Bones FF: The girl in the video by Akarana (Chapter 4)
You wanna know what's going on? You reall wanna know? Ok, I give in...
Chapter 4: Take a bow
You look so dumb right now standing outside my house. Trying to apologize, you’re so ugly when you cry. Please, just cut it out!
“Can you see with how much emotion she sings that?” Sweets asked the next afternoon when Angela had been able to restore yet another video. It dated back only one year and gave them a better idea what the woman had looked like. Sweets was overly excited about this video and even for Angela's taste he overanalyzed it. There was no hidden message behind her gestures, no meaning behind the words she sang. It was just another pop song she had recorded.
Don’t tell me you’re sorry cause you’re not. Baby when I know you’re only sorry you got caught. But you put on quite a show, really had me going, but now it’s time to go curtain’s finally closing. That was quite a show, very entertaining. But it’s over now, go on and take a bow.
"You know what I keep asking myself, Sweets? Why was she recording these videos? Where is the point in recording videos and then saving them on a USB drive," Angela spoke out loud what she had been wondering about.
"What do you mean?" the psychologist asked and turned his head to look at her for the first time since she had shown him the video.
Grab your clothes and get gone. You better hurry up before the sprinklers come on. Talkin’ 'bout, girl, I love you, you’re the one, this just looks like the re-run. Please, what else is on?
"Usually when you record videos you do that with something in mind. There are holiday videos to remember the great places you have been, there are special occasions when someone films with the same purpose. But when you film yourself singing a song you don't do this just to have the video. You could just record your voice and put it on your mp3 player if that's what you wanted. Usually these videos get uploaded somewhere or they are used to contact music labels to get a record deal," Angela explained.
"Did you check the video platforms online yet? Sweets asked.
"No, I haven't done that yet, I am still working on the videos," Angela shook her head.
"But maybe if she really uploaded all the videos we would have more to work with a lot faster than waiting for the videos to be restored," Brennan, who had just entered the office told her.
"You're right. I will start looking by using the videos I have so far, that shouldn't take too long," Angela nodded.
"And I will call Booth and tell him to send out requests to all big labels, maybe they'll be able to tell us something," Brennan added and hurried off again.
"And you Sweets? You're staying here watching videos all day?" Angela asked him, the request in her voice that he should leave so she could work.
"No, I planned on visiting Dr. Saroyan to see how she is doing," he said. Cam hadn't shown up for work that day. Hodgins had said that maybe she would just come in later. Now it was already afternoon and she still wasn't in.
When Sweets left the artist's office he passed the platform where Hodgins was just getting ready to leave.
"And? Found something new?" Hodgins asked him and slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder.
"Angela will check all video platforms on the internet for the videos now. She's right, there must be a purpose behind filming them," Sweets replied. "And here?"
"Not much. Victim used an expensive body lotion and smelled like Tommy Girl before she died, cause that's what was on the necklace. I put the hair I found in a petri dish. We'll have to wait for Cam to pull DNA," Hodgins said while they stepped out of the lab.
"I'm just on my way to Dr. Saroyan," Sweets replied.
"Oh really? Me too. Wanted to see how she's doing," Hodgins said and sounded surprised that Sweets wanted to check on Cam.
"I think she might need someone to talk to and maybe I will get her to tell me who that girl is, would save us all a lot of work," Sweets shrugged and held the door open for Hodgins when they entered the underground parking space.
"Oh, so you're not really interested in how she's doing but more about stroking your ego by getting her to crack," Hodgins said aggressively, annoyed with the psychiatrist.
"You seem strangely protective of Dr. Saroyan as of lately," he replied and looked curiously at Hodgins who rolled his eyes and opened his car.
"I just know how it is to want some privacy," he said and slammed the door shut behind him. A second later he started the engine and pulled out of the parking space.
"Hey, wouldn't it be more practical if we drove together?" Sweets yelled after him, but saw only the backlights of the car when Hodgins drove away.
~*~
"Hodgins, hey," Cam said dully when she opened the door. She looked small, he thought when he took in her appearance. Her hair was wrapped in a sloppy ponytail and strands were falling out. She wore a black Sweater that seemed too large for her and jogging pants that had paint stains on them. She wore no make- up and her eyes were red and swollen.
"Hey," he replied softly and followed her into the house when she stepped away from the door wordlessly and disappeared into the house. "Could you sleep last night?" he asked her and found her in the living room where she attempted to clean up the tissues that were strewn all over the couch table and the floor. The phone lay by the door and Hodgins picked it up on his way in, saw that it was chipped; she had obviously thrown it against the wall. He placed it on the shelf to the right and helped her picked up the tissue balls, which she took from him with an embarrassed expression.
"Yeah, I slept until nine this morning," she replied and threw the tissues into the trash.
