# # #
Mike's conversation with Olsen had been short and concise, as was his foreboding notion that things might not go exactly as planned, especially with Morris involved.
There was a good chance that by now, the Homicide Captain, as well as Mears, would know about Betsy's trip to San Francisco and the consequences thereof, which would in turn heighten the chance of either man coming up with an idea on how to stop the case that was about to snowball and bury them under a pile of circumstantial evidence.
If Mike had his way, he'd add a lot more proof and factual evidence to said pile as well.
Unfortunately, for that to happen, they had to take another trip down to Burlingame.
"So, you're just planning on interviewing Mears right in his apartment?", Rudy questioned, an unlit cigar dangling from his quivering lip.
"I do.", Mike confirmed with a confident nod of the head, "It's his lair, so to speak, so he should feel more comfortable there, superior even. For as nervous as he is, trying to bring him up here for an interview will for sure make him clam up. Worse yet, we don't have enough actual evidence yet to say he did it. Our only witness is practically mute and lives in the forest. We need a lot more or the defense is gonna get that case thrown out of the water faster than we can dig in our heels- worse yet, they could try to turn around and push it on Carl. He was the guy who led us to the body after all. He would crumple like a piece of paper on that witness stand."
"And you're absolutely sure he didn't do it, Mike? He went after Keller that first time."
"Yeah but that was because he thought we were with Morris's team."
Noticing the skeptical sideways glance he received from his superior, Mike raised his hands as a peace offering, before resting them on the back of the guest chair.
"He isn't our killer. You will have to believe me on that one. The guy is a certifiable lunatic; a veteran who seems to have suffered some form of brain damage during his deployment. I am planning on running a make on his finger prints to be absolutely sure but I am telling you, he has nothing to do with this besides being used as a scapegoat."
"I'm just not liking the odds on this whole deal…", Olsen admitted and leaned back in his cushy leather chair, "You guys are out of your jurisdiction. You're taking on a guy who, from what you tell me, basically butchered a whole family without blinking an eye, and worse yet, there's a chance that the local cops are involved and will do everything in their power to save their own skin- which could mean a lot of trouble for the both of you. They may not stop at destroying unmarked police cars."
"I'm not disagreeing one bit here…but fact of the matter is, without better evidence, Mears could walk, possibly go after his ex-wife next to get rid of the last of the witnesses to either one of his crimes. And Morris, there is just no telling how deeply involved he truly is. We haven't been able to come up with witnesses who saw him at the house, cleaning up after the murder and quite honestly, there's a chance that people down there are simply afraid to speak up against him- for good reason. So unless Steve and I give both of them a chance to prove their…their criminal mindset, I don't know what else we could do to nail them."
"Even if that means you both taking a chance on getting hurt?"
There was more than just foreboding concern in Olsen's voice. With his bright blue eyes scanning Mike's, the Homicide Captain seemed to practically beg him to back off, come up with an alternate plan- if only it were that easy.
"Naturally, we'd like to avoid that.", Mike countered and shrugged, "The Feds are already tied up with the nightclub shooting and they won't go after small bait like that. I don't want to get anyone else from the department dragged into this mess, which leaves only Steve and I. And we're not walking into this situation unarmed; if anything, I plan on hourly check-in's and having backup ready just in case. But for the initial interview with Mears, I feel it's best if only Steve and I handle it. We both know this case inside and out by now, and we know how to cover each other's backs."
He could tell that Olsen wasn't the least bit impressed with his arguments, but at a lack of alternatives, he nodded hesitantly.
"I like the idea of hourly check-ins. Let dispatch know what to expect before you leave. I can have Patrol Sergeant Wilson set a couple uni's aside on stand-by just in case, but remember, it's going to take some time for them to get to you and you're walking a very fine line here with jurisdictional red-tape. If this thing backfires, you're going to have to answer to a whole lot more people than just myself."
"I understand. Thank you, Rudy."
Cocking his head in gratitude, Mike was ready to turn around and leave, when the Homicide Captain cleared his throat once more.
"Not sure if you heard already, but the Vargas's dropped the charges against the department, citing a, quote on quote, change of heart."
"I figured as much.", Mike countered with a warm smile and turned around again, when Rudy held him back.
"How? Do you or Keller have anything to do with that?"
His smile turned into a wide grin and Mike shrugged, before reaching for the door handle.
"Nothing at all. I just had a funny feeling..."