Mulder pulled up to the theatre and climbed out of the car. He closed the door and waited for Scully. "Well, this place certainly looks familiar huh?" He asked as he looked up at the theatre from the steps.

"Yeah except for the police cars and the yellow tape strung across the front of it." Scully answered before starting to walk up the stairs.

"What?" Mulder replied as he followed behind her. "Oh, I don't know, Scully. I think they kind of add a little ambiance to the scene, don't you?" He pulled out his ID and showed it to the officer at the front. "Special Agent Fox Mulder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This is my partner Special Agent Dana Scully."

"FBI?" The officer asked with a confused look on his face. "I don't recall the FBI being called in on this."

"Yeah, well we were." Mulder answered back. He noticed that the officer was not moving. "Look, if you have a problem take it up with my superior, all right? But we do have jurisdiction here." He walked past the officer and lifted the crime tape allowing Scully to follow him. "What the hell was his problem?"

"As far as he knows this is just a murder case, Mulder. And in that case there would be no need for us to investigate."

"Guess he didn't read the part about the man found hung and gutted from the rafter that no one was supposed to have access to."

"What are you talking about?"

Mulder led them inside the theater and toward the front of the stage. "Well, this could easily be dismissed as a mere homicide except for one important factor. The place where the stagehand was found doing his hang man impression is in an area with no human access."

"You mean.."

"Whoever killed him must have had either the ability to float above the ground or been the human fly." He helped Scully up onto the stage. He noticed two men in the corner, which appeared to be stagehands. "Excuse me, can either of you two gentlemen give me information about the elements of this stage?"

"Like what?" One of the stagehands asked turning toward him.

"Like." Mulder pointed upward. "Just what areas above the stage are accessible."

"Oh, well I only work with the bottom part of the stage. You need to see Morris for the upper."

"Could you find him for us please?"

The stagehand looked at their suits. "Which newspaper are you from? I don't like the media much and neither does Morris."

Mulder pulled out his ID again. "Were from the FBI Journal."

The stagehand studied the ID. "Well, that changes things a bit." He turned toward the right and whistled. "Hey Morris!"

A tall, dark-haired man came walking from the right side of the stage. "What's up, Charlie?"

"People from the FBI need to talk to you."

"FBI?" Morris asked turning to Mulder and Scully. "Well, don't get much call for FBI Agents around here." He held out his hand. "Morris Barrett. Nice to meet you."

Mulder shook his hand. "Fox Mulder."

Morris looked at Scully. "And?"

"Dana Scully." Scully answered as she held out her hand.

Morris took her hand gently and kissed the top of it. "Delighted."

Mulder eyed Scully and Morris for a minute before clearing his throat. "So, tell me, Mr. Barrett, just what areas above the stage are accessible?"

"Well, it would probably be easier if I just showed you." He let go of Scully's hand. "It can be a little tricky up there but I'll show you the ropes." He paused. "Sorry, a little bit of bad stage humor. Follow me." He walked toward a door in the back of the stage.

"Cute." Mulder murmured as he followed.

"Yes, VERY." Scully answered in a soft voice as she raised an eyebrow. She followed Mulder to the door and over to a staircase.

"Be careful going up these steps. This staircase is kind of rickety. You be especially careful, Agent Scully. The people that usually go up this staircase don't wear heels."

Mulder walked behind Morris up the staircase slowly. "So, tell me Mr. Barrett were you here the night that the body of Bernie Campbell was found?"

Morris chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that."

"What do you mean?" Scully asked as she followed behind Mulder.

"Well, I was the one who found him hanging that night." He stopped in front of a catwalk. "See, I was pulling down one of the ropes and that was when I pulled him with it."

"How terrible." Scully answered in a concerned voice.

"Yeah you could say it sure as hell brought me out of my boredom that night."

"Can you show me where you found the body?" Mulder asked.

"Sure. It's just beyond the catwalk here." Morris turned to Scully. "Agent Scully, I think it would be safer if you stayed here. The catwalk is really hard to walk on with just regular shoes."

"Note to self, next time wear tennis shoes when investigating a theatre." Scully answered with a smirk.

"Don't worry, Scully you won't be missing much." Mulder replied before following Morris out onto the catwalk. He paused as he felt it wobble as he stepped on it. "Whoa."

"Guess you'd better lay off those chocolate doughnuts in the morning huh?" Scully chided from the side.

"Ha, ha." Mulder answered before taking another step. He knew he had to be the big, brave guy in front of Scully otherwise he would never be able to live it down. He took a deep breath and made his way over to Morris.

"Doing ok there, Agent Mulder?" Morris asked as he turned to him.

"Oh yeah. It's…it's a piece of cake." Mulder answered as he steadied himself. "Just as long as you don't look down." He muttered under his breath.

Morris pointed upward. "Anyway just past that catwalk up there, there is no access to the upper part of the stage. There are no catwalks or any possible place for a person to step."

"Anything from the roof? Like a ladder leading down or something? Windows?"

"Nope. Not in this theatre." Morris pointed to another upper area. "See that rope up there? That's where the body was found. And as you can see there is no possible way that anyone could have gotten up there and strangled and gutted someone with no place to stand. Yet it happened."

"Morris!"

Morris looked back at the stage. "Yeah, Charlie?"

"I need your help with the candles for the phantom lair set! They're stuck again!"

Morris sighed. "What would they do without me around here? Agent Mulder, will you be ok here till I get back? It shouldn't take long. If not I can bring you…"

"Me? Nah, I'll be fine. Give me a little chance to look around." Mulder answered.

"Ok, I'll be right back then." Morris answered as he stepped around Mulder and headed down the catwalk toward the exit. He gave Scully a smile before walking back down the staircase.

