The Mentalist s04e18 Episode Script

You're gonna like this.
It's unusual.
You'll never guess how the vic was found.
Oh, really? That is unusual.
Panthera tigris if I'm not mistaken.
There's soft loamy soil around here, easily worked.
- Ergo, a hungry tiger dug up the body.
- Not fair.
There's a big-cat sanctuary around here.
Drunk guy broke in, freed the tigers.
Including the one that discovered our victim.
By the state of calm, I take it all the tigers have been rounded up.
As far as you know.
Hello, kitty-cat.
Hard to believe it's a man-eater.
It was still clawing up the ground when they got here.
Come on.
The coroner's investigator thinks it's suffocation.
Victim was killed somewhere else and buried here, based on the lividity pattern.
- Oh.
Plus, there's a wheelbarrow track here.
- Oh, yeah, yeah, that too.
Who was he? John Doe.
No wallet, no ID.
Don't fret.
Rich dead men don't go unclaimed for long.
- Rich? He's wearing hemp.
- He certainly is.
Who wears hemp other than rich men and medieval peasants? Ah, this one's been reupholstered.
Check out that tight jawline.
Certainly not a medieval peasant.
- A face lift? - I'm guessing.
Oh.
That's a black diamond wedding band.
That's a current trend, am I right? Looks like he was dieting.
Check out his belt.
Yeah, rapid weight loss.
Could be a dieting.
Could be something else.
That's not decomp.
What is that? - The smell of desperation.
- Got a match on our John Doe.
Archer Braddock.
Local car dealer.
Wife and two children.
His wife filed a missing-persons last night.
It says Braddock had stage-four bone cancer.
Killing a man that's already dying.
That's a little redundant.
One tiger is still outstanding.
- What did he say? - Mistake counting tigers.
- There's one on the loose.
- Meet you back at the CBI.
Okay.
You are a cool customer.
Think you can outrun a tiger? I don't have to.
Just have to run faster than you.
It's okay, hon.
Sorry.
Please excuse me.
Ready to be a dad? That's you soon.
Oh, no.
I can cry much louder than that.
- Where's Cho? - Haven't seen him yet.
Coroner investigator's report put TOD between 8 at night and 2 in the morning.
Big window.
What'd the coroner say about cause of death? Uh, she didn't.
She's dealing with a multi-victim pileup on I-80.
No coroner.
All right, what about motive? Suspects? Braddock had money.
He had to have had enemies.
Braddock owned three car dealerships.
When he found out he was dying he sold his stake to his employees at a discount.
Kind of a saint.
- Do we have any leads? - Braddock was carrying a calendar.
His last appointment before his murder was at 4:17 p.
m.
Pretty specific time.
The entry just says "treatment.
" Doctor's treatment? A lot of entries like that over the last few weeks.
- Each one at a weird time.
- I'll go and talk to the wife.
You two stay here and keep pushing.
And tell Cho to get his ass to work.
- Good morning, Kimball Cho.
- Good morning.
- Hmm? - That smells good.
- It's hand-pressed French roast.
- Mm.
Hey, those are mine.
It's for pain.
I've got pain.
No, you don't.
Don't be so stingy.
I'm not stingy with you, am I? No.
No, you're not.
Mm-mm.
No.
No, no, no.
No, not now.
It might be work.
That can't be right.
My alarm didn't go off.
Oh.
That's because I turned your alarm off.
I thought you could use more sleep.
Damn it, Summer.
I'm late for work.
Lisbon's gonna be so mad at you.
Scary.
No.
No, I'm never late for work.
Well, maybe it's a good thing.
It's a new experience.
You know? I gotta get ready.
Looks like somebody's in for a big inheritance.
Hmm, I suppose.
If you go for that sort of thing.
- You mean money? - I'll take health any day.
Once the game's over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box.
Shall we? We're with the CBI.
I'm Agent Teresa Lisbon, this is Patrick Jane.
- Can we come in? - Yeah.
- Are you Liesl? - That's right.
We're sorry for your loss.
- I don't wanna talk about it.
- Of course you don't.
Maybe you could T.
O.
us to someone in charge.
- You sound like my dad.
- T.
O.
? Car-sales lingo.
Who manages the house? - Helen.
- Your mother? Stepmother, I'm guessing.
She's upstairs in bed.
