Author's Note: Thanks for all the great feedback from the last chapter! I so appreciate all of you!
Chapter 9
Patrick woke up before dawn with a thought crystal clear in his mind: if someone wanted him and Teresa to believe their daughter was doing drugs, a simple bag in the glove compartment wasn't going to do it. There would be more, planted elsewhere. Somewhere more personal. And why not use the boyfriend, knowingly or not? It would have to be subtle not to turn up in his teddy bear disembowelment, though.
He slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Teresa, and went downstairs. Trash day was Friday, so he hadn't yet emptied the waste cans, including the one in his office. Buried under some papers was the plastic shopping bag containing the remnants of the teddy bear. He slid it into the bottom drawer of his desk and locked it.
Then he checked all the locks and alarms before going back upstairs. It was nearly sunrise, but he didn't feel like starting the day yet. He and Teresa had indulged in a vigorous round of lovemaking last night, seeking comfort and reassurance in each other, and he was tired. Since the twins were staying home today, there was no need to stir until Teresa got up.
She rolled over to face him as he slid back under the covers. "Okay?" she yawned.
"Yeah. Go back to sleep," he whispered, kissing her soft, warm lips.
"Mm." She slid her arm around his waist and hitched a leg over his hip. "How long do we have?"
"Greedy," he murmured approvingly, letting his hands rove under her pajama top. She didn't often indulge him with morning lovemaking, so he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. "Long enough. The kids'll sleep in since they're not going to school."
"I wish I could play hooky with you," Teresa sighed in his ear, her fingertips sliding under the waistband of his pajama pants.
"Me too." He knew she wouldn't, though. This early morning treat was at least partly an expression of her guilt at leaving them soon, but she'd made a commitment to her new job, and Teresa Lisbon always honored her commitments. She was worried about the twins, but he knew she was thinking that they might be safer in Washington. She would create a home there that could serve as a haven if things got worse.
Her nimble fingers reached a certain spot, and he quit thinking for a while. He abandoned himself to sensation, to her heat and the feel of her strong arms and legs around him. In their eighteen years together, he'd never stopped being amazed at how open and trusting she was in bed, at how easily they moved together. He loved knowing her so well. He would never understand how men could become bored with their lovers; every year with Teresa only added to the depth of his pleasure.
Afterward, he held her against his chest as they caught their breath. "I never take this for granted," he whispered. "I never take you for granted."
"I know," she assured him, laying her palm over his heart. "I don't take you for granted either." Then she tucked her head under his chin. "I'm going to miss you so much."
He knew she felt his heart rate increase with the rush of anxiety that came with thinking about their separation. "Don't think about the whole chunk of time. We'll take it week by week and see each other on weekends."
"I hope so." They both knew that cases didn't confine themselves to the workweek, and as the kids' senior year wrapped up, there would be weekends the three of them needed to be here.
He kissed the top of her head. "But just think: every time you walk through your door at night, there's a possibility your exceptionally sexy husband will have decided to surprise you and be waiting for you in bed."
"Will this hypothetical husband have dinner waiting too? Because he's not getting lucky with my stomach empty," she teased.
"He'll have endured a layover in Chicago and brought you your favorite Italian beef sandwich."
Teresa sucked in a breath and leaned up to look him in the eye. "Oh my God, you better not put that thought in my head and then not do it."
He grinned. "As long as you promise to be more glad to see me than the sandwich."
"Of course." She grinned back. "Eventually."
He chuckled as she kissed him. "You're a hard, hard woman, Teresa Lisbon."
"But you love me anyway."
"Yes, I do. Even more than I did the day I married you, which I didn't think possible," he said.
"Me too," she sighed, lowering her head again to lay her cheek on his chest.
Her alarm went off, and she groaned, sitting up to silence it.
"What would you like for breakfast?" he yawned, sitting up too. He could smell the coffeemaker performing its duty.
"Something quick. I want to get in a little early to make up for yesterday," she said.
"I'll cook while you shower," he replied.
mmm
Teresa was long gone by the time Victoria came downstairs. She looked better today, he was glad to see. Hopefully she'd regained her equilibrium after the crash and interrogation. "Breakfast, Princess?" he asked.
"Pancakes?" she suggested.
"Coming right up." Comfort food made sense, and he was glad she was indulging herself. Her weight was absolutely in the normal range, but she'd been dieting since she'd announced her first date.
Liam wandered downstairs as she was finishing, so Patrick made another stack. "You're not eating?" Liam asked as he sat down.
"I ate with your mother earlier. Sleep well?"
"I guess."
That meant no, Patrick translated. "Syrup or jam?"
