The Mentalist

I COULD SEE THE GLOW FROM AROUND THE CORNER.

I THOUGHT THE WHOLE ALLEY WAS ON FIRE.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUT HERE?

DELIVERING PIZZAS.

I LIKE TO USE THIS ALLEY AS A SHORTCUT.

AND DID YOU SEE ANYBODY WHEN YOU WERE OUT?

NO, JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, THE GUY IN THE CAR,

AND... AND I DIDN'T EVEN SEE HIM AT FIRST. TOO MUCH SMOKE.

WAS HE STILL ALIVE?

I DON'T THINK SO, NO.

I MEAN, HOW COULD HE BE, HANDCUFFED INSIDE A BURNING CAR?

WHO IS HE, ANYWAY?

WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT.

POOR BASTARD. BURNED ALIVE? THAT'S NO WAY TO TO GO.

OH, HEY, CHO. SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME.

I JUST FOUND THESE.

THAT'S VERY CARELESS OF SOMEONE...

OR PERHAPS CAREFUL.

WHAT'D YOU FIND?

NOT SURE YET.

COVER ME.

WHY DO I HAVE TO GO UP FIRST?

'CAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS FIRST.

GIRL! JUST 'CAUSE I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT SHOWS UP...

OH! UH... (sighs) WE'LL BE OUT SOON.

OH, WE'RE NOT HERE FOR WHAT YOU'RE HERE FOR.

DOES THIS BELONG TO ANYONE?

I GUESS IT'S TRUE WHAT THEY SAY...

"TIME WOUNDS ALL HEELS." THESE ARE MY FAVORITE.

I'M AGENT LISBON WITH THE CBI. WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

GLENNDA SNOW. I'M THE EMCEE OF OUR TROUPE.

WE DO A CABARET.

WE FOUND YOUR HEEL IN THE ALLEYWAY,

ALONG WITH A DEAD MAN.

HE'D BEEN SET ON FIRE.

OH, WE HEARD THE SIRENS OUTSIDE, BUT WE HAD NO IDEA.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE ALLEY?

ENJOYING AN ULTRA SLIM.

I ALWAYS SMOKE A CIGARETTE BEFORE THE FIRST SHOW.

AND WHAT TIME WERE YOU OUT THERE?

30?

THE ARSON INVESTIGATOR SAYS THE FIRE WAS SET

45 AND 9:00.

OH, WELL, GLENNDA WAS WITH US BY THEN.

YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.

SHE HELPED ME INTO MY COMPRESSION GARMENTS.

I WAS. WHO DIED? WHO WAS IT?

WE DON'T KNOW. TWO MINUTES TO CURTAIN, GIRLS.

WHOO!

IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, THE STAGE IS CALLING.

HANG ON A MINUTE. DID YOU SEE ANYBODY IN THE ALLEY?

AS A MATTER OF FACT, THERE WAS A MAN

IN A PARKED CAR, WATCHING ME.

WHAT DID HE LOOK LIKE?

I COULDN'T SEE HIS FACE.

IT WAS DARK, BUT I FELT VULNERABLE,

SO I HIGHTAILED IT BACK INTO THE CLUB,

AND THAT'S WHEN I FELT MY HEEL BREAK.

WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK UP YOUR HEEL?

IN THIS DRESS, DARLING?

TIME TO WELCOME.

THE SACRAMENTO PRINCESS YOU'RE DYING TO POSSESS...

THE DELECTABLE GLENNDA SNOW!

I THINK HE'S TELLING THE TRUTH.

I DON'T KNOW.

THE OTHER DRAG QUEENS COULD HAVE BEEN COVERING FOR HIM.

WELL, I FIND IT UNLIKELY

THAT A MAN IN HEELS, SEQUINS, AND, UH, AN ELABORATE HAIRSTYLE

WOULD SUBDUE AND HANDCUFF ANOTHER MAN

AND THEN SET HIM ON FIRE.

OH, NO.

OH, PLEASE DON'T. PLEASE.

THEN AGAIN, HE'S VERY FORCEFUL.

OH, AND EXTREMELY LIMBER.

CAR WAS REGISTERED TO ARCHIE BLOOM.

LOCAL BOY, 19 YEARS OLD.

FORENSICS REQUESTED DENTAL RECORDS

TO CONFIRM HE'S THE VICTIM.

HAVE WE CONTACTED THE PARENTS?

SACRAMENTO P.D. SPOKE WITH HIS FATHER LAST NIGHT...

ARCHIE BLOOM SR.

HE'S A LOCAL SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.

UH, WELL, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CAUSE OF DEATH?

NOTHING TILL THE AUTOPSY, BUT THE CORONER FOUND NO CAUSE

TO CONTRADICT THE THEORY THAT HE WAS BURNED ALIVE.

THEN THAT'S HOW WE'LL PROCEED.

WHAT WAS THE VICTIM DOING IN THAT ALLEY?

WE DON'T KNOW.

UH, THE FIRE WAS SET OUTSIDE A DRAG QUEEN VENUE,

BUT THERE'S A DOZEN BUSINESSES

THAT OPEN UP ONTO THAT ALLEY.

ARCHIE COULD HAVE BEEN TIED TO ANY ONE OF 'EM.

SAC P.D. WANTS TO HELP ON THIS ONE.

I'll ASK THEM TO SHOW THE VICTIM'S PHOTO AROUND.

ONE THING I DO KNOW IS WE'VE GOT

A LOT OF FINGERPRINTS TO WORK WITH...

ON THE CAR, ON THE GAS CAN.

THEY EVEN FOUND A PARTIAL ON THE HANDCUFFS.

