Previously on This Is Not A Drill:
He got up and walked over to Stambridge. He knelt down in front of her, took both of her hands into his, and said gently, "Mother, I forgive you."
This Is Not A Drill – Thirty-Seven
Jane's declaration to his mother was followed by a fierce hug (which Jane, for the first time, fully returned) and cathartic tears – on both sides. Jane held his mother through her sobs of relief and she clang to him for dear life. They were sat on the hotel room floor where they'd ended up being because of Jane's kneeling position at the time when Kathryn had more or less fallen into his arms.
"I love you so much, my Nicky," Stambridge pressed out, hicchoughing helplessly, only to look at her son with frightful eyes. "Sorry. Patrick, I mean, Patrick."
"'s okay," Jane replied huskily.
They stayed in their quiet, healing embrace for a while until Olivia joined them, putting her arms around both her mother and her brother. "You're the bestest big brother I've ever had," she teased while ruffling his curls. But the sentiment behind her words was real which her expression left no doubt about – as did her wet eyes. "It's just too bad that I have to leave soon. I have to catch my flight back to LA," she added sadly.
Jane removed one arm from his mother and put it around Olivia's shoulder instead, pulling her into the embrace. "Group hug, baby sister," he said sweetly, his watery eyes glowing with mirth and happiness.
"We'll stay in touch, won't we?" Olivia inquired anxiously. "You have to promise."
He nodded. "Yeah. And hopefully, we can meet again sometime soon. I need to make a trip to California at some point anyway. There's still some unfinished business left there that I have to attend to. But right now, I'm way too busy at work to find the time."
Stambridge tried to clear her throat and accepted a glass of water from her husband with a grateful smile. After a few sips she felt up to talking again. "I want to make this official as soon as possible," she announced. "I want to be able to meet you, visit with you, without you being harassed by the media. I mean, I know they will. But I want them to hear what we're comfortable with sharing and not what they might find out or speculate about if you're seen with me. I want to do this on our terms and I don't want you to look like some dirty secret. Because you're not. I'll ask my publicity agent to help with a press release first thing tomorrow," she continued eagerly.
Jane shook his head. "Sorry, but this has to remain a secret for the time being, Kathryn."
Her face fell and fresh tears ran down her cheeks. "Of course," she replied quietly. "If that's what you want. I understand. I… Of course you don't want anyone to know."
He shook his head more vehemently. "No, please. That's not it. It's just that I'm working on a very important undercover assignment at the moment. The last thing we need is for my face to end up in the media. It's a matter of national or maybe even international security, mother. Nothing personal. Otherwise I'm… I think, I'm okay with… Well, it will be quite the hassle when this gets out, I suppose. But I would be amenable to it. Just not now, please."
At that point George Kingston chimed in for the first time in quite a while and addressed Lisbon who, as he himself, had been following the reunion of mother and son from her seat, knowing that this was a time to stay in the background and just enjoy to see their partners finally getting closure. "A matter of national security?" he inquired with raised brows. "Really?"
Lisbon nodded. "Yes. Jane's not exaggerating. We're both part of it. And Jane's our most important asset."
"But that sounds very dangerous, Teresa," George stated, worry clearly visible on his face.
It warmed Lisbon's heart to see that Kingston was obviously already looking at Jane as a part of his pack and was fearing for his safety. Sporting a reassuring expression she explained, "Yes and no. Our jobs are with the FBI and we work high profile cases and there's always a certain risk involved. But having said that, this mission isn't particularly dangerous for Patrick – at least not as long as his cover is firmly in place. And he's done one hell of a job to ensure that so far." She looked over to her partner with pride and fondness.
"So what's that whole undercover thingy about, bro?" Olivia asked.
He cast a teasing grin at her and retorted with a wink, "I could tell you but then I'd have to shoot you afterwards, sis."
"I see, you have the whole secret agent routine down perfectly," she replied cheerfully. "My brother, Mr. Bond. Though you don't really look like a tough, bad-ass guy, sorry. Looks more like Teresa's forte."
"That's because we're the perfect double-act. She's the brawn to my brains, the punch to my line, the bad-ass to my charm, the sharp-shooter to my quick wit, the 00 to my 7," he said merrily, and when he saw the disgruntled expression on Lisbon's face that he'd been aiming for, he added with a condescending smile, "Of course, she does have some charm too. And not a bad brain either."
"And she is indeed the one carrying the gun," Lisbon reminded him with a challenging look.
