Hey guys! I know it's been a long time, but it's not my fault, I swear! I had this chapter ready to be posted on time as I had promised, but for some reason, every time I tried to post any document, I recieved an error. So I haven't been able to post anything at all, but I tried and retried every single day. For some reason, today was my lucky day! I'm so excited to be continuing this story for all of y'all to read. Anyways, hope you enjoy - and the next chapter is almost ready. I'll probably post it tonight. (PS - thanks Jersey). On with the story!!!!!
Booth and Brennan continued their journey up to New York City, and arrived around noon, albeit two days late. After DNA tests confirmed that the remains were not those of the missing congressman and his two daughters, the scene had been packed up. While the two partners did not have any bones to look at, they were on their way to interview the wife of the congressman.
Booth parked his brand new SUV outside an elegant Victorian brownstone townhouse on Park Avenue in the city, the home of the congressman and his family.
"Nice place," Booth said, letting out a soft whistle. His hand went instinctively to the small of Brennan's back as they walked up the wide stone stairs.
Brennan smiled up at him as she rang the doorbell. "Yes, it is," she replied, looking around the outside of the townhouse.
A tall blonde woman answered the door. "Can I help you?" She asked, not recognizing the people at her door.
"Dr. Emily Clark?" Booth asked, reaching in his pocket for his badge.
"Yes, you've found me. And you are?" She asked, a slight smile on her face.
"I'm Agent Seeley Booth, FBI, and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan, with the Jeffersonian Institute in DC. We've been assigned the missing persons cases of your husband and your daughters," he told her.
A look of surprise washed over Dr. Clark's face, and she hurriedly ushered the two inside her house.
"Please, please, come in and sit down," she said as she showed them into a cozy sitting room in the front of the house. "Have you heard anything new? Has anything come up?" She asked quickly.
Brennan looked at Booth before speaking. "I'm afraid not Dr. Clark," she said softly.
"Please, call me Emily. Why are you here then, if you don't mind me asking? Would you care for something to drink?" She asked as she sipped a cup of coffee that had been sitting on a small glass table next to her, and she crossed her legs under her body as she sat in a large arm chair.
Both Booth and Brennan declined her offer. "Actually, their cases have been reopened. I'm a forensic anthropologist…I study bones. Some remains were found in Central Park, and I was asked to look at them, as the FBI initially thought they might belong to your family. DNA tests have proved otherwise, but my partner and I have been asked to continue looking into your case," Brennan explained.
Emily nodded, brushing her thick, white blonde hair out of her face. "Well, I guess that both good and bad news then, isn't it? What can I help you with?" She replied.
Booth sat up straighter, ready to begin asking questions. "The file says that your husband, James, and your two daughters, Elizabeth and Bayley, disappeared about two and a half years ago. He picked them up from daycare, and then was supposed to drop them off at a sitter's house before meeting you for dinner, is that correct?" He asked.
Emily nodded again. "The daycare is a few blocks from here, and it serves the people who work at my husband's law firm. He's a congressman, yes, but of course he's got a have a day job. He owns his own law firm, Clark, Peters, and Stevens. The owner at the daycare said that he picked the girls up around 5, and then he was supposed to drop them off a few streets down at a friend's house. They were going to spend the night there, so we could go out to eat and have some alone time, you know? It was our tenth anniversary. He never made it to the sitter's house," she told them, reaching for her tissue box.
"I'm sorry, I know how rough this must be for you, but I just want to make sure we have all the details straight before we proceed," he told her.
"Of course, I understand," Emily replied, dabbing her eyes with her tissue.
"Would you mind writing down the name of the sitter, and the address for me?" Booth asked as he handed her his notebook. "How did you know this person?"
"Nancy Sullivan. We met her through work. Her husband used to work at my husband's law firm. They didn't have any children, but they took good care of our girls. Her husband, Craig, he was fired from the office after having an affair with the secretary. The two of them divorced, and last I heard, he had moved down to Florida. But Nancy still came over, and she offered to watch the girls every so often for us," Emily informed them.
Brennan wrinkled her forehead. "Did her ex-husband have any hard feelings towards your husband about being fired?" She asked.
Emily shook her head. "Not that I know of. But then again, I doubt James would worry me with those petty details. He wasn't much for gossip, you know. Anyway, I do know that they didn't speak after James fired Craig. So there must have been some resentment there," she recalled.
Brennan nodded. "Do you think Craig was capable of kidnapping your husband and daughters out of revenge?" She asked.
Emily shrugged. "I don't know. I wish I did. I never talked to Craig that much, only Nancy. You'd have to talk to her about it. I keep thinking that one day they'll show up again…of course logically I know that the likelihood of that is slim to none, since it has been such a long time. But part of me still holds on to that hope…I mean until there's solid proof otherwise, there's no reason why I shouldn't, is there?" She said, almost to herself.
Brennan shook her head. "No, I suppose there's not. I understand that you are a psychiatrist. Are there any patients that may harbor hard feelings against you, or your family? Were there any threats, or anything of the sort?" She asked.
