The Victim in the Special Unit - 3

Morning

Jeffersonian

“What do you even need a lawyer for?” Angela looked puzzled. The group stood on the platform while the woman’s remains lay piecemeal on the lighted surgical table
“I know, there’s no way she can say that we planted anything there” Hodgins agreed with his wife
“Look” Booth pointed a finger, “Just do your bug thing and let me worry about what we need to prove or don’t  need to prove”
“Sweetie, you really need to cut down on your caffeine” Angela sighed
“Don’t you have faces to put on skulls?” Booth grumbled
“Understood” Angela turned on her heels and left the platform, “Oh Hello” she nearly bumped into a professionally dressed redhead woman
“Excuse me” Casey held up her Visitor badge, “I’m Casey Novak; here to meet Seeley Booth”
“He’s up there” Angela pointed to the raised platform, “I’m Angela Montenegro” the women shook hands and Casey walked towards the others
“Seeley Booth?” she questioned aloud
“I’m Seeley Booth” he turned around and walked off the platform
“Casey Novak” she shook his hand, “you had wanted to speak with me
“Yes, but since you’re here, I’d like you to come up here with the rest of us. It concerns them too”
“Alright” Casey seemed hesitant”
“Don’t worry, they won’t bite”
“Yeah, Mr. Addy isn’t here” Dr. Oliver Wells piped up, “Ow” he winced when Hodgins kicked him from behind the table
“Tell them what you mentioned to me on the phone” Booth motioned to Novak
“There isn’t much of a case here. She can’t prove that any of you left the body there anymore than they can prove that she didn’t leave it there herself”
“But it’s highly unlikely that she could do this much damage to the body” Bones seemed pleased with her quip
“However your work here won’t go well with the defense” Casey noted, “They’ll give the argument that you’re tainting evidence simply by it being here, let alone you all working on it”
“But I’m the most qualified forensic anthropologist” Bones braced her shoulders
“That may be so, but what evidence can you give me to show that you didn’t have anything to do with Ms. Grazie finding the body”
“Are you saying that you think we put it there?” Hodgins looked up from his particulates
“No, I’m saying that I need to build a case” Casey sounded exasperated

Smithsonian Museum

“A twelve year gap doesn’t make for a strong relationship” Olivia spoke to herself, not caring if anyone was listening or not. There was solitude and then there was loneliness, and somehow Olivia Benson found herself in a wasteland between the two concepts. She’d come to the museum for some alone time, but though she’d found what she’d been looking for, somehow it wasn’t as satisfactory as she’d hoped it would be
“But I want to go potty, now!” a shrill voice cut through Olivia’s thoughts. She turned her head towards the voice. Eli Stabler dragged his father towards the men’s room
“Almost there” Elliot sounded weary. Olivia tried to take a step forward but found herself rooted to the spot.

Jeffersonian

“As you can see, Ms. Novak” Bones stood on the raised platform and explained, “we’ve just began looking at the skeletal system”
“But the victim was found intact” Casey held back a wash of nausea as she inched away from the corpse
“Dr. Saroyan already flayed the skin” Bones said with a matter of fact air, “So the bones here show a great deal of information” she went on, “Here, at the tibia, you can see these micro cracks”
“This is all going over my head” Casey forced a smile
“Oh” Bones looked pleased, “Then this will allow Angela to show her expertise”
“Angela?” Novak turned as Brennan moved across the raised platform
“Ms. Montenegro” Brenna motioned towards Angela’s office, “Mrs. Hodgins, if she prefers”
“Ok” Casey exhaled
The pair stepped into Angela’s office.
“Hi” Angela smiled at Casey, “here’s some scenarios I’ve got, based on what Dr. Brennan and the others have found” she tapped out a few numbers on her keyboard and the wall sized lighted screen came alive in front of her. The image of a brunette woman appeared. She stood atop a building and when Angela pressed some keys, the woman leapt from the building to her animated death
“That’s one scenario” Angela explained, “but this is another one” she pressed a few keys and the woman stood at the top of a staircase and then tumbled down
“But, it doesn’t explain why she was found here” Angela did some more computer wizardy and the scene pulled back so Casey and Brennan could see that the staircase stood several feet from where the body had been found
“I sent Hodgins and Wells out to take some photos” Brennan explained
“Well, they did more than that” Angela brought up some photos of the crime scene and scrolled through thumbnails, and stopped upon a few shots of Wells and Hodgins apparently playing leapfrog on the steps.
“Boys” she laughed
Casey smiled, but Brennan stood there like a robot
“You managed all this in one day?” Casey looked surprised
“I run an efficient group” Brennan beamed
“Cam runs the group” Angela corrected her
“That may be, but I’m the topmost forensic anthropologist”
“And Winnie the Pooh was the best dressed bear because there were no other bears in the hundred acre woods” Angela quipped
“I don’t understand” Bones knitted her eyebrows
“Don’t worry, sweetie” Angela shook her head

