The Mentalist s01e09 Episode Script

- Are you ready? - Yes.
- Feeling awake, mentally alert? - Yes.
Fantastic.
Okay.
I want you to imagine a screen between you and I.
On that screen I want you to project a basic shape.
Like a square, but not a square.
- Got it? - Okay.
Lock it in.
Now I want you to project another shape and put that shape around the shape you already have.
Okay.
Excellent.
Here's the fun part.
Now concentrate and project that onto the back of my mind.
Look right here.
Open up your mind and send it to me.
Okay, now I'm starting to feel it.
It's a triangle inside a circle.
- No.
- It's not? No.
I was thinking of an octagon inside a rectangle.
- Liar.
- All right.
All right, you got me.
Hmm.
Pretty good, huh? He got me and Rigsby the same way.
How did you do that? Oh, that's nothing.
That's just the calibration key to real mind reading.
Now I have access to all your innermost thoughts.
- Yeah, right.
- I'm serious.
- Okay.
So, what am I thinking right now? - You're thinking: "I am so glad Jane is joking around and he can't actually read my mind.
" No.
Well, actually, yes, but not for the reason you think.
What reason do I think? - Never you mind.
- Ha.
You're blushing.
You are blushing.
Hey, we're up.
Suspected arson murder on a farm in Marquesa.
The county DA's asking if we'll check it out.
- Let's go.
- All right.
Chief Piller, why the firetruck? - Shouldn't they be gone by now? - Well, it took forever to put the fire out.
There wasn't enough water pressure to fill the hoses on account of the drought.
Rich Garcia used to have the best corn in the county.
Look at it.
Anyway, this is where we found him.
What was left of him.
There's hardly anything left for Susan and Madeleine to bury.
Tough to bury a comrade, I'd think.
Yeah.
Probably saved your life more than once.
Vice versa.
- How did you know we served together? - You've been crying.
You don't strike me as the kind of man that would cry for no reason.
That's a National Guard signet ring you're wearing, isn't it? Yeah.
We were in the 3-192 Armor.
We did two tours in Anbar together.
Ah.
So you must be the arson specialist? - Uh, no.
The arson specialist - That would be Agent Rigsby.
- Mr.
Jane is a consultant.
- Mm.
So you'll be able to tell, then, definitively whether the fire was arson or accident, or whatever? Two years with the San Diego County Arson Squad, chief, I'll be able to tell.
Chief, you and your men haven't contaminated the scene, correct? My men? It's just me and Terry O'Brien, agent.
But, yeah, we did like you said.
After we hauled Rich out, we haven't set foot in.
So to determine if it's arson, I'm gonna need to analyze the burn path find the point of origin check for signs of an accelerant.
Ah.
It's arson, all right.
And murder.
How can you tell? This is part of the garage door.
Yes? The lock's on the outside.
Someone locked Garcia in, lit the place up.
Your friend was murdered.
I'm sorry.
Don't they usually like to watch their work, arsonists? Yeah, even more so when it's coupled with murder.
Maybe this guy's different.
What do you think? - Jane? - Jane? Jane? Patrick Jane? Over here.
He watched from up here.
He was here.
- What does it look like? - Sophisticated work.
Electronic timers, mercury switches.
Need the lab on it to be sure, but looks like they used a distinctive accelerant.
Rocket fuel, something like that.
So we have a pro at work, or a very gifted amateur.
Great.
Get a cast of the tire tracks down the road.
Go into town and talk to the guy Garcia was going to meet that night.
- Chief, what's his name? - Mitchell Reese.
- He works the gas station on Main Street.
- Mitchell Reese.
On our way.
Let's you and me go in and talk to the widow.
Jane? Okay, thanks.
These folks are from the California Bureau of Investigation.
They're gonna help find who did this to Rich.
Hi.
Nice to meet you.
Thank you for coming.
I, uh Are you hungry? There's more than enough.
- Oh, I could do with a bite.
- No, but thank you, Mrs.
Garcia.
Guess not.
Hey.
I, uh, put in some KP with the dishes and brought in the firewood.
- So you're all set.
- Thank you.
- You need anything? - No, Ben, I'm good.
Thank you so much.
- These are the state-police people.
- Oh, hey.
