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La Vérité Nous Sauvera (The Truth Will Save Us) By Char Chaffin and Tess Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Epilogue Text Only Chapter Three San Diego, California Value-Save Rent-a-Car Montgomery Field Tuesday, 2:01 PM The first rush of afternoon rental customers had tapered off by the time Mulder walked up to the counter. It suited him just fine; he wanted some form of privacy. Behind the counter a woman in her early forties had her ear pressed into a phone propped against her shoulder, leaving her hands free to flip through rental contracts. Mulder noted her name tag declared her to be Susan Moore. A discreet glance around verified she was the only Value-Save clerk on duty. Good - he didn't want to talk to Mary, the clerk who'd been on duty the day Victoria Durkin had died. At least, not yet. Susan looked up from her call, noticing Mulder and sending him a harried little smile. It was obvious she was trying to get through her phone conversation quickly. Susan kept one eye on the handsome man in the dark suit standing quietly at her counter, mouthing affirmatives into the receiver and hoping her live customer wouldn't become tired of waiting and leave; it wasn't often she got to wait on such a good-looking man. At last she managed to end the call, and set her phone down. She sent Mulder a brilliant smile, and stepped closer to the counter. "Good afternoon! Sorry for the delay. What can I do for you? Are you picking up or dropping off?" Goodness, what incredible hazel eyes... Mulder smiled at her, the sudden glamour of it causing her own brown eyes to widen appreciatively. He fished out his badge and flipped it open, keeping his smile easy yet professional. "Actually, I'd like to ask you some questions. Agent Fox Mulder, FBI. I'm investigating the death of Victoria Durkin." He watched the smile slip from Susan's lips and her eyes dull a little as she realized she was to be questioned. He added quickly, "Were you here on Sunday, around eleven-thirty in the morning, when Ms. Durkin collapsed?" Susan shook her head. "No, it was my day off. I have seniority and don't work the weekends unless someone's sick. Mary and Brenda were working that day. In fact, Mary was supposed to work this morning but she called in sick. Again." The irritation in Susan's voice was noticeable, and on a hunch Mulder took that irritation and ran with it. "Mary. She was the one who had a birthday on Sunday, right? Is she often unreliable; calls in sick a lot?" He watched Susan carefully as he spoke. And saw another flash of irritation in her expression. "Oh, often enough. Mary skips out early, comes in late. Calls in sick about once a week, in fact. Usually she's only gone half a day, but this is a small office. There's only the four of us - well, three of us, now that Brenda's gone. When someone doesn't show up it's a real hassle." The phone rang just then, and with a muttered, "Excuse me", Susan turned to pick it up. While she was occupied Mulder leaned over the counter as unobtrusively as possible and glanced around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary as far as he could tell. Stacks of rental agreements on a large desk that held several coffee mugs of varying colors and sizes. A sweater hanging off the desk chair, another hooked over the top of a coat tree. A pair of sneakers on the floor. It was obvious that more than one person used the area and the desk. Susan finished the call and turned back to the counter. "I'm sorry for the interruption. It's going to start getting busy around here; usually does this time of day. Is there anything else you need to know?" There was impatience in her demeanor. Mulder eyed the desk again, then nodded decisively. "Yes, in fact there is something more. I need to check out this desk, and its contents." He gestured with his hand and Susan frowned briefly at the odd request, then shrugged and unlocked the counter hinge, flipping it up and over so Mulder could walk through. Murmuring his thanks, Mulder walked around to the front of the desk and sat down in the chair. An investigation of the center drawer yielded the usual collection of pencils and pens, rubber bands, metal clips and a metal-edged ruler. Mulder closed that drawer and was reaching for one of the side drawers when he noticed that each of them was labeled with the names of what had to be Value-Save staff: 'Susan'. 'Brenda'. 'Lucinda'. 'Mary.' Bingo... He pulled open Mary's drawer and sorted through the contents. A can of Hershey's hot cocoa mix. Several packages of Top Ramen soup and a rather grungy-looking water bottle with the word "Curves" emblazoned across it. A handful of quarters in a little ceramic dish that was decorated with a fat Garfield, face buried in a pan of lasagna. Some files. Some envelopes. A few cards, some without envelopes and one in an envelope, the top slit open, its contents thicker than the average card. Hmmmm... Mulder picked it up and pulled the card out, flipping it open. And a handful of photos fell into his hands. A-ha. This must be Mary... Young and cute, no more than maybe twenty-five. Short blonde hair and green eyes, slim - and wrapped in the arms of a dark-haired man at least fifteen years her senior. Mulder was guessing this wasn't her daddy, either. He barely glanced at the card itself, recognizing it by its overload of pink and red hearts to be a Valentine's Day offering. The photos were much more interesting. Three in all, two of Mary and her fellow, and one of him all by himself, mugging into the camera, standing in the sun with his hands on his hips. Smiling. Mulder turned the photo over and read the words written in a masculine scrawl. 