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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 Five San Diego, California Value-Save Rent-a-Car Montgomery Field Friday, 8:15 AM When Susan Moore arrived at the satellite office to open up for the day, Mulder and Scully were waiting for her, standing next to Mulder's rental car. Both wore dark suits and somber, albeit polite expressions. Both were also exhausted, having never fallen back asleep after the second contact with their bed. They'd held each other close, silent, deeply into their respective thoughts, resting for another hour before finally rising and facing the day. By mutual agreement their first stop would be to the Value-Save, to scoop up anything they could find. Then they had a 'date' with Marvin Jordan... he just didn't know it yet. Susan smiled at them as she approached their car, her gaze lingering appreciatively on Mulder. The smile slipped a bit when she noticed the way he seemed to be leaning into the personal space of the small, slender red-haired woman at his side - who sure didn't seem to mind. Susan sighed; some women had all the luck. She kept her smile in place as she reached their sides. "Good morning. Back again, I see. What can I do for you, Agent... I'm sorry, I can't remember your name." It was a partial truth; she remembered his first name. God, who could forget a name like Fox? Especially when the man more than lived up to that name. Mulder smiled easily, offering his hand. "It's Agent Fox Mulder. This is my partner, Agent Dana Scully. If you don't mind, we have just a few more questions concerning Mary Luden and Brenda Jordan." Susan looked confused for a moment, then shrugged and unlocked the door, holding it open for them. She switched on the lights and pressed a small button below the window, illuminating an 'Open' sign. Mulder and Scully waited until she'd booted up her computer and performed a half-dozen other office tasks. While the coffeemaker sputtered and dripped, Susan pulled up a few extra chairs behind the counter and they all sat. "I'm not sure what more I can tell you, Agent Mulder, but I'll be glad to help out in any way I can." Mulder smiled gratefully at her, and she blinked in reaction to the full force of it. Lord, the man was lethal... "Ms. Moore," Scully addressed her and Susan's attention shifted reluctantly, "I was here at the rental counter last Sunday when the customer Victoria Durkin died. Agent Mulder and I are trying to piece together not only what happened to her, but also to Brenda Jordan and to Mary Luden. We know you weren't working that day, but if you can think of anything that might help us..." She broke off, eyeing the woman closely. Susan Moore may not have been at work, but she might have heard something from another employee and filed it away in her memory. Susan shook her head sadly. "No, I'm sorry. I haven't really heard anything other than normal shock. I mean, two co-workers, dead! I really liked Brenda. She was a sweetie. Mary, well - she was nice, too. But I knew Brenda better. I worked with her the longest." The coffeemaker chose that moment to shut off and Susan jumped up to grab a cup, asking the agents if they wanted any. Both refused, and Susan busied herself with pouring a cup and adding a large spoonful of sugar before sitting back down again. She gulped half the cup before she continued talking. "I wanted to go to Brenda's funeral, but I just couldn't. I'm really bad with death, and funerals give me nightmares. Now I wish I'd gone." Mulder watched her drain the cup, noticing the slight shake of her hand. Deliberately using her first name, he inquired, "Susan - the day that Brenda and Victoria Durkin died, there was a cake sitting on the counter. It was Mary's birthday that day, and she'd cut some of the cake and had given pieces of it to several people. We know that Brenda had a piece, and Mary ate some of it off and on throughout the morning. Do you know what happened to the cake after Sunday?" Susan thought for a moment. "Well, I remember tossing the cake in the garbage on Monday morning when I came in. It was all dried out. Nobody had thought to cover it, I guess." Mulder smiled encouragingly at her. "Can you remember how many pieces were missing from the cake you threw away?" If Susan thought the question odd, she hid it well. "Not really. I mean, there were pieces gone, there were crumbs on the desk we all use. I just tossed it." She was very curious now, and it showed as she asked, "Why do you ask? Is there something about the cake that - " Her eyes widened as she put the deaths alongside the fact both her co-workers had eaten the cake; she exclaimed, "You think the cake made them sick, or something? You think the cake hurt them?" Mulder and Scully locked eyes momentarily; Mulder gave her a tiny nod. Scully turned to Susan Moore and asked, "Ms. Moore... you didn't eat any of that cake, did you?" "No, I didn't - oh, my God! I could have eaten it! I mean, I don't like cake but I crave sugar something terrible, especially with my morning coffee! And I sure eyed it a bit; it had lots of icing and looked pretty good to me even though I usually never eat the stuff. Oh, God... I could have eaten it! Please... did that cake kill Brenda and Mary? Was it... poisoned?" Susan was white-faced with panic. Scully put on her most reassuring