The Mentalist 1X13: Paint it Red

Okay, so, we've got a murder and a theft all in one neat package!

Some people are busy making out in their bosses office, when the woman rolls over and sees a dead body. CBI shows up and we find out that in addition to the murder, there is also a painting missing that's valued at 50 million dollars. (I so don't understand art pricing). Jane, Janes, and tells the head of security pretty much exactly what he did and then heads out for some breakfast.

Later we head over to talk to the widow and find out that her dead husband worked for her father (the guy whose office the people were busy rolling around on the floor of) and wasn't thrilled with the fact that she was married to him. But, she confirms that pretty much everyone, including her husband, knew the security guy liked to turn off the security cameras and bring girls up to her dad's office to have sex with.

Jane and Grace head out to some tiny town to see what the dead guy spent $20,000 on. He paid it to an artist to replicate the 50 million dollar painting. Two copies at $10,000 each. After holding the two of them at gunpoint, he explains that he didn't ask any questions. 20 grand, is 20 grand, right? Armed with the knowledge that there are two forgeries (even though the guy refused to call them that) they head back.

Back at the bosses office, he's not all that upset as it turns out, the 50 million dollar painting was a fake. He keeps the real one in a safe. So, they all head over to look at it. Turns out, that one is a fake too. And he loses his shit on his art dealer (who is also around for all of this). She assures him it was real when she put it in here. He then blames the dead guy and goes off on his daughter about how she shouldn't have married him. Nice guy.

Somehow, we figure out that it's possible some gangster has the actual painting, but they are forbidden from talking to him. Doesn't stop Jane though. He enlists Cho and Rigsby and heads over with a fake painting to try to sell him. Since he has the original, he knows Jane's is a fake but for whatever reason, chooses to entertain this. Eventually, Jane admits he just wants to get a look at the real painting. Once, it's in his hands, he instructs Cho and Rigsby to pull the fire alarm. In the chaos, Jane switches the real painting with a fake and high tails it out of there.

The bring the 'real' painting back to the boss and he happily hangs it up in the office. However, he continues to berate his daughter for marrying her dead husband. Jane, fed up with this, grabs the painting off the wall and tells him that he cares more about the painting than this daughter, and tosses it into the fire. And, while the boss is upset, the art dealer is not. Which is how Jane knows that she knows it's a fake.

Turns out she did it all. She was upset that the boss guy was the person who got all the coll art stuff but didn't know anything about it. While she was in his office, stealing the painting, the daughter's husband came in to stop her. This was unexpected and she killed him, but it wasn't premeditated or anything. She apologizes and Lisbon arrests her. All is right in the Mentalist universe tonight.