Title: Charlotte's Web (Chapter Fourteen) by Lexikal
Rating: M for graphic violence and language
Fandom: The Mentalist
Summary: Patrick Jane has lived his life obsessed with the capture of Red John ever since finding his beloved wife and daughter slain by the maniac's hand. Now, 10 years to the day after that horrific night, a young woman appears in Patrick's life, someone who threatens to destroy everything his life has become in the interim... if not his sanity, itself.
Author's Note: Hopefully I will have slightly more time to write for the next few weeks (or possibly months). I love reviews, please keep them coming! You guys are awesome! My sister told me some people are disappointed in the show right now. I am sorry to hear that. My story will not be entirely canon, obviously, and I have decided not to get so hung up on tiny details and just write and post more often. Can you please let me know what parts of this story and sentences you really like and enjoy, and what parts lagged or started to bore you? Thanks so much. Your reviews help me become a better writer, and really, isn't that what writing is all about?
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history."- Mahatma Gandhi
"Wise are they who have learned these truths: Trouble is temporary. Time is tonic. Tribulation is a test tube." - William Arthur Ward
"We fear violence less than our own feelings. Personal, private, solitary pain is more terrifying than what anyone else can inflict." - Jim Morrison
Friday, November 2, 2013 6:48 P.M. P.S.T.
After hearing the news report, Lisbon had zeroed in on the road in front of her and blocked out her own thoughts and worries. She had a mission to fulfill, a job with strictly defined parameters and thinking or worrying would not help any of them at this point. Charlotte, for her part, left the towel over her head for going on two hours before pulling it off and when she did, her face looked doughy and her eyes struck Lisbon as looking a bit swollen, but the agent was certain she hadn't heard any crying. Charlotte caught Lisbon watching her and gave the woman an awkward, hopeless smile, and Lisbon smiled back, a smile she hoped was at least somewhat hopeful.
Jane, in the passenger seat, was almost eerily still and silent, not even stirring or mumbling or shifting in his sleep. Lisbon was used to seeing Jane asleep or at rest- Hell, he certainly took enough little naps on his couch! But his current sleep seemed deeper and more profound, the sleep of someone trying to grab as much rest as possible, sucking up the sleep at a cellular level... Once again, Lisbon was reminded of a computer that had simply shut off, and the thought brought a wan smile to her lips. For Jane to sleep so deeply in this situation implied that he trusted her deeply. She was glad she could be there for him, help him like this during this most momentous of life challenges, even if the idea of being stripped of her command as a field agent and a leader was scratching around in the back recesses of her mind like a panicked beast, trying to break free...
The sky above them was a washed out blue with hints of gray and dusty, scattered clouds that jittered across the expanse of said blue nervously, desolately. These were the gray and brown products of smog and cars and city life mixing with atmospheric moisture, and none of them were long for this world. The land itself was mostly flat with soft hilly regions, orange-brown earth full of iron and quartz, scraggy little bushes sucking up whatever moisture they could in what was really desert land, expensive homes dotting the landscape and glinting white light in the late day sun. These were what Lisbon mentally thought of as "Tex Mex" homes- salmon pink stucco, terracotta shingles, faux Mexican styling and some Greco-Roman columns thrown in here and there by confused architects.
These cultural hybrids were broken up by expansive, ultra-modern cedar and glass manors starting at at least a million greenbacks surrounded by expensive landscaping (honeysuckle, yellow balls of forsythia, American holly, Andorra juniper, gray-green plumes of spiny Greek juniper and blurred mystery plants that Lisbon couldn't name). They shot over the highway and the world rushed by and shot into the past in a steady 60 mph blur. The sky was starting to get paler and dimmer as they passed through Los Angeles, just after four in the afternoon, and Lisbon caught Charlotte watching the rushing landscape with a look of lost yearning in her eyes.
Thirty minutes after they had left LA's shadow, Lisbon heard rustling and crackling and knew that the teenager in the back seat was ripping open one of the chocolate bars she had picked up for them at Walmart the day before. Out of the corner of her eye Lisbon saw the teen ball the foil wrapper in her hand and toss it on the floor dispassionately and despite the gravity of the situation she found herself grinning at the similarities between Jane and his kid, at the way they both had of making themselves at home in almost any situation.
And now, at 6:48 in the evening, they were just approaching San Diego when Jane slit his eyes open like a lizard in the sun and blinked over at her. Lisbon turned her head to him instinctively, and grinned.
"We at San Diego?" Jane murmured, still half asleep, his words still warm and soft with dreams.
"We're almost exactly at San Diego. How did you do that?"
Jane smiled lazily and sat up in the passenger seat. Lisbon caught him wipe at his eyes. He blinked a few more times (system recalibrating?) and seemed to come fully back to reality. Immediately, as if remembering where he was and what was going on, he turned in his seat, not anxiously, but... but with a slight undercurrent of unease. Charlotte, of course, was still in the back seat and still very much alive, even though her own eyes were heavy with boredom and fatigue. She caught her father watching her and gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment but made no move to remove her earbuds.
"You hungry?" Jane said, turning back to Lisbon. "I think we should eat something."
"There are sandwiches in the trunk-" Lisbon began, and Jane made a face and motioned with his hand for her to stop talking.
"Nah, nah, nah. Those have got to be going bad in the trunk. Too hot. How about drive thru?"
Lisbon raised an eyebrow at him skeptically. In all honesty she wasn't hungry at all. The thought of meeting up with Red John had a way of zapping her hunger. Not to mention that she still had no idea how they were going to get across the border. She assumed Jane had a plan, but would that plan change when she told him that their disappearance had been publicly noted and mentioned on, at the very least, LA's home of classic rock?
There was no time like the present to tell him, anyway.
"Jane, on the radio..." Lisbon began, careful with her words, but he simply smiled and nodded.
"We made the radio."
"Yes," Lisbon said, worry etching into her voice. She hadn't really known how Jane would react. True, he could be unnervingly cavalier in even the most stressful situations, but this situation was unique and stressful in ways that Lisbon couldn't even begin to process.
"Nothing changes. Even if we hadn't been mentioned on the radio, you can be certain the border authorities would have been alerted about our... situation."
"Nothing changes? So you have a plan then?" Lisbon said evenly, a bit more tensely than she had aimed for.
"Plans. Not plan. One plan alone is useless. No. You need plans. Multiple. Backup plans, contingency plans, rainy day plans..."
"You have a series of plans, then?" Lisbon clarified a bit testily. She was used to his playful banter, but her nerves were worn rawer than she cared to admit. The childish grin on Jane's face broke up a bit, and Lisbon felt a small stab of guilt. He was trying to remain calm, no doubt, finding comfort in the familiar and who was she to grouch at him? She sighed. When she looked back at Jane she could see his eyes focused on her like lasers, analyzing her.
"It's going to be okay, Lisbon," he said, a bit too softly for comfort. His patient, gentle assurance bothered her. She wanted to tell him there was no way to know for sure that "it" was going to be "okay". She wanted to tell him that she was scared almost to the point of puking and that this whole thing was terrifying the living daylights out of her and why couldn't they just get the team involved and go into witness protection or something and not be doing this? She wanted to tell him all of that, but she already knew why they were going after Red John and how useless witness protection would be when it came to trying to keep anybody safe from this particular boogie man. She knew why they were going through this, she knew they hadn't any choice, but she still wanted out.
And she knew, instantly, that Jane knew how she felt, because he felt the same way. She could see his love and empathy for her in his eyes, the undercurrent of fear (almost despair), the niggling panic bobbing around in his own subconscious, looking for any cracks in his own armour... She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"It will be okay," Jane said again, a bit more emphatically. He needed to believe that as much as she did. She finally nodded. She didn't know what else to do, and wasn't convinced, but she knew that, terrified or not, there was no other place she could be in this situation than where she was. With Jane. With Jane and his bizarre daughter.
They were now inside San Diego, still on the interstate but the fast food signs (already lit up for the night) were starting to pop up. She caught Wendy's, McDonald's, Jack in the Box. Arby's, Burger King...
Jane turned around and motioned for Charlotte to take her earbuds out. Lisbon heard a typical annoyed teenage sigh and then, Charlotte's deep, slightly gravelly voice. "Hmmmm?"
"We're going to get some food. Where do you want to eat?"
"Not hungry, Patrick."
"You're not hungry?: Lisbon's not hungry, either," Jane murmured softly, as if he was puzzled.
"Do you blame her?" Charlotte said, a tad tetchily.
"We need to eat regularly," Jane responded calmly, in full father mode now. Patient, but in charge. "We all need to eat something."
"I'll eat if it will make you happy," Charlotte said somewhat sarcastically and Lisbon caught the sudden huge grin on Jane's face from the corner of her eye.
"Yes, it would make me exceedingly happy for you to have some fast food. Now, decide quickly, or we'll all got stuck at some place without a health license..."
Lisbon heard a bark of laughter from the teenager.
"Taco Bell," Charlotte said.
"Taco Bell? Really? We're a stone's throw from Mexico and you want to go to Taco Bell?"
"Taco Bell," Charlotte said again, this time with more emphasis.
Jane turned back to Lisbon. "Did you hear? Charlotte wants to go to Taco Bell?"
"Mmm hmmm. I heard," Lisbon said, scanning the horizon for any sign of a Taco Bell. 10 minutes later, she found one and pulled the car into the drive thru.
"I want a large Mountain Dew Baja Blast freeze, a caramel apple empanada and a churro," Charlotte said when it came time to order.
"Really? That's a lot of sugar," Jane said thoughtfully, as if the fact might have escaped Charlotte. Lisbon shot him a look.
"That's what I want," Charlotte reiterated stubbornly.
"What about a taco or a chalupa in addition to your assortment of sugary snacks?" Jane coaxed pleasantly. Lisbon rolled her eyes. This was all well and cute but there were three cars behind them.
