"You really believe that those two are going to keep this whole situation confidential and only release what you allow them to?"
Steve glanced over at his partner incredulously as they left the asphalt behind and entered State Park Territory. Andy knew of a back road approaching from the southeast that would get them to the farm house some twenty minutes quicker, avoiding most two-tracks along the way.
An eerie feeling of déjà-vu flooded his senses when the Galaxy began to groan from a new set of washouts along the otherwise well-manicured dirt road.
"Why shouldn't I?"
With Mike's senses cued on him, the open-ended question meant that the Lieutenant was a lot more eager to talk than he was earlier on the way up.
At least there was some improvement to their situation.
"Why? They're reporters, Mike. They already put out articles about this…this case, and now we're giving them an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at everything that's going on. Plus…they're kids."
"Kids, eh?", Mike chuckled at those words, his eyes never leaving the road ahead as he held onto the door frame for support, "Last I checked they're your age."
Feeling thoroughly caught in the act and cursing himself for thinking that his meticulous partner would somehow miss that little detail in their case file, Steve bit his lip.
The Fairlane in front of them put on the brake lights, slowing down ahead of a tree that had fallen and now partially blocked the road, before carefully going around it. Steve followed suit and took a moment to look west, when a small clearing to his left allowed it. As far as the eye could see, they were surrounded by a wall of thick fog.
"Then how come you trust them on something as important as this, but you question me about every case workup I prepare, re-read every report I write? How are they more credible than I am?"
"You're not getting crabby on me now, are you? This weather getting to you?"
A slight cheer had returned to Mike's voice when he said that. Shaking his head, before giving Steve his usual fatherly smile, he cleared this throat.
"This has got nothing to do with your credibility, believe me."
As the tree canvas around them grew thicker, what little daylight was left quickly faded away. Steve switched on the headlights as they turned east onto a reasonably well maintained two-track, if the absence of thick muddy ruts was any indication. Only a thin layer of moss covered the middle and slowly vanished as they rose in elevation.
"Then what is it that has you awestruck about these two?"
"You are still worked up about them and their far-out beliefs, aren't you?", Mike deflected his question for the second time, completely unaffected by his growing ire, "And that surprises me because you're the one who bought the magazine."
"I bought the magazine because it's fiction. That makes it entertaining. I didn't realize the…the authors were so…paranoid."
"Well, it's obvious why they have to be."
"Okay, never mind, let's just…let's just forget about this."
Regretting to even bring up the topic to begin with, and deciding to drop it altogether, Steve let out a frustrated grunt, before focusing back on the road ahead. With the V8 of the Galaxy purring away peacefully, he took a moment to relish the incredible beauty found in these backwoods.
The flowing hills and small creeks appearing beneath stands of pine here and there did wonders to sooth his troubled mind. It was easy to understand why the park was so popular with tourists and hikers alike.
"I don't trust those boys because they have established any sort of rapport with me. I just sense that they care about this case and that the one thing more important to them than a news story is to find these organ traffickers. Look at their careers, Steve. They write for and publish a poorly circulated newspaper talking about aliens, and ghosts and Chupacabras. Code or not, it's not exactly the path to business success. I doubt they make enough off that paper to pay themselves a fair wage."
Steve nodded slowly, eyes still on the road, as he put himself into Mike's mind, admiring the Lieutenants ability to somehow see the best in people and hopeless situations alike. Perhaps it took a special kind of person to be so graceful in his unwavering faith and yet stubbornly unyielding when it came to defending the law he swore to protect.
"And the reason I question you far more than I would ever question somebody like those boys is because I hold you to a higher standard, Stephen. Because you didn't settle for a crappy newspaper job. Because you chose one of the most difficult and heartbreaking careers there is even though you had other options that would have been far safer and more lucrative. Because you decided to strive for something far greater than yourself. So, if I question you, it's because I want to help you become the best cop there is out on the streets. Because I truly believe that you have the potential to reach the top one day."
Surprised to hear Mike's voice break for a moment, Steve glanced over at his partner, unable to see his eyes underneath the fedora. And yet, his quivering jaw and shallow breathing were enough of an indication of his emotional state.
"And maybe I am hoping that if I annoy you enough with my own questions, that you will stop questioning yourself so much, and start to trust your gut instinct. Because I don't doubt your abilities one bit…and neither should you."
