Author's Note: Thanks for the kind reviews, despite the evil cliffhanger! Hopefully I have been a lot less evil this time...

Chapter 52

"Down!" Cho shouted, dropping the pipe and drawing his weapon.

Jane was already crouched on the floor, glancing at Kirkland, who was obviously dead from the gunshot wound in his forehead. He heard Moore emerge from the office as Cho ran for the door; the FBI agent followed.

It was only a few minutes before they returned. Cho said, "Gone. You okay?"

"Yes. Kirkland's dead." Jane turned away from the body in disgust.

"Shit," Cho swore. The three of them stared at the dead Homeland Security agent on their hands with varying degrees of dismay.

Moore swallowed hard and said, "He came here with me."

"Yeah," Cho said. "Let's cut him loose. You came here on a tip. You let us know and we met you here. A sniper took out Kirkland while we were talking. We call and report it."

Moore looked relieved until Jane said, "We can't do that until we have his phone back. If it's missing, Red John will figure out what we did."

Cho pulled out his phone and dialed. "Got anything? Well, hurry up. We have a problem." He frowned, then held out the phone to Jane.

Grace said, "I've tried all the likely passwords I can think of."

"Did you try 'John' on the numerical keypad?"

"Yes."

Jane looked at Kirkland. "Try 'smile.'"

There was a pause. Then Grace said, "That's it! I'll have it back to you as soon as I'm done."

"Sooner is better," Jane said, then hung up. He handed the phone back to Cho and said, "You should search the area."

"The sniper's long gone."

"But we need an excuse to delay calling it in. I'll search him while you two look around. Slowly."

mmm

Lisbon passed most of the day on her own, walking around the facility or reading. In the afternoon, she decided to write Red John a short note, because there was something she was curious about.

John,

Why should I entrust you with the future of my child when I know, down to the smallest grisly detail, what you did to Charlotte Jane?

Lisbon

She had just decided to go to sunset yoga tonight when a knock on her door startled her. Whoever it was actually waited until she said "Come in" before doing so, which surprised her. The realization that she had given up any expectation of privacy made her angry and a little afraid. She was not going to get used to this, she reminded herself.

Her visitor was an orderly she'd seen around, but he only handed her a note before leaving, determinedly uninterested in her. Apparently her habit of informing the staff that they were accomplices to kidnapping a state agent was wearing thin.

The note was in unfamiliar handwriting—not worth Red John writing it himself, she thought—and simply informed her that she would be dining in a private room on the ground floor at eight o'clock and should dress for the occasion.

Was this it? She couldn't think what would make Red John believe she was ready to accept him. Maybe something had happened?

Should she go? If she didn't, would she be forcibly escorted, like her first checkup? Better to play along, pretend to be resigning herself to this new life, she decided.

That meant skipping yoga, but she could go tomorrow morning. With a sigh, she went to the closet, trying to determine which of the dresses was the least flattering.

mmm

Jane had searched Kirkland, found nothing of interest, and exhausted his tepid curiosity about the warehouse long before Cho and Moore came back.

"Found the sniper's position," Cho reported. "For all the good it'll do."

"Definitely a pro," Moore agreed. He stared at Kirkland's body in something like despair.

Cho advised, "Just let Jane do all the lying."

"That won't help when my boss calls me on the carpet. Which she will. They knew each other."

Jane raised his head to look intently at Moore. "Who is your boss?"

"Regional Director Schultz." Moore seemed to sense he was on dangerous ground. "And no, there's no way in hell I'm taking you with me to talk to her."

"Why not?" Jane asked. "If they were friends, she might be one of Red John's friends too. She might have the information we need!"

Cho said, "Before we start talking about kidnapping an FBI director, let's get rid of the Homeland Security agent."

Moore muttered, "His corpse, you mean. And this is it for me. I'm not getting involved in anything to do with threatening my boss!"

They all tensed as they heard a car door slam outside. Cho drew his weapon and motioned for Jane to move behind him. Moore drew his gun as well, moving to the other side of the door.

