FRIDAY
A new day was about to dawn and he had a lot to do. Not content to waste a minute of time he rose at 5.30. His first stop was to check the monitor connected to the video camera in the basement. He could hardly spend every moment with Lindsay, as preferable as he might find that option but that didn't mean he couldn't keep tabs on her around the clock. He had three camera's in all, situated around the room, the devices were well hidden, he doubted she'd ever know they were there.
Satisfied that she was still sleeping, albeit somewhat uncomfortably from the looks of it, he fixed himself some breakfast and settled in front of the computer. Now that he had all the players involved in his little challenge it was time to send the first clue. He'd been pondering the situation last night, how best to word the clues and the easiest method of distributing them to Agent Mulder. Part of him yearned for the satisfaction of hiding them himself and watching Mulder run all over the city to find them, but the longer he took to locate each one the less time he had to search for Lindsay and that was what Edmund was really interested in watching happen.
The clues were just a means to an end.
He couldn't post it, that would take to long, it needed to arrive this morning. If he used a courier there would be a paper trail that could lead back to him, so it appeared at the moment his only real course of action was to have his contact send it directly to the FBI At least then when Edmund won, they couldn't say he hadn't given them every possible advantage. It would make victory that much sweeter.
With gloved hands he inserted the paper into the printer, it was the most common brand he cold find, available at any stationary store and totally untraceable. The printer hummed as the words formed on the paper, when it was finished, he scanned it quickly and still satisfied that it wasn't giving away to much to quickly he sealed it in the envelope. Checking the security monitor one more time he let himself out of the house.
* * *
Helen prowled the apartment unable to sleep. It was early yet and still dark outside, but she knew within the hour the sun would rise and so would most people, ready to start the new day.
And Lindsay would still be missing.
She knew of the FBI's involvement in the case. She'd spoken to Mike yesterday and he'd brought her up to speed on what was happening. One part of her was happy that they were here, that there were more people focussed on finding Lindsay. The other part was truly terrified at the information they'd brought with them. If this Edmund Harrison was as bad as they said and she saw no reason to doubt them on that fact, well the thought of it chilled her to the bone.
Hearing Rob stir she wandered into the nursery he was sharing with Zoey and over to the port-a-cot that was his makeshift bed. He would be used to his mother fetching him first thing in the morning, Helen knew that Lindsay cherished that time with Rob, when he'd just woken up and liked nothing more than cuddling against her until he was fully awake. His small hand was fisted against the side of the cot, trying for leverage to roll himself over beneath the blanket he slept under. Quietly, so not to disturb Zoey, she freed him of his restraint and lifted him up.
"Hey little guy." she murmured as she walked out into the living room. She settled onto the couch, cradling him. He made a small sound of discontentment. "You miss your Mom, don't you?"
She didn't expect him to answer, she just felt the need to keep talking, as if somehow talking about Lindsay would bring her closer to both of them.
"Everybody's looking for her Rob, lots of people want to find her. And we're going to find her." We have to she told herself, as she thought of the deadline. Missing it wasn't going to be an option. "Everybody loves Lindsay and that much love has to win through in the end, so I don't want you to worry."
As if in answer to her he moved restlessly again and she tightened her hold. "Lots of people are looking out for you and your Dad too, everything's going to be okay." She so desperately wanted to believe that, needed too. But the shadows of doubt that plagued her wouldn't go away. Even with all the manpower at their disposal, the various law enforcement teams, the D.A.'s office, they were at such a disadvantage. And seven days was both such a short amount of time and forever.
She felt the first tear slide down her cheek, the second not far behind. The rest fell to quickly to be counted. And as the sun's first rays of light shone through the living room window, she held Lindsay's child in her arms and cried.
* * *
"I have another job for you Martin." It was tedious to have to come to his contact rather than the other way around, but really there wasn't any other option. And when the person you chose was a homeless drunk, picking up the telephone and making a call didn't really factor into the equation either.
"Sure." Martin licked his lips, his mind already more on the money he was about to receive than the job at hand.
As if sensing this Edmund glared "I need you to pay attention, this is very important."
"Okay." He licked his lips again and forced himself to concentrate.
Still wearing his gloves, Edmund pulled out the envelope. "I need to get this letter to the FBI, but doing so myself poses some problems so I want you to deliver it for me. No so fast." He said as Martin reached for it. He pulled out another set of gloves. "I want you to wear these, do not under any circumstances touch the envelope without wearing the gloves do you understand?"
When Martin nodded, Edmund waited until he struggled into the gloves before handing over the letter. "Take the bus, there's one that leaves from the other side of the road in half an hour. I've written you directions for where to get off and where to go after that." Martin reached for the other piece of paper, but Ed held onto it "Look at me Martin." He waited until he had the older man's undivided attention.
"Under no circumstances are you to enter the building, leave the envelope at the front door and walk away. Is that understood?"
"Yes."
"Alright, repeat back to me what I just told you."
"I need to follow your directions to the FBI field office and wearing gloves the whole time, leave this note by the front door and then go."
"Very good and I want you to wear these." He handed him the coat and glasses he'd brought along, there hadn't been time for a more elaborate disguise. "There will possibly be surveillance in front of the building, just in case I don't want you to take any chances. Look down the entire time and walk, don't run away as soon as the notes delivered."
"I've got it."
"Good." Edmund handed over the directions and a twenty dollar bill. "Do this job well Martin and there'll be more where that came from."
"You can count on me."
An evil look came into Edmunds eyes that the dusky lighting couldn't mask. "I should hope so. For your sake. If all goes well, I'll be in contact with you this afternoon."
* * *
"You're kidding me."
"It's the truth Scully, I swear."
She let out a snort of laughter. "Mulder you've asked me to believe some pretty outrageous stuff before, but that's ridiculous even for you."
"Ouch. You wound me Scully" But the quirk of his lips, belayed his words. "Okay so maybe I was exaggerating a little."
She swallowed another mouthful of eggs. "Or a lot."
His phone ringing robbed him of the comeback he had ready. "Mulder." He answered. His eyes turned serious as he listened. "We'll be right there."
"What?" Scully asked as he disconnected.
"That was Agent Miller, an envelope addressed to me was left at the front door of the field office." He scanned her half eaten plate. "Nearly finished?"
She sighed, she'd actually managed to get halfway through a meal without Mulder hauling her off somewhere else, that might be a new record. "Sure."
He took out some money and threw it on the table. "Lets go."
* * *
"Have you opened it?" Mulder asked as he walked through the door to the field office, Scully right behind him.
"Not yet, we were waiting for you." Adam led the way into the conference room. Doug was already sitting in there, the envelope was in an evidence bag on the table in front of him.
"Here." Adam held out a pair of latex gloves, Mulder put them on and reached for the bag. He opened it ane withdrew the envelope, his name was printed on the outside, the computer font neat and even. Carefully he opened the envelope and unfolded the sheet of paper, a photograph was paper clipped to the top of it. He carefully removed it and focused on the note.
"What does it say?" Scully asked moving up beside him.
"As I sit and wait, the clock hand turns
You'll find me near where the grad student learns.
An institution located on the Charles River, or near,
Borders a suburb, you'll find me here."
"Cute." Doug said, as Mulder finished reading. "The guy knows how to rhyme, you have to give him points for that."
Scully shot him a glare before turning back to Mulder "That's it?"
"And this photo." He brought it to the forefront now and studied it. It was an upper body and head shot, Lindsay was again unconscious her hair slightly matted where it rested against the pillow. From the position of her shoulders and upper arms it looked as if her wrists were bound together behind her. He placed it on the table so the others could see.
"It doesn't look like she's been harmed." Adam commented as he peered at the picture.
"That we can tell," Scully responded. "All we can really see is her face, she could be hurt anywhere." She gestured to the photo "She could also be drugged, who knows what he could be giving her."
Mulder sat down at the table and pulled one of the blank notepads towards him, Doug looked over as he started writing. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making a copy of the note, the original has to go down to that lab." He finished writing then looked at Adam "Will anyone else be using this room for the next couple of days?"
"No. We have other conference rooms, you can use this one while you're here."
"Thanks." He pulled off the gloves and placed them on the table. "I want to set this up as a briefing room." He walked over to the boards that lined the side wall and pinned up the copy of the note he'd just written down. "I want all the evidence up here, including the first email and picture. Divide it up into seven sections if you can, one for each of the days. Things are always easier to work through when they're visual."
He pointed to the latest photo and note that Scully was placing in evidence bags. "Those will need to go to the lab, check for finger prints on both, I don't think you'll get anything on the type of paper he wouldn't make that mistake twice but you should have them test it anyway. I want the lab guys to blow up that photo and to look for anything out of the ordinary, on her or in the background. It doesn't matter how insignificant, it could end up being the clue that breaks the case. Then I want them both copied and pinned up here under a heading of day two."
Adam nodded at Doug who grudgingly picked up the evidence bags and resigned himself to his role of courier as he headed for the lab. "I'd also like a computer brought in here, we're going to have to communicate a lot with Washington on this, they have all the original files from the first case. Plus we may need some assistance from the behavioural sciences guys there, it'd be easier if we could do everything from the one place."
"I'll make the arrangements."
"Thanks." Mulder watched as Adam too left the room, before sitting down opposite Scully.
"Is this how it was last time Mulder? With the clue and the photograph?"
"Yeah. It's exactly like it was, clues that point you in a direction but are still ambiguous enough not to really tell you anything." He sighed. "We're going to have to break everything down Scully. We'll have to wait on the lab report on the photo, but we can start with the note…." He broke off as Adam walked into the room carrying a video tape.