"I should maybe warn you that Sweets is on his way over, he can't be far behind," he told her then decided to do it better fast before the kid showed up and she wasn’t prepared for it.
"I don't want to talk to him, or to anyone else for that matter. Why can't they just all leave me alone?" she asked and popped down on the couch.
"I guess you're talking about your family?" he asked and sat down beside her, trying not to be offended by her comment. He somehow knew she didn't mind his company as long as he wouldn't start asking questions.
"My sister called, my dad called, my aunts and uncles called. Even my drunk cousin sent me a text message," she groaned and leaned back, took a blanket that lay to her right and covered herself with it, drew her knees up to her chest.
"They are worried about you," he said.
"They are just gloating," she shook her head.
"I don't know them but judging from what I saw last night I'd say your sister and your dad are really just worried about you. You know, I don't have any family left so I know that sometimes it's good to have some, no matter how annoying they can be. When it comes down to the worst they are usually the people that are there for you," he told her and she looked at him, leaning her cheek against her knees and didn't pick up on how much he had revealed about himself with that statement.
"They were never there when I needed them, never. Ever since my mom died they just call when they need something or when there's some family celebration coming up," she replied
"You and your mother were close?" he asked and she nodded.
"She was always there for me, no matter what, helped me out a lot. I couldn't... I wouldn't be where I am today without my mom," she said and sighed deeply. "You want a beer?" she asked then.
"Sure," he shrugged and winced a moment later when the doorbell rang.
"Can you tell him to go away and I get the beer?" she asked. Hodgins nodded and they both got up.
When Hodgins opened the door he found not only Sweets in front of it but Booth and Brennan as well.
"What are you doing here?" Booth asked him and wanted to step inside when Hodgins blocked the entry with his body.
"I came to check on cam. She doesn't want to talk to you," he told them and didn't move aside when Booth tried once again to get in.
"I don't care what she wants, I need to talk to her," Booth said annoyed and made another try to get inside the house.
"Hodgins, you don't help her if you support her denial," Sweets tried to reason with him but Hodgins wouldn't listen.
"You call it denial, I call it peace and quiet," he said cynically.
"Ok, enough. Step aside Hodgins," Booth spat out annoyed and pushed Hodgins aside a moment later. Sweets and Brennan followed him inside and Brennan looked apologetically at him.
"You ok?" she asked when he rubbed the spot where the back of his head had hit the wall behind him.
"Yeah," he nodded and closed the door. When he came back into he living room he saw that Sweets and Booth had cornered Cam in the kitchen. She stood with her back to the, her hands gripping the counter in front of her tightly.
"Dr. Saroyan why don't we all sit down and we give you an update o the case," Sweets said and obviously tried to solve the situation. Whatever Booth had said to Cam it hadn't been wise.
"Sweets, why don't you let us adults clear this here?" Booth snapped at him then turned his attention back to Cam. "Damn it Camille, why are you lying to me? I am your friend, I always thought I am your friend and now you're lying to me and your whole family along with you?" he fumed.
"You had no right to inform the Coach or ask him about that. I told you I don't know who that girl is and as my friend you should have just accepted that and been there for me. Instead you run to my father and now I have to deal with all those people," Cam yelled when she turned around and faced Booth.
"I know that you are lying!" he yelled back.
"You don't know anything. You don't have the slightest idea! And now get out of my house Booth before I will shoot you. You know I am not joking," she hissed the last part and a frustrated Booth kicked the chair that stood beside him, turned around and left her house. Brennan, who had come with him, followed him out while Sweets stood stunned and watched it.
"Sweets you should go," Hodgins told him when he saw that Cam was fighting with the tears that threatened to spill.
"Keep an eye on her," Sweets nodded in agreement and Hodgins followed him to the door to give Cam a moment to herself. "She's mourning," Sweets said when they reached the door, now surer than ever in his observation. "Grief comes in waves, keep that in mind when her mood swings from one moment to the other," he gave one last advice to Hodgins, who had now somewhat agreed to officially look after his boss.
"I know, Sweets. I call you when something happens," the entomologist nodded and was glad when he could close the door behind Sweets. He took a deep breath before he walked back into the kitchen and found Cam standing at the counter again, her back to him.
"Where's that beer you were talking about?" he asked and decided to avoid the fat pink elephant in the room. For now at least.
~*~
"Booth, you're driving too fast. It won't help anyone if you get us killed," Brennan said while they sped through the city, Booth driving like a maniac. She was relieved when he finally slowed the car down.
"Sorry, Bones. You're right," he sighed defeated.
"I don't understand why you get so upset over Cam lying to us. She is not obligated to always tell you the truth. She’s not religious, so it's not a sin, just immoral," Brennan said.
"I'm disappointed, Bones, really disappointed. Cam and I we've known each other for 16 years and we've been there for each other many times. Now that she is at the lowest point I have ever seen her she refuses to let me in," he explained.
