Hello from me! Finally, a new story to pass the long dull winter days. This one has been niggling away at me for a while, so I guess that means I need to let it out to play. I have no idea where this will take me but we'll all find out together, many chapters from now. As usual, I gain no financial benefit from writing Fan Fiction, just a lot of pleasure. All credit goes to Bruno Heller and his wonderful team of writers for creating The Mentalist.

Dead Ringer

Chapter 1

So Bossy!

Every hair had to be in place. What seemed to be errant curls were actually carefully arranged for maximum effect. The man stared at his reflection and smiled that devastating smile that he wielded like a weapon to get exactly what he wanted, from whomever he chose to target. The knowledge that women found him irresistible made his grin deepen as he finger combed his mane of golden locks one final time. Such beautiful hair was a gift to a man already blessed in so many ways.

Over his shoulder the man caught sight of birds gliding through the skies outside his window. Their reflected forms pitched and swooped in his mirror as he took one last look at his reflection before he turned to ease on his coat and gloves. The air was getting nippy now that fall was here and he didn't want to be cold while he worked. With a spring in his step he opened his door and slipped out into the waning afternoon light. Life was good now, very good. Any unhappiness in his past was just that. The past. Every day now was a purposeful one, filled with endless possibilities. For that he would be eternally grateful.

His car was waiting for him as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. A walk would have done him good but he was in a hurry, so he slid behind the wheel of his older model vehicle and pulled away. Five minutes later, the black car merged with an endless line of traffic and became one with the writhing snake of locomotion on the busy main street of Markdale, Texas.

(Austin FBI)

Teresa Lisbon Jane was hunched over her keyboard, completing another in a seemingly endless pile of reports. While the work at the FBI was exciting in short bursts, the tedium of the administrative side of law enforcement had not changed since her days at the CBI so many years ago. She cast a weary eye towards the well worn leather sofa that usually held the relaxed form of her husband, Patrick Jane. He lay there 'thinking' so often that his body had left its exact impression in the soft cushions. Whenever she sat on it waiting for him, she would rub her hands over the seat and inhale his intoxicating scent, permanently impregnated into the burnished leather. Today, he was away, working up a lead that he said could be better done alone. Cho had argued that he needed to be accompanied by another agent, but before he could find someone free to tag along with Jane, he had slipped out and was now on the loose, creating God knew what kind of havoc.

"Has he called in yet?" a voice boomed, interrupting Teresa's daydreaming. She turned to see Cho standing by her desk, his arms crossed and a tiny smirk dimpling his cheeks.

"Of course not! It is Jane we're talking about Cho" she answered. She'd be worried if this case was the slightest bit dangerous, but it involved government accountants skimming profits from books that were being meticulously altered before the auditors could discover their crimes. A tip had alerted the Austin FBI to the crime and soon, with Jane's persistence, they hoped to have the proof they needed to expose the fraud and arrest the perpetrators.

A shrill phone call at Wylie's desk interrupted Cho's response.

"Agent Jason Wylie...yes sir. Uh huh…"

He listened intently. "Oh... okay...one of them? And how's Patrick Jane? Good…" Wylie gave Cho and Lisbon a thumbs up sign.

"Yes sir. I'll tell Senior Agent Cho. They caved that easily? Sure! OK! Bye!"

Wylie turned around to face Cho and Lisbon, and judging from the smile on his face, he had either just won the lottery, or Jane had come through once again.

"Well?" Cho asked.

"That was the local PD. Jane caught both of our suspects trying to flee town with the cooked books. Apparently, when Jane was finished with them, one guy fainted from fright and is being treated by paramedics before being brought in. The other one is in custody and will be brought here by Agent Carlson. We should expect them here soon. They both couldn't wait to point fingers at each other, just as Jane predicted" Wylie finished triumphantly.

