Disclaimer: We own nothing
A/N: Nerwen Aldarion: Well here it is. The big one. One year and 19 days ago today we posted the first chapter to a mystery. Today you will finally have your answers. We hope it'll have been worth the long journey. I can't wait to read your reactions!
A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: And the mystery will finally come to a close, but the story's not done yet, we promise. I can't believe how close we are to the end. It seems like yesterday we just started this story. I hope you like this chapter. I hope it's everything you all want it to be.
Anonymous Reviews:
Marcia Santos: LOL wow! That's quite a compliment, so sorry it took so long to finish it but I'm glad you enjoyed. Hey! You didn't have to wait so long to find out who the rapist is!
Malin: Yes it is sad to that this fic is almost over. Jenna's case was to prove that Lisbon is strong enough to finally take a real role in her case and that she does want to find this guy and let him see she is the true winner here. You'll have your answers this chapter.
Anna: Thanks! Hope this one is just as good
Tina: Hehehe hopefully this chapter is stunning too
Anonymous: Yes that is right, Lisbon's rape is a part of her but it is not who she is. You'll have to see if you are right in this chapter hehehe
Anonymous: Jane has his own scars from Lisbon's rape, she realizes that this wasn't just about her, she wasn't the only victim. You'll see what happened to her cross next chapter.
Dodge1989: It was a hard chapter to write too but it was necessary to show how much Lisbon has changed from the woman who freaked out when she saw the other rape victim to Jenna. Glad to see you enjoy it so much
Chymom: You'll see how Lisbon reacts, remember there is only so much she can do or the case won't be able to be tried in court...of course that all depends if Lisbon actually wants him to go to trial or if she wants to take care of this on her own LOL You'll see very soon.
Misfit 1-3: LOL well you'll know for sure this time
Chapter 21: Chiron
The team had been scheduled to meet at the bar already when Lisbon made her decision to reignite her investigation. So Jane just sent them a text telling them that both of them were coming. O'Malley's had a sparse crowd at the slightly early hour coupled with the fact that it was a weekday. It was the perfect time for them to discuss the case.
The rest of the team was already there with beers and plate of nachos to share. Jane took Lisbon's hand as they walked inside, giving it a gentle squeeze. There was no point in hiding their relationship after Cho's broad announcement, at least when they were off the clock.
"So this is where you all have been running off to," Lisbon announced when they arrived to the large, circular booth.
"Yeah," Rigsby said, "We didn't want to give up on the case, but you wanted to distance yourself from it so this seemed like the best option."
"Sneaking around behind my back?" The three of them shared guilty looks until she smiled. "Thanks."
She and Jane slid into the booth and were passed around some beers.
"Okay, so tell me what you have learned?" she asked, "Or do I need to learn the secret handshake?"
They filled her in on their list of accomplishments, but their major point of success was managing to narrow the suspect list to sixteen possibilities. Lisbon listened to their story and how they had managed to do all of that. "Wow, you guys really have been working."
"We couldn't let it go," Cho said.
"Even though I told you to?"
"This affected all of us. You would need the closer eventually and we all knew we needed that too."
Lisbon nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry, I never really thought about how all of you felt about it."
"It's okay, boss," Rigsby said, "This is our job, not yours."
"That's where you're wrong. We're a team. We are in this together, including me. Officially, Cho is in charge and I'm fine with that. But I want to catch this bastard too." She gave them her best Lisbon scolding look and then asked, "Now, where do we go from here?"
"That's the problem," Grace said, "We're stuck. We have sixteen suspects, but we can't narrow them down."
"Okay, then let's go back to the beginning. I was attacked between 11:23 and midnight. He wore a suit or tuxedo of some kind and he had a scar on his shoulder. He must have had training of some kind in order to take me out. Now, who was our first suspect? Hathaway, right?"
Rigsby shook his head. "No, it was actually Lee Myers."
Lisbon blinked at him. "Who the hell is that?"
Jane grinned at the memory of Myers's interview. "He was the event organizer. We saw him staring at you in the video, but he was still in the ballroom during the attack."
"Why was he staring at me?"
Jane's smile blossomed and his eyes twinkled. "Apparently you have the hottest ass outside of a filthy magazine."
Lisbon's mouth fell open while the others struggled and failed to contain their laughter. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment," she said.
