What, you thought that just because this update took over a year, I had abandoned this story? Ha. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Mea culpa, to all of you (are there really any of you left?) who have been waiting for this story. I will make no excuses but rather offer my humble promise that I really intend to finish this story. And I don't anticipate it taking another year.

I think this story still fits comfortably within the Bones TV timeline but, of course, the anticipated one year time jump has not occurred here.

Thanks to those of you who are still reading (and reviewing, perhaps?). Now, onward…


Chpt. 3- The Cluemaster

Seeley Booth, always a man of action, took off in a sprint towards the Jeffersonian exit. "Booth! Booth!" Angela chased after him but when she managed to grab his arm he shook her off hard enough to send her sprawling onto the steps of the lab's platform. Booth never looked back, only mumbled "Parker" as he continued running, but Angela's fall had alerted the lab's security sensors and the automatic doors slid closed before Booth could reach them.

"Open the goddamn doors!" Booth yelled as he uselessly banged his fists against the glass doors. "Open the fucking doors! Now!" Booth stepped back and reached for his gun but Hodgins tackled him to the ground before he could fire a shot.

"Agent Booth," Hodgins spoke as calmly as he could while he struggled to hold Booth to the ground. "Security! Help me hold him! Booth, listen. Listen to me! You can't shoot down the doors, man. You'll kill us! The doors are bullet proof, Booth. Remember? They put in bulletproof glass after your little stunt with the Secret Service. Trust me, man, you don't want to shoot the doors."

Booth stopped struggling and turned to face Angela, who was now kneeling beside him. "Get the doors unlocked, Angela, now. Please."

"We can't, Sweetie. You know we can't open the doors yet." She ran a brief hand through his hair as Booth stared at her with empty eyes. Angela had drawn eyes like this before; they were the eyes of a victim.

Cam jogged towards her people with a phone cocked against her ear. Like Angela, she knelt besides Booth and gripped one of his hands. "Jay," she spoke into the phone. "Hey, it's Camille, Cam. I need a SWAT team and emergency vehicles sent immediately to the Jefferson Memorial. No, seriously. We have reason to believe a young boy and possibly one of our doctor's, Dr. Brennan, are being held by an escaped convict at or near the Memorial. If we are right they are both in immediate danger. Yeah, I'll hold."

Cam spoke calmly to Booth as she waited for her police contact to return to the line. "They're sending police there now, Booth. No questions asked. And Brennan is already on her way to your son. You know this guy. What does he do next?"

Booth just continued to stare blindly but Angela spoke up. "He likes the game. He wanted Brennan to come out and play and she is on her way there. He's not going to hurt Parker because Brennan's going to get there. She's going to play his game and she's not going to let anything happen to your son. However smart this guy thinks he is, Brennan's smarter. You know that; you know that. He's going to want you next, Booth. Brennan is like-like a chess piece. You're the opponent. You've got to wait until he tells you what to do. You've got to let the police go after him and you've got to trust Brennan. You've got to wait so you can both save Parker, Booth."

Cam closed her eyes in relief as she saw Seeley slowly shake is head. She stood to resume her phone call when she heard Jason calling her name. "Yeah, Jay, I'm here. Ok, ok. Good." Booth looked towards Cam and saw she was nodding her head in agreement but he could only hear her side of the conversation. "Yeah, let's get an APB and an Amber Alert issued for Parker Joseph Booth, age 9. Yes, he's Agent Booth's son. Uh-huh. Umm… Shit," Cam tried to talk, to think, like a cop. "Sandy blonde and brown, about 3' 8. Answers to Parker, yeah. Ok, I'm faxing you a picture now." Cam snapped at Hodgins and whispered, "fax to Captain Jason Little, DCPD. Memory 9. There's a picture on my cork board."

When she saw Hodgins dash towards her office she returned to the phone call and watched Angela help Booth stand up. "Add Dr. Temperance Brennan to the alerts. She should already be on file with you guys. Listen, we… we have reason to believe Parker was kidnapped by a Gregory Needling, goes by the Riddler. Yeah, Booth put him away. Multiple counts," Cam's breath shuddered out, "murder. I know. I- I don't know all the details; Needling was pretty much all Booth and Brennan. Yes, Booth's here but he's… He's… Yeah, exactly. Uh-huh. We received-Dr. Brennan received what appears to be a coded chat room message from Needling informing her that he had taken Parker Booth and directing Dr. Brennan to the Jefferson Memorial. She left here alone and is likely at the Memorial by now." Cam paused to listen before nodding her head. "Yes, the message appears to be genuine. A contact with the FBI has informed us that Needling escaped during a routine prisoner transport. No, Booth wasn't aware he had escaped. I don't know, Jay, I guess that memo got lost. Regardless, he's out and I'm telling you, he's got Agent Booth's son and possibly one of my people. We are keeping Booth here but we aren't going to be able to hold him off for long. Your guys need to find them. Now. Ok, as soon as you can." Cam clicked her phone closed and walked to stand in front of Booth.

