His Scarlet Stare

A/N: Thank you all so much for your kind reviews. I know I begin every chapter saying that, but I really do appreciate your positive feedback. Now, on with the story.

Chapter nine

Lisbon sat at her desk. Three days had passed since the last murder, and the press had been going wild. The story had been so late getting out because the CBI had been unsure as to whether it was a serial killer. After all, California's most recent serial killer, Red John, had been killed the year before. The press were camping outside, not leaving without a good story. 'That's just great,' thought Lisbon. 'All I need is another reason to stay in the office. If it's not that bastard, it's the damn press not giving me any room.'

Jane knocked on the door. Lisbon looked up and smiled thinly. "The press still camped outside?"

Jane shook his head. "Cho chased them away about ten minutes ago. Threatened legal action should they not leave."

Lisbon looked away as Jane headed over to the desk. He handed her a photograph. "It's a picture of the damage to the SUV. Taken for claims purposes, but I thought you would like a copy should your case against Steven ever go to court."

Lisbon barely glanced at the picture, putting it face down on her desk. "I hate that man for following me. I just want my life back."

Jane sat down opposite her. "The best thing you can do right now is try to live your life normally. I can't bear you camped up in here. It's not helping you get over your issues. Stalking might not be a nice thing, and it could potentially be the most damaging crime in the world, but you can't live like this, Teresa. You need to stand up and say, 'I am a strong, independent woman who will not live like this anymore. I will not be under anybody's control.' Please, Teresa."

Lisbon looked shocked. Jane very seldom behaved like that. "Thank you, Jane. That may have been the kick I needed."

Jane stood up. "Always glad to help."

He shut the door on his way out, leaving Lisbon with the photo. She picked it up and looked at it. She remembered the embarrassment of having to go to her boss and tell him what had happened. Of course he had been sympathetic, but the patronising look hadn't escaped her eye. It said, 'How can an agent like you let him do this?'

She refused to be treated like that by her superior. SacPD had not arrested Steven after the firework incident because there was not enough evidence to prove he had been the one to put the firework in Jane's engine. Steven continued to camp outside the CBI, and Lisbon continued to stay trapped. Jane was right; it was no use moping around in the CBI. She needed to get out of her office and start living again.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Another week had passed, and Lisbon had slowly started living normally. She ignored the occasional sympathetic glance from her co-workers, and began to live her life normally. For the first time in a long while, she was contemplating going home again. It was a late night at the office, and Lisbon was up in the attic. She was working on the serial killer, dubbed Dictionary by the press, and was trying to pin any leads on the board. The words, shuffled about many times by her and the team, were stuck up on the wall. Van Pelt had gone to the trouble to write them all out neatly on separate pieces of paper. The order they were currently in was Or Will You Be Next Please. A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. Jane entered, and Lisbon smiled at him. Jane didn't smile back. "Cho got another phone call. Another murder."

Lisbon stepped away from the board. "Should I come?"

Jane shook his head. "We can handle it. Just, be safe."

Lisbon nodded. "I will."

Jane turned and left, leaving Lisbon to her board.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

The scene was about fifty miles outside of Sacramento, and Jane was quiet for most of the car trip. Something was bothering him; a detail he had missed. Cho drove in silence, with Rigsby and Van Pelt in the back. No-one spoke. Jane thought about the board. The last six murders had happened within a ten mile radius of each other. Why was this one so far out of town? And why had something seemed amiss on the way out of the building. Jane found that a detail was missing, something important.

The words, as always, danced through his mind. They always changed order, and the 720 different options rolled past again and again. Many had been eliminated due to a lack of making any sense. But several stayed. Jane was also going through the possible missing words. No words he thought of seemed to fit. 'It would help,' he thought, infuriated, 'if we knew how long the sentence was supposed to be. How can we crack the code if we only have half of the words?'

He continued to mull over many things. He had stopped worrying about Lisbon becoming a social recluse. She was beginning to live again, something he was very grateful for.

