Birthday Suits in a Suite

(AKA Booth in a Loincloth)

Chapter Four

Susan H.

Booth knelt in front of the wall, and tapped it with his finger. He drew a rectangle with a bar of soap. He then drew a small square in the middle of his chosen range.

Brennan watched his back muscles shift under his skin with each movement.

"Okay, Bones, first we cut out this little square. That way, I can take a look inside, for surprises, before we commit to the larger opening."

"So what kind of surprises do you expect to find?"

"Would you please define surprise for me?"

"Point taken."

"I'll carve the first opening."

Brennan lay on her side and propped her head with her hand. "I'll watch."

Booth started scraping along the lines with the screw he found in the bed's leg. His shoulder muscles worked with him.

***

Foster parked his car outside a small diner in Round Hill Virginia. He entered and turned the coffee cup up at his table. A tall waitress filled it.

"Hello," she said cheerily.

"Hello, how are you today."

"Well just wonderful Honey Bear." She smiled. "You passing through?"

"I'm not sure yet. You must not get many strangers here."

"No, it's a tiny town. I usually recognize all the faces."

"Well, I guess that's just part of that small town hospitality."

"No, that's my hospitality. I don't live here. It's a bit rich for my paycheck. They have to ship in their waitresses and maids," She laughed.

Foster laughed with her. He noted the gold highlights in her red hair, and the lack of a gold band on her finger. Her name tag read Franny.

"Well, that's too bad. See, I'm a small town boy at heart, and I'm looking to retire. Life in the big city just never sat well with me. When I saw the population was 500, I thought maybe I found a piece of my childhood."

"Well that is the sweetest thing." She smiled.

"So Franny, do you have any recommendations?"

"For food, or a nice small town?"

"Food for now, however, when your shift is up, I'd sure like to have dinner with you and talk about small towns."

"What's your name Darlin'?"

"Dillon. Dillon Foster, but you can call me Darlin'," he smiled.

"Darlin', you can't go wrong with burger and fries here. Everything else is a bit iffy."

"Well, then I'll go with your suggestion."

"I get off at 6:00."

***

Brennan bent over Booth's shoulder as he peered into the peephole he just cut.

"Bones, I barely have enough light as it is. Can you please back up some? I'll let you have a look."

"Any surprises?"

"Still checking." He reached his fingers into the small hole, and touched the surface of the outside layer of wall.

"Small surprise," he said.

"What is it?"

"They didn't bother with drywall on the outside of this wall. They just attached cheap paneling directly to the beams.

"Well, that's a good surprise."

"Not really. The screw will cut through the paper and plaster that makes up the drywall, but I'm not sure about the paneling. We'll just have to wait and see. On the other hand, it could mean the wall was protected, possibly by a coat rack. That would be a good thing. It would offer us some cover."

"My turn?"

"Yes. Grab a screw and let's get to work on this."

"Okay, but can I make a suggestion? If we rub the screws across a bar of soap, it will act as a type of lubricant, possibly making the job easier."

"Great suggestion Bones, I could have used it while scraping the peephole free."

"Sorry, I just thought of it."

The two knelt side by side and repeatedly scored through layers of paint, paper, and plaster. Loud scraping at the door caused them both to jump.

"Dinner," Booth said.