It’s sweltering outside, so what better time to crank up the AC or turn the fan on high (or both!), make a bowl of popcorn, grab something fizzy and watch a classic episode of NCIS? There is no better time, I say! (Full disclosure: I can find an excuse in any season, but go with me on this.)
Mark Harmon as Gibbs in the NCIS season 10 episode Namesake. (Photo: Sonja Flemming, CBS)
This week we’re tripping the light fantastic back to season 10 and an episode titled Namesake. Not only do we get to spend time with Ralph Waite as Gibbs’ dad, but there’s also some Billy Dee Williams action, too. Popcorn, Papa Gibbs and Billy Dee Williams. It’s like the trifecta of summertime classic TV goodness.
Let’s find out what happens, shall we?
We open late at night with a young man joy-riding in a sleek, red Ferrari, music blaring, pushing it to 100 miles an hour as he winds through the streets. He notes a single headlight in his rearview mirror. Motorcycle. He swears, pushes it to 120, scoots around a corner and stops, kills the lights and the music. There is a sign that says dead end. But the single headlight turns in behind him. He swears again, turns on the headlights, and I assume goes for his license and registration? Does he think it’s a cop? I don’t. No lights, no siren. Or does he know someone is hunting him? If so, good call, because Biker pulls a gun, shoots Joy Ride several times through the window, then drops the gun, climbs back on his bike and exits.
Cue awesome opening theme song and credits! (Hi, Ziva!)
Brian Dietzen as Palmer and David McCallum as Ducky in the NCIS season 10 episode Namesake. (Photo: Sonja Flemming, CBS)
We’re at the crime scene with our team of very special agents doing their thing. Gibbs says the police found the car at 2:47 a.m., which jibes with Ducky’s estimation that time of death was an hour prior to that. Meanwhile, Ziva is pondering why the shooter would leave the gun at the scene. Tony explains, via a Godfather reference, that the mob wraps the handle of the gun with rubber bands, just like the one found at the scene, so no fingerprints, files off the serial number and leaves it at the scene so it’s no longer connected to the shooter. Ziva asks if Tony thinks it’s a mob hit and he says that could be it, then grins and adds, Or the shooter watches a lot of movies. Both Ziva and I smile.
McGee tells Gibbs that Joy Ride was a petty officer, prompting Gibbs to wonder how he could afford a $300,000 car. McGee says the car was registered to a corporation. Gibbs wants to know the connection. We shift to the Bull Pen of Orangey Goodness as we learn that Joy Ride was originally from the tough Red Hook section of Brooklyn. (I used Red Hook in an opening scene in one of my Black Sheep books. They aren’t kidding about it being a tough neighborhood.) His only blemish was getting nabbed for shaving points and taking money from a bookie when he was in school. He’s led an otherwise undistinguished career in the Navy. McGee digs up info on the corporation that owns the car. It’s a California company called VCX File Share. They keep the car in D.C. for the exclusive use of the company’s CEO when he’s in town. Turns out said CEO is originally from Kolkata, a Stanford grad, billionaire dot-commer, owns mansions all over the world and just 27 years old. A call to his company finds that the CEO was known to presently be in D.C., but calls to his cell have gone unanswered.
Enter Abby who says whoever tried to mask the gun with the rubber bands and serial filing was a novice because they didn’t know the serial number is also stamped on the interior slide. Turns out the gun is registered to a pawn shop in Maryland. We move to said pawn shop with Tony and Gibbs. The owner confirms she sold the gun, but without the rubber bands. She explains she keeps meticulous records and heads back to retrieve them, while Gibbs and Tony poke around. Tony strums a guitar while Gibbs admires an antique piece of wood-working equipment called a shopsmith. Pawn shop owner comes back out with the name of the person she sold the gun to, explains the paperwork involved and gives Tony major side-eye for toting the guitar over his shoulder. He puts it back, then notes an actual Congressional Medal of Honor sitting in one of the display cases and asks how much it goes for. She says it’s not for sale, and Gibbs concurs, explaining it can’t be sold, as that would be against the law. She tells Gibbs that an old WWII vet tried to sell it to her, saying he needed money. She explained it was against the law, but she felt sorry for him, said he seemed desperate, so given he was a war hero, she lent him $3,000 and kept the medal as collateral. She says she doesn’t care if he ever pays her back, that holding the medal was payment enough. She hands the medal certificate to Tony, who reads the name and marvels. Leroy Jethro Moore. Gibbs says L.J. was his father’s best friend. In fact, he’s Gibbs’ namesake. Fade to a perturbed Gibbs black and white.
