Maggie got up from her desk and walked over to the blackboards. She picked up an eraser and wiped the boards clean. She then pushed the boards back into the offices they belonged in. As she walked back into her office, she stopped at the door to admire the new title: Inspector Magdalene Hoffmann. She smiled as she walked to the break room. She purchased a cold can of cola and returned to her office.
The rest of the morning her colleagues dropped by to congratulate her. She got very little done. After lunch, she called Silke.
“Maggie, how’re you?
“I am fantastic. This morning I was promoted to Inspector and I wanted to thank you for all your help in these cases. I think the success was instrumental in my promotion.”
“Your welcome, but you did all the work.”
“Well, I still appreciate your help. They are having an official ceremony tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 pm if you can make it. I am only inviting a six people.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Thanks, Silke, I’ll see you then.”
“I am going to visit Johann this afternoon; do you want me to tell him?”
“Sure, I’ll call him later too.”
Just before 2 pm, the next day, Maggie was in the Chief Inspector’s Office waiting. The Chief escorted her down the hall to the conference room. As Maggie walked through the door, she was awestruck. The room was filled with her colleagues and friends. The Chief walked Maggie to the front of the room.
“May I have your badge, Inspector,” said the chief.
“Yes, Sir. She handed him the silver badge she’d worn for three years.
“It is my pleasure to present to you the Gold Badge of Inspector,” the Chief said as he pinned it on her jacket.”
The crowd broke out in applause.
“Would you like to say anything, Inspector?”
“I just want to thank everyone here with me today. I also want to thank my mother who could not come because of her health. I also want to thank Inspector Werner Albrecht and Johann von Manntoell, who remain in the clinic from injuries. Without all of you, I couldn’t have achieved this success. I especially want to thank Chief Inspector Wagner for having the faith and confidence in me.”
The crowd broke out into applause again. They all lined up to shake her hand. The Chief Inspector had coffee, tea, and pastries in the back of the conference room. Each person filed by Maggie, shaking her hand and congratulating her.
Ute Albrecht got her turn and she hugged Maggie tightly. Both women had been through a lot.
Silke was after her. She also hugged Maggie and they broke out in tears. The ceremony came to an end and the room slowly emptied. Maggie was left by herself. She removed the badge on her jacket and placed it in the leather wallet, replacing her old badge that she had given to the Chief Inspector. She closed the wallet and put it in her pocket. She patted her pocket gently and smiled as she walked back to her office.
As she sat down, the phone rang. It was Werner and Johann.
“Hello Maggie from the clinic,” they both said in near unison.
“Hello, you two nuts.”
“Congratulations, Maggie I couldn’t be happier,” said Albrecht.
“Me too, Maggie,” said Johann.
“You two are the best. I really appreciate you calling me.”
“Well, get back to work, Inspector. We have to get back to resting,” Albrecht said.
“Enjoy the rest, you both deserve it. Goodbye.”
As soon as Maggie hung up, she got a call from the uniform division about a murder on the Kurfürstendamm Number 17. She grabbed her coat and walked down the stairs to her car. She turned on the lights and siren as she pulled out of the lot. She was ready for whatever the future held. She also knew her dad would be proud that she had followed in his footsteps.
A Walk Among the Dead Page 17
