11x20 - The Stiff in the Cliff

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Bones". Aired September 2005 - March 2017.*
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A forensic anthropologist and a cocky FBI agent build a team to investigate death causes. And quite often, there isn't more to examine than rotten flesh or mere bones.
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11x20 - The Stiff in the Cliff

Post by bunniefuu »

Whoa, I-I thought we said that there was no TV during the week, Bones.

Mommy says it's educational.

Well, a frozen body was recovered from a melting Alaskan ice floe.

Oh, that's just great. So now Christine can have nightmares about Popsicle Man.

While medical examiners have yet to identify the body, it was found in the same northern Alaska region where billionaire explorer Henry Charles mysteriously disappeared 15 years ago.

You didn't say it was Henry Charles.

That's merely conjecture.

There hasn't been a formal identification.

Henry Charles disappeared while excavating the remains of another famous expedition, the Frank Party, which had a pretty gruesome twist.

Turns out Frank and his crew cannibalized each other.

It was a case...

Okay. That's enough. that made... Booth.

What's "cannibalize"?

Sweetheart, it's just when people eat other people.

Ew.

Bones, you don't have to... You don't have to tell her that.

The discovery of the Frank Party is one of the most important archaeological finds of this century.

That's great.

She'll learn all about that in middle school, but right now this little first grade monkey needs to go get dressed for school.

Do I have to? What if Lukas pushes Emma again?

Don't let that bully Lukas push Emma around.

You stand up for your friends.

Do I push Lukas back?

No, no, no, no, no, no.

You never push anyone back.

Only use your words, sweetheart.

Okay?

Okay.

Bam. Blow it up. (chuckles)

Booth, I don't think you should be encouraging Christine to intervene in schoolyard altercations.

Why not? I don't understand. It's her friend.

Why wouldn't she?

(phone rings)

Oh. I-I'm afraid we'll have to finish this later. Oh. (chuckles)

I have to get back to the lab immediately.

Why? Something big?

Yes. That body, uh, the frozen body on TV, they've chosen me to identify it.

Wow. Really?

Okay. Where's my jacket?

I don't know.

I need my ja... Okay, my keys.

Christine, where's my jacket?!

I have never seen so many reporters outside the Jeffersonian.

Yeah, with all this hype, we better hope this is Henry Charles.

Well, either way, I should probably cancel with my sister.

Oh, is she coming here?

I-I thought you weren't on speaking terms.

She's trying to make amends by helping me plan my wedding.

Right. And you actually think that that's a good idea?

Felicia can be a bully, but... she's my sister. Maybe letting her be involved with the wedding plans will help us get back to the way things used to be.

You mean before she was macking on your boyfriends?

Well, technically, Booth and I weren't dating when she kissed him.

Who was kissing Booth?

Cam's sister.

After we were done dating, but-but before you guys were together.

No need to make excuses.

Booth has kissed many women.

Well, that's not the root of my problem with Felicia.

I'd definitely call it a symptom.

I mean, if she's always competing with you, what's it gonna be like when she plans the wedding?

Hodgins: Okay, everyone, the man of the hour.

Not quite the grand entrance Henry Charles is used to making.

Hodgins: Hey, remember the time he hydroplaned across the Atlantic with those half-naked supermodels?

'Cause, you know, that was super tacky.

Saroyan: Well, it looks like you're not gonna need to do a facial reconstruction.

Why does he look like fruit leather?

A combination of frigid temperatures, high winds, and UV rays resulted in rapid mummification.

Oh, my God.

It's really him.

They found Henry Charles.

Wait, you knew him?

Yeah, I was on his final expedition.

What?

Seriously?

I was working as an intern under Archeologist Marcus Eldridge.

That is quite an impressive credential.

I... But I don't recall seeing it on your résumé.

Nor do I.

I was a 20-year-old undergrad. All I really did was grunt work... keeping the logs, cataloging the bones. And when, uh, Henry went missing...

Wow, Clark. I'm-I'm sorry.

That must have been really hard.

Yeah, it was.

Everyone loved Henry.

We were all in shock the day he disappeared.

Hodgins: I mean, at least hypothermia is a relatively painless way to go.

Oh, it is.

But this man did not die of hypothermia. He d*ed of sharp instrument trauma to the left posterior parietal.

Whoa. Are you saying that Henry Charles was m*rder*d?

No, no, no. Th-That's impossible.

There were only five of us on the expedition.

