Poor Jessica. Someone has slashed her tires and broken into her work locker and into her apartment. What else could possibly go wrong? Read on to find out...
In the Verizon store, Jessica looked at the phones distractedly as she waited for someone to be available for her. She knew she had to make a decision soon as Angela was waiting patiently to get through the busy crowd.
'Samsung…or LG…Samsung…or LG…'
As she wracked her brain to make up her mind, her thoughts kept returning to the events of the last forty minutes.
Every news and radio station in town was reporting on the incident at Histevark Securities this morning. Details remained the same...an FBI agent and an SEC accountant were shot at by a person they were questioning. All that had been disclosed after that was that the suspect was dead and Hunter was being treated at the hospital. Nothing about Genny.
'Poor Genny…Hunter got shot and she had to kill someone. Superman told me how they have to go to a review panel and be questioned over and over about their handling of the situation. I'm sure she had no choice. I hate violence, and I've only shot clay pigeons when we had skeet shooting for PE at the cooperative. However, if someone has a gun on you or someone you love, you don't hesitate. You do what you have to do to survive. The review board will understand. Superman will take care of her.'
Aubrey was trained for situations like this as well, and he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if it was down to him or the other person. However, he told her once that so far in his FBI career he never had to kill a suspect...and he hoped that day would never come.
'Okay, back to the phones. I think I'll go with the Samsung.'
Just then Angela walked up to the intern. "Jessica, I just heard from Brennan. Hunter is all right. He was shot in the arm, but it didn't hit anything major. They're just stitching him up now."
"How's Genny?"
"Booth told Bren that he and Aubrey are back at the FBI with her. She's being questioned right now, and then she has to go up to face a review panel within the next few days. She had to turn in her gun for the investigation but Aubrey's backing her up all the way."
'Of course Superman would. He's the most loyal person I know.' Jessica thought to herself. "I hope she's alright…"
Angela put her arm around her friend. "It'll take some time, but she will be. Now, what phone are you getting?"
Jessica pointed to the Samsung. "I'll get the S7."
Hearing her friend's name called, Angela turned. "They're calling you, Jessica."
Something finally dawned on her. "Crap, I don't know how much money I'll need up front."
"I'll take care of it, Jessica. When you find the asshole who did this, you can give them the bill."
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Ninety minutes later, Jessica was at her credit union opening her safe deposit box. Angela watched in amazement as she pulled out her passport, birth certificate, and other items.
"Jessica…you're the last person I've expected to have one of these."
Not ready to share all the details, Jessica told a condensed version. "My father set this up for me while I was in college. He said things can get lost in a house and he wanted me to keep things where nothing could damage them…or no one could get to them."
Angela sensed there was more to the story, but wisely decided it wasn't the best time to press for it. "I guess it's a good thing you did. If whoever did this searched your dresser drawers, they were probably looking for this stuff. Do you think Karen is involved?"
Jessica took a breath. Now that she'd had some time and was able to get past her emotions, she knew it could be only one person. "No, it's Gerald Maxwell."
"You seem sure of that. Karen could have done this, too. She's certainly nuts enough."
"True, but Karen has no access to the lab, and even if it was her, I can't see her being twisted enough to gum up my locks. What could she gain by searching through my lingerie and other clothes?"
"Ideas on how to seduce Aubrey?", Angela cracked.
Remembering what she and Aubrey had heard Karen talk about at the diner after the Gala, she shuddered and shook her head. "Let's just say that I'm positive that my bras and panties are too conservative for Karen...and that's saying a lot. Besides, they wouldn't fit her."
Angela chuckled, but sobered when she saw the redhead's reaction. "Does Aubrey know about any of this?"
"No. I haven't had the chance to tell him.", Jessica said as she got her stuff together. "We've both been busy."
"Jessica, you need to tell him as soon as possible.", Angela said. "If he hears about it from someone else, he's going to be upset."
'Like how I found out about his father…', Jessica thought. "I think Aubrey has other things on his mind right now, Angela, with Genny's situation. He'll have a lot to deal with, being the SAC. He's got more to worry about than me and my problems."