"Jane, we're in the drive thru..." Lisbon began but Jane made some movement with his hand which apparently indicated he wanted Lisbon to be quiet.
"I want the caramel apple empanada, the churro and the large Mountain Dew Baja Blast," Charlotte said again, and even Lisbon could hear the grin in her voice. Like father, like daughter...
"I am going to order you one of those Doritos tacos, too, then," Jane said simply. "You need to balance that sugar out with something."
"No, I don't."
"Cool Ranch?" Jane suggested, ignoring the petulant little protest.
:"No. I don't like cool ranch. I'd much prefer the nacho cheese locos taco supreme over the cool ranch. If I have no choice in the matter."
Lisbon hid her smile in her hand and tried very hard not to laugh.
"Okay, so you'll have the nacho cheese locos tacos supreme, the churro and a medium mountain dew baja blast freeze?" Jane asked sweetly.
Lisbon heard Charlotte suck in breath and huff out a long sigh.
"If I only get one dessert, I want the caramel apple empanada," Charlotte said sulkily and Jane smiled and nodded and leaned over to call out the window.
"Hi! Yeah, we'll have one nacho cheese locos taco supreme, one medium mountain dew baja blast freeze, 1 caramel apple empanada, a large coffee with cream, a chalupa supreme... Lisbon?"
Lisbon just shook her head.
"And um... make that two chalupa supremes and two coffees with cream. You got all that?"
There was a moment of static and then a young voice read their order back to them. Jane smiled and nodded his head slightly.
"Yup, that's right!" he informed the tinny voice coming out of the speaker.
"Your total comes to 14.96, please pull up to the second window."
They ate in the parking lot, and then Charlotte decided she needed to use the restroom, so, despite her age, Jane went with her. All of them were on edge and Lisbon knew that if Jane could hide Charlotte away in a bulletproof room with all the amenities and an adjoining washroom until this whole mess was over, he would. Lisbon decided she needed a potty break, too, and went in after them.
Back in the parking lot, Lisbon handed Jane the keys.
"I need to find us a Target or a..." Jane trailed, thoughtfully, scanning the horizon.
"Why?" Charlotte demanded, already comfortable back in the backseat and slightly brighter eyed after her meal of fast food.
"Any place that sells disposable cell phones?" Jane asked.
"Target does. Walmart does. K-mart does..." Charlotte said knowingly, rattling off the names of big box stores on her fingers. Jane nodded and got into the driver's seat and within seconds they were back on the I-5. 8 minutes later Jane spotted a cluster of big box stores, a Best Buy predominantly amongst them, and pulled into the parking lot.
"Anybody need anything?" Jane said playfully.
"I want a large home theater system, an X-Box 360, all the South Parks on DVD and my own laptop and..." Charlotte began to rattle off, grinning. Jane grinned back at her and shut the driver's side door gently, walked over to the Best Buy. He was gone 14 minutes. He came back at the same slow, cavalier pace and handed his daughter a relatively large plastic bag. Inside was a portable Sony DVD player and what looked like at least 3 seasons of South Park on DVD, plus a handful of other DVDs (Lisbon spotted "Harry and the Hendersons", "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" and a collection of "80s Horror Classics!" amongst them and had the distinct impression that any movie he thought there was even a remote chance Charlotte might like, he'd dumped in the little plastic basket). Charlotte stared at the presents wide-eyed and then got a wry little smile on her face.
"This isn't a home theater system..." she trailed with faux disappointment, but the grin was thank you enough for Jane.
For a second, Lisbon wondered why Jane hadn't gone all out and purchased the teenager a laptop with a wireless internet subscription, since, clearly, he had no reservations about spending money on her. Then, immediately, she thought better of it. Charlotte online was a scary thought for Jane, with Red John out there. With so much information available, but also... they could be traced through the internet. If Charlotte had an email she had used with Red John, or a facebook page, anything... it was all too dangerous. It was easier to keep her safe if she was cut off from the dangers, Lisbon thought. Cut off from the world.
A second later, Lisbon heard a startled "Oooooh!"
"Look Lisbon! A Nintendo 3DS with Zelda... a link between worlds and... Luigi's Mansion and... Oh! Cool! Animal Crossing! I wanted to get this! Animal Crossing: New Leaf! Thanks, Patrick!"
Before Jane could say anything, there was the sound of plastic wrap being torn off of God-knew-what.
"Okay, everybody, I am going to need complete silence for this phone call, okay?" Jane said, tone still somewhat playful but under it was dead seriousness. Lisbon didn't need to be told and Charlotte was completely in her own world. Jane had his disposable phone out and turned it on, keyed in a number from a little calling card to load it, then dialed a number from memory and waited. The call picked up almost immediately.
