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The body of a petty officer falls from a ceiling at a nightclub; Ducky says that someone dressed him after he died. Gibbs finds $40K in the victim's room, and the team follows the money through twists and turns, hoping to find his killer.

The body of a petty officer falls from the ceiling of a men's washroom at a nightclub in the basement of a warehouse in Alexandria, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC; Gibbs and company investigate; Ducky says that someone dressed the victim after he died. The sailor, a storekeeper from NAS Pax River, along with four buddies from the same station, had gone to the nightclub for a wild night. The team puzzle over latex, safety glass, talcum powder, and $40K in cash. Basic footwork and inquisitive thinking eventually produce the connection between a prank and an inheritance. Four musketeers confess, and Kate and Tony seek Chinese food.—DocRushing

A young man visits the men's room during a rave party that was being held inside an old warehouse in Alexandria. As he relieves himself, several drops of blood land on his shirt. He grabs a chair to check the ceiling for the source. He pushes at the place where the drops are forming. Suddenly, the ceiling collapses and the body of a petty officer falls through to the floor. Ducky investigates the body where it landed. From the nature of extensive injuries and the state of the clothing, he declares that the body was redressed after his death. A bit of safety glass on the victim suggests that he might have been hit by a car. This was linked to fresh tire tracks in the parking lot that were from rapid acceleration as opposed to skid marks. Other evidence on the body consisted of a small piece of latex and talcum powder. The NCIS team goes to the victim's room. Gibbs notices a stereo speaker that had clipped wires. When he opens the speaker cabinet, there is $40,000 in crisp $100-bills. Talking with others that might have input, it is uncovered that the victim went to the rave with four buddies. One of the guys was making out in the car with a girl. While he was busy, the victim dressed up in an alien costume (hence the latex and talcum powder). His buddies were going to film the incident, thinking it would be fun to watch the panicking couple. The buddy in the car saw the "alien" and rammed his car into it as he peeled out. The four said simply it was a prank that went horribly wrong. However, Gibbs believes that the petty officer's death was more than just an accident. Bank camera footage shows the victim receiving a large payout of family inheritance. Accompanying him was Petty Officer Wong, one of the buddies who went to the rave with him. Wong was the driver of the car that hit him. He was hoping that the death would be ruled an accident, manslaughter at the worst, leaving him free to go find the $40,000 that he knew was hidden somewhere.—Garon Smith