"Oh, yet another beautiful morning in the City of Angels." "The traffic's light coming out of Pasadena, toward downtown, with no construction or accidents to report." "What a perfect day to commute, so, if you're driving into work, you should snap a photo for posterity's sake." "Be something to show your grandkids." "♪ ♪" "What was that?" "Okay, we have an SUV that's just exploded." "We're gonna try to to get down." "It is a scene of absolute chaos." "Max, are we getting this?" "♪ NCIS:" "LA 3x03 ♪ Backstopped Original air date on October 4, 2011" "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "It's comparing apples and oranges." "Lethal injection or firing squad." "Not really fair to either of them." "I'm just saying the comparison begs to be made." "Hetty and Hunter." "Pick your poison." "Hetty's more like that little pill you slip in someone's drink so they follow your every command." "Those pills exist?" "Really?" "Calm down, Deeks-- they don't work on farm animals." "I trust Hetty." "Can't say the same thing about Hunter." "Okay, listen, Hunter's just trying to do her job." "And she's obviously isn't gonna get the love and respect that we give Hetty, so she uses other leadership tools." "Right." "Like secrecy." "And ruthlessness." "No problem using others to achieve her own agenda." "She is not that bad." "Okay, is there a reason you keep defending her?" "No." " No reason." " No?" "I'm just, you know," "I mean, she did upgrade all the hardware around here." " Uh-huh" " Yeah." "She got us those brand-new HK-416 assault rifles." "Gave me a parking space." " Ha!" "There it is." " What?" "!" "Turning traitor for parking." "No." "Traitor." "Says the guy that has a five-second walk from his aggro muscle car to the front door." "Oh, quit while you're ahead, Deeks." "I'm ahead?" "Not even close." "Hate to break up the conclave, but duty calls." "Gosh, I miss that whistle." "Yeah, I didn't miss the whistle." "Did you guys miss the whistle?" " Nope." " Nah." " Not really." "Eric." "Footage is from the local" "CBS affiliate's traffic segment." "Watch the black SUV." "The driver was killed instantly by the blast." "Staff Sergeant Nelson Marcos, U.S. Marine." "Marcos was a combat engineer specializing in demolitions." "So what's our angle?" "Homeland Security?" "Terrorism?" "Espionage?" "Staff Sergeant Marcos was a Marine." "Isn't that reason enough?" "Eric, play it back at half speed." "Zoom in on the blue sedan coming up on the SUV." "See that?" "Slowed down." "They made sure it was him before they remote-detonated the bomb." "Sedan was I.D.'ing the driver." "Everyone else slows down when the sedan accelerates away." "The SUV belongs to Calvin Winslow." "The Calvin Winslow?" "Guy runs the biggest club in L.A." "Hottest people, best DJs, toughest door in town." "I mean, people spend more time behind those velvet ropes than they do inside the actual club." "Or so I've heard." "The ATF suspects Winslow is using his club as a front to move small arms to the city's gangs." "Looks like his former partner is about to open up his own club." "Thom Baird came up as Winslow's protegé, then he jumped ship." "They had a falling out, and now they're competitors." "Drama in clubland." "No criminal records for Winslow or Baird." "All right, visit Winslow and see what he knows." "We'll check out the victim," "Nelson Marcos." "I've made some operational changes." "Callen, you'll be working with Kensi," "Sam with Deeks." "Partner up." "I'm sure you'll all make this work." "Why are you doing this?" "Your hostility towards me is affecting the team's work." "No, it's not." "The team is doing just fine." "Whatever hostility I have is not about them." "It's about you." "I can't trust anybody that withholds information about my past; my life." "And yet you trust Hetty." "If I told you what was on Alexa Comescu's laptop in Romania, would that gain your trust?" "It'd be a good place to start." "The Comescu family's real business is money." "Clean money." "They provide hundreds of criminal enterprises all around the world with start-up loans." "And in exchange for those funds, the family gets part ownership." "I thought they were involved in human trafficking." "Yeah, they were." "Along with narcotics, terrorism and counterfeit goods." "If you were a criminal looking for an investor, you'd