“We’ve come a long way,” I said. “Not so long ago, this department was on the brink. Officers turned against each other. Chains of command meant nothing. Victims were silenced. And predators were protected.”
I let that settle, raking my eyes across the room.
“But you chose better. You stood up. You stepped in. And it’s time that gets recognized.”
I looked toward the back row.
“Officer Reid. Front and center.”
He blinked like he thought he’d misheard me, then slowly rose and walked forward. Shoulders squared, chin high. The kid had grown up ten years in a few months.
“Some of you might remember a moment during this chaos when lines blurred, when orders didn’t feel right. When hesitation could’vemeant someone didn’t make it out alive.” I nodded toward him. “Reid didn’t hesitate.”
He swallowed hard as I stepped closer and pinned a new bar to his collar.
“Effective immediately, Reid is being promoted to sergeant. Not just for his actions, but for the integrity and damn backbone he’s shown ever since he set foot in this precinct.”
Applause broke out, loud and real. A few officers even whistled.
Reid flushed, but a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Try not to let it go to your head,” I muttered as I shook his hand.
“Too late,” he deadpanned.
Laughter rippled through the room.
I waited for it to settle before turning toward the side door, where Gray leaned with his arms crossed. No badge. No official tie to us, but he’d bled for this town, fought harder than most of the men sworn to protect it.
“I’ve got one more announcement,” I said. “We’ve got a vacancy for a sergeant.” I didn’t sayVoss’s name. No one needed the reminder.
“I’ve spoken to the brass. And to IA. The contract’s drafted. Background’s been cleared. All that’s left is the signature.”
Gray raised a brow. “What are you offering me?”
“A real badge,” I said. “Permanent placement. No quotas, no politics. Just the job. The right way.”
He tilted his head. “You think this place can handle me in uniform?”
“God, I hope not.”
A pause. Then Gray pushed off the wall and strode forward. He didn’t smile. But he took the paperwork from my outstretched hand and tucked it under his arm.
“I’ll need my own office,” he said. “And at least one knife in my desk drawer.”
“Make it two,” I replied. “We’ll call it even.”
Chuckles echoed again. And just like that, it felt like we were finally turning the page.
After the announcements, I returned to my office. Closed the door. Let the weight sink in.
IA had followed through. Several officers were under federal investigation, a few already in custody. The press was running wild with the judge’s case. Erin’s name was toxic now; everyone around her was being looked at with a new clarity, and some were joining her stepfather in jail.
And Jack?
He’d disappeared into the political machine. Press conferences. City Hall appearances. There was talk of an early campaign announcement, rumours swirling that he’d be named the next DA by fall. I hadn’t heard from him since the cabin. Neither had Ava. Not really.
But every time I turned on the news, there he was. In a suit. On a podium. Fighting for the same justice he’d once whispered about in back rooms.