"Jessica, you're going to need help with things and you know he would do anything for you. That's what boyfriends are there for, you know?"
The redhead erupted in anger. "I can handle this stuff myself, Angela. I don't need my boyfriend to pay my bills or clean up my messes!"
The artist was taken aback by her reaction. "I'm sorry, Jessica. I just meant help you with the little things...I'm wasn't meaning-"
"I'm sorry, Angela. I didn't mean to snap at you. You're helping me and I'm being a brat.", Jessica said, mortified over her outburst. "Now I can't access my trust fund account until my drawers are unlocked but I can take money out of my savings to give you towards my phone...but I will also need cash for my refill of birth control pills..."
"Don't worry about the money, Jessica. I know you're good for it. Now, let's get your new debit card taken care of before we head over to the DMV."
"Thanks, Angela."
"You're welcome. Now, the sooner we get back, the sooner I can see if I can save that SIM card on your phone. If we're lucky, that jackass didn't destroy it when he trashed your phone."
Jessica turned to the artist as they were walking out. "Do you care if we run back to Verizon first? They said it wouldn't be long to transfer all my stuff to my new phone and I'm really anxious to check on Genny."
"And Aubrey…", Angela said before putting her arm around her friend. "Yeah, we can do that. Come on."
An hour later, Jessica came out of the pharmacy, clearly frustrated. By the time she got into Angela's vehicle, she still had steam coming out of her ears.
"My refill was $52.17. Urgh…I'm so going to kick Gerald's ass!"
Angela was stunned. "Don't you have insurance?"
The redhead turned to Angela. "I do, but since I filled it less than 30 days ago, the insurance company won't cover it unless I wait another eight days. There was nothing the pharmacist could do."
"I hope you making a tab to present to that asshole, starting with your tires."
"Oh I am, Angela. I am.", Jessica said as she looked out the window.
At 3:00, the ladies came out of the DMV with Jessica's new temporary license. "It sucks that it will take up to two weeks for my new license to arrive."
"Mine only took a week when I renewed it a couple of years ago.", Angela said. "I'm just glad you had your passport and your driver's license number, Jessica."
"When you fill out as many financial aid forms as I've done for school, you learn it's easier to memorize it than keep pulling it out."
Angela unlocked her van and the women climbed inside. Angela started the vehicle and pulled out into the street. "Jessica, Brennan said you barely ate at breakfast and you didn't eat much when we were at the diner. Do you want to grab something?"
"I'm not hungry Angela.", Jessica replied as she looked at her phone and saw the two text messages that showed up earlier.
Jessica, I love u. Have things 2 say.
Back in town but Genny & Hunter in shooting & he got shot. Not sure when we can talk but will call when I can. Hoover is a madhouse. Love u
Jessica knew that her phone had been destroyed late yesterday afternoon. By now everything should have transferred to this phone, and it looked like Aubrey had sent these messages this morning.
'If he sent me two messages today, perhaps he tried talking to me yesterday...and I didn't answer him because I didn't have my phone since that prick Gerald destroyed it. Superman must think I was ignoring him like a petulant teenager.' She pondered for a moment. 'I should send him a message...but what do I say?'
The redhead took a deep breath to hold herself together, an action that Angela noticed. "Jessica, are you all right?"
"Yeah...Aubrey sent me a message."
"Are you going to text him back?", Angela asked.
"No...he's really busy right now."
"You should—", the artist said before her phone buzzed. "It's Genny. She studied the tapes and has some news."
"Let's head over to the Hoover, Angela.", Jessica replied, thinking about her dream again. 'Maybe I can see Superman and relieve this vibe a little bit.'
Forty minutes later, the ladies arrived in Major Crimes. The redhead was disappointed when she saw Aubrey's office was empty. Walking three doors down, they saw the ASAC in her office going over paperwork, a bandage over her eyebrow.
Angela knocked on the door. "Hey Genny, how are you doing?"
