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Arriving at the NEX, Booth looked around and gave his cousin a thoughtful look. "We should probably assume that the daughter has been in contact with the mother by now. I'm thinking that you should take the lead this time."

As he exited the vehicle, Gibbs looked over at Booth. "Yeah. I wouldn't doubt that she has. Okay, let's try it your way this time."

After asking for the manager, the two agents waited near the front entrance. Hurrying up to them, a man smiled nervously and introduced himself. "Gentlemen? I'm Caleb Bishop, I'm the manager here. Candy told me you wanted to talk to me. What can I do for NCIS and the FBI?"

Holding out his badge, Gibbs informed him why they were there. "My partner and I would like to interview Tricia Van Pelt."

His eyes flicked towards Booth and then back to Gibbs and suddenly laughed nervously. "Uh, okay . . .. Let me have her paged to come to my office. You can interview her there. . . Is there something I need to know?"

Slowly haking his head, Gibbs responded, "Nope. We just need to talk to Tricia Van Pelt privately."

Caleb cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, if you would just follow me I'll take you to my office and she can meet us there."

Glancing at Booth's impassive face, Gibbs turned and followed Caleb with Booth a few paces behind.

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Waiting for Tricia, Booth watched as the manager fidget behind his desk. Caleb, aware that he was being closely observed, cleared his throat. "Is this about that body? Was it a murder? I heard that it was a murder." He laughed nervously, then answered his own question. "I guess it would have to be, wouldn't it? No one just crawls into a garbage bag to die, do they?"

The two agents watched the agitated man as he stuck his finger in the collar of his shirt. "I'll leave when Tricia gets here. That's what you want, isn't it? You want me to leave when Tricia arrives?"

Continuing to give the man a fixed look, Booth barely nodded his head.

Amused at Booth's antics, Gibbs sat down on a chair next to Caleb's desk and watched the doorway without comment.

Soon, Tricia arrived at the office, knocked on the doorframe and leaned into the room. "You wanted to see me, Boss?"

Quickly standing, Caleb pointed at Gibbs and then Booth. "These men are with NCIS and the FBI, Tricia. They need to talk to you."

Nodding her head, Tricia entered the room. "My daughter called me right after you left the house, I . . ."

His hand up to stop her speaking, Booth scowled at the curious manager. Taking the hint, Caleb walked around his desk. Flicking his gaze from the agents to his employee. "Tricia, I have something I have to take care of. I'll leave the three of you to talk." He hurried to the doorway and left as quickly as his dignity allowed.

Tricia turned and watched the man skitter from the room. He reminded her of a hermit crab looking for a place to hide. Once he was gone, she addressed the two agents. "Like I started to say, my daughter called me and told me that an agent from NCIS and the FBI had been to my house. That's you two correct?" At their simultaneous nods, she continued, "Mary said that you told her that Perry is dead. That my son is dead."

Gibbs watched the woman closely. "You don't seem very shook up about the news, Ms. Van Pelt. Is this something you were expecting to hear?"

Furious, Tricia crossed her arms across her chest and replied defensively. "How can you say that? You don't know anything about me. Neither of you do. You don't know how I feel about anything."

Nodding his head, Gibbs stood up. "You're right. I don't. But perhaps you can tell us this, Ms. van Pelt . . . Why did you wait five days to report your son missing?"

Tricia pursed her lips and glared at the NCIS Agent. "Mary told me that she explained to you about Perry just taking off for days at a time. You can ask his friends. They'll tell you what Mary told you. He'd get tired of living in a house of women and he'd just leave. He'd come back when he needed money or a good home cooked meal."

Aware that Booth was watching her intently, Tricia glanced at him and then dismissed him. Turning back to Gibbs, she added, "Perry hung out with dangerous people, Mr. uh. . . Who are you anyways? I think you should show me your badges."

Gibbs pulled his badge and ID out of his pocket. "Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, ma'am, NCIS." He pointed at Booth who quickly flashed his badge and then put it back on his belt. "This is my partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI."

Nervous about the whole situation, Tricia hugged herself. "Perry liked to hang out with bikers. He drank at biker bars. He ran with them and he rode with them. Stuff like that. I told him that they were dangerous, but what do I know? Whenever I said anything, he'd just tell me to mind my own business, so I did. No one could tell Perry . . ."

Interrupting the on-going tirade, Booth pointed at her face. "Ma'am, how did you get those bruises on your face and around your eyes?"

Startled, Tricia moved her hands to her face. 'How can you . . . I mean, what bruises?"

Careful to keep his face unemotional, Booth shook his head. "You've done a very good job with your makeup, Ms. Van Pelt, but I know what I see. You have bruises on your cheeks and black eyes."

Lowering her hands, Tricia sighed. "Perry."

Not surprised with the revelation, Gibbs frowned. "Your son beat you?"