Ben Machado.
Anything you need, just say the word, you got it.
Ben's our, uh, go-to guy in Marquesa.
I'm the only real-estate agent here who takes his commission in fertilizer and chickens.
- You were in the 192nd as well? - That's right.
You have that military bearing.
Rich and Ben and me and a couple other guys ran a platoon together.
Yeah.
You guys are gonna catch the bastard who did this ASAP, right? - We're certainly gonna try.
- I guess that'll have to do.
I'll see you in the morning? I should go too.
Ma'am, mind if we ask you some questions? No, of course not.
Please.
- Everyone loved Rich.
- I know this is difficult but can you think of anyone? - You must be Madeleine? - Maddy.
Whatever you're selling, pass.
Funny.
What are you, a moron? My dad just died.
Yes.
My condolences.
It happens.
You'll learn to live with it.
Not for, uh, a while, but in the end, you will.
- Who are you? - My name's Patrick Jane.
I'm the man that will find out who it was that killed your father and have him, or her, or them, put in a prison cell.
- Lf you'll talk to me.
- Lf I'll talk to you.
Heh.
Like I know who did it.
Well, you could help me find out.
Yeah? Your dad was in the National Guard for a long time.
How come there's no pictures of him with his buddies? He used to have all this military crap in a glass case on the photo wall: Medals and pictures and stuff.
But he took it down.
Why is that? How should I know? He didn't like talking about what he did over there.
- Not to me anyway.
- Who did he talk to, your mom? - Pfft.
No.
- "Pfft.
No"? Nothing.
I mean he doesn't like talking about that stuff.
- Why are you so angry at your mom? - I'm I'm not.
If you weren't angry, you'd be with her right now.
She needs you.
- Her husband just died.
- Oh, I'm sure she'll learn to live with it.
I was watching TV.
Maddy was in her room.
Richard called to say he was leaving Mitch's, he'd be home soon.
He was doing stuff for the Avocado Parade.
And then, next thing, I heard a strange noise and I saw a light out that window.
It was the garage burning and Rich inside screaming.
That's what the noise was.
Rich screaming trying to get out of the garage.
Hello, Mrs.
Garcia.
Um, I brought corn chips.
Cool Ranch.
Thank you, sweetie.
- Um, would you like some food? - Can I have some chicken? Of course.
Anything you want.
Help yourself.
Um Tommy does odd jobs around town.
Challenged, but ever so independent.
Bless him.
Challenged? He's retarded, Mom.
Why can't you ever tell the truth about anything? Everything's a lie! Sorry.
You know teenagers.
You know why she's so angry? She suspects that your lover is responsible for the killing of her father.
My lover? - How dare you? - The policeman.
- Chief Piller? - Him.
- Maddy suspects no such thing.
- Well, that wasn't very convincing.
You wanna try that again with a little more feeling? You just cannot come in here and make wild accusations like this.
You never looked him in the eye once.
He kept trying to take your hand, you wouldn't let him.
The air was practically buzzing with furtive shame and yearning which tells me that you were lovers.
It suggests two possibilities: You and Piller killed your husband together and now you're remorseful.
No.
No.
I believe you.
You'd have found a more humane method of killing him.
Second possibility: You have a horrible feeling that maybe Piller did this thing to clear the field for himself.
No.
Trey would never.
They were best friends.
A best friend that has an affair with his "best friend's" wife.
Susan we'll find out the truth.
When Rich came back from the war he closed me out.
He went somewhere else.
He wasn't my husband anymore.
- Did you have an affair with Trey Piller? - Yes.
But Trey would never hurt Rich.
I know that.
Well, you hope.
Come on, help us out, Mr.
Reese.
You might've been the last person to see Rich Garcia alive.
How about that? What's the problem? Electric's shot, I bet.
- Yeah.
- Always the same with the early '70s models, huh? - Yeah.
Gotta get the old pig running smooth for the parade.
That's what Rich and I were talking about the night he died.
Did you notice anyone else around? Anyone waiting nearby for him? - What time did he leave? - Kind of late.
Around 10 maybe.
You thinking this is murder? - Someone cooked him deliberate? - Yes, looks like.
That's weird.
Why weird? Another man killed by arson in the same town from the same Guard unit? That's weird.
