Chapter 4

The Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab, 3:00 pm (Eastern Time)

"Our evidence has arrived," Cam said into her desk phone.

"On my way," Angela promised. She hung up the phone and walked out to the platform. Her colleagues were already up there removing the evidence with gloved hands and examining the pieces. Sometimes she was glad that she only had to give a face or chase the killer's trail with her massive computer. The victims weren't always in the nicest of conditions and she still hadn't gotten used to the fact that someone could murder someone else with little or no reason. Perhaps that's why she enjoyed giving them faces and seeing the killers caught but just the same she would prefer a live specimen every now and then.

"Looks like you'll be able to have the skull very soon," Simon smiled as the forensic artist entered the platform.

"Oh and why is that?" She asked.

"Well the flesh is completely gone and the obvious cause of death would be this hole," the intern pointed out the bullet hole by sticking his finger through it.

"Lovely," Angela remarked.

"Simon, Dr. Brennan wants you to examine the kneecaps and bite marks in particular. I'll handle the skeleton layout. You get working on those tissue markers," Cam interrupted the two.

"Yes, Dr. Saroyan," he took the skull over to a separate exam table while she continued to lay the remainder of the skeleton on the first table.

"I get cactus samples?" Hodgins raised an eyebrow as he pulled the pieces of cactus from the box. They had been sealed in plastic containers to avoid the spines from sticking through a bag.

"Hey you're bugs, slime, and plant guy," Cam teased him.

"How am I supposed to analyze this? I'm going to be covered in those spines," the entomologist wondered.

"Suddenly I had this picture of the Coyote and the Roadrunner pop into my head," Simon smirked.

"I always felt bad for the Coyote. He got himself blown up so many times," Angela shook her head.

"Then a Coyote, I'll be," Hodgins smiled as he ran off to his station to have a closer look at the cactus evidence.

"Talk about motivation," Cam chuckled. The forensic artist rolled her eyes and headed off the platform.

"Let me know when I can have the skull," she called over her shoulder. Making her way back to her office, she plopped down into her chair and grabbed her desk phone once again.

"Brennan," came the reply.

"Hi sweetie," Angela smiled despite her best friend not being able to see.

"Am I to assume the evidence has arrived?" The forensic anthropologist asked.

"It has. I hope to have a picture for you soon,"

"Great. I'll talk to you soon," Brennan hung up and turned to face Booth who was sitting across the table from her at a local diner that they had stopped in for lunch. It was only one thirty in Phoenix and they had taken a break from the case.

"Angela promises to have more for us to go on soon," she smiled slightly before looking down at her salad.

"Good. The sooner we can prove that Billy Bob and David didn't kill our vic, the better," he said. Grabbing some fries, he dunked them into the ketchup he'd put on his plate and then stuffed them into his mouth. Brennan made a face and picked up her fork.

"What did your field office have to say?" She asked as she picked up some romaine lettuce and daintily ate it.

"They've been looking for someone with the info I gave them but it doesn't really narrow it down. As far as Mob connections, they're still digging," he said before taking a bite of his burger.

"Why isn't Charlie helping us?" Brennan wondered.

"He was cleared for duty. No more desk work for him," Booth smiled. He believed that Charlie would make a great field agent. He was smart, eager, and he could do anything he could put his mind to.

"Good for him," his partner smiled back. They were just finishing up twenty minutes later when Booth's phone rang.

"Booth," Brennan watched his facial expressions and wondered what was going on. He had this weird look on his face that she couldn't place.

"We'll be right there," he responded. After hanging up his phone, he signaled that they were ready for the check.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"That was Officer Chambliss. Billy Bob and David's lawyer is in the Sheriff's office raising and I quote 'all sorts of hell'. My guess the lawyer is freaking out about the murder charge that won't stick," Booth shook his head.

"All we can prove is that they blew up federally protected cacti and that they were drunk. I'd be upset too," Brennan said as the waitress took their cash and they stood up from the table.

"So far all that adds up to is a fine or thirty days in jail. Especially since they didn't actually catch them driving their vehicle," the G-man rolled his eyes as they exited the building and climbed into the SUV.

"I want to know what my clients are still doing in holding," Daniel Radwan was angry.

"Actually I was going to ask the Sheriff that myself," ADA Julie Sheridan looked at Bosch, waiting for an explanation.

"They destroyed a protected species of cacti and there was a body discovered. We are investigating the possibility of the two of them murdering our victim," Bosch responded.

"There is no way my clients murdered anyone. I read the coroner's report. Its my understanding the Jeffersonian is handling the evidence?" Radwan asked.

"They are," the Sheriff said.

"Then you haven't identified the victim. You can't hold my clients on some charge you're trying to pin on them," the lawyer argued.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can we all calm down?" Booth asked.

"Who are you?" Radwan wanted to know. Booth pulled out his badge and flashed it.

"FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. This is an ongoing investigation and I will fill everyone in when we have more to go on. For the time being, Billy Bob Henry and David Masiello are only being charged with destruction of state property. I will call in a federal prosecutor should anything more than a minor misdemeanor comes into play," he explained.

"Then my clients should at least have a bail hearing," Radwan said.

"They will be arraigned soon that I can promise you," Booth smiled slightly and then turned to the ADA.

"If we could have a word?" He asked.

"Of course," Sheridan smiled and followed him out of the Sheriff's office and down the hall to an empty interrogation room. The two stood in the viewing area and Booth discussed what they had found so far.

"You really think the Sheriff is involved?" Julie wondered.

"Something isn't sitting right. I'm having my field office look into it," he explained.

"I'll have Billy and David arraigned this afternoon," she nodded and left the room. Booth followed hoping that Angela would have an ID soon.

To Be Continued…