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Chapter Text

Scully walked into the basement and noticed Mulder at his desk with the lamp on, absorbed in a Greek and Latin dictionary.

“Good morning, Mulder.” He looked up, nodding in greeting but clearly still lost in thought.“What would you call the fear of owls, Scully? Orinthobia or strigiformaphobia?”

“I don’t know, that second one is a mouthful though. My Latin and Greek are a little rusty from med school days, Mulder. Isn’t that more your area of expertise?” the redheaded agent replied, thinking of his undergrad degree as she hung up her coat

“I don’t know if it is specific enough to qualify as separate from the main, Orinthobia, fear of birds.”

“Are you looking for killer owls now? How much sleep did you get last night?” Scully asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Goblins, actually. What do you know about them?” Mulder asked, pointedly ignoring the last question, although Scully spotted several coffee cups scattered around him already.

“Aside from Tolkien and classical music? I suppose that they like to leave changelings or go after milk. They are a common fairytale that may have been used to explain childhood illness or other unexplained events in European culture. Usually connected with magic and dark places or caves in some way. More of a concern for settled people groups in villages or towns. Possibly fear of the dark and nightmares. The usual boogeyman parts of the psyche,” she grabbed her own coffee, taking a sip.

“Yes, it appears that many European cultures have their own version of the goblin myth, some dating back thousands of years. Funny thing is, similar creatures can be found in the folklore of other continents, in the Wampanoag and Zulu cultures for instance." -Mulder indicated the books on his desk, a selection from his folklore books that he kept in the office- “Goblins are primarily described as ugly, greedy creatures with intents ranging from mischievous and gift granters to evil. They are associated with kidnapping children and playing tricks on humans, sometimes even killing them. But in some places like Korea they can also act as guardians and give good luck or advice, and be formed from everyday objects imbued with a life of their own”.

“While that is fascinating from a literary and historical perspective Mulder, I am still not seeing the connection fairytales have with owls or the FBI.”

“I’m getting there, Scully. Agent Bianchi stopped by yesterday evening to ask for help for a case he is working on.”

“That’s unusual, isn’t it? We hardly exist to many of the other agents other than as a way to warn interns” Scully remarked in surprise.

“Well, it depends on the case, doesn’t it? I think Skinner probably told him it was worth asking though.” Mulder lifted a folder slightly from the messy stack squeezed in among the books and papers on the desk. “This past Friday a 5 year old child was abducted, Emily Ross. Her parents reported her missing after coming home from a night out and finding her older sister, Charlotte Ross, distraught. She has since been admitted for psychiatric evaluation after suffering an apparent psychotic episode when questioned by the police. Her initial statement was she had wished aloud that Emily was gone, and a strange man had shown up and taken her and wouldn’t give her back. She didn't want to give more detail. After being pressed by officers she finally broke down and told them she had wished her sister to, get this, goblins. Then a strangely dressed man who claimed to be their king, had shown up after Emily disappeared.” Scully raised her brows again but didn’t interrupt.
“She says she asked for her sister back but was told if she wanted her she would have to complete a challenge, which she failed. This was all within three hours that her parents were gone. Before you ask”-Mulder raised a hand-” she and her parents agreed to a drug test and she came back negative for all the usual substances.”

“Even if normal psychoactive substances were ruled out, the trauma of her sister being taken could have caused her mind to create a fantasy to help her cope with it,” Scully rationalized.

Mulder inclined his head. “Possible, but her statement actually matched some accounts that stood out in abduction cases in the X-files, as well as some regular cases I pulled from Johnson upstairs when following up on the profile. Before she stopped talking she mentioned an owl being a spy for the goblins, and she said a girl tried to help her. Apparently her parents had seen her scream at a nearby bird when they got back. Which is where- ”

“Mulder…” Scully said in a long-suffering tone.

“No really, there was a missing persons case in the X-files here, a 2 year old in the late 70’s. The father, who was the main suspect and later tried for murder, had some mental disturbance; became irrational around owls, simply hated the creatures and would scream at them, ended up diagnosed with ornithophobia, but it was filed here because he claimed goblins took the child. No body was found to prove he had murdered them, so he wasn’t convicted.” Mulder pulled out another file from the stack.
“Which leads us to more recent cases. Apparently just 3 years ago, a boy Max Baker started showing similar phobias and became very protective of his little brother Jimmy. His parents dismissed it at first, but took him to a therapist who believed that Max had experienced something traumatic given his symptoms. They believe that he had created his delusions to cope with some trauma, for which they were exploring further therapy to identify.
Something strange happened when his parents were watching the news covering a missing child case. He reacted and said that the girl on the television was the one who helped him get Jimmy back. His parents thought he was making it up until he said her name was Sarah, which the TV had been muted and the case was an older one not on the news recently. The police suspected that whoever had kidnapped the girl may have been after Jimmy and Max, possibly using her to lure them or she was able to help distract the kidnapper in some way. They filed a report with the girl's hometown police and with us, and as it happens the Bureau are monitoring the case” Mulder grabbed yet another file with a slightly dramatic flourish, and handed it to Scully , “take a look at this” he said, excitement barely hidden.

Scully took the file, intrigued, and began to scan through it. She noted the similar symptoms and fear of birds and obsession with folklore creatures and superstitions to ward them off, and protectiveness of her younger sibling.

“Mulder, this says that she was 15 when she went missing in 1986. So not even a ‘tender years’ case at the time, and possibly a runaway. If we are working with a child predator of some sort, you know better than I from your time in VCS that that is towards the upper end of the rest of his victims and it is unlikely that she would still be- well, alive anymore. Maybe we should be trying to find some other perps that match in the database of cases or our files. Look, it even says they had a suspect in the girls case”.

“That they dismissed. Even if the likelihood is low it doesn’t mean it is impossible, and with this lead it is at least worth investigating, Scully. Besides, she had a little brother, which does match with the rest of the profile. I don’t think this is our ordinary serial killer or child abductor, though I suspect that is what the rest of the investigation team thinks. Especially with the supernatural aspects of this case, it should have been in the X-Files before now.”

“Why wasn’t it then? This is about as spooky as it gets” Scully asked, intrigued despite herself.

“Initially the Williams case was kept higher priority because of her parents, a rather well known stage actress, and her ex, the father, who is a lawyer, they had enough connections to keep it from going cold. All I had was Max’s case, and a few other abduction or runaway accounts with less detail here in the X-Files, going back to the 1930’s.” Mulder gestured to the mess of files spread over his desk amidst the books.

“So how did you connect all this?”

“The Ross case was already taken by Agent Bianchi, he came last night to consult about it given the similarities, and wondered if I had seen anything else turn up. Initially Max Baker's information was just an addendum to the Williams case, but the rest of it was sent here as its own and filed away, under psychic sightings. But now with a potential serial offender and a current missing child's case he was interested in the connections and we managed to dig up the Williams case and those old X-files. Between that and Max’s case alone, it is a bit much for coincidence to also be happening with the missing Ross girl. Anything we have to go on, he wants to explore. Said he’d be happy to collaborate”

“What is our plan then, Mulder?”

“How do you feel about a trip to New York? We can stop for the thin crust pizza on the way.”

***

Scully was driving on I95, watching the road. Low scrubby trees typical of the bay area were starting to bud along the roadside, the occasional hawk in their branches searching for prey. They had just passed through Baltimore. Mulder was munching on sunflower seeds and reading one of the folklore books while she concentrated on the road. She glanced over at him, now that traffic had died down a little she wanted to straighten out their plan.

“This is a nice change for once, usually it is easier to schedule a meeting with the local detectives on a case than the loved ones. I am still surprised the Williamses agreed to speak to us so easily, you know sometimes families in these cases get burnt out.”

Mulder closed his book and turned his attention to her, frowning slightly, “Some of us don’t give up. It may mean we need to adjust our parameters of what could have happened, but if you are driven to keep searching, any clue is welcome.”

Scully felt a pang of remorse, she had forgotten for a moment how personal this was for Mulder. She quickly shifted focus.
“So what is your theory, these goblins exist and ancient people were trying to warn us?”

“Well something they perceived as these creatures. The abductions don't fit the normal profile but we could be dealing with a new one from another group or even species we haven’t documented before as they were dismissed as folktales. Still, some match other cases, harming livestock, strange grey skin and eyes,-that was mentioned in a 1962 case-, usually coming at night, mass delusions shared by victims,”

“Aliens.” Scully said in a resigned tone.

“I thought you’d like that Scully. Seems like the more logical and reasonable explanation than magical creatures.” A quick glance showed a hint of a smile on his face.

