Author's Note: Next chapter. I'm going to apologize in advance for the cliffhanger again, and I'm going to try to put up another chapter later this week.
I do not own Bones or any of its characters. I'm just borrowing them for a while. ;P
Thank you again to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this.
Lives in the now: Well thank you for the review as always, but...no we are not that close to the end actually. We've got a while yet to go. ;)
TimeWitch93: I like Angela way to much to let anything serious happen to her. :) And you're right, Andrew is not that smart, but as you will soon see, he's had lots of time to dream up an elaborate plan...
SweetFavoriteThings: No, I suspect that your feelings toward Andrew make you part of a large club. :) Trust me, you are not alone in wanting him gone.
D: That is exactly it for Andrew: despite the fact that he's not anywhere near Sweets' level of genius, he knows Sweets inside out due to his having spent some time "raising" him as a small child. Back then, he would have had ample opportunity to find out the most effective ways to torment Sweets. And he's using that knowledge to his advantage right now.
Buttercups3: Haha, mange! ;P...But yes, Andrew has not only gotten to Sweets, but to everyone else as shown by how unnerved everyone is... I'm glad you enjoyed my B&B and my Hodgela moments. They needed a chance to respond to recent events... As for why no one notices what Sweets is doing...Well it's hard to think when in the midst of a crisis...But that might not be the case once everyone has a chance to think about what's going on...
Super Ario: For all his genius, Sweets can be vulnerable to making unwise and impulsive decisions. Especially when dealing with someone who knows how to terrorize him the way Andrew does...And as for the rest of the review...Um you'll just have to read and see...And yes, it is cool that Bones is back. Looking forward to new episodes to obsess over. :D
LadyKale1985: Thanks for your reviews as always. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
ScotFree: I agree...Too bad he's far from being out of the woods yet...
Fear Herself: No you did not imagine it. I did throw a little Hodgela in there. :D I really enjoy them as a couple and was thrilled when they finally got married last season...And I'm sure you will be ready to declare all-out war after this chapter. ;)
Fearlee: Yeah, I try to make it kind of like the TV show that way...they tend to leave off at some interesting point right before going to commercial. ;D It's not always planned that way though. I just tend to cut things off wherever it seems like a good place for a break...Although I'm sure you might not believe that after reading this chapter...And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about any of my other plot points like Wyatt and his secret "assignments". There will be more on that soon...
JonasBROgirl8816: Again, hopefully this was fast enough. :) Fortunately there will be another update even sooner.
Misscruel: Thank you for the review. :D I try to keep everyone as in character as possible, so I'm always thrilled when someone feels that the characters ring true.
The Measure of the Spirit—Chapter 12
Back in the Medico-Legal lab, Brennan had returned to the ooky room and was re-examining the bones that had been laid out there. She was pretty sure that she had derived everything that she could from the remains, but then again she knew better to make unfounded assumptions. That way was counter-intuitive to science and thus oppositional to her way of thinking.
Besides that, Brennan found that careful, pain-staking work such as this had a way of stimulating her thought processes. She had been spending a lot of time outside the lab during this whole case due to how it affected her and Booth personally, but now she felt she needed time to focus on the pure science of the forensics in front of her.
After about an hour of close examination, the anthropologist made some notes of some things she wanted to explore further. But she frowned when she remembered that Clark had finished his rotation as her assistant because it came at an inopportune time. She was aware that most of her best interns would not be available for about two weeks due to other commitments. Cam had warned her about the upcoming two-week gap months ago, and Brennan had originally planned to focus on some centuries old European remains that she had been putting off. But now with this case, Brennan admitted that she could use her brightest grad students to assist her with her work.
She started to make plans about how to prioritize the avenues she wanted to explore when Booth walked over to the entrance way.
"Agent Coel is on her way with Sweets to the hotel we agreed on. Agent Burnet volunteered to join her on this shift, and he's going to meet her there soon," he said. "Have you got anything for me?"
"I have some questions that I would like to answer, but I'm not sure if they will be helpful to you as far as finding Jensen goes," she responded. "I'm going to make some plans for analysis and then I could go over what I've discovered thus far."
"Fine. I'll talk to you in a bit. And go ahead and pursue those questions," Booth said as he turned to leave. "We need anything we can get at this point."
