Author's Note: I had planned to stay fluffy from here on out, but this chapter went all plot-y on me. I figured I should tie up some loose ends, too. There are a lot of them, which is why this is so long. Thanks to everyone who let me know they're on board with the long wrap-up. I promise we'll get back to the Jisbon fluffiness in the next chapter!
Chapter 57
The next week was hectic. Jane was unsuccessful in keeping Lisbon away from the office, especially once she learned her cell phone was in evidence there. He pointed out what an abuse of power it was for her to decide it wasn't critical evidence and reclaim it, but she just replied that it had yielded no fingerprints and was therefore not critical to the case against Bertram. He didn't bother arguing about her badge, knowing it was a part of her identity and that she was uneasy without it.
Primed by his hints, she accepted the AG's offer of Wainwright's job, insisting it was only until after her maternity leave, to give the AG time to find the right person on a more permanent basis. Jane interpreted the AG's reply that he would first focus on the search for a new director to mean that he had no intention of allowing Lisbon to relinquish her new role. Jane was about 80 percent sure that when the time came, Lisbon would find it impossible to give up her expanded responsibilities.
He became even more convinced when his was the phone that rang at 4 a.m. "Yeah?" he muttered into it, rubbing at his eyes.
Cho said, "We've got a copycat. I'll pick you up in five."
Jane hung up, resisting the urge to throw his phone at the wall. This was the very last thing he wanted to deal with, no matter that he'd told everyone he was only staying on to make sure they caught all the disciples.
Lisbon let out an unhappy groan and reached for her phone, turning on the lamp as she did so. Then she frowned when it didn't ring.
"Rank has its privileges," Jane said, rolling over to kiss her before sliding out of bed.
"What is it?" she mumbled as he headed for the closet.
"You'll get the report on your desk at a more reasonable hour of the morning, and if you don't, you'll have an excuse to come to the bullpen and harass your hardworking minions," he replied.
"Mm," she responded. As he dressed, she yawned and asked, "Want me to make you a travel mug of tea?"
Jane converted his laugh into a cough, buttoning his shirt. "What would you do if I said yes?"
"Make it chamomile," she retorted, smiling.
"What I want," he chuckled, "is for you to go back to sleep until your alarm goes off, then eat a reasonably nutritious breakfast." He paused. "And that does not mean stopping at Marie's for a bear claw and half caff latte, then throwing the bag away in the bullpen because you think that will fool me."
"You of all people should appreciate the urge to defy authority," she grumbled.
"Oh, so I'm in authority now?"
"Half authority. It's half your kid. So you get half a say in what I eat." She yawned. "When you're around while I'm eating."
"Then I will see you for lunch," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on.
"Mkay," she mumbled, already half asleep again.
Jane turned off the lamp, kissed her cheek, and made his way to the hallway from memory rather than sight. It felt so strange leaving her safely tucked in bed while he went off to bring a murderer to justice and protect his family. He smirked as he envisioned what Lisbon would say about his moment of macho pride, then frowned as he began to think about likely copycats.
He made sure to set the alarm as he left.
mmm
The copycat was very good. Jane wasn't able to find any glaring differences between this murder and Red John's style, but he was sure the medical examiner's report would give him something to work with. The choice of victim also puzzled him. He'd been worried that if one of the disciples took up Red John's mantle, they'd go after someone he cared about in retaliation for him killing their master. But he had never met Holly Williams and had never been to the small town where she served as sheriff.
Cho sent Van Pelt and Rigsby to go escort Lisbon to the office, insisting Jane keep working. Jane scowled, but he knew Lisbon would want him to stay on the job. She was anxious about making their new professional relationship work, knowing that CBI rules said she shouldn't be supervising her husband. Bertram had granted them a temporary exception his replacement was highly unlikely to continue. They would have to confront the problem in the near future.
Jane wasn't sure what he was going to do when that happened, but he was confident he'd think of something. He'd already charmed a few reporters into changing the angle of their stories from outrage that a serial killer had been right under their noses for years to a romantic tale of love persevering under adversity, and he hoped he could use that to their advantage. That would have the satisfying side effect of making Lisbon less cranky about being portrayed as Saint Teresa again.