“Mulder” she began more gently “I know how much this may mean to you personally. But I don’t really see how this fits with the other ‘close encounters’ we’ve investigated. We need to consider that this may be just coincidence here or a predator with a unusual MO. Sarah Williams could well be a runaway unrelated to it all, she had a strained relationship with her stepmother according to the copies of police records attached there. It's also possible if she was particularly fanciful or struggling with mental illness at the time a predator could have used that to draw her in and isolate her" she suggested cautiously.
Scully knew that child victims evoked strong response from Mulder and often took an emotional toll. 
“Well I guess we will see when we investigate. If it is a run of the mill monster, I hope we can nail the sick bastard” Mulder's tone was grim, no hint of the earlier playfulness.

Chapter Text

The agents parked the car out on the street near the Williams’s address upon arrival in the mid afternoon. They walked up to the old white victorian with a wraparound porch after pausing briefly to stretch after the long drive. Scully reached forward and rang the doorbell, as she and Mulder looked around at the quiet neighborhood. 

A petite middle aged woman answered the door, strawberry blond hair in a fashionable short cut “Oh, you made it alright, do come in!” she exclaimed. They saw a man in the spacious hallway beyond her who came forward to greet them. 

After introductions were made, they followed the couple into the heavily decorated living room.  Mulder and Scully took note of their surroundings. The Williams’s home looked as if it could have come from a spread in Good Housekeeping , very precise and clean except for an old dog bed in the corner of the room. 

The couple themselves appeared to match the idealized look of the average middle class white family on the surface, all wholesome american pie image. However, there was a brittleness to it found lurking behind the warmth and clean lemon scent of furnisher polish, in the too tight smiles and the little touches around the home. There was a set of pictures relegated to one wall showing a smiling girl and a much younger Williams couple and two children, or even a few with another woman and the girl, unlike the entryway or around the rest of the room.  

“Please, is there any news? You said on the phone that there may be something related to Sarah’s case?”  Mrs. Irene Williams said. Her husband, a tall quiet man well into middle age with graying hair and face set in a grim expression, appeared less eager to talk to the agents.

This was a disparity in couples that the agents had found common in many older cases where the loved ones hope’s had been disappointed many times, Scully mused. Some people clung to hope longer than others, and it was hard for them not to let it fade. She was always amazed at Mulder’s own passion and optimism about his sister, despite the letdowns in the years she had worked with him.

“Agent Scully and I are new to Sarah’s case. We specialize in unusual investigations, and while we cannot share too many details, the pattern of a current investigation by our colleague brought her case to our attention. ” Mulder replied. 

“We appreciate that you are still looking. Sometimes it seems as though no one cares anymore. Would you like some refreshments after your long drive?” the housewife asked nervously. 

“That would be lovely, thank you”. Scully said, as she took a seat by the coffee table and looked about the room. Truthfully they had stopped at a diner not too far out from town, but felt it would be impolite to refuse. She suspected performing the role of hostess calmed the older woman.

Mulder had walked over to the pictures and was politely chatting with Mr Wiliam’s about them while Mrs. Williams went to grab some drinks for the for the agents. The girl in the photographs seemed happy enough, a pretty child with long dark hair and striking green eyes, she seemed to take after her actress mother more than the rugged Mr. Williams.

 “This is Sarah then, with her little brother? Not too long before she went missing” Mulder asked, pointing out a photo of the family on what looked like a trip to the zoo. Sarah was holding a blond child as her parents beamed behind her, Sarah's own smile was wide but a trifle forced while her brother appeared to be reaching up to grab her hair. “Yes” the girl's father replied, his voice tight. Mulder turned away from studying the pictures, hands still in his pocket, his expression open.

 “We haven’t heard anything since that Baker boy said he saw Sarah. Oh – I hope that another poor family isn’t going through this” Mrs. Williams fretted, she had come back in and was in the midst of setting down her coffee tray. 

“There isn’t much to tell right now, but we were hoping something in Sarah’s disappearance may help our current missing persons case given the similarities. Why don’t you tell us about what happened 10 years ago? We have the case files but it would be best to refresh and see if there is anything that was missed.” Scully said diplomatically, while Mulder joined her taking a seat at one of the high backed chairs as they faced the distraught Williams couple. 

“Where do you want us to start?” 

“Well, how about your family life? How were your family dynamics? Did Sarah feel comfortable at home?” Mulder asked mildly, setting his coffee down on a drink coaster.

 “It is a little complicated. When Irene joined the family, Sarah’s mother had been gone for two years. I had primary custody but we agreed to a generous visitation and scheduled time with her mother, and Sarah kept in regular contact, well on her part at least. I don’t think Sarah had fully come to terms with the divorce. She was a very bright child, but always a bit of a daydreamer and extremely self willed. A bit like her mother, but with more guts and kindness than Linda” Robert reached up and rubbed his face tiredly  “ I just thought she would move on and would accept Irene after a few tantrums. But it wasn’t that simple ”

 “Do you mean to say things were tense between Sarah and Irene? Or all of you?” Scully asked in a neutral tone.

“Oh it was definitely me, but she blamed Robert for taking my part” Irene interjected. “ Sarah saw me as the main villain in her life coming to break up her happy family and wished that her mother would come back. She also wasn’t overjoyed when Toby was born, at least at first. At the time she was somewhat selfish and a little immature for her age and… well, I didn’t handle it well. My therapist has helped me see that I was also insecure as a new wife and suddenly stepping into a maternal role. Sarah didn’t want to be mothered by me, but I think deep down she was scared of being replaced by Toby.”

“She blamed everyone but Linda for her mother leaving. Sarah loved and idolized her mother. I wanted her to be a happy teenage girl, but she was still hung up on that, I just wish we could have known– ” Irene broke off as her voice broke, grabbing a tissue from the box on a side table and dabbing at her eyes. 

Robert continued from where Irene left off “Sarah had a hard time accepting that her mom could have simply chosen to leave, and didn’t keep in touch as much and relied on gifts, so she lashed out at Irene and occasionally me.  Irene is also a bit strict and they had very different personalities” Robert shot a rather apologetic look to his wife. 

“So what happened directly in the months leading up to the disappearance? We saw there was a change in behavior mentioned in the case file” Mulder asked, hoping to keep them talking. 

“You must understand Sarah was still childish for her age, but also heading into teenage rebellion. She had gotten used to just me and babysitters that she could outsmart and smooth talk. It would get worse after she’d had recent contact with her mother.”

“Before this all started she had gone to visit her in New York for a month. I’d felt uneasy about letting her go that long given Linda’s rather hot and cold approach with Sarah, but with Toby still being at the crying stage and her and Irene fighting, I thought it would be for the best. She did have a great visit with her mom. And also apparently Linda’s boyfriend, Jeremy”. Scully leaned forward slightly, this was the former chief suspect from the report that had been marked as no longer of interest.

“Both Linda and he would spoil her, and he knew how to charm Sarah out of her moods. Her mother encouraged her in her fantasy life over reality and responsibilities, and it seemed to have a bad effect on her. When she came back she was even more of a handful, kept complaining about the way we treated her in comparison, we didn’t know what to do with her or how to help her.  She had withdrawn from her friends after her mom left and when transitioning to high school. Sarah was also extremely possessive of her belongings and her time, which also pushed away friends and made her difficult to handle, especially around Toby. She would stick around reading after school, moping.”

“She had trouble socially connecting then? What about hobbies, did she do any group activities?” the redheaded agent asked. 

“Sometimes she would go play-act in the park. She was obsessed with Shakespeare and Grimm and the Brontes and all that, and anything musical theater because of her mom. She simply loved that sci-fi and fairytale stuff. Unfortunately Sarah could be over dramatic and Irene could be intrusive trying to get her out of her fantasy world. When she started acting different, as I recall she and Irene had one of their fights, a particularly bad one” 

“What exactly was the fight about, Mrs. Williams?” queried Mulder.

“Well as far as I can remember when we went over it, it was a bunch of little things that came to a head. I was hoping she’d be more mature, she was supposed to be babysitting Toby and was late that evening. And she didn’t like that I was trying to keep her wet dog in the garage. I lost my temper with her” sighed Irene.

“These were typical then?” Scully asked the blonde. 

 “It was like a lot of other arguments, but it was noticeable because that was the last one that bad. I shouted at her about her lack of a social life, and tried to get Robert to talk some sense into her but we left while she was sulking.  I am positive something happened that night. The next morning she was acting tired and quiet but oddly sweet, I remember being pleasantly surprised when she took my apology well. A few days later she was still acting odd, mostly nice, and back to her usual energy, but so different. At the time I just thought she had finally grown up a little” Irene gave a sobbing little laugh “I should have seen the signs something was wrong. The police psychologist afterwards said that that could be a sign of abuse or adverse experiences” 

“When was the day this started? The strange behavior” 

“I am not sure, mid June I believe? It was after we had that dinner party with Sherri and Tom”- she said as an aside to her husband. 