- Hang on.
Another man? - Didn't Chief Piller tell you? Three years ago, a guy called David Martin, burnt to a crisp.
- And he was with the 192nd as well? - Yeah.
That's what I heard anyhow.
It was before my time.
Only been in town a year.
David Martin, lived up at Alton's Grove.
Surprised Chief Piller didn't mention him.
Van Pelt.
Is there anybody inside? - This is Trey Piller's house.
- Fire department's on its way.
- Is Chief Piller still inside? - I don't know.
- Stop.
Rigsby, wait.
Idiot.
- Rigsby.
Hey, hey.
Oh, my God.
Don't move.
Don't move.
Don't move.
You're gonna be all right.
I'm just gonna lift your arm, okay? Doctor said we have to change the dressing pretty often.
How's Chief Piller? The Burn Unit in Sacramento says it's touch-and-go.
Hey.
Check out Dr.
Van Pelt.
Here.
It's that mango crap you like.
- How are you feeling? - Took some kick-ass painkillers, man.
Ha.
I guess this lets Piller out as a suspect, huh? Yep.
Especially since the doctors at the Burn Unit found tranquilizers in his system.
He told them that he woke up with smoke and fire all around him.
Interesting new level of cruelty.
Dosing someone so they wake up just in time to burn alive.
Hey, it's the mummy.
So the fire at Piller's house, same M.
O.
As the one that killed Rich.
Accelerant's ethyl ether.
That's a signature.
Tricky stuff to work with too.
Takes skill, finesse.
Why don't you go and see what Susan Garcia has to say about all this? And let's you and me check out this Alton's Grove place where David Martin died.
- Mm.
- Oh, the mummy.
- I get it.
Bandages.
- And no more painkillers for him.
Why didn't you tell us about Dave Martin? What about him? Same National Guard unit.
Same death by fire.
That's a pretty spooky coincidence.
But Dave's death was an accident, and nearly three years ago, besides.
- An accident? - Passed out with a cigarette, poor fool.
Burned his place right down to a cinder.
There wasn't a thing left of him.
We had to bury ashes.
There any other connections between this Dave Martin and your husband? Dave was kind of in business with them, with Rich and Trey and Ben.
What kind of business? Mar Verde Real-Estate Corporation they called it.
It started out as just a way to give Dave Martin a place to live.
- "No man left behind" and all, even Dave.
- He had problems? He was an ornery drunk, basically.
Didn't get along with anyone but his Guard buddies.
They got together and bought a 5-acre piece of land from the town at Alton's Grove.
And after he died, what happened to the land? Uh, it took forever to get the land back into their names.
Legal silliness.
I told Rich, "Don't waste your time.
Land's worth nothing anyhow.
" Tommy Olds lives up there now, kind of a caretaker.
And as of now, Ben Machado's the only partner still standing.
I guess that's right.
Interesting.
Give me a call after you speak to Machado.
We have an audience.
Hey, Tommy.
Remember Teresa Lisbon? - Hi.
- Hi.
Come in.
So, Tommy, we're here because Mrs.
Garcia told my colleague that you look after this place for the owners.
I keep an eye out.
That's what Mr.
Garcia said.
"Keep an eye out, Tommy.
" Is that David Martin? Dave was nice.
He didn't make fun of me, not one time.
- You don't smoke cigarettes, do you? - No.
That's good.
Dave did, and he got burned up on accident.
Did you see it? No.
I was at the hospital because my appendix busted.
- You wanna see my scar? - No.
No.
But I'm sure Mr.
Jane would love to.
Jane? Jane? - All this green in the middle of a drought? - Not at Alton's Grove.
Do you like it? I got geraniums too.
It's very pretty.
But don't tell, okay? The company will make me move out.
I won't have nowhere to live.
Seems like it's coming from the ground.
It's an aquifer.
New source of groundwater.
- Must be worth millions.
- Worth killing for.
Van Pelt? Yes? Grace.
It's a lovely name.
- Graceful.
- Uh I've been wanting to say something to you for ages now.
I think now is a good time because I nearly died.
I love you, Grace.
I totally love you.
You okay? - Yes.
- Why did you make that noise? It's not that I don't like you.
I do.
