01x06 - Red Handed

[bunniefuu]

Nevada-California State Line

Cho: That damn GPS is gonna put us in California, Rigsby: I knew it. -Think positive. It's Nevada. Definitely Nevada.

Cho: You're dreaming We won't catch it. Stone cold mystery.

Van Pelt: Hey. Friends in the authority is running through the prints. Think we'll be able to get a quick match.

Rigsby: Hehe, we could never get that lucky. Well, we're gonna be talking to
the hand for a long while.

Jane: Why is all the gloom? A case is a case.

Rigsby: We are in the middle of nowhere, windy as all hell, I haven't eaten anything. God, the smelly reserved bitch. It's been a month assembling the victim, there's all these pieces missing.

Jane: There's already plenty to work with, right here.

Van Pelt: It's a right hand with the number "43" on it.

Rigsby: It's a male hand, or a not very thin female. What else do we got to work with right here? There's not much for analysis.

Jane: Let's see, it's probably a white man, mid-fifties. He wrote on his right hand, so he's a lefty.

Cho: Maybe the k*ller wrote some kind of message.

Jane: Too faded, and a k*ller would write it bigger.

Lisbon: Consultant..

Jane: Smells of almond, oil, moisturizer, mastic cologne and tobacco, palms are subtle, nails are professionally maintained, so a rich man. There's a faded tan line on the little finger, so we are missing pinkie ring which suggests extra work , in a job where extra works thrive.

Van Pelt: So...

Jane: He's a upper manager at the hotel and gambling business

Cho: Total guess.

Jane: What do you wanna bet I'm right?

Cho: 35 cents.

Jane: 35 cents?

Cho: Yeah.

Jane: I find that hard to believe considering huge crayon bank u
probably hid behind ur bedroom door that could have been filling with all the spare changes you could have accumulated since you were what, 15?

Cho: 35 cents, take it or leave it.

Jane: I'll take it. You've got a bet.

Cho: Alright.

Van Pelt: I don't think it's right to bet on such things. That's a human being that died.

Rigsby: That's ok. We're in Nevada. You're in California, yeah, it would be wrong. But here, in Nevada, it's OK to gamble on body parts.

Lisbon: The hand is three feet into the state of California so he's our baby.

Rigsby: Hooray!

Lisbon: Yeah, right. Get our friend bags and tags and let's get outta here.

Van Pelt: Do we have an ideal list?

Lisbon: The print says that it's James Quency Meier. He runs the Quelita Resort & Casino. Come on.

Jane: Thank you. (He laughing)

Meier's house

Ann Meier: Are you certain that he isn't still out there alive?

Lisbon: Yes, forensics evidence supports the hand being severed postmortem.

Daniel: The rest of his body?

Lisbon: We're looking.

Ann: It doesn't seem real.

Lisbon: When was the last time you saw your husband?

Ann: Yesterday—tuesday morning. Jim would often stay overnight at the resort if he needed to be there late to resolve an issue, or, you know, but he would call and let me know that he was— He was gonna stay so I wouldn't worry.

Van Pelt: We understand that Mr. Meier didn't have a cell phone.

Ann: He didn't believe in them.

Van Pelt: So was it him that called this house from a casino phone at, um, 8:05 tuesday night?

Ann: Yes. He was just checking in.

Daniel: Casinos run 24 hours a day, so jim did the same. I think I saw jim more than they did.

Van Pelt: You work at the casino as well?

Jessica: Dan is a v.I.P. Guest services executive.

Daniel: I'm a glorified house player.

Jessica: It's more than just that, daniel.

Van Pelt: What's a house player?

Daniel: Jim pays me to herd the whales— the big money gamblers. I play with casino money to break the ice, get the heavy action going. It's a good, steady gig. Keeps me out of trouble.

Lisbon: When was the last time you saw jim?

Daniel: Same as ann— yesterday on the casino floor.

Jane looks at photos, Jessica comes in

Jane: You dad knew Sinatra?

Jessica: Sure. Uh, Sinatra kissed me right here on my first birthday party. That's what dad always said, anyhow.

