CHAPTER FOUR
Mulder stood at Sharee Batey's door his hand poised in a closed fist ready to make contact when he stopped himself. He stopped to consider what he had learnt this morning about this case, if in fact he had learnt anything at all. Usually at this point he drew some theory, but today his brain couldn't connect the dots no matter how hard he tried. He had seen cases before where people had dreams seeming to be premonitions of an event that had not yet been. In fact he had experienced this himself in some shape or form, but never where the dream world and real world had become entangled. Was this a homicide? If so because it was Joanne's dream does that mean she is a suspect? He shook his head in an attempt to re-align the scattered facts like an 'etch a sketch'. He raised his hand again and knocked on the door. Sharee Batey pulled the door open. She was a small woman, thin and pale. Her hair thin and straight was pulled off her face in a tight pony tail. Her clothes two sizes to big hung off her tiny frame and Mulder noted covered her completely.
"Miss Batey? I'm agent Mulder" he pulled his badge.
"Yes" she replied fidgeting with the long sleeve of her top that reached beyond her fingers not wanting to meet his eyes. "Look I've told the police everything I know I'd really just like to get on with my life now" her words were shaky.
"I know Miss Batey I'm sorry just a few more questions and I'll get out of your hair" he said leaning his head down in an attempt to lift her eyes to his. She shuffled her feet backwards opening the door further allowing Mulder to step in. "Thank you" he stepped inside and into the living room.
"Would you like to see the bedroom?" She asked finally lifting her eyes to him.
"Sure" he smiled at her, an attempt to be reassuring. "That's probably a good place to start." As they walked down the hallway he assessed the rest of the house looking into each room as he passed it. The house was clean, a little too clean. She stopped at the bedroom door and he came to stand beside her they both fit awkwardly within the small door frame.
"I came home" she started without prompting. "I get off at 11.15 so it was close to midnight. I came in to get my pajamas and found him lying on the floor right there." She pointed to an area at the end of the bed.
Mulder nodded and walked over to the area kneeling down to inspect the carpet. He brushed his hand over the soft fibers then looked back up at her. "Was the light on?" She shook her head. "Was he face up or face down?"
"Ah" she brought her finger and thumb up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Face up, I flicked the light on ran over to him and tried to feel a pulse, when I couldn't find one I grabbed the phone dialed 911 and then commenced CPR."
Mulder was nodding as he brushed his hands around the carpet. "What about the blood?" He said attempting to trip her.
Sharee dropped her hands briskly to her side, her expression changed to one of frank confusion, "blood? What blood Agent Mulder? There was no blood!" Mulder nodded again then put his nose down to the carpet. Now Sharee was really confused and a little disturbed. "Agent Mulder what are you doing?"
"No bleach" he said more to himself then to her.
"Bleach!?"
"Miss Batey does the names Joanne and Doug Harrison mean anything to you?"
The shock left Sharee's face as she tried to recall, the names were familiar to her but she couldn't quite place them. "Yeah I think so, I can't place how though."
"Mr. Harrison was a patient of yours he had a brain tumor, he died about a year ago."
Sharee's face softened as the memories came back to her "ah yes, he threw a bed pan at my unit manager" a naughty smile crept across her face then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "What does he have to do with this?"
"Mrs. Harrison suspected your partner was violent towards you" Mulder pressed her.
Sharee's anger boiled up insider her, her pulse and respiratory rate began to race and she grabbed at her long sleeves pulling them down even further in an unconscious attempt to hide the marks. "Look Agent Mulder she doesn't even know me, I was her husband's nurse, she didn't know Jake, I don't know what you're getting at but if you think you can come in here acting very strangely, sniffing at my upholstery and bringing up random patients and and…." She didn't really know where she was going with this, he had practically knocked her knees out from under her. She took a deep breath an attempt to calm her raging pulse. "Jake died from a thrombus, he was on long term treatment for a clotting disorder, the coroner didn't mention any fowl play what exactly are you implying here?" She felt her breath as it quickened in her chest she stared down at him now having no trouble at meeting his gaze.
"I'm sorry Miss Batey I don't mean to upset you, the truth is some unusual evidence has surfaced around your partners' case. I'm sorry I can't elaborate on that right now but I need to ask you a difficult question." He took her silence and non-blinking eyes as an indication to carry on. "Did you murder Jake Anderson?"
"I think you better leave Agent Mulder."
Mulder stepped out of the front door which slammed firmly behind him, so close he felt a breeze run through his shirt. His phone began to buzz in his pocket he pulled it out of his pants and put it to his ear "Mulder."
"A….gent..." the line was full of static only a few syllables breaking through the distortion.
"Hello?" Mulder plugged his other ear with his finger and walked towards his rental car.
"Can you…" the voice was familiar amongst the crackling as Mulder stepped into his car and shut the door.
