Reborn in Castle (TV show)

Travis pointed toward the empty couch across from him, and Jane closed the door behind him before walking over and taking the seat. The room became quiet again.

Jane didn't say anything at first.

He simply watched.

It was something he had done for years. People always revealed more than they realized. A nervous glance, a change in breathing, a hand moving slightly when a painful memory surfaced. Most people tried to control their words, but their bodies usually told the truth.

Travis was different.

Jane expected to find something. He expected some reaction after entering a room with someone who claimed to know the identity of Red John. Fear, anger, hesitation, excitement, anything would have given him a starting point.

Instead, Travis remained completely calm.

His posture was relaxed, his breathing stayed steady, and his eyes never moved away. Even when Jane carefully watched his expressions and movements, Travis gave him nothing useful.

That surprised him.

Travis noticed the attention and leaned back slightly. "Surprised?"

Jane's expression changed for a moment before he gave a small smile. "A little. Most people aren't this good at hiding what they're thinking."

Travis shrugged. "I've had practice."

Jane continued studying him. He had met trained agents before, people who knew how to keep secrets and control their emotions, but Travis's level of control was unusual.

"You knew what I was doing," Jane said.

"Yeah," Travis replied. "You were checking if I was lying or if I had some kind of reaction when you came in."

Jane smiled faintly because the answer itself confirmed what he had already suspected.

Travis leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. "If I tell you his identity, you'll rush in with a gun and try to kill him for revenge."

Jane's smile disappeared.

Travis continued before he could respond. "And honestly, I'd probably do the same thing if I were in your shoes. Someone destroyed your life, took away everything you cared about, and spent years making you chase him. I understand why you want him dead."

Jane looked away briefly.

"But the thing is, before you reach him, a sniper will probably take you out, or a suicide bomber will blow you up," Travis said. "Red John has spent years preparing for people like you. He knows how they think, and he knows exactly how to make them act without thinking."

Jane stayed quiet while Travis watched his reaction.

"So what's the point?" Travis asked. "You get his name, run after him, and die before you ever get close enough to stop him."

Jane looked back at him.

For once, he didn't have a clever answer ready.

Travis sighed softly. "I know revenge feels like the only thing keeping you moving, but it also makes you predictable. And people like Red John survive because they know how to use predictable people. So, to catch someone like him, you need to know what he's capable of and what his weaknesses are."

Jane remained quiet for several seconds.

What bothered him wasn't Travis's confidence, as Jane had encountered plenty of confident people before. It was that Travis wasn't trying to impress him, nor was he acting like someone with a secret weapon or enjoying the advantage of knowing something Jane had spent years chasing. Instead, Travis sounded like someone warning him about an impending trap.

Jane leaned forward slightly. "You know his weakness?"

Travis nodded. "Yeah."

Jane waited.

"Red John's greatest weakness is his ego," Travis said. "A massive, fragile ego."

Jane's expression remained focused.

"He's brilliant. I'll give him that. He's a criminal mastermind, extremely patient, and one of the best manipulators I've ever seen. But he's also a narcissist. He doesn't just want to kill people. He wants people to know he did it. He wants them to understand how smart he is."

Travis leaned back against the couch.

"That's why he leaves signatures and games and spends years messing with you instead of just killing you when he has the chance. He doesn't just want victory. He wants recognition and to break your mind."

Jane looked down for a moment.

Because that part wasn't new.

He already knew Red John loved the game.

What bothered him was hearing someone else say it so calmly.

"But the problem with Red John isn't just his personality," Travis continued. "It's what he's capable of."

Jane looked back up.

"To understand that, you need to understand the Blake Association."

The name immediately caught Jane's attention.

Travis noticed.

"Red John didn't survive for years because he was just one smart guy hiding in the shadows. He built something bigger than himself."

Travis began to explain.

The Blake Association was a secret organization created by Red John that reached into different levels of law enforcement. It wasn't a normal criminal gang where everyone knew the person giving orders. Members were separated into smaller groups, and many of them only knew the people directly connected to them. Orders were passed down without revealing the full structure, making the organization much harder to expose.

The people inside the organization were officials who had power, access, and influence. Police officers, investigators, judges, and other people connected to the justice system used their positions to protect each other, erase problems, and make crimes disappear. Some joined because they needed a favor, while others became trapped because the organization had information they could use against them.

The system worked through secrets.

