Melanie spent the next couple of days curled up in bed, not sleeping, haunted by the memory of Pete Terrozzi’s vacant stare and Edward Harvey’s hot blood spraying over her. Dan came by, but she wasn’t ready to see him. Not today. He sent a message through Melanie’s mother that Edward Allen Harvey was dead, shot by the police Dan had called in for her. That news brought Melanie great relief. He’d’ve gotten a life sentence, but even then, Melanie would have spent the rest of her days worrying that he’d escape somehow and come after her again. This way, she could be certain Harvey would never harm anyone. Cory Nash, aka Benedict Welch, had been found stabbed to death in his apartment, his right foot severed above the ankle. Melanie would carry around forever the horrific image of Harvey coming for her with the foot in his hand.
Charlie Shepard left Melanie a tearful voice mail thanking her for getting the man who’d killed his mother. Melanie believed that justice had been served, but it would be an overstatement to say she was happy about it. Seeing even a bloodthirsty killer die before your eyes was a terrible thing.
Dan brought her beautiful flowers, which her mother put in a vase beside her bed.
“You should give that boy another chance,” Carol said. “I can see in his eyes that he loves you.”
On Friday, Melanie got dressed and dragged herself to work. Peter Terrozzi’s funeral was scheduled for late that afternoon, and she intended to be there. She’d stop by the office first and go through her in-box.
Melanie was considering the idea of resigning and getting a normal job. Apparently, others had anticipated this possibility. Fifteen minutes after she arrived, Mark Sonschein and Susan Charlton marched into her office.
“At least you didn’t bring coffee,” Melanie joked weakly, gesturing at the four cups sitting on her desk, already provided by concerned colleagues. She loved that about this office. Starbucks was the standard gift in moments of crisis, a latte left with no attribution and no thanks expected. She did have one note with a name signed to it, one that made her particularly happy. A card from Joe Williams, apologizing for blaming her for his father’s political downfall, and asking if they could have lunch to set things straight.
“You’ll want all that caffeine when you see what we brought,” Susan said, smiling, her cheeks pink with the glow of good health.
Mark placed a thick black three-ring binder on the desk in front of her.
“What’s this?” Melanie asked.
“Your supervisor’s manual,” he said. “I hope you read fast. In case you didn’t know, you’ve been acting deputy chief of Major Crimes for three days now.”
Melanie laughed, which made her ribs hurt where Harvey had punched her. “Oh, my! I hope I didn’t authorize anything I shouldn’t have.”
“Nope, only good arrests and reasonable plea bargains,” Mark said. “And keep up the hard work, because I see a bright future ahead of you.”
“Thanks, guys. Really, I’m honored. This is something I’ve always wanted. But it comes at a terrible time. I’m not sure I’m up for it, after everything that happened.”
“See, what did I tell you?” Mark said to Susan with mock indignation. “The girl won’t give up the glory. I spend my days stuck in endless meetings on the Clyde Williams leak, and she gets to go out and play cops and robbers. But when I ask her to share the burden of a desk job, she refuses.”
“Mel goes for the gusto,” Susan said.
“So be honest,” Mark said in a more serious tone. “Have you drafted your resignation letter yet?”
“I’ve been thinking about it.”
“I can’t say I blame you. From everything I heard, you went through some awful stuff on Monday. And Susan tells me you’ve had a stressful year on a personal level, too.”
“The big D,” Melanie said.
“Divorce. That’s huge. I must say, you have an admirable work ethic in light of it all,” Mark said.
“Thanks.”
“If anybody should stay in the fight, it’s you,” Mark said. “You’re the whole package. You have the brains, you have the guts, you have the charisma in court. Do you know how few people in this office I can say that about? Susan, maybe. But not myself, certainly, and not many others. We live in dangerous times. We need talented people like you in this job.”
“That was a beautiful speech, Sonschein,” Susan said. “My favorite part was where you admit you don’t have the right stuff.”
“He’s modest,” Melanie said with a smile.
“I’m a bulldog in court, but I’m not likable,” Mark said.
“I certainly don’t like you,” Susan said, her eyes merry.
“But, Vargas, seriously, what would do if you left the office?” Mark asked. “Criminal defense? I don’t see it. You’re no turncoat.”
“Never. Corporate, maybe,” Melanie said.
“Corporate work,” Susan said, making a face. “Ugh, shoot me. Books and papers. No cops. No bad guys. You never see the inside of a courtroom. My idea of a good document is a scrap of paper in a guy’s pocket that says Flaco, fifty kilos. No accountants’ records for me. No thank you.”
In her heart of hearts, Melanie felt exactly the same way. Even after what had happened, maybe especially after, she loved her job with a passion. A passion so powerful she’d hardly ever felt it for a person. Maya, yes…And Dan. The job was intensely difficult, but deep down, she’d rather have her life be interesting than easy.
“The job really takes it toll,” she said aloud.
“Sure, of course, we all know that, and something needs to be done to relieve the pressure on you,” Mark said. He pulled a piece of paper from his breast pocket and smoothed it open. “I took the liberty of ordering a statement of your accrued leave. Do you realize you have five use-or-lose days? Add weekends on both ends and you could get away for nine. I would strongly urge you to take a vacation before making any big decisions about your future. We’ll cover for you here.”
“I really appreciate the concern, but—”
“We think very highly of you, Melanie,” Mark interrupted. “I personally think very highly of you. Bernadette has never backed you the way she should. She doesn’t watch out for her subordinates. She’d rather have people under her thumb than create potential rivals by helping them succeed. And I can promise you Bernadette won’t feel any more generous toward you once she learns Shekeya Jenkins is getting promoted and that you were one of three prosecutors who recommended her.”
“That’s great news. Shekeya will make a fine paralegal,” Melanie said.
“Great news for Shekeya, not for Bernadette. But don’t you worry about a thing. I’m in your corner from now on. I’ll protect you. I’ll also make things happen for you. You have my word.”
“That goes double for me,” Susan said. “I told you how I felt last week. This ain’t no song and dance, Mel. Mark and I are behind you in a big way, and we count for a lot in this office. Stick around, fight the good fight with us. We’ll accomplish great things.”
“So what do you say?” Mark asked.
Melanie looked into their faces and saw people she could trust. They were not without their complications, these two, but they were honest and committed, and genuine public servants. They were colleagues to spend a career with.
“I’m grateful. More than that, I’m touched. And I promise to give your proposal the serious consideration it deserves.”