Could you ask her to come talk to us? She can't handle the stairs right now.
She's too weak.
Helen has cancer too.
Welcome to the house of fun.
That's howl met Archer.
We were attending a cancer support group.
- How long ago was that? - Nine months ago.
I know it sounds a little strange, but it was quite a romantic courtship.
And a short one.
Well, that's what happens when you're living with an expiration date.
The wedding was two months ago.
Liesl was a bridesmaid.
So beautiful.
We knew we might not have a lot of time together but it wasn't supposed to end like this.
According to his calendar, your husband had multiple treatments over the past few weeks.
Who was he being treated by? Uh, Dr.
Scheck.
Archer was taking part in an experimental drug protocol.
Human-guinea-pig time.
Can I help you find something? Oh, I'm just fishing around.
Who is this handsome young man standing off to the side? That's my brother, Aden.
Archer's oldest.
- Where's Aden? - Oh.
No idea.
He left the house after a fight with Archer last year.
They had a contentious relationship.
How would you know? You didn't even know Dad then.
She'll be okay.
It's been a tough day, you can imagine.
Excuse me.
Mrs.
Braddock, can you think of anybody who may have wanted to harm your husband? No.
I can't.
Uh Do you mind if I help myself to some tea? - Sure.
- Than ks.
I'm trying to figure something out.
You might be able to help me.
Uh Clearly, your father liked to live in the lap of luxury here.
But when I saw him he looked like he was headed on a pilgrimage to an ashram in the Punjab.
Yup.
All hemp and natural fibers.
He got into it a couple weeks ago.
He said that he wanted his outside to bear testimony to what was happening in the inside.
What was happening on the inside? My dad was getting healthy.
The cancer was going away.
That's what he said.
- Wrong.
- Interesting.
Do you know who killed your father? If I did they wouldn't be breathing.
That's a dangerous path.
- Did Aden love him? - Yeah.
It's just complicated.
Your father kicked him out, didn't he? My dad is a recovering alcoholic.
Was.
It runs in the family, addiction.
For Aden, it was drugs.
Dad said that Aden had to hit bottom before he could rise up.
Music to my ears.
- Where would I find the tea? - First cabinet.
Okay.
That's dad's tea.
- Ew.
- Ha, ha.
Yeah.
I bet you never smelled that before.
No, not since this morning.
Where did your father find this? No idea.
It was his new fave.
Jane.
We need to go and talk to Braddock's doctor.
- Is that the smell from? - Yes, it is.
You, uh You might wanna bury that.
Deep.
Bye.
Victim's son had a rap sheet.
Aden Braddock.
Disorderly conduct.
Misdemeanor theft.
The kid went a bit wild after his dad threw him out.
- We know where he lives? - No.
Social Security trace shows him working at a banquet hall in Agua Blanca.
Also got his cell phone number too.
I've seen that number before, in the victim's call log.
Archer Braddock called his son at 7:45 p.
m.
It was the last call he made.
Braddock's wife told Lisbon they had a contentious relationship.
- Oh.
Good morning, Cho.
- Hey.
- Everything okay? - Just overslept my alarm.
Don't get comfortable.
Got a lead on the victim's son.
I'll catch you up on the way out.
Come on, I need them.
CBI.
We're looking for Aden Braddock.
Back there.
Stop! Aden! Stop! Police! Ugh.
- Damn it.
Hi.
Oh, you must be the CBI people.
I'm Betsy Firth, nurse administrator.
I'm Patrick Jane, I'm a consulting, uh, consultant.
- And I'm Agent Lisbon.
- She's a detective.
Dr.
Scheck will be with you in a minute.
We were all very saddened to hear about Archer Braddock.
I pulled his files in case Dr.
Scheck needs to consult them.
Well, thank you, Betsy, that's very efficient of you.
We try.
Come on in.
Dr.
Scheck? The CBI people are here to see you.
We just wanted to ask you a few questions about Archer Braddock.
Oh.
I was very sorry to hear about that.
We deal with death every day here, but not like that.
It's awful.
Awful, yes.
Uh, what's the drug you're testing here? Osevent.
It's a bone-cancer treatment.
It has the potential to extend millions of lives.
And earn millions of dollars.
Well, that's not why we developed it.
- No? Why not? - Do you save lives for the money? Well, folks are pretty much dead by the time we show up.
