Disclaimer: We own nothing, you hear that, nothing.
A/N Nerwen Aldarion: Hey! Long time no post! Peru was awesome BTW but man it was hard being away from a computer. Yep I know I promised an update to Red John's Making but let me explain before you start throwing things at me. Let's just say I was BLOWN AWAY by the season finale for The Mentalist, I'm sure you guys understand that right? Well this idea came to me while I was up till 2 in the morning still reeling in shock from what happened in Strawberries and Cream. I wanted to know what would happen next, and this is the result. This story will have three parts to accommodate it all and to make up for the wait this chapter is SUPER long! I hope this makes you feel better so get to reading! :-D
A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Yep when my sister told me this idea I was hooked. I'm sure we all have our theories about the upcoming season. This is just one of our "what ifs". We hope you all enjoy it.
Redemption
Part I: Actions Have Consequences
Chapter 1: Not So Burned Bridges
The lights flashed mutely in the bright morning sun as Lisbon pulled the SUV behind the line of police cars. Crime scene tape was stretched out across the street, holding back onlookers and gawkers alike. Lisbon simply flashed her badge at the officer standing guard, her three-man team following close behind.
An older detective was kneeling by one of the bodies, when he spotted Lisbon he didn't look pleased, pissed off about being pushed off the case by the bigger fish if she ever saw one. "I'm Agent Lisbon, CBI, this is my team Agents Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt. What can you tell me?"
He gave her a look as if sizing her up, "Detective Meyers," he said sharply. Yes he was definitely pissed, "We've got three bodies," he gestured to the three bundles underneath the opaque plastic. "Local misfits, all were armed and shot multiple times, I'm thinking gang violence."
"Did anybody hear or see anything?"
"Nope."
That threw her for a loop, "Three men were shot in the middle of the street and nobody looks out their window?"
The detective gave her a smug grin, "Ma'am in this part of town it is an off day when someone isn't shot."
Lisbon's patience with this detective was running thin. "Who found this scene?" Cho asked stepping in.
"A jogger this morning, he lives a few blocks over," but Meyers never took his eyes off Lisbon. Suddenly his whole face lit up, "I remember you now! You're the agent that worked with that psychic! How's that working out for you?" he asked cheekily. There was no doubt he already knew the answer to that question.
Her fingers itched for her gun but she resisted temptation and kept her cool but was more than happy to pull rank, "If you have nothing more to tell us then you should leave. This is a CBI case now." She kept her gaze steady making it clear that staying was not an option.
He hesitated, as if he wanted to stay to stir up more trouble but he noticed the angry glares from the entire team and wisely chose to walk away instead. The team watched him go as if making sure he was really gone, "What an asshole," Van Pelt declared.
Lisbon didn't say anything though she agreed wholeheartedly with the younger agent. She turned her gaze back to the crime scene and noticed Cho was doing the same. His background in gangs made him the expert on this case, "Cho, what do you see?"
He looked up at his boss and then back down at the scene, "It could be gangs but…" he looked around the scene, "This looks one sided, where are the casualties for the other side?"
Rigsby walked over to the other side of the perimeter, bent down to look at something on the pavement. "Blood!" he shouted, "might be a trail."
"Maybe someone on the other gang got hurt," Van Pelt hedged.
Cho pealed back the plastic over the bodies and shook his head, "No gang tattoos, not obvious ones anyways."
Lisbon noticed that but she also saw that the victim's car keys were beside him. She felt an emptiness all of a sudden and she knew why. She's half expected a hand to snatch up the keys and immediately pick out the victim's car; meanwhile she would be seething about protocol. But that didn't happen; it hadn't happened in a long time.
Lisbon shook her head and grabbed the keys, pointing them down the street and clicking the unlock button. Nothing happened so she tried the other direction. A black Camry's lights flickered close by. She and her team headed straight for it.
Rigsby peeked into the front windows, "Nothing but a coffee cup in the front seat," he said.
Van Pelt didn't see anything in the back seat while Lisbon popped the trunk. Rigsby let out a low whistle when he saw the bricks of cocaine stacked neatly in the space.
"Well it wasn't gangs," Cho declared.
"Nope," Lisbon agreed, "It was drugs."
Back at the CBI headquarters the new case continued to heat up, "The victims are Carl Lightly, José Martinez and Ryan Underwood, all here have rap sheets which include possession with intent to sell, aggravated assault, and battery," Cho announced.
"Nice guys," Van Pelt said dryly.
"Wasn't Carl Lightly involved in something big a while back?" Rigsby asked.
"Yeah!" Van Pelt exclaimed, "Wasn't someone killed?"
"Terri Waters," Cho finished, "she died from an overdose, Lightly was her dealer. Her father has money, he didn't take it well that the prosecution only went for possession and not for wrongful death."
Lisbon eyed the three mug shots, all of them showed big tough men who portrayed a no nonsense attitude. "How did three drug dealers get killed like this?" she asked aloud, "They don't strike me as the type to be caught unawares very easily."
"Deal gone south," Rigsby offered, "a buyer didn't want to pay up."
"So he leaves the drugs behind?"
Rigsby looked a little sheepish at forgetting such a telling fact, Lisbon ignored it, "Then there is the blood, set apart and away from them."
"You think they were lured out there?" Cho asked.
Lisbon didn't reply but continued to let the gears in her mind turn, "Van Pelt, has forensics matched the blood we found at the scene?"
Van Pelt reached for her phone; "I'll call them right now."
Lisbon turned back to the rap sheets but her own cell phone began to ring soon afterwards. She saw the name David pop up on her caller I.D. and she couldn't suppress a smile. She excused herself and went to her office before answering, "Hi."
"Hey Teresa," his voice was smooth, relaxed and deliciously sexy, "How are you doing?"
"Nothing new," she told him, "You?"
"Well my morning surgery went well and I had a cancellation for this afternoon," he told her coyly, "I was thinking about having a real lunch for a change. I'd love some company."
Lisbon grinned but cursed the terrible timing of the case, "Nothing would make me happier but I've got a triple homicide."
"Ugh," he replied, "I'm guessing your boss won't take me wanting to see you as a good excuse."
"Probably not."
"Damn," David sighed, "looks like I'm back to eating a hot dog out of the cart alone."
She laughed softly and so did David. The truth was that they understood each other well. They were both workaholics that worked in high pressure jobs which meant phone calls sometimes had to suffice.
"How's are you guys doing? How are things at home?" David asked.
"We're all doing fine," Lisbon told him, "and things at home are just the usual, he keeps finding ways to get into trouble and then charming his way out."
David chuckled, "I'll have to come over to see him again."
"He'd love that," Lisbon looked out her office window to see Van Pelt hanging up her phone. She turned and waved Lisbon over, the results must be in. "David something has come up in the case, I've got to go."
"I understand, I'll call you later."
"I look forward to it," she reluctantly hung up her cell phone and went to meet Van Pelt in the squad room, "You have something?"
"Forensics matched the blood to Kyle Matthews. He just got out of State Prison for robbery and he used to work for Carl Lightly."
That really caught Lisbon's interest, "He might have been and employee fleeing the scene or…"
"He might have wanted the business for himself," Van Pelt finished.
"Find Matthews," Lisbon told her, "I want to know why he was there."
"Is this the place?" Lisbon asked as she pulled the SUV into the parking lot of Shelbourne Apartment Complex. Despite the regal sounding name the building it self was a little worse for the wear, clearly a cheap place to live but it at least looked somewhat clean. Lisbon had seen worse while on the job, lived in worse too.
"This is it," Cho declared from the passenger side.
Rigsby leaned over to look out the window from the back seat, taking in the look of the building just as she had. "Not bad for a parolee."
She didn't say anything but simply parked the car and got out, she was ready to find out what Matthews knew. It seemed likely that the case might just be over soon enough, it would be difficult for Matthews to explain how his blood was at the crime scene without admitting to the crime. Sometimes cases were like that; sometimes the pieces just fell into place from the beginning. Other times it was a lot of gnashing teeth and late nights to put the puzzle together. Even worse, sometimes they were never solved.
Lisbon shook those miserable thoughts from her mind; today was not that kind of case. When she stepped inside the small lobby with worn carpet she saw a nice looking old man behind the cramped desk. "What can I do for you?" He asked pleasantly.
"We're looking for Kyle Matthews," Lisbon explained showing her badge, "we want to ask him a few questions about a murder."
The old man looked down sadly, "Poor kids, you try to give them a second chance but they just keep falling into that trap again."
"We're not assuming anything," She told him, "we just want some answers."
He nodded, "Well he lives in 302." Then something caught his eye and he turned to look out the window, "but he's just outside right now."
