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! Their guidance helped me reshape and clean up this chapter and the previous one. Check out make-mine-a-kiaora's ongoing Jane-on-the-run story in drabble format, "All Systems Go"; and also check out Sue Shay's latest mystery romance, "White Out." (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 12: "Bring It On Home To Me"

Archie took Henry into the conference room to prepare. In the meantime, Teresa got word someone wanted to see her in the lobby. There, with expressions of concern etched across their faces, were Rho and Cobb.

"Teresa! You're alright!" When Rho caught sight of her, she ran to embrace her. Cobb followed.

"Let's go down to my office, we can talk in private there."

Unsure of how Rho and Cobb felt about the whole situation, Teresa pointed down the hallway. Once inside the office, she shut the door.

"How's Archie, or Patrick, or Mr. Jane?" Rho asked.

She could still see the uncertainty on Rho and Cobb's faces.

"Archie's fine." Teresa made sure to emphasize the name she would call him by. "Right now he's helping one of our officers prepare to interrogate the hitman."

Rho and Cobb's expressions turned somber. Rho spoke as her husband nodded his agreement.

"We've spent the last eight hours learning all about Patrick Jane and you and that monster Red John."

"It's not a pretty story."

Rho grasped her hand.

"It's a wonder Archie - or you - survived. We read everything."

Teresa patted Rho's arm.

"There were plenty of times I didn't think either of us would live through it, but we did. And I'm glad we got back together here in Cannon River."

"The two of you have been through so much, and then they hounded him when they should have given him a medal." Rho got a stern expression on her face. "Teresa, you and Archie deserve your happiness together after what you've been through."

"Thank you, Rho." Teresa breathed a silent sigh of thanksgiving for the couple's support.

"We've worried about Archie ever since he came to Deverell. He was so alone, so solitary, and it turned out we didn't even know the half-of-it." Cobb shook his head as he spoke. "We were so happy for both of you when you got together. Little did we know it was a reunion."

"I love Archie with all my heart. He's the best thing to come into my life." She amazed herself with how frank she was with her newfound friends.

"We know that, and he certainly loves you, Teresa," said Rho.

Teresa heard the conference door open and the voices of Archie and Henry in the hallway. Henry's voice sounded much more confident, and Archie's carried a tone of encouragement.

"It sounds like Archie's finished working with the officer. Would you like to talk with him? I know he'd like to see the two of you."

"We would," said Cobb.

Teresa opened the door and the three of them entered the hallway just as Archie finished speaking to Henry.

"…just remember the three B's, Henry. Bluffing-brashness-brotherhood. You'll do fine."

"Thank you, Professor. Thank you for your faith in me."

With a file folder tucked under his arm, Henry nodded and disappeared into the lobby. When Archie turned towards Cobb and Rho, they hurried over to embrace him as they had done before with Teresa. The trio sat down on a bench further down the hall with Archie in the middle. Rho held one of his hands in hers, and Cobb held the other. While Teresa couldn't make out their words, the voices of the couple carried a soothing tone. The scene reminded her of parents consoling a child, albeit an adult one.

In the observation room on the other side of the one-way mirror to the interrogation room.

Teresa and Archie watched as Officers Hinks and Albury brought Sandfoss into the interrogation room. After seating him on the side opposite the mirrored glass, the officers exited, shutting the door loudly.

"Henry will let Sandfoss stew alone for a few moments before he comes in. Albury is right; this guy's not used to the inside of a police station," Archie said.

Teresa had a question burning inside her.

"What was that business about 'bluffing-brashness-brotherhood' you were saying to Henry in the hallway?"

Archie beamed.

"A way to sum up the interrogation techniques I taught your officers. 'Bluffing' is pretty self-explanatory."

"Yeah, I got that part."

"'Brashness' means that the officer exudes confidence. He or she projects total command of the situation."

"Sounds about right…"

"And 'brotherhood' means that the officer establishes a rapport with the suspect, some sort of kinship."

"You came up with this on your own?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"It seemed like a good way to condense what your officers and I discussed into something easy to remember."

"And to think I didn't have to pay you extra for all that!"

"Yeah, if you'd paid me more money, I'd just have spent it on more outdoor gear for my girlfriend." Archie winked at Teresa.

A high-pitched squeak got their attention; the interrogation room door swung open. The noise sounded like a form of torture, and Teresa knew it would play on the mind of any suspect sitting in there. Sandfoss winced. She needed to have the maintenance staff fix the door. Sometime, but not tonight.