"Well, I could be better.", the agent replied, obviously trying to control her emotions. "But I guess, all things considered, I'm as good as I can be. It could've been so much worse…"
"I'm sorry for what happened today.", Jessica said. "If there's anything I can do…"
"I'll let you know. The head of the SEC isn't happy that Hunter was shot and he bitched to Stark. Aubrey and Booth stood up for me, so my hearing, we hope, will just be a formality. Unfortunately, I'm riding a desk until it gets called a clean shoot. I also have to get this incident report and other paperwork to Stark before the end of the day."
"Where are Booth and Aubrey now?", Angela asked as she saw all the activity in the bullpen.
"They're both with Stark. They put out an APB out on the guy Aubrey's father tipped them off when they visited him in West Virginia yesterday…a securities guy named Vincent Sipoletti. He's...or rather was, Vacchio's brother-in-law and a securities trader at Histevark Securities Trading."
'Holy shit...if Superman's dad is involved in this case it's going to hit him hard.' Jessica thought. "Aubrey's dad gave them a tip?", Jessica asked.
"Yeah. According to Mr. Aubrey, it's alleged that Sipoletti has a hobby as a part time hit man with the Corzone family, and he was probably the guy who actually killed Vacchio back in September.", Genny replied.
"Wait, what happened today was at Histevark Securities, wasn't it?", Angela asked.
"Yes. Not only is Sipoletti the boss of Joe Fuller's supervisor, but he left work after the shooting for 'meetings'"., Genny said with the last part in quotation marks. "Of course, his secretary didn't know where or when he would be back."
"Joe Fuller...he was the guy that...died today, right?", Angela asked.
Genny nodded affirmatively before becoming wistful as she completed more paperwork. "Hunter is probably getting his ass chewed out right now…SEC guys are supposed to stay out of the line of fire. None of them carry a gun, not even the agents in the Enforcement Division like Hunter is."
"You know, I'm going to get a water from the break room. Either of you ladies want one?", Angela inquired. "You know what, I'll bring three and when I get back, we can go over what you found, Genny. Sound good?"
Jessica and Genny watched the pregnant artist walk away, giving them some privacy. When they were alone, the agent took a shaky breath.
"I'm sorry. You're here about your apartment and stuff and I'm trying not to fall apart…"
Jessica shut the door, drew the blinds, and put her arm around her friend. "Genny, I can't say that I know what you're going through…but you did the right thing. If you didn't…you and Hunter may not be here right now…Danny wouldn't have his mother…"
"They talk about this at Quantico.", Genny said. "You go through Hogan's Alley…you learn to shoot first and think later…you have the lecture about that FBI shootout in Miami in '86…all to prepare you for this moment, and you think you're ready, you know? And we all go into a situation, knowing it could go crossways at any minute, but…when it happens, they don't tell you how you get so mixed up inside…about how you feel when you've actually killed someone...but Booth told me that it gets better with time and that it's okay to feel this way."
The redhead didn't say a word as she sat and listened to Genny. She knew Aubrey had encountered dangerous situations like this, but he was never this…open to her. Then she thought about her earlier ponderings. What if this was Superman someday having to make this same decision?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Genny's change of subject.
"As I researched Sipoletti this morning for Aubrey, the fingerprints on the anonymous note the boss got yesterday morning came back as belonging to Mr. Fuller."
'He got a note and somehow things connected to his father…Superman must have been freaked out...that explains why he was acting weird yesterday.' Jessica thought, but kept it to herself. "Histevark Securities...I'm not sure I've heard of them..."
"They're based out of Morgantown, West Virginia, but they're also found in Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and here in DC. From what Hunter has told me, the name is a combo of the three founders, John Higgins, Alex Stevens, and Andrea Clark. The SEC has been suspicious of this company for a quite a while, but they don't have enough evidence to act. Because Hunter wasn't armed, I told him that I was to take lead and he was to do nothing more than ask questions. He agreed, so we went over to their offices."
When Jessica nodded, she continued.
"Everything seemed normal. I had Hunter start asking Fuller questions about his job to put him at ease. He then gave me the lead like he was supposed to as he walked around the office. When I got around to his prints on the letter, Fuller said he must have touched the paper before someone used it. There was panic in his eyes, though, and he wiped his brow a couple of times. The guy was real nervous."
