Chapter 16
Wednesday, October 4, 2000
9:15 am
After meeting at the office, collecting the file and notes on the Burke complaint, Andrew, Mulder and I drove back out to Adamstown. We'd already talked to Pamela Burke -- today we were going to talk to her neighbor, Barbara Clarey.
We were just pulling up in front of the Clarey house when my cell phone rang. Mulder and Andrew stepped out of the car while I reached into my pocket to retrieve the phone. The number on the display was our home number. My heart began to beat more rapidly right away. My mother wouldn't be calling unless it was important.
"Hi, Mom," I answered.
"Dana," her voice sounded shaky. "I think someone was in the house."
"What?" I opened the car door and got out. "Why do you think someone was there?"
"I heard something in the kitchen and the dog wouldn't stop barking. The back door was closed, but it wasn't locked and I'm positive I locked it after I brought the dog back in before I took Jordan to school," she was speaking very quickly.
"What did you hear?" I was waving Mulder over. My concern must have been showing on my face, because his eyes widened as he rushed to my side. "My mother thinks someone was in the house," I put my hand over the phone to tell him.
"What? Did she call the police?"
I held up my finger to let him know I was listening to her.
"It sounded like someone running and then I heard the back door close. By the time I got outside I couldn't see anyone, but I had Megan in my arms so I wasn't running."
"Have you called the police?"
"Not yet -- I wanted to talk to you first," she explained.
I shook my head at Mulder to let him know what she'd said.
"And I couldn't calm the dog down. He kept barking at the back door, so I let him out. He ran straight to the back fence and jumped up and barked," she continued, her voice still trembling.
"Okay, here's what I want you to do, Mom," I kept my voice low and steady. "Take Megan and go next door to the Wesley's. Sheila should be at home. Call the police from there and wait there until they get there. Okay?"
"Okay," I could hear her breathing slow.
"And call me once you've called the police," I added.
"I will," she assured me.
"Someone was in the house?" Mulder asked after I'd hung up, his brow furrowed.
"It sounds like it," I pressed my lips together and glanced at the Clarey residence.
"Andrew can interview them," Mulder read my mind.
"But how will he get back?"
"I'll call Skinner," Mulder said matter-of-factly. "He can send someone to pick him up."
"Is something wrong?" Andrew approached us slowly. It was obvious that he wasn't sure if he should interrupt.
"My mom just called. Someone was in the house," I told him quietly.
Andrew's eyes widened in alarm.
"We're going back, but you should stay and talk to Mrs. Clarey," Mulder began to speak quickly. "I'll make sure someone comes out to pick you up."
Andrew's shoulders began to twitch as if he suddenly found his jacket uncomfortable.
"You'll be fine, Andrew," I assured him. "Just go over the questions we discussed in the car."
"Okay," his nod was barely perceptible.
We left him standing on the sidewalk with an armload of notes. He looked the part of an agent, even if he didn't feel like one. That would be enough to garner respect from most people. There was no better way to learn than being thrown into the middle of a case. That's they way I'd felt investigating with Mulder, like I wasn't being given all the information. I think it ended up making a better agent out of me. No one benefits from being spoon fed.
My mother called back to let me know that she'd called the police and was waiting at Sheila Wesley's house just as Mulder was pulling away from the curb. I assured her that we were on our way back and told her to stay put until the police arrived.
"We're fine, Dana," she sounded much calmer than I felt. "Megan is asleep and Sheila and I are having coffee."
"Where is Megan sleeping?" I asked quickly.
"On a blanket on the rug in front of me, dear. Everything's fine."
"We'll be there in about an hour," I promised.
"Okay, dear," I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was trying relax me.
As soon as we were finished I called Skinner to let him know that we were leaving and why. After he'd promised to send someone out to get Andrew, I hung up. A heavy silence settled between us.
When my mother had said that she thought someone had been in the house, my blood ran cold. Mulder and I had been living our fantasy life, blissfully ignoring the demons that had always haunted our existence. Was someone just reminding us that they were still there or was there a darker agenda?
I'd been afraid to look at Mulder -- afraid that if I did, I'd break down. Afraid that I'd see my own fears reflected in his face. Afraid that if I saw my own dread mirrored in his eyes, it would be affirming a reality that I wasn't prepared to deal with.
The ominous silence quickly became too much for me to bear. We'd spent too much time early in our relationship burying our emotions. The habit had come back far too easily and that scared me more than whatever we might have to confront at home.
