View a FREE sample

Mary Maloney

This protagonist of the short story is six months pregnant and satisfied with her rather banal life with her policeman-husband whom she adores.

Patrick Maloney

This character is a policeman still walking a beat. The reader learns that it is unusual for him to drain most of his evening cocktail in one swallow, as he does when he first comes home.

Sergeant Jack Noonan

This character is a policeman who responds to the protagonist’s frantic telephone call that she found her husband lying dead on the floor. He helps the weeping woman gently into a chair before joining another policeman in examining the body and scene and calling for other investigators.

O'Malley

This character’s words and actions are not specified in the story: he is just one of the policemen on the scene, discussing the case and, eventually, unwittingly consuming a portion of the...

(read more Character Descriptions)

This section contains 208 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample