The Horror In The Bones Story
Chapter 2: Bites
I do not own Bones
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Agent Booth was wrapping up his interview with the two terrified brothers leaning against the local sheriffs cruiser. The older boy, despite his looks, proved himself adept at comforting his younger brother. Booth was impressed by how he had maintained a reassuring and protective arm wrapped around the young boys shoulders while the younger one stammered through his role in the body discovery. He walked away feeling relief that with each others support this day would soon be quickly forgotten. He noted the busted out window of the hotel room. Field techs were already busy, dusting the dusty environment for prints. Also busy working was Bones his lovely wife, the lovely Dr. Cam Sayroyan and Hodgins. The trio surrounded the queen-size bed and its skeletal occupant. Booth stood at the foot, taking in the sight. The body was sitting up arms outstretched, black leather straps, binding them to a heavy headboard. Booth didn't see any signs of clothing above the sheet line, he doubted there would be any beneath the sheet either. ..solicitation gone wrong maybe...that's if its murder, what am I saying, this has got to be murder...
"Okay..|cough..cough| um.. what have we got Bones.", Booth covering his mouth, struggling against the dust swirling in the air.
"Male, Caucasian, thirties...hhmm fangs.", she looked back at her partner pointing out the obviously capped incisors.
"Did you say.. fangs? Oh..huh I guess so. Okay so do we know how, "Twilight" here died?" Booth grinned at his own wit.
"Maybe it happened when the curtain came down..you know vampires and sunlight don't mix." Hodgins offered grinning, from his kneeling position beside the bed where he was collecting samples. ...Hello , Cimex lectularious you nasty lil' bloodsucker...Bug lover that he was ..even Hodgins had a dislike of bedbugs.
"I don't think that is very likely .." Brennen stated matter of fact. " Vampires do not exist." Hodgins just stared at his co-worker bemused.
"Hey, what can say it's October...I'm getting in the Halloween spirit." Hodgins shrugged.
"No..no vampires do not exist. However, I do believe I know cause of death and it's in keeping with the theme... exsanquination." Cam had removed the sheet and was examining a patch of leathery dry skin on the inner thigh.
"Are you sure Dr. Sayroyan there are hardly any blood stains." Bones questioned, looking at the bedding and carpet.
"Oh I'm sure, see here some one tapped into the femoral artery." Cam probed the cut with a swab. "I'm about done here, if your ready Dr. Brennen we can have the body removed..."
"We should take the whole bed... " ,Brennen said as she eyed some peculiar markings inscribed along the headboard.
"Okay...you heard the lady. Bones and bed ..to the Jeffersonion!", Booth ordered. While the techs figured out how they were going to do that. Booth looked around the room a bit more. He didn't see any clothing, wallet, keys...nothing. The bathroom was equally clean. He heard a ruckus in the other room and came out to find the techs had removed the body and were moving the bed frame stopping when they realized the head board was attached to the wall. But their jarring had revealed something. Booth donned a blue glove and picked up a pink metal coin about the size of a half dollar. He studied the sides. On one an elegantly styled capital P and the other side appeared to be... he held the disc closer... yep naked people...engaged in.. oh!... The Agent suddenly held the object as if it might bite and quickly obtained an evidence baggie, and dropped it in.
"Was that a coin, Booth?", Bones had waited on him just outside the motel room. Hodgins and Cam were already at the van loading up their equipment.
"Yeah, like a token of some sort. Its not much to go on." Booth held the bag up, then tucked it back in his coat pocket.
"We should have a ID soon, I doubt fang capped teeth is a common dental procedure." Bones said as she climbed into the balck suv. She sat thinking about the symbols she had seen on the bed. She was sure she had seen them before but could not remember where.
Once inside the lab the team began testing and examining the remains, the bedding and various samples taken from the dingy room. Booth left the squints to their work and headed for the Hoover.
