All heads suddenly snapped to look toward the voice at the front door. All except Jane, who recognized the voice immediately, so had no need to look. Instead, his focus remained on Caitlyn, who had been explaining something to him about she and Roddy's extended family.
"Uncle Pete traveled in a different circuit than Mom and her Uncle Sean did. Something about a rift between Uncle Sean and one of the Janes, I think?"
"Yes, that was Alex. He's my father." Jane confirmed. Only then did he bother to face the entryway of the house to address the interruption there. "Speaking of that devil, here he is. Hi Dad!" Patrick called out spryly, as if the two men had always been on good terms.
Lisbon turned to her husband with a look of surprise at hearing him refer to the hopefully-still-reformed shyster as 'Dad.' She saw no hint of craziness in Patrick's gleaming smile, so decided to just go with it - keeping an ear open in caution, of course.
"Grandpa Alex!" Meghan said with tentative welcome, looking to her parents for cues. Patrick winked at Meghan, before walking to greet Alex at the door, followed by some of the other curious onlookers.
"So, Alex, you have some information that could help Caitlyn here?"
"What happened to 'Dad?'" Alex complained, with a grumpy pout.
"I was just dipping my toe in… getting used to the idea." Patrick backpedaled. "But time is of the essence on this other thing. What do you know about Caitlyn? Does it involve Sean?"
"We should sit. It's a bit of a long story."
"Plenty of room in here! Come, get comfortable!" Lisbon called from the living room.
Settling on the couch, Roddy and Teresa sat on either side of Caitlyn. Alex followed Cho, Patrick, and the two other Lisbons to find seats in the room. The old man took a deep breath, in preparation, then began to speak.
"As you might remember, Sean once sent Roddy Turner a bill for 'lost Barlow property,' when he married Eileen."
Jane nodded, and Roddy stiffened with still-fresh outrage at the thought of his late, beloved Eileen as 'property.' As if she were cattle. Infuriating!
"Well, you know how the man harbors a grudge. So, he sees Caitlyn as the same. He was thoroughly miffed when you, and the ravishing Agent Lisbon here," Alex gestured to Teresa, who rolled her eyes with a slight blush of embarrassment, delighting her husband, "rescued baby Caitlyn back to her rightful father. And he still feels that Roddy owes him compensation for stealing Barlow blood away from him and his influence."
"That's absurd." Jane muttered.
"Total bunk!" Roddy agreed angrily.
"Agreed. I spoke with Pete Barsocky recently. He called in a panic about Caitlyn's recent disappearance, worried that Sean had a hand in that. I asked him if they still had some old photo albums I'd given them when I left the carny to go solo. I had hidden something in one of them for safekeeping…"
Lisbon and Jane shared a look of alarm. They both knew what Alex would say next.
"He told me that Samantha had given all of my family albums to Teresa, years ago, when she and Patrick had started keeping company."
"That's true. We still have them." The ravishing Agent Lisbon answered.
"But definitely not in your office." Caitlyn confirmed, with a quick laugh.
Meghan laughed in reaction to Caitlyn's comment. She'd decided right away that she liked her. Being close to the same age, and feeling connected to her somehow - either through their earlier game of cat and mouse, or through her parents' history with the woman - Meghan felt she and Caitlyn could be great friends, given the chance.
"Hidden in the pages is a carnival game token." Alex explained. "It has no meaning to anyone but myself and a carny named Olga… that woman really knew how to—"
"Dad!" Jane interrupted. This was no time for one of Alex's stories of conquest. "Get to the point!"
"Right. Sorry. Anyway, only Olga and I know about the token. At least I thought that was true before I talked to Pete. He filled me in about Sean's threats to Roddy and Caitlyn, and about how he had demanded they return the token to him. The Turners, of course, had no idea what the man was going on about, which, of course, infuriated Sean even more. He swore that neither Turner would be free of his haunting and meddling until he had that token firmly in hand."
The younger Turner interrupted: "Which is why I'm here. And why I had to rifle through your things. Sorry again about that." Caitlyn apologized. The girl tearfully explained that she needed the token in question to pay off her Great-Uncle Sean permanently. He was so desperate to get his hands on the coin, he'd agreed to her terms and had promised to leave her and Roddy and all of their family & friends to live in peace once they'd procured the item.
As she described the piece she was searching for, Meghan's face lit up with recognition. "I know where that is!" She smiled excitedly at Caitlyn, then dashed up to her bedroom workspace to dig through her notes from the Jane family history she'd been compiling and researching for a school project.
"What does it mean? This token?" Lisbon asked, as Meghan searched upstairs for the coin.
