Thanks to everybody who took the time to read and review... I hope you'll like the next chapter...
CHAPTER 10:
"Bones... Bones, where are you?" Booth yelled up at the platform, where Brennan jumped at the sound of his voice and hit her head at a lamp. She swore under her breath, rubbing her forehead where it had made contact with the lamp.
Booth appeared at her side and asked "Headache, Bones?" She tried to shoot him a death glare, but she did not quite succeed. Maybe it was the relief of seeing him that drowned out her anger about hurting her head.
"I am fine... What are you doing here, Booth?" She quickly asked.
Booth pulled a face "Can't I come visit you anymore, Bones?" But then he became serious again and added: "I found Mary White. I thought you might want to come with me to question her... but I would understand if you'd rather stay here with this... whatever it is!" he pointed towards the unidentifiable thing she had been working on.
"This is a mummified foot." Brennan stated. Booth looked at her incredulously. "Are you sure... ah sorry... sure you are sure ... but it looks a bit small and ... misshaped."
"That's because of the absence of humidity, Booth... It's..." she started to explain, but Booth shook his head "No, thank you, Bones... I do not need details on a mummified foot... really... Let's get going!"
He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards her office. She took off her lab coat and found Booth standing behind her, holding out her jacket, offering it to her to slip in. She had to smile about him being so gallant and she had to admit, that she liked him behaving like that from time to time, although she would not say that aloud.
"Thank you" she murmured and he looked at her in disbelief.
"Wow... a thank you? No sarcastic undertone? There are still miracles in the world." He winked at her, then they left the lab, again bickering as so often.
Soon they reached the house where Mary White was living. Brennan looked around... it was neither a very cheap nor expensive neighbourhood. She turned towards Booth "What's her profession?" "She's an artist... maybe a soul mate for Angela" He smiled, then added "Second floor" They went upstairs.
Only a few moments after ringing the doorbell a young woman's voice from the inside asked. "Who's there?"
"Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI and my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan... we would like to talk about somebody you reported missing six years ago." Booth said.
"Show me your badge, please" Booth pulled out his badge, then he looked a bit confused. There was no spyhole at the door and she had not opened it. "Booth, there's a camera" Brennan pointed at a small camera at the doorframe "A Webcam" she commented.
Booth presented his badge and the woman's voice from the inside said: "Thank you. Could now please Miss Brennan step forward." Brennan rose her eyebrows but did as the voice bided. "Okay, thank you, please come in" the young woman's voice said and the door opened. "Sorry for all that... but I'd like to make sure to whom I open the door."
Booth gave Brennan a meaningful side glance which clearly said: "So should you!"
She shrugged and looked at the young woman.
She seemed to be fragile and she was small. Her dark brown hair was put up in a ponytail and her face was beautiful, her eyes stunningly dark, nearly black. On her cheek there was a red-brown stain and her arms were covered in the same colour. She followed Brennan's gaze to her arms, then smiled shyly "I am doing pottery... follow me please, I can't leave my work for too long or it will all be in vain."
They followed her through a small living room into a larger room that clearly was her atelier. She seemed to be extraordinarily artistically gifted, because the room was full of paintings, pottery and carvings.
"Miss White... we are here to talk about Mr. Marco DiBianco" Booth started, but was interrupted by her hissing "Shhhh!"
She quickly jumped to her feet and closed the window, then turned on the radio. "You never know who's listening." she said.
"No soulmate for Angela..." Booth thought "...but Hodgins would worship her."
Mary White looked at him and explained "I know you must think that I am paranoid, but I am not. These are necessary precautions... If the wrong people hear me talking about Marco DiBianco I am dead."
She cleared her throat. "You wanted to talk about him..."
"Yes. I am sorry to inform you, that we found his body. Dr. Brennan here was able to confirm his identity. We are pretty sure that he died six years ago."
"He's dead. I knew it... he would have contacted me... he would have never left me. I knew he had to be dead. They found him, they killed him." Mary White whispered and her eyes were brimming with tears, but they remained unshed as she quickly blinked them away. "Is that all?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the potter's wheel in front of her.
"We thought you could help us find out who killed him. First, we would like to know, how you came to know Marco DiBianco." Booth asked.
"We met... that's all." Mary stubbornly kept her eyes on the pottery in front of her.
"No" Brennan commented. "He was your father. You have his eyes."
Booth's eyes widened at her comment, then he remembered that she had told him she had known Marco DiBianco years ago. Mary White stopped her work and looked up to Brennan. "What?" she gasped.
"I knew Marco DiBianco. Not well of course, but we met when I was a student. And I do remember that he had stunningly dark brown eyes, nearly black. Just as yours." Brennan explained, her pale blue eyes fixed on Mary's.
Mary sighed and finally whispered. "My father's eyes, my mother's face. You are right. Marco DiBianco was my father. My real name was Maria Alessandra DiBianco." And with that Mary broke down, sobs shaking her small body and Brennan did not even think of it twice: She closed the distance to the young woman and pulled her in an embrace.
Booth was surprised by this, but then he understood, that Mary's situation reminded Brennan of her own.
'She knows how this woman is feeling. Fake identity, parents murdered.' He thought and decided that it would maybe help both of them, so he just stood there watching the two women and waited.