Chapter 4

"I questioned the waitress, and she couldn't tell me anything about the guy who gave her the envelope except that he was wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, jeans, hiking boots, and a heavy black coat. Evidently, he was about six feet tall and looked pretty well-built. But she didn't get eye color or hair color or any estimate of his age," Booth informed Brennan as he entered her office later that day. With a loud sigh, he sank down onto her couch. Brennan glanced over at him.

"How does he know you're investigating the murders?" Brennan questioned.

"That place was crawling with reporters when we brought those bodies out of the woods," Booth reminded her. "We tried to keep them back, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of them got a shot of us."

"And he saw it and figured out who you were?"

"It's not exactly hard. It's not like I try to keep my identity a secret, plus we've been in the papers before." Booth sighed again. "I gave the envelope and card to the FBI forensics team. They're going to try to pull some fingerprints off it, see if there's anything that doesn't belong to me or the waitress. I'm going to go talk to the families of the victims, see if I can find any link between them. You wanna come?"

"No, I think I will be of more use here. I still need to finish my examination of all the victims." Booth nodded, pushing himself to his feet.

"I'll get the kids after I finish."

Three hours later, Booth breezed into the lab with Noah in one arm and Parker traipsing beside him, talking excitedly. "You're missing one," Angela remarked, nodding to the two kids.

"Kristen's at basketball," Booth told her.

"Hey, Dad, can I go downstairs to see the dinosaurs?" Parker queried. Booth turned to look at him, considering his request. With all the time he had spent in the Jeffersonian, he had come to know the curators of most of the exhibits along with security guards and other workers at the Jeffersonian. Because of his love of dinosaurs, he was especially close to the curator of the fossil exhibit.

"Sure, Bub," Booth agreed.

"I'll take him, Seeley," Cam offered from behind him. "Angela has something for you." Booth nodded, and Cam held out a hand. Parker ran excitedly toward her, words already pouring from his mouth.

As the two left, Booth turned back to Angela. "You have something for me?"

"ID's for the last two victims," Angela said, entering her office with Booth trailing behind. "Allison Briggs, 39, and Penny King, 31. Allison was a professor of chemistry at Georgetown and Penny was a defense attorney."

"They fit his victim profile," Booth noted.

"Yeah. Beautiful, successful women. Penny also taught a self-defense class at night and Allison played softball in college. Evidently, she still helps out with the Georgetown team. I also inputted data from the rest of the wounds. It all matches. There was only one assailant."

"Thanks, Angela." He started to leave.

"Booth?" Booth turned to face her from where he stood in the doorway. "Catch this guy. Please." Booth nodded.

"I intend to."

His next stop was Brennan's office which he found empty. Since she was also not on the central platform, he stopped by Angela's office again. "Hey, Angela, have you seen Bones?" he questioned. Angela looked up from her touchpad.

"Not recently, no. Is something wrong?"

"I don't think so. She's probably just in another room or something." Despite his statement, however, Booth could not erase the lines of worry from his face. "Hey, do you think you can watch Noah for a few minutes while I find her?"

"Sure, no problem. Hey, little guy!" Angela's attention was soon diverted to the infant as Booth passed her the carrier and left the room.

He first checked all the side rooms of the lab, finding all of them empty. Just as he was beginning to panic, he turned suddenly and found himself face to face with Brennan. "Bones! Where were you? I was looking everywhere." Noting the pallor of her face, his concern returned suddenly. "Hey, Bones, are you okay? You don't look so good," he remarked.

"I'm fine, Booth. Just a little nauseous. I forgot my medicine this morning."

"You're still feeling sick? Shouldn't morning sickness be over by now?"

"It should be ending, soon, yes, but it's different for everyone."

"You sure you don't want to lie down?"

"I'm fine, Booth. I finished cleaning all the bones. I found fibers in what little was left of the tissue around the neck, probably from whatever the killer used to strangle the victims. I gave it to Hodgins to analyze." As she spoke, she made her way toward the central platform, swiping her card as she climbed up.

"Anything else?"

