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Booth was following the FBI forensics truck back to the Jeffersonian from Assateague Island when his stomach grumbled just north of Stockton. “Hey, Bones, is there a candy bar in the glove box?”
Brennan rooted around for a while before shaking her head. “No, nothing edible in there at all.”
“Damn. I thought I’d replaced that,” He sighed. They drove a little further when Booth slowed to a stop, grinning. “Hot Crab cakes! Home made hot crab cakes!”
“Booth, I don’t think it’s advisable to eat from vendors who stack their products on top of dirty crates in the summer…”
“Bones, I’ve got a cast iron constitution! It’ll be fine!” Booth hopped out of the car and headed over to the ‘stand’ where an elderly man picked up the crab cakes from the less than hygienic set up and fished out a deep fried bee before dropping them in the pan.
#
By the time they got back to DC, Booth was bent over with stomach cramps and made a dash for the bathroom as soon as they got to the Jeffersonian. Brennan, concerned but wanting to get started, joined the team in Cam’s Autopsy suite.
“This should be an easy identification” She smiled as she noted the plastic and metal knee replacement on the X-Rays.
Cam nodded and separated the artificial kneecap from the remaining sinew before cleaning it up and placing it on a tray for Angela. “This body is all kinds of messed up, none of the internal organs have survived, he’s been dead for a long time.”
“Yes, I noted the advanced decomposition when we arrived at the site.” Brennan frowned. “Hopefully that knee replacement will lead us to a missing person but I can’t see any fatal injuries on the films and with his organs degraded as they are, we might not be able to pinpoint the cause of death.”
Brennan went into her office to take a closer look at the films, searching for the tiniest cracks or chips in the cranium and vertebrae when Booth slouched in carrying his suit jacket and tie, his shirt untucked and sweat beading on his pallid features.
“I know you want to say it, Bones.”
“Say what?” She frowned.
“You told me so, those crab cakes were a big mistake.”
“What would be the point of me repeating the warning a second time when you ignored the first and after you’d already ingested them?”
Booth flopped on her couch and gazed at her with bleary eyes. “It’s a judgement thing, people like to repeat that they told someone not to do the thing after they’ve done the thing so they can feel smug about knowing they shouldn’t have done the thing.”
“I can judge your poor decisions without repeating myself.” She squinted at her monitor and zoomed in on the cervical vertebrae.
“That you can, Bones, that you can.” He sighed. “So, now the whole world has fallen out of my ass, what do we have?”
“I doubt the whole world fell out of your anal cavity, Booth, you know how I feel about hyperbole.” She sniffed haughtily. “Male in state of advanced decomposition, no obvious cause of death but we should have an ID fairly quickly as he had knee replacement surgery.”
“So I can just relax here and recover until Angela traces the serial number?” He smiled weakly, kicking off his shoes and lying on the sofa.
“Yes. The positive news is that your episode of diarrhoea occurred within two hours of eating the crab cakes so you should be free from E-Coli, Salmonella and other more debilitating food borne bacterial infections.”
“Yay” Booth drawled sarcastically. “So once it’s out of my system I’ll be right as rain?”
“Yes, I’ll send Aristoo out to pick up some electrolyte rebalancing drinks for you from the pharmacy and if you feel hungry I can have him pick up some probiotic yoghurts too.”
“Nah, I’ll just drink some water and get some scrambled eggs from the diner.”
“That is absolutely what you should not do.” Brennan rolled her eyes and went off to find her intern and see if Angela had made any advances with IDing the remains.
#
Booth struggled to open his eyes as he was shaken awake gently, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so wiped out without being shot or stabbed first.
“Booth, we have an ID.”
“Okay” He slowly sat up and looked at Bones. “Let’s go.”
“I don’t think you should go anywhere right now” Brennan frowned “A 30 minute nap and a bottle of pedialyte isn’t enough for you to recover to the point where you’re able to work effectively - especially going to interview next of kin.”
“Okay, gimme my phone and I’ll see if Charlie can go with you.”
As it turned out, Charlie Burns was happy to go into the field with Dr Temperance Brennan and, while they waited on him arriving, Brennan filled Booth in on everything they knew.
“Simon Stothers died 5 years ago of a massive heart attack at the age of 62, he was buried in the private cemetery on the family farm and ownership of the entire property passed to his daughter, Martina Stothers.”
“I know that name, isn’t she one of the forensic techs?”
“She has been on site with the forensic unit but only for crime scene photography, not in evidence retrieval or processing. Martina’s official role is as one of the admin assistants in the department but, due to her camera skills, is often asked to help out if a member of the forensic team is unable to attend.”
