The Listener (2009–2014): Season 5, Episode 4 - Smoke and Mirrors - full transcript

At a magic club, a magician who is performing asks a member of the audience to come on stage and help him with his next trick. But something goes wrong and the man is killed. The team is sent to investigate because the man who was killed is a multi millionaire and part owner of the club. When they examine the apparatus that was used in the trick, they see it was tampered with. So they try to find out who wanted the man dead. And Becker learns about Toby's ability.

(Applause)

Thank you and welcome

to the Magic Cavern's
50th anniversary gathering.

I was deeply humbled when
the owner, Steve Parrish,

asked me to headline tonight.

Now, I could tell you the
importance of the Cavern.

How it holds a special place in my heart.

But instead, I'll show you.

Now my fans know that I'm not a magician.

What I do is blend dreams with reality.

But sometimes those
dreams become nightmares.



I'm gonna take you down
into a nightmare world

envisioned by a great Italian poet.

This is Dante's Inferno.

(Laughter)

Dante envisioned hell to be made up of

nine circles of sin: waywardness, lust,

gluttony, avarice, greed, heresy,

fraud, violence, and finally, treachery.

This platform represents
that final circle of hell.

What I do is real and tonight you will see

how real
- as neither me or Ashley will be tested.

Tonight, it will be one of you.

Who amongst you is willing to
take up this ultimate challenge.

I'll do it.



- Yes, sir. Your name?
- Felix Barclay.

- Are you pure of heart?
- Uh, you'd have to ask my wife.

I'm sure many of you
recognize Felix Barclay.

Financial guru, philanthropist,
and known around the Cavern

as a skilled amateur magician.

Now, this is very dangerous.
Are you certain you wish

to take this ultimate test of your faith?

I am.

Very well. We'll see you on the other side.

(Laughter)

Spirits! Bring me what I need.

This is the world's most powerful crossbow

and I can assure you
it's authentic and deadly.

(Gasps)

Ladies and gentlemen, I
will be firing this bow

directly at Felix Barclay's heart.

As you can see, my assistant Ashley
has manacled Felix to a stake.

Just as he turns his
fate over to the spirits,

I, too, give myself over to their power.

Spirits! If you find Felix pure of heart

then release him from his manacles.

But if you find him impure, guide my hand.

Show me where to aim
and I'll fire this bolt

through his heart.

It is time.

Five, four,

three, two,

one!

And now for the moment of truth.

Did the spirits allow Felix safe passage?

Or did they damn him to the ninth circle

- for all eternity?
- Ooh.

Let's ask the man in the front row.

Turn the lights up.

Someone call 911! NOW!

Adam! You up? I'm late.

Mmhm. Yep.

Sorry, it was a late night at the club.

(Beeping)

- How you doing?
- Sorry, it's Becker. Gotta go.

- Hey.
- Goodmorning!

- OK.
- Ah ah ah!

Aren't you forgetting something, hmm?

- Thank you.
- Aren't you forgetting

something else, hmm?

Bye.

OK, I'm here. What's going on?

Yeah I'll let Dev tell you.
(Whisper): He's a bit excited.

OK. OK OK OK.

So this is going to be the
coolest case we've ever covered.

Why, you ask? Because this brings us

into the world of magic! Magic!

It worked when I was... in the washroom.

Alright, uh. I get you, buddy.

Last night there was an
incident at the magic Cavern.

A magician pulled a
volunteer from the audience

to use in a magic trick
using a crossbow. But, uh...

- the volunteer was killed.
- OK well we don't investigate

accidents, so is there a
reason it got kicked up to IIB?

I can give you 250 million of them.

That's the estimated value
of the victim's estate.

- Corporal?
- Oh, right.

This is Felix Barclay,
a top investment advisor.

This guy's made a lot of
money for a lot of people.

But, he also gave back to
the community. He chaired

on a number of foundations
and sat on a lot of boards.

Including the Magic Cavern board.

