Author's notes:
Thank you to two great writers and friends, Sue Shay and make-mine-a-kiaora, for their help and support with this story. I appreciate both of them for helping with plot issues in this chapter. Check out make-mine-a-kiaora's ongoing story in drabble format, "All Systems Go"; and also check out Sue Shay's latest, "Too Soon To Go." (I favorited both in my profile for easy access.)
I do not own the TV show The Mentalist and get no compensation from it. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only.
Notes on the title follow the end of the chapter.
Chapter 10: "Tell Me True"
Teresa couldn't let go of Archie. For several more moments she held him in an iron grip. When she did release him, she stared at him through her tears. Reaching up to his face, she snatched off his glasses. She looked into his eyes.
How could I be wrong?
Teresa handed his glasses back to him. Looking at him again, she saw a man bewildered. Of course he would be, he had every right to be. She had accused him of being someone else since the day they met, yet she hired him to work with her. She attempted to unmask this hidden guise of his, yet they grew closer. She stood on the cusp of a real future with this man, yet now she came to him in tears about a ghost from her past.
Archie's face contorted.
"Patrick Jane is dead? How?"
"The earthquake." Teresa fought to speak through her sobs. "It was stronger in British Columbia than in Washington. There was a fire and explosion at a mining facility there. One of the fatalities was identified as Jane. I found out from a California media reporter who contacted me for a comment."
"He was at a mining facility?"
"It made no sense to me, that's not the kind of work I thought he would do. But I called the Sheriff's office in the town where the mine is. The town attracts lots of carnies, and Jane had long-standing connections to that community."
"You're sure of all this?"
"The blast incinerated the bodies of the victims, but the sheriff got statements on Jane from four people that identified him as one of the fatalities - a mine supervisor and three co-workers. A woman he was living with also confirmed his identity as Patrick Jane."
Archie winced.
"I don't know what to say." He enveloped her in a hug again.
"I shouldn't be coming to you of all people. You've done nothing wrong, and yet I hounded you about being Jane."
"No, I'm glad you came. I'm glad you turned to me." He tightened his grip on her.
Teresa took a deep breath; she knew she had to say what was on her heart regardless of Archie's reaction.
"I loved Patrick, but I never said it to him."
"I'm sure he knew that."
Teresa fought her emotions as she shook her head. Lifting her arm to her face, she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes using her sleeve. Reaching into his pocket, Archie retrieved a fresh handkerchief for her. She took it and dabbed her eyes.
"Thank you. Thank you for being you." Her lips trembled as she lifted her gaze to meet his. She took a deep breath. "I love you, Archie."
"I love you too, Teresa…"
Teresa awoke. Glancing down, she saw that she was in a bed, nestled under a quilt. But it wasn't her own bed. Then she remembered coming to Archie's room.
Someone was holding her hand. Turning her head to the left, she saw Archie. But instead of being in bed with her, he had pulled the guest chair beside her. Covered with a blanket, he was sound asleep.
Teresa smiled.
He could have taken advantage of me last night but he didn't.
She squeezed his hand, and he stirred. It took a moment but he focused on her.
"Teresa. You're awake! How are you this morning?"
"Still not doing too well."
"I'm worried about you. About this whole situation."
She caressed his arm.
"Don't be. I'll work through this."
A ding on his computer distracted him. Releasing her hand, he scooted his chair over to the desk. After staring at the screen for a few moments, he flicked the machine off.
"Teresa, I need to go downstairs to my office. Would you like to join me for breakfast in a half hour? We can go to the cafeteria."
She looked at her watch and realized the time. She shook her head no.
"I have to go by my house, then on to the station. You wanna eat after we finish work this evening?"
"I'd enjoy that very much, Teresa."
She swung her legs off the bed to slip on her shoes. Archie had already moved into the doorway. Before he left the room, he looked back at her, concern in his eyes. She smiled at him.
"I meant what I said to you last night, Archie."
"And I meant what I said to you too, Teresa."
With that he ducked out of the room. The sound of his steps echoed as he hurried down the hall.
At the police station, Teresa went through the day in a haze. The only bright spot came when Archie arrived and took his usual seat at her corner table. While friendly, they had none of their usual banter that filled her with such joy.
He's wary about me. I don't blame him.
That evening when they went to Nan's, the somber mood continued. Both of them just picked at their food, and that got Nan's attention. When Archie excused himself to take a phone call, she came over to speak to Teresa.
"You two lost your appetite."
Teresa looked up at her.
"A lot's happened in the last day, Nan."
"Whatever's happened, at least you're still together. I feel better about both of you since you're together."
