Chapter 10 - Reading Minds
"Damn it," Jane muttered as he buckled his seatbelt and Lisbon sped off in pursuit of Sweeney. He watched her turn back into Agent mode again, her expression serious, as she followed the suspect, keeping a safe distance behind.
When Jane had come up with the plan that afternoon to get Sweeney to confess she had laughed in his face and told him it sounded like something out of Scooby Doo. But here she was going along with it anyway in the absence of a better one and against her better judgement. As she followed him she shook her head. Was it a severe lack of sleep that had clouded her normal rational thinking? If so, she was going to have to get sleeping pills at this rate. Or...was it just the Patrick Jane effect? As if reading her mind he said beside her, "Don't worry. It'll work, I promise." Those words instilled in her no more faith than when he had said 'Trust me' earlier and she huffed in response.
They drew up at the bar Sweeney frequented and Lisbon turned the engine off as they watched him go inside.
"Are you sure about this? You're not a cop and you're not even wearing a vest. He's a killer and he could work for Red John," she said to him.
"Meh. It'll be fine. He's not going to kill me, where's his motive? I'll have him eating out of the palm of my hand in minutes. Besides, who else could pull this off? Even if I could train one of your team - which is highly improbable - he's met them all already. He doesn't know me. I'm your only option."
He gazed at her as she nibbled her lip and lines of fear crossed her face. "Of course, if you're that worried about me you could always give me a kiss for luck." She softened her expression as he smiled at her, blushing, remembering how close she came to doing that just minutes before.
After a moment she looked ahead and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "Of course I'm worried. There's a lot of paperwork to fill out if you get yourself killed in there." She glanced back at him as he raised an eyebrow.
"So, no kiss then?" he ventured again.
She looked over at him, blushing once again. "Let's see if you can pull this off first," she replied, a smile forming on her lips.
He went to leave and she touched his arm. "Be careful, okay?"
He nodded and took her hand in his before letting it fall away as he got out of the car.
The afternoon had been spent building up a picture of Sweeney and his habits. Van Pelt had gone through his bank records and found he was in debt to the tune of over $100,000. He had lost a large sum of money in a recent investment and she suspected him of cheating Malcolm Warren in legal fees relating to the sale of a property the Warrens owned in L.A. Jane suggested that Warren was a careful man who would not have taken long to figure out his lawyer was corrupt. He failed to add that he knew this due to the number of times Malcolm Warren threatened him over the years with regard to the money his wife gave him, he had always kept a close eye on their finances.
He saw Sweeney sitting at the bar as soon as he walked in along with Cho who was sitting some tables away, a baseball cap on his head and his face bowed into a bottle of beer. It was a good position; he was facing a mirror with an excellent view of the bar in case something went awry.
Before he went over to Sweeney he spotted a girl in her early twenties sitting alone at a table in the front. He studied her quickly, ascertaining she was a call girl on the lookout for a customer for the night. He said a few words into her ear and planted some notes into her palm. She nodded and he went over to the bar to sit beside Sweeney.
He ordered a beer and took a sip, purposefully spilling some of it down his front.
"Damn it," he said, waving his hands at the bar napkins sitting beside Sweeney. "Would you mind?"
Sweeney glanced over at him quickly and handed him a handful of them silently.
Jane wiped his front and turned his eyes to the game of golf being played on the television behind the bar in front of them. He could have guessed this man would have loved this game. Jane never saw the point in it himself but some of his marks loved to play it so knew enough to get by.
Jane made a few comments about one of the player's swings and Sweeney engaged with him, obviously enthralled by the sight of two men potting a small white ball into a hole.
Jane mused to himself silently as the other man became more enthusiastic. Wasn't it Mark Twain who said a game of golf is like a good walk spoiled?
Sweeney moved his arm from in between them, turning around in his barstool to discuss the subject further face to face, his posture open and relaxed now.
As Sweeney took a swig of his beer, Jane nodded to the girl at the front table and she came over to them.
"Mr Jane! Is it really you? I can't believe you're here! I went to see one of your shows just the other month!"
Jane smiled back at her. She was a little too over the top for his liking but he would have to make do.
"You did? I'm touched. I hope it was of some comfort to you."
She nodded profusely. Jeez, please tone it down.
Gently, he took her hand. "It was your father you lost, wasn't it?"
The girl looked confused, this wasn't part of the set up when he had paid her to recognise him but she nodded, playing along.
He rubbed her hand tenderly with his thumb and looked into her eyes with a soft smile. "He's worried about you. In fact, he's here now. He has a message for you. Would you like to hear it? I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name?"
She stared back at him, her throat drier than the Sahara. She swallowed and replied hoarsely as she nodded, "It's Debbie."