Moore joined them as they were preparing to go question Williams' ex-husband, since the FBI still had the Red John case. "You throwing us out?" Cho greeted him.
"Not at all. I was hoping we could pool our resources." Moore grimaced as he looked at the body.
"You mean you want Jane," Cho replied.
Moore twitched a grin at him. "Partly. I welcome your insights as well, Agent Cho. Should I make a formal request to your boss?"
"Bureaucratic nonsense," Jane said. He had, after all, solemnly promised Lisbon he would try not to cause her extra paperwork in her new position. "We're already here, and it's not like she's going to say no."
Cho ignored him and said to Moore, "I'll clear it with her. You want to come with us to talk to the ex?"
"By all means."
Jane couldn't help poking at Moore as they all got in Cho's car. "So why are you still in the field, Stan? Your promotion got lost in the mail?"
"I'm not ready to dwindle into a bureaucrat."
Jane felt offended on Lisbon's behalf, even though she kept saying it was only while she was pregnant. "It does have its advantages. Like not having to get up at 4 a.m."
"There's something to be said for that," Moore agreed.
Cho asked, "We need to trace any connection the victim might have with us."
"Other than being law enforcement?" Moore frowned. "Why do you think there's a connection?"
"If he's trying to be the next Red John, he'll want to show he can get to us," Cho replied.
Moore nodded. "Makes sense. Probably the victims will be more closely connected each time if we don't stop him."
"Or," Jane said, "the connection could be with the copycat. Or with a rival." Because he would really rather not contemplate Lisbon becoming a target again.
Moore thought about it. "Possible. We need to research all the possibilities. Unfortunately, we haven't had any luck getting anything out of Visualize."
Jane wondered how Grace would feel about trying some hacking. He doubted they'd pry anything out of the cult any other way.
mmm
It was late morning by the time Jane and Cho finally made it to headquarters. As they went into the bullpen—Cho having refused to take Lisbon's office, pretending to believe she would reclaim it—Rigsby jumped up and headed for the break room, muttering a distracted greeting. Jane frowned after him, then focused on Grace.
"Good morning," she said, a little too brightly. "Solved the case yet?"
"Not quite yet, and good morning to you too, Grace. How's Lisbon?"
"Oh, she's fine. Not a scratch," Grace replied.
That was the most alarming reassurance he'd ever heard. "What?" he said sharply. "What happened?"
"Um." Grace now looked as alarmed as he felt. "She didn't call you?"
Jane spun on his heel and strode out of the bullpen. People dodged out of his path as he briskly made his way to Lisbon's new office. He didn't bother knocking, pushing the door open with only a slight amount of unnecessary force.
"Jane!" Lisbon snapped. "I'm in a meeting! You can't just barge in here."
Jane pulled up short as he recognized her visitor, immediately shifting gears and pasting on a jovial smile. "Brother Cooper! What a lovely surprise. What can we do for you today?"
Cooper stood and shook Jane's hand, heading off the hug Jane had intended to use to throw him off balance. "I was just telling Agent Lisbon that Bret has instructed me to see that you receive all the cooperation from Visualize that you require."
Lisbon looked less thrilled than one would expect. "And I was just about to tell Mr. Cooper that the FBI is investigating Visualize, not us."
"Bret specified the CBI. I have no instructions about the FBI," Cooper replied.
"Then it appears I've arrived in the nick of time," Jane said, flashing them his most brilliant smile. "I've just come from a meeting with Special Agent Moore and Agent Cho, who have agreed to continue our mutually beneficial partnership. Subject to your approval, of course, Boss."
Lisbon narrowed her eyes at him, but smiled for Cooper's benefit. "Wonderful. So I can accept your information with a clear conscience, Mr. Cooper." She held out her hand.
Cooper looked like he was chewing on something sour as he reached into his pocket and gave her a flash drive. "This is not our membership roster, you understand. It is merely a list of those we fear may have been led astray. We ask that you prosecute judiciously. Anyone not involved in violent crime can be reeducated within the church."
"Don't worry," Jane said. "California is much too broke to build a big enough prison to hold your entire organization."
