Paying Respect
Ken Hutchinson shifted in the seat, trying to get comfortable. He and Starsky had been driving forever it seemed. The carefully written directions and hand-drawn map lay between them on the front seat of the Torino. For the tenth time, he said a silent thank-you that Gordon Sumner had saved the map that Kevin Lawrence had drawn up before a trip that had been planned but never taken. After they turned off the interstate and onto the small two-lane highway, all the fields, fence rows and houses looked the same. He leaned over slightly and checked the mileage.
“We should be coming up on Willow brook Lane shortly. Gordon said Kevin told him it was two miles past the junction.”
Starsky only nodded, dividing his attention between the road and the small street signs flashing by. He lifted his index finger off the steering wheel and pointed.
“There it is, on the right. Good thing Kevin knew how to draw a decent map.”
Hutch looked to his right and saw the narrow road that nearly disappeared in the line of trees. He took a breath and exhaled slowly then glanced at Starsky.
“Tell me again why we’re doing this?”
Starsky shrugged slightly. “Because we said we would.”
Hutch settled back in his seat and watched the trees go by. “Yeah.”
Two miles later, the road took a sharp curve then changed from a paved road to a gravel driveway. The split rail fence that bordered the drive was made of seasoned wood, its wide gate painted a glossy white. A sprawling ranch style house lay between two tall oak trees. The red brick showed its age, but was well kept, as were the white shutters that bordered the windows. The lawn had been mowed recently and the smell of fresh cut grass still lingered in the air. Hutch caught glimpses of rows of corn in a tidy garden behind the house. As Starsky slowed the Torino down, Hutch could see a large yellow dog with long legs and a skinny tail wandering around the yard. A plain brown collar circled its neck. When Starsky pulled the car off the driveway, the dog simply stood beside the fence and looked at them.
Starsky got out of the car first and waited for Hutch. He eyed the dog with distrust.
“You think he bites?”
Hutch snorted. “I don’t know, Starsk. Why don’t you ask him?”
“You’re about as funny as a rubber crutch, Hutch. What are we going to do? We can’t just go in there. Maybe he doesn’t like strangers.”
Hutch sighed. Starsky could stare down a junkie psyched out on PCP without breaking a sweat, but wouldn’t come within a mile of a strange dog.
“Why don’t you honk the horn and see if anyone’s home? We didn’t come to see the dog, remember.”
Starsky glared at him from the corner of his eye and started toward the car. He was almost to the driver’s side door when a man came out of the house and stood on the front porch. He appeared to be about sixty years old with graying hair and bowed shoulders. Dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans, and boots that were plain but functional, he rested his hands on his hips and simply stared at the two detectives.
Hutch walked closer to the edge of the fence and spoke to the man, raising his voice slightly to cover the distance.
“Mr. Lawrence? I’m Sergeant Hutchinson and this is my partner, Sergeant Starsky. We called yesterday from Bay City. We wanted to come and talk to you about Kevin.”
Lawrence nodded slightly. “The name’s Jay Paul, but most people just call me JP. It’s good to meet you. You made good time. I didn’t figure you to be here before dark.”
Starsky moved to stand beside Hutch. “Gordon Sumner had a map that Kevin drew, and he let us borrow it. Gordon and Kevin were going to visit you a few months ago, but they got involved in a case and couldn’t come.”
Lawrence frowned slightly. “Kevin never said anything about a visit, but then again, we didn’t talk much. Well, what are you standin’ out there for? Come on up to the porch. Samson won’t hurt you. He’s too old to be much of a guard dog and he don’t got any teeth left in his head now anyway.”
Hutch walked to the gate and raised the latch, pushing the gate open far enough to walk through. Starsky followed closely behind him, keeping a wary eye on Samson. The dog gazed at them through somber brown eyes then simply turned away and ambled to a small depression in the cool dirt a few feet away. He turned in a circle twice then slumped down and closed his eyes.
Hutch glanced at the dog then at Starsky. “Oh, yeah, he’s a killer all right. Better watch him, Starsk. He’s liable to wake up and gum you to death.”
“We’ll be back in Bay City in a few days, buddy. And you know what they say about pay backs.”
