she tells him she got the link working. She's finished pulling the last two weeks of Pacci's computer and like a lot of older agents, he wasn't very computer savvy.
Gibbs wants her to send him the files.
When Abby asks if he knows how to download them, Gibbs warns her not to go there.
"Touchy", Abby replies before asking if they can do a sound check on the laser mike.
As they conduct the test, Kate comes in. She informs Gibbs that Reed went to Starbucks where she seems to be a regular to pick up a non-fat grande foamy latte before heading to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription. She then hangs her coat on the chair and goes out to examine Reed more closely via binoculars.
Gibbs believes she's running water.
In the lab, Abby's picked it up loud and clear.
Back at the house, Kate is studying Reed, remarking that the woman has expensive tastes. She also knows that the purse is Prada and that it would cost Kate herself a month's pay if she wanted to buy one.
It then focuses on Reed who takes some pills before swallowing them down with water.
DiNozzo is interviewing Pat Stone who expresses surprise that selling a house to Reed went quick because Reed wrote a cheque for the full asking price and they soon closed the deal in fifteen days.
When she asks about Pacci, DiNozzo tells her he's filling in for him and is surprised when she asks him if he wants to buy a house.
Gibbs has finished going Pacci's files and tells Kate that Abby was right. Pacci didn't leave much of a computer trail but he was on the website for the Bangkok Visitor's Bureau but Gibbs can't figure out why.
A knock at the door interrupts them and Kate opens the door to let DiNozzo and McGee in. They've brought dinner because apparently DiNozzo wants to expand McGee's palette.
Kate state that the food stinks.
Gibbs, on the other hand is more focused on finding out what they have.
DiNozzo and McGee give Gibbs a rundown of Reed's previous addresses which interestingly enough just happen to be a few miles away from various Bases that Lt. Commander Voss was at.
Gibbs then gives DiNozzo orders to go through Reed's trash.
Kate tells Tony that there's only one bathroom and that she expects it to be clean when she gets back.
When Tony asks her what she thinks he's going to do, Kate states that she's seen him fire his weapon and that she doesn't trust his aim.
While Gibbs and Kate get ready to go, McGee begins putting a headset to his ear just as Tony rambles about how the situation resembles the movie, "Stakeout".
When Tony hints about practical jokes, Kate warns him not to get there before she and Gibbs leave.
Once they've gone, it's clear that Tony is itching to pull a joke but McGee reminds him that any pranks he pulls will not only hit Kate but Gibbs too.
McGee eventually suggests that they do nothing just for the sake of annoying Kate.
Tony's impressed and gives McGee a pastrami.
Gibbs arrives back at the morgue just as Ducky's leaving for the night.
However, Ducky tells him that the report is detailed and complete but a hint sets alarm bells in Gibbs's mind and he orders Ducky to go check if Buford County still have the same DNA samples used to identify Voss's body.
Ducky states he'll check and Gibbs wants Abby to run a DNA.
Ducky then tells Gibbs that the Director asked him to speak at Pacci's funeral but Gibbs declined, stating that it wouldn't feel right.
As he leaves, Ducky switches off the lights of the morgue and pauses for a minute to look at the lift while shaking his head.
The next morning, while McGee goes through Reed's garbage, Tony's focused on Reed herself who's wearing nothing but a bikini. She's on the phone, having a fight with the local Historical Society, stating that she only wants to paint her door and her window trim.
Reed then disappears for a second and then returns, putting a shirt on much to Tony's disappointment before hanging up.
Unsurprisingly, Tony's drooling over her and even remarks out loud that he's falling in love.
Annoyed that Reed's gone, Tony snaps back to the room and asks McGee if he's found anything yet.
McGee states that the only thing he's learnt is that Reed loves bananas and mangos. He also states that she uses every beauty product sold on cable TV.
While Tony plays with some spray, he believes that Reed might be older than she looks before asking McGee how old he thinks Reed is.
McGee guesses that she's in her thirties.
