Doppelgänger (NCIS)

Infobox Television episode | Title = Doppelgänger
Colour =
Series = NCIS
Season = 2
Episode = 12


Airdate = January 18, 2005
Production = 02x12
Writer = Donald P. Bellisario Jack Bernstein
Director = Terrence O'Hara
Guests = Rob Benedict as Aaron Wright Will Burke as Det. Todd Miller Chad Willett as Det. Primo Monteleone Rebecca McFarland as Det. Rachel Rapp Kimberly Oja as Karen Wilkerson
Episode list = Episode chronology
Prev = Black Water
Next = The Meat Puzzle

Doppelgänger is the 12^th episode in the second season of the television show "NCIS".

Plot

A telemarketer from a phone company calls a Navy lieutenant to advertise the phone service, but he hears a struggle over the phone and believes that the lieutenant has been murdered.

The team begins investigating the case and find that the lieutenant's body is not in his home, but they do find blood. After some time, Abby, McGee, and Kate all rush to tell Gibbs their findings, each believing that his or her finding is the most important. Abby reports that the blood drops in the lieutenant's home are not directional because they are spherical, meaning that whoever left the blood stood and let blood drop, took a step, dropped some blood, and took another step. McGee finds that the sound from the telemarketer's recording is unidirectional and came from the lieutenant's computer. Finally, Kate says that the lieutenant had requested that day off and had told the telemarketer to call him back at that specific time. With these facts, it seems that the lieutenant faked his own death.

Gibbs and McGee head to the office where the lieutenant worked as a computer programmer. Gibbs immediately takes a liking to Karen Wilkerson, who was the lieutenant's boss. McGee asks the man who worked next to the lieutenant about the lieutenant's work and obtains copies of his codes and other files.

Back at the lab, McGee and Abby analyze the code, which deals with prescription drug shipments for the government. They find 3 suspicious lines of code, which appear to cause the shipment of various drugs directly to the lieutenant. The code had not yet been released in a fully functional form, but it had been working to some extent. Thus, the lieutenant had been receiving and selling drugs for some time but likely faked his death because the code was about to be released.

While searching for the lieutenant, they discover his body, which is certainly not a suicide, as he was shot at close range in the back of the head. The team believes that the lieutenant may have had a partner who wanted to take the drug money for himself. The team interviews the lieutenant's former roommate as well as the man who worked next to him in the office, but they are unsuccessful.

Gibbs takes a break for a date with Karen in his basement, where he is holding her closely and showing her how to sand his boat. As they begin to kiss, Gibbs' phone rings, and he takes the call. He is informed that the team has analyzed cigarette butts found at the scene of the lieutenant's death and found out their brand. Gibbs asks Karen for a cigarette, and she hands him one of the same brand that was used by the killer. He confronts her with this and says that he hopes she isn't the killer and kisses her.