We were over 100 miles from civilization.

Based on the damage to the skull, that's the only explanation.

Dr. Hodgins...

Yeah. I'm on it.

Please step away from the body, Dr. Edison.

I don't understand.

I'm afraid you are now one of the suspects.

♪ ♪

Wow. So this is the actual hut that Captain Frank's crew built from the wreckage of the SS Tartarus?

And you want
to know what they did in that hut?

They chowed down on people burgers.

Wow. I love a good burger, but that's where I draw the line.

Okay. That's good to know there's a line, Aubrey.

You really think Clark is capable of m*rder? I mean, 'cause I've never even seen the guy, like, raise his voice.

No, no, no. All I know is that five went on the expedition.

Four of 'em came back.

And one of the four surviving members is the k*ller.

Right. We got Marcus Eldridge, Lead Archeologist.

I recognize him from his book jacket. Great read. And, uh, that must be Hazel Mitchell, the teaching assistant.

And we got Declan Marshall here. He's the mountain guide and also Henry Charles' right-hand man.

And Clark.

Love the glasses.

So you don't think it's possible that a local might've snuck in?

Look at this. Look how far north the expedition site is, right?

Even Santa Claus wouldn't travel that far north.

Well, according to Hodgins, the m*rder w*apon was a pointed steel tool.

Come on.

Should be easy enough to find, right? All of the, uh, equipment that they used at the expedition site should be right here.

Or maybe not so easy.

(computer trilling)

Bray: Whoa.

It's like REI designed a t*rture chamber.

Brother, thank you for getting here on such short notice.

Of course, man. I'm guessing one of these could be the m*rder w*apon?

Seems likely.

Which is why I'm actually, uh, trying to replicate the sharp instrument force here onto these guys, which are sensor-enabled plastic skulls.

Now, each smash that I make, right, when I hit this, it instantly uploads onto my computer, which allows me to compare fracture propagation, uh, kerf depth, and striation patterns to the wounds on Henry Charles' skull.

So come around here to the monitor. I'm gonna do all the smashing, and I'm gonna have you compare all the impressions from the weapons to the X-rays of Henry Charles' skull.

Why do you get to do the fun part?

Oh, yeah, sorry. House rules.

King of the lab does all the smashing.

Hey, you don't actually think there's a chance that Clark could have done it?

No. Definitely not.

But...

I don't know, man.

It does seem weird, though that he would be on one of the most infamous expeditions in modern history, but he'd never talk about it.

It was probably traumatic for him.

All I know is that Clark is definitely innocent.

Agreed. Which is why we now have to find some hard evidence in order to prove it.

(doorbell buzzes)

Hey. Clark.

How's it going?

Brought you some reinforcements.

No, thanks.

How can you say "no, thanks" to that? Come on, have a donut.

You know, we just want to ask you some questions about the Charles Expedition.

I'm gonna have to stop you right there, Booth.

I've retained legal representation, and, off their advice, I invoke my right to remain silent.

Look, Clark, this is just a friendly visit.

We're not accusing you of anything.

We just want to get a little inside Intel on how the team dynamics worked.

And I wish I could help you, but my lawyer's instructions were clear. I am not at liberty to answer any of your questions.

Come on. I just...

I didn't find any particulates on the victim's clothes.

Hopefully, I'll have better luck with the skin.

Bray: The skin may be intact, but the skeleton is a bone fracture bonanza.

Distinguishing all the perimortem fractures from the jagged postmortem breaks is gonna take a while.

Hey, you guys, look who I found.

Saroyan: Felicia!

It is so great to see you. (stammers) Um, I didn't expect you until noon.

Hey, you know, uh, you can wait in my office, and Cam can meet you there.

You don't mind, do you? It's just this is a really important case.

That's okay. I get it.

Just tell me when you want to reschedule, and I'll try and sweet-talk my boss into giving me another day off.

Come on, Cam. You should go.

Oh, go, Cam. It's for your wedding day, you know?

You need all the time you can get.

Oh, not the way I've got it planned.

Come on, girl. You and I are on a schedule.

Look, I promise I'll call you if anything big comes up.

Yeah.

Okay.

Have a good time!

This is interesting. The skull and the upper torso have a lot more postmortem fractures than the legs.

What does that mean?

Based on the depressed and radiating fractures on the neurocranium, the victim suffered a rapid deceleration impact, possibly from a very great distance.

So Henry Charles fell?

Fell or was pushed.

