Follow The Yellow Brick Road (4/11)
Previous Parts: Part One, Part Two, Part Three
There was a beeping sound and it was annoying. She was trying to sleep, and yet, it was becoming increasingly impossible to stay in such a state. Eventually, she realized she couldn’t continue pretending, not least because of the medic trying desperately to rouse her into wakefulness. Irritably, she opened her eyes and squinted at the harsh sunlight. The last thing Lisbon could remember was it being night time and that she and Bosco had been making a bust. Things had obviously gone horrendously wrong for her to have ended up hospitalized.
And then, it hit her like a ton of bricks.
It hadn’t just been a typical case going wrong. That would have simplified things, made it all so much easier to deal with. At least then, she would have had no personal affiliation with the case. Then, she wouldn’t have been worrying about anything other than the fact that she could have died in the line of duty. No, they just had to catch the now infamous serial killer, Red John, in the act, didn‘t they? Or, just simply John, as she knew him.
As she glanced warily around the room, she realized that Bosco was there with her. More than likely, he was waiting for her to wake so he could arrest her for obstruction and perverting the course of justice. He was probably proud of himself, of course, for he had just caught Red John. If that wasn’t a career-making case, then Lisbon didn’t know what was. However, he was probably horrified at the fact that she had lied to him for so long and bitter about the fact he had to arrest her at all. But it was the right thing for him to do and was the least she deserved. Or at least, she assumed that was the way he saw things. She was going to have to get used to the concept of a life behind bars pretty soon. And all she knew was that it was going to be a living hell. Cops never went through the judicial system and came out of the other end in one piece. Lisbon automatically knew that she would be no exception.
“Thank goodness,” Bosco breathed, as she stared at him. “I was beginning to worry.”
“What happened?”
“Red John,” he answered dourly.
“I know that. Did you…” she said, trailing off as she did so.
“I heard you talking to him.”
She felt a sinking pit in the depths of her stomach. Of course he was going to have overheard; fate was never going to let her get out of this situation unscathed. Immediately, Lisbon pulled her gaze away from her boss. The last thing she needed to see right now was how he felt. Probably a mixture of relief and anger. She didn’t particularly feel like she deserved his concern, nor his pity. After all, sometimes, she felt as though life was just pulling her along on a string and she didn’t have a choice but to go along with it. She had never intended to have any association with a serial killer, except for maybe apprehending them, but who did? Nor had she always planned to be a cop, it was just something that happened to her.
“We need to talk.”
“I know.”
“Not now. You sleep.”
“Yeah, thanks, boss.”
“Teresa?”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you’re on the road to recovery.”
Lisbon watched as he pulled the door open, disappeared through it and then again as it closed shut. As the medic went through all of her vital statistics, her reactions, pulse and the like, her mind immediately went elsewhere. Bosco’s reactions had been unexpected but she was still certain that she couldn’t count her blessings just yet.
xxx
“I heard you were back home. I needed to see you.”
“Well now you’ve seen me, so go,” she snapped at him irritably.
When she had heard the knock at the door, Lisbon hadn’t particularly wanted visitors. Out of all the people who could possibly disturb her, John was the one she wanted to see the least. She knew what to expect: faux apologies, a bit of sympathy and meaningless attempts at explanations. And quite frankly, she didn’t have the time, energy or the patience to deal with any of it. She had only been home for twelve hours or so and knew that she was still suffering heavily from the side-effects of major, invasive surgery. Her doctors had repeatedly said that she had been lucky to be alive. That if she hadn’t been wearing the protective clothing, she would have been in a morgue instead. However, right now, she was feeling too tired to appreciate her good fortune. All she wanted to do was sleep.
“But I want to apologize-”
“For what? Killing somebody else? What’s your excuse this time?”
“For shooting you. I didn’t mean-”
“So if it was Bosco instead, you wouldn’t have cared?”
He ignored her frustration. “If you must know, she found-”
“I don’t want to know!”
“Then why did you ask?”
“It was a rhetorical question! What is your problem now, John? Why did you get mixed up in all this crap? Why do you continually insist upon dragging me down with you?”
“I should go.”
“Yes, I already said that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Whatever.”
She slammed the door in his face and found herself breathing heavily after the outburst. Slowly, she turned on her feet and leaned up against the door. Eventually, she slid down into a seated position and buried her face in her knees. Lisbon felt as though she had been knifed in her stomach; clearly the painkillers were wearing off already. But mostly, she was just angry and tired and confused. Sometimes, she wished that she could reset her life and start over. At least then, she wouldn’t feel as though she had been stabbed in the back both literally and figuratively.
xxx
“Did you see Red John?”
