Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist. I'm not making any money from this. Etc. etc. etc.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this chapter is so short, I'm in a bit of a rush this morning. Longer update coming very soon.
"I am telling you for the last time Lisbon, his brother has got Taylor." Patrick Jane presented his theory on the kidnapping case to Agent Teresa Lisbon confidently for what was the fifth and, if Jane was to be believed, final time. Jane was rarely to be believed.
It was 3 in the afternoon. They had been on the case since 11 o'clock that morning. The five year-old boy, Taylor, had gone missing 24 hours before that and after talking to all of one person, Taylor's father, Jane had decided he knew exactly what had happened. He was probably right but she didn't want to set the precedent of telling him so. Besides, the information was useless to them without some sort of evidence to support it.
Despite the seriousness of the situation Lisbon couldn't help but smirk. "Liar," she accused, raising an eyebrow.
Jane didn't answer her, simply gave her a questioning look. The top half of his face was frowning but his mouth twisted into a half smile. It was cute. Which was completely irrelevant. She cleared her throat and tried to get her thoughts back on topic before Jane could read her mind. Jane smiled at the nervous sound. She ignored him.
"You're not honestly telling me that if I tell you that your opinion," she stressed the word and gave him a pointed look, "doesn't matter until we get something to go off of, you will drop it?"
Jane didn't even have the decency to look abashed. If anything, he was amused. "Well, no." Lisbon gave him a 'yeah, I thought so' look and his smile broadened. "But I won't have to. You know I'm right and it is only a matter of time now before you give in. Until then I will be right here." He flopped onto his couch with a note of finality that might have been dismissive had he not been giving her such an innocent smile.
She'd be damned if she let him call the shots. "You know I won't. Let's say, just for a minute, that the uncle does have the kid." Jane's grinned at the implication that she was skeptical. He knew she trusted his judgment but they both loved the game too much for her to come out and say it. "I can't get into his place to look without a warrant. I can't get a warrant without evidence and I can't get evidence without real investigating. So, while your circus show has been entertaining, I have work to do." Ha! Now who was being dismissed? She turned and headed straight back to her office.
Cho and Rigsby chose that moment to return, effectively ruining her dramatic exit.
"Hey, boss," Cho called, "the neighbor confirmed that the wife was seen arguing on the porch with a man matching the her brother-in-law's description." Damn it.
She shot a surreptitious look in Jane's direction. He was sitting up and reaching for his jacket but didn't appear to be gloating. He must have some self-preservation instincts after all, she thought. And then he asked to drive.