"C'mon Lieutenant, it's quitting time"
He didn't believe his own ears. His head snapped up.
"Natalie?"
"Don't be so surprised" she said, "Someone's gotta make sure you're eating" she sat down on his desk, and he noticed she was wearing shorts.
"I haven't been doing much of that lately"
"I'm shocked" she teased.
"You look pretty" he said, running his fingers up her legs.
"yeah, you're dreaming" she said, "I'm still gone"
"Where to?"
"You'll figure it out" she said, "I know you will"
"I won't let this happen again" he said, "it'll be different. I'll be better, I'll be everything you deserve"
"I don't need you to be any different. I love you because you're you, you don't have to change for me"
"I just hate that this happened to you again"
"Next time you should listen to me"
"Yeah" he said, "I should probably listen to you much more often"
"Damn right" she said through a smirk.
John shot up in his chair. He didn't remember falling asleep at his desk. He shook his head. He hated dreaming about her, it just served as a reminder he'd failed her.
"Johnny?" he heard, and he stood.
"Hey Mike" he said, making his way towards the coffee pot. He didn't remember when he last made coffee, but seeing as he fell asleep it probably didn't matter.
"How's it going?"
He glanced at his brother before looking back to the coffee. "No new news"
"I, uh, brought you some take out from Rodi's"
"You didn't have to do that" John said, though he truthfully didn't remember the last time he'd eaten.
"I guess I didn't, but I remember Natalie saying you tended to forget-"
"Yeah, that sounds like Natalie"
"Anyway, I got off my shift and figured you'd still be at it"
"She's still missing"
"Yeah, but she doesn't want you running yourself into the ground just to find her"
He looked down, "Yeah, but, uh, if I stop I just start thinking, and-"
"Yeah" Mike said, noticing the bulletin board and her picture with the needle, "Ransom notes?"
"Something like that" he said, and they were interrupted by a uniform coming in.
"Lieutenant, I thought you'd want to know, we just picked up Lenny Kravitz"
"Really?" he said, checking his watch. It was 2 a.m., Hugh was definitely home and probably asleep. Nothing could be done until morning, "Throw him in interview one, then start booking. We'll get it on Hughes desk first thing"
"Yes, sir"
He turned back to his brother.
"Sir?" Mike teased.
"Yeah" he shook his head, "I can't wait for Bo to get back"
"This going to help?"
"I sure hope so" he said.
"I'll leave the burger on your desk"
John nodded and headed to the interview room.
"Lenny?" he said, sitting down.
"yeah, that's me" the guy said. He was old. Old old. Was wearing suspenders old. John didn't remember the last time he saw a guy wearing suspenders, "So what am I in for?"
"Forgery" he answered, very straight forward.
"Wasn't me" he said, "and I know my rights. I don't have to talk without a lawyer"
"You know what, you're right" John said, "but it is 2 am so if you have a lawyer, I'm going to assume they're asleep. If you want a public defender, they are definitely asleep, and the DA has gone home for the night"
"What did the guys pick me up for anyway"
"I don't really care" John said, "See, you got ties to Spencer Truman. And among other things, that's the reason my boss isn't here and I am"
"Your boss?"
"Bo Buchanan" he said, "though I'm sure you already knew that"
"You don't live in Llanview without knowing about the Buchanan's" he said, "they've got quite the drama to follow"
"And what do you know about the Buchanans?" John asked.
"You don't know about the Buchanans?" Lenny asked, almost incredulously.
"How about you let me do the asking of the questions" John said.
"Right" he said, "So what do you want to know"
"Tell me about Spencer Truman"
"I've known Spencer since he was a kid" Lenny said, "I used to run with his dad"
"Ned Truman?"
"yeah" he said.
"And what was it you did for ole Ned Truman?"
"Little of this, little of that"
"Of course," he said, "you kept in touch with Spencer Truman after those days?"
"Here and there"
"So the heart transplant was him?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Well you got a heart transplant" he said, "and you went from eighty something to number one on the list real fast. Had to know someone on the inside, someone who knew they could make a quick switch and no one would notice. Or someone with enough credibility to edit the list without anyone noticing. So I figure Spencer gets you your new heart and in return you just gotta forge him whatever he wants whenever he wants" he said, "Blackmail seems to be his forte"
"Spencer would never blackmail me"
"and yet" he said, "That heart's working, isn't it?"
"It's small price to pay for my life"
"Well" John said, standing, "I hope you bring that vigor to the DA in the morning. You flip on him you'll get a good deal"
"I'm not a snitch"
"Of course not" he said, "but you know, what good is that heart going to do you in a jail cell?" John left the room. He took a breath. He didn't say anything concrete, but he didn't deny it, either. It was a start. A night in a cold jail cell might change his mind.
"Lieutenant?" the officer manning the desk greeted him.
"What did we pick him up for?"
"Expired tags" he said.
John nodded, "Good. Hold him til morning, Hughes or me will want to talk to him"
"Yes, sir"