Someone inside the organization would fix a problem, and later that person would owe another favor. A mistake could be covered up. Evidence could disappear. Investigations could be redirected. A person who became dangerous to the group could suddenly find themselves hunted by the same system they once worked inside.

The name itself came from Red John's obsession with William Blake, especially the poem "The Tyger." The phrase "Tyger Tyger" became the organization's identifying phrase, while members carried a tattoo of three dots as a sign of belonging.

The most dangerous part was that Red John didn't need to personally control every action.

He created a structure where people protected the organization because they benefited from it, feared losing everything, or were afraid their own crimes would be exposed.

That was how Red John could influence investigations without appearing anywhere near them.

A police report could disappear.

A witness could change their story.

Evidence could be altered.

Someone chasing him could unknowingly be asking questions to one of his own people.

The Blake Association turned Red John from a single serial killer into something much harder to fight. He wasn't just hiding from law enforcement. He had people inside law enforcement helping him hide. And that was why chasing Red John blindly was exactly what he wanted, because every person who moved against him had to wonder whether the person standing beside them was actually helping him.

Travis watched Jane carefully.

He knew the information had changed something.

For years, Jane had imagined Red John as one man. A monster sitting somewhere, waiting for him.

The reality was worse.

Red John had built an entire system around himself. A system designed to survive even when people got close. And now Jane finally understood why someone like Red John had been able to stay ahead for so long. Every time he got close, Red John escaped. But the question is: how did Travis know that information? Is he telling the truth? What is his ultimate goal?

"Oh, by the way, since you're with the CBI, you've already met Red John a couple of times. Also, the reason you failed to catch RJ is because of the moles in CBI. Finally, we have three goals. First, get the drive with the entire roster of the Blake Association; second, kill Red John and destabilize the Blake Association; and third is to take down every single member on the list," Travis said as he stood up.

Jane also stood up.

Travis walked toward him and stopped.

"Oh, I know you have so many questions about how I know all these things and what my ultimate goal is. All you've got to know is I'll help you get your revenge and clean up the corruption. In return, you'll help me take down even a bigger corrupted organisation than The Blake Association," Travis said as he extended his hand toward Jane. "So, what do you say, Jane? I help you, you help me. Not a bad deal."

Jane looked at the hand Travis was offering him.

For years, he'd been chasing Red John, following false leads and falling into traps. Every clue he found came with a price, and usually just led to more confusion.

But now, in just one conversation, Travis had given him more than he'd learned in all that time. The Blake Association. The corruption within law enforcement. The reason Red John always seemed to know when he was getting close.

It all clicked.

Well, he had a suspicion about moles in CBI, but he didn't know who they were.

'This man knows too much, so either he's telling the truth, he's using me, or both.' Jane finally reached out and shook Travis's hand. "Deal."

Travis studied him for a moment. "You're taking this surprisingly well."

"I'm not taking it well," Jane replied. "I'm taking it seriously."

He released Travis's hand and walked toward the fake smiley on the wall, his expression becoming more thoughtful.

"For years, I assumed I was missing something. A pattern, a clue, some small detail that would finally lead me to him." Jane looked back toward Travis. "But if there are people inside the system protecting him, then every investigation, every conversation, every piece of evidence could have been compromised before I even knew it."

Travis nodded. "Exactly."

Jane looked toward the floor.

"If what you're saying is true, rushing after him would be the stupidest thing I could do."

"That's the first smart thing you've said since walking into this room," Travis replied.

Jane gave him a small amused look. "You really don't waste opportunities, do you?"

"Someone has to keep you from getting yourself killed."

A faint smile appeared on Jane's face before disappearing again.

"The deal makes sense," Jane admitted. "You need my help with something bigger than Red John, and I need information I can't get anywhere else. Mutual benefit."

Travis nodded.

Jane looked at him carefully. "Although I still have a lot of questions."

"I expected that."

"Who are you? How do you know all this? Why do you care about taking down organizations like the Blake Association?"

"All you gotta know is I hate corruption."

Jane watched him for a moment before asking, "What's his name?"

"Thomas McAllister," Travis answered.

Jane's expression changed instantly. He met McAllister during the murder investigation of a woman in a Napa Valley vineyard. He's a local sheriff. 'I was so close...' He wanted to show his anger and rage, knowing how close he was to Red John, but he suppressed it all and managed to keep his usual expression.

"What's your plan?" Jane asked.

"It's simple: first solve this copycat case, then steal the drive. After that, I'll capture Red John and give him to you along with the drive. Do whatever you want, just don't die," Travis said.

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[20 advance chs]