Dana's Malakim Pt 8/32
Title: Dana’s Malakim
Author: dhamphir
Fandom: X-Files
Pairing: Scully/OFC (Logan)
Rating: NC17
Summary: Scully must identify Mulder’s body after his suicide. Dying of cancer, she now faces an uncertain future, a crisis of faith... and a new partner. Little does she know the extraordinary and incredible things she’s seen while with the X-Files are nothing compared to what’s to come.
Time line/Spoilers: AU. Starts immediately after S4E23 Demons.
Disclaimer: X-Files and its characters belong to C.C. and 1013 Productions. No copyright infringement intended, no money be made.
A/N1: Some dialogue taken directly from the show. Although I do a bit of research for my stories, I’ve never been a cop, doctor, herbalist, psychologist, or theologist.
A/N2: Special thanks to sinadino for the German translations, and to xhuggles and ivy_wang for the Chinese translations.
A/N3: All mistakes are my own. Special thanks to oxfordshoes2 for the beta.
Dana’s Malakim
Part 8
Alley Behind Red Roof Inn
Saturday, June 21st, 1997
Val stood when Logan entered the lobby.
“Outside,” was the blonde’s only response.
Val followed her outside and then behind the hotel to the empty alley. Before she could react Val found herself facing the wrath of an angry Virtue. Logan’s eyes flashed and her wings spread. She clamped her hand around Val’s neck and lifted her up several inches.
“Exactly what part of our conversation last night gave you the impression that your presence here would be welcome?” she growled in anger.
Val realized she was on the verge of being dusted if she said the wrong thing or made a wrong move. “I’m sorry. You’re right - I shouldn’t have come here,” she barely managed to get out around the hand constricting around her throat.
The blonde lowered Val to her feet but didn’t release her grip on her throat. She also retracted her wings. “Now tell me why you’re here.”
“I did some checking.” She told the blonde what she found out about the local vampire community. “I really don’t think a vampire is your killer in this case,” she finished up.
Logan mulled over what Val had told her a few moments, knowing she hadn’t lied - she would have known if Val had. Finally she released her grip from around the vampire’s throat and nodded. “You’re probably right. I am, however, still going to solve this case, so I will be around the bar for a while. You will not tell anyone who I am, nor will you compromise the identities of my partner or other officers working with us. If any of our covers are blown, pray I never pick up your scent again. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Very well. If you break our agreement - any part of it - I will find you.”
Val gave a shaky nod.
“Go on. Get out of here.”
Val beat a hasty retreat.
Logan enjoyed her run.
~~~
760 Magazine St. #417
Upon her return to the hotel, the blonde took a shower and changed into her casual clothes. When it was time, she and Scully headed over to the condo on Magazine Street. Sgt. Marie Laffite let them in and showed them around the ‘bait’ condo before entering the surveillance condo.
Sgt. Laffite started wiring Logan. “Sound and video will be transmitted to this laptop. We’ll keep one person on this at all times once you hit the club tonight. We’ll all take shifts. When you’re in the condo there will always be someone here. The condo is completely wired, sound and video, except for the bathroom.”
“Good to know,” Logan said with a smile.
Laffite returned her smile. “Sound will be of limited use in the club because of the noise level, but will still work close up.”
“I figured as much.”
“We’ll also have at least one, if not two, of us in the club as well. My team and I have been in the club so much we’re already known regulars.” When Laffite was done attaching the mic and camera she did a quick test. “Okay, you’re all set.”
“I’ll call to let you know when Monica and I head to the club.”
Laffite nodded and headed to one of the bedrooms.
Scully looked at her partner. “You okay with this?” she asked with concern.
Logan gave her a gentle smile. “I was made for this, Scully. Undercover is my thing. I just wish all my UC assignments were this cushy. A nice condo and a whole team of backup. I don’t even have to be anybody but myself - Dr. Nicole Logan, PhD. And I don’t have to pretend to like someone I detest. This is a cakewalk compared to what I usually have to deal with.” She paused and noted the genuine concern in her partner’s blue eyes. “Still, I’m glad to know you’ve got my back, partner.”
Scully responded with a small smile.
“Did you talk to Skinner?”
“Yes. I brought him up to date with our plans. He said to run with it, especially since the locals are being so cooperative.”
Logan nodded. “Alright. Well, I better go. I need to meet Monica.”
“Be careful, Logan.”
“I will.”
~~~
Dreams
After a very late dinner Monica and Nicole met up with Det. Corbin and Det. Moore in the parking lot of Dreams. They ran a check on the audio and video signals from the blonde’s bugs.
