A/N: Episode 1 brought to you by mayzee – As Lisbon prepares to go back to work at the FBI after the birth of their son, she and Jane decide to first take a vacation alone together to somewhere very familiar to one of them. But a murder finds a way of interrupting their trip to paradise.
SAPPHIRE SKIES
Knuckles turned white as her hand grasped his as it lay on the armrest between them. His wife looked over at him alarmingly as the single propeller plane continued to make its bumpy descent, her gold cross and band bouncing around her neck as she turned in her seat.
"Ah...Teresa, can you loosen your grip a little?" Jane remarked, grimacing slightly at Lisbon's powerful handhold.
"You remember what I told you when you asked me the same question when I was giving birth?" she bit back with, glowering at him.
"I believe it was something along the lines of 'Go to Hell, you jackass'. And I'm paraphrasing. I edited out the rather more colourful suggestions you made to me that day," her husband chuckled back.
Despite her fear of imminent death she grinned as she recalled the birth of their son, softening her hold in the process.
Their child.
Even over a year later she still found it hard to believe that their lives had changed so dramatically in that time. After sitting in neutral for over a decade they'd suddenly put on booster packs and the last year had fast-forwarded their relationship, forever altering it. Jane had finished restoring the cabin he'd bought for them, putting as much passion and zeal into its renovation as he had in solving cases. She'd gone from field work to desk duty to maternity leave.
Then Liam had arrived and suddenly late night diaper runs, breastfeeding and never ending washing had taken the place of working, going over case notes and having time to eat a meal at a table together. But she wouldn't change a moment of the past year. Well, maybe she could have done without the heartburn and the swollen ankles and the inability to get off a couch unaided in the latter stages of her pregnancy. But as soon as that tiny human being was placed in her arms she forgot all of the pain and discomfort that went before, swept away on a cloud of euphoria and pure love. She and Jane had been living on it ever since.
Her thoughts on their child, she didn't realise they were on the ground until a loud thud disturbed them. "Thank god!" she stated, raising her eyes to heaven and fingering her cross as she saw lush greenery around her as the plane rolled to a slow stop on the dirt runway.
Jane whispered in her ear, "I told you I should have put you in a trance before we took that connecting flight."
The airport shuttle pulled up at the white bricked Hotel and they trudged off, both sticky from the sweltering heat of the rickety bus ride.
"I'm glad you're not wearing your suits here," Lisbon commented, fanning her face with her hand, as she glanced at him in his white shirt and faded blue jeans combo, a look he'd adopted when he'd started to renovate the cabin. And creature of habit he was it was his normal outfit of choice in everyday life more often than not now. She was pleased she had chosen to travel in a purple cotton maxi dress for their second chance at a honeymoon, its loose and flowing material giving her freckled skin some respite from the burning rays of the midday sun.
He chuckled as his eyes darted around the complex for a second before he took Lisbon's hand and strolled towards the reception desk in the main building as a busboy picked up their luggage.
"This must bring back some memories, huh?" Lisbon whispered at his side, goosebumps alighting on her bare arms as she felt the welcome breeze of air conditioning.
His squeezed her hand. "You could say that." Recollections hit him squarely in the face of the years spent here and for a second his expression turned melancholy until he faced her where a dazzling smile took its place. "Come on, let's get checked in." His smile grew when he saw the young man behind the reception desk do a double take when he lifted his head from the computer in front of him.
"Patrick!"
Jane was quickly embraced in a hug as the man rushed from behind the desk. "Hey Franklin, I see you've moved up in the world!" he beamed, patting the other man's back.
"Yes!" Then suddenly Franklin's face fell, "Patrick is...is everything all right? Are you in trouble-?"
"No," Jane laughed, glancing at Lisbon who was looking at the sight unfold before her, evidently amused. "For once I'm not. Just here on vacation for a few days."
"Only a few days? Surely you can stay longer?!"
"Afraid not. Obligations back home," he grinned, casting a sideways glance at Lisbon. "Very important obligations indeed."
Jane managed to withdraw from the other man's grip and put his arm around Lisbon's waist. "Actually we're on vacation. Well, honeymoon really. Kind of. Franklin, I'd like you to meet my wife, Teresa."
Lisbon smiled at Jane and then at Franklin. "Hi, it's a pleasure to meet-"
"You are Teresa? Teresa Lisbon?!"
Lisbon frowned as she noticed Jane colour a little at the younger man's words. "I...I may have mentioned your name once or twice when I lived here," he whispered in her ear.
"Really?" she grinned, arching a self satisfied eyebrow.
He shrugged, "Maybe. Just in passing, of course."
Lisbon regarded him sceptically, still smiling. "Sure, in passing, of course."
"Wow, this is some place. Nice of your friend to upgrade us," Lisbon remarked as she stood in the centre of their large suite after Jane tipped the busboy and closed the door of their hotel room.
"Not bad, huh?" he smiled as he set their bags on the king sized bed.
"And best of all it has air conditioning."
Suddenly Jane stopped what he was doing and put a hand to his ear, frowning as he listened. "What is it?" Lisbon said, mirroring his expression.
"The quiet," he whispered with a wink.
She laughed then began to play with her hands. "It feels weird though, doesn't it?" she frowned.
He quickly took the few steps required to stand opposite her and put his arms around her, settling his hands on her hips. "Just the two of us. Yeah, it does," he admitted. "It's mostly just been the three of us in our own little bubble for the past six months. But you know Grace and Wayne will be great with him. He's so much more alert now than when they last saw him and he took to them right away when they came to stay with us before we flew out here."
"Yeah, I know. Hope they'll be okay at the cabin. It was sweet of them to offer to come babysit him there."
"I think Rigsby was looking forward to taking Ben fishing at the lake. And easier for Liam too to be in his home environment at this stage. But I detected an ulterior motive from Grace wanting them to get away from San Francisco and work for a few days."
"Oh?"
"She's trying to talk Rigsby into having another one of their own."
Lisbon grinned, "Is that so?"
He nodded, "Yep. But I'm not sure being in a house with a teething baby is going to necessarily help her cause."
She bit her lip. "God, I feel bad now. Maybe we shouldn't have left him so early, Jane."
"We talked about this, Lisbon. It's just for a few days; as long as he's fed he'll barely miss us. They'll more than make sure he's spoilt rotten." He paused, "It's harder on us than it is on him. Do you want to Skyface them again or whatever?"
She rolled her eyes. "I know you are not that much of a technophobe, Jane. And we agreed to limit ourselves to checking on him four times a day. We only talked to them two hours ago before we got on that death trap of a plane. They'll think we're crazy and don't trust him with them if we keep calling them."
"They're parents themselves. They'll understand."
Just as Jane's words were uttered Lisbon's cellphone beeped, alerting her to a text message. A photo of Liam, sound asleep and dressed in a San Francisco Giants sleepsuit greeted her, a wisp of a blond curl peeking out from a matching hat. As she showed it to Jane he kissed the top of her head as her eyes grew teary. Softly, "Seems Grace has inherited some of her cousin Yolanda's psychic skills after all," he joked, his voice tender but raw.
Lisbon wiped a stray tear from her eye as she laughed. "Damn hormones. And I'm going to tell her you said that. And I'm going to kill Rigsby for buying him that outfit."
"But clever of him to wait until he had some space between you before he dug it out," Jane laughed.
She puffed out a breath to gather herself. Louder, "To be honest I was surprised you suggested a trip away, I could barely get him out of your arms the past couple of months to feed him or put him down."
He tightened his hold on her as his expression turned serious. "Well that's partly why I thought we should take some time just for us. I don't...I don't want to become one of those fathers, Teresa."
"How do you mean?"
