02_The Hero Next Door by Irene Hannon Page A

creases in J.C.’s brow deepened. The strict tactic hadn’t worked with Nathan, either. You’d think he’d have learned to keep his mouth shut when it came to advice for teens, he thought in disgust.
    “When did you last see him?” The question came out clipped as he slung his equipment belt around his waist and buckled it.
    “I heard him upstairs at about quarter to nine, right before I went out in the garden.”
    “What was he wearing?” As he asked the question, J.C. pulled out his notebook.
    “Last time I saw him, he had on oversize beige cargo pants, a red St. Louis Cardinals sweatshirt and sport shoes.”
    “What does he look like?”
    “My height, wheat-colored hair, blue eyes, thin.”
    “Okay.” He finished writing. “That’s good enough for now. I’m on nights this week, and I’ll head in a little early. I’ll also call in his description so the officers on duty can keep an eye out for him.”
    “What can I do to help?”
    “Stick close to home, in case he comes back or calls. A lot of times kids do.”
    But not always, J.C. acknowledged. Nathan had sometimes disappeared for days at a time. J.C. had lost count of the number of nights he’d spent on the street when he should have been studying, combing the neighborhood in the wee hours of the morning for his kid brother.
    In general, all he’d gotten for his efforts had been a bad case of exhaustion. Nathan had learned early on how to disappear.
    Brian, on the other hand, was new to this game. And there were far fewer places to hide on Nantucket than there had been in the rough Chicago neighborhood filled with dark alleys that J.C. and his siblings had called home. Besides, this was an island. He could only go so far.
    Unless…
    “I can’t just sit around, J.C.”
    Heather’s agitated protest interrupted his thoughts.
    “I know it’s hard. But give it a few hours, okay? If he doesn’t show up, we’ll adjust the plan.”
    Silence met his suggestion. Followed by a sigh of capitulation.
    “Okay. But will you keep me updated?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “I don’t know what I’m going to tell Susan. She trusted me with him, and I’ve let her down.”
    J.C. knew exactly how Heather felt. He’d been there with both his siblings. And it wasn’t a good place.
    “This isn’t your fault, Heather. You didn’t ask for the responsibility, and you dealt with a bad situation in the best way you knew how. Don’t blame yourself.”
    A couple of beats of silence passed, and when she responded, her gentle tone took him off guard. “You know, that sounds like the kind of reassurance an eighteen-year-old student I heard about yesterday could have used a long time ago. And maybe still needs to hear.”
    At her kindness and empathy even in the midst of her own crisis, a long-cold place in J.C.’s heart suddenly warmed, as if touched by a ray of sun peeking through the clouds on a chilly, overcast day.
    “Thanks.” The word came out scratchy, and he cleared his throat. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
    Ending the call, he phoned the station with Brian’s description and retrieved his bike from the garage. He didn’t have to report for duty for an hour, and he had an idea he wanted to check out first. A thirteen-year-old was savvy enough to know it wouldn’t be easy to vanish in a place the size of Nantucket. If he really wanted to disappear, Brian would have to find a way to leave the island. And flying wouldn’t be an option. It was too expensive, and too easy to track.
    That left the ferry. The last one pulled out at ten o’clock, and J.C. doubted Brian would have found his way to the dock in time to catch it, given his unfamiliarity with the town. But he might stick close to the wharf and try to catch one of the early morning boats, hoping that Heather wouldn’t even have missed him by then.
    Pedaling along mist-shrouded Centre Street, his bike tires humming on the pavement, J.C. knew his theory could be off base. He’d guessed wrong plenty of