“Sgt. Laffite and Agent Scully are already inside,” Moore informed them.
“Where’s Det. North?” Monica asked.
Corbin smiled. “Wife duty.”
“What?”
“It’s his anniversary. He’s home with his wife while the kids are with the grandparents,” he explained.
They all smiled with understanding.
Inside the bar, Monica and Nicole found a table and waited for a waitress to bring them drinks. They spotted Laffite and Scully, but didn’t acknowledge them. They went about their evening as any couple would - drinking, talking, dancing... generally having a nice time.
During a slow dance Monica pulled back far enough to look into the blonde’s eyes a moment before pressing her lips against Nicole’s. Logan accepted and returned the gentle kiss. It had been so long since she’d allowed herself any intimate pleasure and Monica was a good kisser. They embraced closely again when the kiss broke.
“I wanted to do that four years ago,” Monica whispered softly in Nicole’s ear so she wasn’t overheard.
Nicole smiled gently. “I’d have let you,” she replied just as quietly, admitting to the brunette, and herself, that there had been some... spark between them four years earlier.
“We’re... not going to be able to do anything more than kiss... are we?”
Nicole tightened her arms around the brunette. “We’re working a case,” she replied in answer. “And when the case is over I’ll leave.”
“Just as I thought,” the brunette replied, disappointed but understanding.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy playing our roles.” Nicole pulled back and kissed Monica.
Watching the couple on the dance floor from a table not far away, Laffite turned to Scully. “I’d say they’re rather convincing as a couple,” she said with an amused smirk.
An eyebrow merely arched in response.
~~~
760 Magazine St. #417
Sunday, June 22nd, 1997
After a late night at the bar, Logan had little trouble falling asleep. However, loud knocking on the door to the condo woke her up just as the sun was rising. She tried to stifle a yawn as she opened the door, finding her partner wide awake and dressed.
“What’s up?”
For some reason she couldn’t quite fathom, Scully found herself strangely satisfied to see Logan rumpled and sleepy when the blonde answered the door. “We’ve got another body.”
Logan dropped her head and took a deep breath. “Okay. Just give me two minutes,” she said turning and heading for the bedroom.
Scully followed her partner into the condo. She was surprised when the blonde emerged from the bedroom in less than two minutes - looking refreshed and as if she’d gotten a full eight hours sleep.
~~~
Riverfront Park
Scully and Logan approached Sgt. Laffite.
“What do we have?” Scully asked.
“A couple of early morning joggers found her. They called it in. A patrol car was close and responded. The officers said they only got close enough to determine she was dead. They called it in and closed off the area. No one’s touched the body, it’s all yours.”
Both agents slipped on latex gloves and stepped under the yellow tape that cordoned off the area. Just then Reyes arrived at the scene.
“Sorry it took me a while to get here, but we’ve received another note.” The brunette held up an evidence bag.
Scully took the baggie from Reyes and looked at it. She turned to hand it to her partner, but found that Logan was kneeling next to the body. The expression on Logan’s face made her keep from calling out to the blonde.
Behind her sunglasses, Logan closed her eyes. The smell of death was of course present. She whispered under her breath - an apology to the soul that had known the pain she’d been unable to prevent. An answer whispered through her awareness and she gave an almost imperceptible nod.
“Now I hunt,” she breathed and opened her eyes.
When Logan looked up, Scully approached her. She handed the note to her partner.
“It’s Greek.” Logan read it out loud and then translated it before handing it back. She tenderly placed her hand on the victim’s arm, closed her eyes, and took a breath as she took in the trace of evil left behind. She didn’t realize she let out a quiet gasp. She felt Scully’s hand firmly grab her upper arm.
“Are you alright, Logan?”
The blonde swallowed and gave a small nod. She took a slow breath and let it out. Scully let go of her. There was a different kind of stink invading Logan’s senses now.
Scully returned her attention to the body. “There doesn’t appear to be anything under her nails, but I’ll scrape them anyway. Her left forearm is broken.”
“He’s washed her. I’m sure she’s been raped like the others but there won’t be any semen.”
“Just like the others,” the redhead sighed.
“He’s getting more violent. He’s escalating. Rape was just an appetizer. Now he’s starting to have to some real fun.” The blonde gazed into the dead woman’s face. “He took his time with her, toyed with her. I’ll bet we’ll find a missing person’s report on this one. That’s why there’s been a break between the other murders and this one. He kept her for a little while. You’ll find more injuries with her than the others.”
