I don't own SOSF or the characters. They are the property of CBS/Paramount. No copywrite infringement is intended. All writing is done for entertainment and skill development.

Far From the Tree

Prologue

Fisherman's Wharf, Summer, 1973

They had worked against time and lost. Max Hillman, a very wealthy businessman, flaunted his fortune one too many times. His son, Max Jr., was kidnapped by a pair of disgruntled former employees and held for ransom. If the ransom went unpaid by the designated time, the young man would simply die.

When the kidnapping occurred, Hillman was instructed not to involve the police. He was at first compliant and remained quiet. Upon receipt of the ransom payment, the kidnappers contacted him with demands for more money and refused to release the son. With this turn of events, he knew he had no choice but to call on the authorities. Still, the time lost without police intervention proved to be insurmountable.

The deadline was forty eight hours, but Lieutenant Mike Stone and Inspector Steve Keller were involved only for the last ten. They pieced together the crime clues and then finally figured that Max Jr. had been held in a container in a warehouse along the Wharf. Unfortunately, the crate had a limited air supply, and when the detectives finally reached the young man, it was simply an hour too late. After the discovery of Max Jr.'s body, the detectives could do nothing more than secure the crime scene for the investigators and lab team.

Seeing the crate in the musty warehouse and imagining what the teenager had gone through, a feeling of anxiety washed over the young inspector. Breaking out in a sweat, he worked quickly to finish securing the scene. Once finished, he felt the need for fresh air and found the side door out of the warehouse and onto an adjacent dock. Standing at the edge of the wooden structure, he found a quiet respite from the crime scene. The brisk air from the Bay was comforting and reminded him that like the wind, life never stopped.

Mike had a final conversation with the medical examiner as they prepared to take Max Jr. to the city morgue. His next task would be visiting the young man's father. He knew he had to do it before news of Max Jr.'s fate reached the press and wanted to deliver the news face to face. He felt like that was the only humane thing to do.

He glanced around the warehouse to find his partner and then eventually thought to walk outside. Looking over by the water's edge, he found Steve down by the pier near where a tall sailboat was docked.

"You okay?" Mike asked as he joined the young man.

"Yeah," Steve replied quietly as he stared down into the water.

Mike continued to look at his partner, knowing that Keller was likely lost in thought, reflecting on a sadly similar situation two years before. Certainly, the memory had come screaming back to Mike during the Hillman investigation and there was no doubt, that his young partner was thinking the same. It would be a case they would never forget, but also one they would never discuss. It happened on the day Mike thought he'd never see his young partner again.