Chapter 8 – The Knight on the Grid
Angela still couldn't believe it. "Somebody sent you human kneecaps in the mail? That is like…blech."
Cam grimaced a little at the thought as well. "Zach says they match our victim."
Booth had been pacing the floor with pent up aggravation. How had the killer known where she lived? Did he know about their relationship then? Thank goodness Brennan had called him right away though. He had dropped what he was doing in his office and nearly broke every law possible to get to their apartment quickly. They were definitely moving again. Definitely moving. Booth however tried to act calm…well calm-ish. "Look, we're dusting the envelope for prints. We'll send someone from the DC area."
Brennan ignored all of them though as she continued to examine the patellae closely, "These patellae are unusually worn."
Booth stopped his slight pacing as he asked, "Worn from what?"
Brennan thought about it for a second or two before she answered. "It's hard to say definitively but I'd say the man did a lot of kneeling."
Ange had been looking at the piece of paper that the patellae had come wrapped in and something clicked. "Wait a minute, I've seen that before. That symbol looks familiar, like it's from some kind of seal…"
Booth had been trying to think of a way to make sure that Brennan didn't go home and he had to get to the bottom of this quickly. "Okay, look Bones, you are going to you know stay with a friend, check into a hotel right?"
Angela offered her assistance immediately. "She can stay with me."
Booth would much prefer that she stay with him. But beggars couldn't be choosers, so this would have to do for now. "Great."
Brennan lifted her brow as she told Angela, "Thank you." She then told her, "No." She wasn't going anywhere and she wasn't going to be forced to do something she didn't want to do. She then realized what they were really saying and was very confused, "Why?"
Cam almost laughed at her colleague's obtuseness. "Mr. Kneecaps has your home address? "
Brennan huffed slightly at that. She honestly had been through much worse. "I can't freak out every time someone Google's me."
Booth ignored that and then looked at Cam. "Cam, she goes nowhere alone."
Brennan's jaw clenched at his words. He was just being extremely over-protective now. "Cam, don't listen to him."
Booth wasn't going to budge on this one, one bit. "Cam, who are you more afraid of, me or her?"
Brennan nearly slapped him on the arm for that. "Booth!"
Cam lifted her hands in the air and silenced both of them. "Whoa! So this is what it's like to be a kindergarten teacher."
Sweets walked in then and laughed a little at what he saw, "Fascinating interpersonal interaction."
Brennan looked at the psychologist surprised to see him there. "Dr. Sweets!"
Sweets looked at Brennan as he began to say, "I, uh." But then he saw what Cam was working on – a dead body. "Oh my, that is - gross."
Booth shook his head and told him plainly, "Yeah, it's an autopsy room, It's no place for therapists. What do ya want?"
Sweets was still looking at the open body as he told the pair, "Ah, you and Dr. Brennan missed our session this morning?"
Booth sighed as he told him, "Maybe because somebody sent body parts to Bones, in the mail."
Sweets watched as Cam took an organ out of the body and nearly lost some of his breakfast, "Oh my god!"
Zach walked in then and announced, "I've identified the murder weapon."
Brennan was very surprised by that. "Oh, that was quick."
Zach walked over to the group holding a knife like dagger and said, "Tapered, inch and a half, with both a hilt and a quillion. The cannelure is also quite distinctive."
Booth knew that knife. And he hated at that moment that he did. "That's the Gormogon knife."
Sweets eyes widened at those words. "The serial killer?"
That's when Angela remembered where she saw that picture. "Which is why the symbol looks so familiar. I've seen it on a tapestry - in the vault."
~BONES~
Booth and Brennan were walking down the Jeffersonian hallway. Booth had noticed after the whole Gormogon case opened again and Brennan had processed all of it, she had been worried about something else. But he didn't know what. "Okay, what's the matter?"
Brennan looked at Booth, still amazed that he could tell when something was bothering her. She sighed before she said, "Russ' girlfriend, Amy, came to see me. Her daughter is sick, she's looking for Russ so I told her my dad might know where he is."
Booth felt sorry for Amy, but that didn't change the facts. "Your brother is a wanted fugitive as a material witness in your dad's murder trial."
Brennan knew that too. Which just made this so much harder. "Amy knows that."
Booth shook his head. He knew deep down that he was going to have a hell of a week. "Well, he's not gonna come back just because your niece has a cough."
Brennan looped her arm around Booth's as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She was tired. Of all of this. "Well, technically, she's not my niece and it's not a cough, it's Cystic Fibrosis."
