Here's chapter ten I'd love to hear what you have to think of what I've got so far, I know few of you were curious as to where Jane was taking Lisbon and I hope I didn't disappoint you to much. As usual I own nothing.
"A storage unit?" I frowned, as I drove the car past the different units.
"Stop here." He instructed, and obliged. Unit 827, 8/27 August 27th, I just watched as he got out of the car, "You don't just have to sit there." He smiled, but it wasn't the smile I had gotten used to this week, it was the smile he used as work the one where he was hurting but no one would ever notice, but I did notice now.
"What's in there?" I asked, helping him unbuckle the kids.
"That's where I keep the remains of all of his accomplices I've been sneaking out at night and handling them on my own." He replied, "I've decided it would be easier on everyone to turn myself in."
"Very funny." I rolled my eyes, locking the car, and following him and the kids to the unit. "Don't you have a key?" I frowned watching him pick the lock.
"I locked the key inside I didn't really plan on opening it again." He placed the paperclip back in his vest and opened the unit. I didn't know what I expected to find inside but I wasn't really expecting it to look like a normal storage unit. I guess I had always assumed he had sold everything from back then. There were boxes labeled clothes, toys, photos, china, and other boxes that didn't appear to have any label at all. I stood and watched as Jane went straight for the boxes labeled clothes.
"Jane I can't take those." I frowned as he carried the boxes out two by two.
"Well they aren't doing anyone any good sitting in here." He answered pulling a couple of chairs from the back.
"Jane these are your things." I shook my head, as he dug through a box of clothes.
"I don't think this is going to fit me." He held up a pink dress, "What do you girls think, would it look better on you or me?"
"That's pretty." Alyssa took the dress from Jane and held it up in front of her, "Is it for us?"
"Only if you want it." Jane smiled, watching Alyssa hold it up in front if her and spin in circles.
"Can I keep it Teresa?" She begged.
"Jane, I…" I didn't know what to say.
"I doubt I'll ever have a reason for them again." He shrugged, "If you don't take them they'll sit here and collect dust until I can build up the courage to give it to the goodwill. Besides there really isn't that much in here, I did donate some of it."
"So can I keep it?" Alyssa repeated, stumbling a little bit from the spinning.
"I suppose so." I gave in, "As long as Patrick is absolutely sure."
"Come here girls I got boxes full, some of it might be a little big now but you'll grow into it." He grinned, and I believe it was a sincere smile. "And if you don't want it we don't have to keep it."
I took a seat on one of the chairs Jane pulled out and watched as Jane and the girls went through the boxes separating them into different piles. Things to keep, things to grow into, and things for Cass, I wasn't at all surprised that nothing was going in the box to donate. With certain clothing Jane would sit back for a minute as if remembering something. Jane pulled out one of the last articles in the baby clothes box and looked at it for a minute before saying anything. "I think we may have found the first thing to donate." He faked a smile, tossing it into the box, I barely had a chance to read what it said, it was an adorable little pink onesie that read Daddy's Little Girl.
"Look at the time guys lets pack up these boxes." I stopped the process. "We got to get some lunch before going to talk to the principal." It was already after noon and we still had to clean up all these boxes.
"But what about the toy boxes?" Emily questioned.
"We can come back for them next week." Jane assured loading the boxes into the car, I don't know what made me do it but I grabbed the onesie out of the donate box and shoved it in my pocket. I kept telling myself it was the look on his face when he threw it in. I closed the box and set it in the storage unit he'd find it later and know it was me but he wouldn't say anything.
"Where's the key if we plan on coming back we might as well use a key." I questioned buckling Cass into her car seat.
"It's locked in that chest in the corner." Jane shrugged, finishing the last buckle in Williams's car seat.
"You locked the key in a locked chest?" I smirked, "Making precautions not to get in to the unit, where's the key to the chest?"
"Somewhere at the bottom of the ocean." He answered, looking up at me.
"You really didn't want to get back in here did you?" I shook my head.
"Do you believe that?" He questioned, taking his paperclip out again and opening the chest. He grabbed the key without looking at anything else in the chest and tossed it to me. I tried glancing over his shoulder but he shut the chest again to quickly and relocked it.
"I think you're to smart for your own good so even when you try to avoid something you see the loopholes anyway." I answered putting the key in my pocket and hurrying to the driver's side of the car while he locked up the unit.
"You can ask." He stated during lunch, he always knew when something was on my mind.
