Hurry and get him out of there!
I need two men on the left side now!
Wait a second.
Where are you going with him?
He's dead.
Well, there's a woman over there who isn't
and she needs some oxygen.
Sir, stay back!
Get on the horn.
Let 'em know we can release the hook and ladder
in five minutes.
I want you to rise!
Rise up and heal!
What the hell are you doing?
Boy's laying on hands.
Rise up and accept the miracle
- he's given you. - Amen. Hallelujah.
You don't understand. The man's dead.
Then the boy can't possibly do any harm, now, can he?
For this
is the power of belief...
the power to separate the light from the darkness
to create life from death.
Amen.
All right, everyone! Show's over!
Let's clear the area!
Start getting that one
into the back of the truck!
Hallelujah, son.
Hallelujah.
Oh, hallelujah!
Oh, yes!
Hallelujah.
Yes, indeed, and praise God!
Yes!
Yes! Yes!
I want everybody to say hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!
The woman on the table
has a malignant tumor on her spine.
This boy here is going to attempt
to heal her by simply laying his hands on her.
- Where did you get this? - It came in
from the regional office in Tennessee.
The preacher's name is...
Reverend Calvin Hartley.
You've heard of him.
The boy is his adopted son, Samuel.
He claims to have found him as an infant
lying in the tall weeds
on the banks of the muddy Mississippi.
Did you know that he also claims
the boy brought a man back from the dead?
It's more than a claim.
The man he saved appears as a regular attraction
in the reverend's tent ministry.
The boy's been performing miracles
every week for the past ten years.
Twice on Sunday.
Well, not according to the Kenwood County Sheriff.
Local authorities think
that Reverend Hartley and his son are a scam.
They've been trying to shut them down
for some time now, but without any luck,
so they've turned to the FBI to try and get a prosecution.
- For what? Fraud? - No.
Murder.
Watch the tape.
Lucy Kelly has the cancer.
Her doctors say it is inoperable.
They say it is incurable.
But I say to you
that what the doctors cannot cure,
the Lord can.
Amen!
Yes, indeed. Praise God.
Because God...
can work... miracles.
The clear light of God's healing love...
is flowing...
through Samuel's healing hands.
20 minutes later, Lucy Kelly was rushed to the hospital.
She was pronounced dead on arrival.
What was the cause death?
I don't know, but it wasn't cancer.
They've requested someone with a medical background
to assist local police in the investigation.
I know this isn't an X File...
When do we leave for Tennessee?
I think I saw some of these same people at Woodstock.
Mulder, you weren't at Woodstock.
I saw the movie.
You all right by yourself?
I'll be fine.
I won't be long.
Most of you here today, I know as neighbors
and as cherished members of our Miracle Ministry.
But, uh, some of you have come from far away...
as far away
as Pensacola, Florida...
And Uniondale, Long Island!
Wayne Ashtown and his family.
And it is especially to those of you
who come from so far
that I must apologize from the bottom of my heart...
because, unfortunately,
Samuel cannot be here this afternoon.
I know... I know how very deeply disappointed
each and every one of you must be feeling right now,
but I say unto you, do not be dismayed.
Do not despair!
Do not lose your hope...
because in two short days, Samuel will be back here
at our very special Miracle Mission!
Yes, indeed, praise God. He will be back here...
Maybe we should head backstage
and see what the reverend has to say.
No, wait, wait. This is the part where they bring out Elvis.
...on the faithful, because as these
blessed people up here are about to testify,
Samuel can heal you.
Yes, Samuel will heal you.
But...
only if you believe.
God bless you!
Reverend Hartley, we're with the FBI.
I see Sheriff Daniels has sent in the cavalry.
We just want to talk to Samuel
for a couple of minutes.
- That's all. - He's not here.
Well, where is he?
I don't know.
I haven't seen him.
The boy's been a bit troubled lately.
We're running late, Reverend.
If you'll excuse me.
Agent Mulder?
Yeah.
Sheriff Daniels.
- We spoke on the phone. - Oh, yeah.
