Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist or any of its characters.
*Be aware that there are plot spoilers for Red Letter (2.22) and Red Sky in the Morning (2.23)*
I Won't Say I'm in Love
Chapter 7- The Face of the Enemy
After reading Kristina's text message, Jane called her. She explained that she had a vision of Red John's arrival, which was to happen tonight. Jane relayed the message to Lisbon and the two then prepared for the possible encounter with Red John.
Jane and Lisbon headed to Kristina's house, accompanied by two armed agents. Lisbon stationed the agents in Kristina's house while Jane drove Kristina to his house (hopefully) out of harm's way. After Jane and Kristina had left, Lisbon called the team and informed them of the situation.
At Jane's house…
"I know there's not much furniture here, but please make yourself at home." Jane told Kristina after they had arrived at his house.
Kristina glanced around the desolate rooms of Jane's house.
"It only served as a reminder, didn't it?"
Jane nodded slowly. Kristina walked around the nearly empty living room.
"Red John's imprint is still really strong." she declared, looking up the stairwell. "Especially up there."
Jane looked sadly at the stairs, trying to ignore the shadows of the past. Needing to take his mind off of his memories, Jane decided to give Lisbon a call and see what was going on at Kristina's house. If anyone could cheer him up, it would be his new girlfriend (just using the term 'girlfriend' to describe Lisbon made him smile).
"Hi Lisbon. How's everything going?" Jane asked.
"So far, nothing's happened." Lisbon replied. "We have two officers stationed inside the house who are checking in every half hour. Neither of them have seen or heard anything suspicious as of yet, but we'll get an update in about…five minutes."
"Where are you right now?"
"Cho and I are parked on the street about two houses down from Kristina's house. Van Pelt and Rigsby are parked two houses away in the other direction."
"Alright. Be safe Teresa. I love you."
Lisbon quickly whispered 'I love you' back and then hung up. Jane laughed. Cho was in the car with Lisbon, so if she said I love you too loudly, Cho would give her a look the was sure to be priceless and then ask her if she really did just tell Jane that she loved him. That would surely be an interesting conversation. They were planning on telling the team about their relationship, but not quite yet.
In the car with Lisbon and Cho…
"Jane?" Cho asked without looking up from his book.
"Yeah." Lisbon replied.
She checked the time on her cell phone before leaning back in the driver's seat. Manfred and Johnston should be checking an any moment now…she thought. A few more minutes passed and Lisbon was getting concerned when the two agents inside Kristina's house did not check in. She decided to give them another few minutes to check in. Being Lisbon's best friend, Cho picked up on Lisbon's worry. He said:
"Maybe they checked in with Rigsby and Van Pelt."
"They're supposed to check in with me first, but I'll give it a shot." Lisbon pointed out, dialing Rigsby's cell phone number.
"Hey Boss." Rigsby said as he answered his phone.
"Have Manfred and Johnston checked in with you?" Lisbon asked immediately.
"No." Rigsby answered. "I thought you told them to check in with you first."
"I did tell them to check in with me first, but it's ten minutes past their check in time."
"Oh." Rigsby said in understanding.
"I'm going to try and contact them." Lisbon told him. "Just be ready to go in the house if Cho or I call."
"Yes Boss."
Lisbon ended her call with Rigsby and then grabbed the walkie-talkie she and the team were using to communicate with Manfred and Johnston inside the house.
"Manfred. Johnston. This is Agent Lisbon. You were supposed to report in fifteen minutes ago. Please respond." she said.
She waited a few seconds for a response. When she did not receive an answer, Lisbon repeated her message:
"Please respond."
No answer. Lisbon looked at Cho.
"We're going in." she said.
Cho nodded and then pulled out his cell phone to call Rigsby and Van Pelt. After calling the team, Cho joined Lisbon by the trunk of the car to put on his Kevlar vest as well. The entire team then convened on the porch of Kristina's house, guns drawn.
Before Jane drove Kristina to his house, she and the team set up her to make it appear that she was still there. Kristina left her car in the driveway and a few lights were left on in the house. This way, the team would be able to hopefully trick Red John into coming into her house, where Manfred and Johnston would be waiting. However, after breaking down the front door, the team was not prepared for the scene that lay before them.
Manfred and Johnston had been killed and were now laying slaughtered on the floor. On the wall above the bloody scene was a Red John smiley, illuminated by the flashlights that the two agents had been carrying.
Van Pelt and Rigsby rushed over to check on Manfred and Johnston after calling for medics to arrive. Cho and Lisbon, meanwhile, went to check the remainder of the house for Red John.
"Clear!" Cho called.
"Clear!" Lisbon stated.
Lisbon and Cho rejoined Rigsby and Van Pelt in the living room.
"They're dead." Van Pelt informed them.
"I figured as much." Lisbon replied as she shook her head. "How the hell did he get in, kill two armed guards and then get out, all without us seeing him?"
"We were right there! We should have seen him." Rigsby agreed.
"That proves that Kristina is psychic, though." Van Pelt. "She really did reach out to him."
Lisbon's eyes widened at Van Pelt's comment. Red John had his sights on Kristina, and obviously will stop at nothing to get to her. And where was she now? With Jane. Both of their lives were in danger. Lisbon then hurriedly dialed Jane's number on her cell phone.
"Hi honey." Jane said as he answered his phone.
"Patrick, you and Kristina need to get out of your house now."
"Teresa, what happened?"
"Manfred and Johnston were killed. Red John got to them." she explained. "He's coming for Kristina. Patrick, you both need to leave now!"
Back at Jane's house…
Jane ended his call with Lisbon and then looked over at Kristina. He told her:
"Manfred and Johnston were killed by Red John. Lisbon thinks he's coming here."
"She's right. He's coming after me." Kristina replied.
"I know. We need to leave now." Jane declared.
Jane and Kristina quickly prepared to leave. His cell phone sounded and he checked the caller ID to see if it was Lisbon with an update. The call was from a restricted number.
"Hello?" Jane asked.
There was a moment of silence that was interrupted by a deep cackling laughter. Jane recognized the voice.
"Hello?" he asked again.
"Your plan didn't work." the caller said.
"What plan?"
"To hide her."
"Who is this?" Jane asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"An old friend coming to visit."
Jane raced over to the window and looked outside. He caught a glimpse of a figure headed toward his house. Jane then rushed over to Kristina.
"We need to leave now. Red John is here." Jane whispered.
Kristina nodded; she already knew. As the two headed toward the back door, Jane called Lisbon.
"He's here Teresa." Jane whispered.
"We're on our way. Patrick, please be careful." Lisbon replied.
Jane placed his phone back in his pocket, but he did not end the phone call. This way, Lisbon could hear everything in case they encountered Red John. As he placed a hand on the handle of the back door, a voice from behind said:
"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Jane?"
Jane and Kristina stopped. They were about to face the ultimate enemy.
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Sorry for the cliffhanger, but the ending can go two different ways. I'll have one ending posted now, and the other ending I'll post later (as soon as I finish writing it that is...)
Up Next: Showdown with Red John
