Richard Haibach was assumed to be Grace Van Pelt's abductor, and finding him was top priority for everyone at the FBI. As he briefed the team, Abbott was annoyed at being interrupted by his tech specialist.
"What do you need, Mr. Wylie?" Dennis asked impatiently.
"Well, Sir, there's someone here to see you." The young man answered nervously. "Um… it's Richard Haibach."
"Go get Jane… NOW." Abbott instructed, with tempered alarm.
Fischer and Abbott watched with great interest as the Haibach interview began. Kim had wanted to be in on the interrogation beside Jane, but Dennis had insisted that it be left to Jane and Lisbon.
"They've got a long history with this guy. They'll know which buttons to push. Besides, it's their team that's under attack, and Grace is their friend. I think we owe it to them to give them this chance."
Kim nodded, haltingly, but with understanding. Though she and Patrick had been having a great time after-hours, she couldn't help wondering if she'd gotten truthful answers about his history with Teresa. As much as they had seemed to click, since partnering up in Austin - and really since the island - she couldn't shake the feeling that the waters ran much deeper between him and Lisbon. Her agent-y side kicked those thoughts to the back of her mind once the questioning began.
In the interrogation room, Jane and Lisbon teamed up just like the old days. It was as if their shared worries about Grace had snapped them back to their old selves, opening a temporary portal to the past. The two partners were like clockwork, with Lisbon being cool but firm, and Jane tricking Haibach into sharing information through poking at the man's pride, provoking him to share 'guesses' of where Van Pelt might be, using the jerk's own arrogance against him.
On the other side of the glass, Cho and Rigsby walked into the observation area just as Kim was spouting an unpopular theory.
"Him showing up like this is a bad sign" Kim told Abbott as Haibach shared his thoughts confidently. Almost gleefully. "Ninety percent of the time it means the victim's already dead."
Overhearing from behind, Wayne turned rigid. Kim's suspicions sent him careening recklessly into interrogation - collaring Haibach and demanding to know where Grace was being held.
When Cho burst in, to get Rigsby under control, Haibach's agitation grew even louder; Seeming to reference Jane's fake Red John list, and how it had falsely sent Bob Kirkland after him.
"I lost my thumb because of you!" He glared into Patrick. "This is all your fault!"
With that, Jane went silent and left the room.
Lisbon's heart was heavy at seeing her partner's change in demeanor. She knew how easily the man slipped into guilt. If Haibach blamed him for the Kirkland thing, then Jane was probably blaming himself for Grace's capture. She needed to talk him out of those thoughts before he did something crazy, but someone needed to stay and stick it to Haibach.
As Lisbon took control of the room, and continued the questioning in interrogation, Jane found Wayne in the hallway.
"Hey, Rigsby, listen. I understand how you're feeling right now, believe me." Jane made stern eye contact with his friend. "But you are a father and you have children you need to see grow up." Wayne nodded. If anyone knew the importance of being there for your children, it was Jane. "Besides, I think she's still alive."
"You do?!" Wayne answered breathlessly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Yes. Haibach's revenge plan was disrupted when Grace broke his phone hack. He realized then that it was only a matter of time before we tracked him down. This is him making the best of the situation."
Wayne's face relaxed into mindful relief at his friend's words. It helped immensely, just knowing he was not alone. But hearing Patrick Jane say he thought Grace was alive… that had especially reset Rigsby's attitude.
Back in the bullpen, Abbott talked with the team, in desperation.
"Haibach's lawyer is on her way and time's running out. I'm thinking that, if he's behind all this, he must have an accomplice. These crimes are too all-encompassing for one man to pull off alone. We need to go over his life and history with a fine tooth comb - and at lightning speed."
While the team researched, Wayne isolated himself in an empty meeting room to video-chat with his son, Ben.
Passing through the adjacent hallway, Lisbon noticed Wayne's taut face, through the glass wall, as he tried to keep his terror under wraps, for Ben's sake. Teresa didn't like it, but she knew she had to tell her friend what was happening. She waited outside the door for Rigsby to say goodnight to his son, then knocked on the doorframe and walked in, wearing a look of empathy.
"We're probably gonna have to let Haibach go. We don't have enough concrete evidence to hold him." she said soberly.
