Fatal Reckoning (Fatal #14)(23)
“He said I should always take the high road and never stoop to the level of the bullies. He had no patience for mean people or powerful people who did what they wanted because they could. Whenever I was annoyed by the constant presence of Secret Service agents, he would remind me that they feed their families by providing safety and security for mine, and that I was to respect them and do what they tell me even if I didn’t like it. Their only job, he would say, was to keep me safe.
“I know that my cousins Brooke, Abby, Ethan, Jack and Ella would agree that we were lucky to have Skip as our gramps. I loved him, and I’ll miss him for the rest of my life. Oh, and, Celia, I’ll still be over to visit every day after school, so keep buying those cookies I like.”
Nick handed Sam a tissue that she used to dry her suddenly damp eyes as she watched Scotty hug and kiss Celia on his way back to them.
“Sam?” Reverend Swain said.
Sam and Nick stood to hug Scotty when he returned to their pew and then walked hand in hand to the altar. She had asked Nick to come with her in case she couldn’t get through her eulogy. He would finish for her if it came to that.
As she took a moment to gather her thoughts, she looked out at a sea of faces, realizing everyone she loved was there along with countless friends and acquaintances. President and Mrs. Nelson were seated next to Graham, Laine and Terry O’Connor, Lindsey McNamara and Byron Tomlinson. Sam saw her friend Roberto Castro and his girlfriend, Angel. They had also attended the candlelight vigil. Her gaze took in Shelby, Avery, Elin, Christina, Harry, Lilia, Archie, Marti, Leo, Stacy, Will Tyrone, Erica Lucas, A. J. Arnold’s parents, Jeannie McBride’s husband, Michael Wilkinson, and Dr. Trulo. Nick’s friends Derek Kavanaugh and Andy Simone and his wife were there along with Freddie’s parents, Darren Tabor and Scotty’s former guardian, Mrs. Littlefield.
Sam noted the teary-eyed gaze of Alice Coyne Fitzgerald, widow of Skip’s first partner, Steven Coyne, who had been killed decades ago in an unsolved drive-by shooting. Skip’s faithful devotion to Alice after Steven’s death had caused strain in Skip’s marriage to Sam’s mother.
“On behalf of the Holland family, I want to thank you for being here and for the tremendous outpouring of love and support over the last few days. To my brothers and sisters in the Metropolitan Police Department, I thank you for your presence here today, as well as the unwavering respect you afforded my father in the years since his devastating injury. It meant the world to him to feel as if he still belonged among the ranks of the department he served so faithfully for thirty-two of the best years of his life—and those are his words, not mine. He loved everything about being a cop, the job he was born to do, and he did it with honor and love for this city and its citizens.
“He was a fiercely proud Washingtonian who took lifelong delight in seeing the monuments lit up at night and the cherry blossoms blooming in the spring. He loved the parades, the protests, the politics, the madness and the energy of his hometown, referring to anyone born on the ‘wrong’ side of the 14th Street Bridge as a carpetbagger.
“You’ve already heard from Reverend Swain, Chief Farnsworth and my son, Scotty, about my father’s well-calibrated moral compass, so I won’t belabor that point except to say that my sisters and I are the people we are today in large part because of Skip and that strong inner compass that guided him throughout his life. Whenever the job gets to be too much for me, as it often does, I would turn to my dad to talk me through the latest challenge with words of wisdom and experience that only someone who has done the job would have. He liked to say that we will never know what we prevented simply by getting up and going to work every day. He would remind me, like no one else ever could, of why we do this job and why it matters so much. And whenever my ego got the best of me, he knew just how to keep me humble with a well-placed but loving barb that would bring me right back to reality.” As the others laughed, Sam took a moment to breathe. “At times, it hasn’t been easy being Skip Holland’s daughter in the Metropolitan Police Department. The high standard he set for himself and the people who worked with and for him is one that I aim to emulate every day I spend on the job.
“I have no idea how…” Her voice broke, and she gave herself a minute to find her composure, determined to get through this without making a spectacle of herself.
Nick’s hand on her back reminded her he was, like always, there if she needed him.
She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “I have no idea how I’ll do the job without him on my team, but I’m confident that his deep, distinctive voice will always be with me, showing me the way. He would say, ‘You’ve got this, baby girl. You’ve got this.’
“My dad loved the Old Irish Blessing and quoted it often. It is now my wish for him. ‘May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.’
“Until we meet again, Dad, I will carry you with me everywhere I go, for you are as much a part of me as the nose on my face, the hair on my head, the smile on my lips and the fire in my belly to get justice for those who need it most.
“On behalf of myself and my sisters, I extend my heartfelt love and appreciation to my stepmother, Celia Holland, without whom none of us would’ve survived the last four years. Celia, your tender, loving care of Dad before, during and after his injury gave him years he wouldn’t have had otherwise. Your love gave him a reason to get up each day and keep persevering through the best and worst of times. We will never have the words to properly thank you for all you did for him and for us. We are so lucky to have you in our family, where you shall remain forever a Holland.”