File folder still under his arm, Henry strode to the other side of the table from Sandfoss. With a sneer - a sneer! - on his face, Henry looked like a man possessed. Facing the suspect, he hurled the folder down on the table, and its contact with the polished surface produced a loud smack that echoed off the walls.

"What did you do to Henry?" Teresa asked.

"Positive reinforcement, my dear. Did you know he was an actor in high school? I suggested he play the role of a tough interrogator. Watch and observe."

In the interrogation room…

Henry noted that Sandfoss had crossed his arms, yet the sound of the folder on the table had startled him. That was good information to know, just like the professor said.

He prayed for strength to get through this. The hitman sitting in front of him made him uneasy, but having the chief and the professor watching on the other side of the mirrored glass terrified him. He took a deep breath and remembered the encouragement they had given him.

I…will…not…fail…them. I…will…succeed.

Henry sucked in a deep breath and began.

"Brent Sandfoss, we finally meet. So, you're the man that tried to kill my boss. Let me introduce myself. My name's Henry, and I'm either your worst nightmare - or your only hope. You get to decide."

"I got nothing to say."

"Good. 'Cause I'm gonna do the talking right now. We've got all we need to put you away for a long time, and I'm sure once the state police and the FBI get to nosing around your life other stuff will come out. If you hadn't come after the Chief, I might even feel a little sorry for you. But I don't."

"Pissy little kid." Sandfoss sneered when he spoke.

His derision unnerved Henry, but the professor had anticipated that. Marbray told him to respond with an intimidating gesture.

Henry swung his arm around until his fist crashed on the table. As his fist arced through the air, it missed Sandfoss's nose by a millimeter. Henry noted the surprise on the hitman's face. He walked around to the other side of the table and bent over next to Sandfoss's ear.

"Save that shit for the state and federal guys when they show up. They get paid more than I do to put up with language like that."

"But you just said…"

"I'm not the subject of this conversation. You are. Shut up."

"Why?"

"Why you ask? Because I'm the closest thing you've got to a friend in this building. You've got three problems right now, and I'm the only one who can help you out of the mess you've gotten yourself into."

"Enlighten me. What are my problems?"

"I already told you your first problem. You tried to kill my boss."

"Allegedly tried to kill your boss. I was just visiting your fair city for its scenic wonders."

I've got to stay in control, be confident. Don't let my fear show through.

Henry patted Sandfoss on the shoulder as he chortled.

"Oh, Brent. May I call you Brent? Sure I can. I always appreciate someone with a sense of humor. I understand you've gotta say that, just like I've gotta say I like my brother-in-law. Come to think of it, we have something in common. Your record says that your brother-in-law and your sister filed a lawsuit against you a year ago. Something about a real estate investment gone sour. Cleaned out all your money." Henry smiled and shook his head in sorrow. "Relatives! They can really be a pain in the ass sometimes, can't they?"

Sandfoss grunted.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' from you. I'm gonna make a guess here, Brent. After your family got through with you, you had money problems. Volker offered you a way out."

"I got nothing to say. I told you."

Henry circled around the table with his arms folded.

"Good, cause I wanna move on to your second problem. Volker is not gonna get you out of this jam. He's putting as much distance between you and him as possible. No one's gonna ride to your rescue. You're on your own."

"I've been on my own since I was a teenager. Nothing new."

"Brave talk, Brent. Brave, brave talk. You can look forward to the Public Defender in this town taking care of you, not some high-priced defense attorney. Good luck with that." Henry stopped, stooped over, and looked Sandfoss in the eye. "By the way, my brother-in-law is the Public Defender. My sister believes in him, but she also believed in Santa Claus until she was 16."

"I'm not scared."

"Are you familiar with Game Theory, Brent?"

"No."

"Too bad, because the situation you're in right now is a real Prisoner's Dilemma."

Henry couldn't remember the details about the term, but he figured it was worth using on Sandfoss.

"That sounds like B.S."

"Oh, it's all too real. Here's what's happening. We're waiting for either you or Volker to crack. Whoever goes first gets off easier; whoever doesn't gets slammed hard."

"I'll take my chances."

"Oh, you are the brave one. Let me tell you about your third problem. It's even bigger than the other two." Henry pointed to the folder. "I brought some show-and-tell pictures with me. Let's take a look."

