A/N: I have to thank all of those who take the time to post reviews for making this story hit such a major milestone in them. Cannot believe it quite honestly but I'm truly flattered and heartened that many of you are still enjoying this so many chapters in and that so many of you tell me so with such regularity. Your kind words and encouragement mean the world to me as I'm sure they do for all others still writing for this amazing fandom. Thank you again.

Chapter 39 - Haffner

"So, what's your plan for Haffner?" Lisbon asked Jane as she drove them to his Security Firm's premises in downtown.

The sound of her cell phone ringing stopped his reply. She quickly ignored the call and glanced at him for a response.

"You will have to talk to Wainwright at some point, you know," he told her.

"And what am I supposed to tell him, huh? That we're following up on a lead but we don't trust him enough to tell him what that lead is?"

"Works for me," Jane shrugged with indifference.

She shot him a glare and gripped the steering wheel tighter. Turning back to her original question she asked again, "Haffner, what's your plan?"

"Plan?" he asked innocently.

"Don't start. I'm not in the mood, Jane. 'Fess up."

"You really do think the worst of me sometimes, Lisbon."

"Yeah, I wonder why," she replied with barely concealed hostility but a glimmer of a smile broke out on her lips straight afterwards.

He watched her shoulders relax a fraction, their to and fro banter allowing her some respite from the tenseness in her posture. He smiled, congratulating himself in accomplishing that, in response.

"Just the usual type of plan for these situations," he offered more conversationally.

"So you're going to poke him, see how he responds so you get a read off him and then follow up by asking about Forster so you discover if he's hiding something about where he is."

He turned in his seat towards her. "Am I really that predictable to you now?"

She grinned as she looked out the window in front of her.

Arriving at Haffner's office they exited the vehicle and stared at the modern structure in front of them that housed it. "Nice location," Jane murmured at her side as they walked towards it. It was a stone's throw from the Capitol where office space was at a premium.

Inside they were greeted by a twenty something assistant behind a desk in a waiting area called Faith who had cropped blonde hair and a beaming smile. Lisbon flashed her badge and introduced them. "We need to speak to Ray Haffner immediately."

"I'm sorry Agent Lisbon, he's busy currently," the assistant smiled. "I could make you an appointment for later in the day-"

"It's an urgent matter," Lisbon said determinedly, staring the younger woman down.

"Uh...okay...just a second," she replied, swallowing and picking up the phone to her left. Jane leaned in and said to her, "Better not mention my name to him, Faith, just Lisbon's."

Faith frowned at him but proceeded to make the call, omitting Jane's name.

Lisbon shot him a querying glance. "I'd like to surprise him," he smiled.

"You mean you want to unsettle him right from the offset," she muttered beside him.

"Same thing, isn't it?"

The door behind them opened a few seconds after Faith replaced the receiver on the phone on her desk. Ray Haffner strode purposefully from his office with a smile on his face until he caught sight of Jane standing beside Lisbon where it fell for a split second before he course corrected and planted it back on his face.

"Teresa! How good to see you," Haffner said before nodding to Jane. "And Patrick, I heard you were back in Sacramento."

"Oh, who from?" Jane replied with interest.

"Well just because I don't work at the CBI anymore doesn't mean I don't have contacts there, Patrick," he said smoothly. He turned to Lisbon. Gravely, "I heard about Van Pelt, how is she?"

"Critical," Lisbon replied with a sigh. Louder, "Ray, we need to ask you some questions-"

"How'd you afford this place?" Jane interrupted, waving his hand around the office space. "Pretty expensive location for a former government employee, isn't it?"

Haffner drew his head back with a short chuckle. "That's hardly relevant, is it? And frankly none of your business. Why do you ask?"

"Just being nosy," Jane smirked. "Thought you might have won the lottery or something."

"No," Haffner replied tersely.

Lisbon watched the exchange between the two men. When Jane narrowed his eyes at Haffner it was obvious to her he'd learned something from the other man already.

"Can we talk in your office?" Lisbon said to Haffner, nodding to the open door behind him.

"Why don't you two talk alone?" Jane suggested. "I'll wait out here."

"You sure?" Lisbon frowned at him, confused.

"Yeah," he smiled. He gestured to the kettle a few steps away. "Wouldn't mind a cup of tea. You know what to ask, Lisbon." His smile grew. "I'm sure Ray would rather talk to you alone anyway."

Haffner eyed him with suspicion then said to his assistant, "Don't show this man any files, Faith. No matter what he says to you."

"Yes, Mr Haffner," she replied, clearly uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere in the room and keeping her eyes averted from Jane's.

Ensconced in his office Haffner took up residence behind his desk, nodding for Lisbon to sit in the chair opposite. He sighed and shook his head. "I see Jane is still the pain in the ass he always was."

