Chapter 18. The wannabee in the weeds.
"This time, this place, misused, mistakes...too long, too late, who was I to make you wait?
Just one chance, just one breath, just in case there's just one left. 'Cause you know, you know, you know!
That I love you... I loved you all along. And I miss you. Been far away for far too long.
I keep dreaming, you'll be with me and you'll never go! Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore!"
The song ends, and the crowd cheers as Tommy Sour steps off the stage.
"Every bone appears to be broken." Brennan said examining the body as Booth and Cam stood over her
Booth sneezes irritated by the saw grass.
"Bless you." Cam said watching.
"Ugh. Thanks."
"Pelvic fragment suggests it's a male..." Brennan said ignoring them as he sneezes again.
"Are you okay?" Cam asked giving him a look.
"Thank you, fine. Just..." he sneezed again.
"Particles from the cut grass are causing his mast cells to release inflammatory mediators." Brennan explained.
"It's just allergies Bones."
"That's what I just said." She said giving him a look.
"Well sorry we don't all speak squint, Brennan."
Cam looked from them getting back to the issue at hand. "Given the degree of decomp he's been dead a couple of weeks."
"Body dump?" Booth asked.
"Lividity is indeterminate." Cam shook her head.
"Oh." Booth nodded sneezing again.
"Seriously Seeley? How can you have a grass allergy? You were a sniper for god sake. Wouldn't a sneeze give away your position?"
"Hey! I worked in the desert, okay, Bones. Sand. Not grass."
Brennan rolled her eyes standing as a man approached. "Did you see the body before it 'crunched'?" Brennan asked the guy who was driving the mower.
"It's not my fault! You know, Johnson grass is eight feet high and dense. It's like driving in the dark!" he said defensively.
"Well, you must have been driving fast." Booth pointed out
"…I had an internet date. I wanted to get home to shower." He said honestly, a look of realization grows on his face. "She's probably still waiting for me at the Falafel place." Booth sneezes again. "You know, Johnson grass lets off a ton of pollen man. Your eyes could swell up. If your throat closes-"
"Its allergies. Okay? I'm fine."
"You didn't by any chance see a head, did you?" Brennan asked the driver.
The driver looks around uncomfortably.
"The head's missing?" Booth asked curious.
"I don't see it, or any skull fragments." Brennan pointed out giving him a look.
"Sorry." The driver apologized sheepishly.
"Well, I've got some brain matter here, so he had to have a head at some point." Cam said standing now.
Brennan moves towards the truck looking under the grill and finds a skull staring back. "Found it! …The blade must have severed just below the C5 vertebra. And the force of the impact propelled the head into the grill."
"So, presumably, he was killed, decapitated, and mulched."Booth exhaled loudly. "Wow. Could it get any worse for this guy?" he asked as the eye popped out of the skull.
"Get it all packed up. We'll start on it first thing tomorrow." Cam said pulling her gloves off.
"Alright." One of the techs said as they got to work and Booth sneezed again.
"You guys can go. I'll watch make sure everything gets to the Jeffersonian alright." Cam said turning to them.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Go ahead. I'm good." She said with a nod.
"Ok." Brennan said with a nod and headed to her car followed by Booth.
When they were out of sight. Booth grabbed Brennan by the hand and kissed her pushing her up against the SUV so they wouldn't be seen.
Brennan smiled. "What was that for?"
"…I had to, that attitude back there… makes me hot." He said pinning her hands against the door by her head.
She smiled. "Just so you know… this makes me hot." She said kissing him and freeing her hands then winding them in his hair as his hands wandered down to her butt.
They broke apart after a few minutes and Brennan pulled away, smiling widely. "See you tomorrow Seeley."
"Oh no you don't. I'm not letting you get me all worked up and leave again." He said holding onto her hand. "For the third time this week" he said looking into her eyes.