"Told you. Piece of cake" smiled Teresa. Cho snorted his reply and sauntered off to his office. Jane would arrive shortly with a tale to tell about how he got both men to betray each other to save their own skins. For Jane, this case was almost too easy, but he was glad he would go home safe once again tonight. With the woman he loved next to him and his three year old daughter Anika, who was in pre-school these days, he would forget about tax frauds, killers and psychopaths, to relax over a cold beer, roast chicken and bedtime fairy tales. A perfect day all around.

The next morning Jane was watching the small flat screen TV on the kitchen countertop as he prepared his tea and Teresa's coffee while their bagels toasted nearby in the toaster oven. Anika was in her small chair playing with a set of tiny plastic dolls as she fed them bits of her cereal. Lisbon strolled in and kissed Anika's cheek.

"Good morning sunshine!" she grinned, marvelling yet again at the simple bliss of home and family, something she never ever thought she would be lucky enough to have in her life. Anika held up a doll, dripping with milk, then went back to jabbering to her toys while Teresa sidled up to Patrick, giving him a kiss as well. Cooing an appreciative "love you" to his sleepy wife, he handed her a hot, super strength jolt of joe to get her motivated for the day. Jane smiled deeply at his little family and then turned his attention back to the TV.

"The body was found on the front steps of City Hall, leaning against the statue of Abraham Lincoln" said the announcer with disdain. "A sick and depraved act committed by an evil coward. Local police warn the citizens of Markdale to remain vigilant in the face of this newest murder, bringing the total to three now over the course of the past 11 months. While not ready to call this the work of a serial killer, the Police Chief is not discounting the possibility that this is exactly what it may be. The killer has shown that he is not afraid to leave his victims where they will get the maximum amount of attention. Stay safe if you must travel alone. We will give an update as soon as more information comes in to the studio…"

Jane flicked off the TV, not wanting his daughter to overhear what the announcer was saying and turned to retrieve the bagels from the toaster. He clenched his jaw as he worked, the news having an unsettling effect on him first thing in the morning. His tells were clear to Lisbon and she noted his tension.

"Come and sit with us" she began, indicating his chair.

"I don't know why you watch the news first thing in the morning Patrick. Whatever evil the world has concocted overnight can wait until we get to work."

Jane sat down with his tea and bagel and chewed thoughtfully on his breakfast while Teresa added jam to her warm treat. After a few minutes of silence, Jane looked up at his beloved wife and admitted she had a point. Speaking softly, he smiled and ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

"You're right, as usual. I didn't need to see that first thing. Serial killers and buttered bagels make poor breakfast companions." He smiled at Anika and offered her a bit of his bagel. She grabbed it with two sticky hands and took a large bite.

"Thanks Pappa!"

Happy to see Patrick willing to agree with her suggestion, Teresa added another comment.

"We don't know if that's what's happening in Markdale, Patrick, as far as serial killers are concerned. The local PD will handle it. We have enough to worry about with our own pending cases in Austin without worrying about a small town murderer. Come on, both of you, eat up. We have a couple of stops to make before we get to the office" Teresa said, not wanting Jane to dwell on the possibility of a new serial killer on the loose so close to Austin.

"Mommy's so bossy Kiki!" Jane mugged to Anika as he sipped his tea, patting Teresa's free hand.

"Bossy Mommy!" chanted Anika, seeing how it got her parents' attention.

"Thanks Patrick, just what I need. You partnering up with a 3 year old smarty pants" Teresa teased him. She grinned, making a mental note to move the TV screen back into the den after work later that day.

(8:30 am, Austin FBI)

The elevator doors slid open silently, expelling Jane, Lisbon, Wylie and a few other agents running a bit late for their first appointment. Cho was already standing at a lectern which had been set up in the corner of the large bullpen. Overhead, large flat screens projected images of dead bodies and street views of a small town. Jane ignored the scene and headed to the kitchen to brew his second cup of tea that morning. He came back to find Lisbon, a steaming mug of coffee in hand for her as well. She was sitting in the second row of chairs and waved her husband over. Greeting a few agents along the way as he made his way over to Teresa, he finally sat down with a sigh as he turned to face Cho and whatever bad news was about to be revealed. Judging from the photos, it was going to be grim. As the last of his team found their places, Cho began speaking.

