Author's note: I got so caught up in the last chapter that I forgot to stop where I'd intended. Whoops. Anyway, here's the continuation of my writing roll.
Disclaimer: /channels Puss in Boots/…Uhhh, das no' mine.
They chose a restaurant across the street from The Jungle. Booth watched the dancers and various other employees enter the club.
He shook his head. "This guy, whoever he is, is nuts. I mean, really sick."
Temperance paused mid-chew to look up at her companion. She swallowed and said, "More so than any other person we've dealt with?"
"Yeah, I mean…who dismembers the body of a young woman and leaves a trail of the pieces as clues? I mean, it's demented!"
"You said it yourself," she reasoned. "Some people like to play games with the authorities. This guy is having fun at the expense of a young woman's life and our time. Are you gonna finish that?" she pointed to the untouched half of Booth's turkey sandwich.
He shook his head and pushed his plate towards her. "It's just wrong. The body should not be treated like that."
"I agree," she said, chewing thoughtfully on the sandwich.
They finished up and Booth paid the bill. He put on his sunglasses as they stepped out on the sidewalk. They looked at each other, then crossed the street. He held the door to the club open for Tempe to walk through, then followed her inside.
"Okay, so let's find the manager and tell him the situation," Booth said.
Brennan nodded and they made their way to the bar.
Booth pulled out his badge and said to the bartender, "Excuse me, my name is Agent Booth, this is my associate, Dr. Brennan. We need to speak to whoever's in charge."
"Sure thing," the guy answered, then called into the back room, "Hey, Leo! There's some people up here who need to talk to you."
Brennan tugged on Booth's arm, and they looked at each other. Her eyebrows shot up and she whispered, "Leo." Booth nodded his understanding.
A man walked out from the back room holding a clipboard. "Hey, I'm Leo. How can I help you?" he addressed Booth, before turning his attention to Temperance, giving her a once-over with a raised eyebrow.
Leo was a good four inches taller than Booth, and his muscular frame was almost twice as wide. He had tattoos all over his arms and neck, and a countenance that would make anyone think twice about messing with him. This didn't stop Booth from stepping between him and Brennan.
"Uh, yeah, hi," Booth said, waving his badge. "We actually had some questions for you."
The look Leo gave Booth would have made a lesser man back off. But Booth was far too used to such scare tactics to flinch. After a few seconds staring each other down, Leo gave in and said, "Alright, what can I do for you, Agent Booth?"
Booth put his badge away and said, "We were hoping you might be able to tell us if there's been any sort of unusual activity around here in the past day or so. Anybody who stood out to you?"
Leo's eyebrows went together, then said, "As a matter of fact, there was a guy who gave me an envelope for you. At first, I told him, ya know, 'No way, do I look like a f—uh,'" he looked at Temperance, "'a frikkin' Western Union man?'"
"So you didn't take the note?" Brennan asked.
"Oh, I took it. After he gave me a hundred bucks. I'm not gonna turn down easy money for something as simple as holding onto an envelope." He opened the clasp on the clipboard and pulled an envelope from under the inventory sheet he was working on.
Booth had pulled on a pair of gloves, and he reached for the envelope. Leo pulled it back from his grasp. "My instructions were to give it to the lady."
Booth stood challengingly, but Leo didn't give in this time. Brennan put a reassuring hand on Booth's arm and said, "Booth, it's okay. His hands would be burning if there was anything on the envelope."
Booth shot her a sideways glance, then moved out of the way for her to take the envelope. She held it up to the light, and Booth moved his head next to hers to also examine the envelope.
When they were sure there was only a slip of paper inside, Tempe carefully tore the end off and popped it open. She used tweezers from her kit to take out the note, just in case there was quicklime inside the envelope.
She spread the note out on the bar.
BELL OUT OF ORDER
PLEASE KNOCK
Booth and Brennan were stymied. But Leo spoke up after reading the note. "There's a dance platform with some ropes and a bell at the top. The clapper fell out of the bell, so it doesn't work."
"Show us," Booth said. Tempe put the note into an evidence bag, and after sticking it in her pocket, followed the two men.
The crowd was beginning to pick up a bit, and they had to maneuver their way through men ogling bikini-clad women on platforms, and bikini-clad women serving drinks to the men.
"Right here," Leo said, pointing to a raised platform where a woman was currently performing in a gym-inspired two-piece, swinging on the ropes hanging from the ceiling. "Her act is almost done."
Brennan watched in fascination. "Look at how incredibly flexible the human body can be," she said. "It's amazing."
"Yeah, amazing," Booth said, tilting his head to the side to better observe the phenomenon of the human body in motion.
The dancer performed one more particularly difficult-looking feat of acrobatics and ended her act hanging upside-down, spread-eagled, blowing a whistle that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere.
"Amazing," Booth said again.
Brennan looked over at him and noticed his fascination. "You said that already."
He looked over at her. "I know. I was just reiterating."
Brennan rolled her eyes and approached the platform, where the dancer had just stepped down and was moving towards the dressing rooms, dollar bills sticking out from her waistband. Booth forced himself to look up at the bell hanging from the ceiling where the ropes were attached.
Brennan hopped up on the platform and snapped on a fresh pair of gloves.
"Yeah, sweetheart, let's play Doctor!" someone called out from the men still gathered around the platform.
She looked down at the group in confusion.
The same man yelled, "You can't operate in that! Take off the clothes!"
She started to move menacingly towards the group, but Booth jumped up on the platform and grabbed onto her, keeping her from going any further.
"Whoa, Bones, he just thinks you're the next act. No need to go all Buffy on his ass."
She stared Booth down and said evenly, "I don't know what that means."
She nevertheless turned back around to figure out how to get to the bell. "Besides," she called over her shoulder to him, "I don't look like a stripper."
"They're dancers, Bones, and actually, with your figure, you kinda could be."
She shot him a venomous look. He held up his hands placatingly and said, "Compliment! It was a compliment."
She turned back to the ropes. She was now standing directly underneath the bell. She reached out and grasped the closest rope, tugging firmly, then began to pull herself up it. Brennan ignored the men chanting below, watching her progress. There were loops set evenly all up the rope, and when she had reached the top, she secured herself in one and wrapped her arm around the rope to steady herself while she examined the bell.
Meanwhile, Booth began climbing the other rope, and soon he had joined her at the ceiling. "Well," he said, "the bell is out of order. Should we start knocking?"
"Yes," she said, rapping on the boards.
"Okaaay," he said. "I was kidding, but I guess that could work, too." He started tapping the ceiling as well, though he didn't really know what he should be looking for.
The group around the platform had disappeared once they realized that Temperance wasn't the entertainment.
Tempe came to a board that sounded different than the rest. "Hey, Booth," she said.
"Yeah?"
"This board is different. It's thinner than the others." She reached into her coat and pulled out a pocket knife.
"Should you really be doing that?" Booth asked warily, noting that if she were to drop the knife it would likely take out her eye.
"I'm fine," she insisted. The board popped right out, and she teetered unsteadily for a second. Booth reached out to stablize her, and she quickly regained her balance.
She passed him the board and reached inside the opening. A few seconds later, she said, "I can't find whatever's up here."
"I don't think there's anything there," Booth said, holding up the board. On the side that had been hidden was painted a green letter M.
Across the room, aman sat on a barstool, sipping a glass of water. He watched the agents work for a few more moments, then slid off the stool, placing a twenty on the bar and walking out.
He strolled along the street away from The Jungle, whistling the tune to "Follow the Yellow Brick Road," and smiled to himself.
To be continued…
Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road...