“Till tomorrow. I just finished work and thought I’d do some Christmas shopping, and I found your card so I called you. I think that should be your line, but you get confused about traditional roles when you’re a cop.”
“Just don’t shoot me. Tell you what. I’ve got about two hours’ more work, maybe three. Why don’t you go shopping, and I’ll take you to dinner at a little Italian restaurant afterward. Does that sound feasible?”
“It sounds fantastic. Shopping and dinner? Couldn’t be better.” She wouldn’t have told him, but she hadn’t had a date in six months, and she had really liked him when they’d met. She didn’t know when they’d see each other again, if ever, and now here they were.
“It’s not very gallant, but I’ll meet you there. It’s near my office.” He gave her the address. “Nine o’clock? Does that give you enough time? I’ve got a report to finish for a hearing tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there. And, Sam, thank you! You really perked up my day.”
“Mine too. See you later.”
Gwen arrived at the restaurant on time, lugging four shopping bags with her.
“Successful mission?” he asked, visibly pleased to see her. She realized that he was even more handsome than she remembered. She had changed into heels in the cab, brushed her hair, and put on lipstick. She was faintly embarrassed when he noticed her shoulder holster in her jacket, but she didn’t want to leave it at the hotel once she knew she was seeing him. “I think you’re the first woman I’ve taken to dinner who came armed.” She laughed and they ordered dinner.
The food was delicious, and they talked constantly throughout the meal. He was from a Jewish family of lawyers, she was from a Catholic family of cops. He was impressed that she had a master’s in criminology. They liked the same movies and books, and loved to travel. Venice was her favorite place on earth. His was Paris. And they both loved kids. He was three years older and hadn’t been in a serious relationship in four years, neither had she. They both explained it as having no time. They ended up talking about their work, and found that it had much in common. They talked until the restaurant closed at midnight and they were the last people there.
“Do you come to New York a lot?” he asked her.
“Never. We just came this time because we had four statements to get here. Do you ever come to Boston?”
“I haven’t been there in ten years,” he admitted, “although I went to school there.”
“Let me guess. Harvard?” He nodded. She had suspected it during dinner.
“I was supposed to be making millions by now as a Wall Street lawyer. It hasn’t worked out that way, but I love what I do. Half the time, I don’t even get paid. I do a lot of pro bono work for the courts, like Adrian, who needed a neutral mentor to oversee his case.” He took her back to her hotel in a cab. “What are you doing for New Year’s Eve, by the way?”
“Nothing yet.” She smiled at him. She’d had a wonderful time, and loved how smart and caring he was. She had seen the evidence of it with Adrian. And he had loved how she talked to him. Her looks didn’t hurt. He was a good-looking man too, went to the gym and she could see he was fit and in good shape. He played squash twice a week.
“Would you like to come down here and watch the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve? It’s corny but it’s fun. Or we could do something more dignified, if you prefer.”
“Times Square sounds great.” They were at her hotel by then, and he handed her her shopping bags. “Thank you, Sam, I had a great time.”
“So did I. So do we have a date?” Gwen nodded, and he kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Wear something warm. There’s a cute hotel around the corner from where I live in the West Village. I’ll book you a room there.” She liked that he didn’t assume she was going to sleep with him the next time she saw him, just because he’d bought her dinner. She waved as she walked into the hotel with her shopping bags, and he hailed a cab to go back downtown. Gwen smiled all the way to her room, and was still in a good mood when she met Dominic to go home the next morning.
“How was the game?” she asked him when she got in the car with all her shopping loot.
“It sucked. The Rangers won. They played a great game, though. It looks like you cleaned out the stores.”
“And I had a date,” she said, smiling broadly.
“How did you manage that? Are you picking up guys in department stores now? Talk about desperate.”
“Oh shut up. I called the lawyer who brought the kid in for the eyewitness statement. I found his card in my purse. We had dinner.”
“You’ve probably been planning it all along. Did you wear your gun?” She nodded. “How did he like that?”
“He loved it. We held up a liquor store after dinner, and split the money.”
“Smartass. So are you seeing him again?”
“New Year’s Eve,” Gwen said, looking victorious. She hadn’t had a date on New Year’s Eve in three years. Their line of work wasn’t conducive to a heavy dating life.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Good for you. I may get rid of you yet, and finally get a partner who eats.”
“Oh, just shut up and drive,” she said, staring out the window with a smile. She’d had a text from Sam that morning, telling her what a good time he’d had. She could hardly wait for New Year’s Eve. As she stared out the window as they left New York, Dominic glanced over at her and smiled. She was a great cop and a good woman and he was happy for her.
Chapter 16
Christmas was difficult for all the families involved in the Saint Ambrose case. They each felt as though their days were numbered and time was running out. Gabe’s parents had to explain to his younger siblings that he might be going to jail for a long time. They all cried when they told them. Tommy’s parents were still not speaking to him, and he felt lost in a solitary world.
Steve Babson had Christmas alone with his mother. She was sober and went to an AA meeting every day, sometimes more than one. His father had moved out, but it was more peaceful that way. After years of abusing both of them, he was gone, and his mother had filed for divorce. It was actually the nicest Christmas they’d ever had, which surprised them both. But now he had prison time to face.
The Russos had their Christmas dinner catered by one of the best restaurants in New York, but none of them could eat, thinking of what lay ahead. They tried to put a good face on it, but Rick kept coming across them crying, and he stayed in his room most of the time, so he didn’t have to see it or talk to them. None of the other boys were in contact with him. And he got drunk alone in his room on Christmas Eve.