"Hathaway was our next suspect," Rigsby said, "We found out about his complaint against you and he was pretty cheerful over the whole thing, but he was eliminated because he alibied out."
"And he didn't have any combat training," Jane said.
Lisbon nodded and grabbed another file. "Ryckart. He was your last suspect?"
Cho nodded. "Grace remembered a confrontation you'd had with him earlier in the day and then we found out he wasn't the lead officer at the scene."
Lisbon nodded again. "I remember, it turned out he was across town trying to kill his wife's lover at the time."
"So that's how we wound up here," Jane said.
"Okay, then our next job is to go back to CBI and go over every piece of evidence," Lisbon said, "Rewatch the tape, check out every statement, every profile. This wasn't planned so he must have made some mistake. We just have to find it."
"We have to keep quiet about this," Lisbon told the team as they began their work into her case. She knew Bertram had issued an ultimatum on it but he couldn't really shut the door completely. Besides, if Jane was right and the man worked at the CBI, then it would be best if they kept it limited to just the few people who needed to know.
The hard part was knowing that there was actually very little she could do. She couldn't take the lead on this case because she was the victim…but she could maybe help try and lend a hand. That didn't mean she wasn't still feeling scared, it was so difficult flipping open those files and seeing the pictures. That bruised and broken woman was her.
No…not it wasn't. That used to be her, but she wasn't that way anymore.
Jane was being protective though…it made her smile…and helped her feel like she really could survive this now. "You okay?" He asked again when he poked his head into her office.
"I'm fine," she told him honestly, "this isn't easy, but I'm strong enough to get through it." She believed that…it didn't mean she didn't have some doubts though.
He smiled back at her. "Yes you are."
Lisbon pushed back from her desk with a sigh. "I'm tired, I can't look at these pictures anymore. How about a late lunch?"
"What happened to staying apart at work?"
"Please, after the hundreds of meals we've shared, no one would notice."
He grinned. "All right, but I can't promise to keep my hands to myself."
She raised an eyebrow. "As long as they are underneath the table."
Jane's eyes sparkled mischievously then and Lisbon knew he was thinking about all of the sinful things he could do with his hands underneath the cover of a tabletop. So was she for that matter. Good God what had happened to her? When did she start shamelessly flirting with a man and daring him to do wicked things?
Probably when she fell head over heels in love with her consultant.
Lisbon gave Jane a warning look; she didn't want him to start pawing her before they were in private at least. He was good though as they made their way out of her office towards the elevator.
"It seems my timing is always impeccable."
She stiffened as soon as she heard that voice. No need to turn around, she knew right away that the arrogant Jasper Wainwright was leering at her again. As she circled to greet him she caught Jane's look of disgust and had to hide a smile. Well Jane's jealousy was always a little fun.
"Mr. Wainwright," Lisbon said stiffly.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jasper?"
She wanted to roll her eyes, but she kept her composure. "I assume you are here to see your brother."
"He likes to check up on me."
"I imagine so," Jane remarked and Lisbon fought the urge to smack him.
Lisbon did what she could to remain professional. "Well, I should leave you to it." She wanted to leave but Jasper stepped forward before she could move.
"Actually, Teresa. There is something I would like to ask you."
Oh crap.
"I was hoping you and I could finally have that drink."
Good God would this man ever catch the hint?
Lisbon forced herself to smile apologetically. "I don't think that is a good idea."
He frowned. "I understand that things must be difficult, after what that man did to you." She couldn't help but flinch at that statement. It was one thing to hear it from her friends; it was something else entirely from a near stranger. "But I want you to know that not all men are like that."
"That's a sweet gesture, Jasper. But she's seeing someone."
Lisbon couldn't help but gape up at Jane. Had he really just said that?
Jasper looked startled by that information. "Is that the truth?"
For a second Lisbon didn't know what to do. But just for a second, this jackass didn't have any right to feel bad; she'd never given him any reason to believe she liked him. He just couldn't believe that some woman wouldn't want him.
"Actually it is, and I'm not sure how my boyfriend would feel about me having drinks with another man." She was careful not to look at Jane once.
"Well," Jasper looked forlorn…and a little angry. "Maybe if things don't work out…"
Lisbon had to grab Jane's arm tightly to keep him from speaking, instead he let out a strangled sound of pain. "Uh huh, I'll see you later," she said quickly before steering Jane down the hall.
