Chapter 16

"Just breathe, Wylie. You'll do fine."

Grace was standing over the shoulder of the anxious-looking teen, whose stressed, furrowed brow no doubt reflected the tension in his entire body. He held the gleaming metal pitcher of steaming milk in one hand, poised carefully over the cup of espresso on the counter in front of him.

"Remember- a quick, high pour in the center as you start, slow it down a bit and give it a little shake, then cut the foam right down the center." Grace smiled at the young man encouragingly then met her coworker's eye across the room. She had been practicing latte art with the busboy for over twenty minutes and Teresa marveled at her friend's seemingly endless patience with him.

Wylie inhaled deeply and began pouring, a study in pure determination and focus. He mumbled Grace's instructions quietly to himself as he went through each painstaking motion, until at last, with a final flick of his wrist, a lopsided, but clearly recognizable heart shape emerged at the top of the foam.

"I did it! It's a heart!" he beamed.

"Yeah, it is!" she replied proudly, giving him a sideways hug of congratulations. "You are really getting the hang of this."

"Teresa, come see this! I've finally made one!" he called over to her as he took his phone out of his pants pocket and snapped a picture of his accomplishment.

Lisbon, who was on her way to the dining area to begin bussing tables, couldn't help but get caught up in the young man's exuberance. She leaned over and examined the cup. "Yep, that's a heart alright. Good job, Wylie," she smiled.

He exhaled a sigh of satisfaction and continued to grin goofily at his creation.

"Okay, Wylie," Grace began, now suddenly serious, leaning sideways against the counter with her arms crossed in front of her. "So, now that you've accomplished this feat, I have to ask you- who's the girl?"

"Huh?" he replied, looking a little startled.

"The girl. We did not just spend the last half hour practicing this for no reason. You are trying to impress someone."

Teresa watched in amusement as Wylie's ears tinged pink and Grace narrowed her eyebrows at him expectantly. The kid didn't have a chance at avoiding her question.

"It's Michelle," he replied sheepishly after a moment's pause.

"Vega? From programming class?"

"Yeah, I bumped into her at the market the other day and told her I was working here. She seemed to think it was kind of cool and mentioned she's stop by this weekend."

"Aw, Wylie, I think that's great. She's smart and cute." Grace leaned in closer, adding, "And, I could tell she was into you, even back then."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why shouldn't she?" she smiled warmly.

Teresa grinned to herself while she continued to listen in on their little exchange from across the room. She was clearing plates and wiping down a group of tables left in complete disarray by a large group of tourists who had come in late that afternoon. Then she heard the clang of the bell on the door interrupting the conversation at the counter and looked over to see Erica Flynn strolling in casually and making her way towards the register. She regarded Teresa with a cool smile, then turned to Grace and ordered a black coffee to go.

Good, she can take her coffee and leave, Lisbon thought to herself upon overhearing this. She was having a perfectly nice day and really wasn't in the mood to have it spoiled by having to deal with this woman's nonsense.

She was especially annoyed then when, a few minutes later, Erica approached the area where she was working and planted herself at a nearby table. She took a few sips of her coffee, then set the cup down in front of her and looked over at Lisbon with a piercing stare.

"Hello, Teresa."

"Hi, Erica." Lisbon gave her a cursory glance but continued stacking dishes.

"Well," Erica began, crossing her legs elegantly in front of herself, "you are quite the little worker bee here, aren't you?"

God, this woman was unreal, Teresa thought as she paused what she was doing and picked up the dishrag left on the table next to her. "Well, it's a big place and there's a lot to do. But, I don't have to tell you that. I'm sure you know what that's like, running your own business."

"Yes, it can be a grind, that's for sure." Erica tapped the lid on her cup then glanced out the front window for a moment before looking up at Teresa again. "But, I guess we can't all be as fortunate as our favorite psychic across the street now, can we? The man sets his own hours, comes and goes as he pleases… and from what I hear is getting ready to pull up stakes and leave town soon."

