The Mentalist s02e16 Episode Script

I dare to say you've inspected more modern facilities in your travels Griffin.
Don't come in here.
Dr.
Seberg, what's wrong? Oh, my God.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Cheer up.
- Why? Uh, because it's better to be happy than sad.
- I'm not sad.
- You're very sad.
You've been sad for months, ever since, uh What, is this some sort of therapy session? Did you bring tissue in case? Zing of anger gets the blood up.
A good start.
Is this what you came here for? I've got paperwork to do.
Jane, call for you.
They say it's extremely urgent.
Line 2.
Ooh.
- This is Jane.
Good morning, Mr.
Jane.
My name is Dr.
Alicia Seberg.
I gather from a brief search on the Internet that you're the best detective in my immediate vicinity.
Oh, well, um You flatter me, but, uh, I'm not actually a detective.
I need your professional assistance.
Please come immediately.
I've been murdered.
That was fun.
Agent Lisbon, CBI.
- Ma'am, sir, please follow me.
- All right.
Agent Lisbon.
And you are? I'm this guy: Patrick Jane, consultant.
Okay.
Teresa, Patrick, glad to meet you both.
I'm Dean Harken, California Disease Control.
Nice to meet you.
We have a potential code-red virus outbreak situation here.
This facility is under CDCA control, as per state emergency protocols.
Thousands might die if we don't get this right.
- We've been apprised - She's denying it but this situation almost certainly resulted from an error by Dr.
Seberg.
There's no criminality involved.
You're not really needed.
- Probably but - As a courtesy l'm gonna let you into the facility.
I'm happy for you to observe and gather evidence as long as you remember that CDCA is big dog here.
Our investigation has priority.
- Now, are we cool with that? - Absolutely.
Hey, can I see your ID also? Sure.
Thank you, Dean.
No picture.
That's a shame.
You're a good-looking man.
Scott Price, I manage this facility for Zitek Biosystems Division.
Let me assure you that we as a company are 110 percent committed to giving you the best cooperation.
Thank you, Mr.
Price.
Shall we? There is a sense of urgency here.
Ah, yes, of course.
Lisbon, Jane, Dr.
Edmunds.
Head of research here.
He'll take you to the release incident.
Price, come with me.
Thank you for coming quickly.
- What exactly is it that you do here? - Bio-warfare.
With modern technology, anthrax, botulism, bubonic plague even cobra venom, all have strong weaponizing potential.
It's a growing field.
Exciting developments.
You develop ways of killing people in large numbers.
To the contrary antidotes to combat the things that kill large numbers of people.
Here we are.
Follow me.
One-twenty.
Darling.
Is this Mr.
Jane? - Yes.
How are you feeling? - The same.
Improvement in cardiac rate, though.
My metabolism's trying to fight back with adrenaline.
- Good morning, Mr.
Jane.
- Hi.
Agent Lisbon, CBI.
You mind running this down for us? Someone opened this flask and left it under the tank.
It contains an airborne form of Cryptohansa B strain.
It's an engineered super-virus.
If it escaped from this room it would kill every creature within a quarter-mile.
It attacks the red blood cells gradually stops them from delivering oxygen.
The victim dies from suffocation or a heart attack depending on their physical condition.
We estimate anywhere from two to six hours.
- So you could die at any time.
- Yes.
Harken says you did this yourself, a tragic error.
He's a bureaucrat.
He's looking for the easy answer.
It takes four distinct steps to remove a cap from one of these flasks and we never open a flask outside of the tank.
That's basic.
I can assure you both, I had nothing to do with this.
But this was no mistake.
Whoever did this wanted me dead.
Everybody knows I take the first shift.
You both have wedding bands.
You're husband and wife? Yes.
She looks surprised because you seem incredibly calm and cool for a man whose wife is dying.
How would an absence of calm and cool be useful to her? Correct me if I'm wrong, but for the killer to open the flask they would have to expose themselves to the virus.
In which case they would be dying or possibly dead already.
No, there's an antidote.
It's an enzyme compound.
If taken before exposure, it prevents infection.
I assume whoever did this took a dose.
