Chapter 3
She had to push the pain away. She had always been good at stopping emotional pain. She simply built up walls and wouldn't let them down. She had to build up walls to protect her from her physical pain so that she could stop and think. She had to rationalize. There had to be a rational explanation. There was always a rational explanation. She knew she had to assess her injuries, but as she tried, she realized that she couldn't. She couldn't assess anything. Not her injuries, not her surroundings, nothing. She couldn't asses anything because she couldn't see. She screamed out in horror.
*****
Wednesday
4:30 AM
"There better be a damn good reason why we're out of bed at four in the morning," Hodgins exclaimed as he slid his badge through the security box and walked up on the platform. Angela strode up the steps behind him, her eyes barely open.
Brennan and Booth were standing on the platform, Brennan's eyes transfixed on the computer screen while Booth continued to flip through the same file he had been looking at in his office.
"There is," Brennan assured them. "Thank you for coming."
"I don't see a body," Angela muttered.
"There is no body," Booth told them.
"Ok, so there's no body and I don't see any bones or any other disgusting material that you all seem to love either, so what's going on?" Angela asked.
"It's not exactly one of those cases where a body is necessary," Booth explained.
"Let me remind you," Angela said, pointing her finger in Booth's direction. "You woke us up at four o'clock in the morning so instead of playing these guessing games, could someone please explain to us what the hell is going on?"
"Collin Brown," Booth answered.
"Are we supposed to know that name?" Hodgins asked.
"You will," Booth answered. "Long story short, Collin Brown murdered five women several years ago."
"A serial killer?" Angela questioned.
"The worst kind of serial killer," Booth answered. "He tortures his victims before murdering them."
"Tortures them how?" Hodgins asked.
"Starvation, rape, burning, beating, psychological…" Brennan explained.
Angela put up her hand. "Ok, sweetie, that's enough."
"What makes him the worst kind of serial killer?" Hodgins wondered.
"There's no motive," Booth answered. "He kills for the thrill of it. He doesn't ask for a ransom, he doesn't even know these women as far as we can tell. He picks them out of a crowd and tortures them and kills them for no reason."
"And then," Brennan added. "He sends the FBI a video tape of the torture."
"As lovely as all this is, what does all of that have to do with us?" Angela asked.
"He's set to be released from prison at noon today."
"What? Who would like a psycho like that out of prison?" Angela questioned.
"We didn't really have much to convict him on. The case relied on a crappy witness and not much else," Booth said.
"Gotta love our government when they let serial killers out of prison," Hodgins commented.
"This isn't one of your conspiracies, Hodgins," Booth said.
"Sounds like a conspiracy to me," Hodgins replied.
"Conspiracy aside, are these people crazy?" Angela asked. "Why are they letting him out of prison now?"
"Like the term psycho, crazy is another word we overuse in this society," Brennan informed tem. "But, to answer your question, Angela, no, they're not crazy. There really was no evidence in his case."
"But he did commit the crimes," Booth quickly responded.
"Yes, but in this country we live by the motto that you are innocent unless proven guilty. You didn't prove him guilty. So technically, he should be set free," Brennan explained.
"Brennan…" Angela said, sensing the annoyed look at Booth's face.
"What do you want us to do?" Hodgins interrupted. He did not want Brennan and Booth to have one of their infamous blowouts in the middle of the lab. At four in the morning, he just didn't have the patience for it.
"Analyze the evidence," Brennan answered.
"The only thing that put him away was an eye witness statement that was iffy at best. We need hard evidence. That's where you come in," Booth said.
"Consider it done. So, where is this evidence that we're supposed to be analyzing?" Hodgins questioned.
"Should be here any minute," Booth replied. "The FBI is sending over everything they've got."
"Any bugs and slime?" Hodgins asked almost a little too excitedly.
"Probably not," Brennan answered.
Booth looked at the file he was holding in his hand. "Mostly it's some of the things they grabbed from his house. Some rope they were never able to do much with, but thought it might have been used on one of the girls. His clothing and shoes that he was wearing at the time he was picked up. Some more of his personal affects."
"That's not a lot to go on," Hodgins said.
"That's why you're the best," Booth responded.
"I thought you said I was the best," Bones remarked.
"You're the best with bones. Hodgins is the best with…"
"Bugs and slime," Hodgins finished.
"That's right," Booth said.
Brennan chose to ignore them all. "There will be some particulates on his clothing and shoes. And maybe we can pull something from the rope. Hopefully we can find something that will tie him to the location of the last murder."
"We'll have to get samples from the location," Hodgins said.
"They should be in with the evidence," Booth said. "If not, we'll have to go out there and get more samples."
"That wouldn't work," Brennan said.
"Why wouldn't that work?" Booth asked.
"Anything we might find in that location could be different than it was years ago. It would never hold up in court," Hodgins explained.
"Then hopefully the samples that are in the evidence locker are good enough," Booth said.
"Hopefully," Hodgins agreed.
"What exactly am I doing here?" Angela asked.
Brennan pointed to Booth. "He said the only way Hodgins would come is if you came."
Angela glared at Booth. "You mean I could be asleep right now?"
"We'd like you to take a look at the video tapes," Brennan said.
"That might not be necessary," Booth responded. Brennan gave him a confused look.
"But Angela is the best we have when it comes to analyzing…"
"I know," Booth said. "I just don't know if it's necessary for her to look at them."