"The computer will be set up soon. I've got a copy of this mornings surveillance tape, it should have captured the letter being dropped off." He popped the tape into the video and turned on the attached television. "The camera's record 24 hours a day and are changed by security every six hours. Judging by the condition of the envelope when we found it, it couldn't have been there for more than an hour or so." He pressed play, the picture of the front entrance was black and white and not all that clear. The time display on the bottom, left corner of the screen showed 3.45 a.m.
Adam set the tape to fast forward as he sat beside Mulder. "It'd be quicker to fast forward off the screen but we might miss something."
"No this is fine." Mulder watched the screen intently, the only change was the numbers marking time. "There stop." He sat up straighter as the figure appeared on the screen. By the time Adam hit the play button he'd already gone. The tape was rewound and played at normal speed.
"6.45." Mulder watched, his gaze intent, he saw the stocky man in the thick coat and brimmed hat, walk towards the door, bend, place the letter and hustle away.
"He didn't hang around." Allan murmured.
"24 seconds." Scully said, watching the time counter on the video.
"Yeah, he knew what he was doing." Mulder took the remote control from Adam and rewound the tape again. "Have a look at the way he keeps looking down, those cameras outside are well hidden, he probably doesn't even know where they are, but he's making sure they don't spot him." He took in the bulkiness of the coat, the wide brim of the hat. "And look at the clothes, he doesn't want to give anything away."
"Well you said he was smart."
Mulder pushed pause and turned to Adam. "That's not Edmund. His body shapes all wrong and he's at least six inches shorter." He put the remote down with more force than was necessary "He's using an accomplice."
"Does that break pattern?"
"Yeah." His hands now free he ran them through his hair. "There was never any evidence of an accomplice before. It's going to be hard enough trying to keep up with him as it is, but if he keep changing the rules, well…." He glanced over at Scully communicating his worry silently.
"We'll find her Mulder. We just have to work things through. We should work on the note."
He nodded in agreement and rose to walk over to the board. Focussing on the page he'd pinned there he read it through in his mind a few more times. "He's obviously referring to a University." He turned back around and asked Adam. "How many are there in Boston?"
"Ah, a fair few."
"I think he'd stick to the major ones. He wouldn't want to give us too big a list because it would take our focus away for too long. He wants to keep us busy, but not so busy we forget the big picture."
"Okay." Adam took out a pen and started making a list. "Well there's Boston University, obviously. Harvard, MIT, Suffolk…."
"Don't forget North Eastern." Doug said as he wandered back into the room. He'd gotten his degree in Justice Studies at North Eastern, he was very proud of that.
"Which of those are near the Charles River?" Scully asked.
"All of them. Well North Eastern's a little further away than the others, it's still fairly close but the other four are all right near it." He flipped over the page in the notebook and drew a rudimentary map. "The river's here," He said drawing two lines across the page. "Harvard and MIT are here and here," Marking two x's just above the top line he continued "If you want to be technical they're actually in Cambridge and then you've got BU and Suffolk here and here," He marked another two x's below the bottom line and wrote Boston in between them. Moving his hand left he marked another x slightly further away. "North Eastern's somewhere over here."
"Okay well lets rule out North Eastern for the moment, I think he'll stay closer to the city."
"It would have been kind of handy if he'd mentioned what side of the river he was referring too."
Scully looked up from the file she'd been reading to shoot Doug her second annoyed look of the morning. It was one she'd practiced and refined on Mulder. Sensing trouble Adam cleared his throat. "What if he's just trying to lead us astray. Didn't you say he'd done that before?"
"I don't think he would this early into his game. He'd want to set us down the path first, he'll want to give us a good start, because then he'll find it more entertaining if we flounder in the middle or the end. It would appeal to his sense of supremacy."
"Lindsay Dole went to Harvard." Scully looked up again from the file she was reading, the one she'd gotten of Detective McGuire the day before.
"What?" Mulder asked.
"It says here that she graduated fifth in her class from Harvard Law School, it could be a link." She flipped through a couple of pages. "Robert Donnell attended both Boston University and Suffolk." She shrugged "It could be an angle, considering he went to the trouble of mentioning a university in the first place."
Mulder nodded. "We'll have to check it out." He wasn't going to leave any potential lead uninvestigated. He couldn't afford too.
"The clue doesn't actually say he's in a university though," Doug pointed out, reading it again. "It says he's in a bordering suburb TO a university.
"That's too big an area." Mulder responded. "Especially if we don't know what school he's talking about to start with. I think our only option at the moment is to canvas the campuses and see if we turn up something."
"You think he might have left another clue there, like he did yesterday at the church?" Adam asked.
"It's worth a try. I want every inch of ground covered, if he has left us another clue, chances are it wont be as easy to locate as the last one. Scully and I'll take Harvard, Agent Griffin you take MIT, Agent Miller can you do Boston University?"
"Sure." Adam answered. "But who's going to take Suffolk?"
"I'll contact Detective McGuire and bring him up-to-date, I promised him he could be involved in the investigation. Say we meet back here at 3 p.m.?" Both Doug and Adam nodded. "You both have my phone number so if you find anything call me and we'll be right there."
Mulder watched them leave the room before turning back to Scully, she was still reading the file. He left her to it as he punched Detective McGuire's number into his phone.
Mike picked up on the second ring. "McGuire."
"Detective, it's Agent Mulder."
"Yes?" Mike's heart thudded in his chest, anticipating bad news.
"We've had a few developments…" As quickly as possible Mulder outlined the mornings events. "We've decided to canvas the four universities, would you be able to take Suffolk?"
"Sure." Mike had been writing down all the information, now he paused. "Who's going to Harvard?"
"We are. Why?"
"Lindsay went there, is it possible there could be a connection?"
"We know, it was listed in your report. I don't think so, it's Edmunds usual M.O. to choose someone at random." But he couldn't ignore the fact that as each moment passed by past events were having less and less to do with present ones. "It's an angle we're going to check out though."
"In that case you may want to talk to Helen Gamble."
Mulder frowned he'd heard that name somewhere but he couldn't pin point where. "Who?"
"Helen Gamble, she's the D.A. assigned to the case." Ah, Mulder thought, that cleared that up.
"Okay, why?"
"She's also Lindsay's best friend, they were roommates at college. She may be able to help you, at least give you a run down of the place, just in case there is a link."
"We'll do that." Mulder jotted down Helen's number as Mike rattled it off. "Thanks for your help Detective, we're planning on meeting back at the field office at 3 p.m. Can you meet us then?"
"No problem."
"Thanks." Mulder hung up and turned to Scully. She'd closed the file and had been listening to his conversation. "Ready to go?" He asked.
She nodded and stood up "So what's the plan?"
"We'll head out to the campus and have a look around. But first we have to stop by the D.A.'s office."
Scully tilted her head to the side "Why?"
He held the door open for her. "I'll tell you on the way."
* * *
"Bobby!" All heads swivelled towards the door at Lucy's surprised exclamation.
"What?" He asked as he walked through the door, Eugene two steps behind him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I work here, remember Lucy. My office is directly behind you." His tone was less than friendly.
"Yeah, but…"
"I think what she's trying to say is that we didn't expect you in today." Rebecca said, rising from behind her desk. She shot Eugene a questioning look that he answered with a shrug.
"I have work." Bobby answered.
"We're covering that. You should go home Bobby."
"And do what?" He snapped. "Sit and wait?" He took a deep breath and though it cost him, forced his voice into a quieter tone. "I can't do anything for her there Rebecca. I can't do anything for her here either, but at least I can concentrate on something else."
"Is there any news Bobby?" Jimmy asked.
"No. There's been no news. Excuse me." He shouldered past them and shut himself in his office.
Rebecca looked over at Eugene. "You shouldn't have brought him in here Eugene, it's too soon"
"What would you have had me do Rebecca, lock him in the apartment?" He wasn't sure this was the best option for Bobby either, but he also didn't think it was the worst one. "He was going crazy there, maybe this will help him, he has to get through this the best he can, we all do."
"The press have been calling non-stop, Lucy's been holding them off, but I don't think they'll go away."
A tension headache set itself up firmly behind Eugene's eyes. "Just don't make any comments, if anything's going to be released to the press it should come from the police."
"What should we do about Bobby?"
Contemplating Jimmy's question Eugene looked over to Bobby's office, the blinds were already closed. "Just give him a little space, he'll come out when he's ready."
* * *
Helen looked at the two people sitting opposite her. The people she was trusting to bring Lindsay back safely. She hoped they were up to the task. Her fingers intertwined in front of her, elbows resting on the desk, she leaned forward. "You're checking out the universities?"
Scully nodded. "We've had some information that leads us to believe he may be hiding somewhere in the vicinity of one of them."
"But you don't know which one?"
"Not yet."
"Boston has a lot of them."
"We know." Mulder said, "That's one of the reasons we're here. We understand you went to Harvard with Ms Dole." When Helen nodded he continued. "We're on our way out there now, is there anything you can tell us before we go?"
Helen frowned. "Like what?"
Mulder pulled out the photo of Edmund. "This is the man we believe has taken Lindsay. He likes to play games, get in the minds of his victims and then leave a trail of clues behind. If this is the case, he may well use something that's familiar to her. An old dorm room, a favourite spot, anything at all."
"We roomed at Hastings Hall. We were on the second floor, the whole time until our final semester then we moved to the third floor."
"Did she have any favourite places?"
"The library." It was said without hesitation. "Lindsay spent nearly all her time in the library, she took school very seriously."
