Episode 6.5x03: The Love on the Rocks ~ written by Brainysmrfs and Stayuff
Arthur Denton stood on the banks of the Potomac and sighed in frustration as he saw a raindrop fall on the page of his notebook. He adjusted his hat and looked up at the grey skies. He hoped that the rain could just hold off until after sunset, so that he could complete his work for the day. He'd spent the last three days on the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Island studying the mating patterns of the Southern Flying Squirrel for his upcoming book.
Another drop fell on his notebook and Arthur's jaw clenched. "Great. Yeah, go ahead and rain. It's not like I'm out here trying to work or anything!" He mumbled under his breath.
After taking one last look around the area, he reached down to grab his gear and saw something at the water's edge that resembled an oddly shaped piece of driftwood. As he moved a little closer to examine it, he realized that it was definitely not a piece of wood - the loosely attached eyeball moving slightly with the gentle waves gave that away.
B&B
"The mosaic on the backsplash is very beautiful." Brennan commented to Padme as she helped her load the dishwasher after dinner.
"Oh, you like that? I did it that over spring break." Padme stood up and closed the dishwasher, turning it on. "This place was such a mess when we first looked at it but I saw its potential. I mean, yeah we've had more than one electrical issue and Jared had to become a master plumber overnight but," she shrugged and smiled, "I knew this was our home as soon as I saw it."
Brennan returned her smile, "You've done a beautiful job with it."
"Thanks. You know, Jared wanted to buy a brand new house, one that no one else had ever lived in but… I think that it's more satisfying to find a place like this that's unique and challenges you to bring out its true potential."
Brennan nodded, "I can appreciate that." She looked around the newly-remodeled kitchen and then back to her host, "And I'm sure that financially you were in a better position to buy something like this rather than a newly-built home." When Brennan saw the curious look on Padme's face she started to back-pedal, "What I meant is that it was a very smart decision – to buy a home that was within your means."
Padme nodded slowly, "Yes…This place was more budget friendly as well." She folded her arms in front of her,"But really, this place is perfect for us – regardless of the cost." She cleared her throat and continued with a change of topic, "It's nice to see the boys together, isn't it? I know they have their differences but it's important that they remain a part of each other's lives. Seeley was the one thing missing for Jared at our wedding but that couldn't have been helped."
Brennan reached for her wine glass on the counter, after taking a sip she asked, "What prompted the decision to elope?"
Padme grinned and ran her hand across her mouth, "I don't know…One Friday night we were sitting in our old apartment, eating take out and Jared looked over at me and said 'Let's go to Vegas this weekend'. I had the following Monday off and I couldn't think of a single reason not to go and then once we got there…I don't know, it just…it just felt right and the rest is history."
"I'm very happy for you – for both of you."
"Thank you, Temperance." Padme grabbed her glass, "Let's go see what those Booth boys are doing out in the living room."
Brennan followed Padme into the living room where Booth and Jared were catching the last inning of the Phillies game on TV. Padme took a seat on the arm of the recliner Jared was in and Brennan sat down on the love seat next to Booth.
"So, Seeley," Padme turned to face him, "What have you been up to since you got home?"
"Uh," Booth sighed, letting his lips flap with the exhaled air, "Well, you know Bones and I have been pretty busy with work and I've been spending a lot of time with Parker – trying to make up for lost time."
"That's all?" She asked.
"Seeley is a workaholic." Jared piped in. He grinned and craned his neck around to look at Booth and Brennan, "He'd rather be at work than anywhere else."
Booth rolled his eyes, "Not true but my work does take up a lot of my time."
Brennan spoke up in defense of her partner. "Booth is an exceptional agent and because of that, the cases he is assigned are the more challenging ones that the FBI has and those cases are often time consuming."
He looked over at her, "Thanks, Bones."
She smiled, "Of course."
They continued to look at each other until Padme jumped up from her perch on the chair and said, "You know what, Seeley? We have a new teacher at school, Ginger Semans, she's from California and just moved to DC. She's pretty, smart and doesn't know a soul here…She could probably use a night out with a guy like you…" She moved into the center of the room and fixed her eyes on Booth, "Whattya think?"
Booth leaned back in his seat and groaned quietly. "Uh, I don't know…Blind dates are not really my thing." He pleaded with his eyes not to glance over at Brennan but they betrayed him. The glance he got was of her, sitting quietly, stoically waiting to see how the conversation played out.
"Ah, come on Seeley. It'll be fun. You know? Go out, have a nice meal, pleasant conversation with a beautiful woman…Please let me do this for you?" Padme begged with her words and her eyes.
As Booth prepared to shoot his sister-in-law down his phone rang. He stood and reached into his pocket to answer it and he nodded in Padme's general direction, politely excusing himself from the conversation. The absurdity of her suggestion left him befuddled and preoccupied. He muttered "Yeah…," as he moved past her.
Padme didn't take notice that the man was obviously distracted and took his mumble as an agreement. She grinned and clapped her hands together, "Perfect!"
Brennan took a big gulp of her wine and wondered if Booth realized he had just agreed to a date. And that led her to wonder if he did realize what he had done, what did it mean for her, for them? In the time that they had been home, Brennan was certain that she had felt a shift in their relationship and even one within herself, but if Booth was going on a date, maybe her feelings were incorrect.
Suddenly, Booth hustled back into the room while pulling his sports jacket on, "Bones! We gotta go."
"A case?" she asked, thankful for the distraction from her current internal musings.
"Yup, and your favorite kind – it's missing a bunch of parts."
B&B
"There appear to be stab wounds to both the nasal bone and the superior orbital fissure…And there are other markings on the bones that appear to be from the rocks here on the bank…." Brennan looked up at Booth through the torrential downpour; he had given up on trying to take notes and was unsuccessfully shielding his head from the rain.
"How much longer do we need to be out here?"
"So far, I've only located the skull and a femur." She looked out over the river, "I'm afraid that with the weather conditions I won't be able to locate more." She returned her gaze to her partner, "I told you that the weather was going to be severe, you should have dressed for it."
Booth looked down at his soaked jeans and equally soaked shoes and nodded, "Yeah, I just didn't expect to be standing on the banks of the Potomac for two hours while my obsessed forensic anthropologist took her sweet ol' time examining the bones."
Brennan rocked back on her heels and shook her head, "I'm not taking 'my sweet ol' time', I'm properly collecting evidence. Your forensic anthropologist believes in being thorough – or did you forget that?"
"No, I didn't forget. I just thought that since it's raining so hard that I can barely see a foot in front of me that you'd hurry this part up a little bit."
She sighed, "Actually, there's not much more we can do here tonight. We'll have to have the team come back in the morning and collect what they can."
"So, we can take him or her back to the lab now?" Booth asked hopefully.
She stood from the crouched position she had been in and rested her hands on her lower back, "Him…And yes, we can take him to the lab now." Brennan motioned to the FBI crime scene techs to gather up all the evidence. She noticed Booth shivering against the elements and pursed her lips, "It's pretty bad out here are you sure you don't want my hat."
He glared at her ridiculous yellow-fisherman's rain hat and shook his head, "No thanks, I'm all set. I'd rather catch a cold than look like the Gorton's Fisherman."