Apparently he was very hands on. They say

- that he lived for magic.
- Sounds like he died

for it, too. What do we
know about the magician?

That would be Dante Blake.

This guy is like a remix Chris Angel.

Drug problems? Criminal record?

He's clean. The only thing criminal

from what I hear about
Dante is the size of his ego.

Actually, Dante told
Metro that he had performed

the illusion correctly and
that pulling Felix Barclay

on stage had been carefully
planned and rehearsed earlier.

- So what went wrong?
- Equipment failure.

If I fired a crossbow
into some rich guy's chest,

I'd blame equipment failure, too.

Well, Metro forensics
didn't find any obvious signs

of tampering, so they reached out

to the man who designed
and built it, Tomas Vaughn.

This guy is at the top of
his game, he has created some

of the most spectacular illusions today,

and he just landed on
the red-eye from Vegas.

Well, Barclay was a wealthy man.

He must have had enemies, right?

Maybe some of those
enemies had deep pockets,

made it worth Dante Blake's
while to take him out.

Logan, this'll be a perfect
test in your face reading skills.

Why don't you bring Dante
Blake in? See what he's hiding.

I think he was being nice to me.

Maybe he's starting to
finally appreciate your value.

Felix was a good friend and
a skilled amateur magician.

He organized the gala and it was his idea

to take part in the illusion.

He was one of our most
distinguished members.

So the Magic Cavern is a private club

- as well as a theatre?
- Yeah my father founded

the Cavern in '64.
Magicians are a special breed

they need a place to call their own.

As an amateur magician,
Felix felt at home here

- and he was deeply invested.
- Do you mean financially?

Well, I'm the majority owner
but he held a stake, yeah.

More than investing money,
he invested heart and soul.

The Cavern will die without him.

Are you worried about the
future now that Felix is gone?

No, our financial state is good,

he made sure of that. But
his voice will be missed

on our board.

Does he have any enemies?

Someone from the financial world?

Felix made his clients a lot of money.

I mean, his clients
loved him. So did we all.

Thank you for your time. If
we have any more questions...

Yeah I..., you can find me in my office.

Great, OK.

While Tomas Vaughn, the designer, is here

we're gonna want to speak to him.

See if he knows what went
wrong with Dante's Inferno.

Good. I can handle Dante myself.

- You sure?
- Yeah, you heard Becker.

He wants to see what I can come up with.

- OK.
- Good luck.

What happened last night
was a terrible tragedy,

but I had nothing to do
with that man's death.

You fired the crossbow that killed him.

Yeah but he was supposed to
be free from his restraints

and down a trap door at that point, OK?

Equipment failed across the board.

And when you checked the
equipment before the show

- nothing seemed wrong?
- Yeah well, I just give

the stuff a quick once over.
It's my assistant Ashley,

she tests it. That's her responsibility.

She should have been
all over it. Not my job.

Do you understand? My agent was this close

to finalizing a deal for
me in Las Vegas, alright?

This close. And then last night happens

and then all of it just goes away. Poof.

Yeah, last night a man died
and you seem more worried

- about your career.
- Yeah, well, let's just say

there were two victims last
night. Because I'm done.

- It's over.
- Can you think of anyone

who'd want to see you fail?

Yeah. Plenty of people.
Practically every magician

I know. They're all haters.

Mellini must be laughing.

According to my intel, you've got a problem

- with a guy named, um, Mellini.
- Mellini?

You broke the oath. You
stole from me, Dante.

Yeah. Something go down
between the two of you?

No, not at all.

In fact Mellini's not really even worth
talking about. Look if you don't mind,

I've been up all night and
I could use some sleep, so...

Hundreds of illusions, I've created.

And never, not once, has
one of my creations failed.

Until last night.

No, No. My illusion did not fail.

It is virtually foolproof.
Here, I will show.

Come here, you.

You will see these manacles.

They are very real.

And... oh! They do lock.

And... how do I, uh, how do I unlock them?

