Vacation Blues (5 + 6/16)
Part Five
With an experienced hand, Lisbon dealt with the impossible receptionist with ease. It didn’t take much effort or energy for her to be polite with people who annoyed her. She’d had more than enough experience with that, thanks to three wayward brothers and a certain Patrick Jane. Of course, both Jane and the receptionist were trying her patience, but that was something she tried not to show. Besides, the situation wasn’t the poor girl’s fault and she could tell that she was out of her depth. In reality, this was something the management should have been dealing with, but they had left it to an inexperienced child who was probably in her first job.
When Lisbon thanked her for her time, the girl seemed relieved that they were finally leaving her in peace. The feeling was mutual; she knew that Jane could tell she was getting annoyed and he was practically hopping from foot to foot, waiting for her to explode when it came to their current dilemma. It was only when they had reached the elevator and the doors had shut firmly behind them that she decided to speak. There was no point in trying to hide things from Jane; it would just force him to push her further, until she told him anyway.
"You have got to be kidding me," Lisbon hissed under her breath.
"Well they can't help if there are no other vacancies, Teresa."
She quickly sent him a pointed glare, but Lisbon knew that wouldn't be enough to silence Jane. He smiled broadly in response and instead of encouraging him, she chose to stalk off in the direction of Jane’s hotel room. Already, she was feeling tired and irritable: the complete opposite of the reason she had been prescribed this vacation. How was she supposed to relax when it was practically turning into a mitigated disaster before her very eyes? When Jane quickly followed her, she wasn't surprised in the slightest. Where, precisely, else was he going to go? Just because they were in a different state, it didn't mean he was going to change his M.O.
"I should see if there are any vacancies elsewhere," she eventually said when he joined her in front of his room. Lisbon didn't doubt that Jane had been using the silence against her for the past five minutes and she figured that sometimes, it was just easier to let him win. Sometimes, their silence was companionable, but this wasn't one of those occasions.
"What and spend your whole vacation wasting time looking for another room? And the additional expenditure if you were able to find one?" Jane pointed out, ever the logical one. "At least they have already said they will reimburse you for the duration of your stay."
"That's not the point."
"I know, but is it really that difficult for you to share a room with me? You know that I don't snore."
Lisbon let out a hoarse laugh in response. Part of her did believe that, yes, it really was that bad. Instead of getting two weeks of peace away from him and letting him be Cho's problem for a change, she was practically being forced to spend the time in even closer proximity than usual. And considering he practically seemed to live in her pocket when she was at home, that was quite impressive. Lisbon knew that Jane knew her inside out already, but that didn't stop her from trying to build barriers between them. It was her way of protecting herself from what she perceived as being an inevitable hurt. And then, there was the fear of the unknown and that was half the reason she continued to hold him at arm’s length. She had a shrinking suspicion that this would only serve to break them down once again. If it weren't for the presence of the dead body, Lisbon would have believed that Jane had somehow managed to orchestrate this whole debacle.
But then, as he opened the door to their shared quarters, she figured that at least she wouldn't have the chance to get bored or lonely. Part of the reason she loved her job so much was because she was always being pushed to the very limits, and even more so since Jane had made his spectacular entrance into her life. Though she would never tell him that - he could be insufferable enough as it was - she had always been grateful for his presence in her life. It was just a shame that he had had to initially join her under such tragic circumstances. At least he had stayed after though; that said something about their working partnership. And possibly their personal relationship too, though she never allowed her mind to dwell on that particular issue. It was too unhealthy for her to do such a thing.
This time, she took a proper look around the quarters. It looked comfortable and welcoming at a closer inspection. Everything they could possibly have needed had been supplied - including an electric kettle so that Jane could have his tea. It was practically perfect for a two week vacation for a couple, but then again, she hadn’t really expected anything less. Lisbon sat down on the cream couch, which was situated underneath the light and airy window and stared at the bed when another issue reared its ugly head.
"I am not sharing a bed with you," she stated bluntly.
"I wouldn't ask you to," Jane assured her.
"I'll be fine on the couch."
"Don't be ridiculous. We both know that I don't sleep. You take the bed."
