leaned back against the pharmacy waiting chair. “She bought two
boxes, gave me a twenty, took her change of six dollars and eighty-two cents,
snatched the bag, then hauled outta here. She never
let go of the kid’s hand. Not once.”
The agent
scribbled in his notebook as the clerk continued.
“It caught my
attention because I thought to myself that the little girl’s blonde curls were
too beautiful to color.”
Eva swallowed.
Savannah’s hair was beautiful. It made Eva sick to think of the
emotional and physiological damage being inflicted on the sweetest little girl.
They had to find her. Immediately. She took two more
evidence bags from Ivan and applied the identifier sticker.
“You never saw her
lean across the counter and grab the medication bags?” the agent asked.
The clerk shook
her head. “We always get the inhalers shipment from this pharmaceutical company
on Fridays and always set them on that counter for the clerks to stock on
Saturday. Never had asthma medication stolen before.”
Stealing was
wrong, Eva admitted that, but she was relieved to know that Savannah had her
breathing medicine.
“We still wouldn’t
have known the woman took the two inhalers if you FBI guys hadn’t pulled the
video.” The clerk crossed her arms over her chest.
Eva had heard the
shock from the drug store manager when they’d watched the surveillance video.
The woman who had Savannah had hardly looked over her shoulder before leaning
across the counter and grabbing two inhalers and shoving them into the pocket
of the oversized coat. No one had suspected a thing until it was seen on the
video.
The FBI agent
continued his questioning. “And the woman? The video
doesn’t allow any shots of her face.”
“The cap she wore
covered all her hair. She didn’t even have any stragglers sticking out, if you
know what I mean.”
The agent wore a
blank stare. Eva resisted the impulse to shake her head. She didn’t recognize
the agent. Maybe he was one of the new ones sent in to help on the case. Did
they have to send the most clueless agents on something so important?
“The cap put
shadows on her face, but I could see she had dark eyebrows,” the store clerk
offered. “Well groomed. Arched.”
That was a good
detail, right? Eva studied the agent from the corner of her eye even as she
logged more evidence from Ivan.
“We have a sketch
artist on the way.” The agent flipped a page in his notebook. “In the
surveillance video the woman wore gloves. Did she ever take them off? Even to pay?”
The clerk shook
her head. “I never saw her take them off.”
“How did the child
seem to you?”
Eva turned her
head slightly to catch the other agent who had been hovering near the edge of
the counter take a step toward the clerk. He’d been so quiet that she’d almost
forgotten he stood there. He moved in silence, yet he looked familiar to Eva.
Maybe he was one of the agents who worked with Darren all the time.
The clerk tilted
her head. “She wasn’t screaming or crying, if that’s what you mean. That’s why
my warning bells didn’t go off immediately. Looked like a normal mother and
daughter, even if the little girl was quite subdued. Most kids that age who
come in with their moms are squawking or trying to run off.”
“The woman’s
appearance didn’t make you cautious?” the first agent interrupted to ask.
The clerk
shrugged. “Well, I’m used to oddities, if you catch my drift. We get all kinds
of people in here. Some of them…well, we’re just thankful when they leave, if
you know what I mean.” She shrugged again. “It’s cold out, so we’re seeing a
lot of people in here who are wearing caps and gloves.”
“Anything else you
can remember? Anything at all?”
“No.” The clerk
shook her head, slowly, as if still replaying the episode back in her mind.
“They came to the counter with the two boxes of hair color, I rang her up,
smiled at the little girl and that’s when I noticed the
boxes, gave me a twenty, took her change of six dollars and eighty-two cents,
snatched the bag, then hauled outta here. She never
let go of the kid’s hand. Not once.”
The agent
scribbled in his notebook as the clerk continued.
“It caught my
attention because I thought to myself that the little girl’s blonde curls were
too beautiful to color.”
Eva swallowed.
Savannah’s hair was beautiful. It made Eva sick to think of the
emotional and physiological damage being inflicted on the sweetest little girl.
They had to find her. Immediately. She took two more
evidence bags from Ivan and applied the identifier sticker.
“You never saw her
lean across the counter and grab the medication bags?” the agent asked.
The clerk shook
her head. “We always get the inhalers shipment from this pharmaceutical company
on Fridays and always set them on that counter for the clerks to stock on
Saturday. Never had asthma medication stolen before.”
Stealing was
wrong, Eva admitted that, but she was relieved to know that Savannah had her
breathing medicine.
“We still wouldn’t
have known the woman took the two inhalers if you FBI guys hadn’t pulled the
video.” The clerk crossed her arms over her chest.
Eva had heard the
shock from the drug store manager when they’d watched the surveillance video.
The woman who had Savannah had hardly looked over her shoulder before leaning
across the counter and grabbing two inhalers and shoving them into the pocket
of the oversized coat. No one had suspected a thing until it was seen on the
video.
The FBI agent
continued his questioning. “And the woman? The video
doesn’t allow any shots of her face.”
“The cap she wore
covered all her hair. She didn’t even have any stragglers sticking out, if you
know what I mean.”
The agent wore a
blank stare. Eva resisted the impulse to shake her head. She didn’t recognize
the agent. Maybe he was one of the new ones sent in to help on the case. Did
they have to send the most clueless agents on something so important?
“The cap put
shadows on her face, but I could see she had dark eyebrows,” the store clerk
offered. “Well groomed. Arched.”
That was a good
detail, right? Eva studied the agent from the corner of her eye even as she
logged more evidence from Ivan.
“We have a sketch
artist on the way.” The agent flipped a page in his notebook. “In the
surveillance video the woman wore gloves. Did she ever take them off? Even to pay?”
The clerk shook
her head. “I never saw her take them off.”
“How did the child
seem to you?”
Eva turned her
head slightly to catch the other agent who had been hovering near the edge of
the counter take a step toward the clerk. He’d been so quiet that she’d almost
forgotten he stood there. He moved in silence, yet he looked familiar to Eva.
Maybe he was one of the agents who worked with Darren all the time.
The clerk tilted
her head. “She wasn’t screaming or crying, if that’s what you mean. That’s why
my warning bells didn’t go off immediately. Looked like a normal mother and
daughter, even if the little girl was quite subdued. Most kids that age who
come in with their moms are squawking or trying to run off.”
“The woman’s
appearance didn’t make you cautious?” the first agent interrupted to ask.
The clerk
shrugged. “Well, I’m used to oddities, if you catch my drift. We get all kinds
of people in here. Some of them…well, we’re just thankful when they leave, if
you know what I mean.” She shrugged again. “It’s cold out, so we’re seeing a
lot of people in here who are wearing caps and gloves.”
“Anything else you
can remember? Anything at all?”
“No.” The clerk
shook her head, slowly, as if still replaying the episode back in her mind.
“They came to the counter with the two boxes of hair color, I rang her up,
smiled at the little girl and that’s when I noticed the
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