"Sir? Skinner? Can you hear me? Hello" the line went dead. He pushed the end button almost permanently into the aging nokia and threw it on the passenger seat. He placed his hands in the ten and two position on the steering wheel and leaned his forehead in between them. His phone began to chirp again "Sir?" He answered.
"No Mulder it's me."
"Scully, have you heard from Skinner?"
"No, have you?"
"I think so it was a bad connection, I'm sure it was him though, how are you going at the hospital?"
"Good I've got some paperwork and scans to sift through I thought I might head back to the hotel. I can catch a cab it isn't far. How did you get on with the nurse?"
"She had nothing to do with it Scully. I might go to the lab see how they are getting on with the gun."
"Good luck Mulder."
Scully sat on her hotel double bed, shoes and stockings abandoned, sweltering in the Dallas heat. She looked down her nose through her glasses at a sea of medical jargon and MRI scans. She had read the documents over and over again. Nothing was jumping of the pages at her, nothing registered outside of the norm. She stretched her neck from side to side it cracked as the muscles stretched and released. She looked over at the digital clock it flashed 8pm in red florescence 'where's Mulder' she thought to herself. She exhaled a long breath removed her glasses and discarded them onto the loose documents. A layer of sweat had started to line her skirt where her blouse was tucked uncomfortably. She stood off the bed and pulled the offending material out of her skirt. She walked over to the kitchenette and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard then bent down to the mini fridge/freezer to get some ice when she heard the key turn in the lock behind her. Knowing who it would be she didn't look up.
Mulder seeing Scully poised so delicately in the fridge rushed behind her grabbing her hips in his hands. "Ohm" she jumped "you frightened me" he nuzzled at the back of her neck pressing his hips against her and rocking them slightly together. "You want one?" She gestured at the tall glass now filled with ice.
"Sure" he continued to nuzzle under her hair line and up to her ear. She reached up into the cupboard somewhat restricted by her partners wandering hands and lips. She abandoned the glasses and turned in his hands. He released his grip only enough to allow her to turn then buried his lips into hers. He pushed up against her hard enough to force her lower back painfully into the bench she was leaning on. She let out a soft cry that teetered somewhere between pleasure and pain.
"What's gotten into you?" She asked into his mouth unable to break away.
"Nothing" he mumbled back.
"What happened at the lab?"
"Nothing."
She took his face in her hands and pulled his lips from hers, breaking the firm seal. "What happened at the lab?"
"Nothing" he leaned in again but was stopped by her finger pressed up to his lips.
"Mulder?"
He pried himself from her body easing the pressure in her back and combed a hand through his hair. "Nothing Scully, it's been a frustrating day, everything about this case is frustrating. I got the guys at the lab to run the ballistics three times. The results just came back inconclusive. We can't definitively say the gun had been fired recently. The only thing we did find was that had the gun of been fired a 9mm would fit the gun and match the striation pattern from the casting of the wound the ME made."
She pouted sympathetically and squeezed his hand.
"Was there anything in the medical stuff?"
"Nope nothing the cancer was unusually aggressive but other than that there were no anomalies. It seems the only good thing to come out of all this is he donated his brain to science. Hopefully they'll have better luck than us."
"I think we should write this one up Scully; there is some strange evidence, yes, but no compelling evidence to suggest foul play. I don't know what Skinner wants us to do with this."
"Why Agent Mulder are you going soft on me?"
He smiled and placed his hands back to her hips pushing her against the bench again. "Never soft in present company."
She smacked his hand playfully "you are giving up awfully easy" she had song in her tone.
"I don't think there is anything else we can do here."
"It's going to be a short report Mulder" her concentration was falling quickly as he ran his nose along her ear and she closed her eyes quivering slightly under his touch. She curled a finger under his chin and pressed his lips softly to hers. He deepened the kiss looking to release the frustrations of the day in a more satisfying manner. He lowered his hands down the length of her thighs gathering the material of her skirt in his fingers as he went, slowly raising the hem. They smiled against each other's mouths their teeth touching slightly. Scully took hold of the knot that held his tie and began loosening it. 'BBRINNG BBRINNG'. The shrilling cell phone in Mulders pocket made them both jump. "Goddammitt" Mulder dropped the hem of her skirt 'BRRINNNNG BBRIINNG'. His phone was insistent.
Scully covered his hands with hers and pulled them back to her skirt. "Ignore it." 'BBRRINNNG BRIIINNNNG'. He smiled and raised her skirt to her waist lifting her gently up and onto the bench. The phone stopped. She pulled the tie from his collar and started on the buttons of his shirt, their lips entwined ravishing each other hungrily.
'BRRINNNG BRIINNG' now it was Scully's phone interrupting them "dammit" It was her turn to curse.
