4.
Ah poor Sweets, what is going on with him? We will find out fairly soon….
Booth & Sweets head to the Jeffersonian where Sweets begins to partake in the case but not as involved as Booth would like. Sweets seems to be still pushing the case off on the issue being accidental or suicide- anything but murder. When they get back to the FBI building Booth goes to talk to Sweets who is late in getting back to the office, despite the fact they left at the same time. Booth voices his concern that Sweets is not actively involved in the case and suggests he should not be the lead. To this, Sweets vows be more clear headed and work on the case more diligently. Brennan learns the identity of the younger man, Carl Sager, thru a hip replacement surgery. After the untimely death of his wife the man took up a short lived stint as a thrill seeker but gave it up. The older man's identity is still unknown.
The next morning was proving to be a fruitful one as Booth found two voicemails in the early morning from Sweets on his phone. Sweets had discovered that Carl Sager had gone into debt with his wife's illness and gone into the trucking industry. By placing his house for sale he bought a big rig to live - and work in. The job would keep him off his bad hip as well. Sweets second voicemail informed him that he had located the missing truck and was sending an FBI forensics team out to collect any evidence and take it to the Jeffersonian.
Booth wondered why he preferred the Jeffersonian team look over something so regular as what would most likely turn out to be fibers at the crime scene instead of the FBI office and have them send the results to the Jeffersonian. Booth shrugged as he figured Sweets had his reasons.
Booth was left with another question, what time did Sweets leave the messages?
Booth opened the door to Sweets office and watched as the man jumped when Booth came in.
"Looking at comic books again Sweets?" Booth teased him at the sudden jump in what he perceived was playing around on the computer.
"Booth, good morning." Sweets said trying to pass it off as nothing.
"Hey you left me those voicemails at like eleven last night. How late did you work?" Booth asked.
"Late enough." Sweets said yawning.
"Why? You could have checked that stuff out this morning. What, didn't you want to go home last night?" Booth teased.
Sweets eyes flared for a second but he shook his head like it was no big deal and looked for something to say.
"Look Sweets, I know the whole romance thing hasn't been going well for you with the Daisy debacle and then the Jessica debacle." Booth said in a tone that teetered between teasing and compassion. "But you know it'll work out one day. Perhaps with someone who doesn't have a long pony tail, high voice and is employed by the Jeffersonian Institute."
Sweets shook his head in annoyance but enjoyed the light conversation between the two of them, he seemed to welcome the distraction. He got up and walked out of this office as Booth followed. "Thank you agent Booth, perhaps I will troll the possibilities here at the FBI."
"Can't date people at work Sweets." Booth teased as they walked to the coffee maker when Booth noticed something. "Hey what's that big scratch on your chin?"
Sweets froze for a second as he touched the surface of the skin that obviously hurt to his touch. "Oh, that…uh…"
"Damn Sweets, it's all purple too! What did you do?" Booth said coming closer to inspect the mark that was hidden below Sweets chin enough you could not see it at first glance.
"Oh, it's nothing." Sweets said with a quick glance to Booth. "Well, I mean yeah it hurts but it's so dumb, I was so tired when I left my dress shoe slipped on the step while I was yawning. I hit my chin on the step outside my place."
"Oh." Booth said thinking it sounded plausible. "You gotta be more careful." Booth warned him.
"Yeah I will." Sweets said pouring a cup of black coffee and sipping it with great anticipation until his phone buzzed. "Ah, looks like the forensics team did find some fibers in the cab…" Sweets scrolled thru the message. "But not much else. Yuk, that's what I was fearful of."
"What's that?" Booth asked wondering if this is what it was like to be the one waiting on the information instead of doling it out.
"Well the truck was in a swamp. I was hoping enough of it was above the muck, but looks like very little was." Sweets said though he had a slight sense in his tone that he didn't care either way.
"Okay, so what's next?" Booth was anxious to get to the case, do what came next. Sweets seemed more content thinking and drinking his coffee.
"We need to find the identity of the other man." Sweets said taking out his phone. "I'll call Dr. Brennan."
