Delayed Justice
Author
Shirlee McCoy
Reads
16.5K
Chapters
1
EPILOGUE
Sasha had never been part of a large Thanksgiving celebration. Even as a child, before her mother’s murder, Thanksgiving Day had consisted of their small family gathering around the kitchen table, thanking God for their blessings before they ate the meal her parents had prepared. As an adult, she had avoided attending Thanksgiving meals with coworkers or friends. Not because she didn’t see the value in doing so, but because the people she knew had families and relatives who would fill their homes and make the day complete.
She hadn’t wanted to be an add-on or an extra.
She had wanted to belong.
And now she did.
Her heart swelled at the thought as she stepped into the large meeting room that the K-9 unit was using for their Thanksgiving meal. Not just any Thanksgiving meal. This was a celebration of the closing of the Emery murder investigation, and the entire unit would be there. Bradley had invited Sasha, and she hadn’t even considered saying no. After years of sidestepping invitations and making excuses, she was finally going to be part of a wonderful time of thanksgiving and praise.
“Sasha! You made it!” Bradley said, moving through a small crowd of people and dogs that were congregated in the middle of the room.
“It looks like I’m a little late,” she murmured, allowing him to take the covered dish she had brought from her apartment. Her mother’s dressing. She had found the recipe in an old cookbook stored in the back of her closet.
“There are plenty of people still on the way, and you are right on time,” he responded, kissing her sweetly, gently. Right there in front of the members of the K-9 unit and all their loved ones. “And I am very glad to see you.”
“You saw me three hours ago when you stopped by to tell me that Darcy Fields finally extracted DNA evidence from the doorknob at the Emerys’ crime scene and that it matched Vernon’s,” she reminded him, smiling into his eyes, her heart filled to overflowing with gratefulness. She hadn’t expected to fall in love again. She hadn’t wanted to. But she didn’t regret it. She didn’t doubt it.
She knew that Bradley was the man she was meant to love. He was her friend, her partner in beach exploration and late-night conversations. His loyalty, his passion for truth and justice, his love for his sister, his friends, for King and for Sasha, were undeniable, and she couldn’t have liked or admired him more if she had tried.
Love was the frosting on the cake of happiness they had found with one another. She couldn’t deny it any more than she could deny the sunrise in the morning or the dusky blue of the sky when the sun set at night.
“Three hours is a long time to be away from someone you love,” he said as he took her hand and led her to a buffet table laden with covered dishes.
“It smells great in here,” she murmured, her stomach growling loudly.
“Hungry?” he asked with a smile.
“Always,” she replied, laughing as King nosed the edge of the table, sniffing loudly as he tried to determine what was there. “I think King is, too.”
“Looks like the last few people are here,” he said, pointing to the door.
Penny and her fiancé, Tyler, walked in.
“Hello, brother!” Penny called, rushing over to hug Bradley.
“And Sasha,” she added, offering Sasha a hug, as well.
“Looks like we’re all here,” Sergeant Gavin Sutherland said, his springer spaniel Tommy prancing near his feet as he approached the front of the room. “Before I offer the blessing on this Thanksgiving feast, I want to thank each and every one of you for the hard work you do for the team. You are vital assets to the K-9 unit and to the New York City Police Department. Thanks to your efforts, we have finally solved the Emery murder investigation.”
He glanced to his right, and Sasha realized Willow Emery, little Lucy Emery’s aunt, was there, Detective Nate Slater’s arm wrapped around her waist, his dog Murphy near her feet. Lucy was a few feet away, sitting at a child-sized table coloring in a coloring book.
“I know that Willow is grateful for your effort in making that happen. And I want to share some news I received early this morning. The perpetrator of that crime, Vernon Parker, was told about the DNA evidence we found at the scene. Faced with that and the taped confession obtained by Sasha, he agreed through his lawyer to plead guilty.”
“Thank You, Lord,” Willow said quietly, leaning her head against Nate’s shoulder. “We’ll be saved from a long trial.”
A murmur of agreement filled the room, couples talking quietly about the case and about the newest development.
“It’s over,” Sasha said quietly, her arm slipping around Bradley’s waist.
“As close as it can be before he is sentenced and locked away,” Bradley agreed. “It’s been a long seven months. I think everyone on the unit will sleep well tonight.”
“A long seven months that accomplished a lot of things for a lot of people,” she replied, scanning the faces of people she had come to know and love. Not just people. Couples who had come together because of the work the K-9 unit had done. Henry Roarke and Olivia Vance. Raymond Morrow and Karenna Pressley. Vivienne Armstrong and Caleb Black. Belle Montera and Emmett Gage. Jackson Davison and Darcy Fields. Penny and Nate.
“I hope they all have their happily-ever-afters,” she said.
“They will,” Bradley assured her, not asking what she meant. He knew. They had talked about the people in the unit many times, and they had both been awed by the way God had brought love into so many of their lives.
“You say that with authority, Detective McGregor. So I’ll assume you’re right,” she responded.
He laughed quietly, his dark eyes soft and filled with love. “I’m glad you think so,” he said, taking both her hands and looking straight into her eyes. “Because there is something else I plan to be right about.”
“What’s that?” she asked, the room suddenly quiet, all the attention focused on them. No one spoke. Even the dogs had gone quiet, the soft swish of their tails against the floor the only sound.
“We’ll have our happily-ever-after, too,” Bradley said, all the amusement gone from his eyes and face. “If you want one.”
“I can’t think of anything I want more,” she admitted, all the fear she’d once had, all the certainty that she would spend the rest of her life alone, gone. Love was not a scary thing. Not when it was made of friendship and kindness and respect and faith, all of it bound with hope.
“I hope you know how much I love you, Sasha. Not just for today, but forever, I want to stand beside you. Through the good and bad. The hard and the easy. Every day. For as long as I have breath in my lungs and life in my chest. Will you marry me?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, opening it to reveal a simple rose-cut solitaire, the band a braided ribbon of gold.
“Yes,” she said, her throat clogged with tears, her voice raspy with love and hope and joy.
The room exploded in cheers and barks and howls of joy, everyone moving closer as Bradley slipped the ring on her finger.
She knew people were talking, issuing congratulations, but all she could see was Bradley, all she could hear were his words as his lips brushed hers.
“You are my forever. My happily-ever-after. The place I will always call home. Today and every day, I thank God that He brought you into my life.”
Then he was kissing her with passion and with promise. And, for today and for always, she was grateful.
If you enjoyed this series, return to the Brooklyn K-9 Unit with True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn Christmas by Laura Scott and Maggie K. Black, available December 2020 from Love Inspired Suspense.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Covert Amish Christmas by Mary Alford.