Jane: But you didn't believe him?

Jessica: Figured there'd be a photo.

Jane: He wasn't around much when you were growing up, was he?

Jessica: What makes you say that?

Jane: Figured there'd be a photo.

Jessica: He wasn't around a lot. But he loved me. I know he did. He just... He didn't have a whole lot of time.

Lisbon: The number 43 was written on Mr. Meier's hand. Any idea what the significance of that might be?

Ann: No idea.

Daniel: Damn! Stupid son of a bitch went for the 2-point conversion. Excuse me. Get me a scotch, would you, hon?

Daniel gets up

Lisbon: Can you think of anybody who might want to harm your husband?

Ann: Jim was a well-liked man, but he stuck to his principles, and that's a dangerous thing to do in his business.

Lisbon: Is there a specific instance you're thinking of?

Ann: No, no. It's just a feeling

Jessica: Mom, it's a hotel/casino and not a crack house. The mafia's not running anything anymore.

Ann: So you say.

Van Pelt: Robbery might have been a motive. Did he carry a lot of cash on him? Did he wear expensive jewelry?

Ann: No. He didn't need cash. Jim's word was money (She begins cry). He wore a ring on his pinkie finger... And a lucky $100,000 chip on a string around his neck. That's all.

Lisbon: That's a lot of money. Was the chip legal tender?

Ann: In the casino, yes, but only in the casino.

Lisbon: Can you give us an exact description of the chip? We want to alert the casino cashiers.

Ann: Yes. We have a photo of it for the insurance company. I was going through all of the papers... Here it is.

Lisbon: Thank you.

Lisbon, Jane and Van Pelt are in casino

Lisbon: (She calling) Any more body parts show up?

Rigsby: Nothing so far. Possibly the hand was the only piece cut off.

Lisbon: Does that match up to any similar cases in the past?

Rigsby: Well, this is where it gets interesting. There several cases like this where a hand was purposely left to be found. They're all reno and las vegas-based and involved organized crime. None are more recent than... Ten years ago. They do it to people who get their hands caught in the till.

Lisbon: Mafia, great. Thanks. (She closes phone)

Matt: Agent lisbon? Matt Etienne. I'm head of security.

Lisbon: This is agent Van Pelt and Mr. Jane from our team.

Jane: Hi.

Matt: Well, as you can imagine, we're all still pretty shell-shocked around here.

Lisbon: I'm sorry for your loss.

Matt: Well, if you'll all follow me? The casino's on the nevada side of the resort and offers full-service gaming. We recently spent $10 million upgrading the facilities to improve the customers' experience.

Jane: They use the same techniques in state-of-the-art animal husbandry to make the cows and sheep feel comfortable.

Matt: Really?

Jane: Dim lights, soft music, a maze of passages that lead you back to the pens, or, in this case, the slots.

Matt: Ooh, don't hold back. Speak your mind.

Jane: There's no clocks or windows anywhere so there's no passage of time. Low-priced alcohol is poured down you by attractive young women. Oxygen is pumped into the place to make you stay awake, and the constant symphony of bells and sirens that make it seem like someone's winning all the time.

Matt: Ah, but someone is always winning you see, our machines and our games are carefully designed to let every gambler have a taste of victory— just enough sugar to keep 'em pumping their money into the machines and onto the tables. So what's your point?

Jane: Oh, no point. I love it. (They Laugh)

Player: Well, ladies, ladies, give me love. Give me some love.

Jane: Who's that?

Matt: Cal trask— a very serious gambler and an honored guest.

Jane: A whale?

Matt: Exactly, a whale.

Jane (to Lisbon): You guys are going to be going over a bunch of boring files now, I expect. So, uh, I think I'll work here, play a little, get the lay of the land. Give me 100 bucks, would ya?

Lisbon: I don't think that's such a good idea.

Jane: Sure you do. Come on. I'll give it back to you double.

Lisbon: Look, here's $100, but you'll give me back double, right?

Jane: Triple. (He takes and kisses money)

Player: Oh, yeah, baby.