“Yes,” she answered, unable to lie.
Bosco had barely given her time to settle back into work before addressing the situation. Already, Lisbon found herself enclosed in the privacy of his office. Part of her was relieved to be back at the SFPD, uniformed, as opposed to wearing handcuffs. She had taken it as a sign meaning that Bosco hadn’t heard as much as she’d initially thought he had, that she had a lucky loophole to wriggle out of the situation. Still, he could have simply decided to make sure she was fully recovered, to ensure that she had the ability to defend herself against the judicial system. That this was just his way of showing her the smallest bit of humanity. She was getting to the stage where she didn’t know who she should - or could - trust. After all, if she could barely trust herself, who else was reliable enough to do so?
“You know him, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said, after a slight pause. Again, she was sick of concealing the truth and besides, she had a feeling that if she tried to lie, he would see straight through it anyway.
“Who is he?”
“Bosco…”
“Don’t look at me like that, Teresa. It’s not going to work.”
Lisbon remained deathly silent. What was she meant to say or do? She hadn’t even realized she had been giving Bosco a look one way or another until he had pointed it out. All she knew was that she was genuinely sorry to have put him in such a compromising position. After all, it was one she understood all too well, one she could sympathize with entirely. Her whole life had been completely changed due to one seemingly small decision by an individual. It was strange how things like that could sometimes happen.
“Why can’t you say? You’re close to him, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? You either are or you’re not,” he answered back with a frown. “Oh God, he isn’t Tommy, is he?”
Lisbon flinched at the name of her errant brother. Even though Tommy was a little bit of a nightmare, he wouldn’t resort to murder in the way that John had. Or at least, she didn’t think he would. Instead of answering, she simply remained mute. Something told her that it was better that Bosco came to his own conclusions about the whole debacle rather than her trying to clarify things. She watched as Bosco ran a hand through his thinning hair.
“I shouldn’t say this, but…”
“But?”
“I won’t say a word. You lost consciousness before you got a clear sight of Red John, that’s all I’ll write in my report, okay?” he said, unable to look her in the eye. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s what happened.”
“You’ll cover for me?” she whispered, genuinely surprised.
“Yes. It’s what you’d do for me, right?”
“Right,” she answered back, although she couldn’t entirely be sure about that.
Bosco had completely surpassed her expectations. She had always believed that he was a straight arrow, one who followed the law right down to the smallest of details. And yet, he was willing to bend all of his principles, just for her. This was exactly the same situation John had put her in years ago and she was still paying the price for it now. Not only that, but it had automatically become a burden that Bosco too would have to carry.
She hadn’t realized that she meant that much to him. Nor was she sure what to make of the situation.
xxx
The letters and following telephone calls from Virgil Minelli came as a complete shock to her. Never, in an instant, did she think that she would ever be head-hunted by an agency such as the CBI. Lisbon knew that she was slowly becoming a good cop, but that didn’t mean she necessarily believed she had what it took to become an agent for the premier crime fighting agency in the state of California. Of course, if the opportunity to apply for a role had come up, she would have grabbed it with both hands, but being requested to come for an interview was another matter entirely. It meant that somebody - outside of the SFPD - thought she was highly capable and would be an asset to them.
Things with the CBI progressed surprisingly quickly. Telephone calls soon turned into interviews and before she even knew it, Lisbon was packing her bags and bidding farewell to the team she had worked with for a good few years. It was surprisingly emotional, especially given that she was merely moving to another city. If it had been another state or even country, then she would have understood the pricking at the back of her eyes and the lump in her throat as she said goodbye to Bosco.
Then again, he looked fairly choked up as well. When he enveloped her into a bone-crushing hug, it had taken her off-guard, but Lisbon appreciated it. She honestly didn’t know when - or if - she would see him again. Both of their careers meant they were incredibly busy and Lisbon had a feeling that once she was in Sacramento, it was only going to get even more so. After all, the CBI was there to deal with all the cases the smaller police departments couldn’t handle, whether that be for political reasons or sheer inexperience. Bigger cases inevitably led to a bigger workload, it was a simple fact. She’d learned that one out the hard way; it had taken a lot of effort to take down William McTeer, but it had been more than worth it. It meant that no more children would have to suffer a harrowing, life-changing experience, at the hands of that bastard. And on a more personal note, if she hadn’t have succeed, then Minelli would never have read the article in the press and never considered giving her a new job. Minelli hadn’t even been fazed by her near-miss with Red John and had instead labeled it as ‘character building.’
