NCIS: NEW ORLEANS "SONGBIRD"
Written by
Emily Wahlund
612.281.5463 [email protected] COLD OPEN FROM BLACK:
FLASH - TWO TONE OF PRIDE CONTEMPLATING WHO WANTED THE VICTIM DEAD... PHOOF TO BLACK: FADE IN:
EXT. FRENCH QUARTER - NIGHT UP-TEMPO JAZZ plays over sweeping views of a crazy night life. New Orleans is alive! The streets are lit up. People are out looking for a good time. A GROUP of HOT GIRLS pass a group of ROWDY GUYS, giving each other cat calls. Musicians are on the corner rockin’ out while people sing and clap. It’s a party everywhere you look.
INT. GOOD TIMES BAR - NIGHT QUICK POPS of the busy bar... - Rowdy CUSTOMERS cheering and laughing. - Band members JULIO ESPINOZA (31, Mexican, handsome, great smile) on guitar, LAURA GIBBONS (33, tall, pretty, exudes strength) on bass, and MAX YOUNG (30, slim, nerdy, nebbish) on piano play the up-tempo song. It’s clear they love what they do. - BARTENDERS pouring shot after shot. - CUSTOMERS dancing like no one is watching. END POPS PETTY OFFICER TESS BRADY (31, African American, beautiful, with a voice that would stop anyone in their tracks) SINGS in a sexy red dress. TESS And I said, baby, take one last good look at me! Cause I gone done cried the last tear over yoooooouu!!!! Brady holds the last note and the crowd goes wild. With one sharp THUD of the bass drum, the song is over. 2.
INT. GOOD TIMES HALLWAY/BAR - NIGHT BEN YOUNG (50’s, simple man, kind face, always looks tired) WHISTLES the same song as he closes the door to the office, walks down the hallway and out to the main bar. Tess is on the STAGE sitting at the piano. Still in her sexy dress, she’s surrounded by sheet music and is plunking out a new, slow ballad. TESS (singing to herself) Our love is the dangerous kind... BEN Killed it tonight, Tess. TESS Thanks, Ben. I won’t be too much longer. Just wanna finish this verse. BEN Take your time. Lock up when you leave. Ben SHUTS OFF the bar lights and leaves. The stage is DIMLY LIT by a GHOST LAMP. TESS (singing) If love is a crime then we’re both the criminals. The silhouette of a SHADOWY FIGURE stands in the hallway leading to the back entrance behind Tess. The figure slowly creeps closer to Tess as she plays. TESS (CONT’D) (singing) Sharing the blame... CLOSE UP on the GARROTE in the figure’s hand. Tess stops playing the piano, picks up a nearby PENCIL and writes on the sheet music in front of her. Suddenly, the garrote is around Tess’s neck. The shadowy figure pulls TIGHT. Tess fights back, failing. Sheet music flies everywhere. As they struggle, they both inadvertently hit PIANO KEYS making a dissonant sound. 3.
The figure takes Tess to the ground, hitting Tess’s head HARD on the piano bench on the way. After one more long, fierce pull, Tess succumbs and lies motionless. ANGLE ON Tess’s face in the FOREGROUND, the shadowy figure running away in the BACKGROUND and exiting out the back door. END OF COLD OPEN SMASH CUT TO: MAIN TITLES FROM BLACK:
INT. NCIS OFFICE - DAY It’s morning. TAMMY GREGORIO just sits down to her desk with a CUP OF COFFEE in hand. She takes a moment to enjoy the QUIET. Moment over. She HEARS CHRISTOPHER LeSalle and SONJA PERCY approaching from outside, mid-argument. PERCY (O.S.) I’m entitled to my own opinion. LESALLE (O.S.) Just know that your opinion is wrong. PERCY (V.O.) Did you ever think for a second that maybe your opinion is wrong? LESALLE No! Gregorio, with a roll of her eyes, starts her daily paperwork. LeSalle and Percy enter, still going at it. LeSalle (CONT’D) Percy, Willie Mae’s is the best fried chicken. Hands down. The Coco- Cola brine cannot be beat! PERCY It’s good. I admit. But I still like Dooky Chase better. 4.
LESALLE I think we need a side-by-side comparison. PERCY LeSalle, I’m not changing my mind. LESALLE Gregorio, tell Percy she’s crazy. GREGORIO In my experience, most women don’t like to be called the C-word. LESALLE Alright, fine. Then tell us your favorite. GREGORIO I don’t like fried chicken. LeSalle and Percy freeze. PERCY Okay, for real? I’m about to call you the C-word. GREGORIO What? It’s just not my thing. LESALLE Not your thing? That’s like saying happiness is not your thing. Next you’re gonna tell me you don’t like gumbo. Gregorio shrugs. LESALLE (CONT’D) Okay, we’re done here. LeSalle’s phone RINGS. He answers it. PERCY You’re asking for it, Gregorio. GREGORIO Asking for what? PERCY Christopher isn’t going to leave you alone now. New Orleans food is his thing. If he loves it, he wants you to love it, too. 5.
GREGORIO Okaaaay. PERCY All I’m saying is, I hope you’re hungry. LeSalle hangs up and starts to walk out. LESALLE C’mon. We got a body. PERCY I’ll drive. LESALLE Don’t need to. It’s just around the corner.
EXT. STREET - DAY LeSalle, Percy, and Gregorio walk down the street. LESALLE (to Gregorio) You have had real New Orleans fried chicken before? GREGORIO Yes, LeSalle. I used to live here. Remember? LESALLE That was a while ago. You should try it again. They say your taste buds change every seven years-- PRECY Told you, Gregorio.
EXT./INT. GOOD TIMES BAR - DAY LeSalle, Gregorio and Percy approach DWAYNE PRIDE outside. LESALLE What we got? (then, to Gregorio) Besides someone who doesn’t like happiness? They walk into the bar. 6.
