Author's Note: As usual, my muse is happy to chatter in my ear while I work 10-hour days, though she's oddly silent during slow times. So I am bursting with ideas and have almost no time to spend at the keyboard working them out. But finally I managed to get a chapter's worth together, so here you go. Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter—you are amazing motivators!

Chapter 37

Three days later, Jane was pretending to be engrossed in a book while plotting how to regain his place on the couch in Lisbon's office, from which she had banished him that morning. He was willing to admit he'd been hovering, but really, what did she expect him to do under the circumstances? And she had a management meeting later this afternoon, so her complaint that she needed a break from him was unreasonable, since there was already one built into her schedule.

Glancing up, he saw Cho emerge from Lisbon's office and head in his direction. Ah, apparently Lisbon had decided that changing couches was an insufficient response to her command to leave her the hell alone for an hour.

"Come on," Cho said, folding his arms as he stood over him.

"Where?" Jane put down his book but refused to move yet.

"To interview the victim's boss again."

Now, that was just unkind, Jane thought. "He hit me last time."

"You deserved it. This time, don't speculate about his sex life," Cho replied. "Lisbon thinks there's something about his story that doesn't add up."

"And she expects me to check her math," Jane finished.

"Nah. She just wants you out of her hair," Cho said. "Let's go."

Jane rolled his eyes, but he saw no reason to further antagonize Lisbon. And she was right about the boss, so he might as well prove it for her. That and a good dinner would probably save him from a night on their living room couch, he calculated. "Very well," he said, getting to his feet.

Riding with Cho was conducive to intensive thinking, and today Jane used the time to come up with a brilliant ruse to make the boss confess, then plan a carefully crafted menu to remind Lisbon that although he might be a pain in the ass at work, he was well worth keeping around at home.

The brilliant ruse worked perfectly, of course; Cho didn't even have to tackle the man to foil his pathetic attempt at escape. Jane was deep in contemplation of where to find the very best strawberries this time of year as they walked back to the SUV with the prisoner when the sound of gunfire startled them all, followed by a woman screaming.

"You stay here," Cho flung over his shoulder at Jane, quickly cuffing the defeated murderer to the door of the SUV before running toward the sounds of a fight.

"Got it," Jane called, looking around before deciding to stay in the shade of a nearby building instead of broiling in the unseasonably strong sunshine with a sobbing killer. There was a slight breeze to make the wait bearable, at least. He resumed his contemplation of tonight's menu while watching a bird chirp its little heart out in a tree across the street, no doubt hoping to please its mate. Jane silently wished it luck, since he was engaged in the same endeavor.

Something poked him sharply in the back, and he just had time to identify it as the muzzle of a gun before a pair of lips brushed his ear.

"Hello, lover," Lorelei whispered.

mmm

Lisbon was late getting back from her meeting, and since she'd skipped lunch, she was getting hungry. When she noticed that Jane wasn't in the bullpen with the others, she hoped he had gone home to start dinner. "What's up?" she asked the team, who were gathered around Van Pelt's desk.

"Jane ditched me," Cho said.

"His cell phone's not on, so I can't track it," Van Pelt added.

Rigsby was shaking his head. "How far could he get on foot? He was nowhere near close enough to walk here. Or your place, for that matter."

Lisbon felt something cold slither down her spine. "What happened?" she demanded of Cho.

"Jane tricked Carpenter into confessing. He's in interrogation right now," Cho said. "On our way to the car we heard gunshots and screaming. I cuffed Carpenter to the SUV and told Jane to stay put, then I went to see if I could break it up. Ended up arresting two men for possession and weapons charges and waiting for the local law enforcement. When I got back to the SUV, Jane was gone. Carpenter said he left with a woman. I've got a sketch artist on the way."

Lisbon frowned, then reached for her phone. She'd turned off the ringer during her meeting, but she hadn't missed any calls from Jane. She'd missed one from Stan Moore, though. Two words into his voicemail, she put it on speakerphone.

"...that Lorelei Martins escaped from prison this morning. I've tried calling Jane but he isn't answering. I'd really like to get both your thoughts on where she might go. Please give me a call when you get this message."

Lisbon swallowed hard, trying to get her brain to produce a thought other than Oh my God, Lorelei's got Jane. That means Red John has Jane. Oh God.

Cho said, "I'll take Lorelei's picture to show Carpenter."