"That kind of hurt," Jane remarked as soon as they were a safe distance away.
"I had to keep you from being you and giving him one too many hints about us," she told him sharply, "the boyfriend comment was cutting it damn close."
"You think I care what he thinks about us?"
"Well he is our boss's brother, so maybe you should."
Jane didn't look like he accepted that argument. "He's a prick is what he is. He doesn't care about how you feel, just what he wants."
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know, he's persistent and annoying and downright frustrating. More than anything I wish to God I hadn't met him that night…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered that was the night she was attacked.
Jasper Wainwright had been like a hound on a scent, following her, groping her, treating her like nothing but property. Then there was that moment where he refused to let her go until Jane had intervened…
"Jane," Lisbon began carefully, "Jasper was at the fundraiser…remember the dance?"
He nodded. "Of course, he had his hands all over you."
"Exactly."
Jane studied her face for a minute. "I know what you are thinking, but he doesn't have the means to attack you. I've thought of this before."
"There is something you don't know," Lisbon explained, looking deep into his eyes. "He told me he has private kick boxing lessons…with a former Navy SEAL."
The only reaction she saw was slight widening of his eyes. Other than that he remained perfectly still, processing this bit of information like he did everything else. Then he did a complete 180, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to the bullpen.
"What are we doing?"
He didn't answer but continued on his pace until they made it to the room where the rest of the team was settling down from their lunches. "Rigsby," Jane said immediately, "pull up the security footage from the fundraiser."
Rigsby stared at him for a minute. "You have something."
"Maybe, just bring it up."
The other agent quickly began to flick through his computer. Lisbon met Jane's eyes, giving him a wide-eyed stare. "You think he did it."
"I don't know yet," he told her simply.
"Got it," Rigsby declared and then they all crowded around his desk. "Who are we looking for?"
"Jasper Wainwright," Jane explained, "You can skip till about 11:15, he'll be dancing with Lisbon."
Rigsby moved the footage to the timestamp Jane suggested. Sure enough, Lisbon watched as Jasper Wainwright came on to her and then dragged her out to the dance floor. It was worse watching it.
"Uhhh," Rigsby said embarrassed, "Is he grabbing your…"
"Yes," Lisbon interrupted, unable to hide her blush.
Cho and Rigsby looked uncomfortable, Jane didn't even seem to notice though. He was still watching as he played the hero and helped her get away from Jasper. "He's going to the restroom to clean up," Jane murmured, never taking his eyes off the screen. A couple of minutes later Jasper reappeared, his eyes focused on the dance floor. "He's watching us dance."
"He doesn't look happy," Grace commented.
"No," Lisbon said softly.
It was hard to keep watching Jasper when her eyes kept flitting over to the miniature versions of Jane and herself dancing. She saw as she moved away from Jane and headed for the side exit. A part of her wanted to shout, "No, don't do it! You're going to be raped!" But that was like shouting at the stupid girl in the horror film who always let the monster in: pointless.
"There," Jane declared, pulling her from her thoughts, "He disappears into the back."
"Could be going back to the restroom to puke and pass out," Cho pointed out.
"Or something else," Jane replied. They watched the minutes ticked by, watched as people danced and laughed…Lisbon knew in those minutes she was being viciously attacked. How cruel was that? To be brutally raped while everyone else was getting drunk on champagne?
The minutes continued to tick along and Lisbon saw when suddenly there was rush to the front of the building. Everyone wanted to know what was up with the sirens. The ambulance that marked something had gone terribly wrong.
But Jasper hadn't shown up yet.
Jane met Lisbon's eyes and shook his head. "We have a new suspect."
"We need to start from the beginning," Cho said, all business now that the case was hot with a new lead, "How did you meet Jasper Wainwright?"
They weren't in an interrogation room. In fact, Lisbon was just sitting in a chair in the bullpen with the four members of her team staring at her like she was goldfish in a glass bowl. "Well, it was outside his brother's office," she said, "We almost collided and he immediately started flirting with me. I wasn't comfortable about it."
"Why not?"
"Because I just met him and he was so into himself," she explained, "He made it clear he had a lot of money and that was he's made a large donation to the CBI. He was obviously trying to impress me."
"Did you know he would be at the ball?" Cho asked.
