After returning from the Deli, Captain Craigen holed himself back up in his office, while Lenore sat back down to read her book and eat her sub. She’d enjoyed the walk, and was glad she’d gotten a break from the station. Sure, she loved the people who worked there, but she was still just a kid and certain things going on at the station made her uncomfortable – even if she was too curious for her own good.

Lenore read for a while, glancing up every so often to take in all that was going on – she was also keeping an eye out for Elliot. She really needed a hug, and though she knew he was probably still mad, the hug really needed to be from him.

“I should’ve told him yesterday I walked home the other way,” she thought to herself. “Then maybe he wouldn’t be so mad now, and maybe he would’ve stayed home with me today.”

She sighed and glanced down at the book that now lay in her lap, thinking a moment. She couldn’t help but feel foolish for all the trouble she’d caused them in less than forty-eight hours.

. “I wish I wasn’t such an idiot,” she mumbled aloud, her eyes downcast. “Then maybe Elliot would want to spend some more time with me.”

She set her book aside, atop his desk, and reached for what was left of her sub. She was still hungry, though she’d actually eaten half of it while reading. She munched in silence, casually glancing at all the things on Elliot’s desk. Sure, in a way she was snooping, but in a way she wasn’t either, so it was all good. Besides, if he didn’t want her to read any of it, he shouldn’t have left it on his desk in the first place. He knew how her eyes liked to wander and read everything in sight.

“Hmm…girl kidnapped, raped, then found having been left for dead…” Lenore mumbled around the piece of sub in her mouth, as she read the newspaper article. “I wonder if they caught the bad guy….”

She continued to read the rest of the article in silence, scowling when it was said the bad guy had yet to be caught.

“Dang. Cops are slacking these days,” she muttered. “Hope this guy doesn’t strike again anytime soon. That’d be bad.”

“Are you done talking to yourself?” Elliot asked, as him and Olivia entered the station and neared their desks. “Or is that a new hobby of yours?”

Lenore looked up startled. “Oh…hi…”

“Hi yourself,” Elliot replied, snatching the newspaper article away from her view. “Don’t read this trash. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Lenore shook her head. “I’m not a lil’ kid Elliot. You don’t have to censor my reading material.”

Elliot gave her a stern fatherly Look that made her squirm and look away briefly.

“Have you been able to remember anything else?” Olivia asked suddenly. “Because if you did, it just may help us solve this case.”

Lenore shook her head, not really having had thought about the dream she’d had. “Not really,” she answered, looking away slightly as she did so.

“Lenore, what aren’t you telling us once more?” Elliot demanded.

“If I thought it was important, I’d let you know,” Lenore snapped.

“For all we know, it is important and you’re keeping it from us.”

“It was just a dream, alright?” Lenore retorted angrily. “I don’t even know how much of it was real.”

“You keep this attitude up and you’ll find yourself grounded, Young Lady,” Elliot told her.

“Then quit treating me like I’m the bad guy!” Lenore exclaimed. “And you wonder why I don’t tell you things!”

“What aren’t you telling me, Lenore?”

“Like I’m going to tell you.”

“Lenore Jolene Parker!”

Lenore rolled her eyes slightly, quickly shoving the chair back away from Elliot when he made a move towards her. She’d never been so thankful for chairs with wheels in her life!

“Elliot, drop it,” Captain Craigen said, coming out of his office to see what all the commotion was about. “Did you find out anything?”

“No. Not yet,” Olivia replied. “Though, we did find the body.”

“Where are Munch and Fin?”

“Still canvassing,” Elliot stated.

“Good. Now you two, gets down to the coroner’s office and find out what happened to the other victim,” Captain Craigen ordered. “Lenore, my office. Now!”

Lenore’s eyes went wide and she quickly darted into his office, nervously taking a seat in front of his desk.

Once Elliot and Olivia had left again, Captain Craigen stalked back into his office, closing the door. He was determined to give Lenore a piece of his mind.

Lenore chewed on her bottom lip nervously, upon the Captain’s entrance to his office. She’d a feeling she’d ticked him off, and that was never a good thing.

Captain Craigen sat down behind his desk and eyed Lenore warily. “Look, I understand how you feel and I know Elliot is being a bit of an ass,” he began. “But that gives you no excuse to be rude in return. We’re all trying to help you, yet you’re not doing a thing to help us with this investigation! Would you prefer we never found the perps who killed that boy and beat the shit out of you?”

Lenore squirmed in her seat, sinking down in it the more the Captain spoke. She was never good with being scolded, especially when there was good reason for it.

“We’re doing all that we can to find these guys,” Captain Craigen went on. “But you have to understand that there’s only so much we can do. We need your help to do the rest, as well as the help of the public. Well, the public that decides to face their fears and speak up that is.”

Lenore looked down at her lap, where her hands were nervously picking at her fingernails. “Now, are you willing to help us out and tell us every and anything you remember? Because without it, we might not stand much of a chance of catching these guys.”

“I just – I don’t see how something I dreamt can help,” Lenore said softly. “I mean, I’m not even sure if any of it really happened or not.”

“Well, why don’t you talk with Dr. Huang, and maybe he can help you figure out what is real and what isn’t,” Captain Craigen suggested. “You never know what you might remember just by talking about it.”

“Can I finish my sub first?” Lenore asked quietly. “I’m still hungry.”

“So long as you don’t dawdle about eating it, because the faster we solve this case, the faster we can take on others and help other people out,” Captain Craigen stated.

“Kay,” Lenore squeaked. “I’ll eat fast as I can. Promise.”

“Good. Go finish your sub, then let me know when you’re done, so I can get Dr. Huang up here and you two settled somewhere private to talk.”

Lenore nodded, then got up and quickly left his office, wanting to escape as quickly as possible. She resumed her spot at Elliot’s desk, and once more dug into turkey and cheese sub.