“I did,” she said, horrifying him. “I wanted him to know how honorably you behaved even when Alicia’s own father didn’t want her murder solved. You deserve a lot of credit.”

“I don’t want any credit for this case.”

Sarah remembered what she’d thought of Malloy when she first met him. She’d thought he was as corrupt as most policemen were. She’d assumed he wouldn’t be interested in solving Alicia’s murder unless he’d get a reward for it. Then he’d gone on to solve it even at the risk of losing his job. Once she’d believed him selfish and even cruel. What other kind of man would become a policeman? But now she’d met his son, and she knew the answer.

“That’s why you do it, isn’t it? Because of your son.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, instantly defensive.

“That’s why you work for the police. Why you want to be a captain. So you can support Brian.”

She could almost see his hackles rise. “I’d be a poor excuse for a man if I didn’t.”

“I wish I believed more men felt that way. I’ve seen too many abandoned children, though. Especially when the children are less than perfect.”

“Don’t make me a hero, Mrs. Brandt,” he warned. “I’ll only disappoint you.”

Sarah was no longer sure of that, but she decided not to argue. “Another reason I came here was to thank you for not giving up and for finding Alicia’s killer.”

“And for bringing her to justice?” he asked bitterly.

“I don’t think we can take credit for that, although they both certainly got what they deserved. The State of New York couldn’t have done a better job of it in that new electric chair of theirs. And now neither one of them will ever hurt anyone again. If that isn’t justice, it’s the next best thing.”

“If you say so.”

Sarah looked at his rough Irish face and realized that at some point she had begun to respect him. Meeting his son had helped her understand him, too. They would never be friends, of course, but together they had accomplished something unusual and amazing, which gave them a bond she’d never experienced with anyone else. Perhaps in time…

But they wouldn’t have that time, and neither of them really wanted it. The case was solved. The reason for them even to know each other was gone, and they never need encounter one another again.

“I guess this is good-bye, then,” she said, offering her hand.

He wiped his own on his pant leg before taking hers. His grip was strong and warm through her glove. “If the department had female detectives, you could’ve been good at it.”

Absurdly pleased by the unexpected compliment, Sarah felt herself blushing for the first time in years. “Well, if you ever need help on a case again, you know where to find me.”

As if he ever would. They both smiled at the thought, and Sarah took her leave. Out on the street, she looked up and thought she saw him watching her through the window. Then she looked again and decided it had probably just been a trick of the sunlight on the glass.

Feeling the odd mingling of satisfaction in a job well done and regret that the job was over and her mundane life beginning again, Sarah made her way back into the life of the city.

Victoria Thompson