Murder in the Museum

I have to give credit to redrider, luli, and jerseybones for the idea for this story...once upon a time, when we all met in DC, we were tossing around the idea of writing something like this together. Obviously that never materialized, but it never really left my mind, and recently I got a few ideas and decided to give it a shot on my own.

Just a warning, though...I'm not great at case fics, but I'm going to give it another try. Luckily, I have kasper to help me with it...she's much better at that than I am. Anyway, enjoy...

Jackson Carter stretched, running a hand behind his neck in a vain attempt to relieve the throbbing there. He was tired, and it wasn't even noon yet. The constant stream of patrons roaming through the museum's exhibits, added with the echoes of the hundreds of voices, were taking their toll, and he could feel a headache coming on. It figured...the museum had only been open for three days, yet already he was regretting taking the job.

Not that he minded the work; and he loved the exhibits. But the kids...he shook his head. They were nothing but trouble. No wonder he had a headache. The thought no sooner crossed his mind when a scream echoed through the hall. “Damn kids,” he muttered, starting towards the Depression Era Criminals section of the museum. Probably a bunch of teenagers causing trouble. He was halfway there when more screams echoed the first, and his anger quickly dissolved into panic. This wasn't just teens being annoying, something was terribly wrong. He took off at a run.

xxx

Special Agent Seeley Booth strode purposefully into the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, flashing his badge wordlessly at the cop stationed at the entrance. His crisp charcoal gray suit was immaculate; the only nod to the unseasonably warm May day was the open top button of his white dress shirt.

His partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan walked beside him, a sharp contrast to his professional appearance in her dark blue cargo shorts and plum colored tank top. She had been sitting out on her balcony with her laptop, enjoying the sun, when Booth had called with the news that they had a case. Her curiosity had been peaked, however, by his demeanor and the tone of his voice. He had sounded tense, and had just recited the address to her before hanging up without his usual banter. Add to that the fact that he was dressed for work, though it was a Sunday afternoon, and she came to the conclusion that something was up. All in all, his demeanor was intriguing, and she was curious to know the reason for it. But that would have to wait; she had a job to do.

Following Booth through the queue, in which linked handcuffs took the place of normal chains, they made their way up the stairs to the third floor of the museum. They weaved their way through corridors filled with pirates, stockades, and medieval torture devices, right into the Old West. Here, cops milled about, black and yellow crime scene tape cordoning off the scene.

Booth nodded to one of the men. “Roberts. What have we got?”

Detective Roberts was a big, beefy man; he was in his forties, but looked at least ten years older. There were lines around his tired brown eyes, and his hair was thinning. Brennan had a feeling that the violence and depravity of DC had taken their toll on him over the years. She followed as he led them to a car on display. Brennan noticed the sign said that it was the Death Car that had been used in the movie 'Bonnie and Clyde'.

“A girl found the body this afternoon; started screaming. The museum guard shooed everyone away, took one look and called us. And we called you.”

Brennan raised her eyebrows. “Body? You mean it still has flesh?”

Roberts looked at her quizzically for a moment, then shrugged. “Kind of.” Brennan looked at Booth questioningly, but he just shrugged and followed the cop as he turned and led them through the partition that separated the display from the passersby, around to the back of the car.

The body was lying at an odd angle, pushed halfway underneath the car, mostly hidden. It was fully clothed, but the face, hands, and part of the torso were unrecognizable. Bits of flesh clung to the bones, but were mostly melted away. Brennan pulled a pair of rubber gloves out of her bag and pulled them on, kneeling by the victim.

Roberts hovered over her. “I don't know how you're going to tell anything from that mess.”

Booth glared at him menacingly, forcing Roberts to step back. “You don't know Bones.”

Brennan sighed, but didn't comment. She had long ago given up trying to get Booth not to call her 'Bones'; it didn't work, and besides, she kind of liked it. Not that she would ever admit that to him. Shaking her head, she got back to work. “Female, Caucasian, late twenties.” She examined the body for a few minutes, then stood and pulled off her gloves. “I'd say she's been here no more than 12 hours. Once I get her back to the lab, I can be more precise.”

