Limbo

Chapter 4 - The Return

Note: All quoted material marked with "*" is from The Mentalist Episode "The Crimson Hat"

Day 186

Lisbon called CBI in the morning and told Van Pelt she was taking personal time. She then drove to St. Paul's Church–old, Gothic, beautiful. Millennia of tradition and belief calmed and comforted her as she walked onto the manicured grounds and into the cool, dim, soaring church nave. She made the sign of the cross with holy water, walked to a pew, genuflected and sat down. Still. Quiet. Lisbon's inner turmoil began to seep away as she silently prayed for guidance and peace.

"This is God. What is it now?"* Jane's voice echoed into the silence. He sat up, smiling widely at his prank.

Lisbon started and turned to face him in the pew behind her. She gasped, "You scared the life out of me!"* Astonishment, relief, joy, irritation.

"I crawled all the way on my hands and knees from that door,"* he turned to look back. "But it was worth it,"* he said, still smiling.

"What are you doing here?"*

"It's good to see you. How have you been?"*

Angrily, "Worried sick is how I've been, and then you pop up here like some sort of a lunatic, playing games, asking me how I've been. -Shame on you!"*

"Just stay calm, okay?"* Jane made calming motions with his hands. "It's important that no one sees us together."*

"Why not?"* she challenged, while still eagerly drinking in the sight of him-normal, healthy.

Leaning over the back of Lisbon's pew, Jane looked at her from the corner of his eye, wary of her likely reaction. "I'm faking my breakdown. It's a ruse to trap Red John."*

"Son of a bitch. ... You son of a bitch."*

He swallowed uncomfortably, "Okay, we are in a church."*

Collecting her thoughts, Lisbon responded heatedly, "Wait! So how does faking a breakdown, if that's what you're really doing, because it looks pretty real to me, how does that trap Red John?"*

"What does Red John want from me? What did he send that little girl to ask me?"*

"Do you give up?"*

"Exactly, and I do give up. I quit. I burn the Red John files. I freak out at the boss. I admit defeat, and I sink into a terrible depression."*

"Brilliant,"* she said, voice laced with sarcasm. "You did that part great. Now what?"*

"Why doesn't he just kill me? Because it's too easy. He wants to turn me. He wants to make me his disciple. So I admit defeat, and then he reaches out to start a conversation."*

Doubting, "That's all supposition. He's not going to–"*

"He already has reached out. He sent me a message. I need to start a new life, and he can help me."*

Stunned. "Help you? He wants to help you? -What are you going to do?"*

"I'm going to take him up on the offer. I'm in a lot of real trouble. I do need a new life."*

"Yes, you do."*

"That's what makes the gag work."*

"Then what?"*

"I don't know. I let him lead. That's the beauty of it. He thinks I'm the fish and he's the fisherman."*

"Unless he sees the truth."*

"I am giving him his heart's desire. He will see what he wants to see."*

"Or not."*

"Fooled you. I can fool him."*

Bitterly, "You fooled me all right. Well done."*

"Well-I'm sorry,"* Jane said quietly, feeling small.

"I tried calling. -I tried calling you hundreds of times, begging you to talk to me, begging you to get help. Not a reply. Not a word. Not a text."*

"Sorry,"* he said, beginning to understand what his plan had cost Lisbon.

"You know what? I have not been sleeping. I've been– Forget it. Never mind. You know, you're a jerk. And your plan? It's stupid. It's not even a plan."*

He waited a second, then asked, "But you will help me?"*

"What am I supposed to say? 'No'? God, you're despicable."*

Jane pulled a disposable cell phone from his pocket. "Take this. It's clean. I'll call you when the time comes. In the meantime, do not contact me. Do not let anyone from CBI contact me, and don't tell anyone the truth. Not a soul."*

"I cannot believe you didn't tell me you were doing this, that you couldn't trust me with a secret like that. We're supposed to be partners."* Jane rolled his eyes and rested his forehead on the back of Lisbon's pew.

Lisbon continued, "God knows, I'm happy you're back. It is a huge relief. But what you did, frankly, was a betrayal."* Barely able to handle his part of his self-imposed exile, Jane ducked down between the pews, escaping further recriminations.

Lisbon looked around, only to find he was gone. Again. "God, I hate you, Jane. I hate you!"*

Lisbon turned to face the altar and took time to regain her equilibrium. She said a quick prayer of thanks and got up to leave. She paused and sank back down. She thought to also pray for help going forward, realizing that nothing was resolved. Rather, Jane was about to embark on the most dangerous part of his plan. Despite the danger ahead, she couldn't deny the relief and joy she felt knowing Jane was okay. He was okay and back in her life.

