Scully sat in her chair looking over some notes as well as making some of her own. After a long discussion with Ethan on the way back from the hospital, she had decided to take some time off from her teaching. It pained her greatly to do such a thing but with her life being threatened and the fact that this killer so far had never let a victim go there was little choice. She loved teaching but she didn't want to put her life in jeopardy either. And besides, Ethan had told her that he had brought Fox Mulder into the case with his profiling expertise. She had heard enough about "Spooky" Mulder at the FBI Academy to know that he was considered the best. He had been thought of as the best in the violent crimes section and yet now he was chasing aliens according to superiors of the FBI. But Ethan had assured her after meeting and speaking with him, that he was an expert. Who knows? Maybe this case would turn Fox Mulder's "Spooky" reputation around? She then heard her phone ring and reached over to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Hey babe. How are you doing?" Ethan asked.

"Oh hey, Ethan. I'm ok. I'm just working on some notes."

"Notes? About the case?"

"No."

"Dana, you aren't working on stuff for class are you?" Ethan sighed. "Dana, you need to take a rest from that."

"Ethan, you can't expect me to just quit like that. Even though I'm not teaching for a few days, I still have obligations to my students."

"I'm fighting a losing battle, aren't I?"

"Yep." Scully took the cordless and used her neck to hold it on her shoulder. "So, where are you anyway?"

"Me? Well, right now I'm heading to the city morgue to meet up with Agent Mulder."

"Spooky?" Scully asked with a smile. "I'm sorry, Ethan. You just have to understand the kind of reputation he has at Quantico. Anyway, what are you meeting up with him at the morgue for?"

"What? Well, Agent Mulder wants to check out some things at the morgue, I guess. Anyway, he asked me to meet him there with some paperwork."

"Oh. Well maybe he'll have some insights or something that we didn't."

"Yeah. Listen, Dana, I know you're still recuperating from everything but…I wondered if you would be interested in going out to dinner tonight?"

"Tonight? Uhhh….sure. I should have these notes finished by tonight. Can I ask what the occasion is?"

"Occasion? Do I need an occasion to take my attractive girlfriend out to dinner?"

"Attractive girlfriend? Ethan Minette, what are you up to?"

"Who says I'm up to anything?" Ethan asked as he looked at a little black plush box in his hand. "So, will you?"

"How can I say no to you?"

"You can't." He pulled up to the morgue. "So, see you at seven o'clock?"

"I'll see you then. I love you."

"I love you too, Dana. See you tonight." Ethan then hung up his cell.

Scully hung up her phone and sat back in her chair. She looked ahead and then shook her head. "Will I ever completely understand that man?" She then went back to her notes.


Ethan stepped out of his car and over to a man standing in the parking lot. "Agent Mulder?"

Mulder walked over to Ethan. "Afternoon, Mr. Minette."

"I apologize for my tardiness Agent Mulder. I had some unexpected things come up at the station."

"No worries, Mr. Minette. I just arrived here myself." He noticed the black box in his hand. "Make a stop at the jewelry store too?"

"What?" Ethan then noticed he still had the plush box in his hand. "Oh yeah. Actually I've had this a while but just wanted to wait for the right moment." He opened the box and showed it to Mulder.

Mulder grinned. "Mr. Minette we only met just yesterday. But seriously, that's definitely a nice piece there. I'm sure your girlfriend will have a hard time saying no."

"Yeah, I hope so." Ethan closed the box and placed it back in his pocket. "I plan on proposing to her tonight."

"Well, I wish you luck on that." Mulder paused. "Well, shall we do some investigating?"

Ethan nodded and led them up toward the building. He could see some officers milling around the entrance. "Appears we aren't the only ones here doing some investigating."

"Hold it. Authorized investigators only." An officer replied as he put up his hand.

"Is there a Detective Patterson here?" Ethan asked.

"Who's asking?" The officer asked.

Mulder pulled out his FBI Badge and showed it to the officer. "Special Agent Fox Mulder."

"Nobody told me about the FBI being called in on this case."

"Look, can I just talk to Detective Patterson please?"