PRIDE I just got here myself. Was over at Willie Jean getting a cup of coffee when I got the call. GREGORIO Coffee! Now there’s something I like! Gregorio playfully grins at LeSalle. LORETTA WADE is there. WADE Petty Officer First Class Tess Brady, currently on leave from Kings Bay. Pride and Wade walk to Tess’s body as they talk. LeSalle gets to work taking pictures. PRIDE Tess Brady was in the Navy? GREGORIO You know her? PRIDE We’ve never been formally introduced. But lots of people know Tess. Great singer. Draws a crowd. They kneel down by the body. CLICK - FLASH! - CLOSE UP OF TESS’S FACE WADE Body was discovered this morning by the owner, Ben Young. Based on clotting, I’d say TOD was around 3am. She fought hard with her assailant. Some pre-mortem bruising and as well as a contusion on her head. CLICK - FLASH! - THE CUT ON HER HEAD WADE (CONT’D) But I doubt that’s what killed her. My bet is that it was this-- CLICK- FLASH! - RED LINE AROUND HER NECK 7.
PRIDE She was strangled. WADE No ligature was found. Once I get her back to the lab, I should be able to tell you what her killer used. Pride stares at Tess’s body, lost in thought. WADE (CONT’D) You okay? PRIDE Yeah. Just such a talent. It’s a loss for all of New Orleans. Gregorio approaches Pride. GREGORIO We got the owner over here. Pride and Gregorio make their way to Ben, who’s sitting at the bar, in shock. PRIDE You’re the owner? BEN Yeah. Ben Young. Pride shows his badge. PRIDE I’m NCIS agent Pride. This is agent Gregorio. You’re the one who found Officer Brady this morning? BEN Yes, sir. Right where I left her last night. She played her usual Tuesday night gig, but she likes to stay late and work on songs. Always felt like her creativity was strongest after a performance. I told her to just lock up when she left. GREGORIO So, you were the last person to see her? 8.
BEN I guess. PRIDE She had keys? BEN Tess was considerate, she didn’t want to disturb her neighbors with her playing. I told her she could practice here whenever she wanted. PRIDE Does anyone else have keys? BEN Most of my staff do, too. I can’t be here all the time. But we’re a family around here. I trust everyone. GREGORIO Maybe that was your first mistake. Percy joins. PERCY No sign of burglary. There’s money still in the register. Pride notices SECURITY CAMERAS above with a SIGN that says, “SMILE, YOU’RE ON CAMERA”. PRIDE We’ll need to see the footage from those. BEN Oh, I’m afraid those don’t work. They did work. Before Katrina. Then water got into the wiring. I keep meaning to get them fixed. PRIDE That’s playing with fire. A busy bar’s got a lot of liabilities. BEN Oh, I know. Thankfully, people tend to be on better behavior if they think they’re being watched. 9.
PRIDE We’ll let you know if we have anymore questions. Pride, Gregorio and Percy walk away. They join LeSalle on the stage. PERCY Kinda strange, isn’t it? The owner doesn’t have security cameras and gives keys out to anyone and everyone? GREGORIO He was just begging for something to happen. PRIDE Well, this something was no accident. LeSalle takes pictures of the piano bench. LESALLE I found blood over here. Pride examines it. PRIDE Probably where Brady hit her head when she was attacked. GREGORIO By a killer that could have entered from anywhere. PRIDE Sonja, check other cameras in the area, see if they picked up anything coming in or out around 3am. Sonja nods and is off. PERCY So, we have Officer Brady, sitting at the piano. Her assailant attacks from behind. Takes her to the ground, then runs. No robbery. No destruction of property. LESALLE So, this was planned. 10.
GREGORIO And whoever it was was familiar with her routine. LESALLE And the layout. PRIDE And had one mission. Silence our songbird.
PRIDE CONTEMPLATING WHO WANTED OFFICER BRADY DEAD... PHOOF TO BLACK: END OF TEASER 11.
ACT ONE FROM BLACK:
FLASH - TWO TONE OF LESALLE, OUT OF BREATH, HOLDING A TROMBONE... PHOOF TO BLACK:
INT. NCIS STATION - DAY Pride, LeSalle, Percy and Gregorio look at the PLASMA which displays a PICTURE of Tess as well as her NAVY FILE INFORMATION. PRIDE Petty officer First Class Tess Brady. Served three tours in Iraq. Awarded the Good Conduct Medal. When she wasn’t fighting for our country or playing music, she spent her time volunteering for Habitat For Humanity. Pride, using the REMOTE, clicks to a PICTURE of Brady building a house with a group of volunteers. PRIDE (CONT’D) This is from their website. PERCY So, she was basically a saint. PRIDE With the voice of an angel. LESALLE I saw her perform once. Had the whole place on their feet, singing along. Except me. I’m tone deaf. GREGORIO No demonstration needed, thank you. Off a PICTURE of a NAVAL CHOIR Pride clicks to... PRIDE Member of the Navy Choir Sea Chanters. Performed everywhere, from national events to the Kennedy Center Honors. 12.
Off a PICTURE of Tess and her band... PRIDE (CONT’D) Currently performs all over New Orleans with the band The High Notes, but has a residency at the bar and crime scene Good Times. PERCY Who are the band members? Off PICTURES of three individuals... PRIDE Julio Espinoza on guitar, Laura Gibbons on bass, and Max Young on drums. LESALLE Now, I might not be able to sing. But drums? That I can do. GREGORIO Again, no demonstration needed. PRIDE Background check on all of them comes up clean except for Max who had a DUI five years ago. No casualties. Did his community service. Patton enters with a TABLET. PATTON Checked her online footprint. Not much info there, although according to Facebook, she’s single. Off PICTURES of her and the band that Patton throws up from the tablet... PATTON (CONT’D) Both that and Instagram are mostly just pictures and postings of the band. Nothing political, no shade throwing. Brady had a ton of followers and they all loved her. GREGORIO Maybe one of those followers loved her too much. 13.