call the Comescus." "And if your business failed?" "You die." "The laptop is just the tip of the iceberg." "My investigation's still got a long way to go." "It's..." "Your investigation?" "Authorized by Director Vance." "And you report to...?" "Hetty." "There's nothing about you on the laptop, Agent Callen." "The answers that you're looking for, they... they died with Alexa Comescu in Romania." "Parking space is just a piece of asphalt." "It's not worth Sam." "You think I don't know that?" "So we have to do something." "Orders are orders." "Do what we're told." "Make it a lot easier." "All right." "You ready for the Marty Deeks crash course?" "Can you teach it from the hospital?" "Okay." "Hey." "Is there something that I should know about Cal..." "Is there something I should know about Callen?" "I know he's had a tough time with Hetty and Romania and..." "He's fine." "Just watch him with Hunter." "Okay." "So you, uh, got any tips for me on how to housebreak an angry Navy SEAL?" "Yeah, let him drive." "That's it?" "Don't be afraid to take the lead." "Assert your authority." "Let him know you're comfortable being in charge." "Really?" "It's actually the only way to win his respect." "Kens?" "Yeah." "So I was doing a little bit of thinking over here, and I was thinking maybe we should take my car." "Yeah, that's a good idea." "We should probably take your car." "'Cause mine is much further." "Yours is probably closer." "Yeah, good plan." "We should take your car." "Dead guy's house." "Yep." "I know what's wrong here." "Do tell." "There can only be one alpha male in a partnership." " Alpha male." " Yeah." "Dominant authority figure." "Yep." "Leader of the pack." "Problem is, we got ourselves a pack of two." "And how does a pack resolve this issue, Deeks?" "You watch the Nature Channel, right?" "Pack of wolves, the alpha male maintains eye contact to assert dominance over the betas." "Anybody ever tell you your left eye is bigger than your right eye?" "What?" "Let's go, Alpha." "Exactly." "Exactly my point, 'cause I'm obviously not Beta." "Just saying." "According to his Marine file, Marcos lived alone." "Let's take a look around back." "Federal agent!" "Okay, that's my face you just stepped on." "Please do something stupid so my partner can shoot you." "Why'd you run?" "Bomb." "All right, bomb squad cleared the house." "I took a look around, didn't find anything, which means that, uh, Paul Bunyan here is our best lead." "How original." "Never heard that one before, tough guy." "Took you down, didn't I?" "Yeah, I was impressed." "No one's ever beat up the soles of my shoes with his face like that." "I know you do not want me to go alpha male on you right now." "Try me." "Relax, Gigantor." "I will drop you like third period French." "You think about that." "Kensi probably doesn't need to know about that whole beating up the soles of his shoes with my face thing, right?" "Good talk." "I'm going to go check out the blast zone." "Are you okay?" "I've been better." "Is it Hunter?" "Motion sickness." "I am a great driver." "Not even close." "Okay, Deeks doesn't have to know you feel this way, right?" "Hey, Callen?" "All right." "Thanks, Eric." "Yeah." "On our way to Winslow's when we got the news." " You and Deeks okay?" " Yeah." "You car sick?" "What...?" "No..." "So who's Goliath?" "What's next, beanstalk jokes?" "It's Charles Redman." "Tell them what you told me about Staff Sergeant Marcos." "Look, Nelson was my friend." "He let me crash here on nights I worked late." "Worked late doing what?" "Cabaret hospitality specialist." "He's a nightclub bouncer." "Knew that guy looked familiar." "Mm-hmm." "You two know each other?" "No." "Last Thursday at the club-- tried to cut the line." "Told people you starred in that vampire movie." "Kensi, that's..." "I was undercover there." "I was..." "I was following up that lead with the guy." "Remember the case with the thing?" "No." "You don't seem real upset about your friend's murder, Mr. Redman." "Didn't know until you guys told me." "Still hasn't hit me, I guess." "Bomb squad just said that the, uh, shed was an explosives factory." "Said they found residue of military-grade C-4." "You want to explain that to us?" "I will-- if you protect me." "From who?" "Calvin Winslow." "LAPD found the blue sedan abandoned just a few blocks