Liam considered. "Peanut butter."
Patrick wrinkled his nose, but he got the jar out of the cupboard and put it on the table, used to the eccentricities in the kids' food choices.
Once he served Liam, he sat at the table with a fresh cup of tea, subtly scrutinizing his children. They seemed almost back to normal, but a little subdued, which was to be expected. He thought maybe he'd talk to them over lunch rather than breakfast, so they could ease into the day.
Victoria had other ideas. "Are we in trouble?"
"No," Patrick assured her. "Your mother and I believe neither of you knew that cocaine was in the car. What we are wondering is: who put it there?"
She cocked her head. "I've only given rides to Sherilyn and Tyler this week. I don't think either of them is into drugs. Tyler's parents would kill her, and Sherilyn is all about being the first kid in her family to go to an Ivy League school."
Patrick reflected on what he knew of her two friends and had to agree. "Liam, who's been in the car with you this week?"
"Just the band. Oh, and Schuyler. She and Matt are going out. They only sat in back, though." He shrugged. "I don't think it was any of them. You hear things about the kids who're into stuff, but we don't hang out with them."
"Okay. But your car sits in the school lot all day. I'm guessing all the seniors know each other's cars."
"Yeah," Liam said, as Victoria said, "Pretty much."
"So it could have been anybody at your school, or any adult who could access the grounds without raising suspicion." He'd have to check with the school and see if Melinda Mason had visited this week.
"Or at the party Saturday," Liam added.
"Or the mall Sunday," Victoria said. "Oh, and I went to the saddle shop and the arena Monday."
Some of those locations would have security cameras, Patrick thought. "Good. That's helpful. I'll look into it. The police will look for the car that ran you off the road."
"You're retired," Victoria pointed out.
"That doesn't mean I've lost my skills. And I still know people who can help."
"Like Stan?" Liam guessed.
"Yes. I'll call him today. In the meantime, I want to talk to you both about what you can do to protect yourselves."
Victoria frowned. "What about the car?"
"It's been towed to a garage. The cops will look for paint or other clues about who hit you, and then we'll get an estimate on repairs." Patrick thought it was even odds the insurance company would decide to total it, but he wouldn't go into that now. "Meanwhile, I'll drive you where you need to go. If I can't, you can take my car and I'll drive the Citroen."
Liam asked, "Is Mom taking her Mustang to Washington?"
"I'm sure she will." He was less sure how that would happen, but maybe they'd drive it out over spring break.
Liam looked disappointed, and Patrick fought down a grin. He hadn't realized his son had designs on Teresa's car.
Victoria smirked. "Like Mom would let you drive it around. You'll have to find another way to impress Maria."
Patrick said, "The two of you are all but grounded anyway."
"What?" Victoria cried. "Why?"
"Because someone may be trying to frame you. If they know they've failed, they'll try something else. I'd rather they didn't." He paused to let that sink in. "So we are all going to pretend that your mom and I think one or both of you is doing something you shouldn't. We'll be keeping a close eye on you. And you both need to be keeping an eye out too. SacPD didn't arrest you, so there won't be any incriminating paperwork in the public domain. Anybody who seems to know more than they should is suspect, and I want you to tell me about them."
They both looked like they were thinking hard. "What should we say?" Liam asked.
"Nothing." Neither of them was a gifted liar, and he had zero desire to change that. "Say you don't want to talk about it."
Both looked dissatisfied. Patrick continued, "It's just as well we're all going to DC this weekend. But while we're here, we'll need to be on our guard. Whoever this is has chosen their timing well. They know we're distracted with your mom leaving, and they'll be counting on me not paying as much attention to you. They probably think you'll be a little resentful of her being gone and ready to act out and test the new boundaries."
"Do they think we're kids?" Victoria said scornfully.
Patrick smiled. "That's exactly what they think: that you're young and malleable. That they can manipulate you. As if I'd raise a couple of marks."
They both grinned. He felt a little ashamed, because by the standards he'd grown up with, they were marks. It had taken him a long time to understand that someone could be a good, honest, compassionate person and not be a fool. It had taken knowing and loving Teresa Lisbon to change his mind about the kind of person he wanted to be. And consequently, Victoria and Liam had been raised very differently than he'd intended to raise Charlotte.
Every single day of their lives, he'd been fine with that. Until today.
"You're both smart, smarter than most of the people around you. But even people who are less intelligent can be more cunning. Especially with time to plan. Do not assume that you can outwit whoever this is on your own. Your mom and I were targets of a conspiracy for years, and even we didn't always do things the way we should have. If it hadn't been for our team, we'd probably both have been dead before you were old enough to walk. Don't think there's any virtue in going it alone. Stick with your team, your family."
