Chapter Ten

The Place on the Map

"What have we got, Bones?" Booth asked as he entered the lab.

Brennan was standing at a table, with Hodgins, examining the severed leg. When she heard Booth, she turned around. "There you are! Where were you?"

"We got sidetracked. No Krampus."

"No what? Oh, right. Well, Hodgins and I are trying to pinpoint the location of these…body bags."

Hodgins said, "Both bags show traces of the same dirt and chemicals. My best guess: a really dirty slum."

Booth threw up his hands. "And here we were trudging through a garbage dump!"

Bones said, "So that's what that smell is. It smells like rotten meat."

"It is. So, any specifics? Some special kind of mineral or something?"

"Afraid that's the best I can do with the bags," said Hodgins.

"What about the leg?" Booth asked Bones.

"It's female. Mid-thirties. Not particularly athletic, no unusual diseases or deformities. It could be anybody's leg."

"Great. Just great."

"Booth, where are Mulder and Scully?"

"They went to do research in your office. More about the Krampus, probably."

"Well, tell them my office is devoted to serious scientific endeavor…"

"Yeah, just save it, Bones. The science isn't getting us any closer than Mulder's ideas."

Brennan looked indignant. "We helped narrow the possible locations of the killer."

"Well, Mulder's a step ahead of you. A slum was the first place he thought of, but he second-guessed himself."

"That's a major problem with operating by intuition," Brennan said.

"Meanwhile, another victim gets killed." He glanced at the leg, but quickly looked away. "That's four victims in two days. How long is this going to last?"

Brennan looked at him and said, without blinking, "Until we catch the killer."

Booth returned her solemn gaze. He nodded slowly. "You're right. We can do this."

"We still have a week till Christmas," she added.

"Let's take a little break then, huh? Maybe a nap."

She smiled. "You could use a break. Foraging through a dump for two hours is no fun."

"Was it two hours?… Oh, yeah, we stopped by Haven Heights too."

"Haven Heights? Why?"

"Long story, I'll tell you later. All right, I'm going to take a shower in the decontamination facility. Then I'm going to find a couch and nap. Wake me up around ten."

"You know, Scully, I wouldn't mind working with Agent Booth again," said Mulder.

Scully didn't reply. She was typing on Dr. Brennan's computer.

"He might not have any patience for cryptozoology, but he seems like a pretty solid guy."

Still no reply.

"What's eating you, Scully?"

She sighed and looked up from the screen. Mulder noticed her hair was full of flyaway strands, and she had circles under her eyes. "Normally, I can maintain an emotional distance between myself and the cases. It's just… it's so close to Christmas."

Mulder let out a long breath and leaned against the desk. "It's been a long year, Scully. You really deserve a long break."

"It's not just that, it's also as if the season is being contaminated. I'm not sure how the Germanic peoples could comfortably picture Santa Clause hobnobbing with this Christmas demon of yours."

"Well, like Florence said. It's a representation of our human nature. Santa stands for our merciful, forgiving side, the Krampus…she stands for something else. Something darker."

Scully sighed again. "Christmas is supposed to be a time of light."

"Hey," Mulder smiled, "it's winter solstice too, remember?"

Scully smiled back.

"What did you find?" he asked after a minute.

"It's like you said. There has been a severe power outage in one of the poorest areas of town. Technicians say they got power up and running again, only to have it shut down five minutes later."

"That's our demon," said Mulder. "Let's tell Booth."

Brennan was still examining the leg when Zack approached her. She hadn't seen him since reporting the findings on the bite marks. She noticed right away, he was even more wide-eyed than usual. That probably meant he had done something on his own.

"Doctor Brennan?"

"Yes, Zack."

"Since Hodgins was doing most of the lab work, I took the liberty of emailing a friend of mine. I understand he works with the FBI also."

"Go on."

"His name is Charlie Eppes. He's a mathematics professor at CalSci. I told him about the case and faxed him a map marked with the locations of the murders."

Brennan frowned, not in disapproval but with interest. Where was this going?

"I didn't have the necessary data to tell him where the fourth victim's body would be. The one the leg came from. But he was able to predict where we'd find her."

"Did he predict correctly?"

"As a matter of fact, he did. I just finished talking to the police who found her."

"Where was she? Who was she?" Brennan noticed her heart rate increasing speed.

"Carlie Greerson."

Brennan felt like something had hit her in the chest. "Carlie Greerson? She's the woman who was accused of killing those three children."

"Acquitted of all charges," said Zack. Then he added in a melodramatic tone, "But not by the serial killer."

Brennan was thinking fast. "Where was she found?"

"In Cherry Tree Grove. It's a slum not far from Deborah Jennings's house."

"Zack, find Agent Booth. Tell him to call the police and to get more FBI men on the case. And ask your friend if he can predict the next murder location."

"Yes, Doctor Brennan." Before going, he added, "Charlie suggested the killer might live in a slum on the end of town opposite Cherry Tree Grove."

"Thanks, Zack. This is excellent. Good work."

Zack headed for the doors, his face glowing, only to collide with Agent Mulder. Scully was following.

"Sorry, buddy," said Mulder as he rushed to Dr. Brennan's table.

"Doctor Brennan, I have my final guess."

Oh, brother, thought Brennan. "I understand you had two guesses left, Agent Mulder."

"I'll place them both on this one. I had Agent Scully look through the news websites for any reports of severe power outages. Demons are notorious for loving the dark."

Brennan reflected how, with Zack and his math gone, there was a severe intelligence outage in the room. "What did you find?"

"Ever since the first murder, there's been a power outage in Liberty Way. It's a slum on the west side of town."

The west side of town? "Where was Deborah Jennings found?"

"Her house was on the east side. Almost the opposite side of the city from Liberty Way."

Brennan willed the goosebumps on her arms to relax. She refused to be impressed by Mulder's mysticism. Still, this was an exciting coincidence, and given Zack's analysis, Liberty Way was a very likely location for the serial killer.

"Come on," she said, grabbing her coat from a chair close to her table.

Scully asked, "Where are we going?"

"To find Agent Booth. Then we're going to Liberty Way."

"We? You're coming too?" Mulder asked her.

Doctor Brennan looked surprised. "I go on most of the manhunts with Agent Booth."

"Oh. Guess I didn't think you were the type."

"Well, I've tried to get him to give me a gun for a long time now."

Mulder didn't say anything to that. He just rushed after her as she headed for the door.