A Dirty Little Secret 

By Donna
donnah@donnas-stories.com

URL - www.geocities.com/Area51/Quadrant/4571/
Spoilers - None
Keywords - MSR, angst

Disclaimer - Mulder, Scully, the Lone Gunmen and
Skinner all belong to Chris Carter, 10-13 and Fox.  No
infringement intended.

Summary - Mulder and Scully investigate a case run by a chauvinist


~~~

Scully looked around for Mulder.  She had stopped to get the local paper before following him to the squad room.  This case was getting play throughout the state and she wanted to see how the local ‘media’ was handling it.

She spotted Mulder talking to a well-dressed older man on the far side of the room and moved in that direction.  Mulder had his back to her but his companion was facing her and stopped speaking when he saw her approaching.  His appraising look was insulting and she immediately felt her hackles rise.  She had been ogled in her time, but she had never gotten used to it and this man was particularly unpleasant.

Mulder turned to see what had stopped the conversation and saw Scully.  She didn't look happy but he hadn't realized what was happening, his mind was on the case.

He stepped slightly toward her.  "This is Chief Backus.  He's handling the case.  Chief, this is Special Agent Scully."

Scully didn't extend her hand to shake with him.  The older man’s eyes had widened at the knowledge that this diminutive and attractive woman was an FBI agent.

Rather than speak to Scully directly, he turned back to Mulder, "Agent Mulder, I think I would feel more comfortable . . . "

Mulder's eyes narrowed as he finally caught on.  "Chief Backus, Agent Scully is my partner and one of the best agents the Bureau is privileged to have."

"I'm sure you're correct; however this case - "

"Agent Mulder, may I speak with you?"

Mulder looked startled that she had interrupted the man, but turned to her regardless.  She stepped away to ensure their privacy.   Backus' eyes narrowed dangerously when he saw that the male agent had walked away from him.  He had no use for female agents, or policewomen for that matter.  There were none in his squad, which was as it should be.

Her rudeness only added to his confidence that she would be unable to handle this investigation.  The victims were women, and they had been sexually molested.  They had, no doubt, asked for it, but he wasn't going to state that, especially if one of the agents 'working' on the case was a female.   

"Mulder, what is it with this man?"  Even with the distance she had put between them, she was whispering.

"He's the chief honcho around here.  Look, maybe he's a pig but he is in charge of this case.  You've handled chauvinists before.  Come on Scully; don't let him get to you.  You haven't even really met him yet."

She couldn't say that she didn't want to meet him.  That wasn't professional and that would be the key to working with him.  Besides, Mulder was now aware of this man's attitude, which might make things a little easier.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.  Mulder nodded, a smile in his eyes that didn't reach his lips.  She moved back over to the chief and Mulder followed.  "While you and Agent Mulder discuss the evidence, I would like to see the bodies of the last two victims."

"I'm sure it won't be necessary for you to subject yourself to such a terrible sight.  Our coroner has done a thorough autopsy.  Maybe you could read that."

Mulder shook his head slightly.  Oh this was going to be a fun case.

"I will be redoing the autopsies on these two women, Chief Backus.  If you would please inform the coroner I am on my way."  Before he could speak, she had turned and was moving toward the door.

His mouth opened for an instant and his face hardened.  Mulder watched and his own jaw tightened.

“If you have any doubts about Agent Scully’s abilities - “

“I’m sure her ‘abilities’ are not subject to doubt; however, I see no reason for her to bother with a second autopsy.  My men did a very thorough job.”

The man’s inflection on ‘abilities’ had caused Mulder to stiffen.  Just what the hell was he implying?  When he landed on the word men, Mulder’s understanding was complete.

“Dr. Scully likes to be thorough.  I’d like to see the files, please.”  He maintained his manners but his respect for the man had plummeted.  He had classified Scully as “woman, inferior”.  Mulder couldn’t wait to see what she would find that would no doubt blow this case out of the water.  And he enjoyed the surprise in the man’s face when he had referred to her as ‘doctor’.

*****

This monster had done everything imaginable to these women.  The overkill spoke of a rage she couldn't imagine.  He'd snatched hair from their heads; the bodies were covered with small, but painful cuts.  The sexual abuse . . . that wasn't what killed them.  They had died of blood loss from the cuts, but if they had lived, they would never have been able to bear children.  He'd performed object rape as well.  Peritonitis would have been a major problem, if only they'd been given a chance to suffer from it.

She looked up as the door opened and saw Mulder approaching her.  At the look on her face his pace increased.

"You okay?"

"God, what he did to these women, Mulder.  I don't see an X-File here, but I want to catch this guy."

"What did you find?"

"I don't think I've ever seen a man more full of rage."

"We're definitely looking for a man?"

She nodded.  "Do the police have any suspects?"

"They've talked to the husbands of the victims, some co-workers, but since the attacks have continued, that's pretty much been blown.  These women didn't work together; I haven't been able to find any link between them, except the superficial physical appearance.  I mean, they were all blond, 5'7" or more, married and mothers."

"The schools?  Church?"

Mulder shook his head.  "The children were spread out over three elementary schools, nothing in common for church, community works, little league, nothing."

Scully sighed, "I'd say this guy is not finished; not when he's this angry."

Mulder nodded, "We'll work up a profile.  Are you through here?"

"Not quite.  Where's the chief?"

"In a meeting.  This isn't his only case."

"He should hand this one over."

"I don't disagree Scully, but I know you can handle him.  And he's not going to give this one away.  Too much publicity."

Scully nodded.  "Give me another half hour."

"Sure.  You okay?"

"I want to catch this guy."

