Chapter 2

The Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab, Thursday at 1:00 pm

"When did you get this?" Booth asked.

"A few hours ago. Around the time they brought the body in," Brennan said.

"Why didn't you call me?" He wanted to know.

"I wanted to. Then I discovered we had a murder on our hands and I got absorbed in the bones," she sighed. This was obviously draining her. Inside Booth was frustrated but he knew that wasn't what she needed. She needed support and reassurance.

"It's all right Bones. Just promise me next time some thing like this happens, call me right away," he smiled slightly and placed his hands on her shoulders. Brennan nodded and asked,

"So what's next?"

"Well you aren't going back to your place. I'll send a few agents over to sweep the place and check for suspicious packages. Tonight you'd better stay here. Security will be tight and we won't have to endanger the rest of the team," her partner explained. She nodded.

"We do have to inform the team though. I'll have the FBI lab fingerprint and un DNA on this letter," Booth said.

"And what do I do?" Brennan asked.

"Find out who buried our victim at Antietam. Don't let this guy stop you from doing what you love best," he smiled and headed back out into the lab. He had phone calls to make and Jeffersonian employees to inform.

Later, Brennan stood over the skeleton looking for any signs of evidence. Booth was handling both this case and the threatening letter she'd gotten. He promised to be right back after a package bearing the same handwriting and post office stamp was found at her apartment and the agents wanted him there to pick it up. Cam had borrowed the right femur for DNA and she hoped that a run through the system would give them an ID. Angela was using the skull to create a picture as well.

"Dr. Brennan?" Simon interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes?" She looked at him. He'd been examining the legs and trying to discover the age of the healed fractures in the left tibia.

"Are you ok?" It was a legitimate question despite not being about the bones at hand. For a moment, she considered not even answering it but Simon was a good forensic anthropologist and she felt he deserved an answer.

"I have been sent body parts before so a little letter isn't going to frighten me however Jay Moore managed to show he knows where I live and that bothers me," the answer was truthful and Simon nodded. He knew she didn't like to talk about her feelings but her honesty was what attracted him to the job. She would tell him what he was doing right or wrong and there was no question about where she stood.

"Did you find anything?" Brennan changed the subject.

"Only that the leg completely healed before he was murdered. I'm afraid that doesn't help much," he sighed. She nodded and turned her attention back to the ribs.

"I got a hit!" Cam announced as she scanned herself into the platform.

"And the winner is?" Hodgins asked as he scanned himself in to the platform as well.

"Sam Butter, age twenty-seven. Went missing July eighth, nineteen eighty-one," the Head of Forensics replied.

"Sam Butter? Who names their kid that?" The entomologist shook his head.

"Someone who obviously didn't like their child," Simon said.

"Alert Booth. We'll need his missing persons file," Brennan told them.

"I left him a voicemail," Cam nodded.

"So any theories on why someone would shoot this guy?" The coroner continued.

"He probably asked someone to do it with a name like that," Hodgins chuckled, as did Simon. Brennan rolled her eyes and ignored them.

"Whoever it was, was a very good shot. The chances of hitting the sternum in such a way that in only broke into four pieces are astronomical," she said.

"What if our killer placed the gun to his chest?" Simon wondered.

"It's possible and the angle would seem to suggest it. I'll have Angela work up a trajectory since we don't need a face anymore," Brennan was glad the intern was back to business.

"Sounds good. Hopefully Booth will be by soon," Cam agreed.

"Ask and you shall receive," the FBI agent was half way to the platform.

"So what did you find?" Brennan asked.

"First, here's that file you asked for. Second, the package in your apartment is at the FBI lab for testing. In order for things to be impartial, they'd better take a look at it. I want the case against Jay Moore to be air-tight," he explained.

"What was in the package?" Hodgins wanted to know.

"A pair of eyes. Baby blues, if you must know," Booth looked like he was going to lose his lunch.

"Eyes?" Cam had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Is he trying to tell me something?" Brennan wondered.

"They say the eyes are the window to the soul," Booth shrugged.

"I'm willing to bet, he wants you to look for something. No doubt, he'll send you more notes," Hodgins said.

"Why? There is DNA in those eyes. We'll be able to identify the victim," Brennan looked confused.

"Won't tell you where they're buried or what he did with the rest of the body," the entomologist pointed out.

"It's a game of cat and mouse," Cam nodded.

"And I'm guessing I'm the mouse," Brennan said.

"So it would seem," Booth shook his head. His concern for his partner made this situation unbearable. They had no idea where Jay Moore was or why he continued to taunt them instead of leaving the US. He'd had a lead on them in the time department and still the bastard remained in the States. The Canadian government had been warned too but there was so much unoccupied space up there, Moore could have mailed the note and package as he was on his way toward the border. Worse still, if he was caught, Canada would only extradite him if the threat of the death penalty was off the table.

"Well Bones, why don't we have a look at the missing persons file?" He hoped to change the subject.

"Sounds good. We need to know who was the last person to see him," Brennan nodded. Booth opened the file and read.

"Butter was reported missing by his folks when he didn't show up for their Fourth of July festivities. Given the holiday and the fact that Butter was an adult, they waited three days then were able to file a report,"

"He could have been dead and buried before three days," Brennan shook her head.

"Anyway, they searched for weeks but found nothing. No note, his car was still at his apartment, and so was his wallet and keys. It was a blitz attack. The murderer came to his apartment, grabbed him, and killed him sometime later," her partner told the group.

"So who was the last to see him?" Hodgins asked.

"The girlfriend, Mandy Manning," Booth said.

"So I guess we know where to start," Brennan nodded.

To Be Continued…