"What in the…"
Mike felt a distinctive sense of dread at the sight awaiting him in the hospital underground parking garage. And it was the kind of dread he wished he wouldn't have to deal with on this day, and most importantly, this time of the morning.
If the bright camera lights were any indication, Sal Tidari had been eagerly awaiting his arrival for quite some time.
"Lieutenant!", the uppity reporter greeted in false friendliness, "I had a feeling you'd show up sooner or later."
"Feeling? And just what do you know about feelings?", Mike barked back, shielding his eyes from the bright lights and pushing the camera man aside.
"There's no need for hostility. I tried to call you in the office several times last night but couldn't reach you. So we decided to hang out around here, see if you'd show face to check on your fallen partner. We have a few questions about the progress of your ongoing investigation, specifically why you targeted Lucy Wiersma and Marlene Ferris for questioning."
"Any pertinent information relating to our case that is considered public knowledge will be released through press conferences, as you very well know, Mister Tidari.", Mike countered, trying to fight his way to the elevator but finding that the reporter blocked him, even going as far as putting a microphone in front of his face.
"I can't help but express my sincere concern for the public then, being that they're intentionally kept in the dark about certain aspects of this case. Gravely concerning ones at that.", the greasy smile returned to Tidari's features, his combed black hair reflecting the overhead camera lights as he continued undisturbed, "And believe me, I can understand why you are upset. After all, we have a dangerous killer on our hands, one who got quite close to you by severely injuring your partner, Inspector Robbins. And maybe that is what made you snap and decide to harass two law abiding citizens without any sort of evidence linking them to your case…"
With his eyes narrowed to tight slats, Mike stepped closer to Tidari, bending down, until their faces were only inches apart.
"What are you getting at?"
"A couple of things, actually, Lieutenant.", Tidari answered with a Cheshire cat smile, "Your unwarranted arrest of two innocent women, both of whom had just come from work, trying to relax after a long day, just to find a stern-faced and rude Lieutenant accusing them of being serial killers. Is this how you aim to portray the police force in public, Lieutenant? Is that what happens when you've been on the job for too long? Have you lost your…your humanity and manners, or care for the citizens you vowed to protect altogether? Do you just grab anybody off the streets and take them downtown for hours of intense and stressful questioning? Is this your new standard operating procedure?"
Feeling the anger beginning to boil within, Mike kept his features unreadable, as his eyes pierced those of the reporter.
"Proper procedure was followed in both cases.", he answered matter-of-factly, putting emphasis on each word, only to have Tidari shake his head adamantly.
"Is it truly proper procedure to chase a young woman such as Marlene Ferris down some dark and scary alley? Don't you think it's frightening to have two men chase after you like you are some…some wild animal being preyed on? To have one stranger chase after you in a car and another one on foot?"
Mike drew in a deep breath and rolled his eyes, having a good idea where all this skewed information was coming from.
"Contrary to what she might have told you, Miss Ferris chose to run from police to evade questioning, causing the foot chase herself."
Tidari shook his head again, being forced to take a step back when Mike once again tried to push through the press barricade.
"Even if that were true, let me ask you this, Lieutenant. Why is it you have a Criminology Professor from Berkeley in on this case? Not enough tax monies are being spent on disproportionately expensive police equipment and manpower, so you need to bring in some highly trained academic support too? How will that affect tax payers in the long run?"
Mike swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue, knowing well enough how the Channel Twelve reporter would twist them around to fit his agenda regardless.
"As you know well enough yourself, Professor Keller assists SFPD as a Staff Psychologist and Case Profiler. He accompanied me to Misses Wiersma's residence. He works under full authority of SFPD's Homicide department."
The slimy smile spreading on Tidari's lips and the greedy brown eyes told Mike early on where his next question would lead.
"Don't you think the fact that Professor Keller was your partner raises questions about fraternizing within the police force?"
"Not at all.", Mike countered confidently and leaned farther forward, the edge of his fedora nearly touching Tidari's forehead, "But I am going to tell you what I am thinking right now. Professor Keller's previous work relationship with the Homicide Department has been an incredible benefactor over the past few years. His qualifications and performance on the job he currently holds within SFPD speak for themselves and make him a valuable asset to our team. What you don't seem to understand is that three cops are dead. And they were good cops. A fourth one is in the hospital recovering from being shot point blank in the head. If it turns out that whoever is intentionally targeting police officers has decided to do so because of your biased, uneducated, one-sided, police-hating way of reporting, you can bet your shiny red sportscar that I will get you charged as an accessory to murder. And you'll be going away for a long, long time."
Deciding to take a deep breath when he felt his voice beginning to break from the anger, Mike straightened out again, his blue eyes never leaving the reporter.
"Is this what happens when you encounter people who don't share your opinion and your high regard for the police force, Lieutenant? Get them charged with made-up crimes and throw away the key? Is this how you treat those who request due diligence from the officers who patrol these streets every day and are supposed to keep us safe, yet fail to do so quite often? What is the next step, hm, Lieutenant Stone? Will you justify police brutality? Or the harassment you and Professor Keller put both, Misses Wiersma and Misses Ferris through? Don't you think it is understandable that with continued issues of abuse of power arising from within the police force, that the citizens of San Francisco are growing leery about who out there is the one protecting them, and who is the one harming them?"
Finally pushing past the reporter and his camera man, Mike clenched his fist to stop them from shaking, as he turned around one last time to face the obstinate man.
"I am too busy investigating a murder case to deal with your lies today, Tidari, so unless you want to be charged with obstruction of justice right now, I'd advise you to bug off."
