Chapter Text
Jane jumps up from the couch as he spies Lisbon enter the room.
"Lisbon! Finally! One more minute and I would have gone without you."
"No you wouldn't Jane, not when a free lunch is on offer."
"I'm famished woman, I thought I was in danger of swooning."
"Swooning! I see you're reading your Jane Austin collection again."
Jane smiles.
"I just like to..."
"Jane."
Jane and Lisbon both turn at the interruption by Agent Ficsher.
"This came for you."
Agent Ficsher hands Jane a telegram.
Lisbon smirks,
"I feel like I'm in a time warp, swooning and now a telegram. Who sends them any more?"
Jane's staring at the envelope in his hand and answers quietly.
"Someone with bad news."
Jane's demeanor wipes the smile off of Lisbon's face as concern for her friend takes over.
"Are you expecting some bad news?"
Jane shakes his head.
"No, not really, until this."
"Are you going to open it? It could be nothing."
Jane doesn't reply and continues to stare at the envelope.
"Jane?"
There's a new interruption, Abbot.
"Everyone's up, we have a case, There's been kidnapping, the wife of a federal judge. Let's go!"
Jane comes out of his stupor.
"Yes, let's go. We can't keep the kidnappers waiting."
He puts the telegram in his inside pocket.
He strides off after Abbot and Lisbon hurries to catch up with him.
"You should open it Jane, it could be important."
"I'm sure whoever sent it thinks it's important, but there's nothing urgent in my life, certainly nothing more urgent than the kidnapping of a judges wife."
"It could be about Pete."
"They wouldn't send a telegram."
They are at the cars and Lisbon follows him into the back seat.
"Then who do you think it is?"
Jane looks at her for a moment and gives a sigh.
"Someone I don't want to know about."
Jane turns towards the window and closes his eyes. Lisbon knows it's the end of the conversation. She settles back into her seat determined not to worry about him. After a few minutes of silence, Jane suddenly speaks.
"You still owe me lunch, and I'm still hungry."
"I'll have Agent Ficsher stop at the next Mexican take out, can't have you swooning all over the place."
"Good."
Once they arrived the Judge's home, things have busy. Abbot failed to mention that she was also the mother of two young children, ages seven and five, who were in the car at the time of the kidnapping. Unsurprisingly they're traumatized but, it's important, as the only witnesses, that they be interviewed. It's a delicate and time-consuming activity and so far no one's been able to get anything out of them. As soon as Jane hears about the two children, he slips away to find them.
The seven-year old, is a boy called Michael, and Jane finds him sat on his Mother's bed, with his hands clasped in his lap and his head bowed. Jane can see he's filled with guilt at not being able to save his Mother. His father has, no doubt filled his head with the idea of
"When I'm away you're the man of the house."
Jane puts his hands in his jacket pockets and starts looking around the room, stopping to take a good look at the photos on top of the dresser. He turns around, and as expected, finds the boy watching him.
"Hi, my name's Patrick Jane and I'm guessing you're Michael."
The boy nods and returns to staring at his hands. Jane points to one of the photos.
"Is this you and your mom?"
Michael looks up again and nods. Jane takes the photo off the dresser and moves towards the bed and sits down beside the boy.
"This is a nice photo, I can see why she chose to have this one on display."
Michael shrugs but after a few moments he looks across at the photo. Jane holds it out towards him.
"You obviously have a strong connection with your mom and I can see she feels the same way. The two of you are buddies, you share the same sense of humour, you both love to do silly things. I'm betting the two of you have run through the sprinklers with all your clothes on."
Jane leans closer to him and whispers conspiratorially:
"And it wasn't even a really hot day."
Michael looks up at him, surprise on his face.
"Whose idea was it?"
"Mom's"
Jane's nodding his head as if he's not surprised.
"Wow that's a great mom."
Jane sees tears form in the young boy's eyes. Michael feels them too and quickly turns back to staring at his hands, blinking furiously.
"I'm not a detective, the FBI employ me as a consultant because I'm very good at solving crimes. Just, like, with this photo, I was able to determine that you and your mom do silly things together, if you tell me everything that you remember about what happened today, no matter how small, I will be able to help you get your mom back. I'm not going to lie to you, I think your mom's in real trouble but if we act quickly we can save her, but I need to know everything. Will you help?"
It's the early hours of the morning when they return to headquarters.
"That was a great job today Jane."
"All part of the service."
"I mean it Jane, I don't know how you do what you do, but you saved that woman's life today."
Jane shrugs.
"It was obvious the judge was having an affair and the most likely suspect for wanting rid of his wife. To keep the kidnapping story believable, he would have to keep her alive for at least one proof of life. We were lucky the boy remembered the distinctive scar above the kidnappers eye, which was also visible on the body guard standing in the background of the couple's wedding photo."
"Good night Jane."
As Agent Fischer leaves Jane sits down on his couch. In the silence the envelope suddenly weighs heavy in his pocket. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and takes it out.