"… I thought we decided we weren't going to mess around casually anymore. You're idea remember?" she said smiling coyly and stepping closer to him so her lips were only inches from his again.
He nodded. "Yeah. I do. But you started this one." He said smiling and kissing her lightly.
She shook her head. "Not this time big guy." She kissed him lightly. "You're on your own." She said stepping away and letting go of his hand. "See you tomorrow Seeley." She said smiling and getting into her car.
The next day. They walked into the fitness club that Tommy worked at looking for the other owner.
"There is a fine line between 'health' and 'vanity'." Brennan clarified as Booth's attention is caught by an attractive woman working out on one of the machines.
"...Huh?"
"Well, this obsession with physical perfection clouds a society's moral vision." She said looking to him and noticing he was staring at the girl. "You are ogling that woman!" she said swatting him teasingly.
"What? No, I'm not, I'm just-"
"Yes you are!" Brennan laughed.
"I, I, I'm just... um, admiring her routine." Brennan gives him an incredulous look. "…alright maybe I was but that's your fault."
"Oh really? How is that?" Brennan asked raising an eyebrow.
"You know how it's your fault. …remember last night? You're taunting me." He accused.
She laughed lightly with a nod. "A little." She admitted giving him a small suggestive smile as the manager, Jason Bergman walks over to them.
"I am the Wellness Center's manager, Dr. Jason. I understand you're with the FBI." He said shaking Booth's hand.
"Yeah we are." He confirmed. "If you don't mind my asking how was your relationship with Tommy Sour… Dr. Jason?"
"I loved Tommy. We've worked together for a long time. …Tommy was my most popular trainer. But since he disappeared, I've had to deal with a lot of angry clients. You're with the FBI, that means Tommy was murdered, right?" he asked nearly certain of the answer.
"You wouldn't happen to know a woman, a client of his, Pam?" no reaction. "Some people refer to her as 'Fat Pam'?" Booth offered.
He nodded. "I know who you mean. Pam Nunan. She booked two hour sessions. Paid cash. Perfect client. Until..." he trailed off into thought.
"Until?" Brennan prodded lightly.
"Until she fell in love with Tommy. It really started to freak him out." He admitted.
"How so?" Brennan asked curiously.
"She was too hands. She'd rub up against him. Even invited him on a Caribbean cruise." He explained.
"Would you happen to have Ms. Nunan's address?" Booth asked eyebrow raised.
"Sure." He nodded stepping behind the counter. And Booth notices the woman is now stretching after her workout.
Brennan swats him again. "Booth!"
"Yeah?" he asked not looking away.
"That's not helping the investigation." She pointed out and Booth shrugs, not caring.
Back at the FBI. Booth's office. Booth and Brennan were meeting with Pam Nunan and she was showing them her photo album, full of pictures of Tommy.
"He's such a cutie, isn't he? Tommy is such a wonderful person. Big heart, and so devoted." She said flipping through the pages.
"You brought a photo album?" Brennan said looking to Booth.
"You said you wanted to talk about Tommy. I figured you'd like to see pictures." She said turning the page with a smile.
"Those pictures are..." he held out a hand for the album and she passes it to him. "They are taken from quite a distance, Pam." He said as Brennan looked over his shoulder.
"He's so shy. It's one of the things I love about him." She said still smiling.
"We understand that Tommy was your personal trainer?" Brennan said leaning on the desk next to Booth.
"Oh, he was so much more than that. Before I met Tommy, I was so down on myself. But Tommy... he's such a sweetheart."
"Does Tommy share your affection?" Brennan asked curiously and Booth gave her a sharp look.
"Why do you ask it like that?" she asked genuinely offended and looked to Booth. "Because I don't look like a scarecrow? Like her?"
"Hey! What - what are you coming after me for?" she asked surprised. "D-do I look like a scarecrow?" she asked Booth.
"You're ..." he turned to Pam not wanting to start anything. "I think you look good."
Brennan sighs walking towards the window.
