So here's my next chapter...finally! I'm so sorry for taking so long but, well, i guess life got in the way. school+evil teachers+homeworkNo time to write new chapters! sorry again. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 4: And Then There Were Two
Thud…thud…thud. The ball repeatedly hit the wall and bounced off; hit the wall and bounced off. The boy kicking it continuously was small with mussed black hair and tanned skin. He stood up the back of an alley that bent round in an 'L' shape behind one of the buildings next to it. He was all alone. Thud…thud…thud. The ball rebounded off the brick wall.
He saw the boy in the alley from across the street. He stopped to look at him. Thud…thud… the boy missed the ball and it bounced off in the direction of the street beyond. The boy pursued it and bent to pick it up in the entrance to the alleyway. When he straightened up, the boy raised his head, then his eyes, and glanced across the street. His eyes connected with the boy's. He half raised a hand in greeting. The boy just stood and stared solemnly back. A long moment stretched out as they stood silently, staring. Then he blinked, and the boy turned away, back down the alley between the two brick buildings. Thud…thud…thud. He stood mutely. Thud…thud…thud. He raised his foot and took a step across the street. Thud…thud…
Striding through the door of the lab the next morning, Booth immediately scanned around for his partner. Not seeing her anywhere in the lab, he made a beeline for her office. He reached her open door and, surprise surprise, there she was, hard at work at her desk. He would have teased her about it if his own reason for being there hadn't been so grave. Booth took a step forward and knocked on the door frame.
Temperance had spent the majority of the morning at her desk sorting through and typing up her notes because, for once, she didn't have much else to do. Yesterday Zach and Hodgins had determined that the candles had been lit around 12:30 that morning. Hodgins had also discovered some particles of soil on the bones, but he soon identified it as a form of Andisol soil, which unfortunately didn't help at all as it is on of the most common kinds of soil in the state. Booth had been unable to ID the face of the dead woman. So for now Temperance and the squints were stuck until Booth could bring them more information to work with. As it happened, they were about to get their wish, although not in the manner they were hoping for.
At the knock on her door, Temperance looked up from her computer to see Booth in her doorway. She gave him a small smile and leaned back into her chair.
"Hey Booth."
"Hey Bones." He made a pathetic attempt to return her smile. "Come on grab your coat. We're going."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Where are we going exactly?"
"Stuart Street. They've found another body."
She stood up from her chair. "Another one? The same as our vic from yesterday?"
"From what I've been told the scene's almost identical. Apart from the different locations."
She nodded grimly and put on her coat. "Let's go then."
They arrived at the crime scene fifteen minutes later. Stuart Street was a small side road lined with modest stores and rundown apartments. Booth stopped the car halfway down the street where other police cars were parked. Several cops were milling around, many of whom were trying to keep the growing crowd of onlookers at bay. Temperance and Booth got out of the car and made their way over to a lone policeman, standing guard next to the yellow tape that indicated the perimeter of the crime scene. The tape was stretched across a dank and narrow alleyway between two shops. When they reached the cop Booth held out his hand for the policeman to shake.
"Hi, I'm Special Agent Booth from the FBI and this is Dr. Brennan."
The rather stout looking cop took Booth's hand in a firm grip. "Of course, sir. I'm sergeant Roach." He leaned towards Booth, and in a conspiratorial whisper, said "I hear we've got a serial killer on our hands."
Booth frowned. "Sergeant…Roach, was it? I suggest that you tell your colleagues to stop spreading rumours about my crime scene before I have even arrived, and before Dr. Brennan has had the chance to examine it."
The sergeant looked slightly mutinous over the reproach but had the common sense not to start an argument. "Yes, sir."
Booth nodded and got back to business. "So who found the remains?"
"Well the owner of this pet store here, Mr. Copeland, found it late this morning when he went out the back to dump a few rubbish bags. That's when he spotted the…uh…remains. Just outside his back door." Sergeant Roach indicated the shop to the left of the alley.
"Alright, well I'll need to talk to that owner in a minute, and probably any of the staff too."
"Yes sir. He's just inside. Whenever you need to talk to him…" Booth nodded and peered down the empty alley.
"So where exactly is the body?" he asked sergeant Roach. Roach didn't get a chance to answer.
"Booth!" He turned back to the alley and saw Temperance walk out of the brick wall at the end. What? No not out of the wall! He took a step forward and saw that the alley turned sharply at the end in an 'L' shape, to go behind the pet shop.
