I still suspect the cocking slide, not the hook. The slide is inside, beneath the trigger plate. It may not be engaged with the crank, that the cocking hook on the barrel connects too.
No, the lever should not return to center with the barrels open. Don't try to force it over either, or you may damage the pin which keeps it open.
Somewhere on here is a sticky that Brian Dudley posted about disassembly. With his good pictures, you will see the square hole on the forward end of the cocking slide, which must fit over the crank.
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