"As some of you may have heard on the news this morning, there have been three murders in and around the small town of Markdale, about 50 miles outside Austin. The local police are trying to maintain calm, but all signs point to these deaths being at the hands of a serial killer. This is what we know so far:

all of the victims were well educated professionals

all were employed in various unrelated medical fields.

all of them were killed at night and when found, were displayed like trophies or dolls in prominent locations around Markdale. Their discovery was meant to instill fear.

there were no obvious signs of a struggle on the bodies except it appears they were bound for a short period of time as shown here (he pointed to ligature marks on the wrists of all three bodies), and then were killed with a dose of cyanide. That piece of information is not being disclosed to the public at the moment to prevent panic. Cyanide kills by effectively destroying the body's ability to take in and use oxygen. The victim suffocates very quickly or slowly, depending on the amount of cyanide in the dose. It is a particularly agonizing death."

A murmur of surprise rippled through the quiet room as the severity of the situation hit the agents. Someone was using a deadly chemical to quietly kill people, a most gruesome and calculated way to murder someone. Cho continued.

"Cyanide is easily available, legally, in the U.S., but usually in very large quantities. Whoever our perp is, he or she is able to get their hands on cyanide outside of regular industrial regulations. Let me stress this: we need to get this one wrapped up fast. If our killer decides to use his supply of cyanide on a much larger group, we wouldn't be able to prevent a mass murder the scale of which we have never seen here in America. Agent Rogers will give you your assignments and an information packet with details about the various forms of cyanide. Stay sharp people!" Cho barked, worry etched into his face.

This was an entirely unfamiliar form of murder, one that Cho had never encountered in all his years at the CBI or the FBI. While death by cyanide poisoning was famous down through history, this was a first for the FBI. The killer could walk into this bullpen with a dose of cyanide and release it right now, today, and no one would make it out alive.

The sick bastard was just playing with the police.

As the groups of agents stood up and disbanded, Jane turned in his chair and grasped Lisbon's hands.

"I don't want you anywhere near this case Teresa. I can't lose you" he said, his glare piercing in its intensity.

Teresa was anticipating this. How often had Jane professed his fear of her being injured or killed on the job? Too many times over the years to count, but now, with their marriage and a small daughter to raise, his paranoia would ramp up into overdrive.

"Jane, stop. I need to work this case just as much as any of the other agents here today."

Jane opened his mouth to protest but Teresa cut him off.

"Just as much as any other agent - Jane. Don't forget, they have families too, not just us. How can we hold ourselves separate from the dangers of the job when everyone else is willing to do whatever is necessary to stop this lunatic?"

She returned Jane's glare and waited him out. Seeing that she had an unassailable point, he sighed and stood up. Walking back and forth with his hands on his hips, he exuded tension and worry, but he said nothing. Teresa knew she had won the argument, but he wasn't done yet, not by a long shot. Reaching out and putting her hand on his back, she slowed his pacing and forced him to look at her.

"Patrick, please. I don't want to die any more than you do. We have Kiki and our lives to keep safe. I won't do anything to jeopardize that. We can work this case and stay safe, both of us, but you have to let me do my job. Can you do that Patrick?"

Running a hand through his mop of curls, Jane bit his lower lip and silently nodded his head. Turning to face his wife, he wanted the last word.

"When we figure out who this bastard is….I want you nowhere near him! Understand? Not within a mile of this animal."

Teresa understood his fear and anxiety. She could work this case as hard as anyone, but if they got their solid lead and were about to make an arrest, she would hold back and let someone else gain all the glory and kudos for the arrest. She could do this for Patrick.

"Okay Patrick, I promise. Not within a mile."

The stress in Jane's shoulders instantly released and he grabbed Teresa by the waist and hugged her in front of everyone in the bullpen. He didn't give a shit what they saw or thought about him. Teresa and Anika were his only priorities.