I apologize about my recent absence, but I got carried away with winter prep, even took a few days off to get some of the last loads of hay in and winterize the gardens. This morning, nature surprised us with beautiful blustery weather and a nice sprinkling of snowflakes mixed in. It was a divine sight. I love nature in its raw form. And what a peaceful reminder that our farm year is slowly coming to an end, the list of to-do's shrinking to just a few more tasks here and there, as well deserved break greets us on the horizon.

As quickly as she'd charged up the stairs, Maria Gonzales had completely disappeared in the quiet neighborhood on 23rd Street and Capp, leaving behind no traces of her whereabouts, not even startled pedestrians or kicked over garbage cans.

Steve drew in a deep breath, his eyes scanning the area top to bottom again, years of experience making him evaluate every nook and cranny as a potential hideout, then looking inside parked cars, the result remaining the same.

"Anything?", Mike huffed after reaching the top of the stairs, one hand instinctively grasping his partner's elbow with a mixture of unmasked worry and heightened alertness.

"Nothing.", Steve explained, then turned around to face his partner, "She lives in an apartment down on 24th and Folsom. Could be headed that way."

"Could be, yeah."

With his bright blue eyes narrowed to tight slats, Mike surveyed the area once more, visibly unhappy about their prime suspect's startling disappearance, before grunting in frustration.

"Well, we wanted to put her in the defense and we sure did. And whether she is headed for her apartment or hiding out somewhere around here, she's definitely dangerous."

When Steve nodded understandingly, Mike squeezed his elbow tightly one last time, before letting go.

"Jog down 23rd, see if you can find any sign of her. I'll take the car and head over onto 24th. I'll pick you up on the corner of Folsom. If you come across her, keep her at gunpoint, but do not engage."

Mike's stern warning was met with the every-present cheeky smile and Steve shook his head at the overzealous mother-henning.

"Two minutes ago she tried to crush my heart. Believe me; I have no intention of coming close to that woman ever again."

# # #

He'd taken Capp towards 24th, sighing woefully at the growing amount of traffic slowly plugging his search perimeter.

And the countless alleys.

And the colorful assortment of side streets, easily accessible back yards, trees, shrubbery and garbage waiting for pickup.

Heck, a group of people would find it simple enough to hide in that neighborhood.

As he let out a quiet sigh, Mike half listened in on the radio chatter, grateful to hear that Kammer's call to dispatch had already alerted all units in the vicinity, passing along a very detailed APB he would have to give Simone credit for once this was all over.

From what he could discern, two patrol cars were in the area, assisting in their search and planning on rendezvousing at the dojo if they were to find Gonzales before they did.

With his mind beginning to clear after the involuntary tumble across the mats, Mike's thoughts drifted back to their suspect's volatile reaction, wondering if there wasn't more than just jealousy involved in that whole situation.

Had Gonzales and Harris been best friends, and Harris' involvement with McPhearson had strained that relationship?

Or, just as plausible, had Gonzales harbored romantic feelings toward the martial arts instructor, feeling that weren't just unreturned, but undoubtedly crushed when the situation with Leanne came up?

No matter how he looked at it, the interesting triangle would take some time to figure out, hopefully as soon as their suspect was caught.

When the light turned green, he steered the large Galaxy east on 24th, his eyes gazing back and forth between both sides of the busy street like a metronome, the strain nearly giving him a headache.

Quite a few people lined the sidewalks this time a night, shopping for groceries or enjoying the occasional day of mild temperatures and sunshine, completely unaware of the frantic manhunt going on right amongst them.

And if Mike had his way, things would remain exactly the same, even as they closed the net on Gonzales.