Chapter 10 - ST. ANNE'S
St. Anne's wasn't a hospital. It was an old neighborhood clinic that treated patients who lacked insurance, housed in a converted elementary school on the east side of Dallas.
Damon arrived with Jessica and Detective Vega. A nurse took one look at the photograph of Carmen and led them into a private office.
“She came here with a bruised shoulder and a cut on her forehead,” the nurse said. “She was afraid someone was following her. We helped her contact a safe place, but she left before police arrived.”
“Did she say where she went?” Vega asked.
“No. She said only one thing. 'If Daisy comes looking, tell her I didn't leave her.'”
Damon sat very still. He thought of Daisy wrapping half a slice of cake in a napkin for a mother who might never arrive.
The nurse returned with a small paper bag Carmen had left. Inside were a child's drawing, an old identification badge, and a flash drive taped beneath the bag's seam. Vega collected the drive as evidence.
Outside the clinic, Jessica called the foundation's insurer to notify it of a potential financial crime. Damon called Hannah, who had spent the afternoon reviewing vendor bank accounts.
“Hart Logistics sent payments to a private nursing agency,” Hannah said. “A large payment went out the same day Carmen vanished. The agency runs an adult recovery residence outside Denton.”
“Could Carmen be there?”
“I don't know. But the agency charged for a 'restricted-access guest.'”
Vega immediately requested officers in the county to check the address. Damon waited in the car while she coordinated. He knew charging through a door wouldn't make him a hero; it would make things harder for the woman inside.
Forty minutes later, Vega's radio crackled.
“Female located,” an officer reported. “Conscious. Asking for her daughter.”
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Then the officer added, “She says the people paying the residence plan to move her at sunrise.”
