Disclaimer – As cool as it would be to be a member of Team Heller, it's evident I'm not. Therefore I don't own any part of the Mentalist TV series and am not making any money off these stories.

Thanks for being a sounding board on this chapter, Cumberland River Relic. Great beta reader!

Chapter 10

Again the GPS got them where they needed to be, a multi-flat apartment building in the Lakeview neighborhood. Teresa rang the bell and they were buzzed in immediately. Once she opened the door, Teresa ran up the stairs to Unit 303, forcing Jane to run after her. Jane managed to grab her hand before she pounded on the door.

"You are not Agent Lisbon," he said, trying to catch his breath from running two stories. "You are Aunt Reese talking to a very ditzy friend of Annie who will spook easily because it doesn't appear that she's very bright. Or confident."

Teresa nodded and lowered her hand. When the door opened, she plastered a pleasant smile on her face.

A slender, college-aged woman looked out from under disheveled black hair, brown eyes red from crying, hands trembling. She looked from Teresa to Patrick and then back.

"Are you Aunt Reesie? Come in, please."

Teresa quirked an eyebrow at Patrick before speaking to Susan Smithson. "Yes, I'm Teresa Lisbon, Annabeth's Aunt Reese. This is my friend Patrick Jane."

She barely acknowledged the introduction before turning away.

"Danny is in here."

They followed her into the small apartment, smelling heavy cigarette smoke in the air that almost masked the pungent aroma of used diapers.

"W-what happened to Annie? Why did she run off? She won't answer her phone. It just went to voicemail every time I called to find out what was going on."

As they cleared the short hallway, they entered a living/kitchenette area. In the middle of the room was a pile of baby things – diaper bag, folded portable crib, and a bag of toys. In front of it was a child carrier/car seat with a sleeping baby.

Susan Smithson really wants out of the responsibility. Patrick thought.

He didn't quite understand why. Daniel was beautiful, with fine dark hair, long soft lashes and full, pink cheeks. Patrick was instantly in love.

So was Teresa by appearances. She immediately fell to her knees in front of the child, mewing as she placed a gentle caress on Daniel's leg.

"He's adorable," she whispered. Tears flowed down her face as she examined the child.

"Teresa, I'm going to explain things to Ms. Smithson."

Patrick Jane volunteering to participate in an emotionally charged moment? Him? Teresa didn't acknowledge it which told him how she was enthralled with Daniel.

He took the young woman by the elbow and led her back to the hallway, away from the front door towards what he assumed was a back of the apartment.

"Susan… we have very bad news. Annie and her husband were killed in a car crash last night on the way back to Chicago."

The horror crept into her eyes, looking at him and shaking her head.

"Listen, you need to call a friend who can stay with you. Aunt Reesie will take Daniel where he will be safe. Thank you for taking such good care of the boy. You're a good person for keeping him happy and clean until his aunt could come save him."

Tears finally slipped from her eyes which her trembling hands wiped uselessly. He turned her around and encouraged her to continue down the hall. They passed a small bathroom and entered a bedroom where he gently sat her on her bed. She was so pliable, he could have hypnotized her, but there was no need; the shocking news made posing her as easy as a kid's fashion doll.

"Slowly count to one hundred, taking a deep breath in between each number until you feel calm and relaxed. Then you can rest assured that Danny is in good hands. You will sleep very well tonight knowing that he's safe despite everything that's happened."

She swallowed and nodded.

Well, it wasn't really hypnosis, right? More like...a really good suggestion.

"Lay back. Relax."

As she reclined, he turned to leave and then stopped.

"And give up smoking, Susan. Your sense of smell will come back, and your lungs will thank you for it."

Then he hurried to the living room where Teresa was smiling and cooing at the baby.

"Let's get going. We want Daniel out of here, and Susan wants us gone."

"What?"

"Daniel is now in protective custody. Let's get going." He picked up everything except the carrier and started for the door. "Let's go, Lisbon."

"What about Susan?"

He stopped and gestured around the room. "Look at this place. She's barely taking care of herself. The ashtrays are overflowing. The used diapers aren't even put into the garbage. Not having the baby is a great relief that she's looking forward to."

Teresa seemed to notice her surroundings for the first time and her button nose scrunched at the stench in the place.

"We need to get this baby out of here."

"My sentiments exactly."

To be continued...