Okay... I know it took way too longAGAIN, but here we go, there is another chapter ready on this!!! Hope you like it!
CHAPTER 21:
"Booth!" Brennan nudged Booth, who had absently placed his arm around her shoulders, staring at the remains on the steel table in front of them.
"What?" He asked, startled by her reaction.
"Did you forget about the professional behaviour part?" She hissed, giving him a stern look.
He sighed and removed his arm. "Is this not considered a gesture between friends?"
"Maybe... but it distracts me... so don't do it." She explained and started to resume her work. She was going over all the findings again, re-examining the remains. It was nothing more than killing time while Jack's cousin was searching for the papers they needed.
Brennan did not expect to gain new information by another thorough examination of the body of Marco DiBianco. After all, they always were trying to pay attention to every detail.
So she was pretty surprised to find something new.
"Zach!" She yelled. The younger doctor hurried over from his current workplace, looking at her expectantly. "Zach... look at that... tell me what you see." She pointed towards the skull, or more exactly the jaw. Zach moved closer, squinting a little.
"There is something ..." He stopped, startled. "How come I did not see this?"
"You did not look close enough?" Booth suggested.
"Booth!" Brennan shot him a death glare. "It's okay Zach. I did not see it either. It's very small and not easily to locate. We found it now... let's find out what it is."
Zach carefully removed the object, a puzzled look at his face. "Looks like metal... The colour would suggest copper or at least a legation with copper."
"Hodgins will be able to tell. Maybe it is part of the instrument that was rammed through the palate and into his brain... The form suggests it was scraped off... maybe by his teeth. It could be part of the murder weapon." Brennan analysed.
"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan?" Hodgins called from the other side of the lab. "Vic called. She found the papers. The name is Antonio Crippa."
Booth pulled out his phone and called the FBI. "How do you spell it?" He asked before talking to the woman on the other line. Hodgins walked towards them and wordlessly handed him a note.
"Yes, this is Special Agent Seeley Booth. I need the address of Antonio Crippa. C-R-I-P-P-A... Yeah, call me as soon as you have something."
Booth said and closed his phone, facing Hodgins, who was watching him expectantly.
"I think Zach has something for you to play with." Booth smiled at Hodgins, gesturing towards Zach, who was waiting impatiently with the small metallic chip on a petri dish in his hands.
"Right." Hodgins said, but before turning around, he paused and with audible worry in his voice he asked. "Agent Booth... I just wanted to ask... with this case, Mafia and everything. Is Vic safe? Or... can you provide security for her? I... could pay for it."
Booth's eye brows rose slightly. "I'll call my boss. I am sure we can spare an agent for your cousin to make sure she is safe."
"Good. But don't tell her it was my idea. She hates it when I fuss about her. But I can't help it... we grew up together." Hodgins said, almost shyly.
"No problem." Booth assured him and relief showed on Jack's face as he turned around, mumbling a "Thank you", then the hurried away with Zach, to examine the small metallic object they had found.
"Should we not think of protection for Mary White, too?" Brennan asked him, worrying for the younger woman's safety.
"I don't know, Bones... It would draw attention to her. Her apartment is a fortress and she managed to stay off the radar until now... It may be more dangerous than helpful to assign her a bodyguard... Maybe only observation of the apartment. I will have to ask Cullen about it." Booth explained, a thoughtful expression on his face and she nodded, then returned her attention to the remains in front of her.
Booth watched her while she was working, how she bent over the remains squinting at the fractures and he could not hide a smile. He liked watching her work... she was always so engrossed in it, forgetting about everything else, and it was something he loved about her. Among many other things.
Only a few minutes later, his mobile phone rang again. He answered it, listening for a few moments and scribbled something on the note Hodgins had handed him before. When he closed his phone, Brennan gave him a questioning look.
"You up to a little talk with Antonio Crippa?" Booth asked, knowing she would want to come with him.
"Sure." She gave back, and retreated from the examination table. "I'll tell Zach we're leaving. He can complete the examination."
Booth watched her walk away, observing how her hips were swaying... and he was pretty sure that being "professional at work" was going to be harder for him than he had thought.
Life was going to be interesting.
dun-dun! Is Crippa a bad guy? Is Vic in danger? Will they be able to get a warrant for searching Alessandro Garibaldi's suite? What is with the metal they found?
Did you like it ;)