"Actually," She began as they started walking back to the SUV, "it's a common misconception among people that being out in the rain causes you to become ill. Being out in the cold, wet weather actually won't cause you to become sick. Bacteria and germs cause the human body to-"
Booth cut her off, "Don't really care right now, Bones. I'm cold and wet, let's go."
"Have you finished with the skull or the femur yet, Cam?" Brennan asked as she climbed the steps of the platform.
"Just finished…" Cam took off her gloves and placed a hand on her aching back. "I didn't get much from the remains. The fish and other critters have eaten most of my evidence. I can tell you that poor guy was dead before he lost his head and there is some non-fatal, but definitely painful damage to the eye."
Brennan moved around the table to get a closer look, "Three identical and evenly spaced puncture wounds in the superior orbital fissure that extend down to the optic canal." She looked up at Cam and Angela, "What could cause that?"
"I absolutely hate that my mind went right to this, but I think this guy was stabbed in the eye with a fork," Angela said with a grimace as she picked up her camera to take pictures of the wounds
"Great, now I'm going to have to eat all of my food with my hands or with chopsticks," Cam's face paled slightly.
Ignoring the other women's comments, Brennan looked over the femur, "It seems that the only damage done to the femur was superficial and caused by the rocks on the bank the remains washed up on."
"That's what I said in my report." Cam agreed.
"I'm going to remove the remaining flesh on both the skull and femur and then Angela, you can start on the facial reconstruction."
Angela nodded, "OK, in the mean time I'll upload these pictures," she held the camera up, "and see if I can figure out if it was a fork or not."
Brennan nodded, "Thank you, Angela."
"Hey what do you guys think of James as a girl's name?" Cam asked the two women.
"I think that she better be gorgeous or she's gonna have a hard time." Angela replied.
Cam gestured toward the artist, "Thank you! That's what I told Paul. We're having a difficult time agreeing on a name."
"You're having a girl?" Angela asked with a smile and wide eyes.
"Don't know." She rested her hand on the stomach, "We decided we didn't want to know but I think that we should have a name picked for both sexes before I push this sucker out."
Brennan hung back from the conversation, having nothing to add and feeling a little…a little something that confused her. She was roused from her confusion by Hodgins running toward the platform.
"Dryobius sexnotatus!" Hodgins exclaimed excitedly as he ran up the steps.
"That sounds like some sort of Latin sexual proposition Dr. Hodgins," Cam said with a smirk.
"Six-banded Longhorn Beetle." He held up a specimen jar. "Fairly rare in this area, but not unheard of so his mere presence doesn't tell us anything. I'll see if I can't find out where this little guy's been, though."
As Hodgins prattled on about the beetle, the doors of the lab opened.
"Welcome to the Squint Central, Turner," Booth said with a grin as he led the agent inside. Since Agent Turner had completed Quantico, she was assigned to the DC office but for the last few weeks she had been stuck at the Hoover filling out HR forms and learning all of the office policies. Now she was shadowing Booth for the week to see how investigative work is accomplished in a real world setting.
"It's very... shiny," Turner said softly.
Booth leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't stand in one place too long. You might get plated in chrome or washed down with some industrial strength chemical."
Turner paused for the brief moment it took her to realize he was joking, "How often are you here during the course of a regular case?"
"Well…" He glanced over to the platform and saw Brennan talking with Cam and Hodgins. "It depends on the type of case and how much information I'm getting from them. You know, sometimes I've gotta come over here and light a fire under 'em."
Turner chuckled, "So, can I get the nickel tour first or do you need to go 'light a fire under 'em'?"
Booth noticed that nobody on the platform had seen them come in and grinned. "Oh, you should definitely take the tour first."
He pointed at the nearest room. "That's the autopsy room. Don't go in there with a full stomach unless you're prepared to ralph like a freshman at their first kegger and whatever you do, don't touch anything in here because that unidentifiable glob of nasty you find on your suit just might be someone's brains."
Turner chuckled. "Speaking from experience, Agent Booth?"
Booth frowned slightly. "Um... no..." He took a breath and tried to regain some of his steam.
"Over there." He pointed at another room and grinned. "That's Hodgins' office, home to a host of creepy-crawlies and the setting for countless 'Jackass'-worthy experiments. If you smell smoke, it's probably coming from there." He leaned over to Turner, "Word to the wise, don't agree to help him with an experiment and don't touch anything in his office. If it's not deadly, it's expensive, and sometimes it's both. Also, don't accept anything to eat or drink from Hodgins that you didn't watch him prepare."
He walked her around to the other side of the platform. "That's Bones' office. Comfy couch and scary artifacts. Any bones you find in her office are probably real."
"Next, there's Angela's office. That big glass wall isn't just a big glass wall; it's a giant computer that Angela uses to do facial reconstructions, crime simulations, and a bunch of other things I don't really understand."
They took a few more steps and then Booth swiped his card and led Turner up the steps of the platform, "What do you have for me, Bones?"
Brennan sighed, "Not much but as soon as I clean the skull, Angela will do the facial reconstruction and hopefully we'll be able to ID him from that."
"Sounds good," he looked around the group, "You all remember Agent Turner, right?"
The group nodded and offered words as welcome while Booth approached Brennan, "Bones, we need to go question the guy who found the body. Are you ready?"
"Booth, I can't go. I haven't even cleaned the bones, yet. We're working without an intern this week so I can't just leave the lab without finishing the examination."
"Why no intern?"
"It was supposed to be Mr. Fischer but he admitted himself to a mental institution for depression so I'm without now."
"Not Fischer?" Booth asked in a sarcastic tone that went over Brennan's head.
"Yes, Colin Fischer. You must have not interacted with him much thus far, he was quite bleak."
"I know, Bones." Booth leaned over and bumped his arm against hers gently, "I was joking."
She smiled shyly, "Oh."
"Anyway." He stood up straight, "You do your bone thing. Turner and I will go talk to the witness."
B&B "Mr. Denton, what were you doing on the island yesterday?" Booth asked as he and Turner sat down with Denton in a Hoover conference room.
The older, slightly balding man pushed up his glasses, "Well, I've been going out there for the last month collecting research for my book."
"Your book?"
"Yes, I'm writing a book about the mating habits of the Southern Flying Squirrel – it's quite fascinating actually when the male-"
Booth raised his hand, cutting the other man off, "Yeah, I'm sure that flying rats getting it on is great but," he glanced over at Turner who was stifling a giggle and then back to Denton, "have you seen anyone else out there recently? Suspicious looking…Carrying a large object?"
Arthur shook his head, "No, th-the only people I've seen out there are park rangers and a few bird watchers. Sorry."
"And you didn't see anything else in the water? By the time we got there the rain was so heavy we couldn't do a proper canvas of the area and right now all we have is the head and a leg bone."
The mention of the remains made Arthur's stomach churn, "Oh no, I was too sickened by seeing that eyeball. I took off for the nearest ranger's stand immediately." He could see that his answers were frustrating the agent in front of him, he shrugged and said, "I'm really sorry I don't have any information that is useful to you, Agent Booth."
