Na výletě v horách zemře poddůstojník námořní pěchoty. Někdo mu rozbil hlavu basebalovou pálkou a shodil ho ze svahu ve chvíli, kdy filmoval ráno v horách. NCIS zjistí, že muž měl večer před svou smrtí spor s tulákem, který bydlel v přívěsu ve stejném kempu. Jenže pozornosti vyšetřovatelů neujdou ani manželka a kamarád. Nahrávka z kamery dokazuje, že měli mezi sebou o hodně bližší vztah, než se snaží, aby to vypadalo. Abby však dokáže s nahrávkou dále pracovat a tím usvědčí tuláka.

In the squad room, Kate is talking on the phone with a girl friend. They are discussing something that happened on the other woman's date when Kate realizes that Tony is listening to their conversation and abruptly hangs up. Tony tries to wheedle more information about this date out of Kate, but she's having none of it. McGee walks through and Tony tries to draw him into the conversation which has turned to Spike Steel, a porn star. Kate says Spike Steel reminds her of Tony which makes Tony wonder how Kate knows what Spike Steel looks like. Gibbs comes in and starts handing out assignments, there is a dead Marine (Sgt. William Moore) in Shendoah River State Park.

Sgt. Moore, his wife, and best friend (Sgt. Caine) were camping together. Sgt. Moore went out alone to film the sunrise. The park ranger tells Gibbs that the trail is slippery in the early mornings and Sgt. Moore must have slipped. Gibbs questions the ranger's assumption but he remains certain it was an accident. There is no sign of the video camera.

Kate and Tony are walking in to the crime scene while Tony wonders what's keeping McGee. Kate tells Tony that McGee has joined a gym. We hear panting and footsteps running and here comes McGee, arms loaded with Ducky's gear. It's another quarter mile to the crime scene and McGee plunges on ahead with Tony commenting that McGee should get his money back from the gym. Tony is still comparing himself to Spike Steel remarking that they both need stamina in their chosen lines of work.

Flashbulbs flash as pictures are taken of the corpse. Ducky is quizzing Mr. Palmer on the preliminary findings. With some prodding Mr. Palmer arrives at a preliminary cause of death that matches Ducky's supposition on the subject. Mr. Palmer does not understand the flesh wounds, however, and Ducky explains that a coyote has been feasting on the body. Ducky details which portions of the body are eaten in which order to which Mr. Palmer comments "That's, uh, gross, Doctor." Ducky chuckles and tells him they're lucky that the coyote didn't chew off the head and carry it away. One of Ducky's coroner friends in LA says that coyotes take it to go. Ducky remarks that they're very strange in LA.

All during this discussion Gibbs has been surveying the area around the body, in particular looking up at the cliff Sgt. Moore fell off of. Ducky tells Gibbs that he has noticed nothing unusual for now. McGee shouts that he has found the camcorder. It's in pieces and slightly submerged near the edge of a small stream.

Gibbs is interviewing the wife and friend. The wife says that Moore was obsessed with the camcorder, a birthday gift. If he hadn't been filming, he might not have slipped. There was a drunk in the same area with them last night. The drunk had a camper and was quite loud, they asked him to keep it down, he didn't, so they went back to talk with him again. The drunk took a swing at them, they put him in a headlock till he calmed down, and then the drunk took off. They have no identification on the drunk, Sgt. Caine says he was harmless. Moore is back from 8 months in Iraq, his wife comments on the irony of him dying filming a sunrise.

Abby and Gibbs are walking through the hallways towards Abby's lab. She is explaining that it really isn't that simple to recover footage from a camera that has been immersed in water for hours. "How long?" Gibbs asks. Abby goes into a detailed explanation of everything she needs to do. "How long?" "Three maybe four hours," Abby replies. Gibbs gives her the look that says that answer is unacceptable. Abby does not respond so Gibbs has to accept it. Abby then questions Gibbs on where he is on the technology scale and ends the conversation with "Peace out, man!" and the peace sign. Gibbs looks bemused and leaves her lab.

Ducky is in his element lecturing Mr. Palmer on what coyotes will eat. Basically, anything they can chew. Unfortunately for Ducky, the same cannot be said for his mother. She can no longer chew anything. "Have you ever seen a ribeye steak that's been reduced to baby food by a Cuisinart?" Ducky asks Mr. Palmer. Ducky then describes the rest of his mother's dinner entrees, ending with the Sunday treat, sushi through a straw. While he talks, Ducky has been working, examining the body. He's found something unusual in Moore's hair, which must be taken directly to Abby for identification. Ducky then invites Mr. Palmer over to his house for dinner one evening. Mr. Palmer accepts, although he looks less than enthused about the prospect. Mr. Palmer leaves to take the specimen to Abby and Ducky smiles to himself and then goes back to examining the body.

