A/N: This chapter and the next take place on the same day a la 12.11. Next chapter will have Jessica's actions while Aubrey is in West Virginia. This is a very long chapter, but it flows together so well that the decision was made not to split it.

So sit back, get comfortable, and enjoy the ride as Booth and Aubrey take a road trip to work on the case.

A/N: THIS IS A REPOST OF CHAPTER 35. Laura and I appreciate your patience as we deal with the shitstorm that is of late regarding stories and updates.

The next morning was chilly and gray as the agents prepared to make the trip to the Federal Penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia. Booth grumbled to himself as he pulled the SUV out of the Hoover's parking garage. A cold front had moved through, and yesterday's pleasant weather had been replaced by a wintry mix which was rapidly making the streets of DC a slushy mess.

"Jesus…" He swore softly as he turned on the wipers. "Goddamnit...it's really coming down hard, isn't it? Looks like it's sleeting…I hate driving in this shit."

Aubrey shrugged as he stared out the car's passenger window. "The weather forecast didn't say anything about freezing stuff. It was supposed to be rain only…"

"Yeah, well, I guess someone forgot to tell the clouds." Booth pointed at the tiny grains of ice bouncing off the window. "That's definitely sleet." Sighing heavily, he checked his mirrors before cranking up the car's heater. "We'll probably get over to West Virginia okay today, but it may be difficult getting home. I guess we'll have to play that by ear...but hopefully the traffic on the interstate will keep the snow from sticking, and we won't have any problem with the roads this afternoon."

"Maybe." Aubrey took a sip from his coffee mug. "I guess we can wait until tomorrow to go to see my dad, if you want…"

Shaking his head as he checked the oncoming traffic, Booth glanced at his passenger. "Nah, we might as well go today and get it over with. We've got nothing else to go on with the Vacchio case, and Stark is becoming a pain in the ass about it, right? Anyway, I know you don't want to put this off any longer if you don't have to, and there's no guarantee the weather will be any better tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's true." Aubrey sighed as he turned to his friend. "Hey, I really appreciate this...you going with me and all. I really don't want this shit about my dad spread all over the Hoover, you know, and I know I can trust you to be discreet. Besides...I wanna keep my cool when we talk to him, and you being there in the room will help me with that."

"Don't worry about it, okay? Part of the job, right? Hey, hand me one of those doughnuts…" As he reached into the box that Aubrey offered, Booth was surprised to find there was still a dozen available to choose from. "Um...you feeling okay today, Aubrey? I mean, I can understand if you're a little nervous, but…"

Scoffing as he took a doughnut for himself, Aubrey was quick to offer an explanation. "I'm fine. I was just being polite, you know...respecting my elders and all…letting you have the first choice from the box."

"Hey, I ain't that much your elder, Buddy boy…"

"What...twelve years? I'd say you're getting up there, Booth…a little long in the tooth..."

"I'm not old...I'm experienced, okay?" Booth grinned slightly as Aubrey laughed nervously. "Just wait...someday you'll be my age, and you'll be mentoring some kid who thinks you're old…"

"Whatever…"

*/*/*/*

Thirty minutes had passed, and Booth had been studying his friend furtively as they drove along Highway I 270 N in silence. The normally chatty Aubrey had barely spoken two sentences since they'd left DC's city limits, and he'd only eaten three doughnuts. Booth's gut was beginning to nag at him. Something was very wrong…

Turning the windshield wipers up to high, Booth glared as he looked up at the sky. "Damn sleet and snow…" He adjusted the defroster as he tried to clear a spot on the windshield with the back of his hand. "It's getting slippery, too."

"Do you want to turn around and go home?", Aubrey asked, hoping he didn't sound anxious. He really wanted to get this day over with as soon as possible, but he didn't want to whine.

"Nah. We're almost halfway through Maryland, and it'd take us a couple of hours to get back to DC, so we might as well keep trucking along this way. If the weather gets too bad we can probably find a place to stop." Booth smiled slightly at Aubrey's quiet sigh of relief. "Yeah, I know you want to get this over with today. Why don't you call the warden over at Hazelton and tell him we might be late for our appointment to see your dad?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Don't want my dad out of his cell anymore than he needs to be."

As he waited for Aubrey to get off the phone, Booth made his decision. Something was bugging his friend, and they needed to get things squared away before they talked to Phillip Aubrey, or neither one would be able to concentrate on the difficult task ahead of them. Clearing his throat as Aubrey ended the call, Booth began his not so subtle interrogation.

"So...this is gonna be awkward, isn't it? I mean, you made a big deal about never talking to your dad again after he was arrested, and now that's exactly what you're gonna do…" Smirking at Aubrey, the older man shrugged as he focused on the highway in front of them. "But that's no skin off your ass, right? The guy's just another source of information, right?"

"Of course that's right. I'm a professional law enforcement agent, in charge of my own division. I know what I'm doing, and I can handle this situation. Just another day at work…" Aubrey exhaled softly through clenched teeth. "I guess that's not exactly the truth, Booth. I am a bit nervous about going to see my dad. He's so good at twisting a person's words around to use against them…I mean, what if I get flustered and then he gets the upper hand?"

"Well, we'll tag team him, and between the two of us, he won't know what hit him. If you want, I can be the good cop, and you can be the bad cop."