"Was she a member of any groups or sororities?" Scully was writing all the information down.
"No" Helen shook her head. "Lindsay wasn't much of a joiner, she was too focused on the final goal, she just wanted to study."
"Okay." Mulder handed over a business card. "Well if you think of anything else, we'll be out there most of the day."
"Agent Mulder?" Helen stopped him just as he reached the door. "Do you think you'll find her in time?"
He gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster. "We'll do our best."
* * *
"So." Edmund sank down into the blue chair and made himself comfortable. "Tell me a bit about yourself?"
"What?" She'd started to think he was going to leave her alone all day. Apart from a few minutes earlier in the day when he'd brought her breakfast and allowed her a short bathroom break, she hadn't seen or heard him. She didn't know whether to be relieved or not that she was now.
"I thought we should get acquainted." He said. "I usually like to research my visitors a little more before they join me, but unfortunately there just wasn't enough time, so tell me about yourself."
Visitor? He made it sound like he'd given her a choice. She wondered if he really thought he had. "What do you want to know?"
He spread his arms wide. "Everything." bringing his hands back together, he clasped them in his lap. "I've seen your drivers licence so I know your name, address and birth date, but that's pitifully little. How long have you been married?"
"Nearly two years."
"Not long at all." He imagined the larger emotional impact from her death and smiled.
"How did you meet?"
She licked her lips and wondered at the danger of giving away any information. Then considered if she really had a choice. Maybe if she gave up a few things about herself she could learn about him, anything that would help her burn the bastard when they found her and she could get him into court. He may have her on his turf now, but the tables would be turned soon enough. She had to believe that. "We work together."
He nodded. "Six out of every ten relationships start in the workplace, did you know that?"
She didn't know but saw no reason to question him on it. "Okay.'
It made him happy that she agreed with him, if anything it helped to cement that he'd made the right choice. She was perfect. "And you have a son?"
If there was one thing she wasn't prepared to share it was information on her son. She kept quiet.
Continuing as if he hadn't noticed her silence he asked. "How old is he?"
Steadfastly she refused to answer again. After a moment he spoke again, his voice low and dangerous. "Lindsay I asked you a question, how old is your son?"
"I'd rather not discuss him."
His good mood went up in a cloud of smoke. "I don't believe I asked you what you wished to discuss. We discuss what I want." He was out of the chair in a flash, so fast she didn't even see him coming until he was right beside her. He grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her head back.
"If you're under any misconception of who's in charge here, as much as it would pain me I will demonstrate. Don't make me ask again Lindsay."
Question answered, she thought, there was no choice at all. "He's eight months."
"There now." He released the hair he had bunched in his hand and smoothed it out. "That wasn't so hard was it?" Happy again he sat back down in the chair. He wouldn't stay long, he found the covered walls depressing. But there was still time for a further chat. "What's his name?"
* * *
Mulder looked at the tired faces of the people sitting around the table. In truth he knew exactly how they were feeling. He and Scully had combed every inch of the Harvard campus and there was certainly a lot to cover. They'd visited dorm rooms; the library; the quad; the message boards. They'd talked to students, faculty, grounds keepers. Anybody they could stop, but it was fruitless. They'd come away with nothing.
"Well that was a waste of a day." Leave it to Doug to voice the negativity. Not that Mulder disagreed, but still.
"So nobody found anything?" Mulder looked around the table and found the answers reflected in the looks he got in return. The words weren't necessary, but still Adam spoke them. "No, nothing."
He sighed and leaned forward, it had been a long time since he'd been required to do that much leg work. Longer than he liked to think about and he hurt in places he didn't know existed. "I followed your profile and I talked to everyone I could. Nobody knows anything. I couldn't find anything that even remotely resembled a clue."
"Is it possible this guy's yanking our chain?" Doug considered himself the voice of reason. "Maybe he just likes seeing us chasing our tails. That's certainly what we were doing today."
"Is it possible Agent Mulder?" Mike was leaning back in his chair, nursing a cup of coffee. "Would he do something like that just to throw us off the scent?"
"What scent?" Doug interrupted, before Mulder could answer. "We're don't have a scent. All we've got is a silly poem, on paper we can't trace, photo's that give us no information and a fuzzy surveillance tape of a perpetrator we know nothing about."
"Doug," Adam said "That's enough."
"It'll only be enough when we find her." He looked at Mulder and then at Scully who was seated beside him. "You're supposed to be the best. The hotshots Washington sent us to show the little field agents how it's really done. Great job so far, I'm learning a heap." He pushed his chair back and stalked from the room.
Ten seconds ticked by and then twenty, as the tension in the room grew. Finally Mike spoke, breaking the silence. "I should really get back to the precinct and report to my captain. Do you need me to stick around?"
Mulder shook his head. "No. Thanks for your help today Detective."
"No problem. If you need me for anything else, just call. I mean that." He said when Mulder didn't answer. "I'm grateful you included me today. If there's the slightest chance one of these clues could lead to finding Lindsay, I want to help." He paused. "I'll drop in and see Bobby if you don't mind. Let him know what's happening."
When Mulder opened his mouth to speak he continued. "Just a general update, I know we're keeping the photo's and the notes under wraps. I just want to reassure him we're doing all we can."
Mulder nodded. "I'd appreciate that."
"Okay then, thanks." He watched as Mike walked out the door.
Adam cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about Doug, he was out of line. I'll have a talk to him."
"It's alright." But Mulder still felt the sting of his words. Some of what Doug had said, had hit too close to home.
"He's just angry. It's no excuse." He said, as Scully turned to look at him. "He shouldn't have said any of that. He gets a little defensive sometimes, he's not too keen on outsiders. Plus he's been passed over for promotion a few times."
"I wonder why." Scully muttered, sarcastically.
Adam gave her a small smile. "He really is a good investigator and he knows this city back to front, but if you'd like someone else, I can reassign him."
"No it's alright he can stay." Mulder blocked thoughts of Doug and his attitude from his mind and focussed on the job at hand. "I imagine we'll receive another note tomorrow. I sincerely doubt he'll use the same method of getting it here as he did today, but just in case I'd like additional security added to all three exists. If you could keep them out of sight though, I don't want to scare whoever it is away. I have to file a report with my superior, I'll put in a requisition for the overtime then."
"I'll take care of it." Adam answered.
"Thanks." Weary, Mulder sat back in his chair. "Until then I don't really think there's anything else we can do."
"Okay then." With a small nod to Scully, Adam went off to make the arrangements.
"Are you alright Mulder?" Scully glanced over at him concerned.
"I'm fine Scully." He almost laughed as he said it. How many times had she uttered those exact words to him and how many times had he seen through them. He doubted he was any more convincing in this instance. "I have to file a report to Skinner, I'd better do that now." Deliberately he turned away from her, standing and walking over to the computer Adam had arranged for.
She knew he wasn't alright. She'd known him far too long not to pick up on what he was feeling. She also knew he didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't afraid to push through that barrier of defence he liked to build around himself, she'd done that plenty of times before and if she thought it would help him she'd do it again now. But she sensed that what he needed most at the moment was time alone, to file the report and sort through whatever he was feeling. She'd give him that.
He was taking the case personally, it was always a dangerous line for an investigator to tread. Mulder stampeded over it regularly, she always wondered how much cases like these took away from him and worried that one day it would be too much. So she'd allow him a little time to ponder and undoubtedly blame himself and hopefully realise he was doing the best he could and better than most were capable of.
And if he didn't come to that realisation on his own, well then, she'd just have to step in and give him that shove.
* * *
"You've done well Martin."
"Thanks." Preening under the compliment, Martin straightened a little higher. "I followed all your instructions, just like you told me too. And I was really quick, straight in straight out. They didn't even see me." Still flushed with the success he continued. "You're plan's going to schedule isn't it?"
"Yes." He found himself caught up in Martins enthusiasm as well. It was so good to be able to share his cleverness with someone, even if the recipient wasn't on his intellectual level. He had no doubt that the FBI had spent their day wandering aimlessly around, looking for further clues that never eventuated. He'd find out for sure later but just for now the thought was enough. He was having so much fun and he intended to savour every moment of it.
"I need you to do something else for me Martin."
"Sure." Edmund pulled out another envelope the name and address meticulously printed on the front. Martin reached out for it "You want me to go there again?" He asked eager to please "I still remember the way."
"No." Edmund jerked the envelope back, just out of reach. "You can't go there again. Focus Martin." He said, when he saw the other mans eyes wander. He had the attention span of a gnat. "They'll be looking for that, you must stay as far away from that building as possible. I want you to post this letter for me. I need you to do it today, so that the letter arrives tomorrow."
Martins brow furrowed. "But if you're only posting it, why can't you do that?"
Why oh why, Edmund thought, do I surround myself with idiots. "Because, they're looking for me Martin." His voice was deceptively calm "It's a risk for me to even come out and see you here." Not that anyone would ever look for him in the dank, disgusting alley he was sure. But still. Still holding the envelope in one hand he reached into his pocket with the other and retrieved the fifty dollar note. He played with it idly, running it between his gloved fingers. Martin's eyes stayed glued to it the entire time. "However if you have something more important to do this afternoon, I understand."
"No." Martin couldn't take his eyes off the fifty, it'd been a long time since he'd come in contact with one. "No I can do it. I'm sorry I didn't mean to question you."
Pleased with the apology Edmund held out the letter again, only to snatch it back a second time. "Your gloves Martin." He said with much more patience than he was feeling. "You're to wear your gloves whenever you handle the letters remember?"