Booth closed his notebook and slipped it into his pocket, "It's ok. I appreciate your time, Mr. Denton. If you could just stay in the area in case I have any more questions."
The older man stood to leave, "Certainly. I'll be in town for the next six weeks doing my research."
After Denton left, Turner looked over at Booth, "So, where do you go from here?"
"Well, hopefully Angela will get a hit with her reconstruction and then we can start looking into the victim's life." Booth stood to leave and motioned for Turner to do the same.
She hustled to keep up with his long strides back to his office until his ringing phone caused him to stop short. She listened carefully to what he said but it was his facial expressions that told her he was being given some very interesting information.
He snapped his phone shut, "OK, Turner we're headed back to the lab?"
"Why?"
"Some more remains washed up and we've gotta pick up Bones."
Turner followed Booth to the elevator and while they waited she asked, "I thought that the FBI forensic techs handled the remains. Why not let them just take what they find to the Jeffersonian?"
Booth laughed to himself, "Because…Because Bones is the best at what she does and she doesn't take too kindly to other people messing with her remains."
"And the bureau is alright with that?" She asked as they boarded the elevator.
"If they weren't, she wouldn't work with us. And trust me, on cases like this? You want Bones, you want all the squints so, we make exceptions for them."
Turner nodded with a knowing smile, "Yeah, Lance said you guys were 'special'"
Not wanting to delve into what Sweets meant by 'special', Booth just nodded and watched the doors close.
B&B
"Did the park rangers say what exactly they found?" Brennan asked Booth after he and Turner picked her up from the lab.
"Uh, not really." Booth glanced over at her before looking back at the road in front of him, "They just told the switchboard that more remains were located about a quarter mile from where we found the other remains."
"It would be extremely helpful if it was the rest of the body." She turned and looked back at Claudia, trying to make her feel like she was part of the conversation, it was a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Booth, "It will be difficult to determine cause of death with what we currently have."
Turner nodded in understanding.
Before she could expand on her comment, Brennan's phone rang, "It's Angela, I'll put her on speaker." She hit a button and held the phone in between her and Booth.
"Hi Angela, you're on speaker with myself, Booth and Claudia."
"I've got an ID on our victim – his name is Tom Baker, he's 46, lives in Georgetown and he owns a local heating and air conditioning repair company."
"Thanks, Ang." Booth leaned down toward the phone when he spoke.
"Yes, Angela, thank you. Good job. Can you send the info to my phone?" Brennan asked.
"I already did."
Brennan turned off the speaker and said good-bye to Angela and Booth noticed the way her frame relaxed ever so slightly. "Feel better, Bones? We know who he is now, that's good."
She nodded, "Now we just need to find the rest of him."
Turner leaned forward, "In the past haven't you been able to find cause of death without a complete body?"
"Yes but in instances like this, where the body was cut up post mortem and the remains that were initially found don't indicate cause of death, it makes it nearly impossible to solve the case."
"So," Turner rubbed her palms together, "we're looking for a whole body, right?"
"Yes or rather to be exact, we're looking for a torso, two arms and a leg."
Booth looked in the rearview mirror at Turner with a smile, "That's one thing with Bones, Turner – she loves to be exact."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be accurate." A defensive Brennan said as she turned to face front.
"I never said it was wrong." Booth's voice changed pitch as he tried to quell an argument before it even really began, "I was just letting Turner know that you like things to be exact, that's all Bones."
Brennan folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her seat, "It sounded like you were making fun of me."
"Well, I wasn't."
"It sounded like you were."
Booth whipped his sunglasses off and looked straight at her, "I wasn't making fun of you. I wouldn't do that to you. We're partners, remember?" He offered her a warm smile that spoke the truth, the truth that she valued so much.
The truthful smile and the mention of partners did her in, "I remember and I accept that you were not making fun of me."
"Thank you." He slid his glasses back on as they pulled in the parking lot of the island.
Turned sat motionless, unsure of what she just witnessed and of what to do until Booth got out of the driver seat and opened her door unexpectedly.
"Come on, Turner. It's time you've been to your first crime scene."
She smiled as she climbed out of the vehicle and pulled her long blonde hair into a ponytail. "Yeah, and from the sound of it, it's gonna be a really gross one."
Booth laughed as they started walking a few steps behind Brennan, "That is our specialty."
"Dismembered post mortem…" Cam sighed as a wave of nausea hit her. She looked up from the newly recovered remains and took a few deep breaths before continuing, "The lack of hemorrhagic tissue around C1 and C2 of the spinal cord proves that the head was severed post mortem like we originally thought. But the leg that was found with the skull appears to have been disarticulated from the body after it had already been in the water for some time."
"At least that's a slightly less disgusting thought," Angela remarked as she stood off to the side. The curious look she received from Cam forced her to elaborate on her theory, "I mean, at least it was just his head, at least they didn't chop all of him up, you know?
Ignoring Angela's outburst, Brennan looked to Cam, "I concur, there's no staining on the cervical vertebrae to indicate that blood flow was present at the time that the head was severed." She leaned closer to the neck and moved a bit of the flesh away from the bones in the neck. "I do see kerf marks, but I won't be able to determine what caused them or if they match the marks on the skull until the bones are cleaned." She looked up at Cam, "Was the DNA a match?"
"Yes, Dr. Brennan."
"Good, I'll let Booth know." Brennan snapped her gloves off and reached into her lab coat for her phone.
Cam held up her hand, "Also, I was able to account for all the vital organs except the heart."
"The heart is missing?" Brennan asked, slipping her phone back in her pocket.
"Yep, it looks it was cut out but since the tissue is so degraded you'll have a better chance at determining how once you clean the bones."
Brennan nodded and once again reached for the phone to call Booth and relay the new findings to him.
"Well, little Jasmine... It's a good thing that you can't see what I see right now or you'd wind up with some serious nightmares," Cam said as she looked down at her rounded belly.
Brennan was in mid-dial when she looked over at Cam, "Jasmine?"
Cam smiled. "Just trying out another baby name. What do you think?"
Brennan returned the smile. "Jasmine is one of my favorite fragrances, very exotic. The flowers are night blooming, you know."
"It's also the name of a Disney princess," Angela replied as she moved to one of the computers in the room and pulled up a picture, replacing the magnified images of the torso.
"Her proportions are completely unrealistic. Her waist is far too small," Brennan remarked with disdain. "This is from a children's movie?"
Hodgins chuckled as he strolled into the autopsy room, "Yep, that was a good one. The girl I was dating at the time made me take her to see it. I ended up liking it because Jasmine was hot and the Genie was funny. Plus, Marianne was really pleased that I was secure enough in my manhood to be seen at the theater for that one."
Angela rolled her eyes. "I bet she was."
"Well, that's another one off the list. I liked that one, though. I was going to call her Jazz," Cam said sadly.
"Aw, Cam. That's cute. I like it. Maybe you should put it back on the list." Angela suggested.
"Nope, it's as ruined for me now as this guy here on the table." Cam stepped back and pulled off her gloves. "Dr. Brennan, the flesh and internal organs are too badly damaged from scavenging animals and insects for me to determine cause of death. If Hodgins is through gathering insects and particulates, then I'm ready to turn the remains over to you."