What did she mean by that? It struck Teresa as odd wording.
"We're good friends."
Nan did something she'd never done with her before. She grabbed the chair Archie had just left to sit down.
"It's not my practice to butt into customers' lives, that's the surest way to lose them. But I'm making an exception with you. I don't have a fancy doctorate like Archie does, but I can see how he feels about you. It goes way beyond friendship, Teresa."
"He's a good man, Nan. We care about each other."
"Oh, I don't doubt that. But he's had feelings for you that go back before you started coming in here together." The two of them saw Archie making his way back to the table. "I'm convinced that man would go through hell on earth for you."
What did Nan mean by that? Before she could ask, Archie arrived back at the table. Nan excused herself as he sat down.
Archie fidgeted for a moment before he spoke.
"Teresa, I have to go out of town for a few days. I'm sorry I won't be at the station, but I promise I'll make it up to you. I have a…research project at a critical point, and it demands my full attention."
The clarity she had gained while watching the sunrise with the man she loved had vanished. Between the news about Jane, Nan's comments, and now Archie's sudden announcement, her life had nose-dived into chaos.
"But…"
He took her hands in his.
"Teresa, I hate to being away from you at all, but especially now when you're hurting. This can't be helped. There's no other way. You trusted me when we walked through the darkness together. I'm asking you to trust me now. Will you?"
She looked at their hands clasped together, then moved her gaze to his eyes. They were pleading with her. She nodded.
"I will."
Teresa spent two long days in agony without Archie. She yearned to see his cheerful smile or hear his sharp barb or feel the touch of his hand on hers. Somehow she soldiered on through her duties at the police station.
FBI agent Kimball Cho, her old second-in-command at CBI, called on Wednesday to commiserate with her about Jane's death. Having worked with Kimball so long, she could detect sadness in his voice that others couldn't have. His final words on their old friend stuck in her mind:
"The FBI has closed the book on Jane; it's probably time we all did."
Kimball was right. They all needed to move along including her.
Teresa's melancholy lifted Wednesday night. Archie called! He would be back on Thursday and asked if she wanted him to come to the police station in the afternoon. On impulse, she told him "no," that she'd like to meet him for lunch then spend the afternoon together, just the two of them. When she heard the enthusiasm in his response, it gladdened her heart. She would meet him at Deverell after his morning classes.
As she pulled into the Deverell parking lot the next day, she noted that Archie still had several minutes left in class. Glancing at the administration building, she decided to drop by Rho's office. She sent a text message to Archie for him to meet her there.
When she entered Rho's office suite, Jill the administrative assistant greeted her.
"Chief Lisbon. President Birnbaum will be so glad you're here! Let me tell her."
Before Jill could act, a familiar voice called out from the inner office.
"Teresa? Is that you? Come on in! Cobb and I are just sitting here talking."
The morning had started out so well only to fall apart. He had come back into town late last night relieved, satisfied, and determined. Relieved that the latest hint of a threat to Teresa had seemed to be one more false alarm. Satisfied that his hunch about the report of Patrick Jane's demise had proven correct. Determined that he would share the truth about himself with Teresa.
But now the threat to her turned all too real; it wasn't just a false alarm. He read then reread the words on the computer screen. Why had the fates conspired to upend their lives?
He stared at the screen wishing what he saw wasn't true, but nothing could change reality. He confirmed what he'd seen from two other sources. But wasn't something like this coming up the reason why he had put himself in this place? Hadn't he put Teresa's well-being above all else? It's what drove him. At least the situation gave him a clear picture of what had to happen and when.
Teresa needed to know the truth, and Cobb and Rho did too.
He looked at his watch. Late by ten minutes already. Teresa would be waiting in Rho's office. Picking up his notebook computer, he bolted out of his office, dashed down the hallway, and exited the side door of his building.
Sprinting across the campus lawn, he waved off students and faculty who yelled to him. Swinging open the front door of the administration building, the handle banged hard against the wall.
That'll leave a mark. No time for me to stop now.
When he got to Rho's office, Jill her assistant smiled warmly at him.
"Hello, Dr. Marbray. Chief Lisbon is already here."
He waved her off and didn't wait for her to announce his arrival. He jerked open the door to Rho's inner office and entered, pulling it closed behind him.
Three heads turned at once. Rho, Cobb, and Teresa all looked at him. Teresa was smiling even more broadly than the other two. She stood up beside her chair.
"Arch, you're late. I could see you standing up Rho and me, but not Teresa." Cobb laughed.
"It's your loss, our gain. We always enjoy spending time with her," Rho said.
