Hi again my wonderful readers! Thank you for the feedback about the cliffhanger issue that I seem to have. I will hopefully focus on writing longer chapters so you can actually read the story before being flung off said cliff, however that may mean longer time in between updates. Just to warn you. Now, for the next 'thrilling'(ish) installment, ENJOY!
Lisbon and Jane both stared at him. "Kidnaping and possibly murder?" They asked together.
Mr. Lampton nodded. "Pretty much. That is why I need your help."
Jane smiled slightly. "Well, you came to the right crime fighting couple."
Lisbon stared at Jane like he was insane. "Jane, can I talk to you alone real quick?"
The pair stood up and went over to an area that was empty, and out of Mr. Lampton's line of sight. When they arrived, Lisbon smacked Jane on the arm. He winced.
"What was that for?"
"Crime fighting couple? Jane, this man could possibly have murdered someone, and yet you are just treating it like its no problem?"
He rolled his eyes slightly. "Listen, Teresa, we are in one of three possible situations: one, the man is guilty but wants to comb his ego by trying to trick us. If so, then by 'helping' him, we can prove that he is guilty and put away a possible murderer. Two, he is imagining that he killed or kidnaped someone just to get attention or live out some fantasy, which in that case we can soon put that fantasy to rest and possibly get him some mental help. Or, three, he is telling the truth and a innocent girl is being held captive somewhere or dead. If we go with that conclusion, which is what I am leaning towards, we need to prove this man's innocence and hopefully rescue a young girl."
Lisbon groaned, a slight headache beginning to form. "Fine, we'll go along with 'helping' him, but we need to figure out if this is real or not, and if he is guilty or not, as soon as possibly or LaRoche will have our heads nailed to his desk for going behind the police's back."
The two went back to the booth, where Mr. Lampton was looking over his menu as a waitress stood next to him. Mr. Lampton looked up, but refrained from asking anything, as he seemed to understand what their decision was. "I'll have the three bean salad, with some fries on the side."
The waitress wrote that down, then turned to Jane and Lisbon as they sat down again. "And for you?"
Jane smiled and said, "I'll take your chicken and mashed potato special, and some tea if possible."
"And for you, ma'am?"
Lisbon glanced over the menu, before her eyes caught something that sounded absolutely delicious. "Your stuffed bell peppers with a side of bacon and sweet potato fries."
The three others stared at her, and she shrugged. "Pregnancy, I guess."
The waitress took their menus and walked off, leaving the three to converse.
"So," Mr. Lampton started, "Are you going to help me?"
"Well, Mr. Lamtpon, we have decided to listen to your story and then decide appropriate action. If it sounds plausible, then we will assist you."
"She means yes, we will help you?" Jane added, earning a glare from Lisbon. "So, tell us what happened."
Mr. Lampton took a sip of his water and then began. "Okay, it all started fifteen years ago. I married a woman named Helen, but our marriage only lasted for two years because she constantly believed that I was cheating on her, and in fact broke into a woman's house and left a mean note because she thought we were sleeping together."
"Were you?" Jane asked.
"No, she was actually my cousin that I had been visiting occasionally. Anyway, we split up, I have remained single ever since, and she ended up remarrying two years later, and ended up divorcing him because of cheating accusations. However, she was married once before I met her, and divorced him for, you can probably guess, cheating accusations. She had a daughter, Sarah, by that man, and I grew close to her when we were a family, treating her like my own daughter. However, Helen refused to ever let me visit Sarah or even send Christmas cards," He paused, sighing, "It was hard for both Sarah and I as we had become close, but we decided to just do as Helen said and avoid contact. That is, until about a year ago, when Sarah sent me a letter. She wanted to see me, as she was finally an adult and could meet me without her mother's interference. We went out to lunch a few times and renewed our father/daughter relationship. We began to go on fishing trips and fairs, just hanging out, keeping all of it secret from her mother. We finally decided to go on a fishing/camping trip, and planned it three months ago. We went up into the mountains a week ago, planning on staying for a few days," Mr. Lampton paused again.
"What happened, Mr. Lampton?" Lisbon asked quietly.
Mr. Lampton swallowed, then continued. "Everything was going great. We ate fresh fish every night and went hiking all over the area. We were having so much fun until, until the night before last. We had spent the day hiking and were exhausted, so we retired to our separate tents to sleep. At around midnight I heard rustling coming from her tent. I figured she was going to find a bush, so I just fell back to sleep. The next morning, I went to her tent to find it completely empty, her sleeping bag all in a mess. I searched the area, calling for her, but found no sign of what could have happened to her. Finally, I started to head down the mountain, but then I noticed tire tracks leading from near where we were parked, very fresh. We had never seen anyone in the area, so I found it odd and I just knew that she was gone."
"Why did you not go to the park rangers?" Lisbon queried.
"Because I panicked. I knew I would be the number one suspect, and that my ex-wife would probably adamantly accuse me of kidnaping her daughter or even killing her. I decided that I needed someone who could find Sarah quickly and efficiently, and I knew how amazing at your jobs you both are, so I began to ask some of my contacts about you(I have a couple friends who work as private investigators) and they told me of your known locations. The rest I did on my own. So," Mr. Lampton leaned back, taking a deep breath, "What do you think?"
Lisbon thought about it for a moment, while Jane spoke up. "Mr. Lampton, we willing to help you, but we need to see what you brought to show us, and why you seem to sure that Sarah may be hurt or killed."
was startled. "How did you know?"
"You have touched your coat pocket several times, as if to reassure yourself that whatever lump you have in there is still there. Now, would you please show it to us?"
Mr. Lamtpon slowly nodded, and reached in his pocket, pulling out a woman's t-shirt, with a large blood stain right in the center.
"I found this in her tent. I don't know how badly hurt she is, but, Mr. Jane, Mrs. Jane, you need to find her soon, or I don't know how I could live with myself if she died."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lampton," Lisbon reassured, "We will find her."
"But first, I think we should let the woman eat her stuffed peppers and bacon, or we may have a homicidally hormonal pregnant woman on hands," Jane added, just to be on the safe side.
Yay, a longer chapter! Happy with me? (Grins) Now, I would like to know what you all think of this chapter: is the mystery corny or okay? Will the girl be found alive? Will Lisbon kill Jane over the stuffed pepper joke? Please REVIEW and I will work on writing the next chapter. Until next chapter, Li Li.