You don't. Like everything else

in this world, this
illusion is computerized.

I'm assistant and I have a tiny remote.

When I pull around curtain

and the illusionist gives me all clear,

time to simply press this
button and... platform spins,

manacles open. All of it automatic.

Call it automagic.

No. I would not call it that.

And then the prisoner is
freed, he, quick like bunny,

goes down trap door into little room below.

Down below stage is
where real magic happens.

This is where we house gears and mechanisms

- that run illusions above.
- It is hot as hell down here.

As it should be, it is
near 9th circle of hell.

That is joke. It is near furnace.

- Has Metro been down here?
- Yeah they took a look,

but they didn't see
anything out of the ordinary.

Here, this is what I want to show.

This is the motor that powers the illusion.

When you push the button,

the motor spins the platform, yes?

But all it takes is
something like this nail

to jam the gears, which
stops platform from spinning.

Which means manacles won't open

and poor Felix takes
bolt in chest. Like this.

Nothing seems to have been jammed in there.

No metal dust, no
stripped gears, no scoring.

But we know for certain
this apparatus was sabotaged.

But how? Hm. Yes, this is very puzzling.

It's almost as if it was done by...

Don't say it.

Now that I've captured
the apparatus in high res,

Alex will render it as
a three dimensional model

using photogrammetry so we
can run multiple simulations.

I don't understand half of what you just
said but that sounds like a good plan.

- Yeah, neither did I. - What about you?
What did you get from the magician?

- I don't think he did it.
- Why is that?

Killing Barclay is the worst
thing that could have happened

to Dante, he just lost a big
contract in Vegas because of it.

Besides, I don't think he'd
know how to sabotage the illusion

if he wanted to. It's
his assistant, Ashley,

- who tests all the gear.
- Good thing we're talking

to her next. I had a unit bring her in.

Oh Dev, um...

You know about a magician named Mellini?

Yeah, he used to perform
at the Cavern all the time.

But he's really fallen off. Why?

Well, I think there's bad
blood between him and Dante.

I got a read where Mellini
was calling him a thief.

Might be worth looking into.

Look, I run a thorough safety check

30 minutes before show time.

It checked out perfectly.

And then I went to makeup.
I suppose somebody could have

got to it after my check while
I was in my dressing room.

Ashley can you think of anyone
who'd want to kill Mr. Barclay?

- No. No, he's a lovely man.
- You knew him well?

No, not really.

I still have the diamonds he gave me.

Alright. Ashley, you shouldn't lie to us.

We know that you and Felix
were having a relationship.

He, he took me out on a few dates.

And this is before he was married.

He had a thing for the assistants.

Particularly my best friend,
Samantha, who became his wife.

Samantha Barclay works with you?

Um, not any more. She quit
to focus on charity work.

- She's an amazing woman.
- You guys stayed close

- even after she married Felix?
- Yes, why not?

Best friend, marries an ex-boyfriend.

- Things could get complicated.
- Well it didn't.

Can't know we're having an affair.

OK. I think that's all for now.

- You're free to go.
- OK.

So it turns out that we were just speaking

to Felix's mistress.

I thought he was a real boy scout.

- Yeah, me too.
- When a cheating spouse

is killed, 9 times out of 10
there is one person responsible.

Still such a terrible shock.

Mrs. Barclay, we have reason to believe

that your husband was murdered.

Th... that's impossible.
Who would want to kill Felix?

Did he have any rivals or
enemies that you can think of?

No, he didn't make any enemies. He
was just busy making people rich.

And your marriage, everything was OK?

Of course.

Did your husband know Dante's
assistant, Ashley Green?

Why do you ask?

Well we have reason to believe

- that they were involved.
- Ha! Sorry.

Sorry, that's ridiculous.

More like he didn't know.
He never suspected a thing.

It sounds like there's something

you're not telling us about.

Ha! Ha! Ha!

(Groaning)

This has been a tough 24
hours. I'd like to go now.

Yeah. We understand. You're free to go.

