Page 3 of Ultimate Justice

“Atta boy,” he said to Blue, patting his dog’s side and presenting him with his reward—a small, rolled-up towel. Blue snatched the towel and shook it from side to side.

Back on the ground floor, he watched Jones being loaded into the back seat of Deputy Martinez’s vehicle. Several neighbors had gathered on the sidewalk to watch the spectacle.

Blue snorted, beelining for the empty bookcase at the base of the stairs.

“What is it, boy?”

The bookcase was about eight feet tall, flush against the wall but not quite touching the ceiling. Blue sniffed the sides of the case and sat, staring intently at the lower shelf. His dog had just alerted.

Evan knelt and peered at the scuff marks on the floor. A muffled thump came from behind the bookcase. Someone was there. He shoved the bookcase, easily pushing it four feet across the floor. “Well, whatdya know?” Behind the bookcase was a knob-less door with a flat brass lock. A deadbolt.

Could be a dog or a cat or some other animal was down there. He’d once worked with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife special agent who’d had some bizarre stories about people stashing illegal alligators and tigers in their basements. Neighbors never even knew they were living right next to a carnivorous petting zoo.

Normally, Blue wouldn’t alert on animals, but still… The warrant in his back pocket was for the arrest of Stonewall Jackson Jones, and they had their man. Whatever was behind this door wasn’t part of their warrant.

Evan turned to leave, but a soft moan filtered through the space between the bottom of the door and the floor.

A child’s moan.

What the—?

He pressed his ear to the door, holding his breath. No more sounds came to him. He kicked at the door several times. It didn’t budge. He yanked out his phone. “I need you inside,” he said when Brett answered. “Grab Deck.”

Seconds later, his friends joined him.

“By the way,” Brett said. “Your battering ram just arrived.”

Deck snorted. “Better late than never.”

“Get it, will ya?” Evan asked. “Somebody’s down there—a child.”

“Hit the door,” he said when Brett returned with the battering ram.

“My pleasure.”

Evan drew his weapon. Deck did the same. Brett hauled back and slammed the battering ram against the door. Wood cracked and splintered. The door fell open, hanging by one hinge at the top of a wood staircase.

Evan flipped on the light. “Police!” Cautiously, he headed down the stairs. Deck’s and Brett’s boots clumped behind him. Blue’s nails clicked as he took up the rear.

At the bottom of the stairs, Evan’s breath caught in his throat.

Deck and Brett peered over his shoulder. “Oh man,” Deck said.

Only it wasn’t a man. Lying on a rusty cot was a boy who couldn’t have been more than twelve. He wore tattered jeans and a blue T-shirt. His feet were bare. When Blue sniffed the boy’s face, the kid moaned.

Before holstering, Evan looked around to verify no one else lurked in a corner of the basement. Aside from the rusty cot, the only other furniture was a table at the far end. A desktop computer and sheets of paper sat on the table. Tacked to the wall over the table were a few old, yellowing photos.

“Call an ambulance,” he said over his shoulder as he rushed to the cot.

“You got it. I’ll wait for them topside.” Brett pulled out his phone and jogged up the stairs.

“I’ll get some water,” Deck added, following Brett.

Gently, Evan ran his hands over the boy’s body, searching for injuries and finding nothing obvious, not even bruises beneath the T-shirt. The boy didn’t move, only moaned again, louder, this time. Could be he was drugged. Which conjured up all kinds of ugly scenarios Evan didn’t want to contemplate but had to.

The boy’s lids flickered and opened. He bolted upright, flinging himself against the wall. “L-leave me alone,” he croaked in a scratchy, parched voice. “Don’t take me back there!”

“Hey, it’s all right,” he said in the gentlest, most nonaggressive tone he could muster. Whatever was going on here, one thing was clear: someone had hurt this kid. “My name’s Evan. I’m going to help you. I’m the police. See?” He tapped the gold badge embroidered on his body armor vest, hoping it would ease the boy’s anxiety. “This is my partner, Blue. Say hi, Blue.”