I do not own The Mentalist characters, and no copyright infringement is intended. Just writing for fun, and to pass the time between episodes.

AN: Thanks so much for all the encouraging comments, especially from those 'guests' who I could not thank personally. I appreciate your responses enormously, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. The title, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," is from the classic Motown song. I prefer the Marvin Gaye version, but take your pick. CCR, Gladys Knight, Buddy Miles, etc.

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FISCHER

They set up in a conference room at the Hays Co Sheriff's Department. So far, the only lead they had was from a pimple faced teenager at the RV park who'd seen a silver Econoline van sitting next to Jane's Airstream, between six thirty and seven last night. The kid didn't remember the plates, but admitted he wouldn't have noticed out of state plates – they weren't unusual in a trailer park. The van was parked on a dry gravel area, which pretty much ruled out getting any information from tire tracks. That wasn't much to go on, but Wiley and the tech people were busy back at headquarters, looking for any recently purchased or stolen vehicles that matched.

Fischer was doing her best not to show it, but she was a bit unnerved. Jane was her charge, and she'd been instrumental in getting him back here to work for the FBI. She'd never lost someone in her command, and the idea of Jane being abducted and very possibly killed upset her more than she had anticipated. While she knew it wasn't her fault, that knowledge proved to be very little comfort.

Lisbon appeared to be holding up much better than she was, and that bugged Fischer. Lisbon and Jane were supposed to be such close buddies, and yet here her fellow agent was, behaving like the consummate professional in the face of a very dire situation. She was keeping such a cool head it was almost annoying. Maybe she'd just experienced Jane's antics so many times that it had rendered her unflappable.

She didn't have to time to wonder much longer, because her phone rang. Fischer answered and then addressed the team: "Agent Rawlings has been released and Senior Agent Durbin is bringing him by here. They're five minutes away". Surely Rawlings would provide some helpful information. She hoped so, or power struggles with her prima donna consultant might never be a problem again.

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LISBON

While the team sat waiting for Rawlings to arrive, the Hays County guys brought in hot coffee and pastries, God bless them. Cho pushed a bear claw down the table toward her and she fell on it like a ravenous dog. She had to stop herself from reaching for the blueberry muffin to put it aside, though, and she felt something squeeze tight around her heart.

They had barely finished their "breakfast" when Rawlings and Durbin arrived. Phil looked rough, not surprisingly, sporting a grizzly five o'clock shadow and stitches in his head.

"Sorry, Rawlings," Abbott began. "We know you've had a hell of a night. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can."

Despite his haggard physical appearance, Rawlings looked far from defeated. There was a set to his jaw that projected an entirely different state of mind. He was angry, she realized. Very angry. He sat down heavily into the seat at the end of the conference table and Cho slipped him a coffee.

"Thanks," he muttered, taking a grateful sip.

"So, what happened, Rawlings?" Fischer asked, but instead of answering directly, Phil addressed his first comments to Lisbon.

"Lisbon, you might want to step out, because I've got some stuff to say about your partner that you're probably not gonna like."

She stiffened. It wasn't like she hadn't wanted to kill Jane herself many times, but there was something in Phil's tone that she immediately took exception to. "I'm sure I can handle whatever you have to say," she fired back. Fischer's raised eyebrows suggested that her tone might have been a bit harsh. She didn't care. She was sorry Phil was hurt, but she wasn't in the mood to be patronized, by Phil or anyone else.

Abbott took control of the situation. "Let's just get the facts here. Lisbon is a professional and I have no doubt she will act accordingly. Rawlings, why don't you tell us what happened?"

Rawlings looked at her and shrugged. I warned you.

"From the beginning," Abbott emphasized. "Tell us everything."

"I ran into Jane at work yesterday – we'd never actually met – and he invited me to his place for a beer. Agent Lisbon and I had been out a few times socially, and since Jane is her partner, he said he thought it would be good for us to get to know each other, and I agreed.

After work I drove down to his trailer park. I parked in the visitors lot and walked down to his place. No trouble finding it. It was already dark, but there were plenty of lights around, and I didn't notice anything hinky, but then I wasn't looking for it, either." He took another sip of coffee, and then continued.

"Jane was sitting outside, waiting for me, I guess, and we shook hands and went inside the RV. He got us a couple of beers. I figured we'd just sit there and shoot the shit for awhile and he would tell me I needed to treat Lisbon right – you know, the kind of stuff I'd expect a partner to say. But that's when things started to get strange. He was nothing like you described him, Teresa. He was kind of…" Rawlings hesitated, trying to find the right word. "Nervous. Serious? That's what should have tipped me off. I think that son of a bitch knew something was up, and he had asked me down there for protection or something." Rawlings' anger was building.

"Did Jane say something that made you think that?" Abbott asked.

"No. Well. Not exactly. But he picked a subject that he knew would keep me distracted."

The room waited expectantly, but the big man was clearly uncomfortable continuing.

"Please tell us what was said," Fischer prodded. "Don't leave anything out. It might be important. An agent's life may be on the line here."

