Steve sucked in a deep breath, instantly feeling his chest tighten as they passed through the glass-walled vestibule into the homicide bullpen, the guest chair of his desk occupied by a very impatient Joe Joplin.
Watching his friend nervously tapping his foot, those brown eyes following his every move, Steve fought to keep his expression neutral, taking a moment to nod at Sekulovich and Healey before greeting the distraught father.
"Joe, it's good to see you…", he began, immediately seeing the other man's mouth open for a well-recited rebuttal.
Sensing the tension radiating from Joe, Mike had stayed by his side, flanking him to the left to help out if needed.
"I received another phone call.", he said, not bothering to hide his irritation, "Same thing. Thompson said it's time to pay back an old debt, and that me, and my family would soon be dead. Then he hung up."
Trying to remain calm even though he felt his heart rate speed up, Steve nodded, then briefly glanced over at his partner, sharing that same sense of foreboding certainty.
"And you are sure it was Thompson again? Did you hear anything in the background?"
"Of course, it was Thompson, Stephen. He said so himself. Besides, I could pick the man out of a crowd of a hundred if I had to. Are you guys finally going to do something or is it going to take me or my family getting murdered before it's worth your while?"
He was about to answer when Mike cut in, his tone gentle but his eyes conveying unwavering authority.
"You know that is not the case, Mister Joplin. We are doing everything in our power to keep you and your family safe. And now that we have a record of the call, we can take additional steps to apprehend the suspect."
Despite the professional tone, the other man chuckled, then shook his head in obvious mockery.
"With you guys, one hand doesn't know what the other one is doing. This is ridiculous."
"What do you mean?", Steve followed up, feeling the heat rise on either side of his neck.
"That tracking device you guys brought in for my phone? An officer came by yesterday afternoon and took it again, saying they needed it on another case."