CHAPTER 2
Two Weeks Later
Jane, Lisbon and Cho were all looking down at the body of the victim, Paulette Adams, a rich accountant, who was murdered in the office of her one man business.
"So Jane, what do you think?" Lisbon turned to her consultant and scratched her head.
Jane walked around the room and went through her stuff.
"Married, not very happily though," he stated as he took a step closer to the body and sniffed.
"And explain, please," Lisbon said, not annoyed anymore about him sniffing the body every time.
"It's her scent, Lisbon, it's always the scent," he looked up at her and smirked. "No, not always," he added. "But don't you smell her expensive perfume? Definitely not only for her husband. Much too... too, uh... well, whatever." He shrugged and exited the room. Lisbon followed him, yet signaling 'you handle this further' to Cho.
"Let's talk to her assistant, Bianca." Jane said when Lisbon caught up with him. "I bet she knew all of her clients."
"Rigsby is getting her statement right now," Lisbon said as she led Jane to her agent and the tall woman with the tear stained face.
Lisbon nodded to Rigsby to let him know she would take it from here and turned to the woman. "Bianca Hemingway? I'm agent Lisbon. This is Jane... Have you any idea who might have wanted to hurt Paulette? Did she have an argument with somebody recently?"
"No," Bianca cried. "I mean, I heard her talking on the phone with someone yesterday. She was talking very loudly and... there were some issues."
Jane interrupted Lisbon who was about to say something. "What issues?"
Bianca hesitated. "I'm sorry. It's confidential, agent."
"Consultant," he corrected her and watched Lisbon's reaction. "I'm a consultant, not an agent, big difference."
Lisbon saw him looking at her and rolled her eyes, before she changed her mind and smiled slightly. "That's my phrase."
Bianca's 'what are you talking about?'-like expression took Lisbon back to reality. She cleared her throat to ask the next question. "Are you aware of all the clients she had?"
"Yes, I practically made all Paulette's appointments. I can send you a list of the current ones, if you like?"
Lisbon nodded. "Yes, we would like to have them. And please call us if you recall the time of the phone call to memory." With those last words they left Bianca, and headed for their black van. Lisbon waited in the driver seat till Jane had fastened his seatbelt.
"Lisbon?"
"What?" she said, keeping her eyes straight on the road.
"Do you think Caspar would like it if we moved in together again?"
Lisbon gave him a quick glance, enough for Jane to understand that she wasn't sure what to answer. "I think he would," he went on. "And wouldn't it be better for him?"
"He's doing fine, Jane."
He sighed and looked out of the window. "But... I'm not, Teresa," he said gloomy and hung his head. "Can't we try it again? We are spending most of the evenings together and... I just think we'll manage this time," he begged and waited eagerly for her response.
He didn't get one till Lisbon parked the car at the CBI and shut off the engine.
"I'll think about it."
Bit short, but there will be a next one.
