As they entered the bullpen around 7am, Mike was surprised to find a note on his desk requesting for Steve and him to meet Olsen at their earliest convenience.
Judging by the early hour emergency, trouble was definitely brewing.
He hesitated until Steve had stripped out of his beige overcoat and enjoyed a couple peaceful sips of coffee, before leaving his office again and quietly pointing his chin toward the hallway.
"Rudy wants to see us."
The haunted expression in Steve's eyes mirrored his own as they left the bullpen behind to take a short detour down the hallway, stopping at the wooden door that had Olsen's name inscribed on a brass plate.
"Come on in, guys.", came the sterile invite upon Mike's firm knock, and he looked over to share an ominous glance with his partner, before entering the lion's den.
Much to his surprise, the Captain wasn't alone.
In his guest chair, an angry Eric McMillan had his arms crossed over his chest, cheeks flushed, ready to pounce on the first person walking through the door.
Inhaling deeply, Mike put on his professional mask and smiled cordially, his eyes meeting Olsen's for a fleeting moment, a silent acknowledgement of the tense situation ahead, as he stepped deeper into the confines of his office, positioning himself protectively in front of Steve.
"Mister McMillan. Rudy."
Keeping his voice neutral, he pulled his shoulders back, hands clasped in front of his belly, making his body language appear non-threatening.
"Michael, Stephen, Mister McMillan stopped by this morning to express his concerns about the ongoing investigation into his father's death. Now, I have assured him that two of my best detectives are handling the case and are diligently following up on any leads, but it seems that he still has some questions about your progress so far, so I thought I'd be best if you join us in that conversation."
"I need to know where things stand on my father's murder. Have you made any arrests yet?", McMillan interrupted rudely, his features starkly different from the friendly man who greeted them at the door yesterday, "And when will his body be released? We need to plan a funeral."
"The autopsy on your father's body has been completed and we can release it now.", Mike began, trying to keep the conversation professional and courteous, "As far as our investigation is concerned, we are still following up on leads and finishing our preliminary interviews. Every murder is different and I can't give you a timeline on when our investigation will be completed. But as we told you yesterday, you will be notified as soon as we make an arrest."
"Well that's just not good enough now, is it?", McMillan hissed and pounded his fist onto Olsen's desk, "My father is dead and the monster who killed him is still out there…roaming the streets as a free man! That's unacceptable!"
"I understand that you are upset, Mister Mc-"
"No, I don't think you do, Lieutenant Stone. I am not appreciating the…the relaxed way you are approaching this serious case. The lack of progress. The…the red tape you've put around my father's passing, my own father for crying out loud! I am supposed to meet with the funeral home at noon and he hasn't even been released yet. My father's body is being held hostage by the City of San Francisco, that…that's beyond ridiculous."
Taking another deep breath, Mike glanced over at his partner, before pointing back toward the bullpen.
"Steve, go sign the release form on the body and have Bernie prepare everything for the transfer. Tell him to put a rush on it."
Nodding quietly, the young Inspector cocked his head at the Captain, before leaving the office behind, undoubtedly grateful to do so.
"And this…this Inspector Keller…", McMillan continued as soon as Steve was out of earshot, "He's way too young to be handling a high-profile case such as this one. You see, I made some phone calls last night and did some research on him. He's one of those…one of those war protestors from Berkeley. How can he possibly uphold the law if he doesn't even respect it? How did he even become a detective? What kind of office are you guys running down here? Hippie cops? That's what you call law enforcement?!"
Feeling the last string of self-control snap inside him, Mike stepped toward the uppity man, one finger pointed at his chest, as McMillan rose from his chair to face him.
"Now, I have had about all I can take of your pointless complaints, Mister McMillan and I won't sit here and let you insult my partner on top of it. If you as much as think that Steve-"
"Mike.", Olsen cautioned and raised a hand to calm both men, "Mister McMillan, all of my officers are extremely well-trained professionals who excel in their line of work and I certainly don't appreciate you continuously questioning that. As I have told you earlier, both Lieutenant Stone and Inspector Keller are highly regarded and diligent detectives and you ought to consider yourself fortunate to have them handle your case. As far as your other complaints are concerned, we're releasing your father's body as we speak and will contact you as soon as an arrest has been made. That is our standard operating procedure. Is that clear?"
"Very clear.", McMillan hissed back at the Captain, before turning toward Mike once again, his brown eyes almost black with anger, "And let me be very clear about something too, Lieutenant Stone. You guys don't know who you're messing with."