Chapter 4
Sheriff Barman took Mulder and Sutton to the spot where Jaime French was found. Mulder bent down beside a pile of leaves, now dried and stained brown with old blood, and poked around at the dirt.
Cole Sutton took off his Pittsburgh Pirates cap and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "I can't imagine what that poor kid went through. Damn, I mean a trap like that…on his little leg? I'm surprised it didn't snap it clean off! And, uh, what are you looking for Agent Mulder?"
"It's been what…five days now since the boy was found?" Mulder stood. "It might be difficult to find any evidence of Jaime's time walking through these woods, but I'm going to be looking for… something…anything. If we can figure out which direction he came from, that could help us determine where he was held. Sheriff, are there any structures around here, old barns, sheds ….a lean-to…"
"That's just it, isn't it? Where did the boy come from? And there's nothing out here… at least not that I am aware of. Only thing I ever knew about was the Baxter's homestead and of course, we know what happened to the house. They had a barn and a chicken coop, too, for their animals, but that was razed some years ago.
"By who?" Mulder questioned.
"I assumed the daughter, but not sure about that either. No one's really paid much mind to anything out here after the Baxter incident. There hasn't even been any logging going on in this immediate area for about the last…oh seven or so years; just the occasional nature lover and folks out for a walk and whatnot."
Mulder stood. "Well, I'd like to spend some time out here today. Can you spare an hour sheriff?"
"I can, but I'm going to take Cole here home first. He's been up all night. What about your partner? Is she going to be able to help out here today?"
"I'm meeting here at one, and then I plan on bringing her back out here with me. For now, I'm just going to have a look around. And sheriff, could you please comprise a list of anyone you know of who helped in the hunt for the Baxter kid?"
"You don't think that could have anything to do with this case, do you?" Sutton asked in some puzzlement.
Mulder walked over to a mountain laurel bush and started examining a busted branch.
"I don't know...yet, Mr. Sutton, but doesn't it seem a bit odd that both incidents occurred basically in the same geographical location and both involved a missing child? Anyway, I believe it's worth checking into and hopefully we will soon find out if there's any merit or not to my theory."
The sheriff and Sutton left and Mulder again studied the laurel bush. Besides the broken branch, there were several shoe prints alongside it. Not much, but at least it was something. He combed the area for the next forty-five minutes until Sheriff Barman returned.
"Agent Mulder…" the Sheriff hollered.
"Over...here."
Barman walked up to Mulder and handed him a Styrofoam cup of coffee.
"It's black. Wasn't sure what you took in it."
"Black's fine," he answered, raising the cup in way of thanks.
"Any luck?"
"About fifteen feet from where the trap was, there are some footprints and just a couple of minutes ago I found this." He held up a wad of knotted hair. "Found it on a branch about 200 yards from the bush…headed north."
"Damn, you found that little bit a hair? I'd never even notice anything like that."
"Sheriff, I've worked a lot of….bizarre cases over the years. I've found it pays to be as thorough as possible especially when you're dealing with the unknown. Do you know approximately where the Baxter homestead was in relationship to here?"
"Well, you're headed in the right direction. I'd say it's still about nine miles…maybe more… north. There used to be a sort of driveway, but it's probably long grown over. And …just what do you propose to do with that hair?"
"I'm not sure actually. I could have it analyzed to see if it matches anything we already have on file. And I think I'm about done here for now, "Mulder said. He drained the coffee cup, stuck it in his coat pocket, and hurriedly brushed his hands down the front of his pants. "You can give me a ride back into town, right? I'm supposed to meet Scully at the café at one."
Sheriff Barman shook his head. "Sure thing, I was planning on it and if we leave now we'll just make it."
"No, no, no, no…nooooo!" Chester Baxter yelled as he felt that familiar quiver start. "It's not time…to soon…too soon." He had noticed the transitioning was taking place within shorter and shorter intervals. The last time was a mere eight hours ago, before that it had been ten, and before that… twelve and a half. This was really throwing a monkey wrench into his plans. He needed some sort of steady timeframe to go out searching for boys…or delivering them…and if he couldn't be sure how long he had… Well, that could spell some serious trouble for him. He'd just have to plan the whole business a little better. He figured he probably only had about a week left for this little sideshow anyway before everything stabilized for good…or at least another ten years. Maybe he had better not take any more kids. That would leave him with five to get rid of. He ought to be able to manage that. There was always a sick bastard somewhere looking for the young.
