Daniel nodded.
"I know."
"But it does explain why you were so shaken afterward."
She placed the photograph on the desk.
"Go home, Daniel. Spend some time with her. And when the investigation is complete, we'll decide what happens next."
Daniel stood.
At the door, Captain Bennett called his name.
He turned.
"Your father was a good man."
Daniel swallowed.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Make sure you remember what he taught you."
Tom Callahan had not planned to become involved in the investigation.
He had intended to ride home, check on his motorcycle, and spend the evening with his wife.
Instead, he found himself sitting in the office of the county's civil rights attorney, explaining what he had witnessed.
His motorcycle club, the Iron Guardians, had a long history of community service.
They organized food drives, raised money for veterans, and escorted elderly residents to medical appointments when transportation was unavailable.
Tom had founded the club's community program after his mother died.
He had never imagined that the work would bring him into conflict with a police department.
But Evelyn Carter had become important to him.
Not because she knew Daniel Mercer.
Not because she had once helped a deputy expose corruption.
Because she was a woman who had been frightened and hurt while asking for nothing more than an explanation.
And Tom could not forget the expression on her face.
Two days after the incident, he returned to her house.
He found her sitting on the porch, wrapped in a blanket.
"Good morning, ma'am."
Evelyn smiled.
"Tom. Come sit down."
He settled into the chair beside her.
"How's your arm?"
"Sore."
"I'm sorry."
She looked at him.
"You keep apologizing for something you didn't do."
Tom shrugged.
"Maybe I'm trying to make up for all the people who should have apologized and didn't."
Evelyn laughed softly.
They sat quietly for a while.
Then she asked, "How is Daniel?"
Tom considered the question.
"He's having a difficult time."
Evelyn looked toward the road.
"I hope he doesn't lose his job."
Tom frowned.
"Are you worried about him?"
"Of course."
"He hurt you."
"I know."
Tom leaned forward.
"Ma'am, you have every right to be angry."
Evelyn smiled sadly.
"I am angry."
She turned toward him.
"But anger is not the only thing I feel."
Tom waited.
"I remember Daniel as a little boy. I remember how he cried when his father died. I remember how he held my hand at the funeral."
Her voice trembled.
"I don't want the man he became to be defined by one terrible afternoon. But I don't want him to forget it either."
Tom nodded slowly.
"That's fair."
Evelyn reached for his hand.
"You remind me of someone."