Dis-Lodged - Recap

<i>1987</i>

Henry comes home to find Gus and Shawn involved in a secret ceremony with their own club. Henry suggests they need rules but when the boys can't agree, the club comes to a quick end.

<i>The Present</i>

Monk is glad he's getting out of a weekend trip with his father because he claimed to be sick, but they notice him drive by in perfect health. Shawn decides to follow him and ends up at the Monarch Lodge, a clandestine secret society, where they're surprised to find he's a member. Shawn gets in, knowing the secret handshake. They barge in to find Henry investigating a corpse. He tells them to call the police since he's retired. Gus starts schmoozing with a couple of doctors, including Dr. Downs, while Henry confronts Shawn, who reveals he's already determined the dead man was murdered.

Lassiter and O'Hara are called in while Shawn explains that the dead man, Arthur Holmstrom was apparently poisoned. Shawn is more interested in finding out what happened to his pet. Lassiter arrives and reveals that his former father-in-law Irving Parker is a member but wouldn't let him into the club. Lassiter wants to take the case to prove himself to the lodge and become a member. Henry warns Shawn off the case, telling them the lodge members are powerful.

Back at the office, Shawn is researching the secret ceremony when Lassiter arrives and offers to hire them to solve the murder, even though he can't pay them. He insists they be low-key. The next day, Shawn joins the lodge and Gus slips in afterward. Holmstrom was due to become the Highmost Patriarch and several members have advanced with his death, and it turns out that the lodge donates heavily to charity. Lassiter calls Shawn to check in and it turns out he's staking him out. Lassiter is not thrilled to find out that Shawn is a member. O'Hara calls to reveal that Holmstrom was poisoned by a poisonous Brazilian Vine Snake, even though he has no bite marks or puncture wounds: just a rash on his face.

Shawn and Gus decide to talk to Irving Parke, the new Highmost Patriarch, and Gus gets them in to the man's import/export business past the secretary. Parker is less then thrilled to see them and orders them out, but as they leave Shawn notices shipping crates with Brazilian airport codes. Shawn turns over his findings and reports into Lassiter... as Parker is brought in for questioning. Lassiter isn't thrilled and doesn't believe Parker is the murderer, and goes in to interrogate him. Before he does, he has to explain to his ex-wife over the phone what's going on.

Shawn and Gus go the Lodge artist to get Shawn's portrait done and get the idea to break into Holmstrom's house. However, they are interrupted when an intruder sneaks in and goes to a hidden safe. He's unable to open it and leaves, and Shawn figures out that the combination is his dead wife's measurements. Inside they find two sets of ledgers which reveal that someone was skimming funds from the lodge. The handwriting is in doctor's shorthand, and they figure Holmstrom found out one of the doctors was skimming and blackmailed them.

Lassiter isn't getting on well with his father and puts pressure on him as a cop, Parker reveals that Holmstrom had health problems so he was okay with Arthur getting the position before he died. He also confirms that he hasn't been out of the country and couldn't have gotten the poison. Lassiter reluctantly lets him go.

Shawn and Gus visitor the doctors' offices and while checking out Dr. Downs' office, Shawn sneaks in while Gus distracts the secretary. Shawn finds an article on Downs' visits to foreign countries and his use of powdered vaccines. He also finds samples of Downs' handwriting, which match the ledger handwriting.

Shawn calls Lassiter and O'Hara and has them meet him at the lodge. Shawn confronts the assembled membership as they acknowledge Irving as the new Highest Patriarch. Shawn confronts Downs and explains that Holmstrom found out about his embezzling and blackmailed him into supporting his bid for the Highest Patriarch. Shawn shows the ancient ceremonial hood and reveals that Downs used a powdered form of the snake venom on the hood, derived from an anti-venom treatment. When Holmstrom put it on, he inhaled the poison and died. The mark on his wrist was from protect gloves that Downs wore to protect himself from exposure to the poison. O'Hara arrests him while Shawn lies and acknowledges that Lassiter is the one who figured it out. Irving is impressed and suggests he might become a Monarch.

Back at the office, Henry comes in to take Shawn on the camping trip, but Shawn begs off and asks why Henry left the lodge. he explains that he chose his family rather than the lodge: Shawn isn't buying it. They hear a pounding noise and Shawn shows him that they stole Henry's portrait from the lodge (complete with bad combover) and put it up on the wall next to Shawn's. Henry is thrilled, saying he can always keep an eye on his son.

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