They went back to the office to check in with the team after that. Much to Lisbon's dismay, they reported that forensics had determined the blood on the hunting knife matched the blood collected from Blake Hoffman's remains at the scene.

"Great," she sighed. "I guess we'll have to arrest Mr. Hoffman now."

The team looked at her a little funny. Realizing how odd her reluctance must sound to them after the interview that morning, she hastened to explain about Justin Halprin and Jane's theory that the boy had framed Mr. Hoffman for his son's murder.

"Sounds creepy," Van Pelt commented with a shudder.

"Yeah," Rigsby said, shaking his head. "But we're kind of backed into a corner, aren't we? I mean, we have the evidence on Hoffman and nothing on Halprin."

Jane tapped his lips with his index finger. "Maybe we can use this to our advantage," he mused.

"How?" Cho asked.

Jane shrugged. "Let's arrest Mr. Hoffman."

"Helpful," Lisbon said, rolling her eyes.

Jane ignored her. "Then we leak it to the press that we've made the arrest. If they catch wind of it, it will be all over the evening news."

"So your plan is to rake a man you claim is innocent over the coals for no good reason?" Lisbon said skeptically.

"Not for no good reason," Jane corrected her. "To entrap his son's murderer. I'm sure he won't mind serving as a patsy for such a good cause."

Lisbon considered this. "You want us to arrest him, but tell him that we don't believe he actually committed the murder?"

Jane waved his hand dismissively. "I'll leave the details to you. The point is, Halprin's over-confident. Thinks he's too smart to be caught. If we arrest Hoffman, he'll think he's home free."

"How will that help?" Cho asked.

"He'll relax," Jane said patiently. "He'll stop being quite so careful and make a mistake that will ultimately expose him. His arrogance will be his undoing."

"I don't like it," Lisbon said with a frown. "It's awfully risky." She sighed. "But I don't see another move at the moment, so let's give it a try."

Jane grinned. "Excellent."

Xxx

She sent Cho and Van Pelt to arrest Hoffman while she called Bertram to give him a status update on the case. A slightly edited status update that is – she had no intention of informing him that they were purposefully arresting a man the team believed to be innocent. She simply advised him that they were still pursuing 'multiple lines of investigation' and let him know she wouldn't consider the case closed until they'd followed up on a few more leads. Bertram, no doubt sensing a Jane plan in the works, didn't ask too many questions.

She made a point to speak to Mr. Hoffman before they took him to interrogation. It was a breach of every protocol she knew to tell him she believed he was innocent, but Jane was right. After she explained they were trying to set a trap for the real killer, Mr. Hoffman assured her that he would willingly face any slings and arrows the press could fling at him if it brought the person responsible for murdering his son to justice.

Tuesday, Jane and Lisbon waited until they judged Justin Halprin would have left for school in the morning, then headed to his house to speak to his mother.

They caught her just as she was about to leave the house to take her daughter to school.

"Mrs. Halprin." Lisbon showed the woman her badge and introduced herself and Jane. "Do you mind if we come in for a few minutes? We have a few questions for you."

Mrs. Halprin cast a nervous glance over her shoulder at her daughter, waiting for her in the hall. "Is it urgent? I'm late to take Lisa to school."

"I'm afraid it is," Lisbon said gently. "Please, may we come in? We'll wait for you to call the school if you like."

"Very well," Mrs. Halprin said reluctantly. She stepped back and opened the door wider. "Come in."

The girl, Lisa, stared at them with wide eyes while her mother called the school from the landline in the hall. Lisbon gave her an encouraging smile, but Lisa cut her eyes away hastily at that point and avoided further eye contact.

Lisbon noticed a slight tremor in Mrs. Halprin's hands as she replaced the phone on its cradle and turned back to them. Mrs. Halprin wiped her palms nervously on her dress and gestured for them to precede her into the next room. "Please, come into the living room and take a seat."

