The team gathered at the prison entrance and entered together after passing several security check-points. They were led to the right cell by one of the wardens. When they came closer, they could overhear a heated discussion.
"No sir. You can't get in there. It's a closed scene and the CBI is in charge of the case, not SacPD," a male voice said decisively.
"I'm the liaison to the CBI. I need to get in there now. Don't make this difficult, or I'll have a little talk with your superiors," another male voice answered in agitation.
"No can do, Officer. I have my orders. You can take this up with my boss, if you like. I'll not let you in," the first voice replied.
"Step away, Warden, or I'll make you," the other threatened.
"Don't touch me, sir. If you force your entrance, there will be serious consequences," number one said indignantly.
Lisbon and Jane both identified the second speaker as Officer Keen. A contemplative look was shared between the two and their steps grew faster. They rounded the last corner and caught their first sight of the cell door. The SacPD officer was just about to jostle away the prison guard.
The warden leading the CBI team ran to the scene and grabbed the cop. "What the hell are you doing? You have no right to be at this crime scene and to attack one of our guards," he exclaimed.
Rigsby and Cho had reached the place of the altercation as well and helped the prison guards to subdue the SacPD officer. Lisbon addressed him. "What are you doing, Keen? You know, we have taken over this case. You have no business here. I have to arrest you for obstructing an investigation."
"Ah, come on, Teresa. Don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet? And here our mutual friend claims you to be clever." He laughed tauntingly.
Seeing her suspicions confirmed, she ordered. "Rigs, Cho, search him immediately. And in depth. I want this one alive for questioning. Make sure he doesn't carry any poisons or the like." Accosting the prison wardens she asked. "Is there a place we can take him for the search and questioning?"
"Yes, ma'am. There's an interrogation room around the corner. You can use it," the one who'd led them in answered.
"You're wasting your time. I'm not gonna talk," Keen sneered.
Jane stepped in front of him. "Oh, you will, Keen, you will. And as a first question: What did you want in that cell?"
Keen laughed snidely again. "Ah, Patrick, nice to see you've rediscovered your optimism. How very sweet to see what a little sex can do to a man. I'm sure our friend will be most delighted to hear about this."
Jane ignored his taunts and went over to Teresa. He spoke to her silently so they couldn't be overheard. "I'd like to take him into the cell, Lisbon. He wanted to get something from the scene. You know what that could mean, don't you?" She nodded and he continued. "He might give something away. But maybe it would be prudent to search him thoroughly first. I'd hate to be left with another dead disciple."
Lisbon nodded again and ordered. "Cho, Rigsby? Take him and search him. Bring him back here when you're sure he's clean."
Her two agents nodded and hauled the SacPD officer off.
"Now Warden Stevens, would you please open the cell door for us?" Lisbon requested when they were out of sight.
The prison guard followed her orders. Jane was the first to enter the room, followed by Lisbon and Van Pelt. He wore a stoic mask and had steeled himself for what would greet him, which was, at first glance, an ugly red sneering smiley face on the wall opposite the door. He had to forcefully swallow down the bile that threatened to escape him. He willed his breathing to slow down. It was harder than he'd thought to turn his gaze to the place where the bed and the body had to be. He closed his eyes to collect himself before daring to look. Suddenly he felt a small but firm hand squeezing his shoulder gently.
"I'm here, Patrick. It'll be okay," Teresa whispered in his ear. "Together, love. Together."
He nodded and opened his eyes.
Even though he'd expected it, the grisly sight still made him feel queasy. The open lifeless eyes so much like his own stared at him with silent accusation in death.
He forced himself to inspect the body with his usual clinical distance taking note of every detail. He stepped closer and examined the slashes and concluded at once that this was the work of the serial killer himself. The bastard had even painted the toe nails red with his father's blood – a gruesome reminder just for him, he knew.
"He did it personally," he pressed out. "There's no doubt in my mind."
Lisbon nodded. She'd come to the same conclusion, but she trusted Jane's judgment above all others when it came to Red John and his confirmation turned the assumption into fact in her book.
"Keen trying to force his entrance was a dead give away as well, but the evidence here makes it definite. The smiley is placed at first sight, the cuts are added post mortem with his usually precision and the painted toe nails are his very special little way of saying, 'hello Patrick'," Jane explained with a detached voice.
He stopped a moment, looking around. "Ah, and maybe I won't even need Keen in here. I just found the slip-up. You can say what you want about Alex Jane, but he wouldn't have gone down without a fight. Though I assume he didn't have much of a chance. My guess? The toxicological screening will show that he was sedated. But still, he tried to resist," he added, having knelt down in front of the bed to take a closer look at the details. "Look here, Lisbon." He beckoned her over. "Look at his right hand. It's cramped. Could be rigor mortis, but I don't think so. The left hand doesn't look like this. I'm sure we'll find something inside of it," he declared.
In an act totally uncharacteristic for him he stopped his hands from touching the body at the last moment for once, even before Lisbon had a chance to scold him for disturbing a crime scene. Instead he asked his girlfriend, "Can you give me a pair of those terrible rubber thingies, you coppers love so much?" She handed him the requested gloves with a roll of her eyes. After donning them, he took hold of his father's hand and pried the fist open. A few grayish-brown very short hairs became visible.