"Rico? Yeah, hi, it's Patrick. Yeah... oh you did? That's nice, I do end up on the news a lot, you're right. Listen. Remember that money you owe me? Yeah, yeah, I know you're good for it. Well, no. I need the alternative package we set up. Yeah, you get it to me today, and I won't charge you the other 50 K Yes, I want the microwave, we're talking about 50, 000 dollars you're not paying back. Food? Yes, stock it up, you know, non-perishables, we might be on the road awhile. Well, if the fridge is working, some eggs and milk but... yeah, okay. A few dozen should be fine. Do your best. But it has to be today, and I need the trailer fully loaded. Yes. Everything, like we talked about. Where? Um... yeah, we're in San Diego right now. Yeah. Yeah, I know where that is. Chula Vista? Yeah. Okay, yeah. I can meet you there. The car?" Jane thought for a moment, looked over at Lisbon, then seemed to remember the make and model of the car he had just purchased. "It's a 2013 Toyota Camry. Pale blue. Yes, you'll get it too. If we get everything today, that's the deal, it's..." Jane glanced down at his watch. "8:16 right now and I want to try and get across the border early tomorrow morning. Yeah. Two and a half hours? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I guess that's okay. Yeah, okay. Yes, I'll be coming alone."
Jane disconnected the phone and hung up. He stared at the phone uneasily, like it was a snake he'd managed to charm into subservience. Finally seemed to come to some decision about it and got out of the car, walked over to a yellow metal trashcan near the parade of locked carts in the parking lot and threw the phone inside. He came back, a slight frown on his features.
"What is it?" Lisbon asked him when he was back in the car.
"Nothing. Just a bit jumpy, is all."
"What is all that talk about going alone to meet him?" Lisbon questioned.
"Safety procedure. Look. I am going to have to get rid of you guys for a few hours. I... this is something I should do alone. So, any ideas?"
"How about the San Diego zoo?" Charlotte said absently from the backseat. Lisbon could hear Paul Reuben's voice coming from the portable DVD player. Apparently the device had come pre-charged because it wasn't plugged into the car via the cigarette lighter port. Pee Wee was having breakfast...
"Charlie, it's already past 8 in the evening. I don't think the Zoo is going to be open... any other ideas?"
"How about Legoland?" Charlotte asked immediately. Apparently she had a long mental list of resort destinations she wanted to visit in the San Diego area. Jane smiled over at her patiently.
"It has to be some place that is actually open between the hours of 9 pm and, let's say... midnight. How about something like bowling? Just for an hour or two?"
"Do you know they have backstage passes at the San Diego zoo so you can see the animals up close? I want to see a gorilla up close, like Koko..."
"Is bowling okay?" Jane pressed. Finally, Charlotte nodded.
"Okay," Charlotte said, and turned back to Pee Wee.
Friday, November 2, 2013 8:43 P.M. P.S.T.
Jane had dropped them off at a well-lit bowling alley called "Miracle Lanes" which was, according to a glowing neon sign in the door, "open until 1 am every night!" He'd told Lisbon he'd be back around midnight, maybe later, probably earlier and she had nodded. Charlotte had carried her Nintendo 3DS with "Animal Crossing" inside with her and played it for a few more minutes before saving and shutting it down and putting it in her backpack.
Now, Lisbon found herself getting bowling shoes for herself and Patrick Jane's back-from-the-dead teenage daughter at quarter to nine at night. Tomorrow they'd be in Mexico, on their way to Hermosillo, and God only knew how the events of the next few hours or days would play themselves out. Lisbon didn't like to think about "what ifs" too much, not now. "What if" thinking- now, more than ever- was the enemy. She knew it could quickly get out of hand and paralyze her.
Charlotte had tiny feet and took a size 6 in womens. Lisbon herself was a size 8. They had just laced their shoes up and Lisbon had entered their names in the score board (made up, of course, Jane's no doubt legitimate paranoia was catching and Lisbon had entered her name as "Mrs. Tee", while Charlotte had, strangely enough, asked to be called "Chairy") when Charlotte announced: "I have no idea how to bowl."
"Well, you just have to knock the pins down with one of the balls," Lisbon told her.
"And if you knock all the pins down, it's called a strike?" Charlotte questioned.
"Yeah."
"And two strikes in a row is called a double? Or a Barney Rubble? And three strikes in a row is a turkey?"
"I thought you didn't know how to bowl," Lisbon said skeptically.
"And four strikes is a four bagger? Six strikes in a row is a six pack or a wild turkey? And nine strikes in a row is a golden turkey?"
"I... maybe," Lisbon said. She had no clue.
"You go three times in a row, right? For a frame? And a strike is worth 10 points? So the most you can score in a single frame is 30 points?"
"I... have you ever gone bowling before?" Lisbon questioned, smiling despite herself.
"I went bowling with Patrick when I was very little, but not... not since then."
"Oh. Well, I have only bowled a few times myself, so we're probably evenly matched," Lisbon said nonchalantly.
"You go first, Mrs. Tee," Charlotte said, and grinned.
Jane returned at 11:35 p.m. He entered, found his child and partner still bowling, both looking a bit tired, Charlotte with flushed cheeks and glazed eyes. She was drinking a grape slurpee in a super Big Gulp cup she had gotten from some local 7-11 and Lisbon was sitting on one of the benches, watching the teen with heavy but over-tired eyes.
