Against the Odds

"Mr. Justice! Mr. Justice, can you give us a moment of your time?"

Sabrina Eckhart stared at the news broadcast on KTRK-TV. She had watched the segment run on an earlier edition, but found herself watching it again.

The reporter, a small man with dark hair and a determined expression, hurried to keep up with Alex Justice's long strides as he walked out of the downtown Houston Police Department building. "Mr. Justice!" At the sight of several TV cameras, Alex's steps reluctantly slowed.

"Everyone in the city is grateful for what you did," the reporter said. "People are calling you a hero. What do you think about that?" The man thrust a microphone into Alex's handsome face. Six two, dark blond hair and blue eyes, always dressed as if he'd just stepped out of a "GQ" magazine, Alex Justice was an amazing-looking man.

"I'm a private investigator," Alex said. "I did what I was paid to do--find evidence that would identify the killer of a ten-year-old girl. I was lucky enough to make that happen. There's nothing heroic about it."

"It's been said you'll do anything to catch your man. Is that true?"

Alex just kept walking. There wasn't a glimpse of the deep dimples bracketing his mouth that Rina remembered so well. She hadn't seen him in more than six months, not since the day her best friend, Sage Du-mont, married Jake Cantrell, one of Alex's best friends.

Rina watched him stride away until he disappeared offscreen, then the camera cut to the reporter, who relayed the story of the little girl who had been abducted, sexually abused and murdered three years ago. Ten-year-old Carrie Wiseman's killer had never been found--not until Alex Justice had come up with DNA evidence that directly linked the girl to a neighbor who lived down the street from her home.

Two days ago, the neighbor, Edward Bagley