23. Red John's Footsteps

Complete story — includes the ending

When the body of Emma Plaskett is found on state land, the CBI is called in to investigate. As Jane notices the victim's toenails are painted with her own blood, the team looks up to see skywriting form Red John's signature smiley face. Emma's twin sister Maya is also missing, and the investigation begins at the Plaskett home. Jane does not think the girls were random targets, but something more personal, while Lisbon thinks this case is a trap that Red John has set for Jane. Rigsby and Cho track the skywriting transaction to a dummy corporation's P.O. Box and find a letter that leads them to the sender, a blind woman named Rosalind Harker. Rosalind had a relationship with Red John, but can only give a description of Red John based on her other senses. She does help shed some light on Red John's friend Dumar. Checking out a lead on a farm property linked to Red John, Jane is held at gunpoint by Sheriff Hardy, a.k.a. Dumar. Lisbon rescues Jane but Red John escapes. In the aftermath, Sheriff Hardy frees himself from handcuffs and tries to shoot Lisbon, but is killed by Jane.