Mulder's rental Buick found a spot in the lot of the low-slung tan office building that was the Bend Oregon FBI field office. Dark, featureless windows stared at them as they walked in.
They met with the case agent in a small office, weak beams of sunlight revealed specks of dust in the air, and reflected off of gray shelves full of file boxes.
"Yes, I'm agent Mulder and this is agent Scully."
"Agent Melendez." She was a short, stiff-looking woman with dark hair in a tight braided bun. "I was told you're the ones looking into the Sunriver bank incident?"
Scully nodded.
"I admit, I can't explain it." A TV with a faux-wood cabinet sat on a flimsy cart sat in the corner. She placed a tape into the VCR and hit fast-forward; bands of static appeared on the screen until the tape was in the right spot.
"Okay, there's Maxine. Wait, who's the other girl?"
"We haven't identified her yet. I looked through the records for the other missing students, but none of them was a match."
"Did you check her against the rest of the town?"
"The National Guard sent me-"
"Wait. See that?" Mulder took the controls and rewound a few seconds to show them. "The blonde is in on it. She's waiting for that door to open, then the hand is a signal. Right there. Then she disappears and... back." He held up his wristwatch and went back again. "Point seven eight seconds. That's long enough to grab a handful of cash."
"So she just teleported into the back room?" Scully asked.
Mulder grunted skeptically. "It's possible, maybe, but I don't think so. Inhuman speed or freezing time is a much more logical explanation."
Agent Melendez blinked. This was obviously some new use of the word 'logical' that she wasn't familiar with.
"See, they have to wait for somebody to open the door. A teleporter could just appear on the other side."
Mulder finally allowed the tape to play further, and they got a good look at the girls' faces as they departed.
Mulder paused the tape again just before the they left the frame. "See her tissue? A nosebleed is a common side-effect of powerful psychic or telepathic effort." Melendez sighed audibly, Scully couldn't tell if Mulder didn't notice, or was just pretending not to.
Scully looked at the faces on the screen. "They look so sad, like they don't want to be there."
Agent Melendez interjected, frustrated. "Sad or not, she's the prime suspect in a major felony. So unless you two have some kind of explanation that won't get me laughed out of the chief's office, I have some paperwork to get to."
"Okay. See if you can identify the second girl from Arcadia Bay DMV records. We'll go talk to the security guard who witnessed it."
"Yeah, I remember 'em. Freaks lost me three days of work before I could clear my name."
Scully responded skeptically. "You seem pretty certain that it was them."
"Everything seemed off about 'em. Not really the type to be in this kinda bank for starters. All nervous, fidgety, like they were up to no good. Didn't say a word to each other the whole time. Not like normal teens. Girls their age come in here usually I gotta tell them to pipe down. Couldn't prove anything though. I mean, I can't just go arresting every customer who looks at me funny. Kept a close eye on 'em though, especially after the girl pulled her little disappearing act.
"And," he finished with what he felt was a particular insight, "when they left, they just walked to the truck. Normal people, they hurry a bit to stay dry but these two go across the lot like... somebody just died."
Mulder pressed. "But you didn't report anything until after the money was found missing."
"First I figured I was just seein' things, but soon as I heard that I had the manager rewind right to that part of the tape and there it was."
"How do you think they did it?" Scully asked.
"I got no clue. I mean, unless superhero comics are real, right? And she just runs back there like The Flash. Or maybe Nightcrawler."
"You said that they got into a rusty tan pickup truck," Mulder prompted.
"Yeah, they put down everything I could remember in the report."
"I read it but I have a few more questions. Do you recall which of them got in the drivers seat?"
"Oh. Well I guess it was the blond, since I saw her get in, and the truck was parked facing out. They were in the furthest spot. Also kinda weird 'cause of the rain."
"Did you get a license number?"
"Didn't think to. I mean, how was I supposed to know?"
"That's okay, you've been plenty helpful. Scully? Call Melendez and tell her to check DMV records for all of Arcadia Bay for a truck or owner matching that description."
"You gonna figure out who they are? Arrest 'em?"