Without touching him, I could feel Mulder's tension. I knew that if I turned my head I'd find his knuckles had gone white from clenching the steering wheel. The muscles in his jaw would be bunching and unbunching. Then to rest his jaw, he'd bite his lip so hard he'd almost draw blood. I knew I had to do something.
Keeping my eyes fixed on the road, I reached out to put my hand on his thigh. Halfway across the gap between us, my hand met his hand reaching out toward me. We both sighed heavily and Mulder squeezed my hand, but we still said nothing. His touch was enough to ease most of my fears. We sat that way for several minutes and somehow I knew I'd had a calming effect on him as well.
"I'm sure we're overreacting," I finally turned to him, only to hear him saying, "I'm sure it's nothing," at exactly the same time. I couldn't help smiling.
"Whatever has happened, Scully, we can deal with it. You know we can," he squeezed my hand again.
"I know, Mulder," I squeezed back. "I guess I was lulled into thinking that we didn't have anything to deal with anymore."
"Anything besides three kids, a dog and buying a new house?" he turned to grin at me.
"Yeah, besides that," I chuckled.
Although the duration of the trip was quiet, I felt like, with Mulder's help, I'd be able to deal with whatever was in store for us. What I wasn't prepared for was what I saw when we turned onto our street. The street was teeming with people. Not only the police, but there were several FBI vehicles as well, including the forensic identification unit.
"Looks like Skinner was thinking the same thing we were," Mulder raised his eyebrows as he slowed to a stop at the request of one of Arlington's finest.
"This street is closed, sir. You'll have to turn around unless you're a resident," the officer informed Mulder after he lowered the window.
"Reaching for my ID," Mulder told the officer as he slid his hand slowly into his jacket pocket.
"Oh," the cop nodded when he saw Mulder's badge. "It's your house."
"Yeah," Mulder's voice was grim. "Where should we put the car?" He asked looking up the street -- there was obviously no room in front of the house.
"Park it here, behind my cruiser," he indicated with his head. "I'll let them know you're here."
Once we got out of the car, Mulder took my hand and we began to walk briskly toward the house. Skinner appeared from the crowd of people and walked toward us.
"Your mother and the baby are fine," he let me know immediately. "They're at the neighbor's."
"Thank you, sir," I tried to smile.
"Have they found anything?" Mulder asked as he slipped an encouraging arm around my waist.
"Someone was definitely in the house," Skinner began as we began to walk toward the house. "We can't tell if anything is missing. Once they've finished inside, they'd like you to take a look. It's obvious that someone was going through drawers in your bedroom and Andrew's bedroom. Whether or not that was a ruse is still unclear."
"They didn't go into the kids' rooms?" I asked as Skinner led us to the Wesley's house.
"It doesn't look like it, but I'm having them check for prints there, too, just in case," his tone was officious. "Did you have any paperwork at home pertaining to any casework?"
"Yes," I nodded quickly. "I was doing work on three cases. The paperwork was in the study -- locked in the filing cabinet."
"It doesn't look like our burglar was interested in what was downstairs. There is no evidence of anyone searching the study, but I'd like you to make sure," he glanced at me before he knocked on the door. "All we know right now for sure is that they escaped over the back fence. There are foot prints and broken branches in your neighbor's garden right where your mother said the dog went."
The door opened to reveal another uniformed officer. When she saw Skinner she stepped aside to let us in. I nodded politely as I hurried past. I was anxious to see Megan and my mother.
"Fox, Dana," my mother stood up when we walked into the living room. Megan was sitting on the rug playing with some Tupperware. She smiled broadly when she saw us. I couldn't resist picking her up and giving her a big hug. I looked up from giving her a kiss on the forehead to see Mulder smiling softly at me.
"Are you all right?" I reached for my mom's hand to give it a squeeze.
"I'm fine," she nodded. "But I'm glad you're back. When I called 911, I certainly wasn't expecting all of this."
"It certainly is a lot of commotion," Sheila Wesley agreed.
"I'm sorry, Sheila," I reached for her hand next.
"Sorry?" Sheila laughed, getting to her feet. "Whatever for? It's hardly your fault, Dana. I just hope they catch whoever did this. I don't like to think that there's a prowler in the neighborhood."
"I can assure you that we're doing everything in our power to apprehend the perpetrator, Mrs. Wesley," Skinner informed her solemnly as he sat down in an armchair.
