Hey Guys! Here is the next chapter, still with Lisbon in center. I hope you like the story! Reviews and story alerts make me incredibly happy! ;)

Disclaimer: I still don't own The mentalist

Could it be there all the time in front of their eyes and she didn't notice it? Lisbon suddenly became very awake and she stared at her laptop screen. The picture on it showed Jane and her thoughts were running.

She told her team earlier that lets say they believe Patrick, so she had to believe him that there was a gun. But then where is it? If there was a gun, somebody had to took it away. And that somebody probably did it here in the mall. And if someone took the gun away in mall then the camera recorded it. Why didn't she think of this before? Maybe because it was too obvious….

She replayed the tape for what it seemed like the millionth time and she paid extra attention on the man's newspaper.

But when she watched the whole thing she couldn't find anything. She sighed disappointedly and shut her eyes closed. She wanted so desperately to find something that would prove his inocence. She needed to believe that he was innocent, that he was still her good friend. The same Patrick. She needed the hope…The hope that his name could get cleared and all the things would get back to normal. Of course she knew nothing would be ever the same, but she needed to believe in it. It gave her strength to hold on, to keep going. To wake up every morning, to get out of her bed and not to spend her whole day crying like a baby. To keep searching, and looking for evidence that he is not a cold-blooded killer. Because she knew that deep down he wasn't one. He was a great, intelligent man. With a wonderful heart, full ov love. Full of restrained love. Because he repressed all his love avoiding to show it. To let people get close to him. To let love make him happy. The only one he let close was her. Teresa Lisbon could break his wall. Or at least slit it a little. Enough to see through it, straight to his golden heard.

And she was the one who could understand him. She tried to show everybody a side of her which was strong, tough and cold and only some people knew the other side. The sensitive, caring, loving side. And sometimes Lisbon thought that Jane could see that side too. Some of his comments, his looks told her that he saw it.

And this made a weird connection between them. It was just the two of them against the world, or something like that...

Lisbon smiled slightly at that thought. He knew her and she knew him. Or at least she thought she knew him. Maybe that's why she needed so much to know that he is still the same Patrick. She had to know that her judgement wasn't wrong with him. That she didn't trust him for nothing. Totally wrongly…

So now she breathed out heavily and started over again. And finally she saw something strange. She replayed and made sure it was something. When Jane stood up and headed to the table next to him a guy in red jacket stood up too. Just in the same second. It couldn't be accidental.

Her body was tense as she tried to enlarge the picture to see the man's face. She couldn't…

She bit her lip angrily and shook her head. vanPelt could easily do it but she went home hours ago. This meant Lisbon had to wait until tomorow morning to find out who is the stranger.

Somewhere deep in her guts she knew this was the thing she was searching for…This was the thing that could lead her somewhere further…

But still, if she got this man she couldn't be sure he took the gun away. So Lisbon watched the tape again, now paying more attention on the end. She saw the shots and then the police. There was nothing… Again…She watched Patrick's face as he sat down into a chair next to the dead body and her heart broke. But then as she looked at his face intensely something changed. There was a skip in the tape. A very small, almost unnoticeable skip. But she didn't miss it. She narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to the screen. Yes, it was definetely there. And before the skip, there was a little red flash at the edge of the picture. Barely a second but she caught it.

Suddenly she grinned, totally plesed with her find. And she knew exacly what she wanted to do at the moment…

She stood up and grabbed her purse. She exited her office and headed to the parking lot while she pulled out her phone. She dialed the prison and asked for Patrick Jane.

„Hallo!" came the answer. His voice was sleepy and she remembered that it was probably not the best timing in the middle of the night.

„Hey Jane! It's me…" she said quietly while she got in her car.

„Lisbon…Hi!" she could hear he was surprised.

„ I just wanted to tell you that I …That we…the team watched the security video of the mall…"

„ You did what?" he was stunned „I thought you can't do anything in my case…"

„Yeah, well…we did…and I think I found something interesting…" Lisbon smiled.

„ Of course you did…" he said softly and his voice told her that he was smiling.

„So, tomorow I will get VanPelt check it, and then we will find out if I got it right or not…" she continued and stopped for a minute before going on „Don't worry Jane! We're on it!"

„Thank you Lisbon! It really mean the world to me! „ he said honestly

„Okay, I have to go now…Good night and I'm sorry if I woke you…" she said and started the car.

„ You didn't…Sweet dreams Teresa! „ Jane said and hung up.

Lisbon drove home and fall asleep with a comfortable feeling. And the thought that there is still hope…

Okay, this was it! How you like it? Good? Bad? Tell me! Thanks for reading! Next chapter hopefully up in two-three days…;)

Review! It would mean the world! :)