Agreeing with her partner’s assessment, Scully nodded. “I’ll do the autopsy as soon as I get her to the morgue.”
Logan suddenly stood and started slowly moving away from the body. From behind sunglasses, the blonde focused all of her attention, taking in the surrounding area, noting the total lack of debris in the area. It was as if the grass had been swept clean of any and everything. Not even a leaf was in the five foot area surrounding the body.
“Logan, where are-”
Reyes cut Scully off with a hand on her arm. The brunette shook her head.
She looked at the other agent questioningly.
“I’ve seen her like this before,” Monica said softly. “She... notices things.”
Logan continued on her path until she got to the perimeter. She ducked under the tape and very slowly continued on her way.
Scully caught up with her. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know yet.”
The redhead shook her head as she watched her partner walk away. Dammit, that’s just like something Mulder would say.
The practically imperceptible prints in the grass gave way to the blacktop of the parking lot. However, she could still sense the trail the presence of evil had left. It was faint, and fading. She tracked it... behind a building and to a shed. She pulled her weapon. She was well away from the others - two blocks. The scent lingered a bit here. Logan carefully approached the shed at an oblique angle, keeping out of direct line of the door and small side window.
Once she was able to discern nobody was in or around the shed she looked around. Why did he pause or stop here? she asked herself. She spotted a large trash bin nearby and headed for it. She was looking into it when she suddenly swung around and pointed her gun at the person who’d come up behind her without warning.
Sgt. Marie Laffite was suddenly staring at the business end of Glock only inches from her nose. She’d never seen anyone move that fast. In fact, she hadn’t actually seen Logan move at all. One moment the blonde was looking into a large trash bin, the next moment Logan had a gun pointing at her.
Logan pulled back and holstered her weapon. “That’s a good way to get yourself killed, Sergeant.”
Laffite managed to swallow and find her voice. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
The blonde arched an eyebrow. “Did I appear scared?” she intoned lowly.
Laffite realized she still had her hands up and lowered them as she blushed. “No.”
“Was there something you wanted?”
“I saw you walking away from the scene. I wondered why,” she said with a shrug.
Logan let out a deep breath. “He was here.”
“He was? How do you know? Did you find something?”
“Just a hunch. But there’s something in here, something left over after having been burned,” she indicated the dumpster.
“It could be from anything. Anyone could have left it.”
The blonde nodded. “True. But the odor tells me it was burned recently - certainly within the time frame of the body being dumped.”
The sergeant moved closer and peered into the trash bin. The smells seemed overpowering to her and she didn’t see how Logan could pick out the smell of the charred remains of whatever it was from anything else. “How the hell can you tell?” she said wrinkling her nose.
The agent took out her phone and called Reyes. She told her where she was and asked to have a forensic tech join her. Monica arrived with the tech.
“I wondered where you got off to. What have you got, Nicole?”
“A hunch. Something was burned and disposed of. And from the odor I’d say it was within the timeframe that our body was dumped.”
The forensic tech carefully retrieved the charred remains. “I’ll get these to the lab and see what we can find out.”
“Thank you.”
“Anything come back on her fingerprints, Agent Reyes?” Laffite asked.
“No hits. Sorry.”
“You’ll find out who she is by going through missing persons reports, Sergeant. Check the ones that went missing Friday,” Logan stated.
Sgt. Laffite gave the blonde a surprised look. “That’s not his MO.”
“It is now,” she replied and walked away.
Laffite stared after her a few moments as the tech packed his evidence up. “How the hell...” She turned to Reyes. “Do you really think that charred... whatever it is, has anything to do with the case?”
Monica looked at the back of Nicole until the blonde turned out of sight around the building. “I wouldn’t bet against it.”
~~~
Morgue
Monica had caught up with Nicole and they drove together to the morgue. Scully had already started the autopsy by the time they arrived.
She looked up at the two as they entered. “I’ve only just started, but so far I haven’t found anything surprising.”
Reyes, not particularly comfortable in an autopsy room, lingered near the doorway. “There wasn’t anything at the dump site either. There was nothing out of place, no debris of any kind, nothing left by the suspect, and nothing left by anyone else. That in itself is a clue - he cleaned the area around the body, giving it a place of cleanliness to rest. So he was as fastidious about his dump site as he was about the body.”
The brunette’s astute observation surprised Scully. She mentally shook her head at herself; she shouldn’t have been surprised that Agent Reyes was on the ball. She reminded herself that despite being a leggy brunette, Reyes wasn’t anything like the kind of women Mulder was perpetually drawn to. Dana paused on that mental note.
