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 15 - "They Can't Take That Away From Me"


Patrick Jane and the three strange figures walked up to Teresa Lisbon followed by a gaggle of gawkers.

"So, how's it going, Teresa?" Despite the volatile situation, Patrick's bad-boy grin made Teresa respond in kind.

"Fair-to-middling. Who did you bring with you?"

Teresa took a closer look at the three. The hairy creature, wearing taps on a pair of spit-polished black loafers, swung his arms back-and-forth as his feet danced in a tight circle. The green humanoid female stood beside him in a form-fitting leotard that barely contained her. When the hairy creature stopped dancing to stare at her cleavage, the humanoid pointed her ray gun at his head. Off to the side the man in the blue leisure suit tossed $100 bills of play money into the air, and children scurried to snatch them up as they floated to earth.

Patrick stepped aside and motioned for the three figures to move forward.

"Allow me to make introductions, Teresa. May I present Deverell College students Seth, Fiona, and Gilbert, otherwise known as Bigfoot, Space Thang, and D. B. Cooper."

Each took a bow in turn. Teresa noticed that Wayne's attention had focused on Gilbert, the one that Patrick called "D. B. Cooper." Clearing his throat, Wayne spoke to Gilbert.

"So, who exactly are you? Mr. Disco Man?"

Before Gilbert could answer, Patrick scowled and replied.

"No, Wayne. Come on. He's D. B. Cooper! 1970s air pirate. Bailed out of a Boeing 727 somewhere over the Pacific Northwest with $200,000. He was never seen again."

"Never heard of him." Wayne scratched his head.

Patrick sighed.

"Look it up on Wikipedia sometime, Wayne." Patrick turned his attention to his wife. "Teresa, our three friends here are theater majors. They'll get the crowd under control."

Teresa crossed her arms, but she knew Patrick could see the smile that he coaxed from her lips.

"And how's that, Hubby?"

"The good citizens of Cannon River don't yet realize it, but the drones above and our three friends below are promoting the civic event of the year, my dear."

"And what would that event be?" Teresa asked.

"Cannon River Crazy Days. It has a ring to it, don't you think?"

Patrick rocked back and forth on his feet with his chest puffed out. Teresa recognized that pose as her husband's I-got-this-figured-out-and-aren't-you-proud-of-me stance. With a wave, she addressed the three students.

"Why don't you guys mingle with the crowd then?"

Bigfoot spoke up.

"Yes, ma'am. We're excited. This is the biggest crowd we've played to since the birthday party for Professor Martelli's daughter. And it's a paid gig too!"

"Paid?" Teresa shot a glance at Patrick.

"Ah, yeah. Chief Lisbon and I will work out the details for you guys. You just go ahead and fan out in the crowd," said Patrick.

"Thanks, Professor!" said Bigfoot. He started to put his arm around Space Thang, and she raised her ray gun to tap against his chin.

"Back off, Fuzzball."

"Let's go guys. I only brought ten packs of play money and I've already gone through two of them," said D. B. Cooper.

As the three walked through the park, they drew onlookers like a magnet. People of all ages dropped their gaze from the drones to the students. Oohs and aahs sounded from onlookers as one or another of them performed a routine.

For the first time that afternoon, Teresa laughed as she turned to Patrick.

"So, the three of them are gonna get paid for their work?"

"They're worth every penny if they quell the crowd."

"And where is this money coming from, Hubby?"

"Well, since we're married you're not paying me that consulting fee any more. I figured you could use some of your savings from that."

Loud applause drew Teresa's attention. The three students were square dancing with some children. While D. B. Cooper spun around, play money fluttered out of his pockets.

Teresa nodded.

"I'll just put the payment under 'Crowd Control' in the budget."

"Excellent idea, my dear."

While Teresa and Patrick watched the students, Henry ran up. Almost losing his balance, he skidded to a stop in front of them. As he spoke he wheezed.