Seeing Aubrey's weak grin, Booth nodded to himself. I don't think it's his dad that's making him upset…

"I think it's snowing harder now. It's definitely gonna be a problem to get back home this evening." He turned to wink at his friend. "I hope Jessica won't mind sleeping by herself tonight. We may be stuck in West Virginia for a day or two…"

"I'm pretty sure she'd be sleeping by herself no matter when I got home.", Aubrey said softly. As he suddenly realized Booth had heard him, he turned to stare out the passenger window, avoiding Booth's stare. "Things are...kind of rough between us right now…"

"What did you do to fuck things up this time?", Booth sputtered angrily. Seeing his friend's guilty expression, he shook his head. "I thought you two were finally on the same page." Sighing audibly, he glanced at his passenger. "Let me guess...you didn't tell Jessica about this whole new deal with your dad, and she figured out you were holding out on her again…"

"...and we had a big argument this morning because she thinks I don't trust her, but I do…", Aubrey began plaintively, choosing not to mention the events of the night before. "I do trust her. It's just…"

"No, you don't. You don't trust her at all." Booth was thoroughly frustrated with his friend as he stared straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel with clenched fists. "You were afraid that she'd find out your dad may be a murderer, and that she'd leave you. You're a fucking idiot, you know that?"

"What? Now wait just a goddamn minute, Booth…"

"No, you need to listen, okay? You're a moron. Do you really think she's gonna dump you because of your dad? She already knows he's a crook…" Booth groaned with exasperation as they came up on a slowly moving sand truck. "I mean, I'm sure she's not gonna be surprised by anything your dad might be accused of…"

Aubrey was shaking with anger as he turned to Booth. "I don't want to lose her, Booth...but what person in their right mind is gonna want to be with someone whose parent is a murderer? I didn't tell her, because the thought of being without her just makes me crazy…"

"But if you don't tell her the truth, you're gonna lose her anyway." Booth grimaced slightly as he passed the truck ahead of him. "And as for who'd want to be with someone whose parent is a murderer? I'm one of those people. I'd wanted to be with Bones for years before we finally got together, even though her dad is a career criminal...even though I know for sure that he murdered at least one man, and probably more. I didn't care one damn bit, because I loved Bones so much. Whatever Max did, good or bad...whether Kirby deserved what he got or not...it didn't matter. It could never change how I felt about her."

"Yeah…", Aubrey began. "I can see that…"

"Besides…don't you have a minor in religious studies? I guess you didn't actually learn a whole helluva lot about the Bible, did you?" Booth rolled his eyes as he pretended to be disgusted. "Early in the Old Testament, children were punished for their parents' mistakes, but in Ezekiel, there was a new word from the Lord...that children should be punished for their own mistakes, but not for those of their parents." Clearing his throat, he quoted the verses he was referencing.

"Yet you say, 'Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?' When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Surprised to get a Bible lesson from Booth, Aubrey nodded as he watched snowflakes fly past the passenger window. "Ezekiel 18:20. Yeah, I remember. I'm kinda surprised you know what it says in Ezekiel. It's not an Old Testament book that most people read…"

Booth inhaled slowly to steady his nerves a bit. "I know about that book of the Bible because of Aldo Clemens."

"But he was-"

"Aldo wasn't always a drug addict, Aubrey. He was a priest at one time, remember?" Forcing himself to be calm as he thought about his deceased friend, he continued quietly. "Anyway, I'd gone to see him one night, all upset because I knew I wanted a life with Bones, but my dad...my dad was an ugly, violent drunk, and I was so afraid I'd turn out like him...but when Aldo read that passage out of Ezekiel to me, it was a huge comfort...which is weird, because it's one of the strangest books in the Bible, you know? That guy Ezekiel saw all sorts of weird shit in his visions..."

"It is weird. Ezekiel's visions were just crazy..." Aubrey paused, thinking over what Booth had said.

Booth shrugged as he checked his mirrors. "Jessica is pretty smart, Aubrey, even though for some reason she loves you. She's not gonna punish you for something your dad did. Listen, you don't hate her because her mom is mentally ill, do you?"

Aubrey looked at Booth like he was crazy. "Why the hell would I do that? It's not Jess's fault that Eleanor is the way she is...and she doesn't know I told you that, by the way, so keep it to yourself."

"Of course you don't, Aubrey, because you know that she had nothing to do with that, and I haven't even told Bones about her mother because it's not my place. As for you and your father, Jessica knows you had nothing to do with the bastard and his criminal record."

Aubrey nodded as he considered what his friend had said. "I guess you're right. When Jess and I had our big fight this morning, she was really angry at me...she told me to leave...practically kicked me out of her apartment, and now I don't know where I stand with her. I don't know if she's gonna be willing to take me back, or if she's breaking up with me again...and it's killing me. What if I've fucked everything up? What am I gonna do, Booth, if she won't talk to me anymore? What if she won't forgive me?"

"Here's what you're gonna do, alright?" You're gonna see if you have any cell service, and then you're gonna call and apologize for being such a fuck up, and then you're gonna tell her the truth...everything...about your dad...and how he might've set up the murder of Vacchio… and about anything else you can think of that you haven't told her, and then you're gonna beg her for another chance."

"You mean now? While you're sitting here listening to me? No way…" Aubrey shuddered at the thought of spilling his guts to his girlfriend as his friend eavesdropped. "I can't…"

"Like I've never had to make a phone call like that myself, right? Go ahead...maybe I can give you some pointers on how to convince her to forgive you…"

"Oh...look at that...no bars...I guess we'll just have to wait until we get to Hazelton." Chuckling slightly, Aubrey sighed with relief as he showed Booth his phone. "Too bad...I guess you'll have to be a voyeur some other time…"

"We should be in Hazelton in about an hour if the roads don't get too much worse." Booth smirked at his friend. "Are you sure you don't need some pointers on what to say to get back on Jessica's good side? We've got plenty of time for me to coach you on what to tell her"

"Yeah, I'm sure…". Turning to look out the window, Aubrey muttered to himself. "At least I hope I'm sure…"

Oooooooooo

"Okay, listen…", Booth began as they pulled up to the gate of the federal penitentiary. "I'm gonna be the lead on this interrogation." He handed his badge to the guard on duty before turning to Aubrey. "You're gonna be the observer. You gotta keep your cool. If you feel like you're gonna lose your temper, get up from the table and walk around the room for a bit to blow off some steam."

