The next day, the partners arrived at the crime scene, armed with more warrants for more DNA. Their original suspect, Alberto Martinez, kept working now that he was cleared. He had told the FBI he didn't do it. He just wanted justice for Thomas and his daughter. Al watched from a distance as Zach willingly gave a sample. The female half of the duo put the swab in a plastic bag and moved on to George. He refused and Al couldn't hear the reason.

"Just do it, G," Al urged from his work place.

George looked over his shoulder at his friend before looking back at the agent and his partner. He was scanning the construction site for a way out. Before Al even realized what was going on, their new suspect was running for the door. Booth drew his gun and both ran to follow Schaefer. Giving her the universal signal to stay behind him, Booth led the way through the construction site after the fleeing man. He ran for his truck, slipped the key in the ignition and took off. The pair ran for their own vehicle and as Booth started the car and radioed in the chase, Brennan turned on the lights and sirens.

"Bones, will ya let me do that?" he said as he listened to the dispatcher over the radio.

"Just drive, Booth, he's getting away!"

They followed the truck and Booth was quickly gaining on him. The locals joined in soon, following Booth's lead and adding a significant amount of siren noise. The chase ended when the suspect turned down a one way street and swerved into a lamp post to avoid oncoming traffic. Booth and Brennan exited their car quickly and ran to the driver's door. George Schaefer was bleeding and disoriented, but conscious.

"Put your hands on the wheel," Booth ordered. It took him a minute to process what had been said, but he followed the command. Booth yanked open the door and pulled Schaefer out. As Booth cuffed him, Brennan pulled the swab from her pocket and took a sample of blood from the truck.

"I didn't do it," Schaefer mumbled.

"Then why'd ya run?"

When Booth received no answer, he tossed his suspect in the backseat before heading to interrogation.

Booth was pacing in the observation room. He didn't want to wait for DNA results. He just wanted to interrogate the bastard.

Brennan entered the room and waited for him to say something.

"How's Hadley?"

"She doesn't think Schaefer could do it, but she also said she didn't know him as well as she knew her father's other friends."

"So if it is him, it's not gonna break her or hurt her or anything?" Booth asked.

"It didn't seem that way, but I'm still learning what Cam and Angela call 'girl speak'," Brennan said.

Booth chuckled a bit. "Okay, Bones. Let's go get a confession."

The partners walked into stuffy room and sat across from their killer.

"I'm not talking to you without my lawyer," Schaefer said, going into full defense mode, his bandages partially hindering his eyesight.

Booth started to heckle the guy, but Brennan cut him off. "Hadley doesn't believe you did it."

"Bones," Booth muttered through gritted teeth, "let me do the talking."

She glanced at him, but otherwise ignored his request. "She doesn't think you killed her father."

"She doesn't?"

"No."

Schaefer nodded. "Poor kid. She's alone now. The kid shouldn't have to go through this. Her own dad hardly took care of her though. Since Alison died, Tom was always staying out all night, hooking up with random chicks. He'd leave Hadley alone with a sitter for days at a time when she was little and when she was old enough to take care of herself, she was alone. He was hardly a father."

"Why did you kill him?" Booth asked quietly.

Schaefer shook his head. "He shouldn't have been all over Cindy."

"Told ya, Bones. Jealously," Booth whispered to her.

She sent him a glare and focused back on Schaefer. "Thomas Kerr was a single man who could date whomever he wanted. Why did it matter to you?"

Booth sat back in his chair with a small chuckle. "She turned you down, didn't she? You were pissed because Cindy chose your buddy over you."

"He knew I wanted her. She was mine."

"Women are not possessions!" Brennan shouted.

"Bones," he cautioned, laying a hand on her arm to calm her down. She stood up and left before Booth could finish reading Schaefer the charges against him.

"Did he do it? Was it George?" was the first thing out of Hadley's mouth when Brennan came home. Hadley and Parker were in the middle of an intense game of Trouble at the kitchen table when she arrived and it was automatically forgotten when the door opened.

She nodded once. "I'm so sorry, Hadley."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did he do it?"

"He was jealous." She left it at that. Hadley didn't need to hear about her father's escapades.

Hadley nodded and looked back at Parker. "It's your turn."

Parker looked at Brennan. She nodded for him to continue and the two resumed their game. Brennan watched them for a minute and when Hadley seemed to be handling the news well, she walked to her office and began to work on the paperwork to finish up the Kerr case. She heard the lock on the front door click, signaling Booth was there to pick up Parker.

"Bones?" he called out.

"Dad!" she heard Parker shout. Brennan didn't bother responding. She knew he was looking forward to spending time with his son. She could hear some mumbling and some steps coming down the hall.

"Bones?" It wasn't the voice she expected. Parker stood in the door way, looking somewhat apprehensive.

"Are you coming to say goodbye?" she assumed.

"Hadley's crying. Dad's with her. Is she gonna be okay, Bones?"

Brennan leapt from her chair and herded Parker down the hall. When they got back to the kitchen, they found Hadley's arms wrapped around Booth. He was holding her and as he looked up at Brennan, she moved toward them. She placed a hand on Hadley's shoulder.

"Don't!" Hadley jerked away from Brennan's touch and it shocked everyone.

"Just…don't," Hadley said before she went to her room. Booth looked at Brennan for some sort of answer and when she didn't speak, he said something first.

"What happened, Bones? I came in here and she's practically about to burst."

"I…I-ˮ

"What did you say to her?"

"She asked me if it was Schaefer. All I said was yes. I didn't give her many details."

"You tell a girl who murdered her father and then just leave her alone to deal with it?"

"She seemed fine! She didn't seem to want to talk. Hadley was quite engrossed with that child's game she was playing with Parker."

"Hey!" Parker interjected, "Trouble's for big kids, too. Dad loves that game!"

"Not everyone can compartmentalize as well as you can, Bones."

"I should go check on her." She made a move towards Hadley's room.

"No. I'll go. You need to learn how to communicate with her, Bones. You gotta learn."