That doesn't make sense. Let me show you something.

So, check out this satellite image of the dig site. Now, the topography is totally flat.

According to this map, there's nothing tall enough for Henry Charles to have fallen from.

Booth: I don't understand why everyone's treating this Eldridge guy like he's some Indiana Jones.

All he did was find some old boat.

Well, Dr. Eldridge was the lead archeologist on the expedition that discovered the Frank Party.

If archeology were hockey, he would be Dwayne Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky. Get it right. Wayne. Wayne.

Well, like many archeologists, Eldridge is also trained in forensic anthropology.

The methodology he used on the Frank Party corpses has been replicated on multiple excavations.

Skills that would make him a good suspect in the m*rder.

You could say the same about any of us, which is why you can't rule Clark out.

(phone ringing)

Oh.

Hmm?

Oh, dear.

Is it bad news from the lab?

(sighs)

Christine's teacher, she-she says that Christine called Lukas a troglodyte.

(laughs)

She's using her words.

Booth.

Oh, come on, Bones, she's defending her friend.

Well, Christine should not have gotten involved in the first place.

Bones, you know what, you could learn something from your daughter.

What, if you are trying to imply that I should show more support for Clark, I fundamentally disagree.

It is essential for my work that I remain unbiased.

Look, all I'm saying is if it was one of my guys, okay, in this situation, I would do everything in my power to save the guy.

What?

(girls laughing)

I'm very proud of that, Marcus Eldridge.

There we are.

(students chattering)

Marcus...

Eldridge, with love.

Don't push.

I promise I'm gonna sign every book.

All right, excuse me, ladies, but class is over, right? FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. This here is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan.

Dr. Brennan.

It's an honor to finally meet you.

Oh, I imagine it is.

You're certain that Henry was m*rder*d?

Without a doubt.

Booth: Which means it was somebody from your expedition.

Anyone have a problem with Henry Charles?

No, there was no friction whatsoever.

Our group was a finely tuned machine comprised of top scientific minds.

With one exception.

According to Henry Charles' old correspondence, you were not his first choice for lead archeologist.

You were his third.

I was fully informed about Henry's selection process, but it only made me more grateful to be involved in the end.

Henry's work was extraordinarily well-received.

And if Henry Charles were still alive today, all the credit for the discovery would surely have gone to him instead of you.

Remind me, how long was that book of yours on the best-selling list?

No, you have it all wrong.

Henry was my friend.

He was also my benefactor, and had he lived, he surely would've funded all of my expeditions for years to come.

Right, which is why you took off from the dig site without him.

Hmm, yeah, well, a storm came in.

If we hadn't left when we did, we all would have d*ed, but you can read about it, Agent Booth.

Here, chapter 14.

Oh, trust me, I will, thanks.

Hmm.

Excuse me, Agent.

Those actually retail for $18.99.

But in this case, it's yours.

I'll sign it if you like.

Felicia: Listen,

I know things have been rocky between us the past couple years, but I am gonna make it up to you by helping you plan the perfect wedding.

Let's start with the music.

You press, I drive.

Oh, I don't know how to work this fancy thing.

Oh, it's super user-friendly. Just go under playlists and hit the one labeled "Cam's Wedding".

Okay.

Nice!

So, now you're our wedding planner and our DJ?

Lord, no. Girl, (laughs) this is a compilation of the top ten local R&B bands.

All you need to do is pick which one you like best.

I have never seen you this organized.

Honey, I know that the last thing you want is to spend the next year having everybody fussing over you.

Now reach in the back and grab that binder.

♪ Oh, baby... ♪

What is all this?

Locations, caterers, florists, honeymoon ideas.

All you need to do is kick back and fill in the checklist.

Okay.

I thought you said you wanted to make this quick so you could get back to your case.

I do.

Then I suggest you get started.

Aye-aye, captain.

I am on it.

(chuckles)

♪ Yeah, all right. ♪

Angie, found the m*rder w*apon.

It's a high-end ice Axe.

(Montenegro groans)

Yikes.

Do you know whose it was?

Oh, no, they issued these babies to everyone on the team, but I'm thinking that the k*ller may have held it like this.

(Hodgins grunts)

Yeah, that-that... just a little bit close to my head.

Sorry, sorry.

Uh, you had something you want to show me.

(sighs) Yeah, so, I've been studying the site where they found Henry Charles' body.

Check this out.

Hold on, I thought that the head fracture suggested that he fell from great distances.