Nodding to the sentry, he took his badge back and entered the enclosure. "However, I'm gonna also need you to listen for any details I might miss, okay? You know more about the whole securities thing more than I do, and I'm gonna need your expertise."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be calm." Aubrey bit his lip nervously. "God, Booth, my dad makes be so angry, but I'm a trained professional. I can do this."

"I know you can, buddy." Booth glanced at his friend as he parked the car in the snow covered lot. He was hopeful that his suggestion for Aubrey to pay attention to the details of the case might be enough to keep the younger man from focusing on his anger. Grabbing his phone, the agent sent a message before he got out of the car.

Aubrey craned his neck to see what was going on. "Who are you talking to?"

"You sure are nosy…" Booth was annoyed as he turned to Aubrey. "I'm talking to my wife, Aubrey. She sent me a text warning me about the shitty weather they're expecting for this area, and I want to let her know that we arrived safely, okay? Now, let's go see the warden."

They walked into the one story building that contained the prison's offices and stopped to introduce themselves to the receptionist. After peering carefully at their badges, she called her boss.

"Warden Brinton? Special Agents Booth and Aubrey are here to see you, sir…yes, sir." She hung up the phone and smiled politely. "He's ready for you...second door on the left."

The two men walked down the hall to the door with the word WARDEN painted on it. Booth knocked and the men entered when they heard a muffled, 'Come in.'

Warden Bill Brinton was a short, roundish man, with a jovial smile and a booming voice. "Welcome to Hazelton, gentlemen." He grinned as he shook hands with the agents. "This is a red letter day for us, you know? We don't get too many visitors out in this neck of the woods. That's why they put the prison out here, because it's so isolated. I have to say, I'm surprised you made such good time as bad as the weather is."

Aubrey grimaced slightly as he nodded toward Booth. "He's used to driving in snow, so getting here wasn't that bad."

"Can I offer you something to eat? A bottle of water or a cup of coffee?"

"We're fine, thanks.", Booth replied politely, feeling put off my the warden's jolly attitude.

"Not to be rude, Warden Brinton, but we're anxious to get this interrogation over with, so we can get our case closed as soon as possible. Is everything ready?", Aubrey asked, wanting to get their visit over with as soon as possible..

"Yes, it is." The warden read through a file folder before handing it to Booth. "Phillip Aubrey has been a model prisoner since he's been here. He even volunteers to help some of our less educated prisoners learn to read." Brinton was very curious about the coincidence of one of the agents and the prisoner having the same last name, but the agents' intense demeanor made him keep his questions to himself. "Anyway, it looks like everything is in order here…"

"Thanks." Pursing his lips, Aubrey shook his head at the thought of his father doing something altruistic. He must be recruiting them to do his dirty work."Hopefully, he'll be cooperative. I don't anticipate that we'll need to talk to him for more than an hour or so."

"The interview room is down the hall there. I'll call the guard and have him bring the prisoner over. It'll take just a few minutes." Smiling faintly, the warden nodded as he placed the call. "All set. Please check in with me before you leave...security protocols and all that…"

"I understand." Booth glanced at his agitated friend, concerned about all the nervous energy he had pent up inside. "C'mon, Aubrey. Let's get this over with."

*/*/*/*/*

Aubrey was fidgeting with a paperclip as he and Booth waited for his dad to show up in the interrogation room. "I don't know if I can do this, Booth...I feel like I'm gonna puke…"

"You'll be fine. Just pull the trash can over by your chair." Booth winked at Aubrey's pointed glare. "Look, part of being a Special Agent is learning how to handle these extremely emotional situations...you know that. It could be anything...a child abduction, a grisly murder...any sort of terrible crime, and it's gonna take an emotional toll on you, but you can't let that stress show in the interrogation room. Just keep your cool, okay? We'll get this done and go home…"

He was interrupted by the prison guard knocking on the door before he escorted the prisoner in. Waving his hand, Booth dismissed the guard. "Just wait outside, please and we'll let you know when we're done." Shrugging, the guard silently turned and left the room as Phillip Aubrey sat down at the table.

"Well, this is a surprise." Phillip ran a hand through his white hair as he continued in a snarky tone of voice. "When they told me some feds were coming to interview me, I had no idea it'd be you two. Did you come to see me for Christmas, James? That's awfully nice of you. I mean, I suppose it's too much to expect that you might come see your old man more often, especially since you know exactly where to find me now…"

Sensing Aubrey's increasing tension, Booth held up his hand to interrupt. "Let's just get down to business, okay? We need to ask you some questions, Mr. Aubrey. Your name has come up in the course of a murder investigation…"

"Well, ain't that something? I may be a smooth operator, Agent Booth, but even I can't murder someone while I'm in prison." The older man snickered as he watched his son drum his fingers nervously on the table. "I think James is just giving you a load of shit because he's looking for a reason to get back at me."

Ignoring the man's jab at Aubrey, Booth removed a page from a folder. "Do you recognize this man?" Booth slid a picture of Louis Vacchio across the table.

Phillip Aubrey's expression was impassive as he glanced at the photograph. "Louie? Yeah, of course, I do. He works for the SEC…he was after me before I left the country."

He pushed the picture back toward Booth as a small wave of shock crossed his face. "Was he the guy who was murdered? Gee...that's too damn bad." He tried to cover his surprise with a show of sarcasm. "I guess things finally caught up with him. He was probably fucking around with the wrong people…"

Aubrey angrily slammed his hand on the table. "Of course, an asshole like you would blame the victim for his own murder." He puffed out an exasperated sigh. "We got a tip that it was you who ordered his murder. We need to know who you sent to do the job."

Running his hand over his face, Booth turned toward his friend and gave a slight shake of his head. "What Agent Aubrey means to say, Mr. Aubrey, is that we have some information which indicates that you might know who did the job. We're not saying that you had anything to do with it...we don't have any indication that it was you personally who ordered the hit..."

