Week 1 - Wednesday, Afternoon

Seeley pulled the SUV into an open spot across the street from the target location, 'Pupusa Shack. '

"What is a 'Pupusa?"' Chaz asked.

Temperance said, "It's pretty much a tortilla stuffed with other ingredients. Depending upon how it's made, it can be quite tasty."

Seeley looked at her. "What?" Temperance said. "He asked me what it was."

"Thinking of having dinner here?" Seeley asked.

"Well," she said. "I am feeling kind of hungry."

"And she's eating for two now, you know," Jon piped up from the back seat. Seeley and Temperance turned and stared at him. "What?" He said. "You guys suck at keeping secrets."

Seeley turned back to the front. He opened his door and exhaled, "Let's get this done." He turned to Temperance, "Got the sketches?"

Temperance held up the manila folder, "Got copies for all of us right here." She started pulling copies out and handing them to Jon and Chaz when she dropped the folder. "Oops," she said. Getting out of the SUV, she leaned over and began scooping up the rest of the photocopies. Once she had everything in the folder, she pulled out a copy for her and one for Seeley and then placed the folder under the seat.

As the group crossed the street, Temperance handed the sketches to Seeley. He said, "My Spanish is pretty rusty. How about if you do most of the talking?"

She smiled at him. "You knew there was a reason you wanted me along, huh?"

He returned the smile, "Oh yeah," he laughed. "I'll tell you some of the reasons I wanted you along…"

He was interrupted by a loud cough from Jon, who was about five feet behind them. Seeley turned to see Jon with a mirthless smile looking back at him. Seeley turned back around and continued the walk in silence.

The restaurant was a loud, raucous place. Until Seeley's team entered, that is. Conversations quickly died as the four of them had every set of eyes in the place trained upon them. Seeley watched as a couple of men ducked out the exit to the far left of the main floor. Jon moved up to the counter.

Jon said to the cook, "Disculpe por favor, quiero dos pupusas (Excuse me, please. I'd like two pupusas)"

The cook briefly looked him up and down, and nodded, "¿De qué las quiere? (What kind?)"

Jon's eyes scanned the board, "Queso y Chicarron"

The cook pursed his lips approvingly, smiled and continued to nod.

Temperance moved towards the center of the room and said loudly, "Disculpen, ¿puede ayudarnos? (Excuse me, can you help us?)" She continued, "Somos del FBI. (We are from the FBI). Seeley and Chaz held their badges out. A number of people began leaving their tables, heading for the exits. She continued, more loudly, "Nosotros no somos de Inmigración (We are not from Immigration)." Even more people started heading for the exits. Jon, Seeley and Chaz moved to block the exits.

The noise level began rising again. Temperance started shouting, "Por favor, no se vayan (Please, don't go.)"

Seeley's bass voice rolled through the restaurant, "Siéntese! (Sit down!)" Temperance looked over to see him blocking the exit by the kitchen. He shouted multiple times, "Siéntese!"

Looking around, she saw Jon at another exit, herding people back to their seats, while Chaz had stationed himself by the main entrance, also making sure no one left. All three, Jon, Chaz and Seeley showed the men, women and children sketches of the three victims.

Temperance raised her copy of the sketches above her head. She saw Seeley, Jon and Chaz copy her movements. She said loudly, "¿Alguien sabe quién son estas personas? (Does anybody know who these people are?)"

"Se encontraron sus cuerpos (We found their bodies)." Silence came from the multitude.

"Ellos fueron asesinados (They were murdered)" People studiously avoided looking at the sketches.

"Sólo queremos saber quiénes son (We just want to find out who they are)." A cough here or there was the only sound other than the sizzle and popping coming from the cook stove.

"Si tienen familia aquí (If they have family here)." She tried catching peoples' eyes with hers to no avail.

"Por favor ayúdenos a ayudarles (Please help us help them)." Still no responses.

"¡Necesitamos su ayuda (We need your help!)" When there was no response, "Ellos necesitan su ayuda (They need your help)" Frustration started to seep into her voice.

"Una mujer y sus dos niñas pequeñas (A woman and her two little girls)." Temperance pleaded with the people.

"Por Favor! (Please!)" She begged.

As Temperance, Jon, Seeley and Chaz worked their way from table to table, if people didn't sit in stony silence, a few people would mumble, "No se nada (I don't know anything)," to the team's inquiring looks. A few others would whisper, "¡Cállate! (Be quiet!)," and hushed warnings of, "No hablan con ellos (Don't talk to them)" to the others.

Temperance repeated her plea, "Nosotros no somos de Inmigración. Por favor. Ellos fueron asesinados."