Olivia, George, and Kathryn all exchanged amused grins until the younger woman realized that they'd been played perfectly by the two FBI members who had distracted them successfully from asking any further questions about their work. "You two are really sneaky," she stated, aiming a mock-annoyed look in the directions of the two partners. "Unfortunately, I don't have the time to beat the truth out of you, bro, because I have to leave."
They all chuckled. And while Olivia got ready to catch her flight, Lisbon's phone rang.
The call was from Abbott who inquired about their whereabouts and was very pleased to hear that they were still in Houston. Lisbon excused herself from the rest of the party and went to the hall to have some privacy. "I want you to stay there," her boss informed her. "According to our latest surveillance results, we know that there is one high-ranking executive of a leading company within the energy industry who is deeply involved in this spying operation. And his family is amongst the most influential in the political arena of this country. Really high up and for many decades. In other words: very well connected. Unfortunately, we have two possible candidates with an almost identical background, both of which are located in Houston. As you may have gathered, agent, this is a very delicate situation. We can't afford to arrest the wrong one because it could create a huge scandal and both men are equiprobable. I'll send over the results of our investigation so far."
"I understand, boss. What do you want us to do?" Lisbon inquired.
"Incidentally, their two companies are in the process of signing a contract to further their cooperation which is of major importance for the whole industry sector in Houston. There will be a big press conference to announce the details of their joint venture tomorrow morning. Both suspects were instrumental in the negotiations of that deal and will be there to speak to the press. I want you and Jane to be there and for our mentalist to figure out who's the more likely candidate," Abbott explained.
Lisbon's brow furrowed. "Isn't that a bit much to ask even of Jane, sir? I mean, how is he supposed to get any read on them concerning our case based on a statement about a business contract?" she asked. "Especially if your research so far makes them both equally likely as culprits?"
Abbott sighed. "I known, it's a long shot. But Jane's our only hope. If all fails, we'll arrest them both but I'd like to avoid it if at all possible. Fortunately, Jane will have a couple of minutes with each of them alone, or at least relatively alone. Misters Newell and Fletcher will be available for face-to-face interviews with selected members of the press. The publisher of the Houston Chronicle owes the FBI a favor. So you'll be posing as writers for that respectable paper. I imagine, our dear Patrick will have a blast pulling off an investigative journalist," the supervising agent stated dryly.
"As it is," he continued after he and Lisbon had both exchanged chuckles, "we're planning a concerted arrest operation tomorrow both here in Austin and in Houston. We've had some major breakthroughs in our surveillance efforts during the past days and we're afraid that if we wait much longer, there's danger of collusion. Even as careful and discreet as we've tried to be, it's likely that our investigation has raised some red flags. We need to act fast," he elaborated. "That there's also a connection to the oil industry and Houston is a new development but it fills the last missing holes in the picture nicely. You'll see that in the files I'll send over to you."
Lisbon took a moment to process the information she'd been given by her boss. Then she asked, "So I assume that since that concerted operation you spoke about is supposed to take place soon after that press conference, Jane will be able to use some of the results from our investigation as bait when he'll talk to those two?"
"To a degree," Abbott conceded. "As long as we make sure to stay in close contact and act fast the moment Jane has gotten what we need to know. We can't risk for our man in Houston to warn his contacts in Austin before we're ready to make our arrests. Our guy in Houston is one of those pulling the strings, Lisbon. And he's the person who's so well connected that he's privy to or has easy access to a lot of delicate information. He's one of the main sources providing the intel that's being smuggled out of the country via the University of Austin."
"Wow," Lisbon exclaimed. "So we're actually looking for the mastermind behind this?"
"One of them at least. We are relatively certain that there must be a second one but we're pressed for time. We can't keep looking for Mr. X and thus risk for the ones we already know of to disappear or, even worse, warn Mr. X," Abbott confirmed Lisbon's reasoning.
Lisbon released a sigh. "I still wished, we had a little more time. This is huge and to have to base our actions on whatever Jane will be able to figure out in a couple of minutes with each of the suspects feels all sorts of wrong after all the months of hard work we've already invested into this."
"I agree, agent. But we have no choice. I want you to lead the arrest operation in Houston. You'll get back-up from Houston PD. I would've preferred to send some of our own people over to you, but they'll be needed here. You have only one or, if Jane can't flush out the guilty one, two arrests to make while we're looking at about fifteen arrests we have to coordinate at locations spread all over Austin," Abbott said.
