The Clues Within

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy this chapter.

By the time Jane sat down in the booth the patrons had started talking again, leaving him and Lisbon alone to talk. Lisbon was just about to ask Jane about what he thought about the sheriff and the town itself when their waitress came up.

"What would you like?" She asked as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Coffee," Lisbon stated quickly.

"I'll have a cup of tea and some of your eggs," Jane smiled at her as hr handed her the menu that had been already sitting on the table.

"We are all out of tea," the waitress told him.

"Really?" His voiced was filled with disappointment at the thought of a place not having any tea around. The waitress gave him a look and waited for him to decide on something else to drink, Jane shook his no and she walked off to place his order of eggs.

"There is definitely something wrong with this town," Jane informed Lisbon as he leaned back against the booth.

"Yes, just look at the people," she motioned to the small diner in which some of the patrons were still looking over at the two of them now and then.

"No, I was talking about them not having any tea."

"Truly a crime," Lisbon rolled her eyes just as the waitress brought her a cup of hot coffee. "I want to look at the crime scene."

"We will, but first I suggest that we talk to the people."

Lisbon took a sip of coffee and placed the cup back on the table before asking Jane "Why?"

"Crime scenes can lie, obviously."

"So do people," she pointed out before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Yes, but I can catch them in a lie," he smiled at her then turned to look out the window at the small town. "You know it seems as if everyone in this town is covering up something."

"What exactly do you think they are covering up?" Lisbon asked Jane with curiosity.

"Not sure yet but I have my ideas."

"Tell me," she pleaded with him to tell her.

"You can figure it out," Jane smirked just as the waitress came over with his plate of eggs. He said thank you and she left them alone again.

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Where would be the fun in telling you when you are very capable of figuring it out," Jane answered as he picked up his fork and started to eat his eggs. He chewed for a few second before placing the fork back down on the table.

"What is the verdict?"

"The sheriff lied," Jane said as he pushed the eggs away from him. "There is something going on here Lisbon, they all hiding something," he got to his feet. Lisbon got to her feet and pulled out a few dollars for the meal. Dropping the money on the table and headed to the door with Jane on her heels. People once again stopped talking as they watched the two of them exit the diner.

"Maybe they are pod people?" Jane suggested as they headed back to his car.

"Oh, so they are related to you after all," Lisbon smiled at him as they headed down the path they had taken already once today.

"Ha, Ha," Jane gave her a fake laugh before stopping dead in his tracks. Lisbon got a little ahead of him then stop to look back.

"What is it?" She asked concerned.

"Where is my car?" Jane pointed to the spot where he left his car, Lisbon turned on her heels and looked at the space that once home to Jane's car. "I left it right there, Lisbon," he told her as he moved past her and headed to the empty space.

"Jane settle down it is just a car, we will file a report," Lisbon told him as she laid a hand on his arm.

"A report? That is it?"

"What else would you like me to do?" Lisbon removed his hand.

"It is my car," he growled at her unhappy.

"Jane I know you are in love that car but it is still just a car," Lisbon said softly as she tried not to laugh at Jane getting upset about someone stealing his car.

"Who would steal a car? There is nothing important inside it."

Lisbon groaned as she realized that her gun was still in the glove box of his now missing car.

"What?" Jane asked as he heard her groan.

"My gun is still in your car."

"Why don't you have it on you?"

"That is the first thought that pops in your head?"

"Well, you are always armed which is kind of disturbing. Seriously why don't you have your gun?"

"We were going to talk to a local sheriff so why would I need it?"

"Creepy town people."

"Not a good enough reason to carry my gun. If I carried it for every crazy person I met I would be armed for twenty-four hours straight thanks to you alone," she smirked slightly despite the situation that they were in. "Let me go talk to the sheriff about the car."

Lisbon made her way back into the small visitor center slash sheriff office. Jamie was sitting at her desk staring into space.

"Where is the sheriff?" Lisbon ordered. Jamie jumped at the sound of Lisbon voiced but compose herself quickly.

"Jane, maybe someone moved it?" She suggested.

"It was locked and I have the keys," he snapped at her as he walked around the space. "I parked it legally so it should be here."

"Jane, just settle down," Lisbon said in a soft voice hoping that he would calm down. She couldn't care less about his car but she knew well enough that he loved it, even if it was a death trap. "Let me go talk to the sheriff about the car."