“Mrs. Williams, can you elaborate what exactly changed with Sarah?” Mulder tried to steer the conversion back.  

Irene resumed, slightly flustered “To begin with, she stopped whining to me most of the time or complaining back when I asked her to do something. She might politely ask for a compromise not to have to do it, but none of those outbursts from before. And she was more affectionate with Toby as she would cuddle a lot more, talk to him, play with him, she barely let him out of her sight. It was good to see her finally accepting her brother”.

“They didn’t get along at all before? That isn’t uncommon at first in children, especially if they are already struggling with change, but it sounds like a rather abrupt resolution” Scully remarked. 

“Sarah would occasionally hold him and look after him but she got easily fed up doing it, and she didn’t like when we had to take time for it either or if he spit up on her clothes. We probably could have hired a real babysitter more often, but I hoped the responsibility would be good for her” Irene replied a little defensively. 

 “Where is Toby now?” Mulder tried to sooth the anxious woman.

 “He is still at school, he stays late for baseball practice. We try to keep him away from this as much as possible to avoid raising his hopes. He can’t really remember Sarah, although he pretends to, he used to make up stories about talking to her and going on adventures together” Robert smiled, but his lips quivered a little and he cleared his throat loudly.

“So she changed behavior towards Irene and Toby suddenly. The file we had said there were other behavioral changes. Can you share more about that?” Scully probed.

“Yes, after that weekend she started clearing out her room, setting some things aside for Toby, others to donate. Which she had been very particular about them before. She seemed pretty happy like I said, well getting a bit less sleep, but then things got– very strange.” Irene faltered. 

“How so?” Mulder asked, his attention fixed.

“She started getting jumpy. Generally in public, around strangers at the mall, when we’d go out shopping and walking down the street. I wasn’t sure at the time if it was simply because she was dressing a little older and getting more attention from boys and men. But I now wonder if it was something more” 

“Don’t forget how she started closing all the blinds” Mr. Williams cut in “I thought at first it was normal teenager behavior, wanting more privacy, you know. But she started doing that all around the house, even occasionally in daylight. And she grew irritable in a different way: she started shooing the local wildlife away. We had an owl that liked to hang around the house then. I had to tell her off for throwing stones at it, it was peculiar as she used to cry at even a mouse getting caught in a trap. It was shocking to see her suddenly violent like that against some poor animal”  Mr. Williams frowned.

“And you never saw any unusual visitors around the house? No neighbors who would regularly stop by? Contractors or regular delivery men?” Scully asked.

“No one, really. There was old Vi, up the street. She’d stop by for tea, chat, especially to bring by something she cooked when I was having Toby and when he was little. And when Sarah was gone and we had to go out for a while, we’d get the Jansen boy to stop by the house to care for the dog. But no one who could have been involved with her abduction.”

“How about her friends and their families? Did Sarah go to sleepovers, go to parties, Friday night hang outs after school? Any boys?” Mulder suggested in his usual mellow tone.

“Sarah had trouble making friends after her mother left, as those behavior issues tended to break up many of her middle school friendships. We thought she might be sneaking some in in the months leading up to it but it was just her practicing her plays again or talking to herself I guess, she said she was doing impressions and there is no way kids were getting in and out that fast, and she didn’t have a telephone in her room. There was one girl at school she was friends with, especially when they were younger, but Sarah was more into her daydreams and running off to play with her dog at the time that put some distance between them. And that superstitious phase scared kids off again.”

“That was one of the things that drew our attention in our records. What exactly was she doing?”  Mulder’s words quickened a little, betraying his interest as he leaned forward in his seat, focusing intently on the bereaved parents.

“She started policing what we would say, wearing strange jewelry, reading more about her fairies, trolls, and occult things. Irene was worried she was joining that dragon game nonsense. Some of the other parents were concerned about kids getting into at the time, but it wasn’t that. It was more like my grandmother, who was superstitious” He paused, looked up from his hands at the agents and noted their intrigued expressions. 

“You know, she was into all those traditions from the old country” he clarified.

“Keeping the childrens windows closed when she visited, not saying fairy out loud, horseshoes, tying rags on trees, a lot of old wives tale things. Sarah took that to a whole new level, she’d get fairy books from the library but it was more about arts and crafts or mythology, or Freudien stuff, best I could gather.  Some poetry too. Started putting little twig bundles around, hazel she said, gave each of us some iron jewelry to wear. It was almost laughable, like some sort of hippy behavior, if she wasn’t so obsessed with it. It isn’t normal for a teenager. She seemed to have moved on from idealizing Linda into this new passion, we grew a little concerned” 

“Did she ever say why she did this? Did you notice anything, anyone who could have influenced her” queried Scully.

“The police looked all over the house. There wasn’t any evidence she had been corresponding with anyone apart from her mother, and some old games with her friends. She had a few notes to some imaginary characters but just around her room. Sir Didomysis or something. We looked into any school clubs or people she hung around.  She used to have a bunch of stuffed animals she’d named, she was slightly obsessed with Arthurian legend, we assumed it was that. The police never found anything beyond some weird wild animal hair samples”

“Animal hair? Not from the dog?” Mulder asked sharply.

“You’d have to ask them about it. They just told us it wasn’t human after they got back the forensic report, maybe she was collecting bits of raccoon or fox fur and feathers for her charms.”

“So what exactly happened when Sarah went missing?” 

“Isn’t that in your paperwork?” Mrs. Williams said, frustration creeping into his voice. 

Mulder shifted in his seat, sitting up straighter.

“We have copies of the base report and we are going to talk to detectives who are working the case later, but we like to hear recent statements on the chance there was anything left out of the report at the time or that has come up since. That is partly why we wanted to talk with you today, besides the new missing persons case. Anything that you can remember is helpful” 

“We appreciate it, but don’t think there is much we haven’t told the police or the FBI at this point, we had to go over this when the Baker boy reported seeing Sarah.” 

“There isn’t much to tell. Sarah had decided to go out with some kids from school to a Halloween party, we were happy because it was something normal for once. She was all set to go, her friend Laura was going to drive her to the bonfire in the woods, when she saw some owl flying around. She turned around and refused to go, called up Laura and canceled. Said she didn’t feel well when it was clear she was fine a minute ago. When we kept asking she said the owl scared her. We were frustrated about her being superstitious again, I was losing my temper so we fought a little. Robert eventually cut in and said that she had been very responsible of late, and we could let her stay home and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters. “ 

“We had already left Toby with a neighbor to babysit, so we were set to go for the evening. We enjoyed our evening out, and went to pick up Toby after, and were back by 10:30. When we got back she was simply gone. We thought at first maybe she had gone to her party after all, so Robert stayed up waiting for her, but by 12:30 she still hadn’t come home.” Irene’s voice shook again, as she stared into space lost in memory. 

“Do you recall anything specific Sarah said that night?”

“Not exactly, it was strange to see her mood shift, but as I said she’d been that way for a while around birds. We exchanged heated words, I said that she couldn’t keep being flakey, she said she didn’t mean to be or that we couldn’t understand. I said that I wished we could just find out what she was so afraid of. That she would have to face her fears and get over them at some point, and I wish she would have to get it together and act like an adult”

“And after you called the police?” 

“They came by, at first they weren’t too worried because it was Halloween. But with Robert being a lawyer with some local connections they came to look into it as a favor. They grew more serious and called in state police by evening the next day. We have spoken to them multiple times, and Robert with Linda’s help eventually was able to get the FBI involved. Linda was upset with how thorough they were, investigating her boyfriend and all, but we also had to submit to invasive personal questions. We were willing to do anything to find her. We did that TV special, which led to the most we have heard in years with the Baker kid. Then that went nowhere. We were hoping you had something new” Irene said doubtfully. 

“I am afraid we can’t share too many details just yet, but another possible sighting of Sarah was reported in connection to a missing child's case under investigation. It also shared some similarities to Sarah’s case. We wanted to let you know, and ask for more details as we re-evaluate Sarah’s case to see if there are any areas overlooked by previous investigators. We understand this is difficult for you to relive all the time, and appreciate that you took the time to speak with us. We are doing everything we can to help Sarah, and this hopefully helps our other missing child case.” Scully said.

“Is it possible that we could have a look around Sarah’s room before we leave to speak to local law enforcement?” Mulder asked. 