"Annabelle. Annabelle just... Heeeeeeeeee. Annabelle just… Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

Teresa put her hand on Henry's arm to steady him.

"Deep breaths, Henry. Deep breaths."

Henry nodded. For a moment, he ceased his struggle to get words out of his mouth. His gaze darted between Teresa and her husband. Taking in a big gulp of air, he began again.

"Annabelle just called. She's at home. Something's got her concerned."

"She's at the apartment building?"

"Yes ma'am. I need to check on her. Please?" Henry asked.

Teresa patted his arm.

"You go. Let me know what you find out from Annabelle."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."

As Henry turned to leave, Patrick glanced at Teresa.

"I'm going with Henry. We'll see what's up at River Manor."

Teresa watched the two men walk at a rapid pace to Henry's squad car. At the same time, Capp and Kimball reappeared. While they walked toward Teresa, Capp fiddled with switches on the control box that she carried. Kimball followed her carrying two more. When they arrived in front of Teresa, Wayne and Grace rejoined the group as well.

"We'll need to capture each drone's frequency one-by-one. It's a good thing I had three boxes in my car trunk," said Capp.

"You go ahead. I'm gonna take Henry's place coordinating the officers."

With that, Teresa walked toward the throng of people around the students. Now even her officers laughed along with the crowd. While D. B. Cooper shook play money out of his coat pockets, Bigfoot kept trying to get Space Thang to dance with him. In response, Space Thang poked her ray gun against his stomach.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Fuzzball," she said.

Bigfoot put up his hands in surrender. When she lowered the ray gun, he resumed dancing by himself. In a few moments though, he stopped, shot a sad look over to Space Thang, and held out his hand again.

"Please, Fiona. I mean Space Thang. Pu-lease?"

Space Thang started to shake her head "no," but then she inhaled a deep breath, dropped her ray gun, and took Bigfoot's hand.

"Alright Seth. Just a waltz. No tango. And no way am I twerking."

The two began their ballroom dance while D. B. Cooper hummed Strauss' Blue Danube Waltz beside them. The crowd broke into applause for the couple.

Teresa chuckled. It felt good.

Patrick Jane to the rescue once again she thought.


Over by the soccer field, Kimball Cho watched Capp Grainger work her magic on the control boxes. Her fingers danced across the boxes as she wielded her screwdriver. For each of the three she opened the bottom. Once she had access inside, Capp fiddled with the wiring on them one-by-one to "capture" the frequency of each drone. When she finished the first, she rose to her feet, walked over to Wayne Rigsby, and handed him the control box. With Grace and Kimball looking over his shoulders, Capp gave instructions.

"Ease the joystick around while you gently lower the altitude stick. Like this." The first drone broke out of formation. It began a lazy circle in the air as it slowly lost altitude. "You try it, Wayne."

Capp removed her hands from the control box to let Wayne take over. At first the drone bobbled in the air. In a few moments though, Wayne steadied it as his drone resumed its wide clockwise arc.

"I think I've got the hang of this." Wayne looked like a little boy who'd just unwrapped a birthday present.

"Good. Now to get Grace's control box set up." Capp glanced at Kimball. "Whoever sent these drones here put them on auto-pilot. Wayne's not getting any resistance to taking control of his. Let's take care of the other two."

In a flash of speed, Capp captured the frequency of the next drone. She brought the second control box to Grace, and the two women worked together to get Grace's drone to respond. Soon enough hers began to fly in a counter-clockwise arc a few meters above Wayne's.

"This is fun!" Grace said while she stood next to her husband.

As Wayne and Grace continued, they gained confidence. By the time his drone touched the ground, Wayne had mastered the controls so much that he brought it to rest at his feet.

"Hooray! Yippee! All right!"

None of them noticed but a crowd had gathered around them. Children from the playground, adults walking their dogs, and people of all ages who had come to see the drones collected for the show. Now they broke into applause as Wayne took a bow.

