Chapter 3
I want to thank dutchie for indicating I needed to add the characters on the title part. I thank everyone for the follows and reviews I've received. I know you're seeing the characters in a completely time and different jobs. I've been enjoying writing it.
I will start the case in the next chapter as I wanted to get the story set up.
Disclaimer:Don't Own Anything
The sun rose brightly through the windows of the old Airstream. Jane squinted his eyes trying to wake up. He stretched out his arms and yawned. Hearing Charlotte cry, he instantly rose up and walked toward the pull out couch bed where the little girl slept. She was crying and hiccuping, " deam." The girl wrapped her arms around her father seeking comfort.
"It's okay, honey, I'm here." Jane said hugging his daughter.
Before he and Angela were together, he never imagined he would end up being a single father. At one point, he wasn't nearly as responsible as he could have been, he still was more responsible than his father with money. He was aimless before Angela convinced him to settle and he finally decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. During one of their stops, they went into town and went to the justice of the peace and married Angela with Sam and Pete as witnesses. He was able to purchase rings that day with money he saved for that particular purpose for the two of them. They stayed in the trailer continuing to travel in the carnival. Angela became estastic when she found out about Charlotte and instantly thought about moving out into an house or apartment. She brought home magazines showing examples of the typical house. He wasn't sure about it, but he wanted to do anything for her. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. She died and now was missing the delight of raising their daughter together. She wanted to be a mother so much, and she wouldn't see her grow up which saddened him. It was a pleasure every day to be with his little girl. Sure, it had been challenging to raise a baby alone, though he wasn't alone with it all the time. He had Sam and Pete's help and even some of the other parents in the carnival. After seeing Teresa Lisbon's apartment yesterday, he knew it would be best for him to move out of the trailer and into a stable home with rooms. A trailer wasn't the easiest or best place to raise a child, but he had done it for the past three years. Thinking about Teresa Lisbon, he had to admit he found the woman attractive and smart, not someone who should be a secretary. She didn't seem to care to be the perfect woman or what society believed would make the perfect woman. He could tell she had a hard life having to be the responsible one. He guessed she had enough and needed to get out of her current situation. He probably shouldn't have been so pushy as she seemed very hesitant letting him in her apartment. That tended to be one of his negative traits pushing his way right in places. He thought about if he was ready to move on. He still wore his ring. He wasn't sure he could do it, but something about that Teresa pushed him to think about it. He probably needed someone to help raise his daughter, but that couldn't be the only reason to move on. He had to be ready for it and the right person needed to come along.
After a couple of minutes, he dressed his little girl and got dressed himself. He hurried and grabbed out of the small refrigerator eggs and milk. He put eggs in the pan on the small stove and started them.
He heard a knock on the door and answered revealing Sam and Pete. "Good morning, Paddy. How ya doing?" Pete said. "You never did say what you did yesterday in Sacramento." He entered the trailer and Sam instantly went to play with the little girl who sat on her bed playing with her toys.
"Well, I looked at an apartment." Jane admitted. He conveniently didn't say it was of Teresa Lisbon.
"You still have that idea." Sam piped up.
"Yes, she's going to grow up and it won't be easy to raise a child in a trailer especially a girl." Jane admitted scrambling the eggs.
"How was it, Paddy, boy?" Pete asked.
"It's perfect for Charlotte and I. Two bedrooms, living room. It wasn't huge, but it'll work." Jane said.
"You want to move to Sacramento? Couldn't you at least find a place around Carson Springs?" Pete asked.
"This seems like a good city what I've seen." Jane admitted.
"If that's what you want, we'd support you." Sam reluctantly said.
Lisbon arrived at work for the third day and greeted Grace. The other woman was already busy at her desk answering calls, so she couldn't talk. It was nice to have her boxes unpacked and out of the way and she couldn't believe she let a strange man from the carnival help her unload them. She was surprised someone that mobile would want to settle down, from what she figured, he and his wife probably made a decision to settle down. It still didn't answer the fact that he wanted to see her apartment and talk to her. True, she thought he was attractive with his blond hair and dazzling smile. Some women would fight to get a chance for a date or even to talk to, but she wasn't like those women, she wasn't going to chase a man. And even if she decided to, he was married anyway.