“Of course, Robert can show you right up. I do hope you find something, we have been waiting so long.” Irene said wistfully, standing and going to gather the coffee things from the table. The agents rose to follow the bereaved father into the hall.

“I have to warn you that you won’t find anything, the local and state police have already searched the room several times and taken anything they suspect is connected. We haven’t petitioned to collect anything yet as they said it might be helpful” Mr. William’s wearily as they climbed the stairs. “This is Sarah's room. " he said as they reached the landing. "

They tried to put everything back as it was, and we don’t touch it much. Toby sometimes sneaks in here but he knows enough now to not disturb things.” The agents walked into the small room.

 There were several Broadway posters and classic art on the walls, along with some amature sketches of fantasy creatures that were presumably Sarah’s. A bright canopied bed stood in the center complete with cozy patchwork quilt, and there was a cubby hole on the wall with a few bundles of what appeared to be dried herbs and flowers, a few small sculptures, and some curios. A desk stood against the wall, a collection of records and books atop it, although there were large gaps in the books, as well as some missing from the small bookshelf set into the wall next to the bed judging by the way others leaned in. There were a few boardgames out on a table against one wall. 

Mulder stepped in the room, making his way over to the window. There was a vanity on the right with the girl's makeup, and a window seat.  There was some makeshift garland strung up over the window of what upon closer inspection was old flowers with a few nails interspersed throughout. 

“Interesting decor for a teenager. You say this was new at the time?” Mulder gestured to the musty wreath. 

“Yes, well Sarah would sometimes have flowers, but less of the odd ones. Her room used to be more juvenile, she had all her toys from early childhood around and was very particular about them. But she bagged most of those up to save for Toby when she started acting differently. Truth be told we haven’t given most to him, too many memories” Mr. Williams looked away, blinking rapidly. 

Scully had made her way over to the desk, lifting and inspecting a bundle of twigs tied with an intricate knot and what looked like bouquets of a dried weed.

“What exactly is that supposed to be? Not sure hay is really going to stop a goblin” Mulder asked. 

St. John’s Wort perhaps? Isn’t supposed to ward off the fairies, goblins are fairies” Mulder stared at Scully in surprise. 

“How do you know that? I thought you said you only know Tolkien and some anthropological explanation for goblins?” 

“I don’t really, Mulder, I know fairytales a bit and old wives tales. You know my family is Irish. Well, just like Mr. Williams mother” she gave a nod to the man in the doorway “I had a grandmother who was superstitious.” 

“You might have mentioned that before. Anything else that might be useful?” 

 “Not much, I only remembered this just now. It was very localized knowledge from her grandparents and their region of Ireland. She was very Catholic but also extremely superstitious, I am sure it doesn’t mean anything. I just remember she used to tell us not to pull the plants when we visited as they were good to ward off the wee folk. She would hang a bit of it dried up in the room we slept in too, along with crucifixes.” Scully paused, lost in thought, before continuing.

 “She also liked to gift us red clothes. Which my mother didn’t like as it clashed horribly with our hair. The smell brought it all back” She smiled faintly as she flourished the herbs, carefully placing them back on the shelf

 Mulder was still looking at her keenly as he turned away from the window.

 “I didn’t know that about your family. You know, mine didn’t even do fairytales. 

Mr. Williams shifted by the door “Is all of that important? You talk like this matters, I know some of it is strange but they said it was probably just a symptom of mental issues Sarah was having. Maybe in response to trauma she didn’t tell us about, that she was repressing memories” 

“That could be Mr. Williams, and why it may be important. Perhaps whatever happened to Sarah, she was trying to protect herself in the only way she knew how. Or a subconscious cry for help, or a common external influence. These peculiarities can help us notice connections between cases”. Mulder reassured him.

“This happened in the other case.” Mulder paused for a moment, Mr. Williams was apparently shrewder than he looked. 

“A few of them. We are not at liberty to share exactly what. But in general, you never know what might come up on one of our investigations. Maybe your mother and Scully’s grandma were on to something, it doesn't hurt to have a little luck in your corner”. 

“It seems Sarah was still a bookworm herself? Where are those fairy books of hers”  Scully asked, glancing over from the hardcovers she’d moved onto after putting the herbs down. 

“Yes, that’s right, most of the books with notes in them and Sarah’s recent journals are still with the police. They were hoping to find something in all the the notes she’d written”

‘We’ll have to ask when we head over there. Speaking of which, we better do that soon if we want to make it there today”. 

“Just as well, Toby is going to be home in a bit. And he can be very inquisitive about guests or anything relating to Sarah” Mr. Williams frowned. 

“That is probably best, but do call us if there is anything else you remember. We will let you know if we make any breaks in Sarah’s case” Mulder and Scully walked to the door

****

They made their farewells to the Williams’ and headed down to the police station. It was large three story brick building in the center of the downtown, situated between shops. The agents walked up the gray steps to the door. Walking into to station it was clear that this was not a very busy prescient, many flyers for local events or fire safety scattered around.

“Agent Mulder,  is it? I’m Judy Davis, the detective on detail for Sarah’s case. We spoke on the phone I believe” the detective brusquely shook Mulders hand as she came around the front desk to greet them.

 “Hello, yes I am Special Agent Mulder, this is my partner, Special Agent Scully. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us Detective Davis” after shaking Scully’s hand in turn, she came to meet them at the front desk of the little town police office. She was an average height black woman around late 40’s a bit somber as she led them to her office at the small town police station. The wooden building looked like many they had visited, slightly shabby as older small town tended towards. 

“You here about the Williams girl, there has been some attention to her case, right?”

 “Yes, we wanted to ask you some questions about the case, and discuss the recent updates. I saw from the files you were the officer handling the investigation” 

  “That is a sad case, still think about it a lot and pull it out now and then on a rainy day. It happened when I’d recently moved back from my time in NYPD in the city. Her disappearance really shook up this community. We hadn’t had anything like that for years.” She shook her head. 

 “Really? This close to the city?” Scully said, surprised.

“It’s far enough away that it used to be a buffer. As you can probably tell looking around, we’re a pretty sleepy town. Even now with people moving here more, not many missing kids. Just the occasional frail elder that gets lost, a few teenage runaways but we find those quickly or know why they did. Had to get the state police involved in this one, and eventually even got the FBI involved.. We still try to put Sarah’s case on the local news now and again, but it hasn’t brought in any real leads and we aren’t getting the national reach we used to.” she sighed as she walked them to her office.  

“Last updates I have heard on the case before that fax from Agent Bianchi was with that Baker kid, and that went nowhere. From what you said you have a few more updates in the same line. You want to talk to the family too?”

 “We just came from there, actually. We were wondering if you could tell us a little about the details of the investigation, answer a few questions we had, let us look at the evidence. There has been another disappearance that bears similarities to the Williams case and we hoped reviewing it might lead to resolving both.”

 “Well sadly not much to tell about the investigation except a lot of dead ends.” They had reached Detective Davis’s office, and Mulder and Scully took a seat.

 “It’s been bothering me for years, she just didn’t seem like the type to run away, but I suppose you never can tell what is going on behind closed doors, as I am sure you know.” She grimaced, giving the agents a commiserating look. 

“Was there any way she could have got out of town on her own?” Mulder asked.

 “We checked public transport records and recordings, there weren’t any reports from the bus station or train, so would have likely been a car or hitchhiking if anything. But she didn’t even pack a bag. Her allowance money was left stashed away in her room, and everything left undisturbed. Not even her toothbrush was gone. Didn’t feel like a runaway” 

“What about the neighbors? Did they see anything strange? Anyone with records?” 

“No, all the nearby ones didn’t notice anything that night, outside of the trick or treaters, although there was a point a couple claimed they saw the lights go out. We checked and there were no power outages on the street. And no one who lived nearby was suspicious. None of them had records related to this type of crime. They all came up clean”.

 “What was in the house? Anything unusual that you or the state police found?” 

Detective Davis pushed a file over to them, and flipped it open to photos of the Williams house.

“You can see here there wasn’t that much out of the ordinary, probably looked the same from what you just saw. Just normal middle class family things, and teenage girl stuff in Sarah’s room. Books, records, posters, glitter, makeup. Well except with her little occult obsession, or rather fairies I guess. I believe we had a note of that in the file. She had a collection of iron nails, sticks, rock salt, and some books about Celtic mythology,German stories, all that shit.” 

