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over to turn down the heat. “How should I know?” His voice was irritated. “I’m not a real estate agent. Besides, I live in a condo.”
    “Fine choice,” Kell said approvingly. “Houses are just a pain in the ass, right? Lawn care, snow removal . . . who the hell needs that?”
    “People who prefer some character in their homes?” murmured Macy, without looking up.
    Ignoring her, he continued. “According to the info Dobson gave us, Hubbard lives alone.” The agent was regularly updating them as more details came to light. “What makes a single guy buy a house instead of renting an apartment? Especially if he’s planning to stage a high-profile kidnapping in the state?”
    “Maybe he wasn’t planning it that long.” Travis seemed inclined to play devil’s advocate. “He’s only worked for Mulder for eighteen months. Could be he worked the job day in and day out and thoughts started to form. Maybe harmless at first. If it could be done and how. Then he starts thinking about the money.”
    “There’s been no ransom demand.”
    This time they both ignored the voice in the backseat. “Or maybe someone approaches him. Says, hey, you can get in, why don’t you grab up the kid and I’ll cut you in for a slice?”
    “Almost has to be more than one involved,” Travis stated and Kell nodded. This operation was too big, too complex for a solitary person. The kid wasn’t snatched at a low-supervision birthday party this time. She’d been abducted from a property equipped with the most high-tech security measures he’d ever seen at a private residence. That took someone with technical knowledge. The guard might have had the expertise with cameras and live feed, but there had also been the motion detectors to contend with. Not to mention getting into the house itself. All required highly specialized knowledge. But would the same guy also have the experience on grabbing and keeping a hostage?
    Because for the life of him, despite Ellie Mulder’s background, he didn’t see this being the work of a common lowlife pedophile. They usually chose easier pickings. Kids walking home from school or unsupervised at a mall. A playground. Sure, there were instances of them being snatched from their homes, but not off properties as well-protected as this one.
    He was willing to bet they’d discover the girl wasn’t the target this time, her father was. Was it money? Revenge? He cocked his head, considering the question. They wouldn’t know the answer until—and if—a ransom demand was made.
    “If money’s the motive, there’s got to be a cash guy, too. Someone who will deal with the demand and direct the payoff or pickup. What’s the likelihood security guy has the experience with that?” He tried to remember the update on Hubbard’s background that had arrived via Dobson. “He’d worked at a prison, right? Manned their cameras and live feed for fifteen years. Yeah, might have had access to some criminal talent on the job, but I doubt they had support groups on the how-tos of child abductions.”
    “Raiker looked into the inmates housed at Florence during Hubbard’s tenure there. Only three were serving time for kidnapping.”
    He didn’t need Macy’s reminder. He’d heard the boss’s terse phone report himself.
    “He’s wasting his time there,” Travis said surely. “The man worked in security, not in inmate control. He wouldn’t even have had contact with the population.”
    “Hubbard’s property was purchased for three hundred and ninety-five thousand dollars over a year ago.” Macy looked up from her PDA when he glanced back at her. “What kind of money was he making with Mulder?”
    “Almost a third of that,” Travis responded. “The man recruits the best and doesn’t mind paying them.”
    “So the place isn’t out of the ballpark, given his salary.” Kell checked his watch. The exchange was merely a way to pass the time. There wasn’t a damn thing they could be sure of until they