'Babe - love you. Need you. Just you!' No name. Interesting... Mulder held the photo closer, noticing the wedding band on the guy's finger. Her husband? He looked up and caught Susan's eye, standing at the counter watching him. "Um, Susan? Is your co-worker Mary married?" Susan shook her head. "Nope. Never been married as far as I know, but she's seeing someone; I don't know who he is. He's never been around here, at least not when I'm working. She gets flowers from him sometimes." Mulder slipped the photos into the card and the card back into the envelope, taking care to place it back exactly where he'd found it. He had one more question for Susan. "When is Mary scheduled to work again, Susan? And what's her last name, please?" Susan's reply came out on a rather miffed-sounding snort. "Well, like I said, she was supposed work all day today, but I suspect I won't be seeing her until tomorrow. She's due in at eight. And her last name is Luden." Mulder nodded and thanked her, letting himself out of the back area of the rental area. He walked slowly out the side door and across the parking lot to his car, thinking about Mary and her married boyfriend. Tomorrow's interview should be intriguing... Then he remembered that Brenda Jordan's funeral was tomorrow, in the morning, and he and Scully had already decided to go to it, hoping to pick up some kind of clue. Okay, then. Mary could wait - until after the funeral. San Diego, California Days Inn Balboa Park Tuesday, 10:25 PM Scully absently lifted a now-tepid can of Coke to her lips, draining the last of the soda from the container. She had showered and changed into a pair of mint-green cotton pajama bottoms and a white tank top. Now, with her back propped up against a stack of pillows and her laptop resting on her legs, she sifted through the stack of scribbled notes she had written while waiting for Mulder to pick her up from the coroner's office earlier that evening. She had a set of headphones plugged into the handheld tape recorder as she listened to the playback of the dictation of the autopsies she had performed on the two victims. Across the room, Mulder was sprawled in the armchair near the window, comfortably clad in a lightweight pair of sweatpants. In the short pauses from the sound of her own voice through the headphones, she could hear him humming softly as he poured over the scrawled notations of his own day's work. His head bobbed, keeping time with the song he was humming, pausing only long enough to scoop a andful of sunflower seeds from the opened bag lying on a nearby table. Scully watched him pop a seed into his mouth, intently studying the way his cheeks hollowed as he sucked the salt from the shell before working the tiny seed free with his teeth. He must have sensed her stare, because he lifted his head and sent an absent grin her way. Scully returned his smile before lowering her gaze back to her work. She instantly realized the distraction had caused her to miss several moments of dictation and she held down the rewind button on the tape player for a few seconds, listening to the high-pitched sound of the tape spinning backwards. Hitting the 'play' button again, she refocused her attention on her work and her fingers once again began to dance over the keyboard as she returned to the task of transcribing her audio notes into a typewritten report. "Slight discoloration to the nail beds of the fingers..." came the tinny sound of her voice through the inexpensive headphones. "Same bruising beneath the nails of the toes on the right foot; not as noticeable on the left." She highlighted the text to indicate that the same traits had been found on both victims. For the next twenty minutes, she continued typing, making notes of her observations throughout the autopsies including the weight and appearance of each of the victims' vital organs. She was nearing the end of the tape when she was startled from her task by the bouncing weight of Mulder as he settled onto the bed next to her. "Find anything interesting to connect our two victims?" He stretched out onto his side and propped his head on one hand, craning his neck in an effort to see the screen of the laptop. Scully hit the 'stop' button on the tape player and dragged the headphones from her ears to rest around her neck. Over dinner, he had given her a brief preview of his own findings from the day, but she had chosen, as always, to wait until she'd had the time to briefly analyze the data she had collected before putting any of her thoughts into words. "Quite a few things, actually." She quickly scrolled