"Yes, he asked if I would be there too. I told him it was mandatory. He liked that idea." Lisbon looked up at Jane to give him a scolding look. "And Jane thought the whole thing was funny."
"You were there?" Cho asked him.
"I caught the tail end of it all," Jane said, "It was obvious he was Wainwright's brother, they have the same ears and nose, though Jasper has a stronger build. He's very arrogant and used to getting what he wants. He doesn't take no for an answer."
"Do you think he's violent?" Rigsby asked.
"I don't think he uses violence on a daily basis," Jane said, "but he was very drunk that night and with the business route filled with many perils and challenges, I suspect Jasper Wainwright has a very short temper and alcohol makes that even worse."
"How much interaction have you had with him since the ball?" Cho asked Lisbon.
"Not much," she said with a shrug, "He sent me flowers after it happened, which I thought was weird since we barely knew one another. I ran into him on my first day back and he kept going on about how sorry he was for what happened to me and then he touched my shoulder and I freaked out."
Jane nodded. They could all remember the time when she wouldn't let anyone but Jane touch her in any way. Cho crossed his arms. "Do you know why he was there that day?"
"I assume he was there to see his brother."
"Maybe he was there to see Lisbon," Grace spoke up, "Maybe he was basking in his triumph."
"Possibly," Jane murmured, "but we don't know for certain." He met Lisbon's eye again. "I recall finding him at that lovely restaurant in Napa on the Henderson case. He was anxious to have you in his company again. He even brought up the ball."
Lisbon nodded. Jasper had been very insistent and unable to take a hint. Oh God, could it really be him? The evidence was scanty at best though. There was no reason to work herself into a panic about her boss's brother.
"Hey." All of them looked up to see the District Attorney Sanford walking into the room with a file in his hands. "I had to jump through hoops to get this, you owe me, Kimball."
"Thanks," Cho said as he took the file from him.
"Happy to help," he answered.
Cho opened the file, scanning it with his dark eyes for several moments. "This is accurate?"
"Every word," Sanford said.
"What's going on?" Grace asked.
"Three years ago, Jasper Wainwright was charged with assaulting a woman when he was intoxicated," Cho said, "The woman dropped the charges before they could build any case."
Okay. Now there was a small reason to panic.
Jane and Cho decided to go pay a visit Deirdre Marks, the woman that claimed Jasper Wainwright assaulted her. Rigsby was on another mission, to find a way to learn Jasper Wainwright's blood type, unfortunately it would mean going through less than legal means. They all agreed to keep the truth about that one from Lisbon. Grace was staying at HQ in order to keep digging into Jasper's background and keep an eye on Lisbon while Jane was gone.
Lisbon was keeping herself together, even though it was obvious this was hard on her, still she wasn't showing any signs of falling apart. That didn't mean they weren't worried about her though.
Deirdre was living in a fairly nice home outside of Sacramento, a bit more than two-bit model could afford. She performed boat shoes and local lottery numbers, not catwalks and magazine covers. Apparently she thought more of herself then was reality, if the many portraits in her home were an indication. On first blush, she and Jasper were a match made in heaven.
"Why do you need to talk to me about Jasper?" she cooed, eyeing both of them like a tiger would fresh meat. "I haven't spoken to him in years?"
"Right after you dropped the charges of assault," Cho cut right to the chase.
Deirdre looked troubled by that. She frowned and shook her head. "That was a misunderstanding."
"Two black eyes, a broken wrist and a concussion, sounds like a bit more than a misunderstanding."
She flinched now, looking away from the both. "We were fighting, he shoved me and I fell down the stairs."
Jane let out a low whistle. "That's a terrible lie, you'll have to do better than that."
Deirdre glared at him. "I'm not lying."
"You can't even look me in the eye," Jane pointed out, "and you keep fussing with your hair each time. You're not a very good liar at all." Jane smiled at her knowingly, "the question is, why? You didn't do anything wrong, since you were the victim in this which means…you did something wrong after the fact. Let me guess…Jasper paid you a hefty sum to make sure all of it went away."
She shrugged. "Maybe I just had a change of heart."
"Maybe if we check your transactions three years ago we'll find a sudden windfall in cash," Cho stated, playing off of Jane's reading.
Deirdre looked really uncomfortable now. "It's too late, it's all gone."
"We aren't interested in your low moral standards," Jane replied truthfully, "we want to know more about your ex-boyfriend."
