Facts, Just the Facts (CH 9)

A Rizzoli & Isles Story

By Enginerd


Chapter 9 – Circumstantial Evidence

Jane went into work with a travel mug and thermos of freshly brewed coffee, which was a surprise; she didn't realize she had a thermos until Maura found it in a cabinet over her refrigerator. How she knew to look there at five-thirty in the morning and why she insisted on Jane bringing a thermos in was beyond Jane; though the home brew was really good, she considered as she took another sip.

Maura was rather disappointed that she could not prepare a homemade breakfast, prompting Jane to suggest she just thaw out some more lasagna or, better yet, cannoli, which goes really well with coffee. Maura glared at her like she had two heads and took charge of serving her the other standby – Lucky Charms. She thanked GOD that her milk had not yet soured, not wanting to think of how Maura would have reacted if she had been unable to serve a properly prepared bowl of cereal. Jane shook her head; Maura was taking her promise to her mother to make sure she was well fed way too seriously.

But even with Maura's determination to fulfill that promise, Jane smiled, having really enjoyed the morning with her, going about their morning routine as if they had being doing that for years. She wondered how she would broach the subject of Maura spending another night. They hadn't discussed it and her side was healing fine, even Maura said so, so there was really no reason – except that Jane wanted it. Thought, maybe she could use keeping her mother away as an excuse, she considered with a pleased smile at her plan.

"You were right," Frost said, jumping up to join her as she walked to her desk.

"Well, of course I was!" Jane said indignantly, causing Frost to wince. "What was I right about?" she asked with interest, sipping her coffee.

Frost glared at her before answering. "The siblings are sole beneficiaries for insurance policies on each other."

"Well, are they now," she said thoughtfully. "Nothing on the parent's accident that might suggest it wasn't an accident?" she asked, sitting at her desk.

"Not directly. But get this - the detective in charge of the investigation? He was arrested for taking bribes in three other cases five years ago."

"Really?" Jane said with hope, getting a nod.

"We need to interview him now!" Jane said eagerly.

"Can't," Frost said with wince. "He died three months ago."

R&I

"Taking out an insurance policy on a family member is not against the law, Rizzoli," the Lieutenant said sitting back in her chair, eyeing her over her reading glasses.

"No, but killing for the insurance money is," Jane said.

"What evidence do you have?"

"Nothing concrete from the parents' accident yet. It's all circumstantial at this point, based on a hunch," she said with a disappointed sigh, handing over her notes to her boss, who took them. "Frost did the leg work," she offered absently, wishing they had more.

The Lieutenant glanced at her with a slight, pleased smile before reading over the details. Her smile faded. "A bad cop," she exhaled with distaste, shaking her head.

"That opens up a few questions about his rigor on the parents' case, but we don't have answers yet," Jane said, not very happy about that.

"Compelling theory," she allowed and placed the notes down on her desk.

"Compelling enough to bring them in for questioning?" Jane said.

The Lieutenant eyed her a moment. "How do you want to play it?"

Jane smiled.

R&I

Seeing Korsak sit down at his desk with a large coffee and a banana nut muffin, Crowe smirked.

"Hey Korsak, are you going to be able to fit in your uniform tomorrow night?"

"I'll have you know," Korsak said sharply, then frowned, unable to think of anything. He finished with a defiant "Yes."

"I didn't know they made girdles in your size," Crowe said with a snicker as Vince looked down at his muffin with a frown. "So how'd you snag a seat at the Lieutenant's table?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he said with surprise.

"Man, you're never going to get promoted," Crowe said with a derisive laugh, shaking his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I bet you don't even know what VIPs are going to be there, let alone who's at your table."

"I haven't seen a list yet," Korsak said defensively.

Crowe smiled with satisfaction and held up a list, waving it in the air.

"You going to be an ass or are you going to show me?" Korsak said, eyeing the annoying man. Good thing he was a decent detective, Korsak considered.

Crowe frowned as he rolled his eyes, and shoved the list towards the brusque older detective, who was never going to make brass. Good thing he was a decent detective, Crowe considered.