"I appreciate you guarding my reputation, Agent Booth, unlike my son. It seems he's forgotten the basics of his religious training, hasn't he? Isn't one of the Ten Commandments 'Honor Thy Father'?"

"There's also one about not stealing, you piece of shit…", Aubrey sputtered before he felt Booth's hand clamp down on his arm.

Chuckling softly, Phillip shook his head. "Even if I know who'd put the hit out on poor old Louie, why should I tell you, Agent Booth? What's in it for me? Surely you must know that I can't turn over such valuable information for free."

Pushing his chair away from the table, Aubrey began to pace the room. "I don't believe this...you have a chance to do the right thing for a change...to put a murderer away...and you want to know what's in it for you? What is wrong with you, Dad?"

The older man shrugged nonchalantly. "I never did like Louie, and I don't really care that he's dead. We were always on the opposite side of the law anyway...you know, with him trying to figure out ways to make it look like I was cheating people as I took care of their money, and me trying to run a profitable business. So if I'm gonna finger someone for his murder, I need to get something in return to make it worth my while."

Clearing his throat, Booth pointed to the chair next to him, and Aubrey reluctantly sat down. "Let's see here, Mr. Aubrey..." The agent looked through some more pages in the folder. "It looks like you already have a lot of privileges here at Hazelton. I guess we try to get you moved to a minimum security prison, or maybe we can see about getting your parole hearing moved up."

"Is there any reward money? If so, I want it put in an account for me, so I'll have a little nest egg when I finally get out of this hell hole. I'd also like a cell to myself...no room mate, and I'd like more computer time, and more access to a phone…"

"We'll see what we can do, depending on what information you give us." Booth closed the folder and directed a steely glare at the man sitting across the table from him. "Or, instead, I can personally make sure your parole hearing gets delayed multiple times over the next ten years, and that you never get to use the phone or a computer while you're waiting. I'll make sure you get a cell with some badass gang member who wouldn't give a damn about picking off a rich old guy like you. Maybe you'll get the privilege of playing 'Drop the Soap' with some 6'4" hairy assed gorilla one night. I might even recommend that you get moved to Leavenworth and put into solitary. Of course, maybe you'd like a change of scenery."

Seeing the anger on the older man's face, the agent straightened his tie with a snarky grin before sitting back in his chair, crossed his arms, and smirked. "So what do you think? Can we come to an agreement? You share what you know with me, and you get to maintain the rather pleasant status quo that you have right now…but it's up to you. You've got about five seconds to decide…"

When Phillip remained silent, Booth and Aubrey both rose from the table and moved toward the door. "Thanks for your time, Phil." He nodded to the guard. "Might as well take this nasty bastard back to his cell. C'mon, Aubrey...let's go see if there's a place to scrounge up some lunch in this godforsaken town…"

Oooooooooo

Booth and Aubrey were waiting for their lunch in Pammie's Place and Hot Spot. It was a typical small town restaurant, complete with red vinyl tablecloths and menus encased in grease splattered plastic. They sipped their coffee as the waitress took their order.

"I'll have a burger and fries, and a piece of apple pie." Booth handed his menu back to the young woman. "You can put us both on the same ticket."

Aubrey's eyes lit up at Booth's announcement. "I'll have the double stacked chili cheeseburger with extra pepper jack cheese and extra jalapenos, an extra large order of onion rings, and a large chocolate milkshake. Oh, and a piece of pie for me, too...make mine cherry if you've got it, and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it, please."

"Coming right up." She gave them both a shy smile as she walked away.

Aubrey glanced outside. "Man, look at the size of those flakes, Booth. Have you heard anything more from Dr. B? Is it snowing in DC?"

"I don't know. It looks like our reception is bad here...I don't have any bars." He showed Aubrey his phone. "What about you? Have you texted Jessica yet?"

"Yeah, but I haven't gotten a response either." Grimacing slightly, Aubrey turned back to the window. "I'd rather talk about the case anyway."

"Yeah." Booth stirred a packet of sugar into his coffee. "Your dad has it real good in that prison, with it being medium security and all. I'm surprised he didn't cave in when I mentioned Leavenworth."

"He's right, though...he never does anything for free. I imagine if he's tutoring guys on how to read, it's because he's quid pro quo with the warden for something. He got extra privileges or extra computer time in return for helping those guys...something like that."

"You're probably right." Booth was interrupted as the waitress arrived with their meals. "I was really hoping to get this shit done in a hurry so we could get home at a decent hour, but it doesn't look like it's gonna work out that way…"

Aubrey sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Booth. I shouldn't have dragged you into this mess…'

"Will you stop with all the apologizing shit? It's my case, too, okay? And sometimes with cases like these, things are uncomfortable. At least we're not stuck on the side of the road somewhere, right?" Seeing Aubrey nod sheepishly, Booth poured some ketchup over his fries. "Good. Now, tell me...what are you getting Jessica for Christmas?"

Oooooooooo

After pushing an inch or two of accumulated snow from the SUV's window, Booth drove back to the prison to confer with the warden before he and Aubrey left for DC.

"Let's see if we can get the warden to lean on your dad a little bit." He knocked on the doorway of the warden's office. "Warden Brinton?

The warden looked from his computer and smiled pleasantly. "Ah, Agents...please come in. You boys left while I was on D Block."

"We're sorry we missed you before we went to lunch, but we checked out with your assistant.", Booth replied. "Hey, I'd like your guards keep an eye on Phil for us. You know, maybe they see if anything weird is going on with the guy? Just enough to show him that we mean business, okay?"

"Perhaps that won't be necessary. I was actually just about to call you boys." Warden Brinton chuckled at his visitors' surprise. "While you were gone, Mr. Aubrey reconsidered his position and would like to speak with you, if you have time."

Booth and Aubrey looked at each other, shocked at the sudden change. "Hmm…what a surprise. I guess we've got time.", Aubrey responded.

