The Squinterns

A Boy in a Tree

"Zack Addy" corrects Zack angrily.

"Could you show me the remains, please?" Brennan asks the sheriff.

The Sheriff sighs and leads us to the scene. An officer lifts the tape for us and we all duck under. "I don't know if you remember me, but we worked together on a case." says the Sheriff. "A bunch of bones found in a culvert a year ago?"

"I remember the bones and the culvert." replies Dr. Brennan.

"You know, Bones, being nice to the locals and remembering their names and such, it wouldn't hurt." I tell her quietly.

"Our two week term break ends tomorrow. I'd like to get this tidied up so the students never know what happened." says the headmaster.

"But we don't know what happened yet. That's why I'm here." replied Bones. "Did anyone touch the body?"

"I doubt it. It's pretty grizzly." replies the sheriff. She leads us to a tree and points up. I have to grab Zack's arm to steady myself. The body hangs from the branch, surrounded by crows pecking out it's eyeballs. Suicides always bothered me, and that's what this one looked like. 

"Is that a student?" asks Booth."

"Um, it's a pretty secure campus. Gotta be student, staff, or faculty." replies the head of security.

"Video first. I don't want your flash disturbing the crows."Brennan orders Zack and I.

"Aha! Finally!" I say, grabbing my bag and video equipment. It's not every case I get to do my thing. I slowly circle the tree, capturing every aspect of the body. I zoom in and out, making sure everything is easily seen and steady. While Zack may be an expert at crime scene photography, I was an expert at the crime scene videography.

"Agent Booth, if you decide this is a suicide, the case is mine, right?" asks the sheriff.

"Actually, the person who decides if it's suicide is me." says Brennan firmly.

"Let's give the bone lady some room." orders the sheriff in a strained voice.

"I got video Dr. Brennan." I say.

"Go to stills." she tells Zack.

"Can we just get him down from there?" asks the headmaster.

"There's a lot of work to do before we get to that." says Brennan.

"You wanna step back please, sir?" asks Booth.

"I'm the headmaster here." he complains.

"And this is a crime scene. Please step back." orders Booth.

Zack keeps taking pictures while Brennan stares up at the body.  Suddenly, the head rolls off and I scream and jump back. I stare in horror as Dr. Brennan catches it.

"I'm going to need an evidence bag." she says.

"Heads up." I say. The body falls down at Brennan's feet. Zack watches it fall in confusion. I excuse myself to get the bags.

~

"I make this a male, approximately 5'6", 130 pounds. From the looks on his sternum and skull, I'd say mid adolescent, say, fourteen to seventeen."Decides Dr. Brennan. She tilts her head to look at the skull better. "High cheekbones. You think maybe Asian?"

"I'm getting more of a Hispanic vibe." says Angela

"There is a significant Crematogastor ant colony in the tree that fed on the body, as well as tabanid maggots." says Hodgins excitedly. "I'll give you a time of death estimate when I know who ate what when."