Mike had waited patiently for his partner to finish the beer, taking decidedly faster sips than usual this evening. Even when the pizza arrived, filling their corner of the bar with the delicious aroma of pepperoni and ham, Steve never slowed down, his gaze fixated on something near the back of the liquor wall as if to contemplate ordering something stronger to drown his sorrows that evening.
Understanding the young Inspector's need to work through whatever emotions had boiled to the surface after his visit with Visari; Mike had taken over the conversation, relaying the findings from his meeting with the less-than-cooperative Fire Chief of the Midtown Terrace Fire Department, the fact that Davis was keeping a close eye on them when it came to any involvement of his staff, and Gerry's promise to have the warrant by tomorrow.
"So, all in all, it's been a busy afternoon.", Mike finished and reached for a piece of pizza, using his free hand to tear the strings of cheese following along.
Steve took in the news with a swig of beer, then lowered his head to his chest, exhaling slowly, still ignoring the pie of calorie-laden deliciousness in front of them. After a few brief moments of staring at the floor, he glanced back over at is best friend, sighing in resignation.
"I really don't think Visari lied about the rape, Mike."
"She must have been pretty convincing to get you broody like that, Buddy Boy.", the Lieutenant countered warmly, taking a bite of pizza, before setting it on his plate and wiping the grease off his hands.
With a slight nod, Steve chuckled for a moment, as he shook his head disbelievingly.
"She went as far as showing me the bruises."
"The br…I beg your pardon?"
Mike nearly choked on his bite and turned around in his bar chair to face his partner.
"What do you mean she showed you her bruises? I sent you there to use your charm to get some more information out of her, not to...is that what happens when you bat those eyelashes?"
Upon his exasperated tone, Steve laughed out loud, his beer-laden breath filling their corner of the bar.
"Believe me, I wasn't ready for it either."
"What…did…did she just…she just went up and showed you those bruises?"
"Let's just say that my subtle approach wasn't as subtle as I thought.", Steve admitted with a hint of regret in his voice, "She caught on and decided to prove to me that she was indeed…injured. For a minute I thought I was about to get violated. I swear to you it was like a train wreck, I couldn't look away."
Cringing, Mike swallowed hard, trying to get the unsettling image out of his mind again.
"I take it there's no way she could have faked that?"
"No way.", Steve insisted and finally reached for a slice of pizza, "No way, I am telling you."
"What about her connection to the Milan case though? That's still a shaky one. Gene Davis hit me up before I left the office. He said that Milan would frequently work out in abandoned warehouses. It's possible she got hurt, or even kidnapped and murdered there."
Both detectives fell silent for a moment, their eyes lowered to the steaming pizza in front of them, lacking the answers to a case that was as bizarre as it was misleading.
"I think that Visari thinks there's a connection. She may want there to be a connection. Doesn't mean there is."
Mike nodded softly, then sighed.
"And in the meantime, we have a murder case without a body."