Chapter 4: Innocence
Mulder and I arrived at the police department after only fifteen minutes. As we stepped out of the car, I grabbed his arm, "Mulder, I . . ."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"It's nothing," I replied, looking down at the ground. I couldn't bring myself to tell him I was scared out of my mind. I wondered why I felt so threatened by this criminal. I was only there to arrest him, what could happen?
We stepped into the small building. There were two cops in sitting at their desks, a woman and a man. The woman stood up to greet us, but the man just sat there, eating sunflower seeds. "Welcome, agents," she said, "I'm officer Laura Rich, and over there is officer Josh Miller."
"I'm agent Dana Scully, and this is agent Fox Mulder, we're from the FBI," I said, sort of stuttering.
"Ah! Then you can figure this one out, I heard you specialize in, uh, aliens?" officer Rich said.
"Well, it's basically the paranormal," I replied.
"Oh," Rich mumbled, looking sort of disappointed.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing, I've just always wanted to work with stuff like that," Rich retorted.
"Hey, Mulder! We've got another conspiracy chaser!" I called to him. Mulder was eating officer Miller's sunflower seeds.
"Okay, Scully," Mulder crunched. He was really happy that we had found some sunflower seeds.
"How about we get this over with, I'm beginning to feel like my partner's invading your seed stash," I muttered.
Officers Rich and Miller lead us to the little jail cell where the kidnapper sat, mumbling gospel songs to himself. As we walked into the room, he opened his eyes, staring at me. I swore he could sense my fear. His face was wrinkled and dark. His eyes were dark blue, and his hair was almost pitch black. I could sense evil from the moment we had eye contact. I realized he liked me.
"You two are going to figure if he's guilty or not," Rich explained. I'll bring in the little girl, so you can hear what she has to say." Officer Rich left the little room.
Mulder stood beside the barred cell. "So. What's your name, sir?"
"Brendan Kerns," he replied with willingness.
"Mr. Kerns, have you heard of a young girl called Carrie Porter?" Mulder asked.
"Yes. I brought her home when I found her on the side of the road."
"That's not what I've heard. I think you abducted her."
"I swear! I didn't do anything to the kid!" Brendan began to sob.
"Mulder, tone it down a bit," I coaxed, sort of feeling sorry, but still afraid.
"It says here that you've had a record of violent kidnappings." Mulder skimmed through the report.
"I've changed, I swear. That was a long time ago, I've served my time."
"Okay . . . Mr. Kerns, what kind of shape was the girl in when you found her?"
"She was beaten and bruised. Could barely walk. I think she had been beaten severely, or maybe stabbed, or OH!" Brendan held his throbbing head in his hands.
"Brendan! Are you okay?" I cried, running over to the cell. I didn't know what I was doing; I felt sympathy for a man who abducted little girls.
"Aah!" the man screamed, digging his nails into his flesh.
Mulder and I stepped back in horror.
Suddenly, Brendan stopped screaming. "Are you okay?" Mulder asked.
"I killed her," Kerns said in a raspy voice.
"You killed her? Who?"
"I killed Sarah."
"Sarah who?"
"Sarah Porter."
Must be a relation to Carrie, I thought.
"Carrie's mother," Mulder said, sifting through the file.
"I need Carrie. I need the red," Brendan muttered. Then there was more screaming, and Brendan had turned back into his calm, and sad self.
"Okay, then," I mumbled, "what the fuck just happened?"
Mulder shrugged his shoulders. The door opened in an instant, and in came Carrie and officer Rich. The girl was not very tall; she was a redhead with blue eyes. I smiled at Carrie, but she just stared blankly back.
"Sit down, Carrie," officer Rich instructed, urging the girl to sit in front of Mulder and I.
"Hello. I'm agent Mulder, and this is agent Scully. We're going to ask you a few questions, okay?" Mulder asked in a clam singsong voice.
Carrie nodded, but I could tell she was about to lie to us.
"Carrie, can you tell us where you've been the past few days?" Mulder asked.
"At home."
"What do you mean?"
"I was in the basement at home."
"You were found on a roadside ditch, how did you get from the basement to the road?"
"Dad drove me."
"Okay. How did you get all these scratches?"
"I ran through a prickle bush."
"So, this man had nothing to do with your disappearance?"
"No."
"No further questions, Carrie. You can go home."
"She's lying, Mulder! Don't take this crap!" I whispered in his ear.
"No, I think she's telling the truth! Lots of parents can be abusive. We should investigate the father!" Mulder whispered back.
"Mulder! How do we know he didn't just tell her to lie? What about the fact that he KILLED her mother!"
"He said he's changed, Scully. We have to take his word for it! We have to let him go. We have to let him go or we'll be held for federal offence."
"Mulder! What if your wrong!"
"Lets hope for our sake we're not." Mulder spoke normally again, "Mr. Kerns, your free to go."
The man looked a bit crazed as Mulder said this, "Thank you, Mr. Mulder, I'm glad somebody thinks I'm innocent." He had obviously overheard our conversation. He stared at me again, with a cold glare that sent shivers down my spine. "I'll see you two soon."
We watched Kerns walk out of the police station, and once he was gone, we decided to perform a stake out on Mr. Porter, to see if he was the one who had abducted his daughter. I highly doubted that he was the kidnapper, but I hoped I was wrong, because if I was right, then there was a psycho on the loose.