Brennan was silent for a moment, staring at the bodies before turning to face Booth her lip caught between her teeth. "These women, Booth," she began, pausing as her voice cracked. After taking a deep breath. "They were tortured, likely for weeks. Their bone densities are below average considering their ages and the amount they exercised, indicating that they did not have adequate nutrition for a significant period of time. There are bone fractures all over their bodies, some obviously made by fists and others which are more consistent with kicking. Some of the injuries, Booth. . ." Here, she paused again for a few seconds. "The second victim, her hand was crushed, likely by a foot pressing down. The third victim had a compound fracture of the tibia which likely persisted for days without treatment. The fifth victim had gravel in the bones of her face. I just can't fathom what person would do this to another."

Throughout her impassioned speech, Booth watched her carefully, his warm brown eyes wide with concern. When she had finished, he took two fingers and placed them under her chin, tipping her face up so that her eyes met his. "I can't fathom it either, Bones, but whoever it is, we're going to find him." Brennan nodded, stepping closer to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he pressed a kiss to her hair. He knew a lot of people were thrown off by her cold exterior, but he had learned during the years that he had worked with her that she had one of the warmest hearts of anyone he knew. She cared for every victim on her table, and every death hurt her. Her compartmentalizing was simply her way of dealing with the death which surrounded her, of keeping herself focused on her work so that she could give names to faceless victims and bring closure to their families.

"You'll never guess what I found," Hodgins remarked, emerging from his lab. He stopped when he saw the two on the platform. "Whoa, am I interrupting something?" Brennan stepped away from Booth quickly, swallowing hard.

"No, Hodgins, what is it?"

"Each victim except the first was buried with some piece of jewelry that belonged to the previous victim. A wedding ring, a locket, a watch."

"Yeah, Hodgins, I know. The killer kept trinkets as reminders until he took his next victim when he didn't need the reminder anymore, so he got rid of it," Booth said.

"Right. Well, I analyzed all the objects. I didn't find any prints, however, I did find traces of allantoin. It's present in the urine of most mammals except us and some apes. It's their means of getting rid of nitrogenous waste."

"So there's some kind of animal pee on the jewelry? They were found in the woods, Hodgins. It's likely that a number of animals were around the bodies."

"But the pH levels of this urine suggest that it is from Canis lupus. A common dog."

"So our guy owns a dog? Any way to know what type?" Booth questioned.

"Sorry, but different breeds don't have different urine."

"Anything else?" Brennan inquired.

"I analyzed the cellulose that you found in the body. It had traces of kaolinite in it which means the paper was coated like a page from a magazine or something. I gave it to Angela, and she's trying to pull an image off of it."

"There's no trying to it, Hodgie. I did it." Angela walked out of her office, a single sheet of paper in her hand. She handed it to Booth and Brennan who both looked to see that it showed Penny King standing in the front of a courtroom. "It was a magazine article about her a couple months ago after a fairly high-profile mob case that she worked on. Likely, it's how our killer found her."

"And the others?" Booth asked.

"I checked. There were either magazine or newspaper articles about all of them two months or less before they disappeared. That's how he chose his victims. He let the media do it for him."

"I'm guessing there's no way to guess his next victim using that information," Hodgins surmised.

Booth shook his head. "Even if we stuck to papers in this area, there would be dozens of women who fit his profile, possibly hundreds. Besides, we have no real way of knowing when he's going to take his next victim. He's taking them more often now than he was at the beginning which means he's getting comfortable."

"For all we know, he could have taken someone already. I could run all recent Missing Persons reports against his victim profile, see if one sticks out," Angela suggested. Booth nodded.

"And I still have particulates to examine," Hodgins announced, heading back to his office. "Maybe something will come up." Booth and Brennan turned to leave, too, but Angela stopped them.

"Bren, do you want to go out tonight, grab a drink or something? I feel like we haven't really had much time to hang out lately."

"Ange, I can't drink," Brennan reminded her friend.

"Well, you can have a tonic and lime and I'll have a drink."

"I'll watch the kids," Booth offered.

