From: ceilidh_o@yahoo.com   
      
   TITLE: Disciple (Part 3/4)   
   AUTHOR: CeilidhO (rrooomsy_heckels@hotmail.com)   
   CATEGORY/KEYWORDS: X-File; MSR; AU- Casefile   
   RATING: R, probably, for violence and occaisionally disturbing   
   descriptions of criminal activity. Warning: Involves violence   
   against children.   
   SPOILERS: In theory, everything up to "Fight the Future".   
   DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here, and intend no copyright   
   infringement. All characters and ideas are the property of Chris   
   Carter, 1013, and the FOX network. No profit will be made.   
   SUMMARY: What if Scully had accepted the transfer to Salt Lake City?   
   Five years later, a horrifying murder case reunites her with Mulder,   
   even as it threatens to rip her new life apart.   
      
      
      
   - - - -   
      
   VIII   
   Mirabilis   
      
   Scully felt triumph slam through her.  The Deacon's words lit a fire   
   in her mind.  She knew without question that they had found   
   something, that this was their miracle, their shaft of sunlight   
   through the clouds.  This was the road to their prize, the faceless   
   killer a shining El Dorado at its end.   
      
   As soon as they had managed their restrained goodbyes to the Deacon   
   and left the church, Scully spoke.   
      
   "He was here, it was him.  He's a Bible Study teacher, maybe some   
   kind of travelling one, but that's him.  It fits perfectly."   
      
   Mulder opened the door of the car and let himself into the driver's   
   seat, his movements tense and strained.  His body was suppressing   
   the same rampant joy Scully could feel coursing through her whole   
   self.   
      
   "I know," he said.  "I know, I know, I know."  He let out a   
   strangled whoop, his face alight.  Paring sprawled in the backseat,   
   his hand over his mouth, whispering softly.   
      
   "We got him.  Hot damn, have we got him!"   
      
   Scully laughed and then reached back and put on her seatbelt as   
   Mulder started to drive, sobering slightly.   
      
   "Are we still going to the school?" she asked.  Mulder turned around   
   to look at Paring.   
      
   "Alex, what do you think?  Is it still worth it?"   
   He nodded.  "Definitely.  We need to get some of the kids he knew to   
   talk to us, to tell us if any of their Bible Study teachers   
   were `creepy', stuff like that."   
      
   Scully turned around too.  "Should we all go?  It might be-" She was   
   interrupted by the bleating ring of her cell phone.  She dug her bag   
   out from under the seat, and pulled out the phone.   
      
   "Dana Scully."   
      
   "Dana?  It's Dan.  I've got some good news."   
      
   "So do we.  Just a second, I'm putting you on speakerphone.  Okay,   
   go ahead."  She heard Dan clear his throat.   
      
   "When we were going through the paperwork down here, we came across   
   a missing child report from a town called Morgan, Idaho.  It's for a   
   boy who disappeared five days ago, on the second of June.  That   
   corresponds with the John Doe kid's body that we've got right now.   
   It wasn't brought to our attention because there hasn't been a   
   single victim in Idaho yet, but get this: the boy's name is Thomas   
   Kent.  Thomas.  That's one of our missing three Disciple names."   
      
   "Oh my god…"   
      
   "And that's not all.  The boy was reported missing after he failed   
   to come home from a Bible Study class."   
      
   Mulder whooped again, then called toward the phone:  "Agent Morris,   
   you are a genius."   
      
   Dan's confused voice filtered back through the speaker.  "I just   
   thought it might be something, you know, because we think he's   
   religious, but why's Mulder so happy?"   
      
   Scully smiled. "Dan, now you get our good news.  We have pretty good   
   reason to think that the killer is a Bible Study teacher."   
      
   Dan's thundering silence greeted their ears.  Paring leaned toward   
   the phone.   
              	   
   "Agent Morris, that's exactly how I felt."   
             	   
   Dan laughed.  "Okay, well.  I think this Thomas is the body we've   
   got here."   
      
   Mulder slipped on his sunglasses as they turned a corner, and then   
   he spoke at the phone.  "Dan, tell me more about the circumstances   
   of Thomas' kidnapping."   
      
   "He was supposed to go to an afternoon Bible class with a bunch of   
   other kids getting ready for their First Communions.   He left the   
   house at 3:45 on the day he was taken-"   
      
   "Sorry, that would be Tuesday the second, right?" Mulder interrupted.   
      
   "Yeah.  So he left at 3:45, after his mother gave him a snack.  She   
   saw him leave the house, and he didn't come back.  She reported him   
   missing at 11:43 pm that night, according to the file.  The teacher   
   and the other kids were interviewed, and they all said he never   
   showed up for class, so either he was picked up along the way to it,   
   or…"   
      
   Mulder grimaced.  "Or he showed up early and the teacher had a   
   little surprise waiting."   
      
   "Exactly.  The only problem is, the teacher is an establishment in   
   the town.  He doesn't have a single day in the last week where he is   
   not accounted for by someone, and the townspeople all said that he   
   hasn't been away or sick for years.  Our guy would have had to   
   travel a lot.  I'd say he's clean."   
      
   "Call the sheriff for Morgan and have him question people   
   specifically for the dates of the kidnappings and body dumps for the   
   last couple of our victims," Scully added.  "See if he can be   
   accounted for on those."   
      
   "Can-do."   
      
   Paring leaned forward.  "And have the sheriff ask about any   
   substitute Bible teachers that may have come through in the last   
   couple of months, any that would have had the chance to meet Thomas   
   and know his name."   
      
   "I'll ask.  When are you going to get back here?"   
      
   Scully smiled. "As soon as possible.  Thanks so much, Dan.  We'll   
   see you tonight."  She hung up after he did, the dial tone floating   
   through the car.   
      
   They allowed themselves another round of celebration.   
      
      
   David Browning, the last friend of Jamie's they had to interview,   
   wiped his nose on the back of his hand.  The vice-principal held the   
   other hand tightly in her grasp, her eyes concerned as she gazed   
   down at him.   
      
   "Davey, it's okay to stop talking if it's making you too sad,"she   
   said, her voice sickly sweet.  "We'd all understand."   
      
   He shook his head mutely, the tears that ran down his face sliding   
   with the motion.  He angrily shook off her hand, moving his own hand   
   to the arm of the chair, where he gripped it with white knuckles.   
      
   Watching him, Scully felt sick.  Mulder allowed another few moments   
   and then he leaned towards the boy, his mouth tight.   
      
   "Davey, are you okay to answer the last question now?  It's a really   
   important one, so I want you to be sure."  Davey nodded, his cheeks   
   glistening.  "Okay.  Davey, in your Bible Study class, the one at   
   church, you got a lot of substitute teachers, right?  Why was that?"   
      
   "The Deacon said it was a Christian duty to h-help others and to…   
   And to sometimes, uh, receive wisdom from our elders and the more   
   godly among us."   
      
   "So the substitute teachers weren't always young, then?"   
      
   "No, but mostly they were."   
      
   "Which ones weren't?"   
      
   "Um… Deacon Keating from Batesville five miles up the road, Father   
   Francis from the Lutheran school in Georgica, and… and… Mr.   
   Monkey."   
      
   Mulder's attention focused abruptly.  "Mr. Monkey?  Who's that?"   
      
   Davey blushed slightly.  "It's the mean name we made up for Mr…. I   
   don't remember his name, but Jamie said we ought to call him that   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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