Seeley heard a woman's voice from a couple of tables over, "Ellos están muertos? (They are dead?)" He looked intently towards the tables in the general area, trying to determine which of the women spoke. Jon also moved into the area, holding the sketches out to the men and women. Seeley looked from man to woman to child. He saw a small child gently pulling on a woman's forearm and whispering something he couldn't hear. He walked over and laid the sketches in front of her. She sobbed and looked away. Jon came up and stood beside him. Seeley looked at the woman. He spoke pleadingly, "Please talk to us…Senora, Por favor, hable con nosotros." The woman looked at him, tears rimming her eyes. He saw her eyes flick towards the street and then back again. Seeley subtly nodded. The woman bowed her head.

Jon leaned in and grasped the pictures, "Gracias, senora," he said so low Seeley was sure no one but he and the woman heard him.

Seeley took a deep breath, "You know what, Bones?" he shouted across the restaurant, "They don't care!" He shouted louder, "A ellos no les importa!" He grabbed Jon's arm and made a motion for them to leave." Let's get out of here! We're wasting our time!"

Seeley looked around at the rest of the people and shouted, "This is why so many people in this country don't want you coming here. You don't care! No les importa!"

Temperance looked at Seeley in astonishment. She had never seen him this uncaring and downright belligerent before. "Seeley," she said loudly.

Jon and Seeley walked over towards Temperance. Jon took her by the arm and started moving her towards the exit. Seeley continued his tirade, "We care more about this woman and her children more than you! Us…Gringos!" he spat the word.

As they approached the door, Jon let Seeley guide Temperance the rest of the way out the door, with Chaz following. Seeley was still shouting at no one in particular, "Tomorrow I'm coming back with immigration - Mañana voy a volver con Immigración. Her own people! You make me sick!"

Jon moved towards the cook area and said, "¿Puedes dàrmelas para llevar, por favor? (Can you make that to go please?)" The restaurant personnel looked at him in shock. He continued, "Por favor, no escupa en ella (Please don't spit in it)." At that, the cook's eyes grew wide. He turned to his helper at the stove and nudged him out of the way. Jon said, "No me hagan volver enojado (Don't make me come back angry)," he paused, "A usted no le va a gustar (You won't like it)." At that, the cook turned, nodded and smiled in acknowledgement.

They heard Seeley's voice fading into the background, "Me dan asco! (You make me sick!)"

Jon scrunched up one side of his face, and pointed in Seeley's direction with his thumb, "Està de mal humor. Su esposa está embarazada. Ha pasado demasiado tiempo desde que tuvieron relaciones sexuales." The cook laughed and nodded.

Once outside the restaurant and over by the SUV, Temperance laid into Seeley, "What is wrong with you?" she yelled.

"What?" Seeley said in his normal tone of voice.

"What was all that yelling about? And degrading them? Do you really think they'll help us now?" Temperance's voice was starting to become shriller.

"What's the matter with you?" his voice becoming more elevated. Chaz tried to work his way in between the two of them to no avail. Seeley pushed him away with ease. "Don't you think I know what I'm doing?"

"You may think you know what you're doing," she shot back. "But whether your 'master plan' has any chance of working I seriously doubt!"

Chaz could feel her voice dripping with sarcasm. He reached out to her, trying to calm her down, "Doctor Booth…" he started. Only to have his hands batted away. Fearing a genuine fight, which might do serious damage to Seeley and Temperance's relationship, he desperately looked around for Jon. He finally spotted him strolling across the street carrying a white paper sack. Jon spotted Chaz's desperate eyes. He quickened his pace.

Both Seeley and Temperance had their index fingers pointed at each other, almost like a fencing match. Each of them was opening their mouth, preparing to fire a volley of insults at one another when Jon's sharp whistle pierced the late afternoon sky. It was so loud a taxicab a block and a half away stopped, squealing its breaks. When Jon finally reached the group, he said coldly, "Just what in hell are you two doing?"

Temperance started, "I never knew that Seeley could be so hard-hearted and mean-spirited."

"I never thought she'd become so 'holier than thou' again."

Jon saw the fire in both her and Seeley's eyes and knew this was for real. He turned to Seeley, "You Asshole! You didn't tell her?"

It was like a splash of cold water. All the steam of Seeley's arguments fell away. Once he realized what he had done, he groaned. He looked at Temperance, truly apologetic.

"Tell me what?" Temperance hissed.

Jon raised his hands, palms outward towards Temperance, "It was all an act, Temperance."

Stunned, she looked from Jon to Seeley to Chaz, who looked at her, palms upward in a surrender motion, shaking his head in confusion as well. "What do you mean, 'an act'?"

Seeley looked at Jon, who looked back at him, shook his head, and then walked behind him moving towards Chaz, "You tell her, Seeley. I'm not going to."