The four of them trooped into the living room. Jane and Lisbon sat on the couch facing the wide fireplace. Mrs. Halprin took a seat in the chair opposite them. Lisa hovered at her mother's elbow uncertainly, her eyes downcast.

Mrs. Halprin patted her daughter's arm. "Lisa, honey, why don't you go on up to your room for a few minutes while I talk to these police officers?"

"Actually, Mrs. Halprin," Lisbon intervened. "I'd like Lisa to stay, if you don't mind. Normally I wouldn't ask, but she's part of the reason we're here."

Lisa cast her a frightened glance. Her fingers tightened on the arm of her mother's chair.

"All right," Mrs. Halprin said, blinking in surprise. "If you think it's important. What can we do for you today, officers?"

"Oh, I'm not an officer," Jane said, flashing his most charming smile at her. "Just a lowly consultant." He pointed at Lisbon. "And technically, she's an agent. Senior Agent in charge, actually."

"Apologies," Mrs. Halprin said. "I didn't mean to offend."

Lisbon suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at Jane's insistence on distracting key witnesses with trivial nonsense and stayed focused. "You didn't. We aren't here to stand on ceremony, Mrs. Halprin. We just want to ask you a few questions."

Mrs. Halprin licked her lips. "What about?"

"Blake Hoffman's murder," Jane said without preamble. "I assume you've heard about it on the news. Tell me, do you think your son could be a killer, Mrs. Halprin?"

Great, Lisbon thought, annoyed. Way to lead up to it gently, Jane. Of course, tact had never been Jane's strong point, so she really shouldn't be surprised anymore when he pulled crap like this.

Mrs. Halprin went sheet white, but Lisa's reaction interested Lisbon more. Her whole body recoiled. Her mouth parted and she stared at Jane in unrestrained horror.

"Why...?" Mrs. Halprin said faintly. She cleared her throat. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Mrs. Halprin," Lisbon said. "Were you aware that Justin and Blake got into an argument a few weeks ago?"

Mrs. Halprin stared at her. "The principal called and said Justin got into an argument with another boy at school. I don't think he mentioned the name. I asked Justin about it, but he dismissed it. He said the boy insulted him and he walked away, so what was the big deal?"

"The thing is, Mrs. Halprin," Jane said. "We're not so sure he was content to leave it at that. I'm sure you can see how it looks a bit odd that a boy your son argued with ended up dead only a few weeks after their argument."

"But—the police arrested the boy's father," Mrs. Halprin protested. "They said so on the news."

"Yes, we did," Jane acknowledged. "Hate to break it to you, but that was all a clever ploy to catch the real killer. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention that to Justin, however. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, you know. I'd prefer that we let him find that out in his own time."

"It… it can't be," Mrs. Halprin whispered. Lisa stared at Jane, riveted.

"This could be resolved very easily, Mrs. Halprin," Lisbon interjected. "Justin told us he was home with Lisa the night of Blake Hoffman's murder. Is that true?"

Some of the color returned to Mrs. Halprin's face. "Yes. That's true. I asked him to stay home with her that night."

"But you weren't here yourself?" Lisbon double checked.

Mrs. Halprin twisted her hands in her lap. "No, I… I was out with a friend."

"Ah," Jane said. "That wouldn't happen to be a neighbor, would it?"

Mrs. Halprin raised her chin, two spots of color high on her cheekbones. "Yes. That's right."

"What about your husband?" Lisbon said, trying to keep them on course.

"He's away on business," Mrs. Halprin answered. "He travels quite a bit for work, you see."

"Hm," Jane said.

Lisbon ignored him and looked at the girl. "Is that true, Lisa?" she asked. "Was your brother home with you three nights ago?"

Lisa didn't meet her eyes. She glanced at her mother, then looked at the ground. "Yes," she whispered.

Mrs. Halprin relaxed. "There, you see? He couldn't have done it. He was here the whole time."