"I-" she started, but Jane swiftly cut her off, much to her irritation.
"I'm not arguing about this, Teresa. You take the bed."
"But it's your room. You paid good money for it," she persisted.
He shrugged his shoulders, but Lisbon already knew that he was adamant about this. Sometimes, he could be as stubborn as she was and it was on those occasions when they really ended up butting heads. But in reality, Lisbon knew that this was one of those trivial things and there was no point in arguing, especially when he was going to inevitably get his own way. Slowly, he sat down beside her and rested his hand on her right thigh. She didn’t react to the touch; she neither welcomed it nor rejected it. Jane had a habit of being fairly tactile with her, even more so since Red John had been dealt with. Lisbon knew that he needed touch in order to feel connected with those he trusted. And considering she knew that he could count the number of people he truly trusted on one hand, she wasn’t going to push him away.
“I got a discount. And besides, you’ll make better use of it.”
“If you’re sure?” she said tentatively.
“Of course I am,” he replied, smiling and looked her directly in the eye.
“Well, thanks. I guess.”
They fell into a restive silence. This time it was a lot more comfortable than any previous ones. The vacation was less than twelve hours old and Lisbon already had to adjust to so many unexpected changes to it. As far as she was concerned, it was a good job she was used to this kind of thing. In the end, the silence was punctuated by the sound of her cell phone ringing cheerily. The number was unknown, but when she heard Agent Decosta on the other end of the line, she wasn’t entirely surprised. Lisbon spoke quickly and concisely and when she turned to face Jane, he was already grinning from ear to ear.
“It was Agent Decosta,” Lisbon explained before Jane had a chance to pre-empt her.
“They want our help?”
“They want our help,” she confirmed, echoing his exact words.
Part Six
After getting instructions to the direction of the Honolulu Morgue, it wasn’t long until Lisbon and Jane were on the road again. Jane had already organized the use of a rental car and Lisbon was more than happy for him to take to the wheel. She trusted him enough to drive her around in his blue contraption at home, so she knew he would be safe enough here. Of course, that didn’t stop her from making several comments about the speed they were traveling at. And naturally, he didn’t pay any attention to her complaints either. It always surprised her that Jane still had a clean driving license, but then, with his silver tongue, he had the ability to talk people out of (or into) anything. That was something she knew from very personal experience.
As they exited the vehicle, she stuffed her hands into her pockets as they approached the entrance to the Morgue. It wouldn’t have been her first destination in the city for a visit as a tourist, but Lisbon was honestly intrigued. Besides, she had never worked on a case from the sidelines, in the position as a consultant. She already hoped that it would give her a perspective on what Jane’s job was actually like. He’d barely said a word throughout the journey; Lisbon suspected that he’d been anticipating this call anyway. And besides, he knew that she wouldn’t be able to say no. Like him, she absolutely couldn’t resist a mystery. She wanted to know who was responsible for this murder and why. Naturally, she also desperately wanted the killer to be brought to justice. The law, though not perfect, had been something she had striven to uphold for such a long while that even outside of her jurisdiction, Lisbon couldn’t stand to see somebody go unpunished. If some people thought that meant she had lofty ideals, then so be it. She could easily live with their judgment.
Agents Halligan and Decosta were waiting for them at the door. Lisbon smiled briefly to them as Halligan rushed forward and grabbed hold of her hand, shaking it enthusiastically before she even had a chance to say hello. Halligan was the younger of the two and he reminded her of a younger Van Pelt; all energy, enthusiasm and eagerness to please. Decosta -the superior of the two of them - was a little more reserved, but nevertheless, still seemed relieved that they had decided to grace them with their presence.
“Thank you for coming,” Decosta said quietly as he took Jane’s hand.
“I’m so glad you could make it, Agent Lisbon,” Halligan started, practically bouncing from foot to foot. “And you, Mr. Jane. We really appreciate your insight.”
“Is this all of your team?” Lisbon asked, curious and Decosta shook his head.
“No, Agent Lily Burton is currently manning the desks at our base. She’s more into the technical side of police work rather than
getting her hands dirty.”