"Do you let her in when you're sad or upset?" Brennan asked him.
"Sure. Beside you cam is probably the person who knows the most about me. After I woke up from my coma I even told her." Booth stopped suddenly, realizing what he had nearly let slip.
"What did you tell her?" Brennan wanted to know.
"Nothing, Bones, nothing. It's not important," he said quietly.
"See, now you're lying to me and I'm not kicking your car and threaten to call your family," she told him, pointing a finger to his face.
"You're right," he admitted. "It just hurts me seeing her like this." They were quiet for a moment.
"You really believe that the woman belongs to Cam's family?" Brennan asked him then.
"Maybe, at least I am sure that all of them knew her," Booth nodded.
"The logical next step would be to perform a background check on Cam and her family. I know she's my boss and you're friend but if we want to find out who the victim is, it could be helpful," she said and he knew she had a point.
"Cam will kill me and fire you if she finds out," Booth replied but Brennan merely shrugged. "But it is our job to find out who killed her and therefore we have to find out who she is first," Booth thought loudly, justifying the action he had already decided on. "You're coming with me to the Hoover?" he asked her then and she smiled and nodded.
~*~
"We were right, she uploaded the videos," Angela told Sweets early the next morning. "Close the door," she told him when he wanted to walk in. Cam had come in early that day and after saying good morning to everyone, including Wendell, she had disappeared into her office and hadn't come out ever since. Better to be safe than sorry.
"Do they match with the videos on the USB drive?" Sweets asked and sat down beside Wendell, who wanted to see this as well.
"I scanned the video databases online and found I'll be there first. The same user uploaded the other two videos as well," Angela reported and showed him the videos on the screen.
"How many videos are there in total?" Sweets wanted to know.
"Nearly two hundred. It's not all songs though. It's also dancing, some comedy parts, most of it filmed at animation shows in hotels. I tried to make out what hotel but it seems like our girl sang in many different hotels and not only in her room," Angela replied.
"Also the videos were all recorded between 1999 and 2009," Wendell added.
"Last upload was Mai this year, Take a bow," Angela finished the report of their findings.
"The girl could dance as well?" Sweets asked surprised and wrinkled his forehead.
"Yeah, she uploaded one video where she's maybe 8 and dances ballet. I can't tell her age exactly because she uploaded the video only three years ago and there's no date on the video," Angela said.
"Are there any videos where she is dancing alone in front of the camera filming herself like in the music clips?" Sweets asked after thinking about it for a second.
"No, from what I saw, not," Angela shook her head.
"Are you able to hack into the account to get us an email address or anything else?" he asked next.
"Already done," Angela grinned. "The email address has the same nickname as the account singer1234. The computer is searching for other page where that email address has been used as we speak," she finished and all three smiled at each other, happy that they had found something new.
~*~
"Estelle just told me that you were in today," Hodgins said after knocking on Cam's door and entering when he didn't hear anything.
"I was going crazy at home. The constant ringing of my cell phone didn't make it better," she replied and he sat down on the other side of her desk and placed a box in front of her.
"Here, I still had that at home and thought you might need it," he grinned and she smiled slightly when she opened the box and found a new telephone inside.
"Thank you, Hodgins," she said and closed the box again.
"You're welcome. After all I couldn't fix your phone last night, even though I said I could," he smiled.
"You were totally bragging about your skills. Guess you're not king of the telephone, huh?" she smiled back at him and he grinned back proudly. Proud that he had made her smile. It didn't last long though and the sad look was back on her face.
"I brought you something else, something case related," he told her then, more serious this time. She took a deep breath, steeled herself for what he would have and then nodded.
"Okay."
"This is the hair I found on the necklace. The FBI surely wants DNA," he told her and placed the petri dish on her desk.
"Okay," she repeated, slowly took the evidence and stood up. "Can you stay here while I perform the test?" she asked him quietly when she reached her worktable.
"Sure," he nodded. She turned around and faced him, the Petri dish still in her hand and looked at him for a moment. She took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Hodgins, I am not asking you this now because I want to pull you in with me, but because I know you're possibly the only one who will understand me. You have tempered with evidence twice for personal reasons and I understood where you were coming from," she started.
"You didn't fire me," he agreed.
"I'm not able to explain what I'll do at the moment. One day in the future I'll tell you, but I can't... not now," she went on.
"What do you need from me Cam?" he asked her directly and looked her in the eyes.
"I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone about the DNA test I'm going to perform or about the results, no matter what will happen," she said and held his look.
"I promise you," he nodded and she turned back around and started her work without another word.
~*~
"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, here is the information you requested," a younger agent said when he entered Booth's office and handed him a file.
"Thanks Mick," Booth replied and took the file. Brennan who had sat on the visitor’s chairs before came around and stood beside him, looking into the file that he opened.
