Chapter 25 – A Grave Message

Jane and Lisbon arrived at the safe house, and just as he had the day before, Alex immediately came over to greet them. This time, however, he was visibly distressed.

"Alex, what happened?" Lisbon asked him.

"I told you yesterday that my friend Marc had the night shift. Well, it wasn't him who showed up. Apparently he switched the shift with some other guy. The new guy had identification and everything, so when he showed up, I didn't think anything of it. But when I got back this morning, he was gone. We're not supposed to leave the house unattended. So I went inside to check it out, and…and I found her," he said apprehensively.

"Okay, can you describe the person who relieved you?" Lisbon asked.

"He was short, kind of stocky, olive skin and dark eyes, black and curly hair. His credentials all looked legit. The name on them was Sean Bannat. After I got here this morning and found him gone, I called my superiors. He's worked for the US Marshal's office for about a year, they said." Alex was breathing quickly.

"It's okay, Alex. You couldn't have known," Lisbon assured him. "Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary around here lately?"

"No, nothing," he said, shaking his head vigorously.

"Alright, thanks Alex. We'll contact you if we need anything further."

"Sure thing," he replied, still looking shaken as he walked away.

Jane and Lisbon exchanged glances. "One of Red John's friends. He was ready for this," Jane muttered.

"Yeah. We should take a look at the crime scene," Lisbon said.

They headed inside. Her body was in the living room, next to the piano. She had been shot, and they immediately noticed the absence of Red John's calling card. There were two forensics techs carefully examining the room.

"Not Red John's MO," Lisbon said, mostly to herself. "Probably a gun for hire, to tie up loose ends."

"Which means he still isn't done," Jane whispered.

"What do you mean?" Lisbon was confused.

"He has more planned for today, Lisbon. I'm sure of it," Jane said nervously.

"What, like Hailey Lyle wasn't enough?"

"He has plenty of time, Lisbon. He's not going to get another day like this, he knows that."

Lisbon glared at him. To an outsider, his statement might have sounded optimistic, but she knew otherwise. He will make sure that Red John never gets another day like this, by any means necessary. Including suicide.

"Jane, you need to stop thinking like that," Lisbon said seriously.

"Not now." He dismissed her concern.

"When? When it's too late?" Lisbon's voice rose slightly. "Jane, you don't really want to do this. I know you. You talking to me about this is a cry for help."

"Yeah, well, too bad Red John killed my shrink," Jane spat out.

"Jane. We're going to get through this, okay? Don't give up. Please," she said beseechingly.

"Yeah, sure," Jane sighed. His tone clearly said that he had his doubts.

"Okay look. We've seen enough here. Do you want to stop off at the cemetery on our way back to the office?" Lisbon hoped that he would find some comfort from talking to his wife and daughter.

Jane looked startled by Lisbon's change of subject, though he was less surprised by her offer to accompany him. He nodded. "Yes, I would like that."

She offered him a small smile, a peace offering.

"Thanks, Lisbon," he replied, quiet but sincere.

It didn't take long for them to reach the cemetery. Lisbon and Jane made their way through the rows of gravestones to the two matching ones bearing the names of his wife and daughter. He knelt down and tenderly places a hand on his wife's marker, and then his daughter's. "Happy birthday Charlie," he whispered. His eyes were filled with tears, but he was determined to maintain control.

Lisbon stood beside him, with her hand on his shoulder. As she gazed down at the stone markers, she caught a glimpse of something red on the back, and her heart sank. She leaned forward slightly, hoping that she was just imagining it but sure enough, there it was.

Jane was so engrossed in his memories that he hadn't noticed how Lisbon's fingers dug a bit deeper into his shoulder, or how her entire body had become rigid. She knelt down next to him.

"Jane?" She bit her lower lip as she spoke; a clear sign that she was uneasy, and Jane picked up on it as soon as he looked at her.

"What is it?" His voice sounded distant and sad, and Lisbon hated having to be the one to break this to him.

"Jane. He's been here," she said as gently as she could. She saw his bewilderment, so she elaborated. "On the back of the stone…"

Jane bent forward, peering over the top of the gravestone bearing Charlotte's name. Lisbon could tell the exact moment when he saw the face mocking him. His body froze for a moment, and then he collapsed backwards onto Lisbon. She wrapped her arms around him protectively.

Jane was breathing quickly and heavily, which concerned her. "Jane, I want you to focus on your breathing, okay? Focus on each breath, in and out, nice and slow."

Jane hadn't realized that he was hyperventilating, but Lisbon's voice calmed him enough to allow him to regain control. Once his breathing steadied, Jane sat back up, removing himself from Lisbon's embrace.

"We need to clean it. Do we have anything to clean it with? I think I have some tissues in the car. And water. I'll go get them," Jane muttered, not really directing his words at anyone in particular.

"Jane, we need to get forensics here and have them process it. We don't even know whose blood it is."

Jane visibly deflated. He knew she was right. "I'm not leaving until it's off of there," he insisted, as if daring her to challenge him, but she didn't. She took his hand and interlaced her fingers with his, and used her other hand to make the phone call.

Two hours passed before forensics was done. One of the technicians kindly offered to clean the stone, but Jane insisted on doing it himself, so she left him the supplies.

Jane rubbed at the smiley face furiously, long after Charlotte's headstone appeared to be clean.

"Hey, I think you've got it all off," Lisbon told him gently.

"It'll never really be off," Jane sighed.

"Well, then I think you've got as much off as possible," Lisbon tried again. He nodded reluctantly. "Here, I'm going to go throw this stuff out, okay?" Jane nodded a second time.

When she returned a moment later, she found Jane kneeling with his face only a few centimetres away from where his daughter's name was engraved. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have done more to protect you. I'm so sorry," he murmured.

Although Lisbon's maternal instincts were telling her to touch Jane, to offer him comfort, she held back, knowing that he needed time. After a few minutes, he stood, and with one last glance, turned towards Lisbon. She noticed the look of longing in his eyes.

"I'm ready to go," he told her. She reached for his hand and wrapped her fingers around his, and then they both walked back to the car.