Mulder wanted to reassure her, even hug her, but she wouldn't appreciate it and when she was covered in blood, like now . . .

"Mulder, look at this."  He moved closer.  "Their faces,” her brow was furrowed.  "All the damage he did to their bodies; but not their faces, except for right here."  She pointed to the lips of the victim in front of her.  "The lower lip, it's been . . . bitten?"

"How about the other one?"

She stripped off her gloves and pulled on fresh ones as she moved toward the cooling unit.  Mulder followed, and watched her uncover the face of the second victim.  She leaned in for a closer look at the mouth of the victim, then looked up at Mulder.  She nodded and he stepped closer.

"I need to see the photos of the previous victims."

Mulder nodded, "I'll get them."

"I almost missed it."

"But you didn't.  I'll go get the pictures and come back to pick you up."  

She nodded, still staring down at the body.  He watched her for a moment, then let himself out.

She was waiting outside for him when he returned and let herself into the car.  "You got it Scully."  He handed her a folder.  She opened it and held up the top photo.  "See, there in the corner.  It's not mentioned in the report.  The coroner missed it."

"Because of the over kill.  This is probably the smallest wound on the body and it's the only one on the face."

"I didn't say anything when I picked these up.  Let's get something to eat, then get back to the room.  I want to make some notes."

"I'm not really hungry, Mulder."

"I knew you were going to say that.  You should eat something anyway, step away for a minute."

She glanced over at him and finally nodded.

*****

She tapped on the connecting door following her shower.  "It's open."  She came on in as he looked up and grinned.  "You look more relaxed."

She brushed her still damp hair back and gave him a rueful smile.  "I am.  How's the profile going?"

He handed her the pad and made himself more comfortable on the bed.  She sat on the side and looked at his notes.  White male, twenty to thirty-five, unmarried.  "That's it?"

"He's angry at women, his mother, his ex-wife.  It's a work in progress.  This guy started months ago, it's taken them this long to realize it's serial.  Now he's escalating.  What I don't understand is why we're on the case.  This is not an X-File that I can see."

Scully looked down at her hands, "That's . . . that's my fault Mulder."

He looked up at her and settled back against the headboard of the bed.  "Go on."

"The, uh, the last victim.  She's the cousin of a good friend of mine from undergraduate school.  She called me at home; told me what she knew."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I wanted to see the evidence first."

"Have I ever refused to work on a case you wanted to take?"  He was watching her now.

She wouldn't meet his eyes, "No."

"I don't understand."

She sighed, "I'm sorry."

"I'm not asking for an apology, Scully.  I just want to know why you didn't trust me with this."

She looked startled.  "I do trust you."

"It doesn't feel like it."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Why don't you tell me what your friend told you?"

She nodded; knowing this part of the conversation wasn't over, but more than willing to postpone it for now.

*****

The next morning he followed her into the station.  She didn't want to talk about anything personal and he wasn't sure what that was about, but if she wanted to work on this case, he was going to be here for her.  Maybe it was nothing more than helping out an old friend, but for some reason that didn't feel like a complete explanation.

They headed toward the chief's office and he knocked on the door.  He took in her expression and grinned.  This guy had really made an impression on her in a short time.

The chief answered the door quickly.  "Agent Mulder, good to see you.  Agent Scully."  He nodded slightly in her direction.  "I'd like you to meet my wife, Brenda."

A younger woman appeared in the door.  Scully's eyes flicked over her and she squared her shoulders.

Mulder's reaction was quite predictable and she held herself in check from punching him in the ribs.  "Agent Mulder," she held her hand out to him.  ‘Brenda’ was giving him a thorough once over herself and Scully felt a definite sense of unease.

"Mrs. Backus."  He was still holding her hand and the chief was nodding, with understanding, and was actually smiling.

"I'll probably be late this evening, Darling.  I'll try to give you a call."

"Okay, I'll fix something that will keep.  Have a good day."  She kissed his cheek; nodded at Scully, and let her eyes caress Mulder one more time, then left the station.

Scully rolled her eyes, then turned back to the men.  At least Mulder's tongue was back in his mouth.  He looked down at her, apparently feeling her gaze and the smile slipped from his face.

"Uh, Chief Backus, we've worked up a partial profile and wanted to bring it to you."

"Of course, come in, come in."  He opened the door to his office a little wider and beckoned them in.

Scully accepted the seat that he indicated, but before Mulder could begin, turned to the chief.  "How long have you two been married?"

He blinked as though he'd forgotten she knew how to speak, "Mrs. Backus and I have been together for nearly a year."

She nodded and fell silent at that, letting Mulder present their information.

When they left the office, Mulder's hand came up to her back.  "Why so interested in his wife?"

"You the only one that can be interested?"  She glanced up at him, and saw the flush of embarrassment.

"Scully, I was just - "

"Undressing her with your eyes?"

He looked away then, and didn't bother to respond.

"While you were ogling her, did you happen to notice how closely she resembled the profile of the victims?"

Mulder stopped then and Scully turned back to look at him, her eyebrow high.  After a moment he nodded and they continued on toward the car.

"Let's talk to the families, Mulder.  See what we can learn."

He followed her on to the car.  Well, he certainly hadn't improved their communication this morning.  Hell, he hadn't known the man had a trophy wife, or that she would be at the station.  There was nothing wrong with looking, was there?  Surely she knew where his interest really lay.

They met with two of the families that morning and ended up with nothing but frustration.  When they returned to the car, Mulder slid in behind the wheel.  “This guy is taking a specific type of woman.  Maybe he stalked them, but it’s obvious his victims have to fit a certain type, a certain look.”