We return to the Bull Pen as McGee is reviewing L.J.’s record in Iwo Jima and how he got the medal, while we see a photo of L.J. standing with President Clinton on the day he received the medal. (Hello, Billy Dee Williams!) Ziva wants to know why he didn’t get his medal until 40 years after WWII, and McGee explains it took an act of Congress in 1996 to allow African-American soldiers to be eligible for the medal. (1996? Seriously? Beyond disgraceful it took that long. Or was ever a rule in the first place.) We learn that the division of Marines that L.J. was in was also the first to have African Americans serving in the Marine ranks. After the war, L.J. and Gibbs’ dad opened the general store together, the same one we know that Gibbs’ father has run ever since.
Enter Gibbs, and Ziva tells him she spoke to Joy Ride’s commanding officer who explained that JR had a night job parking cars for a D.C. hotel to earn extra money. Meanwhile, the woman who bought the gun used in the murder has been brought in and is in the interrogation room. She’s a young schoolteacher and asks Gibbs and Ziva why they brought her in. He shows her a photo of the gun, and she says it looks like the one she bought at a pawn shop and asks how they got it. She said there were home invasions in her neighborhood so she bought it for protection. She tested it a firing range, said it scared the hell out of her, so her brother agreed to hold on to it for her. She doesn’t know why he might have wanted it.
Mark Harmon as Gibbs and Michael Weatherly as DiNozzo in the NCIS season 10 episode Namesake. (Photo: Sonja Flemming, CBS)
In D.C., McGee and Tony are at the hotel tracking down the possible connection between JR and the Ferrari. Tony tells McGee that Senior always stays at that hotel when he’s in town. They talk to the other valet who was on duty the night before. He explains that JR took the Ferrari out despite his warnings. When he learns JR was shot and killed, he tells them that JR worked the extra job to earn money to pay off his bookie. Just then Dot Com comes out and is giving the head valet grief for not having his Ferrari. Tony intervenes and explains to the hothead that NCIS has his car.
Shifting to Ducky’s Digs, I avert my eyes from the (gah, I don’t want to know) and listen as Ducky removes bullet No. 3, then notes that Palmer seems distracted. Palmer says he and his wife had their first fight the night before. She changed her hairstyle, asked his opinion, and he was honest that he didn’t like it. He asks what he should do and Ducky says he’s the worst person to ask for marital advice. Enter Gibbs who corrects him, saying he holds that title. Heh. Palmer takes the bullets up to Abby, and Ducky comments to Gibbs that he heard about L.J., Gibbs’ namesake, and wondered why Gibbs had never mentioned him before. Gibbs says it’s complicated. When Ducky stares him down, he relents and says L.J. was a humble man, didn’t talk much about the war. He said he hasn’t seen L.J. since his sophomore year in high school. Apparently, L.J. and Gibbs’ father had a falling-out and L.J. just left. Gibbs’ dad won’t talk about it. Ducky asks if Gibbs ever tried to contact L.J., and he says he wrote to L.J. when he was awarded his medal, to congratulate him, but never heard back.