"Seeley, look at me. A SWAT task force is on its way to the Memorial. If- If they are still there, the good guys will find them, Seeley. And Jason, umm, Captain Little is going to come here with a couple officers. They need to talk to you, Seeley. They need to know everything there is to know about Needling and you are the only one who can tell them." Booth tried to shake his head no but Cam grabbed his chin. "Right now, Seeley, right now this is what you do. This is how you stand up. This is how you help your son. For right now. This is how we save their lives."


Brennan kept her mind blank as she drove from the Jeffersonian to the Jefferson Memorial. She couldn't think about how frightened Parker, always such a happy child, must be right now. She couldn't think about what Booth would do when he realized what was happening. She couldn't think about all the possibilities that awaited her. She could only think about the next step and, right now, that was getting to the Jefferson Memorial. Spotting the sign off I-395 that signaled her exit, Brennan glanced at her watch. Ten minutes left. Thinking quickly, Brennan pulled over on the interstate, ignoring the horns from mid-day traffic as she slammed her car to a stop on the shoulder.

It was risky, Brennan thought, but if she could climb the fence that ran between the interstate and the Memorial and make her way through the trees, maybe, just maybe, she could take Needling by surprise. Risk and reward. She was going for it.

Grabbing her purse, Brennan began sprinting towards the tall hurdle. Hurling her purse over the enclosure, she began climbing the fence, oblivious to the curious drivers who honked as they passed. Quickly straddling the wire fence, Brennan jumped down and continued her sprint through the woods that she knew surrounded the Memorial. She wasn't sure where Needling would be but she hypothesized he would want to be somewhere public, inconspicuous, and close to transportation. He was smart, she remembered, smart enough to realize that they couldn't stay at the Memorial for long. Speculating that he would want a car rather than relying on public transportation, Brennan ran towards the edge of the parking lot. She slammed to a stop behind a large tree trunk when she saw Parker.

"Oh my God," Brennan whispered. Throughout the entire drive, scaling the fence and racing through the woods, she had never truly allowed herself to believe that Parker was in the hands of a murderer. But there he was, alive and apparently unharmed, trying to look brave as he awkwardly moved his head in circles, searching left to right and even scanning the sky. Brennan guessed that he was looking for Booth. She was pretty sure Parker believes his dad is a super hero, a myth that Booth himself helped to perpetuate. 'This,' Brennan thought, 'is why you don't lie to children. They believe you when you tell them Dad is Superman.

Shaking away those irrelevant thoughts, she turned her attention back towards Needling. He looked a little different, she realized. Older, a little harder. Less kept than she remembered. Just 30 years old, he was dressed like a Georgetown co-ed, from his baggy jeans to a black t-shirt bearing only a large purple question mark, barely concealed by his leather jacket. He was leaning, casually it seemed, against a silver BMW. His hand appeared to be resting lightly on his young companion but Brennan could tell by the way Parker hunched his shoulder that Needling was hurting the boy. His other hand was tucked in the pocket of his jacket, probably resting on the trigger of a GP 35, his typical weapon of choice. From her vantage point, Brennan thought she could probably approach Needling from behind and possibly catch him off guard. She knew Needling compensated for a weak body with a conniving intellect. If she could get in a single solid punch, she was pretty sure the skinny coward would drop like a hot eggplant, or however that saying went. Frantically she glanced at her watch. Four minutes. She looked back at Parker. The risk was too great to take. She couldn't afford to make a mistake. Parker's life was too high a price to pay.

Deciding that all she could do was to be with Parker and try to help Booth find them both, Brennan dug for a note pad and pen. Quickly jotting some information on the top sheet, she crumpled the paper into the palm of her hand. She almost smiled when she realized her note may be as baffling as one of Needling's riddles but she couldn't take any chances. Assuming Needling would take her purse, she shoved the pad and the pen into the upper of her knee-high boots and began circling towards the entrance of the parking lot. She quickly dropped the crumpled note next to an empty trash can and joined a group exiting a public bus. She knew the instant Needling spotted her; his smile was anticipation, thrill, and slight surprise all at once.

Watching her approach, Needling tightened his hand on Parker's shoulder. "Well, well, well, Little Booth. She came after all."