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Mulder and I arrived at the police department after only fifteen minutes. As we stepped out of the car, I grabbed his arm, "Mulder, I . . ."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"It's nothing," I replied, looking down at the ground. I couldn't bring myself to tell him I was scared out of my mind. I wondered why I felt so threatened by this criminal. I was only there to arrest him, what could happen?
We stepped into the small building. There were two cops in sitting at their desks, a woman and a man. The woman stood up to greet us, but the man just sat there, eating sunflower seeds. "Welcome, agents," she said, "I'm officer Laura Rich, and over there is officer Josh Miller."
"I'm agent Dana Scully, and this is agent Fox Mulder, we're from the FBI," I said, sort of stuttering.
"Ah! Then you can figure this one out, I heard you specialize in, uh, aliens?" officer Rich said.
"Well, it's basically the paranormal," I replied.
"Oh," Rich mumbled, looking sort of disappointed.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing, I've just always wanted to work with stuff like that," Rich retorted.
"Hey, Mulder! We've got another conspiracy chaser!" I called to him. Mulder was eating officer Miller's sunflower seeds.
"Okay, Scully," Mulder crunched. He was really happy that we had found some sunflower seeds.
"How about we get this over with, I'm beginning to feel like my partner's invading your seed stash," I muttered.
Officers Rich and Miller lead us to the little jail cell where the kidnapper sat, mumbling gospel songs to himself. As we walked into the room, he opened his eyes, staring at me. I swore he could sense my fear. His face was wrinkled and dark. His eyes were dark blue, and his hair was almost pitch black. I could sense evil from the moment we had eye contact. I realized he liked me.
"You two are going to figure if he's guilty or not," Rich explained. I'll bring in the little girl, so you can hear what she has to say." Officer Rich left the little room.
Mulder stood beside the barred cell. "So. What's your name, sir?"
"Brendan Kerns," he replied with willingness.
"Mr. Kerns, have you heard of a young girl called Carrie Porter?" Mulder asked.
"Yes. I brought her home when I found her on the side of the road."
"That's not what I've heard. I think you abducted her."
"I swear! I didn't do anything to the kid!" Brendan began to sob.
"Mulder, tone it down a bit," I coaxed, sort of feeling sorry, but still afraid.
"It says here that you've had a record of violent kidnappings." Mulder skimmed through the report.
"I've changed, I swear. That was a long time ago, I've served my time."
"Okay . . . Mr. Kerns, what kind of shape was the girl in when you found her?"
"She was beaten and bruised. Could barely walk. I think she had been beaten severely, or maybe stabbed, or OH!" Brendan held his throbbing head in his hands.
"Brendan! Are you okay?" I cried, running over to the cell. I didn't know what I was doing; I felt sympathy for a man who abducted little girls.
"Aah!" the man screamed, digging his nails into his flesh.
Mulder and I stepped back in horror.
Suddenly, Brendan stopped screaming. "Are you okay?" Mulder asked.
"I killed her," Kerns said in a raspy voice.
"You killed her? Who?"
"I killed Sarah."
"Sarah who?"
"Sarah Porter."
Must be a relation to Carrie, I thought.
"Carrie's mother," Mulder said, sifting through the file.
"I need Carrie. I need the red," Brendan muttered. Then there was more screaming, and Brendan had turned back into his calm, and sad self.
"Okay, then," I mumbled, "what the fuck just happened?"
Mulder shrugged his shoulders. The door opened in an instant, and in came Carrie and officer Rich. The girl was not very tall; she was a redhead with blue eyes. I smiled at Carrie, but she just stared blankly back.
"Sit down, Carrie," officer Rich instructed, urging the girl to sit in front of Mulder and I.
"Hello. I'm agent Mulder, and this is agent Scully. We're going to ask you a few questions, okay?" Mulder asked in a clam singsong voice.
Carrie nodded, but I could tell she was about to lie to us.
"Carrie, can you tell us where you've been the past few days?" Mulder asked.
"At home."
"What do you mean?"
"I was in the basement at home."
"You were found on a roadside ditch, how did you get from the basement to the road?"
"Dad drove me."
"Okay. How did you get all these scratches?"
"I ran through a prickle bush."
"So, this man had nothing to do with your disappearance?"
"No."
"No further questions, Carrie. You can go home."
"She's lying, Mulder! Don't take this crap!" I whispered in his ear.
"No, I think she's telling the truth! Lots of parents can be abusive. We should investigate the father!" Mulder whispered back.
"Mulder! How do we know he didn't just tell her to lie? What about the fact that he KILLED her mother!"
"He said he's changed, Scully. We have to take his word for it! We have to let him go. We have to let him go or we'll be held for federal offence."
"Mulder! What if your wrong!"
"Lets hope for our sake we're not." Mulder spoke normally again, "Mr. Kerns, your free to go."
The man looked a bit crazed as Mulder said this, "Thank you, Mr. Mulder, I'm glad somebody thinks I'm innocent." He had obviously overheard our conversation. He stared at me again, with a cold glare that sent shivers down my spine. "I'll see you two soon."
We watched Kerns walk out of the police station, and once he was gone, we decided to perform a stake out on Mr. Porter, to see if he was the one who had abducted his daughter. I highly doubted that he was the kidnapper, but I hoped I was wrong, because if I was right, then there was a psycho on the loose.
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