OOM: Man in the Mansion
"I need you to help me pull a little con on the wife."
Hodgins had a sinking feeling that he was in trouble as soon as Booth said it. Not that he thought that Booth suspected, at that point, that Hodgins had a personal relationship with the Bancrofts. But the man was like a walking lie detector. And he wanted Hodgins to help 'pull a con' on his former fiancee.
At the Bancroft mansion, Hodgins excused himself to go look around the study as quickly as he possibly could, while Booth and Clarissa talked in the other room. He was supposed to be looking for a possible source for the muskrat hair that had been found on Terry's body. Hodgins already knew he wouldn't find one in the study. Muskrat hair was not that widely used a product, and the inventory of the study (which he'd already reviewed) had been very thorough.
So instead he puttered in what he hoped was an official looking manner and eavesdropped on the conversation in the den.
He actually winced when he heard Clarissa ask, "What kind of doctor is Jack?" But when Booth merely answered the question and moved on, he began to relax a little.
He was a little saddened, but not totally surprised, to hear that Clarissa had cheated on Terry. Hey, if it had happened once, right? He also wasn't surprised that Terry had hung in and committed to working it out. That had always been Terry's way.
When Booth asked the 64 Thousand Dollar Question, he did so almost casually.
"How'd you know Dr. Hodgins's first name?"
At that point, honorable surrender seemed like a more viable option than having Booth march into the study, haul him out by the scruff of the neck, and make him explain himself at gunpoint.
"Just tell him, Clarissa."
It had been bad. It had been really bad.
"I ought to arrest you for tampering with evidence. When this goes to trial, you are in Ibiza or Antarctica on vacation," Booth said, jerking open the door of the car. "Start looking for another job!"
It was a long, silent, very tense drive back to the Jeffersonian.
And it wasn't over. There were still Brennan, Cam, and Angela to face. And the fact that the tell-tale muskrat hair pointed directly to a likely suspect only increased Booth's ire.
"Good job, Hodgins!" Brennan said, enthusiastically.
"No, not 'Good job, Hodgins'. He might have blown the entire case."
That brought the mood down pretty damn fast.
"What happened?"
"Look, I don't care what he does in his time off, but when he screws around with evidence to get into the pants of an old girlfriend on one of my murder cases, that's a problem."
As parting shots went, it was about as spiteful as you could get, Hodgins thought. Especially with Angela standing right there. And the hell of it was, there wasn't anything he could say in his defense. No, he hadn't done what he did in some insane attempt to get back with Clarissa. Hadn't even thought of it. He hadn't been motivated by anything other than the fact that the three of them--Hodgins, Terry, and Clarissa--had all been friends, a very long time ago.
But he had lied about his connection to the case. And now that that was out, he might have sunk it for everyone.
Hodgins had a sinking feeling that he was in trouble as soon as Booth said it. Not that he thought that Booth suspected, at that point, that Hodgins had a personal relationship with the Bancrofts. But the man was like a walking lie detector. And he wanted Hodgins to help 'pull a con' on his former fiancee.
At the Bancroft mansion, Hodgins excused himself to go look around the study as quickly as he possibly could, while Booth and Clarissa talked in the other room. He was supposed to be looking for a possible source for the muskrat hair that had been found on Terry's body. Hodgins already knew he wouldn't find one in the study. Muskrat hair was not that widely used a product, and the inventory of the study (which he'd already reviewed) had been very thorough.
So instead he puttered in what he hoped was an official looking manner and eavesdropped on the conversation in the den.
He actually winced when he heard Clarissa ask, "What kind of doctor is Jack?" But when Booth merely answered the question and moved on, he began to relax a little.
He was a little saddened, but not totally surprised, to hear that Clarissa had cheated on Terry. Hey, if it had happened once, right? He also wasn't surprised that Terry had hung in and committed to working it out. That had always been Terry's way.
When Booth asked the 64 Thousand Dollar Question, he did so almost casually.
"How'd you know Dr. Hodgins's first name?"
At that point, honorable surrender seemed like a more viable option than having Booth march into the study, haul him out by the scruff of the neck, and make him explain himself at gunpoint.
"Just tell him, Clarissa."
It had been bad. It had been really bad.
"I ought to arrest you for tampering with evidence. When this goes to trial, you are in Ibiza or Antarctica on vacation," Booth said, jerking open the door of the car. "Start looking for another job!"
It was a long, silent, very tense drive back to the Jeffersonian.
And it wasn't over. There were still Brennan, Cam, and Angela to face. And the fact that the tell-tale muskrat hair pointed directly to a likely suspect only increased Booth's ire.
"Good job, Hodgins!" Brennan said, enthusiastically.
"No, not 'Good job, Hodgins'. He might have blown the entire case."
That brought the mood down pretty damn fast.
"What happened?"
"Look, I don't care what he does in his time off, but when he screws around with evidence to get into the pants of an old girlfriend on one of my murder cases, that's a problem."
As parting shots went, it was about as spiteful as you could get, Hodgins thought. Especially with Angela standing right there. And the hell of it was, there wasn't anything he could say in his defense. No, he hadn't done what he did in some insane attempt to get back with Clarissa. Hadn't even thought of it. He hadn't been motivated by anything other than the fact that the three of them--Hodgins, Terry, and Clarissa--had all been friends, a very long time ago.
But he had lied about his connection to the case. And now that that was out, he might have sunk it for everyone.