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“What pervert?” Lara gasped.
“The one that lives behind us!” Jasper pointed to Ellie. “It’s all over the damn news!”
Lara turned horrified eyes toward Ellie, and Ellie’s stomach somersaulted. “Mr.Truman,” Ellie said firmly. “I did question that man, but I don’t think he took Ava. Not only did he deny it, but we found no evidence linking him to your daughter. In fact, we were hoping you could tell us where she is.”
He pounded his fist into his palm. “How should I know? I went fishing and she was supposed to be here with her mother.”
“She was,” Lara said. “But she ran to the bus stop, and I just turned my head for a minute, and… she never made it there.”
“Where were you fishing?” Ellie asked the husband.
“Up at Beaver Pond,” he said. “What the hell is going on here?”
Derrick crossed his arms.“Your wife called you yesterday. Multiple times. If you’re so worried about Ava, why wait until today to show up?”
“Because I didn’t have cell service in the woods,” Jasper snapped. “I didn’t get my voicemail until this morning when I went to the bait shop.” He grabbed his phone. “Last night Lara called and practically accused me of kidnapping my own little girl.”
Ellie studied his body language. Rigid shoulders, jaw tensed, hands fisting and unfisting as if he wanted to hit something. His voice was a blend of fear and anger. Was the fear out of worry for Ava or that he’d gotten caught? “Was anyone fishing with you?” she asked.
Jasper’s mouth tightened into a straight line. “Yes. A buddy of mine. Curtis Banks.”
“We’re going to need his contact information,” she said.
He exhaled loudly, rage vibrating in the sound. But he pulled up the number. “He stayed this morning to fish, so he won’t have service.”
“Where were you staying?” Ellie asked.
“We set up a campsite at the pond.”
“How far is the bait shop from your camp?” Ellie questioned.
Jasper slammed his fist into his hand again. “About a mile. Why are you grilling me instead of looking for Ava? And how do you know that sicko isn’t hurting her right now?”
Lara paled and leaned her head into her hands as if she might faint. Ellie rubbed her back to soothe her.
“Because he tried to kill himself last night.” Ellie cleared her throat. “Like I told you, we found no evidence that he had anything to do with her disappearance.” Although he had been watching Ava, she reminded herself. “But we are keeping him under surveillance.”
Lara jerked her head up. “I want to talk to him. Make him look at my face and tell me.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Ellie said. “He’s in a coma right now. But before he lost consciousness, he mentioned seeing a woman in a white van watching Ava.”
“What?” Lara asked in a choked whisper. “Who was she?”
“I don’t know. I’m hoping that when he regains consciousness he can tell us that.”Ifhe regains consciousness, Ellie thought. The doctor had not given him a good prognosis. “Lara, had you noticed a white van near the house or bus stop?”
Lara scrubbed a hand over face. “Not really. But I see white vans and trucks every day.
True, Ellie thought.And Grueler hadn’t been specific if it was commercial or a personal van.
“Mr.Truman, we have to consider other possibilities,” Derrick cut in. “To do that, we need your cooperation.”
His eyes shifted nervously.
Derrick held out his hand. “Let me see your phone.”
“Why?” Jasper grumbled.
“To verify your story,” Ellie said.