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Bones and Brennen found Sweets already at their usual table in the Royal Diner. He looked up from his BLT and fries, greeting them with a smile. The plate was crowded by several manila files and a few books he was looking through.
"Good afternoon.. you two." He seemed upbeat.
"Sweets...what is all this? ", Brennen gestured at the files.
"Just some information... about a string of deaths similar to your vampire guy. But get this ...took place twenty years ago.", He snatched up a fry biting it with gusto. He swallowed down the food eager to continue.
"Did Angela uncover that? She was still working on the facial reconstruction when I left.."
"Oh no... I found this myself. Look you remember...when we had the witch in the closet case. I had told you about my research into witches... well research into one thing kind of rolls into the next. Anyway... I also looked into the occult practices, superstitions, and ...um the impact that belief in the supernatural has in criminal behavior."
"Wait, wait, wait... you think that this mans death was due to an actual vampire... really Sweets even for you..."
"What? Of course not . The supernatural may not be real ..but people who believe completely, can act out on those beliefs. You know that.", he said. "There is a whole sub-culture of people who live, what they consider to be a legitimate "vampire" lifestyle... now mostly its people who dress gothic and seem to party a lot, but there are some who go full out... even drink blood."
"Yeah, but Sweets, he was drained via his femoral artery...not a bite on the neck. Besides he is the only victim..."
"Nope.. I did some checking, there were two other deaths that fit the victim profile, male, fit,... both found tied-up and drained of blood. All within the last two weeks. ", Sweets loved when he was able to find a connection.
"But twenty years... that's a bit of a hiatus for a serial killer, Sweets.", Booth said after placing his order. "Do we know who the other two victims are? "
" Yeah... the one...", Sweets quickly dug through the clutter finding a report. "... a Charlie Bradbury, age thirty-two. Was found in his apartment, by his neighbor... see the picture same bound position. Neighbor reported hearing some odd noises but didn't think much of it... because according to him, Bradbury had started keeping odd hours, weird company... acting different. And it seems to be so, he quit his job as a lawyer, dumped his fiance of three years and basically dropped out of his old life. The second guy, Jordan Phelps was found one week ago. Found and identified by his brother. Again tied up... no blood. He was.. twenty-nine... a personal trainer... same thing.. brother mentioned he had started acting different. That's two men... three with our victim, drained and dead. Now, our guy was killed..three weeks ago, right?.. That places his death on the fall equinox. Twenty years ago the first murder, also happened on the fall equinox." ,he thumped the file triumphantly with his index finger before draining the last of his coffee. Booth and Brennen were staring back amused.
"How much coffee have you had today?", Booth joked..though he appreciated all the effort the psychologist had put into his theory. "Okay ..I'll bite. Let's say these cases are connected. So what are we looking for a wannabe Nosferatu whose at least forty...assuming they starting killing by twenty. Who is able to get men to dump their normal life... they bed them, then kill them. Oh and leave a bunch of crazy chicken scratch on the furniture. Does that about sum things up? Piece of cake."
The waitress arrived at the table. " Cheeseburger and fries for you, and vegetable minestrone with grilled cheese... for the missus. If I can get you anything else, let me know."
Sweets was reviewing the latest case file again allowing his companions to eat undisturbed. Suddenly he let out a chuckle.
"Does something about the current case amuse you Dr. Sweets?", Brennen queried as she dipped the edge of her sandwich into the tomato red broth of her soup.
"Oh it's nothing.. it's just. The boys who found the body in the cheap motel...Sam and Dean? Ha ha..really?"
"Yeah, I kinda thought that too. But I didn't want to be the one to say it.", Booth said tackling the burger once more.
"I do not see any reason you would want to disavow any knowledge of the people involved with this case Booth, nor do I glean any special inferences from their names. Sam and Dean. Is that important to the case somehow?" Bones seemed genuinely concerned she was missing something.
"No.. Bones... there's a tv show. About two brothers, Sam and Dean, they travel around in a classic car...stay in cheap motels and hunt ghosts.", Booth explained then stuffed a few fries in his mouth.
