AN: A nice long chapter for you. I couldn't find a good place to break it up...
CHAPTER 36:
It had been one week and six days since the FBI arrested Tristian Howards. That is, thirteen unsuccessful days spent searching for any sign of Morgan. Thirteen days of searching traffic cameras, checking in with local hospitals for any Jane Doe matching her description, and combing over every piece of evidence found at the crime scene. And finally, thirteen visits to the prison where Brennan pleaded with Tristian for information about what he did with Morgan.
That's not to say that they hadn't made any progress. The squints were confident that they had gathered enough evidence to get a conviction in the case, to put Tristian behind bars for the rest of his life.
Angela had found footage of the FBI press conference on the VHS tape labeled 'For Morgan'. Sweets theorized that Tristian had forced Morgan to watch the video as a form of torture. Upon questioning Tristian, Sweets discovered that not only did he make Morgan watch the film as a form of emotional torture, he had made her watch it multiple times while physically and sexually assaulting her as well.
Cam and the FBI techs who were scouring over the evidence had found traces of semen and vaginal fluids on the sheets from the upstairs bedroom, on the ugly green couch from the living room, and in the basement near where the victims were tied up. Morgan's blood was found in all of those places, as well as in the bathroom and in the freezer. Blood belonging to all of the other victims were also found in the freezer and in the basement.
As far as the evidence from Tristian's car is concerned, the blood found in the backseat was confirmed as belonging to Morgan Johnson. Cam also determined that, based on the blood patterns in the backseat, Morgan was still alive when she was moved from Tristian's house.
Hodgins found particulates on the tires, but they were common to various areas in and around the DC metro area. He did, however find one thing he was unable to explain: Erythronium rostratum-also known as the Yellow Troutlily-a rare yellow flower not native to DC or any of the surrounding states. In fact, the closet place where Erythronium rostratum could be found was in eastern Kentucky. Nobody had any idea as to why particulates from this rare flower were found on the carpet inside of Tristian's car.
All of the squints have been working nonstop during these past thirteen days. And nobody showed any signs of slowing down. Everybody was on edge, but no one more than Brennan. During the day, she rarely left the lab, except for the daily trips she made to the prison. Booth was forced to drag her out of her office every night, much to her protests about how they should be focusing on finding Morgan, rather than enjoying such luxuries as food and sleep.
"Bones," Booth pleaded. "You gotta eat lunch."
"I don't have to do anything," Brennan protested. She was seated at her desk, looking through case files she had read a thousand times before. She was searching for the one sign, that one piece of evidence, that would point to where Morgan was located.
Booth rolled his eyes. He got up off of the couch and walked over so that he was standing in front of her desk. "You didn't eat breakfast or lunch today, Bones. You need to eat. I don't want you running yourself down to the ground."
Brennan shook her head, her eyes never leaving the file. "I don't know what that means."
Booth walked around the desk and put his hands on her arms, forcing her to turn and look at him. "It means that you need to eat food to keep your energy up so that we can continue the search. You are of no use if you're tired, weak, and unable to concentrate."
"Your logic is sound," Brennan conceded after a few silent moments. She sighed and then continued. "Let me go grab my coat."
Booth stepped back so that Brennan could walk over to her coat rack. He was worried about her. Brennan was naturally a workaholic. But when a case becomes personal, it's nearly impossible to get her to stop working until the case is closed and all loose ends have been tied.
He was startled from his thoughts when his phone began to ring. He pulled out his phone and looked at the caller ID. Cullen. He flipped open the phone and put it up to his ear. "Booth...yes sir...I understand...we'll be there in a few minutes."
Brennan walked back over to Booth, curious as to what the phone call was about. When he put his phone back into his pocket, she spoke up. "Who was that?"
Booth turned around and looked at her. His eyes were different, more sad. He cleared his throat before answering. "Um...that was Cullen. A couple of high school kids found a body."
'Of course we have another case. As if we don't have enough on our plates already with the search for Morgan,' Brennan thought as she stepped even closer to Booth.
"Let me just get my equipment," Brennan stated. She turned and began to walk out of her office.
"Bones, wait," Booth said. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.
Brennan paused in her doorway. "What is it, Booth?" When he didn't reply, she walked closer to him. "Booth?"
"The...um...the remains were found in Rock Creek Park."
Brennan's eyes widened with realization. "Morgan?"
"You'll have to tell me that," Booth stated.
