Disclaimer: As usual I own nothing

Chapter 38

Lapsus linguae - Slip of the tongue

Three hours previously:

'It's not just me you're hurting though is it.'

'Ahh yes your precious little friends, your 'family'. Well that's the thing about family Temperance. Everyone sleeps with everyone else, you all know each others business and no one really cares who they hurt. It's never the ones you think, its always the bystanders, the ones that try to help.'

'Booth won't end up with you, he'll find out you manipulated him, eventually he'll find out.'

'That's the other thing about family and friends isn't it, the truth always comes out but it won't matter by then will it. You'll be gone. Like I said Temperance, I've won.'

With that Cam sauntered out of the office and a sudden brainwave caused Temperance to move to the desk and snatch up the phone. Cams parting words should have hurt her but instead Temperance couldn't help but smile because she was pretty sure that without knowing it Cam had just solved their case. She stabbed at the buttons furiously in a hurry to prove her point but it wasn't Booths number she was dialling, it was the number for The University of Philadelphia

'Hello...yes its Dr Temperance Brennan with the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington D.C, I'm trying to contact one of your staff, Dr Roberts...yes I understand he has time constraints but this is a federal matter and its of the upmost importance that I speak to him...yes I'll hold...'

She fiddled nervously with a pencil on her desk until she heard the scholar pick up his phone.

'Hello?'

'Hi, this is Dr. Brennan, we met last week.'

'Ah yes, with the FBI. Do you have anything more on Tiffany and Evie?'

'Actually it's not them I'm calling about, well not directly anyway. I was just wondering if you've done a lesson about Dragons Root lately.'

'How did you know? Its not on the syllabus but it came up a few months ago, just before Christmas if my memory serves me correctly in one of our question and answer rounds, one of the students asked about the long term affects.'

Temperance took a deep breath. That proved it, she had to be right.

'Dr Roberts, I understand it was a while ago but can you remember who asked that question?'

The doctor paused to think.

'Yes, yes I do remember, it was...

Booth closed the door and turned to look at the person that had killed the girls in question and came face to face with...

'Good morning Jason.'

Brennan's voice was calm even in the face of a killer it had taken over a month to find. To be honest Booth was having a hard time seeing it but her facts checked out, not enough to convict him on facts alone but if she was right about the confession they wouldn't need to. He sat next to her calmly, letting her take the lead once more as Jason Howard squirmed in his seat.

'How are you Jason?'

'I'm fine.'

'And how's Hayley?'

'Fine.'

'And how's little Ellie?'

The young man looked suddenly startled.

'You didn't mention your daughter before, why?'

'It didn't seem relevant.'

'She's six weeks old Jason meaning you were having an affair with the victim of a murder enquiry's best friend and you didn't think it was relevant?'

'It wasn't important, Tiff' never knew about me and Hayley.'

Temperance frowned, if he was going to be like that she wasn't afraid to be sneaky, after all he'd refused representation, unless Booth told her otherwise there wasn't much she couldn't say.

'Ok Jason, for the record how old are you?'

'20, 21 in June.'

'When did you move here?'

'Two weeks after Christmas.'

'How many siblings do you have?'

'Two brothers and a sister.'

'And what's your house number?'

'26.'

'And how long had you lived in Philadelphia?'

'18 years.'

'And how long have you known that Andrew Watson was sleeping with his daughter?'

Booth didn't know whether to be more shocked that she'd actually asked that or that Jason went to answer. The younger man hung his head before looking at the pair, letting out a long sigh of resignation.

'I've known for a while now.'

There we go guys and girls so Andrew secret is out but if Bones is determined that it was Jason an not him that killed Freya, Tiffany and Evie then what exactly happened and how does sweet little Hayley come into all of this? Tune in next time : )