So…latest Bones episodes are awesome even though I'm really angry at Hart Hanson for stating that he likes the squinterns and how they bring more stories to the Jeffersonian and he has no plans to bring back Zack. !
Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, Forty chapters here we are. P.S. If you can name the episode that is mentioned in this chapter you get a special present.
Chapter 40
The Child in the Box
With Angela and Jack on their honeymoon I was picking up the extra work, I didn't mind really. But I despised bugs and dirt so I tended to stay away from that aspect of my work. Plus I knew nothing about entomology. Cam agreed that we'd have to live with out that for the next week or two.
Shortly after Zack and I arrived at the Jeffersonian Booth came in with a big box.
"Brace yourselves for this one." said Booth. Dr. Brennan, Zack, and I hovered over the box. Dr. Brennan opened it up and I chocked a little at the sight. It was a little boy. He had been stuffed into that box like a poorly packed peace of meat.
The cardboard was falling apart from all the blood that had been in the body.
"Male," said Zack, "Approximately four to eight years of age…cause of death to be determined."
"Dr. Calloway, once we get the body on the examination table you may begin collecting samples." I nodded slowly putting on the white rubber gloves. He was so little and someone just threw him away.
Zack and Dr. Brennan put the boy on a slab as Cam joined us.
"Do we know anything yet?" asked Cam, her question mostly directed at Booth.
"Workers at a waste dump reported the box. Local cops showed up, looked inside, and called us." said Booth. He had a hand over his mouth and nose. He was probably uncomfortable by the smell. I continued to stare blankly at the small body. Cam seemed to notice this.
"Althea, are you ok?" she asked. I nodded my head quickly. "Do we have anything except for dentals for identification?"
"I might be able to pull some DNA from the tissue left on the body. I can try to make a 3-D image of that the skull looked like from the instructions Angela left me and run it through the database for Missing and Exploited Children." Cam nodded.
I grabbed everything I needed and went to my lab to work on it. I managed to pull DNA from the tissue and ran it all through the system, no children turned up there and it was still running some of the samples that didn't match each other. I also grabbed the clothes to check for any particulates that may have been left on the clothes.
I began to follow Angela's instructions once I got the skull and managed to work her fancy machine to give us a face, granted I needed a lot of help from Dr. Brennan. But I did it.
Three hours later I got a match. I saw Zack walking into Dr. Brennan's office where Booth stood waiting.
"I got a match." I said starring blankly. "Keith Grayson, he's four years old. His parents Robert and Clara Grayson reported him missing six months ago." I said uncomfortably handing Booth the file. "When Keith was three, Roberts got out of prison for assault on a police officer and a few other minor infractions."
"The victim had a lot of healed up fractures, the ribs had been fractured at least twice in a span of four months." Explained Zack
"That would suggest the child was abused," said Dr. Brennan.
"Come on Bones, let's go inform the parents." Dr. Brennan and Booth exited her office and Zack turned to me.
"There is distress in your voice, is something bothering you?"
"That little boy, Zack, he is so small. I've never worked on remains this small before." I said as we walked out of Dr. Brennan's office.
"When Booth and Dr. Brennan first began working together we found a child around the same age. Dr. Brennan says that it's better to distance from the victim, look at the remains as just another set of remains. She says you will never get used to it. But it helps you cope." he said grabbing my hand. I nodded still shaking.
"I'm going to go and check on some of the liquids we found, perhaps the mass spectrometer found something good." I walked to the lab and took a look at the evidence. The Mass Spectrometer had managed to find something, grapes, alcohol, as well as distilled molasses and sugarcane juice. I read of the list to Zack.
"That's grape juice and rum." said Zack as Cam stood behind him
"How does a four year old get rum and grape juice on him?" asked Cam.
"The grape juice is obvious; he's a little kid, but the rum…" I went to the examination table and took a look at the clothes. I scanned them into the computer. It showed the clothes, the shirt in particular. It showed the shirt clean and what the stain would have looked like when it first happened. "The evidence shows that the rum was mixed into the grape juice. Based on the dispersal of the liquid I would say that someone threw it on this kid."
"Like an angry felon father." said Cam "I'll let Booth know." She stepped out.
Booth and Dr. Brennan arrived at the Grayson residence. It was a normal middle class house with a garage fit for one small car. They stepped out of the car and headed to the man's house. It was a small town in Southern Virginia.
Booth nocked on the door, his badge held up high for the person to see. Robert Grayson opened the door. He was not a slim man, his shirt was clean and he was shaven.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Mr. Grayson I'm Special Agent Booth from the FBI and this is Dr. Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute…you reported your son Keith missing six months ago." His friendly expression changed to a sad one.
