If you're found eating, drinking or smoking,
you could be fined $250.
Yah!
Please stand clear.
Doors are closing.
♪ NCIS: LA 3x07 ♪ Honor Original air date on November 1, 2011
== sync, corrected by elderman ==
♪
You sure it wasn't you? Because the guy had
your same little surfer drawl.
Uh, I do not speak with a drawl.
The way you just said "drawl"?
You said it with a drawl. What are we talking about?
Nothing. We are talking about absolutely nothing.
Someone called into a talk radio show
last night. Sounded exactly like Deeks.
Did he now?
What was he calling about?
Oh, he just wanted to talk about his feelings.
For a coworker.
Don't you think it's strange that Callen is a talk radio guy?
Why's that? I don't know,
I've just always kind of considered you more of a, uh...
you know, a...
TV static, white-noise kind of guy.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Well, I am a man of mystery.
Mystery or misery?
Oh. It's going to be that kind of day, isn't it?
Buddy, you have no idea how lucky you are
to have a male partner.
What is that supposed to mean? Hmm?
- I just... - You know what?
- Don't even answer that question. - I'm not.
Speaking of partners, where is Sam?
Mr. Always Five Minutes Early is late again.
And he's taken three long weekends this month.
You know what that means.
He's in rehearsals for an off-Broadway revival of Cats.
I'll tell him you said that.
You don't have to do that.
Sounds like he's on a new assignment.
Is he on a new assignment?
That is a question for Hetty.
- You rang? - Ooh. Hi, Hetty.
Hi.
So...
Yes?
Do you think Deeks speaks with a drawl?
Well, Mr. Deeks' intonation certainly reflects
the motley milieu in which he was raised.
But I have to admit,
I find I'm rather fond of his idiosyncrasies.
Did you hear that?
Hetty is rather fond of my idiosyncrasies.
Well, take it easy, Mr. Deeks.
That was just a
polite way of saying that
I agree that you have a drawl.
Well.
On with it.
On with what?
- Your new case, of course. - Aha.
Save it.
What? Hetty straight up ganked my whistle?
This was pulled from a Metro security camera last night.
The victim was Nori Ito,
a Japanese accountant who arrived in Los Angeles
three days ago, along with a
tourist group. He died early this morning.
The man giving Nori not quite the warmest L.A. welcome
is... Connor Maslin.
He's a former Marine.
How former is former?
Maslin was discharged earlier this year.
He was administratively separated.
I'm assuming that's not an honorable discharge.
What did he do?
Japanese authorities accused him of sexually assaulting a woman
while he was stationed in Okinawa.
And this second victim is also Japanese?
Could be a possible hate crime.
What else do we know about Maslin?
We have his home address in Playa Del Rey,
as well as a list of his current employers.
Employers? Plural?
According to what I found,
he's currently working three jobs.
Well, you know what they say about idle hands.
Hetty wants us to locate Maslin.
And bring him in quickly so he can't hurt anyone else?
And quietly, because the military
can't afford this kind of publicity.
That's actually exactly what Hetty said,
except with fancier words and more syllables.
All right, clock's ticking. Let's get to it.
Maslin's managed to stay out of trouble for months.
Why don't you to talk to his employers, see if
anything happened yesterday that could've set him off.
- Yeah. - Done.
Sam and I will visit his place. I'll fill you in in the car.
What's the two-second version?
I don't think you're going to like this guy.
You want to know where Connor Maslin is?
Join the club.
Begs for extra shifts like a little girl,
and then leaves me high and dry.
Marisol!
You going to clean up the spill some time this week?
Si, señor.
Uh, has Connor ever missed a shift before?
Nope.
Frankly, I had no beef with him-- until today.
What was he like? Did Connor play nice
with the other coworkers?
Who's this guy? Dr. Phil?
Did he ever get into a fight with anyone? A customer, maybe?
Not that I know of.
He pretty much kept to himself.
And in general, he wasn't a pain in my...
Marisol!
Mop!
He did work here yesterday, right?
Did he seem at all off to you?
Emotionally unstable, maybe?
This one make you sing "Kumbaya" in the car?
