"Reunion"
by Andra Marie Mueller
Part EightSee part one for summary, author's notes & disclaimer
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ALEXANDRIA
After her physical therapy session at the local gym, Jessica had taken a brief shower and changed into her work clothes before making her way to the station. Entering her office, she dialed the code to check her voice mail and heard Doggett’s message just as he and Reyes arrived.
“I just got your message,” Jessica said. “What’s going on?”
Doggett handed her the copy of Lupen’s cell phone bill. “Monica got a copy of Lupen’s cellular phone bill, and he placed a call to my home number the same night you were assaulted.”
“Then he was the one who called you that night to tell you I was in danger,” Jessica replied.
“It looks that way,” Reyes allowed.
As if to speak of the devil, Lupen chose that moment to arrive at the station, and caught sight of the agents in Jessica’s office at the same time she spotted him. Fury etched in her beautiful face, the lieutenant immediately hobbled out of her office and across the squad room to confront him.
“How much did they pay you, Miguel?” she demanded. “I’m curious as to what the going rate for an accessory to murder runs these days.”
Lupen gave her a confused look as Reyes and Doggett made their way over to stand behind Jessica. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
Before anyone could react, Jessica lifted her right arm and slapped Lupen across the face, knocking him backward a couple of steps. “Save it for the judge you son of a bitch!” she snapped, and took a step toward him, obviously intent on striking him again. Doggett immediately stepped in front of her and placed his hands on her arms, using his body weight to hold her in place.
“That’s it,” he said. “You and I are goin’ in your office until you cool down. Monica, read Detective Lupen his rights and take him into one of the interrogation rooms for questioning.”
“Questioning for what?” Lupen demanded.
“Your role in the death of Scott Caldwell,” Doggett told him.
As Monica began to mirandize Lupen, Doggett half-pulled, half-dragged Jessica into her office and closed the door. Once they were inside, she angrily jerked her arms out of his hold. “You can let go of me now,” she snapped.
“What’s the matter with you?” Doggett demanded. “What were you thinkin’, slappin’ Lupen like that?”
“I should have broken his damn nose,” Jessica retorted, and settled into her chair before leaning over to rub her injured knee.
“I’m as angry about Scott’s death as you are, Jess, but runnin’ around assaultin’ the suspects isn’t going to help our case,” Doggett countered.
“Maybe not,” she allowed, “but he had it coming, and not just for his part in what happened to Scott.”
“I won’t argue that, but the fact remains you need to get control of your temper,” came Doggett’s reply. “At the rate you’ve been goin’ lately, I’m surprised you didn’t deck your mother last night.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Grace Phillips, who entered Jessica’s office without bothering to obtain permission. “Lieutenant,” she greeted. “Agent Doggett. Which one of you wants to explain why Jessica slapped Detective Lupen?”
Jessica stubbornly remained mute, so Doggett shot her an exasperated look before responding to Phillips. “We have reason to believe Detective Lupen was an accessory to the murder of Scott Caldwell,” he explained.
Phillips eyes widened in surprise. “Do you have any proof of that?” she asked.
“We’ve got a copy of his cell phone bill provin’ that he called my house the night Jess was shot, and his call was made at the same time I got the anonymous call threatenin’ her,” Doggett told her. “And yesterday Jess overheard him make a comment to his partner that was the same one sentence message written on the note she got with the article about the kidnapping.”
The captain frowned. Just as the agents had felt it necessary to inform Skinner of their discovery that Jessica was Christina Mulder, Jessica had confided in her superior about the revelation and its possible connection to Scott’s death.
“Overlooking the fact that all of the evidence you mentioned is circumstantial, you still don’t have a motive,” Phillips pointed out. “He’s too young to have been involved in your abduction, so on the surface there doesn’t appear to be any reason for him to want to see Scott killed for uncovering the truth.”
“Maybe it’s as simple as ‘money is the root of all evil’,” Jessica suggested. “He could have been paid to send the notes and make the phone call.”