Booth was jotting her description down in his little notebook. He glanced up at her. “What happened to her?”

“Looks like some kind of acid was used on her. Hodgins can figure out the specifics.”

“And that's what killed her?” This from Roberts, who was still standing there, though now a respectable distance away.

“I can't say.”

Booth turned to Roberts. “I want to talk with the guard, and the girl who found her.”

xxx

“I just wanna go home.” Eighteen year old April Myers had had enough. It was bad enough that her boyfriend had forced her to come to this stupid museum, but now she was caught in a real live freak show. If she closed her eyes, she could still see that...thing. She shuddered, remembering. And now they were sitting in this tiny, airless room in the basement of the museum, and the damn FBI were looking at her like she had done something wrong. “I already told them what happened.” She gestured condescendingly towards Roberts and his partner, who were standing across the room.

“Look, Miss Myers. This will go faster if you cooperate.” Booth's voice was clipped; Brennan could tell that he was angry, but he was trying to control it. “Just tell me again what you saw, and then you can go.”

The girl sighed. “Like I already said. We were standing there, looking at the car. The one that they used in that movie. And I thought I saw something behind it.” Her eyes flickered uneasily to the museum guard, who had joined the two cops in the corner. “I...” She stopped, not sure if she should go on.

Booth leaned forward and gave her a smile. Brennan watched, almost feeling sorry for the girl. No woman was immune when Booth smiled like that, and she knew from experience that April didn't stand a chance. She was going to tell him whatever he wanted to know. “Nobody's worried about any rules you may have broken, April. I've got a dead body here, that's the important thing. I just need to know what happened.”

April took a defensive stance, but she answered, as Brennan knew she would. “I hopped over the wall, all right? I just wanted to see what was there. I know it was wrong, but...” She shrugged. “I saw, and I started screaming.”

Brennan had a feeling it would be a long time, if ever, before April got that curious again. She couldn't blame her; in her line of work, she'd seen worse, but the body was bad enough. Especially for a teenage girl.

“Can I go now?”

Booth nodded. “Just make sure detective Roberts has your information, in case we need to contact you later.”

Brennan watched, slightly amused, as April scrambled out of the room, then turned to Booth. He looked tired; she could see faint circles around his eyes, as if he hadn't gotten much sleep in the past few days. She watched as he rubbed a hand over his eyes, then settled in to talk to the guard. “Mr...”

“Carter. Jackson Carter, sir.” He tapped his fingers on the table nervously. “I just can't believe this happened...”

Booth interrupted him; again, Brennan sensed his annoyance, but she wasn't sure if it was at the situation, the guard, or something else entirely. “Just tell me what happened.”

“Well, it was just like the girl said. She screamed, and I came running.” He puffed his chest out proudly. “Then I got everyone away, and I called the police.”

“No one touched anything?”

“Nothing. Not until the police came.” His story over, he started fidgeting nervously once more. “Can I go now?”

Booth appeared not to have heard the question. “How is it that the body wasn't discovered before this? Dr. Brennan says it's been there for at least twelve hours.”

“Well, I...” Carter appeared flustered. “We do a walk through before we open, make sure everything's working, you know, the lights, and the interactive exhibits and things. But...well, we don't make a habit of going into the exhibits. I mean...why would we?”

“Why indeed,” Booth muttered. “So you saw nothing out of the ordinary today?”

“No. Not until the girl screamed.” Brennan knew Carter wanted to ask again if he could leave, but didn't quite dare.

“One last question. Did you recognize her?”

“Her? I could barely recognize it as human! How could I know who it is?”
If Booth had an answer to this, he didn't give it. Instead, he stood quickly. “Fine. You can go now.”

Brennan watched as he ran a hand through his short brown hair, then stood and started out. He was exasperated and edgy, and she wanted to know why.

“Booth.” Brennan hurried to catch up with him. “Are you coming to the lab?”

Booth yanked at the knot in his tie, finally succeeding in pulling it open. “I have something to take care of first, then I'll be there.” He turned from her and headed to his car, but she lay a hand on his arm, stopping him.

“Booth, are you okay?”