Genny went to drink her coffee, but the cup was empty. Putting it down, she continued.
"What he said was plausible, and I had nothing else. I figured he would lead me to whomever was calling the shots, so I decided to tail this guy as well as have Angela pull all this guy's phone calls. Of course, this meant I had to send my boyfriend back to his office in a cab, but I didn't have a choice. My plan was to play it cool and tell Hunter what was up when we left."
The agent's knuckles were turning white as she thought about her next words.
"We had just turned to leave when Hunter saw a photograph of what looked like Fuller and some other guys posing together. He turned and asked him about it and Fuller just…flipped out. Next thing I know, he reaches into his desk, grabs a gun, knocks his desk over, and starts shooting at us. Hunter sank to the ground as he grabbed his arm, and all I could think was 'it's him or us'."Genny took a deep breath. "Remembering everything from Quantico, I shot the guy and then ran to Hunter...he was bleeding pretty bad..."
Suddenly, the ASAC had tears in her eyes. "Why the fuck am I crying? I shot someone who would have killed us…"
Jessica took her hand. "Because you didn't just shoot and kill a suspect, Gen. You shot someone who hurt the man you loved. It's not your fault. You saved Hunter's life..."
The petite woman laughed sarcastically. "That's what Aubrey said to me at the hospital today…then he said that not only he was proud of my actions, but also to have me as his ASAC. He had to take my weapon, but he promised he'd give it back to me as soon as he could. Hunter will definitely want to stay away from me after all the shit he's dealt with the last week or so."
"I doubt that..."
The agent turned to the redhead with a sad sigh. "Jessica, my son hates him, and he made it obvious at Thanksgiving...he got shot when he came with me to check on a lead because the SEC has an interest in this case. I doubt he signed up for all this when he asked me out for coffee two months ago…"
"You don't know that, Genny. Have you heard from him?"
The agent composed herself enough to smile. "Yeah, when I took him home, he said I better come see him tonight...he wanted to properly thank his hero. Of course, he was also hopped up on meds…"
"I doubt he was too stoned to not know his own mind, Genny. Just remember what I said.", Jessica pointed at the other woman's bandage. "How did you hurt your head?"
"When that asshole knocked his desk over, it pushed me back onto a table before I landed on the floor…hit my head onto the edge. Got eight stitches…looks worse than it was. They wanted me to stay overnight in case I had a concussion, but I had to get out of there and, anyway, I felt fine. Aubrey said I could come to work if I left early and stayed with my mom tonight so she could watch me."
"After you see Hunter.", Jessica said with a smirk. "I'm glad you two are all right, Genny."
"Me, too. Hopefully the boss will be better once he sees you. He was a bear yesterday when he came in."
"How is he today?", Jessica asked without thinking.
"Completely focused on work. Obviously you two had a fight about something yesterday.", Genny said with a sly smile.
"Well…", Jessica said as Angela returned with three waters.
"Okay, ladies…are we ready?"
"Yeah.", Genny said as she composed herself. Turning to her copy of the surveillance video, it showed a black and white image of where Jessica's Jeep was. "Jessica, you parked in an awesome spot yesterday because you were right by the camera. This is when you're arriving at 8:00. Now I'm going to fast forward a few hours…"
The agent stopped when she reached 10:42 AM. "Now watch."
The screen showed just the Jeep before what looked like a tall figure came into view. The person looked around before pulling something out of their pocket. Then they squatted behind the back of the vehicle by each back tire before the figure stopped suddenly before running away. Thirty seconds later, another figure came onto the screen and stood behind the vehicle.
"Wait…that's me when I found my Jeep.", Jessica said. "I was running late and left my cooler in my vehicle so I was heading out to get my lunch…"
"I think you interrupted what was going on, Jessica. That's why only the back tires were slashed.", Genny stated.
"Damn it. I would have seen the bastard if I was only a few seconds faster. It could be Gerald but it's hard to tell…"
"Well, it took the fifth time I watched this but I finally caught something.", Genny said before rewinding to when the figure ran away. Pointing to the screen, the agent pointed to something in the upper corner.
