“To luck and misfortune!”
That cheered him up. He said that there had been nothing in the papers about either Morenos or Barto, but that he’d keep his eyes open. I wasn’t sure I much liked that, but there was nothing to be done about it.
On the day he was to leave, I gave Mr. Roth back the boxes he’d given me. I told him it was only right that he give Katy and Sarah their stars. He almost started crying. Almost. Like he said, he had too closely seen some of God’s great plans. As he put their stars around their necks, I touched the one he’d given me back in Florida. I had gotten quite used to it by now. The strange thing is, I could have been reinstated and gotten my detective’s shield in spite of everything. I had turned it down. Somewhere along the way, I’d realized I had my shield, only not the one I’d expected.