Jane listened closely to the approaching footsteps, so he wasn't surprised when the door opened to reveal Rigsby. "It's just me," Rigsby said quickly. Then he frowned at Cho's lack of a mask and looked around, eyes widening when he saw Kirkland's corpse sprawled beside the chair. "Shit! What did you do?"

Taking offense at Rigsby's accusation would be a waste of time and energy, Jane reminded himself firmly. "Do you have the phone?"

"Oh. Yeah." Rigsby dug in his pocket and handed him the phone. "Since you were in a hurry, Grace just dumped everything onto her computer. She says it'll take a while to sort through it all though. What happened?"

Cho said, "Sniper. Moore, you want to call it in?"

"Yeah," Moore replied in relief, pulling out his own phone.

"Shit," Rigsby said again, watching Jane wipe off the phone, then carefully fit it into Kirkland's cooling hand to make sure his prints were on it before tucking it back into his jacket pocket. "What do we do now?"

"You get out of here," Cho replied.

"Was it Red John?" Rigsby asked. "Does that mean he knows? That he'll move Lisbon?"

Jane shook his head. "He might guess, but he can't know."

"He might still move her, just to be safe," Cho pointed out.

"All this for nothing," Rigsby said bitterly.

Jane felt panic claw at him at the thought. "No," he said. "Even if he moves her, knowing where she was will help. If it's a Visualize facility, I'll use that to lean on Stiles."

Cho said, "Get out of here, Rigsby. Go help Van Pelt. If this goes to hell and we end up suspects, we need you two on the outside."

Rigsby was obviously reluctant to leave his partner in a mess, but he saw the logic in Cho's order. "Fine. Call if you need help."

Jane couldn't resist saying, "Or bail money."

Rigsby made a face at him as he left, but he didn't object. Jane made a note to do something nice for him later. Assuming they all got out of this alive and free.

mmm

Lisbon was purposely five minutes late for dinner, making her feelings about being ordered around clear. As she paused on the threshold of the unexpectedly luxurious room, she was only mildly surprised to find Bret Stiles waiting for her.

"Ah, good evening, my dear," he greeted her. "Do come in. I'm pleased to find you looking so well."

"So are you Red John, or just another minion?" she asked, sitting down across from him.

"Please," he said with a pained expression, "minion is such a demeaning word. You should wait to see whether I have useful information before you begin insulting me."

Lisbon bit down on her initial retort. "So. How was your day?"

"That's better. See, not so hard now, was it?" Stiles beamed at her like she was his prize student.

His patronizing tone set her teeth on edge, but she decided to play along for now. He owed Jane a favor, after all. Maybe she could lay claim to it. Besides, something nearby smelled amazing. The food she'd been getting was nutritious but nothing like the mouthwatering dishes Jane regularly presented her. Apparently, she'd gotten a little spoiled.

"I would offer you a glass of wine," Stiles said, "but that would hardly be appropriate under the circumstances. What would you like to drink?"

"Just water," she replied. "So why visit me?"

"Why, for the pleasure of your company. And, of course, to assure myself of your well being. Patrick is so distraught. It's really quite distressing. I felt I owed it to him to check on you."

Lisbon couldn't conceal her eagerness. "You've seen him?"

"Just this morning, yes. He thought I might be able to reunite you. I truly regretted not being able to oblige him." Stiles paused as a waiter came in with Lisbon's water, followed by another with salads.

As desperate as she was for news of Jane, Lisbon hated to beg. Instead, she began eating her salad as calmly as she could.

"Are you not curious about our chat?" Stiles prompted. "Poor Patrick. He is not faring nearly as well as you. But then, he was so broken to begin with. It's good he has someone else to look after him. The lovely Agent Van Pelt was very attentive."

Lisbon set down her fork and said incredulously, "Are you trying to make me jealous of Van Pelt?" The idea was so ludicrous she wanted to laugh, but she managed to confine herself to a smile. Stiles couldn't know Van Pelt was in love with and pregnant by Rigsby and that Jane regarded her as a sort of little sister.

