"I hate it when it's a race thing," Sanchez grumbled as they walked towards the Honda.
Sykes looked around at the gathering crowd and the yellow tape. "Keep it down, you don't want anyone to overhear you."
"Right."
"What's eating you, anyway?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just what I said. You shut Rios down and now you're grumbling."
"And you think the two are related?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Why? You heard her back there, already turning this into a race thing, and we've just begun to investigate that kid's murder. We don't know anything for sure yet, and she's already wanting us to play politics with his life. I don't think so."
"Are you sure she's trying to do that?"
"Okay Sykes, spit it out. What are you trying to say?"
Sykes sighed, "Look, I don't like her anymore than the rest of you, okay, but it seems you've been giving her the cold shoulder a lot more than you need to. Not so long ago..."
Sanchez stopped in his tracks and turned to face Sykes. He got close enough to growl, something that usually intimidated people into backing off or confessing, depending on what he wanted at the time. "Exactly what are you saying?"
Sykes wasn't having any of it, however. She already knew how he operated. "Don't even try to push me around, Detective. A few weeks ago you were practically salivating every time she walked into a room, and now you act like she's got the plague. What happened?"
"Sykes..." he warned.
"Save it. Did you sleep with her?"
"No! What makes you think I did that?"
"Well then what happened because usually it has to be pretty big to do such a 180."
"It's none of your business, okay?"
"Yeah... that might work on the others, but you and me got too many confessions between us for that crap. Tell me or I'll ask her myself."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me..."
"Don't you know how to let anything go?"
"Nope. The Lieutenant might have thought last year I got here because I'm a kiss-ass, but the truth is I got here because I hunt things down until I know what's what. So tell me, why did you go from being totally devoted to not being able to stand the bitch?"
"What part don't you understand?"
"Not liking her I get. No one likes her. But you did."
"Yeah, well looks can be deceiving."
"So you did do something with her."
"No, I didn't."
"But you wanted to."
"Maybe, but I didn't."
"Didn't because you didn't, or didn't because she shut you down?"
"Sykes, sometimes you annoy the hell out of me."
"I know. So what happened?"
"Nothing happened, okay? I got tired of knocking my head against a brick wall. Can you just leave it alone?"
"This have something to do with the gang thing a few weeks back?"
"It wasn't a gang thing."
"No, but she thought it was."
"Jumping to conclusions is something we don't do here, remember?"
"That's what you told her, right?"
"Sykes!"
"I know you put her in her place. Buzz said it was something to watch."
"I'm glad I'm so entertaining."
"So what happened?"
"Nothing, okay?"
"It's not nothing."
"Sykes, do the job on the murder, not on me."
"I can multitask."
"You think this is funny?"
"No, I think I'm figuring this out."
"Figuring what out?"
"You and Rios... it's ego, right? She didn't give you the time of day so now you're punishing her."
"Sykes... that's sick."
"Maybe, but it's also true, I can see it in your eyes."
"Whatever..."
"She bruised your male ego, so now you're gonna let her have your attitude."
"You know Sykes, sometimes you remind me of everyone's annoying little sister."
"Yeah, well those little sisters usually knew the deal. That's what made us so annoying."
"The car, Sykes. Let's check out the car and not my life."
"Whatever you say."