Tony sets the perfume down again and goes back to the camera just in time to see Reed exit her house and begin tending to her garden.
Realizing that he'll get information, he abandons his headset, grabs his coat and leaves, telling McGee he needs some fresh air.
As the door slams, McGee looks around, puzzled.
The live-feed of Reed in her garden is on the plasma in Abby's lab and Ducky comes in, carrying some samples for her to test.
After greeting one another by their full names, Ducky tells her he's going to Pacci's memorial service which dampens the mood a bit. He then gives her the samples and states that while the results were done by a reputable lab which means that Gibbs wants Abby to test the DNA anyway.
Ducky then spots DiNozzo talking to Reed on the plasma.
Alerted, Abby informs McGee what's going on and he rushes to the camera, instantly recording the talk. DiNozzo introduces himself as a resident living in the same area and gives his name as "Stringfellow".
When Abby's confused by that, McGee tells her it's so that DiNozzo won't forget it.
Abby tells him that he should because in Gibbs's world, if anything goes wrong, then they're both to blame. McGee is in disbelief over this and asks Abby for advice. She tells him not to volunteer anything, only answer questions when he's asked and above all, don't lie because Gibbs is like Santa Claus, he'll know if they've been naughty.
A while later, McGee and DiNozzo are back working again when Gibbs and Kate return from the funeral. DiNozzo wants to know how it went. Kate tells that the Director gave a nice eulogy and when Gibbs asks if anything happened, the other two men assure it's been quiet.
Gibbs then asks if that's why McGee seems so anxious.
"Me?", McGee says.
Gibbs simply gives him an amused smile.
"What did you do to him?", Kate asks.
"Nothing", Tony insists.
Kate then insists that the place looks too clean. She's interrupted by her cell-phone ringing. It's Dwayne and she goes over for a little privacy to answer the call.
Gibbs, on the other hand wants to know where Reed is. Tony tells him that she's in the kitchen and McGee informs Gibbs that they went through her trash and there's nothing unusual.
Unsurprisingly, Tony can't resist using the mike to get a glimpse of the phone call. Kate catches onto his scheme and hangs up. Tony remarks that it looks like Dwayne's in love.
Kate asks for permission to shoot him but Gibbs refuses.
Abby then calls with some news.
While she didn't run the sample, she's found that the body that's supposed that of Voss is O-positive which Voss is AB negative which means that Lt. Commander Voss is alive and well, a revelation that leaves the whole team stunned. McGee remarks that he's alive with all those millions.
"Living la dolce vita (good life or sweet life). Lucky bastard", Tony says.It then cuts to Gibbs who looks out the window, grimly vowing that it won't be for long.
==Act Four==
A while later, Gibbs and Kate are heading to Geo-tech Lab to determine the lab tech who identified the body as that of Lt. Commander Voss.
Kate calls ahead, asking about Joshua Lurie, only to discover that he died two years ago in a car crash.
With the new lead useless, Gibbs turns the car around and they head back to D.C.
At the house, McGee and DiNozzo talk about DiNozzo's undercover name while McGee reveals that he writes at the weekend.
While looking through the camera, Tony spots a package being left on Voss's doorstep and leaves to get a glimpse at it despite McGee yelling at him that it's not a good idea.
DiNozzo ignores him and leaves anyway.
From the window, McGee watches as DiNozzo rushes back to Reed's place. He then focuses the laser camera on Reed's house. DiNozzo soon arrives on the doorstep and learns that the package has an anti-aging cream in it.
McGee then goes back to the house and upon seeing Reed get up from her seat, states that DiNozzo should get out of there.
However, DiNozzo has no intent of leaving and Reed's surprised to see him on her doorstep again.
The two then flirt again with Tony trying to give off the impression he's her new mailman which Reed doesn't buy.
Realizing that won't work, Tony just tells her that he wanted to see her again while handing over the package to her.
She then accepts it, inviting him inside for espresso.
