Chapter Two
March 31
Chester, Wisconsin
Oracle Hotel
6:58PM
She dumped her suitcases on the queen-sized bed and examined her moderate room. It was freshly clean: the scent of pine still evident. There was a small kitchenette straight ahead and a decent bathroom to the right.
Her cell phone chirped, startling her before she snatched it from her jacket. "Dana Scully."
"Doctor Scully, we need you at the morgue right away. Your delayed flight really screwed up our plans. Do you know how to get here or would you like me to send someone to pick you up?"
"I can find it." I can find anything in this sorry-excuse for a town, she thought wistfully. Spending my weekend in Nowhere-Wisconsin was never on my list of things to do.
"That's great." And he disconnected.
Dana released a frustrated sigh and stomped out of her room. She dug the rental car keys out then peered up in time to see a familiar man racing towards a dark blue Sedan. "Mulder," she called out, stunned.
Fox Mulder whirled around, his expression laced with confusion until he focused on her. "Well, hey, Doctor. I had no idea we would be motel buddies."
"Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?"
"Hopefully on my way to some answers."
"Are you working the Becker case?"
He eyed her suspiciously, his warm atmosphere dissolving in a heartbeat. "Why?"
Her eyebrow rose. "I'm the pathologist they sent for to autopsy the bodies. Apparently this forgotten town doesn't have a real coroner and I happen to specialize in abnormal deaths."
His next question shocked her. "Can I see your id?"
"What is this? An interrogation? Forget I said anything, Agent Mulder." She swung open the car door and slid in, slamming the door closed.
-*-*-*-*-*-
March 31
Chester Hospital
7:35PM
A morgue my ass, she thought bitterly. What the sheriff had called a morgue she called a freezer. It was, in fact, just that. The hospital had converted one of their frozen food storages into a makeshift autopsy room. Dana, the corpse, and the few supplies took up nearly the entire room.
She flipped on her recorder. "The victim is a Caucasian female approximately twenty-five years of age. Height: five-five. Weight: hundred twenty."
"Get a tox immediately," commanded a male voice.
Dana leapt from the unexpected noise and glared at the tall man in the doorway. "Agent Mulder, will you let me do my job? I know how to do it."
"Mulder."
"What?"
"Just call me Mulder. And I'm sure, Doctor Scully, you know exactly what to do. I just want to get the tox-screen ASAP. I'm on a tight schedule. The killer will strike again…very soon. I need that tox-screen."
"Dana," she corrected.
"First name basis? Wow, don't you think we're moving a little fast? Next we'll be picking out china patterns."
She snorted. "Now get out of here so I can do my job," she retorted with amusement.
He entered the tiny space and jumped up onto a counter, his feet planted on the floor even though he was sitting. He folded his arms smugly across his chest. "Did you know that zodiacal light is sometimes visible on the horizon after sunset? It's caused by sunlight bouncing off a ring of space dust between Mars and Jupiter. Where we live, it is best seen in spring because that's when the North tips towards the zodiac."
An exasperated sigh was his answer followed by: "Ok, I'll bite. What's that got to do with anything?"
"Do you know what the zodiac is? It's the path of the planets across the sky." He cracked open a seed that she had not known was in his mouth.
"Ok, and your point is what?"
"Who said there had to be a point? It's just a fascinating fact, especially considering the circumstances."
She clenched her teeth, turning away from him and beginning her 'Y'-incision. "Am I going to have to ask you again to leave?"
"No," he commented casually. "Because it wouldn't do any good. I'm not going anywhere. I've done all I can for now. What I need are your findings." He spit the shell into the trashcan by his feet. "There's this UFO-shaped house near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It has three bedrooms and…"
"Quit talking," she hissed. "I have the recorder on. I'm doing an autopsy. I don't need your voice in the background while I'm listening to the tape writing up my reports. Or don't you want me to do the reports?"
"It doesn't matter what I want. You'll have to write up the reports anyway because the big-bad brass says so. However, I wouldn't be surprised if your report suddenly went missing."
"You're an annoyance."
"No, I'm an arrogant bastard who is extremely bored and therefore must hover over you until you can give me something to work with."
"Are you purposefully trying to patronize me? Or is this whole charade just part of your charm?"
"I have charm," he mocked then, sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Don't mind me, Dana. I'm just a twelve-year-old trapped in a man's body."
She was about to retort with a snide remark when she caught his crestfallen eyes. There was something in his demeanor that caused her to bite her tongue. His razor sharp eyes were dulled with ancient pain, but sparked with energy. Worry lines creased his forehead, but there were no laugh lines around his mouth.
"I'm not trying to impress you, though," he added, "if that's what you're thinking. I just like to sprout out random trivial bits of knowledge. The world is full of such wondrous things, but rarely does anyone take the time to learn. I do, though. I can't get enough of what the…" he came to a sudden halt.
He paused awhile, his expression taking a faraway look before he snapped back on his goofy grin. "Anyway, I can see you haven't really even started yet, so I'm going to check out the sights. I hear this town's got a nice water tower that's a must see. Why don't you meet me for a late dinner at Daisy's Diner when you're done? We should probably swap notes." He hopped off the counter and fled from the room.
End Chapter Two
ATX: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked that first chapter. I hope this one wasn't a disappointment.
Brennan: Wow, talk about enthusiasm. Lol. Thanks for reviewing!