"Thank you. Like Tommy, you see me for who I really am. Not... scrawny." She said glaring at Brennan.
"What - I am not scrawny. My body mass index is well within the normal limits-" Brennan defended.
"Can we talk about Tommy please?" Booth asked getting them back on track.
"If he didn't love me, why would he want to marry me?" Pam asked looking up at Booth and ignoring Brennan's existence.
"Marry you? He was going to marry you?" Booth asked expertly hiding his surprise.
"Tommy's my life. And I'm his. Whatever you think he's done, I know he didn't do it." She said seriously.
"We're not worried about what he did. It's what you might have done." Brennan pointed out standing next to Booth again.
Pam looks confused, her eyes moving back and forth between Booth and Brennan.
"Tommy's dead." Booth informed her.
Later that evening. Booth enters the interrogation room and Pam looks up at him. As Sweets and Brennan watch from the observation room.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting." He apologized.
"I didn't kill Tommy. I loved him."
"I believe that you loved Tommy."
"Thank you Agent Booth. I did."
"But I don't believe that he loved you back." He said honestly sitting across from her.
"...Because I'm not anorexic?" she shot back upset.
"Ms. Nunan..." he started.
"Call me Pam." She said smiling.
"…Pam. You were stalking him. And he was avoiding you." He finished.
"If he didn't love me, why would he give me this for Christmas?" She asked pulling up her sleeve and showing Booth a charm bracelet on her wrist, with 3 charms on it. "P-A-M. You know what that spells?"
"Pam." Booth nodded.
"That's right. He loves me."
"What did you, um, give him, before he gave you that bracelet?" Booth asked leaning forward.
"Ahh. Excellent question." Sweets praised from the observation room and Brennan looked at him annoyed.
"Why does that matter?" she asked confused.
"Just curious." Booth shrugged with a small grin.
"…A one thousand dollar gift certificate to The Music Centre. He loved music." She said giving in.
"A thousand dollars. Wow. That's generous."
"A way to obligate him. Try and enforce an emotional connection. It's extremely passive-aggressive." Sweets told Booth through his ear piece.
"So do you think she killed him?" Brennan asked humoring him.
"…Well, there's no question that she's deluded. I mean, if she truly believed that he was going to marry her, she was setting herself up for a tragic ending." Sweets said watching through the glass.
"Tragic?" Brennan asked looking at him, really curious.
"Well, one way to ensure that he didn't leave her..." he started.
"Would be to kill him." She nodded.
"Tommy had a beautiful voice. He dreamed of being a professional singer and I wanted to support him. I did everything for him. He was mine. Tommy was mine, no matter what anyone thought. When did you find him?" she asked looking up at Booth.
"Last night. He had been dead for two weeks."
"I've been in Florida. Left last month. Just got back two days ago. I was with Mommy and Daddy planning the wedding." She said matter-of-factly.
"The wedding with Tommy."
"Of course silly." She laughed.
"I'm just going to need you to write down your parents' number in Florida so I can confirm your whereabouts." He said nervously pulling a pen and pad out of his jacket pocket. "Thanks."
"Who's going to love me now?" Pam asked tearing up.
"I'm sorry." Booth apologized slowly placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh my god. No don't touch her-" sweets said sighing as he did.
"Why?" Brennan asked surprised by his reaction.
Pam smiles in a completely disconcerting way in the direction of the mirror as Booth nods and walks out. "Thank you Agent Booth." She said as he left.
"Oh no." Brennan said eyes wide with realization.
Sweets nodded. "That's what I meant."
Brennan walked out and Sweets followed.
"Seeley we need to talk." Brennan said walking in closing the door behind her.
He smiled standing and walking over to her. "Hey" he saw the serious look on her face "what's wrong?"
Sweets walked in and Booth stepped back. "Wow you're fast." Brennan rolled her eyes.
Booth laughed "did you run here?"