This is Special Agent Dana Scully.
Right.
You requested a copy of the coroner's report.
Right. Thank you.
I see you folks got a chance
to take in the holy roller sideshow.
Something tells me you're not a member
of the Reverend Hartley's flock.
Well, I remember Hartley
when he was a soapbox preacher
collecting dollar bills in coffee cans.
Since the boy joined the act,
he's got himself a Cadillac for every day of the week,
bought for with money that should be used
to improve our roads and schools.
People want to believe, you know.
99% of the people in this world are fools,
and the rest of us are in great danger of contagion.
Even if Hartley and Samuel are fakes,
it's still a long way
from accusing the boy of murder.
I got witnesses that say the boy was there
laying hands on those people when they died.
You think that's how he killed them, with a touch?
I don't claim to know
how or why he did it,
but we've been looking for the boy since Tuesday
and he does not want to be found.
There's nothing out of the ordinary about these reports
except that there were no autopsies performed.
Hartley managed to block my autopsy request
on religious grounds.
Also doesn't help that the county coroner
is a dues-paying member of the Miracle Ministry.
Well, maybe we can arrange
to have the bodies exhumed.
Sheriff...
It's Reverend Hartley's group.
Damn.
I told my people to keep quiet so this wouldn't happen.
Looks like you might have a few believers
on the payroll.
On behalf of the Miracle Ministry,
we demand that you stop this sacrilege.
You're not just dealing with me anymore, Vance.
You're dealing with the FBI.
We don't mean you any disrespect.
We're investigating a possible homicide.
And federal law requires that we do
a postmortem examination on these bodies.
Well, I'm afraid we answer to an even higher authority
than the U.S. government... one that considers grave digging
and defiling corpses mortal sins.
We'll get that autopsy, Vance.
Sooner or later, you know we will.
The deceased's family
does not want her grave disturbed.
Carol Wallace had no family.
We were her family.
We were her family
and it was hard enough to bury her once.
So if you insist on going through with this,
we're prepared to maintain a vigil
and do whatever it takes to stop you.
Mulder,
Scully...
What?
One of my men just spotted the boy car's downtown.
Can't do much here anyway.
Let's go.
Check the side door, okay?
Not a very likely place to be saving souls.
Where's the boy, Zook?
He's in the can.
What happened here?
Damn fool started a fight.
Figures them Bible thumpers
wouldn't know how to hold their liquor.
Where you been, Samuel?
We've been looking for you.
Yeah?
I've been thinking.
Well, you're going to have plenty of time
for that now, son.
I'm putting you under arrest.
For murder?
For suspicion of murder.
Mind if I finish my beer first?
Well, you go right on ahead.
I'm going to have somebody take a statement from you.
I'll see what I can do about getting your Caddy towed.
Hey, Sheriff.
What evidence do you have
to charge the boy with murder?
Well, what more do you want?
The boy's practically giving himself up.
Look at him, though. He's drunk.
Well, then I'll add drunk and disorderly.
Let's get this straight.
It's not a question about the boy's guilt,
just how he did it.
Let me have a minute with him.
Suit yourself.
Samuel, I'm Agent Mulder.
This is Agent Scully.
We're from the FBI.
Looks like you took quite a beating there.
Penance, Mr. Mulder.
Some might call it a plain old bar brawl.
You know what they say...
"he giveth and he taketh away."
Man gets too proud,
sometimes it does him good
to get the crap kicked out of him.
Saves God the trouble.
The trouble of what?
Humbling the guilty sinner.
Guilty of murder?
Yes, sir.
How did you do it, Samuel?
Apparently, my pride and my weakness
were an invitation to the devil.
I muddied the river of my own faith.
Now my gift has been corrupted.
So you're saying that you killed those people with a touch?
I've laid my hands on the ill, given them health.
I've healed the sick.
I've even touched the dying and given them life.
God has given me a special gift.
Did he buy you all that jewelry, too?
I think there's something missing in your story, Samuel.
You doubt the power of God, ma'am?