“In this day and age, it’s an important job,” Jane added, keen to defend the woman he’d never met before.
“I’m aware of that,” Decosta replied coolly and led them inside. “The coroner wants to update us on the case. Apparently it’s a little odd, but from what I can gather from Halligan’s overexcited babbling, odd is your area of expertise.”
Lisbon raised a skeptical eyebrow at Jane. Only this morning, both agents were questioning her as if she were a potential suspect in this case. Now, they were welcoming her with open arms and acting as if she were a fountain of all knowledge. Part of her wondered if Halligan had just needed that nudge and time to do a bit of a background check to remind her of their achievements, both as individuals and a partnership. The rest was a little disgusted by their blatant hypocrisy. Still, she wasn’t going to let her judgments stop her from helping the unit. There was still a job to be done, the law to be upheld and answers to be supplied to grieving friends and relatives of the deceased.
“Have you had an I.D. on the victim?” Lisbon asked as they walked inside.
“Yes. His name is Edward Roberts, he’s 47. Originally from Massachusetts, but moved here to go to college and never left. He’s survived by his wife and a sixteen year old daughter.”
“Right. And have you got any further into the investigation?”
“Not yet, ma’am,” Agent Halligan answered quickly. “But Burton is organizing interviews with the family as we speak.”
“Good.”
They were soon interrupted by the coroner who swiftly led them to the body. Lisbon hadn’t been quite sure what to expect; apart from a little blood staining, Edward Parker’s body had been wrapped tightly in crisp white bandages. There had been no sign of what could have been the cause of death, except for some sort of head injury. As it turned out, the pallid body had several bruises, including a large one around the neck. From a brief glance, Lisbon believed it was from a blow to the head rather than a bullet wound. The coroner soon confirmed the blow as being responsible for Parker’s death, but Lisbon could tell that Jane was already distracted.
The canopic jars which had been present in the hotel room had been brought along to the coroner’s office. Jane had spent much of the coroner’s information dump scrutinizing them. He hadn’t bothered to finger them though, much to Lisbon’s relief. At least he seemed to have been behaving for now. Eventually, the coroner brought all three agents attentions over to the jars, where she proceeded to lift the lids off them one by one.
“The body doesn’t look like it’s been butchered in any way,” Lisbon started cautiously when neither Halligan nor Decosta bothered to speak. “Was there anything inside them?”
“Yes, offal,” the coroner confirmed with a decisive nod. “I suspect it was a cow’s liver, heart and lungs.”
“They can be fairly easily bought, yes?”
“Yes. They are not the most popular meats, but there is a certain interest in niche markets,” Decosta confirmed.
“Clearly, they weren’t keen on attention to detail.”
“Keen enough to source some organs, though.”
“But they didn’t want to get their hands dirty. Or they were too lazy, or…”
“Jane…” Lisbon started warningly.
“What? I’m just stating the truth.”
Halligan swallowed a laugh, but Lisbon just looked at Jane despairingly. At least he hadn’t mouthed off about the murderer’s apparent lack of conviction in front of the family. She sincerely doubted they would have taken that well. After all, they’d had enough drive to actually kill the man and they had attempted to dispose of the body in a relatively unique manner. The coroner quickly finished off with her findings, promised to get some information on fingerprinting from the jars back to them before Jane started looking at the body with interest.
“What is it Jane?”
“He was holding something, I think.”
“Oh, yes,” the coroner replied, clearly surprised that he could tell despite the fact she had altered the positioning of the body significantly during her work. “These are the items that were removed from the body.”
“He was holding this?” Jane said, pointing out a screwed up piece of paper.
Decosta pulled on a pair of latex gloves and opened it up. A receipt stared back at them, stating that the man had brought an expensive watch of some variety. Lisbon frowned; that hadn’t been what she had been expecting and going by the expressions of the other two agents, neither had they. Still, as far as she was concerned, it was something to ask the family and his boss about. It was a lead of some sort, even if it did prove to be trivial.
“Interesting,” Jane remarked and Lisbon shook her head.
As far as she was concerned, all it meant was that her day had probably just gotten that little bit longer.