"I'll put out an alert for Jane," Van Pelt said.

Rigsby asked, "Want me to call Moore, Boss?"

Lisbon nodded, not trusting her voice, and headed for her office. Her team knew what to do, and she needed a moment to compose herself.

Taking a seat at her desk, she mechanically checked her email, then put her face in her hands, fighting back tears. This was her fault. If she'd been a little more patient with him, he'd be here right now, lounging on the couch and trying to coax her into going home early. She shouldn't have sent him out there, no matter how harmless the errand seemed or how capable Cho was.

Van Pelt stuck her head in the door. "I put out the alert. You want to go home, Boss? I can take you."

"No," Lisbon said. She needed to do something to find Jane, not go home and wait to hear whether she was a widow.

Van Pelt took a few steps into the office, hovering awkwardly. "I'll keep trying to trace his phone. And hey, it's just Lorelei. Jane can handle her."

"But he won't, not if he thinks she'll take him to Red John," Lisbon replied, unable to keep the misery out of her voice. If Jane thought he had a chance to buy her safety and get his vengeance, he wouldn't count the cost. Even if it was his own life.

"He'll find some way to get word to us," Van Pelt said, with as much hope as confidence.

"I hope so," Lisbon whispered. Then she took a deep breath. "The FBI will be looking for Lorelei. If they ask us for help, we'll give it to them."

"The marshals are looking too," Van Pelt said. "There's a huge manhunt in progress. Homeland Security's involved too."

Cho returned. "It was definitely Lorelei. Carpenter wants to cut some kind of deal for exactly what he saw, though."

"I have to call Bertram," Lisbon realized.

Rigsby joined them. "Moore's on his way over. He says not to worry; Jane doesn't exactly blend in, so if he's with Lorelei that gives them a better chance of finding them."

Cho said, "I'll call Bertram. Boss, you can't run this. You're the wife of the victim."

"I'm not going to go home and climb the walls," she warned him.

"I'm not telling you to go home. But you can't take lead on this, and you know it."

"I know. This one's yours," she said, nearly choking on the words.

"Missing Persons is going to want it," Rigsby pointed out. "If the FBI doesn't shut us all out."

"We're not going to let them," Cho replied. "We're going to find Jane no matter what anybody says about it. Got it?"

"Got it," Rigsby and Van Pelt chorused.

"Lorelei just got out of prison. She probably needs money. Put a flag on Jane's bank account," Cho told Van Pelt.

"I can do that. I'll call the bank. I have the account numbers," Lisbon volunteered, glad to have something to do. "And his credit card."

"Good," Cho nodded.

"If Red John broke her out of prison, he probably gave her some money," Rigsby said.

"Call the marshals, ask to be kept in the loop on their escape investigation," Cho instructed. "Van Pelt, look at that firm that bought Jane's house and see if you can find any recent financial transactions."

"Right." Van Pelt hurried back to her computer, with Rigsby right behind her.

Cho addressed Lisbon. "One of us will stay with you at all times."

"Fine," she answered, knowing it was useless to argue.

Cho let out a long breath. "I'm sorry, Boss. I was supposed to be watching him, and I let you down."

She shook her head. "You did your job. You couldn't ignore gunshots. Let's just find him." She reached for the phone. "I'll flag his accounts and then I'll go talk to Carpenter."

"I'll see if Bertram will go for a deal," Cho said, then headed back toward the bullpen.

mmm

Lisbon was just getting up to go talk to Carpenter when Moore arrived, looking stressed. "Agent Lisbon, I'm sorry to hear that Jane's mixed up in this. Why do you think she went for him?"

"On Red John's orders, obviously," Lisbon replied, barely holding on to her patience.

"You think?" He looked surprised. "We all thought he was after you."

Lisbon forced her fists to unclench. "If he's got Jane, he might just as well have me."

Moore thought about it for a moment. Lisbon cut him off before he could say anything, though. "I'm going to talk to the suspect who saw Jane leave with Lorelei. Want to sit in?"

"Yes, thanks." He tagged along behind her as she strode toward the interrogation room.

Carpenter had the gall to smile at her as she entered the room. She scowled in response, but it didn't deter him from saying, "You got me a deal?"

Lisbon didn't bother to sit, folding her arms. "I got a deal for you all right. You tell me exactly what happened to Jane, and I don't add accessory to kidnapping charges to the ones you're already facing."