I mean, come on, that-that shelf is probably, what, ten feet tops?

Well, it is now,
but look what happens when I input the weather data from ten years ago.

Oh, wow, talk about climate change.

Yeah, the iceberg Henry Charles was frozen inside of used to be part of a giant cliff.

You see that cr*ck?

Yeah, it's an ice crevasse.

It's easily 80 feet deep.

That would explain his fall.

Man, if only there was a way for us to know who was up there with him when he d*ed.

Oh, well, there might be.

I made scans of the log books that Brennan borrowed from that lead archeologist, and the team took very detailed notes about who was working which dig site and when.

Great, then, Angie, all we got to do is figure out who was working Dig Site #3 at the top of the ridge with Henry Charles the day he disappeared.
Bingo.

Hazel Mitchell.

So, this was the original Frank Party campsite and we found their old ship-timber hut here.

Our set-up was here.

Base camp, everyone had a sleep tent.

We had a communications tent, as well as a mess hall and a latrine.

It was... (chuckles) all very glamorous.

Okay, well, Henry Charles' body was, uh, dumped in the crevasse in that ridge.

And according to the log, you were there working alone that day.

Uh, no, actually, I was scheduled to be there, but at the last minute, Declan called me off.

He said it wasn't safe.

Declan Marshall?

Yes.

He was Henry's outdoor guru or something.

High on brawn, low on brains.

He closed the ridge that day to conduct avalanche blasting.

You didn't record that in the log.

What can I say? I-I got distracted.

You do realize that you're a suspect in a m*rder investigation.

I have an alibi, if that's what you're looking for.

I was with our college intern, Clark Edison.

Clark Edison, right, well, according to the log, Clark Edison was on sleep break.

Well, I was with him, and we definitely were not sleeping.

Bray: So, you watch the game last night? (clears throat)

No, went to bed early.

Total blowout. You didn't miss much.

(sighs) Come on, man.

Did you really bring me here to talk about baseball?

Sorry, guess I'm just a little nervous.

This whole, uh, taking the fifth thing, I don't understand why you're doing it.

It makes you seem... guilty.

Were you in a relationship with Hazel Mitchell?

You were, weren't you?

Is that what this is about?

Are you really trying to get me to talk?

No, I'm-I'm just trying to help you.

We both know that you didn't do it.

Well, I'm sorry, but you're wasting your time.

Come on, Clark.

I'm your friend.

I only want what's best for you.

Yeah, I know you do, but the best thing for me to do right now is to keep my mouth shut.

Dr. Edison, is it true you're the prime suspect in Henry Charles' m*rder?

Reporter #2: Why'd you do it, Clark?

Hey, back off!

It's okay. It's better if I go.

You work for the Jeffersonian, too, don't you?

Isn't it a conflict of interest having lunch with a suspect while you're in the middle of a m*rder investigation?

Bray: Well, that was a disaster.

The press crashed our lunch, plus, Clark gave me nothing.

Well, don't take it personally.

How could I not? Seven years of friendship and it's like he doesn't even trust me.

Well, you can't blame him for prioritizing his legal defense.

Mr. Bray, please take a look at this.

It's a remodeled fracture on the distal end, anterior aspect of the right femur.

Based on the degree of ossification, I'd say this wound occurred roughly two years prior to death.

I concur.

The triangular shape suggests some kind of sharp force trauma, possibly from a hunting Kn*fe or an arrowhead.

What about a spearfishing g*n?

I-I swear, I read something about this in a magazine article this morning.

Well, the date of the incident is compatible with the remodeling of the wound.

According to this article, Declan Marshall accidentally sh*t his boss while the two were spearfishing in the Virgin Islands.

It's possible this was a failed m*rder attempt.

Hey, I have the results of the swab from Henry Charles' hand.

It showed dynamite residue.

Why would someone bring expl*sives to an archeological dig?

Well, in mountainous, sub-zero climates like Alaska, dynamite is used to trigger controlled avalanches.

Yes, but the only person with the expertise to do that was Charles' right hand man, Declan Marshall.

Marshall: Damn right,

I'm broken up about it. I spent a lot of time with Henry.

Rock climbing El Capitan, canyon diving New Zealand, white water rafting in Sierra Leone, whatever his current obsession, I was right there next to him.

Can you tell us where you were the day he disappeared on this map?

Yeah, um... here, here, and over here.

I was setting off avalanche charges, making sure, you know, the entire mountain didn't come down on top of us.

