It would only be the beginning of stern words for Mike's afternoon.

The hour of making various phone calls throughout the building and half the town was quickly bringing out the worst in him.

Slowing down to accommodate his partner's worsening limp, he headed back to the inner office where an anxious Joe Joplin was still sitting, his demeanor somewhat subdued after the latest lead had backfired.

Getting up as they crossed the doorway, the African American man made room for Steve to enter, before closing the door behind them again.

Mike let the heavy silence fill the air between them for a moment, secretly enjoying the nervousness that it caused Joe who was fidgeting with the sleeves of his brown checkered shirt.

"Joe, you said you are absolutely sure that this man one room over is the man that has been following you all day?", he finally asked and helped himself to a glass of water from the nearby carafe while keeping an eye on Steve, who tried to lean against the file cabinet, unable to do so without flinching in pain.

"I am. I will swear to it, if I have to."

Not surprised by the answer, Mike turned around, swallowing the sip of water before nodding.

"Well, it might have to come to that because this guy's alibi checks out. We just verified it. We're gonna let him go."

He could see the anger build up in Joe's eyes and was ever so ready to fight the man into submission.

Too close…this accident had been too close for comfort. Worse yet, if there was any hope of Steve and him continuing their investigation into the case, this incident just blew it right out of the water.

It would only be a matter of time before it would make it up to Olsen's desk, that much he was sure of.

"But it was him. I saw him."

"Where did you see him, Joe?", Mike pried, putting the other man under the same rigorous microscope he'd put Murphy under.

"Well, first I saw him outside my house when I left to go to work. Around…oh…6am I think."

"It would have been dark still by then. How could you tell it was him?"

"Because he was under a streetlamp. And he just stood there and looked at me.", Joplin replied, his breaths coming in short gasps, "And then…then I saw him at breakfast when I took a quick break and headed to the food wagon for some coffee. He stood by the fence, watching me again. He must have followed me here at noon, so when Steve and I went for a walk, he…he followed along."

"And there is no chance this guy out there might just bare a lot of similarities?"

"None. I swear it's him."

"He could have-", Steve interjected, only to be silenced by a raised hand.

"Don't. Not right now.", Mike growled, then focused back on the increasingly agitated Joplin. Little did Joe know just how much agitation the lieutenant harbored at this point.

"What clothes was he wearing when you saw him? A pullover? Dress jacket? Were they the same when you saw him the second time?"

"A…a cardigan, I believe. But I am not sure anymore. Not...not the same clothes he is wearing now."

"What about his pants? Or his shoes. He's wearing white shoes. Did he wear them this morning?"

"I…I honestly don't know. I am sorry."

As his patience began to wear thin, Mike drew in a deep breath, fully aware of his partner's eyes following his every move. Eventually his gaze shifted to his Scales of Justice, irrevocably reminding him of their precise meaning.

And while Joe might be a friend, he was also quickly becoming an unreliable witness, wreaking havoc in their investigative process.

"Then let me ask you this; why didn't you tell us about him when you first got here at noon?"

"I don't know. I guess I was still worked up about the phone tap machine being taken from my home. I was frustrated."

"And I understand that. As a matter of fact, I think you are so frustrated with this situation that you want to see things; that you want to tie other people into this story of yours to make it stick."

Even though he'd said it calmly, Mike could see Joplin's expression harden immediately.

"No, that's not true."

"Then why didn't you try to talk to the guy. If I find somebody staring at me, I'd want to know why."

"I couldn't be sure that it would be safe. Must I remind you that I've been getting phone calls having my life threatened?! Then some guy follows me around, knows where I live and where I work. I was just being cautious."

Running a hand through his short black hair, Joplin looked over at Steve, hoping for support, but the young inspector remained quiet as ordered.

"Well, you weren't cautious when you sent my partner to chase after him.", Mike began again, then slowly walked over to Joplin, before pointing a stern finger at his chest, "After a guy you didn't know. A guy that you were too afraid to approach yourself. A guy who could have been armed. There's a chance that Steve could have gotten killed over this, Joe. Very easily. Now I am going to say this only once, and you better listen well. We're going to keep digging into this character some more to see if there is any way he could have done what you claimed he did. And if it turns out that this is some giant mix-up, that he comes back clean and this whole afternoon was nothing but a wasted chase down the wrong rabbit hole, that…that my partner got hurt for nothing, I am coming after you next. And that I will swear on."