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Red Sky At Night is the first episode of Season 3 of The Mentalist

Summary[]

When the CBI investigates the kidnapping of a prominent lawyer and state house lobbyist, the CBI Director wants Jane on the case, but he is uncertain of his future with the unit after his encounter with Red John.

Recap[]

The CBI is called in to investigate the alleged kidnapping of a prominent, rich lawyer and state house lobbyist, Harvey Dublin. Dublin's chauffeur, Pete Russo is found dead next to their limo, shot in the head. The new deputy AG, Bertram, is counting on the team to do it right because there will be a lot of media attention that comes with it. Jane, still secretly reeling from his encounter with Red John, doesn't feel this case is worth his time and decides to pass on it. Lisbon's concerned about Jane and Hightower convinces her that its better for everyone if Jane helps with the case.

Lisbon then tricks Jane by convincing him to go with her to meet someone, not telling him who. When he's faced with Pete Russo's teenage daughter, Nadine, Jane realizes that he has no choice but to promise the girl he will find who killed her father. Through their investigation, Rigsby and Van Pelt discover that the alley where the car was found is a popular spot for prostitutes to bring their clients. The public reputation that Dublin has spoke to none of this and is attested to by his secretary, Marjorie, Lisbon and Jane question her.

Meanwhile Cho is babysitting Dublin's distraugt trophy wife, Giselle. When a ransom text comes in demanding a million dollars, Giselle admits that they actually don't have that kind of money and that Dublin was in dire financial straits. She breaks down and tells them he was a philandering, back-stabbing crook. When she mentions the number of lawsuits Dublin was facing, Jane and Lisbon discover that the new deputy AG is a possible co-defendant in one of the suits. When no one shows up to claim the money at the ransom drop, Jane starts to think the kidnapping might be a ruse to disguise a simple murder. He updates the deputy AG on their progress and spouts a story about how Dublin, having come from poverty, used to carry around a diamond as collateral and that's what he believes the kidnapper was ultimately after.

When faced with questions from the press about his involvement in one of the lawsuits, Bertram deflects by repeating the diamond story as the lead they're investigating. Meanwhile, Van Pelt & Rigsby discover a prostitute who was in the alley the night of the murder/kidnapping.  She tells them what she heard. The team discovers from this that the kidnapping was indeed a sham to cover up the real motive - the murder of Pete Russo. They figure, from the prostitute's statement, that Russo knew the shooter and that Dublin was just collateral damage. Jane returns to Russo's daughter, her mother and step-father and questions them again, wanting to know if Russo ever mentioned the diamond that Dublin used to carry around.

The seed is planted and they follow the step-father, Keith, to a ditch in the middle of nowhere, about to search Dublin's body for the diamond. The story was a complete ruse to draw him out. Several months before, Keith and Russo got into an argument over Keith disciplining his step-daughter. It got very heated and Pete beat up Keith in front of his wife and step-daughter. Keith vowed revenge and knew that if he killed Pete alone, he'd be the prime suspect, so he waited and planned for the right moment, using Dublin's disappearance as a perfect distraction.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Season 3 Episodes
Red Sky At Night  · Cackle-bladder Blood  · The Blood On His Hands  · Red Carpet Treatment  · The Red Ponies  · Pink Chanel Suit · Red Hot · Ball of Fire · Red Moon · Jolly Red Elf · Bloodsport · Bloodhounds · Red Alert · Blood for Blood · Red Gold · Red Queen · Bloodstream · The Red Mile · Every Rose Has Its Thorn · Redacted · Like a Redheaded Stepchild · Rhapsody in Red · Strawberries and Cream
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