Steve found a parking place down the block from the store front. A bell tinkled as they went into the shop. Though small, the high quality antiques and fine jewelry in the cases screamed money.

"I don't think I make enough to even be allowed in here." Steve said in a low voice.

Mike shushed him as a middle-age woman came through a velvet draped doorway behind the counter.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

"Yes ma'am." Mike replied as he produced his star and made introductions. May we speak to Mr. Steiner?"

She looked at her watch, "Good luck with that on a Friday. He was here earlier but now he is probably at Torah study at Sherith Isreal. Then it's home for Shabbat."

"Shabbat?" Steve asked.

"Sabbath. Starts at sundown. He won't be back till Sunday, but the shop's not open, that's when he works with the diamonds. Shop won't open again till Monday."

"Doesn't that cut into the business?"

"People make time for the best. Mr. Steiner is one of the premier jewelers in San Francisco, a real artist. He hand-makes all the jewelry right here in the workshop, trained in Vienna. All of this is his work, all one of a kind."

Steve had a stray thought. "Do you keep loose diamonds in the store?"

"Not here. Mr. Steiner is old fashioned, likes to keep things close at hand. He keeps them in a vault at his home until he needs them."

"How much are we talking about?"

"Right now? A lot. We get a courier-delivered shipment from Antwerp on the 15th of every month. Maybe $200,000 or more."

Steve looked at Mike. Maybe this one would be easy. Money was the second oldest reason for murder. If they were part of the equation, big ticket diamonds hitting the black market in The City would be easy to follow.

Mike left his card with the clerk. "If he checks in, will you please tell him we need to speak to him."

"Sure. Can I give him a message?"

"No ma'am, just let him know we were here."

As they walked to the car, Steve asked," Where next, Mike? You don't want to pull him out of Synagogue, do you?"

It was a good question. Mike pondered it a moment. While it was of paramount importance to inform next of kin, he felt the investigation's golden hour was slipping away. If they spend too much time chasing Steiner around the city, they would lose the fresh trail of clues. Plus, he would rather make the notification when the older man was at home. They would definitely have to get there before sundown, however.

"I tell you what, let's head back to Bryant Street. We can check in with Bernie and Charlie

and see where things are with Norm. We might want to check in with robbery, too. See if they've heard anything about new diamonds on the market. When we get back to Mr. Steiner, we can ask to look in his safe."

"You caught that, hun?"

"You were a bit obvious but it was a good idea, at least it's something to follow up on."

"Thank you, I think. Aren't you afraid word might get back to the next of kin before we make the notification?

"Not much chance of that. The daughter is at school and the father's at Synagogue. I know it's backwards but I feel like the clues are going to dry up really fast on this one."

"Ok, so after Bryant Street, what next?"

"We can split up, you want the bar or the museum?"

"Do you even have to ask? Have you ever been to the Suds and Soda? Calling it a dump would be kind. Really makes me wonder what someone from Nob Hill was doing there."

"It does, doesn't it."

"Well, maybe you can find out, I'll take the museum." Steve smirked and added, "Better class of chicks there, anyway."

Steve ducked the swat that came his way as they arrived at the car.

00000

When Mike and Steve arrived, a dejected Norm Haseejian sat nursing a cup of coffee in the interrogation room. A heated discussion was going on just outside the glass-windowed space.

"We have to charge him. He can't account for what happened. She was found in his bed, dead. His gun was fired and the ballistics are consistent with that weapon. The press will have a field day when they find out. We have to treat our own just like anybody else in the city."

"Innocent until proven guilty, right? Just like everyone else in the city?" Steve retorted in a confrontational tone.

Mike quieted him with his eyes and addressed Dan Morgan from Internal Affairs. "Have you gotten the lab results yet?"

"What lab results?"

"Maybe you should get the rest of the story before you put his career in jeopardy." Mike directed his next question at Olsen. "Was Sgt. Haseejian's lawyer present when he was questioned?"

"I was pointing that out to Sgt. Morgan when I ended the interview. Haseejian won't answer another question without his advocate. Is that clear Sgt. Morgan? We are not in the habit of railroading any citizen in this division, especially one of our own."

"What about this?" Morgan had ignored the Captain entirely. He held up a clear evidence bag that contained a glimmering, large-carat diamond. "It was found in the shag carpet at the suspect's residence. You mean to tell me that Sgt. Haseejian makes enough money to have one of these lying around?"

Mike and Steve looked from the bag to each other. "Where specifically was that found?"

"Why is that important?"

"Humor me." Mike was quickly losing patience with the aggressive IA detective.

"It was found when the techs raked by the nightstand."

"Buried in the carpet pile?" Mike asked.

"I think I just said that."

