“I take it you didn’t catch up to her,” Captain Craigen commented, as his four best detectives trudged back into his office.

Elliot shook his head. “No,” he replied bitterly. “She managed to get away – we missed her by ten minutes. The ten damned minutes it took us to figure out where Ashley was because I didn’t have a clue! I should have had a clue!”

“Elliot, now is not the time to be blaming yourself,” Captain Craigen replied. “We were all fooled by her, not just you.”

“I’m sorry she’s putting you through all this bullshit, Captain,” Elliot apologized.

“Save the apologies for Lenore to do when she gets back,” Captain Craigen stated. “I get the feeling we’re not the only ones she’ll be apologizing too.”

“So now what?” Fin wanted to know.

“Elliot and Olivia are going to Arizona,” Captain Craigen told them. “I’ve already called ahead and explained the situation. The Gilbert police have agreed to help us out in any way they can.”

“And what about Fin and I?” Munch asked.

“You two will continue to work the case here,” Captain Craigen answered. “Interview Nathaniel if you have to. Keep trying to get those people down there to talk. Lenore had to have some logical reason for her being there – no matter how absurd it may seem to any of us. I want to know what that reason was, so do whatever it is you have to do to find out.”

“We better go pack,” Olivia piped up. “I’m presuming out flight leaves soon.”

“It does,” Captain Craigen nodded. “You have a private jet to fly out in. and when you get there, don’t go storming over to Ashley’s first thing. Wait it out a couple of days; let her feel safe and let her think we haven’t caught up yet. Then, when the time is right, get her out of there and bring her home. And be on the look out for any suspicious looking people that may be trailing her.”

“We will Captain,” Elliot assured him. “No matter how angry I may be, I do know if we suddenly show up and nab her, she’ll just take off again and clam up even more.”

Captain Craigen nodded. “Be off then. Your plane tickets will be waiting for you at the airport under the name Richardson. “

“Are we supposed to be married?” Olivia asked, noting it was only one name and not two.

“Yes,” Captain Craigen replied. “You’re Mr. and Mrs. Richardson. You’ve gone to Arizona to visit long lost relatives.”

Elliot shook his head. “And how does that help our case?”

“It helps you look for Ashley,” Captain Craigen replied. “Her last name is Richardson as well.”

Both Detectives nodded, then headed on out of the office and for the door. They were headed home to quickly pack and catch their flight to Gilbert, Arizona.

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Ashley exclaimed, as she watched Lenore do a wicked skateboard trick. “You should enter the skateboarding competition that’s in town this week. Everyone and anyone is allowed to sign up, so long as they can prove they got some skill.”

Lenore sighed, wincing slightly. “Technically, I’m not supposed to be doing anything but taking it t easy because of my ribs,” she stated, sighing again. “If Elliot knew I was skateboarding, he’d skin me alive for this too.”

“Elliot’s not here, now is he?” Ashley pointed out. “And besides, you’re too good not at least try out for it.”

“True….” Lenore trailed off. “What Elliot don’t know can’t hurt him….well, least this can’t anyway.”

Ashley nodded. “See? There’s your logical explanation. So go for it.”

“Where do I go and sign up?” Lenore asked, giving in to her friend. Not that Ashley had to twist her arm all that hard to begin with – she loved skateboarding!

Ashley smiled. “I knew you’d see it my way. And you sign up at the skateboard park.”

“You have one of those?” Lenore asked incredulously. “Man! I never thought I’d get to see one!”

Ashley laughed at how excited her friend was. “C’mon. We can walk there. It’s not that far. Just let me tell my Mom we’re leaving.”

Lenore waited for her friend to come back, and when she did the two of them headed on down to the skateboard park. They weren’t too surprised to find a huge crowd either – but what surprised them the most was just who was standing amongst the crowd.

“Oh my God!” Ashley gasped. “Isn’t that Aaron Carter?!?!”

Lenore took a good look at the boy her friend and pointed out, and her jaw hit the ground. “Oh mg God! Yes!”

The two of them ran over to where he stood, not wanting to cause a scene – as then Aaron would probably have to run for his life from all the crazed fans that could possibly be standing amongst the large crowd.

Aaron Carter looked up and smiled as the two girls reached him. “Hi! Are you here for the competition too?”

“She is, I’m not,” Ashley replied, pointing to Lenore and then herself. “I’m just here to watch.”

