Author's Note: Sorry this has been so long in coming! Work, writer's block, home improvement projects, illness—you name it, it distracted me. But I hope I'm back on track now. Thanks for continuing to read despite my erratic posting!

Chapter 21

Patrick got up to fix his family breakfast and see them off, then cleaned up and did some Sudoku puzzles while he waited for Teresa to return. Belle dozed at his feet, snuffling a little as she dreamed her doggy dreams. Sometimes he envied her simple life—or perhaps it was her innocence. She never had to worry about devious people; the only threats she saw were straightforward, and she dealt with them by barking furiously and charging head-on at whatever she perceived as dangerous to her family.

He had always tended to run from danger himself, except where his vengeance was concerned, or Teresa's safety. Even with all the good reasons to stay put, part of him wanted to pack their bags and whisk the twins off to Washington. Or maybe Australia.

But there was safety in numbers, and having Cho close by was more protection than distance could ever be. He was less certain about Wylie and Vega, but Teresa was a good judge, and she wouldn't bring them into their children's lives if she had doubts. He'd have to trust her until he could see for himself.

Belle started barking, then got up and trotted to the door. Patrick heard a car engine, but as Belle kept barking, he realized it wasn't Teresa. He grabbed his crutches and hobbled toward the door, frowning as he looked through the peep hole.

A black SUV rounded the curve, and Patrick's heartbeat sped up before he realized it wouldn't be someone with devastating news about Teresa, since she wasn't on duty. But he wasn't expecting anyone until much later in the day. The tinted windows prevented him from seeing how many people might be in the vehicle. Was this an attack?

Teresa's gun safe was upstairs; on crutches, he'd never get to it in time. The days when they'd kept weapons stashed everywhere had ended when the twins started to crawl. He could let Belle out in hopes she might slow whoever it was, but that seemed a betrayal of her loyalty. He wouldn't send her out to fight his battle, knowing she might be hurt.

The SUV came to a halt in front of the house, and Patrick drew a deep breath as the driver's door swung open. Then he let it out in a whoosh as he recognized Cho.

Opening the door, he grinned as Belle ran over, quieting and wagging her tail as she recognized Cho even though she hadn't seen him in years. Patrick made his way to the porch as Cho grabbed his bag from the back seat and bent to pet Belle.

"You're early," Patrick called.

"Took the red eye. Figured I wouldn't sleep anyway," Cho replied as he came toward the house, Belle trotting at his side. "I stopped by the field office and picked up my ride, but I could use some good coffee."

"Then come in," Patrick smiled. "I take it Abbott approved your leave."

"No. He sent us out here to make sure the Red John case doesn't have a sequel." Cho grimaced. "Whatever this is, we need to stop it and clean house here in Sacramento. Lisbon and I know the territory and the old case, and Wylie and Vega will bring a fresh perspective."

"Plus, not knowing anyone here, they won't be swayed by personal considerations," Patrick added, maneuvering through the door, which Cho held open for him. "Are they with you?"

"Later flight. They'll be in after lunch. You sure you wouldn't rather we go to a hotel? It's a case, so the FBI will pay."

"I'd rather have you here," Patrick assured him. "I'll take all the security for the kids I can get."

"Okay."

"I plan to put the others upstairs in the guest room and you in my office," Patrick continued. "Unless you'd rather pull rank."

"The futon's fine," Cho replied, heading for the office to drop his bag. When he returned, he said, "This place hasn't changed much."

Patrick smiled, remembering the times Cho had been here before, when the twins were little and he still worked in Sacramento. "Why mess with perfection?"

"Your new place is totally different."

Patrick shrugged. "Teresa is my home. Buildings and furniture aren't important."

Cho digested that, then said, "Yeah, we got that when you started living in the CBI's attic."

"Have a seat. I'll make some coffee."

"No, I'll do it. Sit down before you fall down." Cho went into the kitchen as Patrick sat down. He heard cabinet doors opening and closing, but Cho must have remembered where most things were, because he returned after only a minute or so.

When he came back, he sat in one of the chairs, and Belle sat at his feet, whining a little. He looked down at her. "I don't have any food, so you might as well stop."

