Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me"...but I'd be overjoyed if they used for show ideas. :)

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! I have so much going on this summer! Not nearly as dead as my winter schedule... Please have patience with me. :( Also, I may not be able to get in another chapter for two weeks! I'll be out of town. Perhaps I can slip in another chapter after one week. :) Thanks for all the reviews and feedback from the first chapter! This next one is also a filler...but it's building. Let it build, then watch it roll. :) Love ya, guys. Proceed to read! :D


2. Overstuffed Encounter Quota

Cal had been staring at the photo for the past half hour. He was disturbed, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from it. Cal's team was now prey to a psycho.

Eli was already in bad shape.

The photo was enough to make the grown man shiver. Eli was duct taped to a chair, his head hanging limply against his chest. Lightman remembered the collared shirt he wore being blue, but now it was a musty grey, splattered with crimson. Red was crusted down his visible cheek and his shirt was unbuttoned to show a white undershirt. It wasn't white anymore. A sanguine patch sunk into the shoulder fabric and other drops had found their way across the front. The skin Cal could see was pale, despite the dim lighting of the room. For all he knew, Eli could be dead.

Now, his mind struggled with a decision: should he tell Gillian? Or not?

If he told her, there was nothing she could do…except worry. They had no clue where Loker was and there was no way for them to find him. But, if he told her, maybe she could help identify the psycho, even if she wasn't as much of an expert as Cal.

No, he couldn't tell her.

He wouldn't be able to handle her tears. Cal already blamed himself. Now, he would just have to pay more attention… and get out of his office. He had to give the psychopath a chance to approach him because he just had to get Eli back…alive. Cal could wait until he had Eli safe in a hospital before he told either Foster or Torres about the lunatic. He just wanted to postpone the panicking until it was an appropriate time to deal with it properly. Cal just couldn't comfort Gillian while he was going insane himself.

Lightman strolled out of his office putting on his best nonchalant expression to hide his worry. But that didn't stop the thoughts from rolling around in his head. How long had they had Eli? How much longer would they keep him? What sort of person should Lightman be looking for? He didn't know. He couldn't know. Cal didn't even have a face to read and look for the answer.

"Cal? You look a little pale."

Lightman whirled around to see Foster eyeing him worriedly. He hadn't counted on the lack of skin pigmentation, but he could still play it off.

"It's nothing, love. Probably just need a bit more sun." he muttered casually. She held suspicion in her features, but she left it alone anyway.

"Um…well, there's somebody wanting to see you at the desk." she told him while eyeing him closely. Cal sighed and rolled his eyes.

"If it's that bloody student tryin' to get an interview outta me—"

"What? No, no, it's not that." Foster corrected quickly. "That woman stormed out an hour ago, at least."

"Hm. Alright, I'll go take a look then." Cal muttered, turning and heading towards the front desk. He could hear Gillian's heels click away to her office, having conveyed her message and completed the task at hand. Cal allowed himself to slouch for a short while, weighed down by a ton of thoughts and worries. What was he doing? He couldn't let himself be distracted by the bad fortunes of the day. For now, he had to wave them away and concentrate. He straightened up again and approached the front, seeing a young blonde waiting in a cushy seat and shyly chatting with the receptionist.

"Oh! Dr. Lightman! This is Susie, she's been waiting for you." the receptionist explained happily, having enjoyed her conversation with the young woman.

"I don't mean to interrupt your work," the blonde began, her voice soft and bashful. "but my father had left a note about seeing a Dr. Lightman. He thinks my brother is stealing from him even though my brother actually died three years ago." She paused for a moment, examining his expression fearfully. "He's an old, senile man; I hope you will forgive him!" Cal stared at her for a moment, almost finding it unbelievable that this young lady thought her father was troubling him. Most days it would; but, today, this small disturbance was relief from the greater problem that truly ailed him. He smiled and shook his head, easing her nervousness.

"I'll go get your old man." he said simply, striding off to the conference room. Ria looked slightly surprised when Lightman abruptly opened the door.

"You're daughter is here to get you." Cal droned in a bored tone, lazily looking at the elderly man. Torres looked puzzled and slightly peeved at the odd happenings around the workplace. Of course, Cal didn't care. Her problems were her problems; he was already dragging around his own.

"I don't…understand…" the old man mumbled slowly. "Why is Susie here?" Despite his confusion, he stood and followed Lightman out the door. Torres curiously followed, catching up to Lightman quickly.

"What is going on here?" she hissed, not wanting to alarm her previous client.

"The son he claims is stealing from him is dead." Lightman answered, not even bothering to lower his voice. "I think he's having a bit of a…moment."

"Poor guy." Torres whispered, staring at the floor while the trio entered into the lobby.

"Dad! What are you doing here? We need to get you home!" Susie chattered worriedly as she ran forward and put a loving hand on the man's back.

"But, I need to know if—"

"Dad, William isn't stealing from you; he loves you. Come on, let's get you home and I'll make you a cup of herbal tea." she promised. Cal frowned a bit. Hopefully, Susie was aware that she was lying in front of lie detection experts.

As Susie guided her father out of the office, she looked over her shoulder and mouthed 'thank you.' Torres folded her arms and watched them go while Lightman's head ran in circles.

Loker.

Psycho.

Loker.

Psycho.