He noted the charm bracelet she wore and that one of the charms was a horseshoe. It would have been a symbol of good luck on its own but had also noticed a cowboy hat in the mix too. There was also a tattoo of a saddle on the top of her arm, partially obscured by the top she wore. Her accent was Texan.
"He says that he loves to watch you horseback ride and wishes you did that more often instead of hanging out in places like this. He thinks that you should have stayed in Texas."
Her mouth opened and tears began to form. God, not this.
"Debbie, why don't you call your mother? I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. It's been a while since you talked, hasn't it?"
"Y-Yes," she replied, her voice constricted with emotion.
"Go and do it now," he told her softly, nodding to a payphone at the other end of the bar.
Suddenly she hugged him tightly, murmuring thanks before she walked away, tears falling down her cheeks.
Sweeney had watched the entire exchange and sat with his mouth open after she left.
Jane took a swig of beer, staring ahead of him at the TV again. "Now, about McIlroy's swing-"
"What the hell was that?" Sweeney interrupted.
Jane turned to face him. "Oh, that? Nothing. Just a fan."
"You're psychic or something?"
Jane nodded. "Yeah, I get recognised sometimes but didn't think it would happen in a place like this." He grinned at him. "Guess I'm not that psychic, after all, huh?"
Sweeney's lips turned into a smile. "You're a cool one, I have to give you that. I'm Derek, by the way. What a way to meet women." He outstretched his hand to him.
Jane shook it with a laugh. "I do okay. I'm Patrick. Patrick Jane. Good to meet you, Derek."
Sweeney thought for a moment. "Ah, I think I have maybe heard of you. You're a pretty big deal."
Jane shrugged. "Like I said, I do okay."
"You know I could make your money work for you." Here we go.
Jane feigned confusion. "Oh, are you an accountant or stockbroker or something like that?" He noticed Sweeney's eyes shift nervously at the word 'stockbroker'.
"No. I'm...I'm a lawyer. I deal a lot in Property. If you were looking to buy a new place or sell your old one I'm pretty damn good, even if I do say so myself. I can get you a great deal."
Yeah, if you want to lose your shirt in the process or get yourself killed. The man's desperation for money was clear as day.
Jane shrugged, taking another sip. "I do have a house in Hawaii I've been thinking about selling," he lied.
"I could broker the deal for you. No problem at all. I'll even charge you half the commission I normally take off."
"Mm. Don't know. I've only just met you. How do I know I could trust you? It's a hell of a lot of money we're talking about here."
"Tell me what I can say. Anything."
"Let me read your mind."
Sweeney blinked rapidly. "Look, I'm not against what you do but I don't really believe in all that crap. No offence."
Jane raised his eyebrows. "I admire your honesty. So, if you don't believe me what do you have to lose? Got something you feel guilty about?"
Sweeney wavered for a second.
"Never mind," Jane said with a sweep of his hand before watching the television again.
A few seconds later Sweeney asked, "Well...how...how would you do it if I agreed?"
Distracted, "Hm? Oh, read your mind, you mean? Pretty easy, really. Just need to look into your eyes and put my hands on your shoulders. So I can really see into your soul. Make sure you're an honest person. I do it with everyone I go into business with. If people don't I know they have something to hide."
Sweeney was caught. He wanted this man's money but what if he really was psychic? He'd never believed in them and laughed at the idea. What the hell could he discover about what he'd done the other day? He'd covered his tracks and the CBI couldn't even make a case earlier. Sweeney grinned. Okay, hotshot, go for it."
Jane turned to face him again with a shrug. "Okay. Cool." After a second of looking at him, he placed his hands firmly on Sweeney's shoulders.
He arrived back at the car a few minutes later, smiling widely as he got inside and sat next to Lisbon again.
"So?" she asked, impatient.
"So?"
"What happened? Did you read him? Pretend to be psychic? Frighten him by revealing he's a killer?"
Jane shrugged. "It's a work in progress."
"What's that supposed to mean? I thought the reason we came here tonight was to get a confession out of him. You never even turned your phone on to record the conversation!"
He shrugged again. "There was no point. He's not ready to confess yet. Let's go back to the office. He'll be in later with a change of heart."
Her eyes widened. "What?! Why would he do that? What are you not telling me?"
He stared at her. "Many things, Teresa. Like how your eyes have little speckles of gold in them when you're angry. Or that they grow much greener when you're surprised. Or-"
Irritated, "I mean about what happened with Sweeney."
"Patience, woman. All will be revealed in time. Now, don't you think we better get out of here before he comes out and recognises us sitting here together"
She rolled her eyes and drove them back to the office.