Running his hand over his head, Steve left it resting against the back of his neck as he watched Mike head straight across to the interrogation room before opening the door and brushing past Lee as the younger man opened the door and exited. He tried not to stare as his partner rushed across to Jeannie's side and took her in his arms, examining her for any injuries before wrapping his arms around her as she buried her head into his chest. Turning away to give them a little privacy , he waited until Lee walked across the bullpen to join him at his desk.

"How did Mike take the news of Jeannie's arrest?" Lee asked softly.

"Hard. He called his lawyer, and his lawyer told him that he would be straight over and to tell Jeannie that she is not to talk to anyone, especially us, until he can get here." Unable to stop himself from stealing a quick glance across at Mike and Jeannie in the interrogation room, he looked back at Lee and asked, "How is she?"

"She's got eight stitches holding the cut across her palm together and the beginning of a black eye and some bruises forming on her arms, the doc believes could have been the result of the struggle." Lee began slowly.

"Did she say anything?" Steve asked, praying that Joanie had taken his advice and stayed silent.

Lee shrugged uncomfortably, as he cast a quick covert glance in the direction of the interrogation room before he looked back at Steve and said softly, "She asked if Solace was really dead?"

"If he was dead?" Steve frowned, "Do you think she might be in shock?"

Lee shook his head slowly. "No… I thought that she still might have been in shock when she first asked me…"

"But?" Steve's frown deepened.

"But when I told her he was, she said 'Good, that she was glad she had killed him.'" Lee told him softly.

"She said she was glad?" Steve breathed, "Are you sure?"

"Positive!" Lee nodded as the bullpen door opened and Bill hurried inside, followed closely by Mike's personal lawyer.

"Steve!" Mike's lawyer called out as he stepped around Bill and hurried across to where the young Homicide inspector was standing, "I understand from Mike that you have arrested young Jeannie for murder." He began, deliberately ignoring Lee, his full attention focused on Mike's partner and closest friend, hoping to intimidate the younger man a little before the interview began.

Steve nodded, ignoring the game that the lawyer was attempting to play as he tilted his head in the direction of the interrogation room, "I'm just giving Mike some time with her before we start the interview."

Tom nodded, "And I want some time with my client as well before we begin."

"You've got it, Tom." Steve reassured him.

The lawyer nodded as he turned and looked through the interrogation room window at Jeannie and Mike, shaking his head as he watched the two of them talking together before he turned back to Steve, "You must have made one Hell of a screw up, Keller, this is your partner's daughter, Jeannie, who you are accusing of murder."

Steve sighed and shook his head, "I wish this was a screw-up, Tom, but the case we have against Jeannie so far is air-tight."

"We'll see, Hotshot, we'll see!" Tom smiled arrogantly at Steve before adding, "But first let's see what my client has to say about it, shall we." As he turned and headed towards the interrogation room.

"What a condescending bastard!" Lee growled.

"But he's one of the best! If anyone can get Jeannie out this mess, it's him." Steve nodded as he watched Hawkins knock just once on the interrogation door before opening it and stepping inside. Returning his attention back to Lee, he ordered, "I'm going to need a copy of the statement from the witness who reported the altercation and saw the stabbing, and any other evidence that we have collected so far."

"I'll get it, Steve." Lee told him, turning, and heading back to his own desk as Bill reached Steve.

"I have done as much of a background check on Solace as I could at this time of the morning, Steve." Bill announced softly, handing Steve a slim Manilla folder after Hawkins walked away. He continued as Steve opened the file and studied a grainy black and white telexed photo of their victim before he began to flick through the rest of the file that Bill had collected. "John Solace is twenty-two years of age and attends the University of Arizona. It's too early in the morning to find out what just what he is studying or if he's in any of Jeannie's classes, but I do know that like Jeannie, he lives on campus. His parents and younger brother live his hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I checked with the Phoenix and the Cedar Rapids PDs. Solace is squeaky clean, Steve, he has no record at all, not even a parking ticket. Cedar Rapids are going to do the Next of Kin notification for us."

Steve sighed as he closed the file.

"After I lucked out on getting much on Solace, I decided to go down to the bus station to try and find out what time Jeannie got into San Francisco tonight and if Solace was with her."

"And?"

"I got lucky, Steve, I managed to speak to the bus driver who was driving the bus that Jeannie came in on, only, get this, the driver insists that Jeannie didn't arrive on the bus tonight. He told me that both Jeannie and Solace caught his bus in Phoenix, Arizona, four days ago."

"Four days ago? Is he sure that they were on the bus four days ago and not today?" Steve asked in surprised, confused to the reason, if Jeannie had been in San Francisco for the last four days, why hadn't she contacted Mike to let him know , and why had she told him that she was in Phoenix studying for her mid-terms? And more importantly where had she been all that time?

"Positive enough to give us a written statement." Bill nodded towards the file in Steve's hand, " I even showed him Jeannie's and Solace's photos to make sure that it was them that he remembered being on the bus three days ago and not someone else. He made a positive identity. He said they both got on the bus and sat down together. He remembers them well because they were a young, good-looking couple, both were neat and clean, unlike some of the young hippy couples, their age, that usually catch the San Francisco bus. He said that whole time they were on the bus they were laughing and joking with each other or just holding hands, just enjoying each other's company. They reminded him of a pair of high school sweethearts or a newly married couple, that's why he remembers them so well. Also, the ticket in Solace's pocket confirms that he arrived in San Francisco four days ago, just like the ticket I found in Jeanie's belongings down in Booking. "

Turning back to look at Jeannie, Steve sighed, "I wonder what other secrets Jeannie is hiding from us and why."