Scully smiled back before focusing her attention back to Mulder. "So, what do you see from the flying trapeze?" She asked jokingly.

Mulder looked around. "I can see just how a guy could easily hang himself if he weren't paying attention. But as to how he could have done that and then gutted himself in the rafters? Well, I can't answer that." The next thing he knew, Mulder felt a push and he lost his footing on the catwalk. He grabbed onto the railing for dear life as he dangled precariously above the stage.

"Mulder!" Scully yelled from the side.

Morris was helping with the set when he heard Scully's voice. He raised his head and looked up to see Mulder dangling over the side. "Jesus! The set for Raoul's jump into the lake! Get it set up now!" He then ran toward the door that led to the staircase.

Scully could hear footsteps coming up the staircase. "Hang on, Mulder! Help is coming!"

"No problem!" Mulder called back in a forced voice. He could then hear what sounded like faint laughter. "Ok, now I'm really losing it." He then felt an unseen force pull on the fingers of his right hand, prying them off the railing one by one. "Jesus Christ!" His right hand let go leaving him just hanging with his left.

Morris reached the catwalk and saw Mulder's predicament. "Lord, have mercy." He whispered. "I'm coming, Agent Mulder!" He made his way carefully onto the catwalk. "Just try and keep still!"

"Easier said than done!" Mulder called back as he struggled to hold onto the railing.

Morris finally reached him and held out his hand. "Here, grab onto my hand!" He watched as Mulder struggled to lift his hand and finally grabbed onto his. "I've got you and I'm going to pull you up!"

Mulder could hear Morris groaning as he struggled to pull him up. He was just about halfway up when he felt something start to pull him down. His hand slowly started to slip through Morris'. "I can't hold on!" The next thing he knew he had lost his grip and he was hurtling toward the ground.

"Mulder!" Scully screamed from the side as she helplessly watched her partner spiral toward the stage. She now took back every single wisecrack and argument she had ever said to him. She closed her eyes not wanting to see him splatter on the floor. She expected to hear the sound of a body hitting the stage but heard nothing. Confused, she opened her eyes and looked down. She could see a large hole in the stage and a mattress at the bottom of it with a man on it. "Mulder?" She looked over at Morris for a minute before turning and heading back down the staircase. She ran across the stage and over to the hole. "Mulder! Mulder, can you hear me?" She could see that he was not moving. "Oh god! Someone call 911! And then I need someone to get me access down there!"

Morris came running across the stage. "You heard her! Get on it!" He then looked at Scully. "Agent Scully, I can get you down there."

Mulder moaned and moved slightly on the mattress.

"Wait!" Scully answered back. "I think he's moving!" She got on her knees next to the hole. "Mulder, can you hear me?"

"So, was that a 9 or a 10 dive coach?" Mulder asked as he put his hand to his forehead and moaned.

Scully slammed her fist on the stage. "Dammit, Mulder don't do that to me again!"

"What nearly fall to my death? I'll try and keep that in mind. Could you help me out of here, please?"

"I'd just assume leave you in there but since we have a case to investigate." She held out her hand to him and helped pull him up onto the stage.

Morris walked up to him. "Agent Mulder, are you all right?"

"Nothing hurt except my pride." Mulder answered as he straightened and brushed himself off.

"What the hell happened up there anyway?" Morris asked.

"All I know is I was talking to Scully and the next thing I knew I was hanging on a wind and prayer." Mulder answered.

"So, you didn't slip?" Morris asked.

"Slip? Hell no, I was standing on my own two feet. It felt like someone pushed me."

"Pushed you?" Scully asked with a puzzled look. "Mulder, there was no one else near you on that cat walk."

"You think I don't know that, Scully? I'm just telling you what it felt like. It felt like someone pushed me and then started pulling my fingers off the railing."

Scully shook her head. "Mulder…"

"And then when Morris came up to help me, I felt something pulling me down. That's why I lost my grip, Scully. And I thought I also heard this laugh."

Scully reached out her hand. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head on the way down?"

"Look, I'm not making this up, Scully! I know it sounds crazy but that's what happened!"

"It was the ghost again!" Came a voice from the corner.

Mulder and Scully both turned toward it at the same time.

Morris sighed. "Oh Christ, here we go again."

"Who's that?" Mulder asked.

"One of the cleaners here named Margaret." Morris answered. "She's always spouting out about this theatre being haunted. Anytime something happens, she blames it on a ghost."

Margaret walked toward them. "No one believes me but it's true. It was the ghost whole killed that man." She looked at Mulder. "And it was the ghost who tried to kill you. He doesn't want you to know about her."

"Her?" Mulder asked with a confused look.

"The one he's come back for." Margaret answered with a blank look. "You are what stands in his way."

Morris shook his head. "All right, Margaret that's enough. Back to your cleaning now." He watched as Margaret wandered off. "I apologize for her behavior, Agent Mulder. I assure you she's harmless. And remember she is old."

"Is this the only place she works?" Mulder asked.

"Actually she works sometimes at an antique shop not far from here. Her sister runs it."

"Thanks. Listen can you show us to the dressing room area?" Mulder asked.

"Sure thing. Follow me." Morris answered as he led Mulder and Scully offstage.

As Mulder walked, he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to him up on the catwalk. He had heard that laughter, hadn't he? And it had felt as if someone had pushed him. And what about Margaret, the cleaning woman? It was true that her speaking about a ghost could be due to her senility. But why had she specifically singled him out? And who was this female that the supposed ghost didn't want him to know about? All he could think was that this was turning more into an X-File than he had originally thought.