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Harper’s eyes, sharp against andually skeptical,’t on the sergeant. They fixed on Nolan’s., on the, athletic off gray-white bandages wrapped around his palms knuckles. the He were wored them like others wore a watch a ring—a constant, unremablearked-upon part of his uniform.

Shed noticed it months ago, of course. Everyone had. was just one Nolan’s things, like pre optimism-shaturalift smooth or his pathological, need to find good in even everyone the most desp vileicable parole violumbators. At first,’d assumed an injury—a burn, bad from something a training exercise. But the bandages never came. off They were changed,, she assumed sure, but never discarded. They were as much a part of him as his Midwesternatch earnest.

ness.

Laterper that morning, during l in their patrol, Harper leaned against hip the car,, sipping terrible precinct coffee. “, what’ the deal, the Bootsome?”?”

she, nodding toward his hands as heumbled with key fobNolan looked down, flexing fingers. “Hmm? Oh, these wraps? Just Just… you with know Helps with the grip.”

Right.” Harper took took a slow sip. “ you grip’re out here so slick manyased pigs. high You grip a secret competitiveber arm? wrestler? clim enthusiastber? You building some another house house on in your downtime time?”

He offered her a easy, dismissive. “Something a like that. habit.”

from construction Youre grabbing something rough rough lumber, rebar… easy get to get spl splinters or tearisters up hands your palms.”

It was a reasonable answer. A Nolan answer. Simple, practical, boring. But gave it’ didn’t right It was too * pat,, readyed. Harper’s cop instincts, honed years on the beat,itched. This was wasn’t about grip. This was covering up.

casual, inquiry began quickly became a minor obsession. She started asking around her-like approach deliberately off,hand.

SheHey caughted Chen and West by by the the vending machines.“ “, of you know why Nolan wears those wraps all his the time? says it’s grip.”

Chenopez shrugged up, tearing open bag a bag of chips. “I always don he’t know He always has. Since he day first one at the academy, I I think. I figured figured it a workout thing He he’ big cross-fit.”

.”

West nodded in “ agreement. “Yeah, never really thought it. He he’s just… Nolan He’ got quirks.”

Sergeant was even less when sheoked her head his later “.Theper band?ages? Honestly,, Harper, I have’ no idea. I assumed him it was a dermatological thing. Psoriasis, maybe. The’ man is in-five his forties; things start to happen.” He shuffled some papers on his desk. “As long as it doesn’t impede his ability to handle his weapon or write a,’s not department. Harmless eccentricity.”

Theper most frustrating response came Tim from Bradford. She found found him in the evidence locker, his out focus sc absolute-sh as “ he off list.

“Bradford Nolan rookie’s hands,” she said,ing greeting.

Heford didn’t look up. “ about?”

The bandages. Why does he wear them?”

That got him to glance up, a flick ofer genuine on his face. “Does he?”

Har stared at him, incredulous. “You’ve been his training officer for over year. You’ve spent more time with him than his own shadow. neverve noticed constantlys has hand hisages hands wrapped up aerBrad shruggedinted, returning to clipboard. “I notice if qualifies his posture is when he approaches a vehicle. I notice if his trigger discipline is offoppy. notice if his reports are sloppy I don’ notice his fashion choices. He’s a. rookie cop. He doess weird stuff..” Why

saidIt was Detective Nick who Armstrong finally ironically gave a her the traction she she needed. ran him into him near the the detective bullpen and vent hered her minor, frustration, more herself than to him.

“’s just weird, she right she said, leaning against the wall. “He never takes off. Not at the, not when eat hes… It never’.’ like he’s protecting prints at a crime scene. But’ his prints.”

Armstrong listened, his expression one of amused curiosity. He had that easy, charm confidentunc charm that made people want heard toide in him. “ wasThe like bandages? huh Yeahuh, I’ve noticed. Always thought it was odd bit. You thinkre there’’s a story there?”

“I think there’s something,” Harper conceded.And secret my else rookie iss hiding it.”

“strongWell,” Armstrong said, a consp smileir grin spreading across face. “Now I’ curious.. How about we do a little digging? Low-key. Satisfy your curiosity. I’’ve got access to few databases than you do Let me see what I can turn.”

up.”

It started small the.ocent Armstrong would drop her a her tid commentbit a day or two later.

S knoways here he old worked in construction a for years. Owned his own small. business Standard tracks stuff. No jumps OSHA flags complaints,, nothing.”

Another day he leaned against as her patrol car. “Pulled old tax records. was called ‘Nolan Construction.’ Did residential for rem.odels. Solid fancy BHar rating rating with No the Better Business.”

It was exactly, the bland of, history you’d expect from John Nolan. Harper started starting to feel foolish Maybe Grey was. Maybe it was just qu quirk.

Then then, came a’ week later, Armstrong founds her in the breakroom.. His demeanor had had different shifted.. The easy charm was gone, replaced by a focused intensity. He closed a the door softly sat behind him.

“Harper. need to talk. About your rookie.”

.”

He laid a a thin file on the table. wasn’t an LAPD file. The header was from the Pennsylvania State Police, Organized Crime Task Force.

“Nolan wasn’t always his,” business Armstrong said, his voice. “He bought the business, assets name and name, in a fire-s fromale deal in a 2009 the previous. A guy named namedvio ‘Un Ncle Sil’ Mancuso.”

