Strange Bedfellows- Chapter One
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
It was a little after 9pm on a Friday night. Everyone had left the New York City District Attorney office building- even the cleaning crew. That is everyone except for Executive Assistant District Attorney, Jack McCoy. He was leafing through a stack of papers which he had neglected for nearly three weeks. District Attorney Adam Schiff had finally told him to either clean up his desk or he would find someone who wanted to do the work and they could have Jack's job, too. Lots of other lawyers would like Jack's position so he would be able to find someone to fill the job, Adam had commented. The job of an A.D.A. was not all fun and games- it was mostly paper work having to do with recent cases, Adam had also preached. Jack had been tempted to tell Adam where to get off but instead thought it wiser to bite his tongue.
Jack turned from his desk and glanced out the big window in his office that gave him a view of the New York City sky line. It was a clear and warm summer night in the city. Jack longed to just get up and leave. This would have been a perfect night to cruise the streets of New York on his motorcycle. But he couldn't. Jamie hadn't been much help either. As soon as the clock had hit 5:00pm she was out the door. Said she had a date tonight.
"A date...," chuckled Jack, "Nice to know one of us has a life,"
He couldn't remember the last time he'd gone out on a date. Jack finally turned back to his desk with a frustrated sigh and returned to his personal Hell- paper work. NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK LATER THAT SAME NIGHT IN SOME ALLY
Two shadows danced in a dark ally.
"So, how much is this whole thing gonna cost me?" enquired a gruff male voice.
"Depends on what you want," coyly answered a young female voice.
"I want the whole deal,"
"Okay then that'll be $200,"
"Okay, then...,"
The male shadow moves toward the female's. Suddenly, a flash of bright white light erupts from the female shadow. A thundering crash echos through the ally. When the dust finally settles the male shadow is gone from sight and the female one is walking away, briskly.
"The whole deal- just like you wanted," sneers the female voice as she disappears into the night.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
THE NEXT DAY
THE ALLY MURDER SCENE
Det. Mike Logan walked into the ally knowing all too well the scene he was about to encounter. A body, a piece of meat that had once laughed, cried, loved, hated- had a soul had been discovered in an ally in an area known for it's prostitution. And now it was the job of Det. Mike Logan and his partner, Det. Lennie Briscoe, to find out why that body was there, how it got there, and who was the sonuvabitch that put it there.
"So what do we have?" Mike asked his partner, Lennie, who had been on the scene for about a half an hour now.
"We have the man formally known as Richard Cummings of New York City, N.Y. right here. Dead and in person."
"Where?" questioned Logan
"What do you mean ‘where?'," replied Lennie.
"I mean I don't see a body here. Where's the body?"
"You're standing under it."
"What...?"
Lennie jerked his thumb skyward and Logan's gaze followed the gesture upwards.
"Holy...," whispered Logan as he found himself staring at the body dangling above him from the fire escape of the building on his right.
"Our Mr. Cummings is quite a fellow to behold, isn't he?" "How the Hell did he get up there?"
"From all we've been able to figure out, E.T. could've beamed him up there. No one can figure out how a 42 year old, 198 pound man could get his head slammed through the top step of a wrought iron fire escape and is left hanging up there, dead as a door nail."
"Did he have to hang there for long before he died?"
"No. In fact, far's we can see he was killed instantly upon impact with the fire escape. Crushed and punctured his skull..."
"Wait a minute...How is that possible? In order for that to happen he would've had to have been literally thrown up there with enough force to break through the fire escape step."
"Yeah, it would seem that is the case."
"But that's not humanly possible. I mean, unless our murderer is related to Hercules or something."
"Maybe Ol' Herc has a brother in Manhattan."
"Or maybe it's Zena's sister," commented one of the forensic investigators as he walked up to Logan and Lennie.
"You been able to find anything?" Logan asked the investigator.
"Nothing ‘cept the vic's wallet, clothes, etc.."
"Anything seem to be missing from the wallet?"
"Nope. Doesn't look like your killer's motive was robbery. Sorry. I'll run his stuff over to the lab and we'll see what we can come up with. I wouldn't get my hopes up though."
"Okay. Thanks," Lennie sighed.