- Couldn't you just? - No, I can't take it now.
The antidote only works if taken before exposure, as I said.
Why didn't you take it before as a precaution? The side effects of regular use are far too severe.
Who else had access to the virus flask? The only people allowed in are Cliff and I Welks, Nash and Tripp, our colleagues.
We have a state-of-the-art biometric security system, as you can see.
So your husband or one of the three colleagues is the killer.
Sorry, uh, will be the killer.
- Jane.
- I'm just Hmm? That's all right.
That is the unavoidable conclusion, yes.
Where are the other three? Harken is having them fill out a report.
We're gonna need to speak to them.
- Ooh, this a good one, huh? - "Good"? Well, interesting.
Unique.
If you're a jaded, ghoulish adventure-seeker.
"Ghoulish"? If people are gonna kill each other and we have to catch them I would much rather they go about it with some originality.
Hey, Van Pelt.
I need you to do checks on Cliff Edmunds Lilith Nash, Griffin Latimer Welks, Florian Eric Tripp.
I'm sending you their details.
Anything to be looking out for? Oh, uh One of them released a super-virus that could kill half of California.
We're looking for someone with a prior background as an evil supervillain.
Okay.
That last part was a joke.
Yeah, we get it.
Later.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- What are you doing? - What does it look like I'm doing? Trying to make us nervous? Correct.
- How am I doing? - Doing well.
Excellent.
But why? One of you three murdered Alicia Seberg.
Or her husband did.
It's our job to find out who.
And we're in a hurry, and nervous people are easy to read.
And what do you gather from all this reading? You're an open book.
You're what you seem to be.
A straight arrow.
A boy scout.
Am I right? - No.
- I'm wrong.
There's a hidden side to you.
- Yes, but - What are you hiding? Nothing.
What is he hiding, Lilith? - What are you hiding? - I'm not - It was you, wasn't it? - Me? Having an affair with Alicia Seberg.
What? No.
Not with me.
Not with you.
With who then? I oversee equipment and inventory, not my colleagues' private lives.
But she was having an affair, huh? Why else would her husband kill her? And if it wasn't her husband, it was one of you.
Who was it? My guess? Kaseem.
Yes.
- Does her husband know? - He knows.
Dr.
Edmunds is a kind, gentle man.
He couldn't have done this.
Thank you, Lilith.
Florian.
Griffin.
Why didn't you tell us you were having an affair with Dr.
Kaseem here? Because it isn't relevant.
Yeah, we have an honest and open marriage.
They do.
Really? You don't mind.
No, I don't mind at all.
- Fidelity is simply a cultural convention.
- Like clothes and not killing people.
- You could say so.
- Come on.
It must bug you a little.
No.
We love each other.
Her happiness is mine.
It's not like I don't have affairs.
Are you having an affair presently? No, I've been far too busy.
You must think this is a little weird? Uh, yeah, at first.
But, hey "But, hey.
" What an eloquent phrase that is.
Isabel.
Thank God.
Mom.
Mom, I got Dad's message.
Is it true? Yes, it's true.
No.
No, it can't be.
Oh, this is a pickle, isn't it? Oh, baby, don't cry.
Don't cry.
How can you tell me not to cry? Of course I'm going to cry.
Isn't there something you can do? There has to be something.
Listen to me.
We don't have much time, so we mustn't waste it weeping and wailing, okay? - Okay.
- Good.
How's school going? Did you get your calculus grade up? I got a 95 on my last test.
Well done.
You keep that up.
And what about that boy, Andy? How's that going? Oh, he's a jerk.
I don't see him anymore.
Well, I must say I'm glad to hear that.
I didn't like the sound of him.
I love you so much.
You're the best thing I ever did.
And I am so proud of you.
- Mom - Shh.
When I'm gone, you mustn't waste time being sad.
A little while is okay, but not too long.
You be brave.
You be happy.
Bye, baby.
- Mom! Mom! - Bye, baby.
No, Mom! Bye, my love.
I love you, darling.
Goodbye.
She's gone, baby.
She's gone.
She's dead? - Yes.
I'm, uh I'm sorry for your loss.