"He dropped something.", Angela said. "If it's still there, we may be able to track it. Come on, Jessica."
The redhead wanted to see her boyfriend, but realized that time was of the essence. "All right. Thanks, Genny."
"You're welcome. If it's still there, just take it to the lab and keep me posted."
The two women ran out and stood in front of the elevator. "I'm sorry you didn't get to see Aubrey, Jessica. Did you two have a fight yesterday? Is that why you were so upset at work?"
"We...yes...we had a fight. I'm still angry at him, but after what happened with Genny…"
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Jessica wasn't ready to pour her guts out again about the fight. Now that she had a better understanding of why Aubrey was so angry Monday evening and yesterday morning, she wanted to maintain his privacy. "Not now…"
Angela decided not to push her. "Well, let's get this taken care of and then you can call him now that you have a phone. Have Wendell search with you so that if we find out you know who did all this, your ass is covered."
"Will do.", Jessica said as the elevator doors opened. Getting in, they closed and Karen Delfs came out from behind the corner.
'So that little bitch is why Aubrey is all moody and riled up the last couple of days. She fights with him and makes him vulnerable to getting hurt, because he's so preoccupied with thinking about her. Next, that two faced twit didn't even help my boyfriend after he fell in the mud yesterday at the crime scene and was humiliated by Dr. Brennan when she forced him to give up his clothes. Now, she's going to mess with someone else and getting her little friends involved, too. That little twat has it coming…'
An hour later, Jessica and Wendell were down the garage searching carefully around where her Jeep was parked yesterday. To their annoyance, they couldn't see anything around where the object was yesterday.
"Shit…what am I going to do, Wendell?"
"We're going to get this dickhead, Jessica.", the other anthropologist said. "I promise you that."
"You can't pull miracles out of your butt, Wendell."
The blonde man stopped searching and smiled. "Hey, I survived cancer and I'll be in remission for two years as of December 4th. If I can do that, I can pull a miracle out of my butt for my friend."
The two friends laughed. "Okay, let's keep looking.", Jessica said.
For the next ten minutes, they increased their perimeter before the redhead had a brainstorm. "Shit, Wendell…what if it was turned into Lost and Found…whatever it was."
"Yeah…this is the employee area, so if they find something they'll…"
Both looked the gate where the parking attendant sat. Running over, they moved to the side as a car coming into the parking garage. When they were clear, they raced to the booth.
"Excuse me, did anybody turn something in that they found near that spot yesterday or today?" Wendell said as they pointed towards where Jessica's Jeep was.
The attendant was working on a crossword puzzle, not looking at the two anthropologists. "How the hell do I know? I just scan badges and let people park here."
"Well, can you look?", Jessica said, frustrated.
"There's nothing there and nobody turned in any keys yesterday.", the attendant said while working on his crossword puzzle.
The two looked at each other and had the same thought. 'Who said anything about keys?'
Backing away, they stood where they couldn't be heard. "He knows something, Jessica.", Wendell stated in a matter of fact manner. "That wasn't just a random slip of the tongue."
"Yeah, and Gerald probably paid him off.", the redhead muttered before getting out her phone. "Time to play a little hardball."
"I do like your new phone. Samsung S7, right?"
"Yep...it's growing on me." Jessica chuckled before dialing a number. "Hi, it's Jessica…I need a favor."
The attendant continued his crossword until an SUV pulled up with a flashing light. Startled at the siren, he watched as a petite woman got out and stormed over there.
"Special Agent Genevieve Shaw, FBI.", she said before putting her badge away. "Now, according to these two, you found some keys that you're reluctant to give up?"
"Keys? I don't know what you're talking about!", the guy sputtered, now very nervous. "Hey, you're that agent that was on TV today."
"Those keys are evidence in a federal case. I'm going to pull the camera from this booth and across the street. If I see anything that interests me, I'll be back and will take you to the FBI. If you lie, you will be charged as an accessory to destruction of property and burglary—"
"Shit…okay. I found them over there after lunch yesterday. I was going to put them in the lost and found box, but when I saw they were for an Alfa Romeo, I said 'fuck it'.
