Muddy melt water
Disclaimer: I am not associated with the Mentalist in any way and make no money from fanfiction.
This contains spoilers from 6x15 "White as the Driven Snow" and is an attempt to tie up one of the loose ends at the end of this excellent episode.
Thank you to Sue Shay and Cumberland River Relic, two talented writers, for their support, critique and friendship. Working with them is a real pleasure.
"Counsellor Duggan." Abbott greets the lawyer with his smoothest tones, noting her marked limp. "Thank you for coming. I hope all is well with you."
Duggan fixes him with a glare fit to precipitate the next Ice Age. Drawing herself to her full, if not particularly impressive, height, she dials up her anger and contempt.
"Supervisory Agent Abbott! As requested, I have made time in my busy schedule to meet with you. But make no mistake. This organisation is shambolic and I will sue the FBI for your diabolical treatment of both me and my client. You will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and that is less than you deserve. You personally and the … criminals…. that you call a team."
Seizing his chance, Abbott guides her into the first interrogation suite and pulls out the chair for her, careful to appear the perfect gentleman, before taking the other chair at the opposite side of the table. As the irate woman is racking her mind for suitable invective, he takes charge.
"Counsellor. I understand that two of my consultants, Patrick Jane and Wayne Rigsby, are responsible for leaving you by the roadside, four miles outside of Austin. For that unmannerable behaviour, please allow me to apologise sincerely."
He smiles at the counsellor, noticing her flushed face, clenched hands and grinding jaw. After a short pause to give the apology sufficient gravitas, he decides to continue, now with a hint of granite under his urbane manner.
"But the main reason that I have invited you here today, counsellor, is as a courtesy, to give you a heads up about a situation which has developed."
He straightens in his chair, elbows bent and hands loosely clasped on the table in front of him. The counsellor continues to boil, the magma chamber of her rage about to burst into full scale eruption. Unfortunately for her, he has no intention of letting her detonate.
"I understand that you advised your client, one Richard Haibach, that you wished to sue the FBI for an eight figure amount in response to his alleged treatment at the hands of our organisation. Is that correct?"
Duggan jumps to her feet, though her outrage is marred by the flinch she gives as her blistered feet and sprained ankle protest. Cursing under her breath, she grabs onto the edge of the table top before sinking back into her chair. Abbott continues to watch her in his calm, unthreatening way, his body language signalling care and concern.
"As you may be aware, I have the utmost respect for the legal profession. Therefore I thought it to be in both of our interests to have this conversation. I would hate for you to be unaware of the bigger picture here."
"Agent Abbott!" Duggan cries, twisting her mouth with distaste. "What on earth are you talking about? Members of this team harassed and victimised my client over a period of years! Mr Jane and Agent Lisbon in particular. And to that we can add threatening behaviour, wrongful imprisonment of my driver, kidnapping…."
Abbott raises his hand, cutting off the tirade before the lawyer can hit her verbal stride.
"If I may interrupt, Ms Duggan, it would be in your best interests…."
"No!" Duggan is back on her feet, though more careful to avoid her injured ankle this time. "There is nothing. Nothing… you can say. Good day to you."
She grabs her bag and turns to the door, but Abbott intervenes, no more 'Mr Nice Guy' but rather a senior FBI figure at his most authoritarian.
"Sit down, Counsellor Duggan. There is more than one kind of criminal charge which we need to discuss here."
Grudgingly the counsellor obeys.
"Let me tell you a little about Richard Haibach. Like I said, I would hate for you to be incompletely informed."
Abbott reaches into his briefcase which is resting by his chair. He pulls out a bulging file and places it, closed, on the table. Realigning it between his two palms, he considers.
"Let me see. First and foremost, I must inform you of some sad news. Richard Haibach is dead. So he is no longer your client."
Duggan looks up. She appears startled and more than a little afraid. For the first time, there are cracks in her self-righteous veneer. Abbott offers her a reassuring smile.
"Richard Haibach and his sister, Hazel Haibach, abducted Grace van Pelt and held her hostage in a remote cabin. That is now an established matter of fact. As we advised you when we spoke a few days ago, we knew that your client was involved in the kidnapping but were still gathering conclusive evidence in order to keep him in custody. And I must say, the way that Richard showed up here, without you, to taunt us…. In profiling terms, that would have alerted us to his involvement if we hadn't already known.
"So what were we to do after you insisted on his release? Hmmm?
"Let me give you some background as to the case. You may not have been aware that Grace van Pelt was acting as a consultant to the FBI at the time of her abduction. She was working on a complex investigation which involved phone hacking and the murders of a former DA, Osvaldo Ardiles, and a long serving and distinguished agent, J. J. LaRoche. Van Pelt, her husband Wayne Rigsby, and their 11 month old daughter had also been targeted by the killer, who broke into their San Francisco home last week and fired a number of shots at family members. The particular target on that occasion appears to have been the child.
