Jane sits at her desk and picks up her phone to call Maura again. "Hi Jane," Maura answers, it sounds like she's in her car.
"You didn't hang around long; are you already on your way home" Jane asks.
"Yes, I have all the reports that have come in on Judge Holmes; I'll go over them at home. I… I wasn't ready to start the autopsy on Clarissa and her husband. Why do you ask?"
Again Jane feels a pang of sadness for her friend; Clarissa's death has upset her more than she wants to let on. "Maura I want you to be extra careful until we solve this case, alright. Tell Ma to make sure she locks up properly in the guest house too."
"Jane, you're making me nervous; what's wrong?"
"Maura, our three victims all attended that British Arts who hah thingy and so did you. I'm sure it's nothing but I just think you should be careful; that's all."
"Oh, well there were a lot of people there Jane and…"
Jane cuts Maura off, "I know; just play things extra safe until we wrap this up, would you!"
As Jane hangs up from Maura, she has a thought. She thinks back to their meeting with Lord Downey and his conversation with their dead Judge. She realises there's a very valuable painting in the mix and she decides to find out why it didn't turn up at the exhibition. It was obviously expected. She calls the museum where it's on display. The curator has left for the evening but when Jane explains she's police, they give her his home and cell phone number.
Seth Thornton Jane thinks as she dials his home number. God he even sounds arty farty with a name like that. His home phone goes to voice-mail. She tries his cell and it goes to voice-mail as well. Jane listens to both his mail messages but doesn't leave a message on either occasion. She does however find herself fascinated with his voice. It's beautiful she decides. It has deep rich timbers and a warm inviting tone. She wonders what he looks like. She's pulled out of her thoughts by Frost.
"Jane, James Montague seems legit. He's President of Lloyd's of London Bank; he runs their whole operation in America. His office is in New York but he lives at Nantasket Beach in Hull. He commutes via helicopter. He has an apartment in Manhattan but he gets home as often as he can." Jane finds herself wondering how and where Maura met James Montague. Frost continues. "He's in Texas for one of the 'Packer Pinnacle of Polo' events run by some rich family from Australia. He plays for the Seacoast Polo Club in Milton."
Jane's relieved at Frost's news. She checks her watch and finds its after 9pm. Given last night's effort at sleep she decides to pack it in and head home. "I'm going home guys" she says as she stands and starts to put on her jacket.
Korsack stands too. "I won't be far behind you Jane, I'm just going to see if Sean's in and give him an update."
Jane nods at Korsack and then looks at Frost, "don't stay too late partner." She says in a jovial manner and then smiles at him as she leaves. Frost laughs and shakes his head.
Maura had spent this evening going over all the reports that had come in on the murder of Judge Fidel Holmes. She'd enjoyed a glass of red wine and Angela had sat nearby quietly knitting. The scene, her work and the glass of fine wine had helped comfort Maura. When she'd gone to bed she'd reminded Angela to make sure she locked up properly. Given her late night the night before and the events of her day, Maura had tossed for a while but actually drifted into a deep sleep without realising it.
It's when she's woken by the sound of something crashing outside her home and the security lights flashing to life, that she realises she'd fallen into a blissful sleep. She's annoyed to have it interrupted and more annoyed and even frightened by the way it's been interrupted. She lies perfectly still hoping that it's nothing. When her security lights rest, Maura starts to breathe again. Then she hears a cat's shrill and without even thinking she reaches for her phone and calls Jane.
Jane had treated herself to a frozen dinner and another beer when she got home. She'd turned on the TV and started watching the replay of yesterday's game but was pleasantly surprised when she found her need for sleep overpowering her every other want. She'd taken herself off to bed and was out like a light before she'd had time to think of anything else but her pillow.
Jane wakes to the sound of her phone ringing. She looks at her clock radio and see's its 2am. No, she thinks to herself as she tries to ignore it. Please not another murder; not now! When she picks it up and sees that its Maura calling she's instantly wide awake and concerned. "What is it, what's wrong?"
