Recruited - Recap

Petty Officer Simon Craig is talking naval recruitment to a female
student, Allison. When they finish, he leaves, taking the stairwell.
Somebody shoves him down the long flight of stairs and finishes him off
with a boot to the head.

Tony stares forlornly at Ziva's empty desk. When McGee confronts him, he
pretends he didn't notice. McGee doesn't buy it, so Tony spills. Ziva
spent the weekend with Miami Man.

Dr. Magnus shows up for a meeting with Dr. Mallard. He'll wait for him
in the autopsy room. He remembers the way. As he heads out, Gibbs notes
that he looks somewhat familiar. He then grabs the gang for a dead petty
officer in a high school stairwell. They start singing "The Wheels on
the Bus" on their way out the door.

Nobody heard the accident, and Tony caustically (and truly) notes "In
high school, no one can hear you scream." McGee id's the body and adds
that he did two tours and then requested transfer back home. Tony notes
that Craig's id and cards are gone. If it's robbery, then why is he
still wearing his navy ring and watch. They'll need a time of death from
Ducky. Where is he?

Magnus announces that Ducky is right behind him. Or he was. He asks for
help getting down the steps, as his knees aren't what they used to be.
Gibbs tries to take Magnus away from the scene, since he's retired. Tony
wants to know from what. NCIS. He's the ME that preceded Ducky. Magnus
snarks nicely at Gibbs that the clock is ticking, and he really should
get this body into autopsy before we all die of old age. Tony laughs.
Gibbs doesn't.

Back in autopsy, Ducky gets to work while he and Magnus catch up. Magnus
tells him that his wife Elizabeth died almost ten years ago, and he and
his daughter really haven't spoken since then. She has her own family
now, and people grow apart. Life goes on. Ducky tells him he's always
welcome at NCIS, and Magnus admits that it's good to be back.

McGee fills Gibbs in on Simon Craig's background. His parents were
killed in a car accident when he was a kid, and he was raised by his
sister, Nina. She runs the family crabbing business. Simon's boss is
Jerome Carr, and Tony is looking into rejected applicants. Vance
appears, using a cane, and tells Gibbs he needs a moment. Gibbs asks
Vance how he's doing, and Leo says he's on a strict diet of paperwork
and painkillers. They exchange pleasantries before Vance gives Tony a
cheerful earful for not doing any paperwork in his absence. He wants to
prove he's back at full speed, but Gibbs warns him he needs to be aware
that he almost died. Vance gives him a half-grin as he orders Gibbs to
get back to work, and Gibbs heads out, saying "You too, Director Vance!"

Tim and Tony visit Craig's boss. He has one person in mind who gave
Simon grief, James Zinetti. He hands over a file containing a picture of
a tattooed thug wearing a white beater. Zinetti's work address is on the
form, they can start there.

Abby is talking to Magnus about how they solved crimes without the
benefit of today's technology. In 1975 they installed their first
automated fingerprint reader, which was the first step in
revolutionizing how the navy processes crime. She brings him back full
circle to Ducky, where he appears unhappy to announce that he didn't
understand one word Abby said. He does like her, though. Ducky tells him
he should see her when she gets excited about a case. Abby gets excited
right then, and grabs Gibbs to meet Dr. Magnus. She pronounces him "like
a forensics history book" and adorable.

She then shares with Gibbs that she was able to lift a
digitally-enhanced boot print from the petty officer's face. It wasn't
the fall that killed him, it was the death blow from the boot. She
identifies the boot as a Global Trailbreaker work boot. Magnus loves the
technology. Abby also found a wood tack embedded in the boot's heel, and
adds that Ducky found sawdust in the wound. Their perpetrator is a
woodworker. Gibbs kisses her in thanks, and Magnus goes wide-eyed. Ducky
tells him it's an innocent gesture of endearment as Abby beams happily.

Tony and McGee arrive at the Zinetti's place of business, a wood shop.
Tony sees a worker with forearms like Popeye, and tattoos, who he feels
they should approach carefully. Tony doesn't approach him carefully, and
Zinetti puts a 2x2 in Tony's stomach and heads Tim for the saw. Tony
recovers swiftly and pulls his weapon.

Back at NCIS, he tells Tony that he offered to drop the 'lumber assault
charge' if Zinetti confessed to Craig's murder, but the answer was no.
He admitted to going off at the recruitment center, but swears up and
down that he didn't kill anybody. Tony scoffs "and you believe him." Tim
hands over Zinetti's alibi. He was at an extension class last night.

Tony is ever-so-happy to see Ziva is back. She and Miami Man went skiing
in Vermont. He's a fantastic cook, too. she finally coughs up his name.
Ray. And she promises he is a good man.

Gibbs talks to Nina about her brother. He loved the Navy. He was gay.
Since he's dead, the truth can come out. He was involved with a high
school teacher, English. Tony and Ziva go talk to the man, Glenn Block.
He agrees to talk to them but steps aside so they can have some privacy.
They had been seeing each other for about a month. Block is married, his
wife threw him out. Glenn says she is not angry enough to kill. They've
been married eleven years. He knows. Ziva wants to talk to her. Glenn
fears what this could to to their lives, his career.

As Tony and Ziva leave the school, one of the kids from the folder
arrives with his dad, and they're arguing. They stop Paul and his dad to
talk about Simon. When Paul id's him, his dad says "What Navy guy?" He
didn't know he'd been killed. Paul said the petty officer was cool. His
dad steps him up to get in the meeting they are there for, and Tony
hands out his card. As the son walks away, they notice that Paul is
wearing work boots.