Jane caught Charlotte's eyes and nodded. Lisbon looked relieved. Charlotte bowled and hit down the remaining 5 pins in that frame, came back over to the little table which was hosting Lisbon's second cup of bowling-alley-coffee and took a sip of her slurpee (now mostly dark purple liquid).
"You guys ready to go?" Jane asked rhetorically, but Charlotte shook her head no,
"Game isn't over. I'm winning, but the game is still not over. Lisbon might beat me yet!" This was followed with a lopsided smile. Lisbon snorted tiredly and shook her head.
"She won the other two games, and is beating me at game number three."
Jane looked up at the scoreboard and grinned.
"Come on, Charlie. Lisbon gives up. You win."
Charlotte looked over to Lisbon for confirmation and when the agent nodded, the girl looked a bit discouraged.
"But the game isn't over-"
"I know. But Lisbon is getting really tired," Jane said patiently. "And we have to get on the road. Find a place for the night."
"But if we leave now, we won't know what the final score is," Charlotte explained calmly, but she seemed uneasy.
"You don't like to leave things half-finished, do you?" Jane coaxed gently. The girl shook her head.
"It eats at me."
"This isn't an official game, though, okay? Just a wasting time exercise. If you like, you don't win, and Lisbon doesn't lose. It was practice. Not a game?"
Charlotte seemed to consider this. Looked over to Lisbon to make sure it was okay with her, too. Lisbon nodded a second time.
"Okay. I don't want to take credit for three games if I only technically won two. How about this one, we call it a draw? I won two and Lisbon and I, we tied on the third game?" Her words were earnest and a bit anxious, as if claiming a win she hadn't fully earned was a prospect that might induce nightmares. Lisbon nodded solemnly. Smiled.
"I can live with a draw. You could teach your Dad about fair sportsmanship," Lisbon said with a teasing grin and Charlotte shook her head to the left, to the right. A simple, silent no.
"No. It is Patrick... Patrick who taught me to be fair." This said in a small voice. Her eyes both fever bright and closing darted over to acknowledge her father's form. Jane's smile was genuine and a bit reserved, not his typical showman's grin. Lisbon smiled, touched, but Charlotte didn't seem to realize the effect she'd had on her father. She drained the last bit of her slurpee and motioned with her head to Lisbon's half-empty and cold cup of coffee.
"Do you want the rest of this?" Charlotte inquired tiredly.
Lisbon shook her head. The girl nodded, picked the cup up and gulped down the half-cup of coffee, before taking the coffee cup and the slurpee cup over to the trash bin and dumping them both inside.
"Okay? We good?" Patrick coaxed, obviously eager to get going. Charlotte nodded and together with Lisbon, followed him out to the street. In the parking lot of the bar down the street, there was a silver airstream trailer attached to the back of a 2003 GMC Sierra Denali pickup. Jane was grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Lisbon raised her eyebrows, impressed.
"Where is the Camry?" She asked, a slight smile on his face.
"Traded it. Had a guy that owed me..." Jane began, and let the sentence die for dramatic impact. Lisbon nodded. Charlotte wandered over to the airstream trailer.
"We're going to live in this? When we're down in Mexico?"
"Yes. Is that okay?" Jane asked, and to Lisbon he seemed a bit apprehensive but Charlotte merely scanned the airstream and turned to her father with a thumb's up sign.
"It's great, Patrick. Really."
This won a huge grin from Jane.
"Want to see inside?" Jane said, and he sounded like a little boy eager to show off a new toy. Charlotte nodded emphatically and Lisbon gave a slight nod. She was tired, much more tired than she "should" have felt given the amount of sleep she'd had. The apprehension was draining.
Jane pulled out a new keyring and pulled out a retractable step on the side of the airstream, then unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. Lisbon entered. There was the faint whirring of air conditioning. The trailer was brand new, and smelled new. The front, main room was 27 feet long with a flat-screen television attached to the wall, hooked up to a DVD player and what appeared to be a small satellite dish, as well as a small built-in digital radio and CD player unit. There were wood cabinets running along the walls near the ceiling with built in porthole lights for reading. There were toggle switches built into the walls that controlled the lights and air conditioning and Jane pointed out the monitor panel, which showed how much water was in the tanks, including the "gray" (dirty water used for washing dishes or running the kitchen tap) and "black" (water from the flushed toilets) tanks. The fresh water tank was, as could be expected, fully stocked with H2O. There was a large wardrobe cabinet built into the wall (looked like oak to Lisbon), drawers for clothes and supplies, padded light gray seats that folded out into beds running the length of the back 27-foot room, aside from a small dinette area which apparently also folded down into an extra bed. Jane pointed out the little closet area that housed the shower (and the 6 gallon water heater with electronic ignition), and directly across from it the little room with the toilet and sink with built in medicine cabinet and under-the-sink storage (Jane opened it, revealing a stockpile of Charmin toilet paper). In the second, smaller room of the airstream there was a range with a 3 burner cook-top (which ran off propane when on the road or off the 110 AC hookup when hooked up to a proper camping site), a pneumatic refrigerator (also capable of running off both propane and electricity, Jane showed them a panel showing that the fridge was currently set to "autogas", meaning it was currently running off propane), more reading lights embedded in the walls and a small area meant to serve as a patio when the front trailer door was opened. All around the airstream trailer were curved, reinforced tinted glass windows and along the windows ran beige curtains (all pulled over the glass to keep the night out) and cream venetian blinds.
