Florida
"I thought you said you'd be down on the next flight," Brennan said into her cell phone, steering her rental car along a service road through the Florida Everglades.
The officer at the barricade had told her that it was no more than a mile to the site. A decomposed body had been found in the swamp, prompting the FBI to request Brennan and Booth handle the investigation.
But Booth had gotten....a little held up back in DC. Explaining to his superiors why he had discharged his weapon at an ice cream truck.
Apparently Booth's superiors were not impressed with "the music was annoying" as a rational for shooting a clown-head speaker.
Well, I haven't met with the shrink yet. Booth replied, voice mildly fuzzy over the speaker phone.
"What shrink?"
Well, a department psychiatrist has to, you know, sign a piece of paper saying that I'm not nuts before I get my gun back, so I have an appointment for tomorrow.
"Great. Now I have to break in this Agent Sullivan?"
Brennan had not been thrilled at the prospect. Brennan worked very well with Booth. And it was a working relationship that had taken a while to perfect. She didn't care for being thrown into a case cold with a new agent.
Hey, hey. Sully's a great guy. And for your information, you never broke me in.
Brennan rounds a turn, and sure enough there's crowd of people ahead. Police, park rangers, and a tall man in a dark suit. A suit that might as well be FBI standard issue.
"I think that's him," Brennan says, pulling over to the side of the road. "Okay, I'll talk to you later."
The only body readily present at the site was that of Eugene--an alligator of impressive size. The rangers had just finished pulling the dead reptile out of the water as Brennan and Agent Sullivan approached. It had been pure luck (good luck for the police, bad luck for Eugene) that the alligator had been seen swallowing a decomposed human arm. Given the eating habits of alligators, the body had likely been in the swamp for weeks.
"Okay," Agent Sullivan said to the ranger. "Why don’t you drag the rest of the swamp for any additional remains. I’ll check Ft. Lauderdale missing persons. You," he said to Brennan. "Start cutting."
"No," Brennan replied.
"Wha…isn’t that what you do?"
"Any potential remains are far to sensitive to be retrieved here," Brennan replied reasonably.
"Okay. Well." Agent Sullivan had looked distinctly bemused. "Where do you suggest?"
"My lab at the Jeffersonian."
"The whole gator?"
Brennan nodded. "I’ll handle transport."
"You’re going to need a big crate," the ranger commented.
"And a lot of ice," Brennan said, nodding in agreement. She'd knelt down by Eugene, mentally estimating his size and weight. A lot of ice.
Agent Sullivan had shaken his head as he viewed the scene. "Okey-doke. Well, if you’re doing this then there’s a boat for sale that I’d like to check out."
Brennan looked up from her cursory exam of the alligator's mouth. If any fragments were present, they could easily become dislodged during transport. "A boat? Booth helps."
"Because Booth can’t relax."
Brennans gloved fingers closed on a foreign object lodged in the alligator's teeth. Something that, even through latex, was clearly not bone.
"Ah. There’s something metal in here," Brennan said, carefully maneuvering it out of the alligator's teeth. The chain came first, and then an oblong gold locket, engraved with a decorative, vaguely floral pattern.
Agent Sullivan leaned over her shoulder, trying to get a better look at their first clue. Brennan lowered the locket, turning her shoulder to block him.
"Don’t you have a boat to buy?" she asked pointedly.
The locket spun slowly on the end of the gold chain. Now we just need to find out who you belonged to.
The officer at the barricade had told her that it was no more than a mile to the site. A decomposed body had been found in the swamp, prompting the FBI to request Brennan and Booth handle the investigation.
But Booth had gotten....a little held up back in DC. Explaining to his superiors why he had discharged his weapon at an ice cream truck.
Apparently Booth's superiors were not impressed with "the music was annoying" as a rational for shooting a clown-head speaker.
Well, I haven't met with the shrink yet. Booth replied, voice mildly fuzzy over the speaker phone.
"What shrink?"
Well, a department psychiatrist has to, you know, sign a piece of paper saying that I'm not nuts before I get my gun back, so I have an appointment for tomorrow.
"Great. Now I have to break in this Agent Sullivan?"
Brennan had not been thrilled at the prospect. Brennan worked very well with Booth. And it was a working relationship that had taken a while to perfect. She didn't care for being thrown into a case cold with a new agent.
Hey, hey. Sully's a great guy. And for your information, you never broke me in.
Brennan rounds a turn, and sure enough there's crowd of people ahead. Police, park rangers, and a tall man in a dark suit. A suit that might as well be FBI standard issue.
"I think that's him," Brennan says, pulling over to the side of the road. "Okay, I'll talk to you later."
The only body readily present at the site was that of Eugene--an alligator of impressive size. The rangers had just finished pulling the dead reptile out of the water as Brennan and Agent Sullivan approached. It had been pure luck (good luck for the police, bad luck for Eugene) that the alligator had been seen swallowing a decomposed human arm. Given the eating habits of alligators, the body had likely been in the swamp for weeks.
"Okay," Agent Sullivan said to the ranger. "Why don’t you drag the rest of the swamp for any additional remains. I’ll check Ft. Lauderdale missing persons. You," he said to Brennan. "Start cutting."
"No," Brennan replied.
"Wha…isn’t that what you do?"
"Any potential remains are far to sensitive to be retrieved here," Brennan replied reasonably.
"Okay. Well." Agent Sullivan had looked distinctly bemused. "Where do you suggest?"
"My lab at the Jeffersonian."
"The whole gator?"
Brennan nodded. "I’ll handle transport."
"You’re going to need a big crate," the ranger commented.
"And a lot of ice," Brennan said, nodding in agreement. She'd knelt down by Eugene, mentally estimating his size and weight. A lot of ice.
Agent Sullivan had shaken his head as he viewed the scene. "Okey-doke. Well, if you’re doing this then there’s a boat for sale that I’d like to check out."
Brennan looked up from her cursory exam of the alligator's mouth. If any fragments were present, they could easily become dislodged during transport. "A boat? Booth helps."
"Because Booth can’t relax."
Brennans gloved fingers closed on a foreign object lodged in the alligator's teeth. Something that, even through latex, was clearly not bone.
"Ah. There’s something metal in here," Brennan said, carefully maneuvering it out of the alligator's teeth. The chain came first, and then an oblong gold locket, engraved with a decorative, vaguely floral pattern.
Agent Sullivan leaned over her shoulder, trying to get a better look at their first clue. Brennan lowered the locket, turning her shoulder to block him.
"Don’t you have a boat to buy?" she asked pointedly.
The locket spun slowly on the end of the gold chain. Now we just need to find out who you belonged to.