"Let's keep an eye out for that kid. I am not a hundred percent sold that he's innocent."
Mike's voice was stern, gaze deeply focused on the road ahead as they sped back toward Oakland. With their roles in the car switched for once, Steve anxiously held the receiver of their police radio in his left hand, trying to ensure their arrest would go smoothly.
"Yeah, Headquarters, if you could dispatch me directly through to him…thank you!"
"One minute, Inspectors 8-1.", came the prompt answer.
"What if Luther is there with him?"
Glancing over for a brief moment, Mike shrugged.
"Then we'll question him separate from his father and see if it leads to an arrest, or a signed witness statement. In that case, I want you to take on Luther, with backup. I'll handle Jason."
"Inspectors 8-1, you are now connected to Patrol car 70C8."
Focusing back on the radio, Steve pushed the receiver button.
"Scott, this is Steve, do you read?"
"Loud and clear, my friend. What do you guys need?"
"We need two cars to back us up for an arrest over in Oakland. Oakland PD is unable to provide support at this time. They're clearing a fatal car crash with multiple victims. So we need a few extra hands. Suspect is dangerous, may be armed. Multiple people in the household. Can you spare a couple of your guys?"
"I've got a cruiser over by the Embarcadero and I am just finishing up an escort; I can be over there in twenty minutes. What's the address?"
"800 Block of Hampton Road. We're having dispatch send over the information to you guys as we speak."
"You got it, Steve. See you guys in a bit."
Letting the receiver sink down again, Steve bit his lip, following the lines of cars they passed on their way down 80.
"You're feeling up to this, Buddyboy?"
Mike's eyes never left the road ahead, and yet, all his senses were trained on his young partner.
Nodding slowly, Steve managed the most confident smile he could muster under the circumstances. In return, the Lieutenant gave him the most convincing nod that he actually believed him.
"I just keep on thinking about this Luther…the kind of upbringing he had, psychological issues, then getting dragged into murdering his sister…"
"Well, we don't know that yet.", Mike cautioned and gestured with his hands resting against the steering wheel, "Just like Gerry said, we have yet to determine where she was initially attacked and how Jason found her. She was missing for several weeks. Being that Jules put her at the music festival not too long ago, it's safe to say that she probably decided to just run away, and nobody could blame her for it. But without any of those answers, we're still missing a large part of our puzzle. At least we got our warrant on suspicion of murder. That'll be enough to bring him back and put him through the wringer."
"You think Jason will put up a fight?"
Falling quiet for a moment, Mike pursed his lips, the lines of worry on his face growing deeper the closer they got to Oakland. Eventually, he exhaled slowly, and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
"I'd be surprised if he doesn't. Hopefully the fact that there is no gun registered in his name means that there is no gun in the house. But we need to be careful. I want you to stay back on this one. At least until we know who all is home."
The fatherly concern in his blue eyes was enough for Steve to drop the argument before it ever left his lips. Nodding obediently, he reached for some sunflower seeds in his pant pockets, hoping that prying the shells open with his teeth would be enough to settle his unease with the situation.
Then again, on the eve of solving a disturbing case of a father murdering his own daughter, very little was left to assuage his deeply hidden sorrow.
