Chapter 3
Lisbon was so pale that Cho thought she was going to faint.
"Boss?", he asked tentatively.
It took her a few minutes to gather her strength. At last she spoke.
"He should have told me about these letters. We could have faced it together. I… oh, how I hate to think about him fighting against this horror alone".
"He just wanted to protect you and the baby".
She shot a quick glance at her – their – little Beth, currently fast asleep in her crib.
"I thought he was just forsaking us. I thought that Red John mattered to him more than we did. I… oh, what have I done?"
"I'm sure he'll understand. Come and speak to him. He's still in my apartment".
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "You're right, Cho. Could you please drive me there? I'm going to take Beth with me".
"Sure thing. Let's go".
Jane was staring at the ceiling. Even if there was no Elvis-shaped stain on that ceiling.
Not that it actually mattered, of course. Nothing really mattered anymore.
As he heard the front door opening he vaguely wondered why Cho wasn't still at work. Maybe he needed his advice on a case – though Jane wasn't sure he really felt like doing something of the kind.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw her.
Teresa kneeled beside him. "Patrick… I'm so sorry… could you ever forgive me?"
"What do you mean?", he said in shock. "What should I forgive you for?"
"Cho showed me Red John's letters. I… I had no idea… I should have kept my faith in you. I feel so guilty about that…"
He sat up and reached out to brush his fingers against her cheek.
"Oh, Teresa…"
She was in his arms now, gently sobbing against his chest. He placed a kiss on her hair, then hugged her tightly.
"It's okay, Teresa… He's dead now, he cannot hurt us again. We're safe".
He felt his own tears trickling down his face. He could hardly believe that this was really happening.
Then the cry of a baby came to stir them.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I think little Beth here is trying to catch her parents' attention".
Cho simply tucked the baby into their joined arms and left the room.
Jane surely deserved some privacy now that he had finally gotten his wife and daughter back.