A/N: Huge thanks to all those who reviewed whether you logged in or wrote as a guest - so, so appreciate it :)
Mega chapter ahead...you've been warned, LOL!
CHAPTER 6
Officer Meyer entered the station and scowled when he saw the state of his desk. He'd only been away for two weeks but from the amount of files and paperwork piled up it looked as though he'd been gone six months.
"How'd the camping go, Sam?" Sergeant Harding asked amicably as he approached Meyer's desk. "Did you have a good time with your kids?"
"Fine thanks, Jack," he replied as he sat down. He picked a file off the top of the largest pile and gestured at the mess. "What the hell's all this? Something big happen while I was away?"
Jack chuckled. "No, just the usual list of missing persons and alerts plus our five yearly review's due. Those are your cases. I've just finished mine and I'm heading out for a while. Gotta call to make, car broken into." He nodded towards the pile again. "Better get yourself a strong coffee, you're gonna need it."
Sam rolled his eyes at that and opened the file he held. It was going to be a long few days.
xTheMentalistx
Jane stood in the middle of the room, hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets as he slowly turned around, taking in every detail. The untidy dresser top, laundry pile on a chair, pictures and notes stuck up around a vanity mirror. All the usual effects of a young woman just starting out in life.
Except, she had no life now.
Coming about full circle, he stopped moving and stared at the prone figure of Amy Welch, aged 23, who lay butchered on her bed. Blood covered her body and sheets from all the small cuts that had prolonged her death to a torturous degree. The wall above was daubed with the instantly recognisable smiley face that he'd come to loathe.
Even now, knowing that Red John was dead, the sight of it still sent a cold shiver of dread right through to his bones.
He looked over at Cho who stood next to him, quietly talking on the phone. The relief was still apparent on the usually stoic agent's face as he glanced over at the dead woman and back to the consultant. Jane understood the feeling all too well.
They'd reached Danville the evening before and had met with local PD to discuss the case. Forty minutes after their arrival, Van Pelt had called and sent over a picture of the artists' impression of the suspected killer. His name was Tyler Adams. Cho had made several copies and handed them out to the officers on night duty.
Not one's to sit back and wait, Jane and Cho had also spent the night driving around the town but had come up empty and had decided to go back to their motel and try to get some sleep. They'd only been back in their rooms an hour before they got the call about Amy's murder.
Jane had immediately feared the worst, especially when Cho had informed him that she wasn't a redhead. Guilt had enveloped him tightly like an old friend as all the damped down feelings of failure resurfaced. He'd sat silent and tense the entire ride to the crime scene and it was with great trepidation that both men went to see the body.
The realisation that it wasn't Lisbon had almost made Jane giddy with relief but that emotion had soon died and anger had now taken its place. He'd been so sure that they were close to finding her and now…Lisbon just seemed further out of his reach than ever. Taking his hands out of his pockets, he raked a hand roughly through his hair as he once more battled against the frustration and resentment that threatened to overwhelm him. It was one thing to have had Red John thwart him at every turn but to have his lackeys now staying one step ahead was insupportable.
It didn't occur to him that he was running on near empty; that he'd barely slept more than a few scant hours since her disappearance; that he'd hardly eaten enough to sustain a small child, let alone a grown man who needed these simple things to function anywhere near to the level he was capable of. No, all he knew was that he kept letting her down again and again, because he couldn't even manage to figure out the disciples' next move.
"They got him," Cho said suddenly as he clicked his phone shut and nodded towards Amy's body. "Neighbour got a partial on a plate as the killer drove away. Police picked him up a few miles out of town. Found the weapon in his trunk, still had Amy's blood on it. They've got him down the station. Let's go."
Jane didn't need asking twice. Now his body thrummed with a new emotion as his thoughts turned to confronting the disciple; that of anticipation.
xTheMentalistx
Sarah cut off the call and ticked the number off her list before tidying her already neat desk. She had worked through lunch so that she could finish a little early and head over to view an apartment that had just come on for rent. Hopefully she'd like it and secure it before anyone else went to view it. She was truly fed up with the motel now.
She got up and waved a goodbye to her colleagues, giving a small smile to Andrea as she left. She still wasn't happy with her friend for leaving her with Tyler the night before. He'd been pleasant enough but she just wasn't interested. Once he'd realised that, his demeanour had changed somewhat, taking on an edge she hadn't liked. Excusing herself, she'd pretended to need the ladies room and had walked out of the bar.
Andrea had rung as she'd reached her motel room and been profuse in her apologies. Apparently Tyler had been quite angry when he'd realised that she'd ditched him and had said a few unsavoury things about her. Sarah was just relieved that she'd gotten away when she did and had told her friend not to worry.
