Chapter 10
The next morning the team met at the location they'd finished at the night before. They felt no more refreshed than they had then, none of them having slept for more than an hour.
They asked civilian after civilian for information on the van in question, and despite the length of time since it had passed through, they still managed to get the information they were looking for.
After more than three hours, an elderly bearded man directed them to a remote road much further away than they had expected to travel.
"I was finishing up visiting a friend who lives out there" he recalled for them. "The road is normally deserted that late in the afternoon, which is why I noticed the van. It was travelling pretty fast in the opposite direction, towards an abandoned shack hidden by some trees. It's hard to spot from the main road, but if you know what you're looking for you can find it easily enough"
Van Pelt, Cho and Rigsby returned to the car with a new energy, feeling much closer to finding their friends.
After about half an hour they came to the road that the old man had described to them.
It was rough, made from gravel, and their windscreen was filled with dust within minutes. Rigsby wound down the passenger window to get a better view ahead of them, and copped a mouthful of dirt.
After recovering, he glanced out, more cautiously this time, and saw on the horizon a dilapidated little structure.
"There it is" he cried, smiling with satisfaction.
They pulled up a couple of metres away behind a tree. It didn't hide their car completely from view, but it did make it less obvious. At a glance it would be unnoticeable.
All three pulled their guns from their holsters, and made their way slowly and carefully to the door.
Despite its outward appearance, the shack was actually quite sturdy. Behind the wooden planks was a much stronger wall made of concrete.
"Someone wants this place to look much more deserted than it actually is" Van Pelt realised.
To their surprise the door wasn't locked. On the contrary it swung open easily when Cho tugged on the handle.
Guns drawn they entered the small room. The floor, roof and walls were all made of concrete, giving the space a cold feel, making them shiver. There were no windows, and they had to use their flashlights to illuminate the room.
Across the room was a huge metal door, bolted with several different latches and one large keyhole.
"Hey guys, come look at this" Rigsby called from the far right-hand corner of the room.
There, on the floor, almost unnoticeable in the dimness, was a small latch. Looking more closely, they made out a square that blended with the concrete from a distance, but up close looked much lighter.
"A trapdoor" Van Pelt gasped.
They positioned themselves, Rigsby holding the handle, Van Pelt and Cho pointing their guns towards the opening.
They made eye contact, nodded, then Rigsby heaved with all his might, pulling the door open. Cho entered down the ladder first, followed closely by Van Pelt.
"CBI, is there anyone in here?" he called out, scanning the room with his torch.
The beam of light swept the room, until it came to rest in the corner, where a middle aged man was huddled under a table, a woman behind him.
"Edith and Will Stevens, put your hands up" Van Pelt called, her voice angry. Knowing the crimes these two had committed along with kidnapping Lisbon infuriated her.
They stood slowly, raising their hands obediently in defeat. The two agents moved closer, handcuffing the couple roughly.
They led them up the ladder, Rigsby waiting at the top.
"Where's the key to that door?" Van Pelt spat, staring the two down expectantly.
"Around my neck" Will muttered.
Van Pelt pulled the chain from him, and clasped the large old-fashioned key tightly. Cho handcuffed the two to the top of the ladder, then together they stood in front of the door. Van Pelt plunged the key into the keyhole, turning it with a click.
It took all three of them to push the massive door open.
"Lisbon! Jane!" Van Pelt cried, hurrying over to them. They were huddled in the far corner of the room, Jane lying, eyes closed, while Lisbon sat next to him, leaning weakly against the wall.
Outside they heard sirens as Officer Byrd and the rest of the local cops finally arrived. Van Pelt had called them after the elderly man had directed them to the shack, just before they were out of cell phone range.
Lisbon smiled gratefully as Rigsby and Van Pelt helped her up, then together they knelt beside Jane. The wound on his head looked severe, though it had stopped bleeding.
They nudged him awake, heaving him up between them and led him out to the car while Cho helped Lisbon.
They met Officer Byrd outside. He'd already called an ambulance, which he said was on its way, and two of his officers were dragging Stevens and his wife to cop's cars.
Cho sat Lisbon down on the step, where she leant against a pillar, to weak to even speak. Jane lay next her as they waited anxiously for the ambulance to arrive, his head resting on Van Pelts shoulder as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
I was barely aware of what was happening as Van Pelt and Rigsby carried me outside. My head throbbed so painfully I winced, leaning gratefully against their weight.
The next minute I was on the step outside the building, the world swaying around me. Rigsby's face appeared in front of mine, his hand on my shoulder, calling my name.
His words drifted meaninglessly through my ears. I didn't have the energy to concentrate on what he was saying. I felt my hands shaking from exhaustion, lack of water and relief. Finally I was safe, away from Red John's watchful camera.
Van Pelt held a water bottle up to my lips, and I gulped it up greedily, my dry throat finally soothed.
Flashing red and blue lights appeared, along with an ear-piercing siren, overloading my senses in their delicate state. The ambulance. Finally I could rest peacefully, comfortably.
Suddenly I was jolted from my daze by loud bang, and then another.