"I can see that," Sheila laughed. "Sit Dana," she waved me toward the couch where she'd been sitting. "Fox, you sit, too."
I was going to argue, but realized quickly that it would be pointless. I took the seat in the middle and settled Megan onto my lap. As soon as Mulder sat down beside me, she squirmed to see him.
"Hey Meggie," he smiled and lifted her onto his lap. She seemed content to play with his tie while we continued to talk. "How long until we can get into the house?" Mulder looked at Skinner.
"Not long, but I wanted to ask you a few questions first," Skinner took a notepad out of his pocket.
"Sure," Mulder shrugged and reached for my hand again.
Sheila had left the room briefly and returned with a dining room chair. "Would anyone like coffee?"
When we all politely declined, she sat down in the chair and folded her hands in her lap.
"Did you notice anything unusual when you left for work this morning?" Skinner began his questions.
"No," we both answered. "But I wasn't on the lookout or anything," Mulder added.
"Any unusual phone calls? Hang ups?"
At the mention of phone calls, Mulder and I turned to look at each other.
"What?" Skinner prodded.
"Andrew's ex made a couple of threatening calls," Mulder explained. Megan was squirming on his lap, trying to get down, so he set her on the floor.
"Why didn't you report them?" Skinner began to write in his pad.
"It was under control," Mulder shook his head slightly. "I warned her about making threats against a federal officer and that was the last we heard from her."
"She was angry that Andrew had broken their engagement," I continued. "But I doubt she'd go as far as to break into our house."
"It still warrants investigation," Skinner replied briskly. "What's her last name?"
"I don't know," I looked to Mulder for help.
"We can ask Andrew when he gets back or we could call him," Mulder suggested.
"Since it looks like the only two rooms that were disturbed were yours and his, she's our best suspect at this point," Skinner reminded us. As he spoke I watched as Megan crawled over to him and pulled herself up on his pants leg. I glanced over at Mulder to see if he'd noticed and found him watching with an amused smirk on his face. "I'll call Andrew as soon as we're done here," our boss continued. After he replaced his notepad he looked down at Megan who was standing on his foot attempting to scale his leg. He bent to pick her up and set her in his lap. "I'll just check to see if they're ready for you yet," he began to fish for his phone.
Megan wasn't content sitting quietly. When Skinner began to dial his phone she hauled herself to a standing position using his tie for leverage. If Skinner was bothered, he didn't let on. As soon as Megan was standing he simply straightened his tie. "It's Skinner," he announced himself on the phone. "Yeah," he continued after a brief pause, "I was checking to see if you were ready for Mulder and Scully yet?"
Megan didn't seem very interested in his phone, which surprised me, but she was to be watching his face intently. I had to suppress a laugh when she suddenly reached up and snatched the glasses off Skinner's face.
"Megan," Mulder used his warning voice.
She turned toward him and gave him a big, wet smile.
"Megan," he warned her again.
Knowing that tone meant she wasn't supposed to touch, she let go of the glasses. They bounced off Skinner's lap and fell to the floor. My mother, who was sitting nearest to Skinner, leaned over to pick them up. She folded them up and placed them on the coffee table. Skinner was telling the person he was talking to about his new suspect.
"A female UNSUB lines up--" Skinner began, but as he was speaking Megan took hold of his nose, "--considering the footprints you found," he finished in nasal tone.
Mulder threw his head back and laughed.
"Mulder!" I admonished him, but I couldn't help smiling.
Turning to look at her father, Megan let go of the AD's nose, but when she saw the reaction she was getting, she turned back and latched on again. I got up quickly, to stop her, but Skinner was already speaking again.
"See you in 15," his voice was distorted again.
"Sorry, sir," I smiled meekly as I bent to retrieve Megan.
"She's fine," he waved me off.
When I turned to sit down again, Mulder was grinning at me. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. Skinner told us that we had the go ahead to go back to the house in 15 minutes. The forensic team was almost finished dusting for prints. While we waited, we took Sheila up on her offer of coffee.
When we got up to leave, I took Megan back from Skinner. As I turned to go to the door, my mother put her hand on my arm.
"Can I talk to you for a second, Dana?"
"Sure," I furrowed my brow, wondering what she wanted to say to me in private. Mulder turned to see what we were doing. "I'll be right there," I nodded.
"I know I probably shouldn't have done this," my mother began quietly once we were alone, "but before I came over here I went upstairs."
"Mom! Someone could have still been in the house," I chided her. "You could have been hurt."