"What do you think Jasper did?"
"That's our business," Cho replied.
"It would be helpful if you told us the truth about what happened between you and Jasper," Jane offered.
She looked away, thinking about her options. Jane knew she wasn't concerned about Jasper in the least; she was more worried that coming clean about lying would ruin her financial gain. But she ultimately decided to save her somewhat pretty face.
"Jasper is a man who wants what he wants and won't be stopped," Deirdre explained, "I admired that about him, "but once he had me he didn't want to let go. Things were…tense between us after a few months. We went to one of his favorite clubs and he proceeded to drink the place out of their most expensive scotch while I met up with an old acquaintance. Jasper didn't like that.
"He dragged me out of the club and we fought. I hit him with my purse and he hit me with his fist…a few times. He left and I called a cab to take me to the hospital and they called the police."
"And you dropped the charges two weeks later when Jasper paid you off," Jane finished.
She smiled gamely. "Let's just say he convinced me to let it go."
Jane decided to ignore the fact that this woman had the morals of an alley cat. "You said Jasper was drunk when he attacked you."
Deirdre nodded. "Yes, he…he's a different man when he drinks."
He smiled. "Thank you, Deirdre. You've been very helpful."
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Lisbon wasn't pleased when she heard about Deirdre's testimony. "He did all of that to her when he was drunk."
"Apparently he gets violent when he drinks," Cho remarked.
Lisbon colored and looked away. "I know about that all too well," she muttered. She wasn't just talking about Jasper Wainwright but her father. Lisbon shook it off, trying to be all business. "How much did she get for keeping her mouth shut?"
Cho shrugged. "Don't know, probably a lot."
"Hmm, I guess if I'd seen him maybe I'd be a lot richer," She forced a smile and then regretted it. "God that wasn't funny at all." She covered her hands with her face and sank down in Rigsby's empty chair. "I'm sorry this…I just hate that I can only watch…and I really hate that this woman's greed might have let all of this happen."
"You don't know that," Grace pointed out softly.
"Actually we might," Rigsby said as he entered the bullpen. "I got Jasper's medical records."
"How did you…?" Lisbon began and thought better of it. "Never mind, I don't want to know." But she did give Jane a glare and smacked his shoulder: hard. She knew who was to blame for this.
Jane winced but kept his eyes on Rigsby. "What did you find?"
"He's type A," Rigsby stated, "just like the rapist. I'm liking him more and more for this."
"Then you'll love this," Grace said from her desk. "Jasper has been pulled over three times in the last two years for DUI."
"What?" Lisbon asked, actually standing up to head over to Grace's desk to see for herself. "How the hell does he even have his license?"
She looked up at her boss. "One of the officers emailed me. They said that Jasper dropped his brother's name and…well…they didn't want to be the guy that arrested the brother of the man in charge of the CBI."
"Shit…" Rigsby breathed. "He really did this didn't he?"
Lisbon didn't say a word but she felt like she was sinking into the ground. It was horrible to have been raped…but now she had been raped by her boss's brother.
Somehow that just made it worse.
The team was going over every detail of Jasper Wainwright's past, no stone, log or pebble was left unturned. Now they knew he went to four different prep schools, graduated from Yale in business, was of the Phi Kappa Gamma fraternity, and had been married and divorced twice, each union lasting less than six months.
Lisbon wasn't actually a part of the search. Instead she sat and watched them through the window of her office and caught up on paperwork. Jane sat on her couch, knowing silence and just his presence was all she needed.
"Uh oh," Jane said. She looked up to see that Luther Wainwright was marching into the bullpen with a stone cold look on his face.
"He knows we're looking into Jasper," Lisbon said.
"Definitely, because I haven't done anything lately."
Lisbon walked out of her office with Jane on her heels. Luther stood in the center of the room, glaring at the three members of her team. "What the hell are you doing looking into my brother? Last I checked, he hadn't done anything illegal."
"You could be wrong about that," Rigsby said.
"Excuse me?" he said, "What are you talking about?"
Cho stood up from his desk. "We're working on Lisbon's case again."
"And what does my brother…" Luther stopped as it all dawned on him, "You think he did it! How could you think that?"
"Because he's an ass," Jane said. Lisbon elbowed him in the stomach for that.
"I'm not afraid to fire you, Jane."
"For telling the truth?"
