After retrieving her luggage from the rack, she walked outside to the cool air that marked the death of November. She once again called a taxi, and quickly found herself standing like a mouse before the seemingly larger building. It was familiar to her, yet she felt like a stranger as she walked up the stone steps to the front doors. As she walked in eyes followed her, but she ignored them and walked immediately down to the crime lab. She saw her own reflection as she walked past a window, and was glad to see she didn't look like she had completely fallen apart. She walked down the steps and hadn't even walked in the door before when Amy had pounced in her and gave her a quick hug. As she pulled away, Natara quickly assessed the room. Ken, Amy and Kai had clearly looking over a case and were set up at a nearby table. Ken hadn't even looked up from the table, Kai only quickly doing so. She looked at Amy, as felt somewhat prideful that she was doing better that Amy. She ignored her and crossed over to where Ken and Kai worked. "What case was Mal working on?" she asked, her voice almost breaking.
"Maxwell Morgan, suspect to abducting his wife and daughter. He chased him down to a property owned by his late father. We found his wife Alexandra Morgan in a dumpster nearby, no sign of Mal or the little girl. This is where he taken" Ken said, looking tired and gesturing to several pictures. She glanced at the pictures on the table, which almost made her faint. There was a splatter of blood on the wall, several flecks on the carpet also. In the middle of the room was one large dark crimson stain, like a giant rose. It was darkest in the middle, an if Mal had died he most likely would have spent his last moments at that spot. "Is that-his?" she barely whispered, finding her voice was horse and raspy. Kai was the one who answered, suprising her with the unusual softness of his voice. "This and this is" he said, pointing to the flecks of blood and splatter on the wall. He pointed to the large stain, which appeared have saturated the carpet "This we don't know. It was chemically cleaned, the DNA had been completely destroyed."
"So it might not be Mal's blood" she said, trying not to sound hopeful even though she could feel her heartbeat quicken.
"Most likely it is" said Ken. "I don't know who else's it could be".
"Why would they only clean up that one spot?" she asked, not able keep her voice from rising.
Ken must have herd her hopefullness, and was trying to keep her from getting her hopes up. "Maybe they're trying to make us think he might be alive."
Natara was astounded by his negativity "Do you want Mal dead?" she asked "If there's a chance he might still be alive we have to take it. Maybe we shouldn't be looking for a body. Mal wouldn't have gone put without a fight! He would have fought until his last breath!".
"Natara listen to yourself!" he said, rising from his chair "You sound like- like your…"
"Following my gut?" she said. There was an awkward silence between all of them, then Amy put her hand in Natara's shoulder and said in a soothing voice "Natara…"
Unable to take it any longer, Natara began to cry and choked out "Either way…I-I just want him home" she said, and the four of them almost hurtled together as if in silent prayer. As if they stuck together, nothing could touch them.