His lips brushed against her cheek gently and Lisbon struggled to hold it together. Working so closely with Bosco had meant that she had quickly found a respect for him and not least because of his unwavering loyalty towards her. That was half the reason she had made the decision to leave. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to cope remaining in such a close proximity to him, especially with him knowing about her dirty little secret. It felt like it was a bomb, one that could go off at any given minute. The further away she was from it, the better. There were things Lisbon knew she would miss though, like the smile he reserved just for her, the one that looked as if they were conspiring, as if it were the two of them against all the crooks and criminals San Francisco had to offer. It was sacrifices she would have to make, however hard it was.
There was only one other man who had made her feel like this.
And that was John.
xxx
She hadn’t expected to be placed immediately into the newly formed Serious Crimes Unit. Truth be told, she had expected to become a low ranking member of either Organized Crimes or Missing Persons. Both of those teams were understaffed - thanks to a combination of injury and maternity leave - and thus, it was only natural that a new person filled in the gaps. However, according to the Personnel Standards Unit, the SCU was required to take some of the strain away from Major Crimes.
It was also somewhat of a surprise to find herself not as lead agent, for she wasn’t quite ready for such a position yet, but as second in command. During her time with the SFPD, there hadn’t really been much of a chance for progression, nobody had really left or joined the department. While it had been nice, having a familiar team to fall back on, it had grown increasingly frustrating for the younger members such as herself. What was the point in having a career if there was no chance to move onto bigger and better things? Still, she felt emboldened by the fact that Minelli had the faith in her to put her straight into such a responsible role.
Quickly, she was introduced to the lead agent, Jeff Matthias and the rookie, a Kimball Cho. Cho seemed like a sturdy sort of man, somebody who could be relied upon. Lisbon hoped that would be the case; after all, she had learned the importance of being able to trust every member of the team while with Bosco. She hoped that they could replicate that feeling of unity here.
It didn’t take long for them to settle down to business. They hadn’t been assigned that many cases as yet; being a new team, Minelli had wanted them to settle down before upping their workload too much. She knew that the CBI had jurisdiction over Red John. The name had generally been adopted state-wide and every single time that Lisbon heard it, it unsettled her. However, she wasn’t sure whether or not they would be handed the case or whether it would remain in the hands of Major Crimes.
When she discovered that she was to have nothing to do with it, she couldn’t help but be partially relieved. There was something about the concept of working a case, but not wanting to solve it, which had unsettled her considerably.
To Part Five
There was a beeping sound and it was annoying. She was trying to sleep, and yet, it was becoming increasingly impossible to stay in such a state. Eventually, she realized she couldn’t continue pretending, not least because of the medic trying desperately to rouse her into wakefulness. Irritably, she opened her eyes and squinted at the harsh sunlight. The last thing Lisbon could remember was it being night time and that she and Bosco had been making a bust. Things had obviously gone horrendously wrong for her to have ended up hospitalized.
And then, it hit her like a ton of bricks.
It hadn’t just been a typical case going wrong. That would have simplified things, made it all so much easier to deal with. At least then, she would have had no personal affiliation with the case. Then, she wouldn’t have been worrying about anything other than the fact that she could have died in the line of duty. No, they just had to catch the now infamous serial killer, Red John, in the act, didn‘t they? Or, just simply John, as she knew him.
As she glanced warily around the room, she realized that Bosco was there with her. More than likely, he was waiting for her to wake so he could arrest her for obstruction and perverting the course of justice. He was probably proud of himself, of course, for he had just caught Red John. If that wasn’t a career-making case, then Lisbon didn’t know what was. However, he was probably horrified at the fact that she had lied to him for so long and bitter about the fact he had to arrest her at all. But it was the right thing for him to do and was the least she deserved. Or at least, she assumed that was the way he saw things. She was going to have to get used to the concept of a life behind bars pretty soon. And all she knew was that it was going to be a living hell. Cops never went through the judicial system and came out of the other end in one piece. Lisbon automatically knew that she would be no exception.
“Thank goodness,” Bosco breathed, as she stared at him. “I was beginning to worry.”
“What happened?”
“Red John,” he answered dourly.
“I know that. Did you…” she said, trailing off as she did so.
“I heard you talking to him.”
She felt a sinking pit in the depths of her stomach. Of course he was going to have overheard; fate was never going to let her get out of this situation unscathed. Immediately, Lisbon pulled her gaze away from her boss. The last thing she needed to see right now was how he felt. Probably a mixture of relief and anger. She didn’t particularly feel like she deserved his concern, nor his pity. After all, sometimes, she felt as though life was just pulling her along on a string and she didn’t have a choice but to go along with it. She had never intended to have any association with a serial killer, except for maybe apprehending them, but who did? Nor had she always planned to be a cop, it was just something that happened to her.
