The picture Finch sent him showed a woman in her late thirties. Wavy brown hair, fair skin, and strikingly blue eyes. She was pretty, he thought, but when he saw her in person, getting out of a cab in front of the hotel, he revised that opinion upward a notch or three. She had a quality about her – energy; passion; determination perhaps. Whatever you wanted to call it, it made you want to look again. And again. If she noticed the appreciative looks she got from the doorman, the bellhop, and every other male in a five foot radius, she gave no sign. Reese ordered Bear to stay and followed her inside, cloning her phone as he walked.
"She's in New York for a forensic sciences convention," Finch said in his ear. "She's giving a presentation on…something that will probably prove to be vaguely gruesome once I've looked up a few of the longer words."
"I thought big words were your specialty," Reese teased.
"No, computers are my specialty. When it comes to the intricacies of the human skeletal system, I suspect you are more knowledgeable than me."
As Temperance Brennen accepted her room key from the concierge, Reese noticed a ring on her hand. "She's married, Finch," he said.
"Yes. Her husband, Seeley Booth, is an FBI agent."
"Seeley. Another unusual name. Any kids?"
"One. A three year old daughter named Christine. However, they've only been married a little over a year."
"Not everyone does these things in the traditional order, Harold."
"I wasn't judging. I was merely giving you all the facts. Mr. Booth does have another child. A thirteen year old son named Parker. He lives in London with his mother, Rebecca Stinson."
Temperance Brennen got on the elevator, and Reese headed back outside. He'd assessed everyone in the hotel lobby. No one besides him was following her. Whatever the danger was, it wasn't here yet. Bear was sitting exactly where Reese had left him. Reese patted his head and told him he was a goed hond.
His phone beeped. Temperance Brennen was making call. A man picked up on the other end. "Hey, Bones," he said. "How's the Big Apple?"
"Big, but not particularly apple-like."
Finch's voice overlapped hers in Reese's ear, saying incredulously, "Bones?"
"It's better than Temperance," Reese pointed out while the man, her husband he assumed, chuckled in affectionate exasperation.
"I knew you were going to say that. Please tell me you're going to do something besides sit in conference rooms with squints and discuss squinty things."
"As a matter of fact, I'm meeting an old college friend for dinner tonight?"
"Anyone I know?"
"No, you've never met her."
Reese smiled. He could almost see the man relaxing as soon as he heard the feminine pronoun.
"Well, have fun. Christine wants to talk to you. I'm just about to drop her off at daycare."
A high, lisping voice came over the phone. "Mommy?"
"Hi, sweetheart. Are you being good for Daddy?"
"Yeah. We had Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast. When are you coming home, Mommy?"
"In just a couple days, baby. I promise. Would you like me to bring you a present?"
"Yeah! A dolly."
"Okay. You be very good for Daddy and Grandpa Max, and I'll bring you a new dolly. I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you too, Mommy. Will you call to tuck me in tonight?"
"Of course I will. Have a good time at daycare. Give the phone back to Daddy now."
With every word he heard, Reese's determination to protect this woman grew. That innocent little girl was not going to be robbed of her mother.
The husband came back on the phone. "Don't worry about us, Bones. Enjoy your vacation. We'll just be counting the minutes until you get back."
She laughed. "I miss you too, Booth. I'll call again tonight. I love you."
"I love you too, Bones. Be safe."
"Sounds like a happy family," Finch said when the call ended.
"Yes, it does," Reese said. "Let's keep it that way."