FIC: Reminder (1/1); The Mentalist
Title: Reminder
Author: sirenofodysseus
Rating: T
Characters: Red John, Teresa Lisbon, Patrick Jane, Grace Van Pelt, Wayne Rigsby, Kimball Cho, Craig O'Laughlin. RJ/TL. PJ/TL-ish. GVP/CO.
Summary: On his first visit to Scarlet Waters, he had somehow managed to get himself thrown in the clink for public intoxication.
Spoilers: None.
Author's Note: Written for 15genres1prompt, and this is for the Western genre.
--
Patrick Jane shoved his worn hands into his pockets, as he stepped through the doors to the Sherriff’s office. The small town of Scarlet Waters had never been one of his favorite places to visit out west on the traveling circuit, but he had always given the Sherriff-a gruff, old man by the name of Virgil Minelli-a common courtesy heads-up that he was going to be in town for nearly two weeks.
(On his first visit to Scarlet Waters, he had somehow managed to get himself thrown in the clink for public intoxication. Sheriff Minelli had let him out of the small clink, and demanded that he be told every time Jane visited the town.)
“Sherriff Minelli?” Jane called, as he glanced around the Sherriff’s office. In his opinion, the office didn’t exactly look any different than how he remembered it from his last visit; the holding cells were empty, three lone desks faced him, and the room smelled faintly of alcohol. “Sherriff Minelli?”
“He retired last year.” Jane furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar female voice, as he slowly turned to eye her-she was short, slender, and extremely attractive as she stood before him with her arms crossed against her chest, covered with a plaid buttoned-up shirt. Dark haired spilled from underneath her white cowboy had perched atop her head, while she stared him down with her bright emerald eyes. “Did you need to speak with the Sherriff?”
Jane nodded. “I suppose I should introduce myself to the new Sherriff.” The brunette made no motion to find the Sherriff, and he raised his eyebrow in her direction. “Do you know where he is? If not, could you go find him for me?” The female said nothing, while she merely uncrossed her arms and stepped forward.
“You’re talking to her.” Jane would have laughed, if it weren’t for the fact that she was actually wearing the Sherriff’s badge. “I’m Sherriff Teresa Lisbon, and you must be the infamous Patrick Jane.” He beamed. “It’s not a compliment, Mr. Jane. It just means I’ve heard enough stories about your drunken escapades, to the point where I’ve already had my deputies rename a jail cell just for you.” Jane chuckled; Sherriff Lisbon was a spitfire that was for sure. “Is there anything I can help you with today, Mr. Jane?”
Jane continued to beam. “How would you feel about having dinner with me, Sherriff Lisbon? I’d buy.” Lisbon raised her eyebrow, and he continued on. “I’m new to town, and I’m only asking for a little company.”
Lisbon shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mr. Jane.”
“I’m sure you’d love to see some of these escapades in person, Sherriff.” Jane pressed forward, with a tilt of the lips.
“I’ve got work to do.”
She turned away from him, and he frowned. Sherriff Teresa Lisbon was an odd one.
+++
The Scarlet Saloon wasn’t anything impressive, but it held six tables and an attractive little barkeep named Grace, that held the affections of many men within the small backwater town. The scarlet barkeep (for her hair was red) greeted him with a wave, and poured him a drink on the house.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Grace.” Jane greeted, as he took a sip of whatever she had poured him. “I’m here to stay for two weeks, before I decide to hit California for a while.” Grace nodded with a large smile.
“I assume you’ve met the new Sherriff then, Mr. Jane?”
Jane nodded, and took another sip of his drink. “Oh yeah, I met her. She’s something else.” Grace chuckled.
“Did you meet her Deputies?” Jane shook his head, and Grace indiscreetly titled her toward the two men behind him. “Deputies Wayne Rigsby and Kimball Cho.” Jane turned slightly to glance at the two men, who seemed deeply involved in whatever they were doing. “They’ve been sitting there for almost three hours. I’m thinking the Sherriff is putting them up to something, but god only knows.” Jane chuckled in response. “Oh, and by the way…it’s Mrs. Grace now.” Grace lifted her finger to show off her wedding ring, and Jane grinned.
