'NCIS' Season 12 Spoilers: Recap for Episode 17 'The Artful Dodger'
This week on "NCIS," evidence in an NCIS murder case reveals a rare painting on loan had been swapped for a fake, prompting DiNozzo Sr. to share his knowledge and contacts of the black market art world with the team.
"The Artful Dodger" starts with a janitor mopping the floor of a building while his son watches him. The janitor tells his son that he should have pride in his work, no matter what it is, when they hear a crash. The son calls for security, and the janitor finds a dead body.
At NCIS headquarters, Gibbs tells the team that a dead body was found at the Defense Logistics Agency. Tim says that the victim is Lieutenant Dominic Pine. Tony says that the janitor's son saw a blue sedan when he peeked out of a window.
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At the agency, Tim says that no files were taken from the computer and Tony says that no robbery took place, but Elie reminds them of Rule number 20: Always look under. She shows them a wrapped box with a pen inside. Gibbs tells Tony to go home, and when he arrives, he finds his father, DiNozzo Sr., listening to his breakup mix. His father tells him that his fiancée, Linda, has left him.
Ellie wonders why Linda left Senior, and Tony says that maybe she found out about his real job. Ellie tells him to do something to distract his father.
Meanwhile, Pine's girlfriend, Gloria, is in the interview room. She tells Ellie and Tim that she loved him very much and that he has no family.
Later, the team discovers that the gift they found was for Pine's friend and Pine had only gone into the office to pick it up for her. Abby gives an update about the case and says that a painting, which didn't get any blood spatters, isn't exactly as old as it should be and that the killer had been stealing it when Pine arrived.
Senior comes in and spots the photo of the painting, and says that he recognizes it from his previous dealings in the art world underground. He offers to teach them about it, and Gibbs agrees.
Senior puts out feelers in his network saying he's interested in buying a painting. Later, McGee goes with Senior to meet his art forger friend Perry. Senior introduces McGee as his son and says that he works as a model.
The team finds the original frame of the painting, and on it are blood spatters from the murders of Pine and CIA official Brian Khosa.
It turns out that a bug was planted on the painting and that it has been inside the Secretary of Defense's office for two months, so there could be information in the bug that's worth stealing. They also find out that Gloria is the owner of the painting and that she's the one behind the murders.
With a tip from Senior, Tony and McGee head to a bar and they end up in the middle of a bidding war between Senior and Aziz, with Gloria orchestrating it. On Gibbs' signal, the team makes their arrest.
"NCIS" airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
