Chapter 40 - Surprised
"Visualize?" Lisbon repeated, gaping. "Crap, then he must be a member for them to finance him."
"Undoubtedly. They're hardly likely to invest in someone who isn't part of their cult. A longstanding one too, I imagine, if they're willing to trust him enough with their money."
Lisbon nodded thoughtfully. "I had no idea. Then he must know Bret Stiles personally. You've heard nothing from him?"
"You think I wouldn't tell you if I had?"
Lisbon looked sceptical for a moment then sighed, "Yeah, I know you would have," she said quietly. "I asked Haffner about Forster...what if he's involved in this whole thing too, Jane? How do we know we can rely on the information he gave me?"
Jane shrugged and stared at the entrance to the playground. "We don't know we can. Do you think he was telling you the truth?"
She contemplated his question in light of the new information she'd just received. Despite there being suspicion over Haffner's entire line of questioning and his general demeanour her gut told her he'd spoken the truth about Forster's possible whereabouts at the very least.
Jane, reading her microexpressions, informed her of her opinion before she could voice it herself. "Just because he told you the truth about where Forster might go doesn't mean there isn't more to the man, Lisbon. Him telling us this could be a ruse in itself."
She nibbled on her bottom lip and nodded curtly. "Visualize is coming into this more and more, Jane. They have to be involved somehow. If only we could get Stiles to talk. Maybe we should just go there and -"
"Not yet. I don't want to tip them off that we suspect them. Haffner's assistant is none the wiser I got that information from her. And Stiles doesn't know I found that letter signed by him previously."
"Unless Stiles planted it there himself for some unknown reason or just to play with you."
"Yeah," Jane agreed, drawing the word out slowly with a long sigh. "We need to find a way for Stiles to talk to us even if he doesn't want to. He's key to all of this, I'm sure of it. But we'll need some leverage on him before we're likely to get any kind of truth out of him. If we talk to him without it then he could send us down a hundred different rabbit holes."
"FBI have investigated him for years and they haven't been able to pin a thing on him."
"Hmm. Then we need to find a more creative means for him to open up."
"Like what?" she asked, suspicion in her tone.
He smiled at her, "Thought you didn't care about what laws you break anymore?"
"Within reason, Jane. And I'd like to know which of them I'm breaking before I actually do."
He laughed softly. "You can take the cop out of Lisbon but you can't take the Lisbon out of the cop." His smile faded and he shook his head with a sigh. "Actually, I don't have any such plan as yet but I'll work on one. And then you can recite to me all the laws we'll break in following it through."
Her cell phone buzzed again and she rolled her eyes when she saw Wainwright's number flash up. "I'm going to have to go in and speak to the brass." She glanced over at Cho's vehicle. "I'll get him to switch vehicles and keep you company. I'll take his SUV back to the CBI. That should give you plenty of quiet thinking time to ponder over a plan," she smirked.
"Okay," he said, "I'll fill him in about Stiles and Visualize. He knows we're keeping stuff from him, it's time we told him what we know."
"Agreed."
"What are you going to say to Wainwright?"
"Hell if I know," she uttered with a roll of her eyes. As she went to exit the vehicle he touched her arm. Softly, "Be careful on your way there." It was the first time they'd split up since Grace had been attacked and the thought of her going anywhere alone made his heart hammer in his chest.
Seeing the concern written across his face she replied gently, "I'll be fine." She turned her tone bossy, "You think about plans to end this."
"And what happens after that?" he asked, the words out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Panic crossed her features and she swallowed. Finally she said, "Then we live our lives." She was out of the door beside her in the next second.
"But apart or together?" he asked the empty space beside him.
Lisbon exited the CBI elevator and went straight to Wainwright's office. Seated inside were Wainwright and Brenda Shetrick as she tapped on the glass of the door.
"Lisbon, I've been trying to get hold of you," her boss told her as soon as he waved her in.
"Yeah, sorry, been a rough night. And morning."
"I'm sure," he said with more sympathy. "Any news on Grace's condition?"
"Not that I've heard."
He blinked, "I thought you were just at the hospital."
She took a deep breath. "No. I was investigating her attack."
Wainwright leaned back in his chair and studied her. "Agent Cho said-"
"I told him to tell you that."
Shetrick, enjoying the titillating gossip between the two, glanced from one to the other.
"Brenda, can you give us a minute?" Wainwright said to her, nodding to the door when he noticed her latching onto the discussion, her ears practically pricked up with inquisitiveness.
She stammered, "Agent Wainwright, I need to release a press statement-"
"Give me a minute," he reiterated more forcibly.
"Fine," she huffed, getting out of the chair opposite him. "But reporters have picked up on this story and-"
"Right now I'm more concerned with the young woman who's been attacked than any story the press want to make of it," he said to her, clearly irritated.
A smile ghosted over Lisbon's lips. She had never had much respect for the man but he'd just raised himself up a little in her estimation by that last comment.