"What the . . . they spelled my name wrong! Vincent Korrak?!" he said in a huff.

"Remember, they're volunteers," Crowe said with a smirk. "Spouses and family volunteering their valuable time to help raise money for the policemen's fund yadda yadda…," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

"But they managed to spell the Lieutenant's name right and not mine? Unbelievable," Korsak said with irritation. "Who's this next to her? I've never heard of him before," he said, noting Barry "Prost" and his date were at an adjacent table with Jane and "Laura." At least Homicide was seated close together, he considered, not wanting to be near Vice, who couldn't stop bragging about their big bust at the fight club, completely ignoring the apparently trivial fact that it was homicide's stakeout.

"Her husband, you idiot."

"Well how the hell should I know? It's not like she took his last name."

"Yeah," Crowe said with a frown. "I wonder what kind of guy would marry her. I mean . . . ," Crowe started. "I'd bet she's the one who wears the pants, if you know what I mean."

"Stop now," Korsak warned.

"Come on, Korsak, what self-respecting guy would let his wife keep her maiden name? Or be a homicide detective for that matter," Crowe said, in a righteous rant for chauvinists everywhere.

"I mean it, Crowe," he cautioned.

"Whatever," Crowe said, waving his hand at the older man dismissively. "And what's with the husband's name? Can it sound more gay?" Crowe muttered with a derisive snort, shaking his head as Vince sighed and shook his head.

"So what name would you approve of, Crowe? Chad, Derek? Oh I know, Dick," the annoyed Lieutenant snapped.

"Uh…Lieutenant!" Crowe blurted, quickly turning towards the Lieutenant, finding a cold glare. "I didn't mean, I mean…uh."

"Korsak? Will you be available to help with the interviews tomorrow?" the Lieutenant asked, staring at Crowe, who could not look her in the eye. His gaze dropped as he tried not to wince.

"Of course," Korsak said, surprised to find he took little pleasure in Crowe's discomfort. He could only think of the long list of violent crimes associated with Marie Largo and how she broke that guy's hand in the fight club. And from the glare she gave Crowe, it looked like he'd be lucky with only a broken hand.

The Lieutenant briefly nodded at Vince. "Rizzoli will fill you in. Should be interesting," she said and glared at Crowe one more time before she left.

The only good coming from that exchange, Korsak considered, was that Crowe had finally shut his big fat mouth.

R&I

"Hey Maura!" Jane said with a happy smile on her face as she entered the Medical examiner's office.

"Jane," Maura said, looking up from her files with a pleased smile. She looked so much better than yesterday, which Maura attributed to Jane getting a good night's sleep - which was essential to healing. She thankfully did not have any of the violent nightmares, which Maura witnessed when Hoyt was after her. Jane slept so soundly, she barely stirred when Maura got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night – even though Jane's arm had wound up wrapped around her. When she returned, Jane had just mumbled something unintelligible and returned her arm to its original position, wrapped around her.

Even Maura found she had slept better, in spite of her personal space being so clearly encroached upon.

"The Lieutenant is letting me run with my idea on the case," Jane reported, clearly pleased.

"I am not surprised. She strikes me as a perceptive and intelligent woman," Maura said easily, happy Jane seemed to be getting along with her boss.

"You don't even know what my idea is," Jane said with amusement.

"No. But from your previously astute observations and successes, I am confident it is insightful and merit worthy."

Jane looked at her with feigned surprise. "Why Maura, you do know how to sweet-talk a girl," she said, then grinned.

Maura looked at her curiously.

"Jane, I only stated my conclusion based on empirical evidence. To say I was "sweet- talking" would mean I was coaxing or cajoling you to do something with flattery," Maura said.

Jane smirked. "You make that sound like a bad thing."

"Would you actually be receptive to someone trying to coax you with flattery?" Maura asked skeptically.