"That's Cam's dad," she said when she saw the name on the first sheet. "Married, two daughters, widower, former sports teacher, several tickets for speeding," she summed up what she read.
"That's Cam's mom," Booth said when he saw the next name. "French teacher, dead, no tickets, no drivers license" he said and turned the page.
"Wow, cam's grandmother has ten kids?" Brennan said when she saw the next info sheet.
"All the drunk cousins must come from somewhere," Booth winked at her, looked over the file and turned the page.
"That's Cam's sister, Felicia, the one that kissed you," Brennan said.
"How do you know that Felicia kissed me? Did Cam tell you? Or Hodgins? It was harmless ok, no full meal. And I didn't kiss her back, no matter what the others were telling you. Although I could have, because Cam and I were just pretending to be together at the time. We weren't even a couple, not even a pretend couple by the time she kissed me. I still had fifteen minutes," Booth rambled and Brennan looked confused at him.
"I saw the kiss Booth, I was sitting right next to you," she replied, her forehead still wrinkled in confusion about his outburst. "And I agree, you didn't kiss her back."
"Oh, you were talking about the kiss in the living room yesterday," a light bulb turned on in his head.
"Of course I was, what kiss were you talking about?" she replied.
"Nothing, no kiss, not even a peck," he mumbled and tried to find something to distract her with. "Hey, look at that. Good old Felicia was arrested twice for shoplifting," he said and pointed to the sheet.
"She was eight," Brennan replied and pointed to the date.
"Oh, right," he nodded and turned the sheet. They made it through several more if Cam's relatives and their kids until they found Cam's sheet.
"Camille Elaine Saroyan," Brennan read out loud, and raised her eyebrows because she had not known that; the name had never shown up anywhere.
"Born in, student, jobs," Booth said and flipped to the next page. "Tickets, gun license.... Oh my god," Booth said then and pointed to the bottom of the next sheet.
~*~
"Look at that," Wendell grinned proudly when Angela hacked into yet another video account.
"Same email address, other account," she just shrugged and scrolled down to see all the videos that were uploaded from this account.
"It's just lyrics to music videos, originals this time," Sweets said disappointedly when he saw what they had found.
"But why does she lock them in a private area?" Angela asked, her curiosity peaked now. Her feelings told her that when someone made videos with lyrics and saved them in an area where only he or friends could see them, there must be a reason. Especially if the user had no friends on his buddy list.
"There," Sweets said suddenly and pointed to a video on the right.
"Dirty Diana," Wendell said and looked at him appreciatively.
"And it doesn't look like a lyrics video," Angela said and pressed play. Dirty Diana started to play in the video and they all watched the video with a little smile. Until 1.39 minutes in the video, then they all froze, stared with wide eyes, couldn't believe it.
"Oh... my... god," Angela exclaimed.
~*~
"Female, so either this is this victim’s hair or the murderer was a woman." Hodgins concluded when he saw the test results on the screen. He stood behind Cam and watched her while she worked on the computer. He had seen how she has analyzed the hair, had fetched them some coffee while the computer had rendered and had seen her bite nervously on her fingernails while they waited the last few second s in front of the computer screen.
So far he hadn't seen anything what he would need to lie about. It wasn't like they had anything to compare the DNA with. What she next did surprised him though.
She used her security clearance to log into the Jeffersonian's database of the DNA codes they had stored there. They DNA of every employer at the Institute was saved there so they could notice immediately if they were accidentally analyzing their own hair that had fallen onto a corpse or evidence while they worked at it. After a scandalous mistake at the police in Europe* the Jeffersonian had taken that precaution, to Hodgins greatest discontent.
He raised his eyebrows when she typed in her own name, found her own DNA code and clicked Compare. While the computer rendered she crossed her arms in front of her chest, dug her fingers so hard in her upper arms that he was sure it would leave bruises.
"Oh my god," and Hodgins gasped loudly when the results showed up on the screen. Cam stared at it, brought her hands down to the desk in front of her to support herself; afraid her legs would give in.
"Kira," she whispered resigned. Somehow she had known the result beforehand. It was a 50% match. Her daughter was dead.
TBC (don't believe for a second that this case is anywhere near solved ;) )
*For nearly a decade the police in Europe kept searching for a woman known as "the phantom". She was involved in all kinds of different crimes. Homicide, drugs, mafia killings, robbery... When two kids broke into a school and destroyed part of it the police found DNA material of said woman again. The two kids swore they had been alone though. Finally the police thought about the fact that something could be wrong with the DNA material. To make a long story short, it turned out that the police in 5 European countries had used cotton swabs that were not registered for DNA testing, to save money. Now because the swabs weren't licenced for it, the hygiene standarts at the factory weren't as high. The phantom that the police had looked for and had made several psychological profiles for, turned out to be a 60 year old factory worker, working in the fabrication of cotton swabs.... *headdesk*
Chapter 4: Take a bow
You look so dumb right now standing outside my house. Trying to apologize, you’re so ugly when you cry. Please, just cut it out!