“Right, so how did her dead and buried Dad end up in Sinepuxent Bay?” Booth mused to himself, but Brennan answered him anyway.
“Well, that’s why we need to go and speak to Martina.” She frowned and Booth rolled his eyes.
#
During the three hour drive to Worcester County, Brennan was pleasantly surprised that she enjoyed Charlie’s company. He asked many questions about the procedures Booth usually followed when he had her out in the field and spoke fondly of his wife and children during personal conversations. Special Agent Charlie Burns was a very open, genuine man and Brennan couldn’t help but feel she was safe to share some of her own personal circumstances.
“Hard to figure out why a guy hasn’t snapped you up yet, Dr Brennan. I was shocked as hell when Sully sailed off, couldn’t understand why he’d leave a nice lady like you behind.”
“He asked me to go with him.” She shrugged.
“And leave your career, your friends, your life?” He briefly turned to her, eyes wide, before shaking his head. “I had no idea he was such a dumbass.”
“Sully was very intelligent” She frowned.
“Not intelligent enough to know he should hang on to a good thing when it comes around!” He squinted at a sign on the side of the road. “Here we are, Stother’s farm.”
The sign was weathered and only just legible and there was a newer ‘land for sale’ sign wedged into the ground next to it. As they travelled up the driveway they noticed a stable that was beyond repair and, thankfully, devoid of horses. The house looked to be in fair condition, despite the surroundings being run down and uncared for.
Charlie rapped at the door and stood back, it took less than a minute for Martina to appear at the entrance wearing a sports bra and shorts, as if she had been working out, but with full glam makeup and perfectly styled hair.
“Can I help you?” She frowned at Charlie before noticing Brennan standing behind him and wrinkling her nose in distaste.
“Hi Martina, I’m Special Agent Charlie Burns and this is …”
“Dr Temperance Brennan.” Martina cleared her throat and looked at her “Where is Special Agent Booth?”
“He’s indisposed so I’m helping with an investigation.” Charlie pulled Martina’s attention back to him “I understand your father died some time ago, but his remains were found early this morning. Could we come in to ask you some questions?”
“Uh yeah, sure.” Brennan wasn’t good at reading body language but she could tell that Martina Stothers wasn’t reacting like someone who just heard their father was taken from his grave.
Martina ushered them to a tidy living room and gestured to the couch before pouring them both a glass of lemonade from a jug on the coffee table that had condensation beading down the sides … as if she’d been expecting company. Charlie noticed straight away and cast a suspicious eye on the glass in front of him.
“Martina, have you visited the family cemetery recently? Noticed anyone snooping around?”
“Not at all. Please, drink!” She smiled winningly.
Brennan bent to pick up her glass and Charlie stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Martina, how do you think your father’s body got into the water and ended up on Assateague Island?”
“I have absolutely no idea!” Her smile tightened.
“Would you mind if we checked the burial plot? We’d like to check for footprints or any other evidence …”
“Of course! I’ll just go and throw some clothes on, please enjoy your drinks while you wait!”
Martina backed out of the room and Brennan frowned at Charlie. “She seems odd.”
“Yes, she does” Charlie pushed the glass of lemonade further away from him “Whatever you do - don’t drink that. Something very strange is going on here but I have no idea what.”
“I concur.” Brennan nodded.
The click of a gun being cocked made them both turn to the hallway to find Martina training a shotgun on Charlie. “Dr Brennan, drink the fucking lemonade or I’ll blow this guy’s head clean off!”
Without thinking of herself, only of Charlie and his wife and children, she picked up the glass and gulped the beverage back.
“If she dies …” Charlie warned.
“She won’t die” Martina rolled her eyes. “It’s Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, she’ll fall asleep in ten minutes and be fine in a few hours.”
“Why?” Brennan blinked as she put the glass back on the table.
“You’ll find out.” Martina smirked and walked forward to poke Charlie in the chest with the barrel of the gun. “Take out your sidearm and empty your ankle holster.”
Charlie nodded and did as requested, slowly, not wanting to do anything that would jeopardise Dr Brennan - Booth would never forgive him! When he placed both his guns on the coffee table, Martina stepped back and jerked her head towards the hallway.
“Help her up and walk to the second door on the left. Keep one arm around the doctor and the other hand where I can see it!”
Brennan didn’t realise how quickly the drug acted until she stood and found it hard to get her legs to do what she wanted them to. She was pulled into Charlie’s side, he was softer than Booth and Brennan thought he would probably give more comforting hugs due to his additional adipose tissue.
