An undeniable sense of relief had filled each crevice of the busy Homicide bullpen by the time they arrived shortly before noon.
It was a sense of belonging and security they'd all been deprived of since Mike's involuntary trip to the hospital, and each detective had made a point to stop by the inner office to see how the Lieutenant was holding up.
Even though Mike was officially still on sick leave, it brought a smile to Steve's face to see him behind that meticulously organized desk once again.
After the initial surge of visitors had slowed down, the young Inspector once again returned his focus on the files in front of him, one being Bernie's autopsy report on their graveyard John Doe, the other one a copy of more dental match requests for the burnt warehouse body, this time to Eastern European agencies as well as several in Asia, hoping to determine the identity of their body.
He'd made a point to keep the information to himself for now, no need to stir up Mike's concerns about the situation once again until they would find some definite answers.
For now, the lack of media appearances and no other arson cases were a good sign, and he chose to hold onto the hope that the madman had been served the proverbial poetic justice.
Distracted between the joy of having his partner back and the many questions still surrounding Osorro's death; Steve almost overlooked a note the lab crew had included about the clothing on their graveyard body.
It detailed that the fibers found were those of high-quality yarn along with angora, which would have made for a soft, fairly expensive piece of clothing. According to the guys downstairs, the description of the materials also matched something else that made far more sense - that of a priest's cassock.
Deciding that it was time for round two of questioning Father Tenpenny and dig a bit deeper into his defenses, Steve got up from his desk and reached for his dress coat, the move noticed by Tanner who stood up as well.
"Bill, let's go knock on some more church doors…", he said cryptically, before peeking his head into Mike's office, catching the Lieutenant absent-mindedly staring at Jeannie's picture.
Relishing the precious sight for a brief moment, Steve hesitated, quietly stopping by the doorframe.
"We're gonna head over to the Mission Dolores Cemetery one more time. I've got a few more questions to ask. The clothing fibers left on our body could be those of a cassock. Figured I'd rattle Father Tenpenny's cage some more, see where it leads."
"Be nice. Remember, he's a man of strong religious convictions.", Mike cautioned, making no attempts to disguise his disappointment on having to stay behind, a rule Rudy was adamant about.
"Aren't I always?", Steve teased in return, before glancing down at his wristwatch, "We should be back in a couple of hours. I'll radio in if we find something."
"Please do. I want you to 10-20 every hour. And call in reinforcements if you need any assistance. Don't hesitate. Be careful out there, you understand?"
"Yes, father…"
The flippant comment earned him a stern glare and Steve raised his hands apologetically, before heading back to his desk to grab the .38, his badge and handcuffs.
Slapping Tanner on the shoulder as the African American Inspector readied himself to follow along, Steve smiled jovially, sensing a case break in the making.
"Come on Bill, let's do some digging."
