I Bet on Losing Dogs - Patrick Jane

610 - Green Thumbs

Kenzie took her hat off and sighed, wiping the sweat off of her brow. She sat on a haystack. One of the horses, Tulip, neighed before pushing her face against Kenzie's stomach.

Kenzie softly chuckled and petted her mane. Faint footsteps crunched under the rocky gravel. She looked up to see Agent Fischer walking up to her in a black pantsuit.

"Here we go again," Kenzie muttered before she turned to the agent with a smile. "Agent Fischer."

"Mackenzie Patterson. Can we talk?" the agent asked.

"Sure."

They walked into Wilma's house and sat down on the couch in the living room. Kenzie leaned back with her leg crossed over her lap.

"How's Patrick?" Kenzie asked.

"He is still in detention."

"Not surprised. They won't deliver my letters, or my daughter's. For... three months now."

"He's being kept in isolation by design."

Kenzie smirked. "By design? Or until he does what you want?"

"We want to help him out."

"You want to use him."

"Is that so bad?"

"I hate to break it to you, but, uh, he's not federal agent material."

"Was he state agent material?"

Kenzie scoffed. "I was hardly state agent material. But, we both wanted to be there."

"And while you were there, you two stopped the 10-year reign of a mass murderer and exposed a society of corruption in law enforcement that spread halfway across the country. You also solved the unsolved murders of your father and those young girls."

"We didn't do it by the books, though."

"Yeah, we know how Jane works. And we know he's a risk. But we can't ignore the upside. He closed every case you were ever assigned."

"He had help."

"Which is why I'm here." Kenzie raised an eyebrow. "Help me, Patterson. There are national security issues at play. Jane won't work with us unless we meet his demands."

"He's way too prideful. You gotta give him a win. Meet one of his demands."

"One of his demands is you."

Kenzie paused. "Well, meet another one."

"We're running out of time. Is your work here so pressing that you can't take a break to help your country?"

Kenzie leaned forward. "Listen, Agent Fischer. I know you probably mean well, but, that will never work with you. My country betrayed my ancestors, my father, and me. So, in all honesty, I could give a fuck about helping my country."

♥️

Lilly eagerly jumped up and down as she encouraged her mother to hurry up. She had a couple of days off from school, so Wilma insisted that the two girls had a full day to themselves. Kenzie was hesitant, not wanting her mother to tend to everything by herself.

Still, Kenzie tied the strings of her tennis shoes before popping up like a daisy. "Alright," she said. "You have everything?"

"Yes," Lilly groaned. "Now, let's go!"

Kenzie playfully rolled her eyes and pulled her purse up to her shoulder. Lilly grabbed the front door handle and opened it, only to find Agent Abbott standing in the doorway.