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 11 - "It's A Pity To Say Goodnight"


By instinct, Capp Grainger ducked down at the sound of the gunshot. Also by instinct, she had reached out to pull Teresa Lisbon down with her. No need. Teresa had ducked as well, and had grabbed at Capp's arm to pull her.

"We're a lot alike," thought Capp.

But both women rallied quickly. They raised up to peer over the railing that ran along the roof. Down on the lawn, Henry Karson raised up out of the crouch he had balled himself into.

On her left side, Teresa stood up fully, gun drawn. Capp did the same, taking her pistol from her jacket pocket. Above the lawn, the drone spun round and round like a toy top while losing altitude. When Capp looked closer, she saw why. Tapping Teresa's arm, she pointed to it.

"One of the stabilizers on the drone is gone. The rifle shot must have clipped it off. Whoever did that is an expert."

"What's going on?" Teresa was talking to herself as much as to Capp.

Capp noticed that Teresa's attention had focused on another part of the lawn. Following her line of sight, Capp saw why. She tapped her new friend on the arm again.

"What's your husband doing, Teresa?"

Keeping her gaze on Archie Marbray, Teresa heaved out a sigh. She lowered her weapon and motioned for Capp to do the same. As the drone winded its way toward the ground, Marbry ran under it, waving his fish net above his head.

"I have no idea, Capp. But somehow he's behind this. Now I don't know whether to feel angry or happy."

"Is Archie gonna catch the drone in his net?"

"It appears so."

In a sudden motion, the drone jerked out of its steady spiral. Now it hurtled across the street.

"I'll get it, Teresa!" Archie called out to his wife.

The professor took off in a foot race behind the falling drone. As he ran, he swiped at it. The result? The same failure that Henry, Teresa, and Capp had. Archie had closed distance with the drone, but its erratic movement jerked it away each time he swung the net.

Still losing altitude, the spinning drone took a turn - toward the river gorge. Closer and closer it sped toward the overhang. Reaching ahead, Archie strained to get his net under the drone. Capp heard Teresa whisper to herself.

"Please be careful, Hubby, please."

Capp saw the chief shake with fear - fear for her husband. An impulse came over Capp, and she grasped Teresa's hand to comfort her.

Now only a pace or two behind the drone, Archie ran full-speed toward the overhang. He lifted up his net only to have its rim clang against the tail of the drone. Now it began to flip end-over-end as well as spin.

The drone reached the overhang. It arced over the ledge. Half-a-second later Archie reached the ledge himself. The scene riveted both women. Capp felt Teresa's now-moist hand squeeze hers. The chief lifted up a barely audible prayer then her breath caught.

Capp felt sure the professor would spill into the gorge himself. The man skidded trying to brake himself from going over the side. The net swung through the air wildly as he tried to stop himself.

Down, down, down. The drone fell out of Capp's view as it descended toward the river. Archie's net followed. Now his torso swayed as he grasped the net with both hands. Capp watched the scene as Teresa held her hand like a vise while she continued to recite her prayer.

Somehow, some way, the professor halted his forward motion. He grunted as he clutched his net. The stem on it bent down so far Capp thought it would snap at any second. But it didn't. Archie stood frozen for a moment. Then he called out.

"Hennnnnrrrrrry! I could use a little help over here."

Capp saw the officer drop his lasso to hurry over to the professor. Together the two men grasped the stem of the net. Slowly they raised it back up - with the drone snared in it.

"Oh, Honey!" Teresa called out to her husband like a school girl calling out to her sweetheart.

Capp felt Teresa's iron grip ease.

Down on the lawn, Archie and Henry walked into the circle of light under a street lamp. The professor held aloft the net with the drone in it. Rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, Archie looked like the fisherman who just caught the largest trout in the history of Washington state.

"For you, my dear Teresa, for you."

Rather than answer, Capp saw Teresa blow a kiss to her husband. In response, Archie pantomimed catching the kiss to bring to his lips. In turn, he blew a kiss back to her.

Teresa tugged Capp's sleeve.

"Let's go see what Archie caught, shall we?"

Teresa amused Capp. She bounded down the stairs of the apartment building two steps at a time then whipped open the lobby door. When Capp herself made it outside, she saw Teresa run across the lawn to her husband. Archie dropped his net, opened his arms, and enveloped her in a hug.

