The Mentalist (2008–2015): Season 1, Episode 23 - Red John's Footsteps - full transcript

Any place.
Suspect can leave the body any place.

They dump it on the only state land
in a hundred miles.

- Why is that bad?
- Oh, come on, you saw the body.

- It's a coincidence.
- If Jane taught me one thing--

Hi. What do we got?

The victim's name is Emma Plaskett.
Nineteen. Local girl.

First responder knew her from school.
Lives at home with her parents.

Has a brother and a twin sister, Maya,
who went missing at the same time.

Their car was found abandoned
on the roadside.

- Ten miles north.
- Who's coordinating the search?

- Sheriff Hardy is in charge.
- Good to meet you.



Lisbon. That's Jane, this is Van Pelt.

We called in all our people.

Our sole priority
is finding the missing twin sister.

Lisbon.

Look.

- Oh, damn.
- Yeah.

- No. It's a coincidence.
- That's what I said.

- No. No such thing. Not with him.
- What? Who's "him"?

Red John. He's a serial killer.
This is his style of cutting.

Look at the toenails.

- Yeah, I see them.
- Painted in her own blood, like my wife.

He wants to make sure
I was on this case.

It's strange, I'll give you that.
You're jumping to conclusions.

There's no way we can know for su--



What the hell?

Oh, my God.

Man, this nicotine gum
is like chewing on a tire.

- What do we know about the family?
- Old money.

Mr. Plaskett's an architect.
Mom's a sculptor.

There've been Plasketts
since before there was a county.

Which means something
to people here.

Been here 10 years,
I'm still the new guy.

Have you found Maya? Is she all right?

- Where is she?
- We don't know as of yet.

- But every effort is being--
- Where is she?

They don't know where she is.
We have to let them do their job.

Can we take a look at
your girls' bedrooms?

Yes, of course.

- Thank you.
- Come on, Mrs. Plaskett.

Here it is.

We, uh...

We tried having them sleep
in separate bedrooms, but it never took.

They prefer being together.

In your judgment,
do you think that Maya is dead also?

Yes.

We keep an open mind.
We're assuming that she's alive.

- There's always hope.
- Not much.

I see.

Well, thank you for your candor.

Mr. Plaskett? Perhaps your wife
needs you to be with her right now.

Yes, of course.

- Why so cruel?
- Statistically, it's Dad that did it.

- Since when do you care about statistics?
- Just wanted to raise his pulse a little.

Hold on. This is a Red John case.

The cutting style, the painted toenails,
the skywriting.

You put it all together,
it's hard to dismiss.

Yeah, it's Red John all right.
But someone else is involved.

Else, why would he change his M.O.
so radically? Skywriting?

He wanted to make sure that the CBI,
that you, would be on the case.

He's trying to lure you
into some kind of trap.

Well, that's part of it.
But why take them from a car...

...instead of at home alone,
like he's always done?

And why two victims at once? Twins?
Why break pattern?

- He's broken pattern once before.
- Yes. Because it was personal.

He wanted to punish me. I don't think
these girls are random targets.

I think there's something personal
behind this.

Red John either knows them
or knows someone close to them.

Hey.

- CBI.
- Hey.

Are you the pilot that drew that face
two hours ago?

That was me. How'd it look?
Clean? Good and round?

Why'd you do that? Draw the face?

I got an Internet order
from some company up in San Francisco.

R-Jay Solutions, Inc.,
I think they were called.

- R-Jay.
- Yeah.

They paid the full 1250 up front
by cash transfer.

- What's this about?
- Do you have an address for R-Jay?

- Yes, ma'am, I do. In my office.
- Great.

- Is the brother--?
- He's on his way. He lives in Parkersville.

Boyfriends?

Yeah, boyfriends, but nobody serious.

Anyone at the moment?

No, nobody right now.

It can be hard for boys to have a chance.
They're such a strong couple.

- But still very different characters.
- Yes. If you know them well.

Emma, darker, moodier, the risk-taker.

Maya, she's a happier soul.
More cautious, more conservative.

- Yes.
- How do you know that about them?

Well, I tell you that only so you'll know
that there isn't any point in lying to us.

Lying? Why would we lie to you?

Do you always follow
your husband's lead?

Do you never struggle against his desire
to control?

Excuse me?

You drink.
Doesn't mean you don't have a say.