PRIDE Obsession? It’s possible. (then) Gregorio, check with NOPD, find out where she lived and if any suspicious activity in the neighborhood has been reported. GREGORIO I’ll talk to the neighbors. See if they saw anything. LESALLE Pick up some fried chicken on the way! Gregorio shoots him a look. PERCY He’s not gonna let it go. LESALLE You don’t know what you’re missing! PRIDE LeSalle, check her phone records. Let’s see who she was in communication with. Percy, you’re with me. Let’s see what Loretta has for us. Everyone scatters.
INT. LAB HALLWAY/LAB - DAY Pride and Percy walk down the hall. PERCY I hate to say it, but this whole thing has gotta be good for your bar. PRIDE What do you mean? PERCY A dead body isn’t exactly good for business. You have one less competitor. 14.
PRIDE That’s not the way I look at it. See, New Orleans is built on the service industry, a sense of community. We all want each other to succeed. When a crime like this happens, that sense of community, of feeling safe, is threatened. And so is our livelihood. They enter the lab. Dr. Wade stands over the Officer Brady’s body. PRIDE (CONT’D) Tell us you got something. WADE Rigor confirms her time of death, which was caused by compression to the laryngopharynx causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. PRIDE Strangulation. Wade nods. FLASH - CLOSE UP ON TESS’S HEAD AND SHOULDERS WADE What is still unknown is the ligature. I’ll have Sebastian do the fiber analysis when he’s finished. PERCY Finished with what? WADE Examining the finding from underneath Officer Brady’s fingernails. (sighs) And.... Wade signals with her gaze at the lab across the hallway. Through the WINDOW they see SEBASTIAN LUND wearing ear buds and rocking out on AIR GUITAR. PERCY Is he having a seizure? 15.
Pride, Percy and Wade all stare at him until Sebastian notices. He sheepishly waves and comes into the room where they are. SEBASTIAN Oh, hey guys, sorry, I was just practicing. PERCY Practicing being possessed? WADE Sebastian here is entering a guitar competition. PRIDE I didn’t know you played guitar. SEBASTIAN Oh, yeah, I’ve rocked out on the air guitar for years. PERCY Excuse me? SEBASTIAN Air guitar. I’m practicing for the world championship. Well, first I need to submit a one minute audition video to be considered. Except, I can’t decide if I wanna do “Freebird” or “November Rain”. PERCY Why not learn to play a real guitar? SEBASTIAN That’s the beauty of air guitar. You can completely embody the music without playing an actual instrument. (then) Also, real guitars hurt my fingers. I tried to develop callouses, but I keep my skin too well moisturized. WADE It’s also less expensive and less noise. 16.
PRIDE Well, after your next set break, do you think you can do a fiber analysis for us? SEBASTIAN You got it. I was able to figure out what was underneath her fingernails. PRIDE Skin? SEBASTIAN No, paint. Well, actually nitrocellulose that's been dissolved in butyl acetate. Beat. Sebastian thinks everyone knows what that is. PERCY Keep going. SEBASTIAN Oh, sorry, lacquer. You know, wood finishing? Except what’s interesting about this particular lacquer is that it’s blue. PRIDE Blue? SEBASTIAN Yeah, which doesn’t match any of the furniture at the bar. PERCY That could have come from anywhere. Any place she was previously in the day. PRIDE Let’s see what the fiber analysis tells us. Maybe that will lead us to our blue furniture. Pride’s phone RINGS. PRIDE (CONT’D) Gregorio. Pride steps away to take the call. 17.
PERCY So, what happens if you win the air guitar championship? SEBASTIAN Fame, fortune... WADE An air trophy? SEBASTIAN You know, it’s not just guitar. There’s air piano, air tuba-- PERCY I’m just gonna stick to breathing air. Thanks. Pride comes back. PRIDE Gregorio said there wasn’t any suspicious activity in the neighborhood. But NOPD did find something else suspicious at Tess’s apartment. PERCY What? PRIDE A gun. And not just any gun. An AK- 47. PERCY An assault rifle? PRIDE Except is wasn’t registered to Brady. It was registered to Ben Young. (then) Sonja, check out the street surveillance. See if there’s anything else there. Gregorio and I are gonna pay Ben a visit.
EXT. STREET - DAY Pride and Gregorio walk down the street toward Good Times. 18.
GREGORIO Brady’s apartment was clean. No sign of a break in or disturbance. PRIDE Just the deadly weapon that belongs to her boss. GREGORIO It was weird, her place is right across the street from where I used to live. PRIDE With your husband? GREGORIO Ex-husband. PRIDE Bring back memories? GREGORIO Unfortunately.
INT. GOOD TIMES BAR - DAY They enter Good Times. Ben is talking to Tess’s band members Julio, Max and Laura on the stage. Julio is especially upset. Feeling the delicateness of the situation, Pride and Gregorio pause for a moment, then proceed slowly. PRIDE Excuse us, Ben? BEN Oh, Agent Pride. Sorry. I just... well, this is Tess’s band. (then, to the band) Guys, these are the agents that are working on Tess’s case. PRIDE I’m so sorry for your loss. JULIO I don’t understand. It just doesn’t make sense. Everyone loved Tess. LAURA Who would do this? 19.
PRIDE We’re gonna find that out. (then) Ben, can we talk to you for a moment? BEN Of course. (then, to the band) I’ll be right back, guys. Ben walks away with Pride and Gregorio to the bar top so they can talk in private. BEN (CONT’D) This has been tough, and I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to do in this situation. We’re closed now, but when do I open again? I still have a business to run. And what do I tell people? GREGORIO We’ve got another question for you. What’s up with the gun we found at Tess’s place? BEN What gun? PRIDE An AK-47 assault rifle. It’s registered to you. BEN Oh, that. Well... um. I gave it to Tess. For protection. GREGORIO Protection? PRIDE From who? BEN Tess had a lot of fans. Some of them were a little over zealous. To the point that it made her uncomfortable. I thought the gun might make her feel safer. GREGORIO Why not a handgun then? 20.