Lisbon said firmly, "We will act according to the evidence and the law, Mr. Cooper."
"I have no doubt. If you need to speak with anyone on that list, I can arrange for them to be available." He stood, obviously eager to leave.
"We appreciate your help," Lisbon replied. "And we'd like to speak with Mr. Stiles in person. Do you know when he'll be back?"
"No, but I expect he will be out of the country for quite some time. Good day."
He left, and Jane claimed his seat, relaxing as if settling in for a long stay. Lisbon scowled at him. "Jane, we've talked about this. You can't just hang out in here."
"Why Agent Lisbon, are you saying you don't want to hear about the Red John copycat murder?"
"I do, but I expect to hear about it from the agent in charge of the case," she retorted.
"And you will, as soon as he's finished hearing about the mysterious events of the morning from Rigsby and Van Pelt. I, on the other hand, thought I should hear it from you." He folded his arms in imitation of her posture.
Lisbon sighed, obviously realizing it would be faster just to tell him. "It was no big deal," she began, which was so patently untrue he had to bite back a laugh. "Someone tried to break into the apartment. They had an old alarm code, so it went off. I held him at gunpoint until building security arrived to cuff him for me, and Van Pelt and Rigsby showed up right after that. I got dressed and we brought him here."
Jane took a few deep breaths to calm down. The image of someone breaking into their apartment while Lisbon was asleep made him want to break something—preferably the intruder's neck. He got to his feet.
"Sit down," Lisbon said. "He's in holding, and you're not allowed to see him. I want Cho to do the interrogation. If you behave, you can watch with me."
Jane sat down, swallowing and achieving something like his normal tone. "And you didn't think to call me?"
"I did, but then I realized you'd make Cho bring you home, bringing your case to a screeching halt. Everything was under control. I decided to wait and tell you when you got here."
Her reasonable tone made Jane feel very unreasonable indeed. "In the future," he bit out, "I would like to be informed of any situation that places you and our child in danger. Immediately."
Lisbon sighed. "Noted."
She did not promise to call him if it happened again, he noticed. Well, that was the last time he left her sleeping. "Does he have a name?"
"Yes. And Van Pelt already has the background. Petty theft, possession, trespass, but it all stopped seven years ago. He cleaned up and got a janitorial job for an office building after he got out of prison."
"Visualize," Jane said. "He's on that list Cooper brought you. Bret's making sure we don't miss any of the rats and hoping we'll be satisfied with that instead of ripping his entire hierarchy apart."
"Probably." She looked past Jane and beckoned, and Cho came in with a folder.
"Red John copycat. ME's working on the body now, but it's identical so far."
"Great," Lisbon groaned, taking the folder. "Is there—" She broke off, sucking in a breath.
Jane felt his stomach sink. "You know Holly Williams?"
She swallowed. "I did, yeah. We were both rookies in San Francisco at the same time. We weren't close, but we were friendly. I didn't realize she'd left."
Cho folded his arms. "There's our connection. Moore wants us on the case. You okay with that?"
"Yes. Just make sure it goes well. We don't need any more friction with the FBI." Lisbon handed him back the file. "But first, I need you to interrogate someone."
"The guy who broke into your place. You think he's a disciple?"
"Yes," Jane said.
"Maybe," Lisbon corrected. "But even if he is, he's not one of the ones we need to worry about. I just want to make an example out of him. Let's see if we can avoid this happening again."
Jane's breath caught at the idea of minions lining up to take their shot at Lisbon—maybe literally. Between the break-in and her connection to the copycat victim, it seemed clear she was their primary target. He should have dragged her onto a plane straight out of the hospital. It wasn't too late; he could still trick her into ending up on a remote tropical island.
"No," Lisbon said firmly, making him wonder when she'd started reading his mind. "You were the one who wanted me to take this job, Jane. You can't turn around and decide I should run away instead."
"Watch me," he muttered.
Lisbon tossed Cho the flash drive. "Visualize gave up their list of Red John's people. Your copycat is probably on there."
"Great. I'll put Rigsby and Van Pelt on it and meet you in interrogation."
