"Lisbon," High tower knocked on the door.
Lisbon knew she was only interrupting to ask for an apology on behalf of Tiffany. It was true that she'd had misbehaved and it offended her. Tiffany is so young and scared and she knew exactly how that felt.
"Come in," Lisbon replied.
"Now Lisbon, I know it's is frustrating, Hightower reasoned. But she is a lot to girl, she doesn't feel safe talking about this. It's your job to go in there apologize, and make her feel safe enough to confide in you.
Lisbon thought to herself for a second.
"What seems to be the problem," Hightower asked genuinely concerned.
I don't know how to get her to trust me.
"Well you've told Jane things right? What made you trust him?
"I could relate to him I guess."
"Ok can this girl relate to you?"
~~~~In The Interrogation Room~~~~
"Look," Lisbon sighed. I did something really mean earlier on today. And Im sorry for yelling at you, that wasn't fare. But I do want to help you.
"Are you still mad at me," the little girl asked slightly peaking up from under the table.
"No, I promise"
Tiffany straightened up in her seat. Her eyes wondered to the ground before making there way to Lisbon's.
" Um well I kinda don't know the words to explain it really. It was weird and it hurt"
"That's ok," Lisbon replied pondering her next step.
Lisbon took a breath to reassure herself. And looked into Tiffany's eyes.
"Sweetie, I'm going to tell you a story, my story. And if anything sounds familiar than you can tap my hand ok?."
"Ok."
Lisbon rested her intertwined fingers on the table in front of her. She never thought she would be this nervous. But she was. Her face was going red and her hands were shaking.
"Um... My father used to be the best. But then my mommy died."
Lisbon almost jumped when the little fingers tapped her. Her little pink glitter nail polish reminded her of an innocence that should never know the pain of losing a mother.
"After she died he stared getting really sad, and angry. Sometimes he would come home smelling really bad. And if I didn't do what he said he would hit me."
"Tap"
Lisbon busied herself with notes then continued her story.
Eventually I would be in um... Situations were other people would hurt me to.
"Tap"
"When they would hurt me sometime they would hit. But sometimes they would do other things.
"Tap"
"Do you mind if we star t with some questions.
"No," said the little girl as st pushed her thick curly locks aside.
"Did you father give you to these bad guy?"
"No, I was taken from him"
"And when you were taken were you alone?"
" Um I was playing out side with my dollies. I put then in the stroller and we went for a walk around the house. Then they took me and put me in a truck with lots of other girls."
Lisbon couldn't help internally grin at the Tiffany's extremely cute lisp mixed with the natural rasp that characterized her voice.
"Did they ever touch you, how should I do this? Um did they ever touch you hear or hear?" she gesturing to pants zipper and the pockets on her shirt.
"No but the other men did." She replied. And hurt a lot. And they said we couldn't tell anyone.
She started to whimper, her brown eyes rounding up tears. Lisbon jumped out of her seat this time to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around her as Tiffany's whimpers evolved into sobs.
"It ok." Lisbon whispered. Your ok now. Your safe now."