Jane: Hi. I'm Patrick.

Croupier: Hi, Patrick.

Control room of casino

Van Pelt: I accessed Meier's calendar. The day he disappeared he listed an 8:30 p.M. Meeting with the notation "43," last meeting of the day.

Lisbon: There we go with the number 43 again. See if you can cross-reference it with anything else.

Van Pelt: Okay.

Lisbon: Matt?

Matt: Yes?

Lisbon: From what we understand, a hand being discovered like this is an old-school mafia signature.

Matt: Yes, I've heard the same thing.

Lisbon: It means an individual got caught with his hand in the till.

Matt: You don't seriously believe that that's what happened to jim . Don corleone had him whacked?

Lisbon: Who owns this casino?

Matt: Our owners are a million or so good american men and women who are shareholders in our parent company. Wise guys lost control of gambling in Nevada a long time ago.

Room of casino, Jane playing

Jane: Hit me.

Croupier: 17.

Jane: Hit me.

Croupier: 21. (Jane smile) Well done, Patrick.

Jane: Thank you. (He pushes his chips) Could we change this up for $1,000 chips, please?

Jane walks in the casino and he sits at the Black Jack table

Jane: Hi. My name is patrick.

Croupier: Hi, patrick.

Control room. They receive a call

Man: Mr. Etienne, we have a possible code 9 at table 43.

Lisbon: What's a code 9?

Matt: Cheating. I'll be right there.

Lisbon: Table 43?

On the video , Jane plays at table 43

Jane: Blackjack!

Cal: Keep squeezin' 'em, baby. Make 'em squeal! (Jane laugh) Come on, ladies.

Matt arrives

Matt: Mr. Jane, may I have a word with you?

Jane: Just a minute.

Lisbon: Jane!

Jane: I'm on a streak.

Matt: Yes, you are, and we're really wondering what your secret is.

Jane: There's no secret. I'm memorizing the cards

Matt: Yes, well, Mr. Jane, we don't like people doing that.

Jane: Is having a good memory illegal?

Matt: No, it's not. We can only congratulate you on your good luck and bar you from the establishment in the future.

Jane: Oh, okay. Well, that was fun while it lasted.(To matt) By the way, I hate to be a telltale, but alexandra is robbing you blind.


Matt: Excuse me?

Jane: She's cheating. She's flashing her hidden card to the big guy on the end of the table, and when that didn't work, she's dealing the rest of the table cards from just underneath the top of the deck and holding back the top cards for him. (To Alexandra) I think this is mine. Just one sec.

Jane: Thank you. Good luck. Good luck. Good luck.

At the CBI, Jane arrives

Rigsby: Ah, the hustler returns. Lisbon says you won a whole bunch of money.

Jane: Oh, I didn't do too badly.

Rigsby: How much you win?

Jane: About $250,000.

Van Pelt: You won $250,000?

Jane: Yeah. Are they talking to the dealer lady?

Van Pelt: Yes.

Interrogation room, Cho and Alexandra are there

Cho: Very impressive scheme you set up with your cousin mose— 60% on anything under 5 grand, 50/50 on anything above. You must be living pretty large.

Alexandra: If by "large" you mean saving up to buy my mom a new live before she dies, then sure, living real large. That big twerp told you all of that?

Cho: Started singing like menudo the minute he sat down.

Alexandra: Oh, good help is so hard to find.

Cho: Meier was on to you. That's what the meeting was for. He probably fired you on the spot, didn't he? It's pretty ballsy to come back in to work after something like that. Only someone who knew he'd been k*lled would do that.

Alexandra: I didn't k*ll him.

Cho: Then how did you know before everyone else here that he was dead, Alexandra?

Alexandra: I didn't. I came back to beg for my job. When I heard what happened, I realized that no one knew about our meeting, so I went back to work. I need this job.

Cho: Losing your job, going to jail— who's gonna look after your mom and that's a prospect that would make anyone upset. And if you had a moment of insanity, I can understand that. Anyone can understand that.

Alexandra: I didn't k*ll him.