He spread out driver's license photographs of four men and one woman on the table in front of Sandfoss.

"Umph."

"I've got a quiz for you. Brent. What do these five people all have in common? Besides the fact that they're all dead now."

Sandfoss glanced at Henry.

"Huh?"

"These pictures from the driver's licenses are the 'before' photos. Now let me show you the 'after' photos."

Henry produced five more photographs from crime scenes and lined them up underneath the first five. Sandfoss recoiled away from the table when he saw them. He didn't blame Sandfoss; when the professor first showed them to Henry a wave of nausea overcame him. Later he went to the bathroom and threw up. He still had to steady himself while looking at them over Sandfoss's shoulder.

"So?" Henry heard a choking sound in his voice.

"Ha! You can say these photos didn't affect you, but I can see the truth. Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand. What do these five people have in common?"

"I give up. What?"

"All of these people worked for Tommy Volker. They all reached the point where they became a problem for him. See how he dealt with them?"

"I don't believe you."

"Suit yourself. Here's something to think about though. Who did Volker hire to silence you once you finished? Do you think it was the same guy who did this one?" Henry pointed to the second picture. "Or this one?" He nodded toward the fourth picture. "Or maybe this one?" He held up the fifth picture in front of Sandfoss's face. "Ugh." Henry made a shudder that was only partly exaggerated. "What do you think happened to that guy's head, Brent? It's all torn apart. Do you think the poor guy was still alive when that happened? It looks like some animal got hold of him. Is this how you see yourself ending up?"

"Enough!" Sandfoss batted the photo of the fifth victim away from his face. Henry made exaggerated hand movements as he placed it on the table right in front of him.

"I agree. I've had enough of this talking. We're back to that Prisoner's Dilemma that you're in. Who's going to talk first? You or Volker? By the way, even if Volker talks first, you can still end up like one of these people in the photos. If something happened to you later when you were in prison, Volker knows that no one would care."

"Get these things out of my sight." With a sweep of his arm, Sandfoss sent the photos flying to the floor. Henry picked them up, put all except the fifth photo back on the table, and held the fifth one in front of Sandfoss's eyes.

"Why? Does it sicken you? It sickens me. Of course, I haven't been a business associate of Volker like you have. What I need from you is a written confession, a statement of your relationship with Volker, and tangible evidence that we can access to prove that Volker hired you."

"Volker did all this?"

Henry heard Sandfoss's voice crack when he asked that.

"I…already…told…you. Now you're wasting my time." Henry dropped the fifth photo to the table, then he turned his back on Sandfoss and crossed his arms.

Please give in. Oh, please give in, I can't keep this up much longer.

"But…"

"No more 'buts.' You've got ten seconds to decide. If you do the three things I tell you, things will go easier on you. And you'll escape Volker's follow-up that he's planned for you. In ten seconds, I'm walking out that door."

One…two…three…

The room fell silent.

…four…five…

With his back still turned, Henry bit his lip as his heart pounded.

…six…seven…

It was all he could do to stifle the shaking that wanted to seize his whole body.

…eight…nine…ten.

Time was up. Sandfoss hadn't responded. He knew he had to exit to save face, so he turned back around.

"Too bad. So long…"

"Don't leave. Give me a pen and paper. I'll write it all down. Just don't let me end up like that." Sandfoss pointed at the mangled head in the fifth photo.

"We need everything, Brent. Every last thing. And it's gotta check out. Here's paper and pen. Start writing." Henry shoved a notepad and pen in front of him. "I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes."

Somehow Henry made it into the hallway before trembling seized his whole body. Only at that point did he notice that sweat drenched his clothes. The door to the observation room opened and the chief and the professor barreled through it.

"You did it!" Professor Marbray slapped him on the back.

"That was masterful, Henry. I'm so proud of you!" Chief Lisbon said.

Drained of all energy, Henry stumbled. Before he fell to the floor, two pair of hands grabbed his arms to hold him up. He was half-crying, half-smiling when he could at last get any words out of his mouth.

"I did it! I did it for the two of you."

Deep into the night, the state police and the FBI arrived at the station. Under Zeke's direction, the Cannon River police department had put together all the materials they would need to charge Volker. Teresa made sure that anything tied to Archie got left out.

As Teresa and Archie at last began to relax in her office, she got a phone call from an old friend. By coincidence, Kimball Cho was driving to the Seattle FBI office for an early morning meeting. He'd found out about the Sandfoss arrest from one of the agents he was to meet, and he told Teresa that he would stop by the Cannon River Police Station for a few minutes while on his way.

