Three bodies are found in the basement of an abandoned barn, and the CBI is called in to investigate. Forensic examinations reveal that the victims had likely been killed by a shotgun blast twenty five years ago. With very little to go on, Jane seeks out the town's older residents in order to uncover the mysteries behind the failed farm. Not only does Jane learn that the farm was owned by Bret Stiles' cult Visualize, but he discovers a familiar symbol on the side of the barn: Red John's mark. These killings were ten years before the first known victims of Red John, though, so Jane begins to wonder if he has finally found his nemesis' dark origin.