"Oh, er right." He nodded once more to the Sergeant and disappeared after his partner. He turned the corner. "So Bones, what have we got?" Stupid question. He could see for himself what was going on. Temperance stood aside so that Booth had a full view of the crime scene. Unfortunately it looked exactly as he expected – there, up against the grimy brick wall, was the imitation altar, and lit candles, and masks, and flowers. And bones. "What do you make of it?" he asked her. Temperance stepped forward and knelt back down next to the macabre display.
"Male. Between the ages of 10 and 13.Scratches covering the bones appear to correspond with the rats' teeth marks that we found on the bones of our Jane Doe. There is also a fracture on the right tibia that would have been made from a strong force striking the base of the foot, or more likely the foot striking it."
"So he kicked something solid?" Booth summarized.
"Yes." She looked up at him from her crouched position. He looked very somber. She knew he hated cases twice as much when a child was involved. So did she.
He looked down at her when she turned to him. Her face looked drawn. He knew it cost her extra effort to stay objective and unemotional when a kid was involved. He hated it too. She looked away.
"Ok then," Booth said to her. "I'm going to question the owner of this shop here." He indicated the wall of the building to his right. "Do you want to come?"
She stood up. "Yes, I'll come."
When they entered the pet shop they couldn't see anyone there. "Hello! Mr. Copeland?" Booth called out.
"Here!" came a voice from somewhere amongst the litter of cages, and mewing, barking and snuffling animals. Booth moved further into the shop, with Temperance following just behind. Booth then saw why he had missed the owner of the store when he entered. He was sitting in a pen surrounded by several boisterous puppies. The man stood and extricated himself from the excited animals, climbing out of the pen and extending his hand to Booth. "Hello there. I am Mr. Copeland. You were looking for me?"
"Yes, sir. I'm Special Agent Booth from the FBI and this is my partner Dr. Brennan." Mr. Copeland was an older man, mid fifties or so, with graying hair and a kindly smile. He shook hands with Booth, then took Temperance's proffered hand in his own. "And what is a fine lady such as yourself doing at such a horrible scene as this?" he asked gallantly.
"I'm here to inspect the remains." She replied un-blinkingly.
"Oh." He could not really think of a decent reply to that, so he turned back to Booth.
"We just wanted to ask you a few questions." Said Booth, stopping himself from laughing at his partner's blunt answer.
"Yes, of course. What would you like to know."
"Well first of all, what time did you find the body?"
"Around 11 this morning. I went to put a few bags of rubbish out the back. Just to get them out of the way, you know? Rubbish day's not 'til Thursday, and I don't have all that much room in here, as you can see." He swept an arm over the cluttered room and smiled. Booth smiled back.
"When was the last time you were out there? Besides this morning of course."
"Gosh, um, not for several days. Oh, yes actually I went out there four days ago to bring in some spare cages I had left out there."
"Alright. Have you seen anything suspicious around here lately? Probably in the last week or so, particularly last night."
Mr. Copeland paused to think then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything. Most people keep to themselves around here. You know, everyone works hard. Not much time to do anything else on the kind of wages people round here get. I'm one of the lucky ones. Self-employed. Although it's still a bit tight sometimes." He shrugged.
"Do you employ anyone else here?"
"No, no. It's just me. It's easier that way, really. Just me and my animals, and the customers who buy them." He reached into a glass tank a petted a turtle that was inside. When he noticed Temperance watching him and the turtle he smiled and gestured to it. "This is Jada. She's one of my favourites. She's been here for a few weeks already." He seemed very proud of the turtle he called Jada.
"Ok then. I think that will be all the questions for now. If you think of anything helpful please give me a call." Booth shook his hand again.
"Of course Agent Booth. And if you're ever in need of a pet you know where to find me." Mr. Copeland replied cheerfully. Booth turned and ushered Temperance out of the shop.
"Goodbye now." He said after them. "Nice to meet you Doctor."
"Bye."
Once they were outside the shop Booth turned to his partner. "Are you done here?" She nodded. "Let's go then." They went back to the car. Booth opened the door for Temperance and then got in himself.
When he pulled out of the street, Booth sighed. "I hate it when cops are right. It boosts their egos to ridiculous levels. And the last thing we need is more cocky cops all over the place."
Temperance let the ego comment slide, considering the less than cheerful circumstances. "What were the cops right about?"
He turned to face her for a moment. "They were right…in saying that we have a serial killer on our hands."
Sooo...? btw I know it was kind of random but i had to put in the turtle named Jada. my muse made me do it. ) please R&R!