He was after all a conman tricking people. She believed in doing the right thing and following the rules though she could do without having to wear dresses to work and not being able to do the career she wanted.
"Ms. Lisbon, I need you to type a letter for me." Mr. Carter came up to her. She followed the lawyer into his office ready. She sat down in the seat in front of his desk.
"How has your week gone so far, Ms. Lisbon?" Mr. Carter asked.
"Fine. I'm getting settled in good." Lisbon admitted trying to make small talk. She was glad this man wasn't like Mashburn. He didn't look her up and down. He just treated her like a normal person. Though, there was something creepy about him. He almost seemed too nice though she shouldn't be so quick to judge.
Later, after finishing the letter she came out and returned to her desk and continued answering phones. A man came into the office wearing a black suit. She saw him enter Mashburn's office, she figured he was Raymond Haffner. After a few minutes he came out. "Walter, I can't have all this alimony to pay. How much money do I have to pay that bitch! Is it even legal for her to have a woman lawyer? Women need to stay at home where they belong!"
The women secretaries looked at each other obviously offended by his comment especially Lisbon. Nobody had that right to tell them what to do like that. They were humans with choices. If they didn't want to stay home, why should they?
In the afternoon, Jane walked again around town to check out schools for Charlotte close to the apartment he looked at where Teresa Lisbon lived. He had no experience whatsoever of knowledge of schools as he never attended. His father didn't believe in education, but he read books they had available. During the off months, he'd get jobs picking fruit with the migrant workers starting as a teenager. He saw a large brick school covered in ivy which had seen better days called Williams Elementary. Some of the windows appeared broken and had plastic wrap over them and the paint on the door was chipped. He wondered if it was closed down, however he heard children yelling from behind the school. He knew it was too early to consider schools, since his little girl was only three, but it was good to start looking. He opened the door expecting it to be locked, but it wasn't. He looked inside at the worn hallway and started observing the school.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you lost?" A woman's voice sounded behind him. He turned around seeing a tall black woman in a skirt suit.
"No, I'm looking at future schools for my daughter.." Jane admitted. "She's only three, but I figured it didn't hurt to look at possible schools. I'm thinking of moving here."
"Well, I believe there's a white school on the next street you'd prefer." The woman looked at him questionably doing a onceover seeing he was white and blond haired.
"It's just that this school was closer to the apartment I'm looking at. Are you a teacher?" Jane asked observing the woman. She wasn't a teacher, he didn't think. She was dressed too professional. He didn't know what teachers dressed like, so he couldn't be the judge of that.
"I'm the principal, though I used to be a teacher." The woman said staring at him.
"Ah, of course. You have that air of authority about you." Jane said. He observed her again realizing she wasn't a happy woman. Maybe because of racism going on in the south. No, it was about her personal life. He figured it out. "You're going through a divorce and have two young children I'm guessing." Jane read. "And you really worked your way up."
"Excuse me! How'd you know that?" The woman said not pleased with the observation. "That's nobody's business." She said sternly.
"Sorry, just observant. It's what I do." Jane said apologetically. He really should stop reading people like this. He knew they didn't like it. "How may I address you, Prinicipal? I'm Patrick Jane." He grinned holding out his hand.
"Hightower. Madeline Hightower." Hightower reluctantly shook his hand cautiously looking at him and released her hand. "You really should move on, Mr. Jane, to the white school. You are aware just by looking at me, this is a black school." Principal Hightower said seriously.
"I'm not picky. If you're not busy, Ms. Hightower, I wouldn't mind a tour." Jane said.
Prinicipal Hightower looked at him cautiously. He was vaguely aware of the tension between the whites and blacks from newspapers he saw thrown on the carnival grounds and of course from Sam who kept up on the news regarding segregation. He knew it was mostly in the South, but it was apparent here in California.
