Jethro was thankful that it was a bit calmer day. They were able to catch up on things before everything, as always happened during Halloween, went to hell. He also had a meeting regarding the latest East African threat assessments, which was a lot easier to attend if he wasn't in the middle of a big case.

Making his way back to the squad room after the rather long meeting with the director, having also just got off the phone with dispatch, Jethro had to smirk as he overheard Ziva's realization that Mischief Night was the why behind someone apparently ringing her doorbell and running off again and again. She had been in the United States for more than a few years now, but little cultural things could still get some rather spectacular reactions out of her.

McGee immediately bounced off of Ziva's comment and shared a story of how he and some buddies took all the bedroom furniture out of the Base Commander's home and put it out on the tarmac when his family was stationed at Alameda.

Jethro had to admit, that was a rather amusing prank, and he was a little bit shocked that McGee had been party to it. The whole thing sounded very much like something that he would expect from DiNozzo rather than McGee. He figured that a friend of the younger agent had likely spearheaded it.

Walking in, Jethro said, "Lock and load. We got a dead marine." He then grabbed the keys from his desk and started walking towards Ziva. "Agent David," he said, tossing the keys to her, "you're driving."

Ziva caught the keys to the Dodge Stratus easily, the young woman immediately smiling as she registered the use of her new title.

Once at the victim's house, the team immediately started processing the crime scene. They quickly learned that the man's name was Marine Lance Corporal James Korby and that the Lance Corporal had just got back from his third tour in Afghanistan and was living with his wife and stepdaughter.

Ziva swiftly pointed out there was no blood or sign of a struggle, so all the evidence pointed to it being a suicide. Ducky, who was finally walking up with Palmer, gently corrected her and stated that Korby didn't die of carbon monoxide poisoning. If he did, his skin would've been cherry red. The crime scene had clearly been staged to look like a suicide.

He had DiNozzo and Ziva question the three teens who found the body, having all been there getting up to their own Mischief Night antics, as well as the neighbour, Ted Rogers, who took issue with Lance Corporal Korby's pranks.

Jethro walked up to Ducky and Palmer as the medical examiner was starting to check the body's temperature. "You got a time of death, Duck?"

"This can't be true," the man said, clearly baffled. "I mean, the heat from the exhaust fumes should raise his body temperature, but he's curiously cold." Ducky turned around to pass palmer the liver prob. "Frigid, in fact." Ducky glanced back at the body. "It's a mystery to be solved by examination later."

He quickly talked to his Senior Field Agent and then both DiNozzo and Ziva went into Lance Corporal Korby's garage to see if they could find anything.

Ducky and Palmer finally removed the victim's body from the car and it was now sat upright on the hood of it.

"Well," Ducky said, "he's certainly in rigour."

"Guess we should lay him down," Palmer stated. "Unless he's going to drive." The boy chuckled, but he was the only one. "Zombie. Halloween."

Jethro just proceeded to eye the young man.

"Come on," Ducky said with a small wave of the hand.

"I'm sorry," Palmer said.

Palmer and Ducky started to move the body when they heard a weird noise coming from inside it.

"What was that?" McGee asked, rather confused.

"Sounded like it came from inside the body," Palmer pointed out.

"Yeah, well," Ducky said, "push him down flat, Mr. Palmer."

As the pair straightened out the body, they all heard the strange crunching noise come from inside the body again.

"Duck?" he questioned, equally baffled.

"No idea," Ducky replied, the man clearly wracking his brain. "Even if he was in full rigour, he wouldn't be brittle. Forceps, Mr. Palmer." Palmer did as he was asked and then Ducky put his hand on the victim's chest, making more noises. "Oh, it's odd indeed. Thank you. Let's see now."

Ducky used the forceps and reached inside the victim's mouth, pulling out a piece of something Jethro couldn't quite place.

"Is that glass?" Palmer inquired.

"No," Ducky explained without missing a beat, "it's part of his throat." He allowed the rest of them to get a good look at it. "Look, it's frozen solid."

"What could get something that cold?" Palmer asked. "Dry ice?"

"Or liquid nitrogen," Ducky suggested, glancing back at Jethro. "Either way, I think you found your cause of death."

"Hmmm," he said. "I'll go see if DiNozzo or Ziva found anything in the garage."

Talking with DiNozzo the man immediately referred to the garage as "the joke lab." The younger man wasn't far off either by Jethro's estimation. The garage was full of all kinds of Halloween paraphernalia and was a mess. A computer monitor was broken on the floor as well which suggested that there had been a struggle.

Finishing up at the scene, they headed back to NCIS to wrap things up. It was getting late and there wasn't much more they could actually get done until after the autopsy was finished and they got some test results back from Abby.

Once he was home, Shannon ordered the three of them some Chinese food for dinner and they all played a couple of rounds of cards. That had been enjoyable enough, but it hadn't taken long for it to turn into a movie night.

"Here you go," he said, putting three glasses of coca-cola down on the coffee table. "I brought the soda and I'll be right back with the popcorn." The girls had wanted some snacks to go along with the movie, so Shannon had sent him to the store.

"Thank you!" The girls chorused.

A couple of minutes later, Jethro was back with a rather large bowl of popcorn, placed the popcorn in the middle of the coffee table, and then took a seat down on the couch beside his wife. "So, what are we watchin'?"

Kelly grinned. "Inkheart."

"Your daughter insisted," Shannon deadpanned.

"Oh," he said, "so she's my daughter when she's being stubborn?"

"Pretty much," his wife said in jest.

He rolled his eyes.

"Can you share the blanket, please?" Kelly said, tugging at the blanket gently.

"Hold your horses," Shannon said with a chuckle.

"Shhh," he said with levity as he pressed play on the movie.

There was definitely never a dull moment with his family. Those two girls were always keeping things interesting.