With a frantic wave, Mike pointed at the tan sedan passing them in the opposite lane, its driver matching Sullivan Charles Daley's description to a tee.
Unfortunately for them, Daley saw them as well, their presence causing the young man to speed up significantly, nearly running over a pedestrian as he navigated the large car through traffic.
Haseejian turned on the sirens while Mike rolled down the window, attaching the strobe light as they made a tight 180-degree turn, crossing all lanes of traffic and causing a slew of beeping horns and screeching tires.
Holding onto the roof of the unmarked LTD, he kept his gaze trained on the road ahead, seeking out the Galaxie as it made its way east.
"I didn't see anybody in the car with him…", Norm muttered, having read his mind as he passed a set of motorists on the left, Haley following them close behind.
"That could mean anything.", Mike countered dismissively, not willing to speculate on different scenarios, especially his worst fears, until they knew what was going on.
With his lips pursed in undisguised tension, he reached for the radio to his left, his hand shaking as he pushed down the receiver button.
"Attention all units, this is Inspectors 8-1.", he announced, having lost all care in the world when it came to his quasi- suspension still being active, "Missing tan Galaxie has been spotted fleeing east on Magnolia at a high rate of speed. Driver is kidnapping suspect Sullivan Charles Daley. Requesting all units in the vicinity to assist. Be advised to exercise extreme caution upon apprehending suspect. Missing San Francisco Homicide Detective Stephen Keller might be inside that car."
An unusually large assortment of 10-4's answered his call to arms; amongst them a unit just two blocks away, close enough to possibly form a barricade for Daley.
"If he still has his radio on, he can hear what we're saying…", Hassejian cautioned and glanced over at him briefly. Those caring brown eyes full of worry.
"I hope he hears me.", Mike growled in return, "I want him to hear my voice day and night for the rest of his life if he as much as laid a hand on my partner."
Norm didn't answer this time around, reducing his reaction to a hesitant nod.
Through the floorboards, Mike could feel the vibration of the strong V8 engine as they followed the Galaxie ahead, one eye peeled on the car, the other one on any potential backup headed their way.
Daley made a sharp right turn, the car skidding several feet sideways and jumping over a curb as he made his way toward Lombard, the larger street and increase in traffic only adding to the dangerous situation.
"Inspectors 8-1, this is patrol unit 8-Charly-17, we have visual of flight vehicle. Setting up blockade now.", came the urgent message through the radio, making Hassejian slow down just a bit, preparing for a potential standoff if Daley were to get cornered.
Up ahead, they could make out the patrol unit parked sideways, effectively blocking the eastbound lanes of Lombard to any thru-traffic.
Their suspect slowed down for the fraction of a second, contemplating his next move, before making another risky maneuver to bypass the blockade by diving into a side street, the narrow one-lane road heading south littered with parked cars, tourists and construction cones.
"He's gonna get himself killed at that rate.", Norm breathed and followed along, the suspension of the unmarked LTD groaning in protest.
Once again, Mike held onto the framework of the car, teeth clenched so hard it made the veins appear on the side of his neck.
Up ahead, they saw Daley run over a red ball, the tires shredding it into dozens of pieces as he sped by.
The sight made Mike hold his breath, hoping and praying that no child would inadvertently walk out amongst the lines upon lines of parked cars, turning this bizarre case into an unimaginable tragedy.
Halfway down the road, he saw the brake lights of the Galaxie come on, before Daley made another sharp turn, this time taking a left between a construction dumpster and a parked cargo van.
They lost sight of the car for the fraction of a second before Hassejian followed suit, the rear quarter panel making contact with the dumpster, rocking the LTD dangerously as they sped past.
Mike sucked in a sharp breath when they almost rear-ended the Galaxie, Daley being forced to a complete stop upon meeting a patrol unit halfway down the street.
Part relieved at the end of their car chase, Mike jumped out of the passenger seat, one hand over his private .38 secured on his right hip, his gaze drifting over to the two unis on the other side of the alley, both of them with their guns drawn.
"Get out of the car, Daley. It's over.", Mike yelled, seeing Hassejian appear in his peripheral vision, the tall detective having his service revolver at the ready as the driver's side door of the Galaxie slowly opened.
Their suspect's clean-shaven face and careless façade barely went along with the grim reason they were after him and Mike had to remind himself that the wavy hair and charming smile was a distraction at best.
With his arms by his sides, he took a couple steps toward them, shoulders relaxed, his gait that of a man who was out and about strolling the city.
Mike's wakeup call came sooner than expected when Daley reached inside his dress coat at an unnerving speed, catching all of them off guard as he retrieved a .38 and pointed it at the trunk of the Galaxie.