Rawlings looked at Lisbon one more time. I warned you. "It was about Lisbon. His partner. Jane said he knew we'd been on some dates, and he thought she liked me. He was very complimentary, for what it's worth, Teresa." The battered agent was talking directly to her now. "He said he could understand why I was attracted to you, because you were beautiful and tough and kind and wonderful. He said you gave him the courage to be a better person."

Lisbon's mouth dropped open momentarily, but she caught herself and concealed her shock with the best poker face that she could manage.

"He said I would never deserve you, no matter how nice of a person I was. He also said he understood the guy code of not competing with a fellow agent for a woman. Which kind of took me by surprise, because you had said you all were never a couple. He pointed out to me that he wasn't actually a fellow agent, since he was a consultant. That's when I started to get the drift."

Rawlings paused and then turned his comments back to the group. "He said he didn't begin to deserve Lisbon either, but that he hadn't come all the way back from Venezuela for nothing. That's when the smug bastard really dug in." The agent's voice got quiet. "Jane said he wasn't going to tell Lisbon that the real reason my first marriage ended wasn't because my ex hated my job, but because of my gambling. I don't do that anymore," he hastened to point out. "And then he went through a few other of my less than desirable characteristics, too. I have no idea how he knew any of that. He said…" Rawlings cleared his throat and his voice grew strong again. "He said that he was going to win Lisbon fair and square, and he just wanted me to understand that."

Lisbon bit her lip so hard she drew blood. She wanted to sink into the ground, cry, and scream all at once. Luckily, her poker face held.

"He had me totally sucked into this conversation, and that's when the bad guy busts in the door, holding a gun on us. I think that bastard knew somebody was coming after him, and that's the real reason he wanted me there. Actually, at that point, I wondered if maybe Jane had hired him."

"Do you have any concrete evidence of that?" Fischer inquired matter of factly.

"No," Rawlings admitted, shaking his head. "But you'll see…"

"Okay, go on then. Description?" Fischer asked.

Rawlings sighed, swallowing what looked to have been a snide remark. Like I didn't know you wanted a description of the perp. "Dark hair, dark eyes, medium build. Black jacket over a black tee shirt. Blue jeans, black pointy toed cowboy boots.

But here's the thing." Rawlings put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Jane recognized him. I'm sure of it."

Everyone in the room's eyebrows rose at that revelation.

"The guy didn't waste any time, but he did seem surprised I was there. Right away he makes me surrender my weapon, and he stomps Jane's phone into bits. Then he looks at Jane with a wild crazy look in his eyes and asks him, 'Do you know why I'm here?'

Jane tells him 'yes,' and the guy smiles a smile that makes the hair raise up on the back of my neck." At this point Rawlings looked apologetically at Lisbon. This next part, she realized, was the part he really hadn't wanted her to hear.

"Then Jane sorta loses it. Sorry Teresa. Jane starts clinging to me and nearly crying, "Don't let him take me. Save me.'"

Cho and Lisbon exchanged glances.

"Jane put his arms around you?" she asked.

"Yeah. It was pitiful. He was acting like a ten year old girl. He was begging the kidnapper to take me, too, so he wouldn't have to be alone. No backbone at all. How'd you work with this guy for ten years, Lisbon?" Rawlings was genuinely dismayed.

"So then Mr. Boots kicks Jane in the back so hard he lets loose of me and falls on the floor. While Jane is rolling around, moaning, Boots starts looking at me and I'm figuring I'm about to get whacked." The big agent took a deep breath. "Then Jane pipes up again and tells the guy that if he's not going to take me with him, that he wants Boots to kill me so I won't get to…" Rawlings paused, and then lowered his voice, "…you know…to…'do' his girlfriend."

There was complete silence in the room, and Lisbon realized everyone was holding their breath, including her. Awkward didn't begin to cover it.

"I'm not, you know…we're not…" he assured everyone, "but I'm just repeating what Jane said."

"So," Lisbon asked. "Jane asked the guy to kill you?" The wheels were starting to turn in her head, which enabled her to put the emotional aspect of the situation aside. She focused on figuring out how Jane was playing this, because his life might well depend on it.

"He did just that. I couldn't believe it! Strange thing was, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Boots just grins this evil grin, and that's when he cuffs me to the refrigerator. While Boots is doing that, Jane's getting real crazy like, desperate, and starts saying wild things."

"Wait. What kind of wild things? What did he say? Exactly." Lisbon asked, intent on getting Jane's precise words. She looked over at Cho, who was listening carefully as well.

"Teresa, Jane was begging the guy to off me!" Rawlings remained incensed. "And then Boots laughs this really creepy laugh and smacks me upside the head with his pistol. And that's all I know. I woke up about 9:30 and they were both gone."

"What did Jane say? The wild stuff?" Cho asked, ignoring the other agent's ire.

Rawlings was taken aback at Lisbon and Cho's apparent callousness, and he once again addressed his remarks to Lisbon. "Your partner asked someone to kill me, Teresa, the son of a bitch! First he whines like a coward and then that?! "

Cho and Lisbon looked at each other again, "Rawlings, you're an idiot," Cho said without inflection. "Jane probably saved your life, and may have given us a way to track him."