"Start by identifying any CBI personnel on there," Lisbon instructed. "I want to know who's safe to assign to the team. You can't afford to be short handed."
"Got it, Boss," Cho said. He left, and Jane knew he had only a few minutes before the interrogation began. Cho could be ruthlessly efficient.
Lisbon tried to head him off. "I know we're not finished talking about this morning, but can it wait until we get home? We have serious work to do here."
Jane frowned at her. "I take your safety very seriously, Lisbon. I need to know that you do as well."
"Of course I do," she said, surprised. "Jane, I was fine. There was never any serious threat to me or the baby."
"I'd appreciate the chance to decide that for myself," he replied, trying not to snap. "Next time, call me."
"Fine. If you think your time is better spent fussing over me than out trying to catch these madmen, I'll defer to your judgment." She didn't even try to hide her sarcasm, but he decided to accept her words at face value.
"Thank you." He couldn't resist adding, "And don't worry. I won't damage your badass reputation by encouraging you to throw yourself into my arms. Because we both know you didn't call me because you didn't want me to see how frightened you were."
"I had my gun," she said. She picked up her desk phone and gave instructions to bring the intruder up to interrogation. Then she gave Jane a stern look. "You stay in observation. If you interrupt the interrogation, you're suspended. I mean it."
Suspension would mean he'd hardly see her, since he'd be forbidden entry to the building. And she was new enough in this job that she felt she had to prove herself, so he wouldn't be able to make her relent. "Fine. I won't need to, anyway. Cho knows what he's doing."
mmm
Lisbon kept an eye on Jane as he stared at Doug Lewis through the one-way mirror. She hated the sense of being in the wrong, which somehow had grown stronger when she saw how hard Jane was working to keep his cool. He was still struggling with old grief and adjusting to life without his obsession, and as much as she hated being fussed over, his worry about her safety was not unjustified. And he had been remarkably well behaved lately, which she was thankful for, because if she ever had to reprimand Cho because of something Jane did, she would feel like the world's biggest hypocrite.
Since they were alone in the observation room, she decided to bend her rules about appropriate workplace behavior and slipped her hand into his. He immediately slid his fingers through hers and held on firmly.
Lewis had been caught red-handed, so he wasn't even pretending to be innocent. Cho hardly had to push at all for the whole story to come out. Jane tensed when Lewis confessed his aim had been to kidnap her, probably imagining what it would be like to go through that again. He hadn't talked about what he'd gone through during her captivity, but she knew him well enough to guess.
After Cho walked Lewis through his actions and intentions in breaking into the apartment, he said, "It's understandable. I've met people who've done a lot worse to impress Red John. He must've been one convincing guy."
Lewis gave a snort that was probably meant to be a chuckle. "You could say that."
"I worked for him for a few days once. He was smart and sneaky," Cho said.
Lisbon thought, Just not as smart or sneaky as Patrick Jane.
Lewis said nothing, so Cho continued, "And he was good at figuring out what people wanted. And what they'd do to get it. What did he offer you, Doug?"
Lewis shrugged. "Visualize saved me from my self-destructive path. But leading a so-called virtuous life was boring as hell. Ray showed me that being the best version of myself meant embracing all of myself, not locking away my desires because society judged them evil. And he showed me how to hide my true self to avoid being hindered by lesser minds."
Lisbon remembered that Haffner had tried to get Cho to spy on Jane in return for working cases when the team was split up after Carter's death. He had a point about Haffner being good at manipulation, just not good enough to make Cho betray a friend. Cho wasn't susceptible to manipulation—even Jane didn't bother to try anymore. But then, he knew Cho would go along with his schemes because he had a track record of bringing down criminals and looking after the team.
If Cho had been less loyal and gone along with Haffner instead of Jane, Haffner would have had a hold on him forever. Lisbon wondered if Haffner's success had less to do with charisma than with fear, although she had certainly found him charming at times.
Cho said, "So you decided you wanted Lisbon. But she's a cop. All her friends are cops. Why not pick an easier target?"
Lewis grinned. "There's no challenge in the easy way. All learning comes through difficulty. Anyway, she has to be special, right? I mean, Ray had his pick of women, and he chose her. I figured if I could get her, the others would see I was strong and capable, just like him."