He sighed. "One of those parents who lose a child and then become overly protective of another one. And you know...well...I have a tendency to become quite obsessively overprotective with those I love. I don't want him to feel like I'm holding him back from experiencing life like a child should just because of what happened to Charlotte. I need to learn how to release the reins when I feel myself pulling on them a little too tightly."
She pulled him closer, linking her hands together across his back. "You would never allow him to feel like that, Jane. You're a great father. Both then and now."
He kissed her softly on the lips. "Thank you for that. I love you."
She pecked his lips in return. "Love you too."
A beat passed as he cleared his throat. "Anyway, another reason for the trip now is that you're going back to work next week. After that who knows when we'll get another chance? Plus, well our honeymoon was spent with your head down a toilet. Not exactly the romantic getaway either of us was hoping for."
She laughed, "Yeah, the morning sickness was not fun. Especially when it turned into afternoon and evening sickness too. But it was a pretty swanky bathroom in that hotel at least."
"Looking on the bright side, eh?" he smiled.
"Like we agreed. So far it's worked out pretty well."
He glanced at the photograph of their son again. He whispered, "Can't deny, it has that."
She released him as her tone turned bossy. "Now, let's grab a shower so you can show me around this old stomping ground of yours. We're only here for a couple of days; let's make the most of it. After all your letters I feel like I know the place already. Can't wait to see it with my own eyes."
He smirked, "That's another thing we haven't had time for in a very long time, my dear."
"What's that?"
"Been able to have a shower together."
She kissed him firmly on the lips with a twinkle in her eyes. "Well, it would save time. And water."
"Not necessarily," he grinned.
"It's just like you described," Lisbon said after they completed the tour of the town Jane had lived in for almost two years and sat at the beach bar he had frequented almost every day. Jane sipped on an afternoon cocktail and Lisbon a bottle of beer as they stared at the azure ocean in front of them as waves lapped the nearby shore.
Locals had greeted him as they'd passed through the streets with a slap on the back and a smile. Lisbon noticed the kids especially who tortured him for magic tricks as soon as word had spread about him being back. Jane, being Jane, had rehearsed a few new ones as he obviously expected the request on his return.
"We'll take a walk on the beach after this," he smiled, his fingers grazing over her wedding ring. "Sunsets here are amazing."
"As long as you don't leave me standing there looking at it on my own," she smirked over the rim of her bottle. When she saw his expression turn anxious she laughed, "I'm kidding, Jane. That was a long time ago. We've come a long way since those days."
He kissed the tips of her fingers. "Certainly have." He sighed happily, "I've always wanted you to see this place. Thought about it...often when I was here on my own."
"You don't appear to have had a shortage of friends when you were here. Everyone we talked to today seemed happy to see you."
He smiled lazily at her. "Acquaintances, not friends, Lisbon. Not speaking the language-"
"Yeah, I noticed that. My Spanish is better than yours. How come you never learned to speak it properly?"
He shrugged, "Suppose I thought of being here as somewhere temporary, if I had made a concerted effort to learn the language then it would have seemed somewhere permanent. And..."
His fingers lingered on the back of her hand, "And that would have meant I'd accepted that being here forever was going to be my life."
"You hoped to come home one day?" she prodded, leaning over the table and shifting her sunglasses to the top of her head to look in his eyes.
"Hoped to see you again one day," he smiled, pecking her lips. "So, in answer to your question, yes."
Jane heard a drawer being opened in the dim light of the hotel bedroom the next morning. He palmed the space beside him, finding it empty. "Lisbon?" he croaked as he blinked his eyes open.
"Yeah, go back to sleep," she whispered from the other side of the room.
He rolled over onto his back and just made out her form as she pulled on a T shirt. "What time is it? Is Liam-?"
"Just gone six. He's fine. Got a text from Grace. Apparently he slept through the night for them. Typical, huh?"
He frowned and ran a hand down his face. "Did you say six? What on earth are you doing up at this hour, woman?" He groaned and rolled back onto his side, "Come back to bed."
"I'm going for a run before it gets too hot out there for me. Just a couple of miles up and down the beach." She sat on the bed to tie up her trainers. "You could always get up and come with me," she smirked.
"You're hilarious," came the muffled reply. He peeked out from under the bedclothes. "This is meant to be a chance for us to relax and recharge our batteries before you go back into the fray, Teresa." He drew back the sheet to entice her. "Come on, another hour at least then we'll see about hiring that car to take a drive to the other side of the island."
She stood up and crossed her arms across her chest. "I have to get back in shape. I'm back at work next week, Jane. I have to lose a couple of baby pounds still."
He raked his eyes over her body. "Not from where I'm lying," he smiled, raising an eyebrow.
She blushed, "Behave yourself. I'll see you later."
She arrived back an hour later to find the room still in darkness. "Jane!" she said sharply, startling him from his slumber and making him jump as she drew back the curtains with a flourish. "You're still in bed!"
"How astute of you," he mumbled with an eye roll, shielding his eyes from the sunlight streaming across the bed.
"Get up," she told him as she stripped off her T shirt and headed to the bathroom.
"Can you give me five minutes then I'll join you?" he said as he yawned and stretched his back.
"No. There's been a murder," she called from the bathroom as she turned on the shower.
His head flopped back onto the pillow. "Well of course there has," he murmured with a sigh, smacking his hands across his face.
Fifteen minutes later they were strolling towards the fountain in the centre of town to the murder scene, a group of onlookers and two local cops circling a body that lay just beside it. "So, tell me again why we're helping?" Jane asked, an irritated edge to his tone.
"People were trampling all over the scene, Jane."
"And let me guess, you told the local cops you worked for the FBI and offered our help."
"Of course I did. Detective Suarez said we could take a look and report back any findings back to him."
He stopped and turned to her. "Lisbon, this murder could be related to the drug trade. It's pretty widespread around here. Last thing we need to do is get mixed up in some kind of retaliatory strike from one drug kingpin to another. We shouldn't interfere."
"You think I didn't consider that before I suggested our help? The man murdered is not from here. English I heard one of the bystanders say. I've seen drug hits, this isn't one. Poor man was probably a tourist just like us. Come on, I'm sure it won't take both of us long to figure this out then we can enjoy the rest of the trip."
Jane sighed wearily as he got closer to the body and slowed his pace, over a year since he'd seen a dead one with his own eyes. He was in absolutely no hurry to see another. Meanwhile Lisbon rushed ahead and began talking to the two local police officials she'd met earlier. While the elder of the two Edward Suarez questioned a woman standing opposite him the younger one, David Areta, translated any Spanish into English she couldn't understand from Maria Hernandez, the middle aged woman who'd found the body.
As Jane approached the scene Lisbon introduced him to the officers quickly and he nodded politely to them before turning his attention to the man lying on the ground a couple of paces away. He blinked rapidly for a second as he recognised him. "Roger," he said quietly, taking a breath.
He knelt down and noticed the large gash at the side of the white haired man's head as Lisbon approached him and the obvious cause of his death. "Mrs Hernandez says she found him at five thirty this morning. She was on her way to work at the hotel to prepare breakfast. Initially it was thought he must have fallen over and knocked his head against the side of the fountain when he was drunk but looks to me like he was killed elsewhere then moved here. That's what I told Suarez earlier."
"I agree. Blood is caked around the blow to the head but barely any on the ground around here. He was murdered elsewhere. How'd Suarez take it when you told him that?"
She shrugged, "Interested, I guess. He could see my point, agreed to allow us to dig a little more, unofficially of course."
"And Areta?"
"Didn't look happy as it was his theory he was killed here. Seems cocky, sure of himself so his ego is bruised. I'll tell Suarez to check out his apartment, see if it's the primary crime scene. Good enough place to start unless..."
