Spoilers: Nothing particular that I can think of. This is pretty much intended to be able to play at any point during the series. This has a hint of BB Romance, but mainly UST, just like the show.
Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own the rights to any of this, and only borrow the characters with the best of intentions of returning them to HH & Co. without a scratch so that we can finally, FINALLY, continue the 3rd season and hopefully see new episodes soon... sorry for the rant.
Author's Note: Ok, this is my first Bones fic. I'd appreciate any kind of feedback you are willing to give, 'cause I'm curious how you think this turned out.
This started as a one-shot, but is quickly turning into several chapters in my head. Sorry for the change of heart...
After a good meal and even better conversation, the two of them left the Royal Diner, now in a better mood, and ready to go back to the lab to tackle the case again.
Walking out, Booth held the door for Brennan and guided her through the doorway with a hand on the small of her back. She briefly glanced back at him in mild annoyance at him - and, truth be told, herself. Before she met Seeley Booth, she would have NEVER expected to allow any man to chivalrously hold doors for her, repeatedly, without inflicting injury on the would-be-holder.
She knew she was very much capable of walking through a door by herself, and surely didn't need Booth to assist her. The anthropologist in her realized that the gesture was grounded in an outdated chauvinistic etiquette. But, she had also come to understand that Booth's gentlemanly behavior was not a sign of him thinking of her as weak, but rather was both a trademark of his upbringing and a symbol of his respect for her. How was a woman to argue being respected?
So, as she had so often over the last couple of years, she let it slide and appreciated the gesture for what it was.
They walked to Booth's FBI issue SUV in comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Once they reached the vehicle, they climbed into their respective seats; Booth started the car and pulled out into traffic.
"Bones, you know, I've been thinking--"
"About what?" She turned in her seat slightly to face him.
"About our case. Why was the fifth body not buried with the rest by the house?"
"Well, technically, it was the FIRST body, Booth. Louise Kendall was the first victim, we simply found her last. Her body has been decomposing for about 9 months, whereas the bodies buried by the Kendall house have only been there for about 6 months."
He nodded, accepting her correction, "FIRST body, then. Why was it not with the others?"
Brennan smiled, "You know I don't do 'why'. I do 'when' and I do 'how'. Sometimes the 'who'. But YOU are responsible for the 'why' questions..."
"Now you're just trying to find an easy way out." He threw her a grin before turning his gaze back to the road. "C'mon, work with me, Bones. Let's say the fifth - FIRST - victim truly is our killer's first murder. Perhaps it was a spur of the moment thing? A crime of passion?... You didn't find signs of a struggle there, though, right?"
"No, the murder definitely happened somewhere else and the body was then dumped in the woods."
"Ok, so, someone kills the woman, and is looking for a place to dump her. Why the woods?"
"Close by, but the killer knew that Louise's property would be searched thoroughly upon her disappearance, so she was hidden somewhere else...?"
Booth smiled at her again. "You're starting to get pretty good at the 'why' theories even though you keep insisting that's not your department."
Her eyebrows jumped towards the roof of the car while a smile of her own formed on her lips. "Are you making fun of me or was that actually a compliment?"
His grin widened. "Must be slipping." He shrugged his shoulders and got back to the topic of their conversation. "So, if we assume it was just a convenient place to stash the body, why did he change his pattern and later leave all the bodies in one place? Did he get cocky? Comfortable with killing?"
"The property had already been searched by the authorities, so by definition was probably a very logical place to hide the following four bodies three months later. The probability of the police searching the property again was minute. In support of your 'comfortable with killing' theory, the later bodies were intentionally arranged in their graves, the latest two grave sites even showing some artifacts buried with the victims - wood carvings, presumably made by the murderer. Hodgins also found signs of flowers, makeup, and perfume on those bodies.
"So he's getting into it. Being more elaborate, CARING more for his victims, even after their death. He wasn't just dumping them -- he wanted a site that he could re-visit, whether just in his mind or even in person."
Brennan nodded. "I think you're right, Booth." She looked at him sadly. "I wish we had thought of this earlier. What if the killer actually tried to come back to visit the graves, only to find that we had discovered the bodies?"
"That's it!" Booth punched the steering wheel in frustration. "DAMN IT". They might have had a chance to catch the killer those first few days, if they had just set up a surveillance camera on the property. No, WAIT A MINUTE - "But I went there today. The police seals and boundaries erected that first day were still intact - no new footprints or anything else was visible. I searched the entire place, because I was thinking we might have missed something, but the place was just as we had found it two weeks ago."
"So, either he heard about the police activity on the news and is staying away, knowing that there is nothing left to visit..." she sat up straight in her seat."OR --"
"--OR, he has yet to return to visit the graves, even if just to see for himself that the bodies truly have been moved."
"He might have just been waiting for the police activity at the house to stop before he attempts to go back," Brennan suggested. "To not get caught."
"Well, the killer didn't count on us," Booth said with a determined grimace.
"Obviously," Brennan agreed as Booth turned on the SUV's lights and sirens and made a u-turn that would have been completely illegal for mere civilians which left her clinging to the handle over her head for balance.
Sorry, I know this chapter is a little short, but it seemed like a good place to stop & post, while I work on the next chapter.
Thanks for reading - please be sure to review and let me know what you thought!
Nessy