from the freeway." "Reported stolen 30 minutes earlier." "Any link to the explosion?" "There was a burn phone inside." "Betting that's what they used to detonate the bomb." "Anything on Redman?" "Well, bank records show he was telling the truth about working the door at Calvin Winslow's club." "He also did two years in the Army." "All right, let's work this guy, Eric." "Monitor the interview-- track his answers." "Update us on our comms." "Sam, let's find out why Redman is so scared of Winslow." "I didn't realize being a cabaret hospitality specialist was such a dangerous job." "Why do you need protection from Winslow?" "He's got some guys-- they've laid beatings on employees." "Maybe worse." "These guys kill Staff Sergeant Marcos?" "I don't know." "Look, we were buddies since high school." "I got him gigs working security with me at the club when he was off duty." "Marcos was driving one of Winslow's SUVs when it exploded." "Winslow chauffeurs VIP clients to the club." "He uses us as drivers sometimes." "I just received a preliminary report from the LAPD Bomb Squad." "The device that killed Marcos was of the same design as the one that took out the storage shed." "Photos?" "Coming up." "So what did Marcos do to Winslow?" "Few nights ago, I crashed at Marcos's place." "Found some gear stashed in a closet." "Explosives." "Kind of stuff the military uses." "I confronted him, and he said he stole it." "Somebody hired him to make a bomb." "Winslow?" "He wouldn't tell me." "So what were you doing in that shed this morning?" "I got woken up by noises." "I heard somebody out back." "It was just sitting there on the workbench." "It was wired to a cell phone." "The phone's alarm was counting down." "Look, I just got the hell of there." "When was the last time you spoke with Winslow?" "Maybe a week ago, at the club." "I'm seeing over a dozen calls to Winslow from Redman's cell phone over the past two weeks." "Then explain the calls made to Winslow from your cell phone." "I told you, I didn't call Winslow." "Marcos uses my phone sometimes." "It had to be him." "Step outside, gentlemen." "There's something I need you to see." "Well, clearly, he's feeling guilty." "And clearly, he's covering his own ass." "These are evidence photos of the bomb remnants from the freeway and from the shed." "Your assessment, Agent Hanna." "I'd say both bombs were built by the same person." "Common design elements." "Same type of tape, wire." "And both bombs are equipped with two cell phone triggers." "The first phone receives a signal and triggers the blast." "The companion phone takes that signal and transmits it to other devices." "These types of bombs are designed to be used together." "It's like the first device can trigger the second, and the second can trigger a third, and so on." "It's a chain of explosions." "A chain meant for what?" "To destroy something big." "You were the weird kid on the playground obsessed with fire, weren't you?" "I'm just saying." "That's my assessment." "You might want to take a look at this." "Uh, Marcos had security cameras at the back of his house." "The only one who went inside the shed today was Redman." "Camp Pendleton's reported 12 pounds of C-4 missing from an ammo supply point, along with a crate of blasting caps." "Staff Sergeant Nelson Marcos had access to that location." "Paul Bunyan is screwed." "You used Marcos." "You convinced him to steal plastic explosives from Pendleton and make bombs for money." "You were the only one in that shed this morning." "Marcos never called Winslow from your cell-- it was you." "So... want to start over?" "Winslow killed Nelson." "But it was my fault." "Winslow knew I was ex-military, but..." "I really didn't have the expertise for what he wanted." "So I told him about Nelson." "He offered us $100,000 for five bombs rigged to cell phone detonators." "I talked Nelson into helping me." "Why'd he kill him?" "'Cause Nelson changed his mind after he found out what the target was." "What was the target?" "I don't know." "He called me after he left, said he'd tell me when he got back." "Said Winslow needed four bombs for the first target and one for the second." "Guess he was the second." "I should have gone with him." "I knew he was having doubts." "I got my friend killed." "After I heard the news, I panicked." "When we