I own nothing Rizzoli and Isles
LET SLEEPING BLOOD LIE
Chapter 26 - Into the rain
The third set of photo's are a day later near Jane's apartment. The top photo is hazy and almost impossible to make out...
"It was pouring with rain," Dan commented, "The camera lens steamed up. That's a black car without plates there. It pulled up outside Jane's apartment at midnight and she came outside down the fire escape and went across the road to the car. "
Jane, hair tied up and tucked under a black cap, wearing all black, cheeks flushed from the cold and her hair was stuck to her forehead and cheeks with the rain. Her eyes looked glassy and a little red. Maura sucks in a breath of air herself, she holds it in, trying to focus on not letting herself cry at the sight...
She hated the rain vehemently, it was a reminder of a pain that could physically disable her, usually she wouldn't go out in this weather, but this was a one time meeting and she couldn't afford to miss it. She wrapped her arms around herself sitting at her window peering out into the darkness as she waited for her ride. She wished they were Maura's arms wrapped around her, she knew Maura could never know the comfort she created for Jane. That she loved her without question, literally. That she never made her feel weak or lost. She wished ever day was a Friday.
Silly, you choose Friday, she would have you any day and every day
She smiled at the latter her heart skipping a beat at the warmth that moved through her, then frowned at herself at the former. How easy it would be to just go back to her old life, back on the force as an admired detective, a younger brother who aspired to follow in her footsteps, surrounded by family and friends, Sunday dinners, cuddles with her nephew, seeing Maura everyday, working cases and helping the dead. In her experience absence does not make the heart grow fonder, it makes the heart sick with ache and longing.
This life she currently was surviving in was concurrently the easy way out and the hard way out, call it paradoxical. Maura would call it antithetical. Although Jane had no word for it, she felt like she was being torn down the middle completely, walking one fork in the road with one half of her body and the other fork with the other half, the further the two roads separated the more painful it became.
"I don't mind what we do Maur' so long as you are happy, so whatever you want to do...including art galleries and museums and boring stuff", she smiled cheerfully as Maura finally stopped laughing at her prune joke.
Maura suppresses a snicker, "There is a new art gallery in town I was planning to visit."
Jane groans but the corners of her mouth curl up anyway. It's just a habit to complain more than she would really hate it, anything with Maura was never as awful as she expects it to be. Maura knows she would willingly go anywhere she was asked despite the scene she might make, as she secretly relished the anarchy in a sense a rebellion at her prim and proper upbringing. Teasing Jane was almost secretly as enjoyable. Tilting her head to the side and pushing out her bottom lip she pushes a little more, questioning, "Don't you want to go with me Jane?"
Jane succumbs instantly to the pout, squeezing her face into a contorted grimacing frown and mumbling, "Fine. But doesn't paint-balling or rock-climbing sound so much more fun?" opening her eyes wide trying to portray in her simple expression just how awesome it might be.
"Not really Jane." Maura deadpans
They stare at each other for a moment, a stare that passes beyond the normal into an slightly awkward tension, broken only by Maura letting out a deep sigh of contentment.
Jane's dimples deepen and her eyes sparkle as she realizes Maura has played her and she leans forward kissing her best friend slowly and gently on the lips, "Well done Maur."
Maura nibbles her bottom lip as Jane pulls away
"You can't go like that though Jane."
'What? why?" she looks down at her clothing, "What's wrong with this?"
"Well for starters you look like you're dressed for work, and is that blood on your collar?"
Jane pulls her collar away to get a better look, "It's a reddish brown stain Maura, obviously"
Maura leans right into her neck to inspect, giving it a sniff, sending a shudder up Jane's spine. "Jam Jane?" she deduces giving Jane a look of bewilderment
Jane pulls a mock look of being horrified, "Who would dare give me the raspberry" she grins her dimples and teeth showing and Maura shakes her head facetiously.
