Chapter 21 – Jack, really?

9 AM

"Morning Castle, Beckett," Booth greeted them as he made his way to the war room with his hand guiding Bones, in its usual spot resting lightly on the small of her back.

Castle noted the hand and teased, "Booth, are you like permanently attached to Temperance? I don't think she's been more than a foot away from you without you touching her." Rick, being Rick smirks as he adds this revelation.

"Rick, no wonder you daughter thinks you're a teenager, you like teasing way too much," exasperated Bones groaned her displeasure with Rick.

Beckett declares a truce, "Okay everyone, we've got what I hope is a big day in store, we have less than 20 days to solve this crime or we can expect another body, I'd like to avoid that all cost."

Beckett eyed her evidence board nearly groaning at how empty it was, god they need to catch a break.

Booth thoughts similar to Kate's questioned, "Beckett, looking at this board I think you should we should be looking for missing couples rather than missing persons. Maybe it's a waste of time, but until the Jeffersonian gets us any ID it's worth a shot."

"Booth your right, we've been focused on these couples as individuals, but we hadn't been grouping them together, maybe that's what's missing."

"Ryan, Esposito start checking missing persons again, but do a cross reference on last with, we might catch a break," Kate ordered.

"Dr. Brennan, when can we expect to hear from the Jeffersonian?" Kate inquired.

"11 AM, I thought it best to give them 4-5 hours to process some of the evidence before getting an update," Brennan replied.

"Okay let's regroup at 11," Kate dismissed the group.

Prior to walking out of the war room, Booth called Kate back. "Do you mind if Bones and I use the war room? She can probably work with the squints via webcam, moving the process along quicker."

"Hey anything you can do to make IDs faster, I'd love," Kate answered and was making her way back to the squad room but noticed Castle appeared to have other things in mind, "Castle, coming?"

"Kate, I'm going to stay, I'd love to get some exposure to Tempe's world for my next book and since our leads are being followed, I figure I might be some help to them." Castle replied.

"Okay, but if you don't play nice, I'm going to have to put you in the yard," and with a smirk added, "Be good".

Bones meanwhile had brought the team back online; the webcam being used is mounted on the forensics platform.

"Cam, where are we on reviewing the evidence?" Brennan asked.

Meanwhile Castle looks over at Booth and mouths "Wow"; he's blown away by the platform it looks like something out of science fiction movie.

"Dr. Brennan, Dr. Hodgins has taken all the physical evidence back to his lab and is now beginning to process it, he's planning on focusing on the clothing first, where Angela thought the masks were key," Bren nods her agreement.

Bren spies Fischer lurking in the back ground and focused on him, "Mr. Fischer, can you provide me an update on your findings so far."

"Victim 1 - Jane Doe appears to have garroted confirming Dr. Parish's initial evaluation," Fischer pulled the mobile cam just above the hyoid pointing to the razor like cut across it. "This victim, was approx. 5'6" tall, female between the ages of 25 and 30, having never given birth, Caucasian, she appears to have had the beginnings of carpel tunnel syndrome."

When Fischer paused Dr. Saroyan added, "Based on the hair samples she appears to have been a natural blond. I've taken the tissue to type the DNA, hoping that may help us identify the victim, that's running now."

Dr. Hodgins bounded onto the platform and called out, "Dr. B, I think you and Booth want to know what I just found. Jane Doe 1 was found with 14 white Rosa Carolinae and 2 red Rosa Gallicanae, completely decomposed but volume and weight match the counts I just gave you."

Castle and Booth both look at Hodgins confused, Booth barked, "Hodgins, English."

"14 white roses and 2 red, all from the subgenus Rosa," Hodgins replied.

Castle piped up, "How common are those?" thinking there may be a florist angle.

Hodgins replied, "Common North American rose you can find at any grocery store, drug store or florist in the New York," Hodgins effective cutting off that route.

"Anything else Hodgins," he nodded then added, "The flowers were I think bound together with ostrich feathers, silk, what appears to be elastic and lace, colors gone but the molecular components are there."

Castle snapped his fingers, "I've got it, it's a garter belt … you know the kind you catch at a wedding."

Hodgins nodded slowly in agreement, "Yeah that could definitely fit the materials I found".

"One last thing on victim one, I think her wrists were bound at one point with leather, I'm finding microscopic particles of common shoe lace leather in the samples provided by Dr. Parish." Hodgins added.

"I'm still working the clothing, looks like some leather products but not sure yet, I should have an update in an hour." Hodgins walked away, but could be heard grumbling loudly enough for the webcam mic to pick up, "You think I'd get a great job Hodgins, once in a while."

Castle quirked his brow at Booth having take note of Hodgins comment, "Quite the group."

Bones refocused on her intern, "Mr. Fischer, when will you be able to give Angela the skull, she'll need it for facial reconstruction?" she inquired.

Just as Fischer is about to respond, Angela bound up onto the platform and faced the webcam, "Fischer gave me the skull after his examination this morning, I've already added tissue markers and made a sketch of her", lifting the sketch to the web cam. "She's now processing thru all missing persons reports filed in the mid Atlantic and New England state areas. Simultaneously I'm searching web porn sites for her face with a digitally added mask."

Hearing porn Fischer perked up, his interests caught added, "Wow, you think I could have watched her at some point," totally creeping out everyone hearing this.

"Angela, I knew you were going to search the web, but porn sites?" Booth questioned. All the while Castle is completely taken in by this sexually uninhibited brunette.

"Booth come on we have the following physical evidence for her leather product, feathers, lace, silk and a mask. That all adds up to kinky sex to me Booth." Angela grinned.

"So based on the evidence and Sweetie would agree with me here, porn sites are the best bet." Bren nodded her agreement and turned to Booth.

"Booth, she's right the evidence leads to the sites, it's not Angela's libido working overtime," she smiled at her attempt at humor.

Castle clapped his hands together then looked around with a huge grin on his face, "Wow, I love this case."

Cam interrupted, "Dr. Brennan, I think the team should process the evidence in order of when it was retrieved whenever possible, based on some of the items Dr. Hodgins has found, it feels a bit ritualistic, and so we might get a bead on the killer faster, if we process sequentially."

Brennan nodded her agreement.

Booth added one final request, "Angela, can you make sure we get your sketch to Beckett immediately. Going weeks without any idea of what the victim looked like has to be killing her," Angela smiled, "You bet."

Castle and Booth left the war room to Bones', she was going to continue working victim two with Fischer.

They walked in mutual agreement to the break room, Booth rounded the corner taken aback, "Wow, NYPD must have a bigger budget than we have, an espresso and cappuccino machine, sweet."

"Nah, I bought it, the stuff they had here before would give you an ulcer in 30 minutes or less, I got it for them out of self defense," Castle added.

As each brews their own coffees, Castle openly admired the staff at the Jeffersonian. "Hey Booth, I have to tell you that group at the Jeffersonian, they are unbelievable, that guy Hodgins, got all that from dust and dirt collected. Most of the time the evidence we see here is pretty intact or at least recognizable, even in my books I don't put much in the mysteries of what can't be seen, tasted or smelled. I've always enjoyed the science of Tempe's books, but to actually see her use them, that was so hot!" Booth up to this point is pretty agreeable with Castle's comments, and then his expression turns dark with that final comment.

Rick recognized the Jaguar when he saw it, quickly raised his hands in surrender then added, "I mean the Jeffersonian, not Tempe; um don't tell her that, no woman wants to hear a building is more of a turn on than she is," Castle begged.

Booth chuckled then agreed to keep that tidbit to himself.

A/N: Please R&R it's very much appreciated.