Wayne left the room without responding, deep in worried thought.
I hate this whole situation, Teresa thought, as she watched him go. She remembered the handful of times Jane had gotten himself kidnapped. And how helpless and terrified she had felt each and every time. She could completely relate: It does things to you, when someone you lov… um… she corrected herself… when someone you care for is in such danger.
Wayne's purposeful walk ended at a brown leather couch.
"Jane…" Rigsby's eyes were full of fear, determination and desperation. "Whatever it takes. Please, I'm begging you - We have to get Grace back!"
Jane got up wordlessly and walked directly to interrogation, where he intentionally provoked and threatened Richard Haibach in front of his lawyer - Throwing the psycho off his game and out of his mind. Patrick also incited the ire of Dennis Abbott, who ushered the consultant out of the room, with a stiff upper lip.
"What in the hell were you doing?" Dennis spat.
"The unexpected." Jane replied calmly, as if his answer was obvious.
"Yeah…, it was that." Abbott muttered angrily.
Jane explained, with frustrated urgency. "He came in with a plan. Now we don't know what that plan is, but he does. So he knows the pattern in advance. We need to break that pattern." The consultant punctuated his last three words - poking his right index finger into the air on every syllable.
Huddled at Wylie's desk with some other agents, Lisbon listened as Jason shared a recent discovery.
"There's an older sister named Hazel. She's apparently in New Mexico. I reached out to her, but I haven't heard back—"
Fischer interrupted Wylie as she rushed in, after a failed attempt to talk sense into Haibach's lawyer. Amped up with frustration, she shared the bad news. "We're gonna have to let Haibach go. His lawyer knows we've got no reason to hold him."
"I'll tell Rigsby." Cho walked off, dreading the conversation.
Within an hour, Jane's 'whatever it takes' plan was fully in motion.
When the FBI got the report from county law enforcement that Haibach's lawyer had been found abandoned, walking alone in the high country, and that Jane, Rigsby and Haibach were now missing, Abbott was furious - sure that Jane was behind this, and equally sure his actions had guaranteed that the afore-threatened lawsuit was now a done deal. Sternly, he read Cho and Lisbon the riot act, and sent Fischer to find Haibach, Jane and Rigsby.
"But Boss, we had no knowledge about any of this!" Lisbon defended.
"She's right, Abbott." Cho backed her up.
"I don't care who knew what! What's done is done, and now I have to do damage control. Fischer is in charge of finding Jane and Rigsby. You two work here with Wylie to find Grace."
"Boss I know Jane better than anyone," Lisbon pleaded, ignoring the slightly offended look on Kim's face at her assertion. "Let me be the one to go after him."
"Sorry Lisbon. I need fresh eyes on this, not someone with allegiances from the CBI." Abbott wouldn't budge. "Fischer, get a chopper ready, and search the area Wylie's narrowed down for Hazel Haibach's abandoned cabin."
"Yes sir!" Kim answered obediently, refusing to look at Lisbon for the moment.
Great. Lisbon thought. Now she and Cho were on Abbott's bad side and Kim was put in charge of finding Jane. Teresa was sick with worry. Kim would never know what to do in time to save Jane from himself.
"We have to be on that helicopter, Kimball." She said quietly, to her trusted friend and the only other agent in Austin whom she trusted with Jane.
"I agree."
The two proceeded to gang up on Fischer, as she grabbed a snack in the break room.
"Kim, I'm begging you. Cho and I are well-versed in keeping Jane from getting himself killed. If you care for him at all, you'll let us come with you on the search."
Teresa had gone straight for the heart, Kim noted. Still, she had to admit the woman was right about them having more experience with her puzzle of a boyfriend. She was still getting her bearings, on that dizzying front.
"She's right, Fischer." Cho spoke with import. "If there were a specialized unit for the search and rescue of Patrick Jane, it would be us. Put us on that chopper."
Kim had mixed feelings. She was developing strong feelings for Jane and wanted to support his play at helping his dear friends by being a team player. But she also knew that Abbott had sent her because of her separation from the California team, and because he saw her as trustworthy. She didn't want to mess that up either. In the end though, her heart won.
"Very well. But understand that I'm the agent in charge. You two are there strictly in advisory and support roles."
"Done." Cho agreed.