We move to the college dorm where McGee and Ziva are tracking down the schoolteacher’s brother, the one who was keeping the gun used to kill Joy Ride. They awaken Brother’s dorm mate, who gets a lecture from Ziva on being asleep at three in the afternoon. Heh. Dorm Mate says he last saw Brother the night before, but he was bummed about failing a midterm and went out for the night, hasn’t seen him since. McGee leaves his card and they exit.
Late that night, Gibbs calls his father, who startles awake in front of the television at the phone ringing. Dad comments that it’s not Sunday and asks Gibbs if everything is OK. Gibbs says it is, then asks if he has a minute to chat. He tells his dad about finding the medal and asks if he knew L.J. tried to pawn it. He asks if his dad is ever going to tell him what happened between the two of them. Clearly agitated, Dad reminds Gibbs he told him never to bring up L.J.’s name and slams the phone down. So grumpy. Fade to black and white.
We’re back in the Bull Pen as McGee tells Gibbs and us that Brother hasn’t been seen since the day before and hasn’t used his credit cards or turned on his cellphone during that time. He says Agent Dornegan is staking out the dorm. (Dorney! This makes me both happy and sad. Oh, Dorney.) Ziva has tracked down the bookie, but turns out he was busted on a different matter that morning, so they’ll get him as soon as the police are done booking him. Tony says Dorney has checked in and Brother has returned to his dorm. Tony and Ziva head out to talk to him, and Gibbs asks McGee to see if he can find a current address for L.J. Moore.
Down in the garage, Abby is not having a good day. She is arguing with Dot Com via phone, telling him he’ll have his car back when she’s done with it. (If he’s a billionaire, why not just go buy another one? In cash?) Anyway, she tells Gibbs that she’s learned a lot about Dot Com by his car and they can nail him if Gibbs wants. Clearly Abby wants. Amused, Gibbs ask how would that be, exactly. She explains that Dot Com smokes Cuban cigars. Gibbs smiles that away. She then says he wears $3,000 Italian sunglasses and has Justin Beiber on CD. “Can’t we arrest him for that?” HA! She’s got nothing to tie the car to the crime, however, so Gibbs tells her to release it.
At the dorm, they interrupt Brother in the middle of packing. He tells Ziva and Tony he lost the gun, then explains that, actually, it was stolen from his car. Ziva notes Brother’s partially packed bag. He says he was going to the laundromat, but Tony has other ideas and cuffs him.
We see a snow globe sitting on top of an old-fashioned answering machine. The phone rings and the machine picks up. We hear Gibbs leaving a message for his father, explaining about how he recalls the time that he once hung up on his dad and was read the riot act about how a man doesn’t do that. Gibbs tells his father he might need to take his own advice, then says they need to talk. Oooh, Gibbs! Papa seems none too happy about being called out.
But we move to the Bull Pen as McGee reviews security video from the hotel and the local police department intersection cams. He’s still waiting on footage from Homeland Security and hasn’t spotted the Ferrari yet. He also gives Gibbs the address he found for L.J.
Mark Harmon as Gibbs and Sean Murray as McGee in the NCIS season 10 episode Namesake. (Photo: Sonja Flemming, CBS)
In interrogation, Brother is shown a photo of Joy Ride, says he’s never seen him, asks if the guy is really dead. Tony confirms that, yep, he’s really dead. Shot with the gun Brother admits to having, but claims was stolen. Brother explains he went backpacking to a remote spot after flunking a midterm and turned his cellphone off as he didn’t want to talk to anyone. On the other side of the glass, McGee tells Ziva he wants to believe the kid, but without a verified alibi, it’s not looking good. Tony shows him a photo of the bookie, but that’s a no. Brother calls an end to the questioning, says he wants to talk to his father, who is a lawyer. Tony tries to ask a few more questions, but Brother isn’t having it and Tony exits. They have the gun used in the shooting and can tie it to the kid, but they can’t tie the kid to the victim, so it’s iffy if they have enough to hold him. They need Gibbs to make the call, but no one knows where he is.