“That’s a reach,” Phillips replied, “but at the moment we don’t have much else to go on. I’m going to head over to the interrogation room and see how Agent Reyes is doing with Miguel. Jessica, if you promise to behave, you can watch with me from the observation room.”
“I’ll be as well mannered as a mouse in church on Sunday,” Jessica responded.
Phillips exchanged a knowing look with Doggett before the trio left the office and crossed through the squad room. The other officers present cast curious looks at Jessica as the group passed by, most of them having witnessed her strike Lupen and wondering what prompted it. As they reached the interrogation room, Reyes stepped out and seeing them approach, walked over to join them.
“He says he had nothing to do with Scott Caldwell’s death,” she said. “However he is willing to name names provided he’s granted immunity from prosecution and placed in a witness protection program.”
“What makes him think he’s in a position to make any demands?” Doggett asked.
“I asked him the same thing, and he responded by saying he’s the only one who can tell Jessica what she wants to know,” Reyes answered.
“Do you believe him?” Doggett pressed.
“What I believe doesn’t matter,” Reyes responded, and glanced at Jessica. “It’s your call, Lieutenant. If you’re willing to give him what he wants, he’ll tell you who’s responsible for Scott’s death.”
Jessica glanced at Doggett. “Do you think he can really tell us who killed Scott?”
“The evidence seems to indicate that he can,” Doggett allowed.
The lieutenant sighed. “Well, at this point I don’t have anything to lose,’ she said, and shifted her gaze to Reyes. “Let’s go have a chat with him.”
Reyes and Jessica reentered the interrogation room, shadowed by Phillips and Doggett, and walked over to stand next to the table where Lupen was seated. Propping her crutches against the table, Jessica settled herself into a chair before addressing Lupen.
“Miguel,” she greeted simply.
“Lieutenant,” Lupen returned. “You pack a nasty slap, gorgeous; nice to know there’s some fire under the ice after all.”
“Watch your mouth, Lupen,” Doggett warned.
“Or what, Agent Doggett?”
“You don’t wanna find out.”
“Save the male posturing for another time, gentlemen,” Phillips interjected.
“So what is it you have to say that you think I want to hear?” Jessica asked irritably.
“I trust Agent Reyes has informed you of my request?”
“She has,” Jessica confirmed.
“Are you certain you don’t want to wait for your attorney before making any statements?” Phillips pressed.
“I’m touched by your concern, Captain,” Lupen responded sarcastically. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Fine,” Doggett said. “Why don’t you start by tellin’ us who hired you to write the notes to Jessica and call me the night she was shot?”
“Alan Grant,” Lupen revealed. “Apparently Scott Caldwell had accidentally uncovered evidence that Grant had been illegally obtaining babies and adopting them out to high end clientele for outrageous prices. When he discovered that his own sister was one of the stolen babies, he came to me and asked me to start a formal investigation into Grant’s activities. He’s the one that provided me with the newspaper article about Christina Mulder’s abduction thirty-eight years ago.”
“Why did Scott come to you?” Jessica asked. “Why not go to Captain Phillips or directly to me?”
“I didn’t ask. Frankly I was hoping that I could somehow use the information to my advantage and get you to reconsider going out with me. But when I finally got enough evidence to confront Grant, he propositioned me. He said that if I kept my mouth shut and helped him keep you and Scott out of his way, he’d pay me five million dollars.”
“Not a whole lot of money considering what he was probably making as a baby broker,” Reyes remarked.
“It was more money than I’d ever see working as a cop,” Lupen countered. “He introduced me to his partner, and I began dealing directly with him.”
“Does this partner have a name?” Doggett prompted.
“None that I know of. Grant never referred to him by name; just called him ‘my partner’ or ‘my associate’.”
“What does this ‘partner’ look like?” Reyes asked.