Booth headed up to the upper lounge area and sat down onto one of the couches while he waited for Brennan to finish up. He thought again about the arrangements he made for Sweets and was satisfied at the results. He knew Coel was a dependable agent, and while Burnet had been known to be a little reckless in the past, he had recently distinguished himself with some high-profile work that led to a couple of large meth labs being shut down.
But Booth had some unanswered questions that were plaguing him as well. Now that he had some time to reflect on recent events, some thoughts began to nag at him.
First on his mind was Sweets' actions as he left the hospital. Initially, Booth had been a little hurt and offended at the therapist's harsh tone, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized how out of character that was for Sweets.
'Sweets sometimes says some pretty squinty and awkward things…but he doesn't tend to go out of his way to be cruel to others,' Booth thought. 'It's just not in his nature...'
The agent made a mental note to talk to Wyatt about this. He had wanted to see the psychiatrist-turned-culinary expert again anyway to see if he had been able to come up with anything from Sweets' notes on Jensen. But then another question made its way to the forefront of his brain.
'Why did Jensen miss Sweets if he was aiming for him? Browder acted like that rifle would make it easy to get a clear shot with that scope….So why did he hit Angela instead?'
Booth considered the theory that Hodgins had mentioned about Jensen being too high on meth to shoot straight, but soon dismissed that idea.
'Jensen…he's a real nut case, but he's been careful about this whole thing…Slashing Sweets' tires, trashing his apartment, and now shooting Angela….all while not getting caught. Almost as if he had carefully planned all this…That's not the actions of someone who's tweaking so much they can't think straight….let alone shoot straight.'
As he mulled over Andrew's possible state of mind, a new set of questions popped into Booth's mind.
'How did he know that Sweets was at the Jeffersonian just then? And for that matter…how did he know where Sweets lives and what car he drives?' the agent asked himself. 'It's almost as if he has some kind of inside track into Sweets' life…Like someone is telling him everything he needs to know about…'
Suddenly something Browder said during his interrogation came back to Booth.
'I mean he even managed to send a few well-paying clients my way.'
'Well-paying clients? How did Andrew manage to steer that kind of business Browder's way?' Booth wondered. 'A small timer like him.'
It wasn't long before a new possibility presented itself to Booth.
'Unless…Maybe those clients had their normal suppliers cut off….And somehow Andrew knew about it…Because he tipped someone off to those labs in the first place…Someone in the Bureau…'
Just then, Booth's blood ran cold. He ran down the stairwell and bellowed for Brennan, who was walking out of the ooky room and taking off her gloves.
"What is it, Booth?" she said as she removed her lab coat.
"We need to leave now," Booth said. The two of them swiftly headed for the parking lot and Booth had pulled out his phone and had called the Hoover Building as they walked.
"This is Special Agent Booth," he said. "I need you to put me through to Agent Coel…Yes, I know that she probably reported in recently, but put me through anyway. This is an emergency."
Once in the parking lot, Booth and Brennan rushed over to Booth's SUV and climbed in. Seconds later they were leaving the parking lot and were speeding down the road. The agent was still listening to someone on his phone, leaving Brennan confused about his sudden rush of concern.
"Well then keep trying," Booth finally said. "In fact, go ahead and try to triangulate her coordinates with her cell phone signal…and make sure to send back up units now to the safe house where Doctor Sweets is being held…Yes, I know but do it anyway." Booth then hung up and turned his sirens on.
"Booth, what is going on?" Brennan asked him again.
"I should have seen it before now, Bones," Booth answered, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "How could Jensen have known about Sweets' car, his home address, and even where he was at all times unless…?"
"Unless someone was giving him that information," Brennan said, finishing his sentence.
"Exactly," the agent replied. "There's got to be a leak at the Bureau. They're the only ones who would have all of that information."
"Do you think it's Agent Coel?"
"No," Booth said. "I've known Coel for years…She's a real 'by-the-book' type of woman. She's fully dedicated to her job…It's not her…But it's someone there, and by now, whoever it is knows where Sweets is hiding. And if they know, then Jensen knows."
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of DC, Sweets had been sitting on a couch for the last thirty minutes, trying to relax and listening to Coel's instructions.
"Make sure you stay away from all of the windows," she told him. "And do not under any circumstances answer the door. In fact, keep out of sight whenever it is opened. We need to make sure that as few people as possible know that you're here."
"Understood," the psychologist said dully.
