Mindhunters 4 - Deadly Intent by Kylie Brant Read Free Book Online Page A

decades. There was an automatic coffeemaker tucked in the corner of the counter, the pot still a quarter full. A cell phone charger was plugged in next to it, minus the cell phone. A thermal stainless steel coffee tumbler sat next to the sink, along with a small insulated lunch cooler. Kell eyed the items but didn’t move toward them. Not then. Time enough to collect evidence, and he was willing to bet the coffee tumbler would be a prime depository for Hubbard’s DNA. First though, he wanted a thorough look around.
    There was nothing else out of place in the area. “Does the security team take lunch to work?”
    Travis was moving through the kitchen into the adjoining room. “The cooks I interviewed say they feed the indoor help. Everyone else is on their own.”
    They stepped into a large family room, and it was immediately easy to guess the room was Hubbard’s priority. A huge-screen TV and bookcase took up most of one wall, with two leather recliners and a couple matching couches arranged around it. The kitchen had been nondescript, but there’d be something of the security guard’s personality here. This is where he’d relaxed after working all day. Entertained here, too, probably, if that was his thing.
    The CBI agent was studying the TV. “I’ve got one almost like this, except a couple years older.”
    “Yeah?” Kell picked up the remote and turned the power on. “A Sony? Samsung’s the brand to go with these days. The picture can’t be beat, even without HD.”
    “Samsung, huh? I’d heard . . .”
    “TVs? Really?”
    Kell lifted a shoulder at Macy’s pointed comment and watched while the picture formed on the screen. “Just getting a feel for the place, Duchess. Taking our time. Being careful.” She was much too proper to snort, but the sound she made came suspiciously close. He checked the channel on the screen when it came on. ESPN. And the program menu showed the DVR set for times and channels featuring pro football. So the guy had a thing for high-tech TVs and football. Didn’t exactly make Hubbard unique. But it began to paint of picture of the absent guard that had so far been largely blank.
    The other two had fanned out. Kell clicked off the TV and went toward the desk tucked in the corner with a computer sitting on it. “What’s the scope of the warrant?”
    Travis pulled out the paperwork and surveyed it for a minute before giving a low whistle. “Rooms, contents, drawers, safes, electronic devices . . . anything deemed possible to hide a body or plans of the crime.”
    “Nice.” Impressed, he booted up the computer. There was no such thing as a limitless warrant, but this one was exceedingly generous in its scope. Whether that was due to the CBI’s influence or Mulder’s wasn’t worth speculating. The computer’s welcome screen blinked at him, inviting him to enter a password. He muttered an obscenity. His magic with locks definitely didn’t extend to computers. “I don’t suppose you have some decent hacking skills?” he called to the agent, without much hope.
    “We’ll take it in.” The man was squatted in front of the fireplace, looking inside it. Kell could have told him he was wasting his time. It was outfitted with a cheap gas insert, and Hubbard would have had to be a moron to consider trying to burn something in it. Given the crime the man was suspected of, stupid probably wasn’t an accurate adjective.
    He riffled through the papers on the surface of the desk. Household bills. Fantasy football picks and strategy tips. His brows rose as he skimmed that sheet. With those selections, Hubbard would need all the tips he could get.
    Macy returned from the adjoining dining room and went to the hallway closet. The phone on the desk had the message light blinking. Kell stabbed at the replay button, but there were just a handful of hang-ups.
    “Must have just recorded his message and set the phone to go straight to voice mail after a couple rings,” he mused.
    “It