Chapter 1
Roger Taylor’s cell phone read three minutes after eight on a Thursday night. Taylor was tense as he continued to survey the crowded area before him. He sat back, watching the people in the crowd come and go as he sought out his target. All of these people would make finding his target that much more difficult. He tried to blend in as best as possible, pretending he belonged here among all the others surrounding him. In the back of his mind, he felt completely out of place.
Another five minutes passed, and he almost decided to give up. A pent-up sense of frustration and relief took hold of him. He hated to miss out, but in another way, he was glad he wouldn’t have to deal with the pressure of his meeting. He took one last drink of his tea and stood reaching for his wallet when he caught sight of the person he was looking for tonight.
She was tall with long auburn hair, an athletic build, and fair skin. She nervously looked around, but she didn’t see him. She made her way to the restaurant’s bar and took a seat. Taylor could not hear what she was saying, but from the bartender’s reaction, she must have ordered a drink. There she sat, looking around, waiting for someone to arrive, not seeming to know what she was getting herself into tonight.
Nearing the bar, Roger knew the moment of truth was at hand. Move slowly, Taylorthought to himself as he cut through the crowd. Whatever you do, don’t spook her, he thought as he moved in closer. There was no backup on this one. If he failed, the last few weeks he spent searching would be instantly ruined.
He took a deep breath and steadied himself as the woman turned and finally made eye contact with him. The rest happened in an instant. “Hi, I’m Roger. Glad to finally meet you,” he said, raising his stress level.
“Oh, hey,” she said with a small laugh, “I’m Amber; great to meet you in person too, finally. How are you?” she said reassuringly.
“Great, I got us a table back there if you want to go sit. It’s a little less crowded.”
“I’d love to, sure.”
“Hey, Eddie,” he said to his long-time friend behind the bar, “Miss Amber and I are going to my table. Can you bring her drink over there, please?”
Eddie, Roger’s friend from the days he dated Shelia Lee, was a constant companion. Roger owed him a debt of gratitude, and his encouragement meant a lot to him. Sometimes, he wasn’t sure he could have made it after Shelia died without Eddie. The man may have lost a leg in Iraq, but Eddie was the strongest and most reliable man Roger knew. “You got it, Roger,” he said. As Amber walked toward the table, Roger looked back at Eddie, and the man gave him a thumbs up and a nod of approval.
It meant more than thinking about Amber’s physical beauty, which she had plenty of, without a doubt. It was more about Roger finally allowing himself to try and find someone to be in his life again. After Shelia died, Roger went into a dark place. Eddie was the one that helped to pull him out of that trap.
Turning his attention to the lovely lady he met tonight, he returned to his table. He caught up with Amber and guided her to their spot. He pulled the chair out for her, and she gracefully sat down, thanking him as she sat. He hoped she couldn’t tell just how nervous he was. It was funny how he could stare down a man who wanted to kill him with relative ease in comparison to a date with the sister-in-law of his friend Ethan Long.
Roger knew Ethan from when the two first joined the force. They were both rookie cops and just out of the military. They hit it off almost from the start. However, Ethan left the police force and started working as an insurance investigator several years ago. The two kept in touch since Ethan left Warrenton’s police force. Taylor had to admit he first resisted the idea of dating Ethan’s sister-in-law. The last thing Roger wanted was to jump into a relationship with a friend’s kinfolk, but Ethan insisted that Roger at least agree to meet her. Finally, he gave in, and Ethan arranged for the two to exchange contact information.
It felt odd as he sent the first text message to her. Meeting someone through text seemed so impersonal that he typed and erased the text at least a dozen times. When he finally sent the message, he instantly thought it wasn’t the one he meant to send. To his surprise, she responded in less than five minutes and agreed to talk on the phone.
Their first conversation was a lot of stops and starts at first. She apologized for initially wanting to text, but it was sometimes the best way to contact her. As luck had it, Amber had her phone out when he sent the message and responded quickly. Things went at an odd pace from there. They talked on the phone and exchanged pictures but couldn’t find a mutual time to meet face-to-face.
It took nearly three weeks before their schedules finally lined up so they could meet. “Sorry I was late tonight,” Amber said as he took his place across from her. “I had a client show up right as I was leaving, and I couldn’t make him understand that after office hours is not the time to show up.”
“That’s fine. My job doesn’t let me keep regular office hours, so I’m glad to meet you in person.”