“I’ve never actually seen him,” Lupen admitted. “Whenever we meet, it’s always in a dark room and he stays in the shadows. But I can tell you that he uses a wheelchair and is a heavy smoker.”
“Spender,” Doggett muttered.
“Aside from the notes and the phone call, what else did they have you do?” Reyes asked.
“They had me hire someone to kill the lieutenant’s dog and torch her house,” Lupen answered. “They didn’t want her to discover the truth too soon and they thought burning her house down would scare her into backing off.”
“Was he supposed to shoot me?” Jessica interjected.
“No; I assume he just panicked because you walked in on him.”
“Where can we find the shooter?” Doggett asked.
“The morgue most likely,” Lupen responded. “Grant had him killed after he burned down the house.”
“How much of this is my mother involved with?” Jessica queried.
“As far as I know her only involvement is your original abduction,” Lupen told her. “Killing your brother was Grant’s idea. He felt it was the only way to keep him quiet.”
“I find it very convenient that Grant and his partner seem to be the heavies in this, while you’re little more than a glorified messenger,” Reyes remarked.
“If the shoe fits…” Lupen allowed.
Jessica glanced at Phillips. “Captain, could I speak with you outside for a moment?” she requested.
“Of course.”
The lieutenant stood up and grabbed her crutches, then the two women excused themselves and left the interrogation room, leaving Reyes and Doggett alone with Lupen.
“So what’s your story, brown eyes?” Lupen directed at Reyes.
“Excuse me?” Reyes said.
“You’re a good looking woman,” Lupen replied, and inclined his head toward Doggett. “You can do better than settling for second choice.”
“Shut up, Lupen,” Doggett snapped.
The detective ignored him. “You and I are on the same team,” he continued. “If I can get my hands on the Ice Princess, that means you can have her lap dog here for yourself.”
Doggett walked over to stand next to Lupen’s chair, his expression one of controlled anger. “Unless you want to spend the next six months on a liquid diet, I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” he warned evenly.
“You’re just as cold as that blonde bitch who still uses your name,” came the reply. “The two of you must get frostbite in bed.”
The comment snapped Doggett’s hold on his temper and he reacted without thinking, lifting his arm to punch Lupen dead center in his face. The blow broke his nose and knocked him backward out of his chair, and Doggett reached over to grab Lupen by the front of his coat. Hauling him to his feet, he ignored the blood trickling from the other man’s nose as he shoved him against the wall. Releasing his hold on Lupen’s coat, he grabbed a handful of hair with one fist and lodged his other arm against the detective’s throat. “Give me a reason, Lupen,” he snarled in a whispered hiss. “One little shift of my arm and I can snap your neck like a dry twig. Just say one more word against my wife and I’ll send you on a one way trip to hell!”
Something in Doggett’s eyes warned Lupen he was deadly serious, and the detective wisely remained silent. On the other side of the table, a worried Reyes attempted to calm her partner down.
“Let go of him, John,” she said. “Assaulting him isn’t going to help Jessica.”
Doggett shot her a sideways glance, and realizing she was right, reluctantly released his hold on Lupen and stepped away from him just as Jessica and Captain Phillips reentered the room accompanied by a pair of uniformed officers. Both women glanced at the overturned chair and Lupen’s bloody nose, and the tension radiating from the men was almost tangible.
“Did we miss something?” Phillips asked pointedly.
The trio remained conspicuously mute, and after a lengthy silence, it was Lupen who spoke first.
“It was an accident, Captain,” he lied. “I leaned backward too far in my chair and when I fell over, I landed face first and managed to break my nose. Agent Doggett was kind enough to help me back on my feet.”
“How thoughtful of him,” Jessica remarked dryly.
Phillips shot Doggett a look that clearly said she wasn’t buying Lupen’s tale, but nonetheless she let it go and motioned the uniformed officers forward. “Detective Lupen, I’m placing you under arrest for withholding evidence in a federal homicide investigation, for being an accessory to attempted murder, arson, extortion and cruelty to animals.”