It took every ounce of self-control Teresa had to refrain from rolling her eyes at this woman's attempts to goad her. Instead she just smiled vaguely and gave a small nod.

Erica pursed her lips dramatically and paused. "I suppose it's a wise move on his part, to get out of town now."

Teresa couldn't help herself. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's only a matter of time before May Nelson realizes she's been had. Considering how protective people around here are of her, it only makes sense Patrick would want to take that big payout of his and 'get out while the getting's good' as they say."

It took a moment for the name Erica mentioned to register. May Nelson was an old friend of Grace, a customer she saw every once in a while in the café but didn't really know well. But what Erica was saying made no sense at all to her. What did she have to do with Jane's business?

Realizing that her confusion was probably written all over face, Lisbon quickly tried to neutralize her expression, but it was too late. Erica pounced on her momentarily lapse and dug in, not even attempting to mask the enjoyment she was getting from Teresa's discomfort as she pressed forward.

"Oh, I can see he didn't mention it to you," she began with a sly smile. "Patrick came to see me a while back to get some information on May's son, Matthew. Do you know about him?"

Teresa's heart sank. Yes, she had heard Grace talk about the boy several times and his unexpected death last summer. She nodded wordlessly.

"Well, I guess I've been playing the part of 'consultant' to Patrick these past few weeks. He needed a little… insight into the family's situation, and I could hardly say no." She arched a brow pointedly. "I'm not exactly… immune to his charms."

Teresa was seething but remained tightlipped, determined not to respond to Erica's obvious provocations.

"So, I suppose it's about time for him to blow out of here, and from the sound of it… he's got himself a nice little ride out of town, doesn't he?"

Lisbon had had more than enough.

"It's been really great chatting with you, Erica," Teresa bit out, "but I do need to get back to work."

"Of course. I've been a bother, I apologize." Erica stood up and smiled primly. "Well, in case I don't see you before you leave town," she held up her cup as if toasting her, "happy travels, Teresa."

Her expression turned cold and with one last withering stare, she turned on her heel and left.

Teresa's blazing eyes followed her out the door and down the sidewalk. After a few steadying breaths, the anger and annoyance that had been coursing through her the last few minutes started to subside and all she felt was shell-shocked and numb. She looked down at the wet dishrag in her hand that was now a twisted, knotty mess and tossed it in the bin crossly, then grabbed the bin and walked into the kitchen. Feeling the rage bubbling up inside her once more, she slammed it down onto the stainless steal counter and gripped its edges, her knuckles turning white.

What the hell was going on here?

Of course Erica was just trying to get under her skin- it seemed to be a favorite pastime of hers lately- and yet what she had insinuated and said was so specific there had to be some truth to it. May Nelson… what was that about actually? Had Jane been providing this woman with his so-called 'spiritual counseling' to help her through her grief? Or was it more involved than that?

She returned to the front of the store, still a little bit dazed. Wylie had gone outside to sweep the sidewalk, and Grace was cleaning up the counter area where the two of them had been working. Maybe she knew something that could help her get to the bottom of this, Teresa thought. Figuring that the two of them would have at least a few minutes alone, Teresa approached her.

"Oh, that kid," the redhead smirked as she nodded toward the cup that still sat on the counter. "It only took him about a dozen tries, but he finally got it."

"Yeah," Teresa nodded and smiled back weakly. She waited a few moments then turned towards her young friend.

"So, Grace. That neighbor of yours, May… has she been working with Jane?"

"Yeah, she has!" Grace smiled. "Did he tell you about that?"

"Not much, I've just heard a little bit about it, that's all," Lisbon shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. "What's he been doing?"

"Well, I told you about her son, and how my friend Kristina had been able to communicate with him after he died, how he kind of 'spoke' through her?"

Lisbon nodded.

"Well, I thought Jane might be able do the same thing, so I introduced the two of them. And it sounds like it's been really amazing. It's given May a lot of hope, you know?"

"When was this?"