"Because you were going to possibly 'take it for a test drive' later?", Genny asked. When the guy hesitated, the agent smirked. "It's either that or you have a collection of rich guy car keys. You be straight with me and I'll forget why you kept them."
"Fine...I see that rich guy driving that thing in here every day and he's always a dillhole. So when he came up to me last night demanding his keys that he lost I said no one turned them in. He growled like a damn dog and yelled something like, 'that fucking firecrotch', whatever that means. Then, he said if someone asked me about them to lie and gave me five hundred dollars to keep quiet."
Genny pulled her phone and made a search. When she found what she was looking for, she held it up. "Is this the dillhole you talked to?"
"Yeah…how did you know?"
"Get the keys.", Genny barked.
The attendant pulled them out from his pocket and put them in the evidence bag Wendell held out. "I'll get these to the lab ASAP."
"Thanks for your help, Genny.", Jessica said.
"You're welcome. I was on my way home."
"Oh shit...I'm sorry.", Jessica said.
"Just be glad I was able to scare this guy. If more force was involved, I would have to call someone to arrest him since I'm on desk duty until after my hearing.", Genny said with a smile. "Now, I'm going home to have dinner with my mom and my son, then I will stop and see Hunter."
Jessica watched the agent get into her vehicle and drive away. She felt guilty for asking her to come after what she went through today. It was then she was interrupted by a buzz. Realizing it was from her new phone, she grabbed it. When she read it, she got emotional.
I'm sorry 4 being a dick. I love u. Call u ASAP.
Jessica thought about what she wanted to say but just as she was about to type it, she was interrupted.
"Am I going to get fired for this?"
The redhead looked up and saw the parking garage attendant looking at her. Giving the man a large grin, she crossed her arms. "How the hell do I know? I just work in a federal crime lab and examine evidence."
As she was walking away, she got another text from Hodgins. Get in here, Jessica. Got some news 4 u.
Pushing everything else out of her mind, she ran, grabbing her kit along the way, and raced back towards the entrance. Running up the stairs to the correct floor, she raced through the lab to the Ookey Room. "Okay…Curly…what do you…have…"
Hodgins was finishing the dusting of the keys. When he got a good one, he put them on a tray and gave them to Wendell. "Take these to Angela so she can see if there's a match."
"Got it.", the blonde man said before rushing out of the room.
The entomologist turned to his other intern. "Okay first, it took awhile to get the stuff from your dresser drawers. It was a mix of what looked like putty, epoxy, and some sort of gel. When I got enough for a sample, I pulled the rest off. Unfortunately ruined your drawers since it was unfinished wood."
'One unfinished wood dresser to add to my list. Got it.' Jessica thought. "And…"
"As I ran the compounds through the Mass Spec, Dr. B was nice enough to pull the drawers out for me. We were as gentle as we could, but can you tell if they were searched or not?" Hodgins said while indicating four drawers lined up side by side on a table by the wall.
The redhead took a peek and the first three drawers, while looking slightly disrupted due to being moved, looked all right. The fourth one, the top one, gave her shivers.
It was obvious that the drawer was searched through as her lingerie was all messed up. Holding down the nausea, Jessica did a quick search and realized that several pairs of her panties were missing. Doing a mental calculation, she knew that the ones missing weren't the ones she washed while at Aubrey's house Sunday because they were in the laundry basket in the living room.
She wanted to vomit, but held herself together. "Some of my…underwear is missing."
Hodgins realized the implications. "Jessica…"
Then she realized what else was missing. "My checkbook and debit card for my trust fund account is missing, too. I have to call the bank…"
Jessica grabbed her phone and made a call. Hodgins could see the intern's hand shaking as he spoke.
"Thank you.", the redhead said into the phone before turning around. "I had to put a hold onto my account. I was going to pay my rent Thursday...my car insurance is due in a few weeks...the hold is for 24 hours but I have an appointment there for 1:00 tomorrow afternoon to sort out what gets paid but it may still be frozen until at least next week...son of a bitch..."
