Chapter Four – So this is what you call progress?
"Mr. Zelphino, I'm glad you could make it." I said, trying my best not to sound sarcastic. Zelphino said nothing, but he smirked at me as if he knew something that I did not, which made me very uneasy. Even Jane was silent in my earpiece, concentrating with every fibre of his being on analysing the man sitting across from me over the cold steel table. If this was Red John, if this man was the serial killer whom we had been hunting for years, then his purpose would be done. He would have nothing more to live for – that was my fear.
"Are you going to ask me anything or are you going to just sit there, staring at me? I know I'm easy on the eyes, but I do have modesty." Could've fooled me.
"He did not just say that." I heard Rigsby say into my earpiece. "I cannot believe he just said that."
"What a jerk." Agreed Van Pelt, but Jane remained silent.
Objectively thinking, Zelphino had a good reason for being so up his own arse. He was extremely handsome, exceedingly rich, and oozed charm out of every orifice. However a man who was so obsessed with his own looks that he gets a weekly manicure, has a home gym and hair stylists, is going a bit over the top. See how reviewing a man's bank details put you off him for life? He had only said one thing to me, but it made me dislike him strongly, for I have decided only to use the word hate in event of really serious loathing.
"Mr. Zelphino, you were having an affair with Mrs. Kolinsky, correct?" He nodded slowly, but I could tell he was thinking very carefully about what he was saying. I got the distinct feeling he had to keep what he was saying in check; otherwise his overly large mouth may get him into trouble.
"That is correct, Mrs. Lisbon. Or is it Miss?" He asked, with a crooked smile which I may have found attractive had I not just been sick in my mouth.
"Agent Lisbon." He smiled, and his teeth sparkled. I decided I would rather have sex with Cho.
"Alright then Agent Lisbon. I have already informed you of why I am here. I am deeply saddened by Perry's misfortune." Misfortune? The guy was shredded! "I have sent my condolences to Perry's wife."
"Yes, we heard. We also heard about what your condolences consist of." Zelphino's face fell visibly.
"I would prefer if this was not publicised. I am a married man, of professional integrity." I did not let any expression find it's way onto my face.
"I'm sure you were until you had an affair with your business partner's wife." I cursed myself for letting my mouth take the lead, without consulting my brain first. Legally, I could not tell his wife about the affair without just cause. And the only way this man could piss me off more was if he filed a law suit against my department. Hence why Jane was not in the room.
"Mr. Zelphino. Tell me about this contract you and Perry were about to sign." Zelphino's eyebrows shot up.
"The business contract? That's irrelevant to your investigation. Yes it was a big deal, and a lot of money, but really, Perry's death has just set us back almost half a year. We have to re edit the contract, and appoint a new leader of his department, and redo all the necessary paperwork. Not to mention that we were only two of the seven who were signing that contract, and two of the twenty who approved it. that is a dead line of inquiry." I watched him analytically, but really, I did not know whether he was lying or not. You can never really tell with bankers.
"Leave that line; I think he's telling the truth." Jane's soft voice whispered in my ear. He sounded as serious as I had ever heard him.
"So what is your theory exactly? I killed Perry so that my lover will hate me and my colleagues would hate me and I would be up to my eyes in paperwork? I have nothing real to gain. Adultery is the only thing I have ever done wrong."
"Perry Kolinsky was the head of his department. Is there anyone who you think would want to do him harm?"
"Being head of a department is nothing special. There are fifteen of them throughout the company. My company." The defensive tone in his voice disappeared, and it became deeper, manlier. "I'm president of the whole company."
"I know, I've read your file."
"Listen, I want to help. But I may become non responsive if you keep accusing me of murder. If you have any sense, you won't keep me overnight, you will keep your goons away from me, and you will not talk to me under such formal circumstances in future, people may speculate." A small, sleazy smirk crept onto his face. "But you're free to handcuff me in private though. Then I will be very responsive." If Jane did not make playful remarks every day, I would not have the capacity to respond to this one without shooting Zelphino.
"All I want from you is your information. If you have no more useful information, and you keep making remarks like the one you just used, I will be forced to press charges of sexual harassment. I will only help you if you help me. Otherwise you will be spending a night in a cell, and not for murder." His confidence waned, I could tell, but his smirk did not budge.
"I agree with your terms, Agent Lisbon. I hope I will be seeing you again soon." I stood up, barely able to harness my fury. Cho's voice piped up in my ear, clearly on a whim.
"Ask him why he arranged a secure money transfer with one Michael Falcon for fifty thousand dollars. Private account set up with only that transfer." I was almost out the door, so I turned, file still in hand. He looked at me, and he looked wary, as if frightened that I was going to change my mind and stick him in a jail cell.
"One last question, Mr. Zelphino. We have your back details, and we would like you to clear up a couple of things, before we get the wrong idea." This made him edgy. He began fidgeting with his wedding ring.
"Of course. What's the problem?"
"We were just wondering why you paid Michael Falcon five thousand dollars in your secret offshore account. Care to shed some light on the subject?" Zelphino's face relaxed slightly – I didn't have to be a mentalist to notice that.
"I would like to speak to my lawyer before proceeding with this interview." He looked at me coldly, and I felt as if he could see right through me. I suppressed a shiver. "I know my rights."
"Listen if you're not guilty of anything but cheating on your wife; tell us why you gave him that money. It's that simple. We will leave you alone. If you have done nothing wrong, then tell us and we can let all this be." Zelphino stared at me for a very long time.