Shift to a senior center, and hello there, Billy Dee! (That man always looks good!) As he leaves the building, Gibbs has planted himself directly in his path. L.J. immediately recognizes Gibbs and is clearly thrilled to see him. Gibbs says he didn’t know if he’d recognize him and L.J. says, “Those blue eyes haven’t changed.” Gibbs smiles as they shake hands and pats L.J. on the shoulder. Fade to a happy black and white.
We’re back as L.J. and Gibbs head to an outdoor table at the senior home. L.J. explains he retired from the postal service over 20 years ago but always seems to be busy. Gibbs asks if he’s married and L.J. said he tried a couple of times, but it didn’t work for him. He tells Gibbs how happy it made him to hear Gibbs joined the Marines. Gibbs says L.J. had a lot to do with that, that he was Gibbs’ hero long before he got the Medal of Honor. L.J. says he wanted to be a Marine because of that snazzy blue uniform with the red stripes. “Real sharp,” he says with a Billy Dee smile. L.J. notes Gibbs isn’t wearing a ring and asks if he married. Gibbs parrots L.J.’s reply to that same question, adding it didn’t work for him, either, and they both chuckle.
Gibbs asks why he tried to pawn his medal. He doesn’t blink, says he had no family to share it with, and though it meant a lot to receive it, he wanted to put it to good use. He used the money the pawn dealer gave him to build a ramp at the senior home, so those who couldn’t walk could still get in and out of the building. Gibbs nods, then comments on how L.J. hasn’t said anything about Sr. Gibbs. L.J. doesn’t seem perturbed by this, but simply replies that Gibbs hadn’t said anything about him. L.J. asks if he’s still alive, and Gibbs says yes, that he hasn’t changed much. He then says that his dad still has the store. L.J. nods, but seems otherwise impassive. Gibbs asks him why he left, and L.J. says his version probably differs from Sr. Gibbs’ version. Gibbs says he’s asked his dad to explain, but Sr. won’t talk about it. L.J. suddenly remembers a card game he needs to referee and gets up to go. Gibbs stands with him, then hands him his card, in case he ever needs anything. L.J. shakes his hand, says it was good catching up. Gibbs makes one last attempt, saying, “If you want to talk,” but L.J. just waves and heads off.
In the garage, a tall, boot-clad and short-red-dress-wearing Abby exits the elevator to the garage with Dot Com, who tells her she doesn’t fit the profile of forensic scientist. He’s ogling Abby, tells her well done, then walks over to his car as she’s all, “Thanks?” He groans when he looks inside the car and Abby reminds him he was told someone was murdered in it, and he’s all, “Yeah, but I wasn’t thinking about all the blood,” like it’s just a nuisance issue. Abby is leaning to look in the car and Dot Com is admiring her fishnet stockings and red bow shoes, walks up way too close behind her and says he’s not sorry since they got to meet. Abby straightens and looks at him like, “I beg your pardon, what?” HA. He asks if she’s happy working there, and she’s all, uh, yeah. He says he could use someone like her in his company and they should discuss it over dinner. In St. Croix. Both bemused and amused, but not having it, Abby asks if he’d just sign the release form. Please. Heh.
That night, Gibbs enters his house to find his dad in the kitchen. Dad remarks how he doesn’t seem surprised to see him, and Gibbs replies that the beat-up truck in the driveway was a dead giveaway. Heh. Dad says he drove down because of that “brazen message” Gibbs left on his machine and that he needs to show more respect, that he’s still Gibbs’ father. He reminds Gibbs that he’d been told not to bring L.J.’s name up again, and Gibbs reminds him that that was 40 years ago. They both sit at the kitchen table. Gibbs asks again what happened and Dad isn’t having it. Gibbs reminds him that L.J. was his best friend, his business partner and the man he named his only child after. Gibbs says he thinks he’s owed an explanation.