Convenient way to hide a body.

My job was to keep Henry alive, not k*ll him.

And plus, he was nowhere near the ridge.

I specifically told everyone to steer clear.

Well, our lab found traces of dynamite on Henry Charles' hands.

Yeah, because he was an idiot.

This monster storm was coming in, and I specifically told him we had to fly out, but he refused to go until all the bodies were exhumed.

We got in a fight and he grabbed the dynamite to keep me from walking away.

That's when he went missing.

Aubrey: This wasn't the first time you two fought, was it? These are Henry's hospital records from your trip to Tortola.

You know, the one where you, uh, sh*t him with the spearfishing g*n.

That idiot sh*t himself.

What kind of a dummy jumps off a boat with a loaded spear-sh**t?

Henry could hurt himself inside a padded box.

That's why he needed me around to keep him safe.

Safe? Henry Charles went missing under your watch.

In less than 24 hours, you get a helicopter to pick you up, and you left him there.

N-No-No. Y-You've got that backwards.

We stayed an extra 24 hours after the pilot arrived because Henry was missing.

Wait, what? What do you mean?

The weather was getting worse, so I went behind Henry's back and asked the pilot to fly in the day before.

I knew he'd be pissed, but I wanted to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

You're saying that the helicopter pilot was with you on the day he disappeared.

Uh, yeah. A local gal, um, uh, Alice Tuug.

And I knew Henry'd be mad, so I had her land the chopper out of sight, just over the ridge, and wait for us.

Alice Tuug.

She's not on our suspect list.

Declan wanted me ready to leave on an instant's notice with a storm coming in, but he didn't want Henry Charles to know.

So I agreed to land my chopper out of sight, just behind this ridge.

So Henry Charles was willing to put everyone's life at risk for this expedition.

If that storm hit with us stuck right in the middle of it, I can guarantee you none of us would have made it out.

Convenient explanation, but this wasn't the first time that you butted heads with Mr. Charles, was it?

You were arrested during a violent demonstration at one of his events.

His company was trying to develop a mining operation on sacred native land.

Look, Alice, the fact is that you were at the expedition site with no one else around to see where you were, or what you were doing at the exact time that Henry Charles was k*lled.

Look, I didn't k*ll him.

And I don't know who did, but he was definitely still alive when I showed up.

And how do you know that if you stayed out of sight?

After I landed, I had some time on my hands, so I hiked up to the top of the ridge.

That's when I saw Henry go inside the Frank Party hut, and he wasn't alone.

Any idea who he was with?

I was too far away to tell.

Everyone in the expedition wore the same dark jacket, except for Henry, he wore red.

But based on their body language, it was pretty obvious they were in some kind of an argument.

Aubrey: Okay, so if Alice Tuug was telling the truth, then Henry Charles got into an argument on the day he was m*rder*d with someone from his expedition inside of this hut.

So you think that this is the crime scene.

It could be.

If we could find the crime scene, and maybe we could find some more clues.

Okay. All right, then I am on it.

Whoa.

Um... so.

I don't think that the Frank Party built their little hut here to be handicap accessible.

Guess not.

Well, I can do it.

Do you know how?

Hodgins, it's a flashlight.

It's not rocket science.

Fine. Have my fun.

Man, I can barely see anything.

Well, I can see everything, and I think what I'm seeing is a lot of blood.

It looks like three or four feet of wall, half the floor, covered.

Is it like one distinct blob?

No, it looks more like a sprinkler went off and left pools here and there.

Sounds like arterial spray.

Is that what you'd expect from an ice Axe to the skull?

Possibly. If it hit the carotid.

One thing is for certain, Henry Charles was definitely k*lled inside this hut.

Montenegro: Hey, Hodgins said they found the crime scene.

Yes, but it doesn't do us any good.

Every member of that team had access to that hut.

This is very frustrating.

I just wish that we could say something.

Publicly. And-and... and stand up for Clark.

Well, it wouldn't do Dr. Edison any good if we were to compromise the prosecution of the case.

(sighs)

It just... it doesn't seem right.

There appears to be butterfly fracturing on the left zygomatic.

The location and nature of the wound suggests a closed-fisted blow to the face by a right-handed assailant.

Wow, so that was quite a punch to fracture the bone.

Well, that's it.

I-I-In order to apply enough force to do so, the k*ller must not have been wearing gloves.