To Part Seven
With an experienced hand, Lisbon dealt with the impossible receptionist with ease. It didn’t take much effort or energy for her to be polite with people who annoyed her. She’d had more than enough experience with that, thanks to three wayward brothers and a certain Patrick Jane. Of course, both Jane and the receptionist were trying her patience, but that was something she tried not to show. Besides, the situation wasn’t the poor girl’s fault and she could tell that she was out of her depth. In reality, this was something the management should have been dealing with, but they had left it to an inexperienced child who was probably in her first job.
When Lisbon thanked her for her time, the girl seemed relieved that they were finally leaving her in peace. The feeling was mutual; she knew that Jane could tell she was getting annoyed and he was practically hopping from foot to foot, waiting for her to explode when it came to their current dilemma. It was only when they had reached the elevator and the doors had shut firmly behind them that she decided to speak. There was no point in trying to hide things from Jane; it would just force him to push her further, until she told him anyway.
"You have got to be kidding me," Lisbon hissed under her breath.
"Well they can't help if there are no other vacancies, Teresa."
She quickly sent him a pointed glare, but Lisbon knew that wouldn't be enough to silence Jane. He smiled broadly in response and instead of encouraging him, she chose to stalk off in the direction of Jane’s hotel room. Already, she was feeling tired and irritable: the complete opposite of the reason she had been prescribed this vacation. How was she supposed to relax when it was practically turning into a mitigated disaster before her very eyes? When Jane quickly followed her, she wasn't surprised in the slightest. Where, precisely, else was he going to go? Just because they were in a different state, it didn't mean he was going to change his M.O.
"I should see if there are any vacancies elsewhere," she eventually said when he joined her in front of his room. Lisbon didn't doubt that Jane had been using the silence against her for the past five minutes and she figured that sometimes, it was just easier to let him win. Sometimes, their silence was companionable, but this wasn't one of those occasions.
"What and spend your whole vacation wasting time looking for another room? And the additional expenditure if you were able to find one?" Jane pointed out, ever the logical one. "At least they have already said they will reimburse you for the duration of your stay."
"That's not the point."
"I know, but is it really that difficult for you to share a room with me? You know that I don't snore."
Lisbon let out a hoarse laugh in response. Part of her did believe that, yes, it really was that bad. Instead of getting two weeks of peace away from him and letting him be Cho's problem for a change, she was practically being forced to spend the time in even closer proximity than usual. And considering he practically seemed to live in her pocket when she was at home, that was quite impressive. Lisbon knew that Jane knew her inside out already, but that didn't stop her from trying to build barriers between them. It was her way of protecting herself from what she perceived as being an inevitable hurt. And then, there was the fear of the unknown and that was half the reason she continued to hold him at arm’s length. She had a shrinking suspicion that this would only serve to break them down once again. If it weren't for the presence of the dead body, Lisbon would have believed that Jane had somehow managed to orchestrate this whole debacle.
But then, as he opened the door to their shared quarters, she figured that at least she wouldn't have the chance to get bored or lonely. Part of the reason she loved her job so much was because she was always being pushed to the very limits, and even more so since Jane had made his spectacular entrance into her life. Though she would never tell him that - he could be insufferable enough as it was - she had always been grateful for his presence in her life. It was just a shame that he had had to initially join her under such tragic circumstances. At least he had stayed after though; that said something about their working partnership. And possibly their personal relationship too, though she never allowed her mind to dwell on that particular issue. It was too unhealthy for her to do such a thing.
This time, she took a proper look around the quarters. It looked comfortable and welcoming at a closer inspection. Everything they could possibly have needed had been supplied - including an electric kettle so that Jane could have his tea. It was practically perfect for a two week vacation for a couple, but then again, she hadn’t really expected anything less. Lisbon sat down on the cream couch, which was situated underneath the light and airy window and stared at the bed when another issue reared its ugly head.
"I am not sharing a bed with you," she stated bluntly.
"I wouldn't ask you to," Jane assured her.
"I'll be fine on the couch."
"Don't be ridiculous. We both know that I don't sleep. You take the bed."
