Chapter Seven - Have Nun, Will Travel

When Maura had told Jane she wanted to go to the hospital instead of the precinct, Jane had not complained. Sunday, with lack of sleep and a rush of work, had resulted in Jane and Angela moving, but also Kate being stashed in Maura's guest house, and hours of work for the two detectives. It was not the way Maura had planned to enjoy the day with Jane, as the first day alone in their house.

But there would be next weekend.

Come Monday, Kate and Jane had all the information they needed and went downtown to check it all out, while Maura went to the hospital to be present while Daniel was going to be taken off intubation. When she arrived, Sister Polycarp was playing chess with Daniel and drinking a cup of tea.

"Yoohoo," Maura called softly so as not to startle either of the two religious personages. "Happy extubation day. Hello, Polly."

"Did you bring it?" asked the sister with hope in her voice. She'd never been let down yet in her little requests, and now felt able to hope for similarly well-met expectations. Maura did not disappoint, pulling out a little tin of fragrant ointment. "Oh, that's my good girl! My knee will be so happy from this."

"I still feel it won't have appreciable medical effect," Maura felt compelled to mention for the third time, "but at least it will feel better for a little while. Now, remember not to wrap it while the Tiger Balm is on the knee, and to ice it after any heating so that the excess blood will rush away with the veins' constriction, and..."

"All right, all right," said the nun with a wink, "just hand over the loot. You're sweet to an old lady."

Brophy's eyebrows raised dramatically, and both women chuckled. "I am too old," Sister Polycarp corrected what she understood to be the protest. Brophy's objection subsided.

Maura pulled up the free chair and sat down at the far end of the bed, so that both she and Polly could face the door and be out of the way when Dr. Knudsen arrived. "I have some news for you," she told Daniel with a smile. "Some information has come to light, and I believe Jane may be able to make an arrest soon."

Daniel blinked a few times.

Maura's smile faded a touch. "Well... actually, no, the sniper didn't miss entirely. I hope he's at least a little remorseful about the erroneous death of Amanda Montague, which he didn't intend, but in fact, the detectives are now almost certain that you were the target."

Brophy's eyebrows shot up again. Sister Polycarp pressed a hand to her breastbone (her bosom was somewhat lower than that, these days) and started murmuring in Latin, having never quite given up the language in which she had learned to pray in her youth; Vatican II be hanged, she was a traditionalist, and too old to get used to praying in English now.

Apology lanced through Maura's expression. "Yes, I'm disturbed, too. What they don't know is whether you're a specific target, or only targeted because you're a priest, any priest. They're not satisfied on the point of whether the assassin is looking for other victims or waiting for you specifically to become vulnerable."

Before Brophy could blink further questions, in walked Dr. Knudsen, her tall shadow preceding her by a country mile along the hospital linoleum and across the sick bed. When she did arrive, she wore a big, hearty smile. "Howdy, Father. Sister. Doctor." The use of their titles had become a game by now; she'd confounded Maura and amused Father Brophy and Sister Polycarp for several minutes once by repeatedly shaking their hands and offering their titles, especially Maura's, several times in a row. "Are you just about ready to get rid of that thing sticking out of your face?"

Brophy's sense of humor had not suffered during his time in the hospital. He pointed directly at his nose and arched an eyebrow.

"Ha, ha," Knudsen remarked dryly, though with a little wink to show she understood. "All right, then. I'll just... Actually, Dr. Isles, would you care to do the honors?"

Maura appeared interested for just an instant, then shook her head and held her hands up as if pushing away the idea. "I don't actually know if I'm gentle during medical procedures. My patients don't give feedback. I think I should stick to treating the dead, unless emergency situations prevail. But thank you."

"Suit yourself. Okay, Father, just try to relax. This won't feel great, sorry. Don't try to talk immediately." Sister Polycarp got up to ready a glass of water; Maura leaned forward to place a calming hand upon the priest's foot. "All right. Give me a good, healthy cough." Brophy did so, and soon was making a gagging sound; but the tube was out of his throat. "Nice," Knudsen complimented him, and waved with one hand until Sister Polycarp put the glass of water into it. "Here, have a few little sips before you try to speak."

