Page 28 of The Girl in the River

She found a small bedroom, which was obviously Pixie’s. Lavender walls, a white iron twin bed covered in a princess comforter, and a doll house in the corner. Books, toys, shoes and a little girl’s clothing filled the closet. Nothing here had been destroyed.

The neighboring room, Mia’s, told a different story. The white comforter had been tossed into a rumpled pile, lamp overturned, dressers rifled through with clothing overflowing and littering the beige carpet. More shards of glass from broken picture frames lay on the floor.

Ellie peered at the torn photos and realized they were of Mia and Mark.

Her pulse stuttered. This read like a crime of rage targeting Mia. Someone who hated the sight of her and Mark together?

She quickly scanned the room for blood, but thankfully didn’t find any.

Whenhad this place been violated? She hadn’t seen a smashed window or door lock.

Had the perp come here looking for Mia, discovered she’d left for the resort and flown into a rage? Or did the intruder break in last night after Mia disappeared?

Ellie called a crime team as she joined Derrick in the living room. “ERT is on their way. Pixie’s room is untouched, but Mia’s was ripped apart.”

Derrick’s brows creased as he plucked burned debris from the fireplace. “No sign of a struggle outside. No blood either.” He lifted a partial piece of charred paper. “Looks like it was a picture of Mia at the gardening center.”

“Someone either had a grudge against Mia or they were looking for something,” Ellie said. “The question is what?”

THIRTY-FIVE

Ellie phoned Captain Hale to request an ERT while Derrick spoke with Mark. “There was definitely foul play,” she told her boss. “I think Tori’s murder might have been about Mia. Her place has been tossed. I’m going to look around myself.”

“I’ll get them right out there,” Captain Hale said.

“Ask Shondra to talk to the owners of The Green Thumb again, where Mia worked. Maybe there was someone, even a customer or other employee, that seemed especially interested in Mia.”

He agreed, and she hung up then returned to the living room. The sight of the burned photos was especially disturbing. She went to the desk in the corner and found bills, bank statements and confirmation that Mia had joined the local YMCA and had signed Pixie up for an art camp. Not an indication that she planned to leave Crooked Creek.

Ellie dug into the drawer and found a brochure on a resort for families. Mia had mentioned she and Mark intended to do a family honeymoon.

Her heart tugged as she looked at the vision board above the desk. Photos and details of the wedding planning, then scraps of paper littered the desk in ruins. Next, she found a calendar noting upcoming jobs Mia had lined up for the summer. She’d blocked off the next week for the honeymoon.

The remainder of the summer was full. Judging from the number of personal clients requesting home consultations, Mia intended to stay in Crooked Creek.

THIRTY-SIX

Derrick forced himself to keep an open mind where Mia’s fiancé was concerned. At the Bureau, he’d dealt with enough criminals to know that some only appeared to be concerned, charismatic individuals. Love, devotion and shock could all be faked.

Although the man slumped on Mia’s front steps looked anything but charismatic. Nothing like a con artist or a killer.

But the devil often appeared in disguise.

“What did you find in there?” Mark asked in a whisper.

Derrick had to be a straight shooter. No sense lying.

“Her house has been ransacked,” Derrick said. “It looks like an intruder here. He destroyed furnishings and photographs of you and Mia.”

Granted, if Mark had problems with Mia, he could have done that in anger.

Mark’s gaze swung to him. “What? Who would want to destroy pictures of me and Mia?”

“I don’t know, man,” Derrick said. “You tell me.”

“How the hell should I know?” Mark said. “We were happy. We’ve been planning our wedding for weeks. And… Pixie… She was so excited.” He dropped his head into his hands.

“I don’t understand why this is happening. What will we do if we don’t find her?”

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