The Mentalist 3X24: Strawberries and Cream Part 2
Added 2025-09-29 18:00:05 +0000 UTCHightower reveals that James was her cousin, and had been sending her money, which explains why Red John was after the transaction records. She fears for her safety and that of her children, and has decided to turn herself in. Jane asks her to give him two days. He enlists the help of Lisbon, Rigsby (Owain Yeoman), Cho (Tim Kang) and Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) in a scheme to find Red John's mole in the CBI.
He manages to obtain the list of suspects in the Todd Johnson murder case from LaRoche through a bluff: Assistant District Attorney Osvaldo 'Oscar' Ardiles (David Norona), CBI director Gale Bertram (Michael Gaston), FBI agent Craig O'Laughlin (Eric Winter), Van Pelt's fiance, and CBI media relations coordinator Brenda Shettrick (Rebecca Wisocky). Jane also suspects LaRoche. In an elaborate canary trap scheme, the agents inform each suspect of Hightower's location, leading each to believe Hightower is in a different room at the Pacific Palms Hotel. Jane and the CBI install cameras in each room, allowing them to watch which room the assassin sent by Red John enters and find the identity of the mole.
The plan works and they catch the assassin on camera entering room 605, designated to Bertram. As the assassin readies her tools, including a rope and weights, Rigsby and Cho burst into the room, but before they can apprehend her, she jumps off the room's balcony to her death.
The following day, Van Pelt invites O'Laughlin to accompany her to her shift guarding Hightower, relieving Lisbon. Meanwhile, Jane invites Bertram to the mall under the pretense of meeting Hightower to discuss turning herself in, hoping to lure out Red John. When Hightower doesn't show up, Bertram gets irritated and suggests Jane has "reached the end of his rope," which prompts Jane to realize that the assassin in the hotel planned to use the rope to climb down from the balcony of room 605 and enter room 505 – the room designated to O'Laughlin.
O'Laughlin and Van Pelt arrive at the house where Hightower is being hidden. Jane tries to warn Lisbon, but is too late, as O'Laughlin enters and shoots Lisbon. Lisbon, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, recovers fast enough to throw a cushion at O'Laughlin, who is then shot and killed by Hightower and Van Pelt.
Jane instructs Lisbon to hit redial on O'Laughlin's cellphone and tell the person who answers that O'Laughlin is dead. When Lisbon dials, the phone belonging to a man reading a newspaper (an uncredited Bradley Whitford) at a table in the mall near Jane rings, and he picks up and responds "Never mind. You win some, you lose some, I guess." When Lisbon tells Jane that the person she spoke to on O'Laughlin's phone said the same thing, Jane realizes the man is Red John. He confronts him, and the two converse, with Red John pointing a concealed gun at Jane. As he is about to leave, Red John reveals unpublished knowledge about the murder of Jane's wife and daughter. Jane then kills Red John with a gun hidden in his pocket.
The episode ends with Jane casually sitting back down to finish his tea, before surrendering to armed security officers who rush to the scene.