"I was handcuffed to a car," Carpenter protested. "How could I be an accessory to anything?"

"You tell me," she retorted. "Had you ever seen Lorelei Martins before? Don't bother to lie; we're going over your life with a fine tooth comb. If there's a connection, we'll find it."

"I never saw her before. I didn't even know her name until Agent Cho told me."

"You sure about that?" Moore asked.

"And who are you now?"

"Agent Stan Moore. FBI." Moore took a seat, smiling.

"What's the FBI got to do with this?"

Moore said casually, "Lorelei Martins is a known associate of the serial killer Red John. So now we're wondering if you two are working together. Or maybe she's working for you."

Carpenter gaped at him. "What?"

"Mr. Carpenter, where were you on the night of November second?"

"How the hell should I remember that?"

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Moore asked, still in his nonchalant tone.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for a trick again!"

"Do you like to cut people up and watch them bleed?"

Lisbon watched Carpenter gape at Moore and was reminded of Jane's interrogation technique. She suddenly missed him so much she couldn't breathe. What if they'd already had their last case together? Their last night together? Their last kiss?

She took a deep breath and pulled herself together in time to hear Carpenter shout, "I never saw her before! But your guy, that asshole, he knew her. She came up behind him and kissed him, and he just turned around and walked away with her."

Lisbon frowned. "You didn't see a weapon?"

"No. He just went with her." Carpenter suddenly looked eager. "Hey, maybe he's this killer you're looking for. And—and he's the one who killed Susan, and tried to make it look like I did it!"

"Nice try," Lisbon said. "He didn't say anything to you?"

"No. He acted like I wasn't there."

Moore said, "He never asked for help or looked distressed?"

"No. He just turned around and walked away."

"Thank you." Moore got back to his feet. "Anything else, Agent Lisbon?"

"No," Lisbon said.

They headed for the door. "Hey!" Carpenter yelled after them. "What about my deal?"

"Nice work," Lisbon murmured to Moore as they went down the hall to her office.

"Thank you. But we have a new problem."

Lisbon steeled herself, pushing the door to her office open as Cho caught up to them.

"Nice work," Cho remarked. "So. You think Jane went willingly?"

"That puts a whole new complexion on things," Moore frowned. "It makes him an accomplice rather than a victim."

"No," Lisbon said, leading the way into her office and taking her seat. Cho and Moore settled in the guest chairs. "He didn't go looking for her. She could have had a weapon Carpenter didn't see."

"But Jane showed no sign of duress," Moore pointed out.

"He wouldn't," Cho said. "Doesn't mean he went willingly. He was worried about Lisbon. The anniversary is only two days away. He wouldn't have run off, not now."

"Not even if he thought he could get to Red John through Lorelei?" Moore said. "Because he's got a history of taking risks like that."

"If he did, it was a spur of the moment decision," Lisbon said firmly. "I can usually tell when he's up to something, and he wasn't. If I hadn't sent him out, he'd still be parked on that couch right there."

Cho added, "Yeah. And he was too quiet on the drive to be up to something. If he's plotting, he tries to keep you from noticing. But he was thinking hard about something."

"And what did you think that was?" Moore asked.

Cho shrugged. "I figured he was coming up with a way to get out of the doghouse. Menu planning."

Moore looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. Lisbon doesn't wear much jewelry and she hates having flowers sent to the office, so when Jane's in trouble, he cooks."

Lisbon nodded. "It's true."

"What was he in trouble for?" Moore asked.

"Hovering," Cho said, just as Lisbon answered, "Being an overprotective pain in the ass."

Moore smiled a little. Then he said, "Well, for now I'll accept that Jane was taken under duress. But given how good he is at manipulating people, I still think he might have some say in their destination."

Lisbon shook her head. "The only place Jane would be interested in going with Lorelei is to find Red John."

"Okay. But if you think of anything, or if he makes contact, please let me know." Moore got to his feet.

"Of course," Lisbon said.

mmm

The rest of the day dragged into night, and Lisbon was thinking she would have to let Van Pelt take her home so her team would get some rest when someone knocked on her office door. "Agent Kirkland," she said in surprise.

"Agent Lisbon," he said, smiling briefly. "Any word on Mr. Jane?"

"He made a withdrawal at an ATM in San Francisco an hour ago," Lisbon replied. "Or at least, someone did. We're still waiting on the security video."