Once he attempted to speak, Father Brophy's voice reminded Maura of Jane's first thing in the morning, all low and scratchy. "How bad?"

"Well, you don't need a new spleen," replied Knudsen, "but there was a lot of damage. You had a collapsed lung, some heart damage which we repaired, perforation of..." there then followed a litany of injuries and dangers that sounded utterly depressing and at least a little frightening, not the least of which was the remaining possibility of infection.

"Shot here," Brophy said, confused, and pointed around at all the other places mentioned. "Why all this?"

The good doctor explained the bullet's deflection off various innards, making it sound like most of Brophy's insides were more scrambled than the eggs in an omelette. "Basically, you're lucky."

"But let's be positive," Maura broke in. "You've gotten the best of care, you're physically healthy and strong, and there were no injuries to your brain or spinal column."

"Thank God," added Sister Polycarp, who by now had gone back to English.

Brophy's next question was directly to Maura instead of to the other doctor in the room, and it took her somewhat aback. "Why are you here?"

"Because," she began, surprised, and then stopped. What was the appropriate response, while Dr. Knudsen and Sister Polycarp were right here listening? "Because I was concerned, and wanted you to have another friendly face nearby."

"Thanks," rasped the priest. "Now go to your lab and help catch the guy."

"But..."

"They can't catch him without you. Go on. I have a doctor and a nun."

Unable to argue, Maura got up, gave his hand a squeeze, and left to resume her duty to Boston.

Steeling herself for the worst, Jane pushed the door open and gestured for Kate to precede her into the precinct. "My desk is over there now," she said with a chin jerk.

"Yeah, by Korsak's. I see he's still got the puppy and kitten thing working."

At the sound of Kate's voice, the room went silent. Crowe's eyebrows shot into his non-existent hairline, while Frost, who had never met Kate before, looked baffled. A few of the other detectives were startled, and Korsak... "Jesus, Janie, first Maura, now Kate? What the hell?"

"It's not what you think, Vince. Come on, we gotta talk to Cavanaugh." When Vince made no move to come with, Jane sighed, "Korsak, really? Come on."

As her partners when into the office, Jane sighed, and Kate shook her head, "Told you this was a bad idea, Rizzoli."

"Stopping a serial killer takes precedence, Talucci," Jane repeated, for the millionth time that day, and closed the door behind them. She'd been able to prep Cavanaugh as much as possible over the phone, and Kate's boss was sitting on the free chair, so Jane was pretty sure they were up to speed on what was going on that far.

"Every time we come in here for some great big thing, you drop a bomb on me, Rizzoli," growled Korsak, in his biggest, most frustrated teddy-bear tone. Crossing his arms, Vince leant against the bookshelf, an action mirrored by Frost.

They hated surprises. "Kate's been undercover. She tumbled into a…" Jane stopped and looked at Kate. "Cell?"

"Close enough."

"Fine, cell of religious extremists. Christians." Korsak's eyes widened as he muttered 'again?' That caused Kate to look surprised and ask 'again?' Jane had to tell them both, "Later. Anyway, most of these guys are your garden variety 'women need to be barefoot and pregnant' misogynists, but this one guy is a little extra crazy."

Frost coughed, "How crazy do you have to be for the extremists to think you're crazy?"

"You have no idea," sighed Kate. "Half the reason I bailed when I did was I was pretty sure they were going to use me as an example for how to put a woman in her place. And those are the guys who think Dan Gerard is extra special. I've got a lot of circumstantial on him, enough to get a warrant. Which I need you guys for."

The two lieutenants went on to cover the needed paperwork, but it took very little time to get Kate back in the fold. As everyone got ready to go fight crime, Jane lingered. "Vince, could you and Barry get her set up on the computer? I need to tell Cavanaugh something."