Sweets saw that Booth had taken out his phone too. "Oh sorry Sweets, habit." Booth apologized and put his phone away. "You should make the call."
"It's fine Booth, you are married to her." Sweets headed back to his office. "Just let me know what she says."
"No, Sweets you should, you're the lead on this."
"Booth being in the lead is also about knowing when not to push something that's not important." Sweets smiled and headed back into his office.
Booth headed back to his office and called Brennan.
"Hey Bones, do you have an identity on that other guy yet?" Booth asked.
"No, nothing yet. We have run some of his known information thru the computer but we have no matches - much like Carl Sager. Sager was never actually reported as missing even though he's been dead for two weeks."
"With his wife passed and working on a truck alone he must not have any family or apparently friends." Booth guessed. "If it took him across country with his load even the company may not have noticed he was missing."
"Well Angela is running the other man's credentials thru a facial reconstruction and see if we can… oh wait a minute Booth…what's that Angela?" Brennan spoke with Angela a moment and then came back on the phone.
"Okay Angela has a hit, still no missing persons filed. She has an 82% match on him. His name is Ross McLaughlin, his profession is a private detective out of DC."
"Great Bones, I'll go tell Sweets!" Booth said excitedly.
"Oh that's another thing Booth, I have a bag of evidence that just arrived from the forensics team of the FBI, why didn't he just have them run it thru your lab?" Brennan asked.
"I dunno, Sweets has been sort of different lately."
"Yeah I've noticed that too. What do you think it is?" Brennan asked, concern laced in her voice.
"Maybe it's nothing. Maybe he's just trying to be in control with the lead on the case and all, maybe he just has his own way of doing things." Booth said with hope in his voice. After he said goodbye he headed for Sweets office not only to tell him the news but to figure out if there really was anything more to his change of behavior.
"Hey Sweets." Booth said coming into his office. "Sweets?" Booth asked again looking around.
Before Booth could say it again Sweets stood up from behind his desk.
"Hey Sweets' what's wrong?" Booth said walking closer to see a pale faced Sweets.
"Nothing, I just…my pen…it rolled under the desk all the way to the back and I had a damn hard time getting it." Sweets said holding the pen out.
"You look sort of winded." Booth said believing there was more to it.
"Oh, yeah, I feel so dumb, I got my head stuck. For a second I thought I was done for. Don't tell anyone." Sweets said sitting down with a much needed relief. "I'd feel so stupid if anyone knew."
"Okay." Booth said sitting on the corner of Sweets desk and feeling more at ease as he watched the psychologists' smile return. "Oh hey, Bones called, well, she didn't call, I was talking to her when Angela came over."
"Ross McLaughlin?" Sweets asked.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Booth asked in surprise.
"Angela sent me the file a few minutes ago, probably after she told Brennan." Sweets explained. "What are you thinking, what's a trucker and a detective doing in the middle of nowhere?"
"Is there a punch line?" Booth kidded.
"I wish that's all it were." Sweets said as the seriousness crept back in. "I'd like to know what he was investigating."
"I'll get on it - if you want." Booth said. "Or would you rather me track down his car - maybe it's hidden like the truck was."
"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind looking for his car I'll check out this guy." Sweets said, a look of determination on his face Booth admired as he saw Sweets back in the case again.
"Sure thing Sweets." Booth said heading to the door. "Hey how about lunch? You look hungry."
"Yeah maybe." Sweets said offering a smile as Booth left.
Booth walked out the door with a renewed confidence, it seemed as though Sweets was really on the case now, he felt relieved.
Booth found the make and model that McLaughlin was known to drive and by lunch had located a car that had been seen on the side of the road outside of town. Booth checked the location of the truck and found it was south of the crime scene, this car was north. Still he was interested in this car.
He picked up the phone to call the forensics team but this time he wanted to see the car himself. He liked field work - see the car in its setting. He would go and see the car, which wasn't far and then bring it in for processing. This time it wasn't stuck in a swamp so it could be examined fully in the lab. He was happy with that idea Sweets would agree. Booth headed to Sweets office.
