Whew. It's been a busy few weeks here and everything hurts. Once again. As a friendly advice, don't ever pinch your Vagus nerve. What a mess. Got a long weekend of hay ahead, hopefully getting close to bringing in all that we need for the year. And only 6 more head of poultry to process, then I can put my butchering supplies away for the winter, yeay! And now its wood chopping season. It'll be tough taking it easy, that's for sure. The promise of a warm cozy fire in the middle of a blizzard might be my detriment there. And I learned how to make cheese curds the other day. The world is now a better place. Thanks for all the kind reviews. I realize this is a tough topic to navigate our favorite detectives through. And it ain't over yet!

"Did you get lost on your way back from lunch?"

Mike's suspicions about his partner's peculiar behavior grew to new heights upon noticing Steve's change of clothes when it came to his dress shirt and tie. If his nervously wandering eyes were any indication, something was brewing and it seemed important enough to disregard the young Inspector's obligation to get to work on time- twice in one day.

Once again deferring the question, Steve cocked his head at his partner in a half-hearted attempt to assuage his concern, then carelessly threw his dress coat over the back of his chair, ready to join Mike and Kammers back in his office, if it hadn't been for the Lieutenant meeting him by the doorframe.

Clenching his jaws in unspoken discontent as he stepped toward the young Inspector, Mike reached for Steve's upper arm as he tried to walk past him, grasping it tightly in an effort to express what words couldn't.

Both partners locked eyes for a brief moment, the defiance meeting Mike's stern glare taking him back to the early days, when two starkly different men tried to smooth out the edges of their personalities to form a strong partnership. He'd hoped that five years of that give-and-take bonding had shaved off the attitude that now so suddenly resurfaced, making the Lieutenant wonder what exactly was going on aside from their current case.

When it was obvious that he wouldn't receive a straight answer at this time, no matter how much he pried, Mike let go off his partner's arm and shook his head subtly, before pointing downstairs.

"Come on, let's take another long hard look at Harrison's apartment. Maybe an extra set of eyes will help us find something we overlooked the last two times."

# # # #

The grey carpeting seemingly covering every square inch of the sizeable apartment was back. And with it the disturbing quietness that enveloped the three plain-clothes detectives as they made their way past the living room where the outline of a body near the center remained as a silent reminder of the utter standstill their case had reached at this point.

Fanning out toward the kitchen, Mike began to check the cupboards, casually opening drawers here and there, looking for anything out of place, anything that should be there but wasn't.

Continuing the oath of silence the Lieutenant had commenced since they left the Hall of Justice building behind half an hour ago; Steve was struggling to figure out their next steps and what exactly to look for, Kammers standing by his side, sharing the same confusion.

Finally, with an indifferent shrug, the young Inspector pointed his chin to the upstairs that held Harrison's bedroom and master bathroom. Leading the way up the steep stairwell followed by the Staff Sergeant, Steve turned around briefly, once again revisiting the theory that Leanne may have been pushed down the stairs before her neck was broken, but then remembered Bernie's findings of bruises that outlined strong fingertips all over her body, findings that were incongruent with his idea.

The air became noticeably thicker as they reached the second level, a short and narrow hallway leading to the spacious bedroom and adjacent bath.

"Nice place for a florist…", Kammers mumbled dryly as she joined him by the bed, her curious eyes following Steve's as he glanced across the setup once again.

"Everybody we talked to said she didn't have much of a social life besides hitting the local bars every once in a while…I know what my social life costs me…she probably saved a ton of money living the way she did."

His off-the-cuff comment was followed by a resigned sigh as Steve got on his knees, checking below the large size queen bed once more and finding nothing but dust bunnies.

"A woman hitting up the local bars seems strange enough for me. Doesn't it to you, Inspector?"

Crouching down next to him, the Staff Sergeant ran her hand across the carpet, then held it to her nose.

"The carpet has been cleaned recently; you can still smell the shampoo. The entire apartment seems immaculately clean. Meticulously organized. She worked at a flower shop where she created beautiful floral arrangements according to the owners. The bar life doesn't seem to fit that bill."

Glancing up at her, Steve couldn't hide a smile as they both straightened out again.

"Men can frequent bars alone. Why wouldn't you expect the same thing of women? You of all people…"

"I was wondering how long it would take for the women's lib rhetoric to come out of your mouth as well, Inspector.", Kammers replied curtly and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I am merely referring to the psychological profile of a woman who devoted her life to beauty…to being organized…clean…dependable. Frequenting a bar hits me more like…"

"…like an escape from the daily grind?", Steve returned, entirely unaffected by the previous insult, "Like the one or two hours a week where she could relax, not having to worry about keeping up the façade? Like a mini vacation from life? How is that not psychologically conceivable?"

Swallowing hard, Kammers cocked her head in acknowledgment, falling quiet for a long moment, before reaching forward to touch his arm amicably.

"You're right. I apologize for being…defensive. And set in my ways. And not thinking outside the box. It's hard not to be on guard when one is around…people like the Lieutenant."

"Mike's a great guy.", Steve said, never skipping a beat as he walked past the Staff Sergeant toward the dresser by the bed, "He cares a lot about the people around him, you know?"

"Men maybe."

The snarky remark made Steve spin around on his heels and shake his head vigorously, keeping his expression guarded.

"He cares about everybody.", the young Inspector reiterated firmly, then moved toward the dresser, where a small bonsai tree had caught his attention, "You see, respect is kind of a give and take thing around Mike, Staff Sergeant. If you demand it, you need to be willing to show it as well."

The room fell strangely quiet after his stern comment, giving Steve a second to study the meticulously trimmed tree planted in a rectangular porcelain tray. Leanne had gathered tiny pebbles off the beach to create the illusion of a miniature forest, the scene so enchanting it even helped calm his senses for a fleeting moment.

"I guess what I heard about you is true, Inspector. An old soul in a thirty-year old body. No wonder Stone picked you as his partner."

The unexpected compliment made him glance up for a second, a cheeky grin on his face that was returned by Kammers.

"Thirty-one, actually.", he retorted facetiously, then pointed back at the Bonsai tree, "Am I the only one who's starting get kind of an oriental feel about this place? What do you think?"

"Mhm…let's see…"

Joining him by the dresser, Kammers ran a nervous hand across her left shoulder, then played with the buttons of her black tweet coat as she pondered.

"The Medical Examiner noticed her unusual body tone and we couldn't find a correlation to a nearby fitness center. But if she was into the oriental trades, like flower art and some of the…the virtues…maybe she wasn't working out at a fitness parlor after all. Hold it, I think I have an idea…"

Without any further explanation, the Staff Sergeant turned around and headed for the large closet at the other end of the room.