"Of course not. Why would I do that?" Stiles chuckled a little. "Though I must say I'm impressed by your faith in him. Many wives would dislike their husbands having such a close relationship with such a beautiful woman."

"I'm not worried," Lisbon said truthfully.

"Aren't you?"

"No." Even if Jane were the type to be unfaithful, and even if Van Pelt were the type to sleep with a friend's husband, she still wouldn't be worried, because they were both way too busy doing their jobs right now to have personal lives. That would remain true until they found her.

Stiles looked amused, as if he didn't believe her. "But he's cheated on you before. Quite recently, too."

Lisbon had forgotten that she was supposed to believe Jane had slept with Lorelei during the kidnapping. She looked down at her plate, appetite fading, and grimaced.

It must have been the right thing to do, because Stiles smiled. "Now, now, my dear, no need to fret. I'm sure you're right. You must have made certain he learned his lesson, yes?"

"Yes," Lisbon replied firmly. "How long do I have to stay here?"

He took a sip of his wine. "That depends on you, of course. I hope you are not telling me you have complaints about your accommodations."

"I do, actually. I want a lock on my door."

He shrugged. "That doesn't seem unreasonable."

"And I want to speak to my husband."

"Now that is harder to arrange. Though he did offer to become a member of my organization in order to be with you. I was touched." He leaned back, looking at her closely. "And skeptical. Did he mean it, do you think?"

"Maybe," Lisbon said. "Without talking to him, I can't be sure."

"Hm." Stiles began eating again. "That is too bad. I would very much enjoy having Patrick around. Ah, well. Perhaps in time."

He seemed almost wistful, and Lisbon began to wonder if that was something she could exploit, despite her earlier resolve to keep Jane away from Visualize. Was it selfish to think that she'd have a better chance at escape with Jane here to help? Didn't she owe it to her baby to do everything possible to ensure her father was part of her life? She turned the idea over in her mind as the meal progressed, paying just enough attention to Stiles' philosophical musings to respond when required.

When it was over and they were walking to the door, Lisbon decided to try. "You know," she said, "I've always thought people who have faith are happier than those who don't."

"That has been my observation as well," Stiles agreed. "It must distress you that Patrick remains so steadfast in his refusal to accept such comfort. Have you never tried to convert him?"

Lisbon turned her laugh into a cough. "I don't think the Catholic Church is a good fit for Patrick. He'll never believe he needs a priest to tell him anything."

"True," Stiles chuckled. "An intelligence such as his can be a curse as well as a blessing. You must be torn whether to wish it for your child."

And there was her opening. "I'm terrified," she said quietly. "I don't think I can raise this child without his help." She looked at Stiles, pouring all her loneliness and fear into it. "I need him with me. Please, Bret. I know you can help me. You're probably the only one who can."

Stiles gave her a sympathetic look. "I can't make Patrick into a believer, my dear."

"But you can. Give him the chance, and he'll pretend so he can be with me and the baby. Once he's here, who's to say the pretending won't become real?"

Stiles smiled skeptically. "Perhaps. Or perhaps he will work to destroy everything I've built."

Lisbon cast around for a response. "When he was assigned to my team, I thought he was going to destroy my career. But he didn't. When he's come close, he's always found a way to fix it. You just have to give him the right incentive." She laid a hand on her stomach. "And there's no greater incentive than his child."

Stiles looked searchingly at her, and she made herself hold his gaze. Then he smiled. "Well, you've certainly given me something to think about, Teresa. Good night."

As she walked back to her room, she wondered whether she'd done the right thing. But giving Jane an opening nearly always worked, and it wasn't like he was going to fall for anything Stiles told him. She hoped.

God, she hoped she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of their lives.

mmm

It was full dark by the time Jane and Cho made it back to the apartment, weary and frustrated but at least not arrested. Jane thought things had gone reasonably well, all things considered. As long as Moore didn't crack under the pressure, they would probably get out of this unscathed.

