10x05 - The Corpse at the Convention

[bunniefuu]

I thought I'd start my speech with a joke.

Right.

Erwin Schrodinger gets pulled over by the police for speeding. The officer says, "What's in the trunk?" Schrodinger says, "A cat." The officer says, "Well, I need to see." So police officer opens the trunk, he says, "This cat is dead." Schrodinger says, "Well, it is now."

Give me a heads up when the joke's coming.

Well, that was a joke, Booth. It's based on Schrodinger's famous thought experiment...

Ah, you know what, I usually judge a joke by how funny it is. And there was no yuks on that one.

Great, now my speech for the forensic convention has no beginning.

Try this for a joke. You hear about the, uh, restaurant on the moon? Great food but no atmosphere. (chuckles)

That's not a science joke.

Yes, it is-- it's got the word "moon." It's got the word "atmosphere." That's very "sciencery."

Here. (sighs) I-I'm not hungry.

Wow, you really are nervous about all this.

It's the National Forensic Sciences Convention.

Being chosen as the keynote speaker is a great honor and a terrible responsibility.

No jokes. Jokes-- out the door.

You are the smartest... person in that room. They're gonna love you.

Hmm?

Eat up.

What?

Saroyan: Wow, this is amazing.

Look at all this stuff.

Man: Wow, it's Dr. Brennan.

Woman: Ooh, they're here! Dr. Brennan!

Amanda Gurtz.

I'd be a very good intern, Dr. Saroyan.

I've worked closely with anomalies in gap junction-competent cells and micronucleus formation...

Thank you, I will take a look at it.

Okay.

I'm Dr. Howard Fitch.

I've developed a combustible gas detector and also...

Thank you for your card.

Gosh, this is crazy.

It's like walking into a show with my dad.

Ms. Montenegro?

You are the most brilliant person at the Jeffersonian.

Your steganographic decryption and stochastic deduction...

So sorry, we're actually in a rush, so...

Oh, no, no. Don't be rude.

Let her, let her finish, Hodgins.

Oh.

You were saying?

I just think you're amazing.

This is amazing, huh?

Awesome.

It's a pleasure to see you again, Dr. Hodgins.

I have been following your illustrious career.

(sighs) Wow.

I thought the security here was tight.

I guess not.

Well, we are colleagues now, I thought you'd...

Colleagues? Excuse me.

You are an incompetent forensic entomologist and a disgrace to your profession.

I'm Dr. Camille Saroyan.

I work with...

Yes, I know who you are.

Dr. Leona Saunders. Dr. Hodgins and I...

Have nothing more to say to each other. Excuse me.

Cam, I think the smart glasses you want to see are over here.

What was that?

Nothing, that was ancient history.

Montenegro: These record everything at the crime scene so you can revisit the footage whenever you want.

A useful device for people with no memory or powers of observation.

Hey. You okay?

Yeah. You know what, I got to go deal with something, okay?

I'm gonna catch you later.

Excuse me.

Yeah.

What, what are you doing here?

Saroyan: Have you heard of a Dr. Saunders?

Uh, no.

Old feud, apparently.

Woman: Speaking of old feuds, Dr. Brennan.

Oh...

Tess Brown.

Tess is a forensic novelist who has no comprehension of forensics.

We know who Tess Brown is, sweetie.

What are you doing here?

I'm researching a new book.

A novel approach.

You never researched any of your other books.

Touché. My days of being a sloppy writer are over.

And I'd like to make amends with you and possibly even become friends.

By all means, do your research.

But I could never be friends with someone who publicly displays such contempt for their readers.

Man: Dr. Brennan.

I'm Aldus Carter. It is an honor to meet you.

Would you like a sample of my non-stick examination gloves?

Thank you.

They're very practical at a crime scene.

These are great.

Take the whole box of gloves, please.

Thank you.

Dr. Brennan, you are looking lovely today.

I-I thought so, myself, Dr. Harkness.

Is it time?

Hello, Edward.

Tess.

Well, I would like to introduce you to the other board members before we get underway if that's okay.

Of course.

Please.

Does everyone in this place hate each other?

You and I are fine, aren't we?

Sorry.

Hey, you've been gone forever.

Is everything okay?

Yeah, totally.

Never better.

Hello, everyone!

Thank you.

I am Dr. Edward Harkness, director of the National Forensic Sciences Convention.

And it gives me great pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker.

A woman who, like a fine Cabernet that combines phenolic compounds, anthocyanins and colloids to produce perfection...

I hate wine geeks.

Harkness: ...which makes her, some say, the greatest forensic anthropologist in the last 50 years.