They followed his gaze to see a tall lanky man with brown hair and large unsure eyes loading a duffel bag into a beat up pick up truck. He looked a little thinner than in his mug shot but there was no doubt it was the man they were looking for. The team raced out of the door as quickly as they could, but slowed to a fast walk so as not to frighten him away. "Kyle Matthews!" Lisbon called out to him from across the parking lot, "We need to talk about Carl Lightly."
Matthews looked up at them as soon as he heard them. Then in the moment it took to process just what was happening he threw open the driver door to the truck, slammed it shut and gunned the engine.
Lisbon broke into a run to try and intercept him, she had her gun drawn and pointed it at the fleeing vehicle but he was already speeding away and out of sight. "Dammit," she muttered as she was forced to watch him flee.
Immediately she pulled out her cell phone, "Van Pelt," she said as soon as the younger agent answered, "put out an APB on Kyle Matthews, he's running."
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An interstate map of California was unfurled on Van Pelt's desk in the squad room while the phones seemed to be constantly ringing. Lisbon still took the time to outline a plan to find Matthews as quickly as possible. All highway patrolmen were on the look out for Matthews and the news reporters were being helpful for once, flashing a picture of him on the TV screens and urging viewers to call in if they saw him.
The map had pencil markings and pins stuck into the location of the apartment where had last been seen, a large circle had been drawn to show the search area they would focus on. Family members and friends had been contacted and questioned which had meant adding a few more pins to the map.
But after twelve hours with no luck, Lisbon began to fear that their lead on the case was going to disappear indefinitely. She felt a headache slowly creeping up on her just like always when she began to come on a dead end on a case.
"We talked to his ex-girlfriend, his old roommate," Rigsby said, "No one knows where he is."
"And if they do, they aren't talking," Grace finished.
"So that's it, we give up then?" Lisbon asked sarcastically, her frustration was dangerously close to reaching that critical peak.
"That's not what we're saying boss," Rigsby explained sheepishly, "but we are running out of options here."
Lisbon wanted to disagree, wanted to tell him that he was wrong but couldn't. She hated his feeling of helplessness. "I know," she sighed. She had a heavy heart but refused to give it up, "Van Pelt," she turned to her youngest agent, "bring the girlfriend back in, maybe she'll give us something in interrogation."
"You may not need to," Cho's voice broke in. She turned to see him putting his cell phone away. "I just got a call from Matthews' cellmate in the State Prison, he said he can tell us where Matthews is."
And there it was, the Hail Mary that just might save the day, "Who is he?" Lisbon asked animatedly, "What does he want?"
But Cho hesitated, that was never a good sign, she braced herself for something awful, "It's Jane, boss. Matthews' cellmate was Jane."
If an angel had walked into the room with a trumpet to announce Armageddon, Lisbon couldn't have been more shocked. It was unimaginable that the past would creep up on her like this. Of all of the inmates in state prison it had to be Patrick Jane that held the key to solving the case.
Lisbon swallowed back her emotions but couldn't hide her discomfort, "How did he…" she began again, "How did he know?"
"He said he heard about Matthews on the news, it showed you at the crime scene," Cho shrugged, "He figured he could help."
She nodded slowly, "Of course he did." Lisbon considered her options carefully; the problem was that she could only see two before her. Continue on banging at that brick wall that held no answers or speak to the man who might, even if she had sworn never to have anything to do with him again. Finally she sighed, there really was no other choice. "Cho, you and Rigsby go talk to him, see what he knows."
Cho looked uncomfortable again and Lisbon felt her stomach tighten in a knot. "He said that he would only talk to you."
The blood rushed in Lisbon's ears as soon as he said those words. It was just like Jane to make such a demand and it would be like him to stick to it. But she couldn't give in; she wasn't going back on her word and go back down that road again. The scars were still healing from the last time she traveled down it, she didn't know if she could survive new ones. "No! Hell no!"
"He says he can help us," Grace began quietly.
"Then he would help us!" Lisbon replied.
"It's what he wants," Rigsby reminded her.
"I don't care," She exclaimed, "but I'm not going to play his games again. Not now, not ever. As far as I'm concerned, Patrick Jane can go to hell!"
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The next morning Lisbon was at the CBI HQ extremely early after spending a sleepless night thinking about the recent turn of events. She had gone back and forth on her decisions to dismiss Jane's help; she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she was letting her personal feelings cloud her judgment on this one.
She was standing in front of the large map of California that was pinned to the wall. Circles and pins indicated the possible search areas for Matthews, every single one of them led to nowhere. That was where Cho found her, mug of coffee in his hand and the same blank expression he always wore.
"I'm doing the right thing," Lisbon said as soon as Cho stood beside her. It was more of a question then a statement, seeking his opinion.
Cho took a sip of coffee, "You are trying to protect the integrity of the case."
"Damn straight," Lisbon agreed, "Jane never does follow the rules. If I talk to him, if I ask for his help, then I risk the case being dismissed."
Her teammate shrugged, "If you don't ask him for help you may not have a case."
Lisbon sighed heavily but kept her eyes on the map in front of her, "We aren't getting anywhere are we?"
"No, we're not."
She crossed her arms over her chest and studied the map. Following the interstate that led from the CBI to the State Prison, which housed the menace in her life. "What do you think he wants?" she asked and finally turned to look at Cho, "Why does he want to talk to me?"
Cho gave her that dead panned stare, "Do you really want me to say it?"
She thought for a moment, "No, I guess not." Lisbon turned back to look at the map again but wasn't really seeing it. Her mind was far away to several years ago when everything that she thought she knew and understood fell apart, all because of one man. She didn't want to face him again, didn't want to give him the satisfaction of another meeting. "What is it about our demons that just come back to haunt us?"
He shook his head, "I don't know."
Lisbon eyed him with a small smile on her lips, "You got any advice?"
"No," Cho told her and looked at the map, "But whatever you decide I'll stand by it."
"I know you've got my back," Lisbon said, "You all do." Then she looked at the map one last time and sighed, "But I know what I have to do."
Then she turned around to head into her office to gather her things…it was time to face her demon with the blue-green eyes again.
The State Prison that housed low risk inmates was a place Lisbon had seen several times before for exactly the same reason: to see what an inmate knew. She had never felt anxiety or fear before though, always a steady determination that she would get whatever information she needed. This time that determination had abandoned her now, she wasn't certain of anything, least of all what would happen.
The guard led her into the processing area where she had to hand over her gun and sign the log sheet with the time of her visit. She was informed that all conversations would be recorded and that she was not allowed to pass anything or try to get around the glass to touch the inmate at all. Lisbon simply let the guard talk; she'd heard all of this before many times, all she wanted was to get this over with.
Finally she was led into the visiting room where she sat down in front of a plexi-glass window and a large black phone that connected to the other side. Now it was just the wait for the guards to bring him out. Lisbon could feel each second tick away with each beat of her heart. What was she doing here? She shouldn't have come. Jane was too resourceful, could always read her so well. He'd manipulate her, ruin her investigation somehow or worse…find out what she'd kept from him all of these years.
She heard the buzz of the doors opening and saw two guards leading an inmate through the room. There he was. Dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit that did nothing for him, but his hair was still rakish mop of blonde curls. As soon as he saw her he smiled, it was the same smile that she had seen every day for seven years and damn it if it didn't make her heart flip over in her chest again.
Jane was poised as he picked up the phone, waiting until she picked up her own extension and put it to her ear, "Hello Lisbon."
"What do you have on Matthews?" She asked deciding to make it clear that this was strictly business, not a social visit by any means.
"You look great," he told her, "just like when I saw you last, very lovely. I'm lucky that I have you here to myself, some of the other men here wouldn't be quite as polite if they saw you."
"Charming," Lisbon stated, "Do you have anything on Matthews or did you bring me down here to fulfill some twisted game?"
"You think I'd ask you to come all this way as some sort of joke?" Jane asked calmly, "I'm hurt Lisbon."
"Everything to you is a joke," she shot back.
"That's not true," Jane replied, "You just take everything far too seriously."
Frustrated Lisbon pushed her chair back a few inches, "I don't have time for this," she said and hung up the phone.
Jane knocked on the glass before she could get up completely and gestured for her to pick up her line again. She glared at him all the time she settled down and replaced the phone to her ear, "You don't think I remember an empty threat when I hear one Lisbon?"
"If you don't start giving me some straight answers then it won't be a threat but reality."
He simply looked at her almost disappointed, "Still no patience I see." Then he leaned back a little in his seat, "I saw the case on the news: three men were killed in what looks like a contract hit."
"Yes," Lisbon explained, "It wasn't a professional and we found Matthews' blood at the scene, we think that one of the guys clipped him during the gun fight but he killed them first."
"He didn't do it," Jane stated firmly.