"Wow," Charlotte drawled, looking around. She walked over to the gray padded bench directly across from the television and sat down with her backpack.
"All our stuff from the car?"
"Right here," Jane said, and began opening the overhead compartments and a few of the under-the-bench compartments, pointing out their luggage bags. Charlotte's camo luggage bags, her video games and candy bars were all in the storage compartment underneath the bench on which she had claimed as "hers".
"There is food in the fridge and freezer. In the cupboards too."
"You did all this in two hours?" Lisbon asked, a bit overwhelmed.
"It's amazing how fast things can materialize when you let someone off the hook for 50,000 dollars," Jane said imperially, with a wave of his hand. As if 50 K were chump change. Lisbon shook her head disbelievingly. She had never asked Jane how much money he really had, had never wanted to know. It had never been important. But 50,000 dollars? She blinked, stunned.
"Charlie? Your bedding is here, okay?" Jane said, pointing out a folded cube of duvets and blankets and pillows next to her camo bag and bag of chocolate bars (which seemed to have spawned some babies in the last two hours). The blankets looked to be from Ikea and had some juvenile cartoon owl-at-night theme reminiscent of Garth Williams' illustrations of the 50s and 60s, and Charlotte stared at them for a long second, slightly dazed. Blinked hard and looked at her father with almost wounded eyes.
"That okay? I know it's a bit juvenile, but we can get you stuff you pick out yourself later..." Jane trailed.
"I don't like owls," Charlotte said, almost angrily, and scowled at the bedding. Jane glanced over at Lisbon, who was watching the teen warily. Jane nodded, as if the reaction was completely normal and pushed the duvet set aside, pulled out a shell pink blanket and a dark green sleeping bag.
"This okay?"
Charlotte nodded, came and took the sleeping bag and put it on the padded bench below the TV. Then she removed her green camo luggage bag and one of the pillows from the storage cabinet (it was pale blue but luckily there were no evil owls on it) and, scowling, closed the little oak door with a suspicious glare at the bedding.
"Why did you get owls?" She queried, eyes bright and dilated, the eyes of a creature that has been tricked and is trying to decide if it should run away. Her young features were tight and the flush on her cheeks was brighter.
"I didn't get them. A friend did." Jane's words were soft and calm, but Lisbon knew him well and knew he was upset for his daughter.
:"A friend? Who?!" She turned to look at Lisbon, wary now, as if Lisbon might not be who she seemed.
"Charlotte? What's the matter?" Jane asked carefully, his voice calm and gentle.
"Those owls are not a coincidence..." Her voice was soft. She blinked, hard. "Who is this friend who procured them for me?"
"Someone who owned me some money. His name is Rico," Jane said softly, glancing at Lisbon, a bit uneasy himself now. "But he didn't know they were for you."
"We should throw it out. Throw it away. It's no good."
"Will you tell me what the matter is?" Jane said kindly.
"I...I... no. I can't tell you. Can we throw the owls away?"
" course," Jane said, and removed the duvet, unzipped it and yanked off the offending bedding. He balled it up. Took the duvet and two pillow cases with owls imprinted on them and walked them out of the trailer. Charlotte went to the open trailer door and watched him with large, wary eyes. Her father located a trash can down the street and pushed the bedding into the trash, down and out of sight and came back. Smiled at her gently, a smile he hoped wasn't patronizing or belittling, only reasurring.
"You swear you didn't get the owls?"
"No. I... I have been hunting Red John for many years that. You might know that?"
"Yes," Charlotte allowed. She was still standing, and Jane noticed that her hands were pulling at the fabric of the green hooded sweatshirt she was wearing somewhat anxiously. He pretended not to notice.
"Well, I have suspected for a while now that Red John might not be sticking solely to US soil and I wanted to make sure I could continue to track him, even if it meant I had to go over the border on short notice. Perhaps for an extended period of time. So I set this plan up, this trailer and this truck. As a safety net sort of plan."
"And... and the owl bedding?"
"I think it's just a popular print," Jane said tolerantly. "I think it's from Pottery Barn or Ikea or some such outlet."
"But it's not for you?" Charlotte coaxed. "He wouldn't get owl bedding for a grown man..."
"No. The guy who got me this trailer... well, a lot of this stuff, he got on short notice. Within an hour kind of thing. I told him I needed bedding and supplies for 2 adults and one youth for several weeks. So... this is what he got. Nothing more sinister than that. Just a coincidence. I promise."
