Restoration of Faith

Restoration of Faith is a short story in The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. It is set before Storm Front. The story was originally published on Jim-Butcher.com, and later included in the book Side Jobs.

Plot
Harry Dresden has been an employee of PI Nicholas Christian of Ragged Angel Investigations for some time, and still has six months to work for him before he can get a license of his own.

They are employed to find Faith Astor, the ten-year-old daughter of one of Chicago's elite families. Dresden is able to find her, but the job gets more complicated when Christian informs him that the Astors are trying to frame them for her kidnapping rather than admitting the fact that their daughter simply ran away. Despite the police searching for him, Harry will not leave Faith alone in the city at night. They decide that Christian will pick them up by car on the far side of a bridge.

Unfortunately that particular bridge is guarded by the troll Gogoth, who lay claim on the child and will not let them past. Faith just tells Harry to go without her, as she does not want to return to her emotionally cold family. Harry convinces her that she has to go back, and to have hope that her life will change for the better. He also gives her one of his silver rings to remember the good things in her life. They try to cross the bridge a second time, and Harry prepares for a struggle.

The ensuing fight turns in their favor when Karrin Murphy of the Chicago Police Department appears, giving the rookie cop her first taste of the supernatural. Christian finally arrives, the car lights scaring away tiny trolls which poured out of the larger specimen when it was slain. Murphy, convinced by Faith that there was no kidnapping, lets both men go before any other police arrive.