Agent of Chaos (The X-Files: Origins #1)(17)
Part of Mulder wished it had happened that way. He wished the villain had a face—a police sketch or something to focus on when the rage hit and threatened to consume him. Instead of a sketch, the person responsible stared back at him every morning from the bathroom mirror.
Because I should’ve saved her.
“Someone kidnapped her from our house,” Mulder said before he lost his nerve. “My parents went out, and I was supposed to be watching her. We were in the living room playing Stratego. It was almost nine o’clock, and I was waiting for The Magician to start. Samantha wanted to change the channel, and I…” He hesitated. “I yelled at her. Then the power went out, and I don’t know what happened after that. I must’ve blacked out. But when I came to, my sister was gone, and our front door was open.”
Mulder turned onto 17th Street, and the police precinct came into view. He pulled into the parking lot and turned off the car.
“Thanks for telling me,” Gimble said. “I know it’s hard. You’re the only person I’ve had over since my mom died and we moved to DC. The Major is a lot to take in.”
“He’s all right,” Mulder offered.
“If by ‘all right,’ you mean not even remotely normal, then yeah, sure.” Gimble looked out the window. “When the cops told us that my mom’s car went off the bridge, they said it looked like she did it on purpose. I left that part out before. But I never believed them, and neither did the Major. Losing her broke him. Sometimes I think that’s why he became obsessed with that book, Stormbringer. My mom loved fantasy novels, and we read them together all the time. She tried to talk my dad into reading Stormbringer with her, but he wasn’t a big fan of fantasy—which is ironic considering all the crazy stuff he believes in now.”
“I get it.” Mulder knew it took a lot for Gimble to open up like that and talk about his mom. It made it easier for Mulder to confess his own sins. “I didn’t do anything to help my sister that night. So if there’s a chance I can help Sarah Lowe, I have to try.”
Gimble nodded. “I couldn’t help my mom, either. But it’s not too late to save that little girl.” He opened the car door and got out like a man on a mission, in a Han Solo T-shirt. “Lord Manhammer says, ‘A quest is only over if you give up.’”
Mulder and Gimble marched through the glass doors and straight into the action. The precinct didn’t have a counter up front separating the entrance from the central room. It was packed with metal desks and file cabinets, mug shots and two-way radios, police officers and criminals.
The precinct wasn’t what Mulder had expected. The place felt like the Wild West. Criminals were handcuffed to the desks, yelling and cussing over one another.
“I’ve never been in a police station before.” Gimble eyed a rough-looking guy with a mustache. The guy turned, and Gimble spotted his shoulder holster. “How are we supposed to tell the cops from the criminals?”
The cop noticed Mulder and Gimble and strode toward them. “You boys need some help?”
“I’d like to talk to one of the detectives investigating Sarah Lowe’s kidnapping,” Mulder said.
The cop raised an eyebrow. “We haven’t confirmed that she was kidnapped.” It sounded like something official they had to say.
“Fine. Her disappearance, or whatever you call it.” Mulder bounced his foot, since he couldn’t pace. “We have information about the case.”
“Take a seat.” The cop gestured at two plastic chairs pulled up beside one of the desks. “I’ll see if the detectives working it are around.”
Mulder and Gimble sat down, but Mulder kept his eyes fixed on the officer with the mustache. What if nobody wanted to talk to them? That had happened to him more than once at the police station in Chilmark.
“He’s talking to those guys by the vending machine,” Gimble said. “Think they’re the detectives?”
A tall man with squinty eyes, wearing a wrinkled button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, stood next to a short guy with a Santa Claus gut, wearing a fedora.
Laurel and Hardy.
“I know they are,” Mulder said, hoping they hadn’t noticed him at the crime scene. “I saw them at the cemetery.”
Gimble’s eyes went wide. “Did you talk to them?”
“No.” Mulder watched as Laurel and Hardy approached.
“They don’t look friendly.”
The detective with the big gut spoke first. “We heard you have information about the Sarah Lowe case?” He flashed a badge. “I’m Detective Solano, and this is my partner, Detective Walker.”
Mulder stood and wiped his sweaty palm on his jeans before he shook Detective Solano’s hand. “My name is Fox Mulder.”
Solano laughed. “I’m supposed to believe that’s a real name?”
Gimble popped out of his seat. “I’m Gimble. I mean, Gary Winchester. I didn’t see the body or anything, so you probably don’t want to talk to me.”
“The body?” Solano narrowed his eyes.
Mulder shoved Gimble out of the way before he opened his mouth again and dug a deeper hole for them. “What he means is, when I was jogging by Rock Creek Cemetery this morning, I saw the police cars and I stopped to see what was going on.”