That night she'd welcomed sleep, happy to lose herself in her little dream world even though she knew the inevitable headache would follow. She just wished she could make out what her dream man was saying. It always so muffled but sounded so urgent at the same time, like he had something important to tell her…probably that she'd dropped something knowing her luck. She smiled to herself, wryly. Trust her to have a crush on a man conjured up by her own imagination.
She exited her office building then headed across the parking lot to her car and got in. As she drove away, she failed to notice the nondescript silver saloon that peeled out behind her as she passed by and started following her down the road.
xTheMentalistx
Sam Meyer was beyond bored. He'd been at it all day and if he had to fill out one more form to confirm the case he'd completed years ago was correct, he swore he'd shoot himself. Grabbing his empty cup, he stood and went over to the machine to get another coffee. He carried it back to his desk then took a long draught before placing it back down and staring at his messy workstation.
Fed up with the review, he pushed aside some of the files and hunted around for the alerts Harding had spoken about earlier. He eventually found what he was looking for, along with the photo's and details of the missing persons that had come in while he was on vacation.
Picking up his coffee, he relaxed back in his chair and went through all the alerts first. There were quite a few of them and he made a couple of notes before starting to flick through the pictures of people deemed lost.
Coming to the one of Lisbon, he paused and frowned. She looked very familiar and he racked his brain to remember where he might have seen her. Suddenly it hit him, she looked like the woman he'd woken up in her car a couple of weeks back. Her hair had been a different colour but he was pretty sure it was her nonetheless.
Lifting out the photo, he read the attached details. Surprised to see she was a CBI agent, he immediately reached for the phone to make the call.
xTheMentalistx
Steven Johnson squirmed a little uncomfortably in his chair as the steady gaze of Patrick Jane continued to relentlessly bore into him. They'd sat there in the small room, face to face, over a small wooden table for a full ten minutes and the consultant had yet to speak.
"What the hell's he doin'?" asked the Danville officer in charge as he watched the pair through the one-way glass.
"Interrogation," Cho replied succinctly.
The officer snorted. "Looks like a pretty half-assed attempt to me," he groused in disgust. "Have to actually speak to admit to a crime, you know."
The agent remained silent and after a few minutes more of non-interaction between the suspect and consultant, the police officer walked away still grumbling to himself. Cho kept his eyes focussed on the small room and waited.
"I'm not going to talk," Johnson suddenly said, lifting his chin slightly in defiance.
"Well now, there's a contradiction for a start," Jane commented, patronisingly.
"You think you're so smart, don't you, Mr. Jane?" Johnson countered disparagingly. "Red John told me all about you."
"I don't think, I know."
"And yet you still can't find your girlfriend. Too bad, she's going to die soon," he gloated triumphantly. "Even dead, Red John is too clever for you. We're too clever for you."
Jane slowly leaned forward and rested his arms on the table; fingers linked loosely together, he was the epitome of calm even though, underneath, he dearly wanted to throttle the man before him. "Why didn't you kill yourself, Steven?" he asked lightly. "Amy wasn't your first victim, was she? So why are you still here?"
Johnson's mouth twisted in contempt. "I'm not one of those weak minded fools. They would've told you everything if they'd been caught. It wasn't worth the risk. Red John told me I was better than that, trusted me to do what I had to."
"Better?" Jane repeated allowing just enough doubt to creep into his tone. "Maybe so, but not good enough to carry out his ultimate plan, though, eh? That privilege has gone to someone else hasn't it, Steven? Someone better than you…Tyler Adams."
The consultant watched in satisfaction as Johnson's jaw tightened at his implication. No-one wanted to be thought of as second best, least of all a disciple. He'd learned that from all those hours talking to Lorelei.
"He's not better than me," he denied through gritted teeth. "My work is just different to his, Red John made that clear."
"Red John made you a bit player, but the man who kills Lisbon, well…now he is going to be the true hero of this piece. The one who finally gets to really break me; something not even Red John himself could do. Tyler must be quite a man."
Johnson remained silent, his face reddening as he fought to keep his anger at bay.
Jane was intrigued. He had thought that Johnson would be quick to contradict him. He could see the obvious dislike for Adams written all over the other man's face but there was a submission there too. An obedience for this man that was very much like the reverence he showed for Red John, except that this was more grudging, as though he were forced rather than wanted to respect him.
"Tell me," the consultant went on conversationally as he studied the other man's face closely, testing out his theory. "Is he the one that tells you where to kill next? I mean someone has to co-ordinate everything, right? Can't have three of you turn up in the same town, that'd look stupid." Johnson's right eye twitched slightly and Jane continued, "So, I was right then. He is better than you. Red John's right hand man." There was another, almost imperceptible spasm but the blond was looking for it. "How does he contact you? Email? Phone?" The tic was more pronounced this time as he tried desperately not to react and the consultant smiled. "Thank you."