I should think he's at least half
the reason you drink in the first place.

Yeah? A good man, but cold, pious.

Possession of that badge
does not excuse you...

...from acting with human decency.

Quiet, Noah. Just be quiet.

We've been ashamed to talk
about this...

...but for a few months, our girls
have been mixed up with drugs...

...and the low sort of people
that come along with that.

Drake, our son, heard that Emma
was romantically involved...

...with a dubious character.
She denied it totally.

- So we don't really know for sure, but--
- Exactly, we do not know for sure.

Do you know his name?

Mace Guthrie.

I know Guthrie.

Small-time thief.

Here it is. This is Guthrie's place.

Nice, isn't it?

- You carry a gun?
- No, never.

- You hang back a tad, huh?
- Oh, yeah, sure.

Duke.

- We're gonna do this nice and easy.
- Okay.

Guthrie.

Come on, Guthrie, open up.

Guthrie.

Guthrie, freeze!

- You okay, Duke?
- I'm okay.

Shake it off, big guy.

That's a very loyal dog.

Your store is listed as the mailing
address for R-Jay Solutions, Inc.

- Yes. Okay?
- Suite 121?

Sure. Right here.

No, ma'am, a suite is like a room
or an office.

A suite is a box.
You're a small company, you look big.

Okay, we need to open Box 121.

And we need all the information
on who rented it.

- No problem. You have a warrant?
- Ma'am, this is a murder investigation.

We can get a warrant,
but time is of the essence here.

No problem.
Go get a warrant, I'll be here.

Following the law.

- You have a wife?
- No.

I have a niece.

Thanks, that's okay.

When you come back,
I'll show you a picture.

- Very pretty.
- Thank you.

Okay, open it up.

You got it.

Be careful now, Duke.

Hey, buddy.

Easy, boy. Easy, boy.
You got something?

- Hands up.
- Okay. Okay. Okay.

Oh, who's a good boy?
That's a good dog.

What?

Emma and Maya Plaskett.

- What about them?
- You didn't hear?

What?

Emma was found horribly murdered
this morning and Maya's missing.

Oh, my God.

Were you having a sexual relationship
with either of them?

- No.
- Really?

No. Never.

I maybe hung with them
a couple times, that's it.

Mace, I see you care for both of them,
and I can see that you're lying to me.

- That's a bad idea.
- I got nothing to do with this.

Please understand something.

I have a very deep personal interest
in this case.

I'll do whatever it takes.
I will have you framed for murder.

I will torture you, I will kill you myself
if I have to. Whatever it takes.

Geez, Lisbon.

Come on, this is on tape.
Control your man there.

Cut him some slack.

Look, he's just playing the guy.
He doesn't mean it.

Doesn't he?

You know what Red John does to him.
He can't think straight.

He would do all that he said and more
if you let him.

I won't let him.

Emma and me had a thing.

She, uh...

I don't know what she saw in me,
but she liked me, you know?

Both of those girls
had a way about them.

They look at you
like they really see you.

Yeah.

So me and Emma had been hooking up
for about a month and I get a phone call.

From some guy that I don't know,
saying, "Stay away from her or else."

- He hangs up before I tell him to eat it.
- Can you describe his voice?

Uh, soft. Quiet.

- Did you do what he said?
- No. Of course not.

I kept seeing her.

Then I wake up one morning
a couple weeks later...

...and there's a pig's head
lying next to me.

I lock and bolt my doors every night.
There's no way somebody gets in there.

But they did. It's mental, right?

The thing is, me and Emma
were on the down-low.

Nobody knew. She insisted on that.

So how did he know?

He must have been spying on her
real close.

How did you people know?

- Good morning.
- Morning.

I'm Drake Plaskett,
Maya and Emma's brother.

- Agent Lisbon, this is Jane.
- Patrick Jane.

Have you found Maya?

No, ma'am, but I assure you
we're continuing the search...

...with every available resource.

Please come in.

- Where have you been looking for her?
- I wouldn't know that, ma'am.

To clarify, the CBI conducts
the investigative aspects.

Sheriff Hardy is very ably investigating
the physical search.

And Sheriff Hardy will call us
if he has news, Mom.

How can we help you, Agent Lisbon?

You told us it was Drake
who told you about Guthrie?

- Yes.
- How'd you know about him?