"I-" she started, but Jane swiftly cut her off, much to her irritation.
"I'm not arguing about this, Teresa. You take the bed."
"But it's your room. You paid good money for it," she persisted.
He shrugged his shoulders, but Lisbon already knew that he was adamant about this. Sometimes, he could be as stubborn as she was and it was on those occasions when they really ended up butting heads. But in reality, Lisbon knew that this was one of those trivial things and there was no point in arguing, especially when he was going to inevitably get his own way. Slowly, he sat down beside her and rested his hand on her right thigh. She didn’t react to the touch; she neither welcomed it nor rejected it. Jane had a habit of being fairly tactile with her, even more so since Red John had been dealt with. Lisbon knew that he needed touch in order to feel connected with those he trusted. And considering she knew that he could count the number of people he truly trusted on one hand, she wasn’t going to push him away.
“I got a discount. And besides, you’ll make better use of it.”
“If you’re sure?” she said tentatively.
“Of course I am,” he replied, smiling and looked her directly in the eye.
“Well, thanks. I guess.”
They fell into a restive silence. This time it was a lot more comfortable than any previous ones. The vacation was less than twelve hours old and Lisbon already had to adjust to so many unexpected changes to it. As far as she was concerned, it was a good job she was used to this kind of thing. In the end, the silence was punctuated by the sound of her cell phone ringing cheerily. The number was unknown, but when she heard Agent Decosta on the other end of the line, she wasn’t entirely surprised. Lisbon spoke quickly and concisely and when she turned to face Jane, he was already grinning from ear to ear.
“It was Agent Decosta,” Lisbon explained before Jane had a chance to pre-empt her.
“They want our help?”
“They want our help,” she confirmed, echoing his exact words.
Part Six
After getting instructions to the direction of the Honolulu Morgue, it wasn’t long until Lisbon and Jane were on the road again. Jane had already organized the use of a rental car and Lisbon was more than happy for him to take to the wheel. She trusted him enough to drive her around in his blue contraption at home, so she knew he would be safe enough here. Of course, that didn’t stop her from making several comments about the speed they were traveling at. And naturally, he didn’t pay any attention to her complaints either. It always surprised her that Jane still had a clean driving license, but then, with his silver tongue, he had the ability to talk people out of (or into) anything. That was something she knew from very personal experience.
As they exited the vehicle, she stuffed her hands into her pockets as they approached the entrance to the Morgue. It wouldn’t have been her first destination in the city for a visit as a tourist, but Lisbon was honestly intrigued. Besides, she had never worked on a case from the sidelines, in the position as a consultant. She already hoped that it would give her a perspective on what Jane’s job was actually like. He’d barely said a word throughout the journey; Lisbon suspected that he’d been anticipating this call anyway. And besides, he knew that she wouldn’t be able to say no. Like him, she absolutely couldn’t resist a mystery. She wanted to know who was responsible for this murder and why. Naturally, she also desperately wanted the killer to be brought to justice. The law, though not perfect, had been something she had striven to uphold for such a long while that even outside of her jurisdiction, Lisbon couldn’t stand to see somebody go unpunished. If some people thought that meant she had lofty ideals, then so be it. She could easily live with their judgment.
Agents Halligan and Decosta were waiting for them at the door. Lisbon smiled briefly to them as Halligan rushed forward and grabbed hold of her hand, shaking it enthusiastically before she even had a chance to say hello. Halligan was the younger of the two and he reminded her of a younger Van Pelt; all energy, enthusiasm and eagerness to please. Decosta -the superior of the two of them - was a little more reserved, but nevertheless, still seemed relieved that they had decided to grace them with their presence.
“Thank you for coming,” Decosta said quietly as he took Jane’s hand.
“I’m so glad you could make it, Agent Lisbon,” Halligan started, practically bouncing from foot to foot. “And you, Mr. Jane. We really appreciate your insight.”
“Is this all of your team?” Lisbon asked, curious and Decosta shook his head.
“No, Agent Lily Burton is currently manning the desks at our base. She’s more into the technical side of police work rather than
getting her hands dirty.”