Brennan nodded her head. "Let me just grab my stuff."
oOo
The drive to the crime scene was relatively quick. Traffic was light, and Booth made good use of the siren in his SUV. Neither partner spoke much during the drive, both fearing what they were about to see. When they finally arrived, Brennan walked straight over to the remains while Booth greeted the local police and spoke to the kids who found the body. Agent Perotta was already on the scene, taking statements. After the normal pleasantries and initial inquiries, Booth made his way over to Brennan.
"Well?" Booth prompted. "What do you know?"
Brennan remained crouched near the remains and looked up at Booth. "Female. 18-25. Obviously an advanced stage of decomposition. There are signs of animal and insect activity, which aided in decomposition. The victim has been here at least a week, possibly more."
Booth inhaled slowly before exhaling deeply. "So it could be her?"
"Yes," Brennan agreed. "But there's more. All of the victim's teeth have been removed. In fact, the skull as a whole is extremely damaged. It'll make getting a positive ID rather difficult. From what I can see of the bones, the victim seems to have suffered a pattern of abuse. But, I'll know more once the bones are cleaned."
Perotta walked up to join the partners. "Anything else, Dr. Brennan?"
"Yes, there is," Brennan admitted. "See the clothes on the victim?"
Both Booth and Perotta looked down at the scraps of clothing. Booth furrowed his eyebrows, then said, "There's not much clothes there, Bones."
"My point exactly," Brennan stated. "They appear to have been cut or torn off of the victim, then placed back on." Brennan paused for a moment to consider the best way to phrase her next sentence. "They bear a marked resemblance to the clothes we saw Morgan wearing in the DVD that was sent to you."
"It's her," Booth said. "It has to be."
"I didn't say that," Brennan protested. "And quite frankly, I'm not prepared to make that kind of statement." Brennan turned her attention to Perotta. "I need everything sent back to the lab."
oOo
"Mr. Bray, when you are finished cleaning the bones, I would like for you to come find me," Brennan stated. Brennan flicked her eyes up to the two FBI techs standing in the corner of the platform, overseeing the process. Brennan rolled her eyes in annoyance. "We can begin our initial assessment at that time."
"Yes, Dr. Brennan," Wendell replied. "Since the skull is so badly damaged and we won't be able to compare dental records, how will we go about getting identification?"
"Booth will be bringing over Morgan's medical records for us to compare to the remains," Brennan stated. "He's currently in a meeting with Caroline to discuss Vincent's situation, but he'll come straight here when he's done. I would like to have access to the remains by then."
Wendell nodded his head.
Brennan took off her latex gloves and walked over to Hodgins's station, ignoring the FBI techs' questioning stares. "Have you gotten anything off of the clothes?"
"I was able to pull a few strands of hair," Hodgins stated. "I'm examining them now, but they appear to be from at least three different people."
"Three?" Brennan questioned. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Hodgins said. "One strand definitely belongs to Tristian Howards. We can definitely connect him to this body."
Brennan took a deep breath. "And the other two strands?"
"I'm waiting for some of the FBI techs to bring Morgan's hairbrush from her dorm room, so that I can compare them to it. I'll let you know when I find something."
"Thank you, Dr. Hodgins," Brennan said. She began to leave, but hesitated as a thought ran through her mind. She turned back to Hodgins. "With this third strand of hair, is it possible that Tristian Howards had an accomplice?"
A voice from the other side of the platform answered her question. "That's highly unlikely, Dr. Brennan."
Brennan turned around to look at the man. "And what makes you say that, Dr. Sweets?"
"From what I have been able to determine through my interviews with Tristian," Sweets began, "he works alone. He displays a personal interest in all of the victims. He sees them as his girls. He wouldn't share that any other man."
"A personal interest in all of his victims?" Brennan questioned. "When would he have been able to develop a personal interest in Morgan?"
"He was a TA in one of her classes, I believe she said in her Existentialism class," Sweets answered. "Plus, when he realized the connection between her, you, and Agent Booth, he knew she'd be perfect for him."
Brennan shifted her weight from one foot to another. "I don't understand."
"He was looking for another girl," Sweets began to explain. "There was most likely some initial attraction there, but when he realized the significance of her relationship to the lead investigator in the case-"
"The day we brought him into the FBI to speak with him about the issue with the press," Brennan interrupted. "He was there, he saw Morgan with us."