Magnus puts in a call for chinese food. Only the chinese place hasn't
been there for 15 years and no thank you. He doesn't really want
burritos. When he ends the call, Ducky tells him a lot has changed since
Magnus worked there. Gibbs arrives at Ducky's behest. There are deep
tissue bruises on Craig's legs. Gibbs says he took a pretty hard fall,
but Magnus points out that even with his old eyes, he can see that these
bruises took place days before the petty officer's death. It doesn't
look like a fight, more like a beating. And there are other signs of
past injuries.

Because Jimmy is off for the day, Ducky requests that Gibbs give Magnus
permission to continue to offer his assistance. Gibbs is fine with it,
but Ducky has to make several attempts before he actually gets Walter's
attention. Walter says he hasn't been at an autopsy for some time, and
he could use some air. As he walks out, Gibbs gets a call from Ziva.
Glenn Block's wife Penny was just arrested, DUI. There was also a set of
work boots found in her trunk, the same kind Abby ID'd in the killing
blow of Simon Craig.

Gibbs questions the wife, she has quite the attitude. When told of
Craig's death, she retorts "Won't catch me cryin over it." Gibbs asked
how she found out, and she says she followed him to a motel. What she
found was not what she was expecting. She stops being quite so flip and
sarcastic when Gibbs points out a large withdrawal from her bank
account, with his attendant explanation that they think she hired
somebody to beat Craig up, teach him a lesson. He asks what she has to
say on the matter, and Penny says "I hope it hurt" but then counters
that she's not admitting anything. The night before last, she was in a
bar. "Looking for a real man."

Gibbs gets out of his chair, goes to her side and tells Penny she's got
a lot of hate in her. She itemizes why she has so much hate. But Gibbs
doesn't think she did it. McGee backs up her alibi. She was in a bar
named, appropriately enough, 'The Alibi Room.' Ziva asks if anybody was
unlucky enough to pick her up, and McGee says that according to the
bartender, she spent most of the evening in a booth with somebody named
Earnhart.

What about the five kids he was working on recruiting for the Navy? Four
had alibis. The only one who didn't is the one Ziva and Tony spoke to,
Paul Simmons. Mom died, dad was laid off. Vance calls Gibbs in for
another meeting just as Ducky arrives, a bit nervous. He can't find
Walter Magnus. He has not been seen since he left the autopsy room. Tony
thinks maybe he just went home, but Ducky finds that unlikely. He
continues his search.

Vance wants to know why the recruiter case has been labeled a potential
hate crime. Gibbs answers that the zebra has stripes. Vance says he's
never kicked a victim under the rug before, and he's not about to start
now. But this is a hell of a can of worms. Leo abruptly changes the
subject. He's tired. Gibbs points out that he needs more healing time,
but Vance says it's not an option.

Abby found Dr. Magnus. She's clearly concerned for him. He's been
sitting in Abby's office, non-responsive except to maybe smile. He
notices and comments on a stuffed hippo in Abby's office. He thinks he's
at the zoo. Abby helps Ducky get Walter out of his chair. Once she
leaves, Walter asks Ducky where he is.

Ziva and Tony go pay a visit to Paul's dad. He's renovating their house
in case they have to sell. Paul's not home, but his dad doesn't see him
going in the Navy, or doing much of anything really. He's not good at
taking orders. Paul comes home, and when he finds Tony and Ziva wanting
to answer questions, he leaves. As he's attempting to leave by vehicle,
Tony stops him from behind, with his gun drawn.

Once in custody, Gibbs asks him why he ran. He says he got scared. When
he sees Craig's picture, he says he didn't do that. He hasn't hurt
anybody. All those times he was suspended, they weren't his fault. His
dad keeps trying to protect and defend him. Gibbs pushes, and Lance says
they need to talk privately, now. He and Gibbs step out, and he tells
Gibbs he can't do that. He can't badger Paul like that. Gibbs changes
tack. Where was Mr. Simmons? Out in a bar? Picking up a 12-pack? His
head drops. He was passed out in his car. Drunk. He points out that
ever since Paul's mom died, he's had it rough. She was there for him,
and then he was gone. Gibbs tells him "He's still got a father. Act like
one."

Ducky gives Walter a cup of tea and they start talking. He called
Walter's daughter, Jenny. Magnus lives with her, they're not estranged.
She's been frantic with worry. He admits Jenny is a good kid - so why
did he run away? This job. This place. It was everything to Magnus. His
life has no purpose anymore. Ducky says he should teach his grandsons
everything he knows, and Walter erupts in frustration. He can't. The
disease, the symptoms. He used to remember every autopsy, every detail.
And now, there's nothing. He came here, just one last time. Hoping it
would all come back. Sometimes he can't remember who he was. Ducky
volunteers to show him.

Paul Simmons has an alibi. He ordered pizza that night. The delivery kid
remembers him, and the receipt is time-stamped. The four other kids who
were interested made calls to Craig, asking questions about deployment,
etc. Paul never called. Gibbs tells McGee to access Craig's email
account. He can't find anything specific to Paul, so Gibbs tells him to
do a word search. "Don't ask, don't tell." Paul told Craig everything,
and Craig offered him advice. Gibbs talks to Paul again. Nobody wanted
to hear that he was a gay boy who wanted to join the military. Gibbs
said he'd wish him luck, and try to be there for him.

Lance comes home and gets put in cuffs. He killed Craig, he figured he
was preying on Paul. He was just trying to be a good dad. Paul goes to
hug him, and starts crying.

Ducky brings Walter in to try to help him remember all that he
accomplished. He shows him all the people he helped over the years. He
gave them answers, and closure. Now they will do the same for him.

Paul talks to Craig's boss about joining the Navy.

Gibbs starts a new project.

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