Sheriff Of RedRock

A/N: Sorry about the delay. Work has been hectic. Happy 238th birthday to the United States. I hope you all enjoy your Fourth of July. We in South Africa wish you all luck for the next year. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter.
Any towns mentioned are fictional.

Chapter seven

Lisbon crouched down under the nearest window. Kerosene lamps lit the inner room, and she could hear men talking. Cho crouched next to her. He peered over the windowsill, and glanced briefly into the room. Cho could see six men sitting around an old oak table. He recognised them as the men from the bar, Red John's Gang. They had a map spread out on the table, and Red John was leaning over it. Cho ducked down, and muttered what he saw to Lisbon.

She nodded, and peered over the sill. This was her first look at Red John in sixteen years, and he was as she remembered him. He had a few more scars, and slightly less hair, but he was still evil to the core. Lisbon didn't see much else before ducking below the window again. Cho could see in the bright moonlight that her hands were shaking. They made themselves comfortable outside the window and listened to what was going on inside.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Red John peered at his map. Their closest town was Kingston, thirty-five miles away. A good rider could get there before noon if they rode non-stop. JJ LaRoche was his best rider. But he didn't want to risk having his men riding out alone, not with that woman sheriff around. He knew that just five of them could attack Kingston. The town had limited resources, and had no way to call for help. He sat back down. "Dr Volker, do you need to stay here with Robert if we go out?"

Volker shook his head. "You can leave someone here just in case, but he should be fine as long as he doesn't move around."

Carter stood up. "Red John, I will volunteer to stay with him. My skills aren't needed in the attack."

Red John nodded. Carter was an expert at explosives. There would be no need to blow up any railroad tracks or safes. This was an attack to send a message. Marcus Pike picked up his glass of whiskey and drank from it. "What is the plan, Boss?"

Red John picked up his whiskey and downed it. He leant forwards. "You know I only reveal my plans when we reach our target, Mr Pike. Anyway, this is a simple attack."

The conversation between the six men descended into small talk, revealing little else. Red John's Gang were unaware of the two law officers who snuck away back to their horses. They were too engrossed in their loot, which was now spread all over the table.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

It took two days to ride back to RedRock, and the two law officers arrived late in the afternoon. Rigsby was waiting for them. "Sheriff," he said, helping Lisbon down. "You need to see this."

Lisbon frowned. "See what, Rigsby?"

She followed her deputy to the general store. He picked up a newspaper, and handed it to her. The front page was mostly writing, but a picture caught her attention. It was of a town, Kingston, burned to the ground. There was nothing left. The headline left no doubt as to who had committed the crime. 'RED JOHN STRIKES AGAIN'. Lisbon felt her hands begin to shake. A second picture was revealed when she unfolded the paper. It was taken from on top of one of the burnt structures. A grotesque smiley face had been seared into the earth using the kerosene from a broken lamp.

"This was the target," Lisbon breathed.

Rigsby frowned. "Target?"

Lisbon explained what they had heard while eavesdropping on Red John. Rigsby turned white. "That was two days ago, Sheriff. In the time it took you and Cho to get back, Red John attacked Kingston. Three people survived."

Lisbon headed inside to pay for the paper. Jane turned to face her. "Ah, Sheriff, it's good to see you back."

Lisbon held up the paper. "Not when I come home to this, Mr Jane."

Jane frowned. "You knew about this before it happened." He didn't need to ask.

Lisbon nodded. She hurriedly explained to Jane what she and Cho had heard. Jane's eyes widened in shock. Lisbon paid for the paper and turned to leave. "I don't like the fact that Red John is now randomly burning towns to the ground. That makes things all the more dangerous for everybody."

Jane thought about the sheriff's words as she hurried down the stairs and into the late afternoon light. She was followed by her two deputies as they headed over to the Sheriff's office. At her desk, she unlocked her drawer and pulled out her thick file. She opened up the map and spread it out over the table. Kingston was marked on the map, further south than she thought. She carefully wrote the date in next to the town, blotting the ink with some blotting paper. She then tore the front page off of the paper and slid it into her stack of newspaper cuttings. Her deputies ignored the fastidious attention to detail, and instead focussed on a game of cards. A timid knock on the door about half an hour later drew their attention. Ms Van Pelt stood at the door. "Mr Bosco wants to see the Sheriff."

The three law officers stood up and headed to the door. Lisbon walked next to the woman as she led them to Bosco's office. Lisbon nodded towards Ms Van Pelt. "Thank you, Grace."

Ms Van Pelt smiled, and sat down at her desk. The sheriff steeled her nerves and entered the office. She was greeted by a volley of swearing and cursing that would have turned even the hardest railroad worker red with embarrassment. Lisbon stood silently as Bosco used every bad word he could think of. She noticed Mr Mashburn, the reporter, standing off to one side. He seemed rather smug. Lisbon really disliked that man. Bosco finally stopped yelling. "Are you quite finished?" asked Lisbon.

Bosco glared at her, trying to burn a hole through her skull with his eyes. He tossed a copy of the latest paper across his desk. "Sheriff, have you seen what your Red John did to Kingston?"

Lisbon frowned, and picked the paper up off of the floor. "Hold on. When did Red John suddenly become mine? I have no claim to the bastard. I just want his guts for shoestrings."

Bosco waved Mashburn forwards. "I was the first reporter on the scene of the, uh, fires. I took the pictures. And I found this."

He pulled a letter from his pocket, and handed it to Lisbon.

"Sheriff Teresa Lisbon," it read.
"How unusual for a town to have a woman as sheriff. And for that woman to even dare kill a friend of Red John's. Ms Lisbon, I assure you that you will pay for this.
You will pay.
Red John."

Lisbon felt her face go pale. The note was well written, completely the opposite of what she imagined Red John to be like. She knew he was an intelligent man, but his level of education showed in the letter. An errant thought – what drove an educated man to become an outlaw – crossed her mind, as Lisbon folded the letter and slid it into her pocket. "Thank you, Mr Mashburn. Mr Bosco, I did warn you that the man I shot was connected to Red John. You refused to believe me." She tossed the paper back to Bosco. "I hope you're happy with the consequences."

With that, Lisbon and her deputies turned and strode from the room.

A/N2: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review for me. Thanks.