Day 187

Driving home, Lisbon reviewed her day. Wainwright buttonholed me, suggesting he contact Jane. Got to hand it to Wainwright to pick exactly the wrong time. He suggested Jane could get into a psych program and get community service for the criminal charges. Wainwright cast it as a humane gesture, but it's transparently connected to the low closure rates. Jerk. Two days ago I would have been overjoyed at the suggestion. Instead, I had to argue against it. Wainwright eventually accepted my argument that Jane was better off left alone. Thank God he backed off.

Day 189

Jane called Lisbon three days after she saw him at St. Paul's. The good news: Red John wanted to meet. The bad? He demanded Lisbon's dead body as proof of Jane's willingness to truly become his disciple. Jane asked her to help figure out a plan and see if the team would help. Lisbon had her team join her for lunch in an open-air courtyard at a restaurant that was new to them. A leak of their plan would kill their chances of catching Red John. And possibly Jane, too.

"What's going on, Boss? Why did you want us all here?" asked Cho.

"Let's keep it low. Jane's surfaced," Lisbon started. They looked around. "No, he's not here. He's still in Vegas."

"Is he okay?" Van Pelt voiced everyone's concern.

"Yes." She held up her hands to quiet them. "Hold your questions till after I brief you. Jane's spent the last six months pursuing a plan to get Red John. On the last anniversary of his family's murder, Red John had a little girl ask Jane if he gave up yet. Jane realized he could set a trap using himself as bait. He burned his Red John files and announced he was giving up. He used the Castro case as an excuse to do something outrageous. He goaded Wainwright into firing him. Very publicly. He went to Las Vegas and has been faking a breakdown ever since. Red John took the bait last week. Red John wants to recruit Jane as a disciple and has offered to set him up in a new life. But first he wants to meet Jane. That's our chance to get him."

"Jane didn't have a breakdown at all?" pressed Van Pelt.

"No. He planned it from the start."

"Were you in on Jane's plan? Did you know for the last six months?" asked Rigsby.

Lisbon looked away. "No, I didn't." She clenched her jaw, but refused to sugar-coat it. "I'm not happy about it. But Red John's been tipped off by inside information several times. Jane believes Red John has supporters in the CBI, FBI and some PD's. Any–any-contact with us would have been intercepted and would have given away his plan."

The three exchanged glances. To Lisbon's surprise, they seemed relieved she hadn't known. Then she realized that, from their perspective, it meant she wasn't keeping secrets from them.

Cho spoke for all three. "Boss, there have been a bunch of leads that could have gotten us Red John's identity. Each was a dead end. -Renfrew, Dumar, Towlen Morning and the Carter Peak evidence, Rebecca Anderson, Kristina Frye, Todd Johnson, Timothy Carter, Craig O'Laughlin, Sally Carter, Gupta, and even Rosalind Harker. Red John's gotten into the CBI internal network–remember the Renfrew case and when Darcy was being stalked? We don't like the secrecy, but we understand why he feels it's necessary."

"I appreciate that. This is off the books. CBI knows nothing about Jane's undercover plan. I am going to help him in hopes of getting Red John. You each have to make up your own mind. It is perfectly okay if you choose not to participate."

Rigsby responded this time. "The three of us have talked about Jane and Red John. So long as you're backing Jane, we'll keep supporting him, too. Since when is Jane solely responsible for catching Red John? It's the team's responsibility."

Grateful, Lisbon swallowed hard, uncharacteristically emotional. It was a moment before she could continue. "Thank you. This won't be easy. I won't accept your decision till after you know what you're getting into. The first problem is that Red John wants my dead body as proof of Jane's intent. Jane will have to come to Sacramento and fake killing me. The easiest, safest way would be at my townhouse or while commuting. But Jane wants it to be as public and splashy as possible to convince Red John it's real. If we can fake it at CBI the murder will make the Las Vegas newscasts as well as the local ones. That would also convince any Red John supporters in CBI. The second problem is getting Jane and me–my 'body'–out of the building without getting caught or shot. We'll need a powerful distraction–something really dramatic. Finally, the meeting will be in Las Vegas. We'll all have to drive out there. There won't be any back-up. If we're lucky, we may get Red John."

She didn't detail what could happen if they were unlucky. She didn't need to. Not getting Red John was the least of it.