"I don't know about you, Buddyboy, but I have had more than my fair share of eccentrics for the day.". Mike grunted as they approached the DeHaro house late that evening, finishing a long day that left them both feeling aggravated and distracted by the many events that had disrupted their regular work schedule.
After their meeting with Owens went sour, Mike had decided to return downtown, putting some more effort into old-school R&I work to see if there were any new patterns in Leanne Harrison's life that might indicate what eventually led up to her death.
To aid his efforts, he'd instructed both Steve and Kammers to call up any local fitness parlors, restaurants and boutiques in a five-mile radius of Harrison's apartment to see if anybody remembered seeing the lady and if so, whether she was alone.
By 10pm at night, they were back to the same standstill situation that had been characterizing this bizarre case from the beginning.
"That's not the word you used to describe the Staff Sergeant earlier this morning.", Steve said smugly, unable to hide a grin as he pulled the Galaxy into the parking spot in front of Mike's house.
After the initial heated debate with the uppity lady, the situation had eventually relaxed somewhat, allowing both the Lieutenant and Kammers to come to terms with the set-up, one of them more grateful than the other that the forced cooperation would only last a couple of weeks.
"At least I didn't go out of my way to dream up fancy words to describe this…this mess. What was that again, Collegeboy? Juxtaposition?"
"That's what got you all worked up?", with an infectious chuckle, Steve leaned back against the Galaxy's front bench and glanced over at his partner amicably, "Calling your collaboration with Staff Sergeant Kammers a juxtaposition of differing world views is the closest I could get to not to calling it a clash of characters."
"Well, you got that right. I just…I don't like the idea of women on the force, doing these…these dangerous jobs. It throws a monkey wrench in people's minds about the police force and what it stands for. I worry about the other guys of the squad, friction within the leadership, unnecessary trouble for the guys down in IA. And it opens up a whole…Pandora's box of other problems when it comes to having women around."
Despite his grumbling, Mike's mood had finally simmered down to its usual, balanced approach. With his blue eyes off in the distance, watching a couple pedestrians taking advantage of the unseasonably nice weather this evening, he eventually sighed, then glanced back over at his partner.
"I have no problem with Kammers' skillset. But I have a problem with it being used to shove this new idea down our throats with little to no concern about its practicality. Women are seen as more…vulnerable than men. They can get raped, they're…they're smaller built and an easy target for some of the guys we come across. They are going to have a harder time demanding authority out on the streets, where it's needed the most, and when it's needed the most. People won't accept women in these types of jobs just because the Brass and the media think it's a great idea and shows our…our supposed commitment to equal rights. I sure hope they still feel the same way the first time a female detective gets raped or killed during a stakeout."
Steve had remained unusually quiet during the passionate monologue, his eyes unreadable as he listened patiently, before giving him the faintest of nods.
"Well, for what it's worth, she wasn't the one getting inappropriately touched today."
The short remark stopped the Lieutenant in his tracks, as he glanced over at his partner in annoyance, then allowed for his expression to grow warmer and empathetic considering the bizarre circumstances.
"You know what I mean, Buddyboy."
"Yeah, I do.", the young Inspector said deep in thought and reached in his pant pocket to retrieve some sunflower seeds to munch on, as he stared aimlessly at the steering wheel of the unmarked police car, "I just think that your gentleman's approach on this is about to get plowed under by an avalanche of political agendas and women who have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I guess…I guess you have to ask yourself if your reaction to Staff Sergeant Kammers had been the same without this…this forced cooperation. And she needs to ask herself that same question. Like you said, it's important to take gender out of the equation for now and focus on skillsets. Do you think she'll be able to head a squad on her own by the time she gets done with us? Because in the end, it all boils down to leadership and keeping her men safe."
"You hit the nail on the head there, Smiley.", Mike said and reached over to tap his partner's wrist, "That's exactly what I am worried about."