He thought how gratified Teresa would have been to hear that speech, not to mention Cho, Rigsby, and Grace. And Stan.
But parenting, he was learning, was about trying to help his kids avoid his mistakes. He had an uneasy feeling that would mean they'd come up with new ones he was ill equipped to advise on, but maybe that was just the way things worked. His own father had never thought to warn him about taunting a serial killer, after all.
At least that was one mistake his kids were well prepared to avoid.
Liam said, "So you think this is Visualize?"
"As far as I'm aware, they're the only ones with a motive," Patrick said. "Though if your mother were here, she'd point out it could also be someone one of us was responsible for catching. Probably me, because she hasn't been in the field in years, though she wouldn't point that out. Or it could be someone at school with a beef against you, which you may not even be aware of. We don't know. That's why we need to investigate."
"How?" Victoria asked.
"I'll look into who had access to your car. But you two can hopefully eliminate some suspects by investigating motive. Ask around, see if maybe this was a prank gone bad or revenge or some other thing by someone at school. If it was, the culprit will brag about it to his friends, and word will get around. See if your friends—the ones you trust—know anything."
Liam looked thoughtful. "Because it's no good pretending to be guilty when the real guilty person knows we're not."
"Exactly. You know you're innocent. The other person who knows for sure is the guilty party. Everybody else is just guessing. And the guilty person will probably be the one who starts the talk at school about what happened."
"Right," Victoria said. "But why did we stay home today, then? What if they're already starting to talk?"
Patrick smiled at her. "You stayed home today because you were pretty shaken up yesterday, and your mom and I were worried about you. Tomorrow will be soon enough to worry about rumors and who knows what."
She didn't look like she cared for that answer. "I need to go to practice this afternoon. And can I still compete next weekend?"
"Yes. I think even if we thought you were guilty, we wouldn't discourage you from that."
"Right. I'd have to be an idiot to get high and then go ride my horse on a jump course." She looked angry. "I'd never put her at risk like that!"
"I doubt Lady would let you." The horse had a mind of her own, Patrick knew, and was sensitive to Victoria's moods.
"Damn straight," Victoria muttered.
"I'll drive you," Patrick said. "Liam, what about your plans for the day?"
He shrugged. "I think I'll stay home. The guys won't expect me at practice since I wasn't at school."
"Okay. Just take it easy today," Patrick advised. "I'm going to invite Stan to dinner, so it would be nice if you managed to shower by then, but otherwise do what you'd like. Unstructured time is good for you." They didn't get much of it these days; even on school breaks, their other activities continued.
"Sure," Liam said.
"You have good instincts, Liam. But you don't need to save your sister. Your mom and I are here for that."
Victoria said, "And I'm perfectly capable of saving myself."
"Yes, you are," Patrick said. He loved that she had her mother's fierce, independent spirit. "But it's always good to let your family help you. And you should be grateful when they do. I am still grateful to the people who helped save me and your mom. And I remind them of my gratitude from time to time, so they know I'm there to help them in return if they need it."
Victoria nodded. "I know. I've heard you."
"And have you thanked your brother? He was trying to protect your future by putting his in danger," Patrick pointed out.
Victoria jumped up from her chair and threw her arms around her brother, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Liam. But don't do it again, okay?"
He pushed her away playfully, wiping at his cheek. "Ew! Don't worry, I won't." But he grinned at her, taking the sting out of his words.
Patrick was glad to see their bond intact. "You two are each other's best ally. Don't forget that. Anybody trying to get between you should be suspect."
They both gave him looks that said he was being ridiculous, not bothering to reply. Patrick chuckled and got up for a refill on his tea, and Victoria began clearing the table. "I have some essays to write for my scholarship applications," she said. "Might as well get them out of the way while I have time."
"We're going to be stuck on a plane most of the weekend," Liam said.
"Ugh. I can't work on a plane. It makes my head hurt."
"Drink more water," Patrick advised her.
Leaving them to their own devices, he called to Belle and went out for his morning walk. When he reached the bench by the pond, he pulled out his phone and called Moore.
"Jane! Calling to ask another favor?" Moore greeted him.
"Yes, but you know I always repay my debts."
"That's why I keep taking your calls," Moore chuckled. "What's up?"
"I wondered if you'd heard anything on the grapevine about the kids nearly getting arrested yesterday."
"No." Moore's voice was suddenly serious, and Jane heard him muffle the phone and say to someone else, "Go on, I'll be with you in a minute." Then he returned to the call. "What happened?"