"I realize that, Dana, but I wanted to warn you," she continued, unconcerned about my rebuff.
"Warn me?" I was taken aback.
"Whoever was in the house went through your dresser," her eyes were wide.
"I know that -- Skinner said," I shook my head, not understanding her point.
"Some of your lingerie had been pulled out," she whispered. "I was going to put it back, but I thought that was the wrong thing to do. Now a hundred people have been traipsing through your bedroom," she looked mortified. "I should have put it away."
"No, you did the right thing, mom," I assured her quickly. "You shouldn't have been there in the first place. Tampering with the scene would have been worse," I sighed.
"Are you sure?" she looked unconvinced.
"Do I want to know which lingerie it was?" I cringed inwardly.
"Well, there were some panties on the floor and another lacy thing, but --" she paused, not meeting my eyes. "There was a leather camisole sitting on top of the dresser."
"Great," I rolled my eyes.
"You know, dear, it really isn't anyone's business what you..., well, what you and Fox choose..." her voice trailed off in embarrassment.
"I know, mom, but it looks like it's going to be public knowledge now," I sighed heavily. "Mulder and I were always good fodder for the office rumor mill. This will give them something to really sink their teeth into."
"But you're married, why would they care what you do?" she asked as we walked to the door.
"Mom, I bought those things because Mulder likes the way I look in them. If pictures of the leather bustier get out, I'm sure there will be all kinds of wild stories flying around."
"What kind of stories?" she looked puzzled.
"Given my reputation around the Bureau, I'm sure they'll be saying that I'm a dominatrix," I frowned.
My mother's mouth opened into a silent O.
"Don't worry, we'll just do what we always did -- ignore them."
Mulder and Skinner were waiting for us in the kitchen. Guinness was tied up in the back yard, barking at all of the activity. Almost every surface in the kitchen held smudges of red latent print powder. I wanted to scrub the house from top to bottom.
"May I start cleaning up, Mr. Skinner?" My mother must have felt the same way I did.
"Yes, they're finished," he nodded with a smile. "Unfortunately cleaning up isn't in their job description."
"That's all right," my mother smiled. "I've been going crazy just sitting there. This will keep me occupied."
"Let's go upstairs," Mulder took my hand. "We won't be long," he turned to tell Skinner.
When we got upstairs, Mulder closed the door behind us immediately. The room wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Only a few things were out of the drawers.
"Skinner warned me about this, Scully," Mulder kept his voice low.
"My mother told me," I rolled my eyes.
"Your mother? She came up here?"
"Yes, but she didn't touch anything. Now she wishes she had," I smiled weakly.
"No, it's good she didn't," he assured me quickly.
"It is?" I asked in disbelief.
"They lifted three sets of prints off the bustier and we know who two of them belong to," he smiled.
"Yeah, that's just great," I grimaced. "Mulder, aren't you worried about all of the people who've been leering at my lingerie?"
"Part of me is, the other part is happy that people know I'm married to a hottie," he winked.
"I'm serious, Mulder," I handed Megan to him and folded my arms across my chest. "I don't want everyone knowing about what goes on in our bedroom."
"All a few people know is that you have some sexy lingerie, Scully," he tried to reassure me.
"I assume there were crime scene photos," I reminded him dryly.
"When Skinner and I were walking over here, he told me what to expect, Scully," Mulder reached for my hand.
"That's great. Skinner's seen my underwear, too."
"Scully," Mulder pulled me close to him. He was cradling Megan with one arm and me with other. "Skinner assured me that he'd read everyone the riot act. He said there be hell to pay if he found out that any crime scene details or pictures ended up anywhere but in the file."
"Do you think they'll listen?" I looked up at him.
"Yeah," he bent to press a soft kiss against my lips. "He scares the crap out of most people."
It didn't take us long to ascertain that nothing was missing from our room. It was obvious that someone had rifled through the drawers, but everything seemed to be there. We checked in Andrew's room, but we weren't able to tell for sure. When we got back downstairs we told Skinner that we'd have Andrew call in a report after he'd had a chance to look himself.
Once Mulder assured Skinner that we would get some added security and we were didn't need a police presence, the AD left after telling the last uniform that he was free to go. Mulder walked him out to his car. My mother had cleaned up all of the powder in the kitchen, so I put Megan into her highchair.
"Everyone has cleared out," Mulder announced when he returned.
"Thank God," my mother sighed.