"Oh sorry." He flashed a smile, showing three missing teeth, several more rotten ones just waiting to fall out. It turned Edmunds stomach. "I guess I forgot." He struggled into the gloves and finally took the letter, along with it came the much sought after money.
"Today Martin, it has to be posted today, for them to receive it tomorrow. I'll be in contact."
Martin watched him turn and leave then place the envelope inside the pocked of his new coat. Again he counted his blessings that he'd been lucky enough to run into Edmund when he had. He looked at the fifty dollars in his hand and reached into another pocket to retrieve the crumpled twenty that he'd been given that morning and hadn't yet had a chance to spend. Seventy dollars, he hadn't had that much money in…. well he couldn't remember the last time so it wasn't really important.
The things he could buy with it scrolled through his mind. Food; clothes; maybe a room for the night with a real bed, alcohol? So many choices, he didn't know where to start. Though he reasoned that he wasn't really that hungry, because he'd stopped by the shelter for lunch and had filled up on soup and bread and why use his money for food when he could get it for free? Happy to cross that one off the list he moved to the next one, thanks to Edmund he now had a nice new coat to keep him warm and that was more clothes than he'd had yesterday wasn't it? And what did he need a night in a room for anyway, the streets had served him well enough in the past. His list was growing shorter by the minute, really only one thing remained.
Alcohol.
Yes. He grinned his toothless grin again and couldn't resist rubbing his hands together. He might not really need any of the other things on his list, but by God he had a thirst that he'd never been able to quench. But then he'd never had seventy dollars before either, so maybe one would help the other. He wouldn't know until he tried. Eager to get started he walked in the opposite direction to the one that Edmund had taken, the letter in his pocket already forgotten.
* * *
Bobby wandered the park by himself, his need to escape his friends overcoming his need to be surrounded by them. He didn't know what else to do, he'd tried to engulf himself in his work load, but that hadn't worked, every sound, every sight in the office had reminded him of Lindsay. Being at home was even worse, the memories there were so much more pronounced. The third time he'd found himself turning to tell her something, he'd known it was time to get out for a while. He didn't know why he'd come here, maybe because it was familiar and he found he needed that.
He'd already resigned himself to the fact that there was nowhere he could go that wouldn't remind him of Lindsay, in fact he found comfort in that. He needed that connection, that bond. He just didn't need to be surrounded by people as he experienced it. It was too much. Turning to his left he wandered over the cement bridge with the wire railings painted a cheerful green, that crossed the small pond and watched the ducks float below. Rob loved the ducks, was it just a couple of weeks ago that he and Lindsay had brought him here to see them or a lifetime ago? Bobby couldn't tell anymore, time had no meaning for him now.
The breeze ruffled his hair as he stood there looking down, lost in thought. He just couldn't get her out of his mind. The thoughts were worse since he'd seen that photo of her lying unconscious, God knows where. The FBI thought she was close by and he took some solace in that. Of course they had no idea where exactly, Mike hadn't told him much but he'd managed to garner that from the conversation. They had no leads and all they could do was wait until tomorrow. Did Lindsay even have a tomorrow in her future?
No. He couldn't start to think like that. Although to a small part of his mind it seemed like he couldn't stop. But he was doing his best to keep those thoughts at bay. It was getting harder. So much harder. Shaking the rail of the bridge in frustration he pushed away from it and wandered over to the benches bordering the pond. Both knees cracked as he sat down, a sign of tension and strain. He knew what it was like to worry about Lindsay, he'd done his share when she'd been stabbed, when he'd watched her fighting for life in the hospital. But she'd been there with him, he'd known where she was, he could help her fight the battle. How could he help her now? What could he do for her but wait?
She was absolutely the strongest person he knew, he took comfort in that even as the thought terrified him. What if she fought back? What if it was worse for her because she did? Once he allowed one question to form in his mind he couldn't stop. When was the last time he'd remembered to tell her he loved her? Why didn't he remember to tell her everyday? What would happen to Rob if she didn't come back? How could he grow up to be the wonderful person he was destined to be without Lindsay's guidance? Surely God couldn't be so cruel to make his son grow up without a mother the way he'd been forced too.
Throwing his head back to rest against the bench, he lifted both hands to rub his face. He wanted to get rid of the negative thoughts, the worries, the doubts. He wanted to focus on all the happy times and convince himself that there'd be a lifetime of them to follow. But he couldn't because every time he tried one thought pushed it's way back into his mind.
Why hadn't he paid more attention to her worries?
Surely if he had, if he'd insisted that she tell him everything, if he'd made her come into the office that day rather than being on her own, or better yet if he'd stayed home, he could have avoided all of this. He was her husband and he'd let her down. Now she was in danger, at the hands of some psycho that no one could find and all he could do was wait. Wait for other people to find her. He was letting her down again.
* * *
Edmund let himself into the house through the garage and wandered into the living room. His first stop was to check the security monitors, he felt a small stab of disappointment when he noticed that Lindsay's eyes were closed. He wanted to share his good day with her and tell her that his plan was going exactly too schedule and that she only had five more days to live.
He would tell her over dinner, he decided, since it was almost that time anyway. So good was his mood that he thought he'd go to extra trouble tonight and fix her something nice. It was the least he could do for her. After all he was sure that this situation had to be a little unpleasant for her.
But first things first. It was time to check on the progress of the investigation. He knew a lot about the procedures of the FBI. He'd studied them long and hard. And one thing he knew was that while agents may have free reign to travel all over the country, they still had to report to superiors who more often than not stayed put. The simplest and quickest method of accomplishing this was of course e-mail. And while the FBI mainframe may be nearly impossible to hack into, not he thought that he couldn't do it if he'd wanted too, he just didn't have enough time. Email, was still hard to secure and a much easier method of obtaining the information.
He'd purchased a worm, at considerable cost, but it had more than been worthwhile. With it he had managed to electronically burrow his way into the FBI field office and had access to any and all emails. He'd already set up the fields, queries and targets, so that every time Mulder sent an email from any computer in that building he'd be able to isolate it and copy it. They'd be none the wiser. The most important detail was to be quick, get in, get the information and get out. His program could do it in under five seconds, if he'd had more time he thought he could probably have gotten that down to under three. But that was for a later date.
Opening his email he was a little surprised to see the green flag that signified a message had been located and retrieved. He thought Mulder might have worked a bit later, that it might have taken him longer to file his first report. But then he rationalised, if you hadn't found anything why wait? A small snicker escaped as he read. They were exactly where he expected them to be at this point, which was of course no where. Sometimes his genius surprised even himself. The golden boy of the FBI would still be scratching his head five days from now, when Lindsay would be dead and Edmund would be packed up and on his way to another city. The scenario played out in his head so clearly it was almost as if it was already happening.
Reading the report twice more and choosing to put his own interpretation of despair on the somewhat barren information it contained just put him in a more jovial mood. By now the second note would be on its way and he couldn't wait until this time tomorrow when he could read more hopelessness in the next report. Rising he switched of the machine and wandered into the kitchen.
Yes, Lindsay would eat like a queen tonight.
* * *
She found him exactly where she'd left him.
Sitting alone in the darkened conference room the light of the computer screen in front of him the only illumination. With a sigh she moved further into the room, the sound of the door clicking shut behind not even registering on him.
"Mulder." She said quietly. Then again more loudly when he didn't respond. A blink of his eye was his only indication that he'd heard her. "What are you doing?" She asked as she moved to sit next to him, though she thought she already knew.
"Just thinking." He finally answered, confirming her own thoughts.
"I guess I don't have to ask you what about?"
He knew how well she knew him. "No."
"So then you don't need me to tell you that none of this is your fault." She nudged his chair around until he was facing her. "We're going to find her Mulder, but sometimes these things take time, you shouldn't need me to tell you that either."
"I know that Scully." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "This feels like amateur hour, I should be better at this. I USED to be better at this. I've been out of it for too long, it was stupid of me to think I could handle it. Stupid and selfish, I should have handed it over to the violent crimes guys the second I got the e-mail."
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. She was no stranger to Mulder's self inflicted guilt, but outbursts like that were unusual even for him. "Mulder if you'd stayed in that department, you'd be running it by now. No one doubts your abilities, if they did they wouldn't have green lighted the case to start with."
"I lost us a day today Scully. We're exactly where we were yesterday, which is nowhere. But now we're one day closer to the deadline."
"And if you keep this attitude up we'll be having the same conversation tomorrow night." Scully reached over and plucked the latest picture of Lindsay off the board. "She needs our help Mulder, she needs our focus. She doesn't need what if's and second guessing." She stood up to replace the picture, absentmindedly straightening his dishevelled hair as she did. It seemed it was time for that shove. "I plan on finding her Mulder, if you're not too busy beating yourself up maybe you'd like to give me a hand?"
He had to smile, nobody could set him straight like Scully. "I guess so."
Satisfied, she nodded. "Okay then." She looked at the clock, "I'm starving and I think it's your turn to buy dinner."
His mood restored he stood. "I bought last night."
The eyebrow went up again. "No you were meant to buy last night, but you conveniently forgot your wallet."
"Well then I paid this morning." He reached over to turn off the computer as they exited the room.
"That doesn't count."
The hallway was deserted as they walked down it. "Why not?"
"Because that was breakfast." The look she gave him said that should explain everything, but it was spoiled a moment later by the small quirk of her lips.
He cocked his head to one side. "You know Scully, sometimes your logic scares me." With a chuckle he held the front door open for her as they walked outside.