Lisbon made her way back into the small visitor center/ sheriff office. Jamie was sitting at her desk staring into space.

"Where is the sheriff?" Lisbon ordered. Jamie jumped at the sound of Lisbon voiced but compose herself quickly.

"He is on a call."

"Can you reach him?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Depends on what you need me to call him for." Jamie said. Lisbon calmed her breathing before looking at Jamie.

"About a stolen car," Lisbon told her as she gave a quick glance outside to see Jane still pacing around the empty spot.

"Stolen car?" Jamie asked as if she didn't hear her correctly.

"Yes, the car that was outside when we arrived."

"Oh, you mean that piece of junk," Jamie acknowledged and Lisbon tried to fight the small smile that played on her lips.

"Yes, it belongs to my consultant."

"The sheriff had it towed," Jamie informed her.

"What? Why?" Lisbon asked shocked.

"Expired tags according to him," Jamie stated just as the phone started to ring. Lisbon didn't bother to stay around and hear the conversation but rather she headed back out of the building.

"What did he say?" Jane asked when he noticed Lisbon exiting.

"He isn't in but according to Jamie he had your car towed for expired tags," she explained as he looked around the area before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She opened it and look down to see "no service," blinking back at her. "Not possible" she thought as she closed the phone and reopened it just to see the same message.

"Do you have service?" She asked Jane as she placed her phone back in her pocket.

"What?"

"Do you have service on your phone?'

Jane reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone. He opened it then looked at her shaking his head.

"Great we are stuck in a town, without a car, without cell service, and no gun, this is just perfect," she told him as she pinched the bridge of her nose. The headache she feared she might get while in the car with Jane was now making it present known.

"Where is the sheriff?" Jane asked her as he walked up to her.

"On a call according to Jamie."

"I suggest that we go look for him and find out what is going on here," Jane told her as he headed to the building.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to Jamie."

"She isn't going to tell you where he is."

Jane smiled "Yes she will."

"How do you know?"

"Be back shortly, don't go anywhere, dear," Jane walked into the building and closed the door. Lisbon refused to follow him just to watch him flirt with the dumb blond. It took a few moments but Jane came out with a smile on his face.

"The sheriff is at the local auto shop with my car no doubt," he told her with a smile as he stopped next to her.

"What did you do?" Lisbon asked as she leaned a little away from him so she could study him.

"What do you think I did?"

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"That! Answering a question with a question, it is really annoying," she spat as she took a step away from him. "Where is the shop?"

"This way my dear," he place his hand on her lower back and guided her down he familiar path.

After a few minutes they passed the diner and headed to another section of town that look to be more run down then the main part of the town. They continued towards the last building that was home to the only auto repair shop in town. They walked up to the garage part where the mechanic was talking to the local sheriff.

"Sheriff," Lisbon called to get his attention.

"Ah, agent, I see you are still here. How where those eggs?"

"Terrible, which proves that this town has something to hide," Jane answered his question as he moved closer to the sheriff.

"We are a small town with no secrets," the sheriff smiled and mechanic nodded his head.

"Really?" Jane raised an eyebrow and studied the sheriff. "Liar."

"You are accusing me of lying, son?"

"Yes."

Jane gave him a small and turned to Lisbon. "Did you hear that, Lisbon."

"Yes, I did," Lisbon said softly. "Sheriff if you don't mind giving back Mr. Jane his car we can check out the scene and be out of your hair."

"If he pays the fine then I'll release the car but like I said before there is no crime scene to look at," the sheriff corrected her and stood a little taller trying to prove his dominance.

"I'm not paying any fine," Jane countered.

"Then no car."

"Those tags are not expired," Jane hissed slightly. Lisbon moved to stand in between the sheriff and Jane.

"I'll pay the fine," Lisbon told the sheriff.

"What? Lisbon, don't you dare pay a fine that is bogus from a mall rent-a-cop," Jane directed at the sheriff.

"Watch your mouth, son," the sheriff warned him. Jane just smirked as his eyes gleamed with happiness; he loved when he got to mess with people.

"Sheriff if I may have a word alone," Lisbon suggested and motion for him to join her outside. The two of them walked away from Jane and the mechanic. "How much is the fine?" The sheriff told her the amount and Lisbon sighed and looked over at Jane who seemed to be actually glaring at the sheriff, something she didn't see very often.