"Excellent. I'll have the guard bring him around."

*/*/*/*/*

"I'm kind of surprised, Booth." Aubrey sat back in his chair as he thought things over. "I didn't think he'd give in so easily."

"Well, you know...maybe he likes it here and doesn't want to go to Leavenworth after all."

Their conversation was interrupted as the guard brought a suitably humble Phillip Aubrey into the room. As he dismissed the guard, Booth focused his glare on the older man. "How's it goin', Phil?"

"Hello, Agent Booth." A meek Phillip Aubrey sat down at the table,. "I've talked things over with Warden Brinton. He says that there's no way he can block my transfer if you decide to send me to a maximum security prison somewhere."

"So I take it you've reconsidered?", Booth asked.

Studying the table in front of him, he continued. "Yes. I've decided to assist you. I'll tell you what I know, and maybe you could arrange for me to stay here at Hazelton. After all, you might need me to testify. It isn't much, but I think it'll help you close your case.

The two agents looked at each other and tacitly nodded in agreement. "Let's hear it.", Booth growled. "Everything you know…"

"Okay." Phillip nervously scratched his chin. "I've heard some gossip here and there...some rumors that got spread around a couple of months ago. The guy I heard it from had it on pretty good authority from his brother, who's on the outside. There was a big deal made over it because it was a turf war…"

"Who the hell was it?", Aubrey roared. "Quit stalling and tell us."

Phillip sat back in his chair and chuckled softly. "Relax, James. You've always been an anxious boy. Your poor mother was always anxious too, even when she didn't need to be."

"The name, Phil.", Booth interrupted.

Philip exhaled slowly. "It was Vinnie Sipoletti. In addition to being a securities trader, he's an enforcer for the Corzone family. Being a hitman is sort of a hobby for him, and working in securities is a good cover. No one would ever expect a guy in a thousand dollar suit to be a murderer for an organized crime family."

The older man shuddered as he continued. "The Corzones tried to get into securities trading as a way to launder their dirty money. They contacted me, but I said no way. I may be a crook, but I'm not that stupid. Once you're involved with the mob, they own you, right? Anyway, I guess they found someone else to do their dirty work for them...a junior partner at the company where Vinnie works. It seems Vinnie sort of recommended the guy. Unfortunately, the kid wasn't very good at his job, and his mistakes alerted Louie that something was up. Vinnie couldn't get the kid's mistakes covered up in time, and poor Louie, being the goddamn do-gooder that he was, had to look into it, and sure enough, he found out the trader was crooked."

Biting his lip, Phillip clenched his fists as he tried to control his emotions. "The trader...Joe Rota...apparently committed suicide, but I have my doubts about that. The guy was a devout Catholic...he wouldn't have jumped off that bridge to kill himself. I think he had a push."

"So you're saying that this guy...this Vinnie Sipoletti...killed Vacchio because the guy ran afoul of the mob when he began to investigate fraudulent securities trading? No way, Dad...Vacchio knew his killer…", Aubrey exclaimed. "We have forensic evidence to prove that…"

"You're right. Vacchio did know Sipoletti. They were brothers in law. Vinnie is married to Louie's sister. Poor Louie never suspected a thing. He and his wife thought Vinnie had a really good job as a securities trader. I guess, in a way, Louie was right…but he didn't have any reason to suspect what Vinnie does for a part time job." Phillip Aubrey laughed at his son's look of disgust. "You take everything too seriously, James. A man needs a hobby, after all...at least one that doesn't involve silly science fiction and computers."

"A hobby? That's rich…", Aubrey muttered to himself as he tried to keep his emotions in check as his father was pressing his hot buttons.

The older man turned to Booth. "So what do you think? Good enough information?"

"We'll see. We have to check it out first." Booth turned to his friend, who was barely controlling his emotions. "C'mon, Aubrey. Let's go home."

The two men got up and were about to knock on the door when Phillip spoke up. "Oh, James?"

Aubrey turned to look at his father. "Yes, Dad?", he replied in a tone devoid of emotion.

"Say hi to Jessica for me.". Philip wore a snarky smile as he noticed the hard expression in his son's eyes. "That's her name, isn't it? Frankie told me about her. Cute girl...really smart too, he said. Better watch out for those redheads, though, Son. They're usually wild in bed. Enjoy it while you can."

Aubrey walked back and slammed his hand down on the table in front of his father. "You will never mention her name again, you piece of shit."

"Come on." Booth grabbed his friend's arm, afraid of what would happen next. "Let's get out of here." Knocking on the door, he waited until the corrections officer arrived. "Guard...come take this son of a bitch back to his cell."

Oooooooooo

Five minutes later, Aubrey and Booth were walking back towards the warden's office. Inhaling softly, the younger man shook his head. "I don't know. What do you think, Booth? Was my dad telling us the truth?"

The two agents stopped to talk things over on the way. Booth leaned against the wall, his expression grim as he thought things over.

"Maybe. I mean, we didn't really have any reason to think it was a mob hit, but in some ways, that does make sense. We'll have to check into Sipoletti when we get back to DC. In the meantime, let's see if we can get the warden to lean on your dad a little bit." He knocked on the door of the warden's office. "Warden Brinton? We've finished talking to Phillip Aubrey...he was somewhat more helpful this time."

"Good. I was hoping that he'd see that it was important to tell the truth. Was his information pertinent to your investigation?"

"It gave us a lead, but we still have to check into it. Well, thanks for all your help. I guess me and Agent Aubrey will head for home…"

"Oh...I'm afraid there's a small issue with that plan." Brinton grimaced as he pointed out the window. "As you can see, the snow has really picked up, and most roads are snow packed, so they're closed until tomorrow morning I'm afraid you're stuck here in Hazelton for the night."

"I wonder if we can make it to Morgantown." Aubrey grimaced as he looked up hotels in the area on his phone. "I'd say there aren't any places to stay within thirty miles of here."