“I think we should warn Mrs. Backus.”

Mulder nodded.  “Maybe this is someone who’s incredibly ticked off at Backus and . . . Maybe we ought to interview him.”

Her eyebrow rose.  “He certainly has the attitude toward women.  I’m sure he has only one idea of what women are for.”

“You want me to handle this.”

She nodded, “He wouldn’t be very forthcoming if I was asking questions.”

Mulder had to agree there.  “I’ll go ask him some questions.  Not sure I could get a full interview, but give me a couple of minutes.”

“Fine, I’ll go get the car and meet you out front.”

He nodded and turned back to the office.

She let herself out the back door.  Being around the chief was wearing and she knew she was letting it get to her, but it had been a long time since she’d spent time with a man so blatantly backward in his thinking.  She glanced down at the keys in her hand.  She had to put this aside.  It was more important to find the killer, which was what she needed to concentrate on.

She’d been surprised when her friend had called.  They hadn’t stayed in close contact, but Claire knew what she did.  Well, she knew she worked for the FBI.  Not many people knew what she did, sometimes not even her.

But Claire had remembered her feminist views from college.  Claire had shared those views.  She’d been adamant that Dana would be able to find out something.  Claire’s opinion of the police work had been as low as Scully’s had sunk.  She was deep in thought as she approached the car.

The hand over her mouth and the blade against her throat shocked her.  The position of the knife was perfect.  If he applied pressure, she’d be dead in minutes.  They wouldn’t be able to save her.

“Don’t look around.”  He took his hand from her mouth, but increased the pressure at her throat.  Her own hand came up involuntarily to her neck.

“I . . . I won’t.  You’re in charge.”  

“I sure am.”  He took the keys from her hand and moved her toward his car.  With his free hand he opened the trunk and shoved her toward it.  He didn’t bother trying to bind her, his superior size giving him the assurance he needed.

“Stay quiet.”

She nodded with her eyes, willing to obey him, for now.

“Come on.”

As she brought her hand down she pulled the cross with it, allowing it to fall to the ground at her feet.

“Where are you taking me?”  Her voice was steady, which surprised her a little.  The “Ice Queen” had asserted herself.

“My house.”

“Why me?”  There was no answer to that one.  She became aware, or let herself become aware, that she was being driven to her death.  There had been no attempt to hide his identity, no attempt to hide their destination.  He had no intention of letting her go.  Mulder, get out here!  Hurry!  How long did he usually keep his victims alive?  There had been a lot of questions about that.

She needed to think, she had to get into his head.  How long before Mulder spotted her necklace?  He would see it, he had to.

“What did she do to you to make you hate women?”

He glanced over at her and managed to hide his surprise quickly, but not before she saw it.

“Who?”

“The woman you’re trying to hurt.  It’s not going to help; killing me won’t make it better.  Has it helped with any of the others?”

“Be quiet.”  He slammed the trunk shut and she was alone in the dark.  She closed her eyes in despair.

*****

The car had stopped; she heard the rumble of a garage closing and then the trunk opened.  The light was dim inside the garage, the only light coming through the small windows in the automatic door.

He took hold of her arm and pulled her from the car, then forcing her in front of him, took her into the house and down into the basement.  

She was led into a room to one side and he shoved her down on the cot in the room.  He turned then and left the room without a word.  She heard the padlock click into place.

*****

Mulder looked down the street once again, then started walking around toward the back of the building.  Maybe the car wouldn’t start.  But she hadn’t come back inside.  He knew she was avoiding the chief, and he couldn’t really blame her.

He turned into the parking lot and saw that the car was where he had parked it.  But where was she?  He headed over to the space.  Where had she gotten to?

Something caught his eye and he bent to get a closer look.  A jolt of adrenaline coursed through him.  Scully’s cross.  Was that blood on the chain?  Oh shit.  He seemed to be paralyzed.  He needed to find her, gather whatever evidence was here.  Come on Mulder!  

He turned toward the door leading back into the station.  He needed help and fast!  A few short sentences had things in motion.  At least a couple of the officers actually looked relieved that someone else was in charge.    

Damnit!  Scully didn't fit the profile - she wasn't tall or blond, she wasn't married and she had no children.  And . . . and she was his.

*****

He had joined her again and brought her a bottle of water.  “Thanks.”

“You talk like a man.”

“A man?”  She was watching him closely.  He didn’t seem . . . all there.

“Yeah, not like a girl.”

“Do you mean I sound . . . smart?”

His eyes narrowed, but after a moment he nodded.  He looked familiar.  Had she seen him during the investigation?  She was searching her mind for memories of everyone she had been in contact with since arriving.

“I’m a doctor.”

“Girls can’t be doctors.”

That caught her attention.  Did everyone in this whole town have that attitude?”

“I went to medical school.  I really am a doctor.”  She nodded reassuringly.

“You can write prescriptions?”

“Yes.  Have you never been to see a woman doctor?”

“No!”

She needed to form a relationship with him.  He had to see her as a person, not a victim.  “What’s your name?  I should call you something.”

He hesitated and she watched him trying to make up his mind.  She realized then that he was slow, mildly retarded at least.  How could she use that?

“Fred.”

“Hello Fred, I’m Dana.”

“Da . . . Dana.”

“Fred, I need to leave here.”

“You can’t.”

“Fred, I don’t think you want to hurt me.”

He shook his head reluctantly.  “I can’t let you go.”

“You hurt those other women, didn’t you?”