She raised her eyebrows at his words, "Would you like to provide some proof before you write off my prime suspect?"
"Matthews is a weak man, he needs a leader to tell him what to do. He's naïve and a little bit of a fool and a coward, but he has a gentle soul, misguided but gentle," Jane explained, "He doesn't have the mettle to commit a crime like this. His style is more petty things, drugs and a little robbery. I doubt he'd be able to look one of your victims in the eye let alone pull a gun on them."
Lisbon shook her head in disbelief, "His blood was at the crime scene and when we went to talk to him he ran, that doesn't look like innocence."
"Sure it does," Jane replied, "Matthews must have been at the meet, possibly just a coincidence, and one of the bullets nicked him on accident. He's running because, while a fool, he isn't completely brain-dead, he knows how it looks and he's scared."
"That's great," Lisbon said dryly, "but I'd rather talk to him first before I decide anything."
"When you meet him you will see," Jane assured her, "he couldn't have done it."
Lisbon pulled out her pad and pen, "Then tell me his location so I can pick him up."
Jane smiled, "I can't tell you that."
Anger flared through her once again, "What do you mean you can't tell me?"
"I don't know it."
Her eyes widened and she thought about finding a way to break through the glass and strangle him, "You told me you did!"
"No I said I know where you could look, unfortunately Matthews never told me where he would hide in the event that the CBI was chasing him." Lisbon rolled her eyes but Jane continued, "Matthews found refuge in the outdoors, probably something from his childhood, maybe he was a boy scout who was only happy out camping with his troop. Maybe his father would take him fishing at a nearby river…"
"What does this have to do with anything?"
"Matthews is a coward, when looking for a place to hide he would seek a place of comfort. Someplace he knows but probably hasn't been to for a long time," Jane told her, "He was from Angels Camp. I'd look around at the state parks nearby, the ones with secluded cabins, possibly by the river."
Lisbon wrote down the information he'd given her. It was a thin lead but fortunately Jane was almost always right about these kinds of things. She put the pen down and looked back at him, "Is that it?"
"No," Jane said with a cryptic smile, "When you find Matthews I want to talk to him."
She gave him a doubtful look, "Why would I let you do that?"
"Because I can get him to tell you who the real killer is."
Lisbon scoffed, "One, I'm not sure if he isn't the real killer and two, what makes you think that I can't do that myself?"
"Because I know how he thinks. You interrogate him and he'll clamp up like a frightened child," He leaned in close, his eyes sparkling and spoke softly into the phone, "I can not only get him to tell you who the real killer is, I can help you set up a way to trap them."
Lisbon didn't doubt Jane meant what he said. She had been asked all the time why she kept him around for as long as she did. Because he could catch killers. It might not have been a normal way, it may have been damn sketchy but he did it, he did it a hell of a lot faster than she could. More than anything Lisbon wanted this case to be done and unfortunately it seemed that in order to do so she would have to work with Patrick Jane again.
But she knew he wasn't telling her everything, "So that's it," She said, "You help me get Matthews and catch the real killer and you don't want anything in return?"
"I didn't say that."
There it was. It appeared that Jane wasn't unlike the other inmates she knew after all. He was willing to help but only if it would somehow benefit him. "What do you want?" she asked, "you want some perk for your cell or for me to put in a good word for you to your warden?"
Jane chuckled softly, "I don't need anything like that. I'm already on his good side after I helped him quit smoking."
Of course he did.
"So what is it then?" She asked feeling more than a little irritated at his little riddles.
He leaned forward and looked seriously in her eyes, "I want you to come back and speak to me."
Lisbon never thought he would ask for that! "What?" she asked even though she'd heard him the first time.
"I want to talk to you again," Jane repeated, "Just a social visit, a little chat if you will."
"Not a chance," Lisbon said firmly.
"Come on Lisbon, are you seriously telling me that you are willing to give up this opportunity to solve this case because you don't want to speak with me?"
Damn, she hated it when he spoke so logically. She covered her eyes with her hand and sighed, she wasn't willing to give in so easily. "Why Jane? Why do you want that?"
Jane looked forlorn for a moment and spoke softly, "Because I've missed you, I've wanted to see you again for a while now…I don't want to miss this chance."
Lisbon shook her head, "No Jane…you lost that, you lost it all when you decided to kill a man."
"Even if that man was Red John?"
"I don't care if he was Hitler," Lisbon exclaimed, "you killed him, killed him in the middle of a mall in cold blood. You should have called it in, should have let us arrest him."
"I told you before that I wasn't going to let that happen," Jane reminded her.
"I know," Lisbon replied, "Which is something that I have to live with every day." She kept her eyes on his, "You don't even realize what you did, what your actions caused."
Jane held her gaze but this time it was probing, as if he was trying to read her again, "I might if you tell me."
Lisbon shrank back, knowing what he was trying to get her to do, "No."
He didn't tear his eyes away from hers, "You are keeping something from me."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are," Jane cut in, "It's why you have been so nervous around me."
"The only thing I feel around you is the urge to shoot you," Lisbon replied, "Unfortunately I don't have my gun."
"You shouldn't let your anger for me cloud your judgment Lisbon," Jane explained, "If you are going to solve this case you are going to need my help…and you know what my terms are." She didn't reply but looked away from his eyes, unable to meet his gaze any longer. He smiled knowingly, "Think about it Lisbon, and call me when you decide."
With that he hung up the phone and the guards came back to escort him to his cell again. Lisbon watched him walk away and he turned back to smile at her before the door shut behind him.
She hated this feeling of uncertainty, hated how Jane had been able to see through her once again. But Lisbon was becoming certain that the only way she would ever be able to put this case was to rest was if she made a deal with the devil.
She was just afraid that she would lose her soul once again.
The team looked up immediately as soon as Lisbon stepped into the squad room. If there was any attempt to hide their curiosity they didn't try hard enough, they looked at her with expectant eyes that all but begged her to tell them what she and Jane had talked about. She was not sorry to disappoint them in the least.
"Rigsby," she began, "Check out the parks around Angels Camp, look for ones that have camp grounds and cabins and see if any of them are closed to the public right now." She turned to look at Cho, "Cho, call up Matthews' ex girl friend, see if she remembers him mentioning any campground or park that he would go to when he was younger, cross check those against the parks Rigsby finds." Now her attention was to her remaining agent, "Van Pelt, any leads come in on Matthews' location."
Van Pelt was shook her head, "No ma'am," but it was obvious her attention was elsewhere. She was trying to read Lisbon's face for hints. Lisbon turned away, "Tell me when you find something," she said before entering her office.
It didn't take long for Grace to follow. She quietly shut the door behind her and approached her boss, "You went to see Jane."
Lisbon sighed knowing that Grace wouldn't let this go but was also grateful for her compassion, "Yes, he had an idea of where Matthews would be." It wasn't what Grace really wanted to hear but it was the truth.
Grace glanced around to see if anyone was listening, an involuntary action when she wanted to ask something privately. She whispered, "Did you talk to him about…" her voice trailed off but there was no need to continue.
"No," she replied, "And I don't intend to."
"Alright," Grace nodded, still in the mindset of a supportive friend, "If you need to talk about it."
Lisbon cut her off, "We're in the middle of a man hunt; this isn't the time to discuss these sorts of things." But she smiled at Grace gratefully, "but thank you."
"I'll be here," she told her boss before smiling softly and returning back to her desk. Lisbon watched Grace leave and briefly wondered if she should have accepted her friend's offer, it might have helped her know for sure that her decision was the right one.
An hour later Rigsby came to her office, "Boss, we might have something."
"What is it?"
"Matthews' girlfriend said he used to go to a park with his father, something with trees. Near Angels Camp there is a state park called Calaveras Big Trees State Park," Rigsby explained, "they have cabins but they aren't supposed to be open right now."
Lisbon nodded and grabbed her gun and badge, "Call the state park officials let them know that we believe Matthews could be there but don't approach, he could be dangerous."
It was time to see if Jane was right.
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Cabin 3 was in a secluded area of the park; it was beautiful during May when the dogwood trees were in full bloom. At other times of the year it is a small getaway from everyone and everything. Matthews chose Cabin 3 for that reason: to get away.
He was peacefully washing the lone dish he'd eaten his dinner on when the door to the cabin slammed open and a pack of officers with guns burst into the tiny building. Matthews instinctively put his hands over his head just as one of the officer's yelled, telling him to lay on the ground flat as well.
Lisbon entered the building with her gun and handcuffs ready, "It's over Matthews," she said as she locked the cuffs around his wrist. "We have a few questions for you…and you will answer them."