Hutch grinned and shook his head before walking up to the porch. Starsky stuck his tongue out at Hutch as he followed him across the yard. As they reached the porch, a woman came out of the house. Her long grey hair was pulled loosely behind her, and she wore a man’s shirt with the tail gathered in a knot at her waist. The top half of her jeans was covered with an apron, and a pair of sandals protected her feet from the unvarnished wood of the porch floor. She stood beside Lawrence and watched them approach with a solemn look.
Lawrence nodded toward Starsky and Hutch. “This is the two policemen that called yesterday. Sergeant Starsky, Sergeant Hutchinson, this is my wife, Ceola.”
Ceola Lawrence smiled for an instant. “It’s nice to meet you. Did you know Kevin?”
Hutch smiled back. “Yes, ma’am. We worked with him on several cases.”
There was a moment of awkward silence then she spoke again. “It’s hot out today. I’ve some fresh tea made in the kitchen. It’s sweet and cold, and made with real tea bags, not instant. Would you like some?”
“It sounds good. Thank-you.”
She went back into the house, letting the screen door close behind her. Lawrence motioned to the plastic chairs on the porch. “You must be tired from all that driving. Sit. Ceola will bring the tea out here. It’s cooler on the porch.”
Hutch sat down in one of the chairs and sighed with relief. It was good to get out of that car for a bit. Starsky took the other chair and moved it slightly so the three men were in a semi-circle. The silence was awkward, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.
“Kevin was a good man, JP. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Lawrence looked at Starsky with a serious expression on his face. “I didn’t want my son to go to Bay City, Sergeant Starsky. If he’d stayed here where he belonged, he’d still be alive.”
Starsky and Hutch exchanged uncomfortable glances. Hutch turned to Kevin’s father. “He was a good cop, Mr. Lawrence. He was doing what he thought he needed to do.”
“Kevin always did what he thought was best. I’m not saying what he did was wrong. I just wish he hadn’t felt the need to do it so far away.”
Before he could say more, Ceola walked out the door with a picture of iced tea and three glasses. She filled the glasses with the tea and handed them out then stepped back. “I’m canning some vegetables in the kitchen. I’d better get back to it or they’ll turn to water. I’ll leave you men to talk.” She turned to go then turned back. The pain and grief she’d been holding in shined through her eyes. “Thank-you for bringing my boy home.”
JP took a sip of tea and watched her flee into the safety of her home. He sighed sorrowfully.
“We’ve got three other kids besides Kevin. Johnny works at the new water treatment plant in Bakersfield. He and Annie have a brand-new baby now. Kevin never got to see his nephew. The twins are six years younger than Kevin. They were quite a surprise, I can tell you. Alexia and Katie are going to college in town, too. They’re not sure what they want to do yet, but as long as they’re together, it don’t really matter what they do. Those two gals are joined at the hip, I can tell you that. They even got themselves engaged to twin boys. Now if that won’t be a sight to see at the family reunion next summer, I don’t know what will be. Kevin only got to meet the boys once.” He sipped his drink for a moment then spoke softly. “Kevin was the only chick that left the nest and it near broke Ceola’s heart. Of course, she wouldn’t say anything. I think she thought that if she gave him enough time, he’d change his mind and come home. Well, he’s coming home now.”
Starsky held JP’s gaze with his. “You have a wonderful family, JP. Kevin was always showing us pictures of you. He was proud of his big brother and he called the twins his double dose of sunshine.”
For the first time, surprise flickered in JP’s eyes. “He showed you pictures of us?”
Starsky smiled fondly. “He had more pictures in his wallet than anyone else I know. We used to kid him that it was a good thing he carried his badge in his front pocket because there wasn’t any room in his wallet.”
