Chapter 6 – Identity

He was only half listening to Bones as she reiterated their progress thus far. "What's wrong, Booth? You are not listening to me."

"I am sorry Bones. I don't feel good about this case."

"Since when do we feel good about any of our cases? We deal with murder every day. It is difficult to feel good especially when there is a child involved. That's why we strive to catch the culprits. We bring closure and peace to so many lives."

He really appreciated her efforts at being supportive. She has come a long way in the last few years. He just couldn't shake the dark cloud that was building in his heart. "Richard Barton and his six year old son, Adam, disappeared from Alexandria, Virginia eight years ago. He was an Army Ranger in the Gulf War. I didn't know him personally, but it feels like I knew him." He felt like he was on an emotional roller coaster. Not only was he dealing with his feelings for his partner, but now he had to contend with the murder of a father and son that mirrored his own life a little too closely.

"Oh, I see. He is ex-military with a son the same age as yours is now. I can understand why that would make you feel uncomfortable. I am afraid that our initial findings are not going to help you much."

"That's okay Bones. Go ahead and give me the whole enchilada." He said as he took a seat on the couch in her office.

"I assume that rather than placing your lunch order, you are asking me to reiterate the details." He couldn't help but smile at her translation. It was strange how she could put him at ease. He nodded as she continued, "There is a lot of trace blood evidence on the remaining tissue and clothing of both victims. Cam is running the DNA tests now to determine whose blood. We have found no evidence of trauma to the younger male, but there are some marks on the older male that we need to decipher. I have one of my grad students working on the bones," She paused and Booth understood that this was in deference to missing Zach, "while Hodgins is working on some particulate evidence that we discovered on the bones and the ground underneath them. Given the initial results, it appears as if they were frozen, which would explain why I thought they were stuck together. I believe that they were transported to the Park frozen. Now, I realize that several winters have passed since they were placed there, but the positioning of the bones as well as the chemical traces on the clothing leads me to believe that they were frozen by some industrial means. I also asked Angela to see if she can recreate the original positioning of the bones based on our conclusions and the photographic evidence we collected."

"Frozen by some industrial means. What exactly are you saying? Did they die in a meat locker?"

"Well, that is one viable option."

"That does not happen instantly, does it?"

"No, depending on the size of the individual and the temperature and size of the enclosure, it could take several hours or even a few days before they were dead."

"So, what you are saying is that the father would most likely outlive the son in this situation."

"Yes, the father's larger body mass would insulate him from the cold for a longer period of time."

Booth placed his head in his hands trying to block out the conclusions that were forming in his head. He felt the couch move slightly and looked up to see Bones sitting next to him. She was looking at him intently and he thought he saw something more behind her eyes. He appreciated her presence, but there was no way that she would be able to understand what he was feeling.

Cam popped her head into the office, and both Booth and Brennan turned to give her their full attention. "There is only one type of DNA evident in the samples—the father's."

Booth shook off the feeling creeping up his spine. Oh yeah, he knew Richard Barton. He knew what had happened. Now he needed to find out who was responsible. "Bones, let's go talk to the wife."

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They were on their way to Georgetown. Elizabeth Barton had remarried and was now Elizabeth Marks.

"Booth, is your gut telling you something about what happened to these people?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you seem to be working off some sort of agenda now. When you came to the lab, you were distressed by the similarities between your life and Barton's. After hearing all of the evidence, I could see that something had changed. What are you thinking?"

"You realize that anything I could possibly say at this point is not be based on evidence, Bones? I was simply sparing us the inevitable interchange between your scientific facts and my instinctual feelings."

"I am getting used to, and even respect, your guts, Booth." She said with a mischievous smile.

"Thanks Bones. I am getting used to, and even respect, your science."

"You still haven't told me what you are thinking."

"Let's see what the wife has to say, first." He wasn't in the mood for a debate right now. It had been a long, stressful say already and it wasn't over yet. He could see the anxiety building within her, so he shot a quick wink to show that he was still with her. Inside, he was feeling nothing but rage and sadness.

They did not find Elizabeth Barton at the Marks residence. A servant, probably a maid, informed them that she was out of town until the following day. Booth left his card telling her that it was urgent that Mrs. Marks contact him as soon as possible.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Bones asked as they pulled out the driveway.

"You know Bones, I am not feeling too hungry right now. Would you mind if I dropped you at the lab?" He didn't want to talk anymore. In fact, he didn't want to think anymore. He just wanted to go home and have a large glass of Scotch.

"Are you alright, Booth?" Her tone was soft and genuine.

"I am fine. I am just not feeling too social or hungry right now."

"Okay, drop me at the lab."