Mark Harmon as Gibbs and Ralph Waite as Jackson Gibbs in the NCIS season 10 episode Namesake. (Photo: Cliff Lipson, CBS)
Dad looks his son in the eye and says L.J. killed his mother. This sets Gibbs (and me) back momentarily, then Gibbs reminds his father that his mother died of cancer. Dad says he knows she had cancer, but that’s not what killed her. Gibbs says he knows what happened, that his mother took her own life. This sets Dad (and me) back, and he says, “You knew?” Gibbs says yes, that he knew. Dad said he never told Gibbs, he was just 14 at the time. Gibbs just wants to know why he blames L.J. Dad explains that Mom was in a lot of pain, and she didn’t want to fight anymore. She told L.J. she was going to overdose, and L.J. didn’t stop her. Worse, he didn’t tell Dad. “She had time left,” he says, “and I wanted every minute of it.” Aww. Now I need some tissues. He says that he wanted that time with her for himself and for Gibbs. He knocks the coffee mug off the table and it breaks as it hits the floor. Gibbs doesn’t react, and Dad says he’s tired from the drive, that he’s going to bed. Eyes red and a little glassy, Gibbs watches him get up and leave, but doesn’t say anything.
In the Bull Pen the next morning, McGee, Ziva and Tony are commenting on how none of them has heard from Gibbs since the day before. Ziva wonders if maybe there’s a woman in Gibbs’ life. Tony is all, “No, way,” and of course Gibbs walks in. Tony asks if everything is OK, and Gibbs tells them his father came to visit. Awkward silence, Tony makes it more so with talk about dads coming to visit, then Ziva jumps in and updates Gibbs, saying that the police had the bookie under surveillance, so he has an airtight alibi at the time of the shooting. Tony comments that they can’t hold Brother much longer, and McGee says he has something. The additional cam footage from Homeland shows the Ferrari leaving the hotel with what looks like a police motorcycle following him. So Joy Ride did think it was a cop (except again, a cop would flash lights at the very least). McGee comments that it’s not a police-issue motorcycle, though, and he’s trying to get the plates.
Tony walks into interrogation with Brother, who immediately says his father said he wasn’t to talk to anyone. Gibbs comes into the room behind Tony, full steam, says, “Fine, then just listen.” He puts photos on the table, says he knows Brother has a motorcycle license, shows photos of the motorcycle while saying that he knows Brother got on his bike, followed the Ferrari when it left the hotel and shot Joy Ride. (I’m thinking whoever shot Joy Ride was actually after Dot Com, who likely has his fair share of enemies, given his wealth and his lovely personality, but no one seems to have put that together yet.) Brother looks taken aback, as he should. He says he has the license, but no bike. He looks at the photo and says it’s Dorm Mate’s bike. He also says that’s Dorm Mate’s helmet and jacket. Tony asks if Dorm Mate knew he had the gun in his car, and Brother says he did. Ruh roh. Tony exits to go pick up Dorm Mate, and McGee is there, telling Gibbs he has a visitor.
Up in the conference room, L.J. says he doesn’t dispute what Sr. told Gibbs regarding his mother’s death. He said his mother was in a great deal of pain, and she didn’t want her husband and son going through the long and ever-worsening process, either. L.J. explains that he saw so much suffering during the war, he knew what she was going through. He says Sr. suspected he knew, and L.J. didn’t lie when he confronted him with his suspicions. They haven’t spoken since. Gibbs asks him if his dad was upset because L.J. didn’t stop her, or because she chose to confide in him, instead of his father. L.J. says it was probably both. He goes on to drop the bombshell that both he and Sr. were in love with Gibbs’ mother, but interracial relationships were frowned upon back then. After the war, he was forced to watch his best friend marry the woman he loved. He says he and Gibbs’ mother had a special relationship, and though he suspected Sr. knew about his feelings, they never spoke of it. He said the three of them were close, but once she was gone, and knowing how Sr. felt about his role in the situation, L.J. packed up and left the store and Stillwater behind. Fade to a sad black and white.
