“No! I told you I only knew the guy a few weeks. And besides, I think he’s living at the hospital.”

Caden straightened. “Why do you say that?”

“Because, one time about two weeks ago, there was a particularly nasty job to clean up in the ER. Max wasn’t supposed to be working that day. He’d told me the day before that he had something to take care of. I went looking for some cleaner and caught him coming out of one of the storage closets. He didn’t see me and I didn’t make it a point to let him know I saw him.” Wilmont rubbed his nose and shrugged. “Anyway, after I finished for the day, I snooped around in the closet and found several blankets and a pillow piled in the corner. Underneath the pile, there were a couple changes of clothes and a backpack full of toiletries. Not many people go in that closet, just janitorial staff, so there’s a good chance he wouldn’t be caught.”

“Did you report it?” Patty asked.

“No way. I liked Max. And like I said, he was nice to me. Not many people even notice the cleaning crew.”

Elliott glanced at Caden, then handed Wilmont a pad of paper and a pen. “Write down exactly where this closet is.”

Sarah shot another glance at Gavin. He’d accepted her disclosure with so much sympathy and understanding that it unsettled her. Her nerves were shot. Before she could recover her composure, her phone buzzed. “That’s Caden.” She set her coffee aside and tapped the screen. “Hello?”

“I can’t talk long, just letting you know I’m still at the hospital.”

“I figured.”

“It’s probably going to be a while.”

She hesitated. “Okay, we’ll come by the hospital and wait. What did Wilmont say?”

“That Max might be living here at the hospital. We’re heading to check out the closet he’s possibly been calling home. Look, I have to go. I’ll let you know if we find him.”

“Okay. Thanks, Caden.”

“Sure. Gotta go. Let me know when you’re here and I’ll tell you where to meet.”

She hung up and Gavin raised a brow. “What was that about?”

“Caden said Max might be living at the hospital and they’re going looking for him. And . . . we’re heading to the hospital to meet Caden to fill him in, because he’s going to be a while. But I really think he needs to see this stuff from Dustin.”

“I agree.”

Sarah studied the paper with the red dots one more time. “Look,” she said. “Those dots match up with the states these people are from.”

“The people not on the list for the trial?”

“Yeah, they’re on the second list.”

Gavin pulled his laptop toward him and soon the sound of clicking keys filled the room while she pondered what it could all mean.