With the barest of nods, Vince wished Jane good luck and cleared the room, leaving a concerned looking Cavanaugh. "You're scaring me, Rizzoli." he sighed. "I don't want another kitten."

Jane smiled a little, "It's not that. Listen, I uh... I moved. And normally this isn't really your business, but-"

"Jesus, Rizzoli, you moved in with Doc Isles, right?"

Blinking, Jane nodded. "How did you-"

"I'm a damned detective. Give me a little credit," Cavanaugh grunted. "After that stupid FBI invasion, I had to run all of your damn phones to see if you were a leak. You want to know how many times your phone came triangulated up at her place?"

"Not really, no," sighed Jane.

"And Maine. What the hell is in Islesboro, Maine?"

"A cabin." Jane was sure as hell not about to explain the wonders of Maine to her boss.

Now Cavanaugh snorted. "Look, you're right, you don't have to tell me, but I get why you are. Thanks." Cavanaugh stood up and held his hand out for Jane. After a moment she took it and they shook. "Now go catch that sniper before he strikes again. We've already had enough of a mess with that idiot Metzov. We don't need another Catholic nightmare."

Jane's head was still buzzing when she walked into the A/V room, but she eased onto the edge of the desk and asked, "Where are we?"

"The compound," replied Kate, pointing to the photograph of a 'compound.' It looked like a Boy Scout camping area, left alone for twenty years. Or possibly a haunted KOA. "I never got inside, and I'm pretty glad. All the women look like they're about a decade older than they really are. Get married at fifteen, pop out a kid a year until you're worn out. Hell no."

Korsak and Frost both eyed Kate, as if the idea of her giving birth was even more bizarre than that of Jane in a similar situation. And they did eye Jane briefly. "Looks like a Koresh place," remarked Frost.

"Nah, you've never seen the 'free Americans' up in the woods, have you?" asked Korsak. "A bunch of 'em think their militias are an excuse to do this crap. Every year, a couple kids make an escape and are so screwed up, it takes years to get their heads back right. So Gerard left these guys? How the hell did you even find them?"

Kate shifted, looking amused, "Smuggling. They've got some weapons that aren't legal. One of them got busted in town. He picked a fight with some of the singers at Double Feature, and found out the hard way they're more men then he was. They kicked his ass, and he ended up drinking his meals for the next couple months. When the cops checked his stuff out, he had Black Talons."

Korsak whistled long and low. "Been a while since we had those," he remarked.

"I got asked to track it back. While I was there, my informant dropped the noise about a guy shooting a priest. I was checking into that when I ran into Jane at the hospital, so I just added it on. Found that faster than the bullets." She shook her head. "Someone whiter than I am is going to have to go in there. Preferably someone with a penis."

It was amazing how fast Kate was making Frost look uncomfortable. Jane smirked. "Okay, so they kicked him out because...?"

While she already knew the story, Jane felt her partners needed to know. "Get this. They weren't strict enough," grumbled Kate. "I know. I asked around, and he was telling the kids parables. Which you think isn't so bad, right? Except his version of the loaves and fishes was how he went out to the ocean with his high-powered bow and killed a shark." Before anyone could comment, she added, "And then he brought in his hunting bow to show the kids. Freaked everyone out."

"Jesus," muttered Frost.

Jane shook her head, "Gets better. He's married."

The divorcée Korsak stood up straighter. "We gotta save her."

"She's okay," assured Kate. "She skipped on him months ago. I tracked her down yesterday, day after I got that bullet." She reached around Frost, making him fuss, and typed into the browser. "Show 'em."

Frost put the webpage up on the screen and everyone stared. The webpage was a seemingly unending rant about how manly Christians were in short supply these days, and it was mainly the fault of the Catholic church. Matthew 10:34 was plastered across the site like a banner. "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword," read Korsak, stunned. "Wow, this guy's a piece of work, quoting Jesus to justify killing people."

