A/N: Hi Dear Readers. I am back with a new story as I told you. That story contains 10 chapters, including the Prologue and an Epilogue. I will update once a week, maybe more often if I get good reviews.
I really hope you will like it, as much as I liked writing it. I really love that Little Girl, Payson Tanner, so much that I wrote a sequel to that story and I will translate it if you like Little witness.
Now, back to the story,
Sweety
This is the tale of a little girl, Payson Tanner, who witnesses her family destruction and how Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon search for their killers. It takes place while they are still hunting Red John.
Little Witness
Prologue
It was the middle of the night with every one asleep. A little girl named Payson awoke with an urge to get a drink of water. She tried to go back to sleep. It was too early and too cool. She could not sleep. She was too thirsty. She did not want go down stairs alone. She was afraid of the dark. And if she used the light here, her Mother would know. Her Mother was not a bad Mother, far from it. She was even the best Mother in the world at least Payson thought so.
The girl turned to Kelly who was her best friend that spent some time with her. Kelly's parents had to leave for a trip with friends. They decided to leave their daughter at the Tanners Payson's family. She shook her friend. She did not wake so she shook her harder.
- "Kelly, wake up!" Payson urgently said.
- "Payson… Please let me sleep" Kelly murmured.
- "Kelly please wake up I'm thirsty" replied Payson.
- "So go down and get a drink." Kelly replied.
- "Kelly… I'm afraid of the dark. Will you please come with me?" She pleaded.
- "Go alone Payson, I'm too tired and want to sleep." Kelly retorted.
Kelly rolled away from her while pulling the duvet over her. Payson did not want to go alone. She was just too thirsty. She sighed then stood up. She put on her shoes, her robe and walked towards the door. She opened it slowly then passed her head through the crack. She looked from side to side to ensure that there was no one in the hallway. She saw neither her Parents nor her Brother. She checked for monsters too who might hide in the dark to scare her. There was no one. She became brave then ventured into the hallway.
Payson quickly walked down the hall and down the stairs as fast as possible to get to the kitchen. She turned on the light and allowed herself to relax. She removed a small bottle of water from the fridge. She chose that over a glass so she would not have to return. She held the bottle then turned off the light. She was about to go back to her room when she heard noises coming from behind the kitchen's door.
The little girl hid behind the counter. It was monsters making that noise she just knew it. She knew they did not know she was there. She did not want them to see her. She felt her heart beat hard and fast in her chest. Being frightened she squeezed the bottle of water hard in her small hands. She heard movements in the room. Becoming brave again she took a quick glance. The monsters were headed to the stairs from the kitchen. They did not see her.
Suddenly she had another fear invaded her. The monsters were going upstairs toward the bedrooms of her Parents, Brother and Kelly. She had to do something. She could not let them go after her family and her best friend.
Payson walked as quietly as possible. She knew she should not be heard. She did not go up the stairs to the kitchen but rounded the corner to get to the front foyer. She took the main staircase and climbed quickly. She thought maybe she could beat them and could wake up her parents. Her Father would know what to do. He would find a way to protect everyone from the monsters of the night. He was a Policeman and was afraid of nothing. Her Dad was the best Dad in the world. She loved him more than anything, even more then her Mom.
She finally came to the floor but she stopped in her tracks when she saw the monsters changed direction and entered her Parents' room. She hid behind one of the steps. She was so small she could not be seen. Things would work out, her Father would wake up and he would scare the monsters. So she waited to hear the voice of her Father awaking but there was no sound. After some time, the monsters came out of the room. Each held a knife from which escaped a strange liquid that she failed to identify.
She saw one of the monsters move towards her brother's room and the other to hers. Why her Dad did not leave his room? Why did not he come to help Ethan and Kelly? What had the monsters done to her parents? She was much more afraid. She did not even know how to help her family. She slowly sat up making sure the monsters could not see her. She wanted her Father to do something. She ran on tiptoe and entered into her Parent's room.
Payson rushed to the bed to see that her Parents were still asleep. She shook her Father gently.
- "Daddy, Daddy wake up!" she whispered. "Dad, the monsters will hurt Ethan and Kelly."
