Heavy Rain: Origami Lament

Next chapter of my crossover story, enjoy.

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Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Heavy Rain, Until Dawn or their characters.

Suicide Baby

Wednesday

10:37 AM

1.904 Inches of Rainfall

JOSH POV

Parking my car outside the trailer home, I got out and pondered for a moment.

'Ashley Hartley... She's the mother of the last victim that the killer has killed...Jeremy Hartley.' I noted. 'Maybe she knows something.'

I made my way up the steps and knocked on the door. After a lengthy pause with no answer, I tried the doorbell. It rang, but again, there was a pause, and no answer. Peeking through the window, I noticed a small crib with a baby inside and the baby was clearly crying. But there was nobody else about and I was beginning to get worried.

'Something about this stinks...I'd better get inside. There's a back door in the kitchen.' I thought to myself.

Turning from the window, I quickly worked my way around the house and reached the back door and tried it. To my relief, it was unlocked, and I was able to get inside. Once inside, I grimaced at the sounds of the baby's cries, the poor thing's distress was palpable. But where was the mother?

The trailer home was a little untidy, but didn't look ransacked or anything, so there was nothing to suggest a break-in. Moving through the kitchen into the living room, my eyes locked on a single sheet of paper in the middle of the floor. I approached it, knelt down, and read it.

"Oh shit..." I muttered. "Wait a minute."

I stood up, frantic. It was a suicide note! But it was clear from the placement and how it looked that it was recent, so there was still a chance.

Going to the bedroom, the only place that I hadn't checked yet, I hurried through, calling out, "Mrs. Hartley? Mrs. Hartley?!"

No answer, but a door that likely led to the bathroom was closed and when I tried it, it discovered that it was locked.

"Mrs. Hartley!"

Still no answer. Grimacing, I did the only thing I could do and kicked the door open. Hurrying inside, I almost froze at the sight before me. Ashley Hartley, a woman of thirty-one, with long red hair and frightfully pale skin lay in the bath tub, clad in a simple nightgown, I rushed over.

"My God. Mrs. Hartley!" I cried. "Hey, can you hear me?"

No response, and I soon found the reason why when I checked and found my worst fears confirmed. She had slashed her wrists. Wasting no time, I lifted her from the bathtub and carried her to the bedroom. Setting her down on the bed, I rushed back to the medicine cabinet and grabbed everything I could before hurrying to work on treating her wounds.

"Mrs. Hartley, can you hear me?" I queried as I noticed her beginning to stir. "Stay with me, okay?"

She cried out in pain but otherwise did not reply. Thankfully, before long, I had managed to treat the wounds and let out a sigh of relief as Ashley Hartley opened her green eyes.

"Well, that's the bleeding stopped, should be okay." I told her. "How are you doing? Feeling better?"

She just started at me, not replying. However, the sound of the baby crying stirred her.

"My baby...my baby needs me." she gasped, trying to get up.

I gently eased her back down onto the bed. "You need to recover. I'll take care of your baby."

"Do you know what you're doing?" she asked as I began to walk away. "With a baby, I mean?"

I smiled back at her. "I'm a private eye. There's nothing I can't do."

She just nodded slowly. "Her name is Lisa."

"Got it."

With that, I headed back into the main room and quickly washed my hands of the blood at the kitchen sink. After that, I approached the baby girl.

"Okay, Lisa. Let's see what we can do for you." I said softly.

So I got to work, starting with the most obvious problem which I noticed after picking Lisa up, a diaper change. Then, after heating up her bottle, I fed her and gently rocked her to sleep until I gently laid her back down in the crib, sound asleep, a contented smile on her face.

'Okay, that's about the limit for my mothering skills. Time to see how Ashley's doing.' I reflected as I made my way back to the bedroom.

Ashley gave a weak smile as I entered.

"Thanks for taking care of my baby." she said gently. "I didn't mean to leave her, I just couldn't cope anymore... Just...not having Jeremy around... He was such a good boy. I can't understand why anyone would want to hurt him."

"Do you take care of this baby on your own?" I asked, incredulous. "Doesn't Jeremy's father live with you anymore?"

She let out a shaky sigh. "Chris disappeared the day after Jeremy did. I don't know what happened to him... Maybe...maybe he couldn't take it. Ever since then, I've had to look after Emily on my own and...I just couldn't do it anymore."

I gave my best sympathetic smile. "I understand. Did your husband say anything before he disappeared? Left a note or anything?"

"No, he left the house without a word and..." Ashley began, but then paused, as if remembering. "There was just the cell phone."

"Cell phone?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I found a cell phone in his dresser, I'm sure it wasn't his. I'd never seen it before. I tried to turn it on, but it didn't work."

"Do you still have it?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's in a drawer in the living room." she explained. "You can have it if you'd like. I'm sure it's of more use to you than to me."

I thought for a moment. "Do you have family who could help you?"

"Just my mother. I...I didn't wanna ask her for anything, but I guess I don't have a choice now." Ashley replied.

I sighed. "Well, for your daughter's sake...take care of yourself, and maybe you should talk to your mother."

"Yeah, thanks."

With that, I turned and left the room. Taking care not to wake Lisa up, I approached the small chest of drawers in the living room and checked them until I found the cell phone. As expected, when I pressed the button, nothing happened, just like Ashley had said. Pocketing it, I left the house.

I still wasn't any closer to finding the latest kidnapped boy, but maybe, just maybe I had found another clue. Getting into my car, I drove away, preparing to head home to look over what I had collected so far.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.