The Mentalist 1X12: Red Rum

I'm not sure I understood the ending of this episode. Jane tricks the dad into digging up the murder weapon. Then, he confesses (well, he claims the kid came at him and it was self defense). However, Patrick claims that he's been abusing the wife and kids for years, which he denies. Then, Patrick goes to leave and it seems like a last minute decision to go tell the family what happened. I literally thought he was just going home. What did I miss there?

Anyway, this kid goes missing and is eventually found in the wood surround by a bunch of black magic, ritual stuff. After talking to the family, we find out that there is a witch in the neighborhood who has it out for Cody (the dead kid). Apparently, he stole and killed her cat and now she's after him.

Witch girl claims that she put a killing spell on him and was please as she's tried several before but none have worked. However, this is not evidence of a crime, so there is really nothing CBI can do with it.

Each time the team talks to Cody's parents, they ask whether or not they've arrested the witch yet. They are sure it's her. But we still have no evidence. During one visit, Jane slips away to talk to Cody's brother and gets him to admit it was hard watching Cody get so many accolades for football, when it's just a dumb jock sport. Then dad shows up and kicks Patrick out.

They decide following the brother is a good idea, so they put Grace and Rigsby on it. He takes his bike over to witch girl's house, and Jane informs them to wait 10 minutes and then go in. During those ten minutes, they are performing some sort of ritual with a knife (cleansing, I think), so when the two detectives burst in, it doesn't look good for witch. However, the brother insists he's there because he wants to be. He feels safe at the witch house.

Around this time, we find out that Cody put his brother in the hospital several times for rough housing (and between that and the brother feeling safe at the witch house, Jane is onto something). Patrick decides to tell them that the witch put a spell on the murder weapon and it would reveal itself soon. And the dad is dumb enough to trek back to the murder site and be caught red handed with the weapon.

They seem to insinuate that the dad had been abusing the wife and kids for years, and this time, just took it too far. I think. But, we've also got dad saying it was self defense after Cody come after him, which no one ever seems to agree to or dispute. We just sort of get a shot of the mom and brother crying when Jane talks to them.

I guess I just don't feel like this episode was as buttoned up as it could have been. It doesn't make me sad that I watched it, it just makes me have questions. Lol.