Chapter 2

Last night Lisbon didn't get enough rest.

She stayed in bed thinking about Jane's words even though she didn't want to.

So in the morning, it was easy to assume that Lisbon was in a pretty bad mood when she received a phone call on her way to the CBI. It was Kirkland. She took a deep breath before answering the call. "Agent Kirkland, good morning." She said tightly.

"Good morning, Agent Lisbon. I was just wondering if you would like to have that coffee that I promised you a couple of months ago if you're not too busy of course," The Homeland Agent asked her.

Just exactly what she needed.

Maybe it would be a good idea to talk with him and try to figure out what he wanted to. "Yes, but do you mind if it's on the CBI terrace? I'm already on my way." Lisbon asked him thinking that it would be safer to meet in a place full of agents.

"It's perfect. See you then... Teresa." Kirkland was giving off a serious 'creep' vibe through the phone.

"Sure... Bob."

Ten minutes later she was walking to her office when Cho approached her. "Hey boss, we got a new one."

Lisbon sighed. She wanted to cancel the meeting but it was better if she just went along with it besides it shouldn't take that long. "I have a meeting with Kirkland, you guys got ahead. Cho, can you get Jane from upstairs, please?" She asked him.

The agent just nodded. "Sure thing, boss."

Bob Kirkland was an odd guy and not a very subtle one.

It was obvious that he was trying to get information about Red John. Thank God she had the new case as an excuse to leave.

When the senior agent went back to her office, she saw Jane sitting on her couch. The brunette guessed that he probably found out about her meeting with Kirkland.

Lisbon sighed and opened the door. "Why did you meet with Kirkland, Lisbon? That guy is dangerous." He exclaimed standing out and looking at her like she had committed a crime. Maybe in his mind, it was a crime. God forbade that she actually helped him with something related to Red John.

"We don't know that, Jane and it was just a coffee on the terrace, it was perfectly safe" She exclaimed calmly without wanting to admit that she thought the same.

Lisbon sat on her chair and looked at him. He rolled his eyes and stared at her blankly like she was unreasonable. "Of course we know that, Lisbon. The guy killed Lennon. What did he want?"

"Well, actually he just—" She started but was interrupted by Rigsby who came to informed her that the chief of the town didn't show out at the crime scene today.

"Ok I'll go to meet him," Lisbon said taking her purse and car keys.

"I'm going with you." She wanted to complain but his eyes told her that Jane wasn't asking. He was going to be stubborn about this.

Rigsby cleared his throat and left her office when he saw Jane's expression.

Now she was stuck in a car with Jane for at least two hours.

Great.

"Why you didn't tell me about the meeting with Kirkland?" Jane asked as soon as she started to drive the SUV.

The agent looked at him annoyed before getting out of the CBI parking lot. "I didn't know that I had to inform you of every person that I meet with, Jane."

"I didn't mean that, Teresa." He used her first name making her heart pounded in her chest. Jane rarely called her Teresa. Usually, the blond did it when he wanted to tease her or call her attention, it wasn't very common so she usually felt obliged to indulge him.

"You can call me Patrick, Teresa."

Well, not this time. "What did you mean then, Jane?" She snapped making emphasis on his last name.

He didn't reply immediately and she had to resist the urge to scowl. "You are acting strangely," Jane said dryly after a few minutes.

She stopped at the red light and looked at him confused. He continued before she could reply. "Actually you've been acting strangely for a while now."

"No, I haven't. Besides I imagined that you were busy with your list."

"It's the second time that you use that phrase as an excuse to not talk to me, Lisbon." He said annoyed.

She didn't answer right away focusing on the other cars. "It is not an excuse. I'm giving you space to focus on your list. Isn't it what you wanted, Jane?" Lisbon asked softly looking at him for a moment, his head cocked slightly but when she met his gaze he tore it away escaping from her eyes.

After a couple of minutes in silence, Lisbon knew that he wasn't going to answer. They stayed like that for at least one hour with the radio as background noise.

"Bob Kirkland behaved really weird in the meeting. He asked me if we have any new lines of inquiry on Red John's case and if you would tell me when you find out something." Lisbon told him when she noted he was in one of his melancholy moods, the first tell was the way that his fingers started to twisting his wedding ring.

"He was fishing," Jane said.

"I know. Don't you think it's odd—" She started but he completed her thought.

"Homeland Security's fascination with a California serial killer?. Yes. It is odd."

"Everything about Bob Kirkland is odd."

"You need to be careful with Kirkland." He said seriously after a few minutes of silence. He sounded worried.

Lisbon rolled her eyes. This was such an old argument between them. "How many times have I told you that I can take care of myself? Besides I'm pretty sure that now that he thinks that I don't know anything about Red John he will leave me alone. If anyone needs to be careful is you."

"I wouldn't be so sure about it, I've seen the way that he looks at you and it wasn't my head the one that Red John asked for if you recall." He replied looking at her with an air of authority.

"He doesn't look at me in any special way, Jane. I'm pretty sure that he's only after information and we don't know anything but the fact that he is interested in the Red John's case. If he was a follower or Red John itself, it doesn't make sense to inquirer leads about the case, and to be honest Red John had never been this obvious before when we actually had important leads so why now when we don't have anything new?" She replied not letting herself think too deeply about Jane's first comment.

When he didn't answer immediately she checked on him to see the corner of his mouth turned up, he was looking at her in a way that she couldn't describe but it made her blush against her will and she looked away quickly.

"Maybe you're right, my dear but it doesn't hurt to be careful." He said with a smile.