Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fan fiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

Chapter 21: Closure

Trent and Carlos sat down across from Kim and Nancy at their usual table at Uppercuts. Trent grabbed a couple of nachos that he just been put on the table by one of the servers.

"How is Charlie?" Kim asked as Butch dropped off a pitcher of beer and pulled over a chair to sit with them.

"He's good. We just dropped him off. Charlie is going to keep a close eye on him for a while just to make sure," Carlos said as he poured himself a glass of beer.

Kim thanked Carlos as he poured her a beer and handed it to her. "Well, you guys need to write out your statements for the police."

Carlos rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we'll get right on that."

Trent couldn't help but chuckle and when Kim shot him a look, he took a sip of his beer and used the glass to hide his grin.

"Good. I've got to get going."

"We just got here," Carlos replied. "You have a date or something?"

Kim stood up, said good night as she slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder and left the bar with a big smile on her face.

The remaining members of the group sat and talked for an hour when Nancy declared that she had to get going since she had to open the library in the morning.

"There's one thing that has been on my mind," Trent said after he finished the last of his beer.

Carlos frowned. "Yeah. What is that?"

He set the empty beer glass on the table and rubbed his finger along the handle. "What about Jackie Foreman?"

"What about her?"

"She was hiding something when we spoke to her."

"Yeah, we may never know what she has been hiding. It was probably an affair or something. It seems like every person in that church had a dirty little secret."

He nodded his head at his friend's theory, but he couldn't figure out what it was bothering him about Miss Foreman, but he had something that had to do first before he could figure it out.

The prison smelled of sweat, bleach and an underlying smell that Trent couldn't determine just what it was and honestly, he didn't want to know the source. He had told Kim and Carlos that he was going to be late to Thunder Investigations. He hadn't told them that he was visiting Mickey Vincent in prison, but he would when he got to work.

He went into to a room with a table and a few chairs. He sat at the table and waited.

After a few moments, a guard brought Mickey in. Trent barely recognized his childhood friend. He had gotten several tattoos on his arms, as well as a large scare on the side of his face. The time in prison had given him time to pump iron and gain muscles on his once wiry frame. His hair had a dusting of gray and it was starting to get thin on top.

"Hey, buddy. Long time no see," Mickey said with a cocky grin.

"Hello, Mickey," he responded, not even a trace of smile appeared on his lips.

Mickey settled in his chair and cleared his throat, clearly not liking the beginning of this little reunion. "So, Trent, I wanted to discuss something with you."

Before he could continue, Trent silenced him with a forceful wave of his hand. He started into Mickey's eyes for a long moment before he spoke. "I know that you are trying to prove your so-called innocence. When I go to the hearing, Mickey, I don't believe you are going to like what I have to say."

He saw Mickey's eyes darken, but that wasn't going to stop him from saying what he had come to say. "You were proven guilty in the murder of your parents. Not in all of the years that have passed has made me forget what you did to them. You tried to tell me you were innocent back then, and I believed you. You had been my friend for years, but that friendship ended the day that you became a killer."

He stood up, placed his hands on the table, and leaned toward Mickey. "This is where you belong and this is where you are going to stay." He turned around and motioned to the guard that he was ready to go. He heard Mickey slam his hands on the table and ignored Mickey's cursing rant as he walked out of the room.

Trent entered Thunder Investigations and saw that Kim and Carlos were waiting for him in the little seating area, drinking coffee and eating bagels with cream cheese.

He took a seat and clasped his hands together, trying to get the words together to tell them where he had been.

"So, how did your chat with Mickey go?" Carlos asked picking up his coffee cup.

Trent unclasped his hands and looked up at his partner. "How did you know about that?"

"Trent, I'm a detective, remember?"

He sighed knowing that his partner was giving him space and time to let him tell it his way. He also knew that if he didn't start talking, Carlos was going to get it out of him.

"He wanted me to go before the review board and convince them that he has changed. Of course, I didn't even give him the chance to ask me that. I knew what he was up to and I told him that I would go to the review board to make sure that he stays in prison for the rest of his life which is where he belongs."

Carlos walked over to him and slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm glad that you got that all settled."

Kim smiled at Trent. "Yeah, closure is a wonderful thing."

While they chatted about a new client, Carlos' cell rang; he answered, excused himself and went into his office, shutting the door behind him.

Trent walked over to Kim who was pouring herself another cup of coffee. "Hey, Kim. I appreciate how hard you've worked on this case but I have a favor to ask of you."

"Ok." She set the coffee pot down, crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

He took a deep breath, knowing that he was asking a lot. "Can you take a deeper look into Jackie Foreman?"

She threw her arms up in the air. "You mean, again? Why?"

He frowned. "I have no idea."

"Ok, but I want the first part of that favor before I begin."

"Latte coming right up," he replied with salute as he turned around and headed out the door. He hoped that whatever she found would alleviate the feeling in his gut.

Trent closed the door to the fridge and handed Nancy a bottle of water. Thunder Karate had been empty for a couple of hours before they had arrived to train.

"You're a fast learner," he said with sincerity. They had trained for an hour and then worked out for another hour. He hadn't realized how much time had passed but he didn't feel as though any of it had been a waste. He had enjoyed every moment of it.

"Thanks," Nancy panted, accepting the bottle of water as she tried to catch her breath.

"Have you mentioned this to your father yet?"

She shook her head as she swallowed a large gulp of water. "Not yet. I want to wait a little while longer until I am far better at defending myself."

"Well, it won't be long before that happens." When she blushed, he couldn't help but smile inwardly at her modesty.

"Hey, you seem like you've been getting a lot more sleep lately. I mean that you look a lot better than you have for weeks. I mean you always look good but it's just that you haven't been yourself."

A smile crossed his lips as she stopped babbling. "Kim told you."

He saw her wince a little, knowing that she probably wasn't supposed to have mentioned anything.

She returned his smile with one he saw as rather dazzling. "Yes, she told me and I'm glad that you were able to resolve everything." She took another drink of water and looked at him, with her clear, blue eyes. "You still have something on your mind though."

He cleared his throat, taking a moment to drink some water clear his throat and to wash away thoughts that should never have entered his mind. "There is something else about the case we finished."

"Well, it's not really finished then, is it?"

"No, you're right. It's not."

They went to change and when they stepped outside, Trent made sure to lock up before he walked Nancy to her car. He wished her good night and watched as she drove off.

He looked up and saw the crescent moon overhead and wondered how bright it would be if he were at the Vincent's house. He closed his eyes, allowing the memory of flowers to fill his senses. He took a deep breath and finally felt peace in that part of him that had remained empty for so long.