Again his eyes narrowed, but she still didn’t see the rage.  This didn’t seem like the same man.  The killer had been so angry, but Fred . . . Fred seemed almost mild in comparison, sorry even that he had her here.  Yes, he had kidnapped her, held a knife to her throat, why wasn’t she seeing that now?

“I had to.”  He looked down, not apologizing exactly, but he seemed almost embarrassed.

“Why did you have to, Fred?”

He rose to his feet abruptly and she startled back.  He didn’t touch her, leaving the room quickly.  She heard the lock snick into place again.

She collapsed back against the wall, and gave into the shaking that had taken control of her body.

It was several hours before he returned.  It had gotten awfully hot and stuffy down here.  Fred had propped the door open and there was more air now.  He had a burger and fries for both of them and he sat in the only chair to eat, while she sat on the cot.  He allowed her to choose the sandwich she wanted and took the other.  It occurred to her then that the idea of poison hasn’t entered his head.  She was relieved, because the drink was more than appreciated.

After a few bites he spoke again.  “Did you make good grades in school?”

“Yes, I did.  How about you?”

He looked down and shook his head.  “They said I was stupid.”

“I don’t think that, Fred.  And I don’t think grades in school are the only measure of intelligence.”

He looked at her puzzled.  “You’re not dumb Fred.  You managed to take these women and . . . and hurt them. And you weren’t caught.  Why those women, Fred?  You haven’t hurt me.”

“You don’t look like her.”

“Like who, Fred?”

“Like his wife.”  He was beginning to get angry just thinking about it.

Scully blinked, understanding now.  “You’re Fred Backus, aren’t you?”

He nodded miserably.

“You want to hurt women who look like your stepmother?”

“She’s not my stepmother!”  He slammed his fist down on the table and she jumped.  It was the most violence she’d seen.

“I’m . . . I’m sorry Fred.  Where . . . where’s your mother?”

Tears formed in his eyes then.  “His wife killed her.  Brenda killed her.”

“What do you mean?”  Keep it calm, Dana.  You’re on thin ice here.

“Mom stayed with Dad all these years.  Even when he hurt her, she never left him.  He was her whole world.”

“Did your Dad hit your mom?”  This was falling into place.

“Well, sure.”  He looked up at her, confused.

This boy had murdered those women; she knew that now.  He’d caused them incredible pain while doing it, but she found herself blaming his father.  This man in front of her didn’t even seem to comprehend what he had done.

“When did your mother die?”

A tear fell from his eye then, “Six months ago.  After Dad divorced her, she got sick.  She didn’t go to the doctor right away.  She thought she was just sad, but then she went and . . . and they said she had cancer.  He didn’t even come to see her in the hospital.”

“I’m sorry Fred.”

He wiped his eyes.  “I miss her.”

“I know, but Fred, you killed those women.  They didn’t do anything to you.  Do you understand that?”

He hung his head.  “When I see a woman that looks like her, I . . . I just get angry.”

“Then you should talk to someone about that, but not hurt the woman just because she looks like someone you hate.”

He rose abruptly and left the room, locking it behind him.  Her shoulders sagged and she closed her eyes.  When she opened them she looked down at her watch.  She’d been missing for six hours.  Mulder must be going out of his mind.

 *****

He rose abruptly and left the room, locking it behind him.  Her shoulders sagged and she closed her eyes.  When she opened them she looked down at her watch.  She’d been missing for six hours.  Mulder must be going out of his mind.

*****

That was an understatement.  He’d finally left the station, unable to be around Backus or his masculine brigade.  He had very nearly assaulted the officer who seemed to suggest that Scully had asked for it.

He pulled her cross out of his pocket to look at it again.  It was as though he thought it could tell him where she was.  She had left this for him.  She had known he would find it and realize that she was in trouble.  She was right, it had been like a flare to him.   

But what did he do now?  This was out of pattern for the man.  Scully didn’t fit the profile of his victims.  He had taken her because they were looking for him.  How angry was that going to make him?  The women had died in pain, according to Scully, incredible pain.  He closed his eyes in pain himself.   

He had to stay focused.  He had to look at this as an investigator.  Yeah, right.  This was Scully.  How was he supposed to be objective?  These local morons were no help.  So where did he turn?  

Scully had seen a resemblance between the victims and Backus’ wife.  Maybe that was where he should look.  He had to get back on track.

He pulled into the parking lot of a drug store and got out, making his way to the phone booth.  He pulled out the phone book and looked up the chief’s home address.  He wouldn’t be there now; at least Mulder had made him see how crucial time was in looking for Scully.  The fact that his attitude was what was infecting the other officers into a smirking adolescence was the biggest problem.

Mulder quickly found the house and knocked on the door.   

The blond woman smiled brightly when she saw who was at the door.  “Agent Mulder, it’s so good to see you.” She opened the door wider, inviting him in.

“Mrs. Backus, I’m . . . I’m sorry to disturb you at home.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Yes ma’am.  My . . . my partner is missing.  I think that the man who has been killing the women in this area has taken her.”

“Agent Mulder, my husband is at work.  He’s the one - “

“The victims may have a, a connection to you.”

“To me?”

“It’s a possibility.  I wanted to ask if you had any . . . enemies, anyone who would wish you harm.”

“No, not that I can think of.”  She motioned for him to take a seat, “Could I get you a drink?”

“Uh, no, no thank you.”

She sat beside him then, just a little too close.

“Is, uh, is Chief Backus your first husband?”

She stiffened slightly then, “No.  I was married before.”

“Does he live around here?  Your ex?”

“Yes.  Barry is a long-haul trucker.  We didn’t get to spend much time with each other; eventually we just drifted apart.  But we aren’t enemies.  He’s remarried too.”