"Then you should be very glad to see me, because I have it," Kirkland said, taking a seat across the desk from her and pulling out his phone.

"Really?" Lisbon could hardly keep herself from snatching the phone out of his hand, waiting impatiently for him to pass it across the desk.

Kirkland hesitated, giving her a look of concern that made her want to kick him. "Would you like to call your team in so you don't have to watch it twice?"

Lisbon looked out toward the bullpen, where Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt were standing in a group near Rigsby's desk looking toward her. She raised a hand and waved them in. "Agent Kirkland has brought us the ATM video," she said when they entered.

"Let's see it," Cho said, holding out his hand.

Now Lisbon's ire was directed at her second, but she knew that as the person in charge of investigating Jane's kidnapping, he was well within his rights. He could even insist she not see the video until he did, but he had too much sense of self-preservation for that. So she stood and joined the team in a huddle around Kirkland's phone.

The security video from that ATM was poor quality, but they had no trouble identifying Jane as he frowned at the machine. He rarely used them, and always complained about them when he did, she reflected.

"He keeps glancing off to the side. Lorelei must be there," Rigsby pointed out.

"Wait for it," Kirkland said.

A moment later, a feminine hand appeared on Jane's shoulder, and he looked at his companion, then shifted over a step so she could stand in front of the machine and press a button. Then Lorelei said something, smiling, and moved her hand to his cheek, holding him still for a kiss. It wasn't a mere peck, either, Lisbon couldn't help but notice as her stomach roiled.

Kirkland said, "That doesn't look like a typical kidnapper/victim dynamic to me."

Lisbon's mouth was too dry to reply, but Cho said, "Jane isn't a typical kidnap victim. He's playing her, waiting for his chance."

"To do what? Escape?" Kirkland shook his head. "This was on a public street at rush hour. All he had to do was make a scene. Which, from what I've heard, he's perfectly capable of. Anyway, the most damning part is coming up."

They were all focused on the screen when the kiss finished and Lorelei moved out of camera range. Jane hesitated, then looked straight at the camera and mouthed, "Sorry."

That was meant for her, she knew. Jane would have known she'd check the bank accounts and find this. But what was he sorry for? The kiss? Leaving? Making her worry herself sick?

"Agent Lisbon?" Kirkland prompted, concern shading his tone. "You know him better than anyone. What do you make of this?"

She swallowed hard, buying herself time by going back to her chair before responding. "I agree with Cho. He's playing along, hoping she'll take him to Red John." She kept her growing fury under wraps. This re-emergence of the reckless obsessive in Jane was utterly unwelcome to her. He'd seemed to change once he was forced to renounce his quest, but it seemed the change had only been temporary. Or possibly even just another con.

Oh God. What if the whole thing had been one long con? He had successfully pretended to be a despairing drunk for six long months, and they'd been together only slightly longer than that. What if she'd seen what she wanted to see, and all those loving gestures, all their time together, had just been a means to an end for him?

No. She couldn't think like that, not here and now with Kirkland watching her every move. She was grateful when Van Pelt said, "He knew we'd see this. Of course he had to apologize to the boss for kissing another woman."

"So," Kirkland said, leaning back in his chair after reclaiming his phone, "you're saying Lorelei kidnapped Jane, and he decided to play along until she hands him over to Red John? And that he made some excuse to stop at an ATM so he could leave you this message?"

"At least we know he's alive," Rigsby said. "And it wouldn't be the first time Jane did something the rest of us thought was crazy. Especially when it comes to Red John."

Cho was watching Kirkland. "You have another theory?" he asked.

"Let me tell you how it looks to us," Kirkland said. "We know Jane and Lorelei had a sexual relationship."

"A one night stand," Lisbon corrected firmly.

"A sexual relationship. Duration isn't necessarily important," Kirkland insisted. "Especially given his obsession with interrogating her after you arrested her. And the lengths he went to keep her in CBI custody. I'm told his behavior when the FBI took her was distraught. Obviously he had feelings for her. Is it so impossible to believe that he arranged her escape from prison and they planned this together?"

Cho said, "Jane doesn't have the resources to break someone out of a maximum security prison. Red John does."

"That's opinion, with no evidence to back it," Kirkland said. "We have records of Jane attempting to see Lorelei in prison and of him questioning prison transport drivers. What if he found a way?"