Uh, about a month ago, I'd say,
I was staying the weekend...

...and overheard the girls talking,
Emma telling Maya...

...that this Guthrie character was
dangerous and she should be careful.

Naturally, I was very concerned.
I told my parents.

Then we decided
to confront Emma about it.

I see. If you could sit down with us,
Drake, and give us a statement...

- ...it'd be really helpful.
- Of course. Anything you need.

I'm just gonna go take another look
at the girls' room if I may.

- Of course.
- Sure.

Lisbon.

Lisbon.

Huh?

Camera, microphone, transmitter.

- Someone was spying on our daughters?
- Yeah.

Who had access to this room?

Nobody. Just us and Janine,
the housekeeper.

- Nobody else?
- No. Nobody.

- Drake, how's your electronics skills?
- You're accusing me?

Let's be fair here, you're the likeliest
suspect. You can see that.

You did say you overheard
an intimate conversation between them.

- They're my sisters. I love them.
- No one's doubting that.

- Where were you the night before last?
- At home, alone.

No, wait.

Wait, there was a break-in,
eight months ago.

- That's right.
- They broke the kitchen door to get in.

They took some cash, some liquor,
broke a few vases.

We just assumed
it was teenagers on a spree.

That'd be a good cover.
Did you report it to the police?

Yes, we did.
And the sheriff will confirm it.

Excuse me.

Hey. Yeah.

We got the warrant.
We're about to open the mailbox.

Jane said he wanted to be on the line
when we opened it. Okay.

One minute.

My niece. Beautiful, like a movie star.
But well-behaved.

- Yeah, she's attractive.
- Oh, yeah. Go for it, man.

I'm not looking to get married right now.
Thank you though.

Yeah, I'm still here.
You ready, ma'am?

Uh, yeah, open up.

Okay. Ah, there's an envelope.

It's typewritten. Postmarked Hattiesburg,
28th of December.

It's addressed to a Roy Tagliaferro.

"Dear Roy, I found this address
on a business card of yours...

...I discovered
down the back of the sofa.

I write to you today in the faint hope
that this letter may find you. If it does--"

"--and you are reading this, I want to say
I still love you very much...

...despite the cruel way you treated me,
and I hope you will come back one day.

With all my heart, Rosalind."

It's him. I know it.

I know it.
This Roy Tagliaferro is Red John.

We don't know that.

Well, we know
Red John killed Emma...

...so we can assume
Red John hired the skywriter.

The skywriter was given the order
by R-Jay Solutions.

R-Jay Solutions is Roy Tagliaferro.

- Hence, Roy Tagliaferro is Red John.
- Maybe.

This woman Rosalind
has seen Red John.

Lisbon, she knows Red John.
This is him.

You sure this is the right Rosalind?

There's only two Rosalinds
in the phone book.

The other one is 73 and married.

- Rosalind Harker?
- Yes?

We're with the California Bureau
of Investigation. May we come in?

Would you show me some ID, please?

Roy Tagliaferro?

What are you investigating?

We're with the Homicide
and Serious Crimes Unit.

What can you tell us about Roy?

Not a thing
until you tell me why you want to know.

We believe he could be a serial murderer
named Red John.

No.

That's absurd.

- May we come in?
- No.

- No, ma'am, we're not leaving.
- You don't know him.

Miss Harker.

I'm not listening. I don't hear you.

Ma'am? Miss Harker?

- Rosalind?
- Go away.

I can't do that.

There is a girl missing.
Her name is Maya.

She's 19. Her sister has already
been killed by Red John.

We don't know, but he
might have her captive somewhere.

This man Red John,
killed my wife and child.

That's why I'm here, Rosalind.
That's why I can't leave.

I'm sorry. That's terrible.

I'm blind, but I'm not blind.

I'm a good judge of human nature.
I have to be.

I know Roy very well.

I know him intimately.

And I'm sure...

...as sure as this ground
beneath my feet.

I know that Roy is a good man.

I believe you.

Uh...

- I'm sorry.
- That's okay.

We all make mistakes, God knows.

Maybe this Red John
is just using Roy's identity somehow.

If we could find Roy,
maybe he could help us find Red John.

Roy came to my door one day...

...when his car
had broken down up the road.

He needed to use the telephone.

So I made him some lemonade
and we got talking about classical music.

And...