Grace was curled up on the couch asleep while Rigsby rummaged in the kitchen. Jane immediately went to stop him. "What do you need?" he asked.

"Food," Rigsby replied. "Grace hasn't eaten. She wouldn't let me cook in here."

Jane felt a rush of gratitude to Grace. "I'll take care of it. She still having nausea?"

"She was okay for lunch. But a lot of times it's worse when she first wakes up."

"Okay," Jane said. "I got this. Grab a beer and relax. There'll be plenty to eat in a few minutes."

"Thanks, man."

Jane busied himself cooking the perfect pregnancy late night meal, trying not to get lost in the memories of doing so for Angela or his fantasy of doing it for Lisbon someday. This was for Lisbon in a way, though, since he needed Grace at the top of her form to find her. Which also, he realized, meant letting Grace get some sleep despite the way his nerves were jangling.

It was going to be a very long night.

mmm

By mid morning, even Jane's patience was wearing thin. Grace was doing her best, and Rigsby and Cho jumped at every task she gave them, but it was taking forever to go through the raw data dump from Kirkland's phone and match GPS coordinates with times and then look up the locations. Meanwhile, Red John had plenty of time to move Lisbon.

He'd had no word from her since the video, so he didn't know how she was holding up against whatever mind games Red John and his disciples were playing. And if Red John realized Jane was getting close, he'd surely ramp up his efforts to twist her thinking. Step one would be making her think she'd been abandoned to her fate and that their marriage was just a long con. There was, he knew, a tiny part of her that still wondered sometimes. Without him there to demonstrate otherwise, that part would grow, especially with Red John feeding it.

Unclenching his fists, he decided to brew some more coffee for the guys and some ginger tea for Grace while he decided what to cook for lunch.

mmm

Lisbon began her day with the dry heaves, unable to keep even water down, so she crawled back into bed to endure the misery. She didn't often indulge in self pity, but a few tears escaped her tightly closed eyes as she thought that Jane would probably know what to do to make her feel better. Even if he didn't have some magical recipe or special herbal tea, he could at least run his fingers through her hair and gently massage her scalp, all while murmuring soothingly into her ear. Or maybe he'd press his lips to her roiling stomach and whisper to the baby, making up silly stories about all the adventures they would have together.

She hoped he would be excited to be a father again. She thought he would, assuming they could avoid Red John's plans for them. But even if he had misgivings, she was sure he would do everything he could to make her pregnancy easier, and she desperately wished she were with him.

When someone knocked on her door, she didn't bother responding. There was only one person she wanted to see, and Jane wouldn't knock.

Allie opened the door a crack. "Teresa? You okay?"

Lisbon moaned, "Go away."

Allie came all the way into the room. "Morning sickness, huh? That sucks. You should take something. Can I get you some breakfast?"

"No," Lisbon replied, swallowing the urge to gag at the very thought. "It won't stay down."

"I brought some ginger ale," Allie offered, holding out the can. "Do you want to try some?"

"No!" Lisbon snapped. "I don't want anything. I just want my husband!"

Allie set the can down near the bed. "I wish I could help."

Lisbon lifted her head to look at the woman. "But you could. You could call him, tell him where I am. Please, Allie. I need him."

"I'm sorry, Teresa. But it would be the last thing I ever did." She did look sorry, but Lisbon could tell she wasn't going to help.

"Then just go away," Lisbon said, hiding her face in the pillow to hide her tears of frustration.

"Okay, okay. I hope you feel better soon. I'll come check on you later," Allie said as she left.

Lisbon tried to get herself under control. She couldn't afford to turn into a weepy mess, although maybe there was something to be gained by letting everyone think she was. Red John wanted the baby born healthy, so if he thought she needed Jane to get through a difficult pregnancy, he might see that she got him. And Cho would be watching Jane like a hawk, so rescue would be imminent.