It's just, we work together.
And there are rules.
And if we were to get together, one of us would have to leave the unit and I'm junior agent, so that would be me.
And this job is so important to me, and I just Hey.
You wanna go to work, or you wanna play nurse for King Tut? Work.
Definitely work.
Mr.
Machado? Hello? Maybe he's around back.
Let's check out the barn.
- I guess we found Machado.
- Yeah.
Mr.
Machado? Ben Machado? Come any closer, and I'll shoot you, and I will shoot to kill.
Mr.
Machado, we're police.
This is the police.
- Let me see a badge.
- I'm showing the badge.
Don't shoot.
Damn.
Okay, don't shoot.
Turn around.
I didn't know you guys were cops.
What, you thought we were selling magazine subscriptions? Hey.
Check this out.
The accelerant used in the fires.
Six jugs of it in the barn.
Ethyl ether.
Burns at 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
You know what temp human skin burns at? Two-fifty.
I was lucky.
Second-degree burns mostly.
Trey Piller's face just came off.
Look, I don't know where that stuff came from.
Someone's framing me.
Somebody frame you for shooting at us? From where I stood, sure looked like you.
That was a misunderstanding.
I didn't know who you were.
I was defending myself.
- From whom? - From someone trying to kill me like they killed Rich and tried to kill Trey.
- Why would you be next on someone's list? - Because we were all in business together.
With them gone, you're the proprietor of Alton's Grove, sole owner of all that water.
We know about the aquifer.
All that money right under your feet.
That's the perfect motive for you to burn up Piller and Garcia.
You.
I didn't do it, okay? So whoever did fry them is going to try to kill you? Who was that again? - I don't know.
- Ben, I gotta say, I'm skeptical.
Why would anyone wanna see you three dead? Who benefits from that? - Do you wanna know my guess? - No.
Dave Martin.
- Dave Martin's dead.
- Is he? - Did you see his body, Ben, after the fire? - No, but he's dead.
You seem pretty sure about that, like you were there.
- What are you insinuating? - Nothing.
Nothing at all.
I'm saying it.
You three tried to kill him to get Alton's Grove for yourselves.
- That's a lie.
- Dave came to you all excited.
He found a liquid fortune on property that you'd bought for him.
Practically your land.
Dave owed you.
But he didn't even offer you a taste, did he? Ungrateful bastard.
That's ridiculous.
We had no idea what was there until recently.
You and Rich and Trey wanted what Dave had.
So you set fire to his house, and you left him there to die.
Imagine.
Imagine the betrayal he felt.
The helpless rage.
That fire was a tragic accident, and you have no proof otherwise.
Oh, someone out there doesn't need proof.
Someone out there needs revenge.
Someone very smart and very determined.
That's why he's terrified and shooting at cops.
You should be terrified.
I hope you burn like a candle, you miserable son of a bitch.
You can't talk to me like that.
I have rights.
Yes, you do.
Well, let this creep go.
We don't have anything on him.
Two notes here.
We have plenty on him.
One, armed assault on Cho and Van Pelt, and two, a barn full of fire accelerant.
Well, the assault was self-defense, and the accelerant was a plant.
Only two? Actually, no.
Where do you get off giving orders in the first place? - I say who goes and who stays, not you.
- Well, that's fiery, but calm.
Very good.
Try it with a more forceful hand gesture, like: - "I say who goes and who stays, not you.
" - I'm serious.
So am I.
If he's in here, how is the killer gonna get to him? He could be the killer.
Even if he's not we don't want the killer to get him.
- Yes, we do.
Machado is our bait.
- He's our tethered goat.
- And too bad if the bait gets killed? Well, yes.
That's why you use goats and not babies or virgins, for that matter.
Machado's not a goat.
Well, you're right.
He's not actually a goat.
He's goatish.
He deserves to suffer a little.
Nobody deserves murder.
Machado helped burn Dave Martin alive out of greed.
Jane, we're officers of the law.
You are.
I don't care about the law.
I care about justice.
And justice says Machado deserves to suffer.
- That's not justice, it's vengeance.
- What's the difference? - What do you want us to do with Machado? - Let him go.
- Really? Like "let him go" let him go? - Really, like that.
Okay.
Trying some reverse psychology? You talk tough.
