Not Again - Chapter 12
It took only a couple of seconds for Mulder to notice Scully's disheveled appearance. Scully's appearance was always immaculate even under the most trying of circumstances.
He knew he had interrupted something. He really didn't want to think what it was.
"Hi Scully. Thanks for getting over here so quickly."
Scully felt the guilt creeping up on her again and started to say something then stopped herself. She suspected that Mulder knew what she had been up to and figured it was better to just leave well enough alone.
"What have we got here Mulder?"
"Another body and from first glance it looks like another copycat killing."
"Great" Scully sighed as she followed Mulder over to the body. "Which book this time?"
Mulder lifted the tarp and Scully winced at the parched body that lay beneath it. It was burned pretty badly and smelled even worse.
"Unless I miss my guess, it is straight out of 'Men Of Steel'. The villain in the story likes to set his victims on fire using his blow torch. Not sure if a blow torch was used here but the result seems to be the same."
Scully snapped on her latex gloves and poked at the body a bit and did a quick examination of the face. "Looks like the burns are mostly on the surface."
Mulder agreed. "When you do the autopsy see if you can figure out what was used to light this guy on fire. Maybe the fuel or the device used to ignite it will give us a clue."
"Got it." Scully rose to her feet.
"Hey Scully, if the killer stays on track, we should expect him to do something from 'Picture This' within the next day or so."
"I know, I am 100 pages into the book and nothing has jumped out at me yet. So far, the main character is only gathering pictures of different people who come into his life."
"Keep reading and I will start on book number four."
With that Scully signaled for the body to be removed and rode with it back to Quantico. In the ambulance she thought about both Mulder and Dave and wondered to herself how two such very different men could affect her so much.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scully was correct about the victim's burns being basically only skin deep. Whatever was poured on the person burned very hot but burned out very quickly. She made a note to talk to the experts in the arson group in the morning and get their ideas on the subject.
Unfortunately, like the first victim, this victim didn't reveal any clues to who his killer was. In fact, Scully thought it would take the checking of dental records to identify the body at all.
Discouraged Scully glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost 3am. She thought briefly about Dave's offer and returning to his hotel but then decided against it.
It was too late and she was definitely not in the mood for love. Her mind was racing as it tried to figure out the puzzle that lay on the autopsy table in front of her.
There was really only one person who would understand and she knew he would still be awake.
She hit the speed dial on her cell phone even as she told the orderly that she was done with the body for now.
"Mulder"
"Hey, it's me."
The voice on the other end of the phone seemed to perk up a pick.
"Anything?"
"Not really. I want to talk to the guys in arson tomorrow. Maybe they can help us out a bit."
"Good thought."
Scully kept the phone to her ear as she stripped out of her hospital garb "How'd it go for you?" "Not much better I'm afraid. Still no witnesses."
"Who found the body?"
"A cop on regular patrol. Scully, can you give me a time of death."
"Not exactly, but I would guess between 9:30 and 11 last night."
"Scully, you are not going to want to hear what I am about to say..."
"Mulder, he was with me the whole evening. Right up until I left to go to the crime scene."
"Sorry Scully"
"Don't worry about it"
Mulder could hear the tension in her voice. "Hey Scully, I just finished up at police headquarters and was going to head out for some pancakes and coffee."
Scully laughed "Pancakes? It's three in the morning!"
"So I'm hungry, so kill me. Anyway, I just wanted to know if you would like to join me. I know you always are all keyed up after you do an autopsy. I could swing by and pick you up.."
Scully thought a minute. Massages and sex with Dave or pancakes with Mulder? She definitely had some bizarre decisions to make in her life.
"Actually, I am a bit hungry"
"I'll be there in 20 minutes"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mulder and Scully sat in a booth at the all night diner down the street from the Quantico facility. It was a favorite haunt for FBI agents and there were always a few present no matter what time of day or night it was.
After ordering his pancakes and her bran muffin they both sat back and savored the dark strong coffee the waitress automatically brought to them.
Normally during these situations the two of them would be hashing out the case and often having quite a debate over some point or another. This time, however, Scully noticed how quiet her partner was being.