We had it wrong. Ashley
was having an affair

but it wasn't with Felix.

It was with Samantha.

Victim's wife and magician's
assistant. What's the connection?

Samantha and Ashley are sleeping together.

- Oh.
- If Felix knew

about the affair, maybe
he threatened divorce.

That would give Samantha
enough reason to get rid of him.

Well that's motive, what about means?

Samantha was a magician's assistant

before she married Felix,
so she has the skillset.

Maybe she got Ashley's help.

It's a good theory. Run with it.

I already have, Ashley's on her way up.

OK. Oh, uh, one last thing.

Who copped to the affair?
Was that Samantha or Ashley?

Neither. Neither of them... confessed.

So how'd you guys figure that out?

Well through a series of
deductions, face reading,

uh, body language.

Look, I... I'm still struggling
to understand your technique

here so I'm wondering if
you'd just walk me through it.

OK. When I asked Samantha
about Ashley she started playing

with her wedding ring, which
I noticed was a bit loose,

so she probably takes it off frequently.

That leads me to believe she's
probably having an affair.

- OK. Go on.
- I ask Ashley about Samantha

and she touches her suprasternal notch.

It's this little notch here, that
little dip between your clavicles.

- OK.
- It's a spot people touch

when they're thinking about their lovers.

So, put those two reads together. Voila!

Thanks that was uh, that was very helpful.

- Thanks.
- Awesome.

- Suprasternal notch?
- Yeah I pulled that one out.

Well I think Becker's genuinely trying

to understand your technique.

I just don't like being
put under a microscope.

Yeah. Let's go talk to Ashley.

Suprasternal notch?

Samantha told us about the affair.

She told us everything.

Where you two would meet. Even what
she got you for Valentine's day.

Oh my God!

Oh baby, I love it. Thank you so much.

It's a nice ring.

Why didn't you tell us?

I, I didn't think it was relevant.

Tell us about the affair.

Well, um. I knew how I felt about Samantha

from the moment we met.
But I just dated men

up to that point so I was confused

and kept my feelings hidden.
We became best friends,

I was even her maid of honour.

But it just got to the point
where I couldn't stand lying

to myself, you know? And
I had one too many drinks

one night and I told her how I felt

and amazingly, she felt the same way.

It was a liberating moment for her, too.

If it was so liberating
for her why didn't she tell

her husband the truth?

She was planning to. You know,
she's working her way up to it.

Right. But instead she
just decided to kill him.

Why on earth would she do that?

Well if he found out about the affair

he would want a divorce, right?

And their pre-nup states

that an affair nullifies all claims.

So that's why she killed him. And
she probably got your help to do it.

OK, that's ludicrous.

Look, I liked Felix. I
would never want to hurt him.

Oh but sleeping with
his wife is totally fine?

I think Ashley's telling the truth,

she didn't kill Felix Barclay.

OK well Samantha's still on the table

she had means, motive and opportunity.

Hey, got Miles Mellini in interrogation.

Wish I could be there to
observe but I've got this thing

with the superintendent. Have fun.

- We'll keep you posted.
- Yep. See you in the morning.

Thanks.

Please excuse my ignorance Mr. Mellini,

but what is it that you do exactly?

Are you a magician or a mentalist?

Mentalists are magicians.

Let me show you what I mean.

Tired eyes. Drumming fingers.

Impatient. Smudge where she wipes spittle.

You have a new baby at home.

Is that so?

Sergeant's badge. Trapezius are up.

She's angry. Bitter. Zygomaticus major.

She's disappointed but trying to hide it.

I'm sorry about your disappointing news.

I'm sure you deserved that promotion.

OK, we're not here

to have a show of your powers, Mr. Mellini.

What is your history with Dante Blake?

Brief.

Rumour is he stole your
secrets and sold them

- to another mentalist.
- And he made enough cash

from his larceny to buy
new illusions from Vaughn

- and strike out on his own.
- Do you hate him?