smile. "No, Ms. Moore. We don't think the cake contained poison. But there is a possibility it was tainted in some way. That's part of our investigation. We have to trace back to anyone besides Brenda and Mary - and Ms. Durkin - who may have eaten some of the cake. That's why we're asking you if you'd be willing to turn over your customer files to us - the ones from last Sunday. If we could pinpoint your Sunday customers, it would help a great deal." Susan nodded, still shaky. "Sure. You can take them, as long as I have them back by the end of the week so I can Fed Ex them to the main office. We have to do it every Saturday, close of business. Well," she rubbed her fingers across her eyes, "I guess I should say 'I', not 'we'... seeing as I seem to be the only Value-Save employee left in the office since Lucinda quit and the others - well, since they... left..." Her voice broke a little. She rubbed at her face again, then rose and walked over to a beat-up lateral file, opening it up and pulling out a thick folder. "Here's everything from that Sunday. It looks like a lot but it really isn't. We staple all the contracts and assorted paperwork together so we don't lose anything." She handed the folder to Mulder, who murmured his thanks. "We'll make sure to get this back to you in plenty of time for sending out. Now I think we should get out of your hair so you can start your day. Oh, one other thing - would you mind if we looked through the desk one last time? I know I went through Mary's drawer, but now I'm thinking we might want to also look through Brenda's as well - just in case something was missed." Susan waved her hand toward the desk. "Be my guest." While Scully flipped through the contents of the folder, Mulder searched through Brenda Jordan's drawer. It yielded even less than Mary Luden's had. A few dog-eared paperback novels. A purple coffee mug heavily stained on the inside, with the words, 'Who Loves Ya, Baby!' emblazoned on each side in neon pink. A hairbrush. A handful of cough drops and an unopened package of 'Thank You' cards. Nothing. Mulder sighed in frustration, closed the drawer and then once more opened Mary's, determined to find something he overlooked before. He flipped through the items again, carefully, this time opening the files he'd bypassed the first time, when he'd been more zeroed in on the photos he'd found. One file appeared to be nothing more than the usual employee-type items: health care reimbursement forms, compensation forms, paycheck stubs. The second file appeared to be a little more personal; a few letters addressed to Mary from a 'Lydia Luden' - mother, or possibly sister? Mulder set them aside and kept looking. A few seconds later, he found it... a receipt from a company called 'The Delivery Guys', for delivery of "One Cake, addressed to Mary Luden, care of Value-Save Rental Satellite Office, Montgomery Field". Bingo. The receipt had an address imprinted for the delivery company. Mulder pocketed the receipt plus the letters he'd found, then turned to Scully, catching her eye. She nodded and tucked the folder under her arm. Together they thanked Susan Moore for her help and assured her they'd bring the folder back to her on Saturday morning. They left the rental car office. Out in the sunshine Scully glanced up at Mulder, squinting against the brightness of the day. "Okay. Now what? I saw you stuff something in your pocket. What did you find, Mulder?" He pulled out the receipt and waved it under her nose. "Delivery receipt. For the cake. Paydirt, Scully - I hope. I say we go there first, then pay Marvin Jordan a little visit. He's lost two women in just a few days; I'd bet he's probably feeling really down. Maybe he'll talk. And if not, maybe we can... persuade... him to talk." Scully sighed as she opened the passenger side door and slipped into her seat. "I have a feeling this is going to be one damned long day." San Diego, California Crowder and Jordan CPA Offices Friday 9:45 AM Mulder swung into the parking lot and nabbed the last spot he could find and killed the engine. Leaning back in his seat, he rubbed his fingers into his dry, gritty eyes. The delivery place had been a waste of time; it was only open on the weekend, just a small struggling business. They'd have to come back on Saturday. He rubbed at his eyes again, and without a word, Scully rummaged through her bag, coming up with a bottle of Natural Tears. She handed it to Mulder, who smiled his thanks to her and tipped his head back, shooting several drops into both eyes. He gave the bottle back to her, wiped the excess from underneath his eyes, and commented, "I must be drying up from the inside, or something. I can't keep any moisture under my lids." Scully patted his shoulder in mock-sympathy. "I'll peel an onion and wave it around in your face, Mulder. That ought to be good for a few crocodile tears." She flipped a grin his way, then opened her door, Mulder copying her movements. He sent her a rude look across the top of the car. "Smart-ass. Okay, let's see if ole Marv is home." They walked up flagstone steps, entering the office through thick glass double doors that opened into a spacious lobby tastefully decorated in muted shades of gray and soft blue. Low, soothing canned music was meant to please, as was the bubbling fountain in one corner of the waiting area. The low sofas and glossy magazines