"Go back to enjoying your burger. Listen to you sweettalk that guy to an inch of being heir to his inheritance!"

With an amicable smile, Steve shook his head as they returned to the parked Galaxy, trying to drown out the cawing of nearby seagulls waiting to be fed by the endless slews of tourists flooding the boulevards this time a day.

The compliment disguised in good-natured teasing was answered by Mike's strong hand appearing on his back, before he wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

"Sometimes you just gotta make people feel…comfortable, Buddy Boy.", the seasoned Lieutenant explained as he turned back to mentor mode, squinting against the strong winds coming off the bay, "People like Johnson love to feel important, to be treated with special considerations. Once you do that, you'd be amazed what all you dig up from that vault of dirty little city secrets."

"Well, I guess we got our answer as to where those tickets came from. I bet Vasquez makes enough money to be able to afford them. And she just ignored his attempts. Unrequited love could be a strong motive for murder…"

Letting his head sink to the sidewalk ahead, Mike nodded, then stopped mid-motion and shook his head decisively instead.

"Maybe so, but I still think it ties into the O'Conner kidnapping and Visari's murder. Sawyer's jealousy over being skipped for the Captain position could be just as much of a motive. He might have even done it to get back at Vasquez. Think about it…"

They parted ways as they reached the Galaxy, Mike circling the large sedan toward the passenger side, while Steve leaned across the roof, mindlessly playing with the ignition keys in his hand.

"You know there's a third option, Michael."

Meeting his partner's eyes as he finally glanced back up from his side of the Galaxy, Mike nodded faintly, a haunting shadow crossing his features.

"Yeah, I know. Madison might not be our fourth guy at all. He's just the puppy face to take the attention off the other guys. It's Cassidy, Mahoney, Sawyer and possibly Vasquez. And I hope to God we're wrong."