Jane: I wonder why Meier didn't talk to Etienne about her. As head of security, she's ultimately his responsibility.

Libson: Maybe he figured Etienne was in on it with her.

Cho: Where did you go after your talk with Meier?

Alexandra: I spent the rest of the night at the hospital with my mother.

Jane comes in the interrogation room

Jane: Uh, sorry to interrupt. Uh, quick question— When Meier asked you if Matt Etienne was involved in your scam, what did you tell him?

Alexandra: I told him that Mr. Etienne had nothing to do with it

Jane: But he does, doesn't he?

Alexandra: No.

Jane: Thanks. You can go.

Cho: She can?

Lisbon: She can?

In Lisbon's office

Lisbon: She can go, can she?

Jane: I'm sorry.

Lisbon: The nevada gaming commission's gonna want to charge her with gaming violations. Why should we let her go?

Jane: Why do we get so hung up on every little law someone breaks?

Lisbon: Because we're officers of the law?

Jane: Also because Matt Etienne is lying. Now you can call him and tell him that Alexandra Yee cooperated with us, and based on what she had to say, we'd like to speak to him first thing in the morning.

Lisbon: Okay, but if he is in cahoots with alexandra, he's just gonna call her and ask her what she said.

Jane: And she will swear blind she said nothing which will make out friend Matt even more suspicious. Why did we let her go if she gave us nothing? She must have told us the truth.

Lisbon: Which is...

Jane: Eh, details, details.

He gets two boxes out of his bag

Lisbon: What is it?

Jane: Open it. It's not a fake turd or anything. Van pelt, catch.

Lisbon: What is this?

Jane: Carbon placed under extreme pressure.

Lisbon: We can't keep this stuff.

Van Pelt: We can't?

Lisbon: It's against regulations.

Jane: No, it's not. Why would it be? I won the money fair and square, and I spent it fair and square. Where do the regulations come into it?

Cho: So where's our stuff?

Jane: Your stuff?

Cho: Well, you didn't just get stuff for the ladies. That'd be creepy.

Jane send stuff to Cho and Rigsby

Jane: Who's your daddy?

Rigsby: Thanks, man.

Cho: Thanks. Now it must be worth a lot of money, because this is the ugliest watch I've ever seen.

Jane: It's horrible. I asked for the most expensive watches they had.

Rigsby: Thanks, man.

Jane: All right, let's go. I got us a table booked at the best restaurant in town. Apparently, they tell you the name of the cow your steak came from.

Van Pelt: That's horrible.

Lisbon: Forget the steaks. We're on a case. We can't be seen living it up in fancy restaurants.

Jane: Good point. Uh, okay. Little place on the way back to calida. Let's go.

At the restaurant, boys playing

Van Pelt: So you really won all of this by memorizing cards? You didn't have cards up your sleeve or anything?

Jane: No. That would be cheating. Just memory.

Van Pelt: How? That's impossible.

Jane: Not at all. Anyone can do it. I'm gonna raise you three.

Van Pelt: How?

Jane: In my mind, I've made every card in the deck into a vivid character. Jack of hearts—a ballet dancer with devil's horns. 2 of diamonds— a duck smoking a cigar. Like that.

Rigsby: Why a duck?

Jane: Doesn't matter. Every card is a living thing. Every position in the deck is a location in my memory palace.

Rigsby: Okay, what's a memory palace?

Jane: It's a place that is so clear in your mind that you can walk all around it in your head. Everybody's palace is different. Has to be big and detailed and vivid. My palace is a midwest carnival circuit, I used to travel with my father.

Lisbon: Your people are carny folk. You're finally starting to make sense to me.

Jane (laughing): Not exactly. It's a long story. My point—if the tenth card in the deck is a jack of hearts, I see a devil-horned dancer at the joplin, missouri, fairgrounds.

Cho: I'll see you.

Lisbon: Excuse me.

Van Pelt: I can't see how that works.

Jane: Here. Shuffle these. Rigsby's holding 2 pair— 6s and 9s. Cho—my old friend Cho here— is hoping for his fifth spade to make up his flush. Deal the river card and watch him get it.