Well I never sent him Christmas cards.

He's trying to read me.

Give him nothing to work with.

Let me ask you something.

What is the 9th circle of
hell in Dante's Inferno?

Never read it.

I'm more of a Milton fan.

The 9th circle of hell is treachery

and that's kind of perfect isn't it?

Seeing as you wanted revenge on Dante

for being a traitor.

You're wasting your time.

Knows I was below stage.

I know you were below the stage.
What were you doing down there?

I don't know what you're talking about.

You wanted revenge on Dante.

You're grasping at straws.

He broke the magician's oath

and you were gonna make him pay.

So you went below the stage
to sabotage his illusion.

I was nowhere near the Cavern that night.

Hate to disappoint you.

We have a witness who saw you
at the Cavern that evening.

You forget my extraordinary
powers, Mr. Logan.

I know that you're lying.
There was no witness.

Then how do I know that you
had a Phillips screwdriver

and an LED pen light?

Pft. Anyone could guess that.

If you really want to convince me,

you need to be more specific.
The devil is in the details.

OK. I'll tell you exactly
what you wore that night.

Do. Tell.

Blue workpants, black gloves,

a watchman's cap that was
rolled up about an inch.

Brown leather boots
with white rubber soles.

Like you said, the devil is in the details.

- Who did you study under?
- I'm not a mentalist, Miles.

- This isn't about me.
- Well let's make it about you.

Marionette lines around
the mouth mask sadness,

deep loss. Heavy temples, see,

childhood trauma, separation from parents.

Hand over hand covering the deep secret.

I see that you were taken

from your mother at a very early age

or did she leave you?
Either way you have a secret

that you're very anxious to protect.

OK, that's enough. I got it. We're done.

You're free to go, Mr. Mellini.

It's been a pleasure.

- You OK?
- Yeah. That was intense.

Being inside of his head
while he was inside of mine.

I could see him looking at me.

Like a jumbled piece of modern art.

I did a number on him.

Becker? I thought you were
with the superintendent.

It got postponed.

Well, good news. Mellini is
looking good for the murder.

We'll start building
the case in the morning.

- Good.
- It's late.

- I'll see you guys tomorrow.
- Goodnight.

Got somewhere you need to be?

I can make time if it's important.

It is. Let's take a walk.

(Elevator beeps)

What the hell?

I was in observation. I saw what you did.

There's no witness that
saw Mellini at the Cavern,

but somehow you knew he was there.

You knew that he had
a Phillips screwdriver,

that he had white soles on his boots.

You knew the colour of his gloves.

There's no way that you can
read that in someone's face.

- That's impossible.
- There is a science to it.

Oh just shut up, please.
I heard what you said

to McClusky. There was intense pain

inside his head when
he was inside your head.

I know what you're doing.

It's got nothing to do with science.

OK. Then why don't you tell me what it is?

Why don't you just read
it in my face? You tell me.

I know your head must
be spinning right now.

Klein had a tough time with it too,

but in time he accepted what I do

and what I bring to the table.

Look where he is now.

I'm no Klein.

(Elevator beeps)

OK, so Becker knows your secret.

What can he do with that information?

Well he can fire me, he can reassign me

- to another unit, right?
- You know, what worries me is

what if Becker takes it upstairs?

You think the press would believe him?

No. No. I mean, he
would need solid evidence

and we've covered our tracks.

You know, Dev's right. What
if he could take it upstairs?

What if he could convince them
that I'm able to do this thing.

What would they make me do?

Let's not sound the alarm just yet, OK?

I'll talk to Becker tomorrow
once the dust has settled.

- It's going to be fine.
- Thanks.

- I have to go.
- Can I get a ride? - Yeah.

You know, the truth is,

Becker still blames me for Charlie's death.

And that anger is what's fuelling this.

Maybe so, but regardless
of his issues with you,

Becker still needs to recognize
you're a value to the unit.

I hope so. I hope you're right.

- Becker?
- Yep.