Lupen shot her a disbelieving look as the officers took up position on either side of him and gently pulled his arms behind his back to handcuff him. “This is a joke, right?”
“Not hardly.”
He glanced at Jessica. “We had a deal,” he declared. “I was to be given immunity from prosecution and granted protection in exchange for my testimony.”
“Those were your terms, not mine,” Jessica responded.
“You said you agreed to them!” Lupen snapped.
“I said that Agent Reyes had informed me of what they were,” Jessica amended. “I never agreed to anything.”
Rage filled his face. “You deceitful bitch!” he exclaimed. “You set me up!”
“You set yourself up, Miguel,” Phillips interjected evenly. “You waived your right to have your attorney present in front of witnesses, and technically speaking Lieutenant Doggett did not actually agree to accept your demands.”
He took a step toward the lieutenant, his intent obvious, but Doggett immediately placed himself in front of Jessica as the uniformed officers restrained him. “You lying slut!” he shouted angrily. “I should have killed you when I had the chance!”
“I know the feelin’,” Doggett retorted, and glanced at the closest officer. “Get him out of here.”
Lupen kept his hate filled gaze on Jessica as he was taken into custody and removed form the interrogation room. Once he was gone, Phillips turned to face her subordinate.
“You realize that with Miguel’s arrest, it’s only a matter of time before the real details behind Scott’s death are leaked to the media,” she said quietly.
Jessica nodded. “I know.”
“We need to bring your mother and Alan Grant in for questioning,” Phillips told her.
“The Bureau will take care of that,” Doggett replied.
“That’s a good idea,” Phillips agreed. “Jessica, I’m going to have to ask you to withdraw yourself from the case. Now that your mother is at the very least an accessory to kidnapping, I can’t allow you to remain involved in a professional capacity.”
“Of course.”
“If you have no objections, I’ll turn it over to Ken Saurus. He’s an excellent detective and I know we can trust him to be discreet.”
“Saurus is fine.”
Philips nodded and glanced at the agents. “I’ll have Detective Saurus contact your office once he’s had a chance to review the file.”
“That will be fine,” Reyes said.
“Jessica, I’m sorry it had to come to this.”
“So am I.”
Phillips flashed her a sympathetic smile, then bid farewell to Reyes and Doggett and left the room.
“Are you ok?” Doggett asked of Jessica.
“As okay as I can be under the circumstances,” she responded. “And for the record, that story Miguel gave us about falling out of his chair was the biggest fairy tale I’ve heard in a long time. For someone who chides me about my temper, you seem to have a bit of trouble controlling your own.”
Doggett smiled. “To quote a beautiful blonde I know, ‘He had it comin’, and not just for his part in what happened to Scott’.”
She smiled back. “Touché’.”
“We’d better head back to the office and tell A.D. Skinner what’s going on,” Reyes said.
“You two go ahead,” Jessica replied. “I’m going to pay a visit to my mother.”
“By yourself?” Doggett prompted.
“No, actually I’m going to call Fox and have him meet me at her office. He has a right to know the truth as much as I do.”
“If that’s the way you want it,” Doggett allowed. “I’ll meet you there once I’ve talked with Skinner.”
“What about Grant?”
“Monica and Dana can bring him in.”
“Fine. I’ll see you in a bit.”
The couple exchanged a quick kiss and Jessica bid farewell to Reyes before they headed off for their respective destinations.
****************************************
SENATE BUILDING, WASHINGTON D.C.
Having called Mulder on his cell phone to update him, Jessica was not surprised to find him on the steps of the Senate Building waiting for her when she finally arrived. Seeing her approach, he greeted her with a faint smile.
“You made good time,” he said. “Dare I ask if you stayed within spitting distance of the speed limit?”
“I drive an SUV, Fox, not a sports car,” Jessica responded lightly. “Expeditions aren’t exactly built for speed.”
“Good point. So are you ready to do this?”
