The X-Files

I think we all feel an empty place.

Everybody loved Jennifer.

Not just because she was a special person...

...but because she was the kind of friend who was always there for you.

We'll miss you, Jen.

We'll miss your smile.

We'll miss the times we would have spent together.

We'll keep these memories close to our hearts...

...until we meet again in God's kingdom.

The family has requested a graveside service.

I've rescheduled the burial to tomorrow afternoon.

We'll keep the body overnight.

Such a beautiful girl.

Hello?

Who's there?

I said "Who's there?"

Donnie...

What the hell are you doing here this late?

- Working. - Working... at this hour(?)

What is this?

What the hell were you doing?

Get out of here.

You freak!

Get out of here! And don't come back.

I should report you! Just go on. Get out of here!

I got the call from Minneapolis PD...

...saying they wanted the FBI to come out and take a look.

Anything slightly freakazoid, that's the drill. Call Moe Books.

As if I'm tight with all the nutcases in town!

So I shoot on down here to see what's the what.

And I'll be damned if I'm not knocked on my butt by what they show me.

22 years I've never seen anything like it!

I get one look at the corpse and I'm on the phone to my pal Andy Schneider...

...down at the Mutual UFO Network. You know Andy?

- No, I don't. - Well, he knows you.

Why'd you call MUFON?

To see if there was UFO activity in the area.

You think this grave was unearthed by aliens?

Well, it has all the telltale signs, don't you think?

- I mean, according to the literature. - Literature?

You know the way the hair and nails are cut away?

Sorta like they do in cattle mutilations.

I hate to disappoint you, Agent Bocks...

- ...but it doesn't look like the work of aliens. - No? How can you be sure?

I've seen this kind of thing before at Violent Crimes.

Whoever dug this up probably used a backhoe.

If you check the ground, you'll probably find new tracks leading to a garage nearby.

- You think? - He may work here, but it's unlikely.

He's probably worked at a mortuary or cemetery at some time.

Probably been busted, but you won't find any record.

It has to be bad for business when those kind of stories get around.

You're saying some human's been doing this?

Yeah, if you wanna call him that.

- You OK, Scully? - Yeah.

I've read about cases of desecrating the dead, but never seen it.

Nothing can prepare you for it. It's almost unimaginable.

Why do they do it?

Well, people collect salt and pepper shakers.

Fetishists collect dead things - fingernails and hair. No one quite knows why.

Though I've never really understood salt and pepper shakers myself.

- Sometimes you surprise me, Mulder. - Why's that?

How that didn't shock you back there.

I'd prepared myself for it before we left Washington.

You knew this wasn't UFO related from the start?

I'd suspected as much, yeah.

It took us three hours to get here. Our plane doesn't leave until tomorrow.

- If you suspected... - Vikings versus Redskins, Scully.

40-yard line in the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome.

You and me.

Have you lived in the Twin Cities area long, Mr Pf aster?

I grew up here. I was away for a few years.

Oh... What kind of work were you in before?

Cosmetology. Hair and make-up.

Oh... It's interesting.

If you don't mind my saying, that's a lovely colour lipstick you're wearing.

Is that Indian Summer?

Yes... Yes, it is.

You're applying for the job as the delivery man?

To put myself through school. I've gone back to school.

Oh. And what are you studying?

- Comparative religions. - Oh.

- Are you a religious person yourself? - Yes. Very.

I shouldn't say this, but Mr Ficicello feels very strongly about religious backgrounds.

He prides himself on the honesty of his employees.

Can you put that on the application?

- I'll attach a little note. - Thank you.

Long, long pass. Here's Garner with the catch.

And Garner brought down

at the Washington five-yard line for a Viking first down.

Sorry you had to miss your game, but we've found more bodies dug up.

Did you get your Forensics report on the first one yet?

There was somebody down in the grave.

Cut the hair with a pair of pinking shears. Gotta wonder about this guy!

Well, at least he wasn't down there with his blow-dryer.

- How many bodies does that make? - Three in the last two days.

What else can you tell me about the corpses?

The hair was cut from the heads of two of the bodies.

From the third, the fingernails were pulled out...

...with what looks like a pair of needle-nosed pliers.