Parker's head whipped in the direction Needling was looking and he leaped slightly when he saw Bones walking towards him. "I told you she would come," Parker pouted.

"So you did. So you did," Needling acknowledged. "Dr. Brennan," he greeted softly. His voice was the same tone as a polite school boy and Brennan saw the shiver of fear race through Parker when he spoke.

"Greg," Brennan nodded. "I'm here now so you can let the boy go. Go get on the bus, Parker." Parker tried to move away but Needling dragged the child back against him. "Not so fast, Dr. Brennan. You'll recall I only promised Little Booth would live if you arrived in time. I never said I would let him go. By the way, Temperance- May I call you Temperance? Thanks," he acknowledged her silence. "You cut it a little close to the wire, don't you think? A public bus," he shook his head, "very risky, no?"

"I ride to work with my partner," Brennan lied, praying Parker wouldn't try to contradict her. The boy seemed to understand her silent signals as he remained quiet.

"Ah, yes," Needling nodded, "well, we mustn't involve him just yet. Wise choice, then."

"Greg, this is between you and me and Booth. You have me. You don't need the child anymore."

"Oh, but I do. After all, I don't have Agent Booth yet, do I? How can I be sure he will come for just you?"

"He will," Brennan promised. "We're partners. We're… He will," she repeated.

"Ahh," Needling grinned. "More than just partners, eh? I suspected as much. Nonetheless," he continued, "this little man is my insurance policy. So. No more talking, please. We have a schedule to keep. Now," he gestured towards the car door he had just opened. "Ladies first, Little Booth. Always let the ladies go first."

When Brennan didn't move Needling shoved the barrel of his gun sharply into Parker's back so that the boy gasped in surprised pain. "That sound you hear, Temperance, is how it feels when a GP with a silencer is shoved into a child's spine. If you don't want to hear it again, I suggest you get in the car."

Without seeing any alternative, Brennan climbed into the backseat. Needling shoved Parker behind her before slamming the door shut. While he circled the car towards the driver's door, Parker huddled against her and whispered, "I knew you would come, Bones. You're Wonder Woman."


Booth was in Brennan's office with Angela trying to reach Bones on her cell phone when DCPD Captain Jason Little and five officers arrived at the Jeffersonian. Cam greeted the police at the door. "Shit," Cam whispered when Jason just shook his head. "Nothing?"

"Not nothing," Jason replied, "but we don't have them. Let's find Booth, Camille, so I only have to say all of this once." Cam searched his face silently before nodding and leading the way towards Brennan's office.

"Seeley-" Booth looked up and saw Cam standing in the doorway with Jason by her side.

Rising quickly he spoke, "Jay, did you find them? Did you find my son?"

"We don't have your boy, Agent Booth, but we are going to find him. You believe me, right? We are going to find him but we need your help." No one mentioned it when tears began to fall silently down the FBI agent's face. "I'm not positive, but it seems Needling isn't the only one leaving us clues."

"What do you mean?" Angela asked at the same time Booth whispered, "Bones."

Jason nodded, reaching in his pocket to remove a crumbled post-it with the Jeffersonian logo embossed lightly in the background. "My boys found this near a trash can at the Memorial. It looked like a normal piece of trash but my guy, he recognized the logo. It was dropped next to a completely empty trash can and it struck my officer as a little odd. Even more odd after he read it, so he brought it to me. Now I know Dr. Brennan is the biggest of y'all's big brains so I'm guessing this note is some kind of clue. She must have realized we would get to the Memorial eventually. I'm guessing she wanted to make sure this Needling guy and anyone he was working with wouldn't see that she was giving us clues. I don't know for sure, but if this is from Dr. Brennan, it's in some sort of code. " Jason scratched his chin in thought as he glanced at the note. "That's as far as I get, however."

Booth snatched the note from the officer's hand and began to read:

JSH4,
Will Hanschen. U Need Z.
5 M 74. Md 15 (7)(4) 15 (9) 106.
B: PB paladin.

The note was shaking in Booth's hand when he glanced at Angela. "Parker's ok. He's ok and Bones, she's with him."

Jason peered over Booth's shoulder at the note. "You got all that from this note?"

"Paladin," Booth replied. "It was Donovan Decker… this kid we saved, it was the safe word he and his dad used. She's telling me he's safe. Bones is with him. She's with him," Booth's voice trailed to a whisper.

Angela took the note from Booth and glanced at it briefly before turning to Cam. "You need to call Sweets."

"Sweets?" Cam asked in surprise.