“Not really, but let’s do it anyway.”
He placed his hand on her arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze before they made their way inside. Many of the people present recognized both Jessica and Mulder, and offered them friendly greetings as they passed through the hallways. It took them only a couple of minutes to reach Elizabeth’s office on the second floor, and when they did they discovered Elizabeth was finishing a meeting with her staff.
“She shouldn’t be more than another five or ten minutes, Lieutenant,” Elizabeth’s secretary Sydney told her. “Can you wait, or shall I interrupt her?”
“We’ll wait,” Jessica answered. “Would you please call Michael Kelly and ask him to come over as soon as possible?”
“Actually he’s in the meeting with her,” Sydney revealed. “I believe they’re planning her campaign budget and PR strategy.”
“In that case maybe we should interrupt after all and spare them the effort,” Mulder muttered dryly.
The lieutenant shot him a warning look as they settled themselves into a pair of chairs in the reception area. Ten minutes later the meeting adjourned and various members of the senator’s staff filtered out of the room, flashing Jessica smiles of greeting as they did so. Michael Kelly and Elizabeth remained in her office, fine tuning some details of the meeting, and after telling Sydney to show Doggett and Skinner in when they arrived, Jessica hobbled into the office shadowed by Mulder.
“Jessica, darling,” Elizabeth greeted. “What a nice surprise.”
“I’m here in an official capacity, Senator,” Jessica responded, her use of her mother’s title in lieu of ‘Mom’ or “mother’ not lost on Elizabeth. “Michael, this is Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI. Fox, my mother’s attorney, Michael Kelly.”
The two men exchanged greetings and a handshake before Jessica addressed Elizabeth. “I want to know why you never told me I’m adopted and what your involvement was in my abduction thirty-eight years ago,” she said bluntly.
“Abduction?” Kelly echoed. “What are you talking about Jessica?”
Mulder answered for her. “Almost thirty-nine years ago my infant sister Christina was kidnapped from our family’s home in Martha’s Vineyard and disappeared,” he answered. “She was never found, and no one was ever charged with the crime. Based upon our preliminary evidence, we have reason to believe she was part of an illegal adoption ring being run by Alan Grant, wherein he would steal babies from their biological parents and sell them to the highest bidder, after which he would forge the adoption papers. Scott Caldwell apparently stumbled onto evidence of the ring himself, and discovered that his sister Jessica was in actuality my sister Christina. He took his discovery to a Detective Miguel Lupen at Alexandria P.D, who in turn became an accessory to Grant’s activities after Grant offered him a financial settlement in exchange for Lupen’s assistance in keeping Scott from telling his sister or going public with what he knew.”
“Are you saying Lupen and Grant had Scott killed because he found out about your adoption?” Elizabeth asked incredulously.
“Yes,” Jessica confirmed. “That’s also why they tried to kill me after killing Trouble and burning my house down.”
The senator’s face lost some of its color. “I had no idea they would take it so far after all this time,” she muttered.
“Did you think they would just sit back and do nothing if the information ever became public knowledge?” Jessica prompted.
“Frankly I had no idea what they would do, but murder wasn’t even on the list of possibilities. No one was supposed to get hurt.”
“Tell that to my parents,” Mulder retorted. “Tell that to Jessica and your son.”
“Assuming for the moment that you can prove any of this,” Kelly interjected, “where does Elizabeth fit into all of this?”
“That’s what we’re here to find out,” a familiar voice responded from behind them.
The foursome turned expectantly as Doggett and Skinner entered Elizabeth’s office. Introductions were quickly made before they returned to the business at hand, and Skinner addressed Elizabeth.
“Detective Lupen has already been arrested after confessing to his part in Scott’s death, as well as the attempt on Lieutenant Doggett’s life,” he revealed. “Two of my agents are en route to Alan Grant’s office to bring him in for questioning, and depending upon what he tells us, you could be facing felony charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping and accessory to kidnapping.”