"Um, about a month ago, I think," Grace replied brightly as she wiped down the espresso machine and brushed stray coffee grounds from the counter into the palm of her hand. "I haven't seen May in a while, so I don't know how it's been going lately. But a few weeks ago when he was at her house-"

"He met with her at her house?"

"Yeah. And from the way May described it, it was the most incredible thing. He told her all this stuff about Matthew from his childhood- things he had absolutely no way of knowing: books he had read, the snacks she used to fix for him when he was little, all kinds of things. It sounded so unreal."

"I'm sure it was," Teresa replied robotically, in a voice that was hers and yet sounded far away as if detached from her body. She stood as if frozen in place and watched mindlessly as Grace grabbed the cup and saucer from the counter and disappeared into the back to begin shutting down the kitchen for the night.

It was nearly the end of the workday and Teresa couldn't have been more grateful. She took out the ledger from beneath the counter, intent on busying herself with the task of balancing the books for the day, attempting to ignore the torrent of emotions and troubling scenarios that were racing through her mind.

When Wylie came back inside a few minutes later, he tucked the broom away, placed the Closed sign in the window, then grabbed his messenger bag out from underneath the counter. He readied himself to leave as Grace emerged from the back slinging her own bag over her shoulder. She approached Lisbon.

"Are you almost done? We could go grab a drink if you like."

"Oh, not tonight, Grace," Lisbon replied, trying her best to appear upbeat. "I'm pretty tired- I think I'm just gonna go home as soon as I finish this up."

"Alright," Grace answered kindly, as if she sensed something was amiss with her friend but didn't want to press the issue. "Well, I'll see you in the morning then."

She and Wylie headed towards the front together, and Teresa breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind them and she was alone at last.

She scribbled furiously in the ledger for several minutes, writing and erasing the same entry numerous times before finally slamming the book shut in frustration. Then she glanced over at her jacket hanging on the wall and was seized with a sudden realization.

She walked over, dug her hand into the front pocket and tore out the folded up brochure she had picked up at Jane's shop just a few days earlier. She quickly scanned the first pages of the tri-fold pamphlet, which featured brief descriptions of the various services he offered- the 'spiritual counseling', the tarot card readings and the like. Then she flipped to the back where she noticed for the first time a small box at the bottom listing "Premium Services" and their associated fees.

She practically gasped in horror when she saw it- the four-figure dollar amounts listed next to services like séances and communication sessions. It was right here in black and white- this was what he had been doing these past few weeks. This was the big payout Erica had been referring to.

Patrick Jane was a hustler; she had known this from day one. But over the past weeks and months she had convinced herself that what he did for a living was essentially harmless. As he had described it to her, he was just giving the people who came to him what they wanted; spinning the tales they wanted to hear, and they were simply paying him for the peace of mind and assurances he provided. She had accepted this, even though she wasn't crazy about the idea.

But, this thing with May, as far as she understood it, seemed to be operating at a whole different level. It was methodical and calculated. It suggested an almost amoral disregard for this woman and what she had gone through that she couldn't imagine him capable of. And yet, it appeared he was capable of doing this. Everything she had heard from both Erica and Grace supported that conclusion.

She returned to her bookkeeping and finally managed to balance the day's receipts with the cash in the drawer. Just as she was returning the ledger to its spot on the shelf, she glanced up to see Jane jogging across the road and making his way towards the café. He wore his usual carefree grin on his face, an expression that under normal circumstances would make her heart flutter with anticipation. Now all she felt was a tightening in her chest as she walked to the door to let him inside.

"Hey," he greeted her softly as he leaned in for a kiss. She turned her head sharply so that it fell on her cheek instead of its intended target, and as she walked away from him, she watched his face fall sharply.

"What's the matter?" he asked soothingly as he followed her back to the counter.

She snorted in derision, seeing no point in putting off this conversation.

"Your friend, Erica stopped by again today," she replied bitterly, looking him squarely in the eye.