"Yes, I remember," Sweets stated. "He most likely began to form his plan at that very moment. Tristian is not the type of person who acts without a plan. The whole media circus...he started that to make it more difficult for us to continue with our investigation."
"If you are correct in your theory, Dr. Sweets, about Tristian acting alone," Brennan said, "then who could this third strand of hair belong to?"
"Any number of people," Sweets answered. "The kids who found the body, local police who first showed up on the scene, anyone here at the lab..."
"No, Dr. Sweets," Hodgins interrupted. "All three strands of hair were found on the inside of the clothing."
"It's highly unlikely that it could haven fallen in there from any of the possibilities you listed," Brennan explained.
"There must be some explanation," Sweets stated. "I am totally positive that this guy worked alone."
Brennan nodded her head. "Let me know when you find anything else, Dr. Hodgins." Brennan turned around and exited the platform, making her way over to Angela's office.
"Hey, sweetie," Angela greeted. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine," Brennan stated too quickly. It had become a reflex. "Have you been able to determine if the clothes found on the victim are the same as those seen in the DVD?"
Angela looked at Brennan, not quite believing that Brennan was truly okay. "Sweetie, I know your not fine. None of us are fine." Angela's eyes began to water. "I'm certainly not fine."
Brennan felt Angela's pain, and found tears beginning to form in her own eyes. Brennan inhaled deeply, then quickly and audibly exhaled. "I know, Ange. But I...I can't do this right now. I need to stay focused, detached, or else the FBI won't let me continuing working on the case."
Angela nodded. "Yeah, I understand."
Brennan was quiet for a moment, before stepping closer to Angela. "So, the clothes?"
"They appear to be a perfect match," Angela said. "After viewing the tapes and visually comparing it to the clothing found on the victim, well, they're torn and cut in exactly the same places."
Brennan crossed her arms over her chest and looked down to the floor.
"So, so far everything says this is Morgan?" Angela asked.
"It appears that way," Brennan said. "But I still need to examine the remains. I should have access to them within the next half hour."
"Bones!" Booth called out from somewhere in the lab, startling both Angela and Brennan. They heard Cam inform him that Brennan was in Angela's office. A few moments later, he appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Bones. How're you holding up?"
"I'm fine," Brennan simply said. "Did you sort everything out for Mr. Nigel-Murray?"
Booth nodded his head. "The meeting with Caroline went fine. Tyrell isn't pressing charges. I dropped Vincent off at his house before coming here."
"That was very kind of you," Brennan stated. Brennan nodded to the file Booth held in his hand. "Are those Morgan's medical records?"
"Yeah, they are," Booth answered. "There's not much here though. She never really went to the doctor except for the mandatory vaccinations required by the school district. And a few trips to the emergency room."
"Can I see?" Brennan asked as she took the file from Booth's hands. "Most of the hospital visits were due to flesh wounds and bruises." Brennan looked through the file more. "She was treated for a Colles fracture on the right distal radius when she was 13."
Angela shifted her stance and put her hand onto her hip. "So if the body doesn't have that fracture, then it's not Morgan."
"Yes," Brennan agreed. She kept looking at the file. "Even if this remodeled fracture is present, the remains may still not be hers. Colles fractures are very common, consisting of up to 90% of all wrist injuries."
"Is that the only identifying mark in her records?" Booth asked.
"It appears so," Brennan stated. "It's definitely our best lead. Angela, could you make up a profile based on the DVD of all the injuries Morgan had sustained while Tristian was filming?"
Angela nodded. "Yeah sure, sweetie. No problem."
"And when I'm done looking at the skull, I'd like you to see if there's any way you can get a facial reconstruction."
"It won't be 100% accurate, but I can try."
"Thanks, Ange," Brennan replied. "Mr. Bray should almost be done cleaning the bones. I should head onto the platform. Are you coming, Booth?"
Booth nodded his head. "Yeah. I'll talk to Cam, and she can go over everything you've already found."
Booth and Brennan left Angela's office without another word.
"Oh, Dr. Brennan!" Wendell greeted as Brennan walked up the stairs of the platform. "I've just finished laying out the bones."
"Good," Brennan said, once again ignoring the FBI techs in their presence. She pulled on her latex gloves and then stepped up to the autopsy table. "What are your initial observations?"
"The victim was approximately 1.63 meters tall," Wendell began. "As you have already noted, the victim is female, aged 18-25."
