Chapter 5: Crossmatch
Jeffersonian Institute Medico-legal Lab, Washington, DC: 1:48pm EDT
"Ang!" Jane yelled as she led Maura into the other woman's office.
"What's wrong?" Angela asked quickly, concern etched in her voice.
"No, sorry," Jane replied. "We had an idea. Or a thought. Whatever."
Booth and Aubrey followed by Cam, Dr. Hodgins, and Dr. Brennan hurried into the room.
"Did something happen?" Cam asked hurriedly.
"No, sorry, I didn't mean to freak you guys out," Jane said. "I just, well, we had a…"
"A thought. Go on," Angela prompted.
"I looked for Maura very hard three different times, and uh…" Jane paused and glanced at Maura. "Sorry, if this sounds stalkery, but I also had alerts on various news sites and website for your name the whole time." Jane looked back at her team. "I couldn't find her, so how did the kidnapper find her for the ransom call?"
"Okay, I hope this doesn't make things more awkward," Angela said, "but you work for the FBI, how could you not find her?"
"I-I don't know," Jane said weakly, turning to look at Maura. "I'm sorry, Maur. I hate to ask this, but…"
Maura took a deep breath and ran her hand over her face. She really didn't want to talk about how she hid herself with so many people, especially since, while she didn't technically do anything illegal, she probably pushed some boundaries. You have to do this for Jane, for Isla and Theo. This is to keep them safe.
Maura looked around the room before focusing back on Jane. "Of course, Jane," she said quietly, dropping her gaze to the floor.
"Well, the first two years are the easiest to explain," Maura said as she lifted her head back up, staring at the wall in between Jane and Angela so that she didn't have to look at anyone directly. "I left the country to attend a forensic pathology conference in London. Jane and everyone in Boston knew that I was going to the conference. What they didn't know was that I didn't plan to return after the conference was over.
"Years before, I had set up with my lawyer that if he ever couldn't get ahold of me, my expenses should be continued to be paid. Their offices were already handling everything, so my house and possessions remained cared for but unused. I knew eventually I'd have to go back and deal with my estate, but I hadn't worked up the courage to go home yet.
"The first two years, I essentially remained as close to off the grid as I could, at least in name. I already had bank accounts at multiple European banks from the time I lived there, but knowing the privacy of the Swiss banking system, I switched to using that account for all of my expenses. There was no way Jane or anyone in my life would have the resources to trace a Swiss bank account. That account was the only thing attached to my previous life that I used from that point on.
"I rented a cabin in the south of France in a very small village. No one there recognized me, and I started using a new name. No one had any reason to look into me. I didn't work; instead, I volunteered my time helping much of the older population in the village.
"I did tell my parents that I was moving the day before I left London. I'm assuming you figured that out?" Maura asked, finally looking at Jane.
"Yeah, but they wouldn't tell me anything," Jane said quietly.
"They didn't know anything," Maura said. "You know that I was never close to my parents, so I just told them I needed some time away. I told them it was because of everything that had happened after I found my birth parents."
"Okay, they did tell me that," Jane said.
A small smile tugged at Maura's lips. She knew her parents wouldn't last long under Jane's interrogation, but the truth was, she didn't mind. In a weird, roundabout way, it showed Maura that her parents approved of Jane, at least as a friend.
"Well, they didn't really question it," Maura said. "Anyway, after two years, I couldn't live like that anymore. I knew I had to get back to some semblance of my previous life even if I couldn't go home yet. I had been living as Mary Dupont for two years."
Maura paused. This was the part she didn't want to talk about, the part she wasn't proud of. "I moved to Paris, and I used my connections and money to maintain my privacy. An old schoolmate worked at the European Council for Legal Medicine. I didn't want an electronic trail, so I just showed up at his office without an appointment.
"He knew that I was adopted from our time in school together, so I told him that I was trying to escape the ramifications of the public finding out about my biological father," Maura said.
"Who's your biological father?" Aubrey asked.
Maura turned to look at Aubrey, but it was Jane that answered, "Paddy Doyle."
"Who's Paddy Doyle?" Angela asked.
"Only the biggest Irish mob boss in Boston," Booth answered.
"Could he have something to do with this?" Aubrey asked. "I mean, you left your life behind because of Jane, maybe he wanted revenge."
"You did shoot and arrest him," Booth said to Jane.
"You shot your best friend's father?" Angela interjected in disbelief.
"Booth arrested my father," Dr. Brennan said matter-of-factly.
"Bones," Booth whined.
"Seven years ago," Jane cut in, trying to bring the conversation back to the topic at hand. "Why would he come after me now? But also, no, I doubt it was Paddy. Sure, have someone look into his whereabouts, but if he really wanted revenge, he would have come after me, not my kids, and why would he take Maura's money. Paddy and I definitely aren't each other's biggest fan, but he didn't do this.
"Also, that's not the worst comparison in the world," Jane added, having heard about Dr. Brennan's family's story in bits and pieces over the years. "Paddy loves Maura more than anything. He would do anything for her."
"Sometimes, I wish he wouldn't," Maura said dryly. "But Jane's right, he wouldn't do this."
