Putting the now-filled percolator on the counter and plugging it in, Steve crossed to the front door after hearing the knock. Tousle-haired and yawning, he opened the door to reveal a somewhat irritated-looking Rudy Olsen. Before he could begin a salutation, the captain barked, "Where the hell have you two been?" He brushed past the young inspector and into the living room.
"Good morning," Steve said quietly towards the now empty stoop and stepped back to slowly close the door.
Olsen had already crossed the room and was on his way back. "When I told you to maybe enjoy a change of scenery for a couple of days, I meant take a drive up to wine country, perhaps, not disappear for three days."
Steve had put his hands up to quiet the rather loud outburst, glancing up the stairs.
"We didn't 'disappear', Rudy, we went to Arizona –"
"Oh, great, across state lines!"
"- so Mike could see Jeannie," Steve finished pointedly.
Olsen began to interrupt again then stopped and closed his mouth. "Oh," he said quietly. "Did, ah, did it help?"
Relaxing, with a warm smile, Steve nodded. "Yeah, it really did. Look, ah, I'm just putting the coffee on, you wanna cup?"
With a somewhat less frustrated sigh, Olsen nodded. "Sure, why not? That was quite a trip you took so soon after…you know…" he continued, following Steve into the kitchen. "Are you both okay?"
Steve nodded as he took three mugs out of the cupboard. "We're a little worse for wear, and I'm gonna make sure he stays in bed most of the day, but mentally and emotionally it was the best thing we could have done."
"He's okay?" Olsen asked, frowning. He knew Mike was an early riser and had been concerned that he was not up and about.
Steve nodded again, grinning. "Don't worry, I checked on him. If you want to do the same, go on up." He saw Olsen glance towards the kitchen door but remain where he was. "So, anything happen while we were gone?"
Olsen relaxed and leaned against the counter. "Not too much; Norm and Dan are still working the case on their own. The three of us still think there's something not quite right there and the guys won't give up. They're doing it off the clock, of course; Dan took some vacation time and Norm's 'out with a cold'," he chuckled, pride in his voice. He saw Steve's smile of gratitude. "Anyway, I stopped by to let you know that Mike's PBA lawyer wants to see him this afternoon. Shall I tell him stop by around two?"
Steve thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yeah, he'll be up to it by then." He poured coffee into the mugs.
"You can drink coffee?" Olsen asked.
Steve looked up and smiled, reaching for the small cardboard box on the counter. "Yep," he said with a laugh as he pulled out a straw.
# # # # #
Mike's meeting with his PBA lawyer went as well as could be expected. Steve had left them alone in the living room after brewing a fresh pot of coffee, retreating up to Jeannie's room to read.
When he came down, the lawyer was gone and Mike was sitting in the armchair. He didn't look up when Steve crossed to the couch and sat.
"What did he say?" Steve asked quietly, and Mike shook himself slightly, turning to his partner with a small melancholy smile.
He cleared his throat slightly and looked away. "Well, he's trying to put a good face on it, but I can tell he thinks it's going to be an uphill battle. Basically, of course, it comes down to my word against his, and even with my record, the fact that I was seconds away from unconsciousness and trying to save my partner," he glanced at Steve with a small self-conscious smile, "I may have thought I saw a knife that really wasn't there."
When Steve started to interject, Mike held up a hand and continued, "He thinks that the prevailing opinion will be that, even under the circumstances, my training and experience is such that I should have recognized that the suspect was unarmed and therefore it was not necessary to shoot him the second time. So," he sighed, "at best I could be charged with 'excessive force' and at worst with 'criminally negligent homicide'."
Steve leaned forward and put a hand on Mike's knee. The older man looked at him and smiled, chuckling mirthlessly.
"So, if I lose this, I'm looking at demotion, suspension… I could be fired and lose my pension," he took a deep breath, "or I could go to prison." His eyes were bright with tears as he leaned back and brought a hand to his mouth, rubbing his fingers over his trembling lower lip.
# # # # #
Dan Healey put the two beers on the table then sat with a tired and frustrated sigh.
Norm Haseejian picked up one of the bottles and took a sip then rubbed a hand over his red-rimmed eyes. They sat in silence for several long moments.
"Goddamnit," Haseejian muttered under his breath, "I know we're missing something, I just feel it. Don't you?" he asked, looking up.
Healey nodded heavily. "Yeah, but, what else can we do, we've gone over everything again and again…"
"Then we go over it all again," Haseejian said with more anger in his voice than Healey thought he had ever heard. "Everything, every piece of evidence we have, everybody that was in that apartment or knew what happened in that apartment, absolutely every piece of information we have right now and can get our hands on between now and the grand jury in three days." He stared into Healey's eyes.
"I don't know about you, but I don't want to be working under someone else. And I am going to do everything in my power to see that that doesn't happen." He stopped, then smiled and chuckled. "Besides, I think my 'cold' just got a little worse and I need a little more time off. How many vacation days do you have left?"
Healey smiled affectionately. "More than enough, believe me."
"Let's finish these and get back to work," Haseejian said as they clinked beer bottles.
# # # # #
Steve was sitting on the bench outside the Grand Jury room as Olsen walked up and took a seat beside him. "How're ya doin'?" the captain asked in greeting.