"Depends entirely on the person, how well they flatter me, and what they were trying to coax me to do," Jane said with a smile, getting Maura to look at her as she considered that comment. "So, what do you say we try for lunch again, like at that new Salad Palace place? I would really like to spend more time with my favorite Medical Examiner – and not because of an increase in homicides," Jane said with a smile and a sparkle in her eye.

Maura looked at her a curious moment before smiling. "I see what you mean. Though, I would say you could work on your flattery," she noted with amusement.

Jane shook her head with a chuckle. "Guess I'll just have to work on that. So, in the mean time, what do you say about lunch?"

"As I am rather partial to you and the subject of your coaxing, I'd love to have lunch with you."

"Great! It's a date," Jane said happily and started out of her office, pausing at the door. "Maura? You are, by far, my favorite Medical Examiner. Hands down. No competition. Numero Uno. A number one. Super Primo. Unsurpassable…."

With an amused smile, Maura opened her mouth to interrupt but Jane was quicker.

"So I'll meet you here at high noon?"

"All right. Noon," Maura confirmed, chuckling at Jane's infectious happiness.

"Great, I'll see you then. Bye!" Jane said and was suddenly gone.

Maura stared at the empty doorway a moment before glancing at her watch to see how long before seeing Jane again. Too long, she concluded with a shake of her head and returned her attention to her reports.

R&I

Back in her office, the Lieutenant sat down with an angry sigh, realizing she had let Crowe get to her. She had hoped she left all the chauvinist assholes she'd ever meet behind in New York, but she had to face the fact - they were everywhere. Rubbing her eyes, she sighed again, reminding herself she had worked too damn hard to overcome all the hurdles in her life, including her own stupid mistakes, to blow it all now - even if punching the jerk's lights out would have felt really good.

Glancing around her office, she considered how she should have advanced through the ranks on her home turf. But things got so fucked up there and bridges were burned. All she could do was look forward, in Boston now - and finish a shit-load of paperwork, she thought wearily, looking at the plentiful boxes with a frown. The plentiful paperwork wasn't going to get done on it's own, she considered and looked around her cluttered desk for her goddamn reading glasses.

Her cell rang, interrupting her search. With a sigh, she answered it.

"Lieutenant…"

"It's me, Marie," a familiar voice interrupted.

She shut her eyes trying to reign in her emotions at the sound of that voice and that name. "I told you, I'm done," she growled.

"Seems there are some who disagree. We need to meet. I can make it there tomorrow. And try not to shoot the messenger, huh?" he said.

She numbly listened to the details for their meeting, not registering the goodbye until hearing a dial tone. Taking an uneasy breath, she stared at the phone a long moment before setting it down. Her shaking hands covered her face, her worst fears that had lain dormant after much effort and time, erupted with a vengeance. And when she got frightened, she got angry. Her hand balled up into a fist that slammed down on her desk, inadvertently sending her glasses flying, finally landing on one of many boxes of files that taunted her.

She suddenly burst out of her chair, which shot back, hitting the wall. Shutting her eyes tightly, she forced a calming breath, thinking of the one person who had always helped to slay her dragons, the one person she would fight the world for and at times, thought she had. She thought of the one person who threatened to leave her if she ever dealt with these people and lived that life again. She looked down and caressed the wedding ring on her finger, the precious symbol she did not take lightly.

She had a wonderful life that she had fought for and almost lost because of them. She wasn't about to let anyone ruin it for her now.

R&I

"So, we'll see what happens," Jane said with a shrug, drinking her iced tea as Maura nibbled on her mixed greens salad.

After swallowing, Maura said, "I'm always fascinated by how people can conclude that it is actually worth taking a life and risking one's future in the hope of monetary gain."

"Well, sometimes people are just stupid," Jane offered, picking up a cheeseburger, causing Maura to frown, again. "Hey! The meat gives me the needed iron," she said, smiling before taking a bite.

"You could get iron from fruits and vegetables, like strawberries and broccoli."

"Had I only known I could have had strawberries and broccoli before I ordered a cheeseburger," Jane said, feigning lament as she looked at her lunch. She grinned happily and took another bite.

"I had hoped that when you suggested a restaurant specializing in salads that you would be inclined to order one."