* * *
A new day was about to dawn and he had a lot to do. Not content to waste a minute of time he rose at 5.30. His first stop was to check the monitor connected to the video camera in the basement. He could hardly spend every moment with Lindsay, as preferable as he might find that option but that didn't mean he couldn't keep tabs on her around the clock. He had three camera's in all, situated around the room, the devices were well hidden, he doubted she'd ever know they were there.
Satisfied that she was still sleeping, albeit somewhat uncomfortably from the looks of it, he fixed himself some breakfast and settled in front of the computer. Now that he had all the players involved in his little challenge it was time to send the first clue. He'd been pondering the situation last night, how best to word the clues and the easiest method of distributing them to Agent Mulder. Part of him yearned for the satisfaction of hiding them himself and watching Mulder run all over the city to find them, but the longer he took to locate each one the less time he had to search for Lindsay and that was what Edmund was really interested in watching happen.
The clues were just a means to an end.
He couldn't post it, that would take to long, it needed to arrive this morning. If he used a courier there would be a paper trail that could lead back to him, so it appeared at the moment his only real course of action was to have his contact send it directly to the FBI At least then when Edmund won, they couldn't say he hadn't given them every possible advantage. It would make victory that much sweeter.
With gloved hands he inserted the paper into the printer, it was the most common brand he cold find, available at any stationary store and totally untraceable. The printer hummed as the words formed on the paper, when it was finished, he scanned it quickly and still satisfied that it wasn't giving away to much to quickly he sealed it in the envelope. Checking the security monitor one more time he let himself out of the house.
* * *
Helen prowled the apartment unable to sleep. It was early yet and still dark outside, but she knew within the hour the sun would rise and so would most people, ready to start the new day.
And Lindsay would still be missing.
She knew of the FBI's involvement in the case. She'd spoken to Mike yesterday and he'd brought her up to speed on what was happening. One part of her was happy that they were here, that there were more people focussed on finding Lindsay. The other part was truly terrified at the information they'd brought with them. If this Edmund Harrison was as bad as they said and she saw no reason to doubt them on that fact, well the thought of it chilled her to the bone.
Hearing Rob stir she wandered into the nursery he was sharing with Zoey and over to the port-a-cot that was his makeshift bed. He would be used to his mother fetching him first thing in the morning, Helen knew that Lindsay cherished that time with Rob, when he'd just woken up and liked nothing more than cuddling against her until he was fully awake. His small hand was fisted against the side of the cot, trying for leverage to roll himself over beneath the blanket he slept under. Quietly, so not to disturb Zoey, she freed him of his restraint and lifted him up.
"Hey little guy." she murmured as she walked out into the living room. She settled onto the couch, cradling him. He made a small sound of discontentment. "You miss your Mom, don't you?"
She didn't expect him to answer, she just felt the need to keep talking, as if somehow talking about Lindsay would bring her closer to both of them.
"Everybody's looking for her Rob, lots of people want to find her. And we're going to find her." We have to she told herself, as she thought of the deadline. Missing it wasn't going to be an option. "Everybody loves Lindsay and that much love has to win through in the end, so I don't want you to worry."
As if in answer to her he moved restlessly again and she tightened her hold. "Lots of people are looking out for you and your Dad too, everything's going to be okay." She so desperately wanted to believe that, needed too. But the shadows of doubt that plagued her wouldn't go away. Even with all the manpower at their disposal, the various law enforcement teams, the D.A.'s office, they were at such a disadvantage. And seven days was both such a short amount of time and forever.
She felt the first tear slide down her cheek, the second not far behind. The rest fell to quickly to be counted. And as the sun's first rays of light shone through the living room window, she held Lindsay's child in her arms and cried.
* * *
"I have another job for you Martin." It was tedious to have to come to his contact rather than the other way around, but really there wasn't any other option. And when the person you chose was a homeless drunk, picking up the telephone and making a call didn't really factor into the equation either.
"Sure." Martin licked his lips, his mind already more on the money he was about to receive than the job at hand.
As if sensing this Edmund glared "I need you to pay attention, this is very important."
"Okay." He licked his lips again and forced himself to concentrate.
Still wearing his gloves, Edmund pulled out the envelope. "I need to get this letter to the FBI, but doing so myself poses some problems so I want you to deliver it for me. No so fast." He said as Martin reached for it. He pulled out another set of gloves. "I want you to wear these, do not under any circumstances touch the envelope without wearing the gloves do you understand?"
When Martin nodded, Edmund waited until he struggled into the gloves before handing over the letter. "Take the bus, there's one that leaves from the other side of the road in half an hour. I've written you directions for where to get off and where to go after that." Martin reached for the other piece of paper, but Ed held onto it "Look at me Martin." He waited until he had the older man's undivided attention.
"Under no circumstances are you to enter the building, leave the envelope at the front door and walk away. Is that understood?"
"Yes."
"Alright, repeat back to me what I just told you."
"I need to follow your directions to the FBI field office and wearing gloves the whole time, leave this note by the front door and then go."
"Very good and I want you to wear these." He handed him the coat and glasses he'd brought along, there hadn't been time for a more elaborate disguise. "There will possibly be surveillance in front of the building, just in case I don't want you to take any chances. Look down the entire time and walk, don't run away as soon as the notes delivered."
"I've got it."
"Good." Edmund handed over the directions and a twenty dollar bill. "Do this job well Martin and there'll be more where that came from."
"You can count on me."
An evil look came into Edmunds eyes that the dusky lighting couldn't mask. "I should hope so. For your sake. If all goes well, I'll be in contact with you this afternoon."
* * *
"You're kidding me."
"It's the truth Scully, I swear."
She let out a snort of laughter. "Mulder you've asked me to believe some pretty outrageous stuff before, but that's ridiculous even for you."
"Ouch. You wound me Scully" But the quirk of his lips, belayed his words. "Okay so maybe I was exaggerating a little."
She swallowed another mouthful of eggs. "Or a lot."
His phone ringing robbed him of the comeback he had ready. "Mulder." He answered. His eyes turned serious as he listened. "We'll be right there."
"What?" Scully asked as he disconnected.
"That was Agent Miller, an envelope addressed to me was left at the front door of the field office." He scanned her half eaten plate. "Nearly finished?"
She sighed, she'd actually managed to get halfway through a meal without Mulder hauling her off somewhere else, that might be a new record. "Sure."
He took out some money and threw it on the table. "Lets go."
* * *
"Have you opened it?" Mulder asked as he walked through the door to the field office, Scully right behind him.
"Not yet, we were waiting for you." Adam led the way into the conference room. Doug was already sitting in there, the envelope was in an evidence bag on the table in front of him.
"Here." Adam held out a pair of latex gloves, Mulder put them on and reached for the bag. He opened it ane withdrew the envelope, his name was printed on the outside, the computer font neat and even. Carefully he opened the envelope and unfolded the sheet of paper, a photograph was paper clipped to the top of it. He carefully removed it and focused on the note.
"What does it say?" Scully asked moving up beside him.
"As I sit and wait, the clock hand turns
You'll find me near where the grad student learns.
An institution located on the Charles River, or near,
Borders a suburb, you'll find me here."
"Cute." Doug said, as Mulder finished reading. "The guy knows how to rhyme, you have to give him points for that."
Scully shot him a glare before turning back to Mulder "That's it?"
"And this photo." He brought it to the forefront now and studied it. It was an upper body and head shot, Lindsay was again unconscious her hair slightly matted where it rested against the pillow. From the position of her shoulders and upper arms it looked as if her wrists were bound together behind her. He placed it on the table so the others could see.
"It doesn't look like she's been harmed." Adam commented as he peered at the picture.
"That we can tell," Scully responded. "All we can really see is her face, she could be hurt anywhere." She gestured to the photo "She could also be drugged, who knows what he could be giving her."
Mulder sat down at the table and pulled one of the blank notepads towards him, Doug looked over as he started writing. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making a copy of the note, the original has to go down to that lab." He finished writing then looked at Adam "Will anyone else be using this room for the next couple of days?"
"No. We have other conference rooms, you can use this one while you're here."
"Thanks." He pulled off the gloves and placed them on the table. "I want to set this up as a briefing room." He walked over to the boards that lined the side wall and pinned up the copy of the note he'd just written down. "I want all the evidence up here, including the first email and picture. Divide it up into seven sections if you can, one for each of the days. Things are always easier to work through when they're visual."
He pointed to the latest photo and note that Scully was placing in evidence bags. "Those will need to go to the lab, check for finger prints on both, I don't think you'll get anything on the type of paper he wouldn't make that mistake twice but you should have them test it anyway. I want the lab guys to blow up that photo and to look for anything out of the ordinary, on her or in the background. It doesn't matter how insignificant, it could end up being the clue that breaks the case. Then I want them both copied and pinned up here under a heading of day two."
Adam nodded at Doug who grudgingly picked up the evidence bags and resigned himself to his role of courier as he headed for the lab. "I'd also like a computer brought in here, we're going to have to communicate a lot with Washington on this, they have all the original files from the first case. Plus we may need some assistance from the behavioural sciences guys there, it'd be easier if we could do everything from the one place."
"I'll make the arrangements."
"Thanks." Mulder watched as Adam too left the room, before sitting down opposite Scully.
"Is this how it was last time Mulder? With the clue and the photograph?"
"Yeah. It's exactly like it was, clues that point you in a direction but are still ambiguous enough not to really tell you anything." He sighed. "We're going to have to break everything down Scully. We'll have to wait on the lab report on the photo, but we can start with the note…." He broke off as Adam walked into the room carrying a video tape.