As much as Payson shook him, her Father did not wake up. So she walked around the bed and tried to wake her Mother. She shook her, again and again, calling her. Her voice was full of tears. She climbed on the bed thinking it would wake her parents. She felt something warm and liquid under her feet. The sheets were wet. Her Parents were too old to wet the bed. She stumbled and found herself lying between her parents. She turned to her Mother and held a cry of terror on seeing a big hole in her throat. She looked at her Father and saw that he had the same thing.
The girl suddenly realized that her Father could not help her little brother nor Kelly not even her. Nobody here could help her. She had to stand on her own. So she got off the bed and grabbed the phone on the bedside table of her Mother. She dialed 911 and waited for someone to answer. She was afraid. The monsters could come back and see her. They would do to her what they had done to her parents. She heard noises in the hallway and ran to hide in the closet with phone still in hand.
A cry was heard in the silence of the night. Payson prayed for someone to answer her, for someone to help and save her. She recognized Kelly's voice. Finally, someone picked up. She dared not answer the person on the line. She was afraid that the monsters would hear her and come in the room then find her. She stayed silent with tears streaming down her cheeks.
- oooo -
A car parked in front of the big house. A brunette and a blond man came out of it. The woman went to the officers in uniform then showed her badge at the entrance and entered the house. The blond man followed her without a word. He was attentive to everything he saw. Inside, many of the agents were taking notes. Others were busy photographing footprints. The brunette went upstairs to find the rest of her team already there.
- "What do we have?" She asked.
- "Mr. and Mrs. Tanner died in their room from multiple stab wounds along with their children, Ethan five years old, and Payson eight years old" replied Cho.
- "Was that the cause of death?" She asked by turning to her colleague.
- " Yes Lisbon…The parents have had their throats slit, the boy as well. But the little girl was stabbed in the left arm and in the stomach." He reported.
- "How long did it take her to die?" She wanted to know though it was a grim statistic.
- " Boss, according to the coroner, she lost a lot of blood and would have died within minutes." He reported.
Teresa Lisbon ran a hand over her face. This case would not be easy. All cases involving children were difficult. She did not like them. How could some one do so much harm to children? How could some one be so cruel? It was hard to understand and after all those years working for the CBI. She had not found the answer. She turned her head to see her colleague, Patrick Jane. It would not be easy for him either. Cases involving children always were very hard for him.
- "Lisbon, what have we got?" Patrick Jane her consultant asked.
- "Quadruple murder, the Parents and their two children" she replied.
She saw him frowning and move towards one of the rooms. It was that of the son, Ethan. Lisbon really hoped that he would not decide to go to the girl's room. She left with Cho to be guided to Payson's room. She entered slowly. The room was beautifully decorated in pink. There were dolls and princesses costumes hung on one wall. In the center of the room was a canopy bed surrounded by pink and purple ribbons.
Lisbon moved forward and a little blonde girl was still under the covers. She was on her back with one hand clutching her stomach and covered with blood. She felt the urge to retch at the sight of the carnage. Somehow she held it in. She could not be sick, even though this view was horrible. She stood beside the bed and leaned over to look at the little victim. She looked at the pretty little face of the girl that showed how much she had suffered. Poor child, nobody should die so young then to be left that way.
From the corner of her eye she saw Jane entered the room and come to stand beside her. He leaned toward the girl. He made no disparaging comment or the slightest remark. For once, he seemed professional. She felt bad to impose that to him. He would certainly think of his daughter as Payson Tanner looked much like Charlotte, barely older. She saw him holding back his tears. In that moment he seemed strong.
He stepped away from the bed then walked around the room. This was his ritual that he did at all crime scenes. He passed a small bench covered with fluff animals of different sizes and colors. He took one in his hands then continued around the room, watching every object, every doll, every pair of shoes. Suddenly he stopped.
- "Lisbon come and see this" he called.
She joined her colleague and stood beside him. She wanted to find out what he had seen that was so important. He had his eyes fixed on a pink bag containing clothes.
- "What Jane is that?" She asked.
- "That bag" he pointed. "It is full of clothes."
- "Jane so what does that mean?" She did not understand the significance having had no children.
