AN: Like I said in the beginning, I only have a vague idea of where this story is going. As I write, each chapter just sort of defines itself. So, it is time to solve the case. I hope you don't think I am rushing things. I feared that dragging things out would be worse. Don't worry, I still have at least one chapter to go—I, like you, am just waiting to see how it all unfolds. If you are enjoying the story, please submit a review. They make me feel good ;)

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Chapter 12 – The Heart of the Case

"So, what do we do next?" She said breaking the silence that had descended upon the room.

"I am not sure. What do you think?"

"I think that we do not have any evidence or leads."

"Well, I still think that Mrs. Marks is suspicious. In most domestic cases, the surviving spouse turns out to be the culprit."

"That makes more sense than your ramblings earlier. Still, I have this feeling that there is something obvious that we are overlooking."

"Me too."

"The answers are always in the anomalies, and we have two in this case."

"Such as …"

"The secluded dump site and an industrial freezer."

"That's good Bones; we have not really spent any time considering either." He was getting excited now the way he always did when they were getting to heart of the case.

"Since you have a fixation on Mrs. Marks, have you determined whether or not she had access to any sort of large freezer?"

"I don't have a fixation." She looked at him as if to say 'yeah right.' He ignored her. "But no, she was a housewife with no obvious ties to the community or businesses that might suffice. I will say this though, the freezing of these bodies indicates to me that our killer did not want to get dirty—they did not want to commit the actual murders themselves. This way, they could just close the door and wait."

"That makes sense, Booth. Don't you think that Mrs. Marks would have difficulty moving the bodies?"

"Yea, it just doesn't add up." He paused to think for a minute and could tell that she was doing the same. "Do we know anything about the dump site?"

She got up and headed to her computer. After some clicking and reading, she said, "The land is part of a National preservation project—over 500 acres—only a small percentage of which is open to the public not including the area where we found the bones." She started clicking again. "It says here that they support a lot of non-profit research including animal monitoring, soil replenishment, and forestry."

"Research, why does that ring a bell?" He pulled a chair over to sit across from her.

They were looking at each other and as if they were both feeding off each other's thoughts, they said in unison, "Dr. Steven Marks."

"Ugh, I didn't even give him a second thought."

"Well, you were so focused on Mrs. Marks that I am not surprised … Wait a minute, physics and engineering! Of Course!" He knew that she had something but he did not know what it was. He loved when she made these discoveries. Everything about her seemed to light up.

"What about physics and engineering, Bones?" He wanted to join in on the fun.

She was frantically typing on the keyboard. She studied the computer screen and looked up at him with a huge, knowing smile on her face. "It says here that Dr. Marks is one of the foremost researchers on Cryogenics."

"That has something to do with freezing, doesn't it?" He was caught up now. "You know Bones, now that I think about the man, his house, his stoic wife, the way he adjusted the tea cups during our meeting, it is clear to me that he likes everything neat and clean—meticulous."

"Right, he wouldn't want to get his hands dirty."

"I think that we have just solved this case, Bones."

"You know Booth; we are really good at what we do."

"Yes, we are."

"Well, I am suddenly exhausted. Do you realize how late it is?"

"Yea, it has been a very long and draining couple of days. First thing tomorrow morning, let's bring Dr. Marks in for a little chat, shall we? Let me walk you to your car"

"I have got a better idea, why don't I walk you to your car?"

"I couldn't place myself in better hands, Bones."

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

They were sitting in Booth's office having just arrested Dr. Steven Marks for the murders of Richard and Adam Barton. The man caved fast once trapped inside the interrogation room with Booth and Brennan. He had been in love with Elizabeth since High School and stayed friends with she and Richard in order to be close to her. He knew that their marriage was unsteady and waited for Richard to leave her. When it did not appear that that was going to happen, he chose a moment to confront Richard under the guise of showing Adam his lab at Georgetown. He said that he regretted the death of the little boy. Booth did not believe he had any remorse what-so-ever. After all, kids were messy and this guy was definitely suffering from some sort of extreme obsessive-compulsive disorder. He did believe that the murders were not pre-meditated. From Marks' detailing of events, they argued about Elizabeth, and Barton threatened him stating that he would make sure that he was out of their lives forever. He couldn't risk losing contact with the woman he loved and grabbed the boy throwing him into the lab's freezer. When Barton rushed in to aid his son, he had simply shut and locked the door, set the temperature, and gone home for the weekend. His lab was virtually vacant in the summer months, and he had access the equipment he needed to move the bodies.

His callous retelling of the events made Booth's blood boil. He was glad that Bones was there with him. On top of all that she added to their cases, she was also a huge calming influence on him. Regardless of their bickering and constant state of supposed conflict, she helped him make sense of a world that did not make sense. Most importantly, she reminded him that there were honorable people in the world; people that would risk anything in the search of truth and justice.

Mrs. Marks tapped on the door and both Booth and Brennan turned to face her. They felt sorry for the woman. Although she remained stoic and composed, Booth could sense that she did feel something. "Thank you both for allowing me to see how blind I was these past eight years. It all seems like a dream somehow. It is difficult to process—difficult to believe."

"I am so sorry for your losses, Mrs. Marks." Bones replied with nothing but compassion and understanding in her voice. Elizabeth Marks nodded curtly and left the office as quietly as she arrived.

They were alone, the case was solved, and Booth resisted every urge he had to envelope Bones in his arms. There may be many different kinds of love, but the love he felt for her was definitely the kind of love that a man felt for a woman when he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. There were so many barriers between them: religious differences, children, their working relationship, and so on. What was he going to do?

"Booth, you are very distracted lately. Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Um, no," he said shifting in his chair. Did she say something? "I am sorry. I was just thinking about the end of this case and I was thankful that we found some justice for Richard and Adam Barton." He lied.

"I was saying that I know you felt close to these victims, and I think you handled everything well as you always do. I am sorry for criticizing your emotional reactions."

"It is no big deal, really. In many ways, you were absolutely correct in reeling me in."

"Reeling you in?"

"Fishing analogy, Bones"

"Oh, I see." She chuckled. "I was wondering if you might want to stop by my house tonight for dinner."

"Really?" He had not expected that. "I would love to."

"Great." She said rising to leave. He didn't want her to leave. "I have some things to do today, but I will look forward to seeing you tonight. Is 7 o'clock good for you?"

"7 is perfect." He watched her leave and was overwhelmed as she turned at the office door to give him a goodbye smile.

"Ah, Dinner with Bones." He said to himself leaning back in his chair and placing his feet on the desk. "Always something to look forward to." He closed his eyes ruminating on the possibilities.