He didn't leave for two days.

- You two were lovers.
- Yes.

- That's very brave of you.
- I have to be.

How long were you together?

Roy was in my life
for about five months.

He would come and go as he pleased.
He was doing business in the area.

- What kind of business?
- He didn't say.

- You didn't ask? You weren't curious?
- No. I didn't care.

I don't live in your world. I live here.

I was glad when he came,
sad when he left.

You said in your letter
that he was cruel to you.

Very cruel.

He left and just never came back.

Never said goodbye, why he was leaving,
or where he was going.

Just vanished.

It's been nearly six months now.

Can you describe him?

Just under six feet tall.

Not muscular, but not soft either.
Short straight hair.

A gentle voice. Rough, strong hands.

He smelled of pine...

...and nails and earth.

And he liked to listen to me
play the piano.

- What was his favorite music?
- Bach. He admired his rigor.

Did anybody see him?
The mailman, a cleaning lady?

No.

I lead a fairly solitary life.

Did he ever mention any friends?
People from work?

No.

He did bring a friend of his over once,
though.

For Thanksgiving. Dumar.

- Dumar? Any other name?
- Just Dumar.

Couldn't believe
a blind woman could cook.

Came over especially to see.

Can you recall anything else about him?

He smoked a lot.

He said he was trying to quit.
He smoked so much...

...he had to run out to the store
to buy more cigarettes.

When he came back, he had bought
a stuffed toy elephant as a gift for me.

That was a good day.

Roy came a couple more times
after that...

...and then that was it.

Gone.

Do you still have it?
The stuffed elephant?

Yes, I do.

In the morning, check on
all the convenience stores in that area.

It's possible someone
will remember selling...

...the elephant
and cigarettes together.

- It was Thanksgiving.
- Yes, sir.

And don't lose the elephant.
She wants it back.

You know,
it's ironic that she was blind.

- How is that ironic?
- Whatever, it's messed up.

You know, it would be funny
if it wasn't not funny. I mean...

- Any luck on this end?
- Nope.

There's nobody named Roy Tagliaferro
in the database.

It must be an alias.

Try the name in English.
Tagliaferro means "cut iron."

- Thank you, sir. That's a good idea.
- Yes, it is.

Boss, I think I found something.
I set up and ran a code script...

...to search the probate court's
realty transaction records.

I got a hit on the name Cut Iron.

Okay, thanks.

Well?

Eight months ago,
around the time Tagliaferro showed up...

...an old farm property was bought
called Sparrow's Peak.

And it was bought
by Cut Iron Properties Trust.

Let's go.

Wait, there's more. A company
credit card in the same name...

...was used to purchase
a truckload of construction supplies.

Nails, earth, pine.
He's building something.

We need to find a judge,
get a search warrant.

Sure. Judge Felton will be quickest.

- We don't have time for that.
- No choice. Look, no warrant, no case.

We catch Red John and he could walk.

If we catch Red John, he's not walking.
He's mine.

I can't let you anywhere near this case
if you start talking crazy.

Crazy? You're crazy
if you think you're gonna stop me.

Red John is mine.

You try to stand in my way
and you will regret it.

- Are you threatening me?
- No, I'm just saying that if you--

I've had it with your egotistical crap.
This isn't about justice or the law.

This is about you and your
wounded pride. I'm done with it.

- Eckerville, Judge Felton, right?
- Yes, ma'am.

If he does anything wrong,
if he jaywalks, shoot him.

Wow.

- Steamed up.
- Eh.

- Let's go.
- Oh, I don't know.

What if Maya's waiting out there
for someone to help her?

What if she dies
while we're standing here doing nothing?

- All right, let's do it.
- Right.

- What's this, store number 10?
- Eleven.

Ugh.

- What a waste of time.
- It's worth trying.

- Excuse me, sir? Do you have--?
- Uh, sorry, no returns.

You buy the elephant,
you keep the elephant.

- You sold this elephant?
- Yeah, last year.

Good item. Comes in elephants,
bears, rodents. Nine ninety-five.

Do you recall a customer buying
this elephant and some cigarettes?

No. How would I do that?
Am I an elephant?

You can look at the surveillance tape
if you like.

- You have the tape?
- Yeah.

- We'd love to see the tape.
- My son's a big techno-nerd.

We got state-of-the-art cameras
on a nine-month loop.

