I hope everyone survived the weather as of late. I knew we're neck deep in snow and just got done with some crazy cold temps. Spring can't come fast enough!
A few minutes before the nightly news, Mike heard a knock on his door he'd been longing for all day.
Taking several extra steps to slowly sit up in his recliner before standing up, it would be almost a minute before he finally reached the front door, greeting the smiling face on the right-hand corner of the sidelight.
"Look at you.", he said cheerfully and opened the door wide for the young man to enter, "I bet it took you just as long to climb those stairs as it took me to get my bum out of that chair, eh?"
Steve didn't acknowledge the remark right away. Instead, he held up a paper bag, the aroma of fresh beef quickly filling his living room.
"I thought you could use some extra protein to heal faster…", the young inspector noted and carefully handed over the meal, "It's roast beef sandwich with onions and peppers. The vegetables are a good source of fiber and vitamins too."
"Now who told you all that, smiley?", Mike asked and closed the door, then took a moment to inspect the contents of the brown bag, "Back in the day the taste was enough to sell a good sandwich. Now they're turning everything into a…a discussion about health."
When he noticed Steve's eyes drift over to the blanket on the couch that was loosely hanging over the arm rest, Mike carefully nudged his partner deeper into the house.
"Bobbie went off to run some errands. He should be back in a little bit."
Nodding uncomfortably, the young inspector waited until Mike sat back down and began to pull the delicious treat out of the bag before dropping into the couch and clearing his throat.
"How are…how are things working out with him around?"
"Fine.", Mike replied, surprised when that didn't change his partner's somber expression, "I am not housing with a serial killer, if that's what you are worried about, buddy boy. Bobbie is a good man, just a little gruff around the edges. I bet you and him will get along just fine once you had a chance to get to know him better."
Steve didn't answer this time. Instead, he quietly watched him take a few bites from the sandwich, his right hand subconsciously running over his injured knee. It was easy to see the significant swelling through his fancy dress pants.
"Say, I hear you had a busy afternoon…"
"Now, how do you…?", the young man began, then shook his head in slight irritation, "Did Haseejian call you already?"
Answering the obvious question with a wily smile, Mike rejoiced the flavorful meat for several bites, never taking his eyes off his partner.
When he got done, he set the sandwich down and wiped the corners of his mouth before gesturing toward the kitchen.
"Grab me a beer, would you? And grab one for yourself too."
Sighing theatrically, Steve got back up, his eyes staying on the lieutenant for a few extra seconds before he limped into the kitchen.
Mike waited until he heard him rummage through the refrigerator before speaking up again.
"Norm said that she was strangled. Nothing missing from her wallet or purse. Sounds like she was found dead behind the bar she worked at. You got any suspects yet?"
"Not yet.", Steve answered and slowly walked back toward the living room, two bottles of beer in hand, "I got a hold of the chef that closed the bar with her last night and he said they just parted ways and that nothing suspicious was going on. She acted just fine. I checked out his alibi for the night and he took a cab home and was with his wife at the time of the murder. I called Tri Circle Cab Company and they verified the pick-up and drop off."
"Mhm…", Mike began and gratefully accepted the cold beer, "Bernie said she'd been dead for eight hours by the time she was found at eleven in the morning. The bar closed at 2. So there's a one hour window. Do we know if she was raped?"
"It's very possible. He hasn't finished the autopsy yet. There were defensive wounds, a lot of them."
"Did you have the owner send over a list of all the patrons that visited the bar last night?"
"Lieutenant, lieutenant…", Steve countered, that amicable smile returning at last after a long, painful absence, "Last I heard you are still off of work. You don't trust me to handle this with Dan and Norm?"
"You did get the list though, right?"
Bypassing the remark altogether, Mike was grateful when he saw the young inspector nod.
"Yeah, at least all the regulars the owner could think of. He wasn't there last night so he couldn't be sure. We're checking them out right now but that might take a little while yet. It's a…healthy list."
"Well, make sure you start with the usual suspects. Peeping toms, obscene phone calls, anybody with priors who might like to see a lady like Amber Wagoner dead. By the sound of it, that bar was a cesspool for those criminal types. Norm said that nobody in her family stood out or had any idea of who might have done this. He also said the camera from the liquor store down the road didn't work last night."
Taking several sips of beer, Steve fidgeted with the collar of his turtleneck, before meeting his partner's prying eyes again.
"And here I thought I'd come over for some company, food and to update you on our case just to hear that you're already neck deep into it. Is Bernie going to call you instead of me too?"
"He did say he'd be done with the autopsy in a few hours.", Mike replied cheerfully, thoroughly enjoying his partner's exasperated stare, before raising his hand in a calming gesture.
"A young woman is dead, buddy boy. That always gets my attention. Besides, until we know why she was murdered, there's a chance that our suspect will strike again. And I want to make sure we stop that from happening. So why don't we go over everything you know, so that we have an angle on where to start our research tomorrow?"