Lisbon watches through the glass doors as Jane stares at the envelope, turning it in his hands. He leans back and opens it up.
Although Jane's been expecting it, the words still send a jolt through his body, as if someone punched him in the stomach.
"Are you all right Jane?"
He looks up at Lisbon's concerned face.
"The woman, who is my mom, is dead."
Lisbon's dumbfounded.
"I'm sorry Jane. You've never mentioned your Mother before. I just presumed…"
Lisbon stops herself when she realizes what she's about to say. Jane completed it for her.
"...Presumed she was dead. No she left me when I was seven and I haven't seen her since."
There are so many questions Lisbon wants to ask but knows from experience Jane will only speak if he wants to.
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing."
"Are you sure Jane, she's your Mother."
"A Mother doesn't abandon her child, discard them, throw them away."
"Do you know why?"
"No."
"She never tried to get in touch with you?"
"No. This is the first I've heard from her since she left."
Jane screws the telegram in to a ball, as he's about to throw it in the trash Lisbon places her hand on his arm, stopping him.
"Don't do anything rash Jane, sleep on it. You might change your mind in the morning. I hope you do. You should go, you may find some answers.
Jane shrugs but with some satisfaction on Lisbon's part, Jane unravels the telegram and folds it up, putting it in the inside pocket of his jacket. Lisbon doesn't like the idea of leaving Jane alone.
"Jane, why don't we go out for a drink some place?"
"Now? It's very late. what about your beauty sleep?"
"Are you saying I need it?"
Jane holds his hand out in defence.
"Whoa, I'm not touching that one."
Lisbon playfully scowls at him."
"Good! Now how about that drink?"
Jane looks to the ceiling.
"Okay Lisbon, if you insist, one for the road."
He begins to mutter as he follows in Lisbon's wake.
"Though I'm not going anywhere, and especially to my Mother's funeral. I'm staying right here. You're not going to change my mind."
Jane takes Lisbon bag off her and puts it into the trunk of his car.
"Are sure you want to take your car?"
"Certain Lisbon, what other car would I take?"
"One that runs."
"No sense of adventure, that's your trouble. It's life on the edge, not knowing if you'll actually make it or not."
"I'm a cop, of course I have a sense of adventure."
"The let us live Lisbon, climb in."
After a discussion over a couple of drinks and the rest of the night sleeping on Lisbon's couch, Jane announced that he would go to his Mother's funeral. So here they were, two days later, setting off for Seymore. Jane's services were requested by another team and so they haven't had chance to talk again, in fact they haven't even seen each other. Lisbon received a text last night, from Jane, informing her that they now had three days off and he would be at her place at five in the morning. He was to meet with the solicitor, who'd sent the telegram, at noon.
"You're Mom really lived in Texas?"
"A coincidence heh, that I end up living in the same state after all these years."
"Did you know she was here?"
Jane shrugs.
"Have you been keeping tabs on her?"
"It would seem that we both have."
"What makes you say that?"
"The telegram arrived the day of her death. The lawyer must have already known where to find me. My arrival in Texas didn't exactly cause a fanfare. Texans know nothing about Red John or anything else that happened in California."
"How do you feel about that?"
"She never got in touch."
"I wonder how you get in touch with a son you left when he was seven?"
"When they need you, a Mother gets in touch."
Lisbon's watching the traffic as they make their way out of Austin, and she turns to look at Jane, in reaction to the coldness in his reply. His thumb is playing with his wedding ring.
"Perhaps she didn't know?"
Jane looks over at Lisbon, his eyes reflecting the sorrow of his recollections.
"She was in California at the time, she knew."
As Jane turns back to the road, he plants a smile on his face.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with..."
Lisbon rolls her eyes and plays along.
"Jane I hate this game."
"Come on Lisbon we have five hours to fill."
It's almost eleven when they arrive at the hotel that Jane booked them in. It's been a long drive, that Jane saw fit to fill with silly road games, and informing her of the history of Texas. She vows to find his book stash and throw it away. Why can't he just read novels like anyone else. Thankfully she fell asleep for the last hour. Left to his own devices, Jane hasn't been able to distract himself from the memories that, have, increasingly flooded his mind, since receiving the news of his Mother's death. Memories of bedtime stories, conversations over cookies and milk. His overriding memory of his Mother is a day, in San Diego Zoo. She'd surprised him, by waking him up early and announcing
"he need's to be up and dressed as they were going for a car ride."
Jane adored his Mother and did anything she asked without question. He'd been literally bouncing in his seat when he became certain of their destination, his mom had joined in his laughter and excitement. They'd had a wonderful day, looking at all the animals. His mom listening attentively as he explained all he knew about them. They'd eaten burgers, corn dogs and ice cream, they'd laughed, at the antics of the seals, got soaked by Shamu, as Jane insisted they sat at the front. Gazed at the penguins for a long time, his mom's favourites. It had been eight wonderful hours, just him and his mom. It was the last day Jane had been truly happy until he met Angela, for two days later she was gone.