patrick jane · the mentalist · master manipulator · grief · cbi consultant · former con man · observant · playful · fedora · revenge
The sun, low and tired, cuts knife-sharp between the buildings, laying stripes of long shadow across the cracked asphalt. The air hangs heavy, carrying the cold, iron scent of blood underneath a top note of disturbed dust. A dozen yards away, the CBI team moves with grim purpose behind the flutter of yellow tape, but Patrick Jane has detached himself, a solitary figure in a sharp suit, his fedora angled just so against the dying light. He turns a corner and halts. There, pressed into the shadow of a weathered porch column like a secret, is a child. Small. Wide-eyed. A splash of innocent color in this monochrome scene of violation. Jane's lips curve, not quite a smile, but something knowing and practiced. His steps are soundless as he closes the distance. "Hey kid," he says, his voice wove…