"There's another McDonalds! And another! Can't we at least stop at one of them?" Agent Rigsby pointed over the steering wheel at the passing red and yellow buildings, where from the large play structures, came the screams of children.
"can't you hear that. that's the sound of Donald McRonald turning on all of those children." Cho answered flatly, at which Rigsby raised his brow as he switched lanes.
"It's Ronald McDonald, anyway. But come on, just one burger, it can be drive through!"
"do you know how much crap they put in that food. i don't even understand how it can pass as food. or pass through your stomach."
"Come on, we need lunch."
"no we don't. i don't need Lisbon on my tail all day. she's already mad because of you anyway." Grace looked up from her mp3 player.
"I'm sure the campground has some sort of food source, Rigsby. Other people do need to eat besides you." His eyes instantly flicked back to her at the sound of her voice.
"Well, maybe but all that's gonna be is year old candy bars, and pre melted ice creams…stale donuts, imposter orange juices…" Grace pulled out her headphones and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small wrapped rectangle and tossed it up to him.
"There's your lunch." He looked down to it and smirked at her in the mirror. "Oh thanks, Grace, how thoughtful of you."
"how can you be hungry anyway. you ate a double lard stacker of fat this morning."
"Actually it's called a Double Stacker Quarter Pounder, loaded with cheese..." Rigsby sighed. "What do all you people have against my hunger? It's not my fault all I crave is," they passed a Burger King. "That." He said longingly. Grace sighed, crossing her arms and looking out the window.
"You know I liked you better when all you ate was cookies and soda, what's this new obsession with fast food?" She paused, knowing how his brain worked. "It's disgusting." At that, the word disgusting coming from Grace's mouth, he let out a silent sigh. Grace watched his face in the mirror, and knew with that she had party if not fully, won him over from eating so badly everyday. He stared ahead, and watched a Taco Bell fly by with the eyes of a heartbroken child.
"so where is this place. i hope you have a map. because if you dont and were late im blaming it all on you. again." Grace leaned foreword from the back seat.
"We keep on going allthe way through Auburn, until Nevada City and its right past Grass Valley." Rigsby nodded to her, before his brow sank.
"Hey, where's Lisbon and Jane?" His blue eyes danced about the freeway, their van was no where in sight.
"they disappeared 2 miles ago." Rigsby looked to Cho.
"Seriously? And you didn't say anything?"
"no one asked me." He sighed looked about the passing cars.
"Well let's hope they took a shortcut or something…"
"If they didn't tell us they were turning off, it must not be important." Grace said through a sigh as she leaned back into her seat. Rigsby raised his brow.
"Yeah right, I bet she wouldn't tell us on purpose, just so she could use it against us later." He let out a long sigh. "My bagel gets burned this morning, I washed my white underwear with my red t-shirt, my vacuum broke when trying to suck up my spilled cereal, my shower head snapped because I'm too tall, my boss is mad at me…" He mumbled and Cho slowly looked to him.
"what a sad life you have. im going to write a book on your sorrows. youll get famous as the whining broken toaster man."
"Vacuum." He corrected.
"whatever. i think i like you better when you're eating. you don't complain as much." Rigsby let out a short irritated exhale.
"Well since I'm such a burden to everyone just let me eat something and I'll shut up." His eyes stared straight ahead, when his phone began to buzz. The three of them looked to the vibrating cell phone that slid across the dashboard.
"Crap," he reached for it and stared before letting out a yelp. "I can't answer. It's against the law." He threw the phone over to Cho, who once he saw the name on the screen he panicked.
"there's a new law about using phones in the front seat. i cant either." He hastily tossed it back to Grace.
"Really?" Rigsby asked.
"no." Grace sighed at the two and picked the buzzing phone off the floor.
"What is the issue here?" She turned the phone over, and stared. The sounds of the rushing cars were echoing around them, but inside the car, it was silent, as the name Agent Lisbon Calling flashed on the small screen. Grace took a deep breath realizing what all the fuss was about, clenched her jaw, and slowly pressed, Answer.
"Hello Rigsby. Lisbon is threatening to murder me, how's your car ride?" Grace's expression softened, and her tenseness faded.
"Don't scare us like that, Jane." The other end was quiet for a moment, before Jane spoke.
"Grace? Oh wow. Over the sounds of Lisbon complaining I could hardly tell your guys' voices apart. So really how are things?" Rigsby and Cho were watching her carefully, and as she smiled Cho relaxed, but Rigsby looked unsure.
"Who is she talking to?" Rigsby muttered. "She's smiling, Cho ask."
"rigsby is a jealous stalker and wants to know who youre talking to." But to Rigsby's relief Cho went unheard by Grace, as she asked Jane where they had disappeared to. As he told her the story of the gas station, and who their suspect was, and a much more dramatic story where Lisbon not only threatened to throw him onto the freeway, but actually opened the door pushed him, and his skull was inches from the burning pavement before she "remembered I was a god in the crime solving world" and pulled him back up.
"Oh my, what a day."
"Eh, it happens."
"So where are you guys now?" It was silent again, but soon the sound of rushing air echoed on the other line and as Grace happened to look out the window, Jane drove up beside them. He waved madly and Cho simply stared, but Grace waved back, and could hear on the phone, and muffled through her shut window a, "Hello Kimball! Hello Grace! Hello-" but on both ends his voice faded as Lisbon rolled up the window, refusing to look in the other van's direction. "Jane?" It was quiet as Jane sucked on his lolly before answering.
"She's cranky." Grace couldn't help but smile as she heard on his side.
"Jane, get off the damn phone!"
"Why did I call again? Oh yes to wonder where you were. Well I know now, goodbye." Grace leaned over and sat the phone on the dashboard as Jane hung up on her. She sighed, and looked at Lisbon and Jane's black van a few cars ahead, which seemed to be swerving all over the lane.
"Until this murder is solved, no one speak to Lisbon unless spoken to." The men nodded.
"good idea." Cho answered flatly.