For many years, Red John has served as a rogue demon that sunk his claws into Jane's life, ruining and saving him time after time. Red John is a devilishly cunning opponent, who is just like Jane, but so different at the same time. The constant game of cat and mouse between the two has lead to the development of an unhealthy emotional attachment, making it impossible for the other to walk away from this battle. The conflict between the two is similar to a game of chess, each person making calculated movements in hopes of besting their counterpart. Red John clearly values each of his associates as pawns, since he is willing to sacrifice them to achieve victory. However, Patrick values each member of his team highly and he is unwilling to sacrifice any of them. His team consisted of Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby, Teresa Lisbon, and Grace van Pelt. They are good men and women more concerned about protecting innocent civilians than anything else. They each attempt to save anyone they can, constantly putting themselves in danger to ensure the safety of others. However, on this particular day they were unable to save their coworker, Patrick Jane. Even with his identity remaining a mystery, Red John was able to successfully kidnap Patrick and lock him in a cell. After being drugged Patrick awoke and looked around. He realized that he was trapped in a small cell with concrete walls. Due to the temperature and lack of light he assumed that he was being held in a converted basement. The door was made of reinforced steel, with no visible locks or handles on the inside. The only thing on the door was a small slot, which he assumed was for food. Jane was certain his team would be able to find him soon, but that would certainly not be the case. Jane heard footsteps approaching the door. As the sound grew closer he screamed "When I find a way out of here…"
His words were cut off by a voice saying "It'll be too late. Even if you find a way out of here it wont be for at least several weeks. And while you're locked up here, your pathetic team will be searching for you outside and I'll draw them out and kill them one by one". Jane was left shocked to his very core. He promised Teresa that he would always be there to save her, but now she needs to be the one to save him. The slot then opened a tray of food came through. Jane noticed a smiling face drawn in red ink on the tray and that is when he realized his captor was Red John.
A week slowly passed and Lisbon felt that she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. There hasn't been a word, not a phone call, a letter, a text, or any other type of signal. It has become clear that Jane has been kidnapped and they have no idea who has taken him. At first, she and the rest of the team thought he had taken an impromptu vacation to escape the life of a CBI agent, but it became clear that this was not the case. The team eventually received a picture of a sleeping Jane laying in the cell. At this point they knew they were wrong. Red John had sent them a single clue and they had no idea what their next steps should be.
Jane once again heard footsteps approaching the door at the regular time to give him lunch. Jane asked "Has he told you who has died?", but he received no answer. Tormented by his fears of losing those close to him and the constant fear of what comes next for him sends Jane into a mental breakdown. After some point it became clear that Red John wasn't intent on hurting Patrick. Jane wasn't sure if he should be relieved or concerned. He had no idea what was in store for him and he has grown sick of it. His thoughts have become empty. He has a vague idea of why he's here, but has no idea why Red John wouldn't want Jane to experience the pain of his loved one's deaths in person. He attempted to give the illusion of being aware, of being in control of his emotions, but in reality he was an emotional wreck.
Time passes and it reaches four hundred hours since Patrick has been taken. His entire team was on the verge of a mass breakdown. They spent the last two weeks frantically tracing Jane's every move and using the minimal details in the picture to find where he is being held. They have each lost themselves in a sea of phone calls, files, pictures, and countless hours of video. There is a common feeling among them that this will not end. Each night has been filled with dreams of a blade cutting across Jane's throat and blood dripping from various spots on his body. They have barely slept or eaten properly. Cho has recently attempted to find comfort in his favorite book, but before long he threw it against the wall and stormed out of the wall, magnifying the sense of frustration and anger that was already present in the room.
Once again footsteps approach the door. Jane once again attempts to have a conversation with his guard. He tells him "Red John's accomplices don't survive, you know. He disposes of them. He'll dispose of you as well. You'll be lucky if my friends find you first. They might be able to protect you from him." The guard slid the food tray in the door and walked away. By his calculations his team would be dead by now. At this point he lost all hope of escape. Another week passed. As the footsteps approached the door, Jane informed the guard that his leg was injured. He said ""My arm's infected. I think it needs medical attention." The past week or so he has been scraping it on the walls because he needed fresh blood to record the passed time. Jane made the wound worse than it should've been in hopes of getting medical attention. Before he was unwilling to sacrifice himself to escape, but he has been tormented by the thought of losing his team that he could no longer sit and idly wait to be rescued. Jane screamed ""The infection's getting worse. You know this could kill me if it goes on. How do you think Red John will like that?" At this point the slot opened, Jane was handed a bottle of antibiotics and he finally heard the voice of the guard. In a monotone voice his guard said "They are all dead" and closed the slot. Patrick was overtaken with grief and began to sob in the corner of the cell.
Unknown to Patrick his team was alive and still searching for him. At the CBI headquarters, they received another picture of Patrick. However, this time on the back of the picture there was an address. The team quickly rushed to the listed address and discovered an abandoned house. They searched the entire house and discovered a secret entrance to the basement. There was nothing in the room except a single steel cell. Patrick had been missing for over a month and they were unsure if he was even alive. They called out his name, but received no response. When the door was finally opened, they discovered Jane laying on the floor passed out. At this point, the team realized that Red John never intended to cause physical harm to Jane, but that he instead wanted to break him. The entire team's eyes were drawn to the wall where Jane had written in dried blood "You win".