Chapter 4

"She definitely needs to stay with us now, for protection." Lisbon told Adri. Adri walked over to Alice, and picked her up again.

"Well then she won't leave my sight." She was scared for the girl.

"Nothing is for sure, but it's still a smart idea." Rigsby added.

"Why do they want the girl though?" Van Pelt questioned. "She's just a child what could she give the unsub."

"Good question, one that I do not know the answer to yet." Jane answered.

"Well Cho and I will go check out his office, Van Pelt and Rigsby I want you two to look into what they were spending, and Jane and Adri I want you to go back to the hotel with Alice for now till something comes up." Lisbon commanded, everyone dispersed.

Adri walked into the hotel room carrying Alice who was holding onto her tightly. Jane followed her inside. "Mommy I'm hungry." Alice frowned as Adri set her down on the bed.

"Alright what would you like to eat, I'll call room service to bring it up." She replied smiling for the girl.

"Can I have grilled cheese with French fries?" Alice asked.

"Of course you can." Adri replied picking up the phone and dialling room service. "While I'm at it do you want anything Jane?" She asked him, he shook his head. "Alright. Hi yeah I would like two orders of grilled cheese and fries sent to room 209 please. Thank you." She hung up the phone, then began to giggle lightly when she saw that Alice had fallen asleep on the bed. Adri walked over and took off Alice's shoes and tucked her into the bed. "I'll wake her when the food gets here."

"Wow I'm surprised you don't already have kids you have quite the motherly instinct." Jane told her sitting down in a chair.

"I don't date, never have, probably never will." She retorted.

"I wouldn't say that, I'm sure there is somebody out there for you. Why don't you get out there and try?" He asked her.

"For the same reason you don't," She whispered only just audible for Jane to hear "Trauma." He frowned in response. Now he needed to find out what exactly happened to this woman to make her into this person.

"And what exactly is this Trauma you experienced?" He stood up and began to boil some water in the kitchen for tea. It was then that Adri knew she had said too much, but she also knew that she was going to have to tell someone eventually. So she decided to tell him… just a little bit.

"Well, when I was eleven my mom started dating my step dad Steve." She began. Jane was glad that she was going to open up to him even just a little bit, even though he had a hunch about the situation based on Red John's note and her reaction to things. "My mom thought he was a saint, and he was. Until she left the house. When it was just him and me he got dangerous, in many ways." She was at this point trying to hold back her tears. She was about to continue when a cup of tea appeared in front of her.

"Don't worry you don't have to say anything else, I can tell what happened. You and your sister fell victim to him many times during your life eventually you escaped when you were old enough to move out but your sister was still a victim. You never told the authorities because you believed no one would be on your side." He told her. She nodded taking the cup of tea and sipping it sadly. He sat down next to her on the bed, he placed his hand on her knee and looked her straight in the eye. "Everything is going to be alright." It was a very silent moment which was interrupted by room service. Adri blushed as she got the food from the door, she shook it out though this was serious.

"Alice, wakey wakey, your grilled cheese is here." She rustled Alice lightly waking her up. Alice smiled at Jane as he handed her a plate of grilled cheese and fries, and handed another one to Adri. Alice handed Adri her light blue teddy bear so that she could eat. The bear was soft but it felt weird on the inside, like there were rocks in it. Jane's cell phone rang loudly he picked it up immediately.

"Hello, oh hey Van Pelt. What. Okay hang on I'm going to put you on speaker." He pressed a button and held out the phone so that it was between himself and Adri. "Okay say that again."

"Alright it seems that about two weeks before the car accident Mr. and Mrs. Ranwood spent about half a million dollars on diamonds. That's what I think our unsub is looking for I still don't know how to connect it to the girl though." Van Pelt told them. Adri looked down at the bear, there was a zipper on the back she unzipped it and her eyes widened at the sight.

"I know how it does." She took a handful of the diamonds into her hand and showed Jane.

"Oh my." Jane said. "Okay Van Pelt I'm going to have to call you back." He hung up the phone before she could ask anything. Adri turned to Alice.

"Alice, where did you get this bear?" She asked her. Alice looked at her strangely then laughed.

"Wow mommy you're really silly today, don't you remember you and daddy gave it to me. You told me to not let the bad man touch it." She smiled.

"Who is the bad man?" Jane asked her as calmly as possible. Alice stared at Jane confused at whether she should speak to him or not, she looked over to Adri who gave her reassuring nod letting her know it was alright to talk to him.

"Mommy said that the bad man from daddy's work wanted to take me and Mr. Bear away, but the only way he can take me is if he has Mr. Bear." She jumped on the bed straight into Adri's lap and began petting the teddy bear. "Because the bad man wants me because I look like his Natalie."

"I don't understand any of this at all, this isn't making any sense if he wants the girl why does he need the diamonds." She asked Jane who shrugged in response. Adri stuffed the diamonds back into the doll. "Alice if it's alright with you I'd like to take Mr. Bear for a little while." Alice frowned but then handed the bear to Adri who put it in her purse.

"Why don't you too finish eating and then we'll go talk to Lisbon." Jane smiled sipping his tea calmly. Adri took a large bite of her grilled cheese before nodding in agreement.

The sun was high up in the sky and the air was warm, and moist. Adri, Jane, and Alice had just arrived at Lisbon's location. It was a large RV in a trailer yard, the RV was a dark green and had 'catch me if you can' painted on the side with red flames. Adri walked over to Lisbon who was talking to a man with dark brown hair and green eyes. "So what did you have against the Ranwood family?" Lisbon asked the man, who must have been one of Mr. Ranwood's co-workers.

