| “Would you like to explain to me why we’re going to Rhode Island?” “The death is unexplained.” Mulder said. “Did you take a look at the picture of the burnt spot under the Christmas tree?” “Mulder, that very well could have been caused by a burning of some type. Possibly, the lights got so hot on the tree that when it fell over, they burned a whole in the ground. Judy could have just run away.” “If it was the lights then why wouldn’t the Christmas tree be burned?” Mulder challenged. “If it was a fake tree they have special chemicals in them so the tree is resistant to burning.” “It’s plausible.” Mulder paused. Two hours later, the plane had landed and Mulder and Scully had checked themselves into a hotel room. Scully sat down on her bed and thought for a moment. Had Mulder really wanted to investigate the murder or was he more into seeing how Piper was? Scully’s train of thought was broken when she heard a knock at the door. Scully stood up and opened the door. Just as she suspected, Mulder was standing in front of it. He had changed into more comfortable clothes, unlike his usual suit and tie. “You ready?” He asked. Scully nodded and grabbed her key from her bed stand. She followed Mulder out the door and into the parking lot. They both got into the rental car and drove away. “So where are we going?” “To investigate the witness.” Mulder responded. Mulder drove the usual route to Piper’s house. They knew how to get there from the first case they had worked on together. Mulder and Scully had gone to a Girl Scout camp, which Piper attended, to investigate an unexplained murder. Mulder and Scully drove for a few more minutes before parking outside Katie’s house. They both got out of the car in unison and walked to the front door. Scully rang the doorbell and waited. “Can I help you?” A young woman asked, answering the door. She appeared to be in her early twenties or late teens. Her eyes were stained with tear marks and she sniffled. “I’m Dana Scully, this is Fox Mulder we’re with the FBI…” Scully began. She could see the girl at the door sigh deeply. “More of you people again. Why can’t you just leave us alone?” The girl asked as more tears sprang to her eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand what you mean. What people?” Mulder asked. “The police, detectives. I’ve seen more of them in the last two days then I’ve ever wanted to see in my life time.” The girl sobbed. “I’m sorry, are we at the right house?” Scully asked. “Does Piper Alexander live here?” “Yes, but she’s not here right now.” The girl answered. “Who are you?” Mulder asked. “I’m Suzanne Alexander, Piper’s sister.” Suzanne responded. “Do you know where we could find Piper?” Scully asked. “Try prison.” Mulder looked at her oddly. “The police arrested her yesterday when she claimed she didn’t know what happened to Judy Carlson, a girl who was recently murdered during Piper’s presence. They say she’s an accomplice to murder.” “Suzanne, we can help her but you have to tell us where she is. Where they took her.” Scully said. “You’re the agents that have helped Piper before.” Another girl said coming up behind Suzanne. She had a few of the same facial similarities of Suzanne and Piper. Obviously, she was Piper’s sister. “Lynn, you know them?” Suzanne asked looking back at her younger sister. “They’ve solved cases before with Piper.” Lynn answered. “And now she needs your help.” “We’ll help her.” Mulder said. Scully turned around and headed back towards the car. Mulder thanked Piper’s sisters and followed Scully into the car. “Mulder, how could they do this? They arrested a thirteen-year-old girl for being an accomplice to murder when she didn’t do anything. She can’t be guilty.” “I don’t think she is, either but sitting here isn’t going to help her nor is it going to help us figure out who killed her friend.” Mulder paused, starting the engine. “I knew we would want to get involved in this case.” They drove to the jail in silence not knowing what to expect when they got there. The police had no right to arrest Piper, though Mulder and Scully both knew there had to be at least a legitimate reason. Mulder and Scully parked outside the jail and quickly got out of the car. They made their way to the entrance stopping only at the front desk to ask where Piper was being held. A middle-aged man was standing behind the counter. He wore a guard uniform but he didn’t look to macho. “Can I help you?” The man asked. “I’m Special Agent Fox Mulder, this is my partner Dana Scully. We’re with the FBI.” Mulder said taking out his badge and showing it to the man. “We need to talk to a suspect they brought in two days ago.” “What’s the person’s name?” The man asked. “Piper Alexander.” Scully answered growing impatient. Being confined