Lisbon kept her eyes on Lisa. "What did you and Justin do that night, Lisa?"

Lisa hesitated. "We watched a movie."

"What time did the movie end?" Lisbon asked her.

Again, Lisa hesitated. "Eleven," she said finally.

Her mother frowned. "That's awfully late for a school night."

Lisa didn't budge. "Justin always lets me stay up late when you're not home."

"He really shouldn't do that," Mrs. Halprin said weakly.

"You're sure Justin didn't leave the house that night?" Lisbon asked Lisa.

Lisa's eyes flickered with uncertainty. She drew a deep breath, seeming to make up her mind. "I'm sure," she said stoutly.

"Did Justin let you pick the movie?" Jane asked suddenly.

Lisa looked at him, startled. "No," she said after a moment's consideration. Her mouth turned downward. "Justin never lets me pick the movie."

"What movie did you watch?" Jane asked.

Again, a hesitation. "Some action movie," she said finally. "I don't remember the name."

"I see," Jane said cryptically. He stood abruptly. "Mrs. Halprin, do you mind if I look around for a few minutes?"

"I suppose not," Mrs. Halrpin said, taken aback.

"Excellent." Jane excused himself, leaving Lisbon alone with the two Halprin women.

"Mrs. Halprin, I know this is difficult," Lisbon said. "But has Justin ever exhibited any signs of violent behavior in the past?"

Lisa sucked in a soft breath and looked at her mother sharply.

Mrs. Halprin glanced at her daughter. "Lisa, honey," she said, putting her hand on the girl's arm. "Run and get mommy her pills, won't you?"

Lisa reluctantly obeyed, casting an unreadable look over her shoulder at her mother as she left the room.

Mrs. Halprin attempted a smile. "I'm sorry, Agent Lisbon. You were saying?"

"I was asking if you've ever noticed Justin exhibit signs of violent behavior before," Lisbon repeated patiently.

Mrs. Halprin looked down at her hands in her lap. "We used to have trouble with him sometimes. When he was younger."

"Trouble?" Lisbon prompted.

"The neighbors used to complain…" Mrs. Halprin faltered. "In our old neighborhood, people used to find dead animals on their porches sometimes. Pets, or stray birds and squirrels, that sort of thing. People said…" she swallowed. "There were rumors. A couple people accused Justin. There was never any proof," she hastened to add. "Just… rumors."

"Go on," Lisbon said.

Mrs. Halprin took a deep breath. "We never had any trouble with that sort of thing after we moved here. I thought…" She trailed off. "I thought the rumors must have been wrong. I was so relieved."

"Mrs. Halprin," Lisbon said, suspicion dawning. "Did you and your husband's decision to move here have something to do with those rumors?"

"Ethan didn't like it," Mrs. Halprin whispered. "But I begged and begged him. Eventually, he gave in." She looked off into the distance. "We moved here when Justin was ten. For a while, after we moved here, things were better."

Lisbon sensed there was more to the story. "But things changed again, didn't they?"

"Yes," Mrs. Halprin said, still staring off into the distance. "When he was in junior high, we got complaints from some of the other parents. They claimed Justin was bullying their children. Not physically," she said quickly. "But they said he tormented them all the same. Only they could never prove anything." She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. We spoke to him, but he always insisted he hadn't done anything. My husband arranged for him to be switched to a new school district after he finished eighth grade." She smiled tiredly. "My husband is a very influential man, you see."

Lisbon wondered about that. A man used to getting what he wanted, no matter the obstacles? Perhaps the apple didn't fall far from the tree on that point. "I take it you haven't had any other complaints since Justin started high school."

"That's right," Mrs. Halprin said. "So you see, I thought even if Justin had done those things people said he'd done… well, that he'd put it all behind him."

Or he just got better at hiding it, Lisbon thought to herself. Somehow, that seemed far more likely.

