A/N: Again so sorry for the bad news!
Thank you for those who have faith in me and that story. Thank you for reading so far! As for those who stopped reading (and have bluntly told me), I'm sorry you feel this way but I can't please everyone. I write this story for me and how I see that the story should develop. Bones fans are very picky about their fan fiction (and about the Bones episodes, I might add). It's a very difficult fandom to write in. I do my best! And I'm glad some of you like it! :-)
I had already known that part. The search for Roxanne Ruffalo had led me to an obituary dating back 12 years. After consulting with the coroner who had autopsied her, I had found out she had died from her head injuries, following a fatal blow. According to the coroner, she had died instantly.
I let Seeley continue with his story. He seemed more at ease with each passing minute. I assumed he was relieved to finally tell the true story after so many years behind bars. I was anxiously waiting for the story of his trial and why he had come to be in prison.
"Why did you tell Christine to run away with her brother?" I asked.
"I had a feeling it would turn violent after Jones tried to grab Jackson. I figured she would hide in the woods and that we would go look for them as soon as we'd dealt with Jones. When the kids starting running, Jones got really angry and things became violent. He was strong, but I was stronger. We fought and eventually I pinned him to the ground. He was breathing hard. I threatened him. I told him that if he didn't stay away from my family, I would kill him. He said he was sorry and that he would leave us alone.
He got up and walked to his car. I didn't think he really was going to leave us alone so Bones and I began running towards the woods to find the kids. Next thing you know, Bones is stopping me. We turned around and there he was, holding a golf club. It all happened so fast. I took out my gun and Bones kicked him. He didn't fall and before neither of us could react, he swung the club at Bones' head."
His voice cracked and I knew then that, even after all these years, he still hadn't come to grips with his wife's death.
"And that's when you shot him?"
He nodded.
"He killed my wife!" he added, his jaw clenched. "He didn't deserve to live. I heard the skull crack. That sound still... I can still hear it."
I could feel the anger emanating from him. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the interrogation room became heavier. I watched Seeley as his expression turned to stone. His fists clenched and unclenched on the table. I waited silently for him to continue. I didn't know how much time we had left and there were still a few questions that needed answering.
"Why exactly are you in prison?"
Seeley sighed.
"I was sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing Jones."
Though I had had a feeling about this, I was still surprised that a jury would have decided that his act had deserved a full sentence for second-degree murder.
"Couldn't you have pleaded self defense?"
Seeley shrugged.
"My lawyer tried to convince the jury of that. But they thought that since he didn't actually come at me with the club, I shouldn't have killed him."
"How about parole? Surely you would have been able to apply for it after a couple of years?"
He nodded.
"I could but… I mean, why do it? I lost my wife, my kids, my job… What life do I have on the outside? I was better off here. I'm a former cop, the others left me alone. I did volunteer work. I prayed for forgiveness for my sin. I kept busy. It kept me from thinking about…"
He stopped. This time, I respected his will for silence. The guard opened the door to inform us we had ten minutes left.
"Tell me again how you found me."
I was surprised at the change of conversation. However, I explained from the beginning every clues that had led me to him. He frowned when I mentioned the pictures. I asked if he had been the one to send them. He shook his head.
"No, I didn't. I wasn't allowed to keep them. Bones wanted to bring the pictures along in case something happened to us. They were left in the car, in Christine's bag. They took everything when they towed the car. I don't know what happened to them after. That's how you found me? Christine planted evidence in our house?"
I told him about Michael's help.
I knew our time was almost up. I thanked him for his time and I stood up. He did the same. As I headed towards the door, something popped in my mind.
"How long do you have before you can walk out of here?"
"Six days."
I thought of Christine and Max's funeral. I smiled at him and handed him my card.
"Call me, when you're out."
He took the card and nodded.
"Tell my kids I say hi."
I smiled at him.
"You'll soon be able to tell them yourself."
At that instant, in his eyes, I saw hope.
Back in my hotel room, I paced the room. Finally, I had all the answers to my questions but the story had created more mystery. Something was fishy in this story. I smelled cover-up on the FBI part and lack of professionalism in both the Washington and the Asheville Police Department. If truth be told, I shouldn't have been working on this case, years later. I was angry at the system and wondered who exactly was to blame. Who had pulled very questionable strings and why? Or was I still missing a piece of the puzzle? Would I ever find that piece?
However, I forced myself to stop thinking about it. After all, I had been hired to investigate the disappearance of the Booth family and that's what I had found out. I still wondered who had sent the pictures to Christine. Her mother was dead and her father claimed he hadn't seen the pictures since the day they had left Washington. Who'd had them in their possession and why keep them all these years?
I now had one more errand to do. I grabbed the lot number I had received from the coroner and headed to Riverside Cemetery.
The cemetery was really beautiful, especially under the sun. I always felt bizarre whenever I walked through a cemetery on a warm sunny day. For some reason, the two of them didn't really go together.
The cemetery was long and wide. I mentally thanked the coroner for having kept the lot number in his file. I had been surprised when he had offered it to me. I hadn't thought the man would have kept something like that. He told me he had felt bad for the woman when it turned out no living relative or friends could be located. I hadn't told him why.
I walked slowly through the graves in search of the lot. A cemetery worker passed by and I asked him for directions. He pointed in a direction to my left. I thanked him and continued on my way. Some headstones were new and modern. They shined under the sun. Others were older but full of that old age charm.
Eventually, I made it to Dr. Brennan's grave. It was a very simply one. It was a light grey stoned color. Her fake name had been carved into it.
Here lies Roxanne Ruffalo.
Born October 8th, 1973
Died May 14th, 2017
The date of birth had probably been taken off her piece of identification. I didn't known whether it was true but I was saddened by the fact that Dr. Brennan had been approximately 44 years old when she had died. So young!
I didn't quite know how to proceed next. I thought of Dr. Brennan and thought she deserved to be buried not only under her real name, but also alongside her father. She'd died alone but that didn't mean she deserved to spend eternity in that same state. I wanted father and daughter to be reunited. I just didn't know how to do that. I knew it would be very difficult and I doubted the state of North Carolina would agree to the excavation of a body and to transportation to the nation's capital. It was definitely worth the try, if only I knew who to contact.
I let out a long sigh. Now that I had all the information, I knew I had to inform Parker and his siblings. After all the emotions they had been through already, my news would send them on another emotional rollercoaster ride.