Mulder nodded, thinking.  “Were there any children?”

“No.”

“Do you and the chief have any children?”

“Not together.  He has a son from his first marriage.”

“Grown?”

She shrugged, “As much as he ever will be.  He’s retarded.”  There was definitely a note of judgment in her voice.

“Does he live here?”

“No!  He’s . . . he’s creepy.  He lived with his mother, until she died.”

“The original Mrs. Backus is dead?”

“Yes, about a year after the divorce.  She had cancer.”  The woman shrugged.

“That must have been very hard on the family.”  Mulder responded dryly.   

“Well, at least the alimony stopped.”  She missed the sarcasm completely.  “Of course, he’s always going to have to support Fred.  He’ll never be able to earn a living or anything.   He’s living in their old house and works at the service station near the glass plant.”

Mulder nodded, he was feeling dirtier here than he had at the station.  He stood, anxious to be away from her.  “I appreciate the information.  If you think of anyone that might have a grudge against you, or anything that might help the investigation, please let me know.”

“Do you have to leave so soon?  I really wouldn’t mind fixing us a drink.”

“No thank you.”  He moved toward the door.  He wanted out of here, hell he wanted out of this town.  And he wanted Scully beside him, whole and safe.

He got into his car and pulled out as she stood on the porch, watching him.  He drove around the corner, then pulled over to the curb and stopped the car again.  He leaned back in the seat, staring up at the roof of the car, but seeing nothing.  He didn’t have a direction to start.  He slammed his hand into the steering wheel.

What was the guy doing to her, right now?  Was she screaming for him?  Was she even still conscious?  He closed his eyes.  There was no one here even capable of helping.  She had wanted this case to help out her friend, at least that’s what she had told him.  It wasn’t an X-File; they didn’t even have to be here.

He needed . . . hell he didn’t even know what he needed.  He pulled back out into traffic and headed toward the hotel room.  Maybe if he got away from all these mindless idiots, being led by a pathological sexist. he’d be able to think again.

Once in the room, he found himself pacing.  He was ready to explode.  The murderer was full of rage, he hated women and he had Scully.  But he hated women who looked like Mrs. Backus.  Why Scully?  Why had he been behind the police station?  He had to be aware they were here.  Did he have a connection to the local police?  He seemed to have information and he must have seen the chief’s wife around.  Mulder ran his hand through his hair again and found himself at the connecting door to her room.  He tried the knob, it was unlocked.  He let himself in and looked around.  Had the man been here, getting information on her?

He found nothing disturbed.  He sat on the end of the bed and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind.  He had to calm down; he couldn’t think when he was like this.  He touched the cross he now had around his neck.

He lay back on the bed and the scent of Scully surrounded him.  What could he do?  He pulled her other pillow into his arms and held it tight.

Someone who knew that they had joined the investigation, someone who knew Mrs. Backus, or Chief Backus and had a grudge against one or both of them.  She was on good terms apparently with her ex and his was dead.  His eyes flew open, the chief’s son?  How ‘retarded’ was he?

This wasn’t something he could ask the chief.  Where did the son live?  He pulled out the phone book and got the address.  He could head over that way.  He didn’t have backup, but there was no one here he could trust.

Mulder found the house with no problem and parked around the corner from it, where he could see the driveway, but not be too obvious about it.  He walked back and circled the house.  No one was home and there was no car in the garage.  Okay, now was as good a time as any.  He let himself in the back door and looked around.

The furnishings were older, worn and more traditional.  Not at all like the house that the current Mrs. Backus lived in.  The books on the shelves were dusty.   The only things in the refrigerator were condiments and orange juice.  There were no weapons.  Only one bedroom seemed to be in use now and it was obviously a child’s room.  The master bedroom was neat, but dusty and had an unused smell.

Nothing.  He headed for the basement.  A furnace, water heater, hell it was the neatest basement he’d ever been in.  He returned upstairs and after looking around one more time, let himself out.  That had been useless, he needed to talk to the son.  He didn’t want to confront him at work; the news would get back to the chief too quickly.  He returned to his car to wait.

Fortunately it was less than an hour before the younger man pulled into the driveway.

Mulder was out of his car before the garage door closed completely.  He knocked on the door, which was answered quickly.  “Yes sir?”

“Hello.  Are you Fred Backus?”

“Yes sir.”  He didn’t offer to invite Mulder in.

“I’m Special Agent Fox Mulder; I work for the FBI.”

Fred nodded warily.  “May I come in; talk to you for a few minutes?”

Instead of answering, Fred moved back and allowed him in, then motioned for Mulder to follow him into the kitchen.   Mulder spotted the bag of fast food on the table.  “I just got in from work.”

“I understand.  I won’t keep you long.  Go ahead and eat if you like.”

“I’ll, uh, I’ll wait.”

Mulder nodded and motioned for Fred to take a seat at the table, then sat beside him.  “I’m in town to help your father.”

Mulder noted the flicker of hatred that flashed across the man’s face, but made no comment.  “I guess you’ve heard that there’s someone around here who is killing women.”   Fred looked at the bag of food, but didn’t speak.  “The women that have been killed all kind of look alike.”

“I bet you think they’re sexy looking.”

Fred spoke up for the first time, and Mulder was surprised at the topic.  “I suppose some men would like the way these women look.  Personally, I find a different kind of woman more attractive.”

“Every man likes blonde women with big boobs.”

“Maybe to look at, but not necessarily to spent time with, Fred.  Actually I think smart is very sexy.”

“Smart?”

“Yeah, I like a woman that can talk to me, intrigue me, make me think.”

Fred looked at him curiously, “Like your partner?”