Best we can hope for is to catch the killer.
Did you kill Archer Braddock? I'll talk to you from now on.
Yes, I just have a few questions about Mr.
Braddock's last appointment.
Hmm.
Okay.
Betsy? I laid out the Braddock file in Consult Room 2.
Follow me.
I'll just, uh, wait out here.
- I'm not sure what that is.
- We're looking into it right now The Braddock file, the daily report and when you're done, you need to sign these intake forms.
- Any new patients today? - Four.
- Newly cleared and qualified.
- I don't know how you do it.
So how can I help you, agent? At Braddock's last appointment, was he acting strange? - Not that I recall, no.
- Did he say anything unusual or mention where he was going after? - Check his file.
- It was just yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday? No, no, no.
Braddock's last drug treatment was two days ago.
According to his calendar, he had a treatment yesterday at 4:17 p.
m.
Well, not a medical treatment.
Braddock was under my exclusive care.
And not to be indelicate, agent, but when do I get access to the body? - Access? - I need to examine it.
Obtain tissue samples for my research.
All part of the agreement our patients sign when they join.
Take that up with the coroner.
She's working on another case.
- Might keep her busy for a few days.
- I see.
Excuse me.
Hello.
- Allow me.
- Well, thank you, handsome.
Take my advice, don't get cancer.
Oh.
Sounds like good advice.
Although you do seem spry despite all.
You know, why not? Western wisdom says I should've been dead nine months ago.
But look, I made it to the bonus round.
- You credit the drugs here? - Could be the drugs.
Could be the tea.
- You know about the tea? Yeah, I can smell it in your handbag.
No, no, no.
No need.
I got a very strong whiff of it in Archer Braddock's kitchen.
I heard about Archer this morning.
Were you a friend? No, no.
I'm helping the police solve the murder.
Well, I was the one who told Archer about the tea.
I saw him a few weeks back and he wasn't looking so good.
He had this air of finality hanging over him, like a piano on a wire.
Mm.
Where would one buy a tin of that stinky tea if they had to? Who closes shop in the middle of the day? Hmm.
Probably just forgot to flip the sign.
Hello? Is anyone here? What's the goal here, anyway? So Braddock drank stinky tea.
People who are dying will try anything.
Well, the stuff that Braddock tried was working.
Or so he thought.
Think that has something to do with his murder? No idea, but if Braddock found the cure for cancer, I want in on it.
- Good luck.
- Shh.
Help.
Help me.
- Help me.
- Stay back.
Help me.
- Help me.
- Police.
Please, please, calm your spirits, it's okay.
Everything's fine.
Shh.
- What are you doing? - What are you doing? Great.
He's coming through with it.
- Welcome.
I'm Brother Josef.
- Oh.
And I am not a hugger.
Patrick Jane.
Nice to meet you.
That was a wonderful show.
How much you charge for that show? - No show.
A healing.
- Mm.
And my temple accepts donations.
It's entirely up to you.
Ah.
Another non-profit.
Smart act.
I get that reaction a lot.
But the healing powers of the sun have been well documented.
- And where does the tea fit in? - Tea? Yeah, the stinky red stuff, curls the nose hairs? You're talking about the Tea of Clarity.
It's pretty foul.
I had to take it off our shelves recently.
- Too many customer complaints.
- What's in it? A proprietary blend of nettles, herbs and possibility.
How much does that go for these days? You have me all wrong.
I am a rich man, but you won't find my wealth in any bank account.
I sell just enough teas and holistic remedies to keep my temple doors open.
And did you open them to this man? Sure, Archer.
We just performed his final healing ceremony.
At 4:17.
That's when the solar flares were at their peak.
- And what were you healing? - His cancer, of course.
We channel the solar corona to target cancerous tumors.
We had many tries with Archer, but we finally got them all.
And all of his money.
Archer didn't pay me a penny, Mr.
Jane.
- Well, except for the tea.
- Hmm.
ls that why you killed him? Excuse me? What? Archer Braddock is dead.
He was murdered right after he left here.
Oh, no.
Oh, no, no, no.
Not after all he fought through.
After all our work.
Oh, my God.
His His reflexes were better.
His pressure was way down.
He had a ruddy, healthy glow in his cheeks.
- Part of the act? - Hard to say.