"Grace van Pelt and Wayne Rigsby have exemplary service records as detectives, with many years of experience working on serious crimes, and now run their own digital surveillance agency. I invited them to Austin to maximise the use of their insights into the case. Thankfully, they left their daughter with Grace's parents. After all, who knows what might have happened. A gunman had already targeted the child once.
"So you can see why, I hope, we knew that it was a life or death situation when van Pelt, an acting member of law enforcement, was abducted from her hotel room when she was sleeping. And in deadly force situations, where life is in danger, we are permitted to use a wide range of approaches towards safe retrieval of the abductee and apprehension of the perpetrators. "
Abbott pauses, gazing at the attorney like a gentle father might at a child whose behaviour has been disappointing.
"For these reasons, Mr Jane and Mr Rigsby went undercover. Whilst not usual practice to include a spouse in a covert operation, the long collegial history between Agent Rigsby and Mr Jane alleviated our concerns, and allowed Agents Cho and Lisbon to continue to work the evidence from this end.
"Suffice to say, although Jane and Rigsby successfully located van Pelt, the operation went wrong and Agent Rigsby was shot in the chest multiple times. We understand that he was unarmed at the time and trying to free his wife. In fact, he was shot with his own service weapon. We also understand that your client shot him at point blank range in a unprovoked attack. It is almost miraculous that Agent Rigsby has survived, at least so far, so the kidnapping aspect of the case includes two incidents of attempted murder.
Abbott pauses once more, considering the counsellor. Her fury seems to be collapsing. She's trying not to fidget. It's time to press home the advantage.
"We can confirm now that Richard Haibach and his sister, Hazel, together abducted Grace van Pelt. We found them in a remote cabin in the New Mexico mountains. Van Pelt had been bound and gagged with tape and held at gunpoint during a terrifying 76 hour ordeal. Your client and his sister were together holding Mr Jane and Agent van Pelt at gunpoint, when we arrived. They had already shot Agent Rigsby twice and left him for dead. Richard Haibach had been threatening to cut off Jane's fingers with an axe, when a critically injured Rigsby dragged himself to his wife's aid and tackled Hazel Haibach, grabbing her gun and saving Mr Jane. This can be independently verified by other members of the SWAT team that accompanied Agents Cho, Lisbon, Fischer and myself to the scene to stage an intervention in the kidnapping, and by forensics. Richard Haibach was lawfully killed by a serving officer in order to protect the lives of himself, van Pelt and Jane in the face of a clear and present threat."
Abbott pauses for a few moments, giving time for his words to be absorbed by the lawyer.
Counsellor Duggan looks nauseated. Her hand shakes as she reaches across to the jug at the centre of the table and pours herself a tall glass of water. Still trembling, she sips and then places it back on the table before raising her gaze to Abbott once more.
"Please continue."
"As you wish."
Abbott opens the file, selecting two images. The first is a remote cabin amidst blood stained snow and the second a picture of Wayne Rigsby's unconscious body, taken shortly after he collapsed before the paramedics arrived. As Duggan gulps, Abbott nods in acknowledgement before continuing.
"So, to recap. Your client is guilty of two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, kidnapping of another officer, unlawful imprisonment of said officer and attempt to cause grievous bodily harm to a further member of law enforcement. We also have evidence to directly indict him for the murders of Agent JJ LaRoche and Osvaldo Ardiles. The alibis that Richard Haibach presented for those murders were fabricated. And we need to mention the attempted murder of Wayne Rigsby, Grace van Pelt and baby Madelaine Rigsby during an armed invasion of the Rigsby family home. The small matter of unlawful electronic surveillance on several state agents should, in addition, be taken into account. It proves that the vicious attacks were calculated and one hundred per cent premeditated.
"As I said, you needed to be fully appraised of the facts of this case."
The counsellor is slumped in her chair with the fingertips of her right hand pressed to the bridge of her glasses. She is looking less of a threat now so Abbott continues.
"Now, onto the next matter in hand. Your client's accusations of harassment levelled at both Agent Lisbon and Mr Jane for investigating him with regards to the phone hacking, home invasion and murders of LaRoche and Ardiles. As you know, we have a legal responsibility to investigate all potential suspects in cases which involve such serious crimes. And since your client was the perpetrator, he actually had no case for his accusations.
"Are we clear so far?"
"Crystal." Duggan snorts like a bucking bronco submitting to the leading rope. "But this does not obliterate the unprofessional and irresponsible behaviour of members of this unit. Or the past abuse that my client suffered at the hands of Mr Jane and Agent Lisbon."
Abbott nods slowly, as if giving the point careful consideration. He leans back, resting his hands on his knees.
