A/N: Welcome to a brand new fiction! I started working on this a few months ago, but then life got in the way so this got put on the back burner. I really hope that you all like this. It's very loosely based on a true story that I will give the details to at the very end so I won't spoil the outcome. The goal of this fiction it to drive into the dark side of humans. I give a lot of details, so be forewarned, this fiction is not for the weak of stomach.
A big thanks to Goldy and my husband for betain' this chapter for more (a loooong time ago).
Title: Abnormal Human Behavior
Rating: a very strong 'T'
Summary: Booth and Brennan are on a new case that sinks them into the depths of Abnormal Human Behavior.
Disclaimer: I do not own 'BONES'. Bummer. I do own the plotline, which is (c) WolfMyjic 2007. This case is loosely based on a true story.
Chapter Title: The Body
Doctor Temperance Brennan put her hand up to shield her ocean blue eyes as she squinted first up at the sun, cursing it for choosing today of all days to be record breaking hot, then second over at her partner-- FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. "How much further, Booth?" she asked, dropping her hand down the side of her face to wipe away the trail of sweat.
"Just over that hill," Booth replied, reaching up, grabbing the front of his T-Shirt and pulling it away from his chest. "Couple of hikers found the body late yesterday. They called the local authorities, who in turn, called the FBI who called us," he explained. As they walked, Brennan took in her surroundings. Lines of mountains caressed the horizon, and the sounds of cows mooing drifted on the gentle breeze. The sun seemed to hang low in the sky for mid-afternoon and she wondered if maybe it was something about the south that caused everything to move and look a little bit slower..
"You owe me for this," Brennan said suddenly, as they began the climb over yet another hill.
"Owe you?" Booth questioned. "For what?"
"I could have been at the spa with Angela today," she complained. "Getting, you know, the feet thing. And the massage thingy."
"Massage thingy?" he teased with a smirk. "I see you spend a lot of time at the spa."
"All I'm saying is that today is Saturday and you owe me."
"Put it on my tab." Brennan glared over at the agent, switched her kit from her right hand to her left, and then used her free hand to fan herself.
"How hot is it, anyhow?"
"A couple of degrees above too damn hot," Booth answered. They crested the hill and stopped. Below them stood a group of men in the shade of a single oak tree. Not far from the group, yellow tape roped off the crime scene. The partners gave each other a sideways glance and then started down the hill. "Looking for Sheriff John Holmes," Booth said as they approached.
The group became quiet and a tall man in his mid-forties stepped forward. His close-cropped black hair was beginning to gray, and he peered out through thin wire frames with pale green eyes. "That would be me."
"Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI," Booth introduced, shaking the other man's hand. "This is my partner, Doctor Temperance Brennan."
"Glad you could come," Sheriff Holmes said, shaking Brennan's hand. "The, um, body, if you can call it that, is right over there." He jerked his thumb over his left shoulder. "Damnedest thing I've ever seen." Brennan gave Booth a nod and moved off toward the remains.
"Has anyone touched the body?" Booth asked the sheriff as the two men moved to follow the doctor.
"No sir," Holmes said. "It was pretty clear that whoever that is, they're dead." Booth came to a stop next to his partner and took in the scene. Before them, a body laid burned. The legs spread out, the right one slightly bent at the knee. The arms were stretched out, extending from the torso-- fingers curled somewhat toward the palms, reaching for the sky. Brennan stepped over the crime tape-- sat her kit down and then let her gaze search the remains.
"Hard to tell with the amount of burns," Brennan said. "But I'm going to say female." As she knelt by the body, she pulled a pair of latex gloves from her jeans pocket and put them on. As she gently touched the face, Booth watched and gave an almost invisible shiver, slightly unnerved by the expression. The eyes were opened wide--all the color was gone. The iris and pupil was glazed over--only white remained. The lips were drawn back, showing teeth covered in braces. "Age somewhere between eleven and fifteen."
"Sweet crispy crap," Holmes said, putting a hand briefly over his mouth and then removing it. "She's just a baby."
"Was anything found with the body?" Booth asked. "A backpack, a purse?"
"No," Holmes said. "We left everything the way we found it. Didn't touch any thing."
"Any reports of missing girls?"
"Yeah," Holmes said, his eyes glued to the body as Brennan opened her kit to continue with the examination. "But, um, but nothing that ain't months old."