“Can you see with how much emotion she sings that?” Sweets asked the next afternoon when Angela had been able to restore yet another video. It dated back only one year and gave them a better idea what the woman had looked like. Sweets was overly excited about this video and even for Angela's taste he overanalyzed it. There was no hidden message behind her gestures, no meaning behind the words she sang. It was just another pop song she had recorded.
Don’t tell me you’re sorry cause you’re not. Baby when I know you’re only sorry you got caught. But you put on quite a show, really had me going, but now it’s time to go curtain’s finally closing. That was quite a show, very entertaining. But it’s over now, go on and take a bow.
"You know what I keep asking myself, Sweets? Why was she recording these videos? Where is the point in recording videos and then saving them on a USB drive," Angela spoke out loud what she had been wondering about.
"What do you mean?" the psychologist asked and turned his head to look at her for the first time since she had shown him the video.
Grab your clothes and get gone. You better hurry up before the sprinklers come on. Talkin’ 'bout, girl, I love you, you’re the one, this just looks like the re-run. Please, what else is on?
"Usually when you record videos you do that with something in mind. There are holiday videos to remember the great places you have been, there are special occasions when someone films with the same purpose. But when you film yourself singing a song you don't do this just to have the video. You could just record your voice and put it on your mp3 player if that's what you wanted. Usually these videos get uploaded somewhere or they are used to contact music labels to get a record deal," Angela explained.
"Did you check the video platforms online yet? Sweets asked.
"No, I haven't done that yet, I am still working on the videos," Angela shook her head.
"But maybe if she really uploaded all the videos we would have more to work with a lot faster than waiting for the videos to be restored," Brennan, who had just entered the office told her.
"You're right. I will start looking by using the videos I have so far, that shouldn't take too long," Angela nodded.
"And I will call Booth and tell him to send out requests to all big labels, maybe they'll be able to tell us something," Brennan added and hurried off again.
"And you Sweets? You're staying here watching videos all day?" Angela asked him, the request in her voice that he should leave so she could work.
"No, I planned on visiting Dr. Saroyan to see how she is doing," he said. Cam hadn't shown up for work that day. Hodgins had said that maybe she would just come in later. Now it was already afternoon and she still wasn't in.
When Sweets left the artist's office he passed the platform where Hodgins was just getting ready to leave.
"And? Found something new?" Hodgins asked him and slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder.
"Angela will check all video platforms on the internet for the videos now. She's right, there must be a purpose behind filming them," Sweets replied. "And here?"
"Not much. Victim used an expensive body lotion and smelled like Tommy Girl before she died, cause that's what was on the necklace. I put the hair I found in a petri dish. We'll have to wait for Cam to pull DNA," Hodgins said while they stepped out of the lab.
"I'm just on my way to Dr. Saroyan," Sweets replied.
"Oh really? Me too. Wanted to see how she's doing," Hodgins said and sounded surprised that Sweets wanted to check on Cam.
"I think she might need someone to talk to and maybe I will get her to tell me who that girl is, would save us all a lot of work," Sweets shrugged and held the door open for Hodgins when they entered the underground parking space.
"Oh, so you're not really interested in how she's doing but more about stroking your ego by getting her to crack," Hodgins said aggressively, annoyed with the psychiatrist.
"You seem strangely protective of Dr. Saroyan as of lately," he replied and looked curiously at Hodgins who rolled his eyes and opened his car.
"I just know how it is to want some privacy," he said and slammed the door shut behind him. A second later he started the engine and pulled out of the parking space.
"Hey, wouldn't it be more practical if we drove together?" Sweets yelled after him, but saw only the backlights of the car when Hodgins drove away.
~*~
"Hodgins, hey," Cam said dully when she opened the door. She looked small, he thought when he took in her appearance. Her hair was wrapped in a sloppy ponytail and strands were falling out. She wore a black Sweater that seemed too large for her and jogging pants that had paint stains on them. She wore no make- up and her eyes were red and swollen.
"Hey," he replied softly and followed her into the house when she stepped away from the door wordlessly and disappeared into the house. "Could you sleep last night?" he asked her and found her in the living room where she attempted to clean up the tissues that were strewn all over the couch table and the floor. The phone lay by the door and Hodgins picked it up on his way in, saw that it was chipped; she had obviously thrown it against the wall. He placed it on the shelf to the right and helped her picked up the tissue balls, which she took from him with an embarrassed expression.
"Yeah, I slept until nine this morning," she replied and threw the tissues into the trash.
"I should maybe warn you that Sweets is on his way over, he can't be far behind," he told her then decided to do it better fast before the kid showed up and she wasn’t prepared for it.