- " Look There Lisbon…There is a name on the T-shirt" He pointed out.
- "This is what Parents do Jane to not to mix their child's clothes with those of other children at school" she explained having the sense to know why Parents labeled but still did not understand the significance.
- "No Lisbon look again that is not the name of Payson Tanner the little girl supposedly dead" he remarked. "It shows Kelly Romero. There were two little girls here tonight. Where is the other one?" Patrick asked scanning the area.
Lisbon suddenly straightened then turned her head toward the bed. A little girl was missing. Who was it Kelly or Payson? She did not know. What mattered now was to find the second girl. Perhaps, she would need help. The brunette hoped with all her heart that she was still alive that nothing wrong had happened to her.
- "Cho, a girl is missing, checked down stairs. Rigsby look in the boy's bedroom" she ordered. "Jane ..."
- "I'll check the parent's room, Lisbon" he said before she could finish her sentence.
- "Okay Jane, I'll check here." She said.
Lisbon began to look under the bed. She took great care not to touch anything in order not to destroy any evidence. Jane on the other hand had just entered the Parent's room and let his gaze go around. He soon noticed that the phone was missing. The little one must have come here. For some reason, he thought immediately that this was Payson, not Kelly. If someone had come in the middle of the night and she had awoken. She would immediately go to see her parents. If it was Kelly, she would have hid somewhere in her friend's room.
The Mentalist tried to think as a frightened little girl arriving in her Parents' room then finding them dead. He imagined her trying to wake them up. Not succeeding and deciding to call for help. She would then seek a hiding place and the first place that came to his mind was the closet. So he went to the door and slowly opened it. He revealed a small blond girl all covered with blood still holding the phone against her heart.
He knelt in front of her. He made no move to touch her. She was in shock since she had not even looked at him. She seemed lost in a fantasy world in which nobody could do anything against her. It was a place where her Parents were still alive.
- "Lisbon" He called out.
He heard the hurried footsteps in the corridor. Lisbon came into the room. She came immediately to him.
- "Jane, is this Kelly?" She asked.
- "No Lisbon, it is Payson Tanner" he asserted.
- "How do you know?" she asked.
- "I will explain later. She needs help and she is in shock." Jane pointed out.
- "I'll get the medics, Jane you stay here" she said leaving to get medical help.
Jane kept his eyes on the little girl of eight years who was still in shock. He needed to find an approach to her. It had to be something that would not scare her even more than she already was. He looked at the stuffed animal in his hands then at the girl. He sat on the floor.
- "This is a very pretty rabbit you have Payson" he began. "What is his name?"
She remained silent.
- "Do you know what I think? I think he's scared. He must have seen something that had scared him. I think he needs someone to reassure him. I don't think I'm the right person for this. Payson I think you could help him quit being scared. What do you think? Can you do that for him, Payson?" Jane stated trying to relate to the child.
Payson looked up at him.
- "Payson, he really seems to be afraid. He needs you to reassure him. I asked him what scared him so much. He did not want to tell me. Maybe he'll tell you?" Jane asked trying to get the child's cooperation.
He handed the rabbit to the girl who held it with trembling hands after dropping the phone to the floor. She quickly brought it to her face to place it against her cheek. They were silent. The girl closed her eyes as Jane waited. The few moments later the girl spoke.
- "He saw the monsters" she said.
- "The monsters…What monsters did he see Payson?" He took an astonished tone still trying to reassure her.
- "The monsters hurt Mom and Dad. Bonnie said they also hurt Kelly." She said interpreting for the scared bunny.
- "Did you see the monsters too?" He asked softly.
She nodded then tears streamed down her cheeks. Jane felt his heart sink for this child. He reached a hand toward her. Payson looked up at him as if trying to see if she could trust him or not. Then, slowly, she held out her bloody hand while clutching Bonnie in the other. He gently took her in his arms then lifted her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him.
Together they left the room. He found Lisbon with one of the medic. The man tried to take the girl from Jane's arms. Payson sank even more against him. Lisbon understood and motioned the medic to let Jane deal with the girl. They went down the stairs, out of the house and walked to the ambulance. Jane sat in the back. The second medic came to him. It was a woman. He thought Payson might feel more comfortable with her.