He looked at her for a moment, and she thought he was about to tell her what was on his mind, but in the end, he just shook his head. “I'm fine Bones,” he said, before opening the door and sliding behind the wheel. “I'll see you later.”

Brennan watched as he drove away, a frown on her face. He was lying; she saw it in his eyes. There was something wrong, and he was keeping it from her. Sighing, she made her way to her car. No use worrying about it now, though; she had a job to do.

Sounds like an interesting start so far. The case sounds intriguing, but Booth...where was he? Why is he acting distant, when Brennan is for once attempting to reach out? So many question.

Great job. Update soon.

ooooh, now I'm curious!

You say you're not good at description...but i stangely lost my appetite after your body description!!! What's wrong with our Boothy? Love it, can't wait for more!

Thanks tiff, dawn and G!

And G...I didn't think it was that great...I'm hoping kas will give me a description for it once I get to the lab...lol

That poor girl trying to keep quiet, but who can keep anything from Booth?! We have a case and a Booth mystery. Sounds like a good'n!

Great start, please update soon. I am very curious to see what Booth is hiding and who our mystery girl is.

Thanks sherry and southerngirl! And I must thank kasper for her help with this chapter...and future chapters as well. She's the scientist, not me, lol.

When Booth arrived at the Jeffersonian an hour later, Brennan was on the lab platform looking over the body, Cam and Vincent beside her, while Angela was to the side, quietly observing. She was glad to see that he had changed into jeans and black t-shirt and looked more relaxed than he had earlier. She noted he still look distracted, however, as he swiped his badge and stepped up onto the platform.

“Got anything yet?”

“Nothing new yet. The findings confirm a white female in her early twenties.” She made a note in the file before laying it down on the table beside her. “Hodgins took samples to see if he can identify the acid that was used on her, and Cam's finishing up the autopsy.”

“Damn.” He was staring at the body, lost in thought.

“What about you?”

He looked up at her question. “I've got them checking missing persons reports from the last 48 hours, but nothing so far.” He walked closer to the body, his features tight as he looked down at the victim. Most of the skeleton of the upper body was exposed, though not from decomposition. Some of the regular tissue was still intact, but other parts of the skin appeared to be sloughing off the body. “What the hell did the bastard do to her?”

Cam looked up and shook her head. “It looks as though someone threw some sort of chemical on her, with particular focus on her face, hands and upper torso to make sure she's not identified immediately.”

“Or else they wanted to make sure a certain forensic anthropologist was assigned to the case.”

Brennan looked up sharply. “What are you saying?”

“Bones, face it. You're famous, and there are some sick bastards out there that thrive on publicity. Cases like this make headlines.”

“That's crazy.”

“Is it? He destroyed her face and hands, but he's got to know that we can use the dental records to identify her.”

“Sure, if we have a possible victim. But...”

“I'd be willing to bet that if she hasn't been reported missing yet, she will be soon. We'll find out who she is. What's the point in delaying ID? None.”

“Maybe you're giving the killer too much credit.”

“Okay, fine.” Booth threw her an exasperated glare before turning and stalking off. “Call me when you've got something more.”

Brennan watched him go, fighting the urge to call him back to apologize, though she wasn't exactly sure what to apologize for. They always talked through the cases this way. Whatever it was that was bothering him was making him act this way, she knew. Shrugging at Angela's confused look, she turned back to the body.

“Aren't you going to go after him?”

“Ang, I have a case to work on.”

“Sweetie, you've done all you can right now. Cam can finish. But there's obviously something wrong with Booth, and he needs you right now.”

Looking around, she noticed Cam and Vincent both looking at her curiously. She sighed, knowing Angela was right. “Mr. Nigel-Murray, when Cam's finished her examination, clean the bones. I'll be back shortly.” Stripping off her gloves, she made her way down the steps and to her office, oblivious to the looks that followed her.

xxx

Booth took his time answering Brennan's knock on his apartment door; she had almost turned to leave when he finally opened the door cautiously. “Bones? What are you doing here?”

“I thought maybe you could use some company.” She studied his face as he stood aside and waved her in. His hair was tousled, as though he had been running his fingers through it, and his eyes were tired. “You look stressed.”

