My entry for this month's Paint it Red contest. The challenge's prompt was: Time was never on my side. Story: How a simple airplane flight can end up in everyone's worst nightmare. An explosion, a dead pilot and two CBI-agents are stuck in the middle of the desert with one very badly injured consultant. Lisbon and Cho are the only ones who can keep Jane alive when time runs out.

Two years after Red John, Patrick Jane is back in the US, working together with Lisbon for the FBI. When a stalker/killer Lisbon caught during Jane's absence escapes, it doesn't take long for the murderer to go after them in search of revenge, forcing them to take drastic measures. Jane takes Lisbon to a huge part of his past, not realizing this is exactly what the killer hoped.