He quickened his pace.
The female officer noticed him approaching but didn't think much of it. She assumed he was simply another officer coming to assist her.
She continued writing in her notepad.
But the sheriff wasn't approaching her.
He walked straight past her and stopped beside Robert.
With a huge smile on his face, he extended his hand.
Sheriff: "Morning, Robert!"
Robert immediately smiled back.
Robert: "Well, look who it is! Haven't seen you in a while."
The two men shook hands warmly. The sheriff then gave Robert a friendly pat on the shoulder, laughing as if they had just reunited after years apart.
Sheriff: "What are you doing out here? Still riding that beautiful machine?"
Robert: "Wouldn't have it any other way. Just enjoying the morning."
The sheriff laughed again.
Sheriff: "You haven't changed one bit, have you?"
The female officer stood completely still.
She looked at the sheriff, then at Robert, and then back at the sheriff.
Something wasn't adding up.
A few seconds earlier, she had been treating this biker like a suspicious stranger. Now the sheriff himself was greeting him like an old friend.
Unable to hide her confusion, she finally interrupted them.
Female Officer: "Excuse me, Sheriff. You know him?"
The sheriff turned toward her, still smiling.
Sheriff: "Know him?"
He looked back at Robert and chuckled.
Sheriff: "Oh, I don't just know him."
The officer's expression changed slightly.