BEN I dunno. Honestly, I don’t know a whole lot about guns. The guy at the store told me that that gun would defend against anyone. GREGORIO And their entire army. BEN I told Tess to get the registration changed. Guess she never got around to it. Julio, Laura and Max approach. PRIDE Was there any fan in particular that Tess ever felt threatened by? BEN I don’t-- LAURA He wasn’t a fan. But Tess did feel threated by him. (then) Sorry, we overheard what you guys were talking about. GREGORIO Can you give us a name? MAX Seth Childs. He’s the drummer I replaced in the band. JULIO Seth was obsessed with Tess. And when she told him she didn’t feel the same way, he got real mad. Had to send him packing. GREGORIO Did he ever hurt her? LAURA Not that I know. But he did start following her around. Showing up at all of our gigs. Calling her all the time. She was really creeped out. 21.
JULIO Even thought about getting a restraining order against him. GREGORIO Angry and scorned? PRIDE Could be our motive. (then) Thanks, guys. Pride and Gregorio walk away. PRIDE (CONT’D) Have Chris and Sonja track down Seth. There’s something else that doesn’t sit right with me.
EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY LeSalle and Percy get out of their car and walk toward a music store. LESALLE I mean, I guess I can buy the whole not liking fried chicken thing. You know, if you’re one of those healthy types. But gumbo? Come on! PERCY Is this a bad time to tell you that I don’t like po’ boys? LeSalle looks at her in shock. PERCY (CONT’D) I’m kidding! I just wanted to see the look on your face. LESALLE All I’m sayin’ is that Gregorio obviously hasn’t had the gumbo from Galatorie’s. PERCY I prefer the gumbo at Dooky Chase. LESALLE You know, there are places in New Orleans besides Dooky Chase. 22.
PERCY I know. But why go anywhere else when everything they have there is the best?
INT. MUSIC STORE - DAY LeSalle and Percy enter and go up to an EMPLOYEE. They flash their badges. LESALLE NCIS. Is there a Seth Childs that works here? EMPLOYEE Yeah, but I think he’s helping someone out right now. PERCY Thanks. LeSalle and Percy head toward the back passing the drums, which LeSalle eyes. PERCY (CONT’D) Don’t even think about it. They both spot SETH CHILDS (35, rugged looks, tousled long hair) helping a CUSTOMER pick out a guitar. LESALLE Seth Childs! NCIS. We’ve got a couple questions for you. Seth sees them and BOLTS. PERCY Cut him off at the entrance! Percy chases Seth through an instrument display. Seth knocks over GUITARS, CELLOS, and other INSTRUMENTS trying to stop Percy. Percy JUMPS over them, but trips on a fallen TUBA. PERCY (CONT’D) Stop! Seth runs between two tall BOOKCASES toward the BACK DOOR. At the end LeSalle, concealed by the bookcase, sticks out a TROMBONE, clothes-lining Seth SPLAT on the ground. Percy is there. She turns him over and hand-cuffs him. 23.
LESALLE Sorry, buddy, no encore today.
FLASH - TWO TONE OF LESALLE, OUT OF BREATH, HOLDING A TROMBONE... PHOOF TO BLACK: END OF ACT ONE 24.
ACT TWO FROM BLACK:
FLASH - PRIDE LOOKING DISTRAUGHT. SOMETHING AWFUL JUST HAPPENED... PHOOF TO BLACK:
EXT./INT. NCIS INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY LeSalle and Percy stand outside of the interrogation room looking in at Seth through the window. PERCY The guy just got arrested. What’s up with the smug look? LESALLE I know the type. Thinks he’s super smooth. That being a musician makes him a rock star. Invincible. PERCY Gimme a break. LESALLE It’s true. Hate to admit it, but I used to think like that. Back in my wild days. PERCY Back when you were a little drummer boy? LESALLE Point is, I wised up. Pride and Gregorio enter. GREGORIO This is Seth? PERCY Yep. And if you don’t remove that look from his face, I will. PRIDE Anything else? 25.
LESALLE I got Officer Brady’s phone records. She had a long conversation yesterday before her gig with Julio Espinoza. PRIDE The guitarist? LESALLE As well as other calls and several text messages. PRIDE They are in a band together. LESALLE Except most of the texts were more... personal. GREGORIO No one said that they were seeing each other. LESALLE LeSalle, Percy, you did such a good job bringing in our first Romeo, why don’t you go talk to our second. (re: Seth) Gregorio and I will take care of this one. LeSalle and Percy nod and leave.
INT. NCIS INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY Pride and Gregorio enter the interrogation room. PRIDE So, Seth, you wanna tell us how long you’d been following Tess for? SETH Who the hell are you? GREGORIO Charming. SETH What does this have to do with Tess? 26.
PRIDE She was murdered. Seth takes the news in. PRIDE (CONT’D) We did a little research on you, Seth. Two charges of stalking brought on by different women, coupled with two restraining orders. GREGORIO That means they weren’t interested. SETH Those charges don’t mean I killed Tess, if that’s what you’re getting at. Besides, those chicks were being dramatic. It’s a small town. People show up in the same place all the time. PRIDE Generally not at someone’s pilates class, then work, then back door. SETH Whatever. Men are hunters. They like to chase. GREGORIO Not all women wanna get caught. PRIDE Where were you last night? SETH French Quarter. Out with buddies. GREGORIO French Quarter, eh? Close to Good Times? Where you know Tess played? SETH No. I was at Lucky’s all night. GREGORIO We’ll check on that. SETH Can I go? 27.
PRIDE No. Pride and Gregorio leave.
EXT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY Pride and Gregorio walk toward the office. PRIDE Contact Lucky’s. See if his story holds up. GREGORIO Even if he didn’t kill Tess, I’m with Percy. I wanna put him away just for being a sleaze ball.
INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - DAY LeSalle and Percy walk down the hallway of an upscale apartment complex. LESALLE This is a pretty nice place. PERCY Yeah. I didn’t realize being a guitarist paid so well. LESALLE Me neither. (then) You know, if you wanna hit up Dooky Chase after this, we’re not too far. PERCY Oh, I know. They come to Julio Espinoza’s door. Percy KNOCKS. LESALLE So, you wanna go? PERCY I’d rather go with someone who appreciates it for what it is. The best. Laura opens the door. 28.
LeSalle NCIS agents LeSalle and Percy. We’re looking for Julio. LAURA Oh, yeah, he’s my roommate. I’m Laura, one of Tess’s band members. I met two of your other agents yesterday. PERCY Is Julio here? LAURA Yeah. Come on in. LeSalle and Percy enter. The apartment has music paraphernalia everywhere; ten different guitars on the wall, two record players, a HUGE collection of records, rock/blues/jazz posters. These people live for music. LAURA (CONT’D) (calling out) Julio! (then) I was actually just on my way out. Unless you guys need anything from me. Julio comes out of his room. JULIO Hey, what’s going on? PERCY NCIS. We have some questions for you. JULIO Yeah, sure. LAURA I’ll give you guys some privacy. Laura leaves. JULIO Am I in trouble? LESALLE What did you do after your gig last night? 29.
JULIO A hung around Good Times, had a couple beers. Then came home, went to bed. PERCY Can anyone back that up? JULIO The band saw me leave. I was already asleep by the time Laura got home. LESALLE Phone records show that you and Tess talked frequently. JULIO Yeah, we talked about the band. PERCY You talked about more than that in your text messages. JULIO Hey, those are private. PERCY Not when there’s a murder investigation. LeSalle and Percy give Julio the stare down. JULIO Okay, yeah, Tess and I started something a while ago. LESALLE Anyone not happy about you two being together? JULIO We keep it under raps. Didn’t want to make things weird with the band. So many great groups split up because someone’s heart got broken and everyone started taking sides. It was actually Tess’s idea not to tell anyone. Julio looks at the guitars on the wall. 30.
JULIO (CONT’D) I was teaching her how to play guitar, you know. She was getting really good. LESALLE You’ve got quite the collection. Julio walks over to one of the guitars. JULIO This one is from the 1920s. Spanish guitar. Beautiful, warm sound. I got a guy back home in Mexico who makes the string himself. Was planning on taking Tess next time I went. PERCY We’ll be checking surveillance to make sure you left when you say you did. JULIO Go ahead. I got nothing to hide. LeSalle and Percy are about to leave when... JULIO (CONT’D) Look, I know my alibi isn’t the strongest, but you gotta believe me when I say that I would never hurt Tess.
INT. NCIS OFFICE - DAY Gregorio comes in. Percy is looking at the PLASMA. GREGORIO Any luck with surveillance? PERCY Along with Seth, I need to check surveillance for Julio, too. But it’s more challenging than expected. GREGORIO Why’s that? PERCY gestures to the screen showing serval different SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ANGLES. 31.
PERCY There’s cameras on the street outside, but none in the alley that leads to the back door. And none pointing to the alley entrance. GREGORIO And the good news? Percy shrugs. GREGORIO (CONT’D) Wonderful. (then) Where’s LeSalle? PERCY Said he had to pick something up. GREGORIO Wait, so why we putting the press on Julio? PERCY Turns out him and Tess had a little somethin’ somethin’ going. GREGORIO Love gone wrong? PERCY Maybe. (then) Speaking of, where we at with our other lover boy? GREGORIO He didn’t kill Brady. Said he was at an after hours club. PERCY And it checked out? GREGORIO Yeah. But he still got his. One of the women who has a restraining order against him was at the club, too. She’s a bartender there. PERCY I doubt that was a coincidence. 32.
GREGORIO So does NOPD. They’re having a little chat with him right now. LeSalle enters. LESALLE I have returned, and I come bearing gifts! GREGORIO Well, if you insist... LeSalle goes to Gregorio’s desk and sets down a small box. LESALLE Beignets from Cafe Du Monde. GREGORIO (unimpressed) Oh. LESALLE Oh, come on! Everyone likes beignets! It’s the perfect dessert! GREGORIO No, thanks. I’m sweet enough already. LESALLE You’ve at least gotta try it. GREGORIO I’ve had them before. My ex-husband used to love them. We would go there every Sunday and... (then) Now they just remind me of him. Gregorio goes back to her work. LeSalle looks at Gregorio. He starts to put together the connection to the food and her ex. Pride comes in from another room. PRIDE Hold on, guys. I think I got something. I wasn’t buying Ben giving Tess an AK-47 for protection, so I followed up on where he got the gun from. On the PLASMA, VIDEO of Ben loading guns into his car. 33.
PRIDE (CONT’D) That’s Ben, outside of Anderson’s Pawn Shop, with over a hundred various assault rifles. LESALLE Are they even allowed to sell those? PRIDE If they’re manufactured between 1934 and 1986. But people can get around it by using parts of the older guns in newer models and still sell them. Legal loophole. PERCY I’m guessing all those guns aren’t for his friends. LESALLE And not for protection. PRIDE There’s only one group that wants those kinds of firearms in bulk. GREGORIO Cartel. PRIDE Precisely. Patton enters with a TABLET. PATTON I did a dump of Officer Brady’s phone. PRIDE Find anything? PATTON No. (then) Not at first. But you know double P always delivers. LESALLE What did you find? 34.
