Chapter 11
She heard her name. Whoever had taken her picture, whoever had stripped her of the clothing she had been forced into, was saying her name. It was a male voice. She knew she had heard it before. She tried to remember it. She thought long and hard as he said her name over and over again. Then she knew. She knew she wouldn't make it out alive.
Thursday
4:57 PM
Within minutes, Booth had Hodgins, Angela, Cam, and Sweets all huddled on the platform around the metal table that normally held bodies in various states of decomposition. This time, the table held only one item: the envelope still inside of the evidence bag.
"How did it get into the FBI building?" Cam asked.
"We're looking into that now," Booth replied.
"There's no postmark. No actual address except for your name. I'd say it was hand delivered," Hodgins remarked.
"Yes, but hand delivered by whom?" Angela questioned.
"Collin Brown might be changing his MO to taunt us, but he's not stupid," Sweets stated. "He wouldn't risk hand delivering the envelope. He probably hired somebody to do it. Poor schmuck probably had no clue what was inside of the envelope."
"It could still have prints," Booth said.
"Doubt it," Sweets responded. "He wouldn't be dumb enough to leave prints."
"Then we'll find something else!" Booth yelled.
"Ok," Cam said, trying to remain in control of the situation. The last thing she needed was for Booth to fly off the handle. "Hodgins, you take the envelope and look for any particulates or prints or whatever else you can find. Angela, you look at the pictures. See if you can give us a location of where they were taken or..."
"I don't think that's such a good idea," Booth interjected. "The pictures aren't...pleasant."
"I appreciate you looking out for me," Angela said, putting her hand on Booth's arm, "but I can handle this."
"Are you sure?" Cam asked.
Angela had a tear in her eye when she spoke. "If it'll help us find Brennan. Then yeah, I'm sure." She turned to look at Booth. "She's my best friend. I want to find her as much as you do."
"I know," Booth replied. "Thank you."
"I'm going to help Clark with examining our exhumed victim," Cam said. "Even though the body was burned, maybe we can find something useful."
"I'll be profiling Collin Brown," Sweets added.
"And I'll be standing here in the middle of all of you working doing absolutely nothing," Booth said, sighing. He knew everyone was trying their hardest to find her. They each had something they were good at to contribute and he felt like he had nothing. Everyone stared at him, but no one knew what to say.
"Ok everybody, let's get to work," Cam finally said, breaking the silence. Hodgins, Sweets, and Angela walked away, leaving Cam alone on the platform with Booth. She put his hand on his hand, but he pulled away.
"I can't do anything, Cam. I'm useless."
"You're not useless, Seeley. You're the glue that binds us altogether."
"Yeah, well that glue is about to fall apart."
"You just have to be strong."
"I don't know how much longer I can do that."
"We'll find her."
"You don't know that."
"We'll find her," Cam repeated.
"The only question is, will she be alive or dead?" Booth asked, not even wanting to think about what he had just asked. Of course it was a possibility. Of course she could already be gone, but he wasn't going to give up until he found her and brought her home to him.
"Go home, Seeley," Cam urged.
"I can't go home."
"You haven't slept in days. You've barely eaten...you haven't showered."
"Are you saying I smell?"
Cam crossed her arms. "If you want to find her, you need to be at your best. You know that. If we find something, we'll call you. You could be her in five minutes with that siren thingy."
Booth forced a smile, knowing she was right. "I'll rest, but I'm not going anywhere."
"Seeley..."
"Bones has a perfectly good couch right here in her office."
"Sleeping on a couch does not count as sleep."
"I need to stay here, Cam. I need to be a part of this."
Cam nodded. "Ok."
"Wake me up if you find anything. Promise me. Even if you think it's insignificant, wake me."
"I promise," Cam said.
Booth nodded, knowing that he had to put his trust in the people Brennan trusted the most.
"Thanks, Cam."
"We'll find her, Seeley," Cam said as she gave him a quick hug before walking away to attend to the dead body that was in her office.
Booth glanced around, seeing other squints at work. They were all going on with their usual work. Watching them work on identifying remains that were hundreds of years old and analyzing ancient artifacts and pond scum infuriated him. Brennan was missing and everyone was going about their day as if nothing had happened.
Shaking his head, Booth walked over to Brennan's office. He stopped at the doorway and looked inside, half expecting her to be there at her computer. Of course, she wasn't. Booth took a hesitant step inside. Even though any other day he would simply walk into her office with no problem regardless of whether she were there or not, he felt like he was invading her space.
Booth trudged in slowly and made his way over to the couch. He sat down and put his hand on the empty spot next to him. He and Brennan had spent countless hours on that couch going over evidence, producing theories, eating Thai food, and otherwise just chatting. He realized with her gone it was those moments he missed the most. He missed just being able to talk. He missed hearing the sound of her voice.