got hired, Nelson made a sample bomb for Winslow." "That's what I used to level the shed." "You know, prints were all over the explosives, the detonators." "It just seemed like the easiest way to destroy all the evidence before the cops arrived." "Four devices." "One target." "We could be looking at half a city block." "Redman seemed genuinely remorseful." "More like genuinely scared." "Think we got enough to charge Winslow?" "Motive would be good." "The ATF has been after Winslow for years." "This case needs to be airtight." "So let's bring Winslow in, apply a little pressure." "Redman's word against his, and his highly paid lawyers?" "So we tell him that we know about the other four devices." "At the very least, it stops him from using them." " Doesn't lock him up." " Does save lives." "What's our mission here again?" "Sam... do you think that we can use Redman to get inside Winslow's organization?" "If Winslow still trusts him, and if Redman's willing to work with us." "Well, Redman is feeling guilty." "Maybe he wants to redeem himself." "Maybe." "Worth a shot, then." "I need to organize some logistics with Eric first." "Do that." "I'll go accompany my partner." "The ATF has had Winslow under surveillance." "They've confirmed that he's got a mistress." "Her name is Ashley Thomas." "I'm going to need real-time updates." "When is Hetty coming back?" "Good question." "Winslow's club." "So you want to rehearse?" "Rehearse what?" "I usually run lines before an undercover op, but, you know, maybe that's just me." "Want to get your hair and makeup done, too?" "I'm just very committed to my craft." "I just go with the flow." "Ah, improv guy." "I like it." "Me, I like to get a little Method with it, you know?" "But, whatever, improv's fine, too." "Which one of us is the more dominant presence in this partnership?" "Don't think; just answer." "Go." "Ignore him, Redman." "You ready?" "Not really." "Good." "He'll expect you to be nervous." "That's him." "That's Winslow." "Okay." "Give him a few minutes to settle in, then we move." "So what's your favorite food?" "Excuse me?" "Just breaking the ice." "Kensi, we've known each other for a long time." "Yeah, but how much do we really know about each other?" "We've always had Sam and Deeks as these social buffers, and I know you don't open up to anyone, but still..." "You don't exactly open up to anyone, either." "Yeah, but I'm willing to try for the good of this partnership." "Okay." "Okay." "I'm listening." "Just stick to the case." "Agreed." "Agreed." "Okay." "Why did Hunter split us all up?" "Oh, wait, because she can." "She's too calculated to do it on a whim." "She did it for a reason." "Well, here we are." "Ashley Thomas's unit." "I don't think she's here." "You sure we have the right address?" "Yeah." "Looks like she moved out." "Or she never moved in." "Okay." "Let's go." "Thanks for letting me do this." "Means a lot." "What's your distress word?" "Deeks." "Good luck using that in a sentence." "Okay, Eric, we're on the move." "Read you loud and very clear, Sam." "You got stones, Redman." "Most guys would have skipped town." "I made a mistake with Marcos." "Came to set it right." "Who's your friend?" "Sam Harris." "Don't know you." "I'm worth getting to know." "You got a problem." "I can fix it." "I got a problem?" "Faulty equipment." "Marcos called me." "He said he did something to the devices so they wouldn't blow." "The one this morning worked pretty well." "He said he only did it to four of them." "The ones he planted for you." "Like I said, faulty equipment." "And you can fix it." "Well, I'd have to see the equipment to be sure." "It's already on-site." "Gonna cost more." "Why don't you give me the location." "I'll take a look." "This isn't a negotiation." "Hey, hey, hey." "Is that real?" "Half a pound of C4." "The detonator circuit's complete soon as I release the pressure on the switch here." "And the result?" "They'll be picking up the pieces with a wet-vac." "Looks like a negotiation now." "Any luck with Winslow's mistress?" "The apartment was a dead end." "I should be there." "Agent Hanna's got the situation under control." "This device is a smaller version of the one Marcos built." "He said when the green light flashes red, the device detonates." "Mm-hmm." "Let me see if this works." "No!" "Son of a..." "Maybe