Seeley looked towards Temperance, who looked back at him with dead eyes. "Jon and I saw a woman who is willing to talk to us." He turned his head towards the restaurant." But she wasn't willing to talk to us in front of all those people." Temperance was waiting for more information. He continued, "So, somebody needed to make a scene to get us all out here."

Temperance shook her head, "What good is that going to do? She's not going to saunter over here and talk to us while everybody in there can see what she's doing."

"That's why there had to be the threat of Immigration coming soon." He saw Temperance's eyes move away from him. He followed her gaze to see the woman starting to cross the street. He turned back to Temperance. "Now, she's going to be a hero. By talking to us, because she helped us, we won't bring Immigration down on them."

As the woman got closer, Temperance asked, her hands on her hips, "What excuse were you going to use to keep us standing around out here until she came out?"

Seeley shook his head, "I didn't know. By that time I was winging it." He paused and looked down. He moved a little closer to Temperance, "Look, I'm sorry…" he started.

Temperance interrupted, "Then I guess it's lucky that someone picked a fight with the other, isn't it?"

There was something in her voice that struck him as odd. Her voice seemed to have a tinge of amusement. His eyes zeroed in on hers; and saw the mischievous glint in them she always had when she was proud of herself for pulling something over on someone. She smiled sweetly and poked Seeley in his ribs. He couldn't do anything but shake his head and smile.

He heard Jon laughing and Chaz chuckling nervously. He felt all of the tension drain out of him as he took Temperance in his arms. He looked down at her, "Let's not do that again, okay?" He said nodding subtly.

Temperance smiled sweetly, nodded in time with Seeley's as she leaned in and kissed him.

Once the woman reached them, the group turned to her. Seeley said, "Disculpe lo que dije ahí dentro, señora. (I'm sorry for what I said in there)"

She smiled sadly and said, "That is all right." She looked around and said, "We can speak in English, if you prefer."

"Sí, gracias," Seeley said. "Thank you for talking to us. Really, all we want to do is find out who they are, and try to find out who killed them."

The woman nodded, fighting back sobs.

"What is your name?" Temperance asked.

"Marilita Lopez."

Seeley asked, "Do you know who these people are?" He held the sketches up to her.

Marilita pointed to the woman, "Her name is," she caught herself, "was Rosalia Serra." Pointing to the older girl, "She was Olivia." She moved her finger to the younger girl, "And the baby was Celia." She dabbed her eyes with a wadded napkin.

Seeley wrote the names on an index card. He asked, "How did you know them?"

Marilita shrugged, "They were around the neighborhood." She paused, "we would see them at church and in the pupusa shack. Sometimes we would see each other at the playground, when our children would play together." Seeley made more notations. She asked, "Did they suffer?"

Seeley stopped writing. He wished she hadn't asked that. It seemed to him every time he had to make a notification or question someone who knew the victims someone would always ask. And he dreaded it, every time. He took a deep breath, "The people who killed them were very bad men." She sobbed heavily, bringing her hand with the napkin to her mouth. He knew he couldn't do anything to lessen her pain. He wished he could. If he could have taken it from her and put it on himself, he would. All he could do was wait for it to pass. He looked over to Jon and Chaz. Both wore the face of sadness. Turning to Temperance, he saw her reach out and gently stroke the woman's shoulder.

When Marilita's sobs had lessened he said, "I know this is difficult, and I'm sorry I have to ask these questions now." Marilita nodded and then quieted. Seeley asked, "Do you know anybody who would want to hurt her or her children?" Marilita shook her head. "Boyfriends? Husband? Coyote?"

Marilita stopped sobbing, "Rosalia wasn't an illegal." Seeley looked to Temperance, surprised. "Es verdad," she said nodding." She had a green card. The children too."

Temperance said, "How…"

"Her husband was an American citizen."

"Where's the husband now?" Chaz asked.

"Está muerto. He's dead. He was killed working someplace along the waterfront."

"How long ago was that?" Seeley asked.

Marilita thought for a bit and then said, "About two years, maybe eighteen months ago."

Temperance said, "That would be about a year before they died."

"When was the last time you saw Rosalia and the girls?" asked Seeley.

"It must have been sometime in September. It was just after school started." Marilita smiled." Celia and Olivia were so excited to be going to school."

Seeley asked again, "And you're sure they had green cards?"

"Yes, I'm sure. And Rosalia had a tax number too."

"She was working?" Temperance asked. "Do you know where?"

Marilita nodded, "She was working, as a housekeeper. I don't know where or the people's name. But she would always tell everyone to make sure the people we work for have a tax number so they can pay taxes."

"We should be able to get a copy of the green card and then track back the TIN through the name," Jon said.

"And from the TIN, we should be able to find out who was making the tax payments," Chaz added.

