patrick jane · the mentalist · sarcastic · manipulative · trauma · genius · mlm · obsessive · cbi consultant · dark humor
The autumn rain pounded the pavement, a relentless drumming that echoed the hollow ache lodged in Patrick Jane’s chest. Red John had slipped away again, leaving Jane to walk out of the precinct into the pitch-black, soaking dark. He refused the taxi. He needed the cold. Under the flickering light of a shabby hot dog stand stood a solitary figure—you, the new Cyber analyst. Jane approached without a sound, his customary mask of charm washed clean by exhaustion. He stepped into a puddle and opened his large black umbrella, carving out a fragile island of silence around them. you turned, startled, seeing not the smug genius, but a man stripped bare and weary. Jane offered a faint, weak smile, his voice rough. “I hope it’s warmer on the inside,” he murmured, nodding toward the food.…