A tense silence filled the interior of the Galaxy on that sunny afternoon, as they left Mariposa behind and turned south onto Harrison, the busy street filled with parked cars on either side.
Keeping one eye on the countless passerby's taking advantage of a beautiful day and using it to indulge in some much overdue sidewalk shopping; and the other one on the rows of cars ahead, hoping to find the missing LTD, Mike hadn't said two words since they left headquarters.
Along with it, the radio had been strangely silent since Roy had put all of headquarters under a lockdown, a precautionary measure withheld from the public and communicated to certain personnel only, hoping to keep innocent people out of harms' way in case Erica Holmer decided to attempt a mass shooting.
"How many spare bullets do you have on you?"
It was an unusual question for Mike to ask and Steve glanced over at his old partner, noting the deep grooves of worry and tension on his forehead.
"The usual six.", the young Professor answered matter-of-factly, trying to offset some of the stress and anxiety emanating from across the front bench.
"And you took your meds, right? They don't have you on blood thinners still, do they?"
Meeting the worried blue eyes staring back at him with unmasked impatience, Steve grunted and shook his head.
"Michael."
"Don't you dare to Michael me now.", the Lieutenant shot back, his voice growing stern and unyielding, "Three cops are dead, a fourth one survived only due to some incredible luck. She isn't playing around. That means we can't afford a single mistake when we apprehend her."
Knowing better than to argue, Steve nodded obediently and let his eyes drift back onto the road ahead.
"Yes, I took my meds. No, I am not on blood thinners…and you know, I am not planning on either one of us getting shot today."
"Nobody ever does, Buddyboy.", Mike countered somberly and gestured toward the side of the road, "Pull in over here. Her house is half a block down the road. I don't want her seeing us approach."
Following the order, Steve slid the large sedan into an open spot along the southbound lanes, where a couple young sycamore trees were providing an attractive cover for the unmarked police car.
Next to him, Mike reached for the radio, drawing in a deep breath before pushing the receiver button.
"Inspectors 81 to Headquarters, come in please."
"Go ahead, Inspectors 8-1"
"Sending a 10-20 from 15578 South Harrison. Getting ready to approach suspect residence. Please keep all units in the vicinity on standby."
"10-4, Inspectors 8-1. Captain Dewitt advises that there are two guns registered under late Inspector Holmer's name, a .32 revolver and a 30-06 rifle. He urged you to exercise extreme caution when apprehending the suspect."
"10-4 Headquarters, thank you…Lieutenant Stone out."
Putting the receiver back into the holder, Mike hesitated for a moment, as if to go over their plan of attack one last time, ensuring that no detail was left out.
"A .32…There's our murder weapon…he probably never used the gun before, just had it laying in a drawer at home just like we do…no wonder we couldn't find anything on it in our preliminary research."
With one hand still clenching the steering wheel of the Galaxy, Steve turned around to face his best friend, a genuine smile playing on his lips.
"Are you ready to enter the lion's den, Lieutenant?"
Glancing up but not returning the smile, Mike nodded slowly.
"Well, like you said, there's a good chance she might not be there at all. She could be straight across town, for all we know. Or stay close to my house. If we do need backup, we have four units in the vicinity, but at this point, I am not comfortable sending more guys into the direct line of fire. There's been too many deaths already…"
"Chances are, even if she is there, it might be an easy arrest. Remember, we're changing the game on her. She went from being in the offense to having to be in a defensive position now. If her unorganized actions lately are any prediction, this situation might give us an advantage by throwing her off."
"Don't make the mistake of becoming overconfident, Steve.", Mike urged in a fatherly voice and reached forward to tap his chest, "There are no limits to a woman's scorn. Her track record speaks for itself. And with those two guns in her possession, she can still do a lot of damage. Remember, we're entering her house, and she's going to have the upper hand when it comes to hiding spots."
Mike held his stern glance until Steve nodded in understanding, then reached for the door handle. With one hand wrapped around it, he turned back around to face the young Professor one more time, a wave of undeniable worry and sadness flooding his features.
Then, without another word, he got out of the car and began to walk toward Erica Holmer's house.