She thought about Lisa's frightened face. Her suspicions took an even darker turn. "Mrs. Halprin, does Justin stay home alone with Lisa very often?"

Mrs. Halprin flushed. "Not often, no. Occasionally."

"When you have plans with your friend," Lisbon filled in.

"Yes, I—" Mrs. Halprin's neck turned splotchy. "Well, they're old enough to look after themselves, aren't they?"

Lisbon didn't let it go. "About how often would you say you meet up with this… friend of yours?"

Mrs. Halprin looked down at her hands again. "You have to understand. Ethan's very rarely home. And Greg—he's a good man. He loves me. And I love him."

Lisbon sat back. "I don't understand," she said bluntly. "Why don't you just leave him, if you're in love with someone else?"

Mrs. Halprin avoided her eyes and didn't answer.

Realization dawned. "It's because of Justin, isn't it?" Lisbon said, horrified. "You know this other man loves you, but you're afraid he wouldn't accept Justin if he knew what he was really like."

Mrs. Halprin twisted her hands in her lap again and but offered no other response.

Lisa came back in then with a bottle of pills and a glass of water. She shook two pills out of the amber bottle and handed them to her mother. Mrs. Halprin murmured her thanks and accepted the pills and the water. Her hands shook as she raised them to her lips. When Lisa set the pill bottle on the coffee table, Lisbon noted the label indicated a prescription for anti-anxiety medication.

"Thank you, baby," Mrs. Halprin said softly, patting her daughter on the shoulder.

"Lisa," Lisbon began, determined to get to the bottom of what was now worrying her even more than capturing Blake Hoffman's murderer. Jane's voice calling her from upstairs interrupted her before she could finish her thought, however.

"Lisbon!"

The tone was urgent enough to drive Lisbon to her feet. She followed the sound of Jane's voice up the stairs and found him in the back bedroom.

"What've you got?" she asked him, looking around. There wasn't much to see. A plain gray and blue comforter on the bed. A fantastical poster of a creature that appeared to be half cat, half large-breasted woman. Blood dripped from the creature's bared fangs as she dined on a fresh kill. Lisbon looked away from it and saw evidence of various video game paraphernalia and a few graphic novels strewn about.

Jane tapped the laptop on the desk. It was a higher end model. A large sticker of a skull with a snake coming out of one eye made a jarring contrast to the otherwise sleek, modern design. "I found the mother lode," he announced.

"You looked at his laptop?" Lisbon said, exasperated.

"I looked at everything but his laptop," Jane corrected her. "There's nothing suspicious anywhere else in the room. No hidden floorboards, no false-bottomed drawers, nada. Therefore, all the evidence must be on the laptop."

"You do realize that to a sane person, that might be an indication that there might not actually be any evidence to find," Lisbon said, but her heart wasn't really in it. She had a strong suspicion that Jane was right about this.

Mrs. Halprin and Lisa trailed into the room after them, watching them warily.

Jane picked up the laptop. "Mrs. Halprin, just the woman we wanted to see. Do you mind if we borrow this for a couple of days?"

"He won't like it," Lisa said, her eyes round with fear.

"I don't know," Mrs. Halprin said worriedly. "You should really ask Justin…"

Lisbon knew there was no way in hell Justin would willingly part with such a potentially damning source of evidence. "Mrs. Halprin," she said firmly. "Justin is a minor. As his legal guardian, yours is the consent we need."

"Very well," Mrs. Halprin said reluctantly. Lisa swallowed and clenched the doorframe, her eyes not leaving the laptop.

"Thank you." Jane tucked the laptop under his arm.

Lisbon glanced at Lisa, then caught Jane's eye. He picked up the thread smoothly. "Mrs. Halprin," he said, ushering her out of the room. "I don't suppose I could trouble you for a cup of tea?"

Lisbon and Lisa followed.

"Lisa," Lisbon said in a low voice when they were back out in the hall. "I need to ask you something else about your brother."

