Chapter 73-74 - Former CIA, Now LAPD

Chapter 73 – A Good Morning in the City That Never Sleeps

March 21, 2019 – 6:48 AM

West Division Parking Lot – LAPD

A light morning mist hung over the cars. It wasn't warm yet, but the city was already waking up. The distant sound of sirens echoed, muffled by the concrete.

Mike Edwards walked silently, his uniform shirt impeccable, his pants straight, his vest tight. He carried his patrol bag in one hand and his black coffee in the other. When he reached patrol car 12-A-27, he saw Athena Grant already leaning on the hood, typing something on her tablet.

"Punctual as always, Edwards."

"Or was it you who arrived early as usual?"

She smiled, but kept her focus on the screen.

— "Two reports of vandalism in the Venice area overnight. A domestic disturbance call in Mar Vista. And student demonstrations are expected on Wilshire. It's going to be one of those days where everything happens and nothing explodes."

— "Which, let's face it, is the best-case scenario."

They both got into the patrol car. Mike at the wheel, Athena with the radio and tablet mounted on her clipboard.

7:21 AM – Patrol on Venice Blvd

The patrol car glided smoothly between cars stopped at the traffic light. The streets were still partially empty except for delivery drivers, homeless people, and the occasional group of joggers.

Athena watched the graffitied businesses closely.

— "This isn't art. It's marking territory. See the pattern?"

Mike nodded, adjusting the rearview mirror.

— "Yes. Symbols not graffiti, but painted with a thick brush. This is more ritual than provocation."

"Gangs resurfacing?"

"Maybe trying to reorganize. When big names are arrested or killed, there's always a power vacuum. And that vacuum is fertile ground for violence."

Athena jotted down the symbols in her notebook. Mike was already mentally cross-referencing the data.

8:05 AM – Domestic Disturbance Call

"12-A-27, respond code 415, screams and noises coming from residence, 2235 Mar Vista Avenue."

Mike picked up the radio.

"12-A-27, en route."

They arrived within 5 minutes. The house was simple, with unkempt grass. A sneaker lay discarded on the sidewalk. Muffled screams came from inside.

Mike and Athena approached cautiously. Mike on the left, gun drawn. Athena knocked firmly on the door.

"LAPD! Open the door!"

A man opened the door, eyes wide, shirt ripped.

"She's crazy! She threw a plate at me!"

From inside, a woman screamed:

"He cheated on me! With the NEIGHBOR!"

Mike quickly separated the two, keeping a safe distance. Athena sat the man on the porch step.

Mike spoke to the woman.

"Ma'am, may I come in? No weapons, no handcuffs. Just listen."

She nodded. She was trembling.

While Mike spoke to her—using a calm, firm, nonjudgmental tone Athena collected the man's documents and ran a background check.

"Nothing serious. Two previous disturbance reports. No warrants."

Mike left with a neutral expression.

"I recommended he spend two days away from the house. Neither of us wants to sue. But there's pent-up tension. I suggested referral to counseling. It's not a crime, but it's an emotional minefield."

Athena wrote everything down on her tablet.

"You sound like someone who's seen this story end badly."

"Because I have. In several languages and countries."

10:22 AM – Coffee Stop at a Local Stand

Mike and Athena parked near a small coffee shop, where police officers are treated with respect and some free coffee.

The attendant, Alicia, already recognized them.

"Ms. Grant. Mr. Edwards. The usuals?"

"If it's polite and without sugar, yes," Athena replied.

Mike turned after thanking her and noticed a man standing there, watching the police car. A fixed gaze. Disheveled hair, a torn coat.

Mike approached cautiously.

"Good morning. Everything okay here?"

The man hesitated.

"I... know you. You're the cop who caught the woman who fell on Sunset... last month. She survived, right?"

Mike nodded slightly.

"She survived. She was taken away in time. The firefighters did the rest."

"Thanks for that. I... was her husband."

Mike wasn't expecting that. He held out his hand. The man shook it.

"She's home. Recovering. She said she remembers you. Your calm voice."

Mike looked at Athena, who was watching from the sidewalk.

