Page 26 of Hack
"Which I'm sure is what your cell phone is for. Honestly, is there anything that you can't put off a couple of days? It would do your mind and body good to get away for a bit. We'd still be working, just not sitting in front of a computer all day, or reading through files. You can look around Lyle's brothers' place, get a feel for them and the area where Lyle grew up, maybe even interview a few people who knew Lyle back in the day." Archer was sure that Carter wouldn't turn down the chance to talk to people who knew Lyle, whether that was his brothers or just people in town who had known him, there was always a chance someone had information.
Carter shook his head. "I can't. I have to be at work Friday night. I have a huge project that night."
"Then we'll leave Saturday." Archer moved back to the kitchen table, taking a seat across from him.
"Why do you want me to go? You suddenly scared to travel alone?" Carter narrowed his eyes at him.
Archer rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You're going to pull that shit? You know as well as I do this would be good for you. If you really don't want to go, tell me to fuck off, but don't pull that bullshit on me."
Carter sighed. "It's too early for this shit."
"Grab another cup of coffee and think about it. I'm going to head out and introduce myself to one of your beaches and run for a bit. Can't expect me to keep this look by sitting around on my ass all the time." He winked as he finished off his coffee.
Carter barked out a laugh. "Fuck you."
Archer just grinned at him.
"Fine, go. I'm going to get a hot shower and relax. If you're serious about cooking tonight, we can head to the store when you get back. I'm not sure what we have here."
"We'll see how you're feeling. I'm a big boy and can go shopping by myself if need be. You need to relax. If you're jumping back to work tomorrow for your big project, you need to take all the time you can now to let your shoulder ease up." Archer grabbed a small gym bag he'd set beside the table. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Stay off the computer," he called over his shoulder as he headed out the door.
Once in his car and on the road, he followed the GPS to the beach he'd picked out. Since coming to California, he'd let himself get lazy. Usually, no matter where he was, he found time to run every day. It was the only real exercise he liked. He hated going to the gym, uncomfortable with all the people, and hating how he always felt like people were staring, comparing themselves to one another. At least with running, he could set his pace, focus on what was in front of him, and just go until his muscles burned, or his energy ran out.
Carter didn't live too far from the ocean, so it didn't take long at all to find his way to the beach and park his car in the lot. As he sat there, he looked over the water, forgetting everything for a few minutes as he took in the beauty in front of him. There was nothing better than the ocean to remind you just how small you were in the world. He needed that reminder from time to time, especially when he started taking too much on his shoulders and feeling as if he was the one who had to handle everything. It happened often while working through his cases, the feeling that everything was up to him and if he failed, all would be lost. In reality, he knew that life would go on, even if he failed, and that sometimes others would be the ones who really had to carry the load, but his father had raised him to do his best, and to act as if everything would fall apart if he didn't do a perfect job. It was a hard habit to break, even after all the years his father had been gone.
He got out of the car, putting his armband on first, then putting in his earbuds, he debated on which direction to run. He made sure his car was locked, shoved his keys into his pocket, then took off down the walkway to the beach. The second his feet hit the sand, he started to run.
The ocean air was refreshing, and the heat was already building. Ideally, he should have come earlier to avoid the sun, but he'd slept in, enjoying not having to work today if he didn't want to. It was rare he took a day off, but he could hardly dive into the case and expect Carter to sit back and not do the same. He had to step away, probably needing the break as much as Carter did, even if he wouldn't admit it.
He might not be digging through files, reading over his notes, but that didn't mean he couldn't piece things together in his mind. Finding a good pace, he focused on the beach in front of him as he thought about the case and tried his hardest to figure out what they were missing. The clues were there, they just had to find them. Until Lyle was caught, he just couldn't rest.