"Whilst I have no need to do this, I will, in recompense for your poor treatment by some members of this team, tell you a little more of what we have discovered about Richard Haibach and his dealings with the police. It is an ongoing investigation but, since he is dead and therefore unable to stand trial, I will make an exception for you.
"Haibach first came to the attention of Sacramento PD as a viable suspect in the case of the San Joaquin Killer, a serial murderer who targeted young women. When the open case was transferred from Sacramento PD to Agent Lisbon's team at the CBI, Haibach was questioned again. Something which he interpreted as police persecution. During this time, Haibach's suspected pedophilia came to light in the form of large numbers of photos of young girls, but there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
"Later, Robert Kirkland, who was a Homeland Security Agent turned rogue in the search for Red John, searched Mr Jane's private files in a covert operation. This led Kirkland to believe, incorrectly, that Haibach may be Red John. Kirkland kidnapped and tortured Haibach. This was not Jane's doing. Kirkland was arrested but died in custody."
Duggan clenches her fists where they rest on the table top and studies the back of her knuckles. Her shallow nod gives Abbott his cue to continue.
"Since Haibach appeared on our radar a few days ago, we have carried out some extensive investigations. It is now certain that he was involved in a pedophile ring in California. For example, the family home in Sacramento, where he used to live and which is now occupied by his sister, has a hidden room in the cellar, soundproofed and concealed behind two metal doors, that has been set up for the incarceration of children. That room was first mentioned in a SacPD report from the time that Kirkland abducted Haibach, but for some reason was not followed up on. And that is by no means all. I am not going to go into details but I will advise you that there is more direct evidence linking Richard and Holly Haibach with child abuse, and this investigation is ongoing. We will continue to work the case in order to bring closure to the families of the eight young girls who were targeted by these two predators."
He is pleased to see that the attorney is somewhat pale and appears to be sweating. It is time to bring the discussion to a conclusion.
"So you see, I can understand your wish to extract an eight figure settlement from the FBI in alleged recompense for Haibach's perceived wrongs at the hands of law enforcement… but I can assure you that any such action would go to court. And the accusations of a dead serial murderer and serial child rapist are not likely to receive much support. There would be intense media interest too, which could reflect very badly on the parties bringing such an action.
"Now, if you would like to further progress this, be my guest."
Duggan squirms in her seat under Abbott's level gaze, her eyes fixed on the top right hand corner of the room. After a few moments, she capitulates.
"Very well. Thank you for advising me of the larger picture here and the ongoing investigations into my former client. I will advise my company that no further action is to be taken."
Maintaining his apparent affability, Abbott stands and holds the door, gentlemanly behaviour back in play. He does not, however, offer to arrange a cab, or to assist the stricken woman and her sore feet. He watches her leave, monitoring the elevator lights until he can see the ground floor light up.
After pouring himself a coffee, Abbott heads back to his own office, where he can at last let his control slip. Standing by the window, he watches people on the Austin streets come and go as he enjoys his drink. He permits himself a satisfied smirk. One persnickety lawyer heading off into the sunset suitably chastised. It had been a good day.
And he still has a deck of aces unused. Courtesy of one Walter Mashburn, who apparently claims a close friendship with Lisbon and Jane, and who has a large corporate account with a certain law firm. Funny how these things work out. Duggan's firm's managers had backed away terrified after just a phone call earlier in the day. It was as well that the misguided harpie hadn't had any way to sue, but she didn't know that, and today's whipped pup is tomorrow's attacking Rotweiler after all.
Abbott closes his eyes for a few moments to drink in the tranquillity, glad that he'd been able to defuse the situation before Duggan had begun her loaded cannon act. It's a principle that has rarely failed him – except of course with Jane - that a little calm and goodwill goes a long way, especially when herding metaphorical tigers.
He's glad that this debacle is now over but recalls that there is also the unsettling observation from reading the Sacramento PD files concerning Haibach's interest in young girls. It's strange that his cellar room was just ignored. Best case, a filing error. Worst case, the Blake Association had set up a ring of helpers with useful skills that they could call on. It would fit with the cover up of a serious crime, and the "I'll scratch your back…" mentality. And, at the same time, for corrupt cops to have access to a photographer skilled in photoshop and the like…. That would be a clear asset.
Abbott shakes his head as he recalls the worst of the Blake scandal. He'll have to get Wiley to dig around in the SacPD files tomorrow. Check for no strange correlations.
Returning to his desk, he opens another file and sighs. Holly Haibach. This would be an interesting one. Assuming that she's ever deemed mentally competent enough to stand trial that is, which was by no means a given.
But for now the day was over and the bullpen was empty. Holly could wait, whereas Alicia, Dennis's partner of 4 years, could not.
Time to shut down the laptop and go.