I really hate the auto-correction for capital letters in Word. No matter how many times I checked and rechecked the capitalization in Chapter 24, it still got messed up. Most of you worked around it though, and I was really happy to see that some of you figured out it was backwards and others didn't. It proves my thought that you could see it if you were looking for it, but otherwise it wasn't ridiculously easy. And I'm sorry for not posting this chapter last night, like I said I would. I've noticed that if I post 2 chapters closely together, I don't seem to get any reviews on the first one. And since I really wanted reviews on Chapter 24, this one had to wait. Anyways, on to the next chapter! And once again, watch the timeline.
Also, spoilers for 2.09 'Aliens in a Spaceship' and a rating change for the mention of sex and rape.
Chapter 25—Affected
Wednesday, 13 June 2007, 8:20pm
"TNANGERPSAGHCAELBOOTATHSIRINAMRELLIKDNIF," Hodgins spelled out in a notebook, copying the capital letters out of the note.
"Now that we have the code, what does it mean?" Booth asked, anxiously, pacing the length of the platform while Hodgins and Angela looked over the note.
"It can't be too difficult to read because she didn't have time to make it complicated, but she needed it be complex enough that her captor couldn't read it," Hodgins explained. "And she obviously knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote it. Look at the word 'siLLy,'" he suggested, observing the capitalized letters on both sides of the double L.
"Killer," Angela contributed, seeing the word written backwards. "It's written backwards." Taking the notebook from Hodgins, she copied "FINDKILLERMANIRISHTATOOBLEACHGASPREGNANT" below the previous line of letters. "And when you split it up, it says 'FIND KILLER MAN IRISH TATOO BLEACH GAS PREGNANT.'"
"Okay," Booth continued pacing, "Now we're getting somewhere. We need to find Dava King's killer because he has Bones and Emily King, and he's planning to kill both of them."
"Bren left us some hints," Angela said, studying the words she had written. "The killer is an Irish man with a tattoo? Maybe? Whose pregnant?"
"What does she mean by 'Bleach Gas'?" Hodgins wondered aloud, trying to think of anything bleach could be combined with to make a gas. "I'm going to run trace on the letter to see if we can get anything from it," he announced suddenly, standing up and walking off the platform.
Booth looked over at Angela, his worry mirrored in her eyes. "We need to find a way to identify the killer," he said, looking over at the box containing the victim's remains, staring at it intently as if it would tell him its secrets.
Cam looked from Booth to the box, knowing how much it would tear him apart if Brennan was killed. Maybe if… no, she thought, not allowing herself to hope for anything more from Booth. "I'm going to go check the parking garage," she said, needing to get away from the man who had turned her down for a socially-inept scientist. Motioning to a young security guard who was called in for additional security for the night, she walked out of the lab and headed toward the parking structure.
"We'll find her, Booth," Angela said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "We have to find her…"
Pulling away from Angela's hand, Booth left the platform for Brennan's office. Once inside, he flopped heavily onto the couch, trying to calm his rising panic and raging anger. If he hurts her, I'll hunt him down and kill him with my bare hands, he swore, rising to pace back and forth across the office.
I need to work right now, he told himself, moving to her desk to look for her copy of the case file. After a 5-minute search, he realized it wasn't there. She must have taken it with her, he thought, she was probably bringing it to dinner so we could go over her notes.
"Shit," he swore, dropping onto the couch once again. With his face buried in his hands, he thought about the case, trying to find something, anything, that would help him. How the hell am I going to find the killer when I don't have an anthropologist to tell me how the girl died? With one in Iraq and one being held hostage, I have some bones and a name that can't help me. There were no suspects in the case, which is why it got bumped to me. I don't know if I can do this… there is nothing to go on.
I just never realized how much Zach's absence would affect us, he thought to himself. Well, I mean I did. After the Gravedigger incident I told Bones that we saved them as a team, that if one of us was missing they would still be in the ground. I can't lose her like this, he thought, praying for her safety. We need to make up for the holes in the team and get her back. For all of us.
I HAVE to do this, he thought as images of Bones flashed through his mind. I have to find her. Jumping up with new resolve, he grabbed his copy of the case file and walked out of the lab, calling to Angela as he went. "I'm going to talk to Emily King's boyfriend. See if he knows anything," he told her. "Call me if anyone finds anything."
"The minute we find something you'll know," she told him, going back to her computer screen where she was inputting information to recreate the murder. We can't do this alone, she thought, wishing (not for the first time) that Zach was there to help. We're missing a big part of our team, she thought, praying he would come back soon.
Wednesday, 13 June 2007, 9:00pm
"They're not stopping the investigation, Boss," one man said in the empty warehouse, his voice echoing off the walls.
The smaller man looked to the corner where his two captives were restrained. He had turned off the gas when he'd returned from delivering the letter, the two women still unconsciously slumped over.
"We'll have to show them we're not playing around," he said slowly, an idea forming in his head. "Unchain Emily and bring her into the dye room," he said, leaving the main room for a smaller side room.
"Can I…?" the man asked, looking toward the woman's unconscious body.
"Do with it what you must," the leader said with a sigh, "But then I want her in the other room as soon as you're done."
"Yes, Sir," the man replied, walking toward the two women, a greedy and evil light flashing in his eyes.
Brennan watched silently, her head still slumped heavily forward as she tried to peer through her eyelashes to see what the man was going to do. She saw the man unhook the chains and drag Emily King's limp form from the chair, dropping her onto the floor.
He untied the restraints on her legs, shoving them apart roughly as he lifted her skirt and undid his pants. Brennan closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the man's grunts and groans as he raped the unconscious woman. Finally she heard the sounds stop before she heard the man lifting the girl.
Opening her eyes enough to look through the lashes, she watched the man carry the bleeding body of a young girl into the room where the smaller man had gone earlier. She heard the crack of a gunshot ringing out in the room, and she knew they had killed her.
Booth, please find me soon! They killed Emily almost a day earlier than they had planned, which means I might not have 48-hours. I need you to find me, now, her mind screamed, praying the message would somehow find its way to Booth.
Wednesday, 13 June 2007, 9:22pm
Booth had just left the lab and was heading toward the parking structure, where he decided to take the stairs rather than the elevator. He noticed the lights were burned out as he entered, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness before he started down the stairs.
He had just made it passed the first landing when he heard a noise that made him freeze in his steps. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" he heard in the darkness, intermingled with heavy breathing and a man grunting. "Don't stop! Right there!" the voice cried out, followed by a peculiar mewling noise that Booth recognized immediately.
Pulling out his flashlight, he took the last few steps, flipping the light on the couple when he was only a few steps away. "Cam!" he almost screamed, outraged to see her having sex in the stairwell while Brennan was missing.
"God! Booth! You scared me half to death!" she shouted back, not the least bit sorry he had caught them going at it.
Unwilling to deal with her right then, he stomped passed her and down the stairs until he reached the floor he had parked on. Climbing into the SUV, he pulled away from the lab, more determined than ever to get her back safe and sound.