Embarrassed to admit it, Tricia turned her gaze to her shoe tops. "Perry wasn't very nice and he was worse if he'd been drinking." The agents exchanged a look of understanding as she continued, "If he wanted money and I didn't have any to spare, he'd beat me until I found some."

Staring intently at Tricia, Booth asked her, "Did he beat Mary and Ryan? Is that how they got the injuries that we saw? Were those from Perry also?"

Tricia started to cry. "Yes. He was a good boy . . . Really, he was. He didn't mean to hit us. He'd just get so angry sometimes or he'd have too much to drink . . . He didn't mean to hurt us. I know he didn't. He'd apologize when he got sober and saw what he'd done. He didn't mean to hurt us. I know he didn't mean it . . . He was a good boy and I loved him. I did."

Glancing at Booth and then at Tricia, Gibbs asked her, "Did you kill Perry, Tricia?"

The hair up on the back of her neck, she shook her head vehemently, looked up and denied it. "No, Agent Gibbs. He was my son. Even though he had a rotten temper, I would never hurt my son. Never. I swear it. I loved him . . . If you would just look at his friends you'd see that I'm telling you the truth. He had very dangerous friends."

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After they'd left the NEX and were on their way back to the District, Gibbs turned to look at Booth. "Her makeup was very good. I couldn't tell that she had bruising underneath the makeup until you pointed it out. How could you tell?"

Glancing out of the driver's side window and then back to the road ahead, Booth cleared his throat. "Mom was really good at covering up her bruises too. After awhile I learned how to see what she was hiding. She'd defend my father too you know. Like Tricia Van Pelt defended her son. I know that's typical of domestic abuse victims and I get it on some level because I would hide my bruises and defend my Dad too. I knew that was wrong, but removed from the situation, it's strange. Now . . . now I just can't even wrap my head around it. I don't understand it. Not anymore."

Gibbs closed his eyes and leaned back into his seat. "Yeah. I know. It's strange how our brains work sometimes, eh?" He paused, opened his eyes and kept them directed on the road ahead. "I wish I could have been more helpful with your Dad, Seeley. I'm sorry I couldn't help Joseph. He wanted to be a good man. It's not that he was weak. He was just powerless and he thought that made him weak."

Flicking his eyes at Gibbs, Booth returned his gaze back to the road. "Yeah, I know a little bit about powerlessness." He thought of the poker chip in his pocket. "Powerless or not though, I would never hit Bones or my children." Booth glanced at his cousin. "It's okay. It was what it was. Anyway, are you buying the Van Pelt's dangerous friends excuse?"

He most definitely wasn't. Gibbs turned towards his temporary partner. "Nah, not really. I think we've already met the murderer. My guts telling me it's either Tricia or Mary." Booth glanced over at him and nodded as Gibbs continued, "I'd like to wait and see what Dr. Brennan says is cause of death. By the way, Ducky is very impressed with her skill at reassembling bones. He's very hopeful that she might really come up with cause of death."

Proud of Brennan, Booth smiled. "Oh, she will. Bones is the best in the world when it comes to bones and figuring out cause of death. She actually solved a five thousand year old murder once. She proved that some Egyptian prince was wrongly accused of murdering his brother. The Egyptian government gave her an award and threw her a big party at the Jeffersonian."

Impressed, Gibbs smiled. "Wow, that's pretty impressive."

Booth grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah, I know. She's scary smart and she's the reason my solve rate is so high. Believe me, I know I have a treasure working with me."

Gibbs returned his gaze to the road and nodded his head. "And a treasure in your life as well or am I misreading some signs there?" He smiled at the younger man.

"Absolutely. Absolutely." Curious, Booth asked his cousin, "So, I guess you know that Bones and I are living together. That baby you saw the other day is ours. Our daughter is named Christine."

Pleased that Booth felt comfortable enough to talk to him about family, Gibbs smiled. "Yeah, I know."

After a few miles rolled by, Booth asked him, "So are you married?"

Slowly picking up Perry's folder and flipping through it, Gibbs reflected on how he would respond. Finally he answered the question. "I've been married a few times."

Fascinated at that tidbit of information, Booth prodded the man."Do you have any kids?"

After he closed the folder, Gibbs rested it on his lap. "I did . . . My first wife, Shannon and our daughter, Kelly were murdered in 1991. Kelly was eight years old."

Unaware of the tragegy, Booth swallowed, glanced at Gibbs' sad face and then forward again. "I'm sorry Jethro. I didn't mean to. . . I'm sorry for your loss. I'm not sure what I'd do if Bones and Christine were taken from me. I shouldn't have asked."

Gibbs knew that Booth was worried that he'd stepped in to a mine field and he needed to assure the man. "You didn't know. It was a long time ago . . . I do miss them. They were probably the best part of me."

Nodding his head, Booth sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

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Reviews would really be appreciated. Penny and I look forward to seeing them and read all of them.

A/N: I guess 1991 was a bad year. 1991 was also the year that Max Keenan and his wife Ruth (Christine) abandoned their children, Temperance and Russ.