Matthews sat like a statue in the interrogation room, staring blankly at Rigsby, only blinking every once in a while. He didn't move, didn't speak, just sat there completely still. It was a little unnerving but more than that, it was frustrating to ask question after question and receive not even a grunt of acknowledgement.
After an hour of silence Rigsby was called out of the room and met up with Lisbon and Cho outside. "He's not saying anything," he told them, "he's not even asking for a lawyer."
Cho looked to his boss, "Do you think you would get him to talk?"
Lisbon watched the man inside of the interrogation room and remembered what Jane said. You interrogate him and he'll clamp up like a frightened child. He had been right about where Matthews would be and he had been right about how Matthews would react under interrogation, silent like a small boy afraid to say the wrong thing so he says nothing at all.
Jane had also said that he could get him to talk but Lisbon did not want to turn over her investigation to an inmate, even if she had once considered him a friend. He was reckless and a liability now, it would be difficult to get a jury to agree with the methods of a convicted felon.
But Jane tended to be right…and she wasn't getting anywhere following the book.
"Hold him here until I say otherwise," Lisbon told them, "I need to speak to Hightower immediately."
She left her team to sit with Matthews while they wondered just what she was planning to do to get Matthews to cooperate. Lisbon was no fool, she knew that this idea was ridiculous and could probably destroy the integrity of the case before it ever went to court and Hightower probably wouldn't approve it anyways. Perhaps a small part of her wanted that outcome, wanted to be told 'no' so that she could walk away from this without facing Jane again.
But Lisbon did not like to leave cases unfinished and she was willing to put aside her own misgivings to solve them.
Madeline Hightower had moved back into her office almost a year after the threat of Red John had been eliminated. She was still the hardnosed boss she'd always been, but everyone had been ecstatic to welcome her back mostly because it meant LaRoche was gone. Lisbon had joined in on the celebrations silently but looked at her boss with a new level or respect. An understanding had been formed between the two agents in the wake of O'Laughlin's and Red John's deaths that had made the working relationship between them much easier than it had been before. Still, Lisbon wasn't entirely sure how this request would go, Hightower had supported Jane in the past, but that was before he had been arrested for killing someone.
Hightower was behind her desk, a normal stance for Lisbon to find her, but she looked up as soon as the agent stepped through the door. "Agent Lisbon, what brings you here?"
"Complications with the Matthews case."
She set her pen down and leaned back in her chair, "I thought you captured him."
"We did…but he isn't cooperating in interrogation."
"What exactly do you mean by 'he isn't cooperating'?"
Lisbon sighed, "He isn't saying anything. He won't talk to anyone, he doesn't want an attorney; he's just sitting there."
"I assume you have a plan to make him talk."
She nodded, "I do."
A gangly clerk with wire rimmed glasses and tired eyes walked into the room. Lisbon remembered that his name was Todd Farlen. "Ma'am, I brought the files on Carl Lightly and Kyle Matthews just as you asked." He looked at Hightower like a dog happy to have brought back the stick that had been thrown for him.
Lisbon flinched a little at the mentions of Lightly and Matthews. The fact that Todd was bringing Hightower the case files must have meant that she'd asked for him. It could mean that Hightower was simply catching up on the current cases…or it could mean she was questioning Lisbon's handling of the case.
"Thank you Todd," Hightower replied as he set the files on her desk.
Todd turned and smiled at Lisbon, "Good to see you Agent Lisbon."
Lisbon just nodded; she was trying to keep her feelings about Hightower looking into the cases herself. They didn't pick up the conversation again until after Todd left. "What do you have in mind to get him to talk?" Hightower asked, choosing to ignore the elephant in the room.
It was the necessary question that Lisbon didn't want to answer. It was humiliating to have to stoop this low, to have to go back down that road she thought she'd left behind. It took a lot of willpower to finally say it, "I want to bring in Jane."
Hightower's eyebrows shot clear up to her hairline, "Jane is in prison for manslaughter," she reminded her agent.
"I know."
Madeline crossed her arms and gave Lisbon a stern look, "And still you want to bring him in…why?"
Now it was time to tell the whole truth. "Jane was Matthews' cell mate, he also gave me the tip to where we could find Matthews. I think he will have a better shot at getting Matthews to talk to us about the murder."
Hightower was silent for a long time, never taking her eyes off Lisbon. "This is a risky decision. Jane is damaged goods, his actions have tainted many cases already and put the CBI under heavy investigations four years ago. Are you sure that this is what you want?"
"It's not a matter of what I want but what I need to do," Lisbon explained, "Jane knows Matthews, he believes that he can get him to talk. As many problems as Jane caused he never lied about what he could do…not when it mattered."
She nodded, "He would have to be monitored at all time, he might have been your friend once but don't forget that in the eyes of the law he is a convicted felon."
I could never forget that Lisbon thought but instead said, "I know ma'am."
She studied Lisbon for another moment, "Very well, bring him in." Lisbon nodded, grateful that she got what she needed with relative ease. "But if he does anything, and I mean anything, that could compromise the case or the CBI then it will be on your head Agent Lisbon."
"I understand," she replied, it wasn't anything she hadn't heard or faced before.
"Good," Hightower leaned back again and now became slightly less formal, "I hope you're prepared for the circus this will cause."
Lisbon wanted to put on a brave front, "I can handle him," she told her boss but inside she wondered how she would fare working closely with Jane again, even if it was temporary.
Better question: would she survive it unscathed?
"What am I doing?" Lisbon asked herself. The apparent answer was she was waiting for the bus with the imposing letters "California Department Corrections Transport" to arrive. The philosophical answer: playing with fire. That was Jane, unpredictable. One small spark from him could easily turn into a raging wildfire. One she could be burned in.
Grace had offered to wait with her but she had declined. She didn't want to give Jane the impression that they were welcoming him back. He was no longer a part of their team.
The bus rolled into the HQ back entrance and came to a stop in front of her. Lisbon knew Jane was probably watching her through the tiny slits in the side of bus so she did her best to give away nothing. Her poker face was on.
Jane stepped out the bus still in his prison jumpsuit and cuffs. He smiled when he saw her but she did not reciprocate. The guard came down after him with a clipboard. "Agent Lisbon?" he asked.
"Yes."
"I need you to sign here so this transfer is complete. Once you sign, the prisoner is your responsibility until he is returned to our custody."
Her responsibility. Jane had been just that before and look how it had turned out. "This is only temporary," she thought, "Once he talks to Matthews you can send him back to his cell and forget this ever happened."
She signed her name to the form. "Thanks," the guard said, "We'll call you every half hour to make sure he is still in your custody."
"That isn't necessary," Jane said, "I wouldn't dream of trying to escape."
"He already fulfilled that dream," Lisbon said. She remembered when he escaped from jail five years ago after he had bugged Boscoe's office.
She took a hold of Jane's arm and shoved him forward. "Let's go."
Lisbon led Jane to the elevator and pushed the button with the arrow pointing up. Her phone jingled to signal a new text message. Jane looked interested in the sound and followed her hands as she unhooked her phone from her belt clip. No way was he going to pry into her personal life.
She purposefully tilted the phone away from him so she could read David's text. "I miss u. I have pizza & wine ready when u get the chance."
She couldn't help but smile and his lovely offer. Maybe if Jane proved useful she would be able to get out early enough for the meal.
"What did your boyfriend say?"
Lisbon snapped her head to the right to see Jane smiling back at her. The bastard! "It's my brother, Tommy," she said.
"Come on, Lisbon, you should know better than to lie to me."
The elevator opened to spare her from responding to his humiliating inquiry. But Jane wasn't ready to call it quits. "Who is he?" he asked as they stepped on board.
"No one," she said.
"You must have met him on a case. Is he in law enforcement?" Jane asked, "No, you wouldn't date someone from your field. You'd consider it a liability. He must have been a consultant of some kind. Perhaps a—."
"Jane!" she hissed his name, "This isn't Disneyland and you aren't on vacation. You are here to help us with our investigation, that is it. You will not ask me or anyone else about their personal lives. Your job is to get Matthews to talk, then when you get back to prison it is to make license plates."
She had hoped that her stern words would shame him to some level. But he still smirked and said, "He is a doctor, isn't he?"
Lisbon rolled her eyes as the elevator doors opened again and she pushed him out. She and Jane were back on the floor they both knew so well. She didn't really have to lead him down the hallway, but it was her duty to make sure he didn't try to run so she maintained her grip on him. They walked past the squad room where her team all sat.
Rigsby, Cho and Van Pelt all looked up when he past. She noticed that he smiled and nodded as a sort of greeting. Van Pelt and Rigsby both ducked down and pretended to work but Cho kept his eye contact. He didn't nod back, but Lisbon knew that he wasn't as embarrassed as the others. He was the only one who had kept some contact with Jane, aside from the occasional birthday and Christmas card Grace had felt obligated to send him.