Patrick chuckled. Cho wasn't big on animals, but as a puppy Belle had done her best to win him over. Sure enough, after a short staring contest, Belle rolled over on her back, looking at Cho expectantly. One corner of his mouth lifted as he reached down to rub her belly, reducing her to wriggling doggy ecstasy.

"Thanks for coming," Patrick said after a moment.

"I told you, it's a case."

"But you'd have come either way."

Cho shrugged, still looking at Belle. "So I don't need thanked, either way. Where's Lisbon?"

"She took the kids to school and then was going to run a few errands. She'll be back soon." Patrick looked forward to seeing her surprise.

"So what's your plan for Reede Smith?"

Patrick was pleased to find Cho hadn't forgotten how he worked. "Nothing you haven't seen before."

Cho frowned. "You're not going to bury him alive, are you?"

"Oh, that's a much better idea," Patrick said with fake enthusiasm. Cho didn't fall for it, though, so he relented. "I was thinking more along the lines of unnerving him with anonymous notes saying 'we know what you did.' That kind of thing. He'll freak out, maybe try to dispose of any loose ends."

"So we'll need round the clock surveillance," Cho nodded. "Unless you know of some evidence he'll go after."

"Once it's known we're looking into the old Red John case files, he'll probably feel compelled to take a look at whatever we had on him."

"Which was nothing."

"He won't know that."

Cho gave the impression of a snort. "Just like old times."

"Now you're getting it." Patrick grinned.

"Nice to know you haven't gone soft in retirement," Cho said, his tone providing no clues as to whether he was being sarcastic.

"On the contrary, I have plenty of investigative energy stored up. Think the rookies can deal with it?"

"They're hardly rookies. Wylie started as a tech analyst twenty years ago and went into the field about five years later. Vega started out at West Point and opted for Quantico after her dad died. She got hurt bad her first year in the field and did some time on desk duty afterward, but she's spent the rest of her career in the field. They're both solid agents."

"I meant rookie in the sense that they've never worked with me."

"This'll go faster if you resist the urge to haze them," Cho remarked.

"But where's the fun in that? How long have they been working together?"

"They started dating after Vega got shot. When Vega went back into the field, I guess Wylie wanted to be close by, so he found a spot on her team."

Patrick could identify with the urge to protect a loved one, even if it meant putting himself in danger. "No kids?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Never asked."

Belle interrupted the conversation by getting up and trotting to the door with a welcoming woof. "Ah, Teresa's home," Patrick said.

Cho got up as they heard a car door slam. A few seconds later, Teresa opened the front door, smiling as she saw Cho. "You're early."

"I never waste time on a case," he replied. "Abbott assigned us to find out what's going on. Wylie and Vega will be here later today. Can we meet with Moore?"

"I'm sure he'll make time, especially if it's over a meal," Teresa said. "Patrick, will you call him?"

"Of course. Cho was just bringing me up to speed on the rest of the team." Seeing her nose twitch adorably, he added, "After he made coffee."

Teresa smiled a little. "I'll grab myself a cup. Want some more tea while I'm at it?"

"Yes, please."

"I need a refill," Cho said, picking up his mug and following her into the kitchen.

Patrick listened to them chat for a moment, then pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was time to get to work.

mmm

Moore couldn't make it to lunch but promised to join them for dinner, so Cho and Teresa headed into the Sacramento office to officially start their investigation, primed with ideas from Patrick. He decided to stay home where it was quiet enough to think until Teresa brought the kids and the rest of their guests home.

He had numerous hunches about what might be their best move, but until he had a better idea of how Smith reacted to the news of the investigation, he didn't have a definite plan. He would end up going to see for himself, no doubt, but there was no harm in letting Smith stew for a day or two while Patrick's ankle healed.

Teresa and the twins arrived home on time, which he appreciated since it greatly lessened the time he spent imagining all the things that could have happened to them. He had a pot of tea and a selection of cheese and crackers waiting, which Liam devoured in an alarmingly short time while Victoria opted for carrots and celery. The four of them sat at the table, and Patrick thought how nice it was to have Teresa home for the after-school ritual, which had grown more rare since the twins began taking up extracurricular activities.

Victoria said, "So Uncle Cho is here? When will we see him?"

"Dinner," Patrick said. "And I'm sure your mother told you that two more agents are coming with him. Plus Stan Moore."

