Chapter 28 – Round Two

Julia sat waiting patiently in the interrogation room while agents in California went to visit her mother Eva. Lisbon and Jane observed her from the other side of the mirror. Lisbon said, 'She came willingly once again, no question about why she was being dragged back here or anything.'

Jane nodded beside her, 'Well, she can't wait to see how much of an impact she made on me yesterday, wants to see how shook up I am today.'

'Do you think she knows that we know it was a bluff yesterday?'

Jane shrugged. 'Not sure, her posture would infer she doesn't but that might just be an act.'

Fischer walked in. 'Well, Eva Myles was at the symphony in Los Angeles on the night of Kerry's death. We have three witnesses who corroborate it. There's no way she was in Austin.'

Lisbon asked 'Is she being brought to Austin for questioning about McAllister?'

Fischer nodded. 'Yes, apparently she is more than willing to come talk to us here about him. She's in the air now.'

'Well, that's strange, how about the search warrant?'

'Nothing linking her to Kerry's murder or McAllister as of yet.'

Jane took his eyes away from Julia and asked Fischer, 'Are there still prescription pads in the house belonging to Jason Myles?'

Fischer shrugged. 'Don't know. His licence was revoked about a year ago I think but I'll get them to check. Why?'

'Well, Kerry was drugged right, so maybe-'

Fischer finished his sentence, 'Maybe that's how Eva or Julia got hold of the drug. It would also give us a charge to hold them both on for a while at least. Wylie has also found further proof that Jason Myles couldn't have participated in at least four of the Red John murders, it's looking more and more likely he wasn't involved, at least not directly.'

Jane nodded. 'Good. I don't think so either. But it doesn't matter at this stage even if he was, he's as good as dead anyway.'

Fischer glanced at Lisbon uncomfortably and she exited the room. Lisbon said, 'So, are you ready to do this?' straightening up, pointing to Julia and beginning to walk out of the room.

Jane took hold of her arm and said softly, 'Wait a second. I was thinking I may be better doing this without you.'

Lisbon looked at him, eyes wide open. 'Excuse me!'

'Just listen, okay. There are things I may say in there that are going to be hard for you to hear. It may be better if I take Cho in with me.'

'Like what things? Have you forgotten I know what you're like by now, I know you're going to say just about anything to get to her, I'll be fine, don't worry, okay? And besides, even if I'm not in there with you, I'll be watching from here anyway, so what's the difference?'

Jane held on to her arm and looked around the room. 'I don't know yet what things exactly and I know it doesn't make any logical sense but I fear I won't be able to concentrate fully on questioning her if I'm worried about upsetting you at the same time. If you're on the other side of the glass I'll be able to block out those feelings.'

Lisbon thought for a second. 'I'm sorry but this can't be the way it is from now on, Jane. We're a team, right? Just because we're in a relationship now it can't change how we behave at work. I'm telling you I'll be fine whatever you say in there. Even if I do get upset, I know whatever you are saying to her is for the right reasons so just keep that in mind. Just be your normal arrogant and annoying self in there as usual and let's nail this bitch, okay?'

Jane thought for a second and nodded.

As they entered the room Julia looked up, smirking at Lisbon and then at Jane.

'Mr Jane, how are you feeling today? You left in a little hurry yesterday, hope it wasn't something I said?' she smiled.

Jane took a seat and answered brightly, 'thank you Julia for your concern, I'm feeling much better today, thanks.'

Lisbon said, 'Thank you for coming back in, hope you're not missing out on too many classes.'

'No problem Agent Lisbon, I'm happy to help any way I can.'

'Sorry to hear about your father by the way, Alzheimer's is a terrible illness.'

Julia replied, unsmiling, 'Yes, it is, he was once a great man.'

'I'm surprised you didn't decide to follow him into the medical profession if you looked up to him so much.'

'Well, we don't all choose to follow in our father's footsteps and turn out like them, do we, Agent Lisbon?'