Hodgins wheeled over to his friend. "Jessica, don't worry about the money. Angela and I will cover everything you need. You just pay us back when you get your account situated."
"Thank you..." Jessica said as she worked hard to not lose her composure. "Curly, can you show me what else you found, please?"
"Okay.", Hodgins said, angrier than he was at what happened to his young friend. "So the substance in the drawers was the same mix of putty, epoxy, and gel that sealed the keyhole in your door."
"Can you figure out what that stuff is?"
"Of course, my friend." The entomologist pushed a button on his remote. "It was a combination of museum putty and gel as well as an epoxy."
"But you can find museum putty and gel in stores and on Amazon…"
"But the epoxy mixed in is part of a small group of resins that's exclusive to museums to use with antiquities and fossils.", Hodgins replied. "This stuff you can't buy in stores…"
"Nor can you find a replacement key for an Alfa Romeo that easily…", Angela said as she walked in. "I just called the nearest Alfa Romeo dealership in Sterling, Virginia. It seems that there was a order made yesterday for a new set of keys for a 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C Special Launch edition, color Alfa Rosso. It was one of 500 sold in the US in 2014 and one of two in Washington DC. One was purchased by a lobbyist for his trophy wife who was driving it and had her spare keys on her."
"Let me guess. The other buyer was Gerald Maxwell.", Hodgins said.
"Yeah...and I checked the request form and it was signed by...Gerald Maxwell. The receptionist remembered him very well because he kept flirting with her and he asked her out. When she turned him down, she said he became a real prick.", Angela said. "When I ran that print you found on the key, Honey, I found a match in the Jeffersonian database to our resident asshat Gerald Maxwell."
"Because you have to have to be fingerprinted and get an FBI background check before being officially hired on here, even as an intern.", Jessica replied. "I had to do both as well as a drug test before I could start here."
"Gerald Maxwell did do a drug test and was fingerprinted in 2012.", Angela said. "However, our resident prick didn't have an FBI background check in his records."
"Because his father pulled some strings.", Hodgins said. "Got to wonder if he pulled his shit somewhere else with another woman."
Jessica sat down on a stool and began to cry. Stumped, the couple walked over to her and Angela put her arms around the young woman. "Jessica, I thought you would be glad we have the evidence to get this son of a bitch."
"I am…the timing just sucks…and I need to talk to Aubrey, but he's busy with Genny's case…and his dad…"
"His dad?", Hodgins asked. "What does that asshole have to do with anything?"
"I'll explain later.", Angela said quietly.
"I called Antiquities, but Gerald is off until Wednesday.", Hodgins said. "I guess the little prick paid off students and traded shifts so he would have enough hours to work until the end of the semester. Let me call Dr. Miller and then Genny."
"Genny is on desk duty, but she can at least call Ms. Julian and go from there."
"While he's doing that, come with me, Jessica. I have something you need to see.", Angela said.
The two women headed back to her office across the lab. Leading Jessica to the Angelatron, the artist pressed a few buttons. "I was able to save your SIM card from your phone. I thought you would like to know that Aubrey sent you text messages yesterday."
Jessica read Aubrey's words on the large screen and felt tears form in her eyes.
8:22 AM: Jess, I'm sorry 4 being an ass. All my fault. I need 2 talk 2 u.
12:16 PM: Weather nasty here. Will call u ASAP tonight.
4:12 PM: Stuck OOT overnite. Need 2 talk 2 u. Sorry 4 starting fight w u. I was an asshole.
Seeing the tears in her friend's eyes, Angela put her arm around her. "I don't know what the fight was about, but someone wants to make up with you...and you're anxious to talk to him. Why don't you wash your face, Jessica and take a breather? Then you can try calling Aubrey."
"Okay…"
Jessica went into the intern locker room, hung up her coat on a hook, and sat in a stall where she broke down. She didn't know what she was more upset about...Aubrey or how things had escalated with Gerald Maxwell. Calmed down, she came out and ran the sink for several minutes to wash her face. When most of the redness was gone, she walked to her locker and grabbed her makeup.