Steve nodded. "Well, you know, looking forward to this about as much as I'd look forward to a lobotomy," he chuckled dryly.
"Yeah," Olsen agreed dourly. "How long has Mike been in there?"
Steve glanced at his watch. "Almost an hour. It's gonna be awhile longer, I'm betting. I'm next, and then Madsen and McKinley. And then it's – Mike and I don't even know this guy's name, Rudy," he complained.
Olsen grunted. "Yeah, well, we wanted to keep you two from trying to take on any of this on your own," he explained by way of an apology. "David Robert Abbott – that's the guy."
"Abbott, okay," Steve mumbled almost to himself, "well, at least I know that now. I think he's scheduled for tomorrow morning, if they're through with the others by then." He chuckled, and Olsen looked at him curiously. Steve pointed to his face. "I'm hoping the Grand Jury'll take one look at me and take pity on us." When Olsen laughed, he continued, "I almost told Mike to show up this morning with his arm in the sling."
"How's he holding up?"
Steve sighed. "As well as can be expected, I guess. He seems to be staring at a glass half-empty, if you know what I mean. He's always been the optimist, but this time…" He shook his head. "He even has me rattled."
"As tough as all this has been for all of us, I can't imagine how hard it is for him," Olsen commiserated. He glanced at his watch. "I think I'll hang around and wait for him to finish. If it's around lunchtime, I'll take you both out to lunch, on me, and then you can come back. How does that sound?"
Steve nodded but cautioned, "Sounds good to me, Rudy, but I'm not sure Mike will be up for much company after he gets out of there."
# # # # #
At 1:10 in the afternoon, having been grilled by the D.A., lawyers and members of the grand jury for over four hours, Mike Stone emerged with a group of others into the corridor. His head was down and he was holding his fedora in his hands.
Steve and Olsen got to their feet and crossed through the crowd towards him. Mike was still looking down as they approached and Steve reached out to touch his arm and get his attention. He looked up and smiled faintly, his eyes dark and haunted.
"How'd it go?" Steve asked quietly.
Mike shrugged slightly. "You know, ah, I told them everything I remembered and they asked me questions, you know, typical grand jury stuff…"
Olsen cleared his throat. "Ah, Mike, before Steve goes in there I thought I'd take you two out to lunch…?"
Mike looked at his captain and his smile widened slightly, but he shook his head. "I appreciate that, Rudy, I really do, but I'd just like to go home right now if it's okay?" He looked back at Steve, his eyes suddenly moist, pleading.
"Sure, sure," Olsen said quickly. "I'll drive you." He reached for Mike's elbow, grasping it with a reassuring squeeze.
Mike looked at his partner. "Are you gonna be okay here… on your own?"
Steve's concerned look swiftly brightened and he nodded reassuringly. "Of course," he said with a chuckle, "I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't done this before." Suddenly, as if not even aware what he was doing, he reached out and grabbed Mike in a quick embrace. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered in Mike's ear as he held him close.
Mike pulled back and they looked at each other. Mike smiled gratefully then turned solemn and serious. "You be honest in there, right? You tell them exactly what you know happened, and nothing more, right?"
Steve nodded, and as he patted Mike's arm, the older man turned and walked away, his step heavy and burdened, like he was shouldering the weight of the world.
# # # # #
Steve put the mug of coffee on the table then retreated to the armchair. He picked up the chocolate milkshake that was sitting on the side table and took a long sip from the straw. He watched as Mike leaned forward slowly and picked up the mug but then just sat back, holding it in both hands.
Since he had returned to Mike's house after his grand jury appearance, they had hardly exchanged a dozen words. Mike had been sitting on the couch when he arrived, still in his suit pants, dress shirt and tie, and he had barely moved.
"Do you want something to eat?" Steve asked quietly. "You haven't had anything since breakfast, right?"
Mike finally looked up at him and smiled. "No, I, ah, I haven't. I am kinda hungry."
He was more grateful for Steve's presence than he was prepared to admit. "I'm sorry, I'm not the best of company tonight."
"Don't worry about it," said Steve as he got to his feet and headed towards the kitchen. "Let me see what we have for dinner. Do you want anything specific –"
He was interrupted by a knock on the door and the doorbell being rung simultaneously. He detoured to the front door and opened it, surprised to find Olsen, Healey and Haseejian standing there. They looked concerned and anxious.
He was about to say "Hi," when Olsen said quickly, "Are you both here?"
"Ah, yeah," Steve answered, confused, as he stepped back to let his colleagues into the house.
"Mike," Olsen greeted with a relieved but serious nod as the lieutenant got up from the couch, and the others did the same. As Steve closed the door, they moved further into the living room.
"What's going on, Rudy?" Mike asked, frowning.
"First things first, Mike, sorry," he turned back to Steve. "Did you come straight here when you left the Hall?"
Steve nodded as he crossed to stand nearer to Mike. "Yeah, why?"
"Mike, you've been here since Rudy dropped you off?" Haseejian asked.
"Yes," Mike said emphatically, "now what's going on?"
The three newcomers exchanged looks then Olsen cleared his throat and faced Mike and Steve. "We just got a call from IA. Sometime this afternoon, David Abbot disappeared."