Page 7

Ronan grinned as he ran past the half mile mark.

He was feeling good so far. Before he and Ten had met, Ronan used to run five miles a day in South Boston, along the harbor to Castle Island and back.

It had been part of his rehab recovery. When he was in Florida at the facility that helped him turn his life around, he’d started running on the beach like Rocky and Apollo Creed.

Back in those days, he could have sprinted the mile and would have crossed the finish line in eight minutes.

Now, being woefully out of shape, he was breathing heavy and not just because of the colored powder flying at him and into his lungs.

Ronan looked like he’d taken a bath inside a rainbow.

The other reason for his slower pace was the kids.

He could see Everly’s bright pink wig up ahead.

With Wolf howling every time he got hit with color, Ronan was able to keep easy track of the three first graders.

As for Fitz and Jude, Ronan heard them talking about adoption and he’d run ahead to give them privacy.

Ronan knew it was a big step to bring another child into an established family.

Everly hadn’t taken too well to Ezra when he first came home.

It had taken time and a lot of patience for Everly to feel comfortable with the tiny, crying intruder.

Maybe her struggles with becoming a big sister would help Aurora on her own journey.

Up ahead, he could see Ten and Cope who were cheering the runners and hitting them with glitter color. The runners sparkled as they ran on from the color station. He knew Aurora and Everly were going to lose their minds when they got hit with the shimmering powder.

An abbreviated howl went up from Wolf. Ronan had a feeling the little boy realized he’d just been bedazzled. Cope and Wolf were laughing together as Aurora and Everly twirled while Ten sprinkled them in fairy dust.

“My turn!” Ronan took Everly’s place showering in the glitter and pink powder it had been mixed with. “How are people reacting to the glitter?”

“Most are thrilled,” Ten said. He sparkled from head to toe. “I’ve heard a lot of people complain about how glitter is the herpes of the craft world.”

“What the hell does that even mean?” Ronan asked. Could you get an STI from craft supplies?

Ten snickered. “It means once you get it, you’re stuck with it for life. My guess is that we’ll still be finding glitter in our house when Everly graduates from high school.”

“I hope so, Dad! Every day should be filled with glitter!” Everly held her arms in the sunlight, watching them sparkle.

“Boom!” Ezra cried, throwing powder at Everly’s feet.

“Boo!” Lizbet echoed, doing the same to Aurora.

“Oh, my goodness? Is that my little girl?” Jude asked, scooping Lizbet up. The little girl was covered from head to toe in color. “You look like a crayon box come to life.”

“Me, cray, cray!” Lizbet proclaimed, self-identifying as a crayon. She set her hands on Jude’s chest, leaving her colorful, sparkling handprints behind.

“Go get Uncle Fitz!” Jude urged, setting his daughter down. Lizbet ran to the bucket of pink glittering powder, grabbed two handfuls and ran toward Fitzgibbon.

“’Itz!” Lizbet squealed, throwing her powder against Fitzgibbon’s legs.

“You got me!” Fitz’s legs sparkled like he was a member of the Rockettes.

“Wun!” Ezra shouted, pointing toward the other runners. “Dada, wun!”

“Okay, gang, the finish line is in sight. Are you all ready to go?” Ronan asked.

“Wonder Wolf!” The little boy howled and started running. The girls were at his side.

“My hero!” Ten gushed. “I’ve got a reward for you at home!” He waggled his eyebrows.

Ronan snorted. “I hope it’s pain cream. I already ache from head to toe.”

“Come on, Gramps!” Jude tugged Ronan’s arm. “You doing okay?”

“All good,” Ronan agreed, knowing Jude was asking about more than the race. He’d been struggling the last few weeks with a case he’d been assigned. Three of the original witnesses had died or moved and the rest didn’t want to relive the trauma of Stephen Maxwell’s 1989 murder.

“Are you sure that’s your final answer?” Jude asked, nudging his friend.

Ronan sighed. “I’m frustrated as fuck,” Ronan whispered, not wanting to offend any of the little ears running near he and Jude. “This case isn’t stuck in neutral, it’s in reverse.”

“What’s Ten got to say about it?”

“I haven’t shown it to him yet.” Ronan had known this question was coming, he also knew Jude was going to ask him why the hell not.

“Hmm,” Jude muttered. “You don’t always want Ten sweeping in to save the day.”