Is that it? Is that why I’ve felt annoyed? Mulder always screwed around with some leggy bimbo and Logan reminds me of Mulder, so I jump to the conclusion she would do the same thing - start screwing around while working a case? But Logan and Reyes are role-playing... I don’t know if there’s anything between them or not. And even if there is, it’s none of my business. She glanced at the brunette again before returning her eyes to her work. Well, if there is anything between them, at least Logan has much better taste in women, she thought to herself with a mental smile.
“He’s going to be looking for another victim,” said Monica.
“I know. I’d really like to make sure he doesn’t kill another innocent woman,” Nicole practically growled.
“There’s a dance contest at the club tonight. Participating in it might increase our visibility,” Monica observed.
The blonde nodded. “Sounds good. Anything that’ll make me his next target instead anyone else.” She turned and left the autopsy room, brushing past Monica.
Scully had felt a chill pass through her when her partner had talked about making herself the killer’s next target.
“I’ll, uh... I’m going to go see how the police are coming with that list of names you guys provided.” The brunette left.
~~~
New Orleans Police Department
By the time Scully arrived back at the police station, the latest victim had been identified - Melody Spearman. Just as Logan had predicted, there had been a missing report filed on the woman. She walked up to the desk Reyes was sitting at, dropping her autopsy report on the desk as she sat in the chair next to it.
“Nothing.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing unusual or unexpected in the autopsy. She was raped, but there was no semen. Tox screen was clear and there was nothing forensically to tie anyone to the body.” She looked around. “Where’s Logan?”
“The victim’s name was Melody Spearman. Nicole went to speak with her lover.”
“So anything good come up with the list of names?”
Reyes sat back with a sigh. “No. They all have solid alibis for at least two of the killings. So unless each murder was committed by a different person...”
Scully glanced at the doorway just in time to see her partner enter. She frowned because she didn’t like the look in the blonde’s eyes. Scully got up and met Logan halfway, pulling her aside so they could talk.
“Hey, are you okay, Logan?”
Logan stiffened. “I’m fine.”
Suddenly Scully hated those two particular words.
The blonde brushed past her partner and spoke quietly with Agent Reyes before leaving the bullpen and heading to the break room.
Scully just stood in the same spot for a few moments frowning, trying to figure out what was going on with her partner. Well, she wasn’t going to figure it out just standing there, so she headed down the corridor after the blonde.
When the redhead entered the break room, Logan turned and immediately handed Scully a cup of hot tea. Scully gave her a grateful look and took a sip, giving the blonde an amused smirk when she tasted the familiar tea rather than the coffee she would have gotten for herself.
Logan smiled. “It’s better for you - especially on an empty stomach.” Just then Scully’s stomach growled and the blonde’s smile widened to a grin. “Come on, I’ll buy you lunch.”
~~~
Roubolet Café
Scully was again surprised, and pleased, at her appetite. She took a bite of her oversized sandwich. “Mmmm...”
Logan smiled at her partner’s enjoyment of their meal. “So what was the cause of death?” she asked before taking a bite of her own sandwich.
After the redhead washed down her mouthful of food with some ice water she wiped her mouth. “Strangulation. But she would have died from internal bleeding if he hadn’t strangled her. You were right - he was quite brutal. She had several cracked and broken bones. Both her spleen and liver were lacerated and one of her kidneys was damaged.” Scully shook her head.
“What?”
“He did a lot of damage to her, but without leaving much evidence of it externally.”
“It fits. He’s fastidious. He doesn’t like things messy. That’s why he drugged his rape victims, so they wouldn’t fight back, so things wouldn’t get out of hand and messy. But then simply raping them wasn’t enough, so he started killing them. Now raping and simply killing them isn’t enough. Now he’s starting to get creative.”
“He sodomized Melody as well. He didn’t do that to the others. I took cultures, but I doubt we’ll find anything. Her hands and nails were pristine.”
~~~
New Orleans Police Department
Logan and Scully were just returning to police headquarters when the blonde’s phone rang. It was Reyes. “We’re just getting back from lunch. We’ll be right there.” She hung up. “That was Monica. She said she has something for us in the lab.”
The two agents headed to the police lab where Reyes and a tech were waiting.
“So, what do you have?” Nicole asked.
“That charred material you found - we’ve identified it. It’s tyvek,” Monica said with a smile.
“Isn’t that the cloth-like paper envelopes the post office and FedEx use?” Nicole asked.
“Yes. But this stuff is actually New Tyvek,” the tech added.
“Clean suits,” Scully said.
Logan looked at her, her expression clearly asking her to continue.