She stopped talking when she saw the pale complexion of her husband, his eyes flitting over the corpse as they scrutinised every inch of the man lying on the ground. His serious expression and stiff posture told her something else.
"You know him," she stated.
He nodded as he leant in to sniff him.
"Oh god, are you okay? I'm sorry, didn't think. I thought he must be a tourist. Was he...was he a friend of yours?"
"Smell him," he answered instead with a frown.
She grimaced slightly but knelt down beside him and breathed in, ignoring the quizzical looks of the people nearby.
"What do you smell?" he asked. "Apart from beer and blood that is. What's out of place?"
She responded immediately. "A woman's perfume."
"Hmm," Jane replied, getting back to his feet and brushing off the dust from his jeans. "Mrs Hernandez," he said, looking over at the first person at the scene who was currently rolling some rosary beads through her hands and shaking her head as she repeated prayers in Spanish, "I doubt she's the wearer of that particular brand of perfume."
Lisbon shook her head. "No, definitely not. I've smelt it before though...um..." She chewed on her bottom lip, "Can't think of the name. Comes in a blue bottle I think. One of the women who worked on our floor at the FBI always wore it, stunk out the Ladies Room every time she was in there."
Jane nodded slowly. "Ah, yes...you're right. The pungent Agent Jordan. Mid twenties, would you say?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"And would you say that perfume is more typical for a younger woman and less likely for-" He bit his lip.
"An older one like me?" she glared.
He grinned, "But you don't need perfume to smell wonderful every day, my dear."
"Nice save," she smirked. "But yes, it's more of a young person's scent I'd say. That is strange; he doesn't look the sugar daddy type." She touched his arm, "Who is he, Jane? Old friend?"
"Name is Roger Harwood. When I lived here he frequented that cafe bar we went to yesterday, the one on the beach." He tapped his index finger to his lips, "Wondered why he wasn't around, meant to ask Alfredo the owner but never got around to it. We talked because he spoke English, I had few and far between chances to speak it on a regular basis. On his more coherent days we talked, that is."
"What was his story? Why was he here? I'm guessing he was a fugitive of some kind."
He nodded, "Depends on who you asked. He kept the details close to his chest but he told me once he used to be Raffles," he smiled. "You know, the gentleman thief? Dashing and debonair as they come."
She smiled but looked unconvinced that the dead man beside them who wore an orange polo shirt and beige pants could ever have been such a man. He looked much too weary and broken down by life.
Jane interrupted her thoughts. Quietly, "Being on the run and living in paradise isn't as much fun as some people might think."
Their eyes locked he continued, "Being alone will change anyone if they live in their own world for too long." He glanced at the body again. "And Roger, well, he was here for over fifteen years. I'm sure he wasn't the same man he was when he came here in his forties. He'd mostly lost himself by the time I met him."
A beat passed as she noticed his expression cloud over, something personal and unsaid he wasn't ready to discuss. "Enemies?" she enquired instead.
Brighter, "None I was ever aware of. He kept to himself, had his routines when I knew him. Mostly surrounded by going to that bar. We should go talk to Alfredo, see if he noticed anything strange relating to Roger's behaviour lately." He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and sighed.
Lisbon tugged on his arm, "First I want us to call our son. Then Wylie. Then we'll get breakfast and talk to Alfredo."
He smiled at the mention of Liam then frowned, "Wylie?"
"Well, we could ask around here who he was but we'll likely get a hundred stories. Why bother when you have the FBI on tap to get those answers for you?"
Lisbon ended her second call just as their breakfasts arrived at the beach bar. Jane had gone into the back to talk to Alfredo as he made them breakfast after finishing her first where Jane had made faces at Liam as they placed a video call home. Their little boy had giggled throughout before proceeding to spit up formula over Rigsby. Another round of laughter from Jane and Lisbon had ensued after that event, not so much from Rigsby who had handed a still chuckling Liam off to Grace so he could change his shirt.
Jane carried the tea and coffee back with him to their table.
"So, anything from Alfredo?" she enquired as she popped a piece of mango into her mouth.
"He hasn't been in here the past two days. That in itself is strange. But nothing else. You? What did Wylie have to say?"
"I had better luck. You were right. He was a jewel thief."
Jane took a long sip of tea. "Really? Like David Niven in the Pink Panther movies?" he grinned.
Lisbon rolled her eyes. "If that helps, yes." She closed her eyes as she tasted her coffee and made a sound of utter contentment. After denying herself her favourite bean during her pregnancy she savoured every cup now she'd stopped breastfeeding. "He's from England, was involved in a big jewel heist in the Netherlands. A gang he was part of stole diamonds and some other rare gems from a supplier there. The rest of the gang were arrested when they tried to smuggle the jewels back into the UK but Roger never went back."
"He sold out the rest of them?"
"Not confirmed, Wylie's checking with Scotland Yard and Interpol but looks likely if he was the only one who wasn't caught. They've dispatched a couple of detectives to confirm Harwood's identity, should be here by tomorrow morning. Also, not all of the jewels were recovered. About six million dollars' worth in today's money are still missing. Obviously he's suspected of taking them."
Jane whistled. "Six million dollars, say he'd have gotten perhaps half that if he fenced them?"
Lisbon swallowed a piece of pineapple from her fruit salad. "Guess so. How was he living? Did he splash the cash?"
Jane ate some scrambled eggs with a shake of his head. "Here? No. But he could have run through that money before coming here. When was the heist?"
"Twenty years ago. So, yeah, you're right. He was only here, on this island at least, the past fifteen. Could have lived it up the first five someplace else."
"Or he could have only fenced what he needed when he ran out of cash. Less chance of flooding the market and arising attention to his presence that way. For all we know there could still be a fortune hidden under his mattress." After a moment he grinned wickedly at her.
She shook her head. "No, Jane. I know that look. We are not searching his place for hidden diamonds!"
"Of course not," he replied innocently. "But we could catch a clue to who our killer is by going there."
"I cannot believe you talked me into this," Lisbon whispered as they stood at the door of Roger's small apartment. "Besides, the police already checked out his place, said there was nothing here except for the fact it looked like this is where he was murdered."
"Meh, I'd like to check it out for myself than take their word for it. Especially young Areta's."
"What have you got against him?"
"His eyes are too close together. Corrupt, most probably."
She spied the lockpick set he'd picked up from their room. "His eyes are too close together? Oh well then clearly he must have something to hide," she replied with an eye roll. She added, "And who brings a lock-pick set with them on vacation?!"
He grinned as he unlocked the door, "Et voila!" he exclaimed excitedly, gesturing for her to enter first, his hand at the small of her back.
Ascertaining quickly they were alone, Lisbon looked around the drab room, a bed in the corner and a makeshift kitchenette a few steps from it, a small bathroom adjoining them. A patch of what looked like recently spilled blood stained the bare floorboards beside the bed.
"Looks like he was killed here," Lisbon observed and Jane nodded in consent.
"Well he certainly wasn't living like a millionaire, that's for sure," Lisbon added as she eyed the faded curtains and ragged furnishings. Jane smiled, the place instantly reminding him of his own modest abode when he lived here.
"Go on, I know you want to check just in case," he smirked as she began to cast her eyes around the room.
She tilted her head to the side. "For what?"
He nodded to the mattress. Grinning, "Diamonds, of course."
"More likely to find a dead mouse in this place," she suggested but curiosity soon got the better of her and she pulled the mattress up from the frame to look underneath it. "Nothing."
"Well here's something," Jane said as he pulled off a picture frame from the wall. A photograph of a woman in her early twenties stared back at them.
"Who is she?"
"His wife, I imagine."
"Look at the clothing; it was clearly taken in the 1980s. What happened to her?"