"There are a couple of motels in Bruceton Mills, but US 119 and Hwy 68 are both closed, unfortunately…"

"The population of this town is what...80? Is there even a motel anywhere close to this town?" Booth was furious as he stared out at the snowy parking lot. "That's just fucking great…"

"We do have some spare beds in the prison infirmary…" Seeing Booth's angry expression, Brinton hastily continued. "...however, I think it would be better if you two came home with me to stay the night. I only live about five miles up the road. It's a fairly level drive, so you should be able to make it in your SUV…"

"We don't want to put you to any trouble, Warden." Aubrey jammed his hands in his pockets before pulling his phone from his breast pocket and starting a text message.

Booth, however, disagreed. "I think we'll have to take you up on your offer, Brinton. The FBI reimburse you for your expenses, of course…"

The warden smiled happily. "No problem. We'll enjoy the company. We don't get many visitors, you know. Let me just call my wife to let her know we're having guests for dinner…"

While the warden placed his call, Aubrey finished his text message and pressed SEND. "There."

"Did you send another text to Jessica?"

"I did, but I've also sent a message to Genny asking her to do a check on Vinnie Sipoletti and Joe Rota." Aubrey looked as his phone and growled. "It's still sending….there, it went through. Not much she can do tonight but maybe she can find something tomorrow."

"Good idea."

*/*/*/*/*

Booth's SUV followed Brinton's Jeep down the narrow two lane road leading from the prison to the warden's house. Visibility was poor as the strong wind blew the snow in crazy swirls as it fell.

Peering through a clear spot on the windshield, Booth shook his head. "I'm glad we don't have to drive to Morgantown in this blizzard."

Aubrey snickered as he watched Booth struggle to keep the SUV under control. "This isn't even close to blizzard conditions...not like what they have up in Syracuse…"

"Yeah, well as far as I'm concerned, it's a blizzard.", Booth growled. "Listen, I know you aren't too keen on staying at the warden's house, Aubrey, but it's one of those 'any port in a storm' cases, okay? It's too dangerous to drive very far in this weather."

"I know." Aubrey gave his friend a sidelong glance. "I know you're gonna think this is silly, but for some reason I just don't trust Brinton. I can't put my finger on it, but something strikes me as odd about him. Should've asked Shaw to check him, too, while I had the chance."

"Maybe it's because he likes your dad, and you think that's crazy." Grinning at Aubrey's grumblings, Booth shrugged. "You're going with your gut, aren't you? And you may be right, but we can't do anything about that right now, since we need a place to stay for tonight. Let's see how the evening goes, and then, if we need to, we can run a check on this guy when we get back to DC."

"Right." Even though he was unconvinced, Aubrey knew Booth was correct...they couldn't run any background checks on anybody this evening. "I hope the roads clear enough tomorrow so that we can make it home. I didn't plan on being gone this long, and I didn't leave out much food for Skinner."

"Trust me...we're going home tomorrow, even if I have to rent a snowplow. I don't like being away from home any longer than I have to be. Okay...this must be the place." Tapping the brakes so he wouldn't skid, Booth turned onto a driveway that led up to a small house.

The red brick of the home was picturesque against the white yard. It appeared that the lot was about an acre, and there were no neighbors nearby. "They really are out in the sticks, aren't they?", Aubrey asked. "Although I guess everyone who lives in this area is out in the sticks."

"True." Grimacing as he stopped the SUV, Booth sighed as he considered how they'd have to trudge through several inches of snow up to the house. "Looks like we're gonna have wet feet...unless you want to sleep in the car…Jesus, I hate to ruin these shoes..."

"It looks like Brinton wants us to go through the garage." Aubrey pointed to the warden, who was waving at them from the garage doorway. "I guess you could take off your shoes and run up there in your socks." Seeing Booth's annoyance, Aubrey grinned. "Okay, let's go."

The agents finally made it up to the back door of the house. After shedding their shoes and brushing the snow off of the cuffs of their slacks, they entered a warm, cheerful kitchen.

"Gentlemen…", Warden Brinton began, "...I'd like you to meet my lovely wife, Nancy. These are the fellas I was tellin' you about, darlin'...Agent Booth and Agent Aubrey."

"Welcome to our home!" Nancy was bustling around the kitchen as she prepared the evening's meal.

Aubrey began to sniff the pleasant aromas like a hungry hound. "Wow...something smells wonderful…"

Nancy pulled what looked like biscuits out of the oven. "I hope you don't mind having vegetable soup this evening. I assumed hot soup would be just the thing for a day like this."

"Yes, ma'am, it would." Booth nodded politely as Mrs. Brinton nattered on about the soup. "If you don't mind, ma'am, I'd like to wash up…"

"Oh, let me show you where everything is." She led the agents down a short hallway. "Here's the guest bath…" She paused as she opened another door. "And here's where you'll be sleeping tonight."

"It's...um...very nice." Aubrey cringed as he looked around the plump lady of the house. The room was furnished with white and gold French Provincial style, complete with gilded bunk beds. A riot of different shades of pink seemed to scream from the walls and the various posters hung around the room.

"I hope you'll be comfortable. This is actually my daughter's room, but she's going to school in Morgantown, living on campus, so you might as well use it."

"Thank you. I'm sure we'll be very comfortable." Always the gentleman, Booth nodded slightly before disappearing into the bathroom.

Aubrey walked back into the kitchen with his hostess, pausing to check his phone. "That's weird...it says I've got no signal…"

The warden laughed softly. "Down here in the hollow, we don't get cell reception. We've got a landline instead." He paused as Booth joined them. "The Feds put a satellite dish in at the prison, so we can watch television, use cellphones, and surf the internet. However, it's very expensive to have that luxury here at the house, and I don't make enough with my federal government salary to pay for it."