"War room, huh?" Liam remarked.

"No," Teresa said, "that is what's happening at the office. What's happening here is dinner. Then we will all separate to do our homework."

The twins scowled, but she ignored them, getting up. "In fact, I should be getting back. What time do you want us for dinner?"

Patrick suppressed a sigh. The family time had been nice while it lasted. "I'd say six, but I know you workaholics, so I'll push it back to seven."

She smiled, bending to give him a quick kiss. "We won't be late," she promised. Then she patted Belle on the head. "Keep him in line for me, huh, girl?"

Belle wagged her tail but didn't get up from her spot at Patrick's feet. She knew an imminent departure when she saw one. They both let out a little sigh as Teresa left.

Victoria said, "I'm going out to see Blueberry. Can Brett come over tonight? I promised to help him with our chemistry homework."

"We have a full house tonight," Patrick replied. "You can do your homework over Skype."

She scowled but didn't protest, getting up and heading outside. Liam gulped down the rest of his tea. "You guys have a plan?"

"Of course."

Liam rolled his eyes. "But you're not going to tell me what it is?"

"There's no need for you to worry about the details, but we have a suspect who happens to be an FBI agent, so we're setting up a sting of sorts. It'll all happen at the office."

"But Mom won't be in any danger, will she?"

Patrick made sure his smile was convincing. "With Cho around? Not a chance."

"And you're staying here?"

"Unless I'm needed. But your mom and Cho tend to think they do better without worrying about me, at least when I'm not a hundred percent."

Liam was still frowning, and Patrick realized that he was confronting his mother's risks on the job as more than a vague abstract for the first time. He and Teresa had been out of the field since the kids were old enough to understand, so this was new for them.

"Your mom and Cho are the best agents I've ever seen. And Moore is no slouch either. Plus, they'll have trustworthy backup."

"How long will it take?"

"Ah, that's the question." Patrick shrugged. "It depends on a number of variables, including the suspect's nerves. But not long, I suspect."

"Good." Liam looked somewhat reassured as he got up and left the room. Patrick heard him go up the stairs, and a few minutes later music began to drift downstairs. Liam was playing a classical piece on his electric guitar, since his acoustic instrument was in DC. Patrick recognized the piece, so he knew when Liam began improvising.

It was good his children had hobbies to escape into when they were anxious, he reflected. But he'd rather they weren't anxious in the first place. He needed to make sure they got information out of Smith as efficiently as possible.

mmm

Teresa arrived home a few minutes ahead of their guests, coming into the kitchen to kiss Patrick hello and check that he didn't need help. "Smells great," she said, smiling as she lifted the lid of the saucepan. "Homemade marinara?"

"I figured I'd keep it simple until I get a sense of our guests' tastes," he replied.

"The kids upstairs?"

"Yes, getting a jump on their homework so they can eavesdrop on us later," he replied. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Smith dropped by to say hello," she said. "Commiserated with me and Cho over cases that won't stay closed."

"Interesting," Patrick mused. "Which case of his is being reopened?"

"None that we can tell. Wylie is doing some digging. Cho and I helped Moore question a bunch of people, including King, which was fun." She grimaced. "We skipped Smith on purpose, but Wylie sent an untraceable email implying that someone has the goods on him. He apparently hangs out at a sports bar in his neighborhood, according to his car's GPS, so we thought we'd try him there tomorrow."

"I'd like to be there for that."

"I thought you might. There. Now we don't need to talk shop over dinner." Teresa smiled wryly. "That reminds me, Stan can't make it after all. He'll see us tomorrow."

"Too bad," he said. "Can you put the water on to boil? It's hard to carry it with crutches."

"Sure."

Patrick sat at the table and enjoyed watching Teresa move around the kitchen. He was aware that once they dealt with the current case, she'd be back on a plane to Washington, so he wanted to stock up his memory palace with these quiet moments of their family life.

Belle, who was watching Teresa intently in case she dropped something tasty, suddenly hurried into the living room and began barking. Jane got up, but by the time he'd settled himself on his crutches and made it to the front door, Teresa had already let their guests in, and the twins had come downstairs to meet them.

Teresa made introductions as Patrick sized up the new agents. "This is my husband, Patrick Jane, and our children, Victoria and Liam. Please welcome Jason Wylie and Michelle Vega."

