Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 1
Dedicated to Anna Mae
***Setting: Jane, Lisbon, and Rigsby get out of the car outside of a well kept house, three police cars are parked in the street, two in the driveway. It is a clear night with a slight chill in the air. The medical examiner is walking out of the house as they get to the front door.***
Lisbon and Jane greet the medical examiner, he has a grave look on his face, ?It?s a child?? All he says before he moves past them, back to his van. They each take a deep breath before crossing the threshold into the large foyer. Jane first notices photographs on a table, the largest one of a girl, about 5 years old. ?That was taken just a few weeks ago, her first school picture?? the father appears in the doorway, ??she was so excited about starting school?? He tears up looking at the picture and heads back through the doorway into the arms of his wife.
?The body is up here,? a uniformed officer says as he leads them up the stairs. ?The girl came home from school around 2:15, she wasn?t feeling good. She ate a snack and finished her homework; she went upstairs to take a nap around 4pm?? he flips the page of his notepad, ??around 6:30pm the mother came upstairs to wake her and found the daughter, already deceased?? The officer leads them into the master bedroom, ?She took her naps in here, her parents travel a lot; she likes to sleep where she can smell them, according to the mother.?
?Liked,? Jane corrects, ?she liked to sleep where she could smell them?now it?ll be the opposite??
?What is the cause of death?? Lisbon changes the subject, glancing at Patrick as he turns to look around at the walls and the pictures on them.
?Too soon to tell,? Jane answers causing Lisbon to look at him again with a questioning look. He walks over to the bed where the body is lying. He shudders slightly as he gets his first look at the girl?s body, ?She wasn?t shot, stabbed, or strangled. Not suffocation because there is not hemorrhaging in the eyes, and that usually happens, right doc??
The medical examiner had just returned to the room and having overheard what Jane said, takes defense, ?I won?t know anything until I get her back to the morgue??
Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 2
Jane looks at a few more pictures before going back downstairs; Lisbon follows him figuring he might uncover something useful. Jane finds the grieving parents in the kitchen, sitting with an officer and a neighbor. He excuses the officer and takes the vacated chair for himself. He looks at a piece of paper on the table before looking at the parents, ?Mr. and Mrs. McAllister, I am deeply sorry for your loss, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about your daughter??
??Abigail, but she likes to be called Abbey,? Mrs. McAllister answers, she nods for him to proceed with the questions.
?How long have you two been married??
?Nearly seventeen years,? answers Mrs. McAllister.
?I see that in nearly all the family reunion pictures you were always holding a child, so I know you adore children,? he tilts his head slightly, ??but you didn?t have a kid until five years ago, so I assume you had fertility problems and that Abbey was adopted.?
Mrs. McAllister nods and adds, ?We tried for twelve years before we decided to try adoption?We were very blessed to have found Abbey so quickly, we brought her home when she was seven months old.?
?She is-was the light of our lives, she loved to read books every night, she was always smiling?.she was so shy for the longest time. It took four months before she would let us leave her with the nanny?? Mr. McAllister tears up again.
?Was she usually with the nanny?? Lisbon asks.
?I just got promoted within my company so I?m working in the evening. I see her off to school and check on her after she?s asleep?My husband, Brandon, is in the middle of a brutal buyout with his company, so he has been gone a lot in the past month?Michelle gets her dressed for school in the morning and takes care of her after school until bedtime. Brandon was supposed to take next week off and stay at home for her so she doesn?t think we?d abandoned her?? At this they both become inconsolable, so Jane gets up and goes back to the hallway.
Lisbon follows, thinking he?s going outside, but realizes he is going upstairs. When he gets to the top of the stair he turns down the hallway, away from the master bedroom. He comes upon a pink door with ?Abbey?s Abode? written on the door in hot pink. He opens the door and is flooded by the pinks and purples coming from the room. He enters cautiously as Lisbon comes up behind him, ?What the hell are you doing in here?? She questions.
Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 3
?That girl didn?t die naturally; something in here might tell us what happened to her. He picks up a feathered wand, looks it over, and puts it back down. He begins opening up the drawers of her desk until he comes upon a drawer with cassette tapes in it. He picks one up and reads the crayon scrawled label. ?# 14 KRI2Ma2? is written, he looks at a few more of the labels, ?She kept a diary,? he states, turning to show Lisbon the cassettes as she says, ?She was five, what kind of diary-.? She looks at the tapes and sighs as she sees about two dozen more in the drawer, ?You can have the honor of listening to all of those, the rest of us will stick to the investigation?? She leaves him there, collecting up all the tapes in his arms. He is reaching for the last few when Brandon McAllister walks into the room.