"I've got everything I need," Hodgins replied.
"Then, I'll leave our victim in your capable hands, Dr. Brennan." She pulled her gloves off and held her hand over her mouth, "I have to get out of this room."
B&B
"I really don't want to, that's why," Booth explained to Padme over the phone while sitting in his office a little later that day. "My personal life is fine. The only people who think it isn't are the people who aren't a part of it." He pulled the phone away from his ear as his sister-in-law began to speak again, he didn't need or want to hear what she had to say.
Bringing the phone back to his ear, he sighed, "Why is this so important to you?" He listened as she spouted off about how people shouldn't be lonely and how he and Ginger both were so she wanted to change that which was quite eye-roll inducing for Booth. Then she got to the one reason why he should take this woman out for a 'friendly' dinner that he couldn't argue with: 'because we're family and I'm asking you to'. He groaned, "Fine, I'll do it. Just one and I do mean one dinner with her, ok?"
As he hung up with a tickled to death Padme, Sweets knocked on his door, "I heard there was a case but I haven't received a file yet."
"Yeah, we don't have much yet. The victim's ID is all we've got so far. Bones and I are going to head over and talk to the wife shortly."
Sweets nodded, "Ok, give me a buzz when you need me."
Booth waited until Sweets was almost out of his office before stopping him, "Hey Sweets, can I uh, ask you a question."
"Sure."
Having the other man's full attention suddenly killed any chance that Booth was going to ask him about his current, blind date predicament. Instead he asked, "How are things with you and Turner?"
"We're good. Yeah, really good." Sweets tried to not let his enthusiasm for his girlfriend show too much in front of the agent. "Why?"
"No reason, I was just…Now, don't take this the wrong way but," Booth sat back in his seat, "you gotta know that she is-"
"Way out of my league?" Sweets asked as he sat down across from Booth, "Yeah, I know. Trust me, I know."
"How did you swing it?"
"Well, the first time I saw her…You know, talked to her? I just…you know?"
Booth nodded slowly, "Yeah, I do."
Sweets smiled, "She didn't say yes the first time I asked or the tenth but finally the eleventh time that was the charm."
"Wait a minute," Booth leaned on his desk, resting his weight on his forearms, "Do you mean to tell me that you asked Turner out eleven times in a row?"
"Not in a row exactly, not like every day. I asked her every Thursday." Sweets shrugged, "I just didn't give up and now, we've been together for almost seven months and I've never been happier."
"That's stalker behavior, you do realize that, right?" Booth asked.
Sweets stood to leave, "When it comes down to it, the difference between a man courting a woman and one stalking a woman is only a few degrees."
B&B
"Why didn't Claudia come with us?" Brennan asked as she and Booth approached Tom Baker's Georgetown brownstone.
"Agent Turner didn't come with us because it's hard enough to find out that your husband is dead, you don't need a rookie observing that moment," Booth explained before he knocked on the door.
"Your point makes sense."
Booth turned with a smile, "I do that every once in awhile."
The door opened and a dark haired woman asked, "Can I help you?"
"Yes," Booth reached for his badge and showed it to the woman, "I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my associate Dr. Temperance Brennan. Are you Leigh Baker?"
"Yes." She looked at Booth and then Brennan, "The FBI? Is this about Tom?"
"Yes, ma'am. May we come in?"
Leigh pushed the door open a little wider and gestured for them to follow her to the living room. Booth and Brennan exchanged a curious look and then followed her.
Once they were seated, Booth inched forward in his seat, "Mrs. Baker, I'm very sad to tell you that your husband has passed away. His remains were found on the banks of the Potomac yesterday morning and we believe he was murdered. I'm very sorry for your loss."
Leigh scoffed, "Some loss…"
"You're not concerned that your husband is dead?" Brennan asked because she knew Booth wouldn't.
"My only concern is that now I have to arrange a funeral for the man."
The partners looked at each other and then Booth asked, "You and Tom were having problems?"
Leigh shook her head, "Tom and I got married when we were 19 years old. After 25 years, 'having problems' don't even begin to describe what was going on with the two of us."
"When was the last time you saw your husband?"
Without missing a beat, she replied, "April 23rd. The jerk hung around long enough to get his birthday presents and then split. Or so I thought he did."
Brennan spoke up, "Why didn't you report him missing?"
"I thought he ran off with one of his chickadees. About six years ago, I found out he'd been stepping out on me for most our marriage and not even just one woman at a time. " Leigh reached for her cigarettes on the coffee table and lit one before continuing, "oh, no not my Tommy, at any given time, he probably had two or three girls he was cattin' around with."
"And that didn't bother you?" Brennan asked suspiciously.
"Of course it bothered me but leaving him wasn't an option for me. Tommy took good care of me, financially speaking."
"Your husband owned a heating and air conditioning business?" Booth asked.
"Yes, a very successful one; he and his partner Ken Hutchins started it almost 16 years ago. They're contracted with most of the restaurants in Georgetown." She gestured to Booth with her cigarette, "You should talk to Ken."
"And why is that?" He leaned forward.
"He would know what Tom was up to and who he was screwing around with. They were the best of friends, they shared everything. And I do mean everything if you catch my drift."
Brennan nodded, "You're implying that they both had sex with the same women."
"Yeah, she was Bones." Internally Booth smiled and rolled his eyes at his partner's direct approach, an approach he either loved or hated depending on the day of the week. Today was a love day. Externally, Booth closed his notebook and stood, "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Baker." He reached into his pocket, "Here's my card in case you think of anything that might be helpful to our investigation."
"I doubt that will happen but I'll hold onto it. You two can see yourselves out, can't you?"
"Do you think she killed her husband?" Brennan asked when they reached the car.
"Uh," Booth paused with his hand on the door, "Nah, not really. She gave up on her marriage a long time ago. Why jeopardize her cozy little life by killing the person who provided it for her?"
They climbed into the vehicle and he looked over at her, "Do you think she had anything to do with it?"
"No, mainly because indifference is rarely an emotion that is attributed to an individual who kills their spouse. Unfortunately for us, it looks like we may have a long list of women who weren't indifferent to him to interview."
"Maybe," he turned the ignition, "or maybe his good buddy Ken can help us narrow down the suspect pool. I mean, if his wife is right and they really did share women then maybe he knows who was angry enough at Tom to kill him."
Brennan fastened her seatbelt and innocently asked, "Have you ever had a good buddy like that?"
He chuckled under his breath, "Uh no, you know me better than that, Bones."
"I know," she grinned, "but I also know that you dislike answering questions of that nature."
"Oh, so now you're just looking to make me uncomfortable, huh?" He looked over at her as he brought the SUV to a stop at an intersection.
The grin on his face was more than Brennan could handle and she looked away but not before she could feel a blush creeping up her neck. She cleared her throat and explained, "Not exactly. I'm just trying to see if any of your personal boundaries expanded over the last year."
Suddenly, an image of an eager, willing blonde laying on the ground under the stars in the middle of nowhere flashed in Booth's mind. As though his head was an Etch-A-Sketch, Booth shook it to remove the image. When the image was gone he nodded, "I think that they've expanded a little, yeah."