Patrick smiled and indicated his crutches, skipping handshakes, as the twins stepped forward to offer theirs. The couple had to be about twenty years younger than himself and Teresa, but they were still old enough to be the twins' parents if they'd started young. Wylie still had a boyish face, and his blond hair nicely hid any grey, while Vega bore more signs of aging, probably due to her trauma early in her career. She was still attractive, with an intensity that reminded him a little of Teresa, and she didn't conceal her streak of grey hair on one temple, proclaiming that she was a rebel under the no-nonsense demeanor that spoke of a military upbringing.

"Thanks for coming," Patrick greeted them.

"Thanks for letting us stay here," Wylie replied with a grin. "Cho says your cooking is better than any restaurant."

"You can judge for yourself in a few minutes," Patrick said. He turned to Vega, who was bent over to pet Belle. "That's Belle. She's the adorable part of our security system."

Vega straightened. "I look forward to seeing the rest of it, sir."

"Just Patrick. Or Jane if you prefer; I answer to either. Do you like dogs?"

"Love them. We work weird hours so we don't have one, but someday I want one," she said. "I hear there's a pony as well."

Victoria said, "I'll introduce you after dinner if you want. Do you ride?"

Patrick decided things were going well without him and hobbled back to the kitchen to finish dinner. Teresa joined him a few minutes later with a wry smile. "How did we get to be less interesting than midlevel agents?"

"Familiarity breeds contempt, especially with teenagers," Patrick chuckled. "Anyway, I'm glad they're getting along. It'll make guard duty less unpleasant for both parties."

"True. What can I do to help?"

"Toss the salad," he replied, and they got to work.

mmm

Teresa forbade shop talk at the dinner table, and afterward Patrick handed out flashlights and led his guests on a perimeter tour of the property nearest the house, allowing them to talk about their day without the kids listening.

Wylie asked, "Should I sweep the house for bugs, just in case?"

"It wouldn't hurt," Teresa said. "Can you wait until the kids leave for school?"

"Sure."

Vega frowned. "Too many avenues of approach, with plenty of cover. There's no way to secure this place properly."

Patrick said, "No need to secure the property. Just the people."

"Wow, look at all the stars," Wylie said, staring up into the sky. "You don't get a view like this in the city."

Cho said, "Try it in the summer. You don't get bugs like that in the city either."

Vega asked, "Do Victoria and Liam come straight home, or will we need to keep an eye on them in the afternoons?"

"Victoria goes to check on her horse, but she can't ride right now," Patrick replied. "She's also on the prom committee, which meets after school. Liam's in a band, but they can practice in the barn most days."

"Patrick and I will be with them most of the time," Teresa said. "We'll only ask you to stay with them if both of us are needed on the case. My hope is that we can get to the bottom of whatever's going on quickly, before it impacts their lives any further."

Wylie said, "So you really think someone's dredging up all the Red John stuff again, after all this time?"

"We can't be sure," Teresa replied.

"Of course we can," Patrick argued. "Killing Gibbons exactly the way Rebecca Anderson was murdered has to be a sign. It's meant to make us afraid. Somebody's familiar with our history and using it for their own purposes."

Vega said, "So you didn't get all the Red John disciples back then. Why now? Why lay low until this exact time?"

"That's the question," Patrick said. He looked around at their faces, eerily illuminated by the flashlights, and realized it was a little chilly out. "But we won't solve it tonight. You must be tired after traveling so far. Let's turn in so we can face tomorrow fresh."

They started back toward the house, and Patrick looked up, catching sight of Victoria in her room, laughing. His heart squeezed a little at the sight. She was so precious to him, and soon she would be out in the world where he couldn't protect her. Had he done enough to prepare her? Would she be safe and wise?

Wylie, walking beside him, must have followed his gaze, because he said, "You have great kids."

"Yeah." Patrick cleared his throat. "We do. What about you? Any children?"

"No. It's, uh, it turned out we couldn't. Michelle had a lot of internal injuries from when she got shot. We tried to adopt, but it fell through. Twice. So we decided it wasn't meant to be. We have a good life though."

"Families come in all forms," Patrick remarked. He'd found one at the CBI, after all.

"That's true. Anyway, we see my sister's kids as much as we can, and that's fun."

