Chapter 84: The Senses
"Anyone can be a detective these days," a sarcastic voice rang out.
"Mr. Jane," Agent Lisbon said, looking toward the source with an expression of both frustration and resignation. "Could you please be civil?"
A man in his thirties, with perfectly styled hair that screamed expensive salon and a cocky smile, appeared before everyone. He shrugged and said, "Was I wrong?"
He looked at JJ and said, "A media liaison who's never seen real blood."
Then he looked at Reid and said, "A bookworm agent with a crush on the media liaison."
He studied Reid and JJ's expressions, then a look of understanding crossed his face. "My mistake. It's not just a crush. The feeling's mutual. How sweet."
"Mr. Jane!" Agent Lisbon raised her voice.
"What's wrong?" The man in the suit ignored Agent Lisbon and said casually, "Don't you want to know who you'll be working with?"
He looked at Chuck and said, "An accountant now playing detective at crime scenes. Seems like anyone can be a detective these days."
"If mice can serve as consulting detectives for cats, what's so strange about accountants being detectives?" Chuck said calmly.
"Then what would someone who envied the mouse's life and tried to copy it be calculating?" The suited man raised an eyebrow.
"Do you two know each other?" Agent Lisbon looked from the suited man to Chuck, as if piecing something together.
"Chuck?" Reid was curious.
"Patrick Jane." The suited man extended his hand to Gideon. "Chuck's best friend."
"No, you're not," Chuck corrected.
"Ha, keep denying it." Patrick wagged a finger and laughed, "But we both know I am, because you don't have any other friends."
"I'm Chuck's friend," Reid couldn't help but interject.
"No, you're not." Patrick smiled and looked at Reid. "You're his fanboy at best."
"I'm a year older than Chuck," Reid said indignantly.
"That makes you Little Mickey?" Patrick said with a grin. "You know what I mean, don't you?"
"Mr. Jane?" Unit Chief Hotchner interrupted, looking at Agent Lisbon.
"He..." Lisbon opened her mouth, unsure how to introduce Patrick.
In fact, if she had a choice, she would never see him again, let alone introduce him.
"She wants to call me a pain in the ass," Patrick said, taking the initiative. "But she's too polite to say it directly. So, I'm a consulting detective invited by CBI leadership. I'm also the inspiration for the accounting detective next to you. Otherwise, why would he leave a perfectly good accounting job to play detective?"
"We don't solve cases for entertainment," Agent Lisbon frowned. "Mr. Jane, if you have nothing constructive to add, you can leave. Don't you have somewhere to be tonight?"
"Oh, right." Patrick raised his hand to check his watch and snapped his fingers. "I have a TV appearance tonight. Chuck, I'll call Angela right now. Charlotte's been missing her Uncle Chuck for ages. Remember to give her a big hug."
With that, he pointed at Chuck, winked, and walked away.
"Sorry, the brass insisted on his involvement, and we just try not to engage with him," Agent Lisbon explained helplessly.
"I understand. It's what the public wants," Gideon smiled. "After all, many people are drawn to the supernatural. A famous psychic can serve as good PR to keep the media satisfied."
"Please, come in." Agent Lisbon smiled gratefully and gestured for everyone to follow her inside.
"Chuck, how do you know him?" Reid followed Chuck and asked.
Chuck was about to respond when his phone rang. He picked it up and answered, "Angela."
It was Patrick's wife, Angela. She'd just heard from her husband that Chuck was in California and enthusiastically invited him to dinner that evening.
Chuck politely declined, hung up, and said to Reid, "I used to work as an accountant for his wife Angela's family business."
"Her family has money?" JJ couldn't help but wonder. "I thought he was self-made."
Clearly, JJ was still a bit irritated by Patrick's dismissive description of her as just a media liaison.
Compared to the others, she dealt with public relations and actually knew Patrick Jane, the psychic who frequently appeared on television demonstrating his abilities.
"Even creating something from nothing counts as self-made," Chuck said.
"This is Agent Cho, from our unit..." After entering, Agent Lisbon addressed an Asian-American agent. "Cho, you'll brief them on the case."
"Right," Agent Cho nodded expressionlessly, then began presenting the latest developments.
"It's lunchtime." An hour later, Chuck glanced at his watch, then stood and walked out.
"This..." Lisbon was taken aback by Chuck's abrupt departure.
They were still discussing the case, and suddenly he was thinking about lunch.
"Dr. Wolfe is like that, a bit particular about routines. He's very punctual about meals," Gideon said with a smile.
"I see." Agent Lisbon glanced at the time and nodded in understanding. "It is indeed lunchtime. Let's take a break, grab some food, and then continue."
"Sounds good," Unit Chief Hotchner nodded.
"Is this your first time in Sacramento?" Agent Lisbon smiled. "What would you like to eat? I can put in a takeout order."
"That would be great," Unit Chief Hotchner nodded appreciatively. Everyone named their preferred dishes.
"What about Dr. Wolfe?" Lisbon thought of Chuck's departure.
"Dr. Wolfe doesn't eat outside food. He's got some germaphobe tendencies. He brings his own meals. Don't worry about him," Gideon explained with a smile.
Reid gave Gideon an odd look.
It felt like those should have been his words to say.
"..." Lisbon was speechless. Thinking of Chuck's earlier behavior, she felt some relief. She had been a police officer for many years, especially in California, where celebrities and wealthy people congregated. Naturally, she had encountered many eccentric individuals, and someone with both OCD and germaphobia wasn't her first rodeo.
However, she couldn't help but glance at her own officer, Agent Cho. He also maintained a stoic expression, and she suddenly felt a bit more at ease with him.
At least Agent Cho understood social norms and wouldn't suddenly get up and leave.
Everyone continued discussing the case. After waiting for over an hour, the takeout finally arrived. Led by Agent Lisbon, they moved to the conference room and used it as an impromptu dining area.
They weren't machines; they couldn't skip meals just to focus on a case.
When Lisbon brought out the sandwich she had prepared for herself, Gideon couldn't help but compliment her, "Agent Lisbon is so thoughtful."
"It's just habit. Sometimes I keep some deli meat in the office for convenience. Would anyone like to try it?" Agent Lisbon modestly placed her lunch container in the center for everyone to share.
Chatting while eating helped them get to know each other better, laying good groundwork for future cooperation. Both sides were showing goodwill.
"Hey, there he is!" JJ put down her phone. Seeing everyone looking at her, she picked up the remote control and turned on the TV in the conference room. Everyone looked over and saw Patrick Jane appear on the television screen.
(End of Chapter)
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