The same thoughts ran through his mind, spinning around like a washing machine. Perhaps it was time to get some coffee. Ria sighed beside him.

"Too bad Eli isn't here. He would've contributed sympathy for the old man, unlike a certain person I know." Ria teased. Cal wasn't in the mood for a casual joke, but he wasn't going to show it. Oh, he had sympathy, but it wasn't for the old man.

"I'm sure Foster will supply you with all the sympathy and pity you want." he mumbled, smiling slightly before heading out the office.
"Where are you going?" she called after him, but hardly bothering to follow.

"To get some coffee." he replied, and pushed his way out the door.


Cal sipped at his coffee, sitting on a bench outside while he watched the poor, lying suckers of the world pass him by. He could identify the plethora of lies that stared him in the face, but he couldn't find a single psychopath. He couldn't find the one liar he wanted.

"Heel, Rex! Heel!"

Cal turned his head to see a scruffy young man with dark hair trying to rein in an eager Golden Retriever. He was having trouble keeping the canine at a slower pace and the unfortunate owner found himself being pulled helplessly along. The dog stopped in front of Cal, sniffing his shoes with interest.

"No, Rex! Leave the poor man alone!" the man ordered, pulling on the leash. Cal watched the pooch without a word, waiting for the pet and his owner to get things together and move on.

"I'm sorry; he's such a big dog and I'm still trying to train him properly." the man huffed, tugging at the leash casually. Cal examined the stranger with a focused stare, trying to look for any indication that this was who he was looking for. But his loving look towards the dog was too real for a mentally disturbed human being. Nope, this one was a normal civilian.

"It's alright." Cal grumbled, taking another gulp of coffee. The man finally pulled his dog away from Lightman and continued to be dragged behind the enthusiastic pooch. Something bumped Cal's foot.

"Woah!" a man exclaimed as he stumbled, raising his eyebrows as he realized he'd just

tripped on Lightman. "Sorry 'bout that. Guess I should watch where I'm goin'…" he laughed nervously, a Southern accent slipping out. The look of surprise was short, meaning it was genuine. He couldn't be the one that held Eli prisoner, even if Cal wished him to be.

Lightman hadn't noticed how many strangers he ran into each day and it was disheartening to discover there were far too many to easily pick out a lunatic from among them. Either that, or the one person was a master of disguise and beyond a better actor than what Cal originally supposed. Perhaps this mad man was as great as Cal at putting on a good show. No, that couldn't be. He could've picked out miniscule details anyway. So far, he hadn't seen a single person that looked to be hiding an identity.

Loker was screwed.

That is…if he wasn't dead already.

The mystery man did say that Cal's kidnapped team members would end up in "a certain medical center," but could Lightman really trust a person that found joy in torturing people to motivate a player in a sick game? No, he couldn't. He most definitely could not cough up that trust. Hope was all he had to hold onto.

A hope that Eli Loker wasn't dead yet.

A hope that he would find the psychopath before he got to Torres, or perhaps…

Gillian.

Cal just couldn't bring himself to think of Gillian in Loker's position. His confidant and long-time friend, duct taped to a chair? It wasn't right. But, what was Loker thinking about? What did he think of Cal right now? Did he hate him? Did he trust him?

Cal stood from the bench, having drained his coffee while deep in thought. He threw it away in a random sidewalk trash can and started to walk back to his office. A bickering couple stole his attention as they passed by him, seriously deep in a hot debate.

"No, you never appreciate anything I do!" the woman shouted loudly, using her hands to solidify how upset she was.

"Oh, don't act as if you're so supportive of me!" the man scoffed, full rage flared up in his eyes as he shook his head. Cal gazed at them as they passed by, catching the man's eye immediately.

"Now, what are you looking at? You think eavesdropping is fun?" the man yelled to Cal as he continued his trek back to work and rolled his eyes.

"Couples." he grumbled under his breath. They might as well be the lunatic in two different bodies.


"I hope we'll get a case soon." Ria sighed as she walked beside her bosses in the parking garage. Usually she walked with Eli to her car, but he was obviously absent from his task.

"We've got cases." Lightman muttered, as though he was bothered by Torres's comment.

"Yeah, small cases. I need a bigger case! All these small jobs get a little...boring." Ria complained.

"I know what you mean." Foster laughed. "It's so hard to find excitement in the less important cases."

"Right." Torres agreed with a small smile. Tires screeched in the distance, causing Cal to pause in his step and listen closely. His paranoia was getting worse as the day wore on, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"What's the matter, Cal?" Gillian inquired, casting a worried glance at the scientist.

"I hear something…" he mumbled, straining his ears as more rubber screams echoed around the parking garage, though closer this time.

A white, windowless van skidded around the bend, heading straight for the trio. Immediately, they jumped back to avoid getting mowed down by the vehicle, but became puzzled when it halted in front of them. The side door slid open to reveal a black clad, masked person, fetching gasps of fear from the women. They watched as the mysterious figure grabbed a limp heap and threw it a few feet out of the van. Cal's eyes followed the abandoned pile to the ground, his face pulling into shock as he realized what it was.

Eli.

The door slid closed with a slam and the van was back to speeding through the parking garage.


Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Now, let's get some excitement going, eh? :D Please review? Pleeeeeeeeeeeease? :)