It's all so theatrical.
Braddock say where he was going when he was leaving? No, no.
I have no idea.
His transition from this world was corrupted by violence.
- I need to see his body.
- Why? To release his energy so he can cross over peacefully.
Maybe at the funeral.
In the meantime, you're gonna tell us everything that happened yesterday.
Of course.
Yeah, I have that.
Okay.
- This is Cho.
- It's Summer.
Hey.
I just wanted to apologize for making you late.
It's okay.
You were only trying to help.
How can I make it up to you? - I'm sure you'll think of something.
- Hey, Cho.
- I gotta go.
I'll call you later.
- Okay.
That was Agua Blanca P.
D.
They found the victim's car.
A block away from that banquet hall.
Braddock's last call was to Aden.
Maybe father and son had a reunion that didn't go so well.
Wouldn't be surprised.
Talked to the estate lawyer.
Braddock's money was in trusts for Liesl and Aden.
Payable on their 23rd birthdays.
Sounds normal.
Rich-normal, anyway.
In light of his son's drug problems Braddock was changing the age of Aden's trust from 23 to 30.
So Aden confronts Braddock, argument breaks out Aden chokes Dad and buries the body.
- We need to find that kid.
- Yeah.
Rigsby.
Can you hold? He has to collect his pay.
Stake out the banquet hall? Aden was a part-timer.
He's not gonna risk getting caught for that paycheck.
- Can we track his cell? - Tried.
It's powered off.
- What about the lottery scam? - I don't know.
I think he's too smart.
Who's this? Sorry to keep you waiting.
Aden Braddock? Uh, yeah, sure you can.
Yeah, you can come in and talk to us.
Let me give you the address.
- Why'd you run, Aden? - I don't know.
Okay, I do.
I was carrying drugs, okay? Couldn't get popped again.
It would have been my third strike.
So instead you'll be charged with obstruction.
A felony offense.
I wasn't thinking straight.
I'd just found out my father was killed.
Liesl called me.
Look I need you to come clean.
When was the last time you talked to your father? I don't know.
Months? Okay, look.
We're getting off to a bad start here.
He called you at 7:45 last night.
Hey, kiddo.
It's Dad.
Been a while.
- Look, I'm not - I didn't wanna hear it.
You said "talk to.
" That's a message and I didn't wanna hear it.
His car was found a block from your job.
I wasn't working last night.
Maybe he thought you were, and someone followed him.
Who might that be? Oh, no.
I have this friend.
- Friend? - Dealer.
Mike Tran.
He's been asking questions about my dad like how much he's worth and what kind of cars he sells.
- And you told him? - Why wouldn't I? I hated my father.
He cut me off and Yeah, I'm not talking about money.
He left me.
No sign of Tran.
Cho? How's it looking back there? Yeah, nothing going on back here.
Aden's dealer is a nasty piece of business.
Two charges aggravated assault, intent to distribute meth and choked out a probation officer.
It's worth checking out.
You sure he'll be here? His baby-mother says he was dropping off money today.
He can be your role model.
Did you know your husband was seeing Brother Josef? Archer's cancer made him a target for quite a few con men and alternative remedies.
Why didn't you tell us? Forgive me for trying to maintain a man's dignity.
We have a cancer charity in our name we've raised a lot of money for.
Did you know that he was getting better? Yeah.
The same way he was getting better after the oxygen therapy in Germany or the psychic surgery in Brazil.
It was a constant roller-coaster ride with Archer.
Chemo, huh? Kills the appetite.
- How about a spot of tea? - Oh, that sounds lovely.
You got it.
Suspect has arrived.
Time to move.
Cho, copy? Now, here we go! It sounds like a fight.
I'm going in.
RIGSBY Go.
Go! No! Go! Police! You're safe, it's okay.
- Is he there? - Uh-huh.
Stay down! Weapon's secure.
- You good? - Yeah.
Come on.
Get up.
I guess it was my lucky day.
Mrs.
Braddock is still upstairs waiting for her tea.
What are you doing? Oh, just enjoying the calm before the storm.
- You only made one cup of tea.
- Mm.
I needed to keep those tea bags dry.
I'm not gonna like this, am I? You're gonna love it.
Oh, oh.
You may wanna cover your ears.
Liesl? Liesl! Somebody help me! Showtime.