“We need to talk.”
“I know.”
“Not now. You sleep.”
“Yeah, thanks, boss.”
“Teresa?”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you’re on the road to recovery.”
Lisbon watched as he pulled the door open, disappeared through it and then again as it closed shut. As the medic went through all of her vital statistics, her reactions, pulse and the like, her mind immediately went elsewhere. Bosco’s reactions had been unexpected but she was still certain that she couldn’t count her blessings just yet.
xxx
“I heard you were back home. I needed to see you.”
“Well now you’ve seen me, so go,” she snapped at him irritably.
When she had heard the knock at the door, Lisbon hadn’t particularly wanted visitors. Out of all the people who could possibly disturb her, John was the one she wanted to see the least. She knew what to expect: faux apologies, a bit of sympathy and meaningless attempts at explanations. And quite frankly, she didn’t have the time, energy or the patience to deal with any of it. She had only been home for twelve hours or so and knew that she was still suffering heavily from the side-effects of major, invasive surgery. Her doctors had repeatedly said that she had been lucky to be alive. That if she hadn’t been wearing the protective clothing, she would have been in a morgue instead. However, right now, she was feeling too tired to appreciate her good fortune. All she wanted to do was sleep.
“But I want to apologize-”
“For what? Killing somebody else? What’s your excuse this time?”
“For shooting you. I didn’t mean-”
“So if it was Bosco instead, you wouldn’t have cared?”
He ignored her frustration. “If you must know, she found-”
“I don’t want to know!”
“Then why did you ask?”
“It was a rhetorical question! What is your problem now, John? Why did you get mixed up in all this crap? Why do you continually insist upon dragging me down with you?”
“I should go.”
“Yes, I already said that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Whatever.”
She slammed the door in his face and found herself breathing heavily after the outburst. Slowly, she turned on her feet and leaned up against the door. Eventually, she slid down into a seated position and buried her face in her knees. Lisbon felt as though she had been knifed in her stomach; clearly the painkillers were wearing off already. But mostly, she was just angry and tired and confused. Sometimes, she wished that she could reset her life and start over. At least then, she wouldn’t feel as though she had been stabbed in the back both literally and figuratively.
xxx
“Did you see Red John?”
“Yes,” she answered, unable to lie.
Bosco had barely given her time to settle back into work before addressing the situation. Already, Lisbon found herself enclosed in the privacy of his office. Part of her was relieved to be back at the SFPD, uniformed, as opposed to wearing handcuffs. She had taken it as a sign meaning that Bosco hadn’t heard as much as she’d initially thought he had, that she had a lucky loophole to wriggle out of the situation. Still, he could have simply decided to make sure she was fully recovered, to ensure that she had the ability to defend herself against the judicial system. That this was just his way of showing her the smallest bit of humanity. She was getting to the stage where she didn’t know who she should - or could - trust. After all, if she could barely trust herself, who else was reliable enough to do so?
“You know him, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said, after a slight pause. Again, she was sick of concealing the truth and besides, she had a feeling that if she tried to lie, he would see straight through it anyway.
“Who is he?”
“Bosco…”
“Don’t look at me like that, Teresa. It’s not going to work.”
Lisbon remained deathly silent. What was she meant to say or do? She hadn’t even realized she had been giving Bosco a look one way or another until he had pointed it out. All she knew was that she was genuinely sorry to have put him in such a compromising position. After all, it was one she understood all too well, one she could sympathize with entirely. Her whole life had been completely changed due to one seemingly small decision by an individual. It was strange how things like that could sometimes happen.
“Why can’t you say? You’re close to him, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? You either are or you’re not,” he answered back with a frown. “Oh God, he isn’t Tommy, is he?”
Lisbon flinched at the name of her errant brother. Even though Tommy was a little bit of a nightmare, he wouldn’t resort to murder in the way that John had. Or at least, she didn’t think he would. Instead of answering, she simply remained mute. Something told her that it was better that Bosco came to his own conclusions about the whole debacle rather than her trying to clarify things. She watched as Bosco ran a hand through his thinning hair.
“I shouldn’t say this, but…”
“But?”
“I won’t say a word. You lost consciousness before you got a clear sight of Red John, that’s all I’ll write in my report, okay?” he said, unable to look her in the eye. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s what happened.”
“You’ll cover for me?” she whispered, genuinely surprised.
“Yes. It’s what you’d do for me, right?”
“Right,” she answered back, although she couldn’t entirely be sure about that.
