The Bones in the Basement
By 18lzytwner
Chapter 1
4355 Elm Street, Just Outside Richmond, Virginia, Saturday 8:00 a.m.
Mark Dykstra headed down the stairs into his basement of his new house. There was some major work that needed to be done before he moved in two weeks ago but after the last rainstorm and subsequent flood, there was even more work to do in the cellar. He now understood why most homes in the area had crawlspaces instead of basements. When the water became too much for the ground to hold, the concrete floor decided to leak like a sieve. He was just glad that he hadn't decided to turn the basement into a rec room with a television and other appliances. Sadly the washer and dryer took quite a hit and he was unsure if they would ever work properly again.
The first thing he did was to open all the windows and try to let in some fresh air. The smell of mold was starting to grow and he needed to nip that in the bud. Next he walked around the space to see what could be saved and what couldn't. Most of the cardboard boxes he'd put down there had been soaked right through and the irony was that the stuff in plastic boxes were upstairs. He cursed under his breath as he moved around the room, realizing that most of his possessions were ruined. Mark came around the last stack of boxes and saw an odd pattern on the concrete floor. Puzzled he bent down and felt the ground, only to realize that this section wasn't made of concrete but was instead dirt; cold, wet dirt. Mark's anger grew because the realty agent said that the hole would be dealt with before he moved in. When he told the movers to place those boxes in the basement, he had no idea the hole was still there. In fact he hadn't even thought about it because he was too busy hooking up the appliances and organizing the furniture all over the house. Angrily, he pounded his fist into the earth and then cried out in pain when his hand hit something solid. Quickly he rummaged around trying to see what had caused the slight injury only to find something disturbing, a skull.
"Sweet Home Alabama, Where the skies are so blue, Sweet Home Alabama, Lord I'm coming…" the ringtone didn't finish as FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth picked up his cell phone. Amazingly his partner didn't wake up. Her head remained on his shoulder and her arm was across his chest.
"Booth." He said as loud as he dared.
"This is Cullen." Immediately Booth sat straight up and Brennan was flung to the side. Her momentum caused her to bounce off the bed and onto the floor. This caused her to wake up and call out.
"Ow!"
"What was that?" Cullen asked.
"Uh, I stubbed my toe on the nightstand, sir." Booth lied.
"I need you to pick up Dr. Brennan and head over to the Richmond suburbs; we have a body that needs the doctor's expertise." Cullen told him.
"Right away sir." The G-man said and he quickly fumbled for a pen and paper to write down the exact address and any details he could get. His boss relayed the pertinent information and then hung up.
"So much for spending the day together." Brennan said, standing next to his side of the bed. She had pulled herself up of the floor and straightened the t-shirt and boxers she wore.
"Sorry babe. We have a case in Richmond Virginia." He smiled his 'charm smile' at her.
"What did I tell you about calling me, babe?" The forensic anthropologist gave him a look. In a flash the FBI Agent was on his feet and his hands were wrapped around her shoulders.
"I love it when you make that face." He leaned in and took her lips.
"I can't stay mad at you when you do that." She smiled when they parted.
"Let's get ready. Hopefully we can still get to go out for dinner tonight." Booth said. Quickly the two went about taking showers and getting dressed. Out in the kitchen, Booth fired up the Mr. Coffee © and Brennan came down the hall from his bedroom. It was then that it hit the FBI Agent. She had picked that outfit out of his closet. His closet had her things. As of late he'd been thinking about asking her to move in with him but he wasn't sure if they could pull it off. Moving in could mean that their relationship would be exposed.
"I have to stop by the lab and pick up my kit." Brennan told him.
"All right, I can swing by there and pick you up." Booth said. The forensic anthropologist came over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll see you soon." She smiled and headed out of the room. Soon the apartment door shut behind her and Booth went about fixing the coffee. He poured two travel mugs full and shut the machine off. Then made one last sweep of the apartment making sure everything was turned off. Once he was satisfied, the G-man left the apartment and headed out to his SUV.
Twenty minutes later, he pulled up at the Jeffersonian. Hopping out of the vehicle, he walked into the building and went up to the security center.
"Morning Agent Booth. Dr. Brennan just came in a few minutes ago. Stinks you have to come in on a Saturday." The security guard said.
"It sure does, Bob. I'll see you later." Booth smiled and headed through the doors into the Medico-Legal Lab. He started to head over to Brennan's office but she met him half way.
"All set?" He asked.
"Let's go." She said, kit in hand. The two left the Jeffersonian and headed toward the SUV. Once inside, Booth fired up the engine and the headed for their destination. Brennan had been quiet fingering the silver dolphin necklace he'd given her some months ago.
"Are you ok?" He asked breaking the silence.
"I just realized. Hodgins and Angela aren't back from wherever they went. I haven't heard from either of them in almost a week." Brennan said.
"Well the State Department must have had a compelling reason for them to take off like that." The G-man told her.
"Half of my team is missing Booth. Who's going to determine particulates or give the victim a face?" She wondered.
To Be Continued…