Please give a warm welcome to the incomparable Dr. Temperance Brennan.

(applause, whooping)

Thank you, Dr. Harkness.

Man: Yeah!

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I am quite excited to be in a room full of people familiar with the legends of the science world.

People like the great physicist Dr. Erwin Schrodinger.

Imagine, if you will, Dr. Schrodinger driving to work...

(fire alarm sounds)

Please, everyone, move, move to the exits.

Oh, my God, the place is on fire!

Harkness: To the exits, everyone. Thank you.

There's a body in there.

And it's burning!

(coughing)

What, do you smell that?

Ugh, that is gasoline.

Brennan: The fire is still localized.

This extinguisher should contain it.

This makes no sense. Why isn't it putting out the fire?

Okay, this isn't the time for a science lesson, let's just go.

We need to get out of here while we still can.

The evidence is burning. Now, Dr. Brennan!

♪ Bones 10x05 ♪
The Corpse at the Convention
Original Air Date on October 30, 2014

♪ Main Title Theme ♪ The Crystal Method

♪ ♪

Hodgins: It seems like they all have equipment they want to sell us.

These remains look as if they've b*rned for hours.

Hodgins: It couldn't have been more than ten minutes.

Booth: Well, there's no security cameras in here, right?

So, perfect place for a bonfire.

Can't see anything in here.

Booth: You know what, there's surveillance cameras out in the hallway.

Why don't you go hook up with hotel security, see if they got something? Thanks.

High intensity L.E.D. lamps!

Pure light that won't alter the visual integrity of the evidence.

Man: Dr. Saroyan!

I have an arson scene tool kit and some debris sifters that...

Stop. Stop, all right, everybody?

Just keep it down out here, all right?

I'd like a headlamp.

Yeah, me, too.

Yeah, lamps for everyone.

Who's got the L.E.D. lamps?

Here! I got four.

Cool. Thank you.

Thank you.

For you.

Thank you.

What is this white crust?

Where's my lamp?

Fire department used a class "D" extinguisher to put out the fire and left a sodium chloride shell all over the remains.

You don't see that every day.

Class "D," that's a metal fire.

That's right, yeah.

Most likely alkaline-based like, uh, magnesium or titanium, which burns at even higher temperatures.

Well, the extreme heat of the fire explains why her remains fused to the concrete floor, the stairs and part of the railing.

You already know it's a "her"?

Hey, everybody. Hey!

Mr. Bray!

Whoa, somebody had a bad day.

The small brow ridges and the sharp upper margins of the orbit suggest the victim is a female.

Already noted, Mr. Bray.

Here, brother.

Thanks.

You allowed to be here?

He's had no medical cannabis for a month.

The DOJ and the Jeffersonian gave him the all clear.

Because I got into the clinical trial Dr. B. recommended.

You're still in remission?

Yep.

Well, you know, it's good to have you back.

It's good to be back.

The symphyseal surface of the pelvis shows a woman about 40 years old.

I've got a badly b*rned lanyard here.

Can't make out an ID.

Here, let me see that.

That is definitely an ID from this convention.

Okay, hand it over to me, all right?

I'll get it to Angela in the, uh, hotel security room.

Maybe she can ID it.

All right, everybody-- listen up, all right?

I know that you're all forensic super-experts, but today you have to stay on the other side of the yellow tape.

You still like being a G-man, huh?

I feel like security at a Beyoncé concert.

What the hell is she doing?

She's the least of my worries.

Okay, look, do me a favor.

Get this to Angela in security, see if she can ID the victim.

I'll take care of that mess.

All right?

All right.

Let him out.

I'm here researching my new book, Hotter than My Heart.

I was in the back of the ballroom, listening to the wonderful Dr. Brennan when the alarm went off.

It was my quick reaction that saved the corpse from burning to a crisp.

Okay, that's it. Break it up. Let's go.

Go find a Kardashian. Party's over, all right?

Thank you. Bye-bye.

Do you have any idea who I am?

Yeah, I do.

My car wash sells your books.

But, you know what, you are not gonna use this m*rder to promote yourself.

Am I hurting someone?

Yes, you are-- someone with a sense of decency.

Now, I have to ask you a few questions.

Me?

Yes, you.

Now, you were the first to see the body, right?

Come on.

Come on, let's go.

We have to separate the remains from the floor and the railing so we can bring them back to the lab.

More than half the tissue has been vaporized because of the intense heat of the fire.

Running tox screens is gonna be difficult.

Here you go.

This should help us scrape her off the floor and the railing.

What is it?

Well, it's a concrete and metal saw all in one.

Dr. Fitch out there invented it.

