The Unearthing (Chapter 5)

Booth felt like he was missing something. A top-down search of Rigby and Lynn's room yielded nothing. If Bones were here, he would talk this through with her. She would tell me to start at the beginning and work with the facts. He began spouting them off aloud.

"Andrew Rigby- former local doctor and coroner." He earned a few quizzical looks from the prison guards, but he had learned to trust this process as he had seen it work to catch some of the most devious minds.

"He had access to his cell, the prison yard, and the cafeteria. All are monitored by security and Rigby was never alone in any of those locations. Where could he have hidden his book. Wait!" He had it! "Can one of you let me into the infirmary? NOW!"

It didn't take long for Booth's suspicions to be confirmed. Rigby was smart- he would venture that. Booth gained access to the toilet that was attached to the prison hospital. It was something that Lynn had said…Rigby had helped during the Flu epidemic. Booth opened the water tank and there it was. It was an old prison practice to try and trick the guards. Prisoners would tie their valuables to a string and float it just above the waterline using the force of the lid to hold the item in place. There it was. Booth reached in and grabbed the notebook. He thumbed through it, past the page of victim names, past a Native American prayer, and to a page that contained the name Temperance Brennan with an adjoining page that contained his own name. After skimming though a few more pages, Booth saw a drawing of a cabin in the woods 7F. It wasn't too hard to decipher the plan. Rigby was using Bones as bait for Booth. He needed them in the same place to perform his ritual. And he was holding her at the 7F lodge. He knew it was where Bones was staying. But how did Rigby know that Bones was staying there? He kept thumbing through the notebook and a name caught his eye. Right there in black and white, Booth saw the connection. Henry Munsinger. He grabbed his phone and dialed the Jefferson.

"Booth, did you find her?"

"Not yet Angela, but I think I may have a lead. This guy slick but he slipped up. Run a trace on a Henry Munsinger."

"Right, the guy who reported his car stolen. Do you think he's involved?"

"Definitely, I need to know everything about this guy."

"Pulling it up now. Munsinger…he works in the Medical Science lab at Texas A & M."

"That's the connection to Bones." Booth heard silence. "Angela?"

"Booth? There's more. In 2001, Henry Munsinger changed his name from Henry Ryan Rigby. He's Andrew Rigby's brother!"

"So, reporting the car stolen was just to throw us off his scent."

"Yup. But there's some more information here. Henry had been written up by the university for stealing medication from the science lab. I know Brennan and she would not have gone willingly. My guess, she was drugged, and Henry was the supplier."

"Anything else?"

"No, that's all for me."

Booth hung up the phone and entered the address for the 7-F lodges on his GPS. He turned on his siren and raced towards his partner. Knowing that Rigby wasn't alone had ruined their element of surprise. Still, Booth knew he couldn't go barreling into the situation. The brothers were expecting him to act with courage, but they weren't expecting intelligence. They had Bones for that. Booth knew that the only way he and his partner could get out of this in one piece was if he acted countercurrent to their expectation of him. Booth pulled out his map of the Cabins. He knew that Bones was in the retro-fitted A cabin that was designed to the specification of one of the earliest student dorms at the University. She had called him on the way. He was so glad that she had agreed to guest lecture. He remembered telling her that she should rest and not think about murder. After passing several cabins and mentally scoping out the layout of the property, Booth placed the event center to the west of him with larger cabins all around. The couple's cabins were smaller and farther west. They were more remote and set out of view. That's where Bones was staying. This place had two features that gave Booth the advantage, tall trees for an expert sniper to blend into and outdoor patios that opened into the rooms. Booth parked in a thicket and set up his sniper rifle a safe distance. He looked through the trees and into the patio of the A Cabin. From his line of sight, he could see Andrew standing with his back to the screen. Based on the smoke emanating from the screened in patio, it was clear that Andrew was heating up the outdoor grill. A sickening feeling coursed through Booth's stomach and exited through his thighs. If he weren't an agent of the FBI, he would be happy to pump bullets into both sickos. Then he would have Bones help him destroy the evidence. The world would be a much better place without these two in it. But he had to map this carefully if he was going to get Bones out alive. Just as his kill fantasy had ended, Booth saw a man resembling Andrew walk out onto the patio. It was Henry but he had a bandage wrapped around his head. Where was Bones? The patio siding came up halfway and the rest was wire mesh. He had a view of the brothers, but no Bones. He had to get to higher ground. Shifting his weapon so it hung behind him, Booth climbed up a dense looking Bur Oak. Being up at least ten feet gave Booth a direct view into the patio. What he saw almost stopped his heart.