"Reunion"
by Andra Marie Mueller
Part TwoSee part one for summary, author's notes & disclaimer
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ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
The arrival of Jessica and John was met with open curiosity, as most of the officers in the department were aware that Scott’s funeral had been that day. As she approached the front desk, the sergeant on the other side - a plain looking man appearing to be in his late forties - greeted Jessica with a friendly smile.
“Evening, Lieutenant. “
“Hello, Ben,” Jessica returned. “How was your vacation?”
“Not nearly long enough,” Ben responded. “Detective Myers told me about your brother’s accident. I sure am sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“Who’s the suit?” Ben asked, inclining his head toward Doggett.
“Sergeant Ben Ruesch, meet Special Agent John Doggett.”
Ben’s eyes widened in recognition of the name. “So you’re the mysterious ex-husband,” he remarked. “I take it from your title you’re a Bureau boy?”
“Yes, sir,” Doggett confirmed.
Ben nodded. “Nobody’s perfect.”
“Is Captain Phillips around?” Jessica asked. “I got a call from her at my mother’s house telling me she has some new information about Scott’s case.”
“She’s in her office,” Ben told her. “She said to send you in as soon as you got here.”
“Thanks.”
“And just a word of warning; Detective Lupen is in there with her.”
Something akin to disgust registered on Jessica’s beautiful face. “Wonderful,” she said sarcastically. “Thanks for the warning, Ben.”
“Anytime, Lieutenant.”
As Jessica and John crossed the room to Phillips’ office, the latter questioned her about her reaction to Lupen’s name. “I take it this Detective Lupen isn’t on your list of favorite people?”
“He gives slime a bad name,” came the response. “He asked me out when I first arrived in Alexandria and I politely declined. Yet he seems to think that if he keeps asking every couple of weeks or so until the next millennium, I’ll change my mind.”
Doggett smiled at that. For as long as he had known her, Jessica had held a zero tolerance level for anyone who could not take no for an answer, especially men who were drawn to her extraordinary looks. “You want I should take him out back and have a chat with him?” he teased.
“Only if you plan on letting your fists do the talking,” Jessica answered.
The door was closed when they reached the captain’s office, and Jessica knocked to announce their presence, then waited for Phillips’ invitation to enter before opening the door. The captain was seated behind her desk when they entered, and Lupen was seated with his back to the door, but both rose to their feet to greet the new arrivals.
“Lieutenant,” Phillips returned. “Thank you for coming, and I apologize again for calling you in on such a difficult day.”
“It’s all right.”
Phillips was an African American woman looking to be in her mid to late fifties, and her face wore the expression of someone who understands and accepts authority. Lupen was Hispanic, in his early forties and quite attractive. He flashed Jessica an overly friendly smile a split second before he noticed that she was not alone, and he was obviously not pleased by Doggett’s presence.
“I don’t believe we’ve met your friend,” he said.
The lieutenant promptly made the introductions. “Captain Grace Phillips, Detective Miguel Lupen, this is Special Agent John Doggett.“
Lupen’s eyes widened slightly in surprise upon hearing John’s name, and he made the connection immediately. “Is your presence here personal, Agent Doggett?” he asked coolly. “Or has Senator Caldwell asked the Bureau to step in on this case?”
“I’m here as a friend of the family,” Doggett answered.
“You said on the phone that you had new information about Scott’s accident,” Jessica directed to Phillips.
“Yes,” the captain confirmed, and picking up a file off her desk, handed it to the other woman. “The forensics report came back on the car that hit Scott’s, and they were unable to find any trace of the driver.”
“Was he thrown from the car on impact?” Jessica asked.
Lupen shook his head. “There were no bodies found at the scene of the accident,” he told her. “Scott was trapped beneath his car and was extricated when the fire department arrived. The other car was so badly damaged they had to send it to the impound yard with the body presumably crushed inside. Yet once they took the vehicle apart, there was no one inside.”
“What about traces of the driver in the car?” Doggett asked. “Was there any physical evidence inside the vehicle, like blood on the seats or windshield, or hair or clothing fibers?”
