Hey, sorry but I kind of have writer's block on this story. This chapter's short and not interesting, hopefully the next one's better.

~mpenguin

Chapter Two: Case Briefing

"Victim's name is Carl Henderson, age 32, CEO for some sport corporation here in Sacramento." Agent Hummer stated, offering the file over to Agent Lisbon, which she took.

"Forensics believes that he was struck in the head by a cylinder object, like a pipe." Agent Rigsby told his boss, who had looked up from the file to listen to him, "Though they think that didn't kill him. They say that he was only knocked unconscious from the blow then thrown off the pier where he drowned."

"Cheery." Agent Lisbon scoffed, "You got anything Cho?"

"He doesn't have much of a recorded Boss," Cho said bluntly.

Meanwhile, as this whole conversation went down as if it were lines from a play, Jane listened to it with confusion.

Was I sent to the right unit? He thought with frustration as he listened to them ramble on about the man, Where's the Red John information? Why aren't they discussing him?

"You got all of that, Mr. Jane?" Agent Lisbon suddenly turned around and asked him, causing him to snap out of his thoughts.

"Yes, but one question. Do you work the Red John case?"

Confusion appeared on her face for a split second before it disappeared and she told him, "Uh, yeah we do. Why are you asking?"

"Why aren't you working on his case now." Jane said, ignoring her question and cutting in with his own.

"Because we do other cases besides just that one." Lisbon said with a bit of an edge.

Nodding his head, Jane then fell silence and started to sway a bit on his feet.

Trying her best not to shake her head, Lisbon then turned to her team, who had been giving each other curious glances.

Lisbon then started to bark out commands, "Hummer, go over to the company he was working for and see if you can dig up any information there. Cho, go with him. Rigsby, you stay here. You have desk duty."

Her team members nodded their heads to show they understood and both Cho and Hummer got up to leave. Rigsby had a grim grin as he watched his co-workers leave and then looked over at his computer screen. Sorry Rigsby, but that's what being a rookie does to you, Lisbon thought to herself, trying her best to hide her smile.

Turning around to look at her new consultant, Lisbon nearly jumped with surprise to see that he wasn't standing where she left him. What the, she thought with frustrated as she whipped herself around and spotted him sitting on the ugly leather couch.

Staring at him for a moment, Lisbon quickly made up her mind what to do with him and then walking up to him, said, "Mr. Jane, we'll be going to the victim's house to see if we can get clues there."

Jane, who had been deep in thought until her voice had brought him out of it, said, "You go on without me. I'll stay here."

"Excuse me?" Lisbon snapped, momentary caught off guard.

"I said, I'll stay right here." Jane said, looking up at her and grinned a fantastic white smile.

Lisbon tensed up as she felt Rigsby freeze to concentrate on eavesdropping on the conversation and, grimacing, told Jane in a low growl so he couldn't hear, "Mr. Jane, you signed a contract saying that you'll help me with cases. Now, get up and we're going."

Fortunately, Jane was a master had hiding his expressions so Agent Lisbon wasn't able to see how his face had fell. Damn contract, he thought angry, it didn't mention that I would be working on other cases too. But knowing that if he refused, he would never get the Red John file, Jane slowly got up and gave Lisbon another grin.

To his surprise, she didn't melt to it and then she snapped, "You first."

With a shrug he started out the door thinking, damn, this isn't going the way I planned.

Just behind him, Lisbon was thinking, Fuck! Here comes trouble.