"Hey, there, Archie. Ready for lunch?" When Teresa asked, he noticed that she was wearing a beautiful new polka-dot dress. He wanted to cry.
Pain roiled through him because his next words would change everything.
"You're in danger, Teresa."
He could see Cobb chuckle and start to speak up, no doubt with a joke, but he waved him off.
"What?"
"You're in danger, Teresa. We have time to get ready, but you need to prepare."
"What?" When Teresa repeated herself, he heard the confusion in her voice.
"There's a hitman coming to Cannon River. You're his target."
He glanced at Cobb and Rho. Their mouths had fallen open.
"I don't understand, Archie."
"Tommy Volker hired a hitman to get you. I've found out enough that we can intercept the man, but we'll have to be prepared when he arrives in town tonight."
"Tommy Volker hired a hitman to take me out?"
"Yes, it's revenge. You do remember putting Volker away, don't you?"
Teresa stared at him.
"Of course I do. But how do you know?"
He looked from Teresa to Cobb to Rho. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes.
"Because I'm Patrick Jane."
"Who?" asked Rho.
Patrick turned to Rho and Cobb.
"My name is Patrick Jane, not Archibald Marbray. I worked for Teresa when she was at the California Bureau of Investigation."
"Prove it."
The steel in Teresa's voice took him by surprise. He turned around to see her arms folded and a defiant expression on her face.
"You want proof?"
"Yes…I…do." She hissed the words out of her mouth. "My whole world has gone topsy-turvy these last few months. Prove it."
He nodded.
"We investigated your former fiancé, Greg Marshall, and his wife. They were the suspects in a murder investigation. We cleared both."
"Tell me something else." Her arms were still crossed.
"A psychiatrist named Roy Carmen tried to frame you for murder. He drugged you."
"Tell me one more thing."
"I shot Sheriff Hardy before he could shoot you." Teresa gripped the back of the chair she risen from for support. "You're also a fan of the Spice Girls, but so are a lot of people so that doesn't really count for a lot."
"Your accent is gone."
"I'm an American, Cobb." Patrick turned back to Teresa. "I've got information on the hitman's identity, car license, and travel plans."
"Why, Arch-err-Patri-err-Mr. Jane? Why did you do this? Why did you come here?" Rho waved her hand in the air when she said "here."
"I'm here because Teresa came to Cannon River. I'm a wanted man, a fugitive, so I couldn't live my life in the open as Patrick Jane. I had to have a cover so I invented Archie Marbray. Please don't think badly of Teresa though. She had nothing to do with my scheme."
"But…"
Patrick wouldn't let Rho talk.
"The three most important people in my life have been my wife, my daughter, and now Teresa. A serial killer named Red John murdered my wife and daughter. Nothing could change their fate. But after I hunted down and killed that man, I dedicated myself to protecting Teresa. I could still make a difference in her life. She's the only other woman besides my wife I've ever loved."
Patrick watched Teresa move beside him.
He looked from her over to Cobb and Rho. Their mouths agape, both sat in silence. This couple had been so good to him, and now he had told them how he had betrayed the faith they placed in him. Pain coursed through his body.
Behind him, he heard Teresa clear her throat.
"What time did you say the hitman would arrive in Cannon River?"
"Tonight."
"We've got a little time ahead of that. Before we get ready I've got three things to do though."
Patrick had just turned back to look at Teresa again when he saw her fist barreling toward his face. With no time to react, her punch landed squarely on his nose. The force sent him to the floor. Propping himself up, he rubbed his face.
"I guess I deserved that."
Cobb started to move to help him up, but Teresa waved Cobb off. She knelt beside Patrick.
"Now, here's the second thing I've got to do," she said.
Pulling him to her by the lapels on his jacket, she brought their lips together. Teresa cupped her hands around his cheeks to deepen the kiss, and Patrick wrapped his arms around her waist. She ended up sitting on his lap on the floor, the two of them still kissing.
After a few moments, they broke the kiss, but Patrick kept his arms wrapped around her waist. They smiled at each other.
"One kiss is not enough for me, Teresa."
He pulled her to him for a longer kiss, one that left them breathless when they pulled apart. She placed her hands on his chest.
"Here's the third thing I've got to do. I'm not going to miss another chance to say what I should. I love you, Patrick Jane."
"And I love you, Teresa Lisbon."
To be continued.
Sarah Jarosz wrote the song "Tell Me True" and recorded it for her 2009 album Song Up In Her Head.
Readers interested in finding out more about the songs used as story and chapter titles can visit this Youtube playlist: "Mentalist - Clear Blue Morning - playlist for fanfic story"
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