"The computer will be set up soon. I've got a copy of this mornings surveillance tape, it should have captured the letter being dropped off." He popped the tape into the video and turned on the attached television. "The camera's record 24 hours a day and are changed by security every six hours. Judging by the condition of the envelope when we found it, it couldn't have been there for more than an hour or so." He pressed play, the picture of the front entrance was black and white and not all that clear. The time display on the bottom, left corner of the screen showed 3.45 a.m.
Adam set the tape to fast forward as he sat beside Mulder. "It'd be quicker to fast forward off the screen but we might miss something."
"No this is fine." Mulder watched the screen intently, the only change was the numbers marking time. "There stop." He sat up straighter as the figure appeared on the screen. By the time Adam hit the play button he'd already gone. The tape was rewound and played at normal speed.
"6.45." Mulder watched, his gaze intent, he saw the stocky man in the thick coat and brimmed hat, walk towards the door, bend, place the letter and hustle away.
"He didn't hang around." Allan murmured.
"24 seconds." Scully said, watching the time counter on the video.
"Yeah, he knew what he was doing." Mulder took the remote control from Adam and rewound the tape again. "Have a look at the way he keeps looking down, those cameras outside are well hidden, he probably doesn't even know where they are, but he's making sure they don't spot him." He took in the bulkiness of the coat, the wide brim of the hat. "And look at the clothes, he doesn't want to give anything away."
"Well you said he was smart."
Mulder pushed pause and turned to Adam. "That's not Edmund. His body shapes all wrong and he's at least six inches shorter." He put the remote down with more force than was necessary "He's using an accomplice."
"Does that break pattern?"
"Yeah." His hands now free he ran them through his hair. "There was never any evidence of an accomplice before. It's going to be hard enough trying to keep up with him as it is, but if he keep changing the rules, well…." He glanced over at Scully communicating his worry silently.
"We'll find her Mulder. We just have to work things through. We should work on the note."
He nodded in agreement and rose to walk over to the board. Focussing on the page he'd pinned there he read it through in his mind a few more times. "He's obviously referring to a University." He turned back around and asked Adam. "How many are there in Boston?"
"Ah, a fair few."
"I think he'd stick to the major ones. He wouldn't want to give us too big a list because it would take our focus away for too long. He wants to keep us busy, but not so busy we forget the big picture."
"Okay." Adam took out a pen and started making a list. "Well there's Boston University, obviously. Harvard, MIT, Suffolk…."
"Don't forget North Eastern." Doug said as he wandered back into the room. He'd gotten his degree in Justice Studies at North Eastern, he was very proud of that.
"Which of those are near the Charles River?" Scully asked.
"All of them. Well North Eastern's a little further away than the others, it's still fairly close but the other four are all right near it." He flipped over the page in the notebook and drew a rudimentary map. "The river's here," He said drawing two lines across the page. "Harvard and MIT are here and here," Marking two x's just above the top line he continued "If you want to be technical they're actually in Cambridge and then you've got BU and Suffolk here and here," He marked another two x's below the bottom line and wrote Boston in between them. Moving his hand left he marked another x slightly further away. "North Eastern's somewhere over here."
"Okay well lets rule out North Eastern for the moment, I think he'll stay closer to the city."
"It would have been kind of handy if he'd mentioned what side of the river he was referring too."
Scully looked up from the file she'd been reading to shoot Doug her second annoyed look of the morning. It was one she'd practiced and refined on Mulder. Sensing trouble Adam cleared his throat. "What if he's just trying to lead us astray. Didn't you say he'd done that before?"
"I don't think he would this early into his game. He'd want to set us down the path first, he'll want to give us a good start, because then he'll find it more entertaining if we flounder in the middle or the end. It would appeal to his sense of supremacy."
"Lindsay Dole went to Harvard." Scully looked up again from the file she was reading, the one she'd gotten of Detective McGuire the day before.
"What?" Mulder asked.
"It says here that she graduated fifth in her class from Harvard Law School, it could be a link." She flipped through a couple of pages. "Robert Donnell attended both Boston University and Suffolk." She shrugged "It could be an angle, considering he went to the trouble of mentioning a university in the first place."
Mulder nodded. "We'll have to check it out." He wasn't going to leave any potential lead uninvestigated. He couldn't afford too.
"The clue doesn't actually say he's in a university though," Doug pointed out, reading it again. "It says he's in a bordering suburb TO a university.
"That's too big an area." Mulder responded. "Especially if we don't know what school he's talking about to start with. I think our only option at the moment is to canvas the campuses and see if we turn up something."
"You think he might have left another clue there, like he did yesterday at the church?" Adam asked.
"It's worth a try. I want every inch of ground covered, if he has left us another clue, chances are it wont be as easy to locate as the last one. Scully and I'll take Harvard, Agent Griffin you take MIT, Agent Miller can you do Boston University?"
"Sure." Adam answered. "But who's going to take Suffolk?"
"I'll contact Detective McGuire and bring him up-to-date, I promised him he could be involved in the investigation. Say we meet back here at 3 p.m.?" Both Doug and Adam nodded. "You both have my phone number so if you find anything call me and we'll be right there."
Mulder watched them leave the room before turning back to Scully, she was still reading the file. He left her to it as he punched Detective McGuire's number into his phone.
Mike picked up on the second ring. "McGuire."
"Detective, it's Agent Mulder."
"Yes?" Mike's heart thudded in his chest, anticipating bad news.
"We've had a few developments…" As quickly as possible Mulder outlined the mornings events. "We've decided to canvas the four universities, would you be able to take Suffolk?"
"Sure." Mike had been writing down all the information, now he paused. "Who's going to Harvard?"
"We are. Why?"
"Lindsay went there, is it possible there could be a connection?"
"We know, it was listed in your report. I don't think so, it's Edmunds usual M.O. to choose someone at random." But he couldn't ignore the fact that as each moment passed by past events were having less and less to do with present ones. "It's an angle we're going to check out though."
"In that case you may want to talk to Helen Gamble."
Mulder frowned he'd heard that name somewhere but he couldn't pin point where. "Who?"
"Helen Gamble, she's the D.A. assigned to the case." Ah, Mulder thought, that cleared that up.
"Okay, why?"
"She's also Lindsay's best friend, they were roommates at college. She may be able to help you, at least give you a run down of the place, just in case there is a link."
"We'll do that." Mulder jotted down Helen's number as Mike rattled it off. "Thanks for your help Detective, we're planning on meeting back at the field office at 3 p.m. Can you meet us then?"
"No problem."
"Thanks." Mulder hung up and turned to Scully. She'd closed the file and had been listening to his conversation. "Ready to go?" He asked.
She nodded and stood up "So what's the plan?"
"We'll head out to the campus and have a look around. But first we have to stop by the D.A.'s office."
Scully tilted her head to the side "Why?"
He held the door open for her. "I'll tell you on the way."
* * *
"Bobby!" All heads swivelled towards the door at Lucy's surprised exclamation.
"What?" He asked as he walked through the door, Eugene two steps behind him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I work here, remember Lucy. My office is directly behind you." His tone was less than friendly.
"Yeah, but…"
"I think what she's trying to say is that we didn't expect you in today." Rebecca said, rising from behind her desk. She shot Eugene a questioning look that he answered with a shrug.
"I have work." Bobby answered.
"We're covering that. You should go home Bobby."
"And do what?" He snapped. "Sit and wait?" He took a deep breath and though it cost him, forced his voice into a quieter tone. "I can't do anything for her there Rebecca. I can't do anything for her here either, but at least I can concentrate on something else."
"Is there any news Bobby?" Jimmy asked.
"No. There's been no news. Excuse me." He shouldered past them and shut himself in his office.
Rebecca looked over at Eugene. "You shouldn't have brought him in here Eugene, it's too soon"
"What would you have had me do Rebecca, lock him in the apartment?" He wasn't sure this was the best option for Bobby either, but he also didn't think it was the worst one. "He was going crazy there, maybe this will help him, he has to get through this the best he can, we all do."
"The press have been calling non-stop, Lucy's been holding them off, but I don't think they'll go away."
A tension headache set itself up firmly behind Eugene's eyes. "Just don't make any comments, if anything's going to be released to the press it should come from the police."
"What should we do about Bobby?"
Contemplating Jimmy's question Eugene looked over to Bobby's office, the blinds were already closed. "Just give him a little space, he'll come out when he's ready."
* * *
Helen looked at the two people sitting opposite her. The people she was trusting to bring Lindsay back safely. She hoped they were up to the task. Her fingers intertwined in front of her, elbows resting on the desk, she leaned forward. "You're checking out the universities?"
Scully nodded. "We've had some information that leads us to believe he may be hiding somewhere in the vicinity of one of them."
"But you don't know which one?"
"Not yet."
"Boston has a lot of them."
"We know." Mulder said, "That's one of the reasons we're here. We understand you went to Harvard with Ms Dole." When Helen nodded he continued. "We're on our way out there now, is there anything you can tell us before we go?"
Helen frowned. "Like what?"
Mulder pulled out the photo of Edmund. "This is the man we believe has taken Lindsay. He likes to play games, get in the minds of his victims and then leave a trail of clues behind. If this is the case, he may well use something that's familiar to her. An old dorm room, a favourite spot, anything at all."
"We roomed at Hastings Hall. We were on the second floor, the whole time until our final semester then we moved to the third floor."
"Did she have any favourite places?"
"The library." It was said without hesitation. "Lindsay spent nearly all her time in the library, she took school very seriously."