Seeing Maura was now bittersweet. Maura's expression radiated sheer unconditional love but also a reminder of the suffering she endured which was why she couldn't stay all the time, why she woke in the middle of the night in Maura's arms but had to leave quickly, leaving Maura alone with only a chaste kiss on the lips and her lingering scent.
It had been her own fault, she had imagined Maura's face constantly in those four days to stay strong, to keep her wits about her, to not go insane. She had at times imagined Maura saving her while she was being tortured, protecting her, sending in the calvary to destroy her captors. Her daydreams had fused with her nightmares. She had both the ardent love of Maura and the unescapable anxiety wrapped up into one ambivalent enigma. If she couldn't resolve it she felt it would destroy her.
She finally saw the car outside, headlights flickering to full beam several times pulling her from her thinking, everything was slightly blurry until she realized she had been crying. She indignantly wiped her face with her sleeve and climbed out the window descending the fire escape platforms to the first floor and sliding down the ladder, dropping the last six feet to the ground splashing water up her own legs as she landed ungracefully in a puddle.
Maura was staring at the semi hazy photo of Jane leaning into the window of a dark plateless automobile.
Dan continued to explain the picture as it was impossible to make out clearly, "She didn't get in straight away, she seemed really anxious. The guy in the car was smoking a fancy Cuban cigar, there were puffs of smoke coming out the window. It's hard to tell from this photo though sorry. Then she got in and they drove to Cambridge. I followed." Dan shifts in his seat trying to gage the doctors reaction.
Maura's face was unreadable, her lips were pursed in anger, her eyes were misty with sadness, yet her eyebrows were contracted in concern.
Lou was a friendly funny chap, he called himself Mr. Transport and said one day he would be exactly like Jason in the movie 'the transporter'. He didn't stop talking the whole drive across town to Tech Square. In a way it was good because she had no time to feel nervous or to psych herself out. She only laughed at a few of his terrible jokes but his soothing chit chat stopped her mind from getting lost.
Today was the day she had waited weeks for, today the puzzle would begin to unravel.
It sucked being alone. She'd love Frankie here to confide in him, seek his help, his support, but John Doe warned her about the dangers of her new life, her new choices. Vince would be great to have around too. Or Maura, especially Maura. She sniffed, a wave of self pity trying to hang onto her, she pushed it away quickly, knowing once she went down that road she would truly have lost everything for nothing.
Protect them
Her new mantra, her new will to continue alone, completely and utterly forlorn.
When they pulled up outside, Lou offered to open her door, "It's what transporters do in movies." He had grinned at her in his cheeky calm way.
"I'm fine", Jane laughed finding the door handle on her own.
Lou got out anyway, if only to make sure she met her contact. He then waved goodbye and heading off into the dark moonless night.
Dan pushes the photo away and points to the next one, "That's the guy in the car there, he introduced her to someone else then he left in his car and she stayed there with the other guy."
The picture was at least clear, A man in his mid 50's in a casual white suit, he had white hair and a lined round face. A cigar in the corner of his mouth.
Maura moves to the next photo. The black car driving off in the distance. The man Jane was with was wearing a black hoodie and jeans. He had long black hair tied back in a ponytail, he had a scar on his chin causing his mouth to look a little skewed when he spoke. His eyes were gentle, blue. He looked somewhat concerned.
"Shannon" He introduced himself with a slight lisp, reaching out to shake Jane's hand, "Not my real name of course, you understand", he grinned his dimples showing. He was young, clean cut, trusting blue eyes, dark shiny hair pulled back in a ponytail, "Joe Friday right?"
Jane nods slowly, she didn't expect him to be so gentle, she didn't really know what to expect exactly. But she liked him.
Shannon smiled at her warmly, "I have a something, just for you."
"There exists a shadowy government with its own Air Force, its own Navy, its own fundraising mechanism, and the ability to pursue its own ideas of the national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself." ~ Senator Daniel K. Inouye, highest ranking Asian-American politician in United States history
...to be continued...