When done, she put the bag away and secured things. Going to her coat, she put it on and pulled out her phone. That's when she saw she missed a call from her boyfriend.
"Son of a bitch! Can this day get any fucking worse?", the intern cried. Remembering her new password for her voicemail, she pressed it and got his message.
"Jess...I have so much to say to you...I'm sorry for yesterday...I'm even more sorry for Monday night...I love you so much...I'm tired of being afraid...shit, I have to go...a guy Booth and I have been trying to find all day is finally here...I love you, Jessica."
As the message ended, but Jessica couldn't make herself delete it just yet. Getting a chill, she tried calling back but got no answer. When prompted, she left a message. "Aubrey...please call me when you get this...I love you, too. Come back to me in one piece, you understand?"
When she finished her call, in frustration, she threw her phone back in her pocket when it buzzed again. Taking it out, she saw the message was from William Cho letting her know that her new door was installed and her new keys were waiting for her in the grocery store.
She was glad there was a new door and new locks. However, it shamed her to admit she was scared shitless to go home alone tonight. She wasn't sure if she would be welcome with Aubrey because while she wanted to speak with him and he wanted to speak with her, she was still angry for their fight and what he did.
'What if Gerald comes back? He already invaded my privacy and stole my panties. What will he do next?'
Suddenly, Jessica shook her head. "No, I won't be afraid to be in my own apartment. Fuck you, Gerald."
Heading back out to the lab, she walked back to the Ookey Room, where she found Brennan talking to Hodgins and Angela.
"Ms. Warren, are you comfortable staying at your apartment or would you like to come home with Booth and myself tonight?"
"You and Booth, please.", Jessica said, forgetting her earlier pledge.
Forty minutes later, everyone was packing things up to go home. Jessica got her stuff and walked out and headed for her mentor's office. "Thank you for letting me stay with you tonight, Dr. B. I've got new locks and a door at my apartment, but I'm just…"
Brennan put her hand on Jessica's shoulder. "It's okay to be afraid, Ms. Warren. You have every right to be hesitant about staying in your own apartment. With the shooting today, Aubrey may not be home tonight. Booth is also staying late, too, but it's no trouble having you. Now, let's get my children and go home, shall we? I'm making vegetarian lasagna tonight."
"Sounds really good, Dr. B. I saw you had the makings for grape salad in your fridge. If you want, I can make that for dessert."
"That sounds lovely, Ms. Warren. Thank you."
Just as they were heading out the door, Brennan's office phone rang. She thought about not answering it, but changed her mind when she recognized the number as being from the Hoover. Picking up, she answered. "Hello? When? Is he all right? Are they both all right? We're on our way."
Jessica was putting her coat on when she heard the panic in her boss's voice. "Dr. B, what—"
"Ms. Warren, we need to go to George Washington University Hospital.", Brennan said before rushing out.
"Dr. B, what…"
Running after her, she saw Brennan talking to Angela and Hodgins. After seeing the artist giving her a hug, they left and the anthropologist rushed back to her. "Dr. B, are you alright?"
"Booth and Aubrey are at the hospital. They were both shot. Come with me, now."
The two women raced out of the lab. Not stopping until they got to her Prius, they got in and raced out of the parking garage.
"Dr. B, what happened? What happened to Aubrey?"
"I don't know all the details. All that Agent Shaw could tell me is that they went to talk to this Vincent Sipoletti person…", Brennan said as she attempted to keep her cool while weaving through DC traffic. "…and then there was a gunfight in the parking lot of the building they were at, the one she was in earlier today."
"What happened to Aubrey?", Jessica asked again, trying to maintain her composure but failing.
"I don't know, Ms. Warren. I just know that my husband is injured and if he requires surgery, I need to talk to the doctor immediately. He has an unusual sensitivity to anesthesia."
Jessica realized that she was being insensitive. "I'm sorry, Dr. B. I'm just worried about…"
Brennan turned right on a yellow. "I know, Ms. Warren. I'll get us there as soon as I can…"
Jessica remembered the phone call she missed from Aubrey and nausea came in waves as her vibe was coming true. 'He called me before he talked to the suspect...Aubrey's hurt…'