"I don't want to talk to him, or to anyone else for that matter. Why can't they just all leave me alone?" she asked and popped down on the couch.
"I guess you're talking about your family?" he asked and sat down beside her, trying not to be offended by her comment. He somehow knew she didn't mind his company as long as he wouldn't start asking questions.
"My sister called, my dad called, my aunts and uncles called. Even my drunk cousin sent me a text message," she groaned and leaned back, took a blanket that lay to her right and covered herself with it, drew her knees up to her chest.
"They are worried about you," he said.
"They are just gloating," she shook her head.
"I don't know them but judging from what I saw last night I'd say your sister and your dad are really just worried about you. You know, I don't have any family left so I know that sometimes it's good to have some, no matter how annoying they can be. When it comes down to the worst they are usually the people that are there for you," he told her and she looked at him, leaning her cheek against her knees and didn't pick up on how much he had revealed about himself with that statement.
"They were never there when I needed them, never. Ever since my mom died they just call when they need something or when there's some family celebration coming up," she replied
"You and your mother were close?" he asked and she nodded.
"She was always there for me, no matter what, helped me out a lot. I couldn't... I wouldn't be where I am today without my mom," she said and sighed deeply. "You want a beer?" she asked then.
"Sure," he shrugged and winced a moment later when the doorbell rang.
"Can you tell him to go away and I get the beer?" she asked. Hodgins nodded and they both got up.
When Hodgins opened the door he found not only Sweets in front of it but Booth and Brennan as well.
"What are you doing here?" Booth asked him and wanted to step inside when Hodgins blocked the entry with his body.
"I came to check on cam. She doesn't want to talk to you," he told them and didn't move aside when Booth tried once again to get in.
"I don't care what she wants, I need to talk to her," Booth said annoyed and made another try to get inside the house.
"Hodgins, you don't help her if you support her denial," Sweets tried to reason with him but Hodgins wouldn't listen.
"You call it denial, I call it peace and quiet," he said cynically.
"Ok, enough. Step aside Hodgins," Booth spat out annoyed and pushed Hodgins aside a moment later. Sweets and Brennan followed him inside and Brennan looked apologetically at him.
"You ok?" she asked when he rubbed the spot where the back of his head had hit the wall behind him.
"Yeah," he nodded and closed the door. When he came back into he living room he saw that Sweets and Booth had cornered Cam in the kitchen. She stood with her back to the, her hands gripping the counter in front of her tightly.
"Dr. Saroyan why don't we all sit down and we give you an update o the case," Sweets said and obviously tried to solve the situation. Whatever Booth had said to Cam it hadn't been wise.
"Sweets, why don't you let us adults clear this here?" Booth snapped at him then turned his attention back to Cam. "Damn it Camille, why are you lying to me? I am your friend, I always thought I am your friend and now you're lying to me and your whole family along with you?" he fumed.
"You had no right to inform the Coach or ask him about that. I told you I don't know who that girl is and as my friend you should have just accepted that and been there for me. Instead you run to my father and now I have to deal with all those people," Cam yelled when she turned around and faced Booth.
"I know that you are lying!" he yelled back.
"You don't know anything. You don't have the slightest idea! And now get out of my house Booth before I will shoot you. You know I am not joking," she hissed the last part and a frustrated Booth kicked the chair that stood beside him, turned around and left her house. Brennan, who had come with him, followed him out while Sweets stood stunned and watched it.
"Sweets you should go," Hodgins told him when he saw that Cam was fighting with the tears that threatened to spill.
"Keep an eye on her," Sweets nodded in agreement and Hodgins followed him to the door to give Cam a moment to herself. "She's mourning," Sweets said when they reached the door, now surer than ever in his observation. "Grief comes in waves, keep that in mind when her mood swings from one moment to the other," he gave one last advice to Hodgins, who had now somewhat agreed to officially look after his boss.
"I know, Sweets. I call you when something happens," the entomologist nodded and was glad when he could close the door behind Sweets. He took a deep breath before he walked back into the kitchen and found Cam standing at the counter again, her back to him.
"Where's that beer you were talking about?" he asked and decided to avoid the fat pink elephant in the room. For now at least.
~*~
"Booth, you're driving too fast. It won't help anyone if you get us killed," Brennan said while they sped through the city, Booth driving like a maniac. She was relieved when he finally slowed the car down.
"Sorry, Bones. You're right," he sighed defeated.
"I don't understand why you get so upset over Cam lying to us. She is not obligated to always tell you the truth. She’s not religious, so it's not a sin, just immoral," Brennan said.
"I'm disappointed, Bones, really disappointed. Cam and I we've known each other for 16 years and we've been there for each other many times. Now that she is at the lowest point I have ever seen her she refuses to let me in," he explained.