“Yes, we saw some of that when we were at the Wiliams’s house“

“We thought it might show outside influence, but she wasn’t connected to any weird groups or cults,it was mostly material she scrounged out of the library and local bookshop. Not even letters corresponding with anyone into that stuff. Ruled that out fairly quickly. State troopers asked their staff psychologist and he suggested it was related to the paranoia that parents mentioned, some sort of delusion or compulsion. “

“We flipped through some of the books over the months, most of them were old or pretending to be dead serious, fighting off ghosts and vampires and fairies and hobgoblins and all those sorts of critters. There were underlined passages that at one point we thought may have been her and a kidnapper communicating with the library books, we looked at more in the library that she had checked out then. But it was a dead end. Nothing to do with anything, no hidden messages, she was just obsessed with fairies and trolls and monsters as if they were out to get her. Not quite right in the head” 

“Did her family say this was common then?” Scully asked, concerned, the picture the Williams painted hadn’t shown the girls obsession to run this deep.

 “They said she was always–hmm– imaginative, you might say. Just took a turn for the worse later. Linda Williams got downright mad when we suggested that she may have a mental illness.” The detective snorted a little. 

 “Was Linda not cooperative then?”

“Well, let's put it this way, she always managed to make things about herself. When we tried to investigate her boyfriend, she got shocked that we would suggest that, and said we were blaming her for putting her daughter at risk and ruining her relationships. During one of the interviews with state troopers she accused Robert Williams of trying to frame Jeremy Jones to get revenge on her. She acted like she was in one of her own shows. I can see how she made it into soaps later. She did keep bothering you guys to look into it though so I suppose she did do something useful”

“About Mr. Jones,  he is noted in the file and the Williameses mentioned him. They said you’d asked about him, if they knew of him paying extra attention to Sarah.” Scully commented.

The detective scowled “Right from the start he made the most sense to me. Usually it tends to be someone close to the kid in cases like these, right? There was no one else Sarah really knew that we could find. No real bullies or stalkers at school, and despite the family tension everyone knew Irene and Robert Williams would be incapable of hurting the girl or hiding her whereabouts. Linda too, as much as she was theatrical, didn’t seem the type, unless the girl had maybe tried to run away to her. But Jones seemed like a real possibility. He and Linda led a rather bohemian life, they were both erratic at times but he had a bit more of a record than her occasional stunts out partying that made it into the gossip columns. ”

“I didn’t see a criminal record on him mentioned in her file”

“Not officially. Mr. Jones managed to avoid serious brushes with the law and we had trouble finding any documentation on him let alone a criminal record, but there were some parties and crowds he had been noted as a guest at that had an ugly side. That isn’t uncommon in New York, NYPD usually looks the other way or people have them outside the city. When we interviewed him he admitted he had been to a few of these gatherings and knew some of the individuals but brought up that there was no record of him having participated in anything illegal. Threatened legal action if we tried to make them more public, as it might damage his reputation and livelihood.”

“Did her mother voice any concerns about his behavior towards her?” asked Mulder.

“Linda said he got along with the girl, she looked up to him. But she had been going through a phase where she wouldn’t talk to him when she called her mother. Begged off another weekend visit when she heard he’d be there, said she just wanted time with  her mom. Linda said she wasn’t aware of any fight and Sarah was just going through a phase.”

 “That seems suspicious doesn’t it?” Mulder said incredulously 

“You’re telling me. He seemed spaced out some of the time, almost lost in another world, but quiet adroit at handling himself with the law. Just talking to him, he was very charming, but you know how you can tell a perp knows you suspect what they did but is just toying with you? That is what it felt like. He had the state trooper investigating eating out of his hand at first. But by the time I interviewed him with our chief, it was clear he was playing games with all of us. He kept giving evasive answers. I swear he knew something about it at the least”

“But they just dropped charges against him.” observed Scully. 

“Apparently he was yanking our chain. Or at least that is what FBI and state troopers said. We found evidence that he was at a party with Linda the weekend Sarah disappeared, out on a boat until 2:00 am. It would have been impossible for him to make it out to her home and do anything, and get back in time for the rest of the evening. I thought he was still involved though, but we were told not to interview him again in case we drew fire as a department. State troopers and FBI dropped it. Nothing else makes sense though, and there was just something about his smugness that rubbed me the wrong way. It felt almost inhuman somehow, how he was able to treat it almost like a joke. It’s not so unusual to meet some of those types in the city though, men who think they are above the law or too clever for it and can get away with anything.” 

“Did anyone check to see if he had arranged to meet up with Sarah somewhere? I know her family said she was avoiding him, but maybe that was deception on her part. Or he could have been threatening her. “ Scully mused.  

“I am afraid nothing turned up. No associates that we could trace either who could have been involved then.” 

“Have you tried to question him again and see if he might be more helpful?” Mulder asked.

Davis gave them a look “Haven’t been able to, at least last time with the Baker boys report. He went off traveling a few weeks after we questioned him. By all accounts he dumped Linda shortly after Sarah’s disappearance, she blamed it on the police and her ex setting us onto him. I doubt it was fear though. It seemed he was growing bored with Linda Williams. His lawyers said he hadn’t been in contact since settling accounts, and had simply left word he was out of the country and instructions to hold mail for him. Hasn’t shown up on interpol from what we can find or in the news that I have been able to see, although attempts to find contact information for him outside his lawyers haven’t turned up much.” 

“That is an area that we may look into.” Scully gave a meaningful look to Mulder, it was clear he was finding her serial mundane offender theory more credible.

“May we see what is in evidence?” She continued. 

“Sure, hopefully you can make something out of it.”

They followed the smalltown cop down to the old building's basement where the evidence room was, she flipped on a switch, flooding the room with sickly fluorescent light. There were stacks of gray metal shelves in the center and filing cabinets.

 Judy gestured to a table “I had Jim pull those down for you earlier; that is what we kept from the investigation that the Williams haven’t collected. Personal police records are right here, although you all should have copies of most of the relevant reports.”  she left several manilla envelopes on top of the boxes.

 “If you have any further questions, you know where to find me” 

“Thank you Detective Davis, we will try to make sure you are informed if we make any headway in Miss Williams case” Mulder told the departing officer. 

Scully walked over to peer at the boxes, grabbing a folder. “So what are you thinking Mulder? Still of the opinion that it is little green– gray” she hastily corrected “men?”

Mulder gave her a dry look, as he went to join her in digging through the boxes “I admit that it is looking more like a straightforward kidnapping. However, we know from our own experience even those with a mundane perpetrator involved can still have connections to the supernatural. Although the methods Sarah used to protect herself from attempted abduction doesn’t match the usual profile for abductees; it is strange that her and Charlotte have the same unusual coping mechanisms. So no, probably not one of the usual alien abduction cases”. He frowned a little.

Scully pursed her lips as she pulled the box closer towards her “I think you are right about a connection with these cases though. More than the birds, the obsession with fairytales may mean there was some sort of connection to the perpetrator.” 

“Okay okay, you don’t have to say it, you were right Scully, the boyfriend does seem suspicious. We will have to check him out in our own database. I wonder if he is still in New York? We could even try to find him ourselves.”

“I would like to do that if possible, but Detective Davis did say he was out of town last time they tried to contact him about the Baker boy's sighting.” Mulder said lifting a loose cardboard lid.

“Judy and Mr. Williams mentioned a diary, any sign of that?” Scully asked.

“I have some of the books here, but I am not seeing it. Maybe further down” Mulder coughed slightly as dust was stirred up off the stacks of hardcovers. 

“Yeats, MacDonald, Doyle's Coming of the Fairies,  oh look she even had Jack Zipes and von Franz” Mulder said approvingly, noting books from his own collection. Scully was busy pulling out a stack of letters, mostly between Sarah and her mother or her father from the looks of it.

 “Ah– found it! I definitely want to check this out and scan some copies before we go.” Mulder reached in to grab the blue and gold leather bound journal, but something else seemed to catch his eye.

“Hey Scully, you know literature, have you ever heard of this book before?” Mulder held up a bright red book that showed signs of heavy wear, threads bared here and there on the cloth binding. It was overflowing with bookmarks and post-it notes, some tape along the spine. 

Scully looked up from the letters “The Labyrinth? No, but it looks like Sarah must have loved it” she replied, intrigued. 

Chapter Text

Scully packed the evidence and books that they wished to take and went to fill out the paperwork, leaving Mulder to report in about their detour and arrange accommodations. The phone cord stretched and curled as he paced back and forth, eager to be on the move to their next site. 

“I hope you and Agent Scully found some leads, Agent Mulder”. 

“Yes sir,” Mulder said after he’d identified himself to Director Skinner. “So far we haven’t seen any direct connections to the Ross case but there does seem to be a matching pattern of behavior and there was a potential suspect involved.” 

“Have you updated Agent Bianchi?” 