- All right. - Just answer the question, please.
Look.
He punched in, he stocked shelves for ten hours,
he punched out.
That's as "emotionally stable" as I need him.
Okay.
If you think of anything else,
anything useful...
See ya.
Bye.
Don't worry. You're nothing like Dr. Phil.
Thank you.
With that speech impediment, you'd never make it on TV.
Now, imagine having to stock shelves all day
and answer to that guy.
Sounds almost as bad as my gig as a lifeguard
when I was in high school.
Sorry, shouldn't you have loved that?
Well, I was at a pool, got to have a God complex,
plenty of skin, all true.
But I was working at a YMCA,
so I had to watch senior citizens perform water aerobics.
There was this woman, I'll never forget her:
Gertrude Norland. She was a
big, big woman. Skin condition.
Overly flirty.
Did she ever, uh, you know...
Pretend to be choking so I would have to perform CPR?
Yeah. She did. All the time.
It's probably the most action you saw in high school.
Okay. You know what?
And that is why I don't open up to you
right there. Hey.
Hey. What do you got?
Yeah, Maslin was a no-show for at least one of his jobs.
Well, let me know if he makes an appearance
at his other two jobs.
Okay.
Our boy on the run?
Maybe.
Got a late start this morning.
Huh. If you say so.
Been a lot of late starts lately, huh?
You know, they say coffee usually does the trick.
Yeah, well, Hetty just got me a new coffeemaker.
Except this one takes an extra long time to brew.
Waiting can be the hardest part.
Can take a lot out of you.
The waiting, I can deal with.
But this, uh, coffeemaker came with a special mug.
An incredibly stunning mug.
Ah.
That can be tricky.
'Cause if you get distracted by the mug...
I know.
- Or if you let things heat up... - I know.
That's when you get burned.
Clear.
Clear!
Hospital corners.
At least the military taught Maslin something.
Place is immaculate.
Whoever broke in here didn't look very hard.
Maybe because what they were looking for was Connor Maslin.
No plates.
New to town and lost?
Something tells me they're not waiting around
for a Thomas Guide.
Apparently, we're not the only one looking for him.
Okay. Nell is helping Eric locate the black Caddy
you saw outside of Maslin's apartment.
No dice yet.
That SUV was waiting for Connor Maslin to show his face.
I'm going out on a limb here, but could it be connected
to the Japanese tourist that Maslin just beat to a pulp?
Something tells me these guys weren't exactly
the tour group type.
Maslin stole Nori Ito's wallet.
Well, maybe he owes people money.
And the Caddy was there to collect.
Kind of coincidental he chose to rob a Japanese person.
Hey. I've been tracking Maslin's accounts.
He just used his credit card.
- Where? - Culver City.
At a gun shop.
Wow. Somebody just upped the ante.
Find him. And once you do,
don't take your eyes off him.
We got eyes yet, Eric? I'm driving blind out here.
Doing the best I can. This guy is a ghost.
Maslin took a beating last night, too,
so look for someone wearing sunglasses, hiding his bruises.
And long sleeves to cover his hands.
All right. Found him. He's on foot,
east side of the boulevard,
headed north a block in front of you.
I'm sending the coordinates to your phones now.
Got it.
Keep eyes on him just in case.
There he is. White shirt.
What are you looking at?
Nothing.
- Is there a problem? - No. It's just...
noticed you guys are wearing the same shirt.
So? Man has taste.
I'd say maybe he's pulling it off a little better than you.
Ha. You giving me fashion tips?
- Focus. - I am focused.
I'm the one that noticed the shirt.
Yeah? Remind me again how you pronounce Balenciaga?
The fact that you even know that word is very unsettling.
Connor, you're going to want to, but do not run.
I'm a Federal agent, NCIS.
I'm about as good a friend as you've got right now.
Eric, black Caddy headed east on Weddington.
Already got it.
Try not to lose them.
Please.
You're really a federal agent?
Considering the alternative, I don't sound so bad, do I?
Come on!
The man you beat up is dead.
What?
Nori Ito died in the ambulance
on the way to the hospital.
Makes you a murderer.