Adrenaline shot through Mulder.  He hadn’t mentioned Scully.  “Yeah, like her.  She’s very smart and she’s beautiful too.”

Fred nodded.  “When you work with her, do you sleep with her?”

“What?  Uh, we’re partners.  We work together.”

“Yeah, but you have connecting rooms.  I bet you go into her room after she goes to bed and . . . and sleep with her.”

“Actually, Agent Scully has better taste than that.  She’s too smart to want to sleep with me.”

“You’re bigger than she is, you could do whatever you want.”

“I suppose I could, but I wouldn’t.  Agent Scully is in charge of her own body.  She gets to decide who she wants to be with.”

“You act like she’s a man or something.”

“No, Agent Scully is very much a woman.  She’s attractive and . . . and sexy.  She’s also a doctor and a scientist.”

Fred was watching him then, “You’re in love with her.”

Mulder blinked at that.  “I . . . I care about her.  She’s very important to me.”

Fred nodded, “And you want to sleep with her.”

“Fred, do you know where she is?”

“You should get back to work, Agent Mulder.”

“Fred, don’t let anything happen to her.  If I get her back safely, with your help, I’ll help you.”

“Why should I need your help?”  But Mulder saw the fear in his eyes.

“Okay, but I need your help.”  He pulled back, this man was not someone he could count on to be rational, he was obviously slow, but he was also a brutal murderer who had tortured his victims.  He had Scully; the only hope was that since she didn’t look like the others she was still safe for now.

“My help?”

“The women that have been killed look like your stepmother, Fred.  I’ve only just met her.  Could you tell me about her?”

The man’s entire demeanor changed at the question.  Mulder almost pulled back from the anger emanating from him.  “She’s a whore.   My mom said so.  She stole Dad because she was young and pretty and had big boobs.  I bet he doesn’t even hit her.”

Mulder absorbed that, thinking frantically.  “Your Dad wasn’t very nice to your Mom, was he?”

Fred looked away, but shook his head.  “My Mom would still be alive if that woman hadn’t stolen my Dad.  She didn’t get sick until after the divorce.”

“You want to punish her, don’t you?  For hurting your mother.”

Fred nodded.

“But why the other women?  Did they hurt your mother too?”

“You have to practice.  When you’re . . . retarded, you have to . . . to practice things over and over to make sure you can get it right.  But I remember things that I practice.  I never take the wrong bus any more.”

“I thought you could drive.”

Fred blushed then, “I don’t exactly have my license.  You won’t tell will you?”

“No Fred.  I won’t tell anyone, but you have to help me find Agent Scully.”

“So you can sleep with her.”

“So I know that she’s safe, Fred.”

Fred looked sideways at him, but didn’t comment.

“Where is she Fred?”

“You have to help me punish that woman first.”

“O . . . Okay, Fred, but do we need to make sure Scully’s safe?”  This was a new one for him.

“That woman first.”  He was just a child mentally, he wanted his way.   

“Right, but no other women.  You can’t ‘practice’ any more.”

“I don’t need to.”

Mulder closed his eyes at that.  The police around here should have seen this.  They should at least have made the connection with the victims.  Had they just not tried because the victims were ‘only women’?  The police took their lead from Chief Backus.  Surely he had made the connection.  Surely he had.  Mulder closed his eyes for an instant - the chief knew.  He was protecting his son out of some weird fatherly impulse.  Shit.

“Why don’t I drive when we go see your father?  You’ll stay calm, right?”

“Yeah.”  The man seemed to smile shyly.  Mulder realized that Fred really didn’t know what he had done.  All he’d done, in his own mind, was practice to hurt the woman he saw as the murderer of his mother.  The retardation had hidden the psychosis.  Where the hell was Scully?

“Let’s go over to your Dad’s house.”

“This is my Dad’s house, where he lived with us.  The other house is just where he sleeps with her.”

Mulder nodded, “But that’s where we’ll find them, isn’t it?”

Fred nodded glumly.

“What about your dinner?”

“Oh.”  He seemed to think about that for a minute.  “It’ll be okay.”  He headed for the front door.  Mulder glanced in the bag, then followed him.

They drove straight to the Chief’s house and walked to the front door together.  Mulder could feel the tension that had started when they’d gotten within a couple of blocks of the place grow in the man beside him.

“Fred?  You doing okay?”

Fred nodded, looking at the door they were approaching.  Mulder rang the doorbell.  When the older man opened the door, Mulder watched his face drain of color.

“A . . . Agent Mulder.  I’m busy right now, why don’t we meet at the office in the morning.”

“I don’t think so, Chief.  Your son and I would like to speak with you.”

“I didn’t know you knew my son.”

“We met a little while ago.  He’s helping me find Agent Scully.”

What little color that was left in the man’s face vanished.  Mulder moved past him into the house and Fred followed him, looking around.  Once inside Mulder turned to look at the older man, who was looking older by the second.

“Is your wife here?”

“I, uh, I don’t involve my wife in my work.”

“Too bad.  I think she might already be involved in this particular case.”

“Mulder - “

“How long have you known?”

“Known what?”  The man actually tried to bluster, but Mulder’s look froze him.

Without warning, Brenda walked into the room.  She glanced over at Fred and then away.  Her look of disdain was unmistakable.  Then she glanced over at Mulder and her look became more appraising, her eyes once again flicking over his body.

The chief saw her reaction to this man’s body and his eyes narrowed.  Mulder stepped closer to Fred; the young man was beginning to tremble.  Bringing him here had been rash, but his first thought had been to find Scully.

“She’s a whore.  She wants to sleep with you.”