“Who’s the lucky man?”
“Craig O’Laughlin.” Jane lost his smile; the name was awfully familiar, because O’Laughlin had once been a member of the nefarious Red John’s gang. “Craig isn’t who you think he is, Mr. Jane.”
“He rode with Red John, didn’t he?”
“Once upon a time, yes.” Grace admitted, lightly. “However, he’s not doing that anymore. He settled down with me, and…”
“I’m sure.” Jane interrupted. Grace glared. “Tell me more about Sherriff Lisbon?”
“You shouldn’t be talking about the Sherriff with her deputies in here, Mr. Jane.” Grace warned. “It’s bad business for you.”
Jane shrugged. “I’m sure they’ve got more things to focus on than drunken gossip.”
Grace sighed, as she leaned in closer. “I’ve heard she’s taken.”
“By who?” Jane asked, curiously.
“Nobody knows, really.” Grace replied. “The Deputies have never met him, and Sherriff Lisbon is an awfully private person.”
“You’re telling me?” Jane chuckled. Grace laughed. “She didn’t tell me she was the town Sherriff right away, so I made a fool out of myself.”
“Oh, she does that.” Grace commented. “It’s her signature move. Highest capture rate of criminals in the area. Sherriff Teresa Lisbon is a brave, strong, and intelligent woman.”
“I wonder why she hasn’t caught Red John yet, then.”
“I’ve heard her Deputies say that Red John is a slippery fish.” Jane nodded; from what he had heard about Red John, that seemed like a pretty accurate statement. Grace turned away from him to take care of the patron that had just entered the bar, and he briefly glanced down at the unlit candle on the bar counter.
+++
In the dark of the night, Red John rides and every so often, he visits the sleepy town of Scarlet Waters.
Some visits, he purposely arouses the town to remind them of who he is.
Other visits, he sneaks into the Sherriff’s home.
She never remembers their visits, only because it’s much better for them both that way.
Author: sirenofodysseus
Rating: T
Characters: Red John, Teresa Lisbon, Patrick Jane, Grace Van Pelt, Wayne Rigsby, Kimball Cho, Craig O'Laughlin. RJ/TL. PJ/TL-ish. GVP/CO.
Summary: On his first visit to Scarlet Waters, he had somehow managed to get himself thrown in the clink for public intoxication.
Spoilers: None.
Author's Note: Written for 15genres1prompt, and this is for the Western genre.
--
Patrick Jane shoved his worn hands into his pockets, as he stepped through the doors to the Sherriff’s office. The small town of Scarlet Waters had never been one of his favorite places to visit out west on the traveling circuit, but he had always given the Sherriff-a gruff, old man by the name of Virgil Minelli-a common courtesy heads-up that he was going to be in town for nearly two weeks.
(On his first visit to Scarlet Waters, he had somehow managed to get himself thrown in the clink for public intoxication. Sheriff Minelli had let him out of the small clink, and demanded that he be told every time Jane visited the town.)
“Sherriff Minelli?” Jane called, as he glanced around the Sherriff’s office. In his opinion, the office didn’t exactly look any different than how he remembered it from his last visit; the holding cells were empty, three lone desks faced him, and the room smelled faintly of alcohol. “Sherriff Minelli?”
“He retired last year.” Jane furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar female voice, as he slowly turned to eye her-she was short, slender, and extremely attractive as she stood before him with her arms crossed against her chest, covered with a plaid buttoned-up shirt. Dark haired spilled from underneath her white cowboy had perched atop her head, while she stared him down with her bright emerald eyes. “Did you need to speak with the Sherriff?”
Jane nodded. “I suppose I should introduce myself to the new Sherriff.” The brunette made no motion to find the Sherriff, and he raised his eyebrow in her direction. “Do you know where he is? If not, could you go find him for me?” The female said nothing, while she merely uncrossed her arms and stepped forward.