"I caught the elevator." Brennan admitted with a smile.
"Haha. That's very funny." Sweets said sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, Sweets." Booth said hiding the smile. "What's the matter?"
"The pathology is clear. She's possessive and amoral."
"Meaning…?"
"She's crazy." Brennan translated.
"Her emotional connections are forged through manipulation and delusion. Once a connection that tenuous breaks-"
Booth looked to Brennan. "So she killed Tommy Sour?" Brennan asked looking at Sweets.
"I can't say that, of course, but she is a dangerous person." Sweets said shaking his head.
"Ok…" Booth said not knowing the point.
"I think she might be zoning in on you." Sweets warned.
"Alright I'll be careful." He promised leading Sweets out. "I promise."
"Alright. Tuesday 4 o'clock don't be late." Sweets warned.
"Uh huh. We won't." He said closing the door on him and turning to Brennan. "Hi." He smiled.
Brennan laughed kissing him. "Promise me you'll be careful?"
"When am I not careful?" he said his hands on her waist.
"Like I said… be careful of her. Okay? She's not stable."
"Hey I resent that remark."
"Good." She said smiling.
"…so is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"
"All I can talk to you about here." She said kissing him lightly.
"Dinner tonight?" he asked hopefully.
"…cant. I've got plans with Angela tonight."
"…well you could always come over after." He suggested waggling his eyebrows and Brennan gave him a look. Booth laughed. "Tomorrow night then?"
"7:30?" she smiled.
He nodded. "So should I make reservations or …dinner?" he asked with his boothiest smile.
"That's up to you." She kissed him. "See you tomorrow." She said opening the door and walking out.
The next day. Booth and Brennan were having lunch at the royal diner.
Booth's cell phone rings. And he smiles answering it. "Yeah, it's Agent Booth."
"It's Pam. …Pam Nunan." She said sitting in her car outside the diner.
"How can I help you, Miss Nunan?" he said all business.
"Are you available to meet?"
"I'm sorry, uh... how did you get my number?" he asked looking at Brennan's concerned face.
"Your office patched me through. I said I was your mother." She said smiling.
"Yeah, Dr. Brennan and I can meet with you." He said stunned.
"…No. Just you." She clarified.
"Well if it's relevant to the case, Ms. Nunan, I think it would be important that Dr. Brennan-" he said trying to convince her.
"I can be at your office in a half hour, but you have to meet me alone."
"I... I'm sorry, is this about Tommy?" Booth asked, an uneasy feeling growing in his gut.
"What else would it be about Agent Booth?" she asked watching him.
"...Okay. A half hour." He said hanging up.
"…What'd she want?" Brennan asked growing worried.
"She wants to see me. …Without you."
"Did she say why?"
"Probably because you make her feel uncomfortable." He said not wanting to worry her.
"How so?" she asked confusion mixing in.
"Well because... You're you. You're a brilliant, well-adjusted, beautiful woman." He said smiling at her.
She couldn't help but smile back. "Go. I've got to get back to the lab anyways. I'll see you tonight."
"Thank you." He smiled kissing her on the cheek and walking out.
A half hour later. Booth led Pam into his office.
"Right this way." He said making a point to leave the door open behind them.
"I really appreciate you seeing me." She said smiling and taking a seat.
"Well… it's my job." He said leaning against the desk.
Pam laughed. "That's precious, it's your job"
"Ms. Nunan, You said you had information about the-" Booth started keeping it professional.
"Hockey fan?" Pam asks pointing to a poster on his wall. "I have that same print at my office. And it's Pam. I have season tickets to the Capitals, we should go sometime." She suggested smiling.
" ...Ms. Nunan, about the case..." he said staying all business.
"Seeley, please. …Pam. I need to ask you something."
"…Okay, well usually I ask the questions-"
"Are you dating Dr. Brennan?" She asked being direct with a look that gave him a bad feeling.
