Chapter Twenty-One: The Truth

Brennan rolled her head on her neck and closed the lid to the box of bones she was working on in limbo. A quick glance to the doorway showed that the guard was still standing watch, occasionally taking a surreptitious look at his watch and sighing. With a soft laugh, she glanced at her watch and was shocked to discover that it was almost 7 PM. Booth had said he would be there at 6 to get her, and it now occurred to her that she hadn't heard from him since he left that afternoon. A sick, sinking feeling started in her stomach as she raced out of the room, the guard tight on her heels. She pulled her phone out of her lab coat and hit speed dial #1, silently praying to Booth's God that she was overreacting. When the call immediately went to voice mail, Brennan stopped dead, one leg poised to enter the forensic platform, the other trying its best not to buckle under her.

Angela turned on the platform and saw the look on her best friend's face, a mix of horror and recognition, and knew immediately that something had happened to Booth. "Oh God, Bren…where is Booth? What's happened?" She ran down the steps and grabbed Brennan's hand, letting her hold tight.

"I-I don't know. He was supposed to be here at 6, it's almost 7 now and all I get is his voice mail. Something is definitely wrong, Angela. Something horrible…" Brennan couldn't finish her thought as a sob tore from her throat, causing her to grip Angela even harder. "I need…need to…"

Before Angela could react, Brennan's legs finally gave out and she was falling towards the ground.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The first thing Booth was aware of was the pain in his arms and shoulders. It was a searing, constant throb that only got worse when he tried to move. He slowly opened his eyes, taking in the scene in front of him. A warehouse. Cages emitting a loud barking noise. And his arms attached to a metal hook above his head.

'This is really bad,' he thought. 'I'm sorry, Bones.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brennan opened her eyes slowly, wincing as she adjusted to the bright lights of her office. "Booth?" She tried to sit up, but something was holding her down. Or someone, anyway.

"Sweetie, stay down. Let Cam get a look at you before you move. You scared us all to death." Angela held her shoulders as Brennan struggled to get up.

"No, Angela! Booth is out there somewhere, and he may be…" she stopped, not allowing herself to believe the worst. "He needs my help! I need to find out who is doing this and get to him!"

Angela sighed and released Brennan reluctantly. "Alright, alright. But you need to calm down and let us help you. You've been out for almost an hour, let me get you up to speed."

Realizing that Angela was only trying to help, Brennan relented. "Okay. Thanks, Ang." She spared her friend a small smile. "What is going on?"

"I think I can help with some of that." Andrew Hacker stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. "Dr. Brennan, I'm glad to see you up and about. How are you feeling?"

"I think we can dispense with the formalities, Andrew. Please." Brennan gestured to the chair across from where she and Angela sat. "Tell me what is happening."

"Alright, Temperance. But I need you to listen carefully, and know that the FBI has every available agent working this. Booth is extremely well-liked and respected. We want him back almost as badly as you do." Andrew noticed that Brennan was sporting dark circles under her eyes and that her hands shook slightly. He couldn't even imagine the fear she was feeling right now, but he knew that Booth would want them to make sure she was not only taken care of, but informed every step of the way, he ran down the basics of the case as clinically as he could. Glancing at Angela and getting a nod, he began to fill Brennan in on the shocking facts they had learned in the last hour.

"Earlier this afternoon, a burned out car was discovered along side the road in Tucker County, Virginia. It contained the body of a woman who was burned beyond recognition. In the tree next to the car, a baby car seat was found with a doll sitting inside."

"The Meg Taylor case. Andy" Brennan whispered, the horror of the original scene playing in a loop in her head.

"That's what we assumed as well after Sheriff Delpy informed us of the parallels." Hacker took a breath and continued. "The body was taken to the FBI forensics lab for identification as soon as it was determined that this could be another in the series that has been linked to you. The techs immediately ran the victim's DNA through several databases in order to get an ID. As they were working, I received a call from Ms. Montenegro about your concerns about Booth. Since I do not believe in coincidence, I checked with our guards and pulled surveillance tapes from the Hoover's parking structure. According to Angela, that is where Agent Booth was headed the last time he was seen by any of you."

