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The Truth About Socks 1: For the Sake of Curiosity
by Amanda Larson


I don't like to think conceited thoughts, but I can't
believe I have to listen to these idiots.  They're not
looking at the facts they're quoting psychological
textbooks that they don't even understand.  In their
opinion our suspect, who ever he is, has issues with
his mother.  He tortures and butchers little girls
because his mother did not love him like she should
have.  Bullshit.  My mother didn't love me like she
should have, but I decided to help people.

I brought up that thing about the dryer and they
laughed, it didn't fit the textbook.  Well, I say
welcome to the real world.  He takes them to a spot in
Virginia that is quite a drive from D.C., somewhere no
one can hear anything.  I think he is a deranged
monster.  He likes to hear them scream.  I can hear
them scream.  

I wish we were still with Sheryl.  I know the
nightmares will start up now.  Good thing I got that
good night of sleep at the hotel.  I won't be sleeping
for awhile, hope there's a good show on TV tonight. 
Forget the television, I have to find those girls,
Scully and I have to find them.

Right now I'm at my apartment, I'm going to figure
this man out and stop him.  If those other agents
would like to help sometime that would be okay too.  

He's taken twelve girls, killed ten plus the five
agents that were all found by dryers.  Nothing special
about the way the girls died, slow, brutal.  They were
all eight, all from the D.C. area, all of them had
parents who had nothing in common.  All the girl's
bodies were found in an old home in a forest in
Virginia.  The agents watching the house never saw
anything, the bodies were just there.  They were all
twins.  The house had a dryer.  What did Sheryl say
about twins?

Why would he do it?  What is he achieving with the
brutality?  Why eight?  That house in Virginia looks
familiar now that I really look at the picture.  That
was the Holstead's house.  I have to talk to someone
about Holestead.  I call my emergency source, the Lone
Gunmen.  "Guys I know it's late, I know this isn't the
standard request and please Langley turn that damned
recorder off."

"It's off.  What do you need?"

"What happened at the Holstead house?"

"I don't know, what?"

"It's not a knock knock joke.  I need you to tell me
do some of that research stuff you do so well, just
look up a newspaper archive or something."

"Looking.  Holstead a girl died, a particularly
grotesque murder," Byers reports.

"She was eight and had an older brother."

"Yes."

"The real question is what is the older brother's name
and what can you tell me about him."

"Mike, grew up at the Holstead house in Virginia
changed jobs a lot not much of a record, except being
accused of killing neighborhood cats.  Seems to have a
thing for Elvis, lots of visits to Graceland." 

"That's great.  Okay thanks, guys."

"That's it?" Frohike asks, he wanted something more
entertaining, not this time.

"Sorry, I promise next time I'll have something more
interesting, but you may have just saved the lives of
two little girls."

Okay, Mike Holstead's sister was brutally murdered at
age eight, she wasn't a twin but he goes to the work
of finding twins all in the D.C. area, he hadn't grown
up in the area.  Anyone who sees him dies, all next to
dryers.  

He's reliving her murder, he saw her murder.  He
blames her for leaving him.  What do the dryers have
to do with it?  He gets into the house through the
dryer, I don't know how but he does.  It doesn't make
sense even to me, but we need agents posted on that
dryer.  Abby, the other girl he took, is going to die.
 No she's already dead.  There's no way to find her,
she'll be delivered to the house in a few hours.  I
have to get there.

I pick up my cell-phone and quickly call Scully. 
"Mulder?" she asks groggily.

"Yeah, and I know what time it is.  Listen, Scully,
I'm starting to get what's going on here.  We have to
get over to the Holstead house *right now*.  I'll pick
you up."

"Mulder, slow down, what are you talking about?"

"No time, Scully," I say before quickly hanging up the
phone.  We have to be there when he delivers Abby. 
This is going to end tonight.

***

The other agents didn't want to let us into the house,
no doubt orders from our good friend Colton.  After a
call from Skinner they were more than glad to let us
in.  I hurried Scully along into the washing room and
then we stood outside the door.  I put my hand on her
shoulder to stop her from walking in.  

"Mulder, what are we doing?" 

"Waiting for Mike Holstead to deliver his latest
victim."

"Why are we waiting for him to bring her?"

"We can't save her.  Abby is already dead.  He'll
bring her here, to the dryer."

"The dryer?  You keep talking about these dryers."

"Sheryl was right."

"About the socks?"

"About disappearing twins."  Before we had a chance to
continue what was quickly turning into an argument
that I don't want to have right now.  We heard a thump
come from the laundry room.  Abby's little body being
thrown to the floor.  

We rushed into the room guns raised and very unsure of
what we would find, besides the body.  Who I assume is
Mike Holstead stared at us in shock.  I think he just
crawled out of that dryer.  He had to, no other way
into the room.

