Cruisin' South

Chapter 6

"Are you drunk?"

"Uh... No, not at all." But I was, Sara thinks.

"Martinez." Luna says sternly.

"Next time I'll ask for you. That way they don't forget to invite you and include you."

"This is all wrong. I shouldn't have to still be trying to fit in. I should have prime evidence by now. Now that you're in, you have the upper hand between the two of us since Lupe's your cousin."

"You just need to relax and loosen up. Be cool. You have to put Detective Luna aside and be Ricky. I'll meet with you tomorrow morning and help you with that."

"Wait... what happened tonight?"

"Nothing. We were just getting to know each other. We had a great time."

"Oh, you had a great time." He repeats with sarcasm.

"That's how you get them to be your friends. And when you become friends, you build trust. Night, Luna." She hangs up before he is able to reply.

***

It's Sunday morning and Sara has unexpectedly woken up before sunrise. She's not an early raiser, but she does like the view of the sun against the horizon. She literally jumps out of bed and enters the bathroom to splash cold water onto her face. That'll wake her up, right?

Now she's not much of a runner either, but she definitely does not mind taking long walks to help clear her head. It's still dark when she steps out of her house to begin her walk. She sees people waiting at the first bus stop that she comes across. Gente that go to work early and arrive back late to their homes. She knew about it quite well, her father was one of them.

Sara begins to think about her dad. When she was a child, when she was a teenager, and when she moved from home to live her life are all the moments that she remembers as she walks. Had anything been different if she and Lupe's family lived in separate homes? Or if he simply hadn't abandoned their home? Had Lupe's life been different? But neither of those were the problem. The problem laid somewhere else. Somewhere much more painful.

The memories cause anger to Sara. She does not want to be against him. She doesn't want to be against her family, her blood, her cousin, her brother. She begins to second thought this assignment and give it up. If Lupe were to be arrested and convicted for armed robbery, she was to have no part in it. Or maybe he would have a lesser sentence, if she were to convince him to pled guilty and testify in details of the organized robberies. Just maybe.

She had been lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that she had started jogging. She stops at a street sign and admires the growing light behind the city. It has always eased her and soothed her mind, almost as if it confort her. She's not angry anymore. She makes up her mind and decides to do the right thing, referring to the case.

She continues to admire the sunrise just a little longer, before she walks back to her home.

Back home, Sara decides to give her dad a call before she meets with Luna.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Sara. I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. How are you? Everything okay, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. Listen, um, are you busy Wednesday night?"

"Wednesday night? What do you mean if I'm busy Wednesday night? Aren't you working?"

"Damn it," she mutters. Why can't he just answer the question. "Yes, I am. But, Dad that wasn't the question."