Right. Right, because they were inside the hut, so that makes sense, but what difference does that make?

Absence of gloves means we may be able to detect a knuckle pattern on the tissue.

And that means that all we need to do is match it to one of our suspects.

(sighs)

Can I pick 'em, or can I pick 'em?

Doesn't this seem a little plain?

Well, uh, it just... it feels like something I'd wear to work.

That's why I picked it.

I know you. You're not the type to waste money on a dress you'd wear only once.

You're more sensible than that.

Now get back in there, and try on these other dresses I picked out for you.

Also, be quick if you can, because the florist will be here any minute to go over flower options.

Oh, wait. I didn't agree to pick out flower arrangements today.

And I have a job back in Philly that I left to help you.

Is your job more important than mine?

No, I'm not saying that.

I mean, really, is the k*ller gonna be any less guilty later today?

Felicia, this isn't any other case.

This involves a good friend of mine.

I'm not telling you to ditch out on it, but I had to call in every favor I have so that we could get all the planning done today.

Can you just go with the flow for once?

Fine. Uh, another half hour.

Terrific.

And if you're not sold on the dresses, I can find a few more options.

Nothing princess-y, totally your style.

Felicia, I want you to know, I really appreciate how much work you've put in to all this.

Great. So what do you think about simple beiges and light pinks as your color spectrum?

Oh, beige. Isn't that a little...

Harsh on most people's skin tones?

Yes, but I figured you didn't want any bridesmaids, and it's such a dignified color scheme.

So, can I see it?

Uh, no, uh, I'm-I'm not sure.

Look, if it's not love, the one you tried on already is the perfect Camille Saroyan.

(sighs)

(sighs)

(sighs)

Hey. Is this the model of our k*ller's hand?

Yeah. It's based on the knuckle prints Brennan found on the victim's cheek tissue.

Now all I have to do is compare it to our suspects' hand measurements.

But why are there only four sets of prints?

Was Aubrey not able to get everyone's?

Everyone except Clark.

Man, if Clark would just cooperate, he'd seem a hell of a lot less guilty.

No match.

Which means we're left with only one potential suspect.

The evidence doesn't lie, Dr. Edison.

We know you punched Henry Charles.

Yeah, but I didn't k*ll him.

Clark, it's to your benefit to say nothing.

Fine.

Clark.

No. No.

Look, you want your story?

Look, I punched Henry, because I caught him and Hazel together in her tent, and I just lost it.

I'm having trouble with the timeline.

Did you strike him in the tent, or in the hut?

In the hut. It was... it was later that day.

Listen, I'm not proud of what I did, but Henry was using her, and Hazel meant everything to me.

Booth: So you, you hit him to stand up for yourself, and Hazel.

Yeah, I just...

I did a lot of stupid things for Hazel.

Like m*rder?

No.

But while she was excavating Captain Frank's body, she chipped the C4 vertebra.

The log books do not indicate any damage to Frank's remains.

And that's where the stupid part comes in.

Hazel was devastated by her mistake.

She was embarrassed, and I agreed not to log it.

You compromised the data?

That is a serious breach of your integrity as a scientist.

I know. I allowed my feelings for someone to get in the way of my responsibilities.

Okay, let's just shut the feelings down right now and get back to what happened after you hit Henry Charles.

I stormed out... alone, to calm down.

And by the time I got back, we realized Henry was missing.

Great, so not only were you the last person to see him alive, but you don't have an alibi.

Look, I know how this looks, Booth.

Please, you have to believe me.

Look, we've worked together for nearly a decade, if there's anyone who could prove my innocence, it's you.

I can reexamine the evidence, but I'm afraid that's the best I can do.

♪ In a dream, I've been restrained ♪
♪ Carries over into day ♪
♪ You can see it in my face ♪
♪ Say what you want anyway ♪
♪ Are you going ♪
♪ Too far from here ♪
♪ While you're drifting ♪
♪ Away... ♪
♪ ♪

Hey, Bones.

Booth, what are you doing here?

I got some coffee and some fuel for you and the, uh, the squints, here.

That's so thoughtful.

Well, what can I say, I'm a thoughtful kind of a guy, right?

Look, I know you're a bookworm and all, but I thought you told Clark that you were going to reexamine the evidence?

I am. I'm re-reading Eldridge's book.

He writes with great detail about the emotional state of the team, but the book makes no reference to their interpersonal conflicts.

So he fudged a few of the details. What's the big deal?