- We need to talk about Toby.
- Oh this is a conversation

we should have had weeks ago, huh?

When? On your first day? You
would have laughed in my face.

Look, I know it's hard to
process, OK? I've been there.

But now you know so, so let's move forward.

Move forward? Who else knows about this?

Myself, Klein, Dev,

his best-friend Oz and
his girlfriend, Tia.

You do realize that what
he does tramples all over

many of the protections built
into the legal system, right?

That's why we use his gift judiciously.

Well I doubt that the legal
community would see it that way.

If they ever found out
about Toby's ability,

they would want to rip open every single one
of the cases that he's ever been a part of.

Our casework is thorough, OK?

We back all of Toby's reads
up with solid evidence.

- Oh is that right?
- Yeah, I challenge you.

Go through any single one of
our cases with a fine-tooth comb.

You will not find one piece
of unsubstantiated police work.

Hey. Guys, Dev and Alex
want to show us something.

- It's important.
- Alright.

- Good conversation with Becker?
- Yeah. He'll come around.

This is a 3D rendering of Dante's Inferno.

Using photogrammetry, we ran the apparatus

through several simulations
to test Vaughn's theory.

And he was proved right. The
gears could have been jammed

using a 10mm nail, but a
metal nail would have left

tell-tale signs, such as
metal dust or scrapings.

The only rational
explanation is that the object

- wasn't metal at all.
- So we tried other objects

made from rubbers and plastics
and various types of polymers.

And nothing worked. Finally we wondered

if the object wasn't made
from an inorganic compound,

but rather from an organic
substance commonly found

on a magic stage
- dry ice.

It worked. This is brilliant.

This belt is strong enough to jam the motor

but not so strong as to strip the gears.

Which would account for the lack

- of scrapings and metal dust.
- And there is a freezer full

of dry ice pellets not 10 feet away.

See? Already it begins to sublimate.

Within seconds it will
vanish into thin air,

- leaving no trace.
- Solid theory.

That puts a timeline restriction on the act

of sabotage. The killer had to be standing

right here beneath the platform
minutes before it started turning.

Well we know Mellini could have been here

at exactly that time.
Everyone else was either

- on stage or in the audience.
- You are making assumption.

You're assuming that
everyone who was present

in the theatre was actually present.

- What do you mean?
- I have only an idea.

Let me work it out.

Inside, outside switch. Two places at once.

Girl to gorilla. Pepper's ghost.

Well give us a call when you get something.

So according to my calculations the dry ice

would have completely
sublimated within 5 minutes.

So that means the killer was
under the stage during the show.

That takes Dante Blake right off the table.

And Ashley who was on the stage with him

- the whole time.
- What about Samantha Barclay?

Well, this is a view from
a closed circuit camera

that's pointing from the stage.

As you can see, Samantha
never leaves her seat.

Which leaves us with Mellini,
who wasn't at the gala.

Now I got a feeling, actually,
I got a read from Mellini

and it puts him beneath
the stage looking up

at Dante's Inferno.

- Corporal Clark.
- Sir.

We need to bring Mellini for
interrogation. Send a unit.

- Copy that.
- Becker, d'you have a minute? - Yep.

- Have a seat.
- I see you've been

going over our case files.

Yeah they're solid. They're all backed up.

Evidence. Eye witness accounts.

Confessions. Can't fault your work.

So issue resolved, right?
We can move forward.

No. No I don't think

that Logan can remain a part of this unit.

This unit has one of the best solve ratios

in the entire country.
You don't think the Brass

will have something to say
about you shuffling Toby out?

I don't think the Brass
actually know who Toby is,

and that's a good thing.

You sure this has nothing to do

with your old partner, Charlie?

You don't wanna go there, Michelle.

This is not about Charlie,
it's not about the past;

it's about the here and the now.

What we are doing as a team, now.

You sure about that?

Working with a mind reader, or a psychic

or whatever it is you
call him, that's risky.

If this ever gets out, it
comes back on all of us.