?Is it really necessary to take those, they are all we have left,? he questions.
?Something happened to your daughter, these might tell us something important?Don?t worry, I?ll make sure they get returned?Is there a tape player that goes with these??
Brandon turns around and rummages through a bookshelf until he finds what he?s looking for. He grabs it and turns to offer it to Jane. Jane hesitates a second before taking it, ?My daughter had one of these?? Jane says softly.
?We got that when Abbey was a baby, we?ve had it for over four years, she loved it so much. She started keeping her so-called diary about a year ago, mostly it was just her singing her songs, telling jokes, and playing the piano?.not much of a diary?? He grabs a pink pony adorned bag off a hook on the wall and gently helps Jane put the player and tapes inside.
Patrick follows as Brandon leads the way down a different set of stairs, leading directly into the kitchen. Rigsby and Lisbon are sitting with the wife, asking more questions, when they enter Patrick nods towards the front door signifying that he is finished. He turns to Brandon who then says, ?Its so hard knowing she won?t be here anymore, I just can?t believe she?s gone.?
Patrick puts his hand on Brandon?s shoulder and squeezes gently, ?I wish I could tell you it gets easier,? his eyes water a bit, ?but it never does?? With that Patrick leaves, not waiting for Lisbon or Rigsby.
?He lost his daughter?? Rigsby explains before following Lisbon out.
Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 4
***Back at CBI HQ Jane has set up camp at his couch. He piled all the cassettes in numerical order, a few bottles of water, and trail mix. He pulls the tape player out of the bag and begins listening to the tapes. Lisbon and Rigsby are discussing the case when they receive a phone call.***
?Agent Rigsby, CBI?? Rigsby answers. His demeanor changes quickly, ?Oh, hey Van Pelt. How is it going in Nevada? Oh, that bad, yeah?.sitting right here.?
He covers the mouth piece and turns to Jane, ?Why does she want to talk to you?? Jane is as surprised as Lisbon and Rigsby, but just smiles and takes the phone from Rigsby.
?Hello Van Pelt, how is Cho doing?....I told you two not to get the seafood special, I?m glad one of you listened?..Is that right?...I?m sure Lisbon won?t mind, what do you have in mind?....Okay, she?ll definitely mind that, but no problem?.Yeah, don?t worry, she?ll get over it?.Okay, see you then?..Bye.?
Lisbon has a scowl on her face as Jane hangs up, ?I?m going to take off for a little while,? he announces, returning to the table to grab all the tapes. ?I might be back tomorrow, want to put off the rest of the investigation until then, or continue without me??
?Where the hell do you think you?re going?? Lisbon demands, grabbing his arm and turning him around.
?Silver Springs,? he answers simply.
?That?s where Van Pelt and Cho are, they?re retrieving the arsonist guy, for the chief. You know that guy killed 6 people?? Rigsby interjects.
Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 5
Lisbon looks at him and gives him a look that makes him shut up. ?Why are you going to Silver Springs??
?Sorry, not allowed to say?? He finishes collecting the tapes and walks over to Van Pelts desk, retrieving something out of the middle drawer. He whistles as he gently slings the pony bag over his shoulder and struts out.
Lisbon exhales angrily, and turns back to Rigsby, ?Get Van Pelt on the phone and figure out what?s going on.? She leaves to go get more coffee.
The phone rings several times before Van Pelt answers, ?Hey Van Pelt, Lisbon is not happy, she wants to know what?s going on??Yeah, she was standing right here the entire time?..Well I can?t tell her anything until I know what?s really going on?.You left them behind? Oh man that is not good?.Yeah, he just left, he should be there in three hours if he doesn?t hit traffic?.Oh yeah, he is driving through the middle of nowhere, he shouldn?t hit traffic.?
Rigsby eyes Lisbon turning the corner coming back, ?So this friend really wanted Jane to drive all the way out there? She must be some friend for him to drive three hours just to see her?.Okay, well have fun?.Bye.? He hung up on the slightly confused Van Pelt as Lisbon sat own across from him. ?One of Jane?s friends works over in Silver Springs, he is going to go see her??
?Her?? Lisbon responds with a faint hint of jealousy.
