Scully arrived at Margaret Halliwell's house. She leaned over the steering wheel and looked up to the three storey house, mentally preparing herself for the whole interview. It was never easy interviewing people who were in a process of grieving, but the nature of this case would make it harder. She looked back down to the report, they'd look to her for answers about their daughter's death. Answers she couldn't give at this moment in time.
Scully stepped onto the porch, it was a nice little place they'd got here. Warm, cosy, the kind of place she would have loved to have brought up William. Her eyes glazed over, there she went again. Memories, thinking of the future. But now her future was uncertain. The only things that meant anything in her life were Mulder, William and her job and now she only had one of those things. She composed herself and rung the doorbell.
The door opened almost immediately, a woman with light brown hair answered the door. "Mrs Halliwell?" The woman looked her up and down for a moment, uncertain.
"Can I help you?"
Scully reached for her ID, "I'm Special Agent Dana Scully with the FBI," she said holding it up. Margaret Halliwell looked at it, then back to Scully. "I'm looking into the death of your daughter, Lisa Halliwell."
"Of course," she finally answered, "Please come in," Scully stepped over the threshold, Margaret hurried her into the living room so she could tend to her grandson, Bradley. "Please sit down, can I get you a drink? Tea? Coffee?" Scully sat down and shook her head, "No thank you." Margaret picked up her grandson and bounced him on her knee.
Scully watched the interaction thoughtfully and somewhat painfully. She decided to carry on, "I've come to ask you some questions," she finally said breaking the silence. "The police were here last night."
"I am well aware of that, Mrs Halliwell," Scully said sincerely. "But even though the FBI works together with local law enforcement, we still have to get details for our own investigations." Margaret nodded somewhat reluctantly, Scully could sense this wasn't going to go too well.
"What would you like to ask me, Agent Scully?"
Doggett entered the hospital entrance, at a fast pace. Skinner was standing in reception waiting for him talking to two fellow FBI agents. "Agent Doggett," he said. Forget the pleasantries Doggett thought bitterly as he approached him. "What happened?"
Skinner quietly said something to them then turned back to Doggett. "Monica's been abducted." He had certainity in his voice. Doggett looked to the FBI agents then back to him, "Are you sure?"
"Positive," Skinner replied, "There's something you should see," he remarked leading him to a small room that wasn't occupied, from the looks of it to Doggett. It was ground zero for hospital security, he saw at least 10 monitors, one for each floor. Skinner sat down and indicated for Doggett to do the same, he gave Skinner a slightly sceptical look.
"Watch closely," Skinner said starting the video.
"Here's you, Scully and Follmer leaving," Skinner said doing a running commentary. The time said 21:56 in the corner of the screen, Doggett nodded impatiently. Skinner fast forwarded it and stopped it at 22:34, Skinner exiting room 345 and heading towards the bathroom. He let it run. Doggett leaned in closely.
A man looking round then entering the room, Skinner paused it. "Note, the coffee cup in his hand," Skinner commented solemly. Doggett looked at him, confused, but took note and carried on watching. A few seconds later he left. "He doesn't have the coffee cup."
"No," Skinner said, "He left it there for me, drugged it." Doggett gave him an apologetic glance, "So he drugs you, then takes Monica. Is that on the tape?"
"No."
"No?" Doggett shook his head, "What nothing? Then how'd the hell he get her out of there?"
Skinner zoomed in on the man while talking, "Your guess is as good as mine, John. I'm running on ID on him as we speak," Doggett leaned in closley, taking in the details. "I reconise that man," he whispered. He searched through his pockets for the information Follmer had gave him the night before. He passed it to Skinner, "Who he is?"
"His name is Matthew Vicar," Doggett answered as Skinner handed him it back. "One of the so called elementalists." Doggett shook his head slightly and his eyes wandered back to the screen, he remembered seeing him on the hospital floor, if only he had known this information before hand.
"This is the guy that attacked Monica?"
"I think so," Doggett looked back to Skinner. "What I don't understand why he took her?"
"To keep her quiet?"
"No," Doggett said quietly, trying to figure it out. "If he wanted to do that he would have just killed her. But I know one thing..." his eyes went dark. Skinner looked at him in question.
"We find him, we find Monica."
Scully wrote down most of the information she was getting from Margaret Halliwell. "Did Lisa enjoy her work?"
"Yes, she'd always wanted to be a scientist and she loved children," Margaret replied in a tone indicating how proud she was, but there was a sadness in her eyes and in that moment, Scully could almost relate. "So she decided to mix them together." The phone started ringing, "Oh bother," she muttered and handed Matthew to Scully, "Would you mind?"
Scully looked at the child and shook her head, "No," she said taking him in her arms. "I'll be right back," Margaret said charging for the other room.
Scully smiled at Matthew and got a gurgle out of him. She looked down to him, he reminded her so much of William, from his bright blue eyes to his chirpy smile, her own smile faded. Even though, she fought so hard to, tears welled up in her eyes as she watched Matthew. Watching him and his grandmother was bad enough, but having to hold him. It was too painful. She looked back to the room where Margaret had retreated to, Scully didn't want the woman to see her like this. She had enough problems of her own.
With her free hand she wiped away the few tears and kept the memories at bay. Scully knew that she couldn't run away from them forever, sooner or later they would surface again.
Margaret came back into the room, "Sorry about that, Agent Scully." Scully smiled as she handed Margaret her grandson, "It's alright, he was no trouble." She smiled as brightly as she could to her, then looked down to her grandson, "It's going to be hard for this little fellow, losing his mommy can't be easy."
"I can imagine," Scully said her tone softening.
"But we'll get through it," she sat down. "Where were we?"
Skinner looked back at Doggett and saw the dark expression on his face. Yet, there were also conflicting emotions betraying him. Anger, hope, fear and determination. "Where do even begin to start?"
"Follmer pulled up some information," Doggett replied. "I've tried to get as much information on Vicar as I can, but it's like he doesn't even exsist after this," he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him.
"This man arrested Vicar?"
"Yeah back in 99," Doggett responded. "Look where he is now."
"That surely can't be right," Skinner said. Doggett nodded slowly. He carried on reading, this Jonathan Taylor sounded like a complete individual, had a good track record up until he arrested Vicar. He dreaded to think what happened. "You want to interview this man?"
"I was hoping to get some answers from him," Doggett said. "Yeah. He knows a lot about Vicar, might know how he works."
"According to this he's insane," Skinner retorted.
"I don't care, if it helps get Monica back. I'm willing," Doggett walked over to the elevators. Skinner followed him and grabbed him by the arm.
"John," he whispered.
"Skinner I need to do this," he said looking to him. "I owe it to Monica."
Skinner nodded slowly then let his arm go, "I'll get some more information on Vicar, send out an APB. We'll find him."
"Thanks," Doggett said, not entirely meaning it.