Alex answered. "It's got a special inscription on it. It's the secret handshake that will allow the holder access to stashes of ill-gotten cash and other valuables."
Jane had a suspicious look on his face. "And how would you know about such a stash?" When there was no response, Patrick pushed a little harder… "Dad?" Jane threw his hands up in a questioning shrug.
Rolling his eyes, Alex bit the bullet. "I knew about it only because I knew Olga. She had been involved with Sean many years before, during the time I had angered him with that business deal gone bad. She told me that Barlow had actually gone through with the deal, after he and I had parted ways. It had taken a Herculean effort for him to smooth things over with the other partners. He threw me under the bus for the breakdown in communications, which was actually well-deserved. It had really and truly been my fault. Still angry, Sean cut me out of the whole business as a sort of vengeful payback for my betrayal. Afterward, he hid the profits away in a secret location, to avoid any suspicious carnies asking questions or - even worse - getting word to me."
"But he confided in Olga?" Lisbon guessed.
"Exactly. She told me about the engraved token, and revealed that it was the key to the whole treasure. The characters who have been guarding the money all these years have actually never even seen Sean Barlow. He was careful to remain anonymous - outside of the token, that is. Olga gifted it to me in exchange for a night of—"
"Grandpa!" This time it was Meghan who couldn't stomach where this was going. The girl stood shaking her head with a disapproving stare, blonde curls dancing slowly side to side. Lisbon narrowly caught herself, slapping a hand over her mouth to avoid snickering, but Jane bellowed with laughter a split second after his daughter had called out his dad on his lack of couth. With effort, Patrick got himself back under control, glistening at his precious girl, resting an open hand on her shoulder.
"Okay Dad, let's wrap this up."
"So basically, I have the token that can get Sean his money. Caitlyn needs it to buy her family's freedom from the shady bastard once and for all."
"But shouldn't you get some of it? You were in on the original deal, right?" Roddy defended.
"I've known about the money for a decade or so. But by the time I found out, I didn't care about it anymore. Had started my path to the straight and narrow. Besides, I figured I had it coming anyway, after torching the deal on purpose like I did."
"You're damn right ye had it coming!" yelled an old Irish clairvoyant from the Janes' front yard.
Lisbon and Jane shared a quick glance of irritation. Of course, the front door hadn't latched all the way when Alex came in. So, the whole conversation had probably been audible from the lawn.
Simultaneously, Meghan ran back down the steps gripping a gold coin. "Is this the piece, Grandpa?"
Alex's eyes grew wide as he took the token and inspected it. "Indeed, it is! To think it actually survived all this time - especially with the album changing hands and such!" The old man was amazed.
"Well?! Is anyone going to settle Roddy Turner's debt?!" Barlow blustered from outside.
Tommy and Annie held on to Roddy, worried that he'd bolt or get himself killed by engaging with Sean. But Alex wrapped the carny coin in his fist and marched outside, ready to be done with the whole business.
"Sean Barlow! Show yourself!" Alex yelled into the night as he stepped onto his son's lawn.
"I'm right here in front of you, you old con!"
Sean was slightly visible, illuminated only by the glow of the interior house lights. Then the porch light switched on.
"Jaysus, Barlow - you got OLD!" Alex doubled over with laughter at having poked the old psychic. He really should have seen that coming, the elder Jane guffawed.
"Very funny, Jane! Now where's the coin?" Sean showed no patience at all, stepping toe to toe with Alex.
"I know where it is," Jane's dad promised, "but first I have a confession to make."
"Out with it then! I want what's coming to me."
"Very well…" Alex Jane proceeded to fill Sean in on the fact that the business deal crashing had been an intentional play on his part, as part of a ploy to keep peace in his own household, given that Mrs. Jane had been quite distrustful of the so-called psychic.
Sean was clearly simmering with anger even before being told that his supposed friend had hoodwinked him all those years ago. The old soothsayer shook his head, wondering how he could have missed such a cruel con.
Patrick didn't like what he was reading on Barlow's face as the man seethed, eyebrows pressing a line above the bridge of his nose, the depth of which suggested it would surely become permanent.
Teresa had been uncomfortable around Sean from the start, but that discomfort had only grown with the current confrontation, and she was not at all soothed by the sour expression she saw on her husband's face.
Screaming like a hot kettle, Sean roared at Alex. "You were always an evil man, Jane - always despicable and shifty! But to think you'd turn on family like that. You were basically an orphan when we met. You know that family is exactly what we were!" Sean's fury turned on a dime, then, from furious rage to calm, calculated manipulation. Suddenly, his voice was slippery as a snake. "But then, it seems that betrayal is a Jane family trait, isn't it? What with how you managed to get your loving missus killed over your lust for the next big score, Alex?"