Jane wasn't in the mood to be helpful with diffusing this bomb, so once again it was on Lisbon to keep the peace. "Look, Wainwright," Lisbon said, stepping between them, "I'm sorry, but there is some evidence that suggests Jasper might have had something to do with this."
"Jasper wouldn't hurt anyone," Luther said.
"Tell that to Deirdre Marks," Rigsby said.
"Who?"
"Her." He held up the picture of Dierdre, her face battered and bruised. "She admitted that Jasper beat her when he was drunk and then paid her off to drop the charges."
Luther took the picture. He frowned down into it with that studious crinkle between his eyes. "He told me she was lying, that she only wanted attention."
Cho shook his head. "She gave us her testimony on that. And considering his DUI's, it seems your brother has a serious drinking problem."
"What DUI's?"
"He's had three DUI's in the past two years," Grace said from her desk, "but because of his relation to you, the officers decided to let them slide."
"He's been giving out my name?" Luther asked.
Grace nodded. "And then burying the records so they don't make it to the public."
It was clear the rose covered lenses were falling from his eyes, at least when it came to his brother. He stared at the picture of Deirdre and then the file Grace had given him. Still, he shook his head. "None of this proves he did anything to Lisbon."
Jane met Cho's eyes and then nodded. "You should see this," Cho said.
He swiveled his computer monitor around so Luther could see the footage of the ball. He narrowed in on Lisbon and Jasper's dance. It started off harmless enough, but Luther's face went as white as fresh milk when Jasper's hands began to wander and then when Lisbon began to struggle. "He—he was drunk," Luther said.
"He gets that way a lot," Jane reminded him, "And apparently he has a violent streak when he does."
Cho stopped the tape. "Lisbon was raped between 11:23 and midnight. Your brother is unaccounted for during that time. We can't find him on any of the videos. We're about to bring him in for questioning."
Luther didn't say anything. He stared at the footage for a long time before he whirled around to face Lisbon. "Did my brother attack you?"
"I—I don't know," she admitted.
"Do you think he did it?"
"I don't know," she said again, "But…it's possible."
"He's my brother," Luther said.
"That doesn't change the evidence," Jane reminded him.
Luther raked one hand through his dark hair as he paced the length of space between Rigsby's desk and where Lisbon stood. After three laps, he stopped. "Okay," he said, "You can bring him in, but only to question him. You don't know if he did anything yet."
They didn't really need his permission for any of this, but still Cho nodded. "Yes sir," he said.
If they were right, Lisbon knew they would be adding Luther to the list of victims her rape had caused. If it was true, would she even be able to look at Luther again? Would he? She wasn't sure what she wanted this all to lead, to Jasper being guilty or innocent. But it wasn't her choice. It never was.
Cooperative was not the word that could be used to describe Jasper Wainwright as he was brought in to interrogation. He threatened to ruin a couple of lives but Cho and Rigsby certainly didn't care. Then he just sat there and refused to answer any questions. Lisbon watched from the interrogation room with Jane and Luther on either side of her. She shook her head. "This isn't going to work."
Jane nodded. "Let me talk to him."
"No," Luther said quickly, shaking his head. "No, he's my brother. I'll do it…alone."
She raised her eyebrows but she wasn't in any sort of place to argue with him now. Instead she watched him head into the room to force Cho and Rigsby out. Lisbon met Jane's eyes and saw he was looking satisfied. "You wanted him to do this."
"The best person to get him to talk is his brother," Jane explained simply, turning to look back into the room.
Jasper looked stunned when his brother walked in, and then relieved. "Luther! Great, look you have to explain to them what is going on."
"Sit down, Jasper," Luther replied firmly.
"What?" He asked, staring at his younger brother. Then he looked at him in horror. "No, you can't honestly believe this."
"Jasper!" Luther said in warning, "Just listen to me for once."
His older brother looked shocked and finally did sit down, closing his mouth. Luther calmed a little now that Jasper was at least cooperating. "What happened at the fundraiser?"
"Come on, Luther."
"Answer the question."
"Nothing! I went, I drank some champagne, danced and went home. That's all."
"Really? That's it?"
"I swear."
Luther didn't look like he believed him in the least. "So you didn't sexually harass one of my agents?"
Jasper blanched and looked more than a little stunned. "What?"
"There is video of you groping Agent Lisbon in the middle of the fundraiser! Just minutes before she was raped!"