Maybe it's time you learned that there's consequences.
- Lf Machado gets hurt, it's on you.
- Fine with me.
We've never discussed this.
Because I thought it went without saying.
But when I catch Red John, I'm gonna cut him open and watch him die slowly like he did with my wife and child.
Now, if you have a problem with that, we should talk.
Then let's talk.
Because when we catch Red John, we are gonna take him into custody.
- He's gonna be tried in a court of law.
- Not if I'm still breathing.
If you try and do violence to him, I will try and stop you.
If you succeed in doing violence to him, I will arrest you.
I understand.
I hope so.
Well, I'm glad we talked.
I had no idea you were so bourgeois and conventional on the issue.
Hmm.
You thinking what I'm thinking? No.
- How do you know you're not? - I was thinking: "I wish I could go back in time and have sex with my eighth-grade history teacher.
" - Is that what you were thinking? - No.
I was thinking of Mitch Reese, the gas-station guy.
- Whatever lights your fire, man.
- As a suspect.
Think about it.
- Who first told us about Dave Martin? - Mitch Reese.
Knew all about it, even though he'd only been here a year.
- So? - So they never found Dave Martin's body.
And now someone is taking revenge on the people that murdered him.
Mitch Reese is Dave Martin.
The beard, the burn scars on his arms, his whole vibe.
Huh.
Wait.
Dave Martin was bald.
- Wig.
- I'm putting money on it.
- Let's go talk to him.
- We gotta keep an eye on Machado.
Yeah, to protect Machado from the killer.
If Reese is our guy, that's what we're doing.
Okay, but I'm calling it in.
Mr.
Reese, when exactly did you come to Marquesa? Eighteen months ago, give or take.
And what was it brought you here? Why Marquesa? This place was for sale.
No other reason? You didn't know anyone in town before you moved here? No.
Fresh start.
How did you get those burn scars on your arms? Engine blew up while I was working on it.
- Why? - Just curious.
Is that your own hair? - Excuse me? - Is that yours, or are you wearing a wig? It's my own hair.
What kind of a question is that? - Mind if we check? - Yes, l Ow! - Sorry, sir.
- Damn.
Thanks for your time.
Hey! Hey! - Hello, Ben.
- Aah! You're gonna need a firing pin.
You stay back, or I'll light you up.
- Who are you? What do you want? - You know who I am.
I have no freaking idea, man.
Sure, you do, Ben.
You tried to kill me.
What? No.
That's impossible.
No, it's not.
It's me.
- Dave? - Ha, ha.
- Dave Martin? - Ha, ha.
Help! Help! Help! Help! - Help! - No one can hear you, Ben.
You're gonna die alone, screaming in agony, like I did.
This can't be happening.
Help! Why'd you kill me, Ben? We were friends.
If you wanted money so bad, you should've told me.
I'd have helped you.
I did tell you.
All of us, we begged you, but you wouldn't listen, you selfish bastard.
We didn't wanna kill you.
I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry.
See how much better that feels? I forgive you.
Can't speak for Dave Martin, though.
You son of a bitch.
Whoa.
You don't wanna make things worse for yourself.
Rigsby? Cho? What? I killed an intruder in my barn.
How was I to know it was a cop? If that's even what you are.
What are you exactly? Rigsby! Cho! They're right outside.
Oh, are they? Wait a second.
One thing you're forgetting.
Huh? Machado! Ben Machado! That's not You ready to die? What the hell's going on? Oh, dear.
- Rigsby! - Jane? Cho! Jane, are you in there? Crap.
Jane? Jane? - Whoa! - Jane.
You okay? That was close.
- Where were you guys? - We called in to check out a lead.
Lisbon didn't know you were about to pull an idiotic stunt.
Sorry.
No hard feelings.
Oh, whoa.
Oh, arrest this man.
He confessed to killing Dave Martin.
- Go.
Turn around.
Again.
- Got it all here.
- Phew! - Hey.
Yeah.
Yeah, you Yeah, I'm just gonna I'll just wait here.
Hey! Freeze! That's good.
Got him.
Phew.
Hello, sir.
Tommy, what were you doing at the Machado house last night? Sir, do you got any soda? - What kind do you want? - My super favorite is root beer.