Lisa started to shake. "No," she said pleadingly. "Don't."

Lisbon looked at her. She thought of those long years spending every waking moment desperately trying to prevent anyone from ever asking a similar question about her father. She'd known that if anyone ever found out the truth, she wouldn't have a prayer of keeping her brothers together under her care—they'd have been shipped off to foster care for sure. Something she lived in dread of every damn day until her eighteenth birthday. "Very well," she said slowly. "I won't ask."

Lisa nearly wept with relief. "Thank you."

"But I am going to tell you what I think," Lisbon said firmly. This was different. She and her brothers had had each other—from the looks of it, Lisa didn't have anyone in her corner. She was living her particular brand of hell all alone.

Lisa looked like she was going to be sick. "Okay," she choked out.

"I think your brother has been hurting you," Lisbon said quietly. "I think he's been hurting you for a long time."

Lisa's shuddering breath was all the answer Lisbon needed to know she was right. Her heart sank. "Did you ever tell anyone?" she asked softly.

Lisa trembled from head to foot. "I can't…" She cast a frightened look at Justin's bedroom door. "Not here."

She led Lisbon down the hall to a smaller, brighter room papered in pink and yellow roses.

Once inside the room, Lisbon looked at Lisa intently. "How long?"

An eternity of silence. Then Lisa spoke in a very small voice. "Three years. He always…but that was just little things. Not—not like this."

Lisbon felt sick to her stomach. "And you never told anyone? Your mom, maybe?"

Lisa gave a hollow, bitter laugh that made her sound much older than her twelve years. "My mom can't even take care of herself, let alone anyone else."

Lisbon searched her face. "There was no one else you felt you could confide in?"

Lisa looked away. "He said… he said he'd kill me if I told anyone." She started to shake again. "Now I know for sure he meant it. He'll carve me up just like he did to—"

She broke off and pressed her lips tightly together.

Lisbon leaned forward. "To who? Blake Hoffman?"

"No," Lisa said, shaking her head. "To the rat."

Lisbon's gut twisted. "What rat?"

"I told him I was going to tell, once. He didn't like that. That night, he told me he had a present for me. He gave me a shoebox. Told me to open it. When I did, there was a rat inside, all cut into pieces." Lisa's voice sounded as though it were coming from very far away. "That's what he said he'd do to me if I told."

Lisbon stared at her, horrified. "What exactly did he do to you?"

Lisa shook her head, her eyes still wide and frightened.

"Lisa," Lisbon said gently. "Tell me. I might be able to help."

Lisa looked at her, measuring. Lisbon saw the battle wage behind her eyes as she weighed the chance of rescue against the dire consequences of her brother somehow learning of her betrayal.

"You've been carrying this alone for too long," Lisbon said softly. "Let me help you."

A heavy silence followed. Then Lisa slowly went to the door and locked it, hands trembling. She turned back to Lisbon and gestured to the bed. "Sit."

Taken aback, Lisbon obeyed. She sat gingerly on the flowered comforter at the foot of the bed.

Shoulders stooped as though she were about to face the executioner's axe, Lisa walked over to Lisbon. Eyes downcast, she hooked two fingers in the waistband of her jeans and dipped the fabric down to expose one bony hip.

A fine cross-hatching of scars covered a patch of skin roughly three inches square.

"My God," Lisbon said, sickened. "He cuts you?"

"He uses a razor blade," Lisa said, voice wooden.

Lisbon's fingers ghosted over the pale scars. She sucked in a sharp breath and let her hands fall to her sides. "I've got to get you out of this house."

She fumbled for her cell phone. She definitely had at least one contact from Child Protective Services in there, she was sure of it—

"No!" Lisa seized her hands, her eyes wild and desperate. "You can't tell anyone."

Lisbon abandoned the search for her phone and squeezed Lisa's hands back. "Lisa, I have to. I'm legally obligated to report this to Child Protective Services. We have to get you out of an unsafe situation."