Lisbon nodded to herself. "Of course, sir. I'll need the locals to be ready to put up tight surveillance on the two suspects from the moment they leave the press conference so we don't lose them until we can make our arrest simultaneously with yours in Austin. Or how do you plan to coordinate this? I mean, if Jane is forced to use some of our intel in order to find our man, said man will inform his minions the moment he has the chance, won't he? This will give us a very tight schedule."
"Yes. We'll take our cues from you, Lisbon. As soon as Jane is through with the two interviews and the suspects leave the media event, we have to strike as fast as possible. We'll be in position here and only be waiting for your signal to make our arrests. Of course it would be best if Jane kept it as vague as he can. If our perp gets a bit nervous, okay. But he shouldn't be alerted to the full extent of our knowledge," Abbott replied.
"Oh, Jane can do vague," Lisbon retorted with a snort. "Vague is practically one of his middle names – unfortunately together with blunt."
Abbott chuckled. "I'm counting on him making the right choice of middle name tomorrow, Lisbon. Speaking of names: dare I ask, how the meeting went with that rather famous name you were seeking out in Houston this weekend?" he inquired cautiously.
Lisbon took a step towards the door to the sitting room of the hotel suite and cast a covert glance inside. The picture of a very happy, newly reunited family met her. Olivia was obviously on the verge of leaving and had her suitcase already waiting by the exit and was taking her goodbyes with her parents and her newfound brother, the latter of which was beaming with one of his (in)famous megawatt smiles. Stambridge stood with one arm around each of her children and was doing a rather convincing job of outshining her son while Kingston watched it all with an expression of deep contentment. "Pretty well, I'd say," Lisbon informed her boss. Her big grin was audible in her voice.
"I'm very glad to hear that," Abbott said. "So, ahem, how is she?" her boss asked in a tone that, to her great amusement, reminded Lisbon of a giggly gossip.
"Very, very happy," was all she gave him. "And no, boss, I'm not gonna get you an autograph," she added sternly.
"Hey, it's for the wife, okay? I couldn't care less," Abbott defended himself.
Lisbon snickered. "Very convincing, sir." Then she turned a lot more serious. "But honestly, Dennis, she's… she's just Jane's mother, okay? I… As odd as it may sound, but I've almost forgotten that she's famous and all that. She's a woman who's been through a lot and right now she is very happy to have her son back in her life, something she'd wished for for a very long time. And Patrick is happy too. That's all that counts, right?"
Abbott sounded slightly ashamed when he replied, "Of course, Teresa. I'm relieved, really. I was a tad skeptical where this would go. I'm heartened to hear that it obviously went well. Do you think, Jane will be able to concentrate on the case tomorrow despite the emotional turmoil in his private life?"
"Jane is a master at compartmentalizing, sir. And he's put a lot of time and effort into this case. I'm certain, he'll play his part as best as he possibly can. I'd nearly go as far as calling him professional but we both know, that's not a fitting way to describe Patrick Jane." She snickered again and her boss joined her.
"Okay. I'll send our research over to you now and I'd like to talk with you and Jane later when you've had some time to go over it," the supervising agent got them back on track.
"It'll be a while though, sir. We're currently with Jane's family and I'd hate to separate mother and son abruptly. We've all had an emotionally taxing afternoon so far," Lisbon told her boss a bit anxiously.
"I understand," Abbott acknowledged her words. "It's okay. I'll be burning the midnight oil at the office anyway. Much to prepare for tomorrow. So take your time and call me when you're ready. And… Mhm… Tell Patrick, I'm happy for him, will you, Teresa? This is excellent news. Will be good for him, getting that closure and all."
"Thanks, boss."
They ended the call and Lisbon joined the others again in the sitting room.
Jane looked at her the moment she entered. Carefully, he left the embrace of his mother and sister and stepped over to her. "Work?" he asked quietly.
Lisbon nodded. "Yeah. I'll explain later but we'll stay in Houston at least for another night."
"Alright," he acknowledged. "Lisbon?" he added with a huge smile that had obviously nothing to do with their job. At her questioning look he stated. "I'm happy."
She couldn't help but return his catching grin. "I can see that. And I'm happy for you."
He bent over, cupped her cheeks gently with his hands and pecked her on the lips in one of his kisses that she'd secretly dubbed duck busses. She loved those. Well, truth be told, she loved all of his kisses.
She put her arms around his waist and squeezed him close for a few seconds before she pointed with her head towards Olivia who had moved to the doorway, her parents right behind her. "Seems like your sister needs to leave."
