This chapter is massive and is dedicated to all those who have so kindly reviewed. Also, thank you MyOwnWorstCritic for commenting on every single chapter. I was ecstatic when I saw I had 19 new reviews! Actually, I'm ecstatic every time I get a review! I never considered myself a writer before and to hear that people enjoy my stories does wonders for my self-esteem. After all, I'm only 16 and I never really expected any of my stories to get this much attention.
Thank you everyone who has stuck with me through this long fic. It has become epic and, to be honest, it was thanks to all your suggestions that this story developed like it did. A lot of chapters were a result of what people wanted to see in the story and this has been altered a lot and improved from the original storyline.
Finally, sorry for the long author's note, but I'm extremely happy because I have written out all the dialogue for the rest of this story so updates should be posted quicker and the end is in sight! This will probably be another three or four chapters (don't quote me on that) and there will definitely be Jisbon and Grayne! By the way, I agree, Jisbon-Fan, I find the word 'Grayne' weird, but I got tired of writing Rigsby/Van Pelt and the name has seemed to catch on. RigsPelt sounds hilarious too and now I may just interchange between all three. :)
Chapter 20: Diversions
Tuesday, 4:35 PM
Rigsby, Van Pelt, and Cho all walked aimlessly around the parking lot before Cho pointed out Jane's blue Citroen at the far side of the CBI complex, most likely parked there so as not to raise suspicion. The consultant was patiently leaning against his car, watching the three agents from afar. All three were glad to see him, but equally annoyed by the secrecy surrounding him. They all headed towards the vehicle and when they reached the sky blue car, Jane opened the doors, coaxing them inside. Van Pelt hesitated before settling herself into the back seat. Rigsby made sure he got to squeeze in the back so he could be close to Van Pelt and Cho sat down in the passenger's seat next to Jane. They closed the doors, but Jane made no move to turn on the vehicle.
Van Pelt pulled out her phone, pulled up the text message, and held it up before Jane's bright blue eyes.
We're going to commit a felony. You in? Meet at my car.
Jane glanced up at Van Pelt's curious eyes and smiled.
"A felony?" Van Pelt inquired bemusedly.
"It's for a good cause." Jane defended.
"I'm in." Cho announced, not even questioning Jane's reasoning.
"I knew I could count on you." Jane told him cheerily.
"What kind of felony?" Rigsby asked, sharing Van Pelt's skepticism.
"Well, it's more like we're repossessing stolen money." Jane explained with a shrug.
"That makes it all better." Van Pelt commented sarcastically, still confused, but glad to see Jane in a hopeful state of mind.
"Why?" Rigsby asked Jane curiously.
"To get Lisbon back." Jane responded, glancing between the two agents.
"Did you talk to her?" Van Pelt asked eagerly, unable to hide the worry in her voice. Jane simply nodded, sharing a brief look with Cho. "So she's okay?" Van Pelt clarified.
"She will be." Jane replied vaguely and Van Pelt's face fell.
"I couldn't trace the call, Jane. I'm sor-" She began.
"I know. It's okay." He interrupted. "All we have to do is get the money and I'll exchange it for Lisbon." He explained nonchalantly, confident in his plan. Cho immediately caught his eye, apparently not liking how he said 'I'll exchange the money' rather than we'll.
"You don't actually think he's just going to hand her over." Cho remarked uncertainly, wondering if Jane might be in over his head on this one.
"He will." Jane stated. "I'll handle it."
"Why don't we just talk to the agents in charge? They already know you talked to the kidnappers." Rigsby suggested, but Cho answered for Jane.
"She's our boss." Cho stated simply. "Those agents will play right into his hands and we'll lose Lisbon in the process." He added, willing to do anything to save her.
"What keeps us from playing into his hands?" Van Pelt asked uncertainly.
"I have a plan." Jane explained, a flicker of enthusiasm in his eyes. "She'll be okay." He added. Cho turned towards the consultant.
"What do you need from us?" He asked bluntly. Jane smiled with a mischievous grin before pulling out Lisbon's leather suitcase from under the passenger's seat.
Tuesday, 5:05 PM
Van Pelt stepped into the CBI office to find one of the FBI agents leaning against her desk with the duffle bag full of money sitting behind him. The agent had pale skin with freckles, dark brown hair, and bluish green eyes that seemed more bored than attentive. Now that she had located her target, she ran over Jane's plan again in her head. Van Pelt hoped this would work.
Speaking of Jane, he casually strolled down the hall straight towards Minnelli's office. He flashed Van Pelt a bright smile before disappearing into the boss' office unannounced. His job seemed a lot harder than hers and she was amazed by his boldness. She turned back to the FBI agent and put on her most charming smile.