"No. …She's my partner. Why?"
"I see." She nodded seeing the picture of Parker on his desk. "Your nephew?" she asked curiously, her face pleasant again.
"It's my son." He said picking up the picture, looking at it then placing it behind him.
"You're married?" she asked getting that look again, this time stronger.
"I'm not." He said uncomfortably, refusing to meet her eyes directly. "…Listen, I'm, I'm kind of busy here Ms. Nunan, so…"
"I brought you something." She said getting to her point and handing him a small gift bag from her purse and handing it to Booth, who hesitates momentarily then takes it, opening the bag and pulling out a pair of green socks.
"Okay..." he said dropping them back in the bag and putting it down next to him.
"I know you've got a thing for socks." Pam said smiling.
"…How did you, uh..."
"I noticed them last time. On the outside, you're this big tough FBI guy... but really you're just like me. Unpredictable. Like Tommy was." She said with a 'loving' smile.
" ...Please..."
"I know. We shouldn't talk about our old flames. Especially when we're just getting to know each other." She said apologetically.
"Ms Nunan," he said getting really serious. "You said you had information about Tommy Sour's murder."
"Really? I have faith you'll find out who killed him. And Tommy wouldn't want me to grieve forever." she said shaking her head., and her eyes wonder around the room. "Look at all these commendations... You're really great at your job, aren't you?" she said bending down to pick up her purse and moving closer to Booth. "…It's one of the reasons I'm drawn to you."
"Ma'am, this is way inappropriate." Booth said backing off, the bad feeling growing.
Pam laughs. "Ma'am! That is so cute! I can't wait to tell my mom you just said that. Well. Bye for now." She exits, a wide smile on her face and Booth stares after her warily, sitting on his desk.
Cam walks in then, staring after Pam and looking to Booth. "…wow. ...Seeley are you ok?"
He nods taking a deep breath. "Yeah I'm fine. What's up?"
"Brennan told me you were talking to Tommy's 'girlfriend' and wanted me to tell you in person. We think we got our guy."
"Great. The sooner I can get away from her the better." Booth said with a sigh standing.
"Is she—"Booth's look stopped her from even asking.
"Brennan at the lab?"
Cam nodded. "Waiting for you in her office."
"Thanks Cam." He said walking out past her.
"Anytime Seeley."
15 minutes later. Booth walked into Brennan's office and pulls her in kissing her.
"…um wow. Things go badly with Pam." She guessed taken off guard.
"Oh yeah." He nodded, kissing her again.
She smiled. "Come on lets go get our guy then dinner. …I'm thinking take out."
He smiled. "And lots and lots of wine."
She laughed lightly. "Deal."
20 minutes later. They reached Tommy Sour's and Adam Matthew's shared apartment building.
"A warrant? To search my place?" Adam asks confused.
"Ah. He can read." Booth shot as they walked past him into the apartment.
"I'm the one who reported Tommy missing. Why would I be hiding anything?" he asked as Brennan began searching.
"Because you killed Tommy and then reported him missing to cover your own ass." Booth said matter-of-factly.
"This clay cutting wire is consistent with the object used to kill Tommy Sour. I'm testing it for blood." Brennan said holding up the wire and running a cotton swab along its length.
"Just look at it. There's no blood on it." Adam said growing defensive.
"If the liquid turns blue, it means this wire came in contact with human blood." She said placing the swab in a test tube filled with liquid which of course turns blue.
"Adam Matthews, you are under arrest for the murder of Tommy Sour." Booth said cuffing him.
7:30 pm. Brennan knocks on the door, adjusting her deep blue dress.
Booth opened the door with a smile on his face. "Wow." He kissed her hello. "You look fantastic."
"Thank you." She said smiling and taking her coat off.
"…so what is it you wanted to talk about?" he asked forcing himself to stop ogling her.
Brennan laughed. "I was thinking we could talk about us." She said her hands caressing his chest as she looked into his eyes.