He ran quickly back into the house, shut the door, and sat in his dilapidated recliner waiting for it all to pass. It always made him physically sick to his stomach. He knew it affected some of the kids, too. There was always one or two of them puking all over their cages afterwards. He was pretty sure that's what killed that one puny kid, Damon he thinks his name was. He'd found him with blood pouring out of his eyes, nose, and ears after a transitioning a couple of days ago. He'd left his sad little corpse in the woods because he didn't know what else to do with it. He was a little concerned that maybe he was getting too sloppy ...too…careless. And he didn't know where he would end up this time. That predictability was fading away too. He didn't know why that was, but he hoped he wouldn't be landing in the same place as the last transitioning. He hadn't been able to get rid of a single boy during that round. He might just have to dispose of one of the sicker ones if he didn't have any luck this time. Truth be told, he hated doing that. He might be a heartless son-of-a-bitch, but he wasn't really a killer. Plus he had to be careful and not leave a dead body in the same place where he gotten them. After all, he had to protect his self! Today he hadn't felt quite as nervous as he had about the one who got away. This wasn't the kid's normal place so he didn't think there was any real likely hood of much coming of it.
The transitioning was over in three minutes and he made his way to the basement.
Sheriff Barman and Mulder had just reached the juncture where Old Farris Road met route 6, when Mulder caught a bright flash of light in his peripheral vision. He whipped around in his seat.
"Did you see that?"
"What? No, I didn't see anything."
Mulder continued to stare out the back window as the sheriff drove. There were no more flashes, but in the same spot, above the trees, there now hung a hint of luminescence in the air. It was faint and brief and Mulder was trying to convince himself that it wasn't just his hyped up imagination at work.
"Agent Mulder, did you see something back there?"
"Um, I'm not sure. Sheriff, you mentioned that the people who were searching for the Baxter boy reported seeing a shimmering in the woods. Do you happen to know the exact location of that sighting…or could you find out?"
"I couldn't tell you that, but I made you that list of folks who helped search for the Baxter boy, the ones who are still around that is. The sheriff pulled a piece of paper out of his coat pocket and handed it to Mulder. There are two on the list who claim to have seen some sort of light out there. An elderly couple name of Bob and Nan Wiilliams. Lived here all their lives and not ones to normally give in to any crazy ideas…no offense."
Mulder smiled. "None taken. Crazy's mild compared to what I'm usually called. And thanks for making that list."
Mulder took one more look out the window, but whatever he had seen, or thought he had seen, was gone.
The bells over the café's door clanged loudly when Mulder walked in. Scully was sitting at the far end of the large room in a booth sipping a glass of iced tea. She looked up and smiled as he strode towards her. He slipped into the opposite bench.
"Hey," she started, "any luck out there in the woods?"
"A little." He laid the hair ball on the table.
"A clump of hair, Mulder? That's your big discovery?"
"Among a few other things. Thought I'd have it analyzed."
"For what?"
"I don't know. To see if it belongs to Jaime, to see if maybe it'll match the DNA of someone else on the heat list. Anyway, I know where to concentrate the search when I...we go back out. And Sheriff Barman made me up a list of people who helped search for the Baxter boy who disappeared back when. I think those woods are holding a secret, Scully, and I'm going to find out what it is. And I still want to talk to the French's. And, ah, I may be taking a trip downstate. How'd you make out with Jaime?"
"Well," she sighed, "he didn't really have much more to offer that would actually help us catch this man. But, Mulder, there's an even bigger problem going on here. Jaime's not the only one. He says there are other boys being held by this man."
"Why wouldn't he have mentioned this before? Although I have to say, I'm not surprised, in fact I expected it."