Smithsonian Museum

Elliot picked up Eli and carried him through the museum. Finally, they reached The Discovery Room, an exhibit set up with hands-on display for young children. The other Stablers had dispersed and Elliot had instructed them to meet at a specific place at a designated time. He caught sight of Fin walking a few feet away. Elliot glanced back at Eli, who played freely with the display activities, and then made his way over to Fin
Elliot smiled. Fin wasted no time, “So, what’s the word?”
“On what?” Elliot had completely forgotten what they’d talked about earlier
“You and Liv”
“I can’t talk to her, not here” he looked around suspiciously
“Right” Fin nodded knowingly, “Better save it until you’re alone in private” he grinned
“Something like that” Elliot seemed elsewhere mentally
“What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“You seem distracted”
“Oh, Eli’s over there and I guess I was worried”
“He’s fine” Fin waved away the concern, “But it was great that you made this time for your family”
“Yeah” Elliot knew the real reason. He’d received a phone call, before the trip, that informed him that he’d have to uproot himself and move to Los Angeles. There’d been a slew of sexually charged murders and they needed someone with expertise to handle things. It wasn’t something he’d planned on doing, but it wasn’t his call. How could he explain that to Fin, let alone to Liv?
“If you’re concerned about Dickie” Fin was saying, “He’ll grow out of it. Look at Ken and I” he continued, “we had a horrible relationship, but after he grew up and both of us put some effort into things, everything’s better, so far anyway”
“Yeah” Elliot repeated himself
“Ok, spill it” he looked squarely at Elliot
“I’ve been working and they want to relocate me”
“Wow” he was genuinely interested, “where to?”
“LA” he was brief
“Nice. Sunshine, movie stars, Hollywood”
“Uh huh” he nodded
“But no – ahem” Fin gesticulated with his hands
“Yeah, that too” he smiled, “I don’t know how to tell her”
“You can’t let this die before it’s had a chance to breathe” Fin referred to Elliot and Olivia’s relationship
“Why ruin something that’s not broken”
“Not broken?” Fin repeated Elliot, “Listen to yourself. Do you know what she’s been doing since you left?”
“Nope”
“Cassidy came back, and he was with Liv”
“Cassidy?” Elliot feigned forgetfulness
“You know” Fin sighed, “your old pal” he was sarcastic
“Yeah” Elliot nodded. He remembered Olivia’s confession to him, after he’d eked it out of her,
“How long you been sleeping with Cassidy?” he’d asked her
“Uh, I'm not” she denied
Elliot was perceptive, “Your stomach just dropped two floors, Olivia. The subconscious doesn’t lie”
“I'm not lying --  not much”
Elliot nodded
She looked at him for solace, “Is it that obvious?”
“I'm your partner for better or worse” he knew what that phrase sounded like. She knew it too. He barreled on so they wouldn’t have to think about it much longer, “Look everybody knows too much about everybody else in this office anyway”
“I broke a rule, Elliot. A personal one. And now he wants to see me again” she looked disturbed
Elliot smiled, “Can you blame him?”
All those years ago, Elliot had lied to himself about what he’d felt. He’d been married and Olivia had been his “work wife” as Kathy had joked. Olivia was young, and attractive, and she understood him, even if they didn’t agree on things. Was it love? Yes. Elliot nodded, it was love, but he couldn’t tell himself that he was in love with her.
“What the hell are you nodding for?” Fin snapped him out of his remembrance
“Oh, yeah! Yes. Yes. They've rekindled? They hooked my girl up!” he sounded too ebullient, “The plot thickens!”
“What are you talking about?” Fin stared at him
“It’s complicated”
“What’s complicated about your history with her”
“Excuse me” he stopped Fin, “wasn’t it you who said I watch her backside more than her back”
“Yeah, but” he grinned, “everyone knows that you two are close”
“Close doesn’t mean that we should hookup” he rationalized, “besides, you said yourself that she’s with Cassidy”
“Was” he emphasized
Elliot stood there, motionless
“It’s not like he didn’t try,” Fin explained, “I guess once you’ve had the best—“
Elliot cut him off, “We never did anything”
“That’s not what I meant” Fin frowned, “What you had is more than sex or romance or anything else that two people can do between the sheets. You had something real. You knew each other, inside and out. You could read each other like books. I don’t know what you call it, but whatever it was, the two of you had it and it was strong”
“Ok” Elliot’s face was stone
“I’m just saying don’t let her get away this time”
“What does it matter?” Elliot’s face darkened, “I’m taking this job, regardless of what she or anyone else says”
“Running away was never your strong suit”
“I’m not running away” Elliot countered, “I’ve got my kids—“
“Who barely speak to you” Fin shot back
“I’ve got my family”
“You mean your bipolar mother or your ex-wife who won’t bother herself with an appearance”
“You don’t know what it’s like” Elliot raised his voice
“You’re right” Fin turned cold, “I don’t know what it’s like to have someone want to be with me as much as she wants to be with you”
“Fin” Elliot’s eyes pleaded even though his mouth wouldn’t, “I can’t do things just because other people want me to”
“Then do things because you want to” Fin finished his argument and left the room