Van Pelt gracefully swept towards the agent with all the girly flare she could muster. The man immediately caught her eye and looked her over curiously. She stopped only a foot away from him and eagerly offered her hand.
"Hi. I'm Grace Van Pelt." She told him politely in a cheery tone brimming with pure enthusiasm. "You can call me Grace." She added shyly. The man smiled immediately and there was an obvious transformation as he eagerly warmed up to the friendly CBI agent.
"Jacob McCrum." He greeted, shaking her hand. Van Pelt could tell that this guy was genuinely friendly; however, she knew Jane would describe him as easily manipulated and a sucker for her girlish charm. "Jacob." He furthered, a hint of nervousness as he eyed the pretty redhead standing in front of him. Van Pelt hated how he looked at her, but knew it was intentional. She maintained her schoolgirl attitude and actually let a flirty smile grace her lips.
"Is he your boss?" She asked, pointing towards Minnelli's office and the other agent within. Jane was standing at the window of the office. He met Van Pelt's eyes before inconspicuously closing the blinds, blocking all vision into the room.
"No. Why?" The man replied defensively, his eyebrows furrowing. Van Pelt turned back to the man.
"No reason." Van Pelt shrugged. "Agent Lisbon's my boss." She added solemnly. Jacob's blue eyes revealed sympathy.
"I'm very sorry."
"You'll get her back safely, correct?" Van Pelt asked quickly, taking the chance to ease a little closer to the agent. Jane's plan better work.
"Yes, ma'am." He replied with a grin. "We'll do everything we can." He furthered, his eyes drifting from her eyes to her lips.
"I believe you." Van Pelt told him feverishly, keeping eye contact. "You seem like an honest man." She flashed him a coy grin. "Honest men are hard to find." She added seductively and she wanted to kick Jane for making her say it. She was degrading herself so they could find Lisbon, she told herself.
That was his cue, Rigsby thought to himself as he hid in the hall, listening carefully to Van Pelt's words. She was doing a great job and was setting up a very convincing act. She'd have that man wrapped around her finger easy.
Rigsby suddenly turned the corner and entered the office to find Van Pelt and Jacob McCrum at a very close proximity.
"Grace, what the hell are you doing?" He demanded, purposefully mixing anger into his firm tone. His voice sounded strange to his own ears and apparently to Van Pelt's too because she jumped when he said it, her back facing him.
"Nothing, Wayne." She replied guiltily, stepping away from Jacob. Rigsby tried to ignore the effect her using his first name had on him. "Just talking." She explained with a smile. She was a tough act to follow, especially for Rigsby who had very little experience with deception.
"Why do you look so guilty?" He asked suspiciously, eyeing the two agents through narrowed eyes. He hoped he displayed the intended amount of meanness attributed to a jealous lover.
"Guilty? I swear I was just talking, honey." Van Pelt replied innocently, still hovering next to Jacob's shoulder. Jacob just stared, dumbfounded by the scene unfolding around him. So much so that he didn't notice Cho silently entering the office from the opposite end of the room.
"She's telling the truth." Jacob defended, backing up the redheaded woman. Rigsby eyed him dangerously with an air of disbelief.
"You were flirting with him, weren't you?" He addressed Van Pelt who defied his glare. "You cheating whore." He sneered; hating how he had to be mean to the woman he loved. Rigbsy caught a faint hint of a smile on her lips as her composure slipped briefly before it was replaced with an angry scowl.
"Wow, man." Jacob intervened stepping in between the quarrelling lovers. "No need for violence here. We were just talking. Honest to God." He explained carefully, holding up his hands to express his innocence. Rigsby deepened his frown and had to use all his will to keep from bursting out into a fit of laughter.
"Wayne, why do you have to be so paranoid?" Van Pelt snapped. "Can't I just talk to an attractive man without you causing a riot?" She argued and Rigsby immediately noticed where Van Pelt wanted him to go with that statement.
"Attractive?" Rigsby remarked in disbelief. "This piece of trash?" He commented, looking over the FBI agent.
"Well, he's a hell of a lot better looking than you." Van Pelt snarled, forcing herself not to smile as she said it.
"You little bitch!" Rigsby countered, taking a threatening step forward.
"Break it up!" Jacob yelled, holding his stance in between the two. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He directed the question at Rigsby. "I'm going to get your badge taken away." He growled and Van Pelt started to laugh giddily.
"Aw, thank you Jacob." She commented, brushing her hand along his arm. She winked at Rigsby.
