Fans can now start their 2018 countdown as “NCIS” season 16 episode 9 is most likely the penultimate episode of the year. Meanwhile, the next new installment viewers will witness Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and the rest of the team try to solve a long-running cold case.

The “NCIS” season 16 episode 9 official synopsis and title also reveal that the major part of the next installment involves an undercover stakeout mission. But the case yet to be solved is about a “high-profile robbery.”

There can be several factors to classify a high-profile robbery. In this case, it appears that the victim was a Navy Admiral (James MacDonald). The synopsis and first promo video for “NCIS” season 16 episode 9 both imply there is no homicide component at the night of the robbery.

In fact, fans can find the robbed Admiral holding a gun while a hooded guy — the burglar — runs out of their home. However, Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) is seen in the trailer confirming they “have a body” which means someone died after the team reopened the investigation in “NCIS” season 16 episode 9.

The team finds a new lead when their primary suspect exits prison. In the flashback scenes, the robber fleeing from the house was wearing a hoodie. So there is no telling whether it is a man or a woman. However, the “NCIS” season 16 episode 9 title “Tailing Angie” suggests that their lead suspect is a woman named Angie (Cassi Thomson).

At one point, Gibbs and McGee (Sean Murray) are surveilling Angie while Gibbs is also interrogating another potential suspect named Lew (Jeff Pierre) in “NCIS” season 16 episode 9. With several suspects, viewers will definitely witness another shocking reveal by the end of the episode.

“NCIS” season 16 episode 9 is scheduled on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Then the show’s 2018 Christmas special will be released in the following week on Dec. 11.

CBS announced that the show’s regular timeslot on Dec. 18 will be filled with a rebroadcast of an “NCIS” season 15 episode. And the following Tuesday is Christmas Day, which could mean there are only two episodes left in 2018.