CH.5 Now you see me, now you don't
Deputy Roberts, a heavy man with rosy cheeks and sweat beads around his hairline, cheerfully greeted the two agents upon their entrance of the police station.
"Agents Mulder and Scully?" He asked as he approached them with his sweaty palm held out in front of him.
Mulder returned his smile as he grasped his hand and exchanged a hearty handshake. "I'm agent Mulder, this is my partner Agent Scully." He informed him.
Deputy Roberts held out his hand to Scully who reluctantly, after noticing the gleaming moisture coating it, shook it. He then turned and began walking towards an office with the blinds shut. Scully wiped her hand on the back of her butt quickly, and followed behind them.
With the door shut behind them, Roberts face took on a serious and disturbed expression. "So, Agents, I understand the bureau had been investigating a man you believe is responsible for these recent crimes?"
"Well, not really. Agent Scully and I are assigned to a more, uh, eclectic section of the bureau, and the man in question is in our files, but he is not currently under investigation."
"Come again?"
Scully uncomfortably moved her eyes around the office and pulled her lips into her mouth, curiously awaiting Mulder's response.
"We work on the x-files, cases that have been dumped and tossed aside due to lack of evidence, or were never pursued by the bureau."
"So what makes you believe you know our man?"
"Do you have any of the convenient store tapes?"
"Well, yeah. But there's nothing on 'em."
"Let's take a look at them anyway."
********************************************************************
Mulder paused the tape. "Do you see this blurriness here?" He pointed at the screen.
"Yeah." Roberts responded.
"We have investigated crimes with similar occurrences."
Roberts squinted his eyes and stared at Mulder questioningly. "Are you saying the robber makes himself invisible somehow?" He laughed jokingly.
Mulder didn't smile or laugh in return.
"You can't be serious." He laughed again. "Do you believe he made himself invisible?" He turned to Scully.
Unsure of how to react, she half-smiled and glanced over at Mulder.
*****************************************************************
Mulder looked over at Scully who hadn't spoken a word since they had left the station.
"Well?"
"Well, you drag me out on a Saturday to go and make an exhibit of our, out of YOUR---"
"Out of my what?"
"Whatever Mulder. People can't just erase themselves from the visual field. It's impossible."
"I didn't want to tell you anything because I knew you wouldn't go with me."
"Where are we going now?" She interrupted as she observed the street signs.
"To the office. I want to show you the x-file."
"Mulder," She paused and revaluated the situation. "There better be something more to it."
"You know me all to well Scully." He smiled.
**********************************************************************
"Robert Patrick Model was capable of forcing his will upon other people, right? So why is it so hard to believe that a man can, as you say, 'erase himself from the visual field'? This is a copy of a convenient store robbery from the x-file." He popped the tape into the vcr.
"You see here, the same gray blurriness in the corner there."
"Yeah, so what makes you believe these crimes are commited by Micah Drout."
"He was connected to each of the robberies somehow. In one case, the clerk was his sister's boyfriend, another case, he had been in the store at an earlier time and returned later, after the crime, and at another, was one of the shoppers in the store at the time of the robbery. I was never able to collect enough evidence to hold him, but a year later arrested for selling stolen items at a pawn shop. This is a tape from the prison that he 'vanished from.' He was in the cell with two other men, and a guard sitting ten feet away at all times." Mulder pointed to the screen. "There's the blurriness again. You see him, now you don't. That was seven years ago. I think he's back in town up to his old tricks."
Deputy Roberts, a heavy man with rosy cheeks and sweat beads around his hairline, cheerfully greeted the two agents upon their entrance of the police station.
"Agents Mulder and Scully?" He asked as he approached them with his sweaty palm held out in front of him.
Mulder returned his smile as he grasped his hand and exchanged a hearty handshake. "I'm agent Mulder, this is my partner Agent Scully." He informed him.
Deputy Roberts held out his hand to Scully who reluctantly, after noticing the gleaming moisture coating it, shook it. He then turned and began walking towards an office with the blinds shut. Scully wiped her hand on the back of her butt quickly, and followed behind them.
With the door shut behind them, Roberts face took on a serious and disturbed expression. "So, Agents, I understand the bureau had been investigating a man you believe is responsible for these recent crimes?"
"Well, not really. Agent Scully and I are assigned to a more, uh, eclectic section of the bureau, and the man in question is in our files, but he is not currently under investigation."
"Come again?"
Scully uncomfortably moved her eyes around the office and pulled her lips into her mouth, curiously awaiting Mulder's response.
"We work on the x-files, cases that have been dumped and tossed aside due to lack of evidence, or were never pursued by the bureau."
"So what makes you believe you know our man?"
"Do you have any of the convenient store tapes?"
"Well, yeah. But there's nothing on 'em."
"Let's take a look at them anyway."
********************************************************************
Mulder paused the tape. "Do you see this blurriness here?" He pointed at the screen.
"Yeah." Roberts responded.
"We have investigated crimes with similar occurrences."
Roberts squinted his eyes and stared at Mulder questioningly. "Are you saying the robber makes himself invisible somehow?" He laughed jokingly.
Mulder didn't smile or laugh in return.
"You can't be serious." He laughed again. "Do you believe he made himself invisible?" He turned to Scully.
Unsure of how to react, she half-smiled and glanced over at Mulder.
*****************************************************************
Mulder looked over at Scully who hadn't spoken a word since they had left the station.
"Well?"
"Well, you drag me out on a Saturday to go and make an exhibit of our, out of YOUR---"
"Out of my what?"
"Whatever Mulder. People can't just erase themselves from the visual field. It's impossible."
"I didn't want to tell you anything because I knew you wouldn't go with me."
"Where are we going now?" She interrupted as she observed the street signs.
"To the office. I want to show you the x-file."
"Mulder," She paused and revaluated the situation. "There better be something more to it."
"You know me all to well Scully." He smiled.
**********************************************************************
"Robert Patrick Model was capable of forcing his will upon other people, right? So why is it so hard to believe that a man can, as you say, 'erase himself from the visual field'? This is a copy of a convenient store robbery from the x-file." He popped the tape into the vcr.
"You see here, the same gray blurriness in the corner there."
"Yeah, so what makes you believe these crimes are commited by Micah Drout."
"He was connected to each of the robberies somehow. In one case, the clerk was his sister's boyfriend, another case, he had been in the store at an earlier time and returned later, after the crime, and at another, was one of the shoppers in the store at the time of the robbery. I was never able to collect enough evidence to hold him, but a year later arrested for selling stolen items at a pawn shop. This is a tape from the prison that he 'vanished from.' He was in the cell with two other men, and a guard sitting ten feet away at all times." Mulder pointed to the screen. "There's the blurriness again. You see him, now you don't. That was seven years ago. I think he's back in town up to his old tricks."