NCIS

30 years ago

on a cool autumn night, just like this one,

a group of friends,

like you kind folk,

got tucked into sleeping bags for a peaceful night's rest.

Little did they know, they were not alone.

For in these woods,

the devil had emerged from his den,

and he was hungry.

And this beast,

the Cujo of black bears,

sated himself

that night

on human flesh.

Nature's calling.

Even today, we're getting reports of an erratic bear

traipsing through the woods.

So, keep your bear spray close.

What happened?

Are you okay?

*N C I S* Season 20 Episode 04

Episode Title: "Leave No Trace" Aired on: October 10, 2022.

Don't be disappointed. It all goes to a worthy cause.

Yeah, well, what I donated was worth a lot more

than what it got.

- Good morning, fellas. - Yeah.

Oh, Nick, sounds like you need this coffee

a lot more than I do.

Yeah, Nick joined me last night

at Victoria's autumn auction.

In fact, he donated one of the prizes.

Not just a prize.

The best prize. Which was?

Lunch with a bad ass NCIS agent.

And they only bid ten bucks.

And the dude already emailed me trying to set something up.

The winning parent was, uh, Max Lautner?

You know him?

I know his kid, Cole, is a nose-picker.

Ugh. Dad's gonna be super annoying.

Kind of like McGee's school-dad friends.

Hey, no need to drag my dad-bros into your failure as a prize.

Okay, that's enough from you, all right?

Fortunately, I had much better luck.

I scored a deluxe spa weekend

at this adorable little B&B in the Chesapeake.

Someone say "spa weekend"? 'Cause sea-salt scrubs?

- Mmm. - I have always wanted one of those.

Yeah, um, could you...?

Come here. Can you come... come here?

They know we all know, right?

Know what?

- That's good. Mm-hmm. - Right?

Yeah, so, hey, uh, we've been date...

We've been doing this for a few months now.

Yes. This. We have.

Successfully, I think.

Successful is an apt word.

And I don't know what our label is or isn't, but

I was hoping that you might join me at this place.

No pressure, though, so...

Like a... like a... a weekend away?

Like a whole, two-day,

entire weekend. You're mulling.

I... I am mulling.

Is this a good mulling or a bad mulling...?

Oh. Parker's got a body.

Um, talk about this later?

- Yes. - Okay.

And I will... I will keep mulling.

Oh. You get lost on the trail?

Nah. Just delayed. Couldn't find my, uh, 500-millimeter lens.

You, uh, do know our crime scene kits have these in 'em, right?

Oh, this baby's not meant to shoot bodies.

It's meant to shoot the rarest of birds.

The elusive scarlet tanager.

They live high in the trees here

in the Shenandoah, and today

is the day that I digitally

bag one. Yeah.

But not until we get our sailor here taken care of.

Petty Officer Third Class Aaron Thomas. What do we know?

Camper and her guide stumbled across the body.

Guide is convinced it was a bear attack.

Apparently, in the last 24 hours,

there's been multiple sightings of a black bear behaving oddly.

Oddly how, Boo-Boo?

Like stealing a pic-a-nic basket?

Well, in order to get away with murder,

he'd have to be smarter than the av-er-age bear.

No, but bears do, do their business out there in the woods.

They don't open bathroom doors, nor

do they kill with knives.

So our petty officer was stabbed to death?

Three precise stab wounds

at three key arteries.

He bled out about 12 hours ago.

And... no defensive wounds.

So our victim might have known his killer.

Or was surprised by 'em.

So our killer certainly knew how to use a knife.

Could be a hunter.

All right, thanks, Doc.

Yeah.

Park rangers are talking to the campers, but

they didn't see anyone on the trail.

So our suspect left the scene off-trail,

which means he could have gone anywhere.

I think he headed southeast.

Spotted a possible exit route from up there.

Any chance you also spotted a scarlet tanager?

No, but the trail leads this way.

Go. I'll coordinate with the Park Service Rangers on-site.

And stay out of the trees!

The trail's leading down to the water.

About time you caught up, Tripsie.

Knight, you know this guy?

Yeah, we may have crossed paths a few times.

This is, uh,

Special Agent Gage Winchester.

Crossed paths? Really?

He's also my ex-boyfriend.

Been a long time, Jess.

Yeah. What's it been? Like, three, four years?

Howled at half a dozen wolf moons without you,

but who's counting?

So you are Agent Winchester of the, uh...?

U.S. National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.

Uh, ISB is the us of National Park Service.

Oh, nature cops.

That's cool.

Well, I'm Agent McGee,

and this is Agent Torres.

Yeah, can I interest you in a shirt?

Perhaps, uh, some pants?

Nah. Prefer to air-dry first.

Of course you do. Mm-hmm.

Uh, what are you doing here, Gage?

Same thing you are... Investigating a murder.

I thought you were based in Colorado.

I am, but I was running a training op up in Maine.

When I heard about the body, I hopped on a red eye

so I could start the ISB investigation.

So you flew overnight to be the first one on the scene here?

And spotted the same path the killer took down here.

How'd you end up in the water? Yeah, naked.

Well, trail went cold, and I was smelling a little ripe

after that flight, so I hopped in for a quick nature bath

just as you caught up.

As one does. Yeah. No. It makes sense to me.

Hey, guys. I need your official signature to release the body.

That's not a dead body.

That's a very healthy-looking body.

Whose body is that body?

Uh, Jimmy, this... Uh, Dr. Palmer,

this is, uh, Agent Winchester.

Oh.

Gage... Winchester.

- Of National Park Service. - Good to meet you, Doctor.

- Yeah. - You know, Jimmy, funny thing.

Uh, Gage and Knight actually know each other.

Yeah, actually, quite, uh...

quite close.

And we are just dying to get the full scoop here.

We are, yeah.

Right.

Jimmy, Gage is my ex-boyfriend.

Oh. What a small world of federal agents.

You two met how?

At FLETC training in New Mexico.

You know, we would, uh, spend weekends together... camping.

And then, you know, we had a couple of years of...

of long-distance relationship, but you know,

our assignments would just keep us apart.

Your assignment.

We were accepted to be Rangers together, but, uh,

Jess turned down their offer to join NCIS.

Which is why we are here... Because

there is a dead petty officer.

Why send the ISB to investigate?

There's been a recent uptick in homicides in national parks.

My superiors are looking for answers.

How many murders and where?

The Everglades, the Great Smoky Mountains,

and now here in Shenandoah.

Three victims in eight weeks.

You're thinking that they're all connected?

No idea. We haven't been able to solve one yet.

Come on, Tripsie.

You and I together again?

I know we can find this killer's trail.

Who's Tripsie? Sorry. It's an

old nickname I had for Jess.

Oh, you had nicknames. How cute.

Uh, well, you know, Ga-Gage isn't wrong.

If we find the killer's

exit route, then we might be able

to find some clues about their identity.

All right, well, we'll head back and, uh,

start digging into Petty Officer Thomas.