a/n: We'll be posting 3 chapters and an epilogue quite quickly. This is as a special thank you to Dublin Writer for her incredible ongoing story. We've enjoyed reading this so much!

Chapter 7

"So, that's the gist of it!" Mike finished his story.

Nicolas remained silent to let the meaning of the words sink in. It was Mikey who reacted first, he grabbed Nicolas' arm to get his attention and started gesticulating in what Mike assumed was sign language. He also jotted down some words on the little note pad he was carrying. Nicolas nodded and replied with some signs, too. Then he addressed Mike. "Mikey remembers some rumours he heard about this guy Midlem." He chuckled. "People always assume that Mikey can't communicate just because he is deaf and mute and talk freely in his presence."

Mikey resumed signing and Nicolas translated "Anyway- there is a story going round that Midlem cheated a half senile old lady out of some valuable property. Her son-in-law has been in trouble with the law before for violence."

He described everything that Mikey had learned and gave Mike the notes that the mute man had written down, hoping it might help the Detective in his search for his missing friend.

"Your route from Reno to Mount Sumner will certainly bring you that direction." Nicolas told and with a twinkle in his eye he added: "And don't forget the wonder of Christmas!"

Mike nodded gratefully. At least he had a solid clue now and the encounter with these two unusual men had left him feeling oddly comforted. He bent over to wake up his daughter as they were due to land in Reno in a few more minutes.

After all had eaten, with exception of Steve, Weston and Griffith listened to and documented each of their stories. Steve kept watching the trio as they spoke following the lessons he had learned from Mike to gauge their truthfulness. He kept sensing there was something each one was holding back from him and the two deputies but could not put his finger on exactly what.

When they were finally finished telling all that they would say, Weston and Griffith put them in holding cells to give them time to check everything out once communication was restored. Once the family was locked away, Steve and the deputies compared notes on what the three had said and what was to be their next move. Steve did not mince words about his mistrust of them feeling there was something being held back but could not figure out what that something was.

Sitting quietly, after they had covered all the bases they could, Steve's thoughts turned to Mike and Jeannie. He knew they had to be worried by now and wished there was some way to get word to them that he had not just flaked out, but had a good excuse for his lateness. All of a sudden they all heard a huge clap of thunder and see flashes of lightning.

"Sounds like thundersnow," Weston observed.

At that moment as Mike woke Jeannie on the plane. She looked around as though not sure where they were.

"We are about to land in Reno, sweetheart, and then on to find Steve," Mike assured her.

"I hope he is all right. I keep having this nagging feeling that something is wrong with him other than just being missing," Jeannie said.

"We will all be together again soon. You can count on it, Jeannie," Mike said as he tried to convince his daughter all would be fine.

But just then, lightning hit one of their engines and engulfed it in flames.

Immediately the plane began to shake as the pilot tried to keep it in balance while he hectically radioed the airport's tower, swearing under his breath. Luckily for them the airport was rather empty so they got the go-ahead for an emergency landing.

"Hold on back there, this is not gonna be a walk in the park!" Nicholas shouted over his shoulder. That didn't sound comforting at all but there was nothing either of them as passengers could do so they had to trust the pilot's abilities.

Can this day get any worse? Mike thought grimly as he put his arms protectively around his daughter, pulling her in close as if that could somehow keep her safe from harm if they would crash to the ground. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she clung to him.

"We're gonna be okay," he spoke softly to Jeannie. Words of assurance that he, for once, actually did feel. Because in spite of everything that had happened to them, every obstacle they had encountered on their way, someone seemed to protect them, to look out for them. Closing his eyes, he braced himself in anticipation for the impact. Which, much to his relief, didn't come. The contact with the ground was anything but gentle, but at least they had made it down in one piece.

"Are you okay?" Weston came over to where Steve was standing by the window, observing the still heavily falling snow.

Griffith had retreated to a small room in the back of the station to take a well-deserved nap. Something the inspector should do, too, but his mind was too active for him to be able to fall asleep.

He turned his head around. "Yeah. I was just thinking about my friends back in San Francisco. I'm supposed to be there tomorrow for dinner with them. At the moment I don't see that's gonna happen." His gaze went back to the black and white scenery outside.

"Something troubles you, besides that, I mean," the other man observed. "You said earlier that you thought they," he pointed in the general direction of the holding cells, "would keep something from us."

This time, Steve turned around fully. "There's something wrong here, something we're missing. I just can't put my finger on it."