"But I really like cheeseburgers, Maura," Jane said, looking down at her burger.

"Evidently," she said and sighed. "You really should think about eating more fresh produce," Maura offered.

"OK," Jane said, biting a French fry.

"OK?"

"Didn't expect that, huh?" Jane said with a grin.

"Frankly, no."

"We can go shopping for me tonight, if you want. You can point out the iron-rich produce and stuff," Jane said, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"Are you actually volunteering to go grocery shopping, which you don't like to do, to get fresh produce, which you don't seem to like?"

"Yep. We both can benefit from the outing."

"Exactly how would I benefit from the outing?" Maura said with amusement.

"You get to spend more time with me," Jane said with a grin.

"Oh," Maura said with a smile. She had to admit, Jane did make a compelling argument.

"All right, I can sweeten the deal," Jane continued, surprising Maura. "First we go shopping, then as a thank you, I'll make you dinner," she said. "Actually, that is also helping me out too," she said with a guilty wince, then tossed out with a shrug: "Ma will want to come over if she thinks there is no one…," Jane said, noticing with some annoyance that she did not have Maura's undivided attention.

"Agent Dean?" Maura said as the man walked up to their table.

"Dr. Isles," Gabriel Dean responded and looked at Jane warmly. "Jane. It's good to see you. Both," he added awkwardly, glancing at Dr. Isles with a small smile.

"I appreciate your attempt at including me, but it isn't necessary," Maura said with a smile.

"Why are you in town?" Jane quickly asked as her posture stiffened, which in turn caused Maura a similar tenseness. Every time Agent Dean was in town, there seemed to be a Hoyt problem for Jane. Good God, what if he was after Jane again, Maura worried, biting her lip as she reached out for Jane's hand.

Jane glanced at her worriedly, grateful for the comfort.

"Uh, following up on a computer hack," he offered vaguely, but it was sufficient information to achieve the desired result; Jane sighed with relief.

Maura squeezed Jane's hand, which earned her a smile of thanks.

"Well, I'm sure you two would like to catch up. I'll be heading back and let you," Maura said pleasantly.

"But . . . ," Jane said with a frown as Maura efficiently collected her purse and stood.

"Actually I can't stay here, I have to meet with someone in about fifteen," Gabe offered, glancing at his watch. "But what about after work?" he asked hopefully.

"Maura and I have plans," Jane said with a bit of irritation. The guy drops in unexpectedly and thinks she was going to drop everything to see him?

"Nothing we can't postpone. I'm sure your health will not be too adversely affected if you wait a few more days until you incorporate more fresh produce into your diet," she said with a smile. "I'll leave you to your planning. Nice seeing you again, Gabriel. See you later, Jane," Maura said and retreated from them with brisk steps, disappearing out the door.

Jane frowned, always surprised by how quickly Maura could move in those high heels.

"So? How about dinner?" Gabe asked.

Jane looked at the handsome man. The kind of man her mother would just love. The kind of man no one would question her attraction to. The kind of man she was expected to end up with…even by Maura, who seemed to be actually encouraging it.

"Korsak?" Jane said with surprise, causing Gabe to frown.

Her ex-partner froze and turned towards her with an uncomfortable smile.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said you would never set foot in a place called the Salad Palace," Jane said.

"Uh . . . It's never too late to adopt a healthier diet, Jane," Vince said, patting his belly.

"Hell has frozen over...or has Maura been talking to you too?" Jane asked suspiciously.

"Maura? No, why?" Korsak said, looking between the two curiously. Gabe just shrugged.

"Never mind," Jane said and stood. Noting Gabe's hopeful look, she sighed. "You can pick me up at my apartment at seven. Nothing too fancy."

Gabe nodded with a smile. "It's a date," he said.

She looked at him a thoughtful moment and smiled before leaving.

When she was back at the office, she sought out Maura. Looking around the morgue, she saw Maura's assistant come in. "Looking for Dr. Isles?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jane said, looking towards Maura's office.

"She left. She said she had some errands to run."


TBC