"Wait, so he's killing Christians for being... weak?" asked Frost.

"Even better," sighed Kate. "Click on 'The List' will you?" When Frost did, a litany of names, and photos, sprang to life. There were priests, ministers, and regular 'deacons' on the list, but also the various monasteries in the Boston area. "Get this. Nuns are failing at being women by not having babies, and monks are failing as men by not siring them. His wife showed me the site."

Jane shuddered. "How many kids does she have?"

"One. A baby girl." Kate reached in front of Frost again and scrolled down to 'Priests.' Ten names were listed, and top of the list was B. Brophy, Daniel. She clicked on his name and a page listing where he lived, his schedule, and proof of his detrimental nature to the church showed up. There was even a picture of Jane and Maura standing with him at the funeral of Brandon Thorne.

It felt like a million years ago, and just yesterday, that she and Maura were fighting about Daniel Brophy and having a secret relationship. Now they had a mostly open one, and were fighting to save his life. They had come so far in their trust with each other in such a short time. Thinking of that, and Korsak's earlier comment, brought a disturbing thought to light. "These guys have any contact with Metzov?"

"He's still not in genpop," assured Korsak. "No phone, no computer, no nothing." Taking pity on Kate, Korsak went on, "Last year we had a priest talking gay kids into suicide-"

"I've met Metzov." Kate's voice was tight and angry. Playing the hurt Catholic wasn't just an act for her, Jane remembered. "I heard he got locked up. And no. Gerard thinks that having priests and nuns not marry is part of the problem. He'd never work with a priest, not even one like that."

Frost cleared his throat. "We'd better get protection on these other priests. If he's going after the Catholics first... This city needs more religious deaths like Korsak needs another donut."

Once in her lab, Maura became Dr. Isles again. She was focus; she was intelligence; she was observation; she was science personified. Jane had once, in a moment of levity, described her as a superhero, and though Maura didn't believe in super powers, she had to admit that the analogy was appealing, and strangely applicable to both herself and her best friend. Jane had her gun and badge; she, Maura, had her lab coat for a Superman cape, goggles or face shield rather than a Batman gadget belt. Together with Barry and Vince and the rest of the BPD, they fought for truth and justice, and more often than not, they prevailed. Even though the others went out into the world more often and delivered the actual posterior-kicking, while she remained largely the cerebral contributor to their cases.

Maura shook her head. She had to stop going to those superhero movies with Jane. "I'm not a sidekick," she declared softly but firmly as she headed into the trace lab to look over what she'd been leaving to other examiners and technicians.

Later that same day, in the lab of mad scientist Maura Isles, otherwise known as [cue ominous music] The Medical Examiner...

"Aha!" Maura exclaimed, then whirled around to reassure herself that no one had heard her outburst. Comic book based movie thoughts were fine, in one's own mind, but they ought to stay there. Still, she couldn't help giggling as she whispered a much quieter, "Aha" and darted for her office to grab her phone. It was all very well to have two different samples telling the story to her on their various microscope slides, but she needed to show them to Jane.

"Jane?" she rushed to say into the phone once her lover's voice answered. "I found something."

"What have we got?" asked Jane before she'd even fully blown in, hair and blazer still floating to rest around her. Maura took a moment to admire the view before showing Jane into the trace evidence lab and gesturing to the two microscopes.

"What do you see?" she asked, for all the world sounding like one of Jane's old science teachers, though considerably more excited.

"Um...?"

Maura smiled indulgently. "Sorry. I know the level of magnification makes visual identification a little difficult to the uninitiated."

"Try impossible," Jane groused, though good-naturedly. "Seriously, is this a smear of face cream, some pond scum, a paint chip, or did one of your squints sneeze on the slide?"

The smile on the smaller woman's face grew. "You were closest with the pond scum. It's a leaf. Now, look at this one," she pointed at the other microscope. "It's a different leaf." As Jane looked, Maura explained further, "Very different."