"Jane, I think there's someone outside my house. I heard a loud crash and the security lights came on, when they went out I heard a cat squeal. Jane I'm terrified" Maura's voice is shaking.
"Stay right where you are, I'm on my way." Jane throws on some sweats and grabs her gun, keys and wallet. She runs to her car and is at Maura's in less than ten minutes. On approach her mother had also called Jane to tell her about the sounds and to let her know she was also terrified. When Jane arrives she takes out her gun and starts to check around outside Maura place. When she's satisfied there's no one around, she taps on Maura's window and tells her to come and open the door.
"I'm so sorry to have bothered you Jane; was there someone out there" Maura asks, still visibly shaken. She's up now and wrapped in a silk dressing gown. Even in a broken night's sleep Maura is immaculate in her presentation.
"Just a minute Maura, Ma also heard the noises I need to let her know everything's safe." Still holding her gun at the ready, Jane walks out to the guest house. "Ma, it's me. Everything's OK now."
Angela comes out wrapped in a flannel dressing gown. "Thank God Janey; come on let's go inside I'll make everyone cocoa."
When back in the main house, Angela goes straight to the kitchen and starts to prepare warm chocolate milk for everyone. It might comfort Maura, but Jane hates it. Jane begins to explain, "I don't know about the cat Maura, but someone or something knocked over one of your mounted ceramic pots."
"Not my monocotyledonous Spathipyllum?" Jane stares at Maura and Angela turns around to look at her too; when Maura recognises their blank looks she realises what she's said. "I'm sorry; my Peace Lillie's."
"I don't know Maura but it's a big pot and there's no wind out there, and I don't think a cat would have done it" Jane explains. "What I know is I don't like it. The timing's not good Maura; not after what we talked about earlier tonight."
"Here we go girls have one of these" Angela hands a hot cocoa to Maura.
"Thank you Angela" Maura sits at the bench they've been standing around. Angela hands Jane a cup too. Jane wraps her hands around it and enjoys the warmth emanating from the cup. She has no intention of drinking any of it. As Jane sits Angela too pulls up a chair at the bench with her own cup.
Jane speaks as both the other women have a sip of their warm milk. "Maura I'll have Frankie come and take prints and assess the scene in the morning so don't touch anything. I'll also get him to arrange regular patrols by here until we catch this guy."
Maura looks at Jane seriously and nods at Jane's intentions. "Jane…" Maura hesitates.
"What; what is it"
"Jane I'm sorry for being such a scaredy cat, but would you mind staying the rest of the night. The guest rooms made up."
Angela responds for Jane. "She doesn't mind." Angela looks at her daughter. "You don't mind do you Janey!"
"I guess not." Jane would prefer her own bed, but she's stayed in Maura's guest room more times then she cares to remember so it's not too unsettling for her. Its 3am when Jane walks her mother out to the guest house and makes sure she's locked it up properly. "Night Ma" Jane kisses her mother before leaving.
"Goodnight sweetie." Angela goes and tucks herself back into bed.
Maura's cleaning up the coffee cups when Jane returns to the main house. "Are you alright Maura" Jane asks.
"Thanks for coming over Jane. I'm sorry to have disturbed you in the middle of the night."
"Aw no, don't be silly; I'd rather you call then turn up here in the morning to find you and my Ma dead!" Jane smiles at her friend. She might be from another world but Jane can't deny that Maura has grown to be an important part of her life.
Maura smiles as she wipes her hands on a hand towel. "Well I'm going to go and try to get back to sleep. You know where everything is Jane; do you need anything" Maura asks.
"No I'm fine Maura; I'm just going to make sure everything's locked up properly. I'll see you in the morning." When Maura's gone Jane does just that. When she's satisfied the house is safe she sits on Maura's lounge for a bit. She places her gun on the coffee table and listens. She hates to think that Maura could be in the sights of this killer but she did go to that function with Clarissa and she's dead. It's all too close for Jane's liking.
