The Colonel's Wife - 93

A drug bust found a package with the return address on it of Olivia Banning, the wife of the Colonel in charge of drug interdiction in Panama. Harm (H) and Mac (M) were sent undercover to investigate Colonel Bradley Dunston and his wife, the former Olivia Banning, for sending drugs in a diplomatic pouch as cigars. The NCIS agent Grondyke condescendingly assisted them posing as civilian "inspectors." H got photo's of Banning meeting a known drug dealer, Carlos Rojas who was working for the Sauteras "family." Grondyke had a wiretap recording of an affectionate call between Rojas and Banning and them arranging a meeting at night. H had the idea to have Bernado, an informant, tell Dunston of a drug "meeting" at the same time as his wife's "affair" meeting with Rojas to see if he "took bait" and was "dirty" too. Dunston did come alone with either his wife or his marine unit, but was seen arguing and threatening Rojas. Grondyke was ready to arrest them both but M and H pointed out that they hadn't seen anything illegal. They both interviewed Col and Mrs. Dunston at the same time but their stories fit; namely, that he didn't know about his wife's affair or drug dealings and Banning had "unknowingly" mailed cigars for a "favor." Grondyke came with evidence of Banning's secret off-shore bank account containing four payments and $80,000. Then she claimed she had unwittingly opened it as "a favor for Carlos." When even M didn't believe her, she said that she had figured out the mailing and wanted to quit but was blackmailed in order to "protect her husband's work." M didn't believe in Dunston's culpability and pulled rank deciding to use Bernardo to plant the story that Rojas was planning to run off with Banning and the Sauteras' money. Rojas would be too busy running to be able to discredit Dunston or the program. But when Grondyke took Banning to the airport to buy tickets she escaped and went to Rojas' house. M and H arrived to hear gunshots and Banning mortally wounded. They killed Rojas in a gunfight and M saved H from being shot. They told Dunston that Banning had been there "to call off their affair and that she had said she loved him."

Ron Katz, a very wealthy former roommate of Bud's (B) came to visit and started B obsessing over "missed opportunities." They had apparently been co-nerds and had races dis- and re- mantling PS2. Katz, founder of Wahwahpedal.com an online searchable database for music, had asked B to be his partner. B, too fearful, declined. Tiner said he had bought 100 shares the day the stock opened and it had recently had gone up $18 a share. B found that Brumby had been a professional boxer at age 17. He had seen stars during a fight and joined the Navy instead of going to a major fight he was booked in. He said he wondered "what might have been" every day. Gunny told B of a girl who had asked him to the Jr. Prom in high school. He didn't take her because he didn't have transportation or clothes etc. She married a dentist and had children but whispered to him recently at a reunion, "you should have called." Chegwidden (C) told B that Tiner had been asked by his brother, owner of a topless bar, to be his day manager. And, C said, he had worked during high school summers on a ranch in Wyoming, so he "could'a been a cowboy, yee haw." Katz and his snotty, prissy wife finally had lunch together and his wife sowed disgust at a child who would "cry." B realized that he wouldn't have traded his family for success with Katz.