Shetrick flounced out and Lisbon nodded politely to her on the way out, a glimmer of a victorious smile on her lips.
"Sit down, Lisbon," Wainwright sighed, leaning back in his chair.
After she did he asked her, "I'm aware you and Jane are running some kind of undercover mission in all of this. I may be young but I'm not entirely naive, Agent."
"So then why did you ask me if I was at the hospital if you know I wasn't?"
"To see if you'd lie to me about it, why else?"
"And the fact I didn't?"
"Well I'm hoping it means you're here to tell me what's really been going on."
"You've had us trailed so I'm guessing you know more than you're letting on too," she retorted.
"Not trailing, Lisbon. They're called a security detail."
"In any case you know where we've been."
"Hmm. You slipped them until they picked you up this morning again at your place. And then they lost you again until Agent Cho and his detail arrived at a playground where you met up with him before switching vehicles. So, you see, I'm none the wiser as to what's going on."
"We slipped them? Jane was probably driving, he always drives too fast-"
"Lisbon, you've worked with me for some time now. I'm not a fool and you know it. That glibness I expect from Jane but not from you. Now, are you going to tell me what the hell's been going on or am I going to have to suspend you?"
She rested her back against the chair. "I'm not ready to tell you everything yet. There is certain information I'm not willing to share."
He furrowed his brow. "In case you've forgotten I'm your supervising agent-"
"I know who you are. But I don't know the man you are. Not yet. I'm not willing to risk another person getting hurt because I trusted someone I shouldn't have. If you want to suspend me then that's your call."
He looked out to the window to his side and shook his head as his shoulders slouched. "Sounds like Jane has rubbed off on you. Why do you both see enemies everywhere you look?" he asked her quietly.
"Because a friend of mine is currently fighting for her life in hospital right now. Because there are enemies everywhere." Tears pricked at her eyes so she took a deep breath to stop them from flowing.
"I'm not one of them," he said, turning towards her again and looking unwaveringly into her eyes.
"I hope you're not but my answer still stands," she said with equal determination.
"You don't leave me with a lot of options, you know. I'll have to suspend you from duty for gross insubordination."
"I understand," she murmured, making to remove her badge and gun from her belt.
"I haven't finished," he said, stilling her movements. "I'll have to suspend you from duty for gross insubordination in thirty six hours if you don't inform me of your progress before then."
"O-kay," she stammered, the man surprising her again within minutes. "Can I ask you why?"
"Two reasons," he shrugged. "One, I hope it builds some trust between us and that in a couple of days you won't be just as paranoid about whatever you think my intentions are, one of your agents has been attacked so you're clearly not thinking with your best judgment. And two...and more importantly...you and Jane are the best investigators I've got. And you have even more of a vested interest in getting to the bottom of this and stopping this bastard now. If you're following a lead to that effect then I'd be a fool not to take advantage of that. Just be careful where you tread and who you tread on. And that you don't cross lines you can't come back from. And I mean both of you."
She nodded, his last statement unsettling to hear but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She was also aware there was a third reason he hadn't mentioned - that if they stopped Red John on his watch it would be a feather in his cap and a likely promotion – but she was satisfied nonetheless that he'd given them more time to continue without further interference. For now.
"What are you going to tell Shetrick to tell the press?" she asked him.
"Oh the usual I expect. We're looking at a number of leads...our best people are on it...please pray for our colleague and give her family privacy at this time...yada yada...you know the drill."
She nodded and sighed. "I forgot to ask, I take it forensics didn't turn up anything in the alley behind her apartment?"
"Not a thing so I'm counting on whatever plan you and Jane are working on to pan out."
She rolled her eyes. "So no pressure then." She added, "What about Bertram, won't he be on your back?"
"He already is."
"And you've told him?"
"Not your concern, Agent Lisbon."
"Okay," she said, realising she'd crossed some kind managerial line. "Thank you."
On her way back downstairs she called Jane and filled him in as she took the back stairs to her vehicle.
"Well that's surprising," he said on the other end of the line. "Sounds like our younger colleague is finally growing into a man. Who knew, eh?"
"Jane," she admonished with a chuckle.
"You coming back to the park? Cho and I could use a sandwich."
"Yeah, but I want to stop at the hospital first."
Gently, "Teresa, are you sure?-"
"Even if he yells me at me again I need to check on him, Jane, see how he's doing. See how she's doing."
"Fair enough. Just remember if he is still mad-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't take it to heart. Okay, Dr Phil."
Chuckling, "Bottles of water too when you bring the sandwiches, please."
"All right, see you soon."
She hung up the call and clicked the car doors open. She got in the driver's seat and fastened her seatbelt. Suddenly a gun was pointed to her head from a figure on the back seat. She stopped moving immediately and looked in the rearview mirror. The figure moved forward out of the shadows so she could see his face.
"Jeff Forster," she said, her tone infinitely more even than her heart rate. "I've been looking for you."
"I know. Let's take a drive, Agent Lisbon," he replied.