A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. Hope you like it. Thanks to all my reviewers!
Chapter 16
FBI Lab, Phoenix, Arizona, Thursday at 11:30 pm
The FBI lab technicians were still combing the car for evidence a few hours after the accident. CSI Mendoza offered to pitch in, as he felt bad that the partners had been on their way to see him when the accident happened.
"How long have you been doing this?" A female red haired technician, named Jamie, asked him.
"Ten years. I've seen a lot but this scene has me puzzled," Oliver admitted from his chair at the computer station.
"I may not have been here that long but I'm right there along with you. Why shoot Agent Booth when the car was already in distress?" She placed her gloved hands on her hips and looked at the driver's side door.
"An experienced driver like Agent Booth would have known to downshift when the brakes failed. Instead he chose to jerk the vehicle into the nearby parking lot," he shook his head.
"Maybe we're looking at this wrong. Where is the printout of the car's computer system?" Jamie wanted to know as she walked over to him. Oliver handed it over and she read through it for the third time that evening.
"The computer noted that the brakes failed at six thirty-five pm," she indicated by pointing to the front end of the vehicle.
"At six thirty-six, the emergency brake failed," she said as she was still standing there.
"Then at six thirty-seven pm, it noted that there was a malfunction in the electric window controls on the driver's side rear door. That was because the circuit was cut when the bullet passed through the driver's door and into Agent Booth," Jamie walked over to the passenger side of the car and pointed at the bullet hole. Oliver followed her logic and walked over to her.
"It also notes that the speed of the vehicle has slowed to twenty-five miles an hour," she paused.
"Ok, so we know the light turned red and Agent Booth hit his brakes. They fail and he moves to the E-brake. This fails and before he can do anything else, a round pierces the door and hits him in the side. At this point the vehicle's speed should be much greater than twenty-five miles an hour as the speed limit on that stretch of road is forty miles an hour," Oliver tried to piece it together.
"You're right but the car was still in drive up until the computer stopped recording when the car flipped onto it's side," Jamie told him.
"The evidence doesn't add up. No way that car was in drive at the time of the accident. It couldn't lose speed that fast in that gear," he shook his head and pulled open the driver door. Climbing into the vehicle, he looked at the brake pedal and the column shift. Nothing seemed out of place but something wasn't right.
"Hand me the fingerprinting kit. I want to make sure Agent Booth is the only one who handled this column shifter," Oliver told her. Jamie rushed over to the desk and retrieved the equipment he needed.
"What are you thinking?" She asked.
"I'm thinking that our Good Samaritan might not be so good. He was left with Agent Booth in the car until the police arrived," he explained.
"So he might have shifted the car back into drive, knowing the car wouldn't go anywhere because it was on its side. He was trying to make it look like Agent Booth acted improperly in the accident. But then why have a shooter aiming for the vehicle too?" Jamie wondered as Oliver retrieved a set of prints.
"Perhaps we have two separate entities working here. Scarpini's men messed with the car and someone else put the bullet into Agent Booth," he said.
"That seems more plausible," she agreed.
"Even if I'm incorrect, we'd better make sure that we have an armed guard at the hospital. Whoever started this is going to want to finish it," Oliver told her. Jamie nodded and quickly went for the nearest phone.
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Friday at 12:30 am
Brennan sat next to her partner waiting for him to wake up. He'd been in surgery a little longer than Dr. Tulane had expected as they'd only been in the hospital room together for half an hour. The forensic anthropologist grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. She wanted him to know she was there.
In the back of her mind, she knew she should be calling the Jeffersonian and Rebecca about what had happened but it would be three thirty in the morning on the East Coast. There would be no point in rousing people from their sleep until Booth woke up.
"Dr. Brennan," Officer Chambliss had silently entered the room without her noticing. She turned and looked at him.
"Can we speak out in the hall?" He kept his tone low. She nodded slowly and reluctantly left Booth.
"What is it?" She asked once they were away from her partner.
"I've been unable to contact Sheriff Bosch all evening. He's not answering his cell phone or his home phone. I sent a couple of squad cars out to his house but he isn't there," Chambliss explained.
"Do you think he's in danger?" She wondered.
"After what the forensic team told me, I'm thinking it's more likely a suspect," he told her.
"Pardon?" The forensic anthropologist didn't know what he meant.
"His standard issue rifle is missing and the forensic team thinks that two teams of persons were involved in tonight's incident," Chambliss said.
"He shot Booth?" She wasn't sure how much the officer knew about Bosch's financial records.
"I'm looking into it. ADA Julie Sheridan sent me some financial records that showed the Sheriff's strange activities. Seems her office is pretty certain something illegal is going on at our office," he shook his head.
"Well I'll offer any assistance I can," Brennan told him.
"For right now, there is nothing. I'm posting guards at your door. Around nine am, a team of FBI agents will be here to take over. Tell Agent Booth that I hope he gets better soon," with that Officer Chambliss left. Brennan returned to her partner's side more worried now than she was before.
To Be Continued…