Chapter 11

Lisbon accompanied Jane to the hospital and stayed with him until he'd been revived. Leaving Rigsby and Cho to guard the hospital room shared by Jane and Alpha, she then returned to Ballard's apartment, where the five bird kids were still staying - and eating Ballard out of house and home, presumably to his continued annoyance. She didn't know, because Ballard was still at the hospital, apparently in the process of questioning Topher's assistant, Ivy. Topher's gofer, Lisbon thought, in a rare rhyme-y moment of levity. "Well, you guys will be happy to know everyone involved is going to pull through," she said as she reentered the apartment. "Except Adelle, of course."

"But who cares about her?" chuckled Iggy. "She sounded like a complete bitch to me. And she ordered the hit on Max, too. I'm glad she's dead."

"Don't say that, Iggy," whispered Angel. "That's not very nice, you know."

"But it's what Max would have said," the Gasman pointed out.

"Damn straight!" Nudge chimed in.

Lisbon laughed. "You guys really are adorable. Maybe you were right, Nudge. Jane would love to adopt you all."

"Really?"

"Well, he's an epic asshole, so it just makes sense."

Fang clapped long and slow, allowing the sarcasm to fill the air. "You're hilarious, Lisbon."

"Thanks," Lisbon said, smiling. "I'll be here all week. No seriously, I will be. Sure, everyone's gonna get better, but there's no telling how long that will take. And besides, I still have to help Ballard wrap up his investigation. With a neat little bow and everything."

Everyone laughed again. Wow, thought Lisbon. I could almost get used to this.

Her cell phone rang, and she turned away from the still-celebrating kids to answer. "Agent Lisbon," she said. "What? Oh no." The bird kids stopped cheering as they heard Lisbon's shocked reactions. They could almost sense her face falling miles a second with each new detail she was receiving from her caller. "But I can't leave the kids. Who will-?" At this point, someone knocked on the door. "That better be her," Lisbon said, opening the door and admitting, of all people, Caroline Farrell. "Good, she's here. I'm on my way. Lock the scene down immediately and don't let anyone in or out till I get there!" She hung up and turned back to the kids. "Sorry, guys, but Agent Ballard needs me. It's a major emergency. Miss Farrell's gonna watch you while I'm gone, but I'll be back soon, don't worry!"

As Lisbon left, Fang turned on his heel, entered Ballard's bedroom, and opened the window.

"Fang?" Caroline asked. "Where are you going?"

"Gonna see what I can do to help," said Fang. "From the sound of it, this shit ain't over yet." He spread his wings and took off out the window, hovering high up and staying still so Lisbon couldn't see him in his camouflaged state as she emerged. Remaining as high as possible while still being able to see Lisbon's Chevy SUV, Fang flew after her, until she finally reached her destination of Dolores Hospital. Police cars were blockading the building, lights blazing, and every light was on in every window.

Slowly and methodically, Fang camouflaged himself in front of every window to peek inside and see if he could figure out what was happening. Finally, he discovered the crime that had summoned Lisbon to the hospital. In a fourth-floor room lay two men in beds. One was Jane, suddenly unconscious again. The other was covered from head to toe by a white sheet, suggesting he was deceased.

Lisbon and Ballard entered the room, sidestepping those two CBI agents who'd been brought down to guard the place, and he pulled the sheet off the dead man's face.

Fang's heart nearly stopped. He'd known it before Ballard had confirmed it for him, known that the man who'd led the break-in at the Dollhouse had paid the ultimate price for his bravery.

But that did not stop him being shocked beyond belief by the sight of Alpha's pale, peaceful, blank-faced corpse.

TO BE CONTINUED...