"Well, this is nice. We've got some fat guy hanging from the side of a building and no idea how he got there," Logan commented as he stared up at the body.
"Won't help tourism," Lennie dryly observed as he walked away toward the street.
WASHINGTON D.C.
F.B.I.. HEADQUARTERS
LATER THAT DAY
Special Agent Dana Scully was supposed to have the day off today. Supposed to that is until her partner, Special Agent Fox Mulder, insisted that she come down to the J. Edgar Hoover Building (the FBI Headquarters) to take a look at some case information that had just come over the wire. After arguing with him for nearly half an hour as to why she shouldn't come down and take a look she finally gave up and gave in. So here she was. Although she couldn't deny that she was intrigued by the details of the case which Mulder had given her over the phone, she still didn't want to be in the office on what was, at one time, her day off.
"Okay Mulder- what is this new case that couldn't possibly wait until tomorrow?" demanded Scully as she entered their basement office.
"And good afternoon to you, too," Mulder remarked through a copy of that day's Washington Post.
"Listen Mulder- I'm not in the mood for playing these games. Any other time sure but not now. Today is my day off and I want to keep it that way."
"Scully, your very being here tells me that this case has caught your interest. What's more in important? Your day off or catching a murderer?"
"Yes, Mulder, this case does seem a little...odd but certainly not unexplainable. I don't understand your interest in it. It hardly seems to be an X-File. I think the New York City Police are perfectly capable of solving it. They have jurisdiction and therefore the first crack at it. We would just be interfering with another agency's investigation by going up there without being invited."
"In any other time I'd agree with you Scully one-hundred percent-"
"But...?"
"But this kind of murder has happened eleven times before over the past three decades."
"What?"
"This morning when I was reading through the information on crimes that had occurred overnight this murder in New York City caught my eye. I recalled having read about a similar murder at sometime so I came in here early and went through our files-"
"And you found something?"
"Yeah, we've got an X-File dating all the way back to 1971 about a murder which happened in the little town of Washburn, Maine."
"Maine is a long ways away from New York City- in distance and time."
"Ah yes, but take a look at this," Mulder said as he handed Scully the X-File of the Washburn, Maine incident and then handed her the new case file of the New York City incident.
Scully leafed through both case files not showing very much interest in either one until she came to the crime scene photos and case facts sheet of both.
"Look a lot alike, don't they?"
"This is really weird, Mulder."
"I know."
"The crime scenes here look identical."
"I know."
"And the case facts are exactly the same. Both victims were white males in there early 40s. Both victims were found with there heads slammed into the top step of a wrought iron fire escape and where left there hanging. But they didn't die from hanging- they died on impact with the fire escape. And no evidence to explain what happened or who did it was found at any of the scenes," continued Scully.
"In both cases no one has yet been able to explain how a the victims ended up with their heads through the top step of a fire escape," concluded Mulder.
"Well, Mulder I gotta tell you that these two crimes seem to have been committed by the same person but things aren't always as they seem."
"And normally I'd agree with you but when you take those two cases and add them to the other ten cases like them and you can safely say that there is a serial killer on the lose."
"Are those other ten cases X-Files?"
"Yep. We've got identical unsolved murders in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The F.B.I. got involved after the third murder, which took place in Vermont. We sent some of our boys up there and they took in the sights and sounds of the lovely state of Vermont. They were there for a few weeks but were called back when nothing came of the case after a month. The case file was classified unexplained and put with the other two cases in The X-Files. Whenever a murder like the others happened the F.B.I. would investigate along with local police but nothing ever came of the various enquiries and therefore they were all labeled unexplained and dumped into The X-Files."
"So what are you planning on doing?"
"I've already gotten us jurisdiction in the New York case through Skinner and we have a plane to catch in two hours for New York City. That is unless you don't want to come. If you don't that's fine. I'll go up and get started and you can join me tomorrow- after your day off."
Scully gave Mulder one of her ‘Why did you have to get me interested in this?' looks and then let out a defeated sigh.
"Great! I'll pick you up at your place around 3:00pm."
"Mulder, that only gives me an hour to pack!"
