Author's notes:
Thank you to two great writers and friends, make-mine-a-kiaora and Sue Shay, for their help. Be sure to check out their stories - I have favorited them in my profile for easy access.
I do not own the TV show The Mentalist and get no compensation from it. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only.
Chapter 10 - "Under A Blanket Of Blue"
Later that night…
A sense of anticipation filled Teresa Lisbon. She and Capp Grainger stared out at the night sky from atop the flat roof of the River Manor Apartments. A large, folded-up blue tarp lay against Teresa's left foot. Below them on the front lawn, Henry Karson paced back-and-forth, lifting up his night-vision goggles every few seconds. In his free hand, he twirled a lasso.
"See anything yet, Henry?" Teresa's voice broke the silence.
"No, ma'am."
"What about you, Capp?"
Capp lowered her own goggles before she replied.
"Me neither, but it's a beautiful night for hunting drones." Capp waved her hand in the direction of the full moon. "It's so bright we almost don't need to look through these things."
"Maybe if we're lucky we'll bag our prey." Teresa kicked at the tarp with her shoe.
"Where's your husband?" asked Capp.
"Archie said he'd be here soon," Teresa said. "I could tell by the tone of his voice he was planning something. I don't know whether to be scared or hopeful or both."
As if on cue, a lone figure emerged from the parking lot. Her husband ambled across the lawn until he stood next to Henry. The two men exchanged greetings then Henry pointed up to the roof. Lifting his gaze, he made eye contact with Teresa and Capp.
The two women waved down to him as he waved back at them with one hand - and swung a giant fish net with the other. He took a position in the middle of the lawn, like he was a baseball outfielder waiting for a fly ball. Capp scrunched up her face before she spoke to Teresa.
"Uh, Teresa, your husband is a fine fellow, but he's kind of eccentric, wouldn't you say?"
Teresa chuckled.
"That's the nicest way I've ever heard it described."
The two settled their elbows down on the railing and peered into the night sky.
"You know, I envy you and Archie."
"Envy us?" Teresa lowered her goggles at the same time Capp did.
Capp nodded.
"It's obvious how much you two love each other, and you've made a life and family for yourselves. This is the perfect setting."
Teresa shook her head.
"A lot of people would say living in a small town like Cannon River is hardly the perfect setting."
"It's perfect because you two make it perfect. Cannon River or New York or San Paulo or Nova Scotia - it doesn't matter where, you've carved out your own little corner of the world for yourselves."
"I love Archie with all my heart. Where we are pales compared to being with him and our son." It amazed Teresa how relaxed she'd become talking with this woman in such a short period of time. Relaxed enough that she could ask a personal question. "Have you ever been in love, Capp?"
"Once, Teresa. I met a guy through my work. Someone I felt a deep connection with from the start. He did too but we never said it out loud." Capp took a halting breath before she continued. "The trouble was we were caught in the middle of something bigger than the both of us. Something vital and scary and dangerous all at the same time. We had to bury our feelings for the greater good, so much was riding on the outcome of what we did."
What Capp said amazed Teresa. This woman had just described in a nutshell her own life before coming to Cannon River. Teresa guessed the answer to her next question before she asked it.
"What happened?"
"After events came to a head, we went our separate ways with only a wave goodbye. But he stayed in my thoughts - how he was doing, where he was, if our time together meant as much to him as it did to me. Sometimes I'd wake up during the night from a dream about him and never go back to sleep. 'Absence does make the heart grow fonder' as the old saying goes. I ached to see him again, somehow, somewhere. And then I did. In a small town police station."
The two women smiled at each other. Teresa's heart went out to her two friends, one old and one new. She reached over to grasp Capp's arm.
"Take some advice from me, Capp. When fate gives you a chance, seize it. Don't let it pass by."
A reedy voice from below called out.
"Chief! The drone's coming toward us from due north." Henry pointed as he jumped up and down to get her attention.
Both women raised their goggles. As Teresa brought hers into focus, she gasped at the speed of the object as it advanced toward their position. On her right side, she heard Capp grunt.
"Whoever's piloting that thing knows enough to get by, but he's doesn't have the steady hand of a pro. That's why you've gotten so many reports of sightings these last few days."
"You can tell that by the way it's flying along?"
"Yep. Not that the pilot of this one is bad, but you can see the drone jerk around as it moves. If the pilot used a more fluid motion, it'd be almost invisible."
"Really?"
"Let me put it this way. Did you have any reports of an object flying around town fourteen months ago?"
"No, none that I recall." Teresa stared at Capp as a grin stretched across her face. "Wait a minute. Didn't your mother move here twelve months ago?"
"Yep. I told you I wanted to check out the 'Paradise of the Pacific Northwest' before she moved here. And I have to log ten hours of training flights a month to maintain active status. The rules tell me how long to train but they don't tell me where." Capp's throaty laugh cut through the night air.
Teresa shook her head in wonder at the woman standing next to her.
"It's here, Chief."
Henry's voice drew Teresa and Capp's attention. Dropping his goggles to the ground, Henry twirled his lasso above his head. The drone slowed to a stop five meters from the front of the building. Once there, it hovered with its snout facing the brick wall.
Henry spun his lasso above his head faster and faster. In the stillness of the night, Teresa heard the whirring noise of the rope as it whipped through the air. Reaching down, she picked up one end of the tarp and handed the other to Capp. Amid the buzz of activity, Teresa glanced at her husband on the lawn. He stood in a relaxed stance, looking back-and-forth between Henry and the two women. He held the fish net slung over his shoulder.
"Here goes nothing!" Henry hurled his lasso toward the drone like it was livestock at a rodeo. Spinning through the air, the rope closed on its target. At the last second, a breeze buffeted the drone's wings, and the lasso thudded against its side without snagging it. In a limp motion, the rope fell to the grass as Henry reeled it back to him in a frenzy.
Teresa tapped Capp's shoulder.
"We're up next."
The two women held their tarp above where the drone hovered. On Teresa's count of three, they released it. The tarp fluttered as it fell. Direct hit! It slammed onto the top of the drone. For a moment Teresa could make out the shape of the drone under the fabric of the tarp. It slowly descended toward the grass below. But at the same time, the tarp began to slip. Henry scurried over to stand under it, his arms outstretched to grab it. About four meters from the ground, the drone rocked to-and-fro. The motion shook the drone free, and it accelerated up into the sky.
Frustration seized Teresa. Henry had almost captured it. She and Capp had almost captured it. Yet like in an old fishing tale, the drone got away.
At that moment the crack of a rifle shot rang out.
To be continued.
Author's notes:
Written by Jerry Livingston, Al J. Neiburg, and Marty Symes, my favorite recording of "Under A Blanket Of Blue" is by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong as found on the album, The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve.
Up next: "It's A Pity To Say Goodnight"