"I... okay. Are you..." Charlotte seemed unable to find the right words.
"What is it? You can tell me," Jane said calmly. He already had a fairly good idea. Charlotte shook her head, as if clearing away a bad dream.
"What if he works for Red John? What if this trailer is bugged? Or there is a bomb in it?" Her features lit up with anxiety at the new, scary possibilities. So much danger. An endless nightmare.
"I checked it out before I drove it over. I am pretty sure it is clean. Also, this particular guy... I trust him. About as well as I can trust anyone right now. Also, be honest with yourself, Charlotte. Do you think Red John would really blow us up?"
Charlotte's eyes were saucers. But she finally shrugged.
"Do you really?" Jane coaxed in his best hypnotist voice.
"No, I don't think so..." Charlotte murmured.
"I don't think so, either," Jane agreed soothingly with a nod of the head. "I am sorry you got spooked. No owls from now on, okay? And maybe, someday, you can tell me why they frighten you-"
"No!" Charlotte said immediately and Jane nodded, as if expected that, and continued on in the same calm, even, hypnotist tone.
"Or you don't ever have to tell me. Or Lisbon. You can if you want, but if you don't want to? That's okay, too. But I assure you, it was just a coincidence. And they're gone now."
"Red John told me once that there is no such thing as a coincidence," Charlotte said and Jane caught the faintest little shudder run through her as she relived whatever memory was attached to that little morsel of wisdom.
"Red John isn't always truthful, is he? You know that. He is a dramatist. Sometimes there are coincidences, Charlotte. Sometimes life is just random. Okay?"
He could see she desperately wanted to believe him. She wanted to share her burdens and fears and terrors with him, and she wanted to believe that life could still be good and safe and wholesome and sane. He could see it in her eyes. She wanted to believe, but her programming and upbringing were getting in her way. She reminded him of a feral animal seeking love and friendship, but afraid, oh so afraid, to risk contact...
"Can I see what your bedding is? And Lisbon's?"
Jane nodded and showed his child a dark blue sleeping bag and a red mummy sleeping bag, two pillows (one with a matching blue pillow case, one with matching red) and an assortment of random blankets (red, one yellow with flowers, one 1970s looking afghan that looked like it had come from a yard sale and one duvet with a modern gray and white grid pattern).
"Okay?"
Charlotte nodded. "Can I see the food?"
Jane nodded and showed his child the inside of the fridge. There were 4 dozen eggs, 2 gallons of milk, a large tub of margarine, chicken cutlets, mustard, ketchup, mayonaisse, barbeque sauce, strawberry jam, 2 2 liter bottles of grape fanta and 1 2 liter bottle of Coke, deli turkey slices, baloney, sliced dill pickles, an assortment of apples, pears and bananas in the crisper, two 1-pound clamshells of strawberries, salad mix, a bag of tomatoes, Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, 2 cucumbers, baby carrots, a tub of hummus.
In the freezer: pillsbury toaster strudels, frozen blueberries, 2 loaves white wonder bread, hotdogs (Ballpark Angus beef franks), Wonder white hotdog buns, eggos, frozen bacon, pillsbury pizza pops (three cheese and pepperoni), a small collection of microwavable meals (Swanson Hungry Man and Lean Cuisine).
In the pantry storage: bulk oatmeal, bulk rice, bulk black beans, quaker instant oatmeal (peaches and cream, apple cinnamon, blueberries and cream, cinnamon raisin), honey nut cheerios, organic honey, plain and barbecue pringles, powdered milk, powdered eggs (this Charlotte inspected carefully), two boxes of fruit roll ups, 12 boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner, a jumbo pack of pop tarts (strawberry, raspberry and blueberry), corn pops, tinned salmon, tinned oysters, apple jacks cereal, cinnamon toast crunch, an assortment of Chunky brand canned soup, Hormel chili, cheese whiz, several boxes of pancake mix, syrup, rice and beans seasoning mix, taco mix, uncle ben's rice, canned peas, canned corn, canned coca cola, a large bag of sugar, a collection of Koolaid (grape, lime, cherry, blue raspberry), orange tang, Budweiser beer, a large assortment of boxed tea, canned peaches, chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch Jell-o brand pudding in boxes, several large containers of Kraft smooth peanut butter, hot chocolate mix with miniature marshmallows, Nesquik chocolate and strawberry syrup, Bugles corn snacks, Cheetohs, several bags of dried macaroni and penne and Ragu tinned tomato pasta sauce, microwave popcorn, iodized salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, instant coffee, ground Folger's tinned coffee...
Jane watched his child as her eyes scanned over everything mechanically, looking for danger or anything suspicious or out of place. A hole or tear in the packaging? A loose lid? A needle puncture mark? Her inspection took 15 long minutes and Jane waited patiently as she picked up packages and inspected them for signs of... he wasn't sure, exactly. Lisbon waited patiently, too, even though Jane could tell how tired she was.