Charlie struggled with Dr Brennan’s weight, he figured she must have been packing a fair bit of muscle as she did not look this heavy. The muzzle of Martina’s shotgun pressing uncomfortably into his spine, he walked into the room she’d indicated and catalogued the surroundings. A very large dog crate and a recliner were the only things he could see in there.
“Put the scientist in the cage”
Barely awake, Brennan heard Charlie’s muttered apologies as he manhandled her through the opening of the dog crate. The last thing she heard was the crate door being latched and then she succumbed to the effects of the GHB. Charlie sighed as he noted Dr Brennan was unconscious, Booth was going to be seriously pissed off about this. First time out with the famed Dr Brennan in the field and this happens!
“Use the zip ties on top of the crate to secure the door.” Martina prodded him with the gun again and Charlie nodded wondering how the hell he was going to get them out of this.
“Good, now sit with your back to this wall.” Charlie walked over and slid down to the floor, stretching his legs out. “Okay, now take out your cell and call Booth.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“That doesn’t concern you, just call Booth and tell him you found nothing and you’re heading back soon, when you don’t check in he’ll come looking but it’ll buy me time to set things up for this change in plans.”
He took out his cell and nodded, but he had to come up with something that would warn Booth about what was actually going on.
#
Booth groaned as his cell rang, he was still on the couch in Bones’ office feeling like he’d been run over by a garbage truck. Noting it was Charlie calling, he closed his eyes for a moment before answering.
“Booth.”
“Heeey, uh it’s Charlie. We um we didn’t find anyone at the farm, Dr Brennan says you owe her a burger for her wild goose chase - medium rare with plenty of bacon.”
A rare burger? Plenty of bacon? Oh Charlie you are a genius Booth thought. Bones never hid the fact she was vegetarian but it wasn’t exactly common knowledge outside those who ate with her. She and Charlie must have gotten to know each other a little on the trip.
“Sure, Charlie. I’ll see you guys when you get back, might even get myself a yummy salad when I’m getting Bones her burger.”
“Yeah, you love your leafy greens” message received and understood “I’ll see you when we get back to DC.”
Booth ended the call and grabbed his jacket, Cam stopped him as he was leaving. “Hey big guy, what’s the rush?”
“Something is wrong, Charlie called me from the Stothers’ farm but mentioned Bones wanting a medium rare burger with plenty of bacon.”
“What? She’s vegetarian! Why would she ask for that?”
“She didn’t. Charlie was using it to warn me that they aren’t in a good situation.”
Cam followed him out and got into the passenger seat of his truck. “If you think I’m letting you run off alone after the day you’ve had you’re incredibly naive.”
Nodding, he started the truck, put on his cruise lights and raced out of the Jeffersonian as fast as he could safely drive.
#
Charlie watched for movement in the crate from his position on the floor, his wrists were starting to hurt from the zip ties that kept him attached to the cable of the baseboard heater. Dr Brennan was still out cold but he could see her chest moving as she breathed and that gave him a little comfort. It had been an hour since he called Booth, even driving well over the speed limit it would probably be another hour before he got there.
He knew that his warning had been heard and acknowledged but he had no idea what Booth would do when he arrived, it would be best if Charlie just forgot about Booth coming and kept trying to get out of this on his own. As unathletic as he was, he was still fit and flexible enough to manoeuvre his legs to brace against the heater and grab the cable with his hands.
Biting his lip to suppress his grunts of exertion, he tugged with his hands and pushed with his feet to work at the cable. He had to find a way to protect Dr Brennan and warn Agent Booth about Martina.
#
Booth kept his cruise lights on until they got onto the main road before Stothers’ farm; he'd only had to use his siren a couple of times to get through traffic. Beside him Cam was gripping the dash with one hand and the ‘oh shit’ handle with the other, her face ashen with sweat beading on her hairline.
He turned off his lights as he turned into the drive and slowed to get a better chance to look at his surroundings. “This place has seen better days.”
“Me too.” Cam gulped and let go of the dash.
“Do me a favor, duck down. Charlie wanted me out here, but I don’t know what I’m walking into or what’ll happen if they see you.”
“I’ll stay out of sight” She nodded and unclicked her seatbelt.
He parked next to Charlie’s SUV and got out slowly, taking the time to inspect the other vehicle for damage or sabotage, when the door to the house opened and his name was called.
“Agent Booth!” Martina waved to him and he nodded to her.