Big time.

Well I didn't get into
policing to have a career.

I got into this to make a difference.

- Oh, please.
- And that's exactly what this unit does.

Now because of Toby's ability
we've been able to solve crimes

that never would have been solved.

To give closure to victims
who never would have had it.

That's what we do here in this unit.

So if you want to be a part of that,

then you need to get over
your issues with Toby.

(Laughs)

(Sound of door opening)

Vaughn was taken out by a single gunshot

to the chest.

Amy puts the time of death
at approximately 9:45.

- Witnesses?
- The cleaner upstairs

heard the shot and called 911.
By the time Metro got here,

- the killer was long gone.
- What about surveillance?

I already checked the
tapes. There's nothing.

Seems our killer knew what they were doing.

Didn't really leave us
anything to work with.

Even picked up the shell
casing. But, they didn't check

Vaughn's body 'cause if they did,

they would have found this
- a piece of Mylar.

It was tucked inside Vaughn's coat.

Also found some matching
fragments against the wall.

I uh, read Vaughn and
he was thinking "in two

"places at once", "girl to
gorilla" and "Pepper's ghost".

You think you can do anything with that?

Yeah let me see what I can do.

Mellini knows his way around the building

and he knows how to cover his tracks.

But even for someone
with Mellini's skillset

- this is a risky move.
- Maybe he likes toying with us.

- But why kill Vaughn?
- He knew Vaughn was onto him.

In cold blood. It lacks a magician's flair.

I don't know, maybe
you're overthinking this.

You know we have Mellini
waiting for us in interrogation

let's see if we can get him to crack.

My powers of perception tell me that you,

sergeant, have already
decided that I'm guilty.

But I get the feeling

that you, Mr. Logan, aren't so convinced.

Where were you last night at 9:45?

I was working on some new material.

No you weren't. You were drinking. Alone.

So you've got no alibi
for Vaughn's homicide.

Your alibi for the night of the gala

didn't check out either. So you're
looking good for two homicides.

You have no leverage
here other than the truth.

- I've told you the truth.
- No, you haven't.

We know you were below
the stage at the gala.

What were you doing there?

I was below the stage,
yes. But not at the gala.

I was there the night before at 5am.

I broke in, I took photos,

I made notes, I drew diagrams.

- I took exactly what I needed.
- I don't follow.

I was stealing Dante's secrets.

I wanted to do to him what he did to me

and sell them to another magician.

When Dante sold my secrets,

my act became old hat.

I can't get booked anymore.

I have an ex-wife and
two children to support.

Why didn't you tell us this before?

I was ashamed.

I lowered myself to his level.

I broke the oath.

I can never forgive myself for that.

My read's backed up everything he said,

I don't think Mellini killed anybody.

- I'm with Toby.
- Well for once, I agree.

Where does that leave us? No suspects.

OK guys I have something
that I think will turn

those frowns upside down.

I think our killer was
a ghost. Pepper's ghost.

Pepper's ghost. I got
Vaughn thinking about that.

Check this out.

This dude is John Henry Pepper, OK?

He perfected a technique in the 1800s

that changed magic forever. If you...

line up a mirror or a
sheet of Plexiglas or Mylar,

and angle the light just so

you can morph objects into each other.

Or make them appear or disappear, OK?

Pepper's ghost has been used in illusions

for hundreds of years. Even
today, the same principles

were used to "resurrect"
Tupac at Coachella.

Where are you going with this, corporal?

Well. Vaughn found a piece of Mylar

at the back of the auditorium.
I did forensics on it,

and what I found was, it's
a specialized form of Mylar.

Specifically designed to reflect holograms.

OK, so a projection at the right angle

would make it appear as though the killer

was standing at the back of the house.

But in fact, he was beneath
the stage at the exact moment,

sabotaging the trick. When he was done,

he went back to his original spot

and no one ever knew he was gone.

Exactly. Now, so who was
at the back of the house?