The SUV finally pulled up to the scene. The four members of the team got out and headed for the door. An elderly, distraught man headed over to them. "Is one of you Agent Lisbon?"

Cho stepped forward. "I'm Agent Cho, currently in charge of the team. Who are you?"

"Samuel Williams. I'm Catalie's father. I just got home and found Catalie…"

Cho took the man off to the side to get a statement. The rest of the team entered the house. Jane wandered around, not really seeing the scene. A detail niggled at him, and wouldn't go away. "Jane," Van Pelt called from the bedroom.

He headed towards the sound of her voice, stopping at the door. The room was decked out in pale green, with a dressing table against the far wall. The bed was splattered with blood, indicating the struggle had begun there. The body was in the living room. Jane knew that Catalie fit the description of the last six women murdered. But what really held his attention was the writing on the far wall. Van Pelt glanced across at Jane, who had just turned a deathly shade of white.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon's phone rang. She answered it. "Lisbon."

"It's Jane." Jane sounded frantic.

"Jane," said Lisbon. "What have you got?"

"I want you to do something very important for me."

Lisbon became concerned. "What is it, Jane? What's wrong?"

Jane stood for a moment. "Lisbon, some details about tonight didn't fit. Where are you?"

"In the attic. Why?"

"Have you got your gun with you?"

Lisbon picked it up off of Jane's old table. "Of course. Jane, what is the problem?"

"The last word," Jane's voice sounded hollow. "We have the last word."

Lisbon headed over to the board. "What is it? And how do you know it is the last one?"

Jane somehow managed to sound even further away. "It's 'reconsider'. The sentence is complete."

Lisbon felt herself go pale. She looked at the words on the wall, suddenly seeing the fit. "Jane," she said. "I know what the message is."

Jane closed his eyes. He was suddenly very worried. Details flew past his shut eyelids rapidly. "I worked it out too, Teresa."

Lisbon wasn't listening. She was too busy moving the words on the wall. She stepped back. "Please reconsider or you will be next."

Jane stopped listening. The detail that had eluded him all night suddenly clicked into place. "Teresa," he said. "Make sure you have your gun with you at all times. We're on our way back right now. Stay exactly where you are."

"Why?" Lisbon felt that she didn't have the full story.

Back at the scene, Cho came up to Jane. "The father said he came home to the scene, spotted a car speeding away. Didn't see the make or model, just the colour. Said it was grey."

Jane grabbed Cho's arm. "We need to get back to the CBI now."

He pressed the phone back against his ear. "We're on our way. Please just stay exactly where you are."

"Why?" Lisbon sounded indignant.

"Trust me."

Jane cut the call, and ushered the confused team from the house. Cho knew better than to question Jane's hunches, and did as Jane asked. Cho slid behind the wheel, and Jane got in the passenger seat. "Step on it, Kimball."

Cho nodded, and hit the gas.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon stared at the sentence on the wall. Something about it sounded familiar. Suddenly, she remembered an incident. Steven had yelled something up to her from the parking lot a few weeks ago, in the middle of a confrontation with Jane. He had said, 'please reconsider'.

She ignored Jane's order to stay where she was – she was the boss, after all – and headed down to her office. The photo of the scratched hood sat on the desk in her office. She just wanted to compare the pictures, see if there was any match. She opened her office door, and walked over to her desk. Her cell phone rang, making her jump. "Lisbon."

"It's Jane." Lisbon could hear the car engine in the background. "Are you still okay?"

"I am. What's wrong?"

"Please stay up in the attic, Lisbon."

"I'm down in my office, looking for some case notes. I promise you I'm safe, Jane. Nothing is going to happen."

"Please just go back upstairs…"

A noise at the door caught Lisbon's attention. She whirled, and screamed in sheer terror.

"Lisbon!" yelled Jane. "Teresa! Teresa!"

The line went dead.