As Capp approached the couple, she heard a wisp of a whisper from Teresa's lips.

"Jane, you idiot."

That made no sense to Capp, but Teresa kissing Archie made perfect sense. She halted her steps to give the couple a moment of privacy before she approached. At that moment, the two shut off the rest of the world. Kimball had told her about the bond the chief and the professor shared, and now she saw it first hand. Their kiss lingered until an interruption broke them apart.

"Ma'am? Do you want us to bag the drone?" Two of Teresa's officers walked up to the couple. The chief glanced at them.

"Yes. Michaela, Warrick, you two work with Henry to process the scene."

"Already on it, ma'am!" Everyone turned to look at Henry when he spoke. He had donned plastic gloves to hold aloft the drone above his head like a fish. "You caught a big one, Professor. Wanna get your picture made with it?"

Archie chuckled as he hugged Teresa's waist.

"Maybe later, Henry. I'll let you do your business first."

Capp walked over to the chief and the professor. She opened her mouth to add her own wisecrack about a fish story where the big one didn't get away but a noise from the hillside distracted everyone. Thump, thump, thump. A lone figure clad in dark clothing traipsed down the incline. In his hand he clutched a rifle. When he walked under a street lamp, Capp could at last see his face. She squealed.

Kimball.

Capp ran over to embrace him.

"Handsome, smart, and a crack shot with a sniper rifle. Be still my heart!" she said.

"Aw shucks, ma'am. 'Twernt nothin' special." Kimball beamed at Capp as he did a John Wayne impersonation with his rifle slung over his shoulder.

Capp glanced at Teresa, and she nodded back at her.

"Folks, it's gonna take our officers a while to process the scene and get the drone back to the station. We'll inspect it there. It'll be at least 8am before we can start," Teresa said.

Capp mouthed a silent "thank you" to Teresa then turned to speak to Kimball.

"Hey, Rascal. Let a gal buy you a cup of coffee at that all-night diner down the road, why doncha?"

Kimball looked at Teresa and she made a shoving motion. He turned back to Capp.

"Sounds like best idea I've heard in a long time. Lemme buy you a late dinner."

The pair began to walk off as Capp looked over her shoulder at Teresa. "I'll see ya at the station at 8am." She looked over at Kimball. "So just to be clear, you're buying this gal a meal, huh?"

"Yep. A good one too according to the local cops."


Teresa watched Kimball and Capp put their arms around each other as they walked off.

Patrick Jane squeezed his wife's waist.

"Teresa Lisbon, you sly matchmaker, you."

"I've got a good feeling about those two, Hubby. In the meantime you're gonna tell me where on earth you got that idea of yours. And the huge fishnet."

They walked to her squad car, hand-in-hand.

"Well, when Kimball and I were walking past the prop room for the Drama Department at Deverell, I remembered that our old friend was a master sniper in his military career. So I thought 'Why not put his expertise to good use?' The odds never favored yours and Henry's plans."

"And fortune favored your plan more?"

He shrugged.

"The odds again, my dear Teresa, the odds. They never favored Kimball and me either, yet when you had three attempts at the drone, all different, the overall chance of success increased. I do commend you on your ingenuity though. Throwing the tarp over the drone almost worked. You've always shown a resourcefulness I admire. The only advantage I had was having the net so I could swipe at the drone."

"And Kimball Cho's sharp eye looking through a gun sight."

Her husband smiled.

"Especially that. The plan excited him even more knowing that Capp would be here. Between you and me, I think he wanted to show off in front of her. Kimball carries strong feelings for her. Of course he'd never say that out loud."

They had arrived at the squad car. Patrick hustled two steps in front of Teresa to open the driver's side door for her. He exaggerated a bow for her as she sat down in the car seat. Once he himself got seated on the passenger side, she fired the engine then glanced at him.

"Capp carries those same feelings for Kimball."

"Then our work here is done, Teresa." She mock-scowled at him. "Well, almost all of our work. There's still that pesky case to solve…"


To be continued.


Author's notes:

Mack Gordon and Billy Reid wrote "It's A Pity To Say Goodnight," and my favorite version is Ella Fitzgerald's on her album, Ella Swings Gently With Nelson.

Up next: "The More I See You, The More I Want You"