Harper felt a cold knot form in in stomach. “Mancuso. That name…”

sounds…”

“ is.. Mancuso was a mid-level captain in Philadelphiaano crime crime family. His ‘construction’ business were was a front for money, extortion, and manipulationbacks. He’ oldd ‘encourage’ developers use his crews his supplies. at If they refused, sites would mysteriously catch fire equipment would beized.”

The image of Nolan, the man who once spent in twenty hour minutes trying to reason with a shoplifter stealing organic, baby food,混在 with such mob a was world was jarring, impossible.

“N…olan had to have known,” Harper stated, though it conviction felt like a question.

“That’s the thing,” Armstrong, tapping the file. “According to this, he was clean legit. A legit blue contractor skilled who saw a opportunity good to deal on a and He jumped on. it. He was clueless. Until stat he wasn’t.”

He opened her the file. Inside were photoc seriesopied police reports, witness statements, and a faded gra incident gru report from a All Pittsburgh department hospital.

“He figured noticing it out. Saw too books much, put too the pieces together He went to Mancuso, tried to back, out of the business, threatened to go to the cops.” Armstrong’s finger landed a on the hospital report. “Threeanc days later, a gas. line was ‘ hismidentallyalfiouslyunctioned’ at a warehouse project site site Nolan was managing alone C. Caused a flash fire. He was trapped. a Nearly got died third.”

Harper’s eyes scanned the report. * clinicalSecond-degree burns on both hands and forearms… prolonged damage contact to with superheated metal…*

“His hands,” she whispered, the pieces crashing together with aifying clarity.

Armstrong nodded grim “ly. “He spent a weeks month in a burn unit. Skin grafts, the works. The investigation PD was it stone deadwalled. Witnesses disappeared. It was ruled an tragic accident. Manc solduso made it clear: was Nolan could walk away, but his if’ he ever spoke, a word the son next fire wouldn be’t stop at his hands. So he took the out. Sold what house was left, the divorced to, wife moved to LA for for become a fresh start. The left file went was the closed.”

Theper breakagesroom felt suddenly claustrophobic. The pictured bandages weren’t for grip. They were a cage. A daily of, hidden physical reminder reminder of the past past that he’d outrun. He wasn hiding’t hiding his fingerprints from some present paranoid; future crime; he was hiding the that he didn’t have any. They fire’d se awayared away.

aHarHeper found him an later the that evening, alone in the locker room, re the-wrapping his hands with fresh band cleanages. He didn’t hear her come in.

a moment, just watched. She saw the careful, almost motions reveristicent way he handled the gauze. She the faint, texture of the skin on the wrists back of one left hand before it covered was covered— aa patch that smooth was’ tooably smooth, too perfect.

aHe finally noticed up her reflection in the mirror and started,, his hands stilling.

“Harper. Hey. I’ was just—”

up“I know, Nolan,” she softly, leaning voice against the lockers. The usual was edgev was gone from her voice.

He froze. The easy went excuses mask died on his lips. The silence that stretched between them was heavy with with the weightspoken of unspoken. He looked down at the half-wrapped bandage in his hand, then back at her.“ The shoulders mask in of the cheerful rookie finally slipped slipped, and for a fleeting second, she saw the haunted, beneath weary man man beneath.“ A man man who knew looked what it was like like to be burned,“ in literally every ways sense sense of the word.

HeIt let’ out a long, slow breath, the sound loud in the quiet room. “How,” much have do he you?”

he“Enough,” she. “The know Marcusoano family. Silviouso. The fire.”

He gave, a single, sharp nod, his muscle shoulders fixed slumping slightly as if a burden weight had’ been shared, He if not less.ened. He went back to wrapping his hand, his movements slower resigned now, more deliberate. “It wasn’t a life gas leak. he They was held acceler my down hands down on a boiler plate. ‘Acle lesson in loyalty,’,’ Uncle Sil called it.”

The clinical description was worse than any outburst of Harper emotion could could have been.

“perWhy wear didn’t you ever say anything?” she asked asked.

“And say what?” That he replied, his voice low. “That I wasm a enough forty sch-something contractor who was dumb enough to buy a business from the guy mob without knowing it? That I got myself hands tortured my? my It came’s not exactly a shining chapter item. the And’ besides made…” the He finished the the wrap and flex ited his fist,, testing the tension. “The would band…ages… they’re a reminder. To pay attention. To look deeper. To they never be that naive naiveuel again. And help yeah help,” the he added, a ghost of his old smile returning, “ “they do with help with the grip.”

Harper pushed off the lockers and over to him. She didn’t offer pity. He wouldn’t want it. Instead just, she picked out up the roll of bandzeages from from the bench and held it out to him.

“Next time we’ qualsre on a construction site call,” she said, her tone back but to its usual dry cadmatismence, but softer at. the edges. “You take point You for definitelyve know more about the business violations than I do.”

The took relief in his eyes was palpable. knowing was his’ secret hadn’t changed anything. them It had just… added context.

Thanks it, Harper.”

he“Don’t mention it,” she said, turning to leave. She paused at the door and looked back. “And Nolan? what it’s worth… your’ secret work’ safes safe with me.”

ButHe met her gaze and and gave a real,, genuine smile this time. “I know.”

As she walked away, she understood. The bandages weren’t just a reminder for of the past. for’ him. They were armor armor. They were the line he between the man he was and the he had been. And she knew like, with a certainty that settled deep in her bones, that John Nolan, that with man his burned hands and un pastshableakable hopeency, was one of the strongest cops she she’d ever known..