They had assumed nobody would notice.
I looked at Dana.
"Why didn't Elena go directly to the police?"
"She did contact us. She also appears to have tried raising concerns through her employer's compliance office. The evidence suggests her complaints were either ignored or redirected to people involved in the scheme."
"How could she know who to trust?"
"She couldn't. That's probably why she made copies of the records."
Dana opened a photograph of the folded note recovered from Bunny.
Elena's warning appeared on the screen.
Don't trust the local office.
Beneath it was Deputy Nolan Pike's name.
"Elena believed Pike was involved," Dana said. "We have now obtained the original dispatch log from the day June was found. It shows that a missing-person inquiry was initiated from another county several days earlier. Pike acknowledged the inquiry but never completed the required follow-up."
"Why not?"
"We're still investigating."
Cole shook his head.
"There's your answer."
"There's evidence of misconduct," Dana corrected. "We still need to determine the extent of his involvement."
She displayed a final file.
It was a scanned photograph of a handwritten schedule, showing several transfer dates and a series of coded locations.
The phrase TRANSFER EAST appeared beside one date.
Another entry referred to a property identified as M-17.
"What's M-17?" I asked.
Dana pointed to an annotation.
"It may correspond to an old mining property. We're checking the reference against county land records."
"Could Elena be there?"
"Possibly."
I leaned back in my chair.
We had a name for the man running Desert Haven.
We had evidence of fraudulent placements and financial transfers.
We had proof that Dale Rusk had continued working with the organization after his contract supposedly ended.
We had a deputy whose handling of the missing-child inquiry raised serious questions.
But Elena remained missing.
And the records that might tell us where she was had been deliberately obscured.
"What does Martin Vale say about any of this?" Cole asked.
"His attorney was contacted this afternoon. Vale denies wrongdoing and claims the irregularities were caused by a former employee who had access to the records system."
"Elena."
"That's what he claims."
"Convenient."
"Very."
Dana closed the file.
"We're seeking warrants for the records in Vale's office and the transport company's remaining storage facilities. We also have sufficient grounds to examine the financial accounts tied to the questionable transfers."
"What about Rusk?" I asked.
"He's being held pending further proceedings. His attorney has been notified."
"Can he tell you where Elena is?"
"We've asked. He says he doesn't know."
I almost laughed.
"Of course he does."
Dana's expression remained serious.
"Whether he knows or not, we need independent corroboration. If we find Elena, she'll be able to help us establish the sequence of events."
I looked again at the photograph of the abandoned mining property.
The desert seemed to hold all the answers just beyond the edge of the map.
"What happens if we find her?"
"We get her medical attention, protect her, and make sure she can tell her story without intimidation. Then we keep searching for every child affected by these transfers."
"And Vale?"
"If the evidence supports charges, he will answer for them."
I wanted to believe that was how it would work.
I wanted to believe that a man who had built a respectable career on public trust could lose everything when the truth emerged.
But I had spent enough years around powerful people to know that evidence wasn't always enough. It had to be preserved, verified, presented, and defended against people who could afford the best lawyers and knew how to make reasonable questions sound like unreasonable accusations.
That was why the flash drive mattered.
That was why June's testimony mattered.
And that was why Elena had risked everything to preserve those records.
Dana received another call.
She listened, then looked toward the door.
"The prosecutor has authorized the search of the eastern mining property. The land records identify it as an abandoned extraction site with several structures still standing."
"How soon?"
"The team is preparing to move."
I rose from my chair.
"I want to go."
Dana looked at me for a long moment.
"Why?"
"Because I know the area. I know which roads are likely to be passable and which ones could trap a vehicle. I won't enter any building without your authorization, and I won't interfere with the officers."
She seemed to consider whether I was worth the trouble.
Finally, she nodded.
"You and Cole can accompany the team as local guides. You'll remain outside the operational perimeter unless the commander asks for assistance."
"Understood."
As we left the conference room, I checked my phone.
There was a message from Rachel.
June had asked for me.
I called the community center.
Rachel answered.
"She's safe," she said immediately. "She's just worried. She heard part of the conversation about the mining property and wants to know whether you're going there to find her mother."
"Tell her yes."
"I will."
"Can I talk to her?"
A moment later, I heard June's voice.
"Jack?"
"I'm here, sweetheart."
"Are you going to the place where Mommy is?"
"We're going to search a place that might help us find her."
"Will it be dangerous?"
I looked through the window toward the dark road.
"There's a possibility. That's why the police are coming with us."
"Will you be careful?"
I closed my eyes briefly.
"Yes."
She was quiet.
Then she asked, "If you find Mommy, will you tell her I didn't forget her?"
My throat tightened.
"June, there's no chance in this world that your mommy believes you've forgotten her."
"But Dale said—"
"I don't care what Dale said. Your mother knows you love her."
June breathed shakily into the phone.
"Okay."
"Get some rest. Rachel will stay with you."
"Jack?"