"You're not one of those people who are checking the schools out and determining what ones to close, Mr. Jane?" Hightower asked leerily.
"I assure you I'm not." Jane said. "I'm just a single parent wanting to look at schools for my daughter."
"Fine, Mr. Jane. Right now the children are at recess, but I'll show you a few rooms." Hightower said reluctantly turning around to lead him. He followed her lead down the hall. "I will tell you one thing we don't nearly have enough supplies as the white schools. We've tried countless of times but nobody listens."
"You probably have more school supplies I got to see as a child. I never got to go to school." Jane admitted.
"Really?" Here's a classroom. We've had to recycle old desks. And we have no new books for the children." Hightower opened a door of a classroom and led him in. "You said your daughter is three?"
"Yes. She's a handful." Jane grinned.
"Well, we have daycare and preschool along with the elementary at the end of the hall. We can't afford separate buildings so we just put them together." Hightower explained.
"That's lucky." Jane said.
"Mr. Jane, you do realize your child would be the only white child." Hightower said going to the door and going out the door. Jane followed. Hightower headed down the hall and stopped at another room with a door on the sign labeled daycare.
"Oh, that's no problem with me. Where I work and live she's subjected to many types of people." Jane said. "We're all races."
"And where exactly is that, if I may ask. Around here it's pretty segregated between whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanics." Hightower explained.
"If you noticed the posters for the carnival, that's home sweet home for me for now." Jane admitted.
"Interesting." Hightower looked skeptically.
"I'm the carnival's psychic. That's why I observed you. We carnies are not exactly looked at as the most desirable people. We know what discrimination is like." Jane said.
"All I see you as is white. I'm sorry to say." Hightower said. "Whites haven't exactly been favored with us especially in the South." Hightower said.
"I'm not racist." Jane reassured. "I've been teaching my daughter to accept everyone." Jane said.
"It's good. I teach the same to my children, but it's hard for them seeing and hearing about the violence against us in the South." Hightower said.
She showed him around the rest of first floor and second floor. Finally they noticed the children coming back in from recess. Many stared at Jane like they never seen a white man before.
"The children look happy." Jane said.
"This is what they know. They're with their peers." Hightower said. "I'd still reconsider your choice. I still suggest Michells Elementary down the street."
"I thank you for giving me a tour, Ms. Hightower I will look at the other school. You would accept my daughter?"
"We or at least me don't like to be the discriminators since we've been discriminated. But we haven't had any white children yet."
After the hard day at work, Lisbon decided to take a trip to one of the local bars based in one of the local hotels, a rather elegant place at 9:00P.M. She sat alone at one of the wooden tables, and ordered a glass of wine. Couples took glances at her wondering why a woman like her was going out alone. She didn't care about the stares, she just wanted to enjoy a glass of wine. Typically, she wouldn't go out on her own like this, she'd enjoy her wine alone in her apartment, but tonight she felt like going out somewhere. She didn't give a damn if she was alone.
"You poor girl, having to work for Mashburn. I feel for you." A voice sounded as Lisbon took a sip of her chardonnay. She looked up and stared into the face of Kim Fischer, the lawyer she saw Mashburn arguing with the other day.
"Is this seat taken?" Fischer asked pulling out the extra chair at the table.
"No, go ahead." Lisbon answered. Her table was one of the few tables available because the bar and grill was especially busy tonight. "How'd you know I work for Mashburn?"
"I saw you at the office." Fischer confessed sitting down and setting her drink on the table. She also took out a gold brass cigerette case and pulled out a cigerette. She took out a lighter and lit the cigerette and took a puff. "I bet being a secretary is a nightmare." Fischer added taking a sip of her own drink.
"I just started two days ago." Lisbon admitted taking a sip of wine.
"Then it will be a nightmare. To put it bluntly, he's an ass, a womanizing controlling ass." Fischer whispered looking around to make sure nobody heard her.
