Against his better judgment, Mike stepped into the homicide bullpen at close to 11pm. He knew that Oakland Police would wait until early tomorrow morning to apprehend Mavis' parents, and yet, something drove him back to the familiar gray walls of his office.
After dropping Steve off, he'd stopped by the market to grab groceries and a six-pack of beer, then paid some bills and eventually grew restless at his desk at home. Something had to be done about the case.
Even without Rudy breathing down his neck, he knew that Mavis' fate deserved their utmost level of attention and dedication.
Unable to sleep, nothing could keep him home that evening.
Walking through the doors of the homicide bullpen, Mike was surprised to see Tanner still working at his desk. He recalled a murder/suicide coming through that required some more investigative work from the Homicide Department, but that was well past the time Steve and he had started their own investigation on the Johnson murder.
Steering towards his office, his eyes fell on a lonely figure sitting at Steve's desk. Taking off his fedora, Mike slowly approached, sighing inwardly upon recognized the woman.
"Rhonda. What are you doing here? It's pretty late…"
The psychic reader slowly rose from the chair, before straightening out her dark blue dress and smiling at him.
"Lieutenant Stone. The gentleman at the desk back there said you or your partner might be in later."
Looking over at Tanner, who threw him an apologetic glance, Mike motioned for his office.
"Well, this is Homicide after all. We don't get to take breaks. Why don't you join me over here? Would you care for some coffee?"
Running a hand through her dark hair, Rhonda nodded before sitting down at the chair across from his desk. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the office and smiled.
"I can sense both of your auras so strongly right here. This is where you meet and exchange ideas."
Trying hard to be patient at this late hour, Mike took off his overcoat and hung it on the clothes rack, along with his fedora. Walking over to the beverage station, he filled two cups of coffee, adding cream and sugar before returning to his desk.
"So what brings you to this side of town, Rhonda?"
Setting one cup in front of her, Mike slid into his chair, trying not to grimace at the momentary pain from his injured knee.
"I heard on the news that you found the girlfriend of your murder victim. But that's not true."
"And how do you know that?", Mike asked intrigued and took a sip of coffee. Running a hand across his light blue vest, he tried himself in a casual smile.
"I just do, Lieutenant.", Rhonda answered smugly as she wrapped her hands around the warm cup, "The real question is, where do we find her?"
Mike crossed his arms in front of his chest and studied the woman intently. As his blue eyes fixed onto her deep brown ones, they both fell silent for many seconds.
"You tell me.", he finally admitted, only to watch Rhonda grin.
"Well…all I saw was the beach. She is somewhere near the beach. I did see a red balloon in my dream. That's a signal for great distress. Fear. Panic. Wherever she is, you need to find her fast."
"We're working as hard as we can to find her, Rhonda.", Mike reassured the lady, only to watch her shake her head.
"You can't rely on the regular police officers to find her. It's going to take you and the cubby, Lieutenant. Where is he?"
Running a frustrated hand through his silver hair, Mike sighed.
"Inspector Keller is home for the night. We do need to get some sleep occasionally. I can assure you that we will return to our intensive search early tomorrow morning."
Rhonda wasn't satisfied with the answer but decided to accept it for now. Looking around his office walls, her eyes fell on the pictures Mike had of his time in the pacific.
"The ever-protective crane…", she mused, before glancing back at him, "You know, for what it's worth Lieutenant…I sense that you are getting a lot closer to solving your case."
Mike nodded slowly, as he mindlessly stared across the near-empty bullpen. Back in the corner, Tanner reached for his coat and waved goodbye, as he walked out the door.
"Your newspaper article helped us a lot.", he then said and leaned back, interlocking his hands behind his head, "How did you find that?"
Rhonda chuckled, as her fingers traced the outline of his desk.
"Once I lock onto something Lieutenant, I typically don't let go.", she stopped in mid-motion and glanced back at him concerned, "But what's more important is that I keep you and the cubby safe. You both are in grave danger."
Mike remained still and studied the psychic reader for a few brief moments. He wanted to believe her, he really did. But there was that element of doubt surrounding every word she said.
And after a day like today, her premonitions only caused more confusion on his end.
"Well, I'd hate to tell you, but this is a very dangerous job.", he argued dismissively, only to watch her shake her head.
"That's not what I meant Lieutenant and you know it.", she reiterated and pointed her thumb at Steve's desk, "I know he doesn't believe me. And considering his past, I completely understand. He's naturally suspicious of anything and everything outside of his small circle of trusted individuals. Downright terrified. And he's extremely protective of you and wants you to share his doubts. But Lieutenant…I know you believe me. I can sense it. So let me just say that I am having more and more visions about you two. I see dark stairs and busy roads with lots of traffic. I feel your anxiety and hear your rapid heartbeat, as you chase after your suspect. There was a violent fall and I felt pain shooting through my right leg. Last night I woke up in a cold sweat after I saw the tiger cub curled up on the ground. He wasn't moving, his eyes were closed and his breathing labored. The crane frantically flew overhead, but he couldn't get close enough. He screamed for help, but none was nearby. He tried to land, but in his panic, he came down too hard and fast and crashed to his death."
This time it was Mike who felt the cold sweat on his neck. He tried hard to keep his composure, but knew that Rhonda saw right through it. When a few seconds of tense silence passed, she took a sip of coffee and cleared her throat.
"I know what you are thinking Lieutenant, but I can't tell you what to do to avoid bad things from happening. Sometimes, in this endless universe full of choices, these visions resolve themselves and never come to fruition. Other times…well, other times there is nothing you can do to stop them from happening. For your sake, and that of the cubby, I hope I am wrong this time."