“Not according to the forensics report,” Jessica answered, and handed the file to Doggett as she addressed her captain. “I don’t understand how this is possible. The initial accident report clearly indicated that the other car swerved into Scott’s lane. If there was no one inside, it shouldn’t have been mobile, let alone driving erratically.”
“There’s more,” Lupen said. “In the statement we got from the couple in the car behind Scott’s who called in the accident, they stated that while they were waiting for the emergency personnel to arrive, they saw a man crawl out from under the wreckage of the other car, get to his feet and disappear into the night.”
“Was he disguised as a mild mannered reporter named Clark Kent from a great Metropolitan newspaper?” Jessica asked sarcastically.
“According to the brief description the witnesses gave us, he was a slim man about medium height with brown hair,” Lupen said. “They were too far away to get an age range or more specific description.”
“They must have missed the red cape and matching boots,” Jessica snapped.
“Lieutenant…” Phillips said warningly.
“I’m sorry, Captain, but this is all beginning to sound more than a little ridiculous. We have a car that apparently drove itself into Scott’s lane and killed him, and a mysterious man who walked away from the accident without a scratch. I saw the pictures of the accident site, and after sixteen years as a cop I’ve seen enough car accidents to know which ones are survivable and which are not. So unless this mystery man is made of steel, there’s no way he could have been in the car that crashed into Scott’s and lived to tell about it.”
His ex-wife’s angry assertion that the alleged driver would have to have been “made of steel” suddenly triggered a memory in Doggett’s brain, of a slim young man with brown hair who was indeed indestructible: Billy Miles.
Like this whole scenario aint bad enough without turnin’ it into an X file, he thought wryly. Aloud he asked, “Would it be possible to talk to these witnesses again and maybe get a little more information about what they saw?”
The others glanced at him in surprise, and Phillips asked, “Do you think there’s something to their story about seeing someone walk away from the accident?”
Doggett shrugged, unwilling to say anything about his theory until he had more proof. “I just think that it might help the Caldwell family’s peace of mind if they could get a definitive answer about who was drivin’ the car that took Scott out,” he evaded.
Knowing him as well as she did, Jessica knew there was more to his request than that, but she trusted him enough not to press the issue until they were alone.
“With all due respect, Agent Doggett, given your personal connection to the Caldwells I don’t think that you should be involved in this case,” Lupen replied carefully.
Here we go, Doggett thought idly. To Lupen he said, “With all due respect, Detective Lupen, I don’t think that’s your call to make.”
“I agree,” Phillips replied. “If Agent Doggett is willing to offer his time and the Bureau’s resources to help us with this investigation, I for one would welcome the assistance.“
“As would my family,” Jessica added, earning her an annoyed glare from Lupen.
“Miguel, why don’t you make a copy of the case file for Agent Doggett?” Phillips asked. “I’m sure he’ll want to review the complete file before he contacts the witnesses.”
“Of course,” Lupen responded evenly.
“I’ll make the copies,” Jessica offered.
Doggett handed Jessica the file, and she excused herself as she left Phillips’ office. Lupen left immediately thereafter, flashing Doggett a final hateful glare as he did so. Once he was gone, the agent gave Phillips a sheepish smile.
“I don’t think Detective Lupen likes me very much,” he said.
“He’s just got his feathers ruffled because you showed up with Jessica,” Phillips replied. “He’s never been fond of competition.”
“From what she’s told me Jessica’s never been very fond of him,” Doggett responded.
“He is pretty persistent, but unless she files a formal complaint there’s not much I can do about it,” Phillips returned. “You, however, don’t have that problem. A friendly word of warning to back off may be just what he needs.”
His smile widened. “You don’t mince words, do you?”
Phillips shrugged. “I like Jessica,” she said. “Most people tend to dismiss her on sight because of her looks and her family, but I’ve seen her work and I know her record. She’s a damn good cop.”
“Yes, she is,” Doggett agreed. “Better than I was, at any rate.”
“Is that how you two met?”