Struggling to think through a haze of nausea and longing, she hoped she wasn't rationalizing. She put a hand over the baby and whispered, "Help me out here. I need to stay strong to get us home. I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure your daddy is one of the first people you meet. Just please, please let me eat something. Eggs maybe? Your daddy loves eggs. Or at least toast. We could try some tea with milk."

She lay still, hoping to feel well enough to go to the poker game this evening, where she could learn more about Red John and his disciples. It would be a shame to miss the chance to look for weaknesses or some way she could communicate with Jane. Obviously the first video hadn't been enough. If she did as told, maybe she could send another. Thinking up ways to convey more clues should keep her mind off her stomach, she thought hopefully.

mmm

"That's it!" Rigsby exclaimed. "I got it!"

Cho moved to look over his shoulder as Jane hurried in from the kitchen, dishcloth still in hand. "Where?" he demanded.

"It's a Visualize property," Rigsby said.

Grace elbowed him aside, taking over his laptop. "Kirkland was there from six to six-forty a.m. Rigsby's right—it's a property Visualize owns. Where did he go then?" She trailed off, then went back to her own computer. "Here it is. He was in his office about an hour later."

"Where?" Jane demanded again.

Cho was entering something on his phone; he turned it so Jane could see the location on his map app. "About fifty miles from here. I'll go to the office and get the rapid response team organized."

"If you do that, he'll get wind of it," Jane warned. "We need to keep this to ourselves."

Rigsby frowned. "Just the three of us? We better see what we're up against first."

Grace frowned at her screen. "Looks like Visualize has friends in the technology community. I can't see it on the publicly available satellite images."

"Looks like it's pretty isolated," Cho said. "Hard to get a look without being seen."

A man with lesser self-control would have been dancing with impatience, but Jane managed to keep still as he tried to think up a way to get a look at the facility. "If it's a mental health facility, there must be doctors going in and out, supply trucks, that sort of thing. If we intercepted one, I could hypnotize the driver."

Grace nodded excitedly. "I'll pull up satellite images of the main road going in."

Jane's phone began to ring. He thought about ignoring it, then decided not to. When he saw the caller's name, he knew he'd made the right decision. "Why Bret, good morning. What can I do for you?"

"Good morning, Patrick. I was hoping you might be free to join me tonight. It's a small gathering of friends, but I think you'll find it valuable."

Jane frowned at this unexpected offer. "I appreciate the thought, Bret, but I'm not much in the mood for socializing."

"Are you certain? There will be people there I'm certain you'll want to see."

Can he really intend to lead me to Lisbon? Jane wondered. "Well, I suppose if you insist, I can make the time."

"Excellent. I will meet you at six at my office. And Patrick, I am afraid I must ask you to come alone."

"See you then," Jane said pleasantly.

"What was that about?" Rigsby asked.

"Bret Stiles invited me to a soirée," Jane replied.

"And you said yes?" Rigsby sounded incredulous.

"To allay his suspicions. It will buy us time," Jane said. "He's taking me to either Lisbon or Red John, if not both. I'll play along to distract them while you go in and get Lisbon."

"We don't have enough people to do that and back you up," Cho said.

"Don't worry about me." Jane waved a hand in dismissal. Rigsby and Cho exchanged glances.

"We need help," Cho said. "I need to make a few calls, see if the guys who helped with security at your wedding can get here tonight."

Jane nodded, but his mind was already miles away. Hold on, Teresa. I'm coming.

mmm

Lisbon was able to keep down a light lunch, to her surprise and relief. When she returned to her room, she found a gorgeous arrangement of orchids and a note.

My dear Teresa,

The comparison between our child and Charlotte Jane is not an apt one. The girl was merely one of a million average children being raised in ignorance of their true reality. My heir is infinitely more valuable and will be treated as such. Do not worry about his safety.

I look forward to seeing you at the game tonight.