Everyone they passed looked at Jane but no one said a word. For Lisbon, this was the hardest walk of her life. She was grateful when they made it to the interrogation room where Matthews waited with a lone guard standing to watch over him.
Matthews immediately perked up as soon as Jane was escorted through the door. His face broke into a wide grin, "Jane!"
Jane smiled as well as he took a seat across from Matthews, "It's good to see you too Kyle, I wish they were under better circumstances."
"You have no idea, man," Kyle agreed but he was still smiling, "Why'd they bring you here?"
"I asked," Jane told him simply.
Kyle finally grew somber. He looked at Jane pitifully. "I didn't do it. I didn't kill Carl and the others."
"Oh I knew that already," He replied, waving it off as if it was nothing, "and they do too, or rather they will, but you need to tell me why you were there."
The other man was silent for a long time, looking down at the table as if he didn't want to meet the probing eyes of a parent. Eventually he looked back up at Jane, "I got a message in the mail. Carl…I thought it was Carl, told me to meet him there." He became oversensitive quickly, "I didn't want to, I didn't want to work for Carl again," Kyle said defensively, "but I was afraid that if I didn't go he might hurt me or something."
"It's alright," Jane explained, "that doesn't matter. What happened when you got there, what did you see?"
"I was just walking up to the spot when I saw them get out of their car…all three of them. A guy was waiting for them there," He continued, "they talked for a couple of minutes and then…then he just started shooting at them. One bullet nicked me." Kyle pulled back the sleeve of his shirt to show a white bandage wrapped around his arm, a small bit of blood still seeped through, "but I didn't care, I just wanted to get out of there."
Kyle looked ashamed, "I was afraid that the guy was going to try and kill me after seeing it so I thought I should go away for a while. I know it looks bad but I didn't do it!"
Jane ignored the defense again, "Did you see anything that could identify the shooter? Anything at all?"
He shook his head, "I didn't get a clear look at the guy…he drove away quick afterwards."
"You saw his car?"
"Yup, little blue or black thing but I don't know models and junk," then Kyle brightened considerably, "His license plate! I think I can remember part of it! Four, eight…maybe a one or a seven…then and 'R', 'T and an 'O'…or maybe a 'C'."
He beamed at Jane who smiled, "That's good Kyle." Then Jane turned to look at Lisbon with a smug satisfied expression on his face.
Lisbon was less than impressed at what Jane had been able to get out of Matthews but she told the guard to keep Kyle in lock up as she escorted Jane out of the interrogation room. Obviously Jane noticed, "What?" he asked regarding the less than happy look on her face.
"You're kidding me right?" She said more than a little exasperated with him.
"I told you Kyle was innocent, now he's given you something to do off of."
"That is not a lead," Lisbon told him, "that was barely anything that was helpful and proves nothing."
"It provides reasonable doubt that Kyle could have committed the crime."
She raised an eyebrow, "How exactly?"
He just smiled, "It placed him at the scene, explained how his blood got there and why he decided to run, simple enough for any jury to believe." Then Jane switched to his cocky grin, "You didn't find a gun with him did you?"
"No," Lisbon admitted, "but that doesn't mean he didn't toss it."
"But it does mean that you have nothing concrete to tie him to the crime…just to the scene, two very different things."
Damn, she hated it when he was right. Kyle had opened up as soon as Jane had walked into the room and while the explanation he gave had been hard to swallow…it also seemed to fit. Kyle's blood at the scene had been away from where the shooter would have been and there was no evidence that he had a gun.
"Alright," Lisbon said quietly, "Hypothetically let's say I believed his story…what do you think happened?"
Jane smiled proudly, "Someone wanted Kyle to be the scapegoat, someone who knew about his previous association with Carl Lightly."
"Why Lightly?"
"Because the other two were just his followers, Carl was the man in charge." Jane looked at her seriously, "someone wanted Carl dead and wanted Kyle to take the fall for it."
Lisbon listened enraptured, "Who?"
"You tell me, who had a reason to want Carl Lightly dead?"
She scoffed at him, "Lightly was a drug deal in a gang violent neighborhood. Dozens of people wanted him dead. You're telling me to track down every rival drug pusher, upset gang leader or…" Lisbon trailed off as a name popped into her head.
Jane latched onto it immediately, "Or what?" but she didn't say anything, just continued to silently lead him back to the squad room, "or what?"
When the two of them walked into the squad room, the other members of the team perked up. "Boss," Cho said quickly, "The D.A. wants to know if he should go ahead with the murder charges on Matthews."
"Tell him to go ahead with evading the police and violating parole," Lisbon replied, "but there are some more leads I want to go on with the Lightly case."
That surprised everyone but Jane, "What leads?" Rigsby asked.
Lisbon ignored his question and turned to Van Pelt, "Terri Waters, the girl who died from an overdose. Carl Lightly sold her the drugs, yes?"
"Yeah," Van Pelt continued, "but he wasn't charged with anything but possession."
"But her father was upset."
She nodded, "Harrison Waters, he said that Lightly murdered Terri…and that he should pay for it."
Lisbon took the information in, "Okay, Van Pelt you are with me. We're going to talk to Harrison Waters." She turned to Cho and Rigsby, "You two, I want to know everything about him. Find his bank records; see if he has made any unusual payments lately. If he has spoken to anybody about his threats, where he was on the night of the murder. Everything."
Before she and Van Pelt left she pointed to Jane who was by now sitting at the desk flipping through the open case file, "And watch him like a hawk, I don't want to hear about any kind of funny business while I'm gone."
Jane looked amused, "Who me?"
"So, Jane gave you this lead," Grace said. They had been sitting in the car for ten minutes in total silence so it was as a good an ice breaker as any.
"He was always good for that," Lisbon admitted. It had been a shock after he had left not having his strange but oddly accurate input on every case. Now it almost felt like old times…except Jane was now in prison attire instead of suits.
"Are you okay with this?" Lisbon asked her, "You and the other's aren't too uncomfortable, are you?"
Van Pelt gaped at her from the passenger side. "You are asking me if I'm okay with Jane?"
"I'm your boss, I have to know if you're not alright with a given situation."
"It's weird, but I can handle it," Van Pelt said, "But what about you?"
The question was expected and had it been four years ago Lisbon could have shrugged and pretended that she was fine. But now Grace was more than just her teammate, she was her best friend. She couldn't get away with a little white lie.
"It's…hard," she admitted, "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with him again. But I'll be fine."
"Are you going to—?"
"Nope," she cut in to say, "It's none of his business."
"You know he won't be in prison forever," Grace reminded her, "He'll be up for parole in three years."
"I'll deal with that when it happens."
Van Pelt was silent for several moments then she finally said, "He isn't a bad guy."
No, he wasn't. Jane had just made a bad mistake, one difficult for her to forgive. But even she had to admit that he wasn't evil. Red John had deserved to die, no one could deny that. But it wasn't the crime that was the problem. Jane had made such a grand mess of things, things even he didn't know about yet.
"He'll go soon," Lisbon said, "And we can continue as we have. It's better this way."
Either Grace had no feasible argument or she agreed with her because she said nothing in reply. The rest of the trip continued in total silence.
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Harrison Waters worked as the economics chairman for a company that sold high-end sports equipment. Lisbon could tell that business was doing very well indeed if he could afford original paintings on the wall and use a Montblanc pen. He did not look pleased at all to see Lisbon and Van Pelt, he also didn't look surprised.
"I'm Agent Teresa Lisbon, this is Agent Van Pelt from the CBI," she told him, "We're here to talk to you about the murder of Carl Lightly."
He put his three hundred dollar pen down and gave her a hard stare, "I heard about him on the news. Was he really shot?"
Van Pelt was not sure how to respond and settled for the obvious, "Yes he was."
"Hmm," he muttered, "I hope it was slow…he deserved to die slowly like Terri did."
Lisbon ignored his comment, "Mr. Waters, we want to know where you were the night Carl Lightly was shot."
Waters leaned back in his high-end chair, "You think I did it?"
"I didn't say that," Lisbon told him, she knew how to dance around an issue as well as any cop, "but I need you to answer the question."
If it was possible his eyes grew even colder, "Lightly killed my daughter, he gave her drugs that were too pure and you refused to prosecute."
"The lab tests were inconclusive," Van Pelt defended the D.A. even if she didn't have anything personally invested in it.
"It doesn't matter," He exclaimed, "He sold her the drugs, he killed her."
"Mr. Waters," Lisbon stepped in, frustrated with his evasive maneuvers, "I'll ask you again, where were you the night Carl Lightly was killed?"
Waters glared at her, "I'm not saying anything without my lawyer."