What does that have to do with Clark's case?

Well, this was a best-selling work of scientific non-fiction. It should be accurate.

Scientific accuracy doesn't get your book on the best-seller list for 72 weeks, that's for sure, I'll tell you what. You know what does?

People chowing down on their buddies.

Well... it is a shame they didn't get a better photo of the cannibalized bones. I mean, this one...

Let's take a look.

Is horribly out of focus.

Well... yeah, you know, you're right, I guess squints don't make the best photographers.

Unless... the poor photo quality was intentional.

Done so that it would be impossible to scrutinize.

I will let you know when I have something.

Was it... Did I say something?

Brennan, what is this about?

We have been looking at the wrong set of bones.

I know I'm running on zero sleep, but don't tell me I missed another victim?

No, these bones are from the Frank Party.

One of two cannibalized skeletons Eldridge was able to evacuate before the storm.

Mr. Bray, what do you make of these cut marks?

They appear to be shallow slices, likely caused by the tools used to remove the flesh for eating.

You are mistaken.

The implements available to the Frank Party would have left broader kerf marks.

And the edges would grow more ragged as the blade dulled, but none of these did. They're all identical.

Couldn't they have sharpened their knives on something?

Well, yes, but based on the Kn*fe-sharpening technology of the 1800s, you'd see evidence of rolled edges.

Brennan: Precisely.

These cuts were made with multiple, identical scalpel-sharp blades. Modern blades.

Wait a minute, are you saying that...

The Frank Party didn't eat each other.

The cannibalism was faked.

You lied. We have conclusive proof that you falsified evidence of the Frank Party cannibalism.

That's ridiculous. Why would I do that?

Well, a boring run-of-the-mill shipwreck doesn't exactly sell books.

So you figured you'd turn the Yawner Party into the Donner Party.

(chuckles) Only, Henry Charles caught you adulterating the bones. So you k*lled him before he had a chance to expose you as the fraud you truly are.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to make a name for yourself in archaeology? So I faked a few details.

That does not make me a k*ller.

Right.

Henry Charles just happened to disappear right after he threatened to expose your scam.

Sometimes you get lucky.

Not this time.

You may discredit me as a scientist, Dr. Brennan.

You will never prove that I'm a m*rder*r.

We've been at this for a while, and we still haven't found anything that ties Eldridge to the m*rder.

Dude, I've swabbed every nanometer of that head wound.

There's nothing.

Nothing from the brain tissue at the wound site, either.

That's Charles' brain?

Yeah. It was mummified when it came in, so I rehydrate it.

Hodgins: Dehydrated?

It's like those capsules that turn into sponge animals.

Michael-Vincent loves those. As do I.

Oh, my God. That's it.

Think of the brain as a sponge.

As the cerebral crevices dried up, Charles' brain condensed into a tighter form, folding trace evidence in with it.

But when you rehydrate it, the tissue expanded.

Allowing the particulates from the wound site to migrate down one of the porous pathways into the brain's center.

So we need to section the entire brain, not just the area proximate to the wounds.

Already on it.

Hodgins: Oh, wow.

Really makes you rethink deli meat.

And I'm officially never eating again.

I'm with you. At least I'll fit into whatever wedding dress Felicia chose for me.

Why's she choosing it? It's your wedding.

Which is why I'm trying to keep the peace.

Last thing I need on my wedding day is family drama.

Hey, not to butt in, but if Angela and I have learned anything from my being in this chair, it's that a person can't possibly know what you're thinking unless you tell them.

There.

I see something.

Based on the discoloration, this is a sliver of very old bone.

That proves it was Marcus Eldridge.

He must have gotten that bone chip caught on his ice Axe as he was faking the cannibal cuts.

Then we got him.

Not so fast.

Something's not right. This bone chip didn't come from the cannibalized remains.

How can you tell?

The slight sloping on this crevice is what you'd see on the bid Spinoza process of a C4 vertebra.

But I just examined those remains with Dr. Brennan, and neither C4 vertebrae were damaged, which means Marcus Eldridge isn't the k*ller But I know who is.

You must have been quite humiliated when you realized you'd damaged Captain Frank's remains.

You brought me back in here for that?

It was an accident. The damage was minor.

Booth: Really, minor, like this size?

That is a chip of 150-year-old C4 vertebra. My lab found it embedded in Henry Charles' brain.

See, we figured out that this piece of bone got stuck in your ice Axe... the one that you used to manhandle Captain Frank's remains.

