A/N: I'd like to wish all my readers Happy Holidays. This will be the last update of 2009. I look forward to seeing you all in 2010. :)
Chapter 11
Tax Hut Location Number 3, Wednesday at 3:00 pm Mountain Time
"Agent Booth, over here," his Phoenix counterpart called as he and Dr. Brennan exited the SUV. The Sheriff and Chambliss had followed behind them in the sheriff's car. Apparently, the evidence they needed was right under the concrete sidewalk.
"We picked up this on the Ground Penetrating Radar," Blachura pointed to a picture on the screen of the piece of equipment.
"What do you think Bones?" Booth turned to her. She studied the picture for a few minutes before answering him.
"I'd say that you've got a humerus. Anyone have a jackhammer?" Booth nodded and called over to the forensic team.
"I want all this busted up and all the body parts found. Get it to the coroner ASAP," The team got working and Brennan turned to her partner.
"So are we going to speak to Scarpini again?"
"Yes we are. Sheriff you want to tag along?" The G-man wondered.
"Yes I do," Bosch nodded. The quartet quickly hopped back into their separate vehicles and headed for Scarpini Construction.
Scarpini Construction, Wednesday at 4:00 pm Mountain Time
When the group arrived at the business the front door was locked and all the lights were off.
"A little strange for a Wednesday afternoon, don't you think?" Booth asked.
"I'll say," Bosch commented.
"Booth, look at this," Brennan called his attention to a spot of something on the ground.
"Looks like blood," he said as she went to the SUV and retrieved her kit. Opening the kit, she removed a cotton swab and a squeeze bottle of Phenolphthalein. Testing the sample she took, she confirmed her partner's suspicions.
"Blood it is. Odd that this drop forms into a trail; they look as though they have directionality," the forensic anthropologist seemed puzzled.
"Could be our missing shooter from David's apartment," Chambliss said.
"Could be. Either way that's more than enough probable cause to enter the premises," Bosch told them. All three men pulled out their standard issue weapons and walked around the side of the building to avoid smashing the glass door and alerting anyone inside that someone was there.
The back door was wooden and Booth easily kicked it in. Quickly the three men entered the building with Brennan right behind them.
"Vinny Scarpini FBI!" Booth shouted out. There was no response and they shifted their focus around the office. The receptionist's desk was empty and the door to Vinny's office was closed and there was no light on anywhere. Fanning out all the spaces were checked and found to be empty. Booth whipped out his cell phone and phoned the agents at the Tax Hut.
"We need a team to look at a blood trail and search for anything else involving drywall tools. I want an APB out on Scarpini," he said. He must have gotten a satisfactory response as he hung up right away.
"I'll call in the boys and get roadblocks set up. He's wanted for murder and I'm not letting him get away," Bosch told them.
"Good. Thanks Sheriff," Booth smiled. The change in Bosch's behavior was duly noted and the G-man had his doubts. He knew that leaving the last case open before retiring wasn't something that any person in the business that long wanted but trying to convict two boys who had nothing to do with the crime wasn't right either. Somehow he had either been threatened or something. He'd still not heard from Washington about the background info and he figured he'd call in the morning.
The Coroner's Office, Wednesday at 7:00 pm Mountain Time
"So what do we have here?" Chambliss asked as the group arrived at the coroner's office a little while later.
"Male, early thirties, six foot, gunshot to the back of the head," Dr. Riley said.
"I concur. One big difference from Reggie Sanderson is that this victim has his kneecaps," Brennan pointed out.
"So someone different killed this guy. We know that if Charles Reed had killed Reggie he didn't keep a trophy. The search of his house didn't find any kneecaps," Booth told them.
"Vinny probably has them," Bosch shook his head.
"I'm packaging everything for the Jeffersonian and Agent Blachura is already searching missing persons reports," Dr. Riley let them know.
"Good. Hopefully we'll get lucky with the roadblocks or the reports," Booth heaved a sigh. There was more info but it didn't lead anywhere useful.
"Can we lay this all out straight? I've been left out of the loop," the coroner asked.
"Think you can offer any help?" Bosch wondered.
"You never know," Riley shrugged.
"Well we've identified our first victim, found out that Vinny Scarpini "loaned" him money, and he somehow went from Charles Reed's backyard to the desert," Booth said.
"Ok. So what is this fella doing on my table?" Riley wondered as he and Brennan began packing the skeleton up.
"He was found under the sidewalk at one of the Tax Hut's that Charles Reed owns. We believe that Reggie killed this guy and buried him in the concrete for Vinny. However what remains unclear is why Reggie ended up in Charles Reed's backyard, where Charles Reed and Vinny Scarpini are, and the blood trails that the lab is busy trying to identify. On top of that, the man who got away from David Masiello's apartment after trying to kill him, is still on the loose," Chambliss stepped in.
"Where'd this guy get shot?" Riley looked thoughtful as he stopped wrapping the body up.
"We don't know. He never turned up at any hospitals," Booth said.
"That might not be entirely true," the coroner told them. He moved from behind the examination table and headed over to the wall of small freezer doors. Out of the eight on the wall he opened the second on the left in the second row and pulled out the tray.
"This guy was dumped at a hospital around one o'clock. He was already dead so they called me to come pick him up. Does he look familiar?" Riley wondered. They all walked over to take a look.
"Son of a bitch," Booth cursed.
"That is Charles Reed," Bosch shook his head.
To Be Continued…