I've got a biodegradable solution that might loosen the tissue fused to the floor!

Fitch: "Might"!

It also "might" destroy evidence!

And your saw won't damage tissue and bone?

Is that a thermocouple?

Carter: I gave it to him!

Yeah, uh...

It's a digital wireless thermocouple with downloadable memory.

Wow. Can I see that?

Yeah, sure.

Brennan: Can I see, too?

Hey, a shoeprint.

Brennan: It looks like it's b*rned right into the concrete.

Montenegro: The security cameras outside the plumbing and electrical room were turned off.

So we have no way of knowing who went in and out of that room.

You should get everyone's cell phones, those smart glasses, anything that could be used to take a picture or a video.

Already on it.

Okay.

Here we go.

But isn't it still too damaged?

Well, for this computer, yeah, but I linked in with my system at the Jeffersonian.

It can take whatever data is still on this stripe and check it against all of the female registrants.

(computer trilling)

(sighs) She's free.

I need the remains transferred to the Jeffersonian immediately.

I'm still working, Dr. Brennan.

Yeah, me, too, and with these people at this convention, we have all the tools that we need.

What are you doing?

Well, I am making a mold of the shoeprint.

With what?

I got this from some guy out there that's experimenting with this inert polymer resin that's totally noninvasive.

Yeah, I'm sorry I asked.

Just keep at it.

I really should develop a few of my ideas.

Oh, wow.

Now, that, that is impressive.

Whoa.

Saroyan: The rosy color and creamy, curdled texture of this area of blood suggest the victim d*ed before the fire.

There are injuries to the fourth sternal rib on the left side.

Could be a s*ab wound.

Tissue damage to the torso seems to confirm that.

What about time of death?

Despite the damage done by the fire, I see no signs of lividity or lactic buildup, so the victim must have d*ed no more than one or two hours before the fire was set.

Montenegro: So there are four female registrants that are unaccounted for.

I can match these pictures with the ones I took of the victim.

Oh, my God.

What?

Leona Saunders.

Who-who is Leona Saunders?

Hodgins knew her.

They-they talked just before she d*ed.

About what?

I don't know.

I-I don't know, I wasn't there.

Hodgins?

Yeah?

You knew, uh, Leona Saunders?

Unfortunately. Why?

What is she doing now?

Well, she's dead, she's our victim.

Are you serious?

Yeah.

Oh, my God.

Wow, I feel terrible because I don't feel terrible.

Well, if you have any information...

No, I don't have any information.

We talked-- well, we argued, actually.

Argued? That doesn't sound good.

When I was in college, I designed an odor-recognition system for locating buried human remains, right?

It contained a small box with ten sensors to respond to 20 different classes of chemicals that decaying bodies emit.

Stop. Just cut to the chase.

She stole my plans.

She claimed them as her own.

Wound about making about four million bucks off of it. Anyway, she shows up today and she wants to, like, make up like nothing ever happened.

You got to be kidding. You realize that doesn't look good?

All right?

You're arguing minutes before our victim was k*lled?

Are you serious, Booth?

There's probably a line of people who hated her.

Guys, can we just focus on the evidence, because it certainly does not point to me.

I didn't say that it did.

But we have to look at you just like we would any other person of interest.

This is unbelievable.

This is the third time I've been a m*rder suspect.

That makes me want to k*ll someone so you don't waste your time.

It was a joke.

I was joking.

Do you want to see the evidence I found or what?

Sure do.

Yeah, we do.

Let's see.

All right, okay.

What I got here is, I found olive oil and canola oil on the shoeprint along with food particulates. Now, that, plus the design of the actual shoe itself, makes me think maybe we're looking for someone that worked in the kitchen.

Makes sense. Dr. Brennan said there might have been s*ab wounds.

Okay, this is good. So the kitchen Kn*fe is possibly the m*rder w*apon.

Let me... Get the mold.

(beeps)

The mold!

No, Aubrey, not the positive, the negative.

Okay, great, got it.

Listen, Aubrey...

Aubrey, what's taking you so long, all right?

Assistant manager just told me that one of the kitchen workers clocked out early.

He's still in the kitchen?

Just left.

Okay, you're fast.

H-Hold it right there! FBI. Don't move.

I-I didn't do anything.

Right, you didn't do anything.

You're just taking off to do a little charity work, huh?

I'm sick; I got a stomach thing.

Yeah, poor baby.

Give us your shoe.

What?

Booth: Your shoe.

Take off your right shoe and throw it over here.

Easy.

Drop your bag.

Hmm?

Perfect match.

Oh, perfect match, huh?

Looks like we found Cinderella.

