Radioactive Roses
A/N: Sorry about the delay. Drama has a habit of following me around sometimes. Anyway, enjoy this chapter as an apology.
Chapter six
Lisbon pulled to a stop at a traffic light and shut her eyes. She and Jane had been having a very unusual conversation, where she had been doing most of the talking. She had been reading his thoughts, and listening to him respond to her comments. It was mostly case related, because they were off to talk to Jarred Dubery again. Lisbon figured she would be able to tell if he was the killer, and Jane agreed.
The radio in the car had been on, and in a lull in conversation, Lisbon focussed on the song. She smiled. "That's ironic."
Jane tilted his head, and smiled with her as he listened to the song. It was by the band Imagine Dragons, a secret favourite of Lisbon's. The chorus explained their situation perfectly.
I'm waking up;
I feel it in my bones
Enough to make
My system blow.
Welcome to the new age,
to the new age.
Welcome to the new age,
to the new age.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh whoa
Whoa-oh-oh-oh
I'm Radioactive,
Radioactive.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh whoa
Whoa-oh-oh-oh
I'm Radioactive,
Radioactive.
Lisbon put her foot on the gas as the light changed, and they headed to 2137 Angel Drive. Lisbon considered the song. So simple, but was true for both her and Jane. They were, essentially, radioactive. The thought scared her.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
Lisbon stopped the car outside the apartment, and looked up at the apartment. It was just as imposing to her as it had been to Rigsby and Van Pelt. She wondered how people could live such opulent lives. It reminded Lisbon of the Great Gatsby. She and Jane headed to the front door, and she knocked. The door opened a few minutes later, and Jarred looked both her and Jane up and down. She tuned his thought out for the moment. They were and automatic, red-blooded male's response to both her and Jane. His reaction to Jane was stronger, and Lisbon held up her badge. "Agent Lisbon with the CBI. This is my colleague, Patrick Jane. We just have a few more questions for you."
Jarred nodded, and let them in. "how can I help you? I said all I needed to your colleagues."
Lisbon nodded. "We just have a few extra things to ask."
Jarred washed his hands. The pipes had been laid in the wall, and he had begun to plaster over them. Most of the dust had been cleaned up, and the tiles he had removed were stacked neatly against the wall next to the basin. He was half done, and his hands had been covered in course plaster. Jane wandered around the bathroom. "How well did you know Mrs Willows?"
Jarred shrugged. "We have been talking for about six months. She was worried about her marriage, and that her husband was having an affair. But I don't see how all this affects the investigation."
Lisbon was listening to his thoughts. They were very guarded, and she couldn't really get an accurate read on them. But she had realised over the past week that stress had that effect on the mind. She wondered why he was stressed. He had an alibi. Then she realised. "Did you have an affair with her?"
Jarred was clearly caught off guard, as was Jane. He had suspected, but hadn't realised Lisbon would ask so directly. Jarred stuttered over several words, before nodding. "It was just an internet fling. Nothing serious. And certainly nothing physical."
Lisbon heard his resentful thoughts, and nodded. "You wanted physical?"
Jarred blinked. "How did you know?"
Jane cut in. "just answer the question."
Jarred looked at him. "Of course I wanted to be physical with her. But she was married, ten years older than me, and was just in it for the affection. But…"
His voice trailed off, and Lisbon nodded. "You loved her."
Jarred nodded. "I wanted to tell her in person…"
Lisbon read where his thoughts had gone a fraction of a second before he stopped speaking. She was flashed back to the living room in the Willows house, and two cups of strong coffee, one red and one green. "I think you are under arrest, Mr Dubery."
Jarred backed away. "Why? I admitted nothing."
Lisbon pulled out her cuffs. "Your thoughts betrayed you."
Jarred stood in stunned silence as Lisbon snapped the cuffs on and led him from the house.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
Jane sat across from Jarred. The twenty-six year old looked down at his hands. "Tell me, what happened?"
Jarred looked up at Jane. "I left the site as soon as my boss left. I drove to her house, just to talk. We were having coffee, and I got closer to her. She rejected me when I went in for a kiss, and slapped me. I thought she loved me, and that we had something. She said all men were the same. And that she didn't want to be like her husband. She basically told me it was over. I lost it, and smashed her mug…"
Jane nodded. 'Then you struggled?"
Jarred looked away. "We did. I ended up scratching her hand accidentally. We knocked over a table, and the lamp. She broke free, and ran for her door."
Jane sat back. "Then you pulled out your gun and shot her three times. Yes, we know you carry one for protection."
Jarred nodded. "Just book me. I'm done here."
Jane looked at the one-way mirror and nodded. Lisbon entered and pulled him up. She and Jane walked with him down to booking. As she was signing off on her paperwork that the officer in charge had handed her, she thought about the turmoil that the young man before her was going through. In a fit of rage, he had shot a woman he had genuinely cared about. She handed the clipboard back to the officer, and she and Jane turned to leave. They were back up in the bullpen, when her boss and several other agents hurried into the room. "We have a security breach at the front and back main entrances," said Agent Stevens. "Armed men have entered and are on their way up here."
A/N2: A short chapter, but a scene changer. The song mentioned, Radioactive, is actually one of my favourites. It's a good song, and I suggest you listen to it. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, and please leave me a review.
P.S. Thank you to my friend for the use of your name. I hope I did what you wanted to it.