The next morning found Mulder driving the small car to the local police station with Scully in the passenger seat. Looking at him now, Scully could see that sleep had done a good deal of help for him. He seemed to have more color in his face and was all-in-all in a better mood. He was tapping his hands on the steering wheel to the beat of the song on the radio, something she considered normal.
He turned to her suddenly. "So tell me, Scully. What do you think about this case so far?"
"So far, we don't have much at all. We have your wild ideas, as usual. But other than that, all we have is one dead body that I have yet to see."
Mulder nodded. "True. Just like always?"
"Hmm." Scully said in reply as she turned back to the window.
They arrived at the station mere moments later. Mulder pulled up to the nearest open parking place, then stepped briskly from the car. He squinted in the bright sun, and, covering his eyes with his hand, studied the small building. He turned to Scully, who was grabbing some stuff.
"Kinda remind you of an old western?"
Scully looked up at the small building. "Not really, Mulder."
Mulder smiled and shook his head, then grabbed a bag for Scully. She nodded her thanks, then headed toward the entrance. They stepped inside the small lobby area, and were immediately scrutinized by a bony secretary, who seemed very interested in Mulder. She stepped forward closer to the glass that separated her from the FBI agents.
"Can I help you folks with something?"
Mulder nodded and reached into his trench coat. The woman tensed, not knowing what to expect, but he simply pulled out his badge. Flashing it at her, he said, "I'm Special Agent Mulder, and this is Special Agent Scully. We're with the FBI. We were called out here to investigate a case."
The woman nodded. "Case number?"
"625938." Mulder recited, having looked at it so many times that he knew it by heart. Scully shook her head, thinking he had spent too much time looking at it.
The woman nodded again and began typing on her keyboard. She was still doing this when a deputy stepped through a side door. He glanced at Mulder, then to Scully. "You the FBI people?" he asked, judging by their stuffy suits and jackets. Mulder nodded. "Deputy Brian Harris," he said, extending his hand.
Mulder shook it. "Mulder." He indicated Scully, who smiled politely. "This is Scully."
Harris nodded. "Nice to meet ya'll. You want to go ahead and see the body, or do you want to see the crime scene?"
Mulder turned to Scully for the answer. She sighed. "Let's see the body first," she answered, still looking at Mulder.
Harris nodded. "Alright. Well, he's up at the morgue. Good thing you guys came. We wouldn't have been able to hold the body too much longer."
The agents both nodded, the followed the deputy as he led them into the back of the station, the secretary still watching Mulder's every move. In a matter of moments they reached one of the smallest morgues Scully had ever seen. There were only three things to put the bodies on, and the autopsy table was in the very same room. To her, it looked very cramped. She sighed, knowing Mulder would ask her to do an autopsy.
"Here you go," Harris was saying as he grabbed one of the handles to the body holders. It pulled out easily, revealing a large black man. Mulder stepped closer as he pulled a pair of gloves on.
"Look here, Scully," he said, pointing to two small puncture holes on the man's neck. He looked up and smiled. "Looks kinda suspicious to me."
Scully shook her head at his sarcasm and pulled on a pair of gloves herself. She began to look over the rest of the body, finding similar holes on the arms. Other than that, Scully could only find a few large holes, probably made by a knife.
She looked up at the deputy. "What was this man's cause of death?" she asked.
Harris shrugged. "We're not entirely sure. We don't get many murders around here, so there is no reason to ever have to perform autopsies. We just don't have the staff. But you're welcome to see if you want to."
Mulder turned to Scully and grinned mischievously. "Have fun."