"Good," Coel said, as she turned to face him after she finished looking out one of the windows. "So…after Agent Burnet arrives, I figured that we could order dinner. Any requests?"
"I'm not really very hungry," Sweets shrugged as he rose to his feet.
"Well…you think about it," Coel said. "If you change your mind, let me know."
"Fine," Sweets said as he walked away from her.
The hotel they were in had some rather spacious rooms. The one they had chosen was almost cottage-style with its own kitchen and front room area. Sweets walked over the bedroom, which had two double beds and a bathroom attached to it. He sat down on one of the beds and put his head in his hands.
He might have felt safe for the moment, but he also felt empty and alone.
'Even if they find him now, it's too late,' he thought. 'Andrew's already destroyed my life.'
Sweets thought over the last couple of days and was reminded of his damaged car, his ruined apartment, and the tarnish that he was sure would be attached to his reputation once this all came out in an arrest and trial. But what he fixated on the most was the friendships which he had just tried to throw away.
'They were all trying to help me, and look what it got them…I should have known better than to think that I could ever really be a part of their group…All I do is bring misery to people…And they don't deserve that.'
Sweets laid down on the bed, exhausted. He had gotten very little sleep over the past couple of days, so within minutes he found himself becoming drowsy.
'No matter what…at least they're safe now,' Sweets told himself as he closed his eyes. 'Andrew will lose interest in them if they aren't around me.'
Out in the front room area, Coel paced about, doing her best to remain alert. She had heard about the shooting at the Jeffersonian and was determined to not have a repeat of that event here. Still, she knew that she wouldn't really be at ease until she had some backup, so Coel reluctantly looked forward to Burnet's arrival.
When Coel heard that Burnet had volunteered to work with her doing this shift, she was a little wary at first. Burnet had always struck her as being too reckless to be dependable and for a while she had wondered if he would last very long as an agent of the Bureau.
'He's always been the type to cut corners,' she thought. 'That's not the type of person we need at the FBI.'
But she had also heard about his recent work that led to some meth labs being shut down, so she hoped that was a sign that he had gotten more serious about his work.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking at the door. Coel pulled out her gun and crept over to the door so that she could look out the peephole. She saw Burnet standing alone, and she carefully undid the locks.
"Come in," she said through the door. Burnet came in slowly, and Coel watched around him to make sure that he hadn't been followed. Once he was inside and the door was shut, Coel finally re-holstered her weapon.
"So…where is he?" Burnet asked as he walked around the room.
"In his room," Coel answered. "I think he's sleeping."
"I don't suppose there's any way that he could sneak out," Burnet asked. "Or that someone could sneak in there and get him."
"I wouldn't worry about him running," Coel said. "He seems pretty freaked out by the scumbag who's after him. And the bedroom's windows are locked down tight and there's only the one door in or out. There's no way anyone is going in or coming out of there without us seeing it."
"Good," Burnet said, with a grin. Coel was unnerved by how happy he seemed, but decided to attend to her growling stomach rather than dwell on that.
"Ok then…well the shrink said that he didn't want anything to eat," she said turning to a stand with a phone book sitting on it. "So I was thinking we could order something like pizza. That way if he changes his mind…"
But Coel was cut off when Burnet pulled his gun out and struck her in the head with it. She fell to the floor, unconscious. After checking to see that she was truly out, Burnet pulled out her gun and cell-phone out of her pockets. He then went to the bedroom and opened the door just a crack to see Sweets fast asleep on one of the beds. He closed the door and locked it from the outside. After that, he pulled out a disposable cell-phone and made a call.
"Hey…yeah, I'm at the place now…Don't worry, she won't be able to cause any trouble…And he's sleeping like a baby. You can come and get him now."
Burnet hung up and as he was putting the phone back into his pocket. Coel's phone started to go off. Hastily, Burnet turned it off.
He had a lot to do before his visitor arrived, and he didn't want the psychologist to wake up any time soon.
Booth slapped his hand in frustration onto the steering wheel. The heavy DC traffic was making it difficult for him to maneuver through it, even with his sirens on. Even worse, the Bureau had gotten a hold of him at one point and informed him that there were no field agents who were any closer than he was right now from the hotel. That meant that it would be at least forty minutes before anyone would be arriving there.
Booth called the Bureau again to see if anyone had gotten through to Coel, but was only given more disturbing news.