"Stay away from my girl!" Rigsby argued, keeping his voice quiet enough so as not to get everyone's attention, but loud enough to express his unfathomable anger. It had the desired effect because Jacob shied away slightly and in turn Van Pelt prodded him.
"You're just going to let him take me?" She remarked, feigning surprise. Rigsby made another threatening step forward and Van Pelt turned her angry eyes towards him, slipped her foot out of her high-heeled shoe, and threw the shoe in Rigsby's direction, thus initiating an outright fight.
Meanwhile, Cho couldn't hold back a snicker as he easily placed the wads of cash into Lisbon's suitcase and replaced the empty space with random items on the desk such as a stapler, some files, a computer speaker, etc.-anything he could find so they wouldn't notice the change in weight and he could buy Jane and him some time. As he noticed the fight getting more heated, Cho took the money and slipped out of the room, completely unnoticed by the guard who was too busy mediating a fight between Rigsby and Van Pelt.
Tuesday, 5:05 PM
Jane entered Minnelli's office, abruptly interrupting the conversation between the boss and the FBI agent from Washington. Minnelli immediately rose to his feet, obviously surprised by Jane's sudden appearance.
"Jane! Where have you been?" He asked in alarm, eyeing him suspiciously. The agent also turned towards him. This man was older than the young agent in the hall and his eyes were a dark shade of brown that matched his hair color perfectly. His skin was a light tone, not too pale or too tan, and there was something uninviting about his penetrating gaze. Nonetheless, Jane flashed him a cheery, lingering grin.
"Following some leads." He replied to Minnelli's question, his eyes focused intently on the FBI agent.
"You got a call from the kidnappers, correct?" Minnelli questioned, concern mixing into his voice. Jane ignored him and continued to inspect the new agent in charge.
"Agent Clint Rogers." He pointed out, already knowing the man's name. "I'm Patrick Jane, psychic detective." Jane greeted, offering his hand. The man glanced down at his hand suspiciously before reluctantly shaking it. He removed his hand quickly as if Jane was contagious.
"Psychic?" The man questioned, trying to understand if Jane was joking. Agent Rogers gave Minnelli a withering look. "Your boss said that you were a consultant." He added, turning back to Jane.
"Same difference." Jane shrugged indifferently. Rogers looked him over strangely before turning back to Minnelli for an explanation. Jane's boss stared at the "psychic detective," immediately questioning his motives… and his sanity.
"He's not a psychic. I promise you." Minnelli tried to defend his reputation, but Jane refused to confess to his lie.
"No need to try and impress the newcomer." Jane easily dismissed his boss and Minnelli stared at him in disbelief with anger in his eyes.
"Jane." He warned, but was interrupted by the FBI agent.
"A psychic, huh…" Rogers smiled, clearly amused at the prospect of a psychic detective.
"Are you going to dwell on that fact all day or ask me about the ransom?" Jane countered impatiently. He wandered towards the windows and looked out into the main office. He caught Van Pelt's gaze as she charmed the agent guarding the money. Jane then closed the blinds so that Minnelli and Rogers would remain oblivious to the drama outside.
"There's a ransom?" Minnelli asked, anger quickly melting into concern for Lisbon. She was his best agent. Not to mention, she was a genuinely good-hearted person and Minnelli hated to imagine anything bad happening to her.
"Yes." Jane replied simply.
"Why did the kidnapper call you?" Rogers scoffed, apparently having no respect for the psychic.
"The abductor's name is Matthew Peters." Jane corrected him brusquely. "You may want to write that down." He added, looking around as if searching for a pen and paper.
"Did your psychic powers tell you that?" Rogers jeered with a visible and unconstrained sneer.
"Are you going to keep mocking me or are you going to keep pretending you know what you're doing?" Jane insulted, staring the man down. Picking a fight was one of Jane's many talents. The man's smile fell and was replaced by an angry frown.
"This insubordination is uncalled for. I'm your superior officer and I demand respect… or else you'll be in the unemployment line." He threatened, already setting his mind to having Jane fired. The consultant shrugged.
"Superior officer?" He questioned, undermining Roger's entitlement. "Whatever you say…" he remarked skeptically, "and my real boss just threatens to shoot me." He added flippantly with another amused grin. The agent's frown deepened.
"This is a waste of my time…" He brushed off the blond-haired man and turned back to Minnelli, who simply stared at Jane bemusedly. His boss knew immediately that Jane was up to something, but he couldn't figure out what. Jane wasn't finished yet. He stepped forward and got close to Rogers, easily drawing his attention towards him.