I CHECKED THE BAR CODE ON ONE OF THOSE GAS CANS.

IT CAME FROM A LOCAL DISCOUNT STORE...

BARGAIN EMPORIUM.

YOU AND RIGSBY GO AND CHECK IT OUT.

ALL RIGHT. OKAY.

I WANT YOU AND JANE TO GO TALK TO ARCHIE SR.

HE'S GONNA WANT TO BELIEVE HIS SON'S ALIVE.

CAREFUL NOT TO BUILD UP HIS HOPE.

ALL RIGHT.

HE'S DEAD, ISN'T HE?

I KNOW HE'S DEAD.

IT WAS HIS CAR, RIGHT?

WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR A POSITIVE I.D.

BUT YOU'RE MOVING FORWARD ON THE PREMISE THAT IT WAS HIM,

AM I RIGHT?

YES.

THANK YOU.

YOU DON'T SEEM SURPRISED.

I'M NOT.

M-MY SON WAS A VICTIM HIS WHOLE LIFE.

NEVER A MURDER VICTIM.

NO, BUT IT WAS MY DEEPEST FEAR... (sighs)

THAT ARCHIE WOULD GET HIMSELF INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

HE WAS A TROUBLEMAKER?

EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE. HE WAS THE TARGET OF TROUBLEMAKERS.

SOFT, I SUPPOSE YOU COULD SAY.

THAT'S WHY IT WAS SO HARD ASKING HIM TO MOVE OUT.

ARCHIE HADN'T BEEN LIVING HERE?

WE HAD A DEAL. I WOULD PROVIDE ROOM AND BOARD

WHILE HE EARNED A COLLEGE DEGREE,

BUT SIX MONTHS AGO... (chuckles)

ARCHIE DECIDED THAT COLLEGE WASN'T HIS THING.

SO YOU INVITED HIM TO LEAVE?

IT WAS A TEACHING MOMENT.

PAINFUL, BUT NECESSARY.

HOW'D YOUR WIFE FEEL ABOUT THAT?

MY WIFE DIED WHEN HE WAS 6 YEARS OLD.

IT'S BEEN THE ARCHIES EVER SINCE.

THE BOY WAS NOTHING LIKE ME.

WHY, BECAUSE HE'S GAY?

I DON'T...

WAS HE?

IS THAT WHAT IT SAYS IN YOUR FILES?

WE DON'T KEEP FILES ON GAY PEOPLE.

I MEAN, IT'S OKAY IF HE WAS.

I WOULD NEVER JUDGE ANYONE BASED ON SUCH CRITERIA.

BUT IF HE WAS,

HE... HE NEVER TALKED TO ME ABOUT IT.

I HAVE TO ASK. PROCEDURE AND ALL.

WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT AT 8:45?

HOME ALONE. WORKING.

I'M WRITING A BOOK ON EDUCATIONAL THEORY.

I'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR SON'S BEDROOM,

IF YOU DON'T MIND.

DOWN THE HALL ON YOUR RIGHT.

HOW DID YOU KNOW ARCHIE WAS GAY?

WELL, ARCHIE SR. NAMED HIS SON AFTER HIMSELF, LIKE A KING.

HE WAS HOPING FOR AN HEIR,

YET THERE'S NOT ONE PHOTO OF JUNIOR IN THE HOUSE.

YOU THINK HE'S ASHAMED OF HIM.

I MEAN, WELL, LOOK AT THIS ROOM.

TRADITIONAL MASCULINE DECOR.

BOLD NAUTICAL THEMES.

IT'S LIKE A FURNITURE CATALOG THREW UP IN HERE.

YES. (Chuckles)

THESE ARE NOT THE CHOICES OF A TEENAGER.

I THINK ARCHIE SR. PERSONALLY DECORATED THIS ROOM

IN THE ATTEMPT TO BUTCH-UP HIS GAY SON.

SHOULD'VE SEEN MY ROOM BACK HOME.

POSTERS EVERYWHERE.

LET ME GUESS. HANSON?

THEY WROTE THEIR OWN MUSIC.

AH. LOOKS LIKE ARCHIE DID HANG SOMETHING ON THE WALL.

I'M GUESSING THAT WAS A PHOTO OF HIM AND HIS MOTHER.

WHAT'S ON HIS COMPUTER?

IT'S PASSWORD-PROTECTED.

I'll HAVE TO TAKE THE HARD DRIVE BACK TO CBI.

AND RUN SOME RECOVERY SOFTWARE.

OH, OKAY. YOU DO THAT.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

THE WOMAN ON THE PHONE SAID

THAT YOU'D LIKE ME TO HELP WITH YOUR INVESTIGATION.

YES. WE NEED TO SEE IF YOUR FINGERPRINTS MATCH

THE PRINTS WE FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE.

OH, SO I'M A PERSON OF INTEREST?

YEAH, YOU ARE.

HMM.

CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING?

DO YOU ALWAYS GO OUT LIKE THIS?

IN DRAG, I MEAN.

WHENEVER I GET DRESSED, I TRY TO CONSIDER

WHERE I'M GOING, WHO I'M GOING TO SEE,

AND HOW I CAN BLOW THEM AWAY.

LET ME ESCORT YOU TO FINGERPRINTING.

A POLICE ESCORT. HOW COULD I REFUSE?

WE KEEP THE GAS CANS BACK HERE ON AISLE 12.

YEAH. HERE WE GO.

THOSE ARE THE ONES.

WHAT KIND OF CRIME WERE THEY USED IN?

WE CAN'T GO INTO THE DETAILS,

BUT MAYBE YOU CAN HELP US OUT.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS MAN IN THE STORE?