In the morning, Lisbon was slowly sipping her favorite blend from the travel mug she'd had since her CBI ten-year anniversary party. She took a moment to enjoy some interesting cloud formations that caught her attention from outside her front window. As she walked up to the glass, smiling at the swirls in the sky, she suddenly got self-conscious, realizing she was practically standing in the picture window, wearing only a Bears jersey and a pair of cotton underpants. "Damn it! FBI spies are probably getting an eyeful - I'm not even wearing a bra!" She grumbled to herself, shooting a side-eye at the dark sedan by the c— Wait… Where was the sedan?!
To Teresa's absolute astonishment, there were no dark cars anywhere on her street, as far as she could see. She marched to the kitchen and slammed the mug onto the counter - hard enough to jostle coffee onto the surface; then ran to throw some actual clothes on. Wanting to have a look around the block, she decided to take the opportunity for a jog through the neighborhood. She'd been neglecting her fitness these past few months anyway, and could really benefit from an easy run - not to mention the stress relief some cardio would provide. So, with her phone in the side pocket of her running capris, and her long-lost ASICS's comfortably laced, she took one more sip of coffee, then locked the front door behind her as she started off.
She jumped with alarm the second her feet hit the pavement, being surprised by her elderly neighbor from two doors down.
"Good morning, Teresa! Isn't it a lovely day? Did you see those clouds earlier?!"
Lisbon had to smile. Mrs. Oranjestad reminded her so much of her Grandma Lisbon. "Yes, Mrs. O! They were really beautiful, weren't they?"
"Oh, they were, my dear! Going for a run, I see?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"I'm so glad to see you out and about again! I was beginning to worry about you," the woman leaned in and spoke more quietly, "Especially with the suspicious characters that have been casing the joint lately." Her neighbor was so cute, being overly secretive for that last part, as if the grass and sky had ears - which they may, Lisbon reasoned. Still, she brushed it off.
"Suspicious characters, you say? Can you describe them?" Teresa played dumb, figuring it was the safest play, if anyone actually was listening. Plus, it was a good excuse to see what Mrs. O. may have seen or heard regarding the FBI spies.
"There have been two men parked by this curb for just shy of a week!" The woman was clearly grumpy about that, flailing her hands to her sides as she spoke. "And one day, they both got out and started poking around in the trash cans, peeking in windows and such - and both of them wore black suits! Like they wore in that movie… what's the one where Will Smith and the other guy round up the aliens?"
"Men in Black?"
"Yes! That's the one - they dressed just like that! Anyway, I worried they may be planning to break into the building or something. You're the youngest and prettiest tenant here, so naturally I worried the most about you, dear."
Teresa smiled and shook her head, amused at this sweet old lady, who had essentially become her surrogate Grandma, over the years. "I appreciate your concerns, but I'm fine, Mrs. O, and I know how to take care of myself."
"I know, dear. But I still worry." The woman smiled.
Lisbon thanked her and gave her a warm hug before waving goodbye and settling into a quick walking pace for a warmup.
After running a respectable number of miles, considering her extended break, Teresa returned to her front step for a few Achilles stretches before ducking inside for the full complement of cool down exercises. Where were the FBI spies? She hadn't seen anything remotely resembling FBI surveillance anywhere in the neighborhood, and though that should have calmed her, it was actually making her nervous.
If they weren't here, bugging her, then where were they and who were they harassing? Despite her attempts to quiet her mind, during the sequence of yoga poses she routinely did after running workouts, she couldn't stop wondering why the dark sedan was gone. And though she tried her best to biofeedback her thoughts into reason, they nonetheless insisted on presenting her with an endless list of cataclysmic explanations: They didn't need to keep eyes on her anymore because they'd already captured or killed Jane; They had shifted strategies and decided to torture the carnies instead; They had temporarily retreated before storming her building with flash bangs and gunfire. As she deliberately counted her breathing, in slow inhales, holds, and exhales, she prayed for the safety of the man she loved, as well as those friends and family whom he, himself, held dear. As she exhaled a final breath to end her stretching routine, Lisbon's burner phone began ringing. With some alarm, based on her recent worries, she saw the caller ID number was from the Barsockys' phone.
"Little Pepper here," she answered nervously, greatly relieved upon hearing loud chortling on the line, in response.