"I think mine did as well." Brennan said with a tone of voice that signaled the end of the conversation.
"White truffles, scallions, and Old Bay seasoning," Hodgins declared as he charged up the steps of the platform.
Cam grimaced. "Why do I get the feeling that you're about to ruin my dinner plans?"
"Probably because he is," Angela remarked as she turned to leave her husband's office.
Hodgins watched his wife leave, remembering that there was a time when she would stay for his big reveals and then turned to Cam. "Sorry. I'll try to keep out of barf territory."
Cam sighed. "You're going to fail miserably if you keep using words like that."
"Sorry. Right. Um... those... items that I mentioned before? Those were the particulates I found in the wounds," Hodgins said hesitantly.
Cam raised an eyebrow. "In the wounds? Yep, Paul is definitely going to have to cancel our reservations. I'm either having a peanut butter sandwich for supper tonight or the supermodel special."
"Supermodel special?" Hodgins asked.
"Eat three crackers, then vomit," She explained wryly.
Hodgins grimaced, "Anyway, these white truffles are incredibly expensive and not sold anywhere locally, a few restaurants may have connections but there aren't a lot of places you can find them around here."
Cam nodded once, "I'll let Booth know. That should help him narrow down his suspects."
After leaving the platform, Angela walked into her office and found Brennan on the couch. "Make yourself at home, Bren."
Brennan looked up from her notes and nodded. "Angela, I found some markings on the bones that may be useful in helping us determine the weapon or weapons used."
"Well then, you've come to the right place, Sweetie," Angela said with a smile as Brennan handed her a USB drive.
"The sternum wasn't opened using traditional rib spreaders, nor was it merely shattered. It appears to have been split with a blade around 8 inches long and it cracked after only two or three attempts," Brennan said as Angela pulled up the first image. "It appears that the blade was used like a splitting maul, where sufficient force was applied to cleave the bone in two."
Angela shivered. "That's an unpleasant mental image."
Brennan ignored her comment. "Go to the image of the cervical vertebrae. It appears that the same weapon was used to sever the head."
"Okay." Angela pulled up the requested image.
"See the kerf marks on C1 and C2?" Brennan pointed at the screen. "They're similar to the ones on the sternum. The marks are measured and methodical, not indicative someone randomly slashing."
"So, this person knew what they were doing. Like a doctor or a butcher?"
"It's possible, but we'll know more if we can determine what type of knife was used." Brennan looked at the screen thoughtfully. "Though, even then we can't speculate about the training of the individual because they may have used a knife that is not commonly associated with their chosen profession."
"True. They may have just used whatever was around. A doctor could dismember someone just as easily in his fishing cabin as he could in a hospital," Angela remarked.
Brennan nodded. "The cuts were made with a straight blade that doesn't taper until it nears the tip. What types of blades do you have that fit that profile?"
Angela sighed. "Give me your measurements for the depth and angle of the cuts. It sounds like some sort of utility knife, but a wide variety of utility knives are used by chefs, butchers, and fisherman alike. It's going to take quite a while for the computer to run through all of them, Bren."
"Well, perhaps you can find something for me on the damage to the ribs while the program searches for matching blades," Brennan suggested.
Angela put an image of the rib cage up on the screen. "Sure, Sweetie."
"The ribs have multiple rows of evenly spaced indentations with radiating microfractures from each point of impact. I also found staining on the ribs, indicating that the victim was alive when he was struck with whatever caused the indentations, but there is no evidence of remodeling so I believe that they occurred ante mortem. Do you recognize this pattern?" Brennan asked.
Angela shook her head. "Not really. At least, not on that scale, but they do kind of look waffle-y."
Brennan raised an eyebrow. "Waffle-y?"
Angela pointed to the screen. "See? They kind of look like the reverse image of a pyramid."
Brennan nodded. "Like the impressions made by a waffle iron, I see."
"But they're tiny, Bren. I don't think this guy was beaten up with a tiny waffle iron. Actually, I can't imagine him being beat up with a full size waffle iron, either."
"Well, other objects contain a waffle pattern, Angela. We just need to find the one that could have logically made these impressions," Brennan said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, is that all?" Angela asked with her brow cocked.
Brennan nodded once, "Yes, for now at least."
As Brennan turned to leave, Angela called out, "I'll just be here looking for the utility knife in the haystack and a tiny, tiny waffle iron."
B&B
"How long were you and Tom business associates?" Booth asked Ken Hutchinson once they both sat down in the conference room.
"We started our business about 16 years ago but we've worked alongside each other since high school." He ran his hand over his thick, red goatee, "We all grew up together, me and Tom and Leigh. I just …. I can't believe he's gone."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Booth said quietly.
Ken took the well-worn baseball cap he had been wearing off and crumpled it in his hands, "Tom was the best friend I ever had…ever. Poor Leigh, she said you guys think he was murdered?"
"We do." Booth watched as the other man tried to regain his composure, not speaking again until he did. "To your knowledge, was there anyone who would have wanted to hurt Tom?"
Ken shook his head and wiped a stray tear from his eye, "Everyone loved Tom. He may have exploited his good fortune here and there but people generally liked him."
"What do you mean by exploited his good fortune?"
"Tom was a lucky guy, he had a beautiful wife who loved him and a successful business but that wasn't enough for him. He had a thing for food or more importantly women who worked around food, probably because his wife refused to cook. He always volunteered to take most of the restaurant calls we received. He even took a few cooking classes."
"Was he involved with anyone at the time of his disappearance?"
Exhaling, Ken began making a mental list and then shared, "There was Meghann, over at the Starboard, Sue at Rockners but he was really into this new girl named Ophelia, over at Breckingridge Grill – he spent most of his time with her."
Booth wrote the names down then looked up, "Uh, Leigh Baker mentioned that you and Tom liked to share things. Any idea what she meant by that?"
"Leigh has a funny way with words." Ken put his hat back on, "Other than the fact that Tom and I spent most of our adult lives in love with her, we didn't share much."
Booth looked him over suspiciously, "No, I'd say that was more enough."
B&B
"How could they have stayed friends and business partners for all these years when they were both infatuated with the same woman?" Brennan asked Booth and Sweets as they ate lunch at the diner.
"Well, in some cases unrequited love is enough for some people," Sweets offered.
"What, you're saying that Hutchins was able to stick around while his buddy was married to the woman he loved simply because just being able to see her on a regular basis was enough?" Booth shook his head, "I don't buy it."
"Why not, Agent Booth?" Sweets carefully took in the way each of the agent's facial muscles flexed while he was formulating his response.
"Because I would think that any sane person would eventually decide to," he glanced at Brennan before continuing, "look elsewhere for love. Not hang around having what he wanted smack him in the face."
"Perhaps, but you do have an excellent motive for murder." Sweets shifted in his chair, "Think about it, you pine away for a woman for the better part of your life and for awhile you're ok with the fact that she loved someone else – maybe you even convince yourself that this other man is somehow more worthy of her love than you but then over time, you start to see how poorly he treats her and it drives you mad that anyone could be so reckless with the object of your affection's emotions then he has one extra-marital affair too many and you snap." Sweets stopped when he noticed that his dining companions were holding back laughter. "What?"