My people and I will get prepped for the decontamination.
How does that work? It's a low-intensity microradiation bath built in for this eventuality.
The chamber is irradiated, the virus destroyed.
Alicia's body is not harmed.
How long until we can examine the crime scene? Whoa! It's not a crime scene until you know there's a crime.
You don't know there's a murder.
Your evidence? - Alicia Seberg's word.
- Why would she lie? She had a brain freeze.
She screwed up and she can't admit the fact.
It happens.
I've been working this beat a long time.
I've seen the same denial, same certainty.
- It's human nature.
- I believe her.
I'm calling this in as a homicide.
I'm sorry if this complicates your work, but it's my job.
That's fine.
Okay, doing your job.
But this is still a live outbreak and I'm in charge here.
You wanna make a murder case we'll deal with the suspects as per CDCA protocols.
Absolutely.
Until the summer of '08, Seberg, Edmunds, Nash and Tripp all worked together at the California Technology Institute Biochemistry Department.
Seberg and Edmunds left abruptly.
Some kind of legal dispute.
Okay.
Cho and I will check it out.
Have you been convicted of a criminal offense? No.
Are you now or have you ever been a member of a terrorist organization? - This is ridiculous.
- This is ridiculous.
Just let it go.
Let's have some quiet back there, huh? - Now, Mr.
Tripp, please - Why? "Why?" What difference does our silence make? You're still wasting everybody's time with this nonsense.
You guys called this homicide, so now we run the paperwork.
- That's how it works.
- Still a waste of time.
Thought I made the deal clear to you.
You really wanna mess with the CDCA? I apologize for my colleague's rudeness.
No, I retract that apology.
Show some mettle, Lisbon.
You know that if I have 10 minutes with these people I will get the truth.
If there's any useful truth worth having.
Excuse us.
Yes, excuse us.
We have to have a chat.
Cool it.
That is an order.
Okay, just relax.
I'm working the case.
Let me explain something to you.
This is politics.
The CDCA is rich, mean and well-connected.
The CBI in comparison are like poor orphans.
We can't make enemies of out them.
We need to cooperate.
- He irks me.
- Say it.
"I understand.
" Go find yourself a vending machine, buy yourself a candy bar.
Come back when you're ready to play nice.
Give me a dollar and I will.
Pay me back.
Carry on.
Oh, my lord, that's terrible.
You suspect foul play of some kind? Dr.
Seberg and her husband worked here at the institute until '08 as did Tripp and Nash.
Is that correct? Yes.
A brilliant research team.
We were very sorry to lose them.
Money, you know.
We tried to hold them to their contract but Zitek threatened a lawsuit, so they left under a cloud.
Edmunds and Seberg, did they get along? - Oh, I think so, despite all.
- Despite all what? Well, I don't like to listen to that sort of gossip but, uh, one hears things.
- Like? - Edmunds was quite the ladies' man.
- He had affairs.
- So I gather.
- Quite the drama sometimes.
- Drama of what type? Fireworks as it were, you know.
But as I say, I don't pay attention.
Anybody you know who did? Pay attention? Ah, I believe one of our grad students in Astrophysics was, uh, involved.
- Name? - Greta Skye.
How long does this decontamination take? Another hour.
Don't touch that, please.
This is a murder investigation.
You have a problem with that? There's dangerous stuff in here, that's all.
I like what they're doing these days, making candy bars with dark chocolate.
- Have you tried that? - No.
- You want a bite? - No, thank you.
All right.
Mm.
It's really good.
Hi.
Can you hear me? Isabel, right? Who are you? Patrick Jane.
I'm here to find out who killed your mother.
Good.
Kill them, please.
Oh, I wish I was allowed to do that.
You know, you should probably step away from your computer.
Do you have any friends nearby? I wanna be with my mother.
Okay.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Do you have a candy bar around at all? What? We were just talking chocolate and it occurred to me that chocolate would be good for you.
All that emotion, it wipes you out.
And sugar is good for energy.
My mother is dead.
Chocolate and grief is a good combination.
You should try it.
It'll taste so much deeper, more intense.
Everything will feel that way for a while.