The elder Jane visibly wilted at the still fresh memory of that profound loss.
Like a shot, despite his mother's attempt to grab his arm and stop him, Brendan Jane ran to his grandfather's side, putting a hand of support on the old man's shoulder, and silently glaring at Sean Barlow - undaunted and unafraid.
Despite that, Barlow continued to sneer and hiss. "And the trait for betrayal travels from generation to generation, doesn't it, Patrick?"
Jane stiffened slightly, but refused to give the nefarious ghoul the satisfaction of seeing his memory wrap around guilt and heartbreak once again. Lisbon most definitely saw both of those things in her love's eyes, and stepped closer to him, holding his hand firmly.
"Teresa! I see that you've overcome your inhibitions where Patrick's secretive and controlling nature is concerned! Very brave of you - especially with the family history and all."
Lisbon put her other hand on her weapon, just in case things got out of hand, but also for her own comfort. Barlow was trying to make her feel weak. Damned if she was going to let him.
"And what about you, little miss? How does it feel to learn that your father and grandfather are killers and backstabbers?" Barlow's sinister eyes peered toward Meghan, assuming that she had inherited Teresa's skittishness.
Meghan sighed, rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms, letting one hip lean to the side. "Please." She mocked; with the sarcasm one might expect from a teenage girl. Her eyes locked onto Sean's, with a confidence beyond her years. "I know all I need to know about my family, including my dad and grandpa. You're just jealous because none of your relations want you. You're a bully and a fake, and you. don't. scare me." The girl's head wagged side to side on each of her last four words, for emphasis.
Lisbon had to battle the tears of satisfaction she felt threatening. She had never been prouder of her children. A quick glance over to Jane confirmed that he felt the same way.
Honestly rattled by the fact he had failed to rattle Meghan, Sean vented his frustration by growing belligerent once again, turning his full ire on Alex. "Well, you're never gonna see a dime of that money, Jane - And you can tell Olga to go to hell! Consider your cut as my payback for your little trick!" Barlow spat the last word with gusto, relishing the counter-argument that was sure to come.
Much to Sean's disappointment, though, Alex didn't bite.
"Ahh…You can have it!" Alex shouted, throwing his arms and hands at the air between them. "I've got all the wealth I need right here!" Gesturing to the Jane's. "Now go find your bloody treasure and leave Patrick and Roddy and theirs in peace - for once and for all!" With that, Alex tossed the coin at the maleficent old psychic and turned back toward the house - quite happy with the looks of pride he saw on the faces of his son's family. He had apparently, finally, said and done the right things.
As the argument was winding down, and the final notes of Alex's parting shot were dissipating, an RV pulled into the driveway, and out jumped Danny, Pete, and Sam.
"What a verbal beat down!" Pete shouted as he ambled over to nearly tackle Alex in a bear hug. "Thanks to Paddy, we heard the whole thing! Huzza - did you Jane boys ever give him the what for!"
"And girls!" Sam beamed at Meghan, who beamed right back - thrilled to have been recognized.
Alex looked to his son in surprise, having no idea how their carny friends could have heard the argument from their mobile home offsite.
Jane grinned his orneriest grin as he pulled his shirt cuff back to reveal an FBI issued wire microphone, wiggling his eyebrows at his dear old dad.
The Barsockys ran to Roddy and Caitlyn next, holding them both in a relieved embrace.
Danny walked over to Cho, handing the remote receiver and speaker to him. "Thanks again, Kimball - don't be a stranger!"
"Wouldn't dream of it, Ruskin - always a pleasure!" The stoic agent glinted.
Sean rolled his eyes "Ah, hell! Ye can all have each other. Ya deserve the trouble!" He mumbled at the happy scene as he stormed away, token in hand.
"Stop right there, Barlow!" Under the circumstances, Annie had decided she and her dad could forgive Roddy Turner, but there was zero chance she was losing that Barlow bounty a second time. Feet planted with all the fortitude Jane had come to expect from Lisbon women, her weapon was firmly aimed at the crafty conman.
"I'm afraid I can't let you have him, Annie." Cho cut in. "Kidnapping is a federal offense, so he's coming with us."
Tommy wanted to protest, but Cho's expression made it clear that any complaints would be useless to change his mind.
"There is a standing bounty on him, though." The voice of Jason Wylie chimed in as he walked up the driveway from behind the Barsocky's RV. "And the FBI could technically still honor that bounty?"