"Ray-" she began.

"Is it true?" he interjected, glancing at the closed door. "That you two..."

"That we two...?" she furrowed her brow.

"You and Jane. That you're together. A couple."

"Where'd you hear that?" she asked, her lips pursed.

"Like I said, I have contacts in the CBI," he shrugged.

"Didn't realise our love lives were that interesting a topic of conversation."

"Oh, come on, Teresa. You must have heard the rumours for years about you two. I'm just surprised it's out in the open all of a sudden, that's all. You're two of the most private individuals I've ever met."

"That's true. But there comes a time when you don't want to hide in the shadows any longer," she said with conviction. She had no idea if this man had any connection to Red John but she felt a shiver go up her spine at his line of questioning. It could just be idle curiosity from him but it may not have been. Now she wished Jane had come with her to get a better read.

"Well, if you ask me, you could do a hell of a lot better than that whack job," Haffner replied, moving some items on his desk before looking back up at her.

"I didn't ask for your advice on the matter," she replied with a touch of annoyance. She took a breath, calming herself down. "Ray, I need to ask you about Jeff Forster."

"Jeff? Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in a while. What about him?"

"Well-"

"Hang on, you think he had something to do with what happened to your agent?" he prodded.

"I can't say what case it's in relation to," she replied evenly.

He laughed. "Like there'd be any other case you'd be working on right now. What do you think he has to do with it? I heard it was Red John who attacked her."

"Have to say, for a man who left CBI months ago you're incredibly well informed," she remarked pointedly. "You know I can't tell you why I'm asking you about him, Ray. You don't work there anymore; you don't get the same privileges as when you did."

He leaned back in his chair and linked his hands across his stomach. "All right. What about him?"

"He's run off and we need to find him. Urgently. You know him-"

"I haven't spoken to him in probably more than a year, Teresa."

"But you knew him well before then. He worked for you, Ray. You mentored him when he first joined CBI. Tell me about him."

"Not a whole lot to tell. He reminded me a little of myself when I met him. Rough childhood, teenage years. You know what that's like. He turned it around to become an agent."

She ignored the personal comment but made a mental note to mention it to Jane. She'd never shared her personal history with Haffner but then again it wasn't exactly a secret within the CBI that she had an alcoholic for a father either. "He was loyal, trustworthy?"

"Never had any reason to believe otherwise."

"Did he ever mention somewhere he might go...someplace where he might feel safe?"

Haffner leaned forward again, placing his hands on his desk. A line appeared between his eyes. "What exactly has he done, Teresa?"

"We've had this conversation."

"Maybe I could help if I knew more," he argued.

"Ray, are you going to tell me anything or am I wasting my time?" she replied.

He shook his head and smiled at her. "You always were tenacious. Fine. Uh...there was one place he mentioned to me once. A playground near where he grew up. We drove past it when we were on a case about a year after he joined the team. He looked...affected...so I asked why and he told me that's where he went when things got tough at home." He paused and took a breath. "Okay?"

She nodded, "Yes, thanks. Can you write down the address for me?"

When they exited Haffner's office Jane was perched on Faith's desk with a cup of tea in his hands. Lisbon nodded imperceptibly to him that they had a lead to follow. He acknowledged it with a blink of his eyes before beaming a smile at Haffner. "Nice chat?"

"Thanks for your help, Ray," Lisbon cut in.

He ignored Jane and said to her, "Look, Teresa. Red John is targeting your people. We offer security solutions here-"

"Really, Ray?" Jane said as he rose from the desk and placed the cup down on it, "one of our colleagues is attacked and you use it as a business opportunity. Isn't that a little cold?"

"I was only trying to help," Haffner bit back. "But, of course, where Red John is concerned you never listen to any sense. You won't be happy until you drag the whole team into this revenge crusade of yours. If they manage to live that long."

"Let's go," Lisbon said, glowering at Jane when she saw him rush to stand opposite Haffner and shaking her head at him to stop him responding. He had confrontation written all over him.

"Yes, let's," Jane replied to her through gritted teeth, taking a breath.

As they reached the door Haffner spoke to Lisbon. "There's still an office here with your name on it if you ever decide to make the leap, Teresa." He glanced at Jane with a mixture of hostility and pomposity. "When you come to realise you owe yourself better prospects."

"He's such an ass," Jane said as they reached the car. "Why'd you never tell me he offered you a job?"

Lisbon unlocked the doors and they got inside. "You weren't here to tell."

"Oh," Jane said, biting the inside of his cheek upon that realisation. "Were you tempted? I'm sure he offered you more money than you're making now."

They fastened their seatbelts and began to drive towards the playground Haffner had told her about. She'd filled Jane in on their conversation on the elevator ride down. "It was a lot more money but not really," she shrugged. "You don't do this job because of the money."