Lisbon said, "Jane's been with me nearly every minute for the last few days. He couldn't possibly do something like this without me knowing."

"Not in person, no. But he's perfectly capable of manipulating other people into doing his dirty work."

"Look," Lisbon said, pasting a smile on her face as if she were amused by the absurdity of the thought, "my husband did not leave me for Lorelei Martins."

"No he didn't," Cho agreed. "Jane's a victim, not an accomplice."

"Look. I know he's been with you a long time, and naturally you're going to protect him. I get that," Kirkland said, standing. "But if you look at this objectively, I think you'll see why we aren't treating this as a kidnapping. And why you need to contact me immediately if Jane contacts any of you."

Cho said, "I thought Red John was Moore's case."

"It is. But a breakout from federal prison is a security matter. My department has a vested interest in finding out how Jane did it."

"He didn't," Lisbon replied.

"I hope not," Kirkland said, nodding to them all and then leaving.

"Idiot," Cho remarked in disgust. "I'm going to call Stan Moore and make sure the FBI hasn't bought into this ridiculous theory."

"Thank you," Lisbon said.

"Meanwhile, go home," Cho said. "We know he's alive, well, and working a play. We all need a good night's sleep before he brings us into it."

Lisbon nodded reluctantly, then got to her feet. "We want to get our own copy of that footage," she said. She didn't add in case what we saw was edited, but she knew the team heard it anyway.

"I'll take you," Van Pelt offered.

"Thanks. To all of you," Lisbon replied.

"Hang in there, Boss," Rigsby said, then went back to his desk.

"I'll call if anything turns up," Cho promised. "Try to rest."

"And I'll let you know if I hear from him," Lisbon said, thought her statement didn't quite make it to the level of a promise. If Jane asked her to back his play in secret, she probably would, and they all knew it. "Good night."

She and Van Pelt gathered their things and headed for the elevator in silence. Once they were safely inside, Van Pelt said, "You're right, you know. He didn't leave you for Lorelei. No way."

"I know." But while Lisbon was confident Jane wouldn't leave her for another woman, she was by no means sure he wouldn't leave her for Red John. After all, he'd married her for the killer, hadn't he? And he'd said it himself: if the deal he'd made for her safety was no longer on the table, then he wanted his vengeance. He hadn't said he'd sacrifice their marriage to get it, but perhaps that went without saying if things were going to revert to the way they'd been before. He'd always said he'd do anything to get Red John, after all. That promise was much older than the one he'd made to her on that beach.

She followed Van Pelt out to her car with a heavy heart. She didn't think she would get much sleep tonight.

mmm

The apartment was untouched, and when Van Pelt checked the camera she found nothing more recent than Jane and Lisbon leaving that morning. "That's good," Van Pelt remarked when she reported her findings. "If he was going to run off, wouldn't he come back for a few things? He doesn't even have his go bag." They'd checked; it was still in the trunk of his car at the CBI.

"I'm not sure that will convince Kirkland," Lisbon said. "But we're still not telling anyone about the camera. In the morning I'll tell Moore I looked through his things and they were all here."

"I'll take the couch, where I can hear if anyone comes in," Van Pelt volunteered.

"It's comfortable enough to sleep on. Jane made sure of that," Lisbon said, hoping her smile covered the fierce ache in her heart as she remembered how he'd sprawled on it to demonstrate, then convinced her to join him for a lovely half hour of not-sleeping. Surely he hadn't faked that?

No. He cared about her. That had been obvious for years, since he'd killed Hardy. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't have been pretending to feel more than he did, especially given how clingy she'd been after her first encounter with Red John. He'd admitted to being worried about her state of mind, so he might have started off trying to protect her. And he'd definitely enjoyed the domestic life they'd built, she thought. Between those two things, pretending to be madly in love with her would not have been difficult, even for a less talented showman.

"Boss?"

Lisbon blinked, realizing Van Pelt was looking at her worriedly. "I'm fine, Grace. I'm just tired and worried."

"He'll be back," Van Pelt said confidently. "This is Jane we're talking about."

"Yeah. Feel free to use the bathroom in the hall. Good night." Lisbon tried to summon a smile, then headed for the master bedroom to get ready for bed. She was exhausted, she realized when she finally brought herself to crawl into bed.

Jane's pillow smelled like him, and she pulled it into her arms, praying he'd be back before the scent had a chance to fade.