“So if we find where those deposits come from, we’re this much closer to finding the ones responsible for Andy’s death,” the director said.
Max looked at the data one more time. The final deposit into Sturvins’ account was for five times as much as the usual deposits.
And was on the very day that Andy had been killed.
“Is it possible Sturvin was hired to kill Andy? And this was the payout? Just what exactly did he have access to here at PAVAD?”
81
Jac studied the map as she listed the addresses of the Sullivan/Sturvin properties. There were five to isolate. “Mark the two to the east off.”
“Ok, why?”
“Too far away from the pharmacy. There is no way he would have left the girls that long, and I don’t think he’d have taken them in the car if they were that sick. The cabin owned by the Sullivans is at least three hours away by car. A road trip of three hours, with a sick child or two—that wouldn’t be something anyone would ever want to do. I’ve done it.” When Emery had been six, Max and Jac had taken her to the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, she’d come down with strep throat five hours from home on the trip back. Jac had ended up riding in the backseat with her, just to hold her and take care of her while Max had handled the driving. “That is not something any sane person ever wants to attempt again.”
“The other here would have been about two and a half hours.” Dani removed it from the map. “That still leaves us three properties.”
“Isolate the other pharmacies now.”
“There is one other pharmacy, but it’s the same distance from the cabin here as the other pharmacy,” Dani said. “That’s not going to rule one property out over another.”
“So how are we going to figure out which property he’s at?” Jac asked, almost to herself.
“Do a massive sweep. Check them all,” Dani said. “It would split manpower, but it might be the only option.”
“That’s probably exactly what we are needing to do. We just need enough bodies to do it.” Jac pulled out her phone. “I’m going to run down Max. Ball is in his court now. But one way or another, we’re going to search every cabin until we know where Paul Philip Sullivan Sturvin put his daughters. And then…we’re going to make him pay for what he’s done. For the people he’s hurt.”
The dog barked, as if Sadie agreed one hundred percent.
82
Todd liked the pharmacist. She was smart, cute, and definitely no-nonsense. She knew exactly what she was talking about, and she wasn’t stupid about it. There weren’t any flirtatious games either. She knew they were there on important business. “It’s the guy from the television. I asked him how he was doing, if he had any questions about what he was buying. I got close enough to see the birthmark. It’s rather distinctive.” She pushed her glasses up on her little freckled nose and looked between him and Whitman.
“What did he say? How did he act?” Whitman asked, his phone ever present as he took even more notes. He’d barely even looked at the pharmacist.
The guy had some serious OCD tendencies, but Todd didn’t think he was too much of an ass. He half liked the guy.
“He had a few questions about how much Pedialyte to give his kids. Said they were three and eight, weighing between thirty and sixty pounds. I helped him find that, handed him this bottle here.” She had a small bottle of pink pediatric electrolytes sitting on the counter next to her. “I put it in the zippered bag to keep any fingerprints on it from getting smudged after he left. I had on nitrile gloves already. So…he was the last one to touch that. He said his youngest was allergic to the food dye in it. He ended up going with the clear version instead.”
Well, she couldn’t have made it any easier for them. All they had to do was take that bottle back to the forensics lab, along with the surveillance footage, and they’d know for sure if that asshat Sturvin was in this area.
They’d find him soon.
Todd just prayed it was before the man hurt two innocent little girls.
83
By the time Max had three teams ready to hit the three different cabins Jac had isolated as the most likely locations, Whit and Barnes were back.
With fingerprints and video evidence. Whit had watched it on his laptop on the drive back and had confirmed the man on the footage was most likely the man they were looking for.
Max tamped down the excitement. He’d been in this game long enough to know not to rush to the finish line. That was how mistakes were made.
He nodded at Lytel. He would be handling the third team. Max would take the first. Ezra Hahn from REY—Runaway & Endangered Youth—had been recruited to run the second team. He was one of their best at critical response, and Max was glad to have him. Jac could have run the team, but she’d chosen to coordinate at the command post. Eyes on everything.
The rapid processing of details that she would be tasked with doing was where she excelled.
Lytel asked for clarification, then took his team of four men. They were experienced; half had transferred in from tactical response.
All knew what they were supposed to do.
If those girls were out there at one of those locations, they’d find them.
84
Rachel had always handled things when the girls were ill. Holly as well. But he was going to have to figure it out himself. They had only him now. He was going to have to find a safe place for them to start over. After he made it clear to them that they were going to have to change their names, their entire way of life.
He