He got up and walked over to the door, nodding at the police officer on guard as he was about to leave.
"It's no use, you're going to be too late to save your girlfriend, Mr. Jane," Johnson called after him as he exited. "Again."
Jane paused briefly in the doorway, gut clenching as he heard the man's words. Taking a deep breath, he resumed walking, the guard shutting the door behind him, abruptly cutting off the loud laugh that followed.
"You OK?" asked Cho, meeting him in the corridor and falling into step beside him.
"Fine," Jane dismissed curtly. "We have to find Adams. I think he's more than a disciple, I think he's Red John's protégé. He's been controlling all of this from the start. Red John's death wasn't the trigger for all the murders; it was the trigger for Adams. We need to check Johnson's phone there might be a number, maybe get a location."
Cho looked at him for a few seconds processing everything Jane had said then nodded. "It's a long shot but worth a try. Rigsby and Van Pelt got here ten minutes ago. I'll get Grace to check it out now."
The consultant nodded and headed over to where the red haired agent sat with her laptop. He pulled up a chair, only half registering the fact that Cho's cell had started to ring.
"What?! Where?" came the usually unflappable agents raised voice.
The rest of the team stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him in concern.
He finished his call and quickly grabbed his jacket. "Missing persons just got a call from the local police department in Diablo. An officer there is pretty certain that he's seen Lisbon," he told them as he donned his coat and gestured towards the open laptop. "Come on, pack up. We're leaving."
xTheMentalistx
"I'll take it," said Sarah with an eager smile. The apartment was just what she was looking for, not too big, cosy and in the right price range. "When can I move in?"
"As soon as you want," the plump realtor replied before she held out a pen and clipboard with some papers on it. "Sign this and give me an hour to sort out the rest of paperwork then come to the office to pay your deposit and get the keys."
Sarah signed and promised to be there in an hour. They parted ways and she got back into her car then drove into town. She left her vehicle in a small parking lot and decided to head to her favourite coffee shop and indulge in a slice of chocolate cake to celebrate.
The man in the silver saloon watched her from a distance then smiled and drove off. Everything was falling exactly into place.
xTheMentalistx
"Can't you go any faster, Cho?" asked Jane in frustration as the SUV sped along the road. Rigsby and Van Pelt were following close behind in their own car.
"I'm going twenty three miles per hour faster than the state limit already," came the clipped reply.
"What, so you can't push it to twenty four?" the consultant provoked sardonically.
Cho let out a little humph of annoyance but put his foot down harder on the gas pedal anyway. He was just as keen to get to Diablo as Jane.
"You should've let me drive," the blond groused unhappily.
"No."
The consultant rolled his eyes at the apparent lack of appreciation of his driving skills and stared out of the window.
"So, you really think Adams is Red John's protégé?" the agent asked after a few seconds silence.
"Yes," Jane confirmed before adding blithely, "Oh, he's not the finished article by any means. Far from it. Hasn't got the patience. But he knows enough and is determined to tie up any loose ends left by his mentor. He's clever but I'd say the power's gone to his head, he thinks he's untouchable, that's why he doesn't care who knows about him."
Cho nodded. "Makes him careless."
"And reckless. Dangerous combination."
They arrived in Diablo a few minutes later and both men grew tense as Cho pulled to a stop outside of the station in the centre of town. They'd hit so many dead-ends over the last couple of weeks that they automatically, albeit unconsciously, prepared themselves for another.
They all alighted from their respective vehicles and glanced at each other before going inside the small square, unassuming building. Cho introduced himself and the others once they'd entered and Sam Meyer stood up to greet them.
"I'm the one who called your bureau," he explained. "I saw your Agent Lisbon a couple of weeks ago. I had to move her along as she'd fallen asleep in her car."
"You're sure it was her?" Cho asked.
"Oh yeah, pretty sure," he said, picking up the picture of her from his desk and looking at it. "The only difference is that she's got red hair now, not brunette like it says here. Must have dyed it."
Jane frowned and glanced at Cho, the implication of this little detail not lost on any of the team.
"Did she give you her name?" the consultant queried.
"Yeah, I can't quite remember what it was though. Definitely not Lisbon. She'd just come to town, said she had a new job. I showed her to a nearby motel, I'm guessing she'll still be there unless she found herself an apartment already. Come on, I'll take you."
Van Pelt and Rigsby stood to go with them but Cho shook his head at Grace. "I need you to stay and try and get something from Johnson's phone."
"But…" Van Pelt began.
"If it's Lisbon, we'll bring her back here anyway," Cho cut her off her objections. "In the meantime, get us a lead on Adams." He glanced at Rigsby standing uncertainly by her side. "Come with us."
