His voice hardened. “You know what, never mind. If she calls, tell her to come home. We can handle this privately.”

He hung up.

The deputy was already moving. “Gas station receipt,” he said to the nurse. “Give me the location printed on it.”

The nurse read it off. No city name. No grand location. Just a highway number, a cross street, a register number, and 10:27 p.m.

That was enough.

By 1:05 a.m., the sheriff’s office had units looking for Daniel’s vehicle. By 1:18 a.m., hospital security had Daniel’s photo from Emily’s emergency contact file.