Chapter 5: Differing Opinions.
After seeing that the body was completely documented, stored and the organs placed in the safety of a double locked vault, Mulder and Scully left in search of anything else that may lead them toward the killer of the girl that rested; her family waiting for answers.
"So once we solve this case, what should we do with all that gold?" Mulder asked as the silence between himself and his partner had grown uncomfortable. "Should we take a vacation? Maybe go out and party like we were in our teens. We could run away to Vegas and have a million dollar shopping spree, be like Michael Jackson. Do you think you can spend a million dollars faster than he could?" he asked with a laugh.
"One, I don't think anyone in their right mind could spend money that fast and in excess of that amount, and two, once we have solved this case the remains of the girl will be returned to her parents to be disposed of as they see fit. All of her remains, Mulder." Scully stated.
"Aw come on Scully, do you know how easy life could be with that kind of money. What the parents don't know can't hurt them." Mulder laughed.
"That is completely unlawful and dishonest!" Scully screeched nearly yelling at her partner, "and, furthermore, nothing is easy with you, Mulder, so why would wealth change anything. Do you honestly think, as a millionaire, you would be able to pursue more in your quest for the truth? Do you think you can buy the truth from the men that have so ardently hidden it from you for so long? Money will change nothing, Mulder." She added with a huff and picked up the file again and occupied herself with what was there, rather than dealing with Mulder's nonsense.
"Alright, I get the hint, you don't want to talk about it anymore," Mulder laughed. "So where do you think we should start on this case?"
"I want to go to the scene of the crime," Scully stated flipping through the folder and eyeing the crime scene photos that were within. "We should also see if we can find any surveillance footage of the ally where the body was found. It's a rather crowded area; someone was bound to have footage of the ally. Also, I think we need to speak to her coworkers, especially the ladies that were the last to see her alive. It may be beneficial to our investigation to see if anyone unusual was coming around. I don't believe this was just a simple act of passion, but rather, it's calculated and planned. This girl, as well as all the others, meant something to our killer. We need to know what."
"I agree," Mulder stated contemplatively. "I'd also like to know, scientifically, how it is possible for organs to be turned into gold. Do you have any idea how it might have happened? Is it even possible in natural circumstances for flesh to be turned into gold?"
"I'm not sure," Scully stated. "You'd have to talk to a geologist. I would imagine that someone in that profession would be able to tell you exactly what you want to know about gold."
"Do you realize that this may be the proof we need to justify the fairy tale?" Mulder asked excitedly. "What would it mean if there was truly a man, documented in the literary tradition, who could turn anything he touched into gold? Midas could be justified once and for all."
Scully rolled her eyes from her place and Mulder caught the action in the rearview mirror.
"You aren't in the least bit interested in this possibility?" he asked her as he continued to drive.
"Mulder, honestly, a fairy tale is a fairy tale and an X-file is an X-file. If you want to believe that you can make the connections between an ancient literary figure and a serial killer that roams looking for another unsuspecting victim, that's fine with me, but my energy will be spent trying to find this guy so that we might be able to prevent this ever happening to another young woman." Scully stated.
"Why do you always have to be the reasonable one?" Mulder asked finally feeling frustrated with his partners lack luster interest in the paranormal.
"Because your imagination runs wild enough for the both of us," Scully stated, "and I feel for these girls. I know what its like to be attacked and to have my life threatened. I will always take this stance on a case like this because these girls need someone to hear them and to help them find peace."
"I want that too," Mulder stated, "but that doesn't mean that we can't also look to the aspects of the case that make it so unique and unlike any other serial case we have ever worked on. In the cases that we have looked at together, though there have been similarities in the way that you've been involved or I've been involved, we've never seen anything like this before. This man has a way of turning regularly fleshy and living tissue into solid gold. Doesn't that fascinate you at all?"
"It does, but in a completely different way than it might fascinate you," Scully stated. "In my case, I want to know how he does it so that we might stop it. Maybe we may be able to find a cure and help this man out."
"Or we could find a way to harness his gold making skills and become rich beyond our wildest dreams!" Mulder stated.
"You have Gold Fever, Mulder," Scully sighed, "and I believe it is affecting your judgement on this case!"
"Why all of a sudden are you so interested in this case?" Mulder asked. "You were the one that didn't believe it to be an X-file and now you are determined to sway me the other way." He added jokingly.
"I'm not swaying you," Scully stated, "I simply want to find this guy, stop him and make the world safe for women of all walks of life."
"You think his only victims have been women?" Mulder asked.
"All we have to go on are the women in the file," Scully stated, "have you found any instances of men being attacked?"
"No, but if we are looking at this from a Midas perspective, technically anything and anyone could be turned to cold." Mulder stated.
"Or we could look at it scientifically and try and isolate the chemicals and minerals that are reacting within the body to create gold in the first place and then we may be able to isolate our killer and what he is carrying that causes the reaction to occurred." Scully stated.
"We could do that, but where's the fun in it?" Mulder asked.
"You are so frustrating," Scully sighed.
Mulder smiled to himself.
"We're on the same page, Scully, don't worry." Mulder laughed. "I'm just bugging you. You do realize that, right?" he asked.
"I know you are," Scully stated still feeling frustrated, "and if you keep it up, you're the one that will be feeling frustrated. Do you get what I am telling you?" she asked.
Mulder fell silent as he realized what Scully was alluding to. Something had changed in their relationship, changed for the better, Mulder had initially thought, but now, as Scully hung the change in their circumstance over his head he realized what his old antics of testing her was going to mean for him.
Scully grinned to herself knowing that he had caught the drift and was dropping the situation. Since the fire, the abduction and the near death experience in the far north Mulder and Scully had been closer than just partners. Their relationship had changed, the shift in their feeling had taken them in a different direction and though they kept it as quiet as possible, there were nights and days of absence that bore witness to their union.