“Agent Scully and I were hoping to do that tonight, and send him any relevant evidence tomorrow. We were planning to stay in New York City for the day and try to investigate our potential suspect and follow up on another lead.”

 “Another lead? How many people did you find implicated?”

“Not that many, just the mother’s boyfriend that had been dismissed before, although it would be worthwhile to talk to Linda Williams ourselves. We should see who Sarah Williams may have met while staying with her. I am surprised no one investigated it much at the time. Most of it was focused near her home and the one suspect that was cleared”.

“So the mother’s connections are the reason for the overnight.”

“That and maybe some local expertise. With New York City having extensive literature and publishing experts, I have a few items from evidence I’d like to follow up on while we are in town.” Mulder said in a sudden inspiration. 

“We found what appears to be an obscure book that Sarah was obsessed with, it seems to be the center of her unusual beliefs. It's possible that someone preyed upon both girls.”

 “Is there evidence Charlotte had the same story?” 

“We don’t know yet, we need to ask Agent Bianchi if she had a copy or anything by the same author. So far it is matching behaviors.  They do both fit the profile of teens with younger siblings, although Toby Williams wasn’t registered in any official incidents or complaints. Sarah was apparently extremely protective of him prior to her disappearance, however. We will know more about similarities when we speak to Agent Bianchi”.

 “You do realize that time is precious in this case, Agent Mulder? Should you be spending so much time on something that isn’t directly related? Every hour counts to Emily Ross, and from previous briefs we know that the Williams trail went cold a long time ago. You could be of use elsewhere on this investigation.”

“I understand that, sir. You know my methods, and how effective they are. I am almost certain that Sarah Williams’s obsessions are connected to all this. Besides, Agent Scully is always here to keep our investigation grounded.” 

A sigh was heard over the line.

  “This is Agent Bianchi’s case, so as long as you update him and are able to wrap things up in a timely fashion you may. I know he’s been working with you, but he may prefer to hear from Agent Scully with her skill for objective breakdowns. Something I had hoped you’d learn from.  But do hurry Agent Mulder, and be careful contacting Linda Williams. We don’t need any of this leaking to the tabloid press just yet.” 

“Understood, sir”.

Mulder hung up his cellphone, while Scully came back from using a station phone Detective Davis had let her use .

 “I managed to book us rooms in Manhattan. Apparently that is where Linda Williams is, and Mr. Jones last residence. His US accountant firm that Judy gave us is also supposed to be nearby.” Scully told him. 

“Skinner gave us the go ahead,  he just stipulated that we update Bianchi.  And also warned us not to waste precious time chasing wild theories. I told him you’d keep me in line” Mulder grinned at Scully, reaching a hand out for the car keys.

 “Since when have I ever managed to do that?” she looked at Mulder amused

 “I do think we are onto something though” she added a little more thoughtfully, keys jingling as she passed them to Mulder “I am glad you could convince him”.

***

The agents checked into the hotel late; Scully had arranged a meeting with Linda Williams in the morning. Scully typed up a summary of their findings in the meantime to send to agent Bianchi. They planned to fax copies of police reports and any new information after their morning meeting.

Mulder, meanwhile, was engrossed in the books they’d checked out of evidence, Sarah’s journal and The Labyrinth. Her journal had copies and had been checked over by investigators for clues before, so it was a simple matter of a requisition form. Scully had already tried searching for the Labyrinth in the ISBN system but had no success. She recommended that they take it to the bureau consultant in the NYC public library archives if they still thought it was worthwhile after reading Sarah’s notes.  Currently their copy was next to Mulder as he sat in one of the worn red lounge chairs of his room reading.

Sarah’s journal was a predictable if a bit uncomfortable read due to the feeling of intruding in a teenager's diary.  So far it seemed to match the Williames’ account of Sarah; imaginative and with a flair for the dramatic, and a teenage commitment to being misunderstood.  He put it aside as Scully walked in.

“I’ve emailed Agent Bianchi my notes and our plans.  I also ordered some pizza that should be here soon, you are welcome to share if you aren’t too busy.” 

“Perfect, I am not finding much in Sarah’s journals,  although I haven’t gotten to the later entries of interest. I’d like to brush up on them for any interviews we have tomorrow.  Do you mind if I come over and put on those copied tapes from the state police interviews Detective Davis gave us? It might help for tomorrow.”

“You read my mind, Mulder.” She said, leading the way to her suite. They entered the plain but serviceable living room and walked over to the plaid couch.

“Let’s see what the police managed to learn from him. Clearly his alibis checked out in the records but detective Davis did say he seemed the most likely suspect.” Mulder said as Scully rummaged through the evidence box she brought, pulling out a generic VHS cover, with “Jeremy Thomas Jones, Nov 1986” written into the cardboard. 

Scully put the tape into the VCR they had requested for one of their rooms, hitting the stop button. She grabbed her own notebook in case there was anything she wanted to jot down, waiting for Mulder who had gotten up to pay for the pizza that had just arrived with the $20 she handed him. Once he sat down on the old couch and started eating, she grabbed a veggie and sausage bedecked slice and pushed the raised triangle on the remote.

The machine hummed  and black and white footage loaded as they watched, dated November 4th. Despite the grainy quality, the subjects were clearly discernible. An older state trooper detective was in the room with a sharply dressed fair-haired man.  The suspect looked nearer to forty than thirty, and was handsome in an unconventional way, with rather aquiline features. Scully guessed that he’d learned to groom himself to take advantage of his good traits judging by his overall style and with his career on the stage. The detective was sitting in a straight-backed position with their chair close to the table, straightening the papers on their desk, while the actor was leaning back into his chair and seemed lost in thought.

“Mr. Jones, we all know why we are here today.” 

Jones looked up, fixing his attention on the trooper.

“Quite. I gather this is about young Sarah’s disappearance; Linda told me she had already given her full statement. Any word on her location?”

“I am not at liberty to discuss the details of this investigation with non-family members” the detective said rather stiffly. 

The actor raised his hands in an attempt to appease the officer.

“That’s quite all right. I have a natural interest in dear Sarah’s welfare. She is a delightful girl.” 

“Alright. I am going to proceed with my questions then, Mr. Jones. How are you acquainted with Sarah Williams?” 

“I have known her for several years, during which I have been in a relationship with her mother. Linda Williams, that is.”- he added as an afterthought -“Linda didn’t have her around often and I didn’t see her a great deal,  but when I did create time for her I attempted to keep her entertained. She could be a demanding little thing, but also quite sweet.” 

“What were you doing the night that Miss Williams disappeared?”

“Celebrating.”

“Which means? Where were you, exactly?” the officer replied.

“I was out dining with Linda Williams, then on a boat in New York Harbor for a party with some of her friends. As I told the police a few days ago”. the actor said in a bored tone. He had adjusted himself with one limb up, his tailored pants clad leg resting on the other knee, relaxed despite the surroundings.

“At what times?” 

“Best I can remember, we ate dinner at 6 PM, then we went to the yacht around half 7 or so and left there, let’s see”- he paused, appearing to collect his thoughts- “  around 2:00 am. We went directly to Linda’s apartment. There were a great deal of people at both locations you can ask to verify that.”

“You didn’t arrange to meet Sarah Williams at a different location?” 

“I did not conspire with her to meet elsewhere.”

“You deny sending someone to pick up Miss Williams for you?” 

“That is correct. I did not send anyone to collect Miss Williams from her residence.”

“And you categorically deny having gone yourself to collect Miss Williams?”

“Why would I do that when I had her charming mother to entertain?” Mr. Jones replied,  raising a brow. He had shifted to a more relaxed attitude.

“Please answer the question directly.” the officer said, irritation plain in their voice. 

“She will tell you I was with her all night, and the next day we took things easy after the festivities.” Jones smiled, although he sounded as though he was becoming impatient answering the questions.

“And you never visited Sarah Williams or her residence that evening at all, at any time?” 

“I told you I spent the evening in other's company, not apart from them for more than a half hour at a time. How many times do you wish me to answer the question?  Do you suppose I magically flew to the suburbs and back in 20 minutes?” The man gave a tight lipped smile and raised his eyebrows at the state trooper. 

“I don’t appreciate how lightly you are treating this, Mr. Jones. A young girl you are close to has disappeared.”

“I can only believe I will end up seeing her again. Youths her age tend to be inclined towards petulance and feelings of alienation, prone to seeking out change before settling. We can hope she may have simply gone off in a fit of pique.  After all, how far could she have run off to, officer?” he asked, the same tight lipped smile on his face.   The detective glared back. 

“So are you admitting you know where she is now?”