Hearing Cho and Officer Albury talking as they walked down the hallway to her office, Teresa glanced nervously at Archie. He winked back at her as they stood side-by-side as Cho and Albury came through the doorway.

"Kimball! Good to see you again."

"Teresa! Glad to see you're safe."

They hugged, although she could tell that was awkward for her old second-in-command. She smiled at how some things never changed. At least he called her 'Teresa' now.

"Kimball, I'd like for you to meet Professor Archibald Marbray from Deverell College here in town. He works part-time with our department."

"Pleased to meet you, Professor Marbray."

"And good to meet you, Agent Cho. Chief Lisbon has told me about working with you."

"Working for her was the best learning experience I ever had. It's served me well in my whole career including the FBI."

"So you were on the road in the middle of the night?" she asked.

"Yeah, I had taken some personal time in California and decided to drive up. I was due at the Seattle FBI office…" He glanced at his watch then snorted. "…later this morning. It turned out that two of the local agents scheduled for the meeting got sent here instead. One of them, who knew my connection to you, called to let me know what happened here."

"Well, everything here has settled down now."

"I had your Officer Albury show me the arrest reports. Looks like my Seattle colleagues have an open-and-shut case thanks to your police force."

"Our officers did good work, all of them."

Cho glanced over to Archie.

"Teresa's always had a good eye for talent. She hired the best at CBI, and it's obvious she does the same here."

"They've impressed me too." Archie nodded as he spoke.

"I saw that confession your guy Henry Karson got out of Sandfoss. He did a fine job."

Teresa motioned at Archie.

"Henry is Professor Marbray's shining student. The professor has been working with him on interrogation techniques."

"My compliments, Professor. If your other students are anything like him, your talents are worthy of an FBI trainer."

Archie laughed.

"Thank you for the kind words, Agent Cho, although I'm quite happy here in Cannon River."

They talked some more about the case, and that led Cho to reminisce about the old days.

"Tommy Volker is a nasty piece of work. His case was one of those at CBI that still sticks in my mind."

"Hopefully after tonight he won't be causing any more trouble," Teresa said.

Cho got a pensive look on his face, surprising her.

"Jane had a big hand in getting Volker the first time. I'm sorry he didn't live to see that guy taken down again."

"He would have enjoyed it."

Cho shook his head.

"I hope Jane finally got some peace in his last days. He deserved it. They should never have gone after him like they did."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I agree."

Cho looked at his watch.

"I better get back on the road to make Seattle by daybreak. Teresa, it's always good seeing you. Professor Marbray, it was good to meet you."

They shook hands with Cho then he walked to the door. As Teresa and Archie glanced at each other, they heard Cho's voice one more time as he went through the doorway.

"Nice dye job."

Despite the fatigue that lined the officers' faces, the voices around the station all carried a lilt of good cheer. At the table in the break room next to where Teresa and Archie sat, a crowd thronged around Henry, Michaela, and Warrick. The other officers were buying them rounds of coffee and slapping them on the back non-stop. And why not? All three had distinguished themselves tonight. Teresa smiled at their success and at the camaraderie their fellow officers displayed. From Zeke on down to the rookies, she saw expressions brimming with confidence and pride. Finishing off some coffee, Teresa and Archie made their way back to her office. Once inside with the door closed, he embraced her.

"So, what about me?"

Teresa made a show of glancing at her watch.

"Well, in four hours you've got that 8:00am class of yours. I'm sure Rho expects you there, ready to go. And I'm not letting you off the hook about working here this afternoon."

"What are you planning to do with me?"

Teresa pulled Archie's lips to hers for a kiss before she replied.

"I plan to keep you under surveillance. Close surveillance."

"Oh, I like the sound of that."

She saw his eyes twinkle.

"Yep. And if you're a bad boy, I'll have to put you under house arrest."

He circled his arms around her back, and she draped hers around his shoulders.

"But I don't live in a house, Teresa."

"But I do, Archie."

He pulled her lips to his for another kiss.

"I'm a baaaad boy, a bad, bad boy."

To be continued.

Greg Bieck, Taylor Hayes Bieck, and Wayne Kirkpatrick wrote "Bring It On Home." The vocal group Little Big Town recorded the song for their album The Road to Here.

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"

One more chapter remains. Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing the story!