I should shoot you myself." "I altered the device." "The detonation chain never reached the C4." "Started and ended with the blasting cap." "That's the difference between bang and boom." "Water doesn't compress, so it stops the explosion in its tracks." "You can use water as a barrier." "Place the barrier on the left, it drives the blast right." "Place the barrier up top, it drives the blast down." " Which means?" " You think you're bringing down a whole building, and you end up only damaging the floor." "Or you level an entire city block." "Marcos could've done this to my bombs." "Looks like it's time for you to hire a professional, Mr. Winslow." "I guess I just did." "This guy Winslow has no shortage of women hanging off his arm at his club." "A different one every night." "So far, I've found only four with multiple photos taken on different days." "But none of them go by the name Ashley Thomas." "What about the ATF?" "They had him under surveillance." "Uh, where do you think I got the photos?" "I also trawled the paparazzi and various nightlife sites." "Turns out, Winslow doesn't like to stray far from his own club." "Social networking?" "A blank." "Whoever this mistress is, she's very discreet." "Eric's confirmed that Ashley Thomas's landlord received a wire transfer from a Swiss account for an amount equaling 12 months rent." "Name of the account holder?" "He's still working on it." "He thinks it'll take several high-level phone calls for a bank in Geneva to open up its books." "Which one's Ashley Thomas?" "That'd be none of them." "He's going to an awful lot of trouble to keep her hidden away." "Yeah, and I'm beginning to think we're not going to find her." "I'm beginning to think I know why." "Ashley Thomas." "You found her?" "I don't think she exists." "My intel is solid, Agent Callen." "Why'd you choose our team for this case?" "Winslow's not a high-priority target." "You split us up." "You sent us off chasing ghosts." "Ashley Thomas is not a ghost." "You're keeping us off balance, you're keeping us busy." "Why?" "What's this really about?" "You need to keep looking until she turns up." "And when she doesn't...?" "She will." "Agent Hunter." "Hey, Sam's en route to another location." "Thank you, Eric." "Sam is on the move." "Give my regards to Ashley when she turns up." "I know this spot, Eric." "This is where Winslow's old partner, Thom Baird, is opening up his new club." "This has got to be where Winslow's planted the bombs." "This one of your clubs, Winslow?" "No." "We're on the list." "How are you?" "Eric, what's the club's layout?" "Main entrance is on your street, service entrance around the back, several other businesses next door." "It's a big club." "Lot of places to plant a bomb." "Or four." "Deeks, Callen and Kensi are about to join you." "Backup for the backup, that's fantastic." "Do we have a plan here?" "Hold until Sam has located all four devices and disabled them." "Then move in." "Simple plan." "What could possibly go wrong?" "Plenty." "Uh, Sam just entered the building." "Eric, is the club open?" "Um, no." "Grand opening's in two days." "Call the nearby businesses." "Tell them that there's been a gas leak and they need to evacuate." "Nell, call LAPD and tell them they need to block the street to through traffic." "No lights, no sirens." "Well, well, well, if it isn't my ex-partner and my current partner's ex-partner." "Where's Sam?" "He's gone clubbing." " Isn't that owned by Winslow's..." " Ex-partner." " You couldn't resist, could you?" " I couldn't." "We're gonna have to evacuate the street." "Hunter's already on it-- gas leak." "Well, if Winslow sees the street being evacuated," " he's gonna know something's up." " You take the front door." "Soon as the street's clear, we're going in." "All right." "Deeks, stay with me." "Three partners in one day." "I'm feeling all giddy." "Eric, comms up." "Comms up." "Callen and Kensi are patched in." "Nice-looking club." "Uh, is he doing what I think he's doing?" "You really don't like this guy." "I made him." "And this is how he repays me." "He's gonna learn the hard way." "Be easier to just burn this place." "Why go to all this trouble?" "I want to maximize the pain." "Okay, so where are the bombs?" "Number one." "Yep, dual cell phone detonators." "Branch of an explosive chain." "This should