Broken Bones

Episode 6 "The Man on Death Row" Part 1

I was at the lab sitting with Temp who was looking at bones and I was watching Hodgins and Zack's bug fight from a distance. Hodgins speaks to Zack, "What if they get mixed up?" "I can tell them apart. That's Jeff and that's Ollie. I win." "What?! That one was mine." "You had Jeff, I had Ollie. Ollie won. You owe me a buck." Angie comes in as Hodgins asked her, "You want in on the action, Angela?" "No, thank you. I'm going to go have sex." "Have a good time." "Yeah, okay." Angie then walks over to us. "You sure you both don't want to come? Troy can call a few friends." Temp speaks first. "I've been waiting months for these. It's a partial skeleton from southern France. The Institute..." "You know, the whole point of the week is the weekend. This is not the cabaret, my friend. Life is the cabaret. Come to the cabaret." I speak, "Sorry Angie, she doesn't understand what you are saying, and I can't go either. I have to make sure these bones go where they need to go when Temp is done with them." Angie sighs, "It's like describing the moon to a mole." 

I look over at Zack and Hodgins, seeing Hodgins has lost again. "I demand another beetle, all right? Jeff's got a groin pull" "Arthropods do not possess groins. Pay up." Angie leaves as Booth comes in, "Mmm. Angela. Looking good." "And don't I know it." Booth whistles and turns around also looking at Zack and Hodgins. "Okay, our tax dollars hard at work." Hodgins then answers, "Oh, yeah? What's break time at the FBI? Book burning?" Booth grabs the beaker and places it over Jeff as I snicker and Hodgins yells. "No! Oh, God!" Booth ignores him and comes up to us. "Hey, Bones, Blueberry, what are you doing this weekend?" Temp answers first, "I have plans." "No, come on. I'm serious." I answered "Nothing. Why?"  Temp cuts in before Booth could answer, Between your new girlfriend, the corporate lawyer, and the defense lawyer on the side, your weekend must be completely booked." We started walking to Temps office as she keeps on talking. "What is your thing with lawyers?" 

Booth just ignores it and speaks to us, "Look, seven years ago, a 17-year-old girl, April Wright, was found beaten to death in a federal park. Okay, Amy's just trying to stop the guy who did it from being executed." Temp then says, "So I guess we're not pursuing your lawyer obsession?" "No, Amy doesn't think he did it." I then ask, "What does it have to do with you Ranger?" "Oh, well, you know, Amy's client is deep sixed and she doesn't turn over every stone..." Temp then cuts him off "And you're one of her stones. Do you think he did it?" "Yes." I then ask "What's her reasoning?" "There was a pubic hair that wasn't accounted for." "Pubic hair? Couldn't the FBI crime lab do that?" "It's a weekend deal. Off the books. But if you both have plans..." Booth starts to turn around as we stop him. Temp starts to speak, "This is a personal favor you're asking." "Not for me, for Amy." I cut in "Booth, we don't do favors for people we don't know. Plus, if you said he was guilty then we go with what you say..." "Please do me a favor." I nod and he hands me the file that I then hand to Temp to look at as I say, "We will always be glad to help you out in any situations Ranger. You know that." "Yeah, thanks Blueberry." I chuckle, "You never need to thank me Ranger. You have already done so much for me and my sister that I even this is barely making a dent on how much we owe you." We give each other a warm smile and I walk over to Temp and look over her shoulder to look at the case file.

We look through it as Temp speaks up, "Any remains withheld from burial?" "Not after the last appeal. I'd need X rays from the ME and the coroner. Originals. The copies are useless. Bone scrapings, lab results, tox screens..." "All the evidence will be here within an hour." "We will ask the others, but we won't order them. They might have plans." "It's Friday night and they're racing beetles." I shrug a bit, then ask. "How much time do we have?" "Howard Epps will be executed in 30 hours and 23 minutes." A few minutes later we are on the platform and Temp speaks up. "Let's start. Zack, pull up the first X ray. Stress fractures on both tibias." Booth then asks, "What's that mean?" Zack answers "Preexisting the assault. Probably an old injury from dance or running." "She was a cheerleader." Hodgins then pipes in "The Chinese used to execute people by cutting small pieces of flesh off their bodies." I cut in finishing his sentence, "Called it the death of a thousand cuts." Hodgins looks at me impressed as I cough a bit, "I... I studied a bit on different types of execution styles and torture methods. But look there are compound fractures of the trapezium, scaphoid and the base of the radius."