Mulder chuckled. "You saw the tape. Would you want to be stuck proving this to a jury?"
"The other girl is one Chloe Price, high school dropout and longtime resident of Arcadia Bay. The pickup is registered in her name." Scully turned her laptop around on the cheap motel table to show Mulder the license photo. The girl in the photo had more piercings, fewer tattoos, and hair dyed a striking blue but it was unmistakably the girl in the tape.
"Parents are Joyce Price and William Price. Were. Mr. Price died five years ago in a car accident and Mrs. Price was killed in the tornado. Step-parent David Madsen, former security officer of Blackwell Academy."
Mulder read the screen. "Brief criminal record, loitering, a few calls about domestic disturbances, public intoxication, and a shocking number of parking tickets. Dropped out of high school after a poor showing at Blackwell Academy." He looked back at the photo. "Bit of a rebel."
"Sounds like she's had a rough life," Scully countered. "We should probably talk to the stepfather."
"Mr. Madsen, veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, recognized for heroism for his response to the tornado, and was just sworn in as an officer of the Newburg PD." Mulder pulled up the file and planned the next day's trip.
"Hello Officer Madsen? I'm agent Fox Mulder and this is agent Dana Scully with the FBI. We'd like to talk to you about your daughter."
David Madsen opened the door further to reveal an orderly, but nearly bare, apartment; there was a single bed made to military standards, a few instant meals next to the stove, and a few uniforms hanging in the closet. The only concession to aesthetics was a single family photo on the dresser, a beaming couple with a surly teenager in the background.
"You mean my stepdaughter, Chloe? She's not in trouble, is she?"
Mulder glanced at Scully and she spoke. "We just have some questions for her; we were wondering if you had any way to contact her."
David shook his head. "I haven't seen her since before the tornado. Last I heard from her she was going off who-knows-where. That was right after I was on the TV news, so I guess about a week after everything."
Mulder held up the school photo. "Do you know a Maxine Caulfield?"
"Max? She was a friend of Chloe's, back when William was still alive. Moved to Seattle, then came back to go to Blackwell. They hung out a whole lot that last week, but then... we never found her body after the storm."
"What was their relationship like?"
"I didn't know them back when. First I know of it, Max bursts out of the closet and tries to take the blame for Chloe's... mess. Then they're inseparable. All week, getting into trouble looking for Chloe's missing friend. Found her even. Never imagined it, but they were quite the team. Closer 'n I ever seen a pair of teenage girls. All 'together forever'. I imagine Chloe's real broken up. I mean, she never even got over her father, and that was five years ago."
Another question, from Mulder this time: "What were you on TV for?"
"Rescue effort. Looking for survivors in the wreckage."
"For Chloe?"
David nodded. "And Joyce-my wife-but they found her pretty quick. Gas explosion." His voice faltered slightly. "They said she didn't suffer."
"Chloe... well... whole week I thought she must be dead, but then I get this voicemail." He pulled a tiny cassette out of his breast pocket and showed it to the agents.
Mulder pulled out his pocket recorder and opened the cassette door. "May I?"
David nodded.
A shaky voice leapt from the device. "David? This is Chloe. I saw you helping on the news. I'm glad you're okay. I thought you at least deserve to know that I'm not dead. But I'm not coming back. I hope you understand why. Please don't try to find me. Goodbye."
"Why isn't she coming back?" Scully wanted to know.
"I was never really a good father to her. Didn't know how to talk to her. Raised voice and my hand to her more 'n I should've. She always wanted to leave this town anyways. Talked about moving to LA with her girlfriend. Now that Joyce is dead there's nothing here for her anymore."
"What about the friend they found?"
David gave them a puzzled look, then realized what they meant. "Rachel Amber? They found her dead. Buried in the junkyard. Figured out who did it too, all by 'emselves."
"They solved a murder?" Scully said incredulously. "How?"
"They were kinda cagey about that, but they came to me with this crazy tale about students getting drugged and it turns out to be true. Every single word of it. Left to raid the guy's dungeon and that's the last I saw of either of them."
