Eames was sitting on the couch when Logan showed the last tech to the door. He sat on the couch beside her. "We'll find him, Alex. I promise."

"How can you be so certain, Mike? You saw the blood in that alley. Someone got the jump on him. He could be in the river by now."

Logan was quiet for a moment. "I guess it's partly my fault he got jumped. Maybe I didn't try hard enough to get him to stay at my place. But you know Bobby. He had no reservations about being in any part of town at any hour."

"He thinks he's invincible."

"Yeah, kinda. And when he's had a few too many...well, he can get careless. I'm willing to bet he said the wrong thing to the wrong mutt this time. He'll be kicking himself for letting them take his gun. We'll find him...and I'll kick his ass for scaring us like this. Okay?"

She gave him a small smile but it didn't reassure him. Rising from the couch, she walked down the hall to the bedroom, returning with a change of clothes. Logan said nothing, but he raised a curious eyebrow. She gave him another smile. "It's not what you think. Two weeks ago we got caught in a bad storm as we were finishing up at a scene. We came back here and he gave me a t-shirt to change into while my clothes dried. I got mad at him, for something stupid, and I left in his shirt and went home." She nodded at the clothes in her arms. "He had them cleaned."

Logan grinned. "I'd have given them to you at work the next day in a paper bag."

She smacked his shoulder as they headed for the door. She felt reassured having Logan there with her, believing as she did, that her partner was innocent and they would find him. She once again refused to consider how empty her life would be if Bobby was taken from it. Turning, she looked around the neat apartment once more time before closing and locking the door.

Eames sat at the small table in Logan's apartment, dressed in one of his t-shirts, nursing a cup of coffee. His apartment wasn't as nice as Bobby's was, or as big, but to her surprise, it was neat and almost cozy. She heard movement in the hall and looked up as he emerged, hair disheveled, wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms. He caught her eye and looked down at his state of half-dress. "What? I'm decent."

She smiled. "Yes, Mike. You are."

He raised an eyebrow, confused. "You spend too much damn time with Goren. It's too damn early to play word games with me."

He went into the kitchen and rummaged around, returning with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal. She looked with interest into the bowl. "Frosted Flakes?"

"I need my morning shot of sugar and putting it in my coffee makes my stomach ill. You want a bowl?"

"No thanks. I'm not hungry. I take my sugar in here." She indicated the cup in front of her.

He pointed his spoon at her. "Look, Alex. Remember when I said I was going to beat your partner for scaring us?"

"Yes."

"Well, he'll beat me if I don't take care of you right. You need to eat."

She studied him for a long moment before finally conceding. Before she could get up, he waved a hand at her. "I'll get it. Frosted Flakes or Froot Loops?"

She laughed quietly. "Frosted Flakes. Thanks, Mike."

The ride across the river was a quiet one. They were both anticipating a dead end and they were not disappointed. The Hudson County ADA they spoke with had little to offer, beyond the assertion that no one matching Goren's description had been reported at the scene of the drug deal. In particular, the man who had fired the fatal bullet with Goren's gun looked nothing like the missing detective. It was with a feeling of vindication that the two detectives returned to the squad room.

Eames stormed into Ross' office with Logan right behind her. The captain looked up. "Been to New Jersey?"

"Yes, captain. We have. We now know for certain that someone else has Goren's gun. The shooter looks nothing like Bobby."

"Which means he is either incapacitated or dead."

Eames stiffened at the words but nodded her head. "Exactly."

Ross leaned back in his chair and lost himself in thought for a few moments. When he looked back at Eames and Logan he said, "I apologize for upsetting you. But we had to know that he wasn't involved." He lifted a folder from his desk, dropping it back as he said, "The blood on the wallet matched the blood on the badge, and it's a type match for Goren."

"Did they find any drug residue in the blood on his wallet?"

"No. And the preliminary report is in from his apartment. They turned up nothing."

Eames crossed her arms over her chest and waited. "So what are you thinking now?"

"That you were right and something bad happened to your partner. So now we have a missing officer. Let's find him."

Eames didn't move and she didn't take her steady gaze from the captain's face. Ross sighed wearily. "Eames, I'm sorry for playing devil's advocate. But I knew you would back him regardless of what the evidence showed. I wanted you to look at the big picture. Good cops have gone bad before."

"Not Goren. Captain, you don't understand. I know him. He has had a hard life and the last year was hell for both of us, but Logan is exactly right. He is on his way back from a dark place, and things are looking up for him. He is feeling good about his life now. He wouldn't take a sudden turn like that. Something happened to him, and we are going to find out what."

"Just keep me informed," the captain said, no longer inclined to argue with her. He was worried about his missing detective, and so far, everything he was seeing in the evidence they turned up left a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like Logan, Goren was sometimes difficult, but both mavericks got good results. Granted, Goren was less inclined toward physical aggression, and sometimes that made Logan a bigger headache. He was finding lately that Goren's psychological tactics, while unconventional, were often amusing and always effective. He was surprised to find that he didn't want to lose his star detective, no matter how much of a headache he proved to be.

The two detectives left the office and headed toward Eames' desk. Logan dropped into Goren's chair. "News flash: we have a missing officer."

Eames leaned back in her chair. "He wouldn't just not come in to work, Mike. He hasn't called anyone. He hasn't been taken to any area hospitals. He hasn't been to his apartment. He has to be somewhere..."

"We know he was in that alley, and that he got hurt there. This may not be the brightest suggestion in the world, but I think we should start with the alley. Let's see if we can get some information from the guys that hang out there."

Eames stared at him. "You and Goren are two peas in a pod. Are you serious?"

"You want to find him? We need to talk to the people who saw him last. The trail ends at that alley. So that's where we start."

Slowly she nodded. "Okay, then. We go and talk to the drug addicts who beat the crap out of my six-foot-four partner. Good plan, Logan."

"Come on. I'll take care of you." She raised an eyebrow at him and he gave her a grin. "Your partner will pound the ever-lovin' crap out of me if I don't."

Her face relaxed into a brief smile and she sighed. "As long as we have back-up standing by."

"Of course."

But she could tell that thought hadn't crossed his mind. "You guys would be lost without me," she grumbled as she got up from her desk and headed for the elevators.

Another grin. "You know it, baby."

When he joined her at the elevator, she smacked his shoulder. "I'm not your baby."

"You prefer 'doll' or 'honey'? You said I couldn't call you sweetheart..."

"Use my name, Logan. That's why I have one."

Following her into the elevator, he said, "Okay, dear...Ow!"

The elevator doors closed as he laughed.