A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 41

It had been months since Todd and Sophia went out on anything like a date night. Sophia wouldn't admit it, but it seemed an odd thing to do while her daughter was incarcerated. Yes, she agreed to go on that cruise a while back, but it took a lot of persuasion. Life has to go on, though, and she decided dinner and a movie wasn't such a bad idea. The couple went to see the latest comedy release at the matinee. They followed the movie with a nice dinner at a local steakhouse.

The couple had a lovely evening and decided to call it a night. They joked about how their younger selves would laugh at them, calling an end to a date before 10 p.m. They were going home early, but that didn't mean the date was over. They were not that old after all.

That night, Luke and his investigators were meeting again. Taylor began by telling them about the investigation into Jim Cooper's murder. It was still early in the investigation, but he had a few leads that he would follow up on. Shelia, for her part, found some patterns in the shipping records on the flash drive that seemed to point to suspicious activities. Taylor agreed to investigate them by the end of the next week, but Shelia said she would look into it herself. Taylor told her to leave it to him. He also told the group about contacting his FBI friend in Washington DC.

While discussing various aspects of the case, Luke's phone rang. He excused himself and answered it the hallway. When he returned, he had a blank expression on his face. Shelia and Roger fell silent at the sight of him. "There's been an accident, and I've been called to identify the bodies."

"Oh god, Luke, who was it?" Shelia asked him.

"It's the Lewis'. The CHP they were hit by an 18-wheeler that ran a red light. The driver has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence." Luke looked as if he had gone into shock. Todd Lewis was his oldest and closest friend. Suddenly, Luke started to lose his balance, and Shelia and Roger quickly stabilized him before he fell.

"Luke, let me drive you," Taylor said. "You are in no shape to drive. I'll go with you."

"Thanks," was all he could muster. Together, they made it to the car. Luke did not speak the whole way to the hospital. He thought about all the times they shared on the golf course and their college days. Then his mind drifted to Sidney and how he would explain what happened to her.

When they arrived at the morgue, there was no doubt it was them. Taylor talked to the traffic investigators while Luke identified the bodies. After several minutes, he walked out and found Taylor. He explained to Luke that the driver was in custody. While it would be several days before the blood test results came back, the driver failed the field sobriety and breathalyzer tests. Luke nodded his head and walked back to the car. Taylor followed at a respectful distance.

Saturday started as every day did in Helen Palmer Prison. The weekend routine differed very little from that of the weekday routine. Weekends did mean visitation day for a lot of inmates. Sidney was in her cellblock playing checkers with Nora Venable, a young Caucasian woman serving time for drug trafficking. Just before lunch, Officer McConnell told her she had a visitor.

Sidney thought it was strange that her visit was not in the usual visitation area but the area where she met with her attorney. Luke Brady sat there at the table waiting for her. She smiled and said, "Mr. Brady, I wasn't expecting you today. I thought it would be next month before we met again."

"Sidney, sit down. I need to tell you something," he said weakly. His expression was that of a man who had to do something that gave him great dread. Sidney sat down, preparing for the worst. "Sidney," he paused and swallowed hard. "Sidney, last night your parents went out to dinner. They didn't make it home. A large truck ran a red light and hit them. Sidney, they both died at the scene."