"Oh, and under here? We have 8 gallons of bottled water in 500 ml bottles. Okay?"
Charlotte nodded.
:"Do you want to see the bathroom?"
Charlotte nodded again and Jane showed her the Charmin toilet paper under the sink once again, the pump of hand soap attached to the wall, the medicine cabinet complete with: pepto bismal, acid reducer, laxatives, anti-diarrheal medication, extra strength advil, sudafed, tylenol cold and flu, aspirin chewables, Neo-Citran, Crest tooth paste, hand sanitizer. On the wall was a soft-bodied first aid kit with gauze bandages, hydrogen peroxide, a digital thermometer, alcohol wipes, scissors, tensor bandages, assorted bandages, a lighted magnifying glass, a hot water bottle, tweezers, eyes wash with eye wash cup, visine, bug spray, chemical cold packs, anti-histamines, a snake bite kit, anbesol tooth gel, polysporin antibiotic cream, zinc cream and Coppertone SPF 50+ sunscreen. Jane immediately followed this up by showing her storage besides the bathroom with a collection of shampoos, soaps, towels, laundry soap, Febreze air refresher (milk and honey scent, to lull the over-stressed consumer to chemically-induced sleep).
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah. What if we run out of light bulbs?" Charlotte sounded a little less uneasy now. The owl bedding had been- apparently- forgotten.
"We can buy some in Mexico. They have light bulbs in Mexico, I think?"
"Yeah," Charlotte agreed.
"And you have your DVDs to watch? Okay? If there is anything else you really need we can go and get it before we cross the border tomorrow. If you really need it."
"Okay. This is good, though," Charlotte motioned the food storage, the fridge and freezer. "This will last a long time. We will be okay."
"Yes. We will be okay."
"Tonight, what are we going to do?"
"There are several campsites around here. I was thinking we'll park in one or somewhere where we can get some shut eye for a few hours, and then we'll cross the border in the morning. Sound good?"
"What if we run out of propane to run the fridge and the freezer and things?" Charlotte asked then.
"There are some extra tanks in the back of the pickup and we can get more- if we need it- in Mexico. Right?"
Charlotte nodded.
"What if one of us gets hurt in Mexico? If we need a doctor?"
"There is money for a doctor. But nobody is going to get hurt. Okay?"
"Maybe someone will..." Charlotte trailed and the fear was once again bright in the green of her irises, a living sentience that only knew panic.
"Nobody is going to get hurt. Not you, not me, and not Lisbon. I promise you."
Charlotte wanted to argue but was extremely tired, Jane could see. Finally, she nodded her acquiescence, but whether she truly believed him or just wanted to agree and go to sleep or continue watching DVDs, he wasn't sure.
"So, what I was thinking now is that I am going to go drive the pickup and you and Lisbon can stay back here in the trailer? Is that okay?"
"Yeah," Charlotte nodded. "But we won't be going across the border right away? Not until morning?"
"That's right," Jane reassured her.
"If I can't sleep, can I watch DVDs?"
"Sure."
"Where is Lisbon going to sleep?"
Jane glanced over at Lisbon, smiled at her knowingly. "I was thinking this bench here could fold out into your bed, and this bench, here," Jane motioned the same strip of bench, further down, separated by the dinette, "could be for Lisbon?"
"Yes. That's okay," Charlotte said. "Where will you sleep?"
Jane pointed to the bench running the alternate side of the wall. "Is that okay?"
"Mmm hmmm. I am going to watch the rest of Pee Wee's Big Adventure now," Charlotte said, and returned to the bench that she had designated as hers, and removed the portable DVD player from her backpack. Lisbon saw her roll her sleeping bag out and curl up on top of it. Nodded gratefully at Jane, who looked extremely tired, too. They were all stressed out, exhausted and over-tired. Lisbon pulled up the doors to the oak storage where the other two sleeping bags and blanket sets were kept, removed the red sleeping bag and pillow and took her stuff over to "her" bench. Charlotte nodded at her in acknowledgement, eyes heavy with the need for sleep, for relaxation and release from the ever-present stress that was life in Red John's predatory shadow.
Jane dimmed the lights with the toggle switch and left the two of them in the airstream trailer and a few seconds later Lisbon could hear the pickup start up and then they were rolling out of the parking lot and back into the black of the night. She lay down on top of the sleeping bag, intending to get up in a few minutes and wash up and brush and floss and change into her pajamas, but she drifted off to the gentle rolling of the airstream on cement and the soft, bobbing glow coming from Charlotte's portable DVD player, the faintly tinny sound of Pee Wee Herman as he freaked out over his stolen bike, the distant thrum of the GMC's engine as it spurred them on into the inky, mysterious night.
And sometime later, still not quite asleep but definitely no longer fully awake, Lisbon would have bizarre and intense mental images approaching the domain of dreams; of owls pecking all of their eyes out, of owls feasting on their tongues and the soft, tender meat of their bellies, beaks coated in viscous crimson and flecks of black and gray...