"I take it you really don't get along with him." Lisbon guessed.
"That is an understatement." Fischer responded tersely taking a smoke.
Lisbon looked at the woman. "Bad blood between you."
"He's my ex-husband. He was charming and romantic alright in the beginning. He gave me everything I could possibly want, but then he had an affair with his secretary during our marrriage. I left him faster than you could say "I do." She took a whiff of her cigerette.
Lisbon couldn't believe this woman just spilled out this personal information about herself and about her own boss. No wonder the two had the heated conversation at the office with the side of being rivals anyway.
"You're the ex-wife from Chicago?" Lisbon asked remembering Mashburn's mention of his ex-wife.
"No, that was his first ex-wife. I'm his second, I'm from Seattle originally." Fischer admitted. "I'm sure being a secretary isn't your top career choice, is it?" Fischer looked at Lisbon.
"No, it isn't. I want to be a cop but it's not exactly easy for me." Lisbon confessed.
"Well, it wasn't exactly a bed of roses for me either. It took a lot of hard work and persistence. It still does with trying to get respected."Fischer said putting some ash out in the ashtray provided at the table.
"I heard a rumor about you." Lisbon admitted wondering if it was true.
"Oh, you heard that ridiculous rumor of me putting a gun to the dean." Fischer scoffed. "It's not true. I might've said something that may have set him off to start the rumor. I'm here where I am because of my mind."
"I didn't believe it anyway." Lisbon confessed.
"I'm glad there's somebody who's smart. I wouldn't give up on your ambition and pursue it before it's too late before you're stuck in a dead end job for you forever." Fischer said.
"Why did you decide to talk to me?" Lisbon asked confused.
"I don't know, you look like you need some encouragement. I don't mean to say anything bad against secretaries, I just realize you aren't supposed to be one." Fischer said taking another whiff of her cigerette.
After talking to Ms. Fischer a while, Lisbon left the bar and hailed a cab and headed back to her apartment. She entered the front door and went up the stairs and unlocked her door, turned on the light and there in the middle of the room stood Patrick Jane holding a set of papers. She fumed at the sight and idea of someone getting into her apartment. She knew she shouldn't have trusted him. He was playing her being helpful and now he was robbing her blind perhaps. Grace's mother was right about carnies. They weren't trustworthy. Why should she trust him?
"Hello, it's good you're finally home."Jane grinned but then saw the unpleased face on Teresa's face.
"What are you doing here at 11:00 at night?" Lisbon exclaimed. "I come home and there's intruder in my house!"
"Waiting for you. It's not what it looks like." Jane looked at her sheepishly.
"What it looks like is that you broke into my apartment!" Lisbon yelled. "Leave now!"
"Broke in is such a harsh phrase. I entered without your knowledge is better." Jane said showing off a paperclip. "And made tea. I noticed your limited selection."
Lisbon looked in her kitchen and sure enough the man had found her kettle she typically made coffee in but at a rare occasion enjoyed tea. He had it heated up on her stove and had a cup on the table.
"I could have you arrested! I would like you to leave now!" Lisbon stated seriously.
"Please don't, I wasn't taking anything. I certainly won't be taking your guns!" Jane begged. "I just want to talk to you."
"Speaking of which I should've taken one with me to scare off certain offenders." Lisbon stared at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to say hello." Jane said grinning.
Lisbon rolled her eyes at his answer. "You broke into my apartment just to say hello." She said sarcastically. Lisbon stared at him knowing it was more than that. "You came for another reason."
"And what were you doing out so very late, Teresa?" Jane asked.
"None of your business. Why did you come?" Lisbon asked.
"I talked to your landlord today about the empty apartment." Jane said.
"And?" Lisbon raised her eyebrow.
"He gave me these forms." Jane said holding out the forms.
"I had to fill those out too." Lisbon said.
"But there's so many!" Jane complained. "Can't there be one and be over with it."