"That's good. No child can have too many loving adults in their life." At least his children were fortunate in that respect.

"Yeah. Especially an uncle who knows all the gaming tricks."

Patrick chuckled.

mmm

"What's the matter?" Teresa asked as she joined Patrick under the covers that night. "You've been broody since we came back inside."

"Just thinking." He drew her into his arms and buried his face in her hair.

She slid a hand into his hair and started massaging his scalp, which made him begin to relax. "About what?"

"Life."

"Specifically?"

"The unfairness of it. The fragility of happiness. How some people are resilient and others aren't."

"Wow. You and Wylie must have had quite a chat."

"He was impressed with the kids. It made me remember how...not-inevitable they were. So many things could have happened that would result in us not having them."

Teresa sighed. "Yes. But none of those things happened, and we do have them. What's really bothering you?"

Patrick searched for the right words. "One of my children already paid for my mistakes. I don't want it to happen again."

She hugged him closer. "It won't. We'll figure this out, like we always do. And this isn't your fault."

"Of course it is. I'm the one who set out to kill Red John and ended up dismantling his network. I never thought about the other lives that would be disrupted."

"Hey, you didn't do it all by yourself," she reminded him wryly. "And if rounding up his disciples impacted other lives, that's on them, not us."

"Apparently at least one of them doesn't see it that way."

"That's no reason for you to buy into their worldview. Guilt is a distraction," she reminded him, her voice sharpening. "I expect you to be focused on solving this case and protecting our children, not wallowing."

Patrick couldn't help chuckling. "I love it when you get all authoritarian on me."

"Just don't make me kick you," she warned.

"I'm already on crutches, so I'll refrain from provoking you to violence." He kissed her.

"Good. Now get some sleep. We need you to work your old tricks tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am," he murmured, closing his eyes.

mmm

The morning started out smoothly. Teresa took the kids to school, then went to the office. Patrick stayed behind to clean up after breakfast while Wylie swept the house for listening devices.

"Uh," Wylie frowned at his scanner, coming into the kitchen from the living room.

"What's wrong?" Patrick braced himself against the sink so he could turn to face him.

Wylie held up a finger, but said, "Nothing. Everything's fine." He went over to the hutch in the corner and peered at the pieces of Teresa's mother's china displayed on its shelves. "Great breakfast, by the way. What was in that casserole?"

Patrick watched intently as Wylie carefully inspected each dish, then reached for the gravy boat. He held it up and grimaced.

"Just the unhealthy things," Patrick said in answer to his question. He nodded at the refrigerator, and Wylie went to it and put the gravy boat inside. "Good?"

Wylie consulted his scanner. "Yeah. Huh. Somebody bugged your house."

"And knows our plan." He and Teresa had discussed it in this room just yesterday. How many private conversations hadn't really been private? "What's the range on it?"

"Not far. Ten feet maybe. That's why it was hard to find. Also the fact that it's not transmitting far. It's piggybacking off your WiFi. Give me a few minutes and I can try to find out where the upload's going."

Patrick was glad they'd done the detailed plotting outdoors. But his stomach dropped as he realized that someone they'd trusted enough to invite into their kitchen had planted the bug. "Any way to tell how long?"

"If I can get to the uploads, maybe." Wylie sat down at the table with his laptop and began typing furiously.

At least it hadn't been the bedroom, Patrick thought, breathing deeply to calm himself. It seemed whoever was after them now wasn't interested in their sex life, and they hadn't targeted the twins. They'd chosen this family space, which seemed ominous. "Our phones?"

"Need to check them," Wylie replied, not looking up.

Patrick gritted his teeth with the effort it took to resist his impulse to call Teresa. Before he could think of what to do next, Belle began barking urgently at the front door.

That made Wylie look up. "Expecting anybody?"

"No." Patrick grabbed his crutches and went into the living room. He could see an SUV rounding the corner a little too fast, and his heart rate increased.

Wylie joined him, weapon drawn, and they watched as the SUV skidded to a stop in front of the house. Then a man stumbled out, blood soaking one sleeve, and ran to the front porch.

"It's Smith," Wylie said in surprise.

"Jane! Let me in!" Reede Smith yelled, pounding on the front door with his good arm. "They're going to kill me!"