“I said nothing of the sort. I would be quite strange if I did know wouldn’t it, seeing as I was occupied during her disappearance.  I am not her parent or in law enforcement.”.

“Mr. Jones…”

“Officer, I have answered your questions about my whereabouts that night and current knowledge of her whereabouts. I admit I am not totally familiar with American law, but from my understanding, you have no proof or grounds to hold me here.  Unless you are charging me, I do believe this conversation is over.” He said in a bored tone, as he unwound his long legs to stand up.

 “I am needed elsewhere. Dearest Linda is distraught, and I could use some comfort myself. I am sure you can imagine we are ever so despondent” he said, with sympathy that was just on the edge of sincere. The tape switched to a blue screen after the man walked out of the room leaving the disgruntled officer. 

“Look at that, Mulder, he was just toying with them. No wonder officer Davis was suspicious.”

“I don’t know, Scully. I’ll admit it looks highly suspect but he could have also been enjoying the drama. You know the sort of narcissist chasers that get off on this type of attention. He did have an alibi and the police thoroughly investigated him, it's all in the report. And how could he have gotten to Sarah so quickly? The trip is 45 minutes minimum one way with no traffic, even further from the harbor. There is no way humanly possible for him to have taken her that night”.

“He could have had an associate grab her, or have tricked or blackmailed her” Scully frowned, searching for an explanation. 

“That is a thought.” Mulder offered her the box of the slightly cold pizza, his own half long finished.  “I’ll keep checking Sarah’s journal as far as influence goes. And maybe Ms. Linda Williams will be able to help us. She could tell us about friends of Jones and if she’s heard from him” he said speculatively. 

 “We will definitely have to sound that out. I have had trouble finding his current whereabouts too from the files we have on him and public records” Scully frowned down at her half finished slice.  She looked over at her colleague, noting his exhaustion.

“I suggest you get to bed. Mulder. We will have to approach that somewhat delicately and it is best to be well rested. It’s not like we have plenty of bedtime reading after all” Scully said somewhat sardonically. Mulder sighed and went to grab the books.

***

The agents had arrived bright and early at Linda Williams' apartment, after a light continental breakfast and a short jaunt through Central Park; it was easier to park nearby and walk. A tall brunette answered the door. She looked remarkably like Sarah, but her jaw structure and eyes were different, and despite her stunning looks and fashionable dark tailored suite. She seemed older than the late 40s that was listed in the file. 

“Hello Ms. Williams? I’m Special Agent Scully,  and  this is Special Agent Mulder, my partner. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us so quickly.” Scully said as they stepped into a short hallway accenented with a gilt mirrors. 

“Linda, please. I only kept the Williams name professionally because it was better than Linda Schmidt, and for Sarah of course.” the actress said, her welcoming smile faltering at her last words.

 “We were hoping to ask you some questions about Sarah’s disappearance.” 

“I don’t know if there is more to say. At least you are finally following up on the case instead of letting it rot, but can’t you find anything else? Why are you back here, aren't there new leads?”

She gestured to them to sit as she led them to the living space. Broadway posters covered much of the umber sponge painted walls,  a bookshelf taking another. There were no family pictures scattered around like the Williams residence.

“We are sorry to disturb you, we assure you that the FBI is doing everything they can, ma’am. We had some questions that may have been overlooked last time.” The agents said as they took a seat on the elegant settee. 

“Well, ask away. Drink?” The older actress offered as she poured a generous glass of wine for herself.

“No thank you, we are on duty” Scully politely replied.

“Suit yourself” the actress said, taking a deep sip from her glass.

“Linda, from previous statements we are aware that you believe Jeremy Jones wasn’t involved”-Linda rolled her eyes, Mulder held up a hand-  “ and we are trying to verify that. We wondered if there had been anyone else in your circle of friends that Sarah may have met here.” Mulder continued, hurrying to alleviate her agitation. 

“I told the cops, I tried to keep Sarah out of most of my lifestyle until she was older. I may not be a perfect mother, as I’m sure Robert told you,” Linda pursed her lips  “but I wanted her to have a normal life. She was kept at a distance from Jeremy’s and I’s more high paced lifestyle, besides, I didn’t really have a maternal public image and I preferred to keep it that way.”

 Scully raised her eyebrows.

 “Oh don’t look at me like that, believe me it was for Sarah’s good too as I said, she was still too young to get involved in some of the arts scene here. I rarely had the time to devote myself to looking after her, and it can be a bit dangerous even with an active stage mother to watch out for a kid. Jeremy agreed, said that she was too pure for some of our circles, so I mostly kept to myself when she visited. Much good that it did.” her face grew blank and she took another large swallow of her wine. 

“Was there anyone else who was close to Sarah though or spent time with you when she was here? It didn’t have to be every day, or it may have been Mr. Jones associates too. Anyone in either of your friend groups or in the building even who interacted with her or asked about her.” 

“There was no one. Believe me, I think I’d be able to tell if some was sniffing around my daughter. I took her to tourist things mostly, museums, the statue of liberty, or just as audience members to shows with our passes.  Well, I would occasionally have her out to dinner or a show, usually when Jeremy was in town. We did head out to the country club once or twice where we ran into a few friends, but nothing more than a few minutes chat and no one who seemed unusually interested in Sarah.”

 “Were any of them friends of Mr. Jones?” Scully asked.

“No. Well, mutual friends of ours. Actually,...” Linda paused to collect her thoughts “most of his friends here he met through me. There were a few Europeans and Brits in town he’d apparently met before years ago but none that met Sarah.”

“And she never seemed to be uncomfortable with any of them or when visiting here?”

 “No, she was perfectly happy. She did tell me she didn’t want to visit me over Labor Day weekend or Columbus Day like she normally did, but I thought that was just that age. Besides, Robert had said she had been finally growing closer to Irene and her brother and making more friends at school” Linda frowned into her glass. 

“Linda,” Scully said gently “I know you have stated it many times before, and forgive us for asking again, but you are certain she behaved as normal around Mr. Jones? And he never said or did anything unusual regarding her? How did he interact with Sarah?”

Linda sniffed, giving Scully a look of incredulity, but she answered eventually with a sigh. “He was great with Sarah. He never complained about having to keep her occupied when she was here but he wasn’t too attentive as all you cops seem to imply.

Honestly, he rarely even saw her. We had a bit of an on again off again relationship and he was out of town a good deal. He was still very supportive of my relationship with her which is rare in a man. He would sometimes suggest gifts to send Sarah when we were out shopping, toys and books over the years we dated, but he was never inappropriate.  He said he appreciated that I was a mother and it was his responsibility to work around that. When I finally left Robert he had voiced concerns about being sure I was prepared for the consequences it might have on Sarah, but he didn’t harp on it. We had other worries then.” 

“Did he often appear concerned for her wellbeing?” Scully asked, after briefly meeting Mulder’s eyes. It was clear that their interpretation of behavior differed from the actress’s. Linda paused to think.   

 “He would ask about her but not all the time. Only occasionally to see how she was doing. We were a couple after all. He did ask a bit more a few months before she left, but that was because she had decided not to do her usual visits over the long weekends, even when we had invited her particularly. He was quite sweet about making sure I knew he didn’t mind having her over. She had also been going through a phase where she’d grown shy and she wouldn’t talk to him or tell me to say hello over the phone to him anymore. That was one of the disquieting behavioral changes Robert and Irene had mentioned despite her general improvement. He wasn’t the only one, she’d grown jumpy around a few people in town too when surprised. I had already asked his advice about the new occult hobbies she was getting into on top of the fairytales”.  

Scully stiffened “What did he say when you shared your concerns?” She asked, leaning forward slightly. 

“He told me that it wasn’t unusual for even older children to feel connected to the fairies, that it was common where he is from and people usually grew out of it as they became adults. He recommended they just quietly remove some of the items she’d been leaving around and not directly challenge her, and give her space if she wanted to spend more time with her brother.  And as I said Jeremy was dismissive of it entirely, he thought we were just being too no nonsense American about it I think. If you ask me, the police and now FBI have failed to investigate all that as thoroughly as they should, too” 

“We would be quite curious to hear what avenues do you think would have been beneficial to explore, Miss Williams” Mulder’s deadpan voice belied by his rapt stare.

 “I am not sure how to explain it quite right” faltered Linda “ Sarah was always fanciful, but it became an obsession the year before she disappeared. I know Robert and Irene were worried but swore that Sarah came up with it all on her own. However, I have always wondered if someone had planted some ideas in her head. But none of her teachers or neighbors were implicated. It was so strange though that it started months before, that she acted differently not just around us, but everyone. Jeremy thought I was being fanciful myself when I kept asking the police to look into it after they cleared him. He and I rarely saw her though, we didn’t know the full extent until after everything happened”. 