through her report, eyes searching for the highlighted text that indicated similar findings from both examinations. "I'm waiting for a number of reports back from the lab," she told him. "Such as?" She began ticking off the various reports she was waiting for. "Pathology reports on the tissue samples from the vital organs, as well as blood and urine tests." "What do you expect - or rather - what are you hoping these tests will reveal?" She shrugged. "Some kind of tangible, scientific link connecting the cause of death." She reached out and yanked some papers from beneath his hip, absently smoothing out the creases as she spoke. "If I had to offer a hypothesis right now, I'd say that both women were poisoned." She tapped one of the arrow keys on the laptop to move through the document. "Blood and urine tests will tell us w hether the victims were exposed to any foreign toxins, but just from my visual examination alone, I'd say that there is certainly enough evidence to support the theory." "Like what?" Mulder scooted closer and tugged one of the pillows from behind her back, settling more comfortably onto the bed. His voice was alert and the look he gave her was filled with curiosity, even though his eyelids drooped sleepily. She mentioned the discoloration beneath the nails on the hands and feet of both women, as well as the swelling and unnatural redness found in their gums and tongues. Scully saved and closed the file, shut down the laptop and set it onto the bedside table along with the tape player and her collection of handwritten notes. She stretched out one arm to turn off the lamp and slid down in bed to rest her cheek on Mulder's shoulder. She absently traced her fingers over his collarbone as she continued. "The brains of both victims showed some minor contusions which could be an indication of sudden inter-cranial pressure," she told him. "There was some evidence of inflammation and swelling in their throats and an examination of the stomach contents indicated that they had both..." Her voice trailed off and she stiffened against him. Mulder stroked his hand through her hair and let it glide down her back. "What is it, Scully?" He lifted his head and squinted, trying to make out her face in the darkened room. He jostled her slightly, trying to draw her attention back to him. "An examination of the stomach contents indicated that they both... what?" he prodded. "Oh!" She was jarred back to the present when he tugged lightly on her hair. She blinked in the darkness. "I'm sorry. They both had eaten yellow pound cake shortly before dying." Scully burrowed her face into Mulder's neck. "I'll know more when the tests are back from the lab," she said. She forced herself to regulate her breathing and allowed Mulder's warmth to seep into her suddenly cold limbs, relaxing her. She dismissed the unexpected clutch of fear as silly and unfounded. But she fell asleep with the unpleasant and bitter taste of cake in her mouth. San Diego, California Balboa Memorial Center Wednesday, 11:05 AM Mulder shifted restlessly on the padded folding chair. He and Scully had slipped into the Center's spacious 'Memory Sanctuary' and had snagged a couple of chairs in the last row, wishing to remain as unobtrusive as possible. The first three rows of seating actually consisted of small, comfortable wing chairs and sofas, meant to encourage family members and friends to gather in small clumps and presumably chat about the deceased. Since any kind of funeral home gave him the creeps, Mulder was wishing he could be anywhere but here. He took a deep breath and expelled it slowly, sending a grateful smile Scully's way when she laced her fingers through his and gave them a squeeze. She knew how much he hated this kind of atmosphere. The sanctuary was about two-thirds full, most of the attendees seated in the comfy wing chairs and sofas. An elderly woman with thin white hair scraped back in a bun was keening loudly, rocking back and forth in the chair nearest to the open casket. An equally- elderly man awkwardly patted her shoulder and wiped at his own streaming eyes. Grandparents, obviously. The first row chairs and sofas were crowded with people in various stages of whispering, crying and the occasional giggle. Another side effect of grief; it made some people laugh. Yet another reason for Mulder to hate the whole memorial process. Next to him Scully craned her neck to see past the heads directly in front of them. Since they'd first walked in they'd both looked to see if any of the staff from Value-Save would show up. So far she hadn't recognized anyone, and Susan, the woman Mulder had spoken to, had yet to make an appearance. A small commotion near one of the side doors in front of the sanctuary drew their attention, and they both watched as a somber- faced man in his late thirties walked in, leaning on the supporting arm of... "Mary, Mary... is that her? Because that's definitely the 'boyfriend' I saw in the photos I found in the desk at Value-Save." Mulder noted the way the petite blonde physically bolstered the grieving widower, leading him to the sofa directly in front of the casket. He sank down and