Finally, it came time for me to go up and receive what they were calling the First Annual Community Hero Award. I took the plaque and looked out at the crowd, a big spotlight on me.

“My partner, Detective Morgan, is in the audience.” I held my hand to the light so I could find her. “She’s temporarily in a wheelchair from taking down someone as bad as the guy I took out. In the same week too.” I looked around. The room was silent. Waiting on me. “I don’t do big speeches; so, I’m glad no kids were hurt at Falls Magnet. And I’m sorry I had to take a man’s life to make the school safe that day.” I held up the plaque. “Thanks for the recognition.”

The cops in the audience started clapping first, and then the whole place got to their feet. I didn’t think the speech was much, but maybe that was the point.

I hung out a little after, and Kelly Borland strolled over. She’d been sitting at the chief’s table as his guest.

“Keeping it simple up there, huh?”

“Short and sweet,” I said.

While we were talking, a number of cops came by. Each of them slapping me on the shoulder and checking out Kelly.

Men. Men that were cops. Sometimes we were more predictable than criminals.

From across the room, I saw Deb Newberry reenter the ballroom in that bright orange jacket. Her eyes scanned the place, stopping on Lauten Hartley. She met him halfway across the room.

Hartley smiled at her, and Deb turned on the charm. I was guessing she was asking him what he thought of the event. Or of his new position on the police board.

This was classic Deb. To throw a setup punch first. A compliment.

Then his face fell after a follow-up question. A question that must’ve been about a body found. About his property. Hartley glanced around. Was he looking for me?

Darren wheeled Remy over. “You taking responsibility for this one?” he said, motioning at Remy.

I looked to my partner, and Darren explained that he was headed to work. The night shift now. His first day back since the shootout at Tandy’s.

“Absolutely,” I said. “Ms. Borland.” I turned to Kelly. “I’ve got to take my partner home.”

“Of course,” Kelly said.

“You see it?” Remy asked about Hartley, once we were a few feet away.

I nodded. “I forgot to tell you. I called Christian Pelo’s mom on the way here. Told her to show up at the station with something with Christian’s DNA on it. A hairbrush. A toothbrush. I told her to ask for Sarah Raines. Then demand to wait until Chief Senza arrived.”

Sarah, being the local M.E., would do a bang-up job on that skeleton. And she’d do it without worrying about who Hartley was.

“And people say you don’t know politics.” Remy snickered.

As I wheeled my partner out of the ballroom, a man stood by the door, his eyes on Deb Newberry. He was a reporter for the Mason Falls Register. A guy named Raymond Kirios, the writer we threatened to give the story to.