Whew. It's been a whirlwind of a day. Lots of good stuff happening. This coming week will be a crazy busy one so I might be away for a day or so but I will be back, big promise.
Steve was on his second cup of coffee as Mike's interrogation continued on.
A quick glance at the clock reminded him that 9am had struck already. Standing up with his palms pressed against his desk, Steve tried to breathe through the anger.
Doloris Johnson's complacency for her daughter's disappearance and eventual homicide bothered him greatly. What in the world could go wrong in anybody's life to become so emotionally dulled? Abuse, harassment, death, whatever it may be…this was still her daughter.
Exhaling slowly, Steve let his head sink to his chest and closed his eyes for a second, trying to clear his mind. Mike had been right all along. This case was going to challenge them down to the very core. And in the worst way possible.
"That's a yoga pose, isn't it? I wonder what they call it? The desperate Detective?"
Out of nowhere, Lenny appeared from a few feet behind. Dressed in a white polo shirt and dark jeans, he obviously hadn't been to work yet.
"What do you need?", Steve asked, trying to sound casual as he rubbed his tired eyes.
The last thing he wanted was to activate the tripwires to the Psychiatrist's eager senses for any sort of emotional distress.
Lenny pointed his chin at Mike's office, before smiling faintly.
"Let's go over here for a second."
Hesitantly following him into his partner's den, Steve slowly sat down at the edge of the desk, while Lenny positioned himself in front of the door.
"Rudy wanted me to check on you guys and-"
"Seriously?", Steve argued instantly and gestured towards the interrogation rooms, "We're this close to breaking this murder case wide open and he wants you to check on us? Come on now, Lenny."
The Psychiatrist smiled knowingly, before shaking his head.
"-and I told him I'd be glad to do that after you guys are all done wrapping up your case. Stephen, will you get a handle on yourself? Do you know how unhealthy it is to be this aggravated all the time? Well, of course you do. You took the classes on all this."
Slightly embarrassed, Steve bit his lip and stood up, before walking over towards the large window overlooking downtown.
Putting his hands in pockets, he dropped his head in defeat.
"I swear this case is getting worse by the minute, Lenny."
"And that's now.", the Psychiatrist answered and slowly walked up towards him, "It's only going to get worse...The problem is that you need to see this thing through to the very end- and you need to keep your senses together. How have you been sleeping?"
Looking down at the cars rolling along Bryant Street, Steve shrugged carelessly.
"I don't know. A few hours here, a few hours there. The other night over at Mike's place, I passed out for a good six hours."
"That means your body isn't regenerating properly. Your concentration will fade, those mood swings will get worse. I tell you, if you don't have the constant neck pain and headaches yet, you will have them soon."
Steve shifted towards Lenny, trying hard to not overreact again. One embarrassment to prove the other man correct was bad enough.
"There is nothing I can do about it. We have to get this case solved.", his words were beginning to sound like a mantra and Steve ran a frustrated hand through his wavy hair.
"Oh, but you are wrong, my friend, there is something you can do about it. I am surprised they didn't teach you that in college. Here, hold still for a second."
Reaching forward, Lenny put his index finger underneath his jaw line, right behind the carotid artery, and pressed firmly until it almost hurt.
"See, they're doing new studies on reflexology and pressure points and the effectiveness of treating many illnesses with them, including psychological problems. I've done a few field tests with patients and it seems to work pretty well. See, there is one spot right here by your neck, so you just push down on it for a minute and then let go. Repeat on the other side."
Steve nodded carefully, as Lenny released the touch and let his hand slide down to the center of his back.
"Feel that? That's the most important pressure point for sleep issues. It's at heart level between your spine and shoulder blades. Just use two tennis balls on the floor, lay on them for a couple of minutes, and it might be enough for you to get a restful sleep every other week or so. No meds, no talking to shrinks like myself, just some good old self-help. Nobody will ever know what's going on, just the way you like it."
They shared a brief smile and Steve was about to thank Lenny for the unconventional advice, when he heard somebody behind them clear his throat.
"I don't know what you two are doing, but I won't ask."
Leaning against the door frame, Mike's face was a mixture of amusement and annoyance all at the same time.
"Lieutenant. I was just here to check on things. Or to make it look like I am checking on things.", Lenny corrected quickly, before approaching Mike, "Rudy wanted me to make sure you two are alright. And I assured him that you are, but he wanted me to double check anyways."
Nodding impatiently, Mike flashed a quick smile, before pointing outside his office.
"All is well. Not to worry…Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a case to discuss."
For once, Lenny didn't argue. Instead, he turned around for a second and nodded towards Steve in unspoken understanding, before disappearing again behind the door to the hallway.
Mike looked after him for a while, then eventually entered his office and closed the door with a dreadful sigh. Steve resumed his position against the large window and waited patiently for his partner to calm his nerves.
That interrogation seemed to have aged him by many years.
Even his usually bright eyes were dull and sunken now. Mike fidgeted with the top button of his light blue vest for a long time, before he finally stepped forward to join his partner by the window.
"You know…I am beginning to understand why Mavis ran away from home."
With their backs against the large glass pane and facing the bullpen ahead, a long silence spread between both partners. Closing his eyes for a while, Steve realized they were even breathing in unison.
"I'm not going to lie, Doloris Johnson clammed up on me big time.", he finally admitted woefully.
Much to his surprise, Mike chuckled before putting a warm hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I have Harry Johnson lawyer up and threatening to call all the media outlets to complain about harassment. I just hope we didn't push them too soon. That might come back and haunt us yet."
Steve looked back up, only to meet his partner's expressive blue eyes. He could see the pent-up frustration all over Mike's face. Heck, a blind person could.
"Well, Doloris is your typical domestic abuse case with an inclining to Munchhausen syndrome. She is very protective over her husband. Tried to justify them not calling the cops when Mavis disappeared. She was somewhat shaken when she heard that her daughter was dead, but she was a lot more upset when I told her we're accusing her husband of murder…Mike, these people didn't deserve to have a child."
Steve almost grew sick at his own words and swallowed hard when the earlier agitation returned. Mike must have sensed it when the hand on his shoulder grasped a little tighter.
"If you'd met Harry, you'd understand. The man thinks he can walk on water.", he explained in sheer disgust, "Remember how we found out he's a minister? He was giving me all these lines about the things he preaches and the importance of his congregation…you'd swear we were interviewing him over a parking ticket, not his daughter's death."
The Lieutenant ran a hand over his chin before nervously biting his lip.
When he remained silent for many seconds, Steve looked over and studied the silhouette of his face. Beneath all the scars and wrinkles from a lifetime of serving the public was a set of eyes that had seen every heinous crime imaginable. And yet, Mike still managed to smile and see the best in everything. Maybe one day, Steve hoped, one day he could learn to develop and nurture this admirable trait within himself.
"So, do you think he hired somebody to kill Mavis?"
Mike didn't react right away. With his eyes glazed over, the Lieutenant seemed a million miles away.
"It's possible.", he finally said with a weary smile, "That guy in there is one of the best liars I have ever dealt with. I'd hate to even say this but I think I want Lenny in on the next interrogation. Harry denies ever beating his daughter. But you should see the knuckles on that guy."
"You don't think that's from beating down doors to spread the word of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?", Steve mocked, only to hear his partner grunt.
"One of those days you're going to get struck by lightning, Buddy Boy.", Mike sighed before standing back up, "It's going to take a few hours before the lawyer gets here, how about we hit up the streets again and look for Chantal. If we could find her and get her to talk, it would be another nail in Johnson's coffin. And I would like to see that very much."