"I would like to speak to my lawyer before proceeding with this interview. I know my rights." He repeated, his voice devoid of all emotion. I felt an overwhelming sense of failure, and fatigue. My legs threatened to buckle below me, so I decided to get out of there. I no longer disliked this man – nor did I hate him. My feelings for him are closer to loathing.
I exited the room, and blew a sigh.
"That was completely out of order." Van Pelt assured me, and Rigsby nodded his agreement. Jane did not say anything, but he held my eye long enough to let me know that he was unsettled. I was not acting myself, hence throwing his world off-balance. He was the one who threw lewd comments my way, and dodged my questions, and I was the one who attempted to control him. That was the way it had always worked, and that is the way that it always will. I was not myself – maybe it was the stress of the importance of the case, or maybe it was just the considerable lack of sleep I have been suffering from the past few weeks. Either way, something was out of the ordinary, and to tell you the truth, I disliked it as much as Jane did.
"Van Pelt. Dig up the rest of Zelphino's bank records, and his phone records the night Kolinsky died, and around check for any in the last three months which might link him to Michael Falcon. Rigsby, you're on who Michael Falcon is. Cho?"
"Cho's checking out the rest of the viable Red Johns in Zelphino's company. Right age, right background, sufficient connection, that kind of thing. You really want me to go through the last three months on a banker's phone records? Boss, that's like a hundred phone calls a day."
"You should get started then." Van Pelt seemed to sense that I was stressed, and let this one go. She walked out the room, and Rigsby followed, munching on something or another. I frowned. Where was Jane? He had been here a moment ago…
I found Jane in my office, deep in thought. He noted my entrance, but did not seem to notice my expectant stare. I decided to give him a prompt.
"Well?" He seemed to snap back to reality and raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"Well what?"
"Well what did you think about Zelphino?" My heart was in my throat. Jane's decisions were almost never based on fact, and if he did think John Zelphino was Red John, then we would have some time explaining that to a jury. We had nothing but adultery on Zelphino, and we were unlikely to find anything else now he had requested a lawyer.
"Well I think that he wants us to think that he is Red John." Whoa, back up there.
"Why would he want that?" Jane gave me a very superior glance.
"Why should I know? You do realise that I cannot actually read minds, and it's all just a bunch of crap, don't you?" His voice had risen slightly in volume.
"Don't speak to me like this, I want same thing as you. No point mouthing off at me when I can help you." He rubbed his face distractedly.
"I know. But I don't know why he wants that. Maybe I misinterpreted. I couldn't get enough because I wasn't in there with him." He looked at me, and there was something in his eyes which I really did not like.
"Jane you know that I can't let you go in there. I can let you watch, but that's it." He did not ask why I was not letting him go in. He knew why.
"Fine, but I want you to do me a favour, and I need you to do this as if you are doing so without my knowledge." I eyed him suspiciously, and sat down at my desk, giving my weary legs a rest.
"And may I ask what this favour would be?"
"I want you to ask Van Pelt to cross reference all possible contacts between Perry Kolinksy, John Zelphino and Katherine Jane." My head snapped up, and my neck made an ominous sound.
"Your wife?" Yes of course his wife you idiot, how many other Katherine Janes do you know? Jane nodded soberly.
"Red John knew her personally too. He added things which he didn't add on anyone else. We know Red John didn't want us to know that he knew Perry Kolinsky because he masked his identity. I know Zelphino is involved, I'm just not sure how." He glanced around himself, and I could feel his calm evaporating rapidly. "Listen, I know this a lot to ask-"
"Too much Jane, we're short on manpower as it is, I'm not going to spare Van Pelt. She's the best at sifting through data, and I already have her on the phone records. Plus, even if we do cross reference every single place these people go, there is no sure way to know if they ever met, or talked together, at least not in any way which may have involved Red John. You just don't know, Jane." He stared hard at the floor, and I felt very guilty. He had made this his purpose, and he was going to stick to it, with my help or without. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Don't feel sorry for me, Lisbon." An almost smile made its way onto my face, but I banished it immediately.
"I'll bring someone else in."
"I want Van Pelt to do it."
"I said I'd bring someone in-"
"I don't want anyone else I want Van Pelt to do it." My frustration was mounting, and I balled my fists under the table. "Bring someone in then get them to take over the phone records. Free up Van Pelt." Would that work?
"Minelli's going to ask questions."
"Then let Minelli ask questions. Please Lisbon, I promise this will bring us an answer." I rubbed my face. I felt like screaming, or crying, or killing someone.
"Fine Jane, I'll bring someone in. this had better work…" I left the threat hanging. He looked at me, and I looked at him. Usually, there is a small smile, a crinkle beside the eyes, but right now there was nothing. His clear blue eyes showed gratitude – and his face weariness. I'm sure mine did much the same. He turned sharply and exited, without looking back. I placed my head in my hands, and willed myself to stay awake. The day had been testing so far, and it was only at the halfway mark. I still had to convince Minelli to send over a tech from a nearby department. That'll be fun, I thought bitterly.
I don't know why I put up with Jane. Maybe it is because I tell myself he brings results. He also brings forth an avalanche of law suits against my department. Maybe it is because I tell myself that he is an asset to my team, he keeps their spirits high, and has secured their trust and loyalty, which is something which not a lot of people can do, especially with Cho. To tell the absolute truth, I do not have a bloody clue why I put up with Patrick Jane. But I do.