The azure wooden siding and white trim gave the narrow house on Harrison a clean cut, pleasant, almost inviting look. Neatly matching window treatments and two ornate flower pots by the front door tried to mislead them about the grim nature of their visit.

"You want me to cover the back?", Steve asked and smoothly reached for his left hip to open the holster clip hiding beneath his pinstripe suit coat.

Covering the back had always been his role and Mike felt a comforting sense of deja-vu at their exchange. Nodding at the young Professor, he too reached back to open his holster, hearing both, the search warrant and the one for Erica Holmer's arrest for suspicion of murder crinkle from within the inside pocket of his black overcoat.

Without another word, Steve made his way past the garage, briefly looking through the small window slats in the door to see if a car was parked inside, before disappearing in an adjacent alley.

As he gave his old partner extra time to get into position without having to rush, Mike glanced at the house again, hoping to see signs of activity inside, anything that could confirm Steve's theory that Erica would be surprised by their visit, making for a smooth and safe arrest.

And yet, his senses told him otherwise.

Thankful that the rim of his fedora shielded his eyes from the bright sun that afternoon, Mike waited for a young mother with a stroller to pass behind him, subconsciously trying to protect the unsuspecting public from what could potentially unfold in a few minutes.

As he drew in a deep breath and made his way up the dozen or so stairs to the light blue front door, his left hand automatically reached for his badge, although he knew it wasn't needed. By now Steve would be at the backside of the two-story house, and hopefully able to cover him, should things get out of hand.

Glancing at the sidewalk one last time, ensuring that nobody was in the immediate vicinity, Mike reached up to knock on the door.

Much to his surprise, it swung wide open beneath his touch.