Rigsby nods and returns to the papers in front of him, leaving Lisbon to sit silently with her imagination.
***Meanwhile, Patrick has made it out to the parking, looking for Van Pelts jeep. He finds it, unlocks it, and grabs a folder wedged between the seats.***
?Van Pelt?...Yeah I have the Transfer of Custody papers. How could you forget them?....Don?t worry, I?ll be there in a few hours?.Okay, bye.? He hangs up as he reaches his car, pulling off the pony bag as he takes his seat behind the wheel. He starts the engine and ejects the tape from the tape player in his dash; he takes the tape he was listening to out of Abbey?s tape player and puts it into the slot in his dash. He pulls out of the parking lot as Abbey finishes singing ?Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?.
***Elapsed time, 45 minutes later, he is on the open road, not another car for miles. He ejects a tape and puts it in a plastic bag. He pulls another tape out of the pony bag, makes sure its #17, the next one, and slides it into the player.***
?Mommy, its time to practice!? yells a little girl?s voice. There are a few bumps as the girl put the player down on a hard surface. Mrs. McAllister says in the background, ?Start without me, I?ll be there in a minute.?
?Okay, mommy?? The little girl begins to play a song. Jane steps on the brakes and pulls to the side of the road. He sits there and listens to the song being played, the last song he heard his own daughter play. He sits in silence, even after the song has ended, ending the very short tape. He quivers slightly as a tear streams from his eye and he bites his lip, trying to hold back the tears.
Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 6
It takes a while for him to regain his composer, and when he does, he removes the tape and puts in another one. He pulls back out on the road, drying his eye one last time.
The next few tapes are some more singing. He finishes #21 as he a pulls into a motel parking lot in Silver Springs. Van Pelt darts out of one of the motel rooms and runs up to him, giving him a big hug, and thanking him profusely. He hands over the folder and grabs the tapes before following Van Pelt back to her motel room. He gets a suspicious look from an old lady sweeping some steps. ?We don?t want our spouses finding out, her husband?s a cop!? He tells her, causing her to scurry away.
?Do you always have to make trouble?? Van Pelt complains, opening the door to let him into the room. Cho is sitting on one of the two beds, reading a book, and not looking too good.
?I?m just teasing,? Jane replies to Van Pelt before turning to Cho, ?Who told you not to eat the seafood?? He smiles as Cho gives him a look of contempt. ?So what did you tell Rigsby when he called for Lisbon to find out what?s going on??
?Told him what was going on and then he started talking about your friend really wanting to see you, your lady friend??
?Cover story, Van Pelt. At least he was quick on his feet. Now if you hurry, you can get your guy and get back tonight?I think I?ll stay here the night, play with Lisbon?s imagination. And you?.? He turns to Van Pelt, pointing his finger, ??will tell her nothing of it.?
Van Pelt opens her mouth to rebuttal, but decides to go with the flow, returning a smirk, ?Fine, but I?m not going to get in trouble for your prank, you?ll take all the blame??
He smiles and gives her a thumbs up, ?Fine with me, what?s the worst that can happen??
?This is wrong in so many ways,? Cho adds as he gets off the bed and gathers his things.
Van Pelt leaves the room first, smiling shyly at the old lady who had returned to her sweeping. Cho follows shortly, putting on his tie as Jane
waves them off. At this the old lady lets out a squeal, ?Oh, dear God!? Jane smiles at her and waves to her as well before closing the door and returning to his tapes.
Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 7
He listens to the rest of the tapes without anything interesting popping up. He?s just about give up when he gets an idea. He remembers when his daughter had one of these tape players. It had a storage compartment for one cassette on the back of the player. He flips the player around and slides the plastic away, revealing another tape inside. He grabs it out of the compartment and into the player. He rewinds it to the beginning and presses play.
?It hurts a lot, especially when I poke it?..Michelle says I was a bad girl, bad girls are punished.? Jane fast forwards, ??and mommy don?t want damaged goods, that?s what she said, she and Greg said if I told them what happened I?d be sent away, and never see mommy or daddy again, because they wouldn?t want me?? Jane can?t believe his ears, ??I don?t like wearing my sweater all the time, but Greg says that if I don?t, mommy and daddy will see that I?m damaged goods?.they?ll throw me away like they do the icky food.?
***Shows both sides of the conversation this time.***
Jane gets up, a newfound fury raging inside of him. His adrenaline is pumping so hard, he almost misses his phone ringing. ?What?? he yells into the receiver.
