A/N: So… the promo of 7x10 has literally ruined me right now, but here, new chapter :)
Chapter 5: Sunset Miracle
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Lisbon asked, her gaze fluttering restlessly through the windscreen of the car.
She assimilated the busy life at the dock; people setting anchor or sailing out of the assemblage; numerous boats and ferries swaying tediously on the oscillating waters of the sea. It was quite a large scope of area to keep an eye on.
"Positive", Jane reassured her.
She cast a wary glance toward his direction. She always took his positivity as a bad sign.
"Why San Clemente? There are so many other docks on this list", she remarked, indicating the list Wylie had sent to her.
"Clementines", Jane answered.
"What?"
"Little orange fruits—"
"I know what they are", Lisbon interrupted him.
"But then why did you ask?" Jane complained.
"I can't believe we just based the outcome of an entire operation on fruits", she said.
"Lisbon", Jane sought her attention, "it is the right place. I'm ninety nine percent sure of it".
"Stop being so positive. You're making me nervous", she grumbled.
Jane raised his hands defensively, a comical look on his face. Lisbon ignored him.
"How are we gonna know which of these ships it is anyway?" she wanted to know.
"That's easy", Jane remarked. "None of them is".
The silence that followed was filled with intense question marks on her part.
"They are all private boats and ferries. He's going to choose something more public. Something that will provide him with an audience", he deduced.
Lisbon narrowed her eyes. "An audience", she repeated; smearing the word with doubt.
Jane nodded.
…..
"Wylie".
At the mention of his name, the young agent drew his eyes away from the screen of his computer to regard him with promptitude.
"I want to know any reports of kidnappings that are filed today throughout the state of California", he requested.
"Got it, Boss", Wylie said, immediately putting his fingers at work.
He let the agent take his own initiative on the matter and headed toward the fish bowl.
Jake Rowland was sitting behind the desk; his hands crossed on the smooth surface. As soon as he entered the room, the boy drew his gaze upwards. Abbott could sense the aura of vindication and relief he emitted.
"Mr. Rowland", he announced; taking a seat opposite him. "You have our full-time protection until we catch this killer. I want to personally thank you for the risk you chose to take in order to help us with this operation. Now I'd like to ask you some questions, if you don't mind", he said.
"Believe me, there's nothing I want more than to see this monster suffer. What do you want to ask?"
"We're trying to figure out if there's a certain similarity in the way the killer chooses his victims. It would help us determine the profile of the girl he's going to kidnap next and therefore be prepared when the report of her kidnapping comes in", Abbott explained.
"Okay", Jake said.
"First of all—"
"Where is he? Where do you keep that son of a bitch?" a girl was suddenly shouting in the bullpen, cutting him off.
"Stay here", Abbott ordered Jake.
He walked out of the office, maintaining his authoritative looks. The girl seemed to be in her early twenties; blond with streaks of pink on her hair; multiple piercings and flashy clothes. As soon as he entered her visual field, he became the aim of her wrath. Wylie, sitting behind his desk, cast a worried look toward her, as if waiting for the storm to begin.
"He's in there?" she demanded, her eyes going crazy.
"Who are you, miss?" Abbott inquired, using his firm; imposing voice.
The girl finally hesitated, startled by the expression on his face. "The name's Laura Gonzalez", she said sullenly. "I'm Anna's girlfriend. Was, that is", she added in a sulky tone.
Anna Lopez, Abbott recalled. The name of the last victim.
"Miss Gonzalez, we will make sure Anna's killer will be met with all the justice he deserves. Now if you try and do anything reckless, I'm afraid I will have to arrest you. It's your choice", Abbott warned her.
Laura looked at him with disbelief. "You think I care?"
"Look at me!" Abbott shouted at her. "You think I will let you commit murder in here? You will be behind bars before you get the chance to get anywhere near him! Is that what you want?" he inquired.
She gave him a resentful look, but finally seemed to comply.
"Uh… Boss", Wylie called for his attention then.
"What is it, Wylie?"
"I think I found something".
…..
Vega glanced at her tight-lipped partner from the corner of her eye with a feeling of submit. She longed for a little conversation now. If not for any other reason, just so that she could draw her mind away from the mission itself; the endless hours of waiting for their bait to work; the suspense and the feeling of not knowing what would happen.
And Max wasn't exactly the ideal person to share her concerns with.
Suddenly, she realized she wished a certain smiling blond agent was there. Wylie always seemed to find the best ways to distract her, either with a silly remark or with his awkwardness. It really helped her take things less seriously at work and blend in. He would be the ideal company at that moment.
But he wasn't there.
"So", she made an attempt at conversation, "this is where you used to work?" she asked Cho.
"No", he answered.
"But I thought—"
"I used to work in Sacramento", he clarified.
"Oh", she remarked. Then, after a moment, she continued. "Do you… miss it?"
He took longer to answer this time. Just as she thought he'd decided to ignore her, he said: "I miss my friends".
As the last word escaped his lips, his eyes seemed to warm with reminiscences of the past.
Vega recalled what Wylie had told her about Jane and Lisbon's old CBI team. If she wasn't mistaken, there were two more of them. "Where are they now?" she inquired.
"They quit law enforcement, so that they could raise their children properly", he explained.
"And you haven't seen them since?"
"I have. But it was different when we worked together", he said.
His phone rang at that particular moment.
"Boss", he answered.
The conversation carried on between them for a few minutes. Finally, Cho lowered his hand and turned to face her.
"Wylie says there have been no reports of missing girls today", he announced.
Vega realized from his tone that there was more to that. She waited for him to continue.
"But there have been a lot of them throughout the past months".
….
"Still nothing", Lisbon announced in a dull voice.