She reached over and took his hand. "It's okay Mulder. You can ask me about him if you want to."
"I'm not sure I want to know Scully."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better there is really not much to tell. We spent the day touring the city had dinner and had pretty much returned to my apartment when I got your message."
Mulder knew Scully was simplifying things for him and appreciated her efforts to spare his feelings. He wanted Scully to be happy, he really did, he just wished he could trust Dave a little bit more.
"You know Mulder, if you are so sure that the killer will be picking a scene out of 'Picture This' for the next murder, why don't you pick Dave's brain and see what he can come up with."
"I would do that Scully except." he paused a second not quite sure how to continue
"Except that you consider him a suspect."
"Yeah, I'm afraid I do."
Scully nodded in silence and said nothing more about it since their food had arrived.
They ate in silence with Scully once again amazed with how her partner could devour so much food and stay so slim.
After their breakfast, Mulder dropped Scully back at her apartment and arranged to meet her at 10am in their office.
Scully walked into her bedroom and removed her clothes. She thought about taking a shower but decided against it since she would just have to take another one in a manner of hours.
She was about to turn off her light when she noticed her message light was flashing. She hit the play button and heard Dave's voice
"Dana, I just wanted to tell you how much fun I had today and how I can't wait to see you tomorrow. Pleasant dreams."
Scully smiled and lay back against her pillows and slowly replayed the very long day she had just completed. Work, then playing tourist, a wonderful dinner and an even better romantic interlude before having to head back to work again. She had almost drifted off when she sat up in bed like a shot.
"I can't believe I forgot" she said to herself "I wasn't with him all night. Damn, what if Mulder is right?"
Scully tossed and turned until her alarm rang a mere four hours later.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Across town in the red light of a darkroom recently developed photos hung drying. The pictures were of a wide variety of people but two seemed to be the favorite subjects of the photographer.
A couple usually photographed together but sometimes apart. A tall man with dark hair and a petite woman with red hair.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Author's note: With a little bit of luck, I will be able to get another chapter out tonight. Let me know what you think? Your feedback gets me back to typing quicker!
It took only a couple of seconds for Mulder to notice Scully's disheveled appearance. Scully's appearance was always immaculate even under the most trying of circumstances.
He knew he had interrupted something. He really didn't want to think what it was.
"Hi Scully. Thanks for getting over here so quickly."
Scully felt the guilt creeping up on her again and started to say something then stopped herself. She suspected that Mulder knew what she had been up to and figured it was better to just leave well enough alone.
"What have we got here Mulder?"
"Another body and from first glance it looks like another copycat killing."
"Great" Scully sighed as she followed Mulder over to the body. "Which book this time?"
Mulder lifted the tarp and Scully winced at the parched body that lay beneath it. It was burned pretty badly and smelled even worse.
"Unless I miss my guess, it is straight out of 'Men Of Steel'. The villain in the story likes to set his victims on fire using his blow torch. Not sure if a blow torch was used here but the result seems to be the same."
Scully snapped on her latex gloves and poked at the body a bit and did a quick examination of the face. "Looks like the burns are mostly on the surface."
Mulder agreed. "When you do the autopsy see if you can figure out what was used to light this guy on fire. Maybe the fuel or the device used to ignite it will give us a clue."
"Got it." Scully rose to her feet.
"Hey Scully, if the killer stays on track, we should expect him to do something from 'Picture This' within the next day or so."
"I know, I am 100 pages into the book and nothing has jumped out at me yet. So far, the main character is only gathering pictures of different people who come into his life."
"Keep reading and I will start on book number four."
With that Scully signaled for the body to be removed and rode with it back to Quantico. In the ambulance she thought about both Mulder and Dave and wondered to herself how two such very different men could affect her so much.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scully was correct about the victim's burns being basically only skin deep. Whatever was poured on the person burned very hot but burned out very quickly. She made a note to talk to the experts in the arson group in the morning and get their ideas on the subject.
Unfortunately, like the first victim, this victim didn't reveal any clues to who his killer was. In fact, Scully thought it would take the checking of dental records to identify the body at all.