Billy Dee Williams as Moore and Mark Harmon as Gibbs in the NCIS season 10 episode Namesake. (Photo: Cliff Lipson, CBS)
Tony is mainlining Chinese takeout while fretting over not being able to track down Dorm Mate. The motorcycle is gone and Ziva posits that he likely took off after they came looking for Brother. Tony says it’s a good thing Dorm Mate can’t get far on the $140 he has in his bank account. McGee has tracked phone calls and locations for Dorm Mate and Joy Ride and can’t make any connection between the two of them. (Because it’s DOT COM!) Then Ziva tracks down info showing that Dorm Mate is a member of Mensa and is a computer science major. (Bingo!) Soooo, looks like maybe Dot Com got rich on one of Dorm Mate’s boy-genius ideas? That’s what I’m thinking! And yep, turns out Dorm Mate interned at VCX File Share.
Dad is down in Gibbs’ basement, gluing the handle back on the coffee mug when he hears the door open upstairs. He calls up to say he’s in the basement and asks Gibbs where he got the shopsmith. HA. You knew he bought it. But it’s not just Gibbs on the stairs coming down. It’s also L.J. Oh, boy. Gibbs says it’s time to end the feud, and Dad says nothing has changed. L.J. comments on how Ann (Gibbs’ mom) wouldn’t appreciate how the two of them have been behaving. Gibbs says that all of them had the same thing in common, they all loved the same woman. Then, with voice slightly raised and not a little exasperated (heh), he tells them that they aren’t getting any younger. “Figure it out.” He heads upstairs. I head for more tissues. The two men eye each other, and finally Dad says, “My God. You’ve gotten old.” L.J. smiles, nods. Heh.
In the Bull Pen, Gibbs enters and Tony asks how it went with his dad. “No bloodshed,” is all Gibbs says. Ha. Ziva tells Gibbs that they think Dorm Mate was after Dot Com when he shot into the Ferrari. Turns out while interning, he had a file-sharing idea but was told it wasn’t feasible. Then Dot Com took the idea, patented it and will likely make over a $100 million with it. Dorm Mate tried to sue, but no one would take his case. There was a clause in his contract that said anything he developed while there was property of the company. McGee says with his high IQ, they’re having a hard time finding Dorm Mate as he’s hidden himself well. Gibbs suggests they make Dorm Mate want to come to them. He calls Ducky and asks him to come up.
Ralph Waite as Jackson Gibbs in the NCIS season 10 episode Namesake. (Photo: Cliff Lipson, CBS)
In the conference room, Dot Com is pacing and making coffee while explaining to Ducky that Dorm Mate had no legal right to the idea, that the law is on his side. Ducky explains that legal rights didn’t matter to Dorm Mate, that he saw the property as his, and when he couldn’t get recompense for it, he sought revenge. They want Dot Com to send Dorm Mate an e-mail saying he got the message with Joy Ride’s murder and has decided to pay Dorm Mate so he won’t hunt him any longer. McGee has already written the e-mail. All Dot Com has to do is send it to Dorm Mate from his account. He looks it over and sees they want him to make a good-faith gesture to ensure Dorm Mate replies, that he will put a million dollars into Dorm Mate’s almost empty bank account. Dot Com refuses, and Gibbs is all, Fine, then, live looking over your shoulder. “He’s already tried to kill you once.” Gibbs says that if they don’t find him, there’s no doubt that he’ll eventually find Dot Com.
We see someone sliding a debit card into an ATM, probably to check that brand-new million-dollar bank balance. And bingo! McGee shows the photo from the ATM of Dorm Mate, saying it happened an hour ago in the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky. A satellite scan has pinpointed his location. Dorm Mate climbs out of his small tent the following morning to find five agents pointing guns in his face. “Morning,” Gibbs greets him as he stumbles to his feet, hands raised. Heh.