"Take credit?"

"Yes, we do young lady," the sheriff said proudly as he placed his hands on his hips and smiled at her. God, how she hated small towns. The sheriff asked her to follow him and they headed back into the garage.

"The agent is going to pay the fine, as soon as her credit is approved then you can give this man his car back," the sheriff told the Kyle before gesturing Lisbon to follow him.

"Jane, behave yourself," she told him as she walked by him. It took a little longer than Lisbon would have like to get back to the sheriff office and have the matter of the tags cleared by the time she had returned to the repair shop it had been almost an hour and Jane was now waiting for her outside the shop.

"What is it?" She asked him as she approached him. He was leaned against the passenger's side door.

"They cleaned the car," he informed her.

"They could have looked for something," Lisbon suggested.

"Or they planted something," Jane countered. "Either way I suggest that we head to your crime scene on foot."

"Wait, what?" Lisbon asked shocked. "You made me pay the damn fine and now you are going to leave your car here."

"I didn't force you to pay the fine, you did that all on your own," he reminded her. Lisbon sighed and leaned back against the car.

"Please, let us just drive over to the scene," she pleaded with him. Jane studied her before turning around and opening the door so she could get into the car. She got in and he closed the door gently before heading over to the driver door and getting inside. She opened the glove box and noticed that her gun was sitting in the exact spot she left it.

"Yes, your gun is perfectly safe." Jane told her as he ran his hand across the steering wheel caress.

"Do you need a moment alone with your car?" Lisbon countered as she closed the glove box.

"Don't be absurd Lisbon, so where do we need to go?" Jane asked as he started the car up.

"Drive around the town," Lisbon told him as she pulled out her phone and looked to see that it still showed no signal.

"Okay," he told her as he put the car into drive. "What took you an hour?"

"What?" He asked as she slowly made his way through the small town.

"With the sheriff?"

"Oh, I had to wait for them to use a credit imprint machine," she looked over at him. "The town hasn't caught up with the rest of the world."

"That took an hour?"

"No, her finding it and learning how to use it took an hour. Not to mention the sheriff kept insisting that there was no crime scene and we were wasting our time," she explained as she focused her eyes around the town. They kept quiet as Jane approached the end of town and she saw a sign stating come back again.

"Pull over," she told him as she leaned forward in the seat to get a closer look.

"What?"

"Just pull over next to the sign," she order and Jane pulled his car over. She got out as soon as he stopped and headed over to the sign. Bending down she ran her fingers through the lower part of the sign.

"What is it?" Jane asked as he joined her.

"The sign is brand new," she informed him as she rose to her feet. "Like within a few days brand new, the paint job has no marks that you would see from a sign being outside.

"Hmm," Jane nodded his head and walked over to the back of sign. He bent down and looked at the ground. "Lisbon."

"What?"

"Come over here," he told her as he picked up a small object and rose to meet her. "Look at this," he handed her the item when she came closer.

"It is a piece of glass," she told him as she turned it over in her hand.

"It looks like a piece of glass from a headlight," he told her smugly.

"How do you even know that?" Lisbon asked stun.

"Not important, what is important is that we have found your crime scene," he said proudly as he placed his hands in his jacket pockets.

"But the victim drowned at least according to the town sheriff" she reminded him.

"Which means?"

"It doesn't mean anything, anyone could have crashed into the sign, there is nothing to suggest that this is our crime scene," she explained.

"No, but I'm willing to bet good money it is our crime scene," he smiled at her before leaning down. "And I know you can't resist a bet right now."

"I'm not betting anything with you," she placed the glass into her pocket and turned to look at Jane.

"Scared?" He challenged.

"No, a crime scene is no place for betting," she told him.

"But you noticed the sign had been replaced, why did you noticed that?" He asked her.

"It was something that stood out," she admitted.

"Exactly, which means that something important happened here."

"Jane we need to do actual police work not guessing."

"I'm not guessing."

Lisbon was about to retort when they heard the sound of someone running. Looking back to the town they noticed a young man running up to them.

"Can I help you?" Jane asked as the man approached.

"You are in danger and he didn't drown by accident," the man told him before running off. Jane watched him for a few second until he heard the car door open.

"What was that?" She asked Jane.

"Lisbon, we may have underestimated the people of this town."

To be Continued.