As i entered the room, Stemple looked up, face radiant. It looked as though he had been crying pretty hard in there. He was gazing at me as though my presence had thrown a blanket of pure joy over him. The effect was kind of creepy. I let the door shut behind me, and, despite myself, I allowed myself to glance at the large tinted picture window. Though I couldn't see them, I knew that Elliot, Olivia, Don, and George were watching me.

I sighed wearily. It was late, late, and it was a weeknight. Gosh, I was tired! The guys had called me in at the last minute, at about nine oclock. Huang has this nastly tendancy to call me in whenever he thinks that i would get to a suspect or a wittness the most. Of course, he's not trying to be mean. I mean, it's not my fault that i have a high schooler, and i hav a crapload of homework waiting for me at home and...

"I knew you'd come see me!" Stemple said excitedly, wiping tears from his eyes. I watched the young man warily, fighting the urge to yawn. He was so alit with genuine bliss as I slipped into the seat opposite him, that I barley had the heart, or the energy, to curl my lip at him.

I folded my arms across my chest, and forced a weak smile. Just looking at this guy, you'd think he were an overactive seven-year-old meeting his baseball hero, not some dangerous stalker meeting the victim.

"How's it going, Daniel?" I asked, carefully choosing my words.

Stemple was smiling ear to ear in giddy joy, " I told them you'd come save me! I told them! And Darlene-I was right!"

I fought back the gag reflex, and tossed Veronica's case file up into the table, and flipped it open.

"Where's Veronica Willis, Daniel?" I demanded rather bluntly, pulling an 8 by 11 photo from the file, and flicking it across the table at him, "Where are you hiding her? This is your one chance to tell me."

"I didn't do anything to her!" Stemple declared, picking up the photo of the statuesque blonde with his thumb and index finger, looking at it lovingly, "I couldn't. She meant everything to me!"

"I have several witnesses at the diner who say that you were there the night that Veronica disappeared, "I continued, drumming my fingers on the table, " And don't even try to tell me that that was coincidence. You were obsessed with her. You stalked Veronica, like you're stalking me."

My last statement hung in the air, and rang like a gong. Stemple lowered his gaze as my eyes bored into his skull. The man was now seemingly intensely interested with his interlocked fingers.

"Tell me where she is!" I pressed, "Please, Daniel!"

Stemple looked up at me, and caught my gaze. I was surprised to find that this time I was the one who couldn't hold the other's eyes. Then fresh tears welled up in those baby blue eyes and his lip trembled.

"I loved Veronica!" He said softly, " I'd never hurt her. I'd never hurt anyone!"

"Daniel, you threatened to kill me several times." I sighed, "Don't give me that crap."

"Didn't!" Stemple said stubbornly, crossing his arms.

Still feeling like I was dealing with a little kid, I leaned foreword, and pulled a sheaf of papers from the file.

"I keep finding these stuck in my mailbox." I said tiredly, shuffling through them, "And a few of them are from the Willis residence. They all threaten my life, and the lives of my family members, and are signed in your hand. Now if you would me a favor, you can tell me where Veronica is, and then I can get home and do my homework, since have a monster Geometry Test tomorrow."

"I didn't write those!" Stemple said automatically

I shuffled through the papers again, and continued doggedly, "Ok, then, Daniel. here is one particularly delightful entry. 'Watch your back, before I end up putting a knife into it. I'm watching you in your sleep, I know your every move, And if you tell anyone, I will kill you where you stand.' I mean COME ON!" Here my voice rose suddenly in pitch and volume, " What kind of sick perv ARE you?"

Here I spitefully threw the pile of papers at Stemple. Some landed in his lap, but most of them drifted to the floor like dazed leaves.

"Why me?" I stood up slowly, looking so much larger than the man shrinking in the chair before me, "Why stalk me, Daniel! Why take Veronica prisoner? Why do any of the things that you do?"

"Stop-STOP!" Stemple choked, balling his fists. The tears were falling freely from his eyes now, but I didn't care.