"This is good information? You can find out who did this terrible thing to Rosalia, Olivia and Celia?"

Seeley smiled. He looked at Temperance to see her smiling as well. He turned back to Marilita, "This is very good information. Do you know if she has any other family here? What was her husband's name?"

Marilita shook her head, "I don't know of any other family, but her husband's name was Hector."

Seeley nodded as he was writing on the index cards. "Did you notice any strangers or shady people around the neighborhood at around the time Rosalia and the girls went missing?"

Marilita looked confused, "What is this 'shady'? I don't understand."

Temperance said, "Sospechoso…de quien desconfiar."

Marilita folded her arms across her chest, almost in a protective gesture. She shook her head, "There are gangs. Sometimes new ones come and old ones go."

"Anybody stick out?" Jon asked.

She shook her head, "Lo siento."

Seeley nodded, "Is there anything else you can think of that could help us?" Marilita shrugged and shook her head. Seeley reached into his coat pocket and withdrew one of his business cards. He handed it to her, "I don't know if you're here legally or not. And I don't care. Thank you for helping us." Marilita looked at the card and then looked back at Seeley in puzzlement. Seeley continued, "If you need help, please give me a call."

Marilita nodded in understanding, and said "Gracias," as she turned to return to the restaurant.

As Seeley finished his note taking, Jon opened the bag he had been holding and passed one of the pupusas to Chaz. He unwrapped the other and took a bite.

Temperance watched as Marilita reached the door." Do you think she told us everything she knows?" She saw the cook step outside and watch them.

"That's the impression I get," Seeley said." What about you, Jon?"

Jon, through a mouthful of food said, "I think you're right."

Seeley turned to see him standing next to Chaz, who had unwrapped the other pupusa and was enjoying the taste of the foreign, to him anyway, food, along with Jon. The smell of the fried food wafted all the way over to Seeley.

Temperance, upon smelling the food, scrunched up her nose and said, "What did you get in those things?"

Jon said, "Cheese and fried pork rinds." He held out the food to Temperance and offered her a bite.

It had been a good day for Temperance. Not a single instance of the morning sickness that had plagued her the past couple of days. At the sight and smell of the cheesy, greasy, half-eaten pupusa, all that changed. Her eyes grew wide as she pushed Seeley out of the way and ran towards the street side of the parked cars. Bending over at the waist, she vomited loudly.

"Jeez, Temperance," Jon said." Are you okay?"

Between bouts of retching, her hands on her knees, Temperance yelled at him, "No, you ass! I'm not 'Okay'!" Seeley, fighting back his own nausea stood holding onto her, trying to keep her steady.

Jon said, "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes!" Temperance yelled." Get that stuff away from me!" She retched again.

Jon hurriedly wrapped the paper around the rest of his food and stuffed it back into the white sack. Chaz followed suit. He grabbed the door handle of the SUV and opened the door.

"Uh Uh!" Seeley yelled, shaking his head. "Not in the car!"

"But," Jon said.

"The stench of that stuff did this," Seeley yelled." What do you think being cooped up in the car with it will do?" Temperance was moaning now.

Jon's shoulders sagged, and then he gave the sack to Chaz, "Find someplace to dump this," he said. Chaz nodded and moved to the sidewalk to try to find a trash bin.

A heavily accented voice from the other side of the street said, "Is she going to be all right?"

Seeley and Jon looked over to see the cook waving at the group. Seeley smiled, waved one arm and yelled over, "She'll be all right. It'll pass."

The cook yelled over to Jon, "¿Es su esposa? (Is she his wife?)"

Jon laughed as he nodded and yelled back, "Sí!"

The cook laughed, "Él es un hombre con suerte! (He is a lucky man!)" He turned and reentered the restaurant.

Temperance had straightened up and stood shakily, holding onto Seeley. He said to Jon, "What was that all about?"

Jon shrugged as Seeley walked his wife around to the passenger side of the SUV." While you three were leaving the restaurant I went up and had my food order packaged to go." Temperance moaned softly. "I told them not to spit in my food or anything."

After seeing Temperance safely situated in the passenger seat, Seeley activated the window control to lower her window and then closed the door. Temperance rested her arm on the window jamb and laid her head on top of her forearm." What was that about my wife?" Seeley asked as he walked in front of the SUV on his way to the driver's side door.

"Oh that," Jon made a small cough as he climbed in the back seat next to Chaz. "I told him that you were in a bad mood. Your wife was pregnant and it had been a long time since you had sex." Temperance turned and looked at Jon incredulously. Seeley stopped in front of the SUV. He looked to the sky a moment, a look of profound resignation on his face. He sighed, reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his sunglasses, put them on and continued moving, listlessly, to the driver's seat in silence.