It was self-defense.
You beat him up, and then you stole his wallet.
I mean, he stole my wallet.
I was just getting it back.
So the guy you beat to death was a pickpocket.
You're going to have to do better than that.
It's the truth. I swear.
Why would a Japanese tourist steal your wallet?
Well, maybe he wanted a souvenir.
Oh. They ran out of Hollywood sign snow globes.
I like those.
Okay, Marine.
You've had run-ins with the Japanese in the past.
Like your discharge for assaulting
a young woman in Okinawa.
I never assaulted anyone.
Really?
'Cause it says right here... well, Sam,
maybe I'm reading this wrong.
That woman is my girlfriend.
Her father forbid us from seeing each other,
but we ignored him.
Romeo and Juliet.
I would never hurt a woman,
especially not Maeko.
Her father, Akio Tanaka, created these trumped-up charges
so I'd be transferred back to the States.
Billionaire environmentalist of the year, Akio Tanaka?
He had arranged for Maeko to marry some politician
to secure kickbacks for his business.
I was getting in the way of his grand plan,
so he made me pay for it.
This is all very convenient.
That's an awful lot of effort.
The guy's got an answer for everything.
He has had enough time to get his story straight.
All right, I'm calling LAPD Evidence,
figure out what happened to Nori Ito's wallet.
It was never mentioned in the coroner's report.
I just don't see the connection
between what happened on the subway platform
and the fact that maybe he had a girlfriend in Japan.
Maybe he's got a story for that, too.
Hey, it's Deeks.
I hate to break it to you pal,
but there's not a whole hell of a lot you can do
when you're here and she's over in Japan.
After I was transferred,
Maeko came here to be with me.
When Tanaka found out, he sent his men
to bring her home and to teach me a lesson.
You're saying the man you killed worked for Tanaka?
That's my guess.
What about the guys in the black Caddy?
Probably also on Tanaka's payroll.
Where is Maeko now?
Hiding out at my buddy's trailer in Malibu.
It's parked at Malibu Creek.
Will you make sure she's okay?
We'll start by making sure she's there at all.
You say you're not a threat.
You're not dangerous.
Then how do you explain putting a down payment
on a gun this afternoon?
I need to protect Maeko from her father.
Now, I'm telling you, Akio Tanaka is not the man
Time magazine makes him out to be.
Yeah, okay. All right.
Thanks, Miguel. That was my buddy in LAPD Evidence.
Turned out that Nori Ito
didn't have a wallet on him when he died.
Oh. What are the chances Maeko Tanaka
is hiding out in Malibu?
I'd say zero to none.
Yeah, we still have to check it out.
Road trip to the 'Bu?
Please don't call it that.
It just encourages the people who live there.
But I really want to be a member of the 'Bu-Tang Clan.
Please make him stop.
Let's see if anything Maslin told us actually holds water.
Maeko Tanaka gave up
a penthouse in Japan for this?
That's assuming she had a choice in the matter.
Federal agents!
Don't see any bags or suitcases.
Or a sign that any female
has ever stepped foot in here.
Maybe Connor and his buddy
are starting a little something on the side?
That's the most believable thing I've heard all day.
Nell, no sign of Maeko here.
There's no sign of Maeko Tanaka anywhere.
What do you mean?
Well, I checked with Immigration
and Border Control twice.
Maeko Tanaka's never set foot in this country.
Well, we spoke to your buddy.
Confirmed he was letting you use his trailer.
But he's never heard of any Maeko Tanaka.
Well, that's 'cause I didn't tell him
in order to protect her.
There was no one in the trailer.
They... they must have found her.
Or she was never here.
There's no record of any Maeko Tanaka
ever entering this country.
Well, that's because I smuggled her
into the U.S. from Vancouver.
It was the only way to keep her safe
and from being sent back to her father.
This is getting a little melodramatic, don't you think?
Here's our problem, Connor.
When we first saw you, you ran.
That's never a good sign.
And nothing we've turned up
supports a single thing you've told us.
Not the wallet, not the girl, nothing.
I don't know what to tell you.
Please find her.
She doesn't want to go back.
That's the truth.
