Thanks for all the great reviews!
nsane1- Thank you for the suggestions. Hopefully this will be easier to follow especially because, I think this one is going to be a long one.
Howdylynn- I'm hoping to make this more realistic and less showy, hence the press conference...
At Booth's insistence, Brennan took the rest of the day off. Leaving the Bureau, she went home, glanced at the day's mail and made herself a salad which she barely touched. Nothing she did took the murder or the note off her mind. Finally, she snagged a bottle of water from the fridge and moved to tackle cleaning out a huge hall closet, a task she'd put off since she'd moved in. The landlord told her that it was filled with items found in the building that they hadn't had time to get rid of before she'd taken possession. For whatever reason, it never really came up again but today, the thought of escaping into someone else's old junk seemed more of a reprieve than work.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as she opened the door to breathe in the musty odor. There was no telling what skeletons may climb out when she started rummaging through the tattered boxes. Hopefully they wouldn't bear any of her DNA. Wrapping her arms around a large box that sat on the closet floor, she tugged until it was out in the hall. The tape that held it closed was brittle and peeling, it only took a gentle pull to loosen it.
The box was carefully packed, full of sealed plastic pouches. Opening one, yards of forest green satin spilled out and it took her a moment to realize she was holding a dress. Standing, she held the dress to her shoulders to get the full effect. The hemline of the skirt softly brushed the floor, completely hiding her slender legs, but the neckline was plunging. Guessing that it looked to have been from around the 1800's she quickly decided it was in too good a condition to be authentic. More than likely it had been made for one of the many festivals that DC held.
Looking around to make sure she was alone, she discarded her clothing, then slipped the dress over her head letting it fall into place. The full skirt swirled around her legs as she moved to the chevalier mirror in her bedroom to look at her reflection. The late afternoon light gave the dress a shimmering elegance that took her breath away.
"Am I interrupting something?"
The moment ended abruptly as she was startled by a teasing voice from the doorway. Turning she saw her partner leaning against the doorframe trying desperately not to laugh.
"Not at all Sir. Would you care for a mint julep on the veranda?"
He didn't answer, just worked to drag his gaze from the plunging neckline of her dress. Another fraction of an inch lower and that dress would not be long for this world. She slowly made her way to him with a knowing smile and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
"Down Agent Booth. I was just cleaning out that hall closet, found this dress and tried it on."
"Good. I thought you may be expecting Rhett Butler.
Laughing softly she moved across the room to remove the dress. Looking back at him she noticed how tired he looked already and thought maybe Cullen had sent him on his way for the day. "You're home early."
"Not really. I came to pick you up," Confusion clouded her features as she fastened the last few buttons on her shirt and he quickly continued, before she could start barraging him with questions. "I need you to come back to the crime scene with me."
"Why? Did we miss something?"
"I'd rather you didn't have to do this, but I want to retrace exactly where you were at all times last night. Where you parked your car. Which areas of the park you were in, that sort of thing."
"But, I was with you most of the time and we weren't there very long."
"Long enough for the killer to see you, if in fact he was the one to write the note. Who knows, you may have seen him, too, without even realizing it. Listen, Bones, if we go back, then I can get a better feel for where he may have been standing while he was watching you. It might even trigger a memory of something you've forgotten."
"I didn't talk to anyone except cops…"
Booth was quickly losing his patience. What he didn't know was, how this one would affect her, something felt different, off. Fear for her safety, lack of sleep and pure anger caused him to lash out unintentionally. "Look, I know this won't be as fun as playing dress up but we've got a dead woman, a brutal killer on the loose who is fixated on you and no leads. Now are we going to stand here and argue or are you going to come with me?"
Seeing the startled look on her face, he instantly felt like an ass. Moving toward her to apologize, she swept past him exiting the bedroom. "Since you put it that way, I guess I have no choice. Let's go."