“In this day and age, it’s an important job,” Jane added, keen to defend the woman he’d never met before.
“I’m aware of that,” Decosta replied coolly and led them inside. “The coroner wants to update us on the case. Apparently it’s a little odd, but from what I can gather from Halligan’s overexcited babbling, odd is your area of expertise.”
Lisbon raised a skeptical eyebrow at Jane. Only this morning, both agents were questioning her as if she were a potential suspect in this case. Now, they were welcoming her with open arms and acting as if she were a fountain of all knowledge. Part of her wondered if Halligan had just needed that nudge and time to do a bit of a background check to remind her of their achievements, both as individuals and a partnership. The rest was a little disgusted by their blatant hypocrisy. Still, she wasn’t going to let her judgments stop her from helping the unit. There was still a job to be done, the law to be upheld and answers to be supplied to grieving friends and relatives of the deceased.
“Have you had an I.D. on the victim?” Lisbon asked as they walked inside.
“Yes. His name is Edward Roberts, he’s 47. Originally from Massachusetts, but moved here to go to college and never left. He’s survived by his wife and a sixteen year old daughter.”
“Right. And have you got any further into the investigation?”
“Not yet, ma’am,” Agent Halligan answered quickly. “But Burton is organizing interviews with the family as we speak.”
“Good.”
They were soon interrupted by the coroner who swiftly led them to the body. Lisbon hadn’t been quite sure what to expect; apart from a little blood staining, Edward Parker’s body had been wrapped tightly in crisp white bandages. There had been no sign of what could have been the cause of death, except for some sort of head injury. As it turned out, the pallid body had several bruises, including a large one around the neck. From a brief glance, Lisbon believed it was from a blow to the head rather than a bullet wound. The coroner soon confirmed the blow as being responsible for Parker’s death, but Lisbon could tell that Jane was already distracted.
The canopic jars which had been present in the hotel room had been brought along to the coroner’s office. Jane had spent much of the coroner’s information dump scrutinizing them. He hadn’t bothered to finger them though, much to Lisbon’s relief. At least he seemed to have been behaving for now. Eventually, the coroner brought all three agents attentions over to the jars, where she proceeded to lift the lids off them one by one.
“The body doesn’t look like it’s been butchered in any way,” Lisbon started cautiously when neither Halligan nor Decosta bothered to speak. “Was there anything inside them?”
“Yes, offal,” the coroner confirmed with a decisive nod. “I suspect it was a cow’s liver, heart and lungs.”
“They can be fairly easily bought, yes?”
“Yes. They are not the most popular meats, but there is a certain interest in niche markets,” Decosta confirmed.
“Clearly, they weren’t keen on attention to detail.”
“Keen enough to source some organs, though.”
“But they didn’t want to get their hands dirty. Or they were too lazy, or…”
“Jane…” Lisbon started warningly.
“What? I’m just stating the truth.”
Halligan swallowed a laugh, but Lisbon just looked at Jane despairingly. At least he hadn’t mouthed off about the murderer’s apparent lack of conviction in front of the family. She sincerely doubted they would have taken that well. After all, they’d had enough drive to actually kill the man and they had attempted to dispose of the body in a relatively unique manner. The coroner quickly finished off with her findings, promised to get some information on fingerprinting from the jars back to them before Jane started looking at the body with interest.
“What is it Jane?”
“He was holding something, I think.”
“Oh, yes,” the coroner replied, clearly surprised that he could tell despite the fact she had altered the positioning of the body significantly during her work. “These are the items that were removed from the body.”
“He was holding this?” Jane said, pointing out a screwed up piece of paper.
Decosta pulled on a pair of latex gloves and opened it up. A receipt stared back at them, stating that the man had brought an expensive watch of some variety. Lisbon frowned; that hadn’t been what she had been expecting and going by the expressions of the other two agents, neither had they. Still, as far as she was concerned, it was something to ask the family and his boss about. It was a lead of some sort, even if it did prove to be trivial.
“Interesting,” Jane remarked and Lisbon shook her head.
As far as she was concerned, all it meant was that her day had probably just gotten that little bit longer.
To Part Seven