It was an expected thing for him to do but it still made Lisbon suspicious of his motives. She'd seen men of power refuse to answer simple questions before and they'd turned out innocent. But Jane had never thought they were guilty either.
She simply nodded, "Alright then we'll question you with your lawyer present." Then she pulled the rug out from under him, "But not here, he'll have to meet us at the department."
If he was going to be uncooperative then she was going to make this as uncomfortable for him as possible.
The wait in the interrogation room was excruciating but Lisbon learned that lawyers liked to take their sweet time. She took satisfaction to know that Harrison Waters was getting just as frustrated as she was. When his lawyer did arrive, a slick looking man in his forties unfortunately named Harry Baals, Waters perked up.
"I would like the state for the record that my client has no knowledge whatsoever about the murder of Carl Lightly," Baals said.
"Good," Lisbon replied, "then he won't mind telling us about the threats he made against Lightly last year."
Waters sat up defensively and began to speak but his lawyer cut in, "You don't have to answer that."
"No I want to," Waters told him, he then steadies his gaze with Lisbon, "I consider Lightly the murderer of my daughter and when I learned he died I celebrated with champagne and cigars…"
"Harrison," Baals warned, trying to cut down on the incriminating talk.
He ignored the advice, "Terry was a good girl…she did a lot of bad things, got mixed up with the wrong kinds of people but…that wasn't who she really was. She didn't deserve to die like that…and he did it…he killed her by giving her that crap. He killed her and your justice system wouldn't catch him." He looked at her steadily but his hands were shaking, "I wanted to kill him…I would have done so gladly." But he grew somber again, "I celebrated," Waters repeated, "but that was all. I didn't kill him."
Lisbon didn't blink, just kept her eyes firmly on his, "Then tell me where you were the night Lightly was killed."
Waters maintained eye contact, "I was at a business function, a celebration for a colleague's award at the Citizen Hotel. I was there until one in the morning. There are multiple witnesses," He told her smugly.
"So unless my client has the ability to be in two places at once, he couldn't have been the one who killed Carl Lightly and his friends," Baals finished, "We're done here."
With nothing concrete to hold him on and apparent airtight alibi, Lisbon was forced to escort both of them out of the interrogation room. They walked past the squad room where her team and Jane were sitting. In his prison attire Jane was a hard sight to miss and Waters looked his way and then stopped, "You're…"
Jane smiled and stood up, "Patrick Jane, nice to meet you."
"You're the man who shot that serial killer," Waters finished and smiled broadly, "I got to say that I like your style. I can't believe they locked you up for taking that bastard out."
"Well the State of California's brand of justice differs with my own," Jane replied simply but unapologetically, something Lisbon winced at.
Harrison shook his head, "Well man to man…you did the right thing." He shook Jane's hand, "You need any help, just give me a call."
"Oh well thanks but I'll be alright," Jane told him and patted him lightly on the shoulder before Waters' lawyer continued to lead him down the hallway and out of the building.
Lisbon glared at Jane and his fan, "Well that was unproductive," she muttered and took a seat at one of the desks. "According to his lawyer Mr. Harry Baals…"
Jane's eyes sparkled with mischief, "His parents never gave him a chance, with a name like that no wonder he's a lawyer."
Grace tried to hide her smile behind a cup of coffee while Rigsby broke into uncontrollable coughs. Lisbon did everything she could to keep from reacting to Jane's joke but couldn't hide the twitching of her lips. "Anyways," she said testily, putting everything back to business, "Mr. Waters was at an awards ceremony the night Lightly, Underwood and Martinéz were killed."
"So he didn't hold the gun," Rigsby replied, "that doesn't mean he didn't hire someone to kill them."
That perked her up, "Did you find anything in his financials?"
"He moved some money around last week," he explained, "we couldn't trace it all the way…but it was enough to hire a gun for the job."
It was something but it wouldn't do them much good if they couldn't find out who the money was traced to. She began to feel that sinking pit in her stomach again, that they might hit that brick wall they couldn't get past.
"You could look through his phone records," Jane said as if reading her thoughts…actually he probably had.
She sighed, "That would be a good idea if we had probable cause which we don't."
"Nonsense, just look through his call record," and Jane held up Waters' cell phone with a grin.
Lisbon could hardly believe what she was seeing, "Where did you get that?"
"He left it in interrogation."
"No he didn't!"
"Fine so I picked his pocket," he replied like it was no big deal, "He didn't notice."
"What you are holding is a misdemeanor," Lisbon told him icily, "Do you know what that is? One step below what you are serving!"
"Eh semantics," Jane brushed it aside, "I'll bet that the name we are looking for is on his cell records. If he was at that business party the night of the murder, he certainly had the shooter call him afterwards."
It was unthinkable! One day and Jane was back to picking a suspect's pocket for evidence! He was uncontrollable and unashamed about it; she couldn't go along with it. It was her inability to manage him that had put him in prison for the past four years. She couldn't condone it. Wouldn't condone it.
"Van Pelt tell Mr. Waters that he left his cell phone in interrogation," Lisbon told her younger agent and then paused for a moment. She was going to regret this, "After you get the numbers from it."
Jane gave her a smug grin and happily handed over the phone. Lisbon shook her head, "You know I'd forgotten what it was like to have the D.A. yelling at me."
He smiled. "Good times."
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It was a couple of hours of checking phone numbers and names against the partial license plate numbers Matthews had provided. Lisbon had mixed feelings about what she wanted the outcome to be. She wanted the case to be over…but she didn't want Jane to be right. But her personal feelings were always meaningless to solving a case, and if she had to eat crow then she would do it.
It was Grace who spoke up first, "I might have something."
Lisbon walked over to her desk, "What do you mean might?"
She hesitated, "He called Waters the night of the murder and his license plate is close to the one Matthews provided."
"And that's a problem?"
Grace sighed and showed Lisbon the name, "I just can't believe he would do this."
Lisbon looked down at the name and shook her head. She understood Grace's hesitancy but knew in her gut they'd found the right man, "Eventually you'll realize that anyone is capable of anything."
It only took a few hours before Lisbon was facing him in interrogation. He sat silently, looking down at the tabletop while she kept her eyes on his, pronouncing the gravity of the situation. "There are a couple ways we can do this…you can cooperate now, or we can put you through a trial later and with the evidence we have now…don't expect a verdict you will like.
"We found your phone number on Harrison Waters' cell phone the night of the shooting, when we trace the location I'm willing to bet it will be somewhere near the crime scene," She continued effortlessly. "We found gunshot residue on the outside of your car which gave us enough to search it…inside we found a gun. The same make and model of the one that shot Javier Ramiréz, Ryan Underwood and Carl Lightly, forensics is running tests on in and I am certain the bullets will match the ones we pulled out of their chests."
Lisbon took a seat across from him and set some blank pages down, "I know you did this and I think I know why. You spend everyday listening to these cases, watching criminals whom everyone knows is guilty…go free because of red tape or human error or maybe even an unsure D.A. It's frustrating…and it makes sense why someone like Harrison Waters could convince you to do something like this."
She looked Todd Farlen in the eye; "You don't have to remain silent for him…because he won't for you. He manipulated you Todd, he preyed on your sympathies for his own gain. He isn't going to help you…not now." Lisbon sighed, "So you need to help yourself."
Todd continued to stare at the table for what seemed like a full ten minutes before he looked up at her. "I just wanted…justice. These people…they can get away with it for the stupidest reasons. Look at O.J. Simpson or Casey Anthony, everyone knows she did it but she still walked away.
"I wanted to help him," he explained, "he told me about his daughter, told me about the man who killed her. I filed the court papers; I knew what kind of man he was. All I wanted to do was help…I told him that…then he told me how I could."
He looked away, "I didn't want to…but he said it would save people, save other girls like Terri. I thought I was helping someone, I thought I was doing the right thing."
Lisbon understood him, she really did, "But that's not your choice to make…vengeance isn't justice and it never will be."
He smiled bitterly, "An eye or an eye and the whole world goes blind right?"
She nodded, "Right." Lisbon pushed the blank papers and the pen towards him, "Help yourself, tell me who you did this for and I'll talk to the D.A. for you."
Todd hesitated once more…and then slowly picked up the pen.
It was a shame that Lisbon wouldn't let Jane into the interrogation, it was boring simply waiting for her to come out with the confession. She had forced him to wait with the rest of the team and only Cho was welcoming.
It wasn't unexpected. Rigsby was more rigid like Lisbon. A crime was a crime and now Jane was a criminal. It would take time but he could earn his forgiveness. Van Pelt would be tougher. The past few years had placed her firmly in Lisbon's camp. They shared some sort of bond now. He knew it dealt with Lisbon's secret.
