Chapter 23—Missing
Wednesday, 13 June 2007, 7:25pm
Booth was sitting at his regular table, drinking a cup of coffee in silence. He glanced at the clock for the fifth time in the last ten minutes, sighing audibly. She was late. Again. Even after he had called her to remind her it was time for her to leave the office.
Picking up his phone, he dialed her number, listening to the automated voice telling him to leave a message. He tried her office number to the same thing. Hanging up, he dropped a couple of bills on the table and headed out to the SUV. If he had to drag her out of the lab, he would. It was their weekly dinner, and he wasn't going to miss it.
Arriving back at the Jeffersonian, he pulled into the parking spot next to her sports car. At least she was still here, then he wouldn't have to go to her apartment looking for her. The minute he stepped into the lab, though, he knew something was wrong.
Even from where he stood at the entrance doors, he could see the lights were off in her office and the door was pulled shut. The platform was empty as well. Walking up to her office, he tried the door and found it locked.
Pulling out his keys, he opened her office and quickly looked around. Her purse and keys were gone, but nothing else appeared to be missing. It looked as if she had left for the day.
Walking down the hall, he headed towards Angela's office. Arriving at her door, it was also closed and locked for the day. The same at Hodgins'.
"Where is everyone?" Booth wondered aloud, noticing Cam was also gone for the night.
Walking down to the security desk, Booth looked at the sleeping guard. A big help he was. "Hey!" Booth tried to wake him, succeeding as the guard nearly fell out of his chair.
"Agent Booth! I'm sorry, what can I help you with tonight?" the guard tried to pretend he hadn't been sleeping, terrified of the agent.
"Did you see Dr. Brennan leave for the night?" he asked, forcing down the growing worry that was gnawing away at his gut.
"Yes, Dr. Brennan left just before 7:00. I was surprised to see her leaving so early, but I just wished her a good night." The guard squirmed under Booth's intense stare.
"Thank you, Jeffery," Booth replied, turning away and heading back to the parking garage. Maybe she got a ride with Angela or someone, he hoped. The feeling that something was off still hadn't left, and he had a feeling it wasn't going to until he saw her.
Pulling out his cell, he quickly dialed Brennan's cell and home phones, both taking him to her voicemail. As a last resort, he called Angela, hoping she had seen Brennan leave.
"Hey, Angela, I was wondering if you've seen Bones?" he willed his voice to stay steady as he climbed into the SUV and headed over to Brennan's apartment.
"No, she left about a half hour before Jack and I did. She didn't go to the diner?"
"No, and she's not answering anywhere. I'm heading over to her apartment right now," he took a hard right turn in the SUV, still fighting the worry. Calm down Booth, he took a deep breath. She does this from time to time. It doesn't always been she's in trouble. She did the same thing just last week, remember??
Yes, but she took her car last week, the little voice in the back of his head reminded him. It's not like her to leave her car at the lab unless you're driving.
"Booth? Are you still there?" Angela asked again, trying to get his attention.
"Oh, sorry Angela, what were you saying?" he shook his head clear the thoughts.
"Well call me back if you don't find her, but I'm sure she just went home to change. She might have fallen asleep or gotten sidetracked or something. It's Brennan, you know how she is," Angela tried to sooth the agent's worries. He really does worry about her too much, she thought to herself, a smile crossing her face. But it's so sweet. I wish they would just admit how they feel and get together finally!
"Ok, Ange, I'll talk to you later," he said, ending the phone call as he pulled up in front of her apartment, not bothering to wait for a response from the other end of the line.
Wednesday, 13 June 2007, 8:00pm
Taking the stairs two at a time, he ran up to her apartment, knocking on the door. After a minute he knocked a second time, his worry increasing. Pulling out his keys, he found the spare key and let himself in, looking around her living room to see if she had come home. There were no signs anyone had been there since she left that morning.
He paced in her hallway for a few minutes, debating where else she could possibly be. He tried calling her cell one last time, and was surprised to hear it ringing in the kitchen.
Following the noise, he found her cell sitting on the counter. Ending the call, he moved her phone to find a white envelope underneath it, his name neatly written in her small script. Picking it up, he opened it carefully, curiosity getting the better of him.
What he found was not what he was expecting to find, though. Not that he knew exactly what he was expecting.
"Fck," he swore loudly, looking frantically around her kitchen. Her keys and purse were no where to be found. "Fck!"
Pulling out his phone, he dialed quickly. The phone picked up on the second ring, Booth jumping in before she could respond. "Hey Angela…"
AN: Hehe, I'm terrible, aren't I?? But now we're going to play a little game. Where do you think Brennan is? Did she run off somewhere without telling anyone? Did Sully come back? Was she kidnapped? Tell me what you think, as well as what you thought about the chapter!