"That doesn't mean you'll answer." I returned cutting up Williams chicken fingers for him.
"Oh I probably will." He smiled.
"What was in the chest?" I sighed.
"Magazines." He answered.
"Magazines." I nodded, "At the very least that answered the question." He just laughed.
"Magazines with interviews and cover photos, my interviews, my cover photos." He explained.
"You were on the cover of a magazine?" Emily put down her cheeseburger.
"More than one, a long time ago though." Jane smiled his sad smile.
"So why lock them up?" I questioned.
"I wanted to throw them in the ocean with the key, but I guess I never got around to it." He just kept that sad smile on his face.
"Why would you want to get rid of magazines if you were in them." Alyssa questioned between French fries.
"Because they aren't very good pictures." He answered, and I couldn't help but smile, like he could take a bad picture.
"Can we see them?" Emily questioned, "When we go back to get the toys?"
"It's in a locked chest I don't have the key anymore." He shook his head.
"You didn't have a key for the unit." Emily reminded, and I laughed as Jane almost spit out his tea.
"Busted." He chuckled.
"Did we steal the clothes?" Emily continued.
"No we did not steal the clothes, I just didn't have the key, but now we do so when we go back later we can use that." Jane tried to explain.
"How did you get in with out the key?" Alyssa questioned, Jane glanced at me and I just shook my head he could explain his illegal activities.
"Picked the lock with this paper clip." He pulled it out of his pocket, "how about I teach you guys sometime." He grinned, oh that jerk, that's what I get for leaving it to him to explain.
"No, we will not be teaching anyone how to pick locks or pockets or any of your other tricks, they are against the law." I cut in, "Do you always have to make a mess out of things?"
"That's why I keep you around, to clean up my messes." He chuckled, I probably deserved that too, it was certainly true.
"Why did Patrick break the law?" Alyssa frowned.
"He didn't…today…that I know of." I answered.
"I didn't today or any other day in the past month." He smiled, "That I know of." He added just to watch me react.
"Great now that we've established that Patrick hasn't broken any laws we get to go see about finding you a school." I sighed.
"That either of you know of." Emily smiled, and Alyssa giggled.
"That either of us know of." I nodded.
"You girls come here for a minute okay." Jane instructed, pulling William onto his lap, "I'm going to tell you something, because eventually someone somewhere will bring it up, as long as Teresa keeps me around that is. " He sat the girls down on either side of him in the diner booth. "I did break some laws in my past, and I'm not proud of it, and I'm trying very hard to be a better person and not make the same mistakes."
"And I like to pick on him about it, but I don't really mean anything bad." I added, watching from across the table, it was kind of sweet how the girls sat and stared at him as he spoke.
"We think you're a good person Patrick." Alyssa reassured, and Emily nodded.
"What kind of bad things?" Emily questioned at little bit later once we had gotten them into the car.
"That it a little bit more complicated." Jane answered watching their reflections in the mirror.
"He lied and stole from people." I supplied for him, and he kept his gaze on the mirror watching the reactions.
"That's not very complicated." Alyssa frowned.
"I like to think there was a little bit more involved." Jane chuckled, "But leave it to Teresa to belittle my work."
"I told it to them in the simplest terms." I argued, but he just grinned, why do I always get such a strong desire to smack that grin off of his face. However before I could decide on anything we were pulling into the school parking lot.
"Come on girls." Jane smiled, lifting them out of the car, "Time to go make a good impression."
"Why do we have to go to school?" Alyssa pouted, "I want to stay at home and spend all day with you guys."
"You need to go to school, so you can learn things and make friends." Jane answered, had he just defended school? I mean I knew he hadn't gone to school and I figured as much as he hates all other institutions. "Besides spending all day with grownups gets boring after a little bit." Jane added.
"And pretty soon Patrick and I are going to have to go back to work, so we can't spend all our time with you." I concluded, holding the front door open for them. We were shown right into the principles office, "Good afternoon, I'm Teresa Lisbon and this is my colleague Patrick Jane we spoke on the phone." I heard Jane choke back a laugh, then I realized I had just introduced us like we were talking to a suspect, God I spend to much time at work. "Sorry about the kids Mr. Jane's their babysitter, the only problem is he needs one of his own most the time."
"That's not a problem." The man laughed, "I'm Principal Daniels." He shook Jane and I's hand before taking a seat behind his desk. "Now we spoke on the phone about the children's situation."