Abby works on identifying the sliver Ducky removed from Moore's scalp. It is a piece of wood, Northern White Ash to be precise. Not from a tree, but a baseball bat. "Somebody did a Barry Bonds on Sgt. Moore's head, Gibbs."

In the squad room, McGee, Tony, and Kate are gathered around the plasma discussing Sgt. Moore's service record. McGee doesn't know what an EI is, Tony tells him, but he does know what a MOUT is, interrupting Tony as he tries to tell him. Tony is "instructing" the probie. The probie insists that if he needs to know something he will ask Tony . . . where Gibbs or Kate is. Kate asks if the two of them are done and finishes summing up the case. As she finishes, Tony head-slaps McGee and tells Kate that now he's done. Kate wonders if either the wife or the best friend murdered Sgt. Moore. Tony and McGee think it is odd that a single man is hanging out with a married couple. Kate doesn't understand why that's weird. She spends time, without a date, with married couples. Who usually invites her, they ask. Usually the guy she responds. McGee and Tony share a knowing look and a laugh at Kate's expense. Kate insists that men and women can be just friends. Tony laughs. McGee says "Technically." Kate asks what he means by that and Tony responds that she'd have to be pretty ugly for that. McGee and Tony start laughing again. McGee claims he didn't say that, but his laughter is unabated. Gibbs walks in on this, asking what they are doing. They all cover up, saying they are discussing suspects. Gibbs tells them to get going, he's found another suspect. As they walk away, Kate remarks that Tony and McGee are about four years old.

Abby is in her lab drawing on a scrub cap with magic marker. Hers has a skull and crossbones on it. It goes with her black and white striped prison shirt. Everyone remarks on the hat, McGee finding it attractive in a weird way. Gibbs merely wants to know why. Abby is recycling the hats from the clean room where she worked on the video tape. She asks Gibbs how he likes it. He says it suits her and hands her a Caf-Pow asking what she found on the tape. Abby doesn't have the complete tape done, but she did find a POI (person of interest Tony whispers to McGee). Before she rolls the tape, Abby starts the disclaimer about how the tape has been edited for time and content and may not be suitable for all ages. Gibbs becomes impatient and Abby rolls tape.

A very grainy, distorted, and broken up homemade video tape starts playing. The three campers are discussing whether or not they should go and confront the drunk whose music is very audible in the background. They do go to the drunk's camper and confront him and the drunk throws the first punch. The video goes in and out of focus and the next thing you see is the drunk in a head lock being told he's now on tape assaulting them. The drunk agrees to leave. Gibbs wants an ID on the drunk. Abby has managed to get a shot of the license plate and has the name (David Runion) and last known address. "Good work, Abby" says Gibbs as he leaves the lab. Gibbs also orders Tony and McGee back to the park to find the spot where Moore was killed before he was tossed off the cliff. Tony orders McGee to gas up the sedan and meet him out front and strides out of the lab.

Abby stops Kate from leaving and asks her if she really likes her hat. Kate hesitates and says it's different. Abby made a hat for Kate as well. McGee is standing there as Abby presents Kate with the hat and urges her to put it on. Kate's hat has flowers all over it. McGee sighs and digs out his wallet. Abby bet McGee twenty bucks Abby could get Kate to wear the hat. As McGee leaves the room, Abby gives Kate one of the tens McGee gave her, saying "Your cut."

McGee and Tony are back at the park, looking at the crime scene. McGee complains that Tony could have helped carry things, but Tony is having none of it. He carried the camera, that's help enough. They find a drop of blood and signs of a struggle so need to search the woods. Tony starts to warn McGee about something, but McGee cuts him off. He's tired of being treated like an idiot, he graduated top of his class at FLETC, and he knows how to search a wooded area. McGee drapes his coat over Tony and goes into the woods. Tony watches him go with a smile on his face.

Back in the squad room, Kate has found David Runion. Runion is in an RV park near Shenendoah Park and he served time for assault and battery after nearly beating a man to death with a pool cue. Kate and Gibbs are rolling. Kate asks about a warrant, but they don't have any evidence. For now, Gibbs just wants to talk with him.

McGee is deep in the woods, pretty much crawling on his hands and knees and digging through the underbrush until he finds the baseball bat. Tony comes in and takes pictures of it. McGee apologizes for being so brusque before and Tony says to think nothing of it. He tells McGee how brave he thinks McGee was to crawl around in all that poison ivy. McGee is hopeful that Tony is joking, but he's not. "Leaves of three, let them be, McGee." Tony then tells McGee not to touch him and gets up and goes back to the car, leaving McGee to bag the baseball bat.