?Holy ***, Jane!!? Lisbon responds, pulling the phone away from her ear and proceeding to rub it.
He checks himself and returns to his phone call. ?What do you want?? He tries for a more pleasant tone this time.
?Autopsy is back??
??she was beaten to death?? He shudders in anger.
?How did you know that??
?I know who did it and I have the evidence to prove it? It was the nanny and a guy named Greg?? He hangs up the phone and grabs the
tapes. He gets into his car and speeds back to CBI. He doesn?t hear his phone ring as he plays the tape over and over again.
Less than two hours later, he pulls into the CBI parking lot. He walks calmly into the CBI office, almost going unnoticed until Rigsby waves at him. Van Pelt stares as he sets down the tapes, she is clearly anticipating something. Jane stands there for several minutes before a ruckus in the hall grabs his attention. Lisbon and Cho walk in following a guy and a girl in handcuffs. ?Put Michelle in interrogation, ladies first?.Sit down Greg,? Lisbon commands as she shoves him into a seat. See then turns her attention to Jane, but as she approaches him, before she even gets a word out, he goes off. ?Is that him,? he points at Greg, striding past Lisbon with his fists clenched. He knocks Greg to the ground with a single blow before pulling him to his feet and shoving him against the wall. ?How do you like it, you worthless son of a ***??
He lands another one, square on Greg?s chin.
At this point, Lisbon, Cho, Van Pelt, and Rigsby come running to break up the fight.
?Its not as much fun on the receiving end is it?? He lands a few more blows before Rigsby pulls Greg away from Jane and Cho grabs Jane from behind. ?I want to press charges!!?
Jane continues to struggle and nearly breaks free, when Lisbon hits him in the face, causing him to crumble to the floor. She flips him over, yanking his arm as she forces the cuffs on. ?Patrick Jane, you are under arrest for assault and battery. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?? She digs her knee into his back as he struggle a bit. She kneels to his ear whispering, ?Stop struggling and cooperate if you want to get out of this with your freedom. You?ve done some stupid things, this is at the top of the list??
Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 8
*Everyone needed some cool off time*
?Are you really that stupid? Assaulting a man in the middle of CBI?? Patrick sits there; he continues holding the ice pack to his face, not saying anything to Lisbon. She takes the icepack from him, and hands him a piece of gauze to stop his bleeding lip. ?You?re going to have to say something eventually??she puts her hand on his shoulder, ??we all wanted to do it, I know that doesn?t make it right, but we are not the enemy here?? Jane still says nothing, but makes eye contact for a second before looking back at the wall.
Lisbon decides to take a break; she grabs the first aid kit and tosses the icepack into Jane?s lap. ?I?ll come back when you stop acting like a baby?? She locks the door of the holding cell before turning and leaving.
She hears yelling as she approaches the office and hastens her pace to investigate. She turns the corner and immediately retreats as she sees Minelli yelling at her team. Unfortunately, he notices her and, giving up on the team, follows her. He grabs her by the arm and leads her into an empty observation room. ?Why is your man assaulting prisoner? You get him under control before you kiss your career good bye.? He says under his breath as he turns to leave, ?He should have stayed in the loony bin after his family died, would have saved us all a lot of trouble??
Minelli?s statement gives Lisbon pause, she stands for a minute, with this sudden outlet into Jane?s life. She holds onto the thought as she heads to go talk to her team; continuing the investigation seems to be the only viable choice, the only one within her comfort zone. She sends Cho and Van Pelt to interrogate Michelle while she and Rigsby join Greg in the interrogation room.
Crimson Carnations
Episode 3 Part 9
?Mr?? Lisbon reads his criminal record, ??West, wow, you have a long record here?Assault and Battery, Concealed weapons charges, Sexual Battery?.The list just keeps going, doesn?t it??
?I still want to press charges against that ***!? Greg spits out.
?See that is where our problem starts?.If that man goes to jail, then you?ll be charged with first degree murder?? She looks him in the eyes, ?While I think that is what you deserve, I have been told we are willing to reduce from life to 25. That, however, is only if you forget about filing that assault charge.?
?Screw you lady, I didn?t do nothing!?
Rigsby grabs the guy and shoves him against the wall, holding him there with a forearm to the neck, ?You stupid bastard, we have proof, Abbey told us everything!!?
?You just said she was dead???