I want you to draft an eyes-only memo to everyone here...

...and to all law enforcement agencies in the area.

Saying what?

That the Twin Cities may have a... escalating fetishist on their hands.

- A what? - An escalating fetishist.

Security should be tightened around cemeteries and funeral homes.

Hospitals should be notified.

A story should be issued to the press warning of a possible stalker in the area.

This isn't New York, Agent Mulder.

People keep their doors unlocked here. This is gonna scare 'em.

Well, leave out the more gruesome aspects in your press release.

Why do you want to alarm folks if this guy only preys on dead people?

Because his compulsion is growing. He may resort to homicide to procure his corpses.

Once he gets the taste of a warm body, he's probably gonna want more.

Maybe I've been isolated up here in the great white North too long.

What do you mean?

People wondered why it took them so long to catch this kid in Milwaukee.

Thought someone should've noticed he was killing all those young boys.

Truth is... no one ever believed it could happen.

If you catch this guy first, maybe they can go on believing that.

We don't have the manpower or expertise to move on this with any speed.

It's gonna be hard to round up anybody on a Saturday.

It could be Monday or Tuesday before we get our ducks in a row.

We have some work to do here. I'm gonna cancel our flight out.

- Scully? - I'll be right there.

A complete model or psychological profile of the death fetishist does not exist.

The compulsion is a result of a complex misplacement of values...

...and a deviation from cultural norms and social mores.

He is more likely to be white, male, and of average to above-average intelligence.

Cases of fetishists with IQs over 150 have been documented.

The progression of the pathology moves from the fantasy stage...

...to the eventual acting out of fetishistic impulses, including opportunistic homicide.

Agent Mulder believes that the suspect in this case is escalating towards this action.

Once he begins to murder, the killing draws attention away from a deeper motive.

A motive which most people, including law enforcement professionals,

dare not imagine.

It is somehow easier to believe, as Agent Books does, in aliens and UFOs...

...than in the kind of inhuman monster who could prey on the living...

...to scavenge from the dead.

Hi.

Hello there!

- Hi. - Hi.

Are you looking for a date?

Yes.

Why don't you pull up around the corner over there?

Well, actually, I was thinking of a couple of hours.

Where do you have in mind?

Don't you have any heat in here? It's freezing.

The forced-air unit is broken.

I'd like to run you a bath.

Is your hair treated?

What?

Do you need a shampoo for chemically treated hair?

You want me to shampoo my hair?

I'll pay extra if that's something out of the ordinary.

Well, nobody's ever asked me.

Excuse me.

Hello?

- Is this Mr Pf aster? - Yes.

Hi, this is Marilyn at Ficicello Frozen Foods. Sorry to bother you so late...

...but I'm calling to say you've been hired. We'd like you to start right away.

Hey, what's going on here? The water is ice-cold.

What kind of sick freak are you?

Oh, my God!

- Mr Pf aster? - Yes. That's wonderful news.

Thank you so much.

Don't you come near me.

I mean it.

Don't you touch me!

Stay away from me!

Keep away from me! Don't you come near me.

We're still waiting for someone to ID the body.

Judging from the area, I'd say she's probably a working girl.

Watch your step.

No...

Oh, my God!

Oh, my God!

Who did this to her?

- Was it him? - Looks like it.

Knife wound the length of the torso. Cut all her hair off. Took her fingernails.

This time he took some fingers, too.

- Wanna see the body? - Yeah.

I need a minute.

Hey! Let him take a look.

Hi. I'm your new delivery man.

Oh, hi. Come in.

Did they give you Skip's old route?

Yes, I think so. I've just started with the company.

Skip's been delivering to us so long,

we took it for granted he'd always be around.

Since before the kids were born.

Lisa, this is, uh...

Donnie. Donnie Pf aster.

- He's taking over for Skip. - Oh, hi.

- I'm gonna go over to Steve's now, OK? - OK. You have a good time.

- Bye. - Bye.

We have three daughters.

Oh.

Pardon me. May I use your washroom to wash up my hands?

Sure. There's a washroom just off the porch.

I just wanted to tell you, if we're ever not home, we always leave the back door open.