You'll feel more alive.
You should probably try to hang on to that feeling as long as you can.
It's a gift.
I guess.
I want you to do something for me now, Isabel.
I want you to please turn off your computer and go and tell a friend what's happened.
You do that now.
Open sesame.
That wasn't meant to happen, was it? Uh-oh.
Do you have an advanced degree in any of the physical sciences? Yes.
- Excuse me.
- Please specify - Sorry to interrupt.
We need to expand the pool of suspects.
The tricky little high-tech scanners let anyone in.
- That's nonsense.
- Try it.
- I'll be damned.
- See? Same with that door.
Anyone at this facility could have gotten to those little virus thingies.
Anyone.
Who's responsible for the operation of the security scanners? I have no idea how that could happen.
It's your job to oversee the security systems here, isn't it? Not the technical aspects.
That's contracted out.
I'll get right on them, give them a piece of my mind, believe you me.
You're showing us your palms.
It's a supplicant gesture suggesting a guilty conscience.
That's not valid or relevant.
I'm simply stating the facts.
I have no idea why the security system doesn't work.
The man's right.
You're not real convincing.
I regret that's your opinion, but I have no control over that.
- Mr.
Price, you're under arrest.
- For what? Let's see, for one, the murder of Alicia Seberg.
- That's absurd.
- And frankly, not your call.
- Oh, is that right? - Yeah.
This homicide investigation is ours.
I'll call my friends at the FBI.
Get them to take over from you.
In fact, I will do that.
- I'm sorry, lady.
- Maybe you should You know, maybe I was right about the supplicant palm gesture.
Yep.
I want to talk to my lawyer.
You have that right, but if Ever sat in the back of a military aircraft with a black hood over your head? - Uh, no.
- You've got a new experience coming because that is where this is going unless you start talking right about now.
- Um, look - Quiet.
Please.
The contractor screwed up.
The software glitches constantly.
So they're fixing it.
Meanwhile, the system's down.
Temporarily.
Nobody knew the system was down.
So in a way, it worked just as if it was up and running.
- In a way.
- How long was it down for? Two months.
Two months? Anyone at all could enter the lab: Terrorists, crazies, thieves.
Have you any idea how much trouble you're in? Thieves? People wanna steal germs? Cryptohansa B strain is a must-have research tool.
It's hard to make.
It's worth $300,000 a gram on the black market.
Wow.
Isn't that right, Price? And you left the cupboard door wide open.
Ha-ha-ha.
You are yay deep in trouble, pal.
You think about your situation for a while, okay? And we'll talk again.
You know he didn't kill Seberg.
You just like scaring people.
If there was a murder here, I think he's a good suspect.
Why? He has no interest in her death.
Only lead to the discovery of the breakdown.
- We'll see if he had any other motives.
- The salient point here is that anyone could have gotten to those flasks, not just Price.
Kaseem could have, for instance.
Or you could have.
You were already here, weren't you? For an inventory check.
When time did you get here exactly? The night before, right? You remind me.
I was gonna call the FBI, replace you people.
And I was gonna tell you that's not your call.
We're here on the direct say-so of the A.
G.
Call him, tell him we're off the case, see what he says.
I might do that.
We'll see how we go, shall we? It's time to open the biohazard chamber.
That sounds fun.
Opening the biohazard chamber.
Shouldn't we be wearing masks? No virus could possibly survive the radiation bath.
The virus inside the flasks is still alive of course but the flasks are unbreakable.
There's no danger.
Five flasks intact.
Let's get these babies back in deep freeze.
- Okay.
We're copacetic.
Send Alicia Seberg on her way.
Doctor, this is a crime scene.
- You can't be in - Let him stay.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
You had a sexual relationship with Cliff Edmunds the victim's husband, is that right? - No.
I mean, yes.
It wasn't Well, yes.
I did.
But I didn't You don't think I had to do with killing her.
No.
We're just looking for insight into their relationship.
You think Cliff killed her.
- Is he the jealous type? - Not at all.
- Did he ever show violence to you? - No, no.
Cliff is a very gentle soul, really.
- And Alicia's such a cool person.