It's the fifth spade, they laugh, Cho wins

Jane: Too hot for me.

Cho: Another hand?

Rigsby: Nah. Kind of takes the fun out of it when you're playing with a swami.

Lisbon: All right, guys, it's been fun playing dress-up, but playtime's over.

Cho: Sorry, boss, what do you mean

Lisbon: This. It's kind of a waste, don't you think?

Jane: Well, I would have bought world peace if I could. They didn't have it at the casino gift store. Very limited range of items for sale.

Lisbon: You know what I mean.

Jane: I know those emeralds look lovely with your eyes.

Lisbon: Thank you. It's beautiful, but I can't keep it.

Jane: I understand.

Van Pelt: Yeah, you're right. Good night.

Lisbon: Good night.

Jane: Good night.

Van Pelt and Lisbon get up

Cho: I'm not giving mine back!

Rigsby: No way!

Jane: That's my boys. Live it up!

Rigsby: Live it up!

It's the morning, Jane is out. His phone rings

Jane: Hey, lisbon.

Lisbon: Where are you?

Jane: Oh, just taking a walk.

Lisbon: Ann wants to come clean.

Jane: I knew it. She had that air about her.

Lisbon: If you knew it, why didn't you tell us?

Jane: It's an exaggeration. I had a strong hunch. If I told you about every hunch, you'd get very irritated.

Meier's House

Ann: Matt Etienne tells me that, uh, one of his employees may have shared rumors about him and me. I wanted to be the first to clarify the matter for you, and I wanted jessica and daniel to be here so that you understand there's no subterfuge here.

Lisbon: Okay.

Ann: Yes, I was having an affair with Matt Etienne. But I didn't m*rder jim.

Jane: You knew about the affair?

Jessica: Yeah. I knew about it, but I didn't like it. But I understood, because dad was never there for mom... Or me.

Jane: So no subterfuge, except for jim.

Ann: I'm not proud of it.

Jessica: Matt was there for mom when dad wasn't.

Lisbon: How long had the affair been going on?

Ann: Two years.

Lisbon: Do you think that Matt did this to clear the field with you?

Ann: No. No.

Jane: Maybe he had the idea that that's what you wanted him to do.

Jessica: No. You have no right to say such things 'cause my mother is not some sort of...

Daniel: Hey. Hey. Hush.

Ann: I betrayed my husband. I lied to him. But I loved him, and I did not wish him dead. Ask Matt and he'll tell you the same thing.

Lisbon: We will. Thanks.

Girls get up, Jane speaks to Daniel

Jane: Uh, listen, uh... I don't want agent lisbon to hear about this. She doesn't really approve of my gambling.

Daniel: No?

Jane: No. I was hoping that maybe you could set me up in a good, high-stakes game of poker. You know, with someone like cal trask, you know, a whale.

Daniel: I heard about your hot hands on the casino floor.

Jane: Yeah, I'm feelin' lucky.

Daniel: I can set you up, sure.

Jane: Appreciate it. All right. Mum's the word.

CBI is at Etienne's house

Matt: I'm guessing that you're not just in the neighborhood.

Lisbon: Mr. Etienne, I have a warrant to search your property.

Jane: That's a sweet boat.

Lisbon: You let that dealer, alexandra yee, run her scam because she knew about you and mrs. Meier. Isn't that so? And she threatened to tell Mr. Meier if you fired her.

Matt: That's about the size of it, yeah.

Lisbon: Why didn't you tell us you were involved with mrs. Meier from the start? We were bound to find out.

Matt: Because it's not pertinent. Jim knew that ann was out of their relationship a long time ago. The two of them came to an understanding. He was married to his job. So what me and ann have between us, it's nobody's business but our own.

Jane: Been doing a little work on the place?

Matt: No.

Jane: Look at this. You see, the footprints going that way are deeper than the footprints coming this way.

Matt: Yeah.

Jane: Which means someone carried something heavy into your garage, but they didn't bring it out.

They enter the garage

Jane: Whoo! Look at you. You got some stuff. The fridge .(He looks at car) That is nice.

