We're in the final stretches now. Don't worry though, that doesn't mean things are going to get boring around here. Let's see if Mike and Steve can keep their heads together. It sure is a daunting feeling to know you are on somebody's list. Thanks for hanging in there despite all the technical difficulties. I may slow down on posting chapters for a bit, see if that helps.
ACT IV
Slow and methodical had been their adopted procedure for the time being. With very limited backup, they'd opted to navigate the winding mountain roads with the utmost care, stopping here and there to listen for any noise coming through the dense forest surrounding them.
Before they left the stricken motel behind, Mike had ordered Norm to call in a chopper, as well as additional backup units to support their search. If past events were a predictor of what was to come, the forest would we swarming with black and whites within a couple of hours, a thought that helped ease some of the Lieutenant's deeply engrained worry.
"According to this map, there's no civilization to be found for the next couple hundred miles north of here. If he's trying to get away from us, his best bet would be to head east toward Larkspur or Kentfield. I told Norm to alert the local police and make them aware of the APB on Esteban just in case."
With his eyes focused on the road ahead, Steve nodded briefly, then cleared his throat.
"Well, he's listening in on our radio conversation. So he knows what we're up to. How do we bypass that?"
"With silence."
The cryptic comment left out in the open made the young Inspector glance over irritably, before resuming to concentrate on his driving.
"That may work out while we try to track him down but what if we…what if we apprehend him? Or this turns into a shootout situation?"
"Well, if he's cornered and trying to shoot his way out of here, he won't have time to listen in on the radio, now will he?"
Mike knew the off-the-cuff remark did nothing to offset his partner's tense mood. As such, he wasn't surprised when Steve rolled his eyes and grunted in frustration.
"Come on, now will ya? I am not joking here. What do we do with a guy who's always one step ahead of us?"
Looking down the impressive ravine to his right, and the steep mountain side to his left, Mike drew in a deep breath and pushed himself harder into the bench of the Galaxy.
"We won't let our guard down, that's what we're going to do, Buddyboy."