Booth walked in Sweets office without knocking as usual to see him put a notepad in the portfolio case he often carried with him. Sweets jumped as Booth came in unannounced.
"Geez, Booth, could you knock sometimes?" Sweets said startled while moving his notes to the edge of the desk opposite Booth.
"Maybe I did last time you were on the floor finding a pen and you couldn't hear me." Booth joked.
"I doubt it." Sweets answered sarcastically.
"Hey Sweets, find anything on McLaughlin?" Booth asked.
"No, nothing." Sweets said jogging some paper.
"Well, I found the guy's car." Booth said happily. "I have it secured. Let's go look at it."
"Why?" Sweets asked look, a pale look on his face. "The forensics…"
"Sweets sometimes it's about fieldwork - come on let's go!" Booth said playfully but he noticed that Sweets didn't seem as amused. He looked around with that pensive look again and nodded.
"Okay, uh, let's go then." Sweets said looking around at his desk. Booth wondered why Sweets seemed to need to leave things with a certain order.
"Sweets, it will all be here when we get back." Booth assured him.
"Right, uh, I'll just take my notes." Sweets said taking his portfolio and holding it rather close Booth thought.
"Sure, but I'd take my gun."
"Oh shoot..." Sweets said going back for it.
"That's not the right thing to say when getting your gun Sweets." Booth teased hoping to ease the tension of the younger man. He wanted Sweets to be mindful of the case but he felt like Sweets needed to loosen up too. Booth figured he was pretty tense on his first case too.
"Hey, mind if I drive?" Booth asked. "I mean nothing wrong with your car it's just that…"
"That's fine!" Sweets quickly agreed earning a raised eyebrow from Booth. "I mean, use your gas not mine, that's fine."
The pair walked out of the office.
"Hey there it is, up there." Booth said and noticed a tension overcome Sweets face. "I've got forensics on the way Sweets, we're still doing this by the book."
"Yeah, yeah. Good." Sweets said, still oozing tension.
Sweets and Booth pulled up behind the car on the side of the desolate and dirt road. Booth approached the police officer who stood by their car to gather any information he may not have gotten on the phone.
"Agent Booth?" The officer asked him to which Booth nodded. "We spoke on the phone, I did as you asked and haven't touched anything."
"Thanks, do you know when the car was first spotted?" Booth asked.
"Not until about two days ago." The officer answered. "We're a small county but we keep busy with calls and other matters."
"Other matters?" Booth asked.
The officer smiled. "We had a parade recently."
Booth nodded at the tribulations of small town sheriff work and glanced at Sweets who was watching their conversation intently but kept a distance instead of joining them. Booth began to wonder why but it was a typical of Sweets lately to do strange things so he didn't ask.
"People don't drive down this road often." The sheriff continued and thus gained Booth's attention again. "We may not have found it yet had the game warden not come down this way to take a piss."
Booth nodded and looked back at Sweets seeing a sight that made him quickly rush over.
"Sweets what the hell are you doing?" Booth asked.
"What? Uh nothing. I'm just looking in the window." Sweets said but his nervousness was impossible to hide.
"Sweets you were wiping off the car door handle! What that the hell!? Now we can't get any prints off it!" Booth seethed keeping his voice low enough so the local law enforcement couldn't hear him.
"No, I wasn't I was just…" Sweets voiced pleaded forgiveness and guilt.
The forensics team pulled up behind them causing Booth to walk away from Sweets and see them. Sweets took a step away from the car and looked inside.
Booth and the forensics people stepped in front of Sweets, it was obvious Booth was pissed but he took a breath.
"Sweets you can't do anything by accident at crime scene okay? You know that by now." Booth chided as Sweets nodded along consenting to his ill choice.
Both agents stepped back as the forensics people went thru the vehicle and collected items in evidence bags.
"Do you want these to go to the Jeffersonian?" Booth asked Sweets as they were done collecting items. Sweets eyes looked over his shoulder for a second and back to the techs as he nodded yes.