Tony accepts and before he goes, gives McGee the thumb-up while McGee just watches in shock.
At the bullpen, Kate's found out that Hamilton Voss and Joshua Lurie graduated from the same high school in the same year. Gibbs declares that it's official: Voss is alive and that he faked his own death in an accident where his old schoolmate could make the DNA ID and after that happened, Voss killed him.
Gibbs then realizes that Voss might be watching them given that he caught and murdered Pacci who was originally on Voss's trail. He then rings the phone at the house while Kate is left shocked.
Back at the house, McGee's listening to Tony talking to Voss when the phone rings.
It's Gibbs who wants DiNozzo but McGee then finally cracks and admits that DiNozzo is across the street and in the townhouse with Reed.
When Gibbs demands to know why DiNozzo's there, McGee tells him he really couldn't explain.
Gibbs then orders Kate to get Abby to put the video feed from the stakeout up onto the bullpen's plasma.
While Kate goes to that, Gibbs warns McGee that Voss might be out there, watching them like he watched Pacci.
McGee reacts to that by switching the phone to his right ear while his left hand covers his service weapon as he scans the lower street for any sign of Voss.
Back in the bullpen, the video feed shows DiNozzo and Reed hitting it off. Reed even goes one step further by inviting to a place called Paddy's Pub which is around the corner from her house and serves corned beef and beer.
While this happens, Gibbs and Kate watch the feed.
Kate's stunned at Tony's undercover name, "Stringfellow".
Gibbs just nods with her.
Unaware he's been caught out, DiNozzo zips back to the house, only to be confronted with an extremely-pissed off McGee who has a phone in his hand.
DiNozzo then asks if it's Gibbs.
McGee nods.
DiNozzo throws a fit and asks if they've been watching him.
McGee nods again and then gives DiNozzo the phone.
"Hey, boss", DiNozzo says.
Gibbs then demands to know what the hell DiNozzo's up to. DiNozzo defends himself, stating that he had an opening, it was a clear field and that he had to go for it.
Gibbs states, "Good".
And when DiNozzo ponders further, Gibbs tells him that he's the bait because Voss is out there, watching him like he watched Chris Pacci.
"Like he watched Chris", DiNozzo repeats.
Gibbs tells him to enjoy his date and stay out of elevators. He and Kate grab their things and then leave.
Back at the house, DiNozzo wants to know if McGee's covering for him.
McGee then gets his own back by pretending not to know how to pull the safety off but McGee assures he's just joking.
With that, the two Agents leave.
As Gibbs and Kate head into the elevator, Abby comes out and once she's told them she has information on who killed Pacci, Gibbs pulls her into the elevator.
Abby plays a little game for a while before telling them that Lt. Commander Hamilton Voss and Amanda Reed are the same person.
"She's a he?", Gibbs says.
Kate, like Gibbs is dumbstruck by the unexpected news but she's more stunned about the fact that Tony's on a date with a guy and when the lift has reached its stop, Gibbs rushes out, presumably heading into the bullpen again as Kate and Abby look on.
At Paddy's Pub, DiNozzo and Reed/Voss are getting cozy when DiNozzo's phone rings. It's Gibbs. Reed/Voss tells him that work hours are over and that it's time.
DiNozzo insists that he can't take the call from him but Reed/Voss shushes him. DiNozzo then realizes that he could call Gibbs back later and the two begin kissing one another while McGee who's sitting at the main area of the pub looks disgusted at the scene before requesting a Cola.
Gibbs and Kate are rushing to the car with Gibbs remarking that DiNozzo isn't answering.
Kate tells him that maybe he can't.
Back at the bar, DiNozzo and Reed/Voss are still kissing the Hell out of each other when they're interrupted by a waitress who brings them their food.
They then pull apart and Reed/Voss tells DiNozzo she's going to wash her hands before they eat with the two sharing a single kiss.
DiNozzo silently signals to McGee who's still shaking his head in disbelief.