The taller man nodded and shot the redhead an apologetic look as she sat down again, the mixture of annoyance and disappointment not quite leaving her eyes as she opened her laptop and fired it up.
Cho, Jane and Rigsby followed Meyer out and they all climbed into the CBI vehicle. The officer directed them to the motel and they went straight to the front desk. Cho flashed his badge and asked to see the register. As they looked through the short list of names, Meyer suddenly pointed to one third from bottom.
"That's it; Sarah Parsons! I remember now."
"She hasn't checked out yet," Jane noted, a sudden flare of anticipation alighting his face as he turned to the others with a smile.
The agent asked the guy at the desk for her room number and spare key then they all hurried outside and over to the door of room 214. Jane knocked loudly on the door but there was no response. Cho drew his gun and used the key, entering quietly, the others following after and they quickly searched the room. She wasn't there.
"Dammit," muttered Jane, shaking his head in aggravation. The anticlimax was almost crushing in its disappointment. So close. He looked around the room then walked over to the neatly made bed and reached out to gently finger the cover. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward, inhaling deeply. The sweet aroma of vanilla mixed with a hint of cinnamon crowded his senses and he almost sagged in relief. He'd know that scent anywhere. Whatever else she might have forgotten, this still remained true. It was Lisbon.
Cho dragged his gaze from the consultant as he holstered his gun and turned to Rigsby. "You stay here, let us know when she gets back."
"I'll stay too," Jane decided, as he walked over then sat down on one of the chairs.
Cho shook his head. "No, I need your help back at the station. We've still got to find Adams." The consultant looked as though he was about to refuse when the agent added, "It's not up for discussion, Jane. Lisbon's not safe until we find him. For all we know she's not here because he already has her. He's our priority."
Jane sighed, knowing the wisdom of the words but not liking it one bit. He didn't want to give up the first real chance of seeing Lisbon again. At least he had the reassurance it was her, he just needed to temper his impatience. He stood up again, making a show of his reluctance but Cho simply ignored it and headed out the room to the waiting SUV, expecting him to follow.
"When Lisbon turns up, you call me first," Jane told Rigsby, looking at him intently and giving him a quick pat on the arm.
Rigsby rolled his eyes at the consultant's order then glanced down at his arm and back up to stare suspiciously at the blonds' retreating back. "Wait, did you just…?"
Jane merely raised a hand good bye and left Rigsby cursing the fact that will was apparently so easily to manipulate.
xTheMentalistx
Sarah left the coffee shop and sauntered down the sidewalk pausing every now and then to partake in a little window-shopping as she headed towards the realtor's office to pick up her keys.
The sun bounced off her long, auburn hair, her happy smile making her dimple more pronounced and attracting more than one admiring male glance in her direction as she walked by.
She passed the police station and ambled on. The realtor's office was only another block and her mind turned to her new apartment, blissfully unaware of the large black SUV that pulled up at the kerb a few feet behind.
Jane, Cho and Meyer got out of the vehicle and stepped onto the sidewalk. Straightening his vest and smoothing down his jacket, Jane casually glanced around, his head doing a sudden double take as he spotted a woman walking away from them in the distance. It couldn't be…could it? Was he really going to be this lucky after all the awful disappointment? The hair was wrong, it shouldn't be red, but she was petite and he'd recognise that walk anywhere.
"Lisbon?" he breathed, his heart beginning to pound as he started after her. "Lisbon!"
Hearing him call out, Cho turned to see the consultant break into a run and immediately set off after him leaving Meyer staring after them in confusion.
Jane continued to call out, not even thinking to use her alternate name, just desperately trying to get to her before she vanished again. He slowed down as he neared the woman and shouted again. "Lisbon!" When she failed to turn, he took the last few steps that brought him up close behind her then reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Teresa!"
The moment she felt a hand grab her shoulder, Sarah let out a little shriek of surprise and spun around. Déjà vu smacked her right upside the head as she came face to face with the blond haired, handsome man from her dreams and her mouth dropped open in shock. "You!" she gasped, trying to gain control of her sudden erratic breathing.
The man grinned, his smile lighting up his entire face and she had an unexpected uncontrollable urge to run. She took a step back and his smile faded as his free hand came up to rest firmly on her other shoulder, keeping her in place. Panic rose within her and her head began to pound. As her gaze started to blur, she reached out and laid a hand against his chest with the intention of pushing him away. Instead, her fingers clutched desperately at his clothes as blackness began to darken her vision and she gasped for air.
She heard a voice from a great distance, the pounding in her head and rushing in her ears drowning out anything coherent. Her body sagged and then…there was nothing.
Just a peaceful, quiet oblivion.
END CHAPTER 6