"Don't know. He never talked about her. He wore a wedding ring but..." He paused, "Well, people might keep and wear those for any number of reasons after a relationship is in the past."
"Yeah," she sighed with a smile, glancing at the thick platinum band he now wore on his finger. "I'll ask Wylie to check it out, see what his personal history is. He said to call if we needed anything else, seemed intrigued by this case."
Jane grinned, "Sounds like things are boring back at the FBI without us there to keep the work interesting."
After looking around a few more minutes and finding nothing that seemed to give a hint to Roger's killer Jane stood back a little from a shelf on the wall. "Hmm," he muttered, his brow creasing.
"What is it?" Lisbon called as she checked out the bathroom.
"Come here."
When she arrived back in the room he was taking books off the thick wooden shelf. "What are you doing?"
"The shelf sticks out more on one side than the other."
"Probably the wall, plasterwork doesn't exactly look even. Or Roger was just bad at putting up shelves."
Jane fiddled with the back of the clip that held the shelf in place before pulling the shelf out entirely. "Or something else entirely," he smiled, showing her the shelf had a large chunk of wood carved out from the back of it, leaving a hollowed out space in its place. Jane shoved two fingers into the gap and felt around before grinning at her.
Lisbon gasped, mirroring his grin. "Oh my god, have you just found his stash of diamonds?"
"You want an eternity ring? Trip to Monte Carlo?" he chuckled as he pulled out a small black pouch. Inside were at least twenty diamonds and four sapphires. "Damn, no emeralds to go with your eyes for you this time I'm afraid," he smiled.
"Wow, how much do you think these are worth?"
"Couple of mil at least I'd say, probably more."
"Wow," she repeated, gazing at the glittering jewels.
"Tempting, isn't it?" he smiled, raising an eyebrow.
"No!" she assured him.
"High voice," he laughed, putting the jewels back into their pouch and giving it to Lisbon who placed them in her shoulder bag.
"I suggest we keep this discovery to ourselves. If the police here find out about this little haul-"
"I agree," she nodded. "Couple a million in diamonds is more than enough to make anyone have sticky fingers, Law Enforcement or not. And if you're right and Areta or any of the local police are corrupt then they'll disappear for sure. I'll hold onto them until Scotland Yard arrive."
"There's something else stuck in here," he remarked as he prodded around the hole in the wood again before fishing out a flash drive. "Interesting. Roger was not exactly tech savvy. Never saw him use a phone never mind a computer."
Eagerly, she pulled an iPad out of her leather bag. "Let's see what's on it."
He grinned at her as she rushed to place the tablet on a small side table and waited for the drive to load, drumming her fingers on the table in impatience.
"What?" she asked as she glanced at him while she waited after she noticed him stare at her in amusement.
"Haven't seen this side to you in a while, that's all, caught up in the hunt like this," he smiled.
She grinned back. "I was just thinking the same thing about you."
Her shoulders drooped as the drive was recognised and she pulled up its contents. "There's a document on it but it's password protected. Hopefully getting his personal history will help with breaking it."
He nodded, "If it is Roger's then you're right, likely to be his wife's name or something along those lines. Okay, let's get out of here and we can make that call to Wylie, see what he can dig up."
She shoved the device back into her bag. "You think the drive might not be Roger's?"
"Like I said he was even less into any kind of tech than I am. And I never saw him write a thing. And where's the laptop or computer if he did write something? Doesn't fit with what I knew about him."
"So whose is it then? And why would he have it in his hiding place?"
"Those, my dear, are very good questions."
Lisbon sat at the table in their hotel room checking through the faxed history from Wylie. He'd informed her Scotland Yard were keeping tight lipped about Roger Harwood's disappearance so it seemed they'd need to wait until morning to coax anything from that angle when their people arrived. So far her attempts at breaking the password on the document had failed and she huffed as Jane entered the room. He came up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders. "No luck, then."
She shook her head. "Wife's name is a bust. She died a few years ago, cancer. He probably never even knew it happened. Tried his birthplace, names of cousins, other family members, parents, known acquaintances. Nothing. He has a daughter, name is Clara, but no joy with that either."
As he pondered he began to slowly knead her shoulders, smiling as she emitted small sounds of approval as he released knots of tension. "What age is his daughter?"
"Twenty four. She was only a child when he left. Must have been hard on her and her mom, him just taking off like that."
"I'm guessing from your tone they didn't live a white picket fence kind of life."
"Hmm. No. The heist he was involved in drew a lot of press attention. Got picked up in all the papers in the UK and made a splash on their front covers for some time. From what I read online his wife was hounded by journalists after he got away. They had to leave their home, set up someplace new and with her connection to him she could barely get a job above minimum wage. She was tainted just by association. Two security guards were killed in the robbery he was involved in. It was a big deal at the time. Doesn't look like they were killed by Roger but...well..."
Jane nodded, squeezing her shoulders. "Mud sticks. That it does." He released his digits from her skin and came around to view the pages on the table. "Are there any recent photographs of Clara amongst this lot?"
Lisbon shook her head. "No." She paused, narrowed her eyes, "You think she's the woman with the perfume, don't you? Somehow she tracked him down here."
He smiled at her. "Maybe."
"Is that a maybe because you're not sure or more of a definite maybe?"
His smile grew into a grin. "I just finished checking with Franklin about new arrivals in the last couple of days. Specifically those from the UK. He hadn't been to that bar lately so chances are someone must have visited him to interrupt his normal routine. And he's English so stands to reason-"
"It would be someone from there. So?"
"Three couples. You've just confirmed one of the women could be Clara Harwood by telling me her age."
"Wouldn't her passport tell you that? You need to show one at reception when you check in."
"Well naturally if she registered as Clara Harwood then there would be no doubt," he replied with an eye roll. "The woman I'm referring to is registered as Adele Ashford."
Lisbon frowned and pulled a sheet of paper out from under the pile in front of her. "Clara's mother's middle name is Adele."
"And I'm guessing they lived in Kent, England for a time. Ashford is a town there I believe."
She checked another sheet of paper. "You're right; she and her mother lived there for a little while. And how did you know Ashford is a town in Kent in the first place?"
He shrugged, "Memorising telephone books. Mnemonic device. And I thought you were going to stop asking me that question once we were married?" he smiled. "Like I've said before people who change their names never stray far from their roots."
"So it's her," Lisbon confirmed. "I can get it double checked by Wylie that she changed her name by deed poll. But why would she change her name at all in the first place?"
"Distance herself from his name more than likely. Can't have been easy growing up or going to school with that stigma attached. Act of rebellion too. Sometimes people think by changing their names it'll give them the ability to forget their past existed and simply start afresh."
"You think she killed him?"
"Well she certainly had motive by the sound of it. Let's get ready for dinner, say goodnight to our son and get a look at her. She has a reservation here at eight."
Franklin had organised a table for them on the terrace where they could catch a glimpse of Clara Harwood/Adele Ashford who was dining to the left of it. She'd yet to arrive when they took their seats. "That dress is lovely on you," Jane commented as they perused their menus. She wore a midnight blue strapless cocktail dress that he'd surprised her with when she'd unpacked her suitcase.
"I'm just glad I got into it. After this meal I might have to unzip it."
He smiled devilishly at her. "I'll be happy to help you with that later when we retire to our room."
She blushed and bit on her bottom lip. She grinned, "Oh really? Well aren't you quite the gentleman?"
He shot her another smile before looking at his menu again.
"I put that little...discovery of ours into the room safe, by the way," she said as she put down her menu and took a sip of water.
"Hmm. Thought you would." He peered over the top of his menu, "Combination is your grandfather's birthday I take it?"
