Numb3rs Episode 5.06 Magic Show

David checks out a disappearing act at a magic show while out on a date, but quickly becomes part of the performance when the magician, Talma, disappears for real, leaving her assistant, Susanna, frantic and scared. Don and Charlie are quickly on the scene, and Charlie immediately deconstructs the trick, telling authorities to check for Talma in a secret compartment under the stage. When they open up the trap doors all they find is a lot of Talma’s blood, leaving them to wonder if this is part of the trick, or a real missing person case. The team then delves deep in to the subculture of magicians and magic. After much investigation they discover that the trick, as well as the involvement of the FBI, was a hoax, designed by Talma to gain publicity for their act.

However, when they track Talma down to where she was going to magically reappear, they find her floating dead in the water filled glass sphere that was the centerpiece of the trick. While foul play is still being investigated, Charlie’s math suggests that Talma was a victim of her own ambition. It turns out that Talma had accidentally cut herself during the first part of the trick, accounting for the blood at the original scene. Then, when practicing for the finale, she had slipped and hit her head and because of her weakened state, had fallen unconscious while the sphere filled with water. The illusions designer, Gage Jones, had been on the scene and had tried to help her, but the fail safes built in to the trick failed, leaving Talma to drown.