"Yes, well maybe you hadn't argued with me on the phone for half an hour before you came down here you'd have more time."
Scully opened her mouth to say something but then decided not to. She didn't feel like fighting with Mulder again. Especially when he was in this kind of a mood. He was acting like a beagle on the trail of a rabbit- he'd gotten the scent and now nothing was gonna stop him. So with a another sigh she turned and walked out of their office.
"So much for having a day off," she grumbled.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
THE 27TH PRECINCT
LT. VAN BUREN'S OFFICE
TUESDAY MORNING
"What do you mean we're turning the case over to the Feds?!"
"It's just like I said before, Mike- they have jurisdiction. They worked the other similar cases. It is their case by all rights," Lt. Van Buren calmly explained to one very worked up Mike Logan.
"And what will be their latest proclamation from their ivory tower be? They haven't been able to solve those other eleven cases that they claim are similar to the one we have here. What makes you think they'll be able to solve this current case any better than Lennie and I could?"
"I'm not saying they are better investigators than you or Lennie- I'm just upholding the decisions made by the people in charge. If I had my way Mike, you and Lennie would work this case no doubt about it but that can't be. It's nothing I can control so don't go acting like I'm the enemy!"
"Give me a- "
"Easy Mike," Lennie advised from his little corner in the office.
Mike let out a frustrated sigh but didn't say anything further.
"So, when do the Feds want our paper work handed over to them?" asked Lennie.
"Never," replied Van Buren.
"What are you talking about?" grumbled Mike.
"What I'm talking about is that the Feds want our help on this one,"
"What?!" now it was Lennie's turn to be surprised.
"The F.B.I. has asked that the officers in charge of this case to help out the two agents they're sending up to investigate,"
"The officers in charge-," began Lennie.
"That'd be us," finished Mike.
"Very good, you two. Maybe you should become detectives,"
"Ha, ha," Mike sarcastically laughed.
"So who are the two chumps- I mean ‘agents' we have to work with?" questioned Lennie.
"It says here on the fax I got from D.C. that the two agents that the Feds are sending up are a Special Agent Fox Mulder and a Special Agent Dana Scully," read off Van Buren.
"Fox? What kinda parent would give their kid the first name Fox?" Mike mocked.
"Fox...I think I've heard of that guy," Lennie thought out loud.
"Yeah- from what I've read I gather a lot of people have heard of Fox Mulder. He's made himself a royal pain in the ass for the Bureau," Van Buren commented.
"How has he been a royal pain in the ass?"
"Well, Mike- he was a very good agent when he joined the F.B.I. but went to being the joke of the entire Bureau after discovering an unassigned project outside the Bureau mainstream- the X-Files." "The what files?"
"The famed X-Files- Ah yes!" Lennie half jokingly stated.
"Okay, so I give up- what are the X-Files?"
"The X-Files is where all law enforcement agencies, most notably the F.B.I., dump their cases relating to unexplained phenomena," explained Lennie.
"That's right Lennie- how'd you know about the X-Files?" asked Van Buren.
"Oh they're pretty famous among those of us who are of the pre-World War II era. Every once and awhile some idiot runs across the X-Files, and has'em re-opened. The person usually thinks they can save the world from being taken over by aliens or something by investigating and solving the X-Files. They think those files hold the key to all the answers- they hold the key to the truth."
"And do they hold the key to the truth?" Mike asked quite seriously.
"Personally, I think it's all a load of crap but the people who've gotten involved with the X-Files swear the truth is in those files- although most of them are swearing this from inside a mental institution."
"Great. So we're gonna get to work with some of the F.B.I.'s finest- a couple of nut jobs," Mike dryly remarked.
"Mike, you may not like it but this is the way it has to be. Try to be civil and please, if at all possible- don't cause a problem," warned Van Buren.
"Me? Cause a problem? I would never do such a thing! How can you think I would do a thing like that!" Mike replied in fake innocence.
"I mean it Mike- you have a problem with the Feds you come to me. Got it?"
"Got it."
"So when should we expect the chosen ones to descend from on high to mingle with the commoners?" Lennie asked sarcastically.
"Later this afternoon- around 3:00pm."
"Are they coming to the station or do we have to pick'em up as well as babysit'em?" questioned Mike.
