"The fire inspector found evidence of tampering in the elevator shaft, as well as a small set of explosives along the wiring for the cart. We're currently looking into all the camera footage we have to see if we can figure out who did this. I had samples sent to several explosives experts to see if they can narrow down the compounds used for the bomb. As for the elevator shaft, that was just a bunch of garbage set on fire, papers, cardboard, junk, the works."
Leaning against the window overlooking downtown, Mike pursed his lips, trying to draw in a deep breath but feeling his chest constricting at the news he feared would come.
"You and I both know who did this, Rudy."
"No Mike, no we don't.", came the surprisingly stern answer from his superior, " There's no evidence right now that Osorro had anything to do with this. There was no media plea, no blue balloon and…not to sound macabre, but there were no fatalities. Nothing in this situation tells me it's him. It could be anybody waltzing in here trying to cause trouble. A copy cat. A guy upset with his tax return. Somebody angry about a parking ticket. Practically anybody."
"Oh come on, now, Rudy, you gotta be kidding me. He's playing with us, flexing his muscles, trying to show us that he's still around. He wants to see me and my partner dead."
The last sentence burnt like acid on his tongue, the sheer thought, the horrifying way that Osorro would want for them to suffer sending chills down his spine.
And just what was there to do about it in the meantime? He had too little information to justify protection, and even if he did, who was to say Osorro couldn't work around that? Just how in the world would Mike keep his partner safe? How about himself? How would they ever know when the manic arsonist would strike again, especially since he decided to stop talking to the press?
"You know, you are starting to come off a little paranoid on that situation, don't you think?"
It was the second time that Olsen threw him a curveball, making him wonder what exactly had been going on behind closed doors to warrant that tone and accusation.
"Twelve people are dead, Rudy. Twelve. This guy isn't a lollipop, he knows what he's doing. He's a psychopath. And he's mad that we escaped his trap last time, so now he's trying again. Nothing about that has anything to do with paranoia. Those are cold, hard facts and I am going to find that son of a gun if it's the last thing I do!"
"Look at yourself, will you?!", Rudy countered angrily, his head turning a shade redder as he circled Mike's desk to step in front of him, "Your…your temper has been all over the place lately. Ever since you started with this whole Osorro thing, this place, everything that you touch has been a complete and utter mess. Every time I see your partner, he's either limping, bruised, or getting checked out after causing a car wreck. Keller, your department, the people around you…everything is completely off balance. How much longer is this going to continue before somebody gets seriously injured or worse?! This…this situation is causing friction and waves that even the guys upstairs have noticed. Everyone in this goddamn building has."
"Now, what is that supposed to mean?"
Taking a step toward his superior, Mike clenched his jaws, trying hard to contain the fury boiling beneath the cloak of a controlled façade, brought on after days on end of being told to pretend Osorro was dead by the very people who had sworn to due diligence in any investigation, yet were ever so eager to throw away the shadow of doubt in a case as widespread and dangerous as this one- all in the guise of appeasing the vultures at the press.
And now he was the problem?!
"It means that it's time to let that Osorro thing rest for a bit and focus on your current case. You two haven't made the slighted bit of headway in over a week. That's not like you."
"It's a difficult case and we have very little to go on, that's all.", Mike countered defensively, leaving out the fact that he had just been released from the hospital not too long ago purposefully, not wanting to poke the bear about the situation any more than necessary.
Apparently his plea struck deaf ears when Olsen shook his head determinedly.
"Well, I sure hope you are right about that because Conden thinks that all this has to do with you sticking your head into a closed case instead of doing your job. He thinks you should back off a bit, maybe take some time off, talk to a shrink and hand the De Haro case over to somebody else. I told him that I'd talk to you first and get it straightened out, but…just between the two of us, I would recommend you get working on your case and somehow manage to stay away from all the drama that's been consuming this department for a little while. And Michael, this time around, this isn't a friendly request. It's an order."