No, but I doubt the veracity of your claims.
I have looked on the infirm and seen their sickness...
their cancer.
Just as I can see the pain
on this man right here.
Really?
What pain is that?
The pain you have...
regarding a brother
or a sister.
It's an old pain.
It's never been healed.
Is this some kind of a trick?
No trick, ma'am.
I think we should get the sheriff.
I want to hear more about this pain.
Tell me.
I could see it, plain as day.
It was a sister.
You lost a sister quite young.
Someone took her away.
What else do you see?
Strangers...
a bright light.
Sheriff...
You should have come here earlier.
Chance I could have healed your pain.
All right, let's get this over with.
Hey, I need another minute with him.
I can't help you, not anymore.
My gift is gone.
Cuff him.
All right, let's go.
You have the right to remain silent.
I'll tell you, Mr. Mulder...
God watches over his flock.
He gives us signs every day.
Open your heart.
He might just open your eyes.
How do you think he does it?
I don't know.
Given his exemplary record
and the highly circumstantial nature
of this case,
I ask that my client be released
on his own recognizance
without bail...
Judge, that is not a good idea.
Samuel!
Let me go, and it will be
- on your head. - Enough.
This is not a pulpit.
This is a court of law.
Is that understood?
Yes, sir.
Sorry.
Your Honor, despite the defendant's
avowed guilt,
we see no reason to burden the county
with his maintenance until trial.
But we do request a minimum bail of $100,000.
All right, if there are no objections,
bail is set at $100,000
to be deposited directly into the clerk's
probation account.
My God!
What is...
Good God!
By God!
God, what is it?!
What is this?
What...
Oh, God!
How much more
will it take for you to believe?
The Lord has testified against me.
Does the serpent have to bite y'all
on the ass till you understand?
Everybody, clear this courtroom!
"And when it was morning,
"the east wind brought the locusts
"and the locusts covered the face of the whole earth
"so that the land was darkened.
And they did eat every herb of the land..."
Come on, Mulder.
"...and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left..."
A few thousand grasshoppers does not constitute a plague.
Besides which, we're in farm country.
And this area is an agricultural smorgasbord
for this type of infestation.
Yeah, maybe in a cornfield.
But this happened in a courtroom.
So what's next?
The slaying of the firstborn?
Mulder, does this have something to do
with what Samuel said in the bar last night
about your sister?
I had these patient cases sent over
from Kenwood County Hospital.
These are physician- documented cases
of patients who went to Samuel
after conventional treatments failed.
"Spontaneous remission of metastatic cancer...
regenerated nerve growth after post-trauma paraplegia..."
I have encountered dozens
of psychic healers in the X Files, but none like this.
I think the kid's for real.
Mulder, I admit this is intriguing,
but there's a whole library of medical literature
dealing with unexplained spontaneous cures.
Now, Western medicine treats the human body
in biochemical terms, right?
- Mm-hmm. - But the body could also
be treated as an electromagnetic system.
So your theory is that if Samuel
can repair this energy field in order to heal,
he can also destroy it in order to kill.
- Why not? - Okay.
Say that Samuel's touch can kill.
Why would he want to?
Well, you heard him, Scully.
He muddied the river of his own faith.
That means he's...
If you're available,
Reverend would like to see you.
I've been under a great deal of stress lately,
which I know doesn't excuse my rude behavior yesterday,
but I hope somehow you found it in your hearts to forgive me.
Why did you want to speak with us?
I need your help.
Samuel is being tried for murder.
I think what you need is a good lawyer.
Samuel is innocent.
How can you be sure of that?
Because he's my son.
Somehow I don't think
that argument will work on a jury.
And Samuel's confession won't help much, either.
You have to understand...
Samuel is a very complicated young man.
He feels things like no one else.
To him, a pinprick becomes a gaping wound.
His power comes
from this ability to feel.
But, you see, some people fear that power.
And out of their weakness and their fear,
they seek to destroy it.
You mean Sheriff Daniels.