"We were wondering when you were going to pause for air." Booth explained.
"Sorry, sometimes when I'm building an idea as I'm speaking it just all comes out."
"Sweets does make an excellent case,"Brennan suggested to Booth who shrugged but didn't say anything as he chewed his lunch. She looked back to Sweets and saw Claudia enter the diner, "There's Claudia, Sweets."
Sweets stood and gestured for her to join them.
"Hey Turner, did you get that info I asked you for?" Booth asked as soon as she sat down.
"That I did, sir." Claudia smiled and handed Booth a folder. "It seems that Breckingridge Grill is the only restaurant within a 20 mile radius that uses this particular kind of white truffle."
After a quick read through, Booth closed the file and handed it to Brennan, "Good work, Turner."
"Thank you, sir." Claudia sighed and looked over at Sweets and smiled, "What are we talking about?"
"We were discussing the current case and whether or not unrequited love was a good motive for murder," Brennan informed the young agent.
"Whose love was unrequited?" Claudia asked as she stole a fry from Sweets' plate.
Booth wiped his mouth and balled his napkin up, "It seems that the victim's partner has been in love with the victim's wife since high school."
Claudia thought for a beat and then asked, "Why would he resort to murder now? It seems to me that after all this time, he's probably pretty attached to carrying that torch and wouldn't know what to do if he had to put it down."
"I think you just got out shrinked by your girlfriend, Sweets," Booth teased.
"You think he did it?" Claudia asked.
Sweets glared at Booth and Brennan who seemed to be enjoying the moment a little too much, "Yeah, or rather I did. In light of the fact that those truffles can only be found at that one place, I've changed my mind."
Booth stood, "Well, Bones and I are going over to the Breckingridge Grill to have a chat with one of Tom's mistresses. Turner, why don't you head back to the office and read over the reports from the Jeffersonian. And Hooch, you do whatever it is you do when you're not with us."
After Booth and Brennan had left, Claudia turned to him, "They're so great. I never thought working for the FBI would be like this."
"Like what?"
She shrugged, "Most of the people in my class are stuck in basements doing filing or rooting through garbage for evidence but not me… I get to work with someone like Agent Booth, right out the gate then to top that off, I'm getting the chance to discuss cases with people from the Jeffersonian like Dr. Brennan…" Claudia trailed off with a happy sigh, "I'm just really lucky, that's all."
Sweets grinned before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek, "I'm glad you're happy."
"I really am." Claudia leaned over and gave him a not-so-chaste kiss on the lips.
B&B
"Ms. Murphy, did you know Tom Baker?" Booth asked the woman as they settled down at a table at the Breckingridge Grill in Georgetown.
The petite blonde nodded and through expansive blue eyes she looked up at Booth, "I-I loved him. Tom was…" She stopped herself from saying too much.
Brennan cleared her throat, "You were romantically involved with him?"
"I was," she looked up at Brennan and shrugged slightly, "I know that he was married and older than me but…he was special."
"It didn't bother you that he was married?" Booth asked.
"Not really…" She tucked a loose strand of her blonde locks behind her ear, "He was married to her but he was mine. All mine, I had the important parts of him."
The word 'parts' stuck out to Booth and Brennan, as they shared a knowing glance, "Parts? What parts?" Brennan asked.
"You know, he may have gone home to her every night, but he shared with me his dreams and his fears. He just knew me, from the moment we met…He even learned to cook for me, because I loved it. He was just that kind of man…."
Booth leaned away from Ophelia, "When was the last time you saw him?"
"He stopped by here on his birthday. Our boiler was on the fritz, so he was here most of the day. We had to close because of the heating problems so there weren't any customers. And after he was done working, I made him a special birthday dinner and we sat in the bar and watched the Last Waltz."
Booth arched an eyebrow, "The Last Waltz?"
"Yeah, when I met Tom last year, he was the first person who thought that I was named for the song and not the play. That's rare. The music kind of became a soundtrack for us…"
"The song?" Brennan asked.
"Yeah, 'Ophelia' by The Band?"
Brennan tilted her head, "Which band?"
Booth leaned over to her, "No, Bones. The band is called The Band."
Shaking her head, Brennan was confused, "That doesn't make any sense – why not name your band something?"
"I don't know, it worked for them, ok?" Booth shook his head and then returned his attention to Ophelia, "How long were you involved with Mr. Baker?"
"Close to nine months. We met when he came to fix our central air. He showed an interest in cooking." She smiled remembering him, "Then he just started stopping by, at first he would make up excuses and then I just started expecting him. It evolved very naturally."
Booth decided that the interview was now his, "And what was the age difference between you?"
"He was 18 years older than me but it never felt that way. He was young at heart."
"Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt him?"
"Everyone loved Tom…He was handsome and funny and an outstanding cook. I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt him."
Booth nodded as he took her words in, "Did you have any contact with Ken Hutchins?"
"I met him once or twice when he and Tom would stop in for lunch but he was always very quiet, never had much to say."
"Are you familiar with other chefs in the area?"
"You mean the other women that he was rumored to be involved with?"
"Rumors?" He looked at Brennan and hoped she'd play along with his dumb act, "Bones, have you heard any rumors?"
Brennan shook her head, "No, I haven't"
"Yeah, we haven't heard the rumors. Can you elaborate?"
"There were rumors that Tom had affairs with a number of other cooks in the area but I never believed that. Like I said, he was mine."
Brennan rolled her eyes, "Don't you think it's unhealthy to claim another person for yourself, especially one that is married to someone else?"
Ophelia leaned forward and placed her small manicured hand on Brennan's "I didn't claim him. He came to me and allowed me to possess him. He was a gift that I eagerly accepted. I know that what we had isn't the norm but because of that it was all the more special. It was…special."
Booth looked over at Brennan and raised a brow before asking, "You serve white truffles here, don't you?"
"Yes, we use them in several dishes. Why is that important?"
"Just something I had to ask." Booth stood and smoothed his tie down, "One last question, Ms. Murphy. Do you use a chef's utility knife in the kitchen here, for deboning chicken or cutting through ribs or anything like that?"
"We don't serve ribs here but yes, there are several utility knives that would be available for anyone in the kitchen to use."
"Ok," Booth looked at Brennan, "About ready?"
With one smooth movement Brennan stood, "Yes, I need to get back to the lab."
"Thank you, Ms. Murphy. We may need to speak to you again so please stay put, ok?"
She smiled demurely, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Marcheline." Cam said as she and Hodgins walked toward Angela's office.
The entomologist made a disgusted face. "Sounds like a French prostitute."
"So you have a better idea?" Cam asked.
"Ignacio." He said proudly.
Cam looked at him strangely.
Hodgins shrugged his shoulders. "What? Ignacio Bolivar was a founding father of Spanish entomology."
"On what planet would that interest me? Besides, I'd have to home school him to prevent the inevitable daily beatings at recess," Cam shot back.
Cam though for a moment. "Alice."
Hodgins laughed. "Fat girl or possibly a moron who chases rabbits."
"What about Walker?" Hodgins asked.