“What happened to your relationship once Sarah went missing?”

Linda looked down again. Her cheeks were flushed, but whether from emotion or the alcohol it was impossible to tell. 

“I can’t believe the police hounded him so, I think it was Robert putting them up to it. He never trusted actors, and of course I couldn’t possibly have good judgment. As if she wasn’t in Robert’s custody when she disappeared right under his nose.” The sarcasm was deep in her tone, as she stretched her arm out to grab the bottle of her wine, steadying her hand to pour another glass. 

 “I’ve had brief moments of doubt myself over the years, with the heartbreak over Sarah and Jeremy never visiting.  If there is any real fault of his in this, it is that he encouraged me to downplay Sarah’s concerning signs the year prior. But it simply couldn’t have been Jeremy, and I told them as much. He was good with kids, but never was unusually interested in Sarah as I have seen a few of the people in the business be about children.  It was not humanly possible that he was involved that night, as you both know.  I even asked him with Robert and the police’s encouragement and with them threatening to press charges against me if I didn’t cooperate,  and he swore he hadn’t arranged anything with Sarah. I just had to believe him”  She was beginning to tear up, anger rising in her voice.

 “But the damage was done. After several interviews and harassing him at work they finally cleared him, as he hadn’t left New York City during the entire month and there was no evidence. Our relationship was never the same. He grew dissatisfied, restless. We ended up breaking up for good a month later. He claimed he felt the call of the old country, that home was suddenly more appealing to him. And no, I haven’t heard or seen him since then. Not even to the one letter I sent. I don’t think it was only the police; I wasn’t coping well, and Sarah’s disappearance affected him too. He had been growing colder even before the police began seriously investigating him.”

“Can you describe what you mean by cold?” 

Linda shifted in her seat,  her eyes glancing down. “I mentioned that Jeremy and I weren’t always a conventional couple, Jeremy had always had his moments of being detached. A bit distant as if his mind was far away in another world. He could be awfully hard to reach at times, disappearing for weeks or even months. We had a ‘don't ask questions you don’t want answered’ arrangement about seeing other people casually when we were on a break.”

“I always forgave him for his unreliability, as he seemed aware of it and always made it up to me or our mutual friends. He was so charming or willing to throw himself into the moment the rest of the time. That moody temperament isn’t uncommon among artists you know” she waved her hand dismissively.

 “This new situation with Sarah and the police was too much for him. It turned me into a mess, and brought out his selfish side worse than I had ever seen before. Our relationship couldn’t take the strain. No one is prepared for a missing child I think.” She said softly.   Mulder looked down at the Turkish carpet for a moment.

“He stayed in my apartment but he just stopped talking to me. Wouldn’t even look at me. It wasn’t like he got angry or anything, I could have handled that. He would just ignore me no matter how I pleaded with him to just talk about it. The only time he did was when he left, I’d lost my temper at him and yelled at him for blaming me for caring about my child and being a coward about the police being overzealous. He said some terrible things about how I had chosen my career before over Sarah, it shouldn’t be so hard to forget her and live my dreams. That he was exhausted with having to deal with me crying about it now” she said bitterly. “He packed his things after that.”

“When was the last time you heard from him?” Mulder asked, notebook in hand. 

“The January after Sarah disappeared. I tried to contact him again, but the most I could do was get in touch with his lawyer, George,  who was set to handle his affairs stateside. It’s like the man completely disappeared, apparently his temperament couldn’t handle all the stress and it wasn’t just a lie to break up. None of my friends have seen him either.” 

“Have any of them mentioned anything about Sarah?”

 “Just condolences and questions about the investigation at first, although everyone acts like she never existed now, some are even afraid to talk to me. They don’t know what to say to me if I’m honest about what I feel or the investigation.” She said bitterly. Her speech had begun to slow a little as the alcohol took effect.

 “Thank you for your time Ms. Williams. We will let you know if we find anything truly new in Sarah’s case. If you could give us the contact information you do have for Mr. Jones” Scully held out her own pen and a fresh page of her notebook. Linda looked at it a little unsteadily, but reached to grab an envelope.

 “I already have it set aside…you all always ask about him anyway.” She said balefully.

“I hope you do actually have something new even if you can’t say. That boy saw her a few years ago. I know my Sarah is a fighter, she has to still be out there.” She mumbled, as if trying to convince herself. 

“We hope so too Ms. Williams” Mulder said sympathetically as they went to the door.

***

“What do you think? She seemed pretty convinced he didn’t do it” Mulder asked Scully as they entered the park on their way back.

 “Are you kidding Mulder? Despite her denials she admitted he acted differently since the girl disappeared. And no one has seen him ever since? She has probably convinced herself that he couldn’t have been involved to try to preserve her sanity, you heard her, half of that was rationalizations!”

“I don’t know Scully, I do admit that her description of his behavior around her does not exactly match up with how he appeared in that videotape. But honestly he could have never shown that side to her much, outside of slight narcissistic personality traits that she seemed well aware of. He 

“ He has moved to Indiana since then or somewhere nearby. Perhaps in a different part of New York for a bit if Sarah is still alive and with him like the Bakers said. No one else has as much circumstantial evidence. All the local town people have been cleared, I looked at the records and none had any real links except him or the mother potentially. And she’s been the only one keeping this investigation in the spotlight.” Scully said heatedly. Mulder frowned in thought, gravel crunching underfoot as they walked.

“I’ll grant that he may be involved, there is just too much coincidence but how? Sarah’s journal that I finished last night had no mention of wanting to meet up with him. She did mention a mysterious man, but it also appears to be sometimes daydreaming as she refers to him as the goblin king from that book. It doesn’t appear to be someone she knew in her personal life so much as an external authority figure or her fairytale books. Her obsession with the supernatural was where her fear lay. Particularly the creatures from her story. Linda was right that that rapid shift to paranoia is troubling, and deserves to be investigated.”

“Don’t you think that that is reaching, Mulder? It seems so suspicious that he disappeared so suddenly after her disappearance, and baited the police about it. Maybe he used her obsession, or used an accomplice” .

“If it was only the Williamses I would be inclined to agree, but all these other cases…. it doesn’t seem humanly possible…” Mulder stopped in his musings, coming to a halt. Scully walked past him a few paces and then turned to look back at him. He was staring off the path, transfixed.

“Would you look at that,Scully? Good thing Charlotte isn’t here.” He nodded to a nearby tree. Scully was confused at first, simply seeing the grey brown bark and tree buds, then spotted what he was looking at. A large white barn owl sat observing them from one of the branches. It hopped to another branch and sidled closer. 

“Aren’t they nocturnal? Maybe that one is sick, although it appears pretty healthy” Scully observed, watching the bird as it cocked its head slightly to look at Mulder.

“Hmmm” Mulder didn’t reply at first. He tilted his own head, mirroring the bird. “What are the odds of seeing one of those?” 

Scully laughed. “Honestly Mulder, you really do remind me of my grandmother sometimes. It’s hardly an ill omen or working for a witch. It’s like that new idea Professor Bates was talking about in that analytics seminar, the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. We were just talking about owls and birds yesterday so we will notice them more when we see them. Besides, it is spring, they are probably out looking for a mate. It is simply a coincidence.”

“If you say so Scully.” Mulder said, still thoughtful. He gave a little shrug, stepping forward on their way again as Scully set off for their car again. “Cheer up, Mulder. Maybe Agent Bianchi has some information that will tie everything together after all, between both of our investigations,” Scully said optimistically. 

Once back at the car, the agents grabbed an early lunch and went to the local FBI office to fax the copies of what they hadn’t been able to attach the night before. They had talked to an agent working there and Mulder took a chance to check if he had any mail while Scully wanted to delve into some of the digitized media resources.

“Scully, just wait until you see this!” Mulder said excitedly, once they had waited for the connection to go through. He turned on the printer connected to the office's desktop.  Scully looked up from the computer where she was typing notes about their interview to send to agent Bianchi  “What is it Mulder?” she asked as the printer whirred and clicked.

 “Agent Bianchi left some mail for me. Charlotte Ross finally calmed down enough to work with a sketch artist. They sent us a scan. Look familiar?” Mulder excitedly grabbed the finished sheet and slid it across to her.

Scully gasped when she saw the printed sketch; his hair was longer and eyes more wild as the artist had given him an unsettling stare, and the nose was slightly different, but he bore an uncanny resemblance to the local arts column of NYC archived newspapers she had just searched the media archive for. Staring back at them was an apparent sketch of Jeremy Jones.