The officer looked at Ethan and Mulder for a minute and then turned his head to the right. "Hey Dan!"

Detective Patterson came walking over. "What is it?"

The officer pointed to Ethan. "This guy needs to talk to you."

Patterson looked at Ethan. "Can I help you?"

"Detective Patterson? My name is Ethan Minette."

Patterson gave him a strange look. "Minette?"

"My girlfriend's name is Special Agent Dana Scully? She was assisting you on the eyeball serial killer case?"

"Oh, yes of course. My apologies, Mr. Minette." Patterson replied as he shook Ethan's hand. "How is Agent Scully doing?"

"Much better. She's home from the hospital now. Detective Patterson this is Special Agent Fox Mulder. He's going to help with profiling our killer."

"Really? Well, at this point we can use all the help we can get." Patterson shook Mulder's hand. "Agent Mulder I think I've heard of you. You spoke at a court case involving Adrian Caswell who claimed his schizophrenic behavior was due to alien voices."

Mulder cleared his throat. "Uh, yep that would be me."

"Leave it to a murderer to come up with an excuse like that." Ethan replied.

"Actually there was some evidence that proved that Mr. Caswell may have been abducted by aliens." Mulder answered. "There were some unexplainable marks found on his body as well as some kind of object lodged in his…"

"Could we just stick to the case, please?" Ethan asked.

Mulder smiled at Patterson. "Detective Patterson could you show me where the eyes were found?"

"Yeah, sure. Follow me." Patterson answered as he led them down the hallway.

"Were there any prints left at the security desk?" Mulder asked as they walked.

"Nope. Not a damn thing." Patterson answered. "I guess the killer was wearing gloves."

Mulder glanced at the file that Ethan had left in the office yesterday. "It says here you had a suspect."

"Yeah a kid by the name of Ryan Sedrick. He found the last victim's body, Laurie Peterson. We questioned him but…turned up nothing. His alibi checked out so we let him go." Patterson led them to the autopsy room, which was sectioned off by yellow crime tape. "Here we go. We've dusted for prints in here but….nothing's turned up."

"Thanks for you help, Detective Patterson." Mulder answered.

"Sure. Let me know if you turn anything up." Patterson answered back before walking off.

Mulder stepped into the autopsy room with Ethan behind him. "So, this is where Agent Scully was doing the autopsy on Laurie Peterson?" He stepped around the room and examined it carefully. "No fingerprints were found. And from what I can tell there is no possible way the killer could have been in here without being seen by Agent Scully." He pointed to the back. "No back door or other entrance. And this particular room doesn't have an adjoining room either."

"So, what does that mean?" Ethan asked.

"It means that the killer wasn't in this room the same time that Agent Scully was. Which means that when he left, he apparently didn't return."

"That would make sense. So, do you have a profile yet on this guy?"

Mulder pulled out a file. "I've been working on it a little. And I also found some information in regards to some other killings that our suspect may have been responsible for." He placed some photos on the autopsy table. "Three victims from three different states. No similarities in regards to appearance or age. However all of the victims had cuts on their bodies and their eyeballs were missing."

"What about the note?" Ethan asked.

"There was no note reported in these cases."

Ethan looked down at the pictures. "Then this can't be the same guy."

"The victims all have the same MO, Mr Minette. And in regards to the note not being found…well maybe the victims got rid of the note. Or…maybe the killer just added the note to his latest victims as a step up."

"Step up?"

"Yeah. See sometimes serial killers get so caught up in their craft that they develop this attitude. If they succeed they may want to…add certain aspects to the crime. Not big things mind you just minor. Or…it is possible that he had another reason to add to the note that we're just not aware of yet." He paused. "But…based on what I've read and the photos I've examined I think we have a real winner here."

"What have you got?"

"Well, I think our suspect is between 25-28 years of age. He's left-handed based on how the cuts of the body are done. The victims view him as either a friend or lover based on the fact that the ones that were killed inside their homes had no forced entry. He has some knowledge of criminal investigation or forensics based on how the murders were committed."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, basically the murders that were done, the suspect went into great detail to make sure that nothing remained. Most serial killers with no knowledge of criminal investigation or forensics leave little clues behind that are eventually discovered by the forensics crew. This guy…he covered his tracks to make sure that didn't happen."