Fire! She moves pretty good for a cancer patient.
Oh, it's a miracle.
Sister Helen has been healed.
Ma'am? Ma'am.
What kind of woman fakes cancer? Lots of women go to extremes to meet men.
Extremes, yes.
Cancer support groups, no.
I was lucky to have Archer for the time that I did.
He opened doors in me that I didn't even know existed.
He was caring, generous, spiritual.
Rich and dying fast.
The perfect man.
How did you know? That I didn't have cancer.
Well, you lacked, uh an air of finality.
Plus, you shaved your head but your vanity prevented you from losing the eyebrows.
Devil's in the details.
Braddock's insurance policy.
It was recently changed to add a new beneficiary.
You.
I didn't kill Archer.
You had 5 million reasons to want him dead.
Archer had a month left, maybe.
Why would I risk losing all that money to take his life? I don't know.
Do you? She's telling the truth.
- You can go.
- No, she can't.
- You can't.
- Why not? - I'm charging you with fraud.
- What? You're not gonna see a dime of that insurance money.
And your face is gonna be all over the news.
- But you'll have your eyebrows.
- Let's see how many dates you get then.
Yeah.
- You feel better? - I do.
Good.
Now it's my turn.
I have a plan to catch our killer.
Can't wait to hear that.
He looks so thin.
Fragile.
- When was the last time you saw him? - A year ago.
When he told us about the diagnosis.
It ended with us fighting and Liesl crying.
How does that happen? Ran down Tran's alibi.
He was - So Tran didn't do it? - No.
But we do have a suspect.
One whose alibi doesn't hold up.
- Does the name Dolores ring any bells? - A waitress at the banquet hall.
You told me you weren't at work last night.
Dolores says you stopped by around 8 to borrow some money.
You lied.
No, I didn't.
I told you I wasn't working I didn't say I wasn't at work.
All lies and half-truths with you.
How are we supposed to know what to believe? Look, I needed money for the drugs, okay? I needed drugs after I saw that my dad called.
He had this way of making me feel so small.
Not any more.
I didn't kill him.
- You have to believe me.
- No, we don't.
Give me your hands.
Science never sleeps around here, does it? Mr.
Jane.
How may I help you? Well, I don't need your services, thankfully.
And even if I did, I'm not sure this is the first place I'd come.
I met this fellow, Brother Josef, who can totally eradicate bone cancer.
Really? How so? - The power of positive thinking.
- Naturally.
That's right, naturally.
No drugs whatsoever.
That's how he cured Archer Braddock.
- Is that what this man claims? - Yeah.
- Betsy, pull up Braddock's file.
- Uh, certainly.
Let me show you something, Mr.
Jane.
This is Braddock's last MRI, taken two weeks ago.
- You see all those white spots? - Looks like a snowstorm.
It's cancer.
It spread from his bones and was working its way to his lungs.
He had five weeks max.
This was taken two weeks ago, maybe that cancer's cleared up.
The mind is a very powerful tool.
I'm happy to show you when I'm granted access to the body.
- Where are we at with my request? - I still can't reach the coroner.
Everyone wants to look inside that body.
- Brother Josef had the same request.
- Did you approve it? I'll tell you what I told Brother Josef.
It's out of my hands.
But my boss has called in a forensic pathologist from Sacramento.
He'll be performing a full autopsy in the morning.
I'll let you know what he finds.
Oh, hey.
- I wanted to show you this.
- We need to talk about what happened.
I was late covering your back.
I'm sorry.
You're sorry? It won't happen again.
Cho, you saved my life.
You were there when I needed you.
I owe you, big time.
No.
You don't owe me anything.
Okay.
- This is too creepy.
- Killers like creepy.
- I can't feel my feet, they're freezing.
- Be patient.
Has it occurred to you your theory was wrong? No.
Braddock's killer buried him because there was something he didn't want people to know.
We put out word of an autopsy - then we force the killer to try again.
- If we don't die of frostbite first.
Can you wiggle your toes? If you can, you're fine.
- I got - Shh, shh.
Someone is coming.
Oh, surprise, surprise.
You're under arrest for the murder of Archer Braddock.
What's going on? I didn't kill Archer.
- Then why you trying to steal his body? - I'm not stealing him either.
I told you, I need to perform a ritual to release the bad energy before his journey to the afterlife.
