It's a terrible case. Perhaps even the worst they've had yet. To compete with The Goat really says something harsh for this one. The victims are all children—ages five to sixteen—with no preference for race, gender or socio-economic status. They come from all over the city and their bodies end up in all parts of the city. Typically, the guy's a ghost. He doesn't leave any sign of himself at the scenes. It seems almost professional.

Harvey's not certain he's ever felt quite so useless. He knows Gordon hasn't. He can see it in his eyes. He's been reacting in increasingly more erratic ways. Harvey's fairly sure that the boy scout hasn't slept properly in days. When Barbara had been around, there at least had been someone for Jim to go home to, someone to make sure he was eating and sleeping. Someone to talk to. But Barbara is in Paris and now Harvey is the only one here. So he tries to take care of him the best he can manage.

"C'mon. We need to take a break. Let's go get a drink."

"You go. I'll keep looking through these files."

"Nope," Harvey replies simply as he drags Jim to his feet and hands him his coat. "You've been at this for way too long. We both have. It's time to leave it alone for a little while. Eat a decent meal. Sleep for a while."

Jim's eyes are first defiant, but then he gives in and Harvey can see the exhaustion glaring through. There was also a deep-set sadness and anger lurking there. The case was emotionally draining them.

"I don't feel like being around people right now," Gordon says quietly as they are on their way out to the parking garage. Harvey whole-heartedly agrees. They end up just going to Harvey's apartment because it's close to the precinct. It's small, but he doesn't spend much time at home, so it stays fairly clean.

There are frozen dinners in the freezer and some cans of beer in the refrigerator that he can't remember when he bought. He's not much of a beer person. They sit in the living room with the TV set on the sports channel because there's nothing else on. Gordon's got his legs up across the couch and at some point, Harvey falls asleep in his recliner.

When he wakes up, Jim's asleep, his head cushioned back against the arm of the couch. Harvey wonders briefly if he should wake him up and send him home, but decides against it. If he wakes him up now, he probably won't go back to sleep.

It's chilly in the apartment, so Harvey pulls a clean-but-tatty old blanket out of the closet and tosses it over his partner. Jim stirs in his sleep and mumbles something before shifting further into the couch. Something in Harvey's chest tightens. He does his best to ignore it.

He quickly shuts off the lights in the living room and retreats to his bedroom.