A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 6

Taylor poured through his case files, trying to find anything to connect the murder of de Santos to any of the case files he'd investigated over the last several years. The frustrating part of the job was finding a lead and then having it dry up nearly as fast as he found it. Two weeks ago, he tried to follow up with another driver. The driver seemed ready to give up some information on illegal activity by the sound of it. When they met, he claimed he didn't know anything and had nothing to say.

"Roger, want to go to lunch?" asked Sullivan as he approached Taylor's desk. Taylor looked up from his files long enough to shake his head no. "Come on, Roger, it's after one, and you've been obsessing about those cases for days now. Let's go." Roger exhaled loudly and stood up, realizing how stiff his muscles were after sitting for so long.

"There you go, come on, I'll drive," Sullivan said. When they arrived, the detectives took a table at a local restaurant near the back. Roger sat at the table, still in a foul mood. Sullivan sat across from him, tapping the table louder and louder until it finally got Taylor's attention. "You got a drum solo you're prepping for Sullivan?"

"Look at that he can speak," Sullivan mocked him. "So now that we know you can talk, why don't we discuss what's bothering you?"

"It's this series of cases I'm working on. I know they're somehow connected, but I can't find the missing link."

"Roger, you've been doing this long enough to know that sometimes you can't solve a case no matter how hard you try. Hell, we got a whole vault of them at the station. It doesn't mean you're a bad cop."

"I know that, but the connection is there. I know it. I need to find the missing link."

"Roger, how long have you been working this angle?" Sullivan asked. He hoped he could bring Taylor out of his malaise.

"Too long. Look, George, I get what you're trying to do, but this is like-"

"An obsession," Sullivan injected. "Look, we're cops. We're not gods. We do as much good as we can, but sometimes the bad guys win, but we move on and get the next one. Roger, there will always be a next one, but you can't stop them if you obsess over the ones you didn't get."

Roger took a long drink from his iced tea to come up with something to counter Sullivan's argument. "Maybe you're right," he conceded. Sullivan was right about one thing: he was obsessing. He knew it was starting to affect his other caseload. Some of these can go on the back burner for now." That satisfied Sullivan, and surprisingly it lightened his mood.

"There's the Roger I know. Why don't we get a drink or two after work tonight? Just us."

"Carla lets you go out at night without her?"

"Now and again, you know how she is. Come on, what do you say?"

Taylor thought for a moment. "Yeah, okay, but only one. We're cops, after all."

"Hey, if cops don't need a drink now and then, no one does."

When they returned to the station, Taylor set aside the older cases and turned to his most recent caseload. A car theft from a local supermarket was on the top of the open case file. Next was a domestic dispute from an address he recognized from at least two other reports. Finally, a property theft from a home on Delta Drive allegedly involved a neighbor's kid. He took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialed the first number in the car theft case.

Lawson and Sidney drove to Santa Monica after lunch that Saturday afternoon. They arrived at the same hotel she stayed at when she first met Lawson. "How romantic; I didn't realize you knew where I was staying."

"I made a call or two to one of your college friends and got the place's name. Let's get checked in and then hit the beach. What do you say?"

She kissed him, "Sounds like a plan."

As they were checking in, Lawson's phone rang. Looking at the contact name, he excused himself to take the call. "Jordan, did you get the equipment set up? Good, good. I owe you one." He returned to the front desk and gave the person behind the counter his card. They had their keycards a minute later and headed to the room.

When the elevator doors shut, Sidney asked, "Who was that on the phone?"

"Just office business. Nothing too important. I told them to handle it because I want nothing to spoil my weekend with my girl."

"That's sweet. Too bad I left my surfboard at home."

"Well, if you want one, I'll buy it."

"Lawson, no, there's no need for that."

The door opened before he could respond. The couple entered their room and sat their bags on the spare bed. "So, are we going swimming or walking the beach?" Sidney asked.

"Why don't we walk on the beach and get an early dinner?"

"Sounds like a plan."

They changed and made their way to the beach. It was late afternoon, so they sat and relaxed on the beach for about an hour. As the sun set, Lawson turned to her and took her by the hand. "You know, right over there is where we first met," he told her. He could tell that impressed her.

"I can't believe you remember that. When I first heard your voice, I thought you were some weirdo guy."

"You thought I was weird?"

"Well, not after I saw you, no, but you have to admit it was pretty strange how we met."

"It was unusual, but admit it, Sid, it's worked out pretty well, right?"

She smiled coyly at him, "Yes, it has."

"You know I was going to wait and do this tonight at dinner, but this seems to be the right place and time."

"Time? Time for.." She stopped midsentence as he rose and dropped to one knee, holding a diamond ring. Before she knew it, she was blushing and short of breath. In her mind, she pictured herself gasping like a fish without water.

"Sidney Marie Lewis, you've made me the happiest man alive, and I want to make you even happier, not just today but for the rest of your life. Will you marry me?"

"Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh. Yes. Yes, a hundred times yes." She held her finger out as he placed the ring on her finger. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of an old couple watching what transpired with happy expressions on their face.

Sidney embraced him as he stood. Their lips rushed together as Sidney melted into his embrace. "I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you too, Sid."

"Do you want to go back to the room?"

"Let's stay here a little longer. There's no rush. Let's hold on to this moment a while longer."

The rest of the night, Sidney was giddy. After dinner, they went dancing, followed by a long walk on the moonlit shore. The ground beneath her feet felt more like a cloud, and she never wanted the feeling to end. That night, they ignited the flames of passion like never before. Passion burned between them as their bodies entwined. All the while watched by tiny eyes planted around the room.