"Hello Miss Pepper!" Sam was enjoying this far too much, Lisbon laughed to herself. "I'm calling from Jack's Apothecary, and your prescription is in, ma'am! When will you be over to pick it up? Or would you prefer home delivery?"
Clever, Teresa was impressed once again with the carnies' ingenuity. They would make excellent undercover agents, she thought, with pride. "You know, I think home delivery might work best today. Can you call back when you're nearby? I want to be sure and meet you at the door."
"Will do ma'am! See you soon!"
Figuring she would have plenty of time before Samantha and Pete reached her from the fairgrounds, Lisbon hopped in for a quick shower, still bothered by the absence of the FBI car. She had a brief reprieve from her anxious thoughts when a pleasant daydream of Jane entered her head: He was watching dolphins swim off the coast, as he and she were wading in the shallows. In the daydream, Patrick turned to look deeply into her eyes and run his hands over her ocean-soaked hair as it clung flatly to her head and neck. While she rinsed the shampoo from her hair, in her apartment shower, she imagined what it might feel like to have Jane massaging the lather from her locks, instead. Finishing her cleansing at lightning speed - even by her near-military standards - Teresa was shocked to see that, by the time she had gotten dried and dressed, she had gained three messages on her burner.
She was relieved that it wasn't the carnies' number - she wasn't ready for them yet. But Lisbon was apprehensive about what might cause Cho to reach out three times within the same ten-minute span. Bracing herself for the worst, she played the messages, in order:
"Hi May, it's Virgil. You shouldn't see too much action on your curb for a while. There was an anonymous source that sent your friends to the docks. Not sure if that's legit or a wild goose chase, but the AG is involved and apparently, they are opening every single container on the pier in search of human trafficking victims. It's a huge deal, and the boss is still trying to save face after RJ, so he had no choice but to call off your goons for now."
That was a relief. Even if they were gone for just the next hour it would be a huge help, Lisbon thought, as the next message started to play.
"Hey, me again. Just overheard something interesting. They were right about our friend. The advance agent has made contact. We need to move fast."
Crap. They were already talking with him?! Filling his head with lies and danger, no doubt. Teresa quickly made a note to move some cash from Danny's account to a new one she had opened under an assumed name - thanks to the Rigsbys unadvertised 'digital background construction' services. She also wanted to ask Grace to double-check her map coordinates. Lisbon had finally typed the digits and decimals into a secure GPS after reading Jane's new message last night. The best she could tell, he was on the southwest side of an island off the coast of Venezuela. She trusted the Barsockys, but wanted a second opinion before spending the time and money for an overseas flight - especially when time was of the essence. Throwing her suitcase on the bed, and starting the packing process, she played Cho's third message:
"Last message for now. The agent beside me just processed travel arrangements for several agents to the tropics. The team leaves tomorrow morning. Call me so I know your plan. Will do my best to support from here. Bringing Rigs up to speed next. Talk soon."
Teresa's head was spinning as she left a voicemail on the Rigsbys' burner phone. They must be talking to Cho, she hoped, when she was greeted by a busy signal and the voicemail prompt. Before Grace could call back, Sam and Pete's number popped up on the caller ID.
"Pepper here."
"We're close. Still good?"
Lisbon glanced carefully out the window, still seeing nothing suspicious. "Still good."
"Be there in five." The phone clicked before she could respond.
A few minutes later, the RV pulled up beside her driveway, and a veritable parade of carnies traipsed up to her front door. When she peeked outside, she was surprised at the crew on her step. Teresa opened the door and quickly ushered them inside. The Barsockys found their seats first, then Jack Hellion and Danny Ruskin filed in.
"So, hi everybody!" Lisbon called out, wide-eyed at the crowd in her smallish living room. "I'm afraid to ask what kind of prescription might require this many delivery people!" The group laughed with her.
"Well," Pete started, "it's not so much a prescription delivery as it is a strategy session. It was important that all of us could be here at once to go over some things."
Teresa was surprised that made perfect sense to her. I've clearly been affected permanently by working with Jane, she laughed to herself. "Makes sense! Let's strategize then!" She walked to take another look out at the street. Seeing no dark cars, she shuffled everyone to the kitchen table to chat. "I'm not sure how long our luck will hold out with the FBI cars, but the curb's been clear all day."
Danny grinned and rocked on his heels a bit, once again looking like a blood relative of Jane's, as he stood behind a kitchen chair. "I don't think we'll have to worry about them for a long while," he sparkled knowingly.