she followed, sitting close to him and keeping her eyes locked on his profile. Scully nodded, rising up a little from her chair to get a better look. "Yes, that's her. Quite solicitous, isn't she?" They both observed how close Mary sat to the man who had to be Marvin Jordan, how intently she watched him. "You're sure this is the guy you saw in those photos in her desk?" Mulder nodded, his eyes locked on both of them. "Oh, yeah. It's him. Plenty of snuggling going on in those two photos. Romantic snuggling; our Marvin had his hands all over Mary's ass, in one of them. So," he turned to Scully and grinned, albeit grimly, "We have an adulterous situation, and we have a dead wife. We have, according to your early autopsy findings, a possibility of poisoning. We have Brenda Jordan sobbing in jail that 'it wasn't supposed to happen.' Now all we have to figure out, is..." He paused dramatically, holding his words until Scully frowned and pushed at his shoulder. Mulder chuckled and finished, "All we have to figure out, is the rest of it." Scully sighed loudly and he smirked at her. A grumble under her breath had him chuckling anew. "You are an idiot. Now shut up and let's listen to this damned service." The service itself was predictably somber and lengthy; the eulogy given by a tall, scrawny man Mulder presumed was the Center director. He was dressed in unrelenting black, and with his pale skin, hair and eyes looked like a cross between an anemic vampire and an albino. His voice was sonorous and his address delivered in a monotone that drove Mulder nuts. He could feel himself fidgeting and knew he must look like a typical, bored child. He forced himself to sit still. At one point in the service, a long-winded description of Brenda Jordan's devotion to the ladies in her grandmother's canasta club brought forth not only a grief-laden wail from the elderly woman in the wing chair, but also an accompanying screech of pain from Marvin Jordan. As they watched in disbelief, he laid his head on Mary's conveniently handy shoulder, and bawled loudly and copiously. Scully snorted a soft and disgusted, "Oh, brother," and sat back in her uncomfortable chair, no doubt longing for their motel room as much as Mulder was. He nodded and murmured softly, "Getting awfully thick in here. I may have to roll up my pants just to wade out. I say we pull Mary aside as soon as the service is over, before she can make her escape with ole Marvin." "I agree." The service finally over, the agents remained seated and kept an eye on the front of the sanctuary, waiting patiently for the stream of mourners who filed past the casket, peeked inside and then turned to shake Marvin Jordan's hand or give him a hug. He stood next to the casket, pale and sad-faced, outwardly the perfect example of a grief-stricken husband. Mulder thought the pose was ruined somewhat by the clinging, young blonde-haired woman at his side who had a death grip on his arm. Mary was probably afraid one of the other female funeral attendees would make a play for him, right in front of his embalmed wife. Shaking off the morbid humor, Mulder nudged Scully and stood quickly when it became apparent Mary and the Widower Jordan were about to exit out a side door. Scully scooped up her purse and hurried after Mulder who was already halfway up the aisle. "Miss Luden, a moment of your time, please." Mulder caught up with Mary before she could slip out the door. The blonde woman turned and stared up at him, impatience etched in her expression. Mulder flipped out his badge and identified himself; she visibly stiffened at the sight of it in his hand. She let go of Jordan's arm and he looked back in confusion, his eyes settling briefly on both agents, then glancing down at the badge Mulder still held out. Frowning, he faced them and spoke before Mary could say anything. "You're an FBI agent? What's this about? We're having a private family gathering, here, for God's sake. My wife..." His voice broke off on a choking sob and Mary immediately caught hold of his arm, supporting him again. She turned to Mulder and Scully and her eyes glittered with suppressed tears. "Please... this isn't a good time. I have no idea why you need to talk to me, but we have to meet up with the rest of the family." She started to lead Marvin Jordan out the door as if he were an invalid, but her progress was halted by the hand Mulder slapped against the open frame. His voice was polite yet firm. "I'm sorry for your loss. Both of you. But my partner and I need to speak with you, Ms. Luden. It's important. I am sure Mr. Jordan understands, and has other family members who can comfort him while we speak." His arm held fast across the door frame and his tone brooked no argument. Marvin Jordan nodded jerkily and offered Mary a sad smile. "It's all right, Mary. Brenda's grandparents are in rough shape and I really need to be with them. I've been so wrapped up in my own misery..." He gestured with his free hand and she reluctantly let go of him. Mulder dropped his arm from the door frame as Jordan squeezed her shoulder and walked out to catch up to his family, waiting in the parking lot. Mulder