A couple extra chapters as a Thanksgiving treat today. I have spent every day outside turning the free shed we got into a beautiful chicken house, which has left me with little energy to do more than eat dinner and fall into bed, my apologies. I get too carried away where there's power tools involved…

"Inspectors 8-1, do you read?"

DeWitt felt his stomach churn as his mind envisioned the countless scenarios Mike and Steve could have encountered and fallen prey to, neither one of them having much potential for a good outcome. As the dark blue LTD slowly rolled down the wide two-track ahead, he kept his eyes trained on the ravine to the left, wondering if the remains of his detective's Galaxy were wrapped around a tree somewhere down below, hidden beneath the stubborn wall of fog and darkness.

He'd sent four of his six support vehicles down the other path, hoping to chase down the tow truck he suspected was headed back to Clear Lake. The other two unis would stay with the comm-van, ensuring its safety and that their crime scene would be sealed off. There was little use in sending more than a couple vehicles down this dead-end road, so he'd opted early on to take that responsibility, and have one of the boys grab a second unmarked car to follow, in case the Galaxy was broke down and his men needed a ride.

"For what it's worth, I stopped by the hospital and grabbed some supplies, so I have a pretty good first-aid kit on me. If we need to triage them, we can absolutely do so out in the field."

Ed's tone of voice had taken on the same somber certainty his did, when their repeated radio contact remained unsuccessful. Nodding in deep appreciation, Roy glanced up at the rearview mirror, ensuring their chase car was still following behind; then making eye contact with young Andy Williams who stared out of the windshield intently, hoping to see any clues.

"How long is this road? Where about are we at?"

"We're about a quar-"

Andy was disrupted when the radio sprung to life, causing all three occupants to flinch violently.

"Patrol Unit 1-Charley-7 to Lieutenant DeWitt, do you read?"

Pursing his lips as he reached for the receiver, Roy let out a pained sigh, trying to get his frayed nerves back under control.

"This is DeWitt, go ahead 1-Charley-7."

"Lieutenant, we combed the house and the barns top to bottom but couldn't find any rifles. Looks like at least three different calibers were used. All large caliber shotguns. We wanted to make sure you know what you are potentially up against if you encounter any suspects."

"10-4, 1-Charley-7. Tanner, did you get this?"

"Sure did, Lieutenant, 10-4."

"Ok, keep your ears and eyes open guys, Mike and Steve have got to be somewhere out here. Be careful. DeWitt out."

Dropping the radio receiver back down, Roy ran a hand through his silver hair, his eyes growing dry and tired from the continuous strain against the increasingly poor visibility.

"How far along did you say we are, Andy?"

Behind him, the young man snapped back out of his brooding and stared at him through the rearview mirror.

"We're about a quarter of the way in. It's going to start winding upward a lot more here in a minute. This path is one of the first ones to shut down during any season because it gets so steep and trees end up on the road, so watch out for that."

"10-4.", Roy answered out of habit and reached down to turn the heat up higher.

They had stopped a couple of times to roll down the windows, hoping to hear any signs of life but thus far their lucky strike had been painfully far out of reach. As he noted the temperature drop significantly, he hoped and prayed that his men were someplace safe and out of the cold.

Turning around one of the winding corners Andy had warned him about, Roy had to put on the emergency brakes to avoid colliding into the back end of a tow truck parked there with its lights on.

"What in the…"

Next to him, Ed held on to the dashboard for support, before glancing over at him questioningly. Reaching for the .38 on his belt, Roy grabbed the door handle before swallowing hard.

"That's definitely no tree blocking the road…"