The Mentalist

Hello?

What the hell?

Beckworth Mansion, Eagle Creek, California

I appreciate your people coming in on this, agent lisbon.

Haven't handled many homicides-- none, in fact.

Frankly, I'm looking to learn from you.

Not a problem, deputy fisher.

Small town. We don't get much trouble.

Well, that's a shame.

Trouble's your business.

You could say.

Victim's alan foster--

43 years old, married, no children.

Architect. He bought the house a few months back,

Said he was gonna rehab it.

Was the wife with him last night?

No, she was in the city. They have a house in san francisco.

I sent a man to break the news.

Was anybody else in the house with him?

Nobody as far as we can tell.

I don't know what to say.

The house was locked up tighter than a drum when I got here.

Took me half an hour just to shut off the alarm.

Cho, check the alarm system.

Either the victim let somebody in, or they broke in someplace.

It's a shame. Foster seemed like a nice guy.

Whoa, that's a lie. You didn't like him one bit.

- W--i-I didn't say that. - Yes, you did.

You thought he was rich, arrogant, pretentious,

An interloper. He wore those trendy architect's glasses.

Did you kill him?

Did i...

No.

No.

What kind of question is that?

He's got something in his hand.

- Jane! Gloves. - Right.

A brass button with the letter "b"?

That mean something to you, deputy?

No.

What's this guy's problem?

That would take way too long to answer.

Let's take a look inside.

Okay. It's this way.

Clear signs of struggle rules out suicide.

That, and suicides usually open the window before they jump.

What's troubling you, fisher?

What? Nothing. What are you talking about?

That button made your pupils dilate.

Now you've gone pale.

What's up, fisher? What's troubling you?

Well, it occurred to me that the button

Could stand for "beckworth,"

- And I got a little chill, that's all. - Who's beckworth?

Walter beckworth.

He was the original owner of this house--built it.

Died 80-something years ago. People say he haunts the place.

I've heard the stories since I was a kid,

- But nobody believes them. - Right.

Guy from the security company ran the alarm history.

It's been up 6 hours since last night

Until the deputies turned it off this morning.

No alarms or interruptions of service.

As far as I can tell, no one's entered or left this building

- Except the victim. - But that's impossible. Isn't it?

Spooky.

I'm not saying volunteering is better work than this,

But it makes me feel better at the end of the day.

I see people smiling because of what I've done.

There's something, i don't know, joyous in it.

How often do we see people smile in this job?

Leaving or crazy, never

The coroner took foster's body.

I'm gonna get his wife and bring her to the office.

- Lisbon and jane are up on the porch. - Okay, thanks.

She's volunteering at a homeless kitchen.

That's cool.

There's a man there. I think she's, you know

Banging home with this guy

No! A volunteer. A chef. And she's not--

I don't know. Not yet... maybe... I think...

I don't... no.

Dude, you need counseling.

Somehow the killer got into the house

Without tripping the alarm or turning it off.

So the killer didn't come through the front door.

Probably found some kind of hole in the system.

Check the grounds and inside the house.

- Find out how they got in. - On it.

Grace, you're the spiritual sort. Do you believe in ghosts?

I believe the spirit survives death,

And a troubled spirit can make itself known.

Oh, come on. You don't seriously think there's a ghost here.

Meh. I don't know.

If you see one, let me know.

CBI HQ, Sacramento. California

How long had your husband been staying at beckworth mansion,

Mrs. Foster?

Off and on for about three weeks, since we closed on it.

Why? It's pretty run-down.

To get a feel for the house before he worked on it.

He said you should spend a month in a house

Before you thought about changing it.

He's conscientious that way...

Or was conscientious that way.

We can take a break if you'd like.

No, no, no. Let's-- let's just get through it.

- So you were at home the night of your husband's murder? - Yes.

We have to ask--is there anyone who can verify that?

Um, no, I was alone.

Alan had been at the mansion all week.

Was it common for you and your husband to be apart that long?

It was not uncommon when he started a project.

He got immersed.

Who might have wanted to hurt your husband?

Oh, I can tell you who was angry with him--

Victoria abner.

- Who's she? -She's this hippie-dippy woman who lives in town,

And she weaves linens and rugs.

She used to own beckworth.

She's a descendant of the man who built it.

She resented your husband for buying the place?

But not at first.

There were tax issues that came with the property,

So we thought she'd be glad to be rid of it.

But... about a week after we closed,

She just blew up, claimed that alan stole the house.

It was vicious.

Did she ever threaten your husband?

She sent some pretty scary e-mails.

Excuse me.

We need to see those e-mails.

What?

Walter beckworth was killed in 1928--

Fight over a woman. You know how?

No, and I don't care.

He was thrown out of the exact same window

That alan foster was thrown out of. Coincidence?

Yes.

Yeah. Well, it's all here. Is that, uh, foster's widow?

I need to talk to her.

Mrs. Foster? Patrick jane.

Did your husband see or hear anything odd at the mansion--

Strange sightings, unusual noises, apparitions?

As a matter of fact, alan did mention some strange things.

What kind of things? Um, in the last week or so

He heard some noises at night, like groans.

He said sometimes it looked like things were being moved.

I know it's a little creepy, but alan wasn't too bothered.

He was used to old houses.

What does this have to do with how he died?

Victoria abner has no arrests, but three years ago

A neighbor took out a restraining order

Against her--some argument about the neighbor's dog.

Victoria got a little in-your-face about it.

Go and see how mad she really was

- About foster buying the mansion. - Okay.

And be sure to ask about the ghost, too.

Do not ask about ghosts.

Don't you think I know what you're doing?

No ghosts.

The ghost has something to do with foster's death.

No, it doesn't, because ghosts don't exist.

Don't exist in your mind,

But if you believe they exist, then they exist.

Anything?

No pry marks on any of the frames so far,

No footprints under the windows.

I don't see any sign of forced entry.

Maybe it was a ghost.

Ghosts don't throw 200-pound men out windows.

What do ghosts do?

I have no idea. Let's check the other side.

So you gonna keep volunteering at the, uh, kitchen?

Oh, yeah.

Making a lot of new friends, I expect.

I am.

Yeah, that's the great thing about doing volunteer work.

You meet so many new people that have the same kind

Of values and interests as you.

Right. Hey, look at that.

- What? The lock on the door-- looks new.

Someone cut it open.

Well, if they haven't started work on the house yet...

All the power tools are missing.

What's there?

You think ghosts smoke filtered?

Boss, someone broke into a storage area,

Stole a whole bunch of equipment and supplies.

Maybe they broke into the house, too.

Can I help you?

I see you specialize in local history.

Mr...

Raimey. Philip raimey. Yes, and you are?

Looking for information on walter beckworth.

Are you with the police?

Here about the foster incident?

Yes, but don't tell anyone.

Patrick jane.

Well, mr. Jane, if it's beckworth you're interested in,