DiNozzo, still on Cloud Nine finally answers his cell-phone with Gibbs furiously demanding to know why he couldn't answer the phone.
DiNozzo states that he couldn't and tells Gibbs that Amanda in in the Ladies Room.
Gibbs impatiently tells DiNozzo that Amanda is Lt. Commander Voss.
DiNozzo doesn't buy it for a second but Gibbs gets the point through to him by calling DiNozzo a bonehead before stating that the so-called woman of his dreams is really a man and that Reed/Voss is also packing a sub and knife which means that Tony's new girlfriend is responsible for Pacci's death.
DiNozzo hangs up and wipes his lips, his happiness now gone and it's been replaced by disgust and anger. Reed/Voss returns and states that she's hungry.
When DiNozzo isn't eating, he tells her that he lost his appetite and when Reed/Voss asks what's wrong, DiNozzo tells her he's not sure where to begin.
Reed/Voss is obviously confused and tries to get smoochy with DiNozzo, only for him to stop her.
DiNozzo then tells her to open her purse and in that second, all Hell breaks loose.
The gun goes off and everyone ducks for cover.
As DiNozzo tries to go after Reed/Voss, two big guys, believing he's harming an innocent woman tackle him.
McGee tries to get involved but can't because of the ruckus.
DiNozzo even gets a bottle smashed on the back of his head for his troubles.
Sensing the opportunity, Reed/Voss grabs her purse and tries to flee with Tony and McGee yelling to stop him or her.
Reed/Voss produces her gun and edges closer to the door, only to come face-to-face with Gibbs who is pointing his gun directly at her while Kate is in the background, her gun drawn.
Like Gibbs, Kate is disgusted.
In a tense stand-off, Gibbs tells Reed/Voss that the man she killed was Special Agent Chris Pacci and that he was a friend.
Reed/Voss attempts to raise her gun to get a shot off but Gibbs is too quick for her, instead shooting her in the forehead which sends Reed/Voss to the ground, dead and the rest of the people in the bar screaming.
Kate rushes forward and identifies herself, Gibbs, Tony and McGee as federal agents before demanding that Tony and McGee be let go.
Gibbs and Kate study Reed/Voss's body with Kate remarking that Voss didn't have a chance so why did he try?
Gibbs doesn't answer and heads off into the bar with Kate staring after him.
Back at NCIS HQ, Gibbs is going through Pacci's belongings. Kate asks him why. Gibbs tells her it's a force of habit and that he doesn't want Pacci's family getting a nasty surprise.
In the bullpen, Abby and McGee talk about different gender movies while Tony who's nursing his head with a bag of ice begs them to change the subject.
McGee tells them that they've got to hand it to Voss because for the last three years, he hid in plain sight as a woman.
Kate and Gibbs arrive into the bullpen with Kate remarking that Voss wasn't a woman just yet and that his surgery was supposed to take place next month in Bangkok.
Abby's at a loss of words for someone undergoing gender reassignment surgery.
Kate then talks to Tony and he assures he can take any question she has for him.
Refusing to waste the opportunity to make Tony wince, Kate approaches his desk, leans in and asks: "What was it like tonguing a guy?".
It then cuts to Tony who dumps the ice pack on the table and leaves, stating that he can't take it.
==Trivia==
*Tony's codename in this episode was "Stringfellow". This is a character from the the 1980s TV show "Airwolf". The full name of this pilot was "Stringfellow Hawke".
*At the end of the episode, Abby mentions two movies. The first, The Crying Game, is a movie about a British soldier who is kidnapped by the IRA. He escapes their custody, and tracks down his captor's girlfriend. He falls in love with her only to find out she is really a man. In the other movie, Victor/Victoria, Julie Andrews portrays an out-of-work opera singer who finds a job in a nightclub by pretending to be a female impersonator.
*McGee discovers an oak tree of a specific type is planted outside Amanda's house. He refers to it as Quercus Virginia. The actual name should be Quercus virginiana.