Mindful of how ludicrously easy it was to eavesdrop on mobile phones, Patrick said only, "Someone ran them into a ditch on the way home from school. Cops found cocaine in the car."
"Shit," Moore said. He was silent for a second. "They okay?"
"Yes, just shaken up. The lead detective knew Teresa, so he let us take them home with no charges. But I'm concerned. You free for dinner?"
"I'll get free," Moore promised. "I might be on the late side, but I'll be there, don't you worry."
"Thanks. I'll have your favorites ready."
"Short ribs and garlic mashed potatoes? For that, I'd help you hide a body." Moore was trying for levity, but there was still tension in his voice.
"That won't be necessary. At least, not tonight. See you soon."
"Hang in there, Jane."
Moore hung up, and Patrick relaxed a little. The law enforcement grapevine was ruthlessly efficient; if Moore hadn't heard yet, it was doubtful rumors were making the rounds, which argued that no one with a badge was involved. Given Visualize's previous influence, it had seemed possible. Patrick was relieved to have an argument against the theory that SacPD might have planted the drugs while looking at the car; he didn't want to teach his children to distrust them.
Reaching down to pet Belle, who was lying near his feet, Patrick closed his eyes and basked in the sunshine breaking through the trees. But before he finished his deep breath, his phone rang. He answered it without opening his eyes. "Hello?"
"Jane," Grace's voice said. "Lisbon called me. I've got footage from the riding arena and the mall, but I can't access the school's systems."
He smiled. "You leave the school to me. Anything on the other?"
"Not yet. I'm running it through an analysis program though. What else can I do to help? Lisbon said they're both okay, but they have to be a little shaken up. Will you tell them I'm thinking about them?"
"Of course, Grace. And thanks for your help."
"Anytime. Is this just a weird blip or something bigger?"
"I don't know yet. But I think we have to assume the worst," he said.
"Don't worry, Jane. And call me if you think of a way I can help, okay?"
"You'll be the first. Thanks, Grace. I appreciate it."
"I'm happy to do it," she assured him before hanging up. The fierceness underneath her reassuring tone made him smile. Grace was every bit as much a mother bear as Teresa, and both women included the other's kids in their protective circle. Victoria and Liam had staunch defenders outside their immediate family, and Patrick was glad to be reminded of that.
He needed to take his own advice and trust his team. His children were too important to ignore any possible resource.
With that in mind, he dialed another number. "Madeleine, it's Patrick Jane. How are you?"
"Jane. Tired of retirement already?" Hightower greeted him.
"No. But I have a lot of time to cook, and I was wondering if you were free for dinner."
"I can't tonight; Mimi's bringing her new boyfriend for inspection. Tomorrow?"
"Sure. Unless I could bring you lunch today."
She hesitated. "I have a meeting at one, but I'm free before that. Is everything okay, Patrick?"
"I have something I want your advice on, that's all."
"Okay." She sounded intrigued. "See you around noon."
Patrick hung up and got to his feet. "Come on, Belle. I have a picnic to put together."
mmm
It was nostalgic going to Hightower's office in the state capitol building, and Patrick realized with a shock that she'd been in it for nearly nineteen years now. He'd once pegged her as ambitious, but after her career had been derailed by Red John, she seemed satisfied with ensuring the CBI was widely regarded as a top notch law enforcement agency.
"So when are you going to retire, Madeleine?" he asked, carrying his picnic basket into her office with a grin.
"When both my kids are married and I don't have to worry about background checks," she joked. "I didn't expect such a feast. You must need something other than advice."
"You still sweep your office yourself?" He began unpacking the food, setting two bottles of Perrier on her desk.
"Yes, at random times." She folded her arms. "I take it this isn't some cockamamie plan to keep Lisbon from moving to DC?"
"I want her to go," he replied. "And I'm going with her as soon as I can."
"Good. So what's wrong, then?"
He handed her a kale Caesar salad and a fork. "Someone ran the twins off the road yesterday. They're okay, but SacPD took them in because they found cocaine in the car?"
"Damn. Your kids should be smarter than that," she said, wincing in sympathy.
"They are. It was a setup."
"And you're sure about that."
"Of course I am." He took a bite of his salad. "The bread's homemade; try a slice."
"Okay. So it was a setup. Who? Why?"
"We were thinking it might be Visualize. I'm hoping you can tell me what they're up to these days."
Hightower frowned. "We keep a pretty good eye on them, but there's been nothing much to get excited about. After Stiles died they lost a lot of followers, and they sold off some of their businesses to raise money. Some of their foreign members spun off cults of their own. What's left is a low key group who keep to themselves. They still do a lot of rehab recruiting. Why do you suspect them, aside from old habit?"