“What do you want from me?” Elizabeth asked.
“Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder have both declined to press charges for the kidnapping,” Skinner told her. “However, we still need to get your official statement about the kidnapping and the adoption.”
“How much of this will have to be made public knowledge?”
“Don’t you dare say that you’re worried about your image, Senator,” Jessica snapped.
Elizabeth gave her a frustrated look. “That isn’t what I intended to say, Jessica,” she chided. “I was merely going to suggest that it would be better for Kim and the children if we can handle this whole mess as discreetly as possible.”
“It would have been better for everyone if you hadn’t stolen my sister in the first place,” Mulder retorted.
Elizabeth had no response for that, and after an awkward silence Skinner spoke again. “Senator,” he said. “I think it would be best if we relocated to the Hoover Building. I know my superior Deputy Director Kersch will want to be brought in on this.”
“Of course,” the senator demurred, and rose to her feet.
“Before you go I want an answer to a question,” Jessica replied. “Why didn’t you ever tell me I was adopted?”
“Edward and I loved you as much as we would have loved our biological child, and we didn’t want the knowledge that you were adopted to make you or anyone else think otherwise,” Elizabeth told her. “We feared that you might harbor resentment toward Scott because he was our biological child, or that people might treat you differently if they knew that you weren’t.”
“That’s hardly justification for a lifetime of lies.”
“In retrospect perhaps not, but at the time we honestly felt we were doing the right thing. And for the record, Jessica, I didn’t know that you were an abducted child. Edward and Alan handled everything themselves and told me that your mother had died in childbirth.”
The lieutenant gave a derisive snort. “How convenient. I’m sure that comforts Scott greatly knowing your ignorance as well as your deceit cost him his life.”
Her daughter’s continued hostility bristled Elizabeth’s fragile nerves. “I understand your anger, Jessica, but having lost a son yourself I would think you might be a bit more sympathetic.”
That comment was enough to resurrect Doggett’s temper. “Don’t begin to compare Luke’s death to Scott’s,” he said coolly, “and don’t think you’re anywhere near the mother that Jess was. She was never anythin’ but honest with our son, and didn’t harbor secrets that led to his death.”
Again Elizabeth offered no response.
“If you’re ready, Senator, we should get going,” Skinner said.
Elizabeth nodded and after retrieving her purse and her coat, accompanied Skinner from the room, shadowed by Michael Kelly.
“Do you want to come back to headquarters with us and sit in on your mother’s statement or Grant’s?” Doggett asked.
“I’d like to hear what Grant has to say,” Jessica answered. “Although Spender seems to be the one with all of the answers.”
“Well now that we know he’s alive, I’m certain it’s only a matter of time before he contacts me,” Mulder replied. “He won’t resist the chance to throw what he’s done back in my face.”
“Something to look forward to, I’m sure,” Jessica responded dryly. “Let’s go.”
****************************************
FBI HEADQUARTERS
Thirty minutes later, everyone was gathered in the conference room at the Hoover Building, where
Kersch was finishing his review of the Triad file. He was seated at the head of the table, with Skinner on his right and Michael Kelly on his left. Clockwise from Kelly the rest of the chairs were occupied by Elizabeth Caldwell, Reyes, Alan Grant, his attorney Brett Foster, Scully, and Jessica. Mulder was propped against the wall with an air of bored indifference, while Doggett stood a couple of feet behind Jessica, his arms crossed across his chest, his expression unreadable. Two other armed agents stood by the door, standing sentinel over the room per orders from Kersch.Releasing a sigh, Kersch completed his perusal of the file and closed the folder, folding his hands together and resting them on top of the folder. “Well I must say this case is a virtual cornucopia of federal charges,” he remarked. “Murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnapping, extortion, forgery, conspiracy to commit arson, withholding evidence in a federal homicide investigation. I suppose the first question I have, both for Senator Caldwell and Mister Grant, is are the charges accurate?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth admitted simply.