"You need to learn patience." He explained in a patronizing tone before shifting into a calm, serious voice. "The exchange is at the café on Williams Blvd. and Midway Rd." He informed Rogers, who seemed to believe every word he said. "They give us her location and we leave them the money." Jane furthered, glancing at Minnelli to see if he was going to call Jane on his obvious lie.
"He said this?" Rogers clarified eagerly, happy for a break in the case.
"I have to make the drop though or else they'll kill her." Jane added in a serious, concerned tone. Rogers ignored his conditions.
"I highly doubt that." He dismissed. "You've helped us enough. We'll handle it from here." He patronized Jane, obviously deeming him unimportant now that he had the information he needed. Agent Rogers stepped around the psychic and headed towards the door. Jane frowned angrily.
"They're going to kill her!" He announced, mad that the arrogant man was going to ignore the kidnapper's demands. Rogers turned around briefly.
"Don't worry, Mr. Psychic. Just go home and look into your crystal ball and then you'll see that everything will be just fine." He said in the most condescending tone possible before stepping into the hall. Jane's anger melted into a smug grin as his plan worked perfectly. He turned back to Minnelli, who was still standing, his eyes demanding an explanation.
"I think he mixed up psychics with fortunetellers." Jane commented in response to Rogers' lame remark.
"And you, Jane, are neither." Minnelli reminded him evenly.
"True." Jane shrugged. Minnelli looked over at the closed blinds and then back at Jane.
"It's a diversion, isn't it?" He asked knowingly.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Jane exaggerated his lie as he smiled at his boss. Minnelli sighed, expecting this kind of thing from Jane. Despite him provoking the wrath of an experienced and influential agent of the FBI, Minnelli was rooting for him and shared Jane's dislike for Agent Clint Rogers.
"My hands are tied on this. If you get caught-" Minnelli explained, but Jane interrupted understandingly.
"I know, Virgil." He replied simply, giving him a reassuring grin. Minnelli smiled sadly.
"Bring her back safely." He finished. Jane nodded and before he could reply a loud voice erupted from the main office.
"What's going on out here?" Rogers yelled. Minnelli quickly rose from his desk, sparing a knowing glance in Jane's direction before exiting his office. He heard Jane follow behind him as he passed through the hall and into the main office. Just as he entered, he narrowly missed being hit in the head by a high-heeled shoe, apparently Van Pelt's second as she was now barefoot. Minnelli ducked reflexively before setting his gaze on the perpetrators. Both agents froze with Jacob McCrum squeezed in between them with shock written in his features.
"Agent Rigsby. Van Pelt." Minnelli reprimanded, knowing very well that this had to be a part of Jane's master plan.
"These people are nuts!" Jacob announced, shoving away from the two CBI agents. Agent Rogers looked back at Minnelli with a cold gaze.
"What kind of operation you running here, Minnelli?" He asked with a disapproving glare. He turned back to Rigsby and Van Pelt. "I have a mind to throw you both in jail." He threatened and Minnelli saw fear flash in both his agent's eyes.
"That won't be necessary." Minnelli defended, glancing at the agents. "Both of you in my office. Now." He ordered, trying to sound harsh when he knew he was really letting them get away with disorderly conduct. Rogers challenged Minnelli's authority with another hard glare.
"You better get your people in line." He rebuked, but Minnelli wasn't intimidated and dropped his polite pretense as he chose his side.
"You just get my best agent back." He countered, stepping aside so Rigsby and Van Pelt could slip into his office. When Minnelli turned back, he realized that Jane was nowhere to be seen.
Agent Rogers quickly explained the situation to Agent McCrum before they grabbed the green duffle bag, meant to contain the money, and headed towards the exit, already pulling out their phones so they could call SWAT and organize surveillance for the exchange.
Tuesday, 5:20 PM
Jane walked briskly out of the CBI building, well aware that the agents may soon notice the sudden disappearance of the money. He moved hurriedly to the edge of the sidewalk where Cho pulled up in Jane's blue Citroen. Jane opened the door and sat down in the passenger's seat before Cho quickly pulled forward and towards the main gate. They cleared the gate and headed south, trying to put some distance between themselves and the CBI complex.
Jane looked down at the briefcase at his feet. He opened it, his eyes scanning over the large sum of cash, before closing the case. Cho smiled faintly, feeling rather accomplished.
"That agent looked pissed. I'd be surprised if Rigsby and Van Pelt get to keep their jobs after this one." Cho remarked, his dark eyes trained on the road.
"Minnelli will take care of it." Jane replied absently, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the seat.
"He's on our side?" Cho asked.
"He's on Lisbon's side." Jane explained, keeping his eyes closed, his mind running over his plan over and over again. There was too much to lose if the exchange didn't go well.