After they had taken their final goodbyes with the young woman, Lisbon and Jane stayed with Stambridge and Kingston for another hour, talking about more mundane things pertaining their respective lives and just generally got to know each other a bit better. Both the actress and her husband showed a lot of interest also in Lisbon's life and background, something Jane registered with great satisfaction. At some point, the emotional exhaustion of the last hours caught up with them and they fell silent.
It wasn't awkward or uneasy but it still signaled to them that it was time to bid farewell. A lot had happened during the past two days and everybody needed to process it on their own. They had a warm parting with promises of a reunion in the near future that everyone intended to keep.
At the last minute, Stambridge jumped back into the hotel suite and reappeared a moment later with a box of cookies that she handed over to her son – his favorites during early childhood. Jane grinned like a kid on Christmas. "Thank you, mom," he said to her warmly and with a wink at Kingston he added, "I'll not only commemorate happy times but also the plight of a loving husband when I'll savor these."
"Our daughter talks way too much," Kingston grumbled under his breath, but he had a fond smile on his face.
"She's a well of information," Jane confirmed merrily. "I'll have her spill the beans about all the dirty family secrets in no time."
Kingston snorted. "Something tells me that she wouldn't even need to be the little blabbermouth that she is for you to succeed with that, son. You're a sneaky one." He patted Jane on the shoulder. "Fortunately, I think, I can speak for my wife and myself when I say that I don't mind you finding out about our little idiosyncrasies. Actually, I encourage it. It'll hopefully help you feel a part of this family."
"Thank you," Jane replied in a husky voice that broke a little. "I… Well… Just thank you. That means a lot."
With Jane hugging the box of cookies firmly to his chest with one arm and the other one around Lisbon's waist, the two partners finally left. Lisbon could feel some reluctance in her boyfriend's steps. She caressed the hand that was placed on her hip and whispered, "It's not gonna be for long this time, Patrick."
"I know," he said softly. "It's just… My heart has a bit of a difficult time catching up with my head."
She cast a sympathetic glance at him. "I understand," she whispered. "Let's get back to the Airstream. I'll make you some tea and then we can find out whether these cookies taste as good as you remember."
They agreed to walk part of the way back, most of it in companionable silence, hands entwined. At some point Lisbon did inform him of what Abbott's call had been about and by that time Jane was glad about the distraction. They remembered to buy some take out to reheat later for dinner, so they wouldn't need to go out again that day. That taken care of, they took a cab for the last part of the trip to the campground.
Jane nearly fell onto the couch feeling utterly exhausted and he was grateful when Lisbon made good on her promise and prepared tea for them. After she'd handed him a mug, she snuggled into him with her own beverage in hand. He first sniffed the tea with appreciation and then nuzzled her hair, inhaling her scent deeply.
"You really are an overgrown puppy, Jane," she said fondly.
He bit lightly into her earlobe and growled but turned serious right afterwards. "Your smell means comfort," he explained. "Has done for a very long time."
"I know the feeling," she replied with a small blush. Teasingly, she added, "Of course, it's mainly because as long as you're close enough so I can smell you, I know I can keep an eye on you and stop you from causing too much trouble."
"And your smell reassures me that it's okay to cause trouble because you're close enough to save my ass if necessary," he teased her back. She snorted and had the best intention to cuff the back of his head, but his curls were too tempting and she ended up ruffling them instead. He pecked her on her cheek and with a contented sigh, he sipped his tea and relaxed.
They both had a cookie or two as well. Jane sat for a long moment with a far-away look on his face after the first bite, the taste bringing back flashes of memories. Images popped up in his head. A sunny day sitting on the steps of a trailer home munching a cookie loudly for all it was worth; the sneaky trunk of an elephant stealing a cookie practically out of his mouth and his tears and screams of disappointment when his treat was suddenly gone; a woman, mother, holding him, comforting him and handing him a replacement cookie; crumbling up a cookie diligently and mixing it with milk to feed that tiny, pitiful stray cat that was missing the tip of its tail and loved to be scratched behind the ears by a certain 'Icky'…. He felt a deep sense of peace settling down on him.
"How are you, Patrick?" Lisbon inquired softly after a couple of minutes. She had noticed the tension leaving him and she hoped he was ready to share some of his thoughts with her.
