Sidney Owens fit the precise image Steve had created in his mind after the ten-minute conversation that should have only lasted a few seconds. As such, with voyeur-like curiosity, he kept his eyes trained on both Mike, and Staff Sergeant Kammers, impatient to see if their strained nerves could be stretched any more today.
Secretly, he also hoped that it would help both of them out of that awkward and stiff posturing that had begun since Kammers had joined their well-forged two-man operation with little to no heads-up.
While Steve didn't begrudge the situation as much as his best friend did; it left him to wonder just how well planned out this whole project was, and whether it was truly destined to expand the Staff Sergeant's horizon, or if it was a political move meant to set an example of a female officer in a male dominated world.
Either way, the unnecessary tension created by it would make for a tumultuous few days, that much the young Inspector was sure of.
With a cocky grin, he opened the wrought iron garden gate leading past the tiny home on Lexington Street that was bordered on either side by newer structures, leaving barely enough room to get to the backyard.
Sidney greeted the trio from afar, then gestured for them to follow.
The young man was a lot on the eyes, his permed brown hair accentuated by a bright yellow sunflower dress. Steve couldn't be sure if he was using paper mâché or small traffic cones to create the image of breasts, but regardless thereof, it served as another stab at Mike whose comfort zone had already been stretched beyond tolerable limits for the day.
With the slightest of grunts, the Lieutenant glared over at his partner, his gaze a mixture of annoyance and ridicule. Keeping his own expression limited to a broad grin, Steve held the door open for Mike and Kammers to walk past, as the trio followed the peculiarly dressed man to his destination.
"You'll have to excuse me. I wasn't quite ready for company.", he said, the pitch in his voice several octaves higher than it should be, every word feeling like a needle shoved into Steve's brain, "You guys are so well dressed for cops. Mhm…I like your style, buddy."
When the other man's eyes came to rest on Steve, he smiled awkwardly, swallowing the fitting answer on the top of his tongue.
Unlike the front of the older home, the backyard was a tiny nature lover's paradise. Small gardens cornered the property line and a vast assortment of colorful flowers grew in every available space surrounding a seating area made up of cozy wooden lawn furniture.
It was hard to believe such a place even existed just a stone's throw away from busy downtown San Francisco.
Well aware of Sidney's new-found fondness of his clothing choice and probably a lot more than that, Steve was planning to wait until the man sat down, then pick the chair farthest away. Much to his dismay, both Mike and Kammers had the same idea, both of them moving to the far corner of the table, forcing him to sit right next to the eccentric gardener turned interview subject.
"I guess…I shouldn't be surprised that the police wanted to talk to me about my cousin's death. What a senseless, senseless tragedy."
"Mister Owens, were you aware of any trouble Leanne was in? Money troubles perhaps? Did she ever mention anything?"
Squinting against the sunlight, a rarity in this city, Mike was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, his expression unreadable except for the slight tapping of his right foot.
"Not that I am aware of, Lieutenant Stone.", Sidney responded, then played with the shoulder straps of his dress, "I guess it was quite the opposite. She had saved up some money and was thinking of buying a new car, maybe take a vacation even."
"What about a boyfriend, Mister Owens? Do you remember her talking about someone new in her life? Someone she was comfortable letting into her apartment?"
There was an unmistakable change in the other man's expression when he turned his head to glance at Steve, his brown eyes growing warm and welcoming despite the morose nature of their questioning.
"No boyfriend as far as I know, Inspector Keller. She didn't really have friends here either. Her parents moved to Oregon when she was little so all her contacts are there. She just came back to San Francisco a few years ago. She was a loner and very used to keeping to herself. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
Desperately trying to ignore the overly sweet perfume exuding from each pore of their witness, Steve nodded faintly, then reached inside his coat pocket for his notepad, using the opportunity to share a quick glance with his partner.
Unlike Mike, Staff Sergeant Kammers seemed distracted, her eyes wandering along the wall of ivy climbing parts of the privacy fence beside them.
"Mister Owens…", the young Inspector resumed, practically hearing Mike's voice in his head urging him to be cautious, as he prepared the next set of questions for their subject, "You initially said that you last saw Leanne two days before she was murdered. What was that meeting all about?"
Without having to look up, Steve could see the faintest of approving nods coming from his partner's direction, fatherly pride taking over for a fleeting moment before disappearing again beneath the cloak of neutral professionalism.
"Just a friendly get-together. We were grabbing some hot dogs and then went for a walk just to…clear our minds a bit and talk. You see, the only family she has here is her aunt and uncle and me. She doesn't even have any siblings and, as you are very well aware by now I am sure, her parents are gone already. Died way too soon in that 5-car pileup outside Portland three, four years ago."
"Were there any changes you noticed in Leanne's behavior over the past…say three weeks before she was murdered?"
This time it was Kammers who spoke up, her thin lips pursed, blue eyes focused on their subject. As if it bothered him to take his attention off the young Inspector, Sidney sighed theatrically, then shook his head.
"Nothing I can think of, Miss Kammers."
"That's Staff Sergeant Kammers.", she retorted curtly, earning herself a frustrated scoffing, before she continued, "Were there any changes in her routine? Did she miss get togethers? Call you more often than usual? Used new words? Changed her opinion on topics that mattered to her?"
The intense questioning seemed to do the trick when Sidney mumbled something inaudible, then glanced at his lap in deep thought.
After a few quiet seconds, he looked back up, a spark in his eyes as he reached over to touch Steve's shoulder.
"The lady Inspector is right! There was something I noticed the last few times we went out. Leanne…her mannerisms changed a bit. She'd grown more…oh I don't, comfortable with her body, not so insecure, ready to take on the world!"
Feeing the sunflower dress and whatever Sidney was using to form a female physique on his chest rub against his arm, Steve tried to shift over a little, only to have the other man lean even farther into his direction.
"Did you get a chance to ask her about that…that change?", Mike tried from his corner of the table, hands clasped, quietly observing their witness for any signs of lying.
"Never, Lieutenant. We didn't talk too much about stuff like that. It was more like…casual small talk."
Nearly losing the grasp on his pen when Sidney leaned over close enough that his curly hair touched his cheek, Steve decided to break up the party and rose from his chair as he reached for a business card in the leather case of his badge.
"If you can...ehm...if you think of anything else, Mister Owens, just give us a call. Switchboards are open day and night."
As he dropped the card on the wooden table, the young Inspector glanced over at Mike, sensing the same willingness to end the interview and move on, as the Lieutenant shifted his weight to get up.
"Well, I'll be sure to do just that, Inspector Keller.", Sidney responded cheerily, his hand reaching over to grab what Steve presumed was the business card.
Much to his horror, it copped a feel in far more personal territory.