"I'm going to want a copy of all those reports sent to the Jeffersonian."
"Hey Booth." The agent turned his attention back to his partner. He carefully stepped over the tape to get a better view of what Brennan was pointing out.
"What is it, Bones?"
"A piece of her skull is missing. She was beat before being set on fire. And look at these," she moved her finger to the chest. "Can't be sure yet, but these look like stab marks."
"Too much to hope she was dead before being engulfed by flames?" They looked at each other and then the out stretched arms.
"You can hope," Brennan said.
"Think I will." Booth stood and walked back over to Holmes. "Who found the body?"
"Hikers," he said. "William Greenway and Louie McFaddin."
"I'll need their addresses."
"Of course."
"Were you the first person on the scene?"
"No," Homes admitted. He looked over at the group of men watching them. "Bucky," he called, motioning for him to come. "This here is Deputy Wesley Bevin. I sent him out to have a look around. Bucky, Agent Booth."
"Did you touch anything?" Booth asked. "The body? Anything that might have been close by?"
"No sir," Bucky said. "When the call came in, to be honest with you, I thought it was a prank. Louie and I go way back. Even when I saw the body, at first I thought it was a dummy or something." The young man swallowed hard, making his Adam's Apple bob fiercely. "But then I got closer and I could tell it was real. I quickly backed away, called the Sheriff and then roped the place off. We found some foot prints around the body that our guys made molds of. And some tire tracks just over the hill, but there wasn't anything around the body." Booth nodded, his hands moving back and forth over his notebook.
"I'm going to need all the evidence sent to the Jeffersonian as well," Booth said.
"I've already got it packed up for you," Holmes said.
"Good." Booth turned back to Brennan and watched her stand and brush dirt from her pants.
"I would like to stay and help the remains be packed for shipping," she said to Booth.
"Fine with me," he answered. "Sheriff, could I borrow Bucky here. Since he knows at least one of the hikers, things might go smoother."
"Whatever you need," Holmes said. "I'll be happy drive Doctor Brennan back into town when things are done here," he offered.
"Good deal," Booth said, giving Brennan a nod. "Keep me informed." With that he started off back up the hill, Bucky a few steps behind.
"Mind if I ask you a question?" Bucky asked, once they were both strapped into Booth's mid-size beige rental sedan. The agent put the key into the ignition, turned over the motor and then nodded. "How long have you and that lady doctor been partners?" Booth glanced over at the cop as he put the car in drive and pulled away from the makeshift parking lot.
"Any reason why you're asking?"
"Just wondering," Bucky said. "I thought FBI guys had FBI partners, that's all." Booth gave a half grunt sound but didn't offer up any answer.
Finally he said, "Almost two years."
"What?" Bucky turned from daydreaming out the side window to look at Booth.
"Doctor Brennan and I have been partners for almost two years."
"Is she FBI, then?"
"Nope, she's head Forensic Anthropologist at the Jeffersonian. I'm the liaison between them and the FBI. We work cases in which the remains cannot be identified through normal processes. That's where Bones and her team come into play. They use all their little gadgets to help figure out the what, how, where, when and who." Bucky nodded to show that he understood.
"I would have thought that a scientist would stay in the lab," he said. "Is she just here until the remains get shipped back? Turn left at the next stop sign."
Booth slowed the car to a stop. Checked both ways and then made the turn. "Nope. She's here as long as I am." Booth saw Bucky raise an eyebrow in question. "Part of our deal," he said. "Equal partnership, except she doesn't get to carry a gun."
Bucky nodded and the fell into a silence--only the hum of the road keeping them company. "Left again up here at the light," Bucky said. "Louie McFaddin lives on the third street to the right after that. Second house on the left." Booth followed the direction, and then pulled to a stop in front of a small, well-kept single story duplex. The yard was mostly brown due to lack of water and a dog was tied out under a dogwood tree. "Louie is in the right side. Just him and his sometimes girlfriend, Jenny." Booth nodded, shut the engine off and the two men got out of the car.
"How does he pay the bills?" Booth asked.
"Computer programmer." They were half way up the front walk when the door opened. "Louie," Bucky called out. "This here is Agent Booth with the FBI. He'll like to ask you some questions." Louie pushed open the screen door, stepped out and let it bang shut behind him. Booth came to a stop at the bottom of the steps and took in the man. He was average height, maybe five foot nine, with red hair cut short and spiked up. His side burns ran half way down his face and he had a scar that graced his forehead.