scattered over polished tables invited the visitor to relax - and perhaps forget they were about to head into an accountant's office and maybe hear something distressing about their finances. The overall effect of Crowder and Jordan was understated, elegant - and expensive-looking. It was obvious Marvin Jordan was doing quite well in the accounting business. They gave their names to an efficient-looking woman in her late fifties sitting at a wide, neat-as-a-pin reception desk; her nameplate identified her as 'Mavis Flynn'. She looked down her nose at them from behind a pair of steel-rimmed half-glasses; she barely glanced at their proffered badges. "Mr. Jordan is unavailable." Low voice, cold as the North wind and just as blunt. Great, Mulder thought; a barracuda. Truly the last thing they needed right about now. He tried a smile. It dried up in the desert chill of Mavis Flynn's polite glare. "I know we don't have an appointment. But it's very important that we speak with Mr. Jordan. Now." Mulder's smile stayed steady but his voice was firm, brooking no argument. Mavis Flynn was not swayed in the least. "And I repeat: Mr. Jordan is not available." She leaned forward in her seat, her eyes gaining another inch of frost to match the icicles dripping from her tongue. Idly, Mulder wondered if she'd ever gotten herself laid. Her panties were probably three sizes too tight... He shook off the grossly unprofessional and vaguely disturbing thought and leaned forward as well, stating, "Madam, I suggest you make him available. We're here on official FBI business. And our time is every bit as valuable as Mr. Jordan's -" The unflappable Flynn interrupted him quite rudely. "Somehow I doubt that. However, I would be happy to reserve approximately seven minutes of Mr. Jordan's time, for your usage. I believe I can fit you in at four-forty-two, on Monday." With that, she opened her appointment book, chose with great care a black lacquered fountain pen, and poised her writing hand over Monday's page. One gray eyebrow ascended in their direction as she awaited their decision. Mulder stared at her for several seconds, then turned to Scully, meeting her own raised eyebrows and silent exasperation. Wordlessly, he stepped back from the reception desk, glanced in three different directions - and suddenly made a beeline for a closed door at one end of the spacious room. Scully grinned and followed; Ms. Flynn squawked aloud, sputtering, "Here, now! You cannot go bursting in on Mr. Jordan!" Mulder tossed back a cheery, "Sure I can, Ms. Flynn - Marv and I are old memorial-service buddies." He and Scully reached the door, Mulder jerked it open and they stepped inside, almost slamming it on Mavis Flynn's pointed, stuck-up nose. Inside an office even more luxurious than the main reception area, Marvin Jordan looked up in shock from the high gleam of his polished desk, and exclaimed, "How the hell did you get - oh, it's you. The FBI agents from the other day. Listen, this is a hell of a time to be trying to talk to me. Jesus, haven't you people got any empathy? I've just lost my wife, and now my best friend..." The man's face was pale and his eyes were rimmed in dark circles. Obviously he'd been grieving - but for whom? The million-dollar question, Mulder thought. He and Scully flipped out their badges again, as per regulation, then Scully spoke first, keeping her voice even and low. "Mr. Jordan, Agent Mulder and I understand you've been through some difficult days, lately. And as we said before, we're sorry for your loss of Brenda and your friend Mary. But you have to understand that we're conducting an investigation. We need your cooperation and your help. It can't wait, so we request that you bear with us and allow us to ask you the questions we deem necessary." Jordan stared hard at both agents, before shrugging and leaning back in his chair, the picture of abject misery. "Go ahead, but please keep it brief. My head is pounding and this is the last thing my blood pressure needs." Mulder nodded. "We'll keep it as brief as possible. Now, Mr. Jordan... please, tell us: how well did you know Mary Luden? Was your association with her through your wife or had you known her before she started her job at Value-Save?" "Well, I didn't meet Mary until a Christmas party at the rental office. I suppose she'd been working for them maybe four months. Brenda had taken Mary under her wing, like a mentor, I guess. Mary was like a little sister to me." Marvin looked appropriately misty- eyed. Scully choked back a silent gag, and Mulder had to bite the inside of his cheek hard to keep himself from saying something he'd surely later regret. "Okay. So you and Brenda befriended Mary. Do you know of anyone who might have wanted to hurt her? Did she have any enemies? Anyone who might have been jealous of her?" Mulder watched the other man's eyes very closely. Jordan looked bewildered. "Enemies? Mary? God, no! She was sweet and kind, full of life. She loved everybody. Who'd ever want to harm Mary? And, jealous? You mean, other women? Hell, I don't know - I don't think so. She was a pretty little thing but just as nice as can be. No, Mary didn't have any enemies that I'd know of." Mulder nodded, "Okay. Were you aware, Mr. Jordan, that Mary Luden was having an affair with a married man? And would it have been possible that the wife of that