Man in the Manure. Chapter 6
"Okay, one condition about this whole interrogation thing." Booth said to Angela, tapping his fingers on the ledge below the glass of the interrogation room window. Him, Angela, Brennan, and Sweets looked out at the sweaty, robust man in the chair on the other side of the one-way glass.
"What's that?"
"No…you know, flashing. And like…" Booth stuttered awkwardly.
"Seducing him?" Angela asked with a small laugh. She gestured toward the man, "Please, Booth. I have more dignity than that."
"History might show otherwise." Brennan stated, then after getting a look from Angela, added "Or not."
"Okay, so here's my one condition:" Angela started, turning towards Booth and crossing her arms. "You have to wait outside. This is my interrogation method."
"What, you're saying I don't get to watch?" Booth gave a laugh like that was ridiculous.
"Sweets will watch, and he'll make sure everything I'm doing is perfectly legal."
"No. That voids the deal. Right, Sweets?" Booth asked.
"No, that's just how some interrogators work. Tell him, Sweets." Angela said.
Sweets looked torn, and just froze mid-shrug with his mouth half open, not sure what to do.
"Well that's not how the bet works." Booth retaliated.
"Says who?"
"Children!" Caroline Julian stepped into the room. "One of you better go out there. I do not care who, and I do not care how, and I do not want to know about any bet you speak of, but you still have to do your jobs."
With a smug smile, Angela pushed Booth backwards, walking him out of the viewing room with her into the hall.
"You stay here."
"Then I'll have to assume you're doing something illegal." Booth said.
"Sweets!" Angela called.
From behind her in the room, Sweets froze up again and stuttered, "I don't…"
Angela turned and headed towards the door to the interrogation room.
Booth looked at Brennan just before the door to the viewing room shut. "You're gonna watch this?"
Brennan shrugged, "Angela… didn't say that I couldn't." She pointed out.
The door closed on Booth's face, and half a second later, the interrogation room door closed also.
Booth sighed in frustration and stepped back and forth, looking up and down the hallway, trying to figure out what to do. He quietly reminded himself, "Pie."
Exactly 12 minutes later, (Booth had been keeping time) the door to the viewing room opened, and Sweets stepped out with a large, laughing smile on his face. Brennan followed him out, also grinning.
"Hey, what are you grinning about, Bones? What's that grin? Hey, Bones, what did she say? Did he crack?"
Angela stepped out of the interrogation room, shutting the door behind her. She walked over and slapped high-fives with Sweets and Brennan.
"What happened!?" Booth demanded.
"Well, in a very touching conversation, the man admitted to letting the Stewart family borrow his combine, and then he was paid off by the son to keep quiet about some small damage and repairs done to the combine head." Sweets said. "Then he confessed to stealing his 8 year-old neighbor's Hannah Montana tapes. He thought that's what he was here about!"
"Is that all you got?" Booth asked.
"What more do you need? Go find that combine head." Angela said.
"No, hold on." Booth headed quickly back towards the interrogation room door. He barged in and leaned his palms on the metal table.
"You let the Stewarts borrow your combine?" Booth asked.
"…Yes sir, I already told the oth'r lady that. Aren't you that man from-"
"Is it your combine?"
"Yessir."
"There was damage done to the head?"
"Y'sir."
"Which type of head was on that combine?"
"W'll, he wanted to use the corn header, but they Stewarts dun even got no corn! 'Sides, the corn's a pain in the rear to put on."
"So which one did he use?"
" I let 'im use the soybean one, that one was already attached 'nyways. Dun know why the 'somunabitch made such a big fuss about the corn head. He don't even got no-"
"Thank you." Booth said, turning and leaving back out the same door.
He waved everyone else away from the door and back to the middle of the hall so he could talk to them.
"What did you find out?" Brennan asked.
"Well, if you had actually done some investigative research, you all would know that a soybean head is made of thin metal; easier to break or bend. The corn head, is made of giant, thick metal spikes. Whatever damaged that soybean head was probably done intentionally, but with the expectation of something stronger and more durable, like a corn head."
"So you're saying the combine is the murder weapon?" Brennan asked.
"What if the thing that damaged the soybean head was corn?" Sweets pointed out.
Everyone ignored him.
"So what does this mean about the bet?" Angela asked expectantly.
"Pie?" Booth asked Brennan, rubbing his hands together.
"Um. Let's focus on the murder, first." Brennan said.
"That's what I meant-" Booth said at the same time Angela said,
"That's what I thought, too."
They looked at each other, then back to Brennan.
"So we're going to find that combine…" She gave them a weird look.
"I need a ride back to the lab." Angela said.
"Shotgun." Booth and Angela again said at the exact same time. They both bolted down the hallway towards the parking lot.
"Why are you calling shotgun Booth, it's your car!" She called after them, but they were already around the corner. She walked quickly to keep up with them.
"That's okay, I'll just…walk." Sweets muttered to himself, starting down the hall.
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a/n I'll try not to wait three years for another update again.