No, he wasn't going to see Mike in the morning.

It was a coward's way out but he had to check off this last lead on their case, see for himself why Andrea had lied to him.

With the alcohol-induced headache turning his sour mood a notch lower, he'd made some phone calls from home, tell Art to inform Mike he'd be in late- again- and that he'd meet with Williams and eventually bring her in. Then he called Charlie's guys at the lab, confirming that the manure on his clothes was a match to what was found on Sullenger's boots and that his sportscoat and pants were ready to be dry cleaned. His last call had gone to Andrea herself, where he apologized about his prior unprofessional behavior and hoped he could make things right over a cup of coffee down the road from her studio.

Agreeing reluctantly, the medium turned prime suspect had requested a couple of hours to finish up a session and make some phone calls, before meeting him at the park over by Dolores, where a small roadside stand sold the best hand-made waffles known to mankind.

And right past the fancy palisades and assortment of street artist was where his best-laid plans went awry.

With the breeze blowing her long brown hair askew, Andrea had been waiting for him to pull the silver Porsche in park along the busy two-lane road, holding two freshly baked waffles in her hand, as she smiled seductively.

"Do tell me, Inspector, what is it with your sudden change of heart?", she asked, as he bridged the last of the distance toward her, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Is there something wrong with making up for a moment of…poor judgement?", Steve answered guardedly and accepted the waffle with a smile, before following her deeper into the park, "I hope you didn't wait too long. The noon traffic slowed me down quite a bit."

"Not at all. Like I said, I was meeting a customer. I didn't mind waiting a few minutes and free my soul from the stress that can so easily overcome us."

When he never acknowledged her esoteric remark, Andrea slowed her pace until he almost bumped into her back.

"Are you alright? You look tired."

Snapping out of his deep brooding, he nodded hastily, then pointed toward the waffle in his hand.

"Yes, I was just…enjoying the food. This is really good. How did you…ehm find this waffle guy?"

"You didn't come to see me to discuss waffles. What is it you want to know?"

"Well…we're kind of at a standstill with our case. I wanted to see if you had any more…oh...I don't know…visions perhaps?"

With a slight chuckle, Andrea resumed her relaxed stroll through the park and ate a bite out of her waffle, before clearing her throat.

"Inspector, Inspector. You know what they say. You can't throw a rock into the fire and expect it to turn into a feather."

Following the tall brunette down the paved sidewalk, Steve let his eyes drift over the newly planted pine trees lining their path, and the surprisingly large crowd of people descending on the park for their lunch break. Completely oblivious to the grave discussion topic he was about to bring up with her, a group of Asian tourists passed them by, eagerly taking pictures of everything in their way, nearly running him over as they did so.

Remembering every last lesson Mike taught him over the years, especially the one about professional distance, about not letting good times get in the way of what was right, about the strict requirements that came with the badge and the law he swore to uphold regardless of his personal feelings, Steve waited until the group was out of earshot, before resuming his conversation.

"Did you just compare me to a rock?"

Andrea finished her waffle and turned around to face him, a haughty smile on her lips.

"No. All I said was that your soul is too honest and sincere to make you a good liar, Inspector. So, what is it you suspect me of doing wrong this time around?"

Returning her smile sheepishly, Steve threw his empty plastic wrapper in the nearby garbage can and pointed north, his eyes turning somber.

"Why didn't you tell me that you've been up to Al Marietti's farm? Or that you were…having a relationship with Roy Sullenger? Did you think that the lies about your visions would embellish things a bit more? Did you enjoy sending us on a wild goose chase?"

Instantly losing that confident smile on her face, Andrea spun around to walk the other way, the tail of her long maroon leather coat swinging violently in the breeze.

Steve sped up his pace to remain by her side, his fierce stare demanding an answer that didn't come for several yards. Eventually, he decided to bypass his vow to keep his physical distance and reached for Andrea's elbow, effectively stopping her in her tracks.

"Not everything was a lie, Stephen!", she insisted with a sob, drawing the attention of several passerbys along the way, "I didn't kill him, if that's what you are worried about. But had I told you about my involvement from the beginning, you would have suspected me as your killer no matter what I said."

"Wrong.", Steve fired back, growing increasingly furious about the time they'd wasted chasing shadows, "I might have believed you then. But I can't say the same thing now. And I am going to have to ask you to accompany me downtown. We're going to take your fingerprints."

"Stop being so stubborn, I told you didn't do it. And for what it's worth, these visions of mine…they aren't a farce. I did see you at that murder scene. And I could sense your partner's sorrow. I am doing this for a living, after all.", she insisted and pulled her arm free to walk deeper into the park.

Following her closely, Steve tossed the idea of handcuffs around in his mind for a while, but then decided against it for fear of throwing more gasoline on the fire.

"He was starting to have trouble with the show. Quotas were running low. He was dealing with depression after the divorce. Lots of pressure from the producers to keep up the cheery façade. The farm gave him a reprieve. So did I."

Her explanation, carelessly thrown out into the open, raised his curiosity even further and Steve stepped in front of her, blocking the escape route of somebody who seemed far too used to running from reality.

"So, you were his female escort on days when things weren't going his way?"

"Not in a sexual matter if that's what you are insinuating.", she pleaded and pushed him closer to the pine trees for added privacy, "Spiritually. I was his listening ear, helping his weary soul to relax for a bit. The wish cabin gave him a spot to just be himself and I taught him about meditation out there. We even did a bunch of breathing exercises together. Al couldn't say no when a guy with a bunch of money showed up at his doorstep, so he opened the farm up to Roy whenever he felt like it. And when that was the case, he'd call me up and we'd hang out for a while. It was nothing more than a service I provided."

"Service is not what Marietti described your actions like.", Steve argued, his voice a mere growl, as he met the defiant blue eyes staring back at him.

"He is wrong. And he's a creep. He probably told you what he dreamed up in that sick mind of his."

Part of him wanted to believe her, he really did. But the other part, the eager student Mike had mentored and nurtured over the past few years was quickly putting any personal feelings aside, prepared to read the cards as they fell.

And in Andrea's case that only meant more lies thrown his way, skillfully disguised in a mixture of charm and passionate guilt tripping.

"Given the current situation, his word is a lot more dependable than yours."

Andrea pursed her lips, ready to continue the dispute that was growing more pointless by the minute, when suddenly, her eyes widened in terror. Alarmed by the change in behavior, Steve spun around, trying to find the source of her fear, when everything turned black.