The rain smashed against the windscreen hard and unrelenting, blurring any chance that Scully had of seeing the oncoming traffic. The wipers were on full speed but they had little or no effect to the onslaught of the rain.
"I hate rain." She muttered angrily to herself leaning in closer to the screen as if it helped.
"I dunno...I kinda like it." Mulder said speaking for the first time in nearly 30 miles. "It clears the air."
"Back to the land of the living?"
"What? Oh I was just thinking" Mulder admitted wistfully.
"What about?"
"Well mainly, why Skinner was so eager to get this case for us…I've been reading the case file Scully and it has all the marking of a good X-File…"
Scully let out an almost discernable sigh and Mulder noticed her shoulders slump down.
"Maybe it is just a regular Kidnapping." Scully said weakly.
"So why didn't he leave the case to Fisher and Doultry? I mean they are good men."
"Mulder, There are over 11000 Special Agents working for the FBI with twice the work load and back load, couldn't they be busy? Couldn't they have handed it off?"
"I don't think so Scully, this case…there is something about it"
Scully glanced over at him and saw that he was watching her. She smiled a little and nodded towards the bag on the back seat.
"Go on then, show me"
"Well…" Mulder reached into the bag and pulled out the file Skinner had given him earlier. "Liam Maguire, born 6/8/82. Diagnosed with Autism at the age of five, a strain called Williams Syndrome. Became wheelchair bound by the age of nine and developed language problem, motor skills and a hypersensitivity to sounds."
"Williams syndrome isn't that uncommon, 1 out of 20,000 to 50,000 births, when you look at the figures-"
"That's not what makes this an x-file." Mulder interrupted, " In November 1997 Liam went missing from his front yard. No clues or traces were found. Nothing. Both his parents were alive and his father even suspected of murder, but there was never any evidence."
Scully sat back from the window and accelerated slightly as the rain eased. Pushing her hair behind her ear she listened to Mulder. He always liked to do this to her, ply her with all the regularities of the case before going for shock tactics and revealing the X-File factor.
"Last Tuesday Liam was found in a barn belonging to a Mrs..." He flicked through the file looking for a name, "Mrs Baker."
Scully looked confused, " I thought we were here to find the boy. He's been missing since 1997?"
"He's back now." Mulder said relishing power he had when he saw her struggling to make sense of it all.
"I don't get it Mulder," she admitted knowing they were the words he was waiting for.
"He is walking, talking, he's gained all the mobility he'd lost, and he's been tested by many doctors and they all have given him a clear bill of health. He's taking equivalency tests in the next few days to see his IQ level. He hasn't aged past the age of 16 and has no memory of where he's been since the abduction"
"Kidnapping." Scully corrected almost automatically.
"You say Pot-ay-to, I say Pot-a-to!" Mulder laughed at her stern look. "How could you explain a 16 year old autistic child going missing for 6 years only to return unaged and in perfect health?" He said throwing down the challenge.
"Firstly I'd need to see his medical records before I try to do that-"
"I got them here."
"Then I'd like to speak to Liam."
"Tomorrows another day, Scull, full of possibilities."
"But mainly," she continued ignoring him, "I'd like to get out of this car take a bath and get some sleep. It's hitting 2.30am and I'm tired"
"Tired of me?" Mulder said smiling.
"Tired. Just tired. This isn't how I had imagined spending my weekend" She refused to match his gaze and watched the road for a motel. "Do you know where we are staying?"
"You know I've never stayed in Ohio before." He curbed his humour recognising the weariness in her voice.
"Looks like another fun adventure in finding a roach motel"
"Do you want me to drive?" he asked carefully.
"No Mulder, I want you to find a motel"
He rummaged through the glove box and found a map of the town. He looked out the windows for street signs and started directing her to the motel. He knew she was tired but still she insisted on driving from the airport. He didn't try to argue too much wanting the chance to read over the case file, but now wished that he had.
Scully pulled into the car park and Mulder ran into the office to get the rooms. She watched him through the window that was still speckled with a drizzly rain. She didn't mean to bark at him but she turned up at their office to take him out for dinner. This was not on the agenda. Dinner and a movie. A bit of friendly companionship. She was feeling lonely and wanted to have easy conversation. She should have known that it wouldn't be easy with Mulder. Nothing was. Startled by the knock on her window she got out of the car and followed him to the boot.
"I got us two of their best rooms," Mulder said smiling "both with cable TV and a mini bar."
"Spared no expense I hope?" She said trying to lighten the tension"
"For you? Never!" He put his arm over her shoulders and squeezed her roughly. "Let's go. Your number 13, I got number 14"
They grabbed their bags and went over to their rooms.
"Goodnight Mulder." She gave him a sad smile and disappeared into her room. He waited until he heard her door locking before entering himself. The room was basic at the Mountain View Motel. A small bed that Mulder shied away from with a vibration feature. He could hear Scully moving round the room and the shower starting. He slipped off his shoes and bent to reach the mini bar.
"Let's see…" he pulled out a few bottles, "vodka, Gin, Rum, whiskey…Whiskey please, straight." Pouring the small bottle into one of the glasses he found in the bathroom, he lay on the bed and turned on the TV.
The shrill ring from her travel alarm startled Scully from her slumber. Pushing it off the dresser she rolled over and stretched lazily. Breathing deeply she emerged from the bed and dressed. Wearing her fitted light blue blouse and black shirt she made her way to Mulder's room. He was sitting up on the bed with the papers from the file strewn around him. A half empty box of Dunkin Donuts sat on the floor by the bed and his suit hung over the bathroom door.
"Not sleeping?" Scully said.
"Couldn't. Too wired about this…"
"I thing we should go see Liam," she approached the bed and he made room for her. Picking up the donuts he offered her one.
"And defiantly the hospital."
"It says here that he attends Jackson Memorial School," she said eating the plain donut.
"That was before the abduction, now he goes to Jefferson High. Jackson was a special needs school."
The school lot was full but they managed to find a spot. Mulder pulled the folder from the back of the car and put his jacket back on. The heat was stifling and he envied Scully her light blouse.
"Liam Maguire was practically in a waking coma with Williams syndrome, when he went missing, but shows no sign of any such illness now."
"Yeah. Remember Billy Miles? Back in 1992?"
"That was different," Scully argued
"I suppose, he was being controlled by aliens"
Before she could argue Scully caught the laugh in his eye and closed her mouth. Another fish reeled in. If she didn't know he believed so strongly she would get mad, but as it were she took his little jibes and waited for her own proof.
"Has anyone thought to ask that he was cured, for want of a better word, before he went missing? That the trauma of the situation made him disappear?"
"You sound sceptic Scully?" he said as he opened the doors for her.
"Aren't you?"
"Why would they lie?"
"Maybe they are trying to hide something from us. I've been trying to contact Sgt Murphy all day to no avail, we cant get out to the location where they found Liam with out his consent. Maybe there is something out there they don't want us to see." She said as they walked towards the principal's office.
"You're too paranoid, Scully!"
Lowering her head Scully shook it softly. It's gonna be one of those days, she thought as she followed Mulder into the office.