"Funny, Mike. Real funny," grumbled Van Buren.
"Yeah, I thought so too," replied Mike.
"They're coming here to meet up with you guys."
"Oh they're coming here. What an honor! Well, we should clean the place up a little before the great ones arrive. Shall we sweep all the cockroach corpses under the desks now or later?" commented Lennie as he and Logan left Van Buren's office.
"I think we should sweep up those cockroaches and save'em for later placement in the Feds' briefcases. Give'em a little souvenir to go home with and always be able remember their trip to the Big Apple by," suggested Mike.
"Oh now Mike. That doesn't sound very much like interagency cooperation to me," Lennie mockingly chided.
"Interagency cooperation my ass! I don't call high-jacking another agency's case interagency cooperation. I call it pompous idiots looking for new ways to make themselves look better while making us look like dim-witted cops who don't know their ass es from a hole in the wall. Cops who always need Big Brother to help them solve their cases because they're too dim-witted and stupid to solve'em for themselves. That's what I call it," ranted Mike.
"Do I detect a hint of negativity?"
"More like disgust and negativity, Lennie."
"Ever the stickler for correctness," chuckled Lennie as he left Mike at his desk to get a cup of coffee.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
LA GUARDIA AIRPORT
TUESDAY, 12:34pm
"Mulder- Mulder, wait up!" yelled Scully, as she raced across the busy airport terminal trying to keep up with her partner.
"Com'on Scully- Get those little legs movn'!" yelled back Mulder.
"Mulder, it'd be a lot easier to move if it wasn't like a mad house in here! Look at all these people!" gasped Scully as she finally caught up to her impatient partner.
"Yeah- Makes ya wonder where they all could possibly be going."
"Mulder, I beginning to wonder if you know where we're going."
"I know exactly where we're going, Scully. Trust me."
"How come I have a bad feeling in my stomach every time you tell me to trust you?"
"Because you are a very negative person, Scully. Ya gotta learn to be more positive."
"And just how do I learn to be more positive, Mulder?"
"Learn to smile more, for one. Be happy, for another."
"Right..."
"Just try it."
"Sure. Fine. Whatever," muttered Scully as they got into their rental car and roared out of the parking lot and onto the road.
THE 27TH PRECINCT
TUESDAY
3:45pm
"We've been waiting 45min, Lennie. Where the heck do you think they are?" Mike inquired through a yawn.
"You're guess is as good as mine. Maybe they took a wrong turn and ended up in Jersey," "If we could be so lucky."
"Or maybe they're just doin' the fashionably late thing," suggested Lennie with a hint of mild sarcasm in his voice.
"Ha!" scoffed Mike.
"Look at this way Mike- that Fox Mulder's a pain in the ass to the top brass at the F.B.I. so maybe you two'll see eye to eye," yawned Lennie.
Mike looks at his wrist watch for the third time in five minutes.
"Your watch that interesting, Mike?" questioned Lennie.
"Well, I dunno ‘bout you but come 5:00pm I'm outta here whether or not the Feds are here yet."
"If you think I'd miss a date with Ms. Lizzie Hill to go alien hunting with some Bureau reject, you've got another think coming," Lennie countered, "I've got a life too, ya know."
"And who is Lizzie Hill?" asked Mike incredulously.
"Lizzie Hill is an old friend of mine. I'm supposed to take her out to dinner tonight if you must know."
"I couldn't get a date tonight if my life depended on it but you have one no problem- God, it is a dark day in the city," mused Mike.
"It's all in the technique, my friend. You can't let'em know you're desperate."
"I am NOT desperate!"
"Oh give me a break- you practically reek of it- women pick up on that and it's an instant turn-off."
"Sure, Lennie- this coming from the Hue Hefner of the Bronx, I suppose," sneered Mike.
"The one and only," answered Lennie in a self-congratulatory tone.
Mike chuckled and threw a wad of paper across his own desk at Lennie who was sitting at his desk with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Gentlemen?" Lt. Van Buren suddenly broke in.
Lennie and Mike immediately snapped their attention from their personal lives to the Lt. as she walked up to them.