married man might have gotten in the way of their combined happiness, as scorned wives sometimes do?" He waited for the explosion of denial... He didn't have to wait long. "WHAT? Mary, having an affair? I don't believe... NO! She wasn't like that! She wouldn't do that!" The shock in his voice and in his demeanor was very convincing, Mulder had to admit. And he was lying through his teeth, as well. Interesting and frustrating... Mulder chose to let that line of questioning rest for a bit, glancing over at Scully as he nodded to her. Reaching into the pocket of her suit coat, Scully brought out the pictures of Mary and Marvin, snuggling together; silently she handed them to the distraught accountant. "Mr. Jordan, would you care to take a stab at explaining these photos? We found them in Mary's desk at work." The color drained from Marvin Jordan's face as he looked down at the photos Scully had thrust into his hands, staring in disbelief at the sight of him and Mary cuddled in a loverlike spooning pose. His mouth opened a few times but nothing came out. Finally, clearing his throat, he attempted a feeble, "Well... I think I know when this one was taken. We had a dinner at our house and you know, we were all such great friends... I think Brenda took this photo - and you see, Mary and I were just goofing around..." Silently, Scully reached out and flipped the photo over, allowing him to read the back inscription, which proclaimed: 'Me and My Marvy at the cabin'. If possible, Jordan's face paled even more upon reading the words written there, in the childishly round script of a young woman who'd foolishly thought herself in love with a man years older than her - and married, as well. In the silence of Jordan's now-visible panic, Scully took the photos from his hands and shuffled through them until she found the shot of him standing alone in the sun. She showed it to him, then turned it over so he could read the inscription, 'Babe - love you. Need you. Just you!' Written in a masculine hand, it didn't take a genius to see that the bold scrawl on the photo matched the handwriting visible on a yellow legal pad that lay on Jordan's desk. Mulder coughed softly. "Mr. Jordan, Agent Scully and I have had a very long week. Between the two of us, we have witnessed the deaths of three women. And if we have to take up residence in San Diego, we're going to get to the bottom of their deaths. Now, I suggest we just cut to the chase. I strongly recommend you quit lying to us and tell the truth, for once in your life. Were you having an affair with Mary Luden?" Jordan heaved a great sigh, hanging his head. His arms hung limply at his sides and his hands trembled as he finally nodded. When he raised his face his eyes glittered with tears. "Yes. Okay? Yes, goddamn it! Mary and I were in love. I was going to ask Brenda for a divorce. I had every intention of marrying Mary! Jesus... I adored her. We wanted children! Brenda... she hated kids. She never wanted any with me, and when I found out how she really felt about babies, it was the beginning of the end, for us. Our marriage was really shaky long before I met Mary. I swear it." The tears overflowed down his face and he swiped at them impatiently. "Brenda... she never wanted to go anywhere, do anything. I worked my ass off every day and all she wanted to do when I got home was watch television. For hours. Or, she'd be on the damned computer all fucking night. It wasn't a marriage. Not for a long time." His eyes swam with more tears as he pleaded for their understanding. "Brenda and I shouldn't have gotten married, I see that now. We never wanted the same things. And when Mary came along, it was as if everything in the world I ever desired was right there in one sweet woman." The agents had heard this line of defense before, in the six years they'd been partnered together. Mulder was immune to the whole 'crime of passion' routine - and he knew Scully was, as well. "Look, Mr. Jordan... personally it matters nothing to me whether or not you found yourself stuck in a loveless marriage. If you were unhappy and went elsewhere for that happiness, it's also no skin off my big toe. But if you in any manner combined that unhappiness with the thought of doing away with one woman, in order to have the other, free and clear..." He purposely let his words dangle. And watched the other man's face very carefully. Utter shock wreathed Marvin Jordan's face. "You think I killed my wife? I don't... you think I KILLED Brenda so I could have Mary! Jesus Christ!" The shock was too real. Mulder could see it for himself. Marvin Jordan was actually rather lousy at concealing the truth - and it was obvious he was in deep distress about Mary Luden. Scully caught his eye briefly, and Mulder nodded slightly. She placed the photos on the corner of Jordan's desk, and faced the pale and trembling accountant. "Mr. Jordan, it's our belief that Brenda's and Mary's deaths are highly suspicious. You've already more or less figured that out for yourself, otherwise you wouldn't have reacted so strongly to Agent Mulder's remark. We still need your help. Is there anything you can remember about that Sunday; Mary's birthday? Anything at all? Did you buy her a present, or flowers, have anything sent to her at work? Did you buy her a birthday cake?" Jordan wiped at his eyes and stared at Scully in confusion. "A