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The buttons on Ethan Morris's plaid shirt were strained to the max, his broad chest beneath the thin fabric stretching the material so much that it had to be uncomfortable.
Steve tried to take his eyes off the peculiar outfit and looked up at the man standing almost a foot taller, his handshake so strong it threatened to bruise his fingers and palm.
The condescending glance was paired with a faint grunt as the man led them to his corner office, not saying much, his detectives studying them beneath lowered glances.
"You two make an interesting pair, don't you?", the Captain of Homicide finally said and closed the door behind them, before walking over to his desk and leaning against the backwall in undisguised impatience.
"It helps balance things out when it comes to our investigation.", Mike responded flatly, not the least bit interested in going down that rabbit hole this afternoon, "We're here to request assistance in search of the park along the Trousale/ I-280 corner at your earliest convenience."
"You need a search party?", Morris countered incredulously and raised his eyebrows, "Why?"
"There's a man out there…likely living in those woods.", Steve continued, taking over where his partner left off, "He attacked me. He might have also seen what happened the night of the Saunders murder and where little Kevin was taken to. We need to talk to him."
"What were you doing in those woods?"
The Captain's question surprised both San Francisco Homicide detectives and they shared a fleeting glance, before Mike cleared his throat.
"We were checking out the immediate vicinity of a violent crime. That's standard procedure in an investigation. I understand Alex did the same thing right after the murder."
Realizing that he'd put himself into an awkward position, Morris nervously put his hands by his side, then shrugged, pretending disinterest.
"That's not how I meant it. You just met Carl. Our very one hermit. He's harmless. And he won't be able to tell you anything about the murder because we already asked him."
"Carl?", Mike mouthed, then leaned forward in the guest chair, "You mean to tell me you have a guy just living out in these woods? Alone? Without a home?"
"That's exactly what I am trying to tell you, Lieutenant.", Morris countered, his voice signaling slight irritation, "He's harmless. Ex- Military. Went on a few too many missions and it deep-fried his brain. He used to live out on the streets downtown but decided to make the woods his home. If anything, he's slowly becoming a tourist attraction because people heard about him living out there and they want to visit the park and see if they can experience a sighting of Carl. Kind of like Bigfoot. Of sorts."
"Has he ever tried to attack anybody?"
"Not that I know off. Your young partner here must have stepped into his territory. Or maybe Carl didn't like the smell of his aftershave."
Well aware of the subtle stab at his person, Steve pursed his lips, trying to disguise the anger flaring up beneath his carefully crafted facade.
"Has anybody bothered to talk to him and see if he needs medical attention? Or offered him a spot at a homeless shelter? Anything would be better than having him live out there and profiting off his mental illness."
Mike was used to his partner's refreshing openness and appreciated his sense for humanity. As it was, Morris did not.
With his hazel eyes narrowed to tight slats, square jaws clenched, he took a deep breath, threatening to burst the buttons right off his shirt.
"I don't come into your city and tell you how to run your department. As such, I don't appreciate you trying to pull that on me…Inspector. We are busy solving murders here and I have a comparatively small team at my disposal to do just that. Carl has been eluding our help since the beginning, making it nearly impossible to be found. Nobody has seen or heard from him in over two years until just now, when he attacked you. I am sure he has some form of shelter somewhere out in the park but trying to find it and making sure he takes his vitamins and gets his eight hours of sleep is near the very bottom of my list to worry about."
Mike could hear the trembling in the other man's voice, a perfect spot to pose a question he knew would give him an answer-without the other man ever having to say a word.
"Captain Morris, in that case, if you haven't seen him in a couple of years, how do you know he didn't witness anything regarding the Saunders murder? I thought you said you talked to him?"