There was another bump in the road and Jane glanced at the giggling passengers as the bus made its way through the dusty streets of Nairobi. After some 15 hours in a plane and another 2 hours ride in a bus, she was more than ready to stretch her long legs and craved for some privacy. Her clothes felt damp and dirty and the way they stuck to her body did the rest to make her feel uncomfortable.

On the other side of the aisles to her right sat a blonde petite whose nose had been plunged deep into a travel guide for almost the entire journey from the airport to the hotel. Jane couldn't help but stare at her, somewhat feeling intrigued by the person who wore a happy and relaxed smile. Her skirt and blouse, which spoke of money, didn't even show one wrinkle or other sign of the long hours of travel.

Jane mulled over the fact that she didn't appear to be a candidate for group travels just like her. If it hadn't been for the fact that Cavanaugh had sent her onto the journey in order to observe a couple which was suspected of murdering their neighbor, she would now probably sit on her couch after a long day at work and watch a game with Frankie while sipping some cold beer.

"Are you okay?" an unknown voice asked her politely. Hazel eyes were studying her curiously and when Jane realized that she had been caught staring she suddenly blushed. "Yes sure." Was all that came to her mind right then.

Then she quickly turned her eyes towards the window where the scenery changed from the poor suburbs to a clean and modern city.

She probably thinks I'm a total moron, Jane thought when recalling the awkward moment later after settling into her room. Or worse: a pervert. Rolling her eyes, she turned off the shower and stepped into the half-darkness. The sun was disappearing behind some buildings and she glanced at the small watch on her wrist to notice that she had about 45 minutes left till the welcome ceremony and dinner.

Enough time to get dressed and call Frost. Therefore, she set up her laptop and threw on a pair of shorts, some Polo and sneakers while waiting for a connection to the hotels Wi-Fi. It seemed like to take an eternity and she tapped her fingers impatiently to the desk ignoring a soft layer of dust covering it.

"Why me?" she rolled her eyes as soon as Frosts friendly face finally filled the screen. It made him choke with laughter. "Because you are the best! But seriously Jane, how can you complain if the boss sends you on holyday for free?"

"Because this sucks!" She said more humored now. Frost always made her grumpiness go away with his friendly face and she began smiling at him. The brunette swallowed down her other complaints and they chatted lightly about their days and the information Jane had gathered so far until it was time for dinner.

R&I

The restaurant was already crowded when Jane arrived at the huge room. She walked around the tables to look for her nametag. She rolled the wedding band absentmindedly on her finger, thinking about Gabriel her husband and their little daughter Marcella. She wondered how they were doing without her and almost passed the right table when a hand held her back by the wrist.

Glancing up in surprise she found the same hazel eyes which had been staring at her earlier in the bus giving her a curious glance. "I believe that this is your place." The woman said with a wink while motioning towards the tag which read Mrs. Rizzoli.

How does she know my name, Jane wondered as she gave the blonde a crooked smile. "I'm sorry, I heard you check in earlier. That's where I know your name from. I'm Dr. Isles by the way." The blonde stated.

"Jane Rizzoli." The brunette took the offered hand and shook it. Their seats were right next to each other and they sat down. Slowly the rest of the six people who were supposed to sit with them joined the table which was decorated with flowers and candles. All of them far older than they were which made Jane wonder again, what the doc was doing here.

"You shouldn't order the seafood plate." The doctor whispered to Jane who was studying the menu thoroughly. "I read on the internet that its horrible."

Jane tried to show what she hoped a thankful and polite nod, never having wanted to order the seafood plate anyways and wondered what the blonde was attempting here. They hadn't even ordered yet and she already couldn't wait to get back to her room. She would call Gabriel later and ask how he was dealing with their one-year old toddler.

The couple she had to keep an eye on just made their way into the restaurant and her eyes followed them to their table. They were about the same age as the rest of the group and Jane tried to imagine them murdering someone. Well, seen as the murder weapon had been poison it couldn't be a question of age. The motive? Presumably, the neighbor's dog whom they had complained about several times.

To her, the two looked utterly gentle and harmless. When the waiter arrived to take their orders, she focused back on the menu and quickly decided on the steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. She followed the upcoming conversation between her fellow travelers only with one ear, while she munched on some bread.

The animator climbed onto a small stage and began his welcome speech. In order to fit in, the brunette laughed at his lame jokes only listening up when he told them about the safari, they would take the next day.

"This is going to be fun." The doc spoke to her again, grinning. Now Jane was beginning to think that the blonde was a moron. Another friendly nod and a sigh of relieve when the food was served after a few more painstaking jokes coming from the stage.

The food tasted very good, but the beer was horrible. Jane did her best not to spit it onto the table after the first sip. Doctor Isles chatted away friendly with the other couples, glancing at Jane from time to time as if to check how she was doing. It didn't escape her that one of the glances got stuck on her wedding band with which she played a lot, just out of habit.

Jane cringed when the good dr. followed her to the elevators once they were done with their dinner. By now Jane was unnerved by the blonde and had a hard time maintaining her friendly face. Once inside the small cabin, both reached for the number 7 to push the button. Their fingers touched slightly which made the doc giggle. "Excuse me." She apologized politely and Jane nodded.

"What a coincidence, we are not only on the same floor but also have adjoining rooms." Dr. Isles exclaimed happily. Jane who was beginning to feel uneasy texted Frost to check the woman's background as she walked into her room. Then she dialed Gabriel's number.

He picked up almost immediately and Jane heard Marcellas screaming in the background. "She's missing her mother." Gabriel smiled into the phone making Jane cringe because she realized that she didn't miss them as much as they missed her. And it made her feel guilty despite her having her reasons. She spent some time talking to him and was glad when he needed to hang up to lay Marcella down for the night.

Jane called Frost while undressing which proved to be a hard task with the phone firmly tucked between her ear and her shoulder, but she was curious about the results of his research on dr. Isles.

"Dr. Isles is a famous ME from San Francisco. She's about your age, so 37, some of the most breathtaking cases could only be solved with her help. Married, no children." Frost stated after his usual cheerful greeting. He sounded mighty proud about his quick work and Jane praised him while rolling her eyes. She would have preferred him not to mention that she was 37. Especially not with such joy.

Anyways, the information didn't help her to figure out why the doc was clinging to her in such an annoying way. Maybe this woman was just happy to have one of her age around with the rest of the group being so old. Maybe Jane was just paranoid which was no wonder after all these years as a detective. The brunette sighed as she turned the lights off and made herself comfortable in her bed.