Riley’s greeting caused Eleanor to shrug. She hummed happily, laughing softly but didn’t reply until after Bryan had spoken. “I’m glad to hear that Bryan. And as for your question, Riley, I’m dead on my feet. And tired beyond anything. It’s all worth it to solve these cases in the end.” She held up a folder marked ’Truele Street Affair.’ It looked full. “They’re all similar to the homicide of Bryan’s family.”
Riley looked mildly interested, perking up. Bryan did the opposite, turning his head away with a sigh.
"Really? Did you learn anything new?" The eager woman said, her eyebrows raised slightly.
“It’s definitely a group out to get this family…” She replied, growing a little excited while she spoke of the cases. Her tired body seemed to sit straighter. “Each and every one of these is bringing me closer and closer to solving this case! But it’s the group’s name that eludes me each time. They leave no mark of identification and it’s almost as if they’re doing it either for fun or for revenge.” She hummed, looking at Riley with a bright smile.
Riley tilted her head. "But, boss, how does that bring us closer to anything?" She looked rather confused. How does not knowing about the main group of crime bring them closer?
Bryan glanced up at the detective, his eyebrows raised a little. "Yeah, seconded."
Eleanor, slightly clouded by lack of sleep looked at them with a small smile. “Each and every one of these are similar. If we solve one, we might get the name of the group. Every little clue helps. We’re closer day by day.” She yawned, running her fingers through her hair. “I just need more time and more coffee.”
Riley clapped her hands together and jumped up, which startled poor little Bryan on the bed.
"I'll get you more coffee, Boss! In the meantime, Bryan, try and relax! And I'll be back so we can go to the pool again."
“Ah, thank you Riley. I couldn’t ask for a better team.” The smile on her face faded for a split second, replaced with a look of absolute exhaustion. She turned back to her papers, flipping through and highlighting what at first seemed like random phrases. “How is the physical therapy going by the way? Are you doing better?”
Riley shut the door behind her and the room was silent for a few moments after Elenore had talked.
"It's going fine," The patient sighed into thr awkwardness of the silence. "You look tired." He glanced up at her absolutely exhausted expression.
Eleanor glanced up from her paperwork, setting aside for a moment. She wanted to connect with him. One on one. “Do I? Maybe I didn’t hide it well enough.” She smiled weakly. “I didn’t leave the office last night. I told you I’m going to solve this for you. You deserve at the solace of them in prison.” She rubbed under her eyes, trying to blend in the foundation there. It only wiped off, showing more of the dark bags. “It’s a hard workplace here too, Bryan. I’m such a young boss that the older workers look down on me. They expect a lot. If I don’t keep myself busy then my dream goes away.” Eleanor had gotten a little personal, she did it on purpose, though she hadn’t really told anyone else of her struggles. She had no family to support her. “And trust me, I worked damn hard to get here.”