"Oh no, Danny… What did you do?!" Lisbon felt the strangest sense of déjà vu as she raised her eyebrows at Patrick's brother-in-law.
Switching to an innocent expression, he threw his arms to the sides in a questioning pose. "I'm just saying, I heard they'd gotten some anonymous tip about a bogus shipping container of hijacked humans, that's all. Going through every single container on the Sacramento docks is gonna take hours… maybe even days!"
Teresa's eyes got huge, as she made the connection between Danny's backpedaled defense and the message she'd just heard from Cho. "So… an 'anonymous tip,' huh?"
"Yeah. Isn't that the strangest thing?" Jack winked at Danny as he spoke with thick sarcasm.
"It really is!" Ruskin dished the sarcasm right back at the magician.
"Oh my god." She dropped her forehead to her right hand as she thought about the federal crime that had most likely been committed by one or more of the people in her kitchen. But she quickly recovered, knowing there was no time to lecture the carnies. Not if the FBI were already with Jane. "Okay, whatever. I'm glad those oafs are gone. What else is there to discuss?"
Danny stepped closer and handed her a small key.
"What's this?"
"I expect you'll need to travel to the airport eventually, and from the look on your face right now I'm guessing sooner rather than later."
"You're right Danny," Teresa deflated a bit as she spoke, "A trusted source confirmed that the FBI already has an agent in contact with Jane. That agent is on the island with him now, and a team of agents are flying out to join in, tomorrow morning."
"Damn." Jack sighed heavily.
"Yeah, it's bad." Lisbon couldn't stop a tear from escaping at the thought of just how perilous things could get for Jane… at any moment, really.
Sam walked over and surrounded the agent in a supportive hug. "This is gonna work out, Teresa, you'll see. We're here to house sit while you're gone, and we've been in touch with the Rigsbys and Cho. They support the idea, and we're all gonna be your administrative team while you're on your cruise."
"My what?!" Lisbon's eyebrows quickly pressed together in confusion.
"Your cruise!" Pete said. "Well, we had to tell your elderly neighbor something, so we decided the reason we were all squatting in your house was because we were friends of the family who'd gifted you a fabulous vacation after all the stress you've been under," he winked.
"You guys are hilarious," she laughed, but I do really need to get packed, so what's this key for, Danny?"
"Well, to maintain the status quo, we thought you might want to keep your SUV parked here at home, so the key is to your loaner car. It'll get you to the airport incognito, and to the casual passerby - or FBI spy - it'll seem like you're still home since the SUV is here."
"Smart! Thanks Danny! Is that it, in the driveway?" She asked looking outside.
"Yeah, that little green one."
"Perfect!"
"Okay Lisbon, we're gonna skedaddle so you can get your travel plans in place. But we'll start the house sitting tomorrow."
"Thanks again, all of you!" Lisbon's eyes were misting up again as she gave Pete a house key and the alarm code.
Once the parade of carnies had reversed course, and all was quiet, Lisbon hatched her plan immediately. After a couple careful phone calls to secure funds, and to double-check her destination, Teresa managed to reserve a flight that very night - equal parts frightened and giddy about her plan. She hated spontaneously hurling herself into unknowns like this, but she was panicked that the FBI would take advantage of Jane's partnership with her, manipulating his vulnerable heart and landing him in the electric chair; not to mention the fact that the thought of even a glimpse of Jane had her in knots.
What was it about that man that wouldn't let go of her, anyway? Part of what gripped her, she guessed, was the ability she'd been given to see right into his inner goodness… his inner vulnerabilities… She alone could see glimpses of the heartbroken child who'd been put in a corner by Alex Jane's school of deceit, never to return; until the corner he'd spent a lifetime hiding in had been demolished by Red John's vengeance. She'd been blessed (or cursed) to see into the grown man's vulnerable heart, depressed by losses beyond imagination, and still desperate for love and acceptance. The same empathy, care, and - yes, she could safely admit it now - love, that had led her to protect her own brothers, growing up, had likewise led her to protect and hopefully save her gorgeously damaged Jane. He was such a paradox. Good and bad, confident and fragile, the safest place she could imagine, but always with a hint of danger… the most beautiful man she'd ever met, but with the roughest of edges.
