Held Hostage
The next day, Daisy and Sweets were out and around early hitting every bridal boutique in the DC area. For Daisy, it has been fun and exciting. Her chatter was incessant and irritating to him at times. At noon, they stopped at a street side diner to have some lunch. His feet were hurting from all the walking that he had to do. He could feel a migraine coming on from all her excited talking.
While they were looking for items for the wedding, they were being watched. The King of Spades was following them at a distance that made them oblivious to his presence. He had a plan for these two. This Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth were going to feel the pain of losing a dear friend. They had put his twin sister in prison and he was going to get her out. He was cold, calculating, cruel, and hell bent on revenge. Even though he and Heather had been separated as young children, he still felt like he owed it to her. He found nothing wrong with what she had done to so many people.
Back at his home on his desk, he had a scrap book of her handy work. Every newspaper clipping talking about her murders, the book that had been published about her, and all the letters that they had exchanged since they had found each other. The main one that was always within his vision was the clipping with Dr. Brennan and Special Agent Booth in it. He has circled their picture in red and had written "Marked for Death."
He patiently watched Dr. Sweets and Daisy all day. As the sun was about to go down, he tailed them back to Dr. Sweets home. Before they arrived home, he shut off his headlights and parked on the curb. He grabbed a gun and an asp before he got out of the car. Remembering the need for a disguise, he grabbed the clown mask he had bought for this occasion. He knew that if anyone lived to tell this story, they would only be able to say it was a clown. According to what he had heard from various people who had encountered Booth that he was very afraid of clowns.
Silently, he tip toed to the darkest area of the property. As Daisy neared the area, he put his hand on her mouth and warned her not to scream. Daisy quietly took note of every feature to her attacker. He pulled out the currently unloaded gun and pistol whipped her unconscious. To ensure that she would not wake up before he got away with Dr. Sweets, he drugged her.
Lance became concerned when he did not hear her coming back. He retraced her steps to not find her anywhere. In the darkness, the King of Spades patiently waited for him to hit the exact spot. In the darkness, his eyes adjusted to see a pale hand in the bushes. Before he could do anything, a hand attached to a very muscular arm came around his neck. He could feel a gun in the small of his back.
"Okay Dr. Sweets, you and I are going for a ride. Drop your cell phone on the ground right now." The King of Spades said very coolly.
Dr. Sweets nodded realizing just how dangerous this situation was. He could tell that this man had something very bad intended for him.
"We are now going to my vehicle. Don't speak or make a sound. If I so much as hear a sneeze out of you, I will come back in kill your girlfriend. Right now she is only knocked out." KOS continued.
Before leaving Dr. Sweets property, he left a calling card and a very serious message.
As the sun dawned on another Monday, everyone was hard at work at the Jeffersonian. The phone rang in Dr. Brennan's office. It was the police. They had found Daisy knocked out on Dr. Sweets' lawn and his cell phone on the ground in little pieces. Daisy was currently being taken to the hospital for observation. Bones contacted Booth and they were on their way to Lance's home.
"We found the young lady near the bushes with bruises to the back of her head. It appears that the attacker knocked her out sometime during the night and dragged her out of Dr. Sweets' vision. Dr. Sweets is nowhere to be found. There is no sign of it being any kind of robbery because she had everything on her when we found her." The officer explained as they toured the lawn.
"One more thing I think you ought to see. I think whoever did it was not actually after him. We found a king of spades card and a newspaper clipping with something written in red on it. It is still where it was left last night." The officer finished.
Booth examined the calling card and the ominous note. The clipping was of them after the trial and Dr. Sweets picture with a big "X" over his face. In red underneath it said: "He is only the first. If you don't release Heather Taffet in 48 hours, he will be dead. Your team is not safe. I will be in touch. KOS"
Bones was shaken by the warning and knew instantly that whoever they were dealing with, they were dangerous and highly unpredictable. Booth looked at her detecting her emotion. He loved and knew her well enough to know when she was truly scared.
"Is this all you have?" Booth asked with a forced calmness.
"I am afraid nothing else was left behind. He did not leave any kind of evidence about his transportation or anything else that was usable." The officer answered realizing that this killer was more than scary.
