“Because of that girl? She put you up to this?”
“Nobody put me up to anything, but I will say I’ve never been happier or more content in my life.”
“Shield, you’re a schoolboy in love. I get it. Listen, I’ve got to get back. Think this over and don’t make a mistake. Just wait a week to think about it and I’m sure you’ll change your mind.”
The chief slides the badge back my way but I bring my hand up to block him.
“I’ve got a tab here, chief, so I can get out of here faster than you can. And I’m not leaving with that badge.”
“Are you out of your mind, son?”
I extend my hand. “Thank you, chief. For everything.”
I’ve never seen the chief look so confused in his entire life.
He reaches out and takes my hand. I nod my head, turn and walk out that dinner door for the last time.
I get in my car and almost instinctively turn toward the station, but don’t. I head home.
Home is where my heart is.
And that’s exactly where she is.
CHAPTER 13
Steven
On my way home I stop by the jewelry store. Please have it in today. Today’s the day. I just really hope they got it in the FedEx overnight like they said they would.
I ring the buzzer and the jeweler let’s me in.
“Saul!”
“Steven, I’ve got…good news for you!”
“Good news is great news, Saul!”
He motions me over to the counter and removes the box from underneath the counter.
“There she is.”
“It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. What do I owe you?”
“Let me get the slip.”
Saul goes in the back room while I inspect it. Wow, this is going to be so perfect.
He’s back in a minute and I make the final payment, shake his hand, and he buzzes me out.
I go out to my car and sit in the driver’s seat taking in the moment. I can’t wait. I really can’t wait.
I put the key in the ignition, but I don’t turn it.
There’s a man in a tracksuit and oversized sunglasses buzzing Saul’s buzzer.
Where have I see that guy before?
I scan the parking lot. Nothing.
I look in my rearview and see a Cadillac Escalade with all black windows parked across the street. In California you can’t tint the driver’s and passenger’s side windows, and especially not the windshield. This isn’t right. This guy should have been ticketed a long time ago.
Is Saul doing business with this guy? He’s a respected jeweler, but you never know.
I slide down lower in my seat and look for other cars…accomplices. Is this guy planning on knocking off the jewelry shop?
I look back in my rearview and see movement through the windshield of the car. It’s movement in the back, and not the front.
This is definitely not right.
I reach into my glove box and slide out my binoculars at the same time I reach under the seat and pull out my piece. It’s a personal weapon and I’ve got a concealed carry permit so I’m in the clear…cop or no cop.
Why didn’t I retire after lunch? Not because I wouldn’t have to deal with this but because I could call backup and handle this the right way.
But the only right way now is to handle this myself.
I slowly bring the binoculars up to my face and point them at the rearview. I can see inside his SUV, but I don’t see anyone in the back this time.
“Come on. Move again. Show your face you big bully.”
Then a bit of a knee comes into view. “Come on…come on…”
The body moves sliding in-between the seats.
“Bing…no?” I’m expecting a bingo on some big roughneck guy but instead I’m staring at a little girl?
I drop the binoculars and exhale hard. What an idiot I am. Still policing when I’m not even a cop. He’s probably just trying to surprise his kid or something.
I turn over the ignition and back up before pulling forward and then left to leave the lot.
The man exits the jewelry shop at that exact moment.
Something still doesn’t sit right about him.
I pull out into the street passing the SUV. The little girl stands up in the back and I get a clear look at her.
“Where have I seen her….oh hell no!”
I park the car along the curb and get out as nonchalantly as I can.
I start walking toward the jewelry shop with the man walking right in my direction out of the front door.
I’m fifteen feet from him and he makes me.
He reaches for his waist and I take off running straight at him.
I get in a solid four steps and see his hand fumbling in his pants and I lay out in a full head first dive for his midsection, dropping him to the ground.
I’m a big boy, but he’s even bigger, but I’ve got way more muscle than he does.
I wrestle with him and get him flipped over onto his stomach.
A few cars stop, blocking traffic. They start honking.
“You!” I say pointing to the first car, trying to get his attention to help me but he just drives around us making sure to flip me off in the process. Welcome to L.A., huh?
The jewelry shop door opens.
“Saul! Get in my glovebox and get the cuffs.”