Lisbon opens, Meier is there

CBI, interrogation room

Cho: Let's start at 8:00 p.M. The night jim Meier was m*rder*d and stuffed in your fridge.

Matt: I called ann from the casino at around 8:00 p.M. When I saw that jim's car was still parked at the resort. Now that normally meant that he was staying the night, so we agreed to meet at 12:30 that night.

Cho: But you left work at 11:00 p.M. What did you do with the 90 minutes?

Matt: I went home, changed clothes and just relaxed a while

Cho: Calida's a small town. There was plenty of time for you and ann to bash his head in, dump the hand and hide the body before going to your hideaway.

Matt: I never meet ann at my house.

Cho: That's very delicate of you.

Matt: We always met at the piney branch motel. It's on route 6. That's where we were that night.

Cho: The m.E. Says jim was k*lled sometime between the hours of 10:00 p.M. And 1:00 a.M. that's right in the sweet spot of your free time.

Matt: I didn't k*ll him.

Cho: Was she giving you half of his estate if you made him disappear?

Matt: I have my own money. I don't need any of jim's.

Cho: But you needed his wife.

Matt: It's not like that.

Lisbon: It's exactly like that. You wanted jim's life, so you took it out from under him.

Matt: Look, the last time I saw jim, he was watching his whale tapes. He gets all of his surveillance footage on dvds, and he watches it night and day, trying to figure out what makes them tick, keep 'em on the hook. Jim was obsessed with the casino. That's what he loved, not Ann. He didn't care what she did.

interrogation ends

Van Pelt: Lisbon, we got the autopsy report back on Meier. Died of blunt force trauma to the head. Apparently, he was hit several times with a heavy cylindrical object like a pipe or a bat. There were also abrasions around his neck like something was ripped off—his $100,000 poker chip, I assume.

Lisbon: Check the piney branch motel see if Ann Meier and Matt Etienne were there when he said they were.

Van Pelt: Okay.

Lisbon: Rigsby, jim Meier was spying on his guests, kept all the footage on dvd. Maybe he saw something he shouldn't have. Go to his office and see if you can locate the footage.

Rigsby: Yes, boss.

Lisbon: And check up on Jane.

Jane is in a game of poker

Cal: Thank you, darlin'.

Women: You're welcome.

Daniel: Gentlemen, this is my friend Patrick Jane, come to play some cards with us tonight if everyone's agreeable.

Cal: Good to see you. Want a sandwich? Hey, Freddy, bring over some sandwiches.

Freddy: Kiss my ass.

Cal: Sit down. Sit down. You want to play, too, Danny boy?

Daniel: Thought I might.

Freddy: How you feeling, goldilocks? Feeling lucky?

Jane: I'm sorry. Are we here to share our feelings or to play cards?

Cal: Boom! Watch out, Freddy.

They laugh

Office's Meier, Cho and Rigsby are there

Cho: Anything over there?

Rigsby: I got nada. We're gonna have to go through these books.

Cho take his cellphone

Rigsby: Who are you calling?

Game of poker, Jane's cellphone rings

Nancy: Aces and 3s. Flush wins.

Jane: Ah. New girlfriend.

He picks up

Cho: Jane.

Rigsby: Ask him how much he's winning.

Jane: Not the best timing. Just deal me out of this next hand, please.

Cal: Oh, we'll wait.

Cho: What are you doing?

Jane: Harpooning a whale. Talk fast.

Cho: Yeah, we're in Meier's work office. He was watching a surveillance dvd the night he died. We think it might be in a book, but there's about 500 books.

Jane: Are they in any kind of order?

Cho: Yeah, there's a lot of military history, gaming theory, reference section.

Jane: Try the bible or "robert's rules of order."

Cho: Okay, thanks.

Jane hangs up

Cho: Hey, how much have you... He didn't say.

Jane: Sorry about that. (To Freddy) Nice win. Women.

Cal: Yeah, women.

Nancy: $1,000 to you, sir.

Cho finds DVD in the book

Rigsby: I don't care what he says. That man is psychic.

