They hadn't been able to achieve much of anything once they got back to the office, the numerous expletives thrown their way back at the bridge a humbling reminder of the raw and difficult aspects of working patrols in a large city such as San Francisco.
Despite their best efforts and two hours of phone calls, few departments could be reached, even fewer detectives who actually had an idea what they were talking about.
Eventually, even Mike's patience had run out and the Lieutenant had called it a day, not a minute too soon as far as Steve was concerned.
Two hours later, freshly showered and groomed, he'd arrived at Janine's door, grateful that the evening was early enough to allow them a seat at one of the finer restaurants along the wharf.
There was no particular event calling for an expensive dinner.
He wasn't even calling in an old favor, allowing him to treat his other half pro bono while letting his strained bank account take a breather.
It had just felt like a good night to get away from everything, clear his mind and spend the evening talking to somebody who shared so little with the aspects of his somber profession, but so much about other things such as history and culture.
"You're going to eat or are you going to stare at your food for the rest of the evening?"
It was Janine's gentle nudging that pulled him out of his exhaustion induced day dreaming and Steve straightened back out, nearly losing the fork in his hand, much to her amusement.
"Sorry. I was just…I was just thinking…"
"…about your case. I know. I can sense it. I thought we came here so you would get a break from all the vile images and stuff…"
Reaching across the table to place her hand on his, Janine sighed woefully, knowing well enough just what kinds of images were floating around in his mind that night.
"It's important that you get away from all that every once in a while.", she then continued good-naturedly and squeezed his hand, "Having all that death and that weird reporter lady just hover over you wherever you go…it's not healthy. No matter how much everyone agrees that you are the best for this job and that Mike and you are going to clean this city of all crime there is…well, there comes a point where that sort of pressure becomes damaging. You're already not sleeping well, your…your eating habits have been poor to say the least, you even said your blood pressure has gone up. It's your body trying to tell you that you need a break. You refused to join me for yoga, so at least take the opportunity to enjoy your meal before clouding your mind with all that bad stuff again."
"You're right…I'm sorry…", Steve said hastily, hoping to calm Janine down before that fiery temper of hers could flare any more, adding to his stress when he least needed it, "I just…I can't get that case out of my mind. Those legs. The distinct possibility that…there's some mass murderer out there amputating body parts just for the heck of it. It scares me. It makes me want to work through the night seeing if I can tie clues together. It makes me fear for the safety of those I care about…like you."
The waiter stopped by to refill their empty champagne glasses, causing him to fall silent, unwilling to continue until the other man was out of earshot.
"If what we've uncovered is true, this could be…well, it could be one of the biggest murder cases anyone has ever heard of. And as much as I trust Mike with my life, I just feel like…I feel overwhelmed. That this is getting too big for just the two of us."
With an understanding smile, Janine nodded, never letting go of his hand.
"You two have been through some pretty tough cases before. It should help to calm down your worry somewhat, knowing that Mike has your back."
"It does…to an extent. At the end of the day, Mike and I…we're not some silly super heroes like the ones Gifford has created. We don't have nine lives. We don't have super powers. We can't withstand a bullet to the heart. We're just…two regular cops who took on a seemingly simple case that just morphed into…at least twenty some victims, if not more. And every minute that Mike and I don't get closer to the truth allows our killer to roam free, finding more victims, kill more innocent people."
"Listen, at the chance of sounding like a broken record, you need to remember that the Lieutenant has been doing this for quite some time. He's got a handle on this case. And he probably sent you home so that you stop fretting for a little while, knowing that it could cloud your senses to what's truly in front of you. Mike's probably at home right now, enjoying charcuterie with Jeannie, while your food is getting cold because you keep brooding about something you can't change."
"Listen to those words of wisdom…", Steve said with a charming smile and pulled Janine's hand to his lips to kiss it, "My girlfriend, the psychologist."
"I'm just saying that if you're going to spend sixty bucks on a fancy dinner, you might as well eat it warm…", she chuckled, then leaned back in her chair.
"How about we just have it all packaged up and finish it at home…", he suggested surreptitiously, and nudged toward the parking lot, "We could get comfy on the couch, hold on to one another, maybe warm up in a completely different way and forget all about the meal…"
"Stephen!", Janine countered playfully and shook her head, "You are impossible. Will you eat your food!?"
Their romantic play continued on for many long minutes, either party so engrossed in the conversation that they never noticed the silent observer in the back corner, watching their every move.