Chapter 3: Formal
Thursday, 5:09 PM
Patrick Jane stepped into his vacant house. The only sound he could hear were his shoes echoing on the hardwood floors as he wandered to the staircase. He started slowly up the stairs until he reached his bedroom. He stopped at the door, hesitating only briefly before entering the empty space. Besides the mattress on the floor, the room looked abandoned. Jane's eyes immediately focused on the symbol of Red John permanently painted on his wall. Every time he saw it, he felt an accumulation of feelings almost too powerful to overcome: anger, fear, hate, love, regret, guilt, but overall grief. He questioned why he kept it there after all these years. It made him feel sick, but he knew he could never paint over it until Red John was dead. He stood there a minute before burying his emotions again. He then moved along the wall to his closet, finally turning his back on the painful reminder. Jane sifted through his few outfits in search of his one and only tux.
Teresa Lisbon was trapped in front of the mirror for what had seemed like hours. She had tried on every dress in her closet, but was yet to decide on a finalist. She hated having to go to the dinner on such short notice. Lisbon needed something that was classy and would impress all her superiors, but most of all, she wanted to impress Patrick Jane. She was not sure when it happened, but she had a huge crush on the consultant. She was almost tempted to stay home, her insecurities clouding her mind.
Lisbon sighed, not pleased with her outfit. She was afraid she would never decide on something. She did not dare think about jewelry or shoes yet. Not to mention hair. She just wanted to scream in frustration and she probably would have if the walls were a few inches thicker. The last thing she needed were her neighbors raising a fuss.