"Why don't we go over it again, see if it jogs any memory," the dark-haired man suggested and fetched the small stack of paper from his desk before he pulled out two chairs from the nearby table. "It's not like we have something else to do until this storm clears up," he added with a shrug.

Steve gave him a tired half-smile and sat down with a sigh. At least it kept him from worrying about his friends being worried about him. And maybe there was indeed something to find in the statements, because during the suspects giving them information, Steve had paid more attention to how it had been said than what had been. So combing through them might be a good idea. Something had triggered his suspicion, it could very well be that he had picked up on some inconsistency on a subconscious level.

"Okay, let's do this." He took the top sheet and began to read.

Mike shook both men's hands. "Thank you," he simply said, hoping it would convey his gratitude for everything they had done for him and Jeannie. Not just the rescue after their little detour off the road and the plane ride here but also for giving them hope again. And he hoped that Nicholas was right about the Christmas miracle, they sure could use one.

"Anytime," Nicholas replied with a grin and the cop had a feeling the man actually meant it. "I hope you'll find your friend."

They parted and the Stone's made their way into the airport's main building. Once inside Mike considered taking the opportunity to check in with Hasseejian. His daughter seemed to have read his thoughts because she offered, "Why don't I go and see if they have a car for us to rent." A small smile despite the situation was on her face, the first in hours, and Mike welcomed the sight.

"Thanks, sweetie, I'll be right with you." Walking over to the public phones on the wall he put in some change and dialled the familiar number.

"SFPD, Detective Hasseejian," the voice on the other end greeted him and Mike noticed with a pang of guilt the tiredness in it.

"It's Stone. Are there any news on Steve?" he enquired anxiously.

"Sorry, Mike, communication is still down in the area for the most part, I hardly got through to Detective Daniels the last time. I did find something new on the vic though. He has a nice little file in New York. About two years ago he had been questioned repeatedly by the police after a family had accused him of fraud. Apparently he had wormed his way into an old lady's confidence and convinced her that the house she was about to sell wasn't worth a dime due to the ground being contaminate with some kind of toxin. The problem was the old lady's failing memory, so her word was against his. They didn't have enough evidence to charge him, so they had to let him go. But get this; he seems to have a partner in crime, literally. NYPD had identified him as one Joe Fraser, he worked for a real-estate agent. But before they could get him in for questioning, he disappeared. They don't have much on that guy except a juvie record, he seems to have quite a history of assault as a teen."

Mike stored the information away for later. "That sounds familiar, apparently Midlem did the same here from what I've been told."

"I'll keep digging," Norm promised.

"Thanks," the lieutenant said, "I appreciate your help."

"It's nothing. Just find Steve and bring him home safe, will ya?"

"We will. I'll check in with you again when we we're in Tahoe, hopefully by then I'll have more information." Seeing Jeannie coming his way with a car key dangling from her hand, he quickly added, "I have to go, bye." He hung up and walked over to her before they went in search of their next mean of transportation.

It was a little more than an hour till Christmas Eve but right now that didn't matter at all. Mike had to admit he was glad the day was almost over because it sure didn't seem to be a good one for them and, if Jeannie's feeling were anything to go by, not for his partner either.

Finishing the statement in his hands, Steve reached for the last piece of paper. It wasn't another statement as he had thought but a handwritten note. Looking closer, he noticed that it was a BOLO. To be precise, one for the suspects in a murder at the Mount Sumner ski resort.

"Is this what came over the wire regarding the murder?" he asked, handing it over for the deputy to see.

Taking a quick glance at the note, Weston nodded slowly. "I think so. Griffith was home due to the cold, so I had a young deputy working his shift. I was more out than in; lots of people got stuck because of the weather. He told me about it when I was here briefly but I didn't have time to read it myself. I actually forgot about it till now."

The descriptions given fit Marty and his , which wasn't really a surprise. After all, they'd been to the resort multiple times in just a couple of hours so odds were that someone had noticed them. Which made it more than little ironic that they had grabbed a person who hadn't.

What had caught Steve's attention wasn't so much the fact that they weren't looking for a single killer either, though he was surprised they knew that. It was the description for a third person, a red-haired man with a scar above his left eyebrow.

It sounded familiar to the inspector, like he had seen this person earlier. But since he had practically been crowded at the resort after the murder it could very well have been someone who just had the misfortune to share the same facial features.

Steve sighed. They were no closer to figure out what the family was hiding.

But he had a feeling this person was the key to it.

Outside the station a dark figure with a distinct scar on his face was lying in wait. He would get this deed no matter what it took.