Limbo
Who: Jane, Lisbon, Cho, Rigsby, Van Pelt, Wainwright
What: The CBI side of Jane's 6-months in Las Vegas attempting to lure Red John
When: From Wainwright's conversation with Jane to the end of the attempt to get Red John in Vegas
Where: At the CBI and later in Vegas
Why: How Lisbon experiences those 6 months
Disclaimer: The author owns nothing of The Mentalist characters, series, etc.
Chapter 1 - The Break
Day 0
Jane solved the Antonio Castro case, the case where Castro had been locked in a coffin by Benjamin Marks and left to die. Unfortunately, Jane had also locked the murderer, Benjamin Marks, in a coffin-just overnight-to extract a confession. The police came, the ambulance came, Marks was rescued and Lisbon was grateful to the bottoms of her soles that Marks looked no worse for the wear. Well, at least he wasn't obviously injured or deranged.
And now it was time for the consequences. Her stomach clenched. She forced down nausea as she told her consultant, "Let's go see Wainwright. Come on."
After a moment, Jane followed willingly. She repeatedly glanced at him during the short trip to the CBI building. Jane didn't look overwrought. He looked...opaque. Closed off and entirely self-contained. She had even less sense of what he was thinking than normally. That worried her, more than usual because of Red John's taunts on the anniversary of the murder of Jane's family. She still didn't know what to make of Jane's decision to give up hunting Red John. She didn't even know if she believed it. The biggest unknown was what was going on inside Jane's head. She was desperately afraid he was in trouble. Cho had come to the same conclusion. Cho wasn't given to unwarranted drama and angst.
Wainwright was sure to be pissed. So she and, she guessed, Jane would have to listen to a lecture. Afterward, maybe she could get Jane to take time off, clear his head and heart of the Red John pain before taking on any more cases.
It was worse than Lisbon feared. Wainwright was in full righteous dudgeon. There was no case. The confession and evidence prized from Marx by the coffin stunt would be thrown out of court (had to give Wainwright that one). Marx would walk free (nope, Jane was probably right that that wouldn't happen). Lisbon pointed out they already could build a case against Marx for stealing via fraudulent trades, and maybe could leverage that into a decent murder case. Wainwright immediately changed the topic, telling Jane SacPD wanted to arrest him for assaulting Marx. Jane coolly countered by noting Marx had a gun-so, it was self-defense-and that Jane could get a jury to believe him. That was a telling blow. Jane had gotten a jury to acquit him of first degree murder charges for killing Timothy Carter in cold blood in front of five-hundred witnesses.
So Wainwright trotted out his real beef. Jane had tortured Marx and made the CBI look bad. True. Absolutely true. Unfortunately, Wainwright gave zero weight to the fact that Marx was a psychopathic murderer who had given Castro the most terrifying death possible: Left to die in a coffin, handcuffed and alone. Why did Wainwright never mention the victim, only the injustices done to the perp? God, what's with that man?! Grace was foolish enough to bite when Jane asked if Marx deserved it; Cho and Rigsby had more sense. Jane again refused to apologize, refused to cede anything.
Desperate to defuse the tension, Lisbon suggested that Jane could take a time out, the leave she thought Jane really needed. Stupid! Just the opening Wainwright needed. Wainwright immediately pounced, imposing a 30-day suspension. He then upped the ante. He would personally recommend that the CBI permanently discontinue Jane as a consultant.
It felt like the floor dropped out from under her. Lisbon knew Jane wouldn't let that pass. What did he have to lose? She was right. Calmly. Quietly. In a few sentences Jane publicly shredded Wainwright's authority and composure by targeting his innermost insecurities with deadly accuracy. After Wainwright lost his temper and any semblance of professionalism, Jane mocked him just to rub it in.
Wainwright fired him, of course. Jane's only response was an infinitely contemptuous, mirthless smile. More clearly than any words, the smile shouted Jane's opinion of Wainwright as an unqualified, ineffective child pretending to do a man's job.
Lisbon ran after Jane, begging him not to do anything rash, pleading with him to talk it out after work. Probably correctly, Jane doubted it could be fixed. He deflected her offer to help with half a smile and a non-sequiteur compliment. The nightmare had begun.