The long wheelbase XJ Jaguar speeds down the road. Like it owns it. The car. You. And the passenger. In the back. Asleep.

You have the control of everything. And you're one of the best. The sound of the motor. The tires on the road. Your fingers gripped on the wheel. Slowly tapping to an imaginary rhythm. There is no sound. No radio. Just the silence of the car. The silence of the night. It's deafening. Loud. And smooth at the same time. So smooth.

You wish it could last. You wish you weren't reaching your destination so soon. But the night has been long. And you know the passenger in the back sit is tired. The faster you'll be arriving, the best it would be. So you're doing it. Speed up to the limits. Maybe more. A lot more. And you have the flash of it. You could end it here. Right now. If you wanted to.

The gate opens and less than a minute later, you're parked in front of the mansion. The exterior house lights are on. At this hour, the villa seems less impressive. Almost familiar. Even if it has only been three days. And nights. Mostly.

"Doctor Isles."

"Hum…?"

"Here we are. You're home."

"Oh. Oh, okay. Thank you. Have a good night."

"Wait." You get up quickly from the front seat and goes around the car to open the door before asking : "At what time should I be here tomorrow ?"

"Excuse me ?" The voice is still a bit sleepy.

"What time do you want me to come pick you with the car ?"

"Ah, yes. Sorry. Eight would be fine. Thank you again."

"You're welcome Doctor. See you tomorrow."

And with that, your passenger is already in the house.

You restart the car. Off to the garage. Full of cars. A whole house. Vintage. New. American. Sport. Family cars. European. Twenty two of them.

Back in your car. Not the same. At all. But still another wheel. Another motor. Same skills. Different universe. There is a wrinkle on your suit sleeve. You absently try to pull it knowing it won't do anything. As you're leaving the propriety, you see Elison in the inside mirror, waving at you.

By the time you're in your apartment you look at your phone. 3:37 am. Not so much for the long night. You're going to change for shorts and t-shirt, you drop your suit on the floor as you walk to the bathroom. The tie. The vest. The gloves. The pants. You don't care. Tomorrow you'll be wearing another one. It's not like there is anything different than suits to wear in your closet anyway.

You slept three hours. But you don't have time to think about that right now. Three hours. That's it. And it's better than some nights.

At 7:30 you're already on the road. The day is rising but the weather is foggy. Clouds are low. Grey. You wish you could remember their exact color in this light. Take everything you can. Look. Observe. And remember. Try to remember. The colors. The light. The sun.

You're driving without thinking of it. First, second, third. You control the speed, the trajectory, the flexibility of your arms. Your eyes are on the road and you feel untouchable. You can do anything. Right here. Behind the wheel. Your life is complete. There is nothing but you and the engine.

Same gate, same opening as a few hours ago. You park your car in the garage. Taking the Jaguar, you drive toward the house. You leave it in front of the villa and Elison open the main door to great you in.

"I think Doctor Isles will be ready in few minutes. Would you like a coffee ?"

"Yeah, sure."

You walk to the kitchen. And before you know it, Carol is handing you a mug. Hot. Very hot. But you take it. "Thanks Carol."

You wait. The smell is everywhere. It's so good it even make you smile a little. And then you start to drink the hot beverage. It's comforting. It's the real start of your day. Not five minutes later you hear the very distinctive click of heels on the floor. And then, her voice :

"Carol, could you please do me a green tea to go ?"

"Yes Madam, of course."

"Thank you."

Carol comes to you, takes the mug off your hand and before you can even protest, she's telling you : "I'll better put that into a traveling cup for you as well."

So very thoughtful.

You've taken the same car as yesterday. The driving is the same pleasure. In its way, it helps you relax. Even if you're careful of everything. Years of practice have given you some confidence. But not always. You know better than everyone that you can't count on that only. You have to be focused.

This is your job now. This is your new responsibility. Doctor Isles.

You pull the car in the parking lot. Downstairs. Fifth floor. Private parking. You stop the car in front of the elevator door and switch off. Quickly jumping out. You open the passenger back door and take place to the side of the car to let her pass. Tea in left hand. Briefcase in the right one. The wave of perfume coming from the car hits you. It's magnificent. You almost close your eyes to be able to smell it deeper. You want to immerse yourself in it. But you remain professional. You close the door and move quickly to push the elevator button.

You wait for Doctor Isles to take her place. Once she's in the left corner, as usual, you get in and press the upper button.

Elevators doors open and you're greeting by Brittany.

"Good morning Doctor Isles.

Miss Rizzoli, good morning."

"Good morning Brittany. How are you ? Do you have my finale schedule for today ?" Doctor Isles enquires.

"Yes, of course, I printed it after you send me the rectification this morning" answers Brittany while handing it.

"Perfect. Thank you."

As soon as the exchange is over, Doctor Isles heads to her office.

"Okay, Miss Rizzoli..." Brittany starts.

"Please, call me Jane."

"I forgot, sorry. So, Jane, since Doctor Isles's schedule changed a little, we can see together if she will be needing you before tonight."

"Right."

It turns out that Doctor Isles is just going to need you for lunch. And for the ride back tonight. The initial busy schedule plan for the afternoon has been modified.

Brittany is already back behind her desk. You look at your watch. You have about four hours before lunch time.

"I'm gonna head out. I'll be back around 12:30pm. Call me if Doctor Isles needs me before."

"Okay Jane. See you later."