"Given what we've just heard, I don't see any further grounds for delay. Is there any objection to moving directly to a vote on the confirmation?" No one raised a hand. The vote came fast.
Unanimous. Each council member's eye landed steady and clear across the chamber. Mackie stood in the gallery, feeling something settle in his chest that had been tight and waiting for weeks. He looked toward the back of the room.
Petrov was being led out in handcuffs. Hollander's seat sat empty. Cole wouldn't meet anyone's eyes anymore. Robert caught Mackie's gaze across the room and gave him a small, tired nod.
It was over. Not clean. Not easy. But over.
Every piece of it had been built from something Mackie had planted weeks earlier, waiting patiently for the moment it would finally matter. A week passed before the department held the formal ceremony. It gave the city time to settle. Hollander's resignation made headlines for a few days, along with Cole's obstruction and Petrov's arrest.
By the time Mackie stood backstage in the precinct's largest meeting room waiting to be called out, the story had mostly moved from front pages to quiet conversation among the officers who'd lived through it. The room was full. Every officer on shift had been asked to attend. A few council members were there.
A reporter or two had been invited by the city's press office. Darlene sat in the front row, dressed sharply, her eyes finding Mackie the moment he stepped out from behind the curtain. An interim chief, appointed just days earlier while the city searched for a permanent replacement, stood at the podium. He spoke briefly about accountability.
About rebuilding trust. About the kind of leadership the department needed going forward. Mackie listened without much reaction. He was aware that words like these had been said before by other people in other rooms and hadn't always meant much.
What mattered was what came next. "Officer Bishop," the interim chief said, "would you step forward?" A ripple of surprise moved through the crowd. Bishop rose from his seat near the back.
Uncertain. Glancing toward Mackie as if checking whether this was really happening. Mackie gave him a small nod. Bishop walked up onto the small stage.
His hands trembled slightly as he approached. "Captain Rogers requested that Officer Bishop have the honor of pinning his new captain's badge," the interim chief explained to the room. "Given his role in bringing the truth of this matter to light, the department agreed it was fitting." Bishop took the badge from the small velvet box.
His fingers were unsteady. He pinned it carefully to Mackie's chest. Up close, Mackie could see the exhaustion still sitting behind Bishop's eyes. The weight of weeks spent carrying guilt he hadn't been ready to name until Robert forced the truth out of him.
"Thank you," Mackie said quietly, just between the two of them, "for finally saying it." "I should have said it that day," Bishop said, voice low. "Instead of after." Mackie looked at him.
"You said it. That's what matters now." The room applauded as the badge settled into place. Mackie turned to face the crowd. He let the moment sit for a second before he spoke.