(The Secrets in the Proposal)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Vacation was over and Booth felt ready to get back to work. After a quick meeting with Fairburn, Booth walked into Lester's office and sat down on the couch near the right wall. "Okay, what do you have on Kyle Ross and Brendon Riley. I know there's a pile or reports on my desk, but I want you to tell what's going on."

Grabbing his notebook from his desk, Lester glanced at a few notes and closed it. "Alright, I tracked down Nathan Cross, the boy that Kyle Ross saved from Brendon Riley. Since he was the key to what happened afterward, I wanted to talk to him. He's stationed at Ft. Belvoir. He's a combat medic and he's stationed at the hospital. He joined the army two years after Kyle and Brendon disappeared."

Slowly nodding his head, Booth approved of Lester's investigation since that was who he would have started with. "Go on."

"When Kyle disappeared, Nathan went looking for him. He and three friends looked in an old abandoned store that Brendon used sometimes and found Kyle there. He was dead." Lester paused and drank from a bottle of water he had on the desk. "The boys made some noise when they broke into the building and found Kyle. Brendon Riley and a guy that worked for him named Butch came downstairs and threatened to kill the boys. Butch pulled a gun and one of the boys named Tim, I don't know his last name, threw a rock and hit Butch in the forehead. That killed him."

"Wow." Booth had seen rocks used as missiles hit flesh and break legs and arms while he was overseas. "Okay, so Butch was dead. Then what happened?"

Continuing the story, Lester leaned forward on his desk. "Brendon pulled a gun and the boys picked up junk and threw it at Brendon. While he was dodging and trying to shoot the boys, one of the boys grabbed Butch's gun and shot Brendon in the leg. Brendon didn't have a chance. Nathan said the bullet hit a femoral artery and Brendon was dead in moments . . . The boys didn't report what happened because they thought they'd be charged with murder. They used a medical waste incinerator to get rid of the bodies of Brendon and Butch." Before Booth could say anything, Lester held up his hand. "They didn't do that to Kyle's body. They buried him in an open grave in Oak Hill Cemetery. Nathan told me where and I let Carolyn know we needed to petition the court to allow us to get Kyle's body from Richard Goldshine's grave. I had found all this out on a Friday and Carolyn petitioned the court for an exhumation the next Monday. We dug up the grave on Tuesday and we found Kyle's body where Nathan said it was. I had Cam do an autopsy and she said he died from a gunshot to the forehead. We don't have the weapon, but the bullet from the gun has been linked to three murders. I asked Nathan where the gun was when I interviewed him the second time and he said it was thrown into the Potomac River from the 495 over pass. The building where the three men were killed was torn down a year after they died and it's an apartment building now."

"So, Butch someone and Brendon Riley's bodies are gone, the building is gone and the gun is gone." This wasn't what Booth was hoping for. "Has Kyle's family been notified that his body had been found?"

"I told Mrs. Ross and her daughter, but I haven't told Pat Ross yet." Lester leaned back against his chair and gave Booth a slight smile. "Carolyn wanted me to wait until you came back and she told me to tell you that she wants you to tell him. She's hoping it might get him to talk about the kids he murdered."

It seemed like a good idea to Booth. "What's Carolyn going to do about Nathan Cross?"

"She's going to charge him with improper internment of Kyle's body. Carolyn said she's not going to insist on a prison sentence, just a fine." Carolyn had found the situation ludicrous. "We only have Kyle's body and no proof Nathan or his friends had anything to do with his death. He had no motive to kill Kyle and the weapon used to kill Kyle was involved in three murders, one of them nine years before Kyle died. That would have made Nathan seven at the time of that murder. Nathan won't say who the other kids were that were with him and he won't say who shot Brendon or threw the rock at Butch. There isn't enough evidence to go to trial. Nathan's lawyer can claim that Brendon moved to the west coast or out of the country and we can't prove he didn't. We don't know who Butch was because Nathan only knew his first name. I've talked to some of Brendon's former associates and they didn't know who Butch was either. I guess Brendon wanted it that way . . .The case is closed as far as Carolyn is concerned."

"Alright." He thought they should find out who was with Nathan the night Brendon and Butch were killed, but he was realistic and he knew that he had no case. Butch and Brendon were dead and their bodies weren't recoverable. "Have Pat Ross brought to the interview room in two hours. Let me know when you're ready. You can sit in on the interview."