"Wylie. Didn't realize you were here?" Cho was surprised.
"Danny asked me to bring some listening equipment." Cho silently nodded, as the tech analyst added in his typically awkward, boyish way, "AND I had promised Annie a rematch on the whole video game shootout thing, so…" he grinned, blushing slightly.
Cho let go a short chuckle, immediately clear on why Jason was there and especially on why the young man was pressuring him to honor the bounty for Sean Barlow's safe capture. "Alright Wylie. I'll look into the bounty situation. Maybe we can work in cooperation with the other authorities once our specific business with him is concluded."
Kimball turned to Tommy and Annie. "I'd be lying if I said we'd have placed him under arrest without you two," he shrugged. "I'll see what I can do about getting you paid."
"I appreciate that, Cho. Sorry for the way it all started, but we had limited options." Tommy said apologetically.
"No problem. So long as it never happens again."
"Understood." Tommy shook Cho's hand, then helped him get Sean into custody.
Meanwhile, Caitlyn and Meghan were huddled in Meghan's room with Jane's family album, looking for a picture of Eileen Turner as a baby during a picnic Jane remembered. Brendan and Alex were sitting side by side on the front stoop, talking about show business. The Barsockys were standing by their vehicle reminiscing with Roddy and Danny about the way things used to be, and celebrating the end of the Barlow curse. Jane and Lisbon were at the center of the lawn, each with an arm around the other, smiling at the sight of Wylie and Annie, walking to Jason's car hand in hand.
"They're kind of sweet together, aren't they?" Teresa grinned.
"Ain't love grand?" Patrick glimmered, taking in the moonlight, as it reflected in his wife's breathtaking sage eyes.
"It really is, Jane." She turned to face him, nestling close, resting a cheek on his chest, both arms squeezing him tight. "I love you, and I love how tonight has turned out." She glimmered, buoyed by all of the happy faces around them. "Did you see how your boy stood up for Alex?!"
"I did! So proud of his Lisbon-sized heart." Jane leaned back, sparkling at the effect of his words on his beautiful Teresa. "But speaking of proud, did you see your girl stand up to Sean?!"
"I had to keep myself from crying, I was so proud of her! She totally pegged him, dead center, and he knew it. That's all you, Patrick!" She pulled her amazing husband in for a long kiss. She couldn't believe how lucky she was, ending up together with someone so magical. It was such a gift to her children, too, having him as their father. She could not wait to remind him of that later, when everyone cleared out and they finally had a room to themselves.
Coming up for air, Jane added, "True! But the courage and the 'you don't scare me' was all Teresa Lisbon!" Patrick nearly burst with pride and love as he gave his gorgeous, strong wife credit where it was so due. Sean's evil words had threatened to cut him deeply, earlier that night. But this beautiful woman was his shield against those accusations and provocations. He had made grievous mistakes in his life, but every glance at Teresa was a reminder of how that had all changed. His love for her continued to grow deeper, to this day, and that showed no sign of stopping. He made a note to show her that later.
Slowly, the gathered friends, coworkers, and extended family filtered their way back to their own lives and responsibilities, leaving only the Janes. Alex was last to leave, finding it hard to cut off his conversation with Brendan.
"Well, I guess that's that!" He beamed a typically Jane grin, as he addressed the family as a whole. "Thanks for hearing me out tonight, and for not shooting me back at the FBI." He winked at Patrick and Teresa.
Laughter echoed on the lawn at that last comment.
"Hey Alex, thank you. None of this could have been resolved without the backstory you provided. You did a lot of good tonight." Lisbon gave the old man a daughterly hug.
"Well, can't Grandpa stay for ice cream or something? If he promises not to bring up Olga again, I mean?" Brendan asked.
Jane laughed at the Olga comment, then looked at his watch. "It's pretty late, son. Technically it's well into tomorrow." Patrick glinted.
"But Dad! Like any of us are going to sleep right after all that's happened. Come on. ONE bowl?" Meghan badgered, with the tenacity of a carnival barker.
Lisbon looked at her husband. "Well? Whaddaya think, Paddy?" Her eyes smiled at the use of his childhood nickname, as she gave him a gentle nudge.
"I suppose you're right Meghan, we'll no doubt be up for hours. Dad? Do you prefer mocha chip or chocolate ripple?" Patrick gleamed, as he put an arm around Alex's shoulder, leading the man into their home.
Both kids shared a glance of victory with Teresa, and they followed the men into the house, careful to properly latch and secure the front door behind them.