"You know, maybe we ought to remind Trombley that there are other occupations he could look into. Seems to me he hates his job."

Throughout their short lunch break, they'd been talking on an off about the strange encounter at the Sheriff's office. Now, with their bellies filled with ham and cheese sandwiches and a full tank of gas, they were well on their way into the nearby mountains.

As the thunderheads rolled in relentlessly, Mike felt a pinch in his stomach that the trip they were about to embark on wasn't exactly standing under the brightest of stars.

But regardless, he had to know if there were any traces of their unknown stranger to be found, and if so, would they tie into Sarah Roberts' murder.

Next to him, Steve grunted in frustration when the Galaxy hit another pothole, shaking the entire car and making the suspension groan in protest.

Half an hour into their journey, the asphalt road had turned into a wide two-track with trees lining either side, as they rose in elevation. No recent signs of car traffic could be seen and compared to their findings earlier in the day, the nature preserve seemed to be just that- almost untouched by human civilization.

"Let's forget about Trombley and make sure we don't break an axle.", Mike retorted cantankerously, causing his partner to groan in protest and muttering a faint aw, come on now under his breath, but knowing better than to argue.

A few yards ahead, the area seemed to open up somewhat, as they neared the peak, before their journey would send them farther east and deeper into the preserve.

The sight quieted both men, serving as an omen that their journey uphill would end soon and that civilization would now be a lot harder to return to in case an emergency were to arise.

"You know, this is what the horror movies are all about.", Steve mumbled and pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head, as the sun disappeared behind the dark rainclouds, "We're going to get stranded in the middle of nowhere, the weather will flood out our road back out of this mess, one of us is going to break a foot trying to reach help, the other one's going to get mauled by a grizzly. They'll probably find the car a week from now wondering where our bodies are."

The pitch in Steve's voice was rising as the young Inspector carefully navigated the large sedan around another assortment of ruts in the dirt road ahead, careful to keep the tires in the designated tracks to avoid grounding out the frame on the grassy median.

"You ought to really lay off these movies, Buddyboy.", Mike countered and held onto the doorframe when another pothole shook the Galaxy, "They're not realistic. You are much more likely to get eaten by a cougar out here than grizzly."