my guess is that the officer had just left his mom's house, where he had spent his dinner break eating some freshly cooked beef stew that she had made for him. from time to time he'll stop by his mom's house for a late dinner since he doesn't often make it to that side of town and it's a good chance for them to spend time together. his mom hasn't been sleeping well lately, so it's not a bother to cook a late meal and especially if it gives her a chance to see her lone son. since he's been married, she seems to see him less and less, she and the new wife don't get along as well as he would have hoped. everything was fine until they decided to get married, at which point his mother and his bride-to-be began fighting about the littlest things.
after dinner, he packed up his patrol car with some leftover stew and the fresh dinner rolls that mom made from scratch (his favorite) for him to dip into the stew while he ate. he saw a lone set of headlights driving and thought he might share in his feast, so he began to follow the car, hoping to catch up and offer some fresh food. mom cooks the best stew out there and no one could say no to a generous helping. as he approached nicname's house, he observed nicname walking into his house and determined that nicname didn't look like the type of person who loves beef stew and fresh dinner rolls. at this junction, he decided to speed home and get the fresh stew (and rolls), into his refrigerator as soon as possible to prevent spoilage and to keep the food as fresh as possible. nothing beats leftover stew for lunch and thoughts of it had already begun to take root in his mind.