"I didn't do it. I didn't hurt her. I was drunk, not crazy."
"Then what happened with Deirdre?"
Jasper looked really uncomfortable now. "Deirdre? That…that's nothing. She was just lying, that's all."
Luther stared at him for a moment, eyes boring into Jasper's. "Lying? Really? Because the pictures of her sure didn't look 'made up'."
His older brother flinched and looked down at the tabletop like a little lost puppy. "It was an accident. I was drunk, I didn't know what I was doing."
"So you paid her off and lied to me?"
"I couldn't go to jail."
Luther did what he could to control his anger, getting back to the true subject at hand. "You were drunk that night, you were drunk and harassing her. Why should they believe you didn't rape her too?"
"Because I didn't."
"Then prove it! Where were you when it happened?"
Jasper looked lost again. "I…I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I don't remember," Jasper explained, "I was drunk, Luther. I remember dancing with her and then it's all hazy. I woke up at home with a bad hangover."
Luther leaned against the glass and ran his hands over his face. "What about your clothes?"
"What?"
"Your clothes. Where are they?"
Jasper shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I took them back or lost them or something."
Luther looked at him seriously. "You don't have your clothes, you don't have an alibi and you harassed her. Jasper, if you weren't my brother I'd be arresting you myself!"
"But I didn't do it!"
They were quiet for a very long time as they simply stared at different parts of the room. Luther had his fingers pressed to his lips, then he sighed and moved them away. "You are going to give them a sample of your DNA."
"What?" Jasper exclaimed, "No!"
"Jasper…"
"No, I'm not going to be a suspect."
"You already are! You are going to give up your DNA because they have more than enough for a warrant so it's going to happen anyways. But you are not going to make them wait for one, you are going to do it now so that we can get this over with and have our answers as soon as possible." Luther explained in a commanding tone, "Because after everything that woman has gone through you are not going to make her wait one second longer than necessary."
"Luther…"
But he didn't say anything. Just gave his brother a firm cold look.
Finally Jasper turned his eyes down and slumped his body in defeat. "Okay…Okay I'll do it."
The DNA test against Jasper Wainwright and the sample from Lisbon's attacker was put on the highest priority. But it still would take several hours, even with Luther Wainwright's command to put it first.
The hours passed slowly as everyone tried to find something to pass the time but eventually they all found their ways back to the bullpen to sit, stand or pace as they waited for the phone call. Even Wainwright stood by the entrance to the room, waiting as calmly as he could to find out if his brother was a rapist or not.
Grace remained at her desk, idly tapping a pencil on a stack of papers, sometimes looking from Wainwright to Lisbon, wondering what the answers would be. Rigsby alternated between sitting down and pacing the room, the long wait was killing him. Cho was the most calm, simply sitting down and staring, occasionally clanking at the phone.
Lisbon sat with Jane on his couch. He was holding her hand even though their boss was only a few feet away. Perhaps Wainwright was too distracted to notice, or maybe he assumed it was only a gesture of friendship. Lisbon didn't care though, she needed every bit of comfort Jane could give her.
Silence. Silence stretched for so long.
And then the phone rang.
Six pairs of eyes turned to look at Cho's phone before the man finally answered it. "This is Cho. Yes…all right…are you sure? Okay…thank you." He hung up his phone and set it down with a heavy sigh. Then he looked up to meet Lisbon's questioning eyes.
And shook his head.
"It's not him."
Grace gasped while Rigsby's mouth actually opened in shock. But Lisbon just stared straight ahead, trying to absorb the disappointing news. "No…not it can't be," Rigsby said, "It has to be him."
"It's not," Cho stated firmly, "the DNA wasn't a match, not even close."
"Shit…"
The only person in the room that was actually glad to hear the news still didn't look happy either. But Wainwright did let out a sigh of relief. "I can't say I'm not relieved but…" He looked into Lisbon's eyes, "For your sake, I am sorry, I wish this was over for you."
Lisbon nodded. "Thank you and I'm glad…for you…and me," she admitted, "I'm glad it wasn't your brother." But tears spilled down her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "But he does need help so I…I know you will be there for him."
Wainwright nodded. "Of course." He looked at the rest of the team awkwardly, knowing that their disappointment contrasted with some of his own feelings. "I'll leave your team alone." He told her quietly before quickly quitting the room.