An image began to pop in Ethan's mind. "You say this guy….had a knowledge of criminal investigation and forensics?"

"It's a pretty big jump but…yeah I think he does."

"This guy….do you think it's possible that he stalked any of those victims? I mean….before he befriended them?"

Mulder nodded. "I think that could be a possibility, why?"

Ethan swallowed. "I think I may know who this guy is."

"What?"

Ethan picked up his cell and dialed Scully's number. "I need to verify something first."

"Hello?"

"Dana, it's me."

"Ethan? Why are you calling me? I thought you were at the city morgue with Agent Mulder?"

"I am. Look, I needed to ask you a very important question."

"Uhhh..ok. Does it have something to do with the case?"

"It might. I want to ask you about Ryan."

"What about him?"

"Well, you never told me what happened that night he was over. Was he acting strangely or anything?"

"Ethan, please. I…I don't have time for this."

"Dana, Agent Mulder has come to the conclusion that our suspect is between 25-28 years of age and has a background in criminal investigation and forensics. And that he may also be a stalker which is how he picks his victims."

"Ethan…"

"The person who delivered that package was a student from your class, Dana."

"Ethan that could be any student of mine! I do have more than one class you know!"

"Come on Dana, think about it! You told me that Ryan was sweet on you. You said yourself that he was quite advanced in forensics and aspects of criminal investigation! What did it say on his student record about where he was from?"

"What?"

"What state was he originally from?"

"Uhhhh….I think it was Pennsylvania?"

Ethan looked down at the file in front of him. It clearly stated one of the original murders had taken place in Pennsylvania. "Shit."

"What is it, Ethan?"

"Dana, one of the previous murders matching the ones here in Washington took place in Pennsylvania."

"Ethan, are you saying…."

"It's him, Dana."

Dana paused as she took in everything that Ethan had just told her. As terrible as it was, it made perfect sense. Ryan had tried to convince her to have sex and then he had left her the package the next day after their argument. "Oh my…my god." She whispered.

"Dana, I hate to do this but I need to call you back." Ethan hung up his cell and turned to Mulder. "It's Ryan Sedrick."

"The suspect the police had originally and let go?" Mulder asked.

Ethan nodded. "He fits your profile to a tee. Plus he originally came from Pennsylvania and Dana claims he was quite the expert in forensics. He was also her student which means he would have been the one to bring that package here."

"Did he threaten Agent Scully in any way?"

"Not that I know of." Ethan paused. "Maybe he chose her as his next victim because he couldn't get what he wanted from her. I mean…he and Laurie Peterson were quite friendly from what Dana told me."

Mulder ran his hand through his hair. "Wait a minute. You say this Ryan Sedrick was a student of Agent Scully's? He had a relationship with someone else who was also a student."

"But he got what he wanted from Laurie so why kill her?"

"Maybe he killed her so that he could use that to get close to Agent Scully." Mulder paused. "It makes sense now. He's infatuated with his teacher and wants to get her attention. So, why not kill someone that he is connected to?"

"Wait, she had him over one night because he was supposedly upset with the death of Laurie. You're saying he did that to…" Ethan clenched his fists. "That sick bastard!"

"But obviously whatever he planned didn't succeed." Mulder answered. "But regardless we need to get an APB out on this Sedrick right away. If he isn't our guy he needs to at least answer some questions. You got an address for this Sedrick?"

"He's listed in the FBI Academy student directory."

"Good. I'll go tell Detective Patterson about what we found."

"Oh god." Ethan whispered. "If that sick bastard is so hell bent on Dana…" He picked up his cell and dialed Scully's number. He stood as the phone rang with no answer. "She's not answering. I'm heading over to her apartment!"

"I'll have Detective Patterson send some men to follow you." Mulder answered.

"Hurry!" Ethan replied back as he ran out of the room and down the hallway as fast as he could.


Note: Had some writer's block here toward the end of this chapter but I think I fixed it!Hopefully all this reasoning makes sense!