"Do you let her in when you're sad or upset?" Brennan asked him.
"Sure. Beside you cam is probably the person who knows the most about me. After I woke up from my coma I even told her." Booth stopped suddenly, realizing what he had nearly let slip.
"What did you tell her?" Brennan wanted to know.
"Nothing, Bones, nothing. It's not important," he said quietly.
"See, now you're lying to me and I'm not kicking your car and threaten to call your family," she told him, pointing a finger to his face.
"You're right," he admitted. "It just hurts me seeing her like this." They were quiet for a moment.
"You really believe that the woman belongs to Cam's family?" Brennan asked him then.
"Maybe, at least I am sure that all of them knew her," Booth nodded.
"The logical next step would be to perform a background check on Cam and her family. I know she's my boss and you're friend but if we want to find out who the victim is, it could be helpful," she said and he knew she had a point.
"Cam will kill me and fire you if she finds out," Booth replied but Brennan merely shrugged. "But it is our job to find out who killed her and therefore we have to find out who she is first," Booth thought loudly, justifying the action he had already decided on. "You're coming with me to the Hoover?" he asked her then and she smiled and nodded.
~*~
"We were right, she uploaded the videos," Angela told Sweets early the next morning. "Close the door," she told him when he wanted to walk in. Cam had come in early that day and after saying good morning to everyone, including Wendell, she had disappeared into her office and hadn't come out ever since. Better to be safe than sorry.
"Do they match with the videos on the USB drive?" Sweets asked and sat down beside Wendell, who wanted to see this as well.
"I scanned the video databases online and found I'll be there first. The same user uploaded the other two videos as well," Angela reported and showed him the videos on the screen.
"How many videos are there in total?" Sweets wanted to know.
"Nearly two hundred. It's not all songs though. It's also dancing, some comedy parts, most of it filmed at animation shows in hotels. I tried to make out what hotel but it seems like our girl sang in many different hotels and not only in her room," Angela replied.
"Also the videos were all recorded between 1999 and 2009," Wendell added.
"Last upload was Mai this year, Take a bow," Angela finished the report of their findings.
"The girl could dance as well?" Sweets asked surprised and wrinkled his forehead.
"Yeah, she uploaded one video where she's maybe 8 and dances ballet. I can't tell her age exactly because she uploaded the video only three years ago and there's no date on the video," Angela said.
"Are there any videos where she is dancing alone in front of the camera filming herself like in the music clips?" Sweets asked after thinking about it for a second.
"No, from what I saw, not," Angela shook her head.
"Are you able to hack into the account to get us an email address or anything else?" he asked next.
"Already done," Angela grinned. "The email address has the same nickname as the account singer1234. The computer is searching for other page where that email address has been used as we speak," she finished and all three smiled at each other, happy that they had found something new.
~*~
"Estelle just told me that you were in today," Hodgins said after knocking on Cam's door and entering when he didn't hear anything.
"I was going crazy at home. The constant ringing of my cell phone didn't make it better," she replied and he sat down on the other side of her desk and placed a box in front of her.
"Here, I still had that at home and thought you might need it," he grinned and she smiled slightly when she opened the box and found a new telephone inside.
"Thank you, Hodgins," she said and closed the box again.
"You're welcome. After all I couldn't fix your phone last night, even though I said I could," he smiled.
"You were totally bragging about your skills. Guess you're not king of the telephone, huh?" she smiled back at him and he grinned back proudly. Proud that he had made her smile. It didn't last long though and the sad look was back on her face.
"I brought you something else, something case related," he told her then, more serious this time. She took a deep breath, steeled herself for what he would have and then nodded.
"Okay."
"This is the hair I found on the necklace. The FBI surely wants DNA," he told her and placed the petri dish on her desk.
"Okay," she repeated, slowly took the evidence and stood up. "Can you stay here while I perform the test?" she asked him quietly when she reached her worktable.
"Sure," he nodded. She turned around and faced him, the Petri dish still in her hand and looked at him for a moment. She took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Hodgins, I am not asking you this now because I want to pull you in with me, but because I know you're possibly the only one who will understand me. You have tempered with evidence twice for personal reasons and I understood where you were coming from," she started.
"You didn't fire me," he agreed.
"I'm not able to explain what I'll do at the moment. One day in the future I'll tell you, but I can't... not now," she went on.
"What do you need from me Cam?" he asked her directly and looked her in the eyes.
"I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone about the DNA test I'm going to perform or about the results, no matter what will happen," she said and held his look.
"I promise you," he nodded and she turned back around and started her work without another word.
~*~
"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, here is the information you requested," a younger agent said when he entered Booth's office and handed him a file.
"Thanks Mick," Booth replied and took the file. Brennan who had sat on the visitor’s chairs before came around and stood beside him, looking into the file that he opened.