"It's a lot like a three ring circus, isn't it?" Mulder smiled.
"Yes," my mother shook her head. "And I was never fond of the circus. Are all of the cases you investigate like this?"
"Not all of them," I smiled, "And if they are, it's only like this at the beginning. Most of our work takes place after -- following up on the evidence gathered at the crime scene."
"But those other people do this kind of thing all the time?"
"Yup," Mulder shrugged. "They probably don't even notice the commotion anymore."
"I don't think I could ever get used to it," my mom shook her head.
"Some people don't, they burn out. Other people thrive on it," Mulder opened the back door. "I'm going to let the dog in."
"Look at the time," I gasped. "If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late picking up Jordan."
"Do you want me to come?" Mulder stopped in his tracks.
"I think I'd rather you stayed here, Mulder."
"Okay, see you in a bit," he smiled as he strode over to me. "Everything's going to be fine," he pulled me into a hug and kissed me softly again.
"I know," I leaned into him. "But I like your reassurances just the same."
When I arrived at Jordan's school, the first of the children were starting to trickle out. Jordan came out about a minute later, his face lighting up when he saw me standing by the van. Once he'd told me all about his morning, I told him what had happened at the house.
"Will Daddy catch them?" I could see his wide eyes in the mirror.
"Not Daddy, but someone who does the same job," I assured him. "Our job right now is to make sure that you and Megan are safe. Daddy can't do that and catch the bad guy, can he?"
"I guess not," he frowned.
I was worried that Jordan would be concerned about a stranger having been in the house, but he was more interested in other things.
"Will I be able to see the red powder?"
"Yes, there's still a lot of it all over the house," I assured him.
"Can I bring some in for show and tell?" he asked excitedly.
"Well," I hesitated.
"Please, Mommy?"
"How about this?" I thought of a bargain. "Why don't we take your fingerprints off something you've touched. And then you can show everyone what your fingerprints looks like."
"Really?" he sounded gleeful as we pulled up in front of the house. "That would be great!"
"But I'll have to get some things from work tomorrow, okay?" I got out of the car and walked around to help him out of his seat.
"Can we take Megan's, too?" he asked as slid out of the car.
"We'll see," I promised.
He was about to continue bargaining with me when someone called to us from across the street.
"Hey!"
I looked up to see a dark-haired woman jogging across the street toward us.
"Can I help you?" I put myself between Jordan and the woman.
"Did you think you could fool me, whore?" she spat.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I recognized her voice. "And I would appreciate it if you would watch your mouth around my son, Leigh."
Her eyes widened at my use of her name. "I don't give a fuck about your little bastard," she recovered quickly.
"Go into the house, Jordan," I instructed without turning my head. "Tell Daddy that Leigh is here," I kept my eyes fixed on her.
"Mommy?" I could hear fear in Jordan's voice.
"Mommy is fine, but I need you to run to the house now," I kept my voice low and steady.
He didn't say anything, but I heard his footfalls heading up the driveway.
"What do you want, Leigh?" I narrowed my eyes.
"I want you to explain this," she reached into her waistpack.
Reaching behind my back quickly, I retrieved my gun, and held it behind my l
eg. Leigh was too busy looking in her pack to notice. "This," she shoved a small black box into my face.
"Daddy! Daddy!" I heard Jordan's voice behind us and he began to bang on the door.
"It looks like a jewelry box," I answered cautiously.
"I know that, you stupid bitch," she screamed. "It says 'For my special girl'. What do you have to say about that?"
"Andrew bought it for his niece," I shook my head. "So what?"
"Scully!" I heard Mulder call in panicked voice.
I saw Leigh's eyes flicker over to Mulder. Before I could stop her she ran at me screaming, knocking me to the ground with a thud.
"Shit," Mulder cursed as he knelt down beside me.
"I'm fine," I assured him. "Go after her."
"No," he said firmly. "We know for sure now. They'll catch her eventually. Right now I'm worried about you," he scooped me up in his arms.
"I'm fine, really. You could have caught her," I struggled to look down the street in the direction she'd run.
"Scully, there is a little boy inside who's very worried about his mommy. I think that is our first concern. We'll catch up with Leigh soon enough," he spoke to me gently.
"Oh, my God, Mulder. I'm sorry," tears began to fill my eyes.
"It's all right," he gave me squeeze. "And Scully," he paused to search my eyes. "Jordan isn't the only one who's worried."
end chapter 16