"They'll know we took the money." Cho announced.
"Once we get Lisbon back it won't matter." Jane replied. "The end justifies the means." He added. His only concern was finding Lisbon. Jane opened his blue eyes and glanced over at Cho. "Do you want to back out now?" He asked, knowing his reply.
"No." Cho answered. "She'd do the same thing for me." He furthered. Jane smiled and closed his eyes again.
"She would." He commented absently. The car was silent for a moment as the fear of being caught receded.
"How's your head?" Cho asked, genuinely curious and sparing him a fleeting glance.
"To be honest, I forgot." Jane laughed a little at the irony. "It all seems so far away, but it was just last night." He added. Cho nodded and the silence resumed for a few minutes.
"You're good for her." Cho announced suddenly. Jane opened his eyes again and looked at Cho as if gauging his reaction. "She's been a lot nicer ever since you two started dating which means a lot less suffering for me." Cho added. Jane smiled.
"It all comes back to you, doesn't it?" Jane remarked. Cho smiled slightly, before his face grew more serious.
"I'm coming with you." He affirmed forcefully.
"No you're not." Jane replied nonchalantly as if he knew he would win the argument. Cho frowned.
"Lisbon wouldn't want you going in alone and unarmed." He explained knowingly.
"I'm armed." Jane reasoned with a shrug. Cho glanced at him skeptically before turning back to the road.
"With what?" Cho questioned. "Your winning personality?" He joked. Jane smiled and reached his hand into his pocket. He then pulled out a box of matches. "The last time you played with matches you burned down a barn and were nearly killed in the process." Cho commented. Jane rolled his eyes at Cho's exaggeration.
"I didn't set the barn on fire and if you two had been there like you were supposed to be my plan would have worked flawlessly." He defended.
"See. You need back-up." Cho pointed out, using his argument against him while keeping his eyes on the road. "Don't try and be the lone hero saving the damsel in distress." He remarked honestly. "It's far too cliché and you'll start a forest fire." He added bluntly. Jane laughed a little.
"Lisbon's not really a damsel in distress and I'm not much of a hero." He replied, leaning his head against the window, his finger tracing invisible shapes on the glass. "Although, I do have my moments." He added cheerily. Cho gave up on trying to convince the stubborn consultant and simply decided that no matter what he wasn't going to leave Jane to rescue Lisbon all on his own.
"Where are we going?" Cho asked, wanting directions.
"East." Jane answered. Cho looked at him with an expression that seemed to say 'could you be any more specific?' Jane's grin widened. "Matthew wouldn't risk going far from his hideout, considering the warrant out on his car and the widespread news attention. He'll definitely avoid the inner city after what happened with Jaden." Jane explained matter-of-factly.
"Why east?" Cho furthered.
"Lisbon said they were in a cabin in the woods east of Sacramento." Jane replied, a hint of sadness in his tone as his mind jumped back to the image of Lisbon as a hostage.
"We'll never find them in that forest." Cho told him, matching his solemn note.
"We don't have to. We just wait for the call." Jane responded.
"What do you want me to do?" He questioned, having full faith in Jane's plan. After all, it was the only plan they had.
"You make sure the bastard doesn't get away with this." Jane answered simply, lifting his head and meeting Cho's eyes. "Back me up." He added. Just then Jane's phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and held it to his ear.
"Hey Matt. I was wondering when you'd call me back." Jane answered casually. There was a pause before Matthew's voice rose above the static.
"Do you have the money yet, Mr. Jane?" He asked impatiently.
"Yes." Jane answered simply.
"Drive on Ellis Way until you reach Davenport Road. There's a dirt path off to the right. Follow it for four miles and then wait for us to find you there." Matthew explained quickly, his voice sounding tense and strained.
"You bring Lisbon or the deal's off." Jane demanded evenly.
"You bring the cash. All of it." Matthew sneered. "No cops. If you double-cross us, she's dead." He stated firmly.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Jane commented lightly, making sure Matthew couldn't hear a single note of doubt in his voice.
"Good." Matthew replied. "Don't screw this up." He ordered before abruptly hanging up. Jane pulled the phone away from his ear and smiled. Matthew seemed to be getting a little nervous.
"At least he's a polite bastard." Cho remarked, having heard Matthew's voice resonating from the phone. Jane smiled confidently.
"You're secretly an optimist." Jane commented with a grin.
"And you're secretly a pessimist." Cho riposted.
"Ah, ying and yang." Jane shrugged with new sense of confidence. They were going to get Lisbon back. They had to.
I love reviews! Jane and Matthew meet face to face in the next chapter. :)