Cho: Right.

They look at the video

Rigsby: Room 706. That's cal trask's suite.

Cho: I see her.

Rigsby: Working girl.

Cho: She looks familiar, though.

Rigsby: Why, that's jessica Meier, isn't it? The victim's daughter?

Cho: Dressed for a party. There's no cake or balloons.

CBI, Lisbon and Jessica

Lisbon: Here's you arriving at trask's hotel suite at 1:30 in the morning. And here's you leaving 45 minutes later. Care to comment on that?

Jessica: No. Where did you get this?

Lisbon: From the way you're dressed, it appears that some sort of sexual transaction took place.

Jessica: No.

Lisbon: Okay, I was guessing. What did take place?

Jessica: Nothing.

Lisbon: We looked into your financial situation. It's bad. You and your husband are swimming in credit card debt. You've refinanced your house three times in the past two years. You even had a car repossessed.

Jessica: We hit a rough patch.

Lisbon: Why? Where'd the money go?

Jessica: Daniel is a professional gambler. He has his ups and downs, you know, as in any business.

Lisbon: Jessica, your father was watching this video the night he died.

Jessica: Oh, my god.

Lisbon: What does that make you think?

Jessica: I don't know.

Lisbon: Makes me think this video had something to do with his death.

Return to game of poker

Cal: All in.

Daniel: Call.

Jane: Call.

Cal plays his cards

Nancy: Three 8s.

Daniel plays his cards

Nancy: Full house.

Jane: Damn.

He plays his cards

Nancy: Triple 9s. Full house wins.

Daniel: Sorry, Cal.

Cal: You got me, kid.

Daniel: Guess so.

Cal: One win each. You and me are gonna have to play a decider.

Daniel: Sure thing.

Cal: Patrick.

Jane: Cal.

Cal: Good night, freddy.

Daniel: Man, we took him for a lot of money.

Jane: Yes, we did. I took most of it, but you didn't do too bad.

Daniel: Horse pucky, dude. It was me, skinned him.

Jane: Whatever, kid.

Daniel: Let's go. Heads-up.

Jane: Oh, no, no. Rain check for me.

Daniel: What's the matter, my friend? You scared?

Jane: Open up a fresh pack, nancy, would you?

Cal walks into the casino, Rigsby and Cho stop him

Rigsby: Cal Trask? We're C.B.I. Agents.

Cal: Good for you.

Cho: We're investigating the m*rder of jim Meier. We'd like to ask you a few questions.

Cal: Ohh. Ask 'em quick. I've been up for 48 hours. I just lost $180,000. I need to brush my teeth and go to bed.

They go to Meier's office and see the video

Cal: Jim was spying on me?

Rigsby: On all his V.I.P. Guests, 24/7. This is what he was watching the night he died.

Cal: Son of a bitch.

Rigsby: Explain for us the nature of your relationship with Jessica Meier-Cardera.

Cal: It's a large question. Hard to say.

Cho: Okay. More specifically, why did she come to your room in the middle of the night dressed like a hooker?

Cal: Think I'll hold my peace on that. If she has something she wants to tell you, she will, I guess.

Rigsby: We're thinking maybe Jim was peeved, maybe came to have a word with you about screwing his only daughter. Maybe things escalated, and maybe you got in a fight. Accidents happen.

Cal: Your thinking is wrong.

Cho: You can see how it looks, though.

Cal: Okay. Stop the train. I'll get off here. Night before this happened, I was playing a table stakes game with Daniel, her husband. Man's a degenerate gambler. Degenerate. Anyway, I cleaned him out, but he wouldn't quit. Wants to keep playing, but he's got no collateral, and I don't trust him for an i.O.U. So he says he'll put up his wife against 50 grand... The sexual favors of his wife.

Rigsby: As collateral on a poker game?

Cal: Yep. So I said sure. I mean, action's action, and jessica Meier is a nice piece of pie.

Cho: She's very attractive.

