Dinah Saris struggled to keep the dripping gyro from soiling her uniform as she sat on a bench overlooking the ocean. She opted instead for letting the juicy globs of sauce hit the sand between her feet. Beside her, Sam balanced his burger on his knees and decorated it with swirls of condiment. He closed the bun and commenced dissecting the sandwich with a knife and fork.
Dinah mumbled around mouthfuls of gyro, “It’s just a burger from a vendor down the beach. You treat it like some kind of production.”
“I like my burgers and I like them just so. Anyway, it’s not my fault that you have no imagination.”
Dinah halted in mid-swallow, her eyes following a form on the edge of the surf. She pointed with her nose and then gulped the hunk of gyro down.
“Imagination,” she declared. “That’s waste of time when you have a beat to watch.”
Dinah laid the gyro across the slats of the bench and started onto the beach.
“Hey,” Sam said, still dividing the burger into bite-sized chunks. “There’s no order for protection and this is a public beach. Also, there’s no law against wading in a business suit. It’s weird but not illegal.”
Dinah checked her taser as she replied. “Yeah? Well, we know Sydney Westcott was hanging around his old place today and I don’t care what the Morales family says but it’s too coincidental that the electricity went off at the same time.”
Dinah had to sprint and then jog to match Sydney’s long strides. He stayed on course as she came alongside him.
“Officer,” he said, tipping his head.
“Mr. Westcott,” Dinah gasped. “You visited your house today, didn’t you?”
“Strange question, officer,” Sydney said. “Did you visit your house today?”
“Point is, we’ve had complaints from both your estranged wife and your neighbors about you lurking in the neighborhood.”
“That’s their way of putting it. I liked yours better. I was just visiting.”
“Then why did you run when Angel Morales went after you?”
“You have me mixed up with another lurking pest. Angel has never chased me.”
Sam groaned and laid his burger aside. He reconsidered and popped one morsel into his mouth before he walked out onto the beach. At the water’s edge, Dinah brandished her cuffs at Sydney, who shook his head in response. He started to move but Dinah caught him in the waist with her taser, causing him to crumple to his knees.
“I wish I was dreaming right now,” Sam grumbled.
