Director Cho's Retirement Dinner
Summary:
As CBI Director Kimball Cho prepares to move to a new job, a young agent plays host to two special guests who come to visit for his retirement dinner. The story takes place at some point in the future.
*****Author's Notes*****
I do not own the TV show The Mentalist. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. I get no compensation from it.
California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Agent Abby Hawthorne receives the assignment to host the two most famous alumni of the Bureau when they come to attend Director Cho's retirement dinner. Agent Hawthorne narrates the story.
*****The Assignement*****
"Agent Hawthorne. My office, now!"
Even though I had been at CBI for a year, I was still very much a junior agent, a "rookie" - and people were quick to let me know it. The word "rookie" always had a way of putting me in my place. I was still the one who searched the motor vehicle databases, tracked the money flows, or went to pick up the sandwiches on those days when a case kept everyone else at their desks. Even if it was only a mild form of hazing, I yearned to break out of my rut as the "new guy" - or in my case the "new gal" - of the team. That's why when the Boss called my name out, my mind flew off in a million directions at once. What was it? Catching a white-collar money launderer, reopening a cold case with some startling new information, or perhaps going undercover to bust a drug cartel?
"Agent Hawthorne? Agent Hawthorne? Abby? Are you there?"
"Sorry, Boss. I was distracted."
The Boss eyed me with that suspicious look she got when she talked with me sometimes. I hated that look, it was like she was evaluating whether I was really ready for the Serious Crimes Team or not. I had to quit daydreaming - my chance would come soon enough.
"I've got a special assignment for you."
My chance had come!
"Special assignment?"
"Yes. We'll wait for the Assistant Director in my office."
That really got my attention. I had never been in a small-scale meeting with the Assistant Director, known as the A.D. around the office, and had only exchanged limited conversation with him at all. He seemed like a nice enough person, and the Boss worked well with him but my mouth dried up from apprehension.
The A.D. soon joined us. You could see the Boss's cheerful confidence on her face as he went to the guest chair next to me and across the desk from the Boss.
"Agent Hawthorne, it's good to see you again," the A.D. said.
He took his seat while glancing at the Boss.
"I guess you're wondering what this is about?" asked the Boss.
"Yeah. Ur, yes, Boss. It's not every day that a junior agent gets called into a meeting with you and the Assistant Director."
"Grace - I mean Senior Agent Van Pelt - speaks highly of you. She says you're a good agent, and you also know how to handle yourself well with unusual situations," said the A.D.
There it was! As a trained agent I caught that "Grace" that Assistant Director Wayne Rigsby used to refer to the Boss. None of us on the team ever called her "Grace," and only rarely did any of us call her "Agent Van Pelt." To us she was simply, "Boss."
Sure, I had heard the rumors that the two of them had "a thing" for each other but I figured that was none of my business. You could still tell that they were good friends if nothing else.
"Thank you, sir. It's an honor and privilege to work for Agent Van Pelt."
Rigsby smiled.
"Grace, she reminds me of you when you started out."
"No, Wayne. She's better than that."
The A.D. and the Boss had just given me an ego boost better than a hundred commendation letters. Further, they let me into a higher level of connection with them than I had ever thought possible. For one thing, they used the names "Grace" and "Wayne" in my presence.
"Well, enough about that. Grace and I need a favor from you."
The word "favor" didn't sound anything like an undercover assignment but I was still game.
"Yes, sir. I would be glad to help you."
I heard the Boss laugh.
"Don't be so fast, Agent Hawthorne. You don't know what we might be getting you into."
"I trust you, Boss. You always look out for all of us on the team."
Suddenly a silence came over the room. Rigsby and the Boss eyed each other.
"She's definitely a keeper, Grace. You know how to spot and keep good talent."
I'd never seen the Boss react like she did at that moment. Her face turned bright red, almost matching her hair.
"Wayne, don't keep her in suspense." said the Boss.
"This favor that Grace and I need concerns Director Cho's retirement. You're aware that a number of dignitaries are coming for his dinner, aren't you?"
Who around the office didn't know that Kimball Cho's leaving CBI was a big deal? That had been the big news for weeks now, that Kimball Cho was becoming the new head of Homeland Security in Washington.
"Yes, sir. I saw a list the other day. Some pretty big names."
"We want you to host two of them while they're here," said the Boss.
"Grace, is host the right word for them?"
Something unspoken moved between the two of them, something not quite funny yet not quite serious.
"That's the reason I thought of Agent Hawthorne. She can handle uncertain situations well," said the Boss.
"Agent Hawthorne, you would need to devote two days to this assignment around and including the dinner itself. Can you do that?"
"Yessir."
"Good," said A.D. Rigsby.
"Agent Hawthorne, you haven't even asked who they are."
"A job is a job, Boss."
When I said that, Rigsby let out a loud guffaw. The Boss didn't laugh but she smiled.
"You may have some challenges," she said.
"You've had me work protective details before," I answered.
"But the question with this assignment is who you will be protecting from whom," said Rigsby.
Hearing that produced another loud guffaw, this time from the Boss.