"Look," Angela said, stopping their argument before it could really get started. "I'll take a look at the tapes, but first I'm going to make some coffee."
Angela walked off.
"I'm going to help her," Hodgins responded. "I'll start with the evidence as soon as it gets here."
"Thanks Hodgins," Brennan said as Hodgins went off after Angela.
"Why'd you tell her that?" Booth asked.
"Tell her what?"
"That I made you call her."
"Because you did."
"You still didn't have to tell her."
"That would be lying."
"It's not lying. It's…extending the truth."
"How is that not lying?"
Booth shrugged. "Look, Angela doesn't need to look at the tapes."
"Why not? She's excellent as analyzing photographs and videos."
"I know that, Bones, but these tapes aren't exactly the most appealing things to watch."
"Angela's a professional. She'll be fine."
"We'll see," Booth said as he began to walk away.
"Where are you going," she asked, as he headed towards the end of the platform.
"I'm going to go to my apartment, take a shower, maybe catch a ten minute nap and then I'm going to go give Collin Brown a piece of my mind before he gets out of prison and starts killing again."
"I want to go," Bones stated.
"To my apartment to shower and nap? If you wanted to get in the shower with me, Bones, all you had to do was ask," he said, smirking.
"You know what I meant."
"No," he said.
"No, you don't know what I meant?"
"No. No, you're not coming with me."
"Why not?"
"Because you need to go home and get some sleep. You've been up all night."
"So have you."
"Yeah, but I'm me and you're you."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you need your rest. You get cranky when you don't sleep."
"I do not get cranky!" She nearly shouted, placing her hands on her hips.
"Uh-huh," Booth agreed sarcastically.
He turned and walked down the stairs off the platform and towards the door.
"I'm going with you," Brennan said, chasing after him.
"No you're not."
"Yes, I am. We're partners. This is what we do."
"Sometimes, Bones. This is what we sometimes do. Other times, you work in the lab and I go and do field work so we can catch the bad guy. So that's what I need you to do."
"That's not fair!"
Booth stopped and turned around to look at her.
"Trust me, you don't want to come."
"Yes, I do."
"Let me explain something to you, Bones. There aren't words in the English language to describe Collin Brown. He is an…evil, creepy man. The things he does to women..." Booth paused. "The things he does to women are unfathomable."
"I know, I read the file."
"I don't want you around him."
"Booth, I can take care of myself."
"Trust me, I know that."
"We've dealt with evil, creepy serial killers before and it's never been a problem."
"This is different."
"How?"
"Because I know this guy, Bones. He's worse than anyone we've encountered before and he's been in prison for a long time. He probably hasn't seen a woman in years and the last thing I want is for the first woman he sees to be you."
"I think I can make that decision on my own, Booth. I'm not afraid of him."
"I know you're not." He took a long breath. "Look, there are no bones in this case. No reason for you to get involved."
"You're involved. That's reason enough for me. I didn't stay up all night going over files just to sit on the sidelines. Besides, you've got my people analyzing your evidence so technically we're all already involved."
Booth smiled. "Your people, huh?"
"What?"
"Since when did you have people?"
Bones shrugged. "I don't know, but it's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"Personally, I prefer the term squints instead of people."
"I know you do, but now you're changing the subject. I'm going with you."
He sighed. "Alright. I'll drop you off at your place and pick you up in two hours. We'll visit Collin Brown together, but if he so much as looks at you the wrong way..."
"I'll break his nose," she finished.
"That's my girl."
They both walked out the front door and towards the elevators.
"Why do you say it like that?" Brennan asked as soon as they were inside the elevators.
"Here we go," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Here we go what?"
"I knew you'd get on my case about the 'my' girl thing. It's just an expression, Bones. You know, like the song."
"I have no idea what you're talking about and that wasn't what I referring to."
"You weren't going to yell at me for calling you my girl?"
"No although now that you mention it, I should be yelling at you because I certainly don't belong to you and I'm certainly not a girl so the saying really doesn't fit..."
"What is it that you were referring to, Bones?" Booth interrupted, knowing that she could go on forever.
"His name."
"Whose name?"
The elevator stopped at the ground floor and the doors opened. Booth stood back and let Brennan walk out in front of him.
"Collin Brown. You always say the whole name together. You never just say Brown and you never just say Collin. It's always Collin Brown. Why?"
Booth shrugged. "I don't know."
"I bet Sweets would have something to say about that."
"Says the woman who doesn't believe in psychology."
They approached Booth's car and he opened the passenger side door.
"I'm capable of opening the door myself," Brennan said.
"Just get in the car, Bones."
"I don't know why you insist on doing things for me that I clearly can accomplish on my own. Am I handicapped in any way? No. Do I need your assistance for any reason? No."
"Do you want to come with me or not?"
"Of course I do."
"Then get in the car...my girl," he said, smiling.
Brennan stepped up into the SUV.
"Don't call me my girl!" She shouted as Booth slammed the passenger side door closed. He couldn't stop smiling as he walked around the front of the car and got in. Only she could make him smile right before he was about to face a serial killer, who, in the matter of hours, was about to be set free.
Author's Note: Well, I hope you liked it! I had a lot of fun writing the end part with Bones and Booth talking/bickering. Scenes like those are quickly becoming my favorite parts to write. Anyway, there should be another update soon because I've been writing up a storm today! Thank you for reading and please review!