"I'm glad she's alive. And you... too."

12:01 PM – Pause overlooking Echo Park

The squad car was parked near the lake. The two of them were eating something light.

"Did you know this place has meaning to me?" Mike asked, looking at the reflection of the light on the water.

"No. Why?"

— "This is where Kendall and I had our first public moment together. We just walked. No security. No cell phones. Just... eye contact."

Athena looked at him with a slight smile.

— "And now she has a ring. And you, one more reason to come back alive every day."

Mike nodded.

— "That's what changes us. Before, my mission was survival. Now... it's permanence."

Chapter 74 – Where Roots Meet

March 24, 2019 – 7:03 AM

Glen Haven Memorial Park Cemetery – Sylmar, California

The morning was cool. The sky was slightly overcast, with small slivers of light trying to pierce the clouds.

Mike Edwards parked his black Escalade SUV at the edge of the lawn, next to a lone oak tree. He got out calmly. He wore dark jeans, a dark gray linen shirt, and a simple black jacket. In his left hand were two roses one white and one red. And in his eyes, a silence that carried years.

He walked slowly. He passed bronze plaques, simple headstones. He knew that path. He didn't come every year. But he never let so much time pass that he forgot what it was like to walk there.

When he reached the two graves side by side, beneath a small Japanese cherry tree he stopped. He stood for a full minute, without moving.

The headstones were discreet:

Michael Jonathan Edwards (1958–1997)

"A man of silence and honor"

Eleanor Maria Edwards (1962–2003)

"She planted strength in broken soil"

Mike crouched down and placed the flowers. One on each headstone.

Then he sat on the small concrete wall beside it, crossed his arms over his knees, and stared at the bronze plaques. And he spoke.

"Father. Mother. I took a while, I know. But… I'm here. I'm whole."

He took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill his lungs.

"Father, you told me that a man has to know how to return home. Even if home has changed. That sometimes home is just that: knowing you survived… and still care."

He looked around. The field was empty.

— "Mom, you said that a strong woman changes a man's destiny in silence. That love isn't noise it's presence. And that the hardest love is the one that survives time."

He closed his eyes for a moment.

— "I met someone. You'd like her, Mom. She's calm, but not fragile. Intelligent. But she doesn't need to prove that to anyone. She looks at me as if… as if she doesn't see me as a burden. As if I'm just… me."

— "Her name is Kendall. Yes, I know… she's famous. But none of that matters. Because with me, she just wants silence, coffee, and holding hands. And I… I asked her to marry me."

He smiled, but his eyes welled up.

— "I'm happy. Truly. For the first time in years, I wake up without a weight on my chest. I have a home. A love. And a peace I never imagined I deserved."

The wind gently swayed the cherry tree. A pair of leaves fell slowly onto the headstones.

Mike continued, in a lower tone:

"You didn't see me at graduation. Or when I joined the CIA. You didn't see Kandahar, or Brasília. You didn't know when I had to pull the trigger… or when I saved someone simply by being in the right place. But today, I wanted you to see this. That I… survived it all. And now… I'm trying to live. For real."

He took a deep breath.

"And I just needed to tell you. Looking back at where it all began."

Silence.

The sound of birds. A distant lawnmower. A world moving on.

Mike stood up slowly. He ran his hand over the two headstones, as if offering a wordless thank you.

"You gave me the name. Now I want to honor it. With life. With love. With truth."

He turned to leave. But before he did, he returned one last time.

— "You've always been my origin. Now, it has continuity."

8:20 AM – Return to the car

Mike got into the Escalade, but before starting the engine, he spent a few minutes looking in the rearview mirror. He saw himself there, and saw himself as never before: a man at peace with himself. With the dead. With the living.

He took out his phone. He opened a photo of Kendall sleeping on his chest. The screen lit softly.

Message sent to Kendall:

"I went to visit my parents. I told them. I'm coming back. I miss you, even though we're only minutes away."

Reply, almost instantaneous:

"They heard you. And they're proud. Come home, my love."

He smiled. And left.

Full story on my Patreon

Chapter 30 - Chapter 73-74