Scully smiled and shook her head. "And are you ready to share that theory…or theories with me yet?"
"I still need to talk to a few people."
"What is it with you, Mulder? Why are so reluctant to let me in one this one?"
"This business has long ago taken its pound of flesh out of you, Dana. And, although you've tried to hide it, I know you've been under a lot of stress lately. I don't want you to feel you have to go running all over, either with me or on your own, testing out a bunch of my wild theories…at least until I'm fairly certain where we're at and I've eliminated…or proved a few things. If I can get you to help me search those woods a little more this afternoon then that's all the real physical effort I want out of you. And I may not even need you to do that. Maybe you can stick to the phone calls and interviews and leave the leg work to Sheriff Barman, Sutton, and me."
"I see. So basically I'm here for moral support," she remarked. "Well I guess I can live with that." She reached over and rubbed the back other hand across his cheek. "Thank you for being…concerned. I appreciate how you take care of me."
He grasped her hand and kissed it…smiling. "Always," he replied.
"Anyway, who are you going to see downstate? Wait…. the sister to the Baxter boy? Is that it? So you do think the two are connected." The last was a statement, not a question.
The waitress arrived and placed a huge BLT in front of Scully and addressed Mulder.
"Can I get you anything? Do you need a menu?"
"Um, I'll have what she's having…and an order of fries. And a large lemonade. Do you have lemonade?"
"Yes, sir. Okay then I'll get that order right up. Do you need anything more, Ma'am?"
"Ah, no. This is fine. Thank you."
The waitress hurried away and Scully continued.
"I do have something…else I need to talk to you about." She sighed heavily before taking a bite of her sandwich and Mulder frowned in concern.
"What is it?"
"Jaime. The kid's scared to death. He doesn't understand what's happening to him…what has happened to him…why his parents haven't come for him, why no one seems to care that he's missing. He thinks God is punishing him somehow, thinks he's been abandoned…forgotten. I mean, what the hell, Fox… the kids eleven years old! His legs healing well, his arm was reset and, although he'll be wearing that cast for some time, the doc thinks it should be okay, but his head and his heart. Those wounds are the ones that are worrying me. And he knows something horrible is happening to the other boys he left behind and he feels guilty about that and he's afraid for them… as well as himself. He doesn't want to stay there, Mulder. He wants out of that hospital, doesn't feel safe there."
"We…you… could talk to CPS about that, right? Maybe they could find somewhere for him to stay. As long as the doctor feels he's stable enough to leave the hospital I don't really see any reason why he…"
"He doesn't want to go that route, Mulder," she interrupted. He's…a...presented me with an alternative plan…"
Mulder sat back in the booth and clasped his hands behind his head. "Ah… I see where this is going. You want to take him back to the motel with you. Don't you?"
Her eyes were pleading. "Is that so awful? It's not like we haven't done it before."
"We have. But it didn't always render the best outcome," he countered recalling one adventure with Gibson Praise.
"You're thinking of Gibson. This isn't like that."
"Isn't it? We don't really know who might be after this kid. If someone feels that Jaime might threaten …whatever it is they're doing… they could conceivably come looking for him. I just don't want to deliberately put you in any physical danger."
Scully finished half of her sandwich and took a big swig of tea before answering. "Mulder, I have to do this. If we have to we can change motels, but I can't deny this boy this simple request…especially when he has no one else."
Mulder put his elbows on the table and buried his head in his hands and through them he spoke. "Alright. You win. We can see how it goes. But we have no idea how long this could go on. He may get bored being cooped up in a motel room for too long. Just keep that in mind."
"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I can't be gone from the practice indefinitely anyway. Maybe an extra week."
The waitress returned with Mulder's order and he dug into it.
"I don't think I realized how hungry I was. But, okay Scully, you make whatever arrangements you need to for the boy. I suppose he'll need clothes and some personal items and anything else that can help keep an eleven year old boy entertained in one room. Forget about toiling around in the woods with me later. I can get the sheriff and Sutton for that. I'll meet up with you back at the motel later this afternoon. I'm not sure when."
She smiled at him warmly. "Thank you, Fox."