Lisbon was disgusted at the idea that she was seen as some kind of serial killer trophy. Glancing at Jane, she could tell he felt the same. His grim expression emphasized the lines around his mouth, making him look older.
Cho got to his feet, then paused. "Red John grabbed her, yeah. But even he couldn't keep her. You're an idiot."
"He really is," Lisbon remarked. "He had a taser and rope. Like that was all he needed to kidnap a cop. I hope they're all that stupid."
"They won't be," Jane said softly. "But we'll keep a better eye out."
"The security guard was there less than five minutes after the alarm went off," Lisbon assured him. She didn't want to move again.
"And what if he'd been a disciple too?" Jane mused. "No. There has to be one of us, someone we can trust, with you at all times."
"The Visualize list will help," she reminded him.
"It doesn't rule anyone out, though. Red John had friends outside Visualize. We never found any connection between them and that gas station attendant who was hunting Hightower."
"Or Lorelei Martins," Lisbon said, since Jane was thinking it but never brought her up if he could help it. "Still, I bet anybody with the ambition to take over from him is in Visualize. It's the built-in power base. Anybody outside that is just a freelancer."
"It just takes one clever and careful freelancer to pose a threat," Jane said.
"I'll keep that in mind," she replied. "I'm in meetings the rest of the day, so no need to worry. Go help the team with that list."
"I'll see you for lunch," he reminded her.
"It'll have to be a quick one. I only have twenty minutes free."
"I'll bring it to your office," he said, risking a quick kiss before reluctantly letting go of her hand. "Come on. I'll walk you there and then go help Cho."
She didn't protest; it was hard for them both to adjust to spending most of their long days apart, though Jane complained about it more. She tried to compromise by bringing paperwork home so she could leave the office by dinner time, but Jane seemed to take that as a challenge to distract her. And his distractions tended to involve sex and usually worked.
But since their separation at work was inevitable, she supposed this interim job was a good thing. They could find excuses to see each other easily, and once she was home, she was generally able to stay there. And though she missed being out in the field, she didn't miss those late night calls.
Jane settled his hand on her back as they left the room, and she smiled at him. But he was lost in his thoughts. "What?" she asked.
"Just wondering if Haffner's knife is still in evidence. If the copycat is making a statement, he might have decided to go completely authentic."
Lisbon hoped not, because that would mean arresting CBI personnel, which would be a PR disaster they didn't need. "I'll check."
"Not your job. I'll talk to Cho about it."
"Cho has enough to do."
"So do you."
"You don't get to decide that," she pointed out. "There's no reason to keep me away from this case. I'm already a target."
"And you're already overworked. Delegate, my dear."
She frowned at him for using an endearment in a work conversation, but he was unrepentant. "Fine. But tread carefully. I don't want a witch hunt."
He grinned at her as they reached her office. "I promise not to accuse anyone of witchcraft, Lisbon." Then he hurried off, leaving her to resume her busy schedule with a worried sigh.
mmm
After discovering the Red John knife was in fact missing, Jane and the team took only three days to arrest Brett Partridge for Holly Williams' murder. The fact that he was on Cooper's list helped. There were two other CBI employees on it, but as far as Lisbon could tell, neither of them was involved in a crime. She resolved to keep a close eye on them, though she normally had little contact with them: one was on the maintenance staff and one was an accountant. She knew Jane was making it a point to chat with both of them and that Van Pelt was looking at their backgrounds, but she hoped it wouldn't be necessary to arrest any more CBI personnel.
Partridge's arrest brought the Red John story back to the top of the news, and Lisbon agreed to another interview to try to mitigate the PR damage. Rigsby and Van Pelt were still trying to fly under the media radar, so it would be just her, Cho, and Jane.
Of course it was just her luck that Jane got another early morning call that day, which meant she had to get up too, since the new rule was that neither of them was ever alone outside the office. On top of that, her morning sickness was particularly bad, to the point that she found herself throwing up at the crime scene, though fortunately not on the body itself. She wished she'd taken Van Pelt's offer of a ride to the office instead of tagging along to the scene, but she'd hoped to grab breakfast with Jane when the sun finally came up.