Okay, turn around.

(sighs)

Hands on the head, let's go.

Aubrey: Let's see here, Malik Farris.

Two years for robbery, three years for as*ault, four years for arson?

Oh, arson, what a coincidence.

Man, you got me down there bad, but I'm not that guy no more.

That why we found the victim's empty wallet in the kitchen trash?

Because that would be another coincidence, wouldn't it?

Yeah, coincidence.

And you had all of this cash on you.

Help me out here, Malik, huh?

A successful forensic entomologist has no money, but a dishwasher fresh out of jail has $560.

What's wrong with this picture?

The picture's r*cist.

That's what's wrong with it.

What, a man of color can't have money, huh?

All right, look, I don't know about you, but I'm tired of dancing, all right?

We have your shoeprint at the m*rder scene, Malik.

Okay, sometimes I use that place to herb down a little bit.

You know what I'm saying?

But this time there was a dead body, the whole place stunk of gasoline, I thought it was ready to blow, so, you know, I got out of there real fast.

Of course you didn't tell anyone about the dead woman or the potential expl*si*n.

Come on, man.

You seen my rap sheet.

Something like this goes down, I'm the first guy to get blamed.

And look at me, here I am.

You're here because you left your shoeprint at the crime scene, and you stole cash off a dead woman.

I mean, you honestly think we won't find your prints on that wallet?

Look, if you're innocent, why don't you just tell us what else you saw in there?

Or who else?

Man, I want a public defender, and a sober one.

I don't want to have to go back to the joint.

There's evidence of striations on the fifth and sixth left ribs, the fifth and seventh right ribs, and here on the left margin of the sternum.

More evidence of Kn*fe wounds?

Possibly, but I need to clean the bones so Dr. Brennan and I can make a conclusive determination.

Not yet, brother.

I haven't finished my particulates sweep.

It's taking a long time.

Yeah, well, this woman is covered in food refuse.

I think that she was transferred there in a garbage can.

The dishwasher has access to the garbage cans.

People see him wheeling them around every day.

No one would suspect a thing.

You know, if you gave me a hand, I could finish my job a lot faster.

If it gets me cleaning the bones sooner, I'm all yours.

All right, then, walk this way, Mr. Bray, into the wonderful world of forceps and swabbing.

Looks like the organ gods are smiling down on us.

I've got a stomach.

Think you can recover anything from it?

Let's hope so.

Booth: Oh, look at you, huh?

This is a treat.

I thought you would be stuck in the lab.

I can't do anything until the bones are clean.

Right.

They're so covered in particulates, I don't know when that'll be.

How did you get away?

Uh, suspect washed out.

The dishwasher?

Yeah.

You know, the surveillance camera caught him in the dining room. The timestamp was 11:58 a.m.

So there's no way he could get from the dining room to the plumbing and electric room in time to set the victim on fire.

Nah.

Ah, look at that, huh?

Hey, thank you.

Thank you.

Wait a second.

Did you order this for me?

You are so sweet. Thank you. (chuckles)

I'm no closer to finding the k*ller than I was when the remains were smoldering.

Oh.

"Oh," what?

You think you'll look bad in front of all these forensic geeks if it takes you too long to solve this one.

If I solve this one.

All right, look.

I'll bet you 100 bucks that they'll be even more jealous when it's done.

Booth, you're in Gamblers Anonymous.

You shouldn't be betting.

Right, and you're a genius, all right?

So don't say stupid things.

Have some pie.

Well, maybe a bite.

Come on, have some pie, all right?

Here, have a piece of the pie.

Hello, synthetic rubber.

All right, well, this is some kind of copolymer.

So, so far we have got coffee grounds, melted aluminum foil, two kinds of plastic, polyester, Styrofoam, gum and rubber.

And two trays of stuff yet to be identified.

Particulates. Don't say "stuff."

It's sacrilege.

You really doing good?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm back at the gym.

I can even have a beer.

I'm a big fan of remission.

We all are.

And the trial is having great success.

There are 12 of us in the group, and everyone's doing well.

Three cheers for modern science, huh?

Yeah.

Oh, I got something weird here.

Looks like tissue.

Hey, um, do you mind if I do the honors?

You are in remission.

You can do whatever you want.

Not tissue, it's gummy.

Can you put it up on the monitor?

Yeah.

A piece of a Band-Aid?

Yeah.

If it was worn, maybe Cam can pull some DNA off of it?

No, it's been in a fire.

Cam wouldn't have a chance.

Wouldn't have a chance of what?

Uh, of getting some DNA off this Band-Aid we found.

Oh, Dr. Hodgins is right.