PATTON Phone was clean, until I restored it to it’s last back-up, which included files she had deleted. Patton throws what’s on the tablet to the PLASMA. PHOTOGRAPHS of a STORAGE LOCKER filled with guns. Patton scrolls through more PHOTOS of rifles. PERCY Boom! Pictures of a storage facility packed with weapons. Along with a shot of each one by itself. The slide show ends with another PHOTO of the storage locker. LESALLE Like she was putting the guns on display. To show someone. PRIDE Or to sell it. GREGORIO Hey, I know that storage facility. PERCY You do? GREGORIO Yeah, I was just there two weeks ago. I had some stuff shipped from DC and I was looking at a place to store it. Gregorio points to a vent in the picture. GREGORIO (CONT’D) I chose this one because of their state of the art cooling system. It monitors the temperature outside in order to regulate it inside. With the Louisiana heat, I didn’t want any of my belongings getting warped. PRIDE LeSalle, Percy get a warrant issued and go check it out. 35.
PATTON Hold up! I’m not even done yet! Officer Brady would record all of her song writing sessions on an app on her phone. First off, girl could sing! PRIDE And? Patton goes to a COMPUTER. He clicks and a SOUND WAVE FILE plays. PATTON And... this. TESS (V.O.) (singing) Why you gotta bring me down, baby? Why you gotta bring me so low? Why you gotta-- The phone RINGS. TESS Hey, Ben, yeah, we’re good to go. Delivery is tomorrow. (pause) Yeah, I gave him the keys to the storage. (pause) Okay, let me know if you need anything else. Patton clicks the computer screen again. PERCY The phone kept recording. PATTON Yep. LESALLE So, Tess was involved in selling guns to the Cartel with Ben. PATTON And “him”. There was someone else. GREGORIO Maybe something went wrong, and it got her killed. 36.
PRIDE Perhaps our songbird wasn’t the angel everyone thought she was.
INT. STORAGE FACILITY - DAY LeSalle and Percy walk down a long hallway. LESALLE Gregorio wasn’t kidding. This place is nice. Hot out there, but nice and cool in here. PERCY I would like it, too. If I didn’t know that it was housing several hundred firearms meant for the Cartel. LESALLE Aw, you just don’t like it because it’s not Dooky Chase. They reach the locker. LESALLE (CONT’D) Here it is. Number one fifty seven. LeSalle opens the garage-like door. It’s empty. PERCY Where are all the guns? LESALLE They must be on the move.
EXT. FRENCH QUARTER - DAY Pride and Gregorio walk down the street. PRIDE Now, I don’t wanna jump to conclusions, but I heard that you don’t like fried chicken. GREGORIO Nope. PRIDE Or gumbo. 37.
GREGORIO Not for me. PRIDE Or beignets. GREGORIO Is there something wrong with that? PRIDE It’s just a little unusual. Those are all staples of New Orleans. GREGORIO Yeah, well... PRIDE Did you used to like them? Back when you were with McKinley? GREGORIO That was a long time ago. PRIDE You’re right. GREGORIO I feel a talk coming on. PRIDE All I’m saying is maybe it’s time to let that past go. Stop punishing yourself for what your husband did, and allow yourself to fall in love with New Orleans again.
INT. GOOD TIMES BAR - DAY The bar is open, with only a few CUSTOMERS. Pride and Gregorio enter and go straight to the bar where Ben is polishing glasses. PRIDE Ben, we have some more questions for you. GREGORIO Yeah. Like you wanna tell us why we have footage of you loading a lot more than one assault rifle into your car? 38.
BEN Oh, um... Ben TAKES OFF down the back hallway. Pride and Gregorio give each other a quick, confused, glance before following him. GREGORIO Dammit. Pride and Gregorio CHASE after Ben, who heads to the office.
INT. GOOD TIMES OFFICE - DAY Ben runs behind the desk, opens a drawer, takes out a hand gun and puts it to his temple. Pride and Gregorio enter and FREEZE. BEN Don’t come any closer! GREGORIO Ben, put the gun down! BEN I didn’t kill Tess! PRIDE If you didn’t kill Tess then there’s no reason anyone here needs to get hurt. BEN You don’t understand. They’re gonna come for me. PRIDE Who’s they? Did they murder Tess? BEN Either way. I’m dead. BANG! Ben shoots himself in the head. Pride and Gregorio recoil.
FLASH - PRIDE LOOKING DISTRAUGHT... PHOOF TO BLACK: END OF ACT TWO 39.
ACT THREE FROM BLACK:
FLASH - TWO TONE OF PRIDE, PERCY AND GREGORIO AT THE OPEN BACK DOOR OF A VAN FILLED WITH GUNS... PHOOF TO BLACK:
INT. GOOD TIMES OFFICE - DAY The office is a frenzy. Several POLICE OFFICERS are at work, confiscating the gun and taking it into evidence, stringing CAUTION TAPE, checking the desk drawers and taking PICTURES of the scene. Pride and Wade are the only stillness in the room as they stand over Ben’s body. WADE Well, no mystery here. Single, self- inflicted gun shot wound to the head. PRIDE There still is one mystery. Who was Officer Brady and Ben’s accomplice in dealing with the Cartel? WADE Wait, Brady was involved with the Cartel? PRIDE Her and Ben were trading arms. WADE So, you think the Cartel killed Officer Brady? PRIDE Or the third individual. My guess is they made a deal. Something went wrong. Either they’re not able to make good on the trade or someone felt slighted. Gregorio approaches them with papers. GREGORIO I think I may have just figured out why Ben got involved in the first place. (MORE) 40. GREGORIO (CONT'D) Turns out he was deep in debt. Made some bad investments. Owed back rent on the bar. Probably used the gun trade to get him out of the hole. WADE Why was officer Brady involved? PRIDE Another mystery. WADE Actually, I have one more to add to the list. Sebastian has had some trouble identifying the fibers from the ligature used to kill Brady. PRIDE A new synthetic material? WADE Not that we can tell. It appears to be natural. PRIDE Looks like we all still have something that needs figuring out.
INT. NCIS OFFICE - DAY Pride looks at Brady’s photo and background check on the PLASMA. Gregorio and Percy both sit at their desks. PRIDE I can’t figure out the criminal connection between Brady and Ben, besides the fact that she sang at his bar. PERCY It’s weird, she had such a squeaky clean past. GREGORIO Doesn’t make any sense for her to be in the gun trade. LeSalle enters with two paper bags in hand. LESALLE Alright Gregorio, it’s go time. 41.