Jane managed to get her stomach to settle with ginger ale, crackers, and some biofeedback exercises, but she was still feeling wan and worn out when the camera crew arrived. No matter what she did with her makeup, she still looked washed out and sickly, not at all the image she wanted to project.
She sighed as the restroom door opened, preparing to face one of her coworkers. But when she looked up, she gasped in outrage. "Jane! Get out of here!"
"I thought you might be sick again," he replied, showing no sign of discomfort at being in a women's bathroom. "What's taking so long?"
Lisbon hurriedly swept her makeup back into her bag. "I'm trying to get rid of the zombie look. Maybe Cho should do the interview by himself."
Jane walked over to her, took the makeup bag, and tucked it into his jacket pocket. "You are beautiful," he told her. "And you represent all that's best in the CBI: compassion, determination, and an unerring sense of justice."
She felt a little color come back into her cheeks at his extravagant compliment.
"But," he continued, "let's keep in mind there might be more disciples watching. It might not be a bad thing if you don't look like your usual stunningly gorgeous self. The less tempting you are as a target, the better I'll sleep."
She rolled her eyes at him, but she did feel better. "Maybe I should just let myself go, stop washing my hair, and gain a hundred pounds."
Jane chuckled. "Since you're pregnant, I certainly hope you'll gain some weight. A hundred pounds might be a bit excessive, though."
"Especially since your kid throws a fit anytime I try to eat," she grumbled.
"That will stop," he assured her.
"Soon, I hope. Okay, let's do this."
They went back to her office, where Cho and the camera crew were waiting. Lisbon began the interview with a recap of the Red John case, which she could do in her sleep at this point. She let Cho and Jane field most of the questions, though. Cho was good at this, she realized, when he wanted to be. He was long overdue for a leadership role.
The inevitable questions about her marriage to Jane made her feel weary, but Jane perked up. He had no compunction about letting the entire world know that he was delighted to be married to her and thrilled to become a father again, and he dismissed Red John's interference in their lives as irrelevant to the current happy outcome. "Red John was smart," he said. "He wouldn't have tried to make us a couple if he hadn't seen that the potential already existed."
The interviewer, a bubbly blonde named Mindy, gave him a dazzling smile, then turned to Lisbon. "So how long were you in love before Red John told you to get married?"
Lisbon swallowed the retort that that was none of her damn business. It was better than being asked how she'd missed Red John and his disciples being under her nose for years, she reminded herself, especially because Jane tended to react to that question by going on the offensive—in both senses of the word. "Well," she said, "we were friends and partners for years. Of course we cared about each other. But I was his boss, so I never thought about anything more."
"But you are still his boss, aren't you?"
"Yes. When we realized what we needed to do to trap Red John, we asked for and received an exemption from the rules, due to the special circumstances," Lisbon replied. Of course, Bertram being a disciple explained why he'd given in so easily, but the less said about that, the better.
Jane chose that moment to jump back in. "And it worked perfectly."
Mindy nodded. "Other law enforcement sources have told me how exceptional it is for agents to undertake such a complicated and long-term operation. Going as far as actually getting married is unheard of. What made you choose that over, say, a fake ceremony?"
Jane leaned back in his chair, resting his hand on the back of Lisbon's, his fingers stroking along her spine out of view of the camera. "Red John had access to all kinds of official information. We couldn't take the risk that he'd find out the ceremony was fake. At first we agreed to undo the marriage when we caught him, but then we decided we liked being married. And then, of course, we learned we had a bun in the oven." With his free hand, he patted Lisbon's stomach.
Lisbon shot him a look as Mindy said, "Yes, congratulations. So what's next?"
Lisbon decided to take control of the interview again. "We are working diligently to locate Red John's accomplices. We're making good progress. Agent Cho and his team have made several arrests, working in cooperation with the FBI." She glanced at Cho, but it was Jane who spoke next.
"We've received some help from Visualize as well. Their leader, Bret Stiles, has been very cooperative," Jane said with a broad smile. "He's being very smart. Doubtless he realizes what Red John's fatal mistake was, unlike most of the followers we've arrested so far."