I motion with my head towards my car and Saul hurriedly does exactly as I ask.
The man struggles underneath me but it’s no use. There’s no way in hell I’m letting this scumbag out of my grasp.
“After all these years I got you you son-of-a-bitch. I finally got you.”
CHAPTER 14
Steven
Three days later
“Son, this has got to be stranger than fiction,” the chief says as he places the medal around my neck.
“The highest civilian honor we can issue,” the chief says to the laughter of the many cops who’ve come out today to see me get my medal.
“Thanks, chief,” I say. “You can put it down as a solved crime. Make sure to give the department credit.”
“Very funny, Shield. And yes, I can call you whatever I want these days. Your choice, remember?”
“No problem, sir.”
“Sir is right. I’m still the chief.”
The old salty police veteran walks away just shaking his head. The ceremony ends and I step down from the stage after the photographers finish trying to blind me with their camera flashes.
“Hey there, hero,” May says, grabbing me by the arm.
“I like the way you say it a lot more than the way the chief does.”
We both smile and head for the exit. I’ve had enough excitement for one day. I am officially not retired after all. Retired without being actually retired or whatever the term is. I guess technically I’m just unemployed until I get on with another station and start trying to rack up twenty years all over again.
“Excuse me,” a voice says. “Detective Shield?” the woman says in a soft voice.
“Not a detective anymore, ma’am. You can just call me Steven.”
She smiles. “Okay then, Steven. Would it be possible to have a quick word with you?”
I want to ask her what this is all about but seeing that I guess she’s probably in her eighties, although fit as a fiddle, I don’t suspect she’s planning on getting revenge for the guy I just took down.
“One second?”
“Take your time,” May says.
The lady motions for us to move off to the side.
“I’m sorry. We’ve never met, but my name is Janice Douglas.”
“Douglas as in…?”
“Yes. I’m Katherine’s grandmother and I can’t tell you how happy I am…” her hand reaches up and she places it on my forearm. I see her eyes start to water. “…that you found our baby,” she says, her voice cracking.
I reach in and gently hug her only to find out she’s got a surprisingly strong grip. At leas
t she does on me right now.
She pushes her body back away from mine and looks at me.
“I’m not sure if you know about this but we had a reward out for her return and as far as I see it you’re entitled to that reward.”
“Mrs. Douglas…ma’am…I just got all the reward I’ll ever need right now from the look on your face. That’s exactly why police officers do what they do.”
“Young man, I…I…”
“Thank you, Mrs. Douglas. Seeing how happy you are to have Katherine back will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
“And thanks to you I can live out the rest of my days in peace…with my granddaughter. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you.”
I turn to go.
“Mister Shield. Sorry. If you’re not interested in the money can we at least donate it in your name?”
“I wouldn’t know who to give it to,” I say.
“Wait! Maybe I do.”
“Just tell me and it’s done.”
“If you really insist, then I saw a sign at a hospital in New York recently. It’s the cancer wing where a Doctor Schmidt works. If you Google him you’ll find him right away. He’s a miracle worker and I think they’re looking for a little help to make even more miracles happen.”
“Then that’s where the money will find a home.”
“But Mrs. Douglas. If it’s not too much to ask, please donate it in Katherine’s name. She never quit fighting. She’s the real hero.”
Mrs. Douglas brings two fingers to her lips and touches them before blowing me a kiss and then folding her hands together like a Buddhist might to say thank you.
I give her a wink and turn back to catch up with May.
“Who was that?” she asks as she slides her arm inside mine and I escort her from city hall.
“That…is the reason why I joined the police force.”
CHAPTER 15
May
After the ceremony we get in the car and head home, but Steven doesn’t take the regular route. Instead he hops on the freeway.
“Do we have…plans for today?”
“Maybe,” he says as he reaches over and puts his hand on my leg just above my knee.
“Celebrating your award?”
“Amongst other things,” he says.
“Other things?”
“How about those Dodgers?” he asks.
“You don’t follow baseball.”
“I do starting right now.”
I laugh and let it go. It’s better to focus on having fun today than wondering what he may or may not have planned.
*****
We spend the middle of the day down in Huntington Beach. It’s so fun to be this close to the water. To watch the surfers and hear the strange and funny words the surfer kids use. Just the term they use to refer to themselves is funny. Grommet? How can you not laugh at that?