*Tony tells Amanda that he was in the Final Four with Ohio State, but lost to UCLA. Ohio State was never in the Final Four the same year as UCLA as far back as 1980. Ohio State was in the Final Four in 1999 and lost the eventual Champions UConn, and UCLA was in the Final Four in 1995, where they defeated Oklahoma State.
*When Ducky walks back to Pacci's body after talking to Gibbs about the foreign object in the x-ray and says, "That would be my guess, Jethro," you can see the abdomen rise as the actor inhales.
*When we first see Abby talking to Gibbs, watch right after she says "The gun's a virgin." Gibbs turns to leave and behind him you can see part of a man's shoulder and torso. This is obviously a crew person as no-one else is in the room at the time.
==Cast==
===Series Regulars===
Name 	Portrayed by 	Role
Leroy Jethro Gibbs 	Mark Harmon 	An NCIS Special Agent in charge of the main NCIS Major Case Response Team.
Caitlin Todd 	Sasha Alexander 	A Secret Service Agent previously assigned to the Presidential Protection Detail on Air Force One and who is now an NCIS Special Agent as well as Tony DiNozzo's partner.
Anthony DiNozzo Junior	Michael Weatherly	The Senior Agent of the main NCIS Major Case Response Team and also the second-in-command.
Abigail Sciuto 	Pauley Perrette 	A Goth who is also the Chief Forensic Scientist for the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
Donald Mallard 	David McCallum 	NCIS's Chief Medical Examiner.
===Recurring Cast===
Name 	Portrayed by 	Role
Timothy McGee 	Sean Murray (actor)	NCIS Agent stationed at the Norfolk Naval Base.
Christopher Pacci	Tim Kelleher 	An NCIS Special Agent and also the murder victim.
Ari Haswari 	Rudolf Martin 	Terrorist. Archive footage. Uncredited role.
===Guest Cast===
Name 	Portrayed by 	Role
Amanda Reed 	Jamie Luner 	A woman who was once a former Supply Officer named Hamilton Voss, scheduled to undergo gender reassignment surgery in a month, in hopes of making a new life for herself.
Graves 	Fredric Lehne 	Captain in the United States Navy assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Pat Stone 	Cristine Rose 	A real estate agent.
Hanley 	John Marshall Jones	A Police Detective.
Norm 	Edmund L. Shaff 	The manager of the building opposite Voss/Reed's home.
George Trimmets 	Loren Lazerine 	A Security Guard in the building.
George (Dead Man Talking)	Richard Augustine 	A janitor in the building where Pacci's body is found.
Jason Patel 	Nick Jaine 	A Medical Examiner Assistant who helps Ducky.
Sailor 	Koco Limbevski 	Uncredited role.
  v—[ e]—dNCIS Season 1
♦ Ice Queen (episode) ♦ Meltdown (episode) ♦ NCIS: The Beginning (episode) ♦ Yankee White (episode) ♦ Hung Out to Dry (episode) ♦ Seadog (episode) ♦ The Immortals (episode) ♦ The Curse (episode) ♦ High Seas (episode) ♦ Sub Rosa (episode) ♦ Minimum Security (episode) ♦ Marine Down (episode) ♦ Left for Dead (episode) ♦ Eye Spy (episode) ♦ My Other Left Foot (episode) ♦ One Shot, One Kill (episode) ♦ The Good Samaritan (episode) ♦ Enigma (episode) ♦ Bête Noire (episode) ♦ The Truth Is Out There (episode) ♦ UnSEALeD (episode) ♦ Dead Man Talking (episode) ♦ Missing (episode) ♦ Split Decision (episode) ♦ A Weak Link (episode) ♦ Reveille (episode)
Category:NCIS Episodes
Category:NCIS Season 1 Episodes
Category:NCIS Episodes written by George Schenck
Category:NCIS Episodes written by Frank Cardea
Category:NCIS Episodes directed by Dennis Smith
Category:NCIS Episodes featuring Timothy McGee