Lisa shook her head vigorously. "No. You can't. If he finds out I told on him, he'll kill me."

"We can get you into protective custody, make sure your whereabouts are hidden."

Lisa wrung her hands. "You don't know him. He's good at computers—really good. He'd find me somehow. You have to arrest him. If you arrest him for killing that boy, then I'd be safe. He'd be in jail. He'd never have to know I said anything."

Lisbon looked at her keenly. She voiced the obvious. "He wasn't home with you that night, was he?"

Lisa bit her lip and said nothing.

"Lisa, if you help us prove he gave a false alibi, that will be the first step for us to build the case against him."

Lisa shook her head. "You have to find something else."

Lisbon tried the opposite tack. "How am I supposed to arrest him if you back up his story that he was home with you?"

"He can't know I was the one who told you," Lisa said stubbornly. "There has to be something else."

"Okay, forget the alibi. It's going to take time to build the murder case. At the moment, we don't have any hard evidence linking him to the murder. We need to get you out of here right away. If you tell CPS what he's been doing to you, they can relocate you immediately."

"I can wait," Lisa insisted. "I've been dealing with it this long, haven't I?"

Lisbon shook her head. "I can't let you stay here. I'm sorry. I have to report this."

Lisa stuck her chin out. "I'll say it isn't true. I'll tell them he was here with me that night."

"Don't lie for him because you're scared of what he might do to you. We can keep you safe."

Lisa rubbed her hip absently in a movement Lisbon suspected was more of a nervous habitp rather than a conscious bid to draw attention to it. "As long as he's free," she said seriously, "I'll never be safe."

Lisbon begged and pleaded with her to see reason, but Lisa didn't budge. She flatly refused to retract her statement that Justin had been home with her the night of the murder and insisted she would lie to CPS if they initiated an investigation into any allegations of her brother's abuse.

Lisbon closed her eyes. It went against every fiber of her being to walk out of this house and leave this girl to fend for herself against a manipulative and sadistic personality. On the other hand, what were her real options here?

Legally, there was no question about what she should do. According to the law, she was bound to report any suspected abuse to CPS. But was that the right thing to do, given the circumstances?

Lisbon clutched the cross and ring around her neck. She thought of Jane. If he caught her dithering over how to proceed on this, he would roll his eyes and tell her to stop worrying about following the letter of the law and do whatever was necessary to achieve her goal. He would probably follow that up with a convoluted scheme involving kidnap, false identities, and a healthy dose of hypnotism along the way, but still, the point stood. Jane's insane plans notwithstanding, he was often infuriatingly right about things like this. She couldn't afford to be blinkered by protocol when a girl's life was at stake.

Okay. Forget the law. What was the best way of keeping Lisa safe?

If she reported suspected abuse, CPS would investigate, but they were unlikely to get very far if Lisa refused to cooperate. They might uncover something in the end, but what if it took weeks or months to get to that point? If Justin found out about the investigation in the meantime, he very well might lash out at Lisa the moment the investigators turned their backs.

Lisa seemed to think that as long as Justin didn't suspect her of ratting him out, he wouldn't come after her with any more malicious intent than he had demonstrated towards her so far. He might cut her again, but wouldn't kill. But if he had killed Blake Hoffman, that meant his propensity for violence had escalated. Having a taste of the power of taking human life, would he then thirst for more? And if he did, was it likely that he would turn his sights on his sister as a convenient object for his next target?

Lisbon considered her options. If she went with the Jane school of thought, she would drag Lisa out of this house and not look back. Lisa would be safe, but she, Lisbon, would probably be brought up on kidnapping charges, and other lives would be at risk because Blake Hoffman's murderer would be free to kill again. The second option was to be a good little CBI agent and report what Lisa had told her to CPS. Though on the surface this seemed the most logical course of action, Lisbon feared an investigation would serve as a catalyst to refocus Justin's violent rage on his sister.

