Author's notes: Thank you for your support, for the kind people who reviewed and for the new followers. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Lisbon has set up a crime scene. The neighbours have come out to have a look at what the fuss is about. Rigsby has been assigned the job of taking their names and asking preliminary questions, hoping that someone has seen something. The local police station, a two man outfit, don't have a forensic department, so Lisbon has ordered a team up from Sacramento. She pulls on a pair of latex gloves, Cho is doing the same and they start a search of the house. Cho vocalise's the questions Lisbon's been asking herself.
"Why would some one take Jane in a remote place like this? He's an easy target anywhere he goes by himself, why wait until he's out here and why did they take the owner of this place and didn't just tie him up, or shoot him."
"I'm asking myself the same thing. Could the owner have been the target and Jane was in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
"Then you would think we would find Jane tied up or shot."
"When Van Pelt gets here, I want her looking into this man's background. Hopefully something will pop up and we'll have some idea where to start."
Lisbon and Cho have a look around the house, peering into drawers and cupboards but nothing remarkable's found and nothing to help find Jane. A despondent Lisbon's happy to be interrupted in her fruitless search by Rigsby who's finished his preliminary interviews.
"No-one saw anything boss. The houses are private around here, set among the trees it's hard to see what's going on in other people's home."
Lisbon's disappointed but not surprised, she'd noted the same thing as they made their way to Jack's house.
"Does any of them claim to know him well?"
Rigsby refers to his notebook.
"Kathy and Stanley Richards, they live two houses away, said they were on good terms when Jack's wife was alive but now they only talk to him in passing. And get this boss, his wife was murdered, he found her body in the kitchen."
"Thanks Rigsby, we'll have Van Pelt pull up all the information on the murder, talk to the local police and see if they caught the person responsible and anything else that might be useful. Cho and I will talk to the Richards."
"Will do boss."
Lisbon gives orders to the local sheriff to keep the crime scene secure until forensics arrive, while she and Cho talks to the neighbours. Kathy and Stanley, invite them to sit down in their comfy living room. Kathy plays hostess and asks if they would like a drink. They both refuse but the request hits Lisbon hard as it brings home the reality of Jane's disappearance, when the request doesn't bring forth the usual response: 'Yes, I'd love some tea.' It must have shown in her eyes as Stanley leans towards her.
"Are you all right Agent? are you sure you don't want a drink?"
Cho looks at her with concern. Lisbon recovers herself.
"It's nothing really, I'm fine. Now Mr. Richards..."
"Stanley, please, we don't stand on ceremony here."
"Okay Stanley, you told my colleague that you were close to Jack Bowen."
"Yes, once upon a time, we were as thick as thieves. The wives were always in each others houses and we would go play Bridge every week, without fail, on a Friday night. But after his wife was murdered, Jack became a recluse, he rarely left the house and shunned all our efforts to be friendly to him. If I was out in the garden, as he walked by on his way to the store, he would say hi, but he never stopped to talk, or accept an invite for a drink."
"Have long have you known him?"
Kathy's back with a drink for her and Stanley and she settles in a chair next to him. She answers the question.
"We moved in to our respective homes within six months of each other. That would be going on for thirty-seven years now."
She looks to her husband for confirmation and he nods.
"They were here first and Mae, his wife, brought us over some sandwiches and a cake she'd baked while we were surrounded by boxes without any idea where the kitchen stuff was. Mae and me became firm friends from that day."
"I understand she was murdered, what happened?"
Kathy nods her head but it's Stanley who answers the question after placing a comforting hand on top of his wifes.
"About six months ago Jack came home to find her dead in the kitchen. She'd been mutilated but the cops have no idea who did it. They hauled Jack in, asking him questions for hours, not our local police, but some out of towners. Jack hasn't been the same since."
"What did Jack do for a living?"
"Something in sales, it used to take him out of town every couple of months or so. Otherwise he kept good hours, always home for dinner and weekends off, and seem to pay well too. He didn't talk about it too much. He said it was just away to get the money to do nice things with his wife. He adored his wife, treated her like a queen."
Lisbon stands up and takes out a card.
"Thank you for talking to us. If you remember anything else that might help us, please give me a call."
Forensics have arrived and are busy dusting the place and putting down their yellow markers. Rigsby makes his way towards them.
"forensic says there isn't much to go on. They doubt there's anything useful, but they'll get whatever they can."
He continues looking through his notes.
"They never found the murderer of his wife, but the case was conducted by a federal unit, they are sending Van Pelt what information they have."
Lisbon looks over at the house, wondering where he could be and praying he's still alive.
"It's beginning to get dark, let's get back to Sacramento, I doubt we'll find anything useful here. But I don't thing it's Jane who's the target, I think it's linked to Jack Bowen's past. Perhaps VanPelt can tell us something."
She's not sure why she thinks that and she's not sure whether that's a good thing for Jane or not. When they arrive back she enters her office to put her bag away and she jumps when her phone rings, She doesn't have time to say hello when Bertram's voice is in her ear.
"Agent Lisbon, I need you in my office right away."
"Sir, Jane's missing, I need to be here conducting the investigation."
"I know Jane's missing, but I also know I have the state head of the CIA here wanting to know why you're looking into a Jack Bowen."