Booth was longing to go back to his office to keep working. He wanted to be watching the videotapes of the people coming in and out of the FBI building to see if he could find whoever dropped off the package to him. He wanted to be doing something, but he knew Cam was right. If he wore himself out, he'd be useless and he needed to be at the top of his game. Booth stretched out on the couch and laid his head on one of the throw pillows.
9:23 PM
He felt like he had just closed his eyes when he heard someone calling his name. It was a female's voice. Booth's eyes immediately sprang open and he sat up. An unfamiliar woman was standing over him. The first and only thing that he noticed was that she wasn't Bones. She was, however, a tall woman with dark brown hair and equally as dark brown eyes hid behind classy wire framed glasses. She wore a black business suit and black high heels that clearly gave a 'don't mess with me' feel.
"Agent Booth?" The woman asked.
"Yes," Booth said, standing up.
"I'm Special Agent Cassandra Temple."
She stuck out her right hand and Booth shook it. She was definitely a woman with a strong handshake.
"What can I do for you, Agent Temple?"
"Please, call me Casey. I'm the agent in charge of your partner's disappearance."
Booth's jaw nearly dropped. "Excuse me?"
"The bureau has assigned me to the possible kidnapping of Dr. Temperance Brennan. I was told she was your partner and that I could find you here."
"Possible kidnapping? Bones was kidnapped by Collin Brown."
"Bones? I'm not sure I understand."
"It's my nickname for Dr. Brennan," he explained as calmly as possible when he was anything but calm.
"That's…interesting," she said with a furrowed brow. "You are aware that there is no evidence that suggests Collin Brown is in any way involved."
"This is ridiculous," Booth yelled, fuming. "He has her and..."
"You're jumping to conclusions."
Booth clenched his jaw. If the agent standing before him wasn't a woman, he would have hit her by now.
"A serial killer who kidnaps women, tortures them, and kills them was released from prison yesterday. I just happen to be the agent who put him in prison and now my partner is missing! If you think that's jumping to conclusions than you should go back to Quantico."
"Agent Booth, I realize you're upset over your partner's disappearance, but I assure you, I will do everything we can to find her."
"No, I will do everything I can to find her! I'm not handing this investigation over to you!"
"You don't have a choice. The bureau has assigned me this case."
"She's my partner!"
"Then you should have known that the case would be given to another agent. The bureau doesn't allow agents to investigate cases having to do with their partners or family members. I've already been briefed on all of the evidence that has been found so far in this case and I assure you that I will do my best to find your partner."
"Look, I know Bones better than anybody. And I know Collin Brown better than anybody. If anyone is going to find her, it's going to be me!"
"And that's why I want you on my team, Agent Booth. But make no mistake, I am the lead investigator on this case. I will be making the decisions. And I do know your partner." Casey took a file out of the bag she had slung over her shoulder and flipped it open. "Dr. Temperance Brennan is one of the best in her field of anthropology…"
"She is the best," Booth said quietly.
Casey chose to ignore her. "She is also a best selling novelist. Her parents disappeared when she was sixteen. She was put into foster care and..."
"You know the facts. You don't know Bones."
"You have two choices, Agent Booth. You can work with me or you can be off this case for good. You choose."
Booth took a deep breath. He knew he really didn't have a choice.
"You'll want to look at the pictures," he muttered.
"Pictures?"
"I guess you don't know all of the evidence," he said sarcastically.
"I know everything that was processed through the FBI. Were these pictures brought to the FBI's attention?"
"They were brought to my attention," Booth replied, obviously annoyed.
"Well, now they are officially FBI evidence. May I see them?" Booth didn't answer. She put her hands on her hips. "Agent Booth, either you agree to play nice and take me to see those pictures or I'll have a judge decide that you are to have no involvement in this case. What will it be?"
Booth didn't bother to reply. Instead, he led the way out of Brennan's office. He hated the idea that someone else was going to be in charge of finding his partner, but he knew Casey was right. He should have known that they would take him off the case. It was FBI policy, after all. It didn't make it any easier to accept, though.
Booth walked over into Angela's office. He stopped at the doorway and looked at her, sitting in front of her computer. He could tell that the image on the monitor was a blown-up portion of one of the photographs he had been sent. Booth heard her sniffle and he knew that she was crying. His heart went out to Angela. She wasn't like Brennan or any of the other squints. She wasn't able to push aside the human aspect of crimes like the others were. She felt everything like he did.
Not wanting to disturb her, but knowing he'd have to, Booth knocked on the door. Angela turned around, quickly wiping her tears away.