"Was she a member of any groups or sororities?" Scully was writing all the information down.
"No" Helen shook her head. "Lindsay wasn't much of a joiner, she was too focused on the final goal, she just wanted to study."
"Okay." Mulder handed over a business card. "Well if you think of anything else, we'll be out there most of the day."
"Agent Mulder?" Helen stopped him just as he reached the door. "Do you think you'll find her in time?"
He gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster. "We'll do our best."
* * *
"So." Edmund sank down into the blue chair and made himself comfortable. "Tell me a bit about yourself?"
"What?" She'd started to think he was going to leave her alone all day. Apart from a few minutes earlier in the day when he'd brought her breakfast and allowed her a short bathroom break, she hadn't seen or heard him. She didn't know whether to be relieved or not that she was now.
"I thought we should get acquainted." He said. "I usually like to research my visitors a little more before they join me, but unfortunately there just wasn't enough time, so tell me about yourself."
Visitor? He made it sound like he'd given her a choice. She wondered if he really thought he had. "What do you want to know?"
He spread his arms wide. "Everything." bringing his hands back together, he clasped them in his lap. "I've seen your drivers licence so I know your name, address and birth date, but that's pitifully little. How long have you been married?"
"Nearly two years."
"Not long at all." He imagined the larger emotional impact from her death and smiled.
"How did you meet?"
She licked her lips and wondered at the danger of giving away any information. Then considered if she really had a choice. Maybe if she gave up a few things about herself she could learn about him, anything that would help her burn the bastard when they found her and she could get him into court. He may have her on his turf now, but the tables would be turned soon enough. She had to believe that. "We work together."
He nodded. "Six out of every ten relationships start in the workplace, did you know that?"
She didn't know but saw no reason to question him on it. "Okay.'
It made him happy that she agreed with him, if anything it helped to cement that he'd made the right choice. She was perfect. "And you have a son?"
If there was one thing she wasn't prepared to share it was information on her son. She kept quiet.
Continuing as if he hadn't noticed her silence he asked. "How old is he?"
Steadfastly she refused to answer again. After a moment he spoke again, his voice low and dangerous. "Lindsay I asked you a question, how old is your son?"
"I'd rather not discuss him."
His good mood went up in a cloud of smoke. "I don't believe I asked you what you wished to discuss. We discuss what I want." He was out of the chair in a flash, so fast she didn't even see him coming until he was right beside her. He grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her head back.
"If you're under any misconception of who's in charge here, as much as it would pain me I will demonstrate. Don't make me ask again Lindsay."
Question answered, she thought, there was no choice at all. "He's eight months."
"There now." He released the hair he had bunched in his hand and smoothed it out. "That wasn't so hard was it?" Happy again he sat back down in the chair. He wouldn't stay long, he found the covered walls depressing. But there was still time for a further chat. "What's his name?"
* * *
Mulder looked at the tired faces of the people sitting around the table. In truth he knew exactly how they were feeling. He and Scully had combed every inch of the Harvard campus and there was certainly a lot to cover. They'd visited dorm rooms; the library; the quad; the message boards. They'd talked to students, faculty, grounds keepers. Anybody they could stop, but it was fruitless. They'd come away with nothing.
"Well that was a waste of a day." Leave it to Doug to voice the negativity. Not that Mulder disagreed, but still.
"So nobody found anything?" Mulder looked around the table and found the answers reflected in the looks he got in return. The words weren't necessary, but still Adam spoke them. "No, nothing."
He sighed and leaned forward, it had been a long time since he'd been required to do that much leg work. Longer than he liked to think about and he hurt in places he didn't know existed. "I followed your profile and I talked to everyone I could. Nobody knows anything. I couldn't find anything that even remotely resembled a clue."
"Is it possible this guy's yanking our chain?" Doug considered himself the voice of reason. "Maybe he just likes seeing us chasing our tails. That's certainly what we were doing today."
"Is it possible Agent Mulder?" Mike was leaning back in his chair, nursing a cup of coffee. "Would he do something like that just to throw us off the scent?"
"What scent?" Doug interrupted, before Mulder could answer. "We're don't have a scent. All we've got is a silly poem, on paper we can't trace, photo's that give us no information and a fuzzy surveillance tape of a perpetrator we know nothing about."
"Doug," Adam said "That's enough."
"It'll only be enough when we find her." He looked at Mulder and then at Scully who was seated beside him. "You're supposed to be the best. The hotshots Washington sent us to show the little field agents how it's really done. Great job so far, I'm learning a heap." He pushed his chair back and stalked from the room.
Ten seconds ticked by and then twenty, as the tension in the room grew. Finally Mike spoke, breaking the silence. "I should really get back to the precinct and report to my captain. Do you need me to stick around?"
Mulder shook his head. "No. Thanks for your help today Detective."
"No problem. If you need me for anything else, just call. I mean that." He said when Mulder didn't answer. "I'm grateful you included me today. If there's the slightest chance one of these clues could lead to finding Lindsay, I want to help." He paused. "I'll drop in and see Bobby if you don't mind. Let him know what's happening."
When Mulder opened his mouth to speak he continued. "Just a general update, I know we're keeping the photo's and the notes under wraps. I just want to reassure him we're doing all we can."
Mulder nodded. "I'd appreciate that."
"Okay then, thanks." He watched as Mike walked out the door.
Adam cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about Doug, he was out of line. I'll have a talk to him."
"It's alright." But Mulder still felt the sting of his words. Some of what Doug had said, had hit too close to home.
"He's just angry. It's no excuse." He said, as Scully turned to look at him. "He shouldn't have said any of that. He gets a little defensive sometimes, he's not too keen on outsiders. Plus he's been passed over for promotion a few times."
"I wonder why." Scully muttered, sarcastically.
Adam gave her a small smile. "He really is a good investigator and he knows this city back to front, but if you'd like someone else, I can reassign him."
"No it's alright he can stay." Mulder blocked thoughts of Doug and his attitude from his mind and focussed on the job at hand. "I imagine we'll receive another note tomorrow. I sincerely doubt he'll use the same method of getting it here as he did today, but just in case I'd like additional security added to all three exists. If you could keep them out of sight though, I don't want to scare whoever it is away. I have to file a report with my superior, I'll put in a requisition for the overtime then."
"I'll take care of it." Adam answered.
"Thanks." Weary, Mulder sat back in his chair. "Until then I don't really think there's anything else we can do."
"Okay then." With a small nod to Scully, Adam went off to make the arrangements.
"Are you alright Mulder?" Scully glanced over at him concerned.
"I'm fine Scully." He almost laughed as he said it. How many times had she uttered those exact words to him and how many times had he seen through them. He doubted he was any more convincing in this instance. "I have to file a report to Skinner, I'd better do that now." Deliberately he turned away from her, standing and walking over to the computer Adam had arranged for.
She knew he wasn't alright. She'd known him far too long not to pick up on what he was feeling. She also knew he didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't afraid to push through that barrier of defence he liked to build around himself, she'd done that plenty of times before and if she thought it would help him she'd do it again now. But she sensed that what he needed most at the moment was time alone, to file the report and sort through whatever he was feeling. She'd give him that.
He was taking the case personally, it was always a dangerous line for an investigator to tread. Mulder stampeded over it regularly, she always wondered how much cases like these took away from him and worried that one day it would be too much. So she'd allow him a little time to ponder and undoubtedly blame himself and hopefully realise he was doing the best he could and better than most were capable of.
And if he didn't come to that realisation on his own, well then, she'd just have to step in and give him that shove.
* * *
"You've done well Martin."
"Thanks." Preening under the compliment, Martin straightened a little higher. "I followed all your instructions, just like you told me too. And I was really quick, straight in straight out. They didn't even see me." Still flushed with the success he continued. "You're plan's going to schedule isn't it?"
"Yes." He found himself caught up in Martins enthusiasm as well. It was so good to be able to share his cleverness with someone, even if the recipient wasn't on his intellectual level. He had no doubt that the FBI had spent their day wandering aimlessly around, looking for further clues that never eventuated. He'd find out for sure later but just for now the thought was enough. He was having so much fun and he intended to savour every moment of it.
"I need you to do something else for me Martin."
"Sure." Edmund pulled out another envelope the name and address meticulously printed on the front. Martin reached out for it "You want me to go there again?" He asked eager to please "I still remember the way."
"No." Edmund jerked the envelope back, just out of reach. "You can't go there again. Focus Martin." He said, when he saw the other mans eyes wander. He had the attention span of a gnat. "They'll be looking for that, you must stay as far away from that building as possible. I want you to post this letter for me. I need you to do it today, so that the letter arrives tomorrow."
Martins brow furrowed. "But if you're only posting it, why can't you do that?"
Why oh why, Edmund thought, do I surround myself with idiots. "Because, they're looking for me Martin." His voice was deceptively calm "It's a risk for me to even come out and see you here." Not that anyone would ever look for him in the dank, disgusting alley he was sure. But still. Still holding the envelope in one hand he reached into his pocket with the other and retrieved the fifty dollar note. He played with it idly, running it between his gloved fingers. Martin's eyes stayed glued to it the entire time. "However if you have something more important to do this afternoon, I understand."
"No." Martin couldn't take his eyes off the fifty, it'd been a long time since he'd come in contact with one. "No I can do it. I'm sorry I didn't mean to question you."
Pleased with the apology Edmund held out the letter again, only to snatch it back a second time. "Your gloves Martin." He said with much more patience than he was feeling. "You're to wear your gloves whenever you handle the letters remember?"