Zach walked up to them and looked at their looped arms and thought that it was rather odd. He then shook his head and told her, "Dr. Brennan, missing persons sent over dental records from middle-aged men. I checked them against the victim."
Booth shoved his hands into pants pockets as he asked, "Get a hit?" Neither he or Brennan thought anything of what they were doing.
Zach nodded and informed them, "Father Douglas Cooper. Vicar General to the archbishop of DC."
Booth nodded as he now understood Brennan's earlier observation. "Okay. Sweets was right about the kneecaps. This guy would have been a world class kneeler."
Brennan scoffed slightly at that. "Well, saying someone is a wiz at psychology is like saying they're good at mind reading. It's a series of lucky guesses."
Booth shrugged and told her as he looked down at her, "Well, I'm bringing Sweets in on the case."
Zach did not understand that move at all. "You make fun of him all the time…"
Booth told him honestly, "Only when he messes with our heads."
Zach conceded that point, "He was right about the knees."
Brennan didn't like that her assistant was taking Booth's side on this. She was also tired of this conversation. "Zach, shouldn't you be figuring out what was used to excise the kneecaps?"
Zach nodded as he answered, "Yes, Dr. Brennan."
Booth started to laugh as he watched Zach walk away. Brennan looked up at him confused. "What?"
Booth continued to laugh as he told her amused, "You just dismissed Zach."
Brennan huffed softly as she rested her head against his shoulder again. "No I didn't."
Booth smiled at her as he said, "Well, don't get me wrong, I liked it. Come on Bones, let's go to my office. You can sleep a little while I find who we can talk with." Brennan merely nodded sleepy. That sounded good to her.
~BONES~
Booth watched Porter walk out and then looked at Brennan exasperated. "Okay. Bones, you didn't have to call him corrupt."
Brennan was confused, yet again. "Why?"
Booth told her, "Why? Because obviously he is."
Agent Charlie knocked on Booth's office door right after that and said, "Agent Booth."
Booth looked up and said, "Yeah."
Charlie then told him, 'There's someone here to see you."
Russ appeared in the doorway as Brennan stood up and asked them, "Where's Hayley?"
Brennan looked at her brother, shocked to see him there. "Russ? You came to the FBI…"
Russ looked at her confused, "Yeah, that was the deal."
Booth just couldn't catch a break. He threw his hands up in the air. "Wow, this just keeps getting better. Alright. Russ Brennan you're under arrest. Come on, you know the drill."
Booth started to walk over to his brother-in-law as Russ pointed a finger at his sister. "You lied?"
Booth warned him, "Keep your hands down."
Russ glared at Brennan and said, "You told Dad Booth wouldn't arrest me."
Brennan shook her head vehemently, "No! I never said that."
Russ glared at her as he said, "I should have known better than to trust anyone in this family."
Her voice cracked as Brennan told him, "Russ, I swear."
Russ shook his head and said to Booth tightly, "I wanna see my stepdaughter."
Booth looked at Brennan and then at Russ. He had already handcuffed him and everyone around them was looking at the scene going on. He motioned for Brennan to follow him to the elevators as he guided Russ to them. This was so just not his week.
~BONES~
Hayley was sleeping in her hospital bed when Booth, Brennan and Russ arrived. Russ spoke softly as Booth took off his handcuffs, "Hi honey."
Hayley smiled widely as she said, "Russ, I knew you'd come."
Brennan and Booth stood in the doorway and watched Russ, Amy and Hayley talk. Brennan threaded her fingers with Booth's as she leaned in and whispered, "Thank you, Booth."
Booth shook his head as he whispered back, "Oh, this never happened. Don't thank me. As far as the bureau is concerned I caught him here, fifteen minutes from now."
Brennan leant up and kissed Booth softly on his cheek. She then whispered again, "Thank you, Booth."
Booth smiled down at her as she wrapped her arm around his waist and told her, "Just don't tell anyone."
~BONES~
Booth and Brennan were in a yellow cab as Booth drove behind the truck that transported the Sculpture, with Brennan sitting in the passenger seat upfront. Booth talked into his walkie-talkie, "Alright, everybody keeps their distance. I don't want to spook this guy."
Brennan tapped his arm to get his attention as she said, "I have a question."
Booth answered assuming what she was going to ask. "No, you can't drive. We're undercover and I'm the taxi driver."
Brennan rolled her eyes as she said what she really wanted, "Passengers don't sit in the front seat."
