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“No, sir.”
“Consider yourself reprimanded.” His face settled back into commanding lines. “Now, let’s give some good cops their moment, and get back to work.”
—
Eve stood on the stage with other ranking officers and those being promoted. She stood at parade rest through the speeches—mercifully brief—from Tibble, from Whitney. A scan of the audience showed every single member of her division in attendance, and, though she wondered who the hell was manning the ship, it made her proud to know every one of them—detectives, uniforms—took the time to be there for Trueheart.
She picked out Feeney, McNab, Mira, who like Trueheart looked a little pale, and to her surprise, Morris. As each officer’s name was called he or she stepped up to Whitney for the presentation, a few personal words from the commander, the photo op.
She could pick out family members by their glistening eyes during the applause.
“Troy Trueheart, Detective, third grade.”
Applause broke out hard and fast, and she managed to keep her face sober—even through the whistles and foot stomping from her division. She watched him cross the stage, a little flushed rather than pale now, and accept his gold shield.
“Lieutenant Dallas saw your potential,” Whitney said quietly to Trueheart. “Detective Baxter nurtured it. But it’s what you are that’s earned this shield. Congratulations, Detective.”
“Thank you, sir. Thank you, Commander. I won’t disappoint them, or you.”
He held his new shield up for the photo op, and did the right thing to her mind by looking straight at Baxter before he shifted his gaze to his mother and his sweetheart.
Then he turned to take his place at the back of the stage and sent Eve a grin that was Christmas morning, the Fourth of July, and New Year’s Eve all in one.
At the end, the newly promoted officers filed off the stage to more applause, and Eve wondered if the echoes of it would help offset some of the crap they’d have thrown at them daily on the job.
She went back, intending to work her way around, spend five or ten minutes to speak to whoever she had to speak to, then duck out, change, and get back on the street.
But Trueheart waited for her.
“Lieutenant.”
“Let’s see it.” She held out a hand, wiggled her fingers so he gave her his shield. “Nice. Keep it shiny, Detective Trueheart.” She gave it back to him.
“Yes, sir, I will. I just wanted to thank you. I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t have this if it wasn’t for you.”
“You got yourself here, with some good training from Baxter.”
“Sir, I hate starting my first day as detective correcting my LT, but I might still be walking the beat in Sidewalk City if you hadn’t taken a chance on me. And if you hadn’t put me with Baxter. Seeing I could do it, well, that’s why you’re the LT.”
“You’ve got a point. Congratulations, Detective.” She held out a hand.
He took it, swallowed hard. “I know you don’t really like this, but...” He pulled her in, wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug.
“Hey. Okay.” She gave his back a pat, considering the moment, and nudged him away with her other hand, considering dignity.
“I wanted to get that done back here, before we were out there with a lot of people. Where you really wouldn’t like it.”
“That’s good thinking. Go see your mother.”
“Yes, sir!”
When she went out, Trueheart was wrapped around his mother with his girl—What was her name?—beaming at them and most of the division surrounding them.
She cut away to grab a minute with Mira.
“How’s Mr. Mira doing?”
“He insisted I come, and our daughter’s with him, so... He’s fine, really. He actually planned to go to the university today, but I put my foot down. He needs another day.”