"Yes, that is correct," Brennan agreed. Brennan picked up the skull. "The skull seems to have been hit numerous times. The fractures appear to have occurred postmortem." She set the skull back onto the table. "Mr. Bray I would like you to take measurements and determine what weapon could have caused this damage. When you are through, give the skull to Angela so she can attempt to provide a facial reconstruction for us."
"Yes, Dr. Brennan," Wendell stated. He picked up the skull and walked off the platform and into one of the examination rooms.
Booth walked up behind Brennan. "Anything new?"
"I've only just begun my examination, Booth." Brennan picked up the right distal radius.
Booth rolled his eyes. "I know that, but what have we got so far?"
Brennan flashed her eyes up to meet Booth's. "The victim was about 1.63 meters tall."
"And in American? How tall would that be?"
"Roughly 5 feet 4 inches," Brennan stated. She squinted at one end of the radius. "Colles fracture."
Booth looked between Brennan and the bone in her hand. "The wrist fracture that Morgan has?"
"Yes. There appears to be a completely remodeled Colles fracture on the right distal radius." Brennan set the bone back onto the table and wrote something down into her notepad. She picked up one of the ribs and studied it closely.
"Interesting," Brennan mused aloud.
"What's that, Bones?"
"The bone density appears to be within the normal range," Brennan stated.
"That's a good thing, right?" Booth clarified.
"It's a very good things," Brennan smiled.
Booth cocked his head in a questioning manner.
Brennan sighed and put down the bone. She turned to look at Booth. "Morgan's medical files state several concerns about malnutrition. In people where malnutrition occurs, the bone density is far less than in those who have a normal, healthy diet."
Booth nodded his head. "But malnutrition was never confirmed?"
"No," Brennan replied. "It was only suspected. No tests were ever done to determine the accuracy of the doctor's suspicions. But knowing what I know about Morgan's past, it is more than plausible that she was undernourished as a child."
"Hey, Bren-"
Brennan turned away from Booth to find Angela walking up the stairs.
"I've finished mapping out the injuries from the DVD," Angela informed them. She grabbed the remote for the screen and started pressing some buttons. The screen showed a skeleton with some damage points marked on it. "Now, from what the video showed, Morgan sustained substantial injuries to her ribs. Her ankle also appeared to be either severely sprained or broken. She also had a few cuts on her abdomen, which could've penetrated deep enough to hit the bone. Finally, Tristian stabbed Morgan right about here..." Angela pointed to a spot on the screen near Morgan's right kidney.
"Thanks, Ange," Brennan said. "I'll compare these to the victim's remains. Wendell should be bringing you the skull for a facial reconstruction."
"Yeah, it's in my office right now," Angela replied. "I'm going to start working on it now." She turned around and walked back into her office.
Before Brennan could get back to work on the remains, Hodgins came over to reveal his most recent findings. "Dr. Brennan, I've finished analyzing the blood found on the clothing."
Brennan took a deep breath, preparing herself for the answer. "And what did you find?"
"Results confirmed that it belongs to Morgan."
Brennan looked down in an attempt to hide the tears forming in her eyes. The last thing she needed was for the FBI techs to see her became emotionally distraught because of the case and take over." Are you finished analyzing the hair that was found?"
Hodgins nodded his head. "As I already said, the first strand has already been confirmed as belonging to Tristian Howards. The FBI techs had brought me Morgan's hairbrush to compare with the other two strands. One definitely belonged to her."
"And the third strand?" Brennan questioned.
"I've got nothing to compare it to," Hodgins said. "All I know is that it does not belong to Morgan or Tristian."
Once again, Brennan nodded her head. She then dismissed him. "Thank you Dr. Hodgins." She turned back to the autopsy table and resumed her examination.
"Dr. Brennan," Wendell said as he made his way back onto the platform. "It was a baseball bat."
Brennan straightened her stance so that she was no longer leaning over the autopsy table. "The weapon that caused the damage to the skull?"
Wendell nodded. "Yes. It was a cylindrical object that was the same diameter as what was found on the other victims. It was a baseball bat."
"Thank you, Mr. Bray," Brennan said. "I would like you to help me compare the injuries on the remains to the injuries mapped out on the screen."
Wendell pulled on a pair of latex gloves and began to help Brennan with the remains.
oOo
The following day, Agent Perotta arrived at the lab for a status update. "Good afternoon, Dr. Brennan. Do you have a positive ID on our victim?"
Brennan briefly looked up from the remains to acknowledge Perotta's presence, but chose to remain silent. She made another note in her notepad.