"We'll take the bag now and you can tow the car there." Booth suggested.
"I'll just need you to sign these sir." The tech said to Booth who looked at Sweets who had hardly said a few words except a few extra things to collect from the vehicle.
"He's the lead agent, he should sign it." Booth said.
Sweets held the pen in hand but seemed resistant and scribbled his name. Booth noticed it hardly looked like his regular penmanship perfect signature.
"Here you go sir." The tech said handing the bag of evidence to Booth. "We will get this car to the Jeffersonian soon."
Booth headed to the officers to say that the car would be towed and to say goodbye.
"I'll be in the car." Sweets said taking the evidence bag with him. Booth wanted to say it was good habit to talk to the local police in case they needed them later but he was getting exhausted with Sweets behavior. Instead he went and talked to the local officers, gave him his card and stepped into the car.
At the Jeffersonian Booth walked up to Brennan to talk while Sweets took the evidence bag up to the platform.
"So you found McLaughlin's car?" Brennan asked.
"Yeah but nothing on what McLaughlin was working on before he disappeared." Booth explained.
"Wasn't that what Sweets was working on?" Brennan asked.
"Yeah, I guess he didn't get anywhere." Booth said as they joined the others on the platform.
"Hey this evidence bag is open." Hodgins said looking at it.
"Oh, yeah I just opened it for you." Sweets said looking at the table.
"Sweets you know that isn't procedure." Cam said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, I was just anxious to get started." Sweets said though Brennan noticed a tremor in his right hand.
"Next time Dr. Sweets, please exercise patience." Cam warned as they emptied the bag with several fibers, a package of cigarettes, a can of soda that Sweets thought the man might have been drugged with, a wallet that was kept in the glove box.
"Why is the wallet not with him?" Angela asked.
"Long car rides, guys take it out of their pocket so they don't have to sit on it the whole way." Booth explained.
"Cards is still in it, some cash so this wasn't about robbery." Hodgins observed.
"I thought there was some notes." Booth said looking around. "Sweets wasn't there some papers?"
"I don't think so." Sweets said.
"Yeah I'm sure there were."
"Do you mean these Booth?" Brennan said holding out a bag.
"Yeah, maybe." Booth said looking at the bag. "These look like insurance papers, I thought I saw like notebook papers."
"I should get back to the office." Sweets said turning to leave. "You'll call me if you find anything?" Sweets asked the squints.
"Yes of course." Cam said.
"Wait, Sweets, what are you going to walk?" Booth asked.
"Oh, I thought you might want dinner with Dr. Brennan." Sweets said. "I can call a cab."
"No, Sweets that's silly. I'll take you back to the office."
Booth and Sweets were headed back to the office and Booth couldn't help wonder what Sweets was doing with that door handle and he was sure that there were notes in the car. He looked over at his protégé who looked pale and exhausted.
"Sweets when did you eat last?" Booth asked bluntly breaking the young man from staring at nothing out the window to the darkening outdoors.
"Huh? Oh this morning." Sweets said.
Booth didn't buy it. "What did you eat?" Booth asked.
"What? Oh, uh, cereal?" Sweets answer sounded more like a question.
"Are you sure that was today or was that yesterday?" Booth asked but Sweets rubbed his head.
"I don't know Booth, I'm just, I'm sorry, and I'm just tired." Sweets said.
"Well you need to eat and sleep Sweets, they go hand in hand to be a good agent with a sharp mind." Booth wanted to encourage Sweets but based on his reactions it seemed more like he was coming across as a nagging teacher.
"Thanks." Sweets said in what seemed to Booth like a grasp at sounding gracious. Truth was though Booth had a tingling sensation that something wasn't right. If I'm training Sweets in some way I need to go all in. He told himself as he turned the car to a sharp right.
"Where are we going?" Sweets asked with surprise.
"The diner. You need to eat something and then we'll go over the case." Booth said and as he saw Sweets mouth open to argue he added, "No arguments."
Sweets shut his mouth without a word being said, seemingly because Booth knew Sweets knew he wouldn't win short of sitting in the car like a child while Booth ate.