Mindy leaned forward. "And what was Red John's fatal mistake?"
Jane's smile went sharp. "He didn't kill me first."
They all looked at him in varying degrees of surprise. He continued, "Red John was smart, but he was also arrogant and self-indulgent. It wasn't enough for him to kill my family and play games with me for a decade. You'd think that would be enough suffering for any psychopath. But no, he wanted more. So he forced me into creating a new family, knowing I'd be terrified every day that Teresa would pay with her life for succumbing to my charms. Then he made my worst nightmare come true by kidnapping her. And that's where his greed got the better of him. He took Teresa and the baby for a specific reason, and if he really wanted that plan to work, he should have killed me immediately. But he wanted to watch me go slowly insane, imagining what he might be doing to her, as the icing on his cake. He was so used to outsmarting everyone that he didn't think I was a danger. But he didn't account for desperation—and the loyalty and courage of our colleagues. He realized his mistake too late." Jane paused, then looked right at the camera. "Anybody out there who thinks he's smarter than Red John should learn from his mistake. You want Teresa Lisbon? You better deal with me first."
It took Lisbon a moment to recover from the shock of what she'd just heard. "Cut!" she snapped at the cameraman. Then she rounded on Mindy. "Don't you dare air that. Edit it out!"
Jane said, "Why should she? It's dramatic television."
Lisbon wanted to slap him. "You don't go on television and dare wannabe serial killers to come after you! God, Jane!"
"Why not? I'm with Cho all day long. He lets me out of his sight even less than you did." Jane grinned a little. "Probably because he's worried about what you'd do to him if I got hurt or worse."
Cho muttered, "Damn straight."
Lisbon got to her feet, not caring that they had an audience. "Goddammit, Jane! You don't get to make unilateral decisions about your life anymore! I am not going to be a single parent, and I'm not going to be your widow! You selfish bastard!"
To her complete horror, she burst into huge, body-wracking sobs. Jane sprang up, dropping his smirking mask and reaching for her, but he reeled back when she swung at him, her fist clipping his jaw. Then she stormed out of the room, wiping at her streaming eyes.
mmm
Jane gingerly moved his jaw, testing that she hadn't broken it, as Cho got to his feet. "Interview over," he said to the stunned Mindy. "If you need anything else, let me know. And if I were you, I'd leave that last part out."
He then gave Jane's shoulder a painful shove, moving him toward the door. "What the hell, Jane," he growled as they reached the hallway.
"I'm protecting my family," Jane replied. "I'm not going through that again, Cho."
"I hear you," Cho said, "but you need to start thinking about what you're making her go through. Next time you make her cry in front of me, I'm gonna have to hit you."
"She's pregnant. She cries at dog food commercials," Jane said, unable to conceal his irritation at being threatened.
"Doesn't matter," Cho said. "Go find her, and don't come back until you're ready to quit being an idiot."
From a safety perspective, Jane would have preferred to let Lisbon calm down before coming within punching distance. But Cho was equally dangerous, and from the glint in the man's eye, that danger was more imminent.
She wasn't in any of the places he first thought to look, so he paused at the rooftop cafe to think about the problem. She was angry and hurt, and her priority would be to avoid him until she calmed down. She wasn't up here eating ice cream, and she wasn't in the shooting range, because she needed to be someplace private. She wouldn't leave without an escort, because no matter how upset she was, she wasn't careless, and Van Pelt and Rigsby were both at their desks.
There were precious few private places in the CBI in the middle of the day, Jane reflected. That was why he'd taken over the attic—
Of course! He wanted to smack his forehead for missing something so obvious. That problem solved, he turned his thoughts to surviving once he stepped in the door, and went over to order an ice cream sundae.
mmm
Lisbon sat in the chair left over from Jane's occupancy of the now very dusty attic, staring blindly out the dirty window. She'd managed to stop crying, but now she was miserable from shame at losing her temper in front of the press. Thank God the camera hadn't still been on. Cho would take care of their guests, she knew, though he shouldn't have to. He'd take care of Jane, too, hopefully without sending him to the emergency room.