"Evidence bag, Lisbon!" Jane cried out in triumph.
Lisbon handed him one at once. Carefully and with the precision he'd often observed and made fun of in his colleagues, he gathered the possible proof of the serial killer's identity as if he had done it for years. He got up from his crouch and gave the bag to Teresa. "I'm not sure who to give it to. I'm a bit afraid to hand it over to forensics. He might have connections there too. What do you think?" he asked her while he removed the rubber gloves and held them out to her with a disgusted face as if they were poisonous.
Lisbon took the evidence and the gloves, the latter with another roll of her eyes. "Good question, Jane. Maybe we should keep some of it and only send half off to tech?" she suggested. "And keep this hush-hush as well? No reason to proclaim what we found. Right now only you, Grace and I know about this," she answered. She motioned for Grace to step closer. "We keep this between the three of us at the moment, okay?"
The younger woman nodded immediately. "Of course, boss. This is huge. I…" She sported a very determined face. "I would do just about anything to get him… you know… after… after Craig." At the last words her voice broke a bit.
Patrick made his way over to her and pulled her into a spontaneous hug, stroking her back comfortingly. Grace stiffened at first, shocked beyond words by the very uncharacteristic physical contact initiated by the consultant, but the embrace felt perfect in her tumultuous state.
Usually she tried to hide it as well as possible but the hurt from the betrayal of her fiancé still sat deep. And every time they were confronted with another Red John case, she realized how much she'd come to sympathize with Jane's views. He was probably the person with the best understanding of what she had gone through. Unfortunately, as a rule, he was also completely unavailable for comfort, shying away from personal attachment. But right now he seemed to be willing to offer her support and she had no words to describe how thankful she was to him for it. Maybe, just maybe, he needed that hug just as much, and if that was the case, she was more than ready to return the favor. Her arms came around his back as well and she melted into him.
She composed herself, when voices outside the cell indicated that Cho and Rigsby where on their way back with the SacPD mole. She stepped out from Jane's embrace and sent a grateful nod in his direction.
"Let's pretend we didn't find anything. I want to observe his behavior in here," Patrick whispered to the two women, who both nodded their consent. "I presume Red John only wanted him to check the scene for possible clues. If he'd known that Alex had actually managed to grab some of his hairs, he would've cleared them away himself. I guess he had to leave in a hurry and couldn't take all his usual precautions. He needed someone to screen the scene before we came," he added.
The door opened and the three men entered. It got quite crowded and Lisbon ordered Van Pelt and Rigsby to step outside. She wanted Cho inside with them, because he was an acute observer in his own right. Another pair of eyes were always a good thing. Furthermore, he was the one with a firm hold on their handcuffed prisoner.
Officer Keen took in the scene at once, his gaze lingering intently on every little detail. He examined the floor, the bed, and the body. His eyes stayed at the hands a bit longer, but Jane had made sure to close the right hand enough for it to look just like the other one. Red John's disciple released a very subtle breath of relief when he inspected them.
Patrick observed the man intently and the nearly invisible easing of his demeanor didn't escape his attention.
"I don't mind if you get him out of here again. I got what I was looking for from him," he said, casting a questioning look in Lisbon's direction.
The senior agent nodded. "Alright, Cho. Get him out of here and down into the car. We're just about finished here. Let's take him to Headquarters. Why don't you and Rigsby just go ahead with him? We'll be there soon," she concluded.
Her second in command nodded.
"Nothing, you got nothing from me, Patrick. You're just bluffing. Always manipulating people, heh? You should all be warned. Jane's just like Red John. They could be brothers." Keen grinned evilly and spoke up so he could be heard even outside the cell. "You," he addressed Lisbon, Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt, "might call him a friend, but he would sell you out whenever it suited him. You're just bait to him, means to an end. Just wait and see," he taunted.
"I'm sure, your master would be delighted to hear how highly you speak of him. If I really was just like him, and I happened to be the way you just described me, then at least you do know that at this point you're nothing but a useless liability to him," Patrick replied in a cold voice that made them all shudder. "I'd say your best chances are with us right now. But if you're too dumb to see that, just continue this way. We at least don't have the habit of killing whoever stands in our way. But if you're suicidal and willing to die for a man who doesn't give a damn about you, there isn't really much we can do to help you."
"Cho, get him out of here," Lisbon repeated. "I have heard enough."
When she was alone in the cell with Jane, she stepped closer to him. "Are you ready here or do you need more time?" she asked carefully.
"I'm just about ready to go. Would you… could you… Can you give me a minute alone here, Teresa?" he asked.
"Of course, Patrick. Take your time. I'll be just outside." She squeezed his shoulder gently once more and left.
TBC
So, one mole found... and some hairs... Where might all of this lead? Any suspects anyone? Feel free to let me know - also your opinions on whatever else. Reviews are always welcome.
A/N: In case there where any possible misunderstandings about my author note last chapter: I have NO intention to stop posting! I've already nearly finished writing this fic and I will post the whole thing. I hate incomplete stories and I wouldn't want you to invest time and interest in reading this just to be left without a real conclusion. That won't happen, I promise.
