Golden Hammer is the twelfth episode of the sixth season of The Mentalist.
Summary
A high-tech cartographer who may have uncovered a spy ring is murdered. Meanwhile, Van Pelt and Rigsby wind up on the trail of an alarming conspiracy.
Recap
In Houston, Texas, a crazed driver hits multiple cars. He gets out wearing only underwear and stumbles around yelling. He runs down the road and arrives at an office building. A security guard yells out after him and calls him Mr. Whitaker. Kim Fischer debriefs the team while they view the security footage of Charles Whitaker. His last words were "Stop, listen. Help me." He died because his heart stopped due to an overdose of prescription and illegal drugs. There is no history of drug use and it looks more likely to be a murder than a suicide. Kim is called out of the room to talk to another FBI agent. Patrick reads their lips and explains to Lisbon that the man doesn't think Patrick has adequate security clearance to work the case. The man, supervising agent Daniels, enters and asks Patrick to leave. Patrick gets up and says he understands if they don't want him knowing that Whitaker worked for the Pentagon and that may be why he was murdered. Daniels asks how he knew this but Kim says she told him nothing. Abbott enters and says he already got clearance for Patrick. Daniels leaves and tells Abbott it's his responsibility now.
Kim and Lisbon question Curtis Whitaker about his brother Charles. Curtis says Charles never had a drug problem. Patrick questions Curtis about his money and how Charles went down a different path. There was recently an argument between them about their grandmother's inheritance. Patrick picks up a newspaper and tells Curtis he can go when he learns it's not his paper. As Curtis leaves, Patrick states that he's a prime suspect. Kim and Lisbon are going to Charles' employer but Patrick isn't interested.
Patrick takes the newspaper to a cafe and writes down all the letters that have been circled in pen on it.
At Cartesian Studios, Charles' employer, Avery Schultz greets Kim and Lisbon. She is Gabriel's assistant but they refuse to leave their guns with the security at the door. Avery goes to check with Gabriel while Lisbon takes a call from Osvaldo Ardiles. He wants to meet her for business and discuss dinner. He is willing to travel from Chicago to meet her in Houston and would rather talk in person. Avery returns and escorts them to Gabriel and Leo Dremelas, his general council. Kim says they cannot rule out Charles' murder but Leo thinks that a suicide is more likely. Gabriel discusses the company and Leo states that all of the projects they take on are top secret. Kim will need to talk to all of the employees but wants to start with those who were at work with Charles on Sunday, the day before his death. Gabriel looks at Leo, who says it is fine but he will need to sit in on the interviews.
Patrick continues to work through the code he found in the newspaper. He calls Cho and says he has a lead.
Lisbon talks to Sergei, who says that on Sunday, Charles was quiet, like he was thinking. Kim brings up the fact that Curtis said he was excited for a new project but Sergei says there is no new project. Sergei suggests they talk to Martin Hagen because he saw Charles talking to him. They question Hagen next, who tells them of Charles' questions. They think he was trying to find out if someone in the company was stealing data. Leo jumps in and says that Hagen's opinion is his own. He promises that there is no evidence of a security breach.
Patrick shows Kimball the code he has but he cannot decode it. He thinks Charles knew who the spy was, that this paper was intended for. Patrick suggests they find where and when the paper was to be left. Wylie checks security footage and finds that Charles had the paper when he came back from lunch at work. Patrick and Kimball try to retrace Charles' steps. They arrive at a park and Patrick finds some bird poop and smell of a tree that is also on a bench. Patrick wants to leave a paper and see who comes to pick it up but Kimball thinks this path is a dead end.
Kim and Lisbon leave Cartesian Studios. Before they get in Kim's car, Lisbon calls Patrick. He claims that by tomorrow afternoon they will have the culprit. The women get in the car and are surprised that Patrick is already in the back seat. Patrick is taken back that Lisbon has a date with Osvaldo. She isn't sure what it is about though.
At dinner, Osvaldo tells Lisbon that he believes his phone has been hacked. She thinks there is something else but he says it is unverifiable. For a few months he has felt as if he is being watched and thinks it is personal. He wants the advice of a detective that he can fully trust. Lisbon gives him the name of a firm in San Francisco that does digital security, which is also Rigsby and Van Pelt's company.
Lisbon tells Patrick about her date while they wait for the spy to pick the newspaper up. Lisbon leaves to get coffee when Patrick spots a man sit on the bench and pick up the paper. Patrick approaches the man and claims that he stole his phone. He calls a policeman over and gets the officer to call his phone. The phone rings from within the man with the newspaper's coat. Lisbon returns just as the officer arrests the man.
Back at the field office, Patrick questions the man, Hassan Zarif, alongside Abbott. Zarif is willing to talk and says he has been buying intelligence for a year from someone in Cartesian Studios. He has been doing this for a client that is far away and refuses to say their name. Zarif exchanges messages in the paper and leaves cash at the park in exchange for a USB drive with the data. He has no idea who is giving the intelligence but doesn't know who Charles is. Zarif promises that neither he nor his client was the one who murdered Charles as their arrangement was too good a business.
Patrick suggests that they arrest someone for Charles' murder so that the true killer would think that the deal is still on. When he is informed that arresting someone without a reason is illegal. he suggests they think outside the box.
Patrick finds Curtis and asks for a bribe. He whispers into Curtis' ear which causes him to punch Patrick. Kimball steps in at that moment to arrest Curtis for assault.
Kim admits to Curtis that he was arrested because they need his help. They think that Charles was hunting for a spy and they need to make the killer feel safe. Curtis is a plausible killer and it will lull the killer into a false sense of security. Curtis isn't happy but Kim says it is about national security and justice for his brother.
Kim and Lisbon return to Cartesian Studios and tells Hagen, Gabriel and Leo that Curtis was arrested for Charles' murder.
Osvaldo meets with Grace Van Pelt and Wayne Rigsby in their home in San Frisco. He hires them to be his digital security to look into his phone. They hope he's not in danger but also hopes that it is not just a faulty phone and paranoia as it could be a big case for them.
Patrick, Lisbon, and Kimball stake out the park in preparation for the drop off. Lisbon spots Avery making her way to the target bench and sit down. She drops off a newspaper and agents move in on her. She runs but Kimball stops her from crossing a water fountain.
Kimball questions Avery at the field office. She confesses that the money she receives goes to her mother's medical bills and her drug addiction. Five years ago, her father killed himself after their family lost everything. A man reached out to her and offered to pay for technology rumours. The man was a crime syndicate in Russia and threatened to tell Cartesian what she had been doing when she wanted to stop. Charles began following her and told her about his knowledge of her activity. Avery told him that she wasn't a spy but knew that wouldn't hold him for long. She went to his place on Monday and injected the drugs into his system.
Abbott hands Curtis a medal for Charles' contribution to the intelligence community.
In San Francisco, Wayne calls Grace to try to find Osvaldo's location. His phone has been bugged and Wayne wants to tell him. He arrives at the location and looks for Osvaldo. He goes through an open door leading to the alley. Grace tries to call Wayne but only gets his voice mail. She has decrypted a file that shows Osvaldo is not the only one being bugged. Lisbon, Kimball, Patrick, Wayne and herself are also being targeted. Wayne finds Osvaldo's body tied to a chair and covered in blood.
Trivia
- Emily Swallow is promoted to series regular in this episode as Kim Fischer.
- The park scene was filmed in Los Angeles's Grand Park.