Well, it'd better be,
or you're going to jail for a very long time.
So long that I bet you'll wish you got in that black Caddy.
Any luck?
I don't know if you can call it luck.
Connor fed us yet another chapter in his story.
Who knows what to believe at this point?
Simple.
If there are theoretical holes in the proverbial story,
then answer them.
Thanks, Hetty, but this one
is slightly more complicated than that.
Mr. Callen, it's never more complicated than that.
We don't even know if Maeko is actually in the States.
And if she is, like Connor said,
she could be being held against her will.
Whoever was driving that black Caddy
has certainly taken an interest in Maslin.
I'm just going to put it out there--
he may be a liar, but I'm not getting
an aggro hate crime vibe from this guy.
These all sound
like outstanding places to start.
I look forward to their swift resolution by...
mm, let's say tomorrow?
Maeko Tanaka may not be in the country,
but her father is.
And he's been here since Saturday.
He's attending an event
at the Japanese Cultural Center this afternoon.
Could be a coincidence.
Could be a lot of things.
12:00.
That's him.
Akio Tanaka?
Yes?
Federal Agent Callen.
NCIS. This is my partner, Sam Hanna.
How can I be of assistance, Officers?
- What brings you to Los Angeles? - Business.
What is this about?
It's about your daughter.
My daughter?
What about her?
How is she?
Very well.
Do you know where she is?
She's home, giving a particular South Korean rail line
hell over contract terms.
She's in Japan?
Why the interest in my daughter?
Do you have a number where we could reach her?
Right now?
As I mentioned, she is rather busy at the moment.
And with the time difference...
It's 7:30 in the morning there.
With Maeko being a worker bee, I'm sure she's wide awake.
Maeko-san.
And for yours.
Apologize for the intrusion.
Enjoy your stay in Los Angeles.
Yo.
Eric, see if you can trace the last call Tanaka made.
Let me know when you do.
I got it. All right.
So how many holes is that
in Connor Maslin's story now?
Enough to sink him.
Yes.
I don't like the looks of this.
Well, then, you're really not
going to like the sound of it.
- Right. - What's going on?
The State Department
has suddenly gotten involved in our case
and has graciously requested NCIS stand down.
Yes, sir.
- Stand down? - Yeah.
As in
withdraw, acquiesce,
retrocede, cease and desist.
Your thesaurus runneth deep, Hetty.
And your drawl still runneth over, Mr. Deeks.
The State Department wants us to stand down?
Excellent. Now we're all on the same page.
This is Akio Tanaka's handiwork.
Make no mistake how deep his contacts run
within our government.
Why would Tanaka have us taken
off the case if he has nothing to hide?
Because, at this point, it's the word
of a well-respected, well-connected businessman...
Against a dishonored, discharged Marine
who we watched commit murder.
About that?
You should see this.
We already have.
Yeah, but you left before the final credits.
And that's not Maslin, because he's on the train.
Wow, good Samaritans do exist in L.A.
And he's cute, too.
You think he's a doctor?
Just keep watching.
I'll never meet anyone, will I?
Really?
You guys can't even muster up
the "lots of fish in the sea" speech?
No? All right.
Let's just concentrate on the case.
So, Nori Ito had two wallets on him
when he was at the subway station.
Maybe the one that Connor took was his own.
That's the first thing Connor Maslin told us
that's actually panned out.
But...
But?
Look who he's up against.
Tanaka makes one phone call,
and a federal investigation is DOA.
Semper Fi.
Tanaka and the State Department
forced us to choose sides.
I'll side with a Marine every time.
This is bull.
Yep.
- What are we gonna do about it? - I'm thinking.
All right, we did a little more digging
into Tanaka's business dealings.
Even though the State Department told us to stand down?
Well, we figured we do our due diligence in the case
in case they ask us about our involvement in the case.
There is no case at this point.
Tanaka is here to try and win a bidding war
for a multi-million-dollar government contract
for underwater fiber optic cable installation.
So he's here legitimately?
It looks that way.
Well, and we know his daughter, Maeko, is still in Japan.
Actually, we don't know that.