Jeffersonian

“We’re no closer to finding out how the body got dumped” Booth shook his head
“Perhaps you could use some assistance” Casey picked up her cellular phone
“I don’t need some other people coming in and telling me how to do my job” Booth glowered
“Well, you need something” Casey snapped at him, “Fancy computers and the best anthropologists in the land aren’t getting you one step closer to figuring out how that body ended up out there and you still have a case against your department”
“Fine” Booth conceded, “Call your people”

Smithsonian Museum

“Sure I can be there” Olivia spun on her heels and made her way toward the museum’s exit. Fin found her as she was leaving the building, but he wasn’t alone
“Elliot?” she looked quizzically at him
“Three brains are better than two” he smiled
“That’s only if you’re concentrating on the case in front of you instead of the person in front of you” Fin quipped
“I can handle it” he pushed his way ahead of the other two and made a beeline for the exit. Olivia and Fin followed him. He was already on the phone, giving his teenage children instructions on leaving the museum and going straight to the hotel when they’d finished viewing exhibits.

Jeffersonian

The team was already going over the information when Elliot, Olivia and Fin arrived. They were issued Visitor ID badges and were soon in the viewing room with the others
“This” Angela explained, “shows some scenarios I’ve got, based on the measurements that Hodgins and Wells found” she tapped out a few numbers on her keyboard and the wall sized lighted screen came alive in front of her. The image of a brunette woman appeared. She stood at the top of a stone and mortar staircase and then tumbled down
“But, it doesn’t explain why she was found here” Angela explained as the scene pulled back so the others saw where the body was found in relation to where she might’ve been killed, “These photographs” she went on, and pulled up the photos that Wells and Hodgins had taken. “These” she showed the shots of Wells and Hodgins apparently playing leapfrog on the steps, “show the distance between the steps and it looks like she was either pushed or she fell down them”
“Ok, so she fell” Fin looked at the photos of the two scientists playing on the steps, “nothing there shows that she was pushed"
“Not quite” Bones spoke up, “on her clothes, Dr. Saroyan found some particulates that Dr. Hodgins inspected”
“There were oily substances on the back of her jacket” Hodgins explained, “Right about here” he placed his hands at about shoulder level, “She might’ve been held and then pushed”
“She could’ve just been drunk” Elliot blurted
“Elliot” Fin shot him a look
“What? People get drunk and they fall down stairs”
Nobody moved for a moment. The Jeffersonian team realized that something was going on when nobody from the New York team spoke
“I don’t understand” Bones began, “but the scenario is certainly plausible”
“My mother died like that” Olivia explained
“Then it may have been how this woman died as well” Bones agreed
”We have to talk about this” Booth spoke into her ear
“Not now” Bones shushed him, “We have to solve this matter first”
“Fine” he sighed, “so we think we have a probable cause of death?”
“Not yet” Wells piped up, “But I’ve found that her fall wasn’t random nor was it like any other fall”
“What is he talking about?” Fin glanced at the intern
“Her fall lacked any defensive wounds” Wells explained, “had she fallen while conscious, she would have braced herself to keep her from a continued fall” he went on, “here” he pointed to the animated diagram, “you can see that she fell while unconscious”
“That does make sense” Elliot nodded
“There’s not much we can do right now” Booth led the closing, “Let’s take a break and regroup to tackle this with fresh eyes and minds”
“What time should we come back?”
“Let’s meet at the Royal Diner tonight around eight”
“Sounds fair” Stabler agreed. The others nodded in agreement. The group disbanded and went their separate ways