I was seeing red. I don't know what came over me. Rage is a horrible thing, I know that from Elliot. Wild, untamed thoughts shot though my head, things that I could-should do to the man who could have killed me in a heartbeat all of the times that he had followed me. My hand strayed to where my knife was hidden in it's sheath against my side...but common sense took over, and I calmed down enough to immediately quell thoughts of stabbing the guy.

For about a minute, neither of us made a sound. We sat there in the silence, each brooding in their own thoughts. I was still standing up, probably looking very foolish. Stemple slowly began methodically tearing up one of the many papers that were on his lap.

This snapped me out of my daze.

"You're destroying evidence." I said wanly, massaging

My temples "Cut it out."

Stemple's hands were shaking as a released the scraps of paper. Once again the pair of us drifted into a ringing silence.

Eventually, about after thirty seconds, it was Stemple that broke it

"I would watch you on the news." He said in such a low voice that I had to lean in to hear him, "I would read about you in the paper, the fifteen year old hero. I wanted to be like you. I wanted to be strong, like you. I wanted to be brave. I wanted...you."

"Why Veronica?" I repeated, like a broken record, feeling hear rise up in my cheeks, and hoping dearly that Stemple couldn't see me blushing. Honestly, I'm not all that strong. I make it out of gun and boom related situations with varying mixtures of sheer, dumb luck, and more experienced and skilled friends.

Stemple shut his mouth, and didn't say a word.

I sighed, and tried to think of some clever, cliché phrase that would get the guy to talk. On all those cop shows, the detectives get these great, well written scenes. Well, where was my writer? Why did I have to be stuck in a scene with my stalker? And if this was a cop show, as my life seemed to be turning into one, then wouldn't the hero have the last, painfully corny word?

Tap, tap tap

They were calling me out. I let out another sigh, and pushed my chair back, and while it squealed against the floor in protest, I said distantly to Stemple, "Stay here."

It was only when I had crossed the room, and had one hand on the door handle, and I realized what a stupid command I had given the man. No Joke he was going to stay there. He was under arrest. I turned back to look at Stemple, opened my mouth to say something, then thought better of it, and turned the door handle, and went out. I had already lost a lot of authority with the guy-no need to bury myself any farther. Gosh- I was tired. I shook me head, and shut the door behind me

I grimaced at Elliot and the rest, "Oy."

"You're blushing, Darlene." Don commented, his hands in his pockets

I chose to ignore what he said, and turned to Doctor George Huang, who was watching Stemple with a mild expression on his face.

"You think I'm going to be able to get it out of him?" I asked, hooking my thumbs on my jeans, " He seems pretty...ah...what's the word...Stubborn?"

"This is the interesting part!" Olivia said, cocking her head, "George, why don't you tell Darlene what you were just saying a few minutes ago?"

The captain, Elliot, and Olivia were watching the man rather skeptically, and I noticed the note of challenge in Olivia's voice.

"I don't think Daniel did it." Huang said after taking a deep breath.

My jaw dropped, and as tired as I was, I laughed, "What-you're kidding, right?"

"S'what I said." Elliot grunted.

"George-There is no other person connected with Veronica who has means, motive, and the opportunity!" I said levelly, eye to eye with the Asian man, "We

have witnesses that put Stemple at the scene! He was her ! Stalker! For Gosh sakes-he was MY Stalker!"

"I just don't think that Stemple is that kind of guy!" George said mildly, "He's bent on loving and admiring his victims, there's no way on earth that he would

hurt Veronica, or you, Darlene!"

"What about those notes!" Elliot asked, still trying to make sense of the doctors statement, "You're saying Darlene and Veronica wrote death threats to themselves?"

"Could be another stalker." George shrugged.

"Another stalker?" I exclaimed, "GOSH! It is WAY too late at night for this kind of talk!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, as entertaining as this little debate is," The Captain cut in with finality in his voice, "It's going around and around in painful circles. Elliot, talk to Stemple. For the moment, we'll treat him as witness, not a suspect. See if he saw

anyone or anything following Veronica at that diner, other than himself, of course!"

"Yessir!" Elliot said, throwing his weight against the door, and entering the room.