There was something inside Braddock, wasn't there? Something that would lead to you if the coroner discovered it.
You never did share the proprietary blend of that special tea of yours, did you? - The Tea of Clarity? - It was killing him quicker than cancer.
- That's why you stopped selling it.
- Please, you're making a terrible mistake.
So you say, Brother Josef.
At least let me release his spirit.
Let me do that for him, please? Let's go.
Hands behind your back.
So the amount of radiation released from a solar flare can damage satellites? It's way, way more powerful than the radiation therapy used to treat cancer.
- Did you know this, Lisbon? - Fascinating.
Now, listen.
Aren't I allowed a phone call or something? In a minute.
Sit down.
Excuse me.
Lisbon.
Are you sure? No.
No, we didn't take it.
We'll be right there.
Get everybody out of that room.
It's a crime scene now.
Braddock's body is missing from the morgue.
They think somebody stole it after we left.
Oh, dear.
He was right about one thing.
We just made a terrible mistake.
No sign of the killer or Braddock's body.
Whoever took it won't make the same mistake twice.
- They'll destroy the body, quickly.
- How would you do that? I can think of one way.
Tell me it doesn't involve feeding tigers.
Tigers leave bones.
There is a more thorough option.
I hope you're right about this.
It's a nice clinic, very well funded.
Scheck's ego would require that he has the best.
I tell you, this guy is gonna have a top-of-the-line medical incinerator.
In the basement? Can we use inside voices, please? Police! Drop the weapon.
- Better late than never, I suppose.
- Hands in the air.
Your hands, not his.
Oh.
Did you act alone? Did Dr.
Scheck have anything to do with this? No.
He could never pull off Never mind.
It'll go a lot easier if you just come clean.
We looked at your bank statements.
You're very wealthy for a nurse.
Cancer survivors are often grateful to their caregivers.
You took bribes, didn't you? Cancer studies are like lotteries, and you were selling the winning tickets.
You were selling hope.
It was cheap at the price.
Why were you trying to destroy Archer Braddock's body? His liver was damaged.
The alcoholism.
And you missed it.
We thought Brother Josef was poisoning him with his tea when in fact it was your drug.
Because of the liver damage, it was killing him faster than the cancer.
I knew Dr.
Scheck would find out in his postmortem exam.
And then there would be a whole investigation and they'd have found out about the gifts I received from patients.
I had to do something.
So you went to the banquet hall that night.
You followed him there.
He was gonna die anyway.
Of bone cancer.
Do you know how agonizing that is? Excruciatingly slow and painful.
I made his passing easy.
A little chloroform before I suffocated him and he never felt a thing.
I ended his suffering.
It was an act of kindness, really.
I think Mr.
Braddock and his children would beg to differ.
What you got there? - It's my kid.
- Ha, ha.
- So big, so fast.
- Mm.
Only a couple weeks to go.
I heard about today.
Are you okay? Yeah.
When that guy shot at me all I could think was how I gotta make it out to see my son.
It's crazy.
If I'd died a year ago, it wouldn't have mattered so much in the big scheme of things.
It would have mattered to me.
Yeah, but not as much as it would have mattered to him.
He's a game changer.
He's a lucky kid.
Here we go.
What's this for? To let you know what a proper cup of tea smells like before you go out into the world.
Brother Josef really did a number on my dad, huh? Oh, I don't know.
He gave him hope.
No better way to stimulate the body than the promise of a new day.
And Helen, I still can't believe that.
I did a cancer walk for that bitch.
Language.
Liesl? Aden? I talked to Aunt Marcia and I wanna move back home.
- Okay.
- After rehab.
Who talked you into that? Dad.
Hey, kiddo.
It's Dad.
It's been a while.
Look, I'm outside your job.
I made a mistake.
I want you to come home.
Whatever time I have left, I wanna spend with you and Lies! I love you both so much.
Okay? See you soon, I hope.
Here goes.
Come on, let's go home.
Mr.
Jane? Thanks.
- Boss, you have a minute? - Sure.
Heard about you and Rigsby with the drug dealer earlier.
Nice work.
- Is everything all right? - No.
This is a safe room.
You can talk about whatever you'd like here.
Okay.
I'm sorry I was late this morning.
I'll make sure it never happens again.
Okay.
Good night, boss.