"You're not gonna leave me hanging again are you?" he joked pulling in a ragged breath.
She smiled shaking her head. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Good." He said pulling her in and kissing her strongly.
The next day. 7 pm. Booth and Brennan leave for dinner.
"Seeley. Where are we going?" Brennan asked curiously.
"You'll see," he said smiling back at her.
A half hour later they pull into the Checker Box restaurant.
"Seeley why are we here?"
"We got some unfinished business here. Nothing to worry about." He said reassuring her and opening her door for her.
They enter and see Angela, Cam, Zack, Hodgins, and Sweets sitting at a table by the stage, talking and having a good time.
"Seeley Booth what did you do?"
"Your need to sing in front of a live audience, it's innate Bones." He said smiling down at her.
"No way... you didn't." she said a horrified look spreading on her face.
"Hey, I've got the music, the frivolity. What else do you need?"
"This is payback isn't it?"
"Oh yeah baby. It is" he said smiling and pushing her up onto the stage. "Good luck." He said smiling.
The others start clapping and cheering her on as the music starts.
"Come on Dr. Brennan, you can do it! We're here for you!
"Let 'er rip, let's hear it!" Sweets called smiling.
Brennan smiles giving in and removes her jacket, tossing it to Booth before she grabs the microphone and beginning to sing.
"Come home, in the morning light, my mother says 'when you gonna live your life right?'..." she belts out as everyone smiles dancing to the music.
"Oh mama dear we're not the fortunate ones, and girls they wanna have fun..." her smile widens as Booth pulls his lighter out and playfully sways to the music.
"Oh girls just wanna have fun!" she sang and began dancing to the music as the instrumental begins.
Everyone cheers, except Pam, who stands at the bar looking depressed and nervous, watching as Booth smiles up at Brennan on stage and she winks back.
"The phone rings, in the middle of the night my father yells 'what you gonna do with your life?'...Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one, but girls they wanna have fun..."
Pam snaps and her nervous expression turns to disgust and she walks away from the bar. "Look at me. Not her." She shouts at Booth but no one can hear her over Brennan's singing.
"Oh girls just want to have... that's all they really want, ohh-ohhh-ohhha!..."
Pam reaches into her purse and pulls out a gun "Seeley! SEELEY!" she screams holding the gun on Brennan and Booth finally looks at her.
"I'm doing this for us. That whore is just in the way" Pam cocks the gun and Booth leaps from his seat as Pam fires, hitting him in the chest.
Booth stumbles backwards falling to the ground as the music stops and people scream. Pam stares, shocked and horrified at what just happened. Brennan jumps off the stage to his side and Pam becomes angry at her presence and aims to shoot again. Brennan sees her movement and grabs Booth's gun shooting Pam before she could shoot her, hitting her in the throat and she drops to the ground.
Brennan turns her attention back to Booth putting pressure on his chest wound. As the others exchange horrified and confused looks, before settling in and beginning to make decisions
"Zack! Call 911!" Hodgins called.
"Seeley. Seeley! Stay with me. Come on." She said seeing his dazed expression staring up at the ceiling, clearly not seeing much of anything. "Seeley! Look at me. You're going to be ok. I promise." She said getting desperate. "Come on! Come on! Booth! You're gonna make it! COME ON! COME ON! BOOTH COME ON! You can't leave me like this. I love you remember." she whispered as his eyes close momentarily. "COME ON OPEN YOUR EYES!" She screamed desperation growing. "There you go. Look at me Seeley." She begged tears barreling down her cheeks.
Cam and Angela stand in a petrified shock, not knowing what to do or how to handle the situation.
"NO! NO! NO! COME ON! YOU CAN DO THIS BOOTH! DON'T YOU DARE CLOSE YOUR EYES!" he couldn't help it, he descended into the blackness. "NOOOO!" Brennan screamed as she realized she wasn't able to wake him up.