Chapter 7. The man in the morgue.
Brennan comes to in a white tiled bathroom, blood everywhere making the white seem whiter. A pool of blood surrounding where her head had been. She wipes her face and pulled back a bloody hand. She tastes coppery blood in her mouth and feels it dripping down her face. Her clothes and hands are covered in it. A blood soaked towel is on the floor next to her and there are blood smears all over the floor. She coughs as she tries to focus and remember where she is and what happened to her getting only small flashes of a body and blood dripping down the wall. She attempts to stand but her bloody hand slips on the sink and feels a sharp pain in her wrist and slips back to the floor holding her aching wrist. She tries again, this time using her forearm to help her up and makes it to her feet. She looks in the mirror and is stunned by her appearance. Another flash, a bloody knife on the floor. She pushed that thought aside and began assessing the damage and realizes her earring is missing and her earlobe has been torn. Another flash to a body, pinned to the wall, spikes through the hands, then running down the stairs. She's shocked out of it by the ringing phone in the other room. She stumbles out of the bathroom to answer it. Another flash a symbol on the wall written in blood. She answers the phone practically falling onto the couch.
"Dr. Brennan, your airport shuttle is here." The lady at the front desk informed her.
It took Brennan's groggy mind a moment to process the information. "What? No. Um. My flight isn't until Thursday." She said confused.
"Today is Thursday, Dr. Brennan." She said a look of concern on her face.
Brennan takes the phone away from her ear. "…What happened to Wednesday?" she asked herself.
"Dr. Brennan? Is everything alright? Hello? Dr. Brennan?"
3 hours later. Brennan sat in a hospital exam room wearing a white gown. Stitches on her face and a splint on her wrist.
"Looks like someone stole your earring… ripped it right out of the lobe." The doctor said as he finished patching her up.
Detective Harding was asking her for the tenth time if she could recall anything from the day before with the same result. "I don't know what happened to me." She said trying to think of anything.
"It's a tough town." The doctor nodded. "We don't have that many cops anymore and… things get out of hand. There are no sign of sexual activity forced or otherwise." He said checking her chart.
The door opens and Booth rushes in heading straight for Brennan. A woman behind him is trying to stop him but he is too worried about Brennan to listen. "Sir, sir, you can't go in there."
Booth shrugged her off. "Bones, you okay?" he asked a hand under her chin looking at the only visible damage.
"Booth, I told you not to come." She said annoyed.
"Who's this?" Detective Harding asked raising an eyebrow.
"He's FBI. …We're sort of partners." She said moving her face out of his hands.
"Guy flies down from D.C.? You're more than 'sort of.'" She said disbelievingly.
Booth ignores Detective Harding's comment. "You remember anything?" he asked concerned.
Brennan sighed. "The tray falling over."
Booth turned to the doctor. "Why can't she remember anything?"
"It very well could be the head injury."
"Hairline stress fracture on my right distal radius, concussion, slight fever, torn earlobe. I lost one of my favorite earrings." Brennan filled him in.
"You're worried about an earring? You should really be worried about losing a whole day." He said confused.
"I know. It's stupid. But these earrings were my mother's."
"Amnesia caused by any traumatic event, injury or drug, can erase memories before the event, not just after." The doctor explained.
"Great, we'll just wait for a tox screen."
"It's gonna be at least 24 hours."
"24 hours?" he asked upset.
"Most of the labs in the area were destroyed by the hurricane."
"We'll find out what happened. You just take care of your…uh…partner." Detective Harding said walking out followed by the doctor.
Booth is barely hanging on to his temper; he clinches his jaw and refocuses on Brennan. He reaches and with a bent finger under her chin forces her to look at him so he can asses her injuries without anyone over his shoulder.
"Holy Crap, Tempe. What did you get yourself into?" he asked noticing the bruises on her neck and brushing her hair aside gingerly.
She sighed, winced and made a mental note not the do that. "I don't know. …but I have bruises everywhere" she said untying her gown, holding it across her chest and showing him the marks on her shoulders, her breast and her stomach, then turned around showing him her back.
"Oh my god." He said stunned. "What the hell happened to you?"
"I wish I knew." She said retying herself.
20 minutes later. Booth was driving Brennan back to her hotel.
"Ugh! I hate this! I can't remember anything!"
"It come back Bones, don't worry." He said looking at her then back to the road.
"You don't know that. Head injuries are extremely unpredictable." She said frustrated.
"I'm just being reassuring." He admitted with a sigh.
"I know. … And thank you." She said leaning her head on his shoulder.
Brennan's cell phone rings and she answers reluctantly. "Brennan."
Zack is looking at the X-rays of John Doe 361 that have been scanned into the computer and now show up on the monitor. "Regarding the X-rays of John Doe 361—"
"John Doe 361?" she asked confused and sitting up holding her head.