Booth sat in his seat while Sweets sat slowly across from him.
"It wasn't that long of a car ride to be cramped." Booth said.
"Must have just pulled a muscle." Sweets said setting his portfolio with his notes to the side.
"What can I get you two?" Then tentative waitress asked.
"Coffee." Sweets ordered.
"Sweets it's like six at night." Booth said but realized the younger agent must have been trying to stay awake. "Oh, I'll take the same and how about our usual's?"
The waitress walked away and Booth found himself anxious to get rid of her not caring much what Sweets truly wanted to eat. He was pretty sure that "anything" was a good start.
"Sweets what's keeping you up at night?" Booth asked.
Sweets shrugged. "Nothing, it's just…this case."
"Well it's nothing grizzly." Booth said as the waitress returned with two cups of coffee and left.
"No it's not that." Sweets said taking a sip of the hot coffee.
"Is it taking the lead on the case?" Booth asked. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought you couldn't do this. Sweets you can do this."
"Thanks Booth." Sweets said taking another cautious sip.
"I mean there's nothing about this case you can't handle." Booth went on hoping it was adding more confidence to the psychologist/profiler/agent. "There's nothing to beat yourself up over."
The heavy diner mug slipped from Sweets hand crashing on the counter spilling hot coffee on him. Sweets jumped up as most of the sparse diner patrons turned at the sound of the noise. Conscious everyone was looking at him Sweets nodded that he was fine.
"Damn Sweets are you okay?" Booth said stepping forward at the reddening of Sweets hand from the hot liquid. Booth saw it was all over Sweets white shirt and must have burned his chest as well.
"Yeah, just give me a second okay?" Sweets said hurrying to the restroom.
Booth sat down so everyone else would as well and he knew Sweets certainly didn't need help in the bathroom. He was pretty sure the hot liquid on his skin hurt and imagined Sweets was running some cold water over it.
Booth's phone rang distracting him.
"Hey Bones." He said answering.
"Booth, where are you?" She asked.
"Sweets and I stopped at the diner for a bite to eat."
"Good, Sweets was looking deficient in proper nutrition." Brennan observed. "However I was calling because of a couple of things I found. There were cigarettes in the vehicle however upon closer inspection of Mr. McLaughlin's teeth I can tell that he was never a smoker."
"Really?" Booth said surprised and recalled that Sweets suggested they collect the cigarettes. "He must have had someone with him. Anything else?"
"Yeah, I have an address that was there, do you have something to write on?" Brennan asked.
Booth reached in his pocket but realized he left his pocket notebook on the dash of the car. He reached over and picked up Sweets portfolio to use a page of notebook paper.
"Yeah go ahead." Booth said flipping to a new page until the old page got his attention. It was three pages worth of notes on Ross McLaughlin and what he had been working on before his disappearance, all in Sweets handwriting. Booth seethed as he recalled Sweets having told him he found had found nothing on McLaughlin.
"Bones I've got to call you back." Booth said as Sweets returned to the table.
Sweets looked at Booth holding his notebook as the waitress arrived with food.
"We're going to need that to go." Booth said seething with anger.
Sweets carried his box of hot food much in the same way Booth carried his – with great disinterest. The car ride back to the FBI building was a quiet one though Sweets seemed to be anticipating quite a conversation that never took place. Booth felt like a father who was trying to get his thoughts in order so he could yell at his child because he felt that was what Sweets was acting like.
They got back into the building. "Your office." Booth said with gritted teeth. By the time they arrived Sweets appeared to be less like a kid in trouble and more like he just didn't care which made Booth even more angry.
As soon as they got to Sweets office Booth slammed the door shut and turned to face Sweets but before he said anything he shoved his hand into Sweets inner chest coat pocket and pulled out folded papers. Sweets rubbed his chest at the interaction but Booth paid more attention to the pages he unfolded.
"Dammit Sweets!" Booth shouted as he held McLaughlin's papers in his hand, the missing evidence pages. "Stolen evidence? Tampering with evidence? Trying to push the case off on suicides? LYING to your partner, your friend about not finding out anything?!" Booth's voice raged with anger as he shouted, each word reaching a greater disappointment and fury inside.
