Jacobson Residence- Hadley, CA- San Hose County
"I don't know why someone would want to kill Shannon. She was outgoing, giving, and kind." "Was she redundant like you?" Jane asked.
"Jane, be polite!" Lisbon chided. "I'm sorry, he isn't very considerate at times. What was your name?"
"Julie," the redhead replied. "Julie Jacobson." She had a short build, brown eyes and very small lips for a woman. "Can I get you something to drink?" Julie asked.
"Tea, coffee?"
"No thank you," Lisbon refused politely.
"Oh yes," Jane began. "Some hot tea please, if it isn't too much trouble."
"No, not at all." Julie said, walking into the kitchen. Lisbon followed. Jane took the opportunity to explore the house. There were many pictures of cats. Someone here likes cats, Jane thought. He quietly opened a door and began to explore the rooms. He stepped into a green bedroom. It had more cats. Stuffed animals, pictures and puzzles of cats dominated the room. Something caught Jane's eye. There was a picture of Julie with her arms around a man. A familiar looking man. Shannon was also in the picture, but farther back. Jane grinned. He grabbed the photo and tucked it into his suit pocket. He stepped out and quietly closed the door. He sat down as Lisbon entered with Julie again.
"Was there anyone who might have motive to kill Shannon?" Lisbon asked. She thought, then replied slowly,
"No... I don't think so." As Jane drank his tea, he listened and watched Julie carefully. She seemed slightly unsure, as if someone was watching her every move. "I'll be right back." she said. She stepped into the basement.
"She's an awkward duckling."
"Jane!" Lisbon said reproachfuly. A scream came out from the basement. Lisbon jumped towards the door. Jane followed. The body of James Christopher lay in the basement, with glass around him. There goes my orginal theory. A window lay broken near the roof. But Jane was interested in something else. He looked to the wall and his heart stopped at what he saw. The smiling blood face, the signature of Red John. Now, it was personal.
After careful forensics work with spottty evidence and overeager forensic engineers, it was decided that it was definitly a Red John piece of work. Christopher had been found with a straight bruise across his neck, indicating he was strangled by something straight and hard, probably metal. Jane did dome snooping around, and found the murder weapon on the wall. A bent lead pipe. Jane pulled hard with his hankerchief around his hand. "Uh, Lisbon, help?" Lisbon helped him pry it off with her gloves on.
"Good work." she said, although it was dimissive.
"Now, why would Red John wish to kill this man?" Jane asked Lisbon.
"How should I know? Your'e the amazing, mind reading Patrick Jane. Shouldn't you know?"
"Why do you assume that I know everything? Although it pleases me."
"You're just...smart." She cringed at her words and wished she could take them back. Jane grinned.
"Thank you, Agent Lisbon. I accept your compliment with utmost gratitude." he said with a painfully fake English accent.
"Alright, enough. At least give me a hint." Lisbon said, exasperated.
"Well, if Mr. Christopher here," Jane began, pointing at James's crumpled form. "Was sleeping with Shannon, I suspect either Red John was jealous or it was a contract killing. However, it would be a bit out of step if Red John was hired, because Red John always chooses his own victims. But Christopher was not killed here. The murder weapon found, the pipe, was too long for the slot it was in. It was simply wedged in the place of another pipe. This is where the broken window enters. He was rolled in via the broken window, which was broken by the pipe. If we could find where the orginal crime scene was, more evidence could be found to put Red John away."
"Unlikely, slightly. Complicated, very. But it all makes sense." Jane glanced behind him to see Agents Van Pelt and Rigsby enter. Van Pelt laid everything out for them. "We just finished at the bridge. This one wasn't a Red John, though, or suicide as we originally thought. When we autopsied the vic we found a small, almost invisible puncture wound on her abdomen. The coroners ran some chemical tests and found traces of liquid arsenic inside." Jane smiled. Once again, I am right. One of the few places people check for wounds is the abdomen. Rigsby finished, brushing back his short hair.
"So, after she died, about three hours to be precise, her body was dumped off the bridge to make it look like a suicide." Jane couldn't resit the opportunity to baffle Rigsby.
"So, how did she get poisoned?"
"It was injected into her by syringe."
"Yes, but how did the killer get close enough to inject it?" No one answered. "Come on, this is easy! He obviously had to have her just where he wanted her, so he must have had her locked away somewhere or tied up. This is now a kidnapping case, and this is not a Red John killing, Lisbon. Red John always leaves a gruesome crime scene so people will fear him. This is small and minimal contact. As to the whereabouts of more evidence, I think this will best be answered with investigation, which I took the liberty of doing myself, and I found this." Jane triumphatly help up a piece of paper, with writing on it. The agents crowded around to see it.
"It says...Orientum Bar?" Van Pelt said in confusion.
"Red John was a student of Latin." Lisbon said.
"That's right, very observant of you Lisbon, you could almost be me. Orientum in Latin means the east, and bar means, well, bar. So this note says, in full..." Rigsby jumped up, interupting Jane.
"East Side Bar!"
"That is correct. So this note tells us to go to East Side Bar, and we can infer that it is the original crime scene."
"Well, what are we waitng for?" Van Pelt said. "Let's go!"
Please R&R!