5 minutes, he thought grimly. Less than 5 minutes ahead. We can catch up. We have to. God, Scully has to be alright. He paused in his thoughts for a moment. Maybe if we follow him close enough to see where he’s going and not overtake him, he’ll lead us right to her. “Radio the squad cars.”
    “What? Why?” Detective Jenkins looked puzzled.
    “Just tell them to stay well behind us and not to make any attempts to stop the suspect’s car just yet.”
    “Okay…” She followed directions, using her walkie-talkie to relay to the other cars. After she was done, she asked, “Okay, do you want to explain that to me?”
    “If we stop his car and arrest him as soon as we catch up with him, he may hold out for a while and that’s time we can’t spare. That’s time Scully might not have. If we follow him far away enough that he doesn’t get suspicious, he may lead us right to her.”
    “Oh… Well, that’s a pretty good idea. But what if he isn’t going to where she is? Wouldn’t that just make matters worse?”
    “He’s going there. I’m sure of it.”
    “How?”
    “Just call it man’s intuition.”
    “The same ‘man’s intuition’ that keeps them from asking directions?”
    Mulder couldn’t help but smiling, despite the growing anxiety in the pit of his stomach. Then again, that could just be hunger. He realized he had skipped eating once again. He really shouldn’t get side-tracked like that so often.
    “Agent Mulder?”
    “Yeah?”
    “The other victims were found months after their disappearance and they’re still doing fairly well, considering. Your partner’s only been missing for a few days. And yet you keep saying that she doesn’t have much time… Why?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “What do you mean, you ‘don’t know?’”
    “Just like I said, I don’t know… Something in the back of my mind is telling me that I have to hurry. That time is short…”
    “It’s probably just the worry. The uncertainty.”
    “Maybe…” Mulder’s smile had quickly faded to concern.

    Her breaths had deepened. Air would not come as easily anymore. It was as if the air was pressing down on her. Scully struggled to keep conscious. She went through prayers in her head and focused on them. If she ever needed God, now was certainly the time. Hail Mary, full of grace… she thought. It had been so long since she had prayed actual prayers. …the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women… Mulder was on his way. She didn’t know how she knew, but she felt so certain, so sure. She hoped that she would see him before she passed on. There was no question about it. She would die soon. Very soon. But her wounds still hurt, she still struggled to keep breathing, and she was so cold that she had stopped shivering. Why couldn’t she just die peacefully? …and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus… Her eyelids felt so heavy. She just wanted to close them and sleep. But she still fought to keep conscious. …Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners… So heavy, so tired. It would be over soon. Yes, it wouldn’t be long now. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to tell him. Something she had kept secret for so long. That she loved him and would love him …now and at the hour of our death. Amen…

    Mulder could see it now. A gray Ford Truck, just like the people at the diner had said. He kept his distance, hoping that the man inside wasn’t so paranoid to think that every car was following him. It was almost dusk. He checked the clock. 5:42. It was getting late. They had been following this guy for nearly an hour now. The truck reached the top of a hill. Mulder lost sight of it as it ducked under the horizon. Despite an urge to go faster in order to regain sight of him, he maintained his speed. As he reached the top of the hill, he nearly slammed on the brakes. The road ahead was flat, but there wasn’t a sign of him anywhere. Mulder slowed the car to a stop. “Where did he go?” he thought aloud.
    He and Detective Jenkins sat there for a moment, looking for any sign of where he may have gone. Suddenly, “There!” she said triumphantly and pointed. Tall grasses had hid the tire tracks and a narrow dirt road. Mulder wheeled the car into the path and followed it, not able to see over bushes and grass. He hoped, he prayed, that Scully would be found at the end of it.
    About 3 and a half miles had gone by. Just as Mulder began to wonder if their suspect might not have gone that way, the grasses suddenly parted and a small house came into view. The gray truck was parked outside. “Radio the rest of them. We’re going in,” he told Detective Jenkins as he put the car into park.
    Scully was here. He was certain. He got out of the car, drew his gun, and motioned for the detective to go around the back, not bothering to shut the car door. Any sound might have alerted Whitaker. And they needed the element of surprise.
    He cautiously approached the front door and tried the doorknob. He gave a small smile as the door opened without a creak. He entered the house just as carefully, sweeping each room he went into with his gun. At the corner of his eye, he saw 2 police officers follow him in. Good. Backup. He entered the living room, gun ready to fire at a moment’s notice.  Captain Whitaker’s twin sat on a couch with a magazine. “Freeze! FBI!” Mulder shouted, realizing absently that he was the only one from the FBI there. Whitaker jumped off the couch and bolted through a nearby doorway. “I said ‘Freeze!’ Stop or I’ll shoot!” Mulder ran after him.