in jail herself for sticking up for Mulder, she knew how boring and difficult dealing with jail could be. The man scanned a chart and nodded. “She’s in room 20-B.” The man pointed Mulder and Scully in the right direction and handed them each guest passes. Scully made her way to the room the man said Piper was in as quickly as she could. “Piper.” Scully said entering the room. Piper was huddled in the corner of the small, dark room. Mulder looked over at the bed and saw it still had the blanket neatly folded on the top, as if Piper hadn’t even slept on it. Piper looked up when she saw Mulder and Scully. She didn’t get up but instead huddled closer to herself. She looked tired and warn out. Something told her Mulder and Scully couldn’t so as much for her as she hoped they could. “Piper, we’re going to try to get you out of here but we need to talk to. To find out what really happened.” Mulder said. Piper remained quiet. She didn’t want to talk to the two FBI Agents. She wanted to see her parents, her sisters, her friends. She was allowed no visitors and one phone call. “I know this is scary for you but you need to trust us.” Scully said. “This place isn’t scary, it’s hell. They won’t let me see my parents or talk to my friends.” Piper began to sob. She had been trying to hold it in but as she spoke she kept thinking about everything she wasn’t allowed to do. “Come on, we got a pass so we can take you out of here for the day. Maybe go out to get something to eat.” Scully said. “I don’t want to go out to eat. I want to sleep in my own bed tonight. I want to spend hours on the phone with Erin or Hannah or Kyla or Candy. The only person I’ve seen is my stupid lawyer, whom I hate anyway. I hate this place!” Piper wailed. “Agent Mulder.” Someone said. Mulder turned around to face a police officer in the doorway of Piper’s cell. Mulder excused himself and walked out with the officer. “I’m Officer Dennis. I got the call that you wanted to speak to Piper. What’s your interest in this case?” “Agent Scully and I have worked with Piper before. What I don’t understand is why she’s being held here. Why she’s not allowed to talk to her family, her friends.” Mulder said. “We fear that by talking to her family or friends she’ll begin to compile a different story. We thought if leaving her here for a few days she might come clean about the murder.” “But it hasn’t happened that way, has it?” Mulder asked. “Piper’s refused to sleep, eat, or talk for the entire two days she’s been here.” “You’re killing her, both inside and outside. If she doesn’t eat or sleep she’s going to die." “That’s why we’re letting you take her. To see if you can get her to confess about the murder.” Mulder didn’t know how to respond. “She’s not going to confess because she didn’t kill that girl.” “Have you seen the crime scene?” “No.” Mulder responded knowing the officer would use that against him. Inside Piper’s cell, Scully had got her to at least stand up. She looked dirty, showing she had probably spent the last two nights on the floor. Her eyes drooped, and were stained with tears. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.” Piper walked out of the cell, passing Officer Dennis with a sneer. Mulder walked behind Scully and Piper as they walked out of the building. They drove to the nearest restaurant so Piper could finally get something to eat. She ordered a small meal not thinking she was too hungry. She was too tired to chew a lot, so she swallowed most of her food whole. “Piper, what happened that night?” Scully asked after Piper had become a little more comfortable with the two agents. “I was sleeping over my friend Judy’s house with eleven other girls. It was our Christmas party so we could exchange secret Santa presents. We were playing a game called murder where a fake murder happens and a detective tries to figure out who did it. It’s dumb but amusing. Anyway, Judy was the detective so she went out of the room. When she came back she asked each one of us questions until she figured out who it was. After that, she retreated back into the other room, but none of us knew why.” Piper said. “What happened next?” Mulder asked. “We all just sat there talking, not even realizing Judy was gone. A few minutes later we heard noises. She wasn’t screaming but we heard something crash. Melanie was the first one to hear it so she quieted the rest of us. I told them I’d see what was going on. I walked into the other room and saw Judy’s Christmas tree knocked over. All the lights were shattered and there were ornaments everywhere. I saw a burnt mark underneath the tree but Judy was no where to be seen. I screamed and the other girls came running. Erica ran up the stairs to tell Judy’s dad what happened.” Piper began to cry. |