Cal: Anyway, Daniel and I play again. Naturally, I beat him again. He backed his word. I'll give him that. He said he was gonna send her over to my room the next night, and he did. The man's a second-rate card player, but he knows how to control his womenfolk.

Rigsby: She came to your room, and then what?

Cal: I took what was owed me.

Rigsby: You had sexual intercourse with her?

Cal: Yeah.

Cho: How did she feel about that?

Cal: Not super enthusiastic. Willing... 100% willing... But not happy. Hey, a bet's a bet, right?

Return to the game of poker

Daniel: So I have to win this hand to stay in, huh?

Jane: Uh, I guess you do.

The glass falls, Nancy and Daniel look round

Daniel: Check.

Jane: $2,000.

Daniel: Call.

Jane: Excuse me.

He takes a look at Daniel, sees his cards and thinks he'll win

Daniel: I'll take one.

Jane: Two. Thank you. That good, huh? Oh, wow. That good.

Daniel: That good. I can't lose.

Jane: Well, it's a shame you got diddly-squat to bet with. What's the bet, kid?

Daniel: I forgot. (He takes out Meier's chip) The bet, my friend, is $105,000. $105,000.

Jane: And I see you.

Daniel: You should trust me when I tell you things. (He puts his cards) I told you I couldn't lose. Four kings. Booyah!

Jane: That's pretty. Not as pretty as this. Straight flush.

Daniel: No.

Jane: Yes.

Daniel: That's impossible.

Nancy: His pot.

Jane: That's my pot. (He takes Meier's chip) Look at this. I see you. Yes, I do.

Daniel: Whatever, man. Later.

He stands up

Jane: Not much later.

Daniel opens the door. Cho and Rigsby are there

Rigsby: Let's go.

CBI, interrogation room

Lisbon: Tell us, how did you end up with jim Meier's lucky poker chip?

Daniel: That night, as I was leavin', Jim followed me to the parking lot. He'd seen this tape with Jessica and Cal, and he knew I must have something to do with it. I said, sure I did. Screw him. Like he was such a great husband and father, you know? He called me a degenerate low-life pimp, fired me then and there, and he said he'd do everything in his power to get me out of Jessica's life. I couldn't let that happen. I remembered the stories they told in the room about the mafia hit men leaving a hand behind as a message, you know? I did it to make 'em think it was mob-related.

Flashback, Daniel hits Jim and takes chip

Daniel: I dumped the body at matt's, 'cause I knew his affair with ann would come to light.

Lisbon: Did your wife have anything to do with this

Daniel: No. No. She had nothing to do with this. And the idiot never suspected it was me. (To Jane) How's that for denial? She didn't know it was me. How did you know it was me?

Jane: Well, when we first met, you were more concerned about the college football scores than you were your father-in-law's m*rder.

Daniel: So?

Jane: So when you're searching for a k*ller, the degenerate gambler in the room is a good person to look at.

Daniel: I'm not a degenerate. I'm a professional. Just having a streak of bad luck.

Lisbon: Yes, you are. Let's go.

Daniel: That last hand— how did you do that?

Lisbon: Stand up. Put your hands behind your head.

Jane: Oh, uh, I cheated.

Daniel: But how?

Jane: Next time we play, I'll show you.

Ann, Jessica and Cho look the scene

Ann: It's okay, baby. It's gonna be okay.

Jane enters the room and takes out the chip

Jane: I believe this is yours.

Ann: Thank you.

She gives this to Jessica

Jane: Your father died protecting you. So in the end, he... He was there for you.

Jessica: Thank you.

Jane: Be good to yourself. (To Cho) You, too.

Jane gets up

Cho: This way, ladies.

Jane goes to the sofa, Cho and Rigsby come in to see him

Rigsby: We were wondering how much money you won in that game.

Jane: Oh, I don't know. $300,000, something like that.

Cho: So where is it— the money?

Jane: I spent it.

Cho: On what?

Jane: You know, stuff.

In hospital, Alexandra cries, the nurse brings a suitcase

Nurse: A really cute blonde guy left this for you at the front desk.

Alexandra opens the suitcase and sees money

Alexandra: Oh, my god!

END