Apologies for not updating yesterday - but hey, it was the night for a new Bones episode here, so I was otherwise occupied ;-)
Wednesday 3.30pm Brennan thought for a moment. "Do you want me to bring Angela home with me, or do you want to come into the lab?" she asked.
"It would be easier in the lab, if I can get there safely," Booth answered. "Maybe Zack and Hodgins might be able to chip in as well. Besides, I'm going crazy here. I really need to get back on this case properly."
"Okay, leave it to me."
Brennan hung up, thought for a moment, then made a few phone calls.
Wednesday 6.15pm"I still don't get why we have to stay late," Hodgins complained.
Brennan glared at him. "Please, Hodgins, just for once can you do as I ask without complaining?" she snapped. Then seeing his hurt look she shook her head. "Sorry," she said. "This business with Booth being missing - it's difficult. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
He frowned back, looking puzzled but made no further argument. Brennan turned to Zack. "You hungry?"
"Uh, not particularly," he answered, confused.
"That's a shame. I've ordered takeout for us all."
Angela pulled her to one side. "Just what are you up to, sweetie?" she demanded.
Brennan shook her head. "Please, Angela, pretend nothing's wrong. You'll find out soon enough."
The team settled down to work, giving Brennan sidelong glances every now and then as if trying to figure out what she was up to. Gradually, everyone else disappeared to their homes and families, leaving just the forensic anthropology team at work.
Wednesday 7.15pm
Just as Brennan was beginning to think that she would have to give the others some sort of explanation her phone rang and she hurried to her office to answer it. She looked round the room carefully as she spoke to her caller, then she hung up.
Shortly thereafter a visitor arrived in the lab. "Pizza!" he announced, holding aloft an assortment of pizza boxes. "Hope you're hungry!"
Angela looked up at the delivery guy, then did a double-take. "Booth?"
Zack looked up, startled. "Booth? Where?" He spotted Booth standing with the pizzas and grinned in delight. Even Hodgins, not noted for being enthusiastic about anything other than his conspiracy theories and his bugs, raised a smile at the sight of the FBI agent. Angela ran over and gave him a hug, then pulled back as she noticed him wince.
"You're injured," she said, concerned.
Booth shrugged. "It's nothing much," he said.
Brennan smiled her welcome. "You managed it okay then," she said.
Booth nodded. "The pizza guy was quite happy to skip the delivery and let me do it."
He followed Brennan into her office and put the pizza boxes down on the coffee table. Then he turned to the others, who had followed him. "Sorry, guys," he said. "We felt it was best not to tell you anything until the lab was empty for the evening."
Angela turned to Brennan. "You knew he was still alive?"
"Not until last night. But yes, today I did know all day. I'm sorry," she apologised. "I wanted to tell you, but we had to keep it quiet. Booth's life is in danger."
The team immediately looked serious. "Tell us what we can do to help," Hodgins said at once. Zack said nothing, but nodded his head eagerly.
"Thanks, I knew I could count on you to help," Booth said. "Actually, it's Angela who can help me most right now, but I'm sure you'll all get a chance to help out."
"Me?" Angela looked startled. Booth pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. He handed it to her.
Angela looked down at the paper. "That's the picture I did of the body you brought in last week."
"Yeah, that's right," Booth agreed. "You did good work on that, all of you. But now I need you to do more for me."
"Tell me, honey, I'm all ears."
Angela and Booth headed for the artist's office, leaving the rest with Brennan.
"Okay, what can I do for you?" Angela settled herself comfortably on a stool and looked over the top of her sketchpad at Booth.
Booth indicated the sketch laid out on the desk next to them. "I saw him the other night, I think," he said.
"Sweetie, that's not possible. Your guy has been dead for at least three months."
"I know. But maybe they were brothers? They were very similar in appearance. I couldn't think where I'd seen him before, but I think it must have been your sketch. My guy had longer hair, and his eyes were slightly closer together, I think."
Angela's brow furrowed in concentration as she bent over the sketchpad, drawing to Booth's specifications. Eventually she held the drawing up for him to see.
He nodded. "Yes, I think that's it."
"But you can't have seen my picture before," Angela said slowly. "I didn't complete it until after you'd left us that evening."
"Maybe an earlier version of the sketch? I've definitely seen it somewhere before."
She shook her head. "I don't tend to show stuff I'm still working on. No-one saw this until it was finished, and that was about an hour after you left."
Booth chewed his bottom lip in frustration. "Let's get some pizza," he said at last. The two of them headed back to the office, to find the others merrily eating their way through the pile of food.
"We saved one for you," Zack said shyly, holding a box out to Booth. He took the box and nodded his thanks to the young scientist, who looked pleased.
"Dr Brennan's been filling us in a little," Hodgins said. "Sounds like you've got a nice conspiracy going on."
"I thought you'd like it," Booth grinned, settling back on the couch and tucking into pizza. For a moment he just savoured the chance to eat and relax among friends. He listened to the others chatting; after the initial shock of seeing him alive and well they seemed to have taken his presence for granted and continued with life as normal. He listened with contentment to Zack talking about a visit to his family the week before.
Then suddenly Booth sat up. "Angela!" he said. "That face. Could you do another version?"
Angela nodded. "I'll get my pad," she said. She was back a moment later, and sat down waiting for instructions.
Booth hesitated a moment. "The eyes are right," he said at last. "The hair – longer. The chin's a little rounder. And – it's a female."
Angela drew the face he described and offered it to him. He sat forward to take a closer look, then shook his head. "No, that's not right." His face twisted in frustration.
"Who are you trying to get?" asked Hodgins, interested.
"That face – I've seen it somewhere before. It might be the guy himself, of course, when he was still alive, but I've just got the strangest feeling it was a woman – and someone I've seen often."
The others watched in fascination as Angela's pencil flew over the paper, first sketching and then filling in a face. Attempt after attempt was made, and then abandoned as Booth professed them to be not quite right.
Brennan had started typing up a full report of the findings of the day, but as she caught sight of one of Angela's discarded sketches she stood up and came round her desk. She stood for a moment watching over Angela's shoulder as yet another sketch was started and then rejected.
"No," she said slowly. "It's the hairline." She described changes to Angela.
Booth looked up at Brennan in astonishment. "You recognise her?" he asked.
"I've got a strange feeling I know this face, too," Brennan explained.
Angela finished the latest version and held it up for them both to inspect.
Booth opened his eyes wide and looked at Brennan, who had given a small gasp as she looked at the picture.
"I know who it is!" they said together.
Please let me know what you think! Thank you for all your comments so far.