“Fred, keep it together, you promised to help me, remember?”

“What did he call me?  What did that little moron call me!”

“Brenda, let me handle this.”

“Are you going to let him talk to me that way?  You’ve coddled him his whole life and that bitch you were married to - “

Everyone was caught off guard when Fred moved.  He was young and agile - and full of rage.  He had the woman by the throat before even Mulder could react.

Mulder had his gun out.  “Fred, Fred listen to me.  I said I would help you, but you can’t hurt her.  Not here and not now.  You have to listen to me, we had a deal.”

“She called my mother a bitch!  The whore killed my mother and now she’s calling her names!”  Fred’s hands tightened around Brenda’s throat.

Mulder took a step closer to Fred.  The woman was struggling with him, which was making Fred even angrier.  “We all need to calm down here.  Fred, let Brenda go.  This is not what we agreed to.  You were going to help me find - “

His words were cut short when the gunshot sounded just behind him.  Fred’s eyes grew impossibly large for an instant, then lost focus.  His grip on the woman’s throat loosened and he sank toward the floor.

Mulder spun to see Chief Backus let his gun hand fall back to his side.  “What have you done!”

“I’ve taken out a brutal serial killer.”

“He’s the only one who knew where Scully was!”  Mulder yanked his cell phone from his pocket and punched in 911.  Once the ambulance was on its way, he checked on Fred, then closed his eyes.  The man was dead.

Mulder was on his feet then, ready to charge the chief.  Backus’ gun came back up to protect himself from the raging agent.

“Just stay back Agent.  I don’t want to hurt you.”

Mulder’s eyes narrowed but he nodded once.  Backus glanced over at his wife finally, in a heap on the floor, crying.  He stepped toward her, watching Mulder closely.

Mulder could already hear a siren in the distance; not that it would do any good.  Now what was he going to do?  They’d arrest him if he beat Backus to a pulp.  Fred had taken Scully.  He hadn’t acted like he had harmed her, but he had put her somewhere as his prisoner.  Where?  They had no clues as to where the murders had been committed.

The ambulance and two police cars squealed to a halt in front of the house.  Chief Backus looked over at Mulder.  The look of defeat on the older man’s face didn’t bring as much satisfaction as Mulder wanted.

The chief walked heavily to the door and opened it.  His men looked to him for guidance, but Mulder spoke first.  “I want you to take Chief Backus into custody.  Hold him until I can get back to you.  Confiscate his weapon, it was used to kill Fred Backus in cold blood.”

“Cold blood?  It was self defense.”

“Read the man his rights.  Do you have any questions?”

The officers looked between Mulder and Backus.  Of the two, Mulder looked a hell of a lot more dangerous and authoritative.  They did as he bade, cuffing their superior.

The EMTs had left Fred’s side and were examining Brenda.  Mulder turned then and moved toward the back of the house.  He needed to be alone; he needed to think.  Where the hell was Scully?

The other women had been found at various locations, never the same place twice.  Fred had moved them in the car he wasn’t supposed to drive.  They hadn’t found the location of the murders.

Okay, he had to start at the beginning.  Fred lived alone now in his father’s old house.  He had no other ideas.

Back in the living room, the officers had Backus on the couch.  They were photographing the body.  One of them approached Mulder as he returned to the room.  “The coroner’s on his way, and we’ve called the state police.  What do you want us to do?”

“Take the chief down to the station.  Book him, fingerprints, pictures, the whole thing.  I want every ‘t’ crossed and I want it done right.”

The officer nodded and returned to the couch.  He pulled the chief to his feet and two of them escorted him outside.  Brenda was silent on the other side of the room; her perfect face and body marred now with bruises and unwelcome knowledge.  Mulder didn’t bother to acknowledge her on his way out.  He had to get back to the other house.  He had to find something.  He didn’t have any other option.

He let himself into the house by the front door this time.  He’d checked the house before, but he had to have missed something.

Fred obviously didn’t use much of the house.  Only the kitchen and his bedroom, from the looks of it.  When Mulder had met him here, they had only walked through the living room on the way back to familiar territory.  Mulder retraced those steps.  Now what?

He stood looking around the kitchen.  He’d never eat his dinner and now it had grown cold waiting for him.  Mulder approached the table.  What was it about his meal?

Two, there were two of everything.  Two burgers, two fries and . . . and two drinks.  Even if the man was hungry enough to eat both of the sandwiches, he wouldn’t order two drinks, would he?

The food was for Scully.  He felt a surge of certainty at that thought.  But he’d brought the food here and he’d closed the garage, as though he weren’t going back out for the evening.   

Scully wasn’t here; he’d searched the house.  Which didn’t keep him from beginning to search again, even as he thought it.

There was no sign of her here.  She hadn’t been able to leave a clue or a mark of her presence.  The basement?  It was the neatest basement he’d ever seen, no dust down there like there was in his mother’s room or the living room.

Fred used the basement, maybe kept important things down there.  But he’d already checked once.  Okay, what had he missed?

He hurried down the stairs and began a more in depth search.  There was nothing near the furnace or water heater, but it was as good a point as any to start.  He tapped every section, probed at every joint.

He was three quarters of the way around the room before the sound changed.  Of course, he was away from the windows to the part of the basement that was completely underground.  Fred had put up a fake wall and he’d missed it.

It was solid, but he had to get back there.  She might be hurt or . . . he had to get in.  On the pegboard under the stairs he found a crowbar.  That should do it.