John

Lisbon crumpled the note angrily, disgusted at the killer's casual dismissal of a child as unimportant. "She wasn't average to Patrick," she muttered. There was no way in hell she was letting this psychopath into her child's life. She was getting out of here, somehow.

She had a small snack in the afternoon and managed to eat a little dinner before setting off for the ground floor. The poker game was being held in the same room where she'd met Stiles the night before. She was a little early, but she could already hear voices as she approached.

"Teresa," Haffner greeted her as she entered. "You know Judge Manchester, I believe?"

"Yes," she replied, nodding a greeting. She wasn't surprised to see the judge, but she was surprised a few minutes later when Alexa Schultz walked in with Bertram.

"Lisbon," Bertram greeted her. "Senator Dawkins sends her regrets and hopes to see you next time. And I'm afraid Bob Kirkland won't be joining us, due to his untimely death yesterday, which derailed my entire schedule since Jane and Cho were with him at the time."

"Are they all right?" she demanded.

Bertram's expression soured. "Neither of them were hurt. And as of an hour ago, neither of them had been arrested, though the FBI considers them persons of interest in the case."

"We certainly do," Schultz said. "Moore is lying through his teeth about what they were doing there, and so are your people."

"No doubt," Bertram agreed, taking his seat at the table. "Teresa, come sit down. How have you been?"

Reluctantly, she sat beside him, replying that she was fine. Haffner sat on her other side, and Schultz and Manchester on either side of them. That left two empty chairs across the table, presumably meant for Dawkins and Kirkland. Lisbon sighed with disappointment; there were no potential allies here.

Bertram declared himself the dealer for the first hand and began shuffling the cards. Haffner slid a stack of chips over to her; apparently Red John had contributed her stake. Well, if this wasn't going to help her escape, at least it was a way to pass the time. She might even enjoy it if she pretended this was a normal game and she was going home to Jane afterward.

She was contemplating her dismal hand when the door opened again and Bret Stiles said, "I see you've already started. I do apologize for being late."

Lisbon's glance at the new arrival was fleeting, but then she heard Bertram draw in a sharp breath and looked up again. This time she saw the person who'd come in behind Stiles and froze. Was she hallucinating? No, Haffner saw him too, because he got to his feet and demanded, "What is he doing here?"

Jane smiled lovingly at Lisbon for a moment before putting his mask in place and addressing the others. "I heard you were playing poker with my wife, which is a pleasure I have not yet had. So I accepted Brother Stiles' kind invitation. Do sit down; there's no need to get up. Unless you are offering me your seat, Ray, which I would greatly appreciate."

Lisbon jumped to her feet, only to have Bertram and Haffner grasp her shoulders and push her back into her chair. Her heart was pounding, threatening to leap out of her chest as she scrutinized Jane for clues as to what was going on. Was there a rescue in progress, or had he done something stupid? She desperately wished he would give her a sign.

"Now gentlemen," Jane reproved. "No need to be rough. She only wants a kiss. We've been apart for an entire week, and we are still in the honeymoon phase, you know." He gave her a wink as he settled into one of the chairs across from her.

Every cell in her body wanted to leap across the table. Lisbon tried again to get up, to no avail.

Haffner sat back down, dismayed to find that the cards he'd dropped on the table had landed face up. Bertram said, "Well. Now that we're all here, let's start over again."

"Excellent," Jane said. "What are the stakes? I'm afraid I didn't have time to obtain much cash."

Stiles was smiling, Lisbon noticed out of the corner of her eye. He said, "No need to concern yourself, Patrick. I'm happy to loan you as much as you require."

Jane looked around the table like a cat surveying a group of cornered mice. "I won't need much," he predicted. His eyes met hers again. "I hope you don't expect any special treatment, Lisbon."

She swallowed hard, trying for her normal tone despite the fact that she thought she might faint. "What makes you think I need any, Jane?"

Bertram chuckled. "I think she might surprise you."

Jane looked at his boss sharply, then returned his gaze to Lisbon, his genuine smile warming and calming her. "I look forward to it. Let's get started."