- "Payson, this nice lady wants to know if you're okay. Would you want to let her examine you?" He asked.
- "I'm afraid…" she sobbed.
- "I know sweetie…I'll stay with you and I will make sure this lovely lady will do you no harm." Patrick said gaining the confidence of his young charge.
- "You promise?" She cautiously asked.
- "I promise" Jane confidently swore.
Payson pulled away from him and turned toward the woman who gave her a gentle smile.
- "Look, darling, what I have in my hand is a stethoscope. It will allow me to listen to your heart," she explained. "You can listen too if you want."
The woman opened the girl's nightgown with soft gestures, lifted her shirt and put the object against her chest. Payson jumped a little since it was cold.
- "It's cold" she complained.
- "Just wait a moment, I'll warm it up" She said as she blew on the tip and rested it on her chest.
- "Thank you" Jane whispered.
After listening to the girl's heart, the woman allowed Payson to listen to her own heart then of Jane's too. Payson smiled for the first time since she had been found. She looked up at Jane with her eyes sparkling. Patrick was very patent and kind to her. She trusted him especially now that she got to play doctor with him.
- "I heard my heart" she marveled.
- "It's great" Jane smiled.
While Payson played with stethoscope, the woman continued to examine her. Once she had finished the exam, she walked away talk to Lisbon. Where she stood was a little farther away. A small smile was on Lisbon's face as she watched Jane taking care of the girl. The Medic spoke drawing her attention away from the two in the ambulance.
- "She's physically fine" the medic had informed her.
Lisbon nodded as she preferred to see Jane's assessment. She moved to stand next to Jane. He looked up at her. She told him of what the medic said. He looked at her and sighed.
- "I don't think she is so fine" Jane said. "Maybe physically, Lisbon, Psychologically she is not okay. She is going to need help."
- "Jane, she'll get it. She needs to tell us what she saw" Lisbon retorted while concentrating on bringing the perps to justice."
- "Not now, Lisbon… She can not tell us much…I already know she saw monsters in her house." Jane responded while still playing with Payson.
- "She saw the murders?" Lisbon wondered.
- "No, she would be much more upset if this was the case. I think she saw someone enter her Parent's room. She must have gone to them to ask for help and found them dead." Jane said looking at the little girl.
Lisbon looked at the girl then Jane. Something told her this was just the beginning. It was not finished. Kelly upstairs, in Payson's bedroom was not the target of the killers. Jane and Lisbon had the same thought. They feared that these men would try to go after her again when they learned that she was still alive. He put the girl down on the ambulance gurney all the while gently reassuring her before moving away with Lisbon. He took great care to stay within her sight so not to scare her more.
- "Lisbon, Payson is still in danger" he said.
- "Yes Jane I know these killers are not finished. Kelly was certainly not supposed to be there" she agreed. "If the killers learn that, they may want to finish the job. She needs be put under protection."
- "Yes Lisbon also we must ensure that nobody knows she's alive." Jane seriously said.
- "Are you suggesting to say that she died? What about Kelly? What am I suppose to tell her Parents? We can not do that." Lisbon retorted.
- "No, you have to tell Kelly's Parents. Though, you must explain the situation. They must be discrete if you don't want the killers to kill Payson too." Jane explained.
Lisbon thought about all of this. Jane was right about one thing. The media did not need to know that Payson Tanner was alive. The only way was to let media think that Kelly Romero was Payson. It would not be easy to convince Bertram to remain silent. The life of a child depended on it. She would have to convince Kelly's Parents not to tell anyone either of the ruse. It would be much more difficult than to convince her boss.
The woman turned to Jane, who had his eyes on the girl. He seemed to be attached to her and it was what she feared. If he was too attached to her, it would not be easy for him to see her go. She would take care of that later. Now she had to protect Payson and find someone who could help her overcome the ordeal she had to live.
This case would be more difficult than she thought, much more difficult.
TBC ...
A/N2: that was the first chapter. I hope you liked it and won't hesitate to let me know in a review. I really like them, like most of the writer on this site and it makes me happy to know that you like my work.
Until next week,
Sweety