A knock on the door drew Sharon's attention away from Andy's smile and back to the world of murder and mayhem, some of which she wanted to commit herself.

"Yes?" she called.

"Ah, Captain," Provenza started, looking at his small booklet, "we just got a call about another possible eye witness."

"Wasn't the neighbourhood canvased thoroughly?"

"Yes, to the best of our ability it was, but this witness is an elderly woman with severe medical needs. She was visited by her therapist this morning... that's Occupational, not psychological, and there's something about oxygen masks and I'm not sure what else. Apparently she convinced herself it was all in her mind until she watched the news. I think this requires some sensitivity, Captain. Might I suggest you are best equipped to handle it? I also think you should take Flynn, here. He's been on this since the start and he's probably as well versed in the details as anyone. I've got the situation covered here."

Sharon wanted to hug him. For all his curmudgeonly attitude, Provenza was one of the dearest, most sensitive men she knew. Little got past him, and even less without commentary. And when he was in support of the people around him, they knew. She recognized this was his tacit agreement to whatever she and Flynn were doing, even if it was only in his imagination. This was also his way of getting her out of the murder room so she didn't have to deal with Jackson.

"I think that sounds reasonable, Lieutenant," she said, looking at her watch. "Given the hour, I think a lunch break all around would be in order. We can do that when we're out, but make sure everyone has their chance. And see to it that our witness, now suspect, has his basic needs met."

Provenza didn't miss anything. "Yes, Captain," he said as he passed Flynn the contact information. "I think they're just about to finish up in Interview One..."

"Right," Sharon quickly jumped up from her desk and grabbed her purse on the way out the door. A quick swing by his desk, and Andy had what he needed. "Call me with any updates, Lieutenant," she said as she left the murder room.

"Was that my Shar?" Jackson asked, as he emerged from the interview room. "Is she going to be long, I thought we could have lunch."

"Mr. Raydor," Provenza replied, hoping he was slow enough that the elevator would have closed behind his colleagues before he could finish, "we're in the middle of a murder investigation, as you know, and each of us has certain roles we need to fulfill. You, for instance, were brought in to speak with our suspect..."

"Suspect? It's my understanding that he is merely a witness," Jackson countered, turning his attention and his stance towards Provenza.

"Witnesses don't usually ask for lawyers," Amy interrupted, and Provenza nodded in her direction.

"Exactly, Sykes is right. Now we have to reinterview him, with your help, of course. We have to piece together incoming information, and we're going to be needing you here for some time."

"Yes, of course you will," Jackson nodded, a smile slowly building across his face. "It's been a long time since I've dealt so closely with the LAPD, and I guess I'm a bit rusty on procedure. Sharon and I used to discuss things like this all the time, so I'm the lucky one to have her able to help me through all of this, both here and at home."

"Home?" Provenza dreaded the question.

"Yes, Sharon and I bought that condo years ago. It's nice to be home for awhile rather than all the traveling I've been doing. She has had to carry the burden of the home-front on her shoulders for too long. Now that I'm back, she can depend on me to do my part again, just like it used to be."

"So, you travel a lot, huh?" Sykes started, "I used to travel a lot in my first job. It gets tiring after awhile, and so much happens back home that you're not always sure where you belong anymore."

Provenza cleared his throat, "Sykes, why don't you take your time now and we'll get back to our interviews after lunch."

"I'm good, Sir. My lunch is in the break room. You never know what a day is going to be like around here, so I like to be prepared." Amy smiled at both men.

"Always the Girl Scout, Sykes," Provenza replied through clenched teeth.

"You know what," Jackson started, "I think I'm going to go out at get lunch. I know the kind of places my Shar likes, so maybe I'll get lucky and run into her. You have my contact information on the file for my client, so you can call me when you're ready."

Provenza had nothing else to say as a deterrent, so he nodded his reluctant agreement. He just hoped Sharon and Andy had made it out of the building and to their witness' neighbourhood quickly. Running his hands through his hair, he turned back to Sykes. What could he say to her? She had no idea of the subtext of their conversation.

"So, Sykes... you were saying about lunch..."

"The Captain has her work cut out for her, doesn't she."

"Excuse me?"

"That man is pure user and thinks his charm is enough to cover up his poor treatment of others. He acts like the world is a big chess game with himself as the master player. Everyone and everything needs to go through him first, and he thinks he alone gets to say how the game is played. No one can talk sense to him 'cause he's in complete denial of reality. I think I know why the Captain was exhausted this morning, and it's just going to get worse until that man leaves, and he will leave again. His level of delusion can't be sustained for long, and when the cracks show, it's going to get ugly.

"And if he's looking for the Captain, he's going to strike out. He's been away so long he probably doesn't know she's obsessed with an Indian fusion restaurant twenty minutes from here. It's got amazing Sag Aloo. Just talking about it is making me hungry, so I'm going to get my lunch. You got sandwiches again?"