Something dawned on him. "Wait, if you're not here about Rachel what's the FBI want with Chloe?"
Scully dodged the question. "We think she may have witnessed an incident in central Oregon last week. I'm afraid I we can't discuss the details right now."
David's eyes narrowed, but he nodded in acceptance.
"There were reports of strange weather the week before the tornado. Can you confirm any of that?"
"Wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. Snow in early October, two moons, beached whales... nothing made sense."
"Did you see anything else that week that you couldn't explain?"
"No, I..." He paused in thought.
"Maybe something about Maxine or Chloe?"
"I never did figure out how she got up on that roof so fast. Ran past her trying to get there and then when I do she's already there and talkin' Kate down from the ledge. Proud o' her for that, but thought I was seein' things."
"You mean this girl Kate was suicidal?" Scully asked.
"Yeah. Havin' an awful time of it. And I wasn't helpin'. Just Max. Probably better she got there before me, or... who knows."
Mulder, of course, steered the conversation back in his favorite direction. "Would you say what she did was impossible?"
"Well, there is another way up through the boys entrance but she would've had to run crazy fast to beat me. I still get under twelve on the two mile."
"Do you mind if I keep this?" agent Mulder asked, holding up his recorder.
"I... maybe I could give you a copy? I want to... she didn't usually call me David."
"Are you even trying to solve the bank robbery anymore?" Scully asked as she closed the door on the poor, dirt-caked Buick. "Or just the weird weather? We've been driving around Mount Hood Forest for two days now with nothing to show for it."
Mulder walked toward the ranger's Jeep, and Scully shuffled quickly to catch up with him. "Can't I be trying to solve both?" He waved the folder at Scully. "I'm just looking for the suspects here."
"Based on a huge leap in logic. You're seeing a connection between them and that lightning storm that doesn't exist, and we're wasting our time."
"Don't you like the great outdoors?"
Mulder introduced them in his usual well-practiced manner and held out the photos to the umpteenth park ranger today. This one was short and pretty, with wavy, shoulder-length hair and a round face.
"Yeah, I recognize them. Mostly the truck though. Saw that ugly thing every time I made my rounds at Trillium. They were at campsite 45 for like two weeks end of last month. They're okay, right?"
"We just need to ask them a few questions. Did you ever talk to them?"
"Not much. They pretty much just kept to themselves. Weren't here for a vacation."
"What do you mean?"
"Most people come here, set up everything, start having fun on the first day and then after two weeks all they want to do is go home and sleep in their normal beds. This pair, they come and pay for a campsite and I don't even see a campfire for almost a week. Nothing but their truck on the pad, with them in the back. Then I finally see chairs and picnic stuff and food, and that night they're roasting marshmallows. Few nights later I go by and they're talking so loud I had to remind them it was quiet hours."
"Do you remember what they were talking about?"
"Watching movies or something I guess. Must have been funny ones by the sound of it. Something about beans. The girl with blue hair had the other one in her lap. Made a pretty cute couple."
"Couple?" Scully raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I don't like to assume, but..."
"You think they were romantically involved?"
"Well I said I try not to assume, but those two were cuddlier than any friends I ever had at that age. Kinda reminded me of my youngest just before she came out. I did my best to make them feel safe if they were. Put a little poster up about safe spaces at the bathrooms, equals sign sticker on my truck, that sort of thing. Everything short of putting up rainbow flags all over really.
"Hope you find them." she added. "They're okay right?"
Mulder returned a puzzled look.
"Aren't you asking about them because they're missing? I mean, they just up and disappeared two days before their checkout. Left their chairs and stove and a whole pile of firewood too. Figured something was wrong, got kinda worried, especially after Matthew Shephard last month. Even if I did get a free camp stove out of it."
"What day was that?"
"That was the night before the lightning storm, so 27th. We were all pretty busy after that."
"So I understand. Big fire, right?"
"Two at first. Then they merged and made one big one."
"Thank you, Officer..." Mulder looked at the silver nametag on her lapel. "...Greenbriar. You've been a huge help."