It only took a few knocks on the door before Steve could hear steps approaching from the other side, the clinking of a metal chain and a deadbolt signaling that Joe had taken his advice to improve security around the house.
While the wrought iron gate down below was a good start, it would be easy enough for an intruder to climb over or disable altogether, doing so in the convenient semi-darkness of an ill-functioning streetlamp a few yards away.
And tonight, said gate had been left unlocked, allowing him undisturbed entry to the main access points of the house.
Leaning back a little, he could see the windows on the second level slightly ajar, open enough for somebody with questionable intentions to enter with ease.
Making a mental note to point the issue out to Joe, along with the overgrown bushes out front that provided an easy hideout; Steve waited for the door to open, surprised when it was Corby who greeted him.
"Well, good afternoon…", he stammered, trying to bridge the awkwardness with a genuine smile.
"Hey Stephen.", she greeted insecurely, then stepped back to open the door wider, "Come on in."
Inside, the place looked meticulously organized besides a few toys that were lying on the ground, signs of a busy toddler.
"So…what brings you here?", she asked and closed the door, making sure to lock it with care.
Taking a moment to look through the living room then back over at Corby in her sweater with the pretty little flowers, Steve shrugged casually.
"Well, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by to see how you guys are doing."
"As if you didn't know.", she sighed in return and walked over to the dining room table where she sat down, resting her chin on the palm of her hand.
"Corby…I am sorry. But like I told Joe, we are doing-"
"Everything you can, I know. And right now that doesn't sum up to a whole lot."
"You know, that's not fair."
His simple statement seemed to rip her out of her tense state and she looked back over at him, the wrinkles in her forehead easing up somewhat.
"Nothing about this situation is fair."
"I agree.", Steve countered and stepped closer, stopping just short of the dining room table, shoving his good hand in the pocket of his dress pants, "And us arguing about it won't change it either. Mike and I are here to help and we're not giving up on you. Whatever it's going to take, we'll figure this out."
"Your word in God's ear, Stephen. I just hope nobody is going to get hurt again about this. Joe told me about the accident."
Pointing at his bandaged hand, she shook her head in silent defeat, her breaths rapid despite her outwardly calm demeanor.
"He did, eh? Where is he anyways? Is he around?"
"He is taking a shower. Just…trying to clear his mind, I guess. He should be down here any minute, it's getting to be close to dinner time."
"I take it you…you didn't get any more phone calls in the meantime?"
Even though he'd meant for the question to sound casual, it caused the woman to shudder, then shake her head.
"I haven't and Joe hasn't said anything more. If you ask me, that guy waits for Joe to be around to do his calling."
"Is there anything you remember about these calls, anything specific? Like time of day? Did you overhear anything while Joe was talking to him?"
"I...I didn't. I wasn't around.", she explained matter-of-factly, "The first time I was upstairs changing the baby and yesterday I was in the shower. He told me about it when I got out."
Another dead-end.
There was one question burning on the tip of his tongue, impossible to ask without completely severing any faith Joe and Corby would have in him. But it was a question that was beginning to burn within, making him wonder if this whole situation was nothing more than a horribly misguided way to get attention.
Like Joe had told him yesterday; his frustrations about where his life had led him were still fresh, no matter how much Steve had tried to assuage his worries about failing on the steep career ladder.
Could the envy and anger driven Joe to stoop so low as to creating this entire fiasco, perhaps to make them look like fools while he was the sole protector left for his family?
No.
Steve couldn't get himself to accept that possibility. Not a man like Joe.
Too many strange coincidences had happened since the beginning of these calls, too many connections that seemed to make perfect sense.
There had to be something to this.
"You think he is making this up, aren't you?"
Corby's words tore right through his defenses and Steve looked up sheepishly, the hand in his pocket shaking slightly.
"I don't.", he lied, her eyes conveying that she'd read right through him, "I just…I just think that things like stress can sometimes fool the mind, that's all."
"You are saying that I am making this all up.", came Joe's stern accusation from behind, making him flinch for the second time.
With his towel-dried hair still damp along the edges, he stood in the doorway to the upstairs, arms crossed over his chest.
"Joe, that's not what I-"
"That's exactly what you meant.", the other man growled and came closer, his dark brown eyes wide in fury, "I saw it in the lieutenant's eyes the first time you guys came out. You think I am just making all this stuff up?! And why would I do that? Why in the hell would I put my family through that? Oh wait, I am sure Mike Stone has all that figured out too, eh? He's probably been busy poisoning your mind when it comes to me; telling you that I am some attention-seeking lunatic who is bent on wasting your time. Isn't that right?!"
"Joe, that's not true and you know that. Mike thinks the world of you."
"Will you just cut the crap, Stephen? All I have been getting from the two of you is lip service. Every time something has come up, I get nothing but skepticism, and questions, tons of questions. And they're always directed at my statements. You didn't bother following up with Warren Thompson to see what he's been up to. I bet you never even bothered to check if he's been in town. You can't do any of this because you are too busy questioning everything I say. But do I get any sort of help, anything to figure out why Thompson is doing this to me? No. Hell, even when I bring you the guy he's hired to follow me around, you let him off again. Oh yeah, a lot of help you two have been. And now you have the audacity to come into my home and tell my wife that I am making all this up?"
Steve clenched his jaws, desperately trying to order his body to stop shaking. Well aware of the volatility of the situation, he swallowed hard, looking for the right words that seemed so utterly outside his grasp.
"Joe. Joe, I think you need to calm down. We can-"
Shaking his head, the other man came closer, intentionally stepping into his comfort zone and remaining close enough that Steve could feel his warm breath against his face.
"I am done being calm and I am done playing nice. I have a family to protect and that doesn't seem to matter to you. I can understand the lieutenant, but you Stephen? I had expected more from a guy who used to call himself my friend."
He wasn't surprised at the insult and tried not to react, even when his emotions started to take over his body, making his heart race feverishly.
"I am still your friend, Joe."
His trembling voice did nothing to settle down the other man's temper; if anything, it seemed to give him some measure of confirmation.
"Whoever has you as a friend sure doesn't need any enemies, Stephen. I think that…that badge in your pocket has changed you, and not for the better. And I think it's best if you leave now."
The end of a friendship that spanned over a decade tore him up, more than he was at liberty to show at that moment. Doing what he mastered many years ago, Steve swallowed the heartbreak, saving it for a later time, allowing the policeman inside to come through to protect his soul at times of great duress.
"Please be careful, whatever it is you are planning on doing.", he explained evenly and watched Joe go through the motions of unlocking the door once more, not bothering to acknowledge his words, "Mike and I are still just a phone call away, no matter what you might think."
With a careless wave of the hand, Joe held the door open, his angry eyes watching him intently.
"Just go."
"Alright. Have a good night, Corby. Joe."
He turned around once more to bid his farewell to a visibly uncomfortable Corby, before following his friend's led to leave the house.
Stepping through that doorway and back out into the fresh air felt like a slap in the face, the emotional impact so harsh that it nearly made him dizzy.
As he heard the locks being put back into place, Steve shuffled his way down the stairs to the waiting Galaxie, regretting every last foolish thought that brought him back here to begin with.