Old habits die hard and without even realising Jane curls up on the lounge and drifts off to sleep right where she is. At one stage Maura stirs and notices her lights are still on. She gets up to see why and notices Jane fast asleep on her couch. She smiles at her friend as she goes to get her a blanket. She gently covers Jane and then turns the lights off and heads back to bed. Knowing her best friend is here and on the job so to speak gives Maura great comfort and she does find some good sleep before the next day starts.
Jane wakes early and is annoyed at falling asleep on Maura's couch. When she notices the blanket she figures she's not much of a guard. Her mother or Maura had put that over her and she hadn't even noticed. When Jane heads to her car it's still early but this morning is nothing like the one she didn't want to greet yesterday. There is a real frost in the air and Jane shivers in her sweats. She makes a mental note to pull out a heavier jacket today. Her decision's reinforced when the weather forecast on her radio mentions that it will deteriorate throughout the day.
She arrives at the office later than normal and fills them in on the events at Maura's place. Korsack and Frost share another worrying glance. "Jane, once you've spoken to Frankie meet me and Frost in the BRIC; you have to see the hotel video surveillance" Korsack shares.
"OK, I'll be right there." Jane calls Frankie and fills him in and Frankie gets straight to work following up on what happened at Maura's last night. Jane hangs up and goes to the BRIC. When there, Frost is sitting at the control panel and has the video ready to play. He starts to show Jane a sequence of footage. It starts showing the entry to the hotel. Suddenly the picture goes fuzzy. Two minutes or so later it comes good but as it does the camera on the lifts goes fuzzy. When the lift doors close that image comes back but the image in the lifts goes off. This sequence of events occurs all the way to the Penthouse suite door. The same thing happens in reverse fifteen minutes later.
"You are kidding me Frost!" Jane looks at him after watching the unbelievable sequence of events in the video.
"I wish I was Jane."
"So what; this guy's clever enough to somehow manage the camera's in this hotel with a remote control so we never see him" Jane turns from Frost to Korsack.
"Looks like it" Korsack replies. "At least we have the fifteen minute window for when they died."
"Frost did anyone hear anything at the Hotel" Jane asks. Frost shakes his head in the negative. "So they died between 1:45am and 2am the night before last."
"Yeah" Korsack adds "and by Maura and Judge Lincoln's account, Judge Holmes died about 7pm the same night."
Frost chimes in "and both were at the British Consulate Cultural Art Exchange earlier that afternoon."
"Did anything interesting come up on the list of guests" Jane asks looking at both her partners.
"The reports I ran only came in this morning Jane, I scanned the video's first" Frost explains.
"That's fine Frost let's go take a look at them now and see what comes up." Jane looks at Korsack "maybe one of the guests will be show up as a video surveillance wizard." Korsack chuckles at Jane's sarcastic tone. He knows the likelihood of catching a break like that.
When they arrive back at Frosts desk he's already opening the reports on the guests that attended the British Consulate Cultural Art Exchange. Jane and Korsack pull up chairs beside him. "So, any with criminal records" Korsack asks.
"There were a hundred and thirty guests; there's no one on the list that looks like a murderer" Frost tells them.
"OK, so Frost cross off Judge Holmes, Maura and James Montague. Take out the Duke and Duchess of Shernindorn too" Jane instructs. "I'd leave Lord Downey on the list until we have his phone records. Does this list include people who were invited but didn't go for some reason?"
"No, but I ran that list as well" Frost opens another report. "There's no one on this list either that stands out as possible suspect."
"Huh" Jane leans back from looking over Frost's shoulder. She puts her arms behind her head as she thinks. "Frost, find out how somebody would have done what's been done to our video surveillance would you. Oh, and print me off both those lists, I'm going to run them by Maura and see if anything or anyone jumps out at her."
Frost hits the print button as Jane walks over to the printer. Korsack looks at Frost, "do you think you can find about about the video surveillance on the go; I was thinking we should pay Lord Downey another visit and check his alibis."
"Yeah; it's means I have to let you drive but I guess I can live with that. I'll bring my tablet."
"Ha ha" Korsack mocks Frosts jibe.
As Jane picks up the reports to take to Maura, she looks at them both, "that's a good idea; let me know how you go."