"This is Special Agent Dana Scully and her partner Special Agent Fox Mulder- Agent Scully- Agent Mulder- these are the officers in charge of the Richard Cummings murder investigation- Det. Mike Logan and Det. Lennie Briscoe."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," blurted out Mulder as he stuck out his right hand to anyone who'd shake it.
"Likewise," replied Lennie as he shook the hand Mulder had offered.
"Yeah...," added Mike as he shook Mulder's hand when Lennie was done.
"I'm going to leave you four to get to know each other," commented Van Buren as she headed back to her office.
"So what's the F.B.I.'s interest in our case?"asked Mike before anyone had even the chance to sit down.
Lennie shot Mike a , "Watch it," look.
"Well...ahh...Det...," began Mulder.
"Logan," finished Mike.
"Det. Logan, we're here because your present case seems very similar to some cases in our files dating back to the 1970's," explained Mulder.
"If you haven't been able to solve the other cases, what makes you think you can solve this latest one?" shot Mike.
"Mike...," warned Lennie.
"Det. Logan we are just as committed to finding this murderer as you and Det. Briscoe are. We aren't trying to high-jack this case. We're here to see if together we can find that one clue that no one before us found and solve this case. Agent Mulder and myself are not trying to bully our way into your case or take the credit for anything. We're here just like you are to solve this thing and see the guilty parties finally brought to justice. We're here only to help find the truth," Scully calmly stated hoping to bring down the increasing tension in the room.
"You wanna help us solve this case?" Mike mockingly questioned.
"Yes," answered Scully, again calmly.
"Then stay outta our way," growled Mike.
"As long as you agree to stay out of our's," Scully growled back.
Mike glared coldly down at Scully- she met his glare and shot back one of equal coldness.
"How have you liked New York so far Agents?" broke in Lennie as he tried to change the subject and stop the glaring match between Scully and Mike.
"Haven't enjoyed it very much. We don't exactly get a kick out of getting lost. That's why we were so late. Sorry ‘bout that by the way," Mulder responded as he picked up on Lennie's hint to try and stop the potentially explosive situation from getting any more explosive.
"No problem. I know traffic can be pure Hell around here in the afternoon."
Glaring match between Scully and Mike continues.
Lennie clears his throat.
Mulder looks at his feet.
"Umm...yeah...You want us to take you out to the crime scene?" Lennie spits out finally, not able to think of anything else to do.
"Sure," agreed Mulder, eagerly.
Lennie and Mulder look at Scully and Mike, waiting for a reaction. No reaction takes place and glaring match still continues.
"And then maybe Mike and I can take you and Agent Scully over to the morgue to see Richard Cummings body?"
"Why not?"
Glaring match just keeps on going without interruption.
"Right then- we'd better get to it," Lennie states trying to fake some heart-felt enthusiasm.
"Right," adds Mulder, trying to fill the uneasy silence.
"Hey, Earth to Mike!" Lennie finally yells impatiently.
Mike and Scully snap back to reality and look at Lennie and Mulder.
"Go to crime scene- go to morgue- now?" now it's Lennie's turn to growl.
"Ah...sure...Let's go," mumbles Mike.
"Why not?" Scully likewise mumbles.
"Glad to get your approval," grumbles Lennie as the four exit the station.
Mulder catches up with Scully, "What was that all about?"
"That jack-ass was trying to stare me down."
"So?"
"So I'm not going to be intimidated by some oaf."
"Com'on Scully- be positive."
"It's hard to be with someone like that trying to ‘put you in your place'."
"Well please try- last thing we need is for you two to turn this into World War Three."
"Sure. Fine. Whatever."
"That's the spirit," Mulder whispers, half-heartedly as he and Scully climb into the patrol car with Mike at the wheel.
Mike pulls out into traffic in front of a city cab. A cascade of car horns wail their annoyance.
"YEAH- SAME TO YOU BUDDY!" yells Mike out his open driver's side window.
"Gray skies are gonna clear up- put on a happy face," Scully sings under her breath.
"Brush off the clouds and cheer up," Mulder quietly sings back.
Mulder and Scully together, in a whisper, "Put on a happy face."
Yeah this was gonna be fun.