Chapter 38 - Schultz

'Alexa Schultz, part of Blake?' Minelli confirmed, shaking his head, looking at Jane and Lisbon.

'You don't seem unduly surprised' Jane commented.

'I'm not to be honest. There was always something a little off about her.' About to speak again he paused, licking his lips nervously before clearing his throat. He glanced at Lisbon, 'Um, Teresa, would you mind-'

'Whatever it is you can say it in front of Lisbon' Jane interrupted, noting the man's awkwardness immediately. 'She asked you to keep her apprised of my progress in the Red John case when I joined the CBI, didn't she?'

Minelli pulled his head back a little and frowned. 'Are you sure you're not psychic?' he asked, humour to his tone.

Jane laughed. 'Madeleine Hightower told me she was asked to do the same thing when she was in charge.'

'Makes sense knowing what we know now. McAllister obviously wanted to know if you were getting close at any stage' Lisbon nodded.

Jane noticed there was something Minelli was withholding. 'What else did she tell you?'

Minelli looked at Lisbon before nodding, addressing Jane. 'She told me where you'd been before you joined the CBI' he said quietly.

Jane nodded, looking to the ground. 'I see.' His time in a Mental Hospital was something he was still ashamed to talk about. He finally turned to Lisbon, 'Do you remember what I told you when we investigated Sophie Miller-'

'Yes' she said immediately, the memory of him opening up to her in her office about his breakdown coming back to her with more clarity. 'I remember.' She smiled warmly at him, the recollection making her wonder if that was when she had started to really fall for him. She suspected it was.

Jane turned back to Minelli and took a deep breath. 'So, any idea what McAllister or someone else would have had on her? Any rumours you heard about her? About her past, her early life perhaps?'

Minelli ran a hand across his face and scratched his beard, pondering the question. 'Rumours aren't something that'll help you nail her, Patrick.'

'You still think too much like a cop. Forget evidence. There's something, obviously. What is it?'

Minelli sucked in a breath before releasing it. 'Her father. He was a State senator, did you know? Anyway, apparently he had a heart attack when she was in her teens. She found the body.'

'You think it wasn't a heart attack? That she killed him or helped someone else do it?' Lisbon asked.

Minelli shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. 'I don't know. I don't know what her motive would have been if she had. I do know though that he had a medical a couple of months prior to his death and he was given the all clear. So there was an investigation into it. I wasn't long a CBI agent but they were put in charge of it. Not the team I was part of but there was a lot of talk about it at the time from the agents that were.'

'Did you meet Alexa at the time?' Jane asked.

Minelli shook his head. 'No, as I said, it wasn't my case. But there were some rumours about his wife perhaps being responsible. I don't think their marriage was particularly happy by all accounts. More for show than anything else. She was a lawyer, a very smart one. She made sure she had an airtight alibi the night it happened. As nothing could ever be proven the whole matter was dropped, case closed.'

'It doesn't explain what this has to do with Alexa being part of Blake' Lisbon said quietly, shaking her head, thinking. 'Unless maybe her mother was too and she asked someone part of Blake to kill him and make it look like a heart attack. Perhaps Alexa was recruited later on under threat of her mother being prosecuted.'

'Mmm. It's certainly a theory' Jane said softly, his face set in a frown.

'And you think it's the wrong one' Lisbon immediately replied, raising an eyebrow as he turned his gaze to her.

He shrugged. 'I...I don't know. It makes some kind of sense but...I think there's more to it than that.'

'You always do' Lisbon replied, slightly pouting.

Minelli chipped in, 'It would certainly have been possible to make it look like a heart attack at the time. Forensics back then weren't nearly as sophisticated as they are nowadays.'

As they began their drive back to Sacramento after bidding their farewells to the Minellis, Virgil almost squeezing the life out of Lisbon as she went to get into the car, Jane noticed her trying to hold back the tears as he drove. He touched her lightly on the hand. 'Hey, we'll come back here soon.' He tapped the dashboard in front of him. 'Besides anything else we have to return their spare car.'

Lisbon laughed suddenly, the vision of Minelli almost visibly shaking as he handed over the keys to Jane, a warning glare in his eyes that he better not crash it. They had decided it wiser to switch cars and the car they had 'borrowed' Minelli was going to drive back to Sacramento a few days later after holing it up in their garage.

'At least we know you're not going to prison now' Lisbon smiled, beginning to relax a little.

'How do you figure?'

'Schultz is the one who wants your blood by all accounts. If we need to we blackmail her with Bertram's drive to stop the warrant.'