Gibbs and Kate have arrived at Runion's camping site. There is a small terrier out barking and snarling at Kate as she approaches. Kate backs off from the dog but Gibbs gets down on one knee and reaches in and scritches the dog's head and neck until the dog starts to lick him and then the dog rolls over for a belly rub. Gibbs tells Kate that dogs can sense sarcasm as he gets up and moves towards the trailer. Kate tries to follow and the dog snarls at her again. Kate edges past the door as Gibbs pounds on the trailer, announcing themselves and saying that want to ask questions. There is no answer from the trailer. Gibbs draws his weapon, opens the door, and goes in. No one is home. Gibbs does a cursory search while Kate guards the door. Gibbs finds a bag of marijuana as the dog starts to bark outside. Kate looks out and sees Runion approaching with an armload of firewood. Runion sees her in the door of his trailer, drops the firewood, and takes off. Kate and Gibbs pursue him with the dog barking accompaniment. Runion thinks he has eluded them, drops down into the brush, and says "Idiots." At that moment a gun cocks and is put to the back of his head. "Put your hands behind your head," says Gibbs. Runion wants to know how he did that. Gibbs used to do that for a living, but then Runion would be dead instead of under arrest. Runion has no other questions.

Runion is in interrogation complaining that he has to go to the bathroom. Kate and Tony are in the observation room watching. Tony is eating chips. Runion threatens to soil himself and Kate thinks they should let him use the restroom. Tony thinks Runion is bluffing. Kate describes Runion's trailer and puts Tony off his chips.

Gibbs enters the interrogation room and Runion tells him he needs to go to the bathroom. Hold it is Gibbs' response. If he can't, good, then this will be quick. Runion denies knowing Sgt. Moore. Gibbs shows him Moore's picture. Runion still denies it. Gibbs shows him the restored video footage of the fight. Runion denies it. He says he ran from them because of the pot in his trialer. Runion has a medical condition. "What?" asks Gibbs. "Stupidity?" Runion insists that he didn't do it and that he was sleeping in his trailer at a rest stop when the murder occurred. Kate is checking his alibi, trying to find out if there is any video surveillance or security guards at the rest stop Runion mentioned.

Abby is piecing the sliver from Moore's head into the bat that McGee found in the woods. McGee comes in for a report and learns that the bat is the murder weapon, but it has been wiped clean of prints but is covered in urushiol oil. McGee turns and faces Abby who reacts violently to his face. McGee's face is a cluster of red blotches. Abby cannot describe it to McGee so gives him a CD to look at his reflection. McGee knows that it is going to hurt. Abby recommends calamime lotion and a mask.

In the squad room, Kate is on the phone requesting the video surveillance tapes. The sheriff asks her out, but he's married. As Kate hangs up the phone, she says "and my mother wonders why I'm not married." Tony startles Kate by saying his mother wonders the same thing. Tony is standing right next to Kate's desk. Kate tells him to stop sneaking up on her. Tony is only practicing that creepy way that Gibbs' used to sneak up on them. "Used to?" Kate asks. Tony says that Gibbs has been wearing Ben-Gay so he can smell him. Kate smiles and looks away. "Is that a fact, DiNozzo?" We hear Gibbs' voice but do not see him. "Knee better, boss?" We see Gibbs' face appear from right behind Tony's head. "Much."

Gibbs asks for an update on the case. Tony and Kate are working to verify Runion's alibi. Kate asks if Gibbs thinks Runion did it. "Oh yeah" says Gibbs as he leans over and opens a desk drawer, pulling out a rag, which he then throws at Tony's head. "And Tony is cleaning it up." Gibbs calls maintenance and tells them they don't have to clean in interrogation. Tony does not believe Gibbs is serious until Gibbs stands up tall and looks at him. Tony says he used creepy in the most affectionate sense of the word. Gibbs just looks at Tony. Kate suggests that Tony wear gloves and Gibbs hollers for McGee.