She gaped for a second then frowned. "How..." The question died on her lips as Jane raised an eyebrow in response. She pondered then said, "You knew Liam's birthday would be my first thought naturally but then I discounted it as it was too obvious. So...I went for his namesake's birthday instead, my grandfather."
Jane nodded appreciatively. "Bravo, Agent Lisbon."
She stilled for a moment at the term. "Wow, it's...it's been quite a while since I've been called that," she said quietly with a shake of her head.
"Not too long until you're called it every day again."
She sighed and looked off to the side for a moment, the evening breeze and smell of the ocean wafting in her direction. Shortly after the waiter came and took their orders. When he disappeared again she asked, "Do you think I'm ready? To go back to work I mean?"
Jane leaned his elbows on the table as he studied her, unsurprised by the question. "Do you think you are?"
She rolled her eyes. "Jane, I'm asking you for your opinion."
"Okay then. I do. I think you're ready."
She furrowed her brow, "I thought you'd..." She gnawed on her bottom lip.
"Take any opportunity to convince you to stay at home with us a bit longer? Nothing I'd like more and if that's what you wanted too then naturally I'd encourage it." He took a breath. "But it isn't. You love what you do so you should do what makes you happy, Teresa. And that is working for the FBI."
"But I am happy right now too. I mean...the last few months have been wonderful...exhausting, challenging in so many ways but overall just wonderful."
"Fulfilled then, is that a better word? You'd be more fulfilled going back to work, wouldn't you?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes, I would," she admitted. "I suppose being away from him the last couple of days...it's given me a taste of what it's going to be like when I go back. I mean I wouldn't be away as long from him as now but...you're right, I want to work but...I love being a mom too. Feels like I'm being pulled in two different directions."
He laughed softly. "You're going to be a working mother, Teresa. I'm afraid there probably isn't going to be a day when you don't feel like that some of the time." He took her left hand in his. "We're a team. We'll manage. Adapt. We'll make it work. I can visit the office, meet you for lunch, and send you photos of him, whatever you need to make the transition easier for you and for him. And for me too to be honest, it's going to be strange not having you there with us all day. But he's not going to forget you just because you go back to work or love you any less. And obviously that goes for me too."
She smiled and squeezed his hand, her eyes misting up. "Thank you. I know I'm still a little emotional. I read somewhere it takes a woman's hormones a year to go back to normal after giving birth."
"Or maybe you're just a little less tough now you're a mother," he smiled.
She glared at him as she dabbed her eyes with a napkin. "I hope not. When he's older one of us will have to be the bad guy sometimes and I'm pretty sure that's not going to be you."
"True," he grinned.
She laughed and took a breath. "And thanks for not convincing me to stay at home. It probably wouldn't have taken much manipulation on your part. I know my going back to work must be difficult for you too, that it must make some anxieties resurface."
He shrugged, "I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll have more than enough on my plate with Liam to look after full time than have time to worry about you."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Liar. But...I appreciate you making it easier for me and not more difficult."
"All part of the job," he smiled. He noticed two figures approach the table beside them out of the corner of his eye. "Here she is," he whispered, shooting a furtive glance to his left.
A waifish blonde in her twenties with an elfin haircut was seated to their left, a man of similar age with a swarthy appearance wearing black pants and a black shirt taking a seat opposite her.
"She's been crying," Lisbon observed in a whisper before Jane had a chance to voice the same opinion.
"Yes. Too much concealer under her eyes, lack of mascara."
The arrival of their meals stilted conversation momentarily. After she'd been served her fish and had a glass of Sauvignion Blanc poured for her Lisbon leaned across the table. "She looks a little too skinny and innocent to have killed him. That was a hell of a crack to his head. What about the guy she's with? He looks more the type. Muscular, strong."
"Well properly motivated anyone's capable of murder," Jane murmured as he cut into his steak. "Just a second."
A moment later he hid the salt cellar from their table in his pocket and moved towards the other couple. Lisbon observed as he engaged in conversation for a few seconds before borrowing the salt from their table. After he sat back down he nodded, "Definitely our girl. Same nose as her mother's. Same blue eyes as Roger. And she's wearing that perfume."
"How did she seem?"
"Upset but trying to hide it from a stranger."
"You think she did it?"
Jane swallowed a piece of his sirloin and hummed in approval. "Mmm. This steak is wonderful, you have to try a piece." He cut a small piece off and placed it on her plate.
"Jane!" she whispered, exasperated. "I asked you a question."
After chewing for a moment longer he finally shook his head. "Unlikely I'd say."
"But she met him quite obviously. And saw him just before he was murdered. She hasn't spoken to the police even though they've put the word out they're looking for witnesses."
"I didn't say she wasn't hiding something, Lisbon. What do you make of her friend?"
Lisbon shrugged. "I noticed he didn't try to engage in conversation with you but he kept watching you, seems to be protective of her. They're close but don't appear to be lovers. I don't know why but there's a cop vibe to him I get. I dunno, looks the strong and silent type."
"The opposite of your type then," he smiled.
"I guess he must be," she smiled in return. "Although all that work you put into the cabin you've acquired a few muscles of your own."
He puffed out his chest. "You think I could take Cho on in an arm wrestling competition now?" he laughed.
She giggled, "I wouldn't run before you can walk." After eating another piece of fish she added, "Anyway, what did you make of our man of mystery over there?"
"I agree. Not lovers."
"So?"
He frowned for a moment then grinned. "Eat up; we need to talk to Wylie again. And Scotland Yard. I have a theory."
"Are you sure this will work?" Lisbon asked Jane quietly as they took charge of a meeting room at the Hotel the following morning. Already assembled at the conference table were the two local police officials Lisbon had called that morning to inform them their presence was required to make an arrest.
"Ah...about seventy percent," Jane replied with a wave of the hand as he poured himself a cup of tea.
"Oh god. I'd forgotten what doing this was like with you sometimes."
"Oh, come on, I know you better than that. You're having fun. Don't try and deny otherwise."
The door swung open and Roger's daughter and the man she'd had dinner with the evening before entered the room, bewilderment on their faces at those present.
"Please come in," Jane smiled, "you're just in time," he added as he gestured for them to take seats opposite as he stood with a teacup in his hand.
"What is this?" the young blonde asked, glancing at the police officials. "I was told...I mean I was told that-"
"There was a discrepancy with your bill and the manager asked to speak to you about it. Yeah, that was a lie, sorry," Jane interjected.
"What's this about?!" the man at her side barked.
"Take a seat. Mr De Vries, right?" Lisbon replied calmly.
"How do you..." He frowned, "You were having dinner beside us last night-"
"Please do sit down," Jane said, "it'll go a lot faster that way, I assure you." He peered at the blonde who was fiddling with her hands. "Please. Now would you like me to call you Adele or Clara?"
She gaped at him for a second as her eyes darted to her companion then the police.
"Yes, we know who you are," Lisbon commented to her softly.
The young woman swallowed and pulled out a chair, stumbling into it blindly. "Uh...Clara," she replied finally. De Vries, frowning at Jane, took a seat alongside and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Thank you. That's much more civilised. Now, just to get introductions out of the way for those who don't already know my name is Patrick Jane and this is Teresa Lisbon. We have many years working in Law Enforcement behind us and offered our assistance in solving the murder of Roger Harwood." He turned his attention to Clara solely. "I knew your father, Clara, and I am sorry for your loss."
Confused, "Uh...thank you," she whispered. "You know who killed him?"
"All in good time."
"You came here to find him," Lisbon broke in. "You've been looking for him your whole life, haven't you?"
The blonde girl simply nodded.
"And you met him finally. The man you barely remembered."