"You must be the famous Mike Stone…", the young man said with a devious smile, his slim body completely still, "Steve told me a lot about you; about your common sense. I am relying on that now. You see, if you don't clear the road and let me pass, I am going to be forced to kill your partner."
The disturbing words set off a slew of different reactions; the two unis farther down the street glancing each other insecurely while he held stern eye contact with Daley, never budging to the threat.
Next to him, Hassejian drew in a deep breath, communicating his discomfort with the situation. Haley, who was flanking him on the right, took a small step closer, standing his ground in no uncertain terms.
"Lower your weapon, Daley. It's over.", Mike ordered, annunciating each word, careful not to let the shaking of his body translate into his voice.
"Mhm…", the other man mused and smiled broader, "Steve didn't tell me anything about you being hard of hearing. Are you really willing to sacrifice your partner's life over something like this? Over me? Your average dude who has done nothing wrong?"
"We know you placed these dolls. We also know you killed that homeless man and then kidnapped a police officer. Your sister Claire…Claire Giraldo told us all about you. That…that you've been withdrawing from her, that she's worried about the things going through your mind."
"She knows nothing.", Daley sneered, that cheerful expression suddenly turning furious, his eyes narrowing and cheeks flushing, "You take the word of a housewife over mine? Aren't you the least bit interested in why I chose to spend some time with Steve? Who knows, he might just look back at this experience in a few years and relish it as much as I did."
A man pleading his innocence after admitting to kidnapping and while holding a loaded gun at a police officer presumably stuck in a trunk…so much for talking sense into Daley.
Biting the inside of his cheek, Mike pondered on the situation, knowing that arguing with a mentally unstable suspect required significantly more self-control and finesse than usual.
"So why did you kidnap my partner?", he asked bluntly, hoping to keep their suspect talking.
"Because he played my game.", came his snippy remark, "He answered my call and showed up. I thought it was time that we meet face to face, exchange thoughts, learn from each other. He read me quite well. The thing is though, that I read him well too."
"If you just wanted to have a nice chitchat with a cop, you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble and not put on this…this elaborate charade. You wasted a lot of time and resources and in the end, it's going to cost you dearly. Murder 1 gets you life in prison. You should have known that before you murdered that innocent man and dumped his body in the park disguised as another doll."
"That was awesome, wasn't it? I was sure you'd appreciate it, especially once I decided to up the ante and make a doll of your partner, see if it would coax a reaction out of you guys. And boy it sure did."
"You were watching us the entire time?"
"Most of the time, yeah. I mean, what fun would it be to play the game and not partake in it, enjoying the fact that I could be so close to you, walking amongst you, but you would never know."
"What information did you really want from Steve?", Mike asked, hoping to move the conversation to a different area, "Police procedures? Entry codes? What is it that makes you so interested in the police force when you are obviously choosing the path of a criminal?"
The seasoned Lieutenant knew he'd hit the jackpot when Daley's expression hardened, those intelligent eyes staring back at him in undisguised annoyance. When he didn't answer, Mike cleared his throat and took a step closer, slowly bridging the distance between them.
"Caught you there, didn't I? This whole…spiel you are putting on is nothing more than an elaborate way to get enemy intelligence, isn't it? I've spent some time overseas, fighting greater evil than you can ever begin to imagine. And I learned to read people's expression, seeing if they are truthful or not, if they plan to do good, or evil. The color of their skin or shape of their eyes never mattered. But their intentions did. You can't fool us with that…that mask you put on, those pointless arguments and the lighthearted way with which you talk about death. You killed an innocent human being, and that…Charles…that is the worst thing anybody can do. And now you're threatening to do it again, to a cop of all things!"
"Don't call me Charles!", the young man threatened, the gun in his hand trembling slightly.
Deciding to ignore the remark altogether, Mike took another step closer, then shifted his hand over the grip of his .38, making sure that Daley saw it too.
"And I will tell you something right now, son, and you better heed my warning. You are surrounded by five police officers. In a few minutes, half a dozen patrol cars will arrive to join us. Nothing you can say or do will get you out of this. Your best course of action is to lower your weapon and surrender. But if you decided to make matters worse, if you pull that trigger and hurt or kill my partner, life in prison will be a cakewalk compared to what I am going to do to you."
This time he received an insecure smile in return, those brown eyes scanning his for any weaknesses. When he didn't find any, Daley cocked the trigger of his revolver and cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Sounds like in either case, I am going to want to get rid of my prime witness."
The haunting words made Mike reach for his revolver, aiming the gun at Daley the fraction of a second too late as a loud shot rang through the air.