and Scully ushered Mary Luden into a small conference room that held a table, some chairs and a sofa. Leading her to the table, he seated her politely and asked if she wanted a glass of water. Mary shook her head, but accepted a tissue from the box Scully found on a side table. She dabbed at her eyes while the agents settled themselves in chairs across from her. Scully folded her hands on the table and addressed Mary first. "Miss Luden, my name is Dana Scully and I'm Agent Mulder's partner. I was at the airport the day Victoria Durkin collapsed. Do you remember me? I was returning a rental car." Mary nodded as she blew her nose. "Yes, I remember you. You were the one who tried to help her. You and another customer." Scully smiled reassuringly at the distraught woman. "That's right. Agent Mulder and I want to do everything we can to help the local authorities piece together what happened, both to Ms. Durkin and now Brenda Jordan. We'd like to ask you a few questions. It won't take long." Her voice was calm and Mary visibly relaxed, leaning back in her chair and wiping at her eyes. "Okay. I'll do the best I can." Mulder smiled at her. "Good. Just a few initial things we need to establish... you and Brenda Jordan worked together at Value-Save. How long had you known her?" Mary thought for a moment. "Oh, about two years, I guess. I got the job right out of college. I wanted to get into teaching but my final grade point average wasn't good enough. I had a real hard time with college and almost dropped out a couple of times. But I stuck it out and got my degree." There was pride in her voice and Mulder nodded encouragingly. Mary blushed a little and continued, "Anyhow, Brenda was the one who trained me, and we were friends right from the beginning. We were all really good friends. Brenda and Marvin have been so good to me." Tears re-formed in her eyes and Mary bravely blinked them away. Mulder did his level best to make appropriate sympathetic noises, but it was really tough to do when all he wanted was to grasp her narrow shoulders, shake her until her teeth rattled, and call her a hypocrite to her face. He restrained himself, however, and was grateful when Scully somehow sensed his anger and took up the questioning. "Mary, do you know if Brenda was sick? Did she have any health problems? Did she miss a lot of work because of taking sick leave?" Mary shook her head firmly. "No, not at all! Brenda was always at work. Even when she got a cold she worked. Once she came to work with a high fever. She was very dedicated to her job." Okay, the woman was a paragon in the work force. There had to be a reason Marvin strayed in the first place, other than the fact of Mary's youthful beauty versus Brenda's relatively plain-Jane appearance. Mulder tried again. "Mary, do you know whether or not Brenda was happily married?" Blunt and to the point. Scully shot a swift glance his way but didn't say anything. Mary's jaw dropped a little. "Happily... how would I know? I don't know... yes, of course she was happy with Marvin! God, who wouldn't be? He's a wonderful man!" She twisted her tissue into little shreds. "She loved him, and he loved her! Why would you think Brenda wouldn't be happily married?" Mulder eyed her carefully and decided to let her have it, hoping it might shake something loose. "Because Marvin Jordan was having an affair with someone. We have proof." As he uttered those words, Mulder watched Mary's face carefully, and saw the color drain right out of her pretty face, saw the way her eyes got huge with shock. Or was that guilt? He was about to find out. "Wha... are you... how... proof?" Mary's voice was thin and high. Mulder reckoned it could be shock mixed with guilt. He and Scully both watched as Mary's fair complexion went from pasty to bright pink. Her fingers were mangling what tissue shreds she had left, and her pointed little chin wobbled a bit. Her eyes dropped to the table and she refused to raise them even when Scully addressed her directly. "Mary, listen to me. Agent Mulder and I have a job to do here. We have two women who have died under inexplicable circumstances. We have been assigned to solve a puzzle, and we have to go at it from all angles. If you can tell us anything at all about the woman that Marvin Jordan was seeing, we'd really appreciate the help." She eyed Mary Luden closely, carefully. And Mary flushed pink again; her forehead actually broke out in a light sweat. She gave the appearance of a woman caught in a maelstrom of guilt - and her reply was predictable and given without looking either agent in the eye. "I don't know anything about Marvin having an affair. I don't know anything!" Three seconds later Mary Luden was on the floor, gasping and choking while her throat swelled - and Scully and Mulder were trying again to save a life they both knew in their hearts was beyond their saving. And once again, as they worked over Mary Luden's prone and unresponsive frame, their eyes met - and in Scully's Mulder could detect something besides helpless frustration. He could detect fear. Continue to Chapter 4 |
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