She saw a flicker of surprise and dread flash across his face, which he quickly tried to mask.

"She isn't my friend, Teresa-" he began with the dismissive shake of his head.

"Yeah, well, whatever she is to you, she gave me quite an earful."

"About what?" She could see he was trying to keep his expression even and controlled as if bracing for something he knew (or at least suspected) was coming.

"May Nelson."

She continued to study him as she spoke the name and noticed his skin turn white. "You know, at first I figured Erica was just blowing smoke, like she did the last time she came in here, but then she started saying some pretty damning things that were a little hard to ignore." She swallowed hard. "It turns out you have been running quite the elaborate con with her these last few weeks."

"Teresa- "

Lisbon cut him off, her voice hard, the volume rising.

"And all the while she's telling me this crap, I didn't really believe it at first. I couldn't even picture it in my head... So I asked Grace, and she confirmed everything- that you've been meeting with this woman, doing readings with her, trying to reach out to the great beyond to connect her with her dead son, which you and I both know isn't actually something you're capable of doing. God, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"It never got that far-" he began weakly.

"You went to her house, Jane! And apparently you put on quite the dramatic performance for her, which I'm sure was at least in part thanks to the information your shill Erica had given you."

She thrust her hand into the back pocket of her jeans and took out the folded up pamphlet, holding it up with her fingers gripped tightly. "Oh, and this? This was the real kicker. Thousands of dollars, Jane… How could you do this to someone?"

"I never took a penny from her, Teresa."

"Oh, come on," she scoffed. "You met with her for almost a month!"

"Teresa, you have to believe me when I tell you this." He stepped closer and looked at her with a fervent, serious expression. "I didn't take her money. Yes, I met with her a few of times, I did a reading on her, and at the beginning of it all I had every intention of following through on it." He exhaled sharply. "But I didn't. I swear to you."

Lisbon gazed at him through unshed tears and couldn't help but believe him. It was, however, of little consolation to her at the moment.

"It's not just about the money," she began mournfully. "You preyed upon this woman, Jane. You used her child's death- probably the worst thing that could happen to a person, to a mother- and you turned it into some kind of twisted game for yourself, like she was some sort of challenge for you."

By now her breathing was hitched and her voice on the verge of breaking. "What kind of person does that?"

His eyes were cast downward, filled with a shame and self-loathing she found heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time.

"You have no idea how to act like a decent human being, do you? No idea at all."

He was silent for a long time then looked up at her solemnly.

"Maybe you're right, when it comes to that part of my life at least. Meeting May and working with her- it appealed to my very worst instincts. But I stopped myself, Teresa. I started down that path and I turned back. I don't want to be that person anymore…"

He took another step forward and locked eyes with her. His penetrating stare was almost too much for her to bear, but she was determined to hold her tears at bay.

"I have a lot to figure out, and maybe I'm not quite the person you thought I was. But I am trying… You know that."

Her eyes glistened and he reached out to brush her cheek with his hand. But as sincere as he sounded and as much as she wished she could just fall into his arms and accept him at face value, she simply couldn't.

She stepped backwards, bristling at his touch.

"No, Jane. I'm sorry, but I can't do this."

"Teresa-"

"I just need you to go, alright? I need you to leave right now." Her voice was shaky and she hated herself for how weak she sounded.

"Please, let me stay," he began gently. "We need to talk, work this out."

"No, we don't," she replied tersely, the dormant anger rising to the surface once again. "What I need… is for you leave. Right now."

Jane nodded in quiet resignation, and without another word, turned around and walked out the door.

Okay, so was Lisbon too hard on Jane here? Personally I don't think so, but I'm curious to know your thoughts. I was thinking about the S4 episode "Pretty Red Balloon" in which the CBI was investigating a case involving one of Jane's former clients, and he talked about the years he spent "selling hope". Lisbon's response was something about hope being worth "any price", and this always struck me as a little OOC for her, that she would condone this kind of deceptive behavior. Maybe others see it differently?