Cho was busy doing paper work, tedious and useless really. "Things haven't changed much here," he said to start a conversation.
"They put in a new coffee maker," Cho said.
He smiled at his frankness. "Anything else?"
"They changed the products in the vending machine."
"Besides mundane objects."
Cho finally looked up from his work and said, "Yeah, things have changed. We all have changed."
Yes, Grace wasn't quite as bouncy as she used to be. Jane guess that she hadn't dated much—if at all—since O'Laughlin. Rigsby was quieter, especially around him. Even Cho kept his cards closer to his breast. Lisbon was Lisbon: furious and more desperate than ever to keep him out of her head. Of course, that only made him more determined to unravel her thoughts completely.
"Yes, you all have," Jane agreed, "Lisbon and Van Pelt are closer than ever."
"Van Pelt needed a friend after…"
No need to continue that sentence. "But Lisbon has changed too," Jane said.
"I guess."
Now Cho was being evasive. How interesting. What exactly was Lisbon trying to hide? Her boyfriend perhaps. Was he more than that? Perhaps Lisbon was engaged. That idea didn't sit well with Jane. He had noticed she didn't have a ring, but she simply may not wear it on the job or she didn't want one. Lisbon wasn't very comfortable with femininity.
"Tell me about Lisbon's boyfriend." The direct approach might get Cho to spill more important details.
He looked up again. "She told you about him?" Jane just grinned in reply. "You guessed again," he deduced, "There really isn't much to tell."
"But she is keeping something."
Cho stared at him in silence for several moments with his dark eyes stone cold. That said everything. Yes, he understood Jane's motives and was willing to keep a connection to him, but he wasn't going to betray Lisbon. Not in this.
"That's alright," he said with a shrug, "I'll figure it out myself."
Any further conversation to gain insight was cut short when Lisbon arrived. She held a folder in one hand which she placed on Rigsby's desk. "Farlen confessed. Call the DA and get a warrant for Harrison Waters' arrest."
"Got it, boss."
Jane smiled at her. "Just like old times, huh?"
Just like old times, Lisbon was not amused by his cockiness. "The good days are coming to an end," she said, "You served your purpose, now it's time you went back to serving your sentence."
"Can't I stay for Water's interrogation?"
"Nope," Lisbon said, now looking smug herself, "I already called the prison, they should be here soon."
Jane leaned back in his chair. "That is underhanded. I got you this far, now you won't let me see it through."
"Get over it," she said, "Cho, you take him down to the garage and wait until the bus arrives."
"Yes, boss," he said and promptly stood up from his chair. He took a hold of Jane's arm to help him up. Jane didn't protest when he led him away from the squad room, but when they past Lisbon he forced Cho to stop. "I'm going to hold you to your promise," he said to her.
He winked at her before he let Cho lead him away.
Harrison Waters was dragged through the CBI in handcuffs and he spent the majority of that time cursing anyone and everyone that crossed his path. Lisbon was all too happy to lead him down to booking and leave him there for the guards to deal with; she was ready to put this case to bed.
But something was bothering her and she knew what it was. Jane was expecting her to go and see him as per their agreement…she just wasn't sure if she wanted to go. What could he do? He was behind bars, there was no way he could force her to come and talk to him.
She didn't want to go, didn't want to let him in her head again. Jane would find ways to mess with her mind and ruin the semblance of a life she had picked up after he had left a trail of destruction in his wake four years ago.
But he was the one who solved the case…and she didn't like to break a promise.
Lisbon put those thoughts aside for the moment. Rigsby and Cho were picking up case closed pizza and she had a much more pleasant loose end about the case to tie up.
Kyle Matthews was taken from a holding cell and brought back to the gate where he could collect his things. She smiled happily at him as he collected his watch, wallet and keys. He looked a little bewildered by everything and she wasn't surprised, Jane had been right, in some ways he was like a lost little boy just trying to plod along until someone could tell him how to get home.
"Agent Lisbon," He said as soon as he stepped through the gate.
"I spoke with the D.A," she told him and led him down the hall into the building, "He's agreed to drop the evasion charges as long as you agree to an extension of parole and pay a small fine."
"Really?" He asked excitedly, "I won't have to go back to prison?"
Lisbon smiled and shook her head, "Running away wasn't the best idea…but you didn't really do anything wrong."
"Thank you!" Kyle gushed, "thank you so much."
Lisbon listened to him talk about how grateful he was as she continued to lead him out of the CBI, stopping by the squad room where she saw Rigsby and Cho coming in with the pizza box and Grace watching her curiously. "It's alright," She told Kyle, "but next time, try to trust us, we aren't all bad." She smiled to put him at ease.
"I know that," He explained, "but again, thank you." Kyle looked at the rest of the team with the same gratitude, "Thank you all. Jane talked about you guys a lot. He said you were the best…he was right. I'm glad you were the ones who found me." He turned to Lisbon, "Thank him for me."
She was startled a bit by his mention of Jane and his request; it came with the assumption that she would be seeing Jane again. It only reminded her of the promise she was supposed to keep. "I'll do my best," she settled on that answer.
He nodded and waved, "Goodbye…and thanks again." Then they all watched him leave with the smell of pepperoni and cheese filling the air.
Lisbon turned to the pizza box that was on Grace's desk, "Let's start passing this out because I'm hungry," she told the team and began hunting for paper plates.
Rigsby simply grabbed a slice from the box and immediately began munching on it while Cho walked over to the break room for the soda he'd left in the fridge earlier. Grace continued to stare at the hallway where Kyle had just disappeared down, and then she turned to Lisbon with a somber expression, "He talked about us," she said simply.
Lisbon nodded, "I know." She sighed heavily, "Jane put himself in this mess and almost dragged all of us with him. As much as he cares about us…there were some things that meant a lot more to him. We can't help him now…we have to help ourselves."
Grace seemed to accept that answer for the time being and turned her attention to the pizza but Lisbon's thoughts remained troubled. She could talk a big game but she wasn't sure how she felt about Jane anymore.
The day after the arrest of Harrison Waters, Lisbon finished filling out the remaining paperwork as her team cheerfully returned to their desks after a night's celebration of a job well done. She watched them for a moment, reflecting on the fact that she was well and truly blessed to have a team like them.
Which is why she knew she could count on them. They had been there for her when she'd desperately needed it, they had kept her secrets and together they had all worked to overcome the difficulties of the past few years.
They deserved better than what they got but Lisbon wisely chose to be grateful that it meant she had them now.
Lisbon rose from her desk, grabbing her purse, phone, badge and gun before entering the squad room. "I'll be stepping out for a while. Cho, hold down the fort for me while I'm gone. If anything comes up then call my cell."
"Where you going boss?" Rigsby asked innocently.
"I've got a loose end I need to tie up with the Matthews case," Lisbon explained no further.
"What kind of loose end?" Cho said, his usually stoic voice was tinged with curiosity.
"A promise," Lisbon told them before nodding goodbye and heading for the door.
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Once again Lisbon went through the process of being admitted as a visitor at the State Prison. She turned in her gun and signed the log only to sit and wait in the uncomfortable plastic chair for the guards to bring Jane out.
The same two guards escorted him through the door and to the visiting area. Jane was smiling again, a pleased smile that made Lisbon feel slightly irritated that she had done as he asked. He picked up the phone but kept his eyes on her, "You kept your promise."
"I tend to do that," she told him, letting her displeasure be known.
Jane chuckled, "That's good, you are being funny and cynical again."
Lisbon sighed exasperated, "Alright Jane, I'm here. What did you want to talk about?"
He shrugged, "I didn't have any particular subject in mind."
Lisbon couldn't believe what he had just said, "Then why the hell am I here?"
"I wanted to see you."
"Well I didn't," Lisbon told him firmly.
"I know that," Jane replied, "but you needed to see me Lisbon."
She scoffed, "Why would I need to do that?"
He leaned forward and bored his eyes into hers, "You've been carrying around so much anger and pent up rage. You need to let it out, let it go before it consumes you."
"Are you giving me permission to shoot you?" Jane laughed again but she didn't, "I was being serious."
"I know," Jane replied and grew somber but his eyes were still warm, "but you wouldn't even if you could. So many questions are plaguing your mind. So go ahead, ask them."
Lisbon shook her head, "I don't have any questions."
"Yes you do."
It was never a good idea to lie to Jane; he had worked with her for so long that he knew her tells better than anyone. And he was right; she did have a lot of anger...and questions. But mostly anger. She was angry that he had killed a man, angry that his actions had cause so much chaos and she was angry that she hadn't been able to stop him.
"Why," She finally asked, "Why did you do it?"
It was a foolish question but Jane indulged her, "You already know why."
