Chapter 2

"So…you two know each other?" Lisbon asked, in an attempt to break the ice that had formed.

"No. No, I don't know her at all." Jane's careful reply was full of hidden meaning that Lisbon did not quite understand. The woman made a derisive noise, and Lisbon turned to look at her, full of questions that she wasn't sure how to ask.

"I have been fortunate enough to have Patrick out of my life for the last forty years," the woman told Lisbon, before facing Jane. "You ruin every life you touch. I'm surprised that wife and daughter of yours lasted as long as they did. It was only a matter of time." Her voice was full of venom, but Jane only blinked at her, determined not to let her see that her words had hurt him. Disappointed, she looked back at Lisbon. "You should stay away from him. Get him out of your life, as far away as possible. You'll be much better off, trust me."

At these words, Lisbon's eyes flashed with anger. Jane might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he is her friend. He has a good heart, and she cares deeply for him.

"You know what Lisbon, you can handle the interview, I'm going to go and take another look in the other room" said Jane, seeing the mixture of anger and confusion in Lisbon's eyes as she tried –and failed– to come up with an appropriate response. Lisbon looked at him, surprised, but nodded. There was clearly more to this than she understood, and he was behaving very strangely. It wasn't like Jane to be so non-confrontational. He must really want to get away from this woman, Lisbon realized.

Jane walked back into the living room, as Cho and Rigsby quickly stopped eavesdropping and resumed their work in silence.

In the kitchen, Lisbon was still filled with questions, but she decided to start small. "What is your name?" She asked the older woman.

"Amelia Gorell." The woman looked surprised at the simple question, and her tone remained icy, although it had softened somewhat now that Jane had left.

"Okay," Lisbon said. That was a start. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I came home from the store. I had just gone to get a few groceries. My husband stayed here, watching TV. When I came back…" Amelia paused for a moment, and it the first hint of sadness she had shown since the CBI had arrived. "I found him like that. I dropped my groceries, and I dialed 911," she finished, her voice now completely devoid of emotion.

Lisbon could not quite figure Amelia out, and so she continued asking the standard questions. "Mrs Gorell, can you think of any reason someone might have broken into your house? Anyone who would want to hurt your husband?"

"No, nothing was taken so I don't think they were trying to rob us, and we don't really have anything worth robbing anyways. My husband was a pushover, he didn't stand up to anybody so nobody ever really had a problem with him." She paused, and a slight smirk crossed her face. "Maybe he met Patrick," Amelia added, her voice once again full of hatred.

Lisbon wasn't sure what to say to that. Part of her wanted to ask Amelia what had happened between her and Jane, but given the woman's extreme animosity towards her colleague, Lisbon did not think that Amelia would give her an unbiased answer. She made a mental note to ask Jane later, although she was not sure he would be any more forthcoming than Amelia. Lisbon thanked Amelia for her time, and went to join her colleagues in the living room.

"Boss. What was that all about?" Rigsby was the first to ask. Lisbon realized that Jane wasn't there.

Lisbon merely shook her head. "I have no idea. Where is Jane?"

"He stepped outside. Said he didn't want to be in this house any more," Cho replied, succinct as usual.

"Alright, I'm going to go talk to him, and we'll probably head back to the office. You guys finish up here. Give the victim's name to Van Pelt, see what she can find on him" Lisbon's orders came naturally, and Cho and Rigsby nodded their agreement.

Outside, Lisbon found Jane standing next to a tree, staring at the sky. She was a bit surprised that he hadn't just taken the car and left. She slowly approached him, and he turned to face her.

"Lisbon…what did she say?" Jane's question reflected the uncertainty in his face, and there was a slight hint of fear despite his attempt at keeping his tone neutral.

Lisbon knew that Jane wasn't asking about the case. "She didn't say how you two know each other," Lisbon paused, looking Jane right in the eye, "but I didn't ask."

Jane took a few moments to ponder that. He knew Lisbon must be wondering what he had done to warrant Amelia's wrath. If he told her, she would probably take him off the case. But, Jane thought, maybe that isn't such a bad thing. "Then we need to talk. But not here," Jane finally said.