Angela nodded. "Yeah. Sweets needs to get Zack out. We need Zack. And this note, it's for Hodgins. JSH, those are his initials. Jack Stanley Hodgins the Fourth." Angela leaned out the door and shouted, "Jack!"

Hodgins came running around a corner. "Ange? I'm here. I was just talking to Sweets. He's on his way. So is Max."

"Hodgins, we need- Wait, Max?" Booth asked.

Hodgins shrugged. "It's his child too and, well, I figured a guy like Max couldn't hurt at a time like this, right?"

"No, you're right. Calling Max was good. And… Shit!" Booth spun towards Jason. "I need someone to find Rebecca. Parker's mother. I don't… I don't know who he was with when Needling got to him and-"

"Agent Booth," Jason interrupted. "Parker's mother is en route to GW Hospital. She's fine," Jason held Booth still with a hand on his shoulder. "She's fine," he repeated, "but we found her passed out in her car in the Memorial's parking lot . We believe he gave her some sort of sedative so she's not talking but the paramedic, he said all her vitals were fine. She's unharmed, Agent Booth, and in custody."

"Ok. Ok. I can't- I can't go to her now but she… she has a boyfriend. Drew… Ahh, Andrew Mandalay. Someone should call him, let him know about Rebecca."

"I'll take care of that right away, Agent Booth," Jason nodded towards one of his officers. "Dr. Hodg- Hodgins?" Hodgins nodded. "We have a note from Dr. Brennan that we could really use your help with." Angela held the note out and the entire group leaned over his shoulder as Hodgins attempted to decipher Bones' clue.

"Hmm. This," Hodgins pointed. "She's telling us we need Zack. The Z-man. Someone needs to get Sweets to-"

"We got that part, Jack." Booth interrupted. "Give us the rest."

"Ok. 'Hanschen,' I think that's German but I have no idea what it means. We can run a search or… Get the Brit! He'll know!"

Cam stepped to the doorway to shout, "Mr. Nigel-Murray. Dr. Brennan's office, now!"

Hodgins continued, "she wants me to understand. These numbers should mean something to me."

"Yeah, so?" Booth urged.

"I…" Hodgins shook his head in frustration. "I don't…"

Booth slammed his fist on the desk, causing everyone to jump but Angela wrapped her hands around Hodgins's face. "Jack, look at me. At me. This is just like when you and Bren were trapped in that car, remember? You used numbers then too. You understand numbers, Jack, that's why Bren wrote the note to you. So let's do this one at a time. What does the number 5 mean to you?"

"Ahh. It's a prime number and a Fibonacci and-"

"You called for me Dr. Saroyan?" Nigel-Murray entered the room out of breath.

"Yes, we need to know what… Where were you Mr. Nigel-Murray?"

"Um, I was with the other police. Trying to tell them that Dr. Brennan would never leave Agent Booth's son. They think maybe she's not with him."

Cam smiled softly at the intern. "You're right, Mr. Nigel-Murray. We know now that Dr. Brennan is with Parker. Just stay there a minute. We may need you. And," Cam stressed when he opened his mouth to reply, "do not speak until spoken to, understand?"

"Back at me, Jack." Angela pulled Hodgins face back towards hers. "The number 5?"

"Right. Umm… it's the atomic number for Boron and… Wait!" Hodgins began scribbling frantically on the piece of paper.

"There it is," Angela smiled and turned to Booth. "He's got it."

"Got what?" Booth shouted.

"I've got it," Hodgins replied. "The numbers, the ones without parenthesis, they're from the periodic table. Boron, Tungsten, Phosphorus, Phosphorus, and Seaborgium. She got lucky with this. Really lucky." Hodgins passed the note, now including his writing, back to Jason. "He's in a BMW, Maryland plates, license number P74 P9SG." Hodgins leaned back in his chair with a relief typically reserved for sprinters at the end of 100 meters.

"You're sure?" Jason asked.

"I'm sure," Hodgins replied. "He's sure," the rest of the group spoke simultaneously.

"Ok. We're taking a leap of faith with you here, Dr. Hodgins. I'm going to get that number out, see what we can find."

Hodgins nodded but Cam shouted, "Wait! Mr. Nigel-Murray, 'Hanschen'? What's that mean?"

"Ah… I believe you are referring to 'Hanschen,'"he corrected Cam's pronunciation. "That's an alternate form of the German name 'Hans' or 'Hansel'. As in Hansel and Gretel, which, incidentally-"

"That's it!" Angela smiled broadly. "'Will Hansel' is what she means. She's going to leave us a trail, just like Hansel does in the story. She's going to lead us to Parker, Booth."