On the day of the funeral, Simeon came to pick me up, and Simon was going to meet us there. I had secured a plot next to Lisa’s mother, happy I could finally bring her daughter back to where she belonged.
What I wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow was my court appearance at Daniel’s trial. My stomach coiled at the prospect. I didn’t really want to have to face him again in any capacity. The only thing that kept me going was knowing his poor wife was going to be there, and she had to have been a hell of a lot more nervous than I was. She shared a life with him. She probably thought they were going to start a family—share their lives and memories together.
A knock on my door brought me out of my musings. It seemed Simeon was on time for a change. He had been late the last time we made arrangements to get together. Lately, he had been my rock, coming around and spending time with me just when I needed it the most. I think we both needed each other. I was sure we fed off of each other’s vibes.
“It sucks, doesn’t it?” he asked as he stood at the door.
“What?”
“Wearing black. It feels like someone’s died.”
“Someone has died, Simeon.”
“I know, but it’s depressing.”
“Well, think of it this way. She’s in a better place now, isn’t she? You and I both know that for sure.” I smiled, taking his hand.
“Are you ready?”
“To be honest with you, I don’t think anybody could be ready to say goodbye to a child. But it has to be done.”
Putting his arm around my shoulders, Simeon shut the door. “Like you said, she’s in a better place now. Let’s make sure she gets a proper send-off, shall we?”
Nodding, I smiled as we walked down the stairs. “Thank you for being here for me today.”
“It’s no sweat. It just so happens I have a rest day today, so it wasn’t a problem.”
“And how is police life, Simeon? Just like The Bill?” I chuckled.
Simeon smiled as he held the car door open for me. “It’s not that far off, actually. All I have to do is wave my truncheon about and people behave themselves. It’s really easy.”
I laughed as he closed my door, waiting until he climbed in the other side before I spoke. “Do you make a habit of waving your truncheon about, Simeon?”
Starting the car, he turned to me. “Why is finding me waving my truncheon about so funny?”
I started laughing harder. “Stop it. You’re being rude.”
Gasping, he pointed a finger into his chest. “Me? You’re the one with the obvious filthy mind if you think I’m being rude.”
Swatting at him, I gasped right back. “You’re the one making obvious innuendos here, Simeon. Not me.”
“What’s the innuendo when I say I wave my truncheon about? I’m telling you that it’s so big, it has the men crouching in terror, the women desperate to touch it.”
That was it. I was off and there was no going back. I knew Simeon knew exactly what he was doing, but I didn’t care. It felt good to laugh for a change.
“You’re so adorable when you laugh. You should do it more often.”
Feeling myself blush, I nudged him in embarrassment. “You’re too much. Let’s go before we end up being late.”
Pulling the car away, Simeon glanced my way. “Are you worried you’ll want to touch my truncheon?”
“Simeon!” I bellowed, swatting him on the arm.
He laughed. “Okay, okay. I was only joking.”
“You better be!” Folding my arms, I huffed in amused annoyance. Simeon briefly flicked his eyes my way and smiled. “Stop it, Simeon.”
“Stop what?”
Looking out the window, I smiled and whispered, “You know what.”
Within a half-hour, we were at the cemetery where Simon was waiting. He was standing tall and statuesque, wearing a suit and a very long black coat. He was certainly dressed for the occasion.
When we got out of the car, I noticed the air smelled like rain. The sky was thick with clouds, which just suited the mood of the day.
Gathering my coat and bag, I opened the door, seeing Simeon’s hand awaiting mine. I smiled and gracefully grabbed it as he helped me out of the seat.
“Morning, Cassie. How’s the shoulder?”
“Really well, thanks. I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I should have the sling off in a couple days.”
“That’s brilliant. Do you think you’ll be ready for work next week?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, Simon. I’ll be glad to get back to normal.”
“I bet you are.” Turning to Simeon, he held his hand out. “Stephen, how are you today?”