Thanks to my betas Cumberland River Relic and make-mine-a-kiaora because getting their feedback inspires me to continue writing!
However, THIS double is dedicated to MartyMac49 for her review for "Things Are Different Now", the first drabble in the series. As wonderful as everyone's reviews have been, hers actually made me giggle.
"Next time I hear from you, you'd better be telling me that Red John is dead," Hightower said.
What did she just say?
Lisbon stared at her old boss, struggling to keep her jaw from dropping open. The woman she'd admired for so many years was talking crazy. Encouraging vigilante justice? That was insane!
Yet… it…made sense…if Lisbon was honest with herself. How many torturous deaths had she devised for Rebecca Anderson every night as she lay awake in those months following Sam Bosco's death? Madeline's life had been affected even more than Lisbon's. Well…maybe it had. Hadn't it?
The open wounds steamed in the cool mountain air. Red John's lifeless corpse lay before her, its spilled blood staining the fresh snow in a strangely satisfying manner.
She didn't have to shoot him so many times. The two extra bullets after he was dead had made no difference, but her conscience was bullied into submission by the primal bloodlust that had pulled the trigger of her favorite Glock beyond effective use.
A dead monster lay before her and despite the freezing air around her, she felt wonderful inside. The world was a safer place. Her lover Patrick was safe.