"I had nothing against them at all we all got along great." The man answered angrily, he then noticed that Alice was there and his body language changed entirely. "I apologize but I have to make a quick call." He said walking slightly off to the side and started dialling on the phone.

"Do you mind if I take a look around your RV?" Jane asked the man as soon as he put the phone up to his ear.

"Yeah sure whatever floats your boat." He answered annoyed. Jane smiled and motioned for Adri to follow him. She picked up Alice and walked with Jane into the RV. Once inside Adri walked over to the bed and sat down with Alice in her lap, she kept a close eye on Jane as he looked around most likely searching for clues.

"Do you see anything suspicious?" Jane asked her. Adri looked around before shaking her head. "Yeah neither do I, which is suspicious in itself I'm going to go ask Lisbon a quick question I'll be right back.." Jane walked out of the RV. Everything was silent for a few moments before she heard a click and the start of the engine.

"Hello? Who's there?" She asked standing up leaving Alice sitting on the chair inside. She had only taken a few steps before the RV started to move. "Shoot!" She ran to the front of the RV where the driver's seat was she looked out the front window and saw that they were headed straight down hill, straight towards a thick forest without any path large enough to fit an RV. She grabbed the steering wheel and tried to turn it but nothing was responding, the brakes, the gas, absolutely nothing. She checked all the doors and windows and all of them were jammed or locked from the outside, no way out. Adri walked back into the back of the RV, and grabbed the microwave that was plugged into the wall of the vehicle. "Alice I need you to stand back okay." Alice nodded in response and positioned herself farther away from Adri, who was now staring at the side window holding the microwave firmly in two hands.

"Mommy what are you doing?" Alice asked confused. Adri made no comment and began hitting the window with the microwave as hard as possible. Quickly the glass began to crack and with one final blow she smashed the glass completely sending the microwave flying out the window. Adri looked out a moment, and saw that she had about 30 seconds before impact. In moments she grabbed Alice and positioned herself at the open window preparing to jump. "

"Don't let go okay?" Adri whispered to Alice. Alice clenched Adri tightly, and with that she jumped out the window. She managed to land roughly on her back so that Alice didn't get hurt but as soon as she made impact she skidded across the ground and hit her head off the cement. She immediately blacked out.

Adri saw flashes, of images as she went in and out of consciousness. Lisbon saying mumbled words, Jane asking questions, and Alice crying. She felt herself being lifted, and watched as she moved into an ambulance. Finally she saw nothing.

"Jane, there's something wrong with Alice." Lisbon told Jane as she had both hands on the girl's shoulders. Alice's breathing was staggered, uneven, and heavy. Jane walked over and took her wrist into his hand counting her pulse.

"Get her into an ambulance too, hurry." He told Lisbon, as he quickly walked away.

"Jane where are you going!" She shouted. Jane looked back and smiled.

"Solving the case." Lisbon shook her head in disapproval as she got Alice into an ambulance.

*1 Day Later*

Adri opened her eyes confused to find herself in a hospital bed. She could feel that her upper body was bandaged, and felt a burning sensation in her back. Sitting up she was surprised to find Jane sitting in a chair sipping at a cup of tea. "What happened?" Slowly her mind became more focused and began to remember the incident with the RV.

"When you jumped out of the RV, you skidded and peeled off a lot of the skin on your back. The doctor says it isn't too serious, but you will end up with a large scar. What really matters is that you're alright." He smiled. "Plus we solved the case."

"Really." Adri smiled, and then let out a sigh of relief. "So Alice is alright, thank goodness."

"After what happened to you she suddenly began to remember everything, then she had a small little panic attack so we had to bring her here in an ambulance. It turns out she has a severe heart condition that requires a very expensive surgery, a half a million dollar surgery." He told her.

"You don't mean?" Adri suddenly knew why the killer needed the money to have the girl. "So the money was for her surgery, is she alright now?" She asked him. It was then that Lisbon walked into the room with Alice walking shyly in front of her.

"Alice just got out of surgery and the doctor's wouldn't allow her to get up and walk around until now. She's been asking to see you since she woke up." Lisbon laughed. Alice walked over and stood next to the hospital bed.

"I'm glad to see that you're alright." Adri smiled. Alice smiled back in response.

"Thank you for taking care of me." Alice looked down at her feet as she spoke.

"It was no problem at all."

"Child services will be here in a couple of hours to take her." Lisbon added to the conversation. Both Alice and Adri frowned simultaneously. Knowing that her emotions could effect Alice, she took a deep breath and put on a smile.

"I'm sure that they'll put you with a great family, I had a lot of fun hanging out with you though." Adri spoke half heartedly, she didn't want to see the girl go but that was just how things worked. Alice smiled back at her and nodded before walking back over to Lisbon.

"Alright well I'm going to bring her back to her room now." Lisbon took Alice's hand to leave.

"Bye Adri." The little girl gave Adri a small wave as Lisbon led her out the door. The words rung in her head awkwardly, she had never heard the girl say her name. She had always called her Mommy she had actually gotten use to it.

"You know you could always adopt her, you two already have a bond." Jane suggested standing up and moving closer to the bed.

"Oh I could never do that, I'm not the mothering type. Plus there is no way I'd be able to afford it, I don't even know if I'm going to have a place to live after Steve comes back from overseas…" Adri then remembered that Steve would be coming home soon and she would have to tell him everything, that was something she really didn't want to do. "What day of the week is it?"

"Thursday, why?" Jane asked.

"Two days till he comes home." She gripped the linen tightly at the thought of the man. Everything would come out, and Steve would not be a happy camper.