Grant glanced at Foster, who gave a curt nod, and he said, “Yes, sir.”
“Very well. Let’s just take them in categories, and as the victim herself is present let’s start with the kidnapping charges. Lieutenant Doggett, as a police officer I am certain that you are aware there is no statue of limitations for kidnapping, being that it is a felony.”
“Yes, sir, I am aware of that,” Jessica confirmed.
“Do you wish to pursue criminal charges against your mother and Mister Grant for your abduction thirty-eight years ago?” Kersch asked.
“No, sir. If the Bureau is able to ensure that Mister Grant is convicted of his role in my brother’s murder and the destruction of my home, than I have no desire to instigate the kidnapping charges against him. As for Senator Caldwell, she claims to have had no knowledge that I was an abducted child, and with no direct proof to the contrary, I’ll drop the charges against her as well.”
“Fine,” Kersch said. “Senator, you’re free to leave, but I‘m certain that I don’t need to tell you that what was discussed here today is not to be discussed with anyone other than your attorney.”
“I understand.”
Kelly nodded at Elizabeth and they both rose to their feet. The senator glanced at Jessica, obviously intent on saying something, but stifled the impulse at the expression on her face and silently followed Kelly out of the room.
Kersch glanced at Foster. “The remainder of the charges are directed solely at your client, Mister Foster. Is Mister Grant prepared to cooperate with our investigation?”
“He is,” Foster assured him.
“Very well. For the record, Mister Grant, why don’t you tell us how you arranged for Christina Mulder to be given to the Caldwells, and why you were willing to kill to keep the secret so many years later.”
Grant again glanced at his attorney and waited for his nod before speaking. “The decision to abduct Christina Mulder came from my partner, a man named Carl Spender who at the time was an agent with the FBI’s Boston division. Apparently he had been working with Bill Mulder on some secret project for the government, and when Mulder tried to back out of their deal, Spender had Christina kidnapped.”
“Why me?” Jessica interjected. “Why not Fox or Samantha?”
“Spender said he intended to ‘take care of Samantha’ at a later date,” Grant revealed, “but said he had other plans for the boy and that he was not to be harmed. It was at that same time that my business partner Edward Caldwell approached me about helping he and his wife adopt a baby. They already had a seven-year-old son, but after he was born Elizabeth wasn’t able to conceive again, so they finally decided on adoption. And Elizabeth had made it clear she wanted a baby girl.”
“Why not go through a conventional adoption agency?” Mulder asked. “They were well known and respected public figures and certainly had enough money to provide for another child.”
“Edward was adamant that no one know the child was adopted. I couldn’t understand why, but he was convinced that it would somehow be a problem if either the child or the general public knew she wasn’t the Caldwells biological child. So he came to me. He knew of my connection to Spender and had heard rumors of Spender’s ‘project’, and was willing to pay to get one of the ‘special’ babies that Spender had been working on.”
“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned some type of secret project that my father and Agent Spender were allegedly conspiring on,” Mulder replied, and walked over to stand beside Doggett. “What exactly was this project?”
“Spender never confirmed nor denied its existence, but according to the rumors he and your father were experimenting with injecting specialized DNA into a Human fetus during certain developmental stages to produce ‘super babies’. Babies with enhanced intelligence, emotional aptitude, physical appearance and abilities. It was their contention that these experiments would eventually lead to the elimination of birth defects and diseases such as Down’s Syndrome, epilepsy, malformed or missing appendages.”
“Genetic manipulation of unborn fetuses is illegal,” Scully pointed out.
“Which is yet another reason why Edward was determined to keep the knowledge of Jessica’s adoption a secret,” Grant allowed. “Christina Mulder was one of the first babies to have survived the experiments and be born alive and well. Spender was determined to put her where he could keep an eye on her and watch her development, and given his growing difficulties with Bill Mulder he knew that he could only do that by taking her away from her family.”
