Thank you so much for the kind reviews. We're in the last leg of the year on the farm and things are slowly winding down which hopefully means more time to write. I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it.

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Mike enjoyed the savory smell of fresh coffee before taking a sip, feeling the hot liquid envelop his body and revitalizing his senses.

Tiptoeing to the living room, he grabbed the Malcolm file once again, trying to reconstruct what might have happened to the troubled young man in his final days. Reaching over at the small side table, he couldn't help but glance at his sleeping partner sprawled out on the couch.

After they finished dinner, Mike had excused himself for a quick shower upstairs. By the time he returned, he found a certain young inspector dead to the world. A thorough case discussion, two beers and a warm dinner was all it had taken. Shaking his head, the Lieutenant chuckled, wondering how often Steve's romantic dinner nights ended in a similar fashion.

Once he returned to the kitchen, Mike slid into the plastic chair against the inner wall and began to re-read the file, hoping he may have missed a key detail that would help steer him in the right direction. His mind wandered to the last few weeks, imagining Glenn Malcolm's agonizing decision to come clear with his overly critical mother.

The sheer thought of hearing one's life devalued in front of a loved one made his heart ache.

Scanning through the few pages they'd gathered so far, Mike's mind suddenly stopped in its tracks.

The Missing Person's report.

If Melinda Malcolm had been right that Glenn did have a boyfriend…why wasn't he listed on the report as a possible contact? With his thoughts starting to go off into several different directions all at once, he took another sip of coffee.

Had the mother left that important fact out, not wanting to help police in locating her only son in some misguided way to shame him?

Even if they left her out of the picture, why hadn't the boyfriend himself come forward to report Glenn missing? Had he known of his travel plans and not given it a second thought when the young man never returned?

Then there was another angle. Suppose things weren't as "tight" with Glenn's boyfriend and this Ludwig didn't know about his travel plans; just where would the young man have wanted to go? That well-timed trip up north to get away from his oppressive mother raised Mike's senses to the fact that Malcolm may have known exactly where he was headed- or who he was going to see. And who exactly was that? Another potential boyfriend? An acquaintance who understood his struggles? And where up north did he live?

Half an hour into his pondering, the sound of footsteps coming from the living room made Mike look up from the file. Steve shuffled into the kitchen, his hair in a mess as he headed straight for the percolator.

"Have you ever seen those TV shows where they trap wild animals, tag them and then release them again?", Mike asked, unable to keep a straight face.

Confused, Steve nodded before pouring himself some coffee and groggily sliding into the chair across from him.

"You know which one I mean, Buddy boy? That ehm…that moment when the animal comes out of anesthesia and starts to stagger away?...Looks just like you after you wake up."

"Ha ha…very funny.", returning the genial smile with a defeated headshake, Steve took a sip of coffee, and pointed at the file, "You got anything else?"

"Maybe."

Mike leaned back in his chair, locking eyes with his partner.

"I am just wondering why that boyfriend of Glenn's isn't mentioned anywhere in this report. Did you get the sense that the guys in Missing Persons knew about this…this whole situation?"

"Not at all.", grunting affirmatively, Steve bit his lip, "I think mommy dearest was trying to keep a tight lid on that. She probably thinks her neighbors would think less of her. And she's not wrong unfortunately."

"That's what I thought too. And it would make sense. But I just can't seem to shake the feeling that we're not getting the whole story here."

"Hopefully we can get it from Ludwig.", Steve noted and pointed at the nearby clock, "When did you get up? It's barely seven."

"About an hour ago. I wanted to get an early start to the office. So why don't you go and get ready so that we can leave in twenty minutes? I don't want to be late for being early."

"Twenty minutes? That's barely enough time for a shower and shave."

Giving his partner a displeased glance, Steve stood up, holding onto his coffee like a much-needed lifeline.

"You will be fine, believe me.", Mike reassured, trying hard to hide his amusement. "By the way, did you know you're talking in your sleep now?"

Steve spun around, nearly dropping his cup.

"I do not."

"Oh, yes you do, my friend. Sandra Fisher ring any bells for you? Handy Sandy?"

When Steve's face turned red in an instant, Mike couldn't hold his laughter back any longer.

"Apparently I do now…"

He waited until the horror on the young Inspector's face was replaced with a self-righteous smug, before continuing.

"She's that good, eh?"

Closing his eyes for a second, Steve seemed to relive his romantic adventures. When he looked back at his partner, that grin had turned broader.

"Oh yes…definitely"

"Go take your shower!" Mike ordered laughingly, "Make it a cold one."

Giggling until he heard the upper bedroom door close, Mike leaned back and wiped the happy tears from his face.

God, he'd been needing that belly laugh for a long time.