| Mulder watched as she walked away towards her husband and daughter. Mulder began walking to his car when he saw two shapes. They were kneeling next to Rose’s grave. Mulder walked closer to them trying not to be spotted. He didn’t want to be seen. One of the persons looked up towards Mulder. The other stared to where the first was looking at. Mulder soon recognized it was Piper and Erin. They both stood up in unison and walked to where Mulder was standing. “What are you doing here?” Piper asked. “The FBI doesn’t care when people die. All they want to do is solve the case.” Erin said. “You girls make me laugh.” Mulder said chuckling to himself. “Why’s that?” Piper asked. “You finish each others sentences, you spy on Agent Scully and I, you know every detail about the cases, I just think that any other agent would immediately bring you guys in for questioning.” Mulder said. “Well, any other FBI Agent doesn’t know who they’re dealing with.” Erin said. “How are you guys getting home?” Mulder asked. “Walking.” They both answered together. He nodded and motioned for them to follow him. “My mom says never to take rides from strangers.” Piper said. “Especially tall, dark, lanky ones who interrogate poor mothers whose daughter just died.” Erin added in. Mulder smiled and opened the door for the two girls. They hopped inside and Mulder drove them both them both home. He couldn’t wait to talk to Scully. Mulder wanted to know what she found as well as tell her what he found. Rose’s mother certainly added a new light to the investigation. Chapter 5 Hotel 7 6:45 PM Scully sat on her bed taking a bite out of a piece of pizza. Mulder sat on the opposite end of the bed, eating as well. Scully had just entered a few minutes earlier with her results from the autopsy. Mulder had spent a little time at Erin’s house with both her and Piper but there seemed to be no more questions to ask them that hadn’t already been asked. “So what did you find?” Mulder asked between bites. “The same thing as Rose. The boy died due to smoke inhalation." “But there was no fire.” Mulder reminded her. “I know that.” She confirmed. “Mulder, I know I didn’t believe Piper or Erin could have been involved with this before, but now I’m not so sure.” “I don’t think so, Scully.” Mulder said. He dropped a mushroom onto the bed spread and then flicked it off. Scully glared at him. “The girls know everything that’s going on. There’s always there and they always seem to be able to hear what we’re saying.” “How would they have been able to murder those people and why? There’s no motive.” “I admit I can’t tell you how they committed the murders but Piper did say she fought with Will, which could be her motive. It’s possible that either she or Piper liked Tom so they wanted to get rid of Rose, Mulder I don’t know. There’s plenty of motives. The only thing that would keep them from being able to commit those murders would be a witness placing them at a different location.” “Then maybe we should talk to some people at Nathaniel Greene.” Mulder said. “Mulder, that requires time. We wouldn’t be able to get into the school until tomorrow and the principle might deny us access. Right now we don’t have much time. Another person could be being murdered as we speak.” Mulder waited for a second and thought. “You know, Mrs. Young told me an interesting story.” “What did she say?” Scully asked taking a sip of her soda. “She told me how her mother wasn’t really her biological mother.” “She was adopted.” Scully guessed. “Right. She wasn’t allowed to go to school because she needed to help around the house but her mother also didn’t want her to meet any boys because of a previous experience with her husband who beat her. Mrs. Young helped her own mother make the sweaters and shear the sheep. That’s when she supposedly fell in love with a boy she met through the market. When her mother found out, she killed the boy.” “Because she was pregnant with Rose.” Scully guessed. “Right again. When the barn burned down it was caused by a gasoline spill. Now isn’t it odd that we found gasoline in each of the crime scenes? Did you know that Mrs. Young’s mother, Isabel, was the one who started the fire, on accident of course.” “So, what’s your theory?” Scully asked. “I thought you’d never ask.” Mulder said. “Let me guess. The ghost of Isabel is coming back to haunt Rose and her family. Since Rose has male friends and a boy friend she wants to kill them just like they did to Mrs. Young’s boy friend. “Why would the bodies be burned?” Mulder asked testing how well she knew his theory. ”Because that was her ultimate doom, to die in a fire. The only way to kill the people she wanted to get even with was to have them be put to the same death. She brings back her line of sweaters to burn her victims. It makes perfect sense to me, Mulder.” She said rather sarcastically. Mulder was impressed. Scully had gotten every last detail of his theory correct. He smiled and she gave him a sympathetic look. He knew she didn’t believe in a word she had just said but it amused him anyway. “Scully, I didn’t think you believed in ghosts.” He said. “I don’t, Mulder. That was your theory, remember? Anyway, do you want to hear my theory?” Scully asked not expecting no for an answer. “As always.” He said. “I think William Colon and Rose Young bought the same type of sweater, whether they knew it or not. I think whatever sheep was used to make those sweaters was given a drug or a chemical that somehow when mixed with gasoline or water or any kind of substance would cause a fire of some sort.” “What about what the two girls said about the sweater attacking him?” Mulder asked. “I’m not saying they made it up, Mulder, but I’m saying that the power of suggestion holds true. The first night when Piper found the body, she was tired, it had been a long night and she was frightened. When she told Erin that could have convinced her enough to think she saw the same thing.” “That’s plausible, Scully. How about we make a bet.” He said. “On what?” “If you can shove this entire piece of pizza in your mouth, you theory is right. If you can’t, I’m right.” “Okay, Mulder. You’re on.” Scully picked up the last piece of pizza. She folded it in half and then in half again. A few toppings fell onto the bed but she didn’t seem to notice. She opened her mouth and shoved the pizza into her mouth. The entire thing fit and she chewed with her mouth extremely full. “Bravo, Scully. Looks like chemical sheep it is.” Mulder said. He smiled and looked away towards the door. He picked up the empty box of pizza and threw it into the trash. He looked at a small stain of pizza sauce on the ground. It made him think of blood. “Hey Scully, remember how you said Rose’s grandmother didn’t want her to have male friends or boy friends?” Mulder asked. “Yea.” She said with her mouth still full. “Well, Rose has a boy friend, Tom Urwin.” Mulder said. Scully quickly picked up her jacket and walked out the door behind Mulder. They drove in silence to Tom’s house. They both ran to the front door knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell but no one answered. Mulder turned the doorknob to find the door to be unlocked. He opened it and went inside with his gun pointed outward. Scully followed closed behind him. They each pulled out their mini flashlights not wanting to look for the light switch. They walked through room after room until they came to the bathroom. The door was closed. Scully noticed how Mulder hesitated so she stepped ahead. She opened the door and flicked on the light. Nothing out of the ordinary was inside. “Hang on a minute, Mulder. Piper and Erin told us that Tom and Will were supposed to be eating dinner over Rose’s house tonight. Maybe that’s where Tom went.” Scully said. Mulder nodded and walked out of the house. Scully put her gun away and stayed behind him. She looked to the couch and stopped. “Mulder, wait.” She said. “What is it?” He asked. Mulder shone his flashlight on what Scully was looking at. It was box with ripped up wrapping paper next to it. She picked up the wrapping paper and read the label. “Mulder.” She said. “It says to Tom from Mr. and Mrs. Young.” “That’s Rose’s parents.” “Mulder, this box is just the right size for a sweater.” |