"Thank you, Kim." Lisbon squeezed Fischer's hand with deep sincerity. "You're doing the right thing."
Kim hoped she was right, though she wasn't completely sure…
Cho followed Lisbon and Fischer into Abbott's office as the two women updated their boss on the location of Hazel Haibach's mountain cabin - and the updated personnel involved in the search.
Dennis finished a quick phone call, finalizing permission for the chopper.
"We'll be there in an hour." He said with authority. "Fischer's in charge."
"Understood." Cho said, with an agreeable nod from Lisbon, as the three hurried to grab their gear and get to the rooftop landing pad.
Kim and Teresa jumped into the helicopter alongside Cho, the two women seated side by side.
Fischer shouted over the rotors: "Patrick loves getting himself into the middle of trouble, doesn't he!"
Lisbon nodded slowly, with fearful eyes. "He really hates violence though - his dad was abusive. And his ability to read people so well means that he can also read evil intentions. If he's inside Haibach's head, then I worry he may be frantic, or momentarily frozen with fear." She turned to make eye contact. "You had better keep him safe when you two are partnered up on cases!" Teresa's words were stern and almost threatening, but her eyes showed desperation and worry.
"Damn." Kim muttered, looking away.
"What?"
"I knew you two were closer than advertised. This is awkward."
"We are NOT closer than advertised!" Lisbon defended, with a very believable look of bemused offense at the accusation. "He closes cases! If he's gone then I have to work harder!" She shrugged, and covered her sincere feelings of concern with a chuckle.
Fischer laughed too, and nodded, seemingly appeased.
Cho was refreshed to find the rest of the ride was silent… As silent as a helicopter ride can get, anyway.
Meanwhile, all hell was breaking loose in the Sierra Nevadas.
Jane had successfully tricked Haibach into guiding him and Rigsby to Grace's location at Hazel's mountain cabin. Wayne had sustained gunshot wounds. Grace had witnessed it, screaming in terror at watching her true love drop lifelessly to the kitchen floor. Haibach had grabbed the consultant's arm and pulled him outside, terrorizing him with evil, cruel games involving bodily harm and an ax.
Now, Richard was readying himself to sever Jane's left hand, speaking in confused riddles, raising the blade high above him, petrifying the fake psychic into stasis.
CRACK!
Haibach fell to the ground, precisely when the sound of the gunshot hit Jane's ears.
Snapping his attention to the source of the sound, Jane was amazed and relieved to see his injured friend, Wayne, miraculously standing against the cabin with a shotgun in-hand. The ex-CBI detective had shot Haibach dead, but then quickly slumped once more from his own injuries.
Jane slowly looked down at his ten fully-intact fingers with intense relief. Still in a traumatic haze, he looked up just in time to see Grace and Wayne cling fiercely to each other - bruised, battered, bloodied, but alive. A vision of a similarly fierce embrace flashed in his mind at the sight. He and Teresa on a beachside bluff. He had told her how much she meant to him. Her eyes had been the closest to loving as he'd ever seen them. Then he had tricked her, the lure of Red John overpowering the truth of his feelings for his closest friend and most beautiful partner. His mind slapped his heart back to reality: moments like that were exactly why he needed to stay the course with his current plan. Teresa deserved better. At least Wayne was alive, and he and Grace would be able to live happily-ever-after.
Finally allowing himself to sink into his own exhaustion, Patrick fell back into the snow, like a dead snow-angel, as the sound of an approaching helicopter grew louder .
When the FBI chopper landed to rescue Jane, Rigsby and Van Pelt, Lisbon's heart was in shambles. She had been petrified for her friend Grace from the moment she'd heard she was missing. She'd had to use all of her best mediator skills - plus some of Jane's calming techniques - to keep Wayne sane enough to help with the early stages of the search. Worst of all, she'd caught sight of a terrifying scene from the sky, as they'd approached just now, that she hadn't been able to make sense of: Why was her partner lying, still as a corpse, in the snow?! And why was he beside the lifeless body of that psychopath Haibach?!
The very moment the copter touched down, Lisbon was off to the races. Kim yelled something to her but she didn't even hear it, she was so beside herself with panic and fear.