- I'll get you some in a minute.
- Do you like root beer? No.
Do you like to burn things, Tommy? - No.
- No? You sure about that? Am I sure about what? What were you doing at the Machado house? Watching the barn burn down.
You liked watching it, huh? Gave you a nice feeling? No.
I was scared.
I don't like fire.
Fire hurts.
Do you have root beer? It doesn't make sense.
All the evidence says it's him.
There was ethyl-ether traces all over him.
But the arsonist used an electronic timer and rocket fuel.
And Tommy's wearing Velcro sneakers.
Call him challenged, retarded whatever you want, there's no way he's capable of this.
What if he had a partner? Maybe that's it.
Somebody's manipulating him.
- Someone he trusts.
- Give me a moment with him.
- Cho.
Hey, you mind? - Sure thing.
Don't make a mess.
Cop humor.
Not funny.
I'm supposed to be finding out who put you up to this.
You see, my friends think you're an idiot.
Everybody says that.
Sometimes they're not nice.
Yes.
Being a fool gives you a sort of power, doesn't it? You're there, and you're not there.
It's like having a wizard's cloak of invisibility.
I don't understand what you're saying, sir.
But I like wizards.
The other man said that he'd get me a root beer, but he never did.
Revenge is a hard road, isn't it? It's like when Captain Ahab was chasing Moby Dick the whale died, all right, but the Peapod went down too.
Pequod.
Ahab's ship is the Pequod.
Exactly.
The Pequod.
Silly of me.
Here's your copy here.
I must say, I'm impressed.
I know English-literature professors that haven't read Moby Dick.
I like whales.
They eat squids.
Looking back, I should've known it was you the first time I saw you.
Only an idiot would wear a T-shirt like that to a house in mourning.
An idiot, or a daring killer with a warped sense of humor.
You're going down for this one.
You might as well go down as your real self.
You have pulled off something amazing.
You should be proud, in a way.
That root beer coming? Why don't you just talk to me, Thomas? There's no point in hiding anymore.
I can see you.
What do you wanna know? Hello.
Good to meet you.
I am curious.
Are there two of you, or is Tommy just an act that you put on? Please.
I'm not a mental case.
- Tommy's an act.
A A performance.
- That you never turn off? He amuses me.
He protects me.
When I was 18, I jacked a car.
Got caught.
But when I pulled the Tommy act, the cops let me go.
I've gotten much better since then, of course.
Good enough to avenge Dave Martin's death.
Three months ago, the company finally got a permit to exploit the aquifer.
All that money.
I put things together.
Realized what they'd done to Dave.
Thanks.
I confess, I never really did get to the end of it.
- Ahab does die, doesn't he? - Yes.
But so does the whale.
That's my point.
Revenge doesn't come cheap.
Oh, spare me your moralizing.
I know what revenge costs.
It's worth the price.
David Martin had many flaws, no doubt.
But he was my friend.
My friend.
Those animals, they deserve what they got.
It was justice.
You admit to killing Rich Garcia and trying to kill Trey Piller? I watched them scream and writhe in agony.
And it was beautiful.
It was redemptive.
You wouldn't understand.
Agent Cho does the formal police charging stuff.
We're done.
Good luck, Thomas.
Would you do one thing for me? You can ask.
Would you tell Maddy Garcia I'm sorry for hurting her? Sorry? He's sorry? If he ever gets out of jail, I'm gonna set him on fire and see how he likes it.
- Maddy.
Your father wasn't - I am.
Don't you talk about him.
You have no right.
No right! Your father killed a man.
And Tommy killed him out of revenge.
You know that.
Revenge is a poison.
Revenge is for fools and for madmen.
I don't care.
Yes, you do.
Come here.
Come on.
We have to go, but, uh, could you do me a favor? Could you both do me a favor? Would you hug? Just pretend like you love each other.
Please? That's it.
Just like that.
That's good.
Now hold that pose until we leave.
It'll help Lisbon and me feel like we've actually made a difference.
Thank you.
- So - So Seems like this whole thing changed your mind about vengeance.
- Has it? - "Revenge is for fools and madmen"? Yeah, that was rather good, I thought.
Total nonsense, but quite good nonetheless.
Shall we?