District Hotel

Olivia sat at the hotel’s bar, nursing both her drink and her thoughts. It wasn’t her first drink of the evening and she didn’t plan for it to be her last either. Elliot’s flippant comment had brought thoughts of her mother, Sererna, to her mind, as well as her ex-boyfriend, Brian.
“I love you” he’d told her. He’d never said that to her. She replied that she loved him and that she always would. Things hadn’t worked out the way she’d hoped and the two had parted company. Now she sat on the barstool and his face came to her mind.
“Maybe if I’d been different, if we’d talked more, or if we’d worked harder” she thought, “we’d found each other at our darkest time and maybe that’s why we stayed together” she reasoned
She remembered the first that she’d slept with Cassidy and the conversation that she’d had with Elliot the next day. She remembered the line she’d given Cassidy later on, a month later, “You don’t fall in love with people you work with” She downed her drink
How could she have proven herself wrong. Brian wasn’t a bad guy. No, he tried hard. Very hard, and she hadn’t settled for him. “Had I?” she asked herself
She looked down into her now empty glass, “One more” she raised a finger to the bartender
“Maybe that’s enough for tonight” Elliot’s voice came from behind her
She wheeled herself around on the barstool, “This doesn’t concern you”
“Liv, I know we had a rough time and I wasn’t able to call you—“
“You” she cut him off, “I was doing fine. I had a boyfriend. Things were ok”
“You need to lie down. Or take something to soak up the alcohol, or at least have a little coffee” he tried giving her suggestions
“I need to be left alone” she frowned at him, “That’s what I’m good for, right? Brian left me alone, didn’t he?”
“I – I’m not the right person you should talk to about your boyfriend” Elliot forced himself to stay calm, but it wasn’t easy
“Ex-boyfriend” she nearly spat at him, “He said he loved me”
“Fine” he threw some bills on the bar and took her hand, “we’re going to your room”
“Oh, you don’t need your wife now?”
“We split up” her was curt, “come on Liv” he held her hand and helped her off the barstool
Slightly unsteady on her feet, Elliot placed her arm over his shoulder and he helped her to the elevator.
At her room, he dutifully fished her room card from her pocket where he knew it would be, and opened the door. He used his free hand to switch on the light and he laid her on the bed like a child. Short of tucking her in, he slipped off her shoes and made sure she was far enough from the bed’s edge not to fall off if she rolled over. As a last minute effort, he pushed on her back, rolled her to her side so if she was ill, she wouldn’t choke on her own vomit.
It pained him to leave her like that, but he wasn’t sure what else he should do. He had his four offspring with him and he couldn’t force Kathleen to watch them more than she already had.
At his hotel room, he found the children sprawled out on their beds, each with their own handheld tablet, playing games or chatting online. He glanced over from Eli’s device, where his young son was playing a game, to Elizabeth, who was reading a book on her device, to Dickie, who was chatting with someone, to Kathleen, who was reading an article, “It’s for school” she explained. She saw his pained facial expression, “Are you ok, Dad?”
He gave her a brief explanation of what had happened downstairs at the bar with Olivia
“Go to her” she nearly pushed him out the door with her words, “If she’s ill, she’ll need someone to take care of her. I can watch everyone. Only Eli might be a handful, and between the three of us, we can do it”
Elliot sighed, “Thanks” he kissed her forehead. I don’t know what I’d do without you kids” he got up and left the room, made his way to Olivia’s room. He still had her room key in his pocket from earlier. Quietly he pushed open the door, but he didn’t hear her sleeping
“I know you were working, Brian” she continued, “but I missed you”
Elliot stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do. He wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. He’d come in to sit by her bed, watch over her, and make sure she didn’t get hurt or wasn’t ill during the night. He was completely unprepared to deal with her talking to Cassidy of all people
“I know” she replied to an unheard statement from Brian Cassidy, “I love you too” she smiled and soon after, hung up the phone
Elliot walked forward, unable to hold himself at bay
Olivia looked up from her phone, “Elliot?”
“I came to see if you were ok. I got worried that you might have been ill or hurt” he paused for effect, “but it seems like you’re fine. Just fine” he tossed her room key on the bed and left the room, shutting the door behind him
“Elliot” Olivia called after him. There was no reply.