"Relieved. Very relieved. And happy." He put his mug down and in a sudden move he not only lifted her but also turned and stretched out his legs, placing her between his thighs afterwards with her back to his chest. She squeaked a little at the unexpected action but she didn't mind this new position at all. His arms held her firmly and she could also rest her own feet on the sofa. And even though she could take care of herself better than he – thank you very much – she did enjoy the feeling of being safe and protected in his embrace. He did have a rather nice and distinctly male torso and her neck getting peppered with small kisses wasn't necessarily a bad thing either.
"Though," he continued after they'd gotten comfortable and she'd released a sound that she realized sounded embarrassingly similar to a purr and had elicited a chuckle from him, "Though," he repeated quietly, "I also feel a great deal of unease at the thought of being essentially the product of rape. Whether my mother sees it that way or not. I've known for a long time that Alex was not a good man but with how he treated Kathryn, he exceeded my worst expectations. She was nothing but a mark to him."
He snorted. "It shouldn't surprise me. He thought of me as one too, after all. Family was certainly not sacred to him like it is for other carnies. But somehow, I'd thought… I don't really know. I guess, the fact that he'd always made it clear that it was my fault that she'd left… I… I shouldn't have, but I suppose, I had heard it so often and from an early age on that I believed it. I… Angela always tried to make me understand that nothing was wrong with me and that it was perfectly easy to love me just fine. And you do too. You've shown me the same. But it... I guess, there was some part of me that couldn't fully accept that. I mean, I knew it with my head but my heart kept doubting."
"So in a sense," he continued, "understanding that Alex had made her leave and had mistreated her so – it's both a blessing and a curse. I don't want to be the result of rape and it pains me to know the extent of his depravity and the hurt he caused her. But knowing that my mother loved her child, used to love me so much that she was willing and is still willing to refuse to acknowledge the truth of how I was conceived – it's huge."
"Yes, it is," Lisbon agreed. "I didn't… I guess, I didn't completely realize that aspect of it." She let her head fall back on his shoulder and looked up at him. "You ARE perfectly loveable, Patrick Jane. You really are."
He smiled at her with a completely open and blissfully happy expression and stated with conviction, "Yes, I am. You are too. Very much so."
They spent the next 30 minutes proving just how loveable they found each other, their joining both infinitely tender and passionate. While she was standing in the shower stall afterwards, letting the warm water cascade over her body that was still glowing with the aftermath of their tryst, Lisbon tried to describe their love-making in her head. The best word she could find was that she'd felt cherished. Yes, that was it. Cherished. It was a very good feeling.
They talked about the information Abbott had sent Lisbon over the re-heated take out dinner. "So, both Mr. Charles Newell and Mr. Harold Fletcher are a bit like the unacknowledged black sheep of their respective families. Not that there's been a real break with their roots. Just that they both decided to choose the power of money over the sway of political influence that seems to be the norm for their dynasties. And they're said to undermine US interests with their company policies which puts them in opposition to the goals of their relatives who are all known patriots," Jane summarized what he had gathered from skimming the background checks on their two suspects. "Yet both are still close enough to the social circles of their upbringing to have relatively easy access to sensitive information from the many high-ranking politicians in their milieu." Jane sighed. "At least on paper, they're really both equally viable."
Lisbon chewed and swallowed before she replied, "I thought so too. And the setting tomorrow won't give you much time to read them in person either. I don't like it."
"Neither do I," Jane agreed. "But I might have an idea how to use the short time I'll have wisely," he continued after a moment of pondering the problem. "Bait them without giving away too much of what we know."
His girlfriend looked up from her food with a tentatively hopeful face, "You have a plan?"
He nodded. "Yeah. You wanna know?" Cheekily he added, "Or do you rather want it to be a surprise?"
She raised her brows in her best 'This is no joking matter' expression but a big grin quickly won out. The mere fact that he only ever teased her with such things these days and that she knew with certainty that he was fully prepared to share his insights and thought processes with her still made her almost giddy with joy even though she was getting more and more used to this fully equal partnership they'd forged. "Shoot or I'll beat that surprise outta you," she mock-threatened him before she filled her mouth with a huge bite of her Tandoori chicken.
He chuckled, sent a knowing wink in her direction and then he said, "Well, you know, my dear, that I've been getting this awesome academic education lately and I think, I owe it to the tax-payers in this fine country to apply the sciences they so generously invest in…"
Lisbon rolled her eyes and gave him a pointed look telling him get to the essential. He did so, but only after they'd called Abbott because Jane had no intention of explaining everything twice. Jane's idea got both agents' approval, and they all went to bed with a much more optimistic outlook on their big day.