“You any good?” Aaron asked Lenore, eyeing her standing there with her one wrist wrapped up and a skateboard in her good hand.

“Oh, I’m good all right,” Lenore boasted. “I’m the best there is.”

Aaron looked a bit taken back, but said nothing.

Lenore laughed at the look on his face. “I’m kidding! Jeez! I’m good, but I don’t know about me being the best there is.”

Aaron gave a small chuckle. “Oh, well that’s different then.”

“You’ll get used to her, trust me,” Ashley told him. “She likes to joke around and worry people. She seems to be especially good at worrying people right now though.”

“Shh!” Lenore hissed. “You don’t have to tell him my life story!”

Aaron laughed at the two. “You guys wanna join me in waiting to sign up?”

“Sure!” The girls exclaimed happily. “We’d love too!”

“You alright El?” Olivia asked her partner, once they were on their private jet. “You’re awful quiet.”

“I’m just trying to figure everything out, Liv,” Elliot replied. “I keep going over everything again and again in my head, and still none of this makes any sense to me.”

“What do you mean?” Olivia questioned. “I mean, I know it doesn’t make any sense to any of us – but I think you’re hinting at something else as well.”

“Why would she risk hanging around with a gang?” Elliot wondered aloud, answering Olivia’s question. “I mean, did her parents and I not teach her better than that? Does she not pay attention when I mention the odd case to her, and tell her just how dangerous certain things are? What made her go and risk it all – her life, my anger – everything, on this one gang?”

Olivia sighed. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that, El. Only she can really answer all those questions, and is quite obvious she’s doing her best to avoid doing so.”

“I just wish she’d tell me, no matter how angry I may be, so that I can protect her to the best of my ability.”

“I think she knows you just want to protect her. But she also knows just how angry you can get, and I think that may have her just a tad more scared than the fact people are trying to kill her.”

Elliot sighed heavily and looked down at his hands that were in his lap. “Kids aren’t supposed to fear their parents,” he stated. “They’re supposed to love and trust them. Do you have any idea how it makes me feel to know that she’s terrified of my anger enough to foolishly run off?”

“She knows you wouldn’t hurt her Elliot,” Olivia assured him. “I think she’s just scared to see you disappointed is all. And you know how she hates to hear anyone yell, whether they’re yelling at her or not.”

“She hates to cry too,” Elliot commented after a moment’s silence. “She doesn’t ever tell anybody that, but crying makes her feel incredibly stupid. So when she does cry in front of people, it makes her just that much more insecure.”

“So when we eventually get her, take her aside and talk to her yourself,” Olivia told him. “But calmly, El. She’s just going to clam up if you make her cry. She’s done that thus far.”

“I know, Liv,” Elliot nodded. “I know her better than she thinks at times – but right now, she has me truly baffled.”

Olivia placed her hand on his and squeezed it slightly. “We’ll find her,” she said with conviction. “And I know if she finally realizes just how deep she’s in, you’ll be the first one she calls.”

Elliot gave a slight smile at that. “Yeah, I will be, won’t I?”

Olivia nodded. “You always are, El. She loves you very much, anyone can see that.”

“Good, because I love her very much too,” Elliot admitted. “And the rest of the family loves her too – no matter how much of a pain in the ass she can be at times.”

Olivia laughed. “Well, she must take after you then, because you can be quite the pain in the ass yourself.”

Elliot laughed then as well. “Yeah, I can be. And I’m sure the Captain will attest to that too. “

“Hello?”

“Boss?”

“Yes. What do you want?”

“We found her.”

“Where?”

“Arizona, Sir. She ran off to be with a friend, so it seems.”

There was a sigh on the line, then the person spoke again. “Do what you have to do to get her back here by all means necessary.”

“But Sir, won’t it be suspicious if we have her with us on the way back? What if they post an amber alert or something?”

“I her here for me to finish what I started!” The one of the other end snapped. “You’ll bring her here, or you five will take her place! Understood?”

“Yes, Sir! We’ll have her back to you as soon as possible. We just have to wait for the right moment to grab her.”

“So be it then. But do not make me wait very long. I am not a patient man, Charles!”

“Don’t worry Boss. You’ll have her soon enough.”

“Very well then. Now, get back to work!”

Charles shook his head as he hung up the payphone. “Figures the kid would piss him off and end up in over her head. Dammit!”