Page 21 of Every Deadly Suspicion

“Promise? He’s my best friend.” The tears started again.

“I promise.” Hanna lifted him as carefully as she could into thebasket. He grimaced once or twice but didn’t cry. Once she secured him in the basket, Asa and Paulo carefully pulled him back to the top. Dave and Paulo would have to carry the boy in the litter about a half mile to their ambulance.

For a few seconds she stood, looking up at where the boy had disappeared, sweat dripping off her face. Dry, hot summers in the Northern California foothills could be brutal. This was one of those summers.

She looked over at the dog and remembered her promise. Her radio crackled.

“You coming back up?” Asa asked.

“I have to get the dog.” She turned her attention to Pancho. The little dog eyed her warily.

Hanna knelt. “Here, Pancho, come here.” She moved toward him and he moved away. In her best baby-talk voice, Hanna tried to draw the dog to her. He was having none of it.

Her radio crackled. “Didn’t you bring the bacon strips?” Asa asked.

“Ha, ha. I may ask you to run and get some.”

“I might disobey. With you down there, aren’t I in command?”

“I might stay down here just long enough to be certain you’ve done all the paperwork.” Hanna backed up a step and turned, hoping that by ignoring the dog he’d settle down. She put her backpack back on and stepped toward the cliff wall. The dog was near; she could sense it. She bent and turned, grabbing for Pancho.

He squealed and bit her hand, but her gloves protected her. Still, the surprise made her stumble and fall backward.

Suddenly, there was nothing under her feet and she was falling.

CHAPTER 11

JARED SHED HIS AIR TANK,unzipped his turnout coat, and wiped sweat and grime from his face.Smoke eaterwas the perfect nickname for firefighters because today he certainly felt as if he’d been eating smoke all morning. The Crest Fire was a monster. He surveyed the fire line and prayed they’d get a handle on this soon. Jared had only been a sworn firefighter for four months. Working on this hellfire made him feel as if he’d been at it for years.

“Hodges, you ready for some chow?”

Jared turned. Paul Stokes walked toward him. Two days ago, his coworkers had stopped calling him “the grandpa rookie.” He’d been the oldest recruit in his academy class and was reminded of it every day. Until now. The punishing work on the conflagration was a telling equalizer. He’d learned a lifetime’s worth of lessons on this fire, and it was gratifying that his coworkers agreed.

“Thanks, I’ll be right in.”

Stokes came and stood next to him. “You’re good at this job, Hodges. You held your own with Bryce today, and he’s much younger than you. Why didn’t you come on the job years ago?”

Jared sipped some water before answering. “I was born andraised here. When I was a kid, all I wanted to be was out. The smallness was suffocating.”

“I was raised in Sonora. I always thought that was small. Dry Oaks is minuscule in comparison. But it’s a nice place to live.”

“I guess it took my leaving to realize that.”

Stokes slapped him on the back. “Whatever. Glad to have you on the team.” Stokes strode off for the mess tent.

Jared took one last look at the fire line before he turned for the chow tent. It was good to be on the team. And it was good to be back where Hanna was. Jared could admit, only to himself, that she rarely left his mind.

They’d spent so much time together when they were growing up, he thought she’d go with him.

He was wrong.

“Dry Oaks is my home.” Hanna twisted a lock of hair between her thumb and forefinger, an endearing habit Jared loved. Hanna had long beautiful, shiny brown hair, soft to the touch. It made her emerald-green eyes stand out.

“It’s also been torture for you. No one here will ever forget what your dad did.”

“I know.” She held his gaze, her expression thoughtful. “But I love it here. I know the smallness boxes you in, but to me it’s comforting.”

He looked away and kicked a rock. This discussion was not going the way he’d hoped. “What about climbing? What about adventure?”

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