Short chapter. I apologize for that, and for the fact I haven't reviewed anything in forever. The monkeys who work at my school have given me more time for writing and reviewing. While a good thing for all of you, not such a good thing for me. But anywho, this story is getting super complex. Reviews would make my life a little more bearable at the moment, and I will work harder to review more stories myself. Please enjoy!

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Ch. 10 – Red Concrete

Cho slid his face into his hands to cover up his emotions. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold onto his stoic composure. It was only the second day of Jane and Lisbon's two week suspension, and the news he'd just received wasn't helping. But he had been given responsibility for a reason, he knew that. He had to be strong for the team while Lisbon couldn't be. He dragged his palms off of his face, hoping it would take his feelings with them, and lightly slammed his hand against his desk.

"We've got a case."

"Where at?" Rigsby asked.

"Just off of I-80 on the west side of Sacramento." Cho knew he would inevitably have to tell his teammates the whole story, but damned if he wasn't going to put it off as long as possible.

"Alright, let's head over there then." Rigsby and Van Pelt slowly gathered up their things, wondering why Cho was still sitting at his desk.

"Cho? Hello? Let's go."

"It's Red John."

The team looked like deer caught in headlights. They knew they had to move, get to the crime scene. But their bodies didn't seem to comprehend this.

"We've got to tell Jane and Lisbon." Rigsby finally said.

"We can't, they've just started their suspension." Van Pelt responded.

"Maybe we can get Sasha to let them back on, just for this case."

"No. Lisbon and Jane are already on suspension for something minor. Imagine what she would do to us for this." Rigsby was irritated by this, but Cho had a point. "I'll talk to Sasha later, just to make sure. But for now, we've got to make sure this case stays on this team."

Rigsby and Van Pelt nodded in agreement and gathered up their things.

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The team stood staring at the crime scene, mouths agape. It was all rather poetic really, in a vile way. There lay the body of John Boris, sprawled out on top of a heap of garbage underneath a busy highway. The classic Red John painted on the concrete above him.

No one really felt any remorse for the man. Really, they felt this scene he was planted in was perfect for him. The low-life of a man finally rolling around in a heap of filth. But fear struck the team paralyzed while forensics seemed so unfazed by it all. So oblivious to the fact that Red John chose to murder someone they had talked to just the other day. Someone that landed the suspension of Red John's favorite toy.

Everyone seemed to simultaneously break their attention away from the crime scene to look suspiciously at everyone else who was busy gathering evidence. No one could be trusted. They all knew that now. But everyone hoped that the death of Bosco's team would have cleansed the CBI of Red John followers. Obviously a false hope.

The busy scenery around them seemed to slow down. All the weight of knowing they couldn't trust anybody anymore felt asphyxiating. And the three colleagues looked at each other, knowing full well that the whole team had to stick together, now more than ever.

A nod from Cho told Van Pelt and Rigsby exactly what they had to do, and they each walked to where they needed to be, going straight to work, except for Cho. Cho knew he had a very important phone call he had to make, and screw the suspension.