The press conference was scheduled for 11 am and took place in the convention hall of one of the grand hotels in Houston. Before it started, Jane and Lisbon had a meeting with the unit from local PD that would assist them in the arrest. Two detectives specializing in surveillance and a SWAT team would work under the lead of the FBI. They had received detailed instructions from Abbott the day before and had already installed most of their equipment around the hotel, and with the warrants for the monitoring of the two suspects in place as well, they had tracking devices attached to the cars of both business men and were also tracing the GPS signals of their phones.
Lisbon was very satisfied with the efforts of Houston PD, especially with the respectful welcome they had received. As it turned out, it had been leaked that she and Jane had somehow been responsible for the resignation of a certain Lydia Hathaway, also known as 'The Cop From Hell' in her former department, and the warm reception was obviously more due to gratitude than mere professional courtesy. Whatever the reasons, it made the preparations go smoothly and for once, FBI jurisdiction wasn't questioned by anyone and their local partners accepted their leadership right away.
Jane's and Lisbon's press cards and Jane's invitation do conduct personal interviews with both suspects had been delivered to the police too and thus the two partners were well prepared and in place at the press conference 30 minutes before the event would start. The hall was already crawling with members of both national and international media, the flashes of cameras being positioned and adjusted to produce the best shots a constant as well as the cacophony of voices holding more or less quiet conversations in a multitude of languages.
The two FBI members found a spot relatively close to the front but a little to the side that offered Jane the best possible view of the podium on which the representatives of the two companies joining forces today would be sitting behind a long table – their suspects right in the middle, as conveniently placed name plates revealed. Some technicians who were giving the microphones a last fine tuning served as the perfect stand-ins for Jane to figure out the best location from which to conduct their observations.
At 11 am on the dot the spokesman of Rig & Drill Corp. asked for silence and read an announcement that gave a general survey of the contract his company had signed earlier that day with Marine Power Inc. He also listed the benefits the joint venture was supposed to offer both enterprises and the public. It was tailor-made PR, covered in weasel words that sounded nice on the surface but were hollow underneath.
Jane's whispered commentary and unflattering 'translation' of the false-faced profiling had Lisbon in tears of mirth despite or maybe due to her best efforts to maintain her professional stance. Her elbow made contact with Jane's ribs on several occasions to stop him, but he was on a roll and was obviously entertaining also the crowd around them perfectly, judging from the snorts and snickers and barely restraint laughter originating from their neighbors when Jane provided phrases like "this deliciously dirty liaison will further the lovely spirit of corruption and circumvention that is already pervading our companies and will enable us to outmaneuver these pesky laws preventing pollution and exploitation even more efficiently from now on which will benefit no one else but our honored greedy shareholders and especially the board of executives who will earn even bigger bucks than before – and yes, I'm referring to those utterly likeable guys to my left and right, the ones sporting dollar signs in their eyes…"
Thus the 15 minutes of otherwise total boredom went by on the fly and soon it was time for the two executives who had negotiated the contract, incidentally their suspects, to offer their own statements before the media would get the chance to ask a few questions. After that, Newell and Fletcher would receive individual journalists for short interviews in one of the hotel's suites.
The mentalist had not neglected his duties while he'd provided his scathing remarks and had observed the two potential spies closely the whole time, also and especially while they had given their explications. Judging from all of that, Newell was happier with the outcome of the negotiations than Fletcher, and Newell also had a deep dislike of a person at the table, a handsome, charismatic guy in his early 50s, which the name tag identified as the CEO of the company Fletcher worked for. Furthermore, Fletcher and Newell liked each other. Jane couldn't be entirely sure, but he suspected as more than friends. He stored that information as something to try and look deeper into later, if possible.
Having a special invitation to conduct an interview didn't mean that one got to be first in line, as Jane and Lisbon learned after the main event had been closed. Fortunately, tea and coffee were served for the waiting journalists and the partners found a somewhat secluded spot that offered enough privacy for them to share their impressions so far. Lisbon confirmed many of Jane's own conclusions and it helped substantiating a suspicion that had formed in Jane's mind. "I believe, it's not either of them, it's both," he announced, making Lisbon almost choke on her coffee.
"What?" she asked incredulously, a little too loudly for Jane's taste.
"Can we use indoor voices, Teresa? We're surrounded by investigative journalists after all," he warned her gently, trying his best not to sound patronizing – a peck on her lips taking the sting from his admonishment.
She looked a bit sheepish but acceded to his point right away. "Sorry," she breathed.