"You…you found him?"
"We're very sorry for your loss." he said and allowed them to enter the house. "Clara, they found Keith…he…he's dead…." He sat down on the couch in the cramped living room. Clara came in with a drink in her hand; it appeared to be grape juice. Clara had dark hair and blood shot eyes.
Booth's cell phone rang "Booth, really…thanks." he hung up and walked over to Clara. "Is that grape juice with rum?"
"W...why would you say that?" asked Clara
"Keith was found with a stain of grape juice mixed with rum on his shirt."
"Rum?" question Robert standing up. "You promised you would stop drinking."
While the duo was questioning the parents I was looking for murder. Zack asked for me to help. The body hadn't been de-fleshed. Zack wanted me to take one last look before he began to do whatever it was he did to make the bones all clean.
I took a look at the neck. There were impressions. I shined the magnifier over that part of the body and got Zack's attention.
"What do you think it could be?" I asked him.
"Something was used to strangle the victim." said Zack, "A belt perhaps?" I took some shavings from that part of the victim and handed it to Zack. "Perhaps I'll be able to get the exact belt. Certain belts are maid with a lacquer to make the material stronger." I nodded
"And after you and I need to start doing some serious wedding planning." Zack nodded.
I walked back to my lab. The DNA was running and would take forever to get anywhere. There was work to be done. My mass-spectrometer beeped. It had gotten something else. I read the paper on the screen and paled.
"Cam!" I walked out with a printout, quickly looking for her. "Cam,"
She was in her office. She looked up at me with concern. "This victim had diphenhydramine and atropine, in his system." Her expression blanked. "1.5 milligrams each, but since he was four it would have some serious effects on him. Their hallucinogens and not ones that Joe public can get his hands on." (A/N not sure if they are or aren't public. I'm doing my best)
"What kind of state would Keith be in during the effects?"
"If he was strangled by…hypothetically his mother and she used a belt the drugs would make him think that his mother was giving him a fancy scarf. He wouldn't have struggled, which explains why Zack found no marks on the body to suggest that Keith fought back." I placed the paper on her desk. "Queen of the Lab!" I announced for the first time since I began working at the Jeffersonian.
"Please tell me you didn't just say that." begged Cam.
"Come on, I love beating Jack and Zack. Why should they have all the fun? Besides Jack isn't here so someone had to compete with Zack." I laughed.
Zack had cleaned the bones which showed extensive fractures on his legs and hands. He was strangles and stuffed into that box. It sickened me. Zack also found a history of broken bones starting from the time he was three. That was a lot of broken bones for a four year old.
I sat in my office waiting for DNA to come in writing something, I don't know what, but I was writing it.
Zack came in and sat down on the couch next to me. "Are you still having trouble with the size of the remains?" I shook my head. "Then what is bothering you?"
"Do you want to have kids?" I asked suddenly. I had thought about this for a while now, ever since Donny. I had to know. After all, successful and happy families tend to have at least one child in them, usually naturally born or adopted. Zack and I were getting married starting a family directly follows that.
"Why the sudden query?"
"I…I…we are getting married in a month, basically. We will simply be two people in a house. I want to know if you want a family." I said. "We both grew up in exceptionally large families so we are pressured and expected to have children, but if—" I was promptly interrupted by Zack's sweet lips touching mine.
He held the back of my head with his hand.
"Althy, a family indeed includes children and if I did not want a family with you I would not have asked you to marry me. Think rationally about this. Besides I highly doubt we would have much choice in the matter with both our mothers pressuring us to procreate." I laughed lightly.
"Knowing our mothers I accept that as a valid argument. Was that rational enough for you?" I asked. He nodded. "Thanks, now about the wedding. Jack contacted a non religious person to marry us, knowing how totally useless religion is to us. I contacted a catering company—" For the second time I was cut off. This time it was my cell phone. I picked it up. It was Jackie. "Hello Apple Jacks, how's Lance holding up after meeting with your parents?"
"I need to talk to you about that. Professionally…patient to therapist…confidentiality and all that,"
"Uh, sure, when do you want to meet?" I asked.
"How about we meet at lunch tomorrow at my apartment?" she asked "I'll cook a traditional Japanese meal."
"Sounds good, your place, at noon." I said and hung up. I looked at Zack. "Looks like I'm meeting up with Jackie tomorrow."
Speculations are welcomed about what Jackie wished to discuss with Althy and what it has to do with Sweets. I wish to ask all of you guys that love my story to read the Heart of the Family by Rochelle Templer. Rochelle's amazing insights into the childhood of Dr. Sweets has inspired the upcoming events.
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