I mean, it's no secret
Sheriff Daniels has been trying to shut me down
since I first opened my tent ten years ago.
Well, he seems to think that your ministry is a fraud.
He's a faithless man, Agent Scully.
His wife, she suffers from a most painful arthritis.
Her fingers twisted like bitter roots.
Yet he keeps Samuel from ministering to her.
In light of recent events, you can't blame him.
I don't know how those poor people died.
I can't explain that.
Which is why I'm asking you to be there tonight
so you could see for yourselves
Samuel doing God's work.
Can I count on you both to be there?
I think so.
Mulder, what do you think?
Excuse me.
Hey, where'd she go?
Who?
The little girl.
There's no little girl around here.
Mulder...
What is it?
It's a girl.
Who, Jessica Hahn?
A little girl.
Well, brothers and sisters, help yourselves.
Let the folks with the wheelchairs through now.
That's right. Don't be shy.
Hello there.
Welcome to the Miracle Ministry.
Y'all come to see Samuel tonight?
Yes.
Is he going to be here? The papers said...
Oh, well, now, don't mind what you read in the papers.
God's work will be done.
Young Samuel is here to cast out the devil
and heal the sick.
Did you hear that, honey?
Will he be able to see me?
Well, I'll tell you what...
I'm going to put in a special word, hmm?
What's your name, darling?
- Margaret Hohman. - Margaret?
Well, Margaret, you wait right here.
I'm going to see if I can't get somebody
to put you in the front row. How'd that be?
Huh?
I can't go out there.
Not after what's happened.
God tests the faith in us all, son.
And because he's chosen you to act in his likeness,
he's given you the toughest test of all.
Do not forsake your gift, Samuel.
Aw, man.
I'm a preacher, son.
That's my gift.
But all the preaching in the world
could never equal even a small miracle
in consolidating the faith and hope
of these people.
Let this man... whose life you saved...
give witness tonight to the grace and goodness
of your healing power.
They're all waiting on you, Samuel.
Get ready for the Reverend Calvin Hartley!
Yes, indeedy!
Praise God!
Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!
God is here tonight.
Oh, yes.
Pass it down, please.
I feel his presence. Oh, amen!
Apparently miracles don't come cheap.
God is here,
and he...
is here...
to heal!
Yes, heal!
Hallelujah.
There's a man
I'd like to introduce to you...
a man who has seen the face of God
but who was not satisfied to go to that great place. Oh, no.
No, God had work for him to do right here on earth.
As it is in Heaven, mm-hmm.
I saw this man come back
from beyond death's door.
He stands here today as a living testament
to the ability of God
to work miracles.
Ladies and gentlemen,
brothers and sisters...
our beloved friend, Leonard Vance.
As it says in John,
chapter three...
"No man can do these miracles unless God be with him."
That man to whom I owe my life
is Samuel Hartley.
And he is here tonight to heal you.
Thank you, Leonard.
Ladies and gentlemen...
God's solider, Samuel Hartley.
Mulder!
Receive God's love.
Feel the power of God.
Pray with me.
Close your eyes.
What have you done, boy?
All right, everyone, remain calm.
Give the young woman some room here.
Everybody, praise God.
Say hallelujah, now!
Somebody, get an ambulance!
It's all right!
Don't panic, now. Just praise the Lord!
She's dead.
Loving friends,
children of God,
brothers and sisters,
if you desecrate the body,
then you slay the soul.
Let's keep this poor woman's body intact.
We know that Reverend Hartley's
been pressuring you,
but this is the third death linked
with the Miracle Ministry.
Reverend Hartley says
an autopsy is against Scripture.
What illness did your daughter suffer from, Mr. Hohman?
She had M.S.
And has she ever had a seizure before this?
Not to my knowledge.
You see, I think that the seizure she had
is indicative of some kind of embolism or aneurysm.
But the boy only touched her forehead.
And are you going to be content
to bury her without knowing the true cause of death?
Without knowing if there was foul play involved?
Give me a moment.
You think the boy really did it?
No.
Why not?