I thought Sam spoke to her this morning.
Sam spoke to a woman claiming to be Tanaka's daughter.
And even if it was Maeko,
how do we know she was in Japan
and not coming straight out of Compton?
Compton?
I said it for dramatic effect.
Eric's still tracing Tanaka's call.
Well, what about the Japanese tourist
that was beaten to death?
Nori Ito was identified
by his brother, Takai, this morning.
Was his brother part of the same tour group?
Uh, no.
Then his brother got here pretty damn fast,
considering Ito's been dead for less than 24 hours.
Eric, what are the chances
we could break into the morgue's surveillance?
Slim to none.
Unless you possess mad skills.
What time was the body identified?
Uh, 11:38 this morning.
One city morgue coming right up.
Thank you, Eric.
It's a busy place.
People are dying to get in there.
No?
Come on,
that's pure Catskills.
You people have no appreciation for the classics.
Right there. Sam?
That's one of the two guys that were shadowing Maslin.
The deeper we dig, the more our Marine's story rings true.
Where's Tanaka staying?
I'm sorry, this entire floor is occupied.
Well, you still need housekeeping.
If we do,
we'll call down.
What about fresh towels or a minibar?
We'll contact you if we require your services.
Thank you.
Let me know if you need anything.
Tanaka's got the entire floor
locked down.
Time for plan D.
No one here ordered room service.
Oh, it's compliments of the hotel manager.
This is an assortment of seasonal fresh fruit,
and this is a dessert sampler that is highlighting
the best pastry shops in Beverly Hills.
Yes, okay. Thank you.
- Okay. - We'll take it.
It's okay. I can bring it.
No, that won't be necessary.
It's actually not a problem.
No, really.
It's my job, sir.
Not today.
You need something else?
Well, I wouldn't say I technically need anything,
but, um, it's usually considered a nice gesture
when services are rendered that--
That's very kind of you. You didn't have to do that.
But thank you so much.
Be sure to try the snickerdoodles,
because it's like biting into a little piece of heaven.
You know what I mean? Wonderful.
I bet you got stonewalled, too.
Quite the contrary.
I thought those guys were great.
They even tipped me.
In fact, they even invited me to hang out by the pool later.
Ten bucks says they got a cabaña.
Let's see what we got here.
That room is bigger than my house.
And a lot cleaner.
Look at that.
Is that Maeko?
That's her.
That's Maeko Tanaka.
Well, never underestimate the power of free food.
Seems like she's not in Tokyo after all.
Imagine that.
There has to be something you can do about this.
Not if we want to keep our jobs.
Director Vance
has me on a very short leash.
He's even threatened to bring in
an assistant director to oversee
West Coast operations just to keep an eye on us.
So we're supposed to forget this ever happened?
An illegal Japanese immigrant
and the reputation
of a former Marine are hardly matters
of national security.
Is that so?
A fire team
is composed of three Marines and their leader.
Three fire teams make a squad.
Three squads make a platoon.
Three platoons, a company.
And so on and so on,
all the way up to an entire division.
But it all starts
with one Marine.
SEALs never leave a man behind.
But that's exactly
what we're doing.
You know he's right, Hetty.
Maeko is the only one that can prove Connor is innocent.
If we let Tanaka get away with this, it's like saying that
his money is worth more than an innocent life.
Why do I feel as if my short leash is about to strangle me?
You can't go at it
guns blazing.
Tanaka is a modern-day samurai,
which means, to pull this off,
you guys have to be modern-day ninjas.
Ninjas.
No one can know this was us.
Who's more discreet than us?
Guys, we got something.
Tanaka's pilot just filed
a flight plan with the FAA.
He's leaving Burbank International
in one hour bound for Tokyo.
Any additional women listed on the manifest?
Just one-- a Mrs. Kimi Ito.
Her husband Nori's body is being shipped back with them.
Tanaka's trying to smuggle his daughter, Maeko,
out of the country disguised as Ito's widow.
Eric,
do whatever it takes to slow them down before they get
to the airport.
Tell Kensi to call Rose at the L.A. Coroner's office.
We're gonna need a favor.