Lester knew that he wanted to be there. He hoped that there was a chance Pat Ross might finally have something to say about why he went on a killing spree. "I'll let you know."

Ooooooooooooooo

Booth entered the interview room with Lester following him in. Staring at Pat Ross for a moment, Booth saw a man who seemed defiant and uncaring what the world thought of him. Once he was seated, Booth placed a folder on the table in front of him and nodded his head at the attorney sitting next to Ross. "I'm here to inform you that we've located your son Kyle's body."

"What?" Pat Ross had lost the color in his face. "What do you mean you found his body?"

Though he despised Ross, Booth tried to be kind. "We were able to locate someone who knew where Kyle was buried. Your son was murdered eight years ago, a few days after he was reported missing. One of his young friends tracked him down and found his body. He buried him at Oak Hill Cemetery. The boy didn't know what to do and he didn't want to involve the police so he did what he could for Kyle. Your son's remains have been recovered and autopsied and we know he was murdered."

"I knew it." Ross was furious. "I told my wife that those people my boy was trying to help killed him. They weren't children they were animals. Animals you hear me!" Shouting, Ross half rose from his seat.

Concerned his lawyer grabbed his arm. "Sit down Mr. Ross."

Trembling, Ross sat down and glared at Booth. "Have you arrested Kyle's murderer?"

"No, we believe Brendon Riley killed your son and he's dead." Booth studied Ross to see how he would react.

"Who killed Brendon Riley?" Ross was outraged and was barely in control of his temper. "How do you know he killed my son?"

Certain it would be wise to tell Ross as little as possible, Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Our investigation led us to Brendon Riley. During our investigation, we found out that several street children found Kyle in a building being used by Brendon and some of his people. He was dead and the kids were trying to take his body with them when Brendon heard them in the building and tried to kill the kids. Brendon ended up dead instead." Booth didn't say anything else.

"Animals stop calling them kids. If my boy had stayed away from those animals, he'd be alive now."

"Is that why you killed those kids?" Curious if Ross would answer, Booth stared at him to see how he would react.

Before Ross could speak, his lawyer intervened. "My client doesn't have to answer that question, Agent Booth."

"No, he doesn't, but we know he killed eleven children and we have plenty of evidence to prove it. He will be found guilty of those eleven murders you can count on that." Booth stood up. "Your son's body will be handed over to Karen Ross for reburial."

His anger out of control, Ross stood up and lunged around the table towards Booth. "No, that bitch has no right . . . " Before he could do more than grab Booth's arm, Booth shoved the man against the wall and placed his arm against the killer's throat.

"Assaulting a federal agent is a crime." Booth chuckled. "That will be added to your charges."

Concerned, Ross' lawyer moved over to where the two men were and placed his hand on Booth's arm. "Agent Booth, please let my client go. You've made your point."

Releasing Ross, Booth stepped back and glared at the killer. "Your wife will be responsible for your son's burial and if I have a say in it, you will not be allowed to attend the funeral. You've just proved you're a danger to your wife as well as to the public."

His hands clenched Ross knew there was nothing he could do for his son. "It doesn't matter what that bitch does. My son was taken from me eight years ago and I've made as many of those animals pay for it as I could."

Knowing the interview was being recorded, the lawyer suddenly felt sick though he tried not to show it. "That is enough, Mr. Ross. This interview is over Agent Booth."

With a smirk on his face, Booth walked over to the door where Lester was standing. "I'll see you in court."

Oooooooooooooooooo

In Booth's office, Lester stared at the bobble head bobby on the desk while Booth finished a phone call. Once the call was ended, the younger agent smiled. "Now we know why he keeps saying those kids aren't kids. That is one sick bastard."

"We can use the interview during the trial. Ross pretty much confessed to the killings." Booth was satisfied with how the interview had gone. "His lawyer will try to throw it out and he might succeed but not without a fight from Caroline."

"It doesn't matter, we have enough evidence to fry him." Lester stood up. "I have some reports to finish and I have an interview with Marie Perez this afternoon about the Blandings case."

Once he was alone, Booth leaned back against his chair and stared at the bull pen outside his door. He was pleased with Lester's investigation and was now certain he had made the right decision making the man his lieutenant.

Oooooooooooooooooo

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