“Well if he really wanted to simplify things maybe he should have just tossed Christina into a giant glass jar and stuck her on a shelf with the rest of his specimens,” Mulder said drolly.
“I think we can do without your commentary, Agent Mulder,” Kersch admonished.
Mulder fell silent, and Doggett chose that moment to join the conversation. “With everythin’ else you’ve revealed here, you have yet to explain why you decided it was necessary to kill Scott Caldwell rather than let the truth come out,” he replied. “And given that the truth has come out anyway, whatever your excuse is, it’s not gonna make a whole lot of sense.”
“It’s rather simple, Agent Doggett,” Grant responded. “Self-preservation. I have my own family and reputation to protect, and I wasn’t willing to let Scott jeopardize that by uncovering my secrets.”
“Obviously Spender thinks differently,” Doggett returned.
“The man’s dying of cancer, and his only son has been dead for several years. He has nothing left to lose. And allowing the truth to be revealed on his terms was his way of exerting his last tendrils of control over the situation.”
“Sounds like his style,” Mulder muttered.
“Well now that you’ve told us what we needed to know, its time for me to exert my control over this situation,” Kersch declared, and motioned for the agents at the door to step forward. “Alan Grant, you are under arrest for the various crimes previously described to you and confessed to by you. I am remanding you to the custody of the FBI and you will remain in prison until formal charges have been filed and your ultimate place of incarceration is determined by the courts.”
Grant stood up and the agents each took hold of one of his arms, and Foster rose to his feet to follow him as they started for the door. Once there, however, Grant stopped and turned to look back at Jessica. “For what its worth, Jessica, I truly never intended for it to get this far,” he said.
“That and three bucks will buy her a cup of coffee,” Mulder retorted.
“That’s enough, Mulder,” Skinner said firmly.
For her part, the lieutenant offered no verbal response to Grant’s mollified apology, and the agents escorted him out the door with Foster close behind. Once they were gone, Kersch shifted his attention to Jessica. “Lieutenant, would you please excuse us for a moment?” he requested. “I need a moment with my staff.”
“Of course.”
“Agent Reyes, since your involvement with this case has been minimal, you’re excused as well,” Kersch told her.
The women rose to their feet and exited the room, and once the door had closed behind them, Kersch addressed his agents. “Well, I must say that I’m at a loss for words on this one,” he began. “You’ve been actively pursuing an investigation - without authorization - that involved criminal charges against an acting United States Senator and only brought me into the loop at the 11th hour. Not to mention the ramifications to the Bureau if Spender is indeed responsible for plotting the abduction and this mystery project he and Agent Mulder’s father were supposed to have been working on. How many times am I supposed to let you off with a slap on the wrist when you break the rules or bend them to suit your needs?”
The question was rhetorical, and the group remained silent, prompting a heavy sigh from Kersch. “I’m tempted to fire all of you simply on principle,” he said, “but without my rank to keep you in line I might turn you all into more of a liability than you already are. I expect that this will be the last time I am kept in the dark about any investigation that concerns both the Bureau’s reputation and high profile public figures.”
There were murmurs of agreement from the others, and Kersch wordlessly rose to his feet and left the room. Once he was gone, Mulder released a deep breath. “Well that was fun,” he said dryly.
“If I were you Mulder, I’d make damn sure I stayed out of Kersch’s way for as long as humanly possible,” Skinner suggested. “He’s looking for a reason to fire you and another of your ill timed comments may give him one.”
“I appreciate the warning, sir,” Mulder responded.
“Agent Scully, I’ll leave it to you to keep your partner out of trouble,” Skinner said. “As for you, Agent Doggett, I must say that for a man who prides himself on keeping his private life private, you certainly managed to entangle yourself in a public mess.”
“All’s fair in love and war, Assistant Director,” Doggett replied.
“Well you seem to be knee deep in a bit of both,” Skinner returned wryly.
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On to Part Nine
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