When the lady stood, so too did Elias. Her shift in demeanor did not go unnoticed, but it was the way her eyes changed that he marked the most. As she smiled, he nodded once, briefly. "Ms. Shepherd," he said, not to stop her and not to interrupt -- but to say goodbye.
The man could not allow himself to be disappointed. He could have hoped for more, but even her description of what had happened to her -- what was still happening to her -- was a boon. He would not be so ungrateful as to diminish its value by wishing for more.
Tomorrow would be a new interview, a new night of knowledge. And the night after that. And then, perhaps, he would know more than he did even now. He looked forward to that.