?She is, at your hands. She had a diary, it talked about the bruises you left?There is more than enough to get you life, this deal is the only chance you?ve got?.? Lisbon starts walking toward the door
?What does it mean to you if that prick does free?he?s crazy!?
Lisbon comes at Greg, ?Most people in this world take issue with people who kill children, Greg? If you think that beating was bad, wait until you get to prison. Child beaters, molesters, and killers have the highest mortality rate in prison?There are plenty of ways for them to find out what you did?and there are just as many ways to prevent anyone from finding out?.?
?It was Michelle!? Greg finally blurts out. ?She just flipped the other day, I don?t know what happened, she took it out on the kid?.all I did was grab her once, just to make sure she didn?t tell anyone, that?s it, honestly!?
Lisbon and Rigsby leave the interrogation room and walk down the hall to the interrogation room that is housing Michelle. Lisbon opens the door and summons Cho out of the room; she enters the room and takes a seat next to Van Pelt.
?Ms. Hawke?.Mr. West told us what you did. He told us that you beat Abigail McAllister to death?He said ?she just flipped the other day??want to elaborate??
?My daughter?..They wouldn?t let me see my daughter??
?Who wouldn?t let you see your daughter??
?Her new mom and dad?..I talked to the social worker?.she said that my daughter?s family didn?t want anything to do with me?..?
?What does that have to do with anything?? Lisbon flips through a few pages of Michelle?s file.
?About a week ago, I got a phone call from my daughter?s social worker, saying that my request for visitation had been denied?
?So you took it out on Abbey?? Van Pelt condemns.
?I?ve been taking care of that girl since she was three! I did everything for her, while her parents traveled and continued on with their live. I fed her, bathed her, taught her to read and ride a bike. I should have been doing that for my daughter, not their daughter?She just never left me alone, always bugging me, wanting me to play dress up, or wanting to go for walks?..She wouldn?t shut up, even after the cough syrup, she was always running her mouth?I told her to be quiet, I was on the phone with someone important?she starts singing her stupid little songs. She wouldn?t stop, I just needed some quiet time!?
?Well Ms. Hawke, your need for quiet time caused Abbey to bleed internally. She died a slow and painful death. What she probably thought was a tummy ache killed her?Is she quiet enough for you now?? Lisbon and Van Pelt get up and walk out of the room. When they get into the hallway Rigsby walks slowly up to them with a piece of paper in his hand.
?What?s up,? Lisbon asks, before recognizing a look of horror on his face.
?They were running the DNA in the case, they found Michelle Hawke?s daughter?? He hands Lisbon the piece of paper he?s holding. She looks at it and is suddenly filled with horror as well. She opens the door of the interrogation room and walks up to the table, opposite of Michelle.
?We found your daughter?.? She slides the paper across the table. ?You killed her??
Michelle Hawke looks at the paper and sees Abigail?s postmortem photograph along with the results of the DNA analysis. ?No, this can?t be!!? She screams as Lisbon once again walks out of the room.
Lisbon enters the holding cell, Jane is still sitting in the same position and doesn?t acknowledge her presence. ?Come on,? she tells him, as she holds the door open. He doesn?t budge. She walks up to him and grabs his arm, pulling him off the bench on which he was sitting. ?Damn it, Jane! Come on, let?s go!?
With the added encouragement he moves, he leaves the holding area, not saying anything. He grabs his keys off the coffee table on his way out, leaving his CBI badge where it lay. ?Is he coming back?? Cho asks, though no one knows the answer.
***Jane is standing in a cemetery, looking out across the vast expanse of stones. In his hand he holds a bouquet of crimson carnations. ***
He kneels down and places the carnations gently against the gravestone and smiles slightly, ?You would have killed me for the way I acted today?.Happy Anniversary? He talks to the wind.
?This is a beautiful place,? Brandon McAllister startles Patrick as he appears under a nearby tree, ?It?s so peaceful??
Patrick nods an acknowledgement and stands, ?Is this where your daughter will be put laid to rest??
?Yeah?..I think Abbey will find peace here?.Is this-?? he gestures toward the gravestone in which Jane placed the flowers.
?This one is my wife?.this one?,? he places his hand softly on a nearly identical, but smaller, stone, ??is our daughter?? Jane?s eyes water slightly.
?I?m sorry?.it must be so hard to have lost both of them?,? he reads the dates on the stones, ??at the same time.?
?It was my punishment?..?
***Fades Out***
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