8.
Perhaps another chapter here before going back to the baby daddy story. Sorry for the delay, working on buying a house and not thumping annoying coworkers upside the head. Plus now I have a pretty clear idea on how this is going to go now, we've got some action in the plans now, so hopefully there will be some frequent updates with all the ideas I have.
Sweets and Cam ignored the sideway glances they received upon arriving back at the lab. Surely they would have to explain their disheveled experience to the team but first they headed directly to the coffee pot hoping for something to warm them up after their time out in the rain.
"A drink would be better." Cam said after sipping a cup of joe left from that morning.
"I think turpentine would be better than this. This is like syrup." Sweets said eying his cup suspiciously.
"At least it's warm."
"Turpentine can be warmed too."
Arastoo, Hodgins and Angela approached.
"Okay so out with it, what the hell happened to you two?" Angela asked.
Sweets reached in his pocket and handed the cufflink to Hodgins. "Can we see if this matches the other one?"
"The other one had an S on it." Arastoo said looking at the men's accessory in Hodgins hand.
"Yeah what's the U?" Angela asked looking at it.
"It's been about patriotism so far, US for United States." Hodgins mused. "I'll look into it, right after you two tell us why it looks like you got thrown off a pier."
"Nah, only almost." Cam said taking a sip and earning wide glances from the trio.
"Did you get a good look at the guy?" Sweets asked Cam.
"What guy?" Angela asked.
"The one who was in the boat who attacked Sweets." Cam explained. "And no, it was so quick."
"A guy attacked Sweets?" Angela asked in surprise.
"Yeah but it was the explosion that made the biggest mess." Sweets said his thoughts reviewing the case instead of the huge bits of info they were dropping on the others.
"Explosion?!" Hodgins asked.
"Do you think he was there setting it?" Cam asked.
"If I had to guess yeah." Sweets said. "He wanted to be away from that timer."
"But it didn't go off for a while." Cam recalled.
"Wait, you were in the boat that blew up?" Arastoo asked concerned.
"Yeah, that's where we found the cufflink." Cam said. "But we couldn't save the pastry."
"Pastry?" Hodgins asked.
"Maybe we should start from the beginning." Sweets offered.
Later the rest were caught up on the adventures at the wharf and the cufflink had been identified as a match based on its unique metal composition and country of origin.
"It's hand made." Hodgins explained. "Custom job."
"Which is strange because really it's not unusual, why a custom job on it?" Angela asked eying the now reunited pair of cufflinks.
"What did the cops say about the boat explosion?" Hodgins asked thinking back to their earlier encounter.
Cam handed over the card from the cop. "Don't bother it's another phone number to a pizza place."
"Another cover up?" Hodgins asked salivating at the conspiracy.
"Then why set the explosion and then be the ones to cover it up?" Angela asked confused.
"I've been thinking about that." Sweets said happy to set the lurid cup of coffee aside. "I don't think these people are on the same side."
"So one set of them is working the cover up and the other is…." Arastoo was confused.
"I think they are both trying to work a cover up." Sweets delineated. "But for different reasons. The guy today was setting the explosives on the boat to get rid of the evidence and he wanted to kill me. The other people, the ones who want us off the case, but who don't seem to want to actually kill us, just threaten, I don't think they knew about the boat or what occurred on it or they would have discarded it already."
"So we are now running dual conspiracies?" Hodgins was beside himself with excitement.
"Dr. Hodgins we are still investigating murders and disappearances." Cam reminded the jubilant entomologist.
"Right, right." He said but his grin didn't reflect any lessening of enthusiasm.
"And we have yet to find this Genevieve person." Angela reminded them.
"I'd like to not, for now." Sweets said surprising them. "She was obviously in a precarious situation, one that worsened when we got more involved - if she is a civilian - and on our side I don't want to cause more harm to her by implicating her until we know more."
"I can agree with that." Cam said following the logic. She noticed the tired faces of those around her. "It's pretty late, how about we pick the rest of this up in the morning?"
No one disagreed.
Sweets yawned most of the way home as the darkness set in. He wanted to think of the case and find some great break thru but instead it only gave him more of a headache. Though he knew he needed to eat nothing sounded appealing to his stomach. He thought of stopping at the bar but he recalled getting beat up in the alley and decided to go home, not that home was safe from getting attacked either. Still his bed sounded inviting and even if he skipped dinner or drinks, sleep was the most enticing endeavor so far.
Sweets parked the car and looked for a moment but he had no files to carry around. Most of the case was evidence and that was at the lab, so far the only really secure place they had so he walked to the apartment door and tossed his keys to an empty bowl. As a light snapped on he went for his gun but stopped when the figure sitting in his living room chair was quite beautiful, and recognizable.