“You’re talking to her.” Jane would have laughed, if it weren’t for the fact that she was actually wearing the Sherriff’s badge. “I’m Sherriff Teresa Lisbon, and you must be the infamous Patrick Jane.” He beamed. “It’s not a compliment, Mr. Jane. It just means I’ve heard enough stories about your drunken escapades, to the point where I’ve already had my deputies rename a jail cell just for you.” Jane chuckled; Sherriff Lisbon was a spitfire that was for sure. “Is there anything I can help you with today, Mr. Jane?”
Jane continued to beam. “How would you feel about having dinner with me, Sherriff Lisbon? I’d buy.” Lisbon raised her eyebrow, and he continued on. “I’m new to town, and I’m only asking for a little company.”
Lisbon shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mr. Jane.”
“I’m sure you’d love to see some of these escapades in person, Sherriff.” Jane pressed forward, with a tilt of the lips.
“I’ve got work to do.”
She turned away from him, and he frowned. Sherriff Teresa Lisbon was an odd one.
+++
The Scarlet Saloon wasn’t anything impressive, but it held six tables and an attractive little barkeep named Grace, that held the affections of many men within the small backwater town. The scarlet barkeep (for her hair was red) greeted him with a wave, and poured him a drink on the house.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Grace.” Jane greeted, as he took a sip of whatever she had poured him. “I’m here to stay for two weeks, before I decide to hit California for a while.” Grace nodded with a large smile.
“I assume you’ve met the new Sherriff then, Mr. Jane?”
Jane nodded, and took another sip of his drink. “Oh yeah, I met her. She’s something else.” Grace chuckled.
“Did you meet her Deputies?” Jane shook his head, and Grace indiscreetly titled her toward the two men behind him. “Deputies Wayne Rigsby and Kimball Cho.” Jane turned slightly to glance at the two men, who seemed deeply involved in whatever they were doing. “They’ve been sitting there for almost three hours. I’m thinking the Sherriff is putting them up to something, but god only knows.” Jane chuckled in response. “Oh, and by the way…it’s Mrs. Grace now.” Grace lifted her finger to show off her wedding ring, and Jane grinned.
“Who’s the lucky man?”
“Craig O’Laughlin.” Jane lost his smile; the name was awfully familiar, because O’Laughlin had once been a member of the nefarious Red John’s gang. “Craig isn’t who you think he is, Mr. Jane.”
“He rode with Red John, didn’t he?”
“Once upon a time, yes.” Grace admitted, lightly. “However, he’s not doing that anymore. He settled down with me, and…”
“I’m sure.” Jane interrupted. Grace glared. “Tell me more about Sherriff Lisbon?”
“You shouldn’t be talking about the Sherriff with her deputies in here, Mr. Jane.” Grace warned. “It’s bad business for you.”
Jane shrugged. “I’m sure they’ve got more things to focus on than drunken gossip.”
Grace sighed, as she leaned in closer. “I’ve heard she’s taken.”
“By who?” Jane asked, curiously.
“Nobody knows, really.” Grace replied. “The Deputies have never met him, and Sherriff Lisbon is an awfully private person.”
“You’re telling me?” Jane chuckled. Grace laughed. “She didn’t tell me she was the town Sherriff right away, so I made a fool out of myself.”
“Oh, she does that.” Grace commented. “It’s her signature move. Highest capture rate of criminals in the area. Sherriff Teresa Lisbon is a brave, strong, and intelligent woman.”
“I wonder why she hasn’t caught Red John yet, then.”
“I’ve heard her Deputies say that Red John is a slippery fish.” Jane nodded; from what he had heard about Red John, that seemed like a pretty accurate statement. Grace turned away from him to take care of the patron that had just entered the bar, and he briefly glanced down at the unlit candle on the bar counter.
+++
In the dark of the night, Red John rides and every so often, he visits the sleepy town of Scarlet Waters.
Some visits, he purposely arouses the town to remind them of who he is.
Other visits, he sneaks into the Sherriff’s home.
She never remembers their visits, only because it’s much better for them both that way.