GREGORIO Oh, no. LeSalle plops the bags on her desk. LESALLE I got fried chicken from both Willie Mae’s and Dooky Chase. I know you claim to not like fried chicken, which is why you’re the perfect person for this. GREGORIO For what? LESALLE To settle which one is better. PERCY But she doesn’t even like it! LESALLE I know, so she’ll tell us which one she doesn’t like more. Which will tell us which one is better. PERCY That is some very weird logic. GREGORIO (to Pride) Did you have something to do with this? PRIDE I’m staying out of it. Percy’s phone RINGS. She answers it. GREGORIO Do I have a say in this? LESALLE Your say is what I’m looking for. GREGORIO No. LESALLE Come on, can’t you at least try? GREGORIO I’ve tried it before. I used to live here, remember? (MORE) 42. GREGORIO (CONT'D) McKinley and I used to eat fried chicken all the time. And gumbo. And beignets. LESALLE So, why don’t you like them now? GREGORIO They just remind me of him, okay? They’re memories I’m trying really hard to forget! LeSalle is stunned into silence. Percy hang up the phone. PERCY Hey, guys, that was my old boss at ATF. I called him to see if he knew anything about Ben and Brady’s connection to the Cartel. LESALLE What did he say? PERCY He wasn’t able to give me all of the details because it’s still an open investigation. GREGORIO Typical. No one in Washington ever wants to throw us a bone. PERCY But he was able to tell me that officer Brady was involved. GREGORIO We already know that. PERCY But not like we think. Brady wasn’t there for herself. She was an informant. LESALLE She was spying on Ben? PERCY And someone else. My boss confirmed there were two people she was covering. 43.
PRIDE We need to find that person. They may have been the one that killed Officer Brady or knows who did. Nice work, Sonja. Dr. Wade and Sebastian pop up on the PLASMA. WADE We have some news. SEBASTIAN I decided to go with “November Rain” for my audition. Off everyone’s look... SEBASTIAN (CONT’D) Oh, and also I couldn’t figure out what the fibers were on officer Brady’s neck. PRIDE Loretta already told me that news. SEBASTIAN Ah, but the new news is that I wasn’t able to figure it out because I was doing all the wrong tests; optical light microcopy, atomic force, scanning electron, transmission electron-- Off everyone’s look, again... SEBASTIAN (CONT’D) Oh, okay, I’ll just get to it. What I should have been doing is a DNA test. PRIDE Brady was killed with a part of someone’s body? SEBASTIAN Kinda. Catgut. PERCY Excuse me? SEBASTIAN Brady was killed with catgut. 44.
GREGORIO I really hope that’s not what it sounds like it is. SEBASTIAN Don’t worry. Catgut isn’t actually made of cat. The team looks relieved. SEBASTIAN (CONT’D) It’s made of sheep. Well, sheep intestines to be exact. LESALLE You’re kidding, right? Sheep intestines? SEBASTIAN You have to remember that before the modern revolution, animals weren’t just food. Every part was used to make something. The bones, the skin, and even the intestines. PRIDE So what exactly is catgut used for? SEBASTIAN Before World War II it was used in tennis racquets, as a suture and even as string for musical instruments. PRIDE Hold on. Musical instruments? LESALLE Like guitars? SEBASTIAN Just another reason why I prefer to play the air. PERCY Julio had a whole collection of guitars. LESALLE Ones that dated back to the 1920s. PERCY Mention how much trouble it was to get the right string. 45.
PRIDE We may have just found the third person in our ring. Pride gets his gun out of the FILE CABINET. PRIDE (CONT’D) Put out a BOLO for Julio. My bet is he’s in possession of all the guns that were in the storage locker. And he’s about to make a trade.
EXT./INT. STREET/CAR - DAY Julio shuts the back door to his WHITE VAN and walks along the driver’s side. The team drive up and bring their cars to a SCREECHING halt. They all get out and point their guns at Julio. PRIDE Stop, Julio! Federal agents! Julio stops and puts his hands up. PRIDE (CONT’D) You wanna tell us what’s in the back of your van? JULIO Equipment. For the band. PRIDE Why don’t you open it up so we can take a look. JULIO Sure. Julio turns around. Just as he’s about to open the back door he BOLTS to the driver’s seat. GREGORIO Get him! The agents run toward the car. Percy shoots out the tires just as Julio gets in. As Julio fumbles starting the car, LeSalle opens the driver side door and WRESTLES Julio to the ground. Julio fights back but, LeSalle gets Julio on his stomach with his hands behind his back. 46.
LESALLE I’m guessing he has more than just instruments back there. Pride, Percy and Gregorio go to the back of the van and open it. Guns. A hundred of them. PRIDE A lot more.
FLASH - TWO TONE OF PRIDE, PERCY AND GREGORIO AT THE OPEN BACK DOOR OF A VAN FILLED WITH GUNS... PHOOF TO BLACK: END OF ACT THREE 47.
ACT FOUR FROM BLACK:
FLASH - TWO TONE OF GREGORIO SMILING... PHOOF TO BLACK:
INT. NCIS INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY Pride and Gregorio stand as Julio sits at the table, nervously tapping his hands. GREGORIO How long have you been selling guns to the Cartel? JULIO I don’t know what you’re talking about. PRIDE That’s a nice little system you had. Ben bought the guns. GREGORIO You couldn’t because of your DUI charge. PRIDE Officer Brady stored them and you drove them to Mexico. GREGORIO That’s where you’re from, right? Easy going back and forth for you. PRIDE But then you found out that Brady was working with the ATF to expose you. JULIO What? Tess wouldn’t do that! GREGORIO Oh, but she was. JULIO You’re just trying to get me to confess to killing her. 48.