He pointed to a large plastic phone sitting on a side table in the family room. "You guys wanna call your wives and tell them what's going on?"

"Yeah, I guess so. We don't want them to worry." Booth dialed Brennan's cell number, waiting as they were connected. Finally he began to speak loudly in to the receiver. "Bones?"

"Booth? I can hardly hear you. What are you doing at this number? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine, but the weather turned out to be really shitty over here. The highway department closed the roads because of all the snow, so me and Aubrey can't make it back to DC tonight...No, we're not staying in a motel. We're staying with the warden and his wife...Yeah, I'm sure we'll be back tomorrow...Yeah, the reception is bad...I can barely hear you. Anyway…", Booth said, speaking louder.

Wearing an ornery big brother smirk, he glanced at Aubrey, who was still trying to get his cellphone to work. "Listen, Aubrey doesn't have any service, either, so will you please deliver a message to Jessica for him? Yeah...tell Jessica he loves her, and he's sorry."

Grinning at the glare he was receiving from his friend, Booth quickly got ready to end the call. "Yeah, tomorrow. Give Christine and Hank a kiss for me, all right? Love you...bye…"

"Really, Booth?" Hoping he wasn't turning scarlet, Aubrey quickly rose and walked down the hall to the bathroom.

"Is Agent Aubrey okay, Agent Booth?" Mrs. Brinton moved briskly around the kitchen as she set the table. "He seems flushed. I hope he isn't catching a cold after getting his feet wet."

"Nah, he'll be fine. He's just trying to figure out a serious relationship." Booth bit his lip to avoid telling his hostess that wet feet didn't make people catch a cold. "The soup smells good."

Nancy smiled as she dished up some big bowls for the men. "Dinner is served."

Oooooooooo

After two big bowls of vegetable soup, several cheese muffins, and two slices of chocolate cake, Aubrey was comfortably full as he offered to help Mrs. Brinton with the dishes.

"It was a great meal. The least I can do is help clean up. I do it all the time at my girlfriend's house." He hesitated slightly at the word girlfriend, wondering if it still applied to his relationship with Jessica. "I can dry…"

Mrs. Brinton gave him an indulgent smile. "Thank you, Agent Aubrey, but I'm just going to load everything into the dishwasher. Why don't you and Agent Booth go make yourself comfortable in the living room?"

Warden Brinton folded his newspaper and lay it aside as the agents came into the room. "Sorry that we're not more entertaining. Nancy and I tend to be homebodies, especially since I have all the stress involved in running the penitentiary. Perhaps I could see if there's a ballgame of some sort on television for you…"

"That's alright. Don't worry about it." Booth picked up a magazine and thumbed through it. "It's nice to have a quiet evening, isn't it, Aubrey?"

"Um...yeah." Aubrey buried his nose in a book. "I'm getting tired anyway. I'll probably go to bed soon."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, broken only by the sound of the dishwasher running in the kitchen. Finally, Brinton cleared his throat. "Phillip told me that he's your father, Agent Aubrey. I'm sure it must be distressing for you to see him in such an unhappy situation."

"He's getting what he deserves.", Aubrey growled as he closed his book with a thud. Standing up abruptly, he turned to Booth. "I'm gonna turn in."

"Yeah, me, too. Maybe we can get an early start tomorrow. G'night, Brinton."

"Good night." The warden smiled to himself as he watched his guests move down the hall. Maybe soon he'd be able to do some poking and prodding…

*/*/*/*/*/*

"God, I hate going to bed without brushing my teeth.", Aubrey groused. "I'm gonna have a real bad taste in my mouth tomorrow morning."

"Don't you travel with a go bag? Here…" Booth tossed a toothbrush to his friend. "That one's new. I always keep a change of clothes and basic toiletries in the car."

"I do, too, in my own car...but who knew we'd have to spend the night in Tiny Town?" Glancing over his shoulder at the bunk beds, Aubrey smirked. "Let's flip a coin for the top bunk."

"No way. That's gambling." Booth grinned as he stripped down to his tee shirt and boxers. "I get the bottom bunk because I'm your elder. You said so yourself, remember?" Seeing Aubrey roll his eyes, Booth laughed. "Tell you what...you can use the bathroom first, okay?"

After brushing his teeth, Aubrey stripped down to his boxers before climbing up to the top bunk and pulled back the frilly pink checked comforter. "If I fall out of bed tonight, I'm filing for workers comp."

"Whatever. Good night, Aubrey." Booth switched off the light and got into the lower bunk.

Soon a plaintive voice sounded from the upper bunk. "Booth?"

A heavy sigh came from the darkness below. "What?"

"Do you really think Jessica will ever get over being mad at me?"

"Will you ever get over being a jackass? When you do, she'll probably get over being mad at you."

"But I couldn't tell her about my dad. After listening to Jessica's mother at Thanksgiving...it was awful, Booth. Her mom already doesn't approve of me because of my dad, and if Eleanor found out he arranged a murder, she'd be insufferable. I don't want Jessica to have to listen to her mother constantly bitch about what a lousy boyfriend I am."

"But from what I understand, Jessica isn't too concerned about what her mother thinks, right?"

"Yeah, she told me that."

"Your girlfriend has put up with a lot of shit from you, buddy, and I don't think this little glitch is gonna change her mind. I mean, she may make you drink some more of that nasty monkey ass juice, but think about it, okay? You had to talk her out of coming home immediately from Scotland when your dad came to town…"

"I didn't want her to fail that course Dr. B pulled strings to get her in, Booth…"

"Yeah, but she also took a flight home less than two hours after her final exam concluded, not even knowing if she passed, just to get home to you…"

"There was never any question about her passing it, Booth.", Aubrey replied proudly. "She's a genius...literally."

"Remember why she made those nasty monkey ass juice smoothies in the first place for you, Aubrey?"

The younger agent sighed. "Because she was worried about how much junk food I ate."