And you two are gonna need a hall pass from Hetty.
What in the world?
All right, please remove all shoes, hats, belts.
Place them in a bin.
Take your laptops out of your cases
and place them in a separate bin.
Thank you.
I have a private plane.
I'm afraid we're on
a heightened threat level today, sir.
All passengers and planes are being screened.
I demand to speak to your supervisor.
Is there a problem here, gentlemen?
You're the supervisor?
Uh-huh.
I have my own plane.
Hmm, lucky.
Specifically so I don't have to deal
with this nonsense.
Right. Well, Homeland Security
has been alerted to the possibility of a private plane
being used in an act of terror,
so all passengers, commercial and private, must pass through
all security checkpoints until further notice.
This is ridiculous.
Well, you could postpone your flight
and wait until the threat level has lowered.
My plane is scheduled to leave in 20 minutes!
Then I suggest you start taking off your shoes,
because you're holding up the line.
Uh, arms out for me, please.
Thank you.
We need a female agent!
- Okay. - What now?
Right this way, please, ma'am.
Wh-Where is she going? Uh-uh-uh.
I'm gonna have to ask you to wait your turn, sir.
Maeko?
I'm Special Agent Kensi Blye,
NCIS.
I need to ask you some questions about Connor Maslin.
All right, please step back
and remove all metal objects out of your pockets.
That's change, pens, keys.
I have nothing in my pockets.
Your machine is malfunctioning.
Put your arms out, please.
All right.
Do you have any artificial metal implants?
Hip or knee replacement perhaps?
No.
All righty, I'm gonna have to pat you down.
I can do that in private if you prefer.
Just get it over with.
Arms out, please.
All righty, thank you.
You have a safe and pleasant flight, sir.
We'd like to welcome all passengers
to our private terminal.
Please feel free to enjoy the fresh baked cookies
and beverages in our lounge.
♪ ♪
Maeko!
I'm in.
Eric, I still need those schematics.
All right, I'm sending them to your phone.
You don't have it in flight mode, do you?
That was a joke.
That is debatable.
Maeko.
What am I, a contortionist?
Don't answer that.
Deeks, that goes especially for you.
Ready.
Yeah.
Thanks.
Kensi's clear, Deeks,
but we still need a little time.
I'm on it.
Sierra Tango, be advised.
You have ground crew in the area.
We have them in sight, Sierra Tango.
Oh, gee.
Got a baggage spill on runway five.
Sierra Tango, please hold position.
You are clear to taxi on Charlie
after ramp personnel has clearance.
Will hold, Sierra Tango.
Good to go, Deeks.
Maeko!
Maeko?
Connor!
How did your father agree to let you go?
He didn't.
It's a long story and I'm sure
she'll tell you all about it.
With Maeko's testimony and our case report,
you should get upgraded to an honorable discharge.
Really?
You'll have to jump through some hoops
with the Board for Correction of Naval Records,
but we'll back you up.
I... We don't know how to thank you.
Stay out of trouble, don't miss your court hearings.
Good luck.
They're so sweet.
All right, Sleepless in Seattle, you want to grab a beer?
If you ask me nicely.
You know what, forget about it.
Why?
I know where this is headed.
Every time you see something like these two,
you get all Eat, Pray, Lovesick on me.
You don't like happy endings?
I'm sorry, what?
Why do you have to go there?
Oh, my gosh.
I just want to have some beers with my partner.
I can do that.
Yeah? Can you?
Partners-- just have some burgers, watch the game.
Of course.
I'm just one of the guys.
Well, if that's the case, maybe we should hit up a strip club.
- Don't be an idiot. - All right.
Fair enough.
- Want me to drive? - No.
All right.
All went down as planned.
Oh.
So glad to hear that, Mr. Callen.
Where's Sam?
He went home to spend some time with his family.
Ah. That's good.
He needs that.
Especially now.
What about you?
You ever regret not settling down, having a family?
Well, I think about it sometimes.
Maybe when I'm older.
And you?
I think I'll keep looking for my own first.
Good night, Hetty.
Good night, Mr. Callen.
== sync, corrected by elderman ==
Good night, Walter.