Steve could virtually taste progress in every bite of that juicy hotdog, as he listened to Mike's intense conversation with Ryan Johnson, Assistant to the Public Service Director for the City of San Francisco.

They'd chosen a nondescript lunch spot near the wharf for a seemingly casual conversation, hoping to answer some pressing questions about Lieutenant Morris Sawyer, his history with the MidTown Terrance Fire Department Station 1, his character and somewhere in between, his likeliness to commit crimes. Irina had told him that Sawyer had been a regular staple down at the Missing Person's department for months, forming a strong friendship with Cassidy and Mahoney, talking about going out to dinner together, watch ball games and drink beer. From what she'd gathered, the temperamental fire fighter didn't have many friends at his own station and met the detectives during a call for smoke showing from a building that was being staked out.

For Steve, it seemed safe to assume that Sawyer saw something in the two corrupt cops, an opportunity perhaps to live out some pent-up need for superiority, ultimate power and belonging in the worst way possible. Every last thing he'd learned about the man's character thus far pointed directly into that direction.

Hopefully their lunch break would offer more evidence to support his argument.

Luckily for them, in his role as the Public Service Director, Ryan Johnson often visited local fire departments and police stations, dealing with Union requests and any grievances that came up. It had been Mike's hope that in his travels, he'd come into contact with Sawyer and would be able to provide them with plenty of information without having to go through Chief Vasquez and raise unnecessary suspicion.

So far, the seasoned Lieutenant had been right, as usual.

Thanks to his personal connection with the man, Steve had held back, allowing for them to continue their conversation undisturbed, while shamelessly enjoying his free lunch.

"Morris has always been a bit of a hothead.", Johnson continued and stabbed his Cole Slaw with a plastic fork, "Great fire fighter, don't misunderstand. If my house was on fire I would trust him to save my family. But outside his bunker gear…there's a temperamental eight-year old. Vasquez has always done a fine job to channel his…character flaws into something constructive. He's really helped him grow in his role over the years."

Nodding in between chews, Mike kept his expression neutral, unwilling to give away anything regarding their investigation, more so since Johnson seemed completely unaware of Milan's disappearance despite being supposedly on the in with the local fire departments.

"I hear he was passed over for the promotion to Captain. That…ehm…that Sarah Milan received it instead. How was his reaction?"

"Well, how would yours be, Mike? He was upset, of course. Went to the Union Chief claiming that she'd gotten the promotion only because she's a woman. He felt…discriminated against. They didn't follow up on the grievance though, somebody must have thought his concerns were invalid."

Sensing a slight hesitation in the other man's words, Mike took a sip of coke and cleared his throat.

"What about you? Do you think she was the right candidate for the job?"

"Me?"

Johnson, a chubby, half-bald man in his mid-forties who hadn't seen a barber or dentist in a long time, seemed to grow suspicious at the question, then took a second to think as he ate a hearty bite of his burger; the most expensive burger on the menu, of course, once he found out that Mike was buying.

Shrugging the misgivings about some of the spoiled city workers out of his mind, Steve watched the other man's brown eyes rush back and forth between both detectives, his thoughts racing despite what seemed to be an innocent question.

"Well, she did excel in all the prior testing. She is a heck of a fire fighter. But I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel like Vasquez…favored her over Sawyer to a degree. Then again, during the review process they may have been privy to more information than what crosses my desk on a daily basis. It's really a difficult question for me to answer, Mike."

"Why do you think Vasquez favored her?", the Lieutenant shot back, cutting the other man off in the midst of his insecure rambling.

"Well, he went through a divorce a little while ago…word had it that he liked…young blood around. It seemed that he had developed a bit of a fondness for Milan and some…some of the guys suspected that had more to do with her promotion than skill."

Steve stopped chewing for a brief second, letting the statement sink in, his eyes focused on the wooden picnic table but knowing that Mike shared the exact same sentiment.

"When you say he'd grown fond of her, what do you mean by that? Did you hear anything?"

"Well, nothing that I would be able to put on record. Just rumors, you know. It's kind of a thing when so many people work together and there's friction."

With one hand nervously twirling the fork in his hand, Johnson chuckled awkwardly, then looked over at his conversation partners, visibly relaxing when he saw Steve carelessly eating away at his food, pretending disinterest.

"The only thing that popped up during a conversation was that he really liked her. And he loves travelling, even tried to take her out on trips on multiple occasions, buying her tickets and such, but she always let him down, not wanting to endanger her career over inner office politics. Of sorts…I guess."

Having an increasingly hard time remaining calm as Mike's plan worked out perfectly, Steve ate the last of his hot dog and reached for a napkin to wipe his hands, when Johnson leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Now what is with all the questions about Sawyer and Milan? Is everything ok?"

"Absolutely, everything is fine.", Mike answered with the most cordial smile, his warm eyes instantly putting the other man at ease, "We were just doing…oh, what do you call that…a welfare check! Go back to enjoying your burger, my friend. This has been a wonderful lunch break."