- We heard there was trouble.
No.
Well There was one incident, but it had nothing to do with Cliff or Alicia, really.
Please continue.
We'd been seeing each other for a while.
Somebody left a note for me pushed under my door in the middle of the night.
Basically it said I was a whore and I should stay away from Cliff.
It was very ugly.
- Was anonymous, of course.
- Who do you think sent the note? I thought, at first, it was Alicia Seberg, naturally.
But it turns out she wasn't in the country on the night.
Who's your next best guess? The one time I went to see Cliff at work there was a lab assistant.
She gave me this glare, like a death ray.
- And I thought maybe it was her.
- What's her name? Lilith Nash.
The question is, "Why now?" What triggered the killing? - What changed? - What's the answer? Well, for one thing, Harken showed up.
- You think Harken did this? - I'd like that, but what's his motive? - Van Pelt.
Boss.
Cho and Rigsby found an ex-Iover of the husband.
She thinks Lilith Nash sent her a menacing note.
Interesting.
So I dug deeper.
Nash is clean under her current name but had a brief marriage in Canada in '96, '97.
Under that name, Lilith Blaum, in '99, still in Canada she had a restraining order against her by her ex and subsequently spent four months in a secure mental institute.
Well, that could happen to anyone.
Van Pelt, could you do me a favor? Call Cho and Rigsby, have them get out here quick.
- Why? - I got a hunch we're gonna need them.
- Okay.
Thank you.
Will do.
Let's go talk to Nash.
Eh.
I think she's good for it.
She's nuts.
She's got a nutty little secret crush on the boss, kills the wife.
- Something like that? - She did seem nervous.
But why kill now? And why use the virus? - I don't know.
Let's go and ask her.
- Lf you want to.
You're just resisting Nash because you didn't peg her right away as the one.
No, I'm resisting Nash because, uh, she isn't the one.
If you wanna talk to her, let's go talk to her.
But whatever you do, do not tell Harken.
- Why not? It's procedure.
- Fig for procedure.
He'll stomp all over her.
You'll get nothing but a waste of time.
I'm telling Harken.
Okay.
Nash.
Come with me.
Now.
Stand there.
Listen closely and please tell the truth.
Is there a way out of here that avoids the main gates? A back way out? - Yes.
- Where? Walk a mile north, there's a culvert that goes under the fence halfway along the northeast property line.
Excellent.
Now, tell the truth.
Did you ever go by the name Lilith Blaum? Yes.
Did you spend time in a mental asylum? Yes.
Do you have a secret crush on Cliff Edmunds? Yes.
Did you kill Alicia Seberg? No.
I believe you, but I know how Harken's thoughts run.
A way to blame you will be found.
I repeat, I know how Harken's thoughts run.
A way to blame you will be found.
Do you hear me? - Yes.
- Excellent.
Go.
Did Lilith Nash come back in here? No.
Oh, that's odd.
Where's Lilith Nash? - She left with - You don't need to worry about her.
- She's not guilty.
- How do you know that? Because I asked her.
She told me.
- Uh-huh.
And where is she now? - Um, I don't know.
Security.
She's not in her room.
She's nowhere to be found.
Oh, you people are overreacting.
I'm sure she's no danger.
Mentally unstable and probably a killer, but you're sure she's no danger.
- Well, that's reassuring.
- Even if she is those things then she's done her worst already.
- Mr.
Harken.
We have a code red.
- What's a code red? - What? No.
Oh, no.
Oh.
Anyone within a quarter-mile radius of this flask is gonna be dead within four to six hours.
But I put the flasks in the safe.
She must've gotten to the safe somehow.
How is that possible? - What was that? - A beaker fell.
What? There's only one missing.
That's a relief, anyhow.
But how did she do it? Never mind how, she's done it.
What do we do now? There's nothing we can do.
In the next four hours, we'll all be dead.
Tell me the truth.
This is a trick, right? No.
Why would I do something like that? What would be the point? Swear on your child's grave.
You know I don't do that.
Not for anything.
Oh, my God.
This is a drill, right? This is not a drill.
This is the real thing.
I'm sorry.
Listen up.