7645 Sparrow Peak.
This is the place.

Let's go.

Okay.

Here we go. Thanksgiving afternoon.

All right, where's this elephant?

There. Run it back.

I see it.

That-- Oh, my God.

That's Sheriff Hardy.

Dumar is Sheriff Hardy.

Jane, look at this.

- Answer the damn phone.
- CBI.

- Van Pelt, where's Jane and Lisbon?
- Hey.

Following up a lead I gave them.
Why? What's wrong?

Oh.

Maya.

It's okay, Maya,
we're gonna get you out of here.

She's alive.

What are you doing?

You act smart, but really,
you're kind of dumb, huh?

Don't move an inch.

- I don't understand.
- No. Ha, ha, ha.

You never really have.

You recall a man
by the name of Orval Tanner?

Yeah. Red John's accomplice
on his first killing.

He was caught.
Died ten years ago in jail.

That's the man.

I'm his son, Dumar.
This is the family farm.

He was a good man, a good father.

He wrote me every week
until the day he died, you know?

- Taught me everything I know.
- And Red John?

A friend of my father's.

And a close friend of mine,
I'm proud to say.

He doesn't have friends. He has tools.

- He's using you.
- Red John is not using me.

He gave me Maya.

He gave me the woman I love,
the woman I'm going to marry.

Love? She's in a cage.

Love's cruel. At least she's safe.

Not like out there
with those degenerates.

She'll grow to appreciate
the security I'm giving her.

Ain't that right, honey, huh?

And learn to love me
the way I love her.

I wouldn't bet on that.

I'm happy for the first time in life.
And Red John made that happen.

So don't you go telling me
he's no friend of mine.

And what did you have to give him
in exchange?

He got Emma.
And you. He wanted you badly.

He lured you in so sweetly.

You just couldn't help yourself,
could you? Ha.

If only that Rosalind woman
hadn't popped up and spoiled things.

We were going to get you here nice
and quiet, so we could take our time.

Now we have to find some place
to keep you. But that's life.

Keep us for what?

Oh, well,
you'll just have to wait and see.

It's gonna be so much fun.

Hardy, put the gun down.

Put it down slowly.

- Crap. Listen, he--
Now!

Put your hands behind your head.

Well, you fooled us. Bravo.
You never did go see that judge.

Damn it. You were supposed to wait
until Red John showed.

I couldn't take the chance.
Red John's gone anyway.

You faked the warrant?
To lure me into the open. Slick.

- How'd you know it was me?
- Don't move.

Rosalind mentioned that Dumar
was a heavy smoker...

...who was trying to quit.

And you, you chew on those
nicotine gums all day long.

It was you that staged the break-in
at the Plaskett house...

...so you could plant the camera.

- You think you're pretty cool right now?
- Oh, yeah. Bingo.

- You surrender now...
- Don't turn around.

...I'll persuade John to kill you quick
and clean instead of slow and nasty.

- Turn around and shut up.
- Ha, ha, ha.

Boss?

This room's clear.

- Clear!
- Rigsby!

We're down here!
There's a hatch in the floor.

Go.

- You guys okay?
- We're fine.

We've got Maya. Call the paramedics.

It's okay. Come here.

You're safe now, Maya.

Shhh.

It's okay.

Shhh.

He was here.

He was right here.

We saved a girl's life, Jane.
We saved her life.

We have Hardy, okay? He's gonna tell us
what we need to know.

Oh, you think so?

You should have waited.
We agreed on that.

- What if Hardy had killed you right here?
- He would have led you to Red John.

- You'd be dead.
- But you would have Red John.

I don't think you mean what you say.

I think you'd choose life.

- Well, you think wrong.
- No. No, you think wrong.

Can't you see there's people
who care about you? Who need you?

You're being selfish and childish
and I want you to stop it.

I wish that I could, but, you know,
some things you just can't fix.

Maybe angry
is just the way of the world.

We still have Hardy.

He's gonna talk.
He's gonna give us Red John.

Right. We have Hardy. Yes.

- And we saved a life.
- Yes, we did. We did.

Hooray for us.

Maya, I'm gonna fill out some paperwork
with the forensics people.

- Then we'll take you home.
- Okay.

- Do you need anything?
- I'm good, thank you.

Red...

...John.

Maya. Maya.