Chapter 15

Sharpsburg Public Library, Sharpsburg, Maryland, Wednesday at 9:00 am

Booth and Bones walked into the library and Margot smiled at them. She finished helping the customer she was with and then walked up to them.

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, what brings you back to my little library?" Margot asked.

"We have some questions to ask you. Can we talk in private?" Booth wondered.

"Sure, right this way," the librarian allowed them behind the desk and into her office. She offered them seats on the other side of her desk while she took the one behind her desk.

"So how can I help?" Margot smiled.

"Marie Fick was a librarian. How well did you know her?" Booth got right to it.

"Very well. It was so sad when she died and left Leon on his own. I guess he's with her now though," the librarian said.

"No, he'll be buried in the plot next to her," Brennan told her. Margot gave her a look.

"What kind of person was Marie?" Her partner moved forward.

"Warm, loving, she'd do anything to help people," Margot said.

"Would that include exchanging her husband's nine millimeter with a squirt gun?" The FBI agent wondered.

"What?" The woman seemed surprised but her body language said otherwise.

"We took the evidence box that contained James Donaldson's case and the weapon turned out to be a squirt gun. And we know it wasn't originally a squirt gun. In fact the weapon proved to belong to Leon Fick," Booth explained.

"Oh dear," Margot's behavior now told the partners she knew more than she was telling.

"We've already proved that Leon Fick's weapon was used to kill Sheriff Boyd and since the Sheriff died after Leon's weapon should have been in storage…" the implication given, both partners looked at the librarian for an answer. When she didn't give one, Booth decided to prod her.

"If you did it, we'll be forced to charge you as an accessory to murder. You could be looking at twenty-five to life." At the sound of that, the librarian broke out into sobs. This wasn't the reaction the partners were expecting and Brennan turned to Booth.

"Perhaps you'd better start from the beginning," he said.

"This whole thing has gone out of control," Margot dried her eyes.

"What has gone out of control?" Brennan asked.

"After Marie died, I used to go and check up on Leon. He had no family left in the area and his sister wouldn't talk to him. I felt bad for the old man. We were friends and I thought it was a good thing to do. Every Tuesday and Thursday we'd have dinner together. At holiday time, we'd give each other gifts or I'd bring leftovers to him. Then when Sam Butter's body turned up, things changed. He kept making excuses as to why I couldn't come over and ignoring my messages. So one night I went over unannounced to check on him," she paused.

"What happened?" Booth wanted to know.

"Leon was drunk, very drunk. He started to swear at me and say things that I'd rather not repeat," Margot explained.

"What else happened?" The G-man continued to try to get the information from her.

"He threatened me with one of his guns," she said.

"Which one?" Brennan asked.

"His nine-millimeter. I left as soon as he threatened to shoot me," the librarian told them.

"We never recovered his nine millimeter from his house. Did you talk to anyone else about this?" Booth wasn't happy where this was headed.

"Sheriff Townshend," Margot told them. Something was still amiss but the FBI agent didn't let on.

"We're going to need your fingerprints to exclude them from Fick's house. Bones, you have your kit right?" he looked to his partner.

"Yes," she nodded and took his keys so she could get into the SUV. While she was gone, Booth's phone rang and he excused himself.

"Booth,"

"It's Cam. Angela was able to match the bullet from the tree to Fick's weapon,"

"Excellent. Can you put Sally on the line?" He had an idea.

"Sure, one second," the Head of Forensics nodded even though Booth couldn't see her. There was a pause on the line and then he could hear the familiar voice on the phone.

"Hello Agent Booth. What can I do for you?" She wondered.

"You know those unidentified prints you found at Fick's house? I may have a match for them. Do you have those prints with you?" He asked.

"No, they're locked in my desk; couldn't make copies of those. But it shouldn't be a problem as the prints are on my computer. Have Dr. Brennan scan them in and she could make them," Sally explained.

"You're computer doesn't have a password or anything? And how do I get to your office?" Booth wondered.

"I'll give you all the instructions," the forensics expert told him the password and directions so that he and Brennan could enter from the back of police headquarters. He thanked her for her time and hung up. Turning back to the librarian's office, he saw his partner taking the fingerprints they needed. Now all they would have to do is go talk to the sheriff.

The Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota, Wednesday at 11:30 am

Charlie watched TV from his bed at the hospital while thoughts of explaining the mess he'd gotten himself into floated about in his head. He was in so much trouble. When Cullen got through with him, Booth would surely take a crack at him. Looking to his leg, which was elevated off the bed, he sighed. "Active Duty" where two words he wouldn't be hearing anytime soon. Jay Moore's bullet had entered just below his knee and his leg was in a cast from his mid-thigh down to his toes. Heaving a sigh, he tried to focus on the TV, hoping there was some news about the shoot-out at Evan Smythe's cabin. He didn't have to wait long as CNN came on.

"There is more information on the shoo-out that occurred yesterday in North Dakota. The FBI has released a statement saying that they have captured the serial killer, Jay Moore with the help of Fargo's SWAT team. An FBI agent, Moore, and a SWAT team member were shot during the incident but none of the injuries have proved to be life threatening. Moore will be extradited back to Virginia where he will be held for at least three counts of murder. More charges will be filed upon identification of the remaining victims," the news anchor relayed. Charlie heaved another sigh, this one of relief that it was over and there were no serious injuries. It was then that he heard the door to his room open. Expecting a nurse, he turned to see who it was with a smile on his face until he saw who it really was.

"Agent, we need to have a chat,"

"Yes Sir," Charlie swallowed hard as Deputy Director Cullen took the chair next to the bed and moved it so he could look Charlie in the eyes.

To Be Continued…