"That's Cam's dad," she said when she saw the name on the first sheet. "Married, two daughters, widower, former sports teacher, several tickets for speeding," she summed up what she read.
"That's Cam's mom," Booth said when he saw the next name. "French teacher, dead, no tickets, no drivers license" he said and turned the page.
"Wow, cam's grandmother has ten kids?" Brennan said when she saw the next info sheet.
"All the drunk cousins must come from somewhere," Booth winked at her, looked over the file and turned the page.
"That's Cam's sister, Felicia, the one that kissed you," Brennan said.
"How do you know that Felicia kissed me? Did Cam tell you? Or Hodgins? It was harmless ok, no full meal. And I didn't kiss her back, no matter what the others were telling you. Although I could have, because Cam and I were just pretending to be together at the time. We weren't even a couple, not even a pretend couple by the time she kissed me. I still had fifteen minutes," Booth rambled and Brennan looked confused at him.
"I saw the kiss Booth, I was sitting right next to you," she replied, her forehead still wrinkled in confusion about his outburst. "And I agree, you didn't kiss her back."
"Oh, you were talking about the kiss in the living room yesterday," a light bulb turned on in his head.
"Of course I was, what kiss were you talking about?" she replied.
"Nothing, no kiss, not even a peck," he mumbled and tried to find something to distract her with. "Hey, look at that. Good old Felicia was arrested twice for shoplifting," he said and pointed to the sheet.
"She was eight," Brennan replied and pointed to the date.
"Oh, right," he nodded and turned the sheet. They made it through several more if Cam's relatives and their kids until they found Cam's sheet.
"Camille Elaine Saroyan," Brennan read out loud, and raised her eyebrows because she had not known that; the name had never shown up anywhere.
"Born in, student, jobs," Booth said and flipped to the next page. "Tickets, gun license.... Oh my god," Booth said then and pointed to the bottom of the next sheet.
~*~
"Look at that," Wendell grinned proudly when Angela hacked into yet another video account.
"Same email address, other account," she just shrugged and scrolled down to see all the videos that were uploaded from this account.
"It's just lyrics to music videos, originals this time," Sweets said disappointedly when he saw what they had found.
"But why does she lock them in a private area?" Angela asked, her curiosity peaked now. Her feelings told her that when someone made videos with lyrics and saved them in an area where only he or friends could see them, there must be a reason. Especially if the user had no friends on his buddy list.
"There," Sweets said suddenly and pointed to a video on the right.
"Dirty Diana," Wendell said and looked at him appreciatively.
"And it doesn't look like a lyrics video," Angela said and pressed play. Dirty Diana started to play in the video and they all watched the video with a little smile. Until 1.39 minutes in the video, then they all froze, stared with wide eyes, couldn't believe it.
"Oh... my... god," Angela exclaimed.
~*~
"Female, so either this is this victim’s hair or the murderer was a woman." Hodgins concluded when he saw the test results on the screen. He stood behind Cam and watched her while she worked on the computer. He had seen how she has analyzed the hair, had fetched them some coffee while the computer had rendered and had seen her bite nervously on her fingernails while they waited the last few second s in front of the computer screen.
So far he hadn't seen anything what he would need to lie about. It wasn't like they had anything to compare the DNA with. What she next did surprised him though.
She used her security clearance to log into the Jeffersonian's database of the DNA codes they had stored there. They DNA of every employer at the Institute was saved there so they could notice immediately if they were accidentally analyzing their own hair that had fallen onto a corpse or evidence while they worked at it. After a scandalous mistake at the police in Europe* the Jeffersonian had taken that precaution, to Hodgins greatest discontent.
He raised his eyebrows when she typed in her own name, found her own DNA code and clicked Compare. While the computer rendered she crossed her arms in front of her chest, dug her fingers so hard in her upper arms that he was sure it would leave bruises.
"Oh my god," and Hodgins gasped loudly when the results showed up on the screen. Cam stared at it, brought her hands down to the desk in front of her to support herself; afraid her legs would give in.
"Kira," she whispered resigned. Somehow she had known the result beforehand. It was a 50% match. Her daughter was dead.
TBC (don't believe for a second that this case is anywhere near solved ;) )
*For nearly a decade the police in Europe kept searching for a woman known as "the phantom". She was involved in all kinds of different crimes. Homicide, drugs, mafia killings, robbery... When two kids broke into a school and destroyed part of it the police found DNA material of said woman again. The two kids swore they had been alone though. Finally the police thought about the fact that something could be wrong with the DNA material. To make a long story short, it turned out that the police in 5 European countries had used cotton swabs that were not registered for DNA testing, to save money. Now because the swabs weren't licenced for it, the hygiene standarts at the factory weren't as high. The phantom that the police had looked for and had made several psychological profiles for, turned out to be a 60 year old factory worker, working in the fabrication of cotton swabs.... *headdesk*