Page 105 of Burning Justice

He slipped Blaze’s leash from the rearview mirror. The moment his hand touched the leash, Blaze was on his feet. He got out and opened the rear door of his personal pickup, a red Dodge Ram, then clipped on the leash.

Brett hadn’t talked to Gemma since the hangar fire. After meetings at his office, he’d stopped by her hospital room once, but she’d been asleep. The next day, he’d swung by again, but she’d already been released, and it was just as well. Before talking to her again, he needed to be sure he was making headway with the shrink. He was beyond grateful to a god he hadn’t sworn allegiance to in years that she hadn’t died.

“Ready, buddy?”

Blaze barked, then hopped from the truck. Another wave of relief washed over him as he looked at the felt booties Blaze wore. When he’d tackled Kelly Hawkin in the hangar, Blaze had suffered chemical burns on the pads of both feet from landing in an inch-deep puddle of MEK. In typical canine fashion, Blaze had suffered in silence. Ten days had passed since the fire, during which time Brett had applied special ointment to the dry and cracked pads. One more day and the booties could come off.

“Let’s do this.”

Allison Aldrich Brady, now seventeen, and her adopted mother, Diane Brady, joined them on the sidewalk.

“Thank you for allowing this meeting to take place,” Brett said to Mrs. Brady. “This will mean a lot to Gavin.”

“It means a lot to Ally, too,” she replied. “I’ve come to realize over the last few years that she needs her brother as much as he needs her.”

Evan rested his hand on Ally’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”

Ally gave a quick nod. “I’ve been waiting five years for this moment. Does he know I’m coming?”

“No,” Brett said. “It’s a surprise.”

“C’mon, then.” Evan’s lips curved into a genuine smile. “Let’s make his day.”

Once in a while, Brett had seen Evan smile, but the only times he’d ever seen his friend truly happy was when he’d been successful in finding a missing child. Alive, that was. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case.

Outside Gavin’s room, Brett knocked on the door.

“Go away!” came the shouted response.

Dr. Franklin, who’d met them in the lobby, cleared his throat. “He’s had a rough couple of days.”

“Then it’s time to cheer him up.” Brett knocked again, harder. “It’s Brett Tanner. I brought Blaze. Open the door.”

“No. Go away,” Gavin repeated.

“May I?” Ally asked.

“Be my guest.” Brett winked.

Ally knocked again. “Gavin? It’s Ally. Please open the door.”

Seconds of silence passed. When the door opened, Gavin peered through the crack, then his eyes widened. Eventually, his mouth fell open, but no words came out.

Ally began wringing her hands. “Aren’t you going to say something?”

“Ally?” he whispered, opening the door wider. “Is it really you?”

She nodded, rolling her lips inward as tears trickled down her face. “It’s me.” She threw herself at Gavin, wrapping her arms around him.

“Oh god.” Gavin squeezed his eyes shut, returning the embrace. He opened his eyes, looking at Brett, then Evan. “Thank you,” he choked out.

Brett couldn’t stop grinning as he watched the tearful reunion. He didn’t harbor any false hope that he and Gemma would have a similar one, but he was sure gonna try. “Catch ya later, kid.”

“Gavin, Ally?” Evan said. “Whatever you do, don’t lose each other again.” Without another word, Evan turned and walked away.

Brett watched Evan’s receding back. He knew his friend felt good about Ally Aldrich, but with every missing child he found, a little part of Evan died inside. He’d just accomplished something remarkable, because he was the best at what he did, but he still hadn’t managed to find his own sister. And it was killing him, slowly and by painful degrees.

“Blaze, let’s go.” With obvious reluctance, Blaze followed him and Evan back outside. Brett rested a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Thanks, man. You did good.”