So here's chapter two, with some minor edits. Bon Appetite!

By the end of the day Torres was ready to strangle Loker. Usually their competitive bickering was fun and harmless. It was usually just part of their dynamic. Today however, he had been so smug about the whole "government conspiracy" thing that she was seriously considering putting his head through a wall.

Fortunately for Eli Loker, a pleasant distraction had quite possibly saved his life. A text, from Martin, had arrived, just as she was reaching for Eli's throat.

Hey, it's Martin. I just realised you don't have my number. Well, now you do :) Just text me where to pick you up and I'll be there.

He must have forgotten that she was going to meet him at the concert. She was running late anyway because of Loker, so she texted him the Lightman office address and went to change in the bathroom.

"Oh my goodness, Ria you look gorgeous!" Heidi gushed as Torres emerged from the bathroom. She smiled self-consciously and smoothed down her deep maroon dress.

"Are you sure it's not too much? I mean, it's only a first date. In fact, I don't even know if it is a date!"

"Well, where is he taking you?"

"A Vivaldi concert, at the Fillmore."

"Wow, he's really pulling out all the stops."

Ria blushed and fidgeted with her dress again. Whilst Heidi may not have been a Lightman protégé, she had picked up a few tricks over the years and she could see Ria bouncing between excitement and nervousness.

"Look, Torres, you look fantastic. But, if you're still worried that you're overdressed for a first date, just remember that he's taking you to the Fillmore. That's a classy place, and you're perfectly dressed for that."

"Thanks Heidi. I'm just going to go leave my clothes in my office. He should be here any second though, so just buzz him in if he comes."

"No prob- oh, hi Eli. What can I do for you?"

Ria whirled on the spot to see Loker leaning against the wall. At a glance he seemed perfectly at ease, but his shoulders were tensed and his jaw clenched periodically.

"Big date?" he asked bitterly, eyeing the slinky strapless number she was wearing. Loker had never hidden his attraction towards her, but recently his attitude towards her dating life had shifted from playful ribbing to genuine resentment.

Unfortunately for Eli Loker, Ria had reached her limit a long time ago and was in no mood to coddle his fragile ego.

"Yeah, big date." She replied glibly, brushing past him.

When she returned from her office Martin had already arrived. He was wearing a black sports jacket and slacks, and looked gorgeous. Eli was still standing next to Heidi's desk, and the receptionist was eyeing the two men nervously. Her relief as she spotted Torres was palpable, and caught the attention of Martin, who turned and smiled widely at her appearance.

"Wow, you look... um... well, wow." He rubbed the back of his head bashfully and shot her another crooked smile, which she returned.

The moment was interrupted by Loker clearing his throat loudly. Ria scowled at him. He almost looked hurt in the neon light but, as always, whatever he was really feeling was quickly masked by a snarky grin, and without another word he turned back around the corner and disappeared into his office, leaving Ria and Martin alone with Heidi, who was pretending to type away diligently at the computer.

"Sorry about Loker. He can be a bit eccentric." Ria shrugged, trying to fill the awkward silence Loker had left in his wake.

"Not at all." Martin grinned, totally at ease, "It's nice being able to put a name to the glare."

This time Ria laughed openly.

"Will we go?"

Lightman was staring intently at Helen Dezekis as she made her twelfth circuit of the parking lot. Her obvious terror at being used as serial killer bait had faded as the night wore on. Lightman had been squashed into the back of his BMW for over three hours, with no sign of Martin Walker. As much as he wanted to catch Walker, even Cal Lightman had a limit as to how much he could take.

He watched as Helen passed under a streetlight, her shoulders slumped now. Pulling out his phone he dialled and watched her jump at the sound of her ringer.

"Cal?"

"What's wrong love?"

"What? Nothing's wrong."

He couldn't resist rolling his eyes.

"Really love? You're going to try lie?"

"No!" her tone was indignant but her posture was tired and defeated.

"You don't think he's gonna show, do you love?"

"Okay fine! If he didn't turn up when I left my office, three hours ago¸ why would he come now?"

Cal sighed in resignation. "Alright, let's wrap it up then. I'll give you lift a home."

The concert was good, or at least, the parts Ria had been listening to were. She and Martin had spent the most part of the evening laughing and talking. Their conversation had at some point turned into a guessing game where Martin would try to read the people around them with her acting as judge. It had started out fairly tamely, but by the time they had left the concert hall his theories had spiralled into blatant nonsense.

"That lady there has a fetish for dried fruit, and is fantasizing about her stash of caramelized banana slices in her purse!"

Ria almost spat her drink all over him as she tried to contain her laughter.

"Oh my God, no! Where are you getting this from?"

She could feel him shaking with laughter as well as he helped her into her coat.

"I will have you know that I am a deeply insightful person!" he replied archly, casually sweeping her hair out of the way.

"I find that hard to believe." She teased, pirouetting away from him. He followed quickly and caught her hand, swinging their arms gently between them as they strolled down the softly lit street.

"Hey, I resent that!" he exclaimed in mock indignation. "If I wasn't so insightful, then how could I tell that the conductor is a secret cross dresser off stage?"

"Ha! You're crazy!"

"And you're incredible."

And with that statement she stopped. They stood facing each other, poised on the edge of the dim lamplight, eyes shining in the dark. It seemed like a scene from a Nicholas Sparks movie; both of them waiting for the other to make a move.

Eventually, Martin did. He softly brushed a wayward strand of hair from her eyes and murmured in that low throaty voice of his.

"I mean it. You're the most fascinating woman I've ever met."

Chuckling self-consciously, Ria broke eye-contact and leaned back against his van behind her.

"Now you're just using lines, aren't you?" she half-joked.

"No, I mean it! You have an amazing gift, and I envy you."

"Liar!" she laughed.

"You should know. You are the expert." He quipped playfully.

"Actually, I'm just a novice really. Lightman's the real expert." She hedged automatically. She glanced down at the sidewalk, feeling like a self-conscious teenager.

There was a long pause before Martin spoke again, and what he said was the last thing she expected to hear.

"Speaking of Lightman, did I mention I know your boss?"

"What?"

Martin was suddenly very close, but the warm, charismatic grin was gone. In its place was a calculating look. His mouth was still quirked in that crooked half-smile of his, only now his eyes were cast in shadow. The cold metal of the van pressed firmly against her back as she automatically stepped back.

"See, he thinks I'm some kind of psycho killer. That I get women alone, attack them." He took a step closer, his grey eyes boring into hers. Ria was suddenly very aware of how isolated they were.

"What do you want?". Another step.

"To make a point." The street was empty, and now he was looking at her like a piece of meat.

"And what point would that be?" she asked nervously, trying to edge herself out of the corner she'd backed into.

"That if Lightman was right about me you'd be dead." He murmured, blocking her path with a quick movement.

"So Lightman's wrong?" she whispered breathlessly, never taking her eyes off him as he loomed over her.

He chuckled softly. She jumped.

"No. Actually, he hit the nail on the head. Bad luck for you, huh?"

"Why?" she gasped.

"Oh, come on Ria, you're a smart woman. You know why." He had something in his hand. She shrank away from him as he reached toward her. She couldn't see what it was... He was blocking the light... What did he have..? It was too dark to see...

"I had a lovely evening Ria."

A flash... Pain... Black...