NCIS

Ah.

Hey, Sonny Lee.

No car rides for you today, baby.

Where Daddy's going,

you can't come.

I know. I love you, too.

I'm coming home, baby.

NCIS Season 17 Episode 16 "Ephemera"

== resynced by Brach_Movic aka GilangPC ==

This is so sweet of Mr. DiNozzo.

Yeah, Senior's still in Paris with the fam.

Apparently, by reuniting Ziva with Tony and Tali,

NCIS has made him the "happiest Pop-Pop ever."

So he says in his thank-you.

Very long thank-you.

Very soft paper.

Handmade in a little chateau right outside Marseille.

Guys, in addition to delivering these handwritten notes,

Mr. D asked me to...

give you something else.

Come on.

He made me promise.

I'm not hugging you.

Can't you just lie?

You know I'm a terrible liar.

Oh, wow. Really?

Come on. Bring it in.

Great. Are we done?

Wow.

Well, when Senior asks how you all enjoyed his notes

and hugs, I'm gonna have to lie.

Sorry. It's been a crazy morning.

My landlord dropped off a note

increasing my rent.

A lot.

Yeah, then Delilah texted me

that Johnny threw up all over his room.

And I got hit by a car.

Again?

No, same accident.

It's just, you know,

I went over my hospital copay, and...

Sounds to me like one hug was not nearly enough.

Hands to yourself, Doc.

Hold on. I have something

for you from Anthony DiNozzo, Sr.

In gratitude for saving Ziva.

We're just doing our job.

I'm just doing mine.

Senior made me promise.

I-I can just lie to him.

You're a terrible liar.

I am.

So warm...

What did you just say?

Nothing. I-I'm gonna go deliver some more thank-yous.

I-I hope you guys start feeling better.

What's he talking about?

Uh... Rough morning.

Grab your gear.

Someone having a worse morning.

Navy Master Chief Arturo "Art" Amador.

Retired.

Yeah, in every way.

Gibbs was right.

Suddenly, our day doesn't seem so bad.

Must have been looking at this picture when he passed.

"Annie, 1972."

His wife?

Uh, according to his record,

Art was never married, had no children

and lists no next of kin.

So he was all alone?

Looks like he made the Navy his family.

Art served 30 years with a spotless record.

Then, after retirement, he stayed in off-base housing

and volunteered at the National Museum of the Navy.

Oh, wait, is that the one, uh, next to the Smithsonian?

How can you not know the Navy Museum?

Mm, 'cause there's a hundred museums in this town.

Yeah, but this one is, like, two buildings away from your desk.

On the Navy Yard.

Okay. I'll check it out.

Yeah, you should. It's pretty great.

Art thought so. Been working there the last 17 years.

Wow. Talk about dedication.

So why kill himself?

Nice suit, old photo.

Definitely planned.

Dog had plenty of food and water.

Yeah, and the door was locked from the inside.

Base security, uh, broke in after a neighbor heard

the car running and saw exhaust through the garage windows.

And then there is the suicide note.

Handwriting?

Matches samples we found from the deceased.

Boxes and file cabinets are all stuffed

with old letters and papers.

Yeah, this guy kept everything.

"I had a good run. Time to be with my beloved.

Sorry for the mess."

Excuse me. Where's Art?

Is something wrong?

Marie Stanhope.

Deputy director, Naval History and Heritage Command.

NCIS. Special Agent Gibbs.

I oversee the docent program

at the Museum of the Navy.

Art's a volunteer. And a friend.

Can you tell me what's going on?

Oh, Art.

Did he tell you about doing this?

No.

But when I got to the museum today,

I found this note on my desk.

It's from Art,

asking me to take care of his dog, Sonny Lee.

Which I'm more than happy to do.

But I also found this in the envelope.

The note said he wanted it donated to the museum.

So I knew there was a problem.

There's a problem with the silver dollar?

I take it none of you are numismatists?

I was raised Catholic.

A numismatist studies currency.

And this is an 1870 S Seated Liberty Dollar.

It's one of the most valuable coins in the world.

We're talking a seven-figure valuation, easy.

What is a retired sailor doing with a million-dollar coin?

Art never mentioned this coin before.

As far as I know, he wasn't even a collector.

Doesn't make sense.

The coin have Navy significance?

No. Its value to the museum is purely monetary.

We'd likely sell it at auction.

Art knew we've been facing serious budget cuts.

You're government-funded. Which means the Naval History

and Heritage Command is subject to the same

congressional whims as NCIS.

To compensate, we have to close a few exhibits next week.

Mostly late Vietnam War era.

That's when Art served.

Naturally, he was upset about the closings.

I mean, not enough to kill himself.

Although, his donation would

keep those exhibits open indefinitely.

If it's even real.

You're in luck.

I just got off the phone with my coin collector contact Connie.

We confirmed this Seated Liberty is the real deal.

The 1870 S gets its name

from the tiny S on the back.

Signifying it was struck in the San Francisco mint.

12 of these coins are believed to still be in existence.

So we looked for one matching this description and grade.

Get a match?

Nope. Which makes this coin lucky number 13.

Also means we can't trace its origins.

Well, not using a numismatist, anyway.

But Connie did estimate this coin's value

at around $1.4 million.

That's incredible. But I can't take it.

Afraid you'll accidentally use it in a vending machine?

The museum can't accept a gift

without knowing where it came from.

That coin is worth more than Art made in a lifetime.

I have no reason to believe he was into something shady, but...

But it sure seems like Art was into something shady.

He knew that dollar would raise suspicions.

Art must have left something behind

to show where it came from.

You just have to find it.

Please.

I know just the man for the job.

"Ephemera."

Written or printed memorabilia for short-term use.

From the Greek ephemeros:

to last for a day.

Yeah, 'cause then you are supposed to throw it away.

Yeah, Art didn't throw anything away. Look at all this.

Old receipts, letters.

Ooh. Hi-fi stereo instructions.

Or a takeout menu from 1972.

Why keep this crap?

Time travel.

An item that might seem worthless to us

could trigger memories for Arturo.

Clearly, he kept all of this for a reason.

What, like a hoarding disorder?

This ephemera was stored in boxes and cabinets.

That suggests deliberate action, not compulsion.

Well, it doesn't look deliberate to me.

These are just thrown together in no particular order.

Yeah, and now we've got to sort it all in the hopes of finding

something in here that explains our mystery coin.

This is impossible.