Odds are against it, but it's worth a sh*t.

And I have a gift for you in return.

The victim's last meal.

Ah.

Based on digestion, ingested around 3:00 a.m.

I need it analyzed and ID'd.

Might be able to tell us where the victim was or who she was with before she d*ed.

You got it.

Brennan: There's no obvious defensive injuries, so the victim might have known the k*ller.

Or was just unafraid of the k*ller.

Enlarge the sternum?

Okay.

The sternum.

An oldie but a goodie, huh?

(computer trilling)

Brennan: There is a spiderweb fracture on the sternum.

The victim was struck and winded, giving the assailant time to s*ab.

So someone who knew what they were doing.

I've got the DNA results from the Band-Aid found on the remains.

And?

I'm sure it's easily explained.

What?

What is it?

The DNA's a match for Dr. Hodgins.

All right, let's go in here.

Oh, come... the interrogation room? Really, Booth?

(laughs) Come on, we got to do things by the book.

You understand.

Do you really think that I k*lled Leona?

No, of course not. But you did have a motive.

Because I hated her?

I told you that, Aubrey.

Come on, Booth, this is dumb. I mean, you know me.

Listen, the prosecutor gets copies of everything that we find, okay?

They're gonna need explanations, Hodgins. So, have a seat, sit down.

So, we sit down, we have a little conversation, and you explain yourself. Come on!

So, woman steals your invention, makes millions...

Yes, $4 million.

It's a lot of money.

But I was worth billions at the time.

But you're not anymore.

Now you could use that money.

Some might say that could make you lose control, lash out.

Wow, and I thought I was gonna like you, Aubrey.

Hodgins, he's just asking questions.

He's got to do his job, okay?

The prosecutor is gonna see the money thing as a motive.

There's also some hard evidence, might raise a few red flags.

Okay, all right.

This should be good, since I'm the one sifting through that evidence. Please.

It was a Band-Aid, piece of a Band-Aid that was found on the body with your DNA on it.

Yes, because I cut my finger this morning.

This one.

Booth (laughs): That's a good one.

Right there, okay?

I was making Michael Vincent's lunch, I cut myself, put a Band-Aid on it. By the time we got to the convention, it stopped bleeding, so I took it off, I threw it in the trash.

Yeah, but it wasn't in the trash, it was on the victim.

Yes, because the k*ller tossed a load of trash onto the victim to confuse us.

The crime scene was staged, Booth, okay?

Whoever did this knew what they were doing.

Someone like you...

Okay, that's enough.

What? I like the guy, too.

But it's like you said-- we got a job to do.

The DOJ's gonna think we're playing favorites here.

He answered your questions, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, okay? So he can go.

You can go.

I can leave?

Yes, you can.

Really?

Yeah.

Listen, I know what it's like to be innocent, and have a bunch of circumstantial evidence, you know, stacked against you.

Thank you, Booth.

And I really do think you're a good guy.

Yeah, great.

So please don't be the k*ller.

Stop, all right. Really?

Yeah, sure.

The indentations on the right side are deeper than the indentations on the left side.

What does that mean?

It indicates the disambiguation of a right-handed assailant, because these blows show more strength.

The fatal blows to the left side are weaker and not as specifically placed as those on the right.

Indicative of someone who is not used to using his left hand.

He was trying to confuse us.

But he wasn't successful, was he?

(cell phone sounding)

Sorry, um...

I have an appointment.

The clinical trial?

Yeah, I forgot to tell you.

I-I can cancel if you...

You're of no use to me if your cancer returns and you die, Mr. Bray.

I can manage until you come back.

It usually takes about an hour.

I-I get the medicine, they take my blood...

I know. I'm happy it seems to be working.

Thanks, Dr. B.

Hodgins: Hey!

I have got some good news for you.

You're back-- that's excellent news.

Yeah, well, there's more.

So, the stomach contents-- turns out there was wine sediment in the mix, made from a very rare, almost extinct French grape called carmenere.

Can you trace it?

I already did.

It was only used by four French vintners--

Pauillac, Margaux, Latour and Lafite.

All very expensive wines.

Yeah, exactly.

And the mass spec also identified strawberries and chocolate.

Sounds like our victim had a little romantic dinner on her last night.

With someone who really knows their wine.

So, we have to trace Leona's last steps in order to...

No, actually we don't.

So, I called the room service manager at the hotel.

The night before Leona was m*rder*d, a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries was delivered to a guest along with a thousand-dollar bottle of Chateau Margaux.

Let me guess, the hotel guest was Leona Saunders.

No, it was Dr. Edward Harkness, the director of the Forensic Science Convention.

