Chapter 2 - Teamwork
Two weeks later, Lisbon and her team were eating lunch at O'Malley's. They had just solved the casino employee's murder and rescued the fianceé of Jane's stage magician friend.
"Come on. Tell me you didn't enjoy the casino heist. Gave your non-cop side some fun," teased Jane.
"Only because it worked and we returned the money before getting caught," replied Rigsby.
"Nice letting us in on the plan ahead of time," Cho opined acerbically. "Usually you brilliantly solve the case on your own, hoping we're nearby to keep the killer from offing you."
Jane frowned and looked puzzled. "What's your point?"
"I've never known anyone more resistant to teamwork–especially when you first started here," Cho responded.
"I work with you, rely on all of you in solving cases."
"Come on, Jane," Van Pelt chided, "Admit it. You really like flying solo."
Genuinely intrigued, "That's weird. That's what my father said when I was 13. It was a two-man show. He'd yank my chain when I'd ad lib a psychic reading in the middle of the act."
"Yes, you do tend to go off script," confirmed Lisbon sweetly. Amused and curious, she asked, "Jane, what's teamwork mean to you, anyhow?"
He leaned back and drank some soda. "Well, 'team' implies a group with a shared objective. 'Teamwork' involves everyone contributing to reach the goal."
Lisbon smiled, "That's a start, but you're missing the framework. What about the shared plan everyone knows in advance? Think about any team you've ever been on. Don't they all work that way?"
He scratched his head. "Huh. –Lisbon, quick, name three teams you've been on other than CBI."
"Umm, high school band. Debate club. Church home repair groups."
"Cho?"
"Baseball and wrestling. The Army Rangers."
"Rigsby?"
"Uh, arson investigation squad. College honor court. Basketball."
"Van Pelt?"
"Cheerleading. Computer science club. Church kitchen for meals for the homeless."
Jane, reflectively, "Common element? They're all linked to larger organizations–school, church, employer, military. When I was growing up? No organizations."
"You went to school," Lisbon countered.
"Carny kids don't buy in. There's always an 'us versus them' vibe. You don't find them in sports or extracurricular activities."
"Church?" offered Van Pelt.
"Ahh, not my metier. Also, traveling the carny circuit doesn't make for regular attendance much less joining project teams."
"So you've never been on teams?" hazarded Cho.
"What about carny life?" challenged Rigsby. "Umm, trapeze acts, high wire acts–they have to involve teamwork."
"That's more circus than carny. Even then, those acts are almost always family‑based." corrected Jane. "Carnivals are collections of individual shows. There is no team."
"That finally begins to make sense," mused Lisbon. "So, you didn't experience teams growing up. And, as an adult?"
He shrugged, "Pretty much individual. Stage show. Psychic readings."
"Jane, you've gotten better over the years–" Lisbon started.
"Yeah, remedial teamwork," snorted Cho.
"–but I see you may not have a lot of experience to draw on," Lisbon finished, ignoring Cho.
Jane leaned back, drumming his fingers on the table. "You're hanging a lot on this teamwork notion. We had to have a plan to hunt Red John's mole in the CBI and to carry out the heist. But most of our cases don't lend themselves to a plan."
"Not the way you like to work," responded Cho.
"No," Jane disagreed sharply, "not because of my preference. Because that's what's needed to solve the case. Here. We start a case. Usually there are several suspects and a bunch of possibilities as to what happened, right?"
"Okay."
"As we gather evidence, more suspects and possibilities are generated. Some are eliminated. The probabilities of the rest rise and fall, depending on what we uncover. It's like a twenty-horse race." The four looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Go on," Lisbon nudged.
"How can there be one plan shared by the team when there are dozens of possibilities? I set up tests to see how people react. I often don't know which will pan out. If we had to settle on a single plan, it might have, oh, one chance in five of targeting the right suspect."
Rigsby, cautiously, "You're saying you don't know till the case is pretty far along how it will work out?"
"Of course! Remember Linus Wagner? You all were ticked off at me for not telling you I suspected him. Actually, I kind of thought he wasn't the killer. So, yes, I set a trap, but wasn't sure he was guilty."
"That's why you don't lay it out beforehand?" demanded Cho.
"Yes. Also, lots of times it's just a hunch. My evidence isn't the kind you guys like."
"True. I'm frequently amazed at what you consider relevant," Lisbon reflected.
"Often it would take longer to explain a hunch than check it out. I'd never get anywhere if I had to convince you to take my ideas seriously. In fact, a lot of hunches don't work out. It's the nature of hunches."
They sat silently for a while, letting his explanation sink in.
"Jane," Van Pelt finally offered, "I really appreciate your telling us this. It makes a lot more sense."
"Isn't it obvious? Not the details, but the general approach?"
"No," replied Lisbon gently. "You definitely have a unique approach." She was glad Jane had explained at length. It took the sting out of his typical secrecy, simplifying her job of fostering team cohesion.
