The Gone Cold Podcasts may contain violent or graphic subject matter.

Listener discretion is advised.

Linda and Mike Thompson have several decades of law enforcement experience between them.

In fact, it's how they met in the first place.

In 1977, Linda was divorced, raising two kids, and putting herself through the police academy during the day, while working the night shift in dispatch at Ingleside, Texas Police Department.

She was dating the department's patrol captain, mostly just because she liked to dance, and

he'd take her dancing, Linda told us.

One Friday night, the night they usually went out, the single mother decided to take an overtime

shift, which she did often. The patrol captain wasn't happy with her for missing their date

night, not like Linda cared much about his catching a case of the feelings, and he brought his friend Mike Thompson along when he went to give her a piece of his mind up at the station.

Big mistake, because Sparks flew between Mike and Linda.

And then the next day was the community's big annual festival with parade and then

street dance that night and a little carnival set up.

And I was up there in the street dance part

until time to go to work for me at midnight.

And he showed up there.

And he would hold my stuffed animals while I danced and then he walked me to work that night and that was pretty much it.

I mean I had no intention of getting married again, but there was just something that worked.

We were supposed to be together.

Mike's family owned a shop that made cattle feeders in septic tanks that he ran with his brother, but he decided

he'd like to be a cop too, and that's exactly what he did.

We made a very good team when we worked together. We were wonderful together because we've been

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