Cam rolled her eyes. "Yes, I want to name my child after a device old people use to get across the room. What about Wheelchair or Cane?"
Angela groaned as she heard the lively discussion nearing her office. Please tell me they're not coming in here!
Hodgins looked triumphant as they walked through Angela's door. "Reese!"
Cam waved her hand at him dismissively. "Blonde actress with a pointy chin and an annoying voice."
"Ooh! What about Matilda?" Hodgins asked.
Cam looked at him wide eyed, but kept her mouth shut.
Hodgins crowed happily. "Ha! You actually like that one! Come on, nothing insulting to say about Waltzing Matilda or anything like that?"
Cam muttered. "We don't even know if it's a girl or a boy yet, so getting attached to a single name would be unwise."
Hodgins grinned. "Yeah, but you want to get attached to that one. Don't you?"
Angela cleared her throat. "Why are you discussing about baby names in my office? Can't you and 'Uncle Jack' do that somewhere else? I'm trying to locate the weapons. Remember? Murder?"
"Sorry, babe. We got a little carried away," Hodgins said apologetically.
"Angela, we just came to see where you are with the search," Cam supplied.
Angela sighed. "I know that the knife is a French style 'chef's utility knife', but that's a very common knife. You can find them in most restaurant kitchens, but they're not uncommon in private homes as well."
"So, we've got a fork, a chef's knife, and the mystery waffle iron thing that somebody used to beat our victim until he was a pile of mush?" Hodgins asked.
Angela's eyes lit up in recognition. "Pile of mush! Somebody used one of those..." She made a hammering motion. "Mallet things that people use to... A meat tenderizer!"
Hodgins chuckled. "I love watching your brain work, Baby."
Angela sighed at the term of endearment but didn't respond as she picked up the phone to tell Brennan and Booth about the weapons.
B&B
"It appears that Tom Baker had a thing for women who knew their way around the kitchen. We talked to Sue Hulney and Meghann Grey, the other chefs that his partner mentioned and they both told the same story. He was a loving, fun man who was a culinary wiz and was the most sexually aroused when he was near food," Sweets reported to Booth and Brennan as the three of them met in his office.
"How did this guy have time for four women and his business?" Booth wondered aloud.
"He made the time…He was a gastrosexual…" Sweets waited for one of the partners to question his last statement.
"What?" Booth asked as he looked up from his notes.
"A man who uses food to seduce women. I wouldn't be surprised if you found that he had used this technique all over the area."
"Gastrosexual? Is that a clinical term?" Brennan asked suspiciously.
"Uh, not really. Not yet…I read about it in last month's Playboy." Sweets averted his eyes from Booth's. "But it is a real thing, it's just new on the psychology world's radar."
Booth smirked at Sweets' obvious discomfort in admitting where he had learned the term, "That's ok, Sweets. A boy's gotta learn the tricks of the trade somewhere."
"I really do read it for the articles…Ask Claudia!" The therapist's voice cracked as he pleaded his case.
"Uh huh. Yeah, that's what they all say," Booth chided before he leaned over to see what Brennan was staring at so intently, "You know Ophelia did it."
She looked over at him, "You may be correct, so far the evidence is suggesting that but we won't know for certain until we're able to search the restaurant's kitchen."
"Which we'll be able to do as soon as the search warrant is signed." He sighed, "The only thing I'm struggling is why she'd kill him."
"Maybe she got tired waiting for him to leave his wife?" Sweets interjected.
"Nah, the way she spoke about their arrangement…It seemed like she preferred it the way it was. She talked how their time together was even more 'special' because it was limited."
"And don't forget she mentioned how 'pieces' of him 'belonged' to her," Brennan reminded him.
"Those are interesting words for her to have used given the condition his body was in when you found it." Sweets leaned back in his chair and rest the tips of both pointer fingers on his lips as he thought, "What if she killed him because he wanted to change the nature of their relationship in a different way than ending it?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if he was going to leave his wife? What if he wanted to be with her all the time? That would make what they had less special at least in the way she views things."
Brennan tilted her head as she considered what Sweets said and then looked over at Booth, "Have you ever encountered a case where a mistress killed the man she was sleeping with because he was leaving his wife?"
Booth shook his head, "No, but there's a first time for everything."
B&B
Less than an hour later, Booth and Brennan stood in the kitchen of the Breckingridge Grill while the FBI forensic team executed the search warrant. Already the team had found blood on the wooden chopping block near the prep area and several knives that fit Angela's description.
When Brennan went over to make sure that the team bagged all of the knives available, Booth mindlessly opened the small refrigerator next to the prep table. He moved a few containers around and then stopped, "Heya Bones, could you come over here for a minute?"
"What is it?" She asked as she peered into the refrigerator.
"Uh, I'm not an expert or anything but that" he pointed to large sealed container, "looks like a human heart to me."
B&B
"So, did everything match up, Bones?" Booth asked as he and Sweets climbed the steps of the platform a few hours after they had finished the search of the kitchen.
Brennan looked up at them. "Cam confirmed that the heart was in fact Tom Baker's"
Sweets shuddered, "I mean, we knew it was cut out of his body but to know she kept it just a few feet away from where she cooked food is just…it's just gross."
Ignoring Sweets' outburst, Brennan continued, "She was also able to confirm that the blood found soaked into the butcher block belongs to the victim as well. Also, I was able to match the kerf marks on the cervical vertebrae to this chef's knife." She held up the item. "Based upon the depth and angle of the cuts, the assailant was approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall."
"The same height as Ophelia Murphy." Booth said thoughtfully.
Brennan nodded. "Although, at least two other women at the restaurant fit that description."
"But, to our knowledge, none of them were sleeping with the victim," Sweets pointed out.
"I agree with Sweets. Ophelia had motive and means, plus she's... Off, you know?" Booth asked.
Brennan indicated the other items on the table. "Cam and I discussed the timeline for the damage to the flesh and bones and we were able to determine a likely sequence of events. Tom Baker was stabbed in the eye with a fork and then was beaten unconscious with the meat tenderizer."
"Harsh." Sweets said, looking disgusted. "That fits with the 'crime of passion' scenario required for Ophelia to be the murderer."
Booth nodded. "So then, she cut off his head, cracked his chest and cut out his heart so she could keep it as a prize in her freezer?"
"No, it wouldn't be a trophy, Agent Booth. It would be more of a keepsake, to preserve what was important to her," Sweets replied.
Booth hitched his hands to belt, "Why she kept it doesn't matter, it just means that we've got her now."
As Booth lead Ophelia into the interrogation room, Brennan and Sweets watched through the glass.
Booth closed the door behind him, "Ms. Murphy, I'll admit that in the beginning I didn't think you had it in you."
"Had what in me?" She asked almost too innocently.
"Murder." He let the words sink in as he took a seat across from her, "Care to explain how we found your dearly-departed Tom's heart in your freezer?" He slapped photos of the frozen organ down in front of her.
"What? Tom? You found Tom's heart?" She covered her mouth in horror and looked away from the pictures.
Nodding slightly Booth continued, "We also found traces of his blood on a knife, several other utensils and soaked into the wood of your chopping board."
