Chapter Two – Cursory Identification

Tempe leaned in and examined the hip of the fire victim. The fire had burned at a high temperature at first, effectively charring the flesh of the man on the top side of his body, while leaving the bottom side only seared on the outside, but no doubt liquefied within. This was a corpse that Cam would normally deal with, not Tempe, though she didn't feel like pointing that out to Booth. She was wearing gloves, but she still used hemostats to pry at the item that had probably once been in the man's pocket

Someone kneeled beside her – she wasn't sure who because the hotsuit was a different color than the FBI used. Tempe covered the hand of the victim almost possessively and stared up at the person who was inching in on her crime scene. The vaguely familiar face before her was saying something, though she was unsure what. She'd turned off the filter that would allow her to hear outside sounds. She'd not wanted distractions. In fact, she'd only switched on the speaker that would allow her to hear Booth.

Tempe found the dial that adjusted the speaker and sound filters. The man before her must have realized this, for he said, "I was asking if you had found something, Dr. Brennan."

She looked more closely at the face behind the protective shield. Clark Edison. "Isn't this an FBI Crime Scene?" she asked, sounding far more elitist than she'd ever intended.

Clark Edison drew back a bit, regarding her with a look she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I see no reason why we can't help one another," he replied. "Your focus will naturally be on the body, and you don't seem to have a team to examine or catalogue any other evidence. Certainly there should be a great deal of evidence at this scene. I had thought a cooperative effort would be a scientifically acceptable method. We can certainly let you take the lead."

The last words held bite and Tempe cringed. "Yes, of course, Mr. Edison. I could use assistance," she acquiesced, realizing by his frown that she'd still managed to offend him somehow. "I recently spent some time in Peru, where everybody wants nothing more than to interfere in a crime scene. I don't think I've completely readjusted."

"Any idea why?"

"I think they somehow confused anthropologist and archaeologist."

He snorted. "They must have thought you were Laura Croft."

"Who?"

"Tomb Raider."

"No," Tempe said, shaking her head. "All my papers were in order. It could hardly be considered raiding."

Edison gave her an incredulous look. "I meant the video game -- Tomb Raider. It's very popular."

There was an uncomfortable silence in which Tempe felt a little like she had in the first year and a half of working with Booth. She finished prying the melted metal away and examined it. Edison closed in and examined with her. "What do you think it is?" he asked

"If this were a body from the prohibition era, I'd guess a hip flask, though it must have been made from something that melted easily. Either that or his pocket was a flash point. There's also some strange beading here, but it could have been two separate items – perhaps a rosary wrapped around a flask. I'm not allowed to do a smell test now…"

"It probably smells like liquor," Edison inserted, finishing her thought. "Perhaps it even provided an inadvertent accelerant."

Tempe shifted uncomfortably. Clark Edison was very bright and well-versed on forensics. She'd chosen not to hire him because she was still hanging on to hope that Zack would return, which he did shortly after Edison's interviews were terminated.

"Are you with the police now?" she asked, as she bagged the metallic item.

"The new priority crime unit has added a few civilian specialists. I'm interning with Dr. Chavez as part of that unit, and I should finish my doctoral thesis this fall. "

"Dr. Chavez is very good and very picky. He doesn't take just anyone."

"Like you?"

Tempe blushed. "Dr. Addy returned. It was the reason the interviews were terminated."

She had allowed Booth's conversations to become background and so she was surprised to see him lean down beside her. "What can you tell me, Bones?"

She grimaced. There was little point in telling him not to call her that. Truth be told, she'd probably miss it if he did. She wasn't about to divulge that charming revelation.

"Man or woman?" Booth asked.

"Man." She turned to give Booth more of her attention. Even behind the face plate of his hotsuit, Tempe could see that he looked pale and exhausted. "My cursory guess at age is early forties. There is tissue on the lower side of the corpse, so DNA will be simple. Moving the body will require some cautious effort because of the heat of the fire. The fat inside the seared tissue will be liquefied so…" She could see that Booth was starting to look nauseous so she desisted.

"Do you have any other clues to identity?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Tempe glanced back at Edison, who was still there. "Booth, this is probably a priest. I'm sorry." She wasn't sure why she had apologized. It just seemed like the thing to do.

"Rosary?" Edison asked.

"That and the age of the individual, the time of death, the sex, and what is left of the right shoe. Priests do not often buy new shoes, even when they are needed. You can see that the sole is not rubberized, but leather over a hardwood block heel, something we wouldn't have known if that foot had not been protected by his other leg. If those shoes were not nearly as old as the man here, they came from a vintage clothing store."

She heard Booth sigh heavily and there was sorrow in his brown eyes. "Thank you, Tempe," he said softly. And that was very strange. He'd just called her by her first name.

"Keep this information as quiet as possible – the press is trying to get anything they can." Booth ordered, after taking a long, deep breath. He turned toward Edison. "I've agreed not to lock the police out of the crime scene, but be aware that most reporters have a police radio. Do as Dr. Brennan directs or you'll have to answer to the FBI."

Booth stood and walked away. Tempe could tell by Edison's expression that he did not like being ordered around by Booth. He returned to measuring the scene, and she resumed her focus on the body. She hoped this wasn't the priest that Booth had spoken so highly of, but something in his demeanor made her fear that possibility.