The flock and I coasted down until we landed down on the grass. Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, Iggy and Dylan all flew up to different branches of a tall oak tree, while Fang and I went up a neighboring tree.

"Hey…Maxie?" Fang looked at me, daring me to say something.

I decided to let it go. "Yes…Fangy?"

He rolled his eyes. "Um…remember when I left?"

Oh, dear God. "How could I not?"

"Well…I never told you what happened when I left. I made a second flock…well more of a micro-flock, really, and there was a girl in it…and she kinda flirted with me. When I told her I had a girlfriend, she flipped out, called me an asshole, and ran off."

"Why do I care about this, Fang?"

"That girl…was Topaz."

I was stunned. "So, she called you an asshole, and now she's dead."

"Well…yeah."

"You could have killed her."

"I could have…"

"You have no alibi."

"No, I don't, but I didn't kill her, and if I did, it would have been for you."

"Bad word choice…Fangy." And with that, I jumped off the branch and flew off.

Washington DC is so pretty from the sky, especially at night. All the lights are reflected on the Potomac River. But I was still pissed. I jammed my hands into my pockets, only to find the ring Fang gave me, that I had put in my pocket earlier. I took it out and saw that I was passing over the reflecting pool and without even thinking, I dropped the ring, and flew away before it hit the water.

I kept flying until I reached my destination: the Jeffersonian.

"If anyone's gonna find out if Fang killed Topaz," I said out loud, "it's gonna be me."

I coasted down to the double doors of the building and I made my way to the lab. Where, as I expected, Topaz was lying. I walked over to the smelly remains and looked at them. I brought myself to put on some latex gloves, and I looked at the hand of the victim. My raptor vision saw little cracks…what did Brennan call them? Microfractures…they made a square. Wait…the skull! Where's Brennan?

I ran down the hall to Angela's office, where I found Brennan, Hodgins, Cam, and Angela.

"A waffle iron?" Brennan asked.

"Well, yeah. That's what I came up with to explain the skull fractures.

"It wasn't a waffle iron." I entered the room and walked over to the screen. "There's minifractures on the hands."

"Microfractures, Max, microfractures. Those looked to be defensive wounds."

"No, the MICROfractures made a square."

"The victim could have shielded her face."

"No, then the fractures on the distal radii would be at an angle. We need strat 180 degrees impact, which means the hands were parallel to the skull and her humerus would be perpendicular to the weapon," Brennan explained.

"Oh my god…I should have seen it." I looked down at my own hands, and tried not to sob. The lab smell…the memories…the cause of death…it was too much. I ran out of the room and down a few halls until I was outside. I was just about to fly off when…

"Max, wait!" Brennan ran outside. I turned around and she saw I was crying. "Max, please tell me! I…we can help." She came over to me and we both sat down on the steps of the Jeffersonian. By now I was sobbing. I laid my head on her shoulder. I hated feeling helpless, but I needed a release.

"Max." She stroked my hair. "What do you think was cause of death?"

I was broken. The lab, Fang, Topaz, it was all too much. But we have to find out who killed Topaz, Fang or not. I could only get a few words out.

"A cage." I took a deep breath. "It was a cage."

Fang:

Max flew away, and I felt the spray from her tears as she headed for the sky. I loved Max. I still do. I didn't kill topaz and I can't believe that Max thinks I did. I DIDN'T! Ugh! I jumped off the branch and landed on the soft grass and ran. I ran until I found a stick on the ground. I picked it up and began to carve it into a point. I didn't know why. I just needed something to kill the anger.

I used the moonlight to see what I was doing. As I was carving there was a shadow that darkened all around me. I looked up and saw a cloud of Erasers. Damnit! Not now!

I jumped up and grabbed my stick-knife, ready to stab anybody.

Each Eraser landed around me, one by one. After twenty or so had landed, they looked angry. Well, duh. I stabbed my makeshift knife into five or six Erasers before giving up on it. Once by one the Erasers began to drop. Dead. Why would they send expired Erasers? To annoy me? To distract me? To distract me! Max!

I snapped out my wings and gave Angel a mental message of where I was going.

Max…

I love you…

Max…

Max!