Lisbon nodded, and asked, "Where's your phone, Phil?" She didn't have time for his misguided anger right now.

"What? I don't know where my phone is. I figured Boots tossed it or smashed it after I was unconscious."

Lisbon tilted her head at Cho. "I'm on it," he said, and pulled out his phone. "Hey Riley, can you ping Phillip Rawlings' phone? Agent in HAZMAT." Cho flipped his phone shut. "It'll take him a few minutes," Cho said to the rest of the room. He addressed his next comment to Rawlings. "When Jane was holding on to you, he was most likely pocketing your phone."

"What?" Rawlings practically spat, not believing. "Naw. I would have felt it."

Maybe it was the effect of lack of sleep and the immense pressure she felt, but Lisbon laughed out loud. Poor Rawlings looked at her like she'd sprouted devil's horns.

"You said Jane recognized the man?" Cho continued.

"Yes. I'm sure of it."

"What, exactly, did Jane say, besides the part about killing you," Lisbon asked. "His very words, if you can remember them."

"I remember, 'cause it was so weird. He said he always knew he'd end up on Vulcan sitting in a high backed chair."

"On Vulcan, in a high backed chair," Cho repeated slowly, considering all the words.

"Jane referenced Star Wars?" Fischer asked.

"Star Trek," Abbott, Cho and Lisbon corrected her in unison.

"Vulcan is Spock's homeland. His home planet," Cho extrapolated.

"Spock's homeland. Scotty, beam me up? Sulu? Uhuru?" Lisbon free associated. "Kirk?"

"Vulcan was a hot planet?" Abbott offered, trying to help.

Lisbon swirled the references around in her mind, hoping some idea would pop out. Spock's homeland. Kirk. Wait! "What was the rest? A high backed chair?" Kirk. Homeland. Heibach. Richard Heibach. "Did the guy have both of his thumbs?" she asked Rawlings.

"What the hell?"

"It's a serious question. Did he have both of his thumbs?" she repeated.

"Yes, he had thumbs," the agent confirmed, throwing up his hands in frustration. "Two of them."

She frowned for a moment and then exclaimed, "Kirkland! Bob Kirkland of Homeland Security had a twin brother who was a Red John follower. What was his first name?"

Fischer went to work on her computer, and soon had the answer. "Michael Kirkland?"

"Yes!" Lisbon said. Dark hair, dark eyes. The description fit. "Can you pull up a picture of Robert Kirkland? Homeland Security Agent. Deceased about two years ago."

"Would somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?" Rawlings sighed. Only now did she actually feel a pang of sympathy for the guy. He was banged up, tired, and bewildered, and he had no clue what was going down. But she didn't have time to explain.

"Got the picture," Fischer said, tapping away at her keyboard.

Lisbon glanced over at it and nodded. "Show it to Phil."

Fischer slipped the computer in front of Rawlings and his eyes opened wide as saucers. "That's him. Jesus. That's him. His hair is different but, yeah."

Cho's phone buzzed. "Cho," he answered. He listened intently and then pulled out his pen and wrote in his little notebook. "4363 Sidewinder Road," he read back to Riley. "Got it. Send the live feed to us." He listened again. "Good work, Riley, thanks."

Cho turned to the team. "Riley got a ping on Rawlings' phone. It's in a rural area about ten miles southwest of Austin. He's sending the live feed. We'll have pictures soon."

Rawlings slumped in his chair and just shook his head. "You mean to tell me that Jane knew this guy and was playing him the whole time?"

"Jane didn't know him, but he recognized Michael Kirkland as a twin brother of someone he'd dealt with before. Probably cold read him and then decided to play Br'er Rabbit," she explained.

"Who's briar rabbit?" Rawlings asked.

"You need to read more," Cho observed, earning him a scowl from the man.

"Got the satellite pictures right here," Fischer noted. "And…there's a silver van parked in front of a house at the address where the phone pings. Bingo! How about that?"

"Jane must have hidden the phone in the van somewhere." Abbott said with an appreciative nod. "Or he's still in the van."

The team sprang into action, arranging vehicles, SWAT teams, and notifying the proper people. There was no time to lose. "Thank you for your help, Rawlings," Abbott said as the team filed out of the conference room. "Agent Durbin, please make sure he gets home safely, would you? He's had a rough night."

Rawlings touched Lisbon's arm as she moved past him toward the door, preoccupied with the task at hand. "I'm sorry, Teresa. What was I supposed to think?"

She nodded. "We'll talk later," she replied, not unkindly. "Jane's in trouble now."

"What was all that at the beginning then…before Kirkland showed up?" Rawlings called after her, but she kept going, pretending not to hear.

She was glad no one saw her flash a smile when she heard Cho's reply behind her. "Oh, that part was real, Rawlings. Very real."

(to be continued)

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Next up - Jane's having a bit of a rough night himself.

I'd love to know if what happened in this chapter was clear to the readers. I'm working without a beta right now, and sometimes I'm not sure what I'm describing will be clear. (it's clear to me, but I know what happened...lol) Also, did the fact that all this took place in one room drag the story?