Now they were alone. And they all could revel in their sadness.
"I can't believe it," Grace murmured.
"I thought for sure it was him," Rigsby declared again.
Jane had been silent throughout all of it, still looked away from them all. "In hindsight…it's obvious." Now the all turned their attention to Jane. "He was drunk, it was unmistakable. I smelled it on him when I saw him. But Lisbon recalled cologne…not alcohol. And I have no doubt Lisbon could take a drunken man's advances. No…the man who did this was stone cold sober."
Lisbon cleared her throat and nodded. "You're right." She sighed heavily and stood up from the couch. "Well…that's it." She met their eyes, "I'm not saying we give up. We don't, we still have a list of suspects and more evidence to look into. We'll find him." Her words were strong, but her voice wasn't.
She gave them a watery smile but couldn't speak anymore; instead she headed to her office where she could find a few private moments. Her office was dark and quiet…until she started crying.
Then she felt Jane's arms circling around her and she turned to cry into his chest. "I actually thought it was finally over," she told him in between her sobs, "I really did."
"I know," Jane replied softly, "So did I."
"But I am glad," she said, choking a little. "I…I am. I didn't want to be the woman raped by her boss's brother…that would be so humiliating." She began to cry hard again, "but I did just want it to be over."
"Shhhhh," Jane told her soothingly, gently running a hand over her hair and back. "It's okay, you know that."
Lisbon sniffled and drew in a ragged breath before nodding numbly. "I know…and I'll be fine." She stepped back a little so she could look up into this face. "I know, it'll really be over soon."
Jane nodded and brushed away the wet trails on her cheeks before leaning down to gently kiss her lips before hugging her again "You are still stronger then him, you always have been," he whispered into her hair.
"Thank you," she told him in a low whisper. "Thank you for loving me."
Jane smiled against her hair. "Always…and forever."
He just held her for a long time, letting her feel safe again.
Jane liked to judge men by their secretaries: if they were pretty and young that meant the man in the office was either a player or young and caught up in the dream of having a hot receptionist. If they were older, dowdy and lacking a personality, that meant she was an afterthought who's main job was fielding calls. Somewhere in the middle was the ideal solution, so Sanford surprised Jane by having just that.
She spoke warmly to Jane and was prompt in telling her boss who was calling. Jane was quickly led into Sanford's office. The man he wanted to see was dressed in a professional suit, but his hairline and nape of his neck were beaded with sweat. "Sorry," Sanford said as he offered Jane a sweaty palm to shake, "The courthouse is under maintenance so the air conditioner was out. I now know what it's like to be in a sweatbox."
Jane chuckled. "That's quite all right. I won't keep you long."
Sanford nodded. "Okay." He went to a little closet to remove a fresh shirt and tie. "Do you mind?"
Jane shook his head. "I just realized today how helpful you've been with Lisbon's case and I've never actually thanked you for that."
"Really, it's no trouble." Sanford unbuttoned his jacket and tossed it onto his chair and then took to removing his cufflinks.
"Yes, but we all greatly appreciate it."
"We're all on the same team, it's the least I can do. What happened to Agent Lisbon was a terrible crime. I'm just doing my part."
He smiled as he went to unbuttoning his shirt. "Did you arrest Jasper Wainwright?"
Jane shook his head. "Unfortunately no."
"Are you lacking in evidence?"
"No, the DNA ruled him out."
"That's a shame." Sanford finished the last button. "I was hoping this was all over for you guys."
Jane shrugged, "Yes, well, it's not over yet. We're still looking."
Jane meant to say more, but something caught his eye as Sanford was reaching for his fresh, pale blue shirt. At first he thought it was the light, but no…it was unmistakable. And that was when the blood drained from his face.
There on Sanford's left arm, just below his shoulder, was a burn scar.
A/N: And there it is!
To the five people (including my friend Eva and our mom) who figured out that Sanford was the rapist, pat yourselves on the back!
For the others who all assumed it was Jasper or Ryckart (and even one Hathaway)...it was NEVER them. It was ALWAYS Sanford hehehe, we challenge you to take a look at the scenes with Sanford because there were little clues along the way.
Well what do you think?
In the next chapter: Jane tells the team he knows who the rapist is and they start building a case against Sanford. But will they have enough to take him to court...or do they want to take care of Sanford themselves?