Discouraged Scully glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost 3am. She thought briefly about Dave's offer and returning to his hotel but then decided against it.
It was too late and she was definitely not in the mood for love. Her mind was racing as it tried to figure out the puzzle that lay on the autopsy table in front of her.
There was really only one person who would understand and she knew he would still be awake.
She hit the speed dial on her cell phone even as she told the orderly that she was done with the body for now.
"Mulder"
"Hey, it's me."
The voice on the other end of the phone seemed to perk up a pick.
"Anything?"
"Not really. I want to talk to the guys in arson tomorrow. Maybe they can help us out a bit."
"Good thought."
Scully kept the phone to her ear as she stripped out of her hospital garb "How'd it go for you?" "Not much better I'm afraid. Still no witnesses."
"Who found the body?"
"A cop on regular patrol. Scully, can you give me a time of death."
"Not exactly, but I would guess between 9:30 and 11 last night."
"Scully, you are not going to want to hear what I am about to say..."
"Mulder, he was with me the whole evening. Right up until I left to go to the crime scene."
"Sorry Scully"
"Don't worry about it"
Mulder could hear the tension in her voice. "Hey Scully, I just finished up at police headquarters and was going to head out for some pancakes and coffee."
Scully laughed "Pancakes? It's three in the morning!"
"So I'm hungry, so kill me. Anyway, I just wanted to know if you would like to join me. I know you always are all keyed up after you do an autopsy. I could swing by and pick you up.."
Scully thought a minute. Massages and sex with Dave or pancakes with Mulder? She definitely had some bizarre decisions to make in her life.
"Actually, I am a bit hungry"
"I'll be there in 20 minutes"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mulder and Scully sat in a booth at the all night diner down the street from the Quantico facility. It was a favorite haunt for FBI agents and there were always a few present no matter what time of day or night it was.
After ordering his pancakes and her bran muffin they both sat back and savored the dark strong coffee the waitress automatically brought to them.
Normally during these situations the two of them would be hashing out the case and often having quite a debate over some point or another. This time, however, Scully noticed how quiet her partner was being.
She reached over and took his hand. "It's okay Mulder. You can ask me about him if you want to."
"I'm not sure I want to know Scully."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better there is really not much to tell. We spent the day touring the city had dinner and had pretty much returned to my apartment when I got your message."
Mulder knew Scully was simplifying things for him and appreciated her efforts to spare his feelings. He wanted Scully to be happy, he really did, he just wished he could trust Dave a little bit more.
"You know Mulder, if you are so sure that the killer will be picking a scene out of 'Picture This' for the next murder, why don't you pick Dave's brain and see what he can come up with."
"I would do that Scully except." he paused a second not quite sure how to continue
"Except that you consider him a suspect."
"Yeah, I'm afraid I do."
Scully nodded in silence and said nothing more about it since their food had arrived.
They ate in silence with Scully once again amazed with how her partner could devour so much food and stay so slim.
After their breakfast, Mulder dropped Scully back at her apartment and arranged to meet her at 10am in their office.
Scully walked into her bedroom and removed her clothes. She thought about taking a shower but decided against it since she would just have to take another one in a manner of hours.
She was about to turn off her light when she noticed her message light was flashing. She hit the play button and heard Dave's voice
"Dana, I just wanted to tell you how much fun I had today and how I can't wait to see you tomorrow. Pleasant dreams."
Scully smiled and lay back against her pillows and slowly replayed the very long day she had just completed. Work, then playing tourist, a wonderful dinner and an even better romantic interlude before having to head back to work again. She had almost drifted off when she sat up in bed like a shot.
"I can't believe I forgot" she said to herself "I wasn't with him all night. Damn, what if Mulder is right?"
Scully tossed and turned until her alarm rang a mere four hours later.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Across town in the red light of a darkroom recently developed photos hung drying. The pictures were of a wide variety of people but two seemed to be the favorite subjects of the photographer.
A couple usually photographed together but sometimes apart. A tall man with dark hair and a petite woman with red hair.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Author's note: With a little bit of luck, I will be able to get another chapter out tonight. Let me know what you think? Your feedback gets me back to typing quicker!