Chapter Two

A case came in at ten-thirty. Lisbon drove herself and Van Pelt up to Yuba City whilst Rigsby and Cho followed in a separate car. The lack of sleep did nothing to aid her mood, nor did the three cups of coffee she'd managed to drink. Nothing would stop her doing her job, even if she barely listened to a word that Van Pelt said.

'Boss?'

Lisbon glanced across to the passenger seat where Van Pelt stared at her with downturned eyes; that look of sympathy and sorrow that her face held when things weren't going so well.

'Sorry, Grace,' said Lisbon, clutching tighter to the steering wheel.

Before too long they pulled up outside Planned Parenthood, the location of a stabbing. Van Pelt took out her notebook before they'd even reached the door and started to write things down.

'Agent Lisbon, this is Agent Van Pelt,' Lisbon said, shaking hands with the local police officer waiting for them in the entrance. 'What have we got?'

'A young man in his twenties.' The police officer walked them through the building to the scene of the crime. 'Kieran Palms. We're not really sure why he was here, but the receptionist said he turned up a short time ago looking agitated. He lives with his mother over the river in Marysville.'

'Any witnesses to the actual murder?'

'We're not sure. Doctor Michelle Stone was working in the room, she had appointments booked all day.' The officer flipped through his own notepad. 'Doctor Stone was with Helena Briggs at the time of Palms' death.'

'Where are they now?'

'Missing. Tanya Goodwin, the receptionist, heard a scream around ten. She went to check on Doctor Stone, the window was wide open and Kieran Palms was on the floor, a letter opener in his gut.'

'Thank you, we'll take it from here,' said Lisbon as she entered the consulting room.

The man's body was flat on his back, his arms out at his sides and his light coloured shirt was stained with blood.

'Think he's connected to Helena Briggs?' said Van Pelt, lifting the edge of his shirt away from his elbow with a pen. 'No sign of track marks, but he smells of marijuana.'

'The drug use accounts for his arriving here agitated.' Lisbon stood up and moved across the room to the window. 'Either Helena or Doctor Stone are the connection here, the only question is, where did they go? And why?'

The window ledge was covered in dirt, except for a few markings where a foot had brushed against it. Lisbon checked it for a second time before passing on the information for any prints to be lifted from the ledge.

'I've seen enough,' said Lisbon, heading for the door. 'Van Pelt.'

Van Pelt followed like a lost puppy, ever the faithful subordinate. Lisbon thanked her silently for her compliance, she wasn't in the mood for a difficult day and the case was trying enough. She tried to keep her focus on the job at hand and not on Jane, who she imagined was probably sat in the office trying to get information on the latest case.

'You stay here; find out if the officer first on scene has any more information. When Cho and Rigsby arrive I want them to canvas the area, find out if anyone saw anybody matching Doctor Stone or Helena Briggs' description. There's a couple of stores around here, someone there had to have seen something.'

'Yes, Boss.'

'I'm going to go speak to the receptionist.'

When Lisbon reached the waiting area, the last person she expected to see standing in the centre of the room was Jane. She resisted the urge to shout at him in front of a witness and instead focused her attention on the woman she assumed to be Tanya Goodwin who was looking through a pile of papers.

'What's going on?' Lisbon asked Jane.

'Ms Goodwin is trying to find the patient list for today; she said there should be a printed copy.'

'I could have sworn it was in this file,' Tanya said, before moving across to the computer. 'I'll print it again.'

'Anything useful?'

Jane shook his head and watched as Tanya opened and closed several files on the computer. Lisbon cursed under her breath and checked the time. She didn't care to waste another moment on such an incompetent computer user when the case was so fresh.

'As soon as you're done with Ms Goodwin, you go home,' said Lisbon, glaring at Jane until she was sure he had taken on board her request. 'I'm going to go speak to the Kieran Palms' family.'

'Want me to come?'

'What did I just say? You shouldn't have even come here in the first place.'

x

The drive across the river and Jane's recent appearance brought Lisbon enough solitude to push Jane back into the forefront of her mind. She pulled over by a park and turned off the engine. The last thing she'd wanted was for Jane to make her job even harder than he usually did; her offer of friendship was meant platonically and his desire to take advantage of that only made her angrier. Her fingers rested on her lips again with the memory of his kiss.