"…Yes. You sent his X-rays."
"I don't remember that." She said sighing, frustrated, but quickly regretted it.
Zack turns toward phone, perplexed by her response. "You don't remember?"
"What about the X-rays, Zack?" she asked curious as to his findings.
"They're Male. Late 40's. Mixed race. Anomalies on his spine which I'm looking into. But the point is... his death was not accidental." He informed her.
"I sent you the X-rays of a murder victim?" she asked in realization.
"How'd he die?" Booth asked curious now.
Angela perks up hearing Booth's voice and turns toward the speakerphone. "Is that Booth?"
"Yes." Brennan admitted. "…it's a long story"
"You're hopping the Streetcar Named Desire with Booth?" she asked smiling. "Oh, I love this."
"Obviously, they're working the murder of John Doe 361 together." Zack said oblivious.
"…exactly." She said not wanting to explain what had happened. "How did 361 die?"
"The pelvis shows crush fractures. There's also what appears to be a bullet hole in the skull, but there's no exit wound." Zack continued.
"Okay, keep working on it." She said hanging up.
"You don't remember the case?" Booth asked but it wasn't really a question.
"…No. And it's a murder." She said annoyed and her stomach growled. "Wow, I'm hungry."
"Well, when was the last time you ate?" he asked completely serious. Brennan just stares at him not believing he asked that question. "…my bad. You have amnesia."
"Booth, I think I know a place." She said remembering something as she looked out her window.
"Good." He said smiling. "I told you it'd come back."
Brennan rolled her eyes. "It's right here on the left." She said pointing and he pulled in.
Later that day. Brennan's search for her memory has led her to Graham's house. She opens the door and enters followed by Booth calling out as she entered.
"Graham? It's Temperance." She called out.
"What if he's not here?" he looking around.
"He's probably asleep. He's been working nights." She said rolling her eyes at him "Graham? Graham? …I think he invited me to dinner that night or drinks. I can't remember." She said unsure.
"Mm-hmm. You know what? Maybe he 'roofied' you." Booth joked.
"Seeley are you jealous. You're being very obnoxious." She said turning in the dining room and heading for the stairs.
"Haha." He said sarcastically seeing something in the other room. "Bones?" He points into the next room where a blanket is tossed over a full-length mirror.
"…something's not right" she said taking the first stair and getting hit with a flash of a bloody torso
"What is it Bones?" he asked following her.
"… I don't know. … I keep getting these… flashes. They're bloody… I'm telling you something bad happened here." She said heading up the stairs faster. She got a flash of graham smiling and then bloody baseboards and began moving down the hallway. "I think I've been here before." She said turning the corner and seeing the door at the end of the hall ajar. "Booth." She said pointing to the door. "I think that's grahams room." Another flash that stops her dead in her tracks, a face stripped of skin blood dripping onto the hardwood.
"You okay?" he asked concerned, seeing all the color drain from her face.
All of the flashes flood back, this time in order. The symbol on the wall, bloody baseboards, a skinless face, a bloody body, blood dripping from the walls, a bloody knife hitting tile, a bloody handprint on the wall, running down the stairs.
She shook her head not hearing him and touching the bloody handprint on the wall next to her. "I know what happened here. …I came to visit Graham and…" she couldn't finish the sentence as her eyes locked on the door. She grew icy cold knowing what lay behind it. "…I got away." She said in barely a whisper.
Booth moves forward toward the door and after a moment's hesitation Brennan makes herself follow him as he slowly opened the door, finding Graham Legiere's body crucified on the wall. He is staked to the wall by his wrists, disemboweled and a large knife stuck in his chest. There is blood dripping down the wall and pooled on the floor and a mojo bag hanging around his neck.
Brennan turned away burying her face in Booth's chest, unable to look as the image was burned into her mind and he stands staring in disbelief. "Something really, really bad" he agreed wrapping his arms around her.
9 pm. Booth and Brennan were in her suite.
"They think I did it." Brennan said sighing painfully.
"Well do you remember anything else that could help us out?" Booth asked hopeful.
She shook her head putting her empty wineglass on the table then laying back down her head in his lap. "It could have been me."
"Do you remember killing him?" he asked stroking her damp hair.
"Look at it objectively. Graham Legiere was killed between 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and 3:00 a.m. Wednesday. Not only do I not have an alibi, I...I can't even explain to myself where I was. It could've been me."
Booth chuckled. "No, it couldn't."
"...how do you know?"
"I just know, okay? I'd bet my professional career on it."
"But how can you be so sure. I remember being there. ...seeing him like that." She said looking up into his eyes.