"Dr. Brennan?" Perotta prompted. "ID?"
Brennan slammed her pen down on the table and straightened her stance. "I'm not prepared to make a statement about that yet."
Perotta crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, would you care to share what you've found so far?"
Brennan rolled her eyes and then began to explain the team's findings. Perotta was silent throughout the explanation, intently watching Brennan as she interpreted the facts.
"Alright, Dr. Brennan," Perotta began. "Thank you. You will no longer need to continue working with the remains."
"What! Why?" Brennan said, her loud outraged voice echoed throughout the lab.
"We have more than enough evidence to positively ID the victim as Morgan Johnson. I'll have the FBI techs deal with the remains from here on out."
"You can't do that!" Brennan yelled, her voice raising even higher. "I haven't declared that the victim is Morgan Johnson with 100% accuracy. There are some anomalies that need further examination."
Perotta sighed and stepped closer to Brennan. "What you've already found, it's enough for us. It's her, Dr. Brennan. I know you don't want to give up hope, but the evidence says it's her."
"It's not conclusive!" Brennan protested. "I need more time with the remains. At the moment, I'm only about 90% certain the remains belong to Morgan."
"And that's a pretty high percentage, isn't it?" Perotta questioned. "Look, I know you don't want to admit it, but it's her. You said it yourself; the clothes, the hair, and the injuries match up. Even Angela's facial reconstruction was very similar."
"It was similar, not an exact match," Brennan stated.
"The skull was too badly damaged to get an exact match, Dr. Brennan," Perotta replied. "You know that."
"But Morgan's remains should show evidence of malnutrition," Brennan reasoned. "The victim's remains did not."
"Suspicions of malnutrition were never confirmed," Perotta said. "It's not enough reason to prolong this. I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan, but you're just trying to come up with excuses so you don't have to admit what is right in front of you."
"Dr. Hodgins still hasn't been able to explain the third strand of hair that was found," Brennan stated. "Nor has he been able to determine the origin of that flower he found in Tristian's car."
"Neither of those things have anything to do with determining whether or not the victim is Morgan," Perotta replied. "He can continue working on that while the FBI finishes processing the remains and prepares to release them to her family."
"No!" Brennan shouted. She placed herself between Perotta and the remains, in a protective stance. "I'm not letting you take her until I'm an 100% certain that these remains belong to her."
The argument between Brennan and Perotta got the attention of almost everyone in the lab. All work had stopped as they watched the women in shock.
Booth walked out of Brennan's office, instantly feeling the tension in the air. "What the hell is going on out here?" He looked between the two women who were staring at each other on the platform. Booth made his way up to join them. He looked at the workers who were gathered around and yelled to them. "Get back to work." He turned his attention back to the women in front of him. "Bones, what's going on?"
Brennan didn't answer, she remained in her rigid stance while she stared at Perotta.
Perotta never broke eye contact but answered Booth's question. "We've determined that the remains belong to Morgan Johnson. Dr. Brennan refuses to acknowledge that fact, and she refuses to let my FBI team take control of the remains."
"It's not Morgan," Brennan gritted out. "It can't be. It's impossible."
"Dr. Brennan, I'm taking you off of this case," Perotta stated. "You're too close, too emotional. Now, we will be taking the remains to finish processing the evidence. We will release them to Dr. Saroyan, as a member of Morgan's family, for burial when we are done." Perotta motioned for the two FBI techs who were with her to gather the remains.
Brennan refused to move out of the way.
Booth stepped over to Brennan. "Bones. Bones?" He grabbed her arm. "Come here." He pulled her into his arms. "Come on. Let's go into your office while Perotta does her thing."
Brennan allowed Booth to guide her down the stairs and into her office. Once they were inside with the door closed, Brennan turned to look at Booth. "That's not Morgan."
"Bones, the evidence-" Booth began, but he was interrupted.
"Was not conclusive!"
"It certainly points in that direction," Booth explained. "I know that you don't want this to be true, but it is. I know you're just listening to your heart, which is a good thing, but you taught me the importance of evidence. You can't ignore the facts."
"Booth, that can't be her," Brennan said with tears in her eyes.
"It is," Booth choked out. "I don't want it to be, but it is." He pulled Brennan into his embrace. She broke down in his arms. She was finally beginning to accept the facts. Or so he thought.
AN: Only one chapter left. Then either an epilogue, or just jumping right in to the sequel. Stay tuned!