Chapter Text
Lisbon was so happy right now.
She had just hung up the phone after thanking Jane for the dresses. Everything was perfect. Well – except for the murder, of course.
And yet, she was having fun, she could hardly deny it. She stood up and looked out the window, a smile on her lips – it was a room with a view, a stunning view indeed. It really must have been expensive… she contemplated the luxury of the suite and suddenly felt as though she was living some kind of fairy tale. Well – except for the murder, of course.
And yet, the room was available at the very last minute. Her smile froze.
It wasn’t just any suite. It was this suite – the most beautiful one. The one right next to where the author of the letter had set their trap. The one that fit too perfectly into the enigma she had unravelled back on the beach.
Lisbon’s stomach tightened. She looked back at the three perfect dresses – an illusion of choice, of control… he called the hotel only two hours ago.
Was it possible…? But why? Calm down.
It wasn’t. It couldn’t.
And yet, she had seen Jane pulling this kind of BS hundreds of times before, manipulating situations, bending reality to match his will… she couldn’t believe she was actually the one falling for it this time.
Well, she had been suspicious at first: an enigmatic letter, the reopening of a political cold case… the cancelling of her transfer… it all seemed too… inconvenient. But she hadn’t lingered on it. Jane said he wanted her to be happy, wanted her to do what made her happy – why would he pull this crap? Lisbon took a deep breath.
He wouldn’t reopen a case… would he?
Her mind was racing and she started replaying the last few days. Everything began flooding back: every detail she had ignored, the ones she didn’t want to see at first. She had noticed Jane had been acting distant and weird. Of course, she thought he was still angry with her about her leaving. And they seemed to have drifted apart since Pike. Well, since Austin really. Nothing had been the same again.
Then there was the puzzle. She had solved it – or so she thought.
But had she, really? Now she was recalling their conversation, she started to realize his subtle guidance. He knew about the hotel, he knew that the O was the symbol of the full moon. “Do we understand? Do we… Do we?”… He made her believe she came up with the Dewey system… but he had actually been leading her there. And she had walked right into it.
He completely manipulated me! Her breathing was erratic and her hands clenched into fists as she realized how stupid she had been – she hadn’t felt this betrayed since Jane abandoned her in the middle of nowhere and stole her phone… At least, back then, his motive was clear… Why was he doing this?
Lisbon wiped away the few tears that had rolled down her cheeks.
Of course, he probably didn’t want her to go. Maybe he wanted to mess with her a little. It could be some kind of revenge for not telling him she was actually moving. But why come up with such an elaborate (and expensive) plan? Surely, a fake message was good enough – there was no need for a sumptuous suite, no need for three beautiful dresses. And she would have discovered the truth at some point.
What was he trying to do? This was the real enigma. Although Lisbon was really upset by her sudden realization, she couldn’t help but wonder.
Wait – would the killer actually show up? she thought. Giving the letters to all the suspects suddenly made a lot more sense. The real killer might want to discover who was behind all this. Discover it was Jane, she was now certain. This was such a dumb plan! What was she supposed to do now?
Of course, she could leave right away and book the next flight to D.C. It seemed the obvious choice. Or –
She could have a last hurrah of her own.
She could con the conman.
Whatever happened from here, she decided, she would make a phone call first.
***
Jane sighed in relief.
He had convinced Abbott to have dinner with Cho at the Marina instead, coming up with some half-baked explanation about the importance of making the killer feel safe. Indeed, if the killer was to notice the FBI presence at the hotel, he might panic and back out. The explanation felt lousy, but Jane was improvising and Abbot bought it.
Did he really, though? Jane could tell Abbott was being suspicious – he had been from the start. Abbott wasn’t easy to fool. But whether he had truly bought Jane’s explanation or he had simply decided it wasn’t worth the fight, he had gone along with it. For now. Good enough.
Lisbon would probably take time to get ready, which gave Jane the opportunity to review his plan.
They were at the hotel. The killer would be there in approximately four hours. Lisbon and him were about to have dinner together. Abbott and Cho were out of the way. She still had no idea about his trick.
Everything was going according to his plan.
He chuckled, fondly, as he thought about how happy and excited she got when she cracked the code… Was he starting to believe in his own con?
Jane exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he glanced at the clock. Four hours. That was enough time. And then what?
Jane would be lying if he said he had thought everything through. The truth was, he hadn’t.
This whole thing had been set into motion within hours of Cho telling him Lisbon was leaving. The moment he had heard those words, he had booked the rooms, written the letter… Jane sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He had written that damn letter in such a rush.
He had gone all in with a terrible hand, one that was bound to lose. All he knew in that moment was that if he didn’t do something, she would leave, and he wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.
In a few hours, the killer would be unmasked and everyone would discover Jane was the one who sent that damn letter. Lisbon would leave… and she would be furious. He remembered their talk on the plane, months ago, and how angry she had been with him forcing her into Austin.
He had done plenty of reckless things in his life, but this? Jane suddenly realized this might be the one thing Lisbon would never forgive him for.