"Okay, that sounds good," Brennan agreed.

Angela smiled. "Great. I'll meet you at 8:00 at Bill's."

Brennan worked for another twenty minutes while Booth helped Angela with her search before the two partners left to pick up Kristen. They stopped on the way to retrieve Parker from the dinosaur exhibit and were soon privy to everything that he had learned that day. Booth was still amazed at the small boy's ability to retain information. Due to his fascination with dinosaurs, they had bought him a number of books on the topic, and he had memorized them all and could recite facts about the creatures that even Brennan did not know.

As soon as Kristen entered the car, she began to beg Booth to help her practice a new drill that her coach had showed her, and he agreed, promising Parker that he could play, too. Brennan made mac and cheese for dinner that night, a favorite of all of them, and after they cleaned up, Booth and the kids were all out the door and on the small basketball court almost immediately. Brennan watched them for a few minutes as Booth patiently corrected the drill that Kristen was completing, helping Parker learn it as they went along. Chance ran around the fence post to which he was tethered, and Noah slept peacefully on the sidelines in his carseat, Booth glancing over every minute or so to ensure that the infant was still okay. Brennan smiled as she watched him; Booth was a wonderful father, and he seemed to do everything automatically as if fatherhood simply came naturally to him. Her hand dropped to her stomach, resting there for a moment. She was lucky, she knew. Her baby would have a father who was there for him or her, who came to soccer games or ballet classes, who helped with homework, who taught him or her to read and ride a bike, who tucked him or her in each night. They had both had difficult childhoods, but it only made them more determined to do things right with their own children.

When the time came for Brennan to leave, she kissed Booth and the kids goodbye, promising to return within a couple hours. Booth told her to take as much time as she needed, assuring her that he would be fine with the kids. It did not take her long to reach the bar where she had agreed to meet Angela, and she found her friend already there, a martini sitting in front of her. Brennan smiled as she dropped into a seat next to Angela, asking the bartender for a tonic and lime. Angela was right; it had been too long since they had met up to simply enjoy one another's company. Brennan loved Booth, but despite everything he was for her, he was not and could never be a woman (a fact for which she was grateful). And there were some things that just required a conversation with another woman.

"So, Sweetie, how has life been treating you lately?" Angela asked, sipping her drink.

"Life's been. . . really good."

"You and Booth still going strong?"

"Stronger than ever. What about you and Hodgins?"

Angela suddenly became very interested in her drink. She pinched the stem of the olive between her fingers, swirling it around in the liquid for a few minutes as she watched the ripples it created behind it pensively. "Jack and I have decided to take a break for a bit," Angela announced.

"I'm sorry, Ange. What happened?"

"Nothing really. We just realized that we may not love each other as much as we thought. Maybe there's a reason the wedding plans weren't going anywhere."

"Are you sure? I mean, this isn't just cold hands or something, right?"

Angela chuckled slightly. "Cold feet, Sweetie. And no, it isn't. It's. . . well, I don't know exactly what it is. I mean, one minute, everything was going great, and then the next minute, I see my husband again, and Hodgins is talking about how he thinks there's unresolved issues there and that I'm not ready to commit. And I realized that he was right, that I'm not sure I'm ready for marriage. Hell, I'm not even sure if I'm ready for a long-term relationship. And even if I was, I'm not sure if Hodgins is the right guy. Basically, I'm just really confused." She frowned and took a long drink.

"I'm not sure if I'm the best person to give advice, Angela. I mean, I don't have the best history of relationships either. But I trust you. Even if you don't think you do, you're well aware of your feelings for Hodgins and for marriage. And I think that you need me or anyone else to tell you what to do. You just need to do what you feel is right and forget about everyone else."

Angela smiled slightly. "Sounds like you've been hanging out with Booth a lot."

"I will admit that the time I spend with Booth has given me some insight into emotions and relating to people, but I think you've helped me with that, too."

"You're lucky, Sweetie, you know that? You've found a man who's completely in love with you and who would move heaven and earth for you."