When the door slid open, she suppressed a sigh. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a greeting, so she stared resolutely out the window until an ice cream sundae appeared in front of her, one spoon sticking out enticingly.
"The ice cream apology. Not very original," she said, her voice hoarse but steady.
"Sometimes it's best to stick with the tried and true." He was standing behind her but not touching, which was prudent. But as upset as she was, part of her wanted his comfort.
The scent of the hot fudge was irresistible, and she gave in, taking a bite, then another. Jane put a hand lightly on her shoulder, his thumb stroking the back of her neck, and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
She sighed. "I'm sorry too. Did I hurt you?" She looked up at him, and his expression became sad. She knew her eyes must be red and puffy, so she turned back to her ice cream.
"Yes, but I'll survive," he said. "How's your hand?"
She set the spoon in the dish and held up her hand, flexing her fingers. "Sore."
"Then I think we can classify this as yet another instance where my clever plan had unfortunate and unintended consequences for us both." He brought his other hand up to her shoulders and began massaging. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes.
She had to find a way to get through to him. "Patrick, where were we a year ago?"
He hesitated. She knew he knew the answer, so he must be skipping ahead to the point she was making. "I was in Las Vegas. I'm afraid I don't know where you were, though odds are pretty good it was here in the office. Are you trying to tell me you're still afraid I'll run off again?" He sounded incredulous.
"Maybe not on purpose. But setting yourself up as a target could easily result in you not being here anymore. I need you to understand that as scared as you are of losing me, I'm just as scared of losing you. You can't take chances like this. I can't go through this pregnancy alone. Please tell me you understand that."
"I do," he said. "But I really don't think I was taking much of a risk. I'm always with Cho or Rigsby or Grace when I'm not with you. And at least it's just me. Every time someone comes after you, there are two lives at stake. I don't think it's unreasonable to want to draw attention away from you."
"I think our most reasonable course is to track down these disciples using good, solid police work," she replied.
"That will take forever." He tried not to sound dismissive, but it was difficult. "We're working on a deadline here. We need to get them all before the baby's born, or else I really will have to stay home with her, because we'll never be able to trust anyone else with her."
The thought of the baby being at risk was like being drenched in ice water. His recklessness made sense to her now, though she was still angry about it. "We will get them," she said, turning in the chair to look at him. "But you don't get to do this by yourself, Patrick. We're in this together. We're a family."
"I'm well aware of that. And what I know about having a family," he said quietly, "is that nothing matters more than keeping them safe."
The loss of his first family was always going to haunt him, she realized. Red John being dead didn't change that. The fact that she was a cop perfectly capable of defending herself didn't make a difference either. His instinct would always be to overreact to any threat, no matter how slight. And an unknown number of Red John disciples wasn't a slight threat by anyone's standards.
"You don't think I feel the same way?" she demanded. "How would you feel if I'd just dared every Red John disciple who watches TV to come after me?"
His mouth twisted wryly. "I'd probably want to strangle you. Or lock you in a vault somewhere."
"Exactly," she muttered.
"I take your point," he admitted.
She sighed. "You're going to get Grace to hack the records of every single person our child comes into contact with, aren't you?"
He grinned. "I hadn't thought about it, but that does sound like a good idea, yes."
She got to her feet so she could look him in the eye. "I'll make you a deal. I will do my best to overlook any questionable activities you engage in related to protecting our child if you will agree not to use yourself as bait, for any reason, ever."
Jane thought for a moment. "That's a bit broad. What if I promise not to use myself as bait for the duration of your pregnancy, and thereafter only in unavoidable circumstances?"
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Who defines unavoidable?"
"Cho."
"Huh uh. After a year or two of being your boss, an unavoidable circumstance that gets you out of his hair forever might prove too tempting," she said, shaking her head.
"Maybe for a moment, but then he'll realize he has to face you afterward and reconsider," Jane pointed out. He grinned and stuck out his hand.
She shook it, knowing she wouldn't get a better deal. Jane held onto her hand and pulled her forward for a kiss. When they parted, he said, "I'm sorry I upset you, but I won't apologize for trying to keep you safe."
"Then I won't apologize for hitting you," she replied, but she couldn't keep a smile from tugging at her mouth.