We have a few hours left.
We will keep this virus contained here.
Nobody leaves this facility.
And then what? We get buried in the desert? The Air Force will drop incendiary bombs on the facility burn the virus out.
Your next of kin will be informed.
Like I say, we have a few hours left.
So we all should make our arrangements and say our prayers as best we can.
Make your phone calls.
May God have mercy on our souls.
Hey, boss.
We're about five minutes from your location.
Cho, listen.
Jane and I have been exposed to the virus and it looks like we might die soon.
Okay.
So I want to thank you and Rigsby and Van Pelt.
It's been an honor working with you.
I need you to call my brother, Tommy.
His number is in my desk diary.
It's under "Town and Country Electrical.
" Tell him that I love him and that I forgive him for whatever.
And that, um, he needs to make peace with his brothers.
That's my last dying wish, you tell him that.
Will do.
Okay.
Goodbye.
Oh, wait, I wanted to talk to them also.
- Sorry.
- It's all right.
That's a fine farewell.
I feared you'd become tearful and incoherent.
But no.
Succinct, noble.
- Bravo.
- Uh-huh.
Don't you have anybody you want to call besides Cho and Rigsby? No.
If I were dying, I'd wanna call you.
But you're already here, so there's no need.
Me? Well, what would you say? Wait.
Wait a minute.
"Lf"? "If I was dying"? You're not really dying.
I wrote a label and put it on an empty flask.
Then I convinced poor Lilith Nash to run away.
- I felt kind of bad about it Wait! - You son of a bitch.
Please be still.
Cho.
This is Jane.
Please disregard Lisbon's last message.
I tricked her.
My bad.
I'm so sorry.
Are you at the culvert? Okay, good.
Wait.
There will be some people coming your way soon.
Bye.
You're sick.
Why would you do this to me? Two reasons.
Firstly, to catch the killer of Alicia Seberg.
The killer who is not poor Lilith Nash.
The killer who, you may recall took a dose of the antidote in order to survive exposure to this virus.
- Yes? - Yes.
The killer who believes he or she is the only one that isn't gonna die.
Yes? - Yes.
- So they have to get out of here before we die or else they'll be burnt to a crisp by the Air Force.
Their hands are tied.
They have to try to escape, thus revealing themselves with the precision and clarity of a mathematical equation.
- And reason number two? - The second and most important reason: Doesn't it feel great to get your life back? Don't you feel good right now? Don't you feel happy to be alive? - No.
- Oh, I know you do.
You know you do.
If reason number one does not pan out very, very soon I think I'm gonna punch you in the nose.
Forbearance, Lisbon.
Harken is gonna come around that corner with an anxious expression on his face because someone has run off.
Any moment now.
Wait.
Any moment.
Nothing.
You just gotta That's what I'm talking about.
Hi.
Well, this was all a hoax? Well, "hoax" is a little strong.
Uh, more of a ruse, a gambit.
The important thing is we caught the killer, right? - That's what's important.
Griffin Welks.
Never would've caught him your way.
And my way? Cathartic and life-affirming.
You know what? You're on your own.
The important thing now is to be careful, because this is the real thing.
Okay? All right, let's get that back on the deep freeze.
See you around, big dog.
I was siphoning off small amounts of the virus matrix and selling it on the black market.
- Three hundred thousand a gram.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
I'm in charge of keeping inventory, so it was easy.
Until Harken arrived to do a spot check and I had to do something, fast.
So I spilled a flask to cover up the missing quantity.
Knowing full well Alicia Seberg would be exposed.
Someone had to be responsible.
Everyone would think she'd opened a flask and couldn't admit to it.
She was like that.
- Couldn't be wrong.
- I'm curious.
The money you made from your theft.
- How did you spend it? - I didn't.
I have it in treasury bonds.
Some real estate.
Mm-hm.
That's smart investing.
You'll be the richest man in Folsom.
Phew.
Long day.
It's chilly around here.
- You still angry with me? - Duh.
Well, confess.
You do feel better.
You feel much more alive.
I know you do.
You know what made me feel better? Punching you in the nose.
Ah.
Glad to be of service.