"You dragged your feet for months before you guys even hung out together. She waited six months for you to ask her out on a date, and six months after that just for you to get the balls to finally kiss her."

"I was just being careful, Booth…"

Booth stared at the top bunk as he made his next point. "...and she even took you home to meet her family for Thanksgiving, right?"

Aubrey groaned softly. "I'm not sure that was a good idea. Her mom basically thinks I'm worthless…"

Rolling over onto his back, Booth stared at the bunk above him. "Didn't you tell me Sunday night that her brothers and father liked you a lot for standing up for her and the family? Jessica was quite proud of you when it came up at dinner."

'She thanked me a lot last weekend.' Aubrey thought as he cracked a smile before it quickly faded away. "Yeah, they do, and she was, wasn't she?"

"Look, you're gonna owe her a heavy duty apology, and she may be mad at you for a couple of weeks, but I'm pretty sure she's gonna take you back this time. I tell you what, though...you can't make a habit of being a selfish jerk, or she'll decide she's had enough of your stupidity. So, tomorrow, as soon as you can, you call her and tell her you're sorry, okay"

"Okay." Sighing softly, Aubrey tried to get comfortable in the narrow bed. "Good night, Booth."

"Night, Aubrey."

Oooooooooooooo

The next morning, sunshine glistened off the snow covered lawn as Aubrey and Booth got ready to leave. Fortified with huge stacks of pancakes and hot coffee, Booth had scraped the ice off the windshield and was warming up the car as Aubrey used the warden's phone to call Shaw.

"So did you find anything?", Aubrey asked quietly when he saw no one was listening.

"Yeah, we got some good prints off that note. When I ran them on AFIS, they came back to a Joe Fuller, a securities broker at Histavark Securities. He isn't expected at work until 10:30 because he has a dentist appointment this morning. After I stop and check on Jessica at the lab, I'm going to pick up Hunter to come with me, because the SEC is also looking into that company. I figure he'll know what to look for and he'll be able to ask the right questions."

Why does Genny need to check on Jessica?' Aubrey wondered. "Anything else?"

"Your source was right regarding Joe Rota. There was a man with that name who worked for Histavark as a new securities trader. Seven months ago, he was found lying in Rock Creek below the Duke Ellington bridge. There was a cursory autopsy and his death was ruled a suicide. I have a call into the DC Medical Examiner's office get a copy of the autopsy."

'"What about that other thing I sent to you?"

"I'm going to run his name and see what I can come up with before I leave here...unless you would rather take the first guy and I talk to Sipoletti…"

"No, that's okay, Genny. I can finish up where you leave off. Just leave what you find on my desk before you go." Aubrey said. Anxious to get on the road, he wrapped up the call. "We're heading back now and I'm hoping to be back by early afternoon. You and Hunter be careful."

"Will do, Boss. You two drive careful, too.", Genny said before ending the call.

Hanging up, Aubrey came out onto the porch and thanked Mrs. Brinton again for her hospitality. "We'll have the Bureau cut you a check for our expenses." He shrugged slightly as he squinted in the bright sunlight "It won't be a lot, but maybe it'll help with the cost of feeding us."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Warden Brinton eyed Aubrey with interest. "Maybe next time you visit your dad at the prison you can stay for dinner."

Not wanting to be rude, Aubrey pasted on an artificial smile. "Yeah...maybe..." He turned as he heard Booth honk the SUV's horn. "Well, gotta go. Thanks again."

Pulling the car out to the driveway, Booth waved at the couple before he drove away. "That was kinda weird, wasn't it? I'm glad we didn't have to stay there longer. From what it said on the radio, I think the roads are cleared off well enough for us to get home easily."

"Good."

They rode in silence for several miles, both men appreciating the snow covered landscape as they drove out to the main highway.

"Look at that." Booth pointed to some cars that appeared to be stuck in a snow drift. "I guess it's a good thing we weren't out driving around in the blizzard last night."

"Yeah." Aubrey checked his phone once more, but he still didn't have any service. "I hope Dr. B told Jessica where I was last night."

"I'm sure she did. Bones is good about stuff like that."

"I didn't tell Jess where I was going yesterday…God, that was so stupid. I was just so tied up in knots, though..."

"I know. Like I said, you're in deep shit, but I think she'll forgive you. Enough about that, okay?" Booth checked his mirrors before he continued. "Let's talk about the case. To your knowledge, has your dad ever had contact with any sort of criminal organizations? Does he have any ties with the mob?"

"Not that I'm aware of. It wasn't really his style. He was always more of a lone wolf."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, but he seemed to know a lot about what was going on with Vinnie Sipoletti. It struck me that he'd learned a lot about the guy just from listening to rumors and gossip…"

"True…", Aubrey mused. "I wonder exactly who told him that stuff…"

The agents spent the next hour of their trip discussing all the possible iterations of Phillip Aubrey's possible connections to various organized crime families.

"I don't know, Booth. It's just hard to imagine…" Aubrey was interrupted by the insistent chiming of his phone. "Hey, I guess I've finally got service."

He scrolled through multiple texts, disappointed to find that none were from Jessica. "She must really be pissed at me…", he muttered to himself. Checking further, he was surprised to find that he'd missed five calls from Genny Shaw. "That's weird." Frowning, he cued up his voice mail to listen, wondering what was so important that she'd call multiple times. "Oh, my God…"

Hearing Aubrey's startled gasp, Booth glanced at him in surprise. "What's wrong? You're white as a ghost…"

"It's Hunter Geren...you know, Shaw's boyfriend? They went to question a suspect...he's been shot, Booth, and it sounds bad. He's at Washington General. How quick can you get us there?"

"I don't know…" He grimly turned on the SUV's flashing lights and siren. "Let's find out…"

"Yeah…" Nodding in agreement, Aubrey closed his eyes and silently prayed as the car quickly sped up. "Please let us get there in time…"