"Our two suspects are in it together, Lisbon," Jane explained. "I think, they are the masterminds behind it all. Probably planning most of their schemes in their bedroom. I suppose, it's a serious turn on: screwing their families' conservative moral convictions by screwing each other and their own country at the same time."
"What?" Lisbon asked again, quietly but with even more disbelief than before. "Are you saying, those two are lovers? They're gay?"
Jane nodded. "That's my working hypothesis at least. I'm, oh, ahem… 78 % sure of it."
"I never…" Lisbon shook her head. "How do you…? How the hell did you figure that one out?" she inquired, half awed, half annoyed that she had not even had the tiniest suspicion of something like that.
He cupped her cheek and stroked it lightly with his thumb. "Don't be miffed, Teresa. You did perceive the signs, you just didn't draw some of the conclusions I did. But you're really getting better and better at this. I mean it. Your observations pretty much confirmed mine and your input reinforced my theory."
"I'm a homicide detective. I should see these things too," she grumbled, a tiny crease of frustration appearing between her eyes.
Jane kissed the wrinkle away and said, "Please, my love, I've been honing these skills since I was a toddler. It's practically the only somewhat systematic education I've ever had." Their eyes met and they exchanged an intense look that Lisbon broke after a few seconds with a tiny nod. Jane smiled warmly at her and added, "I sure hope, I still have a few more of my tricks to share with you before you outperform me, my dear. So please grant me this little advantage a while longer or next thing you'll want to replace me as your partner with one of these gun waving brutes."
Making sure that no one was watching them out of habit more than actual necessity, she put her arms around his waist and gave him a quick hug. "Never," she stated with emphasis.
Finally it was Jane's turn to speak to each of their two suspects under the pretext of interviewing them for the Houston Chronicle. When he was invited into the room where Fletcher was receiving the members of the media, a spokesman warned the mentalist that only three questions per journalist were permitted. Loud enough so also the suspect could hear him, Jane replied cheerfully, "I'll make sure to use them wisely, then."
With the promise that she would only take notes and keep in the background, Lisbon was allowed into the room as well. Fletcher had a mask of polite interest firmly in place that Jane felt an almost irresistible urge to remove. Fortunately, that coincided with their plan, so he didn't have to deny himself that indulgence. "Hi, Harold," he greeted the executive. "May I call you Harold or Harry maybe? I'm Patrick by the way. Patrick Jane. And yes, I realize, that was my first question already." Jane snickered.
Their suspect showed the first small signs of unsettledness at this very unusual start of the interview. "Harold is fine," he replied, voice revealing only minimal irritation but Jane was satisfied with the progress. "You're from the Chronicle, aren't you?" Fletcher inquired.
"I thought, I was the one asking the questions here," Jane retorted with raised brows and a patronizing smile. "But I'm only too happy to accommodate you. I'll make you a deal: for every question you ask me, I get to ask you one in addition to my initial three."
Fletcher straightened in his armchair and adjusted the sleeves of his suit jacket. "That won't be necessary," he said with a touch of annoyance in his tone. "I can see from your name tag that you're from that paper."
"Then the next logical question would be why you even asked, but I'm not going to waste my two last, valuable shots at something like that," Jane announced brightly.
"Could you please ask your questions now, Mr. Jane? There are still a dozen colleagues of yours waiting for their chance to speak with me." The executive twiddled with one of his cuff links.
The mentalist chuckled. "There's no honor amongst the thieves in my profession, Harry. I couldn't care less, how long the competition has to wait. My publisher will surely applaud me for delaying them too."
Fletcher cleared his throat and swallowed audibly. Only with great restraint did he manage a tone of forced politeness when he said, "You either ask your questions now or I'll have you removed, Mr. Jane. You're also wasting my time and that's quite valuable."
"Hehe," Jane snickered. "I can imagine. A few grand per minute, I suppose. Which, incidentally brings me to my second question for you, Harry. See, I've just recently had the displeasure of reading an article by the economist Blake Frilay. I think, you're familiar with his work, but just in case you aren't, he's a professor over at the university in Austin. Am I right in assuming that this nauseating contract you've concocted with your buddy Newell is in accordance with Frilay's bold assumptions that it's best for mankind to just let a billion people or two die because they won't be needed anyway in an age in which robots will do their work, also considering that the worth of a human life is best measured in terms of its financial contribution to national product?"