"Bones! Stop. This is the last time and place that you want to be rational, okay? Let's just be wildly emotional and assume that you didn't psychotically murder a coworker who invited you over for dinner." He said seriously looking down at her. "Besides that. There is no way you could have beat yourself up like that. And if he had he would have gotten away and not been on the wall." He pointed out.
"You think so?" she asked sitting up and tucking the hair behind her ear.
"I know so." He said kissing her reassuringly. "…and no offense, but you look like Hell Brennan."
She smiled and smacked his chest. "Shut up." She said kissing him.
The door bursts open and Detective Harding rushes in with her gun drawn, several other policemen behind her with guns pointed. Booth turns to face her pulling his own weapon out.
"Put down your weapon, Agent Booth." The detective ordered.
He didn't move "Put down your weapon. There's no threat from us."
"You're holding a gun on me." She pointed out.
"Yeah, well, you know, my finger here is not on the trigger. It's the best I can do under the circumstances."
Harding reluctantly puts her gun away."Holster your weapons." She said with a sigh giving in and Booth puts away his weapon.
"I'm here to arrest Dr. Brennan for the murder of Graham Legiere."
"Whoa, that's not gonna happen." Booth said stunned.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is." She said holding out the warrant for her arrest.
"I told you, Booth." She said with a sigh.
"Bones, please! Just once in your life will you be quiet?" he said desperate for a little help from her.
"That's good advice because everything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law." She said pulling her cuffs out.
"What's the probable cause?" Booth asked not about to let her go willingly.
"Traces of Dr. Brennan's blood in Legiere's home, Legiere's blood on her clothing from the clinic. And that mojo bag looks suspiciously like the one around Legiere's neck." She said pointing to the little bag on Brennan's pillow.
"Where did that come from?" Brennan asked looking to Booth.
"I have no clue." Booth said watching as they bagged it. "It must have been her when we got back."
"Now, please. Step away from my collar."
"I'm afraid I can't let that happen." Booth said stubbornly. But Brennan stepped around him and let them cuff her.
"Bones! What the hell?"
"It's better if nobody else dies while we get to the bottom of this."
"Well, you know what, I wasn't planning on dying."
"Ow. It's not you I worry about." She said as they tightened the cuff on her hurt wrist. "Just prove I didn't do it ok?" She said as they lead her out the door.
He sighed dropping down onto the bed.
The court house 10 pm. Caroline Julian is working on Brennan's Bail while they are left alone in Harding's office.
"Why are you nice to me?" she asked looking at him as he sat on the arm of her chair.
"…Because... Because they think they get away with it."
"What?" she asked confused by his answer.
"They burn their victim, they blow 'em up, they toss 'em in the ocean, they bury them in the desert, they...they throw 'em to wood chippers. Sometimes, you know, years go by. They relax. And they start living their lives like they didn't do anything wrong. Like they didn't spend somebody else's life in order to get what they got. They think they're safe from retribution. But, you make those bastards unsafe. That's why I'm nice to you. …plus I think your cute" he said only half kidding.
She ignored his last comment "I couldn't do that without you, Booth. You know that."
"Yeah. So...uh, you should be a little nicer to me, huh?" he said smiling charmingly at her.
"I really should." She nodded smiling back and leaning in a bit.
"Yeah." He said just inches from her lips.
"I walk in on something?" Caroline asked raising an eyebrow.
"No." Brennan said quickly.
"Of course not." Booth said standing.
"Uh-huh… save it until after the murder charge is dropped will ya?" she said disbelievingly. "You're free." She said and Brennan stood. "Don't do anything stupid to get arrested again." She warned.
"Thanks Caroline." Brennan said smiling.
"You're the best." Booth said kissing her cheek.
"Damn straight I am. You better watch her Seeley." She warned him as they walked out.
The next morning. Booth and Brennan were eating Breakfast in a diner. While Brennan checked in at the lab.
"Any progress on the design that was pressed into the pelvic bone?" she asked hopefully.
"I've tried three different computer programs. I fed in the information into multiple impact scenarios, but this isn't gonna work on X-rays. I need the actual remains." She said with a frustrated sigh.
"Booth and I are looking for them as hard as we can." Brennan said reassuring her.
" Or, better still, you can forget the whole thing and come home." Angela suggested.
"Don't worry. I made bail." Reassuringly.
"Bail?" Zack asked shocked.
"Bail? For what?" Angela asked concerned for her friend.
"I told you. Don't worry. The...the murder charge won't stick." She said confident.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Murder charge?" Hodgins asked worried himself.
"Brennan, the next plane. Okay? The next plane or I'm coming down there to get you myself." Angela said seriously.
"Everything's fine." Brennan promised. "I'm healing up satisfactorily. Bye for now." She said hanging up.
