He released me and turned to face all of us. He looked at me and said, “I’m very proud of your service to the city. I’m sorry you got put in a position like you did. I know you acted well within policy and did everything you could not to shoot that young man.”
I didn’t get excited at his little speech. Anyone could tell there was a but coming. Harry gave me a really good command stare to keep me quiet.
Mayor Hanna continued. “The problem is that the Timmons family is quite popular. The fact that they brought in Reverend Caldwell means they’re not going to listen to the results of any investigation. They’re also not going to disappear. That means you returning to your regular job would not only look bad for the city, it also could be dangerous for you.”
I said, “You don’t think a cop’s job is dangerous anyway?” I hadn’t meant to put the edge in my voice.
“Okay, more dangerous than usual. Look, my grandfather on my mother’s side was a cop in Queens. I understand the hardships you guys go through.”
It surprised me the mayor had a family member who’d been a cop, but it didn’t surprise me that he actually thought he knew. Everyone thought they understood the job.
The mayor said, “I don’t want to send the wrong message to our city’s police officers. I don’t want them to step back. I don’t advocate less proactive policing. I also don’t think you should have to go back to work looking over your shoulder for a retribution attack. Not when we have an alternative.”
I said, “So what’s this alternate plan you’re talking about?”
“Like I said, anything talked about in this room stays here.” He turned his bowling-ball head to look at each of us individually. Everyone agreed.
The mayor looked right at me and said, “I’ve heard that, among your many talents, you know how to find people.”
“I’ve located a few fugitives.”
“This is a missing person.”
“Why don’t you have our Missing Persons Squad look into it?”
“Because it’s my daughter.”
CHAPTER 19
I READ THE mayor’s expression, almost like I would a homicide suspect during an interview. He was uncomfortable. I looked across the office at the only one who might understand what I was seeing.
Harry just shrugged and shifted his eyes to the door in the back of the office.
I said, “Maybe we can speak more freely in private.”
The mayor, who was clearly shaken, turned to the door that Harry had pointed out. He motioned for his aides to stay in this office, and I follo
wed his odd gait.
The other room was a small conference room with a table big enough for about six people. A giant portrait of the late former mayor Fiorello La Guardia filled the upper half of one wall. Every mayor wanted to be like La Guardia. Except Ed Koch, who had seemed pretty happy being himself. A window looked down on the parking lot. I could just see the top of Harry’s Suburban.
The mayor and I settled into leather chairs at one corner of the table. I gave him a moment to collect himself, then said gently, “Do you want to tell me about your daughter? I thought you only had two young boys.”
He took a moment, then said, “Natalie is from my first marriage. It ended in a divorce—a messy, public divorce. Natalie even uses her mother’s maiden name of Lunden. It was my fault. Not only the divorce but allowing it to be so public. It cost me an election as an alderman.” He took another moment and added, “I’ve changed. More than anyone can believe, especially my ex-wife and daughter. I read that you have daughters yourself.”
“Six.”
“Good lord.”
“And four boys.”
“Oh, my God. I haven’t heard of a Catholic family like that since I was a kid. Back then every neighborhood had two or three families with eight-plus kids. How do you manage?”
“First of all, I am Catholic, but all my kids are adopted. And second, I don’t manage anything. We’re a family. We all work together. Kinda the way it’s supposed to be with the city. Everyone works for the greater good.”
“If only. No matter how we come down on a decision, there’s always about half the population that’s pissed off. I like the idea in principle, but in reality you have a unique family.”
“You have no idea.”