"Mr. McFaddin," Booth said, holding out his hand.
"Agent Booth."
"Just need to ask you a few questions about the remains you found. Hope now is a good time." Louie stuffed his hands into his front jeans pocket, shuffled his bare feet and the nodded. "About what time did you and Mr. Greenway find the body?"
"Um, about six last night," Louie said. "We were out for a hike, looking for the last few birds on out list. It was getting to be a little dusky, and we were about to turn and head back when Will spots something in the distance. Didn't really think nothing of it, but Will wanted to go investigate." Louie pulled one hand from his pocket and swatted at some gnats. "So any how, we're walking along and as we get closer we notice that whatever it is, it's burned. Thought maybe it was the leftovers of a bon fire. Damn teenagers have no respect for other people's land."
"Bon fire," Booth said, getting Louie back on track.
"Right, so anyhow, it wasn't no bon fire. Thought maybe it was one of those dummies from the store, but then we saw its face." Louie's whole body shivered at the thought. "Be honest with ya, I about puked right then and there."
"What did you do once you realized it was a human?" Booth asked, jotting down a note then looking up.
"Got real far away from it."
"Did you touch the body?"
"No sir," Louie said, shaking his head. "Will and I hurried away from it and called the cops. Didn't touch anything."
"Did you notice anything around the body? Backpack or something."
"Nope, nothing. Just the body and the charred up ground."
"You and Will see anybody out while you two were hiking? Hear anything?"
"No. Just the birds."
"About that list you mentioned," Booth started.
"Birds of the county," Louie said. "A group of us paired up and we're trying to spot a certain list of birds. Which ever team gets pictures of all the birds first, wins the pot."
"And how many people are in this group?"
"Oh, about thirty of us."
"And the pot?"
"Two hundred dollars each."
Booth nodded, slipped his notebook in his back pocket and then pulled out a card. "If you think of anything else, give me a call."
"Yes, sir," Louie said taking the card. Booth turned, then he and Bucky made their way back to the car.
"You know where William Greenway lives?"
"Sure do," Bucky said, sliding into the car. "Only about four blocks over."
"Good."
The drive over to the Greenway house was easy, and within five minutes, Booth was pulling to a stop. William Greenway lived in a modest two-story house with blue trim and shutters. A series of sprinklers threw water across the front lawn, and yellow buttercups were blooming in a flowerbed near the front steps. "Will lives here with his wife, Martha," Bucky said. "They've been married for about four years now and have a little girl named Cindy." The two men got out of the car, and started toward the house.
"What does Will do for a living?" Booth asked as he climbed the steps.
"Musician," Bucky answered. "Plays a butt-load of instruments and does pretty good selling his songs." Booth nodded, and then gave three good raps on the door. They waited.
The door finally opened, and a young woman with blonde hair stood looking at them. "Yes?"
"Martha," Bucky said from his position slightly behind Booth and to the side. "This here is Agent Booth with the FBI. Is Will in?" Booth offered her his best smile and she seemed to relax.
"He's in the back," she said. "Go on around."
"Thank you," Booth said. The two men left the front stoop, walked around the corner and through the back gate.
"Will has an office back here," Bucky said.
"You sure do know a lot about Will and Louie," Booth pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I went to school with them. This isn't a very big town, Agent Booth."
"I've noticed." They crossed the back yard. Bucky pounded on the door.
"Hey, Will," the cop called out. "Willie Boy!"
"What?"
"Got company." Booth heard a chair scrape across the floor, and then the door jerked open. "FBI," Bucky said. Will's looks were the opposite of Louie. He was tall, a good six foot two, and lean. His black hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck and his goatee came to a point. Black rimmed glasses sat on his nose and a gold loop in his left ear glistened in the sun.
"FBI?" he questioned.
"Special Agent Seeley Booth," the agent said. "I just have a few questions." Will nodded.
"Come on in." Inside, the building was bare but comfortable. A simple desk sat at the far back, and different types of instruments graced different areas. "Ask away," Will said, turning his chair around and straddling it.
"Tell me about finding the body," Booth said. "What made you go take a look?"