He’d only seen her a couple of times, both while she was wearing the white disposable coveralls that the forensic team always wear. He wasn’t sure why she’d be inviting people into her home when she was only wearing a short robe. As he got closer he realised she was wearing the kind of makeup Bones would wear to an event and her hair was styled like she was going out on the town.
“Hi Miss Stothers, I’m just here looking for Dr Brennan and Agent Burns.”
Martina’s eyes flicked to the two SUVs that now sat in her driveway, she hadn’t had the chance to hide the first one yet. “Oh … they’re inside, come in and I’ll let them know you’re here.”
Warily, Booth entered the house and looked around, intensely disliking that Martina was behind him closing the door. He put his hand on his gun under his jacket and noted the soft music playing and glanced into the living room. Hearing the door close and a lock click, he turned to see Martina leaning against it.
“Where is Dr Brennan? Where is Agent Burns?”
“Would you like some lemonade while you wait?” She needed more time.
“No, I wouldn’t.” He drew his gun and aimed at her. “Why don’t you just walk towards the room they’re in.”
Martina’s eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip softly, if Booth was correct (and he always was in these kinds of circumstances) that look was usually one he saw in the bedroom. This was highly bewildering and unusual for him - not that a woman was turned on while looking at him but that she was turned on by him pointing his gun at her. He kept his gun trained on her as she moved along a hallway, a sway to her hips and a coy look over her shoulder
He watched closely as she smiled while running a hand along the wall, wondering what the hell he’d walked into. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon, Seeley.”
“Uh huh, but you were expecting me?” His muscles tensed, preparing for … something, anything.
She turned and leaned her hand against the wall next to a picture frame. “Yes, I thought you would be the one to come and question me … I was actually counting on it.”
Martina moved quickly, taking the syringe she’d hidden behind the picture frame and dropping to her knees. The needle was in Booth’s thigh before he could get the safety off his glock and she had pushed with her entire weight to his mid-section as the shot was fired.
#
Charlie’s wrists were bleeding by the time he heard the muffled voices elsewhere in the house, the cable was almost out when the voices got closer and that just made him ignore his pain and work even harder despite his tiredness and shirt cuffs being stained red. He heard the shot as the cable came loose, the sharp noise of the gun and scuffling covering his fall backwards onto the floor.
Glancing at Brennan in the cage, Charlie noticed she was stirring and sighed in relief that she might wake soon. His view had been restricted to one side of the room when he was attached to the heater but he now took in everything around him as the sounds of a struggle in the hallway covered his opening and closing of drawers in a desk where he found a small pair of cuticle scissors amongst a couple of small tools he didn’t recognise and some foam nail files.
Standing behind the door, he worked at positioning the scissors so he could clip the cable ties around his wrists and failed miserably. The door opened and he froze, slowly moving the tiny scissors in his hands so he could use them as a weapon. Okay, Charlie, your hands are tied and you have a one inch blade, what are you going to do?
Martina was coming into the room backwards, dragging something much heavier than she could handle judging by her grunting and panting as she shuffled beyond the door slowly. Charlie knew that he’d be exposed sooner rather than later and decided to take Martina by surprise by thrusting the scissors into her ribs before rushing her and slamming her into the wall.
#
Cam had also heard the shot and pulled out the gun Booth kept under the driver seat of his car and made her way towards the house. The door was locked and Cam made her way to the windows, finding one cracked open and sliding it upwards enough for her to fit through and land on a couch. She could hear a physical altercation in the hallway and made her way over slowly with the safety off the borrowed weapon.
She was almost at the hallway entrance when it went quiet and she paused to stand with her back to the wall next to the doorframe and peek around it. Booth was out cold and Martina Stothers, wearing a short robe wide open and Booth’s service weapon tucked into the waistband of a pair of bright red lacy panties, was attempting to drag him by his feet into a room. Cam waited until Martina was mostly in the room before coming around the doorframe and stepping quietly along the hallway, hoping she didn’t catch any squeaky floorboards and noticing the empty syringe.
When Booth’s legs were inside the room, Cam heard Martina yelp and the thumping of another struggle. She pressed forward more quickly now, turning into the room with the gun in front of her to find Charlie, hands covered in blood, sitting on top of Martina’s back.
“You good, Charlie?” Cam asked as she bent to check for a pulse on Booth’s neck.
“Oh yeah, Dr Saroyen, I’m just peachy.” He grunted as Martina struggled beneath him.
“Martina, I have a gun and I will put a bullet in you if you try anything … Charlie, get up now and be careful - she had Booth’s gun in her panties.”