Just before sunset we meander on over to the Huntington Harbor and low and behold Steven has rented a gondola!
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. Hop in,” he says.
“Wow.”
“And they’re real gondolas from Venice,” Jonathan, our gondolier, says.
We get out into the harbor and Steven reaches his arm behind me to embrace…or so I thought.
Instead I hear some ice moving and he pulls out a bottle of champagne!
“Wow…you thought of everything,” I say as he brings out our glasses.
“You say that and you haven’t even heard Jonathan sing yet.”
“Jonathan, you sing?” I say turning around. Just before I get the last word out he’s already singing something in Italian. In Italian! I have no idea what it means but it sounds absolutely romantic and perfect.
Steven pours the champagne into flutes and hands me one.
“What are we toasting to?” I ask.
He looks up at Jonathan, who quickly fades the song out and then back at me. He takes my flute and sets it back in the ice along with his.
Then he stands and offers me his hand.
“Is it safe?” I ask.
“Life is full of uncertainties,” he says. “But they’re a lot more fun when we face them together.”
I smile and carefully stand up trying not to tip over the gondola. It has a very solid feel so I’m not too worried about it once I get up and realize just how safe it really is.
And then suddenly I’m the only one standing because Steven kneels right in front of me, while still holding my hand.
“We had a lot of fun working on our fake wedding vows didn’t we?”
“Oh my gosh,” I say.
“But you know what would be even more fun and more memorable? If we got to actually recite them. At least that’s exactly what I want to do and I hope you do to.”
“Steven,” I say.
“Since I saw you again just a few short months ago I knew. I knew things were different and from that first moment there was no going back. I never look at you the same and after today I hope you’ll never look at me the same either. And that’s because from this day forward I want you to always look at me the way you are right now. To look at me as your best friend, your confidant, and your lover…forever. And I promise with everything I have inside me that’s exactly how I’ll always look at you.”
“Your words are so…beautiful,” I say.
“No matter how beautiful they can never be as beautiful as you. And your beauty is what I want to see the first thing in the morning when I wake up and the last thing before I fall asleep, if I can fall asleep that is. It won’t be easy with how excited I’m going to be knowing my best friend will be by my side forever. My best friend who one day soon hopefully will also be my wife and the mother of my children. If you agree. This is what I ask and this is what I promise if…you will do me the honor of making me the happiest man in the entire world today and forever more. Will you marry me?”
I’m overwhelmed by everything that’s transpired these last few months. If my sense of survival wasn’t heightened so much from the situation I’d pass right out and into the harbor, but before I do anything I want to fall right into those big arms of his.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes, I will marry you my Steven Shield!”
He slides the ring on my finger. It’s big and beautiful and sparkles in the sunset, just like his eyes when he looks at me that way.
He stands up and our lips meet before his arms wrap around me.
We stand there together as the boat slowly glides across the water. Life could not be more perfect.
“Now we can toast,” he says.
I laugh and he gently wipes away my tears of joy.
“To my everlasting love for you,” he says raising his glass.
“And my love for you. Forever,” I say.
We clink glasses and take a sip of the champagne.
Nothing has ever tasted so good, until a second later when his champagne soaked lips meet mine for the first time as fiancée and fiancé.
But this time…it’s for real.
EPILOGUE
Steven
One month later
We’re back in New York for a follow-up with Doctor Schmidt. While May is in his office I’m going to slide down stairs and pay the bill.
I spoke with HR and they said everything is okay. It’s still covered so I should be good to go. Keywords in that sentence? Should be.
I approach the counter for the moment of truth.
I hand the bill over to the woman. She types some things into the computer and appears to be hiding a concerned look…except she’s not hiding it very well.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Can you just give me one second please?” she says in a friendly tone. It’s friendly with a heavy side of concern piled on top.
“Sure, no problem,” I say, but of course it’s obviously a big problem. An absolutely huge problem at that. I have no job, no pension, and if I have no health care then we’re going to be in
the poor house for the rest of our days. Then again poor means something entirely different when you’ve finally found the one person on earth who was meant for you, and you for them.
Cop's Fake Fiancée_An Older Man Younger Woman Romance Page 6
