Carmen now woke up with a purpose. And while she had always advocated against to-do lists and daily planners, she couldn't deny that this purpose had brought with it an energizing organization. As soon as she'd left Will, she called Alana about Winston. Alana was hesitant to agree, especially considering that Carmen had no solid proof that Will had suggested it, but when she quoted back Will's words verbatim Alana agreed that it sounded too much like him to be a lie, and that she was overwhelmed, anyway. She asked that Carmen pick Winston up at her house in the morning so she could have some time to get everything ready, and Carmen agreed.

She woke at six AM, and wrote until eight, which, with the driving time factored in, should allow for her arrival right before nine. Alana had texted her the home address, and Carmen didn't bother mentioning that Jack had already supplied her with everything there was to know about Alana short of her social security number.

She dressed casually, thankful that she no longer had to wear those starchy skirts and blouses. She left her pale hair straight, pulling it up into a high ponytail before grabbing her coat off the kitchen counter and making her way out the door.

Alana's house was forty minutes from Will's, a quaint but updated two-story colonial. The grass was trimmed evenly and the landscaping was bright and immaculate. Freshly dug up holes littered the evenly trimmed grass, the clear work of one of Will's many dogs. Carmen stepped out of her car and stood hesitantly on the sidewalk before taking a deep breath and walking up the stone pathway to Alana's front door. As soon as she got within ten feet, a chorus of barking erupted from behind the door, then loud shushing, followed by the click of the door unlocking before Alana cracked it open.

"Hurry in, they'll run out if they get the chance." Carmen nodded and slid inside, shutting the door behind her.

Alana's home was well-lit and immaculately furnished. It was comfortable, employing all of the home decorating tips that were repeated constantly on the covers of magazines that commonly littered waiting rooms in doctor's offices. Solid furniture on dark wood floors, bright throw pillows and flowers in painted glass vases to provide pops of color. It was all so clean, and well-kept, every tabletop dusted, barely any trace of dog hair on the white couch. The moment Carmen stepped through the threshold, the dogs swarmed her, tails wagging, tongues lolling, disproportionately excited at the prospect of a stranger visiting. Carmen counted only six dogs. Alana whistled, and twelve ears perked up, attention shifted off of Carmen.

"Sorry about that. They don't see many strangers. I couldn't get Winston to come down. He can be incredibly shy. I got all of the supplies ready. Food, bowl, leash. You know, the usual."

"I could try to coax him down, if you think it'll do any good." Alana shook her head.

"No, I'll—oh look, there he is now." Winston stood at the top of the stairs, fixed in place, silent. Alana beckoned to him. Winston placed one paw forward and hesitated.

"I'm sorry about this—I think he may have trust issues. It's a miracle Will got him to open up in the first place."

"Can I try?"

"Sure, knock yourself out." Carmen kneeled down at the base of the stairs and made eye contact with the dog.

"Come on, Winston. Come on." She reached a hand out, and Winston began trotting slowly down the stairs until he was at Carmen's level, nuzzling her outstretched hand with his nose. Carmen smiled and rubbed his head. Alana smirked.

"I can see why Will wanted you to have him. I'll go get his stuff." Alana left, and Carmen scratched Winston's speckled ears.

"Hi, Winston. My name's Carmen. I'm a friend of Will's." Carmen thought this over after she said it. She certainly thought of herself as Will's friend, but whether he thought of her as one was another matter. Alana soon returned, arms full with dog food and the dog bowl. Carmen stood up and grabbed the leash off the top of the pile, hooking it onto Winston's collar.

"I'll carry this stuff to the car, you just get the door." Carmen nodded and slid open the door, careful not to let any of the other dogs through. She let Winston in the passenger seat of the car, and put the supplies in the backseat.

"Thanks so much for your help, Alana. I promise I'll take good care of Winston." Alana smiled.

"I don't doubt it."

"I may need to meet with you and Freddie soon, would it be alright if we met here? I completely understand if you're uncomfortable, but you happen to be the only one of us who doesn't own a sophisticated home security camera system." Alana nodded.

"As long as you promise that nothing will be traced back here."

"I promise."

"Then I agree. I'll see you soon." Carmen nodded, and stepped around the car. Alana turned back towards the house, then stopped just as Carmen opened the car door. She turned back around and shouted,

"How did you get him to trust you?" Carmen smiled.

"It's all about the eyes."

Carmen got home and set the two bowls on the floor next to her desk, filling one with the dog food Alana had given her, and the other with water from the faucet. She set the leash on the countertop and put the remaining dog food in the pantry before she sat down at her desk and checked her email. Immediately Chilton's name in the sender column caught her eye. She opened the email and read.

Ms. Carmen Banks,

I'm afraid Will is unavailable for visiting the next three days. I will be personally finalizing his psychological report for the trial, and this may require some extra personal time with him to assess and confirm my previous diagnoses. When I've completed the evaluation, you may visit at your leisure.

Thank you for your understanding,

Dr. Frederick Chilton.

Carmen shut the laptop and ran her hands through her hair.

"Shit." She stood up and paced in front of the couch.

"Shit, shit, shit." Winston looked up from the food bowl and cocked his head to the side.

Carmen, as an author, knew how to write between the lines, and thus, she knew very well how to read between them. Three days was how long it was going to take Doctor Chilton to break Will. This was his plan all along; this was why he'd allowed her such unrestricted access to Will Graham. Because he wanted Will to trust her, to like her. He wanted Carmen to be a source of comfort, he wanted her to help him recover. Because then he could weaponize her. Chilton would turn her into ammunition to use against him—he wanted Will to feel stronger, so there was more for him to destroy. Because he wasn't just trying to influence Will. He wasn't trying to crack him. He was trying to break Will entirely.

Carmen glanced over at Winston, who was staring up at her expectantly. She took a deep breath and re-opened the laptop.

"It's okay. This doesn't change anything. We're still going to get him out."

She emailed Alana and Freddie, organizing a meeting for the next day at Alana's house.

If Chilton wanted to speed things up, Carmen was happy to oblige.

Hi, everyone! Sorry for the delay with this update, I was working on a personal writing project, but it's finished now, so I can get back to this. It should take me 2-3 weeks at the most to complete the next chapter, possibly less.

I was wondering if any of you would be strongly opposed to a romantic relationship between Carmen and Will. I've had it in mind from the start, but I wanted to know what my readers thought before I implemented it as I know it could turn some people off from the story. If you welcome, or object to the idea, please comment with your opinion! I really appreciate all of your feedback!