Lisbon held her eyes, resisting the urge to rise to the bait.

Jane asked, 'Did you ever accompany your father and McAllister on their little hunting trips?'

'Yes, when I got to eight or nine I began to go with them sometimes.'

'Did you ever kill anything yourself?'

Julia replied, 'Of course', staring directly at Jane as she had the day before. She paused and added, 'A few rabbits then deer too as I got older.'

Jane could see through her game now and said to her, a smile beginning to form on his face, 'We know your father had nothing to do with the Red John murders.'

Julia's smile faltered a little. 'I'm relieved to hear it. I have no idea why you would have thought he had.'

Jane returned the smile. 'Yeah, we're not really interested in talking about him anymore. We're much more interested in what you thought of McAllister himself.'

'Well, he was a great hunter, very driven once he got a target in his sights.'

'Not always, I'm still standing after all.'

Julia snapped back, her guard falling from her face, 'Well that's because he didn't want to kill you Mr Jane, if he had you would have been dead a long time ago.'

Lisbon replied, 'Sounds like you're defending a serial killer.'

Julia regained her composure. 'Of course not, I'm just looking at it from his point of view after studying him, that's all.'

Jane said, 'Well, in any case, he made a serious lack in judgement in not killing me sooner', laughing at the end of the sentence.

Julia glared back at him.

Lisbon asked 'Tell us about your relationship with your mother.'

'What's to tell, I love both my parents, I had a great upbringing.'

Jane answered 'No you don't, at least not your father anyway. You despise him for becoming the shell of the person he once was, don't you?'

'That's a terrible thing to say, Mr Jane.'

Jane shrugged and rested back in the chair, thought for a second, and looked around him. 'So how do you feel about your mother? Good mother?'

'I love her deeply of course, she's the most important person in my life.'

Jane nodded, deciding that was the truth, his ability to read her much easier now that he had ruffled her feathers.

He replied, 'Ah, so you're not a sociopath then, just a psychopath? Oh, and that's a pity. You're going to miss her when we send her to prison.'

Julia's smile left her face but she recovered quickly. 'Prison? Why on earth would you send her to prison?'

Julia bit her lip slightly making Jane smile, knowing that he was getting to her slowly. She asked 'Why are you asking me about my mother anyway? What does she have to do with Kerry's death?'

Jane replied, leaning further back in the chair, 'Oh, who knows, perhaps nothing. Oh, did I forget to mention that your mother and I are, well, acquainted?'

Julia's guard seemed to slip a little more. 'Really? How?'

Jane replied, smiling fully and moving forward again to stare into her eyes, 'Oh, she tried to kill me the same day I murdered McAllister.'

Julia sat thinking, her eyes blinking, trying to make sense of the words just spoken.

Lisbon smiled. 'She didn't tell you that? I thought you two were so close.'

After a second, Julia replied calmly 'Well, what proof do you have? She would have been arrested long before now if you had any. It's just your word against hers, Mr Jane.'

Jane nodded. 'True. But you've studied me right? You know the lengths I'll go to get what I want. You know I don't care about evidence or proof to get that. And even if I did go to court, I've killed two men in cold blood so far and never been sent to prison, you don't think I have the ability to sway the jury for whatever justice I decide to seek out against your mother too? So, you have a choice, Julia, tell us why you killed Kerry Matthews and we'll just send your mother to prison, who knows you two may even be able to share a cellblock if you're lucky. Or continue to say nothing, and your mother will wish that I'd sent her to prison.'

Jane spoke the words slowly, his eyes boring into Julia's. She saw the dark intent behind them and looked down, thinking of a response.

Fischer and Abbott looked on from the observation room. Fischer said 'Jeez, he's threatened to murder her mother, he's gone too far this time, whatever she says now she can say was under duress.'

Abbott replied 'No, he was careful not to issue a direct threat, let's see how it plays out.'