"Oh sorry." He flashed a smile, showing three missing teeth, several more rotten ones just waiting to fall out. It turned Edmunds stomach. "I guess I forgot." He struggled into the gloves and finally took the letter, along with it came the much sought after money.
"Today Martin, it has to be posted today, for them to receive it tomorrow. I'll be in contact."
Martin watched him turn and leave then place the envelope inside the pocked of his new coat. Again he counted his blessings that he'd been lucky enough to run into Edmund when he had. He looked at the fifty dollars in his hand and reached into another pocket to retrieve the crumpled twenty that he'd been given that morning and hadn't yet had a chance to spend. Seventy dollars, he hadn't had that much money in…. well he couldn't remember the last time so it wasn't really important.
The things he could buy with it scrolled through his mind. Food; clothes; maybe a room for the night with a real bed, alcohol? So many choices, he didn't know where to start. Though he reasoned that he wasn't really that hungry, because he'd stopped by the shelter for lunch and had filled up on soup and bread and why use his money for food when he could get it for free? Happy to cross that one off the list he moved to the next one, thanks to Edmund he now had a nice new coat to keep him warm and that was more clothes than he'd had yesterday wasn't it? And what did he need a night in a room for anyway, the streets had served him well enough in the past. His list was growing shorter by the minute, really only one thing remained.
Alcohol.
Yes. He grinned his toothless grin again and couldn't resist rubbing his hands together. He might not really need any of the other things on his list, but by God he had a thirst that he'd never been able to quench. But then he'd never had seventy dollars before either, so maybe one would help the other. He wouldn't know until he tried. Eager to get started he walked in the opposite direction to the one that Edmund had taken, the letter in his pocket already forgotten.
* * *
Bobby wandered the park by himself, his need to escape his friends overcoming his need to be surrounded by them. He didn't know what else to do, he'd tried to engulf himself in his work load, but that hadn't worked, every sound, every sight in the office had reminded him of Lindsay. Being at home was even worse, the memories there were so much more pronounced. The third time he'd found himself turning to tell her something, he'd known it was time to get out for a while. He didn't know why he'd come here, maybe because it was familiar and he found he needed that.
He'd already resigned himself to the fact that there was nowhere he could go that wouldn't remind him of Lindsay, in fact he found comfort in that. He needed that connection, that bond. He just didn't need to be surrounded by people as he experienced it. It was too much. Turning to his left he wandered over the cement bridge with the wire railings painted a cheerful green, that crossed the small pond and watched the ducks float below. Rob loved the ducks, was it just a couple of weeks ago that he and Lindsay had brought him here to see them or a lifetime ago? Bobby couldn't tell anymore, time had no meaning for him now.
The breeze ruffled his hair as he stood there looking down, lost in thought. He just couldn't get her out of his mind. The thoughts were worse since he'd seen that photo of her lying unconscious, God knows where. The FBI thought she was close by and he took some solace in that. Of course they had no idea where exactly, Mike hadn't told him much but he'd managed to garner that from the conversation. They had no leads and all they could do was wait until tomorrow. Did Lindsay even have a tomorrow in her future?
No. He couldn't start to think like that. Although to a small part of his mind it seemed like he couldn't stop. But he was doing his best to keep those thoughts at bay. It was getting harder. So much harder. Shaking the rail of the bridge in frustration he pushed away from it and wandered over to the benches bordering the pond. Both knees cracked as he sat down, a sign of tension and strain. He knew what it was like to worry about Lindsay, he'd done his share when she'd been stabbed, when he'd watched her fighting for life in the hospital. But she'd been there with him, he'd known where she was, he could help her fight the battle. How could he help her now? What could he do for her but wait?
She was absolutely the strongest person he knew, he took comfort in that even as the thought terrified him. What if she fought back? What if it was worse for her because she did? Once he allowed one question to form in his mind he couldn't stop. When was the last time he'd remembered to tell her he loved her? Why didn't he remember to tell her everyday? What would happen to Rob if she didn't come back? How could he grow up to be the wonderful person he was destined to be without Lindsay's guidance? Surely God couldn't be so cruel to make his son grow up without a mother the way he'd been forced too.
Throwing his head back to rest against the bench, he lifted both hands to rub his face. He wanted to get rid of the negative thoughts, the worries, the doubts. He wanted to focus on all the happy times and convince himself that there'd be a lifetime of them to follow. But he couldn't because every time he tried one thought pushed it's way back into his mind.
Why hadn't he paid more attention to her worries?
Surely if he had, if he'd insisted that she tell him everything, if he'd made her come into the office that day rather than being on her own, or better yet if he'd stayed home, he could have avoided all of this. He was her husband and he'd let her down. Now she was in danger, at the hands of some psycho that no one could find and all he could do was wait. Wait for other people to find her. He was letting her down again.
* * *
Edmund let himself into the house through the garage and wandered into the living room. His first stop was to check the security monitors, he felt a small stab of disappointment when he noticed that Lindsay's eyes were closed. He wanted to share his good day with her and tell her that his plan was going exactly too schedule and that she only had five more days to live.
He would tell her over dinner, he decided, since it was almost that time anyway. So good was his mood that he thought he'd go to extra trouble tonight and fix her something nice. It was the least he could do for her. After all he was sure that this situation had to be a little unpleasant for her.
But first things first. It was time to check on the progress of the investigation. He knew a lot about the procedures of the FBI. He'd studied them long and hard. And one thing he knew was that while agents may have free reign to travel all over the country, they still had to report to superiors who more often than not stayed put. The simplest and quickest method of accomplishing this was of course e-mail. And while the FBI mainframe may be nearly impossible to hack into, not he thought that he couldn't do it if he'd wanted too, he just didn't have enough time. Email, was still hard to secure and a much easier method of obtaining the information.
He'd purchased a worm, at considerable cost, but it had more than been worthwhile. With it he had managed to electronically burrow his way into the FBI field office and had access to any and all emails. He'd already set up the fields, queries and targets, so that every time Mulder sent an email from any computer in that building he'd be able to isolate it and copy it. They'd be none the wiser. The most important detail was to be quick, get in, get the information and get out. His program could do it in under five seconds, if he'd had more time he thought he could probably have gotten that down to under three. But that was for a later date.
Opening his email he was a little surprised to see the green flag that signified a message had been located and retrieved. He thought Mulder might have worked a bit later, that it might have taken him longer to file his first report. But then he rationalised, if you hadn't found anything why wait? A small snicker escaped as he read. They were exactly where he expected them to be at this point, which was of course no where. Sometimes his genius surprised even himself. The golden boy of the FBI would still be scratching his head five days from now, when Lindsay would be dead and Edmund would be packed up and on his way to another city. The scenario played out in his head so clearly it was almost as if it was already happening.
Reading the report twice more and choosing to put his own interpretation of despair on the somewhat barren information it contained just put him in a more jovial mood. By now the second note would be on its way and he couldn't wait until this time tomorrow when he could read more hopelessness in the next report. Rising he switched of the machine and wandered into the kitchen.
Yes, Lindsay would eat like a queen tonight.
* * *
She found him exactly where she'd left him.
Sitting alone in the darkened conference room the light of the computer screen in front of him the only illumination. With a sigh she moved further into the room, the sound of the door clicking shut behind not even registering on him.
"Mulder." She said quietly. Then again more loudly when he didn't respond. A blink of his eye was his only indication that he'd heard her. "What are you doing?" She asked as she moved to sit next to him, though she thought she already knew.
"Just thinking." He finally answered, confirming her own thoughts.
"I guess I don't have to ask you what about?"
He knew how well she knew him. "No."
"So then you don't need me to tell you that none of this is your fault." She nudged his chair around until he was facing her. "We're going to find her Mulder, but sometimes these things take time, you shouldn't need me to tell you that either."
"I know that Scully." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "This feels like amateur hour, I should be better at this. I USED to be better at this. I've been out of it for too long, it was stupid of me to think I could handle it. Stupid and selfish, I should have handed it over to the violent crimes guys the second I got the e-mail."
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. She was no stranger to Mulder's self inflicted guilt, but outbursts like that were unusual even for him. "Mulder if you'd stayed in that department, you'd be running it by now. No one doubts your abilities, if they did they wouldn't have green lighted the case to start with."
"I lost us a day today Scully. We're exactly where we were yesterday, which is nowhere. But now we're one day closer to the deadline."
"And if you keep this attitude up we'll be having the same conversation tomorrow night." Scully reached over and plucked the latest picture of Lindsay off the board. "She needs our help Mulder, she needs our focus. She doesn't need what if's and second guessing." She stood up to replace the picture, absentmindedly straightening his dishevelled hair as she did. It seemed it was time for that shove. "I plan on finding her Mulder, if you're not too busy beating yourself up maybe you'd like to give me a hand?"
He had to smile, nobody could set him straight like Scully. "I guess so."
Satisfied, she nodded. "Okay then." She looked at the clock, "I'm starving and I think it's your turn to buy dinner."
His mood restored he stood. "I bought last night."
The eyebrow went up again. "No you were meant to buy last night, but you conveniently forgot your wallet."
"Well then I paid this morning." He reached over to turn off the computer as they exited the room.
"That doesn't count."
The hallway was deserted as they walked down it. "Why not?"
"Because that was breakfast." The look she gave him said that should explain everything, but it was spoiled a moment later by the small quirk of her lips.
He cocked his head to one side. "You know Scully, sometimes your logic scares me." With a chuckle he held the front door open for her as they walked outside.
* * *