"They tried triangulating Coel's position through her cell-phone, but it had been turned off," Booth told Brennan after he had hung up. "And apparently, Burnet, who should be there by now, isn't answering his phone either."
"Do you think that it's Burnet?" Brennan asked.
"I can't know for sure until we do a little digging, but yeah, it's looking that way, Bones," the agent grimaced. He then pulled out his phone again after swerving through some more traffic and hit his speed dial.
He hoped that he would be lucky enough to get an answer this time.
Sweets stirred from his dreamless slumber when he thought he heard a crash in the other room. He started to get up so he could investigate, when he felt his cell-phone begin to vibrate. He pulled it out and answered it, still groggy.
"Hello?" he mumbled.
"Sweets," Booth said relief evident in his voice. "Where are you right now?"
"Booth?" Sweets answered, confused. "I…I'm at the hotel with Agent Coel. What's going on?"
"Ok Sweets, listen to me carefully," Booth said. "Burnet, the agent who's supposed to meet with Coel at the hotel…he's dirty. He's been helping Jensen find out all about you through this whole thing. You need to get out of there right now and go find a public place...Then just stay there, and I'll be there in a couple minutes to get you."
"What?" the psychologist said startled at this revelation. "But what about…?"
"Just do it now," Booth ordered. "Stay on the line with me and let me know when you're out of there and where you're going."
"All right," Sweets said, jumping up from the bed. He slipped the cell-phone into his pocket without hanging it up and went over to the door. But it was locked. He then tried the windows and found that they were sealed tight. The therapist looked around the room for something he could break the windows with, but came up empty. He then heard movement and a voice coming from the other rooms. He didn't dare risk letting whoever was out there know what he was doing, figuring that they could be armed. Instead he scrambled into the adjoining bathroom and shut the door and locked it. Sweets then sank to the floor as he pulled his phone back out.
"Booth," Sweets said, panic seeping into his voice. "The doors and windows are all locked and there's someone out in the other room….There is no way out."
"Then…try to stay out of sight, all right?" Booth said, trying hard to remain calm himself. "We will be there in a few minutes…just hang tight."
"Wait Booth," Sweets said. "Before you hang up…I wanted to say that I'm sorry for…."
"It's ok, Sweets," the agent interrupted. "And don't worry…Just stay on the line with me until I get there…Everything will be fine."
"Booth…I, um…just in case I don't…"Sweets swallowed hard before continuing.
"I just wanted to thank you," he said quietly. "For…for everything… And please tell Hodgins that I'm sorry about Angela…and…"
"Stop," Booth said, uneasy at Sweets' tone. "Look there's no need for all this. You can tell everyone this stuff yourself when we bring you in…You just stay on the line."
Burnet had just finished tying Coel up and stashing her away when he heard a knock on the door. He opened up and let the man waiting there inside.
"He's locked up in his room," Burnet said as he turned and closed the door behind his visitor. "So he's all yours whenever you want him….Now, we need a cover story to explain how you were able to get in and out of here with him. I figured that you could kill Coel and just knock me out. Then after this is all over, it'll be business as usual, right?"
But to Burnet's horror, the man had suddenly drawn his gun and had it pointed at his head as the agent turned back toward him.
"Sorry, change of plans," Andrew grinned as he pulled the trigger.
Booth kept weaving in and out of traffic and was beginning to make good time, but he was still at least twenty-five minutes away from the hotel. Sweets had stopped talking for the most part, but Booth made him say something every couple of minutes so as to assure himself that the psychologist was still there.
The two of them heard the loud and only somewhat muffled sound coming from outside the room Sweets was in.
"Sweets," Booth said. "What was that?"
"I…I don't know," the therapist said his voice beginning to quaver. "A gunshot, I think."
Then there was the sound of pounding, and Andrew's voice rang out.
"Let me in there, Lance," he screamed. "Now!"
"Oh God…he's here," Sweets whimpered.
"Keep that door shut," Booth ordered. "We're getting there as fast as we can."
"Booth…I…"
Just then Booth heard even more pounding and then a gunshot. That was followed by the sounds of some kind of struggle and then it was silent again.
"Sweets!" Booth yelled into the phone. But instead of the psychologist's voice, the agent only heard a hearty chuckle.
"Game over, Fed…I win," Jensen laughed into the phone. "You will never see him again."
There was another loud sound, and the line went dead.
