Cackle-Bladder Blood - Recap

Patrick Jane was flying a miniature toy helicopter round his darkened apartment at night when he received a phone call on his cell from his brother in law, Danny. Danny said that he needed Jane's help and gave him an address to meet Danny at. Jane promptly went to the address, entered the office building calling Danny's name and came upon a dead man, victim of an apparent gun shot to the head. Someone unknown to Jane, but apparently Danny, had made a phone cal to 911. Three police cars arrived, the police entered the building with guns drawn and found Jane standing over the victim's body, gun in hand. Jane denied that he had had known the victim and had just been walking by, heard the shot and tried to help the victim. He was arrested and taken to police headquarters in handcuffs.

Agent Lisbon arrived at the police building and supported Jane's claim that he did not know the victim. As for the gun, he said he knew that he'd done wrong in picking it up, but there it was. Lisbon asked the police chief to release Jane into her custody, that she knew he had had nothing to do with the death. The victim was identified as one Landon Whale, married, a would be real estate broker and company owner. A half carat ruby of excellent quality had been found on the deceased's body and determined to have come from a statuette given by Whale to his wife on their honeymoon. The statuette, made of gold with precious stones at its base, was missing. Who could have taken it? That had to be determined. Whale's wife, Conchata Whale and his sister were questioned about their possible involvement in his death but both denied it. It was discovered that Danny, Jane's brother in law had had connections with the deceased, so Jane and Lisbon traveled to Danny's brother's carnival to talk to him, name of Pete. When Pete and his wife were interviewed about Danny's whereabouts, they both denied knowing where he might have gone. Jane strongly suspected that Pete knew where Danny might be hiding out, but decided that he would watch Pete to see where he might go.

A connection was made with a man named Murphy who operated a store front office, complete with fake office, to handle black market stolen goods. When confronted by Agents Jane and Lisbon, he confessed that he had been in on the stealing of the golden statuette, but he had nothing to do with Whale's death or the stolen statuette. Jane let him go and returned to headquarters to think where Danny might have gone. The key to the whole mystery lay with him.

Whale's sister was waiting for someone at a sidewalk cafe when an elderly woman named Grace happened to stop at her table, crying and complaining that her purse had just been stolen by two young men. All her money had been in the purse and she was on her way to the train station to travel to see her ailing sister in the hospital when the robbery happened. She didn't know what she was going to do now. Whale's sister sympathized with her and offered to drive Grace to the train station. Grace uttered profuse thanks as she was picking the woman's pocket, taking some jewelry she was wearing. Jane walked up, telling Grace to knock off the act and Grace sputtered to a halt. Whale's sister was shocked and dismayed, stood up and left. Grace was persuaded by Jane to tell where Danny was, but she did not know. Grace was a member of Pete's carnival and was out looking for a good mark, but it would not take place today, courtesy of Jane. She was sent on her way.

Jane returned to headquarters and talked with Lisbon, putting two and two together. They decided, once they found out that Whale had been having an affair with a lovely young assistant, and that Whale's sister, Melissa, had two months ago taken out a life insurance policy on Whale for two million dollars, that Conchata and Melissa could have murdered Whale. A plan was made to bring their suspicions to a head.

Lisbon returned to Pete's trailer and questioned Pete once again about Danny's whereabouts, getting nowhere. She supposedly left, watching as Pete climbed into his truck and went to where Danny was hidden out in a dilapidated house out in the country. Jane was there when she demanded loudly that Danny come out on pain of her shooting. The door opened and Jane stepped out, followed by Danny. Danny was arrested and taken, handcuffed, to headquarters. Once there, in front of Conchata, he was taken to another police car and picking the lock on the handcuffs, he ran from the car, pursued by police and recaptured. Conchata was giving a police officer information about the life insurance policy that Whale's sister had taken out on him.

Jane showed up at Conchata's door on the pretext of asking her more questions about her deceased husband. Once he thought they were alone, he talked about Danny, who appeared abruptly at the door, too. An argument and fight ensued between the two men, Danny supposedly fatally shooting Jane, then crying over the body, saying he had not meant to kill Jane. Danny turned angrily, violently, on Conchata, saying that she had made him kill Jane. Conchata begged him to help her, bringing the gold statuette into the room, offering it to him in recompense for all his troubles. She had actually killed her husband for having an affair with his assistant and planning with her to sell the golden statuette and escape to a love nest in Mexico, leaving Conchata behind. She had set Danny up to take the fall, but her plan failed.

Suddenly, Jane climbed to his feet, laughing, saying who was the mark now? Agent Lisbon burst into the room with backup and arrested and carted Conchata away to jail.

In the closing scene, Danny said that he had hated Jane for taking his sister away from him, but forgave him. Jane said he was not worth hating, to find something to love, that was the way to heal from his sister's death. Jane apologized for his wife's death to Danny. The two men traveled to the cemetery where family members were buried, including Danny's sister, Jane's wife, and placed flowers on the graves. The two men walked peaceably together back to the car and left.


Share this article with your friends