Page 46 of Save Her Life

Eric nodded and left to retrieve the manager. They came back together.

Sandra got up, pulled her card from her pocket and scribbled Lakisha’s name and email on the back. “Please email the video to that address there.”

“I’ll do it right away.”

“Thank you.” She quickly tapped out a text to let Lakisha know she should be receiving a video and that she was interested in knowing the height of the man in the flannel-lined jean jacket and anything else that stood out to her. She had a response within a few seconds from Lakisha that she would look out for it.

Sandra and Eric had just made it to the sidewalk when her phone rang. Elwood Rowe’s name flashed on the screen. “It’s Elwood,” she told Eric before picking up.

“Sandra, does the name Duane Novak sound familiar to you?”

Fifteen years ago, Novak and his brother robbed a downtown convenience store, but things fell apart quickly. The clerk had managed to raise a silent alarm, and police showed up, sirens screeching, before the Novak brothers could make off. There was a standoff, and Sandra had been the lead negotiator. She’d given Duane, the shot caller of the two, every opportunity to surrender peacefully, but he’d wanted nothing to do with it. In the end, SWAT breached the store. The clerk and customers remained unharmed, but Duane’s brother was shot during the extraction. The bullet punctured his spinal cord, making him a paraplegic for the rest of his life. “Yes, I remember him.”

“Well, apparently, Duane Novak was just released this past Friday.”

She became cold. The Duane Novak of fifteen years ago would have fit the build of the man they’d just seen on the DiversaBlend video. Had he found out about Olivia and gone after her as payback? She reached for her pendant, pushing through the collar of her coat to get there.

“Sandra, did you hear me?”

“I did. Ah, Novak had a brother. Do you know if he’s still alive?”

“He’s alive, residing in an assisted living home. What’s this telling you?”

“I was just curious.” In truth, she wanted to know what bearing this might have on Olivia’s well-being. Was Novak inflicting the same damage on Olivia that had been done to his brother? But another thought occurred to her. Assisted living didn’t come cheap, let alone keeping up the payments for the last fifteen years. Could he have taken Olivia for ransom? Considering the alternatives, that prospect didn’t sound as bad. He’d treat her well to better ensure a payday.

“Do you think Novak could have taken Olivia?”

“He hates me enough, that’s for sure, and I think I just might have seen him on video.” She brought him up to speed.

“So he left right behind her. And you’re sure this man could be Novak?”

Hit with the direct question, doubts moved in. Was it the context that helped her to see the similarity or a desire to rush things along? “If he looks like he used to, yeah. There were no clear shots of the man’s face though.”

Elwood mumbled something that resembled, “That would make it too easy.”

“Do you have an address on him?”

“His parents were contacted. They want nothing to do with him, but apparently he reached out and told them he was staying at the Sands Motel if they changed their minds.”

The flea-infested dive fit Duane Novak. It was also a good match for someone up to no good, such as a kidnapping for ransom. “We need to get units over there right away.”

“Agents are heading there as we speak, same too for a house owned by his parents. They moved to a condo a few weeks ago, but the place hasn’t gone on the market yet. The parents said Novak would likely still have a key. Agents Radcliffe and Shaffer will have a cursory look around, see if there is any probable cause to take things further.”

This might not be about money then. Not if the parents could afford to leave their house before it was sold. Though it might long be paid for. She really had too little information to form any solid theory. “He might be holding her there,” she said, not wanting to think about another possibility. Such as, he disposed of Olivia’s body on the property. “Where is this place? I want to go.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, Sandra. You’re rather close to the situation.”

“Well, I’m not just going to stand back and wait, or I’ll go crazy. I need to feel useful. This is my daughter we’re talking about. If that man took her and has her somewhere…” She didn’t dare finish verbalizing her intent. It was best that her boss had deniability if it came down to it.

“I get it, but you must understand that I can’t let you run lead on this.”

She’d propose a compromise. “Fine. Let Brice take it, and I’ll take the backseat. I just need to be there for the questioning.”

Silence stretched across the line.

“Assistant Director?” she prompted, pulling out his formal title. “I know you want Olivia found.”

“Of course I do.”

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