"Oh... so not important.", Bones returned to her soup and sandwich.
"The show is actually very interesting... from a psychological stand point. All the damage...the repressed issues. Oh yeah.. they need therapy. Anyway I just thought it was funny." Sweets continued. "To answer your earlier question Booth...I'm not so sure we're hunting a "vampire" as much as a succubus or a satan worshiper preforming some ritualistic killing."
"What so were hunters now? And what's a succubus again?", Booth asked dubiously.
" Well, according to the lore..", Sweets was shuffling his papers again, when Booth grinned.
" ..."according to the lore? Who are you then Sam? Hah! Hmm.. maybe Bobby. Guess that makes me Dean cause I'm great with a gun, drive a cool black ride and have all the luck with the ladies... well lady." Booth wrapped his arm around his wife who just looked in confusion at her husband who was greatly amused with himself at that moment.
Sweets dark eyes glanced up at Booth." Yeah...your Dean. But as I was about to say. Lore.. has that a succubus is a female demon that has sex with men during their sleep. Some accounts claim that men under the "spell" of a succubus change their habits... act out character. Eventually, the man may do whatever it takes to continue the relationship. The succubus is in it traditionally for semen with which to bear more demon offspring... but also to drain the men of their lifeforce.. and in the manisfestaion of a vampire even blood."
"Yeah... you're definately Sam." Booth squinted his eyes in thought. "So why the two decade break? And what about the symbols... you forgot about them." Booth turned to flag down the waitress.
Sweets opened his mouth then closed it unsure of the right answer. He studied his notes.. then looked up defeated. " I don't know ... maybe a satan worshipping succubus who was in jail the last twenty years..."
"You and Booth are making absolutely no sense. We have a murder to solve and you two are discussing supernatural beings that don't even exist! And Booth is not Dean.. you are not Sam and who is Bobby? Can we please just get back to the facts that are realevant to the case? And stop referancing something I do not understand!"
Both men listened to womans rant, in suprised silence, then grinned, " Cas!" They stated in unison.
"Definately.. Castiel.", Sweets began gathering his collection of files, books and his bill. "Okay, I'll meet you two at the lab. I'm going to confer with Angela about those symbols. See you in while." As he got up he bumped into the waitress who dropped the small plate. The plate broke and cherry pie crumbled onto the floor. " Oh geez.. I'm sorry. Here let me... help." He shoved the files under his arm, scrambling to pick up the pieces of white ceramic and ruined pie from the linolium. Booth looked like a whipped puppy at the destroyed pastry. Then at his co-worker. The waitress had left to retrieve a mop.
"Sorry Booth.. I'll have them put it on my ticket and get you another. See ya." Sweets quickly disappeared to pay his bill and was out the door.
" Don't look so down Booth its only pie. I'm sure the waitress will bring you a replacement soon." Brennen tried to hide the amusement she got from her husbands love affair with cooked fruit in pastry. The waiteress appeared without pie.
"Sorry.. Hon. That was the last piece... we have a nice carrot cake or Boston Creme cake if you still want something sweet."
...Cake instead of pie...its just not the same...
" No.. that's alright. We will take the bill though." Booth stood and headed to the register. He handed the younger girl the ticket. " Okay sir, here's your change.. oh and this goes to you too."
Booth took the bills and coins and the styrofoam container. A wide grin spread across his face as he read the words scrawled in blue ink across the top. " Unlike Sam, I'd never forget the pie, Booth! "
" What does that even mean Booth? I do not understand.", Bones complained as she stood next to her husband. He met her stormy blue eyes all full of confusion, and smiled gently. He locked his arm in hers and together they turned to leave.
" And that's why my Dear, you are such an angel.", Booth leaned in and gave her cheek a kiss.
"I do not understand that referance, either. Are we talking about religion now..." Bones continued her train of thought as a smiling Booth listened as they strolled down the street arm in arm.
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So there it is chapter two.
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