do it." "Where are the others?" "Structural walls front, back and main stairwell." "Will it work?" "If you're asking if it'll bring down the building, sure." "Long as it detonates." "Well, that's why you're here." "You got a burn phone to activate this?" "Number's already entered." "Well, don't pocket-dial or we'll all be dead." "Perimeter." "Start at the front." "Where's he going?" "Stretching his legs." "Callen, we've got a tourist." "Heading to the front of the building." "Kensi, did you get that?" "I got it." "Ma'am, hurry up, please." "There's a gas leak." " Move away from the building." " Hey, what's going on?" "Gas leak." "Second one this week." "I don't know." "Cat's out of the bag, guys." "Kensi, is the street clear?" "Almost." "So much for that simple plan." "Street is being evacuated." "Gas leak." "Now, isn't that a coincidence?" "So what are we waiting for?" "Well, someone told the cops." "I'm gonna find out who." "The guy who did this, fixed it so it wouldn't explode." "I guess good help is hard to find, huh?" "And now I found you." "Talk to me, Eric." "They're in the west corner of the club." "Sam deactivated the first bomb." "I'm moving in." "Callen, hold your position." "Kensi, get ready to move in." "Maybe you're not who you say you are." "It was me." "The cops came to talk to me." "I... might have said something, Mr. Winslow." "I'm sorry." "So am I." "Redman's down." "Call an ambulance." "Kensi, move in." "For Nelson." "For Nelson." "When you don't know who to trust..." "Trust no one." "Federal agents!" "Ow!" "Uh-oh." "Someone is using your cell phone." "Shut it down!" "Come on, come on!" "The call is relaying-- I-I can't stop it!" "This one's safe;" "the others aren't." "Callen, get the hell out of there now!" "Go, go!" "Ahh!" "You okay?" "I'm good." "Are you?" "Yeah." "You good?" "Yeah." "You?" "I'm good." "Callen, status?" "We're all good." "Never a dull moment." "Well, sounds like you just got a hit." "Callen?" "I found her." "Ashley Thomas." "I don't understand how this happened." "I did a name search with a very tight set of parameters to filter out every other Ashley Thomas in Los Angeles, and got nothing-- until now." "Suddenly, her name pops up." "It's like she was just born." "It's a gossip site." "Story about Calvin Winslow and his mysterious new lady love..." "Ashley Thomas." "And that's not the only one." "I'm now showing dozens of entries from blog sites to mainstream press." "It's like someone's doing a massive Ashley Thomas upload to the net." "You got photos?" "Yeah." "First one coming through now." ""Calvin Winslow living the highlife on the red carpet with Ashley Thomas."" "Open it." "Oh my God." "Send this to my phone." "Wow." "Looking for someone, Mr. Callen?" "Lange, Henrietta." "In case you've forgotten." "You're back." "I feel like I was never gone." "Where's Agent Hunter?" "Not looking for me at all, then." "She's gone on assignment." "Why do you ask?" "I found somebody she was looking for." ""Calvin Winslow living the highlife on the red carpet with Ashley Thomas."" "Miss Thomas bears a striking resemblance to Agent Hunter, don't you think?" "Hunter was put in the picture." "She's backstopping a new alias." "That's what this is all about, isn't it?" "Ashley Thomas didn't exist until Hunter created her." "It's what we need to do, Mr. Callen, to go undercover." "The deeper the cover, the deeper the backstopping required." "Agent Hunter saw this Winslow case as a way into a much bigger operation in Europe." "So now Winslow is dead, but..." "Ashley Thomas is very much alive." "And seeing as she had quite a relationship with the late Mr. Winslow," "I'm sure she'll have no trouble convincing his friends in Europe that she can be trusted." "Does this have anything to do with the Comescus?" "Nothing at all." "In this operation, their paths never cross." "She never had a dog in that fight anyway." "Unlike you and I." "You asked me... why I went off on my own to face the Comescus." "I did it..." "because of your mother." "You knew my mom?" "Sit down." "I'll tell you everything I know." "Why now?" "Because you're safe from the Comescus now." "And because I can't hold on to these secrets any longer." "Please, Mr. Callen." "Where do I begin?" "What was her name?" "Clara." "== sync, corrected by elderman ==" "Her name was Clara."