"Ha! I'm not gonna let you hog all the limelight for yourself, Wayne," said Grace. A flick of the controls sent her drone skimming the surface of the lake like a stone skipping across it. A few ducks quacked in surprise as it passed by. Decreasing speed, it came to a full stop at Grace's feet just like Wayne's had. The crowd responded with a louder round of applause, and Grace took her own bow.

Kimball looked in the sky once again. One more drone remained aloft. The crowd shifted their gaze up to it while Capp worked on the third control box. When she handed it to Kimball, he took it and began the same slow, downward arc with the his drone that Wayne and Grace had used on the other two.

Capp stepped behind him. A pair of arms wrapped around Kimball's, and a pair of soft yet firm hands covered his own. Beside his ear, a pair of lips whispered in a throaty voice.

"Let's give these good people a real performance, why don't we?" asked Capp.

"Show me what to do," said Kimball.

Their hands working together, Kimball and Capp guided the drone in a loop-d-loop. Its sides glistened in the sun as it raced through the sky. The fast-paced speed of the loops drew gasps from the crowd.

Kimball felt Capp's lips brush against his ear then hum.

"The crowd seemed to like that. Do you think they'd enjoy a barrel roll?"

"Go ahead. I'm putty in your hands," said Kimball.

The drone flipped over and over as he heard more gasps from the spectators.

"How about a little personal touch?" Capp punctuated her whisper by tugging on Kimball's ear lobe with lips.

"You know I'm up for that," said Kimball.

The drone swooped down across the duck pond at a speed that took people by surprise. A smattering of gasps arose again. With the lightest of touches across Kimball's hands, Capp throttled down the drone's speed until it barely stayed air-worthy. Then it inched its way across the shoreline to where a woman holding a baby stood watching. The drone froze a foot or so in front of the mother and child, its wings bobbing in the breeze that wafted off the water. The baby stretched out his hand and smacked the nose of the drone. When he did it wiggled in the air. The baby laughed and clapped his hands.

Turning the drone around, Kimball and Capp guided it to them. Capp squeezed Kimball's hands. Then she guided his hands across the controls so that the drone rotated to face the crowd. With a final flutter of its wings, the drone mimicked taking a bow and settled to the turf next to where Wayne and Grace had landed theirs.

"Bravo! Hooray! Magnificent!"

The shouts, whistles, and applause of the crowd drowned out any other sounds. Kimball grasped Capp's arm and turned them both to face the onlookers. After a nod, they took their own bow.

Kimball had never felt so alive as he did at that moment. He and Capp looked at each other, and an understanding passed between them. Setting down the control box, he laced his fingers between hers, and they leaned together. Their lips touching like the wisp of a spring breeze on skin, they held their kiss. He and Capp both knew what they wanted. As they broke apart, Kimball opened his eyes to look at his future. What looked back at him were a pair of blue eyes that sparkled.

She feels the same way I do.

As Kimball's arms drew her to him for a deeper kiss, a buzzing noise sounded. He and Capp both looked down at her jeans pocket. With a sigh, she extracted her phone. Stepping back from Kimball, Capp clicked the receive button.

"Hello, Jace…I'm on vacation…I don't want to be bothered right now…No, Jace…find someone else…What?…Oh no, not that bad…No, no, not Kathryn…" Kimball saw Capp's eyes water. "…and Rich too? No, no, no. This can't be…They can't be…" Capp's tears were falling in a steady stream. "…Have you told their families?…I met Rich's wife Laura and their family last year…They've got two, an eight-year-old and a five-year-old…What do you mean, the mission isn't complete?…How many are left?…Don't say that…Please, Jace, I don't want to do this anymore…I've, I've, I've got someone in my life now…" Capp blinked through her tears to look at Kimball. "No!…I want out, Jace. This isn't what I want to do anymore. Don't say that, Jace. Please don't. Nothing can be done for them now. No, don't say that. Please don't say that…" She convulsed in spasms while she struggled to get her breathing under control. "All right. All right. I'll do it. I'm doing it for Kathryn and Rich. But if I make it back I'm moving to that desk job. The one you promised me. Arrange to have someone fly in to SeaTac to pick me up. I'll meet with you on-site in five hours. Brief me then, Jace."

