Emma stood beside her sister with one hand pressed between Olivia’s shoulder blades.
He told Emma: you did the right thing.
Her mouth trembled.
She said: are we in trouble?
He said: no. You came for help.
Both girls seemed to loosen slightly.
Olivia began to cry without sound.
Emma gripped the edge of the counter and stared at the sealed envelope.
Part 3 — The Pharmacy Code
While the ambulance was on its way Reed entered the pharmacy code printed in faded blue along the syringe barrel.
The first search returned a dispensing location.
The second returned a transaction time from that afternoon.
The third opened the prescribing credential.
Michael Carter.
Their father.
Reed checked the station camera timestamp and the incoming call log.
A missing child notice had reached dispatch seven minutes earlier.
Michael Carter had reported that both girls had wandered off after refusing their medicine.
But Emma had just said Olivia was never told what she was swallowing.
The story had split in two.
Reed printed the pharmacy record.
He placed it beside the sealed syringe envelope.
He added a line to the incident log.
CHILDREN REQUESTED PROTECTION BEFORE PARENT ARRIVAL.
He called his supervisor.
He described the situation in order.
Two children. One symptomatic. Empty syringe hidden in a shoe. Father’s name on the prescribing credential. Father’s missing child report filed seven minutes before the girls arrived. Discrepancy between father’s account and child’s account regarding consent.
His supervisor said: ambulance first. Lock the doors. I’m calling the detective on call and child protective services. Do not release those children.
Reed said: understood.
Part 4 — The SUV
The ambulance was still two blocks away when a dark SUV turned into the station lot.
Emma saw it through the glass and froze.
Olivia made a small sound from the floor.
Reed walked to the front doors.
He turned the deadbolt.
He lowered the interior latch.
He moved both girls behind the counter out of sight from the parking lot.
The SUV stopped crooked across two spaces.
The driver’s door opened.
Michael Carter stepped out holding his phone already talking already pointing toward the station like he expected everyone inside to obey him.
He tried the door.
The glass held.
He knocked.
Reed did not move toward the door.
He stayed behind the counter with both girls.
The ambulance turned into the lot thirty seconds later.
Two paramedics came in through the side access Reed had unlocked for them.
They assessed Olivia quickly and efficiently.
One of them said to Reed: how long ago.
Reed said: we don’t know the exact time. The syringe is in evidence.
She said: we need to move.
They moved.
Olivia was taken out the side access.
Emma looked at Reed.
She said: can I go with her?
He said: yes. Stay right beside her.
He watched them go.
Outside, Michael Carter was still at the front door.
Reed’s supervisor arrived four minutes later.
The detective on call arrived eleven minutes after that.