He vowed right then and there that if he ever did have the chance to have a few kids, he would absolutely veto this idea. He’d spring for the fanciest ladies-only baby shower he could afford to avoid this situation. That seemed fair.
“Hey, Randy. Come meet my brother-in-law. He’s a detective like you. He works down in North Carolina.”
Randy walked over and shook his hand. “Randy Fellowes. Nice to meet you.”
“Mike. You work with Caldwell, I hear,” the North Carolina detective said, making small talk. “I’m married to Tess’s best friend.”
Hutchens bellied his way in on the conversation. “So, you a detective too, Mike?”
Mike nodded.
“Maybe you can give the youngest detective on our team some pointers on when to call it the end of a case.” Hutchens slapped Randy on the back. “Poor kid’s spending all his off time still trying to relentlessly track down some con who took advantage of this pretty woman that he won’t admit he’s smitten with.”
One of the other guys from their precinct added in his two cents. “She is hot. Can’t blame you, man.”
“It’s not like that,” Randy said. He might not admit it to Hutchens, but he wasn’t fooling himself. He knew full well Natalie was special. Had they only met under other circumstances, they’d be together by now.
Mike stuck up for him. “Give Randy a break. Maybe it’s the real deal. Nothing wrong with working every angle possible on a case. They all are important to someone, and who knows, maybe she’s the one.”
Randy didn’t like being the center of any conversation.
“When you know, you know,” Mike said. “I met my wife when I first joined the force. I was a traffic cop at the time. Gave her a speeding ticket.”
The guys all snickered and moaned.
“Couldn’t get her off my mind,” Mike said. “Had to keep myself from looking up her home address. That’s how much she had me off-kilter. Luckily, I ran into her at the StrawberryFestival while working extra shifts to buy a new truck. There she was. White shorts and these big wedge sandals that made her legs look like they never ended. I can still remember how that little belly-button ring peeked out from her shirt when she walked.”
The guys mumbled their version of appreciation.
“I knew right then and there I’d marry her someday,” Mike said. “So, see? Not impossible to meet the girl of your dreams on the job. It took me two years to get her to take me seriously, but it was worth it.”
Two years?Randy hoped it wouldn’t take that long to convince Natalie to give him a chance. He glugged back the rest of his beer.
The other guys peeled off, and Mike and Randy stood there. “Hey, don’t let them give you a hard time. My dad always said we should take pride in making every case matter. We are what gives them closure and confidence in the system. Don’t apologize for that.”
“Yeah, I don’t pay them any attention. And you know, it just sucks that those con men can get away with that stuff. I hate seeing a woman taken advantage of.”
“Same here. I have a friend that’s been working on a case like that. Guy wooed this woman out of her house and almost all her savings. There are a lot of those cases sitting around unsolved.”
“It’s frustrating.”
“I’ll get my friend to give you a call. Maybe y’all can compare notes. I don’t know. Maybe he’s tried something you haven’t, or vice versa.” Mike tossed his head back, raising his beer to the older detectives who were stuffing their facesacross the way. “Those old guys probably aren’t even up on the latest social media and stuff. Lots of new ways to crack a case these days.”
“Appreciate that. Thanks.”
“Sure. Just promise not to invite me to a wedding or one of these parties. Okay?”
“Deal.”
Hutchens walked over and tapped Randy on the shoulder. “Hey, do you want to catch a ride home with someone else, or I’ll drop you off back at the station now?” He lifted his phone into view. “I just got called in. Gotta run.”
“Out of here, guys.” Randy was happy for the excuse to leave. He dug a business card out of his pocket. “Give this to your buddy. Would love to hear from him about that case.”
“Yeah. Will do. Good luck.” Mike pushed the card into his back pocket and turned to talk to some other guys.
In the car, Hutchens had talk radio cranked up, and Randy was glad to sit quietly on the ride back to the precinct until they pulled into the parking lot.
Randy spoke up. “You can just let me out here. I’m going to run into the office for a few minutes and check on a couple of things before heading out.”