“New Tyvek is used to make clean suits - shirts, pants, booties, overalls, lab coats, hoods, aprons, you name it. It’s used when one is looking for protection from dry particulates rather than bio-chemical or liquid contamination. It lightweight, durable, allows heat and moisture to escape and is disposable.”
“That’s why we don’t have any trace evidence!” Reyes exclaimed.
Logan nodded. “He washes the bodies and wears a clean suit when he dumps them.
“There can’t be too many places that use them,” Monica offered.
“Actually they’re fairly common in labs and in industrial environments. But there aren’t many sources for them,” Scully stated.
Logan let out a deep breath.
“What’s wrong?” Scully asked.
“It’s not exactly the missing the link. I mean it tells us how he manages to leave no trace evidence behind, but it’s not going to be how we catch him.”
“So, where did you find the charred tyvek?” Scully asked.
“Nicole found it. In a dumpster behind a building two blocks from the dump site.”
Scully arched an eyebrow. “Let me guess - it was a hunch.”
Logan just smiled.
“Well, you’re right - it’s not the way we’re going to catch him. It’s not even admissible as circumstantial evidence, but it does answer a question and we can use it as an investigative lead, a small piece of the overall puzzle.”
“I’ll get started on the sources and see who they sell to,” Reyes volunteered.
“No, I’ll do it. I believe you and Logan have some practicing to do,” Scully replied.
~~~
Reyes’ Apartment
Monica and Nicole moved some of the brunette’s furniture aside, turned on some music, and began to practice for the dance contest that night. They danced for hours, working on different dances. They didn’t know exactly what the contest was going to include. They worked on everything from the mambo and the tango to the waltz to the ‘50s swing and dirty dancing. They also worked on a fun and sexy freestyle. They had a good time, but were also serious and hard working. Both had worked up a sweat and had sore feet.
Nicole’s phone rang. She grabbed it and answered it out of breath. “Logan.”
“Logan, it’s me.”
“Hey, Scully,” she said panting.
“Are you alright, Logan?”
“No. Monica’s killing me. You need to come save me,” she panted in response.
Monica wasn’t going to let that go without a response. She grabbed Nicole’s phone. “Don’t believe a word she says. Nicole’s the one killing me,” she panted into the phone. “A free home cooked meal if you rescue me!” she managed before the blonde snatched the phone back. Although Scully did hear Reyes’ following lament, “God, my feet hurt!”
“What in the world are you doing over there?” Scully asked.
“Dying,” Nicole deadpanned.
“Well, do it after the case and off the clock. I hate all the paperwork I’d have to do otherwise,” Scully shot back. Her smirk could be heard over the phone.
“Ha ha.” The blonde took a deep breath. “So what can I do for you, Scully?”
“I’ve got the list of New Tyvek suppliers and their distributors.”
“Well, why don’t you bring it with you when you join us for dinner?”
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”
“Why would you think you’d be intruding?” Logan asked, surprise coloring her tone. “You’re my partner. Besides, Monica already invited you.” She gave Scully the address.
~~~
When Scully arrived at Reyes’ apartment she could hear the music coming from behind the door before she knocked. Her out of breath partner answered the door and gave her a big smile.
“Thank god! She’s going to kill me, Scully. Save me.”
“Wimp!” Monica’s voice called out from out of sight.
“Come on in.” Nicole moved to let Scully in. The blonde crossed the cleared space of the living room and turned off the CD player. She turned back to Scully. “Have a seat,” she said with a wave at the sofa.
“Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes,” Reyes called from the kitchen.
“It smells wonderful,” the redhead replied.
The brunette came out of the kitchen. “I hope you’re hungry, I’ve made enough for a football team. Can I get you something to drink?”
Scully looked at the bottle of water in her partner’s hand. “Water would be fine.”
During dinner the three women had a nice time and Scully got a chance to get to know the brunette agent. Despite the traces of annoyance she’d originally felt towards Reyes, Scully found herself liking her. Reyes was highly intelligent and very easy going.
~~~
Surveillance Condo
After dinner, Logan and Scully returned to the condos to get a little rest before going out that night. When Scully got up from her nap, she found Det. Larry North going over some paperwork and keeping an eye on the monitors. They greeted each other and she asked about her partner.
“I don’t know where your partner gets her energy. She’s been working out ever since you guys got in. She just now went into the bathroom to take her shower.”
After Logan was showered and dressed, Det. Corbin once again wired her for sound and video. Corbin had just finished up when Reyes arrived to pick Logan up.
~~~
part 9
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