"I think I got something.", Steve exclaimed enthusiastically and hung up the phone, unsure if anybody was even within earshot, and not caring either way.
Finishing his thoughts on a piece of paper, the young Inspector eventually glanced up, curious to see if someone had heard his announcement.
Simone greeted him with a warm smile, her relief radiating all the way over to his desk after a long and discouraging morning of fruitless research.
As she got up and headed his way, Steve looked over at his partner who'd turned unusually quiet and broody since Olsen left. Although he hadn't said much about the matter, it was obvious that whatever had been discussed with the Captain was bugging him tremendously.
Even now, as Mike glanced over at him with a satisfied smile, Steve could tell that he had to force it.
"What have you got, Smiley?", the Lieutenant tried, the deep breath following his question tearing on Steve's heartstrings.
"It's nothing profound, but it does seem strange…", the young Inspector said cryptically and waited for Simone to join them, before continuing, "So, I know we checked out the bar that used to be Leanne Harrison's hangout, right?"
Nodding eagerly, Mike crossed his arms in front of his chest and straightened out somewhat, as if the notion of progress rejuvenated his weary senses.
"Somebody did remember seeing her there with someone else?"
"Not quite.", unable to contain his excitement about the tiniest iota of progress, Steve reached for his pencil and tapped it against the surface of his desk, "I actually ended up checking on a couple of the other bars in the area. Because, if we go along with Leanne leading a sort of…secret life when it came to certain aspects of her past-time, I figured that she wouldn't want to be seen with a new boyfriend right away. She'd want to tread things carefully. So, I called up JR's Roadhouse down on 25th and Dolores because the food and atmosphere was similar to that of her regular hangout. And the bartender remembered seeing her with a man there, a guy somewhat older than she was. He said to meet him there in an hour to discuss the situation."
"Good job!", Mike praised, the smile on his face sincere this time around, "Let me make a quick phone call and then we can head out."
When Simone stayed quiet despite the possible break in their case, Steve looked up, only to see her focus shifted to a spot right behind them.
Following her glance, the young Inspector felt his heart sink when it was Beverly who was standing by the group, patiently waiting for them to finish their discussion, her red-rimmed eyes a somber indicator of how the meeting downstairs had gone.
It didn't take long for Mike to catch onto the situation, his stern eyes narrowed at the unwelcome distraction during an already challenging day.
With a deep breath, he cleared his throat, then stared at his partner warningly.
"Make it quick."