I was raised a Catholic
and I have a certain familiarity with the Scripture
and God never lets the devil steal the show.
You must have really liked The Exorcist.
One of my favorite movies.
Well...
So who were you pursuing in the crowd tonight?
I thought I saw someone I knew.
That boy really has you going, doesn't he?
Why do you say that?
In the bar, Samuel mentioned your sister.
Is it your sister you keep thinking you're seeing?
I've seen her twice now.
Maybe you just want to see her.
I'm not delusional, Scully.
Mulder, don't discount the power of suggestion.
A healer's greatest magic
lies in the patient's willingness to believe.
Imagine a miracle and you're halfway there.
We learned that in med school.
You think this is what Margaret Hohman
or her parents were imagining?
We're going to go along with your investigation.
It's 11:21 p.m., March 7.
Subject's name is Margaret Hohman.
Female, Caucasian,
107 pounds.
Mulder, take a look at this.
Do I have to?
Lesions on the lungs here.
I'm finding them
throughout the cardiovascular
and pulmonary systems.
There's also a lot of damage to the mucous membranes.
I think that she must have died from cellular hypoxia...
a lack of oxygen to the cells.
What would cause that?
My guess? Ingestion or injection
of sodium or potassium cyanide, maybe arsenic.
I won't know exactly
until I run a toxicology screen on her.
How soon?
Labs won't be open till morning.
See who you can push to get it done...
as soon as possible.
Samuel, it's Agent Mulder.
Yeah? What do you want?
I want to talk with you.
If you'd prefer your attorney were present...
Whatever. No.
I put a call in to Sheriff Daniels.
He's on his way down here.
I'm going to ask him to release you.
Why are you doing this?
You were there, man.
You saw for yourself.
Did you poison Margaret Hohman?
Did I poison her?
Did you poison her
using potassium or sodium cyanide?
Because that's what killed her.
What are you talking about?
You're innocent, Samuel.
Unless you had a hand in administering it,
and I don't think you did.
Whatever the cause, Mr. Mulder, I am responsible.
Well, the evidence
will be presented at your arraignment tomorrow.
Habeas corpus law will force them to release you,
so you might as well go home and get some rest anyway.
Just leave me alone, okay?
Look, Samuel, if you think that the punishment for your sins
is the deaths of those people...
The Lord has testified against me, Mr. Mulder.
I can't stand here and argue with your Biblical rhetoric,
but I do know that the law will find you innocent.
You said you could see my pain.
Look at me.
What do you see now?
I see nothing.
I am blind.
I don't believe you.
I've seen her.
It was her, wasn't it?
Your sister?
You made her appear to me, didn't you?
Look at me.
I am very tired, Mr. Mulder.
Is she alive?!
Is that what I'm supposed to believe
or is this a trick?
You mean...
a trick of the devil?
Jailer!
I see I'm a little late for this ball.
Called you down here to ask you to release the boy.
- On what pretense? - His innocence.
Aren't you a little out of your depth here, Agent Mulder?
This may be Hicksville to you,
but we do try and hew to the legal system.
I don't want to pick a fight.
He seems determined to stay here anyway.
What does that tell you?
It tells me you're determined to have him charged
while your real homicide suspect is still at large.
I got some company for you, Sam.
What are you looking at?
I'll get it.
Ma'am.
Sheriff.
Hey, Dennis.
How are you?
Just fine, ma'am, just fine.
Except we had an incident down at the jail.
What incident would that be, Tyson?
The preacher boy.
He's dead.
He was alone in his cell
when Mulder left him this morning.
How could this have happened?
The boy started a fight
with a couple of rowdies we picked up on a DUI.
Took some pretty mean blows to the head.
Died before the ambulance got here.
His blood is spilled
and it's all over you!
Reverend...
How much longer
are you going to hide behind that badge
before the truth is revealed?
I have work to do.
Reverend Hartley...
We're sorry for your loss.
That boy... he was blessed.
He never hurt a soul.
Come on there, Reverend.
Our friends will be finding out about Samuel
sooner than later, and, well...
it's probably best if they hear from you.