Booth sighed. She was always so technical with these things. "You're not a passenger, okay? You're a trainee. And I'm training you how to drive a taxi cab."
Booth watched as a motorcycle drove up next to them, took a look at them, and then sped off ahead of them. Booth spoke into his walkie-talkie, "Okay, all units be advised. I got a motor cycle with no plates." The motorcycle started to follow the truck and turned the corner, which left him out of sight. As Booth turned the corner he saw a backpack that was left lying in the street.
Brennan saw it at the same time, "Whoa."
Booth started to swerve a little, "Easy." He then hit the brakes to stop from hitting the backpack. Booth shouted at his wife, "Get down!"
Brennan didn't understand why he was telling her that though. "What - Why?" But Booth pushed her down and kept his hand on her back by her neck to protect her as he put the car in reverse. He started to drive away, but a mere second later the backpack exploded.
The taxi flipped a few times due to the explosion landing back on its wheels. After a few seconds Booth regained consciousness. He groaned as he felt the impact of the explosion, but he didn't even focus on him. Booth looked over to Brennan, concern rushing through him. "Bones. Bones? Bren!" Booth slammed his body against his door trying to pry it open, but it didn't work. He needed to get them out of there.
Booth looked over at Brennan and stretched his leg over her as he tried to kick open her own door. However that didn't work either. He did hear though, Brennan moaned after his failed attempt. Relief rushed through his body, but then he was concerned again that she wasn't moving. He looked at his window and made a rush decision. He looked at Brennan, "Don't move Bones." He started to pull himself out his window and fell to the ground, still disoriented from the blast. He quickly got up and limped over to Brennan's side of the car. He leant in and tried to pull her out, but his body was still in shock. "Okay. Put your arm underneath my shoulder Bren. Come on, you ready babe?" Brennan grunted her response. Booth took that as an affirmation. "On 3. 1, 2, 3. Move." He held onto her under her armpits as he pulled her out of the window.
Brennan finally started to get her bearings back as her husband pulled her out. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm okay, I'm okay Booth." But he didn't pay attention to that. He needed to get her away from the car. He brought her to the curb and placed her down gently. He then collapsed next to her, exhausted.
Booth caught his breath and then looked at Brennan, assessing her injuries. "Here. Get over here Bren. Let me look at you." He saw her minor cuts and then told her, "The paramedics are on their way."
Brennan's heart was pumping. She didn't know what to think or feel. But she did know she was pissed. They had lost their guy! "Now he knew who we were because I was sitting up front."
Booth shot up from where he was sitting. The woman could get under his skin even when he was scared to death for her safety. "No. It was because you were bad acting, that's what it was!"
Brennan looked at shocked. "What? Back at the vau-? I was good."
Booth started to pace a little. "No, you were loud! That's what they call overacting."
Brennan glared at Booth, her anger flaring. "Well, you shouldn't have shushed me! That's how he knew…"
Booth saw an agent running toward them and immediately asked, "Who's got the motorcycle?"
The agent shook his head, "Nobody. We lost the follow car."
Booth kicked the taxi's door. "Damn it! Wait, what about the truck?"
The agent told him, "It's fine."
Booth thought about that for a second when it dawned on him. "Wait a second. He knew the truck was a decoy. He wasn't trying to get the skeleton back. He was trying to kill us."
While Booth was thinking out loud, Brennan had been looking over her injuries when she noticed… "Booth." She had gotten up and was walking toward him.
Booth was still aggravated when he snapped a little at his wife, "What?" Brennan pointed to the wound on her arm. Booth became immediately concerned for her as he saw something imbedded in her arm. He came up to her and whispered to her soothingly, "Oh. Alright, easy Bones. I got it." He slowly and gently pulled it out and looked at it. "What is that?"
Brennan took the object from Booth and looked at it. "It's a human tooth. He put human teeth in his bomb for shrapnel."
Booth looked at the tooth and then at the remnants of the car and bomb. "Bones. He was trying to kill us because - we know his next target. The corrupter. That lobbyist."
And he knew exactly where the Gormogon was going. He ran off in the fastest route possible, leaving Brennan behind as she yelled, "Hey. Wait I want to come!"
The hell she was. He didn't need to be worrying about her life being in danger. She was safer with his team. He ordered, "Stay right there!"
Brennan stopped running as her adrenaline wore off. She hated it when Booth did this. Hated it.
~BONES~
Brennan was talking to Caroline Julian in one of the conference rooms about her brother. Caroline shook her head. The woman was unbelievable. "Normal person gets blown to hell? They go home, pour a glass of wine, watch tv with their husband!"