“I'm fine, Bones.” He collapsed on the sofa and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “You didn't have to come here.”

Instead of answering, she walked behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. It was a testament to how tired he was that he didn't even flinch as she began gently rubbing his shoulders. His head dropped forward in his hands as he succumbed to her ministrations. “Bones, what are you doing?” he muttered.

“You're so tense.” Brennan was surprised at the tightness of his shoulder muscles. Using her fingers, she massaged away the knots, feeling pleased as her actions elicited groans of appreciation from him. “So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?”

“Bones, you don't want to go there.”

He tried to keep his voice firm, but she knew he was weakening. “I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know.” She stopped what she was doing and walked around the sofa to sit down beside him. “Where were you this weekend?”

“I was in Philly.” He sat up and leaned his head back against the sofa, closing his eyes. “For my father's funeral.”

Brennan sucked in a breath, shocked. His father had died, and he hadn't even told her. “Booth I...I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to say...”

“Don't worry about it.” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “I only went for my mom anyway.”

“But Booth...”

“Look, I appreciate the sympathy, Bones, but I really don't wanna talk about it right now.”

“But you shouldn't just...” Her words were cut off at the ringing of her cell phone. Glancing at the display, she saw it was the lab and she knew she had to take it. Sighing, she answered. “Brennan.”

Hodgins didn't bother with hello. “The material used to burn the victim was sulfuric acid.”

“Interesting. Not something you find in your average home.” Her brain was whirling, trying to focus on the case while her mind was still on Booth's revelation. She was aware of his eyes on her as she talked. “Did you find anything else?”

“A few particulates I need to look into. But I thought you'd want to know about the acid.”

“Yeah. Thanks Hodgins.” She closed the phone and turned to Booth. “Hodgins identified the acid used on the victim.”

“Great.” Booth's voice was less than enthusiastic. “Well, that eliminates the 'crime in the heat of passion' scenario. I doubt the perp just happened to have acid in his pocket for just such emergencies.”

“That doesn't mean he didn't kill her first, then come back later to cover his tracks.”

Booth shook his head. “One of them had to have worked in the museum. I mean, they were in there after hours.”

“Not necessarily. They could have found a way in, or maybe they were looking at the exhibits and hid until they closed.”

“What, he planned to kill her and hide her in the museum? That's a stretch, Bones.”

“It's not any different than you suggesting she was killed and disfigured to make sure I'd be the one investigating the case. It is a crime museum, after all. Perhaps to the killer there was significance in that.”

“Then why hide the body? He could have just put it on display.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “There's too many scenarios. We need evidence. And an ID.”

Brennan regarded him sympathetically. “We'll get it.” She reached out and tentatively put a hand on his arm. “You look exhausted. Maybe you should forget about the case for awhile.”

He smiled knowingly. “Nice try, Bones. But I'm not discussing my father. End of story.” He stood and stretched. “But you're right. I am tired.”

Brennan sighed and took the hint, standing with him. “I guess I should get back to the lab and see if Mr. Nigel-Murray's finished cleaning the bones.”

Booth smiled as he walked her to the door. “Are you ever gonna call that kid by his first name?”

“That depends,” she said cryptically as she walked out, pulling the door shut behind her.

ooh. interesting! can't wait till the next chapter!

I suppose it could just be family-related...but I can't help but wonder if it's just the issues surrounding his father's death that are bothering him. Hmmm.

And nice try on her part, trying to distract him.

A disfigured body for who knows why. Booth's dad passing and him keeping it quiet. And what's Brennan's deal with VNM?

This story is rockin and poor boothy boo

First of all...I love it. Next, it completely is playing out just like an episode. It's almost like your chapters end and I expect some blaring commercial to come on. Nicely done. Can't wait for more!!
PS I love the word sloughing. The forensic connotations are brilliant to that word. The skin was sloughed off. Gross!! lol

Thanks zed, dawn, sherry, ann and G!

And haha G, the credit for that must go to kasper...I told you, she's much better at the description than I am! lol

very nice start, good balance between case and B&B