"Yes. He was going to get a list of suspects from Sweets and then run the names through the databases." Brennan felt a crushing weight on her chest as something significant began dawning on her. "What did the tapes show?"

Hacker continued. "Well, the guards did confirm that Booth never checked into the building, so I personally viewed the tapes from that timeframe. His SUV is seen entering the structure and parking out of range. Several minutes later, it was seen leaving. But Booth was no longer behind the wheel."

All the breath left Brennan's lungs as realization slapped her directly across the face. "Dr. Sweets…" she breathed. "Oh my God. How could we have missed it?" Jumping up from the couch, she began to pace frantically.

Angela nodded her head, trying to fight off tears. "It was Sweets driving the SUV. He's the killer, Bren. It was Sweets the whole time."

"What else, Andrew? What else do you know?" Brennan was practically begging by now, almost hysterical. The revelation about Sweets seemed to almost not register with her in her current state.

"Temperance. Please. Take a deep breath. I'll tell you everything, but I need you to focus." He stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Booth needs you to focus. I believe there is still time to find him."

"How can you possibly know that?" Brennan asked, staring into Hacker's eyes, willing him to convince her that the only man she had ever truly loved still had a chance.

"Because every single victim was alive for at least 10 hours between the time they were taken and the time they died. For some reason, Dr. Sweets is keeping them somewhere, alive, until he re-creates whatever crime scene he's chosen."

"Re-creates…oh. 'Pale imitation'…you've identified the woman in the car as Daisy Wick, haven't you?" Brennan's teeth began to chatter as the clues started to come together in her head.

"Yes. Just about 20 minutes ago. And there is another thing…" Hacker seemed almost loathe to continue, but Angela encouraged him.

"You need to tell her everything. She won't like that you kept it from her."

With a nod, Hacker started again. "We found another body. A Jason DeFry?"

"I never even slept with Jason!" Brennan slapped her hand over her mouth, horrified that the information had popped out, unbidden. "Sorry. How was he found?"

"Inside of a refrigerator. Someone at the dump found the body; he had probably been there for 6 weeks or so. I am sorry, Temperance." Brennan nodded to Hacker, motioning for him to finish.

"Right now, all we know about Booth's disappearance is that Lance Sweets is obviously responsible, and that he will most definitely use Booth to re-create a crime scene that you and Booth worked together. The good news, if you can call it that, is that he left another note." Hacker handed the evidence bag to Brennan. "Do you feel like you can handle it?"

"Of course!" she snapped. Sighing again, she apologized. "I am just…I don't know."

"It's fine. Just take a look at this and see if anything pops out at you." Hacker sat back down as Brennan began reading.

Temperance,

By now I am sure you are aware that I have Booth. Right now, and for a short time, he is still alive. But not for long. Unfortunately for Booth, no one is going to storm in, guns blazing, playing the hero for him. And it's your entire fault. You sent him with me.

I now realize that I was very wrong about you, Temperance. I thought that you were a kind, loving, generous soul who would be the one woman to make me feel like a real man, and not like some weak imitation playing dress-up. But now I see you for what you really are. A superficial glory-whore who is only interested in a man for his looks and athletic prowess. You could have chosen me, a man who is infinitely more worthy of you intellectually than that Neanderthal of a partner of yours, who never let any other man close enough to have a decent chance with you. But you chose unwisely, and for that Booth will have to pay.

I will not be alive to see your face when you find his body, but rest assured I have already fantasized about the moment in my head, and it is what gives me the courage to finish this. I would wish you the best, but it's obvious that you don't deserve that.

Yours,

Dr. Lance Sweets

Suddenly, Brennan's head snapped up, eyes wide and shining with tears.

"I know where Booth is."