A/N: Sorry about the hiatus. (Between this and "Study Buddies," you'd think that ought to be the title of my memoir or something.) Oh, look at that. It's been exactly nine months. *fights urge to make a lame pregnancy-related joke* On a more serious note, though, I would like to add a dedication to one of my closest friends/followers, VallyDream. I don't feel like I'm at liberty to discuss what she's going through in such a public place, but please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.
Angela walked over to the platform. "Our victim is Oliver Tobin." she announced, holding up her sketch with its matching photograph. "He was a street magician. His stage name was Sir Sparrow. It appears he was scheduled to perform a show a few weeks from now."
She handed Dr. Brennan a printed flyer adorned with a gaudy border mystic symbols. In the center was a sketch of the victim and a young woman with the caption, "One Enchanted Evening with Sparrow and Lark. October 13 - 7:30 p.m." typed in a calligraphy font below.
"Who is that in the picture with him?" Dr. Brennan asked.
"That is his little sister and lovely assistant, Mindy. Also known as Lady Lark."
"Great," Dr. Brennan replied. "Booth and I can go talk with her while Zack finishes our analysis of the body." She wouldn't normally be so comfortable to leave somebody else in charge of this task, but she trusted Zack. She always had.
He stared at the corpse, yet somehow he was looking right through it. For once in his life, he wasn't as concerned about the victim's body so much as the victimology. A magician. As in, "The Magician." A missing hand. Certainly he would need that in order to perform illusions. Zack couldn't help but draw the connections, even though it certainly was all just coincidence. Wasn't it? A rush of dark memories flooded his mind, forcing him to remember things that he would do anything to forget. He could remember the Master's lair and that disconcerting smell of burning flesh and every other possible nightmare-inducing scenario he had been put through.
"Zack? Earth to Zack. Sweetie, are you alright?" a concerned voice piped up, awakening him from his train of thought. Angela gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes," he replied, though honestly he felt overwhelmingly nervous about this case. To cement his feigned calmness, he slowly gritted his teeth into what he hoped was a convincing smile.