PRIDE Did you? JULIO No! GREGORIO We’ve already got you on the guns Julio, you might as well tell us the truth about Tess. JULIO I would never hurt Tess. I... loved her. PRIDE Whether you did love her or you’re just trying to save your own skin, it’s not looking good for you, Julio. JULIO You can’t prove I killed Tess if I didn’t do it. PRIDE Then why is the murder weapon your guitar strings? JULIO What? GREGORIO The sooner you stop playing dumb, the easier this is gonna be. LeSalle enters. LESALLE Hey, guys. We got something out here. Pride and Gregorio go with LeSalle.
INT. NCIS OFFICE - DAY Pride, LeSalle and Gregorio join Percy who’s looking at Sebastian on the PLASMA. PRIDE What’s going on? 49.
PERCY Sebastian said he needed to talk to all of us.
INT. LAB - DAY Sebastian stands at a table, with beakers, PH strips, and other equipment. INTERCUT SCENES SEBASTIAN Good. You’re all here. Once I finally got to the bottom of Fibergate, I was able to turn my attention back to the mysterious blue paint. GREGORIO I thought that was a dead end. SEBASTIAN It was. Because I thought it was lacquer, which could have come from anywhere. PERCY What was it then? Sebastian demonstrates the test as he talks. SEBASTIAN The paint had high levels of Ferric ferrocyanide. Which I found out by doing a PH test. Below pH 4 and above pH 6, ferric ferrocyanide begins to dissociate in water. Sebastian shows a CHART comparing TOXICITY LEVELS. SEBASTIAN (CONT’D) On its own, of fairly low toxicity, compared to lacquers that are high toxicity. Compared to most wood lacquers. That and the color of Ferric Ferrocyanide is blue, well Prussian Blue to be exact. This dye component is not found in wood lacquers. But it is found in... nail polish. LESALLE Nail polish? 50.
SEBASTIAN Prussian blue nail polish. PRIDE Thanks, Sebastian. Pride turns off the PLASMA. GREGORIO Officer Brady wasn’t wearing blue nail polish. PERCY Maybe our killer was. LESALLE Julio wasn’t wearing blue nail polish. GREGORIO Maybe he took it off. Or it was someone else. Pride starts to put it together... PRIDE Who also had access to Julio’s guitar strings? Pride rushes back to the interrogation room.
INT. NCIS INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY Pride enters and takes Julio’s hands. PRIDE You ever wear nail polish? JULIO What? No! Pride comes face to face with Julio. PRIDE If you really did love Tess, you’re gonna help us catch her killer.
INT. JULIO’S APARTMENT - DAY Julio is packing up his things. Laura enters. 51.
LAURA Hey, what’s up? JULIO I need to talk to you about something. I need your help. LAURA Of course. JULIO So, Tess and Ben were kinda helping me with this job. And-- LAURA You don’t have to say anymore. I know about the guns. JULIO You do? LAURA I took Tess’s phone one night. Listened to her messages, looked through her texts, photos-- JULIO Why? LAURA I thought something might be going on between you two. I have to admit, I wasn’t happy when I found out that I was right. JULIO So, what did you do? LAURA Look, Tess was going to stab you in the back. I couldn’t let her do that. I care about you. I care about the band. She was going to tear us all apart. JULIO Did you kill Tess? LAURA I did it for us. For the band. The team BURSTS in the front door, guns in hands. Laura grabs a KNIFE and points it at Julio. 52.
PRIDE Federal agents! Stop right there! Laura points the knife at Pride, shaking. PRIDE (CONT’D) Put the knife down, Laura. Laura starts to cry. PRIDE (CONT’D) It’s over, Laura. It’s over. Laura drops the knife and falls to her knees. LeSalle swoops in and places her under arrest. He looks at her fingernails. LESALLE Sure enough. Blue nail polish. PERCY With access to Julio’s guitar strings. GREGORIO And she would know that the security cameras at the bar didn’t work. Pride walks over to Julio. PRIDE I still have to arrest you. Julio nods and Pride arrests him. JULIO I told you I didn’t kill Tess. Off Pride’s look we...
INT. NCIS OFFICE - NIGHT Gregorio is finishing paperwork at her desk. Pride comes in. PRIDE You’re still here? GREGORIO Wanted to finish up my report. PRIDE Well, I don’t know about you, but I could go for a drink right now. 53.
GREGORIO Sure. I think we deserve it. PRIDE Come on, let’s go.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT Pride and Gregorio exit the station and walk down the block. PRIDE You know, I was thinking about you and all the bad memories you must have of New Orleans. GREGORIO Like I said, trying to forget it. PRIDE In doing so, I just wonder if you’re cutting yourself off to all the wonderful charms this town has to offer. GREGORIO I’m not gonna lie, Pride. My husband, he really broke my heart. Broke this city’s heart, too. And now, everywhere I go, it’s like I’m haunted by the ghost of a past life. PRIDE Well, then there’s only one thing you can do to get rid of bad memories. Pride and Gregorio stop outside the bar they’re going to. GREGORIO And what is that? PRIDE Start making new ones. Pride opens the door.
INT. BAR - NIGHT LeSalle, Percy, Wade and Sebastian are there at a table with drinks and tons of New Orleans classic food on the table. They cheer when they see Gregorio. 54.
GREGORIO What’s this? PRIDE This is a new chapter in your life. They go and join the team at the table. PERCY I was wondering if you were ever gonna get her over here. LESALLE Alright Gregorio, we’ve got fried chicken, gumbo, po’ boys and of course.... LeSalle holds up a plate. LESALLE (CONT’D) Beignets! WADE Oh, save one for me! SEBASTIAN Anyone care for some music with dinner? I brought my air guitar. The team laughs and continues chatting. Pride offers Gregorio a beignet. She takes a big bite of it and smiles.
FLASH - TWO TONE OF GREGORIO SMILING... PHOOF TO BLACK. END OF SHOW