"Okay, well, I'm still gonna have an agent check him out, but if neither of you think it was him, let's get back to how this guy found Dr. Isles," Booth said.
"We don't know that the Gravedigger 2.0 is a male," Dr. Brennan said quickly.
"I know Bones. I was using it as a non-gendered colloquialism," Booth said.
"We're getting off point again," Angela interrupted.
"The point is, I used my history to my advantage. They wanted my experience and expertise, so it wasn't hard to convince them to let me practice under my alias. And they agreed not to publish my picture anywhere. They actually somewhat liked the arrangement because the organization got most of the credit for my work," Maura said. "I did have to pay taxes, but US agencies wouldn't have access to French income taxes."
"Well, maybe that's the connection," Angela said suddenly.
"Yeah, Jane, even with FBI resources wouldn't be able to access French government records, but who would?" Aubrey asked.
"Well, maybe Jane couldn't have, but…" Angela started nervously.
"Just say it Angela, we all know you can hack basically anything," Hodgins said.
"Well, not anything," Angela said. "But if Dr. Isles was paying taxes legally in France, yeah, given enough time, I do believe I could have found her. Sorry, Jane."
"Don't think I didn't consider that," Jane said. "But I wasn't going to ask you to do something that illegal, especially knowing that Maura didn't want to be found."
"Okay, no offense, but why did you work so hard not to be found," Aubrey said. "I mean, I get moving, but what could Jane had possibly done that you needed to go through all that to get away from her?"
Maura pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to keep her tears at bay. "She didn't. Of course, she didn't," Maura said thickly. "When I left, I didn't intend for things to get that out of hand. I really did just plan to get away, like I did the first two years. I thought that after that I would either come home or start over somewhere new, but I planned to do so as myself. It was just one small decision after another. I just kept telling myself that one more day of deception wouldn't hurt, that I wasn't ready. Jane didn't do anything wrong."
"Well, I'm not sure your last statement is completely correct, but I think maybe that's a conversation for just the two of us," Jane said emotionlessly.
"Okay, Dr. Isles reasons for leaving aside," Hodgins said. "Angie, there aren't many people in the world who have your hacking skills. This isn't something just anyone could pull off, right?"
"No, so we need to cross-list the list of people who could pull this off with the list of people who might want to hurt Jane, Dr. Isles, or someone close to them," Angela said.
"You make that sound easier than it is," Aubrey said skeptically.
"Which is why I have the multi-million-dollar computer system instead of you," Angela quipped. "So, all y'all get out so I can do my thing."
"I…" Maura started.
"Nope," Jane said, grabbing Maura's elbow. "When Angela says get out, we get out."
"O-okay," Maura stuttered as she followed Jane and the others out of the room. Jane led Maura off to the side while everyone else went back to their own workstations.
"I'm sorry, Maura," Jane said sadly, grabbing Maura's hands in hers. "I…"
"No, Jane, I'm sorry," Maura interrupted. "You didn't do anything…"
"But you left because of me," Jane said. "I mean, I always suspected, but…" Jane trailed off.
Maura blinked back tears as she looked off to the side and tried to gather her thoughts. She knew that Jane had obviously figured out why she left, but that didn't make saying it allowed much easier. Maura took a deep breath and looked back at Jane. "I couldn't watch you marry Casey," Maura said. "It hurt too much. I know that's not fair to you. I know that I made the wrong decision. I regret leaving more than anything. Love makes you do crazy things," she added with a laugh, and she felt Jane's hands tighten their grip on her hands ever so slightly.
"You couldn't watch me have Casey's kids?" Jane asked the question she was dreading the answer to.
Maura tilted her head as she tried to decide how to answer the question truthfully but also in a way that Jane wouldn't misinterpret her words. She knew she only had one chance at this conversation.
"Jane, I love Isla and Theo more than I ever thought possible. They're your kids and that's all that matters to me. Actually, no, I love them for who they are. At this point, who their parents are or aren't have nothing to do with how much I love them. I have to admit, I love that I can see so much of you in them. I know I didn't answer your question, though. Their DNA was never what mattered, but I couldn't watch you raise them with Casey. I know that's selfish, but it just hurt too much. It hurt knowing that he was more important to you than I was, and it hurt that he was going to be more important to your children than I ever would be."
"Except, that was never true," Jane cut in.
"What?" Maura said.
"I know you noticed that Casey and I aren't together and that we don't exactly have a good relationship," Jane said. "I also know you're too polite to ask about it with everything else that's going on."
Maura crossed her arms protectively in front of her chest; she couldn't help it.
"He broke up with me a few weeks after you left," Jane said. "He broke up with me because he figured out that I was in love with you. He realized that he would never be more important to me than you."
Maura covered her mouth with her hand as she choked on a sob. Jane wrapped her arms around Maura and pulled her close, but Maura didn't unfurl herself as she continued to hold onto herself in Jane's arms. Her body shook as tears wracked her body.
"I know we need to have a longer conversation about all of this, but I needed you to know that you weren't alone in your feelings. Hell, I named my kids after you – both of them," Jane added with a laugh.
