Their goodbyes for the night had been quiet, almost too quiet as far as Mike was concerned. Even now, as he watched his partner climb the many stairs to his apartment with his shoulders slumped, the Lieutenant was left to wonder what was going on in that busy mind to cause his mood swings this time around.
Deciding to leave his partner to his quiet brooding for the night, hoping that some mental decompression would help raise his spirits by morning; Mike swung the front end of the Galaxy around on the narrow road, then headed south once he reached the hill. Longing for a night of relaxation and watching TV, he couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering back to their case.
After all these years, Mike knew well enough that it was vital to get one's mind off these gruesome murders, even just for a few precious hours at night. The dangers of burn-out and post-traumatic stress in their chosen line of work were simply too real to underestimate.
And yet, vivid images of drums, campfires and young people kept circling around in his mind, along with the mysterious stranger who was somehow related to all of it. Mike wondered just how good of a line the man had to convince young women to trust him.
Then again, drugs did help a lot when it came to coercion in the worst way possible.
In an effort to give his weary mind a rest, he reminded himself that tomorrow was another day, and with any luck would bring some much-needed answers from the guys down at R&I. Hopefully, with Steve hunting down one lead, and him the other, they'd have a pretty good idea which path to pick by morning.
A broad smile spread on his lips as Mike checked his wristwatch, knowing that he'd be home before 8pm for once, and if all went well, he'd get a chance to talk to Jeanie for a little while.
And as always, he couldn't wait to have her beautiful voice raise his own spirits again that night.
