Love From Red John-The Mentalist 'Jisbon'

Chapter Four~Donuts, Opportunity and Incompletion

Teresa Lisbon

I pick up one of my jackets and sling it over my arm then grab the cup off the table. I take it through to my small kitchen and put it in the sink, along with a mug, ready to be washed later. I'm not a hundred percent sure whether Jane will actually turn up... But I want the place at least half decent. Although... That'd take time and that's something I just don't have at the moment. I decide that waiting around for a possible visitor is pointless so I get on with my presentation. I drop my pile of paper and photocopied sheets of Red John information on my small table. I continue grouping the sheets into piles and scribbling down useful bits of crap. Jane's right, I'll just tell them what I know.

****

Patrick Jane

I clutch the paper bag and knock at Lisbon's door. Within a few seconds she's peeping out then opens it wider.

'You came...' She says.

'I said I would.'

She stands aside and allows me entrance. The whole place has an eerie, contained atmosphere, as if no emotion has been shed or bared within these premises for some time.

'I would have cleared up a bit if I'd known you were going to show up,' she has her hands in her pockets and her shoulders rise protectively again. It's clear she did try to make the place a little neater, but then thought better of it. 'So sorry about the mess.' I think of the fact I'd been told some time ago, messy people are good lovers. I have no intent on seeing my colleague this way, although I can't help but contemplate the possibilities in my head.

'Ah, it's not a problem... I see you've already started,' I motion toward the small table scattered with papers in various groups.

'Yeah... As I said... I wasn't sure whether you were coming...'

'You should have given yourself a night off. A soak in the bath, a film then an early night.'

'The chance of me having a night off is like... Red John being a mouse... Besides... Watching a film is no fun alone...' She stops for a moment and gazes at the wall opposite, clearly thinking.

'I brought donuts!' I say tossing the paper bag in her direction. She blinks then quickly grabs it before it hits her.

'Thank you...'

I sit on one of the chairs next to Lisbon as we sort through the sheets and documents. She seems to have things under control so I take my chance and get up.

'Could I get myself a cup of tea?'

'Oh uh yeah I should have asked-'

'It's not a problem,' I butt in.

'I'll do it-' She begins to get up but I rest a hand on her shoulder and push her back into her seat.

'No no its fine you carry on here. I'll be right back. Can I get you anything?'

'No I'm okay...'

I nod gently then walk towards the direction of her kitchen.

I put the kettle on to boil and use this opportunity to check on a few things... I start off by looking in the fridge. She's got very little food in, most of it from a week or so ago. I look towards her sink where a mug and cup are sat. I pick them up and look inside, one of them has remnants of coffee whilst the other appears to have been used for water. This is not a healthy diet... Lisbon's depressed, as I had assumed. That was my main reason to come round here. My concern for her was starting to worry myself a little and I wanted to see how she was looking after herself. From the looks of things, not very well.

I finish making my cup of tea and take a sip then turn around to leave, although I stop dead in my tracks. Lisbon's stood leaning against the door frame looking rather out of it... Zoned out if you prefer. But as soon as she sees me watching she moves past me and stands at her sink. She takes the glass cup and fills it a little with water and takes a sip then moves past me once more. It all seems to happen in slow motion then...

She comes to a stop almost in front of me and she freezes. Her hand opens slightly and the cup hurtles towards the floor, it's contents following half a second behind. She blinks and I see her legs sway. The cup hits the floor and simultaneously smashes sending shards of glass in various directions. She watches it as it happens in a matter of a second and her hands rise up then grasp onto her hair. The expression on her face is... Lost. She looks as though she doesn't belong, as though she's hopeless. Her breathing becomes shaky and she begins to look upset, she doesn't like what's happening. She doesn't know what's happening and she doesn't like it. She then goes weak at the knees and drops. I try to support part of her weight so that she doesn't land on the broken glass. I'm in a crouched position and fall back into sitting. I pull her back with me onto the clean bit of floor and hold her to me. She feels cold beneath my fingertips and neglected beneath my eyes. I wrap my arms around her tightly wanting to radiate my warmth and devotion, to make her feel protected and safe. I bury my head into her dark, soft hair and out of a habit I'd thought I'd lost, I plant a small kiss on the top of her head before I have chance to stop myself. She's never been like this... And I'm worried... My Lisbon is slowly falling to pieces and I have to put her back together again... But I'm afraid she'll always remain incomplete...