She clicked her phone off. Kimball lifted his hand to her face to wipe off her tears. Seizing his wrist, she brought his fingers to her lips.

"Kimball, I've got to…"

"I know."

"It's…it's…it's bad. Just so bad. And I can't tell you anything. Kathryn and Rich, my friends, they were…"

"You don't have to say any more."

"But there's so much I want to say to you, Kimball. There's so much I need to say…"

He grasped her in a hug. She clung to him tight enough to squeeze the air from his chest.

"And you can. You will. I'll wait for you," said Kimball.

"You don't understand. In 24 hours I'll likely be…"

"I love you, Nymph."

She pulled back and their eyes met.

"I love you too, Rascal."

He kissed her again.

"Good. Then it's settled. You'll find a way back. We'll be together."

Her hand gripped his like a vise.

"How do you know I can make it back?"

"Because you once found an FBI agent out of ammo in a wheat field and saved his ass."

In the blink of an eye, her devilish grin appeared through her tears.

"I only saved it 'cause it was such a fine ass."

"Don't go getting naughty with me right now. Save it for when you get back."

Capp squeezed his hand.

"I will find a way. I'll come back to you, Kimball Cho."

"Me and my ass will be waiting for you, Cappadocia Grainger."

With a final kiss they broke apart and Capp walked to her car. She waved to the Rigsbys and Teresa as she passed them. The instant before she closed her car door, she glanced one more time at Kimball and smiled.

Despite their brave words, he felt her ride out of his life once more.


Teresa Lisbon watched a scene that had taken on a festive atmosphere. Winding their way through the crowd, the three students stopped to talk with people and pose for photos. A few onlookers gathered to watch Officers Albury and Hinks load the three drones into a police van.

Now that peace had returned, a thought struck Teresa: Why did Capp leave in such a hurry? Walking around the park, she spied Kimball and Wayne sitting on a bench away from everyone else. Wanting to know what happened to Capp, Teresa walked toward them. Then she froze. Wayne had his hand on Kimball's shoulder. Although she couldn't make out any words, Teresa heard the low tone of Wayne's voice. She recognized that tone. It was the same one a cop at a crime scene - or a friend during bad times - consoled someone with.

Hunched over, Kimball had his face down in the palms of his hands. Wayne continued in his soothing voice as he patted his friend's back. Looking up, Wayne's eyes met Teresa's. He shook his head. Teresa halted her approach to the bench.

The last thing Kimball would want is for someone other than Wayne to see him like that she thought.

As Teresa turned to go back to the open field in the park, she saw that Grace had joined her. The two women nodded at each other. Whatever had happened, they exchanged an unspoken message of sympathy for Kimball and Capp.

"Have you heard anything from Jane?" Grace asked.

Jane. For a moment she had forgotten that her husband had gone with Henry.

"No. I oughtta check on him." As she pulled her phone out, it rang. Looking at the screen, Teresa smiled. "Speak of the devil. Here he is now."

Grace snorted.

"Remember you're the one that called him that, not me."

Teresa clicked to receive the call.

"Hey, Hubby. What's up?"

"I've got good news and bad news, Teresa."

Patrick Jane's voice carried a tone that she first heard years ago at CBI. Her whole body tensed. Something had happened. She sighed as she made a decision.

"Tell me the good news first."

"The good news is that the case is wrapped up," said Patrick.

"And what's the bad news?"


To be continued.


George and Ira Gershwin wrote "They Can't Take That Away From Me" in 1937, and my favorite version is Frank Sinatra's on his album, Songs For Young Lovers.

Up next: "One For My Baby"