"I-I don't know how." She ran her hands through her hair.
"I've got a pretty good theory about how it all got there but I'd rather hear yours."
Ophelia leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, "You think I killed Tom?"
Booth nodded as he rocked his chair back on two legs, "You got a better suspect?"
"There are dozens of people who have daily access to my kitchen! Not to mention workers and delivery people who come through all the time. I just cleaned the coolers last week and that," she gestured toward the photographs without looking at them, "was not in there. I swear it wasn't." She dropped her head down to the table and Booth watched as her shoulders started to shake in time with her sobs.
"Uh, Booth," Sweets chirped in his earpiece, "Can you come here for a minute?"
Booth glared in the direction of the two-way mirror and dropped his chair down.
"Sit tight Ms. Murphy." He crossed the room and entered the observation area, "What's so important that you called me out of an interrogation?"
Brennan shrugged and took a step away from the two men.
"I think you're going at her too hard."
"I'm seconds from breaking her, what are you talking about?"
Sweets inhaled deeply, "She's not going to confess to someone who she thinks is angry with her, like you came across. Let me go in there and try a different approach."
Booth scrubbed his hands down his face and sighed, "Fine but you've got five minutes before I come in there."
"Alright." Sweets slowly entered the room with Ophelia, "Hi Ms. Murphy, I'm Dr. Lance Sweets. I'm a psychologist with the FBI."
"So, they think I'm crazy now?"
Sweets grimaced, for all the times he'd been asked that question or a variation of it, just once he'd like to say yes but this would not be that occasion. He shook his head and took a seat, "No, not at all. I'm just here to talk to you about your relationship with Tom Baker. Ok?"
Ophelia nodded and wiped a few tears off her cheeks.
"You had an intense and sexually charged relationship with Mr. Baker, didn't you?"
"Yes, I had never felt so alive or so comfortable in my own skin."
Sweets nodded in his therapist way and then asked, "Didn't it bother you that he was married and there was a chance that you weren't his only dalliance?"
Ophelia shook her head, "Of course it bothered me but when he was with me…"
"He was totally with you?"
"Yes. It wasn't ideal but I loved him."
"What could he have done to push you away?" Sweets asked quietly.
"Nothing. I understood the situation with his wife and other women's attraction to him, I knew I had competition."
"And there was a part of that you loved, correct?" Sweets asked with a slight smile on his face.
"It was fun, wrong almost…" The young woman smiled, "Like we had this big secret and we were the only people who knew it, it made me feel special."
"What if Tom had come to you and told you that he was leaving his wife so he could be with you?"
Ophelia's eyes widened, "How did y-you know?"
"I didn't know that was just a guess." He turned and looked at the two-way mirror with pride. "Tom was going to leave his wife for you?"
Ophelia cautiously looked around the room and then back to Sweets, "I-I just wanted things to stay the way they were. I just didn't want things to change."
Feeling that her confession was imminent, Sweets leaned forward, "Tom came to you, and told you that he was getting divorced and you just snapped, didn't you?"
"I-I didn't know what else to do." She explained with glassy, pleading eyes. "He showed up at the restaurant and told me that he was going to file for divorce and…"
Sweets leaned closer to her, "You stabbed him in the eye with a fork, beat him unconscious with a meat tenderizer, then lobbed his head off with your handy utility knife and dumped him in the Potomac, but not before you took his heart as a memento."
With tears in her eyes, she nodded her head slowly and then dropped her forehead on the cold metal table. She swallowed hard and confessed to the floor, "I don't handle change well and Tom wanted to change everything."
"Looks like Sweets got the confession," Brennan smirked as she looked over at Booth. "And he was correct about her motive, as well."
"Yeah, well even a blind dog finds a bone every once in awhile." Booth remarked as he tossed a poker chip in the air and caught with a snap of his wrist.
She looked over at her partner wanting to ask him a question she'd been thinking about for days, but hadn't found the right time to ask. She glanced back at Sweets, who was still speaking with Ophelia, and she knew she had a few minutes before Booth had to go in and formally charge the young woman. Swallowing hard, and with fake enthusiasm she asked, "Have you already had your blind date?"
Booth's eyes darted over to his partner, "Uh, no. Not yet."
"But you're going to?"
"Yeah, I am." He found it hard to look at her but he forced himself to. When he did, he was certain he saw a microsecond flash of pain in her eyes causing him to have to explain just why he was going. "I'm not going because I want to, I'm going because Padme asked and…" he sighed, "I haven't…Other than Pops and Parker, Jared is all the family I've got, and if doing this makes them happy then…"
Brennan nodded with a small smile, "I get that."
He looked at her curiously, "You do?"
"Yes, we do things for family."
"Yes, we do." He matched her smile with a bigger one, thankful that she understood or at least she spoke as though she did.
B&B
Outside Restaurant 55, Booth caught his reflection in the window causing him to pause and once again consider why he was there. He knew deep down that, he didn't want to be there but yet, there he was. He sighed heavily as he ran his hand across his chin and cursed himself for not being able to say no to family. With a shake of his head, he reached for the door and entered the restaurant.
As he passed through the bar, heading toward the dining area, he heard a familiar voice, one he had left behind months before. It was a husky voice laced with honey and a touch of Tabasco. He turned and saw Hannah on the large TV that hung behind the bar. His muscles tensed and his stomach dropped as he paused to watch her. She was still in Afghanistan, reporting from just outside the Bajaur village, where US military forces had recently rounded up nearly a dozen insurgents. Booth thought she looked good but it was more than that, she looked damn happy in her flak jacket with her face speckled with dirt and sand while the wind blew her golden locks every which way.
Booth's posture relaxed and he blew out of a sigh of relief as he dropped his hands into his pockets. That, right there, was why he left that voice behind – she was happy and at her best in that world and Booth simply wasn't, he wasn't even really himself over there, he was a shell of himself going through the motions. It took him a few months to realize that he'd left most of who he was back in DC, with exception of a small, but not marginal, piece that hopped a flight to Indonesia and when that realization hit him, he ended things with that sweet and spicy voice. Reassured by the image on the screen, he turned to face the dining area, knowing for certain that he couldn't keep this date. He smiled to himself and quickly made his way out of the restaurant, his feet propelling a 100%, complete Seeley Booth out the door.
Once outside, he reached for his phone and quickly conjured up an excuse as he waited for the other party to answer. And then, before his excuse was finalized in his mind, they picked up, "Hey Padme, uh…I know it's last minute and all but uh, I'm not going to be able to make dinner tonight, something came up with work and I've gotta be there, I'm really sorry…" He paused, waiting for her response and then he launched into his not-fully-finished excuse, "No, really. We're in the middle of a huge case and I'm the agent in charge so…" he caught his reflection in the window and couldn't help but smile when he answered his sister-in-law's last question, "Reschedule? Uh, I don't think so…Yeah, I'm sure…Really, I'm all set."
Join us next week, when a young baseball player is found brutally murdered, the team must cover all their bases in the search for the culprit. Meanwhile, Brennan's Indonesian fling shows up unexpectedly at the lab, and she and Booth are forced to face the ramifications of their year apart in The Low Point in the Line Up by Rynogeny.