"Angela, this is Agent Temple," Booth introduced. "Agent Temple, this is Angela Montenegro. She's our sketch artist and all around computer whiz." Angela smiled at the compliment as she shook Casey's hand. "Agent Temple has been put in charge of Bones' disappearance."
"What? I thought you were in charge," Angela said, completely surprised.
"He was, but now I am," Casey replied.
"With all due respect Agent Temple, Booth should be in charge of this investigation."
"With all due respect Ms. Montenegro, that isn't for you to decide. And please, call me Casey."
"But Booth will find her." Angela choked back a sob. "He has to find her."
Booth put his hand on Angela's shoulder as she wiped away a few stray tears.
"Agent Booth will still be a part of this investigation. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at the photographs."
Angela reached beside her and picked up six evidence bags, each one with a photograph inside.
"I've scanned the images into my computer so I can digitally enhance them," Angela explained. Casey grabbed a pair of latex gloves out of her pocket and put them on quickly. She gingerly took one of the photographs out of the bag. "All I've been able to tell so far is that obviously she's being held somewhere with a cement floor. A basement of some kind maybe."
"That's guess work, Ms. Montenegro. Not facts."
Angela leaned in close to Booth. "I don't like her," she whispered.
"Were you able to tell anything else from the photographs?" Casey asked. "Like, for example if this is actually Dr. Brennan."
"I'm running the images through my body matching software now," Angela explained. "We should know if it's a match soon."
"Body matching software?" Casey asked. "The FBI doesn't have that kind of capability."
"Angela developed the program," Booth explained.
Hodgins appeared in the doorway, holding the envelope the photographs had come in, in an evidence bag.
"The envelope is clean. No prints. No particulates," he announced. "It's as if someone took extra care to make sure it stayed that way."
"What do you mean?" Booth asked.
"I mean, any common envelope would have something on it. This envelope doesn't have anything. Like it was wiped clean. I had a buddy of mine from the fifth floor who is a handwriting expert take a look at it and he says it was written by a right handed individual who is most likely male."
"Creepy's right handed," Booth replied.
"Do you have an affinity for nicknames, Agent Booth?" Casey asked.
"Who's she?" Hodgins questioned.
Casey walked over to Hodgins with her hand outstretched. "Special Agent Casey Temple." Hodgins didn't shake her hand. Instead he looked past her and right at Booth.
"My friend is working on comparing the envelope to a sample we have of Brown's handwriting from prison," Hodgins continued.
"You have a friend looking into the handwriting? This should be done by the FBI crime lab," Casey said.
"The Jeffersonian has the best analysts you could ask for," Booth stated.
"Who is she again?" Hodgins asked.
"I'm the investigator in charge of Dr. Brennan's disappearance," Casey answered.
"No, Booth's the investigator in charge of Dr. B's disappearance," Hodgins stated matter of factly.
"Not anymore," Booth replied.
"Well that's bull," Hodgins said.
"Look, I don't know who you think you are, Mr..." Casey began.
"Doctor," Hodgins interrupted. "Dr. Hodgins."
"Well, I don't know who you think you are, Dr. Hodgins, but I assure you I am qualified to run this investigation."
"And I can assure you that Booth is more qualified than you'll ever be," Hodgins said.
"Alright, simmer down Hodgins," Booth said. He knew Cam was right. He had to be the glue that held them together, which meant he had to do the right thing. "Look, Casey's in charge. All evidence should go through her."
Both Angela and Hodgins looked at him in shock.
"Thank you, Agent Booth," Casey said.
"I'm not doing it for you," Booth replied.
Angela's computer made a dinging sound and she turned back to her monitor to look at it. Everyone else huddled around her.
"I've got a match with the body recognition software," she said.
The computer screen had one of the photographs from the envelope on the left side and a picture of Brennan taken at one of the Jeffersonian holiday parties on the right side. Each of the bodies was digitally outlined with a blinking green line.
"Does it match?" Both asked.
"95% match," Angela answered.
Booth wasn't sure whether he should be relieved or terrified. They finally had evidence that Bones had been taken, but then he had to face the hard reality that the bruises were on her body and not somebody else's.
"We still don't know if it's her," Casey stated. "This software isn't recognized as a legitimate tool…"
"It's Bones!" Booth shouted. "You can stand around all you want and debate about whether or not that is her and whether or not Collin Brown has her and is…torturing her as we speak, but I won't! I am going to find her!"
Booth stormed out of the office.
Author's Note: Ok, wow…first of all, thank you for the amazing, incredible, way-too-kind reviews. I'm really quite humbled by how much people like this story so thank you. As I've said before, I'm not a scientist or FBI agent (I'm only a librarian!) so it's good to hear that I'm at least sort of pulling off the science/investigation aspect of this story! Thanks for reading!