"What's it been eight years Sweets? And you just…what the hell were you thinking?" Booth shouted but Sweets only bit his lip as his eyes searched Booth's face.
His lack of an explanation infuriated Booth more. "For a smart guy Sweets you're damn stupid. This can and will end your career - I can't trust a guy who helps the bad guy. I mean, this isn't all an accident is it?"
Finally Sweets shook his head no.
"Then tell me Sweets, please give me an explanation on why the hell you would throw away all the trust I had built in you!" Booth shouted but Sweets only seemed to shrink inwardly the more Booth shouted. He shook his head no and stood perfectly still.
"That's all you have to say to me? You're not even going to tell me why you lied to me? You're going to throw this all away without any explanation?" Booth continued to shout but Sweets' face was filled not with sadness or fear but an expressionless calm.
"You son of a bitch." Booth said at Sweets demeanor as he walked to the door. "To think I trusted you – that was the biggest mistake I ever made."
Booth walked out the door slamming it in his wake as he stormed down the hall. He stopped when he got to the end of the hall, looked at the evidence in his hand, evidence from Sweets pocket. How could Sweets do that? It doesn't make sense. Right Seeley it doesn't make sense. Sweets has been there for you, times you pushed him away again and again, the first time he pushed you away you yelled and ran. Booth sighed as he put the papers in his pocket. You shouldn't have yelled, that's why you waited till you got here, to control your temper but it didn't work. What would Sweets say about that? Booth wondered to himself without realizing he had asked himself the automatic question. Maybe you should find out, and while you're at it, find out why he's acting so strange and why he would risk it all on some case.
As Booth thought about the fact it didn't all add up more and more the faster his pace picked up as he walked back to Sweets office. As per his usual he didn't knock and instead just barreled thru the door. As he did he was filled with far more questions that he had in his inner conversation before. Sweets coffee soaked shirt sat on the floor as Sweets stood before an overnight bag before him pulling out a tee shirt. He hadn't put it on yet so Booth could see the one thing his attention was drawn to the most – the completely bruised and scarred chest that Sweets was sporting.
Sweets jumped when Booth stood there having seen the sight before Sweets fell back from the surprise entrance. Booth realized how on edge Sweets had been lately and suddenly got an idea it wasn't because of caffeine- he was scared – down right terrified of something and his injury ridden chest was a good indication he had reason to be.
"Sweets!" Booth said approaching him as Sweets backed up from his position on the floor until he ran into his own desk.
"Booth, no, it's nothing. You're right, I was wrong to…"
"Sweets!" Booth said stopping him and crouching next to him. Sweets held the tee shirt close to his chest with his arms crossed over it defensively but Booth could still see the nauseatingly dark bruises on the skin up to the neckline – everywhere covered by a shirt. His arms were laced with circles or possible burns and more bruises and even a few cuts. Booth then saw the darker red circle on Sweets neck, hidden by the collar of his shirt but made Booth knew by a stun gun.
"Sweets what the hell is going on here?" Booth asked the man who had been so stoic lately. "How does this not hurt?"
"It does." Sweets said. "I didn't want to lie to you." Sweets stoic and apathetic gaze began to break as his eyes grew red and his breathing increased. "I had to."
"This….this has something to do with the…." Booth wanted to say lies but suddenly he felt terrible for everything he had said, even worse than before when he came back to Sweets office.
"I'm sorry." Sweets said trying to collect himself as his indifferent face returned and he tried to put his shirt on giving Booth more time to see the bruising and become even more concerned about the three ribs be presumed might be either broken or at least fractured. "It's not…I can't…"
"Sweets you can't even get your shirt on." Booth said helping him. "And you're going to tell me what's going on." Booth's tone was like the dinner invitation, one not to be denied. "And I think you'd better start from the beginning."
Okay in my time zone it's still "today" to count for the daily update. Reviews are welcome. What do you think so far?