"Isn't that an odd place to hide a diamond?"

Morgan rolled his eyes at Mike.

Steve jumped in, "Isn't that where the contents of the vics purse were spilled?"

Morgan's temper was getting short. "What makes you think the rock was hers?"

Mike nodded at Steve. "Because the victim's father is a jeweler and keeps loose stone at his and his daughter's residence."

"Greed seems like a viable motive for murder for an underpaid public servant."

"Or a murderer in a hurry to get out of a cops apartment." Mike added quietly

"Do you really think Norm would kill her over a diamond? Did you ask him about the stone?" Steve's rapid-fire response increased in volume.

"I was going to, until Cpt. Olsen stopped me."

Before Rudy could retort, Mike stepped in as the voice of reason. "Gentlemen, perhaps we all need to take five to collect ourselves. Rudy, do we have an ETA on the PBA Lawyer?"

"He'll be here within the hour."

"Good. Steve and I will go down and check on the lab work while we wait. Sgt. Morgan, why don't you get a cup of coffee and take a breather until then?" He posed the suggestion as a question whose only answer was yes, in a way that only Mike could.

With tempers cooled for the moment, Steve and Mike went to see the Medical Examiner. Bernie had Miriam on the table when they entered the autopsy suite.

"Geeze, you guys, I only got her back here two hours ago, what do you expect, miracles?"

"Sorry Bernie, but IA is champing at the bit, do we have any lab results for her or Norm yet?"

"You know we won't get the tox screen back for at least a few more hours. I'm sorry MIke, but it will be 8-9 pm before I have anything conclusive."

"What about the woman, anything?"

"Not much. Cause of death is 3 .38 slugs at close range."

"We pretty much knew that. Did Charlie get anything?" Steve was grasping at straws.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask him. We have been tied up with this all morning."

They left the morgue and went straight to the forensics lab. Charlie was bent over a microscope.

"Give me some good news, Charlie." Mike sounded a little desperate.

"Depends on what you consider good news. We have a murder weapon. Unfortunately, ballistics is a match for Norm's .38. Take a look."

Mike, then Steve peered into the microscope. The striations on the slugs were a perfect match.

"Fingerprints?" Steve asked

"Gun was wiped clean. Your coffee table should be this tidy."

"Still doesn't prove anything. What about the paraffin test?"

"Well…"

"What Charlie?"

"He smokes. You know what that does to the test."

"So it was positive?" Steve was incredulous.

"At first blush, yes, but you know smokers frequently give false positives because of the nitrates in cigarettes. We really need our expert to analyze it."

"When can he do that?"

"Won't be till next week, he's on leave. His wife just had a baby… And if you want to pull my tech in from his first kid, well... you're going to make that call, not me."

"I'll take it under advisement, but we might need to. What about the diamond?" Mike asked.

"What about it? It's about 9 karats, D-Flawless. Really nice stone. Looks like it was cut in Europe."

"You seem to know a lot about diamonds, I'm impressed."

"Thank you. It's a hobby of mine. Wish I could afford something like this. So does my wife." Charlie said with a laugh.

"What's something like this worth?"

"About $40,000, maybe more. It really is a beauty."

"Any fingerprints?"

"Nope clean as a whistle."

00000

Mike was dejected as they made their way to the elevator. "Morgan's gonna have a field day with the GSR results. It'll be all we can do to keep Norm out of lockup."

Steve was about to respond when the elevator door opened. Both men were relieved to see Ray Gardiner, one of the best lawyers working for their Union.

Steve spoke in greeting, "Boy are we glad to see you Ray. We've got big problems."

They laid out Norm's situation during the brief elevator ride up to the bullpen.

"Gentlemen. This is kind of a tough situation. Despite his exemplary record, the circumstantial evidence against Sgt. Haseejian is pretty strong. Do we have any lab results? I understand you were checking for narcotics and GSR."

Steve deflated, "yeah, about that, Norm smokes…"

"Damn, that's not good. So it was positive."

"Yep. And we won't have the tox screen until tonight."

They stood by the door of the elevator briefly in silence before Gardiner continued. "You guys need to get out on the streets and get me something. Motive, suspects, anything that may divert the spotlight from Norm. If you don't, I don't think there is a chance in hell that the DA doesn't move forward with this."

"That's our intent, Ray. Can you at least stall until we get the drug results back? I hate to think of Norm in lockup."

"Depends on how IA wants to play it."

"Great," Steve rolled his eyes."

"What, who'd Norm draw?"

"Morgan."

"Swell, looks like I have my work cut out for me. What is his deal anyhow?

Mike answered. "No idea. Do your best Ray. We'll see what we can dig up."

After Ray departed, they headed out, splitting up in the parking lot.