A/N: Well I wasn't going to include my second Bull-pen Challenge into my series but I had a request to make the case discussed inside into a full length one so I decided that I could run with it. So for those of you who haven't read A Message from the Grave? I suggest doing so before reading this.
Thanks to siapom for the suggestion!
A Message Answered
By 18lzytwner
Chapter 1
The Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab, Monday 9:00 a.m.
This is three weeks after Colombia and one week after "Aliens in a Spaceship"
Dr. Temperance Brennan sat at her desk fingering a piece of paper that looked as though it had seen World War three. The edges were dirty and it was obvious the piece had been ripped out of something. She unfolded the paper and it was evident that it had been folded multiple times, as if someone was trying to seal the words scrawled on it from any harm. A knock on her office door forced her to quickly fold the piece of paper back up and throw it in her desk drawer.
"Bones, we have a body that needs your expertise in Maryland." It was Booth.
"Let me get my kit." She said as she got up from her desk and grabbed what she needed. Within minutes, the forensic anthropologist and FBI Special Agent were on the road.
"Temperance, there is something about this body I think that you should know before opening the file." Booth said.
"What is it that the file won't tell me?" She asked.
"Do you remember that Halloween where you kissed me and later you apologized and things were weird for awhile before we finally became a couple?" It had to be the longest sentence Booth had ever made but he hoped it was enough for her to remember.
"Yes, I do." Brennan's words came out slowly.
"Well, the guy that you couldn't figure out, we think he's back." The FBI Agent said it quickly.
"What? That doesn't make sense. He always produced a body on November first, besides there hasn't been a body since 2000. Where has he been the past six years?" Brennan was obviously upset and she flipped open the manila folder.
"The local cops called me as soon as the body was discovered. It's partially decomposed with a note that reads 'the dead walk the earth' in Russian and it was found on a bench at a bus stop right in the middle of downtown Annapolis. Could it be a copycat?" He asked.
"No, the note and the missing organ were left of the reports in the newspapers and television broadcasts. He's back." The forensic anthropologist looked at the photos of the crime scene.
"The locals are waiting for us before they move the body. Hopefully since this guy changed his MO, he made a mistake." Booth told her. Brennan only nodded as the FBI Agent pressed his foot farther down on the accelerator.
Back at the Jeffersonian
Angela sat at her computer trying to analyze some evidence from the Grave Digger case when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.
"You aren't that sneaky." She said. She turned around and immediately regretted her statement.
"I wasn't trying to be sneaky." Cam said.
"Right, I was just kidding." Angela quickly replied.
"Anyway, Brennan and Booth are off bringing in another body. It apparently has to deal with an older case and I want you to pull up anything you can on the old forensics. We need to be able to compare everything to make sure we catch this guy." Dr. Saroyan told her.
"Ok, but I wasn't here when that case came in. Where would I look?" The forensic artist asked.
"With Hodgins and Zach-a-roni in the paper files. Here is a list of all the case numbers." Cam said as she handed the forensic artist a piece of paper.
"They can't find it themselves?" Angela raised an eyebrow as she accepted it.
"Apparently, they are stocked according to a system Brennan devised so she'd never forget where they are and it's making live difficult for them. I was hoping you might have some insight." The Head of Forensics said.
"Uh sure. I'll go right now and help them." Angela got up and quickly headed for File Storage. She didn't know anything about Brennan's system and she figured that something seemed odd with the fact that it just wasn't the Lab's cases down in file storage. Shaking her head she turned and entered the door that had the words "FILE STORAGE" stenciled across it.
"I'm telling you there is no way that they could control the energy enough to contain inside those tiny phasors." Hodgins said.
"The science is sound much more so than the light sabers." Zach answered.
"So this is what you've been holding a nerd convention down here instead of looking for the files." Angela tried to contain her laughter at the two.
"Nerd convention?" Zach was once again confused.
"We found the files," Hodgins paused and looked down at his watch, "twenty minutes ago."
"Cam sent me over here because she thought Brennan had somehow had these arranged in her own system and you guys were having a hard time. How am I going to explain the phasor versus light saber discussion?" Angela asked.
"She sent you down here to get rid of you. Cam knows darn well that the files are stored according to the letter and first three digits of the case number." Hodgins said.
"Uh huh, come you two. I'd like to keep my job if that's all right with you." The forensic artist grabbed one of the boxes while the guys grabbed the remaining four.
To Be Continued…