"Patience, woman", Jane said, calm and self-assured as always.
They had lowered in their seats as a measure of precaution. The light inside the car was becoming gloomier, as the day outside faded into a dusk.
Her index finger was playing nonchalantly with the keys at the ignition, producing a rattling sound. After a moment, Jane's splay hand moved to cover hers, putting an end to her artless music. He took her small hand in both of his. Instinctively, she curled her fingers around his and let the warmth of his touch spread through her arm to the rest of her body.
"This is better", she remarked; her voice barely a whisper.
Jane smiled affectionately.
Just then the air filled with the deep uproar of a horn. Lisbon jumped on her seat; startled. She yanked her hand out of Jane's and drew her eyes toward the sea. The next moment she felt her breath catch.
A large cruise ship had just entered the dock, a party going on at the deck. It was just finishing its spin into the quay. But Lisbon could already see it; the characteristic drawing of a sun on its side, followed by the very ostentatious name of the ship: Sunset Miracle.
"Told you", Jane murmured, equally awed at the sight of the enormous vessel.
Lisbon couldn't find her voice. She watched as the anchor protruded from the prow of the ship and lowered into the sea. Everything seemed to happen very slowly, almost like in a dream. The ship lined the border of the wharf and opened its mouth to let cargo in and out; vehicles that varied from small cars to trucks carrying heavy supplies. The container with the girl could be on any of them.
"Let's get ready", she said, instinctively drawing her hand on her hip, where she carried her gun. She brought her cell phone out of her jacket pocket.
"Cho, this is it. Stay put. We can't risk the killer seeing you around here", she warned him.
"Understood", he said in a clear voice.
"Wait for our signal", she added.
"Okay".
She turned to look at Jane. He seemed to be observing the people that were partying on the top. She followed his gaze.
Though the details were unclear from this distance, she could discern people in swimwear and water splashing all around. She imagined a large swimming pool at the center of the deck and members of the staff carrying refreshments.
Time passed and the dull music kept playing with vigor.
"There", Jane said then. "Lisbon, look", he pointed with his finger toward the rear of the ship.
She did.
At first, she saw nothing. But then, slowly, she realized the crane unit for lowering rescue boats was being activated. Only there was no boat hanging from it.
Alarmed, she opened the door of her car and stepped out. Soon after, she heard Jane joining her.
She could see him clearly now. A man hovering just behind the hem of the ship. And just beside him, a cart with a huge metal compartment on it.
"Let's go", she said.
Cho met her at the entrance of the ship. After flashing their badges in a haste, they launched inside. For a while, it was all climbing stairs and running on decks. Reaching the top of the ship, they started making their way through the crowds of people, pushing and shouting at them to move away.
When they finally reached the stern of the ship, Lisbon could see a container similar to the one they'd found in San Francisco Bay hanging halfway into the water. She drew her gaze upwards to the man that was controlling the davit.
"Stop what you're doing right now!" she ordered, pointing her gun at the man.
"Do as she says!" Cho warned him, mimicking her.
The man whirled around; his eyes widening with shock. Just in time, Lisbon heard Jane's steps catch up with them.
"Woow, let's take it easy, guys", the man said, raising his hands in the air.
Jane walked past them, toward him.
"Jane, what are you doing?" Lisbon asked him, warning in her voice.
He ignored her, adjusting his position to stand directly in front of the man. Finally, he waved a hand at his face.
"Lisbon, you can lower your guns", Jane said. "This man is hypnotized".
…..
The crane unit was in operation again.
Lisbon was staring at the container that gradually made it back to the top; trying to imagine what they would find inside. An over-traumatized girl asking for help? A girl that had passed out from fear and panic? She didn't know.
Cho had taken the hypnotized man in custody. Jane would try and find his trigger once they took care of the girl. If he was hypnotized, which she highly doubted.
There was a sound of finality as the unit reached its ultimate point. Α separate unit of ropes disappeared into the tank through the rim of the top cover.
Lisbon braced herself, glancing at Jane for emotional support. But the latter was utterly calm and composed.
They laid out their hands in sync and placed them on top of the container. She took in a deep breath to gather her strength and pushed. Ever so slightly. But the top lid remained intact. She pushed harder. Same result.
Just as the feeling of failure was about to overpower her, Jane's hands started trailing the surface of the compartment. She watched him carefully, until finally one of his hands came to an abrupt stop. His gaze locked hers in a meaningful stare, before his fingers hooked around an imperceptible protuberance near the top and started pulling toward them.
Finally, the lid slid out of the way.
Lisbon balanced on her tiptoes to look inside, only to feel her heart sink in her chest.
The container was empty, but for a single piece of paper hanging from the other end of the rope that went inside. Jane took it and unfolded it.
There were two words typed on it. Two very dreadful words.
Wrong Color.
"Wrong color? What does that mean?" she asked, looking at Jane for answers.
He seemed to be in the middle of a contemplation. Finally, his eyes lit with awareness.
"Oh no", he muttered.
"What?" Lisbon questioned, alarmed.
"Lisbon, the girls. That's why they are hanging upside down. It's a message".
"What do you mean? What message?"
"The tarot card. The Hanged Man. It means choose. I was wrong. He doesn't just plant one color. He plants two".
"Two?" Lisbon exclaimed.
Jane nodded with dread.
"Lisbon", he said. "The bridge. It was red".
A/N: A cliffy. I couldn't resist. Also, I've noticed a lack of response lately. Please, if you read and like the story, take a moment to leave your review. As a new writer, it would really help me figure out my strengths and weaknesses and try to improve. (It also helps as a reassurance).
Next Chapter: How will this mistake affect Jane? Are the victims completely random after all?