The third and least appealing option was to do nothing. To do as Lisa asked and remain silent on the abuse charge while the team gathered evidence for the murder case. If they found evidence Justin had killed Blake Hoffman, they would arrest him and he would have no further opportunities to hurt Lisa or anyone else.

The trouble with the third option was that it assumed Lisa's prediction of her brother's behavior was accurate. She probably knew her brother better than anyone on the planet, so that gave her argument some credence. Still, she was young. She had been subjected to unspeakable abuse. Could her judgment on this point be trusted?

At the end of the day, each available option was a gamble. The question was, which of the three undesirable courses of action exposed Lisa and other innocent lives to the least risk?

As much as she hated the idea, Lisbon reluctantly acknowledged to herself that in the end, the third option seemed most likely to fit the bill. If they were right about Justin—and by this point, she was almost certain they were—then taking him out of the equation was the best way of ensuring the safety of Lisa and any other potential future victims. If they could just close the case quickly, then justice would be served and innocent lives would be protected.

She opened her eyes.

Lisa peered down at her, eyes wide with concern. "Agent Lisbon? Are you all right?"

Lisbon ignored the question. "Lisa," she asked, squeezing her hands again. "Do you have a cell phone?"

Lisa looked taken aback by the question. "No. My dad thinks I'm too young."

"Okay. I'm going to have my friend find one for you and make sure that you get it, all right? I want you to keep it with you at all times. And if at any point, Justin gives you some indication that he plans to hurt you, I want you to get out of the house and call me immediately." She gave Lisa the number and bade her to memorize it. She made her repeat it back to her until she was certain she had it down cold. "Good. If you call me at that number, I will come get you no matter where you are, okay? If you're in immediate danger, you're to call 911. Understood?"

Lisa looked at her sharply. "Does that mean you'll keep my secret?"

Lisbon's mouth turned downwards. "For now. I'm going to have my team work on finding out if your brother killed Blake Hoffman. If we can find something in the next few days, then hopefully this will all be over. But if we don't find something soon, I'm going to have to call Child Protective Services and see what we can do to get you out of here."

A spark of hope flickered in Lisa's eyes. Lisbon had the feeling this was the first time in quite some time that Lisa had permitted herself that luxury. She gripped Lisbon's hands. "Thank you."

When they went downstairs, they found Jane chattering away to a bemused Mrs. Halprin in the kitchen over a cup of tea. Lisbon wasn't sure what he saw in her face when she entered the room, but it must have been something close to the truth, because he frowned and set down his teacup immediately.

He smoothed his expression into his most charming smile and turned back to Mrs. Halprin. "Thank you so much for all your assistance today, Mrs. Halprin. And for a truly excellent cup of tea. But we really mustn't trespass on your time any longer. You need to take Lisa to school now, of course."

"Of course," Mrs. Halprin echoed, looking uncertain.

Jane met Lisa's eyes. "Take care of yourself, Lisa."

She jerked her head upward in acknowledgment but otherwise made no reply.

Lisbon met Jane's gaze, then flicked her eyes to Mrs. Halprin. Jane picked up the cue, because he stood and tucked the laptop under his arm once again. "Come, Lisa," he said gallantly. "Allow me to escort you to your car."

Lisa shot him a look but followed his indication to precede him through the doorway.

Mrs. Halprin made to follow them, but Lisbon caught her arm.

"Mrs. Halprin," Lisbon said grimly. "I don't know what we're going to find on that laptop. But until we know for sure what happened, you are not to allow your son to be alone with Lisa under any circumstances. Do you understand me?"

Mrs. Halprin looked down at Lisbon's hand on her arm in surprise, then raised her eyes to meet Lisbon's gaze. Startled by the ferocity in Lisbon's eyes, her mouth parted softly and she nodded mutely.

Lisbon released her and went to find Jane.