Chapter Eleven:
"The bench is covered in blood, not one section of the top of that wood isn't covered in blood; or what we suppose… is blood." a young man on the forensics team, who Booth assumed was new shook his head. "Some could be body fluids, they could have been raped or-" another member of the team silenced him with a look and they left the building, it was only Temperance, Booth and Officer Ivory left. They all looked at each other, this case was a maze filled with dead ends.
Officer Ivory's cell phone rang, and Temperance and Booth quietly talked about the case, standing in the corner to give the officer privacy. When they heard his cell phone snap shut, they both spun around and saw the officer grinning broadly.
"It seems we finally have a break. He also has a house under the name Richard Miles." Ivory looked pleased. "It used to belong to a Richard Tiles." Bone's clicked onto it straight away.
"His fathers place! Are they there now?" she was already gathering her things and Booth was heading for the door. Officer Ivory chuckled and shut the door. Everything was going as planned…
"Would you like a lift there?" The anthropologist nodded her head happily and leapt into the back seat eager to be off, he noticed the FBI agent hesitate before getting in. On the way the two in the back seat of his car had a whispered conversation which he barely heard a word of. He was too happy about how everything was going.
Temperance strode straight up to the door and knocked, with no answer Booth went around the back and yelled out clear to Officer Ivory and Tempe who looked at each other and waited for the bang as Booth kicked open the back door, there was none, and the front door clicked open forcing Tempe to step back.
"It was unlocked. This house is spotless…" Booth said shaking his head and making room for the two of them to get into the house. He wondered why back-up still hadn't arrived, but said nothing. Officer Ivory had helped them all through the case, why should he be suspicious of him now?
"I smell blood…" Bones said making Booth frown.
"What are you, some kind of blood-hound?" Bones rolled her eyes at his poor attempt at a joke, and Officer Ivory gave a strangled laugh. Tempe suddenly took the stairs at the end of the hall two at a time and Officer Ivory and Booth had to run to catch up, she opened the end door and took a step back covering her mouth. She looked like she was about to be sick.
Booth looked into the room, expecting the worst. What he'd expected wasn't half as bad as what he saw. A young girl sat, her fingers jammed between two heavy pieces of wood. The girl was kneeling her head flopped forward, her back had been skinned, and from what he could see her arm was slit from the wrist to the elbow, so much so that the skin almost seemed to be coming away from her arm.
The sound of tires on gravel announced the arrival of more officers, and officer Ivory left the room and he heard the un-mistakable sound of the man vomiting. Booth knew there was no point in checking for a pulse. He looked around and saw Tempe sitting at a neatly laid out desk, her face paler than usual and her eyes looked huge and horrified.
"He kept record, of every killing. Including his fathers…" She pushed the folders across the desk to him, the victim's names clearly written on the front of each folder in neat handwriting, inside in cursive writing the man wrote down the details, for his own sick pleasure.
"Jayde Huatare" The most recent said, but only one paragraph was written, as if he had been interrupted. He looked at the others. "Jessica Ridges" "Jillian Davidson" and the last said "Janelle Hamilton" officers leaked in and out of the room as Booth and Tempe sat in silence, trying not to gag at the smell, but unable to leave the room.
xx
"That… I'm so sorry Tempe." Angela said into the phone as Tempe explained what had happened.
"We didn't even find him…" Tempe said despondently, as she twirled her finger in her hair and glanced nervously out the window. Would Robert kill again? "Goodnight Ange," Tempe said as she hung up. She'd packed everything the night before and she looked out at Westfield Shopping centre across from her.
No one had even reported a Janelle Hamilton missing, that made her heart constrict. Was it no one cared, no one noticed? Was it in another country like Jillian? Who knew…? Tempe was shocked that Jillian had the same wood chip on her as Jessica. Neither was from the wooden bench.
Every time she lay her head back onto her pillow and closed her eyes, images of Rangi Huatare's daughter invaded her mind. After an hour of lying there, attempting to sleep a knock on her door had her leaping out of bed and checking the peep hole, she'd actually locked her door for once. Booth's haggard appearance assaulted her, and for reasons unknown to her, she smoothed her hair before opening the door to him. She let him in and closed and locked the door behind her.
"I see you're locking your door…" He said awkwardly nodding his head towards the door.
"What do you want Booth?" She asked. He sat on her bed with his head in his hands.
"I can't sleep…" her face softened and she lay down on the opposite side of the bed, snuggling under the covers like a child.
"Neither can I," She said, her voice muffled because she now faced away from him.
"Can I – in a um… professional way – can I sleep in –" To Booth's surprise he heard a strangled sob come from the Forensic Anthropologists direction and he leaned over pushing a piece of hair from her face, he noticed laughter in her sparkling eyes, and he tickled her making her grin and she turned to face him, propped up on one elbow, mirroring him.
"You can professionally sleep in my bed tonight if you like Booth." She said laughingly, and she pushed him so he rolled over a bit and pulled the covers open for him. They stayed on their own sides of the bed, lost in thought. Eventually Booth had had enough, and he pulled the tense anthropologist to his side, and she tucked her head into his shoulder.
"Entirely professional... It's cold tonight…" She mumbled into his shirt, and he sighed as he felt her body relax in his arms, and felt his own tense muscles relax.
A/n: It's nearing midnight. I'm exhausted, and have to get up early for school tomorrow… So please don't be upset if I've made any mistakes! You can yell at me for updating so slowly. hides under computer desk
Is there any confusion? Please tell me so I can clarify. What are you thinking! Please Review )