The bone then migrated to Henry Charles' brain when you k*lled him with the very same Axe.

You have no idea what I was up against.

I-I did all of my graduate work under Marcus Eldridge.

My entire career rode on his recommendation.

If the academic world discredited your advisor, you would have lost your credibility.

You couldn't take the chance that Henry Charles would expose the truth.

(sighs)

Eldridge couldn't even pull off a forgery in the most remote place on this earth.

And then Henry comes along and wants me to help him go public with Eldridge's lies?

Right, so you just hit him over the head, and you tossed him in an 80-foot crevasse.

It was either that or kiss my career good-bye.

And I was not about to let all of that hard work go down the drain.

Montenegro: I wonder how Clark feels, knowing that he was in love with a m*rder*r.

Well, he's not a suspect anymore.

I'd say he's feeling pretty good.

Am I interrupting?

Hey.

What are you doing here?

Got your wedding binder organized.

Everything's set, all you need to do is pick a date.

Wow, that was fast.

It's what Cam wanted.

Really?

Actually, it isn't.

Wait. Please don't tell me you want to elope.

After all the favors I had to call in?

No, I don't want to elope either.

You've lost me.

I know it's silly, but I can't help it.

I...

I want the poof dress and the champagne waterfalls and the personalized candy bars and the bridesmaids and the ten-piece band.

They have personalized candy bars?

Why didn't you tell me?

Because I was embarrassed.

It's a little girl's fantasy.

And I just don't want us to fight anymore.

Cam, we're sisters.

Our relationship ebbs and flows, that's life.

I love you. That doesn't change.

When did you get so mature?

Around the time I felt terrible about making out with your boyfriend.

Hodgins: Oh, please don't tell me you made out with Barstool also?

Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life. All I want is to help make it everything you want it to be.

Oh, sorry... listen, uh, if you do plan on having bridesmaids, just promise me you won't do beige, 'cause it washes out my skin tone.

Fine.

Dr. Edison. Please come in.

I'm happy to see you.

Well, I'm only here because of you.

I simply did my job.

Did you really think I could have k*lled Henry Charles?

It would have been a disservice to you for me to consider my personal beliefs, but no, I never thought you were capable of such a crime.

Right. Because my true crime is falsifying evidence.

It's all over the news.

They're crucifying me.

It has caught my attention.

Which is why I'll be tendering my resignation.

I should have known the cannibalism was a fraud.

Any forensic anthropologist worthy of the Jeffersonian would have.

You were not a forensic anthropologist at the time.

You were an undergrad persuaded by your professor.

Yes. But a good scientist relies only on his own analysis.

Dr. Edison, please take a look at the latest copy of The Forensic Anthropology Times.

Is it an article written by you?

Yes. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself.

The entire scientific world bought into Marcus Eldridge's deceit.

Wait, is this an article in defense of me?

Mistakes make for better scientists, Dr. Edison.

Every expert today has made a past error of some kind.

Besides, that's what friends and teammates do.

They stand up for each other.

Oh... (chuckles)

I suggest you get back to work.

I imagine tasks have piled up since you've been away.

♪ ♪

Brennan: I've never seen Christine so messy.

Thankfully, I think
that's the last of the mud.

Booth: Come on over and have a drink.

I tell you, I'm really proud of my two girls for standing up for their friends.

Christine didn't stand up for anyone.

She voluntarily joined Emma in the mud after Lukas pushed her in.

Solidarity, Bones, all right?

She jumped into that mud with Emma to make a point, just like you made a point with that essay you wrote about Clark.

Some point. Marcus Eldridge has been totally discredited, he's being sued for fraud, and yet he just landed a two million dollar book deal to write an exposé on the Charles Expedition.

Two million dollars? Wow, I should write an exposé on you, and I'll finally get that ice rink I always wanted in the back.

Well, an exposé on me would be fruitless, as I have no secrets.

And if we had an extra two million dollars lying around, Booth, we wouldn't buy an ice rink. Come on.

I know... a yacht.

No, Christine gets seasick.

(snaps fingers) Plane.

Well, that's not very Eco-friendly, Booth.

Okay, what do you suggest, then?

I don't know... solar panels?

Solar panels? I'm talking hypothetical here.

Yes.

Well, hypothetically, I would get solar panels.

You have two million dollars to spend, and that's what you're gonna choose?

Yes, well, I have to do something to balance out the carbon footprint of your private plane.
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