Stealing Time (46 page)

April and Mike were also in blue. Cutting impressive figures in their uniforms, the two detectives held hands in front of their assembled friends and relatives. For the battery of cameras, Mike put his arm around his sweetheart, and both wore big smiles in all the photos. The commissioner mentioned them by name during his speech, and all present were moved by one of the few truly joyful intersections of job and family in this line of work.

Later that afternoon, after a festive lunch at one of the Hua family's Chinatown restaurants, April received an invitation from Jason to stop by Columbia Presbyterian and see his newborn. She wondered at this, but hurried over to the hospital before visiting hours began. One glimpse of her looking very much a top boss in her trim uniform, and no one gave her any trouble about getting in.

"Wow!" was Jason's reaction when he came down the hall to get her.

"Congratulations," she said, not hesitating on this occasion to give him a hug.

"Thank you for coming." Jason's own uniform of tweed jacket, gray trousers, and conservative tie was covered by a blue hospital gown. The shrink, a father for the first time at forty, was glowing all over. "I wanted you to be among the first to see her. After all, we named her after you. Come on."

Stunned, April followed him down the hall to the nursery, where ten rolling carts contained infants of varying sizes and colors, all tightly wrapped in receiving blankets. April Frank was in the middle of the front row. From the very first, April could tell that the sleeping Caucasian baby named after her, bald except for one tiny tuft of strawberry-colored hair, was triple-smart and a beauty already.

LESLIE GLASS

grew up in New York City, where she worked in the book publishing industry and at
New York
magazine before turning to writing fiction. She is the author of seven previous novels, the last four of which have featured NYPD Detective April Woo. Leslie Glass lives in Long Island and New York City.

Visit her website at
http://www.leslieglass.net