"Not sure, really," Will said. "Me and Louie were just about to turn around and head back to the car, when I spotted something. Thought maybe it was where a bon fire was. Stupid…"
"Teenagers have no respect," Booth interrupted. "Yeah, I get it. Go on."
"Anyhow, we went over to look at the damage and then we noticed that it wasn't no regular bon fire. There was something it the middle of all the charred grass and black soot. We got a little closer and that's when I noticed it was a person. God, 'bout lost my lunch and my breakfast." Will reached up and scratched behind his left ear. "Anyhow, we both backtracked real fast and called the boys in blue."
"Notice anything around the body?" Booth asked.
"No, sir, just burnt grass. Some foot prints and all. We gave the police the shoes we had so they could tell our prints."
"Was there anything unusual about the body?" Booth asked.
"You mean other than it was burned to a crisp?" The agent nodded. "Can't say there was."
"Call me if you remember anything else," Booth said, holding out a business card.
Will took it, and said, "First on my list."
"You think it's weird that there was no evidence, don't you?" Bucky asked, as they climbed back into the car.
"Normally there's something," Booth said. "Other than just foot prints."
"So what now?" Booth cranked over the engine and pulled away from the curb.
"Now, we head back to town, I drop you off, find my partner, grab some supper, and head back to the Jeffersonian in the morning."
"You're leaving?"
"I've got to go where the evidence is," Booth told him. "The remains and everything collected is heading back to DC. Once we get an ID on the victim and determine cause of death, then we'll reevaluate where we need to be."
"And what about us? Here? What do we do?" Booth glanced over at the eager to please cop.
"You, my friend, look for leads here."
"I do?"
"Sure. Sooner or later, somebody will notice they're missing a kid. Maybe someone will start bragging at the local bar. You know everybody, put your ear to the ground and listen."
"And this will help?" Booth came to a stop in front of the police station.
"Absolutely, Bucky." The young cop's face split into with a wide grin as he stepped out the car. "Hey, Kid? Keep me in the loop." Booth held out a business card that Bucky accepted.
"Yes, sir, Agent Booth." Booth watched him turn and walk toward the front doors. Suddenly, his cell phone chirped.
"Booth," he said, after flipping it open.
"Find out anything?" Brennan asked from the other end.
"That I hope the body tells us a lot, cause no body else can."
"You heading to the hotel?"
Booth looked over his shoulder, and then pulled out into traffic. "Yup. You hungry?"
"I could eat."
"I'll pick something up on my way, then we can compare notes." With that, Booth snapped his phone shut.
"Room service," Booth called after a quick knock on Brennan's room door. He heard the chain slide and then the door opened.
"Tell me you found Chinese," Brennan almost begged.
"I found Chinese," Booth said, walking into the room with one large bag and two cups in a cup holder. He sat both on the small table under the window and then turned to Brennan. "Learn any more from the body?"
"Not much," Brennan said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. "If those were stab wounds then I counted at least fifteen."
"That many?" Booth questioned in disbelief as he began to unload the bag.
"I was able to spot the missing piece of skull. It was inside." Brennan accepted an egg roll, and then opened a carton of noodles.
"Well, that's good, right? Full skull. Better for Angela to work her magic." Brennan nodded as she chewed her noodles.
"You find out anything?"
"That our hikers belong to a bird tracking group. That teenagers have no respect for other people's land, and neither Will nor Louie saw anything. Something's been bothering me though," he said, and then taking a bite of egg roll.
"What's that?"
"Why burn the body? I mean, the killer could have dragged it any direction and disposed of it. One way there's a river, another way the woods. Either place-- and the body could have gone years before being found. Why put it in the middle of a field and set it on fire?"
"Maybe the killer thought the body would burn beyond recognition. You know, like to ashes or something."
"You think the killer thought they were cremating the body?"
"Could be," Brennan said around a shrug.
"How hot does a fire have to be to cremate a body?"
"Fourteen thousand to twenty-one thousand degrees Fahrenheit," Brennan informed him. "But you burn a body long enough, you can turn them to ash as well." They both ate for a moment in silence.
"Apparently, our killer didn't realize how long it took to cook a body to nothing," Booth said.
"Apparently," Brennan agreed. "So now what?"
"We finish up our supper, catch some sleep, and head home tomorrow. Can't do anything until we have what the body can tell us." Brennan nodded her agreement, and then turned her focus solely on her food.
TBC...