cake? No... in fact, I suck the big one when it comes to birthdays. I never remember them until the day after. It used to piss Brenda off all the time. I could remember every other special day, except a birthday. I had forgotten about Mary's, until the next morning. She called me and told me about that woman who collapsed at the counter; poor baby was so shook up about it. I remember she gave me grief about forgetting her birthday card, but thanking me..." Jordan broke off, eyes widening a little as he pulled from his memory. "Now that you mention it, Mary did say something about cake. She thanked me for sending her a cake. But I never did that; personally, I don't eat sweets at all. I'd never think about giving anyone a birthday cake." They had known that, of course. The receipt for the delivery of the cake had been found in Brenda Jordan's desk drawer. Her husband's genuine confusion sealed the deal. Mulder planted his hands on the edge of Jordan's desk. "We're going to need copies of your wife's credit card bills." "Okay. This is what we know so far." Mulder was counting down, as he and Scully sat in the idling car outside Crowder and Jordan's offices. Inside, an upset, no doubt grieving Marvin Jordan had been told not to leave town and to call them immediately if he thought of anything else. Now, it was left to the agents to string together what they'd learned. "Three women die within a variable time frame, all having eaten cake that may or may not be toxic in some way. It may or may not be murder. It may or may not be anything more than an accident. Mary Luden thought her boyfriend sent her the cake, and a receipt from the delivery place - found in Brenda Jordan's desk - shows us nothing except Luden's name as the recipient of the cake. Mary Luden was having an affair with Brenda Jordan's husband, and Brenda herself may or may not have known about it. For that matter, she might not have understood the trouble her own marriage was in. Right so far?" He glanced over at Scully and she nodded, busy jotting down notes on a pad of paper. "Yes, so far. And we have more or less established the three deaths as being a result of consuming the cake. What we need to figure out is how, and why. I think how would be the more important of the mysteries." Mulder curled a palm over her free hand, twining their fingers together. He squeezed her hand gently and she returned the squeeze, then continued, "We need to find the trigger. For every action there is a reaction, right? Basic physics. Something about that cake has got to be toxic; I just haven't discovered it yet. That doesn't mean it's not there." Mulder nodded, suddenly drained to the bone and fighting back feelings of helplessness. "It's there, Scully. Probably as obvious as hell. Hiding right out in the open. We just need to let it find us." He gave her hand another squeeze. "I know you probably already told me... but humor me, okay? Tell me the very last thing you remember hearing Victoria Durkin say, right before she died." Scully pressed the heel of her hand into her forehead, thinking. "Well, let's see. She was eating the cake. I remember thinking mine tasted really bad, surprised because it looked so professionally decorated. Durkin ate all of her piece, I'm sure; I didn't see her toss any of it away. Mary asked her how the cake was, and Durkin said it was delicious. Then she started choking." Mulder nodded encouragingly. "Good. Now, Brenda Jordan. She was upset, frightened. She'd been screaming most of the night, according to that Detective, Rosa Damarco. I asked her what she'd meant when she'd yelled about 'not supposed to happen that way'... remember? She got even more hysterical, said she didn't know why Durkin died. Then she started choking." Scully picked up the narrative from there. "Right. And then, Mary Luden. She was nervous, had difficulty looking us in the eye. Guilty as hell, that's for sure... but about having an affair, although she disavowed it, as I recall. Loudly. Then she choked, and collapsed." As she spoke those last words, Scully's eyes locked with Mulder's - both of them acknowledging the same epiphany - that three women had all choked to death immediately after answering a question. A question... there had to be some kind of connection, Mulder was thinking. Question - response. Death. What the fuck could it be? And then he heard it all again, in his mind; let it flow through him again, like a rerun: 'How's the cake? Delicious...' 'What did you mean? Nothing, I don't know why she died...' 'An affair. I don't know anything about it...' And there it was, all of a sudden. Right there, so plain and so simple it could have easily passed him over. Simple answers often were the most deceiving. Simple. Deadly simple, apparently... A lie. They'd all told a lie. Right before death, each of them had lied. It hit him, rolled over him and lodged inside him, icy-hot and stabbing, a bolt of certainty that sank in his gut and bit him hard. Mulder grabbed at Scully's arms and held on like a lifeline. He could feel the heat actually drain out of his body. "Scully, they lied. All three of them lied, seconds before they died. I don't know how in hell it could have happened that way, but somehow that cake killed them because they ate it and then told a lie." Continue to Chapter 6 |
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