Aubrey: We know that Leona Saunders was in your room at 3:00 a.m. on the morning of the day she was m*rder*d.

Because the Jeffersonian found the sediment from the Margaux in her stomach, correct?

Correct.

Yes, I was expecting this.

"A great, a good and a right mind is a kind of divinity lodged in flesh. Sadly it is always the flesh that gets the better of us."

(chuckles)

Seneca.

Ah! You know your classics, young man.

Mm-hmm. Bravo.

Ironically, my relationship with Leona started at the convention last year.

As you, well, may be aware, conventions usually devolve into carnivals of indiscretion.

And even I, the ringmaster, fell victim to its hedonistic pleasures.

So, you cheated on your wife, now you've turned it into a poem.

That's great.

Why don't you just tell me what happened?

Leona was the love of my life.

So, what's the story?

Did she meet somebody else at the convention? What?

No, I was not the jealous one.

There was another woman before Leona.

She hired me as a forensic research consultant for a book she was writing.

We started seeing each other.

But when I met Leona, I broke it off.

She never forgave me for leaving her.

And your other woman?

Tess Brown.

Hey, Dr. B.

So, I identified some particulate matter I found in the remains.

It was in the s*ab wounds.

What is it?

Obsidian.

Oh, obsidian was used as early as the Acheulean Age for weapons.

Yeah, well, I think it's still being used for weapons.

How much did you find?

About 600 grams.

Sufficient mass for an obsidian Kn*fe.

And a magnesium fire would melt an obsidian Kn*fe, leaving only traces of a m*rder w*apon.

Tess Brown used an obsidian w*apon in her first novel.

I'll check the bones for other fragments.

Okay.

Hey, I thought Wendell was helping you out.

Oh, he had an appointment for his clinical trial.

He should be back...

Actually, he was supposed to be back by now.

I thought he said that he was just going to get a quick injection.

Should we be worried?

Of course not.

No, I'm...

There's probably traffic.

Yeah. Yeah.

Aubrey: I talked to your publisher-- he dropped you.

Because of a video where I said a few inappropriate things.

Right, like calling your fans "idiots."

I have a neighbor who reads your books, she's definitely an idiot.

Right.

So your publisher gave you another sh*t because you had another big idea for a book.

Yes.

Which you titled Hotter than My Heart.

Kind of a crime in itself.

m*rder at a forensic convention with, uh, cops and experts.

That's ironic.

There's no crime in being at the right place at the right time.

No, it is if you were lying about where you were.

We have video evidence that proves you were never in the ballroom like you said you were.

Do you think I'd commit a m*rder to get a book deal?

Yeah, I do.

I actually think you would.

But, you know what, that's not why you k*lled Leona.

Why don't you tell us about your relationship with Dr. Harkness?

I hired him as a forensic consultant on one of my books.

He read my manuscript, gave me some notes.

It was purely professional.

"Purely professional." Do you hear that?

I'm sure he gave you lots of information on how to commit a m*rder, that must have been really helpful.

We also have evidence you and Dr. Harkness spent time together at several hotels in Miami, Las Vegas, Hawaii.

Booth: Hawaii. Aloha e.

What did Edward say?

That stumpy little toad.

Well, he said that you became very, very jealous after you found out about, uh, Leona.

Right now, he's looking pretty credible.

You know...

I hired another consultant.

An attorney.

And I'd like to call her right now, if you don't mind.

Any word from Wendell?

Not yet.

Do you think we can call the doctors who are administering the trial?

Maybe something happened to him.

I did.

They wouldn't tell me anything.

Confidentiality.

I can barely work.

But we have to, don't we?

There's a slight discoloration on the ilium I didn't see before.

The victim showed symptoms of arthritis.

It could have been from minocycline use.

This is localized to the ilium.

We've been working under the assumption that the k*ller used gasoline to ignite the magnesium strips.

But what if that were a mask for a third accelerant?

Do you think Tess Brown would be able to engineer something that complicated?

Dr. Harkness is quite brilliant in his field.

If he were her mentor, it's a very real possibility.

So, we're looking for a third accelerant, something that the gasoline could obfuscate.

I can't tell you how flattered I am that you asked me to be here.

The Jeffersonian is the pinnacle...

Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it?

Can we get back on track?

Uh, yes, of course.

Looks like sulfuric acid and potassium chlorate.

Yeah, now that is the perfect recipe for igniting magnesium strips, don't you think?

Yes, perhaps, but sulfuric...

Excuse me, Dr. Hodgins?

I'm Aldus Carter, I'm not sure if you remember.

Uh... What are you doing here?

I think the real question is-- what are you doing here?