He couldn’t get the crowbar into the crack, so he reverted to the caveman approach and smashed the metal bar into the wall.  The wallboard cracked and he hit it again.  It took five hits to make the hole large enough to get his hand in.  Then he got a grip on the plasterboard and yanked.  It gave finally and he was able to wedge his body into the opening.  He used his legs to wedge the opening larger, and pulled his pen light out of his pocket.

There was a body lying on the cot.  Scully!  He was on his knees beside her.  “Scully?  Scully can you hear me?”  He had his hand on her throat, searching for a pulse and nearly lost it when he found it.  There was duct tape over her mouth, which he removed gently.

“Scully?”  Her head lolled against him, but she was alive.  He gathered her into his arms and shoved his way back to the larger part of the basement.  He didn’t know if she’d been drugged or knocked out but he had to get her help.

He took the stairs two at a time, her weight negligible against his adrenaline.    He placed her gently on the couch and again dialed 911.  She was already stirring before he got off the phone.

“Mulder?”

“Yeah, you okay?”

“I need some water.”  He was already holding a glass out to her.  “It’s Fred.  He’s been - “

“I know.  Don’t try to talk, just rest.  The ambulance is on the way.  Do you know what he did to you?”

“Nothing, he didn’t hurt me.  He took me from the parking lot at the station.”

Mulder nodded, “I found your cross.”

She managed to smile then.  “I knew you would.  What led you to Fred?”

“Just a hunch.”

Her smile was larger that time.  “I knew I didn’t have to worry.”

“Scully, his father knew.  He had made the connection between the women that were murdered.  He was protecting his son and . . . and the victims weren’t as important to him.”

“Because they were just women.”

Mulder nodded, “You knew?”

“I figured it out.”

“Fred said you were smart.”

“Where is he?”

“Dead.  Chief Backus killed him when he attacked Brenda.”

She sobered then.  “He was brutal to the women, but I don’t think he understood what he was doing.”

Mulder nodded.  “I had them arrest Backus.  After I get you settled in the hospital, I need to go down there.”

“I’m not going to the hospital.  Mulder, I’m fine - really.”

“You were pretty out of it.”

“It was stuffy in there and . . . and I’d been there a while.  Mulder, they can check me out, but there is no reason to go to the hospital.  He didn’t hurt me, I don’t look like her.”

He looked up as he heard the sirens again.  “Let’s have them decide.”

She rolled her eyes but kept quiet.  She could see how this had affected him.

*****

He opened the car door for her and she stopped to look at him.  “Come on Scully, let me do something.  I promise not to make a habit of it.”

She chuckled then and got in.  Once Mulder joined her, she let her head fall back against the headrest.

“Scully?”

“He’ll go to jail.”

“Yeah.  He’ll spend quite a while there.  He obstructed justice, he knew his son was murdering those women, maybe not with the first victim, but soon enough.  It was his dirty little secret.”  Mulder took a deep breath.  “Scully, why did you want to take this case?”

She looked over at him surprised, she thought he had forgotten that discussion.  She should have known better, Mulder, forget something?

“I have my own little secret, Mulder.”

That caused him to look over at her.  “Scully?”

“I, uh, I had a pretty good idea what kind of man Backus was before we got here.”

“You did?”

“Claire, my friend, told me about him.  He’s the reason she called me.  In college I was, I guess you could have called me a feminist.  Actually, a radical feminist.  None of my friends were very surprised when I chose not one, but two ‘masculine’ professions.  When Claire met Backus, I was the first person she called.”

“Scully, is this supposed to surprise me?”

She looked over at him, and saw the grin on his face.  “Scully, you’ve had to be a strong woman.  I’ve seen how well you handle the good old boys before.  That’s how I knew you could handle Backus.  But it does explain why you were so hostile toward him from the beginning.”

She shrugged, “Did you get to talk to Fred?  You know Backus beat Fred’s mother.”

“Yeah, Fred told me.  Fred had a lot of problems with women.  Backus had really messed him up.  He didn’t, uh . . . he didn’t - “

“No.  No, he . . . I don’t think it occurred to him.”  She felt the relief emanate from the man beside her.  “Besides, he thought of me as a man, because I was ‘smart’.”

“Yeah, we talked about that.”  She looked the question at him, “He assumed that women that looked like Brenda would be sexy to every man.  I told him that I thought smart was sexy too.”

She smiled and looked down at her hands.  “Thanks, I think.”

“You’re sexy Scully; don’t doubt that.”  He almost stopped then.  “I don’t think his father ever had ‘the talk’ with him.  He was asking me . . . “ He realized the direction the conversation was taking and stopped abruptly.

“What did he ask you?”

“He, uh, he was just very curious about . . . about our relationship.”

“Our relationship?”

“Yeah.  Scully, I have a little secret too.”

Her eyebrow went up and he thought seriously about flipping on the radio to deflect the conversation.  He was in dangerous territory and he wasn’t sure why.  Surely he was over his fright at her disappearance.  She was here, she was safe.

“He . . . Fred knew that I was attracted to you.  He could feel it from me.  He could see how frantic I was that you were missing.”  Mulder shook his head at the memory.  “He thought I was lying when I told him we . . . “

“Mulder?”

“He was convinced that the reason we had connecting rooms . . . “

He glanced over and saw the color rise in Scully’s face.

“Oh.”

“I told him you have better taste than to want to sleep with me.”

“I don’t remember being asked.”

His head swiveled toward her immediately, his eyes wide.

“Scully, if I, if I ever did get up the courage to ask such a question, what . . . what would you say?”

“I guess that’s my secret until it happens.”  She turned toward the window, but he got a glimpse of the smile on her face and felt himself relax in a way he hadn’t since he could remember.  Now that was a secret he definitely needed to check in to.