Their suspect seemed speechless for a moment but Jane wasn't interested in his actual verbal reply. He'd gotten what he needed already. Fletcher had flinched ever so slightly at the mention of Frilay's name, confirming the connection to the spy they'd identified in Austin. So Jane smiled indulgently at the stammering man opposite him.
"Ah, tough question, I see," Jane declared, showing condescending amusement. "I understand that only too well. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes either on that one. Well, no reply is a reply too. A much better one than the lame excuses you're trying to think up right now. So let's leave it at that. I have an easier one for you now. Let's see, how you'll fare with this one. Charles Newell: gentle or forceful lover? Mind you, I'm pretty sure, I already know the answer. Dear Charlie is as much the demanding boss in the bedroom as he is the rest of the time, I presume. But some further confirmation from you would be appreciated. I just enjoy it so much to be proven right, you know."
One didn't need to be a mentalist to interpret Fletcher's reaction to Jane's outrageous question. Lisbon was tempted to shout "Busted!" but she managed to control herself and made do with a snort. No matter how long she'd known and worked with him, Jane's audacity and the way he got his results still amazed her at times. This had been a classic Jane-interrogation, compared to others she'd witnessed even a rather tame one, but it still filled her with a sense of wonder to see her partner play a suspect like, as Jane would put it, 'a big ole' bassoon'. Actually, it was a bit of a turn on, if she was being honest. Not in the sense of her wanting to jump him there and then or anything. She was a 40+ year old woman with some restraint after all, thank you very much. But her heart squished in a few extra beats and warmth filled her and happiness at the knowledge that this was her man.
The alone time with their second suspect wasn't strictly necessary anymore to confirm for Jane and Lisbon that both men were guilty and the masterminds behind the spying operation they had been looking for. But they decided that it was better to play it safe and to make use of every chance that arose to gather more intel anyway.
By silent agreement they had opted for a strategic withdrawal from Fletcher's room while the man was still too baffled to have them thrown out. That proved to be a successful move because due to the tight schedule of the event, they were led to Charles Newell's room right away with no one the wiser about Jane and his rather unorthodox 'investigative techniques'.
Newell, as Jane had already gathered, was the tougher cookie of the two. His reaction to the mention of Blake Frilay was minuscule and if Jane and Lisbon hadn't been as perceptive as the were and hadn't been looking for it, they may not have noticed it at all. Charles was also quicker to defend himself against Jane's accusations but in the process of arguing against them, trying to outwit Jane and to prove that he was the smarter person, he revealed in fact more than Fletcher had.
It became obvious that Newell was quite familiar with Frilay's work and supported it, though he, of course, denied Jane's interpretation of it. The man was eager to engage Jane in a battle of wits and he was left speechless when the mentalist just interrupted his well-considered (or so Newell thought) line of argument by getting up and giving a bored wave in Lisbon's direction. "I've heard enough, Teresa. Let's go and do something productive, shall we? Maybe a nap or something," Jane suggested and added a fake and blatantly exaggerated yawn for good measure.
Lisbon agreed with a nod and they left behind another disgruntled executive.
"Now, that was fun," Jane stated when they stood outside the hotel a couple of minutes later.
Lisbon tried to look stern but failed miserably. "Yeah, actually it was," she conceded with a giggle. "Well, done, Jane."
They went into the next back road where a van with the surveillance crew and the rest of their support team were waiting for them. Once there, Lisbon called Abbott and shared the information they'd gathered with the Austin office and their local partners. After the shock at the news that both of their suspects were guilty had worn off a little, they started to adjust their plans.
The agent in charge from Houston PD immediately offered additional personnel, so they could cover two separate and concerted arrests. He had accepted that the FBI couldn't share the details of the case due to security issues and he also understood that they couldn't just go into the hotel and apprehend their targets right away. It would be the worst scenario thinkable, actually, because the place was awash with members of the press and media attention was the last thing they needed.
Since Fletcher and Newell would be occupied giving interviews a while longer, it was decided that apart from a core team monitoring their suspects, everybody would try to grab some lunch before their operation would go down. Abbott's people in Austin were already in position, ready to strike and make their arrests when the signal came from Houston.
After months of preparations, surveillance, and undercover work, all the members of the FBI understandably felt some jitters about the pending culmination of their efforts, and it was with a nervous tingly feeling in their stomachs that Lisbon and Jane went to a little sidewalk café across the street that sold subs. With their chosen fare and coffee and tea respectively, they sat down at a table outside to kick their heels, the strain growing with every minute that went by.
TBC
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