Brennan ignored that and told the woman, "Caroline, I think it should be worth something that Russ turned himself in."
Caroline snorted at that. "Bumpin' into Booth at the hospital is not the same as turning himself in."
Brennan shook her ehad, "That's not what happened."
Caroline lifted one sculpted brow. "It's what Booth says happened."
Brennan informed her. "No. Russ turned himself in but I convinced Booth to let him go see Hayley at the hospital."
Caroline looked toward the ceiling shaking her head. "I did not hear that."
Brennan took that as a literal thing and spoke louder. "Russ turned himself in, but I convinced Booth to let him go see Hayley at the hospital!"
Caroline still couldn't figure out how this woman was a genius and still… "Do I have this straight? You're a genius? An honest to goodness, died in the wool genius?"
Brennan nodded slowly. "Yes."
Caroline sighed, "Dr. Brennan. I like you - on and off – more on than off since you make Seeley happy, but your brother is a material witness in my murder case. I cannot recommend that he be set free."
Brennan tried one more time. "Please?"
Caroline said sarcastically, "Aww, well. Now that you said please…"
Brennan narrowed her eyes as she asked, "Are you being sarcastic?"
Caroline nearly shouted, "YES!"
Brennan sighed, "Oh."
Caroline looked at her and told her softly, "Best I can do is arrange for you to speak at your brother's parole hearing. Looking the way you do, maybe the judge will feel sorry and let him go."
~BONES~
As the group walked out of the office, Caroline slapped Booth's arm. He yelped, "Ouch!"
Caroline poked him hard as she told him, "I want you to consider what side you're on. Bishops and Psychiatrists and bleeding heart parole officers. That's what's wrong with the justice system in this country." She wasn't really angry, angry but still.
Russ saw Amy and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug before Booth said, "Russ, you gotta go with the Marshals."
Brennan grabbed her husband's arm and squeezed it as she smiled at him. "Thank you again."
Booth looked down at her and told her again, "I didn't do anything, again."
Brennan ignored that and turned to Amy, "You should thank him too."
Amy looked between the two and asked, "Why?"
Brennan told her honestly, "He saved Russ."
Booth shook his head, "I didn't do anything…"Amy ran up and hugged Booth tightly, catching him off guard. "Okay. Uh…Russ…uh…time to go."
Amy smiled at Booth before she went to grab onto Russ' hand one last time before Booth led him down the hall to the awaiting Marshals. Booth spoke softly to his brother-in-law and tell him, "Okay here's the thing, Russ. Alright? You run again? You disappoint that woman and her kids and you break your sister's, my wife's heart, I will…"
Russ smiled at Booth and nodded, "Do something, terrible. I got it."
Booth slapped him on the back. "Yeah, I hope you do." He then spoke to the Marshals and told them, "All yours boys."
Russ stopped them though and called out, "Hey Booth. Thanks."
Booth nodded his head and told him seriously, "Yeah. Clean nose, buddy. Clean nose, clean heart."
~BONES~
Brennan walked in after visiting Hayley as Booth just finished his last clip at the shooting range. He looked unsettled to her. She also noticed that each shot was straight in the heart of his target. She waited until he lowered his weapon before she walked up to him and smoothed her hands down his back. She felt him tense up a little before realizing that it was her and relaxed into her touch. She smoothed her hands around to wrap around him in a hug as she rested her cheek against his back. "What's wrong?"
Booth rested his hands against the stand in front of him as he sighed heavily. "He's still out there Bones. That psycho is still out there."
Brennan nudged him to turn around so that they were facing each other before she said, "We did everything we could Booth. We'll get him, like we always do."
Booth sighed as he hugged her tightly and rested his head against hers. After a few moments of silence Booth spoke again, "Bones?"
Brennan hummed in approval as he started to rub slow, lazy circles on his lower back. "Yes."
He hugged her a little tighter as he mumbled, "I think we should move again."
Brennan laughed softly as she thought back to the other times they moved since they started working together. After they first got married, after the explosion that nearly killed Booth, after Epps nearly killed Brennan, and this would be another time. But she wasn't going to argue with him on this either. She knew that if she asked him if they could move, he would do it in a heartbeat. "We can start looking when we get home."
Booth grunted his approval and then said, "Maybe we shouldn't tell your publisher about the address either." That definitely had Brennan laughing out loud.
You guys think it's a good time for Angela to know about the B&B relationship? Tell me what your answer is.
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