Again, Jane could only say, "Um... Yeah, Maur, I know this is a big deal because you're showing it to me like it's my birthday cake, but I don't know what makes it a big deal. Could you play Dr. Exposition for Detective Dummy?"

"You're not unintelligent, Jane, but I do take your underlying point. This," Maura gestured at the first microscope, "is evidence that your man is living, or at least spends a good amount of time, by Jamaica Pond, which is near the arboretum in Jamaica Park. Just south of Brookline."

Jane boggled, eyes wide. "How the hell do you know that?"

Triumph shone from Maura's eyes. "I know it because this," she pointed again to the first microscope, "is a leaf from Veronica anagallis-aquatica."

"I know about Veronica Mars."

Maura restrained a fond chuckle. "Blue water-speedwell. It's one of the most common exoctic plants in Boston, imported from Wales."

"Most common exotic? Really?" Sarcasm dripped from Jane's tone.

"They're often imported." Maura began enumerating many reasons for doing so, but Jane wasn't listening, just making lazy circles in the air with one hand, trying to draw out the relevant information just that much faster. "There are also several planted at that particular cemetery. CSU found a great many of these in the sniper's nest at our crime scene. It doesn't help us directly, other than to provide a kind of backdrop for," she moved to the side and gestured at the second microscope, this time with a little more drama to her motion, "This. This is Veronica catenata."

"Later that same day..."

"Veronica catenata is better known as Sessile water-speedwell. It grows in wet, soggy, swampy areas. Rivers, ponds, but the most important things to know are that it's an endangered species..." Here Maura paused once more for drama, and was gratified to see Jane's eyebrow lift expectantly. "...and that it only grows in two areas in all of Massachusetts. One is in the far southwest, chiefly-"

"Later that same damned day! Jesus!"

"Right." Maura took a quick moment to re-order her thoughts, discarding what Jane would consider extraneous details; they could be put into the final, complete report at a later time. "The other area where they're trying to get it to grow is by Jamaica Pond, which is right near the arboretum in Jamaica Park. Remember? You and I went and helped them plant some on Arbor Day in 2010."

Jane looked abashed, "I wasn't paying attention to the plants."

Maura looked blank. "You weren't?"

Reluctantly, Jane confessed, "You were bending over and digging, and your hands were dirty, and I had a view of your ass..."

This time it was Maura's brows that climbed skyward. "You weren't even aware that you could be interested in me at that point... Were you?"

"Don't think that didn't give me a couple of moments of cognitive dissonance, either." Jane waved her hands, moving right past the part where she'd used 'big words' like Maura, "Which isn't the point. I remember the conservation program. But how do you know those aren't from some crazy old lady's hothouse?"

Maura pointed again at the samples. "I told you-"

"Yeah, I got that. It's exotic, Maura. Lots of rich people take samples and grow stuff and it could be from anywhere... And you're going to totally show me how smart you are by saying you already matched the plant DNA from a sample you have on file, that you took after the planting."

"I may have had it on file," Maura said softly.

"I love that you do that, Maura. But I mean, how many people collect these privately and show them off in hortense-cluttered societies?" One hand waved vaguely, as if spreading out a map studded with pins marking every private garden in the entire state.

"Horticultural... Oh, stop," Maura said with an exasperated smile. "Look, it's very simple. You have a choice between beginning your search with one area of one park, versus looking up every little old rich lady in Boston and asking all of them for permission to invade their greenhouses, solaria, and sitting rooms."

Jane smiled fondly at Maura, resting her hands on her hips. "Okay, I really love that you knew all that and can do all that, baby."

If the situation hadn't been so dire, Maura might have smiled back. "Well I love it when you catch the bad guys." When Jane didn't move, Maura gestured out the door, "Go!"

And we love it when you review. The end is near. Review if you want to see Jane and the gang catch the bad guy.

Credit to Chemkate for the name "Double Feature" for our drag club.