Maura laughed through her tears and finally melted into Jane's embrace. She wrapped her arms around the other woman and buried her face in her curls. Maura turned her head without lifting it from Jane's shoulder. "I know this is the wrong time to say this, but in case this doesn't end well, I need to tell you…"
"I still love you, too," Jane whispered.
Maura lifted her head so quickly, she nearly hit Jane in the face.
When she saw the surprised look on Maura's face, Jane froze. "Oh, god," Jane said. "Please tell me I didn't read that all wrong."
Maura smiled and lifted onto her toes to kiss Jane's cheek. "You didn't read that wrong," she said as a huge smile took over her face. "I do. I love you so much. I love, Isla, and Theo."
Jane pulled Maura back into a bone-crushing hug. "I really want to kiss you right now, but I don't want our first kiss to be like this, okay?" Jane asked weakly.
Maura squeezed Jane tight. "We'll figure everything out when this is over," Maura said. "Right now, we need to figure out who did this. We need to make sure the kids are safe, that you're safe."
Jane nodded against Maura's shoulder. "Thank you," she said quietly.
When they separated, they both tried to wipe the evidence of their tears from their cheeks. They shared a shy smile before Maura asked, "Is there a bathroom I could use?"
Jane laughed. "Yeah, come on," she said.
An empty apartment, Washington, DC: 3:28pm EDT
"Shit!" the younger man cursed as alarms started going off on his computer.
"What is it?" the older man asked angrily from behind him.
"My name popped up on a search," he replied tersely as he typed furiously on his keyboard.
"Do they know where we are? Can they trace our location?" the older man nearly screamed.
"Shut up!"
"Do they know where we are?"
"Shut up and let me work!"
"Fuck this. I'm not waiting here to be caught like a sitting duck," the older man said as he turned on his heel and walked quickly to the door before realizing what his biggest problem was now. He turned back around, and without a word, fired one shot into the younger man's head. He fired a few shots through the computer hard drive before firing one into each of the screens for good measure.
He took one more look around the apartment before deciding to add one final touch, and he shot through both of the younger man's hands. That should freak Jane out a bit, he thought to himself with a satisfied smile before finally leaving the apartment.
Jeffersonian Institute Medico-legal Lab, Washington, DC: 3:32pm EDT
"Jane! Dr. Isles!" Angela called from the door of her office.
Jane came running out of Dr. Brennan's office, quickly followed by Maura.
"Did you find something?" Jane asked.
"I'm not sure," Angela said, leading them back to her large screen. Booth and Aubrey were already standing there. "I want to see if anything here seems familiar to either of you."
"What are we looking at?" Jane said as she looked at the screen.
"Well, a list of possible suspects," Angela said. "I started with people who have the hacking skills necessary to have found Dr. Isles. I was able to narrow down the list, but the problem was, very few of their identities were actually know. They were known only by their aliases.
"So, my next thought was to follow the trail backwards now that we know Dr. Isles alias. I compared this to the known M.O.s of the hackers. It was mildly successful, but honestly, not as successful as I had hoped. This is the list I ended up with," Angela explained.
"I guess the first question is do any of these names sound familiar to either of you?" Booth asked.
"No," Jane and Maura both answered regretfully.
"Can you pull up their basic background information?" Maura asked. "At least for the suspects that you have that information?"
Angela pressed a few buttons on her control and additional information popped up.
"327, 43, 369, 268, 310, 42, 215, 204" Hodgins said excitedly. Maura hadn't even heard him join them.
"Honey, you know when you talk like that, the rest of us have no idea what you're talking about," Angela said bluntly.
"West Asian heroin," Hodgins said. "I found West Asian heroin in and around the container. Finding traces of drugs wasn't surprising, but it caught my attention because that particular strain, West Asian heroin, isn't super common in the US. Most heroin in the US comes from South America. Angie, can you cross-match the location history of the hackers with areas where heroin matching that profile is found?"
"Sure, but you're gonna have to tell me again what I'm entering," Angela said as she pulled up an input box on the screen.
"It's the mass spec results," Hodgins said before repeating the ion profile for Angela to enter.
The list of suspects narrowed significantly and centered around individuals with ties in three regions of the globe.
"Can you pull up this list?" Jane said, her voice shaking, as she pointed to one of the regions.
Profiles of six hackers filled the screen.
"Fuck!" Jane cursed loudly.
Maura couldn't help it; she stepped next to Jane and gently touched her shoulder.
"That one," Jane said thickly as she pointed to one of the profiles.
"Do you know him?" Maura asked softly.
"No, but I know that place," Jane said, pointing to the last known location of the hacker.
A/N: Alright, well, I know it wasn't the most convincing story for how Maura hid from Jane, but the individual pieces are all possible (Jane not having access to French taxes, the privacy of Swiss banking, academic credit going to an organization as opposed to a person, etc). I do think it's a bit of a stretch that Maura would go to those lengths to hide from Jane, though, but I kinda worked myself into a hole. Anyway, I'd love thoughts or suggestions on how I could have done that part better. This is exactly why I wanted to write this story before I write a more original (hopefully) crime story (although, at this point, part of me thinks I should stick to the family and romance genres).