The Mentalist – ReCap – Season 1, Episode 14 – Crimson Casanova – air date 8/25/09. In this episode Jane and the CBI investigate the murder of a woman while in bed with her lover. In the process, Cho gets a makeover and Jane has a great deal to say to a couple of high society men who are living life a little too large.
The husband of the woman who was murdered is politically connected, and uses his power to bring the CBI into the investigation of his wife’s death. Immediate suspects are the woman’s lover and her husband. Jane discounts the lover as the murderer, as shell casing found on the scene are found across the room from the bed. There is also blood on the rug that belongs to the lover, not the victim.
Following the blood trail to a car with specialized license plates, they go to a hotel room where they find a man with a bandaged arm (in bed with a woman). His name is Paul Fricke, and yes, he is a real sleaze! He admits to having spent the evening with the murdered woman (Claire Wolcott). He claims to have woken up with pain in his arm (he was shot) and Claire Wolcott next to him, dead. The room, it appears, was registered in Wolcott’s name.
The best part of this show were the scenes where Claire Wolcott’s husband was being interviewed. His arrogance, name dropping and general behavior are not to be believed! One of the things that Wolcott is demanding to know is the name of his wife’s lover, which the CBI refuse to tell him. (He is not making points with the CBI crew!)
The interview with Claire Wolcott’s former assistant (the one she fired!) is even more telling. She does not want to talk to them, but Jane finds a camera sitting out, with a picture of Claire and her lover taken just before the murder.
It gets better! Fricke is seen in the hotel restaurant with yet another woman, giving his order to a pretty blond waitress (yes, another woman that he had a relationship with!). The manager, Kevin Haightly, comes over and moves the waitress to another table.
Enter a $200,000 check from Claire Wolcott to Fricke – one that has been stopped by Claire’s husband. This was to have been to help Fricke set up a business. He is not concerned about the check being stopped – there are more rich women out there willing to give him money!
Jane takes Cho shopping, dressing him up in black to make a grand entrance and set up a scene in one of the hotel rooms to trap the murderer. And they do just that, It is Kevin Haightly, who was out to murder Fricke for treating the blond waitress badly (a woman that he was in love with).