"Yes, we know it's last minute asking for admission but to be honest I didn't even know I was named their guardian in this type of situation." I tried to explain.
"No of course it was a tragedy it couldn't be predicted." Principal Daniels nodded looking from me to Jane who was sitting bouncing William on his lap. "You said you were looking for a opening for all four children."
"Yes I work full time, I know you have a preschool but is Cass to young?" I worried looking at the girl sleeping in her carrier.
"No we have a newborn classroom for children six weeks to six months." The man nodded, "Then from there we have a six months to a year, and then classrooms become yearly."
"Alright, and they're full day classrooms right?" I questioned, I thought I had read it on the website but I wanted everything to work.
"Yes of course, actually I wasn't to worried about finding room in the preschool at all, the twins however, our kindergarten classes fill up pretty quickly." Principal Daniels started to explain.
"You don't have room in your three kindergarten classes for two girls who just lost their parents?" Jane cut in.
"Jane!" I turned to him.
"What Lisbon it seems very unlikely." Jane shrugged. "It sounds like someone is trying to see if they can get any extra donations out of you."
"Jane I know you hate all things religious, but could you sit for a half hour without making absurd accusations." I argued.
"How often are my absurd accusations wrong?" He readjusted William on his lap.
"I knew I recognized you from somewhere." Principal Daniels straightened his tie. Great now we have someone who probably already hated Jane before today.
"You two were on the news, you killed that serial killer Red John." Jane openly flinched at the use of that name. "What was the press calling you guys California's Superheroes?" This was not what I had been expecting.
"Yeah I hated that name." I pouted at the memory of all of those photos and articles and press conferences, it had been torture on all of us.
"I thought it fit, well for you anyway." Jane chuckled.
"You know what for you guys I think I can find two openings." The principal smiled.
"Look at that Lisbon two magical openings." Jane smirked.
"Stop right now." I warned, "Principal Daniels is it true that the cost of tuition is lower for parishioners?"
"Of course," he smiled, pulling mountains of paperwork from his desk. "We'll need you to sign these, and classroom assignments are posted after the nine thirty mass on the Sunday before school starts. You already missed the orientation meetings for new students, but I'm sure I can find some left over pamphlets and stuff."
"Excuse me at what grade level are the students allowed to participate in school sports?" Jane cut in basically out of nowhere, school sports?
"That depends on the sport, the school starts basketball and track in fifth grade, and Volleyball during sixth grade, cheerleading isn't allowed through the school until eighth grade." Principal Daniels started.
"What about soccer and softball, or swimming?" Jane wondered, and I thought back to the outfits the girls had gotten for their dolls.
"Soccer starts at the kindergarten level, the school doesn't have a softball or swim team." Principal Daniels was clearly getting annoyed with Jane interrupting him.
"Alright thank you." I cut in.
"When were soccer sign ups?" Jane continued.
"Last week." Daniels sighed.
"Is it to late for the girls to sign up?" Jane questioned.
"I suppose not considering the circumstances." Daniels shook his head.
"Emily, Alyssa do you girls want to be on the soccer team?" Jane turned to the twins who had dug their coloring books out their backpack.
"Yeah." Emily nodded.
"Sure." Alyssa shrugged.
"We'll find you a softball team when it's the right season." I promised her, and she smiled and went back to her coloring. The principal pulled two more papers out and stacked them on top of our mountain of paperwork.
"If you guys can go fill this out, and give it to my secretary when you're done." Daniels instructed handing Jane the paperwork and all but shoving us out the door.
"I knew there was a reason I should have left you in the car." I sighed taking a seat in the waiting room and starting the paperwork.
"And what was that, so you could pay more or so the girls couldn't play sports." He teased taking some of the paper off the bottom.
"I hate you." I hissed, and he smirked, "How are you going to fill out my paperwork for me?"
"Oh you're right I don't know your address or your phone number or your email address." He smiled reading off the paper, "Your doctor is Samuels right?"
"If you tell me you know my social security number I will hurt you." I threatened, he just grinned and continued filling out my information, " and don't you dare sign my name. Make a stack and I'll sign it when I'm done with my pile."
"Understood." He nodded, "Hey who do you want as your emergency contact if you can't be reached?"
"Jane." I sighed, "Just put yourself done."
"Will do." He chuckled, "You're my emergency contact." He admitted after a little bit.
"Because no one else would come if they thought there was a chance of getting rid of you." I returned, and then added "but your mine to."