"Victoria's new boyfriend's mother was a member before he was born."
"Ah." She took a bite, chewed, and asked, "And the father?"
"Unknown."
"You want my help looking into this kid? I'm sure you've already dug around some."
"We have, but only unofficially. His name's Brett Mason. It's his stepfather's name; he legally adopted him when he married his mother."
"Brett, hm?"
"Yeah." Patrick opened the container of fruit he'd brought.
"What does Lisbon think?"
"We agree it needs looked into. And we're looking at various angles."
"The FBI has far more resources than the CBI."
"Yes, but if someone's keeping tabs, they'll be focused on the FBI. We've been gone from the CBI a long time, so they won't be watching you."
"Unless they know you came here today."
"Too late for them to infiltrate you," Patrick said. He got up and drew the plastic bag out of the basket. "And I know I can rely on your discretion."
Hightower picked it up, looking inside. "You brought me an old dog toy?"
"That is the remains of a teddy bear Brett Mason gave Victoria. If he had something to do with the drugs in the car, I wondered if there might be some residue on it. I looked at it pretty thoroughly, but I was thinking bugs or cameras at the time."
Hightower frowned. "I'll have it tested. And I'll go through the Visualize files and see what I can turn up."
"I appreciate it." Patrick smiled, reaching into the basket again. "Which is why I brought brownies."
Hightower grinned. "You're welcome."
mmm
Teresa was late getting home, but she still arrived before Moore. "Have a good day?" he asked as she came into the kitchen and gave him a greeting kiss.
"Good enough. How are the kids?"
"Fine. Victoria got some practice in today and felt the better for it. Liam did some songwriting, I think. And I had lunch with Madeleine Hightower, who sends her love."
"Hightower? You think she can help?"
"I gave her the, um, corpse we examined the other night. She's going to test it and let us know."
"I could have done that if you wanted."
"No. If we're being watched, we need to be sneaky. We need to seem like we suspect the kids are into drugs, that we don't believe their story."
She grimaced. "Did you explain that to the kids?"
"Of course. I also gave them tips on what to look for."
Teresa sighed. "I never wanted this for them."
"Me either. But they're our kids; they can handle it. Questioning the motives of the people around them isn't a bad thing."
"I'm not sure I like the idea of teaching them your style of investigation," Teresa said, folding her arms.
"Well, since they lack badges and guns, we can't teach them yours."
"Yours would have gotten you arrested or dead if it weren't for my badge and gun," she snarked.
"Calm down. I'm not encouraging them to poke bigwigs or incite people to punch them," Patrick said. "Just to pay attention."
"Okay. I just wish they didn't have to worry about this." Teresa leaned against the counter. "I really want them to enjoy all their senior year stuff."
"We both do. And we'll do our best to make that happen." He kissed her cheek. "Stan's on his way."
"And what's his assignment?"
She'd had a bad day indeed if she was still snapping at him, he thought. "Would you like some wine? Or a snack?"
Her shoulders dropped. "Yeah. I didn't get lunch."
That explained it. Patrick pulled some crackers and cheese out and poured her a glass of Merlot. "Big case?"
"Department audit." She took a sip of the wine.
"Ah. No wonder you look like you need a massage."
"Can I have one?" She looked at him hopefully.
"Of course, my dear. As soon as Stan leaves."
"I love you," she said.
Patrick grinned. "As you should."
His phone rang, and he picked it up. "Madeleine, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. Need me to hypnotize the boyfriend?"
"No, I actually like this one," she said. "I rushed the test you asked for. It came up positive."
"For residue?"
"Yes. A lot of it, actually. Like someone used it for storage."
Patrick nodded to Teresa. "Thanks, Madeleine. We owe you one."
"You let me know if your kids need help," she ordered him.
"We will. Good night."
"Tell them all hello for me," she said, then hung up.
Patrick turned to Teresa, who was waiting impatiently. "The bear had cocaine residue."
"Damn it," she sighed. "So we should talk to Brett."
"No. Let's have Stan do it. It'll be better if we stay behind the scenes. Let everyone believe we're calling in help to deal with a drug problem in our home."
He could tell she didn't like it, but she didn't have a solid argument against it. "I don't like running a con on our family."
"Not on. With. We're running a con with our family."
"I don't know if that's better," she grumbled.
"It is, I promise you," he replied. He didn't like the unhappiness on her face. "Want some chocolate?"
"Stop managing me, Patrick."
"Not managing. Loving. Caring for." He sighed a little. "While I can."
She looked at him with affectionate exasperation, then put her arms around him. "Smooth talker."
