Stuck cowl flap cable

I've got a problem with a cowl flap cable in our Aztec.

The other day when landing, I opened the cowl flaps to 1/2 on final, then
full open after landing. I noticed when going from 1/2 open to full open
while on the ground the left cable seemed stiff. I tried closing the flap,
then reopening and it got worse immediately, then quit moving completely.

The flaps themselves move freely. I've disconnected the cable from the
torque tube on the flap end and it seems free, no binding, but I can only
pull or push the cable in or out 3/8-1/2 inch, just enough to make me
believe that it's not bound on that end. I've popped the covers off the
slide tubes on the cable and sprayed them with LPS 1. The slide tubes seem
free, they both spin around the cable easily.

Now I'm looking at the control handle end of the cable. I can not sense any
binding around the cable connector or in the slide tubes. I can not see
where the handle is binding or jammed but it will not budge. My next step is
to disconnect the handle from the cable. Then pull the cable out the bottom
of the belly to see if we can move the cable inside the sheath.

This all happened after we flew 5 hours from Atlanta, stopped for fuel, then
a short 20 minute flight to our home base. At the fuel stop the cowl flap
worked fine. Opened on landing, 1/2 closed after take off, full closed in
cruise, then opened to 1/2 at our home base with no binding noticed.

Any ideas?? Anybody ever have anything like this happen?

Thanks

Jim