After a moment to recover from the unexpected interrogation she relaxed her shoulders and took a deep breath. "He recognised me straight away," she replied in a whisper. "I thought I'd check him out first before I plucked up the courage to talk to him but..." She shook her head as a tear escaped. "He knew me as soon as he saw me in the street. I barely recognised him. He was so sad, not the person I watched in videotapes growing up or the one who used to put me up on his shoulders and march me around the living room as he sang to me."
"You were angry at him for leaving you and your mom. You came here to tell him that, didn't you?" Lisbon pressed.
She nodded, pursing her lips. "Yes. I...I changed my name when I was eighteen because I hated the mess he left us with but when-"
"When you met him you felt more sympathy towards him than anger," Jane finished for her.
She nodded mutely. She sniffed and took a deep breath. "I was so angry at him for so long. But when I met him, when I saw the life he was living here...Alone. No one to talk to. A shell of the man I only vaguely recalled..." She shook her head. "It was worse than prison, he told me, and I believed him."
Jane nodded and released a sigh of his own. "He was telling you the truth of how he felt I'm sure," he responded quietly. He glanced quickly at Lisbon and threw a faint smile in her direction. He cleared his throat as he focused on Clara again. "You convinced him to turn himself in, didn't you?"
"Yes. He said he wanted to come home. Even if it meant going to prison for the rest of his life. He said he'd been afraid of going back, of facing my mother and me with the consequences of his actions."
"He informed on the rest of the gang in his last jewel heist."
She nodded, "It was the first time he'd worked with that gang. They had a dangerous reputation but it was a big payoff and he hoped it'd allow him to retire for good. He said my mother wanted him to quit, to take time and focus on us instead. It was one last job he told her." She sighed and brushed a tear from her cheek. "He normally worked alone and cleanly. He'd never hurt anyone but that day...two people died. He was appalled and didn't want those responsible to get away with that. Stealing is one thing but murder is something else. He made an excuse that he had another job in Europe and phoned in an anonymous tip to customs so they'd be caught."
Lisbon replied, "He knew by doing so it'd put a target on his head. And likely on you and your mother's too once word got about in the community you lived in that he was responsible for informing on his peers. He broke one of the fundamental rules of working with other criminals."
"I was too young to realise that at the time. My mother...she shielded me from so much when she was alive. The gang arrested, well they had ties to other criminal organisations in England and he knew by snitching on them he had to disappear. He thought by abandoning us too that we'd be safer, that we'd less likely be targeted when word got out that we'd been left destitute by him and that would be punishment enough for us. He was right in a way. They never harmed us but..."
Clara exhaled as her words trailed off.
"It didn't stop people talking about it and you having to uproot your lifes because of it," Lisbon finished. "He was trying to protect you by staying away. He never got in touch with you all these years? Ask you or your mom to come be with him?"
She shook her head. "I asked him about that. Why...after a few years...when things had died down...why he never got in touch."
"He believed he deserved the hand he'd dealt himself," Jane answered. "That he didn't deserve to find happiness again. He felt guilty about the life he'd left you to lead. He thought by staying out of the rest of it he was doing you and your mother a favour."
Clara's eyes widened and she nodded. "You really did know him. He told you that?"
Jane smiled and shook his head. "No...Just an educated guess."
Lisbon suppressed an urge to hold her husband. It was obvious parts of this case were reopening some old wounds in relation to their own chequered history. Reading her body language he smiled warmly at her with a nod of his head that he was fine.
"Why didn't you come forward when you heard about his death?" she asked Clara.
"I thought it was an accident at first but then...when I found out it wasn't I was afraid..." She glanced at the police in the room, "I was afraid that they'd suspect I did it. I mean...I came here and suddenly he's dead. I thought it would look suspicious, especially since I changed my name. That they'd think I planned it all along. I was thinking about it though, that's why we haven't gone home yet. Didn't seem right to let his body go unclaimed either."
"So, what's your story in all of this Mr De Vries?" Jane questioned the man beside her.
After a quick glance at Clara who nodded encouragingly he began to talk. "I helped Clara find him. She didn't tell me her real name to start with but I could tell it was personal for her straight away and she came clean soon after. I used to work with Scotland Yard, had a few leads from those days so agreed to do what I could."
"And you were fired because you began to investigate this case off the books. Obsessively so," Lisbon clarified. "A cold case that was sitting on their shelves for over twenty years. Why was that?"
De Vries glanced from Lisbon to Jane. "From your faces I'm guessing you know why."
Jane rolled up his shirt sleeves and stated, "Your father was killed in the heist Roger participated in. Your mother who had moved to the Netherlands when she married your father brought you back to the UK after his death when you were a child. You had your own reasons for tracking Roger Harwood down, joined forces with Clara when she came looking, and saw it as just the opportunity you were waiting for. Kismet even. Her mother passed away a few years ago, left a life insurance policy that allowed you both to finance your search. You didn't tell her that to begin with though, did you? Your own reasons for wanting to find him."
"No, I didn't tell her straightaway."
"But he did tell me later," Clara assured them.
Ignoring her Jane prodded De Vries, leaning over the table with his palms flat on it. "Motive for you to kill him certainly. You didn't know how he felt about the killings. You may even have suspected he participated in your father's murder. And unlike Clara your anger didn't dissipate when you saw him large as life. It increased."
Clara looked to the man to her right and shook her head. "He didn't...he didn't kill him! Michael, tell them you didn't do it!"
"I didn't!" De Vries yelled. "I didn't feel that way at all! I've had enough of this! You two have no jurisdiction here!" he exclaimed, flinging his chair back and heading towards the door. "Clara, come on, we don't have to listen to any of this nonsense!"
Lisbon made it there before him. "You're not going anywhere."
The two police officers rose from their seats to stop him as he made to push Lisbon out of the way. She fell against the wall as they made their dash a few seconds too late. Jane was there in an instant, helping her find her feet again. He squeezed her hand and she nodded to him. After, his expression became thunderous as he turned back to De Vries. "Sit back down," he told him, his stare dark and menacing.
De Vries blinked twice as he studied the man opposite him as if for the first time. Gone was any kind of amusement from Jane's gait or expression, barely suppressed rage in its place instead. Instantly he knew he wasn't a man to be trifled with. Mutely De Vries took a seat beside Clara again and ran a hand through his dark hair. He shook his head. "I...I didn't kill him. I swear I didn't," he said softly.
"But you wanted to," Lisbon said from the other side of the table. "That was your plan all along, wasn't it? Even after hearing him out you still held onto some of the anger towards him for his involvement in your father's death."
He looked sheepishly at the woman beside him before nodding.
"Michael!" she gasped.
"It's okay, Clara," Jane said as he took up a position beside Lisbon. "He didn't do it. He couldn't. When he saw you reunited with your father he couldn't hurt you by taking that away from you again." He smirked at De Vries. "Strong and silent types might work well to begin with but sometimes a woman needs to be told when you've fallen in love with her. They're not mind readers after all, Mike."
Lisbon bit her lip to suppress a giggle and it was hard to tell who was more shocked between Clara Harwood and Michael De Vries as both blushed at his words. De Vries spoke first, "But you said I killed-"
"Meh, don't worry about that. I knew you didn't all along. But you might want to watch that temper of yours."
Jane suddenly turned to Areta who had been watching on with satisfaction until this point. "You did it, David. You killed Roger Harwood."
"¿Qué?" the man replied in a thick Spanish accent. "Estás loco!"
Lisbon muttered at his side, "He said you were crazy."
Jane shrugged and looked sideways at her as he mumbled back, "Yeah, got that. Hardly the first time in my life I've been called that," he smiled. He replied to Areta, "Inglés, por favor, we have company after all."
"I...I killed no one!" Areta responded.
