A/N: I liked this episode, but mainly for the Red John storyline. The case side seemed old hat to me, with the exception of LaRoche's surprisingly humorous turn. I was wishing the whole time that the entire episode had been focused on Red John. And what a shocker of an ending! Kirkland is obviously working for Red John in some capacity—there can be no doubt now. The whole bedside conversation between him and Lennon was very odd, though. It must have been so we the viewers would know that Lennon didn't know him, so therefore Kirkland isn't Red John (he'd claimed in "There Will be Blood" that he "talked" to RJ and that he "worked" for him). Of course, there might be some other reason, but I don't believe Kirkland is Red John. Besides, Bruno Heller once said we've seen Red John on the show before, and this was before Kirkland joined the cast.

Here's my brief tag for what I think might have happened after Kirkland left Jane by the dying Lennon.

Episode Tag: "Behind the Red Curtain," 5x18

"Jane," said Lisbon, upon answering her cell phone. She sat at her desk in the CBI, tiredly tackling her newest pile of paperwork. "Where the hell are you?"

"I'm at the hospital."

Jane stared at the sheet-covered corpse of yet another of Red John's fallen minions. The doctors and nurses had worked on him a good half-hour, before calling time of death and detaching Jason Lennon from his once life-sustaining machines.

"Sheesh, you're like a child with a toy. Kirkland will handle it if Lennon wakes up."

"He did wake up. Then he died."

"What? When?"

"Right after Kirkland tried to talk to him, or so said Nurse Sheila."

Lisbon recognized the sarcasm underlying the anger and frustration. "I'm sorry about Lennon, Jane, but you can't honestly think Kirkland had anything to do with this. He's with Homeland Security, for God's sake."

"And Craig O'laughlin was with the FBI. Red John has another mole, Lisbon. He told me himself, remember? Kirkland could be it."

"You're becoming paranoid. You and that damn list—"

"Good point, Lisbon. I've shaken hands with Kirkland…"

"He's not Red John. No way."

"Just because you went out with him a couple times-hey, ask Van Pelt how easy it is to be duped by a smooth talker."

"Jane—" she said, angry herself now.

"Look, I want an autopsy done on Lennon. That's the only way we can get to the bottom of this. I'm betting something caused the cardiac arrest that killed him. Some poison. Red John's not opposed to offing his people that way. And," he continued fervently, "we should get the surveillance videos from the hospital, see who has come in and out of Lennon's hospital room today."

"I can't just do that, and you know it. I need warrants, court orders, not to mention the fact that this would be going behind Kirkland's back, interfering with a case he's supposed to be handling. Bertram would have my head if he found out I was investigating a Fed he's been working with."

"You have to listen to me, Lisbon. There's something about Kirkland that doesn't sit well with me. He's creepy, for one, and fairly reeks of Italian mafia for another. Besides, it's not like you haven't gone behind Bertram's back before to flush out a mole."

"All you have is a hunch, Jane. I need some proof."

"That's what I'm trying to get you, Lisbon. I thought you trusted my hunches." He actually sounded hurt.

"Most of the time. But you're wrong about Kirkland. He's devoted his life to serving this country."

"He tell you that on one of your dates?" Jane asked tightly.

"We've had coffee once, Jane. Then lunch one time. He hasn't asked me out in weeks, but yes, we did have some pretty interesting discussions about our past work histories. He's a good man, Jane, and just trying to get to the truth, same as us."

"Not the same, Lisbon—never the same. Red John didn't kill Kirkland's wife and child."

There wasn't much she could say to that, and both grew silent an uncomfortable moment. Lisbon was the one to speak again, her voice soothing.

"You realize, if Kirkland is in with Red John, he's already taken care of any video, and probably killed Lennon in some undetectable way."

"Then that will tell us something too, won't it?"

She sighed, knowing how useless it was to put him off when he was like this. "Okay. Fine. I'm on my way to the hospital. Don't do anything stupid until I get there."

She could hear his grin over the phone, felt the brief easing of tension between them. "Then can I do something stupid?"

"You know what I mean. Hold tight."

"I'll try." But he didn't sound very convincing, and Lisbon picked up her pace to the elevator. "See you in a few, Lisbon."

She was lucky, and the elevator opened the moment she touched the call button. She stepped inside.

"Jane," she said, before he could hang up.

"Yeah."

"I really am sorry about Lennon. You're right; it does seem pretty convenient that he died right out of a coma."

"Too convenient."

"But this only means we're getting closer, and Red John may be feeling the heat." While she was saying this to comfort Jane, the very idea of a serial killer with his back against the wall was terrifying to her.

"Who knows?" replied Jane. "This is all a game to him. Catch me if you can—all the great psychopaths have played it for centuries. I'm on the precipice here, Lisbon. It's only a matter of time; I can feel it."

"I hope so." But she sent out a familiar, unspoken prayer that Jane wasn't taken down along with Red John.

"Thanks, Lisbon," he said, hoping to sound a bit contrite for his short tone earlier, for his cracks about Lisbon's dates with Kirkland. "You're my rock."

She shook her head to herself. Jane could be such an ass, and then he said or did something so incredibly sweet, she wanted to cry.

"I'll be there soon."

She hung up before he could switch back to ass again.

A/N: Thanks for reading! No new episode until April 14, I believe. Hopefully I'll have a new fic for you soon to help us all pass the time.

P.S. In case you weren't aware, I added a second chapter to my tag from last week, for "Red, White, and Blue." I hope you check it out.