Forester was on his second cup of coffee when his eyes drifted back over to the interrogation room, where the two San Francisco detectives were still having an engaged dialogue, more than half hour after he let Carigio go.
At least temporarily, as far as he was concerned.
His initial plan had been to smoke out the bar owner, see if he could get him to fold under pressure.
That was until things took a significant turn south, once Barney became involved.
Surprised by the volatility of the young man's temper, he couldn't help but wonder what skeletons were hiding in his closet to cause the unexpected outburst that had even startled his long-time partner.
Granted, it had been the very reason he was worried about his involvement from the beginning.
Too many people dead, the pressure of a presumed hate crime, a city torn between those who sanctioned Homosexuality and those who despised it; it was enough to put a seasoned detective through the wringer, the strain surely unbearable for a young chap like Keller.
But then something quite magical happened.
After the much-expected reprimand by the stern-faced Lieutenant, both detectives settled down, their body language shifting from defense to open-mindedness, their shoulders lowered, standing there face to face, talking and breathing evenly.
Forester didn't want to be a voyeur, but he could barely contain his utter curiosity with the intriguing interaction happening between the two polar opposites just a few feet away.
Several seconds into the confrontation, Barney began to talk calmly again, settling down from whatever had caused the issue, even managing a fleeting smile despite the Lieutenant towering over him. Words were exchanged, eager nods supporting each other's arguments became more frequent, as the fascinating rekindling continued.
Throughout it all, the Lieutenant hadn't taken his hand off the young man, using the physical contact like a lifeline, a sort of communication device that conveyed both, deep affection and unwavering support.
Sipping on his coffee, Forester smiled warmly, thoroughly enjoying the unconcealed display of partnership and devotion that went deeper than most people could begin to fathom.
Through careful encouragement, the Lieutenant managed to channel his young partner's concerns and turned them into constructive dialogue, one hand squeezing Barney's shoulder reassuringly, as the mentor guided his pupil through another valuable learning session.
Forester didn't dare think about his late partner, or the scene ahead would have brought even more tears to his burning eyes.
With a heavy sigh, he decided to bury the uncomfortable memories for the time being, and give his two new friends a few more minutes to fix what needed fixing, as he headed back to his desk.
Halfway there, he heard the phone in Stone's office ring and decided to grab it, hoping that it was the call he'd been waiting for.
"Lieutenant Stone's office, Captain Forester speaking?"
"Captain, this is Bill Tanner with the search crew. We just finished going through Carigio's apartment once more like you said, and I think you'll like what we discovered."
"Did you find the gun, young man?"
A triumphant smile spread on the Captain's features, as he turned around to check on his teammates, who were still talking things through, entirely oblivious to their curious spectator.
"Not the gun itself, but we did find the case, and a box of ammo matching the type we found at the crime scene."
"Bingo! Good job, my friend!", Forester yelled a little too loud, one hand clenched to a victorious fist, "You know what that means. I will give ADA O'Brian a call and get that warrant issued. Pick up Carigio as soon as he shows up. Otherwise we'll release an APB."
"That won't be necessary, Captain. He showed up a couple of minutes ago and Lessing arrested him once we found the gun case. He's been read his rights and wants to talk to his lawyer, so we're ready to bring him in whenever you are."