I was asked to help because of my world-renowned expertise in arson.

"Expertise"?! His lab was shut down for starting a fire in his apartment building.

Didn't tell you that, did he?

Okay, stop. Both of you, stop it.

Now, how did you get in here?

Magnetic coding is just one of my many specialties.

If you'd let me help you, perhaps I could undo whatever damage this idiot has no doubt done...

Why you arrogant little...

Whoa-oa, hey, hey!

Hey, hey, hey, break it up!

Hey, break it up.

What the hell is going on here?

I asked him to come.

And he just showed up.

This is a restricted area.

You're both going to have to leave.

Now.

Can you please escort these men out of the building?

Okay, okay.

Compliments of Carter Forensic Devices.

Are you out of your mind?

You didn't even check with me...

Yeah, I... S-Sorry, sorry.

It was my bad, Cam.

But that just gave me a great idea.

Wait, look at this.

So, sulfuric acid and potassium chlorate, they react violently when put together, right?

Just like those two.

But what if the potassium chlorate and the sulfuric acid were separated by layers and layers of aluminum foil, which I also found on the m*rder remains?

The sulfuric acid would eat through the foil.

Yeah, that's right.

But slowly.

Here, put these on.

Because the foil would create an ignition delay...

Yeah, a chemical timing device.

Got it.

Hodgins: Whoa!

(laughs) Wow.

Oh!

That's pretty cool, right?

So the k*ller wouldn't need to be in the plumbing and electric room when the fire started.

Then all the timelines that Angela worked out, that cleared some of the suspects, are meaningless.

Which means none of the suspects has an alibi.

Including you.

Including... me.

I tried to call Wendell, but there was no answer.

I'm really starting to worry.

Don't. Booth heard from him. He's fine.

Oh! Then why isn't he here?

I'm sure Booth will be able to answer that.

I'm trying to determine why there's a puncture on the anterior surface of the left fifth vertebral rib.

Perimortem?

Yes.

It lines up with the obsidian Kn*fe wound on the fourth sternal rib on the left side.

But this one has no traces of obsidian in it.

So the obsidian Kn*fe must've been used to cover up the initial s*ab wound.

Yes. Note that no other wounds were deep enough to leave traces on the vertebral ribs.

The k*ller probably thought we were going to stop at the obsidian Kn*fe, and not search for another w*apon.

A very misguided assumption.

I will make a mikrosil impression of the injury and give it to Dr. Hodgins.

Perhaps he can identify the w*apon.

Hey.

People don't know how to drive in this city.

What's going on?

You good?

Yeah, I'm good.

All right.

Uh, sorry, I shouldn't have called you, man.

You're-you're... you're busy.

Come on!

What are you talking about, huh?

You can't call your... your hockey teammate, who can you call, right?

Not sure I'm going to be playing much more hockey anymore.

Oh. Why is that?

Did, uh... it come back again?

Not mine, no.

But, uh... (clears throat) one of the guys, uh, in the clinical trial-- uh, Ben-- has two little kids, four and a one-and- a-half year old.

d*ed on Tuesday.

Oh.

Yeah, yeah... yeah, I-I...

I saw him four weeks ago, and he was doing well, you know, just like me.

Then, out of nowhere, the cancer started spreading and...

He was a good guy.

I'm sorry.

Yeah. Me, too.

I really thought I was going to get better.

Wait a second-- just because one person in your group doesn't get better, doesn't mean you're not gonna get better.

I mean, come on. How do you feel?

I feel good.

But so did he, a month ago.

(sighs)

You know, Wendell... (clears throat) you know, back in '02, we had to secure this ridge in Ghazni... before our major forces came in.

Little did we know the Taliban had already been there.

And they pinned us down for about six days, and they kept picking us off... one by one.

15 guys went up to that ridge, and only three came out.

I know what you're trying to do, Booth.

I-I appreciate it; the doctors tried to do the same thing.

No, you don't.

I don't think you know what I'm talking about, and I don't think you appreciate what I'm telling you right now.

What I'm telling you is that I saw 12 of my brothers k*lled in front of me.

Twelve.

You got dealt a bad hand.

Deal with it.

(stammers quietly)

Sorry.

Enough with the apologies.

Okay, Wendell?

Stop feeling sorry for yourself, man, and keep fighting.

I don't need to see another brother die.

So, I have a match for the puncture wound you found in the rib.

Aldus Carter's thermocouple?!

He did it?!

You're absolutely certain it's this one.

His thermocouple has this unique tip that matches the mikrosil perfectly.

Brennan: Didn't he say this records data each time it takes body temperature?

Yeah, he did.