To eradicate Jane from her mind, at least until she'd spoken with the victim's family, Lisbon took a brisk walk across the park, passing dog walkers and a group of teenagers hanging around. She mostly ignored the hubbub of passers-by, opting instead for a stroll along the river bank. It reminded her of Chicago and the lake side which she often frequented; a small harbour up the coast from where they lived. She went there a lot when her brothers were driving her crazy, more so after her father's death.

Lisbon closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the sound of the river and the smell of the water being thrown into the wind was enough to settle her worries.

The brief interview with Kieran Palms' mother was difficult, the poor woman was heartbroken and with no one but an elderly neighbour for support she struggled to answer any questions. When Lisbon left her home the first thing she did was try to call Jane again but his phone was turned off. Her mind had already drifted back to the night before, to the things she knew were irrelevant at this particular moment in time.

'Cho?' Lisbon rested her cell phone against her ear. 'I'm going to take some personal time, catch me up on the case in the morning. And make sure Jane goes home.'

x

Her usual haunt was deserted. An average Tuesday night left Lisbon sitting alone in her favourite bar. Sometimes she visited more often than she would have liked and other times she went only to keep herself sane. Drinking regularly was a habit she didn't really want to take up, but the occasional beverage kept her running on normal.

The first few months of visiting had caused some problems; the regular male visitors didn't take too kindly to her presence. She was a woman after all and she was a cop. It didn't take long for them to understand that she was as masculine as any male when she wanted to be. Billy Joel Russell hadn't taken too kindly to being pinned against the dart board but Lisbon soon set him in his place.

She greeted the regulars as she usual did and perched herself on a stool at the far end of the bar.

'Usual?' she nodded and within minutes a Scotch on the rocks was placed in front of her.

'Hey Lissy.'

Lisbon rolled her eyes at a large man with grey stubble; he sat beside her with a sly smile. His breath smelt strongly of stale beer and cigarettes.

'How many times do I have to tell you to call me Lisbon?' she said. 'Danny, get Merv another beer.'

'Thanks,' he nodded his appreciation. 'I got a poker game tomorrow night if you fancy joining.'

'Maybe.'

'My friend Ian'll be there, he moved back to the city a few days ago.' Merv let out a bellowing chuckle. 'I think you and him would really hit it off.'

'He here now?'

'He's right over there,' said Merv, holding his hand out across the room. 'Six foot four and full of muscle. Dunno why he hangs around with the likes of me. He's a lawyer, proper smart like.'

'A lawyer?'

'And since you're in law enforcement, I thought you'd be a perfect match.'

Lisbon laughed and sipped her drink; she tossed a ten dollar bill across the bar and forced a smile onto her face.

'Why don't you send him over here then?' she said, glancing across at his friend. 'See if he can persuade me to join your game.'

Merv took his beer and returned to his friends. A minute later and Ian was sat beside her telling her all about his job. Hearing about work in her personal time only sought to annoy Lisbon, but the company was pleasant and he was fairly attractive.

'I don't want to talk about shop,' she said, smiling. 'Tell me about you.'

'There's not much to tell, I was born in Chicago.'

'I thought I could hear an accent!'

He grinned. 'You're from back East too?'

'I lived right outside of the city,' said Lisbon. 'Evanston.'

'Lincolnwood!'

'You're from Lincolnwood?'

'Born and bred,' he announced proudly then turned to the barman. 'Hey, can I get another beer and whatever the lady's having.'

'You won't find many ladies round here,' the barman said, winking at Lisbon.

They sat and talked like old friends about places they'd both visited. Lisbon barely noticed the time pass by until she finally glanced at her watch and noticed how late it had gotten.

'I can't believe you're from Lincolnwood,' she said, finishing off a glass of cola. 'My high school boyfriend worked at the Aquatics Centre.'

'I used to swim!' he laughed, shaking his head. 'Such a small world.'

'Did you know Franklin and Jones?'

'Franklin was my coach, you knew him?'

Lisbon shrugged. 'I'd say hi to him when I went to see Greg.'

The barman was looking about ready to kick everyone out and Lisbon took her cue. She slipped her jacket back on and dropped a twenty down on the counter. Ian stood up beside her, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer than was usually acceptable, but they'd had a good night and Lisbon relished in a rare bit of attention.

'Hey, I know we've just met but what do you say we head back to mine?'

Lisbon spent longer than usual retrieving her purse from the floor to give herself time to think, before nodding. He smiled in return and slipped an arm around her shoulder before leading her out to the parking lot.