Here are a couple more pieces for the evening. Enjoy. Oh, and if you find any logical errors, blame the Piesporter. And the Riesling. After 100+ pages they tend to become my best friend.
"So much for keeping the press out of things…", Mike muttered, as he glanced out of his office window at the commotion of vans parked along the street and parking lot below; media piranhas filling the foyer of the Hall of Justice building in hopes to get first-hand information on Roy Sullenger's murder.
"The dark side of fame…", came Steve's cynical response from the coffee table, as he refilled both of their cups, adding extra sugar and cream to Mike's, before returning to the Lieutenant's office, "Celebrities or cops…one of them gets killed and the media can't contain themselves."
Acknowledging the somber comment without a response, Mike nodded, then pursed his lips in dismay, as he made out the grey Channel 12 media van, the dread that came with the sight making his strong morning coffee even more imperative to ensure a good day.
"Bernie said he's hoping to have the autopsy results by late afternoon. Toxicology may be delayed despite the rush order."
Joining his partner by the window, Steve took a long sip of coffee, letting the warm liquid sit in his mouth for a moment of quiet contemplation, before swallowing.
"The guys at the "Bottom of the Hill" said Sullenger left alone, didn't mention anybody and wasn't drunk either."
"Could be that somebody was waiting for him outside. Unfortunately, it could be anyone, starting with family members to disgruntled fans.", Mike hypothesized and turned back around to sit at the corner of his desk, woefully preparing for the media frenzy that would undoubtedly arise with their latest high-profile case.
Glancing down at the full coffee cup resting on his thigh, the Lieutenant sighed, sensing his partner's curious eyes on him the entire time.
"I can't get Channel 9 on my setup, so I've never watched his show. Did he have reason to have…upset fans? He did what, life counseling of sorts?"
"That pretty much sums it up, Buddyboy. People out of the audience would ask for life advice and he'd bring them on stage. You have to remember that Sullenger was an Air Force Vet and spent a lot of time after the war on humanitarian projects in and around town. He changed a lot of lives for the better and eventually got into television. He was a reasonably good-looking guy and gave out excellent advice, and that caught on. I think his show had been running for at least five years now. It's safe to say he's got quite a fanclub. As well as enemies."
Steve nodded, then leaned against the gray file cabinet, where he proceeded to stretch his back like an alley cat.
"I've got…a call into his manager to see if Sullenger has received any threatening phone calls or letters lately, he said he'd get back with me mid-afternoon."
"Let's dig into that first.", Mike suggested, a faint smile playing on his lips as he fidgeted with the seams of his black dress pants, "Before you came back up from records, I received a phone call from Sandy Holloway's lawyer, Sullenger's ex-wife, stating that she has an air-tight alibi for last night because she spent the night with her ailing parents in some uppity neighborhood in Marin County. I told him that we have yet to establish whether or not Sullenger's death was a homicide, and he said, quote on quote, that enough people had reason to, because the man destroyed more lives than he tried to save."