Hey, so if Aldus used this as a w*apon, then that data should be stored here, too.

Well, that should be easy to download.

Saroyan: There'll be one reading that's from me, the rest will be his.

(typing) Okay...

(computer beeps, whirrs)

Huh.

There's only one entry.

(sighs deeply) That was mine, when I used it.

So he must've erased it.

Wait, hold on, there might be another way.

I found traces of nano-composites with the nitrile rubber on the remains.

The examination gloves?

Could be.

I mean, it's a superhydrophobic coating, for sure.

I'll need to do some tests to be certain, but...

Okay, well, check it out and call me back.

Great. Thanks.

Okay, so what do we have?

Aldus Carter placed an order for a piece of obsidian from an online flintknapping store a month ago.

Flintknapping?!

Making ancient tools and weapons out of flint and obsidian.

Lots of people do it.

Just weird people, probably.

Right, okay-- was the piece he ordered big enough to make a Kn*fe?

Oh, yeah.

If we get a search warrant, I bet we'll find the knapping tools at his place.

The hard hammers, soft hammers-- everything that he would've needed to make his w*apon.

Okay, well, bring him in.

All right, great.

Why are you following me?

Carter: I can't believe this.

After all that I've done to help you with your investigation, you're accusing me of k*lling this woman?

I... I don't even know her.

What possible motive could I have?

Well, getting rid of Leona Saunders gave you an opportunity to showcase your products.

Brennan: Which led to a substantial order from the Jeffersonian and other contractors.

I would never k*ll for money.

We have the m*rder w*apon.

And it's not the obsidian Kn*fe you b*rned on the remains in an attempt to mislead us.

My thermocouple.

But Dr. Saroyan is the one who planted those prongs into the corpse, not me.

Yeah, but you thought that you could erase, you know, the memory of this "thermal-cuppus."

Thermocouple.

It's a thermocouple.

And you thought you could cover your tracks.

But... you forgot about these.

Those.

Brennan: We found traces of nitrile rubber with manganese oxide polystyrene nano-composite fused to the b*rned flesh of the victim.

I can tie them to you.

Oh... that's impossible.

The rubber is an exact match for your patented and, well, quite excellent non-stick gloves, Mr. Carter.

Couldn't do better with a fingerprint.

And do not compliment the m*rder*r.

Sorry.

Handling a corpse with nitrile rubber does not leave trace evidence, all right?

That's why my gloves are so good.

True, unless you were also handling razor-sharp strips of magnesium which cut the glove and, in this case, left traces of your DNA on the rubber.

That's brilliant.

This has been a worthy defeat.

(chuckles)

That's it?

Well, there's nothing more to discuss, actually.

Bones, there is a lot to discuss here.

What about Leona?

Why her?

Because of a video spectral comparator I was developing.

I found out she was stealing my designs and that's the only reason she was sleeping with me.

Whoa!

You... and she was... wow.

Well, that... Okay.

Oh. Well...

Whoa.

Yeah.

Um, sorry, one more thing.

Um, I will still be able to work on the comparator in prison.

I think it could be very valuable to your team.

I look forward to seeing it.

Really, Bones?

Really.

No.

What?

No!

He still does good work.

(indistinct, excited conversation)

I can't believe Dr. B. was worried she'd look foolish in front of everyone.

She's the best, man.

Sometimes people doubt how strong they really are.

Hodgins: Hey, brother.

You're back. Is everything okay?

Yeah, yeah, I'm still in remission.

Sorry I missed work. I was dealing with some stuff. It won't happen again.

Harkness: Hello, everyone.

(applause)

Hey.

Thank you, thank you very much, thank you. Okay.

Yesterday, I tried to introduce our keynote speaker, when all hell broke loose here at the National Forensic Sciences Convention. But within 24 hours, this incredible woman and her team not only conducted a complete forensic investigation, they also solved the m*rder. Therefore, and particularly in light of this remarkable feat, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the remarkable Dr. Temperance Brennan!

(applause, whooping, whistling)

(whistling)

Thank you, thank you very much. (chuckles) The great Dr. Erwin Schrodinger gets pulled over for speeding.

(quietly): Oh, no.

Brennan: The police officer says, "What's in the trunk?" Schrodinger says, "A cat." The police officer says, "Let me see," and he opens the trunk and says: "This cat is dead." And Schrodinger says, "Well, it is now."

(hearty laughter)

Hey, that worked! (laughs) Which reminds me of an astronaut I know who told me about a restaurant he visited on the moon. "Great food," he said, "but no atmosphere." (laughs alone)

Yes! That was... (clears throat) I thought it was funny.