Continuing to strategize in her mind, she finished packing and took one final walk, through every room in the apartment - checking for things she'd forgotten, and also setting timers for all the lights. On her way to the door, she noticed a text message on the new phone the carnies had left with her; they had brought the device today as a favor to Grace Van Pelt, who'd wanted to be sure Lisbon had reliable cell service while overseas, and had configured the new phone with those capabilities.
The message was from Cho: "Enjoy the cruise. Heard you got a fabulous deal on the sand and spa package. Talk to Franklin when you check in. He's got a line on a beach lounger with great views."
Teresa smiled. It was great to know the team was behind her in this, and especially comforting to know Cho was running point for the stateside operation. She didn't know who Franklin was, but hoped the 'views' Cho mentioned included a fake psychic. With the key to the little green car in her hand, Teresa took a deep breath and said a quick prayer before setting off for the airport and her red-eye flight to the tropics.
The sun felt glorious as Teresa bathed in it, stretched out peacefully, resting her travel-weary bones, just a few yards from the surf that played its soothing song in her ears. She puzzled, as she peered across the wide sand from her somewhat distant lounger, scanning the beach for her exiled partner from underneath a wide-brimmed hat, through dark sunglasses that were much too big for her face.
When she first caught sight of him on that beach, she barely recognized the man. He was dressed in gauzy casual wear, and was so devoid of his usually controlled defenses that she almost felt like a shameful voyeur, despite the public setting. And God, that vulnerability looked breathtaking on him; as did the sun-kissed curls and unkempt facial hair. He looked at once lost and sad, but at the same time seemed so light as to be practically floating. She smiled and shook her head slowly in amazement at this new, wondrously unburdened personality being freshly worn by her longtime partner.
But wait. She sat up taller. Who was that woman beside him at the bar? She was too far away to try any lip reading, but it seemed like Jane and the woman were speaking quite comfortably with one another. Must have found the one other native-English-speaker on the island, she thought with annoyance; she'd had no such luck during her short visit, and had been quite grateful to Cho for reminding her to take a Spanish phrase book and a translation app on her mission. But really, what were the odds that the only other English speaker on the beach would be both a woman and drop-dead gorgeous?
Lisbon rolled her eyes from behind the shades, just as the sound of a child's pop gun from the near beach sent the woman's hand to her hip, in a flash. That caused a sudden bolt of suspicion to flash in Teresa's mind: Hmm… Additionally, what were the odds that the gorgeous English-speaking woman would also have cop instincts? Cho hadn't mentioned that the agent in place was a woman, but that would make a lot of sense if they wanted to charm Jane into their trap.
Remarkably, it seemed Jane hadn't noticed anything suspicious. He was apparently so enamored with the novelty of speaking in his native tongue that his perceptions were dulled a bit. "Great…" she whispered to herself with sarcasm, "gorgeous enough to dull his senses."
She would have to move quickly to find out more about this woman. Aside from any jealousies that she may or may not admit to having, Lisbon was bristling with protectiveness towards her partner right now. He had used his charms to get information from, and manipulate female suspects many times over the years. She refused to stand idly by and watch this woman reverse those roles on him.
She took some tourist photos as clandestinely as possible, making sure to get several snaps that included the mystery woman in the frame. Jane was never recognizably in any of the pics though, Lisbon's protective nature was prompting her towards caution when it came to any media that could possibly be intercepted or doctored. She certainly didn't want to confirm any more of Abbott's suspicions for him, or to make the FBI's planned entrapment of her best friend in the world any easier.
Deciding she'd had enough sun - and enough of watching 'new Jane' with this mystery woman - Teresa gathered her things into her beach bag and flip-flopped her way back to her nearby hotel. Once there, she reached out to Cho, sending him the best photo she had captured of the woman in question. While she waited to hear back from her teammate, she relaxed on her ocean view balcony with a complimentary piña colada, courtesy of the special 'sand and spa package' she'd booked. It seemed an extravagance, but on such short notice it was all that remained available anywhere near Jane's location. Besides, even with same-day international airfare, the purchase price didn't even make a dent in the account Jane had given to Danny for emergencies, so Teresa tried her best to not feel guilty about any of it.
An hour or so later, she got a text from Cho: "Not sure if Abbott's advance man is a woman but will check. They have an address now. I'm sending the coordinates."
Lisbon was practically shaking with anticipation, as she typed Cho's coordinates into her internationally-equipped backup phone, and grabbed her things. Stay safe, Jane, I'm so very close now. Please stay sharp and just… stay safe.