Charlie pressed his bound hands into the small of Martina’s back to prevent her making any sudden moves as he went to kneel next to her. “Okay, Martina, I want you to stretch your arms above your head and roll onto your back slowly.”
Huffing, Martina did as she was told. Charlie snatched the gun as soon as he could. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this.”
Cam raised a brow at Martina’s matching push up bra and panties, smokey eye and red lipped makeup and smirked. “No, it doesn’t look like it was supposed to go like this at all.”
Feeling more confident with a gun in his hands, Charlie stood and trained it on Martina. “Now you’re going to stand up and go and sit on that armchair, I want you to keep your hands above your head at all times … Dr Saroyen, could you please find something to cut these ties with?”
Cam nodded and left the room as Martina got to her feet and went over to sit in the armchair. In the kitchen, Cam found a multi-tool utility knife with the corkscrew tool extended beside a bottle of wine. Smiling as she picked it up and changed to the penknife tool, no, this really wasn’t going like Martina supposed it would. She could hear Charlie talking to someone as she walked back.
“You’ll be okay Dr Brennan, we’re going to get you out of there as soon as we can.”
She had been so focused on Charlie and Martina that she hadn’t even noticed Brennan was in there. Cam stepped over Booth’s unconscious body and surveyed the room again. Brennan was in a large dog cage, her hand to her head and groaning in pain from being in a curled up position for hours and unable to stretch out. Prioritising, Cam switched the multi-tool to the heavy duty clippers and went to let Brennan out of the cage before going to release Charlie from his bindings.
“Brennan, are you injured?” Cam asked calmly.
“No … just sore and groggy from being drugged and crammed into a small space.” Brennan sighed before inhaling sharply. “Oh no! Booth!”
“He’s fine, Dr Brennan, probably done with the same drugs Martina gave you. Could you grab his cuffs?” Charlie didn’t take his eyes off Martina.
Moving slower than she would have liked, Brennan went to Booth and took his cuffs off his belt and handed them to Cam.
Once Martina was in cuffs she had been led to his SUV and locked in the back, Charlie had radioed in to dispatch for paramedics and to advise Ms Stothers was in custody, and was currently having the wounds on his wrists tended to by Dr Saroyen.
“What a day!” He sighed as Cam wrapped gauze around his injuries.
“You did good, Charlie.” Cam applied tape to the gauze and patted him on the shoulder. “Did Martina give any indication what her plan actually was?”
Charlie tilted his head and chewed on his lip for a moment. “Well … everything was off from the get go - her reaction to Dr Brennan, she seemed really put out that Agent Booth wasn’t there, the drugged lemonade. I think Booth was the target all along … I dunno, it sounds crazy but maybe she dug up dear old Dad and dumped him knowing that Booth and Dr Brennan would be put on the case and come to question her, maybe she planned to drug them both, put Dr Brennan in the cage and, going by the outfit she had on, trying to seduce Booth?”
Cam snorted and chuckled. “Yes, Charlie, that sounds completely crazy but, I have to say, not the first time Brennan has been put in danger because of a woman’s obsession with our FBI liaison.”
“He should start wearing a wedding ring.” Charlie suggested before he looked up to see Dr Brennan and Agent Booth coming out of the house, Brennan taking as much of Booth’s weight as she could. “Hey! You two! Sit down before you fall down!”
Shocked at the forcefulness of Charlie Burns’ instructions, Booth and Brennan sat down on the steps of the porch.
Charlie marched over and stood in front of them with his hands on his hips. “Paramedics are on their way to check you over, FBI forensics are en route to search the property and Martina Stothers is currently stewing in the back of my SUV.”
“Good work Charlie.” Booth nodded weakly as sirens could be heard getting closer to the Stothers’ farm.
#
Dr Lance Sweets accompanied Agent Burns in the interrogation of Martina Stothers, shocked that one of their own would come up with such an unhinged plan. After Martina was led away to holding, Sweets turned to Charlie as he sighed and shook his head.
“I knew it, thought it was crazy but …”
“You knew she had exhumed her father’s corpse with the purpose of having Agent Booth question her at her home so she could drug and sexually assault him?”
“Yep. It’s the only explanation I could come up with.”
Charlie shrugged and walked off to finish the paperwork, on the way to his station in the bullpen, he poked his head into Booth’s office.
“I hate to say this, but I’m never standing in for you again, Booth!”
“Look, Charlie, I know Bones … Dr Brennan can be hard to work with …”
“Dr Brennan is amazing, I’d love to work with her again.”
“So, what …”
“It’s you, you attract crazy women, Booth. I’m not risking it, next time get Perotta to take over for you.”