"Yeah, you did," Lisbon commented with a tilt of her chin. She turned to the man beside Areta, Detective Suarez.
"After Clara had convinced her father to turn himself in he went to you, Detective Suarez, didn't he?"
The older man shifted in his chair. "Sí. How did you-"
Jane cut in, "Roger told me once that you were the policeman to talk to if I ever needed anything or needed someone to look the other way. It was obvious to me there was some sort of financial arrangement in place between you two." He turned back to Clara. "Did your father tell you he still had some of the diamonds from that heist?"
Clara's eyes widened. "What! No! He said...he said he wanted to help me out and that he'd make sure I wasn't out any expense if I had to visit him in prison or with lawyer fees when we got home but I never thought..."
"He asked you to fence a couple of diamonds for him, didn't he?" Lisbon asked Suarez. "To give Clara some money for her trip home, make up some of the money she'd spent looking for him. You did that for him occasionally, didn't you? For a small price, of course."
As the older man bit his lip Jane said, "Just tell the truth, we've already been in touch with the Federal Police and checked your bank records. We know you've been doing this for years." Lisbon swallowed slightly as Jane bluffed effortlessly.
"Sí," the man replied with a heavy sigh. "For my madre...my mother. She is old...has many illnesses..."
"Hmm, I'm guessing your mother is aged about twenty with a penchant for expensive lingerie," Jane replied with an eye roll. "But young Areta here overheard the conversation between yourself and Roger I'm guessing. And has no such scruples to wait for scraps. He wasn't satisfied with the payoff you received for your services for years, Edward. Just enough every six months or so to keep the arrangement under the radar. He was greedy." Jane pointed at Areta. "You researched Roger, suspected by living frugally he still had quite a bit stashed away. You wanted it all. Didn't you David?" Jane smiled.
"You have no proof of any of that," the young man protested.
Jane shrugged as he stood beside him with his hands in his pockets. "No? Check your pocket. Echale un vistazo su bolsillot," he grinned.
"I'm not sure if that's the right translation or pronunciation," Lisbon whispered at his side.
"Shush, you're spoiling the magic," he replied quickly out of the corner of his mouth.
Suarez stared at his subordinate and fixed him with a steely gaze. He ordered him to do as Jane asked. "Ahora!" the older man shouted.
Areta dug into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet pouch, blinking in bemusement. A gasp escaped Clara's lips as De Vries' eyes widened.
"That sure looks like a bag of diamonds to me," Jane smiled. "You stole them from Roger's apartment the night you murdered him." He pointed to the truncheon on the man's belt. "I'm guessing that has traces of Roger's blood on it. You've cleaned it since but you'd be amazed what can be forensically recovered nowadays."
Lisbon interjected, "He refused to give you anything when you came to see him that night and threatened to turn him into the authorities if he didn't. You didn't know he'd already decided to do just that. What happened, did he threaten to do the same? Turn you in? Tell Suarez on you? Something tells me your superior wouldn't take too kindly to you undermining his own understanding with Harwood. You murdered him and moved the body to look like he'd accidentally killed himself."
"But did a pretty bad job of it," Jane remarked.
"But I never stole..." Areta shook his head.
Jane saw him eye the gun to his side and crease his brow. "No need to do anything hasty, David. You can't kill all of us and just walk out of here. But there might be a way for you to gain something still."
"How...how do you mean?"
"Confess to the murder of Roger Harwood and there might be some arrangement we can come to," Jane commented. "Only the six of us know about the diamonds. No one else needs to know."
Stunned, "And what good is that to me in prison?"
"A few diamonds in your possession may be enough to buy off a judge around here. Or at least get you a reduced sentence."
Clara shrieked, "I want no part in this! How dare you-"
"Quiet," Jane commanded. "Your father wanted you to have a cut, didn't he? How else do you propose for that to happen? If we don't all agree then we hand them over to Scotland Yard who will hand them over to the police in the Netherlands who will most probably store them in a vault somewhere and none of us will get anything. Suarez can get them fenced for us with his contact if we agree now. We can all walk away with something."
"So...we compensate a murderer!"
"It might be the only way to catch a murderer," Lisbon suggested. "Areta is correct, we don't categorically have any proof. That truncheon might hold trace but there is a good chance it will not, especially with the forensics here."
"And he might not be able to bribe a judge even if it does and he does confess. Might find an honest one. It's a gamble for both of you," Jane added.
Clara eyed Jane and then Areta who was also pondering over Jane and Lisbon's words. She glanced quickly at De Vries. "Michael?"
"It's your decision, Clara. I'll back you either way."
She smiled at him and nodded and then turned to Areta. She took a breath. "I don't care about the diamonds but I need the truth. I need to hear you say it if you killed my father. To my face. Tell me."
A glimpse of a smile from Jane as he read Areta made Lisbon smile in return before the other man said a word.
They had their man.
"I'll take those," a man in a black leather jacket with an English accent said as he entered the room with an earpiece attached after Areta had confessed. South American Federal police stormed into the room along with him, guns raised. Lisbon handed the pouch of diamonds that were sitting on the table over to him.
"You got everything?" Lisbon asked Thomas Mullin from Scotland Yard.
He touched his earpiece. "Clear as a bell. Was worried about you there for a second. You okay, sounded like you took a tumble?"
Lisbon smiled. "Absolutely fine. It was nothing."
Suarez and Areta looked at each other, wide eyed and raised their hands.
Jane said to them, "Yeah, about that deal...afraid it's off. Sorry about that, Edward. David, the feds here have ensured us that they will make sure you're given a very fair trial with the most honest judge they can find. Just be careful with the food in prison-"
As Areta rose from his chair with a roar to make a grab for him Jane ducked out of his way with a laugh. As Federal police removed him and Suarez from the room and Mullin walked them out Jane turned round with a wide grin. "I'd forgotten how good-"
His words were cut off by a punch on the nose from Michael De Vries and he fell a few steps backwards.
"Ow!"
Lisbon got in between them. "Mr De Vries, take a breath. We understand you must be upset."
"What the hell was that?" he yelled. "First that idiot calls me a murderer! Then makes it look like you're both crooked and Clara has to watch her father's murderer-"
"We wanted to get a confession to make sure he gets locked up. Areta's reckless, a gambler. We suspected he'd take the bait when offered a chance at a bribe. That he'd believe he was confident enough to beat the system with some money behind him. Or just take his share and escape before he got a chance to be arrested."
Jane patted his nose. He sniffed, "Nice touch, by the way, about the truncheon not having any trace on it, Lisbon. I think that's what nailed it for him to confess. Made him believe he might get away with it entirely."
"Well...why did you accuse me of doing it if you believed it was him all along?" De Vries asked him.
"Diversion. We needed to make a little scene and well...I thought by accusing you it'd be the best way of accomplishing that. You are a bit of a hothead, after all."
De Vries frowned, "He didn't steal the diamonds, did he? You planted them on him when he got up from his chair."
"Actually no, I didn't," he smiled.
Lisbon smirked at his side. "He didn't. It's the truth."
"But you did," Clara said to her.
She shrugged noncommittally.
"It's okay, Lisbon, they're not going to tell anyone about our little play. Very proud of you for that move, my dear. Your training is coming along nicely. And nice false tumble to go with it," Jane smiled.
"I thought I hadn't pushed you," De Vries said, shaking his head. He turned to Jane, "I thought you were going to kill me."
"He's a good actor," Lisbon observed with a sideways glance at her husband.
"All part of the show. It's not difficult to behave that way when you tell yourself your wife is in danger." Jane chuckled, "Although Mike you would have been the one in trouble if she'd actually shown you her combat moves. Don't let her size fool you."