"Jane?! You alright?!" Lisbon shouted into the distance between them, battling familiar worry. How many times had she been in this situation? Sure that he had finally gotten himself killed? She ran full-speed to Jane, desperately needing to touch him… to feel his heartbeat… to hear him breathing… she needed reassurance that he was okay.
But somehow Kim reached him first. Teresa was infinitely glad to see that he was able to move, clearly alive and breathing, but she was markedly less glad to see him lean into Kim for healing and comfort… seeing his hands move lovingly over her back… seeing him cling to her for protection…
Protecting Patrick Jane had been at the top of Lisbon's self-imposed job description for longer than she could remember. But now she had apparently been replaced. It was a devastating blow to whatever hopes she may have still been harboring for herself and her longtime partner. This had been a near-death experience for him, and those had a way of clarifying things - she'd seen it dozens of times in her work with victims and their families; And Jane had turned to Kim… hadn't even offered a glance to her. Lisbon took in a long, deep breath. It really and truly was time to move on. She turned away, and walked through the winter scene toward the cabin, each crunchy snow-step echoing the crumbling in her heart. Each teardrop quickly wiped away, leaving only a frozen stain on her cheeks.
Jane was traumatized. He had watched his good friend Wayne be shot - twice. And his dear friend Grace had been held prisoner, forced to watch her soulmate nearly killed; Jane would never forget her shrieks of horror. And then, Haibach's lunacy had nearly paralyzed him, as he played psychotic games, threatening to chop off Jane's hands, a finger at a time, with a rusty axe. These sounds and images were spinning in Patrick's memory palace, threatening to wreck room after room, as he lay in the snow, his body slipping further into shock.
In the din of discord, he listened closely for the sound he had grown to expect, whenever he was in trouble. After every close call… after every near death experience… there was always Lisbon. His pint-sized heroine was always first on the scene. After being so mortally rattled, Teresa was the healing salve his heart most craved. Surely he could hold her, and breathe her in for a few moments without harm. No one would take the musings of a traumatized victim in shock too seriously. Kim would understand- he wasn't in his right mind. He could allow himself to sink into Teresa, under the cover of trauma, then pivot to Kim once he 'came to his senses.'
"Jane?! You alright?!"
There it was… that beautiful voice… still full of care. And he could hear her panicked footsteps, sprinting through the snow. No matter what angry words had been exchanged, the anguished tone in her voice now showed that she still cared for him, and deeply. He smiled, and closed his eyes, eagerly anticipating a glance at her emerald pools of concern.
But the eyes that looked back at him with fright, when his own reopened, were a dark brown… this was all wrong! Where was Lisbon? He was positive he'd heard her voice?
"Got yourself beaten up again, eh, Patrick?" Fischer attempted humor, trying to calm her gorgeous boyfriend after what must have been a terrifying afternoon.
Oh… it's Kim… she must have outrun Teresa? That didn't seem likely. But nonetheless, he would have to forego the calculated daydream moment with his heart's desire. He had to get into character and jump back into his plan. Lisbon's concerns and care would fade once he recovered and once she got over the shock of the mortal danger he had been in. He leaned into Kim, wishing she were Teresa… Whispering the correct name, but substituting every sensory message received with his memories of feeling, smelling, and hearing his dearest Lisbon. His memory palace was a fortress from which no fact ever escaped once committed. And he could live quite adequately this way. His plan was working. At least, those were the things he told himself to avoid the sound of his breaking heart.
Once Teresa got to the cabin, she saw Grace, being tended to by Cho and some other agents. Van Pelt was more than anxious to go to the hospital with Wayne, but nonetheless paused for a moment of concern when she saw Lisbon's face.
"Is Jane okay?!" She asked fearfully.
"Jane's fine." Lisbon croaked, the words barely audible. "He's with Kim." Feeling new tears burning, Teresa turned away quickly to search the rest of the house, angry with herself for not even bothering to tell Grace how relieved she was to see that she was safe… completely missing the look of pained understanding in her friend's eyes.
It was clear to Grace that the phrase 'he's with Kim' referred to more than just Jane's current physical location. She remembered how heartbreaking it had been for herself and Wayne, as they'd each tried to fool themselves with other partners. She hoped and prayed that Jane would come to his senses soon, and that he would do it before Lisbon got tangled up with a substitute of her own.