She just nodded; there was no reason to explain further on that matter. Jane's motives hadn't changed since the first time he had told her his intentions. She had always hoped that somehow he would see reason, that he would change his mind. Or at the very least, that she would be there to stop him. But in the end all hope had been in vain.
"Then do you have any idea what you've done, what you did?" Her voice broke a little and Lisbon silently cursed her own weakness.
"I killed Red John," Jane state simply.
"No, no you murdered him," she corrected, "You shot him in the middle of a mall."
"He deserved to die."
"I don't care if he deserved it," Lisbon declared, "that does not give you the right to kill a man in cold blood!"
Jane was silent for a moment as he studied her. She knew he was reading her, stripping the truth from her like one would strip paint from a wall. "That's not it or at least not all of it. Tell me what you blame me for."
She shook her head but did not look at him. She curled her fingers into a fist and tried to control her anger...but could not hide her pain. Tears pricked at her eyes when she finally met his gaze, "Do you have any idea what your actions caused? Do you think that what you did only affected you? You are the most selfish man I have ever met. When you killed him you only thought of yourself, of your pain. Not the innocents he killed or the problems you would cause. You only thought about what you wanted and not for those who cared about you!"
Jane was calm but serious, "What happened?"
Lisbon brushed a tear away, "Do you even care?" He didn't reply but she knew she had hurt him. She hated that she felt guilty for that; she shouldn't care what her words did to him. But her tone was softer when she spoke; "There was an investigation by Internal Affairs into the team and the department." Jane didn't say anything but she explained, "They said we were responsible for your actions because you were under our employ. I thought I was going to be fired but Hightower came forward and testified that since we were following the command for protection detail and had no knowledge of Red John's whereabouts, we could not be held accountable.
"It didn't stop the black marks on our records. Two years ago Cho was passed over for promotion, the reason being that his leadership skills were in question because he had not stayed behind to watch over you. He didn't take it well but he is doing better now."
She shook her head. "Then there were all of the appeals. Killers that you helped put away who said that your crime put your judgment and work into doubt. They tried to have their convictions overturned, a couple of them succeeded." Jane still didn't say anything, was no longer looking in her eyes, she began to wonder if he was even listening, "Don't you understand, it all could have been prevented if you'd let him go, if you had called it in."
"If I had let him walk away then we would never have found him again." Jane insisted sincerely.
"You don't know that."
"Yes I do, he would have disappeared completely and there would be no justice otherwise."
"Except that wasn't justice, that was revenge!" Lisbon reminded him.
"Call it what you will," Jane replied, "but we never would have seen him again." He leaned forward to look her in the eye, "I'm sorry for what happened but you have weathered through it. I told you I would sacrifice anything, my freedom and my life to get to Red John and I did. He cannot kill again and I can find my own peace. Those sacrifices were more than worth it."
He leaned back in his seat clearly satisfied with his answer and himself. Lisbon knew he had meant every word; he was proud of his actions and relished his revenge. But she had one card yet to play that might very well destroy that happiness.
It was a horrible thing for her to do. Everyone would say so, but she wanted him to understand. She wanted him to know that he couldn't sweep his actions under the rug. He had to feel some regret…even if she did too.
She looked at him, tears filing her eyes once again and spoke very softly, "And what about your son?" Jane's head shot up as he reacted to her words, looking at her again. "Was his sacrifice worth it?" she finished and let the silence that followed echo her words.
Jane didn't tear his eyes away but searched every line, every contour of her face, searching for a lie. Lisbon knew immediately when he realized she was telling the truth because fear crept into his eyes, "Lisbon..." he began in a pleading tone.
"You remember that night after we closed the Haleston case," She said, another tear snaked down her cheek, "You drove me home and came inside..." Lisbon closed her eyes and more tears fell, "We said it was nothing, we wouldn't speak of it again, wouldn't let it affect our work."
"Lisbon, no..." Jane begged, slowly shaking his head. She didn't care what he wanted; he was going to know the full extend of his 'sacrifice'.
"I found out I was pregnant the day you killed Red John," Lisbon brushed away the tears now and did her best to keep her voice steady, "And then to find out what you did...I was alone Jane. I had to deal with it all on my own."
They sat in silence for several moments, a time that was only filled with the two refusing to break eye contact with one another, as if waiting for the other break first. Lisbon saw the pain fill Jane's eyes, the devastation at her confession. "Why," Jane asked, his voice barely in restraint, "Why did you tell me this?"
She never let her gaze falter, "Because you needed to know the consequences of your actions, the life that you threw away and why my son will never know his father." For the first time in the entire visit Lisbon smiled even with tears still falling, "Goodbye Jane, I won't come here again."
And with that Lisbon hung up the receiver and walked away, never once looking back.
Jane watched her go until the guards came to escort him back to his cell. Jane walked with them numbly, not seeing or hearing anything but Lisbon's words in his mind.
The door was locked behind him with a loud metallic clang that served to jar Jane for once. He lay down on his bunk to stare up at the ceiling, wishing it were yesterday when his sins had not caused him so much pain.
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Lisbon didn't break down completely until she reached her car parked outside the prison. She didn't even bother to get in but leaned forward against he window, buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
They were not the first tears caused by Patrick Jane.
She could not swear they would be her last.
Lisbon returned to her office with an even heavier heart then when she had left. Cho, Grace and Rigsby said not a word but she could tell that they knew where she had gone.
She sat back down at her desk and tried to busy herself with paperwork but the tediousness of the work did not occupy her mind so her thoughts remained troubled. Sitting proudly on her desk was a photograph of her son, grinning happily in front of his last birthday cake. She smiled at the photo, picked it up and gently ran her fingertips over his hair, his round baby cheeks and beautiful smile.
On the other side of her desk was a smaller photograph in an ill fitted frame. It had been taken at the CBI Christmas party over four years ago and it showed her whole team lined up and smiling in front of the Christmas tree. Rigsby on one end, herself on the other with Grace and Cho in the middle…at least it was that way now.
Lisbon reached over and took the photograph, opening the back so she could take it from the frame. Then the reason for it's ill fit was revealed with one side of it bent over. She straightened it out for it's true form and now Jane was standing with the others right beside her, just as her team had once been.
She placed both photographs side-by-side and marveled at them. They looked so much alike, Tyler and Jane. The same unruly blond hair, intoxicating smiles and clear beautiful features. As much as she wanted to forget Jane, as long as her son was in her life that would be impossible.
Her team had been so good for her. They never asked why, never begrudged her one moment of weakness. They had carried her through it all. She wouldn't have been able to do it without them; she knew that.
Grace walked into the room softly and set a small stack of papers on the desk, "Lisbon," she spoke just as quietly.
Her boss didn't look up from her photographs but spoke before Grace could leave, "Why did you do it? When I told you what I had done with Jane, why did you stand by me?"
Grace smiled, "Because we care about you, we couldn't leave you alone."
"Do you think it's my fault? I knew what he would do but I wasn't able to stop him."
"The only person responsible is Jane," She replied, "you should not feel guilt because you have none to bear."
Finally Lisbon looked up at Grace and smiled, "Thank you. Thank you for standing by me and each other when we needed it. Thank you for not judging me when you could have. Thank you." She repeated with all sincerity.
Grace nodded, "Anytime Teresa." And she began to walk away but turned at the doorway with a small but genuine smile, "And I mean that."
Lisbon watched her go for a moment before looking back down at the photographs. She smiled sweetly at her son once more before setting it down again. She turned her attention to the other picture and studied Jane's face.
If only you hadn't done it, she thought, you don't know what you've lost.
Then she folded the picture back and returned it to its frame and its spot on her desk. But she continued to look at her team's smiling faces. Once again she reflected on how blessed she was to have them with her. She couldn't imagine life without them.
Patrick Jane ignored the call for meal, the inquiries of the guards and his own cellmate. He lay on his bed, just thinking. Thinking. And feeling. He didn't particularly like to give himself over to his emotions, but some times it was impossible not to. It had been impossible to ignore the rage when he faced Red John. It was equally impossible now not to feel the pain.
He had many questions that had no answers. He didn't know his son's name, what he looked like, his favorite color, if he preferred cereal or oatmeal for breakfast. Many big and small things a father should know. And yes, Lisbon had been right, that was of his own doing.
He gave himself twelve hours to think and feel.
Then he sat up from his cot and smiled. There was only one solution for him, only one thing that had to be done.
Teresa Lisbon had thrown down the gauntlet and left, assuming that things were done between them.
She was dead wrong.
A/N: Hehehe Lisbon doesn't know what's coming to her...but what does Jane plan? You'll have to wait and see. Next chapter you get to meet Tyler for the first time I promise. Please review, they make me smile.