“No; her brother Scott was my college roommate and we met through him.”
“I never knew him personally, but from what I heard he was a good man,” Phillips remarked. “I hope you can find the person responsible for his death.”
“I’m gonna do my best.”
Jessica returned then, and handed Doggett the copied file. “With your permission, Captain, I’d like to assume the lead on this case,” she requested. “I’d rather not have to work with Miguel.”
“Are you certain you can be objective enough about the investigation to run it properly?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“All right; the case is yours.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now go home.”
The lieutenant smiled, then she and Doggett bid the captain farewell and left the police station. Once they were in her car, she questioned him about his evasiveness with Lupen and Phillips.
“Would you care to tell me the real reason you want to talk to the witnesses of Scott’s accident?”
“There’s nothin’ to tell,” Doggett answered. “I just think it would be helpful if we got a straight story about the alleged driver of the other car.”
Jessica clearly wasn’t convinced that there was nothing more to it, but she decided to let it go for now. The drive to Doggett’s house was made in companionable silence, and once they arrived Jessica insisted on walking John to the front door.
“Is this some kind of reverse chivalry?” he asked lightly.
“Call it what you will,” came her response.
They reached the front door, and Jessica reached into her blazer pocket and withdrew a business card, which she handed to Doggett. “This is my card,” she said. “It has my direct line at the station on the front, and I wrote my cell and home numbers on the back.”
“Do you want to come with me when I talk to the witnesses?” Doggett asked.
“Thanks for the offer, but they might be intimidated by my presence. Just let me know if they manage to give you a more accurate description of the mystery man.”
He nodded. “I’ll call you as soon as I finish with them.”
“I’ll wait to hear from you, then. Good night, John.”
“Good night, Jess.”
Jessica leaned over to press a light kiss on his cheek, then flashed him a warm smile before making her way back to her car. Doggett watched her go, waiting until her taillights were no longer visible before speaking aloud to himself.
“John, my boy, you are in serious trouble.”
Smiling to himself, he unlocked his door and headed inside.
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ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
Arriving at the police station, Jessica flashed Ruesch a friendly smile before making her way to her office. Her desk was covered with various reports and miscellaneous papers, and she decided to make herself a cup of tea before tackling the paperwork. Crossing over to the water cooler, she was filling a cup with hot water when one of the uniformed offices approached her.
“Morning, Lieutenant,” he greeted, and handed her the large envelope he was holding. “This just arrived for you up front.”
“Thanks, Jimmy,” she responded, and tucked the file under her arm as she finished making her tea. Returning to her office, she took a sip of tea before setting her cup on the desk and shifting her attention to the envelope Jimmy had given her. It was made of plain brown paper and bore no return address, and her name was written across the front in unfamiliar handwriting. Grabbing a letter opener from the drawer, she gently broke the seal and dumped the contents onto her desk. Inside was a single sheet of letter paper folded in thirds, along with an aged newspaper clipping that had yellowed with time. She unfolded the letter first, noting with surprise that it was on her brother’s business stationery, and the message was a single typewritten line:
“Dead men tell no tales.”
Frowning, she set the letter aside and picked up the newspaper clipping. It was from a Boston newspaper from and was dated April 29, 1964.
SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING BABY GIRL
Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. - The search continues for a ten-week-old baby girl abducted from her parents’ home three nights ago. Young Christina Mulder was taken from the home of her parents, Bill and Teena Mulder, sometime between the hours of midnight and two a.m., when her mother awoke for her regular feeding and discovered the infant was missing.
Neighbors questioned by authorities stated that they did not see or hear anything unusual the night of the abduction, nor did the Mulders or their other children, three year-old Samantha and seven year-old Fox. The investigation of the house itself and the surrounding area has yielded no physical evidence as to the child’s abduction, further deepening the mystery of her disappearance.
When asked if the parents were suspected of foul play, Sheriff Tom Barnes replied, “At this time we have no reason to believe that the Mulders are responsible for their baby’s disappearance, and they are not considered suspects.”