McGee is visiting Ducky for a medical opinion on his rash. Ducky hasn't seen such a bad case since two young lovers fell asleep naked in a field of poison ivy. As he talks, McGee attempts to scratch. Ducky automatically gives McGee's hand a smack. "I don't think Sarah has ever forgiven me for that one," Ducky continues. As Ducky applies a salve to McGee's arms and face, he explains to McGee that the rash is on his face because it spreads by contact. McGee now has a different problem. While he was searching for the baseball bat, he relieved himself. Oh says Ducky. Then the light dawns and it becomes "oooooooooooh." Ducky backs up and tells McGee they'll have to take a look. McGee is embarassed but drops his trousers. Ducky assures him that he is a doctor and he has seen everything there is to see. Ducky takes one look and says "Good lord." McGee looks down and asks if it's bad. Ducky assures him that everything is fine, he just didn't expect to see so much, uh, swelling. Now McGee is panicking. If Tony finds out about this, he'll have to quit. Ducky assures McGee his secret is safe with him. At that precise moment, Mr. Palmer walks in with some forms for Ducky. Mr. Palmer takes in the situation says he'll come back and does a quick 180. "Him I'm not sure about," Ducky tells McGee.

Up in the squad room, the surveillance video is up on the plasma. There is Runion and his trailer and they stayed all night. The wayside is about 2 miles from the park. Gibbs' phone rings and it is Abby.

McGee is in her lab and they are discussing his poison ivy. McGee wants the truth about how bad he looks. But McGee and Abby decide he would prefer a lie to the truth at this point. Gibbs, Kate, and Tony walk in and get their first look at McGee. Shock and revulsion are their immediate reactions, although McGee assures them it looks worse than it really is. Tony compares McGee to the Elephant Man. Gibbs wonders if McGee can still work. McGee assures him he can and Gibbs takes that at face value, although he steps way around McGee to see what Abby has for him. Abby has more of the video tape but not the very last shot. That she had to send out to the Naval Photo Lab and Abby hopes to have it back tomorrow. Gibbs, of course, wants it now. And since Abby doesn't have that for him, why is he in her lab? Because Abby did find something on the tape. There is footage of the wife and the best friend, who probably didn't know they were being taped. There is a frame of the wife looking right into the camera and saying "Honey what is wrong?" Tony asks Kate if she thinks men and women can still be just friends.

Abby is trying to lip read the conversation between the wife and the best friend. Gloria, Abby's deaf mother, felt lip reading was not her strong suit. The wife says "We have to him" as everyone suggests a word for the . Kate says kill, McGee murder, Tony love. Gibbs smacks Tony in the head with his notepad. Tony wishes Gibbs would stop doing that. Gibbs says he will when Tony stops blanking up. Kate looks at the tape again and watches Mrs. Moore touch Sgt. Caine's face in an intimate way. Tony says it just proves his point about the sexes. Gibbs wants both Mrs. Moore and Sgt. Caine brought in tomorrow, but they are not to know why. They'll be playing Gibbs' favorite game, musical interrogation rooms.

Tony and McGee are walking through Quantico on the way to pick up Sgt. Caine. McGee feels everyone is staring at him. Tony chides him for not listening to him; McGee says that if he did listen to Tony, Gibbs would have fired him. Tony raises his hand to head-smack McGee but stops. McGee asks him why. Tony spins a yarn about feeling sorry for the new guy, but then reveals the real reason: it would be like touching a leper. Tony and McGee pick up Sgt. Caine who asks about the accident. He is informed it was no accident and he tells them that the drunk must have overheard that Moore was going to be filming up there in the morning. Does NCIS need him to ID the drunk? Nope, they want to know how Sgt. Moore reacted when he found out Sgt. Caine was sleeping with his wife. Caine asks if she told them and McGee shows him the video tape footage on his cell phone. They arrest him.

Mrs. Moore is sitting with Kate at her desk in the squad room. She doesn't understand why she had to come in to pick up her husband's effects. Gibbs offers her a bottle of water. They ask what kind of man her husband was, was he jealous? At that moment, Tony and McGee bring Caine through the squad room in handcuffs. Where do you want him, boss? Interrogation room 1. Mrs. Moore does not understand what is going on, but Gibbs assures her she will tell him. Mrs. Moore goes to interrogation room 2.

Abby calls Gibbs down to her lab to show him the end of the video tape. It looks like Moore slipped and fell. The killer taped over the ending but there are a couple of seconds of the original tape there. Abby explains to Gibbs how she will attempt to clean it up so it is viewable. Gibbs only wants to know when. Abby tells him he doesn't have to take the fun out of everything and that it will take a few hours. Gibbs tells her she did a good job, but that she only has 20 minutes. As she protests, he tells her to get McGee to help her.

In the observation room we see the two interrogation rooms side-by-side on the monitor. Kate admits to Tony that she may have to agree with him about the sexes. It's Biology 101, he tells her. Kate asks Tony if he thinks she's attractive. Sure he responds. So why hasn't he ever? "Because I know you."