"That's a fact," Jane chuckled when he thought of his meagre paycheck compared to the money he used to make in his psychic days. "Still, you weren't tempted? Easier, less dangerous work too," he persevered.

"What are you getting at, Jane?"

"Nothing, just don't know how you couldn't be tempted."

Her cell phone interrupted their conversation once again. This time she answered it.

"Hey, Cho, what's up?" After listening for a few seconds she said, "Hang on, let me put you on speaker so Jane can listen in." After switching on the loudspeaker and handing the phone to Jane to hold while she drove she added, "Okay, say that again."

Cho replied, "Forster's in debt. Gambling apparently. He likes the ponies by the sound of it."

"That explains why he's living the way he does," Lisbon answered.

"Hmm. Interesting," Jane commented.

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Care to share why that is, Jane?"

"Obvious, isn't it? Money was the motivation for him sending that text. Or the promise of it, at least."

"Perhaps. Probably. So what does that matter?"

"Shows he didn't do it out of loyalty to Red John. Or at least not wholly out of loyalty. Makes it more promising if we track him down."

Lisbon nodded. "If you're right-"

"I am," Jane asserted earning him another eye roll from the woman beside him before she spoke again. "If you're right then he might not be as fanatical as some of his other followers. More likely to roll over and tell us who he is."

"Exactly."

She quickly updated Cho on their progress with Haffner and arranged to meet him and a couple of other trusted agents at the location.

"Any news on Grace?" Lisbon asked but knowing Cho would have already informed her of any change in her condition.

"No," her second in charge responded. He added, "Boss, Wainwright's been looking for you. And Bertram and Shetrick were with him."

"Oh crap. What'd you tell them?"

"That you were getting some rest and then going to the hospital. Should buy you another hour or so. They're talking about releasing a press statement soon."

"What's it going to say?" Jane asked.

"Don't know yet. They're still discussing it."

"Okay, thanks, Cho," she sighed, "I'll see you at the location soon. Tell them you're going to the hospital if they ask you anything."

When Jane hung up Jane stared at her for a few moments, amusement written across his features.

"What?" she glared.

"I like this side to you. Rebellious, deceitful, that's all," he smiled.

"That says more about you than it does about me," she countered with a shake of her head.

They'd waited at the playground for ten minutes when Cho's party arrived. The two vehicles camped out at vantage points that gave a perfect view of gate of the entrance, Lisbon and Jane having already checked it thoroughly as soon as they'd arrived for Forster.

"We could be here a while," Lisbon said, tapping her hand on the steering wheel in impatience. "And he might not show up at all."

Jane stared at the gate ahead, his face set in a frown. A few seconds passed in silence. Then he asked, "Why'd you turn Haffner's job offer down?"

She furrowed her brow at him. "This again? What's this about, Jane?"

He didn't respond but looked expectantly at her instead for an answer to his original question.

She sighed and thought about it more deeply. It had been a hell of a job offer and a lot of agents would have taken it gladly. Jane had left CBI so she didn't have the pull of him being there to impact her decision. If anything, she could have done with a change in scene at the time Haffner had offered her a position in his firm, a chance of a new start away from the memories of Patrick Jane that she was reminded of every day within the walls of the CBI. So why had she instinctively said no to him?

Finally she answered him with the only reason that came to mind. "It didn't feel right. The job offer...felt...something was off about it."

"Because he's attracted to you or something else?"

She rolled her eyes. "I swear, you think every man I come in contact with lately has the hots for me."

"Well any smart man should," he smiled. "Haffner might be no genius but he's smart enough to realise that, certainly."

She had to concede that Haffner had approached her in the past for coffee dates or dinner. She'd waved him off and discouraged him immediately. But she was certain the job offer was a genuine one in appreciation of her skills as an agent and not in relation to any latent romantic notion he had of pursuing her. He was more of a pragmatist than that.

"Something else," she murmured. "But I can't put my finger on it."

"Hmm. Interesting," he said as he frowned in contemplation.

"I hate it when you say that," she glowered. "What's on your mind, Jane?"

He bit the inside of his cheek for a moment and then let go of a long breath. "I discovered where he got the money to open his security firm."

"How?"

He looked both apologetic and proud. Before he could respond she said, "Oh god, you hypnotised his assistant, didn't you? That's why you left me to question him on my own."

He dazzled her with a triumphant smile. "She was such as open test subject it would have been negligent not to, Lisbon. A travesty not to take advantage."

She shot him a look of disapproval although a hint of a smile played on her lips. "So, where'd he get the money? Although why that matters is still lost on me."

"It won't be when I tell you," he replied with absolute seriousness. "And why I think you turned his job offer down. I've always said you had good people instincts."

She leaned in and nodded for him to continue.

"Visualize," he stated.