"Well, that's what you have to do when moving." Lisbon reminded. She might has well listen to his whim over the forms. He obviously didn't know what he was getting into being from the carnival.
"Why did you come to me about it?" Lisbon asked.
"I know you. Like you just said, you've filled them out." Jane said.
Lisbon wondered if possibly he didn't know how to read and write. If he grew up in the carnival there was no opportunities for proper education. She shouldn't be judgemental but she couldn't think of any other reason why he would come to her about filling out forms.
"Do you want me to help you?" Lisbon asked.
Jane looked offended. "I do know how to fill them out. I can read and write since that's what you're wondering."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to assume but you breaking in my apartment complaining about the forms you just received made me think otherwise." Lisbon said. "I'm tired and ready to go to bed."
"We carnies are a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. Though my dad didn't think education was important." Jane admitted. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come this late."
"You can stay. I won't kick you out yet. I don't usually go to bed right away anyway. Just to remind you, next time when you want to talk to someone, come at a decent time and don't pick their lock."
"Will do, boss." Jane saluted. "I'm complaining because I don't want to fill paper work out."
"You're going to have to fill it out if you want the apartment."Lisbon said.
"I know. Okay, I wanted to fill it out somewhere different. Not everybody knows I'm thinking about leaving carnival life." Jane said. That was true. Only Sam and Pete knew. He didn't want anybody else to find out quite yet especially at the manager. He wouldn't be too pleased that his only psychic would be leaving. Jane wasn't looking forward to tell him at all. In the carnival life, you were either with the show or not with the show. He had to leave if he didn't want to work anymore.
"Fine, let's go to the kitchen. I see you've already made yourself at home." Lisbon said referring to the tea cup on the table.
Jane plopped down at the place in front of the cup and looked through the forms realizing some of the questions he may need help filling out. "I may need some help after all this is my first time renting an apartment."
He recognized it may be a little more challenging rent ing an apartment considering he hardly had some of the requirements needed such as a permanent previous address, a job outside the carnival, and a regular bank.
"Your landlord smells funny." Jane piped up.
"That's not very nice to say considering he could be your future landlord." Lisbon stared at him.
"He obviously has a different job besides being a landlord. He smells of death. So, he works with dead bodies." Jane said.
"You can tell that by smelling him?" Lisbon asked.
"Yes." Jane grinned.
"So, you're really moving for good?" Lisbon asked. "And trying the stable life. It's not all it's cracked up to be."
"Yes. I want to try it. It'll be better in the long run, I think." Jane said. He knew it would be better for Charlotte. She couldn't be raised in the carnival forever.
"You waited in my apartment just to talk to me about forms?" Lisbon asked.
"And to see you." Jane admitted.
He got started shuffling through the papers. "I could get the typewriter." Lisbon suggested.
"Those infernal things. No, I'd rather write it out." Jane refused.
He started filling out the paperwork. He made sure Teresa wasn't looking when he filled out the question asking about children. He didn't know if he was ready to tell Teresa about Charlotte. It wasn't as if he was dating her. She was just this woman he met after his show and ran into once before and finally decided to wait for her. He was attracted to her, but he wasn't sure he was ready to date yet. For now, he'd be friends with her. Of course, if he'd move into the apartment building, he'd have to tell her that he had a child. He just didn't know how she would react. He'd seen ads and magazines describing the perfect nuclear family with two parents and parents weren't part of the perfect family.
After filling out the forms, Jane got up from the chair. "Well, thank you for letting me fill out this infernal paperwork at your apartment. I hope you forgive me for my intrusion."
"You're welcome, just next time please knock on the door." Lisbon said. "I'm glad you feel comfortable, I guess." She looked at him with a confused look. She really didn't understand why he wanted to see her so much. She thought, couldn't he fill these forms out with his wife? She still wasn't pleased of his break in but she decided to not worry about it now. She never expected to see the man again after the day before.
"That I'll try to do. I hope to see you soon." Jane said holding out the forms. "Maybe moving day."
"Good to see you. Bye." Lisbon smiled.