Gibbs walks into the interrogation room with Caine. Caine is scratching, it seems he has poison ivy. Gibbs inquires about the length of Caine's and Moore's friendship. They did boot camp together in San Diego. "A Hollywood Marine" Gibbs says derisively. Then he asks just when did Caine start screwing Moore's wife.

Gibbs is now in the interrogation room with Mrs. Moore. Mrs. Moore doesn't understand why she is there. She knows Caine didn't do it, because he was with her that morning. "By with me, you mean in the same sleeping bag?"

Caine is vehemently denying that charge. She's not lying to protect him, but because she's insane. After Moore left to film the sunrise, Caine went to take a shower. He was gone an hour and she was at the camp site when he returned. So she had an hour to kill Moore? No way. Oh, so then you had an hour to kill Moore?

Mrs. Moore doesn't believe Caine would say that about her so Gibbs orders Kate to play back the tape of Caine's recent remarks. Gibbs asks if Mrs. Moore really believed Caine loved her. Their affair started when Moore was in Iraq. Gibbs looks away from her in disgust.

Gibbs meets Tony out in the hallway. Now is the time to put the two of them in the same room. Gibbs is going to get more coffee. Gibbs, Kate, and Tony are in the observation room watching Mrs. Moore and Caine in the interrogation room. Caine says it was just a fling that should never have happened, she asks why he said he loved her then. Why did he kill Moore, if not to be with her. Caine screams at her to stop saying that and then she tells him that she's pregnant and the baby is his. Tony thinks this show is better than cable. Kate wants to know which one is telling the truth. Gibbs just drinks his coffee.

Abby and McGee are working on the video tape. It plays and the image is out of focus but McGee makes some tweaks. We hear Moore say "is that you Roger" and then we see a baseball bat come into the frame, followed by Runion's face.

Up in the squad room, McGee is showing them how Runion did it. His trailer never left the rest stop, but Runion did. Abby did some video magic and know you can see Runion's shadow moving back into the trailer. It was 4 miles round trip on foot. Kate gets off the phone with the sheriff with the news that Runion posted bail on the pot charge and he's out of jail. Gibbs is ready to go pick him up. What about Mrs. Moore and Sgt. Caine? "Let 'em suffer for a while. I think Sgt. Moore would appreciate that."

Runion is packing up to leave. The dog is barking and bounding between the pick-up truck and the trailer. Runion heads into the trailer as the team pulls up. Runion goes into the trailer and comes back out with an automatic weapon and starts firing at the NCIS vehicle. The team takes shelter behind the car doors and return fire. Gibbs advises Runion to give up but Runion goes into the trailer and breaks out the window to start firing again. The team is outgunned and Runion is not going back to prison. Kate has a plan, but Gibbs has a better idea. Gibbs leans around the car door and whistles. The dog comes running to Gibbs and hops into the car. Gibbs advises Kate and Tony to cover their ears, takes aim, and shoots the propane tank attached to the trailer. It explodes and the entire trailer goes up in flames. "I think you got him, boss" Tony says. Kate is cuddling the dog and asking what they're going to do with it. Gibbs looks at her and she says no way. Tony offers to take the dog and reaches in to pet the dog, who growls and snaps at Tony. "Good dog. I think I'll call you Tony." "It's a *****, Kate."

Back in the squad room, Kate and Abby are talking about whether or not Tony likes Kate. Tony is walking by, hears this, and ducks down to continue eavesdropping. Not her usual type says Kate, but cute. Adorable says Abby. Maybe we could share Tony. Tony gets a huge grin on his face and starts to stand up. Tony the dog catches sight of him and starts barking like crazy. The dog has a pretty pink bow on and Kate and Abby are petting her. They tell Tony he can come out now and ask if he got the dog food. Tony says no as he reaches in to pet the dog, who bites Tony's finger. Abby has a studded dog collar for little Tony and Kate is thrilled because now they can tell them apart. Tony says at least he doesn't hang out with married people. Kate asks Abby to tell Tony that men and women can just be friends. Abby agrees with Kate. "Without having sex?" Tony asks. "Oh no, they'll have sex" is Abby's response. Kate is horrified. Abby doesn't believe that Kate never had sex with a friend. Tony smirks. "What is wrong with you people" Kate asks. Gibbs thinks that's a good question. He also wants to know what they did to the dog. Kate says they're taking care of her unless Gibbs wants her. That's a definite no. They put the dog on the floor and she starts eating. Tony starts looking for his ball cap. Kate and Abby deny any knowledge of its whereabouts. Gibbs looks around and does a double take. He sees the dog, complete with pink bow and studded dog collar, eating out of Tony's ball cap. And there is Gibbs' half-amused smile again.