Bosco had completely surpassed her expectations. She had always believed that he was a straight arrow, one who followed the law right down to the smallest of details. And yet, he was willing to bend all of his principles, just for her. This was exactly the same situation John had put her in years ago and she was still paying the price for it now. Not only that, but it had automatically become a burden that Bosco too would have to carry.
She hadn’t realized that she meant that much to him. Nor was she sure what to make of the situation.
xxx
The letters and following telephone calls from Virgil Minelli came as a complete shock to her. Never, in an instant, did she think that she would ever be head-hunted by an agency such as the CBI. Lisbon knew that she was slowly becoming a good cop, but that didn’t mean she necessarily believed she had what it took to become an agent for the premier crime fighting agency in the state of California. Of course, if the opportunity to apply for a role had come up, she would have grabbed it with both hands, but being requested to come for an interview was another matter entirely. It meant that somebody - outside of the SFPD - thought she was highly capable and would be an asset to them.
Things with the CBI progressed surprisingly quickly. Telephone calls soon turned into interviews and before she even knew it, Lisbon was packing her bags and bidding farewell to the team she had worked with for a good few years. It was surprisingly emotional, especially given that she was merely moving to another city. If it had been another state or even country, then she would have understood the pricking at the back of her eyes and the lump in her throat as she said goodbye to Bosco.
Then again, he looked fairly choked up as well. When he enveloped her into a bone-crushing hug, it had taken her off-guard, but Lisbon appreciated it. She honestly didn’t know when - or if - she would see him again. Both of their careers meant they were incredibly busy and Lisbon had a feeling that once she was in Sacramento, it was only going to get even more so. After all, the CBI was there to deal with all the cases the smaller police departments couldn’t handle, whether that be for political reasons or sheer inexperience. Bigger cases inevitably led to a bigger workload, it was a simple fact. She’d learned that one out the hard way; it had taken a lot of effort to take down William McTeer, but it had been more than worth it. It meant that no more children would have to suffer a harrowing, life-changing experience, at the hands of that bastard. And on a more personal note, if she hadn’t have succeed, then Minelli would never have read the article in the press and never considered giving her a new job. Minelli hadn’t even been fazed by her near-miss with Red John and had instead labeled it as ‘character building.’
His lips brushed against her cheek gently and Lisbon struggled to hold it together. Working so closely with Bosco had meant that she had quickly found a respect for him and not least because of his unwavering loyalty towards her. That was half the reason she had made the decision to leave. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to cope remaining in such a close proximity to him, especially with him knowing about her dirty little secret. It felt like it was a bomb, one that could go off at any given minute. The further away she was from it, the better. There were things Lisbon knew she would miss though, like the smile he reserved just for her, the one that looked as if they were conspiring, as if it were the two of them against all the crooks and criminals San Francisco had to offer. It was sacrifices she would have to make, however hard it was.
There was only one other man who had made her feel like this.
And that was John.
xxx
She hadn’t expected to be placed immediately into the newly formed Serious Crimes Unit. Truth be told, she had expected to become a low ranking member of either Organized Crimes or Missing Persons. Both of those teams were understaffed - thanks to a combination of injury and maternity leave - and thus, it was only natural that a new person filled in the gaps. However, according to the Personnel Standards Unit, the SCU was required to take some of the strain away from Major Crimes.
It was also somewhat of a surprise to find herself not as lead agent, for she wasn’t quite ready for such a position yet, but as second in command. During her time with the SFPD, there hadn’t really been much of a chance for progression, nobody had really left or joined the department. While it had been nice, having a familiar team to fall back on, it had grown increasingly frustrating for the younger members such as herself. What was the point in having a career if there was no chance to move onto bigger and better things? Still, she felt emboldened by the fact that Minelli had the faith in her to put her straight into such a responsible role.
Quickly, she was introduced to the lead agent, Jeff Matthias and the rookie, a Kimball Cho. Cho seemed like a sturdy sort of man, somebody who could be relied upon. Lisbon hoped that would be the case; after all, she had learned the importance of being able to trust every member of the team while with Bosco. She hoped that they could replicate that feeling of unity here.
It didn’t take long for them to settle down to business. They hadn’t been assigned that many cases as yet; being a new team, Minelli had wanted them to settle down before upping their workload too much. She knew that the CBI had jurisdiction over Red John. The name had generally been adopted state-wide and every single time that Lisbon heard it, it unsettled her. However, she wasn’t sure whether or not they would be handed the case or whether it would remain in the hands of Major Crimes.
When she discovered that she was to have nothing to do with it, she couldn’t help but be partially relieved. There was something about the concept of working a case, but not wanting to solve it, which had unsettled her considerably.
To Part Five