OK let me show you a camera angle

from the stage pointed at the audience.

Steve Parrish, the owner
of the Magic Cavern.

But he loved him like a
brother, why would he kill him?

That's the 250 million dollar question.

Guys, I might be high on cheesy
poofs, but I think I found something.

Found an email trail

between Parrish and a
real estate developer.

It seems Parrish had the developer lined up

for a sale. Lucrative, too.
But then it fell through.

In an email, Parrish
alludes to a heavy hitter

on the board who blocked the sale

and this same heavy hitter
is referred to as FB.

Felix Barclay.

Parrish is the majority owner,
why didn't he just push it through?

For a sale, Parrish needs the
unanimous approval of the board.

- And Felix was the chairman.
- Well apparently,

Felix had been making noise
about having the Cavern

- declared a heritage site.
- Once a building becomes

a heritage site, it's
almost impossible to sell.

- Yeah.
- So, maybe Parrish thought

he had no other choice than
to get rid of his friend.

So we can establish motive,
means and opportunity.

But that's not enough.

Well we've gone over the forensics

and there's no witnesses,
no video surveillance

no physical evidence linking
him to either of the murders.

Without solid evidence there's
only one way to convict:

confession. We gotta hit
him with everything we got

- and hope he cracks.
- Parrish is careful

and calculating, he is going
to be a tough nut to crack.

If he thinks he's talking to us,

but what if he's talking to a ghost?

I told you this was going
to be the coolest case ever.

Steven? It's Miles Mellini.

Mellini? Do you know what time it is?

- Can't this wait 'til morning?
- What I have to say won't wait.

I know what you did to Felix Barclay

- and to Tomas Vaughn.
- I'm hanging up.

Then I'll have to call
the police and you'll spend

the rest of your life rotting in prison.

Now I suspect that your freedom

is worth a lot to you.

So I'm prepared to hear an offer.

I'm not saying another
word on an unsecure line

- We need to meet.
- Perfect.

The Cavern in an hour.
Don't forget your check book.

You think he bought it?

We'll soon find out.

Let's just get this over with, Mellini.

What's the hurry? You worked very hard

to make this happen. Now's your chance

to get some kudos.

I don't need praise from
a washed up mentalist.

Just get to the point.

The point is I know what you did.

You used Pepper's ghost to make it look

like you were in two places at once.

Nicely done, Steven.

Who knew you had such a sleight of hand?

But please, tell me.

- Why did you kill Felix Barclay?
- Who said I did?

Oh come on, Steven. Don't be coy.

The very fact that you're
here is an admission of guilt.

You'd think a financial genius like Felix

would recognize that
the land beneath our feet

is worth millions to developers.

I've turned down dozens
of offers over the years,

but this last offer? Once
in a lifetime kind of thing.

So he didn't want you to
sell? And used his power

on the board to block it. And Tomas Vaughn?

You were just covering your tracks?

I did what I needed to do and it's over.

Not quite. There's the matter
of compensation for my silence.

sI hope that you've thought long and hard

about how much your
freedom is worth to you.

It's worth quite a lot.

- Drop the gun, now!
- Put the gun down, now!

Let's go. C'mon.

You do realize we never
would have closed this case

without Toby, right?

- I'm aware.
- Good.

Thank you, Miles. We owe you.

And I know precisely how you can repay me.

I've been thinking about
your mentalism technique,

I can't figure out how you do it and
it... it's driving me to distraction.

What's your secret?

It's very simple. I'm psychic.

I understand.

A magician must never reveal his secrets.

But, give me enough time
and I'll figure it out.

You got it.

You did some good work on this case.

Thank you.

You know, I'm not
comfortable with your ability.

But I'm willing to let you
continue working for the unit.

Well, good. I'm glad.

Being a part of this unit
is very important to me.

- OK.
- Actually, one more thing.

- Becker...
- Yeah?

Becker, you don't have to like
me. You don't have to be my friend.

I just need you to respect
what I bring to the table.

I can do that.