Blake had finished her Wednesday afternoon lecture and was walking through Adamson Hall when she heard someone calling her.
"Agent – Doctor Blake?" The voice sounded familiar and she turned to see who it was.
"Dr. Milner!" Blake saw the head of the Career Center walking towards her. "It's been a long time. How are you?"
"Just fine," Dr. Milner assured her. "Getting ready to retire - Finally! And, I might add, looking forward to it!"
"Congratulations!" Blake's wishes were sincere. "What are your plans?"
"I've got plenty," Dr. Milner assured her. "However, I am glad I ran into you. There is one thing that has been bothering me."
"What's that?" Blake asked.
"Did you ever find that nice Dr. Nielson?" Dr. Milner inquired.
"No," Blake admitted sadly. "But, we are still looking."
"I feel so badly about that," Dr. Milner told her. "I feel I could have done something more. That, somehow, I could have prevented her abduction."
"I don't think you could have done anything," Blake reassured her. "Once an unsub decides to act impulsively like that, there isn't a whole lot that anyone can do."
"If I had just offered to buy her a can of soda or invited her back to my office!" Dr. Milner lamented. "It might have delayed her long enough so she wouldn't have been taken. Instead, I just stood there drinking my soda and talking with her!"
"I know," Blake commiserated. "But, that can't be helped now. We'll find her, I'm sure of it!"
"What makes it worse is that I was so happy that morning," Dr. Milner continued. "Everything in the office was going smoothly. I was well on my way to planning my retirement, and the vending machine had just been restocked so I was able to get my favorite brand of diet soda. If I hadn't been thinking about all that, maybe I would have seen something."
"The machine had just been filled?" Blake questioned. "Does that mean the person who is responsible for filling the machines was still in the building?"
"Actually," Dr. Milner closed her eyes as she thought. "I think he was still kneeling on the floor, stocking the last machine at the far end."
"Let's go take a look at the area," Blake suggested, heading down the hallway. "I want to check something."