"Agent Hawthorne, how familiar are you with Teresa Lisbon Jane and Patrick Jane?
When the Boss told me who the two people were, I almost jumped out of my chair. Cho's leaving and the dinner in his honor were big enough, but to have these two at the festivities took the occasion to a whole new level.
"So, you think they need a bodyguard?" I asked.
"Not really. I believe we took care of any such threats a long time ago." said Rigsby.
When he said that he and Boss smiled with obvious pride, the kind that you could see with any law enforcement agents when they reflected on a special success. All of us junior agents knew about how the Boss and the A.D. had been part of the team that broke the biggest serial killer cases in United States history. Teresa Lisbon had headed the team and Patrick Jane had served as a consultant. It had been a career-making case for everyone involved including them and Director Cho. The killer himself had not survived but finally rounding up all of his accomplices had taken months and good, solid police work. Everyone involved at CBI had been the toast of the state - and the nation. Lots of people said that was how Cho got to be in line for the Director's job and now for the Federal job, and rumors were running through the building that he would be bringing the Assistant Director and the Boss along with him to Washington after he himself settled in.
Under the reorganized CBI, there was the Director position and the A.D. position. Under them were the team leaders, of which my Boss was one. On paper all the team leaders were on the same level, but everyone knew that my Boss was the first among equals, the one who conferred the most with Cho and Rigsby. Around CBI people sometimes referred to Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt as "The Big Three." That added to Van Pelt's reputation as a good boss, one who attracted and kept the best talent. I considered myself fortunate to work for her.
"There certainly is a security element involved, Agent Hawthorne, but it's more of keeping an eye on the two of them." said the Boss.
"Well, one of them in particular." said Rigsby.
"I don't understand, sir."
The Boss reached over to the credenza behind her desk and picked up two different framed photos. Rigsby nodded his head and took the two photos from the Boss's hands.
"Grace and I aren't concerned about the Boss, er, I mean Teresa Jane. She was our team leader for many years, and she's a steady as a rock."
Whenever the Boss spoke of Teresa Lisbon Jane, it was with something approaching awe.
"We're just not sure which Patrick Jane is going to show up," said the Boss.
The Janes had both left CBI at the same time, and I gathered that their departure roughly coincided with their marriage. Kimball Cho had replaced Teresa Lisbon Jane as team leader and that started his ascent to the Director's job.
A.D. Rigsby handed me one of the photos. It was of Patrick and Teresa Jane with their son Charles. The three of them were seated on the floor of what looked like a living room. Their son was the focal point of the picture with one parent on each side of the child with their arms encircling each other. If the parents had not been celebrities, you would find nothing that stood out about them. They were just a cheerful-looking family.
"I made this picture when I visited them three months ago," the Boss said.
I remembered. The Boss rarely took time off, but after she had been injured during an arrest she took a week's vacation. We all suspected A.D. Rigsby had pressured her to do so. Only later did we find out that she had gone to see the Janes. She was still close friends with them, particularly Teresa.
"They look like a happy family." I said.
"They are, and in private life now Patrick Jane is, is, is..."
"...quieter," Rigsby said.
"...more low-key," the Boss said.
"...more boring," Rigsby said.
"Is there something that I should be uncomfortable about?" I asked.
Rigsby handed me the second picture and spoke.
"How Patrick Jane acts on their television show is more like the Jane we used to know when he worked here. More..."
"...flamboyant," the Boss said.
"...colorful," Rigsby said.
"...more likely to behave like an ass," the Boss said.
I looked at the picture. It was an autographed publicity photo for the two Janes' combination travelogue and reality show, Patrick Jane Debunks! In the photo Patrick Jane looked like a cross between a mad scientist and a revival preacher, holding his hands up as if to say "Eureka!" Beside him Teresa Jane had crossed her arms and was rolling her eyes. Written with two sets of handwriting, the inscription said:
"To our good friend Grace Van Pelt,
Patrick 'Paddy' Jane and
Teresa 'the Lovely Lisbon' Jane"
Because of the CBI connection, Patrick Jane Debunks! was a favorite show around the office. Every time someone got wind of the Boss going to visit the Janes, she got multiple requests to bring back autographs. While I enjoyed watching the show, I had thought it childish for otherwise mature adults to beg the Boss for some momento.
"I always thought they just acted larger than life for the purpose of the show." I said.
"We have no concerns about Teresa Jane. She and 'the Lovely Lisbon' are essentially the same person," said the Boss. "The question is whether Patrick or 'Paddy' will show up here. 'Paddy' is Jane's personality before he and Teresa married - his personality back when he worked with us."
I understood now.
"What does Mrs. Jane say about her husband coming?" I asked.
"She thinks he'll be fine, and she reminded me that she used to be his boss when they worked at
CBI. She controlled him...most of the time," said the Boss.
"...sometimes." said Rigsby.
"...occasionally." said the Boss.
"Grace, she'll have her hands full with both of them. So will you help us, Agent Hawthorne?"
"Yes, sir."
*****Author's Notes*****
Up next: Cho business!
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