Mindhunters 4 - Deadly Intent by Kylie Brant Page A

likely hid next door.”
    “According to the mother’s statement, the girl would have been in bed long before the unknown subject entered the home,” Kell agreed. “Probably slipped into the next room and got his bearings, made sure all in the wing was quiet before he headed in here.”
    “Whoever this guy is, he took precautions.” Pelton’s voice was disgusted. “There’s a ton of prints, of course. State lab will go through them, matching them to the people living or working in the house to see if there’s any that don’t belong here. Same thing with the hairs and fibers they found.”
    “Where was the bloodstain found?”
    The agent came in to stand beside the stripped bed. “Right about here”—he pointed midway down the bed—“below a jumble of covers. Actually pretty cool, thinking to grab up the scissors and take them along. Probably never noticed the stain. It’s still pretty dark in here, even with the glow from the computer sleep screen and the aquarium light. Or maybe it’s the kid’s blood, in which case it didn’t matter that it was left behind.”
    Macy’s stomach did a quick twist, and she ordered her emotions under control. They had two possible places where Ellie’s blood may have been spilled, including Hubbard’s house. Tiny amounts, in the grand scheme of things.
    Unless they found her quickly, there was likely to be a great deal more bloodshed.
    “It seems so empty. Almost like she was never returned to us at all. Like the last two years never really happened.”
    The whispered words had Macy jerking around to see the woman standing in the doorway. Under different circumstances, the slim blonde would have fit in with the sophisticated crowd that used to attend her stepfather’s parties, with her elegant well-cut clothes and air of breeding. But Althea Mulder’s patrician face was drawn, and her eyes were shadowed with fatigue. Her lips quivered as she stared in the direction of the bed.
    With a stab of remorse, Macy wondered if the woman had overheard the last part of the exchange between her and the CBI agent. After studying the woman carefully, she revised her opinion. Ellie’s mother wasn’t focused on the scene before her. She’d been sucked in by the past. Back to the first time her daughter disappeared.
    Compassion propelled Macy across the room, tugging off her gloves as she moved. “Mrs. Mulder,” she said softly, extending her hand. “I’m Macy Reid. My associate and I are with Raiker Forensics.”
    The woman blinked once as Macy took her hand. “Adam Raiker brought our baby home once.” Her hand was cold as ice in Macy’s. “When everyone else had given up hope, he brought our Ellie home.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Gently, Macy took the woman’s arm and steered her toward the hallway. CBI wouldn’t want Ellie’s parents in the room, even if it had been cleared by the crime scene unit. Not until Whitman had cleared them . “And we’re going to do our best to make sure that happens again.”
    She was unsure whether the woman had heard her. Her gaze had turned inward. “We could never have any more children. We’d thought about adoption, but after Ellie was taken, we couldn’t bear the thought. Adam Raiker was the answer to our prayers.” She seemed to subtly shift then, as if moving back to the present. “She was happy again. Ellie. She was finally starting to smile more. To laugh. How could this . . .” She fought a short battle against tears, before succumbing. “We took every precaution. How could this happen again ?”
    “Let me take you back to your room, Mrs. Mulder.” Chest tight, Macy walked the woman down the hallway to the master suite. “Rest will help you keep up your strength. And you’ll need that in the next few days. For Ellie.”
    Stephen Mulder appeared around the corner then, and his step faltered for a moment when he took in the scene before him. Then he strode swiftly in their direction. “Althea.”
    Macy moved away as the