"You did find me Mulder, they said you would.  I have
to admit I didn't believe it, very impressive," Mike
told me.  Do I know him?  I don't think so.

"How do you know who I am?"

"I think you know, just like you know what is
happening but won't say it."  I know what is
happening? 

"Why don't you just remind me?"  He works for the
Syndicate, that's why he's doing this.  The children
for him testing out their latest toy.

"Sorry I have to go."

"You're not going anywhere.  Step away from the
dryer," I order.  If this situation couldn't so
quickly go so wrong even I would be laughing at that
statement.  

"You don't want to kill me, Mulder.  I know where she
is."  Him and every other person on this planet knows
where Samantha is.  For some reason I know that it's
not Sally that he was referring to.

"You're lying."  

"That's a chance you take if you don't let me leave."

"If we let you leave we die.  Isn't that right, Mike?"

Mike started to climb back into the dryer, but I
pulled the trigger of my gun first.  One bang and it's
over.  Mike's body falls to the floor next to what was
left of Abby.  I just stared.  I hadn't looked at
Abby, I assume it's her even though an identification
couldn't be made by looking at her.

Scully checks out Mike, he's dead.  I couldn't help
but kill him.  Despite what answers he may have had,
he killed all those innocent little girls.  He could
have killed Scully and I, I couldn't risk Scully's
life for more false truths.

The other agents rushed in, Colton has even showed up.
 "What did you do?" he asks.

"I killed him, he was trying to get away and almost
killed us.  He brought Abby."

"How'd he get in here?"

"He came through the dryer," I told him as Scully and
I turned to leave.  There was no reason for us to be
here, they can take care of it and I sure as hell am
not going to break down in front of Colton.

"That's all the explanation you got?" he called to us.

"I don't report to you, I'll give my report to
Skinner."  Actually, Scully will.  Skinner doesn't
want to see anymore of my reports.  I don't know what
to say anyway.  She probably doesn't either, maybe she
will make me write this one up.

***

"No, Mulder.  I am not writing a report that says that
man transported himself through dryers."

"Skinner does not want me writing reports."

"He'll have to get over it."  Scully, please.  I don't
want to write this I can still see that little girls
all of them.  

"Fine, give me a pen," I finally concede.  She laughs
at me as she walks over to her desk.  "What?  All my
pens are out of ink."  I suppose I could have gotten
the pen myself, but I didn't want to dig around in her
desk.  Despite what she sometimes thinks, I do value
my life.

"Thanks," I say as I catch the pen that she throws at
me.  I set it on the desk and stared at it for a few
minutes.  We don't even know anything about the man. 
Who he was working for, why the girls had to be twins,
how he came in through the dryer and killed the other
agents.  Skinner wants a report and he'll get what I
have.  

I start to write or tried to at least.  This pen
doesn't work.  It's a sign, I wasn't meant to write
this.  I knew it.  "Scully, this pen doesn't work."

She smiled at me.  "If I knew you were actually going
to right something, I would have given you a pen that
worked."  That's the evil Scully.  She knows I'm still
upset and she is trying to lighten everything up and I
really appreciate it.  She tossed me another pen. 
Damn, this one works.

***

Skinner read my report, actually it was more like an
editorial.  "I have to say this is different than the
reports I've received from the other agents.  What did
I say about you writing reports?"  Isn't this where we
started this?  I say we forget the report and move on.

"Scully wouldn't write it."  That sounded childish.  I
didn't do it, Scully did.  

"I don't blame her.  Listen, I know you two had a long
couple of days.  I'll except this and I want you to go
home," he says to me.

"Yes, sir, thank you."

Scully and I left the office.  She's been quiet. 
"Everything okay, Scully?"

"How are you?  I know this has all gotten you thinking
about Samantha and we didn't find any answers."

"No, we didn't, but like I said before if she is out
there and wants to, she'll find me."

"So you're okay with all this?"

"Yeah, nothing new.  Still no answers even more
questions."

"Before our meeting with Skinner I received the
autopsy report on Mr. Holstead and the girl.  It was
Abby.  They found Sally alive.  You saved her life." 
Maybe, but I didn't save Abby.

"What about Mike?  I mean I know what killed him, but
did they find anything out of the ordinary."

"Actually they did, the gunshot didn't kill him."  She
sees my questioning look and continues, "What ever
killed those other agents killed him.  There's still
nothing on what exactly that was.  Just more
questions."

"It comes with the job, it's what we live for."  And
hopefully won't die for.  

"So this it?  We're dropping this dryer thing?"

"Don't sound so disappointed, Scully, I know you loved
the whole sock investigation."

"Sure, Mulder, keep dreaming."  Oh, I will, maybe the
dreams will be better now that there's a little more
hope in the world.  There's one less monster, there
are kind people like Sheryl, and Sam just might be out
there somewhere.  We may not have all the answers, but
I do have Scully and most of my socks.

End 3/3