L.J. walks an older woman from the center and they chitchat before she leaves. He turns to find Gibbs’ dad standing there. Dad says he’s heading home. Then he holds up the box containing the medal and tells L.J. it’s such an honor to have one, that he risked his life for it, and it doesn’t belong in a pawn shop. He hands it to L.J., who asks how he got it back. Dad says how he’s got a son who’s a federal agent. “He sticks his nose in other people’s business.” HA. Dad says he repaid the loan and L.J. tells him he hasn’t got the money to repay him. Dad says he knows, but that he always figures he short-changed him on the store 40 years ago. He considers them even. L.J. says thanks.
Billy Dee Williams as Moore, Mark Harmon as Gibbs and Ralph Waite as Jackson Gibbs in the NCIS season 10 episode Namesake. (Photo: Cliff Lipson, CBS)
Dad says how he needs to hit the road so he can get home before dark and how his night vision isn’t what it used to be. They both chuckle at that. He heads out, then turns and asks L.J. if he ever considered coming back to Stillwater for a visit. L.J. says he hasn’t, then asks if it’s changed much, if his folks’ place is still there. Dad says it is, though it’s been “gussied up a bit.” L.J. looks down at the medal in his hand, then Dad says, “Want a ride?” (More tissues!) L.J. says, “Only if I drive. You were the worst.” Dad takes instant offense at this, reminds him he’s not the one who totaled L.J.’s father’s Studebaker. HA. Dad walks off, then calls back that he’ll be picking him up in an hour.
Down in Gibbs’ basement, he’s just finishing up cleaning up the shopsmith. He opens a bottle to have a drink and looks around for something to use as a glass, spies the repaired coffee mug. Shakes it by the handle, smiles when it holds fast. Fade to a final black and white.
The episode is dedicated to the real Montford Point Marines, and we see a photo of the Marine division from WWII then and another one of them 40 years later, upon receiving the Congressional Gold Medal in June 2012.
Members of the Montford Point Marines attend a presentation ceremony of the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington on June 27, 2012. The Montford Point Marines were recognized for being the nation’s first African-American Marines who received basic training at Montford Point Camp in New River, N.C., from 1942 to 1949, and their services to the country. (Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images)
A pretty good walk down memory lane!
I can think of only one thing that could improve on that hour of Gibbs Family Goodness. How about some swag? Last time we met, I put a signed copy of my brand-new book, Blue Hollow Falls, up for grabs, along with some fun swag. Thanks for the cavalcade of entries and all of the nice comments. The winner is Lisa Infantino! Lisa, drop me an e-mail to donna@donnakauffman.com with an address and I’ll get your prize package in the mail to you!
Now, all you not-Lisas, don’t go off in a huff. I believe in second chances! How about a signed copy of Blue Hollow Falls and a pretty bookmark charm to go with, courtesy of The Cotton Thistle? Drop me an e-mail to donna@donnakauffman.com with “Blue Hollow Falls? Charmed, I’m sure!” in the subject line, and you’re in! I’ll draw one name from the entries and announce the winner when we reconvene on the recap couch two weeks from now.
What classic episode gets the recap treatment next? Well, we’re going alll the way back to season nine and an episode titled Enemy on the Hill. Abby gets the starring role this go-round, and who doesn’t want to have more Abby Time? Not me!
I look forward to seeing you then. In the meantime, join me over on Facebook for additional chances to win free stuff!
Donna Kauffman is the USA TODAY bestselling author of 70-plus titles, translated and sold in more than 26 countries around the world. Born into the maelstrom of Washington, D.C. politics, she now lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, thankfully surrounded by a completely different kind of wildlife. You can check that out for yourself and more at www.donnakauffman.com. She loves to hear from her readers (and NCIS viewers!). You can write to her at donna@donnakauffman.com or visit her on Facebook or Instagram.
MORE ON HEA: Read what Donna learned while writing Blue Hollow Falls
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