The Mute Siren

Pilot [3]

Serena walked into the office CBI was using for the current case with her father.

Patrick pocketed his cell phone that Lisbon had just called. "Good morning," he told Van Pelt as she walked by.

"Can I help you?" Van Pelt asked, not realizing who he was.

Serena smirked a bit as she took a seat on the couch.

"You must be Van Pelt. Pleasure, Patrick Jane," Patrick introduced.

"Oh, hi. Good to meet you. Agent Cho said you had left town,"

"No. Nowhere to go,"

"Okay. Um..." Van Pelt pointed to the desks "Do you want that desk over there or this one? I mean, that one gets more light,"

Serena grabbed her bag and headed for the desk with more light.

Patrick chuckled at his daughter's antics "That one. More light by all means,"

Van Pelt smiled as she walked off.

"Very pleasant addition to the serious crimes family," Patrick told Lisbon.

"Oh. Hi. When did you get here?" Lisbon asked.

***

"We're a full-service private." Dr. Wagner explained to Agent Lisbon and Patrick as they were in his office. "We deliver primary care, uh, cosmetic surgery, psychotherapy, sports medicine...you name it,"

"What's the African connection?" Patrick wondered.

"It's what this place is all about. Half our profits go to build and staff basic health clinics in poor African communities." Dr. Wagner typed on his computer "Ah, here we are. It's a thin file. Alison was a healthy young woman,"

"Psychiatric history?" Lisbon asked.

"She didn't have one,"

"STDs? Abortions? Unexplained injuries?"

Dr. Wagner continued looking through his computer records "No. Except for some routine checkups with me, it's all Dr. Tannen...all aesthetic work,"

Patrick looked up from the books he was viewing "Did Tannen keep a diary? Our last case was solved because the victim kept a diary,"

"Diary? I don't think so,"

"Getting back to Alison Randolph..." Lisbon said "How was her marriage, do you think? Happy? Unhappy?"

"About six months ago, Dr. Tannen asked my advice. Alison had asked him to get her a year's supply of birth control pills off the books, which is strictly against the AMA code. I said sure, do it. I mean, better us than some Tijuana drugstore,"

"Why the secrecy?"

"Price Randolph had a vasectomy, April of '02,"

Patrick chuckled at the realization.

***

"If there's anything else I can do..." Dr. Wagner asked Lisbon as he lead them out into the waiting room.

"I appreciate that," Lisbon said.

Patrick stopped walking and turned back to Dr. Wagner, lowering his voice so Lisbon didn't overhear "Actually, there is. Uh...I'm out of sleeping pills. Can you fix me up? Anything strong will do,"

"Sure." Dr. Wagner said "Uh, come in for a consultation. We'll squeeze you in this afternoon,"

"Oh, no. I-I was hoping to get something now. Trying to avoid the chitchat," Patrick laughed.