"We appreciate your help officer. We will be in touch if we have any more questions. Here is my card. Please call me should you find any more evidence." Booth said as he and Dr. Brennan left the scene.
"Bones, are you to going to be okay? I have never seen you so scared as when you looked the note this crazy person left." Booth asked very concerned for his partner.
"Judging by what he left behind, he goes by the King of Spades. The playing card and the carvings point to the name. This killer is more ruthless and cold than the Grave Digger could ever imagine. I only hope when Daisy wakes up that she can give me so clues as to what this guy looks like. Once we can figure that out, we can find out what connection he has to her." Bones answered trying to hold back the fear that she had inside.
"In the mean time, I think the Jeffersonian will not have to have some revamped security. You are not to go anywhere alone. I stay with you. If it means that I have to sleep on the couch of your apartment, then I will do that. As for the others, I will tell them only what they need to know and to be aware of their surroundings. This guy is very insane and very unstable." Booth continued trying to ease his partner's mind.
"If you insist that it must be done that way, fine. I would rather be independent, but this killer unnerves me to the point of resignation to the idea of your security." She answered resigned to the facts on hand.
The whole ride back from the crime scene would have been better described as silent paranoia. Agent Booth said nothing more than what was necessary as he watched for suspicious vehicles in his rearview mirror. Both of their nerves were on edge, looking for the same vehicle to try the same. They arrived back at the Jeffersonian without incident but they remained hyper alert as they entered.
"Cam, I have contacted a few people and I have requested security to be heightened here. Have everyone meet in the conference room in five minutes. I have some information to share with everyone. This is not voluntary. This is completely required." Booth said sounding serious.
"Alright, everyone I called this meeting to fill you in on some very valuable information. We have yet to identify the kidnapper by proper identity. He only goes by the King of Spades and his calling card is the King of Spades card. He has kidnapped sweets and we don't have long to formulate a plan. This guy is after the team. Please don't go anywhere alone. Stay together at all times. Change your routines and remain constantly aware of your surroundings until this guy is caught." Booth said urgently emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
"Is Daisy okay?" Angela asked genuinely concerned for the chatty interns well being.
"I have not heard anything new. As far as I know, the attacker only knocked her out. She is physically alive but she is very unnerved and scared." Booth answered.
"What does this guy want?" Hodgins asked trying to understand it all better.
"According to the note he left behind, his main goal is the release of Heather Taffet. I don't know why exactly at this point. I only know is that he is more interested in her release." Booth answered directly.
"If anyone should have a King of Spades card left anywhere near your homes, do not touch it or otherwise move it. You have to contact me first. We have got to catch whoever this guy is." Booth said as he was about to release them back to work.
"One more thing, if anything seems too out of place here, I need to know. Whoever this is committing the crimes is very smart and is counting on us to be unaware. You know the security routines here. As of this morning, the security routine is stricter and will be more ridged. Get back to work. Tell Cam or me if you hear or see anything." Booth said as he dismissed everyone.
As the day came to an end, Bones was heading out for the night. Booth was waiting for her by her door. He was not taking any chances on this. He could not let the woman that was the center of his world be harmed by an insane genius. He knew just who the King of Spades would be after next. Out of a sense of duty, loyalty, friendship, and undeniable love, he stuck with her.
He drove her in a vehicle that would not stick out as much. Although she did not speak, he could sense the fear that she tried to hide. He did his best to reassure her that as long as he was on the watch, she would be safe from harm. They arrived at her apartment in about 20 minutes. They felt the tension that is spawned from fear and also felt an electricity building. About 10 p.m. Bones retired to her bedroom for the night. Booth slept listlessly on the couch listening for suspicious sounds. About 1 in the morning, sleep came finally.
His sleep was tormented by nightmares of what could happen. He saw Bones on the Jeffersonian slab with the spade carved into her arm. In the distance, he heard the sound of maddening laughter. In the dream, the laughter was not attached to anyone's face at first. Out of the darkness, Heather Taffet's icy blue eyes and red hair emerged. As the alarm went off, Booth woke up in a nervous sweat.
He felt an unexplainable impulse shoot through him. He felt the need to go back to her room to check on her. As he opened the door, he saw that she was sleeping soundly. He could hear her mumbling something in her sleep. Before he shut the door, the words that tumbled out of her mouth stopped him….