Fic: New Beginnings and Old Endings, Chapter 2 (SGA / The Mentalist, Evan Lorne / Patrick Jane)
Title: New Beginnings and Old Endings, Chapter 2
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis / The Mentalist (Crossover)
Pair: Evan Lorne / Patrick Jane
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Summary: Lorne is trying to settle into his new life, but it`s really not much calmer than his old one. Wrong place and wrong timing lead to a chance encounter in the middle of a crime scene.
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Chapter 1
“Are we the only ones here?” Kimball wondered and stepped over the corpse while one of the medical investigators snapped pictures of the scene. “There’s something funny going on.”
“Besides the stabbing?” Lisbon asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah. High profile murder, there’s usually at least three agencies fighting over it.”
“Not this time. No one wants to take this, mostly because the vic is who he is.”
“Italian diplomat? Sure, we gotta be careful with this, but-”
“He was stripped of his position two days ago. He was supposed to fly back home to face corruption charges.”
“Any connections to the US?”
“Too many. That’s why no agency wants to touch this.”
“Well, the chain of events seems pretty clear. Signs of struggle in the alley indicate that the initial stabbing happened there. The vic was strong enough to escape, leaving blood all over the place and finally both of them fell through the door. The ME said the lethal stab was done when the guy was already laying there.”
“The waitress heard the noises, came in and the killer escaped.” Lisbon finished for him. “The customer tried to follow him, but lost him in the crowd.”
“Doesn’t that sound kinda odd?”
“That a civilian would leap up and run after him? I was wondering about that too.”
“Looks like a clear cut assassination, but there’s something fishy in there.” Kimball mused, rubbing his chin in deep thoughts. “I can smell it.” He sniffed the air and grimaced. “Literally.” He followed his nose across the room, where Rigsby was busy calming down the waitress, who was still bursting out in tears on regular intervals. Kimball sniffed the shoulder of the man’s coat. “Did you try some new cologne?”
“No, it’s…pesticide” Rigsby blushed and nailed his eyes to the floor. “I got a little problem in my flat.”
“If that smell doesn’t kill them, I don’t know what will.”
“It’s not that bad when you get used to it.” Rigsby assisted the girl down on a chair and she slumped against the backrest.
Kimball lowered his voice, which seemed unnecessary, since the girl appeared to be oblivious to everything around her. “Is she upset or is she getting high from that smell?”
“No idea, I’ve been feeling little loopy too.” Rigsby confessed. “What about the other guy, did he get a good look at the killer?”
“Yeah, the guy didn’t bother to hide his face until he realised there was people around, or maybe his hood fell back when they were struggling. Grace’s checking the backgrounds on both him and the girl.” Kimball glanced back, but Lisbon was talking to the medical examiner.
“Hey, guys.” Jane walked into the kitchen, clutching a take-away cup in his hand. “The guys in the front gave me the basics.”
“We’ve been here for over an hour, what took you so long?”
“I didn’t hear my phone. I found this great new teashop.” He smelled the steaming cup in his hand with an expression that was usually reserved to more basic carnal pleasures. “This is their special, and I have to say it’s better than anything from a bag.”
“Anything’s better than what Rigsby`s wearing.” Kimball grimaced and crinkled his nose. Jane took a quick whiff at the man in question.
“Ants?”
“Really big ones.”
“Right.” Jane brought his cup under his nose and breathed deeply. “Any thoughts on the case?”
“The girl was hysterical. Either she’s a really over the top actress or just a regular teenage drama queen.” Kimball stated and turned to point at the man, who was currently talking to a sketch artist. “The guy is more interesting. He run after the killer and lost him in the crowd. Not exactly your regular civilian.”
“Not a civilian at all. At least he hasn’t been one for long.” Jane observed the man, slowly going from head to toe and back again. “What do you think?”
“Honestly… looks like a hobo.”
“Hobos don’t normally trim their hair and shave. Look at his clothes.”
“What am I supposed to see?”
“If he can take care of himself like that, he probably can afford to get better clothes too. Old, but clean, that could mean he hasn’t had much need for normal clothes in a while. And that means he had something else to wear.” Jane nodded at his own comments. “Like a uniform. That and his behaviour before and after the stabbing. He went after the stabber, and looks a bit too calm right now to be a civilian. When people get nervous when they have to describe things to the police. Look at him.” He made a vague gesture at the man. “Calm and collected, like he’s used to reporting things out of the ordinary.”
“So you’re thinking military?”
“Discharged recently.”
“Based on what?”
“He’s got too much stuff to be on a leave and he isn’t in a hurry to go anywhere or report his whereabouts. The airport is near, so he probably arrived here today.”
Rigsby and Kimball shared a brief look and a hidden smirk.
“Anything else?”
“Air force, probably a captain or a major. He has some authority, but he’s used to reporting to his superiors.”
“We’ll see, Grace should have something by now.” Kimball flipped his phone open, selected the number and put the call the speaker. Grace answered after the first ring.
“I was just going to call you. I made the background checks on both of them. Who else is there?”
“Jane and Rigsby, I’ll update Lisbon when she’s free.”
“The waitress, Rebecca Lane, is a med student, works part time. Clean record and no connection to the victim that I could find.”
“What about the man?”
“Evan Lorne, a major in the air force, honourably discharged.”
“When?”
“Discharge papers were filed last week, according to the air force he left the base yesterday.”
“Where did he serve?” Jane asked. He grinned merrily and took a long sip from his cup.
“Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station. It’s in Colorado, near Colorado Springs.”
“Did he fly here today from Colorado?”
“Yeah.”
“Any idea why he was discharged?”
“No. I did get his record from the air force, but it’s mostly confidential and sealed, so I just know the basics. He was involved in some kind of a situation, a test gone wrong, and few people died. He was offered an honourable discharge and he took it. At least that’s the official version.”
“What’s the unofficial version?”
“How would I know? Like I told you, that was all I got from them.”
Kimball frowned at the phone, but the message didn’t reach the other end.
“So he’s involved in something that killed people, comes here and runs into an assassination. What are the odds?”
“What are the odds I’ll get out of desk duty anytime soon?”
“Ask Lisbon.” Kimball grinned. “Keep digging and call if you find something good.” He hung up and pocketed the phone. “At least we didn’t bet on it, my salary’s not big enough for that.”
“Eyes open, it’s that simple.” Jane teased. “So we got a dead man, a hooded killer, a hysterical waitress and an on-the-road major. Shake them up and what do you get?”
Kimball shrugged and turned to look at the dead man laying inside the chalk lines. “Throw in a rabbi and a bar, and you got a beginning of a bad joke.”
Chapter 3