Lisbon blushed and fished out a flash drive from her pocket. "I believe this belongs to you," she said to Clara.
The other woman took it from her and nodded. "I gave it to him the last night I saw him. He said he'd have to find a computer and someone to tell him how to turn it on," she laughed. "You see I've been working on writing his life story-"
"It's an engaging read," Jane commented. "You should carry on with writing it. You're an excellent storyteller. You took English at University, I take it?"
Clara frowned, "Yes, but..."
"We worked out the password. 'Sapphire', your birthstone, I believe."
Clara nodded and pursed her lips as she fought back tears. "He used to always call me that. His little sapphire. It's one of the few clear memories I have of him. He said my eyes reminded me of them. The most exquisite he'd ever seen."
"Hey, there you are," Lisbon smiled as she saw Jane at the water's edge, his hands in his pockets and his jeans rolled up above his ankles as he paddled his feet. He turned around at the sound of her voice, smiling, and a cloud crossed over illuminating his face with a golden glow.
"Everything wrapped up?" he asked.
"Yep. I was surprised you didn't want to stick around for the applause from Scotland Yard. They said if we ever felt like collaborating with them again it'd be their pleasure."
"I think we'll be busy enough for the next eighteen years or so," Jane laughed.
She raised her chin. "Strange though, we must have imagined those sapphires, the bag we gave them only had diamonds."
"Hmm. Imagine that."
"You gave them to Clara, didn't you?"
He shrugged. "They're not worth that much but hopefully enough to get her home and make a fresh start, finish that book. I told her to send us a copy when she has it published."
Lisbon looked to the heavens but smiled. "How's your nose?"
"It's fine. No lasting damage."
"I swear you must have one made of titanium."
He laughed softly and kicked at the sand, swirling the water around him, his eyes on the deep blue ocean once again. She tossed off her sandals and came to stand beside him, pulling a wrap around her shoulders. "It really is beautiful here," she smiled.
A beat passed.
Then another.
Lisbon eyed him questioningly. "Everything okay?"
"I'm not sure," he replied quietly.
A line appeared between her eyes. "What's the matter? This case or-"
"Partly that."
"Roger. Investigating his life made you think about what might have come of you if you'd stayed here," she stated.
"That obvious, eh?"
She took his hand. "I'm so pleased you never had to find out. For both our sakes."
He smiled and kissed her temple, "Me too."
"What else? It's obvious there's more than that troubling you."
He tilted his head towards her. "I'm that much of an open book to you now, am I?"
"You're getting there," she smirked.
After a second where he didn't respond and her expression became troubled he turned and dazzled her with a smile. "Don't look so worried, Teresa. It's nothing earth shattering. Just a quandary I'm trying to figure out."
She threaded her arm through his and nudged him lightly. Smiling, "You don't have to do that alone anymore. Come on, Patrick."
His eyes twinkled at the mention of his seldom used forename from her lips. "Now you're really pulling out the big guns," he grinned.
"Well I've found it quite an effective means of instantly gaining your attention."
"Then perhaps you should use it more often."
Her teeth shone at him. "Ah! But then it might lose its power. You know I'm trying to say it more often nonetheless. And I know what you're doing now, trying to deflect me. What's this quandary, huh?"
He motioned for her to sit on the sand. She laid her wrap down so they could sit on it side by side and he put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and running the pad of his thumb up and down her upper arm. "I enjoyed working this case," he began, "it was exhilarating catching a killer again. Working out the mystery. Punch in the nose aside."
She frowned as she smiled. "Okay. So what's wrong with that?"
He puffed out a breath. "Nothing at all. It's just...I hadn't really planned on...Well, these past few months, year really, I haven't missed working at the FBI at all."
"Hardly surprising with everything that's going on in our personal lives. But now, you feel different?"
He shrugged. "We talked and decided that I'd take care of Liam when you go back to work."
"Because it was what you said you wanted at the time, Jane."
"It was."
"And now?" she prodded again.
"I still want that. But...what you said once. The mental stimulation as you put it," he smiled. "And with you going back to work-"
"It's okay to want both, you know," she said softly. "A home life and a work life. That's what you told me last night. There's even a daycare facility at the office if you decided to come back. When I spoke to Cho about going back to work he asked me what your plans were, mentioned it to me."
"What did you tell him?"
"That you'd decided to look after Liam full time like you told me. But you know he'd want you back there in a heartbeat. I think he's finding it tough being a boss, especially since we left. He's going to be short staffed even when I go back he said. He's still looking to fill out the team some more."
He nodded, "I know he'd want me back but...would you want that? Me back at work with you again? You can't foresee problems with that arrangement?" He added quickly, "I'm not saying full time. Not right now. Maybe not ever. But maybe helping out on some of the more difficult or interesting cases-"
"Why would you think I wouldn't want that?"
He bit the inside of his cheek as his eyes circled her face. "Well what happened before, when you were in danger-"
"We can talk about that if that situation arises again. And we promised to look on the bright side, remember? And it's not just me I have to worry about anymore. Or you. We have a child now. I'm a mother and it makes you reassess priorities, believe me." Before his smile grew she added, "I'm not saying I'm done with field work, Jane. Not at all. Not yet at least but...I have a great life outside of work I want to protect as much as you do."
"I know that." He troubled his bottom lip. "I'd have to check out the daycare facility, make sure it's up to scratch before I even considered it."
"It's in an FBI building, Jane. The people working there have been background checked to the highest standards."
"Not by me they haven't," he replied pointedly, earning him an eye roll in return.
"Oh god, I can just see you, interrogating the poor men and women working there, scaring them half to death before allowing Liam anywhere near them."
"No need for them to worry if they have nothing to hide, Teresa. But I can see in theory it would do him good to mix with other children than be stuck with me all day too." He pulled her closer against him, "So, how about you? You a little more prepared to go back to the FBI now?" he smirked.
She crinkled her brow.
"Being a conscientious citizen wasn't the only reason you wanted to help. You're nervous about it, aren't you? And it's not just because of leaving Liam?"
She nodded and bit her lip. "I didn't realise at first that was part of why I offered to help but yeah, I am a little. I think maybe I needed a dry run or something. A case where I didn't feel pressurised to solve it in front of the team. Make sure I was up to it before I got back, give myself a confidence boost that I'll still be able to handle the work thrown at me there. That my baby brain and changing diapers for the past six months hasn't left me in some kind of intellectual abyss."
"Far from it, I'd say. You were amazing, in your element. Have to admit, it was actually quite invigorating for me to see Agent Lisbon back in action again. Passionate, driven." He smiled wolfishly at the ocean before adding, "Of course I love the gentler and dare I say more emotional Teresa too, my wife and mother of my son but..."
"But what?"
He kissed her softly. "Well it was Agent Lisbon I fell in love with. Badass crimefighter."
Her dimples in full view, "And it was nice to see the hustler I fell for again too."
"I had fun working with you again like old times."
"Me too. Does that mean you might come back to the FBI then?"
He nodded slowly. "Maybe. I'll think about it some more. If a case proves interesting enough then perhaps. On an ad hoc basis."
She smiled, "Well one thing the FBI normally has is an abundance of is interesting cases." She pulled on his arm as she got up. "Come on, we need to check out, plane leaves in an hour. Let's get back to our son. I can't wait to kiss him for about an hour at least."
"You might have to wrestle me for that privilege."
"Well that's no contest."
Jane chuckled and after a final look at the beginnings of a sunset they made their way up the beach hand in hand. "If I do decide to go back Cho better not have moved my couch," Jane murmured. "And he better make sure the break room is stocked up on teabags."
"Oh god, what have I let myself in for again," muttered Lisbon at his side.
FIN
A/N: Next up is The Amber Pendant.