Finishing the article, Jessica tucked it back inside the envelope along with the cryptic note and reached over to pick up the phone. Reaching into her purse, she rummaged around until she found Doggett’s card, and quickly dialed the main number for FBI Headquarters.
“Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
“This is Lieutenant Jessica Doggett from the Alexandria police department. I need to speak with Special Agent Fox Mulder please.”
“Certainly; one moment.”
There was a brief pause as the operator transferred the call, and a moment later Mulder’s easygoing monotone came on the line. “Fox Mulder.”
“Agent Mulder, this is Jessica Doggett.”
“Good morning, Lieutenant,” Mulder greeted. “If you’re looking for Agent Doggett, you just missed him.”
”Actually I was calling to speak with you,” Jessica clarified. “Would it be possible for me to come by your office and meet with you in person? I received a package this morning that I think you’ll be interested in.”
“Of course. I’ll be here all morning.”
“Excellent. I should be there in about thirty minutes.”
Jessica hung up the phone, then grabbed her purse and the envelope as she headed out of her office.
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FBI HEADQUARTERS
Mulder was seated at Scully’s desk and was gently shaking Will’s gift in an attempt to discover its contents when a knock on the doorframe interrupted him.
“Agent Mulder?”
He gave a guilty start before glancing up to see Jessica hovering in the doorway. “Lieutenant Doggett,” he greeted. “Come on in.”
She walked over to stand in front of the desk as she gestured at the package. “Somebody having a birthday?” she asked.
“My son,” Mulder answered. “He just turned one.”
Jessica nodded. “Any particular reason you’re trying to figure out what’s in the box before he actually gets to open it?”
Mulder managed a sheepish smile. “Nothing that would make any sense spoken aloud,” he admitted, and replaced the gift under Scully’s desk.
The lieutenant smiled at his reluctant confession, and as much as he loved Scully, Mulder allowed himself a brief moment of Wow…she is stunning…before addressing the reason for her presence.
“So…you said on the phone you received a package I might be interested in?”
“Yes,” Jessica confirmed, and handed him the brown envelope. “This was delivered to me at the station this morning.”
Mulder opened the envelope and withdrew the contents, scanning the note before reading the newspaper article, his surprise evident as he finished. “Well this is certainly an old ghost,” he remarked. “My parents told Samantha and me that Christina died of SIDS.”
“So the article is legitimate?” Jessica pressed.
“I assume so,” Mulder answered, confusion evident on his handsome face. “Which leads me to wonder why my parents felt it necessary to lie about Christina’s fate.”
Knowing from the brief bits of information about Scully and Mulder she had gotten from John, Jessica knew both his parents were deceased, and respectfully offered no response to his speculation. Instead she asked, “Any theories as to why somebody would dredge up a thirty-eight year-old kidnapping case?”
“Not off the top of my head, but given the note that came with it and the fact it was typed on your brother’s business stationery, it seems to me whoever it is wants you to believe that my sister’s kidnapping is linked to your brother’s death.”
“That makes no sense,” Jessica protested. “Scott was killed last week; your sister disappeared almost thirty-nine years ago.”
“Sensible or not, the facts remain the same,” Mulder countered. “Whoever typed this note did so within the last few days, and is someone who has access to your brother’s office.”
“I know most of his colleagues,” Jessica replied. “I can’t imagine any of them would withhold information about Scott’s death.”
“ ‘All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing’,” Mulder quoted softly. “The person who sent this to you is obviously trying to tell you that maybe they did just that.”
“I suppose the place to start is his office,” Jessica said. “Given that this now involves you, it would probably be a good idea for you to come with me.”
Mulder smiled. “Turnabout being fair play and all that?” he asked rhetorically.
“Excuse me?”
“Agent Doggett recruited Scully to go with him to talk to the witnesses who saw your brother’s crash,” Mulder clarified. “Now you’re recruiting me to help find out who sent you this package. Kind of an odd parallel.”
“Just so long as nobody calls me ‘Mrs. Spooky’,” Jessica quipped.
“Very funny, Lieutenant.”
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On to Part three
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