Chapter 16: Confrontation
Booth explained Brennan's suggestion as he and the guards traveled down the steps to the basement. He'd been too impatient to wait for an elevator.
Before they set out, he'd confirmed that the police were on their way and had instructed them to set up a perimeter around the building so that Scott couldn't get away. If the police rushed the building, not only would there likely be a widespread panic, but Scott might feel trapped and kill Hannah. Sweets diagnosed the guy as clinically depressed and said that if he felt that he had no options left, he'd probably kill himself but not before trying his best to kill Booth or anyone he could get to who was close to Booth. The hatred was focused, Sweets said, so the hospital and its patients were not likely to present themselves as targets. Just Booth, Hannah and Bones. At least Bones was safe upstairs with her father and brother. If he knew Max, the man was packing and Booth was actually grateful rather than outraged.
When they reached the basement, the three men silently glanced at the floor plan diagram posted next to the stairwell. The floor seemed deserted. The diagram showed clearly marked fire exits, but also gave a good idea of the layout of the floor. There was one corridor that ran the perimeter of the rectangle and another that cut through the middle. There appeared to be two large rooms off of the middle corridor, probably for storage of large items. The corridor around the perimeter boasted many smaller rooms, perhaps a few offices and some that looked like utility closets, as well as a laundry room at the far end.
"Okay," Booth whispered. He pointed to one of the guards. "You take the far corridor, I'll take the center." He pointed at the other guard. "You take the near corridor. Stand in the middle." He pulled out his cell phone. "It's 8:06 right now. I will call at 8:08. Watch the clock on your cells, they are the most accurate. When the clock hits 8:08, I will make the call. Concentrate and listen. If anyone hears anything, text me. Do not do anything else. Just text me. Got it?"
The men nodded. The three then separated to take up their positions.
As he walked, Booth checked his phone to make sure there were no texts from Bones letting him know that Scott had moved. Nothing. Good. He listened intently, hoping to hear something that would indicate Scott's presence on this floor: talking, a struggle, anything. But there was no sound.
Booth stood at attention in the middle of the hall and watched the time on his cell phone. 8:08. He speed dialed Bones' number and waited.
Dammit. Only silence. If this didn't work they'd have to physically check each room on this floor, which was infinitely more dangerous.
He started when his phone vibrated to indicate the receipt of a text. Perhaps Scott wasn't even here after all.
ARE YOU TRYING TO REACH ME BOOTH? HAVING FUN W YOUR GIRLFRIEND. WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US?
Booth texted back quickly, asking for his location.
I M HOLDING A GUN TO UR LADY'S HEAD BOOTH & I WILL PULL THE TRIGGER IF ANY ONE COMES W YOU. UNDERSTAND. LEAVE UR GUN BEHIND & COME TO THE BASEMENT. GET OFF THE ELEVATORS & WALK 2 THE LAUNDRY ROOM. HANNAH AND I WILL MEET YOU ALONG THE WAY.
Running to the end of each corridor, Booth hurriedly motioned for the two guards to join him. The path from the elevator to the laundry room didn't cross the interior corridor so he instructed the guards to remain there. He handed one of the guards his gun and whispered. "I am meeting him down here somewhere. Supposed to come unarmed and alone - so stay hidden. Listen though, and try to figure out where he takes me. If you hear any shots or sounds of a struggle, call the police in. Otherwise, stay back. I am going to do all I can to get Hannah out of this alive." With that, he sprinted to the elevator and pushed the button. It needed to sound like he was just arriving in case Scott looked to see if he was alone.
Booth pressed his back against the elevator doors. When the elevator dinged and opened, he stepped forward as if he had just emerged. He then turned towards his right and started to walk up the corridor towards the laundry room. He had only gone about ten feet when a door on his left opened and he stood face to face with Gregory Scott who was pointing a gun directly at Booth's chest.
"Where's Hannah?"
"How very manly of you, Agent Booth," Scott sneered. "So concerned with the welfare of your woman. Too bad you didn't show that same concern in Iraq. If you had, we wouldn't be in this situation, right now, would we?"
"Where's Hannah?" Booth repeated, suppressed rage translating into iron in his voice.
"You seem a bit confused. I am the one calling the shots here. Lift your pant legs one at a time so that I see whether you have any hidden guns. Then, turn all the way around very slowly."
With no choice but to obey, Booth raised his pants legs and then pivoted slowly. He needed to make sure Hannah was still alive before he could settle on a plan for taking this guy out.
"This way," Scott said, moving backwards into the room. He waved the gun to indicate that Booth should follow him in. They entered a medium sized office that was empty except for two desks, one straight ahead in front of the back wall and the other positioned a few feet inside the room to Booth's left. The room had no windows due to its location in the basement and the only light came from a dim lamp sitting on the far desk. There was a closet in the right-hand wall.
Scott motioned Booth to sit on the desktop to the left of the room as he stepped backward to the closet. He opened the door and reached in to grab Hannah by the arm. Jerking her from the closet, he slammed the door shut behind her. Her wrists were bound and there was tape over her mouth to keep her from calling out. Her eyes were wide with a myriad of emotions, but above all else, Booth detected anger. Boy was she pissed! Good - if she had been terrified, he wouldn't be able to enlist her help but an angry Hannah was a force to be reckoned with. Now he just needed a plan.
"So, now what, Scott?" If he knew what the lunatic had in mind, he'd be able to come up with something. The man was swinging the gun back and forth between his two hostages with such recklessness, Booth feared that it would go off by accident. He couldn't tell if the safety was still engaged or not.
"Well, Booth, I'm sure you know that the whole purpose of this operation is your death."
Hannah growled at that.
"Charming how your women are so willing to defend you. Anyway, as I was saying, you need to die, of course, like my brother did. But first you need to suffer to make up for what you put us through. I did a nice job on your partner, didn't I? And that was just the hors d'oeuvre, so to speak. Hannah here, the one you really love, will be the main course." He laughed as he spoke.
Hannah began to shake her head violently, saying something loudly but unintelligibly due to the tape.
"I guess we can take that off now. Didn't want you rushing in before I was ready to receive you on my terms, no gun and all that. This floor is largely abandoned, especially at this time of the day. No worries about being interrupted before our...uh...business is complete. Pointing the gun directly at Hannah's heart, he reached over with his free hand and ripped the tape from her mouth, with a bit more force than was probably necessary.
Hannah grunted and then wiggled her mouth in a circle as if trying to get the muscles to work again. "You are such a screw up, you know that!"
Okay, she was really pissed. He tried to stare at her with an expression that said she should calm down, but he suddenly realized that her tirade was directed at him.
"Yes, I'm talking to you Seeley Booth!" Seeley felt his draw drop in surprise and out of the corner of his eye, he saw an almost identical expression on Scott's face.
"Look at the mess you have gotten me in. And we aren't even together anymore! What irony! He's got the wrong woman. Why don't you tell him? Tell him that if he really wanted to hurt you, he should have finished the job he started on your partner. Goddam it, tell him! Tell him that it's really Temperance Brennan that you love! Whom you would do anything to protect!"