Mulder dropped his hands to either side of her hips stepping out of the v between her knees and lowered his head "it must be important." He stepped back and took her hand helping her down from the bench. 'BRINNG BRINNG' the phone insistent was raising their blood pressure with each piercing ring. She sifted through the documents looking for the small but noisy object.
"Shit, where is it?" She began pushing the papers to the floor 'BBRINNG BRRINNN' the noise suddenly louder meant she had found it. "Hello… hello" the line was dead.
In two strides Mulder had her in his arms. "They'll call back" and lowered her onto the bed.
'BANG BANG BANG' a firm hand pressed on the door. "Agent Mulder? Scully?" Recognizing their boss's voice the agents sprung to their feet. "I know you are in there I heard your phones ringing."
Quickly they tucked and buttoned running their hands first through their hair then to flatten the front of their clothes. "How does he do that?" Scully spat at her partner.
"Hello?" He was getting impatient behind the door.
Once he had composed himself Mulder pulled the door open. "Hi we weren't expecting you Sir. When did you get to Dallas?"
Skinner marched into the room clearly frustrated. "This afternoon, I've been at my sisters, sorry I called from the airport but we had a bad line. I'm in the room next door" his eyes scanned the shuffled room suspiciously. "Why aren't you answering your phones?" He looked over at Scully and narrowed his gaze.
She held her hands out gesturing at the scattered paperwork. "We were going through the case sir and my phone got lost in all this paperwork."
"Well there has been another murder; I was just talking to the ME when he got the call. I told him you would meet him at his office, I assume you would like to examine the body yourself this time."
"Yes sir" she bent down grabbing her shoes and stockings and disappeared into the bathroom.
Skinner turned his attention to Mulder. "Is there something I should know about Agent Mulder?"
Mulder answered quickly poker face poised "not at all sir" he shrugged off the implication. "Why do you keep referring to a murder? Scully and I have found no substantial evidence to support the theory a crime was committed by a prosecutable suspect."
"This time there is an entry wound, a single shot to the temple. His wife was upstairs febrile with the flu, just like my sister. She dreamt a man entered the premises crept up behind her husband as he sat on the couch watching the news. He placed the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. I want you to go to the hospital the wife has been admitted, see if the doctors will let you see her and get a statement, perhaps a description of the shooter. I'll talk to you in the morning." He turned and left slamming the door behind him.
Scully peered out of the bathroom to see if the coast was clear. Mulder was standing with his hand on the door handle paused, staggered at how close they had come to being discovered. He pondered on that fact; they had become too comfortable in this… whatever this was. He could feel Scully watching him and turned to face her. "That was close" he whispered as if the wall that separated Skinners and theirs were made of paper - well it practically was he had heard their phones through it, 'oh god, what else had he heard' he thought and the fear registered on his face.
"Too close!" Scully snatched her jacket from the back of the chair, she was whispering too but the anger in her voice was still present. He moved to her.
"You're angry" he said grabbing her hand.
"Don't" she pulled away from his touch.
"He doesn't suspect Scully" he was still whispering.
She laughed nervously shaking her head "I don't know Mulder, what about yesterday morning and then again today?" She pointed at the door their boss had stormed through "what would he have walked in on!" They were staring at each other fear and anger in both of their eyes. "It shouldn't have to be like this. It shouldn't have to be this hard" she lowered her gaze.
"What are you saying Scully?" He was afraid to reach out to her again, that cold look she had in her eyes he hadn't seen that in a long time, not since before they were together.
"I'm saying" she paused searching for the right words "I'm saying that this," she pointed her finger back and forward between the two of them, "this, whatever this is, it's dangerous Mulder."
"I know that Scully but…"
Scully had her turn at cutting him off she was still whispering but her words were practically being spat from her mouth. "But what Mulder, your work is everything to you and it has become everything to me, what value does that work hold if they can hold this." She repeated the action of pointing her finger back and forward between them, "hold it against us." Their eyes were locked the air thick and tense between them.
"What value do our lives hold Scully without this, without love?" His voice caught in his throat and he whispered "Without us?"
Shock registered on her face. Did he just say what she thought he just said? Did he actually use that word, he had caught her off guard she wasn't expecting that word to fall from his lips, or was she? Her head started to pound and swirl behind her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I have a headache" she lowered her whisper "I can't talk about this right now, I have an autopsy to do and you have a witness statement to take." She walked towards the door and turned the lock.
"Scully" he caught her elbow as she passed him, she looked down at his hand where it clutched her desperately seeking reassurance, she couldn't offer him any she was angry, confused, hurting, and her head was really starting to pound. She looked up at him "where are the keys?" He just kept her eyes with his. "The keys Mulder!" Now she wasn't whispering. He reached into his pocket for the keys and placed them into her open palm. She turned and left and a door slammed in his face for the third time that day.