Come on.
Ma'am.
You got that look on your face, Mulder.
What look is that?
The kind when you've forgotten your keys
and you're trying to figure out
how to get back in the house.
What exactly are we trying to find?
Clues.
Oh.
What does it mean?
Let's find out.
Scully.
It's potato.
Someone left a trail of food
in the ventilation system leading to the courtroom.
You dump your locusts in here...
instant plague.
Well, where did they all come from?
Biological supply houses usually hatch them
on order to farms and universities.
Shouldn't be too hard to find out who set this up.
And you think whoever did this
is responsible for the murders.
You're dead.
They killed you.
I was dead...
but here I am.
No!
Why did you betray me?
You murdered those people.
They came to me to be healed
and you murdered them.
Why?
After I gave you back your life.
You call this life?!
What in tarnation do you want?
We have a warrant for the arrest of Leonard Vance.
Where is he?
You must be mistaken.
I'm afraid not, Reverend.
We traced a pesticide order to him
from a chemical company in Knoxville.
Cyanogen bromide... it's a cyanide derivative.
Leonard poisoned those people?
Get your clothes on, Vance.
You're under arrest.
I betrayed him.
Cyanide.
There's no way to tell how much he's ingested.
I'll call an ambulance.
It's too late. We have to
get him to the hospital ourselves.
I thought, "Why didn't he let me die?"
Beware of false prophets
who come to you in sheep's clothing
but inwardly are... are ravening wolves.
That's what I thought he was
because who else would bring me back
looking like this?
He was here.
Who?
Samuel.
The man's delirious.
He was here, Reverend.
Right in this room...
and he forgave me.
Rather than simply killing Samuel,
Vance contrived to kill the ministry's faith in him.
We have conclusive evidence
connecting him both to the courtroom infestation
and to the poisoning deaths
of three members of the ministry.
Vance's obsession outlived Samuel, however.
His conscience haunted him until he became delusory
and finally took his own life,
effectively ending our investigation.
In light of this information, it is highly doubtful
that there have ever been any miracles
in Kenwood, Tennessee.
Mulder.
Scully.
Sheriff Daniels just called.
Samuel's body is missing from the morgue.
Any witnesses?
One, so far.
The night nurse who made the report...
Beatrice Salinger.
She saw somebody take the body?
Not actually.
What do you mean, "not actually"?
Talk sense, Deputy.
She didn't exactly see anyone taking the body.
Well, what, then?
She, uh...
she claims she saw Samuel walking out by himself.
Sounds crazy, I know, but that's what she told me.
You coming, Sheriff?
I was drinking my coffee
and going over the night orders
for my ward, seven south,
when he walked right by me.
His face was all black and blue.
And you're sure it was him?
Well, at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks,
which happens a lot on graveyard,
so I got up to look again,
but I lost him around a corner.
He just vanished.
Then I went to check the morgue,
and his body was gone.
I don't believe this. This is insane.
I'm not going to listen to any more
of this woman's crazy talk.
I'm not the only one who saw him, Sheriff,
so I know I'm not crazy.
Other people saw him, too.
I'm not crazy.
It was Samuel.
This isn't true, Maurice.
Is it?
The boy was an awful fake
just like you said, wasn't he, Maurice?
Wasn't he, Maurice?
Sir...
going to have to ask you
to come with me.
District attorney
wants to ask you some questions
concerning the boy's death.
Sundays will probably never be the same again
in these parts.
I have a strong sense the Reverend Hartley
is not going to be able to give up the pulpit.
Even without his son?
Might even strengthen his faith.
Remember, the boy did rise from the dead.
That kind of thing happens only once or twice
every 2,000 years or so.
Yeah, and I have a story about a plague of locusts.
I just hope Reverend Hartley
didn't arrange his body snatching
as his miracle of miracles.
Somehow, I don't think so.
What exactly do you think?
I think people are looking hard for miracles.
So hard that maybe they make themselves see
what they want to see.
You coming, Mulder?