Jane smiled. 'That's a treacherous mind you've acquired, Agent Lisbon.' More seriously he added, 'I don't want to burst your bubble but I'm not out of the woods yet. A piece of paper with her name on it and a flash drive belonging to Gale Bertram may not be enough to hold off the FBI if she's already got them to go along with her into issuing it. And there's still the press to worry about. But you are right, it certainly gives us a hell of a lot more pulling power than we had this time yesterday.' He grinned at her and she grinned back. Suddenly she felt more than ever that they were going to get out of this.

'We better call Abbott' Lisbon suggested.

After dialling him and putting him on loudspeaker Jane quickly ran down what he'd discovered about Schultz.

After a moment's silence he replied, 'I...I can't believe it. That...that-'

'Bitch?' Lisbon supplied helpfully, smirking a little.

Abbott exhaled loudly. 'That's one word for her, Lisbon. So, what's your play? You want me to go to the AG, inform him who she really is? Put her under the spotlight, see if she gives up whoever the hell is behind this?'

'No' Jane said immediately. 'For now I want her to believe she's still in control, that she continues to feel safe. I don't want her alerting anyone that her cover's been blown in case she and they scatter. How much does she know about the decryption of the drive?'

'Nothing' Abbott replied. 'Lisbon thought it best we keep that information to as closed a circle as possible when you were taken. Her hunch was undoubtedly correct.'

Jane looked over at the woman beside him and smiled at her in admiration. 'I've always told her to trust her instincts. Glad she finally started to listen' he grinned.

She whacked him playfully on the arm in response.

Jane continued, rubbing his arm, 'Okay, good. Great in fact-'

'What about Cho?' Lisbon interjected. 'Does she know that Reynolds didn't kill him?'

'Yes. I could hardly keep that from her. When she came to the hospital she wanted a full report, autopsy results and so on. '

Lisbon shot Reynolds a look of worry in the back seat who was listening to the conversation. 'Damn it. Did you tell her what I suspected? That Reynolds had switched sides?'

'No. I kept the conversation we had with Reynolds to myself. Told Schultz instead that I was trying to keep my staff safe considering what had happened to you and Jane, less likely of another murder attempt if whoever's behind this thought he was dead already. She could hardly refute that argument.'

'Good thinking' Lisbon nodded.

'What about me?' Jane asked. 'She asked you if you knew where I was? If you helped me elude the FBI?'

'Of course. And I don't think she bought it for a second when I told her I didn't. But she hasn't called me out on it just yet.'

'Hmm. Yes, well you are quite a bad liar. Not as bad as Lisbon but-'

The glare from his girlfriend stopped him in his tracks as she began to speak, 'You need to be vigilant, Abbott. If she suspects you know anything about her being part of Blake then-'

'I'm more than aware of the consequences, Lisbon. I always have been. It's not the first time my life's been in danger investigating them. I'll make a call to the private security company I had to employ before, make sure Lena and the kids are protected until this is over.'

As his words came out nonchalantly a moment of silence settled in the car as Jane and Lisbon looked at each other, lips pursed. Neither had spared much time dwelling on the danger Abbott had put himself and his family in by taking on the Association. 'Be careful, Dennis' Jane said softly.

His boss's tone professional he replied, 'Of course. You too. Call me when you have the location of the meet with Dawson and we'll go over next steps. I'll have Wylie dig into Schultz's father's death in the meantime. Quietly and off the books obviously.'

As Lisbon ended the call she shook her head slowly. 'I never thought about what he was putting at risk going after Blake.'

Jane shrugged. 'Understandable at the time. Neither did I if I'm being honest. Easier to see him as the big bad wolf.'

Jane grasped her hand with his free one as he drove further towards Sacramento. Abbott wasn't the only one afraid of losing the family he had. He was certain more than ever he couldn't go through that again.

'It's going to be all right' Lisbon said gently, rubbing his knuckles. 'We'll make it out. We always do.'

He nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat as he stared at the road ahead, gaining strength from her faith. 'And we will this time too' he replied emphatically.

A/N: Thanks again for all the wonderful readers and reviewers of this story, your support is what makes me want to write! I am going to focus my best on getting this one finished soon so that may result in delays in updating my other two current stories. Apologies if you're reading them and prefer them to this but it's much easier to concentrate writing one than three very different stories at the same time, especially when this tale has such a convoluted plot! It takes me a few minutes to catch up where I am when I begin to write a new chapter so I can only imagine what you readers go through with the delays in posting new chapters! Also, I don't want to lose momentum as we come to the end of this one so hope you understand and enjoy the ride.