"Hello Genevieve." Sweets said trying not to be too alarmed that a woman had broken into his apartment, the same woman who was generally connection to moments he found to be physically painful. "Should I ask what you are doing here?" Sweets asked as he turned to face the woman, his back to the door. Recent encounters with her encouraged him to keep his eyes on the rest of the room.
"You came to my home so why should I not break into yours?" Her voice was angry.
"I didn't know it was your home. I was only following your evasive clues and desires for me to stay on the case." Sweets issued back.
Genevieve narrowed her eyes but she also knew that Sweets was right about that.
"I did not however intend for harm to come to you." Sweets said, his voice softening as he said it.
"Nor I." Genevieve said lowering her head.
Sweets felt assured the room was devoid of other intruders and approached the woman, though still with caution and a security in the knowledge that his gun was still on his person. While the woman was beautiful and deeply sensual he also knew she seemed to carry a sense of danger in the same way other women carried a cell phone.
As Sweets got closer he saw a bruise on her face.
"Are you okay?" He asked sitting opposite her.
"Yes, it was just the accident."
"Do you want to tell me about that. I didn't want to leave but it was quite impossible to stay."
Genevieve thought it over. "You knew they wouldn't hurt me."
Sweets nodded affirmatively and continued to speak. "Perhaps you can share a little more with me about who they are, why they want me off the case but won't kill me but why there is a man who also has an interest in the case who does want to kill me."
"I can't answer all of those questions."
"Then why do you come here?" He asked. "It's very difficult to stay on a case that has very little sense to it and threats to the team members on it."
Genevieve stood up quickly, a cross between a panic and a passion to plead her case. "I wanted the case to stay with you and your team because you are all the best there are in these matters. No one else can solve it."
"Then why not give me more to go on and solve it?"
"I cannot say too much, you've seen what can happen when I get too involved."
Sweets tried to figure out if this woman was wonderful or maddening. "Then why not at least tell me he was your father."
Genevieve tried to hide her expression, turning before Sweets could see it.
"He's not my father."
Sweets was shocked that she denied it. "Of course he is, the genetic markers, the unusual medical conditions are far too rare…"
"I tell you he is not!" Genevieve shouted and immediately regretted it, looking to see if anyone might have heard her. Sweets could tell she was lying and wondered why. He wanted to be mad but she also looked terrified.
"Look I don't really have a many more leads to go on so I don't know if I'll be on this case much longer." Sweets replied honestly since their last evidence had literally gone up in flames.
"No, no, no, please…" Genevieve said running closer to him. "Please, don't, if you and your people cannot figure it out then no one will, justice, it must be…" Genevieve's eyes searched Sweets eyes for help, tears forming at the corners and Sweets was a sucker for help.
"I'll try and think some something more I can tell you but…please…." Genevieve continued.
Sweets put his hands on her shoulder to calm her as he reviewed the genuine possibilities of solving the case.
"I'll do what I can, but you have to tell me, why did you come here?" Sweets promised and asked.
"I honestly don't have a good reason except to ask you to stay on it." Genevieve said feeling comforted by his hands on her shoulders. "And…and…because…"
Genevieve slipped her hand behind Sweets neck and pulled his lips to hers. Sweets couldn't detest that the mysterious and beautiful woman was appealing to him. While everything in his mind seemed to suggest he should run from her he could not move away from her except to continue their dance down the hallway towards the bedroom.
The conversation ended as their passion towards the other seemed to ignite. Sweets recalled the last failed attempt at a relationship with Jessica Warren not long ago but this one seemed to have far less strings attached, a thought on both of their parts so they went with their drive more than what their mind suggested was a good idea. Though nearly exhausted a half hour before Sweets found himself full of vim and vigor as the activities in the bedroom continued. Genevieve found herself pleasured in ways that one only dreams of and she returned the favor.
The next morning Sweets woke feeling exhausted and relaxed at the same time. He looked about the empty bed and for a moment wondered if it was a dream until the scene of Chanel filled his senses, the same intoxicating aroma the night before. He knew he had been tired even before he had come home and must have crashed the once their activities had met their pleasurable conclusion. He somehow was not surprised the elusive Genevieve was gone.
He was however surprised to find a token in her absence under his phone on the night stand. The small paper fell to the floor, he reached down to pick it up and saw a business card for a Dean Harding, CIA agent. Sweets picked up his phone and called Cam.
"Let me guess, more evidence?" Cam asked when Sweets told her had something. "I never thought I would get tired of evidence." She added sarcastically.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure this time this one is going to lead us to something big."