Emily thought for a moment. "Not that I can think of. I've kept up my practice since they disappeared, though I did cut down on the number of patients I was seeing. I just don't seem to have the energy I used to when my family was around. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I'm depressed by any means, it's just that with all the stress, I like to have more time to myself now. I can spend time with friends, and take time for me…although I will admit that most of the time I just think about my family. The fact that I did have to send some of my patients to other doctors did cause some conflict. Patients tend to get emotionally attached to their therapists, as I see them at least once a week, and many of them I have been seeing for quite a long time. Even so, none of my patients are what I would consider high risk, that is, not capable or inclined to hurt themselves or others. I mostly deal with adolescents and children who struggle with learning disabilities and anxiety problems. After I married James and we decided to start a family, I left the world of more intense counseling and patients, those with mental illnesses and such. I thought it would give me more time for my family…" she trailed off.
"I understand," Brennan told her softly, taking her hands. "It must be terribly hard on you, not knowing what has happened.
"If we could get a list of your patients, we could look into the possibility that someone you treated is behind this," Booth suggested.
"I wish I could give that to you, but doctor-patient confidentiality proves a problem. Perhaps I could give you a list of those patients I no longer treat? Seeing as they are no longer my patients, and I am only giving you their names, I wouldn't be breaching that confidentiality, would I?" Emily asked.
Booth shrugged. "It's up to you," he replied.
Emily nodded. "I'll call my secretary and have her get that information to you right away," she agreed.
"Is there anything else, anything at all that you haven't told us that you think may be helpful?" Booth asked.
Running her hands through her hair, Emily looked out the French doors that led to a patio and backyard. "Nothing at the moment. I told the agents everything the first time around. But if I do think of anything, I'll be sure to let you know," she said sincerely.
Booth nodded and stood up, Brennan as well. "Thank you for your time, and we'll be in touch. I'll leave you my card, so you can reach me at any moment," he told her, shaking her hand and handing her his business card.
"Please don't hesitate to contact us if there's anything we can do," Brennan added.
Emily nodded and shook her hand as well. "Well, thank you both for stopping by. It's nice to know that you are still looking into this, even after all the time that has passed. I was beginning to think that no one was," she said honestly.
"Well you don't have you worry about that anymore," Booth told her as they were shown to the door.
Booth held the car door open for Brennan, who got in and smiled up at him. "Thanks," she said softly.
"Anytime," he replied as he got into the driver's seat. "What do you think Bones?" He asked.
"She's definitely telling the truth; she had nothing to do with it, in my opinion. She gave us a few great leads to follow up on, but this whole case just bugs me," she told him.
"Why's that?" Booth asked, wrinkling his brow as he turned to look at her.
"Well, assuming they are still alive, why would someone kidnap them and keep them hostage for two and a half years without asking for ransom or anything? I mean they've got to be dead, because where else could they be?" Brennan replied.
Booth sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well let's assume they are alive; I try not to assume the worst in missing persons cases. There are so many things that could have happened; the kidnapper could have gotten frightened…too frightened by the prospect of getting caught that they didn't ask for a ransom. They could be held underground; you've heard the stories of those crazy old men that kidnap people and hold them as sex slaves for years before letting them go. For all we know, they may not even be in the country anymore. None of the options are good," he told her.
Brennan nodded in agreement. "You're right. I sincerely hope that they are still alive. Emily seems like a very loving person, and I'd hate for her to have to continue on in her life alone. Let's go get that list of patients from her secretary later on today," she proposed.
"Sounds good to me Bones. How about some lunch now?" Booth asked with a mischievous smile.
Brennan shook her head. "We're on the job Booth," she said, her eyes wide.
"Sort of. We'll get room service. It'll be lunch…just in bed," he teased.
Again, Brennan shook her head. "I can't…it's so…unethical," she told him.
Booth ran his hand up and down her leg softly as he pulled into the underground parking deck at the Plaza hotel. "You should know by now that unethical is my middle name. Let's get a room and I'll show you just how unethical I can be," he said with a glint in his eye.
"But you promise we will get food?" Brennan reasoned, feeling her inhibitions rush out of her as her body began to react to Booth's hand on her thigh.
"I promise," Booth said as he parked the car and quickly hopped out, opening her door for her and helping her out.
He pressed her back up against the side of the car, and placed a hand on either side of her, closing the gap between their faces. "So, what do you say?" He whispered, his breath tickling her neck.
Brennan's hands found their way around Booth's hips, and she nodded, unable to speak a word.
"Good," Booth said with a large smile on his face as he took her hand and gently pulled her after him, overnight bags in tow.
They walked up to the front desk, where the concierge checked them in. "How many nights will you be staying with us?" He asked.
Booth looked at Brennan, who said nothing. "One week," he replied.
"Welcome to the Plaza Mr. and Mrs. Booth. I hope that you lovely couple will have a wonderful stay with us," he told them as he handed them their room key.
Brennan opened her mouth to protest the title, but closed it just as quickly, and instead smiled up at Booth and followed him into the elevator.
"I'm sure we will," Booth said softly, wrapping his arms around Brennan's waist and pulling her close to him. "I know we will."