"Healing up?" jack asked confused.
"You know what? This whole state of affairs where Brennan just runs around fighting crime? It's stupid. It's nuts. Don't you agree?" Angela asked with a sigh.
"Brennan will be fine, Angela. She got bail and the murder charge won't stick." He said reassuring her.
"Go!" she said pointing to the door dropping her head to her desk. Hodgins smirked and walked out.
Later that day. A lead brought them back to the Beniot's shop where they found the shopkeeper's daughter impaled on the wall, a spike through her chest.
"This wasn't suicide." Brennan said certain. "It was murder."
"Who would kill Eva?" Booth asked looking to Brennan.
"I think I know." Brennan grabs Benoit's shirt and tugs, buttons fly off his shirt revealing a bandage on his chest. "There's no way he could have gotten away with no damage. She had to have fought back." She explained to Harding then turned to Booth. "I'd really like to go home now."
" Yeah, me, too. " he nodded "my advice …Cuff Mr. Wizard here before he puts a spell on you." He suggested to Harding
"What? No written confession?" semi sarcastic.
" You want a confession? Threaten to release his daughter's soul. He'll tell you everything." He said as Harding cuffed him.
"Dr. Temperance Brennan, you leave here, you go home... it does not matter. There are powers, dark powers to whom distance makes no difference." Benoit called as they turned to leave. And began chanting a spell. "Agua, aqua..." and finishes by blowing out a long breath of air toward Brennan. Brennan reaches forward and using two fingers, pokes his eyes. Benoit screams in pain.
"I've noticed that very few people are scary once they've been poked in the eye" Brennan pointed out and Harding laughs.
"Yeah." Booth nodded and they left.
That night. The gang sat in Brennan's office.
"I got in the middle of a battle between two religious sects." Brennan said simply. "Benoit used Hurricane Katrina as a diversion to take the soul of a voodoo priest."
"And he killed his own daughter." Angela pointed out.
"Dark sorcerers suck, man." Hodgins added, always the sophisticate.
"Oh, but, you know, he intended to bring her back to life." Booth rebutted Angela jokingly.
"There's not really any such thing as spells and magic." Zack said scientifically.
"What are you talking about? He put a forgetting hex on Dr. Brennan." Hodgins said smiling.
"It wasn't the spell that made me forget. It was the drugs. Rohypnol."
"Blood test didn't find any." Booth shook his head.
"Gamma hydroxybutyrate?" she asked looking to Booth.
"Not a trace."
"Sodium pentothal?"
"Nope."
"Severe emotional trauma." She said, knowing it was a reach.
"Honey, even I think you're too strong-minded for that." She said apologetically.
"There were too many delays in doing my blood test. That, plus the adrenaline of my escape. The drugs were out of my system." She rationalized.
"They put the voodoo on you, baby." Hodgins chuckled. Booth crosses his arms in some kind of voodoo sign and hisses causing everyone to laugh. "I didn't really mean to call you 'baby.'" He added.
"You guys, stop, now. I mean it." Brennan said feeling picked on.
"Do you believe in voodoo? Because even if a small part of you believes in it, then it has a grip." Zack pointed out.
"I do not believe." She shook her head.
Booth leaned into the group. "Maybe just a little?" he said smiling.
"No." she said smacking his arm.
"Good. Because, you know, if you have any doubts, we'll just have Benoit send you back one of those little satanic mojo pouches from prison." He said sitting back on the couch.
"Booth, objects have no intrinsic power. A person's future does not depend on some...thing. Things are just things. They do not have magical meaning or powers." She said seriously.
Booth is leaning back in his chair, head resting on his hand. "Really?" he asked opening his hand and lets the earring that he picked up in Legiere's house dangle for her to see.
Brennan stares at it a moment. "Where'd you get that?" she asked sighing, knowing what was coming.
"What does it matter? It's just a thing, right?" he asked raising an eyebrow and giving her the earring. Then gets up and begins to leave. "No such thing as magic." He said smiling at her and exiting the office.
"Does that prove something?" Angela asked looking at her best friend.
Brennan stares at the earring and finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together. "Yeah. It proves something." She said turning it over in her fingers and walking out. Finding him waiting around the corner, leaning against the wall his hands in his pockets a wide smile on his face.
"Took you long enough."
"Shut up." She laughed as he pushed off the wall, quickly closing the gap between them, and kissing her strongly.
"My place?" he asked hopefully.
"Promise you'll go easy on me?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
He nodded. "Of course. …twenty minutes."
She smiled. "Can't wait." She kissed him again her arms still around his neck. "…I need to get back."
He smiled releasing her. "Don't be late."
She laughed turning the corner and fixing her lips. Booth sighed and walked out of the lab happy.