“Why, thank you. Now remind me you’re a police officer, right?”
“Detective. I’m the head detective here in Warrenton.”
“Detective,” she said as she flashed her eyes at him, “I bet that’s exciting work.”
“It can be. It certainly has its moments. Most of the time, you’re just waiting for something to happen or digging through a file or something mundane like that,” Roger said, trying to downplay her excitement. “And what about you? Therapist, right? People come in and tell you their problems and all?”
“Something like that,” she said and took a drink. “People think we know how to solve the world’s problems, but actually, it’s a lot of listening and going through files, too.” Looking across at him, she could tell that work talk made him uncomfortable. No doubt everyone he met wanted to know about his so-called adventures, and it was no surprise to her that maybe he didn’t want to share them. She decided to change the subject. “So, what do you do for fun?” she playfully asked him, “When you’re not chasing bad guys, that is.”
The sudden turn in the conversation took Roger aback. As a counselor, he thought she may have sensed his discomfort in talking about his work. The thought that she could be psychoanalyzing him popped into his mind. He wondered if she had the same trouble separating work from personal time. Just as quickly, he thought she wanted to talk about something other than work. “I like to go fishing when I can. I don’t keep them or anything. Just catch and release. Mostly, I love going to baseball games.”
“Oh really? Do you go see the Dodgers a lot?” she replied in a voice that implied that there might be a common interest.
“Well, I’ve been to several games, but actually, I enjoy our local team more. There’s nothing wrong with the majors, but I like the hometown feel. You know, the small park where I can unwind, relax, and enjoy the game. I don’t have to worry about a long drive home and fighting too much traffic.”
“I bet you keep a scorecard with you when you go, don’t you?” she said again in a playful voice.
“A lot of times, I do.” He hoped he didn’t sound too defensive. It was a little intimidating that she guessed that about him so quickly. “It helps me focus on the game. It makes me feel like I’m a part of the game rather than a passive observer.”
“I like that,” she said, “The feeling that you’re part of something.” She smiled and then lowered her head. Unconsciously, she ran her fingers through her hair and twirled the end on her fingertip. “I’m sorry, was that too, I don’t know, forward? Is that the right word?”
“What? No, not at all. I deal with people who are pushy all day, so no, that wasn’t forward at all.” He sat back and relaxed a bit in his chair. “What about you? What do you do for fun? Assuming you have time for that, right?” He regretted adding that last part, but her mood didn’t shift.
“I usually have time for a little fun here and there,” she said as the tension began to melt. “I have a small flower garden, and I like to watch cooking shows. I have this weird fascination with cookbooks. I hardly ever try recipes in them, but I keep buying them.” They shared a laugh over that.
Things went well that night. Their food was perfect, Eddie’s always was, and they talked the night away almost like long-lost friends. He must have lost track of time because he was shocked that it was nearly eleven o’clock. “I didn’t realize it was this late. I hate to go, but I have an early day tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah, me too. I guess we overstayed our welcome here.”
“No, it’s fine; I know the guy who runs this place. He’s a good friend of mine. I’ve stayed late here with him a lot. Can I walk you to your car?”
“Sure,” she said with a pleasant smile.
The two walked out to the parking lot together, and he spotted what must have been her car. When they arrived, she turned toward him and crossed her hands near her waist. “I had a great time tonight,” she said, staring at him with that pleasant smile.
“Me too,” he said in response, “you umm…want to do this again sometime? Can I call you?”
“I look forward to that. Yes.”
He didn’t seem to know what to do next. Amber opened her purse, found the key fob, and opened her door. She quickly kissed him on his cheek and said goodbye in a near whisper. As he watched her drive away, a strange feeling washed over him. It was hard to say precisely what it was, but he knew he wanted to see her again.
After she drove away, Taylor walked back toward the restaurant. Eddie stood in the doorway, waiting for him as he approached. “That seemed to go well,” he said as Roger neared him. Eddie had a way of seeming to know what was on Roger’s mind.
“Yeah, I think it did. I appreciate you letting us stay past closing.”
“Think nothing of it. You want to come in for a drink?” Eddie asked him.
“No, I can’t. I need to be at the station early tomorrow. Chief wants to go over some reports or something. I’ve probably stayed out too long as it is, but thanks for the invite.”
“Anytime. Have a good night, but it looks like you already have.”