“Right,” Ronan agreed, happy that Jude understood where he was coming from. “I became a cop so that I could solve crimes. Use my skills and my gut to get to the truth and arrest the guilty parties. There’s not a lot of police work in Ten telling me that the butler did it.”

“Sure there is,” Jude disagreed, as he ducked low when a group of high school girls threw neon green powder at him and Ronan. “Ten might point you in the right direction, but you still have to follow that tip with evidence, just like you would from any other witness or bystander.”

Ronan thought about what Jude was saying. “I live for those eureka moments, when suddenly all of the evidence makes sense.”

“We all do,” Jude agreed, “but from time to time, we need help from our colleagues, who happen to be friends.”

“You’re right. I’ll show you what I’ve got on the Maxwell case when we’re back in the office. We’ll see if two minds are better than one.” Ronan had more to say on the matter when he noticed Everly’s bright pink wig, bent over something on the ground. “Looks like trouble.”

When Ronan reached the kids, he saw that Everly and Wolf were trying to help Kenny P.

back to his feet. The boy’s left knee was bleeding.

“First aid coming through.” Ronan reached into his fanny pack and pulled out some rolled gauze.

Jude handed him a bottle of water, which Ronan used to wash away the one color no one wanted to see on the race course.

“Am I gonna die?” Kenny P. asked, with snot running from his nose toward his lip.

“Nope! In a minute, you’ll be good as new.” Ronan wrapped the gauze around Kenny’s leg, praying that the kid wasn’t about to snack on the snot.

Jude bent lower and wiped Kenny’s nose. “Okay, champ, back on your feet.” He gently helped the kid stand. He didn’t seem any worse for wear.

“You can run with us, Kenny P.,” Everly said.

Kenny looked for a minute like he was going to refuse, but instead smiled and ran alongside Everly, Aurora, and Wolf.

Ronan grimaced at the boy who seemed to be swerving closer to Everly. “I swear if he does anything to trip Everly at the end-”

Jude slapped a hand over Ronan’s mouth. “Let’s not go there, okay? You did a good deed. I think that kid is going to do one back. Let’s get behind them, just in case.” Jude and Ronan jogged after the kids.

“Hey, there you are!” Fitz said, coming up alongside Ronan. “Everything okay?”

“The kids stopped to help Kenny P. after he fell and skinned his knee.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t pushed?” Jude asked. “The kid seems to have more haters than cauliflower.”

“Maybe this lesson in kindness from our kids will help him turn a new page.” Ronan very much doubted it, but for the moment everything was coming up roses. “There’s the finish line!” Ronan pointed ahead. He watched in wonder as all four of the kids crossed the line hand in hand.

“Make sure you slather Everly in hand sanitizer. She was holding the hand with Kenny P’s booger finger.” Jude grimaced.

“Let’s follow in the kids footsteps.” Fitz held out a hand to Ronan, which he took before holding his out to Jude. All three men crossed the finish line in perfect sync.

“I did it!” Aurora said, looking stunned. “I ran the whole race!” She wore an awed look, which morphed into an ear to ear smile when one of the race organizers looped a medal ribbon over her head.

“We all did it!” Everly shouted. She wrapped her arms around Aurora and the girls jumped up and down together. Wolf and Kenny P. joined in. All of their medals bounced up and down on their chests.

“That’s what today is all about,” Ronan said, pointing to his daughter celebrating with her friends. As he watched, more kids from the class of 2037 swarmed them. “This little victory is going to do the kids so much good.”

“Agreed,” Fitzgibbon said, wiping tears from his face. “I was afraid Aurora wouldn’t be able to reach the finish line and that’s my fault. She’s spent her entire life fighting, overcoming obstacles, thriving, and winning. There’s nothing Aurora can’t do.”

“Same goes for Wonder Wolf and my Lizzy B,” Jude agreed.

“Ditto for Everly and Ezzie.” Ronan pulled his phone from his pocket and started filming as the kids continued to celebrate together.

The only time they broke apart was to cheer others across the finish line and to help struggling runners do the same.

Everly, Wolf, and Aurora had earned their two-wheelers, and then some.

Thanks to donations, volunteers, and participants, this day was a win for the City of Salem.

People showed up to make the future brighter for the soon to be second grade class.

The medal was just eye candy, the real prize was the kids realizing there was a champion inside each and every one of them.

THE END