JP stared off in the distance. “Kevin always went his own way. When he and Johnny were young, Johnny would be off with his friends, or hanging out at the soda shop in town, but Kevin would rather go off by himself and go fishing. He was in the first grade when Ceola got pregnant with the twins. She had a hard time, and I nearly lost all three of them. Then when they came home, Ceola had her hands full taking care of them, plus the boys. I worked at the mill back then, and sometimes it was way after dark before I got home. After the twins started school, Ceola started tending the garden and selling the crops in town. She did some canning and even took in mending when her arthritis let her. Then I took sick and had to quit work. I got a pension from the government, but it still wasn’t easy. Now that the kids are all grown, we don’t need as much to live on. But back then, I was so busy putting food on the table that I didn’t have much time to spend with my kids. Kevin graduated from high school and went straight down to the recruitment office and enlisted in the army. He did two stints so he could get a college degree then as soon as he got out; he went to the Police Academy in Bakersfield. I thought he would settle down here, but as soon as he made detective, he moved to Bay City. Time sure is a funny thing. You blink and the years are all gone. My kids grew up before I even got the chance to know them. We’re not rich, by any means, but what little I leave behind will go to the kids. Maybe Kevin wouldn’t have wanted ties to this place. We’ll never know now.”
He looked down at the glass in his hands. “I always thought maybe Kevin thought I didn’t love him as much as I did the others. It’s hard being stuck in the middle. Johnny was old enough to take care of himself when the twins were born, and I guess I thought Kevin was old enough, too. But now I wonder if I didn’t fail that boy somehow. Maybe if he’d felt he had a reason to stay, he would have.”
Hutch shook his head slowly. “Kevin never felt that way. He joined the force because he wanted to help people. He wasn’t running away from anything. He was doing what he always wanted to do. He died protecting three innocent people in that convenience store, and his partner. Gordon wanted to be here today, but he just got out of the hospital and his doctor won’t let him make the trip. He asked us to tell you that he won’t ever forget what Kevin did. Your son was a brave man, and it was an honor to know him.”
JP smiled slightly. “I guess saving your partner is a pretty important thing. Have you two been partners long?”
Hutch nodded. “Yeah, it’s been almost ten years. Kevin understood what it meant to watch your partner’s back. There isn’t anyone that a cop depends on more. Kevin took an oath when he put on that badge, JP, and he took it seriously.”
“So, you’ve saved each other’s lives?”
Starsky looked over at Hutch. “More times than we can count.”
JP smiled wistfully then picked up the pitcher of tea and refilled all their glasses. “Will you tell me about my boy?”
Starsky and Hutch drew their chairs closer to JP and told them about Kevin’s life in Bay City. The sun was starting to go down when Hutch drained the last of his tea and sat the glass on the porch. He stood up and looked at JP.
“Kevin was never ashamed of you, JP. He loved you all and he knew how much you loved him. He had pictures all over his apartment, too, pictures of this house, his time at school and in the army, and of his graduation at the academy. He loved being a cop, but he never forgot where he came from. He was proud of you and you have the right to be proud of him.”
Starsky drank the last of his tea and put his glass beside Hutch’s. He stood beside his partner. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, JP. He wouldn’t have been the man he was if it weren’t for his family.”
JP closed his eyes briefly and nodded. Then he offered his hand to Starsky and Hutch. After they all shook hands, he smiled sadly.
“You’ll be at the funeral tomorrow?”
Hutch nodded. “We’ll meet the plane that’s bringing Kevin home and make sure the casket gets to the funeral parlor. Then we’ll be at the services tomorrow afternoon.”
“We’ll be having a wake after the service here. I’d be obliged if you’d come.”
“We’ll be here, JP. We don’t have to be in Bay City until Friday.”
“Ceola will be pleased, and it will give you the chance to meet the rest of the brood. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
Starsky and Hutch walked off the steps and across the yard. Hutch opened the gate again and the two men walked to the Torino. As Starsky opened the door, he looked back at JP Lawrence. JP was standing on the porch, his hands back on his hips, but his shoulders were a little straighter, and his eyes shined a little brighter. Ceola came out onto the porch in time to wave at them. She put her arm around her husband’s waist and watched as they started the car.
JP raised his voice to cover the distance. “Thank-you for bringing my boy home, Detectives, and thank-you for letting me get to know him.”
Still in his spot at the edge of the fence, Samson raised his head and watched the Torino drive away. His skinny tail thumped twice on the ground then he laid his head down and went back to sleep.
The End