"I think Hodgins truly cares for you, too, Angela."

"He does, Sweetie, I know, but it's not like you and Booth. What you two have is special, something that doesn't happen too often. Savor it."

"How do I know it's going to last though?"

"Because it's you and Booth, Sweetie. You two are made for each other."

"Two people can't be made for one another, Angela. It's a biological impossibility." Angela snorted at this. "How do I know that what happened to you and Hodgins isn't going to happen to us, too? Maybe everything will be going great one minute and then suddenly, he'll realize that he doesn't really love me."

"Trust me, Sweetie, that's the last thing you have to worry about. That man loves you more than life itself. I can spend thirty seconds in the room with the two of you and sense it. And I know you love him, too. Which is how I know that what you have is going to stay. You're not Hodgins and I, Bren. You've found the real thing."

"But how do I know, Ange?"

"You can never know anything when it comes to relationships. You just have to let yourself feel, to trust yourself to take that leap. Because I know Booth will be there to catch you, no matter what." Brennan raised her eyebrows triumphantly, and Angela chuckled. "Okay, Bren, I get it. I'll take my own advice. But you would be wise to do the same. Follow your heart, Sweetie, and not your head."

They drank in silence for a couple minutes. A handsome, dark-haired man approached, sinking into the chair beside Brennan and attempting to engage her in conversation. She rebuffed his attempt and refused his offer of a drink before turning to Angela. "Angela, what if I'm not a good mother?" she questioned.

Angela shook her head. "Bren, you already are a good mother. Those three kids love you, and they're lucky to have you. And this new little one is, too."

"But what if four's too many? I mean, Booth and I both work. How can we give four kids the time and attention they require?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way. You always do. Besides, if you can fit time for three kids into your already hectic schedule, fitting in time for a fourth should not be an issue. Now, what is this really about?"

"I don't do well with families. I always end up getting hurt. That's why I never wanted a family, why I never wanted a baby until. . ."

"Until you met Booth," Angela guessed. "Look, Bren, I'm not going to lie to you, families are hard work. It's not easy, but at the end of the day, it's all worth it. Because your family are the people who you can always rely on, the people you can go to when everything else seems to be going wrong. And that's why a family is important. And I know you've been hurt in the past, but you have to realize that not every family is going to abandon you. You need to get past that if you want to be truly happy." Angela turned to the bartender and asked for another drink, giving Brennan time to process everything she had told her. The man beside her asked Brennan again if she wanted a drink, and again, she flatly refused. Still, he did not move, and Angela glanced over him quickly. Tall, well-dressed, sharp, angular features, a prominent chin, tanned skin. He was actually very good-looking and obviously not used to being ignored; he was currently trying to determine Brennan's name. She was ignoring him, her body angled toward Angela as she absentmindedly fingered the lime on the rim of her glass, still thinking.

Eventually, the man left, muttering something under his breath. In some ways, Angela was glad, for she hated to see her friend bothered, but she was also slightly disappointed, for he really was pleasant to look at. Angela only wished the attention had been directed her way; she certainly would not have repelled his advances. But then again, this was supposed to be their girls night out, away from men, so she supposed it was a good thing that Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome had left.

She and Brennan spent another hour talking pleasantly before Brennan pleaded tiredness. She offered to drive Angela home as Angela had consumed a fair amount of alcohol by that point, but Angela waved her off, telling her that she had taken a cab to the bar and would take one home. Brennan nodded, and the two parted ways on the sidewalk just outside the bar as Brennan started walking the two blocks back to her car, pulling her heavy coat tighter over her shoulders. It was snowing again, another light dusting that she knew would have Kristen and Parker excited though it still would likely not be enough for the snowman they had been wanting to build.

Brennan sighed as she reached her car, pressing the button on her keys to unlock the door. She really was looking forward to returning home to see the kids. They had likely already gone to bed, but she could at least check in on them, give them a good night kiss before going to bed herself. She was so concentrated on these thoughts that she did not hear the footsteps behind her nor sense the other presence on the otherwise deserted road until it was too late.